Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"We destroyed the 'Fire of Foolish Rage' that dared to bare its fangs against the angels. We swallowed it, allowing it to be refined by the secret fire of the serpent's belly, and then condensed into a pill - this is the treasure we offer you. We beg for forgiveness for witnessing the conversation between the gods without your permission. We know that such 'pills' are pleasing to the gods."

As they spoke, the three snakes simultaneously revealed their heads and lowered their heads. "We have sinned so deeply that even death alone cannot atone for our great sins. We only hope that these three elixirs forged from the secret fire can bring you joy. We do not expect them to atone for our sins. So, please decide your fate. We will accept any punishment without complaint."

"Wait a minute." Zheng Yin suddenly spoke in the channel, "This looks like this! Hey, Fu Yuanshan, see if it's that!"

Fu Yuanshan was silent for a while, "Yes, that's it. And, three at a time."

"It's actually that one," Master Jinghai also sighed.

"Which one is this?" Shangluo was holding three billiard balls, which were quite heavy.

"This thing has many names," Fu Yuanshan replied, "Snake Pill, Marrow Cleansing Pill, Shaoyin Dust Cleansing Pill, but there's one name you're familiar with—Foundation Building Pill."

"Is this thing a foundation-building pill???"

"There are many kinds of foundation-building pills. Theoretically, all of them can build a foundation. This thing is not very similar to the foundation-building pills you've eaten. It's a different kind. The way it works is also different. But I haven't confirmed it yet."

Fu Yuanshan paused for a moment:

"It seems...it seems the snakes saw the post, and so the 'crystallization' tempered by the secret fire became what we need. This has happened elsewhere, but no snake has ever spit it out on its own initiative. They always appear by chance after being killed. And there has never been three at once."

"Is there any difference between this thing and the foundation-building pill I took?"

"I'm not sure yet. But if it's a 'Snake Pill', it would be different from the 'Dragon Pill' you ate. As long as you reach a certain level, taking the Dragon Pill will help you build your foundation. Snake Pill is different. It may not work immediately, but it can open up all the barriers to building your foundation. All the eight extraordinary meridians will be cleared by the serpent's power. This way, the path to building your foundation is clear, and even just eating radishes for a while will help you build your foundation successfully."

"Oh~~ That's quite convenient? I remember I soaked it in the jar for a while."

"You've been there before? What's the process? Is Daozu helping you recuperate?" Zheng Yin asked. "Why don't I get this treatment? Forget it. I can't compare with Qilinzi."

"In short," Fu Yuanshan concluded, "this is a big deal. If used properly, three people can establish their foundations at once, doubling the high-end combat power the court can mobilize. Even if you don't use it to establish your foundation, it can be very useful for other things. I think we'd better report this matter. Shangluo, will you report it? Or should I?"

"Let me do it."

He also felt that since the matter was of great importance, it would be better to report it. However, there was no need to ask Daozu for help.

He turned on his phone and called the person he hadn't contacted since adding him.

A moment later, the dark sky suddenly lit up brilliantly. But it was not the sun that had come back on, but a new "sun" that had risen.

A celestial-sized light source illuminated the entire world with its immense brilliance, then slowly returned to normal. As its sharp golden light gradually softened, everyone could clearly see the true form of the light source:

one eye.

An eye opened at the zenith, facing the extinguished sun in this world from afar.

"Welcome to Ancestor Sa!" Zheng Yinxian bowed to the heavenly eye.

"Welcome Master!" For Fu Yuanshan, Master Sa is his ancestor, and the way he addresses him is a little different.

Nun Jinghai also calls him Sazu.

The three snakes had already... had completely stopped moving. The Celestial Eye—the appearance of another sun, and the respect from the gods—was completely beyond the snakes' comprehension. They couldn't even express the myconidian's consent. Whether they wanted to flee, hide, or were terrified, they froze under the gaze of the Celestial Eye.

"Master, you are here. I am really sorry to trouble you so late. But there is something here that you need to see." Shangluo first bowed and then spread out his palms, showing the three pills to the Heavenly Eye in the sky.

A beam of golden light focused from the Heavenly Eye, shooting out and converging on Shangluo's hand. The beam of light stopped at the three pills in turn, scanning them one by one.

"Master, can it be used?"

"Yes." The voice from beyond the heavens resonated between heaven and earth. Just one sound shook the foundations of the world like an earthquake.

“It turns out it’s true.”

"Wow!" Fu Yuanshan couldn't hold it in any longer. "Are all three real? Wow! Wow!" Even though he had seen a lot and was knowledgeable, at this time he could only say "Wow".

Suddenly, Sa Shoujian joined the chat room:

"I'd better talk here. It seems like the echo is too loud when talking in the pot." The small pot could not bear the divine thoughts of Master Sa Tianshi at all. In order not to shake Shangluo's sand table apart, he changed the communication method.

"Old people are a bit slow at typing, so please bear with us, young children and the little ones."

"No, no, no, take your time." Several people shook their heads like rattles.

