Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Facing Obstacles Everywhere, Ecological Destruction
[Biological Fusion (Purple)]: Encourages crossbreeding among creatures. The resulting hybrids will exhibit greatly enhanced survival capabilities, reduced mortality rates, and a small chance of producing unique, special species.
"Crossbreeding creatures?" Bai Ze found the idea peculiar.
After scanning through the remaining options, he didn't see any other worthwhile talents. Since this round was primarily a test of the Age of Beetles card's effects, he decided to slot it into the talent bar.
[Ding! Talents selected. Please choose the items to bring for this simulation.]
The system's inventory appeared before Bai Ze. The Clay Creation card was gone, confirming that once creatures materialized in the main world, the card itself would vanish.
"System, I'll bring the A-tier card Age of Beetles."
[Ding! Bringing the Age of Beetles will require 1,000 Creation Points.]
Bai Ze's eyes widened.
"A simulation only costs 1,700 Creation Points, but bringing an A-tier card takes 1,000?!"
"Ugh… Bring it!" Bai Ze said decisively.
After all, he wasn't short on points there was no need to be stingy.
[Ding! Item successfully brought.]
[The simulation begins now.]
[At the dawn of this era, the world was already thriving beyond imagination. Continents, oceans, and skies flourished as diverse species lived in peace and harmony.]
[Early Phase of the First Era: A mysterious species resembling beetles, clad in heavy armor and of enormous size, suddenly appeared on the continent. They were led by a superordinate-level Beetle Lord. (Age of Beetles Activated)]
[Upon arriving, the beetles trembled with excitement at the lushness of this land something they had never witnessed before.]
[Under the Beetle Lord's guidance, they feasted heartily, consuming almost all the trees in their vicinity.]
[Mid-Phase of the First Era: Having eaten their fill, the beetles began carving out territories. Guided by their leader's superordinate-level strength, they defeated nearby forest-dwelling species, driving them to the outskirts.]
[They settled in the lush forest and began reproducing rapidly! (Accelerated Reproduction Activated)]
[Late Phase of the First Era: The beetle population soared past 500, wreaking havoc on the forest's ecosystem. The lush forest could no longer sustain their massive bodies. Cramped and restless, the beetles followed their leader, flying out in search of new fertile lands.]
"Goodness, the rumors were true they're incredibly destructive," Bai Ze muttered in astonishment.
In less than one era, the beetles had decimated an entire forest! This wasn't an ordinary forest, either it had undergone a 2000x spiritual energy infusion, making it far more vibrant and dense than normal. Ordinary creatures might have grazed there for several eras without making a dent, potentially even overeating themselves to death.
"This is... terrifying."
[Late Phase of the First Era: The migrating beetles found another lush forest and settled in.]
[This time, during reproduction, some beetles crossbred with other species, producing numerous peculiar hybrids. Despite their odd forms, these offspring were born without issue.]
[The most notable hybrids had claw-like pincers, leading to their ostracization by the main beetle group. This gave rise to a sub-species of beetles! (Biological Fusion Activated)]
[Early Phase of the Second Era: Greedy and voracious, the beetles had already devastated several forests. Most creatures, cowed by the Beetle Lord's power, dared not resist.]
[As a result, the Beetle Lord grew increasingly arrogant, believing the beetles to be the dominant species on the continent. They began expanding their territory recklessly.]
[In their expansion, they encountered the Tianyi Tiger Clan led by Taotie.]
[The Tianyi Tigers, true rulers of the land, occupied the central forest the most verdant and fertile region. Greedy for resources, the beetles sought to challenge them for dominance!]
[Mid-Phase of the Second Era: As expected, the two sides clashed. However, the beetles's famed armor proved as fragile as paper against the Tianyi Tigers' claws, easily torn apart.]
[Without Taotie even making a move, his overwhelming aura alone gravely injured the Beetle Lord, leaving the beetles trembling in fear.]
[After suffering defeat, the Beetle Lord swiftly led the herd away from the forest, fearful of approaching it again. They turned their sights to the ocean, hoping to find an abundant food source there.]
[Late Phase of the Second Era: Reaching the ocean, the beetles were ecstatic at the sight of abundant resources. Before long, they had devoured everything along the shoreline.]
[This act, however, enraged the ocean's ruler. Countless tentacles emerged from the depths, entangling the beetles and dragging them underwater, never to resurface.]
[Sensing imminent danger, the Beetle Lord realized the world wasn't as simple as they had thought. Once again, the Beetles resorted to fleeing.]
"These beetles are too cowardly," Bai Ze frowned.
While their destructive power was undeniable, why did they flee whenever faced with adversaries? Even with a superordinate-level Beetle Lord, they wouldn't even put up a fight against mid-tier opponents like the Tianyi Tigers or Gatanothor-like ocean rulers.
"Were they the ones who destroyed a Tier-2 planet?" Bai Ze began to doubt the rumors.
But what happened next erased his skepticism.
[Late Phase of the Second Era: Humbled by two consecutive defeats, the beetles adapted quickly. They stopped wantonly destroying ecosystems and instead mastered the art of survival stealthily scavenging resources.]
[While the Tianyi Tigers slumbered, the beetles raided the forest, devouring vast swathes of trees before fleeing. The ocean suffered the same treatment as coral reefs and seaweed vanished, leaving ecosystems in ruins.]
[Meanwhile, the ostracized hybrids banded together, forming their clan.]
[Their leader, a grotesque creature with lobster-like pincers and a beetles-like body, led the "Sea Beetles" tribe, which shared the original beetles's propensity for ecosystem destruction.]