Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3089: Where Are The Elders And Valuables Kept?

The battlefield was silent, save for the hissing of cooling stone and the faint echoes of molten rock hardening into brittle layers. The reek of scorched flesh and burning stone lingered in the air, a haunting reminder of the carnage that had just taken place.

What had once been a secret cult stronghold was now nothing but a blackened ruin—a city drowned and then gutted by fire and fury.

Lin Mu stood amidst it all, calm and steady, the last embers of his Magma Asura form dispersing into the air like fading stars. His rocky armor had dissolved, the lava-veined claws and tentacles gone, leaving him in his ordinary appearance once again.

Yet, no one present could forget the monstrous figure he had just become... the walking inferno that had shattered the Drowned Crescent Cult’s backbone with his own two hands... and four tentacles.

Lame Yu shivered where he knelt, his body broken and bloodied from kowtowing so hard that his own skull had cracked. He dared not raise his head, dared not breathe too loudly in the presence of the man who had just turned an army into ash.

Lin Mu approached him slowly, every step deliberate, the silence so heavy it felt like the heavens themselves were watching. His eyes, sharp as blades, fell upon the crippled cultist.

"Tell me," Lin Mu said at last, his voice calm but carrying an undercurrent of iron, "where are the Elders of the Xian Sword Sect. Also where are the valuables and documents kept in this city? Do not lie to me."

The words were not shouted, but they struck harder than any blow. Lame Yu flinched as though pierced by invisible swords. He swallowed hard, throat dry and voice trembling as he stammered out,

"The Elders are safe... but the valuables... M-most of it... will be gone, Great Senior... The city—it—it is drowned in lava. Burned, buried. Even if we wanted to reach the vaults, it would be impossible now. The cult kept its treasures, its records, its secrets... in deep vaults below the city. They might still exist, but... retrieving them... it will be... hard."

Lin Mu’s gaze sharpened. "What if the lava is cleared?"

The cripple froze, his lips trembling as though he didn’t believe what he had just heard. After a moment of stunned silence, he licked his cracked lips and replied with desperate honesty.

"If the lava is cleared, then... then yes, it should be possible. While anything left exposed would already be destroyed, the vaults were crafted with ancient methods... Strong materials and defensive arrays reinforcing them. They should... they should still be intact."

Lin Mu nodded slowly, as though he had expected as much. Then, without another word, he turned away and walked towards the still-glowing field of lava.

Cattaleya tilted her head, intrigued. "Wait... he’s not actually..."

But Lin Mu was already moving. His armor gone, his body in its natural state, he leapt into the molten lake. The heat that radiated from it was enough to burn even immortal bodies, but Lin Mu dove in as though it were cool spring water.

Cattaleya stiffened, instinctively ready to intervene, but Daoist Chu placed a hand on her shoulder. "No... don’t. He knows what he’s doing."

Cattaleya’s crimson eyes narrowed. "What kind of madman jumps into earthfire lava after dropping his own armor?"

She had thought Lin Mu had been fine before due to his technique, but this time he had gone in bare.

The answer came not in words but in power.

From within the lava, Lin Mu began to draw it in.

His body didn’t burn, didn’t melt, didn’t resist. Instead, it consumed. The molten liquid: rich with devastating Earth Flames, spiraled toward him like serpents obeying their master. His frame seemed like an endless void, absorbing it all. The entire battlefield trembled as the lake began to shrink.

Cattaleya blinked, unable to hide her shock. "What kind of body cultivation technique... is this?!"

Daoist Chu exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "Not one you will find in any sect’s scrolls. This is Lin Mu’s creation. His... own path. His unique technique."

Meng Bai stepped forward proudly, his chest swelling as he looked at his master. "It’s true. Master has already made several unique techniques. This is but one of them."

Cattaleya chuckled under her breath, her lips curling into a smile. "Hah... fascinating. He keeps surprising me." Her eyes gleamed with genuine intrigue.

She had seen arrogance and confidence before, but not this... this ability to twist the elements of the world itself into fuel for one’s body. Lin Mu wasn’t just a fighter; he was a force of nature.

An hour passed, and with each moment, the lava sank lower and lower. The ground steamed and groaned as the immense heat was sucked away. Lin Mu absorbed it all into his cores, refining and storing it, leaving only impurities behind.

When at last he rose from the hardened basin, the lake had vanished entirely. What little lava remained was impure, too weak to be of any use to him. With a flick of his will, he drained the heat from it as well, until it cooled into brittle stone.

The once blazing city was now a silent, blackened husk. But beneath the cooled layers of rock, the vaults of the Drowned Crescent Cult awaited.

Lin Mu landed gracefully, his robes unburnt, his aura steady. Not a trace of the hour-long feat of devouring remained on his expression... it was as if it had cost him nothing. In fact, he had profited from this.

He turned his gaze back to Lame Yu, who had been watching the entire display in stunned horror. The cripple looked like he might faint at any moment.

"Show us the path," Lin Mu commanded.

Lame Yu jolted upright, his body shaking as he kowtowed again before scrambling to his feet. "Y-yes, Great Senior! At once, at once!" His voice cracked as he hurried ahead, leading them toward the hidden tunnels below the ruined city.

The group followed, their eyes still lingering on Lin Mu, unable to look away.