This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 381, Section 380: It's hopeless!

Puji was suspended in mid-air, wrapped up by roots, its mycelial tentacles hanging softly, looking utterly resigned.

Its two short legs would occasionally twitch unconsciously, but otherwise it remained silent, as if it were just an "ignorant wild monster".

Meanwhile, Old Deng, the elf on the other side, was still unaware of the gravity of the situation and was struggling desperately.

He tried time and again to condense magic power within his body, but each time he made a breakthrough, the roots that wrapped around his body would tremble slightly, instantly scattering the power he had painstakingly accumulated.

Several attempts failed, and instead aggravated his injuries, causing another trickle of blood to seep from the corner of his mouth.

"This level of control... who exactly are you?" Iros's voice was filled with suppressed pain.

In the darkness came the faint sound of flowers and grass being crushed, and then, soft halos of light appeared among the surrounding sea of ​​flowers.

What appeared before the person and the mushroom was a clump of... tumbleweed woven from various roots, vines and branches?
In the middle of a spherical body woven from various roots, stems, and branches,

It contains an eye-like structure that emits a faint light.

This is not a physical entity, but rather a projection of consciousness existing in this special abyssal space.

Then, the voice appeared directly in Iros and Lin Jun's minds: "You burned my tree roots and caused trouble in my consciousness, yet you still ask who I am?"

The sound is quite pleasant, like the sound of wind blowing through leaves.

"A sacred tree?" Iros stared incredulously at the tumbleweed. "Impossible! How could a sacred tree have a complete self? There's no record of such a thing in any literature!"

The tumbleweed leisurely rolled halfway through the flowerbed: "After all, there have never been any uninvited guests like you who sneak in with your clever tricks before."

Lin Jun felt that this Shenmu was quite easy to talk to, and was even willing to explain to Iros.

The next moment, a thin twig pierced through his wrist, severing the tendon. The staff and the core of the amulet fell and disappeared into the flowers and grass below.

"The Heartwood of the Living Tree wasn't meant for you to use like this. And you..." The tumbleweed slowly rolled up to Puji, its glowing "eyes" seeming to scrutinize it for a while, but then fell silent.
On the other side, Iros, unwilling to accept defeat, hissed, "If you are truly the Divine Tree, why did you stop me? You should know about the Ark Project! The harm I caused you was just an accident. Everything I did was to continue that project!"

"Project Ark?" The divine tree's attention was indeed drawn back. It rolled back to Iros, its light flickering slightly. "So, what exactly does this 'Project Ark' you're talking about look like?"

The tumbleweed-like Divine Tree spoke with a hint of amusement, making Lin Jun, who was watching from the sidelines, immediately realize that Iros's plan probably contained a fundamental flaw.

Sure enough, after Iros finished explaining his grand plan of "using the dungeon as an ark to resist the fog, and using it as a base to analyze the fog and seek the ultimate solution," Shenmu did not show any joy at having met a like-minded person.

Several slender branches emerged from the tumbleweeds, wrapped around Iros's head, and eventually completely enveloped it.

After a while, Shenmu seemed to understand something: "Multiple Wills LV10, huh? It really is corrupted by information."

"What information pollution? What nonsense are you talking about?" Iros struggled to refute, bound by the branches.

“Project Ark does exist, but it has nothing to do with what you’re talking about, and it failed long ago. As for you…” Shenmu’s voice carried a hint of pity, “you’re just another pathetic wretch who overestimated yourself, tried to analyze the Abyss, and ended up having your mind imprinted by that distorted information.”

“No…that’s impossible!” Iros’s voice trembled with excitement. “Are you saying that the crisis of the Mist’s destruction is also a hoax?” “It’s not a hoax, but there’s no need to worry about it!” Shenmu said lightly, as if stating common sense. “After all…it’s already beyond saving!”

???

"What do you mean 'hopeless'?" Lin Jun couldn't help but ask. He had only been here for a little over three years, how could the world be ending?
"Your voice is really awful," Shenmu commented disdainfully.

Special!

If it weren't for the fact that it was a level 99 powerhouse in front of her, Lin Jun would have already blown it up!

"If it's hopeless, it's hopeless. Whether you use the dungeon or carry out sacrifices and massacres, it's all meaningless. All your efforts will only make everyone struggle ugly for a little longer. You might as well get a good night's sleep." As he spoke, a branch gently brushed against the plump, white cap of the mushroom.

Just when Lin Jun thought she was also doomed to be enveloped, and even began to consider whether to self-destruct, the branches of the sacred tree retracted, leaving only the words: "You too."

What? Me too?
The roots that had been binding them suddenly loosened and fell onto the soft grass with a soft thud.

On the other side, Iros knelt on the ground, looking utterly dejected, seemingly unable to accept the truth he had just heard.

He suddenly lunged forward, grabbed the core of the sacred tree from the ground, and roared at the tumbleweed: "You're lying to me! You're not the sacred tree at all! You just want me to give up on the Ark Project!"

At this moment, Iros activated the artifact without hesitation, injecting a large amount of life energy into it.

However, unlike when the Elf King used it, this energy was entirely concentrated at the tip of the staff, transforming into a dangerous and destructive force.

Using the core of the Living Tree to attack the main body of the Divine Tree? Lin Jun looked at Iros as if he were an idiot.

Sure enough, the artifact stopped working the next moment.

“Of course you won’t believe it,” Shenmu said calmly, “after all, those misinformation messages are already considered the truth to you.”

The branches began to twine around Iros's ankles, but this time it wasn't a simple binding.

The entangled part begins to lignify at a visible rate, and the texture of tree bark gradually emerges from the skin.

In its final moments before completely transforming into a tree, this spirit, rapidly aging from sacrificing its life energy, could only tearfully plead for an answer:
“Tell me…please tell me…you just want to stop me! So many sacrifices…this can’t all end like this…”

However, Shenmu clearly did not intend to provide him with end-of-life care, but simply watched him quietly transform into a small tree.

Only the puffy creatures and tumbleweeds remained in the space.

Lin Jun glanced at Iros, who had turned into a wooden statue, then at the tumbleweed beside her, and asked, "Are you going to kill me too?"

What's the point of cutting off one or two of your tentacles?

The cannon fodder, Puji, nudged the voice Puji beside it, rubbing its tentacles as it approached: "Boss Shenmu, do you... know something?"

(End of this chapter)