I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

Chapter 701: Chapter 521: Even Peak Civilizations Have Their Strengths and Weaknesses

The peak civilizations of the first eight Epochs, which arose respectively, also vary in strength.

The responsibilities they bore differed greatly.

Some civilizations left behind a great inheritance for posterity. Others squandered much of it.

The older peak civilizations weren’t necessarily stronger. Among these civilizations, many fell or fled.

Nor are the newer ones necessarily stronger.

Take the peak civilization of the Eighth Epoch, for instance—it wasn’t particularly impressive… Its responsibilities were too few, likely shortening the lifespan of the Ninth Epoch.

This is inevitable. How many civilizations in this world are willing to fight against Epoch Disasters? If I can protect myself, why should others’ lives and deaths concern me?

Earth lasting into the Ninth Epoch has been the result of many twists of fate.

“Peak civilization? Humph, overthinking it! By then, we’ll already be dead!”

“Might as well suppress them hard now while they haven’t risen yet.” These old-timers sure have tough tongues!

Behind the scenes, though, they ponder: embellishing success is easy, offering aid during adversity is hard… If they provide support now, they’ll at least save face later.

…

…

Meanwhile, in a research lab within the small cave space.

The Historical Retrospection project officially began!

Various peculiar objects were laid out on the central table of the room: power armor components, firearm bullets, metal chunks engraved with runes—all scattered in a haphazard display.

These strange creations were all found in the Snake-man City.

Duke Magmit of the Lanpeng Civilization sat with his eyes closed, occasionally picking up a part to sniff it.

Other human experts scanned these components with various instruments.

These components were relics of many different civilizations, indicating that numerous races had visited this place over the ages.

“Your Grace, do you see any historical markings?” asked Old Cat.

“Hah… I think I do. I smelled something. Wait a moment,” replied the Birdman, his eyes flickering with a faint gleam.

He picked up a mirror.

The mirror was borrowed from a Rat Artisan and could effectively enhance his abilities.

Divine Skill—Historical Retrospection!

The mirror began to reveal a blurry phantom.

Heavy, oppressive.

The sky within the mirror unfolded in a haunting violet hue. Massive black hole-like vortices appeared, seeming to suck in souls with just a fleeting glance.

“Ah!”

Magmit snorted coldly, blood trickling from his nostrils. He quickly adjusted the mirror, avoiding retrospection of the terrifying sky.

“Is this… an Epoch Disaster?!” Old Cat exclaimed, shocked. “Your Grace, blur the image! Don’t let it backlash on you!”

The image abruptly became a muddled mass, resembling squirming mosaics.

The grasslands were yellowed, the earth cracked, and severe drought plagued the world, as though it hadn’t rained in a century.

Near the Snake-man Palace, countless spaceships traveled back and forth.

These spaceships were enormous, spanning three to five hundred kilometers—like gigantic mountain ranges.

Meanwhile, the anomaly of the [Monster] in Different Space seemed to have expanded immensely, capable of accommodating so many ships.

“Is this wretched place actually a sanctuary?” Lu Tiantian, Hai Zhiyun, and a few other advisors were drawn into the horrifying scenes reflected by the mirror.

Hai Zhiyun shook his head and murmured to himself, “No, it’s not a sanctuary. It’s an escape point! The remnants lingering here are still too sparse.”

“This may be the easiest place to escape an Epoch Disaster! Like how rockets are always launched near the equator to take advantage of Earth’s rotation.”

“Could Earth have a similar mechanism?”

He paused for a moment before muttering again, “Could the secrets guarded by the Strangers be just this… the escape point here?”

Evidently, no.

Distorted voices emanated from the mirror.

“Where are the Great Spirit Rhythmers… the Great Spirit Rhythmers you promised us… (*static)” A weary yet furious voice rang out.

“It was agreed that the new Great Spirit Rhythmers would take over for us!”

“In the next Epoch, few of us will survive… What will happen then?! (*static)”

“Damn you! All of you… &*…” Likely the voice of the Old Snake-man.

The voices were chaotic, intermittent, accompanied by powerful tremors.

The Epoch Disaster was imminent.

“There’s some crucial information here! Can we clarify it more?” Old Cat’s eyes widened in surprise.

Others in the room became excited, straining their ears.

“It’s impossible… This is the limit. These scenes are tremendously terrifying—if I’m not careful, they could backlash on me. I must stay vigilant,” the Lanpeng Birdman admitted, visibly fatigued.

“Then you’d do well to proceed cautiously.”

The confrontation in the mirror persisted.

