Mushroom Man

Chapter 268 Give me liberty or give me death!
"Give me liberty or give me death."

"I cannot be manipulated by anyone, nor can I become anyone's alter ego."

"I want to decide which path I want to take."

Wu Liang's eyes were deep and unfathomable; he had already made up his mind.

He was determined to risk everything, regardless of the cost or consequences, to fully absorb all the memories left behind by the Blood River Ancestor in the River of Oblivion!
Only in this way can he achieve success in one fell swoop and gain the knowledge and vision of an immortal.

Only in this way can there be a glimmer of hope to break the seemingly unsolvable deadlock created by Zhuge Huowang.

Otherwise, given his current understanding, even if he wanted to resist, he would be powerless to do so.

The difference in cultivation level is simply too vast.

The disparity was so great that even if he wanted to die, he couldn't.

If he doesn't find another way and take an unconventional approach, he may ultimately lose his freedom and become a split soul.

However, the consequences of fully absorbing the memories of the Blood River Ancestor are considerable.

Previously, Wu Liang had only digested one or two fragments of memory each day, yet he was already subtly affected in terms of temperament.

Now, if we could completely digest all the memories of the Blood River Ancestor, who has lived for countless years.

Given Wu Liang's limited life experience, it's likely that it will be overwritten by the memories of the Blood River Ancestor, causing unpredictable consequences.

Even though this move is fraught with danger, comes at a great cost, and has unpredictable consequences, he is determined to give it a try.

After all, this was one of the few ways Wu Liang could think of that offered a chance to break the deadlock in the current situation.

It's still the same old story...

Only immortals can defeat immortals.

Although Wu Liang could not ascend to immortality and become an immortal in a short time, he was able to use the River of Oblivion to bring back the Blood River Ancestor to play this life-or-death game with Zhuge Huowang.

If Wu Liang can fully digest all of the Blood River Ancestor's memories.

Then he would be equivalent to the Blood River Ancestor who lost his cultivation and was reborn through possession.

As a demonic immortal from the era of Wuxiang Tianzun, Blood River Ancestor, though a sixth-level cultivator, might not be as advanced as Zhuge Huowang, but his vision and knowledge were certainly no less than Zhuge Huowang's.

In this situation, it is not impossible to find a way out through the Blood River Ancestor.

After all, no matter how much Zhuge Huowang thought about it, he could never have imagined that Wu Liang would suddenly become an old monster with far more experience than him.

Zhuge Huowang's underestimation and the information asymmetry were precisely where Wu Liang's chances of survival lay.

but……

There is also the possibility that even if Wu Liang becomes an old monster with far more experience than Zhuge Huowang, he still won't be able to stir up any waves in this disastrous situation.

Everything he did was a futile struggle.

At that time, Wu Liang will very likely not only fail to get rid of Zhuge Huowang, but also lose both his wife and his army, and be assimilated by the Blood River Ancestor.

Wu Liang had already considered all of this.

In his view, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, it was worth taking the gamble.

As for whether he will be assimilated by the Blood River Ancestor...

The answer to this question is yes, but for Wu Liang, it's not a big deal.

What Wu Liang truly cared about was his unwavering desire to go home.

Since being cleansed by the River of Forgetfulness, he has come to understand his true nature and realized his true self.

Even the River of Oblivion couldn't wash away his obsession, nor could it make him forget his own name.

The Blood River Ancestor's memories naturally couldn't achieve that either.

Wu Liang may undergo a drastic change in temperament, but he will never forget who he is, and his goals will never change because of it.

And that was enough for him...

"bring it on!"

"It's all or nothing."

"I want to see if the gap between immortals and mortals is truly insurmountable."

Wu Liang's face hardened, and he raised his arm and shouted.

The Forgotten Home River surged and rolled, its waves crashing as if in response to Wu Liang's voice.

Fragments of Blood River Ancestor's memories surfaced one after another.

In less than a short while, the surface of the River of Oblivion was completely covered with luminous fragments of memories.

But this is not over yet!
Beneath the river's surface, numerous fragments of Blood River Ancestor's memories continue to surge forth.

This gives us a glimpse into just how terrifying the depth of Blood River Ancestor's memories truly is.

Of course, most of these memories are useless memories of him being locked in the Demon Suppression Tower as a beast, living in a daze all day long.

Even so, it was enough to give Wu Liang a good drink.

"Crash-"

The ebb and flow of the River of Oblivion carried the memories of all the Blood River Ancestors, surging towards Wu Liang.

Wu Liang opened his arms and faced the situation calmly.

In an instant, a large number of memory fragments rushed into his body.

this moment……

Wu Liang felt as if his brain had been struck by a heavy blow, as if it were about to crack open, as if a large amount of memories had been forcibly stuffed into it.

This brutal indoctrination of memories caused him excruciating headaches and unbearable pain.

In less than a moment, Wu Liang was forced to close his eyes, his consciousness drifting away to who knows where.

……

He had a dream.

He dreamed that he had become a fisherman named Gou Dan in a small fishing village in Beihai.

Gou Dan came from a poor family. When he was twelve or thirteen, his parents went out to sea to fish, but unfortunately, they were caught in a storm and drowned. As the saying goes, children from poor families mature early.

