Chapter 5: Creating Mythical Beasts

The Ice Age lasting a million years has finally passed, and resilient life begins to paint the world with color once more. Aside from the depths of the ocean and the remaining ice and snow, the land has completely shed its shackles.

Beneath the kilometer-thick ice, seeds still managed to survive, and the long-absent greens have returned to the earth. In the center of the world, a vibrant little sapling once again stands proudly. Its swaying branches seem to boast to the world, ‘This bit of suffering cannot break me!’

“Accelerate the flow of time,” Jiang Ping adjusted the time and space settings once more. He had spent the entire day observing the Original World and was already feeling hungry.

After satisfying his hunger, Jiang Ping sighed, “Despite being a Creator God, I can’t even escape the need for basic grains. It seems I haven’t achieved *** successfully yet. There’s still much work to be done!”

“Let’s set a small goal for immortality!” Jiang Ping mused as he drifted into slumber. Tomorrow, the biological essence should arrive, and he could start creating legendary creatures and civilizations! Even in his dreams, he fantasized about how to better develop the Original World. Though it had faced multiple mass extinctions, the surviving life forms were growing stronger, and the emergence of civilization needed a catalyst. He would provide the seeds, hastening civilization’s dawn.

After all, the stronger the life forms, the greater his final rewards.

While Jiang Ping slept, the Original World continued to evolve at a rapid pace. After three mass extinctions, each generation of original creatures was stronger than the last, undergoing evolution in all directions. Various monsters competed for dominance, yet the central great tree remained steadfast, demonstrating through the ages that survival is key! Around her had become a sanctuary where plants and animals thrived, and of course, any creatures that dared to harm the giant tree would face an onslaught from surrounding wildlife without her needing to intervene!

Waking up refreshed, Jiang Ping felt better than ever. He glanced in the mirror and was shocked to see his formerly sallow, unhealthy complexion had turned bright white. Something about him felt distinctly different, even if he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

“What’s going on here?” Jiang Ping wondered.

“After each mass extinction, not only do most beings transform into original points, but a small portion also comes back to you. This energy has enhanced your spirit and body,” Genesis replied.

With three mass extinctions yesterday, even this small amount of energy returning had improved his condition significantly. Jiang Ping smiled knowingly, realizing that cataclysms could ever so slightly be beneficial. Sometimes, it takes turbulence to shake an otherwise stagnant pond! “How many points were refunded yesterday?”

Genesis answered, “A total of 100 points were consumed to create the Original World, 10 points used to produce various resources, and yesterday’s total refund was 15 points. The total original points are now 1105 points.”

“Still in the red? After three mass extinctions, only 15 points came in?” Jiang Ping was greatly disappointed. Despite the loss of hundreds of billions of beings, earning points was proving to be quite the challenge! “The creatures that died yesterday were merely the weakest of the weak. They had no extraordinary powers. Just imagine how much energy could be obtained if strong, intelligent beings perished!”

It seemed that a powerful, extraordinary creature was worth a thousand lesser beings, Jiang Ping thought. If he relied on ordinary creatures, each creation would result in a loss! Only by giving rise to intelligent civilizations and extraordinary beings could he truly profit.

Casting his gaze over the Original World, he saw a thriving landscape. Plants filled every nook and cranny, and numerous strange powerful beasts fought against one another, each standing nearly five to six meters tall. In Jiang Ping’s eyes, they were all colossal beasts! “Those feasting on spiritual energy grow quickly,” he mused as he got up. Today, the biological essence he had ordered from the forum had arrived, and he needed to pick it up!

In no time, Jiang Ping returned with a massive foam box in his arms.

Swish!

He eagerly cut through the tape with scissors. Inside the box lay at least two hundred test tubes, each labeled.

“Chimpanzee blood? Arabian horse blood? What the heck? There’s even milk from Mengniu? So this was a gift,” Jiang Ping said as he pulled out the first layer of test tubes. The second layer was also filled with test tubes, alongside fur and some strange items. Jiang Ping couldn’t tell what they were immediately; he could only check out the descriptions first.

“Elephant skin? Rhino horns? Impressive! How did I manage to get these?” Jiang Ping marveled. The items were small, indeed, but incredibly diverse, including creatures from land, water, and air!

