Lin Mu extended his immortal sense, sweeping through the air, across the broken earth, and into the depths of the crater. "I cannot detect anything. No runes, no energy lines, no stabilizing formations. It is as though the mass existed entirely outside conventional techniques."

"That may be precisely what makes it dangerous," Monk Hushu said, his tone deep. "It could be the product of a forbidden art, one that bypasses the need for formations and instead anchors itself directly into the natural leylines. If that is the case, then it is no simple matter."

Lin Mu frowned as he listened.

Something about the entire scenario felt inconsistent. "In the ravines, we at least found traces of bandits," he said. "There were humans who could have helped create or protect such a thing. But here in the steppes, there are no bandits, no settlements, and no nearby cultivator groups other than the pastoral clans. How could something like this form without anyone noticing?"

Elyon answered without hesitation. "Fifty people have disappeared here over the past few months," he said. "In the ravines, the number was much higher—around one hundred and twenty."

Lin Mu crossed his arms, the edge of concern sharpening his expression. "That difference may be important. Perhaps the scale of these masses depends on the number of lives sacrificed. The more victims, the faster it grows. But that still leaves the question of who is conducting these rituals. It might not always be the same group of people."

Cattaleya’s voice was steady but tense. "If there are mortals or even rogue cultivators aiding the Ephemera Sect, then this corruption may already be spreading farther than we think."

Monk Hushu nodded gravely. "We will need to investigate the nearby settlements and trading posts. Someone must have seen or heard something. Those disappearances could not have gone unnoticed forever."

Lin Mu’s immortal sense pulsed outward once more, searching for any lingering traces of movement or concealed energy. All he found was the faint warmth of life returning to the frozen ground, and the gentle hum of nature mending itself.

Still, the feeling in his chest did not ease.

"We will need to act quickly," he said. "If the Ephemera Sect is behind this, then they are not only spreading corruption but also testing something new. Whatever these masses are, they are not simply remnants of evil... they are part of a process."

He looked to each of them in turn. "We will divide our efforts. I will continue investigating the energy residue here. Elyon, you and Cattaleya should check the perimeter for any lingering traces of malevelent energy or elemental distortion. Monk Hushu and Daoist Chu, search for anomalies in the local leyline structure. Meng Bai, stay close to me."

As the group nodded and dispersed into motion, Lin Mu glanced once more into the crater.

The last traces of the malevolent mass had already been burned away, leaving only darkened soil and faintly glowing fragments of energy. Yet even as it faded, he could not shake the feeling that it was only a fragment of something much larger—an omen of a design that reached beyond their sight.

The cold wind swept through the steppes, carrying with it the sound of melting snow and distant thunder. Whatever awaited them next, Lin Mu knew this discovery was not an end, but the beginning of something far darker.

The group spent the next several hours combing through the surrounding region, each of them spreading out in a wide formation.

Their immortal senses stretched to the farthest edges of their range, brushing over the sparse trees, distant hills, and plains as they searched for any hint of ritual residue or concealed energy.

The steppes were vast and quiet, the melting snow giving way to damp earth and patches of frost-kissed grass. Every gust of wind carried the lingering chill of what had once been an unnatural storm, but now it felt more like nature reclaiming balance.

Lin Mu hovered in the air, his gaze scanning the horizon while his immortal sense swept the land beneath him in waves.

Each pulse of perception came back empty. No traces of Yin Qi, no corrupt formations, not even the faint ripple of disturbed leylines. It was as though whatever foul presence had been here was completely erased the moment the blackened mass had been destroyed.

By the time dusk began to tint the sky with shades of gold and violet, the others had also finished their individual searches. One by one, they returned to the open plateau where they had started. Elyon descended from the shadows of the clouds, Cattaleya landed with Meng Bai at her side, and Daoist Chu and Monk Hushu approached from opposite directions.

They exchanged brief looks before Lin Mu finally spoke. "Nothing?" he asked.

"Nothing," Elyon replied with a shake of his head. "The terrain is clean. No traces of ritual marks, no concentrations of Yin Qi. Even the leyline flow is stable now."

Daoist Chu sighed quietly. "The earth itself has sealed over the wound, it seems. Whatever corruption was feeding here, it has been cut off completely."

Cattaleya folded her arms, her expression thoughtful. "Then we have reached a dead end. We know the source of the corruption was that mass, but we still do not know how it was created or who might have caused it."

Monk Hushu pressed his palms together and spoke in a calm, steady tone. "If we cannot find answers here, then we must seek them from those who live upon this land. The people may have seen something that our senses cannot."

Lin Mu nodded in agreement. "We will check with the local Pastoral clans and the nearby settlements. If there were disappearances connected to this, the locals will know."

They quickly formed a plan.

Lin Mu, Cattaleya, and Meng Bai would visit the Pastoral clans scattered across the steppes, while Elyon, Daoist Chu, and Monk Hushu would travel to the markets and settlements that lay farther to the east and south.

They agreed to regroup by midnight if possible.