The Decaying World

CRACK.

A faint crack crept across the surface of the dark red sphere.

"It worked!! HAHAHAHA!!" Prince Jing let out a joyous laugh.

A Void Core sustained the corrupt environment in a vast surrounding area. Destroying one would free a region tens of thousands of miles wide from the erosion of the Corruption. This respite would last for several years before the Corruption slowly began to fester again.

Many years ago, a tome left behind by the emperor of the Fog People proposed a theory: if all the Deep Cores and Void Cores in the world were destroyed in a very short period of time...

And then, by using other polluting forces to fill the void, it might be possible to completely expel the Corruption.

And now, the Federation’s largest Void Core was about to meet its initial destruction at his hands!

Prince Jing tensed his arms and thrust upward with all his might.

CLANG!

The spear shaft sliced upward, kicking up a spray of dark red mist.

With a soft shattering sound, the heart of the Void Core—that dark red sphere—completely exploded, vanished, and was gone without a trace.

Just as everyone was immersed in the joy of having truly accomplished this monumental feat...

THUMP!!

From the center of the dissipating black mist, a spiked black chain shot out with a roar.

The slender, vicious chain, moving at the speed of light, instantly pierced the very center of Prince Jing’s chest. It shot out his back and then whipped around, coiling tightly around the Evil Soldier’s spear.

With a crisp clatter, Prince Jing’s form solidified. He looked down. The chain had solidified with him, piercing straight through his heart.

"I..."

He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but a constant stream of black blood clogged his throat, spilling from his lips and dripping down.

"Kill... AHHH!!!" He raised his hand, grasping for the chain.

But he grasped only air.

The chain had clearly pierced his heart, yet he was unable to touch it.

Following the chain with his eyes, he looked toward its source.

There, in the center of the black mist, floated a black humanoid figure composed entirely of black chains.

Prince Jing’s eyes widened, as if he recognized that person...

He struggled, wanting to send a message with his Heart and Spirit, wanting to scream, but it was already too late.

His body began to disintegrate, turning into fine black particles that merged with the black mist.

It wasn’t just him. The many Fog People behind him who had activated the formation were also struggling, but they could not break free. One by one, they turned into black sand.

All the black sand flew toward the center of the chains, quickly forming new links that coiled back onto the mysterious humanoid figure.

With a soft rattle...

The humanoid figure vanished.

All that remained were the shattered fragments of the Void Core and the dense web of cracks in the Extreme Cold Heaven, which were slowly beginning to close.

BOOM!!!

The next instant.

The core of the Void Core violently exploded, unleashing a colossal burst of black light that instantly engulfed everything around it.

A massive amount of black mist erupted outwards like a tsunami, completely enveloping, corroding, and pulverizing Prince Jing’s flagship, which was moored in the distance.

*

*

*

「The Far North.」

The Bright Heart Association Leader suddenly felt something and looked back in the direction of the Inner Court.

"He failed..."

he said softly.

"The Extreme Cold Heaven was never willing to give its full support. His defeat was an unchangeable, foregone conclusion."

The one who had just transformed into the Sea Abyss Lord, the head of the Six-Pillared Gods—Twilight’s Deepest Dark—materialized beside him and spoke in a low voice.

"So, you still don’t understand?" The Bright Heart Association Leader glanced to the side. "In the end, he saw there was no hope left and decided to use all his strength to scout the path for us."

"We would have died whether we went or not. We came to terms with our own destruction long ago. In this world, as long as the Grand Divinity remains, the old order will persist..." Twilight said calmly.

The Bright Heart Association Leader didn’t speak. He simply tilted his head back and gazed at the second giant Void Core before him.

"We are not afraid of death, only of dying a worthless death," Twilight’s voice sounded again. "This is also the reason we are willing to follow you."

*

*

*

「Black Cloud.」

SWOOSH!

A streak of red light shot across the sea at extreme speed, landing steadily in the abandoned harbor.

The red light dissipated, revealing an extremely tall and powerfully built man with red hair.

The man’s long hair was tied in a ponytail. His face was covered with a thick beard, and his eyes were a brilliant, vivid red.

He was bare-chested, revealing formidable, scar-covered muscles. He wore rugged, dark-red metal armor on his lower body and spiked gauntlets made of red crystal on his hands.

"Father!" From the shadows of the harbor, another red figure quietly emerged and knelt on one knee before the large man.

It was a red-haired woman with a voluptuous figure and fair skin. She lifted her head.

"You’re finally here! I really can’t stand being in this place another day!" The woman was none other than the Purgatory Princess, Lanxi, who had been sent here to lie in wait long ago.

"Oh? How so?" The large man was the Duke of Purgatory, who had been lying low in Tuyue. He was now gazing with great interest at the massive rift in Black Cloud’s Inner City, and at the much smaller blue tornado that stretched from heaven to earth at the rift’s edge.

"That Daoist Master Qingfeng you asked me to observe... not only is he impossible to keep up with, but he’s also constantly causing some huge scene," Lanxi complained helplessly. "I’ve investigated. In all of Black Cloud City, no one knows how that Lin Hui manages to cause such a commotion!"

"HAHAHAHA! Isn’t this the perfect test for you?" the Duke laughed.

"The problem is, you forbade me from converting people with Holy Power. Without converting, I can’t build up my forces, and I certainly can’t devour them to recover my own strength. As it is, I haven’t even recovered one percent of the power I have in Purgatory..." Lanxi said with exasperation.

