The Decaying World

Qingfei Mountain.

Zhang Yao, Gongsun Xinlian, the recently returned Xia Si, Pang Jiu, Su Yaping, and the others were all gathered together.

Everyone stared blankly at the sky above the floating island. A massive blue tornado, hundreds of meters in diameter, shot straight into the heavens, disappearing into the clouds overhead.

"Don’t you think... this is a bit... over the top?" Zhang Yao’s throat felt a little dry.

"The sheer scale of this formation is immense. And the power circulating within it seems remarkably similar to the amplification we receive from our Seal Techniques," Gongsun Xinlian analyzed carefully.

Xia Si stood to the side with an inscrutable expression. Though she had long ago decided to pursue a roundabout path to usurp power, a deep sense of powerlessness washed over her as the sky-piercing tornado materialized before her very eyes.

The Daoist Master was so mysterious and powerful. It was as if he could produce some new, unbelievably potent thing at a moment’s notice.

This profound sense of the unknown brought with it immense unpredictability.

"This should be Disaster Power..." Su Yaping had studied and cultivated Disaster Energy more than anyone else present.

She spoke now in a low voice.

"Disaster Power can resist the external Haiming pollution. And from what I can sense, this tornado seems to have a strengthening and amplifying effect on those of us who have mastered Seal Techniques and cultivate Qingfeng Daoist Martial Arts. Judging from Wind Chime’s report, this is clearly another trump card Daoist Master Lin has revealed for fighting the pollution from the outside world."

Zhang Yao remained silent. They had come, first, because the commotion had alarmed them and they wanted to determine the tornado’s effect on the entire Inner City.

Second, they also wanted to inquire about the tornado’s specific function.

Now, hearing Su Yaping’s words, they all began to sense it carefully. They soon confirmed that the tornado truly was amplifying their Cultivation.

"There’s no need to worry."

Just as worry began to cloud their minds, Lin Hui slowly materialized from mid-air and landed.

"This formation is a new mountain-protecting grand array. In the coming days, I will also be bestowing upon all disciples of the sect new defensive methods against the external pollution."

He planned to pass on the Three Fragrances—though, of course, the final Formless Demon Fragrance would not be shared for now. After all, the Sea of Consciousness and the River of Memory were extremely perilous; even he had no immediate plans to venture there and investigate.

The first two, Nine Nether and Cold Palace, were more than enough to significantly enhance the survival capabilities of all the disciples.

Nine Nether was a growth-type ability that everyone had to install. It increased one’s mental power by the equivalent of one adult’s capacity each day. For the Qingfeng Daoist Disciples, who weren’t particularly skilled with Mental Power, this undoubtedly shored up their greatest weakness.

The Cold Palace Demon Fragrance, on the other hand, further strengthened the disciples’ ability to weaken and hinder their enemies. A thirty percent speed reduction over a considerable area was nothing to scoff at.

With these, the survivability of the Qingfeng Daoist Sect’s disciples was enhanced even further.

"Daoist Master, that tornado... is it also a type of special pollution power?" Zhang Yao finally couldn’t hold back and asked.

"You could say that. But compared to other forms of pollution, it is much milder and more controllable," Lin Hui replied.

By this point, the strength of everyone in Black Cloud City was no longer enough to warrant his serious attention.

This didn’t mean he looked down on the three City Lords; rather, his own abilities and power had simply surpassed that level.

Perhaps only the yet-to-return Xie Chang’an’s true limits remained uncertain.

This foundation of power that exceeded everyone else’s gave Lin Hui a renewed sense of security.

Next, he had to figure out how to solve Liu Xiao’s problem.

"Brother Zhang, Xinlian, about the corruption..." He transmitted his voice directly to them, explaining Liu Xiao’s situation and asking for any possible solutions.

Upon hearing this, both of their expressions turned grim.

"The burden of corruption has never been shared with any of the Qingfeng Daoist Disciples..."

