The Decaying World

’Almost... Almost there...’

Lin Hui closed his eyes again. With a wave of his hand, another batch of Treasure Medicine shot over and floated beside him. He resumed his grand plan of devouring the medicine.

After this frantic consumption of medicine, his new Celestial Father Seal had already passed the halfway point of its evolution. A little over 4,000 years remained.

Although he had used up more than half of the Treasure Medicine he’d acquired, it didn’t matter. According to his previous orders, as long as they annexed the surrounding Fog Spirit factions, a new, endless supply of medicine would become available.

Just as he was continuing to take medicine to accelerate the process, a large gathering of Divine Scions and Fog Spirits had already assembled around the vast sea territory of the Zhenlong Divine Palace, preparing to invade the surrounding waters.

In the direction of Star Absolute Island, green waves capped with white foam coalesced into towering waterspouts. Atop them, a sparse gathering of Divine Scions from the Divine Palace advanced toward a large, oval-shaped white island in the distance.

"Yue Qinghua, what is the meaning of this? We of Star Absolute Island have always minded our own business. You bringing so many troops here... are you trying to provoke a conflict between Star Absolute Island and the Divine Palace?"

Around the perimeter of the white island, tall figures in purple armor slowly materialized out of thin air.

Each of these figures was enhanced by the luminous halo inherent to Divine Scion Fog Spirits.

The one in the lead had three heads and six arms, wielded an ornate spear, and had a pair of white wings beating slowly on his back.

The Yue Qinghua he mentioned was the Fog Spirit from the Zhenlong Divine Palace who had always been in charge of this region.

During previous skirmishes between Star Absolute Island and the Divine Palace, the two had often clashed, but they were mostly evenly matched, and their fights ended in draws.

Furthermore, with the threat of the Fog People looming nearby, neither side had ever truly broken off relations.

But now, the outside world was in turmoil. Both the Zhenlong Divine Palace and Star Absolute Island had begun frantically absorbing experts from surrounding factions. After numerous annexations, each had carved out a vast sphere of influence.

He had thought both sides would settle down for a while to jointly face the unfolding disaster. He never expected the Zhenlong Divine Palace to make a move against him directly.

The purple-armored, winged man had actually heard about the recent changes in the Zhenlong Divine Palace. This major power, his long-time neighbor, had reportedly changed leaders. Of the original four Great Reverences, only two remained.

He had assumed that with their internal strength weakened, they might lie low for a while. He never imagined... So little time had passed, and yet they were already at his doorstep with an army.

Hearing the challenge, a man with golden hair and silver armor flew out from the Divine Palace’s ranks, rising above the waves.

A Longsword hung at the man’s waist, and he wore a troubled expression.

"Zihe, I apologize. I am merely following orders," Yue Qinghua sighed. "The new Palace Master requires more territory and more manpower. We dare not, and cannot, disobey."

"I’ve heard about what happened on your end..." Zihe of Star Absolute Island sighed, unsure of what he could say to persuade him, and fell silent.

"Actually, it’s not just here. The Divine Palace has dispatched teams in the other two directions as well. This operation is on a much larger scale than anything before," Yue Qinghua explained.

"Have you all gone mad?" Zihe looked up in shock.

"Mad? Perhaps..." Yue Qinghua gave a bitter smile. "I advise you to surrender quietly. Otherwise, if a real fight breaks out, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to hold back."

"...You..." Zihe’s expression tightened as he held his spear horizontally before him with both hands. "You certainly sound more confident than before."

"Enough talk, it’s pointless... The Divine Palace of old is a thing of the past. The one who truly controls everything now is the one I have newly joined..." Yue Qinghua grasped the hilt of his sword.

CLANG!

With a sharp sound, his entire body rapidly expanded and transformed. In the blink of an eye, he had become a giant sea serpent over ten meters tall.

The sea serpent held the Longsword in its mouth, its eyes gleaming with purple light. Its body moved like lightning, whipping through the air to create a net of purple sword light.

