A bitter battle between two sides
The stalemate in the woods has finally come to an end.
Lu Heng turned around and walked towards the Shelter.
He didn't stay in the forest, nor did he sweep away the remaining Mycelium, nor did he try to catch the few escaping insects. In his eyes, the overall situation in this area had already been settled.
The network of Mycelium spread out by the Blood Taisui Sui has completely taken over the ecological dominance of this forest. The main force of the Rotleaf Bug that previously occupied this place and suppressed all small wild animals has been wiped out, and the few remaining individuals can no longer cause any trouble.
The situation is settled; there's no need to add anything unnecessary.
The heavy stone door slowly closed, cutting off the sound of the wind and the faint light in the forest. The interior of the Fortress fell silent. Lu Heng leaned against the cold stone wall, closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, shutting out all the disturbances from the outside world.
But outside the Fortress, in the forest, the changes were only just beginning to take effect.
The oppressive silence that had lasted all night slowly eased as Lu Heng withdrew and the aura of the apex predator dissipated.
Wild animals, hiding in bushes, rock crevices, and deep forests, were the first to detect the dramatic changes in their environment.
They still fear the Mycelium lurking beneath the ground; that cold, deadly, ever-present threat has never faded, and the soil beneath their feet still harbors a crisis that could devour everything. But their keen, primal senses clearly detected another crucial change— the Insect Swarm that had entangled, plundered, and oppressed them for so long had completely vanished.
In the past, as soon as they stepped out of their narrow, safe hiding place, Insect Swarm would swarm in, their venom corroding their bodies, the Insect Swarm gnawing at flesh and blood, tearing apart any creature that dared to cross the boundary. The entire forest's range of activity was firmly locked down by the insects from beginning to end.
But now, that omnipresent harassment, spying, and deadly attacks have completely disappeared.
Testing is an instinct for all survival-oriented creatures.
The first to lose their composure were a few Tusked Boar. They cautiously emerged from the bushes, heads bowed, limbs taut, always poised to flee, slowly traversing areas they would never have dared to set foot in before.
The hoofprints landed on the decaying leaves covered with fine Mycelium, but there was no excruciating pain or being devoured as expected.
There was only a faint, fleeting cool sensation.
The Mycelium exists, but it no longer actively attacks weaker wild animals. Its targets have always been only one type—invading insect Aberrant.
After a few seconds of standoff, the wild boar completely lowered its guard and began to nibble on the grass roots and humus on the ground.
Safety.
This idea spread instantly among all the hidden beast packs.
The forest, which had been silent for so long, slowly came to life. Rabbits darted out of their burrows, pheasants flapped their wings and landed to forage for food, and small animals moved in groups, cautiously yet greedily expanding their range.
Taking advantage of the gap left after the Mycelium have cleared out the Insect Swarm, they continuously expand their living territory. The once impassable Inner Region of the dense forest has now become the safest foraging ground in the entire mountain forest.
Wild animals do not understand tribal warfare or territorial checks and balances; they only follow the most primitive law of survival: a place free from Insect Plague is a safe haven.
But this sudden peace is itself a deadly hidden danger.
After the extinction of the Rotleaf Bug colony, the forest floor was left with a vast amount of insect organic matter, broken shells, and the scent of bodily fluids. In the desolate and lifeless Frost Forest, this rich biological aroma was like a blazing beacon in the night, extremely attractive.
Within a radius of several kilometers, scattered Insect Swarm lurking in various woodlands, ravines, and deep within decaying wood gradually detected this unusual movement.
Countless tiny insect legs moved rapidly on the decaying leaves, while hidden flying insects took flight, converging on this unclaimed, fertile territory.
The first group of common flying insects that had traveled a long way were the first to enter the area covered by Mycelium.
There was no roaring noise, no fierce fighting.
As soon as the flying insect swept across the woodland, the dense Mycelium lying dormant below suddenly straightened, sprang up, and coiled around it. The filamentous tentacles, barely visible to the naked eye, instantly locked onto the insect's body. In the blink of an eye, the insect's body withered and shattered, completely dissolving into the fallen leaves.
Silent and extremely efficient.
The scattered insects that arrived later met the same fate.
Every insect that ventured into this area perished without exception.