"There’s nothing to be done about that. It was part of my agreement with him!" the Duke said with a laugh, stroking his chin.

"Then for you to come in person now, is there something urgent...?" Lanxi asked again.

"This no longer concerns you. You may go back first." The Duke waved his hand dismissively and looked up at the air not far behind Lanxi.

"Long time no see, Daoist Master Lin. You don’t look like you’re doing too well."

Lanxi whipped her head around, only to discover to her horror that someone was standing silently just a meter behind her.

The man wore white robes and a sword, his expression cool and detached. His long black hair was casually draped over his back. His features were so perfectly harmonious that not a single flaw could be found.

It was Lin Hui.

"Duke, have you come to fulfill our agreement?" Lin Hui’s eyes had now turned a shade of blue-black. As he watched the Duke, they resembled two deep, dark springs.

"Yes and no," the Duke replied, completely ignoring his daughter Lanxi, who had already scrambled away in disarray.

"Shall we talk somewhere else?"

"We can."

Lin Hui also happened to have business with him.

The two exchanged a look.

HISS.

And vanished from where they stood at the same time.

Leaving behind a numb Lanxi, who struggled to suppress the goosebumps that had broken out all over her skin from fright.

’Why do I feel like... this Lin Hui... is even more... dangerous than Dad??’

She forcefully suppressed the doubt in her heart, glanced around, and quickly flew toward the Jade Sea. She wouldn’t stay in this godforsaken place for a second longer. ’Go, I have to go now!’

「Elsewhere, on the wreckage of a shattered island thousands of miles away.」

Two figures, one in white and one in red, appeared simultaneously. They stood apart from each other.

"Where’s the medicine we agreed upon?" Lin Hui asked the Duke. The core of their original agreement was a trade: the Duke would collect Treasure Medicines from Purgatory that could enhance his vitality.

As for the restriction on conversion, that was just an additional condition the Duke had graciously agreed to.

"Here." The Duke of Purgatory extended his hand. A flame flashed in his palm, revealing a greenish-blue horn.

The horn was over half a meter long, its rough surface covered in wavy, curved patterns.

"This is a horn from the back of an old rival of mine. He’s not as strong as me, but only by a little. This one horn contains at least one-fiftieth of his total life essence. It should be more than enough for you," the Duke said with a laugh. "What do you plan to trade for it?"

"Do you have anything that can slow the Corruption?" Lin Hui didn’t answer, instead asking another question.

"How could I possibly have something like that?" The Duke let out a laugh. "The Corruption’s hierarchical level is extremely high. It’s no use asking me. You should be asking the power backing you."

"....What do you want in trade?" Lin Hui asked after a moment of silence.

"A strand of your hair," the Duke chuckled. "And by the way, I’m leaving."

"?" Lin Hui gently plucked a long strand of his hair, but he paused at the Duke’s words. "Why?"

’Purgatory went to all that trouble to open a passage and descend, and now they’re planning to leave after such a short time? What’s the meaning of this?’

’If it was so easy to retreat, why bother putting in so much effort to open the gate in the first place?’

"The Extreme Cold has been vanquished, and a deeper level of the Corruption’s power is about to surface. I don’t want to stick around and get caught in that mess. I learned my lesson after dying a few thousand times back in the day," the Duke said with a bitter smile.

"A deeper power... how strong is it?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.

"I don’t know," the Duke shook his head.

"Didn’t you experience it back then? Why would you..."

"Because I died too quickly," the Duke sighed. "Back then, I had just managed to recover my full strength and was planning to have some fun, but I was instantly obliterated by a single chain. I didn’t even get a clear look at who attacked."

He glanced at the blue light in Lin Hui’s eyes.

"I’m not like you, with Source Power at your back. The origin of the power behind you is not simple either. In any case, you’d best be careful. If you need anything, you can contact me through this sigil. Trading for materials and whatnot will be easy to arrange."

He waved his hand, and a ball of dark red flame shot out, sinking into Lin Hui’s raised palm.

"Here’s your thing, too." The Duke tossed the horn over again. "Alright, my purpose here is fulfilled. I just wanted to see how much progress you’ve made. It seems you can still hold on for now."

Lin Hui understood his subtext and silently caught the horn.

"If," he took a deep breath, "I’m saying, if I were to send someone who has begun to be corrupted to your side, could you stabilize the Corruption’s progress?"

"It’s useless. Corruption is the antithesis of life. All of you who were born here are, in essence, a part of the Corruption itself," the Duke shook his head. "No matter where you go, you can’t escape this fate."

He paused, then continued.

"Of course... as for you, there might be hope for you to find the root of the Corruption and end it all in the future. But that will be extremely, extremely difficult. It’s not something that can be accomplished with brute force alone."

He glanced at the sky.

"Alright, I’m heading back. Don’t worry too much. Birth, aging, sickness, and death—it’s the natural Law of how all things operate. Even you and I can’t avoid it. It just manifests in different forms. When you have time, come visit me in Purgatory."

"Thank you. Feel free to come visit me here when you have time," Lin Hui nodded politely.

"Nah, your place is too ominous. I’m afraid if I come next time, I won’t be able to leave," the Duke said, waving his hand dismissively.

In a flash of red light, he vanished.

Leaving Lin Hui standing alone on the island, clutching the horn, speechless for a long moment.

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