Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 229 - 226: The True Culprit Behind the Underground City’s Destruction

Chapter 229: Chapter 226: The True Culprit Behind the Underground City’s Destruction

In the cave, the forcibly released souls let out piercing wails, like invisible smoke, finally dissipating into the cold air without leaving a trace.

At this moment, the Yellow-covered Book had its two heavy covers hanging limply, like two withered petals. The spine was empty, leaving only a solitary page pathetically sandwiched in the middle, for communication purposes.

[Wooooo]

[Boss... you... you must remember your promise!] The handwriting on the page appeared particularly weak and aggrieved.

"Rest assured," the Voice Puki comforted, "I always keep my word!"

After having Fat Otaku Puki send the tool Xiao Hai back to the Stone Castle, Lin Jun took the Yellow-covered Book to the core region.

To be honest, Lin Jun didn’t want to do this sort of thing where you beat it up before it starts working.

But... the Yellow-covered Book was an entity he couldn’t fully comprehend, so he had to be cautious!

And the only way Lin Jun knew to restrict it was through the soul page.

...

[So this is the core!]

Passing through the gigantic doors and stepping into the core region, even with just one page left, the Yellow-covered Book still emitted an awe-filled "exclamation".

"Hey, you’re the repair expert, right? Why is your reaction almost the same as mine, who’s here for the first time?" Lin Jun couldn’t help but say.

[Because this is indeed my first time entering the Dungeon Core!]

[Even though I innately possess repair knowledge, I never had the chance to use it before!] There was an indescribable excitement on the page.

"Alright, alright," Lin Jun urged, "quickly check where to start repairing?"

[That big crystal!] The Yellow-covered Book didn’t hesitate.

With great care, Puki held the Yellow-covered Book, bringing it closer to the crystal stele, which pulsed with stars like a nebula.

A wondrous scene unfolded, and countless tiny specks of light within the crystal stele seemed to be summoned, drawn out thread by thread, surrounding and swirling around the Yellow-covered Book, forming a miniature, radiant halo!

At the same time, the Yellow-covered Book no longer needed to be supported, floating lightly as if weightless!

Its lone page fluttered back and forth with the halo of light spots, displaying a mysterious rhythm.

Lin Jun thought that if it had all its pages now, flipping endlessly, coupled with this effect, it would actually look pretty stylish...

[Boss, do you remember I told you the Dungeon’s collapse is due to insufficient computational power?] The words on the Yellow-covered Book now appeared not agitated but with a peculiar calm.

"Nonsense, having me disrupt the combat puppets is just to deplete the Dungeon’s computational power, right?"

[Do you know what is the source of this ’computational power’ that supports the entire Dungeon’s operation?]

Puki shook its mushroom cap: "Produced by the core?"

[Of course not, the core is merely a tool to control the Dungeon]

The handwriting on the Yellow-covered Book suddenly grew heavier.

[Souls! It’s souls! The souls of intelligent beings who die within the Dungeon are briefly captured and absorbed by the Dungeon’s rules before they return to the world’s origins!]

[The final remnants of these souls before returning become the kindling that drives the Dungeon’s vast computational power!] 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"..." Lin Jun did not answer, the only sound in the entire core hall was the low hum of energy pipelines.

[Did something occur to you?]

[Boss, do you know what you look like in my eyes?]

"..."

Although Lin Jun said nothing, the Yellow-covered Book continued to speak on its own.

[You are a greedy devourer!] The handwriting on the page suddenly turned cold and sharp!

[You decompose corpses with the fungal mat, completely devouring the soul power contained within, along with any trace of their existence!]

[Then, you return those souls, squeezed dry, reduced to their purest essence, directly back to the world!]

[They no longer pass through the Dungeon’s rules! They no longer provide even a trace of ’residual heat’ for the Dungeon!]

[You are the cause of the Dungeon’s destruction!]

The air seemed to freeze, and the Voice Puki’s mushroom cap stopped swaying.

"These things... you chose to say them now," Lin Jun’s tone was frighteningly low, "which means..."

