As the years went by, the initial group of young snake people matured into adults.

The snake people began to produce their third and fourth generations, and their population grew from the original dozen to several hundred.

Shelly watched over them, while the Mother Conch of All Things recorded every detail, etching the template of this intelligent life form and all its characteristics deep within the Divine Artifact.

Although no snake person had yet died of old age, Shelly had already calculated their life characteristics and maximum lifespan.

The snake people’s lifespan was slightly longer than that of the Trilobite people, reaching a maximum of 150 years. However, whether they could actually live to this age remained a challenge for them.

The snake people’s path to power differed from that of the priests, bearing more resemblance to that of monsters.

They relied on bloodline inheritance for power. Divine techniques could be mastered through learning and could also be awakened through bloodline.

They didn’t need the Sun Cup to reach the second rank, but the power of their imprint meant they couldn’t choose other directions. They could only choose the Pottery Divine Technique Imprint, or rather, the Stone Divine Technique Imprint.

The snake people lived in the Beast Magic City, making use of the houses that were originally just for decoration.

They learned language from Snake Mother Sermos, calling this script the divine text.

The snake people had given Beast Island a name in their language: Ruhe Beast Island.

Although the snake people didn’t understand what the words “Ruhe” meant, the supreme Mother of Life had named it so, and they simply followed.

No questions asked, no doubts raised.

Because everything was the will of God.

The Mother of Life, Shelly, was the god of the snake people, just as Yinsai had been to the Trilobite people.

The Beast Magic City also got a new name: the City of Life, and the temple in the city was named the Temple of Life.

In the Temple of Life, Shelly felt a bit bored.

She had walked every corner of this island, flown to distant lands, and collected templates of one species after another.

Most of these life forms, however, were descendants of species she had once created with her power.

She was running out of things to do. Games played over and over again lost their appeal.

So many years had passed, and God Yinsai still hadn’t awakened.

The Dream Realm and God’s Realm remained deathly silent, like a massive mausoleum.

Because everything existed because of that figure, and when He was gone, everything seemed to lose its meaning.

She had no pursuit of power, for she was already powerful enough.

Powerful enough that there were no enemies in this world, powerful enough to easily destroy everything.

What use would it be to become even more powerful?

Who would there be to see it?

It seemed that the only thing worth remembering about life was returning to God Yinsai’s side.

Because He created her, because He was like her, because they were one.

They were family.

“Yinsai!”

She missed those scenes in her memory immensely, missed the warmth of his hand holding hers.

She believed God Yinsai would return; it was just a matter of time.

“In the days without God Yinsai, what interesting things can I find to do?”

At the edge of Ruhe Beast Island, a group of snake people dove into the water, killed an aquatic beast, and dragged it ashore.

The snake people cheered jubilantly. This was a big catch for them and would be their lunch today.

They would bring the prey back to the City of Life, offering it to Snake Mother Sermos and their master, the Mother of Life Shelly.

Of course, the Mother of Life would not accept their offerings.

In the end, the food would be distributed under Snake Mother Sermos’s arrangement, with everyone sharing the food. This was the current order of their tribe.

However, on the way back with their prey, an unexpected event occurred.

A shadow was cast from the sky, and it kept growing larger.

Everyone looked up to the sky and saw a winged monster swooping down.

“Wing demon.”

“Monster… a monster is coming…”

“Everyone, scatter!”

“Hide behind the rocks!”

The snake people cried out in terror and panic, most of them scattering.

Wing demons were natural predators to them.

Not only could wing demons fly, but the sheer size difference alone was enough to make the snake people despair, not to mention that wing demons were monsters possessing supernatural powers.

But two snake people, in an attempt to protect their hard-earned prey, recklessly tried to stop the wing demon.

The snake people attacked the wing demon with their crude, primitive weapons and the innate divine techniques they had just learned and hadn’t yet mastered.

The wing demon merely flapped its wing lightly, sending one of them flying like a tattered rag.

The other was swallowed whole by the wing demon. The divine technique he had unleashed was laughably ineffective against the wing demon.

His companions could still see his face twisted in despair as he was swallowed, and hear his final, helpless cry.

