The Decaying World

Now that he had figured out the true nature of these minor factions, he knew he had to act swiftly and decisively to resolve the situation.

Any delay could lead to unexpected complications.

For the Celestial Father Seal to work, he couldn’t kill anyone. Since killing was off the table, he had to choose another method that would be just as effective.

And so, the forced brainwashing from the Divine Decision became his chosen method.

Standing in the courtyard, he watched the interconnected inner rooms continue to shake and collapse, paying no mind to the commotion within.

Instead, his gaze fell on the young man and woman who had suddenly appeared and cried out.

"Who are you?"

At some point, Chen Yunshi and Chen Yunlan had crawled over to Uncle Zhang’s body. They were wiping away tears with their sleeves. When they heard his question, they quickly rose. One carefully steadied the corpse while the other straightened their clothes before giving Lin Hui a deep bow.

"I am Chen Yunlan, of the main branch of the Xidong Chen Family. Thank you for saving us, sir!"

"Bystanders?" Lin Hui grasped their meaning and immediately lost interest.

To him, ordinary bystanders like these were merely people he had saved in passing. They held no other value.

"You can leave now. It’s not safe to linger here."

Chen Yunshi opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated. Seeing the cold, placid eyes behind Lin Hui’s mask, he ultimately decided against it. He simply bowed once more, then turned to help his sister carry Uncle Zhang’s body as they hastily departed the courtyard.

Lin Hui’s gaze returned to the row of inner rooms, which had now half-collapsed.

’The androgynous person in white I just brainwashed seems pretty strong. They’ve been fighting all this time without any trouble, and their aura is still vigorous.’

’It’s very likely that person is the leader here, the Pavilion Master of the Yin-Yang Pavilion.’

Before long, everything fell silent.

The white-robed figure led a group of people—men and women, old and young, all similarly clad in white with gauze robes—out from the ruins. They came before Lin Hui, knelt, and paid their respects.

"The nineteen survivors of the Yin-Yang Pavilion greet you, Master." The group kowtowed respectfully.

"One of you, come explain the situation to me. The rest of you, carry on," Lin Hui said coolly.

Soon, an old man with a weathered face, white hair, and white eyebrows stepped forward from the group, leaving the brainwashed Pavilion Master behind.

"This old one, Zhu Shanguo, is willing to answer your questions, Master."

Seeing the gashes still oozing blood on the old man’s face, Lin Hui knew he must have taken quite a beating from the former Pavilion Master.

In fact, Lin Hui could sense that in the last ten-odd minutes, the former Pavilion Master had killed at least thirty or forty people within the Yin-Yang Pavilion.

’They must have been the disobedient ones,’ he guessed.

The old man, Zhu Shanguo, immediately followed Lin Hui into one of the surviving studies to speak in detail.

"Tell me about the Yin-Yang Pavilion. How does it normally operate?" Lin Hui said, casually seating himself on a high stool and looking at the old man.

"In response to Master, our Yin-Yang Pavilion primarily sustains itself by dispatching yin spirits to harass wealthy households. We then send another group to ’pacify’ the spirits and collect a fee for our services as Mages. This cycle has allowed us to operate and maintain a balance in the surrounding region for decades."

The old man spoke quickly, enduring the pain from his wounds.

"Then, starting last year, rumors began to circulate through the martial world that the Hongyuan Scripture had reappeared..."

"Wait," Lin Hui frowned. "What is the Hongyuan Scripture?"

"This item... You don’t know of it?!" The old man looked up, his face a mask of astonishment.

But an instant later, he shuddered and quickly lowered his head again.

"It is a legendary, mysterious scripture said to have inherited a fragment of the supreme Magical Treasure, the Myriad Dragon Skyfire Pagoda, when it was destroyed. Someone once used it to successfully refine a top-tier Magic Artifact. As a result, whenever a Hongyuan Scripture appears in the world, everyone vies to possess it."

"Are you saying there’s more than one of them?"

"Precisely. The Hongyuan Scripture consists of nine volumes. Six have already been used, leaving only three. The one that has just reappeared is one of those three," the old man said rapidly. His face twitched, terrified that Lin Hui might just explode his head and brainwash him as well.

’Hongyuan Scripture...’ Lin Hui mulled over the name for a moment before asking his next question.

"So, did you manage to get your hands on it?"

"Not yet. The two people we dispatched have gone missing. This last known volume of the scripture is believed to be in the hands of Liu Chang, the current commander-in-chief of Xidong City. That Liu Chang is protected by masters from the Qiankun Monastery and the Great Golden Yun Temple, so we dare not approach him directly and can only resort to indirect schemes," the old man answered honestly.

"And what kind of powers are this Qiankun Monastery and Great Golden Yun Temple?" Lin Hui asked. But he quickly realized that asking questions piecemeal was far too inefficient, so he added,

"Actually, never mind. Just give me an overview of the current situation in the martial world of the Republic." He had always lacked a comprehensive understanding of the country’s state of affairs. Taking over the Yin-Yang Pavilion was partly so he could find someone knowledgeable enough to question.

He had actually asked the Celestial Dragon Daoist before, but that man was an old fossil. Everything he knew was from centuries ago; he was completely ignorant of anything else. All he knew was how to go around killing people to advance his Cultivation Technique.

"Y-yes." By now, the old man Zhu Shanguo was starting to understand. ’This masked man before me is most likely some old monster from a fallen dynasty who has just emerged from seclusion in some forgotten corner of the mountains.’

’He just happened to stumble upon us to get information. It’s just our rotten luck.’

