Everyone was excited to learn that there were burrowers gathering in the forest.
"Burrers are skilled at digging holes and can spit powerful acid!"
"Transformed into fungus beasts, they're perfect for surprise attacks, attacking the enemy from beneath the surface!"
Felin rubbed his hands in anticipation.
"Stop talking! Go catch them!"
Olivia couldn't wait any longer and took off running!
Alan and the Griffins quickly gave chase.
In the center of the mushroom forest, surrounded by a circle of mushrooms, lay a flat, open space.
There were more than a dozen burrows scattered across the ground, each with an entrance exceeding one meter in diameter.
When Alan and the others arrived, Olivia's naturalists were engaged in combat with the burrowers that had emerged from their burrows.
Burrers looked like giant, brown watermelon worms.
Their bodies were covered in a hard, segmented shell.
Just the upper half of their bodies, exposed above ground, were three meters long!
Ten massive insects, claws and fangs bared, spewing acid.
A pungent, sour odor permeated the clearing in the forest.
Inhaling it was nauseating!
Getting sprayed with the acid was even more devastating!
Metal armor would be corroded to shreds, not to mention flesh and blood.
Olivia rushed to the scene and cast a third-level "Wind Wall."
The whistling barrier of air, like a transparent screen, stretched across the swarm of burrowing insects.
She blew all the acid back, smearing it in her face.
The burrowing insects were highly resistant to acid corrosion, so her acid wouldn't harm her, but it was extremely insulting.
Enraged, the burrowing worms burst forth from their burrows, charging towards Olivia!
"Untúpa!"
The blue-haired girl calmly cast a spell.
A faint golden halo emanated from her body, covering a ten-meter radius.
Fourth-level magic: "Insect Repellent Barrier"!
All insects, insectoid beasts, and even warlocks with insectoid bloodlines are blocked by this barrier.
Unless they defeat Olivia, the spellcaster, in a mental confrontation, they will be unable to break through the thin film of light.
Insects caught in the barrier's opening will be even worse off!
They will continue to suffer magical damage until they escape the barrier or are killed.
The burrowing worms are physically strong, but their mental attributes are weak.
They are collectively suppressed by the "Insect Repellent Barrier," their bodies billowing with smoke and writhing in agony.
The three burrowers at the forefront had no time to turn back.
They were soon killed by the magical rays radiating from the insect repellent barrier.
The remaining burrowers, with clumsy steps, retreated in panic.
They tried to burrow back into hiding.
Alan stepped forward and raised his palms.
Silver vortices swirled in his palms.
Dragon Claws, activate!
The burrowers, having finally escaped back into their burrows, were pulled back by a powerful gravitational pull.
One by one, Alan forcibly pulled them out of their burrows, dangling them from the trees, struggling in vain.
Julie and Felin, swords drawn, advanced and finished them off one by one.
They killed every burrower hanging from the tree.
The brother and sister struck with measured force. Their magic-infused swords pierced the cracks in the burrow worm's hard shell, piercing its internal organs and killing it instantly!
They tried to keep the corpse intact so that it could be used to transform into a Fungus Beast.
The four of them worked together to quickly and efficiently dispatch the ten burrow worms.
Olivia ordered her men to patrol elsewhere to avoid exposing the secret of the four's Fungus Beast creation.
Five minutes later.
The ten burrow worms, implanted with spores, "resurrected" on the spot.
Following their masters' instructions, they burrowed back into the burrow, awaiting their summons.
The next day.
Alan's team discovered traces of goblins.
Goblins...nothing much to say.
The most common weaklings in the underground world.
It wasn't worth wasting precious parasitic spores on goblins.
Alan continued to doze off.
Let Olivia lead the team in hunting down the goblins who weren't qualified to transform into fungus beasts.
Half asleep, he received a "message" from Julie.
Alan read the message.
His sleepy eyes suddenly flashed with a gleam of brilliance!
Aside from the ostensible reason of avoiding Pamela, Alan joined the jungle team to encounter more bizarre underground creatures and collect unique ingredients.
Unfortunately, neither the dire bats nor the burrowing worms provided any unique ingredients.
Until just now, when he received Julie's message.
Alan had a vague premonition that a shipment was about to begin!
Standing up from the tree, he immediately performed "Phantom Step."
A silver mist flickered in and out.
Alan's figure appeared a hundred meters away.
Outside the mushroom forest lay an underground swamp.
