The scene turned chaotic. Team members either folded their arms and sat down on the ground, or supported their chests against tree trunks, or opened their shirts wide in disbelief. They stared in horror at the rapidly swelling chests rising before them—more terrifying than any crisis they had ever faced. "How is this possible? My chest—it's grown so large! I'm a man! I'm a man!" "Hurry, hurry—check that thing down there, make sure it's still there!" "Can we recover? What's happening? We're suddenly so exhausted!" The team members spoke in growing panic, overwhelmed by the suddenness of the event. Jiang Jingwei sat down on the ground, staring at her chest with a look of astonishment and bewilderment, yet also full of lively excitement—like she was finally experiencing the joy of growing up. She seemed genuinely intrigued. Asayama Ryouta lay sprawled on the ground, blushing deeply, muttering words like "disgusting" and "weird." The scene had become a complete mess. Zhang Yuanqing, lying against Guan Ya's back, lowered his head and watched as his chest continuously expanded, pushing him and Guan Ya farther and farther apart. It felt as though something was rapidly inflating beneath his skin—he didn't know what it was, but one thing was certain: it wasn't fat. Good heavens—was this a G-cup? From now on, he'd have the confidence to look down on women after all. Though he found it rather frustrating, as a leader, Zhang Yuanqing believed this was not the time to question his life's direction. He solemnly patted Guan Ya's shoulder and said, "Put me down." Old Sugi, who was already an E-level strength, couldn't bear any additional strain. Guan Ya bent down and placed him by the roadside. "You—okay?" Zhang Yuanqing only then noticed that Guan Ya's chest hadn't expanded at all, still maintaining its originally pleasing fullness. Guan Ya glanced at the Tianzun's chest, her face tight, nodded, and said with some confusion: "I seem to be fine..." Why was she fine? Could it be that her chest was simply too large, reaching a limit that prevented further growth? Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized that understanding the reason behind Guan Ya's chest remaining unchanged might resolve the current situation everyone was facing. Compared to others, what special quality did Guan Ya possess? It couldn't be her profession—there were many scouts in the team. Could it be due to her equipment? Zhang Yuanqing noticed the reed armor worn over Guan Ya's chest and had a sudden thought. "Guan Ya, could you try removing your reed armor?" "No!" Guan Ya firmly refused. "Do you think my chest isn't big enough?" Immediately, she pressed her lips together, trying hard to suppress a smile. "You really want to laugh, don't you!" Zhang Yuanqing looked at her expressionlessly. Guan Ya turned her face aside, but couldn't help it—"Pffft!" she laughed out. "Sorry, sorry. I know I shouldn't, that it's inappropriate, but I just can't help it, haha, hahaha... Oh well, we don't have phones in the quest area, hahaha..." "Hmm. I think it might be the defensive function of the set kicking in. Regardless of why your chests are swelling, there's no doubt this is an external attack." That stubborn woman... Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, calmed herself, and tried to think through the unfolding situation. Guan Ya was right—the reason for the swelling in her chest was an unknown attack, one clearly linked to the reproductive forest. Perhaps a curse? Speaking of which, as her chest swelled, the tingling and itching sensations faded, replaced instead by pain—sharp, needle-like pain. At the same time, a profound sense of fatigue settled in, making him drowsy, and his bodily discomfort made it difficult for him to think clearly. Just then, the cowshed little fairy, whose chest had first begun to swell, gasped weakly, "Yes, yes—spores... We've been colonized by spores..." As a wood spirit, after a moment of initial panic, she sensed a strong life force flowing alongside the swelling in her chest. Her sense of weakness and exhaustion stemmed from the sap being siphoned away by the spores. "What should we do? What should we do?" "Can the wood spirits help us eliminate these spores?" the nearby team members shouted excitedly. "We cannot remove them," said the "Little Matchstick Boy," who, like her, was now unable to stand due to the swelling in his chest. "We can only compete with the spores for life force." "I feel my chest is about to burst," said a female earth spirit. As soon as she spoke, her swollen chest burst with a loud "pop," her clothes tearing apart and a steady stream of grayish mist gushing from her chest. Immediately, mushrooms sprouted across the face of the earth creature, green mosses and young ferns pushing through her skin, followed by layered lingzhi mushrooms and twisted vines. Within just a few seconds, her entire body was enveloped in vegetation. "Help! Help me!" she gasped, her voice weak and faint, emerging from the dense thicket of plants. Watching this scene, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, as if they had just glimpsed their own fates. "Damn it!" the fire master beside her, suddenly stirred, gripping his dagger tightly and plunging it forcefully into the swollen chest. With a "thud," his chest exploded, releasing a wave of gray mist. Instantly, mosses, fungi, and ferns surged across his body, their roots firmly anchoring into his skin, drawing nourishment from him. Zhang Yuanqing roared, "Don't be impulsive! Don't act rashly!" He was mainly