The Decaying World

"This..." Huang Weijun hesitated. "As for that Lin Hui, with my strength, I’m afraid I could only deal with him by fully mobilizing my true form. But right now... my true form still needs to awaken. Perhaps we’ll have to let Di Suo handle it personally."

"Di Suo fought Guo Shengyu and needs a short period of rest," the voice from the abyss said, calm and unhurried. "Set this matter aside for now. Once I have completed the succession and my body has stabilized, I will eliminate this person for good."

"Yes, sir."

Huang Weijun lowered his head respectfully.

*

*

*

After the Martial Saint’s battle, aside from a very small number of top-tier Blood Ancestors, no one else knew where he went or what he had done.

All that was known was that on that day, most of the Crystal Sea had vanished, and the void it left behind was furiously filled by the encroaching waters of the Jade Sea.

From then on, the Crystal Sea was no more.

And the sea level of the Jade Sea dropped significantly once again.

The Martial Saint was never heard from again, and even his only heir, Guo Xiyan, vanished without a trace.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, another twenty years passed...

The once-white walls of the Qingyuan Courtyard gradually became mottled and speckled.

The pear tree bloomed and its blossoms fell, its leaves and fruit dropped, again and again in an endless cycle.

CREAK.

The courtyard gate was gently pushed open.

Liu Wu Jun, wearing an outer robe from the Rain Palace, stepped slowly through the gate and saw Lin Hui sweeping fallen leaves from his sister’s tombstone under the pear tree.

Liu Xiao had been gone for more than ten years, yet Lin Hui looked exactly the same as he did back then.

He had reverted to his original appearance, but his youthful face was belied by eyes that often held a profound depth far beyond his apparent age.

"Care for a drink?" he asked softly.

"Come, sit." Lin Hui set aside the broom, walked over to the edge of the stone table and stools, and poured the other man a cup of freshly warmed wine.

Ever since Liu Xiao passed away, he and Liu Wu Jun had often sat together like this, chatting and drinking.

’His parents had passed away, his partner was gone, and there truly weren’t many people of his generation left. Only a handful with whom he could chat and converse as an equal.’

’The world was becoming increasingly unfamiliar, increasingly lonely.’

"Xiaoliu’s grandson got engaged yesterday. Why didn’t you go? They were actually quite disappointed," Liu Wu Jun asked casually after sitting down.

"I was held up by something. I’ll just give Xiaoliu a gift later to make up for it," Lin Hui said calmly.

’He had looked after Xiaoliu’s son, more or less. But the grandson’s generation had never come to pay their respects. The boy was also extremely rebellious and had grown into a completely arrogant and conceited person, which he found disagreeable.’

’He had tried to advise Xiaoliu a few times, but Xiaoliu only paid lip service while continuing to spoil the boy. So, Lin Hui decided it was better to be out of sight and out of mind.’

Liu Wu Jun knew the full story, so he didn’t say any more. In truth, he wasn’t fond of the boy either.

"Then what about Xiyan? Her talent for the Martial Arts is extremely high, and she has already taken her first steps into the Palace Master Realm, but from what I can see, she’s also reached her limit. It’s time to find her a husband and have her continue the family line."

"You came here to play matchmaker, didn’t you?" Lin Hui let out a laugh.

"I have no choice! Look at Huang Shan—she went far away and never married. Qiu Yiren passed away peacefully, but she spent her whole life thinking of you. If we let Xiyan stay by your side, I’m afraid we’ll have another Qiu Yiren on our hands..." Liu Wu Jun sighed.

For years, since Lin Hui couldn’t be bothered, it had mostly been him and Li Yuanyuan raising Xiyan. Naturally, they were now worrying themselves sick over her future marriage.

"I’m just an old man. How could I possibly have that much charm..." Lin Hui said, exasperated.

"Don’t give me that ’old man’ nonsense. You promised your father you’d continue the Lin Family line. And even though Xiao Xiao is gone, she mentioned it before the end. Don’t you forget it," Liu Wu Jun said, exasperated.

