Chapter 655: Starting (Two in One)

Chapter 663: The Beginning (Two-in-One)

For all deities, a new path had opened before them. The question was: should they take the risk, or hold back? When this news spread, many deities fell silent.

"What is the current situation?" Dao Changsheng asked.

Ermin looked around, her gaze serious. "I don't know the full situation yet, but we've pinpointed the coordinates. There is indeed an unknown world, but I dare not investigate too deeply for fear of being detected. Their system and combat capabilities are mysterious and unknown; we don't know what terrifying or strange powers they possess."

Everyone was startled. Indeed, it was true. While theoretically caution would prevent detection, this was an assumption based on their own worldview. What if the other side cultivated causality or some other mysterious, hidden power for scrying? Currently, the other world had not detected them, giving them the power to decide their next steps. However, a full intersection would carry a huge risk of exposure.

"We must still plan for the long term. Even if we decide to enter, we need to be fully prepared!" Meng Mei, naturally a conservative, still didn't know what kind of world it was. After all, an unforeseen accident could have severe consequences, potentially destroying an entire world or unleashing a terrifying force. And how could the deities present not be aware of this?

At this moment, it was as if they were two hunters in a dark forest, both enveloped in a hazy, obscured mist. They couldn't even discern each other's faces, let alone their strengths or weaknesses; everything remained unknown. Their sole advantage was having discovered the other party's hidden location within the mist, while remaining undetected themselves.

The leaders of the Six Realms present began to whisper among themselves.

"There's no need to rush at this moment."

"We've only just ceased hostilities and entered secluded cultivation. We still have a period of rapid growth ahead. It won't be too late to explore once our realms stabilize."

Many deities communicated their thoughts. Over the past millennium, Ermin and Daojun had ascended to the Ninth-Tier path, far outstripping the others. Dao Changsheng, who followed them, possessed incredibly deep foundations and was also on the verge of becoming a high-tier deity. In the third tier, the Blood Emperor had just broken through to become a mid-tier deity.

"Our world is still not stable enough."

Lin Hongfeng, with her cool, clear countenance, tall figure, and striking beauty, resembled a heroic martial artist. She remarked, "Among the Six Realms, the Demon Realm has undergone significant changes and has not fully settled, while the Monster Realm has only just begun to rise."

Ermin smiled in response: "On the contrary, the Void Realm of the Earth Mother Qing Teng, the Guixu World—with its evil god shadows and a cultivation system for the 'evil race' who call themselves 'players'—should be further developed and expanded in numbers. They should be our world's vanguard, the main fighting force for conquering all other realms."

Meng Mei also offered a complimentary remark to Ermin: "And the alchemists—the mythical alchemy dynasty of old—are also experiencing a revival in this era and should certainly have their place. Especially the current Underworld, as the Soul Realm, now personally controls 'Essence' and the alchemical gate of life and death. It already possesses water elements and is even planning to create fire elements!"

This was indeed true. The Underworld was no longer merely a realm of the dead. Since Li Shengjiang's arrival, a new plan had been initiated to imbue many inanimate objects in the Underworld, such as rivers, mountains, and road signs, with life, transforming it into a true Soul Realm. As he had stated, only by mastering the Gate of Alchemy could one become the true Great Emperor of the Underworld, overseeing and bestowing souls upon all things.

"However, our population expansion plan has been in effect for several millennia, and we are continually expanding various internal spaces. Each of your divine kingdoms, under each deity, now holds at least a hundred million beings. Combined, the Six Realms across this entire land likely host over 14 billion mortals, with countless cultivators among them."

The path of faith naturally flourishes with a thriving population. To absorb more faith, it was natural to cultivate a larger population. Over the years, the major churches had diligently worked to multiply their numbers, essentially shepherding the masses. Moreover, the quality was exceptionally high, with many having trained since childhood. After all, a strong, high-quality believer could generate far more faith than a mere mortal.

"However, we are nearing saturation..." Hu Rennong stated calmly.

"The population base cannot increase drastically again. Our world's capacity is limited. Four of the Six Realms are internal spaces built upon the Demon Realm and the Mortal Realm."

The Blood Emperor suggested, "Since we cannot increase the quantity, we should focus on cultivating more powerful individuals within the population. The more strong people there are, the more it will significantly improve the quality of faith. While quantity may be capped, in terms of quality, there is still an unimaginably vast potential."