Bubbles gurgled from the muddy wetlands.
Every time the bubbles burst, a rotting odor emanated.
Olivia and the Griffin siblings led the team guarding the swamp's edge.
Seeing Alan teleport over, they quickly waved to him.
"Where's the statue?" Alan whispered.
"Look over there—" Julie pointed toward the swamp.
Felin remotely illuminated the area with his "Dancing Lights" technique.
Alan narrowed his eyes slightly.
In the magical orb's light, he could see a group of goblin stone sculptures arrayed at the swamp's edge.
These wretched little monsters, posing as if fleeing, stood silently in the mud.
Their expressions of terror were forever frozen in the stone sculptures.
"The goblins were petrified."
Alan revealed the truth.
"We thought so too. The question is, who did it?"
Olivia glanced around warily.
"Petrified bulls?"
Alan shook his head slightly.
No one present knew bulls better than he did.
"If it were bulls, they wouldn't be so quiet. You should have heard their thunderous mooing."
"Could it be a cockatrice?"
Julie offered another guess.
A cockatrice is a legendary beast with the body of a chicken and the tail of a snake.
The toxin secreted by cockatrices can petrify its victims.
"There's a sorceress named Coco in the Amazing Circus support group. I fought her not long ago," Flynn recalled.
"That little vixen, dressed in a gorgeous cake dress, looked like a fairytale princess."
"But when she activates her atavism, she transforms into a terrifying half-chicken, half-snake monster!"
"Two of my teammates were injured by her. From the wounds, petrification spread throughout their bodies, and they couldn't be saved..."
"Could it be the Amazing Circus that infiltrated?"
Alan shook his head again.
"If it was Coco, they wouldn't have left behind the goblin statues and alerted them."
In fact, there's another piece of strong evidence I can't mention.
After Caius's death, Sonia took over as leader.
She now has the final say over the Amazing Circus.
If it were the circus infiltrating the secret realm, Sonia would have sent a letter in advance.
"Hush—keep your voice down! There seems to be some movement over there!"
Olivia pointed nervously at the goblin statue.
Illuminated by the magical orb, Alan spotted a monster resembling a giant lizard, crouching behind two stone statues.
The creature's back was covered in bumps and scales.
Its dark, yellowish skin blended seamlessly with the swampy surroundings, creating a natural camouflage.
No wonder it hadn't been discovered until now.
A closer look revealed that, unlike ordinary giant lizards, the monster possessed eight legs!
A number of sharp bone spurs protruded from the top of its forehead.
Most impressive were the monster's eyes.
The cold pupils faintly radiated a pale green light.
"Hiss!"
A gasp echoed in his ears.
Alan turned his head and looked at a young man in a green robe.
"Junior brother, do you recognize that giant reptile?"
The green-robed sorcerer nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling slightly. "Brother Allen! That's a petrified lizard!"
"Don't get within ten meters of it, or you'll be stared at by its eyes and quickly turned into a stone statue!"
"Would it be okay to stare into a petrified lizard's eyes from ten meters away?" Allen asked curiously.
"That's not a problem!" the green-robed youth replied confidently.
Allen nodded and turned to whisper to Julie.
Julie understood.
Holding a piece of mica in her hand, she muttered a spell.
Swish!
Julie waved her hand and cast the second-level spell "Flash Dust."
An instant burst of intense light illuminated the swamp.
The petrified lizard bore the brunt of the impact, its eyes stinging from the intense light.
It was forced to close its eyes, tears streaming down its face in pain.
Clang!
Felin drew his sword and infused it with magic!
A golden beam of light emanated from the blade's edge, extending continuously.
The third-level light-based martial art, "Sun Sword," is similar to the "Flame Blade."
The light blade condensed from this magic power is longer than the "Flame Blade."
Including the length of the blade itself, it extends a maximum of ten meters!
The light blade itself has no physical form.
But it can still be used to kill enemies.
The damage dealt by the light blade is equivalent to a sword's cut, and it possesses the inherent "radiance" attribute, making it particularly effective against underground creatures that fear light.
Felin activated the Sun Sword, intending to directly kill the petrified lizard from ten meters away.
"Wait!"
Olivia quickly grabbed his arm.
"Killing the basilisk and transforming its corpse into a fungus beast will cause its optic nerves to atrophy, potentially losing its supernatural ability, 'Petrifying Gaze'!"
