The two remnants, of the same origin but completely different, began to slowly converge towards the same center point - the center of the open space - like iron filings attracted by a magnet!

An indescribable and strange energy fluctuation, a mixture of powerful vitality and deep silence, order and chaos, quietly spread in the center of the clearing, like the breath of a sleeping giant before waking up!

Xu Shuangyao covered her mouth tightly to prevent a scream. She watched in horror as, at the central point of convergence, the ashes were pushed away by an invisible force. A vague "cocoon" of interwoven black and pale energy streams was condensing and taking shape at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The cocoon's form was extremely unstable, with tiny lightning bolts of energy constantly emanating from its surface, creating a cacophony of "sizzling" noises. Through the translucent energy barrier, one could vaguely see a curled-up, humanoid figure slowly pulsating within.

Was it Pei Du?! Or... that clone?! Or... was it some strange force that annihilated both of them, giving rise to a completely new, indescribable monster?!

"No... no..." Xu Shuangyao cried silently in her heart, her body unable to move due to extreme fear and exhaustion. She could only watch the strange energy cocoon beating and growing like a heart in the dead silent ruins!

Outside the fungus dome, there is a broken world.

The annihilation of the core of the Fungal Dome is not a silent end, but the prelude to a disaster that will sweep the world.

The fungal dome structure, covering the entire continent like a living sky, lost the energy center and unified will that sustained its vast life form at the moment of its core collapse. It did not collapse immediately, but began a slow and terrifying disintegration.

Like a fallen domino or a popped abscess, starting from the core area, the "death ripples" visible to the naked eye spread madly towards every end of the fungal dome at a speed faster than the speed of sound along the crisscrossing huge mycelium network!

Wherever they passed, the thick, pulsating mycelial veins, emitting a fluorescent glow, quickly turned gray and shrunken, their surfaces cracking and emitting a tooth-aching cracking sound, like blood vessels drained of blood. The massive fungal columns supporting the main body of the fungal dome, deprived of their internal energy circulation, could no longer bear their own terrifying weight. They twisted and deformed from the root, emitting a deafening metallic groan. Then, like a felled tree, they crashed down with destructive force onto the ground below, already covered in the fungal blanket and distorted beyond recognition!

Boom! ...

The earth shook! Each collapse of a giant mushroom column was like a small earthquake. Shattered, mountainous masses of mushrooms and structural debris fell like a shower of meteorites, completely burying and shattering the already shattered city ruins, twisted jungles, and dry riverbeds below! The rising dust mixed with clouds of decaying fungal spores, forming a gray-green dust storm that covered the sky and sun, spreading rapidly and swallowing up the remaining sunlight.

The sky, no longer a suffocating mycelial dome, had become a scene of even greater despair. Vast, wound-like holes were everywhere, through which one could see a gray, dust-covered sky, and the occasional glimpse of sunlight, cold and distant, through the haze. But these "skies" were not a blessing, but a conduit for disaster. Without the restraint and filtering of the mycelial dome, the outside world's raging radiation storms, deadly chemical fallout, and the aftermath of the core's annihilation, saturated with the remnants of spiritual pollution, poured madly through the holes into the devastated land like invisible scythes of death!

Across the land, the herds of fungi-beasts, deprived of the unified command of their master's will, instantly descended into utter madness! They resembled puppets with their strings cut, or drops of water plunged into boiling oil. Going berserk was only the mildest symptom. More and more fungi-beasts began undergoing unpredictable, horrific transformations! Some swelled and burst like puffs, spurting out corrosive pus; others rapidly shrank and withered, becoming mere moving statues of ash; still others engaged in a bizarre cycle of internecine slaughter, devouring and merging, forming, in a remarkably short time, even larger, more twisted, and utterly irrational, patchwork-like horrors! The entire land became a savage battlefield, a raging warren of uncontrolled monsters tearing, devouring, and destroying one another! Wailing and roaring replaced the once dead silence, playing the apocalyptic symphony of civilization's complete collapse.

Throne ruins, in front of the energy cocoon.

Xu Shuangyao's heart sank to a cold depth. The terrifying roars and howls from the outside world, clearly audible even through the thick ruins, made her realize that destroying the Fungus Dome's core wasn't salvation, but rather opening an even more terrifying Pandora's Box! The world's collapse was accelerating!

Before his eyes, the energy cocoon formed from Pei Du's remains and the fragments of his clones pulsed with increasing force! The black and pale energy currents on the cocoon walls no longer merely intertwined, but began to... fuse! A darker, more restrained gray hue, yet exuding a terrifying, awe-inspiring pressure, formed! The outline of the curled-up humanoid figure within the cocoon also became increasingly clear, even the subtle twitching of its limbs was visible!

It... is coming out!

Fear gripped Xu Shuangyao's throat. She didn't know what would crawl out. Was it a monster that retained a shred of Pei Du's consciousness? Or a perfect killing weapon completely possessed by the remaining will of the Fungus Master? Either way, for her, now powerless, it would be a calamity!

Run! We must leave here!

The instinct for survival overwhelmed the pain and weakness. She gritted her teeth, digging her nails into the cold ashes. Using every ounce of her remaining strength, she dragged her nearly broken body, bit by bit, away from the energy cocoon. Every inch she moved was filled with excruciating pain, and a trail of sweat, blood, and ashes mixed together, leaving a winding trail behind 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!