I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

This small illusion realm concludes here.

Perhaps because Lu Yuan was so caught up in it he couldn't extricate himself, Miss Conch forcibly pulled him out of the illusion.

The transition from the Green Grass Illusion Realm to reality was abrupt, like jumping from a world of birdsong and fragrant flowers to a blazing desert.

The hot, dry air hit him in the face as Lu Yuan let out a profound sigh and shook his head, feeling a sense of unreality.

"Green Grass Paradise, truly impressive technology," he commented.

And the audacity of the Green Grass People was so shocking it left one speechless.

"Mind Control, to have such a Divine Skill..."

"Did you detect any information?" Old Cat asked curiously.

Lu Yuan gave a brief explanation, and Old Cat scratched his neck continuously, appearing quite shocked.

He looked again at the only survivor, Miss Conch, who must be the one who possessed "Mind Control"... Conch always seemed all-powerful, even pulling Lu Yuan out of the illusion just now wasn't something ordinary people could do.

The demise of the Green Grass Civilization became even more elusive.

If the plan of the Green Grass God had succeeded and the entire Green Grass Civilization ascended, Conch shouldn't be here; if the plan failed, she should be even less likely to be here, and should have died as well.

Lu Yuan sighed, understanding her feelings but not knowing how to comfort her.

Conch, who had always been talkative and energetic, seemed a bit sorrowful.

The despairing truth surrounded her, and with a gentle stretch of her hand forward, she could burst the fragile soap bubble called "answer."

But how could she dare to do so?

She was just a small conch with little life experience, her name even given by Lu Yuan.

She hid in that cramped room, for who knows how long.

She was no battle-hardened warrior, no Old Wolf with a harem, no turtle concerned only with consuming and excreting.

She was just a conch.

She felt herself melt into an invisible mist, flying out from the shell to the wild grass outside, yet even the wild grass was a part of the harsh reality, the cracked earth soon evaporating that bit of moisture completely.

She felt a suffocating sensation, as if she were drowning.

No one could rescue her; she had to endure it all alone.

"Conch, you have to face reality eventually," the orange cat coldly and realistically said, "just like I did when I first heard that my civilization had vanished, I also suffered for a long time."

"And there was this annoying person laughing at me. I had no choice but to pretend that it was nothing."

"You're luckier than me in that you can still find the truth, and everyone is comforting you. Who was there to sympathize with me back then?"

At this moment, they reached Lu Yuan's old base.

The vegetables in the greenhouse were still thriving, but the Chicken Snake and its brood of chicks lay unconscious beneath the Tree of Life.

The mystery of the field grew stronger the closer it was to the city center.

Lu Yuan had to put on a Black Iron mask over his head.

He also dispersed the energy of the Level Four Spark to form a bright red energy helmet, which made him feel a bit better.

"Miss Chicken... won't she wake up?" Conch tried hard to whisper a soft, timid voice, similar to how she was when she first arrived.

Lu Yuan sighed, "The chicks are probably beyond saving."

"The big chicken seems to have a trace of spirit fluctuation, but being so close to the city center for long is still life-threatening."

Lu Yuan flipped the chicks' eyelids; these poor chicks had completely lost normal signs of life, like little warm bodies without souls.

As a Level Three Extraordinary Life, the Chicken Snake had a speck of Spirit Resistance.

Lu Yuan fed it some Soul Baby Juice.

The three-meter-tall mother chicken opened its eyes and clucked, its claws scrabbling a few times.

From its eyes flowed bitter tears.

This place was too close to the city center; the intensity of the illusion was more than five times that of Sha Li Village!

"If you can move, get away from here with your children," he said.

"If you can't, you will have to die here."

Lu Yuan took another Black Iron mask and covered the chicken's head with it, then packed the chicks in a basket for it to carry in its beak.

With a cluck, it seemed to understand the danger, making a difficult effort to leave.

Seeing Miss Chicken slowly move across the ground, Conch felt a subtle sense of emptiness and hesitation in her heart—as if she were the culprit herself.

Lu Yuan was equally bewildered.

The decision whether to stay or go had to be made quickly!

The large-scale field triggered by the city center was still intensifying, and if this continued, both Lu Yuan and Conch would soon be unable to withstand it.

Should they destroy that thing, or retreat right now?

A decision had to be made quickly!

Lu Yuan licked his dry lips, looking around; the birds nesting in the Tree of Life had fallen unconscious.

And the wild animals in Sky City, such as crocodiles, lizards, reindeer, rabbits, mice, and the like, lay on the ground at all angles, their fates unknown, life or death...

The scene was extremely shocking, implying that they had attempted to flee just before losing consciousness, which is why they all emerged from their nests en masse.

