The soil on the ground was moist and loose and made it easy to dig through it. In a short period of time, they had excavated underneath a few of the giant mushrooms. It was as what Little Chili Pepper had described – a few thick strands of root-like objects were extended beneath each mushroom and were linked to the rest of the mushrooms.
As the amount of excavated mushrooms grew more and more, the ‘roots’ too were gradually exposed in a messy tangle. However, after careful tidying, one could see that between the gaps of every few mushrooms, there would be one stalk of giant mushroom with distinctive nodes. The gigantic mushroom with distinctive nodes too would be derived from another even larger mushroom with nodes.
Little Chili Pepper was even more confident now as she pointed at the depth of the mushroom forest and laughed, “We shall excavate through layers upon layers of mushrooms and finally trace it back to the earliest ghost’s flesh mushroom. Then we will find the way out!”
The Second Mother nodded her head and stood up. She smiled as she suddenly saluted the group. The other Miao clansmen hesitated for a moment before they too followed suit and bowed to Little Chili Pepper and Wen Leyang!
Wen Leyang mumbled: ‘oh no’, as he quickly helped them up in a great bustle. The Second Mother relied on his power as she stood up and the smile on her face has turned solemn, “That salutation earlier was to express our gratitude towards the Wen and the Luo family’s loyalty in remembering the code of brotherhood. Firstly, you’ve severely injured the wicked witch and secondly, for guiding us to the way out. Even if only one disciple of the Miao Bujiao were to survive this ordeal, we will never forget your favor and kindness today!”
Wen Leyang was rather confused when she said ‘severely injured the wicked witch’, he shook his head in puzzlement, “All along our path, we had only killed some dwarves…”
Wen Buzuo acted on his imagined intelligence, “The wicked witch lies within those dwarves aye…” Before he could finish his own sentence he shut his mouth, as he remembered that the wicked witch was actually the youngest wife of the late Big Dragon’s Root.
Little Chi Maojiu rushed in and answered, “We are the cultivators engaging in refining witchcraft spells. Each of us stokes a vital fire, we use that vital fire to refine our spells and cast the witchcraft spell into the fire. The stronger our witchcraft power grows, the more vigorous our vital fire will burn! However, if the vital fire was extinguished, the sorcerer will be severely wounded. If the sorcerer survives the ordeal, then their witchcraft power will erupt soon after and try to kill the person who had extinguished the fire.
Wen Leyang was suddenly enlightened, “So I had extinguished the wicked witch’s vital fire? Why would she leave her vital fire in the forest and why was it so easily extinguished?” As he was speaking, his heart was flooded with waves of fear. He had conveniently extinguished the blazing green-colored bonfire then and his action had immediately caused the heavens to split apart and the earth to crack. Based on little Chi Maojiu’s explanation, the wicked witch’s witchcraft power had been released in full force and the level of her power was truly shocking.
The Second Mother nodded with a smile, “The wicked witch had lit her witchcraft fire in the forest in order to enhance the witchcraft power of the ‘Swarm of Bees’ and to also seal the dense forest to completely cut off the entrance and exit. A person with strong witchcraft power is capable of moving their vital fire around. When the wicked witch needs to cast a spell, she can summon the vital fire back to her side at any desirable moment.” As she was saying that, she looked at Wen Leyang curiously, “But I’m intrigued as to how you had known the way to extinguish the vital fire, for the vital fire of a sorcerer can only be extinguished using another sorcerer’s blood and flesh…”
Wen Leyang chuckled, it had been purely coincidental that he had managed to extinguish the fire. He hated the group of dwarves so much back then that he had kicked the corpses into the bonfire purely to vent his resentment.
Unexpectedly, the Second Mother continued to speak, “Moreover, the vital fire of a sorcerer is usually guarded with at least three tyrannical spells. The wicked witch’s art of devilry and witchcraft power was alarming, yet you were capable of breaking her tyrannical spells. Your abilities must be formidable! What a promising youth you are, even if my brother was resurrected he may never…”
This time everyone was astounded as Wen Leyang shook his head and said, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t encounter any form of tyrannical spells.”
The Qing Miao clansmen were all horrified, they stood looking at one another and after a good while the Second Mother spoke with an incredulous tone, “Perhaps…there was still someone else?” Following that she shook her head, “I shall stop thinking about that, it is now more important for us to find the way out!”
The group of people excavated through the giant mushroom forest day and night. Their speed was swift and rapid; Wen Leyang had the strongest physique so he could dig through hundreds of gigantic mushrooms in a day while the weakest Wen Buzuo could only dig through a dozen. Mumu, the Second Mother, and little Chi Maojiu were in charge of inspecting the messy root system. They guided the direction continuously while they excavated towards the next bigger mushroom node.
When everyone was tired they lay down and slept. When they woke up they would continue to dig. Luckily the brothers Bushuo and Buzuo and the few severely wounded yet surviving brothers of The Centipede had brought along some field rations and water. Regardless whether it was the Death Trademark of the Wen family or the master cultivators of Miao Bujiao, they had received strict training regiments and could survive for a long period with very little food. These people could temporarily resist eating the ghost’s flesh mushrooms.
