The Decaying World

The main Red Sand Temple.

Within the Hall of Grandeur and Light.

Abbot Juehui watched helplessly as a man and a woman, both with blonde hair and blue eyes, burst through the doors.

The two were dressed in moon-white formal attire with silver patterns, looking as if they had just stepped out of a ball. Their outfits were spotless, and they each held a golden pocket watch.

Their faces were now solemn as they quietly awaited the Red Sand Temple’s response.

Just moments ago, they had entered and immediately conveyed an order from the Holy Spirit Mage Association, demanding that the Red Sand Temple find the culprit who had dared to kidnap a member of the Esse diplomatic mission.

"Honored Mr. Felix," Abbot Juehui said, his expression sorrowful, "the Red Sand Temple is not a subordinate of the Holy Spirit Mage Association. Is it not asking the impossible to demand we find this person within a single day?"

"That is your problem. We are only responsible for conveying the Association’s resolution," the man, Felix, said calmly.

"This was indeed a terrible mistake made by some of our country’s more ignorant people. Please, grant us a few more days..." Juehui pleaded, bowing his head.

"Abbot! They were the ones who shot those two children! Yes, the children were stealing, but that’s not a crime punishable by death!" From among the monks in the back, Juexin, the Head of the Disciplinary Hall, couldn’t stop his brow from furrowing in anger.

"Silence! Mind your tongue in the envoys’ presence! Do not speak such nonsense!" Juehui swiftly cut off his junior brother, his expression severe.

"But—!" Juexin tried to speak again, but two of his fellow monks grabbed him and pulled him away.

A placating voice immediately sounded in his ear.

"In times like these, if the Abbot didn’t swallow his pride and endure the humiliation, how could our Red Sand Temple have stood firm for so many years? Or does our Head of the Disciplinary Hall believe the lives of two little thieves are more important than all our brothers in the temple?"

At these words, the fight went out of Juexin, and his heart sank.

"This is the way of the world. Every man for himself. What’s wrong with trying to survive?"

"Those little thieves never live more than a few years anyway. When they die, they die. Every year, a new batch of them appears, only to vanish a few months later. If you really feel sorry for them, Head, then go back to the hall, close your eyes, and chant some sutras for their souls. That’s more than enough."

"You...!" Juexin felt his heart turn to ice. He wanted to argue, but he couldn’t find the words to fight back. He could only fall into a dead silence.

"So be it. We can grant you an extension of one day, at most. That is the limit of our authority."

From the entrance of the hall, the envoy Felix glanced at Juexin, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yes, yes. Understood," Juehui hurriedly agreed.

"Let’s go, Charlotte." Felix turned and walked toward the temple gates.

The pair left the temple, one after the other, leaving behind a hundred monks. The monks, gathered all around, watched their Abbot and collectively sighed in relief.

They had long known how tyrannical the people of the Holy Spirit Mage Association could be. The previous Abbot had been beaten to death on the spot, three of the Temple Heads were killed, and more than half of their Vajra-level masters had been slain.

In the end, only by having the current Abbot, Juehui, kneel in submission were they able to preserve the temple’s legacy.

"Disperse. All of you, disperse..." Juehui sighed.

After dismissing most of the disciples, only the five Heads remained. The six of them entered the main hall together, closed the door, and sat down cross-legged.

"Juexin, why were you so reckless today?" Juehui sighed, exhausted. "Do you have any idea? If I had reacted even a moment slower, those two might have killed you on the spot."

Juexin lowered his head, not saying a word.

"Never mind. As your punishment, Juexin, you will handle this matter personally. Be sure to eliminate everyone involved. Leave no traces," Juehui continued.

"I don’t want to do this anymore," Juexin muttered suddenly, his head still bowed.

"There’s no getting out of it..." another monk, Jueshan, said faintly. "You’d best not say such things. Those ’golden boys and jade maidens’ in the temple’s catacombs... you’ve had your share of fun with them in the past. Why are you pretending to be a Saint now?"

"I said, I don’t want to do this anymore," Juexin repeated, lifting his head. "So either kill me right now... or else."

"Juexin! Get ahold of yourself!" Jueshan raised his voice.

"My head is perfectly clear! My heart just feels... hollow. Completely hollow!" Juexin shouted.

"You don’t understand! It feels like there’s a hole in my chest, like something is just endlessly draining out of me... This life is meaningless!"

"Then what do you find meaningful!?" Juehui interjected, his voice sharp. "Think of your elderly mother! Think of your brother and sister! They will all be purged because of your selfishness! Have you gone mad!?"

"Am I... wrong?" Juexin closed his eyes in agony.

"No, you’re not wrong."

Suddenly, a voice drifted from behind them.

Their hearts clenched, and they whipped their heads around toward the sound.

There, standing atop the head of the giant golden Buddha, was a burly, long-haired man who had appeared without anyone noticing.

Distorted currents of air swirled around him, and he wore a black mask that obscured his features.

"The audacity! How dare you trespass in the Red Sand Temple! Get down here!"

One of the Heads shot into the air, his palm gathering a red torrent of energy as he struck toward the man.

This was the Red Sand Temple’s unique technique, the Red Sand Clarifying Palm, which combined Magic and Martial Arts.

It was a supreme form of Martial Arts, powerful enough to injure a Human Immortal.

BOOM!

The next moment, while the Head was still in mid-air, he was slammed by an immense, crushing pressure.

With the mysterious man at its epicenter, the entire hall was suddenly submerged in a terrifying, invisible pressure.

