At that split second, that moment of supreme radiance and blinding brilliance...
THE BIG BANG!
All matter, energy, information, and space-time, everything was birthed into existence. All remnants of the old Cosmic Era were swept away. No language or script could fully describe that miraculous, inflationary process.
Seraphine was no exception.
However, her goal was to find that hidden Prime Motive Force that drove the frantic expansion of space-time at the universe's dawn. If she could locate that force, touch it, and command it, then truly creating a universe of her own would no longer be a distant dream.
Therefore, Seraphine decisively halted the progression of the God of Hunger race's historical memories. She manually reversed the timeline of this grand historical record, pushing it back to an unknown moment before the space-time inflation began, and started her observation anew.
Over and over again, frame by agonizingly detailed frame.
While observing, Seraphine activated the Eye of True Revelation, Chaos Calculation, and Transcendental Perception. These three along with her Cosmic Intellect, working in unison to deduce and capture the traces of that Prime Motive Force.
Despite this massive expenditure of effort, it was only after repeating the observation hundreds, even thousands of times, that Seraphine finally captured a lingering trace of that inflationary Prime Motive Force.
She discovered that within the process where that cluster of infinitely steep, point-like pure space-time expanded, there existed an extremely faint, profound, and yet perfectly distributed mysterious quantum scalar field within the churning space-time.
This quantum scalar field seemed to harbor an incredibly powerful latent potential energy; its magnitude was colossal.
No, rather, its energy density was colossal.
From the very beginning, this quantum scalar field had pervaded every corner of the expanding space-time with perfect uniformity. From an energetic perspective, before the inflationary process had fully concluded, this quantum scalar field could be considered equal to the entire universe.
Consequently, it was impossible to define its so-called total energy value. One could only define an energy density for every [ Meaningful Point ] within the space it occupied.
However, from this energy density, one could deduce the total energy value of this quantum scalar field.
That is, the total energy value of the quantum scalar field = the energy density of said quantum scalar field × the volume of inflation.
Here, the total energy value of the quantum scalar field should approximate the total energy value of the universe.
Based on its space-time inflation efficiency, Seraphine named it the [ Inflation Field ].
Generally speaking, the lower the fundamental state of a field, the more stable it is.
And a vacuum is the lowest energy, yet most stable fundamental state of a field.
Particles, however, are the highest energy, yet most unstable excited states of a field.
Therefore, the massive potential energy magnitude of this Inflation Field dictated that it was extremely unstable, a fact which inevitably resulted in it sliding down toward a more stable, lower-energy state.
To describe the entire process of the Inflation Field sliding from a high-energy unstable fundamental state to a low-energy stable fundamental state more vividly, it is like a curve dropping sharply from high to low, that is, the evolution curve of the Inflation Field's latent potential energy.
Simultaneously, through research, Seraphine discovered another wonderful characteristic of the Inflation Field.
That is, when it is at the high point of the potential energy evolution curve, it drives the accelerated expansion of the universe's space-time; as it slides to the low point of the curve, it releases all its energy and concludes the inflation process.
Therefore, the transformation of the Inflation Field's energy and fundamental state during the inflation of the extremely early universe recorded in the God of Hunger race's history was like a slow roll from an energy platform toward a more stable but lower energy valley, which, after reaching a certain node, suddenly plummeted.
It was like a round, massive boulder rolling down a slope from a mountaintop.
At the same time, the potential energy density of the Inflation Field remained nearly constant and far exceeded its kinetic energy.
Furthermore, because the energy density of the Inflation Field × the volume of inflation = the total energy of the Inflation Field.
Therefore, after the space-time inflation ended, not only did the total volume of the universe expand countless times, but the total energy of the Inflation Field also expanded countless times.
Thereafter, the universe would enter an evolutionary phase known as [ Reheat ].
The so-called Cosmic Reheating, or cosmic pre-warming, refers to a dynamical mechanism where, after the conclusion of Cosmic inflation, which is essentially a supercooled expansion, the universe restores its own temperature to a level approaching that before the explosion.
