Chapter 4016: Giving Them Work

Zhenyu remained silent for a moment after revealing that Little Bull might still be alive within the Mad Demon Depths.

The elders of Wild Peak were still processing the information, and their expressions had changed several times in the span of a few breaths. Shock had given way to hope, hope had turned into excitement, and then caution had returned as they remembered the situation they were facing.

They had already discovered that Taegong had deliberately framed Little Bull, and now they had learned that the very person they believed had been abandoned to his death might have played a role in Zhenyu’s escape from the depths.

There were too many questions, and yet none of them could be answered immediately.

Zhenyu finally broke the silence and his expression became serious as he looked across the gathered elders and said, "There is no point standing here and shouting about what has already happened. We have proof of Taegong’s actions, and we have reason to believe there are others involved.

The next step should be obvious. Some of you will take the recording and contact Daoist Bone Ruler directly. Give it to him and let him investigate the matter through the proper channels."

Several elders exchanged glances.

High Elder Palm Saber nodded slowly. "That is reasonable. The Law Division and Wild Peak have disagreed more times than I care to count, and there have been plenty of occasions where neither side was willing to give an inch. Still, Daoist Bone Ruler is a man who values evidence. Once he sees those recordings, he will understand what kind of situation we are dealing with."

Zhenyu gave him a sideways glance. "You seem rather confident in him."

"I am confident in his principles," Palm Saber replied. "That is different from saying I enjoy dealing with him."

A few elders quietly chuckled and the atmosphere eased slightly, though Zhenyu’s expression remained stern. He understood what High Elder Palm Saber meant. The Law Division and Wild Peak had been at odds for a long time, and both sides had accumulated enough grievances to fill several of the sect’s records halls.

Yet Daoist Bone Ruler had already demonstrated something important earlier.

When confronted with overwhelming evidence and power, he had been willing to reconsider his position. More importantly, he had personally promised to investigate the matter involving Little Bull.

Zhenyu nodded. "Good. Then leave that part to him. I have already spoken with the young man, and he knows what I think of this matter. He also knows that I will not be pleased if the investigation turns into an excuse to bury evidence."

The elders understood the implication immediately as Zhenyu had defeated Daoist Bone Ruler and pretty much everyone in the sect knew it now.

Whatever grudges existed between Wild Peak and the Law Division, nobody wanted to be the person who ignored a warning from an ancient ’Fifth Tribulation stage’ body cultivator who had just forced a Transcendent Immortal to retreat.

Zhenyu turned toward another group of elders. "The rest of you will go to the Mad Demon Depths."

The words immediately caught everyone’s attention.

"To the depths?" one elder asked.

"Yes." Zhenyu’s tone carried absolute certainty. "You will inspect the entire area and report its current condition. Check the formations, the prison levels, the passages, and the condition of the prisoners. Do not simply look at the surface and return. I want a proper inspection."

The elders became somewhat uneasy as the Mad Demon Depths had never been a pleasant place to visit. Even before Zhenyu’s return, it had been regarded as one of the most dangerous locations within the sect.

After the enormous disturbance that had erupted there, nobody was eager to descend into its depths without a reason.

High Elder Palm Saber frowned slightly. "Senior, is there something you expect us to find there other than Little Bull?"

Zhenyu’s expression remained calm. "Perhaps."

Lin Mu silently congratulated himself as this was exactly the response he needed. He had several reasons for sending them there. The first was simple. He genuinely wanted to know how the Mad Demon Depths had fared after his departure.

There were prisoners inside those depths who had been born there. Some had never committed any crime that justified imprisonment. They had simply inherited the fate of those who came before them, trapped within a place that had become their entire world.

Lin Mu had seen enough of their suffering to feel some responsibility toward them. He had no intention of allowing Wild Peak or any other division to casually slaughter them simply because the prison had suffered a disturbance.

The second reason was equally important. He needed to know whether any of the prisoners had escaped.

Lin Mu did not consider it very likely. The restrictions within the Mad Demon Depths were severe, and most of the prisoners had their cultivation suppressed so thoroughly that even attempting to circulate Immortal Qi was nearly impossible.

Their bodies might be strong, their instincts may be sharp, and some might possess strange abilities, but escaping the depths was an entirely different matter. There was, of course, the tribe he had encountered.

Those people were different.

Their bodies had been strengthened through the mysterious crystal they possessed, allowing them to fight despite their inability to properly use their cultivation. Even then, Lin Mu had seen the limits of their strength.

Unless something unexpected happened, he doubted they would suddenly break through the restrictions and storm their way out of the prison. As for the deeper secrets of the Mad Demon Depths, Lin Mu had even less reason to worry.

There was a hidden level beneath the known depths, a place concealed through an extraordinary spatial method. It was the place where the real secrets of the Mad Demon had been hidden, and reaching it required understanding spatial principles far beyond ordinary teleportation.

Even Lin Mu himself might never have discovered that place.

Without Xukong, without his guidance, and without being told that the hidden space had been created through the Duel Dimensional Vacuum Compression Art, Lin Mu could have spent years searching and still missed it.