The Decaying World

In essence, the stronger the corrosive effects of the Disaster Energy, the more of it Lin Hui could command and unleash. He should have been happy about it.

But having seen the Purgatory Extreme Cold Heaven, Lin Hui knew very well that the Wind Disaster Energy, which was much stronger than the other two, was fundamentally the same type of power. If the Wind Calamity were to fully erupt and spread, what could this world possibly use to suppress it?

Back at the Daoist academy, he carefully inspected his entire body’s condition, then sat in meditation and slowly sank into a state of comprehension.

Normally, he would fully enter his unformed Death Sacred Form to comprehend its missing parts.

But this time, for some unknown reason, the process of comprehension was different from usual.

Without realizing it, he drifted into a half-awake, half-asleep state.

’Do you feel it?’

A vague, faint voice whispered in his ear.

’All things have breath...’ The voice was ancient and profound, its archaic tone laced with a solemn gravity.

’Hear it... yield to it...’

"Who are you?!" Lin Hui’s mind snapped awake. His guard shot up as he questioned it with his Heart and Spirit.

"The clear and the murky of heaven and earth, the great origins exchange. In the wind, I am immortal..." the voice gently returned.

"This world is so defiled... Come... call upon me... Purge the evil, and set the universe right!"

In the darkness before Lin Hui’s eyes, a somewhat familiar figure suddenly flashed into view.

In a daze, he seemed to see himself floating above a massive green planet.

And across from him, in the cosmic expanse, floated an old man in a green robe with white hair, larger than the planet itself.

The old man’s face was benevolent, but his eyes blazed with a blinding, seven-colored light. On his back, he carried a slender blade in an equally colorful scabbard.

Yet, even though the man’s appearance seemed righteous, solemn, and possessed the air of an immortal sage...

...a discomfort welled up from the depths of his soul, making him feel an immense, instinctual threat.

"You are... Qimei..."

Lin Hui recognized him and was just about to speak the name.

PUFF.

Everything before his eyes instantly vanished.

He took a sharp breath, snapping out of his trance. He was drenched in sweat, sitting cross-legged in his cultivation room, his heart pounding frantically.

It took him a long while to calm his body down.

Lowering his head, Lin Hui reached out and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

’This is trouble...’ He didn’t think it was a dream. Ever since his cultivation had reached a certain level, he hadn’t dreamt in a very, very long time.

Let alone a dream so vivid and pointed.

Standing up, Lin Hui took another deep breath. He was about to go out to clean up and change his clothes.

Suddenly, he froze. He turned and looked at the air behind him, where an irregular, strip-like blue rift had appeared at some point.

The rift was only as long as his little finger and as wide as a fingernail. Fine blue particles were drifting out of it silently.

Lin Hui’s expression changed slightly. He quickly extended a hand, slowly approaching the drifting blue particles.

Slowly, as he got closer, he could faintly feel the increasingly dense Wind Disaster Energy brushing against his fingertip.

’This... couldn’t be a gateway to the world of the Wind Calamity... could it?!’ Lin Hui’s heart raced.

He quickly scanned his surroundings. Guiding his Inner Strength, he controlled an inkstone from his desk and flew it over, trying to block the path of the blue particles.

But before the inkstone could even get close, while it was still halfway there, it was struck by the blue particles. It began to silently disintegrate, turning into a cloud of identical blue particles in a matter of seconds, which then diluted into the surrounding air and vanished...

Seeing this, Lin Hui finally understood. This was big trouble!!

His expression grim, he took an object from his waist with one hand and pressed it against the rift.

It was an isolation relic he had collected over the past few years, of Treasure-grade. For him now, anything less than Treasure-grade would be useless.

The object was a brass item shaped like a peach. After getting close to the blue rift, it took less than five seconds before it went POP, exploding into a cloud of copper-colored powder that plugged the rift.

Lin Hui seized the opportunity, pressing his palm forward to rapidly absorb the Disaster Energy that had escaped into the surroundings. He then made sure the relic’s copper powder sealed the rift even more tightly.

He waited like this for quite a while. Only after confirming that no more Disaster Energy was leaking out did he slowly release his hand and exhale.

’I hope this holds for a while. Once the Blood Seal is free, I can deal with this properly...’

*

*

*

Far away, deep within the Crystal Sea, in a pitch-black Sea Abyss tens of thousands of meters below the surface.

A colossal, dark-green vessel, comparable in size to half of Black Cloud City, moved slowly and silently amidst countless crystals.

The ship resembled a massive cargo vessel without sails, its entire body covered in silver patterns. A huge character for "Sea" was carved on its side.

Inside the ship, within a bright, white, spherical hall.

Three tall figures in black cloaks with silver embroidery appeared silently by a small door on the hall’s wall.

"Leila, Han Zhugui, and Xiao Dinghu greet you, Marshal!"

The three had just entered when they bowed in unison to a slender, green-haired man floating in mid-air.

"The news is already out. Everyone knows. I’m the last one to find out. What good are you to me now?"

The floating, green-haired man didn’t even open his eyes. His calm tone held a hidden trace of ruthlessness.

"We are at fault! Please, Marshal, give us another chance!" The man at the front of the trio had a grim expression as he cupped his fist and pleaded earnestly.

"Two Blue Bloods were killed. These were elite figures at the Blood Progenitor level, yet they died during a two-on-one punitive pursuit mission... So what’s next? What kind of remedy have you prepared?" the green-haired man said coldly.

"That Xia Si is definitely a huge problem. The three of us are prepared to act personally. We will capture them in one fell swoop," the leader of the trio answered quickly.

