Chapter 3954: Longevity In Exchange For Solitude

Lin Mu watched the recording carefully.

The old Zhenyu spoke again. "That was when I discovered the truth."

The illusion focused on the crystal formation. Lin Mu could now see countless fine strands of energy running between the crystals and the surrounding space. The energy wasn’t simply flowing into Zhenyu, it was connecting him to the formation.

His body was becoming part of the system!

Zhenyu’s voice became solemn. "The Mad Demon’s Longevity Insights were never meant to give someone free longevity."

The younger Zhenyu suddenly looked down at his own body. "I was becoming connected to the formation."

Lin Mu’s expression became serious as Zhenyu continued. "The longer I remained here, the deeper that connection became."

The illusion showed the younger Zhenyu attempting to leave again. But this time, his expression was completely different. He had finally become cautious and he stepped away from the formation.

The moment he crossed a certain distance, his body weakened and his vitality dropped sharply. His face aged as the younger man staggered. Then he turned around and returned. The moment he entered the formation’s range, his vitality stabilized.

Zhenyu’s voice became heavy. "That was when I understood what I had done."

The illusion faded slightly as the old elder stared forward. "I had entered the Mad Demon Depths searching for a shortcut to greater strength and longevity." He paused. "I had found it." Another pause. "And that shortcut had become my prison."

Lin Mu remained completely silent as the elder looked toward the viewer. "I used this formation and learned that it was nothing more than a curse. It grants longevity, but only when one is within the very space you are standing in."

The illusion showed the younger Zhenyu standing before the crystal formation once more. The crystal skulls glowed around him but his expression was no longer filled with excitement.

It was filled with realization that while he had obtained the longevity he wanted, he had also discovered the price. And Lin Mu could already tell that this was only the beginning of Junior Elder Zhenyu’s story.

Junior Elder Zhenyu’s expression remained solemn as the younger version of himself stood before the crystal formation. The illusion continued to show the same scene, yet Lin Mu could now see details that had seemed insignificant before.

The younger Zhenyu’s hands were clenched tightly, his shoulders stiff and his eyes filled with an unwillingness to accept what he had discovered.

"I had already reached the point where there was no simple way out," Zhenyu said. "I tried leaving the formation. I tried severing the connection. I tried destroying the crystals. Every attempt ended in failure. The longer I remained connected, the more dependent my body became upon the formation."

His eyes reddened slightly. "I had entered this place searching for longevity, and I had ended up losing even the natural lifespan I was supposed to possess."

Lin Mu’s expression changed as he felt a hint of sympathy.

Zhenyu continued, his voice carrying a faint tremor. "The array had already altered the way my vitality functioned. Once I became connected to it, the natural longevity I had cultivated through my own cultivation became meaningless. If I remained away from the array for too long, my vitality would rapidly decline. I had to return."

The elder lowered his head. "So I accepted it."

There was a long pause. "I became a prisoner willingly."

The words were simple, yet they carried the weight of thousands of years. "I knew that if I resisted any longer, I would die. Perhaps I could have fought until the very end and destroyed myself along with the formation, but what purpose would that have served? I had already thrown away my freedom through my own arrogance. At that point, preserving my life was the only thing I could still choose."

Lin Mu watched silently and he could imagine how difficult that decision must have been.

A promising elder of the Wild Peak, someone who had likely spent his entire life standing above countless cultivators, had willingly accepted becoming a prisoner because he had trapped himself within a formation he could not escape.

Zhenyu closed his eyes. "I remained alone for a very long time."

The illusion changed slightly and the younger Zhenyu was shown sitting alone within the crystal formation. Years seemed to pass in moments. His hair grew longer. His beard became thicker. His body remained vigorous because of the formation, yet his expression gradually became emptier.

"I cannot tell you exactly how long I spent like that. Perhaps a thousand years. Perhaps a little more. Time loses meaning when you remain in the same place for centuries."

Lin Mu’s expression became thoughtful.

That statement matched what he had learned from the prisoners. Their crude methods of measuring time had been created because ordinary methods were impossible within the Mad Demon Depths.

Zhenyu continued. "I think I developed a heart demon during those years."

His eyes opened again. "At first, I thought it was merely my own thoughts. Then I began hearing whispers."

Lin Mu’s attention sharpened. "A heart demon?"

The elder gave a faint smile. "Strangely enough, that heart demon helped me."

Lin Mu raised his brows.

"The whispers told me something I had forgotten." Zhenyu’s eyes became focused. "They told me not to forget my talent."

The younger version of himself appeared in the illusion, sitting before the formation. "They reminded me of my will. They reminded me of the reason I had entered this place in the first place."

The elder’s voice became slightly stronger. "The whispers told me that I had two choices. If I could not swim out of the water, then I needed to learn how to breathe beneath it."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed. "That is an interesting way to put it."

Zhenyu continued. "If I could not escape the formation, then I needed to understand it. If I could not destroy it, then I needed to assimilate into it deeply enough to understand every secret hidden within it."