The deities continued to deliberate and make decisions. The more they considered it, the more they realized the wisdom behind the Land of Gods' model. They had been too short-sighted, not allowing others to rise, thinking their own prosperity throughout the era was the only way to benefit. After all, one powerful individual was worth tens of thousands of mortals. What if they even became gods themselves? As their followers, becoming gods within their own divine pantheon simply meant they were still part of their forces. They only needed to focus on their own cultivation.

"At this moment, we are countless times stronger than we were one or even three millennia ago! I wonder if this level qualifies us as a truly high-tier transcendent world? How do we compare to other genuine top-tier worlds?"

"Personally, I believe we might be comparable to an average top-tier transcendent world! After all, we are a civilization left by Hermes, possessing foundational knowledge that can be revived. However, we certainly cannot compare to truly formidable worlds that possess Ninth-Tier beings!"

The deities communicated, as giants from all heavens and myriad worlds exchanged ideas, enveloped in divine light. After several days of deliberation, the deities finally departed.

The Underworld was tranquil and peaceful. Vibrant Underworld Spider Lilies bloomed. In the alchemy lab, a man was tinkering with bottles and jars, while a woman researched new, mysterious alchemy.

"Ease off for now, but prepare for battle."

Ermin set down a glass test tube, speaking without turning her head: "Teacher, we've spent this time researching and have finally pinpointed the coordinates and invited these deities. For the next period, we'll resume preparations for battle, so we can relax a little for now."

"Not yet, but there's no need for excessive urgency," Granthem replied without turning around. Both were facing away from each other, absorbed in their respective research.

Ermin simply smiled, responding earnestly, "Indeed, we're not relaxing yet." She felt as if this scene of standing in the alchemy lab was from another lifetime—having lost one dear friend, she now welcomed another, journeying together once more. Suddenly, inexplicably, she recalled a typically nonsensical remark from Earth Mother Qing Teng:

"This is probably equivalent exchange! Sacrificing a close friend to get a teacher back—not a bad deal!"

However, speaking of Medusa, all her wishes had been fulfilled. Ermin suddenly remembered Medusa's selfless figure, who had pursued her lifelong quest, the path in her heart—that figure named "Truth." Medusa was the purest witch, while she was not. Yet, she too was pursuing her own path. While it wasn't "truth," she followed the revered figure from the earliest era. This brought her contentment.

She watched the familiar figure before her, collecting and extracting the unique, innumerable dust-like 'Essence.' Test tubes were being reconfigured one by one, shimmering beautifully like tiny silver stars.

"It's done again."

Granthem exclaimed, looking at Ermin with delight, "Another round of trials is complete!" He tightly gripped Ermin's arm. "We have water elements on the River Acheron in the Underworld, the River of Pain. Now, we've brought fire elements to the sky! Intelligent fire life, elemental energy life—it's truly an epoch-making creation!"

"It's magnificent!" Ermin couldn't help but exclaim.

"Indeed," Granthem said with an ambitious smile. "The entire Underworld will be perfected; it will become a true Soul Realm."

They stood side by side, looking up. The entire world system was now active and constantly operating. They had already decided to begin preparations for war, determined to be proactive.

Spore Evolution Forum. The entire network was abuzz.

"Hermes?"

"No way!"

"Could it be an ancient player from Earth?"

Many spoke, suppressing the horror in their hearts. This level of shock was unprecedented! It was as if a vast, long-laid foreshadowing had finally begun to unfold.

Thinking back to the beginning, Hermes was the ancient and mysterious deity who had appeared to everyone from the very beginning, the first god they had ever encountered. Could he have been an ancient Earthling? Hermes, who once taught the mortals of this land and treated the Alchemy Emperor favorably—was it because he knew they were 'players' like himself that he specifically nurtured them? Their minds were blown! In the group chat for elite players, private messages flew.

"No wonder we had to enter Hermes's land and become part of a faction. Is this the players' main quest line?"

"Unbelievable! This is unimaginable!"

"Looking back, it seems a huge secret has been hidden for a long time!"

"He's fallen, and now it's just us, with no backing. We're fighting alone, and I have a bad feeling about this!"

Simultaneously, an even more terrifying piece of information emerged: Ermin had discovered a new world. Everyone hesitated once more. They needed to observe how things developed there and what kind of world it was.

"Heh heh heh... rapid development again." Xu Zhi smiled radiantly.

Adversity fosters growth, while comfort leads to decay. People don't realize their strength until they push themselves, and the same was true for these deities.

As for Ermin's coordinates... of course, it dated back to when Xu Zhi had asked her to help breach the underground world beneath their feet, all the way to the lava's depths—which was the Ancient Lava Region.

