Everyone was excited to learn that there were digging bugs gathering in the woods.
"A digging worm, good at digging holes and can also spit strong acid!"
"Transformed into a fungus beast, it is best used as a surprise attack force to attack the enemy from underground!"
Flynn is ready to go.
"Stop talking, go catch the bugs!"
Tao Na couldn't wait and ran away!
Allen and Griffin, brother and sister, quickly chased after them.
There is a mushroom circle surrounded by a mushroom forest, with a flat open space in the center.
There are more than ten underground caves, each with an entrance diameter of more than one meter.
When Allen and others arrived, Taona's natural sorcerers were fighting with the digging worms that had poked their heads out of the cave.
Digger bugs look like giant brown watermelon bugs.
The body surface is covered with a hard, segmented carapace.
Just the upper body that is exposed above the ground is three meters long!
Ten huge insects, with bared fangs and claws, spewing acid.
The open space in the woods was filled with a pungent sour smell.
If inhaled into the body, it will make you feel nauseous and want to vomit!
It would be even more serious if you were sprayed with acid!
Metal armor will be corroded and torn into pieces, not to mention flesh and blood.
Tao Na rushed to the scene and raised her hand to cast the 3rd-level "Wind Wall".
The whistling air barrier, like a transparent screen, lies in front of the swarm of digging insects.
He blew all the acid it sprayed back onto his face.
Diggers have a high resistance to acid corrosion and will not be harmed by their own acid, but they are extremely insulting.
The enraged earthworms rushed out of their holes and pounced on Tao Na!
"Untúpa!"
The blue-haired girl casts a spell calmly.
A circle of light golden halo spread out around his body, covering the space of ten meters around him.
4th level magic "insect repellent barrier"!
All insects, insect-shaped monsters, and even warlocks with Zerg blood will be blocked by this barrier.
Unless one defeats the spellcaster Tao Na in a mental confrontation, there is no way to break through that thin film of light.
The bugs that were caught in the barrier when it was opened were even more miserable!
Will continue to take magic damage.
Until they escape the barrier or are killed.
The Diggerworm is physically strong, but its mental attributes are weak.
They were collectively suppressed by the "insect repellent barrier", their bodies were smoking and writhing in pain.
The three digging worms in the front had no time to turn around.
Soon, it was killed by the magic rays radiated by the insect repellent barrier.
The rest of the digging worms took clumsy steps and shrank back in panic.
Trying to crawl back into the burrow and hide.
Alan took a step forward and raised his palms.
There is a silver vortex flowing in the palm of his hand.
Swirl Dragon Claw, activate!
The digging worm that had finally escaped back to the cave was pulled by the strong force of gravity.
One after another, they were forcibly pulled out of the hole by Alan, hung on the tree, and twisted in vain.
Julie and Feilin stepped forward with swords in hand and finished off the enemy one by one.
Kill all the digging insects hanging on the trees.
The brother and sister acted with discretion. They used their magic-infused swords to pierce through the cracks in the burrowing worm's hard shell and penetrate its internal organs, killing it with one blow!
Try to keep the corpse intact so that it can be used to transform the fungus beast.
The four of them joined forces and quickly eliminated the ten earthworms.
Tao Na ordered her men to patrol elsewhere to avoid exposing the secret of the four people creating the fungus beast.
Five minutes later.
Ten earthworms implanted with spores were "resurrected" on the spot.
Following the instructions of their respective masters, they returned to the burrows and waited to be called.
…
the next day.
The team that Allen belonged to discovered traces of the goblins.
Goblins... not much to say.
The most common weakling in the underground world.
It's not worth wasting precious parasitic spores for the goblins.
Alan continued to take a nap.
Let Tao Na lead the team to hunt down the goblins who are not qualified to transform into fungus beasts.
When I was half asleep and half awake, I received a "communication" from Julie.
Alan reads the letter.
The sleepy eyes suddenly flashed with a gleam of brilliance!
Alan joined the jungle team not only for the apparent reason of avoiding Pamela, but also because he wanted to come into contact with more strange underground creatures and collect unique ingredients.
Unfortunately, neither the ferocious bats nor the digging worms provide any special ingredients.
Until just now, I received the message from Julie.
Alan had a vague feeling that the goods were about to be shipped!
He stood up from under the tree and immediately performed the "Phantom Step".
The silver mist appears and disappears.
