Lin Mu watched in silence, the faint hum of the communication array echoing softly through the chamber as La Yu's shackled form straightened, preparing to speak.
The image of La Yu flickered slightly within the communication array, his figure wavering like a reflection on rippling water. The faint hum of the formation filled the chamber, creating a tense silence that pressed against the walls.
Lin Mu stood unmoving, his eyes fixed on the man, while Daoist Chu
maintained the array with a steady hand. The faint scent of spirit incense wafted through the room, doing little to ease the chill that seed to have settled there.
La Yu's face was pale and drenched in cold sweat.
His breathing was uneven, and every ti his gaze t Lin Mu's, he instinctively lowered his eyes, as though unable to look directly at him. His entire body trembled... not just from fear of his captors, but from the mories that haunted him.
For La Yu, Lin Mu was not just another cultivator or interrogator.
He was the Magma Asura, the monster who had walked through rivers of molten earth and turned the Drowned Crescent Cult's stronghold into a sea of ruin.
He rembered that day vividly; the roar of collapsing caverns, the unbearable heat that lted stone, and the silhouette of a man bathed in magma, walking untouched as if the flas themselves bowed before him.
Even now, months later, that mory was enough to make his heart race and his spirit tremble.
He swallowed hard, his shackles clinking faintly as he lifted his head. "H-honored Immortal L-Lin Mu..." he began, his voice shaky. "I... I have information that might be linked to the Greater Ice Elental's appearance. And perhaps... perhaps even the treasure you are looking for."
Lin Mu did not speak.
His expression remained calm, unreadable. The silence stretched between them, growing heavier with every heartbeat. The only sound was the faint hum of the array and the distant crackle of spiritual energy flowing through its
runes.
La Yu's breath hitched.
The weight of Lin Mu's gaze alone made him feel as though his heart were being squeezed. He tried to find words, but before he could speak further, Lin Mu finally broke the silence.
"You are certain of this?" Lin Mu asked, his tone quiet yet sharper than a blade. "You are not lying to , I hope. Because if this turns out to be a trick..." He took a step closer to the projection, his aura flickering faintly in response, a subtle manifestation of pressure that made even Daoist Chu glance at him from the corner of his eye. "...you will regret it quickly."
La Yu shuddered violently, bowing his head so fast that the shackles rattled. "N-no! I wouldn't dare!" he blurted. "I swear by my soul, I'm telling the truth!"
Before Lin Mu could speak again, another voice echoed from behind the bound man, calm but commanding. "You need not worry, Lin Mu. We have already ensured that he can only speak the truth."
The image shifted slightly, revealing a figure standing behind La Yu, a one eyed old man with elegant robes that seed to shimr faintly like embers. His white beard was long and yet neatly primped, and his lone sharp eye glead with quiet authority.
"Grand Elder Huo," Daoist Chu said, acknowledging him with a respectful nod.
The old man inclined his head slightly in greeting before continuing. "We administered a compound known as the False Tongue Punisher," he said. "A rather unpleasant concoction derived from a venomous insect of the Southern Immortal Court's Blight worlds.
It functions similarly to a Truth Serum but with far more reliable results. Should he attempt to lie, the poison will react violently and cause pain greater than a million needles piercing every ridian in his body."
He gave a small, humorless smile. "We tested it, of course, and set a baseline. It works as intended."
La Yu trembled from the events he had faced just a few minutes earlier than this. That was partially why he was in such a haggard state.
Lin Mu's expression softened slightly. "Good," he said. "That saves us ti."
His eyes returned to La Yu. "You may speak."
The prisoner nodded nervously, licking his dry lips before continuing. "When I first heard about this Greater Ice Elental, I wasn't sure if it had anything to do with us. But after hearing so of the details... how it manifested suddenly, the type of energy surrounding it... it made rember sothing. A mission we were given a few years ago, before our... destruction."
Lin Mu tilted his head slightly. "A mission?"
"Yes," La Yu said, his voice growing steadier now that he was speaking. "It wasn't only the Drowned Crescent Cult involved, but several of our allied sects as well. The task ca from higher up in the network, from those who dealt with our more... secret patrons."
Daoist Chu exchanged a glance with Lin Mu. They both knew what that likely ant, the mysterious figures behind the cult, the Ephera Sect themselves.
"What was the mission?" Lin Mu asked.
La Yu took a deep breath. "We were told to locate and capture if not kill a certain kind of beast. A very specific one. The instructions were clear, but the reason behind it was never explained to us."
Lin Mu's brows furrowed slightly. "What beast?"
"Ice Drakes," La Yu said, his voice almost a whisper. "We were told to hunt Ice Drakes."
For a mont, the room fell silent. Even the hum of the array seed to fade
into the background. Daoist Chu blinked, while Lin Mu's eyes narrowed ever so
slightly.
"Ice Drakes..." Lin Mu repeated slowly.
He leaned back slightly, crossing his arms as he thought about what that
implied.
Ice Drakes were among the most dangerous elental beasts in existence. Descendants of the True Dragons, they retained fragnts of draconic blood within their veins. Even a single Ice Drake was a calamity for mortals and cultivators alike.
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