Ocean Civilization

New Era 0301.

"The gods of old had three hundred queens; surely, there must be a certain number now." Zhong Qingyu intended to seek out more Immortal Herbs and thus embarked on her journey.

New Era 0305.

After three carpet-searches, her harvest was not insignificant.

Naturally, she carefully skirted around the Royal Capitals of the Three Great Kingdoms, not daring to approach them, and the same held true for the powerless Slave Dynasty.

Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng, who had once ambushed the three great emperors, claimed to be benevolent and upright, yet he was far too skilled at such schemes. Who was to say he hadn't planted false rumors about failing to obtain power just to lure others to their deaths?

If the opponent possessed Qi, venturing into their Royal Capital would be no different from seeking death!

I have collected a total of five plants, and now I can find no more. Is this the limit? she pondered, feeling a surge of immense joy. This is enough to create five Blessing Shamans!!

In reality, this was not the limit.

This time, the Fourth Batch of Servers provided a relatively infinite supply.

The reason she could no longer find any was that a certain immortal who roamed the world had begun acting before her; that person had plucked every feather from the goose, leaving her to scavenge only the remaining weeds.

Moreover, these "plants" included not only terrestrial flora but also marine flora.

On land, the plants were essentially plucked as soon as they randomly sprouted, whereas those in the sea remained untouched.

Thus, as time passed, more and more servers gathered in the seawater, eventually concentrating all 1,000 units on the seabed, and they ceased to appear on land entirely.

New Era 0311.

People discovered with horror that terrifying, mysterious giant beasts had been born in the ocean—shadows of the deep sea that attacked passing fishing boats.

Humanity realized they were no longer the creatures at the top of the food chain.

The Three Great Kingdoms stopped their internal strife by unspoken agreement, focusing their attention on the sea.

The giant sea monsters had arrived.

New Era 0313.

Fishermen in the border regions of the Bronze Country could no longer put to sea. The ignorant masses chose to offer sacrifices, and a wave of hysteria grew within the city: "To beg for the Sea God's mercy, we must offer sacrifices!"

Ignorant!

Pedantic!

The City Lord was furious within the City Lord's Mansion.

As a scholar hailing from the Bronze Jingshan Temple, how could he believe in such foolishness?

Yet, there was no doubt that the monster possessed power rivaling that of their emperor.

After much hesitation, he finally compromised, though not out of cruelty. "Take the female death-row inmates from the prison to the seaside. Feed them to the monster as living sacrifices."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Wait." The City Lord called them back. "To prevent those prisoners from swimming away, execute them by decapitation at the shore. Cut off their heads, then throw both the heads and the bodies into the sea as offerings."

The City Lord had thought it through clearly.

However, this decision would fundamentally alter the fate of all human history.

In the distant future, he would be reviled by radical elements of later generations as a sinner of history. In his old age, unable to bear the condemnation of the masses, he would hang himself in his study.

Slash! The head was severed, and fresh blood spread.

The head and body were cast into the sea, the blood diffusing through the water.

A giant, writhing shadow from the deep sea slowly approached, extending soft tentacles to grasp the remains. Suddenly, a strange scene unfolded: among the eight sub-brains of the Octopus, one tentacle latched onto the woman's head, and the woman's eyes slowly opened.

"Who am I?"

The octopus is a creature with one primary brain and eight sub-brains, one located in each arm. As one of these arms latched onto a human head to serve as a sub-brain, a peculiar transformation seemed to occur.

New Era 0318.

The sea monsters grew increasingly terrifying, as if they possessed intelligence, launching various attacks against humans along the coastline.

The Seaside Ghost Country, possessing the most extensive coastline, bore the brunt of the onslaught!

Some fishermen even claimed they had seen a crude, underwater kingdom in the depths of the sea.

People witnessed the most terrifying King of Deep Sea Shadows: a giant octopus with a human head embedded in the fleshy suction cup of each of its eight tentacles, their expressions ranging from terror and joy to happiness, numbness, and rage.

The Bronze Country, the Slave Dynasty, and the Seaside Ghost Country began to dispatch envoys for the first human civilization conference in history.

"A new civilization has emerged?"

"A second civilization, distinct from our own?"

"They are evolving!"

"Giant crabs, massive fish, and conchs are invading our coastlines and preying on humans!"

