Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 2776  The Strangeness Of People

Lin Muʼs patience was wearing thin. ”Thatʼs completely unfair! Should I go talk to them?”

”Donʼt bother. They would just imprison you for questioning their authority.” Daoist Chu shook his head, his exhaustion evident.

”They can try,” Lin Mo chuckled darkly in Lin Muʼs mind.

Lin Mu ignored the voice but clenched his fists. He hated feeling trapped, but for now, they had no choice but to endure.

”Come on, you know you want to do it.” Lin Moʼs voice slithered into his mind like a whisper of temptation. ”Arenʼt you curious how much power their souls might have? Iʼm curious about their cultivation method too. Might be interesting to dissect them and see how it all works.”

The words were chilling, a sinister undertone lacing every syllable. Had anyone else heard them, they would have recoiled in horror.

”Not here.” Lin Mu dismissed the thought immediately.

But deep down, he knew that on some level, the devilish manʼs words held a kernel of truth. The Osteri World was proving to be more suffocating than he had imagined.

”So when are they allowing us to depart?” Lin Mu asked.

”They havenʼt even given us a date. Just that it will be after a month.” Daoist Chuʼs voice was tight with frustration.

”Damn…” Lin Mu frowned.

”Iʼm just hoping itʼs in less than three months. Otherwise, this might turn out to be a longer route than the other option. If they delay us this long, weʼll spend more time here than we would by jumping through two more worlds.” Daoist Chu sighed.

”Is it too late to go back?” Meng Bai asked anxiously.

”Perhaps.” Daoist Chu didnʼt sound hopeful.

A long sigh escaped Lin Mu. ”Weʼll just have to make do. Weʼll stay put and consider this seclusion training.”

There were things he couldnʼt change, so there was no point in dwelling on them.

”Yeah.” Daoist Chu nodded.

With their registration and payment completed, the group prepared to leave under the watchful eyes of the guards.

”Halt.”

A voice rang out, stopping them at the exit.

Lin Mu turned to see a man clad in ceremonial robes, the very image of a clergy member. There was a rigid discipline in his posture, his gaze cold and authoritative.

”From now on, youʼll be following me. Iʼll be bringing you to your assigned accommodation.” The manʼs words left no room for negotiation.

”Fine.” Lin Mu sighed as they followed him.

As they walked, Lin Mu extended his immortal sense to probe the manʼs cultivation base.

ʼStrange… thereʼs almost no immortal Qi fluctuation coming from him. The only traces I can sense come from his tools, not his body.ʼ

It was bizarre. Even the weakest cultivators usually carried some detectable presence of Qi. But this man felt… hollow. Empty.

ʼIs this due to their cultivation method?ʼ

Lin Mu decided to test this hypothesis when they finally left the immigration area and entered the city proper.

The sight before them was unsettling.

Rows of people dressed in identical robes moved in eerie synchronization. Their expressions were blank yet brimming with pious fervor, their lips murmuring silent prayers. Even the commoners and lower-ranked individuals followed the same aesthetic, their clothing modest yet adhering to the same strict uniformity.

What unnerved Lin Mu even more was the unnatural silence.

There was no idle chatter. No marketplace haggling. No laughter of children running about.

The air was thick with whispered prayers and an oppressive sense of devotion. Even within the shops, people spoke in hushed tones, their exchanges brief and measured as if every word was a precious commodity.

ʼThis feels less like a city and more like a prison,ʼ Lin Mu thought grimly.

The streets, paved with pristine white stone, were unnaturally clean, as if disorder itself was an offense. Towering buildings, resembling cathedrals more than homes, loomed over them, each adorned with intricate carvings of celestial beings. There were no vibrant banners, no signs of individual expression—only the unyielding presence of their Supreme Godʼs symbols.

Even the air felt different—sterile, devoid of the usual vibrancy found in other worlds. It was as if joy itself was unwelcome here.

The only advantage, Lin Mu noted, was that they didnʼt need to travel to another destination for departure. The same teleportation array they had arrived from would be used for their exit—if the Osteri people ever allowed them to leave.

ʼIf they were willing, we could have departed the same day. But their ridiculous rules are just making us waste time here.ʼ

Having nothing else to do, Lin Mu shifted his focus to studying the people and their cultivation.

He extended his immortal sense once more, attempting to probe the residents. Yet, to his surprise, he was unable to gauge their cultivation bases at all.

ʼHmm… is it not possible without direct contact?ʼ

Curious, Lin Mu decided to test a theory.

He spotted a boy around Meng Baiʼs age and chose him as his target.

ʼHe shouldnʼt be strong enough to detect me even if I probe him directly.ʼ

With that in mind, he extended his immortal sense and slipped it into the boyʼs body.

SHUA!

His immortal sense entered effortlessly, finding the boyʼs Dantian within moments.

ʼHuh… whatʼs this?ʼ Lin Muʼs eyes widened slightly.

The Dantian was nearly empty. No swirling reserves of Qi, no vibrant energy signatures—only a singular construct sat in its core.

ʼIs this… a Dao Shell?ʼ

What he saw was bizarre—a Dao Shell shaped like one of the many grand temples surrounding them. Not a sphere, not a natural formation of Qi, but a rigid structure, mirroring the architecture of this worldʼs religious sites.

ʼA Dao Shell shaped like a church? Thatʼs not normal.ʼ

The boyʼs cultivation was only at the Dao Shell Realm, meaning he hadnʼt yet formed a Dao Embryo. Lin Muʼs curiosity deepened.

To confirm his findings, he checked another boy of similar age. Then another. And another.

All of them possessed the exact same Dao Shell.

ʼNo variation? Theyʼre identical…ʼ