Lin Mo nodded. "No coincidence at all. He personally constructed the Spatial Layering Arrays that shielded their many bases and created false zones. Even the most powerful formation masters and spatial experts would fail to find them. It is almost poetic that his own gift was turned against him."

"What else did you learn that might be considered important?" Lin Mu asked next.

"I suppose it would be the current goals of the Ephemera Sect. The most surprising part is that they have changed their goal entirely ever since encountering you or rather... Us." Lin Mo replied.

"How so?" Lin Mu asked.

"The Ephemera Sect were originally looking for a proper vessel for the Ephemera Tree so that it could properly revive from its slumber. And they had been following a prophecy for it. But after you destroyed their allies, they realized you were not the one prophesied to save them, but the one to destroy them.

As such, they are now focused on cutting their losses and escaping instead." Lin Mo stated.

"Escaping?" Lin Mu hadn't expected that at all.

Lin Mu's eyes flickered, a faint glimmer of grim satisfaction appearing within them. "And the rest?"

Lin Mo gestured toward the floating memories. "I have already sorted everything. There is too much for me to explain in detail. It would be faster if you absorb them directly!"

Lin Mu thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright."

Raising his hand, he summoned the flow of spiritual energy from the heart of his mind space.

The glowing screens dissolved into countless motes of light that merged into a single river of golden energy. It curved and twisted in the air like a celestial current before descending toward him.

As the river touched him, Lin Mu closed his eyes.

The flow of memories struck like a tide. Images, sensations, and voices flooded his consciousness; rituals under moonlight, laboratories filled with jade vats, old men whispering secrets of immortality, and the twisted laughter of zealots who believed in eternal illusion.

He saw the marshes shrouded in gray fog, the distorted passageways of the Ninefold Crypt, and the faces of the twelve High Priests seated around an obsidian altar.

Each vision came with weight and knowledge, pressing into Lin Mu's mind, burning themselves into his soul.

Time flowed differently within his mind space. What felt like moments to Lin Mu was, in truth, more than an hour in the real world. When the last fragment of memory dissolved into his being, the river faded, leaving calm silence behind.

Lin Mu opened his eyes once more, feeling the heavy stillness of understanding settle within him.

When he returned to the real world, the first thing he saw was the circle of familiar faces waiting for him. The Ice Drakes stood watchful, their gazes fixed on him. Monk Hushu's chanting had stopped long ago, and even Daoist Chu's normally patient face was lined with worry.

"Lin Mu," Cattaleya said carefully, "you were gone for a long time. Did you learn anything?"

Lin Mu nodded slowly, exhaling.

His voice was steady when he spoke. "The one I killed... was the Right Elder of the Ephemera Sect. He was the third strongest among their ranks, and the one responsible for most of their operations. Because of his Spatial Skills, they were able to move unseen throughout the entire Silent Lotus World."

The revelation landed like a thunderclap.

Daoist Chu's eyes widened. "The Right Elder? You mean he's the one who commands their teleportation networks and hidden sanctums?"

Lin Mu inclined his head. "Yes. That is the one."

For a few seconds, the hall was silent.

Then the Elder Ice Drake let out a slow, rumbling breath that sent faint cracks through the frost beneath his feet. "Then you have struck a blow they will not recover from easily," he said, his voice deep with satisfaction. "One of the heads of the serpent has been severed."

Meng Bai clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with excitement. "That is incredible, Master! You destroyed one of their greatest assets!"

But Lin Mu's gaze did not hold triumph. His expression remained composed, his tone calm when he continued, "That is merely the beginning. There is more."

The room tensed again.

"I now know how to enter the Marshes of the Silent Skies safely" Lin Mu said slowly. "Not only that... I know how to reach the true hideout of the Ephemera Sect. Their core base is located deep within those marshes, in a place they call the Ninefold Crypt."

Every pair of eyes in the hall widened. Even the Elder Ice Drake's composure wavered.

Elyon's voice dropped to a whisper. "The Ninefold Crypt... that legend was true?"

Lin Mu nodded once. "It exists, and it is where their leader resides. Every operation, every ritual, every experiment is tied back to that place. The marshes are filled with illusionary layers and traps powered by Baleful energies, designed to kill intruders, but I now have the means to traverse them."

A heavy silence settled over the group.

The Ice Drakes exchanged uneasy glances. Even Cattaleya, usually fearless, looked momentarily concerned. The Marshes of the Silent Skies had long been known as the most treacherous region of the Silent Lotus World, a forbidden zone where even the heavens seemed twisted.

After a long pause, the Elder Ice Drake spoke again, his tone filled with awe and resolve. "For countless generations, no one has dared step into that cursed land. If you truly possess the path, Lin Mu, then the tide of this war has changed."

Lin Mu looked at him quietly. "Then it is time we prepared. The storm will not wait."

The Elder Ice Drake nodded, his eyes gleaming like frozen stars. "When the day of reckoning arrives, the Ice Drakes will stand beside you once more."

Lin Mu's gaze swept across his companions, then softened. "Good. We will need every ally we can find."

Above them, the faint hum of the Ice Palace's crystal ceiling echoed like a distant heartbeat, as if the world itself was listening to the oath that had just been spoken.