9: Chapter 9 A vibrant planet, farewell, Earth

During Zhao Feng's long absence, more than ten thousand years quickly passed in System time under intelligent acceleration. After so much time reproducing, Taichu Star finally began to bustle with life. Aside from the vast, barren land, the breath of life was everywhere.

Whether in the endlessly flowing rivers, the vast and misty green lakes, or the boundless oceans, traces of plant life could be seen everywhere.

There was vibrant Little Green Algae, sparkling Star Algae, long strips of kelp, Green Moss crawling all over the water's edge... all kinds of strange and wonderful plants.

In addition to the diverse plant life, countless peculiar small animals lived among them. From time to time, one could see little creatures with strange organs swimming past.

Of course, predators with various hunting styles could also be seen, some lying in wait like a patient hunter, others striking and vanishing in an instant.

The vibrant oceans gave rise to a primitive sky.

The benefit of the rising oxygen levels was that the ozone layer began to thicken. Whenever lightning flashed and thunder roared, vast amounts of oxygen were converted into ozone under the action of the lightning. The ozone blocked most of the ultraviolet rays shining down on the land, allowing delicate spores to survive and reproduce in the air.

The primitive sky was no longer empty. Aside from pure white clouds, there were transparent, green-spotted plants floating a hundred meters in the air. These plants were hollow ellipsoids with green markings on their bodies and aerial root-like structures surrounding them. They clustered close together, forming an alternative "cloud layer."

Balloon Algae, floating in the low sky, reproduces via spores, fast reproduction rate. Note: This is a lower-order plant that floats in the air.

This was a plant created by Zhao Feng on a sudden whim.

Ever since he returned from his last severe injury, Zhao Feng discovered that the planet was now fully capable of supporting his survival.

Unfortunately, things from the outside could not be brought in; a mysterious force prevented him from bringing anything inside.

During his days of recovery, he could only dedicate himself to contributing to the planet's development.

The massive emergence of life caused Zhao Feng's transformation points to surge, prompting him to start making some fun attempts. Although some of these attempts still failed and were weeded out in competition with natural organisms, the Balloon Algae easily survived due to its unique living environment.

Although there were more and more organisms, the rate of evolution was still slow. Aside from some changes caused by the intervention of organisms Zhao Feng actively created, a great life explosion was still nowhere in sight. What exactly was missing? Was there a way to speed up this process?

Wearing his helmet, Zhao Feng focused his attention on the glowing orb of a skill in front of him.

Organisms carrying this gene can release a kind of field. Under the coverage of this field, the genes of organisms will become more active, more likely to collide, and have a higher probability of beneficial mutations...

The skill orb gradually took shape. This transparent sphere of light contained Zhao Feng's hopes. Although it might be worth a fortune, there was no doubt it was the most important.

evolutionary force field: An ability containing a miraculous power of evolution. Value: 500 transformation points.

It was indeed an astronomical price, but with the rewards from hundreds of organisms and completed quests, Zhao Feng already had 658 transformation points. He could fully afford to splurge.

To carry out Zhao Feng's will, the host organism for this skill had to possess almost perfect adaptability, capable of surviving and reproducing in all kinds of extreme environments.

It also had to be extremely small so that it wouldn't end up filling the entire planet. When its numbers reached a certain level, it would also naturally inhibit its own reproduction.

Considering all factors, Zhao Feng chose a highly adaptable microorganism, currently the smallest on Taichu Star. This microorganism could survive as long as there was water and heat, perfectly meeting his requirements.

Next was loading the skill, and then deploying it.

Evolutionary Spirit, reproduces by binary fission, extremely fast reproduction rate. Note: This is a microorganism that can adapt to most environments and possesses a mysterious evolutionary field.

The successful deployment of the Evolutionary Spirit was delightful.

In just a few years, the entire Taichu Star was filled with them. Through the virtual simulation on the control console, it could be seen that the evolutionary force field had covered every corner of Taichu Star. Next, let life erupt! Let Taichu Star become a truly colorful planet of life!

"Where is this place?" Zhao Feng looked ahead in daze.

After returning from Taichu Star, Zhao Feng arrived at this place.

Lava boiled, and the earth was shattered. Billowing heat waves were everywhere.

Erupting volcanoes could be seen all along the horizon, lava soaring into the sky, and volcanic ash filling the air.

Charred marks covered the ground everywhere.

