"Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, Adviser Chu. I am grateful to you and I believe the entire world will be grateful for you as well." Lin Mu spoke.
"Indeed, Adviser Chu. If it were not for you, perhaps our supreme elder would not have a chance either." Hua San added.
"And the Hong Lin kingdom might not have lived past this either." King Hong added.
"The work of our ancestors was saved due to you, Adviser Chu." Adviser Liu said with gratitude.
Hearing the kind words of his visitors, the old man felt pleased, but at the same time, he felt a bit regretful.
"Perhaps… perhaps my choice of entering seclusion was wrong. I should have been actively involved with the kingdom these years." Adviser Chu stated.
"No, don't blame yourself, Adviser Chu. If you had not gone, perhaps we would not have had the pressure to reach the Nascent Soul realm. With you there, we would have just relied on you and forget to be prepared ourselves.
It was a very wise decision on your end." Adviser Liu spoke without hesitation.
~Sigh~
The old man sighed and shook his head.
"If only I had more time, I would have taken care of this. Breaking through at this juncture is also impossible for me. I simply don't have any longevity left." Adviser Chu said with regret.
"With the technique I used, you should still have at least a week left, adviser Chu. I'm sorry I can't do anymore, I am helpless in that aspect." Lin Mu said, finding it to be a bit sorrowful as well.
But he knew this was the harsh truth of the world and perhaps only a miracle could save the old man now.
The others seemed to resonate with Lin Mu's thoughts and felt sad as well.
"Do you have any solution, senior Xukong? This man has done so much for his kingdom and even for us, it seems unfair for him to die like this." Lin Mu asked grasping for some hope.
"I can't do much here either. Unless he got some immortal pills, to extend his longevity or managed to breakthrough it is impossible for him to live on." Xukong replied.
What Xukong didn't tell Lin Mu was that these were the orthodox methods he knew of. There were some other unorthodox methods that existed and he knew of, but those weren't something that were appropriate here.
Some were rather cruel, while others could greatly harm themselves. He also didn't think cultivators of this level were mature enough to handle it and not be tempted by them too much before falling into depravity.
'I'm sorry I can't help, but if it were you though going through this, I would not hesitate in using each and every means in my arsenal.' Xukong secretly thought.
Having gotten what they needed, Lin Mu and the rest decided to depart.
"Wait!" the old man suddenly spoke.
"Yes, Adviser Chu?" King Hong asked.
The old man's hands trembled before they entered within his robes and pulled out an old and mottled jade slip. While it looked rather bad, it was fully functional.
"Take this… it's my understanding of the Wandering sinkhole and has information about the things there. It also has a map I made of it, though beware that things change there quite often and you might get lost, regardless.
There's also the fact that it has been over five hundred years since I left the sinkhole and thus there might be many changes that have happened since then. The map and intimation might become entirely useless." Adviser Chu explained.
Hearing this, Lin Mu felt even more grateful.
"Thank you, adviser Chu. With a map it will be far more easier for us. And don't worry, even if the sinkhole has changed, and the map is useless, we shall still find a way out. We can't die yet… the world needs us." Lin Mu spoke.
"The old are the torches of the youth. It is my honor that I managed to be helpful to you." The old man replied with a little smile on his face.
Lin Mu nodded his head and took the jade slip from his hands before storing it away. Having gotten the last item they needed, Lin Mu and the rest cupped their hands before leaving the underground hall.
They would give Adviser Chu some privacy in his last few days on the world, and let him pass on his own terms.
Back at the court, Lin Mu looked through the jade slip while the others sat around. The more Lin Mu read the more shocked he got. The information recorded in the jade slip was rather large and he didn't even know if he could read it all soon.
~Sigh~
"Can't believe so many things can be written about a single place." Lin Mu muttered to himself.
King Hong and the rest looked at Lin Mu, waiting for him to proceed. After looking through the jade slip, Lin Mu looked at the rest of the people in the court.
"Looks like we are in for a rather dangerous journey." Lin Mu spoke.
"Even if it is dangerous, we need to go through it. A lot of people are relying on us." Hua San affirmed.
"Plus if we go together, our chances of survival will be higher." Hua Wu stated.
"No!" Lin Mu rejected right away.
"Huh? What happened, senior?" Hua Wu was surprised and also a bit anxious at Lin Mu's negative reaction.
"From all that I've heard and read about the Wandering sinkhole till now, I don't think you all should go there." Lin Mu replied.
"What! But we have to do it." King Hong said anxiously.
"Yes we do indeed. That's why I shall be heading there alone. I have confidence that I can escape it with my skills, but I don't know if I would be able to do the same if I had other people with me.
Please understand my concern." Lin Mu expressed.
