Chapter 7: Dream’s Divine Awakening

When Jiang Ping woke up, he immediately assessed the state of the Original World. Thankfully, there weren’t any major disasters. Although his involvement with magical creatures had caused some local species to go extinct, their fusion had also resulted in the emergence of stronger beings.

At that moment, a red dragon soared across the sky, continuously spewing flames that burned the forest. Meanwhile, an ice dragon froze its prey with a single bite, swallowing them down with satisfaction. Their descendants, the bipedal wyverns, were lurking at the mountain’s edge, patiently waiting for their next meal.

The more powerful the creatures, the harder it was for them to reproduce. Yet, the lustful dragons were relentless, spending their days either eating or mating. A day in the life of the giants was like this: they woke up, did some morning stretches, went hunting, and if they spotted something appetizing, they’d work out a bit more. Even after feasting, they’d need to exercise, and occasionally, they sought out shiny treasures—apparently, this obsession with gems was coded into their very DNA.

As the dragons toiled away, their offspring spread throughout every corner of the world.

“Fahos, don’t burn everything! Or the great tree of Lahir will get angry again!” A white dragon flew over to admonish the flame-spitting red dragon.

“Boom!”

Hearing the white dragon’s words, the red dragon seemed to think twice about angering Lahir. Reluctantly, it stopped breathing fire. “As long as I stay clear of her territory, she can’t come after me!” it grumbled. Clearly, it had suffered some major losses previously while trying to snatch a meal from the central tree.

Suddenly, the red dragon’s eyes glinted with excitement. “It’s been a while since I last feasted on those tender, juicy apes. Time to pay a visit to the heart of the land!” With that, it took off toward the continent’s center.

The white dragon shook its head, thinking Fahos was truly courting disaster, especially after previously being whipped by Lahir’s branches. Now it sought out to catch the apes under the tree’s protection.

Jiang Ping shifted his gaze toward the world’s center. The ape tribe, shielded by the central tree, had managed to survive but now only had about five thousand members left. Most of them hid in caves, living a dreary existence, and they were so scarce on food that their bodies had become emaciated.

“These mighty dragons spread their offspring everywhere, yet the apes are in such dire straits? At least they once had ten thousand members; now they’ve dwindled to half that number,” Jiang Ping frowned.

He had high hopes for the ape tribe. The land they inhabited was among the best in the continent, rich in food and abundant in spiritual energy. Even the underground resources were incredibly rich! Yet, they hadn’t even evolved to the Stone Age; if not for the protective god tree, they would have already gone extinct! After pondering for a moment, Jiang Ping finally understood why the formidable upright apes that thrived on Earth were struggling so much in the Original World.

“When the apes appeared on Earth, there weren’t many giant beasts around. At their size, they were middle-tier hunters. But now, the Original World is filled with massive beasts, and with the presence of spiritual energy, these monsters are even more ferocious. For them to survive this long is no small feat, especially with the magical creatures sometimes snatching meals from under their noses!”

Jiang Ping sighed, reflecting on how a species’ fate relies not only on their own efforts but also on the course of history. The right conditions must align for the right beings to emerge.

If Earth’s humans can be said to have faced a challenging start, then the Original World’s humans were born into a hellish one.

“It seems I need to think of a way to help the apes,” Jiang Ping contemplated. If they continued to just survive, the ape tribe could never grow strong, and a civilization requires a substantial population to flourish.

While Jiang Ping was lost in thought, the red dragon Fahos devoured another ape, causing those cautiously picking fruits to shout in panic as they fled for their lives.

“Damn it! We’re created by the gods just like those monsters, yet the evil dragons roam free while they slaughter us at will! We’re easily exterminated, yet why are we so weak that we can’t even kill the weakest of beasts, a leopards?!” complained a visibly stronger leader through gritted teeth.

Watching the evil dragon devour its kin, the leader’s eyes turned bloodshot. Unable to contain his fury, he dashed toward the red dragon!

“Huh?”

As the red dragon, Fahos, chuckled at the hiding morsel it was about to consume, it was about to swat the charging ape with its claw when suddenly a nearby tree gently swayed its branches. In an instant, the red dragon’s scales stood on end as it dove down in panic, attempting to escape!

The leader, who had barely escaped death, looked around in bewilderment. The area was drenched in the bright red blood of his fellow apes, with mangled limbs scattered about.

“Wuma! You scared me when you suddenly ran out!” A female ape, draped in animal skins, ran up to him.

