Chapter 318: Little Pink Mushroom
As the bizarre creature formed from the Spore Mist Aggregation was devoured by the Shadow Giant Serpent into another space, the violent energy fluctuations within the Ghost Cry Cavern finally subsided. The once vividly colorful cavern was instantly swallowed by darkness.
However, with Zhou Ming’s current strength, even without luminous moss or similar light sources, ordinary darkness could not affect him in the slightest.
Facing the cavern that had returned to calm, Zhou Ming did not lower his guard. Instead, he repeatedly scanned the surroundings with his spiritual power.
After confirming there was no danger, he controlled the Predator Talent Field and flew toward the location where the strange creature had appeared.
The ground was already covered with a thick layer of mushroom powder, emitting an extremely rich, cloying sweetness. A faint hallucinatory sensation could be perceived.
However, this level of hallucination had no effect on Zhou Ming. Instead, it exposed the mushrooms’ hallucinogenic properties.
Aside from that, Zhou Ming looked at the ground beneath him, which resembled a miniature basin, and sensed an extremely subtle energy fluctuation.
Sensing something unusual, the talent field instantly erupted with a powerful energy shock, clearing away the mushroom powder beneath his feet.
What came into view were piles of skeletons—of Ferocious Beasts and humans—stacked together like small hills.
The energy fluctuation he sensed originated from beneath these skeletal remains.
Having found the source of the cavern’s abnormality, a blood-colored serpent shadow instantly shot out from Zhou Ming’s palm and plunged into the pile of bones.
The next moment, as the blood-colored serpent shadow returned, a mushroom-like creature that seemed alive appeared within its jaws.
Its entire body was pink and semi-transparent, with a rubber-like texture, continuously emitting “ying ying” crying sounds.
“Is this little thing the one causing the anomaly?”
Zhou Ming’s tone carried obvious surprise. After all, the strange creature that had appeared earlier had exuded a sense of danger even to him.
Yet the difference between the two was like that between a bloodthirsty tiger and a weak little white rabbit.
The blood-colored serpent shadow returned into his body, and the adorable pink mushroom fell into Zhou Ming’s hand. A soft, elastic sensation immediately spread through his palm.
It felt just like when he had squeezed that person in Lei Yuan’s villa back then…
Zhou Ming immediately cut off the stray thought.
Casually squeezing the pink mushroom, its crying became even more shrill, as if Zhou Ming were the villain.
“Be quiet.”
The crying made Zhou Ming slightly irritated. His reprimand carried a trace of spiritual will, enough for the special creature before him to understand.
After hearing this, the little fellow immediately stopped crying, though it continued trembling in Zhou Ming’s palm.
After repeatedly confirming that the little creature posed no danger, Zhou Ming’s eyes revealed dark-gold serpent pupils, radiating the silver glow unique to materialized spiritual power.
The trembling pink mushroom instantly entered a hypnotic state, and memories within its consciousness began to surface.
This was a special spiritual technique Zhou Ming had mastered in the Blue Star Academy Library, used to extract hidden information from a creature’s consciousness.
However, this method had strict limitations—it could only be used on creatures with vastly weaker strength and low intelligence.
After a moment, based on the information revealed in the little creature’s consciousness and the surrounding environment of the cavern, Zhou Ming roughly deduced the cause of the Ghost Cry Cavern’s abnormality.
At some unknown point, the Ghost Cry Cavern had been occupied by fungal organisms.
Because the spores of these mushrooms carried hallucinogenic toxins, Ferocious Beasts, foreign races, and humans gradually became lost here, ultimately dying within illusions.
Even after death, their soul consciousness lingered due to the pleasant illusions, along with other special factors.
Eventually, these souls attached themselves to the hallucinogenic mushrooms and fused with them.
However, even under the influence of illusions, the negative energy aura inherent to Spirit-type Creatures, along with the resentment born from the instinct of death, ultimately gave rise to two special existences.
One was the strange entity Zhou Ming had seen earlier, representing the resentment and negative energy produced instinctively after death.
When Zhou Ming destroyed the mushrooms in the cavern and shattered the pleasant illusion, it completely formed into a Resentful Aggregation.
The other was the little creature before him—born from beings who were unwilling to leave the illusion, embodying their longing for beauty.
In simple terms, creatures that died within illusions, under special environmental conditions, gave birth to a dual-aspect existence.
“A world with transcendent power is indeed peculiar. If the state of the Ghost Cry Cavern had continued, perhaps after ten thousand years, two divine entities could have been born here.”
Of course, the “divine entities” Zhou Ming referred to would at most be Epic Demigods, or more likely ritual spirits with only Legendary-level strength.
So-called ritual spirits were Natural Spirits born from a region in the Tamu World, or pseudo-gods formed when extremely weak races worshipped Spirit-type Creatures for survival.
Although the Ghost Cry Cavern lacked both worship and the conditions for Natural Spirit birth, it possessed hallucinogenic mushroom toxins.
“Using illusions to immerse living beings, indirectly gaining emotional power similar to the power of faith—yet due to the death of the physical body, it gives rise to instinctive resentment and negative energy, forming a dual-aspect existence.”
“Little guy, your research value isn’t small. Your life is temporarily spared.”
After teasing the trembling little fellow, Zhou Ming pulled off a strand of hair. It transformed into a thread-like Spirit Molting Serpent and burrowed into the creature’s body.
Within its semi-transparent pink body, a striking black serpent tattoo was imprinted.
“You’ll be called Little Pink Mushroom from now on.”
Feeling its elastic texture, Zhou Ming began to play with it in his hand, as if handling a pair of collectible walnuts.
Under Zhou Ming’s “torment,” Little Pink Mushroom shed two tears, while simultaneously releasing a scent that calmed the mind.
Zhou Ming immediately noticed this. Reaching out, he caught the two teardrops before they hit the ground.
“This is…”
As his spiritual power probed them, he instantly felt his previously stagnant spiritual power become active.
At this unexpected discovery, Zhou Ming’s eyes lit up.
He summoned the Spirit Molting Serpent swarm to guard his surroundings, then instructed the Little Pink Mushroom in his hand.
“Little guy, don’t even think about running.”
Ignoring it afterward, Zhou Ming confirmed the tears were harmless and directly swallowed them before entering meditation.
Several hours later, when he opened his eyes again, a dazzling silver radiance flashed within them—an external manifestation of overflowing spiritual power.
“I didn’t expect this little fellow to have such benefits.”
Zhou Ming looked into the distance. The disobedient Little Pink Mushroom trembled under the gaze of several Spirit Molting Serpents, though this time it did not shed tears.
“Not obedient.”
Seeing that the Little Pink Mushroom had tried to escape, Zhou Ming—who had gained considerable benefits—showed no anger. Instead, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.