Chapter 376: Ancient Lava Land and the Call with Human Society

Normally, after Levi's death, people would preserve his body. A group of scientists would begin dissecting his miraculous brain, perhaps even preserving dissected slices in formaldehyde solution. This would be to investigate why he unlocked a forbidden area of the divine, unleashed the potential of his pineal gland, becoming a man with wisdom closest to that of a god. They would also want to understand how he performed brain transplant surgeries that ordinary people couldn't, successfully living for a lifespan several times longer than that of a human.

However, this did not happen. Their rationality triumphed over emotion.

The presidents of the two great human empires issued a statement: "Mr. Levi has already done so much for humanity; there is no need to desecrate the body of the person we revere most! Even if dissecting his brain's secrets could grant us the power of gods, allowing every citizen to possess a god-like brain, and lead humanity to a brilliant civilization beyond all others! Despite this... I refuse!"

A thunderous cheer erupted! The entire land celebrated, with countless people screaming in front of their televisions.

"If we lose the honor and dignity of the Ishdar people, resorting to unscrupulous means, abandoning principles, and forfeiting morals and rules, then we would be the lowest of beasts. Tell us, do we want to be beasts?"

A roar followed! "We have our pride!"

The people in front of their televisions cheered once more. In reality, regardless of whether someone secretly harbored thoughts of dissection, wishing to become a second Levi with his longevity and wisdom, such intentions could not be revealed. Desecrating Mr. Levi was an act against humanity, punishable by immediate execution. Even if the presidents of the two nations had suggested it, they would have been instantly removed from power and executed. Such was Levi's immense prestige among humanity.

Levi was buried in the great Mikia Ranch, now known as the Great Mikia Cemetery, where technological civilization had begun. A grand burial ceremony was held there, observed by the entire world. To prevent anyone from desecrating Levi's body, major organizations dispatched the strictest guards, making it instantly the most heavily protected cemetery.

Xu Zhi's mind was calm, yet he felt a sense of melancholy witnessing Levi's departure. Levi was a genius whose talent and intellect rivaled figures like Medusa and Armin, with boundless potential for future achievements. However, Xu Zhi ultimately did not force him to stay, respecting his wishes. Furthermore, Xu Zhi suddenly became curious: how far could this race truly go? Of course, observing their historical progress was only one of his primary tasks, though not the most crucial.

At this very moment, he walked across a dark red land, surrounded by various exotic mountains and vegetation, some possessing incredible supernatural abilities. This was a vast territory far beyond human reach, a paradise for extraordinary beasts.

"This land is truly enormous. Less than half of it has been explored, yet its size already exceeds the combined area of the former Wizard World and Ancient Barren World by more than thirty times!" What does thirty times mean? The quantity and diversity of plant and animal species here utterly surpassed the total accumulation of all previous worlds combined!

Some naturally high-level extraordinary races had even formed, reaching Tier 6 upon adulthood, possessing great wisdom and power. These nearly perfect, magnificent beings included Chimeras, Griffins, Dragons, and Hydras. However, their reproductive capacity was extremely low, with each race currently having fewer than a hundred individuals.

In the vast and deep ocean lived the Naga race. Adult Nagas were only Tier 2. Only a few exceptional talents reached Tier 3. Their reproductive capacity was relatively higher, and they had begun to establish an oceanic empire, riding and taming marine beasts like whales and sharks, thereby initiating a rudimentary marine herding civilization. Xu Zhi glanced at the ocean without approaching. "If I were to approach them, they would surely worship me as a great deity, wouldn't they? After all, not everyone is an Ishdar."

Deep within the earth, a race of dwarf goblins emerged, possessing extremely strong reproductive capabilities. However, their ranks were generally only Tier 1. They were greedy and lustful, not even sparing some wild beasts, such as their hairy wolf mounts. Xu Zhi observed them and immediately found it horrifying. They rode wolves by day and by night, a truly barbaric race that had not shed its animalistic instincts. It even made one contemplate exterminating such a repulsive species. Yet, Xu Zhi endured. Existence implies reason. One cannot simply exterminate a potential for diversity just because they dislike it. Their terrifying drive for reproduction also led to their rapid development.

