Chapter 3077: Descending Into The Abyss

"Do you know more?"

The Saintess answered simply.

"Give me a few minutes."

And then—silence.

Lin Mu continued working, his hands never pausing, his breath steady, face expressionless. Not a single flicker of emotion gave away the conversation he was having.

Cattaleya hadn’t noticed anything, nor had the others. As far as they were concerned, Lin Mu was still just silently chiseling away at the complex matrix of energy before him.

Fifteen minutes passed.

Then, the Saintess returned.

"You were right to find her strange," she said. "She’s not from the Immortal Realm."

Lin Mu’s mind stilled. His eyes widened just slightly, though his movements did not falter.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his mental tone sharpened. "Is she a Celestial?"

That would be serious. Very serious.

Celestials, beings of the Celestial Realm, rarely descended to the Immortal Realm. The barriers between worlds were not only spatial but also hierarchical.

For a Celestial to descend, they would need vast preparation, often with help from a major force above—or a reason so significant it warranted world-crossing effort.

"No," the Saintess replied. "She’s not a Celestial. But she is from the Celestial Realm. Likely descended for her own purposes."

Lin Mu’s brows furrowed faintly as he absorbed that. That distinction mattered.

Celestials were natives of the Celestial Realm—spiritually refined beings that transcended normal cultivation. But not all who lived in the Celestial Realm were Celestials.

Many factions, sects, families, and empires existed there, full of cultivators who had ascended or were born into that higher plane but had yet to fully undergo the celestial transformation.

Cattaleya was one of them.

"Her surname, Duskthorn," the Saintess continued, "belongs to a small family of warriors. I’ve only heard about them once, in passing. They’re not one of the major clans. But they’re known for something else: bloodline tempering through ancient methods. Most of their warriors... survive trials most others would die from."

That tracked with what Lin Mu had sensed.

Cattaleya’s presence didn’t scream power—but it was dense, heavy, and controlled. Every movement she made was efficient, her qi flow deliberate and tight. Even now, standing at ease by the cavern wall, she carried the air of someone used to walking among monsters without fear.

"If she’s from the Celestial Realm... that means someone sent her here. Or she has a goal of her own," Lin Mu thought aloud in his mind.

"Likely," the Saintess agreed. "Keep her close. Don’t provoke her. But don’t trust her blindly either."

Lin Mu offered no response, but the subtle steel in his mind spoke volumes.

As the connection faded, he returned to his work in full.

The rune brush in his hand continued its slow dance across the air, sketching out a counter-inversion formula designed to untangle the next inner ring of the formation. Daoist Chu glanced his way once but said nothing—they were in perfect rhythm.

And away from them, far high, somewhere in the great clouds above the Silent Lotus temple, the Saintess sat cross-legged in quiet contemplation, her gaze still locked onto Lin Mu’s distant position.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Cattaleya Duskthorn... Why would someone from your family come here now?"

Unbeknownst to all, the abyss below still stirred. And the secret it guarded might be tied to far more than just the hostages.

...

The second day of painstaking labor finally brought the breakthrough they had been working toward.

Lin Mu and Daoist Chu had never slept, their focus entirely consumed by the intricate task of unraveling the defensive layers guarding the Crooked Abyss.

The array had been as temperamental as it was ancient, its overlapping seals and camouflaged nodes working together like a stubborn living creature that refused to yield. Each time they disarmed one layer, another one would twist into place, shifting like sand beneath their hands.

Daoist Chu’s expression had been one of patient intensity throughout, his fingers weaving patterns of light while Lin Mu countered with precise bursts of Sword Qi and Immortal qi-infused threads to pry open stubborn junctions.

With his Sword Intent reaching the Sword Heart stage and his control over it reaching great precision, he realized he could use it in formations too, especially to disrupt or break certain nodes and runes.

Now, as the final rune fractured into harmless motes of fading light, Daoist Chu let out a long breath and stepped back.

"It is done," he announced, the relief in his tone subdued but undeniable.

Lin Mu straightened from his crouch, rolling his shoulders mostly due to habit; not that he was actually stiff or tired. "That took longer than expected," he said, although the faint smile on his lips betrayed a note of satisfaction.

They turned to the rest of the group, who had been standing ready for hours.

The entrance to the Crooked Abyss yawned before them—a jagged, downward-slanting fissure in the earth, its edges covered in rough, almost claw-like rock formations. From within, a cool breath of air whispered outward, carrying a faint metallic tang. The dim glow from the moss-covered cavern ceiling above barely reached the opening, leaving the depths in oppressive darkness.

"Stay alert," Lin Mu instructed, his tone carrying a quiet weight. "We have no idea what might be waiting beyond."

Without further delay, they began their descent.

Cattaleya Duskthorn was among the first to move, her lithe form slipping down the uneven slope with the ease of someone used to traveling through hostile terrain. She cast a sharp glance around, her gaze narrowing as she noted the absence of the softly glowing moss that had illuminated the upper levels of the caverns.

"Strange," she murmured. "The moss dies off entirely here. The dark feels... thicker."

Lin Mu didn’t comment, though he silently agreed. The Abyss’s air was not just devoid of light—it seemed to drink it in, swallowing even the faintest gleam from their lantern talismans.

It was Elyon who broke the silence next. "I can see clearly," he reported, his voice calm and assured. "There’s a broad passage ahead for the next forty meters. No movement yet."

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