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Therefore, the real battle remains the business of these "mortals."
At the same time, while many gods slumber, their groups of "tool men" might face destruction. Such events shouldn't happen too often in the development of this world.
One thing that almost all intelligent races know is that most true gods are incredibly sleepy.
It's hard to wake them up, and once awake, they demand food. If you don't offer it? You might as well consider the entire clan doomed.
This shared trait of divine drowsiness is also why the Snake People and Shark People dared to attack their base camp without knowing whether the Dinosaur People were truly blessed by gods.
Destroying the Dinosaur People would certainly be a victory, but if a god appeared, they'd have to assess: if it was a false god, they could try to eliminate it; if a true god, they'd treat it as a test. Either way, they wouldn't lose too much, as the battle would reveal the opponent's true strength.
To these primitive intelligent races, true gods and false gods are simply measured by power. The mightiest of beasts are seen as true gods, while the weak are dismissed as false ones.
This time, if the Dinosaur People hadn't believed they were ready to destroy the Snake People and unify the continent, they wouldn't have been ambushed.
And now, they may need hundreds, even thousands, of years to recover from the current situation.
Of course, the price paid by the Snake People this time was also extreme.
Seven out of ten Dinosaur People perished, and half of the Snake People were gone too.
The Shark People, who merely assisted, suffered the least losses.
The ocean is vast, and the territory of the Shark People spans nearly a quarter of it.
This reach far surpasses the land-based races.
If not for the involvement of the other three ocean tribes—not to mention the existence of gods—it wouldn't have been too difficult for the Shark People to crush both the Snake and Dinosaur People.
However, the Shark People's interest in land remains limited. As marine creatures, they prefer the ocean. Their only interest lay in the land tribes' pastures and the abundant blood food they might acquire.
After all, their god is a voracious eater.
Without hesitation, the Shark People and Sea Monsters retreated.
"I never thought that this lava race was blessed by the gods and had just awakened!"
"What a shame, what a pity, what an outrage!"
The Snake Priest retreated reluctantly, looking back with annoyance as he walked.
But no matter how upset he felt, nothing could change. The Shark People had already withdrawn; they couldn't face such a terrifying god alone.
Their losses were severe, and thinking of the blood food they'd now owe the water tribes, the Snake Priest nearly cursed aloud, restraining himself only for the sake of dignity.
To suffer so greatly, only for it to end like this?
The only consolation was that they had previously ambushed an expeditionary force of 50,000 Dinosaur People and their kin.
Though half of the spoils would go to the water tribes, the Snake People would still claim the other half. Combined with livestock from their own pastures, it would be enough to fulfill their contract with the water tribes.
In short, the Snake People sustained heavy losses, and the Dinosaur People suffered even worse.
So, when the Shark and Snake People fled, the Dinosaur People didn't even think to pursue them.
This left James alone at the scene, staring at tens of thousands of excited Dinosaur People with a look of confusion.
The sky was gray, blanketed by volcanic ash.
Underground, it was bright, with half the sky a fiery red.
The entire mountain range and much of the plains were barren, transformed into a sea of lava and fire.
Amid this sea of fire stood a terrifying giant beast towering over the landscape.
Beneath the beast, countless small creatures chanted their praise.
James was truly dumbfounded.
He had intended only to unleash a wave of flame, but before he could, something incredible happened.
While he hadn't released his full power, the partial discharge created waves of flame ripples.
The ripple's spread transformed everything within a five-kilometer radius into molten lava, while areas beyond were charred.
Even ground far outside began to crystallize.
In all, James' restrained attack indirectly affected a radius of seven to eight kilometers.
He was stunned by the impact of his own power.
But what astonished James even more was that many of the Dinosaur People and their kin, affected by the wave of flame, underwent unexpected changes.
They had gained abilities: control over fire, and bodies resistant to the intense heat of lava.
Much like James, with his fiery-red body adorned in rune-like patterns, these evolved dinosaurs displayed similar red runes.
As he observed these newly transformed dinosaurs, James came to an understanding.
These Dinosaur People owed their existence to him.
It was like radiation, almost as if he were a living radiation source.
He thought of his previous life's understanding of evolution. In this world, could he really be their god?
Momentarily stunned, James didn't know whether to laugh or frown.
After a brief hesitation, he lay down.
He didn't mean to do anything in particular; it was simply that he was towering over the little creatures, making it tiring for them to keep looking up.
Still in his superheated form, James's body glowed a deep red, his heat so intense that the lava around him was as fluid as water. He seemed half-submerged in the molten landscape.
As for the Dinosaur People?
To them, James was so massive that the surface tension of the lava supported their smaller forms as they stood upon it.
But even so, none dared to get too close. The temperature near James was overwhelming, likely reaching thousands of degrees.
All the Dinosaur People and their kin maintained a one-kilometer distance from his body.
Over time, the lava began to cool, with black spots forming on its surface, marking areas where it was cooling enough to be safe.
Standing upon these spots, the Dinosaur People felt the warmth but avoided sinking.
The lead Dinosaur Elder looked thrilled as he observed the god reclining in the lava, its giant eyes fixed on them with a lower, almost approachable posture.
Gathering his courage, the Dinosaur Elder began to approach.
Five hundred meters? It was hot, but bearable.
A hundred meters? Almost unbearable, but survivable.
Finally, under the silent gaze of their god, the Dinosaur Elder respectfully knelt down at a distance of about two hundred meters.
Then, with a proud voice, the Dinosaur Elder began to shout in praise.
"Powerful and merciful Father God, you are the master of lava, the ruler of earth, the greatest being in this world!"
"Thank you for granting the lava people strong bodies once more. What shall we, your people, do for you next?"
With these words, he pressed his hands to his chest and forehead in a gesture of prayer.
But James was utterly lost.
He couldn't understand what the little guy was saying. In his eyes, all these Dinosaur People looked alike; he could barely tell one from another, let alone identify the old from the young.
All he saw were small, indistinct creatures.
Yet his curiosity was piqued by the Dinosaur People.
So, looking at the little creature respectfully addressing him, James decided to interact.
Reaching out a forelimb, he lifted the Dinosaur Elder from the lava.
Seeing himself lifted, the elder was momentarily frightened, then exhilarated.
To him, this meant the Father God had recognized him and was ready to bestow guidance or a new revelation.
The surrounding Dinosaur People, upon witnessing their elder lifted by their god, were overwhelmed with excitement.
Their Father God had awakened and acknowledged them, the people of lava and earth.
But in their joy, they forgot the god's body was still blisteringly hot.
Before he could process it, the Dinosaur Elder's body caught fire.
The intense pain was beyond description, and soon, he was numb.