Mushroom Man

Chapter 267 An Unsolvable Dead End, I'm Giving Up on Being Human

You must know, that was a Ninth-Rank Venerable!

Isn't he afraid of overplaying his hand, losing more than he gains, and being assimilated by the Formless Celestial Venerable?

Moreover, even if Zhuge Huowang is an immortal, he shouldn't be able to so recklessly turn others into part of his own soul, right?
Can a person whose soul is entirely composed of others still be considered himself?
"It seems that young friend Wu has many concerns about this and still finds it somewhat difficult to accept."

"I understand. After all, nobody wants to become a part of someone else and lose their freedom."

"However, I believe that young friend Wu will make the right decision."

"The freedom of mortals is insignificant compared to that of immortals."

"There will always be a price to pay on the path to becoming a Venerable One, and the price that Young Friend Wu needs to pay is simply freedom."

"I will give you time to consider, after all, your soul is currently too weak."

"You're not even qualified to become Xiao Ke's split soul."

Seeing that Wu Liang remained silent for a long time, Zhuge Huowang shook his head.

As he spoke, he manifested his own soul in front of Wu Liang.

In an instant, a phantom of a soul, hundreds of feet tall, appeared behind Zhuge Huowang.

Unexpectedly, Zhuge Huowang's soul was very strange, neither human nor beast, but more like a soul banner.

That's right!

It's a soul banner!

The hundred-foot-tall phantom of the soul blotted out the sky.

The flagpole, as black as ink, hangs a banner made from the crucible of countless souls.

The banner was painted with all sorts of ghost faces and billowing black smoke.

These ghostly faces were formed from the divided soul of Zhuge Huowang.

No one expected this...

Zhuge Huowang was so ruthless to himself. He used some kind of soul-refining method to transform his soul into this grotesque form.

In some ways, he can no longer even be called a human being.

No wonder this guy is always talking to himself in a crazy way. It's a miracle that he can still communicate normally even though his soul has become like this.

“Young friend Wu, this is the Myriad Souls Banner, which is the manifestation of my soul.”

"To enter my Ten Thousand Souls Banner and become a part of it, you need at least a thousand souls."

"Young friend Wu must use Soul-Destroying Ridge to strengthen his soul to the level of a thousand people before his lifespan runs out."

"Only in this way can one be qualified to become a member of my Ten Thousand Soul Banner."

"Otherwise, with your current soul, you probably wouldn't even be able to withstand the aura naturally emanating from my soul, let alone merge into mine."

Zhuge Huowang spoke slowly, giving Wu Liang no room to refuse.

He tacitly accepted Wu Liang's agreement and even began arranging for Wu Liang to strengthen his soul so that he could transform it into a split soul.

And just as he said...

The moment his soul manifested, Wu Liang felt an unimaginable sense of oppression from the Myriad Souls Banner.

This is an oppressive force emanating from the soul level!
It is unknown to what extent Zhuge Huowang has strengthened his own soul.

The mere aura emanating from him was enough to make Wu Liang's soul tremble involuntarily.

If this continues, Wu Liang's fragile soul may even collapse on the spot due to the pressure, and his soul will be scattered.

But the good thing is...

Zhuge Huowang's soul, which was transformed into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, manifested for only a moment before returning to his physical body.

And that unimaginable pressure dissipated into nothingness.

gap……

It's just too big...

It was only at this moment that Wu Liang recovered.

He was panting heavily, his eyes flickering with light, a sense of despair rising within him, and a feeling of utter powerlessness washing over him.

Zhuge Huowang is right.

The freedom of mortals is insignificant compared to that of immortals.

Even now, he wouldn't be qualified to become a fragment of its soul.

Wu Liang gave a wry smile and said, "I understand what Mr. Zhuge means."

"However, with Mr. Zhuge's abilities, if you want to strengthen my soul, there shouldn't be any need for me to go through the trouble of using Soul-Destroying Ridge, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Huowang nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, there's no need for such trouble."

"A mere thousand souls, it might take an ordinary mushroom master twenty or thirty years to achieve."

"And I only need to use the Soul-Devouring Immortal Mushroom to help my friend Wu grow to the size of a thousand souls in a short period of time by consuming a large number of souls."

"However, young friend Wu is no ordinary person. If we try to force growth in this way, the price will be considerable..."

The Soul-Devouring Immortal Mushroom is Zhuge Huowang's natal immortal mushroom.

This immortal mushroom is refined from the Soul-Devouring Mushroom. Its function is to allow people to rapidly strengthen their own soul and increase the traces of the soul path by devouring the souls of others.

However, using this mushroom to strengthen one's soul poses a great hidden danger.

First, the soul becomes impure, thus affecting consciousness.

The physical body carries the soul, and the soul carries consciousness.

When the soul is in a state of chaos and confusion, how can consciousness possibly be any better?
"Using Soul-Devouring Immortal Mushrooms to strengthen your soul will make your consciousness extremely fragile and your soul no longer pure."

"At that time, even if you become a part of my soul, you will probably be assimilated by my soul, lose your self-awareness, and perish completely."

Zhuge Huowang was very patient with Wu Liang, speaking in a gentle tone.

At first glance, someone who doesn't know the situation might really think he's a good teacher and helpful friend.

Wu Liang, of course, was not fooled by Zhuge Huowang's outward appearance.