"This is truly a 'garden war' in its most literal sense." Xu Zhi stood at the courtyard gate, gazing up at the high, clear, azure sky. He mused, "The surface of the garden is at war with its depths."

Xu Zhi hadn't initially been in a hurry, but the Six Realms within his world were constantly searching for other realms, and the Three Pillar Gods in the Ancient Lava Land were also perpetually seeking new worlds... So, let their wishes be granted. In reality, if these two worlds were connected, it would also mean the Lesser Universe World would be connected. After all, Caroline controlled the teleportation passages between the Lesser Universe World and the Ancient Lava Land.

"It truly seems to be a myriad of worlds now," Xu Zhi murmured. "This is practically connecting all existing worlds..." Of course, Caroline rarely paid attention to the Ancient Lava Land anymore. She would most likely not interfere and might not even be able to defeat Ermin. Both were high-tier deities who had embarked on the Ninth-Tier fusion path, but Caroline was at a relative disadvantage, having never truly fought. If a war broke out between the two worlds, it was far more likely she would simply observe from the shadows, like a scientist. As for how future events would unfold and what ripples they would create, no one knew.

"However, a thorny problem has been resolved. Li Shengjiang and his group, who were disrupting my plans, have been successfully dealt with, and they seem quite satisfied..." He sighed in relief, opening his palm to reveal a bottle of "Essence." "At the same time, I gained a lot. This wave was profitable."

He lowered his head, finding this soul-originating substance incredibly mysterious and unique. He mused, "It took the combined resources of countless deities to produce just one bottle, but it's still a substantial amount..." Don't assume this material comes cheap. Natural extraction alone would be incredibly costly to obtain even a minuscule amount. While leveraging his "evolutionary speed" to cleverly evolve special species made the process much simpler and more convenient, the cost remained formidable. Breeding each "Essence" creature still incurred an enormous cost. This single bottle contained energy nearly equivalent to that of a deity. Even if the accumulated wealth of over a dozen deities were pooled, it would still represent a massive expenditure.

"This substance is quite remarkable." Xu Zhi's eyes glinted; he felt this venture was highly profitable. "Another promising new path has emerged, beyond spore evolution and life creation... this 'Essence' also seems capable of creating life." He pondered the implications, finding them highly thought-provoking. Alchemists create life, performing life alchemy. Perhaps, in the true universe, powerful super-civilizations can, to a certain extent, create life and intelligence.

"No, wait." Xu Zhi's expression suddenly shifted. "In my sandbox, the conceptual creation of life has already manifested... The Demon Core lineage, with its intelligent AI, where programs are written to form intelligence, and then, with growth, fully awakening sentience and developing souls... isn't that a form of creating intelligence and souls?" Creating entire races doesn't count, as that's procreation. And it wasn't just the Ancient Lava Land. He suddenly recalled the Zerg Mother Queen, a leading figure in the technological realm, who could also create various AI-intelligent mechanical lifeforms, achieving the same feat. Indeed, knowledge truly is power. Look at Li Shengjiang; he even opened the Gate of Alchemy and performed astonishing life miracles.

"Times are changing... and when you think about it, there's a surprising similarity in principle." Xu Zhi suddenly smiled. "On the supernatural side: extracting life essence to create life and generate souls. On the scientific side: manufacturing various chips and intelligent AI, which, through continuous training, can also generate souls." In other words, both sides have independently reached a super-civilization level capable of bestowing life. Had he, without realizing it, already developed to this extent? It seemed the conditions for Ninth-Tier were truly about to be met.

"At this moment, will there be a clash between these two factions capable of creating and modifying life—the 'Essence' life from the supernatural side and the mechanical life from the pseudo-technological side?" Xu Zhi's eyes lit up. He looked towards the Soul Realm, where Ermin was still researching 'Essence,' and the two were discussing. "They're still creating fire elements..." "Could this conflict be the genesis of the Ninth-Tier?"

He hesitated, then turned his palm over to look at the bottle of 'Essence.' "It's not particularly useful for me personally, nor can I directly bestow life with it... But what would happen if the phoenix, reborn through nirvana as a new life, had its soul supplemented with some of this 'Essence'?" With so many resources already invested, Xu Zhi didn't hesitate. He returned to his room, opened the white oven, and infused the 'Essence' into the crimson phoenix egg. A profound and mysterious life force slowly began to emerge.

"It really works; it's a qualitative transformation." Xu Zhi felt even more anticipation for the phoenix's self-healing breakthrough this time.

A moment later, he sipped his even more delicious spiritual tea, sitting quietly in his chair, awaiting dinner.