48 hours later.

Zhou Yi sized up the person before him.

He was draped in a crane cloak, with a high crown and white hair, holding a fly whisk in his hand. His eyes were clear and his face strikingly handsome—the quintessential lead in a period drama.

This was the Dream Demon who had been trapped by the Evil Brain and was now released after being repaired by Sun Hao.

"I am Canghai Jun, thank you for your assistance."

The other party nodded in gratitude.

Zhou Yi realized: "Like Concept Life, you can also appear in a form that we can understand and imagine?"

"Indeed."

Canghai Jun said: "People always feel fear and unease towards the unknown, but feel much more at peace with what is familiar to them."

"Dream designing is the same. Every dream seems absurd and bizarre, yet it is composed of the dreamer's experiences or observations to ensure a sufficient sense of safety. Otherwise, it's an invalid dream and the dreamer would immediately wake up."

Zhou Yi pointed to the sofa on one side of the laboratory: "Please, have a seat."

Canghai Jun sat down immediately, still with his shoulders and back straight, exhibiting perfect manners.

"Sun Huai said you wove four layers of dreams inside? I heard that's tough? What's the maximum number of dream layers that can be created?"

The other party responded: "Though troublesome, anyone of the Light Core Level can manage four dream layers. The hardest part is leaving hints for other Dream Demons within the four-layer dreams, while preventing those insects from digging further and causing damage."

"So I created five and a half layers of dreams. The fifth layer was for the insects, and the half layer in between temporarily housed them. However, this was merely a provisional measure, and over time, it would still be torn apart, requiring us to start over."

He spoke calmly and with composure: "The limit of dreams is eighteen layers. The deeper the dream, the more confined and closed it becomes, causing dreamers to feel naturally uneasy and frightened."

"Many ancient humans had entered eighteen-layer dreams. Some went insane after damaging parts of their consciousness, while others recorded their experiences in vague words, calling it the Eighteen Layers of Hell."

Zhou Yi followed up: "You witnessed the entire era of ancient humanity."

"Indeed."

Canghai Jun nodded: "Ancient humanity was an extraordinary group. With their not-so-strong hands and brilliant minds, they created powers comparable to gods. They were the unquestioned rulers of their era, and it was the easiest time for us to live."

"Back then, there was no need for us to fix dreams, reduce destructive consciousness, or dilute excessive joy and excitement. The civilization built by ancient humanity balanced all these."

"During their presence, Dream Demons faced little pressure. We could extract the necessary Consciousness Fragments from their powerful minds, resulting in the highest birth rate of Dream Demons in history."

"We mainly assisted them, delivering the needed sweet dreams and creating stimulating nightmares for those bored with life."

A trace of nostalgia appeared on his face.

"That was the golden age of Dream Demons."

Zhou Yi asked: "When the Circular Flow erupted, why did you erase the related records from the Great Holy Spirit?"

Canghai Jun's bright eyes immediately dimmed.

He began slowly: "The eruption of the Circular Flow from the sun caused most ancient humans to become extinct instantly, and over ninety percent of the dreams we created were destroyed. The dream spaces painstakingly cultivated and built over many years were shattered by high-energy impacts. The conscious side and material side entangled and intermingled in utter chaos. It was the first time we were forced to expose ourselves to the external gaze, unable to hide."

"Therefore, the eighty-one Dream Weavers collectively decided to seal information about the Circular Flow impact with the Great Holy Spirit to prevent our identities from being known to other life forms, which would lead to the dreams being rejected and resisted."

Indeed.

The Dream Demons sealed this information for their safety and to protect their hidden identities.

Zhou Yi pressed further: "What happened then?"

"At that time... the world changed drastically."

Canghai Jun seemed to be lost in memory: "The surviving ancient humans fell into panic. Driven by extreme fear, they frequently started fighting each other, losing control, falling into despair, and heading towards destruction."

"The resilient species, however, underwent a degree of mutation under the impact of the Circular Flow, enough to threaten and suppress the ancient humans. They were the first Guangna Species."

"With conscious life and material life mixed and intertwined, the world's two sides interacted and confused to a high degree, leading to various species intermixing deeply. Everything became unstable, and many new species were born."

"For instance, the descendants of ancient humans include today's new humans on the surface, sea people in the Dead Sea, Mountain Dogs among the Guangna Species, and Bone Men."

Zhou Yi was stunned.

Red Monsters and Mountain Dogs are all descendants of ancient humans?

He immediately recalled Sha Lang's firm words, claiming they were humans living in the Dead Sea, not monsters.

That was not a lie.

Bone Men were the easiest to understand. Ancient human corpses mutated under Death Light radiation had a chance of creating Bone Men, similar to Mechanical Life.

