The Longevity Species

While in bed, Cai Jiajia pressed herself against Lu Zhiyu's back, running her hands over his sculpted muscles as if she couldn't get enough of him. Lu Zhiyu rolled over and wrapped his arms around her, and the two of them lay close together, gazing into each other's eyes.

Cai Jiajia's lips curled into a smile. "Ever since we parted, I've often dreamed about you, Lu Zhiyu. You're the perfect lover I've always imagined!"

Lu Zhiyu immediately asked, "Lover? What do you mean?"

Cai Jiajia giggled. "Someone who isn't suited to be a husband or boyfriend. Whether it's me, your Li Wei, or any woman you meet in the future, they'll all realize you're unreliable!"

"..."

Lu Zhiyu suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. Didn't you say your ex-boyfriend came back to see you? What happened with that?"

Cai Jiajia held up her right hand, showing off the ring on her slender finger. "That's right. We got back together. We just got engaged last week, and after the New Year, we're going to pick a date and get married!"

Lu Zhiyu's mouth fell open. "Then why are you flirting with me?"

Cai Jiajia kissed him on the mouth. "Because you're so hard to forget. Whenever I think of you, I get all worked up!"

When Lu Zhiyu left Cai Jiajia's home, he felt as though he'd taken a heavy blow. After returning home, he sat for a while, then felt how empty the place was. Suddenly, he felt a little lonely.

After sitting for a long time, Lu Zhiyu finally remembered that he still had things to take care of in the Maria World. He stood up at once and entered the Maria World through the Dimensional Gate in the attic at the top of the house.

It was early morning in the Maria World. Lu Zhiyu arrived in a forest on the Yala Continent and saw that the valley, once empty beside its lake, now held a towering tree that reached into the sky.

The tree stood hundreds of meters tall, its massive crown blocking out the sky. Its thick branches radiated the breath of life and were so broad they seemed like wide roads, wide enough for people to run along. In the canopy, clusters of fruit buds grew, layered like blooming flowers around something hidden within.

The vast valley, once like a grassland, was now filled with stretches of woodland surrounding the lake and encircling the Tree of Life, which stood like a divine tree.

Just then, one of the fruit buds ripened and opened. With a flash, Lu Zhiyu appeared on the trunk. He walked along a branch several meters wide, parted the bud, and at last saw a baby nestled among the layers of tender leaves.

The infant had long, pointed ears and delicate features. Its umbilical cord was still connected to the bud's stamen. Lu Zhiyu carefully cut it and lifted the baby into his arms. The infant immediately began to cry, its jewel-like eyes fixed on him.

"You're the first long-lived race born in the Maria World. Your race will be called the Elves!"

Holding the baby, Lu Zhiyu made his way down to the ground. He lightly tapped the air with his staff, and space rippled. A moment later, he appeared on the surface.

The Ant-Men's strong limbs let them climb trees as easily as walking on level ground. After a few days, a number of wooden houses had been built beneath the forest around the Tree of Life.

As more and more Elves were born, dozens came into the world over the course of a year, and the births continued year after year. However, the Tree of Life Lu Zhiyu had created also had a limited lifespan. After a thousand years, it too would reach the end of its life, so the Elves would have to rely mainly on themselves to reproduce.

But the Longevity Species had their own drawback when it came to having children. They had to reach full adulthood before they could conceive the next generation, and bringing new life into the world was much harder for them than for ordinary humans. Since they enjoyed the benefits of longevity, they had to bear this drawback, even if it could hardly be called one.

More than twenty Ant-Men were put in charge of caring for the Elves as they grew. Lu Zhiyu also lived there for over half a year, mainly to observe whether these long-lived beings' genes had any flaws and whether their life templates were fully self-consistent. After all, he would need to use the Longevity Serum on himself as part of his plans.

Lu Zhiyu climbed down from the treehouse along a rope ladder. Recently, he had been living in the largest wetland forest on the Yala Continent. Every day, he breathed the freshest air and felt the breeze scented with grass and flowers. Listening to the birds and insects, he felt as though he were living in a pastoral idyll.

Lu Zhiyu left, while the Ant-Men stayed behind to care for the Elves as they grew, until the end of their lives. This was the task he had left them.

Meanwhile, far away on the Alan Continent, even more dramatic changes were taking place. Akhenaten, bearing a divine sword and the power of God, led his soldiers in conquering the surrounding tribes, great and small. In his homeland, the Red River Plain, he established humanity's first city-state: the Golden City!

Akhenaten claimed that his kingship had been granted by God and called himself the Golden King. He established humanity's first dynasty, systematized the human language and writing, and led humanity into the age of agriculture, teaching people to cultivate fields and domesticate beasts.

Akhenaten divided humanity into several classes. Those who possessed the power of God were called Descendants of God. Their blood was noble, and they formed the ruling class as high-ranking aristocrats. Everyone else was common folk, while beneath them were the many conquered peoples, who held the lowest status as slaves.

Akhenaten organized trade and established gold and silver as currencies for commerce among humans. Humanity emerged completely from its primitive tribal age, and civilization and order came to it. Akhenaten was not a good ruler—or rather, he was a tyrant. He divided humanity into several classes and, as a king whose veins ran with golden blood, enjoyed the offerings of everyone.

He drove countless slaves to build his palaces and dressed in extravagant clothes, even paving his palace floors with gold. Yet under his rule, humanity united and entered an era of rapid development. Over several decades, the human population grew rapidly, reaching hundreds of thousands.

In the thirteenth year of the Golden Dynasty, tensions between the Beastmen Race and humanity escalated further. The first major clash between the two races erupted between Saga City and the Golden City. Both sides sent tens of thousands of troops into the first large-scale war between their peoples.

Humanity was far behind the Beastmen Race in manpower and weaponry, and its army was routed. At the critical moment, Akhenaten formed a cavalry force and launched a surprise attack on the Beastmen king's tent, killing the twelfth Beast King, Costa, the Wolf King!

Humanity won a costly victory. But Costa's death plunged the Beastmen Race into even greater chaos. The tribes vying for the title of Beast King once again broke into internal conflict. Humanity began to withdraw into the south to recover, while Akhenaten was left with severe injuries from the battle. He lost the courage to fight and struggle, instead building palaces on a massive scale and losing himself in the pleasures of the court!