Sweeping across the heavens, starting with the first emperor of the ancient times.

The three small snakes shuddered. Although their size did not increase, the luster on their scales became even stronger.

Mysterious Dao patterns flowed faintly, and the small claws under its belly became much clearer and more solid.

More importantly, they felt a strange connection with the land beneath their feet, as if they could mobilize some of the power of the mountains and rivers.

This is a genuine divine investiture, not the kind of false god they have seen before!

"Yes, we can do it!" The snake leader's voice choked with emotion. It had cultivated for many years, dreaming of transforming into a dragon and becoming a god. It never expected that it would obtain a true godhood in this way.

Although he is not a dragon now, this feeling is better than he imagined about becoming a dragon!

"We'll definitely work hard and protect the village!" Snake Second quickly declared, his eyes shining.

The fat third brother was so happy he spun around in a circle, then, remembering something, scratched his head and asked Jiang Hao sheepishly:

"Me too, Immortal. Then... then can we still eat the offerings given by the villagers in the future?"

It still longs for food.

Jiang Hao smiled and said, "Since you are receiving offerings, you should do your duty. The villagers are grateful to you and their offerings are a token of their appreciation. You can accept them with peace of mind."

"Great!" The fat third brother smiled happily, his憨态可掬 (endearing and simple-minded) appearance was endearing.

After saying that, Jiang Hao pointed to the direction of the mountain stream behind the village, and a beam of light disappeared into the mountain.

The villagers felt that the air seemed to have gained a refreshing and invigorating scent.

Finally, Jiang Hao looked at the almost dried-up old well at the entrance of the village.

The well rim trembled slightly, and a gurgling sound came from the bottom of the well. Clear, sweet spring water gushed out, and even the surface of the water seemed to shimmer with a faint spiritual aura.

"The water from this well will be clear and cool from now on, and regular drinking of it can cure diseases and strengthen the body."

Jiang Hao walked to the large white ash tree that was half charred and ran his hand over the trunk.

The charred blackening faded, new bark grew, and the tree canopy quickly became lush and verdant.

"This tree has a spirit; it can continue to protect the village's peace."

After doing all this, Jiang Hao looked at the three excited little dragon kings in the air.

"As for the three of you..."

"Your humble servant is here!" The three little snakes quickly bowed their heads.

"Since you have received divine office, you should keep your responsibilities. All living beings who are grateful to you are under your protection. Incense offerings come from good deeds, so do your best to fulfill them."

"I will obey your command! This humble deity will do my utmost!"

Jiang Hao nodded, taking one last look at the land and the villagers.

"Remember, God resides in the hearts of men; do good deeds and accumulate virtue, and you will be blessed by God."

"A dragon without horns can still be a true dragon."

The lingering sound faded away, but the figure had vanished without a trace.

The villagers looked up at the restored village and the clear well water.

Looking at the lush old trees, and at the three hornless dragons in the sky nodding to them.

After a long time, the old village chief stood up shakily and bowed deeply to the white stone at the village entrance, which had now returned to its ordinary state and seemed to be just an ordinary stone.

"Thank you, God!"

"We will forever remember the divine grace and kindness!"

The villagers' voices of gratitude rang out behind them; they were overjoyed, for they had thought they were doomed.

Unexpectedly, a true deity appeared and helped them overcome their difficulties.

Jiang Hao appeared deep within the Earth's core on the planet Di Lan, in that crystal space.

As his gaze swept over, a hint of surprise appeared in Jiang Hao's eyes.

The changes here are enormous compared to when he left five hundred years ago.

Those originally ignorant crystal silkworms have grown much larger, their bodies are more translucent, and you can even see tiny energy veins flowing inside.

They no longer crawled around randomly, but gathered in a rather orderly fashion around the jade disc containing the cultivation techniques he had left behind.

Before the jade disc stood several exceptionally robust crystal silkworms, their foreheads adorned with pale golden patterns.

A group of crystal silkworms were facing the faint light emanating from the jade wall, making breathing-like movements.

Although clumsy, it was indeed the prototype of cultivation, and further still.

Some crystal silkworms were carefully tending to the glowing moss with their small, forelimb-like protrusions, as if they were nurturing it.

They actually embarked on the path of cultivation and began to show initial signs of cooperation and civilization.

"I never expected to achieve this." Jiang Hao was satisfied.

He did it casually, leaving a sliver of possibility. But these little creatures, with their tenacious vitality and their nascent intelligence, seized the opportunity.

"In that case, from now on you shall be called the Divine Silkworm Clan. May you have a bright future," Jiang Hao murmured to himself, thus giving this newly formed clan its name.

I hope this race will have a bright future and continue to evolve.

Jiang Hao did not appear to disturb them; he simply flicked his finger, and a trace of pure life essence quietly merged into this core space.

It silently nourishes every silkworm here and the environment on which they depend for survival.

This small gift is enough to make their evolutionary path more stable.

As for how far they will ultimately go, that depends entirely on their own destiny.

In the starry sky, Jiang Hao's figure appeared, his gaze fixed on the depths of the universe.

The fifth incarnation has been completed, it's time to go back. I wonder how my fellow Daoists Lingbao Tianzun and Yuanshi Tianzun are doing.

Am I considered to have transformed quickly?

After doing all this, Jiang Hao took one last look at the blue planet that resembled his homeland, then lightly tapped his finger, and a stream of light flashed past, merging into the star system.

Then Jiang Hao's figure slowly faded away, completely leaving the Imperial Blue Star.

……

A few days later, Baishi Village built a new temple for the three snakes.

The temple was built under a white wax tree at the entrance of the village and was named the Sanyi Snake God Temple.

The temple houses three long, smooth, and warm-looking bluestones taken from the bottom of the Wulong River.

The stone tablet is inscribed with eight characters: "God resides in the human heart; a dragon without horns is also true."

On the day the temple was completed, the Wulong River was full of water, and the fields were covered with green rice seedlings.

A passerby, seeing the hornless dragon enshrined in the temple, found it strange and asked the village children, "Why doesn't the dragon in your village have horns?"

The child pointed to the stone tablet and answered in a clear voice, "The dragon in our village doesn't have horns."

"But dragons have horns."

The child tilted his head and thought for a moment: "The one that helps us is the true dragon; the one with horns but no help is just a mudfish."

The outsider was taken aback, then burst into laughter. After laughing, he became solemn and bowed deeply towards the temple.

Many years later, Baishi Village became a well-known blessed place.

The water in that well is sweet and nourishing, and that old tree is evergreen all year round.

The village enjoys favorable weather and abundant harvests year after year.

The Sanyi Snake God Temple is always very popular, with villagers coming to offer incense on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month.

Sometimes you can see tiny ripples on the river surface, with a fleeting glint of lapis lazuli.

Children love to play in front of the temple, and old people sit under the trees telling stories.

The story always begins with a severe drought, then moves on to three snakes risking their lives, and finally to an unknown deity.

"Who is that deity?" a child asked.

"That deity," the old man squinted, gazing at the distant mountains and flowing water, "sealed off our god, and then never appeared again."

"Will he come back?" the child asked curiously.

The old man patted the child's head, smiling but not answering, because they didn't know who the deity was, or whether he would return.