Chapter 3917: Acceptance Of Reality

The old man’s rational mind, the part of him that had remained asleep for an unimaginably long time, gradually woke up.

"No..." He whispered again.

Only this time the word carried uncertainty instead of conviction. Around him, many other prisoners continued staring at the glowing construct with similar expressions. But several younger prisoners looked utterly bewildered.

They had never seen anything like it before as they had been born here.

One young woman quietly asked another. "What is that?"

The older prisoner struggled to answer.

"I..."

"I think..."

"It’s..."

She stopped as even she barely remembered. Another young man cautiously reached toward the glowing construct before immediately pulling his hand back. His eyes remained filled with childlike curiosity.

Lin Mu quietly observed the gathering.

Only now did he begin noticing subtle differences among them. Several of the younger prisoners lacked the faint traces that cultivators naturally possessed. Their bodies felt completely ordinary.

There were no meridians strengthened by spiritual energy, no tempered flesh and no dantian that had ever circulated Qi.

They were... Mortals.

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’So that’s why.’

Those born inside the Mad Demon Depths had never cultivated. They had entered the world already wearing shackles. His gaze naturally shifted toward their wrists as heavy iron restraints remained firmly locked in place.

That immediately raised another question.

’Why? These people have never possessed cultivation so the shackles served no purpose.’ At least... That was Lin Mu’s first thought.

It lasted a mere moment before understanding quietly dawned upon him.

’I see...’ His eyes slowly swept across the prisoners once more.

The answer had been right before him all along. The children hadn’t been forced to wear the shackles by the Heavenly Guardian Stream Sect... The prisoners themselves had done it!

The logic became painfully obvious.

A child born without shackles, could cultivate. Perhaps only the most basic Qi Refining techniques and certainly nothing extraordinary. Yet inside this prison even an Early stage Qi Refining cultivator would eventually surpass starving immortals whose cultivation remained permanently sealed.

Strength created authority and authority created conflict. Eventually, someone would dominate everyone else. The prisoners feared that possibility.

So every child received shackles, the moment they became old enough. And generation after generation passed without questioning why, and without questioning whether it remained necessary.

It had simply become another tradition, another unquestioned rule... another part of life.

Lin Mu quietly looked at one little framed young man who appeared barely eighteen years old. His wrists bore deep scars where the shackles had rubbed against his skin over many years.

He had probably worn them for as long as he could remember, he likely believed everyone in the world wore shackles and that this represented ordinary life.

"Hah..." A faint sigh escaped Lin Mu.

The Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect had imprisoned these people far more thoroughly than they probably intended. Physical restraints only lasted so long, but ideas could last forever.

After enough generations... The prisoners no longer required guards to enforce the shackles.

They willingly passed them to their own children.

’If one person could not cultivate, everyone else should remain the same.’

That belief had become stronger than any chain.

Lin Mu doubted many children were born within the Mad Demon Depths as food remained too scarce and life remained too dangerous. Even so the few who survived inherited the same restraints.

Parents placed shackles upon their own sons and daughters, and grandparents watched it happen. Nobody questioned the tradition, because traditions eventually stopped feeling like choices.

They simply became reality.

Silence continued hanging over the summit and the glowing array remained suspended around the crystal skull. Nearly ten minutes slowly passed as no one disturbed the stillness. The old man’s expression shifted repeatedly throughout that time.

Confusion, denial, anger, fear, sorrow and every possible emotion appeared upon his weathered face before fading into another. His breathing remained uneven and several times he attempted to speak.

But each attempt failed.

Finally, he lowered his head.

His voice had become almost inaudible.

"This..." He swallowed. "...really is an array."

Those simple words seemed to drain every remaining ounce of strength from him. Another prisoner quietly looked toward the crystal skull and his expression carried utter disbelief.

"Have..." He struggled to finish the sentence. "Have we..."

"...been feeding ourselves..."

"...to an array..."

"...all this time?"

His voice echoed across the silent mound.

A woman quietly covered her face with both hands.

"Willingly..." She whispered.

The word carried far greater weight than anyone wished to admit. Several prisoners slowly looked toward one another. They suddenly remembered countless rituals, countless offerings, countless years and countless family members.

Every ceremony they had faithfully performed, every drop of vitality they had surrendered and every prayer they had spoken now seemed questionable. Doubt quietly spread throughout the gathering.

Lin Mu observed them for another moment before finally speaking.

"Whatever this truly is..." His voice remained calm. "...there is definitely something wrong with this place."

Nobody argued, as nobody possessed the strength to argue anymore, for the evidence floated directly before their eyes.

Another minute quietly passed and the silence gradually became less tense. Instead something else replaced it. Lin Mu slowly noticed dozens of glances shifting toward him. More specifically toward his storage ring. Or rather where they believed he had hidden something.

Their expressions carried unmistakable yearning, hope and expectation about the carrot. Even after everything that had happened their empty stomachs eventually reclaimed their attention.

Lin Mu almost found it amusing.

Faith could crumble.

Worldviews could collapse.

But hunger still demanded satisfaction.

SHUA

Without another word, he reached into his storage ring, and a bright orange carrot appeared.

The first prisoner immediately stared at it and before he could react Lin Mu casually tossed it toward him.

"Huh?!" The man fumbled clumsily before finally catching it against his chest.

For one glorious heartbeat his face exploded with overwhelming joy. But soon he noticed every pair of eyes turning toward him. The happiness instantly disappeared as dozens of furious gazes landed upon him.

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