Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 2736 Journey To The Capital City

”WHAT!?” Meng Bai was utterly surprised after hearing Daoist Chuʼs words. ”Weʼre really going to the capital?!”

To a street urchin like him, the Capital City was an almost mythical place, far beyond his reach. Even many cultivators never had the chance to go there in their lifetimes. The journey between Ram Orchard City and the Capital was fraught with forests, treacherous landscapes, and dangerous zones, not to mention numerous towns and cities along the way.

Even if someone wished to make the trip alone, they would need to be exceptionally strong just to survive the perils along the route. For those who sought a safer journey, joining a merchant caravan was the only feasible option, but the cost was exorbitant.

Yet now, Meng Bai was going there, and it felt surreal.

”Yeah, the Capital is our final destination in this world,” Daoist Chu confirmed.

”Wait… Final destination?” Meng Bai was puzzled. ”You mean… youʼre leaving?” he asked hesitantly.

”Yeah, your master didnʼt tell you?” Daoist Chu raised an eyebrow.

”No…” Meng Baiʼs excitement suddenly dampened, his voice tinged with sadness. ”Does that mean youʼre leaving me behind?”

”Haha, of course not,” Lin Mu said with a chuckle. ”Youʼre coming along.” He reassured the boy.

”Really?!” Meng Baiʼs spirits soared once more.

”Yeah. The Jui World was just the first stop on our journey,” Lin Mu explained.

”Then where are we going?” Meng Bai asked, curiosity burning in his eyes.

”To my world,” Monk Hushu answered this time. ”The Silent Lotus World.”

”The Silent Lotus World…” Meng Bai murmured, unfamiliar with the name. ”How far is it?” Having never left his own city, he had no concept of interworld travel.

”Letʼs see…” Lin Mu began calculating. ”A month or two to reach the Capital City, then another month there for preparations. After that, about six months in the Teleportation Channel. That will take us to the Osteri World, where weʼll have to wait another few months before we can finally reach the Silent Lotus World.”

Meng Baiʼs mind reeled at the thought.

He had been an orphan who had never even stepped outside his city. Now, not only was he heading to the Capital, but he was also going to cross worlds—two whole worlds!

It was too much to process all at once.

”Thatʼs… a lot…” Meng Bai felt his head getting woozy.

”Donʼt overthink it. Youʼll understand as we go through it,” Lin Mu assured him. ”Iʼll explain everything step by step.”

”Okay…” Meng Bai took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. He decided to focus on the passing scenery instead while Lin Mu continued his conversation with Monk Hushu and Daoist Chu.

”Did anything happen while I was cultivating?” Lin Mu asked.

”Well, quite a few things happened, though nothing of major concern,” Daoist Chu replied.

”Tell me anyway,” Lin Mu insisted.

”Letʼs see… The River Bending Axe Sect officially dissolved, and its members scattered. The purification of the sect is also complete, but Monk Hushu knows more about that,” Daoist Chu explained.

”Oh? How did that go? Any trouble?” Lin Mu asked, turning to Monk Hushu.

”Amitabha. Buddhaʼs grace was boundless, and we successfully purged the lingering evil. The Abbot used the sariras of our forefathers to initiate the ritual, summoning the benevolence of the Arhats. We then spread the sacred ten-thousand-year-old incense ash to cleanse any lingering curses and prevent future corruption,” Monk Hushu recounted.

”That sounds like quite an undertaking,” Lin Mu said, impressed.

”Of course. The claws of evil had spread far and wide,” Monk Hushu replied solemnly. ”Beyond the sect itself, we discovered numerous underground tunnels spread throughout the region. Some even extended as far as the Ram Orchard Forest. Thankfully, none reached the city.”

”Wait… the forest?” Lin Mu suddenly recalled something.

”Yes, the tunnels were quite small. Only a mouse or a similarly small creature could navigate them, which is why we didnʼt detect them earlier. But when we began the purification, they were revealed,” Monk Hushu explained.

”I see… Looks like the cursed energy was behind the strange beast activity in the forest too,” Lin Mu muttered.

”Strange beasts?” Daoist Chu asked, intrigued.

Lin Mu proceeded to tell them about the Fang-Thorned Deer and other unusual creatures that seemed foreign to the area.

”The Guardian?” Daoist Chu blinked in confusion before realization struck him. ”Wait… You donʼt mean—THE GUARDIAN?” he asked, voice filled with disbelief.

”And how exactly did you learn about all this?” Daoist Chu asked.

”Well… I met the Guardian,” Lin Mu admitted.

”The Guardian?” Daoist Chu blinked in confusion before realization struck him. ”Wait… You donʼt mean—THE GUARDIAN?” he asked, voice filled with disbelief.

”The Deep Wood Ram, indeed,” Lin Mu confirmed.

Daoist Chuʼs jaw nearly dropped.

”How did that even happen?! The city council hasnʼt seen the Guardian for thousands of years!” Daoist Chu exclaimed.

Lin Mu then narrated everything that had transpired after he emerged from his cultivation. By the end of his story, both Monk Hushu and Daoist Chu were left in stunned silence.

Even Meng Bai, who had been quietly listening, was dumbfounded. As a resident of Ram Orchard City, he had grown up hearing countless legends about their Guardian Beast, yet he had never even seen a Deep Wood Ram in real life—let alone the Guardian itself!

ʼMaster is really something…ʼ Meng Bai thought in awe.

”Amitabha,” Monk Hushu intoned reverently. ”To earn the approval of such a pure being is indeed a blessing. Any soul that gains natureʼs favor is truly walking the path of enlightenment.”

”To think the strange beast activity was linked to you,” Daoist Chu said with a chuckle. ”You just canʼt stay low-key, can you?”

Lin Mu sighed. ”I hadnʼt expected this either.”

”Well, at least you received a gift from the Guardian in return. That alone makes it worthwhile,” Daoist Chu said with a knowing grin.

Lin Mu smiled wryly. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that life rarely followed predictable paths. But as they rode toward their next destination, he and his companions felt a growing sense of excitement for what lay ahead.