Chapter 714: Chapter 20: Mushroom Forest

Lynch, Kong, and Vanilla didn’t delay further and left the temporary shelter in the cave, heading towards the chosen direction of the [Mushroom Forest]. The light in the dense forest was dim, with a thick layer of humus underfoot and a moist and peculiar atmosphere all around.

While advancing, Kong cautiously perceived the environment and introduced Lynch to the situation they knew about the Mushroom Forest.

“That area is very troublesome,” Kong’s tone carried a hint of obvious helplessness, “The main magical creations inside are various mushrooms, bizarre beyond imagination, with countless kinds.”

She detailed the troubles encountered: “Some mushrooms emit spores with extremely potent neurotoxins, causing paralysis upon contact; others are adept at creating illusions and spiritual attacks, making defense almost impossible;”

“Their sizes vary greatly too. Some might be as small as a thumb, with strong concealment abilities, while some… we’ve seen enormous mushroom monsters as big as small fortresses, with shockingly high physical defense and energy resistance.”

She sighed, summarizing: “In short, Vanilla and I have very limited knowledge of these spore-like and fungal demons. We’ve tried to sweep them several times before, always suffering severely, ending up in a terrible state, nearly getting trapped inside.”

She turned her head, looking expectantly at Lynch: “What about you? Do you have research on spore-type fungi? How familiar are you with them?”

Lynch didn’t immediately take on the task; he was cautious, well aware of the dangers in unknown domains.

His gaze continued to scan the dim woodland ahead, responding steadily: “The exact situation needs to be confirmed with our own eyes. Let’s go and see first; maybe we can find some patterns.” He didn’t make any bold claims, but his calm attitude naturally conveyed a reassuring feeling.

The trio moved quickly, soon reaching near the destination. From afar, just as Kong named it, the scene ahead drastically changed—looking as far as the eye could see, nearly everywhere was covered with various vibrant mushrooms!

This was a true mushroom forest in every sense. They were no longer mere adornments on the forest floor but had become the absolute stars.

The shapes of the mushrooms were bizarre: some like giant umbrellas opened wide, with astonishing diameters; others like layered coral reefs, emitting a faint blue glow; others resembled twisted spires or swollen bubbles, with intricate patterns on the surface and continuously dispersing glowing spore powder.

The size differences were even more stark, from tiny fungi needing one to bend down to see clearly, to giant mushroom monsters comparable to ancient trees when looking up, creating a scenery that was both dazzling and eerie.

The trio stopped at the edge of the mushroom forest. Lynch did not rush in; instead, he concentrated and carefully observed.

His eyes were sharp, sweeping over the differently shaped mushrooms, noting the dispersal patterns of their spores, the intervals between different mushroom colonies, and the subtle changes in the energy flow in the air. After a while, he had a rough judgment in mind about the dangers and possible patterns in this area.

“Let’s get ready to go in, be careful, everyone.” Lynch said in a deep voice.

With his words, the three each took out their customary witchcraft tools.

Vanilla and Kong almost made the same choice simultaneously—their arms faintly flashed, and then each held a cross sword with an antique and sharp design.

Seeing both teammates choose melee weapons for blocking and dealing with sudden close attacks, Lynch naturally opted for a complementary choice. With a flick of his wrist, a long magic wand appeared in his hand.

This magic wand was entirely deep and pure blue, as if carved from a premium blue crystal, the body inlaid with silver rune fine lines outlining mysterious patterns, with a pigeon egg-sized blue gem at the top, seemingly circulating liquid energy internally, overall luxurious and elegant, emanating intense arcane energy waves.

This was precisely the treasure Lynch picked up years ago at a prosperous wizard market—the [Blue Heart Magic Wand].

A precious witchcraft artifact reaching the Second Tier Mystic Technique level, capable of greatly enhancing his spell power and control precision, especially suitable for combat requiring precise operations or range strikes. At this moment, before the unknown mushroom forest, it was the moment for it to play its role.

The three had weapons in hand, exchanged glances, nodded, and led by Lynch holding the blue heart magic wand in the middle, cautiously stepped into the bizarre and perilous mushroom forest.