Ripples of pressure on their Heart and Spirit spread outward like tangible waves.

"Didn’t you kill my people and deliberately lure me here?" Lin Hui’s hand came to rest gently on the Sword Hilt at his waist.

"Your Excellency...!" Juehui, whose Cultivation was the highest, struggled to speak. "This all... might be... a misunderstanding!"

"It is indeed a misunderstanding," Lin Hui said with a smile. "After all, I was initially worried you could still contact the Upper Realm. Who knew you’d long since lost the ability to do so..."

"That sets my mind at ease."

’Since these mortal factions can’t communicate with or summon beings from the heavens or the underworld, my own safety is greatly increased.’

"The trash I dealt with before was too weak... but you lot... you’ll barely suffice."

Lifting his hand, a point of white light once again ignited on Lin Hui’s fingertip.

"Run!" Juehui suddenly launched himself from the ground, shooting backward toward the wall in an attempt to crash through a window and escape.

Just as the abbot was about to hit the window, Lin Hui extended his hand again and pointed.

"Benefactor, why must you be so aggressive?"

In that same instant, a withered old monk with white eyebrows flashed into existence before Lin Hui, raising a hand to intercept the attack.

BOOM!!

In a flash, the entire Red Sand Temple shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.

"Ancestor Fa Ming!" The Temple Heads stared, wide-eyed, at the Abbot from two generations prior, a man who was supposed to have died years ago. Yet here he was, appearing right before them to block the mysterious man’s terrifying attack.

"Just as I thought. You Buddhist types always like to hide a few old fossils in your sects," Lin Hui remarked, his expression unchanging.

"This old monk merely faked his death to find some peace. I have finally achieved the Arhat’s Golden Body and thought I might enjoy a bit of leisure. A pity that you, Benefactor, are so aggressive..." the old monk, Fa Ming, said calmly.

’Arhat’s Golden Body?!’

Lin Hui, who now had some understanding of the cultivation world, immediately made the connection to his knowledge of the different Realms.

’A Human Immortal corresponds to the Buddhist Amitabha Realm.’

’And an Earth Immortal corresponds to the second stage: the Arhat’s Golden Body.’

’This is a true master, a full Great Realm above a Human Immortal!’

A flicker of excitement ignited in Lin Hui’s heart.

’No wonder he could block my casual strike head-on. Even without using my main body’s power, this current form—with its stacked passive Special Effects and my insights into Swordsmanship—can unleash terrifying might.’

’This entire Red Sand Temple would likely be annihilated in just a few attacks.’

’And yet, he actually blocked it.’

"Finally, things are getting interesting." Although this was exactly what he had been worried about, now that he was actually facing someone who could fight him, the desire to win began to stir in his heart.

"Benefactor, you are attached to worldly forms. What is gained through excessive desire will only lead to greater emptiness," the old monk Fa Ming said calmly.

"Old monk, if you can beat me, your entire Red Sand Temple lives. If you can’t, today is the day all two hundred of your monks die."

Lin Hui let out a long laugh, his hand already gripping the Ruyi Sword Handle.

SWOOSH!!

In the next instant, an immense beam of silver sword light split the hall in two, bearing down on the old monk Fa Ming.

The beam of light was slender and straight, yet it gave off the uncanny illusion of being utterly impossible to dodge.

’Red Sand Contention,’ Fa Ming recited inwardly. His right palm instantly turned red and became coated in a layer of golden light.

He raised his hand to meet the blade head-on.

Though his hand barely seemed to move, it perfectly and precisely intercepted the descending Longsword’s blade.

CLANG!!

The Red Sand Temple shook violently once more. The ground cracked and buckled.

"It is useless." Fa Ming slapped the Ruyi Sword’s blade aside. "This old monk has achieved the Arhat’s Golden Body and is now one with this temple. In the words of the Daoist Sect, this is the attainment of an Earth Immortal, far beyond the reach of a mere Human Immortal."

"We won’t know until we try." Lin Hui withdrew his sword and thrust again.

This time, he was no longer swinging wildly but employing true Swordsmanship—even if it was only the most basic Nine-Section Swift Sword.

But at his current Realm, the sword flashes were like lightning, like coiling dragons and snakes, instantly striking the old monk and pinning him in mid-air.

A dense flurry of CLING-CLANG-CLANGS erupted.

The sound was accompanied by a shower of golden sparks.

"Useless..." Fa Ming said, his expression calm. He closed his eyes and casually batted away the surrounding blades. "Every attack you make is borne by the very earth we stand upon. No matter how strong you are, you cannot destroy the entire world in an instant. Wielding your sword so recklessly against an Arhat will yield no results, even if you fight until you collapse from exhaustion."

At the level of an Earth Immortal or an Arhat’s Golden Body, a battle was no longer a simple contest of strength, speed, and destructive power. It was a competition of Magic Artifacts, Magical Treasures, and one’s understanding of Magic.

In such a fight, victory was determined by who could sever their opponent’s connection to the earth first, and who could seize a greater share of the earth’s power for themselves. It was not about destroying the opponent’s physical body.

At this stage, their bodies had already become one with the ground beneath their feet.

Therefore...

"Interesting... This is too interesting!"

SWOOSH!

The next moment, Lin Hui grasped the sword with both hands.

"Then let’s put that to the test..."

RIIIIP.

The robes on his body suddenly tore apart.

His body began to swell madly, growing larger, taller.

As his form distorted and expanded, he rapidly approached a height of four meters.

His immense, grotesquely powerful body cast a terrifying, demonic shadow upon the walls of the hall.

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