"Forget it, it's too late. Let's talk about it later. Shangluo, I've heard about what's going on here. How are you going to deal with it?"

"Since they handed over such a treasure, I think they should be rewarded."

"Yes. You are in charge of everything here. I will just watch over it."

"You guys, listen up." Shangluo spoke to the Tower of Babel.

The three snakes that had been frozen finally recovered a little.

"Yes! The Creator has another, the Creator's indescribable great god! Please give your orders."

"I have decided to reward you," Shangluo replied. "You three can stay in the tower. I will find you a job, and perhaps you can make further progress. The first one to speak to me was the Escaped Aura? You answer. Do you accept?"

"So, what about the others?" asked the escaping spirit.

"You mean those myconids who didn't want to die and didn't join the snakes?"

"And the beasts. They are also our compatriots."

"Why do you care about that?"

"Because... we're already dead." The Escaping Breath lowered its head. "We're no longer worth living, but the other mushroom people still are. Our only wish is for them to survive. Please! If you want to reward us, please leave them behind!"

"Those fungi are of no use to me." Shangluo shook his head.

"But those microbes you consider to be our everything. Without them, our existence is meaningless. So, we apologize, kind Creator, we can only betray your kindness one last time. Although we are able to serve at the side of God and have the opportunity to draw closer to the light, we still choose to live and die with these lightless microbes. So, please, start. I only hope that you can start with us first, let us close our eyes first, we don't want to witness the burning of all living things again."

Chapter 391 Judgment

All three snakes lowered their heads.

Between salvation and destruction, they chose the latter, and they chose to sink with all the myconids.

"Unbelievable," Apollonia sighed. "You promised them a job in the tower, something they've always dreamed of. They came here for the light, a manifestation of the slime mold's natural tendency to attract light. Have they overcome their natural instincts? They don't even want light anymore."

"To be honest, this answer was a little beyond my expectations. But it also made sense. After all, they're no longer slime molds. They're snakes. They've evolved into a part of this world, becoming a more advanced form of life than slime molds. Therefore, they've overcome their natural tendency to be attracted to light. However, this behavior is undoubtedly foolish for them. It's a shame to sacrifice their lives for a group of slime molds that have only been around for a few days."

Although they have surpassed the slime mold, they still seem to choose to stand with it. Could this be...? Apollonia paused for a moment. Could this be: 'love'?

Several snakes, heads lowered, coiled around the tower. Within, a number of white mushroom-people could be vaguely seen running. The snakes, like incubating snake eggs, tried in vain to keep them contained within the tower, motionless.

"I just want to ask you one question." Shangluo lowered his head and looked at the three snakes: "What did you feel when you cleaned up the fire snake?"

"The pain is felt. When we digest it with the secret fire, it's like we are being digested ourselves."

Shangluo didn't know whether this "pain" was physical pain or spiritual pain. But the result of both was the same - they evolved.

"Seniors, what do you think?" he asked others.

Fu Yuanshan shook his head. "When they say the word 'pain', the situation is different. In every sense."

"They have warmth now." said Master Jinghai.

Zheng Yin added, "Also, they seem to be more useful. They can produce snake pills."

"Yeah," Shangluo nodded, "I have the same opinion as everyone else."

"Then, you decide." Fu Yuanshan replied, "This world, this pill, including them, are all yours. We are just here to help you maintain order. In the end, you have to make the final decision on everything."

"I do have an idea, Master." He looked up at the Eye in the sky. "Excuse me for one more thing. There's something that's a small matter to us, but a 'huge' matter to them. It requires your help to handle it thoroughly."

Shangluo lowered his head and spoke to the three snakes:

"I'll confirm this one last time. Are you going to abandon your duties in the tower and perish with all the other fungi? Will you regret it?"

“We won’t regret it.”

"Then, I will now pronounce the final judgment on you—"

He stood up straight. "Your sentence is exile! You are banished. Since you do not wish to serve me here, then perish with your fellow germs. You will be banished to your proper place, and you will never return to the tower."

"Where?" The escaping air looked up in surprise, but what awaited it was not an answer, but the collapsing sky.

The sky was falling. The whole sky was falling, the sky was pressing down, lower and lower.

Shangluo looked up at the collapsing sky, stepped back and retreated to the side, leaving only the three snakes and the mushroom people in the tower looking at the falling sky in despair.

"Ahhhhhhh!" The three snakes looked up at the sky in despair, listening to the terrifying sound of the world collapsing. The collapsing sky shone with a metallic luster, getting lower and lower, pressing down on their heads.

"Oh God! Why do you give us hope, but then destroy us in the end?"

The three snakes curled up together, their myconids trembling as they hugged their bodies. Even the fungi, with their indifferent sense of self, would feel despair at the sight of the world collapsing.

In the greatest despair, the sky pressed down.

“???” The three snakes and countless fungi in the tower raised their heads.

The collapsing sky didn't seem to crush them.

