Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3925: Finding A Prisoner Settlement

Lin Mu continued moving through the subterranean forest with steady steps, his figure weaving silently between towering trees whose trunks rivaled ancient watchtowers in thickness.

The deeper he ventured, the denser the vegetation became.

Massive roots twisted across the forest floor like sleeping serpents, while hanging vines formed natural curtains that concealed everything beyond a few dozen meters. Strange fungi covered fallen logs, their pale blue glow creating scattered patches of ghostly light beneath the endless canopy.

His Immortal Sense remained spread across the surroundings.

The cluster of heartbeats he had discovered earlier continued beating steadily somewhere ahead. They were neither fleeing nor preparing for battle. Instead, they moved with the rhythm of people carrying out ordinary daily routines.

Lin Mu maintained his pace and five minutes later, the trees finally began thinning as the forest opened into a modest clearing.

A narrow river flowed gently through it, its dark waters reflecting the faint glow filtering down from countless gaps high above the canopy. Smooth stones lined both banks, and several crude wooden platforms extended into the water where people appeared to wash clothing and collect drinking water.

Along one side of the river stood a small settlement.

Calling it a village would have been generous as it barely qualified as a camp.

Roughly ten huts stood scattered throughout the clearing. Their walls consisted of thick logs tied together with braided vines, while roofs had been fashioned from broad leaves, bark and woven branches.

Large stones reinforced the lower portions of several structures, suggesting their builders had learned through experience how to withstand the periodic flooding of the nearby river. The craftsmanship remained crude as everything spoke of necessity rather than comfort.

Still, compared to the miserable caves near the entrance of the Mad Demon Depths, this place almost appeared civilized. Smoke slowly drifted upward from several stone fire pits as wooden racks held drying strips of meat.

Bundles of herbs hung beneath roof overhangs while fishing nets woven from vines rested beside the riverbank. Several sharpened wooden stakes surrounded the outer perimeter, providing at least some protection against wandering beasts.

Lin Mu remained concealed among the dense foliage while allowing his Immortal Sense to examine the settlement more carefully. ’Thirty-two heartbeats.’

’Thirty-two living people.’ He quickly distinguished each individual and found that twenty-one possessed cultivation.

Their shackles still sealed their Immortal Qi, yet their bodies clearly retained the foundations of cultivators. The remaining eleven made Lin Mu narrow his eyes slightly. The rest were mortals... True mortals.

Their meridians had never carried Qi.

Yet something immediately caught his attention. These people possessed physiques considerably stronger than ordinary mortals. Their muscles were denser, their bones sturdier and their vitality exceeded what should have been possible without cultivation.

’Born here...’ Lin Mu silently considered the possibility. ’These must be children born inside the Mad Demon Depths.’

Generations had already passed beneath this underground prison. Natural selection alone would gradually strengthen those capable of surviving such a harsh environment. Perhaps the food they consumed also contributed.

Or perhaps growing up surrounded by ambient Qi naturally strengthened their bodies despite their inability to cultivate. Several explanations appeared possible and Lin Mu’s attention shifted toward their appearance.

Immediately the contrast between these prisoners and those near the entrance became painfully obvious. The prisoners he had previously encountered looked like walking skeletons.

They had sunken cheeks, protruding ribs, sallow skin that was almost paper thin and limbs so thin they seemed ready to snap. But these people looked entirely different as their bodies carried healthy looking muscles.

They had broad shoulders, strong legs, firm posture and healthy skin. Sure their skin certainly bore countless scars like old bite marks, claw wounds, burns and deep cuts that had long since healed, but it was different.

Every injury told the story of survival inside the subterranean forest, but even so they appeared healthy. Nobody seemed close to starvation and nobody struggled merely to stand.

Their eyes remained sharp and alert.

’Food.’ Lin Mu silently nodded. ’They’ve solved the food problem.’

The evidence surrounded him as there was drying meat, fishing equipment, storage baskets filled with roots and strange fruits and multiple bundles of edible mushrooms. They clearly possessed reliable access to resources.

Otherwise maintaining physiques like these would have been impossible.

His Immortal Sense continued observing as another unusual detail soon attracted his attention. Every single person wore a thin coating of some dark gray substance across exposed portions of their skin.

It covered nearly every inch of their body and the layer appeared freshly applied. At first glance it resembled ordinary mud. Lin Mu carefully extended his senses as a faint earthy scent drifted toward him.

There was the scent of soil, soft clay and wet stone. But mixed among those natural smells lingered something else, the scent of herbs. Several unfamiliar medicinal fragrances containing resin and perhaps crushed leaves were also smelt.

The strange paste clearly consisted of more than simple dirt.

’Interesting...’ Lin Mu silently observed as one woman carefully scooped another handful from a clay container before spreading it across a young boy’s arms.

The child accepted it without complaint. Another hunter returning from the river immediately coated his own face with the mixture before sitting beside the fire. Whatever its purpose, everyone treated the paste as something entirely ordinary.

Lin Mu continued watching while attempting to determine its function.

Perhaps protection against insects, perhaps camouflage, perhaps medicine, or even some sort of tradition.

His thoughts had barely settled upon those possibilities when suddenly one of the men sitting beside the fire stiffened. The broad shouldered hunter slowly lifted his head as his nostrils flared and he inhaled deeply.

Sniff Sniff

His expression immediately changed and the man’s head snapped toward the very tree behind which Lin Mu remained hidden.

His eyes narrowed.

"There!" His voice rang throughout the settlement. "There’s something over there!"

Every conversation immediately stopped and people who had been repairing tools instantly stood. Women gathering herbs grabbed nearby spears while several children hurried behind the nearest huts.