Chapter 347

Chapter 347: Step onto the Path with No Predecessors nor Successors!

“Hiss…”

“Is this the new power!?”

“Uh…”

When the Shallow Ether Wanderers finally endured a series of hardships and awoke from a deep dream, he discovered his companions staring at him with strange expressions.

“What’s… wrong…”

The question caught in his throat, left unspoken.

Because the answer was too obvious!

Their leader barely recognized his own Divine Body.

The slender neck remained, but the limbs capable of movement on land had vanished.

They were replaced by structures resembling “paddle blades.”

The Long Tail disappeared too, substituted by a short tail ending in a vertical diamond-shaped fin near the tip. This likely helped influence ether streams, allowing sharper turns.

“Heh… heh…”

Under his companions’ bewildered gazes, the leader of the Shallow Ether Wanderers wriggled awkwardly.

But…

It was painfully clumsy.

Each movement took agonizing effort.

The diamond-shaped “paddle fin limbs” had no claws, eliminating any gripping capability.

Clearly, this Divine Body sacrificed all terrestrial mobility to specialize for the Ether Sea.

Yet was this structure viable?

Could it truly navigate the Ether Sea and wield magic?

Every witness to his absurd form seemed doubtful.

“Impossible…”

“All ether deities must forge Divine Bodies according to fixed models to earn the Ether Sea’s acceptance.”

“Whether sturdy or slender, there’s always an established form.”

Indeed.

Free movement in the Ether Sea required its “recognition.”

Presently, only one model gained that recognition—the “fish-shaped” Divine Body.

Other heretical forms might exist, but none ever ascended to “Tyrant” status.

At best, they became lowly Outer Gods.

This mirrored reality.

Marine vertebrates possessed elongated or streamlined main bodies adorned with fins—dorsal, caudal, and more. Propulsion came from tail muscles driving swift movement.

The benefit of doing this was that it could shape their bodies into a smooth, streamlined form, cutting through waves and allowing rapid movement in a way that matched fluid dynamics.

They could even increase their speed to very fast levels!

From early ichthyosaurs to later ichthyosaurs, then to crocodilians, followed by Canglong, and later whales, even including later arrivals like seals, almost all vertebrates that returned to the sea followed this rule—becoming more fish-like.

But was there truly only one path in the world?

Not necessarily.

For example, the only known aquatic dinosaur, the penguin, had already lost its tail before entering the sea, so it could not use it to swing and push its body.

Therefore, they chose to deeply modify their wings, turning them into paddles that could flap fast, letting them "fly" underwater.

Similarly, sea turtles, part of the turtles and tortoises group, also evolved their front limbs into big flippers, using quick flaps to power themselves in the ocean.

However, both penguins and sea turtles had ancestors that had long lost their tails, so they had to settle for this body setup; and from today’s view, choosing to "fly" in the sea might help them survive, but it made it hard to become ocean rulers.

Yet, the history recorded in the ground tells us that with a ruler’s heart, any path could lead to success!

The big ancestors of penguins and sea turtles—the Plesiosauria—actively took this unusual path when they had a choice!

Their ancestor, the Phantom Dragon, already had a long body and a long tail, and likely swam like early cliff lizards, crocodiles, and early whales, weaving through the shallow sea by twisting its long body.

Under normal conditions, they would have gone straight for a fish-like shape.

But perhaps they did not want to look like the already fish-like ichthyosaurs, or maybe for other odd reasons; anyway, this group of Phantom Dragons did not choose to strengthen their long tails and specialize their bodies into fish shapes.

Instead, they shrank their tails into rudders and changed all their limbs into big paddle fins!

If two paddles could "fly" in the sea, then four could!

So, one of the most common sea reptiles of the Mesozoic Era, the Plesiosauria, was born, standing strong through the whole Mesozoic as an evergreen!

They were also the only creatures that could rule the sea without a "fish shape"!

Even today, because of this weird look, Plesiosauria stay wrapped in mystery.

For instance, how those two pairs of paddles moved is still not fully understood.

Moving four paddle fins could create very tricky swirls, and if careless, they might interfere with each other; this not only failed to boost speed but could also slow down movement.

