Chapter 319: Three Thousand Six Hundred

Given how sinister this thing is, and how powerful it is.

The two discussed for a while and decided to reseal the secret door.

Afterwards, the two returned to the main hall.

They informed Hali, the Star Spiritist holding the rear.

"A secret door covered in hallucinogenic spores? It's obvious this is a Fungus Clan relic, possibly something the Infected were trying to seize—but why steal it? That contradicts the Infected's usual behavioral logic."

She said so.

Luo De agreed.

Infected blood affects both consciousness and body, turning victims into madmen driven only to spread the disease.

The relic is certainly sinister, but what use does it have in spreading blood?

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

He remembered the Blood-Draining Mage he'd encountered before seeking the Fungus Clan.

At that time, the Infected had willingly queued up, patiently waiting for the mage to perform Blood-Draining.

It was mentioned before that the disease makes people more bestial.

First comes chaotic, insane, disorderly behavior—so this orderly conduct seems illogical.

"Perhaps, without violating the iron rule of spreading blood, they develop a leader. Could the attacker be a relatively intelligent leader?"

Hearing Luo De's guess,

Both mages frowned.

Both the Magic Control League and the Star Association had studied the disease extensively.

"In the early stages, the Infected do retain some intelligence."

Hali paused, thinking, "But as the blood fully corrupts them, patients suffer memory confusion, paranoid delusions, then complete loss of reason and memory, eventually becoming mere beasts driven by instinct."

"If your theory holds, this leader might be someone recently infected—when the blood's influence is still weak, their first instinct is self-preservation. Could his attack be an act of self-preservation?"

Oona interrupted their speculation, saying:

"Once we find the Fungus Clan, we may get the answer."

Everyone suppressed their doubts.

They refocused on the Fungus Clan's situation.

"From the battle traces, all corpses are adult combat fungi; juvenile or non-combat fungi are absent—they weren't wiped out in this attack."

Luo De said.

Hali nodded:

"Noah, have you read the spores left by the Fungus Clan?"

Noah wasn't just inhaling hallucinogenic spores—he needed a certain hallucinatory state to locate hidden, information-carrying spores.

But there was no response.

"Noah?"

Still no response. The fungus was still grinning stupidly at the wall.

Hali sighed, raised her staff, and fired a weak magic bolt.

Boom. Noah was slammed to the ground by the impact.

Only then did he stir drowsily awake.

"Noah, the Fungus Clan's message."

"Oh oh! Hahaha—I got too high, hahaha!"

He chuckled awkwardly; seeing no one reply, he cleared his nonexistent throat.

He put on a serious face:

"It was the Infected. The Infected attacked them."

"We already knew that. Tell us something we don't."

"Oh? Well, they escaped—heading south for now. Whether they'll turn later, I don't know. Also, they said this cave holds something evil, warning all fungi never to open the secret door inside."

The three exchanged glances.

Suddenly, they didn't know what to say.

"What if someone opened it?"

Luo De still asked.

Noah waved his hand dismissively.

"Minor thing. They planted over three thousand six hundred spore bombs inside. Even if the evil thing emerges, those three thousand six hundred spore bombs will blast it and anyone coveting it into dust."

"."

The fungus's spore ability is extremely unusual even on the continent.

Since spores are naturally part of the environment, their slight spiritual nature is rarely regulated—spore spiritual arts were once considered the most adept at ambush.

So neither Luo De nor Oona noticed anything odd.

Fortunately, most fungi love peace and won't attack first.

Luo De smiled optimistically:

"It's been this long—no reaction. Maybe they're inert?"

The moment he spoke,

A fierce spiritual resonance erupted from the depths of the underground river.

"Damn!"

Luo De grabbed Noah and hurled the fungus into the tunnel they'd entered through.

Hali reacted instantly, using Spatial Shift to appear in the tunnel, snatching Noah midair and racing toward the exit.

Oona could have fled first, but she instinctively moved to cover Luo De's retreat—and was a step too slow.

The next instant,

A crimson-orange light blazed forth from the underground river's tunnel.

The stone door sealing it was blasted open, shattering against the opposite rock wall.

Instantly, a unique scent—mixing fungus and gunpowder—spread through the air.

Then came violent energy, spores scattering like mist in a hurricane, each spore triggered and detonated by the following impacts.

Luo De held the small rabbit-girl close.

He shattered the ground beneath him, unleashing 【Swift Shadow】 with 【Agility Boost】, instantly reaching the narrow tunnel.

Immediately followed by 【Dragon Scale Technique】, using his body to block the tunnel.

Almost simultaneously, spore bombs exploded one after another against his back.

The surrounding rock walls shattered instantly under the force.

Collapsing downward with a rumble.

Hali barely escaped the cave before the explosion's light reached her.

Now she hovered in midair.

Seeing no one follow, her expression darkened.

BOOM!!

Continuous explosions lit up the entire area; the cave caved inward.

Then, like molten lava erupting, black smoke thick with flame burst forth, coated in a dense web of mycelium that spread over nearby trees and soil.

Three thousand six hundred spore bombs.

Though each bomb's power was only around fourth to fifth tier, their cumulative number and inherent chain-reactive nature pushed their total power to seventh tier—or higher.

Hali saw the fungus Noah, still in the mage's hand, inhaling hallucinogenic spores drifting from the black smoke, and felt a surge of irritation.

She simply hurled him high into the nearby forest, letting him crash hard.

"He shouldn't die, right? That Oona mage's rank must be high enough to protect him."

Mages are more sensitive to magical and spiritual energy; they rarely bother checking a friendly mage's energy reserves.

So she didn't know Oona's true rank.

Spiritual warriors didn't matter either.

Even if they checked, they wouldn't find anything.

Now Hali didn't care anymore—she maximized her spiritual perception, scanning the entire area below.

Still no sign of them.

Instead, a golden crown, blasted skyward by the explosion, caught her eye first.

(End of Chapter)