Phanes's Ultimate Scheme Exposed: Demon Gods Have No Self-How Could They Dare Entertain Rebellion? Gu Yuena: Executed Before It Begins

[Heavenly Principles]

[Heavenly Principles retreated behind the scenes, and Teyvat's stage was henceforth handed over to the Demon Gods.]

As the words fell, the panorama of the entire world rapidly unfolded before them. Across the land, one overwhelmingly powerful aura after another shot into the sky, as though answering some silent summons. On mountain peaks, beneath the sea, amid the clouds, across the wilderness... hundreds of figures emerged within their respective domains. They took all manner of forms and radiated immense power, each possessing the strength to destroy heaven and earth.

They were the "Demon Gods" Phanes had spoken of.

"Hundreds..." Zhou Weiqing sucked in a sharp breath. He himself had achieved great things only through countless fortunate opportunities, yet on the screen, experts of the same caliber were appearing in batches! "How... how many monsters like this did he create?"

"They are not monsters." Gu Yuena's voice was cool. As the Lord of Soul Beasts, her understanding of Laws far surpassed that of ordinary people. "They are part of the order. Look—they may be powerful, but their boundaries are clearly defined. It is as if invisible borders keep them apart."

Tang Wulin followed her indication and looked. Sure enough, although those Demon Gods possessed vast auras, not one of them took the initiative to cross the line and invade another Demon God's domain. In an eerie kind of "peace," the entire world began a brand-new chapter.

A new age, an age jointly ruled by hundreds of Demon Gods bound by "love," had thus begun.

"I understand now..." Rong Nianbing, the Ice Fire Demon Chef who controlled seven ultimate emotions, wore an incomparably complicated expression. "Phanes never answered who was first because... there was no first!"

The moment he said that, everyone froze.

Rong Nianbing continued, "This was not persuasion or transformation carried out one by one. It was an Imperial Decree! A Law that descended into the depths of every chosen Demon God's soul at the same moment! From the instant they were born—or from the moment Phanes ascended—these Shackles had already been placed around every one of their necks!"

"Love humanity" was not a choice, but a Factory Setting!

"Oh, heavens..." Xiao Xiao felt a chill surge from the soles of her feet straight to her scalp. "From the moment they gained consciousness until now, they may not even have known what freedom feels like."

"How tragic, yet how... fair." Ye Yinzhu closed his eyes again. It was as though he could hear the crisp sound of hundreds of Shackles locking into place at once, converging into the first note of a grand symphony. "There was no order, no exception. Under this musical logic, every note was born equal."

At that moment, Huo Yuhao pushed his Spiritual Eye to its absolute limit, staring fixedly at the Demon Gods who had just stepped onto the stage of history. In his perception, an invisible and intangible yet omnipresent "network" tightly linked those hundreds of Demon Gods together.

"I can 'see' it..." Huo Yuhao's voice was somewhat hoarse. "It is not energy, nor is it spiritual power. It is... threads of Rules. Every Demon God is a node, and 'love humanity' is the core command running through every thread. When a Demon God entertains the thought of 'harming humanity,' even for an instant, the node he occupies will... 'change color'!"

"And then?" Bei Bei asked tensely.

"Then the other nodes connected to him—the other Demon Gods—will immediately receive an 'alert.'" Huo Yuhao spoke each word deliberately. "Just as Sanshi said before, they will become an Antivirus Program and 'repair' that 'erroneous' node."

Everyone understood perfectly well what this so-called repair meant. It would inevitably be a bloody purge.

"A... perfect Closed Loop." Tang San let out a long breath, his tone filled with awe and a trace of fear that was difficult to detect. "Creator, Maintainer, supervisor, eliminator... every role is played by the Demon Gods themselves. Phanes only needs to establish the initial Rules, and this system can operate on its own for generations beyond count. What a grand design—truly, what a grand design!"

Ning Rongrong and Ning Tian beside her exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in the other's eyes. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was famed for support, placing great emphasis on allocating resources and winning people's hearts. Yet Phanes's methods bypassed every step and dictated the outcome from the root.

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Dai Hao shook his head with a bitter smile. "Phanes used absolute 'love' to resist absolute power. He succeeded, but the price was that these so-called 'Gods' never possessed true power from the very beginning."

For the first time, an emotion close to "understanding" appeared in the Dragon God's immense golden eyes. A deep dragon's roar sounded from him. "This is not a layout of power. This is a layout of Rules. In his world, Rules stand above all power."

The Dragon Prince beside him had long since been left speechless by this unimaginable concept.

Niu Tian and Tai Tan, two tower-like burly men, merely stood in silence. They worshipped strength, but today they had witnessed something more awe-inspiring than pure power—wisdom, an ultimate wisdom capable of planning the fate of a world.

"So, that era began." Tian Hen spoke softly, breaking the heavy silence.

"Yes." Hai Long took over. "An era without a Creation God, ruled by a group of puppet-like Gods. I am very curious—where will such a world go?"

A'Dai—or rather, Mandun—the former King of Underworld, merely watched quietly. He understood the pain of losing freedom better than anyone, and he also understood better than anyone the price that had to be paid to protect something. He could not judge Phanes's actions, but he could feel the weight that spanned countless ages.

Lei Xiang and Chang Gongwei exchanged silent looks. Both had once stood at the pinnacle of their own worlds, and both had fought to protect those worlds. Yet compared to Phanes, their protection seemed... far too insignificant.

Tang Ya supported Bei Bei, her face pale. "What if—I mean, what if... a Demon God does not agree with this Law? Will they resist?"

"They cannot resist." Gu Yuena gave the answer. "Because the very thought of 'resistance' will be judged as an 'error,' drawing extermination from every other Demon God. This is a prison of thought. Before they can even attempt resistance, they have already been executed."

Gu Yuena's words were like the final heavy tombstone, completely sealing shut the world Phanes had built.

A prison of thought.

Executed before the thought of resistance could arise.

Those words made every powerhouse present, every person who had once stood atop the world and shaken heaven and earth with their own will, feel a chill rising from the depths of their souls.

This was not the destruction of the body. It was the complete denial of the "self" at its root.

Zhou Weiqing unconsciously touched his wrist. The Heavenly Jewel there seemed to sense its master's unease as well, warming slightly. He had been unruly all his life and believed most firmly that "where there is a will, there is a way," but under these Rules, there was not even an opportunity to act.