"That’s not all. In Black Cloud’s upper echelons, both the Extreme Desire Heaven and the Taixu Disk have noticed our movements. You don’t have much time..." the green-haired man said in a low voice. "If you alert The Three Great City Lords prematurely and ruin the Association Leader’s plan... you know the consequences!"

"Yes!"

The three bowed their heads in succession, sweat seeping through the backs of their clothes.

This plan was similar to their previous operations of secretly infiltrating and controlling other cities. The only difference was Black Cloud’s Great City Lord. His power was extremely troublesome. Even knowing about his hidden Evil Energy abilities, it would be very difficult to truly defeat him.

"All of you, leave. Regarding Xia Si, you have one last chance. If you still fail, I will act myself!" the green-haired man said icily.

*

*

*

「Early November.」

Lin Hui changed his usual habit of wandering around to cultivate. He completely fixed his cultivation spot to the cultivation room in the Daoist academy. He even gave specific orders that no one but him was allowed to enter, stating that there was a hidden danger inside.

Although the others at the academy were confused, the territory belonged to Lin Hui. He could arrange it however he pleased, and no one else had a say.

Xia Si’s whereabouts remained unknown, but the Bright Heart Association’s attack on the martial academy had put the Black Cloud Black Army on high alert, with strict patrols being conducted everywhere.

After the two officials in charge of the case were successively attacked and killed, the third time they were replaced by a Blood Progenitor noble from Extreme Desire Heaven, who personally led the team.

Then, on the third day of his investigation, the case escalated.

The Black Army was routed by a mysterious person, and the leading Blood Progenitor was severely injured. The Three City Lords were enraged. Gongsun Xinlian took charge personally, investigating the case and launching a major purge against the Bright Heart Association.

*

*

*

「Inner City, Song Family estate.」

Song Yunhui, Lin Xiaoliu, and Xu Yaya filed through the main gate and entered a somewhat desolate courtyard.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged woman whose figure had lost its shape and was slightly chubby, her short hair tied in two bunches, was squatting on the ground, roasting a free-range chicken over a fire.

"Mom, I brought some classmates over." Song Yunhui had the appearance of a well-behaved, model student, with straight-cut bangs and glasses. He always wore a thick, black, high-collared long coat and tended to speak meekly when outside.

At home, however, his voice was full of vigor.

"Ah, you’re finally here! I’ve been roasting this chicken for ages. Come on over, just sit on the ground. I just finished mopping it clean." The middle-aged woman said with a grin, pointing to three spots by the fire.

"Mom, stop dawdling. We came here to discuss what to do next. That person in purple robes has attacked me at least three times. We can’t just keep reacting passively, can we?" Song Yunhui said helplessly.

"Haven’t Black Cloud’s higher-ups already started to take action?" the middle-aged woman said with a smile.

"I don’t think it’s enough." Song Yunhui shook his head. "That group has been hunting us from the beginning, and now they’re just getting more aggressive. The official forces alone can’t protect us."

"Auntie, what’s the deal with that person in the purple robe? Why do they keep hunting Yunhui?" Lin Xiaoliu couldn’t help but ask softly.

"It’s a powerful organization called the Bright Heart Association." The middle-aged woman’s smile faded. "Their power is terrifying. To escape them, this is already the third city district we’ve moved to..."

"Can’t we seek shelter in the Moon Tower?" Xu Yaya, who was to the side, questioned. "The Moon Tower is where big shots from Extreme Desire Heaven and the Taixu Disk live. It must be the safest place."

"They aren’t afraid of Blood Progenitors." Song Yunhui shook his head. "You don’t understand how strong the Bright Heart Association is... The terror is omnipresent, pervasive. Anyone who hasn’t experienced it firsthand can’t possibly imagine it!"

"Yunhui is right. I had him bring you two back because if you were on your own, not understanding the terror of the Bright Heart Association, you’d likely be ’dealt with’ in one go after they targeted you. We really have dragged you into this... Regardless, we must find a way to ensure your safety," the middle-aged woman said gravely.

Then, she began to explain in detail to the two girls everything they had experienced on their journey fleeing to Black Cloud.

It could be said that no one they encountered was a match for the Bright Heart Association. They seemed omnipotent, unbeatable.

Listening to this, Xu Yaya and Lin Xiaoliu felt a chill in their hearts, their bodies trembling involuntarily.

"Does that mean... we’re doomed?!" Xu Yaya’s face was filled with terror.

"No... there’s still a chance. As long as we seize the opportunity to escape Black Cloud, their organization has a certain delay time. Their reaction, pursuit, and search will give us a large enough window to relocate and flee," Song Yunhui said in a low voice.

"So, you’re planning to take us with you?" Lin Xiaoliu frowned.

"Yes." Song Yunhui nodded.

"But this had nothing to do with us in the first place! What right do they have to kill us too?" Lin Xiaoliu said, indignant.

"The Bright Heart Association is just that tyrannical. Do you think they’ll reason with you?" the middle-aged woman sighed.

"Is there really no other way? I don’t want to leave Black Cloud! My parents and grandparents are all here. If I run, what will happen to them?" Xu Yaya was just an ordinary girl, and by now she was completely at a loss.

"What about finding the Three City Lords?" Lin Xiaoliu frowned. "The Three City Lords are the strongest people in Black Cloud!"

"It’s useless. Would the City Lords protect us every second of every day?" Song Yunhui gave a bitter smile.

SWISH!

Suddenly, Lin Xiaoliu gritted her teeth and shot to her feet.

"I’m not leaving. I can’t believe that this Bright Heart Association is so powerful based on just a few words from you."

"Then what do you plan to do?" Song Yunhui was stunned.

"At this point, the only thing to do is ask my big brother to handle it," Lin Xiaoliu said seriously.

"Wha...???"

The three of them stared at each other, speechless.

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