The wing demon’s greedy, violent gaze swept over these snake people. The aura of a top predator frightened some of the younger snake people so much that they collapsed on the ground, unable to move.

The wing demon’s gaze finally settled on the aquatic beast. Instead of pursuing the other snake people, it snatched their captured prey in its jaws.

The other snake people were terrified, watching helplessly as the wing demon flew away with their hard-earned catch.

When the snake people found the young snake person who had been sent flying by the wing demon’s wing, he had already been reduced to a mass of mangled flesh.

The wing demon’s wings were like steel; even a light sweep was more than their fragile bodies could withstand.

The snake people mournfully carried their dead companion back to the City of Life. Snake Mother Sermos, seeing her dead child, wept in anguish.

All the snake people felt the sorrow of losing a companion for the first time. It was their first clear understanding of the concept of death.

“What should we do after death?” This was the first time the snake people had encountered such a question.

“Let’s bury him!” Snake Mother Sermos finally made the decision.

After burying her child, Snake Mother Sermos came to the Temple of Life.

The Mother of Life sat high on her divine throne. Sunlight streamed in from the windows behind her, casting the shadows of the throne and the Mother of Life long across the temple’s great doors.

Shelly was reading a book, one written by spirits.

Originally, she had just been wandering up and down the pyramid temple for fun. The last time she had idly walked around the God-Given Land, she had discovered another very interesting place.

The spirits’ grand library.

The library housed various books from the previous era, written by Trilobite people, compiled by the People of the Abyss, and left behind by spirits.

Here, she found more detailed histories of the Yinsai civilization and more records about God Yinsai.

When Snake Mother Sermos entered, she disturbed Shelly’s immersion in the world of books, which made Shelly a bit unhappy.

She glared at Sermos: “Sermos, you should greet me before entering.”

Sermos was a bit afraid: “Great Mother of Life!”

“I called out before entering the hall. I thought you had heard me.”

But Shelly had been completely absorbed in the book world and hadn’t heard Sermos’s call at all.

Shelly closed the book and looked at her servant.

“What is it, my servant? You must have something you want to tell me.”

Although Shelly had the appearance of a child and her voice was somewhat childish, Sermos dared not treat her as a child. The reverence for Shelly was deeply hidden in her consciousness and bloodline.

At this moment, Sermos began to tell her story. She had just lost her child.

“Aren’t we the only intelligent life in this world, created by you, the great Mother of Life?”

“You said we would create a civilization. Why are there such powerful monsters in this world, possessing so much power that we cannot resist?”

“Are we not strong enough?”

“Or is it that even the power of civilization and wisdom is still insignificant to this world?”

Snake Mother Sermos had many bewildering questions about this world, and her only recourse was to hope for answers from the Mother of Life, Shelly.

Shelly listened attentively to Snake Mother Sermos’s words, but found it difficult to empathize with her grief.

Unlike God Yinsai, Shelly had never experienced life as an insignificant being.

She was also different from Redlichia; she didn’t consider the snake people as her companions. To Shelly, the snake people were merely servants and playthings she had created to alleviate her boredom.

She struggled to empathize with the joys and sorrows of weaker life forms, although she didn’t currently think of herself as a god.

She just thought of herself as a being named Shelly, created by the Creator God Yinsai.

But in essence and in her every word and deed, she was undoubtedly a lofty god.

She had never belonged to the mortal world, nor could she find her place in this mundane realm.

The only kindred spirit and existence she recognized was Yinsai, and perhaps the spirit who possessed the Divine Cup. But in this world, no one and no force could make her experience the pain of loss.

“Sermos, what are you afraid of?”

“The monsters won’t attack the city.”

After saying this, Shelly suddenly realized something.

“No, that’s not right.”

“The monster race made a vow to God in the previous era, targeting the Trilobite people and the People of the Abyss. That doesn’t seem to apply to you.”

Shelly immediately corrected her mistake,

“But this city is mine, so it’s basically the same.”

It was the first time Sermos had heard the term “previous era” from the Mother of Life’s mouth. She looked even more bewildered as she heard the terms “Trilobite people” and “People of the Abyss,” not knowing what they were.

