I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early-Chapter 717 - 532: What is the Epoch Disaster?_2

“If the water in the pool can turn intelligent life into [Ghosts], then the number of [Ghosts] in the world would be countless.”

“Which means only ‘Mythical’ beings are qualified to turn into [Ghosts]. That would explain why the number of [Ghosts] isn’t very large. That Snake-man Emperor was born a Mythical being…”

“Moreover, the greatly overpowered abilities of [Ghosts] can now be explained. These entities were already Mythical-level beings to begin with, and after massive amplification, don’t they just become these horrifying existences?”

Lu Yuan scratched his ears and head, his brain feeling a bit overheated.

“There’s another clue—the Snake-man [Ghost] was split into two halves…”

“I thought of two explanations: first, some powerful civilization later split its body into two parts.”

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“But there’s another possibility: it split itself.”

“The Snake-man Emperor harbored great caution toward that pool. He might have taken certain precautions… dividing his body as a form of self-restraint to prevent mass slaughter of his own kind after losing sanity.”

“Because of this, the Snake-man [Ghost] doesn’t move during the day and only comes out at night.”

“Was this characteristic part of those precautions?… Well, luckily so, otherwise humanity wouldn’t have had any chance to breathe and would have been crushed even in daylight.”

Lu Yuan racked his brains and, up to this point, felt a faint sense of relief.

Precautions taken countless years ago were still effective at this moment!

“By the way, the fact that this place can become a stepping stone for interstellar civilizations to escape might also be related to the self-limitation of the Snake-man [Ghost].”

“Such self-restrained [Ghosts] are rare, perhaps possessing a certain mystical nature, which is why this place was transformed into a special Different Space.”

Having analyzed this far, Lu Yuan hit a mental wall and couldn’t continue deducing. Even after recalling for a long time, he couldn’t uncover more clues.

He could only settle for the second-best option: analyzing what the pool ultimately was.

“That thing should be infinite Ideal Energy, but who knows where it came from…”

“Now, in the Snake-man Palace, there’s also a pool, but it no longer contains infinite energy. The Life Spring inside can extend life, its effects are incredibly powerful, but the Spirit Essence within is extremely scarce.”

“In other words, could it be that the Snake-man Emperor became a [Ghost] by devouring the core of the pool that provided infinite energy?”

Could that pool be the Epoch Disaster itself?

Lu Yuan felt… that was unlikely.

On one hand, the information about the Epoch Disaster itself was clearly taboo and couldn’t be easily traced back.

The information he currently accessed wasn’t highly toxic; otherwise, those archaeologists would have already suffered backlash or perished from it.

On the other hand, [Ghosts] themselves are not the Epoch Disaster.

They merely emerged as a product created to resist the Epoch Disaster.

So what exactly is the Epoch Disaster? Lu Yuan racked his brain, combining the known information from the past. He almost felt like his brain was about to explode.

“Is the Epoch Disaster a person?”

“Those outsiders in black veils demanded a population of ten million.”

“This indicates that even in an era of infinite Spirit Essence, population still matters. If that’s the case, then the Epoch Disaster could very well be a person.”

This “person” broadly refers to an extraordinarily powerful intelligent being.

Thinking along these lines made Lu Yuan feel uneasy.

Whether it’s one person or a group of people, they occupy the top of the ecological niche. Even [Ghosts] transformed from Mythical-level beings are not their match. Peak Civilizations encountering them can only flee.

Lu Yuan was so overwhelmed by his train of thought that sweat poured out of him, steam rising from his overheated body.

Of course, there is another possibility regarding the Epoch Disaster.

People like Hai Zhiyun speculate that the Epoch Disaster originates from outer space, beyond the atmosphere.

What could it be, according to images traced in historical retrospection?

Lu Yuan compared and analyzed the sky of the First Epoch with the current sky.

The answer could very well be: the Sun!

The Sun of the First Epoch never set!

Whereas the Sun of the Ninth Epoch rises in the east and sets in the west, resembling the regular physical world.

Coupled with the fact that the Sun emits endless light and heat, doesn’t that precisely exemplify the phenomenon of infinite energy?

More intriguingly, what is the Sun of the Pangu Continent exactly?

The answer is: unknown.

Actually, human experts have long wanted to study what the Sun truly is.

Given the sheer size of the Pangu Continent, could it truly complete a rotation in 24 hours?

Impossible. If the Pangu Continent were in the form of a planet, its rotational speed required for a day-night cycle in 24 hours would generate massive hurricanes, flinging everything off its surface.

The only explanation is that something is off with the Sun itself. It is omnipresent, capable of radiating every corner.

“No, it’s also possible that something is amiss with another Constant Star beyond the Sun. If every Constant Star is a source of Ideal Energy dissemination, those pools might be connected to other Constant Stars, hence becoming what they are now… Could it be that monsters from other stars were brought here?”

Various fragmented clues flooded Lu Yuan’s mind, making it hard to discern truth from fiction. Ultimately, he could only sigh deeply: “The depths of this water are really unfathomable.”

“Do you understand?” the Old Snake Man asked.

“I understand a little bit, but it’s certainly beyond what I can solve.” Lu Yuan said helplessly.

“It’s good that you recognize that.”

Then, everyone just stared at each other silently for a long time.

Lu Yuan suddenly proposed a suggestion: “Honorable seniors, how about we talk about the Ancient Insects? One of them could be considered my noble benefactor, having gifted me the Immortal Palace and the Ancient Insect Horn.”

“If you have any wealth, you could trade with it. Its item transmission function can still operate normally.”

“That’s fine… How about we establish a foundation?” the Crystal Man suddenly suggested.

“What?” Lu Yuan was startled and couldn’t react immediately.

“You possess this Immortal Palace and are passively awaiting visitors here. In the end, you might not gain anything, given that this relic dates back to the Third Epoch—it’s far too ancient.”

“Let the Ancient Insect actively act as a ‘civilization relic,’ draw in some Civilization Points. It’s not exactly swindling; it’s mutual support, promoting shared development in the Ninth Epoch!” the Crystal Man declared righteously.

Lu Yuan was intrigued: “Wait, but wouldn’t our human knowledge end up becoming commonplace junk? Wouldn’t that pose a risk?”

“Hah, so what?! Your pathetic Third-level Civilization knowledge—500 points of Luck in exchange—deal or no deal?!”

Lu Yuan immediately said: “Deal! Deal!”

Trade between civilizations involving materialistic knowledge is relatively straightforward.

Since all civilizations can utilize the same materialistic rules, as long as there is talent and resources, it works.

But the trade of Ideal knowledge often hits bottlenecks. Take for example the Yingyu Tree, the Tree of Life—these unique species cannot be traded; even if you were given the knowledge, it would be useless.

Even the shell of the Undying Giant Turtle is a key trading material.

Without the shell, many engravings cannot be smoothly etched, making it ten times more difficult than before.

Under these circumstances, trading Third-level Civilization knowledge for 500 points of Luck is absolutely profitable!

…