The Decaying World

Heart Source Demon Palace.

In the grand hall of the first floor, Fusheng—frozen into a crystal pillar—gave a lazy yawn. He then let out a long sigh and gazed through a window, watching the various scenes drift by in the purple mist outside.

This was the only thing he could do here.

CREAK.

Suddenly, the main gate creaked open, and a familiar figure slowly entered. Clad in white with a black sword, it was Lin Hui, who had just left the Human Realm.

"It’s been a while, Fusheng." Lin Hui offered a small smile. As he stepped inside, the great doors swung shut behind him automatically.

He casually found a chair, pulled it over, and sat down.

"You look... somewhat different than before," Fusheng’s Heart and Spirit emanated from the crystal pillar.

’He remembered this guy, Lin Hui, didn’t have this body in the beginning.’

"That’s all irrelevant. Speaking of which, Fusheng, have you ever seen a Calamity Fusionist before?"

One of the reasons Lin Hui had returned was to have a proper chat with Fusheng.

"The Fusion Sect... Of course I’ve seen them. There are plenty in every world. Why do you ask? You... wait, aren’t you one of them?" Fusheng suddenly recalled the rift to the Wind Calamity that Lin Hui had summoned with a wave of his hand. It all clicked into place.

"And what makes you say that?"

Lin Hui made a light gesture with his hand, summoning the Tai Chi Divine Sword from a nearby wall. He grasped it and gently placed it across his lap.

"I just wanted to ask, must the Fusion Sect always devour and hunt worlds?"

"Well..." Fusheng chuckled awkwardly. ’Is this damn Fusionist trying to play the kind and merciful card now?’

For a moment, he couldn’t tell if Lin Hui was deliberately pretending or just putting on a show for him.

"Actually, not all members of the Fusion Sect are evil. There are quite a few good people, good clans."

"How so?" Lin Hui quickly looked toward him.

"Some choose a world that’s strong enough and cultivate it. They harvest naturally on a regular basis, actively replenish what they take, and maintain the world’s natural cycles and balance. Fusionists like that aren’t so bad, really," Fusheng replied quickly.

"Harvesting? How is that any different?"

"Of course it’s different. A world’s base population is enormous. Just the high-cognition beings who die from natural accidents are countless. That alone is enough to sustain yourself. In fact, the larger and more prosperous a world is, the more living beings it has, and the more who die naturally. This makes it easier for you to maintain your own existence," Fusheng said.

"Then the top, powerful members of the Fusion Sect—don’t they know to do this? Why don’t they?" Lin Hui obviously wasn’t so easily fooled.

"Because... because..." Fusheng trailed off, unable to continue...

"Because the stronger one becomes, the more the Calamity itself erodes them. In this world, great power has always brought with it more numerous, far-reaching, and heavier entanglements. The stronger you are, the greater your influence. And the more entanglements and connections you possess, the stronger the Calamity’s corrosion becomes."

Suddenly, another, aged voice resonated from within the Demon Palace.

"!?" Lin Hui flinched slightly. He looked up toward the source of the voice, slowly rising to his feet and gripping the Tai Chi.

Fusheng had the same reaction, his expression changing slightly. He had clearly recognized the voice. From within the crystal pillar, he strained to turn his head, trying to move and look toward the second-floor landing.

At the top of the stairs, a figure in a pitch-black cloak floated down silently. It stopped far away in mid-air, not approaching, simply maintaining its distance from Lin Hui.

"The Heart Source Demon Emperor... my predecessor?" Lin Hui narrowed his eyes, guessing the other’s identity.

"This old one had already faded into oblivion, but I have reawakened because of your call. Consider it a favor I owe you," the previous Demon Emperor said. "Therefore, allow me to give you a warning. Now that you walk the path of the Fusion Sect, you are fated to become just like that old monster, the Wind Calamity, that serves as your foundation. There is no turning back from this path."

"Why? As far as I know, there were ancient Star Spirits who suppressed numerous Calamities with their own power," Lin Hui retorted. This information was mentioned in the memories from the Star Breath Sword Manual he had inherited.

"That was the King of Star Spirits, the strongest of the Star Gods. Are you?" the previous Demon Emperor shot back.

"No. But it represents a possibility. If you’ve never walked the path, how can you know it’s impossible?" Lin Hui countered.

"Heh... You boy... you do have some determination." The previous Demon Emperor laughed. "Since you’re so certain, why did you come here to ask?"

"..." This time, Lin Hui fell silent.

"I don’t know how you obtained your various powerful inheritances, and you certainly have your own fortuitous encounters. In fact, no one who reaches our level lacks them. However, I have never seen anyone forge their own path forward from the road of the Fusion Sect," the previous Demon Emperor said. "If you choose to break away now, you might still have a chance to start over."

"If I were to break away, it would mean negating all the choices I’ve ever made. That would be a negation of myself," Lin Hui said calmly. "I am the only one who can walk the path I have chosen. Whether it is right or wrong, others will judge in the future."

