"Ugh...ah..." A very slight groan, but full of pain and struggle, escaped from the corner of Pei Du's tightly pursed lips! The sound was no longer the cold will of the Fungus Master, but carried a trace of the torn hoarseness that belonged to "Pei Du"!

The tip of the knife against the throat trembled very slightly for the first time!

This tremor was like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, instantly breaking the absolute control of the fungus master's will!

"Resist... the ants'... struggle..." The Fungus Master's cold, overlapping voice, tinged with a hint of offended rage, attempted to forcibly suppress Pei Du's resistance! The rotten crown of thorns between his eyebrows shone brightly, and the dark red mycelium squirmed frantically, trying to re-establish control!

However, it was too late!

The pheromone storm, a mixture of Xu Shuangyao's blood, Omega essence, Qingluo's will, and Pei Du's remaining imprint, had already crashed into Pei Du's (the Fungus Master's) heavily sealed consciousness like an invisible bridge! Furthermore, through the extremely close physical contact between the two, through the pressing blades and the gushing pheromones, it struck a fatal resonance with the violent, Fungus Master-tainted Crown of Thorns power within Pei Du's body!

Buzz——!!!!

An unimaginably powerful energy ripple exploded from the two of them! It wasn't a physical shockwave, but a nuclear explosion of pure spirit and pheromones!

The resonance of the crown of thorns—activated!

Time and space were completely distorted and torn apart at this moment!

Xu Shuangyao's vision suddenly went dark! Then, countless bizarre, colorful fragments engulfed her like an explosion! Her consciousness was seized by a violent force, thrown into a terrifying torrent of countless rapidly spinning, colliding, and shattered memory images!

No more watching! Instead... forced sharing!

She felt herself split into countless pieces in an instant, and was drawn into the chaotic and violent vortex of memories deep in Pei Du's consciousness!

Fragment 1: The cold operating table. The perspective is supine. The glaring light of the shadowless lamp is like a branding iron that sears the soul. A sharp pain rips through the back of the neck, like a blade slicing! The cold metal instrument plunges in! Fear floods the body like icy water! Struggling to shift his gaze, he can only see the figure in sterile gowns and a mask beside the operating table—the young Xu Shuangyao! Her eyes… are they focused? Is it pity? Or… cold calculation? The perspective suddenly shifts to the corner! In that thick shadow! Another "Xu Shuangyao"! Half a mycelial face! Scarlet mycelial eyes! Staring coldly at him! The mycelial hand silently rises! Five sharp mycelial "fingers" pierce the back of his neck like venomous snakes! A torrent of cold, sticky darkness, brimming with endless malice, instantly pours in! Intense pain! The agonizing pain of a torn soul! A desperate cry is choked in his throat! Before he lost consciousness, he saw only the young Xu Shuangyao beside the operating table, smiling at him... a gentle, encouraging smile? Fake! All fake! Both fake! Betrayal! The ultimate betrayal! (The extreme pain and contamination of Pei Du's childhood surgery, from his perspective!)

Fragment 2: The collapsed core of the World Tree. Pei Du's perspective was his own! Covered in searing golden thorns! The power within him surged like a volcano about to erupt! His mind, however, was in a state of chaos, consumed by the Fungus Lord's whispers and the rage of betrayal! He looked upon Xu Shuangyao, lying on the ground in a pool of blood, a hideous wound on the side of her neck. His heart was gripped by a piercing pain and terror! He lunged forward! He wanted to save her! His fingertips carefully channeled the pure, vital energy of the Crown... and just as it was about to touch her wound, BANG!!! A cold, resilient silver-white barrier suddenly erupted! It pushed him back! A tremendous recoil! At the same time, he watched helplessly as the ion blades of two Reapers slashed against the barrier! The concussion caused her to spit out another mouthful of blood! The flame of life instantly dimmed! Why?! Why was she pushing me away?! Why was she protecting her?! Why was she resisting my help?! Could it be... that she was truly in league with that plant consciousness?! She acquiesced to this protection?! She... betrayed me?! (The guilt of the survivors near the depression being transformed into fungus sculptures, the extreme regret and suspicion of being pushed away by the barrier and causing Xu Shuangyao to suffer a second severe injury!)

Fragment Three: The dark core of the Fungus Master. Sticky, cold mycelium enveloped his body. His consciousness felt like sinking into the deepest trench, enveloped and crushed by the viscous darkness and decaying will. The Fungus Master's whispers burrowed through his brain like billions of maggots: "See... tools... shackles... She chose that plant... She pushed you aside... She wanted the crown... wanted to control everything... Your existence... was merely an obstacle... Your pain... Your struggles... were all calculated pawns... Embrace decay... Embrace absolute power... Tear apart the shackles..." No... No... A faint voice struggled within him... Frost Medicine... Frost Medicine... Flashback: She threw herself at her uncontrollable self... Her blood-stained embrace... The resolute light in her eyes... But that light... was quickly obscured by the icy barrier and gushing blood... Betrayal... Shackles... Destruction... Destruction of everything! (The corruption and distortion of the Fungus Master's will, misinterpreting the protective barrier as irrefutable evidence of betrayal, pushed Pei Du into the abyss of utter darkness!)

Countless fragments of memory! Countless pain! Countless scenes of betrayal! Countless whispers from the Fungus Master! Like billions of red-hot steel needles, they fiercely pierced Xu Shuangyao's consciousness! She felt like she was being torn apart alive! Completely drowned in Pei Du's extremely dark, painful, polluted and twisted consciousness! This was not a bystander's observation, this was a torture that she could feel herself suffer! The excruciating pain of a scalpel cutting through flesh! The despair of a shattered heart when the barrier was pushed open! The suffocating feeling of a polluted soul when sinking into the Fungus Master's core... All the pain and darkness that belonged to Pei Du, like the most violent tsunami, instantly engulfed her!

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!