Chapter 166: The Birth of the Ancient Gods of Heaven and Earth

Xu Zhi, now a Level 7 Epic, no longer needed to worry about his cultivation becoming unstable. He was also no longer limited to just one war-hammer spell; in fact, he was infinitely more knowledgeable than a Level 4 wizard of the same realm.

Furthermore, the hidden dangers within the wizard world had also been resolved.

“The progress of the wizard world has temporarily concluded and is now on track,” Xu Zhi thought. “For a while, I might not even need to oversee it. It’s time to concentrate on developing the new underground world.”

Xu Zhi settled into his chair. “Intelligent Sub-brain, what potential species are currently in the sandbox?” he asked.

“There are seven potential species,” the Intelligent Sub-brain replied. “Six of them meet the release criteria, and one has reached the strong potential standard.”

Xu Zhi wasn't surprised by the presence of seven potential species.

After all, it had been quite some time. Apart from the exceptionally talented vanguard members like "Akina Mountain Speed," other players were also intelligent. Over the past few days, they had progressively refined their biological structures, ushering in a period of "biological explosion."

Moreover, one species possessed extremely high potential?

This was already a very high evaluation.

It was worth noting that only the Rubik’s Cube and the Artificial God had received such praise in the past.

However, Xu Zhi hadn’t anticipated that the seeds sown during the wizard world period would only be ready for harvest once the underground world was established. They would have to be mass-released into this new, burgeoning subterranean environment.

Just then, the Intelligent Sub-brain's mechanical voice announced, “Going offline soon. Would you like to extend game time?”

Xu Zhi paused, realizing it was almost ten o’clock, the sandbox's shutdown time.

“I’ll check it tomorrow then,” Xu Zhi decided, not wanting to push it.

He was quite a laid-back person, believing this was a very positive game that shouldn't encourage late nights. After all, staying up late reduced efficiency and led to hair loss quickly; one's hairline should be preserved for more important uses.

The next morning.

Xu Zhi got up, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. He then grabbed a piece of bread, opened the refrigerator, took out some Phoenix Spirit Tea, and headed to the courtyard to eat breakfast, ready to observe the evolution sandbox.

“Oh, right, how’s the Phoenix doing?” Xu Zhi suddenly recalled. Before releasing new species, a suitable environment was essential.

Logically, a suitable environment should have already formed. Many days had passed since the last mass extinction, and given the Phoenix’s progress in nurturing the ocean, the creatures might have even started moving onto land by now.

“Currently, the environment is not yet suitable for release,” the mechanical intelligent brain replied.

Huh?

I was already planning to release species, yet an ecosystem hadn’t even developed there. Could some major accident have occurred?

Xu Zhi descended into the cellar and made his way to the underground space.

What he saw was an entirely transformed underground world.

Over the past few days, the Phoenix had continued to melt deeper into the earth. It discovered that once it reached a depth of five meters, the ground became increasingly solid, making it impossible to melt further.

Therefore, it decided independently to smash open a small pit, bypass the solid ground, and reach a new, looser subterranean environment below. It continued melting there, resulting in two distinct layers of space.

A large cavern served as a passage in the center of this interlayer.

Additionally, it had melted and formed nine enormous molten stone pillars, which supported the “sky” of both layers.

Whoosh!

The light was bright as the Phoenix soared through the sky, its clear voice resounding throughout the entire space.

“This world should be divided into two layers!” it declared. “The upper part shall be the Celestial Realm, and the lower, the Mortal Realm, with nine pillars in the middle to support the heavens and earth!”

Now, not only were the upper layer's ceiling walls covered with stars, but the Phoenix had also adorned the lower layer’s sky with stars. It was quite a display of girlish charm, as if it had decorated the entire world like its own private chambers.

It also introduced seawater into the lower world, where countless creatures now swam.

“Be born quickly, lovely new lives!” it chirped. “Oh, right, I wonder what kind of life would emerge if I let my blood drip into these primitive organisms that are evolving so rapidly in the ocean?”

That day, as the Phoenix drifted through the sky, observing the species in the ocean multiplying and evolving at a visibly astonishing rate, it suddenly felt an urge to experiment.

While Xu Zhi used the Rubik’s Cube and insect-apes for creature fusion during his creation process, the Phoenix, too, had similar ideas during this new world’s oceanic proliferation phase.

As its own blood merged with the environment, another mass extinction commenced.

Ultimately, countless life forms across the entire land perished. Only nine creatures, having endured the Phoenix’s blood, survived this mass extinction event.

These nine creatures resembled miniature Phoenixes. While not exceptionally powerful, they had inherited the Phoenix’s scorching heat.

“Nine suns!”

It was instantly overjoyed.

With a small green lotus adorning its head, looking rather adorable, the Phoenix soared through the sky, humming softly to itself.