Alan's figure appeared a hundred meters away.
Outside the mushroom forest is an underground swamp.
Bubbles gurgled out of the muddy wetland.
Every time the bubbles burst, a rotten smell is emitted.
Taona and Griffin, brother and sister, led the team to guard the edge of the swamp.
Seeing Alan teleporting over, he waved to him quickly.
"Where is the statue?" Alan asked in a low voice.
“Look over there—” Julie pointed toward the swamp.
Feilin remotely controls the "dancing lights" to illuminate.
Alan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Under the illumination of the magic light ball, a group of goblin stone sculptures can be seen on the edge of the swamp.
This group of wretched little monsters are posing as if they are running away.
Standing quietly in the mud.
The horrified expression is forever frozen on the stone sculpture.
"The goblins are petrified."
Alan spoke the truth.
"We thought so too, the question is who did it?"
Taona looked around warily.
"Petrified bull?"
Alan shook his head slightly.
Among all the people present, no one knew Manniu better than him.
"If it was a wild bull, it wouldn't be so quiet. You should be able to hear it mooing like thunder."
"Could it be a snake-chicken beast?"
Julie offered another guess.
Chicken-snake beast, a legendary monster with the body of a chicken and the tail of a snake.
The toxin secreted by the snake-cockatoo can turn its victims into stone.
"Amazing Circus' support group has a sorceress named Coco. I fought her not long ago."
Fearing recalled.
"That little enchantress, wearing a gorgeous cake dress, looks like a princess in a fairy tale."
"However, when she activates her ancestral form, she will turn into a horrible half-chicken, half-snake monster!"
"Two of my teammates were injured by her. From the wounds, petrification symptoms spread all over their bodies. In the end, they couldn't be saved..."
"Could it be the Amazing Circus that sneaked in?"
Alan shook his head again.
"If it was Coco who did it, he wouldn't have left behind a goblin statue to alert the enemy."
In fact, there is another piece of solid evidence that is difficult to state.
After Caius' death, Sonia took over as the leader of the group.
Amazing Circus, now she has the final say.
If a circus sneaked into the secret realm, Sonia would definitely send a letter to notify them in advance.
"Shh—keep your voice down, there seems to be some movement over there!"
Tao Na was nervous and pointed to the opposite side of the goblin statue.
With the help of the magic light ball, Alan saw a monster that looked like a giant lizard lying behind the two stone statues.
This guy's back is covered with bumps and scales.
The yellowish-black skin color blends in with the swamp environment, forming a natural camouflage.
No wonder it was not discovered until now.
After careful observation, Alan discovered that unlike ordinary monitor lizards, the monster actually had eight legs!
There are many sharp bone spurs on the top of the forehead.
The most impressive thing is the monster's eyes.
The cold pupils faintly radiate a light green light.
"hiss--"
There was a sound of someone sucking in a breath of cold air.
Alan turned his head and looked at a young man in a green robe.
"Junior brother, do you recognize that big 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!"
"Is it okay to look into the eyes of a petrified lizard even if we are ten meters away?" Alan asked with interest.
"That's not a problem!" the green-robed young man answered firmly.
Alan nodded and turned to whisper to Julie.
Julie understood.
Holding a piece of mica in his hand, he chanted a spell in a low voice.
Swish!
Julie waved her hand and cast the 2nd level magic "Flash Dust".
An instant burst of intense light illuminated the swamp.
The basilisk bore the brunt of the impact, its eyes stinging from the bright light.
I had to close my eyes and cry in pain.
clang!
Feilin drew his sword and injected magic power into it!
A golden beam of light gushed out from the sword edge and continued to extend.
The 3rd-level light martial art "Sun Sword" is similar to the "Flame Blade".
The blade of light formed by magic power is longer than the "Flame Sword".
Including the length of the blade itself, it extends at most ten meters!
The light blade part has no entity.
But it can also be used to kill enemies.
The damage caused by the light blade is equivalent to that of a sword cut, and it has its own "glory" attribute, which is very effective against underground creatures that are afraid of light.
Feilin activated the Sun Sword, intending to kill the petrified lizard directly from ten meters away.
"Wait a moment!"
Tao Na quickly grabbed his arm.
"Kill the petrified lizard and transform its corpse into a fungus beast. The optic nerve will atrophy and it may lose the supernatural ability of 'petrified gaze'!"
Feilin hesitated and turned to look at Allen.
