Chapter 387: Replacing Death

Unlike other monsters, the fungal mat wasn't very perceptive. It was infused with power for quite some time, only realizing something was wrong when it became completely bloated. Unfortunately for it, the ceremonial veil blocking the entrance was too robust, preventing it from squeezing through.

It wanted to sever its connection to the ladybugs, adopting an "every man for himself" attitude.

However, it was too late.

A force ten times more powerful than before suddenly surged from He Lingchuan’s meridians, flowing through the ladybugs’ bodies and instantly flooding into the fungal mat!

The fungal mat couldn't possibly withstand such power. To discharge the immense true energy, the mushrooms growing on it suddenly expanded tenfold.

Simultaneously, fungal mats in twenty-four or five different locations throughout the forest expanded explosively, rapidly covering the ground, rocks, and mountain streams. The ladybugs within them fled in droves, while various mushrooms on the mats also grew wildly, some even emitting blue and green fluorescence.

They burst and regrew, then grew and burst again, attempting to consume the excess true energy. For a time, the entire mountain forest was filled with peculiar poisonous smoke and glowing lights.

Birds and beasts collapsed immediately upon smelling it, while the survivors fled frantically.

Sanxin Plain, which had just barely settled down after the Emperor's Nectar, was plunged into a new frenzy. Many monsters who had consumed the nectar and were seeking breakthroughs were directly suffocated to death on the spot by this poisonous smoke.

He Lingchuan was completely unaware of all this.

All he knew was that the true energy in his body was surging like ten thousand galloping horses, and just as it threatened to blow him to smithereens, hundreds of small ruptures suddenly appeared in his meridians, allowing the true energy to continuously leak out.

But it wasn't enough, nowhere near enough.

To resolve his own predicament, this amount of energy transfer was far too small.

He Lingchuan didn't know what was happening, nor did he have time to think about it. He focused all his effort on pushing the true energy from his *Danzhong* and *Qihai* acupoints outward.

Only by expelling the energy could he survive.

The mirror, witnessing everything unfolding, was too stunned to speak. Then, there was a loud "pop"—

The fungal mat exploded.

And it wasn't just in this cavern.

All the wildly swollen fungal mats throughout the entire forest exploded simultaneously.

Mycelial fibers, spores, dust, and glowing particles scattered everywhere. Even when the Emperor's Nectar descended yesterday, the entire forest had never been this bizarre.

Soon, various roars echoed throughout the area.

It was as if a riot had begun under the cover of night.

But this chaos did not affect the cavern within the mountain stream.

After the fungal mat exploded, most of the excess true energy in He Lingchuan’s body was discharged, and his condition finally showed signs of stabilizing.

The *Danzhong* acupoint was successfully opened as his second *Dantian*. Although the process had been extremely violent, the Emperor’s Nectar once again played its protective role, repairing the damage sustained.

This new space had transformed from a chaotic state into a "Sea of Qi." The Yin-Yang true energy cultivated by He Lingchuan formally entered, circling within to adapt, and seemed quite pleased with its new home.

With the second *Dantian* opened, the excess true energy now had a place to reside.

Now, true energy could flow unimpeded from the *Guanyuan* to the *Danzhong* acupoint, and even the Ren and Du meridians became high-speed conduits.

Still unsatisfied, He Lingchuan struck while the iron was hot, performing several grand cycles of energy circulation before slowly concluding his practice.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately sneezed several times.

"What's going on?"

The stone cave looked as if red snow had fallen. "Why are there strange fibrous materials everywhere?" He Lingchuan found himself covered in dust and specks of fluorescence.

He shook his clothes, and a remarkable amount of dust billowed off him!

A few dead white insects also fell off him, each as large as an egg.

"Wow, ladybugs this big?" He had never seen anything like them before, and fortunately, they were all dead.

"I'm here!" a faint voice called from the corner.

He Lingchuan walked over and pulled the Heart-Protecting Mirror from beneath a thick layer of mycelial fibers.

"How did you get here? What happened?"

The eyeball spider emerged from who knows where and jumped onto him.

"You were almost devoured by the man-eating fungus," the mirror said, then corrected itself, "No, you *were* devoured. I watched the man-eating fungus drain your true energy and swell up. But then, not long after, the fungal mat exploded."

He Lingchuan finally understood what covered the ground around him. He had only heard of the infamous man-eating fungus and never imagined such a thing would creep in while he was cultivating. "Where did it come from?" he asked.

"Right here," the Heart-Protecting Mirror replied. "That large patch of dry moss at the bottom of the cave was it!"

No wonder the defenses he had set up were useless; they were designed to guard against external enemies, never anticipating an adversary from within.

It seemed a mistake had ironically saved him; otherwise, he would have been the one blasted to smithereens by the true energy. "So this thing actually helped me?" he mused.

"You call this *helping*?" The mirror was torn between laughter and tears. "Did you have a breakthrough?"

"Hmm, I suppose so."

"That works?" the Heart-Protecting Mirror murmured. "You truly are a lucky one."

He Lingchuan chuckled; he was already tired of being called a "lucky one."

How could it be such a coincidence again? Just when he was about to give out, a substitute for disaster immediately appeared.

As He Lingchuan's knowledge and experience grew, this kind of extraordinary luck, defying all odds, actually made him feel uneasy.

Regardless, surviving this great disaster truly brought him subsequent good fortune.

He put away the Heart-Protecting Mirror and the ceremonial veil, then pinched his nose as he exited the cavern.

