kingnovel Chapter 1146 illuminated the arduous path of humankind's progress.
Chapter 1146 illuminated the arduous path of humankind's progress.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar exploded deep within Su Mingyi's consciousness.
The dust he transformed into finally coalesced into a real planet through countless collisions and fusions.
Its surface appeared to be scorched by flames, with molten lava surging like a raging torrent, and red light shining like a burning flame, illuminating the endless void around it, just like a blazing fireball.
Su Mingyi's consciousness was like a light, floating cloud, suspended at the core of the planet. He could clearly feel the pulse of this planet, and each beat was like a surging wave, accompanied by a surge of powerful energy.
He began to actively guide the energy that was drawn to him like moths to a flame, allowing it to flow smoothly and according to certain rules within the planet.
He recalled the mysterious and unpredictable cultivation techniques of the Immortal Realm, and the profound and mysterious mysteries of the Great Dao of Life. The energy containing the breath of life was carefully extracted by him, like precious gems, and injected into the surface of the planet.
Time flies like an arrow; the magma on the planet's surface gradually cools and solidifies into hard rock, resembling an impregnable fortress.
The energy containing the power of water condensed like elves in the crevices of the rocks, transforming into the initial water vapor, drifting like a light veil.
As the water vapor cools at high altitudes, it transforms into crystal-clear raindrops, like dancing fairies, and gently falls onto the rocks.
This was a rain that lasted for tens of thousands of years, like a melodious piece of music playing across the planet.
Rainwater gathered in the low-lying areas of the rocks, forming the original ocean. The blue seawater was like a huge sapphire, rippling on the surface of the planet and reflecting the light of distant galaxies, shining brightly.
Su Mingyi could sense that the seawater contained an extremely rich source of life, the purest gift of the universe.
He incorporated his understanding of the Way of Life into this ocean.
First came single-celled organisms, born in the seawater, tiny and fragile, yet possessing tenacious vitality.
They kept dividing and evolving, and gradually, multicellular organisms appeared in the ocean, including plankton of various shapes, crustaceans with hard shells, and algae that swayed in the breeze.
Su Mingyi's consciousness spread like a tide to every corner of the ocean, feeling the birth and growth of these lives.
He saw a fish, like a nimble sprite, swaying its tail and moving freely in the water;
He saw a seashell, like a sleeping beauty, slowly opening its shell to absorb nutrients from the seawater;
He saw a seaweed, like a graceful dancer, stretching its branches and leaves and releasing oxygen as it was washed by the water.
The breath of life, like the rich fragrance of flowers, grows ever stronger.
As time went by, marine life, like a swarm of locusts crossing a river, began to migrate en masse towards the land.
First came the amphibians, who, like wet warriors, dragged their weary bodies up the hard rocks, greedily breathing in the fresh air.
Then there are the reptiles, covered in scales, like steel warriors, running and hunting across the land with lightning speed.
Then came mammals, which nourish their offspring with warm milk and possess more complex emotions, caring for their children like loving mothers.
Su Mingyi saw the rise of the forest, with tall trees rising from the ground like giants, blocking out the sky and the sun;
I saw the vastness of the grassland, with herds of cattle and sheep running across it like twinkling stars.
I saw the majestic mountains, with snow covering the peaks like a fairy dressed in silver, surrounded by clouds and mist, just like a fairyland.
He witnessed the birth of humankind, how they gradually progressed from primitive tribes that ate raw meat and drank blood to civilization, how they learned to use fire, how to make tools, how to cultivate crops, and how to write.
They established city-states, created writing, developed culture, and composed magnificent epics.
The ancient sky hung low, as dark as ink.
The earth was cracked like rotten wood, and a fierce wind swept sand and gravel across the barren plain.
In this world where gods and demons surround us and ferocious beasts roam freely, the human race is as insignificant as a candle flickering in the wind.
At that time, the miasma-filled forests harbored man-eating poisonous insects, and the frozen wastelands were home to giant beasts with exposed fangs. Disease and hunger were ever-present companions.
Each sunrise became a lifeline that humanity had to fight with all its might to grasp.
In this desperate situation where life hung by a thread, Shennong embarked on a journey to find the elixir of life.
He was draped in animal skins, barefoot, treading over sharp stones and thorns, with a pottery jar hanging from his waist containing the tribe's last half-sack of millet.
At that time, when a member of the tribe contracted the disease, he could only lie on animal skins groaning, his wounds festering and oozing pus, he would have a fever and cough up blood, and eventually die silently in agony.