"I was prepared for that trick!" Zihe roared back, transforming into a giant, black-furred minotaur also over ten meters tall. He met the sword net with his spear held in both hands.

Sword and spear clashed and stabbed, crossing like lightning. The might of their Divine Power far exceeded that of Fog People of the same level. This was a characteristic of Divine Power: its might was tyrannical, but its sustainability was extremely poor.

After dozens of lethal exchanges, both had sustained considerable injuries, which only grew more severe as time went on.

But soon, Yue Qinghua rapidly retreated. A white light flashed over his body, and the wounds he had just received instantly vanished as if they were never there.

"What?!" Zihe’s pupils contracted at the sight.

The greatest problem for Fog Spirits was recovery. Aside from a very small number of Fog Spirits with special divine duties, almost none of them could recover from their injuries so quickly!

The stronger the power and the higher the energy density, the more time was needed for healing and recovery.

And yet... "Surrender," Yue Qinghua transmitted through his Heart and Spirit. "You no longer have a chance..."

"..." Zihe gritted his teeth and charged forward again with his spear.

"Kill!"

At the same time, the vast numbers of Sea Beasts, Divine Scions, and armored soldiers behind both of them charged at the enemy.

In the past, when the two sides fought like this, they were usually evenly matched. Once casualties exceeded half, they would order a retreat and a truce.

This time, however, the Divine Palace’s side suffered almost no casualties.

Many of them, after being severely injured, would instantly recover all their strength and heal all their wounds, as if time itself had reversed.

After only a few minutes of fighting, Star Absolute Island could no longer hold its ground. They began to fall back, losing territory bit by bit.

This scene was not unique to Star Absolute Island; the situation was much the same in the other two directions.

The Divine Palace’s army of disorganized Divine Scions and motley Sea Beasts, with the absurd support of the Eye of Life, actually managed to overwhelm nearly half the territories of the three major factions.

When the Fog Spirits of the three major factions finally mobilized, they were crushed in a frontal assault by the Divine Palace’s Fog Spirits, who had been enhanced to a new level.

After suffering heavy casualties, the highest echelons of the three major factions were forced to intervene. Then, Shen Yin Tiao Yun also made an appearance, along with a dozen Fog Spirits who had just broken through to Medium Divine Power thanks to the enhancement.

Pressured by three powerful sources of Divine Power, including Shen Yin Tiao Yun and White Deer, the three major factions could only form a temporary alliance to resist the Divine Palace. Relying once more on the extra boost granted to native forces by a descended divine kingdom, they engaged in a fierce battle with the invading Divine Palace army.

By this time, several days had passed, and Lin Hui had finally completed the final stage of the Blood Seal’s progress.

At the same time, not much of the Treasure Medicine was left. Using what remained, he evolved his robes, so he wouldn’t have to use extra energy to protect his clothes every time he fought and risk suddenly ending up naked.

After completely exhausting the Treasure Medicine, Lin Hui gave White Deer instructions for what to do next. He also took in a batch of Divine Scions with good potential as Disciples, passing on his teachings and bestowing seals upon them, before quietly leaving the Divine Palace.

*

*

*

His need for medicine was temporarily resolved. Lin Hui decided not to return to Black Cloud just yet, as he had not yet achieved his goal for this trip.

This was because no matter how strong Fog Spirits became, they lacked the potential for growth through Martial Arts cultivation. They belonged to a completely different system of advancement.

Therefore, he needed to recruit more sufficiently powerful assistants to compensate for the lack of experts at his side.

Since Fog Spirits and Divine Scions were not suitable, there was without a doubt only one place in this world with the highest concentration of masters.

After careful consideration, while familiarizing himself with the cultivation and enhancement of the Celestial Father Seal, Lin Hui decided to head to the true core region of the Taixu Federation—the Inner Court.

The Inner Court was home to the Federation’s largest number of powerful Fog People, the Imperial Bloodline, and even the legendary strongest Fog Person Emperor was said to be in seclusion there.

