Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Liu Nian jumped down the shaft, the wind whistling in his ears.

About three seconds later, his feet touched the ground—not hard metal, but a slightly elastic organic ground covered with a thick carpet of fungi.

The surrounding light was much dimmer than the floor above, with only the scattered crystals embedded in the walls emitting a pale green glow.

After he took a few steps forward, the people behind him landed one after another.

Some in the group lit torches, some cast illumination spells, and others took out enchanted weapons that emitted light, dispelling a small patch of darkness around them.

The scene on the second floor is completely different from the open metal ruins on the first floor.

This place is more like an abandoned ecological breeding ground.

As far as the eye can see, there are patches of low-lying, faintly glowing fungal colonies, with huge, veined, fleshy structures clinging to the walls and ceiling, pulsating slowly.

"This place...is not very comfortable." Yun Xiangrong frowned slightly, and a spark of electricity appeared at the tip of her Thunder Staff.

"Watch out for anything moving above and below you," Wu Zhan said in a deep voice. "Visibility is poor. Maintain formation and advance slowly."

Perhaps because this secret realm is considered an independent space, the titles that everyone previously obtained no longer provide dark vision.

Lin Ying, Zhao Xinchun, and two other assassins silently disappeared into the shadows.

A moment later, Lin Ying's voice came through the team channel:

"About fifty meters ahead, the terrain becomes more complex, with numerous half-human-high 'mushroom towers' and hanging 'flesh vines' appearing. A passive monster, [Glowing Spore Beast (Lv.62)], has been discovered. It resembles a large snail, moves slowly, and seems to only react to approaching living creatures. There are vibration and dragging sounds coming from deeper inside, which is suspected to be a nest-type monster."

"Roger. Wang Mu, Ye Jielina, each lead a team to explore along the left and right sides of the fungal walls, keeping the communication channels open. Liu Nian, you can continue on your own."

The squads regrouped.

The second layer is smaller than the first layer, and because it is covered with organic structures and fungal colonies, the field of vision is extremely poor.

The channel quickly became active.

[Chi Xiangyang]: A semi-collapsed worktable was found behind the mushroom wall on the right, with a leather notebook on it.

[Wu Zhan]: "@[Chi Xiangyang], post the content. If any of you find similar text in the future, please post it and share it. Maybe we can piece something together."

Besides resources, secret realms often contain hidden storylines. The story itself is not important, but the NPCs introduced by the story are often very important, such as Hector, the last guardian of Ascalon, who usually gives out some rare quests.

However, if you don't find clues in the story and trigger some hidden information, the NPCs won't appear, which is somewhat similar to a puzzle game.

[Chi Xiangyang]: Okay, boss. The handwriting is a bit blurry, but I can still make out part of it... "The seventh bloodline grafting experiment failed. The experimental subject, 'codename: Vine,' turned lignified three hours after inoculation... Lady Arachne believes we are going in the wrong direction. She asks us to focus more on 'pure fusion of flesh and arcane magic' rather than introducing plant characteristics..."

[Han Lesheng]: After clearing out a wave of Spore Beasts on the left flank, I found a stone tablet under the creep where they were inhabiting. It was carved with what looked like some kind of cult ritual. Many people were kneeling and worshipping around a spider-shaped pattern. The stone carving was badly corroded, and the details were not clear.

[Zhou Ming]: I found an abandoned observation room here. The glass was all broken, and there were rusty shackles and syringes inside. On the wall, a sentence was repeatedly written in some dried liquid: "She can hear...she's been listening..."

[Zhao Xinchun]: I killed a [lurking whipper (Lv.64 elite)] and found a small iron box in its lair containing several unmailed letters. The recipient was "Instructor Morris of Starry Sky Academy," and the letters were signed "Your unworthy student, Arachne." As soon as I opened the envelopes, the letters spontaneously combusted…

I scrolled through the messages one by one.

Liu Nian had no fixed route. He moved quickly through the fungal thickets and tumors, and whenever he encountered a scattered [Fluorescent Spore Beast] or a small [Web Weaver], he would take care of it with a single punch.

Soon, he arrived at a distinctly different area—a relatively open space with a circular pool of blood in the center, more than ten meters in diameter.

The blood pool had congealed and turned black, but eight twisted pillars, seemingly made of bone and metal, stood beside it. The pillars were covered with runes in ancient arcane terms and were now emitting a faint, ominous red light.

Across from the pool of blood, a monster, significantly larger and still wearing a tattered mage's robe, was facing away from him, its head buried in the pool, "stirring" something.

The name displayed is 【Flesh and Blood Fusion Priest Hans (Lv.65 BOSS)】.

"Finally, I've encountered a BOSS," Liu Nian thought to himself.

He didn't rush to make a move, because there were several scrolls scattered around the blood pool on his side.

After picking it up, I found that it contained experimental records:

> Project Number: AX-07

> Topic: Mass Production and Eradication of Consciousness of Inferior Servants

> Conclusion: By using 'Webbed Neurotoxin' (recipe in appendix) and targeted arcane impact, the prisoners' autonomy can be effectively cleansed, preserving their basic movement and combat instincts. Production efficiency: 6 hours per batch (20 people). Defect rate: Approximately 35% (manifesting as physical collapse or complete dementia). Acceptable.

> Note: Lady Arachne is still not satisfied with the efficiency. She has asked us to try "group consciousness connection," allowing the servants to share a controlled "hive mind." The experiment has been approved, and the necessary living materials have been applied for.

……

These things are probably useless. Liu Nian threw down the scroll and walked straight over.

The footsteps startled the flesh-and-blood fusion priest.

It slowly turned around—the face still vaguely resembled a human, but the mouth was stitched into a strange smile with rough thread, and there were no eyeballs in the eye sockets, only two pulsating small tumors.

It let out a hoarse, drafty hiss, and suddenly pointed the staff made of spine and metal at Liu Nian!

The blood pool is boiling!

The congealed black blood clot exploded, transforming into dozens of viscous blood tentacles that coiled towards Liu Nian from all directions.

At the same time, the eight bone pillars shone brightly with red light, shooting out beams of blood-red rays that intertwined to form an energy net covering the entire area.

System notification: [Bloody Imprisonment Domain] is in effect. Movement speed is reduced by 40%, and you will take true damage equal to 1% of your maximum health per second. Healing effects are halved.

Blood tentacles wrapped around Liu Nian's body, attempting to pull and strangle him, but the shield of the [Steel Cells] flashed slightly, and the tentacles were shaken away by the immense life force.

The remaining few tentacles managed to entangle him, but Liu Nian struggled with all his might, and the tentacles broke off inch by inch.