"There’s no rush... I’ve stayed here for decades... Life is like a dream, an illusion... When all is said and done, it feels like it was all for naught..."

Lin Hui murmured.

"Now, wherever I look, everything from the past is just scattering to the winds..."

"That’s because you’re too isolated. Spend more time with the younger generation, interact more, and you’ll naturally integrate yourself into the new era," Liu Wu Jun advised.

"You’re right. It’s about time I got out and about..." Lin Hui nodded.

"A new figure called the Benevolent King Tianxin has recently emerged over in Tianchong City. In less than a decade, he’s built up a massive force. You could go for a visit," Liu Wu Jun proposed. "I hear even Xia Si has joined his so-called Tianxin Gang."

The Clear Wind Daoist Sect was a Martial Arts Sect with extremely lenient rules for its disciples, not forbidding them from joining other factions, as long as they still recognized their home sect.

Hearing this from Liu Wu Jun, Lin Hui’s interest was piqued.

He was well aware of Xia Si’s power. Twenty years ago, they were already at a level approaching that of the Martial Saint, Guo Shengyu, far surpassing the Emperor Blood Fog People Level.

Now, twenty years later, even if their power had declined due to encroaching decay, they were by no means an opponent an ordinary expert could hope to challenge.

For such an expert to be recruited into this Tianxin Gang, this Benevolent King Tianxin was clearly no ordinary figure.

Moreover, the fact that Liu Wu Jun would even mention them to him suggested the Tianxin Gang must have a very good reputation.

"Alright. Once I’ve handled my own affairs here, I’ll go and take a look," Lin Hui said with a smile.

"Then it’s settled! With you, the Old Ancestor of the Clear Wind Sect, making an appearance, those kids in the Tianxin Gang will be ecstatic," Liu Wu Jun said, letting it slip in his excitement.

Lin Hui pointed a finger at him, smiled, and said no more.

Before long, the wine was finished. Liu Wu Jun chatted idly for a while longer before taking his leave.

Lin Hui was left alone in the courtyard, pouring wine for himself as he drank before Liu Xiao’s tombstone.

A gentle breeze blew, and fallen leaves danced in the air.

Shafts of sunlight pierced through the canopy, landing on the ground, the table, his wine, and his face.

Lin Hui watched the shimmering golden fragments in his wine and listened to the profound silence around him.

’After such prolonged stillness, one yearns for motion. It really is time I got out and about...’

’In this life, through birth, age, sickness, and death—a brief few tens of thousands of days—what most people want is simply not to be forgotten, just like my father. But once a person is dead and gone, without consciousness, what difference does it make whether they’re forgotten or not?’

He stood up and walked under the pear tree.

In truth, he had wanted to leave on the very day Liu Xiao passed away. But his Cultivation was on the verge of a breakthrough, and he also wanted to stay a while longer to be with his remaining family. So he settled down again.

And that stay had stretched into many more years.

Just a few days ago, the fourth level of his Star Breath Sword Manual had finally reached Perfection.

The Four Major Forms were complete. All that remained was the final Four Forms Unification to obtain the Special Effect: Breath of the Stars.

According to the memories that had been instilled in him, the disturbance caused by the Breath of the Stars would be immense, so Lin Hui held back and didn’t begin the process immediately.

In fact, he had no intention of completing the final step here. He had already made arrangements to do it at the Heart Source Demon Palace.

After giving Liu Xiao’s tombstone one last wipe, Lin Hui turned to see Li Yuanyuan, who had appeared silently behind him.

"What are you doing back here?"

Li Yuanyuan had aged as well. After reaching her limit, the natural lifespan of her race had long been exhausted. She had only lived this long by relying on the life-extending effects of her Martial Arts Realm.

But even so, she was well past her prime. Her face was no longer youthful and was now etched with fine wrinkles.

"You’re leaving?" Li Yuanyuan had evidently heard the news from Liu Wu Jun.

"Yes."

"Will you be back?"