Felin hesitated and turned to look at Allen.
A questioning look etched in his eyes.
Alan considered it and felt that Olivia's words made sense.
A fungus beast is still a corpse, after all.
Parasitic spores can only maintain the functioning of a portion of its organs, and an organ as delicate as the eyeball probably can't be restored to its pre-living state.
A basilisk transformed into a fungus beast, without its signature ability, 'Petrifying Gaze', would be of little value.
At this moment, the basilisk, its eyes stung by the bright light, had already turned and fled deeper into the swamp.
Flicking its tail, its eight short legs swam swiftly through the muddy water.
Alan waved his hand, signaling his companions to retreat.
He closed his eyes and activated his "Qi Sensing" technique.
He released invisible threads of magic power, locking onto the petrified lizard.
He slowly raised his right hand, grabbed the large lizard, which had already fled over ten meters away, and activated his vortex claws.
A silver vortex swirled, and a gravitational field expanded!
The petrified lizard, paddling desperately, suddenly soared into the air.
It was abruptly sucked back by Allen and thrown to the ground.
BANG!
The petrified lizard fell with all eight legs in the air, stunned.
Allen closed his eyes tightly, relying entirely on Qi Sensing to locate the lizard.
He stepped forward, intending to capture the petrified lizard alive.
At this moment, the system alerted:
"The scent of a unique ingredient has been detected!"
"The sample is rare, unable to identify!"
Alan's lips curled slightly as he pressed a palm against the petrified lizard's belly.
Bone spurs protruded from his palm, drawing blood to refine its essence!
The petrified lizard's bloodline essence was invaluable.
Injecting it into a warlock with a compatible bloodline could potentially awaken the divine skill of "Petrifying Gaze"!
A strange thing happened...
The petrified lizard, despite its bloodsucking, didn't struggle or bite as he had expected.
It lay docilely on the ground, allowing him to hold its belly.
Like a large cat enjoying its owner's caress.
...What was going on?
Everything was out of the ordinary, and there had to be a reason.
Alan closed his eyes in thought.
Wild petrified lizards were quite ferocious. I will never surrender to a stranger.
Eliminate all impossible options.
Finally, only one possibility remains...
Alan freed his right hand and pulled out the "Tear of the Snake Mother" he carried close to him.
Monasa, the mother of all snakes, is the chief deity of reptiles.
According to legend, this orb evolved from a tear of the Snake Mother, allowing its holder to tame a group of snakes.
Basic lizards are reptiles.
They are distant relatives of snakes.
"Tears of the Snake Mother" also seem to have a charming effect on lizards.
The Naga have already verified this with basilisks.
Basilisks and basilisks are even closer in terms of bloodline.
A sudden realization struck Alan.
So, with a push of his left hand, he flipped the basilisk over.
The large lizard crouched at his feet, its eyes hesitant.
Instinctively, it wanted to flee, but hesitated.
"Vanima!"
Alan muttered a spell, and a cyan beam of light shot out from his fingertips, landing on the petrified lizard's head.
The petrified lizard shuddered, and its gaze towards Alan became even more intimate.
A 4th-level "Charm Monster" spell, when cast on a non-hostile monster, can temporarily win its favor.
Combined with "Tears of the Mother Snake," it can be used to charm snakes and lizards, turning the spell's effect from temporary to permanent!
Alan activated "Telepathy."
He attempted to communicate with the enchanted petrified lizard.
The communication went smoothly and pleasantly.
Click!
The petrified lizard closed its inner eyelid.
Through a layer of transparent eyelids, vision was largely unaffected, and the petrifying rays were shielded.
Even if he stared face-to-face with it, he didn't have to worry about turning to stone.
Alan could finally open his eyes with peace of mind.
He smiled at the petrified lizard.
"Let's go, little brother."
"Take us to your home."
"To visit your brothers and sisters."
The petrified lizard nodded meekly.
Slowly turning, it crawled across the swamp.
Alan turned back and instructed his companions.
"Olivia, Felin, and Julie, come with me."
"The rest of you, stay here and set up camp and wait."
With that, he stepped into the "Dancing in the Air" technique, gliding across the water.
Olivia and the Griffin siblings quickly activated their "Flight" technique and hurriedly caught up.
The four followed the petrified lizard leading the way, soaring across the swamp.
Deep in the swamp, they discovered a strange area.
A shimmering vortex emerged from the void.