There was a questioning look in his eyes.
Alan thought about it and felt that what Taona said made sense.
After all, the fungus beast is still a corpse.
Parasitic spores can only maintain the functioning of some organs, and an organ as delicate as the eyeball may not be able to be restored to its pre-life state.
If a petrified lizard loses its signature ability of "petrifying gaze" when it turns into a fungus beast, it will not be of much value.
At this time, the petrified lizard, whose eyes were hurt by the strong light, turned around and ran deep into the swamp.
It swam very fast in the muddy water, wagging its tail and using its eight short legs.
Alan waved his hand, signaling his companions to step back.
Close your eyes and start the "Qi Sensing".
Release invisible magic threads to lock onto the petrified lizard.
He slowly raised his right hand, grabbed the big lizard that had escaped more than ten meters away, and activated the vortex dragon claw.
The silver vortex rotates and the gravitational field expands!
The petrified lizard, which was paddling desperately, suddenly flew into the air.
Alan sucked it back and threw it to the ground.
Boom! !
The petrified lizard fell with its eight legs up in the air, stunned.
Alan closed his eyes tightly and relied entirely on Qi to sense his position.
He walked forward, intending to capture the petrified lizard alive.
At this moment, the system issued a prompt:
"The scent of special ingredients has been detected !"
"The sample is so scarce that it cannot be identified!"
Alan raised the corner of his lips slightly and pressed his palm on the petrified lizard's belly.
Bone spurs protrude from the palms, sucking blood to refine essence!
The blood essence of the petrified lizard is very valuable.
By injecting it into a blood-compatible warlock, it is possible to awaken the magical skill of "Petrifying Gaze"!
A strange thing happened...
The petrified lizard had its blood sucked, but it did not struggle or bite as violently as he expected.
She lay on the ground obediently, letting him hold her belly.
Like a big cat enjoying the caress of its owner.
...What is going on?
When something is out of the ordinary, there must be a reason.
Alan closed his eyes and thought.
A wild petrified lizard, quite ferocious.
Never surrender to a stranger.
Eliminate all impossible options.
Finally, there is only one possibility left...
Alan freed his right hand and took out the "Tears of the Snake Mother" that he carried with him.
Monasa, the mother of all snakes, is the chief god of reptiles and monsters.
According to legend, this orb evolved from a tear of a snake mother, and its holder can tame snakes and make them his friends.
Basilisk is a reptilian monster.
It is a distant relative of snakes.
"Tears of the Snake Mother" seems to have a charming effect on lizards as well.
The Naga tribe has verified this on snake lizards.
Basilisks and petrified lizards are even closer in bloodline genealogy.
Alan suddenly realized.
So, he pushed with his left hand and turned the petrified lizard over.
The big lizard lay at his feet, his eyes hesitant.
I instinctively wanted to escape, but I was hesitant.
"Vanima!"
Alan chanted a spell in a low voice, and a blue beam of light shot out from his fingertips and landed on the petrified lizard's head.
The petrified lizard's body trembled, and the look it gave Alan became even more intimate.
The 4th-level "Monster Charm" can be used on a non-hostile monster to temporarily win its favor.
Combined with "Tears of the Snake Mother", it is used to charm snakes and lizards, and the spell effect changes from temporary to permanent!
Alan starts to use telepathy.
Try to communicate telepathically with the petrified lizard that he has charmed.
The communication was very smooth and pleasant.
Snap!
The basilisk closed its inner eyelids.
Through a layer of transparent eyelids, the field of vision is basically unaffected, and the petrifying rays are blocked.
Even if you look it face to face, you don't have to worry about turning into 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."
"Visit your brothers and sisters."
The petrified lizard nodded meekly.
He slowly turned around and crawled across the swamp.
Alan turned around and instructed his companions.
"Taona, Felin, and Julie, come with me."
"The other brothers and sisters will stay here and set up camp and wait."
After saying that, he stepped on the "Dancing in the Air" step and walked on the water.
Taona and Griffin, brother and sister, quickly used the "flying technique" and hurriedly caught up.
The four followed the petrified lizard that led the way and flew across the swamp.
When we reached the depths of the swamp, we discovered a strange area.
A vortex of flashing light appeared in the void.
Its appearance resembles an arch, about five meters high and more than two meters wide.
"This is... the place where the secret realm barrier is broken!"
Tao Na couldn't help but change her expression.
