The Decaying World

May.

Zhenlong Divine Palace.

In the depths of the Jade Sea, tens of thousands of meters beneath the waves on the ocean floor.

Here, in the abyssal darkness of the seabed.

A massive, round archway stood silently in the heart of the darkness, emitting a soft, white fluorescence that illuminated the surrounding area for several miles.

The archway had a peculiar design. Its upper half was a giant pearlescent scallop shell, while the lower half was a doorframe formed from countless dark red corals.

The iridescent nacre of the shell’s interior reflected fine points of light in the white glow.

The frame of dark red coral, however, presented a perfect contrast—seemingly soft, yet in reality, both venomous and hard.

This enormous archway was a kilometer high and seven to eight hundred meters wide. Behind it connected a vast, colossal shadow.

Within the shadow, one could faintly discern an exquisite, ancient, three-story white palace with golden trim, standing silently in the greater depths.

A long, sloping jade staircase led to the front of the palace. At this moment, many robed, fish-headed worshippers were ascending it slowly, prostrating themselves with every step.

White jade pillars with silver patterns stood on either side of the staircase. Vicious jiaolong with ghastly pale scales slithered and coiled around them.

They were the guardians of this place, as well as the overseers.

As the dense crowd of worshippers continued to kowtow, a faint tremor suddenly transmitted through the water from far above.

WHOOSH!

The next second, a massive bubble of flowing water shot down from above at an angle.

Inside the bubble rested a colossal, dark green turtle with a pavilion on its back—it was the Great Lord Cloud Cleansing.

Behind him, Lin Hui, the giant beast Fog Person, and more than ten other Fog Spirits with immense auras all cast their gazes upon the ancient and magnificent underwater palace below.

"This is my Zhenlong Divine Palace. The others are all inside. The Boss has set up a spatial divine art here, so its external size is nothing compared to the true space within," Great Lord Cloud Cleansing explained.

"I have heard of the wonders of the Zhenlong Divine Palace before. Now, I finally have the chance to see it for myself," said an old man among the gods, one with white hair, white eyebrows, and the lower body of a white deer. He nodded with a slight smile.

"We four siblings joined forces, essentially to ensure a better chance of survival for everyone," Great Lord Cloud Cleansing said with a laugh, his tone polite toward the old man.

Among the many outlying Fog Spirits who had come to seek refuge, this old man, who called himself Fan Yuntian, possessed the deepest and most terrifying aura.

After Lin Hui had bestowed the Secret Technique upon him, the old man was also the only Fog Spirit whose aura showed no significant change.

As a Fog Spirit who had been active in the surrounding area for many years, Great Lord Cloud Cleansing had heard of the territories where the other refugee Fog Spirits resided. This old man, however, was a complete unknown.

Soon, the bubble dispersed, and the group landed before the steps of the divine palace.

CHSS.

Lin Hui landed lightly. The moment the tips of his toes touched the ground, a transparent ring of light seemed to flash out from his center and vanish on the white jade-paved floor.

Seeing the group of Fog Spirits arrive and land, the fish-headed people who were worshipping or preparing to worship all pressed their heads tightly to the ground, not daring to look up in the slightest.

For weak believers like them, even the gaze of a Fog Spirit could have a tremendous impact.

If they were to anger a divine lord, a single glance could burden them with immense negative effects.

Just like what had happened to Lin Hui in the past.

"Honored guests have arrived, and we failed to greet you from afar. Please forgive our transgression."

WHOOSH.

Just then, a warm, feminine voice drifted from the palace gate.

In an instant, three figures teleported and appeared before the gate.

They brought with them three dazzling halos of light, as blinding as the sun.

These were special halos that naturally radiated from beneath their feet.

Lin Hui looked over.

The one walking in the lead was a red-haired woman wreathed in golden-red flames. Her body was identical to that of the Human Race, except for a magnificent, golden-red tail feather growing from her backside.

She was also the one who had just spoken.

"I am Great Lord Li of Mount Huangque. Daoist Master Lin, you may simply call me Huangque," the fiery woman said with a radiant smile, introducing herself.

The second, positioned slightly behind her, was a graceful woman cradling a Hei Yu instrument that resembled a pipa. This woman had an exceptional figure, with an ample chest, long, fair, and shapely legs that were perfectly straight, and an excellent waist-to-hip ratio. The beauty of her physique was evident from her skin alone.

Her head, however, was that of a white bird, like a falcon or a hawk.

"I am the Great Lord Divine Sound Yuanjiu. Daoist Master, you may simply call me Divine Sound." Although her head was not human, her voice was unexpectedly crisp and pleasant.

The third was a powerfully built, dark-skinned giant with three bull heads. He stood over four meters tall, clad in black-gold heavy metal armor, with nine black bull tails swishing back and forth behind him.

"My title is Great Lord Lei Ming Jiuxuan. Daoist Master, you may just call me Lei Ming."

This giant was clearly the one with the most terrifying aura of the three.

The halo beneath his feet spread the fastest and shone the brightest.

Cloud Cleansing quickly gave Lin Hui an introduction.

Lei Ming was the leader, Divine Sound was second, Huangque was third, and he himself was Old Si. The four of them had discovered this ancient palace here and occupied it together, forming the Zhenlong Divine Palace faction to resist the coming Haiming erosion.

According to the traditional classifications of Fog Spirits, among those present, only the leader, Lei Ming, was a powerful divine power. The other three were all of Medium Divine Power.

This was a huge disparity compared to the Sea Roar Federation. The Federation already had six powerful divine powers in its ranks, who were rumored by the outside world to be the Six Pillars of the Deep Sea.

They were already powerful divine powers to begin with, and with the added enhancement from the Haiming, their strength reached an unimaginably terrifying level.