"This land is a hundred times larger than the Ancient Barren World, destined to become a boundless super-world, a continent where countless races truly thrive. Humanity was merely one among them." Xu Zhi continued walking, smiling, "It might even be more than a hundred times larger—perhaps a thousand, or even ten thousand times! If we continue deeper into the earth's core, an area comparable to an entire province, we could develop a truly subterranean civilization, like those often seen in Earth's science fiction."

His expectations were immense. In the future, perhaps many deities would be born here. And not just Tier 8 mythical beings. With a large number of Tier 8 deities, Tier 9 extraordinary life forms might emerge! After all, a next-tier life form can only emerge from a massive base at the previous tier. How many deities are there currently? Therefore, Tier 9 is very difficult!

Xu Zhi placed much hope in this world, even bestowing the best talents upon its inhabitants, embedding automatic meditation and body cultivation into their conditioned reflexes. "And the merged Three Realms, this mature sandbox of an extraordinary world, if it can withstand crises, will completely establish a stable channel for the birth of future deities... ushering in a true Age of Gods."

Xu Zhi constantly weighed his thoughts. Currently, there aren't many sandboxes. So far, besides the outer cosmic sandbox of the Ancient Tree World, he only had two large extraordinary sandboxes: "The Three Realms" and the "Lava World." However, they had fully matured at the Tier 8 mythical life stage, becoming stable, allowing him to anticipate Tier 9 life. After all, he had been stuck at this level for a long time.

"Tier 9 life is another qualitative leap," Xu Zhi took a deep breath. Dressed in his wizard's robe, acting as a research and experiment observer, he walked through various lands, observing new life forms and altering some of their shapes. From time to time, new inspirations arose, allowing him to enhance their potential. "A flourishing new world in its embryonic form."

Xu Zhi was very satisfied; establishing a sandbox deep underground was one of his most correct choices. On Earth, this was the best location for a sandbox. And this land had already given birth to its first powerful life form, a Tier 7 Heavenly Emperor, which was the Fenba behemoth, the subject of his initial experiment.

After a circuit, Xu Zhi was a guest in Fenba's Solar Temple. Although Xu Zhi had erased Fenba's memory of his creation, Fenba still felt a sense of dread toward Xu Zhi, the mysterious ancient deity. This was because Fenba's memories still contained glimpses of its youth, when it was like a small dog, having bells thrown at it and being trained and fed.

"This is a very new and special gift; you can take a look at it. Perhaps it can alleviate your boredom," Xu Zhi said, bringing a computer.

"Deity, what is this?" asked the elegant, lion-like behemoth with a slender body and golden scales, prostrate in the temple. Around it, golden murals crafted by its beast-servants depicted scenes of dazzling beauty. To pass the time, it usually remained in a state of slumber. Yet, even in its slumber, it inevitably grew stronger, to an astonishing degree. After all, Xu Zhi had conducted his most comprehensive experiments on it, effectively creating the most perfect biological template. Xu Zhi also wanted to see the full potential of this life form. Its foundation was exceptionally robust, and he wondered if arrogance would hinder its achievements, as a strong will and character were paramount for powerful beings, with talent and aptitude coming second.

"Take a look." Xu Zhi sat beside it and taught it how to open the computer. It was too remote here for human networks, so only single-player games were possible.

Half a day later, the supreme deity of the entire ancient land of lava was still engrossed. "Oh! This 'Diablo 3' is incredible! Necromancer, just keep slaying, slaying, slaying!"

Having nothing else to do, Xu Zhi played a few rounds of the game with it online. Fenba immediately became curious. "Deity, why don't you use a computer?"

"Because the computer is in my mind," Xu Zhi chuckled. In his mind, there was a light blue desktop with programs installed, allowing him to play online with Fenba.

"Why?" Fenba wondered.

"Your brain also possesses this potential; you just haven't developed it yet... My research indicates that a living being's brain only utilizes ten percent of its capacity; the rest remains undeveloped." Xu Zhi had brought the computer partly to subtly awaken it, suggesting that the civilization of the behemoths should also progress. "If you can achieve this, then you too can install game programs in your mind and play games like this..."

"We can play games!?" Fenba was startled, its eyes rolling as if a new idea had sparked within it.

Xu Zhi didn't notice its expression, as he suddenly received a call from the mechanical, magical, cyberpunk human society—it was a special person.

"What happened?" Fenba asked excitedly, rubbing its paws.

"Nothing, you continue playing. I have some matters to attend to," Xu Zhi replied, leaving the temple and heading towards human society.