Betrayal

The battle has reached a complete stalemate.

The relentless attacks of the Mist Badger pack completely disrupted the Blood Taisui's devouring rhythm. No matter how rapidly the Mycelium regenerated, it couldn't withstand the relentless tearing, disturbing of the soil, and suppression of the source by this Silver Tier gregarious ferocious beasts.

The Bloodthirsty Vine, which was about to be completely drained of its life force, managed to stay afloat by hunting down Goblin and Green Demon around it and absorbing the essence of fresh flesh and blood.

One side attacked, the other defended, resulting in a complete stalemate.

Lu Heng, hidden in the thick fog, had a cold and indifferent gaze.

He knew that there was no point in continuing, so he immediately lowered his body, gripped his Star Blade, and prepared to personally enter the fray to break the deadlock, clear away the Mist Badger that were interfering with the Blood Taisui, and forcibly shatter this strange balance.

Just as he was about to set off, a barely perceptible trembling sound of wings came from the depths of the thick fog dome above his head.

The sound was extremely faint, blending perfectly into the rustling of the flowing mist, and could only be detected by the most taut senses.

Lu Heng suddenly looked up, Survival Bracelet on his wrist instantly lit up with a cold light.

[Mist Bat, eerie creatures of the Mist Forest Mist Forest, are exceptionally adapted to its environment, moving silently through the mist.]

Countless dark shadows swooped down through the fog, hundreds upon hundreds of Mist Bat gliding silently without a sound. They ignored the fallen, dying Extradimensional Monsters and disregarded the Bloodthirsty Vine rooted beside them. All their targets were perfectly aligned, all rushing towards the milky-white Mycelium network spreading from the ground.

Sharp, fine teeth frantically gnaw at the supple mycelium, instantly severing and withering large areas of the extended Mycelium.

Before the unease in my heart had subsided, a deep, chilling tiger roar echoed from the depths of the dense forest.

The entry for Wristband" has been updated again.

[Ghost Tiger, a native beast of the Mist Forest, and the leader of the local herds in this region.]

A giant, bluish-gray tiger, far larger than any ordinary beast, slowly emerged from the swirling white mist. Its fur was entangled in lingering wisps of mist, its gait steady, exuding the oppressive aura of a ruler of the land. Its amber, vertical pupils coldly locked onto the underground Mycelium, and with a low growl, it charged forward, its heavy claws tearing apart large swathes of Mycelium with each strike.

With the appearance of the Ghost Tiger, countless native ferocious beasts lurking underground, in the dense forest, and among the rock crevices of the entire Mist Forest came to light.

[The Mist-Patterned Lynx, a stealthy hunter of the Mist Forest, perfectly conceals itself in the dense fog, its claws imbued with the paralyzing properties of the woodland.]

[Mudroot Hyena, a ferocious beast that lives in groups and digs underground, adept at traversing the earth, with hard fangs used to gnaw on plant veins.]

[Mist-Scaled Lizard, a species that ambushes other species in the mist; its body blends seamlessly with the mist, and it can exhale earth energy to dissolve invading alien tissues.]

All sorts of strange, native creatures belonging only to the Mist Forest converge on the battlefield from all directions.

But what happened next made Lu Heng freeze, and a chill ran through his heart.

All the native ferocious beasts completely ignored the invading Bloodthirsty Vine.

This forest, which should have instinctively repelled the native creatures that had invaded from elsewhere, was now all pointing its guns outward, frantically attacking the Blood Taisui Mycelium that had taken root here.

The stealthy Mist-Patterned Lynx roamed and ambushed, constantly severing the branches of the Mycelium; swarms of Mudroot Hyena burrowed into the ground, gnawing at the main trunk and veins; Mist-Scaled Lizard continuously spewed grayish-white earth energy, corroding the Mycelium until it turned black and withered; Ghost Tiger sat in the center of the battlefield, crushing and tearing apart large clusters of Mycelium head-on; and countless Mist Bat circled and devoured the mycelium, leaving no blind spots.

Looking at the utterly absurd scene before him, Lu Heng's mind went completely blank.

The Mist Badger's intervention could still be attributed to chance.

But now, all the native creatures of the entire Mist Forest have rebelled.

Instead of expelling the invading Green Demon or attacking the Bloodthirsty Vine that have migrated elsewhere, they collectively besiege and purify the polluted area by the Blood Taisui, which devours the transplanted plants.

The ecological laws and the instincts of living beings that have existed since ancient times have completely failed in this forest.

Something's not right.

Something's really wrong.

Deep within this Mist Forest, there must be some strange and inexplicable event that he cannot comprehend at all.

There was no time to investigate the reasons; the situation had already completely collapsed.

A group of Mist Badger could manage to hold their own, but now that all the native beasts of the entire forest have gathered to besiege it, the Blood Taisui has become the target of everyone's attacks. Continuing the stalemate will only cause the spread Mycelium to be completely worn away, and may even damage the core essence of the Blood Taisui.

We cannot be greedy for victory, nor can we have any lingering attachment.

Lu Heng made up his mind instantly: retreat!

With a focused mind, he directly linked his consciousness with the Blood Taisui's origin and issued the most decisive command.

Abandon all the Mycelium branches that have spread outwards and are besieged by ferocious beasts!

In an instant, the dense, milky-white Mycelium that had covered the entire soil layer and ground stopped all its devouring and resistance activities.

Countless Mycelium, which had been fighting and being frantically torn apart by ferocious beasts, quickly became inactive and withered, actively severing their connection with the main body and abandoning them completely. They ceased any unnecessary consumption and detached themselves from the battlefield at the fastest speed.

The core essence of the Blood Taisui, buried deep underground, gathered all its scattered power and rapidly contracted and converged along the veins of the soil.

In just a few breaths, the Mycelium network that originally covered hundreds of square meters completely dissolved. All the external veins that could be discarded were abandoned, leaving only the purest core body. It flowed back rapidly along the cracks in the underground rock and soil, adhered to Lu Heng's body, and completely disappeared back into place.

Without the Mycelium to restrain them, the battlefield was instantly empty.

The group of native beasts, having missed their target, remained entrenched in the same spot, growling defiantly at the remaining faint traces of life, but could no longer find their target to hunt down.

Lu Heng dared not linger for even a moment.

Witnessing the bizarre scene of the entire forest's creatures collectively turning against them sent a chill down my spine. This place was now an absolute death trap; there was no possibility of fighting again.

He suppressed his turbulent emotions, concealed his presence, and blended into the rolling thick fog. His steps were swift and steady as he retreated rapidly towards the edge of the forest without looking back.

Behind them, the roars of beasts echoed and the mist churned.