Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3191: Searching For Clues

When the memory ended, silence reigned once again.

Elyon opened his eyes, his expression dark. ”That is all the memory held.”

Lin Mu’s gaze was thoughtful as he stared at the spot where the shadowed figure had stood. ”Completely covered, no patterns, no sign of their Qi nature. Whoever it was, they knew how to conceal themselves well.”

Daoist Chu clasped his hands behind his back. ”A deliberate obfuscation technique. Even the memory of darkness did not record much.”

”Can you check further in the past?” Lin Mu asked. ”Perhaps when they were given that power and corrupted?”

In response, Elyon shook his head. ”The Darkness only recently gathered the memories since the cave was almost always lit up before this.”

”Hmm... Looks like we’ll have to look elsewhere.” Lin Mu muttered.

Monk Hushu’s face was solemn. ”Such mastery of concealment narrows the suspects to only a few sects... and the Ephemera Sect is at the top of that list.”

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”They are moving more cautiously than before. It means something significant is being prepared.”

The group stood in heavy silence for a while, the cold air of the cave wrapping around them. The mystery had only deepened, but one truth had become undeniable: the Ephemera Sect’s influence was spreading once more, and this was only the beginning.

Lin Mu stood silently at the center of the dark cavern, the faint glimmer of frost still reflecting from the desiccated corpses of the bandits.

The faint, deathly aura had already begun to fade now that Monk Hushu’s chanting had dispelled the remaining malice. But even in its absence, the oppressive air did not lift. It was as if the walls themselves remembered the atrocity that had occurred within.

”hmm....” Lin Mu exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought.

They had confirmed the involvement of the Ephemera Sect or at least, someone connected to it.

The draining of life essence and Qi, the corruption in the air, and the eerie silence all pointed toward one conclusion. Yet, even with this discovery, they were still far from understanding the full picture.

”What now?” Cattaleya finally asked, her deep voice breaking the heavy stillness. She folded her arms, her gaze fixed on Lin Mu as if waiting for his decision.

Lin Mu looked at Elyon. ”Show me the map you prepared earlier. The one marking all the strange incidents and disappearances you’ve gathered information on.”

The wolfkin nodded, his golden eyes flickering as he retrieved a jade slip from his robes.

He poured a bit of his Qi into it, and a faint green light flared before forming a large, illusory projection above the ground. The image shimmered, stabilizing into a detailed map of the Darkhan Dynasty. Tiny glowing marks appeared across the vast land: red dots, blue lines, and faint symbols representing different kinds of incidents.

Everyone gathered around as Lin Mu studied the projection. There were dozens of red points scattered across the territory, each indicating places where strange disappearances, corrupted beasts, or unnatural phenomena had been reported.

”These are all the locations you’ve confirmed?” Lin Mu asked.

”Yes,” Elyon replied. ”I have also added the dates and general descriptions I managed to gather. Most are recent, though a few began a few months before we first started hearing about the snowfalls.”

Daoist Chu stroked his beard, squinting at the glowing image. ”They are scattered rather widely. They don’t seem to concentrate in one province or near any one border.”

Meng Bai leaned closer, tracing a finger through the illusion. ”But there is one similarity that I can see... every place where this has happened is experiencing snowfall, even though it is not the right season for it. The ravine we just left is proof enough.”

Monk Hushu folded his hands together, murmuring a small chant before he spoke. ”Perhaps the locations are chosen for some kind of ritual purpose. Snow and cold energy are both associated with the Yin element, after all. Maybe they are drawing on that for something darker.”

Cattaleya crossed her arms, her tone impatient. ”We could spend the next year guessing about rituals and symbols, or we could actually go there and see it for ourselves. I prefer facts over speculation.”

Lin Mu smiled faintly at her bluntness. ”True. Seeing it firsthand will give us more clues. We might even find traces like we did here.”

Elyon nodded in agreement and zoomed in the projection with a wave of his hand. ”This point here, about four hundred kilometers to the south is the next one where I received reports of strange snow and disappearances. It’s located in a region known as the Eastern Steppes.”

”The Eastern Steppes...” Lin Mu repeated thoughtfully. ”That region is famous for the Thousand Mile Steppe Horses and the Great Steppe Cows, isn’t it?”

Monk Hushu confirmed with a nod. ”Indeed. It is a crucial region for the empire’s economy and military. The Imperial Court itself must have already taken notice of any disturbances there.”

”Then perhaps they have already sent their own investigators,” Meng Bai added.

”Possibly,” Lin Mu replied. ”But if they had found something, we would have heard of it through the sect network. Since we haven’t, it’s likely that whatever is happening is being concealed or simply beyond their understanding.”

Cattaleya stretched her shoulders and grinned. ”Then let’s not waste time. The longer we sit around, the colder these clues become.”

Lin Mu nodded once. ”Agreed. Let’s move.”

With that, the group exited the cavern.

The blizzard above had quieted slightly, though the wind still carried a biting chill. Once outside, Lin Mu summoned Little Shrubby, who emerged from the sleepscape with an eager growl.

The large beast stretched his limbs, his fiery fur blazing faintly, steam rising as the snow around him melted.

”Little Shrubby, we are heading south,” Lin Mu said as he leapt onto the beast’s back.

The others followed, taking their positions as Little Shrubby crouched low and then launched himself into the sky. The world below blurred into a streak of white and green as they sped forward.

WHOOSH