Chapter 16: The Butterfly Clan’s Ascension Plan

Interesting.
So very interesting.

Liu Jun sat upon a bed of flowers, his heart swirling with countless emotions.

“Butterflies are among the most fragile flying creatures in nature. Even if they cultivate their mental energy, they remain glass cannons—realistically, a single roar from a dinosaur could blow them away, even kill them outright from the shock!”

“That’s why this species remains relatively weak.”

“Humans at the second tier have long been invincible in the food chain, whereas their second tier can only attack small animals by stabbing their eyes with bone spurs or other such means.”

“Silk, however, might serve as a mental energy armor, giving rise to a new school of thought... and it can be fashioned into countless forms, perfectly aligning with the aesthetic sensibilities of butterfly swarms.”

“And what if we extend this idea a bit further? The transformation from cocoon to butterfly—cocoons have always been oval-shaped, but in truth, they resemble vases and are malleable.”

Ordinary insects spin round cocoons.

But the larvae of the butterfly tribe, born to dig and cultivate soil and skilled at weaving bows, possess such dexterity that creating a ‘human-shaped’ butterfly pupa would be no challenge.

Thus, they could craft numerous white jade silk humanoid cocoons.

When the cocoon breaks, a pair of butterfly wings would sprout, and if the humanoid cocoon shell were not discarded but worn, would it not be like a little fairy with butterfly wings?

There have even been successful cases of this.

Previously, among the four butterfly clans, a ‘cocoon’ lineage was formed.

Those cocoons mutated and, without breaking their shells, lived inside them, growing four legs.

This means that this path is entirely feasible!

“Though somewhat formalistic and merely for beauty, an empty shell without practical value,”

“it is still a path. If it succeeds, it could very well evolve into a remarkable civilization!”

Liu Jun closed his eyes, growing more and more excited.

No matter its practicality, the butterfly tribe would surely love this approach.

After all, which beauty-loving butterfly would resist sculpting its own cocoon’s appearance to define its future form?

Every butterfly is a master craftsman of weaving, a sculptor of its own image.

Each one is its own creator, carving its form during the larval stage before achieving a splendid transformation from an ugly grub to a magnificent butterfly!

This would inevitably become a trend, even a defining trait of the species.

On this foundation, a mythical kingdom could be established.

“Moreover, the butterfly red fungus responsible for biological mutations, wielding the third treasure—the magic carpet—could be guided along this path.”

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Liu Jun felt a surge of excitement—that sense of accomplishment that comes with creating and transforming a civilization.

An ordinary butterfly from nature was gradually becoming extraordinary under his guidance! Truly, he was a benefactor; wielding a plagues-bearing species, he had forged this strange and fascinating butterfly civilization.

“Go practice elsewhere,” Liu Jun dismissed the Amber Swallowtail and summoned the Four Marquises and the Emperor.

Soon, five gigantic flower buds below hosted five arriving butterflies.

Outside the palace, the Amber Swallowtail, hiding while practicing, peeked out and signaled to the Fourth Butterfly Pool with a wink, inviting her over.

It had been a long time since they had played together, and now that she had become the most beautiful goddess in the world, she was eager to share this with the Fourth Butterfly Pool.

The Fourth Butterfly Pool, not a fool, glanced at Liu Jun, awaiting his reaction.

“Go ahead,” Liu Jun did not object.

As the head of logistics and food supply for the entire butterfly tribe, the Fourth Butterfly Pool was also fond of food and play.

Liu Jun did not scold her; having some hobbies was normal as long as one did their job well.

“Former Emperor, here I come,” she said, flapping her wings with delight as she flew outside.

Soon, the Amber Swallowtail’s voice came through: “I’m here to teach you the Prophet’s secret technique, even more powerful than the knotting skills.”

“Really?” The Fourth Butterfly Pool was excited; the butterfly tribe was naturally inclined to weaving and beauty.

The beautiful knots taught by the Prophet had perfectly struck two of their innate instincts!

And now, the wise Prophet had presented an even more formidable knotting technique?

“Look!”

With a thought, a series of interlocking butterfly knots formed locks, transforming into a butterfly armor binding.

It resembled countless beautiful transparent butterflies woven into a delicate veil, with long phoenix tail feathers trailing streams of golden-red light. Each feather’s quiver stirred ripples of iridescence.

The entire phoenix shell looked like shards of glass lenses, refracting the Amber Swallowtail’s own colorful hues under the sunlight.

The phoenix soared, radiant and magnificent!

Sitting in the palace and gazing at the beautiful phoenix dancing in the garden outside, the sight was more breathtaking than any fairy tale, leaving the five butterflies visibly stunned.

They had witnessed one of the most beautiful mythical creatures—a god among birds—and even at first sight, they instinctively felt shaken... was there truly a creature more beautiful than themselves?

“What! What is this called?” The current Butterfly Emperor, Butterfly Thread, felt as if struck violently by thunder, trembling all over.

“Can we become like this? Can we take on this form?”

This was exactly in line with their aesthetic.

The neighboring marquises also found themselves dry-mouthed and tongue-tied.

When a civilization attains wisdom, its creatures naturally develop concepts of beauty and ugliness.

For butterflies, beauty is judged by the most splendid patterns on their wings.

Now, this equated to creating new wing patterns—larger, broader, and more exquisite alternative wings—akin to humans inventing plastic surgery.

It was profoundly impactful!

They followed the Prophet to learn, to become wiser. Wisdom could come at any time, but beauty was a lifelong pursuit!

The Prophet, truly the greatest primordial butterfly, had finally begun teaching them how to become beautiful. The Prophet understood them and knew their desires!

“What is this form, this outer shell called?” Butterfly Thread’s queen widened her eyes.

“It’s called clothing,” Liu Jun said calmly.

This world had never known clothing, nor the concept of it.

Because butterflies did not need to wear clothes.

Their wings and irregular body structures made wearing clothes impossible.

“As expected of the Prophet, as expected of our God of Wisdom!”

The Fourth Butterfly Pool shouted loudly, already having the Amber Swallowtail teach her how to wear clothes. “So beautiful, so beautiful.”

“I am the God of Wisdom,” the Amber Swallowtail retorted with displeasure.

Butterfly Thread’s queen, a perfect example of a refined lady, had already taken out her tablet to record the history of clothing’s invention by the Prophet.

Under everyone’s gaze, Liu Jun did not dwell on clothing further. “I summoned you all not for clothing, which is trivial, but for a possibility that could make our tribe far stronger.”

“What is it?” The butterfly red fungus, devoted to studying evolution and the differentiation of the four clans, finally spoke.

To him, clothing, though beautiful, was of little practical use.

From his perspective, it might inspire the tribe’s cultivation—mental energy controlling matter, draping the body as clothing—this could indeed boost the entire population’s enthusiasm for cultivation.

But only that much.

Seeing their expectant faces, Liu Jun spoke softly:

“It is the advancement of clothing, a possibility that could completely change the destiny of our butterfly species.”