"Mr. Zhuge, wouldn't it be better for you if I lost consciousness?"

"In any case, what Mr. Zhuge wants is only my soul, not my consciousness."

Wu Liang was a little confused, so he immediately spoke his mind directly.

Now that he knows what the outcome will be, he speaks his mind without any reservations.

"Young friend Wu, you really think too badly of me..." Zhuge Huowang sighed helplessly, looking completely misunderstood.

"Xiao Ke's goal is to make you a part of Xiao Ke, so that from now on you are me and I am you, and we will be inseparable."

"As your protector, helping you is also helping myself, so that I can embark on the path to becoming a Venerable One."

"You are the person Xiao Ke is trying to protect, how can I let your consciousness disappear?"

"The reason I'm wasting so much time talking to you is to try to preserve your consciousness in a more gentle way."

"Otherwise, I can forcibly refine you into a soul fragment with just a thought."

"However, this would defeat the purpose of the plan."

"and……"

At this point, Zhuge Huowang gave Wu Liang a meaningful look.

"Young friend Wu once helped me clean up my own house, so he can be considered my half-disciple."

"As your master and protector, how can I allow you to lose even your consciousness?"

"I took you to visit the blessed land earlier because I was thinking that after you become a part of me, we can work together. I will take care of external affairs, and you will take care of internal affairs. You will manage the blessed land for me."

"With such good intentions, young friend Wu, please don't disappoint me..."

What a vicious scheme!

Upon hearing this, Wu Liang's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Zhuge Huowang's words seemed to be for his own good, wanting to preserve his consciousness and prevent him from being assimilated by him.

However, the truth is that even after he becomes a split soul, they want to use him for their own purposes.

Once Wu Liang follows Zhuge Huowang's idea and truly becomes a part of him, becoming his divided soul.

Then he not only lost his freedom, but his soul was also controlled by others, and his identity was stolen.

And he also had to endure being trapped in this place for the rest of his life, as a fragment of Zhuge Huowang's soul, working like a cow or horse spirit to manage the blessed land.

This is really...

Wu Liang took a deep breath, already prepared for a fight to the death.

He would never allow himself to become a fragment of someone else's soul or a slave to someone else.

Living like this is worse than being dead.

Thinking of this, Wu Liang even had the idea of ​​using all his lifespan to secretly plot against Zhuge Huowang using the Deception Mushroom.

Unfortunately, this move only angered Zhuge Huowang and had no effect on him.

After all, he is an immortal, while the Deception Mushroom is only at the fourth level. Trying to influence an immortal is nothing short of wishful thinking.

Even if he dies because of this, his soul will still be unable to escape his grasp.

At that time, I'm afraid I still won't be able to avoid becoming a split soul.

In the presence of immortals, he couldn't even bring himself to die.

The gap between immortals and mortals is truly insurmountable...

Wu Liang's expression shifted constantly; all he felt in his heart was despair.

"It seems that young friend Wu needs some time to adjust his mindset."

"Alright, I'm not in a hurry..."

"As long as you can elevate yourself to the level of a thousand souls before your lifespan runs out, that will be fine."

"Otherwise, if I were to personally help you strengthen your soul, it wouldn't be so gentle."

Seeing Wu Liang's expression, Zhuge Huowang knew exactly what he was thinking.

However, he didn't care about this, since Wu Liang would become his divided soul no matter what.

Before this, neither entanglement nor resentment could stir up any trouble.

Zhuge Huowang was very patient and exceptionally tolerant of Wu Liang.

Clearly, he has come to regard Wu Liang as himself, so it is only natural that he would treat him well.

Zhuge Huowang chuckled softly.

He didn't say anything more, but transformed into a wisp of soul light, left Golden Rooster Mountain, and went to the Sea of ​​Red Spider Lilies to cultivate in seclusion.

For a time, only Wu Liang remained on Jinji Mountain.

Wu Liang stared in the direction Zhuge Huowang had left, his face ashen, and silently clenched his fists.

"Don't let me find an opportunity..."

He did not linger at Jinji Mountain for long.

Before long, Wu Liang hurriedly returned to Xiaohun Ridge.

When Bone Master saw him return, he wanted to go up and greet him, and ask if the process of turning zombies into zombies was about to begin.

Wu Liangli ignored him and immediately went into the Demon Suppression Tower after returning.

His appearance left Master Gu completely bewildered, wondering where he had offended the special envoy.

"The special envoy was summoned by the immortals, will he be scolded?"

The fourth floor of the Demon Suppression Tower.

Wu Liang stood on the banks of the River of Oblivion, expressionless and cold as frost.

As soon as Yan Zhaodi and the others approached, he sent them away, forbidding anyone from getting close.

Alone, he gazed at the shimmering river, his eyes filled with a deep, unsettling light, a hint of madness flashing within them.

"Fairy..."

"Only immortals can defeat immortals."

"Only an immortal can break this deadly trap."

Wu Liang opened his arms and muttered to himself.

The gap between immortals and mortals is too vast; this is an inescapable dead end with no chance of survival.

In this situation, the mushroom grower's vision and background were no longer enough for him to find a way to make a living.

At this moment, Wu Liang made a bold decision!

He's no longer human!
He wants to become the Blood River Ancestor!

(End of this chapter)