“Why?! Why can’t we apes just fight back against these massive beasts? Created by the same gods, are we inherently weak?” Wuma struck the earth in frustration. Each time he saw his kind devoured by the beasts; it tore at his heart.

“There’s nothing we can do. Dragons possess overwhelming strength and unique abilities. Other giants are far beyond our capacity to challenge. Perhaps we were merely a whimsical creation of the Creator God,” the female ape could only offer this consolation to the leader.

“No! Just because we are created by the gods doesn’t mean we are weaker than other creatures!” Wuma’s eyes burned with determination as he glared at the distant divine tree.

“Wuma, what are you thinking?” The female ape had a bad feeling.

“I plan to ask the divine tree how we can establish ourselves in this land!” Wuma marched resolutely toward the divine tree.

“You can’t be serious! The Divine Tree has always protected us. If you anger it, our tribe could perish in a day!” The female ape quickly chased after him to stop him.

Unfortunately, the leader Wuma remained steadfast in his resolve as he approached the divine tree. “I’d rather perish than continue living in fear! If the divine tree truly grows angry, I would willingly sacrifice myself to appease its wrath!”

Wuma’s determination to confront the great tree revealed his deepest thoughts: no strength meant a wish for death! This was his most authentic sentiment.

“This leader has guts,” Jiang Ping remarked as he watched Wuma. “It seems I need to provide them with the seeds of civilization soon.”

“I should remind you, Master, there’s a powerful group in the depths of the Original World. Based on my analysis, their potential is also immense, but they do cause significant damage to the environment,” Genesis suddenly interjected.

Jiang Ping was startled and quickly turned his gaze to the underground depths. There, massive subterranean cities were already established, with winding tunnels spreading vastly, all converging into a super nest at the deepest point.

“Amazing!” Jiang Ping couldn’t help but marvel at the engineering of the Ant Clan. In the blink of an eye, the mutated ant species had developed so well, mastering the underground and establishing numerous nests. They were also seen on the surface.

The enormous super ant queen, measuring two meters in length, continuously laid eggs, while worker and soldier ants performed their tasks with precision. Jiang Ping noticed that many mutated soldier ants boasted two drill-like horns on their heads to expand their territory, and others were armored in gold from devouring various minerals.

“Their potential is indeed immense! Not only can they devour various substances and evolve, but they’re not just a simple mob of fighters. These mineral-eating soldiers exhibit a keen strategy. It’s no wonder that the queen possesses wisdom similar to that of an adult. She can develop their clan so well, starting from the underground before venturing above.”

This was truly an unexpected pleasure—while the apes were merely surviving, the ant clan was almost conquering the underground world and was now advancing toward the surface.

“However, these mutated ants cause severe damage to the environment,” Jiang Ping frowned. Although the Ant Clan had great potential, they were strictly following the Three Abolitions Policy.

Consume everything, seize it all, annihilate everything! This was also one of the reasons why they could reproduce so rapidly; wherever the Ant Clan went, let alone fur, not even a blade of grass was spared! Any source of energy was completely devoured.

“Maybe I should just let them eat everything, then,” Jiang Ping thought before deciding against interfering with the Ant Clan. Every living thing has its own growth patterns, and allowing them to develop naturally is the best course.

“It’s time to prepare the seeds of civilization for the apes,” Jiang Ping once again looked toward the heart of the land.

At this moment, the ape leader Wuma returned home dejectedly. He had knelt before the divine tree all day, pleading for answers, but the tree had not responded to his inquiries. “Is it possible that even the divine tree does not know how the apes can grow strong?” Wuma voiced his doubts.

He lay in the damp cave, desperately considering how the ape tribe could grow stronger. After pondering for half the night with no clarity, his eyelids grew heavy, and he finally fell asleep.

Meanwhile, outside the cave, the stars shone brightly as a beam of light from the heavens entered Wuma’s mind.

It felt as though Wuma was dreaming, but upon opening his eyes, he found it completely dark. It seemed he was still in a dream. Suddenly, he noticed a point of light ahead. He ran toward it, and eventually saw that it originated from a figure.

This figure was hard to make out, radiating a sacred glow that enveloped Wuma in warmth.

“Who are you? How did I suddenly end up here?” Wuma cautiously asked as he bent down, ready to defend himself.

“You don’t need to ask my name. I’m here to give you hope,” Jiang Ping said calmly.

As if recalling a presence, one that radiated infinite brilliance yet was impossible to discern.

“Thud!”

Wuma dropped to his knees before Jiang Ping, trembling as he looked up at him. “Could it be that you are the Creator God who fashioned us and the world?!”