Chapter 634: True Meaning and Warmth

Originally, these small "ants" scurrying across the ground had meticulously arranged themselves in dense, provocative, and vulgar dog patterns, intending to show their opponents the harsh realities of society. However, in an instant, they withered and perished before the two giants, reaching the end of their lives. Then, a grayscale screen appeared: "You have died. Would you like to restart?" The moment they instinctively clicked, they transformed back into spores, reborn once again in the frigid winter ocean.

"What the f***?""Died instantly?""No, in this situation, it's instant emasculation!""I've been evolving this species for so long, and I was so close to success, but now it's just gone?""Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, this water is too cold; I'm going to freeze!"The water was indeed freezing. Being revived in the water in the middle of winter, not in a warm ocean environment, but in a frigid one as single-celled organisms, was essentially a death sentence. Before, they had always hidden in wooden huts, heating water in buckets to restart their spore evolution in warm conditions. How could they possibly endure this instant change?

Further away, in a small underground wooden hut, the Alchemy Emperor and a group of players watched stealthily through a window."Hahaha! What a bunch of clowns!""Trying to display those vulgar dog patterns?""Indeed, it was right of us not to court death like them.""I almost peed my pants laughing; this is too miserable! That's ice water! It's like plunging a three-month-old baby into a river for a winter swim during a blizzard. Just thinking about it makes me shiver.""It's definitely the right choice to stick with the big boss."Everyone was laughing so hard they choked. Most of them had gone off to court death; they, too, had been eager and thought it would be exciting, but they stopped themselves. It proved they were quite insightful.

At this moment, the Alchemy Emperor, Li Shengjiang, gazed at the familiar primordial demon god, that colossal figure tens of thousands of feet tall. Everything he once knew had now come to this origin place of all things. He felt as though he was in a surreal dream. It was like an adult returning to the amniotic fluid where they were conceived, witnessing the very origin of their own life! This was a monumental opportunity... yet the price to pay was almost unimaginable.

"Regardless, we meet again."He lowered his head, surveying the secret room filled with alchemy potions. Utilizing the accelerated time flow for biological evolution here, he was like a mad alchemist in the land of life's origin, performing "life transmutations" with the extraordinary power of various elixirs, aiding the evolution of life within the liquid of his alchemy vats.

"Don't be hasty, everyone. Let's stay hidden and see what happens," Li Shengjiang said seriously. "It's highly likely that some mechanism will be triggered, and this is the safest approach. Just observe quietly."

He looked at Medusa, but instead of considering much interaction, his vision blurred slightly as he thought of another person who had long accompanied Medusa."It seems I'm still a bit late, Armin," he murmured, stirring a large vat with a wooden stick. Inside, a brand new cell floated and sank in a viscous blue gelatinous liquid. A species was slowly taking shape.

Xu Zhi saw this scene and squinted his eyes meaningfully. He had been worried that the players were too risk-averse, only willing to evolve life in warm environments, finding the harsh, icy conditions too difficult and cruel. Now, in this frigid water, they would certainly die hundreds of times, and perhaps only then would they be able to evolve the appropriate evolutionary chain for ice and snow creatures.

At this moment, Medusa was still filled with profound shock. Ever since arriving in this mysterious land, her mind had not settled. She looked down at the tiny "ant" lives, observing their aging and dying, their shrinking bodies with the passage of time, and she couldn't help but think:"Is this the truth of the world?""From their evolution, to the recent reproduction of two animals, to their aging and death and rebirth... this entire process feels like I've witnessed a complete life cycle.""This! Is this the essence of life?!?"Her pupils dilated. She knew that everything appearing before her, even the interactions of animals, held profound meaning."Oh, great God of Creation..." At that moment, Medusa couldn't help but gaze at the hazy giant of light and shadow before her. Feeling as small as a helpless child, she almost wanted to step forward and embrace this figure, to possess the entirety of this world. She knew this was not a living creature but rather a natural phenomenon, like wind, fire, and lightning, symbolizing Truth itself. It was the ultimate pursuit of every living being in the world; there was no tangible concept of Truth, yet every life desired to possess and occupy it. This was the world's most precious treasure, and because of the existence of Truth, this place was as beautiful as a dream world. She trembled uncontrollably, drawing closer with an urgent and excited gaze. "How can I approach you...?"

