Chapter 422: God's Yesterday

The 33rd year of the Holy Sakura Dynasty.

Emperor Sakura, enveloped in a terrifying aura, roamed across the desolate lands—traversing silent mountains, rivers, oceans, lava fields, and deserts. She wandered through ruins and through a beautiful world where flowers bloomed.

She sought something, yet found nothing.

The world was empty, becoming utterly unfamiliar.

The ancient deity seemed to have vanished from the world entirely, just like Hailan Dong in her twilight years, who, no matter how frantically she searched, could not find that ancient being.

“Perhaps he will appear when the time is right, not now…”

At times, this great deity would stand motionless on mountaintops or by the coast for months, holding a vibrant red umbrella and gazing down upon the vast earth.

She was waiting for a destined encounter.

She had a premonition, and she yearned for its arrival. When they met again, she would have countless questions.

“I gathered calculations from an entire world and separated that single phrase into 1,876 fragments based on changes in emotion and intonation. I had humanity’s most elite scientists analyze it. In that phrase, I detected seven emotional shifts…”

“Happiness, unburdened freedom, delight, relief, joy…”

“Yet, in the end, I could not grasp his true meaning.”

“The emotional shifts in that text, perhaps like my own previous words, were a blessing for new life—unburdened freedom, delight… just like my context at the time, but ultimately…”

“I have a faint premonition that the meaning is entirely different.”

“What he said will utterly shock us!”

Caroline ultimately let out a faint sigh, recalling her conversations with Hailan Dong. Both of them had witnessed the very beginning of the world's origins.

“On behalf of humanity, I witnessed the origins of our ancient ancestors. Tracing through generations of human memory, I saw a deity holding two infants and speaking a mysterious language.”

“Hailan Dong, representing the beasts, killed Fenba, the God of Beasts. She also traced back to the primordial memories of beasts and saw a deity training powerful beasts, including Fenba, as if they were pets, shaking bells and holding plates…”

The origin of humanity was already inscrutable, and with the added origin of beasts, these two intertwined origins deepened the mystery, obscuring the truth of history.

The 34th year of the Holy Sakura Dynasty.

Empress Sakura seemed to have relinquished her previous autocratic rule. She delegated the affairs of the Corpse race to others, continuing her wanderings across the land and mountains, still searching for something.

Some said she was seeking a path beyond godhood, as she was already a High God!

Others said she was lonely; this feeling of being unrivaled in the world was something no other being could comprehend—a state of profound bewilderment and desolate helplessness.

But more whispered that she was searching for the legendary mysterious deity, the ancient god who had existed since the civilization before the last.

They believed she wanted to challenge that deity, as it would fit her nature as a tyrant, rampant in slaughter!

Yet, no one knew Empress Sakura’s true intentions. No one dared question this tyrannical deity; her power was terrifying, and her bloodlust was ingrained. To this day, some estimate that she had killed over three billion lives of various races across the ancient lava land!

As she visibly relinquished power, some Heavenly Emperors began to conspire against each other, vying for control of the Corpse race.

The 36th year of the Holy Sakura Dynasty.

Civilization continued to develop amidst the ruins. Heavenly Emperors came to pay homage and report:

“Your Divinity, the birth rate of our Corpse newborns among billions of shambling corpses is steadily declining! It seems unlikely that many more will appear, as our race has passed its period of explosive newborn births.”

“Your Divinity, our Corpse race has already begun self-propagation, which is now the primary source of population growth, far surpassing the sporadic births from within the corpse hordes!”

On her divine throne, she leaned on her umbrella, her eyes slightly closed.

This was natural.

A race that self-propagates and bears offspring provides a stable source of population replenishment.

Waiting for new lives to accidentally emerge from the vast sea of corpses to join them was far too unstable… though the newly born Corpses from the immense corpse sea were akin to their ancestors, exceptionally gifted.

Two years passed.

In the Divine Throne Hall, Empress Sakura remained with her eyes closed, her gaze piercing through the palace walls towards the distant sky. “Are you still not coming?”

She was awaiting a destined encounter, like a heavy rain in life. She wished to leave behind these days of ruling the Corpse race, to fully let go of this new world as the sole remaining entity of a bygone era.

“Is it still not time for us to meet?”

A faint sigh emanated from the divine hall.

She felt a profound sense of loneliness, as if rejected by this world, everything becoming utterly unfamiliar.

Another year passed, and time flowed by leisurely.

More Heavenly Emperors reported on various matters:

“Your Divinity, dozens of us Heavenly Emperors have jointly deliberated, and we believe our Corpse race should establish order!”

