Mushroom Man

Chapter 252 A Madman's Self-Harm, Seeking Survival Under the Dark Moon

"What the hell is this place?!"

"Why is this blessed land of immortals so terrifying?!"

Gu Zhenren's pupils contracted sharply, and he spoke in a daze.

Wu Liang's face was gloomy as he stared at the scene before him, remaining silent for a long time.

In front of the whispering forest, a mountain range stretching for eight hundred miles suddenly appeared.

There was no sun or moon in the sky, and the ground was as red as blood.

Those eight hundred miles of treacherous mountains are extraordinary, with terrifying scenery everywhere.

Skulls piled up like mountains, and bones formed a forest.

The fur of the mushroom beast was ground into felt sheets, which covered the mountains like turf.

The flesh and skin of the mushroom beast rotted into mud and dust, nourishing the flowers, grasses, and trees.

The tendons of some kind of mushroom or animal were wrapped around the tree, dry and shiny like silver.

Wu Liang and Gu Zhenren listened intently and could faintly hear the screams that could be heard from within the eight hundred miles of treacherous mountains.

This scene was truly a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, a terrifying hell on earth.

Surprisingly, even in this terrifying place, there seem to be living people.

The living people here all seem to be madmen, behaving abnormally.

They deliberately hung themselves from trees, their faces contorted in pain, and as if possessed, they dug out their bones and flesh, skinned and pulled out their tendons!
Such blind self-harm adds to the horror of this evil place.

If Wu Liang hadn't been so resolute and calm, he probably wouldn't have been able to enter this mountain gate.

"What a filthy place of demonic cultivation, torturing living people to this extent."

"That Zhuge Huowang is indeed worthy of being Doctor Mo's master; they are all birds of a feather."

Wu Liang gazed at the scene from afar, his eyes slightly cold.

However, he was not surprised by this, nor did he feel any resentment.

After all, he is now a wicked villain.

When they previously allowed Morobi to burn the mortals of the White Horn Tribe, the scene was no better than what is happening now.

"Let's go over and have a look."

Wu Liang was not frightened by what he saw.

Since he had encountered a living person, he naturally had to go and take a look.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

After calming himself down, Master Gu started walking towards the mountain ridge.

Before long, the two entered the mountains, stepping on felt-like hair and muddy flesh.

The old man's face was contorted in displeasure.

Although he was a fifth-level Bone Path Mushroom Master who had created countless bloody scenes, he had never seen such a terrifying sight.

It can only be said that the immortals are indeed immortals, actually creating a hell on earth within their own blessed land.

"Pain! It hurts!"

"It hurts, it hurts so much!"

Not long after they left, they heard screams of agony.

Clearly, the source of these screams was the same insane man the two had seen mutilating himself outside the mountains.

Wu Liang and Gu Zhenren both looked in the direction of the sound.

Then, rows of white bone trees came into view.

The bone tree takes root in the rotten flesh and mud, its branches and leaves flourishing, hanging with lively, madmen.

These madmen seem to have intentionally hung themselves from the trees.

As they cried out in pain, they repeatedly stabbed themselves in the stomach with sharp bones.

With each poke, a look of pleasure would appear on their faces.

Clearly, these madmen are experiencing both pain and pleasure.

"New, a newcomer, a newcomer!"

"A newcomer has arrived at Ecstasy Ridge!"

Upon seeing Wu Liang and Gu Zhenren, these madmen swayed in the wind and exclaimed excitedly.

Come on, come join us!

"Let's endure hardship together, feel the wind together, and shed our mortal forms—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Soul-Stealing Ridge?

So this place is called Soul-Stealing Ridge...

Why does this name sound so familiar...?

Wu Liang frowned, feeling as if he had never heard of this so-called Soul-Stealing Ridge before.

"Soul-Destroying Ridge!"

"This... isn't this the legendary wonder of heaven and earth that exists on the road to the underworld?!"

Just then, Bone Master exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Wu Liang suddenly understood.

He said he seemed to have heard of Ecstasy Ridge somewhere before, apparently from the legend of the Mushroom Man...

The Tale of the Mushroom Man, Volume 2, Chapter 2.

Last time, Huiyue realized one-sidedness and found the fake mushroom hidden in the Valley of One-Sidedness.

In an instant, the partial valley before him shattered like the moon reflected on the water.

Only one winding, straight, flat, and undulating road to the underworld becomes clear again.

After the moon was dark, they rallied and set off again along the road to the underworld.

This time, he truly embarked on the path to the end of the underworld.

Reincarnated through a corpse to cross the Yellow Springs, escaping a desperate situation by facing death.

On the road to the underworld, life and death are separated; after the valley of partiality, one is reborn.

However, the Yellow Springs are easy to come to but not easy to go to. This path of facing death to live is not easy to walk, and it is full of bones and thorns.

As Huiyue walked upon it, the white bones scratched the soles of his feet, and pain mushrooms burrowed into them, the agony penetrating deep into his marrow. As the white bones multiplied, they eventually formed mountains, completely blocking the path to the underworld.

Only the indifferent voice of Lonely Mushroom could be heard: "Man! You have encountered the first real problem on this road of life and death."

"The mountain range blocking your way is called the Soul-Destroying Ridge."

