Chapter 3518: The Dark Bear King Sect

Lin Mu glanced at Cattaleya, then nodded. "Very well. We will go with you."

The apekin inclined his head. "Follow."

The group reorganized quickly. Orgal was lifted carefully by two boarkin, who carried him on a crude but sturdy stretcher made of vines and branches. The rest of the beastkin formed a loose escort around Lin Mu and his companions.

They moved swiftly through the rainforest.

For six hours, they traveled without stopping.

The forest here was unlike anything Lin Mu had seen before. Massive trees towered hundreds of meters high, their trunks thick enough to hide entire houses. Vines as thick as bridges draped between branches, and some bioluminescent plants even glowed faintly in the dim light beneath the canopy.

The air was heavy with moisture and life.

Lin Mu could feel the presence of countless beasts, some watching from afar, others retreating instinctively as the sect members passed. The natural array he had sensed earlier became more pronounced the deeper they went, its influence subtle but pervasive.

Finally, the forest began to thin.

The trees opened into a vast clearing, and Lin Mu’s eyes widened slightly.

Before them rose a colossal structure.

It was not built of stone or metal in the conventional sense.

Instead, massive living trees had been shaped and bound together, their trunks grown and guided into towering pillars and arches. Platforms were carved directly into the wood, connected by bridges of woven vines and reinforced bark. Waterfalls cascaded down from higher levels, feeding into clear pools below.

At the center stood an enormous tree, far larger than the rest, its trunk wide enough to support an entire palace.

"This," the apekin said, pride evident in his voice, "is the domain of the Dark Bear King Sect."

Lin Mu took it in silently.

A sect born of the forest.

Alive, ancient, and watching.

Whatever awaited them next, it would not be simple.

As Lin Mu and the others were guided deeper into the territory of the Dark Bear King Sect, the full scope of the place finally revealed itself.

This was unlike any sect Lin Mu had ever seen.

There were no sky piercing pagodas that tried to scrape the heavens, no floating palaces suspended on clouds, no marble halls engraved with flowing calligraphy and Dao verses. There was no attempt at elegance, no effort to appear refined or lofty.

Instead, what stretched before them was something raw, primal, and unapologetically functional.

The sect spanned an enormous area, nearly fifty kilometers across, yet it did not feel like a city or a compound carved out of the forest. It felt like the forest itself had decided to grow intelligence and organize.

Buildings made of thick, unpolished timber rose from the ground, their logs still bearing bark and scars from old growth. Some structures were reinforced with massive stones, stacked without mortar but fitted so tightly together that even Lin Mu could not spot gaps between them at a glance.

Others incorporated bones. Great ribs attached together from colossal beasts formed archways. Spines were used as pillars. Skulls were embedded into walls, not as trophies, but as structural supports, their hollows repurposed for light, storage, or ventilation.

There was no single architectural style.

Some dwellings were squat and half buried into the earth, their roofs covered in soil and moss so that from a distance they looked like small hills. Others clung to the sides of massive trees, platforms and huts woven directly into branches thick enough to support entire neighborhoods of beastkin. Thick rope bridges and vine ladders connected these elevated structures, swaying gently in the humid air.

Near the waterways, Lin Mu saw buildings that were half submerged. Their foundations disappeared into dark water, while the upper sections rose on thick wooden pylons. These were clearly meant for aquatic or semi aquatic beastkin. Wide ramps sloped directly into rivers and pools, allowing massive shapes to slide in and out with ease.

The entire settlement blended seamlessly with the rainforest.

If one did not know what to look for, it would be disturbingly easy to walk straight past the sect without realizing an organized power resided here.

Lin Mu found it difficult to immediately tell which building served what purpose. There were no plaques, no signboards, no obvious markers. A structure that looked like a residence might be a training ground. Another that seemed like a warehouse could be a meeting hall. Everything was built with the assumption that its inhabitants already knew its function.

Only two structures stood out clearly.

The first was a vast open area, nearly a kilometer wide, where the forest had been completely cleared.

The ground there was packed earth mixed with stone, hardened by countless battles. Deep gouges, cracks, and scorched marks marred the surface, evidence of repeated combat over many years. Lin Mu immediately recognized it as a fighting ring, though calling it a ring felt inadequate. It was more like a battlefield preserved for ritual combat.

The second structure dominated the entire settlement.

Rising nearly three hundred meters high, it was built from a combination of enormous beast bones, ancient timber, and thick slabs of stone. The bones were not merely decorative. They formed the framework. Massive rib cages arched upward, fused with petrified wood and reinforced with stone bindings. The structure felt ancient, heavy with age and authority.

At its peak hung a massive banner, nearly fifty meters tall.

It depicted a colossal black bear standing upright, one clawed hand raised as if in challenge or proclamation. The bear’s eyes were fierce, its posture proud and defiant. The banner moved slightly with the wind, but even that gentle motion carried an oppressive presence.

"This," Lin Mu thought, "must be the heart of the sect."

As they advanced, their arrival drew attention.

Beastkin stopped what they were doing and stared openly. There was no attempt at subtlety.

Some leaned against tree trunks, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in open assessment. Others whispered to one another, voices low but curious. A few did not hide their hostility at all, their gazes sharp and aggressive.

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