The air in the hall had grown heavy again, but this time it was not with grief or fear... it was the weight of revelation.

The Ice Drakes and Lin Mu's companions stood gathered around him, their

eyes burning with curiosity and unease. The name "Ninefold Crypt" still lingered in the air like a chill mist, but it was Meng Bai who broke the silence first.

"Master," he said, his voice cautious yet eager, "you said you know how to enter the Marshes of the Silent Skies safely... how exactly do we do that?"

Lin Mu looked at him for a moment, his calm gaze reflecting the light of the glacial crystals that lined the ceiling.

Meng Bai continued, "Is it through teleportation? Maybe the Right Elder used it himself. He was a Spatial Cultivator after all. Perhaps he designed a teleportation formation that directly connects to the marshes?"

The young man's assumption made sense, but Lin Mu shook his head slowly. "No. Not even teleportation works in that cursed land."

Daoist Chu raised an eyebrow. "It does not?"

Lin Mu's tone grew heavier, more solemn. "The Marshes of the Silent Skies are saturated with Baleful Energy. This energy does not merely corrupts, it also disrupts. It seeps into everything, even the fundamental laws that govern space itself. If anyone tries to teleport into that place, their spatial channel will collapse mid-transit. The Baleful Energy will eat away at the spatial Qi and tear the channel apart."

Cattaleya frowned. "Meaning?"

"Meaning" Lin Mu replied, "that anyone who tries teleporting there will not arrive at their destination. They will be lost forever in the void between worlds."

A shiver passed through the group. The thought of being trapped in endless spatial turbulence was not a fate even the most fearless cultivator wished to face.

Lin Mu looked at each of them before continuing, "So no, teleportation is not the answer. The method to enter the Marshes of the Silent Skies is far simpler, one must simply walk in."

Daoist Chu blinked, clearly surprised. "Walk in? Just like that?"

Lin Mu nodded. "Yes. But doing so without preparation means death within moments. The Baleful Energies will erode one's vitality, soul, and Qi at the same time. To enter safely, one needs a key."

Meng Bai leaned forward slightly. "A key?"

"Yes," Lin Mu said. "And the Right Elder carried one with him."

He reached into his spatial ring and withdrew an object that immediately drew everyone's attention.

Resting in his hand was a small wooden torch. Its shaft was blackened and rough, the top wrapped with a piece of charred cloth. A thick, oily fluid coated it, glistening faintly under the icy light. It looked like tar, but the faint, eerie scent it gave off was unlike anything natural.

Everyone stared at it with puzzled expressions.

Daoist Chu tilted his head. "That... is the key?"

Lin Mu nodded again. "Yes. This is called the Death Obscuring Torch. It is a unique tool created by the Ephemera Sect. It allows one to safely pass through the Baleful Energies of the Marshes by cloaking the holder's life essence. The marshes themselves perceive the bearer as one of their own, as if they were a creature born from the mire."

Cattaleya's eyes widened. "So it disguises the user from the marsh's energies?"

"Precisely," Lin Mu confirmed. "The Baleful Energy does not see them as an invader. Instead, it embraces them... or at least ignores their presence long enough to allow safe passage."

Daoist Chu stepped closer, inspecting the strange torch carefully without touching it. "And this... works?"

Lin Mu gave a faint smile. "It worked for the Right Elder, at least. That is how he managed to move freely within and out of the Marshes."

A ripple of excitement passed through the hall. For the first time, there was a tangible path forward.

Meng Bai could not help but grin. "So we can use it to enter now?"

But before hope could take root, Lin Mu shook his head once more. "No. Not all of us."

Everyone fell silent again.

Lin Mu continued, "A single Death Obscuring Torch can only conceal one person. If someone else enters alongside the holder, the marsh will detect the second presence and strike immediately. The Baleful Energy would flood toward them like a living tide."

Cattaleya's expression dimmed. "So only one person can enter safely..."

Lin Mu nodded. "Yes. This torch is a key for an individual, not a group. That is why the Ephemera Sect used many such torches to move their members. They keep a firm control on them and the torches are taken away once they leave the marshes. Only the Right Elder was high enough to have one on his person at all moments."

The excitement from moments ago had drained from the room, replaced by the cold sting of disappointment. The task ahead was monumental, no one person could handle it alone.

But before despair could take hold, Lin Mu's tone changed slightly. "However, there is hope."

Daoist Chu's head snapped up. "You mean you can make more of them?" He guessed.

Lin Mu looked down at the torch in his hand, studying the dark liquid coating it. "Not just that," he said. "I know the method to make more torches... and perhaps even create a larger version that can protect an entire group."

This time, genuine relief flooded their faces.

Monk Hushu's calm voice carried a rare note of enthusiasm. "Then it is possible

to take our full strength into the Marshes?"

"Yes," Lin Mu said firmly. "But it will take time."

Cattaleya tilted her head. "How much time?"

Lin Mu sighed softly, glancing at the flickering torch. "The process cannot be done here. The materials needed to create or empower a Death Obscuring Torch must come directly from the Marshes themselves.

Specifically, the Baleful Energy that coats its surface must be gathered in a particular way, using special formation patterns to stabilize it. Only then can it be bound to the torch safely."