But she understood the word “God.” The Mother of Life said that the monsters had once made a vow to God.

“God?”

“Are they also servants created by you?”

Shelly was amused by Sermos’s idea: “God is not me. I’m just your master.”

Sermos didn’t understand: “But you are God!”

Shelly asked her curiously: “Am I also a god?”

Sermos replied without hesitation: “Of course!”

“You are so powerful, you created us.”

“Your humble servant can find no other word but ‘God’ to describe your greatness.”

Suddenly, Shelly began to grasp how God Yinsai must have felt.

She also realized that whether in the previous era or this one, she was always viewed as a deity, always the supreme being.

In the previous era, she was one with God Yinsai, representing the will of the Creator God Yinsai in everyone’s eyes.

In this era, she was the supreme sovereign who created life and the creator of the snake people.

Seeing the faith and adoration in Sermos’s eyes, she suddenly felt she had found something to do.

In the days without God Yinsai, perhaps she should try being a god herself?

After all, she represented Yinsai.

The previously unmotivated Shelly suddenly sat up straight, her green pupils coming into focus.

She swung her legs, gesturing for Snake Mother Sermos to kneel closer.

Sermos happily slithered forward, her tail swaying. Being allowed closer to the divine throne was her utmost honor.

Shelly lowered her head and told her: “There’s nothing to fear about the monsters. They were once just tools created by the Trilobite people, enslaved servants.”

“If you can catch a monster, I’ll teach you how to tame them.”

Sermos was overjoyed. To her, the method of enslaving such powerful creatures as monsters seemed like the most potent power she could imagine.

“Thank you for your grace, Mother of Life. You are truly the most merciful god in the world.”

Shelly asked her: “Does that mean you’ve seen other gods?”

Sermos was speechless, not daring to speak recklessly anymore.

“Although I haven’t seen any, you are our only god.”

Shelly said to Sermos: “The most merciful god should be Yinsai. He once gave the Trilobite people everything they wanted just because they pleaded.”

“But the Trilobite people never lived up to his expectations for the grace he bestowed. They only squandered his mercy recklessly.”

Shelly had read all this in books. She didn’t particularly like the Trilobite race, but she didn’t hate them either.

She just felt that perhaps God Yinsai had been too lenient.

She thought the Trilobite people didn’t deserve the grace Yinsai gave them.

“I am not God Yinsai. I won’t give you what you want out of mercy.”

“Only when you demonstrate corresponding abilities will I give you what you desire.”

“Power and grace are earned through your performance. Defeating and capturing monsters is my test for you this time.”

Sermos bowed deeply to the ground, showing her devotion.

She heard the name “Trilobite people” again. So these terrifying monsters were actually created by beings called Trilobite people.

They must have been incredibly powerful, possessing unparalleled strength!

However, Sermos wondered why the Mother of Life said they were now the only intelligent life.

She also heard the title “God Yinsai” for the first time, but just the bare words “God Yinsai” didn’t give her a direct understanding.

In Sermos’s mind, this Yinsai must be a deity as great as the Mother of Life, Shelly!

She couldn’t imagine that there could be a being more powerful than Shelly in this world—

The powerful wing demons could ride the wild winds and soar through the sky, while the snake people in Beast City could only look up at them from below.

“If only I had a pair of wings too!” The snake people gazed longingly at those enormous wings.

“If we had the power bestowed by the Mother of Life, we might be able to harness their power,” one snake person declared confidently.

“God is truly too powerful,” another snake person’s faith and admiration for the Mother of Life grew even stronger.

“That’s what it means to be a god,” Snake Mother Sermos said with firm conviction.

But for now, the snake people could barely even touch the shadows of the wing demons, let alone capture them.

The stone demons also possessed tall, hard bodies and the power to destroy everything.

So the snake people finally set their sights on the fire demons.

Although fire demons could release flames, the snake people could use their spirit-activated mud to create walls or cover their bodies with a layer of stone armor.

They could counter the fire demons’ power.

To the north of Ruhe Beast Island was a large swamp, which was the habitat and nest of the fire demons. Some snake people had been there before but didn’t dare to venture deep inside.

