Chapter 18: The Birth of the Angelic Civilization

Jehol City.
In reality.
Liu Jun caught a small mushroom in the broth that dreamed it was a "multi-handed butterfly."
He infused some energy and matter.
To his astonishment, the little mushroom that dreamed of being a multi-handed butterfly absorbed the material, spun a cocoon, and gradually transformed into a sleeping multi-handed butterfly.
“What?”
Liu Jun was stunned. “This broth can actually extract the species inside it?”
He opened his palm.
Resting there was a three-centimeter-long centipede butterfly, with beautiful purple patterned wings, soft and delicate legs, and antennae atop its head...
“Wonderful! Amazing!”
“This broth has functions I didn’t know about!”
“The dream reflects into reality; if it dreams of what it is, it will follow that path to change its form in reality?”
“Is this idealistic? Is it the power led by the ‘Wisdom’ mushroom, or caused by other gifted mushrooms? Or is it inherent to the broth itself? Or do we, the mushroom-infected clan, naturally possess this rapid evolution ability?”
Liu Jun studied it carefully.
Suppressing his excitement, he tossed the butterfly back into the broth and continued to dream.
...
Inside a tree hollow.
The multi-handed butterfly suddenly reappeared in its original place.
“Where did you go?” Bug Thirteen asked nervously. “We were researching together, and you suddenly vanished. What happened?”
Nearby, Bug Seventy-Seven and Bug Thirty also grew anxious.
“I... I don’t remember...” the multi-handed butterfly seemed dazed.
He had vague memories, as if the sky had been torn apart, and he was lying on an infinitely vast and magnificent existence.
A miracle.
Incredible.
No words could describe this figure.
“Seems like... a god,” the multi-handed butterfly pondered seriously.
“Was it the god of immortality, or the god of wisdom who summoned you?” Bug Thirteen exclaimed excitedly, shouting:
“It must be the god of wisdom! I knew it! I knew it! We have gained the recognition of wisdom. The path we are pursuing is the right one!”
The multi-handed butterfly thought for a moment but felt it was unlikely.
That figure seemed a higher, more mysterious existence, and he quietly etched the vision into his heart.
Only in his old age, recalling that day, did he begin to understand the root of it all and face the most terrifying moment of his life.
Beside him, Bug Thirty suddenly said:
“I think I just saw... an unknown god as well.”
...
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
Every day, the entire population was breaking free from cocoons into butterflies.
Every day, butterflies flew towards the flames like moths to a flame.
They were drawn to the light of civilization.
What they desired was to break free and become beautiful, powerful lifeforms.
Various new methods of weaving the “knots of life” emerged, producing many beautiful new races.
On the other side:
“Not enough, this is simply not enough.”
Bug Thirteen, Bug Thirty, Bug Seventy-Seven, and the multi-handed butterfly continued their research.
Over the years, Bug Thirteen and Bug Seventy-Seven still chose not to cocoon; they remained larvae, searching for the most beautiful form.
Meanwhile, Bug Thirty chose a different path, transforming into a huge spherical body with small wings.
Bug Thirty did not weave other organs; his aesthetics were unique.
He believed the most beautiful thing in the world was not shape, but wisdom!
And the manifestation of wisdom was the brain.
Thus, he began to expand the “brain” area inside the sphere, until his entire body was almost a massive brain, with a continuously expanding sea of consciousness.
This made him a stronger, purely psychic lifeform!
As for the shell?
He kept recalling the mysterious figure he had seen long ago, whose form grew fainter with each memory until it was almost forgotten.
Gradually, the god’s form in his eyes became a magnificent sphere.
He chose to follow the god’s enlightenment and became a winged sphere.
At this moment, Bug Thirteen pondered:
“I can optimize Bug Thirty’s super brain concept and take a single path to the end.”
“After all, every true life is a miracle; it cannot be perfected in ten or a hundred years but requires wisdom.”
After years of research, Bug Thirteen realized the lives woven by the butterfly clans were all superficial and incongruous.
Life itself was a profound mystery.
He might never comprehend even one percent in his lifetime.
Therefore, he decided to choose simplicity and also became a winged sphere.
...
Meanwhile, Liu Jun quietly observed this scene atop the Cangwu Tree.
“That little fellow, is he the Bug Thirteen from back then? Quite capable, he endured so long before cocooning.”
The Emperor and the Four Kings had taken different paths.
They had long since become butterflies and lost the ability to break free from cocoons; these years they devoted themselves to researching how to merge with divine treasures.
This was also Liu Jun’s task for them: he wanted to study these gifted mushrooms and how to integrate the lives within the broth.