If he were to wander aimlessly elsewhere, the chances of encountering a powerful expert were far too low. But the Inner Court was a gathering place for Fog People and also home to a massive population.

The large population attracted a great number of Fog People, who formed a vast, corrupt institution for sharing the burden, known as the Inner Court.

This trip would allow him to scout for talented experts and also check on Han Xiaoyue. If he had the chance to make contact with the Fog Person Emperor and learn the truth about the Corruption, that would be even better.

But before heading to the Inner Court, he first had to return to Black Cloud to fully deploy the Nine Heavens Thunderous Sound formation and ensure the safety of his friends, family, and Disciples.

Conveniently, this return trip would allow him to arrange for official transport and travel to the Inner Court under a formal identity.

Otherwise, if he went alone and was mistaken for a Wild Fog Person, he would have no status or privileges whatsoever. It would be easy to run into unnecessary trouble.

If he could secure a high-ranking position from the start, there was no need to deliberately play weak and stir up trouble. This would save time and allow him to achieve his goal most efficiently.

Lin Hui didn’t delay at all along the way. Traveling at full speed, he returned to the sea region near Black Cloud in just a single day.

But as soon as he entered the waters, he felt that something was wrong.

The once emerald-green Jade Sea had now turned a faint, dark blue.

The sea breeze and the mist were filled with the faint scent of the Haiming’s corrupting power.

Sensing something was amiss, Lin Hui accelerated again, quickly reaching the coastal waters around Black Cloud.

The coastal waters, once bustling with fishing boats, were now silent. The waves rose and fell ceaselessly, and it seemed as if the entire Jade Sea had lost its former temper.

From a distance, he flew toward the seaport of Black Cloud’s Outer City.

The place was deserted. Some of the Outer City’s residents had been evacuated to the Inner City, while others had fled to fend for themselves, going into hiding.

No one would linger on the front lines of the most dangerous area—the seaport.

Gazing at the harbor docks, which were riddled with craters and bore the scars of a brutal battle, Lin Hui descended, landed softly, and stood on the ground.

"Daoist Master, you’re back!?" The Wind Chime suddenly activated, transmitting Li Yuanyuan’s surprised and delighted voice.

"It seems a lot has happened since I left?" Lin Hui frowned.

"Yes. A few days ago, the Haiming fissures erupted twice, causing a large number of citizens and Martial Artists to undergo deep-sea transformation. So many, many people died. Then, because the Inner City could no longer bear the burden of the Corruption, it was forced to expel a portion of the Martial Artists to fend for themselves. This caused an uproar, and another battle broke out," Li Yuanyuan reported quickly.

’So this is the limitation of the Fog People.’

The thought suddenly struck Lin Hui. If he recruited Fog People as subordinates, the Corruption would eventually come for them. At that point, the Fog People would have no choice but to go out, build their own cities, and shelter commoners to share the burden of the Corruption. In doing so, they would inevitably be drawn into power struggles.

’It seems the most suitable candidates are actually representatives of other corrupting powers, like Xia Si.’

At this thought, his enthusiasm suddenly waned.

The Corruption was everywhere, like an inescapable nightmare that gave him no peace.

"What else of importance has happened?" he asked again.

"Following your orders, we have only cooperated with the dispatches of the two City Lords and have ignored everything else. Also, there is one more thing... Pang Jiu is about to be overwhelmed by the Corruption..."

Pang Jiu?

He was currently the oldest of Lin Hui’s subordinates.

Because he wasn’t from Black Cloud, he had no commoners to share the burden of the Corruption with, and he was also old. The fact that the Corruption was only beginning to affect him now was likely because Gongsun Xinlian and the others had secretly given him a spot in their quota for sharing the burden.

Now, Black Cloud barely had enough for itself and certainly wouldn’t share its quota with him any longer.

And so...

"I’m on my way to Qingfei Mountain now," Lin Hui said calmly.

"Yes, sir!"

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