warning the fire masters; anyone else witnessing this scene would certainly be too intimidated to take any bold action. It turned out that the "reproduction of the forest" meant not stimulating the animals entering the area to reproduce, but rather plants consuming the flesh and blood of living beings to reproduce. Spores were mostly inhaled through the air, so it was only when I truly went into heat that I noticed the distinct fragrance of Guan Ya. Zhang Yuanqing felt his chest expand once again, pushing him closer to his limit. At that moment, he observed the chest of Tian Xia Gui Huo visibly deflating—shifting from its near-explosive expansion down to a D-cup. Tian Xia Gui Huo exhaled in relief and declared, "By concentrating fire-based spiritual energy in the chest, we can neutralize the spores' activity." Upon hearing this, the fire masters quickly followed suit, and the once-ballooned chests indeed began to collapse. Meanwhile, the water spirits drew inspiration and, in unison, retrieved their weapons, launching either cutting or piercing attacks directly at the chests. Puffing and puffing, their chests did not burst but instead activated a passive response, transforming into clear streams of water. Within the flowing water, gray, granular spores were clearly visible. "No, still not good!" When their bodies recovered, their chests remained as expansively swollen as ever. Unless they sacrificed the water-converted portions, the problem was that there were no nearby ponds or rivers—without replenishing, they would lose that section of their bodies, effectively severing one chest and facing certain death. Meanwhile, the fire practitioners whose chests had just collapsed began to swell again, though at a noticeably slower pace. Tianxia Guihuo stated, "No, we must leave immediately." Currently, the wood spirits were the only ones effectively able to suppress spore growth, followed by the fire practitioners. If the water spirits could gather sufficient water, they could at least manage to resist spore colonization. The earth monsters and scouts, however, were inevitably doomed. Especially the earth monsters—since the earth element nourishes the wood element, the spores derived the greatest nourishment from their bodies. Zhang Yuanqing's gaze, piercing through the darkness, swept across the crowd, clearly seeing the forest spirits already showing a desire to abandon their companions and flee. The fire mages were no different. The water ghost and the earth monster looked utterly despairing. They had to find a way—otherwise, the morale would collapse under panic before long. Zhang Yuanqing quickly asked, "With the world turning to fire, can your fire mages help suppress the spores' vitality?" The fire mages shook their heads. "Fire energy is the most uncontrollable. It will kill the spores, but at the same time, it will kill you as well—and you'll die faster, because the spores are more resilient to fire than living flesh." A case of drinking poison to quench thirst, then. Zhang Yuanqing fell silent, his thoughts racing. Though he wore a yin-yang robe and possessed skills in controlling water and fire, these abilities were granted by the robe itself, not inherent to his body. He had no innate fire power. The Night Wandering Deity, though exceptionally resilient, could endure longer than ordinary characters—yet still faced significant danger. Expanding the Yin-Yang array could temporarily alleviate the crisis, but it remained a temporary measure and could not resolve the issue fundamentally. What if there were a way to extinguish spore activity without harming the body? For instance... controlled flame? Zhang Yuanqing recalled a tool he had not used in a long time—the Subduer of Demons. The Subduer of Demons, imbued with the power of the Sun God. Its purifying effects are exceptionally effective against negative status effects, though slightly less potent against conditions involving parasitic toxins. Yet, would using the Subduer of Demons attract the old stick-figure? This thought briefly flashed through Zhang Yuanqing’s mind before he reached for the tool. He made this choice due to two reasons that gave him the courage. First, the Ghost Bride had mentioned that the old stick-figure held a certain resentment toward him, but lacked a strong desire to kill. Should the old stick-figure indeed appear and initiate a killing encounter, he could simply deploy his signature move—bowing low and offering the tool with humility. Second, this setting is no ordinary encounter—it is a killing-focused scenario. The Killing Raid differs from ordinary raids in that its purpose is to identify outstanding performers at each stage and to offer promotion opportunities—making it profoundly significant. According to logical expectations, the more important a raid, the stronger its "encryption" level should be. Could Lingjing allow a particularly powerful boss to disrupt the Killing Raid? Zhang Yuanqing believes the old stickler is unlikely to make it through. Since the old stickler is unlikely to enter, and when he does, he won’t face life-threatening danger—why not make use of this opportunity? With the heavy bronze mallet firmly in hand, he immediately drove his blade into the thigh. Fresh blood flowed like threads, seeping into the Fumagong mallet, triggering a brilliant golden glow that broke through the darkness and gilded the surrounding trees. Zhang Yuanqing felt a warm surge throughout his body, with bright golden light surging into his eyes. Then, he sensed his chest pressing against