It resembled an archway, about five meters high and over two meters wide.
"This is... the crack in the secret realm's barrier!"
Olivia's expression changed.
"Passing through this vortex will teleport you outside the secret realm."
"Isn't that similar to the mushroom circle?" Julie asked.
"The mushroom circle is a stable and controllable teleportation array, and it's also the secret realm's pre-set gate. This crack is different."
"Only when the secret realm's barrier is severely damaged will uncontrolled cracks appear."
"The cracks will become more and more numerous and larger, eventually leading to the complete collapse of the secret realm!"
Olivia was filled with worry.
Julie and Feilin exchanged glances.
According to Olivia's judgment, the lifespan of the Mushroom Garden Secret Realm is about to come to an end.
The enemy and our forces fought fiercely for the secret realm.
This conflict, in fact,
This hastened the decline of the secret realm.
In the end, no one could obtain the secret realm; all their efforts were in vain!
This was clearly not an outcome they were happy to accept.
Everyone was in a low mood.
Striving to stay strong, they followed the petrified lizards.
In short, they had to go to the other side and see what was happening.
The petrified lizards plunged through the cracks in the secret realm's barrier.
Alan cast a protective spell, activated his soft bone armor, and followed the petrified lizards through the cracks.
The moment he entered the vortex, he felt a slight dizziness.
When he regained consciousness, he was already outside the secret realm, in a dimly lit cave.
The petrified lizards' lair lay deep within the cave.
There were four adult petrified lizards and seven cubs.
The cubs' eyes can also release petrification rays, though with a shorter range.
Alan, holding the "Tears of the Mother Snake," won the favor of the lizard family.
Afterwards, he applied the "Monster Charm" to each one, ensuring a lasting friendship.
After some telepathic communication, Alan successfully persuaded the lizard family to follow him and settle in the secret realm of the mushroom garden.
When necessary, the petrified lizards would gladly fight for their human friends.
There were still a pile of eggs in the lizard nest, which also needed to be moved to a new home.
Alan put the eggs into a storage bag and helped his lizard friends move.
Back in the mushroom garden, they found a warm and clean cave to serve as the petrified lizards' new home.
Alan opened the storage bag, took out the eggs, and carefully placed them in a nest made of dry moss.
The mother lizard wagged her tail at him with satisfaction.
Climbing into the soft nest, he continued incubating the eggs.
Alan smiled and said goodbye to the lizard family.
Now he was certain of one thing.
Basilisks couldn't count and were very careless!
He couldn't even remember how many eggs he had laid.
When Alan returned to camp, he had a lizard egg in his pocket.
Beep—
"Eat special ingredient: Basilisk egg!"
"Potential +2!"
"Physique +1!"
Current Attributes: Physique 46, Agility 31, Spirit 51
Potential Reserve: 13 points
...
After dinner, Alan lay by the warm campfire.
He rested his head on Julie's long legs, clad in black stockings, and closed his eyes to rest.
Half asleep, he heard his three friends chatting.
Julie, Feilin, and Olivia huddled around the fire, scowling.
The topic of their conversation was the gradually crumbling secret realm barrier.
"Leaving it alone is definitely not an option!"
Felin said worriedly.
"If the enemy discovers these cracks, they could bypass the mushroom circle and directly enter the secret realm. We'd be hard to defend against!"
"Is there any way to repair the secret realm barrier?" Julie asked Olivia.
"It is said that every secret time realm has a core known as the 'Time Orb.'"
Olivia spoke thoughtfully.
"If we can find the Time Orb and manipulate it, perhaps we can still repair the secret realm's barrier."
"Where is the Time Orb in the mushroom garden hidden?"
"Unfortunately, outsiders like us can never know this secret."
"Only the natives who have lived here since the secret realm's inception could possibly know this secret."
"Olivia, you mean... the Master of Fungi?" Feilin asked.
Olivia nodded, looking dejected.
"I tried to communicate with the Master of Fungi, but she ignored me..."
"The Master of Fungi is increasingly disgusted with outsiders."
"She's closed herself off and refuses to communicate with outsiders."
"Under these circumstances, I can't gain the Master of Fungi's trust. There's nothing I can do, no matter how anxious I am..."
Alan suddenly sat up!
Julie was startled!
Thinking he'd been awakened by a nightmare, she quickly hugged him, soothing him softly.
"Don't be afraid, we're all here with you...Did you dream about Angel again?"