Seeing a glint not far away, Zhao Feng's heart raced. He didn't even realize he wasn't wearing any clothes as he hurriedly walked over, scooped it up with his hand, and picked it up.

"It's a wrench. Isn't this mine?"

Although the wrench in his hand was scalding hot, the indentations on the handle told Zhao Feng that this was indeed his wrench.

"This is the school. So, why did it turn out like this?"

A look of confusion appeared in his eyes. "Did the Aliens destroy the earth?"

The terrifying high temperatures could do nothing to him; his Steel Body made him exist like a minor Superman.

Zhao Feng ran like mad, the tragic environment around him filling him with rage.

Mountains collapsed, rivers dried up, and along the way, the charred carcasses of animals could still be seen emitting steam. The dry trunks of some trees were still burning with flames. Everywhere was an apocalyptic scene.

"Why did this happen?"

Intense hatred filled Zhao Feng's heart. No matter how far he ran, the scenery remained the same. Earth had been destroyed!

"Damn Aliens, I will definitely kill you all and avenge humanity!"

Exhausted to the point of death, Zhao Feng roared to the heavens and stared hatefully at the sky. "I will definitely cast your corpses into a monument to comfort the souls of the dead!"

"Goodbye, Earth." Zhao Feng looked back at the devastated land, then resolutely opened the System.

"Enter."

Having been on Taichu Star for nearly a week, Zhao Feng had finally stepped out of the shadow of Earth's destruction.

Taichu Star's environment was gradually improving, and relying on the power of his Primary Steel Body, his survival was completely unaffected.

Aside from occasionally zoning out, whenever Zhao Feng had time, he threw himself into the System, pondering the planet's transformation. After a week of hard work, the planet had completely changed.

Time flew by in the Planet Editor, and the transformation points on the screen also rapidly skyrocketed.

"Quest Four completed. Awarding 100 transformation points. Current transformation points: 174. Awarding a Mysterious Little Iron Box."

"The first step of planet transformation is complete. Major System upgrade in progress, please wait."

Just as Zhao Feng heard these few System prompts, his vision went black, and he passed out.

He didn't know how much time had passed before Zhao Feng slowly woke up. Following that was a series of System notification tones.

"The planet fully supports the survival of higher organisms. Editor Space reclaimed."

"An unnamed mysterious power has appeared on the planet."

"System interface simplified. Editor interface imported into the personal interface."

Zhao Feng was stunned. He suddenly realized that what lay before him was no longer the editor he was so familiar with that he wanted to throw up, but a vast, barren land. His body felt slightly warm—this was the long-lost sunshine!

He was finally out of that small dark room! Zhao Feng shouted and jumped, "I'm out! I'm finally out!"

This jump, however, gave him a sudden sensation.

"Bang!" Zhao Feng stomped his foot, blasting a large crater into the ground, and his body shot up into the air.

After flying up about twenty meters, his body began to fall.

"I'm flying!"

Zhao Feng extended one hand forward, mimicking Superman's flying pose.

"But his body still fell back down.

It seemed the Primary Steel Body could not fly; this could at most be considered high jumping.

But Zhao Feng was still satisfied. After all, unlike the Tian Boguang Trial Card, this was power that belonged entirely to himself.

It was just a bit uncomfortably chilly, and there was also some swinging around. Quietly covering his lower half, Zhao Feng looked around guiltily, then suddenly remembered.

"Hey, what's there to fear? It's a vast desert with absolutely nothing here. I am a gentleman."

Well, open and candid indeed.

Let himself go, Zhao Feng ran all over the place, enjoying the taste of freedom.

"I'm free, woohoo!"

"Free!"

This look really gave off the vibe of the Great Sage Sun bursting out of the mountain.

Stepping on the boundless yellow sand, Zhao Feng ran with large strides. This was the feeling of freedom! There were no Aliens' spaceships in the sky, and he didn't have to squat in a small dark room.

Draped in the golden sunlight, inhaling the fresh air, with a vibrant land before his eyes, everything was so beautiful—of course, excluding the terrifying situation of running around stark naked.

Tired from running wild, Zhao Feng lay on the ground, gazing up at the sky. Patches of Balloon Algae floated in the air, transparent with a hint of green, like little green clouds. The setting sun was no longer scorching, but instead had a different kind of beauty. The stinging sensation of the sand against his skin made Zhao Feng clearly realize that this was truly not a dream!

Zhao Feng squinted slightly and connected his consciousness to the System. Sure enough, the System interface had undergone a massive change.