In Seraphine's observation, once this mechanism is activated, the Inflation Field, having completed its mission, vibrates continuously around its vacuum state. This converts its unimaginably massive potential energy into boundless kinetic energy, which is then transferred to the vast space-time, various matter fields, and every primal structure.
After this all undergoes a series of complex decays, standard model particles such as electrons, photons, and quarks are born, along with numerous dark matter particles and various radiations, heating the entire universe to an extremely high temperature.
Through the so-called series of complex decays process, Seraphine also researched and calculated many properties and parameters of the Inflation Field, while observing the origins and partial processes of the birth of many fundamental particles.
She discovered that during the process of space-time inflation, not every Inflation Field within the vastly expanding regions could roll down smoothly and stably to the low valley of the potential energy evolution curve.
There would inevitably be many Inflation Fields within certain restricted space-time regions that, due to quantum fluctuations or non-linear effects, rapidly underwent a series of extremely complex evolutionary processes. These split into large amounts of localized, long-lived, and massively massive excited states.
These excited states are the oscillating particles.
From various data points, Seraphine speculated that after the inflation ended, these oscillating particles likely occupied the primary energy density within the young universe, which was dominated by high-energy radiation.
Later, at a certain moment, they would suddenly decay, releasing a large amount of particles such as neutrinos, μ-leptons, τ-leptons, and even dark matter.
Upon discovering these phenomena, Seraphine suddenly realized that the vast majority of matter in the universe billions of years later likely only came into existence after this explosion.
The energy used to create this matter also originated entirely from this explosive process.
At first listen, this sounds somewhat inconceivable, but this result was precisely what Seraphine deduced from existing theories and a vast amount of data.
Furthermore, based on massive statistical and observational data, she also speculated if the attenuation of the total energy value during the radiation-dominated era of the universe is not considered, then the total mass of all matter in the observable universe is approximately 10^55 kg.
Therefore, Seraphine reverse-engineered that the universe before the explosion might have contained a total matter mass of only 10^-23 kg.
This mass value is so minuscule that it is difficult to visualize.
To describe it, this value is roughly equivalent to the mass of fewer than 1,000 carbon atoms.
From this, one can see how scarce matter was in the universe before the space-time explosion. Almost all matter was born only after that inflation.
Finally, and most importantly, Seraphine discovered that during the entire majestic process of early universal space-time inflation, the powerful Inflation Field did not possess only a single type of potential energy evolution curve.
It actually possessed different shapes of evolution curves, such as monotonic models, logarithmic models, and natural models.
After performing deductions, Seraphine found that each type of curve corresponded to a different type of inflationary model.
She suspected that whichever inflationary model occupied the largest proportion of the overall Cosmic inflation process would eventually merge with and override the others. This would fundamentally determine the vast universe's future fine-scale space-time structures, the vacuum speed of light, physical parameters, and all other properties, defining both their values and their states.
Theoretically, if she researched all of this thoroughly and mastered it completely, Seraphine could, in the near future when creating her own universe, precisely customize what that universe should look like and what its state should be.
"Inflation Field..."
Within the vast, boundless cosmic void, Seraphine raised her hand and slowly opened her giant palm.
BUZZ ——
In an instant, the vast three-dimensional space-time within her palm abruptly warped at extreme speed.
Having watched the complete history of the universe's creation thousands of times, Seraphine clearly wanted to try and see if she could create that cluster of infinitely steep, collapsed space-time with enough energy to birth a universe, and then create a universe herself.
But after only a few seconds, she waved her hand, dispersing the twisted space-time within her palm that contained a terrifying degree of curvature.
"Forget it, I'll wait until the research is thorough before attempting creation."
Immediately, Seraphine released the restrictions on the historical memory records of the God of Hunger race, allowing it to advance rapidly toward the future.
Thus, the surging historical records instantly progressed to the conclusion of Cosmic inflation.
Upon reaching this temporal node, the Grand Unified Force that ruled this vast universe suddenly shattered, fragmenting and diverging into gravitation and another fundamental force that mixed the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces.
