Mushroom Man

Chapter 265 Lifespan is nothing to be afraid of.
"This is mushroom substrate produced in Jinji Mountain, known as Rooster Iron."

"When the rooster crows, the world turns white; these iron roosters vibrate and crow continuously as time goes by."

"Over time, it will transform into a sixth-grade immortal material, the finest white iron in the world."

"It's just something that's better than nothing..."

Perhaps sensing Wu Liang's curiosity, Zhuge Huowang nodded slightly and spoke in a faint, ambiguous smile.

He continued walking along the steep mountain path without stopping after he finished speaking.

Wu Liang narrowed his eyes, calmed himself down, and followed closely behind.

Soon, they reached the mountainside of Jinji Mountain.

This area appears more prosperous and affluent compared to the foot of the mountain.

Exotic flowers and rare herbs bloom here, growing vigorously.

What kind of flower is it?

The flowers are a deep blue, ghost-face orchid.

This is a type of fungus that grows in places like mass graves.

The Ghost Face Orchid is believed to have the wonderful effect of nourishing and protecting the soul.

Each ghostly face that appears on it represents a wandering, lonely spirit.

The wandering ghosts hiding in the Ghost Face Orchid can effectively resist the attraction of the road to the underworld.

What kind of grass is it?

The grass is a vibrant green resurrection plant.

This is also a type of Soul Path mushroom, and it is extremely precious.

It is said that in the mushroom world today, the Resurrection Grass has been completely extinct due to the Four Symbols Boundary Wall.

Unexpectedly, there were still surviving resurrection plants here...

The resurrection herb has the miraculous effect of summoning the soul back to life.

This allows those mushroom masters whose souls have not yet reached the Yellow Springs and who have not truly died to return to the mortal world along the Yellow Springs Road.

Of course, this is just mushroom substrate and cannot truly revitalize the plant.

It was merely to prevent the soul from getting lost on the road to the underworld, and to let it know the way home.

Moreover, even if there is a resurrection herb, once the soul steps onto the road to the underworld, it will become confused and disoriented due to the influence of the road to the underworld, and there will be no way back.

"Ghost face orchid and resurrection grass are both chicken feed."

"However, the Soul-Swallowing Flea Mushroom made from these two types of mushrooms is quite interesting."

Zhuge Huowang glanced at it casually and then began to explain.

Ghost Orchid and Resurrection Grass—these are treasures that, if placed in the mortal realm of the Four Continents, would make a Soul Master beat his brains out.

In the eyes of the immortal Zhuge Huowang, it was nothing more than fodder for feeding chickens.

The difference between immortals and mortals is evident.

Wu Liang followed Zhuge Huowang's gaze.

Sure enough, I saw the so-called soul-snatching flea.

Then, one could see fleas the size of a fingernail, completely black, and ugly in appearance.

Clearly, this is what is known as the soul-parasitic flea.

Without exception, all the Soul-Swallowing Fleas were at the fifth level of cultivation.

These parasitic fleas feed on the ghost face orchid and hop around among the flowers and plants.

Wu Liang looked closely and could see that many of those soul-possessed fleas still carried wisps of souls.

Without exception, these souls were all prospective madmen from Soul-Destroying Ridge.

Clearly, most of the souls Zhuge Huowang captured from the outside world were stored inside the Soul-Snatching Flea.

When there aren't enough madmen in Soul Ridge, these souls surviving in the Soul-Binding Fleas will take their place and 'ascend to immortality'.

"luxury……"

Wu Liang twitched the corners of his mouth, and after a long while, he managed to utter this sentence.

Because of Chief Wu, although he was not an expert in the Way of Souls, he still recognized some of the fungi associated with the Way of Souls.

Soul-Swallowing Flea, a one-time consumable fifth-level Soul Path mushroom.

This mushroom is extremely valuable, being a rare fifth-tier mushroom. It is usually priceless and highly sought after by old monsters with little lifespan remaining.

That's right, this mushroom, in a way... can prolong life!
The effect of this mushroom is that after the mushroom master dies, his soul can be stored in the Soul-Binding Flea to prolong his life.

However, this act of prolonging life is meaningless.

Because once the soul leaves the flea that hosts the soul, it will return to the underworld and perish.

If one does not leave the flea, one is basically unable to have any impact on the outside world and can only communicate with others in the form of a flea.

Furthermore, as time goes by, because there is no physical body, the attraction of the underworld to the soul will become stronger and stronger, and the soul's own intelligence will gradually disappear.

Sooner or later, even if their souls are attached to fleas, they will eventually walk the road to the underworld, or their intelligence will be completely worn away, leaving them as lonely ghosts.

Therefore, this act of using one's soul to prolong life is undoubtedly a very poor strategy, at best amounting to nothing more than a slow death.

In Wu Liang's own understanding, living in this way should not be considered as prolonging life.

After all, it is, in a sense, already dead.

The soul preserved within the soul-possessed flea is merely a fragment of consciousness that will perish over time.

However, in the mushroom industry, the definition of methods for prolonging life is extremely broad.

In the mushroom world, as long as consciousness has not perished and the soul has not been truly absorbed into the underworld, then it cannot be considered true death.

