Walker Of The Worlds

2792  A Cycle Of Harvest

Hearing the Saintessʼ words, Lin Mu instantly realized the answer.

”They… turn to dust,” he muttered.

He thought back to the houses filled with nothing but dust. He had assumed it was the result of two weeks of abandonment.

But now…

It felt like a horrific truth had just been laid bare.

”Indeed. Unlike normal cultivators, who would rapidly age upon reaching the end of their lifespan, mortals would simply turn to dust—their bodies unable to withstand the weight of time,” the Saintess confirmed.

”Then all the disappearances were someone cannibalizing the people?” Lin Mu asked. ”And considering the fact that theyʼre trying to suppress the matter—with the Archbishops and even the Cardinal involved… itʼs them, isnʼt it?”

”Theyʼre definitely involved,” the Saintess replied, ”but they arenʼt the ones who wouldʼve carried this out directly.”

”They arenʼt?” Lin Mu was surprised.

”To people of their status, the ʼcommonersʼ they would cannibalize are far too beneath them. The benefit gained from doing so would be minimal at best,” she explained. ”For them to gain anything of value, theyʼd have to consume someone at least one or two ranks below them.”

”Then… a priest?” Lin Muʼs eyes widened.

”Possibly,” the Saintess said, nodding. ”But even priests are just sheep being fattened for slaughter. Once there are enough of them, the higher-ups will consume them too.”

”And they just keep doing it… until the top dog gets its fill,” Lin Mu muttered darkly.

”Yes. And I wouldnʼt be surprised if the priests and other lower-ranked members donʼt even know theyʼll be subject to the same fate,” the Saintess added. ”You only need to look at the ages of the high-ranking clergy to see how long theyʼve been sustaining this cycle.”

”Thatʼs right…” Lin Mu recalled a book he had read detailing how long the Archbishops and Cardinals had held their positions.

They almost never changed for tens of thousands of years—with the Pope having ruled for an almost unknowable length of time.

”This is bad… Not only are they slaughtering their own people, but theyʼre allowing this cycle to continue just for their own gain,” Lin Mu said, his frown deepening. ”Why hasnʼt the Immortal Court done anything about this?”

”Theyʼve never had real evidence before,” the Saintess said. ”They donʼt even know for certain that the people here follow the Dao of Faith. If I recall correctly, this world hasnʼt existed for very long.”

She paused, then added, ”At the very least, I havenʼt heard of this world before—so it likely came into being less than a million years ago, if not much more recently.”

”The celestial who owns this world… does he permit this?” Lin Mu asked, dreading the answer.

”He does. Itʼs all intentional,” the Saintess replied. ”He is the apex predator in this world. When the Pope and the others grow strong enough, he will harvest them too.”

”And when theyʼre gone,” she continued, ”heʼll start the cycle all over again.”

”Is this celestial watching us right now?” Lin Mu asked, suddenly feeling wary. He was starting to question whether his plans could even proceed under such scrutiny.

”He isnʼt,” the Saintess assured him. ”This is probably just one of many worlds he owns. He would be more focused on the ones closer to ripening. This world is nowhere near that point.”

”Thatʼs… a relief,” Lin Mu said, letting out a breath he didnʼt realize heʼd been holding.

”But you still need to be very careful. You cannot stay here long. You need to escape as soon as possible,” she warned.

”Thatʼs my intention,” Lin Mu nodded. ”I donʼt plan on staying in this world any longer than I have to.”

”But…” A shadow passed over his face. ”They wonʼt let us go so easily, will they?”

”They wonʼt,” the Saintess confirmed. ”Theyʼre likely planning to use all the foreigners as scapegoats—making sure theyʼre implicated so that the Immortal Court cannot act. Youʼll have to break out.”

”The teleportation gate… Looks like weʼll have to forcefully use it,” Lin Mu said, eyes narrowing.

”Yes. But I wonʼt be able to help you this time,” the Saintess warned. ”I canʼt use Celestial Qi here—it already belongs to another celestial. I only have a small amount left from before, just enough to keep myself hidden.”

”Thatʼs fine. Iʼll figure something out,” Lin Mu replied. ”And Iʼll have to act quickly. Getting rid of Bernard was just a band-aid solution.”

”Whatever you have to do, do it without hesitation,” the Saintess said firmly. ”This is not the time for mercy or peace.”

She paused, then added, ”And you donʼt have to worry about backlash. Once the Immortal Court learns the truth, theyʼll mount an offense of their own.”

”Thatʼs good to hear,” Lin Mu said. ”We just need to reach the teleportation gate… and hijack it.”

”This is the extent of the help I can offer,” the Saintess said. ”Iʼll have to retreat now. But Iʼll be watching.”

SHUA

With that, her presence vanished.

Sound returned to the world around him.

Lin Mu could hear the wind again—the distant footsteps of patrolling guards, the faint rustling of trees.

The clock was ticking.

He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Then, he opened them again with renewed resolve.

The first step was clear.

He needed to gather intelligence.

Lin Mu quickly made his way to the buildings of the highest importance within the capital city, the churches.

He hadnʼt seen what was inside them, so needed to check them out first.