Plus, the consciousness fields during the Circular Flow eruption would cause human corpses near those fields to nurture Bone Men as well.

Zhou Yi was curious: "How did ancient humans evolve into sea people and Mountain Dogs? Was it through interbreeding with other species?"

"No. Hybrids don't have reproductive capabilities and can't sustain continuous propagation."

Canghai Jun shook his head: "From what I know, ancient humans living underground in the Dead Sea experienced body shrinkage under Death Light radiation, showing an atavistic phenomenon, and eventually turning into sea people."

"Another group of ancient humans, living in high-altitude regions far from the Dead Sea but severely exposed to Death Light radiation, faced rapid aging and weakening, making survival equally difficult."

"However, those areas had a special phenomenon. The ground had light flows that didn't harm humans, but rather, provided comfort, alleviating pain and sores."

"Local people entered these flows to seek treatment, merging with Guangna Species dogs also in the flows, leading to the creation of the Mountain Dog group."

Zhou Yi was greatly astonished: "Is this possible? Directly merging two species?"

"Indeed. This was possible at the start of the Circular Flow eruption, but less so later on."

"Maintaining stability post-mergence was difficult too. Mountain Dogs were among the few successful examples of that phase, considered an ancient human evolutionary path. They retained basic intelligence and collaboration abilities while gaining the strong physical traits of Guangna Species dogs."

Canghai Jun gently said: "Ancient humans came up with many methods for survival, most of which ended in failure. They ultimately endured the most difficult period. Back then, all we could do was bring them some sweet dreams..."

Zhou Yi internally asked Xiao Fu.

"What is the light flow that combines species?"

"It's the Primordial Soup."

Xiao Fu said: "It can restructure existing life forms. After the Circular Flow eruption, many life forms were decomposed and merged, forming localized Primordial Soup flows. A part of the Guangna Species might have emerged from that."

Having figured this out.

Zhou Yi continued: "When did the Heavenly People descend after the Circular Flow eruption?"

Canghai Jun shook his head: "Those who came to this world were the tools of Heavenly People. The most famous among them is the Light Core Giant, which, although a life form, is merely one of their controlled artificial beings."

"Unfortunately, Dream Demons never had direct contact with the Heavenly People."

"Their interest in this world was limited to the material side, never the conscious side."

"It was the Heavenly People's Delegate who contacted us."

Zhou Yi's thoughts raced: "Since you witnessed the complete eras' succession, who was the first Heavenly People's Delegate, and how were they created?"

"The first Heavenly People's Delegate was named Number One. Internally, these delegates are addressed by code numbers."

Canghai Jun said: "Number One was an ancient human."

Zhou Yi pondered.

So ancient humans were still alive?

"But she died long ago."

"How did she die?"

"Suicide."

"What?"

Nostalgia flickered in Canghai Jun's eyes: "Number One was one of the surviving ancient humans. Chosen by the Heavenly People, she selected various life forms for them and sent them to the sky... Unable to bear the lonely, negative life, she ended her life about a century later."

"Only after her did more delegates appear. Initially, the Heavenly People might have thought one delegate was sufficient. After Number One's death, they realized that loneliness was a deadly poison to humans."

Zhou Yi asked: "Any surviving ancient humans now?"

"No."

Canghai Jun shook his head: "The few ancient humans surviving back then also suffered from Severe Circular Flow radiation, drastically shortening their lifespans."

"We know little about the Heavenly People. What we do know is their interest in this place focused only on the life forms and Earth as a celestial body. They ignored consciousness and the Great Holy Spirit."

He suddenly changed the subject: "Does Chairman Zhou know about 404 City? This Mechanical City is a mystery, largely unnoticed but occasionally showing power far beyond external imagination."

"In fact, 404 City is deep within the oceanic mantle."

"Not just a city, it is a massive conical structure crafted by the Heavenly People with gemstones, deeply embedded in Earth's interior like a nail."

"404 City, being a centralized prison for Mechanical Life, forces the mechanical prisoners to sleep and uses their bodies for labor to excavate deep underground. This is the true purpose of the city."

"It is a giant apparatus created by the Heavenly People, maintained and operated by their delegates."

This revelation shocked Zhou Yi.

A city made of Heavenly People's gemstones.

Underground excavation project.

He thought of the dual towers beneath the Moon and the vast Gem Pool deeper down.

Zhou Yi asked: "What do the Heavenly People want to excavate from Earth's interior?"

"Number One once told us."

Canghai Jun said: "The Heavenly People want Earth itself. They intend to activate and collect it."

Zhou Yi was stunned.

They came to the Solar System, wanting not only to bundle up the Sun but also snatch away Earth!

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