Chapter 11: With the Strength of the Entire Tribe, One Last Extraordinary Evolution

"What the heck is this nonsense? 'Slack-Off Dao'? And what the heck is faith supposed to be?" Bai Ze frowned in confusion.

[Ding! Every creature should have faith in their hearts. If their faith is directed toward the Host, it will generate Faith Points.]

[Note: 1 Faith Point equals 100 Creation Points.]

"Faith Points? This thing's so lucrative?" Bai Ze exclaimed with delight.

One Faith Point was equivalent to a whopping 100 Creation Points?!

[Late Third Era: Firm believers in the Slack-Off Dao are convinced that as long as they wait, they will eventually be reborn. After all, with no hands, no feet, and inherently weak bodies, isn't lying flat and doing nothing exactly what the divine intended?]

[You observe that the creatures, fully embracing this philosophy, have ceased all development. They eat, drink, sleep, and perform the bare necessities, spending their remaining time worshiping their imagined "Divine Creator" in the skies.]

[Faith Points +1.]

"This is so slow. Looks like earning faith isn't that easy." Bai Ze rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

To generate more faith, he needed to make the creatures aware of his greatness and inspire their worship. However, judging by their current state, they were likely only tricked into believing in his existence due to their own stupidity and the white apes' deception. Their belief was neither absolute nor deeply loyal, which explained the meager amount of faith being generated.

[End of the Third Era: As the creatures refuse to evolve and live lazily, the world begins to deteriorate rapidly. Massive plant die-offs lead to a shrinking landmass and ocean areas.]

[Yet the creatures remain indifferent to these changes, clinging to their hope for divine salvation and doing nothing to alter their fate.]

[Early Fourth Era: Unlike the other creatures, the saber-toothed tiger species created from Clay Manufacture exhibits a different path. Their leader, revered as the Saber-Toothed Tiger King, is a being of exceptional wisdom!]

[The king firmly believes that waiting for divine blessings is futile. To overcome the genetic flaws of living beings, one must evolve constantly and tirelessly evolve!]

"Well, now we've got ourselves a materialist warrior, huh?" Bai Ze chuckled.

It was like seeing a rare clear-headed individual among a sea of deluded followers.

Bai Ze grew more curious, eager to see how the Saber-Toothed Tiger King's belief in evolution would pan out.

[Mid-Fourth Era: The world's decay accelerates, leaving the once-indifferent creatures slightly panicked as their food sources dwindle.]

[However, their ingrained laziness keeps them tied to their blind hope for salvation. They remain idle, relying solely on their faith.]

[Meanwhile, the Saber-Toothed Tiger King leads its kind in relentless effort and development, carving out a place for themselves in a world dominated by apex predators.]

[Late Fourth Era: A second cosmic voice reverberates through the universe, this time heard only by the Saber-Toothed Tiger King.]

[While wandering along the coastline, the king discovers a smooth blue-and-white pebble washed ashore by giant waves.]

"Blue crystal again? So this second event seems similar to the last one," Bai Ze mused.

It appeared the Alien Visitor trait wasn't randomizing "fortuitous encounters" but instead providing fixed events at roughly the same intervals.

With this realization, Bai Ze's dream of infinitely refreshing for better opportunities was dashed.

"Well... at least now I know. Guess the gamma-ray burst is next," Bai Ze muttered listlessly.

[End of the Fourth Era: The Saber-Toothed Tiger King swallows the blue crystal, triggering a transformation. Its body becomes coated in radiant golden fur, and its forelimbs grow longer and sharper, earning it the title "Golden Tiger King" among its kin.]

[Unfortunately, even after the transformation, it cannot fully restore its missing hind leg, nor does it overcome its innate physical frailty.]

[Simultaneously, the world's decline reaches its nadir. Plants wither en masse, sandstorms ravage the globe, and most species devoted to the Slack-Off Dao face extinction.]

[The white ape tribe, the original proponents of divine faith, becomes one of the first to perish, leaving the surviving species in a state of panic.]

"..." Bai Ze's face twitched with exasperation.

Faith in the divine?

It seemed the white apes had outsmarted themselves, ultimately leading to their own demise.

On second thought, though, it didn't matter much.

With the Alien Visitor mystery mostly solved, the faster these creatures went extinct, the sooner the cooldown period would reset.

[Early Fifth Era: The slackers attempt to rise, but the world's decay has progressed too far to be reversed.]

[They roar toward the heavens in despair, questioning if the divine had deceived them all along. Was there ever any rebirth to begin with, or was this all just a divine ploy to wipe them out?]

[Mid-Fifth Era: The world enters a phase of near-total desolation. Only a handful of species survive, mostly microscopic life forms.]

[Leading the last of the saber-toothed tigers, the Golden Tiger King stands atop a mountain, gazing at the devastated world with deep regret. Resolving to give its all, it decides to make one final stand!]

"Oh wow, things are heating up!"

This was like watching an epic doomsday movie unfold.

Bai Ze wanted nothing more than a tub of popcorn and a soda as he watched the scene play out.

[Late Fifth Era: The remaining saber-toothed tigers sacrifice themselves, transferring their stored spiritual energy to the Golden Tiger King, which devours it all.]

[You observe the Golden Tiger King writhing in agony as the overwhelming power pushes its body to the brink of explosion.]

"Wait, is it about to" Bai Ze's voice trailed off.

He stared wide-eyed at the Golden Tiger King, anticipating what was to come.

As he had suspected, the moment unfolded exactly as he had foreseen.

[End of the Fifth Era: Fueled by its unyielding will, the Golden Tiger King channels immense energy, breaking through its limits and undergoing a miraculous transformation!]

[You witness the king sprout a pair of pure white wings, its golden fur glowing with divine light. Its missing leg is restored, and its frailty vanishes entirely, leaving it radiant and rejuvenated!]

[The sky fills with surging spiritual energy as purple mists roll in from the east, parting the clouds. Beams of celestial light descend upon the Golden Tiger King, converging upon its form. Even the decayed world begins to heal as if celebrating the birth of a new king!]

[Ding! A transcendent creature, Cloud-Winged Tiger King, has been born!]