Chapter 35: The Sacred Era of the Butterfly Metamorphosis into Myriad Races

"Another batch of young butterflies is nearing the end of their lives."

"It’s about time. It’s almost time for us to bestow our blessings and delay their aging. Let’s go on a journey!"

Three days later, Liu Jun traveled in a butterfly-cage carriage, gliding across the sky above various tribes to bestow his blessings.

Below, the little bugs gazed up with expressions of longing and innocence, praying to and praising the great deity.

"God of Longevity, God of Wisdom!"

"You have brought us civilization, you have brought us clothing, and you have brought us faith~"

Listening to the voices of these callow little bugs, Liu Jun was momentarily reminded of the insect known as Thirteen.

"Truly, year after year the flowers look the same, yet year after year the people are different."

He sat quietly in the sedan, looking down at the sea of flowers and the butterflies fluttering in the sky. "Another batch of young ones. I wonder what new races will emerge..."

He closed his eyes, sensing the cries of countless young children; the emotions of joy, excitement, and aspiration enveloped him. He quite enjoyed the feeling of being adored.

Liu Jun understood that by choosing the *Vanishing Without a Trace* and *Everlasting Life* paths, he was destined to live a long time, witnessing the rise and fall of many more heroes. He would have to grow accustomed to this.

This round of blessings took more than ten days.

As Liu Jun looked down upon the cities along the way, he finally grasped the full extent of this prosperous golden age decades later. The world was now a civilization built entirely upon a sea of flowers. Everywhere one looked, there were horse-drawn carriages adorned with flowers, each covered by a pumpkin-shaped lantern. The urban planning was exquisite, with traffic routes interwoven so perfectly that, when viewed from high above, the city’s layout formed the shape of a massive ribbon. It possessed a unique charm—the aesthetic of a perfectionist.

"It’s the God!"

"It’s the God of Longevity!"

"We praise you!"

The butterflies on the streets were dressed in various thin silks and magnificent feathers, transforming into all sorts of beautiful creatures. In this era, wearing fine clothes was considered the height of beauty, prompting even the non-militant butterflies to cultivate their psychic energy solely to wear more exquisite garments. Many had already become Tier 2 psychic lifeforms.

The air was filled with a subtle floral fragrance, like nectar in a lotus pond; the entire world seemed to be wandering through a sea of blossoms. Where they had once been mere tribes, they had now fully entered the era of city-states.

"This era is not bad at all."

Liu Jun liked this kind of civilization—free from intrigue and as beautiful as a fairy tale.

With the blessing event concluded, Liu Jun agreed to go on an excursion with A-Feng. "Let’s go. Let’s wander across this land together."

...

They went to the meadows of the East Garden and met some new friends. Everyone gathered spontaneously to play and socialize, filled with sincerity and enthusiasm. There was mutual trust, no lies, and no barriers between them. They camped on flowers, took shelter from the rain under trees, and talked at length about their perspectives on beauty.

The days passed in a very interesting manner. Liu Jun enjoyed these days immensely. Compared to the world of scholars outside, this was the only place where his soul could truly find relaxation and peace.

They also passed a peculiar small tribe and saw some strange plants, though these plants looked ugly and were not favored by the beauty-loving butterflies.

"Ah, I’ve heard of this place. It’s the Garden of Strange Woods."

"I heard that evil, ugly witches live inside."

"How terrifying."

"They say that when night falls, these strange trees sprout ghost faces, and dead butterflies are resurrected here!"

The accompanying butterflies chattered incessantly, curious and gossipy, telling ghost stories about this garden.

"We are not strange butterflies!"

At that moment, an indignant yet cute voice rang out. As it turned out, this was a tribe called the "Flower-Butterflies," led by a butterfly named Hua Baishuang.

This butterfly was lively and active, and she introduced their achievements to Liu Jun.

"These are the plants we’ve grafted. They look ugly, strange, and withered, but they can produce more unique fruits. The yield is high, which allows us to feed more of our tribe." Hua Baishuang was very excited. "What is beauty? I believe that which has substance is true beauty."

"My flowers look ugly, but they are laden with fruit and grow many delicious things. As long as you plant them at home, you won't have to worry about food. Dear guests, would you like to buy some of the seeds we’ve cultivated?"

Liu Jun was somewhat surprised. This was a plant expert who had pioneered a method of plant grafting. Upon inquiring, he discovered that the "Flower-Butterfly" race was quite rare and not very populous. When they spun their cocoons, they integrated certain plant structures, making the butterflies themselves look like wood—somewhat lignified. It was as if they were wooden butterfly ornaments; their wings couldn't even flutter, turning into mere decorations. These "gargoyles" relied entirely on psychic energy to fly. Even if hung on the armrest of a chair as a wooden butterfly carving, they wouldn't look out of place.