The soft and elastic mycelial carpet replaced the humus layer outside. The air was thick with a rich, strange scent blending earth and unknown spores, eerily silent all around, with only weak spore dust slowly floating in the thin light beams filtering through the forest.

They hadn’t walked far when a strange scene came into view.

A vast cluster of purple mushrooms, taller than a person, appeared ahead. Their caps were thick and displayed an eerie deep purple color, covered with faintly glowing vein-like patterns.

Most unsettling was the large mouths lined with dense sharp teeth, splitting open and closing in a wriggling motion at the mid-section of their stems, as if silently screaming.

Lynch’s eyes narrowed, and he immediately raised his hand to signal them to stop moving forward. He recognized the origin of this magical creation almost instantly.

“Block your hearing, be mindful of soul defense!” Lynch’s voice was transmitted directly into Kong and Vanilla’s minds through spiritual power, urgent and clear.

Though puzzled, the two trusted Lynch’s judgment immensely and complied immediately. The space around Kong distorted slightly, forming a barrier that isolated sound waves; meanwhile, Vanilla took a deep breath, holding her Cross Sword horizontally in front of her with sharp eyes.

Next, Lynch’s spiritual message followed swiftly with precise explanation: “These are ’Screaming Mushrooms.’ Their attack method is neither physical nor energy impact but rather an extremely high-frequency, soul-penetrating scream emitted from those mouths.”

“This sound can easily penetrate conventional energy shields and physical soundproofing, directly jarring or even ripping apart the soul’s origin. Be careful; they’re coming!”

His explanation had barely ended when, as if validating his words, the large mouths on the stems of those purple mushrooms suddenly expanded to an exaggerated extent!

“Hum——!!!”

An indescribable scream, acting directly on the soul level, burst forth! The air seemed unmoved, but the three felt as if an invisible hammer slammed into their heads, causing their Seas of Consciousness to churn and their souls to tremble!

If not for Lynch’s prior warning and target-specific defenses, this sudden strike alone would have been enough to damage their spirits, rendering them temporarily stunned or even unconscious.

Despite being prepared, both Kong and Vanilla experienced intense dizziness and nausea, their faces turning slightly pale, while their spiritual power supporting the defense was rapidly depleting.

Thanks to his system prompt and vast knowledge base, Lynch was the least affected. He calmly observed the Screaming Mushrooms continually emitting soul screams, as the gemstone at the tip of his Blue Heart Magic Wand glowed gently.

“Look at the dark folds directly below their mouths, where they connect to the stem!” Lynch’s spiritual guidance timely reached them again, “That’s the core of their vocal organ, their structurally weakest and most vulnerable spot! Attack there!”

Hearing this, Kong and Vanilla endured the discomfort on the soul level and immediately focused. Indeed, beneath those terrifying mouths, continuously opening and emitting soul-piercing screams, they spotted an inconspicuous ring of deeply purple folds, slightly contracting and expanding.

“I’ll take care of it!” Vanilla shouted lowly, her battle style more direct. Her body flashed with Fighting Spirit as she lunged forward with a swift arrow-like step, skillfully avoiding the strongest frontal sound wave impact range. Her Cross Sword transformed into a silver lightning bolt, striking accurately at the folding area of the nearest Screaming Mushroom’s stem!

At the same time, Kong cooperated seamlessly. She gently tapped her fingers, causing the space around that Screaming Mushroom to solidify slightly, significantly slowing its cap’s rotation and its attempt to direct more waves.

“Pchch!”

Vanilla’s sword was both precise and fierce, easily piercing through the seemingly resilient folds.

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“Eeek——!”

The soul scream from the pierced Screaming Mushroom instantaneously changed, becoming a short, shrill sound like a burst balloon!

Its massive fungal body trembled violently, the purple cap flickering with chaotic lights, and its large mouth opened and closed futilely a few times, eventually collapsing, losing all its support, and swiftly withering into a small puddle of deep purple viscous liquid, seeping into the underground mycelium network.

As the Screaming Mushroom completely lost its activity, the cold and familiar system prompt tone timely echoed in Lynch’s ear:

[Domain Evolution Formula Skill Level +3]

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