Chapter 3918: Extent Of Mercy

Some prisoners unconsciously licked their lips while others stared at the carrot with naked longing.

The first prisoner immediately hugged it tighter.

"My... My carrot..." He nervously looked around.

Several prisoners visibly contemplated stealing it.

But before they could...

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH

More orange streaks flashed through the air. The prisoners blinked as another carrot landed before someone, then another and then another. Lin Mu continued tossing them with astonishing precision.

Each carrot landed directly before a surviving prisoner. No one received two and no one received none. Every living prisoner obtained exactly one. The summit became completely silent once again.

The prisoners stared at the fresh vegetables lying before them.

Some carefully picked them up with trembling fingers, while others simply held them against their chests. One elderly woman quietly burst into tears and a middle aged man gently rubbed the carrot’s surface with both thumbs as though afraid it might disappear.

Another prisoner cautiously smelled it before closing his eyes.

SNIFF

His face relaxed into an expression of complete bliss.

Lin Mu quietly watched them.

Only he knew that inside his storage ring there existed enough food to feed every prisoner present for a very long time.

Entire banquets prepared by master chefs and Little Shrubby which included spirit beast meat, immortal beast meat, fresh fruits, immortal delicacies, rare wines and countless preserved dishes, all were stored in there.

There were enough supplies to host a royal feast without difficulty.

Yet he made no move to retrieve them. These people deserved pity in certain ways as some had been mere children and some had inherited the sins of their parents. Many had become victims of circumstances far beyond their control.

Even so the reality remained unchanged. Most of the adults before him had willingly hunted newcomers. They had murdered prisoners, they had practiced cannibalism, and they had built their survival upon the suffering of others.

Their hardships explained many of those actions but they did not erase them.

Lin Mu possessed compassion, but he also possessed principles. The single carrot resting in each prisoner’s hands represented the extent of his mercy.

At the very same time that Lin Mu was busy unraveling the mysteries of the Mad Demon Depths... The Wild Peak itself was descending into chaos.

Deep inside the ancient vault, a deafening explosion echoed through the sealed corridors.

BOOM!

Cracks rapidly spread across the final formation barrier as Golden light flickered violently before shattering into countless fragments. The intricate runes carved across the walls dimmed one after another until they became nothing more than ordinary inscriptions.

"Hah!" High Elder Shatter Peak pulled back his fist while taking a long breath.

His chest rose and fell heavily.

Several hours... It had taken him several exhausting hours to force his way through every formation Taegong had activated. Each barrier had required increasingly greater effort to destroy.

The vault had been specifically designed to restrain even powerful cultivators. Within its walls, the authority granted to the Vault Keeper rivaled that of the Peak Head himself. Even someone as powerful as High Elder Shatter Peak could only rely on brute force.

Fortunately... He had finally broken through.

The burly man stepped into the corridor. His crimson vitality still flowed around him in violent waves, carrying the unmistakable aura of suppressed fury. His eyes immediately swept through the surrounding passages.

They were completely empty. There was no sign of Taegong or of Little Bull. The silence only made his anger burn hotter as it had already been far too long. He had absolutely no idea where Taegong had taken the young disciple.

"I swear..." High Elder Shatter Peak growled. "If anything happens to Little Bull..."

The veins on his fists bulged. "...I’m going to make you suffer, Taegong."

His voice carried enough killing intent that even the lingering formation lights seemed to tremble. Without wasting another moment, he rushed through the maze of corridors as he intended to find Taegong immediately.

Unfortunately, reality quickly reminded him just how much authority the Vault Keeper truly possessed. Every path leading toward Taegong’s private quarters remained sealed as massive stone gates had descended from the ceiling.

Entire corridors had shifted position while Formation walls continued redirecting anyone attempting to approach the central chambers. The vault itself had become a gigantic maze. High Elder Shatter Peak smashed through one wall after another.

Each time he did that another obstruction appeared, another sealed passage and another defensive formation erected itself.

"Damn it!" He slammed another punch into a reinforced gateway.

The impact shook the entire corridor as fragments of stone flew in every direction. Yet another pathway immediately sealed itself farther ahead.

The elder’s face darkened. "That turtle... He really has hidden himself inside his shell."

His fists tightened.

The vault represented one of the oldest defensive structures belonging to the Wild Peak. Its authority had accumulated over countless generations. Normally that authority existed to protect valuable treasures.

But today it had become a shield protecting a traitor.

High Elder Shatter Peak gritted his teeth. "It already took me hours just to break free."

"If I keep forcing my way toward Taegong..." He looked toward the endlessly shifting corridors. "...it’ll take even longer."

Time was the one thing he could not afford to waste. Every passing moment increased the danger surrounding Little Bull.

His expression became increasingly ugly. "This damn vault."

He looked around with unconcealed frustration. "The sect made a terrible mistake giving that man so much authority."

He had objected years ago when Taegong received complete control over the vault. Back then, many elders argued that someone meticulous and devoted to rules suited the position. They believed Taegong’s rigid personality made him trustworthy.

But now that very authority had become the greatest obstacle standing before them.

"No." High Elder Shatter Peak slowly exhaled. "This won’t work."

Brute force alone could not solve this. He needed someone whose authority exceeded Taegong’s. Someone capable of simply revoking the Vault Keeper’s permissions. His eyes suddenly brightened.

"The Peak Head." The words escaped him immediately.

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