Thereafter, in a mere hundred-trillionth of a second, the strong force separated from the electroweak fundamental force, becoming entirely independent within the scorching universe, much like gravity.
Simultaneously, matter and antimatter particles began to condense. Upon their emergence, they were instantly locked into a high-frequency cycle of condensation-annihilation-condensation-annihilation.
For some unknown reason, for every 100 million antimatter particles formed, 100 million and one matter particles were always born. Thus, in this lopsided confrontation, matter finally triumphed over antimatter.
An instant later, electroweak symmetry breaking occurred within the universe.
Another instant, and quarks began to condense, forming various new particles such as protons and neutrons.
By this point, within the vast cosmic space-time where the average temperature was at least several hundred billion degrees Celsius, dense, continuous torrents of scorching high-energy particles, resembling oceans of light, began to appear. This colossal and violent flood of light constantly unleashed energy tides of unimaginable magnitude.
In these primal moments of the universe, everything existed in an extreme state. Energy was packed together so densely that it created region after region of high density. These scorching space-time zones were filled with countless high-energy particles moving at extreme speeds, releasing intense radiative energy.
Under this spectacle, the entire cosmic space-time seemed to have transformed into a vast ocean of particles, radiating light in all directions, filled with endless heat and brilliance.
More miraculously, within this vast ocean, an incredibly active Ether also existed. The activity level of this Ether was absurdly high, even faintly revealing a power that transcended matter, filled with extreme vitality.
If this level of active Ether were judged by the standards of the later Milky Way civilizations, it would likely be thousands of times stronger than even the Super-Ether environment of the Galactic Continent.
In fact, due to this excessive activity, much of the Ether even gathered into blurred Ether Nebulae, flickering with brilliant, multi-colored light as it mixed with countless high-energy particles.
Observing this, Seraphine speculated in surprise: "The Ether level of the entire universe is even higher than Super-Ether... Could it be the influence of inflation, combined with the fact that the overall scale of the universe is still far smaller than in later eras?"
It was also at this very moment that the thirteenth-generation human consciousnesses inexplicably detached from the background radiation in groups, descending ignorantly and naively into this early universe.
The moment they appeared, these human consciousnesses, as if by instinct, used these ultra-high-temperature materials as a foundation to construct radiant, scorching, resilient, and powerful ultra-high-energy particle bodies.
Seraphine could see that these bodies, born within a ten-thousand-fold Super-Ether environment and the ultra-high energy of the nascent universe, were likely even more powerful than Cadelon's natural stable Nuclear molecules body in the later eras. The environments of their birth were simply not on the same level.
At this point, Seraphine considered another question:
"Is the reason these old-era human consciousnesses detached from the background radiation due to Cosmic inflation? Did that mysterious six-dimensional Annihilation Traveler foresee this and design their escape mechanism in advance?"
Seraphine didn't believe for a second that the detachment of these human consciousnesses was a matter of luck; the coincidence was too perfect. Nor did she believe they detached from the background radiation spontaneously, if they had that capability, they wouldn't have suffered for so long.
Logically, this had to be a carefully calculated mechanism laid down by the Annihilation Traveler eons ago for an unknown purpose.
From the detachment from the background radiation to the automatic acquisition of new bodies, all of it was undoubtedly that person's handiwork.
"And... every consciousness that detached from the background radiation was at the untouchable semi-materialized Spirituality realm. What is the reason for that?"
Her question remained unanswered.
As her thoughts concluded, Seraphine looked back at the historical records.
Within the ancient scenes, the Earthly humans who had experienced countless ages and had been shattered and reconstructed twelve times in loneliness and despair were finally resurrected within the new era's universe.
These Humans burst into laughter the moment they were born, cheering and leaping as they flew freely toward every corner of the light-shimmering cosmic space, venting their inner joy and restlessness. As they soared and glittered, these Humans embraced and communicated with one another, intimately sharing their experiences.
