The Decaying World

In the snow-covered Aisin borderlands, amidst a range of pure white mountains.

Somber clouds hung overhead, with faint white light peeking through the layers.

Snowflakes drifted down. At the peak of a snowy mountain, a tall, white tower was faintly visible, stretching toward the heavens and piercing the clouds.

The tower’s exterior was as smooth as a mirror, without a single impurity, as if it were pieced together from round, white crystal mirrors a hundred meters wide.

Through its outer layer, one could faintly make out a spiral, frozen staircase inside, extending from the bottom all the way to the upper half of the tower.

Not far from the tower, two figures were slowly and steadily approaching across a frozen ice lake.

Here, with no sign of human life for over ten kilometers in any direction, the temperature had dropped to over sixty degrees below zero.

Without thermal gear, an ordinary person wouldn’t last ten minutes before freezing into a human popsicle.

But the two people walking across the ice lake were bizarrely not wearing any warm clothing.

One was dressed in a simple white tunic and matching cotton trousers. He was tall and powerfully built, with a black longsword tucked into his belt.

The other wore a dark purple one-piece dress, her face innocent but her figure stunning—dressed entirely for summer weather.

They were none other than Lin Hui and the Apricot Blossom Fairy, who had rushed here by plane from the Eastern Continent without a moment’s rest.

In fact, if they hadn’t needed a guide to lead them to the precise location, they could have traveled even faster than a plane and arrived at their destination—the legendary Heaven-Reaching Tower of the Western Continent—even sooner.

"There’s no one for over ten kilometers around here. Are you sure this is the legendary Heaven-Reaching Tower that leads directly to the Celestial Realm? Where are the guardians?" Lin Hui asked with a frown.

"The one in charge here, the Tower Guardian, sacrificed himself during the upheaval many years ago, breaking the line of succession. Afterward, no one was willing to stand long-term watch here. They just monitor it from a distance using surveillance formations," the Apricot Blossom Fairy answered quickly.

Lin Hui nodded and asked no more questions. He looked up at the white ice tower ahead that reached into the clouds. Faintly, he thought he could feel a subtle, special power seeping down from above.

The two continued forward and soon arrived at a frozen canyon leading into the heart of the snowy mountain range.

The canyon walls were covered with densely carved murals depicting the great deeds of all kinds of monsters and gods.

Scattered offering candlesticks lay toppled haphazardly on the ground. Some were so covered in ice and snow that only their outlines were visible, while others stuck out halfway.

"Didn’t they say the Tianluo Association restricts the absorption of all power? Here... there’s still some kind of power lingering..."

Lin Hui said in a low voice.

"That... I don’t know either..." The Apricot Blossom Fairy shook her head slightly. "I just followed your instructions and contacted the cultivation world on the Western Continent to learn about the situation here. Actually, they’re also quite troubled that this place connects to the Celestial Realm. After all, you know what the situation in the Celestial Realm is like now."

Lin Hui nodded and simply took the lead, walking ahead.

Past the frozen canyon lay a magnificently built Ice palace and open-air altars watched over by giant ice sculptures of knights.

Soon, the two smoothly entered the so-called main gate of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

The eye-shaped white gate was just casually left wide open, not even closed.

Lin Hui and the fairy proceeded unimpeded into the tower. Following the faint markings on the wall, they stepped onto the spiral ice staircase.

Level by level, their altitude steadily increased, and the Apricot Blossom Fairy grew more and more anxious.

She began to steal glances at Lin Hui’s expression, trying to read something from him.

But Lin Hui was constantly shrouded in a blurry airflow, making it impossible to see his face clearly.

She could only vaguely tell that he was expressionless.

As they climbed up into the clouds, the world outside the tower became a vast expanse of white, and nothing could be seen.

They were at least ten thousand meters above the ground.

The glaring sunlight from above and the sub-zero cold all around created a jarring contrast.

After continuing upward like this for another three thousand meters or so,

Lin Hui finally stopped and looked ahead.

Directly in front of them, a hexagonal Ice altar floated silently in the center of the tower.

Large numbers of black candles were placed at each of the altar’s six corners. More than half of them were already lit.

The remaining ones were also slowly sparking to life over time, as if some strange power was continuously trying to light them.

"This is the place..." The Apricot Blossom Fairy swallowed hard and, while Lin Hui was carefully examining their surroundings, she quietly took two steps back.

"You go light the rest of the candles. Give it a try." Lin Hui’s voice cruelly shattered her thoughts of escape.

"The one... the one who lights the candles is the person the altar’s formation designates for teleportation to the heavens... You..."

"Go on. I can afford to wait ten years," Lin Hui said flatly.

"..." The Apricot Blossom Fairy’s expression twisted instantly.

Her entire body trembled as a faint golden light began to shine from beneath her skin.

’If I’m dead either way, I might as well fight for it now!’

At this very moment, besides her, other Cultivators were also closely watching the situation here.

All the Holy Spirit and Heavenly Immortal-level mages and witches of the Western Continent were monitoring the area through surrounding formations.

Seeing the Apricot Blossom Fairy’s movements, they all understood. As expected, this "Infinite Wind of Advancement" truly intended to use someone else as a test subject.

If he had been the only one going up, they wouldn’t have resisted so strongly. But unfortunately... Lin Hui’s caution meant he planned to use enough cannon fodder to test the waters first.

Mackenzie, Li Mingshu, and Master Jade Coin of the Qiankun Temple were all gathered together in a small church over a hundred kilometers away, quietly watching for the outcome.

