Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3192: Heading To The Eastern Steppes

As the group traveled atop Little Shrubby’s back, the landscape changed rapidly beneath them.

The cold ravines gave way to forested hills, the forests to scattered plains, and soon the rolling grasslands of the Eastern Steppes stretched endlessly into the horizon. The air grew warmer, though faint clouds still hinted at unnatural weather patterns.

From above, they could see large herds of cattle-like beasts grazing in the open fields; massive creatures with horns like twisted iron and hides shimmering with faint spiritual light.

These were the Great Steppe Cows, known throughout the Darkhan Dynasty for their rich milk and fatty meat. Nearby, herds of powerful horses ran freely, each with a glossy coat that reflected the sunlight like polished steel. The Thousand Mile Steppe Horses were not just beasts of burden, they were living treasures of the dynasty, able to traverse vast distances without tiring.

Meng Bai’s eyes widened in wonder. ”I’ve read about this place, but seeing it for myself is something else. No wonder the empire values it so much.”

”The Imperial Army relies on these horses,” Daoist Chu said. ”Eighty percent of their cavalry comes from here. If anything were to happen to this region, it would affect the entire empire’s strength.”

Lin Mu nodded slightly, his gaze sharpening. ”Then we should expect that whoever or whatever is behind this has a reason for targeting this region as well.”

Elyon pointed ahead, his claws tracing the air. ”That’s where the reports originated from. The snowfall was said to cover several villages and small trade routes that connect the steppes to the southern markets.”

Little Shrubby descended gradually, landing near a small ridge that overlooked a vast expanse of flat land.

From this vantage point, they could see faint patches of white scattered across the otherwise green fields of grass. The closer they got, the more apparent it became that those patches were not frost from normal cold, but rather an eerie frost that lingered unnaturally, refusing to melt under the midday sun.

Monk Hushu frowned. ”The snow is still here even under daylight. That is not natural. Yin Qi this dense should have dissipated already.”

”Could it be another site like the ravine?” Meng Bai asked quietly.

Lin Mu knelt down, touching the frost-covered grass. A faint numbness spread through his fingers. ”It feels similar. We might find something beneath this layer.”

Cattaleya cracked her knuckles, her tone half eager, half wary. ”Then let’s start digging.”

Elyon nodded and began scanning the surroundings with his senses while Lin Mu extended his own immortal sense deep underground. The sensation that returned was faint but distinct—there were traces of Qi flow beneath the earth, unnatural and structured, as though someone had drawn formations beneath the steppe.

Lin Mu’s expression hardened. ”There is something here. But we need to uncover it carefully. If these patterns are linked to whatever drained the bandits, we could trigger a trap if we disturb it too roughly.”

The others nodded, readying themselves.

As they began their cautious search, a light breeze swept across the plains, carrying with it a distant, haunting sound, like a wail echoing through the cold. It was faint, but it made everyone pause for a moment.

Lin Mu raised his head slightly, eyes narrowing. ”Stay alert. Whatever happened here, it’s still lingering.”

And as the wind died down, the last of the sunlight slipped behind the clouds, casting the steppes into a shadowy half-light. The faint shimmer of frost on the grass glowed eerily under the dim sky, like silent sentinels guarding a buried secret waiting to be unearthed.

For several minutes, the group stood motionless upon the frozen steppe, their immortal senses sweeping in every direction.

The plains stretched endlessly, broken only by sparse patches of snow and faint clusters of frost. Yet beneath that quiet, there was something unnatural... a residue of energy that did not belong.

Lin Mu’s gaze was distant, his highly refined Immortal Sense spread through the layers of earth beneath them like ripples through water.

At first, all he sensed was the faint rhythm of the land’s vitality, calm and unbroken.

But after a while, a pulse... an unnatural fluctuation that brushed against his awareness. It was faint, subtle, yet unmistakably vile.

’This is definitely not supposed to be here.’

His brows furrowed as he focused deeper, following the strange signature until it led him to a particular spot nearly three hundred meters from where they stood. The sensation was buried deep, almost a thousand meters below the surface and carried the same taint of malevolent Qi they had felt from the bandits’ corpses.

”There,” Lin Mu said quietly, pointing toward a slight rise in the grassy plain. ”Something is buried beneath us. The same corrupted energy as before.”

Cattaleya turned to look in the indicated direction, her sharp eyes narrowing. ”How deep?”

”Almost a thousand meters,” Lin Mu replied.

She cracked her knuckles, her lips curling into a confident grin. ”Then it is not that deep at all.”

The others instinctively stepped back as Cattaleya strode forward.

The ground trembled faintly under her steps as she raised her right hand. Crimson light began to pulse along her veins, the vitality within her body surging like a roaring tide. Her muscles tightened, and the glow intensified until her entire arm radiated a mixture of blood-red energy and shimmering immortal essence.

”Everyone clear the area,” she warned.

Lin Mu and the others complied, forming a wide circle around her. The air began to buzz from the sheer pressure of her aura. Even the grass nearby withered instantly, scorched by the raw energy leaking from her body.

”Ravaging Earth Fist!” Cattaleya shouted, driving her fist downward.

The sound that followed was nothing short of catastrophic.

RUMBLE!!

BOOOM!!!!

The entire steppe shook violently, as though a great beast had slammed its body against the earth. A shockwave rippled outward, cracking the ground and throwing up waves of soil and stone. The land bubbled for an instant, and then erupted.