“How could you do this… What will happen to the Ninth Epoch?!”

“Ridiculous peak civilization, you truly…”

Two groups resembling mosaics stood beside a pool, glaring at each other.

The image was too blurry to discern distinct details.

“That group is… Strangers? So many of them?!”

The Stranger group consisted of at least thirty to fifty individuals—a grand assembly.

Each possessed extraordinary skills.

The Great Spirit Rhythmers lived exceptionally long lives, combined with the power of the “Eternal Spring Water.” These Old Deng survivors likely hailed from prior Epochs.

The opposing side was a hazy mechanical phantom whose figures and voices were obscured, seemingly erased by an icy, unseen hand.

“(*static) What… What kind of ludicrous plan is this?!”

“All the inheritance has been squandered by you.”

…

“Are they negotiating with each other?”

The subsequent voices were fragmented, filled with occasional roars.

The Stranger group seemed deeply dissatisfied with this civilization cluster’s actions.

Eventually, in reluctant resignation, the blurred phantoms departed from the sky, with the spaceships entering vortex-like black hole structures.

Only an unknown object, seemingly a technological creation, remained behind.

The Strangers threw this “technological creation” into the spring water, causing the surface to explode.

Then, one by one, they laughed bitterly at the haunting violet sky.

“Is this all that remains…”

An aged voice said helplessly, “How many will live into the next Epoch?”

“Even we ourselves… have lost our memories.”

“If no ultimate civilization emerges during the Ninth Epoch… Earth as we know it is doomed.”

“Let us cling to survival… The [Demons], it’s up to you… Awaken us if necessary.”

These old souls dug shallow pits in the dirt, burying themselves one by one.

Some wailed inside their coffins and frantically drank the spring water. The magic of the “Eternal Spring” rendered them into long-lived idiots, bereft of memories.

Meanwhile, the Snake-men in the city continued their peaceful lives, seemingly unaffected by the Epoch Disaster or the arrival of these powerful civilizations.

The disaster—it had happened eight times.

Yet civilizations had cycled through countless iterations.

…

This segment of Historical Retrospection ended absurdly.

The group remained stunned by the horrifying scenes.

Duke Magmit, drenched in fear, his feathers bristling, truly feared that he had touched something toxic and might suddenly die.

“Luckily, precautions were taken.”

There were bits of useful information.

Since it didn’t involve anything “toxic,” the group eagerly began to discuss.

“This batch of Strangers must be the ones we’ve encountered. Are they really heroes?”

Old Cat shuddered, “Good thing we applied intense interrogation…”

Who could have guessed that old heroes had become today’s madmen?

“An Epoch had passed, and from an original group of thirty to fifty Great Spirit Rhythmers, only six remain…” Professor Lu Tiantian sighed wistfully. “The opposing negotiators must be one or multiple extremely powerful civilizations?”

“Likely so.”

“Those powerful civilizations likely don’t want to bear too much responsibility…”

“Because the Strangers demanded Great Spirit Rhythmers with at least 30 Godhood points. Even among the most advanced civilizations, Great Spirit Rhythmers are incredibly rare.”

“Why would they need so many Great Spirit Rhythmers?” someone asked in confusion.

“Obviously, the secrets they guard are related to Epoch Disasters. No wonder they won’t reveal them… Knowledge of Epoch Disasters is far more valuable than anything about escape points.”

Hai Zhiyun drew a diagram on the blackboard, spanning Earth, the Solar System, and the Milky Way.

“The source of Epoch Disasters might originate…” He pointed towards the skies, above the atmosphere.

Humanity had never fully understood what lay beyond Earth’s space.

“We can now assume that within the vast Idealist Universe, Earth might be the lone safe haven. Other worlds out there are likely fraught with peril.”

“So, we better not think about venturing into space.”

But why did these civilizations insist on fleeing to space?

The answer was simple: differences in dimensions.

The space beyond Earth may teem with chaos and horrors.

But Earth’s space remains purely materialistic, devoid of such dangers. The Lanpeng people’s space, too, is purely materialistic.

“These advanced civilizations likely fled to purely material worlds.”

“But purely material worlds are continuously polluted by the Idealist Universe, dragging fleeing civilizations back… This may be why…” Hai Zhiyun paused mid-sentence, as he found himself silenced by the red light of a “Silence Flashlight.”

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly stifled.

Some topics simply cannot be discussed loosely.

If they accidentally stir up trouble, not even they could handle the consequences!

Especially with nearby occurrences of [Ghosts], despite the apparent protection of the Mirage Space, they were hardly invincible.