In the end, the conference reached a consensus, forming the World Alliance.

"When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold. We humans shall use the Seaside Ghost Country as our frontline battlefield. The Bronze Country and the Slave Dynasty will dispatch soldiers, troops, and scholars to support the front!"

Under external pressure, humanity moved toward unity for the first time.

Deep in the interior, the Slave Dynasty, which lacked a coastline, also chose to agree, for Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng knew that this was not only a matter of human survival but also the perfect opportunity to divert attention.

Over the years, the other two countries had been probing them, growing increasingly suspicious that they lacked suppression-level military force.

"Our country agrees."

"Our country agrees as well."

Soon, under external pressure, humanity formed its first great alliance in history.

The three great nations brought forth their accumulated historical records, and as the wisdom of countless powerhouses converged, civilization experienced a massive explosion.

New Era 0325.

The emperors of the three nations synthesized the Shaman Qi Consumption Theory, and their cultivation methods advanced by leaps and bounds.

New Era 0327.

One of the four strongest emperors, the Black Bronze Cloud Crab God, attacked a coastal port. Its massive crab claws snapped up countless mortals. Young Ghost Empress personally intervened, coordinating with countless troops in an encirclement and suppression, yet she still fell into a bitter struggle. Between life and death, she had an epiphany regarding Blessing Shaman arts; the "Grasp of Returning Gloom" stirred the qi of heaven and earth with vast momentum, crushing the crab shell and repelling the giant Beast King.

On this day, the Seaside Ghost Country officially grasped their research path: the Qi Drawing Method, which involved pulling the qi of heaven and earth to truly swallow wind and consume qi to launch attacks.

In August of the following year, at the height of summer, the Bronze Emperor led the Bronze Jingshan Temple to study the corpses of monsters along the coastline. With the help of the ascetic monks, they finally developed Shamanic Weapons, likewise stepping into a new realm.

Only the Slave Dynasty had no breakthroughs.

It appeared that because they were a landlocked nation in the final region, they had no war, but to discerning eyes, this seemed unnatural.

"If this continues, our dynasty will head toward extinction."

Stone Light Emperor Zhizheng was already an old man in his twilight years. He had been too exhausted over these years; lacking true combat power, he could only delay through various means.

Yet other countries were developing at breakneck speed, while only his own...

On the throne, this elderly man held a golden scepter, gazing at the empty, magnificent palace while reflecting on the past.

He recalled the strange gesture made by Stone Light Emperor Changshou on his deathbed, his own life of rebellion, and even that initial Tea Shed where he had met that traveler.

The wind and sand had been fierce that day, the sun scorching, and the Man with the Tear Mole had been drinking tea, chatting freely with him.

"The things you struggle so hard to fight for are often right beside you." He seemed to hear that gentle figure, bathed in golden sunlight, looking at the roof of the Tea Shed, whispering once more like the God of Destiny in his ear.

He suddenly realized something completely. He rushed out of the palace, climbed the Hundred Stone Wall, and looked down at the site of the old Tea Shed. After decades, that single blade of wild grass was still there—the exact same species as the weed Stone Light Emperor Changshou had clutched in his hand before he died. He finally understood the meaning behind that look from back then.

"Hahahaha!"

He suddenly began to laugh, laughing heartily and unrestrainedly. "That Man with the Tear Mole."

On this day, divine power descended from the heavens, returning once more to the Slave Dynasty.

As for what kind of life-and-death struggles and tribulations their war had endured, Zhu Zhengwei did not care to dwell on it.

What interested Zhu Zhengwei was the progress of civilization and the definitive birth of the transcendent!

"They finally united. As expected, looking through history, humans are just that kind of animal; they only stop their internal strife when some pressure is dropped on them. They brought out all the data and information they could, integrated a spiritual cultivation system, and deduced the Civilization Process!"

"War and disaster are the catalysts for a Sandbox Civilization!"

In his dormitory, Zhu Zhengwei was playing computer games with his two Idiot Roommates. He glanced over, a faint excitement stirring in his heart, tasting the sweetness of stirring up trouble for the first time. "It seems this kind of thing must be done more often in every era of civilization from now on!"

He scratched his head, then had a second thought. "Shamanic arts are beginning to form an orthodoxy, and the Bronze Country has even created Soul Shamanic Artifacts. Doesn't that mean I might be able to use them in reality?"