The Decaying World

"What’s your advice, Senior?" Lin Hui tossed the question back at him.

"My view is that everything is meaningless. Effort is meaningless, Cultivation is meaningless, and growing stronger is meaningless. Instead of wasting so much time and energy on suffering, you might as well indulge in pleasure and entertainment. At least then you won’t have come into this world only to suffer," Fusheng replied telepathically.

"Then why don’t you do the same, Senior?" Lin Hui laughed.

"I’m different," Fusheng sighed. "But you’re not. Those three big problems you’re carrying are each more troublesome than the last. Your arduous Cultivation will only be a meaningless struggle. You can’t escape. That being the case, you might as well lie low and stop breaking through..."

He was genuinely starting to get scared of this guy, Lin Hui.

Every time this guy came in, he was a whole lot stronger. His Cultivation speed was truly astonishing.

But that Cultivation speed was nothing compared to the speed at which he caused trouble.

"If I don’t even try, how can you know that I can’t break free from all this, Senior?" Lin Hui said with a smile. "Indulging in pleasure sounds great, but when you want to have fun and find you have little money, or when you want to let loose and find that everyone around you can easily crush you, what is there to even indulge in?"

"You brat, why won’t you listen to reason?" Fusheng was at a loss for words. He could only watch as Lin Hui walked out of the Demon Palace, his figure vanishing before the gate.

*

*

*

「Tianchong City.」

The Tianxin Gang Headquarters.

The Tianxin Gang’s headquarters lay in the coastal area of the Outer City District, occupying half of Qishan Port.

The headquarters’ overlapping, densely arranged pavilions and waterside gazebos made for a remarkably conspicuous sight in the surrounding Outer City District.

Lin Hui emerged from his Sea of Consciousness feeling completely relaxed. Qimei had been sealed away once more, the Wind Calamity rift had been forcibly suppressed by the Eternal Life Sect Leader, and the Demon Ancestor’s contingency plan had also been sealed, rendered immobile.

For a time, it was as if all hidden dangers had vanished without a trace.

After his breakthrough, he once again felt the long-lost sensation of his body and Heart and Spirit soaring at incredible speed.

Every moment, a vast amount of stellar power descended upon him, flowing into his body.

This brand-new power began to once again strengthen every aspect of his being.

In high spirits, Lin Hui accepted an invitation and traveled to Tianchong City to have a look around.

It had to be said that Tianchong City was now effectively controlled by the Tianxin Gang. Even the Blood Ancestor City Lord was one of its members.

Having come here in person and casually wandered around, he soon discovered the differences between this place and Black Cloud.

This place was very progressive, especially regarding education; knowledge was remarkably widespread.

The clear sound of recitation could be heard everywhere, and the overall system was more orderly than in Black Cloud.

As for gangs, only the Tianxin Gang was in control; all other factions had been suppressed.

Like many other visiting tourists, Lin Hui blended into the crowd and entered the public areas of the Tianxin Gang’s headquarters to look around.

The vast majority of the Tianxin Gang’s headquarters was designated as a shared area for public use.

Although the Tianxin Gang footed the bill, their magnanimity in opening it to the public for free as a park was truly commendable.

Following the flow of people, he first visited the training grounds, where numerous gang disciples were sitting on the floor, listening to an instructor explain the day’s lesson.

Next was the Lotus Leaf Pond, where dense clusters of sea lotuses were in breathtaking bloom.

After that came the Hall of Fame.

The Tianxin Gang enshrined all members who had made significant contributions to the gang in the Hall of Fame.

Lifelike portraits of these members were painted and posted here for all to see.

Curious, Lin Hui wandered inside for a look. Soon, his steps halted before a portrait that was half his height.

The painting depicted a cold, beautiful woman in a long, dark red dress with silver patterns.

Lin Hui recognized Xia Si at a glance.

Compared to years ago, Xia Si’s disposition had matured considerably, faintly reminding him of how Song Feishi had seemed when he first met her.

Not so irritable and sharp-tongued. More like a real person...

’Looks like she’s been doing well here...’ Lin Hui couldn’t help but smile.

Xia Si had changed, but hadn’t he as well?

In the past, he had been full of violent hostility, killing at the slightest provocation and tolerating no dissent.

Now, his temper had also mellowed considerably...

After leaving the Hall of Fame, he quietly wandered around the rest of the headquarters and saw Xia Si speaking with the Tianxin Gang Leader, discussing strategies.

The Gang Leader had a gentle demeanor, smiled often, and seemed very approachable. He had a small mustache, and his Cultivation was not weak.

Lin Hui faintly sensed a special power, similar to the great formation in Black Cloud, resonating from him.

Apparently, this man walked the path of gathering the power of the masses into himself.

He didn’t disturb the two of them, quietly leaving Tianchong City.

To him now, even if Tianchong City had some differences from the Imperial City and Black Cloud, it didn’t affect him much.

As the people and things he was attached to dwindled, Lin Hui began to explore, wandering ever farther afield.

After returning to Qingfei Mountain, he had another drink with Liu Wu Jun, then began his long journey beyond the Federation.

His first stop was the Hongyin Empire.

The empire was once again in a state of war, with internal warlords carving up territories. It also had a place similar to the Federation’s Imperial City, which was not to be provoked.

Fortunately, there were fewer monsters in the mist, and the seas produced more food, so the common people were better able to survive.

For the rest, it was largely the same as the Federation.

