Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3613: What Is The Black Crystal?

Lin Mu’s mind moved quickly.

"This suggests dilution prevents its formation."

It did not eliminate the bloodline. It altered it and stabilized it.

He then turned to the samples from mixed foxkin tribes.

The result changed again and the black crystal appeared, but this time they were small. Comparable to the grains found in the White Fur, Golden Fox, and Night Fox tribes.

Lin Mu observed them closely.

"They still form... but at a reduced level."

This confirmed another critical point.

Mixing bloodlines did not remove the issue entirely. It suppressed it, and slowed its growth, at the cost of purity. Lin Mu stood silently, the full scope of the problem now laid out before him.

Pure bloodlines strengthened the anomaly.

Mixed bloodlines weakened it.

Human integration eliminated it.

But each solution came with a trade-off.

Strength.

Identity.

Purity.

The foxkin had preserved their bloodlines for generations, maintaining their strength and heritage.

And in doing so...

They had cultivated the very problem that now threatened them.

Lin Mu closed his eyes briefly, organizing his thoughts.

"This is no longer just a defect," he realized. "It is a consequence of something unknown."

A result of something fundamental within their evolution. When he opened his eyes again, they carried a sharper focus.

He had uncovered the structure.

He had identified the pattern.

Now...

Only one question remained.

What exactly...

Was that black crystal?

***

Lin Mu stood amidst the suspended arrays of crystals, his gaze fixed upon the pitch black fragments that hovered like silent voids within the chamber. Each one was contained, isolated, and stabilized, yet their presence felt heavier than all the others combined.

They did not emit an aura in the conventional sense. Instead, they created an absence, a subtle distortion that made even the surrounding energy feel incomplete.

For over an hour, Lin Mu remained where he was, his thoughts turning again and again toward the same question.

’What was it?’

He reviewed everything he had learned.

It was not part of the human component.

It was not part of the beast component.

It was not even part of the foxkin integration component.

It was something else entirely.

Something that did not belong, yet had embedded itself deeply within the strongest bloodlines.

His immortal sense had failed.

His spatial perception had failed.

Even the arrays, enhanced with precise configurations, had yielded almost nothing.

Lin Mu exhaled slowly.

"This may be beyond the scope of the Immortal Realm." he thought.

The idea was not one he arrived at lightly. Throughout his journey, he had encountered countless mysteries, yet very few had resisted his methods so completely. This was different.

If it could not be observed, could not be analyzed, and could not be interacted with through conventional means...

Then perhaps it required perception that transcended those limits.

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"There is one who might be able to see it."

Without hesitation, he reached out.

His consciousness extended inward, connecting to the presence that resided beyond the normal confines of his being.

"Saintess," he called.

The chamber fell into a deeper silence.

Time passed.

One breath.

Two.

Nearly a minute later, the space before him shifted subtly.

There was no explosion of energy, no dramatic distortion.

She simply appeared.

The cloaked figure of the Saintess stood before him, her form veiled in layers of compressed air and cloud that concealed her completely. Yet despite the concealment, Lin Mu immediately sensed something different.

Her presence had changed.

There was a weight to it now, a subtle pressure that had not been there before. It was not oppressive, but it was unmistakably stronger.

Lin Mu studied her for a moment before speaking.

"You seem different," he said. "Has something changed?"

The Saintess tilted her head slightly, her voice calm as always.

"I have cultivated a bit more Celestial Qi," she replied. "Within the Fifteen Ryze World."

Lin Mu’s brows lifted faintly.

"That world?" he asked. "How?"

The Saintess remained still, her presence steady.

"It may be due to its nature," she said. "The world is weaker. It lacks a sufficient number of high-level cultivators. There has never been a celestial born from it."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"The Celestial Qi there is... easier to absorb. Less contested. Less bound."

Lin Mu considered this.

"So you took advantage of it."

"Yes," she replied simply. "I absorbed as much as I could."

Lin Mu gave a small nod.

"Then congratulations are in order."

The Saintess inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment.

Lin Mu’s thoughts shifted quickly.

"If that is the case... then what of this world?" he asked. "Is it similar?"

The Saintess did not answer immediately.

Instead, her presence seemed to focus, as if she were sensing the environment more deeply.

Then she spoke.

"No."

A single word.

Clear.

Certain.

"The restraints here are strong," she continued. "Far stronger than what would be expected of a so-called lower tier immortal world."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"That is not what the foxkin believe." he said.

"They are mistaken." the Saintess replied.

Lin Mu’s mind moved quickly.

"Is it because of the number of Transcendents?" he asked though he felt doubtful still.

The Saintess nodded.

"That is part of it."

She paused, then added something that caused Lin Mu’s expression to shift.

"Not only that," she said. "There have likely been several Celestials who ascended from this world."

Lin Mu’s gaze sharpened.

"Several?"

The Saintess continued.

"The bond of Celestial Qi here is strong. Too strong for a world of this classification. Even I find it difficult to exert influence. The environment resists me."

She lifted her hand slightly, as if demonstrating.

"The Celestial Qi is dense and anchored to the will of the world."

Lin Mu felt a faint sense of shock.

"How many?" he asked.

The Saintess tilted her head slightly.

"I cannot say with certainty," she replied. "But at least three. Possibly more."

Lin Mu fell silent for a moment.

This contradicted everything the foxkin believed about their world.

"If that is true," he said slowly, "Then why has this world not ascended?" he wondered what is it that made it different from the Rust Sky World that was facing ascension and only had one proper true Celestial ascend from it.