Lin Mu's fight against Zerath concluded predictably, with Zerath—the Fourth Eldest—falling in fewer than a hundred moves.
While a hundred moves might sound prolonged, Lin Mu had dispatched most of the Demons in under ten moves. Only the older ones, seasoned through relentless combat and with higher cultivation bases, managed to last beyond fifty moves. Among them, Zerath stood out, enduring the highest number of exchanges.
"That was impressive, Zerath. You're definitely well-versed in combat," Lin Mu remarked with genuine praise.
"I've fought every day for the last two thousand years and have participated in four expeditions," Zerath replied proudly.
"Yeah! Elder Brother Zerath is strong!" chid in the younger siblings.
"Though, I'm still no match for Eldest Sister," Zerath admitted, his pride tempered.
"Eldest sister?" Lin Mu inquired.
"My eldest child and first daughter," Karlia explained. "She's the strongest of my children and is nearing the Fifth Tattoo Stage."
"Is she here, or is she with her father?" Lin Mu asked.
"She's back in the Demon World," Karlia replied. "In my absence, she oversees the daily tasks. She takes after her father's intelligence in that regard."
Lin Mu nodded, understanding that leaving the tribe without a major ruling figure might not be wise. While there would undoubtedly be other elders, the responsibility naturally fell to the daughter of the Chieftainess.
Sensing the shift in tone, the Demon children took the cue and dispersed.
With everyone gone, Lin Mu finally addressed the matter of his reward.
"So, what do you plan to give ?" he asked.
"I thought about giving you so pills and elixirs," Karlia began, "but I doubt they'll be of much use to soone like you."
"True, I already have plenty of those," Lin Mu agreed.
"From what I've heard from Ziran and others, you're soone who enjoys learning and exploration—much like my husband," Karlia noted.
"That's accurate," Lin Mu confird.
"In that case, I believe you'll appreciate this," Karlia said, producing a long tube about ten centiters thick.
The tube, made from the hollowed femur of so kind of beast, was inscribed with the Shamanic Script of the Demon Tribe.
Lin Mu glanced at the markings and quickly deciphered their aning.
"Bazgazeal's Lost Mausoleum?" he read aloud, surprised.
"You can read the Shamanic Script?" Karlia asked, clearly impressed.
"Yes," Lin Mu nodded.
"Did Ziran teach you?"
"No, I learned it on my own," Lin Mu replied.
"Interesting," Karlia remarked, opening the tube.
Inside was a rolled-up beast skin, aged and delicate. She carefully unrolled it onto the table, revealing a map nearly four ters long and over a ter wide.
The center featured intricate, detailed illustrations, while the margins were covered with dense, cryptic inscriptions. At a glance, Lin Mu could tell it was a map.
"A map to the mausoleum?" he guessed.
"Indeed, it leads to the final resting place of the Great Demon Bazgazeal," Karlia confird.
"A Great Demon? As in, soone on par with a Celestial?" Lin Mu asked, startled.
"Yes. Bazgazeal was a legendary Demon from several eras ago. He waged war against the Immortal Courts and nurous other powers. His strength was unparalleled—he could shatter entire mountain ranges with a single step. For a ti, he was considered the pinnacle of Demonic power," Karlia explained.
"An ancestor of yours?" Lin Mu wondered.
"Hell no," Karlia retorted. "He was the ancestor of several rival Demon Worlds and caused unimaginable chaos. In fact, he's the reason the Fifteen Major Demon Purge happened."
"Wow…" Lin Mu murmured, stunned.
"It was so devastating that the Demon Tribes split into two factions—one supporting Bazgazeal and the other opposing him alongside the Orthodox powers. It's one of the rare instances when Demon Worlds allied with the Orthodox path to defeat a common threat," Karlia elaborated.
"How did you co by this map?" Lin Mu asked.
"I'm not sure. It's been in our tribe for as long as anyone can rember. There are no records of who obtained it or when," Karlia admitted.
"Isn't it a tribal treasure? Are you sure you want to give it to ?" Lin Mu asked hesitantly.
"It's useless to us," Karlia said with a sigh. "Not only are the inscriptions incomprehensible, but if it were discovered that a Demon Tribe was searching for his mausoleum again, it could ignite another conflict. I'd rather entrust it to soone like you."
"You can't read these inscriptions either?" Lin Mu took a closer look but found the text unfamiliar.
"They resemble the Shamanic Script but are different—encrypted, perhaps. None of our elders have been able to decipher it, and we've found no reference to this script elsewhere," Karlia admitted.
"Did Ziran attempt to decipher it?" Lin Mu asked.
"Many tis. He even organized a search once, but it yielded nothing. I'm not even sure this mausoleum exists anymore. You can have the map if you want it. If not, I can offer you sothing else," Karlia said with finality.
Lin Mu studied the map again, intrigued by its mystery and the potential it held.
"It's fine, I'll keep it." Lin Mu was rather interested in sothing like this and it was a unique thing to have, even if he wouldn't be able to do much with it.
As a final choice, he could always return it back later, or perhaps sell it off to so collector through Lady Kang. From what he had heard from her, there was a major market for maps like these.
Another major advantage that Lin Mu had was the knowledge of Xukong.
"Do you know anything about this Senior?" Lin Mu asked in his mind.
"Hmm… The na does seem a bit familiar but there have been many other Great Demons before. As for the script I can't read it either, you'll need to find soone else that does." Xukong answered, erasing the advantage that Lin Mu thought he had.
'I guess I can always look for clues later.' Lin Mu reckoned he might find sothing in his travels.
He had a lot to see after all.
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