his T-shirt, rapidly shrinking, drying out, and contracting down to the size of a woman’s B-cup, transforming into two firm, rounded lumps. Indeed useful, yet unable to completely eliminate the spores... Zhang Yuanqing rose to his feet and declared with a clear voice, "I've found a way to alleviate the condition." Under the astonished and delighted gaze of everyone, he, with his somewhat slender chest, approached each teammate and delivered a treatment to them. One after another, bright golden beams surged and then faded, and the eyes of each person shimmered with radiant gold light before gradually settling. Soon, all the teammates regained their mobility. Except for the earth-based female monster who had initially exploded—now deceased—the second fire master who had voluntarily burst his chest remained alive and had been healed; the power of the Sun God had burned away most of the vegetation on his body. "Thank you so much! Thank you so much!" The fire masters expressed their gratitude, bowing deeply. The Peony Immortal, still holding her chest, which had expanded considerably, bit her lower lip, her eyes sparkling with grace. She had to keep her chest covered, as the expansion had snapped the straps of her undergarment, causing it to fall off. With her summer attire being light and thin, if she didn't hold it, the situation would be quite evident. Others纷纷 expressed their gratitude. Zhang Yuanqing, relieved, lowered his Fúmò Chǔ, pressed his hands, and declared with a strong voice, "The purification period is limited. When you feel your chest swelling again, please inform me promptly. Now, move quickly and leave this area." Upon hearing this, the team members shivered and immediately reorganized, advancing once more. Thirty minutes later, after four rounds of purification, the officially designated travelers, who had initially suffered mild anemia, heard the spiritual realm's notification sound: 【Ping! You have successfully passed through the Reproduction Forest. Reward: 10 points.】 Everyone was delighted—almost moved to tears. Reflecting on the past half-hour, they recalled the constant swelling and shrinking of their chests, a truly nightmare experience. This was even more distressing than facing a powerful boss. Hmm? No item rewards? Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily surprised. Then he heard Guan Ya speaking excitedly, "I've received a consumable item—a Spore of Rapid Reproduction." "Why are they giving her the award? This woman has done absolutely nothing. The reward mechanism is clear—after crossing the Forest of Rapid Reproduction, the one with the strongest vitality wins MVP. Zhang Yuanqing hurried to say, 'What attributes? Show me.' Guan Ya opened her inventory and spread her hands out, revealing a handful of gray powder in the center of her palm. Zhang Yuanqing instinctively stepped back, took a deep breath, and gently tapped the powder with her finger. This means most of the defensive capabilities will be useless unless someone has a powerful set—like Guan Ya. Zhang Yuanqing was delighted. With this gear, evil occupations would once again experience the pleasure of enlarged chests. Meanwhile, our forces have the Fumigating Staff to suppress spore infestations. "We're almost out of the maze forest," said Bai Hu Wan Shui, reporting the route. His tone was neither joyful nor optimistic, but rather concerned. "I remember this is the final stretch. I still have three others behind me. Based on the current pace, we should cross the maze forest in about forty more minutes. "So, we'll definitely face at least one crisis—likely near the exit." These words gradually dimmed the smiles of the official travelers, casting a sense of gravity over their faces. "But no matter what, we're finally going to get out," Zhang Yuanqing said. Only then did his teammates regain their spirits. After walking for ten minutes through the dark, winding forest path, they heard the task notification again: 【Ping! You have entered the Forest of Movement. Please observe your surroundings carefully and leave as soon as possible.】 ... In the profound and vast "universe," countless stars form a brilliant river of constellations. While most of the sovereigns were focused on the warriors' battle, one elder of the Spiritual Energy Council took a moment to glance at the transcendent realm's killing quest, then lightly exhaled, her expression growing astonished: "Among the transcendent-level individuals, someone is wielding the power of the Sun-Wanderer deity?" This remark drew the attention of all the sovereigns, including the female Marshal, who turned their gaze toward the primordial forest. Their eyes pierced through the dense layers of tree canopies, fixed on a specific spot. The female Marshal, her voice melodious, asked: "What artifact does the Primordial Sovereign hold?" Her companion, Teddy, replied: "It's the one he retrieved from the temple of the Three Mountain Lady." "I made it very clear in my report, didn't you read it, huh?" the Dog Elder muttered under her breath. Then she saw a female Marshal with white hair, her gaze clear and deep, approaching calmly and saying, "I did not read it." The Dog Elder: "...". Before the chief scout, even if you remain expressionless, she can always see through your thoughts. Suddenly, the Female Marshal, the Fearful King, the President, and the Grand Master—all four of the supreme beings—turned simultaneously to gaze at a specific point in the deep starry sky. There, a beam of golden light surged forward, roaring like a comet.