Chapter 740 - 727: Spirit Sea
Chapter 740: Chapter 727: Spirit Sea
A circular clearing that had been leveled, with twelve stone pillars covered in runes standing at the edges, each topped with multiple Demon Crystals, glowing darkly under the moonlight.
In the center of the clearing, a massive ritual array was carved, consisting of concentric circles.
The outermost circle was engraved with runes symbolizing the physical body, the inner circle represented the spirit, and at the very center, there were only vacant rings, nested one within another, without a beginning or end, symbolizing the soul.
The sacrifices were already in place.
More than two thousand people were bowing down at the outskirts of the array, fixed in their positions.
To an outsider unaware of the situation, this scene might be mistaken for a large-scale cult sacrifice.
In reality, it was just a simple exploration activity.
Mofulei looked at the nearly prepared ritual, her expression strange.
She now understood why she was severely injured when she tried to charm Sigmund; she had unwittingly collided with the Mushroom Soul!
That damn Sigmund, colluding with an unknown outsider, causing the empire an enormous loss. In the past, she would certainly have dealt with this severely.
Unfortunately, the current Demon King was too easygoing, merely brushing off the matter lightly, much to Mofulei’s displeasure.
At least the guy who had once harmed her was now completely gone; even the entity behind it seemed destined to be dealt with by the Demon King in one fell swoop.
With such a number of sacrifices comparable to a large offering, combined with the Demon King’s extraordinary magical prowess, Mofulei couldn’t imagine anything in this world that could withstand such a spiritual attack.
Ultimately, the existence form of the Puki was too laughable.
The Fungal Network’s spiritual connection certainly provided them with many conveniences, but it also caused the empire plenty of trouble.
However, this convenience also meant that any Puki could become a fatal flaw.
Like now, they casually caught a few Puki, and were able to directly attack the core of the opposing Fungal Network.
As for the so-called "the spirit space where whoever explores dies," it’s merely aimed at those who are isolated and powerless to organize large-scale rituals.
She approached the Demon King: "Your Majesty, we are ready."
The Demon King nodded but didn’t rush to start the ritual; instead, he prepared a contingency.
He didn’t underestimate the Mushroom Race, as Tanaka had already told him about the Foxman’s worry over the Mycelium Apocalypse.
Being an existence that could defeat even an incomplete version of himself in the Foxman’s prophecy, its capabilities must not be simple.
The Demon King wouldn’t be as naïve as Mofulei, thinking that relying on this single action could defeat or at least seriously damage the enemy.
In the Demon King’s plan, this was simply an exploration mission.
Even suffering a slight loss wasn’t impossible, hence having an emergency escape plan was essential.
Meanwhile, to prevent disturbances during his exploration, he specifically called Gray, who had already transplanted Dean’s Demon Core, along with other members of the Demon Race to take over the defense of Muling Castle.
Despite Gray being in a painful adaptation phase with two Demon Cores, he still accepted the task without hesitation.
Once everything was ready, the Demon King then stood at the center of the ritual.
At the center, three sealed Puki were hung on a rack.
In fact, one would be enough, but preparing two more was to guard against unforeseen events.
The ritual array underfoot started to glow gradually, and the Demon King removed his white gloves, slowly reaching out his mucus-formed hand towards the Puki’s mushroom body.
Spiritual connection...
Bang—!!!
The first overlapping, massive explosion came without warning.
Completely unprepared, Mofulei’s shoulder jerked violently, and before she could process the meaning of that initial muffled sound, the second, third, tenth, countless more had already exploded in succession, like countless drumsticks furiously beating on the same drum.
The sound was so dense, indistinguishable in intervals, forming a roaring sound that made one’s scalp tingle.
The sound originated from the ritual.
Mofulei looked over, her pupils shrinking in fear.
The area where the sacrifices were located was now a sea of red, even the air was stained red.
One-fifth.
Mofulei instinctively estimated the loss at that moment.
Moreover, the explosions continued, bang, bang, bang, showing no sign of stopping.
Mofulei took a step back.
Her foot stepped on rubble, making a subtle sound, almost inaudible amidst the continuous explosions, but she heard it clearly.
Her legs were weakening, knees trembling, the chill crawling up her spine, making her scalp tingle.
She didn’t know what the opponent was to cause such a terrifying effect, even forbidden Abyss couldn’t reach this extent.
Suddenly, she recalled the forceful backlash she encountered when trying to charm Sigmund.
If it was as intense as today’s...
Just as Mofulei hesitated whether she should do something, the terrifying explosions gradually subsided.
The sacrifices were still being quickly eliminated one by one, a sight any Evil Mage would find distressing due to the speed of consumption.
However, compared to the previous shock of consuming four hundred sacrifices almost instantly, Mofulei found this consumption rate somewhat tolerable now.
Most importantly, if the consumption rate slowed, could it mean that Lord Demon King had already gained the upper hand?
Mofulei looked toward the center of the ritual, trying to discern something from the Demon King’s face.
Unfortunately, the Demon King’s usual expression was deliberately maintained; at this moment, his focus wholly elsewhere, his face was smooth and round, devoid of facial features or expressions.
...
According to Lin Jun’s setup, the soul fragments that were discarded due to the automatic collapse of the spiritual defense mechanism.
The entire Will Space was filled with a devastating spiritual storm, like a meat grinder that, once activated, would operate until destruction.
The swirling spiritual power around the Demon King helped him withstand the initial ferocious impact.
Even the Demon King hadn’t anticipated such a scene.
"It’s truly madness," he said, looking at the soon-to-shatter space, with a hint of realization in his voice, "No wonder no one has ever come back alive."
It was like being hit by a point-blank apocalyptic dragon’s breath the moment the door opened.
An ordinary person, even with those sacrifices, wouldn’t even have the chance to use them before being wiped out.
Even for the Demon King, he could only endure, as those exquisite spiritual techniques had no chance to be employed amidst such a frenzied storm.
Where did so many discardable souls come from?
What’s more, the Demon King could feel the Will Space being separated.
If it truly separated, then this exploration would end here, yielding no information aside from the opponent’s counterattack method.
Such a result was naturally unacceptable to the Demon King.
Fortunately, the separation was not complete; ordinary people couldn’t seize this fleeting opportunity, but the Demon King was anything but ordinary.
Spiritual sand rotated rapidly in a conical shape, forcibly opening a gap in the frenzied storm, and the Demon King’s will flickered, passing through the connecting point on the verge of collapse.
Rustle—
The azure sky stretched infinitely, the boundless sea gently undulating beneath.
No storm, no destruction, only a vast mental space beyond sensory comprehension.
Though not immediately attacked, the Demon King, suspended in mid-air, felt unprecedentedly grave.
"Is this... someone’s mental space?"
"Is this... the ocean?"
A foreboding feeling surged in the Demon King’s heart.
At that moment, from the depths of the sea, emerged a piercing explosion that resonated throughout the space!