CHAPTER 330: CHAPTER 320: GIANT TRIBE, MOTHER GOD AND SKY GOD_1

Wang Linchi had been lurking outside this Muyan Tribe for about a month. With his powerful learning and research abilities, coupled with his advantageous size, he quickly grasped their language system. As for writing, the tribe hadn’t developed it yet; they still relied on pictorial drawings, some of which they themselves might not recognize.

Wang Linchi had also figured out the tribe’s Transcendental System. He spent this period like a house mouse, scurrying about everywhere. Compared to what he temporarily termed the Elemental Giants, his body size was indeed that of a small mouse. Standing together, Wang Linchi couldn’t even reach their ankles. Proportionally, the tribe’s houses were naturally very large. Combined with the general filth and disarray typical of Primitive Tribes, it wasn’t difficult for Wang Linchi to pass himself off as a mouse.

The Elemental Giants’ Transcendental System was based on their own Elemental Bloodlines. This meant that if one didn’t possess their bloodline, the Transcendental System would be useless. From birth, their bodies were not entirely flesh and blood; they possessed an Elemental Bloodline Seed. As they grew, this seed would gradually take root and sprout, causing the Elemental Giants’ bodies to become progressively covered by Elements. Once this Elementalization reached their chest, the Elemental Giant was considered an adult. The Elemental Giants of the Muyan Tribe had the Rock Element as their primary Elemental Bloodline Seed. Consequently, their Elementalization manifested as rock formations.

Plants, on the other hand, were part of their coming-of-age ceremony. They needed to plant a specific type of flora on rock to gain its vitality, which allowed them to more safely Devour giant beasts. It acted somewhat like a filter, preventing an excessive buildup of impurities in their bodies that could otherwise prove fatal. Thus, their tribe was known by the simple and direct name Muyan.

Besides the Muyan Tribe, other tribes also existed, but they were quite distant and generally met only once a year. These meetings were primarily for trade, resembling a large-scale annual exchange.

Wang Linchi had also discovered how the Elemental Giants grew stronger. After reaching adulthood, their Elementalization ceased. To increase their strength further, they had to Devour giant beasts. The strongest among them had undergone Full Elementalization, becoming Rock Elemental Giants. They still maintained a humanoid form and lived alongside other tribe members who had not yet fully elementalized. There was no sense of superiority, nor did they consider themselves a new race.

Perhaps the most peculiar aspect was their reproduction. Elemental Giants didn’t reproduce sexually; instead, they bore fruit like trees and didn’t require pollination. Rock Elemental Giants could nurture a Fruit of Elements. As this fruit hung on their bodies, it would gradually mature into a humanoid form. Eventually, when ripe, it would detach, becoming a new young Elemental Giant. This baffled Wang Linchi, though he knew how: he had seen fruits hanging on several Rock Elemental Giants in the tribe. From this, Wang Linchi ascertained that these Elemental Giants had no gender distinction. The cycle was somewhat long, and the fertility rate seemed low. Fortunately, Elemental Giants possessed a very long lifespan.

Fully elementalized Rock Elemental Giants make up seventy percent of the tribe’s population, Wang Linchi mused, and the remaining thirty percent, still undergoing Growth, are also very capable fighters. Their entire population consists of warriors. However, it’s a necessity. In an environment like this, the ability to fight is crucial for hunting—a requisite for survival, not merely for establishing a monopoly like in the Great View. At least here, the Elemental Giants don’t have to worry about feeding their population. The vast realm of the underworld, combined with the sparse Elemental Giant population and plentiful resources, means they could double their numbers without any problem. More importantly, once Full Elementalization occurs, they no longer need to eat. They can survive through their own elemental reactions, similar to how Immortals don’t require food. Therefore, only those Giants who haven’t undergone Full Elementalization consume food.

In this situation, there’s no need to worry about the Elemental Giants invading the surface, Wang Linchi thought, comparing the data from the surface and the underworld. He couldn’t help but chuckle. The surface has its industrialization and then the Game System. Even if the Elemental Giants were given the chance to go to the surface, they wouldn’t want to. Conversely, many surface powers would likely attempt to invade the underworld, coveting its resources. They would probably be crushed. Players can’t defeat the Elemental Giants, and the Erroneous Sin is confined to the surface.