Alan shook his head and kissed her cheek.
"Sister Julie, I need to talk to the Master."
"You, Feilin, and Olivia, wait here until I get back."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished into a silver mist.
...
"Master, I want to talk to you."
Alan activated his telepathy, attempting to establish a connection with the Master.
Many others, including Olivia, had tried this, but were rejected by the Master.
Alan was the only exception.
Of all the humans in the mushroom garden, the Master was only willing to communicate with Alan.
It wasn't, as Feilin had said, that Alan had some special charm that made the Master particularly favor him.
The real reason was Allen's good deeds.
The great philanthropist Panthes had earned a special place in the Master's heart through his righteous deeds.
"Alan, you're here..."
The Master uttered a weak mental wave.
"A few days ago, thanks to you for putting out the fire in the garden and saving the myconids."
"On behalf of the children, I want to thank you..."
Good deeds will be rewarded.
The great philanthropist Panthes accepted the Master's gratitude and then asked directly:
"The secret realm barrier is collapsing. Why is that?"
"Because... I'm about to die," the Master sighed.
The Master is actually a cluster of vast fungal spores.
The collective consciousness of these spores is called the "Hive Will."
Humanity erupted in war over the control of the mushroom garden.
The long and brutal war had caused irreparable damage to the local ecology.
The Fungus Master was also affected, and the will of the Hive was on the verge of collapse.
"The barrier's collapse is just the beginning."
"Next, the rhythm of time within the secret realm will be disrupted."
"Time has gone from flowing at a steady pace to fluctuating speeds..."
"This environment is no longer suitable for human survival."
"While there's still time... leave now."
The mental vibrations transmitted from the Fungus Master revealed a strong sense of negativity...
Alan, simply receiving these vibrations, felt a wave of depression, as if the world was gloomy and life was hopeless.
He quickly gathered his thoughts and closed his eyes in meditation.
He silently activated the Soul-Calming Meditation.
To dispel the negative emotions the Fungus Master had transmitted to him... something bordering on high-level hypnotic magic!
This feeling of emptiness, loneliness, and coldness seemed familiar.
Allen couldn't help but recall the recent experience in the Silver Moon Secret Realm.
He and Master Shiva had practiced dual cultivation together, helping her overcome the twelve inner demon trials.
At the time, he hadn't known the immensity of the world, and wanted to experience just how terrifying Master Shiva's mental tests truly were.
The first level dealt a heavy blow to his confidence!
Inner demons aren't necessarily all terrifying and insane.
Loneliness, emptiness, and despair can wear down one's will.
No matter how hard one cultivates, death is inevitable.
Since death is inevitable, what's the point of trying?
The more he thought about the meaning of life, the emptier it felt.
Alan sensed something was wrong and hastily exited Master Shiva's meditation world. He never dared to attempt the inner demon trials again.
It was with great difficulty that he finally put these unpleasant experiences behind him.
Establishing a spiritual connection with the Master at this moment, he was mentally contaminated...
Fortunately, Allen possessed the "Soul-Calming Meditation" technique, which enabled him to overcome the intruding demons.
Calming his mind, Allen slowly exhaled.
"Master Master, we all don't want to watch the secret realm crumble. Is there any way to remedy this?"
The Master was speechless.
Alan waited a moment, then took the initiative to break the silence.
"I heard that the core of the secret realm is called the Time Orb. With this orb, can I repair the secret realm's barrier?"
The Master sighed and asked quietly, "Isn't the Time Orb right before you?"
Alan was stunned.
"You... are the Time Orb?"
"Long ago, I was just a bunch of mindless mushrooms. By chance, I encountered a fortuitous encounter and merged with the Time Orb, evolving into my present form."
The Master replied softly.
Through spiritual communication with the Fungus Master, Allen gradually understood everything...
…
The so-called Time Law Orb is actually a fragment of the Time Godhead.
Different Time Law Orbs correspond to different Time Law multipliers and radiation radii.
The Time Law Orb's radiation zone, a unique set of temporal laws, is the foundation of the secret realm!
"I and the Time Law Orb are one, living and dying together."
The Fungus Master continued.
"It was here that I deployed the Time Law barrier, and the secret realm was created."
"After my death, the Time Law Orb will be annihilated, and the secret realm will cease to exist."
"I'm almost dead, how can I even talk about repairing the secret realm..."
The Fungus Master's emotions were dead.