Image: Ruan Nawa. Far too arrogant. In need of education.
The abyssal aura of the Night God's Kingdom flowed like pitch-black blood through the branches of the Jianmu, pulsing and glimmering in the darkness.
Coupled with the tree's crimson hue, the dense, interwoven branches created an overwhelming sense of discomfort—enough to make one's skin crawl.
The Abyss Cataclysm incarnate, the Fire Dragon King Shukutl, roared as it manifested, cleaving downward with a world-splitting momentum, severing the crimson branches that surged toward it.
Yet every branch that was cut down sprouted again like a newborn shoot, endlessly regenerating.
No matter how fiercely the Abyssal Fire Dragon King struggled, it ultimately failed to escape its fate—
Being devoured by the Jianmu.
The women observing the battle shuddered violently. Goosebumps rose across their fair skin as if jolted by electricity, an indescribable unease spreading through their bodies.
Those crimson branches—like countless writhing tentacles—wrapped around the Fire Dragon King, and in the instant they coiled tight, it felt as though they were feeding on it.
Once the dragon's massive body was bound by several branches, it visibly withered at an alarming speed.
It was like countless tubes had been driven into a living being, continuously siphoning away flesh and blood.
The sight was horrifying.
So horrifying that the women felt their scalps go numb—tonight's sleep would surely be plagued by nightmares.
Even Mavuika, who had been fully focused on resolving Natlan's abyssal crisis, stood frozen in place. She couldn't imagine the agony of having one's flesh and energy drained simultaneously like that.
"Hey—don't you think that Jianmu he's holding is a bit… unreasonable?"
Rhinedottir shuddered, barely recovering some of her composure.
Even the severed branches could continue to grow by absorbing the abyssal energy scattered throughout the Night God's Kingdom.
It was as if they could never truly be destroyed.
"After all, the entire Night God's Kingdom—including its ley lines—is saturated with abyssal energy. It just so happens to be perfect nourishment for the Jianmu," Istaroth explained calmly.
"Didn't Su Xuan record this before? The branches of the Jianmu can root themselves deep into the earth and directly absorb the energy of an entire planet."
"No, no, no."
Rhinedottir cut her off, smiling without warmth.
"Even if you sever the branches from the main body—"
"As long as there's energy nearby, the severed branches can regrow by absorbing it and reconnect to the Jianmu."
"How are you even supposed to deal with something like that?"
"Oh?"
The usually listless Ruan Nawa suddenly perked up, shooting Rhinedottir a sidelong glance.
"You're actually thinking about fighting that thing?"
Still, Rhinedottir's question was exactly what Ruan Nawa herself had been wondering.
As long as energy existed nearby, the Jianmu's branches could absorb it—and even grow wildly.
Everything possessed energy.
Even these Archons generated energy when they wielded their authorities.
If all of that could be absorbed by the Jianmu's branches… wouldn't this crimson tree be practically invincible?
Just as the women were lost in thought—
The diary copy before them lit up once more.
[Rhinedottir's doubt is worth discussing.]
[So how exactly should one deal with the Jianmu in my sea of consciousness?]
[Here, I'll be generous enough to explain the solution.]
Rhinedottir: "!?"
Istaroth frowned slightly, a bad premonition rising in her heart.
Ruan Nawa: "…"
Damn it.
So he knew all along that the three of them had been secretly watching.
[First of all, don't make the same mistake as the Abyss Cataclysm—thinking that cutting the branches solves the problem.]
[To prevent severed branches from absorbing earth energy and continuing to grow, you must completely obliterate them with your own energy—reduce them to dust.]
[Of course, the Jianmu inside me doesn't manifest branches from the void in such small quantities like it did in the Night God's Kingdom.]
[Even if you pulverize the manifested branches, you'll still have to deal with new ones emerging afterward.]
[This becomes a direct contest of energy. To completely destroy the manifested branches, you must possess energy at least comparable to mine.]
[After all, the Jianmu is my bound companion artifact. Whatever level of energy I can output—it can output the same.]
[Let's use Rhinedottir as an example.]
[My baseline energy in a normal state starts at the planetary level.]
[So the branches the Jianmu can disperse—if gathered together—would already reach planetary scale in mass and volume.]
Rhinedottir stared, wide-eyed. "?"
[If Rhinedottir wants to completely erase those branches, she must at least possess the power to reduce a planet to dust.]
[And by 'dust,' I mean completely obliterating it—no fragments, no debris.]