To be precise, everything within the tower, including the agreement made with Shangluo, remained untouched. The collapsed sky formed a new earth—a vast, clean, silvery-white world! A vast expanse of white, empty. This world was separated from the original. In the distance, a high, circular wall seemed to be visible on the horizon, enclosing them and the Tower of Babel.

The reconstruction of heaven and earth seems not to have ended yet, because the process of the sky collapsing has not stopped yet.

After a long time.

"Good." With a heavenly sound that shook the universe, everything stopped.

"Oh~~Good, good." Shangluo sighed. The ritual that Master Sa Tian had performed according to his request had been completed.

An empty can was brought in. The "falling sky" the snakes had witnessed was actually the bottom of the can. The can, wrapped around the Tower of Babel, formed an impassable steel wall, trapping all the fungi within. The center of the can poked into the Tower of Babel, nestling into the foundation of the world and thus stabilizing it.

Fu Yuanshan closed his eyes and chanted, "Always bless the iron can with food. All the people in the cold forest will be saved. All mantras, jujubes, and talismans will be answered. Spreading the teachings of heaven is always selfless. Good."

When he opened his eyes again, he looked up at the sky, and he knew it was not over yet.

The empty tin can was pure white, empty of anything. Although the water from the bitter sea was being refilled, all the islands were submerged by the tin can.

As a replacement, Master Sa sent down three cursed dates.

"Three cursed dates in exchange for your three pills. Well, it's not a loss." Shangluo nodded.

The three snakes hadn't blinked since then, as a miracle unfolded before them. Three red continents descended from the sky, replacing the previously floating islands and settling firmly on the earth. Just by looking, they could see the abundance of those three continents.

Then, the heavenly sound that shook the universe appeared again:

"Big rat, big rat, don't eat my millet. I've been piercing you for three years, yet you don't care about me. Go away, go to that happy land.

"Big rat, big rat, don't eat my wheat. I've been piercing you for three years, but you still don't want me to do anything. Go away, go to that happy country.

"Big rat, big rat, don't eat my seedlings. I've been feeding you for three years, but you're not willing to work for me. Go away, and go to the happy suburbs."

"This is..." They looked at the Eye in the sky, a black sun that replaced the red sun and displayed supreme power. They stared into the black sun's pupil, and the black sun looked back at them.

Then the Creator came.

The sword-wielding Maker stood outside the high wall at the edge of the sky, looking inside and speaking:

"Sazume Tsering, I grant you three mantra dates. These three mantra dates are: Happy Land, Happy Country, and Happy Suburb. Go, go to your place of exile. I make three laws for everything you own: anyone who steps out of the tin can will die, anyone who steps into the tower will die, and anyone who plays with fire will die. Remember this, remember this."

"According to the order!"

"Besides these, there is another rule, above and beyond the three rules, specifically for you three snakes: Those three continents are the paradises of the fungi you love. They can sail on the sea of suffering and interact with each other. But you are permanently imprisoned, bound to your respective continents, forever forbidden from entering the sea. So, each of you should take your fungi and leave—the Wind, Water, and Earth tribes—take one last look at the outside world, and then never leave your respective continents, and never meet each other. Remember this, and take care of yourself."

Chapter 392 Fire

Have the gods left?

The snake, who was once a myconid, looked at the sky with the myconids.

Maybe God left, maybe God left forever, maybe God will never leave. But, the day broke again.

The black sun that had reshaped the world had closed, and the red sun had rekindled. The sky was still blue, and the resurgent sea of suffering was emerald green. Everything looked the same as before, yet everything had changed forever.

Amidst the distant horizon, a high metal wall imprisoned them. The islands had sunk, replaced by three fertile lands blessed by the black sun. This seemed to be proof of reconciliation with the gods.

"How ironic." The escaping spirit looked at the sky. "Although the gods said they wanted to exterminate us, they didn't take action in the end. Even if they punched us at the beginning, they only sent us flying. The mushroom people couldn't die if they were thrown into the sea. In the end, it was the fire snakes that slaughtered us."

The myconids that were sent flying were indeed not dead. This wasn't because they showed mercy, but rather because the former general felt that punching them wouldn't damage the equipment inside the tower. Myconids were merely gelatinous mushrooms, so a blunt force blow wouldn't kill them. If they were sent flying into the sea, they could simply be picked up.

Instead, when the fire snake appeared in the tower, it set the entire structure on fire. Mushroom people aren't afraid of water, but they are extremely afraid of fire. There's no need to ignite it; once the temperature rises, the mushrooms will naturally dry out.

"But in the end, we still received the judgment of God. So, everyone."

It looked at the mushrooms in the tower:

"Do not resent God's judgment. Although it is punishment, it is also permission—permission for us to continue living. My fellow citizens, do not resent God, nor do you resent yourselves, for our own destiny has only just begun. From now on, we will be divided into three parts, multiplying and thriving on three fertile lands given by God. But before we leave the tower and disperse, I, we, have one last gift for you all."