The emergence of the Sea Clan Alliance had no immediate impact on humanity in its initial stages, as their first act after formation was not to confront humans.
Instead, they went into hiding, lying low to bide their time for future revenge.
They "gou zhe" (survived and developed in obscurity), waiting for the day they could retaliate.
As a result, not only were humans unaware of the Sea Clan Alliance's existence, but they also believed that the strange sea creatures that attacked humans had vanished. While they weren't sure if they would reappear in the future, at least the immediate threat was gone, and maritime transportation resumed normal operations.
The only issue was the massive disappearance of sea creatures.
This led to severe losses in the fishing industry.
Countries that relied heavily on fishing suffered the most.
Prices for fishery resources also rose significantly across the board. While the prices of items like seaweed and dried shrimp fluctuated less, the prices of many larger, more expensive seafood items skyrocketed, even selling out completely.
Fortunately, those items were not essential for survival.
They were not staples like grain, which formed the foundation of a nation.
Therefore, the overall impact was limited.
Despite this, many countries began to plan ahead. For instance, the Western Yi Kingdom felt that things might not be as simple as they seemed and that the global landscape might undergo significant changes again in the future.
Following this event, they immediately revised their national policies.
They began importing various resources like grain and energy at all costs, while simultaneously working to restore and expand arable land within the country, preparing for potential future import disruptions.
They also actively introduced research on demons and monsters.
If they didn't have them domestically, they would go to smaller countries to help.
They feared falling behind other nations in this area. If these issues were to spread to their territory in the future, they would be helpless. While they currently had no internal threats, they could not afford to gloat and still needed to plan and prepare.
...
Meanwhile, with Ding Yun.
She was indeed stumped by the sky-dwelling race she had envisioned. In her conception, such a race needed special characteristics. For example, their body weight must not be too heavy, and they must be able to naturally float in the sky. After all, constantly flapping wings or using other means to stay airborne would be exhausting.
Secondly, their color should be light, and transparent would be ideal. This was because sky-dwelling creatures should not block sunlight. If they did, plants and other species below would likely face widespread extinction. This was a crucial point.
Furthermore, there was the issue of food. Ideally, sky-dwelling creatures would not eat, but rather absorb carbon dioxide or solar energy.
After all, there was genuinely nothing for them to eat in the sky.
It wouldn't be feasible for them to come down three meals a day to forage.
Moreover, if they were to descend for food, it would undoubtedly affect other species. Therefore, it was essential for them to have dietary habits distinct from other species.
Beyond this, questions arose about how they would develop intelligence, how their intelligence would not negatively impact other aspects, and how they would possess reproductive capabilities.
To this end, Ding Yun conducted numerous experiments.
She experimented with the planet's native species and with other species from various realms.
She opened over three million blind boxes.
Yet, she was unable to create a sky-dwelling race that met her standards.
The sky-dwelling races she created invariably had some flaws. Some met all other criteria except for their enormous size; a single individual could be hundreds of kilometers wide, and their reproductive capacity was terrifyingly low.
They might not have offspring even after centuries together.
Some, though transparent, absorbed sunlight too efficiently, completely consuming the sun's rays. What use was transparency if the plants below still couldn't receive sunlight?
Others met all requirements, were transparent, and didn't affect sunlight, but they consistently failed to develop sentience. This also deviated from Ding Yun's vision. What use did she have for a species without intelligence and civilization?
Various problems truly gave Ding Yun a splitting headache, making her regret her absurd idea and consider abandoning it altogether.
Wiping out the world directly would be far simpler.
However, Ding Yun ultimately could not bear to destroy nearly ten billion lives. She was also concerned that direct world destruction might result in the corresponding karmic retribution falling upon Gaia's consciousness, and then upon herself. Even a slight taint would be incredibly dangerous, a risk she dared not take.
So, after much thought, hesitation, anger, and distress, Ding Yun finally let out a helpless sigh and continued her experiments.
She repeatedly reminded herself not to pursue perfection.
As long as the flaws did not have a significant impact, they were acceptable.
There was no need to achieve everything in one go; progress could be gradual.
As Ding Yun lowered her standards for the sky-dwelling race through self-persuasion, her pressure significantly decreased.
The progress of her experimental research also became smoother.
And six months later, she successfully developed two types of sky-dwelling races that she could grudgingly accept.
One was the Race of Will.
A special race that existed entirely through the power of will. To put it simply, if more than a hundred people knew of a character from a novel, that character would transform into a member of the Race of Will and manifest in the sky.
A virtual image of a person, if known and recognized by over a hundred people, could also become a new member of the Race of Will.
They existed in a state between being and non-being.
Their impact on reality was minimal.
In short, this was a race that depended on other intelligent life. As long as intelligent beings thought of them and recognized them, they would continue to exist. Once no one remembered them, they would gradually perish.
Therefore, this race lacked reproductive capabilities.
They relied entirely on devices created by Ding Yun to absorb the power of will from below and manifest new members.
The other was the Elemental Race.
This race was created by Ding Yun based on elemental spirits discovered in the blind boxes. They depended on the elements in the world to exist. At the time of their creation, they were incapable of self-creation, self-formation, or awakening consciousness.
Ding Yun had extracted parts of the elemental spirits' core and a sliver of spiritual light from Gaia's consciousness, bestowing them with intelligence and forcefully creating them, a race without any physical form.
Through Ding Yun's skillful fusion, they established a special connection with Gaia's consciousness, akin to the relationship between the Tree of Life and elves in a fantasy world.
Subsequently, they would continuously split themselves,
Combining various elements of heaven and earth to reproduce.
And upon death, they would return to Gaia's consciousness.
Their advantage was that they could attach themselves to the interior of the atmosphere, directly absorbing cosmic radiation from space, including solar energy, to grow. Even if they didn't die, they could, to a certain extent, provide feedback to Gaia.
Their disadvantage was their low intelligence, with an IQ equivalent to that of a normal human child aged five to eight.
It was difficult for them to form a traditional civilization.