"If you pass through this vortex, you will be teleported outside the secret realm."
“Isn’t that similar to a mushroom ring?” Julie asked.
"The mushroom circle is a stable and controllable teleportation array, and it is also the preset gate of the secret realm. This crack is different."
"Uncontrolled cracks will only appear when the secret realm barrier is severely damaged."
"The cracks are becoming more and more numerous and larger, and will eventually lead to the complete collapse of the secret realm!"
Tao Na was worried.
Julie and Flynn looked at each other.
According to Tao Na's judgment, the life of the Mushroom Garden Secret Realm is about to come to an end.
The enemy and our side fought fiercely for the secret realm.
This conflict actually accelerated the decline of the secret realm.
In the end, no one could get the secret realm, and it was all in vain!
This is obviously not an outcome that we are willing to accept.
Everyone was in a low mood.
Muster up your energy and keep up with the petrified lizard.
Anyway, let’s go to the other side and see what’s going on.
The petrified lizard buried its head and passed through the cracks in the secret realm.
Alan cast a protective spell, activated the soft bone armor, followed the petrified lizard, and passed through the crack.
The moment the body entered the vortex, I felt a slight dizziness.
When I woke up, I was already outside the secret realm, in a dim cave.
The petrified lizard's nest is deep in the cave.
There are four adult basilisks in total, and seven cubs.
The cub's eyes can also release petrification rays, but the range is shorter.
Allen holds the "Tears of the Snake Mother" and wins the favor of the lizard family.
Afterwards, he added "Monster Charm" one by one to ensure that the friendship would last forever.
After some mental communication, Alan successfully persuaded the lizard family to move with him into the secret mushroom garden to settle down.
If necessary, basilisks will gladly fight for their human friends.
There are a bunch of eggs in the lizard's nest, which also need to be moved to the new home.
Alan put all the lizard eggs into storage bags and helped his lizard friends move.
We returned to the mushroom garden and found a warm and clean cave as a new home for the petrified lizards.
Alan opened the storage bag, took out the lizard eggs, and carefully placed them in a nest made of dry moss.
The female lizard wagged her tail at him in satisfaction.
Climb into the soft nest and continue to incubate the eggs.
Alan smiled and said goodbye to the lizard family.
Now he was sure of one thing.
The petrified lizard is unnumerable and very careless!
I can't even remember how many eggs I have laid in total.
When Alan returned to the camp, he had a lizard egg in his pocket.
Didi——
"Eat special ingredients: petrified lizard eggs!"
"Potential +2!"
"Physique +1!"
Current attributes: 46 physique, 31 agility, 51 spirit
Potential reserve: 13 points
…
After dinner, Alan lay down beside the warm campfire.
He rested his head on Julie's long legs wrapped in black stockings and closed his eyes to rest.
Half asleep and half awake, I heard three friends chatting.
Julie, Flynn, and Tona sat around the fire, looking worried.
The topic of conversation was the gradually collapsing secret realm barrier.
"It's definitely not okay to just leave it alone!"
Feilin said worriedly.
"If the enemy discovers these cracks, they can bypass the mushroom circle and directly break into the secret realm. It's hard to defend against!"
"Is there any way to repair the secret realm barrier?" Julie asked Tao Na.
"It is said that every secret time realm has a core called the 'Time Law Orb'."
Tao Na thought for a moment and then spoke.
"If we can find the Time Law Orb and manipulate it, we may still have time to repair the secret realm barrier."
"Where is the Time Orb in the Mushroom Garden stored?"
"Unfortunately, it is impossible for outsiders like us to know this secret."
“Only the natives who lived here when the secret realm was first created could possibly know this secret.”
"Taona, do you mean... the fungus master?" Feilin asked.
Taona nodded, looking frustrated.
"I tried to communicate with the Master of Fungi, but she ignored me..."
"Master Fungus Master, I am increasingly disgusted with outsiders."
"She closed her heart and refused to communicate with outsiders."
"Under such circumstances, I cannot gain the trust of the Master of Fungi, and there is nothing I can do no matter how anxious I am..."
Alan sat up suddenly!
Julie was shocked by him!
Thinking he was awakened by a nightmare, I quickly hugged him and comforted him softly.
"Don't be afraid, we are all here with you...Did you dream about Angel again?"
Alan shook his head and kissed her cheek.
"Sister Julie, I want to talk to the mushroom owner."
