The Decaying World

"What are you afraid of? Your Cultivation Technique causes your own life to evolve, which is itself a similarly powerful method of plundering resources. The Limit can’t control you. It can only govern many innate factors. Cultivation breakthroughs, on the other hand, are the result of acquired opportunities and your own efforts to plunder," the Duke said dismissively.

"Then do you know how strong they are?"

"Huang Weijun is probably on my level. As for Emperor Lock, I’m not sure. We’ve never crossed blades. The Fog Emperor? I know even less about him." The Duke didn’t have much information to offer on that front.

"How is that possible? You’ve never fought them? After all the times you’ve descended before..." Lin Hui said, surprised.

"There was one time that did get really chaotic. We, along with Extreme Cold Heaven, Hui Jing, and several other Realms, besieged the Royal City. But I wasn’t leading the charge that time. It was another duke. I only joined the battlefield later, and by the time I arrived, the main battle was already over."

"And then?"

"Then, I just made an appearance and was killed several thousand times by a few chains. I suspect it was Emperor Lock who attacked me, but that’s just a suspicion. I can’t be sure," the Duke speculated.

"Alright... Thanks for the info. How about... I open a gate for you to come over and have some fun?" Lin Hui suggested tentatively.

"Don’t. Your world has been locked down twice now. It’s definitely being watched by the deep levels of the Corruption. Haven’t you noticed how quiet the forces from the other Realms are being? Nobody’s an idiot. Before that power surfaced, we could take the opportunity to pop back for a snack. Now that it’s surfaced, it’s obviously more advantageous for us to switch targets," the Duke quickly interjected.

"Switch targets?"

"Of course. It’s not like your world is the only place to go. You didn’t know? Right now, we, along with Extreme Cold, Hui Jing, and the Corruption from your world, are all entering another one. It’s a new Realm we only discovered five years ago, and it’s incredibly rich in resources and souls. But its Realm barrier is too thick, so for now, we can only lure the natives into destroying its structural points, allowing our power to slowly seep in." The Duke became much more animated as he spoke about this.

’But you just said you were bored...’ Lin Hui finally realized this guy hadn’t been telling the truth at all when they first connected. Only now that he was getting into the conversation did he reveal what he was really up to.

"Well, it’s still early, you know? We’ve only infiltrated a tiny bit of power. It’s a long way from opening a gate. So naturally, all we can do is wait around, which is boring," the Duke said with a dry laugh.

"Alright then. Lastly, I’d like to ask for your advice on how to actively enter other worlds..."

"For that kind of Dharma Gate, different power systems have different methods, but the fundamental principle is more or less the same. You need to meet three conditions," the Duke said straightforwardly.

"First, you need an instantaneous burst of realm-breaking power to open the barrier to your own inner world. Then, since you intend to travel to another world, you have to decide how you’ll go. Your true body, an avatar, a divided spirit, or even a projection with a mere sliver of your power sent to possess someone—they’re all options. Different methods require different levels of realm-breaking power. Sending your true body is the simplest; creating an avatar or a divided spirit is much more difficult."

"Once you’re out, you have to face the Disintegration Storm between worlds. There isn’t really a concept of space between worlds. There are only the outer layers of countless world barriers, constantly colliding and grinding against one another. The endless fragments that break off form a massive storm that pulverizes and devours everything. It’s a force you absolutely cannot fight, because its source is the simultaneous compression and friction of two entire worlds. So, you have to figure out how to handle the Disintegration Storm."

"Finally, you need to lock onto the coordinates of your target world. It’s usually best to pick the closest one. If it’s too far, you won’t last long before being completely disintegrated and turned into world fragments."

"Break a realm, find your coordinates, and finally, break another realm. Because once you arrive, you have to break through the world barrier again. So now you understand why we infiltrate our power first, don’t you? This way, we can coordinate from both inside and out, drastically reducing the energy consumed during the second realm-breaking."

