Chapter 10: A New World
With his "Superhero Project" having ended in total failure, Du Xin returned home in a funk; lying in bed out of sheer boredom, he decided to enter his "Pocket World." Although only two days had passed in the outside world, nearly 250,000 years had already elapsed within the Pocket World. Now, the realm was engulfed in the flames of war; the entire world had effectively split into two opposing factions. On one side stood the Ant Kingdom—led by its Queen and supported by the Stone Knights and Pegasi—while the other side consisted of the Mantis Dynasty allied with the Elves. These two camps occupied distinct territories. The Griffins and Treant Scholars remained sequestered within the Divine Realm, whereas the Unicorns had claimed a territory of their own, unilaterally occupying every body of water in the entire world—including the waters within the Divine Realm that were imbued with the very power of the world itself.
Having not visited for such a long time, Du Xin observed the entire Pocket World with keen interest. Concealing his presence, he flew down into the heart of the Ant Kingdom.
"Why haven't you opened the World Passage yet? The God departed over 250,000 years ago! This world has long since been left masterless! This is our golden opportunity—yet you lot still haven't managed to open the passage, nor have you even defeated those wretched Mantis creatures!"
Inside the Queen's Palace, the Ant Queen sat upon her throne in the center of the hall. To her left stood the Captain of the Stone Knights alongside a powerful Pegasus, while to her right stood a Lion.
Afterward, Du Xin traveled to the Mantis Dynasty. Inside, he found only a colossal Mantis and a diminutive Elf, both wearing expressions of deep distress as they conferred with one another.
"The Ant folk are launching a frenzied assault on the passage between our two realms; we can barely hold them off any longer! Damn that race! If it weren't for their absurdly high reproductive rate, our valiant warriors would have wiped them out ages ago. Perhaps... perhaps we should recall Youmeng?"
The Mantis spoke to the Elf within the great hall.
"Absolutely not! Youmeng's Unicorn clan serves as our final line of defense. They can only unleash their full power when immersed in water, and they are needed to guard both the Divine Realm and the outer edges of the world!"
The Elf replied firmly. "Sigh! Were it not for those old fossils within the Divine Realm refusing to join the fray, the Ant Clan would be nothing to fear. That damned Pan—and Soga, too—once the God returns, He will surely punish them."
It turned out that in the ten thousand years since Du Xin's departure, these various creatures had each acquired names of their own. Pan was the leader of the Stone Statue Clan, while Soga led the Pegasus Clan. The Ant Queen had christened herself "Yi Mang" and harbored ambitions of seizing control of the Divine Realm. The Stone Knights bore a grudge because Du Xin, in creating them, had not endowed them with true life; the Pegasus Clan sought to annihilate the Sprites and usurp the power of life itself. As for the Lion—he was the new king that had emerged through 250,000 years of evolution within this Lesser World; standing at the very pinnacle of existence, he believed that only by devouring the Divine Realm's Griffins could he ascend to the next level of power.
The Sprites and the Mantis Clan, meanwhile, remained steadfast in their adherence to the God's teachings, faithfully guarding the Divine Realm. The Unicorn Clan took command of the aquatic domains, transforming the waters into the final line of defense against the encroaching Ant Clan.
As for the remaining Griffins and Tree Scholars, they were displeased by the others' unauthorized departure from the Divine Realm, yet they themselves chose not to leave its sanctuary either.
Having grasped the full scope of events, Du Xin took his stand in the skies above the Lesser World and dispelled his cloak of invisibility. Harnessing the power of the world itself, he transformed his form into a towering, divine presence. Bathed in the radiance of His holy light, every living creature understood: the God had returned. "The Ant Tribe betrayed the Gods and the divine teachings; they were banished to the Outer World and stripped of their divine powers. The Stone Statue Tribe betrayed the Gods, yet they were bound eternally within the Divine Sanctuary to stand guard over the Kingdom of the Gods. The Pegasus Tribe had their dominion over the skies revoked and their wings turned to stone; forevermore, their kin shall bear these stony wings as they traverse the mortal realm, spreading the divine teachings throughout the world. To the Elven Tribe was granted the Tree of Life, the very pillar that sustains the world. The Mantis Tribe was charged with guarding the Divine Kingdom and wielding the power of Death. The Unicorns were entrusted with the power of the World Gates—the ability to traverse between realms. The Treemasters were appointed to govern the flora of the Divine Kingdom, while the Griffins were granted dominion over the winds, with the power to transform into Dragons."