It was thousands of kilometers away from the City of Life, and it would take them many days to reach it on foot.

On this day, all the snake people with fighting abilities set out.

They packed enough food and began their long journey.

They traveled by day and rested in the wilderness at night.

After more than half a month, they finally reached their destination.

Without maps and relying solely on memory, they had taken a few wrong turns along the way.

After observing the situation, Snake Mother Sermos personally devised a plan.

They first sent out one person to lure a fire demon. Once it was isolated, they would work together to trap it.

Several snake people jointly used their innate divine technique, the Petrifying Gaze, creating several stone walls connected together to trap the fire demon.

“Time it right.”

“Coordinate with each other.”

Despite their efforts, the fire demon managed to slip through a gap, taking advantage of the snake people’s lack of coordination.

The snake people were frustrated and immediately chased after the isolated fire demon towards the north.

Luckily, this fire demon wasn’t very intelligent and was used to charging straight ahead on the ground.

Even when it flew into the air, it would soon come back down.

As the chase continued, Snake Mother Sermos devised a new strategy. She had several people drive and intercept the fire demon while she took a detour to block its path from the front.

She created an enclosed semi-circular structure, like a large bowl, trapping the fire demon inside.

Before long, as the oxygen was depleted, the flames burning all over the fire demon’s body gradually extinguished.

Without its flames, the fire demon lost its most formidable weapon.

The snake people had successfully captured and imprisoned a fire demon. While they had used their innate powers to counter the demon’s strengths, their ability to employ wisdom proved to be one of their greatest assets.

Regardless, they had completed the Mother of Life’s test.

“We did it.”

“We passed God’s test.”

“Does this mean we can make this fire demon obey us now?”

“Its fire was so powerful, it almost burned me to a crisp.”

The group of snake people was overjoyed.

They twisted their tails together, bumping heads in celebration.

Their tails intertwined, they began to dance in the open space.

Although they didn’t know what dancing was, they spun around, feeling that this was the only way to express their joy.

More and more snake people joined them, all cheering around the stone hemisphere that trapped the fire demon.

As they twisted and leaped, one snake person suddenly noticed something in the distance.

“Look over there!” he exclaimed. “What is that?”

It was then that they spotted something starkly different from the surrounding barren landscape.

In their pursuit of the fire demon, they had unknowingly reached the northernmost part of the City of Life.

At some point, a dense green vegetation had grown here.

Seeds had drifted on the wind from afar, landing in the northern part of Ruhe Beast Island, sprouting into clusters of green plants.

Although there had been plants on Ruhe Beast Island before, that area was one of the most terrifying forbidden zones in the world, a place the snake people didn’t dare to approach…

It was the power emanating from the Moon Magic Fern of the Ruhe beasts, forming a strange jungle on the surface.

Any being that dared to enter would fall into an abyss of nightmares.

“It’s so beautiful!” exclaimed a female snake person as they approached the green plants.

On this barren island, any green was a beautiful and rare sight.

“What is this? Can we eat it?” the snake people asked.

“I’ve seen these things floating on the sea. Mother called them trees,” one snake person said.

Snake Mother Sermos had once accompanied Shelly to the continent across the sea. She had seen endless swamps and jungles, and the giant beasts and predators running through them.

And now, all of this was beginning to happen on Ruhe Beast Island.

The seeds had been sown, and it wouldn’t be long before they spread to every corner of the island.

“These are young trees and plants. Soon they will cover our entire island.”

“They will transform our home into a lush world, ensuring we never lack food again.”

“In the future, no matter how large our tribe grows, we won’t have to worry about not having enough to eat.”

Sermos told her children, and the snake people immediately cheered again.

It seemed to be their lucky day, encountering two events that could significantly impact their fate.

The return journey took only ten days; the snake people were strong and fast.

Everyone returned with joy, and the other snake people had been waiting for them in front of the City of Life.

Sermos imprisoned the fire demon in a hollow stone sphere. After cleansing herself at the foot of the altar, she entered the Temple of Life.

She raised the hollow stone sphere high, her face full of anticipation.

She was not only expecting the grace of the deity but also hoping for a smile and recognition from the god.

