Chapter 144: The Evolutionary Limit of Level Three Life

Qin Hao left the star-energy extractor base established by the Ancient Demon race and resumed his search for their traces.

Seven hours later, the Ancient Demon race had suffered a loss of over five thousand members.

Some fleeing Ancient Demons managed to track down their surviving companions and spread the news, filled with utter terror toward the human known as Qin Hao. They realized that among the native civilized races of this planet, there existed a genius powerhouse capable of single-handedly wiping out the Ancient Demons.

Consequently, they desperately hoped to dispatch stronger reinforcements to suppress Qin Hao.

However, Qin Hao did not continue his massacre.

The time for the Kayan civilization's invasion was rapidly approaching.

Qin Hao needed to go and harvest genetic materials.

Manipulating the spatial teleportation disk, Qin Hao made a few transfers and returned to Mount Hua.

Though he had been gone for only eight hours, the base at Mount Hua had undergone a drastic transformation.

While Qin Hao had previously arranged for the Evolvers to settle on Mount Hua, the trees at the foot of the mountain had now been cleared away, and rows upon rows of buildings had sprung up.

Not only that, but the dense forests that once stood below had been entirely uprooted and replaced with cultivated farmland.

In a mere eight hours, some of the land had already produced mature crops.

Such a feat could only be achieved by at least a Level 3 Evolver.

The food produced by a single Level 3 Evolver could sustain thousands of people, making those who mastered wood-element abilities exceptionally valuable.

In addition to this, a massive pond had been constructed right next to the hero base, filled entirely with mutant octopuses—clearly provided by the people from the urban areas.

Heroes and Evolvers from various cities had all contributed their share of effort.

Naturally, this included the virus-repelling potions shipped over from Kyoto, as zombies were still roaming within An City, requiring constant vigilance.

Furthermore, people from another city had discovered that mixing the corpses of the Liquid-men with cement created an extraordinarily sturdy building material. According to tests, structures built this way could withstand a full-force punch from a Level 2 life Evolver.

Rivers converge into the vast sea, embracing all streams to achieve greatness; towering cliffs stand firm for a thousand fathoms, unyielding through absolute self-control.

At this moment, no one harbored selfish motives; everyone simply wanted to develop rapidly.

Those who merely wished to survive would exhaust every possible means to advance themselves.

Qin Hao felt a sense of gratification.

However, some changes of uncertain consequence had also emerged within the base. Because everyone had arrived from various places, and heroes had to team up with Evolvers to acquire more star-energy crystals, various factions had begun to form—though they referred to their groups as teams rather than bases.

When many people constructed their houses, they would add a small attic on top, using metal or clay to shape characters on the roof that spelled out their team's name.

The simplest divisions were based on regions.

The An City Hero Team, the Ning City Hero Team, the Yangchuan Hero Team, and so on.

There were also hastily assembled ones, such as the Eagle Team, the Fierce Tiger Team, and the Dragon Might Team.

Before the apocalypse, calling a group by such names would not only feel profoundly cringe-worthy and childish, but even if they genuinely became a regional force, they would have been targeted by crime-suppression campaigns.

Yet every era produces its own phenomena, and at this time, teams were an indispensable model. Everyone had to accept this reality, huddling together for warmth in order to survive.

Qin Hao walked toward the designated gathering point of the Firmament Base and found nearly six hundred people already waiting there, chatting amongst themselves in groups. Since the apocalypse, such relaxing moments had been rare, as even the slightest noise could attract hunting predators.

The moment Qin Hao appeared, he was immediately recognized. Everyone stood up and directed their gazes toward him with profound respect.

Someone in the crowd took the lead in greeting him, prompting others to join in until their voices merged into a chorus.

"Mr. Qin."

"Mr. Qin, you're back?"

"Good afternoon, Mr. Qin."

Qin Hao nodded, then projected his mental power outward.

"Prepare to move out."

Only then did the crowd halt their urge to converse with Qin Hao and fell in behind his footsteps.

At that very moment, Zihui walked out of the villa and hurried over to Qin Hao's side.

"We can talk as we walk, and I'll head right back once we're done," Zihui said, racing against time.

"Alright," Qin Hao nodded.

He knew that the hero base still looked to him as its leader, and Zihui consistently respected his opinions on matters.

"These bases have the idea of huddling together for warmth, which is why various teams have been formed. I'm sure you've noticed. We've also been considering whether we should establish a Firmament Team, or operate under the official name of the hero base instead."

Li岚's idea was to take the official route, ensuring that the people of the Firmament Base naturally held the right to speak, and there was no denying that the heroes within the Firmament Base possessed greater strength.

"What are your thoughts?" Qin Hao asked.

Zihui opened her mouth to speak, hesitating for a moment, but knowing that time waited for no one, she quickly said, "Li Lan wants to establish an official faction, but I think it's better to form a hero team as well. I just feel that in the present era, there is no such thing as an official authority; everyone's goal is simply to survive, rather than having someone manage the rest. Imposing management might trigger a backlash from others."

In the past, such backlashes could be suppressed with military force, but now everyone had knives, guns, and superpowers—how could anyone suppress them?

Zihui remembered the most solemn thing Qin Hao had said when he went to Kyoto.

He disliked infighting.

Qin Hao gave Zihui a deep look and said, "Then let's establish a hero team as well."

A smile bloomed on Zihui's face. The survivors trailing behind Qin Hao looked on—the men with expressions of infatuation, and the women with boundless envy, wishing they too could live like Zihui and remain a goddess.

"Very well, but I don't think the word 'team' sounds all that impressive. How about we call it the Firmament Sect instead?"

Hearing it that way made it sound like some legendary immortal cultivation sect.

Qin Hao also found it much more pleasing to the ear.

In a relaxed tone, he joked, "It seems you've thought this through and pondered over it for a long time! That sounds great, let's go with that."

"Thank you for the compliment." Zihui's spirits soared. She rarely saw Qin Hao smile; he was usually far too solemn, as if he buried all his concerns deep within his heart. However, realizing she could not indulge in such peaceful and cheerful moments for long, she reined in her smile and continued, "Ling Bo came looking for me, applying to use the base maintenance funds for research. Of course, the mayor of Lian City also came over, though he probably just wanted to see you and express his gratitude. Judging by his words, it seems many people from Lian City want to move here. At the very least, survivors from An City are starting to migrate in this direction. Should we take them in?"

"Provide Ling Bo with the funding; if it's not enough, draw from my personal account. Accept the people coming from An City as well. I'll go see him later."

"Understood. Also, I've noticed that among the survivors, there are still quite a few children. Should we set up a school to teach them how to fight, along with some basic principles?"

Hearing Zihui's words, Qin Hao's thoughts drifted slightly.

Among the various civilizations in the universe, certain races reproduced offspring that were born as powerhouses. Perhaps right at birth, they possessed god-tier talents, and upon reaching adulthood, they were already Level 7 Evolvers—much like the Son of God he had killed back then.