Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 4051: Removed From History

Zhenyu raised an eyebrow. "Current status?"

"Yes." The Grand Elder paused. "For a start, I can tell Senior that the Hopeful Star Pavilion no longer exists."

Lin Mu felt a faint disappointment.

Though the Grand Elder continued before he could dwell upon it. "At least, it no longer exists in the form it once did."

Zhenyu’s eyes narrowed. "What kind of answer is that?"

"The most accurate one I can give."

Zhenyu snorted. "Explain."

The Grand Elder nodded slowly.

"Senior should remember that the Hopeful Star Pavilion began as a gathering of promising cultivators. During its earliest years, it had very little formal authority. Its members came from different Peaks, lineages, and even different generations. They exchanged cultivation insights, discussed the future of the sect, and occasionally undertook missions together."

"That much I remember," Zhenyu replied.

The Grand Elder continued, "Over time, however, several of its members became exceptionally influential. Some rose to positions of authority within the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect. Others departed to establish themselves elsewhere. A few pursued paths that took them far beyond the boundaries of our world."

Lin Mu listened carefully as this much was consistent with what he had learned from the archives.

The Grand Elder’s expression grew more complicated.

"Eventually, the Pavilion ceased to function as a gathering of young cultivators. Its members had grown too powerful, and their responsibilities had become too different. Some could no longer meet openly, while others had little reason to return."

Zhenyu stroked his beard. "That happens to every group of youngsters who live long enough."

"Indeed," the Grand Elder agreed. "But the Hopeful Star Pavilion had developed certain commitments among its members."

Lin Mu’s attention sharpened. "Commitments?"

The Grand Elder hesitated and the Clarity Peak Head looked toward him.

Then she spoke for the first time since the explanation began. "The members of the Hopeful Star Pavilion had made promises to one another, Senior. Some of those promises continued to bind them long after the Pavilion itself disappeared."

Zhenyu turned toward her. "Promises?"

"Yes."

"What kind?"

The Clarity Peak Head pursed her lips.

The Grand Elder answered instead. "Promises concerning mutual assistance, the preservation of certain inheritances, and the protection of matters they believed were important to the future of the sect."

Lin Mu felt his thoughts accelerate. ’Inheritances?’

That word was particularly interesting.

The Virtuous Calamity Daoist had left behind an inheritance, and Lin Mu had been searching for its true location and significance. The possibility that the Hopeful Star Pavilion had been involved in preserving certain inheritances was something he could hardly ignore.

Zhenyu leaned forward slightly. "You’re being awfully vague, junior."

The Grand Elder gave a helpless smile. "Because the details differ depending on which member and which period of the Pavilion’s history we are discussing."

"Then start with something specific." Zhenyu asked.

The Grand Elder fell silent.

Zhenyu continued, "You said the Pavilion no longer exists in its original form. Does that mean its members established something else?"

The question was deliberately direct and Lin Mu watched both experts. The Grand Elder’s expression grew thoughtful while the Clarity Peak Head lowered her eyes for a moment. Neither immediately answered.

’There it is again,’ Lin Mu thought. ’The same reluctance and the same careful consideration.’

Zhenyu slowly folded his massive arms across his chest.

"Let me guess," he said. "The name disappeared, but the people involved continued working together."

The Grand Elder looked at him. "To a certain extent."

"And some of their successors inherited those connections?" Zhenyu continued.

There was another pause.

"That would be a reasonable way of describing it," the Grand Elder admitted.

Lin Mu felt a small surge of satisfaction as the information was finally beginning to take shape.

Zhenyu gave a low chuckle. "So the Hopeful Star Pavilion grew old, scattered across the world, and left behind a collection of people who still remember its promises."

The Grand Elder nodded slowly. "That is close to the truth."

Zhenyu’s eyes narrowed. "Then why all the secrecy?"

The Clarity Peak Head finally raised her gaze. "Because, Senior, some of those promises concern people whose names have become extremely sensitive within the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect."

Lin Mu’s heart stirred but he maintained Zhenyu’s curious expression. "Such as?"

The Grand Elder and the Clarity Peak Head exchanged another glance and this time, their hesitation was even more pronounced.

Zhenyu’s patience appeared to reach its limit. "Are you two going to keep looking at each other every time I ask a question?" he complained. "If the answer is so dangerous, perhaps you should have kept your mouths shut from the beginning."

The Grand Elder let out a quiet sigh. "Senior, among the original members of the Hopeful Star Pavilion, there were individuals whose paths eventually diverged from the principles of the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect."

Zhenyu’s expression became serious. "How far did they diverge?"

The Grand Elder looked directly into his eyes. "Far enough that some of their names were removed from the sect’s official histories."

For a moment, Lin Mu said nothing. His thoughts immediately turned toward the forgotten records, the mysterious crest, and the ancient spatial secrets buried beneath the Mad Demon Depths.

’Now we’re getting somewhere.’ Zhenyu slowly stroked his beard. "Removed from history, you say?"

"Yes," the Grand Elder replied.

A faint smile appeared upon Zhenyu’s face. "Then tell me, junior." His deep voice filled the isolated sphere. "Who were these people that your sect was so eager to forget?"

The Grand Elder remained silent for a few moments after Zhenyu asked his question. His aged face seemed to grow even more solemn, while the Clarity Peak Head lowered her gaze slightly.

It was clear that neither of them particularly enjoyed discussing this part of the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect’s history, especially with someone who had only recently returned after being absent for more than a hundred thousand years.

"There are many names among them, Senior, and I cannot claim to know all of them," the Grand Elder finally spoke. "However, the ones who caused the greatest problems were the members of the Lightless Hall."

"The Lightless Hall?" Zhenyu raised his thick white eyebrows.

