Chapter 265: Land of Birth (Part II)

Chapter 265: Land of Birth (Part II)

Unlike his previous dungeon entries, this time, after the system announced his entry into the dungeon [Land of Birth], there was no further information. There was no introduction, no content, no tips, and no clear guidelines on how to clear the dungeon.

Jie Fangcheng was certain he'd selected another level-four dungeon, yet he'd inexplicably found himself in this peculiar one.

This realization made him furrow his brow.

Looking around, he saw nothing before him.

Surrounding him was an abyss of chaotic nothingness.

It was distinct from the tumultuous depths of the underworld.

If the underworld was a jumble of rules, then this place was a void — so empty that not even the semblance of a rule existed.

There was no light, no darkness; nothing existed at all.

Jie Fangcheng floated in this emptiness, feeling as though he was the sovereign of this realm, with no rules, yet possessing absolute authority.

With a mere thought, a sapling materialized out of the void.

It didn't need rain or sunlight. At Jie Fangcheng's whim, the sapling transformed instantly from the thickness of a finger to a towering tree.

Its lush leaves fluttered in the void, appearing innocently vibrant in this barren expanse.

Another thought, and the towering tree withered in front of him, its leaves turning yellow, its branches shriveling, and its trunk scarred, resembling an ancient tree that had weathered countless years.

Yet, in the next moment, the old tree reverted to its lush, towering state, and then again shrank back to the size of a finger.

Time was flowing backward.

Everything here was under Jie Fangcheng's control with just a thought.

In Jie Fangcheng's miniature world, there were indeed gods who had the power to summon storms and rains at will, but his current state was entirely different.

Those gods had to face tribulations, abide by the heavenly order, require faith, and depend on the incense offerings of the mortal realm to become stronger...

But here, in this space, Jie Fangcheng didn’t need to think about "growing stronger."

He was the absolute ruler of this world.

In this instant, an oft-repeated word unexpectedly came to Jie Fangcheng's mind —

Rules.

In this place, devoid of any rules, he could craft any rule he wished.

Time reversal is universally impossible, yet here, he achieved it.

What exactly is this place?

"Land of Birth" ... what does this dungeon's name signify?

As he pondered, an anomalous beam of light pierced through the space, illuminating his surroundings.

This light was startlingly direct, as if a spotlight was focused squarely on Jie Fangcheng’s face, probing the surroundings.

Jie Fangcheng squinted against the brightness. Following its source, he was taken aback by what he saw.

Beyond his desolate void, a creature with three bull horns stood, its backdrop filled with an array of bizarre beings.

At this moment, the horned creature stared intently at Xie Fangcheng, a peculiar sound resonating, as if it was communicating with him.

It was a language Xie Fangcheng had never heard before. Yet, astonishingly, he understood the creature's intent in that very instant.

"Surrender your world to me and submit."

The command was as blunt as it could be. Before Xie Fangcheng could respond, the horned creature, showing evident impatience, charged forward with its army of strange beings.

A massive sword materialized in Xie Fangcheng's hand, and just as before, using his power, he lifted it and swung at the horned monster.

The creature merely sneered.

In the next second, although Xie Fangcheng saw his blade strike the monster, it left no mark. Instead, Xie Fangcheng spat out blood, his shoulder pierced by his own blade.

"Such a feeble 'Creator God' you are, not even mastering the power of rules. Did you truly believe the battles among Creator Gods were determined by mere brute strength?"

The next moment presented Xie Fangcheng with an inconceivable sight.

The horned creature went on all fours, and as its hooves touched the void, a deep blue water bridge formed beneath.

Beneath the bridge, an expansive sea swiftly rose, submerging Xie Fangcheng.

Before Xie Fangcheng could recover his wits, he was thrust deep into the sea—No!

This isn’t water!

The viscous droplets, reminiscent of sand, pressed against Xie Fangcheng. After spitting out another mouthful of blood, he finally understood.

Rules.

In the horned creature’s "rules", the ocean was composed of transparent blue granules.

Using these rules, the horned creature had drowned Xie Fangcheng with the "ocean".

But this realm belonged to Xie Fangcheng… it should obey him, right?

Splish-splash—

The blue granules instantly transformed into blue droplets. While Xie Fangcheng's rule-making was still a tad rusty, after a few seconds submerged, he finally grasped it.

In the next moment, the ocean vanished.

Rules prohibited the ocean's existence, so it disappeared.

The horned creature let out a resounding roar, sending Xie Fangcheng flying through the air.

In mid-air, Xie Fangcheng twisted his form.

This time, in the blink of an eye, leveraging the rules, Xie Fangcheng soared back into action.

He had an inkling.

This was his microcosm, over which he held dominion.

