Chapter 3872: Deep Lingering Regret

Lin Mu looked at the water.

The Murdering Heart Sutra allowed him to perceive the faint traces of soul fragments. Usually, lingering souls attached themselves to something; a corpse, a weapon, a location where someone died and sometimes, they attached themselves to people.

But this was different, the soul fragments were everywhere: the mud, the water, the rocks... The entire lake.

Lin Mu slowly turned and he sensed the same presence in every direction.

’The entire lake?’ Lin Mu was stunned.

The Rain Dragon’s lingering soul fragments had not attached themselves to a single object. They had fused with the lake. Every drop of water carried an almost imperceptible trace.

The fragments were so diluted that ordinary perception would probably never notice them. Yet collectively, they covered an area over eighty kilometers wide.

’Just how big of a regret or anger did the dragon have for it to affect an entire lake and transform it?’ Lin Mu could barely imagine it.

The Rain Dragon must have experienced something terrible before dying. Perhaps it had been betrayed, perhaps it had failed to protect something or perhaps its entire clan had been destroyed, Lin Mu had no way of knowing.

He deactivated the Murdering Heart Sutra as the dark violet aura disappeared and the lake returned to normal.

Lin Mu stood silently. "So that’s the answer."

The strange waves, the water spouts, the false storm, they were all the manifestation of a dead dragon’s lingering emotions. Lin Mu felt a little disappointed as there was no vault or hidden treasure here.

There was simply no physical object for him to investigate.

He considered his options as a thought appeared.

’The Calming Heart Sutra.’ Lin Mu could use it.

Buddhist energy was naturally suited to purifying lingering souls and resentment. If Lin Mu used the Calming Heart Sutra properly, he might be able to slowly purge the Rain Dragon’s lingering regret.

Perhaps the soul fragments would finally disappear and the Rain Dragon could finally pass into the cycle of reincarnation.

Lin Mu almost acted, then he stopped.

’Wait.’ He imagined the consequences.

The Rain Dragon Lake had existed as a forbidden zone for countless years. The sect had records of it, Disciples knew about it and elders probably monitored it occasionally. If Lin Mu purified the lake, the violent waves might stop.

The water spouts could disappear and the dark clouds might disperse. A forbidden zone that had existed for hundreds of thousands of years would suddenly become a peaceful lake.

Lin Mu’s face twitched. ’Who knows if the sect would get concerned if the forbidden zone suddenly became a gentle lake.’

They would definitely investigate and Lin Mu had been registered as a disciple only recently. He did not need that kind of attention.

"Sorry, Senior Dragon." Lin Mu muttered. "Maybe another time."

Lin Mu activated Phase and he rose through the lake. Several minutes later, Lin Mu emerged near the shore. He stepped onto land as water poured from his clothes.

Lin Mu used a burst of vitality to shake most of the water away before beginning his return journey. The Rain Dragon Lake continued raging behind him as another water spout rose and the dark clouds rumbled without a hint of lightning.

Lin Mu never looked back. He had already decided that there was nothing useful here. He would search another forbidden zone next. Yet Lin Mu did not know that his actions had already caused a change.

Far away from the Rain Dragon Lake, deep within the Inner Court continent, there was a mountain that did not appear on ordinary maps. Within the mountain existed a secluded cave.

The cave was dark, as no Night Pearls illuminated it and no formations glowed. The darkness was absolute and at the deepest part of the cave sat a figure. The figure had remained motionless for an unknown amount of time.

Dust covered the ground, and thick layers of dust had even accumulated around the figure.

The ancient existence remained still, then the dust around him began to rise.

The man’s breathing was almost nonexistent, and his heartbeat was so faint that even powerful immortals standing beside him would struggle to detect it. It was as if the old man’s cultivation had reached a realm where the distinction between existence and nonexistence had become blurred.

Then his eyes slowly opened.

The ancient gaze pierced through layers upon layers of stone without any effort. A terrifying pressure briefly appeared and the mountain trembled. But the pressure disappeared almost immediately before an ancient voice echoed through the cave.

"Aura of a Devil?"

Silence followed as the figure slowly raised his head. His gaze seemed to pierce through the mountain.

"In my sect?"

His perception spread outward.

Unlike Lin Mu’s Immortal Sense, this was not something that merely swept through an area. It was overwhelming. Invisible waves expanded in every direction, covering mountains, forests, rivers, cities, countless sect divisions and every living creature upon the Inner Court continent.

Birds paused in flight and Immortal beasts lifted their heads. Several secluded elders instinctively frowned before relaxing again, recognizing the familiar aura while others who did not know about the presence were highly concerned.

Yet, no one attempted to interfere, for there were very few people within the sect who possessed the authority to use such unrestricted perception.

The old man’s senses continued expanding as it spread into every peak, every valley, every division, every restricted zone and every forbidden zone. Nothing escaped his attention. His expression remained unchanged until his perception finally settled upon one particular place.

The Rain Dragon Lake.

His brows slowly furrowed. "There."

The old man carefully examined the area. The remnants of the Murdering Heart Sutra had almost entirely disappeared already. Lin Mu had been cautious and had only activated it briefly.

Yet for someone of the ancient figure’s level, that fleeting trace was enough as a faint residue lingered and it carried the unmistakable nature of the Devil Path.

The old man’s eyes narrowed.

"The aura originated from the Rain Dragon Lake?" His expression slowly shifted from certainty into confusion.

"That should not be possible." His senses swept through the lake once more.

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