“Order?” Sakura asked with a smile. “What kind of order should we establish?”

Ultimately, she was curious to see how they would develop.

“We have consulted history and examined ancient civilizations like the Ishudars and the Naga Sea Race. We understand that for a race to develop, it must inevitably move beyond the savage, primitive tribal life!” A Licker Heavenly Emperor stepped forward. “Among us zombies, cannibalism is commonplace—it’s utterly inconceivable for a race!”

Sakura nodded.

In the apocalyptic wasteland, it was almost normal for zombies not only to eat and infect humans but also to cannibalize their own kind.

“Then what should be done?” Sakura asked again, her voice faint as she looked down from her divine throne. “Across this vast land, only our Corpse race remains; there is no other life. If we don’t cannibalize our own kind, how can our species continue? Should we starve to death?”

“But this cannibalism, this primitive way of living, prevents us from truly embarking on the path of civilization!” A Heavenly Emperor interjected. “If this continues, a civilization that feeds on its own kind will eventually perish!”

Sakura smiled again, looking down at the powerful individuals below.

The zombie race indeed had foresight. The Corpse race was inherently incomplete, and if they continued to develop this way, they would inevitably face extinction.

She had already devised a way for them to procreate, but it wasn’t enough!

At that moment, another Heavenly Emperor spoke: “We consumed some memories of the Ishudars, and though not many, we’ve compiled information on their dominant gene modification capabilities. Perhaps it could be useful in changing their appearance.”

“Change their appearance? Would changing their appearance be useful?” Sakura immediately grew curious. Leaning on her umbrella, she seemed like a supreme monarch resting on an imperial sword, an aura of unparalleled majesty enveloping her, obscuring her divine face from view.

One Heavenly Emperor stated, “By changing the appearance of ordinary zombies, we, the intelligent High Zombies, would no longer be cannibalizing our own kind. It may seem like self-deception, but it’s the only way.”

Another Heavenly Emperor stepped forward and seconded: “Yes, we cannot alter or decode the virus, but we can implant another virus that invades the dominant genes affecting external appearance, thereby changing their looks… Our technology isn’t strong, but the Corpse race's genes are already breaking down, making them relatively easy to modify!”

“Current zombies are mindless, like beasts… but they are ultimately humanoid. If we use the Ishudars’ genetic technology to overwrite their skin genes, making them hairy; or their scale genes; or their nail growth genes… they will transform into true beasts!”

“Exactly!”

Yet another Heavenly Emperor stepped forward and spoke eloquently: “If their appearances differ, then we wouldn’t be eating fellow humans… they would simply be animals in nature.”

“They are… animals?” Sakura paused, a smile gracing her face.

One Heavenly Emperor spoke again, emphatically stating: “Precisely! Their bodies differ from ours! They are not infectious to us, and they are like wild beasts of nature. In every respect, they are animals!”

Sakura was silent for a moment.

She knew this was inevitable and the most correct path for the Corpse race’s rise.

“Granted!”

The ‘Corpse Dominant Gene Project’ was officially launched, for the future of the Corpse race!

This was a war without origin.

A single virus had destroyed an era…

It brought indelible pain and memories not only to the common people but also to the Corpse race.

Their first glimpse of the world was a vast ruin. The first human they consumed, whose memories they gained, was from the Ishudar people—a passionate, ardent race they respected and admired.

They had destroyed that proud, perfect civilization, that human race that advanced with unwavering steps, a race they sincerely admired and believed no other species could bear hostility towards.

And what about their own new race, moving forward?

They had come into this world due to a monumental error. Unlike the Ishudars, they were ordinary, groping and searching amidst the ruins, seeking to rebuild and survive.

These would be difficult times.

The 40th year of the Holy Sakura Dynasty.

Under the coordinated research of countless powerful Heavenly Emperors, a virus named the “Dominant Skin Modification Virus” gradually spread, beginning to infect the wandering shambling corpses across the ruins.

“Velia City, deployment initiated!”

“Hailan Region, virus deployment initiated!”

In the mechanical ruined city, countless zombies—the handsome men and women wandering the streets, even infected beasts, dragons, and hydras in the forests—began to show signs as if afflicted by skin disease: their skin became rough, sharp fangs emerged, and their body hair grew thick…

Viruses. They always mutate.

As the “Dominant Skin Modification Virus” spread, it continuously calculated and evolved within the minds of billions of zombies, leading to diversified mutant virus forms and countless viral branches.