Furthermore,
Many butterfly mushrooms died, their consciousness feeding back, making Liu Jun feel the wisdom dreamscape constructed by the Amber Butterfly was rapidly solidifying.
The god of wisdom was devouring wisdom to grow stronger!
Liu Jun was somewhat satisfied:
“After all, it’s just a dream of the Amber Butterfly, allowing it to strengthen its soul through this dream, absorbing others’ essence. And the evolution of this butterfly clan itself is highly useful.”
Time flew.
Bug Thirteen and Bug Seventy-Seven also became winged spheres.
Spheres were the most beautiful geometric shapes in this world, and they possessed formidable psychic energy.
Even at the second level, their psychic energy was hundreds of times greater than their peers.
Bug Thirteen’s second-level psychic power almost reached the human second level; wielding bone spurs, he could stab steadily into a dinosaur’s eyeball and penetrate its brain.
The young Bug Thirteen also chose to seek guidance from the god of wisdom and the god of immortality, believing himself an apostle of the god of wisdom, and named himself:
The Angel Tribe, messengers of heavenly wisdom, Angels.
Thus, after countless butterfly tribes created multi-handed, floral, and arboreal races,
A complete new life form emerged: the Angel Tribe.
The strength of the Angel Tribe led countless larvae to choose this path, rapidly growing the entire population.
Bug Thirteen abandoned his previous numeric name and called himself: King of Angels.
Bug Seventy-Seven became: Archangel.
Bug Thirty became: Intelligent Angel.
The multi-handed butterfly became: Wheel Angel.
The four quickly established their own population forces.
...
Back then, four butterfly clans had emerged; now dozens had formed. Once differentiated, they were required to leave their ancestral homeland, the Butterfly Kingdom.
Filled with hope for the future, Bug Thirteen left the butterfly settlement, expanded territory, settled on a plain, and led countless angels to challenge their millennia-old enemy: the dinosaurs.
Human second-level psychics could pierce vital points with flying knives and kill dinosaurs instantly.
After all, no matter how strong flesh and blood creatures were, they had weak spots.
“Stay with me, fight the enemy together!”
“We shall conquer the world and become the rulers of heaven and earth!”
“As a branch of the butterfly clan, we will establish our own kingdom, our city of wisdom.”
“We are believers in the god of wisdom; we are symbols of wisdom!”
In the 87th year of the Butterfly Era,
The King of Angels formed an angelic legion flying in midair, striking down spinosaurus and tyrannosaurus, killing the legendary era’s overlords.
News of the King of Angels’ victory spread back to the Butterfly Valley, shocking the entire species.
A young angel who had followed the battle excitedly described:
“That was a legendary giant dragon, its single nail larger than our entire butterfly clan, its fall shaking the earth, its roar blowing away a hundred clansfolk...”
Other green caterpillars showed longing,
“We want to become angels!”
“We want to become angels!”
However, their joy was short-lived when they discovered their true enemy: pterosaurs, small bird-like creatures.
Without aerial advantage, they could no longer remain invincible.
Moreover, their foes were faster.
They were like flying meatballs, brutally slaughtered at will.
The King of Angels was finally doused with cold water, understanding why their ancestral land was built in such a narrow valley.
“Though mid-level in the food chain, they possess the power to suppress us,” Bug Seventy-Seven, now Archangel, said with worry.
In the 90th year of the Butterfly Era,
The Angel Tribe’s brains underwent a second transformation, gaining higher wisdom and stronger psychic powers.
More larvae joined their ranks.
Yet they still chose to live on the plains, escalating conflicts and mutual hunts with their flying enemies.
In the 98th year,
The Angel Tribe developed the Wisdom Sync Technique; through resonance, angels formed battle arrays, greatly enhancing their strength and finally gaining the ability to defeat their aerial foes.
From then on, their era knew no enemies.
In the 101st year,
The Angel Tribe began smelting steel, mining soil, and establishing city-states; civilization entered a super development phase.
In the 103rd year,
The Angel Tribe tamed dinosaurs, and the King of Angels Bug Thirteen and Bug Seventy-Seven held a grand wedding.
They even invited the god of wisdom to attend.
“My beloved children~”
“I love you all~”
The god of wisdom descended in the form of a beautiful phoenix, causing an uproar throughout the era.
Divine love for all beings.
In the 106th year,
Bug Thirteen, Bug Seventy-Seven, and their original team passed their peak.
Side effects from forceful fusions began to emerge; bodily mutations caused unbearable pain.
Almost all mutated cicada pupae larvae also suffered outbreaks of illness.
Even under the god of immortality’s care, as angels, their remaining lifespan was only about ten years.