Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3760: Broken Gate Ravine

The conversations continued for over an hour.

Everywhere Lin Mu listened, the same conclusion appeared.

The villagers genuinely cared about Little Bull, his disappearance had affected the entire settlement. That alone strengthened Lin Mu’s belief that the young man might be suitable. An orphan with few personal connections was ideal.

An orphan beloved by an entire village was more difficult.

If Lin Mu assumed the identity, he would need to understand the man’s habits perfectly, otherwise someone might notice. As he considered this, another conversation suddenly caught his attention.

A middle aged man spoke up from near the tavern counter.

”We should ask the Wandering Elder.”

The room quieted.

Several people immediately looked interested.

”The elder?”

”The immortal?”

”Would he help us?”

The man nodded eagerly.

”Why wouldn’t he?”

”He helped Clear Spring Village deal with that spirit beast.”

”He saved a caravan from bandits.”

”He even healed several people for free.”

Others quickly joined in.

”That’s true.”

”I heard he’s a good man.”

”Maybe he really would help.”

”If anyone can find Little Bull, it would be an immortal.”

Lin Mu slowly lowered his cup.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

This was precisely what he had been concerned about. Until now, Little Bull had simply been another missing villager. If Elder He Jian became involved, the situation would change entirely.

A Fifth Tribulation Immortal possessed abilities far beyond ordinary people.

The elder might discover clues nobody else had noticed. He might locate remains or he might uncover the truth behind the disappearance. Any of those outcomes could potentially destroy Lin Mu’s plans.

If Little Bull truly had fallen into the ravine and died, then finding a corpse would close this path entirely. If another mystery existed, the elder might solve it before Lin Mu could. Either way, waiting was no longer an option.

The moment several villagers stood and announced they would visit the elder the next morning, Lin Mu made his decision.

He silently finished his drink, then he rose and left the tavern.

Outside, Ashy was already waiting.

The little bird had been listening from a nearby rooftop.

”You heard?” Lin Mu asked.

Ashy nodded.

”The elder.”

Lin Mu looked toward the distant mountains.

”I need to move first.”

Ashy immediately understood.

”What should I do?”

”Stay here.”

Lin Mu thought for a moment.

”Keep monitoring the village and watch the elder. If anything changes, contact me immediately.”

The bird saluted dramatically.

”Leave it to me!”

Lin Mu shook his head before disappearing into the darkness.

The village quickly vanished behind him. Using his cultivation, he crossed the countryside at incredible speed. The moon hung high overhead while mountains rose in the distance and soon a dark scar appeared across the landscape.

The Broken Gate Ravine.

Even from kilometers away, the place felt different. Not dangerous or threatening, simply strange.

The ravine stretched across the land like a wound carved into the world itself. Its edges were jagged and its depths were hidden in darkness. Most people would likely find it unsettling. Lin Mu landed near the edge and approached carefully.

Then he looked downward as darkness greeted him.

The ravine really seemed bottomless.

Without hesitation, Lin Mu extended his immortal sense. His perception plunged downward.

One thousand meters.

Two thousand.

Three thousand.

Five thousand.

Still no bottom.

Lin Mu’s expression slowly changed.

The depth exceeded expectations. Most ravines were measured in hundreds of meters. This one already stretched beyond several kilometers. Still, his immortal sense continued descending.

Seven kilometers.

Eight kilometers.

Ten kilometers.

Still nothing.

The walls remained largely unchanged throughout. Solid stone, sparse vegetation and no obvious structures, hidden ruins and certainly no great beasts.

Just nothing.

And when his immortal sense finally reached its maximum range, Lin Mu paused. He had reached over ten kilometers, yet the ravine continued beyond his perception.

”Interesting,” he muttered.

Even someone at his level found this unusual. The world’s geography should not naturally produce something like this. At least not without special circumstances.

The twins emerged from his sleeves.

Xiao Yin looked down into the darkness. ”Deep.”

”Very deep,” Xiao Yang agreed.

Lin Mu nodded.

”There is only one way to find out.”

He stepped over the edge, then he began descending. The process took far longer than expected.

Still Lin Mu moved cautiously.

The ravine’s walls occasionally narrowed before widening again. Certain sections twisted unexpectedly and several times he encountered natural caves branching away into darkness. He investigated each briefly.

But nothing appeared noteworthy.

As he descended further, the surrounding moonlight gradually disappeared entirely.

Only his senses guided him now.

Five kilometers.

Ten kilometers.

Twenty kilometers.

Even Lin Mu began feeling surprised.

What kind of geological formation could produce such a thing?

The ravine looked less like a crack in the earth and more like a gigantic shaft drilled directly through the world.

Eventually he reached thirty kilometers.

Then thirty five.

Finally, after nearly half an hour of careful descent, his feet touched solid ground.

Lin Mu stopped moving.

For a moment he simply stood there, then he looked around. His expression became strange as this was not what he expected.

The bottom of the ravine was... ordinary.

There were no ancient ruins.

No terrifying beasts.

No rivers of lava.

No hidden immortal realm.

The ground consisted mostly of stone and packed earth. Small shrubs grew sporadically throughout the area while a few hardy plants clung stubbornly to life. The air was calm, silent and rather peaceful.

Almost disappointingly normal.

The twins quickly spread out as their tongues flickered repeatedly. They searched for scents, tracks or anything unusual. Several minutes passed but there was still nothing of note to be found.

Lin Mu slowly walked across the valley floor.

The place felt completely harmless. If anything, it seemed too harmless. A location feared for centuries should not be this mundane.

He crouched beside a shrub and inspected it.

Ordinary.

A nearby rock.

Ordinary.

Even the ambient energy levels appeared normal.

The deeper mystery only grew.

Lin Mu stood once more and gazed upward.

Forty kilometers of darkness stretched overhead. The distant opening looked smaller than a pinprick. From down here, the world above seemed impossibly far away and the silence surrounding him felt ancient.

It was as though this place had remained unchanged for countless years. And yet Lin Mu could not shake a strange feeling. Everything appeared normal, far too normal.

For a place that had swallowed so many people and possibly Little Bull as well, the ravine seemed suspiciously empty.

Which meant one thing.

He had not found the real secret yet.