"Of course. It’s not like I’m disappearing for good..." Lin Hui chuckled.

"...I’m afraid that you, like the Martial Saint and the Bright Heart Association Leader..." Li Yuanyuan had lived through both of those eras. She had witnessed the fall of the Bright Heart Association, the mysterious disappearance of the Martial Saint, and the complete vanishing of the Crystal Sea.

The traces of the past now existed only in legends and stories. The people she had once known, no matter how dazzling, were now nothing but dust.

She didn’t want Lin Hui to end up like them.

"I won’t..." Lin Hui shook his head. "I don’t have such grand ambitions. I’m just an ordinary person who wants to live a quiet life."

He turned and looked up at the sun, which was growing clearer in the sky.

"I am not a genius, nor am I a hero. So you can all rest assured. I’m really just going out for a walk. I’ll be back soon."

"That’s good... You must remember that here, in Black Cloud City, there are still many people who remember you. Who rely on you." Li Yuanyuan bowed deeply and respectfully, just as she had done so many years ago.

"Speaking of which, you still haven’t taken me to see that Shadowform Realm you mentioned. When I get back, we’ll go together," Lin Hui said with a smile.

"Yes!" Li Yuanyuan promised earnestly.

Lin Hui smiled, and his figure abruptly dissipated with the wind.

Gazing at the spot where he had vanished, Li Yuanyuan sighed. For some reason, her eyes began to sting with an inexplicable sorrow.

She lowered her head, gently pulled up her sleeve, and stared at the red spots that had appeared on her arm. For a long, long time, she remained silent.

’I’m... almost at my limit, too...’

*

*

*

「In front of the Heart Source Demon Palace.」

Lin Hui gazed at the thick, violet-black fog outside, gave a slight smile, then turned and strode into the Demon Palace.

In the grand hall on the first floor, Fusheng was the same as ever, head tilted as he dozed in his chair.

The walls were covered in decorations resembling blood vessels; everything was exactly as it had been years ago, completely unchanged.

This unchanging scene gave Lin Hui a powerful sense of familiarity.

He took two steps forward, and the sound of his footfalls startled Fusheng awake.

"Hey, you’re finally here! This godforsaken place doesn’t even have anyone to talk to... When are you planning to get me out of this jam? I’ve prepared some treasures of absolutely equal value for you. Just let me out, and this old man will surely help you achieve any wish you desire!" Fusheng was overjoyed the moment he saw Lin Hui and immediately launched into a rambling stream of inducements.

"I’m just here to borrow the space," Lin Hui replied with a smile, finding a spot on the first-floor ground and sitting down cross-legged.

Immediately after, white, humanoid figures began to materialize slowly behind him.

Though translucent and glowing with a white light, each of these figures had a unique posture and form.

HSSS.

The next moment, as he released his power for the first time in a long while, a faint fluctuation of Disaster Power was triggered behind the figures.

Wisps of pale blue Disaster Power began to surge within the Demon Palace, attempting to tear apart the very space inside.

"Wait, is that...!?" Fusheng, who had been composed a moment ago, suddenly lost his cool when he saw the pale blue Disaster Power materializing behind Lin Hui.

"Holy shit!! The Wind Calamity!!" He suddenly remembered what that stuff was!

Every bone in his body began to tremble on the spot.

"You damn brat! Don’t come in here! Get out!! Don’t you dare bring the Wind Calamity into this place!!" he shrieked, his voice cracking from the strain.

"Old Ghost Xinyuan! Look what kind of damn monster you passed your legacy to!?"

Seeing that Lin Hui remained unmoved, Fusheng immediately changed his target and began to screech again.

Just then, the Wind Disaster Power behind Lin Hui rapidly intensified, forming an eye-shaped rift in space.

From within the rift, a pale blue arm slowly reached out.

An aura belonging to the True Monarch of Seven Destructions began to pour madly out from the rift.

In that instant, the entire Demon Palace began to tremble.

"Holy shit!!" Fusheng sat frozen in his chair, utterly dumbfounded by the sight.

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