Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 4034: Probing For Real Name

Zhenyu suddenly laughed. "Hahaha! Good!" His laughter echoed through the surroundings. "At least someone in the younger generation still has enough sense to question something absurd when he hears it."

High Elder Shatter Peak’s expression became strange. "Are you praising me?"

"I haven’t decided yet," Zhenyu replied and High Elder Shatter Peak’s eyebrow twitched.

Zhenyu stroked his long white beard as amusement remained in his eyes. "Your confusion comes from mixing rank with seniority. Junior Elder was my official position when I disappeared. I never returned to receive another promotion, so naturally that remains my recorded position."

He glanced toward Daoist Bone Ruler. "Unless your Law Division has developed the ability to promote missing people."

Daoist Bone Ruler remained silent.

Zhenyu continued, "As for being called an ancestor, I never claimed to hold such a formal position. Your generation is separated from mine by more than a hundred thousand years. If we trace the Wild Peak’s lineage, there should be enough dead masters, grandmasters, disciples, and successors between us to fill a graveyard. By lineage alone, calling me one of your ancestors is reasonable."

High Elder Shatter Peak considered this as the explanation actually made sense.

Before he could ask another question, Zhenyu’s expression suddenly became thoughtful.

"Though now that you mention it," he said, "this Heavenly Stream Immortal of yours that everyone calls Ancestor. What is his real name?"

Silence followed as High Elder Shatter Peak blinked while Daoist Bone Ruler’s expression subtly changed. Several nearby guards hearing them also exchanged glances. Lin Mu noticed every reaction.

This was precisely the opportunity he had been waiting for.

He had searched through enormous quantities of records concerning the Heavenly Stream Immortal. Several possible names had appeared throughout the oldest archives, though many were contradictory.

Some were aliases, some were titles, and others seemed to belong to identities the man had used during different periods of his life. Among them, one name appeared more frequently than the others: Deng Siqi.

It was also the name that had appeared within Junior Elder Zhenyu’s memories regarding the Hopeful Star Pavilion. Lin Mu still lacked absolute confirmation that they were the same person.

Now he had an opportunity to probe one of the highest-ranking members of the entire Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect without appearing suspicious.

High Elder Shatter Peak scratched his chin. "His real name?" he repeated. "No idea."

Zhenyu stared at him.

High Elder Shatter Peak shrugged. "Everyone calls him the Heavenly Stream Immortal Ancestor. I’ve never had a reason to ask."

Lin Mu almost laughed as that answer somehow suited the man perfectly. His gaze moved toward Daoist Bone Ruler. The Head of the Law Division had become unusually quiet.

"You," Zhenyu said. "You know something."

Daoist Bone Ruler frowned. "The true name of the Ancestor has long since faded into the annals of time. His existence spans many eras of the sect, and numerous names and titles have been associated with him. Discussing his identity without certainty would be inappropriate."

Zhenyu’s face immediately twisted in irritation. "Cut the bullshit."

Daoist Bone Ruler stiffened while High Elder Shatter Peak’s lips twitched.

Zhenyu waved his hand impatiently. "I’ve had enough of you Law Division people dressing simple answers in ten layers of ceremony even back when I was here. If you know something, say it straight."

A few guards watching looked dangerously close to smiling. Being able to speak to Daoist Bone Ruler like that was an experience they could only dream about. Daoist Bone Ruler took a slow breath.

If anyone else had spoken to him that way, his Bone Ruler might already have appeared in his hand. Unfortunately, he had recently discovered exactly how ineffective that particular threat was against the old man standing before him.

"Very well," Daoist Bone Ruler said. "I do not know his complete name with certainty. However, when I was younger, the former Head of the Law Division once mentioned that the Ancestor’s original surname was Deng."

Lin Mu’s heart stirred but his expression remained unchanged.

"Deng?" Zhenyu repeated.

"Yes," Daoist Bone Ruler confirmed. "There are several possible names preserved within highly restricted historical accounts. Their reliability is questionable. The Ancestor used numerous identities during his earlier years, and many records concerning that period were either lost or intentionally sealed."

Zhenyu began stroking his beard. "Hmm."

Everyone watched him.

"Deng." His eyes narrowed. "Deng, Deng, Deng."

High Elder Shatter Peak looked toward Daoist Bone Ruler and the man looked equally confused. Zhenyu began pacing slowly, appearing as though he were searching through memories buried beneath a hundred thousand years of experiences.

"Someone qualified enough to become your great Ancestor at over a hundred thousand years old," he muttered. "Would have been around during my time. Probably younger than me if he’s still alive now."

Daoist Bone Ruler felt another twitch in his eyebrow when Zhenyu casually referred to the supreme ancestor of their sect in such a manner. Zhenyu suddenly stopped and his eyes widened slightly.

Then he snapped his fingers. "Ah!"

Everyone flinched.

"Could it be that little guy?"

Daoist Bone Ruler nearly choked. ’Little guy?’

The Heavenly Stream Immortal was one of the oldest living immortals in the entire world. Generations of sect masters had treated him with reverence. High Elders lowered their heads when mentioning him. Even the current Patriarch addressed him with the utmost respect.

Yet Zhenyu had just called him a little guy.

High Elder Shatter Peak stared at Zhenyu with newfound interest.

"Deng Siqi," Zhenyu said slowly. "Yes. That should be him."

Daoist Bone Ruler froze and Lin Mu saw the reaction immediately. ’There it is.’

It was confirmation.

"Deng Siqi," Zhenyu repeated, his expression turning nostalgic. "He was still new back then, but he was showing promise."

Daoist Bone Ruler’s thoughts erupted into chaos as he had heard that name before.

Only a handful of people within the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect had access to records concerning the Ancestor’s earliest identities. Even among those records, certainty was difficult because several names had been attributed to him.

Yet Deng Siqi was different as it was the name that appeared most frequently. Daoist Bone Ruler had heard it from his predecessor when he had inherited authority over the Law Divisions.