Just as Shelly always waited for God Yinsai, hoping for his praise.

“Supreme King of Beasts, God who rules over life!”

“We have completed your test.”

High upon the divine throne, Shelly was still dressed in black.

But this time, it wasn’t a black cloak or a mysterious robe. She wore an elaborate ceremonial dress with beautiful decorations.

After being called a god by Sermos, Shelly had made another trip to the Dream Realm.

Besides bringing back more books to read, she also took some daily Miracle Tools from God’s treasury.

She began to dress impeccably, still favoring black but now paying attention to her demeanor.

She changed into a black ceremonial dress, which was a Miracle Tool.

Its function was to never be damaged or stained.

She began to maintain a godly appearance in front of all her believers.

She felt that she represented God, that she represented Yinsai.

Shelly tapped her fingers on the armrest of the divine throne. The darkness beneath her feet extended, and a tendril wrapped around the hollow stone sphere, bringing it before Shelly.

Shelly blew gently, and the stone sphere immediately disintegrated.

A fire demon expanded from within the stone sphere, freely releasing its flames.

Shelly extended a hand, and the several-meter-tall fire demon began to shrink rapidly. Within moments, it became a small figure dancing on Shelly’s pale palm.

It looked as if the little fire demon was performing on her hand, trying to please her.

In reality, the little fire demon was writhing and howling in fear.

Even with its undeveloped, low-level intelligence and consciousness, it was overwhelmed by the aura and pressure of the terrifying King of Beasts, like a world-ending demon god.

Although that aura was only revealed for a brief moment before being withdrawn.

Shelly looked at the fire demon in her palm and finally said with a smile.

“Poor little thing.”

She tossed the little fire demon down, and it regained its original size.

But it curled up into a ball in the Temple of Life, not daring to move at all.

Shelly looked at Snake Mother Sermos, confirming that she had completed her test.

“Sermos, only today can I confirm that you’re not just a toy.”

“You are my servant.”

“You do have some use, at least you know how to use wisdom, which proves the potential of your race.”

Shelly extended her hand, and a terrifying giant hand simultaneously reached out from the darkness behind her, touching Sermos’s forehead.

The secret technique once used by the Trilobite people to form contracts with fire demons was transmitted into Sermos’s consciousness.

“Sermos.”

“Go and create a civilization for your race!”

Shelly had another sentence she didn’t say out loud: “Go and become God Yinsai’s anchor point in this world!”

Sermos immediately formed a contract with the little fire demon. The fire demon transformed into small flames that circled around Snake Mother Sermos.

The once seemingly ferocious monster now looked like a docile pet.

She could sense what it was thinking.

She didn’t need to speak to make it obey her commands.

Sermos was completely immersed in the secret technique. She felt she had mastered the most powerful force in the world. She even imagined being able to capture the wing demons in the sky and make them obey her commands too.

“Great Mother of Life!”

“We will not disappoint you.”

But she didn’t know that this world was far vaster than she could imagine.

This world not only contained various unimaginable monsters but also artifacts possessing unparalleled power.

Moreover, there were some existences that had persisted for millions of years, waiting for the chance to return in this era.

From this point on, the snake people also began to master the method of forming contracts through the spirit realm.

Although they couldn’t freely borrow the miracle power of spirits like the Trilobite people in the previous era.

But in this era, they had many choices of beings to form contracts with.

They also had many possibilities, far more opportunities than the Trilobite people had—

At the edge of the City of Life, in the snake people’s residential area.

As night fell, Sermos and her children gathered to experiment with the power of fire.

She summoned the little fire demon and had it release flames to ignite several dry logs.

These logs had drifted in from the sea. Previously, the snake people had collected them out of curiosity, but now they found a use for them.

The logs were piled together, forming a bonfire.

Everyone expressed their admiration and cheers for this magical power of fire. Their eyes reflected the red color as they called out with slightly distorted voices.

“Fire!”

“Flame!”

“It’s so warm!”

Fire, like the dawn of civilization.

Only when fire is mastered does a civilization have hope.

Amidst the crackling of the flames, Snake Mother Sermos began to think.

Now that they had mastered the power of fire, what could they do with it?