Moreover, they were skilled at plant grafting, using silk threads to connect and bridge the roots and stems of different plants, perfectly grafting various species onto one another. To Liu Jun, this semi-finished woven creature held great promise. They were a naturally gifted agricultural race!

"This power of yours is very useful," Liu Jun couldn't help but ask. "Doesn't the butterfly leadership promote your race vigorously?"

"They do promote us," Hua Baishuang sighed. "But everything is still based on voluntary choice. Very few bugs are willing to follow our sequence and spin cocoons into 'Flower-Butterflies' these days."

"Every year, I take the elders to the ancestral grounds to promote ourselves energetically to the newborn bugs, trying to pull them into our circle, but very few new members join."

Liu Jun thought about it and wasn't surprised. The internal competition was intense. Various "clubs" went to recruit every year, selling their merits to the young larvae, yet many small clubs still struggled to attract members. Most of the young blood was swept away by the "Angel" club!

Beside him, A-Feng was happily eating the tribe’s exclusive fruit, mumbling, "If you made yourselves look better, you'd have more butterflies."

Hua Baishuang looked troubled. "I want to, but we don't have a new generation. Without enough manpower, we can't optimize the next generation of 'Flower-Butterflies'."

"It's a vicious cycle," Liu Jun concluded.

"Alas, that is how it is."

The butterflies of this era were kind. Before they left, Hua Baishuang gave them some delicious treats and a potted plant covered in fruits. The Amber Phoenix Butterfly was delighted, feeling that they had gotten a bargain, and planned to take it back to place on her windowsill.

"Let’s go, let’s continue our journey!"

This era was wonderful. Along the way, they passed many tribes and were warmly entertained and gifted with many presents. The Earth Butterfly tribe, living in underground caves, gave them a fruit similar to grapes. The Shell Butterflies living in the rivers were even more beautiful. They turned their lovely wings into two patterned shells, and their bodies transformed into pearls. Yes, real pearls. They spun cocoons and underwent keratinization, resulting in pearl-like structures with significant defensive capabilities. The Shell Butterflies invited them to dance in the lake and held a grand underwater palace banquet.

"In this era, a rudimentary marine biological civilization has already emerged?"

...

Next, Liu Jun and A-Feng went to the Angel Grasslands. Although it seemed to be facing a generational gap, it remained the largest club in the world. Every year, without needing to go to the ancestral grounds for publicity, a large number of little bugs filled with dreams chose the Angel sequence to spin their cocoons and become little angels. The entire grassland was filled with bouncing little angels, all bracing themselves to spin their cocoons and become the next generation of Archangels.

There, Liu Jun found the little angels playing a very new recreational activity: Angel Ball. They jumped and kicked the ball to each other, laughing and having a great time.

"At their banquets, the entire sky is filled with dense, bouncing balls colliding with each other. It’s really fun." Liu Jun played with A-Feng for a few days and found it quite amusing; it was a very fulfilling trip.

Afterward, they visited the cities of various races and saw many small groups. They even saw a butterfly that had woven a dinosaur; on its pair of wings grew a small Tyrannosaurus Rex, which was extremely interesting. Liu Jun was delighted and accompanied them to study the aesthetic optimization of dragon-shapes, which shocked the leader of the Tyrannosaurus Butterfly tribe, who entertained them with great enthusiasm for three full days.

They said, "Thank you, thank you so much! After we optimize and become more beautiful this time, we will definitely have more little bugs recognize us when we go to the ancestral grounds to recruit. They will join our big family, develop our population, and optimize our structure!"

A-Feng, on the side, was puzzled. "Why don't you raise some larvae yourselves? That way, they would always join you."

The Tyrannosaurus leader was very angry. "Every one of us bugs is born with the freedom to pursue beauty! We cannot impose our will upon them. They grow up in the ancestral grounds, and we all compete fairly, letting them recognize our aesthetic!"

As butterflies, they took pride in beauty. They went to the ancestral grounds to compete, to show off their splendor, and they blamed no one if they lost. The butterfly-transformation of all races blossomed with the beauty of the Butterfly Era on this land. Those that flew in the sky, those that swam in the water, those that lived in the trees... it was all voluntary! To use such despicable means to force one's aesthetic on others was to destroy their faith in beauty!

The Tyrannosaurus leader was so angry that he drove Liu Jun and A-Feng away overnight, stating that his race did not welcome them.

Liu Jun was speechless. "Don't tell people you are the God of Wisdom."

A-Feng: "Aba, aba."