Chapter 266: Birthplace (Part III)

Chapter 266: Birthplace (Part III)

Even though it was his first time wielding such a power of rules, Xie Fangcheng felt as if he'd done it countless times before.

The red sun, silvery moon, streams, lakes...

The vast expanse of the sky stretched over endless blue seas, and upon the land, rain, snow, wind, and dew manifested.

Mountain after mountain soared, river after river flowed.

The constellations shifted, days and nights cycled.

This was no longer a hollow void; it transformed into a microcosm with four seasons.

Xie Fangcheng sat atop the tallest mountain, upon the highest tree on that peak, gazing down at the world below.

At this moment, perhaps due to the passage of immense time, he seemed to have forgotten everything, tapping into the memories of a "Creator God."

This was a world wholly birthed from his imagination—yet, it felt as if he wasn't alone in its creation.

Drifting within the void were numerous fragmented "rules," remnants of erstwhile "gods" who once tried to craft their microcosms in this emptiness but ultimately failed.

As this microcosm began to take shape and the laws of nature started functioning, Xie Fangcheng had a profound realization.

He needed to breathe life into this place.

Only by gaining the faith of the beings in this microcosm would he truly become a worthy "deity."

To create life—

This nascent Creator God's thoughts wandered, and the first thing they touched wasn't his own microcosm.

His gaze settled upon the countless fragments floating in the void.

How could a novice Creator God effortlessly possess the experience to shape cosmic laws? It was these fragments that were subtly guiding him.

At this moment, these fragments are voicing their hopes.

——They wish to be reborn.

They desire to live in this small world, woven with countless rules.

They carry various rules, different from the cosmic laws set by the Creator.

In truth, the most prudent method would be to create beings adapted to the present cosmic laws. These beings would fit perfectly into this microcosm and naturally become devotees of the Creator.

This is what other deities from the void have done.

Embracing these uniquely ruled fragments comes with great risk.

They aren’t followers of the existing cosmic laws. They possess independent thoughts. Upon their descent, they may not provide faith power, and might even disrupt the operation of the cosmic laws…

Yet, this Creator did not hesitate.

He looked upon the void... no, it is no longer a void. It’s a thriving microcosm.

Here lies majestic, unclimbed mountains, intertwining rivers where no fish play, a golden sun hanging high, and a moon encircling the sky.

Such a world, even if it operated under strict rules for eons, would remain unchanged.

And it would still be a world with only one Creator.

But the Creator, standing atop the towering mountain, had his heterochromatic eyes – one black, one white – bathed in a gentle yet fierce golden light.

If possible, he wishes for more “gods” to help shape this world.

He yearns for infinite possibilities to exist here.

Would faith be dispersed?

A deity wouldn’t concern themselves with such matters.

While he holds rights to this microcosm, he naturally bears its responsibilities.

The Creator looked up to these “predecessors” in the sky.

He slightly bowed, “Welcome to all.”

The next moment, under the daylight, vibrant plants sprouted madly between the green woods, and fish scales glittered with the red glow of sunset in the rivers.

In a blink, the world became extraordinarily lively.

Indeed, the rule forces brought by these new “gods” to the microcosm are affecting the cosmic laws' operations. Yet, like a machine that needs calibration, they will eventually synchronize.

As seasons change and time flows, these diverse rules slowly merged, forming new cosmic laws.

All beings coexist; all seasons live in harmony.

Naturally, some "gods" couldn't find a way to thrive in this microcosm, so they chose to leave, journeying to other realms of void to craft their own worlds.

However, at their core, they are beings birthed by the Creator of this microcosm, so the laws they abide by are fundamentally influenced by this world's cosmic order.

These deities fashioned countless other microcosms, making the void increasingly prosperous.

But one day, a fissure unexpectedly appeared in the thriving microcosm.

Just as light comes with darkness, when prosperity reaches a certain peak, its end is near.

This fissure's emergence was abrupt, and within it, the Creator saw chaotic laws.

The Creator tried to mold these chaotic laws back to their rightful paths, but to no avail.

Regardless of his attempts to reshape them, these laws would fracture again soon after.

The fissure grew, and the chaotic laws started to impact the entire microcosm.