By later standards, almost every one of these powerful Humans reached the Sage level in terms of combat power. Furthermore, they were born knowing how to harness the asymmetry generated by interfering with vacuum quantum fluctuations to obtain infinite energy for play and battle.
Yet even so, among these powerful life forms born at the dawn of the universe, none ever felt they were anything other than human.
However, to commemorate and distinguish themselves from the twelve generations of predecessors who fell into darkness and loneliness, these Humans collectively chose a new name for their race after much communication.
That is, the Light species.
And every individual of the Light species born in this primordial, ultra-high-energy environment regarded themselves as Hyper-Archons.
"The old-era humans actually called themselves Hyper-Archons?"
Seraphine watched this segment of history in surprise. "The Sage cultivation methods used by the six galactic core races and many other galactic civilizations... they seem to be called "Hyper-Archon", don't they? Is there some connection between the two?"
Driven by curiosity, she immediately paused the progression of the historical records. Reaching into the Cosmic Intellect, she pulled out that very manual of "Hyper-Archon" and began to read.
After skimming through the core content, Seraphine instantly grasped the essential meaning of this Sage-level cultivation.
Simply put, an evolver practicing this method must seek out a stable Super-Ether environment and live within it. They must endure the constant wash and baptism of that high-grade, highly active Ether to stimulate their own power and wisdom, eventually turning every single particle of their physical structure into Ether-Crystal.
Simultaneously, the evolver must continuously absorb and accumulate vast amounts of matter-based energy with sufficient density and energy levels.
This allows them to persistently transform their physical body and their informational spiritual consciousness into states of extreme high-energy and pure-energy.
By doing so, they reach a point where they can completely cast off the shackles of the low-energy universal environment, effectively reverting their form and spirit to the high-energy era at the dawn of creation, a time when the four fundamental forces had not yet fully separated, and the afterglow of the Grand Unified Force had not yet vanished.
Ultimately, they transform the internal and external environments of their soul and body into a micro-scale high-energy universe, thereby achieving the body of a Hyper-Archon, commanding the boundless energy of the Dirac sea and the four fundamental forces of the universe.
"This is absolutely no coincidence."
After finishing the Sage manual, Seraphine speculated, "It is highly probable that this Sage method practiced by countless intelligent beings across the galaxies of the future universe... its primary goal is to evolve into the Light species, to become these Hyper-Archons who could only naturally evolve in the extreme high-energy environments of the early universe."
"Ah~"
She suddenly shook her head and laughed, "Coming full circle, who would have thought that the reason the six galactic core races of the future always huddle within the galactic core and never leave... actually has to do with the Light species."
"However..."
Seraphine watched the scenes of countless Hyper-Archons flying freely through the vast void, laughing and playing with one another, and thought leisurely:
"The Light species, with their entire physical structure Ether-Crystallized down to the particle level, are indeed powerful in their most basic life form.
They are born knowing how to harness the Dirac sea for infinite energy, born with an extreme sensitivity to the fundamental forces of the universe, they are born as Sages.
Yet, every advantage has its drawback. This life form must require an extremely high external energy level and Ether activity grade.
And as the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to return.
Just like the giant insects of the old Earth's Jurassic era that lived in high-oxygen air, forced to shrink or face extinction when oxygen levels dropped, the high-energy environment of the early universe could not remain unchanged forever. Once the external energy levels and Ether activity plummeted... where would these Hyper-Archons go?"
Within the records, the history of the Light species continued to advance.
In this era of the universe, the density of matter and energy was extremely high, like a thick soup compressed of ultra-high-temperature, high-energy photons, electrons, and protons in a plasma state.
The Hyper-Archons relaxed in this pot of hot soup, enjoying the supreme comfort brought by the high-energy environment... and the long-coveted freedom.
Having been imprisoned in darkness and solitude for far too long, they cast off all restraints, indulging in the terrifying capabilities of their naturally powerful bodies.
With a step, they warped space-time to cross tens of millions of light-years; with a wave, they vibrated the Dirac sea to manifest immeasurable matter.