"Now is not the time for that. The priority is how to delay or solve it," Gongsun Xinlian interrupted.

The two of them fell silent.

If there were truly a solution, they wouldn’t have let so many of their Bloodline and Blood Progenitor subordinates succumb to corruption not long ago.

Once corruption began, it was completely irreversible.

"What about relics? Relics have all sorts of diverse abilities. Isn’t there a single one that can..." Lin Hui’s expression was grim.

"It’s no use... It’s not just us. From the very first day the Federation was founded, all Fog People have been trying every method imaginable to study corruption and stop it, but they’ve discovered nothing," Zhang Yao said, shaking his head. "The only way is to get more living beings to participate and share the burden. Ordinary humans, who already have short lifespans, receive the protection of the powerful who need to share the corruption. Even with the shared burden, their lives are extended. And the powerful, by sharing it, greatly delay their own corruption. It’s a symbiotic relationship."

"Perhaps... there is another way," Gongsun Xinlian said gravely.

"What is it?!" Lin Hui looked up at her.

Zhang Yao was also surprised and looked at his sister.

"I once read a classic text on the principles of the formations used to share corruption. It stated that, in essence, the corruption shared by the powerful is not borne by the same group of people indefinitely. Instead, it is shared among a constantly shifting and flowing population. Birth, death, influx, departure. The balance of this flow, to some extent, determines the speed at which corruption is shared. Therefore..."

"Therefore, if we can accelerate this rapid flow of different populations... the number of people sharing the corruption would become immense. That way... we might be able to delay or even halt Sister Liu Xiao’s corruption," Zhang Yao said, his eyes lighting up as he quickly understood.

Lin Hui fell into deep thought.

"The formation that shares the corruption—could you allow me to examine it?"

"It’s not that we won’t let you see it, but this formation wasn’t set up by us. It actually came from the Royal Capital," Zhang Yao said with a wry smile. "If you want to see it, you’ll have to figure it out and study it yourself. We don’t understand it either."

Lin Hui nodded.

His gaze swept over Pang Jiu, Xia Si, and the others.

He sent a voice transmission, signaling them to enter the inner courtyard with him to officially begin teaching them about the Demon Fragrances.

「Day by day, time passed.」

He also wandered throughout the Inner City, studying how the vast formation for sharing corruption was constructed.

Using the Blood Seal’s appraisal ability, he made smooth progress. In just six days, he had analyzed the key points of the entire formation.

But analysis was one thing; the resources required to set up the formation brought his efforts to a halt.

Most of the core resources and materials for this formation could only be found in the Royal Capital.

While using Qingfei Mountain as his core to cultivate the final Earth Sacred Form, Lin Hui also focused on appraising and attempting to evolve the grand formation.

「Time trickled by.」

But what made him increasingly anxious was that the Blood Seal, no matter what he tried, was unable to evolve the ability to resist corruption that he so desperately needed.

Just then, a few refugees fleeing from the Federation’s heartland brought a piece of news that left everyone dumbfounded.

’Jing Wang has defected to the Extreme Cold Heaven, becoming their first native Dyeing Lord besides the Extreme Cold Queen herself.’

Lin Hui floated outside the tornado on Qingfei Mountain, gazing from on high at the distant sea.

He could see that the fog over the sea truly seemed to be thinning...

Gongsun Xinlian was not far behind him, softly relaying the news they had just received.

"He previously rebelled alongside King Hong and was subsequently suppressed. Now it seems he deceived everyone. He was trying to merge with and accept the Extreme Cold Heaven all along."

"Him and the Bright Heart Association... that makes two now..." Lin Hui said softly. "Do you think they’ll succeed?"

"I don’t know..." Gongsun Xinlian sighed softly. "Setting them aside, the commotion here on Qingfei Mountain has become too great. Many people are already spreading rumors that this place can resist the Haiming pollution. More and more people are gathering nearby. What do you plan to do?"