This disappointed Lin Hui slightly, so he left Hong Yin and traveled even farther.

He flew north of the Federation at full speed.

At his current speed, he was a terrifying blur, covering more than ten kilometers a second.

He flew for a full six months, yet there was still no end in sight.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a boundless ocean and desolate islands.

During his flight, however, he discovered that besides Hong Yin and Taixu, there was also a Divine Alliance Empire, formed by the descendants of divine lineage and blood, as well as its rival, the Wanhe Empire.

The Wanhe Empire was a powerful empire formed from a coalition of numerous humanoid and Non-human Races.

These two great empires occupied vast territories, no smaller than the Federation’s.

Scattered around their peripheries were hundreds of smaller nations.

All of this formed a massive, oval-shaped region inhabited by humans.

And beyond this inhabited region, there was still only dense mist and unknown, perilous domains.

During his journey, Lin Hui practiced the final technique, the Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique, all while sightseeing.

Even with an infusion of cultivation memories for this Sword technique, he found it exceedingly difficult to even begin.

Fortunately, because this technique was an advanced version of the Star Breath Sword Manual, after a year, he finally completed the first step of his Cultivation: strengthening his body and mind to the point where he could perceive the existence of Time Strings.

Having reached this stage, he had seen what he wanted to see; his tour of the various nations was more or less complete.

Unable to find the edge of the world, Lin Hui could only turn back.

CREAK.

The gate to the Qingfei Mountain Daoist temple was slowly pushed open.

Lin Hui stepped inside. Seeing the courtyard, still as neat and tidy as ever, his mood couldn’t help but improve.

Although the formations could reduce the accumulation of dust to some extent, many things still needed someone to arrange them.

This persistence, maintained for decades as if it were a single day, fully demonstrated a serious and responsible attitude, even if it was only for simple tasks.

"Yuanyuan, you’ve done well," Lin Hui said with an appreciative nod.

But the familiar voice of Li Yuanyuan didn’t answer from behind him. Instead, a slightly younger voice responded.

"Reporting to the Daoist Master, Senior Sister Yuanyuan successfully passed away three months ago. Before decay could set in, she performed self-efflorescence."

Lin Hui froze. He turned around to see a girl whose face and demeanor were the spitting image of Li Yuanyuan’s, bowing to him earnestly and respectfully.

Not only that, but her face, aura, makeup, and attire were all identical to Li Yuanyuan’s.

She was even from the same Shadow Dog Clan.

Gazing at the girl’s familiar face, Lin Hui fell silent for a long time.

"What... is your name?" he finally asked after a long pause.

"Replying to the Daoist Master, my name is Li Zhanyuan," the girl answered seriously.

Lin Hui didn’t reply. Although he had long expected it, truly facing this moment still left his heart in turmoil.

At this moment, the desire to leave truly arose within him.

Unlike before, when he had always wanted to return after his travels, this time, he truly had few attachments left to this place...

"You are dismissed," he ordered softly.

The girl nodded and withdrew from the courtyard, leaving Lin Hui alone, standing quietly beneath a pear tree.

He stood there blankly for a while, then slowly walked through the familiar courtyard, reaching out to touch every trace of the memories he had left behind.

"Are you leaving?"

Liu Wu Jun had appeared behind him at some point and asked softly.

"..." Lin Hui turned around. "Perhaps..."

"Will you come back?" Liu Wu Jun asked again.

"...Perhaps." Lin Hui himself didn’t know.

"If you leave, what will happen to Black Cloud? What will happen to Xiaoliu and the others? Have you thought about that?" Liu Wu Jun pressed.

"I can’t protect them forever." Lin Hui smiled. Qingfei Mountain was here, and its great formation operated automatically, which was enough to allow the current Qingfeng Dao to maintain its power for many, many years to come.

He possessed the fate of the Celestial Father; every day, countless Cultivators would transfer a portion of their Cultivation to him.

Therefore, he knew better than anyone that most of the Qingfeng Dao had now receded into the shadows. Though their numbers had dwindled, their quality remained high.

Liu Wu Jun wanted to say more, but he couldn’t find the words.

He desperately wanted Lin Hui to stay, but he couldn’t find a reason to give.

"Speaking of which, I once answered Xiao Xiao’s question about whether reincarnation and an underworld exist in this world..." Lin Hui began.

"The truth is, I don’t know."

He had once explored the earth’s energy, delving deep underground to regions devoid of any life force, but from beginning to end, he had never discovered any sign of an underworld.

But now, he truly hoped that such a cycle of reincarnation did exist. That way, he wouldn’t be so lonely.

"If the Limitation... hadn’t happened..." Liu Wu Jun said suddenly.

"Yes... If the Limitation hadn’t happened, perhaps we could have had a few more years of good times," Lin Hui added with a laugh.

In truth, he could see that deep in Liu Wu Jun’s heart lay the same profound loneliness that he himself felt.

His entire branch of the Liu Family was now reduced to just him. He had long since lost all contact with the main family; they couldn’t be considered kin at all.

His mother was gone, his sister was dead, and he had no next generation to place his hopes in...

Suddenly, Lin Hui seemed to understand why so many people chose to have children.

When the immense loneliness that naturally comes with great age grew ever closer, the bone-deep sense of emptiness would make a person gradually lose interest in everything.

"Tell me, if the Limitation were gone, do you think everything could go back to the way it was?" Lin Hui asked suddenly.

Liu Wu Jun didn’t answer.

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