Du Xin's voice rang out so abruptly that, at first, no one was willing to believe it—until the entire world began to undergo a cataclysmic transformation. The Divine Kingdom detached itself from the heart of the continent, evolving into a distinct, smaller landmass. The gaping chasm that had marked the center of the world slowly began to close, and the once-flat world split apart into two separate halves. All the spiritual energy—or rather, the diluted essence of the World's Power—flowed entirely toward the Mantis Dynasty. The entire Ant Kingdom was left desolate and barren. Once severed, the Ant Kingdom swiftly drifted away from the main continent; as the landmass inverted, its underside flipped upward to become its new surface, while the sky above it effectively became the subterranean depths of the Mantis Dynasty.
From within the Divine Kingdom, a small sapling emerged—the very tree from which the Elves were born. It descended to land precisely where the world's center had once stood. The sapling grew with astonishing speed, shooting up hundreds of kilometers in an instant to support the floating landmass of the Divine Kingdom—a true World Tree, the birthplace of the Elves, the Tree of Life.
Meanwhile, between these two newly separated worlds, nine colossal pillars suddenly rose into existence; the World Gates had manifested, forging a passage that connected the two realms.
Throughout the entire Ant Kingdom, a black mist began to seep forth. Wherever this mist spread, every living creature within its reach became consumed by bloodlust and darkness. The ants and the various other races began to mutate, twisting into grotesque and bizarre forms. A thin, stifling atmosphere settled over the land, yet the thick black mist obscured all vision beyond one's immediate surroundings. Every living being within this realm transformed into a demonic entity; they acquired a new name—the Demon Race—and the entire landmass acquired a new name as well: the Demon Realm. Due to the obstruction of the World Gates, the Demon Race was unable to enter the Main World; meanwhile, the Main World itself was undergoing massive transformations.
Around the World Tree, spatial vortices began to appear one after another. Statues of stone figures materialized in the tree's vicinity—among them stood Pan, now turned to stone. Though petrified, they would rouse themselves to intercept anyone who dared to intrude upon the World Tree.
Within the Lesser Worlds, a new breed of horses—each bearing a pair of stone wings—began to emerge. Tasked with spreading the faith of the Gods, they were permitted to return to the Divine Realm only after successfully converting hundreds of millions of souls.
All the Mantis beings ascended to the Divine Realm. Shedding their insectoid forms, they transformed into ethereal entities—mere silhouettes of red eyes glowing amidst a shroud of black mist. Now wielding the power of death, they appeared more menacing than ever. Meanwhile, Elves continued to be born from the Tree of Life; however, once the Elven population reached ten thousand, the births ceased. From then on, new Elves would be born only when an existing Elf passed away and their Life Seed returned to the Tree of Life.
Griffins clad in scales—or perhaps dragons—soared through the skies, gliding above the sea of clouds as they patrolled every corner of the world.
The Treant Scholars remained motionless within the Divine Realm, just as they had before, deep in contemplation.
Unicorns appeared around each of the World Gates, transforming the surrounding terrain into vast expanses of water. Within these newly formed oceans, nine distinct Unicorn clans stood guard over the nine World Gates.
After a moment of reflection, Du Xin established a new decree:
"The World Gates shall open once every century. The Demon Realm will launch a massive invasion, plunging the mortal world into chaos and suffering. Only by repelling the demonic invasion—by forcing open the World Gates once more—can the Demon Race be sealed away again!"
Realizing that he would be away for hundreds of thousands of years at a stretch, Du Xin couldn't help but turn to the System with a question:
"System, is it possible to slow down the time acceleration?"
"Host, you are free to adjust the time acceleration multiplier as you see fit."
"Why didn't you tell me that sooner?!"
Du Xin demanded. He had just been agonizing over this very issue, only to discover that he possessed the capability to resolve it all along—a realization that left him feeling utterly exasperated.
"The Host never asked. Furthermore, the faster the flow of time, the faster energy is generated."
"...Fair enough."