From what Cloud Cleansing said, Lin Hui guessed this was why they were so anxious, rushing over the moment they discovered that his Secret Technique could largely compensate for their weaknesses.

’Indeed, in the face of survival, even Fog Spirits are no different from mortals.’

After this brief internal sigh, he quickly pulled his Heart and Spirit back to the present and looked at the three Fog Spirits.

"I have long heard of your great names. To finally meet you is a stroke of luck for me, and for everyone. Regarding the Secret Technique..."

"There’s no rush, Daoist Master. Let’s go inside before we talk," Lei Ming said in a deep voice. With his three bull heads speaking at once, it created a boisterous yet simple and honest effect.

"Very well," Lin Hui said, nodding with a smile.

’From the leader’s attitude, I can be fairly certain that this alliance is secured.’

Following the three great lords into the divine palace, Cloud Cleansing also shrank himself down to just over a person’s height and crawled inside.

Passing through the giant archway, they entered the shadows within the palace.

Lin Hui felt a flash before his eyes, and the dim, deep passage ahead suddenly opened into a vast, bright, and enormous white hall.

Inside the hall, massive white jade pillars, more than ten meters thick, lined the left and right sides, soaring hundreds of meters up to connect with the palace ceiling.

The platinum-gold ceiling slowly rotated, swirling with a soft, white mist in which fine golden specks of light faintly flickered and drifted.

The air was filled with a faint, unidentifiable incense. It was not a floral scent, but more akin to a kind of woody aroma.

The floor underfoot was made of smooth, delicate mother-of-pearl tiles. Each piece was fan-shaped, and the joints were filled and solidified with black pearl powder.

At the front of the hall, a band of seahorses, each over a person’s height, was already prepared.

These seahorses held all sorts of bizarre instruments, gently playing a delicate melody that resembled the sound of ocean waves.

With a low hum, sets of jade tables and chairs rose up at the front of the hall, and Lin Hui took his seat along with the many other Fog Spirits.

The four great lords took the main seats, and then fish-headed maids began serving dishes and wine.

"Daoist Master, although I’ve heard from Cloud Cleansing about the unique nature of your Qingfeng Dao’s Secret Technique, I would still like to hear you explain it yourself. What are the specific effects of your Qingfeng Dao’s Secret Technique?" After taking his seat, Lei Ming fixed his six eyes calmly on Lin Hui, his tone unhurried. He was completely different from the other Fog Spirits who had joined in a desperate rush.

As soon as he said this, the other two great lords and the numerous other Fog Spirits all focused their gazes on Lin Hui.

Lin Hui sat upright at his seat and smiled faintly.

"My Dao’s Secret Techniques consist of five parts: four Dharma Seals and one Secret Technique..." He carefully explained the conditions for obtaining the four types of Dharma Seals and the special ability of the Secret Technique, the Eye of Life.

The Dharma Seals were one thing; the gods’ eyes merely flickered with some interest. After all, they relied mostly on their Divine Power for combat, rarely on their own physical stats or Heart and Spirit strength, so those things weren’t particularly suited for them. Their existence revolved entirely around their Divine Power, Divine Fire, and Divine Vocation. The fusion of these three could coalesce into a Divine Position and open a Divine Kingdom. As long as the Divine Kingdom existed, so did they.

Therefore, the three Dharma Seals that enhanced one’s personal attributes held little attraction for most of them. The Qingyuan Body, on the other hand, did spark some interest.

But none of this compared to the help that the Eye of Life could provide them.

Upon successfully comprehending it, one would immediately get a chance for a full recovery. Then, over time, one could continue to recover and even increase the number of full recovery charges, accumulating up to a staggering ninety-nine times!

’What a magnificent Secret Technique!!’

The breathing of the Fog Spirits who had not yet obtained it grew heavy.

Meanwhile, the Fog Spirits who had already obtained it were carefully contemplating the mysterious power of the Eye of Life, once again marveling at the terrifying depth of Lin Hui’s Talent and comprehension.

"Daoist Master Lin, are you truly willing to impart the Secret Technique of the Eye of Life to us without any cost?" the second-in-command, Divine Sound, asked softly.

"Of course. A great enemy is upon us. Although we may have had conflicts in the past, those are minor issues. Joining forces to resist the external invasion is the righteous cause we should pursue," Lin Hui said earnestly. "Never mind this one Secret Technique; if I had more, I would be willing to teach them for free to strengthen everyone’s power."

His selfless, generous, and principled demeanor earned him the silent nods of approval from many of the Fog Spirits.

"In that case... we will have to trouble Daoist Master Lin to bestow the technique," Lei Ming said in a deep voice. He stood up and gave Lin Hui a deep bow from a distance.

"There’s no need for such courtesy. It’s just that my Secret Technique has an inherent restriction. Namely, to make it work, one must join my Qingfeng Dao and, from the depths of their heart, acknowledge themselves as a disciple of the Qingfeng Dao. This part..." Before Lin Hui could finish, Lei Ming cut him off with a wave.

"That’s no obstacle. A Secret Technique of this caliber was created by the Daoist Master; it is only natural that we join your path," he said, completely unconcerned.

"The Great Lord truly understands the greater good. I am impressed," Lin Hui said with a smile.

"Then let me be the first to try." Lei Ming left his seat and walked to the empty space in the middle. "I ask the Daoist Master to bestow the technique."

Lin Hui raised his hand without hesitation and, with extreme speed, pointed at him from a distance.

CHSS.

A small, translucent, faintly white halo of light shot out and accurately entered the space between Lei Ming’s brows.

Because the halo was very weak, it dispelled any suspicion of a sneak attack.

So, Lei Ming stood his ground and unflinchingly received the inheritance of the Eye of Life.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was that this transmission contained not only the Eye of Life, but also the Qingfeng Dao’s True Body Seal.

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