Chapter 36: Spiritual Resonance

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Spiritual Resonance

Chen Shang pulled his last five Ben Bo’Erbas in front of him, using their bodies to forcibly block the incoming mycelium tentacles. However, the frenzied Hallucinogenic Mushroom’s power had grown even stronger. Soon, one Ben Bo’Erba was sent flying. It crashed against the rock wall; its runes flickered twice before dying out completely. Immediately after, a second one was entangled and dragged away by countless mycelia, disappearing without a trace. This was the normal outcome when a Tier Two creature faced Tier One creatures.

"Brother!" Baal’s voice called out from the side. His robes had already been shredded into strips by the mycelia, exposing his bare flesh. He pulled the azure Protective Shield Device from his chest and shoved it into Chen Shang’s hands. "I only made it this far thanks to you. Borrow this for now, and we’ll get in touch after we make it out!"

Before Chen Shang could speak, Baal had already charged out. The mycelia instantly entangled him, wrapping him up tightly. Two seconds later, a muffled BOOM echoed from within the pile of mycelia—the sound of some energy device overloading. The Protective Talisman triggered and teleported Baal away. The blast tore a gap in the mycelia, but it was quickly filled by new threads.

Clutching the Protective Shield Device, Chen Shang shook his head helplessly. The chubby guy was a decent fellow. However, Chen Shang only had three Ben Bo’Erbas left, so he couldn’t hold out much longer. Was he really going to have to use the Dragon Crystal? Now, only he and the giant bear were left resisting on the battlefield. The Hallucinogenic Mushroom’s power had become more concentrated, its mycelia denser and more forceful.

After a brief moment of thought, Chen Shang activated the protective shield. An azure light barrier pushed away the surrounding mycelia. He then moved his feet, making his way toward the dark-circled girl. The protective shield SCREECHED under the crushing pressure of the mycelia. Even after Chen Shang activated his Big Baby State, he still moved incredibly slowly. When he finally reached her, the heavily scarred giant bear rapidly shrank. The short-haired girl emerged and ducked into Chen Shang’s protective shield.

Chen Shang made it short. "I can attack it Spiritually, but my own power isn’t enough. I need you to trust me unconditionally."

"Spiritual?" The short-haired girl’s face was pale, her dark circles looking even heavier. "I’ve already tried several times. It’s a Tier Two creature. I can’t even breach its Spiritual defenses, so what makes you think you can?" She was highly confident in her Spiritual Power, considering herself top-tier among the Apprentices, but the gap in raw stats couldn’t be bridged by sheer skill.

Chen Shang didn’t waste time arguing. He activated Spiritual Resonance. An invisible ripple expanded from his body. The short-haired girl clearly recognized its value; her eyes snapped wide open.

"You know this too? Where did you learn it?" she asked, acting as if she had just found a kindred spirit.

"We can talk about that later. Are you in or out?"

The girl lowered her head in thought for a moment. "Since you have this kind of method, there’s no need to attack it Spiritually. Just pull it into the Spiritual Resonance. I have a way to make it sink into a nightmare." Her method was far more reliable than Chen Shang’s. After all, Chen Shang had merely scavenged this trait from the Mermaid Holy Land. It hadn’t undergone any development, making him far less professional than an Apprentice who specialized in this field.

"Count me in," an eerie voice drifted over from the side. The Black Fog girl had somehow appeared right behind them, staring expressionlessly at Chen Shang.

Chen Shang paused in surprise, then nodded. "Alright. One more person means a bit more power." He closed his eyes. Spiritual Resonance, activate!

His Spiritual Power rapidly expanded. He first located himself: a reasonably strong soul scattered with several golden dots. Those golden dots were his Contracts with the Ben Bo’Erbas. Next, he found the dark-circled girl. Her Spirit resembled a cluster of burning black flames, making Chen Shang involuntarily shiver. Then, he found the Black Fog girl. Her Spirit was like a mass of fog—gloomy and heavy, resembling a dark raincloud.

The Spirits of the three individuals rapidly connected. A resonance field expanded from him, rippling outward in circles like water. The resonance field phased through the mycelia and the spore fog. Completely bypassing the formidable mycelium tentacles, it headed straight for the Hallucinogenic Mushroom’s Spiritual defenses. In the next moment, the Hallucinogenic Mushroom was pulled into the resonance field.

In an instant, Chen Shang saw its world. It was a dense, ancient forest. A tiny mushroom grew beneath rotting leaves, following its instincts to grow and spread. There were no natural predators here, allowing it to spread to its heart’s content. Any creature that occasionally wandered in would fall into a hallucinogenic trance and turn into its nutrients. This was its innate talent! Countless years passed. It watched the surrounding trees fall one by one and the surrounding animals die off one after another, observing the entire forest transform into its mycelium kingdom. It thought this was the edge of the world.

Then, the Wizards arrived. When the High Tower was erected, it felt fear for the very first time. It had spent centuries building its mycelium kingdom, yet the Wizards had suppressed all of its will with just a single tower. Just when it thought it was going to be killed, the Wizards explained the rules to it, telling it that it could join the Pan-Wizard Alliance after completing its mission. That was an incomparably vast and magical world! A surge of ambition erupted from within its heart. It no longer wanted to be a mushroom; it wanted to be a Wizard.

* * *

The dark-circled girl’s nightmare began to seep in. She didn’t actively fabricate a nightmare from scratch because there was still a clear gap in their power tiers. Instead, she magnified the Hallucinogenic Mushroom’s own fears, twisting and weaving them into a narrative. When it came to technique, she was leagues above the Hallucinogenic Mushroom. Raw talent and instinct were no match for a mature educational system. Thus, the mushroom dreamed that it had not been chosen by the Wizards. It dreamed that it was forever trapped in that forest. It dreamed that its mycelia withered and died day by day, ultimately rotting away entirely.

It began to scream, louder than before. But the nightmare continued. The mushroom couldn’t distinguish what had actually happened in reality. Had the Wizards really come? Had the High Tower really been erected? Had it actually obtained the Wizard’s Crystal Plate? Or was all of this just a dream it had woven itself? The Hallucinogenic Mushroom’s screams changed—from anger to fear, and from fear to absolute despair. The mycelium monster’s body twitched and shriveled as if the very thing supporting it had been siphoned away. The eyes covering its body shut one after another, and the spore fog leaking from its pores grew increasingly thin. It squatted in the center of the rift valley, its massive body curled into a ball like a terrified little animal.

Chen Shang opened his eyes. His Spiritual Power was nearly completely drained. His temples THROBBED, and his vision repeatedly went dark. The dark-circled girl’s face was even paler, her lips covered in bite marks. The Black Fog girl’s body was trembling as well. But the resonance field remained intact.

"Keep going," the dark-circled girl said through gritted teeth. And so, the nightmare continued to weave.

* * *

"Hahaha, I’ve finally caught my chance!" A string of laughter echoed through the rift valley as countless little octopuses converged. Red Robe’s figure materialized, and he grinned at Chen Shang and the others. "Thank you all for holding this monster down. I won’t hold back now!" With that said, he brazenly plunged his hand into the mycelium monster’s body, preparing to seize the Hallucinogenic Mushroom.