The tiger was waiting at the cave entrance, wagging its tail when He Lingchuan emerged. It had tried to enter earlier, but the ceremonial veil sealing the cave had been too strong for it to squeeze through.

By then, it was already broad daylight.

Given that he was at the bottom of a ravine yet still saw daylight, He Lingchuan estimated it must be around noon. "Did I really only spend one night?" he wondered.

"One night? Bah!" the Heart-Protecting Mirror exclaimed. "You were in that wretched cave for a full three nights!"

He Lingchuan let out a soft hiss. Had his cultivation session really taken two days and three nights?

He held up the mirror and looked at himself. Oh, he was disheveled and filthy.

Jumping out of the ravine, he walked onward. Fine dust floated everywhere in the air, and visibility was very poor.

Then, he noticed dead animals were ubiquitous.

The Heart-Protecting Mirror explained, "This dust is poisonous. Even after being exposed to the sun all day, ordinary wild beasts still can't withstand it."

Only then did He Lingchuan realize he had once again brushed with death.

Just then, ahead, a snorting sound was heard, and a large-horned ibex burst out from deep within the pine forest, pursued by a giant bear.

Clearly, the bear had attempted to ambush the ibex but had failed.

Upon seeing He Lingchuan, it switched targets; a two-legged creature couldn't run as fast and would be an easier meal.

The bear was corpulent and robust, charging like a small, moving mountain.

Having just cultivated all night, He Lingchuan's true energy was still surging, and he felt eager to test his strength. How could he possibly fear it?

He tapped his foot and drew his blade with a backhand motion.

Logically, he would have dodged the bear demon's initial strike, then moved to the side to attack with his blade.

That was a practiced and safe tactic.

However, this time, with just a light, almost superficial step, a shallow pit appeared on the ground.

With a startling burst of speed, He Lingchuan shot through the air, leaving an afterimage, and was suddenly right in front of the bear's mouth, almost face-to-face.

He was so incredibly fast that he even startled himself.

With a single step, he covered a distance of three *zhang*!

Fortunately, his combat instincts, honed day after day, kicked in. Immediately, his blade flickered, and the great bear, which had just raised its paw to counterattack, had half of its foreleg cleanly sliced off.

The bear demon howled in pain, then saw a fierce tiger suddenly leap from the dense forest, approaching menacingly.

How could a three-legged cripple possibly contend with both a man and a tiger? The great bear's emotions instantly switched from rage to terror.

It fled, he pursued, and it had no chance of escape.

Only when the bear's corpse fell to the ground did He Lingchuan finally let out a long breath.

That was effortless.

This power, this speed, this feeling like a fish entering water…

It was a true breakthrough, a complete and utter advancement!

He sheathed his blade and turned, only then noticing that the large-horned ibex hadn't gone far. It stood a short distance behind him, wagging its small tail and looking at him with an anxious expression.

The ibex had light brown fur with long black spots on its belly, and a saddle on its back, indicating it was someone's mount.

In fact, it looked more like a deer than an ibex.

However, the saddle bore bloodstains and claw marks, leading him to guess that its original owner had likely met with misfortune.

Examining the bear's corpse, he noticed numerous wounds: some appeared to be from animal claws and fangs, while others were inflicted by sharp weapons. Its large left canine tooth was also broken.

It had clearly engaged in many struggles with other monsters and humans. Even the two bloody holes on its hind leg were likely left by the ibex, as He Lingchuan found bloodstains on its horns.

This ibex seemed to have quite a fiery temper.

It seemed that forest life over the past two days had been difficult for everyone.

As he took two steps forward, the ibex quickly backed away.

He Lingchuan instructed the tiger to retreat into the forest, then walked over, gently patted the ibex's neck, spoke some soothing words, and peeled a piece of corn candy for it.

The creature displayed an unusual docility, likely intimidated by He Lingchuan's swift and decisive blade stroke that killed the bear.

Of course, one candy wasn't enough; it required at least three.

"You came just in time. Carry me back."

He Lingchuan found a small stream to wash his hands and face, then mounted the ibex and galloped towards the forest edge.

Along the way, he actually encountered two more attacks, both initiated by monsters. However, his newly acquired mount ran incredibly fast, easily leaping over three meters high, thus helping him avoid a lot of trouble.

The entire forest was engulfed in chaos and frenzy.

He also came across several human corpses, and judging by their wounds, all seemed to have died from animal attacks.

As expected, chaos had truly erupted after the Emperor's Nectar, but fortunately, he was no longer far from the forest edge.

As the unwitting instigator of the forest's turmoil, he felt no guilt whatsoever, calmly departing the area.

As for the fierce tiger, he withdrew the evil spirit possessing it, allowing it to go free.

Through the connection with the Heart-Protecting Mirror, he was well aware that the tiger bore him no ill will.

"Let bygones be bygones, and let's forge a good relationship," he said, holding his blade. He then offered the tiger a jade bottle containing five newly refined Hundred Goodness Pills, thanking it for its service as a protector.

Cultivators understood the principle of cause and effect; since there was no longer any conflict between them, why engage in a life-or-death struggle?

After regaining its senses, the tiger did not attack him. It simply looked at him, took the bottle, then leaped into the jungle in two bounds and disappeared.

Along his return journey, the towns and villages He Lingchuan encountered no longer possessed the tranquility of previous days. Local defense groups patrolled back and forth, while townspeople cleared corpses from the woods or repaired damaged homes.

The number of pedestrians and merchants on the roads had significantly decreased.

He no longer delayed, traveling through the night directly back to Fufeng City.

Compared to its orderly state just a few days prior, Fufeng City now also felt somewhat different.