"You, Feilin, and Taona, wait here for me to come back."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared in a silver mist.
…
"Master Fungus Master, I want to talk to you."
Alan activated his telepathy and tried to establish a mental connection with the mushroom master.
Many people, including Tao Na, have tried to do this, but were rejected by the mushroom owner.
Allen was the only exception.
Of all the humans in the mushroom garden, the mushroom owner is only willing to communicate with Alan.
It's not like what Feilin said, that Alan has some special charm that makes the fungus master particularly favor him.
The real reason is because Alan does good deeds.
The great man Panthes has won a special place in the heart of the mushroom owner through his righteous deeds.
"Alan, you're here..."
The fungus master emitted weak mental fluctuations.
"A few days ago, thanks to you for putting out the fire in the garden, you saved the mushroom people."
"On behalf of the children, I want to thank you..."
Do good things and good will come to you.
The kind-hearted Panthes calmly accepted the thanks from the mushroom owner, and then asked directly:
"The secret realm barrier is collapsing. Why is this happening?"
"Because... I'm about to die." The fungus master sighed.
The fungus master is actually a cluster of massive fungal spores.
The collective consciousness of the spores is called the "mother will".
A war broke out among humans over the mushroom garden.
The long and brutal war caused irreparable damage to the local ecology.
The fungus master is also affected, and the will of the mother nest is about to collapse.
"The barrier collapse is just the beginning."
"Next, the rhythm of time in the secret realm will be disrupted."
"Time flows at a constant speed, then becomes fast and slow..."
"The environment here is no longer suitable for human survival."
"While there is still time... leave now."
The mental fluctuations from the fungus master revealed strong negative emotions...
Just by receiving this wave, Alan couldn't help feeling depressed, as if the world was dark and there was no hope for life.
He quickly calmed his mind and closed his eyes to meditate.
Silently instigate the soothing meditation method.
Eliminate the negative emotions that the fungus master has transmitted to him...which is almost a high-level hypnotic magic!
This feeling of emptiness, loneliness and coldness seems familiar.
Alan couldn't help but recall what happened not long ago in the Silver Moon Secret Realm.
He and Master Shiva practiced dual cultivation together to help her break through the twelve tests of her inner demons.
At that time, I didn't know how high the sky was and how deep the earth was, but I also wanted to experience how terrible the spiritual test that Master Shiva had to go through was.
As a result, the first level dealt a heavy blow to his self-confidence!
The inner demons are not necessarily terrifying and crazy.
Loneliness, emptiness, and despair are all things that wear down one's will.
No matter how you practice, you cannot escape the fate of death.
Since death is inevitable, what's the point of trying?
The more I think about the meaning of life, the more empty I feel.
Alan realized that something was wrong and hurriedly withdrew from Master Shiva's meditation world. He did not dare to try the test of his inner demon again.
It took a lot of effort to forget these unpleasant experiences.
At this moment, I establish a spiritual connection with the mushroom master and am spiritually polluted...
Fortunately, Alan possessed the "Soul-Calming Meditation Method" and defeated the inner demons that had quietly invaded.
Calming himself down, Allen slowly exhaled.
"Master Fungus Master, we don't want to watch the secret realm collapse. Is there any way to remedy it?"
The owner of the fungus was speechless.
Alan waited for a moment before taking 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 barrier?"
The mushroom master sighed and asked quietly, "Isn't the Time Law Orb right in front of you?"
Alan couldn't help but be stunned.
"You... are the Time Law Orb?"
"A long time ago, I was just a bunch of mushrooms without intelligence. I had a chance encounter and merged with the Time Law Orb, and then I evolved into what I am now."
The mushroom master answered softly.
Through spiritual communication with the mushroom master, Allen gradually understood everything...
…
The so-called Time Law Orb is actually a fragment of the Godhead of Time.
Different time rhythm orbs have corresponding time rhythm multipliers and radiation radii, which are not the same.
The radiation area of ​​the Time Law Orb has its own set of time laws, which is the foundation of the secret realm!
"I and the Time Law Orb have become one, living and dying together."
The mushroom owner continued.
"I opened the time barrier here, and the secret realm was created."
"After I die, the Time Law Orb will be destroyed, and the secret realm will no longer exist."
"I'm almost dead, how can I talk about repairing the secret realm..."
The emotions conveyed by the mushroom owner are lifeless.