Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 269 The Sacred Sword
Most people actually underestimate the power of mushrooms.

In many people's eyes, mushrooms, and even mushroom people, are just a small plant, a low-end link in the entire food chain, a delicious food that is somewhat dangerous but also fresh and tasty.
"Keep going, time is on our side. As long as we hold it off, we will win."

Rean's roar was incomprehensible to most of the people present.

Any superhuman with even a little "common sense" knows how troublesome the Life and Purgatory systems are.

In particular, the existence of natural life systems is essentially a symbol of invincibility.

If you don't revive, resurrect, or transform multiple times on the battlefield, who would know you're a resilient survivor?

However, after the man shouted it out, those who were struggling on the front lines became noticeably more stable.

Perhaps, all the soldiers needed was a message, a message that the hope of victory was just around the corner.

In the darkness of dawn, all that's needed is for someone to step forward at the crucial moment.
"Grow up quickly, our children."

Another little mirror demon displays the scenes outside the battlefield on the grand stage outside.

In the surrounding forests and woodlands, mushroom-like beings, resembling demons and monsters in the eyes of ordinary people, appeared on the battlefield.

But this time, they stood on the side of "humanity".

By ordinary standards, these mushroom people resemble twisted, fleshy monsters, and their appearance is quite frightening.

But perhaps this critical moment is also the best opportunity for them to be accepted by the city.

"Grow into a giant mushroom quickly and take life from this forest!"

Mushrooms, or more broadly, fungi, are essentially two completely different concepts from ordinary "natural plants".

They are not producers; most of them lack the ability to photosynthesize. They are symbiotic, parasitic, and scavengers in nature. As fungi, they should be classified as a large category alongside animals and plants.

Large swaths of mushrooms are growing rapidly in this area, with the largest of them already exceeding the height of a person.

These creatures are not only robbing the Ulda Bull Demon of its "life force," but also its "growing environment," and the latter is the most deadly.
"Moo!"

The Ulda Bull Demon roared, and this time, everyone could feel the fear and rage within it.

Divinity endowed it with the possibility of rationality and communication, but the bestiality from purgatory gave it the fear and unease that only ordinary life should have.

"Boom!"

It struggled to crawl, trying to stop the invaders from the outside.

But how could those soldiers let it go?

"Come again!"

Claire, with her blood-red hair, once again blocked the behemoth, with the Radiant Guardians lined up in a row becoming her strongest arms.

As expected of the strongest fighting force in Radiant City, they did manage to slow down the monster's movement through repeated collisions. Yes, only slowed it down; it was already quite absurd that this thing could stop.

The tide of battle began to turn the moment the mushroom man entered the arena.

"Fortunately, we had intelligence support."

At this point, even the most optimistic person needs to reassess their previous predictions.

The monster that turned from the World Tree sapling into a corrupted form is far more powerful than expected.

The power it is currently displaying is probably less than one-tenth of its peak strength.

"Hold on, and we'll win."

The World Tree is indeed energy-intensive. Natural-type trees are known for being indestructible, but once their roots are damaged or their growth environment is "polluted," they die faster than anyone else.

After all, plants are a strange species that are both strong and fragile. Their immortality depends on the fact that their roots are still intact and that they are connected to the earth.
"In the end, it's just a tree!"

Rean unleashed dragonfire, trying to disrupt the wooden behemoth and covering it with another layer of flames.

Although the effect was only so-so, it was at least better than ordinary magical flames.

Intelligence is always the top priority in battle. It was only because Rean was fortunate enough to discover the true identity of the Ulda Bull Demon that the decisive battle could be launched so quickly.

As Rean said, in the end, it is still a "tree".

The focus isn't even on the giant beast in front of us; that's just the "tree trunk." It can regenerate quickly even if cut down, which is its most resilient feature. However, if its roots, the "nutrient-absorbing part" that has already penetrated into the earth, are gone, it will become extremely fragile.

Once the Ulda Bull Demon expanded its territory and "rooted" itself in this land, it exposed its weakness.

If the roots are rotten, whether it's a tree or a person, there's truly no hope of saving it.

"Draw from me, plunder me!"

Numerous spores and mushrooms appeared in the surrounding woodland, either parasitizing strangely shaped plants and grasslands, or directly burrowing into the earth, competing with all the surrounding plants for life.