Xu Zhi chuckled softly. "You are already close here... experience it within yourself. You have only three days."Medusa was stunned. When she regained her senses, the enigmatic light and shadow entity had already returned to the house at the origin point, closing the door with a bang. She was left standing alone on this land of origin.

A cold wind whistled, sweeping up scattered fallen leaves, forming small whirlwinds that brushed against her knees. Medusa, alone, looked up at the clear blue sky, then lowered her gaze, feeling like a colossal, sky-reaching deity looking down at the tiny mountains, rivers, and trees beneath her feet.

She suddenly realized that her entire life seemed to be compressed once again. Her time was like a speeding carriage on a track, racing furiously! She was moving so fast! Almost unbelievably fast! Riding the carriage named 'time,' it felt as if mountains, earth, sun, moon, stars, the cosmos, life, dimensions, matter, space-time, ethics, and causality were all being left behind in an instant!

"I am evolving," she whispered, clenching her fists. She felt miraculous changes happening throughout her body; almost every second, her form was transforming! Like the creatures across the land, she suddenly had a sensation that she, too, would experience what she had just witnessed: she would emerge from the sea as a fish, shed her scales to become a land beast. She would transform from a land beast, grow feathers, and fly into the sky, becoming an eagle. She was accelerating; the flow of time was quickening around this land of origin. "I... I am approaching Truth."

The time in the surrounding world abruptly shifted. She felt as if she stood in the highest void, on the highest dimension, where time inexplicably warped, surpassing all things in the world at an extreme speed.

Sobbing softly, the beautiful giant Medusa, with her snake-like hair, knelt on the ground. Gazing at the landscape around her, she suddenly felt that everything she had pursued was now within reach; almost as if through a thin veil, she could perceive the ultimate truth of the world. She wept uncontrollably, staring at the tightly closed door. A faint, ethereal praise drifted from the air. "What a magnificent origin, the Land of Origin, the genesis of all things in the cosmos, allowing the humble beings of the world to step towards the gate of Truth."

On the Spore Evolution forum:"Simp!"Seeing the screenshot of Medusa's giant figure, Mengmei gnashed her teeth again. What was with all the praise? That devout expression? Just looking at it made her furious! They were acting as if it was something incredibly precious. Back in the day, she was just lounging around there, half-asleep!

Meanwhile, other players were loudly complaining and demanding compensation from Mengmei."So, to stop Medusa from being a simp, we played that dog-themed video to show her what happens to simps!!""Hurry up and pay us!""Ten thousand sand coins, I feel like we lost big this time."

Seeing this, Mengmei felt something was off. A sense of unease gnawed at her. These guys were incredibly sneaky; weren't they supposed to be helping? Were they secretly messing with her while also messing with Medusa? However, she was too tired to dwell on it. After all, she still needed them to get things done, so she had to maintain the facade of camaraderie. What if she didn't pay them, and they turned against her from inside the game? Swallowing her resentment, she paid them immediately, only able to admonish them, "Send me your game accounts, and I'll send the sand coins! Keep an eye on things and be more efficient. Don't let this happen again!"

"Thanks, boss!""Thank you for the reward, boss!""Don't worry, the money will be transferred to you," Mengmei typed, but sitting in front of her computer, she quietly picked up a small notebook and meticulously wrote down the IDs of these fickle players.

On the other side, the forum simultaneously erupted into a commotion. The Alchemy Emperor had stepped forward to speak. Setting aside Mengmei and Autumn Mountain Speed, who were always causing trouble, System Terminator, who was serious and passionate but had problematic values, and Balloon Fish, Du Xue's personal simp, the only truly serious and reliable one was the Alchemy Emperor. He was indeed quite dependable.