Some zombies transformed into black, furry giant beasts, walking on all fours, growing fangs, and roaming across flower-filled grasslands.

Others developed fish scales, entered the sea, and transformed into marine animals.

Some grew feathers and took flight into the sky.

On a flower-strewn land, within a garden enclosed by a fence.

“There’s one final modification remaining, which requires my assistance.” Sakura’s expression was calm, her eyes slightly narrowed. “It’s about enabling ordinary zombies to procreate, so they can also begin normal reproduction.”

She looked down at what was once an Ishudar.

After all, humans made up the largest number among the zombies.

Before, she must have been a very beautiful woman, kind and gentle, treating others with sincerity, capable of trusting without reservation. Now, she was covered in furry black skin, moving on all fours like a mindless black wild boar, knowing nothing but grunting, eating, drinking, and relieving itself.

This particular zombie was a special wind-type variant. A Level Five practitioner in life, it now resembled a Level Five wind-type pig-beast.

Sakura gave a strange smile, which gradually turned bitter, as she finally grasped the truth of the entire world.

“Though most of her memories are gone, she can still inherit wind-elemental magic. Part of her cultivation genes are intact, and her offspring will inherit them. Even as an adult, it will be a Level Four… powerful, extraordinary beast!”

Three days later, this wild boar-beast gave birth to a litter of new infants.

Their skin was identical to their mother’s—a litter of small, black-furred wild piglets.

Sakura’s expression completely returned to calm.

She transformed into a gentle and kind keeper. For several months, she used bells and feeding bowls to train these piglets, observing their growth to restore ecological balance.

“Fenba…”

One day, she paused, gazing at the distant golden lava river, as if seeing the ancient deity with a gentle expression, calmly tending to a beast with a bell, holding a bowl as if feeding a lovable domestic animal.

“Is not the beast trapped in a cage… also a human trapped in a cage?”

“The world is a cycle, and we are all beasts trapped within this cycle.”

This deity slowly put down the feeding bowl, herding several happily grunting black-skinned piglets into a cage. She returned to a simple wooden cabin and looked at the text titled “The Day After God’s Tomorrow” hanging on the wall, which read:

“If God were to die today, then the Ishudars would survive until the day after tomorrow—solely to recount God’s life to other races. We shall, with profound pride, use the powerful mechanical allure of technology to visually narrate our Lord’s story.”

She simply smiled, then picked up a pen and hesitated for a moment before writing “God’s Yesterday” beneath this glorious story.

“We grew in the cradle of science, embarking alone upon the prairies of life, climbing the peaks of origin codes, and knocking on the door of divinity. Yet, even before this, fate was already sealed yesterday.

Countless travelers like us have passed, and any race presuming to tread the path of godhood, any arrogant individual daring to pry open the key to life, will ultimately be cursed by God—the past is the future.”

This deity set down her pen, gently blew on the ink to dry it like a mortal, and stood up. She carefully hung the text on the wall of the thatched hut, offering a tender smile and a soft whisper: “Rather than hanging in a corner of my memory, I shall let you hang amidst the dust of the mortal world.”

“As long as someone remembers you, that is eternal life.”

“Death God, eternal life.”

She hung the black mural, gazing out the window at the flowers scattered amidst the ruins, and a group of grunting piglets. It was as if a brand-new world was unfurling, and the bright lava light shone upon her exquisite face, as if she were seeing another ancient deity.

“I finally understand your meaning; worldly glory is merely a cycle.”

This scene was eventually forgotten amidst the dust of time. When future archaeologists discovered this black stone tablet, they wondered why the ancient Ishudar civilization, proud of its advanced technology, had not recorded its history on its revered hard drives but instead on the most primitive of stone tablets.

They, who supposedly stood at the pinnacle of advanced civilization and possessed unimaginably complex technology according to legend, had left behind childish, ridiculous scribbles on stone tablets like ancient primitives.

People began to doubt whether ancient civilizations were truly so magnificent, and whether the technology of ancient civilizations ever existed.

But no matter how future generations questioned, time continued to wash away everything that had once reached the pinnacle of splendor and glory. No one remembered the grand turning wheel of these past ages; humanity in the new era only recorded the events that occurred within their own year in history.

In the 41st year of the Holy Sakura Imperial Dynasty, and the 121st year after the Great Cataclysm, surviving humans began to procreate anew. They also resumed raising the beasts that survived the Cataclysm, restoring ecological peace. Civilization once again entered an age of agriculture and animal husbandry.