The Heavenly Principles Personally Ended the Golden Age! They Ordered the Demon Gods to Fight and Devour One Another-Even Tang San Froze!

Countless city-states and kingdoms dotted the land like stars. Some were built atop towering trees, some floated among seas of clouds, and some lay hidden deep within underground caverns. Each kingdom bore the unmistakable mark of its guardian Demon God. Their styles varied, yet all flourished.

Thousands of years flowed swiftly by within this sweeping tableau.

Under the Gods' personal guidance and protection, human civilization entered an unprecedented and remarkably stable Golden Age.

[Ten thousand nations stood side by side, Gods and humans coexisted. This was the Golden Land.]

The words on the Light Screen gave this scene its final definition.

"A world... without internal strife or conflict, where all power was devoted to development and protection..." Rong Nianbing, God of Emotion, spoke with complicated feelings. He had seen enough of humanity's greed and strife. The world before him seemed like a utopia that should never have existed.

"Rules stand above all power." The Dragon God's deep rumble sounded again, reaffirming his earlier judgment. "These Demon Gods differ greatly in temperament, ideals, and the nature of their power, yet all their actions ultimately lead to the same outcome: 'God Loves All Beings.' Phanes's Rules are like invisible reins, guiding all Divine Power toward the direction he has set."

The Dragon Prince was too shaken by the magnificent sight to speak. He had always thought the Dragon Clan's rule represented the pinnacle of power. Compared to this might, the power to write the Rules of the world itself, it was nothing.

"So... that's how it is..." Tang San murmured.

He finally understood. Phanes wasn't guarding against the Demon Gods "doing evil." He was using them to "do good." With an absolute command that could not be disobeyed, he had turned a group of beings capable of destroying heaven and earth into the most efficient incubators of civilization.

This was a true Divine Masterstroke.

Rather than punishing evil, it ensured that evil had no soil in which to take root from the very beginning.

Hai Long gazed at this perfect "Golden Land." It seemed the question he had first raised had finally been answered.

Yet for some reason, an even deeper unease welled up inside him.

"A Golden Age protected by puppets on strings..." Ji Dong spoke slowly, his gaze sharp, as though he wanted to pierce the Light Screen and see what lay behind all that splendor. "It's... so perfect it's suffocating."

Ji Dong's words landed like a boulder in a still lake, sending ripples through everyone's hearts.

A Golden Age protected by puppets on strings.

So perfect it was suffocating.

Yes, it was too perfect. So perfect it didn't seem like a real world at all, but more like a carefully constructed diorama.

And now, the God who had built that diorama seemed ready to tear it down with his own hands.

On the Light Screen, the thousands of years that had flowed by in a blur came to an abrupt halt.

The thriving tableau of countless nations, once brimming with life, began to darken. Heavy strokes of ink were repeatedly traced along the once-clear borders between kingdoms, as if emphasizing their respective territories.

Resources were limited; the Earth Veins were running dry.

Kingdoms shared borders; friction began to grow.

Their ideals clashed; neither side would yield.

Lines of cold text appeared beside the scene, explaining the source of this subtle change.

Thousands of years of peaceful development had yielded a bountiful harvest of civilization, but had also made the living space increasingly crowded. Even the Demon Gods, bound by the Rule of "God Loves All Beings," had their innate "ambition" and soul-deep "ideals." Like a volcano suppressed to its limits, they began to nurture magma beneath the earth, powerful enough to overturn everything.

In the scene, Guizhong, the Goddess symbolizing wisdom, stood beside Morax, the Lord symbolizing martial valor, gazing into the distance. Their faces no longer held the ease and joy they had felt when first guiding humanity. In their place was deep concern.

Gu Li Ji, at their feet, was already densely populated and more prosperous than ever. But on the distant horizon, the outlines of kingdoms belonging to other Demon Gods were just as clear.

Peace was like a bowstring drawn taut to its limit, liable to snap at any moment.

"So... it was bound to come to this after all?" Rong Nianbing sighed softly. As the God of Emotion, he could clearly "see" how the pure feelings of protection and joy in the scene were being eroded by suspicion, wariness, and faint traces of hostility.

"There is no eternal peace, only eternal interest. When the pressure to survive exceeds the restraint of the Rules, conflict is the only possible outcome." Xue Ye, the Great Emperor, spoke gravely. As an Emperor, this was the iron law he had deduced from countless historical records.

Duke Dai Hao said nothing, but his eyes showed agreement. Between nations, there was no such thing as true friendship—only a balance of power and interests.

Just as this oppressive atmosphere began to spread, the entire Light Screen suddenly dimmed.

Boundless darkness engulfed everything.

Then, a golden pillar of light beyond description—one that seemed to pierce the entire world—shot skyward from the center of the scene.

Its light was not warm. It carried an unchallengeable, supreme authority and an icy indifference.

A voice—or rather, a will—resounded in the minds of every Demon God on the Teyvat Continent.

[The Heavenly Principles have awakened.]

The four simple words made every divine-level powerhouse before the Light Screen, including the Dragon God, feel their hearts tighten.

They could sense that the power which had written the Rules of the world—the power of the primordial creator known as "Phanes"—had descended once more.

This time, he had brought no pact of protection.

He had brought a Divine Decree of war.

Golden Ancient Text appeared line by line across the Light Screen. Every character contained the power of Laws, enough to make one's soul tremble.

[The age of ten thousand nations standing side by side is about to end.]

[The Authorities of the mortal realm must be held by seven Victors.]

[Thus begins the "Archon War."]

[Go and fight. Slay one another. Devour one another.]

[Prove to the Heavenly Principles whose "love" is the strongest and most righteous.]

[The final seven Victors shall be granted a Gnosis, ascend to the divine throne, and become the "Seven Archons" who shepherd the mortal realm, enjoying a thousand years of glory and Authority.]

[As for all who fail, your power, your ideals, and your remains shall all turn to dust and become the foundation of the new world order.]

Every word of the Divine Decree was displayed clearly before everyone.

The entire Divine Realm's grand hall fell silent.

A silence so complete that a pin could be heard dropping.

If the "Golden Land" had been a perfect utopia, then this Divine Decree had now smashed its outer shell to pieces in the cruelest, bloodiest way imaginable!