[It means I—deliberately—didn’t—tell—you!]

All around, Puki’s tendrils resembled arrows released from a bow, slicing through the air, fiercely stabbing at the floating Yellow-covered Book!

Yet, all the tendrils crashed into an invisible, unbearably solid air wall just inches from the Yellow-covered Book!

[Access Denied]

Cold, rule-based text appeared on the panel, and this time, even the "Hero" title lost its effectiveness!

Boom!

One of the Fatty Puki resolutely self-destructed! A massive shockwave spread out!

The dust settled, and that layer of invisible air wall remained unmoved, firmly protecting the Yellow-covered Book behind it, while the entire core region continued to operate coldly, precisely, and silently without a single speck of dust stirred.

The Yellow-covered Book ignored the attacks around it, continuing its declaration by itself as it floated within the halo of light spots:

[Repairing the Dungeon is simple; just replenish its souls]

[Wanting to control the Dungeon... was originally very difficult, but now it’s different] The handwriting on the page exuded strong satisfaction.

[While the Dungeon is weaker than ever, using a massive, wholly controlled torrent of souls to wash over its core... seizing supreme permissions is as easy as pie!]

[All thanks to you!]

[Oh, boss]

[Have I ever told you... that my cover is the best soul reservoir?]

The next moment, countless twisted, wailing souls surged out fiercely from the cover of the Yellow-covered Book, spiraling madly and shrieking in the core hall, finally converging into a gray-black current that poured into the suspended main crystal stele!

The gray-black filth spread through the pristine, crystalline stele like ink diffusing into clear water, extending and eroding!

[Hahahahaha!]

The last remaining page of the Yellow-covered Book swayed proudly in front of Puki.

[Do you know?! You lose because you know absolutely nothing about all this!]

[Don’t trust me? So what! Who else can you turn to besides me?]

[The chasm of knowledge has already determined your defeat!]

[Boss?]

"Tch!"

[Tsk tsk tsk, Little Puki~]

[If you kneel and beg now, I might mercifully leave the fifth level for you as a permanent nest~]

"Stop pretending!"

Having tried the Mushroom Cannon and Self-Destruction, in front of that air wall, Lin Jun indeed had no way to handle the gloating Yellow-covered Book.

Set up!

The entire Purple Crystal Dungeon was about to be seized by this guy in front of him, and Lin Jun naturally gritted his teeth in hatred.

Although the situation was dire, it wasn’t like Lin Jun hadn’t prepared for being backstabbed!

The next moment, the body on the sixth floor suddenly transformed into a split body, then was decomposed and digested by the fungal network underneath.

[Seven Sins of Greed Triggered]

[Plunder Skill: Split Body Level 1]

Lin Jun’s original body transferred to beneath the mushroom cap of Knight Puki in the Stone Castle Dungeon’s secret room.

Then, he produced another split body, letting a Puki hide elsewhere.

On the core side, the Pukis no longer attacked the air wall or made futile attempts.

"Consider yourself ruthless; we’ll see!"

[Little Puki~]

The handwriting on the Yellow-covered Book had taunting waves.

[You don’t think I’ll let you go, do you?]

???

The next moment, an irresistible, terrifying pull from the soul level erupted from the polluted crystal stele!

In the core hall, the Pukis were not physically hit, yet they seemed to have their life flame drained instantly, their mushroom caps tilted, collapsing in droves, lifeless!

And this pull wasn’t just in the core; almost simultaneously, it affected all Pukis and fungal networks in the entire Dungeon!

Even though Lin Jun immediately severed all fungal networks outside the Stone Castle, it couldn’t stop the soul-level pull that had "caught" him!

[Tsk, what a pity]

[You actually refused my merciful offer]

[Then, become the sacrifice for my complete takeover of this Dungeon!]

[Hahahahahahahahahaha]

The frenzied and deformed laughter of "Ha" seemed like an out-of-control tidal wave, crazily refreshing and overlapping on that lone, solitary page!