Chapter 325: New Domain and Speculations

Five minutes later.

When all the dust had settled.

Only then did the three of them see Luo De, unharmed.

Aside from a layer of dust on his body, he had nothing but faint scrapes.

Oana cast a Cleansing Spell on him.

He noticed his clothes had been changed again—obviously torn apart by magic.

This brought back memories of when they'd been buried before, and their faces flushed slightly.

"I've collected some fabric made from phantom grass—it's harder to destroy. I'll send you some when we get back."

"Hahaha—thanks."

Luo De, once accustomed to it, stopped feeling awkward and laughed instead.

He simply felt refreshed.

Just now.

While being washed by the spell.

He had actually awakened a new domain!

【Awakened partial authority of the "Guardian Domain"】

【Domain Details: All defensive skill effects enhanced by 25% (increases with authority), resistance and defense against domain erosion and attacks increased.】

【Gained Domain Skill: Guard Overlap】

【Details: When two or more defensive skills are cast on oneself, trigger "Guard" effect. When a defensive skill is breached, all remaining defensive skills gain +3% effect strength (increases with authority), stackable.】

A defensive domain skill that encourages stacking armor!

Though currently few can break through Dragon Scale Art, as chaos grows, the enemies he faces will grow increasingly high-grade.

This domain grants him considerable security.

Noah the mycoid watched, dumbfounded.

He walked over and rubbed Luo De's arm muscle with his round fingers.

"Luo De, have you also taken spores?"

"No, what do you mean 'also'?"

Haley walked over and unnecessarily cast another Cleansing Spell on Luo De.

Then she said: "Most mycoids are addicted to hallucinogenic spores. Some with severe symptoms find mere inhalation insufficient—they cut open their bodies and stuff hallucinogenic spores into the wounds, convincing themselves their muscles have grown stronger."

Luo De looked at Noah's arms.

He saw several moldy knife wounds.

"Uh, Mr. Noah, you'd better take it easy."

"Hahaha—only hallucinogenic spores must not be betrayed! That's our mycoid creed!"

"Come on, not all mycoids are addicted to hallucinogenic spores," Haley said.

Luo De rubbed his chin.

He recalled the mycoid Du Lu in Shi Ying's dungeon—who had refused to submit, preferring to die in captivity.

So he asked Noah for advice.

"Simple! Cut off his hallucinogenic spores!"

"But he's in the dungeon—he can't inhale spores there."

"You don't understand, Luo De. Most mycoids grow hallucinogenic spores inside themselves. He's self-sufficient. All you need to do is seal the spore-release cap."

"Understood. I'll try it."

Noah nodded, satisfied.

But then he frowned in confusion.

"What is it, Mr. Noah?"

"Ah, you see, mycoids inhale hallucinogenic spores to enter a state called 【Mind Merge】—it links our minds with others in the colony and shares hallucinations. That Du Lu is clearly an outcast mycoid. Then who is he merging with?"

"Maybe he's just enjoying it alone."

"True. Maybe some mycoids like that."

Tally surfaced halfway from Luo De's chest:

"This 【Mind Merge】 sounds a bit like the mental synchronization of Bestial Plague."

As mentioned before.

One theory about Bestial Plague: it is the blood of the Formless God. Every infected person synchronizes mentally with the Formless God.

Oana: "Perhaps. Mycoids, as fungal beings, may be the oldest intelligent life on the continent. It's not impossible these unseen 'gods' draw knowledge from them."

"Could this be why Bestial Plague victims attack the Mycelium Clan?"

Luo De said.

"Possible. But I lean toward the intelligent Bestial Plague victim seeking the Golden Crown. That artifact has strong mental illusions—it might amplify Bestial Plague's mental synchronization, or even induce synchronization merely by sight."

Listening to Oana's speculation,

he imagined the scene.

Don't forget: the crown's mental illusion can penetrate recording stones and affect those who see the image.

If someone spread the crown's image across the continent, wouldn't most people become Bestial Plague victims?

"That sounds terrifying."

But then again,

this speculation rests on another speculation—its truth is uncertain.

The small talk ended.

The group pressed forward.

To test his new domain's power, Luo De decisively chose to continue clearing mines with his bare body.

He currently knew few defensive skills: only Dragon Scale Art and the Unlight Eternal Grace Seal.

Spiritual warriors had few options in defense.

They either dodged or parried with weapons.

Even when using spiritual defense, the most common was the spiritual air membrane.

Otherwise, they mostly just brute-forced it—defensive skills were far fewer than a mage's.

Shield stacking? That's a mage's game.

Luo De recalled Carlist's lesson content.

Then, with the super-enhanced comprehension from ten Spirit Seeds, he immediately learned two defensive spells.

Shield Spell and Magic Barrier.

One formed a circular force-field shield; the other, a spherical force-field enveloping the whole body.

"The 【Guard Overlap】 domain skill isn't about shield quality—it's about quantity."

That meant,

all the flashy stacked shields were merely stepping stones for the foundational Dragon Scale Art.

This cave was much larger than it appeared.

After clearing three more traps,

two hours had passed.

At last, the group reached a spacious chamber of five to six thousand square meters.

The soft glow of Illumination Spell lit the towering walls, where stalactites and stalagmites intertwined; the uneven ground bore traces of ancient water flow.

The air was damp and heavy, occasionally punctuated by dripping sounds.

Looking ahead, Luo De felt this place resembled the lair of some demon king from Journey to the West.

The space was thickly filled with spores, blocking all perception.

Just as he prepared to advance further,

a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from above.

The frontmost illusion collapsed, a massive gash opening in its head.

Luo De reacted instantly, predicting the direction, and drew his sword to unleash 【Screaming Blade Wave】.

The blue spiritual slash struck the rock wall—hitting nothing.

"Huh?"

Everyone scanned the surroundings—no enemy in sight.

"Invisible?"

Haley the star-being stepped forward, muttered a brief incantation, and cast a spell to dispel invisibility.

Light flooded the chamber instantly.

But still, nothing was there.

(End of Chapter)