Walker Of The Worlds

2789  No Traces

"These are not Immortal weapons," Lin Mu realized.

He decided to leave the weapons be, lest he invite some hidden misfortune. His knowledge of this world's cultivators was still too limited. Until he understood the intricacies of their cultivation systems and the nature of their tools, he couldn't risk exposing himself to unfamiliar energies. These weapons felt... off. Foreign. And potentially dangerous.

With nothing more to gain from the room, Lin Mu phased downward through the floor, traveling through the stone and reemerging atop the building via one of its thick support pillars. Cool night air greeted him as he stepped into the open, stars glimmering faintly above.

He called out with a silent signal—one that only a certain companion would recognize.

CHIRP

Ashy appeared beside him in an instant, wings folded neatly against his sides. The bird looked up at him with alert eyes, awaiting instructions with a mix of curiosity and readiness.

"Monitor this place," Lin Mu instructed. "Stay hidden. Report to me if anything happens."

"Okay," Ashy nodded, his voice soft but resolute.

"Be careful. Things have gotten… dangerous," Lin Mu warned. There was a rare edge to his voice, the gravity of the situation clearly pressing on him.

"Yes," Ashy replied with a solemn nod, then vanished into the shadows, his form melting into the night like a whisper never spoken.

Lin Mu remained atop the barracks for a moment, the wind brushing against his robes, ruffling his hair. His gaze scanned the vast sprawl of the fortress city, his eyes narrowing in thought.

The disappearance of Inquisitor Bernard would not go unnoticed for long. How soon they would discover it, however, remained unclear.

But Lin Mu would be ready.

He would watch, observe, and gather every detail.

When the moment came, he would strike—silently, decisively, and without mercy.

For now, though, he still had matters to investigate.

'I need to check the place where the people disappeared,' Lin Mu thought to himself. 'I have to see just what these so-called traces of heretics were. Though it's been a while, so I don't know if the traces will still linger.'

As he made his way out of the compound, he subtly tossed the token he had taken from another inquisitor into a spot nearby where it wouldn't seem out of place. With that, he exited the fortress entirely and began moving toward his next destination.

The house where the disappearances had occurred was far to the south—situated in one of the outer districts of the capital. It took Lin Mu nearly an hour to reach it, during which time he kept to the shadows and avoided detection.

When he arrived, he found the area under tight control.

A cordon had been set up, sealing off the entire block. All homes within a hundred meters had been vacated. Armed guards patrolled the perimeter, watching passersby with suspicion.

"Hmm…" Lin Mu narrowed his eyes and extended his Immortal Sense to scan the perimeter.

To his surprise, he found no arrays or defensive wards—nothing to restrict movement or shield the location.

"Nothing? Aren't they being too casual with this?" he muttered. The lack of security didn't sit right with him.

Without resistance, he passed through the barrier with ease. Strangely, there was no one inside the cordoned-off area.

"This is all just a farce, huh? If they were truly trying to secure the area, there would be people stationed inside, not just around it," Lin Mu said quietly to himself. His suspicions were proving more accurate with each passing moment.

23:42

"This is all just a farce, huh? If they were truly trying to secure the area, there would be people stationed inside, not just around it," Lin Mu said quietly to himself. His suspicions were proving more accurate with each passing moment.

With full access, he made his way toward the target house.

It wasn't hard to identify. A large red banner hung across the door, boldly declaring 'No Entry' in thick white script.

Lin Mu didn't bother with the door. Instead, he phased directly through the wall, entering the house without a sound or trace.

Inside, he quickly extended his Immortal Sense, sweeping through the space. The house was modest, made of worn sandstone. It had two stories—simple, functional, and unremarkable at first glance.

The ground floor held a small kitchen, a sparse living room, and a well-furnished prayer room. The upper floor contained four bedrooms, two for adults and two for children.

Among all the rooms, the prayer room stood out.

It was more ornately decorated than the others, with religious symbols adorning the walls and floor. At its center stood a shrine—a tall, commanding statue bearing the symbol of the Supreme God.

Lin Mu approached it cautiously, scanning it with his Immortal Sense.

As his spiritual perception neared the statue, he was met with an immediate and forceful repulsion.

"Huh? This too?" Lin Mu narrowed his eyes and stepped closer.

The energy within the statue was unlike anything he had encountered before. It didn't seem hostile, but it was undeniably alien—so foreign that even his Immortal Sense couldn't penetrate it.

"Would senior know about this?" Lin Mu wondered aloud and attempted to reach out to Xukong.

But after several minutes of silence, there was still no response.

"Hmm… He did say he'd be in cultivation. He's getting close to a breakthrough," Lin Mu muttered.

He recalled Xukong mentioning it days ago—the spider's next breakthrough would involve shedding his husk. Once the molting process was complete, Xukong's strength would surge. But the exact timing remained uncertain.

Leaving the statue alone for now—fearing potential backlash—Lin Mu searched the rest of the house for clues.

He examined the few books present. All of them were religious texts, lacking anything unusual or suspicious. There were no lingering auras, no remnants of Qi other than the natural ambient energy in the air.

"There's nothing," Lin Mu murmured. "No traces at all…"

It left him confused.

Was it all a setup? A deliberate stage crafted to look like a scene of disappearance?

There were no signs of struggle or conflict. In the kitchen, he found half-prepared food left unattended. It seemed someone had been in the middle of cooking when they vanished.

'The disappearance happened at night,' Lin Mu thought, inspecting the cold utensils. 'Judging by the food, it must have occurred before dinner was ready.'