“This way, I won’t feel so exhausted!” it murmured. “Once they grow up, they can patrol the world for me, serving as nine suns to illuminate this land and protect all living beings within it.”

Having achieved its first success, the Phoenix fully dedicated itself to further experimentation.

“If my blood can be integrated, what about my feathers? My claws, bones, teeth, and flesh?”

The Phoenix was too lonely.

Its lineage was solitary, inheriting memories from generations of ancestors without any siblings of its own. It now felt an irresistible urge to create intelligent beings to accompany it in its life.

Time and again, mass extinctions commenced.

The Phoenix divided the entire ocean into several areas, separated by molten lava, into which it separately introduced its bones, feathers, and teeth.

Through its feather fusion, ultimately only two species survived:

Two oviparous birds with red and purple plumage.

“You two,” it declared, “shall become the clouds between heaven and earth! Drift alongside the sun, adding color to this beautiful world.”

Another mass extinction followed.

The oceanic region where the bones were introduced produced a soft, luminous, pale yellow bird with an exoskeleton.

“You, pale yellow one, shall be the first moon of this world!” the Phoenix chuckled, holding it high. “You are the chief of the stars, embedded in the celestial wall, responsible for organizing and maintaining all the stars of this world!”

On yet another day, from the ocean of mass extinction, a colossal life form emerged: a giant feathered creature whose single wing flap could cause the air throughout the entire world to move rapidly.

“Hmm… you are the wind,” the Phoenix murmured innocently.

One by one, creatures were being created...

Tens of millions of years later, people would record this scene in myths and legends. In the "Creation Chapter" of "Ancient Gods," following the "Heaven-Opening Chapter," it was written:

When the world first emerged from chaos and yin and yang began to separate, the Yang God created heaven and earth. As there were no living beings in the world, he dispersed his own blood, bones, and skin across the land, transforming them into the sun, moon, stars, clouds, wind, and countless ancient gods of heaven and earth.

Xu Zhi was utterly bewildered. So, it was still in a state of mass extinction?

How long had it been since he last checked? It had already turned everything upside down.

At this very moment, the various flying creatures that had differentiated from the Phoenix’s bloodline began to inhabit the sky, and spiritual intelligence was gradually awakening within them.

Meanwhile, the ocean on the ground was still slowly evolving spores.

The Phoenix had once again reverted to its reclusive lifestyle, curling up and sleeping in the sky. It now sent its subordinate clouds, sun, and moon on daily patrols, having completely become a hands-off manager.

However, due to the Phoenix’s relentless experimentation, this body of seawater was nearly depleted after experiencing several mass extinctions.

At this very moment, the Phoenix lay dazed on the celestial wall, murmuring piteously day after day, “Oh, great Creator! I dare not do it again! I truly dare not! Please, send down vast amounts of seawater once more.”

“I am willing to give everything! I am your devout servant, O God!”

“Great Creator, the Phoenix is your child, willing to serve by your side for all eternity!”

Xu Zhi: ????

Why was this Phoenix so dramatic?

Had it buried itself underground for hundreds of years and gone crazy from it?

He recalled a saying: “When God closes a door for you, he’ll also conveniently slam your head in it.”

“No, wait, it might actually be my fault…” Xu Zhi mused. “After opening a new world for it, I also secretly boiled its bathwater all night, a similar kind of 'subtlety.' ” Believing it might indeed be his responsibility, he immediately abandoned any thought of making a note about the Phoenix’s antics. He then pulled out the hose, prepared the seawater, and flushed it downwards.

Splash!

Vast amounts of seawater surged down, and marine life began to proliferate even more.

Moreover, the light this time was even softer, warmly enveloping the entire ocean, which seemed to accelerate the evolution of the spores.

“At this rate, marine plankton should reappear in less than a day or two.”

Xu Zhi cleared his throat and collected his thoughts. “It’s just that this realm isn’t on the surface. The Phoenix created clouds, a sun, a moon, and stars, replicating the celestial environment it once experienced on the surface, and set them into motion within this world.”

What kind of vast world would emerge here in the future?

He stood up, turned, and left the underground chamber, returning to the surface to begin sifting through the species.

“The Phoenix is proving to be quite a handful,” Xu Zhi mused as he sat in his chair, sipping tea. “Intelligent Sub-brain, are there any potential creatures now?”

The Intelligent Sub-brain replied with its mechanical voice:

“The strongest potential species, estimated to be comparable to the Rubik’s Cube and the Artificial God, is a powerful, transcendent plant species—a fruit-bearing plant.”

Xu Zhi was momentarily stunned. Following the Intelligent Sub-brain’s prompt, he searched the forums for a long time until he finally found a very popular post:

Here it comes, here it comes!! Everything is ready; my sweet little darling is about to transform into a cute, tender treat for my male god to devour (blushing).