This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 423, Section 422: Is the Abyss really such a convenient thing?
In Lin Jun's perception, the abyss was like a turbulent river, constantly flowing with endless information and never staying in one place.

The summoning array he was using at this moment, which was about third or fourth rank, was like carving a hole in a frozen river, waiting for the creature inside to leap out on its own.

However, Lin Jun used it differently; he could actively probe into it with his consciousness to "retrieve" it, which naturally made it much more efficient.

What you get still depends entirely on luck.

Just like now, he has been secretly following the demon army for two days, but all he has caught are some lowly fry.

The creatures in the abyss are incredibly diverse, many of them seemingly not even existing for fighting or survival.

For example, there are candle monsters that create beautiful illusions when lit, and dolls that only play monotonous drumbeats... These purely entertaining creations gave Lin Jun a completely new understanding of the diversity of the Abyss.

When encountering useless things, Lin Jun has to go to great lengths to eliminate them herself.

In comparison, Shadow Bug is actually considered a "top student" among recent achievements.

Thanks to Aidin's ability to conceal himself, otherwise this chaotic summoning ritual would have been discovered by the demon sentinels long ago.

Given sufficient funds and time to prepare, he is truly adept at hiding his abilities!
The demons were clearly not stupid. Despite repeated harassment, the army continued its steady advance, only half a day slower than originally planned.

At this rate, they will be at Redstone City by tomorrow or the day after at the latest.

"Give me something usable!" Lin Jun was still trying to draw cards.

Not far away, Aiding expressionlessly downed another bottle of magic potion.

Despite taking the medicine, his magical power did not recover significantly, and he felt as if his stomach was full of water.

Just like relying on energy supplements to stay up all night, the effectiveness of these supplements has an upper limit.

Overuse not only leads to diminishing returns, but also requires a long period of recovery afterward.

"Boss, I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but I'm afraid I'm nearing my limit."

Seeing that Lin Jun was engrossed in the summoning and did not respond, Aiding sighed softly and looked up at the sky.

Dark clouds swallowed the moonlight, the night sky was as black as ink, and faint thunder rumbled from the depths of the clouds, as if a storm was about to break.

Just then, the abyss magic circle lit up again. This time, the objects that appeared seemed different; they were two orbs of light that were floating in mid-air and gradually coalescing.

The thunder in the sky grew clearer.

"Aidin, come back alive, and I'll make it up to you."

"What?" Aidin clearly didn't understand what he meant.

"Run!"

Boom——!
A blinding bolt of lightning struck, and the scout instantly vaporized before Aidin's eyes.

One of the solidified orbs of light was struck by lightning, followed by more bolts of lightning. Gale-force winds surged toward the orb from all directions, forming an ever-growing vortex.

The other, still-forming sphere of light vanished the instant it was struck.

"What is this thing?!" Aiding, realizing the impending doom, turned and fled.

He recklessly downed another bottle of recovery potion, even if it only squeezed out a tiny bit more magic power!
A streak of lightning grazed his back, shattering his magic shield.

Before he could cast the spell again, a piece of wood swept up by the gale slammed into his face.

"I can escape! I can escape! I can escape!" He forced himself to his feet despite the dizziness and continued to run desperately into the distance, his face covered in blood.

……

The concealment array that Aiding had carefully set up collapsed the moment the first thunderbolt struck.

In the demon army camp, several powerful demons with keen senses simultaneously turned to look in this direction. The sudden burst of violent magical energy was as conspicuous as a torch in the night. Upon receiving the news, Xenophon, wielding his giant axe, rushed out of his tent, letting out a triumphant laugh: "Finally caught those damned rats! They're in..."

The words stopped abruptly.

Xenophon stared wide-eyed at the storm giant not far away, formed from gales and thunder, and the cruel smile on his pig face gradually faded.

"Why would an elemental spirit of this level appear?! And the speed at which it condenses..."

No one could answer his question.

Worse still, the Storm Giant let out a thunderous roar and charged straight toward the military camp, whipping up a whirlwind!
"Hooray—!"

Xenophon roared, and his body swelled to twice its original size in a very short time. Hot steam rose from his red skin, making him look like a giant beast that had just escaped from an oven.

Even his giant axe glowed with a fiery red light.

"All troops, prepare to engage the enemy!"

The moment the command was given, countless spells and arrows rained down on the storm giant.

Xenophon, leading the charge, leaped dozens of meters into the air, his giant axe crashing down with the force of splitting mountains and shattering rocks...

……

At the same moment, the people on the walls of Redstone City also witnessed this horrifying scene.

As the towering figure of the Storm Giant appeared on the horizon, despair spread among the defenders.

The already precarious situation has now been exacerbated by this formidable enemy.
But soon, someone noticed something was wrong.

Although it was too far away to see clearly, the storm giant seemed to have run into the demon army's formation!
"It seems their summoning ritual has gone awry?" Archmage Ivan guessed, drawing on his experience.

The half-dragon Galton burst into laughter: "Serves them right! This is their retribution! Hahaha!"

Night Owl nudged Gar: "Stop laughing."

"Why can't I laugh? Aren't you happy to see the demons suffering?"

"Because it seems to be coming this way."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"It seems...it really is...?"
-
Lin Jun had no idea what had happened over there; he lost sight of the area the moment the scout was killed.

When Lin Jun suddenly pulled out two LV70+ [Berserker Spirits], and the control effect of the low-level Abyss Ritual was completely ineffective, she knew she was in trouble.

There was only enough time to remind Aiding.

Lin Jun hasn't decided what to write on his tombstone yet; she hopes he won't just pass away like this...

However, Lin Jun didn't have time to worry about Ai Ding's problem right now, because something had also happened in her own backyard!

At the very instant that Scout Puji was destroyed by lightning, the still incomplete orb of light seemed to adhere to the surface of his soul, instantly traversing an infinite distance and being pulled above a patch of fungal carpet in the Northern Territory.

The strange ball of light solidified in a very short time, then sank directly under the fungal carpet, falling deep into the ground, and finally disappeared completely from Lin Jun's perception range.

At first, Lin Jun was a little confused. Everything around her seemed normal, and she even wondered if the thing had run out of magic and dissipated on its own.

It wasn't until a sudden, unexpected snowfall blanketed the entire northern region, causing temperatures to drop instead of rise in what should have been spring to summer, that Lin Jun realized something was seriously wrong!
(End of this chapter)