But soon, Wang Linchi’s cheerful expression faded. He had discovered traces of an ancient civilization within the Muyan Tribe. Like other Primitive Tribes, the Muyan Tribe also worshipped deities. The deity they worshipped was known as the Sky God. It didn’t have a precise name, but from their murals and objects of worship, Wang Linchi observed some baffling phenomena—for instance, the Sky God was depicted as a beast-like creature in an embryonic state. Their myths told that the entire world was born from the Sky God, and the Elemental Giants were particularly special, conceived from the Sky God’s nascent wisdom. Thus, neither flora, fauna, nor birds and beasts possessed the wisdom of the Elemental Giants.

This belief seemed highly plausible. According to the data and intelligence Wang Linchi had gathered, the Muyan Tribe had existed for at least 10,000 years, yet showed no signs of evolution. Instead, they remained stable, maintaining a level consistent with a newly emerged intelligence. This fully aligned with the concept of a "nascent wisdom"—it couldn’t be too profound if it had just budded. Furthermore, their cosmology included a Mother God, superior to the Sky God. She had perished while conceiving the Sky God, preventing its smooth birth and leading to the evolution of their world. Because the Sky God had died while still within the Mother God’s nurturing husk, their entire world was shrouded in darkness.

Reading this, Wang Linchi was taken aback. These Elemental Giants, living their entire lives in darkness, actually possess a concept of ’darkness’? They’ve never seen other colors. Their darkvision allows them to see clearly, but they can’t discern colors, let alone possess sufficient cognitive understanding of them. Under normal circumstances, their concept of color would be weak, if not entirely absent.

Wang Linchi speculated that some fragmented inheritances might be hidden within the Elemental Giants’ Elemental Bloodline.

If I could compare the sacrificial content from other tribes, I might glean more information, Wang Linchi thought. Besides the Muyan Tribe, he knew of the Cliff Waterfall Tribe. However, the Elemental Giants had no concept of cardinal directions, let alone maps, so Wang Linchi had no idea where it was located. Their limited language system made clear descriptions impossible, especially since the Cliff Waterfall Tribe was mentioned only once, much like a distant relative one sees only annually; it wasn’t a topic constantly on their minds. If the lore from other tribes is consistent, then things are about to get very interesting.

Wang Linchi swiftly sketched a diagram in his Thought Mirror. A massive pregnant beast dies, and its offspring perishes with it. This scenario seemed strikingly similar to the structure of their world. The surface world was the Mother God; the underworld, the Sky God. The underworld was vast, but it couldn’t compare to the surface world, which encompassed not only the ground but also the sky and oceans. More importantly, the Erroneous Sin cannot enter the underworld, likely due to a sort of placental barrier. True, the Mother God conceived the Sky God, but that doesn’t mean they were a single entity. Especially since both died, they can only be considered two separate corpses. This would mean the rules of the surface world don’t apply to the underworld. No matter how formidable the Erroneous Sin is, the sword of a past dynasty cannot slay an official of the present one.

If this speculation is correct, isn’t it too insane? A giant beast, dying while pregnant, its body and offspring evolving into a world. Wang Linchi was reminded of the Kun, the giant fish of legend, but it was highly unlikely. After all, Wang Linchi had seen depictions of the Sky God; even in its embryonic state, it had limbs and a head, not at all fish-like.

Wait, then perhaps the emergence of the Game System isn’t so bizarre after all, Wang Linchi thought, his eyes narrowing. The System is agile yet somewhat naive, giving the impression of a greenhorn. Could it be that the Sky God has been reborn, living a new life? Wang Linchi suddenly wondered. What’s certain is that the Mother God, the maternal body, is dead. The cause of death is unknown. If I had to guess, it was likely that Goblin. However, the offspring, still an embryo, might not have truly died. A life form capable of evolving into a world must possess unique properties. Surviving through some special means isn’t out of the question. Unfortunately, this is all just speculation, with no concrete proof. Besides, even if it were proven, it seems pointless. I can’t defeat the Game System anyway.

Wang Linchi knew his own limitations and wasn’t one to overreach.