Chapter 3952: More Than Meets The Eye

Lin Mu stepped closer to the recording as the old man continued speaking.

"When I first entered this place, I believed I understood what the Mad Demon Depths were. I believed I understood the dangers, the prisoners and even the people who governed this place." He gave a faint smile. "I was wrong."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed as that single statement immediately caught his attention.

The old man’s expression became more serious.

"The Mad Demon Depths are far older than the prison that exists here today. The people who enter this place tend to think of it as a prison because that is what they are shown. They see the shackles, the guards, the tunnels and the levels beneath the earth. They see prisoners being thrown down here and assume they understand the purpose of the place."

He paused. "They understand almost nothing."

Lin Mu’s expression grew solemn as the words aligned with everything he had already discovered. There was clearly a much deeper history.

The old man continued.

"When I first arrived, I thought the greatest danger here was the baleful energy. I soon discovered that the energy was merely one part of the problem."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed further and the old man looked directly ahead. "There are things beneath this place that should never have been disturbed."

Lin Mu’s heart skipped a beat as the recording suddenly flickered. The spatial mirror trembled for a moment before stabilizing again. The old man’s expression remained calm.

"If you have reached this point, then you have probably already encountered the settlements. You may have even encountered the ritual."

Lin Mu’s eyes widened slightly. He knew immediately that this recording had been created by someone who understood the Mad Demon Depths far more deeply than the prisoners he had questioned.

The old man continued. "If you have seen the ritual, then you already know that the prisoners call the formation their deity. They believe that it takes their blood and vitality in exchange for allowing them to continue living."

Lin Mu remained silent.

"The truth is considerably more complicated." The old man looked down for a moment. "That formation is part of the reason I survived for seven thousand years."

Lin Mu’s eyes sharpened as the recording suddenly became slightly dimmer.

The old man continued speaking in his calm voice. "And it is also the reason I eventually realized that someone, or something, has been using the prisoners of the Mad Demon Depths for a purpose that none of them understand."

Lin Mu’s breathing slowed as he realized the mystery had just grown considerably deeper. Junior Elder Zhenyu had not simply recorded a memoir. He had left behind a warning.

Junior Elder Zhenyu remained silent for a while after his introduction, and Lin Mu could see that the old man in the recording was gathering his thoughts.

His expression had become considerably more serious, and the confidence that had appeared when he introduced himself had faded. There was even a faint trace of embarrassment in his eyes, as though he were preparing to speak about something he had spent a very long time regretting.

"I came to the Mad Demon Depths because I was foolish," Zhenyu finally said, hearing which Lin Mu raised his brows slightly.

The elder continued, "I was too conceited about my own talent. I had cultivated faster than most of the people around me, and every opportunity I pursued seemed to work out in my favor. Over time, I started believing that warnings were meant for people who lacked the ability to handle danger. I thought that if something was dangerous, then I simply needed to become strong enough to overcome it."

A bitter smile appeared on his face. "That kind of thinking eventually led me here."

Lin Mu quietly observed him and from the way Zhenyu spoke, he could already imagine what the elder had been like when he was young. The person standing in the recording had the appearance of an old man, yet his physique was still incredibly robust. His mind, however, had clearly gone through countless years of reflection.

’This Junior Elder was probably very different when he first entered.’ Lin Mu narrowed his eyes slightly. ’He must have aged considerably before becoming this person. The fact that he can openly admit that he was arrogant when he was young already says a lot.’

Someone who had remained trapped in their youthful pride would rarely speak about their past with such honesty. Seven thousand years in a place like this had clearly changed Zhenyu.

The elder lowered his gaze. "I wanted strength and I wanted it quickly. I had already reached a level that most cultivators could only dream of reaching, yet I was still dissatisfied. I believed my talent deserved more. I believed that I should’ve been able to advance further and faster."

He sighed. "I should have been satisfied with what I had."

For several breaths, Zhenyu simply remained silent. His expression carried a mixture of regret and self-reproach, and Lin Mu allowed him to continue at his own pace.

"I had heard rumors about the Mad Demon Depths. There were many versions of those rumors, and most were probably exaggerated. Some said there was an ancient demon sealed here. Others said that an ancient expert had left behind an extraordinary inheritance. There were even stories of a method that could greatly extend one’s lifespan."

Zhenyu’s eyes sharpened. "The Mad Demon’s Longevity Insights."

Lin Mu’s brows rose as he had never heard that name before. ’The Mad Demon’s Longevity Insights?’

He immediately began thinking about the information he had gathered from the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect. If something like this had once existed within the sect’s records, it had either been forgotten over the countless years or deliberately removed.

The elder’s voice suddenly became louder. "Before I go any further, I need to tell you something."

The atmosphere around the recording changed.

Even though Lin Mu knew this was merely a preserved image, the aura coming from Zhenyu suddenly became far heavier. The old man’s expression was filled with a seriousness that made Lin Mu instinctively straighten.

"Whatever desire you feel after hearing what I am about to tell you, suppress it." Zhenyu’s voice rose. "Do not seek it out!"