Shennong saw this and felt pain in his heart. He looked up at the rolling green mountains and resolutely stepped into the malarial forest that no one had ever dared to enter before.
The forest was shrouded in poisonous fog, making it impossible to see a person more than five steps away. The sap of poisonous plants would cause redness and ulceration if it came into contact with the skin, and poisonous snakes lurked under the fallen leaves, flicking their tongues.
Shennong did not back down. He parted the tangled vines, bent down and picked up the various plants, first bringing them to his nose to smell them, then carefully tearing off a leaf and putting it in his mouth to chew.
Bitterness, spiciness, numbness, itching, and even excruciating pain spread from the tip of the tongue to every part of the body.
Countless times, he vomited black blood and convulsed after accidentally ingesting poisonous herbs, barely managing to stay alive by relying on the antidote roots he had found beforehand.
Countless times, he lost his way in the mountains and forests, was soaked to the bone by torrential rain, and survived the long nights by eating tree bark and wild fruits...
Time etched deep lines on his face, and his hands were scarred from the corrosive effects of poisonous plants, yet the bamboo slips in his hands gradually became filled with writing:
Gelsemium elegans: It has a pungent taste and is highly poisonous. Contact with it will cause vomiting, and those who accidentally ingest it will have their intestines broken within seven days.
Isatis root: It is cool in nature. The leaves can be decocted and taken orally to treat heat rash caused by heat toxins.
……
Spring goes and autumn comes, flowers bloom and fade!
Countless years passed, and when Shennong returned to his tribe, exhausted, he brought back not only a basket full of herbs, but also the hope for humanity to fight against disease.
He stood on the earthen platform in the center of the tribe, his voice hoarse yet powerful, meticulously explaining the effects and contraindications of each herb. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on his hunched yet upright spine, a testament to the unyielding pride of the human ancestors in the face of adversity.
Reflecting Shennong's benevolence was the spark ignited by Suiren.
Before the advent of fire, the nights for humans were endless darkness and cold.
Under the cover of night, ferocious beasts sneak into the tribe, snatching away sleeping children. The tribespeople can only huddle deep in the caves, relying on each other's body heat to resist the cold, and swallowing raw, bloody beast meat. Stomach cramps are a common occurrence.
It was a night when lightning struck the forest. Suirenshi witnessed with his own eyes how the dead trees struck by lightning burst into flames. The flames licked the tree trunks, making crackling sounds, and the wild beasts around fled. Near the fire, there was a comforting warmth.
A thought struck him, and ignoring his clansmen's advice, he walked toward the flickering flame.
The flames burned his palms, but they also ignited a light in his eyes.
From then on, Suirenshi began his experiment of making fire by drilling wood.
He found some dry flint and a hard flint, gripped the tip of the flint tightly with both hands, and rubbed the wood again and again.
My palms were blistered and bleeding. The blisters burst and scabbed over. My arms ached so much that I could barely lift them, but the flame I had been expecting never appeared.
His people advised him to give up, saying that fire was a gift from the gods and that mortals should not presume to ask for it.
Suirenshi remained silent, simply repeating the monotonous and arduous actions with each sunrise and sunset.
Countless flints were worn down, and countless drops of sweat were shed...
But he never gave up.
Finally, one evening, when sparks from the friction between the stone and the wood landed on the dry mugwort, a wisp of smoke slowly rose, followed by tiny flames leaping out.
Looking at the orange-red flame, Suirenshi was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.
He carried the burning mugwort and ran to every corner of the tribe, spreading the fire to every household.
The firelight illuminated the dark cave, and the roasted meat emitted an enticing aroma, deterring the ferocious beasts from approaching easily.
The tribespeople sat around the fire, their faces beaming with long-lost smiles.
That fire not only dispelled the cold and fear, but also ignited the spark of human civilization, giving the tiny human race the confidence to stop and warm themselves in this cruel world.
The appearance of Fuxi, however, cleaved the chaotic world for the bewildered human race.
At that time, although humans had herbs and fire, they were still plagued by food shortages. They relied on searching for wild fruits and hunting small wild animals to survive, and often did not have enough to eat.
Fuxi stood on the banks of the Yellow River, watching the fish swimming in the water and the birds circling in the sky, and fell into deep thought.
He observed the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth every day, watching birds spread their wings, and then, imitating the shape of birds, he carved wood into bows and made bamboo into arrows.
Watching the fish wag their tails, they weave fine fishing nets and cast them into the water to catch them.
