Chapter 434

Chapter 434: Refusing the Deal

Wang Xiao walked through a world that had collapsed, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.

As a promising young man who had dropped out of college, he had at least spent a few years experiencing a relatively normal university life.

Although the place he found himself in was not a school he had attended, the arrangement of the nearby buildings allowed Wang Xiao to recognize that this was a university or an academy.

However, it seemed he had arrived at a time far too late; the ivy covered the surfaces of the buildings, and cracks wide enough for a hand to fit into spread across each structure.

Those man-made creations appeared to have already fallen apart, held together only by a layer of plant life on the outside, preventing them from crumbling into dust.

The condition of the ground and playground was similar; the fake lawn had transformed into real brush, with trees as thick as a bowl occasionally emerging from the center of the road or the sides, growing upwards in strange poses as if reaching for sunlight.

As he looked up and glimpsed the sun, Wang Xiao recalled why he found himself here; the last thing he saw before the Giant Tree collapsed was sunlight pouring down on him.

After moving his hands and feet slightly, Wang Xiao confirmed that he had no limitations at that moment. If it weren’t for the fact that Hope City couldn’t possibly contain such a place, he might have thought he had somehow arrived in an unknown location while unconscious.

However, the moment he realized the truth, the world around him began to collapse.

The ground and tall buildings fell apart recklessly, and the plants seemed to hit a reverse button, beginning to shrink back into the earth, retreating underground.

Only one place remained unchanged—the big tree directly in front of Wang Xiao, which did not begin to grow in reverse but instead became even more robust, as if it were absorbing nutrients from its surroundings.

Yet its surface strangely displayed dents and peeling bark, as if being repeatedly struck by invisible fists.

When the diameter of the Giant Tree reached nearly one meter, three cracks finally formed in front of Wang Xiao, resembling eyes and a mouth.

His expression instantly turned cold, and he entered combat mode, positioning his feet as if ready to launch an attack at any moment.

“Are you the will of the mycelium?”

He asked warily.

“Is that what you call me?”

The mouth formed by the cracks trembled slightly, producing a language that Wang Xiao could understand.

“Did you seek me for something?”

Wang Xiao’s expression turned unfriendly.

“Rather, it is you who seeks me.”

The tree’s tone carried a hint of mockery:

“I may be the will of the mycelium, but I am also something much more complex.”

“What nonsense are you babbling?” Wang Xiao raised his fist:

“If you don’t want to talk nicely, let’s fight; either you die or I die.”

“I understand, that emotion is called urgency.”

The Giant Tree spoke calmly:

“According to your kind, the will of the mycelium is a consciousness born from all the mycelium, so you should understand that the will exists in every strand of mycelium and within every fungus.

“As for me, I now exist as somewhat of an outcast, and that’s all thanks to you.”

Observing the tree’s form and interpreting its words, Wang Xiao cautiously asked:

“Are you the big tree from which I absorbed life force?”

“Yes, it is I.”

The big tree, which appeared as though it had been battered, attempted to nod, but lacking a neck, it could not.

It continued:

“To preserve the purity of will, when signs of initial fusion between you and I emerged, the true Supreme Will severed my ties with the mycelium.

“Logically, with only the mycelium content of a single big tree, I shouldn’t even be capable of basic reflexes, let alone communicate with you normally. But this is also thanks to you.

“Thanks to me for what?”

Wang Xiao asked, puzzled.

“Thanks to you absorbing most of my life force, which caused my tissues to recognize you as part of themselves during growth.

“Now, through your brain, I can conduct this dialogue with you; it’s merely a convergence of several coincidences.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Wang Xiao glanced around:

“Is this my consciousness space?”

“Yes, this place reflects some of the things you deeply desire and fear.”

The Giant Tree replied:

“You mentioned it resembles a university, indicating a deep nostalgia for your school days.

“And your brief yet evident panic when the plants regressed and caused the buildings to collapse shows your fear of the existing order disintegrating…”

“You know quite a bit.”

Wang Xiao scoffed:

“Is it possible that I actually wished for my school to look like this?”

“I don’t know, but you cannot deceive yourself.”

The Giant Tree said:

“Keep me here; my genes have been branded as impure by the mycelium, and I can never return to the Supreme Will’s true form. I can assist you and provide much information that only I possess.”

“Since you interpret dreams, you should know that’s impossible.”

Wang Xiao shook his wrist and moved closer to the Giant Tree, which was hundreds of times larger than him.

“No, you should make a more sensible choice. As long as a single strand of mycelium exists in this world, the Supreme Will is Immortal. You humans do not comprehend your enemy at all.”

“Is that your final statement?”

Wang Xiao continued to approach the Giant Tree.

“Listen to me! I will reveal the weaknesses of the mycelium. When it is sufficiently weakened, I, we will become the new, true Supreme Consciousness.

“Imagine it! With my control over the mycelium and your incomprehensible regenerative ability, we will dominate this planet!”

Wang Xiao stood less than a meter away from the Giant Tree, and the terrified face on its trunk suddenly turned joyful.

Just as it was about to speak further, the face suddenly noticed a half-figure of another man materialize beside Wang Xiao.

“Have you seen this person in my consciousness?”

Wang Xiao pushed the half-figure he had formed in his mind towards the Giant Tree.

“Yes, yes!”

The Giant Tree hastily replied:

“I have some connection with your brain; I can even help you recall things you cannot remember! Keep me here!”

“I do have many things I cannot remember.”

A smile appeared on Wang Xiao’s face, and he made the half-figure vanish before him,

“But I clearly remember that my father died during a beast tide.”

Wang Xiao pressed his arm against the surface of the Giant Tree. To his surprise, it seemed like a paper tiger, all show and no substance; at the moment his palm made contact, it appeared to be corroded. The face displayed a pained yet unwilling expression:

“What does that matter? By coexisting and cooperating with me, you could even bring him back to life! Using your memories, you can fully revive him!”

Upon hearing these words, Wang Xiao not only did not stop but instead began to absorb the Giant Tree’s life force with even more intensity.

His expression gradually twisted, half-mad and half-steadfast, as he declared:

“No one can defile my father, no one can tarnish a human warrior.”