There were no lifespan limits, no darkness, no loneliness.
There was no exploitation or oppression among kin, and the concept of wasting energy or matter did not exist.
This slightly cramped but sufficiently scorching universe was like Heaven to the Hyper-Archons, filled with light everywhere. They could bombard whatever they wished, create whatever they desired, or sleep whenever they pleased.
Utterly unrestrained, utterly free.
Thus, the Light species sighed with nostalgia and defined this period as... the Age of Radiance.
In this age, every corner of the vast space-time was filled with countless strands and beams of high-energy matter, hundreds or thousands of times hotter than the core of the sun.
These high-temperature plasma-state materials, composed entirely of various minute particles, were constantly colliding, scattering, interacting, and diffusing at extreme speeds.
To describe it simply, the universe at this time was so bright that it reached a point where one could not even open their eyes.
But the reality was not so.
If a human from a later generation were to travel back in time and arrive here, using their optical vision to look at the entire universe... they would see only darkness.
Why was it so eerie?
It's simple.
In this era where the universe was extremely hot and high-energy, and not even the first atom had been born, countless photons were constantly scattering off free electrons and protons. They were unable to travel freely, so there was no possibility of seeing anything.
In a sense, the state of the universe at this time was completely opaque to photons.
The radiance felt by the Hyper-Archons was limited to their own light. For the universe as a whole, this era should instead be called the Dark Age.
In the historical records, this era of extreme heat and darkness lasted for a full 380,000 years.
During these 380,000 years, although the temperature of the universe cooled slightly, fundamental particles like quarks and gluons gradually merged into an increasing number of neutrons and protons.
Because the temperature was still so high, even if protons and neutrons attempted to combine into hydrogen nuclei, they were instantly disintegrated by the heat.
It wasn't until some time later, as the universe continued to cool, that more stable atomic nuclei, hydrogen nuclei and a few helium nuclei, finally formed. The proportions were roughly 92% hydrogen and 8% helium.
However, even with the appearance of atomic nuclei, the emergence of actual atoms still required a long wait.
During this vast stretch of time, although the memories of their predecessors remained, the Light species gradually let go of their hatred for the Annihilation Traveler. They even began to revere him as a supreme god from a higher dimension.
Among the Hyper-Archons, a certain belief had taken root at some unknown point... "This is a trial."
They began to believe that the infinite ages of agony suffered by the twelve generations of predecessors were actually a trial granted by the higher-dimensional god.
And as the thirteenth generation, they had successfully endured this eons-long trial and received the divine reward, casting off the weak, fragile bodies and pitifully short lifespans of the previous era to truly evolve into a Divine Race.
Indeed, the Hyper-Archons considered themselves gods.
And they recognized the Annihilation Traveler as the God of Gods.
They even believed this universe was the Promised Land granted to them by the God of Gods. All matter and energy within the universe were meant for them to enjoy and squander.
Simultaneously, over those several hundred thousand years, the countless Hyper-Archons used extremely high-energy, scorching reproductive methods to expand their population to several hundred times its original size.
Strangely, however, the appearance and features of these newborn Light species were mostly different from their parents, one might even say they were... completely different.
These newborns included low-slung apes covered in lightning, glowing giants with bodies full of eyes, half-beast demons covered in neutron scales, and massive lizards with hollow bellies containing swirling, scorching balls of fire.
Even stranger, some Hyper-Archons actually gave birth to swarms of mindless, instinct-driven insects that resembled miniature suns; these strange creatures absorbed external energy while emitting intense high-energy radiation.
The variety was bizarre and all-encompassing, almost anything existed except for anything resembling a human, and their general strength could not compare to that of the Archons. The stronger ones barely touched the peak Overlord level, while the weaker ones possessed only Transcendent-level power.
But there was no choice; no matter how ugly, strange, or weak they were, they were still their own children. The Hyper-Archons, inheriting the blood and thoughts of Earthly humans, had to bite the bullet and classify all these chaotic biological forms as part of the Light species.
