Chapter 3773: The Heavenly Stream Guardian World

To ordinary disciples, reaching the Core Court was often the ambition of an entire lifetime. Of course, even these descriptions oversimplified things. The continents were not completely occupied by civilization.

Vast forests stretched for millions of kilometers, ancient mountain ranges pierced the heavens, massive swamps, deserts, lakes and dangerous wilderness zones existed throughout all three continents.

Many regions remained untouched even after countless generations.

During their journey, He Jian had specifically emphasized one topic repeatedly.

Forbidden zones.

The old man had warned Little Bull about them so often that even a true simpleton would have remembered.

"You can be foolish," He Jian had said several times.

"You can make mistakes."

"You can even offend some disciples."

"But never enter a forbidden zone without permission."

Lin Mu had naturally paid very close attention whenever the old man discussed them.

Five major forbidden zones stood above all others.

The first was located within the Outer Court Continent.

It was called the Hollow Star Chasm.

According to He Jian, the place was a massive canyon that stretched across nearly three thousand kilometers. Strange fragments of ancient ore continuously fell from the sky there, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

The chasm possessed unstable gravity and spatial distortions. Entire groups of cultivators had disappeared within it. Even stranger, countless star-like lights floated beneath the canyon’s depths. No one knew their origin.

The sect maintained strict restrictions on entering the region.

The second major forbidden zone on the Outer Court Continent was called the Thousand Serpent Marsh. It appeared as a massive swamp covered in black mist and ancient beasts inhabited its depths, many carrying strange bloodlines that had survived from forgotten ages.

The swamp constantly shifted its geography. Paths changed daily and formations appeared naturally. He Jian mentioned that even strong immortals occasionally vanished there.

The third forbidden zone existed on the Inner Court Continent.

It was known as the Silent Bone Forest and unlike normal forests, every tree there was white. The trunks resembled gigantic bones rather than wood, no birds sang there and no insects could be heard.

Even sound itself seemed suppressed.

According to sect records, many disciples who entered reported hearing whispers that did not exist and several eventually lost their minds.

The fourth forbidden zone was called the Heaven Reflection Sea.

This enormous inland sea occupied a significant portion of the Inner Court Continent. Its waters were perfectly still regardless of weather. Looking into the sea supposedly revealed reflections that should not exist.

Some saw possible futures. Others saw forgotten memories. A few saw nothing at all.

He Jian had explicitly warned Little Bull to never approach its shores.

The final forbidden zone existed within the Core Court Continent itself.

This one interested Lin Mu the most.

It was called the Primordial Seal Expanse.

Unlike the others, very little information was publicly available and even He Jian’s knowledge seemed limited. The region consisted of an enormous stretch of barren land filled with ancient ruins, broken monuments and countless seals.

Many areas remained inaccessible even to high-ranking elders.

The old man himself had never entered deeper than its outer regions.

Lin Mu immediately marked it as one of the most likely locations for the vault.

Of course, he did not dismiss the other smaller forbidden zones that numbered in the thirties.

The vault had been hidden intentionally. Any one of those locations could potentially conceal it.

In addition to the forbidden zones, He Jian had spent considerable time explaining the administrative structure of the sect. Its sheer complexity surpassed anything Lin Mu had previously encountered.

There were divisions for sword cultivators, divisions for spear cultivators, divisions for body cultivators, and divisions dedicated entirely to healing.

Others focused on formations, Alchemy, Talismans, Beast taming, Artifact forging, Information gathering, Law enforcement, Diplomacy, Trade, Military operations and even agriculture.

The Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect resembled an empire more than a traditional sect. That realization became increasingly obvious the more Lin Mu learned.

Which made sense as this was effectively the headquarters of the Hardliner Faction. One of the most powerful organizations in the entire Immortal Realm. Naturally, such a place required an immense administrative system.

Political matters occasionally surfaced during their discussions though those conversations were usually brief.

He Jian never seemed particularly interested in discussing court politics.

The old man simply referred to the Hardliners as the oldest faction of the Immortal Court.

"The oldest doesn’t always mean the strongest," he once remarked while drinking tea.

Little Bull had asked what that meant the old man merely laughed.

"It means politics."

Little Bull immediately looked confused.

"What is politics?"

He Jian rubbed his forehead.

"Something you should avoid."

The answer satisfied Little Bull but it also amused Lin Mu. The old man clearly had no desire to explain the endless complexity of Immortal Court politics to someone pretending to be a village simpleton.

Truthfully, even many immortals struggled to understand those matters. The factions, alliances, rivalries and hidden agendas stretched back tens of thousands of years if not hundreds of thousands.

He Jian himself admitted as much.

"Most immortals understand only a fraction of what truly happens inside the courts," the old man had said.

"If someone claims they understand everything, they’re either lying or they’re one of the people causing the problems."

Little Bull had simply nodded, then asked if politics involved food.

The old man nearly choked on his tea.

Remembering that conversation now, Lin Mu almost smiled. Eleven months of travel had accomplished exactly what he had hoped for. He Jian trusted him, his identity remained intact and he possessed detailed information regarding the sect.

And now, as he stood upon the teleportation platform of the Heavenly Stream Guardian World, he knew that the true challenge was finally about to begin.

Everything before this had merely been preparation.

Now he would have to enter the greatest stronghold of the Hardliner Faction and somehow locate a hidden vault that might have remained concealed for tens of thousands of years.

And he would have to accomplish all of it while pretending to be a simple villager named Little Bull.

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