"Let them be. If I have the spare capacity, I can offer some protection. If not, then it is their fate," Lin Hui said coolly.

He had no mind to deal with the irrelevant people gathering around. His thoughts were entirely consumed with finding a Dharma Gate to delay the corruption.

He had already tried with the Blood Seal hundreds of times, but not a single evolution of the formation offered a solution for Liu Xiao’s situation.

So he began to get deeply involved with all kinds of rare treasures and relics.

He was so preoccupied with this matter that he didn’t even have time to deal with the stone materials from the maze ruins that Xia Si had brought.

"It’s getting more and more dangerous outside. Corrupted and abyssalized monsters are increasing in number, and their strength has universally taken a huge leap. They’re immortal and indestructible, too. The Sea Roar Power has even started to suppress our recovery speed..." Gongsun Xinlian continued.

"Don’t worry about any of that. If there’s nothing else, could you let me be alone for a while?" Lin Hui said, his back to her, eyes slightly closed.

Gongsun Xinlian fell silent. With a sigh, her figure slowly vanished.

Only after she left did Lin Hui slowly open his eyes. He gazed into the distance across the Jade Sea, where the fog was thickest at the horizon—the direction of the Inner Court.

*

*

*

The Inner Court’s Void Core.

"KILL! HAHAHAHA!!"

The massive Void Core stone sphere floated and spun. From the dark red orb at its center, it continuously released a vast amount of gray-black fog.

This black fog, like a living entity, frantically flew toward a giant, ice-blue, eye-shaped rift opposite the stone sphere.

Not only that, but all around the stone sphere—above, below, and on all sides—other ice-blue, eye-shaped cracks of varying sizes hung in the air.

There were ninety-nine cracks in total, completely encircling the Void Core stone sphere and endlessly releasing a grayish-white freezing aura.

WHOOOO...

Sharp howls emanated from these ice-blue rifts.

BANG.

Suddenly, from the edge of the largest eye-shaped rift, a giant white hand emerged.

The great hand heaved, pulling a massive body through with it.

It was a thousand-meter-tall monster, with the upper body of a man and the lower body of an eight-legged spider.

It was covered in armor, its distorted face boasting six mouths. Each mouth constantly opened and closed, as if forever chewing on something.

"FREEZE EVERYTHING!! HAHAHAHA!!" the monster roared, laughing as it lunged toward the Void Core.

From the many ice-blue rifts, swarms of giant, ice-blue, eight-legged spiders poured out in concert.

The dense swarm of spider-insects surged forward, clustering around the giant monster.

The moment they touched the black fog, they were rapidly corroded, making a SIZZLING sound.

But in doing so, they quickly diluted, faded, and neutralized the black fog, causing it to disappear.

A delicate balance was vaguely forming between the two sides.

"Not enough! Far from enough!!" Jing Wang, clad in ice-blue filigree armor, spread his arms.

A colossal black spear materialized behind him. Its tip burned with a blue flame, and its shaft was entwined with countless slender, snake-like, dragon-like blue-black creatures.

"Everyone, activate your Evil Energy!!"

Behind him, all the Fog People unleashed their various forms of the Evil Soldier Insect Scripture. A massive amount of Evil Energy, like a mist, converged at full speed onto the tip of the black spear.

The blue flame on the spear’s tip rapidly expanded and brightened, becoming like a sun.

"Descent of the Heart God!!" Jing Wang roared frantically.

BOOM!

His entire body exploded, transforming into black mist and merging with the spear behind him.

A translucent, illusory human figure appeared behind the spear, grabbed its shaft, and charged toward the Void Core.

In an instant, the spear’s tip, glowing with a sun-like blue light, broke through the black fog, shattered the sphere’s shell, and slammed into the center of the Void Core—right into the dark red orb.

"I will stop everything!!"

"I can undo everything!!!"

Jing Wang laughed and roared, thrusting forward once more.

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