He began to speak: "Ahem, regarding Mengmei's dispute, I still want to state my opinion! As we all know, Medusa pursues Truth; she literally craves the Creator God's 'body' – meaning their essence – not that she is in love with the Creator God as a person. Why do I say that? We must first understand the definition of Truth and the concept of the Creator God's existence... The Truth that Medusa pursues, the Creator God, is the very incarnation of Truth, a high-dimensional existence like the Pillar Gods of the ancient Lava Lands, serving as the 'fate' of the Lava Universe, the sole supreme being of the timeline. And if in one world, all living beings, plants, nature, and countless powerhouses can form Pillar Gods, then what about the myriad worlds? What about the 129,600 worlds? What about the trillions upon trillions of beings in the entire vast universe? What about the Ninth-order, Tenth-order, and countless unknown powerhouses? The Creator God should be the ultimate incarnation of Truth, woven and converged from all living beings, the universe, space-time, nature, and diverse concepts... Therefore, Medusa wanting to possess Truth is indeed 'craving the body,' while Mengmei, you like the 'person.' The two of you are not in conflict."

Mengmei: "???" Her face immediately darkened. "What kind of crazy analysis is that? Are you a science student?" Though it seemed he really was.

However, the other onlookers on the forum instantly understood. The big boss was indeed a big boss; the Alchemy Emperor was simply "reliable"! He was playing the role of a peacemaker, providing Mengmei with psychological counseling. At the same time, as players increased in power and even surpassed deities, they also gained a clearer understanding of the concept of the Creator God's existence.

"Let's skip this topic for now," the Alchemy Emperor continued, "and I'll explain what's currently happening, the situation, and its implications for our future as a player community... Medusa has now been brought into the Land of Origin and is undergoing its baptism, meaning she's transforming into her initial species, just like us, and experiencing rapid life evolution."

All the players were astonished. The big boss was indeed straightforward, explaining the key points right away. Medusa was going to evolve? The Cthulhu Evil God was going to re-evolve? Just thinking about it was astounding; how terrifying would that be!

"You must understand, we were the ones who evolved the Cthulhu Evil God initially. Back then, our skill level was very low, and there were many loopholes and flaws. Now, with Medusa's perspective, I'm afraid... Moreover, there's no doubt that while this is a huge opportunity, it's not one that just any creature can withstand. Ordinary beings would almost instantly die of old age at this speed. However, Medusa possesses the Blood of Immortality, which allows her to achieve this... So, my rough estimate is that to attain the 'opening the Gate of Truth' kind of extraordinary encounter, there are conditions."

Everyone held their breath. The Alchemy Emperor continued: "First, one must pay a sufficient equivalent exchange. Second, one must possess the bloodline of the Creator God. Third, one must accumulate enough merit as a toll fee. This also provides us with a new path. In the future, if we want to gain this extraordinary encounter, 'reverting to evolutionary origin,' we can strive towards this. After all, evolving once more after becoming a deity allows those giants of myriad worlds at higher realms to make terrifying adjustments to their bodies and species, correcting all their flaws."

A silence fell over them. This statement was clearly directed at certain individuals. Accumulating merit, finding a way to obtain the Blood of Immortality, and being prepared to pay a sufficient equivalent price were very demanding conditions, but the investment would be proportional to the reward. The potential gains were immense; perhaps in the future, this path could indeed be taken—to pray to the imperceptible cosmic laws, the truths of all things, the supreme Dao, and the Creator God, to offer equivalent exchange, and to open the Gate of Truth's origin.

"So, it's like performing a ritual to summon an unseen evil god to gain power?""Bah! What kind of talk is that? But it is quite similar.""It seems the cost of returning home after going out is quite high, so I've decided not to leave my house! I'll be a homebody! I'm a family person!""Get lost, you just can't get out!"

Everyone burst into laughter and playful banter. It seemed the worldview had been thoroughly refined once more. A truly vast universe had, at this moment, genuinely begun to reveal itself only to those who reached above the Eighth-order Deity realm. Now, thinking about it, an Eighth-order Deity was merely a powerhouse in a small world; for the entire vast cosmic world, they had only just stepped through the threshold, a mere weakling.

