The Decaying World

The far north of the Federation.

A massive sphere of water floated in the sky.

The blue-black sphere turned slowly, extending countless fine tentacles that connected to the surface of the Jade Sea below.

The Bright Heart Association Leader floated before the sphere of water, his hands clasped behind his back. He watched two streaks of blue-gold light rapidly approaching from the distance.

The streaks of light flew closer, decelerated, and finally came to a stop less than a hundred meters before him, revealing their forms.

They were two tall men with gills on their faces.

One of them wore ornate, blue-gold heavy armor, and his lower body was a black, serpentine tail, like that of a giant python.

The other wore a crown of pure white coral. His face was handsome, and on his back, he carried two hollow, white halberds that shimmered with silver and gold halos.

Beyond that, the most conspicuous feature was the translucent white halos constantly spreading out in circles from beneath them.

That was the unique halo amplification of a Fog Spirit...

"You’ve come a long way. It seems you are indeed sincere." A slight smile slowly appeared on the Bright Heart Association Leader’s face as he watched them arrive.

"Since this is a collaboration, you have shown your sincerity, and we must reciprocate in kind." The crowned man smiled. When he spoke, it was as if the voices of countless men and women, old and young, were overlapping, creating a tone that was both sacred and majestic. It naturally stirred echoes all around.

"Choosing me is the most correct path you have ever taken." The Bright Heart Association Leader’s smile faded. "Both you and I exist in this world. We should both understand that a change must be made..."

"Indeed. Haiming is the gentlest and most suitable path we have chosen... The Supreme Sea Abyss has no consciousness, no sorrow or joy, no life or death. It operates only according to fixed laws, offering a greater chance of survival than the other Pollution Powers." The crowned man nodded.

"It seems you understand everything. In that case..." The Bright Heart Association Leader extended his hand, palm up.

"Welcome aboard."

CLASP.

The crowned man smiled, stepped forward, and gently placed his blue-scaled right hand on the other’s palm.

"I have already persuaded the other five Highnesses. With their participation, we will surely succeed!"

"Of course. Back then, even when the emperor suppressed you by riding the momentum of the world, he failed to kill you higher Divine Powers. He won’t be able to now, either!" The Bright Heart Association Leader nodded.

*

*

*

Black Cloud, Emerald Valley.

Dense crowds of craftsmen, Array Mages, and Martial Artists withdrew from the valley’s surroundings, marking the final completion today of the massive array that had been under construction for over seven years.

Lin Hui and the other key members of the Qingfeng Daoist Sect stood outside the valley.

It wasn’t just them; every living person in Emerald Valley Town had been evacuated and was now gathered in all directions, waiting for the array’s official activation.

Over the past eight years, Lin Hui had laid out this vast array that covered the entire Emerald Valley. His goal, like that of the three City Lords, was to build his own floating territory.

And now, after pouring in immense amounts of resources and money, this array was finally complete.

The Qingfeng Daoist Sect had spent over six million Feather Blood on it, along with a vast quantity of precious materials that were priceless and had no market.

This was the first time Lin Hui had constructed a large-scale site relying entirely on himself, rather than the Blood Seal.

Since a great war was imminent, he was also prepared to bring out all the preparations he had made over the years and activate them before the conflict began.

"Daoist Master, all nine hundred thirty-two secondary arrays have been activated. We can activate the main array at any time."

Wang Hongshi was the main person in charge of this construction. He looked much more mature now than before; after all, he was a man in his thirties or forties... no longer the young disciple who used to stay by Lin Hui’s side.

With his aptitude for Martial Arts, reaching Great Success in the perfect version of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship—comparable to the Circulation Realm—was perhaps his limit... At that rate, his lifespan would be less than two hundred years. And now, with the acceleration of decay, his lifespan would be reduced even further...

OMMM!

The humming of the arrays activating grew louder.

Lin Hui quickly pulled his wandering thoughts back.

He glanced at the enormous blue-black rift overhead. Around the Haiming rift, a large number of floating, black-crystal arrays had been constructed.

They formed a gigantic black ring, precisely enclosing the entire rift.

At this moment, Martial Artists, dense as ants, were using Summoning to ride Moth Cars through the sky, continuously transporting materials upward.

The entire sky above Black Cloud had been transformed into a bustling construction site. From time to time, strong winds would blow down scraps of array materials.

Many residents of the Outer City below had also gathered, looking up with spyglasses to watch the array’s construction.

"Begin..." Lin Hui ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

Wang Hongshi turned and activated the relic in his hand, which was used to communicate with all the craftsmen.

With a RUMBLE, the entire Emerald Valley began to shake violently.

The valley floor began to slowly bulge from between the two mountains, levitate, and rise.

Large clumps of broken earth constantly fell from the valley’s edges, among which one could see the roots of plants that had been violently torn apart.

Before everyone’s astonished eyes, the valley floor slowly ascended—fifty meters, one hundred meters, two hundred meters.

Only then did it stabilize and stop moving.

Viewed from below, the entire valley looked like a giant spinning top. Its gray underside glittered with dense points of white light—the activation points of the secondary arrays.

"Array status stable."

"All secondary arrays are normal."