At this moment, the division between the Eastern and Western cultivation worlds no longer existed. There was only shared worry and fear of the Infinite-level cataclysm.

PFFT.

The Apricot Blossom Fairy couldn’t escape her fate of being frozen either. A bloody hole appeared between her eyebrows, and her entire body rapidly turned into a cold, beautiful, motionless statue, blending in a strangely perfect way with her surroundings.

Lin Hui, now alone, turned his gaze back to the altar.

With a flicker of thought, he hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward himself. He pulled a lighter from his pocket and tossed it casually.

Under the control of the airflow, the lighter began to light each of the black candles one by one.

*

*

*

「The Celestial Realm.」

Xue Shi, who was sitting cross-legged amidst endless ruins, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the Heaven-Reaching Tower formation floating in the air before him.

’They were constantly trying to stop me from lighting the teleportation formation before, but now someone is actively helping to activate it...?’

Something was clearly amiss. He raised his guard slightly and, conversely, stopped his own actions, allowing the other side to continue lighting the candles unilaterally.

There were no living things left to devour in the Celestial Realm. He did indeed plan to descend to the Human Realm and the Netherworld.

In truth, the Human Realm had nothing worth devouring; he was just planning to pass through on his way to the Netherworld to see if there were any fish that had slipped through the net.

It was just that those ants in the Human Realm thought too highly of themselves and were desperately trying to stop him from descending.

’Everything in existence has a reason to be... Perhaps this obstruction is the same...’ Xue Shi’s expression was calm as he watched the candle flames on the formation light up one by one.

Time passed, second by second, minute by minute.

Soon, ninety-nine percent of the candles were lit. Only the very last one remained, and the process came to a complete stop.

Xue Shi didn’t move.

On the other side, things also seemed to have paused, leaving just that one candle—the final key.

The moment it was lit, the formation would connect, and someone would be teleported to the opposing Realm.

But even though they were just one moment away, both Xue Shi and Lin Hui had, as if by tacit agreement, fallen silent.

This made the hearts of Mackenzie, Master Jade Coin, and the others watching from afar almost leap out of their chests.

One minute.

Ten minutes...

Half an hour...

It was as if the two of them had fallen asleep. Neither moved a muscle.

"Why... am I waiting here...?" Xue Shi lowered his head, staring at his tattered boots, which were so worn out that his toes were showing. They were divine artifacts, but they had been severely damaged in numerous battles.

"Right, what was I just about to do?" he wondered, his eyes suddenly vacant as his mind went blank for an instant.

PFFT!

Just then, the flame on the last candle suddenly flared to life.

The formation activated at extreme speed, bursting with white light.

In a flash, a white figure appeared in the center of the formation.

BOOM!!!

The next instant, the figure was pulverized, obliterated by a terrifying force that blew it into a shower of flesh and gore.

Only then did Xue Shi lift his head.

He had only been momentarily distracted, but his power was not.

"What was that just now? An ice sculpture?"

He vaguely remembered obliterating something, but it had been destroyed so quickly that he hadn’t gotten a clear look.

The formation was now open. All the candles were lit, and white-lit patterns flowed across its surface, flickering in and out of brightness. It was now possible to travel to the opposing Realm at any time.

The claim that one could only teleport once every ten years was a lie. As long as the Heaven-Reaching Tower had enough power to sustain it, it could connect the upper and lower realms at any time, teleporting any person or god.

These were just lies the Apricot Blossom Fairy had told to protect herself. Of course, she no longer had the chance to be punished for them.

Because she, along with the Celestial Father Seal crystal around her, had already been pulverized and vaporized on the spot, becoming part of the air in the Celestial Realm.

’But... that thing just now... its durability seemed a bit...’

It was something from the Human Realm, and Xue Shi could now tell that it seemed to be a crystal—a strange crystal with a hardness rivaling the strongest divine artifacts in the Celestial Realm.

In this Celestial Realm and the Eastern Celestial Court, the things that had left the deepest impression on him were the most powerful magical treasures and divine artifacts that both sides had once wielded: the Divine King’s Axe and the Myriad Transformation Seal.

One was the strongest divine artifact held by the Divine King of this realm, and the other was the strongest Magical Treasure held by the Eastern Celestial Emperor.

Back then, it had taken him a little more time to destroy them.

But the thing just now had a hardness almost on par with those two, and destroying it had consumed a fair bit of his power...

Originally, Xue Shi had planned to step into the formation and teleport to the lower realm immediately.

But this delay made him pause, his foot halting in mid-air.

He floated up, gazing at the activated formation, and for a time, made no further move.

Something impossibly strong had suddenly appeared from the Human Realm. This extreme anomaly sparked a faint trace of apprehension in his heart.

*

*

*

「The Human Realm.」

Inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

Lin Hui stood silently before the formation.

’The Celestial Father Seal crystal I threw in... shattered...’

He could feel that the faint trace of his Heart and Spirit he had left on the crystal had been instantly obliterated along with the Apricot Blossom Fairy, completely devoured and dissipated by some kind of pulverizing force.

This made him halt his steps as he was about to enter the teleportation portal.

’After entering the Celestial Realm, the Celestial Father Seal crystal should have instantly and automatically adjusted its durability to match the hardest substance there. Even so, it was still destroyed in an instant. It seems... the danger on that side is even greater than I anticipated...’

Lin Hui stood before the formation, and he too stopped moving for a moment.

He was contemplating whether he should find an alternative method, one that would first ensure his own safety before he tried to figure out the situation on the other side...

Time passed, second by second, minute by minute.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!