"Every bone here is a precious mushroom."

"They can cause you unforgettable pain, making you want to stay away from them."

"And there is also a soul-destroying wind in the Soul-Destroying Ridge, which will wear down your soul and make you disappear."

Huiyue doesn't know what fear is.

He only wanted to move forward, not backward.

He simply nodded at Lonely Mushroom's reminder and stepped onto the path paved with bones...

At first, his long-term patience made him fearless.

Until the bitter mushroom, buried deep in the mud, cut through his flesh and took root within it.

Pain seeped into his bones, an agony he was no longer accustomed to enduring.

Painful groans echoed along the silent road to the underworld.

"Pain! It hurts!"

The moon was eclipsed, and she screamed and shouted to vent her pain.

His will is gradually fading away in this process.

Fortunately, the endless loneliness brought by the Lonely Mushroom helped him endure the pain and hardship.

Just then, a mesmerizing wind blew through Ecstasy Ridge.

This wind is all-pervasive, specifically designed to sever the soul.

The scattered soul of the moon, severed by the ecstasy wind, fell to the ground piece by piece, becoming tattered and broken.

Seeing that the moon was about to be completely destroyed...

Unexpectedly, those souls that fell to the ground took root, sprouted, and bore fruit.

After Huiyue ate these fruits, her soul grew stronger, which allowed her to withstand the Soul-Destroying Wind and avoid being completely destroyed.

It turns out that those so-called fruits are actually called bitterness.

It is something that only comes to mind after a person has experienced profound and unforgettable suffering.

Pain may be unbearable, but it can also help people grow.

Having endured much hardship, Huiyue naturally developed the ability to withstand the ecstasy.

When Huiyue emerged from Xiaohun Ridge, her soul was no longer loose; instead, her posture became upright and even more refined.

At the same time, on the ignorant mushroom, a mushroom called cognition quietly sprouted.

Led by Lonely Mushroom, his footsteps soon led him to the second challenge on this life-or-death journey: Burial Soul Mountain.

Burial Mountain is covered with yellow mud swamps.

The souls of countless mushroom beasts are buried here, giving rise to countless spirit mushrooms.

As he entered, he saw mushrooms of sorrow emerging from the yellow mud, blocking his way and making it impossible for him to move forward.

Burial Mountain symbolizes the resting place of the dead, a place of peace after death.

Only after death can a person find peace and tranquility.

However, if one wants to leave Burial Mountain and embark on the path of life that leads to death, it will be extremely difficult to move forward.

Because the path of life is strewn with mushrooms of sorrow, like yellow mud.

Life is born in hardship, and living means being constantly troubled by hardship. Only by stopping and accepting death can one find peace.

These worrisome mushrooms, though unable to overwhelm Huiyue's incredibly solid soul, made it difficult for him to take a single step.

Only now did Lonely Mushroom speak: "Man, if you want to leave Burial Soul Mountain and get rid of Sorrowful Mushroom, a body that has suffered enough is not enough."

"You also need to have the courage and boldness to remain unaffected by worries."

Huiyue followed Lonely Mushroom's advice and grabbed a Spirit Mushroom that was floating in front of her.

When a person has great ambition, they will naturally not care about those worries.

With the help of the Spirit Mushroom, Huiyue's soul gradually grew taller, allowing it to break free from the mud.

As its spirit grew and its inner strength increased, the cognitive mushroom also matured and began to speak:
"People, what lies ahead on this path of life and death is the last challenge: the Bewitching Cliff."

"You don't need to search for it; it exists within this world, at the intersection of the path of life and death and the Yellow Springs."

"Is this the last problem?" Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Huiyue's eyes.

He looked up at the boundless underworld, heading towards his final destination.

On this Bewitching Cliff, there is a Bewitching Spring.

Countless souls drank freely here before finally falling into the Yellow Springs and swimming towards the other side.

Huiyue, somewhat curious, scooped up a mouthful of clear spring water and drank it.

In an instant, he felt that the pain in his body had lessened considerably, but it quickly returned, causing him to scratch his ears and cheeks in pain.

Having tasted the pleasure of being painless, how could one willingly continue to endure suffering?

Huiyue dared not stop, drinking mouthful after mouthful of the bewitching potion.

In this process, the pain of sorrow is washed away, and the loneliness in one's heart is soothed.

But a single spring of clear water is ultimately limited, not to mention the countless dead souls vying for it all around!
A fire of greed ignited in his heart; it was the first time he had ever known his goal so clearly…

That means killing all these dead souls and taking this spring for myself!
His solid and powerful soul allowed him to bully the dead at will, easily tearing them apart and swallowing them!

But as he swallowed more and more of the bewitching potion, the flame in his heart was gradually extinguished.

He regained consciousness and understood how to cleanse himself and get through this final hurdle.

But now...

Because he had consumed too many souls, his own soul had become bloated and swollen.

If he straightens his back slightly, he will reach the sky; if he stretches out his legs, he will step into the yellow mud, and he may be submerged in the Yellow Springs at any time.

Life is rarely smooth sailing; we are always troubled by all sorts of things.

Because of his momentary greed, he was once again trapped in this cage called Heaven and Earth...

(End of this chapter)