Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3892: Bound And Carried

The Immortal Binding Ropes tightened once more.

Lin Mu felt himself being lifted from the ground without the slightest effort. Whoever had crafted these ropes clearly intended them for transporting prisoners rather than simply restraining them.

They adjusted themselves constantly, tightening just enough to prevent movement while avoiding unnecessary injury. Most importantly, they covered almost every inch of his body. Only the faint sensation of air passing through tiny gaps told Lin Mu he was still moving.

His vision had disappeared entirely as the thick layers of Immortal Ropes wrapped around his face so completely that even opening his eyes accomplished nothing. Darkness greeted him from every direction.

He briefly considered extending his Immortal Sense but then dismissed the thought. The ropes themselves carried unusual properties. Even while bound inside them, Lin Mu could feel their interaction with surrounding Immortal Qi.

They seemed specifically designed to interfere with perception.

’Interesting...’ He quietly observed their construction through touch alone. ’They block vision, they suppress movement, and they likely interfere with Immortal Sense.’ As such testing them served little purpose.

Even if he managed to force his Immortal Sense through, the fluctuations might alert the escorts. Lin Mu had no intention of exposing himself over simple curiosity. Instead, he relaxed completely.

There was no urgency for him.

If escape truly became necessary, he possessed countless opportunities. Breaking the ropes alone required little effort. Even the strange shackles they had yet to place upon him would likely prove temporary obstacles at best.

’No.’ The far greater opportunity lay ahead.

Lin Mu silently smiled beneath the layers of bindings. He had already been searching for clues regarding the Virtuous Calamity Daoist’s hidden vault. Now, through a conspiracy completely unrelated to his original plans, he had somehow arrived at one of the oldest forbidden regions on the Inner Court Continent.

’The Mad Demon Depths.’ Lin Mu thought to himself.

Even after becoming a prison, the place remained extraordinary as entire generations of cultivators avoided speaking about it. Many knew its reputation, but very few possessed firsthand knowledge.

’Who knows...’ Lin Mu quietly considered the possibility. ’Perhaps the people who got Virtuous Calamity Daoist’s vault chose this place to hide it.’

The thought hardly seemed unreasonable as ancient forbidden zones naturally concealed countless secrets. Many powerful experts deliberately built inheritances inside such places. The Virtuous Calamity Daoist’s possession certainly had enough strength to warrant something similar.

Even if the vault itself did not exist here the Mad Demon Depths undoubtedly contained valuable information. Lin Mu therefore found himself strangely content. Escaping immediately would only throw away a rare opportunity.

He simply allowed himself to be carried and time slowly passed.

Without vision, every remaining sense became sharper and Lin Mu carefully observed the movement of his escorts.

At first, their pace remained steady. The gentle swaying suggested ordinary walking. Then, the rhythm changed. Occasionally he felt the subtle pressure accompanying flight and moments later they would return to walking once more.

The transitions happened smoothly and it showed his escorts clearly understood the terrain.

Minutes gradually stretched into something much longer. Lin Mu originally expected the prison itself to stand nearby. Instead, the journey continued, and continued. Long enough that even he began reconsidering his assumptions.

Nearly an hour passed. Perhaps slightly less. Perhaps slightly more. As without sunlight, precise measurement became difficult. During that entire period the escorts barely stopped. Only several brief pauses interrupted the otherwise continuous movement.

Each pause lasted only a handful of breaths after which the journey resumed. Lin Mu quietly analyzed each interruption. There had been no metallic sounds, no grinding stone, no opening doors and no gates swinging aside.

There was just complete silence.

Yet, the escorts had clearly waited for something.

’Formation barriers.’ The conclusion appeared obvious.

Rather than physical gates, the prison likely relied upon formation checkpoints. Each escort probably possessed authorization allowing passage. The barriers simply opened and then immediately closed behind them.

It was efficient and secure, entirely fitting for a prison housing dangerous cultivators.

Eventually, the constant movement stopped completely. Lin Mu remained perfectly still and several breaths later, he felt the ropes around him begin loosening. One layer disappeared after the other and the bindings unwound themselves with remarkable precision.

Fresh air reached his face and more light gradually entered. Layer after layer continued falling away. Until finally, Lin Mu opened his eyes. And the first thing he noticed was darkness.

Almost complete darkness.

He instinctively looked around and saw that the escorting cultivators remained nearby. Every one of them still wore the same featureless masks and the same dark brown robes. Nothing about them had changed.

Lin Mu shifted his attention toward the surroundings.

’A cave.’ That proved to be the simplest description.

Rough stone walls surrounded the area and the ceiling appeared surprisingly low, barely three meters overhead. The air carried a faint scent of damp earth mixed with old stone while the temperature had dropped considerably compared to outside.

Most surprising was the complete lack of illumination. There were no formation lamps, no Night Pearls, spirit crystals, not even ordinary torches or lanterns here. Just nothing. The cave should have been completely dark, but instead, a faint green glow gently illuminated everything.

Lin Mu looked upward and noticed some strange moss covering portions of the ceiling. The tiny plants emitted just enough light to distinguish outlines. Faces remained difficult to identify and colors became muted while shadows dominated every corner.

The place felt deliberately oppressive.

One by one, the ropes completely released his body and only his mouth remained tightly wrapped. Apparently the escorts preferred preventing prisoners from speaking. Along with that his arms still remained restrained and so did his legs.

Several lengths of Immortal Rope continued binding them securely.

One masked cultivator stepped forward. "Install the shackles."

Another immediately obeyed and he approached carrying four thick metal rings. Lin Mu quietly observed them. They resembled ordinary shackles at first glance. Yet, something appeared unusual.

There were no connecting chains as each shackle existed independently. They looked like simple metal rings. Two locked around Little Bull’s wrists and two more encircled his ankles.