Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3753: Ashy Stirs!

Lin Mu wondered about the disciples.

Had they already been sent away?

It was possible.

Traveling with weak cultivators slowed everything down.

If Elder He Jian had recruited promising disciples, sending them directly toward the sect made sense.

The conversation eventually ended.

Lin Mu thanked the men and left. Outside the night had deepened. He walked slowly along the river. The moon reflected across the water while his thoughts remained on Elder He Jian.

A kind elder with an open personality who helped people and accepted disciples regardless of background.

The profile matched perfectly.

Lin Mu could work with this.

Still...

The identity problem remained.

As he thought about it, a subtle sensation appeared through his connection with the twins.

Xiao Yin.

Information.

Lin Mu quietly moved toward a darker alley.

A shadow slipped down from a rooftop.

Xiao Yin landed on his shoulder.

The snake whispered through their spiritual link.

Lin Mu listened.

Then paused.

”A missing person?” he muttered.

The youth had disappeared three months ago.

Local.

Common background.

No powerful family.

Supposedly left home seeking cultivation.

Never returned.

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes.

This sounded useful.

”Anything else?”

Xiao Yin nodded.

Another memory entered.

The youth apparently possessed some talent.

Not outstanding.

Yet enough that local people believed he might join a sect someday.

Lin Mu stood silently.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

At that moment another presence approached.

Xiao Yang arrived too.

More information.

This time about a family.

A son.

Recently deceased.

Secret.

Only the family knew.

The death had been concealed.

Lin Mu frowned.

The city lights reflected in his eyes.

Two possibilities already.

And the search had only begun.

He looked toward the distant roads beyond One River City. Somewhere out there Elder He Jian continued traveling. And soon... Lin Mu would need to become someone else entirely.

A couple of days passed after Lin Mu’s arrival at One River City.

The search for an identity continued.

He had investigated both possibilities Xiao Yin and Xiao Yang found.

The missing youth and the secretly deceased son.

Neither worked.

Lin Mu quickly realized the flaw.

Even if the people themselves had disappeared, they still had history. Families. Friends. Neighbors. Countless little habits and memories that Lin Mu would never know. A single wrong answer could expose everything.

He might be able to change his face and his body. Even his personality. But memories were another matter entirely. He could not imitate a life he never lived. Thus both identities were abandoned.

He needed someone different.

Someone who had little attachment to others. Someone obscure. Someone who existed only lightly in the world. Until then, he could only continue gathering information. Fortunately, Elder He Jian remained easy to track.

The elder’s habits made it almost impossible for him to disappear.

Everywhere he went, news followed.

He had already moved three towns further from his earlier location. The distance between them slowly shrank. Lin Mu estimated perhaps a month remained before the elder reached One River City.

That gave him time.

At least he hoped so.

That night Lin Mu returned to the inn. The room was quiet and the city outside had settled into silence. Only the river could be heard faintly in the distance. Lin Mu sat cross legged and entered meditation.

Hours passed.

Then suddenly his eyes opened.

Something stirred.

His connection with the beasts became active.

Lin Mu immediately focused.

His first thought went to Xiao Yin and Xiao Yang. Perhaps they had found something again. But a moment later he realized it was neither of them... It was Ashy.

Lin Mu’s expression changed.

Ashy had still been in deep cultivation all this time.

She had remained dormant ever since entering her current state.

Yet now... There was movement.

Lin Mu instantly entered the Sleepscape. His consciousness appeared among the familiar lands. He immediately headed toward the nest. Ashy lay there while darkness swirled around her body.

Fine strands of Shadow Dao drifted through the air like smoke while her Qi fluctuated violently.

Lin Mu immediately sensed something else.

’Tribulation fluctuations.’

His eyes narrowed.

”She is breaking through...”

The realization came instantly.

Ashy was still in the Dao Treading Realm.

This meant only one thing.

Becoming an Immortal.

Lin Mu looked around. The Sleepscape could not withstand this. An Immortal Tribulation inside would damage everything. The plants, the land and potentially even the space itself. As such he immediately withdrew.

Back in the real world Lin Mu left the inn without hesitation.

Little Shrubby appeared beside him in cat form.

The little beast looked confused but quickly followed.

Lin Mu flew out of One River City and once far away he used Shrubby to move fast, very fast.

He did not stop and the distance grew.

Twenty kilometers.

Fifty.

One hundred.

He kept monitoring Ashy the entire time. The strange thing was that the tribulation remained suppressed. Lin Mu guessed the Sleepscape itself was delaying it. But he knew that moment Ashy appeared outside...

Everything would begin.

Nearly an hour later Lin Mu finally stopped.

He stood in a barren region of rocky hills.

The nearest settlement lay far away.

Roughly two hundred kilometers separated them now.

’This should do.’ Lin Mu thought.

The twins were already rushing over through their connection.

Lin Mu could feel their excitement.

He finally released Ashy.

And the moment she appeared... The world reacted.

HUALA

A wave of pressure spread outward as the air trembled and the heavens changed.

Lin Mu immediately retreated far away. He knew his presence could intensify the tribulation. After everything he had experienced recently, he did not dare gamble.

Though admittedly... A small part of him felt tempted.

’Tribulation energy. If it were lightning... Wind... Wood...’ He could benefit greatly.

But that thought disappeared as the heavens transformed.

Scarlet.

The clouds turned scarlet.

The night sky changed as if sunset had returned. Massive crimson clouds gathered overhead. They spread further and further until the stars vanished.

Lin Mu looked up.

”Fire Elemental Immortal Tribulation...”

The heat rose instantly.

Even the rocks around them began glowing faintly.

Ashy meanwhile finally moved.