Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3972: Checking Up On The Wild Peak

Lin Mu looked upward. "Let’s see where I am."

His body rose into the air. Without needing to rely on his Ascending Air Steps, he stepped upward through the air using his cultivation base now that he could. He rose higher and higher until the canopy gradually fell beneath him.

Once he reached several kilometers above the forest, the scale of the surrounding landscape became visible. The forest seemed endless as trees covered the land in every direction, stretching across rolling hills and valleys.

There were occasional rivers cutting through the greenery, while distant mountains rose above the horizon. Several enormous beasts could be sensed moving through the forest, though none of them appeared strong enough to concern Lin Mu.

He looked toward the position of the sun and then compared it with the information contained within Zhenyu’s records.

"Hmm. This should be the Wave Leaf Forest." Lin Mu adjusted his position slightly and examined the surrounding terrain. "If that’s right, then I’m in the northern part of the Inner Court."

That was considerably farther from the Wild Peak than he could have chosen. But Lin Mu had done that intentionally.

Returning directly to the Wild Peak would have been convenient, though convenience was precisely what he wanted to avoid at this point. He needed time to understand the situation before introducing Junior Elder Zhenyu into it.

The further away he was, the more freedom he had to observe.

He could investigate the current sect without anyone immediately connecting his movements to Little Bull. He could also familiarize himself with the current geography and determine which ancient locations mentioned by Zhenyu still existed.

Lin Mu looked toward the distant horizon. "Let’s see how much the world has changed."

He accelerated and his body crossed the sky like a streak of light, though he kept his speed within reasonable limits. The forest below gradually gave way to other regions as he continued toward the territory controlled by the Wild Peak.

Several hours later, familiar geographical features began appearing as Lin Mu slowed down. He could already sense the presence of the Wild Peak from a great distance and his eyes brightened.

At the same time, he expanded his immortal sense. The sensation that followed made Lin Mu almost sigh in satisfaction. His immortal sense spread outward like an invisible tide, crossing mountains, forests and buildings before reaching deep into the Wild Peak.

"After keeping this restrained for more than a year, this feels incredible."

Lin Mu had become accustomed to maintaining an extremely careful restriction on his senses. Even while inside the Mad Demon Depths, he had frequently limited himself to avoid attracting attention from hidden arrays and unknown entities.

Now that he could finally release his immortal sense freely, the difference was enormous. He could feel the movements of countless people. He could distinguish different cultivation bases. He could perceive the flow of Qi through formations. He could even sense the minute changes in the surrounding atmosphere caused by people moving through the peak.

More importantly, he could see the main hall and several familiar figures were gathered inside.

Lin Mu focused his attention. "Palm Saber is there."

He recognized the aura of High Elder Palm Saber almost immediately. Several other elders were present as well, though a few familiar presences were missing. Lin Mu considered the possibilities.

"High Elder Shatter Peak is probably still being punished by the Law Division." That was his first guess.

After everything that had happened, Shatter Peak had accumulated even more trouble. His destruction of several buildings during his search for Little Bull had given the Law Division an excellent reason to impose additional punishment.

Lin Mu could almost imagine how furious the man would be. He continued observing and saw that the atmosphere inside the main hall was tense. Nobody appeared relaxed, but it still made Lin Mu smile faintly.

’At least they are all fine.’ He had been concerned that Taegong might have arranged something more sinister while everyone was distracted by Little Bull’s disappearance. Seeing the elders gathered together and discussing matters was reassuring.

Still, he did not immediately reveal himself. Instead, Lin Mu quietly descended and his aura vanished completely. He used Phase and sank into the earth. A few minutes later, he emerged inside the walls of the main hall.

The position was carefully chosen as he could hear everything without being detected. The elders were discussing how to free High Elder Shatter Peak.

"We have already submitted the appeal." A voice belonging to one of the elders sounded frustrated.

"The Law Division has rejected it twice."

"Then submit it again."

"What good will that do? They have already cited his previous infractions."

Another elder sighed. "Those infractions accumulated over centuries. The Law Division tolerated them because he was a High Elder and because the Peak Head was willing to take responsibility for him."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed as the conversation continued.

"Now Peak Head Mountain Roar has left the world. They know the Wild Peak has lost its strongest backing." That statement caused the hall to fall silent for a moment.

Lin Mu’s expression became solemn as Mountain Roar’s absence had indeed changed everything. The Wild Peak had always been a powerful faction within the sect. Its influence came from more than individual strength. It came from the reputation of its members and the presence of its Peak Head.

With Mountain Roar gone, the other factions had suddenly realized that the Wild Peak could be pressured. Taegong had chosen his timing very well.

Lin Mu’s gaze became cold. "Everything is connected."

The conflict with the Vault Division, Little Bull’s disappearance, the Peak Head leaving the world, the Law Division pressuring the Wild Peak, and Shatter Peak’s punishment, every part of it created more internal conflict.

Taegong did not need to defeat the Wild Peak directly. He only needed to make everyone else distrust them and make the Wild Peak lose its ability to act freely. Lin Mu continued listening.

"Have they stopped searching for Little Bull?" One elder asked.

A second elder immediately shook his head. "They have reduced the scope. They are still searching, though they have stopped making demands in every department."

"Because of the Vault Division?"

"Partly. Every time we send someone to question another department, the Vault Division finds another reason to interfere."