In such a vast oasis, they were barely managing to remain upright, giving a sense of eerie disquiet.

Just as Lu Yuan was undecided, a voice reached his ears.

[Mr. Lu, let's continue with that Illusion Realm from earlier.]

[Perhaps through that Illusion Realm, we can understand how the Green Grass Civilization perished, and we'll have more information to make plans.]

Her voice trembled weakly, becoming fainter as she spoke, as if a blade could slice through it either horizontally or vertically.

With no time for much hesitation, she could only stick out her neck, ready for that blade to fall.

Lu Yuan knew what Conch was thinking; this pitiful remnant of the Green Grass Civilization had the most complicated feelings here.

Even more complicated than his own.

But now was not the time for sentimentality.

He sighed softly, removed his Black Iron mask, and dispelled the Light Screen brought about by the Eternal Spark.

"Old Cat, keep an eye on things for me," he said.

"Bring it on, the ultimate truth!"

Sure enough, without the protective layer, the mysterious illusion quickly appeared in his mind.

...

A solemn voice started to resonate beside his ear.

"The technology verification for the Green Grass God plan, after two hundred years of strenuous effort, is finally complete."

"We can proudly declare that the creative work of the Green Grass God has over a 99% success rate!"

"This plan can shelter our Green Grass Civilization through an Epoch-level super calamity."

The voice carried a hint of pride and an undertone of joyous elation.

The grand conference room, filled with fallen petals and evening glows merging with the flight of a solitary duck, was spectacular.

The natural vistas, one after another in majestic grandeur, shifted like holographic images, creating an overwhelming sense of splendor.

The Green Grass Paradise, created using "Divine Skill," even as a Virtual World, possessed almost identical powerful functionalities to the real world.

And thus, the divine creation plan was finalized.

The first step was to find a "Mind Control" Ability user to replace the soul of the Opium poppy—yes, the Opium poppy was powerful, but soulless.

It was a very special, Plant-type "Demon," driven purely by instinct.

The Green Grass Civilization had considered adding one of their own spirits to it, to produce greater Intelligence and combat strength.

But the end result saw the spirit suffer severe mutations and ultimately wither away slowly.

Even the Opium poppy began mutating, developing aggressiveness.

It took the Green Grass People centuries to wear away its influence.

However, "Mind Control" Ability users were different; the younger they were, the stronger the "Mind Control."

To separate the soul from the body of a Mind Control child.

And then to transfer that soul to the Opium poppy.

The immense power of "Mind Control," a Divine Skill, could ensure a perfect match for the Opium poppy.

The second step was to infuse most of the Divine Skills and Essence of the Green Grass Civilization into it, to bestow upon it God-like combat abilities.

Of course, this step was difficult.

Even with the capabilities of Mind Control, it was impossible for one person to bear all the Divine Skills—it was an unachievable feat—hence, the Green Grass Civilization settled for the next best thing: to have the spirit forsake all reason!

By completely abandoning rational thought, and paired with a suite of Idealism Technology, the spirit's capacity to handle the load would increase dramatically!

What kind of monster would it be, an entity possessing most of the Divine Skills of its civilization and nearly infinite strength, infinitely more powerful than any "Demon"?!

Lu Yuan listened, breaking into a cold sweat. Compared to this, the nine Divine Skills he possessed were rather modest.

Meanwhile, the "Green Grass Paradise" that harbored countless consciousnesses would become the control center of the deity.

That is to say, the "Mind Control" Ability user, along with the Opium poppy, were merely the "hardware" of the deity; the Virtual World "Green Grass Paradise" was the "software," the brain, and the thoughts.

The "God's" actions would be controlled through the software; that is, through the votes of its members—this idea sounds truly idyllic. Although we have lost our physical forms and entered a Virtual World, we can still ensure the continuation of our idyllic lives and retain the capacity to influence the real world.

In the awe-inspiring conference room, the High Priest said indifferently, "In the societal debate that has lasted a hundred years, citizens who agreed to enter the Green Grass Paradise to avoid the Epoch disaster constitute the overwhelming majority of our civilization, preliminary estimates place it at over ninety percent."

"This is a paradise more perfect than reality."

Ordinary Green Grass People naturally wouldn't object; in fact, they were somewhat eager.

In the Virtual World, overeating wouldn't make one fat, one could freely change one's appearance, customize a partner, leisurely pursue desired arts, and no work was required.

Compared to reality, the Green Grass Paradise was indeed Heaven.

"After entering the Green Grass Paradise, our theoretical lifespan will be the same as that of the Gods."
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"Moreover, this is the only chance at survival that I can foresee. We're not a civilization adept at killing."