Plus, without a good back-and-forth motion, they could easily "flip over" while swimming.

So how Plesiosauria moved remains a hot topic for paleontologists, leading to many papers each year.

But no matter what, Plesiosauria were the only sea reptiles that used four paddle fins for drive.

Unprecedented and unmatched.

Such a strange setup naturally filled the Shallow Ether Wanderers with doubt.

“I’ve never seen this!”

“Is this really reliable?”

“Am I at a disadvantage?”

“Have I been tricked?”

Though they were full of doubts, now was not the time to call and ask for money back.

Because…

“Boom—!”

Above the Ether Sea, massive ridges arched upward one after another.

Colossal monsters charged again toward this disaster-stricken "new world"!

It was the Sin Dragons!

Three of them once more!

Evidently, this deity favored groupings of three.

But hiding in this new world wasn’t wise for the transformed Shallow Ether Wanderers.

Their land mobility had been nearly stripped away.

Movement now required clumsy twisting of vertebrae to crawl sideways; lacking claws to grip the "Holy Tree’s root systems," they couldn’t anchor themselves ashore.

If the Sin Dragons repeated their previous tactics, the Shallow Ether Wanderers’ leader stood defenseless.

The sole advantage from this "consultation" was its significantly enlarged size.

Weight-wise, it now nearly matched the Sin Dragons!

Only one path remained:

Confront death to seize life!

“Roar—!”

The Shallow Ether Wanderer bellowed its resolve and plunged into the perilous blue expanse!

—-

“Hmm… not bad at all.”

Trilobite huddled in his cave, examining his creation through the system.

His mood starkly contrasted the Shallow Ether Wanderers’—utterly frustration-free.

He felt delighted.

Chaos Energy flowed in, and he brimmed with confidence.

“Is this a pure faith dragon?”

“No, likely an Ocean Dragon.”

Trilobite rarely misidentified creatures.

But he couldn’t be blamed.

Pure faith dragons and Ocean Dragons looked nearly identical.

By the late Triassic, plesiosauria’s three main families—Plesiosauridae, Rhomaleosauridae, and Elasmosauridae—had emerged.

Differences between them…

Were almost negligible.

All boasted the classic plesiosaur silhouette:

Two pairs of paddle-like flippers, stout torsos, elongated necks, and modestly sized heads.

Their triangular jaw structure featured short mandibular symphyses—a primitive, basal trait. Or, phrased more positively, a design brimming with evolutionary potential.

Regardless, this foundational form established a robust basis for the family’s future.

And this basal structure proved formidable.

During the late Triassic, Plesiosauridae thrived with such hardware, sharing oceans with ichthyosaurs. Meanwhile, Rhomaleosauridae—early challengers for marine supremacy—shortened skulls, heightened crowns, and enlarged temporal fenestrae to amplify bite force!

They even traded blows with Temnodontosaurus, the reigning ocean rulers.

Though suppressed by Temnodontosaurus due to weak dentition, slow growth, and ancestral long-neck constraints, Rhomaleosauridae persisted.

Meanwhile, basal Elasmosauridae groups began radically reshaping their bodies, biding time in lower Ecological Niches for their destined rise.

This would become Trilobite’s next modification focus.

Ultimately, at the Pliensbachian-Toarcian boundary 183 million years ago, the conflict between "four-flippered" and "fish-shaped" contenders ended in South Africa’s volcanic fury.

Elasmosauridae ascended to dominance!

“So, Ocean Dragon!”

“Believe in yourself!”

“Honor your Latin name!”

“Go forth!”

“The vast ocean will showcase nature’s brilliance in your design!”

As Trilobite envisioned the first plesiosaur venturing into deep blue—forging an unparalleled path, carving elegant silhouettes through abyssal depths, yielding more Chaos Energy, and clamoring for another dlc purchase—

“Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!”

Rhythmic tremors advanced toward his hiding cave.

“Wow!”

“What’s happening!?”

“After all my camouflage, am I still exposed!?”

Trilobite hastily exited the system, stealthily employing his olfactory senses and Lorentz Jar to detect the intruders.