Chapter 1849: The Role of the Little Mushroom

After Xu Yang finished speaking, the last wave of golden needles finally pierced the great tree, completely sealing the one-meter-square opening in its trunk.

"Did you think that was the end? The real show is just beginning."

Xu Yang began to mimic the great tree's previous tone, gently placing his palm on the back of the towering ancient tree. A continuous stream of life force began to flow from every crevice in the ancient tree's body, entering its meridians.

As expected, the formidable tree, which had been striking aimlessly, finally experienced the taste of pain. Little did it know that the entire process it was now undergoing was a direct evolution of what it had inflicted upon those human martial artist puppets.

The only difference was that the great tree still possessed its own soul and will, allowing it to clearly feel how unbearable the process was.

"This is what you call getting a taste of your own medicine. It's all the retribution you deserve."

Xu Yang tormented the towering ancient tree severely. Unable to endure such pain, and with its only outlet for expelling power completely sealed by Xu Yang, the great tree was forced to burn its own life force. Soon, its soul perished as it consumed its own spiritual energy—a fitting end for its wickedness.

Xu Yang snorted coldly and gently waved his hand, completely clearing away all the ashes left by the massive entity. He wanted to prevent any possibility of it regenerating, akin to "wildfire burning endlessly, only for the spring breeze to bring new growth." Many plant-based life forms, once they acquire independent souls, possess such life-saving methods to deceive human powerhouses.

However, this time, it was unfortunate for the tree that its opponent was Xu Yang. He left it no chance of revival, annihilating even its last vital functions.

After completing his task there, Xu Yang returned to the sealed area he had created, freeing the dozen or so combat puppets from their bound state. This also granted their bodies, which were destined to perish, an eternal rest.

"Heh heh, now that I've dealt with these creatures, it's time for that treacherous little mushroom to play its unique role."

A smile reappeared on Xu Yang's face. The next moment, he transformed into a streak of light, tearing through the void and appearing directly in front of the little mushroom, which was fleeing at full speed.

The little creature seemed to be fleeing too fast, as it couldn't stop its small body and crashed directly into Xu Yang's stomach. Due to Xu Yang's immense physical strength, the creature was immediately bounced back over a hundred meters, tumbling and distorting its tiny form along the way.

"You brute! How could a little girl withstand such rough handling from you? Couldn't you be a bit gentler?"

Only then did Xu Yang focus his attention on the colorful little mushroom before him, realizing for the first time that its soul was actually female. However, Xu Yang did not show any leniency or lower his guard due to its gender. He stepped directly in front of it, and powerful martial arts energy erupted from his palm, tightly binding the little mushroom and restricting its every movement.

"I warn you: don't try any tricks in front of me. Under this absolute power suppression, you have no opportunity for games. If you don't want to meet the same tragic end as that great tree, then obediently guide me to my two teammates. This is your only option. Remember, I'm not discussing this with you; I'm ordering you."

The colorful little mushroom blinked its two remarkably clear large eyes. After a moment's consideration, it seemed to realize it was no match for Xu Yang and could only nod in submission.

"Fine. Since you can see through the tricks of this mountain range, there's no point in me trying more schemes. I choose to help you find your teammates. Of course, all I can do is help you navigate the labyrinthine routes within this mountain range, so you don't waste any more time. But you should be well aware... that your two teammates have been moving in the opposite direction from you since the very beginning. How much time it will take to find them is not something I can determine."

Xu Yang nodded slightly. "Enough talk. Tell me quickly what to do."

The little mushroom then shrank considerably and transmitted a spiritual imprint directly into Xu Yang's soul world, revealing the only method to navigate the Lost Mountain Range.

It turned out that the labyrinthine nature of the place was entirely dependent on a powerful spatial array hidden underground not far away. The old man who had earlier surrounded Xu Yang and his two companions at the entrance had, in fact, used the power of that spatial array to lead each of them astray. Undoubtedly, his actions were also intended to provide a powerful life force supply from these outsiders to more life forms throughout the mountain range.

From that point on, Xu Yang and the colorful little mushroom entered a collaborative relationship. Awed by Xu Yang's immense strength, the mushroom no longer dared to defy him. It obediently followed his commands, leading him to search for the powerful spatial array nearby.

Through their conversations, Xu Yang learned that all plant-based life forms in the Lost Mountain Range lacked the inherent ability to absorb energy from the laws of heaven and earth. If they wished to survive, they had to constantly consume the life force of external beings to sustain their own life cycle. This greatly surprised Xu Yang.

Based on Xu Yang's understanding, any plant-based life form capable of developing an independent soul should possess the innate ability to absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and earth for cultivation. However, all the plants in this mountain range represented a different life form and did not possess this instinct. To put it plainly, while they superficially resembled plants, their fundamental life essence was not significantly different from that of true humans. Whether it was their internal energy circulation systems or their soul development patterns, they closely resembled those of humans. This fact piqued Xu Yang's interest even further regarding the true ruler secretly controlling the entire Lost Mountain Range. In Xu Yang's opinion, the emergence of such a cultivation environment must have an intrinsic connection to the mysterious ruler behind this mountain range.

Unfortunately, ever since its soul was conceived, the colorful little mushroom had only ever wandered aimlessly around the outskirts of the Lost Mountain Range. It had never entered the true inner forbidden zone and had never encountered the mountain range's true master.

For now, it seemed Xu Yang would have to solve this puzzle on his own.