Only the Creator remained unaffected by this chaos. Other deities, upon touching this "disorder", either perished or underwent transformation.

Why did this happen?

Jie Fangcheng pondered at the edge of the fissure.

Soon, he seemed to realize something, looking around himself.

Strangely, he thought he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans... No, he was actually a ​1​.

His colossal dragon tail coiled beside the fissure, almost matching its size.

Since the dawn of this microcosm, the once-small dragon had grown over countless eons into a magnificent beast that dwarfed even the mountains.

The giant dragon rode the mists, floating above, gazing upon the world he had crafted.

Countless rule forces, unseen by others, operated on this land, much like nebulae following their paths, ensuring the world's regular functions.

However, some were being drawn to the dragon.

It was the loss of these seemingly minute rule forces that caused the world's rift.

The dragon understood.

His power had exceeded that of the microcosm.

Much like weak grass tends to shelter under tall trees, the mightier the deity, the more magnetic they are to the surrounding rule forces.

Previously, the most dominant force was the microcosm, ensuring rule forces obeyed the cosmic laws, maintaining its operations.

But now, a dragon stronger than the cosmic laws had emerged, attracting these rule forces.

——What would happen if left unchecked?

As this thought arose in the Creator's mind, being omniscient and omnipotent, he naturally discerned the answer.

The microcosm would collapse.

Yet, a deity absorbing all the laws of the microcosm would grow even stronger.

Even though already a Creator, the current dragon was only the deity of a single world.

——Don't you wish to explore other realms? Don't you yearn for beings from other worlds to kneel before you and become your devotees?

Understand, the microcosm you inhabit is among the most basic.

Beyond this world lie realms even vaster, populated by more beings.

There awaits greater excitement, more faith, and abundant rule forces—

A voice echoed in the dragon's mind.

But the dragon simply gazed at the microcosm beneath him.

Within this world, birthed from nothingness, countless "gods" reside.

The laws of the universe shroud this place, and the dragon knows every river intimately.

——No.

The dragon resisted the temptation.

Concealed in the mists, he cast a final glance at this birthplace, his homeland, from which he had to depart.

The mists turned to a gentle spring rain, and when they dissipated, the dragon's silhouette vanished from this microcosm.

Alone, he began wandering the infinite realms.

Unlike the world he created, many had imperfect laws. Some deities, driven by the thirst for more faith power, treated their creations like sugarcane for extracting devotion—once drained, discarded.

The dragon initially maintained the idea of being a guest, refraining from involving himself in the conflicts of other microcosms.

Yet, witnessing more of such deities, his restraint waned.

Soon, tales of a dragon challenging and thrashing other deities spread throughout the void.

The dragon ousted those he deemed excessively malevolent, took over their worlds, and re-established just rules.

His power grew, as did his following.

Yet, as deities, only when their faith power fully dissipated could these creators vanish.

As long as these creators remained, once they returned, the rules set by the dragon would revert.

Hence, the dragon devised a plan.

He sought out a realm of void and harnessed his power of rules once more.

But this time, it wasn't to create a flawless microcosm, but a prison realm.

Here, the rules were chaotic, shrouded in endless darkness, a place of entrance but no exit—or, at least, the deities marked by him couldn't leave.

The dragon journeyed through countless void realms, rounding up those creators deserving of confinement, and herded them here.

Naturally, he didn't forget to fashion a gate, lest any deity not meant to be here inadvertently entered.

The considerate dragon also left a mark on the gate, warning subsequent deities against entering thoughtlessly.

Moreover, to ensure that any rebellious deity finding their way in could also find their way out, the dragon established a passageway.

Having done all this, the dragon continued his explorations elsewhere, contented.

However, at that moment, it seemed as if he heard distant sobbing.

No, it wasn't exactly near him.

It emanated from the microcosm he created, not a lone cry, but the weeping of countless beings.

With a swift lash of his massive tail, the dragon headed towards his creation.

From afar, he saw that his microcosm, which only had a single fissure when he left, was now riddled with cracks.

Drawing near in disbelief, the dragon saw the whirlpools formed by the absorption of rule forces within the microcosm.

The power of other deities grew stronger as they began to vie for the rule forces of this world.

This cannot continue—

Simultaneously, Jie Fangcheng abruptly awoke.

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