[Essentially, vaporizing a planet roughly the size of Teyvat.]
Ruan Nawa: "Hah?"
The energy required to completely evaporate an entire planetary world… just to resist the Jianmu?
And that was only under Su Xuan's normal state.
She understood perfectly what he meant by "normal."
Once an authority-level confrontation occurred, Su Xuan's God-Slaying trait would automatically trigger, causing his energy output to skyrocket during that period.
"What the hell…"
Ruan Nawa felt numb.
Even in his normal state, it took planetary-scale vaporization. If God-Slaying triggered—who knew how absurd the requirement would become?
[And this doesn't even include triggering my [God-Slaying] trait.]
Ruan Nawa: "..."
[There's one more crucial point.]
[The manifestation of Jianmu branches can occur in several ways.]
[They can emerge slowly over time, or all at once in an instant.]
[Because they're summoned through the void, the defender must not only respond on all fronts, but also maintain precise control over their energy consumption.]
[If I were to just dump all the Jianmu's branches at once, that would actually be easier to handle.]
[All you'd need is enough energy to erase them in one go.]
[But I'm not that stupid.]
The women: "..."
As expected of you. You bastard.
[I'll always summon them in parts.]
[In that situation, even if Rhinedottir's total energy matches mine, she'd still have to manage it perfectly.]
[Use too little energy, and the branches won't be fully destroyed—they'll grow by absorbing ambient energy.]
[Use too much, and you'll exhaust yourself early. After that, a single branch wrapping around you is enough to drain you dry.]
[The best way to deal with it is simple—your energy must vastly exceed mine.]
[If I'm planetary-level, you should be stellar-level. Stellar-system level. Galactic level. Multi-galactic level. Universal level. Multiversal level.]
[Then I'd have no answer at all.]
Rhinedottir: "????????"
Hah—did this man seriously think that highly of her?
Rhinedottir couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
When Su Xuan said "planetary-level," he meant instant vaporization.
Could she do that?
Obviously not.
Her so-called world-level destruction came from alchemical creations triggering disasters—bringing ruin over time.
It was like Su Xuan's Amaterasu, manifesting as the Evil King Flame Dragon Wave: throw it out, and eventually the land would become a sea of black fire.
That kind of apocalypse was worlds apart from instantly evaporating a planet.
As for stellar-level, stellar-system level, or those absurd universal and multiversal levels…
What the hell was that even supposed to mean?
Su Xuan might as well have just said she'd be absorbed for sure.
"Wow!"
Mavuika finally snapped out of the Jianmu's horror—only to fall straight into power-scaling shock.
She'd seen references to universal-level power before in Su Xuan's notes about Collective Will Overseers.
That meant wiping out an entire universe in one go—clearing all matter with one's own energy.
But multiversal level?
She couldn't even imagine it.
"Does that mean someone could just… erase several universes at once?"
Mavuika's head buzzed.
Then she remembered Su Xuan's monstrous Limit Break ability.
If he lived long enough… maybe he really could reach that point.
[Multiversal level is too far off anyway—I was just joking.]
The women: "…"
Yeah. Sure. Joking.
[But I do know that such existences exist.]
[As for how ridiculous they are—when they fight, they throw universes around like darts.]
[Absurd, right?]
The women: "!?"
Throwing universes like darts—this had gone beyond absurd.
[While rare, stellar, stellar-system, and galactic-level beings are far more common.]
[There have even been cases where half a universe was destroyed in milliseconds.]
[In a neighboring universe, there are at least eighteen such beings.]
[They're called Aeons.]
[They're terrifying, but fortunately, each follows their own "Path." Normally, they don't cause massive destructive events.]
[Even if one of the eighteen decides to destroy everything—and then destroy itself afterward—]
[The remaining Aeons, bound by their own Paths, would never allow it to happen unchecked.]
[Because of this mutual restraint, that universe remains relatively stable.]
[And earlier, I obtained a ticket to reach the galaxy they inhabit.]
[Star Rail Special Ticket.jpg]
[Despite the name, it's essentially a door—an arbitrary gateway linking the Astral Express to other worlds.]
[You could also call it a gate connecting the Astral Galaxy Universe to any given world.]
[Right now, the door I have connects to a train that constantly pioneers through that galaxy.]
[In other words, I can already leave Teyvat and travel to civilizations beyond it.]
"You're leaving!?"
Asmoday froze in shock.
She had just found a reliable new master—and now Su Xuan was saying he could leave Teyvat?