"When it comes to power infiltration, there are a lot of tricks. Our favorite method is to find the most durable objects and fuse our power into them. That way, the Disintegration Storm can’t easily grind them away. Plus, these kinds of objects can travel through certain special channels between realms more easily than we can, allowing them to get inside. And so..."

At this, the Duke launched into an enthusiastic, non-stop explanation.

Lin Hui had no choice but to interrupt him; he had pretty much gotten all the information he wanted.

He now had a rough idea of who his enemies were, their numbers, and their approximate level of power.

He probably couldn’t get much more out of him. Of course, Lin Hui still had no intention of foolishly rushing in to challenge the Court to a duel.

’That wouldn’t be bravery. It would be insanity.’

’Throughout his life, he had never acted recklessly. He always tested the waters first before making a move.’

So...

*

*

*

「Five years later...」

「Tianchong City.」

Within the Tianxin Gang, Gang Leader Zhao Yuanshu, known as the Benevolent King, reached out to gently stroke a black wooden statue with gold inlay on his bookshelf, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Still no news, Senior Xia?"

In the study, besides him, sat a slender woman wearing a black veil.

The woman wore a long, light blue dress with a slit up to her thigh, revealing shapely legs clad in black tights with a dragon and phoenix pattern.

Her features were fine and sharp, yet held a faint trace of world-weariness.

"The lack of news is, in itself, the most telling news. It means your probing attack was meaningless to them. It also means the Court is far stronger than either of us imagined."

This person was none other than Xia Si, who had not returned to Qingfeng Dao for a long time.

If anyone else from Qingfeng Dao were to see her, they would discover that she now bore a strong resemblance to the Song Feishi of years past. Their dispositions, their style of dress, even the subtle features of their faces were strikingly similar...

"That’s true... This outcome was within my expectations. It’s just... hard to accept," Zhao Yuanshu sighed.

"I plan to enter the Vow Power Formation and lend you my strength," Xia Si said.

"There’s no need. Although I have some Talent, I’m still no match for your vast experience in battle..." Zhao Yuanshu quickly protested.

"Stop the act," Xia Si cut him off impatiently. "You betrayed Qingfeng Dao all those years ago, changed your identity, changed your face, and you thought no one would recognize you?"

After a pause, she laid it all bare.

"Or should I just say your name loud and clear? Junior Brother Yuanhe?"

Zhao Yuanshu’s body trembled, the bitter smile on his face deepening.

"So you saw through me."

He turned around and gazed at Xia Si.

"I was young and reckless back then. I thought there was no place in the world I couldn’t go. It was only after I left Qingfeng Dao that I discovered the only place that could compare to it was the Imperial City."

"So I went there alone. I ended up joining the Huang family of the Imperial City and gradually became one of their top retainers. Then, by a stroke of luck, I merged with the legacy of a previous Martial Saint and created my own Divine Skill, the Secret Codex of Good and Evil Origin."

He touched his eyes. These Eyes of Benevolent Dharma were the foundation of his rapid progress in Cultivation.

In those days, he’d arrogantly believed that with these eyes, every person and every form of Martial Arts was nothing more than a stepping stone on his path to supremacy.

’That was why he never felt a sense of belonging to any faction. If he didn’t control it himself, it wasn’t worth his effort.’

"And then?" Xia Si pressed. She, too, was curious as to how this young man’s temperament had changed so drastically, from an arrogant, condescending youth to the benevolent, placid, and even somewhat weak Ren Wang Tianxin, Gang Leader.

"Later, as my understanding of the Huang family, the Royal City, and the Court Abyss deepened, I began to see clearly the immense chasm between the true core power of the Imperial City’s Three Great families and outsiders like us. Those core members... they seemed even less human than the Fog People of the past."

Zhao Yuanshu, or rather, the former Yuanhe, was now lost in memories.

"So, my reckless self at the time was naturally dissatisfied. Believing my Divine Skill had reached Great Success and that I had surpassed the Martial Saint of old, I found a random excuse and killed over a thousand members of the Huang family, from top to bottom."

