Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3935: A Crystal Comparable To A Peak immortal Body Cultivator

The crystal measured roughly the size of an adult’s forearm. Its surface carried a deep crimson color bordering upon black. But within the transparent crystal, something moved. Tiny strands resembling crimson flesh slowly writhed through its interior.

They twisted, expanded, contracted and pulsed, almost as though the crystal possessed a heartbeat of its own. The strange sight immediately attracted Lin Mu’s complete attention and he instinctively released his Immortal Sense.

But the moment his senses touched the crystal, his pupils contracted.

’What?’ An astonishing surge of vitality flooded his perception.

It was incredibly pure and dense, feeling almost boundless to Lin Mu as it poured from the crystal like an endless spring.

’So dense...’ Lin Mu couldn’t hide his surprise.

He had encountered countless heavenly treasures. Even so, the vitality packed inside this single crystal exceeded almost every natural treasure he had ever seen. The quality alone stunned him.

After carefully measuring it through his Immortal Sense, Lin Mu arrived at an unbelievable conclusion. The vitality contained within this crystal rivaled that of a body cultivator standing at the very peak of the Immortal Realm.

Such a treasure would provoke bloody wars throughout countless immortal worlds. Powerful sects would exhaust their entire fortunes trying to obtain it and Body cultivators would gladly sacrifice mountains of resources for even a fragment.

Yet here it rested quietly upon a simple stone pedestal beneath a small village.

Lin Mu slowly approached as every instinct urged him to examine it more closely.

The chief watched him carefully.

"You understand now." His voice carried unmistakable respect.

"This..." He looked toward the crystal. "...is why we call that person our benefactor. Our entire village exists because of this crystal."

Lin Mu finally shifted his gaze toward the chief. "What exactly does it do?"

The chief walked beside the pedestal. "It grants vitality and strength."

He gently rested one large hand upon the edge of the stone pedestal. "Our cultivation remains sealed and the shackles prevent us from using Immortal Qi."

"Even so..." He slowly clenched his fist. "...our bodies continue growing stronger."

Lin Mu quietly listened.

"The vitality released by this crystal nourishes our flesh, it strengthens muscles, it fortifies bones, it enriches our blood and our bodies improve little by little."

The explanation immediately caused several scattered observations within Lin Mu’s mind to connect. The extraordinary physiques, the unusual vitality and the strength exceeding ordinary cultivators, everything suddenly became clear.

’I see...’ It all made perfect sense now.

The chief continued.

"Without this crystal our people would’ve ended up like countless other prisoners." His voice grew quieter. "We would’ve gradually weakened as our vitality would’ve continued disappearing and our bodies would’ve withered."

He slowly looked upward.

"You probably already know about the ritual."

Lin Mu nodded. "The vitality sacrifice."

The chief sighed.

"Every so often the deity demands another offering." He paused briefly. "The crystal compensates for those losses as it provides vastly more vitality than the array drains away. As such we recover and remain healthy. Some even become stronger than when they first arrived."

Lin Mu silently considered those words.

That also explained why these people looked far healthier than every previous settlement. The crystal constantly replenished them and the balance overwhelmingly favored the prisoners.

The chief smiled faintly.

"There are many years when the crystal grants far more vitality than we require. The offerings become insignificant compared to what we receive."

Lin Mu’s attention immediately caught another detail.

"The deity." He calmly looked toward the chief. "Do you truly believe that’s what it is?"

The chief quietly met Lin Mu’s gaze as several long moments passed. Then, something changed within his expression as recognition and understanding appeared. A faint smile slowly appeared upon the giant’s weathered face.

"So you know as well."He quietly murmured.

Lin Mu remained silent as the chief slowly nodded.

"Most prisoners prefer ignorance as it allows them to preserve faith and maintain the smallest mote of hope. They continue believing someone watches over them."

Lin Mu looked toward the ceiling.

"I understand why."

"When people lose everything..."

"They desperately search for something to believe in."

His eyes returned toward Lin Mu. "Yes."

He spoke with certainty. "It isn’t a deity. It’s an array."

Lin Mu finally released a quiet breath. "At last."

His shoulders relaxed slightly. "Someone willing to acknowledge the truth."

The chief gave a small chuckle. "We discovered it centuries ago. Our predecessors weren’t fools. There were several Formation Masters among them one of whom was even a Grandmaster. They investigated and experimented before eventually reaching the same conclusion."

"The vitality disappears into an enormous formation while we simply continue calling it the deity."

"It became easier that way."

Lin Mu nodded and knew that sometimes traditions survived simply because changing them served no practical purpose. He looked once more toward the mysterious crystal.

"Tell me more about your benefactor."

The chief remained thoughtful. "Our knowledge is limited as our predecessors inherited this crystal."

"They inherited the mural and the stories for generation after generation."

He slowly shook his head. "Eventually... Many details disappeared and now we only know fragments."

He rested one hand upon the pedestal. "This crystal has existed here longer than anyone remembers. Every chief inherits responsibility for protecting it."

"We also learned something important." He looked toward Lin Mu. "The amount of vitality someone receives depends upon the cultivation they possessed before entering this prison."

Lin Mu immediately became interested. "Explain."

The chief nodded. "A mortal receives very little. Just enough to survive."

"A Spirit Realm cultivator receives more while Immortals receive considerably greater benefits."

"My cultivation before imprisonment reached the Fifth Tribulation and the crystal recognizes that. As such it grants me vitality accordingly."

Lin Mu slowly understood. "So... The higher the original cultivation... the greater the nourishment."

"Exactly." The chief confirmed. "Those with weaker cultivation generally receive only slightly more vitality than the array steals. They remain healthy and manage to survive. But they rarely experience dramatic growth."

He lightly struck his own chest.

"My cultivation before imprisonment allows me to receive far greater nourishment. That is why my vitality appears unusually strong."

"Our benefactor gave us the means to endure, and he gave us hope. He allowed generations of our people to survive. Thus, how could we ever abandon our respect for him?"