Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 215 - 212: The Underground City’s Demise

Ah, this...

Suddenly becoming invincible, I wasn’t mentally prepared for this yet... So satisfying!

Of course, saying invincible might be a bit too much. More precisely, the long-standing fatal flaw has been patched up.

If I had to describe it... the Golden Bell Shield has finally been trained to the Contraction of Yang into the Belly level!

Looking at it this way, Chis running away isn’t something I can’t accept, after all, such an awesome skill...

Too bad it also has Split Body Level 3, if I could capture it and split the skill, that would be great.

Come to think of it, this skill can’t be trained; the more you use it, the less effective it is. Chis, however, still has Level 3, could it have started as Level 10?

How did it acquire it?

Was it a talent gained while leveling up?

Even though there’s no answer, encountering this kind of reverse de-leveling skill for the first time, Lin Jun’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift away.

Suppressing the excitement of acquiring the skill for now, Lin Jun’s gaze shifted back to the post-battle Middle Area.

Little Pig ran away, it’s all my fault for being too soft-hearted, naive, and overly trusting of others. I won’t be like that in the future!

Let it run, but there’s still hope for the Sunstone Fragment; we must search for it with all our might!

After the Heart of Chis shamefully fled, taking over the remaining Chis territory was absolutely effortless.

The occasional lone Chis encountered was in a state of regression, akin to the most ordinary demon, and even worse.

With its beaten, foolishly staring, not knowing to dodge appearance, it was even less than an average demon!

About three days post-battle, Lin Jun had control over most of the Middle Area, with time primarily spent laying the Fungal Mat.

But... not a trace of the fragments to be found.

Continuing the search, Lin Jun had already prepared for the worst in his heart.

On the fourth day, still unable to find any fragments, he unexpectedly discovered an entrance to a tunnel leading to an unknown Lower Area.

Not sure if this is the only passage, but on the surface of the stone bricks at the tunnel entrance, Lin Jun found some purple bloodstains.

Could it be the Six Claw that took the fragments?

Holding onto a glimmer of hope, Lin Jun controlled Puki to head down.

The tunnel was a bit damp, Lin Jun thought it might lead to somewhere with water, and indeed it did, but it wasn’t quite what Lin Jun imagined.

At the tunnel’s end, it abruptly stopped; ahead lay a cliff.

And across the cliff was a gigantic waterfall.

However... this waterfall was upside down!

The waterfall, defying gravity, surged upward vigorously, ultimately disappearing into the boundless darkness above.

Upside down?

Puki spread its wings, ready to fly towards the waterfall for a look. However, just as Puki flew off the cliff, its figure suddenly appeared not far away, steadily "standing" on the wall!

No, calling it a wall isn’t quite right. It seems to be a road section embedded in the wall.

From Puki’s perspective, both the left and right sides were abyssal depths, yet Puki didn’t fall in any direction but stood firmly on the wall, as if gravity didn’t pull downward.

Relating to the Dungeon knowledge in Pink Puki’s little notebook—the structure of the Dungeon is likely related to space.

So this wasn’t upside down, but rather the space was segmented into many visually disjointed, misaligned blocks?

Come on, does it have to be this advanced?

This terrain difficulty is somewhat excessive compared to the Middle Area, isn’t it?

Buzz——

Suddenly, a tremor came, but it wasn’t physical.

Space rippled, and while Lin Jun was still puzzled, a sloped rock with step-like constructions hanging by the inverted waterfall suddenly and inexplicably detached from the surrounding chunks.

It silently retreated and vanished.

And its original spot was filled by a dirt block that emerged from who knows where!

Seeing this, the surrounding similar dirt block clusters weren’t few!?

Damn!

Could this Lower Area be collapsing?

In a way different from the Purple Crystal?

But it seems untouched in the Middle Area; the space structure here remains quite stable except for the rift near the Purple Crystal.

Anyway, Puki isn’t afraid of sacrifice. Such a marvelous view might be a once-in-a-lifetime scene.

Lin Jun decided to set aside his apprehension and controlled Puki, leaping and darting among the seemingly crazy space fragments.

After crossing over a dozen blocks, only a few tenaciously rooted plants and some fleeing insects were in sight, with no other living creatures present.

Figures, you might end up straying into a collapsing block and instantly get killed. Surviving here indeed seems a myth.

"Boss!"

Just as Puki arrived at a new block, a familiar voice, filled with evident excitement and panic, burst forth within the Fungal Network!

"Little Pig!"

Following the direction perceived through the Fungal Network... a dirt block?

No, the space was disordered.

Lin Jun simply shut off other detections and used just Light Perception for a sweep, finally spotting Little Pig below on a platform.

She stood below, looking up at Puki, her scarlet eyes gleaming.

If the eyes weren’t deceiving, they seemed to glisten with tears?

Lin Jun took a good look at Little Pig; she indeed appeared quite miserable now, like a vagabond.

Dusty-haired, ragged clothes, purple blood smudged at the mouth, half a bug leg clutched in one hand, while the other shone with light through clenched fists...

Hmm?!

"Little Pig, what’s in your hand... could it be?"

"Yes! Boss!" Little Pig responded, proudly and carefully opening her tightly clenched fist, as if showcasing a treasure.

[Divine Artifact: Sunstone (Fragment)]

It really is!

The fragment lay in Little Pig’s palm, emitting faint white smoke.

Upon checking the panel, Little Pig’s status bar prominently displayed the negative statuses of [Sunlight Weakness] and [Malnutrition].

No treason, merely trapped after completing the task?!

"Little Pig! I knew I could trust you; you’re the most reliable!" Lin Jun’s voice was both moved and pained, "Stay right there; I’m coming to get you!"

Puki jumped towards the platform.

Whoosh——!

As Puki left the current zone’s edge, the surrounding light was consumed as if swallowed by a giant beast, plunging into an absolute dead-silent darkness.

This familiar weightlessness...

Puki had disconnected...

Damn it, I knew it!

Blast, I must rescue them!

The Sunstone Fragment!

...and Little Pig.

The entire Middle Area castle, every busy Puki, whether laying Fungal Mats, digging tunnels, or on patrol duty, over a thousand Pukis instantly dropped their work, turning towards the Lower Area’s entrance!

"Huh, what’s going on?" The sudden mobilization of the Puki army left Norris a bit baffled, "What’s happening? A raid?"

Xiao Hai, half stuck in the doorframe, clung tightly to two Drilling Pukis wriggling fiercely, trying to join the main force, letting out low "woofs."

Hold on, Little Pig, the Puki rescue team is on its way!