After seven to eight days, thousands of gigantic mushrooms were spread all across the ground in a mess. Little Chili Pepper and the Second Mother cautiously tidied up the hideous tangle of the mushroom’s ‘root system’. Their eyes were burning bright with new hopes as soon as they had excavated through the final layer of extremely intricate nodes. The two women concurrently cheered as they pointed towards a stalk of an insignificant-looking mushroom which was less developed than the rest of the giant mushrooms.
Wen Buzuo roared with excited laughter, “So this was it?” He rubbed his palms together and called out to his younger brother. The two brothers then stood on either side of the mushroom, held onto it tightly, and pulled it upwards with great effort at the same time. This final mushroom was so underdeveloped it didn’t need to be dug out but could be plucked out like a carrot.
Wen Leyang had been initially stood to the side with a smile. However, his expression suddenly changed and he swayed his heavy body and pounced forward!
At that very moment, the ghost’s flesh mushroom shook as a gust of cruel and ruthless air that only he could sense was abruptly released!
The brothers Bushuo and Buzuo screamed with an agonized and hoarse voice as their bodies shivered while struggling to free themselves with all their might. Their physical strength poured out madly from each and every part of their bodies especially from their hands, shoulders, and arms that were in contact with the mushroom. It was as if there was an invisible vortex which was absorbing their strength with an irresistible madness.
Within the explosive shouting, Wen Leyang was like a strange steely bird as he slammed his body ferociously onto the mushroom. A ghastly pale shade swept past his face and his body felt weak all of a sudden. It was similar to the brothers Bushuo and Buzuo, his physical strength was being absorbed by the ghost’s flesh mushroom. If it weren’t for his pores which had tightened vigorously to seal the strength within his body, Wen Leyang would also become stuck to the mushroom while shivering helplessly.
Little Chili Pepper and everybody else started to run forward in alarm but Wen Leyang roared loudly, “Stand back!” Following that warning the countless joints on his body started shaking and his Faulty Punch was like quicksilver spilling over the ground. He attacked in an insane manner towards the…mushroom?
Little Chili Pepper was incomparably worried as she violently grabbed a long Miao’s sword from one of the Miao Bujiao’s disciple. She yelled in her sweet voice as she leaped up, slashing with an ice cold arc towards the mushroom violently.
Mumu had just leaped up when the brothers Bushuo and Buzuo simultaneously made a muffled moan as they staggered and freed themselves from the mushroom’s suction before falling back. Earlier, every time that Wen Leyang had struck onto the mushroom with the Faulty Punch, the mushroom’s suction would grow weaker by a portion. Finally, its suction was completely stopped and the two brothers then managed to escape.
Wen Buzuo’s head hit the ground as he cried out in alarm, “Suck…suck star over China?” He must have been a fan of the Wuxia novel ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’.
At the same time, the mushroom cap burst and scattered in all directions with a popping sound. It sent a gush of black-colored blood accompanied by a thick stench of decay skywards as a ghostly greyish-colored shadow seeped out of the mushroom in a gloomy manner.
Little Chili Pepper ran straight into it!
It was a completely unforeseen event and Wen Leyang was squalling as he tried to pull himself away from the mushroom forcefully. But the spot where his hands and legs were trying to prop himself up was unexpectedly slimy and slippery. Not only was he unable to relay his strength and leap up, on the contrary, his body started to sink deeper into the stalk. The entire mushroom had turned into a pile of slimy decayed flesh after the mushroom cap exploded.
There was a murderous intent in Little Chili Pepper’s eyes as she gritted her teeth to raise the sword in preparation. A sweep of light refracted off the sharp blade as she slashed downwards diagonally towards the ghost shadow.
Just as the sword was about to touch the ghost shadow, Mumu sensed a burst of bone-piercing chill erupting from the edge of the blade all the way into her heart. She cried out in alarm as the long sword slipped from her hands. However, the ghost shadow did not stop and grabbed onto her shoulder ferociously with its blurry ghost claw!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three loud cracking sounds were heard as the Necromancy Seal hanging from Mumu’s neck and the Spirit Needles which had been used to bind Ah Dan shattered simultaneously. Soon after that, the swooshing sound of a sonic boom was heard as four pieces of the broken needles flew from the top of the zombie baby’s head!
When that happened, the ghost shadow’s movement in the air suddenly stopped for a while before returning back to normal in a flash. Those three treasured weapons were used to control corpses by the Crow Ridge disciples and were also capable of warding off evil spirits as well as for self-defense.
The ghost shadow had been momentarily blocked by the Necromancy Seal and Spirit Needles but after that it became even more deranged. It started to move so rapidly that it could no longer be seen with normal eyesight and suddenly surged towards Mumu with lightning speed.
The cross strike of Yin and Yang energy generated a force that shook Little Chili Pepper. Her body spun around in midair, her eyes were closed as bright red blood seeped out from the corner of her mouth. Similar to the users of the Spirit Guiding Light, when the Necromancy Seal and the Spirit Needles were destroyed, the master of those weapons would be gravely injured as well.
Another snapping sound once again plucked on the extremely fragile nerves of the onlookers. The red rope which had been used to tie Ah Dan up broke and the zombie toddler abruptly opened its eyes. Its sharp gaze and the faint silly smile on its face combined to create an absolutely bloodcurdling expression!