Meanwhile, the universe continued to cool.
Eventually, the temperature within the vast space-time dropped to a point where electrons and protons could stably combine to form neutral atoms. Thus, in an instant, infinite atoms appeared like an explosion.
The universe began to clear, becoming transparent. Photons, no longer obstructed in their travel, began to show their prowess, creating the first light after the Big Bang.
At this point, the universe finally emerged from the darkness and stepped into the true Age of Radiance.
Conversely, the Light species was like Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden, instantly falling into boundless darkness and cold.
While they didn't freeze to extinction, only the Sage-level Hyper-Archons could barely protect themselves. The other 99% of the Light species, those bizarre and diverse descendants of the Archons, all died out in despair.
Only an extremely small number of Archon descendants struggled, devolving through several levels and evolving into much weaker species, barely surviving the catastrophe.
Seeing this, Seraphine immediately manipulated the timeline of the historical records, fast-forwarding into the future.
In this fast-forward state, time accelerated, racing into the future at a speed of several million years per second. Under this rapid progression, the universe expanded wildly and cooled at extreme speed. As the universe cooled, more and more macro-scale matter began to gradually appear within the vast space.
Tens of millions of years later, under the influence of gravity, regions of relatively high matter density throughout the universe began to slowly form vast, scorching, and brilliantly colored nebulae.
Once these nebulae were born, they quickly began absorbing more matter from the universe, leading to a constant rise in temperature and pressure at their cores. Upon reaching a certain threshold, nuclear fusion occurred.
Thus, the first star after the Big Bang... was born.
Immediately followed by the second, the third, the fourth... and eventually, an infinite number of them. Stars are atomic crucibles; they constantly forge atoms of greater mass.
However, nuclear fusion in ordinary stars typically grinds to a halt after forging iron. Only a few massive stars can fuse heavier atoms, which are then scattered across the vast universe through supernova explosions eons later.
These scattered materials would later become the raw components for a new generation of stars, planets, various celestial bodies, and even the earliest forms of life.
Over countless years, as the entire universe cooled, 99.99% of the Hyper-Archons found it impossible to stabilize their bodies and consciousnesses, which required ultra-active Ether and ultra-high energy environments to exist.
One after another, they erupted with a force ten million times more terrifying than a gamma-ray burst, suffering the complete destruction of both form and spirit, leaving not even a shred of Spirituality behind.
The remaining few thousand Archons only managed to survive by decisively cutting themselves down and severely devolving their physiques to a level similar to that of the later Gravitational Dragon clan.
Only then could they flee to Super-Ether regions across the universe to eke out a meager existence.
As for the Archon descendants who had already devolved into various low-energy life forms, they underwent multiple further devolutions over the eons. They shattered into hundreds of different biological races that appeared to share no connection at all.
There were the [ Nebula Jellyfish ]—jellyfish-like forms whose bodies were composed of gases and dust from nebulae, their surfaces covered in brilliant halos, surviving on energy harvested from stellar radiation.
There were the [ Celestial Great Dragons ]—beings resembling a mix of dragon and crocodile with elongated bodies, parasitizing scorching rocky planets and living off the vast quantities of high-energy minerals decomposed from the planetary cores.
There were the [ Light-Energy Crystal Clusters ]—beings shaped like complex geometric crystals covered in sharp spikes, traveling in swarms through the void to find suitable protostars, encircling them to siphon their immense energy.
And there were the [ Leap Spiders ]—creatures resembling snails but possessing thousands of legs, capable of warping space-time for long-distance leaps and secreting massive, interstellar-scale sticky webs to capture and consume asteroids... and so on and so forth.
Aside from these Archon descendants who had fractured into celestial-scale biological races.
There were those who took the opposite path.
They abandoned all immense physical forms, complex structures, and offensive capabilities. Evolving through a process of drastic devolution from their originally massive sizes, they became so small as to be invisible to the naked eye. Requiring no nutrients and surviving and reproducing on mere traces of energy, they became... the [ Cosmic Energy-absorbing Bacteria ].