[Screenshot]A screenshot showed the snake-haired maiden, curled up, her slender, pale arms wrapped around her legs, sleeping beside the Creator God's chair in the freezing, windy, icy landscape. She looked beautiful, adorable, and cute. But everyone knew this particular big boss was a battle maniac, which probably made it a "juxtaposed cuteness."

Li Shengjiang continued: "Currently, Medusa has fallen into a deep sleep after only a short time here. According to our information, she was supposed to be about forty more years from sleep, but only a short while has passed... It's already foreseeable that Medusa, who is currently seven or eight thousand years old, will have her lifespan extended by at least several hundred thousand years after this experience. Several hundred thousand years? That's ancient in the history of biological evolution! Of course, from an objective standpoint, the actual numerical lifespan is irrelevant for an immortal being."

At this point, someone asked, "Since Medusa is asleep, why don't we seize the opportunity to climb onto her? Isn't she at our mercy? We could pose her, explore her body."

"Ahem, that brings me to the next point: Medusa's current impact on us. Although Medusa is asleep, she has still unleashed her 'Unspeakable Presence.' While it's activated to its lowest extent, it's still more than we can bear... The entire sandbox is currently under the influence of this Unspeakable Presence, causing everyone to tremble."

[Screenshot] [Screenshot]Although it had been significantly toned down, the entire evolutionary sandbox still felt like an apocalyptic disaster. Many plants and animals in the lush green mountains withered and died from the shock.

"It's predictable," Li Shengjiang calmly analyzed, "in our online game terms, this is a sudden plot event. The sandbox environment has changed, and a new 'game scene' has been unlocked. Medusa's oppressive aura now blankets the entire land. This pressure will influence us to evolve new extraordinary species during this period. This is a unique opportunity..."

With the big boss's systematic analysis, everyone instantly understood. Medusa's arrival and terrifying oppressive aura presented a crisis and an opportunity. If utilized well, evolving extraordinary species could be very promising!

"Holy crap!""New game scene unlocked!""For a duration of three days!""Brothers, charge!""Anyway, we just died and turned back into spores; evolving our species now is all or nothing!"

A wave of excitement swept through the group.

Click. Xu Zhi left Medusa in the wintry courtyard and closed the large door. Outside, a fierce wind howled, and the temperature dropped by several more degrees. He then casually hung his black down jacket on the rack by the door. A white porcelain maid was already in the kitchen, cooking steaming hot food, filling the air with fragrance. Even though he no longer needed such things, he still habitually lived with a sense of ritual.

Xu Zhi, calm like a homeowner returning, walked into the kitchen and handed the phoenix egg to her. "Boil this in a large pot, and add some spiritual tea.""Yes," the maid answered crisply, taking the egg.Xu Zhi turned and walked a few steps away from the kitchen doorway, then reconsidered. He felt a little uneasy. He turned back and instructed, "Oh, and make sure it's that warm maple tea freshly picked from the Gourmet World... For the rest, combine ingredients according to your skill, and don't be stingy with the spiritual materials... You know, there's nothing more comforting than a warm cup of tea after coming home on a cold winter day."

"So warm."In its hazy consciousness, the phoenix suddenly recalled the figure it had seen just before death—the Creator God's form—and immediately felt overwhelmed with happiness and surprise. "Indeed, my mission in this life is complete...""The God is here to guide me.""I believe every living being in this world would be incredibly envious and expectant, wouldn't they?"

The phoenix felt itself immersed in a warm ocean, as if it had returned to the blazing, fiery environment of its initial birth. It also recalled the very first scene: during the destruction era of the ancient Babylonian Kingdom, the Creator God descended, conversed with Medusa, embraced Medusa, and finally took the phoenix itself away. At the time, it had been envious, but afterward, it too had enjoyed that warm embrace. Its crisp, pure voice suddenly filled with happiness. "Now, I am in the Creator God's warm embrace, feeling the divine hug, and this time, Medusa cannot be like me."