CHAPTER 391: CHAPTER 322 ASSASSINATION! THE WORLD’S FIRST MATCHLOCK GUN

For the Swarm, if it could grant itself eternal life, what did sacrificing a mere apprentice who joined halfway through really matter? Even if it meant losing all of its followers, or even the lives of every member within the Bloodthirsty Cult, it would be completely worth it.

Faint glimmers of light moved between the hyphae of the Fungus Person’s cap, constantly flickering with various dark thoughts.

Yet outwardly, it spoke to Byron in a very kind tone, "Byron, even though the path you walk is different from ours, and you cannot experience the various marvelous benefits of becoming a Fungus Person, there is no need for discouragement.

"Whether it is the [Heart of the Swarm], the [Fungus Person Colony], or the [Blood Feast Holy Grail], and even the less desirable [Lord of Gluttony], each has its own strengths.

"The Half-Night Devil created by the [Blood Feast Holy Grail] is, among all the non-human entities in the second ritual phase of the Bloodthirsty Cult, the being closest to the Mother of Creation, Lilith, the source of knowledge.

"Although more effort is required to reach a combat power comparable to mine, its advantage lies in being purer, making it easier to receive the knowledge released by that transcendent existence.

"The fact that you have gathered all the prerequisites for the second ritual in such a short time is well beyond my expectations.

"If the ritual is conducted in the Blood Source Secret Realm within the holy land, you will not only achieve the best promotion results; you may also have a chance to steal additional forbidden knowledge from the Mother of Creation.

"The Secret Realm can only be opened a limited number of times each year, so you must seize this opportunity."

Upon hearing these words, Byron immediately cast aside the "regret" on his face and, with tears of gratitude welling up, assured him, "Yes, Teacher. I appreciate you securing the chance for me to enter the Secret Realm, and I will definitely not fail your expectations."

Speaking of the Blood Source Secret Realm, which had witnessed countless sacrificial rituals, Byron couldn’t help but think of the Slumbering God, Kraken, which, despite its death, still sought resurrection through its authority over the Dream Realm. If Yemengade’s target hadn’t been the International Port, it might have succeeded.

Similarly, the Blood of Creation and Transformation, an extension of the authority of Mother of Creation Lilith, seemed to carry the same mission. The more Blood Sacrifices are made, the faster Lilith’s recovery will surely be.

However, all the Black Witch organizations’ focus seemed to be on the forbidden knowledge that came with the sacrifices, completely oblivious to the enormous risks potentially hidden behind their continuous Blood Sacrifices.

These were only the Old Gods and Black Witch organizations he knew of; countless others remained unknown, each a ticking time bomb. A profound sense of urgency rose in Byron’s heart. He felt as if storm clouds were gathering over some unknown distant sea, heralding an earth-shattering change at any moment.

Of course, these sacrifices have been ongoing for at least a few hundred years, so this "any moment" might span longer than an ordinary person’s lifetime.

However, now that he had been inspired by the "resurrected" [Chǐ God], Byron prepared to observe the completeness of Mother of Creation Lilith’s face this time. Perhaps that would allow him to roughly deduce her resurrection progress.

The Swarm was very pleased with Byron’s attitude and nodded, "Very good. It’s getting late; let’s go now."

Hand in hand, the tall, black Fungus Person and the [Chǐ God] exchanged a tender glance, then suddenly burst into a sky full of colorful spores. The latter vanished without a trace, rejoining the ecology of the cavern system, while the former solidified before Byron into a normal human figure clad in a black robe.

It was the human form of the Grand Wizard Swarm. He straightened his wizard’s robe and took the lead, walking out.

Just as Byron was about to follow, he noticed an unusual detail thanks to a hint from the [Nautical Logbook].

A cloud of extremely fine spores, smaller than dust particles, descended gradually under the cover of the spectacular, firework-like explosion of spores, landing strand by strand on the disciples. Many even entered the bodies of these half-human, half-insect Black Witches with their breaths.

Yet, not a single one of them noticed anything amiss.

What is this?

The hairs on Byron’s back suddenly stood on end.

Looking at the combination of "insects" and "fungi" before him, for some reason, he suddenly and subconsciously thought of a very famous medicinal herb... cordyceps.

In winter, they are living insects. After being parasitized by a fungus, they are gradually eaten from the inside out, leaving an empty shell. By summer, the insects die, and the fungal hyphae burst out from the insect’s head, growing into a club-shaped fungal fruiting body. Then, they release mature spores to infect the next wave of insects.

Within a sixty-meter radius, the area where the [Nautical Logbook]’s abilities were effective, Byron could clearly see the status of this group of Insect-man fellow disciples. While he might not be able to distinguish their gender, he could clearly see an abnormal status "Fungal Parasitism in Progress" appearing after each of their names.

Moreover, each person’s spirituality had a faint link forming with the Swarm, a connection that was deepening and synchronizing more with time.

After reading the subsequently revealed details of the ability, Byron nearly shivered on the spot:

’Parasitic Spores!

Once the spores successfully parasitize another flesh-and-blood creature, they can steal the host’s nutrients, flesh, and spirituality to nourish themselves, greatly accelerating the growth of the spirituality of the Fungus Person who is the source of the spores.’