He had the power to establish rules, bringing to life an array of diverse species within this world—like the horned creature before him and the myriad of odd beings behind it, seemingly crafted by the creature who seemed to bear the title "Creator God."

That Xie Fangcheng was quickly touching upon the fringe of the rules made the horned creature feel a tad uneasy.

But the eyes on the back of its head opened, peering into its own microcosm.

Crafting rules is a simple task, but altering them is arduous. Especially after a cascade of rules is established, tweaking even one becomes strenuous, often exacting a heavy toll.

The realm behind it was a matured microcosm. However, some early-established rules, which shouldn’t have existed, were now causing it to teeter on the brink of collapse.

Thus, the horned creature had no choice but to seek and conquer the realms of others.

The realms of nascent Creator Gods were prime targets. At this stage, most Creator Gods hadn’t yet grasped the essence of the rules. Not only were they feeble, but their young realms were untainted, making them easy to infuse or modify with any rule.

What caught it off-guard was that in just a couple of moves, the opponent had begun harnessing the power of the rules.

But retreat was not an option!

The horned creature let out an elongated cry. Under the weight of this sound, Xie Fangcheng shattered into pieces, only to reassemble almost immediately.

Rule: I am immortal within this space.

Xie Fangcheng fixed his gaze upon the horned creature.

Rule: Expel these creatures.

In the blink of an eye, the horned creature and its surrounding beings vanished, evidently banished from Xie Fangcheng's realm.

Exhausted, Xie Fangcheng felt the urge to slump to the ground.

Yet, within this void, there was no ground.

However, a moment later, a patch of earth materialized from thin air.

Xie Fangcheng took a seat, deep in contemplation.

Prior to this, Xie Fangcheng had often heard mentions of "rules," aware of their potent nature, but he never truly grasped their magnitude. Only after defeating the horned creature did he come to the realization: this was not of the same plane of existence.

A Creator God, huh?

So, the key to clearing this instance was to forge one's own microcosm here?

Tentatively, Xie Fangcheng imposed a new rule within this microcosm: Clear the instance.

The very next moment, a system notification echoed in his mind.

[Congratulations to player Xie Fangcheng for clearing the "Birthplace" instance.]

Was it that simple?

As Xie Fangcheng was still in astonishment, he noticed that the notification merely flashed momentarily, offering no evaluation or the usual five-minute teleportation warning.

Xie Fangcheng had been here for who knows how long, yet he hadn’t been transported back.

It seemed these rules weren't like a wish-granting genie, simply fulfilling every whim of Xie Fangcheng's.

So, what exactly was this instance about? What was he supposed to do here?

As these thoughts swirled in Xie Fangcheng's mind, he sensed something and looked in the direction from which the horned creature had come.

The once arrogant horned creature, which had demanded Xie Fangcheng’s submission, now presented a world in devastation.

Within that realm, countless beautiful meteors streaked across the night sky, followed by a rain of falling stars—or rather, starfish-like creatures.

As these creatures descended into the realm, the horned creature frantically wielded its rule power to slay them, yet no matter how many he destroyed, they continued to run rampant.

With a heart-wrenching cry, a world that, despite its bizarre appearance, once held life and vitality, shattered in front of Xie Fangcheng like delicate glass.

The fragments floated in the void. With a flick of his finger, Xie Fangcheng absorbed a massive shard into his microcosm.

As it entered the new realm, the "rules" from the fragment swiftly filled Xie Fangcheng's mind.

The world rules set by the horned creature were idyllic, with perpetual spring and no winter or summer.

The land was so fertile that any species in this realm merely had to sow a seed, which, without care, would mature in moments.

However, the resulting growth wasn't edible fruit but plants that uplifted one’s spirits.

As the horned creature hadn't set any "food" rules, no species required sustenance.

In the creature's world, hunger and death were nonexistent. It was a world of perpetuity.

Yet, as time passed, this seemingly perfect realm met its doom.

It wasn’t external meteors that destroyed it, but flawed, imbalanced rules.

The beings of that realm, due to this monotony, lost the joy of life. When the power of rules wasn't recognized, they naturally ceased to function.

Xie Fangcheng released the shard.

He began to discern something.

"Birthplace".

Was it the birthplace of the rules of a microcosm?

Did he need to mold a world of his own, then?

How should it be shaped?

Rules...

Almost instinctively, he lifted his eyes.

The next instant, a towering mountain rose from the ground, standing majestically before him.

The mountain was lush with trees, and atop it, a colossal tree reached the heavens, its branches hanging low.

Xie Fangcheng sat beneath the tree, contemplating. With a casual gesture—

A crimson sun ascended from the direction of his pointing finger.