Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3139: Words Of Caution And Warning

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

He had not considered it from that angle, but it aligned with the Saintess’s wisdom. Karmic entanglements were not trifles. Once forged, they rippled outward like threads in a vast tapestry. They could pull enemies closer, bind fates together, or even be exploited by those who walked the path of divination.

Cattaleya’s lips parted, her face hardening as she finally spoke.

”Then tell me,” she said, her tone lower now, steadier, though there was a faint tremor in her voice. ”What kind of threat does Lin Mu carry that I should be so cautious? What danger could possibly be great enough to jeopardize my clan simply because of a drop of his blood?”

The Saintess turned her eyes back to Lin Mu, then back to Cattaleya.

”You think you see the measure of him now,” she said evenly. ”But you are blind. If you believe I’m the only support he has, you are gravely mistaken. The one who truly stands behind Lin Mu... his master... is far beyond even what I, as Saintess, can fully comprehend.”

The words hit like thunder.

Cattaleya’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening. For her to admit the Saintess was a Celestial had already stretched her sense of scale. But now the Saintess herself admitted that Lin Mu’s true backing lay beyond even her?

Her mind whirled, trying to fathom what kind of being could warrant such words. If even the Saintess; a being who felt beyond Dao Enshrinement, perhaps Dao Linking or further... spoke with such weight, then that backing had to be unfathomable.

But the Saintess was not done.

”And with such backing,” she continued, her tone like a chisel cutting through stone, ”the threats that follow will be stronger as well. For every light that burns bright, there are shadows that gather around it.

There are forces that will seek to cut him down, to erase him before he rises too high. When those forces move, they will not act blindly. They will use every tool at their disposal.”

Her green eyes sharpened, locking onto Cattaleya.

”And what better tool than someone carrying his very blood essence? Through you, they would find him. Through you, they would pierce whatever veils conceal him. Diviners, seers, entities that follow the threads of karma... none of them would fail to notice such a glaring beacon. And when they come, they will not only destroy you, but they will burn your clan as well.”

The Saintess’s final words hung in the air like an executioner’s blade.

”You will doom yourself and your people.”

Silence fell like a shroud over the gardens.

Lin Mu’s face was solemn, his expression calm yet thoughtful. He could see now why the Saintess had been so swift, so absolute in her rejection. This was no mere matter of exchanging a resource. This was the weaving of fate itself, the tying of threads that could not be undone.

Cattaleya, however, stood frozen.

Not because of the Saintess’s power alone, but because her words rang with a terrible truth. Her clan had always sought strength through blood. She had always believed it was their right, their legacy. But never once had she considered the depths of karma that such actions might incur.

Her heart pounded, and for the first time in centuries, a flicker of doubt wormed its way into her conviction.

Lin Mu’s gaze shifted between them both, his mind quietly weighing his path forward. He could almost hear the karmic threads rustling in the night, stretching, tightening, waiting to ensnare the unwary.

And he understood, now more than ever, that this was not a choice to be made lightly.

Cattaleya’s eyes wavered with a turmoil she rarely showed.

The proud woman of the Duskthorn Clan, who had walked among ruins of ancient sects and crossed blades with creatures older than dynasties, was now hesitating. Desire warred against instinct, ambition against caution.

Lin Mu’s blood essence was more than valuable... it was extraordinary.

Even at a glance she could feel the boundless vitality coursing through his frame, the resonance of heaven and earth that marked his very marrow. To assimilate such blood would be to seize a fortune greater than anything she had encountered in her travels. It was a temptation that promised advancement, power, and the rise of her clan.

But the Saintess’s words hung over her like a guillotine.

This wasn’t a simple transaction. It was not even a gamble of risk and reward. It was a binding chain, a karmic thread that would entwine her life with Lin Mu’s forever. And if what the Saintess said was true, the calamities that stalked him would not only devour him, but also her... and her entire clan.

For the first time in centuries, Cattaleya felt genuine unease.

Lin Mu, meanwhile, watched her with a calm expression, though his thoughts were anything but calm.

He had not dismissed the offer out of hand. Having someone of Cattaleya’s ability by his side would be no small advantage, especially given her knowledge of realms and territories few in the Immortal Realm could access. Her clan’s travels alone could prove useful in his search for the other fragments of his ring.

Yet, above that, he trusted the Saintess. She had guided him through storms and shadows, her insight piercing deeper than his own could reach. Still, he wanted clarity.

Lin Mu’s brows furrowed. He turned his gaze toward Cattaleya, who stood stiffly, her knuckles white around the hilt of her black greatsword.

”...I see.” Her voice was low, stripped of its earlier arrogance. ”Thank you... Saintess. For the warning.”

Slowly, deliberately, she lowered herself into a deep bow.

Her long hair spilled forward, the braid having been undone sometime earlier. It nearly touched the ground, as she pressed her pride into the dirt. A gesture not of surrender, but of acknowledgment. In the presence of someone who could erase her with a thought, there was no shame in it.

When she rose, her face was calmer, though the storm in her eyes betrayed her inner conflict. She looked to Lin Mu, lips curving into a wry, almost bitter smile. ”It seems fate denies me this time. I won’t pursue this further.”

Lin Mu inclined his head, his emotions conflicted. A part of him had genuinely considered her offer. Another part was relieved by its dissolution. But above all, he trusted the Saintess’s judgment. If she had said this path was ruin, then it was ruin.

The air around them lightened slightly as the tension bled away. Not cordial, not warm, but resolved.

Inwardly, Lin Mu thought, ’She’ll leave soon. Without my blood, there is nothing left for her to gain here.’

Yet in his heart, he also knew the truth... someone like Cattaleya would not vanish so easily. Their paths had crossed for a reason, and fate rarely allowed such threads to unravel so quickly.