After organizing his thoughts, he cleared his throat and began.

"After the Republic completely overthrew the previous dynasty, it fractured into several large territories within a few years. Although there was a brief period of chaos, things have more or less stabilized now, forming a tripartite standoff among the three great warlords: Wang, Liu, and Liang."

"The world of Mages has similarly shifted from its old north-south divide into three corresponding domains. The two original superpowers, the Qiankun Monastery and the Great Golden Yun Temple, maintain stability in the territories of Wang and Liang, respectively. Liu Chang’s territory, however, has fallen into a temporary state of chaos. Now, both the Qiankun Monastery and the Great Golden Yun Temple are striving to win Liu’s support and bring this last piece of the puzzle into their own fold..."

"So you’re saying Liu Chang’s faction is the weakest of the three? That’s why both sides are trying to win him over?" Lin Hui instantly understood.

"Yes. In truth, the world of Mages is inextricably linked to the secular world. After all, Mages are still human; we have basic needs and require vast resources to maintain our operations and continue our traditions," the old man nodded earnestly.

"Historically, the southern Mage community looked to the Qiankun Monastery for leadership, while we in the north revered the Great Golden Yun Temple. However, the rise of the warlords shattered this status quo. After numerous wars and infighting among the warlords, which even led to city-wide massacres, the two great powers became implacable enemies due to the opposing sides they backed. This created an opportunity for smaller factions like ours to rise and grow."

"I see." Lin Hui nodded in understanding.

"Therefore, Liu’s territory is now caught in the middle, the prize they are both fighting for. However, we suspect that Liu Chang must have a third, hidden power backing him, aside from the two major factions. Otherwise, before he rose to power, neither of the great powers paid him any mind. For an ordinary warlord to have survived so many conspiracies and assassination attempts on his own back then... he’s by no means a simple man!" Zhu Shanguo said gravely.

Lin Hui nodded, now having a general overview of the current political landscape of the Republic.

"And the Yin-Yang Pavilion? Where does it rank in the grand scheme of things?"

"Well... in the martial world, aside from the two great powers, all the other Sects, gangs, prominent families, and security agencies are a tangled mess. It’s impossible to know anyone’s true strength. Each has its own unique Dharma Gate to ensure its survival. So, it’s hard to say what our rank truly is. But at the very least, we are not considered a minor faction," the old man answered after a moment’s thought.

"That’s enough." Lin Hui nodded, then after a moment of thought, posed another question. "Do you know of the Celestial Dragon Daoist? The one behind the recent ’blood character’ incidents. What is his level of strength?"

"Him? The Tian Long Temple is a mid-tier faction. Although it has seen some decline in recent years, the old Celestial Dragon Daoist is still powerful. He possesses the genuine body of a Human Immortal, making ordinary methods completely useless against him. He’s considered a formidable expert in the martial world—the kind who can claim a territory and live in peace for a time," the old man replied.

Lin Hui made a mental comparison and got a rough idea.

"That’s about it. Now, go and bring me a few of your people—the ones most proficient in Magic. I want to test something."

"Yes."

The old man didn’t dare ask any more questions. He lowered his head and quickly exited the room.

Lin Hui strolled out of the room. A few minutes later, Zhu Shanguo returned with a middle-aged man and woman, who both bowed in unison.

All three were exceedingly respectful.

"The three of you, right now, use your most powerful Magic on me," Lin Hui ordered directly.

He wanted to experience firsthand just how powerful the Magic in this region was.

The three exchanged hesitant glances. Finally, after studying Lin Hui’s expression and confirming the order several times, Zhu Shanguo was the first to step forward. He began to form hand seals and cast his spell.

Lin Hui watched him mutter an incantation, his head bowed in concentration for a good ten seconds. At last, he raised his hand and launched a serpent of purplish-black smoke.

The smoke moved quickly, but it was nowhere near the speed of a bullet.

WHOOSH.

The smoke slammed into the space before Lin Hui, only to be shattered with a light flick of his finger.

"!!??" Zhu Shanguo’s mouth hung agape. Though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing someone block Magic with their physical body—the reality of it unfolding before his very eyes—sent a shock so deep it made him question if he was hallucinating.

The other two beside him wore identical expressions of disbelief. As they stared at Lin Hui, their bodies began to tremble once more.

The two also cast their spells, one launching a fox of black smoke and the other a scorpion. Both were casually tapped into nothingness by Lin Hui’s finger.

Afterward, the two of them went limp, drenched in sweat and completely spent.

"That’s it!?" Lin Hui was stunned.

"Y-yes... That is our strongest Magic, the ultimate Secret Technique derived from our Yin-Yang Pavilion’s foundational Cultivation Technique, the Mysterious Yin-Yang Scripture. And yet, you..." Zhu Shanguo said with a bitter sense of helplessness.

"..." Lin Hui had felt absolutely nothing.

After a moment’s pause, he spoke again, speechless.

"Don’t tell me the entire world of Mages is now filled with weaklings like yourselves?"

The three exchanged helpless glances.

"That’s not entirely true. Many Sects and gangs combine Martial Arts with marksmanship, hidden weapons, and poisons, keeping a few Magic spells in reserve as part of their overall combat strength. Pure Mages like us are rare," one of them answered clearly.

Lin Hui recalled what that combination felt like. He had encountered such experts over the years, and hearing it described now, a clear image formed in his mind.

"Since you are the Yin-Yang Pavilion, and pure Mages at that, do you have a way to travel to the Underworld?"

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