When the first fishing net hauled in a full catch of fresh fish, and the first arrow struck a bird in flight, the tribespeople cheered with joy. From that moment on, the tribe's food supply was finally secured.
But Fuxi's vision had long since transcended the immediate concerns of food and clothing.
He looked up at the celestial phenomena, observing the movement of the sun, moon, and stars; he looked down at the geography, observing the course of mountains and rivers; he also observed the markings of birds and beasts, and their suitability to the land, drawing inspiration from his own body and from all things around him…
Fuxi sat on the divination platform, deep in thought, condensing the changes of heaven and earth and all things into the two lines of yin and yang.
Finally, the eight trigrams—Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui—emerged.
Simple symbols contain the laws governing the operation of heaven and earth, and the secrets of the growth of all things.
He pointed to the divination chart and explained to his clansmen the changes in weather, and taught them the principles of spring planting and autumn harvest.
Humanity no longer blindly submits to fate, but has learned to explore the laws of nature and illuminate the path of civilization with the light of wisdom.
Cangjie laid the foundation for the continuation of the faltering human civilization.
Before the advent of writing, the history of humankind could only be passed down orally.
The wisdom of our ancestors and the deeds of heroes have gradually become blurred and even distorted in the storytelling of each generation.
Communication between tribes could only be done by tying knots to record events. Important matters were tied with large knots, and minor matters with small knots. However, as the number of knots increased, the meaning of each knot became unclear.
Pictographs appeared.
Some resemble the footprints of birds and beasts, some look like bamboo leaves, some like plum blossoms, and some meander like long snakes...
Each tribe has its own unique totems, including images symbolizing a bountiful harvest, spells to ward off disease, markings carved on stone knife handles, symbols recording hunting achievements, and tribal emblems...
Cangjie was a wise man in the tribe.
He watched as his people fought amongst themselves over knotted ropes, as battles erupted between tribes over hunting grounds, as young men perished one by one, and as the stories of his ancestors were gradually forgotten…
A strong obsession surged within Cangjie—he wanted to create a symbol that could record everything about humanity.
Cangjie embarked on a long journey of collecting folk symbols, visiting every tribe of the human race. He gathered, organized, and gradually compiled the scattered symbols from various tribes into a book.
He sat by the Luo River, facing a tortoise shell, and carved the first character with a stone knife.
He imitated the shape of the sun and carved the character "日" (sun); he traced the outline of the moon and carved the character "月" (moon); he followed the shape of the mountains and rivers and carved the character "山" (mountain)...
The creation of each word embodies his painstaking efforts.
He would often spend days and nights pondering the form of a single character; to verify the meaning of a symbol, he would travel thousands of miles to visit tribes...
The characters carved on tortoise shells, animal bones, and rock walls are like brilliant stars, illuminating the long night of human civilization.
From then on, the history of humankind had a carrier, and the wisdom of our ancestors was passed down.
Tribal covenants could be engraved on bronze, prescriptions for healing could be written on bamboo slips, and children could learn to read symbols containing the mysteries of heaven and earth by following their elders under the cliffs.
The birth of writing allowed human thought to transcend the barriers of time and space, enabling the tiny human race to leave an indelible mark of civilization in the primordial world.
Su Mingyi's consciousness was immersed in this vibrant world. He could feel the joy and sorrow of every life, and the rise and fall of every civilization.
Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs!
Suiren drilled a fire!
Fuxi developed the Eight Trigrams!
Cangjie invented writing!
The four sages, like four shining stars, illuminated the arduous journey of humankind.
They lacked the extraordinary abilities of gods and demons, and the overwhelming power of ferocious beasts, yet with a heart devoted to the people and an indomitable will, they carved out a path to civilization in this thorny land.
It was a time of blood and tears, but also an epic and magnificent one.
The backbone of humanity has been bent under the weight of countless desperate situations, yet it has straightened itself time and time again.
The figures of the ancient sages have long been integrated into the blood of the human race, becoming an imprint etched deep in the soul.
Thousands of years later, when the descendants of humanity stand at the pinnacle of all races and look back on that ancient era, they can still see those hunched yet upright figures walking slowly, yet with extraordinary determination, step by step towards them in the primordial winds!
At this moment, Su Mingyi's understanding of the Great Dao of Life reached an unprecedented level.
Life is more than just existing!
More importantly, it represents growth, resilience, and—responsibility!
Yes, it is continuous and unbroken – a legacy and a continuation.
Death is not the end!
Instead, it's a different kind of feedback!