"Main array output is normal. All indicators are within safe fluctuation ranges."

"Energy furnace combustion is normal."

"Wind-resistance array activated."

"Basic protective barrier activated."

As one component after another activated smoothly, Black Cloud City’s fourth floating mountain was finally, officially complete.

After confirming that everything was in order, all the Qingfeng Daoist Disciples present erupted in a deafening cheer.

This floating mountain didn’t just represent a home that was completely their own; it also represented the true establishment of the Qingfeng Daoist Sect as the fourth major power within Black Cloud City.

It wasn’t a matter of money or resources. Many great clans in the city had the wealth, but the core arrays were controlled by the three City Lords. Without their permission, a floating mountain was meaningless even if built, as its use would not be permitted.

Lin Hui’s approval meant that from this day forward, the Qingfeng Daoist Sect’s status in Black Cloud was unique—the fourth power.

"Go on, take a look."

Lin Hui smiled and said.

SWOOSH!

In an instant, everyone who could fly shot up from the ground, soaring straight toward the floating mountain.

A dense crowd of hundreds flew up the mountain at the same time. Lin Hui’s figure flashed, and he instantly appeared at the edge of the floating mountain, landing gently.

Standing on the edge and looking down, the entire surrounding terrain of Black Cloud was laid out before his eyes.

OMMM.

As layer after layer of translucent Protective Arrays activated, the outside scenery was tinged with a faint blur.

The howling winds were shut out, and the frigid temperature was blocked as well.

Heat naturally radiating from the energy furnace seeped up from underground, and the temperature of the entire floating mountain began to rise rapidly.

Cheers could be heard from all over the mountain.

"Next is to perfect the supply chain. Food, drinking water, and waste disposal all need to be properly maintained." Lin Hui turned to look at the approaching Wang Hongshi.

"Yes, you can rest assured. Everything is being arranged," Wang Hongshi nodded. "The plans provided by the three City Lords include very mature solutions."

"Very good. You can go. The mountain has just been floated, so there are still many things that need your attention. After it’s all done, all of us from the Qingfeng Daoist Sect can have a proper gathering. Right here, on Emerald Valley," Lin Hui said with a smile.

"Daoist Master, it was called a valley before because it was wedged between mountains. Now that it’s up in the sky, shouldn’t we give it a new name? For good fortune?" Wang Hongshi suggested.

’A new name...’ Lin Hui gazed at the vast district of the Black Cloud Outer City below.

"Since our Qingfeng Daoist Sect has settled here, we should mark it with a new name. We shall take from our own name and combine it with this place’s original name. Let it be called Qingfei."

"Qingfei... a good name!" Wang Hongshi nodded with a smile. "By that logic, this isn’t a valley anymore, it’s a floating mountain. So its full name is... Qingfei Mountain!"

"Go on..." Lin Hui said with a smile. "Next is to bring all our kin up."

"Yes, sir."

Wang Hongshi withdrew.

The smile on Lin Hui’s face slowly faded, and he sighed softly.

He raised a hand and gently touched the center of his sternum. Through his clothes, he could feel an egg-sized depression there.

It was a cavity.

After sorting his qi and cultivating the third level of the Star Breath Sword Manual, his body hadn’t changed at all. He still relied on the Annihilation Sacred Form to slowly strengthen his constitution.

But as time went on, the sword-point depression on his chest had become a dark, gaping hole that led to an unknown destination.

The hole caused no pain or discomfort. It was completely inert; if he didn’t touch it, it was as if it didn’t exist.

Inside, it was bottomless.

Lin Hui had once tested it with a long thread, feeding in a full several hundred meters, and the thread could still go deeper.

Now that the array was complete, the spiritual land project was over, and the Blood Seal was also free.

He finally had time to check what this thing was.

Placing a hand over the cavity, Lin Hui summoned the Blood Seal in his mind and focused his Heart and Spirit on the black hole.

Soon, feedback from the Blood Seal refreshed.

’Nether-Aperture: A special mark that appears on those who should have already died. It connects to the Netherworld. Normally, all living beings are born with a certain amount of life force. This life force, combined with their innate structural material, determines their total lifespan. When life force is exhausted, a creature will die from various accidents. When their structure wears out, they will die from sickness and old age. When life force is exhausted, but the structural material is far from being worn out, a Nether-Aperture will appear after a certain period of time.’

’Nether-Aperture...’ Lin Hui understood. His body should have died long ago. He had survived for so long that his life force was completely exhausted, yet his physical form had only grown stronger. That was why the Nether-Aperture had appeared.

He checked it again with the Blood Seal, but the explanation was the same. It mentioned no harms or benefits.

So he decided to ignore it for the time being.

’Next, I need to evolve an array that can amplify our forces and suppress the enemy’s.’

Lin Hui quickly set his enhancement target on one of the arrays he had learned and mastered over the past few years.

’This type of array must be able to recycle energy, and it needs to draw from a wide variety of energy sources. Otherwise, it could easily face a situation of energy depletion.’

As a Deputy City Lord, he had long made these preparations. The target array for this evolution was a new, integrated array he had specially commissioned Array Mages to modify and design, with a focus on strengthening these very elements—the basic protective barrier.

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