The sticky, dark green fungal carpet made a sickening "puffing" sound beneath their feet. Every step sank deeper, like wading through the guts of a rotting beast. The air was thick as a solid mass, saturated with the stench of spore dust, rusted metal, and decaying organic matter. Every breath felt like swallowing scalding gravel. The scarlet electronic eyes of the Fungal Warriors flickered like will-o'-the-wisp, flickering between the shadows of collapsed buildings and the cracks of the writhing fungal carpet. The cold command to "purify" clung to their bones, repeating itself at the edge of their consciousness. The suffocating pressure of the Throne of Thorns hung like a tangible hammer above their heads, the cold chains holding the Fusion Crown dragging them towards the final slaughterhouse.

Pei Du, carrying the dying Xu Shuangyao on his back, struggled through the fungal mats and rubble. His body was like a machine on the verge of falling apart. Every step he took pulled at the dark red "asphalt" tissue covering the broken part of his right shoulder, causing numbness, itching, and burning pain deep into his bones. The mutated dark red lines, like the blood vessels of a living creature, coiled around his right chest and neck, pulsating more and more clearly, and each beat was accompanied by a sense of life slipping away at an accelerated pace. His left arm was sore and numb from carrying the weight and fighting for so long. On his back, Xu Shuangyao's weight was so light that it was unsettling. Her breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible. The crown of thorns was tilted and dim, like a candle that could go out at any moment.

The road to the throne was a veritable vortex of death. Ahead, a tide of silver-gray fungal debris piled up like a moving metal dam, blocking the main thoroughfare. To the sides, the deeply fungalized desperadoes of the Fangs of the Wild prowled in the shadows like hyenas, their bald, scarred leader's single, murky crimson eye fixed on them, his ferocious club poised to strike. Further out, the plant network, a cold army of animated plants encased in metal or silicon carapaces, formed a silent and eerie ecological barrier, its attitude unclear.

Breaking in by force? In his current state, it would be tantamount to suicide.

Pei Du's bloodshot eyes scanned the desperate blockade ahead, then looked at the greedy and crazy gaze of the Fang of the Wilderness on the side. Finally, his gaze fell on the outskirts of the throne area, the edge of the relatively "calm" area occupied by the plant network activated army - there, behind the ruins of several buildings entangled and riddled with holes by huge dark purple fungal vines, a completely different, cold dark green color was faintly revealed.

An intuition, perhaps, or rather, the Fusion Crown, under the powerful pull of the Fungus Master, instinctively pointed toward a more "safe" gap. A portal to the core area of ​​the plant network? A temporary haven from the three-way stranglehold?

No time to weigh the pros and cons!

"roar--!!!"

A furious roar echoed from the side! The bald, scarred leader finally couldn't contain himself! His massive, fungus-like body slammed through a pile of rubble, wielding a sinister gust of wind and brandishing a hideous club entwined with mycelium. Like a chariot out of control, he charged towards Pei Du! Behind him, the equally deeply mutated remnants of the Wild Fangs let out bestial howls and followed closely behind! They were determined to seize the crown before the horde of fungus corpses!

At the same time, there was a commotion in the array of fungal skeletons in front. The scarlet electronic eyes focused in unison, the weapons were raised, and the cold locking feeling instantly enveloped Pei Du!

Wolves in front and tigers behind! Desperate situation!

"Damn it!" Pei Du's eyes flashed with ferocity! His instinct for survival overwhelmed his body's limits! He no longer hesitated, using up his remaining strength, carrying Xu Shuangyao on his back, and dashed like an arrow towards the edge of the deep green area, towards the ruins of the buildings entangled by giant fungal vines!

"Stop him!" The bald leader roared like a broken gong!

Several scorching mycelial rays and crude crossbow bolts coated in deadly poison whizzed towards him! Pei Du twisted and rolled while running wildly, his movements awkward but narrowly avoiding most of the attacks! A crossbow bolt grazed his left arm, leaving a trail of blood! Several mycelial rays exploded on the fungal carpet behind him, releasing a sticky liquid!

"Boom!" The bald leader's giant stick smashed heavily on the place where Pei Du had just landed with tremendous force, and the fungal mat mixed with cement fragments exploded like a fountain!

Taking advantage of the shock wave of the explosion, Pei Du rushed desperately into the shadows formed by the ruins of several huge buildings entangled with fungal vines!

One step in, it feels like crossing an invisible boundary.

The sticky, disgusting fungal mat beneath my feet instantly vanished, replaced by a hard, cold, and strangely elastic ground, like stepping on the shell of some gigantic creature. The strong sweet spore smell and rotten stench in the air were replaced by a cool, clear air with the scent of ash and a faint hint of ozone. While still not refreshing, it no longer burned my trachea.

The light suddenly grew dimmer. Looking up, the sky was completely obscured. Not by a low-hanging cloud of fungi, but by a dome of countless massive, tangled vines, roots, and enormous leaves, covered in thick, dark green wooden armor or shimmering, metallic, silicon scales! These animated plants entwined and intertwined, forming an immense, intricate, three-dimensional maze! Light could only filter through the gaps between the branches and vines, forming pale green beams like searchlights. They slowly moved through a space filled with a faint green mist (not spore dust, more like the vapor of some plant life), adding a touch of eeriness and depth.

Dead silence. Absolutely dead silence.

There was no metal-on-metal clacking of the Fungus Warriors, no frantic howling of the Wildfangs, not even the roar of animated giant vines lashing the ground. There was only a subtle, yet pervasive rustling sound, like billions of leaves rubbing against each other in the breeze, or like some giant creature slowly breathing and growing.

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