Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3940: Heading To The Location Of The Crest

The chief’s tone made it clear that further questions would wait and no one objected. Lin Mu appreciated the discipline shown by the villagers. As, despite their curiosity, everyone respected the chief’s decision.

Seeing there was nothing further to discuss, Lin Mu stepped toward the open space before the chief’s house.

He looked once toward the eastern forest and then lightly tapped the ground.

SHUA

His body rose effortlessly as one invisible foothold appeared beneath his feet after the other and within moments, he had already climbed several dozen meters into the air.

The villagers watched silently and even though they had already witnessed the spectacle earlier, seeing someone casually ascend into the sky remained deeply astonishing.

Lin Mu gave the chief one final nod.

Then...

WHOOSH!

Every step propelled him hundreds of meters forward and his figure rapidly shrank into the darkness above the forest canopy. Within seconds, he had disappeared completely.

Only after his presence faded did the chief slowly turn back toward his people.

The villagers gathered closely around him.

This time though, he did not keep them waiting.

The chief looked toward the ancient mural hanging inside his house before speaking with a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Today..." His words carried across the village. "...we have learned something our ancestors sought for countless generations."

Everyone listened attentively.

"The one who preserved our people."

"The one who left us the crystal."

"The one whose symbol our chiefs protected for centuries..." He paused briefly. "...finally has a name."

Excitement spread throughout the crowd and even the children instinctively quieted.

The chief raised his voice.

"Let this day be remembered."

"Let every future generation hear these words."

"Our benefactor..."

"...was the Virtuous Calamity Daoist."

Silence briefly settled across the village.

Then, one by one... People lowered their heads.

Some clasped their hands respectfully while others bowed toward the chief’s house where the ancient mural and crystal remained hidden. An elderly woman quietly wiped tears from her eyes.

Several of the oldest villagers repeated the name under their breath, carefully memorizing every syllable.

Children whispered it to themselves.

"Virtuous..."

"Calamity..."

"Daoist..."

The name that had disappeared from history had finally returned to one forgotten corner of the Mad Demon Depths.

And far away, already soaring above the endless subterranean forest... Lin Mu still heard their voices.

His hearing had long surpassed ordinary cultivators. Even from such a distance, fragments of their words reached him through the underground world. A small smile appeared upon his face.

Perhaps those people had once been criminals and perhaps many still carried unforgivable sins. Yet others had been born there. Some had never even seen the sky, children had grown into adults knowing nothing except the Mad Demon Depths.

Judging them all with the same measure would accomplish little, as that responsibility belonged to the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect.

But not Lin Mu.

He had simply returned a forgotten name to people who had protected another man’s legacy for countless generations. And that alone felt worthwhile.

His attention quickly returned to the task ahead. The forest beneath him stretched endlessly in every direction while towering trees formed a dark ocean whose canopy hid countless dangers.

Lin Mu periodically released his Immortal Sense and rather than maintaining it continuously, he swept the surroundings every few minutes. The intermittent scans reduced unnecessary consumption while still allowing him to search efficiently.

He focused particularly upon rocky outcrops, ancient stone formations and old ruins of any sorts. Basically any place where a crest might have been carved.

Several beasts noticed him during the journey and a massive serpent burst upward from the branches, attempting to coil around him. But before it reached striking distance, Lin Mu simply released a trace of his vitality.

HUALA

The pressure rolled outward like an invisible tide and the serpent instantly froze. Its pupils shrank and without hesitation, it fled deeper into the forest. A while later, three enormous winged reptiles circled above him.

They screeched aggressively while diving one after another. Lin Mu merely glanced toward them and his aura expanded slightly. The moment they felt it, the creatures abruptly changed direction before disappearing beyond the trees.

After several encounters, most beasts instinctively chose avoidance. Animals possessed sharper survival instincts than many cultivators and they recognized predators quickly. And Lin Mu was certainly beyond an Apex Predator.

Hours gradually passed as Lin Mu continued moving east.

The forest slowly changed as the trees became older and thicker, with many reaching astonishing heights. Several possessed trunks wider than ordinary houses while dense moss completely covered the ground and ancient vines hung between branches thicker than ship ropes.

The surrounding Qi also became noticeably richer even though it was weaker than the surface. More importantly though, the beasts hiding nearby possessed stronger life signatures.

Lin Mu estimated several had reached the Immortal Realm before their cultivation became suppressed.

Finally, roughly two hours after leaving the village, his Immortal Sense caught something unusual.

A weathered rock formation protruded from the forest floor.

At first glance, it appeared completely ordinary. Fallen trees rested across its surface and thick moss covered nearly every visible section while several shrubs even grew directly from cracks in the stone.

Anyone walking past would assume it was simply another boulder swallowed by time.

Lin Mu slowly descended and landed quietly beside the formation. Standing before it, even his eyes failed to notice anything remarkable. Without his Immortal Sense, he would have walked straight past.

Carefully pushing aside several layers of moss, he revealed a section of stone beneath. And there, almost completely hidden beneath centuries of growth, was the unmistakable crest of the Wild Peak.

The carving remained surprisingly clear despite its age and it was clear someone had deliberately engraved it into the stone. Lin Mu gently brushed away another layer of moss before his eyes narrowed.

Something beneath the carving caught his attention.

There were tiny formation lines that were exceptionally faint and almost impossible to detect. His Immortal Sense carefully followed them through the rock as one line became ten and ten became hundreds.

They intertwined beneath the entire outcrop in astonishing complexity.

Lin Mu’s breathing slowed.

"A formation array..." He whispered softly and his surprise quickly deepened.

This was no ordinary concealment array. The runes extended far beyond the visible stone, disappearing deep beneath the earth as though protecting something hidden below the forest itself.

Whatever the Wild Peak had left behind, it was far more significant than a simple carved crest.