Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1425: 766: Evolution

The pink haze lingered suspended in the air, twisting and surging restlessly, as though desperate to reform its prior shape.

Spotting this, Zhao Sheng exhaled softly toward it: Hoo~

Whoosh—a powerful gust arose out of thin air, swiftly engulfing the entire pink haze and roaring outward in every direction.

Everywhere the gale swept through, the vast steaming clouds that blanketed the skies tumbled and seethed, and in mere moments, it impacted a ten-thousand-mile expanse, triggering massive transformations across the whole cavern.

With the passage of time, innumerable primordial cells bearing bloodlines dispersed like dandelion fluff, blanketing every corner of the cavern, poised to launch an eternal battle for existence.

By now, the cavern had distinctly separated into four distinct “strata”: the lowest consisted of the myriad Magma Rivers and Lakes blanketing the floor, rising a thousand feet above that lay the rain convection zone, beyond a thousand feet stretched the thick, perpetual Burning Cloud Layer, and at its peak loomed an immense Thunder Sea, where deep inside hovered a gigantic, imposing silver-white circle, clearly the Residual Immortal Artifact Five Elements Thunder Ring.

In order to prevent any disruption to the evolutionary process, Zhao Sheng readily offered up this Immortal Treasure solely to serve as the power core for all that existed there.

Once genuine evolution kicked off, the brutal law of survival of the fittest and natural selection would play out in full force right here.

Certain primordial cells tumbled unwittingly into the Magma Lake, where the scorching thousands-of-degrees heat devoured them utterly in an instant; others soared into the Thunder Sea, likewise obliterated by the ceaseless bolts of lightning, while a few dropped into the somewhat milder Burning Cloud Layer and convection zone, managing a brief respite by sheer luck, though lacking the core body's aid, their survival proved fleeting.

Nevertheless, regardless of the peril, life invariably discovers a path forward!

In a bid to endure, the myriad primordial cells infused with all of Zhao Sheng’s life essences swiftly unleashed diverse survival mechanisms; almost one in ten slipped into hibernation, sprouting a fungal-like casing over their exteriors, then drawing their life force inward without end.

Another fifth of the primordial cells proved exceptionally lively, each one awakening latent abilities and drawing on the profound essence of their bloodlines by instinct, undergoing a series of fascinating mutations in no time at all.

The other approximate seventy percent of the primordial cells met grim fates, plunging into unforgiving terrains and crumbling to dust right away.

Witnessing the sharp drop in primordial cell numbers, Zhao Sheng wasted no time in inflicting repeated wounds on himself, unleashing vast clouds of pink haze over and over, replenishing the cells into the trillions.

Though most of these newcomers met swift ends, an ever-growing number of primordial cells persisted, growing more attuned to their surroundings through innate drives, and even kicking off cycles of advancement.

Zhao Sheng observed the spectacle patiently, awaiting the emergence of tangible outcomes.

At that point, he perched exalted upon Meteor Mountain, akin to an almighty ruler overseeing the world's every facet, his gaze crackling with boundless thunder, vigilantly tracking each minute shift inside the cavern.

The lightning within his eyes twisted through ceaseless transformations, adhering to some inherent pattern while also fostering fresh developments.

Every element—earth, water, wind, fire, clouds, thunder—and even the slightest air currents all registered fully in his vision.

Under the sway of an enigmatic force, time appeared to freeze in place, unmoving, yet simultaneously raced ahead at thousands-fold speed.

To Zhao Sheng, scant moments had elapsed, but the scene unfolding before him felt like eons spanning millions of years, with sections of the cavern bursting into teeming vitality, evoking the return of an ancient, untamed wilderness.

In the cavern's southwest, across a hundred-mile stretch, twisting dark red Magma Rivers snaked over the terrain, their blistering heat warping the air into shimmering distortions.

Even in this brutal setting, scores of scarlet “earthworms” bobbed and weaved along the river's edge, some crimson worms frolicking freely with abandon, others stretching out their thread-like forms to gulp down the ambient air greedily, creating a bizarre display of wind-devouring frenzy.

A nearer look revealed these scarlet earthworms as sleek and uniform, noodle-thin in build, yet armored underneath with intricate, diamond-patterned crystalline scales, save for a short tail segment left bare, where faint bristles emerged, hinting at an unfinished shift.

This marked a fresh species, the earliest form to arise a hundred years prior, its lineage tracing back to the Primordial Flood Dragon.

Hundreds of miles from the magma zone, a standout cloud cluster in the Burning Cloud Layer drew attention, pierced by odd black-and-purple beings darting in and out.

These beings featured sleek frames, massive tank-like heads paired with short, slim torsos trailing behind, like oversized “tadpoles.”

Dubbed the Wind Nest Loach, these “tadpoles” boasted remarkable talents, innately wielding command over rain and gales, and possessed a fierce, combative nature, quickly rising as overlords in this realm.

Ascending from the Burning Cloud Layer, the expansive Thunder Sea teemed with diverse lifeforms too, where the ruling kind consisted of pristine white quadrupeds akin to Qilins, sized like lions or tigers. From afar, they resembled a pack of playful “dogs,” gleefully pursuing the ever-present lightning and harrying lesser creatures on impulse.

Zhao Sheng had whimsically named these “dogs” the Thunderbolt Dogs, their heritage stemming from the Thunder Roar Lion.

This very connection explained his keen interest in them.

Apart from the Fire Qiu, Wind Nest Loach, and Thunderbolt Dogs, twelve additional lifeforms inhabited the cavern.

Yet these suffered from major flaws, or lacked sufficient promise, or failed to breed successors; often just a lone survivor endured, rendering them largely irrelevant.

That said, outliers existed even among the failures.

Zhao Sheng materialized promptly over the Five Elements Thunder Ring, scrutinizing from ten miles off, where an orb-like entity with an oversized head—beyond ordinary sight—hovered.

This entity shrugged off the Immortal Artifact's oppressive aura and the all-encompassing thunder around it, hanging steady in the heights, pulsing open and shut like a rudimentary heart in slow rhythm.

A subtle golden glow cloaked its exterior, enigmatic and serene, undetectable by plain eyes, Divine Thought, or any spell.

Only via the Original Spirit could its secrets be unveiled!

This unidentified entity stood as an oddity, apparently stalled in a growth-stunting habitat, having long since paused its own progression.

Across the last century, Zhao Sheng had exhausted every method, all in vain.

And it sprang from that arcane bloodline.

Through repeated trials, Zhao Sheng verified the arcane bloodline as the fabled “Innate Origin Blood.”

Likely because the bloodline's purity was far too thin, it repeatedly fell short of spawning true “life.”

“No good, it’s happening again!”

Zhao Sheng’s face twisted abruptly, and he blinked out of existence in a flash.

The instant he vanished, a formless, ethereal golden radiance surged forth, ballooning outward to infinite reaches without delay.

At the same instant, that “meatball” halted dead, then evaporated from its position, its vanishing act mirroring Zhao Sheng’s precisely.

In the following instant, Zhao Sheng rematerialized at the prior spot, palms pressed together before him, the meatball plummeting straight into his grasp, its form heaving frantically, as if warring against some unseen restraint.