The constant stream of casualties instilled a primal sense of crisis in the roaming Insect Swarm on the periphery.
Lower, aberrant insects lack thought, yet they possess an innate instinct for survival within their species.
The continuous deaths, the constant loss of their own kind, and the repeated setbacks in territorial invasions stimulated the primal ferocity of the scattered Insect Swarm. The originally dispersed, dormant, and uninterrupted Insect Swarm began to gather frantically.
Countless Insect Tide out of the dense forest from all directions, emerging from ravines, tree holes, and beneath decaying rocks.
A single insect is insignificant, but when thousands or hundreds of thousands of insects are piled up and converge, they form a terrifying black wave.
The Insect Swarm no longer invaded in scattered ways, but transformed into a surging black wave, advancing layer by layer and crushing everything in its path, pressing towards the core area where the Mycelium was entrenched.
The black Insect Tide rolled and surged, covering the ground and obscuring the low sky, with a ferocious momentum that could crush everything, facing this eerie forest that slaughtered its own kind.
The wild beasts in the distance were the first to witness this horrifying scene.
The herd of beasts, which had been scattered and wandering about foraging, froze on the spot, their fur standing on end, as an intense fear of death gripped all of them.
They had never seen such a rampage of Insect Swarm before.
A massive black wave, like a flood, swept across the land, crushing the vegetation and rocks in its path, and surged wildly toward the cliff face Shelter was located.
Driven by an extreme survival instinct, all the wild beasts abandoned their hunting and expansion efforts, turning around and fleeing in terror.
They dared not stray far from the safe zone sheltered by the Mycelium, nor dared they face the overwhelming Insect Tide. They could only retreat collectively, huddling together in the outer woodland not far from the Cliffside Fortress.
Countless pairs of beastly eyes stared intently ahead, fixed on the center of the confrontation between the two terrifying forces.
On one side are the Mycelium Nest left behind by Lu Heng, which have taken root throughout the entire forest.
On one side is a massive Insect Tide converging from thousands of miles away, furiously launching a counterattack.
The next second, the two mutated forces collided with a deafening roar.
The vanguard of the Insect Tide slammed heavily onto the Mycelium- covered ground, with countless insects advancing one after another, frantically gnawing, tearing, and crushing the fine Mycelium network.
A series of sharp, grinding sounds rang out as tens of thousands of insects exerted their strength simultaneously, attempting to tear apart the eerie barrier that was blocking their way.
The dormant Mycelium underground was instantly and fully activated.
The previously quiet, dormant filamentous network suddenly came to life, with countless Mycelium of varying thickness bursting out of the soil like countless flexible whips, frantically coiling around, piercing, and strangling the swarming Insect Swarm.
Each Mycelium possesses extremely strong corrosive and binding properties; once it touches the insect's body, it instantly takes root, tears it apart, and sucks out its blood and flesh essence.
Vast Insect Tide withered, broke, and perished under the strangulation of the Mycelium.
But subsequent Insect Tide kept coming, one after another filling the gaps, their massive numbers creating an overwhelming momentum for their advance.
The black waves relentlessly assaulted the Mycelium defenses, crushing and tearing them apart time and again, forcing the layers of Mycelium to tremble, tighten, and retract continuously.
The entire forest area was completely turned into a battlefield.
There was no human involvement, and no third-party intervention.
The ultimate battle between the Insect Nest and the Mycelium Nest erupted completely in front of Lu Heng's Shelter.
The wild beasts huddled around trembled, utterly silent.
They witnessed this most brutal battle up close and finally understood completely.
This safe haven, where they can breathe and escape Insect Plague, has never been a free Shelter.
This is the hunting ground of another terrifying being, the battlefield of the Mycelium Nest.
Lu Heng, inside the Fortress, had a complete view of the fierce battle unfolding outside.
His expression was calm, neither surprised nor pleased; he simply watched the massive battle between the two nests.
The assessment that the overall situation was settled was correct.
He just didn't expect that the aftermath of purging the old Insect Swarm would trigger an even larger crisis of rebirth.
The battle in the forest continues; the Insect Tide has not receded, the Mycelium has not collapsed, and this war among living organisms has only just entered its most intense phase.