The World Tree can transform into a forest, but if the forest's "nutrients" and "environment" are plundered, the forest will naturally die.

Normal fungi wouldn't go to such extremes. As parasitic and symbiotic species, they always maintain a delicate natural balance; otherwise, killing their symbiotic partner would be tantamount to self-destruction. But now, ever since that mushroom-man activated its "race," causing the spores to grow almost infinitely, the entire forest has naturally and rapidly met its end.

"Crack!" When the first giant tree fell with a crack, the entire forest and woodland had already entered a desperate situation.

To kill life-type and nature-type enemies, those who excel at it are always life-type and nature-type enemies.

Once it loses its environment, the "immortal tree" dies faster than anyone else. Lacking sunlight as an energy reserve, its fate was sealed from the moment it was born.

"Moo!"

The enormous bull demon was still roaring, but at this moment, it sounded somewhat sorrowful, mournful, and even pleading for mercy.

Originally, the "gatekeeper" who was almost impossible to fall was gradually losing its foundation of existence.

"The forest is beginning to die."

Mushroom shook its head, releasing more spores and absorbing more nutrients, causing its body to swell even further.
"Crack!"

The mushroom-man that broke in the middle gave rise to a new individual.

"I'll call you Gugu then."

The mushroom tribes have seen their value increase directly and visibly.

Twenty, thirty, forty people. New life was born in this dying "forest".

Nature's "decay" never means true extinction. When forests, plants, and animals die, scavengers begin to take the stage, and the "nutritional ground" they decompose becomes a breeding ground for new life.

Life goes on and on, but what continues is not necessarily you.
"Moo!"

The terrifying monster let out a mournful cry, for it had already sensed its impending death.

"Destruction. Redemption killed me."

Blood and tears, flowing with green flames, dripped from the Bull Demon's eyes. As its life was about to end, it seemed to finally regain a bit of its rationality and dignity as the World Tree.

"Don't worry, death is not the end."

Rean raised his "sword" again and slashed down fiercely.

This time, however, the severed arm did not regenerate quickly. The Ulda Bull Demon no longer had enough life reserves.

As a top-tier treasure of the nature faction, it shouldn't have appeared underground, far removed from nature.

In such a desperate situation, it can only rely on its own reserves to barely survive.

Now that it's been activated, it's used as a one-time combat weapon.

But now, it seems that even the ability to buy time is not enough.
"Go to dust, ashes to ashes. Leave in peace. Your sacrifice was not in vain."

Mushrooms have also entered the battlefield, and the surrounding forest has turned into a mushroom forest.

These scavengers and parasites have taken away life from this "land." They too will soon die.

But after its death, when everything is returned to the land, a new "natural land" will be born in this region rich in life-giving nutrients.

The World Tree's privileges also grant it the potential to become a living land on the ground.

But using a World Tree to create a natural place underground seems like a foolish act of extravagance, like burning gemstones as coal ash.

"It belongs to someone else anyway, so we don't care."

The behemoth was still struggling and fighting, but the warriors were already avoiding direct confrontation with it. Being dragged down to hell by those who were about to die seemed rather foolish.

"Moo!"

White, gray, and patterned mushrooms began to spread across the Bull Demon's body, burning it in a riot of colors.

This color scheme even caused the mushroom people's companions to stay away from them. The "kind mushroom monster," which was harmless in the eyes of most people, now looks rather terrifying.

The battle continues, with more and more mushrooms covering the behemoth, draining it of moisture, nutrients, and life force.

Enraged, it tried to take away the attackers, but was no longer able to capture the fast-moving high-ranking warriors.

"Snapped!"

The behemoth finally couldn't hold on any longer.

However, judging from the rampant vines spreading around it, it will take some time for it to die.

And this is probably what the makeshift hunting team is most lacking right now.
"I'll try it out, I'll give that one a go."

Rean, a third-tier paladin, a second-tier mage, and a second-tier warrior, felt that his bloodline power was already solid enough. Perhaps, he could give that a try.

"SOL SKERVA (Holy Blazing Sun Sword)!"

And so, the sky above the underground ruins brightened once more.

(End of this chapter)