For this reason, even though the Soul-Swallowing Flea has many limitations and is merely a slow death method with a very high cost, it is still widely sought after by mushroom masters.

Unfortunately, with the resurrection grass used to make this mushroom having disappeared from the outside world, the mushroom itself has also become extinct.

I never expected Zhuge Huowang to be so incredibly generous, even taking away large quantities of these rare, extinct five-turn mushrooms.

"What... do you want it?"

"While the Soul-Snatching Flea is certainly interesting, if you use this method to prolong your life, it is truly a low-level approach."

Zhuge Huowang noticed Wu Liang's gaze, shook his head, and chuckled to himself.

He didn't speak again, and continued towards the mountaintop with his hands behind his back. Wu Liang opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't utter a sound.

He had indeed just considered whether he could use the Soul-Snatching Flea to prolong his life.

However, Zhuge Huowang's words clearly indicate that he does not intend to send him the Soul Flea.

Moreover, judging from his words, there seems to be an even more superior method for prolonging life.

Wu Liang's eyes flashed, and he decisively followed.

This time, they didn't stop and climbed straight to the top of Jinji Mountain.

The summit of Jinji Mountain was just as Wu Liang had seen when he peeked at the mushrooms.

A large number of golden chickens are raised here, with many reaching the first to fifth stage.

Fortunately, Wu De only managed to appease one fourth-rank golden rooster. If he had been able to mobilize all the golden roosters, even Abbot Shanren would have met his end here.

Even Wu Liangguang, standing there, could feel the eerie oppressive aura emanating from the group of golden roosters.

You know, if that golden rooster crows here, what if it does?

Given Wu Liang's spiritual foundation, there is no doubt that he would be instantly annihilated, beyond even the help of a deity.

Fortunately, we now have Zhuge Huowang, the master of this blessed land, here.

Zhuge Huowang merely glanced at the group of golden roosters.

The once proud and arrogant golden roosters, without exception, all became as docile as mice before a cat.

At this point, they wouldn't dare to shout, let alone fart.

"If you're ever bribed with a little bit of fodder again, next time I'll stew you all and make chicken soup."

Zhuge Huowang's casual remark filled the four-turn golden rooster with fear.

He didn't linger after speaking, but instead led Wu Liang to the highest point of the mountain.

There lay a large rooster, nine zhang tall, with a bright red comb.

The rooster exuded a terrifying sense of oppression from head to toe.

Just getting close to them, you can feel the fear emanating from their very souls.

Clearly, this is the sixth-rank Immortal Soul Beast from Golden Rooster Mountain!

It was taking a nap and sleeping soundly.

However, when Zhuge Huowang got closer...

It opened its eyes instantly, and its aura surged forth.

Wu Liang turned pale, nearly losing his soul in the process.

At that moment, the rooster noticed that the person who had come was Zhuge Huowang.

The next moment, the rooster calmed down and, like a little dog wagging its tail, trotted over.

"Giggle-"

The rooster nuzzled against Zhuge Huowang with its head, acting very affectionately.

Zhuge Huowang nodded slightly, stroking the rooster's head as he looked at Wu Liang.

He smiled faintly and said, "Young friend Wu, you've seen it all along the way."

"I wonder what my young friend Wu thinks of this blessed land of my tomb?"

Could it be considered a blessed land of immortals?

Upon hearing this, Wu Liang remained calm and composed, replying, "It certainly deserves the title."

"The blessed land of Mr. Zhuge is truly the best place I have ever seen in my life."

"Prosperity and prosperity have truly broadened the horizons of this younger generation."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Huowang's smile widened even further.

He casually dismissed the rooster, then spoke in a cryptic tone, seemingly implying something: "Since young friend Wu likes this place so much..."

"Young friend Wu, would you like to stay here indefinitely?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Liang involuntarily frowned.

"Ok?"

"how?"

"You don't want to?"

"Didn't you just say that this blessed land of mine is the best place you've ever seen in your life?"

"If that's the case, why are you frowning? Could it be that what you just said was actually to make me happy?"

Seeing his expression, Zhuge Huowang's smile gradually faded, and his tone changed.

The atmosphere around them froze instantly.

The unimaginable pressure made it hard for Wu Liang to even breathe.

Clearly, Wu Liang had no right to be disrespectful or refuse Zhuge Huowang.

Wu Liang felt a chill run down his spine.

He took a deep breath, then gave a wry smile and said, "Mr. Zhuge, you have misunderstood me..."

"If possible, I would really like to stay in this blessed land of immortals for a long time and live a carefree life like an immortal."

"However, Mr. Zhuge also knows how arduous my journey has been, often fraught with near-death experiences."

"In order to survive, they abused many methods that shortened their lifespan."

“But this junior has little lifespan left and will not live much longer. If he stays in the blessed land of immortals, he will probably die here and defile your blessed land.”

After Wu Liang finished speaking, the previously tense atmosphere eased considerably.

Looking at Wu Liang's appearance, Zhuge Huowang suddenly chuckled and said with a smile, "Young friend Wu, so you're worried about your lifespan."

"A mere lifespan, what's so difficult about that?"

"I have a superior method for prolonging life, which will not only free you from worries about your lifespan, but will also make you... an immortal."

"I wonder if young friend Wu would be willing to give it a try?"

(End of this chapter)