Lin Mu searched through his memories, trying to recall whether he had encountered that name before. He had spent a considerable amount of time studying the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect’s records, and Lady Kang had also provided him with an extensive collection of intelligence concerning its history and internal structure.

Yet the name was entirely unfamiliar.

’Lightless Hall? I don’t remember reading anything about it. Was it established after Zhenyu disappeared?’ Lin Mu wondered.

That would certainly explain why the ancient body cultivator’s memoirs contained no mention of it. However, Lady Kang’s information had also failed to mention the organization, which was considerably more interesting.

The Grand Elder seemed to have anticipated his confusion.

"Senior would naturally be unfamiliar with the Lightless Hall," he explained. "It was established approximately eighty thousand years ago, long after your disappearance. Furthermore, its existence was concealed from the overwhelming majority of the sect. Even today, very few people know that such an organization ever existed."

Zhenyu stroked his beard as he considered the explanation. "Eighty thousand years ago, you say?"

"Indeed." The Grand Elder nodded.

"Hmm." Lin Mu now had a much better idea of what kind of organization they were discussing.

A secret group established within the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect, hidden from ordinary disciples and elders, whose members had apparently caused enough trouble to be erased from history.

There were only so many purposes such an organization could serve.

"Let me guess," Zhenyu eventually said. "It was something similar to the Righteous Onslaught Division from the founding years of our sect."

The Grand Elder’s eyes widened and even the Clarity Peak Head looked surprised.

"Senior knows about the Righteous Onslaught Division?" the Grand Elder asked.

Zhenyu gave him a strange look. "Of course I know about it. I was around when the last of those fellows were still alive even after their disbanding. Why wouldn’t I know?"

The Grand Elder quickly realized how foolish his question had sounded. "Forgive me, Senior. I had forgotten that you personally witnessed that period."

"Hmph. You youngsters really have become terrible at remembering your own history." Lin Mu was thoroughly familiar with the Righteous Onslaught Division.

He had first encountered references to it within Mengli Zhenyu’s memoirs, though the ancient body cultivator had only mentioned it occasionally. Later, Lady Kang’s intelligence had provided him with a far more complete explanation of its activities.

The Righteous Onslaught Division had essentially served as the shadow troops of the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect.

Its members carried out assignments that the sect could never publicly acknowledge. These included assassinations, espionage, sabotage, covert suppression of hostile factions, and the elimination of individuals considered dangerous to the sect’s interests.

During the turbulent founding years of the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect, such methods had been considered necessary for its survival.

The Immortal Realm had been considerably more chaotic during that period, and even the most orthodox powers had maintained forces capable of operating beyond the boundaries of their publicly proclaimed principles.

The Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect had hardly been unique in that regard.

If someone carefully examined the history of the Immortal Realm, they would discover hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of similar organizations. Many had operated under the authority of powerful righteous sects, ancient clans, and even institutions affiliated with the Eastern Immortal Court.

Some had existed only during wars, while others had continued operating for generations. Their activities were often concealed behind respectable names, though their true purpose was rarely difficult to understand.

The Righteous Onslaught Division had eventually become infamous enough that several major powers learned of its existence. Its activities had attracted considerable scrutiny, particularly after the Eastern Immortal Court began imposing stricter regulations upon organizations operating within its territories.

Ultimately, the Eastern Immortal Court itself had formally ordered the division to be disbanded. The matter had been recorded in the official histories of the Eastern Immortal Court, making it one of the better-documented examples of such an organization.

’And apparently, eighty thousand years ago, someone decided to try the same thing again,’ Lin Mu thought.

The Grand Elder slowly nodded. "Senior’s guess is correct. The Lightless Hall was, in essence, the Righteous Onslaught Division reborn."

Zhenyu snorted. "Of course it was."

The Grand Elder continued, "Its purpose was to undertake assignments that the sect considered necessary for its continued security and prosperity. These were matters that could not be handled through ordinary channels, especially when open involvement might provoke conflict with other major powers."

"So assassinations, spying, stealing, threatening people, and making troublesome individuals disappear," Zhenyu summarized.

The Grand Elder’s expression stiffened slightly. "Those were among its activities."

"Then why bother dressing it up with fancy words?" Zhenyu asked. "If you’re going to do something dirty, at least have the courage to admit what you’re doing."

The Clarity Peak Head frowned. "Senior, there were circumstances where such actions were considered unavoidable."

Zhenyu turned toward her. "Unavoidable?"

"Yes. There were enemies who could not be confronted openly without causing greater losses. Certain threats required discretion." The Clarity Peak Head replied.

Zhenyu gave a low chuckle. "That’s what everyone says when they establish these organizations."

The woman fell silent.

"Don’t misunderstand me, child. I know perfectly well that there are times when someone needs to get their hands dirty. I’ve crushed plenty of enemies myself, and some of them never even learned who killed them." Lin Mu allowed Zhenyu’s expression to grow stern.

"But there’s a difference between doing what is necessary during a war and creating an entire organization whose existence depends upon finding more dirty work to do."

The Grand Elder’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Zhenyu continued, "Our Wild Peak has always understood this. When war comes, we fight. When enemies threaten the sect, we crush them. If someone needs to be hunted down, we declare our intentions and pursue them openly."

He raised his enormous fist. "That’s why we have the Closed Fist Doctrine. The entire sect knows what it means when the Wild Peak closes its fist. We take responsibility for our actions."

The Grand Elder glanced toward the fist.

He was painfully aware that the Wild Peak had invoked that very doctrine only a short while earlier.

Zhenyu lowered his hand. "Meanwhile, your Lightless Hall was hiding in the shadows, doing whatever someone decided was a necessary evil." He shook his head. "So the sect learned nothing from the mistakes of our ancestors."