Chapter 3912: Learning About The Mad Demon Depths

Lin Mu quietly digested everything he had learned so far before asking another question.

"The prisoners." His gaze slowly swept across the kneeling survivors. "How is this place organized?"

He paused for a moment. "What is the hierarchy inside the Mad Demon Depths?"

The first prisoner hesitated and his expression became uncertain.

"My lord..." He scratched his head nervously. "That question is... difficult."

Lin Mu gestured for him to continue.

"The truth is... We don’t actually know the full structure." The prisoner took a deep breath before continuing. "The Mad Demon Depths is far larger than anything we have explored. There are many places where nobody from our group dares to enter."

"Some areas are simply too dangerous."

"Others..." He swallowed. "...already belong to stronger prisoners."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Stronger prisoners?"

The prisoner quickly nodded. "Yes, my lord. There are many more prisoners than us."

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow. "So..." He slowly looked around at the several dozen surviving prisoners gathered around him. "You mean this isn’t everyone?"

The man immediately shook his head. "Oh no. We’re just one small group and our overall strength is considered very low."

Several nearby prisoners lowered their heads in embarrassment.

The man forced out a bitter smile. "We’re among the weakest communities still surviving. Our only advantage is where we live."

Lin Mu remained silent as the prisoner pointed toward the tunnels leading back toward the prison entrance.

"Our camp sits relatively close to where newcomers arrive and when prisoners are thrown into the Mad Demon Depths... Many eventually stumble into our territory. We capture whoever survives." His voice gradually became quieter. "Or... We used to."

Several prisoners awkwardly glanced toward the bones scattered across the summit.

Lin Mu understood immediately. The group survived by ambushing newly arrived prisoners. Fresh prisoners brought several valuable things. Healthy bodies, fresh meat and sometimes hidden possessions overlooked during imprisonment.

Occasionally information from the outside world as well. Their entire settlement had evolved around exploiting newcomers before stronger factions discovered them.

"Tell me about these stronger groups." Lin Mu ordered.

The prisoner’s expression immediately became more cautious.

"We don’t know much as we’ve never actually lived among them. We’ve only heard stories from people who escaped or from prisoners passing through."

Lin Mu patiently waited.

"The caves we’re standing in..." The prisoner gently tapped the rocky ground beneath his knees. "...are only the beginning. They’re basically the outer region of the Mad Demon Depths."

"If someone continues deeper the tunnels eventually open completely." His hands spread apart while speaking. "The underground suddenly becomes enormous." His voice carried genuine awe. "The first time I saw it... I thought I had entered another world."

Lin Mu listened carefully.

"The cavern stretches for several kilometers and nobody in our group knows exactly how wide."

"The ceiling..." The prisoner looked upward despite knowing only solid rock existed above them. "...rises almost two kilometers."

Several nearby prisoners quietly nodded. "It feels like standing beneath the sky."

"There are cliffs."

"Stone pillars."

"Hills."

"Large forests."

"Even rivers."

Lin Mu’s interest visibly increased. "Forests?"

"Yes. There are actual plants growing there. Large trees, bushes, vines, moss and even patches of grass." The prisoner paused briefly. "And animals... Many animals."

Lin Mu immediately remembered something.

Earlier when he first explored the abandoned camp he had found beds, crude furniture, wooden supports and most importantly... Fire pits.

At that time he had wondered where the wood came from. The prison provided no supplies and there were no trees anywhere within these tunnels. The question had remained unanswered.

But now everything suddenly made sense.

’So that’s where they obtain it.’ Lin Mu nodded slightly. "The wood."

He looked toward one of the abandoned fire pits visible atop the mound. "You gather it from those forests."

The prisoner quickly nodded.

"Yes. But only near the edge. We never go very far."

Lin Mu folded his arms. "Explain."

The man took another deep breath.

"Getting there alone is already difficult. The massive cavern lies much lower than these tunnels and the entrance opens high above the ground. There are no proper paths leading downward, so we descend using ropes whenever we have them." His face briefly darkened. "But ropes eventually wear out."

"So... We use ourselves."

Lin Mu looked at him curiously. "Ourselves?"

The prisoner nodded. "A human chain. We line up one beneath another and each person holds the next. It usually takes around thirty people before someone finally reaches the bottom."

Lin Mu quietly pictured the scene.

Thirty starving prisoners suspended one beneath another across an enormous cliff. One mistake, and one weak grip could make the entire chain collapse. Even immortals with sealed cultivation would hardly survive such a fall.

The prisoner continued.

"We only gather supplies near the edge. Mostly fallen branches, dead wood and dry vines. Also sometimes a few stones useful for making tools are also taken." He sighed. "Then we climb back but it takes hours."

Lin Mu remained thoughtful as another question immediately surfaced.

"If there are forests..." He looked toward the prisoner. "Why don’t you simply gather food there?"

The reaction surprised him as the prisoner’s entire body visibly trembled. Several nearby prisoners instinctively lowered their heads. One elderly woman quietly whispered something under her breath.

Lin Mu could tell they all felt pure fear that was just a bit weaker than the one they had felt from him.

"My lord..." The prisoner forced out. "We don’t dare."

His voice had become much quieter. "The plants growing near the cliffs... Most of them can’t be eaten. Many are poisonous and some release strange pollen while others melt flesh if you touch them."

Another older prisoner hurriedly spoke. "My brother once ate a fruit growing there. He died before he could even walk ten steps.."

The first prisoner nodded. "We’ve tested many things over the years. Very little is safe."

Lin Mu considered that answer.

Immortal environments often nurtured highly dangerous flora and many spirit plants naturally produced potent toxins. Without proper knowledge experimenting blindly usually proved fatal.

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