"I said can. I didn't say now," Su Xuan replied calmly.
"And the gate is bidirectional. As long as I anchor it properly, I can go and come back."
"And the reason I'm not leaving yet is simple—there are still things in Teyvat that need to be dealt with."
Hearing this, Asmoday pressed a hand to her chest.
"As long as you can come back… that's good. Then after you go, you will come back, right?"
"Of course."
Su Xuan smiled.
"It took effort to gather all of you diary holders. I'm not throwing you away."
Whether the Astral Galaxy Universe and Teyvat existed within the same universe didn't really matter to him.
Maybe imaginary energy separated them into distinct cosmologies.
Or maybe they were entirely different universes altogether.
Either way, it wasn't his problem.
The only thing that mattered was that the neighboring universe was far more dangerous than Teyvat.
And according to the diary's prompt, the Astral Express would reach Herta Space Station in three months—
The Stellaron would awaken at that time.
So there was no rush.
Those three months were more than enough to wrap up loose ends in Teyvat—and prepare for departure.
Smiling, Su Xuan casually rested a hand on Asmoday's waist and finished recording his final notes.
[I know many of you are anxious—but there's no need. The Star Gate is bidirectional. I can leave and return at any time.]
[Even if I board the Astral Express, it'll just be to explore the outside world for you.]
[And to establish a connection between Teyvat and the neighboring universe.]
[Before I act, my top priority is still resolving everything in Teyvat.]
[For example—before I leave, I must ensure that people like Rhinedottir and Ruan Nawa behave themselves.]
[I'd rather not have them stirring up trouble the moment I'm gone.]
Ruan Nawa: "?"
Being suddenly called out, her body trembled.
She could understand disciplining Rhinedottir—that madwoman deserved it.
But why her?
"Pfft."
Istaroth glanced at Ruan Nawa's stunned expression and covered her mouth, barely suppressing a laugh.
"What are you laughing at!?"
Ruan Nawa snapped irritably.
Asmoday had openly submitted and earned Su Xuan's favor.
But Istaroth had been spying together with her and Rhinedottir—
Why wasn't she being dealt with?
"I…"
Istaroth thought for two seconds, her eyes lighting up.
"He probably heard me constantly urging you two to go out and greet him."
"So in his eyes, I'm the obedient one. Hehe~"
She gave a playful laugh—then suddenly froze.
"Time!"
"Huh?"
Ruan Nawa blinked.
Before she could process what Istaroth meant, a hoarse scream rang out beside her.
Istaroth: "?"
Ruan Nawa: "?"
They both turned toward Rhinedottir.
Only to see her sprawled on the ground for no apparent reason—
Like a fish thrown onto dry land, her graceful body jerking and twisting uncontrollably.
Her hands flailed helplessly, not knowing where to rest.
She looked as though she'd been cursed, struggling nonstop.
"Rhinedottir!"
A bewildered Ruan Nawa froze.
She had no idea what was happening—why Rhinedottir was making such strange sounds while writhing like that.
"Our time was frozen just now," Istaroth said immediately.
"What?"
Ruan Nawa's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You mean…"
She suddenly remembered—
Su Xuan's world-level Mahāpadma could freeze even consciousness itself.
Which meant that the moment they finished reading the diary—
All three of them had been stopped in time.
And during that frozen interval—
Su Xuan had acted.
"What did he do to Rhinedottir…?"
Ruan Nawa stared again at the utterly undignified sight.
The moment her gaze landed—
Rhinedottir arched like something crawling out of the dark. A surge of energy shot forth, grazing past Ruan Nawa's face.
Ruan Nawa: "..."
"Mm!"
Istaroth hurriedly covered her eyes.
At the same time, space rippled.
In the next instant—
Su Xuan and Asmoday appeared before Ruan Nawa, one after the other.
"Looks like you understand what I did to her,"
Su Xuan said with interest, looking at Ruan Nawa's dumbstruck expression.
"Next is your turn, Ruan Nawa. Before I leave Teyvat, I need to give you and Rhinedottir a proper lesson."
"After all, I remember that spying on gods comes at a price—
Even if I'm not exactly a god."
Ruan Nawa watched as he stepped closer.
Void rifts opened behind him, and crimson branches unfurled in the air.
Terrified, she trembled and instinctively pressed her hands between her thighs.
"Make your choice, Ruan Nawa,"
Su Xuan said calmly.
"Do you come willingly… or do I hang you up myself?"
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL