Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3303: The Shanhu Clan’s Island

Lin Mu nodded slowly, his gaze steady. "He’s right. I can already feel it. The air here is heavier than normal. The flow of natural energy isn’t uniform, it bends slightly around certain points. We’ve already crossed the outer layer of the formation."

Daoist Chu, who had been quietly observing his surroundings, closed his eyes briefly. "Indeed," he said softly. "We stepped into the first barrier the moment we landed on the beach. The outer array acts as a veil, blending the true scenery with illusory projections. It is subtle but quite well made."

Meng Bai looked around, squinting. "I can’t feel anything strange," he admitted after a moment.

Daoist Chu smiled faintly. "You won’t be able to sense it yet. Your cultivation hasn’t reached that stage. You’d need at least the first tribulation of the immortal realm to even notice the array’s fluctuations."

Meng Bai sighed in defeat. "I guess I still have a lot to learn."

Daoist Chu chuckled lightly. "That’s not something to be ashamed of. Even I am impressed. This is far more refined than what I expected from a clan that’s been isolated for so long."

The group had barely walked a hundred meters inland when Little Shrubby suddenly raised his head and sniffed the air. His golden eyes narrowed slightly, lightning flickering faintly along his whiskers.

"Someone’s coming," the beast said in his deep, growling voice understandable only to Lin Mu. "Humans... and beasts."

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow and extended his immortal sense outward. The invisible pulse spread across the land like ripples over water, quickly picking up on several signatures moving toward them from the northeast.

"There’s a small group approaching," Lin Mu said calmly. "Ten people, riding flying beasts. The creatures resemble seagulls, but larger... about ten meters in wingspan. Each rider is an immortal between the second and fourth tribulation stages. Even the beasts are of the second tribulation level."

Elyon’s sharp eyes glimmered faintly as he sensed the same. "Looks like our welcome party is here," he said with a grin.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Within a minute, the sound of wings beating against the air reached them. Ten figures appeared above the treetops, their shadows gliding over the sand. The riders descended swiftly, their massive seabirds letting out shrill cries before landing in a graceful arc on the beach a short distance ahead.

Lin Mu and his companions stopped walking, waiting for the clan’s people to approach. The Shanhu Coral Clan’s members dismounted in unison, forming a small semicircle before them.

The first thing that struck Lin Mu was their appearance.

All of them were lightly dressed, wearing robes that left their tanned chests bare but covered their backs and legs. The fabric shimmered faintly, as though woven from pieces of coral and threads of sea silk.

Each person had a single scale on their forehead, gleaming like mother of pearl or turquoise, and adorned themselves with coral jewelry, necklaces of polished shell fragments, and bracelets made from pearl.

Two of the men carried spears, their shafts carved from red coral and tipped with beast bones sharpened to a wicked edge. The weapons emanated faint traces of Qi, marking them as low-grade immortal artifacts.

Their leader, a man with azure hair and eyes the color of the sea, stepped forward. His expression was calm, but Lin Mu could sense the unease in his movements.

The group’s arrival had clearly shocked them.

Even the seabird beasts seemed unsettled, their wings ruffling nervously as they took several steps back.

The creatures let out low, uneasy cries, their eyes darting toward Little Shrubby. The crimson beast’s massive form radiated power, his fur flickering faintly with lightning. For aerial creatures like these, he was the embodiment of every primal fear they had ever known.

One of the riders whispered something in his native tongue, and the leader shot him a glare to silence him.

The Shanhu cultivators were no less affected by what they saw.

Cattaleya stood at the front, tall and broad-shouldered, her bronze skin gleaming under the sun. The sheer vitality that poured from her presence was overwhelming. Her muscles, perfectly sculpted, radiated strength and confidence. The men’s eyes widened slightly, and more than one of them stepped back instinctively.

Daoist Chu stood next to her, calm as a mountain. His robes fluttered faintly in the breeze, and his tranquil demeanor carried the weight of wisdom and power. The subtle wave of immortal Qi emanating from him made the air feel heavier, marking him unmistakably as a fifth tribulation cultivator.

Elyon, standing to their right, had an entirely different presence. His wolfkin aura was sharp and predatory, a subtle menace beneath his composed smile. There was something dangerous about the stillness in his golden amber eyes.

Meng Bai, compared to the others, appeared the least intimidating.

But his youthful energy and strong Dao foundation were still apparent. His calm stance contrasted sharply with his companions’ sheer power, but there was determination in his eyes that marked him as no ordinary mortal cultivator.

Then there was Lin Mu.

To the clan’s cultivators, he seemed utterly ordinary. His aura was nonexistent, as if he were a mortal without an ounce of cultivation. Yet the longer they looked at him, the more an inexplicable dread settled in their hearts.

It was his gaze... steady, sharp, composed.

And then there was the sheath on his back. Though it looked simple, every cultivator who glanced at it felt a faint stabbing pain behind their eyes. The energy it exuded was indescribable; vast and incomprehensible, like something that did not belong in the mortal or immortal realms.

To the Shanhu clan’s warriors, it was clear.

This was the most dangerous man among them.

The leader swallowed hard before stepping forward, forcing his composure to remain steady. "Honored guests," he said respectfully, his voice carrying a faint tremor. "May I ask... which of you is Elyon?"

Elyon stepped forward with an easy smile. "That would be me," he said. "These are my companions. We’ve accepted your clan’s escort mission."