Chapter 441: Chapter 304: Meeting the Pope Again, Great Battle Against a Tier 5
At that, the look in his eyes as he stared at the Mushroom changed completely... Being hunted by the Pope twice had left him deeply scarred.
’Could this Mushroom be connected to the Pope somehow?’
’Or... has this Tier Five Mutated Fungus actually been parasitized by the Pope?’
’If that’s true, then the bodies underground would make sense. The Evolution Divine Teachings must have sent them!’
’The Evolution Divine Teachings delivers the corpses of refugees for their Pope’s avatar to absorb and grow. It makes perfect sense.’
"Pope!" Su Ze called out tentatively. He appeared quite certain, but in truth, he wasn’t sure at all.
"Su Ze," the Mushroom’s voice resonated in his mind. "I didn’t expect you to grow so quickly. I truly missed my chances the last two times by not making you a part of me. But it’s not too late."
’It really is him!’
Su Ze instinctively sensed the danger and wanted to flee. He really had no desire for any further contact with this twisted creature.
However, he quickly realized something...
"Stop bluffing," Su Ze sneered, a newfound confidence welling up inside him. "If you really had that kind of power, why wait until now to make your move?"
’If the Pope were truly confident about parasitizing me, it would have acted the moment it found me, just like the last two times. It would have sent its living flesh to hunt me down.’
But this time, it held back. Only after Su Ze had killed the two Tier Four Mutated Fungi did it erupt from the ground and try to stop him with all its might.
’This proves it. It’s not confident it can parasitize me, nor is it confident it can defeat me.’
Su Ze suddenly understood. ’I’m not who I used to be anymore. I’m not that Extraordinary-level evolver who was sent scrambling by a piece of the Pope’s living flesh!’
’I’m a Saint-level Overlord now, and with the boost from Bloodthirsty, I possess Venerable Combat Power!’
’If the Pope’s main body showed up, I might be in grave danger. But a mere parasitized avatar? Even with Tier Five combat power, it’s nothing to be afraid of.’
’Just like Chen Suifeng. He fought the Pope’s avatars twice and was never parasitized.’
’It’s obvious that parasitizing a Saint-level expert isn’t that easy for the Pope.’
The Mushroom continued its telepathic message, "Su Ze, you are very talented. Why not submit to my master and believe in the God of Evolution? I can guarantee that you will reach the God-level in the future!"
"Bullshit!" Su Ze shot back, unleashing an electric net that descended upon the Mushroom.
’Become a god?’
’And then become nourishment for the growth of your Nian Race, right?’
The electric net enveloped the Mushroom, CRACKLING loudly. The scent of sizzling fat drifted out from it occasionally.
Looking at it now, the Mushroom’s split fruiting body truly resembled two large, glistening lumps of white fat.
All of the Mushroom’s mycelia suddenly balled together, seeming to melt under the assault of the electric current. It continuously fired a white slurry with parasitic and corrupting properties at Su Ze.
Su Ze did his best to dodge. On the rare occasions he was hit, he would immediately abandon the contaminated parts of his body.
As he fought, he pondered a question: what was the Pope’s true purpose in parasitizing the Mushroom?
’It’s not that a Tier Five Mutated Fungus is unworthy of the Pope’s attention. But as an immobile creature, its usefulness is severely limited. It can only defend, not go on the offensive.’
’A Tier Five Mushroom could only guard this small patch of land in the core of the Mystical Mushroom Forest.’
’Parasitizing a Tier Five beast would be far more practical.’
’And when I was slaughtering the High-tier Mutated Fungi here, the Pope could have made the Mushroom flee. It can lift off the ground, and it isn’t fully confident it can handle me, so why didn’t it run?’
’If the Mushroom had been dead set on escaping, I might not have been able to catch it, and I might not have even bothered to chase it.’
’But it chose to stay and fight, to protect the other High-tier Mutated Fungi.’
’I refuse to believe the Pope feels any affection for the other Tier Four Mutated Fungi and decided to fight for their sake.’
’Unless... there’s something in it for him!’
’The Pope parasitized the Mushroom and is guarding this core area of the Mystical Mushroom Forest... It must be after something.’
Previously, when Su Ze had been slaughtering the low-tier Mutated Fungi on the outskirts, the Pope hadn’t cared at all. But the moment he killed two Tier Four Mutated Fungi, it instantly flew into a panic.
’What do the Tier Four Mutated Fungi have that the low-tier ones don’t?’
’The Silver-gray Energy!’
Su Ze immediately arrived at the answer. It could only be that mysterious Silver-gray Energy.
’It seems the Pope discovered the Silver-gray Energy inside these Tier Four Mutated Fungi. Or maybe... the Pope cultivated this energy itself.’
’I still don’t know what the Silver-gray Energy does, but since it’s something the enemy wants, there’s no harm in snatching it.’
Su Ze’s assault grew even more ferocious. He launched a series of "Needle Strikes" at the Mushroom, riddling its body with countless large holes.
But the Mushroom, having turned into a white, fluid-like mass, was unfazed by the piercing and explosions of the "Needle Strikes." However, Su Ze’s primary goal was to inject more Weakening Poison into its body.
Perhaps feeling the pressure or having guessed Su Ze’s intent, the Mushroom braved the dense electric net and burst out. It floated in the air like a white cloud.
SPLATTER...
It began to rain. The white cloud expanded, covering an area a hundred meters across, and a downpour of thick, white slurry began.
Su Ze casually plucked a large, umbrella-shaped mushroom, shrank his body, and held it over himself like an umbrella to shield himself from the falling white slurry.
However, within the area covered by the white cloud, all the low-tier Mutated Fungi were bathed in the slurry rain.
The Mutated Fungi touched by the slurry rain all turned pure white, regardless of their original color. They looked like mushrooms made from lumps of white fat.