Genesis constantly analyzed and absorbed, gradually enriching the genetic templates. With these genes, it could essentially create anything! Since many Earth creatures share common ancestors, evolution over time has led to the multitude we see today. Next time Jiang Ping creates, he won’t have to wait for marine life to develop; he can just drop them in! Organizing a room, he began his experiment, “Mix the genes of swans and Arabian horses to see if I can create a Pegasus.”

“Oh? It actually worked! Though it seems to fly slowly and isn’t a great runner either,” Jiang Ping said, with Genesis’s help, mixing genes to create a legendary creature.

Genesis flipped through the pages, revealing the image of a Pegasus with white wings.

“Save this Pegasus gene. Although it may not be the most powerful, it certainly has a fine appearance!” As the saying goes, strength is a matter of interpretation, but handsomeness lasts a lifetime! A sense of style is essential!

“Lion and eagle gene mix,” Jiang Ping decided. This time, he aimed to create the classic mythical creature—a griffin!

This mix was noticeably more difficult. After a full minute, Genesis finally revealed the image of a griffin with an eagle’s head and lion’s body!

Jiang Ping’s eyes lit up. Though he knew this was a precious point-consuming fusion by Genesis, the thrill of personally creating a mythical creature was exhilarating!

“This one is good! Not only is it fast in the air, but its attack power is great too. Perfect, perfect! Save the genes,” Jiang Ping said, watching the griffin demonstrate its capabilities.

His mind raced with excitement as he thought of a holy creature. If this creature were to appear in reality, it would surely cause an earthquake across Huaxia!

To Jiang Ping’s excitement, he decided to go big, “Mix the genes of a deer, a camel, a snake, a fish, an eagle, a tiger, and a cow!” Yes, Jiang Ping planned to create a Huaxia dragon! After all, Huaxia people pride themselves as descendants of dragons; ancient emperors proclaimed themselves the true sons of dragons, proving the high status dragons hold in people’s hearts. Jiang Ping could only imagine the sensations that would arise if he were to create a divine dragon that flew among the clouds, captured by satellites!

However, Genesis immediately threw a bucket of cold water on Jiang Ping’s excitement, “The gene mix is too complex; fusion failed.”

Looking at the bloated, mutant creature, Jiang Ping firmly refused to acknowledge it as his creation. It seemed he still lacked the necessary skills, but one day, he would have a five-clawed golden dragon roam the earth!

“The dragon in the master’s mind is not an ordinary creature,” Genesis reminded him.

“Of course it’s not ordinary. The Pegasus and griffin I just made aren’t regular creatures either. They’re mythical beings,” Jiang Ping replied, puzzled.

“The Pegasus is fine, but the griffin already contains a hint of extraordinary power, possessing a variety of magical abilities. What you intended to create, the divine dragon, is considered a divine being, imbued with divinity and incredible powers. It is a top-tier divine creature and cannot be created so simply,” Genesis explained.

It seemed that his personal totem was no simple matter. However, Jiang Ping felt excited at the challenge; the harder it was, the greater the potential! Since the divine dragon wouldn’t work, he could settle for creating a western dragon. Although western dragons don’t embody justice like the Huaxia dragon and are often cast as villains, their power is undeniable.

“Puma genes, bat genes, eagle genes, and crocodile genes,” Jiang Ping mixed. The western dragon was clearly formidable. After some time, Genesis displayed an enormous dragon with red scales, four limbs, and two massive bat wings.

“Octopus genes, bat genes, and chimpanzee genes,” Jiang Ping’s imagination ran wild as he thought about what to create next.

Soon, a humanoid monster with an octopus head and bat wings appeared before him.

“Haha! Even Cthulhu’s evil god has made an appearance, though it’s all just a façade—not nearly as bizarre as the stories,” Jiang Ping chuckled.

“Lion genes, sheep genes, and venomous snake genes!”

The fantastical chimera appeared in Jiang Ping’s vision.

“Lizard genes fused with orca genes.” After that, Jiang Ping spent the entire day immersed in the creation of mythical beasts, watching legendary story monsters manifest one by one from his hands. The feeling was simply too addictive! It reminded him of the days when he played with clay, molding various creatures.