In order to survive, he had no choice but to follow in his parents' footsteps and go out to sea to fish.

Unfortunately, he was too young and not skilled at fishing, so he only dared to catch small fish and shrimp near the island.

In this situation, he often went hungry and cold.

Fortunately, the island where their fishing village is located is rich in various kinds of pearl mushroom materials, and mushroom masters often visit.

Every now and then, mushroom growers would have a bountiful harvest and casually bestow gifts upon the fishing village, sometimes food, sometimes gold and silver.

Dog Egg survived by relying on those lucky draw prizes to make ends meet.

At that time, what he admired most was those mushroom growers.

In his eyes, the mushroom master is the most carefree and free person in the world.

The mushroom master can roam freely across the sea, wear beautiful clothes, eat whatever he wants, and even marry pretty girls.

At the same time, mushroom growers can also provide relief to the local community and are loved by the people.

He also wanted to become a mushroom chef like that, and didn't want to spend his whole life without being able to afford four dishes, only to follow in his parents' footsteps in old age.

This thought grew stronger and stronger as he grew older and endured countless hardships.

Finally, one day...

Dog Egg found an opportunity.

Taking advantage of an old mushroom grower's good fortune and the generous gift he received, he knelt down and begged to become his apprentice.

The old mushroom grower initially didn't want to take him in, but for some reason, he eventually softened and accepted him.

That day, Gou Dan was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night and just kept grinning like an idiot.

From that moment on, he made up his mind to become a kind and beloved person like the old mushroom master.

The old mushroom master led him out of the small island that had imprisoned his parents for their entire lives and helped him open up his dantian (energy center).

Dog Egg is lucky; his aptitude is quite good, easily reaching Grade B, and his future is bright.

However, once he truly began his cultivation and gradually stepped into the world of mushrooms...

He then realized that mushroom growers weren't so free after all.

Especially for independent cultivators like them, life is incredibly difficult, as they can only survive in the gap between the righteous path and the demonic path.

They might be someone important in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the mushroom world, they're nothing.

Even so, it did not dampen Gou Dan's enthusiasm for the mushroom master.

At this time, what he longed for was to become a righteous mushroom master.

He wanted to be like those righteous mushroom masters, protecting the peace of the region, maintaining order in the mushroom world, and eliminating evil.

Unfortunately, becoming a righteous mushroom master isn't something he can simply do at will.

If these rogue cultivators lack strength, they will only lose their lives in vain if they try to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path.

As the days went by, Gou Dan grew up healthily under the guidance of the old mushroom master.

The old mushroom master treated him extremely well, regarding him as his own son, and taught him many valuable lessons on how to conduct oneself in the world.

One day...

Because silver was running low, the old mushroom master gave Gou Dan many incomplete mushroom recipes and told him to sell them on the black market.

Dog Egg was puzzled as to why his master only gave him the incomplete mushroom recipe and not the complete one.

Master Mingming has accumulated quite a few complete mushroom recipes that he can sell after so many years of independent cultivation.

However, the old mushroom master told him that the incomplete recipe was still useful. If it were placed in the hands of those mushroom masters who practiced the Dao of Refining and those who practiced the Dao of Wisdom, the complete mushroom recipe could be derived.

This is why, despite their low value, there is still no shortage of buyers for incomplete prescriptions.

The old mushroom master told him to sell the incomplete recipe instead of the original one, simply so that he wouldn't flaunt his wealth and attract others' covetousness.

The mushroom cultivation methods available outside are monopolized by righteous sects and merchant caravans.

Someone suddenly appeared selling genuine formulas, barging in and disrupting the market.

Under such circumstances, how could the righteous mushroom masters and the caravan mushroom masters let these rogue cultivators go?

After learning all this, Gou Dan finally understood his master's good intentions.

However, he also felt somewhat uncomfortable, believing that the righteous mushroom master's actions were helping the caravan to squeeze the living space of rogue cultivators.

Why is it that a rogue cultivator, through his own hard work and risking his life, obtains a mushroom recipe but doesn't even dare to sell it?

Dog Egg couldn't understand it, nor did he want to understand it.

Later, Gou Dan and Lao Gu Shi traveled all over the country, never staying in one place for too long.

Just then, the great war between the righteous and demonic forces in Beihai began, with the demonic mushroom masters and the righteous mushroom masters fighting to the death.

Under such circumstances, the plight of independent cultivators is even more unbearable.

Demons and righteous cultivators often fight each other, affecting independent cultivators.

As independent cultivators, Old Mushroom Master and Dog Egg also faced several perilous situations.

The most dangerous incident involved a demon who was severely injured by a righteous mushroom master and fled to an island, seeking to replenish his body with blood.

As luck would have it, they ran into Dog Egg and Old Mushroom Master.

That demon was incredibly powerful; even though he was severely injured, he was not someone an ordinary mushroom master could handle.

Fortunately, over the years, under the guidance of the old mushroom master, Gou Dan has become a third-level mushroom master and has the ability to stand on his own.

With the master and apprentice working together and employing a variety of methods, they ultimately managed to defeat the demon without serious harm.

That was the first time Gou Dan killed someone.

He had never experienced danger under his master's protection.

This was his first time killing someone, and it left him in a state of utter confusion and panic...

(End of this chapter)