"..." Xia Si was speechless. ’To speak of slaughtering an entire household with such a helpless, frustrated, and aggrieved tone... under all of heaven, Zhao Yuanshu was probably the only one.’

"But to my surprise, as I was fleeing after the massacre, I hadn’t even flown a hundred meters before I looked back and saw the entire Huang family, whom I had just annihilated, standing there completely unharmed. Not only were the people fine, but even the buildings were undamaged. Without a second thought, I struck again."

"But I did it fifteen consecutive times!" Yuanhe let out a long sigh. "It was useless. The moment I got a certain distance away, everything would revert to its original state."

"And then?" Xia Si continued to ask.

"Then, in my rage, I unleashed my full power. I fought back the Imperial City’s Black Army and numerous Blood Ancestors and charged straight for the Court Abyss. I knew it was the absolute core of the Three Great families. I guessed that the source of it all had to be concentrated there!" Yuanhe’s voice dropped to a whisper.

"But before I charged in, I used my secret codex to forcibly separate my benevolent will and the Eyes of Benevolent Dharma. I had them parasitically fuse with an ordinary young Martial Artist in the outside world and sent him far away. I let my malicious will take control of my entire Cultivation and attempted to destroy the Court Abyss."

"As for the result... you’ve seen it."

Xia Si shook her head.

"Back then, the Bright Heart Association Leader gathered all the Sea Roar Power in the world and even drew upon the boundless Supreme Sea Abyss, yet he still couldn’t eliminate the Court Abyss. And you..."

"The Bright Heart Association Leader? Senior Xia, don’t tell me you know the truth of what happened back then?" Yuanhe asked in a low voice.

Not many people who knew the truth of that battle were still around. Many had either been Corrupted, died of old age, or simply refused to speak of it.

"I know some of it. The situation with the Court Abyss is even more dangerous than you imagine. This recent probe cost the gang a number of skilled members, which means the Imperial City’s Huang family has taken notice of us. What’s your plan?" Xia Si asked.

"Weren’t all these years of preparation for this very moment?" Yuanhe gave a bitter smile. "The Vow Power Formation has already gathered a great many masters. If we can borrow your strength as well... we might just have a chance to shatter the Court Abyss," Yuanhe said with a grave expression.

Hearing such an audacious claim, Xia Si didn’t refute it. Instead, she nodded in earnest agreement.

"Indeed. Your Talent is truly extraordinary. The Vow Power Formation you created has gathered the strength of over eighty percent of the top masters from Tianchong, Black Cloud, the Shenmeng, and Wanhe. It has concentrated the full power of everyone who is dissatisfied with or even hates the Court Abyss. If even this force cannot achieve victory, then there is no hope of victory left in the world."

Only after she left Black Cloud to travel did she learn that Court Abysses also existed in Hong Yin, the Shenmeng, and Wanhe.

Challengers had risen in those places as well, entering the Abysses to fight, but without exception, they all failed and vanished.

She herself had long since abandoned hope, believing that aside from *that* one person, it was impossible for anyone in this world to overthrow the Court Abyss and shatter the Limit.

But the Vow Power Formation that Yuanhe created had been a massive, pleasant surprise.

It gathered the power of all to form a terrifying avatar—an awesome power the likes of which had never been seen before and would never be seen again.

"It’s a shame... If only the Grandmaster would emerge from seclusion..." Yuanhe’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift to the white-robed figure who had always been seated cross-legged beneath the pear tree.

"Don’t get your hopes up," Xia Si interrupted. "The fact that the Daoist Master didn’t cripple your Cultivation was already an act of mercy."

Yuanhe nodded with a bitter smile.

"You’re right. I was indulging in wishful thinking."

For a moment, neither of them felt like talking.

And just outside their study, tens of thousands of meters up in the sea of fog directly above...

Lin Hui floated quietly above the clouds and mist, gazing at the slowly setting sun, as if waiting for something.

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