"Spirited. Since you are so insistent, then... I shall lend you a final helping hand." The previous Demon Emperor chuckled.

He raised his hand and tapped lightly in Lin Hui’s direction.

A black light flashed at his fingertip and quickly vanished.

"On the third floor, I have left something for you. It is the most precious and powerful treasure of the Heart Source Demon Palace. What the future holds, what path you will walk... that is up to you."

"Remember, at your current level, the Calamity will no longer let you go. The price for obtaining infinite power and indestructibility is to be constantly eroded, to lose your memories and your sanity. Until one day, you won’t even know if you are lucid or in chaos. You will even forget whether you have lost your memories at all... By then, you will no longer be you."

The previous Demon Emperor’s voice slowly faded, and his form gradually dissipated, disappearing.

"..." Lin Hui watched him in silence, seeing him gradually disappear.

Only after the figure had completely faded away did he stride to the second-floor staircase. A large bun suddenly leaped out and landed on his right shoulder. It was the Heavenly Demon.

The little guy’s eyes were hazy with sleep, seemingly completely unaware of what had just transpired.

Lin Hui paid it no mind. He proceeded up to the second floor without pause, heading directly for the staircase leading to the third.

The last time, he had been stopped here because his power level was insufficient.

But now...

He lifted his foot and stepped onto the first stair.

The prompt didn’t appear this time.

Step by step, Lin Hui quickly ascended to the third floor.

The third floor was a small, circular hall, only about a dozen square meters in size.

Inside the small hall, the floor and walls flickered with complex, light purple inscriptions and array patterns. All the formations and inscriptions revolved and shone around a magnificent, black-and-purple crown at the very center.

The crown was inlaid with many fine, dark-red, branch-like crystals. They formed a halo that slowly rotated behind it.

At the center of the halo, a faint golden speck of light flickered in and out of existence.

The moment Lin Hui saw the crown, it seemed to see him as well.

WHOOSH!

The crown vanished, and when it reappeared, it was already above Lin Hui’s head, slowly descending.

CLICK.

The crown settled perfectly onto his forehead, a flawless fit.

At the same time, a vast torrent of information flowed into Lin Hui’s mind.

"The Heart Crown, the personal secret treasure of the previous Heart Source Demon Emperor... It has one, and only one, ability: the True Source Fragrance..."

The inheritance of the Heart Source Demon Palace contained a total of three Demon Fragrances: Netherworld, Cold Palace, and Formless.

These three were part of the inheritance for every generation of the Heart Source Demon Emperor. But the previous Heart Source Demon Emperor, after mastering them, created a completely new Demon Fragrance of his own, named True Source.

Lin Hui closed his eyes to carefully sense its effects.

’Gradually increases my own energy over time... Drastically enhances my concealment abilities, allowing me to perfectly hide myself the instant I enter any Realm. And... a self-repairing, indestructible Demon Emperor’s cloak.’

He reached out and clenched his fist.

Instantly, a vast network of black-and-purple, vein-like tendrils extended from the crown on his forehead. They covered his entire body, and in the blink of an eye, formed a heavy, wide, pitch-black cloak around him.

The cloak completely concealed his body, head, and face.

Only two pupils, shining with silvery starlight, were faintly visible within the darkness of the cowl.

However, these were all just bonuses. The truly powerful ability was the first one: the enhancement of his energy.

This was clearly a new function specially modified and designed for him by the previous Demon Emperor.

The moment Lin Hui put it on, he immediately felt a change.

A vast, cold power was being rapidly refined from the outside world by the crown and fused into his body.

At the same time, as this cold power merged with him, the total amount of energy within his body began to swell rapidly.

Lin Hui immediately summoned his Blood Seal to check the evolution time.

Sure enough, the Blood Seal’s timer, which originally had over 180 years remaining, was now rapidly decreasing with the infusion of this immense power.

It quickly dropped to 170.

Then 150.

100.

80.

50.

0.

Finally, it was completely cleared.

In that instant, the Blood Seal’s evolution was complete. An even greater torrent of information flooded Lin Hui’s mind—information about the special organ, the Destruction Eye.

In a flash, starlight flared from Lin Hui’s eyes. Countless Golden Threads automatically appeared in the surrounding Void, connecting to the edges of his eyes as if injecting some kind of substance into them.

He stood rooted to the spot as his entire body began to slowly fade, turning translucent. In less than a few seconds, he completely vanished from sight.

All that remained were the two starlit eyes in mid-air, connected to countless Golden Threads.

This strange phenomenon lasted for more than ten minutes before it slowly faded. His body then re-coalesced and reappeared.

"Destruction Eye... All things are illusory... Only the Eye of Holy Night connects to the one and only truth..." Lin Hui closed his eyes, reading the massive stream of information about the Destruction Eye.

These eyes, the strongest pair spoken of only in the legends of the Holy Night Sect, were now, at this very moment, embedded in his sockets.

He could feel that in just the last ten-odd minutes, the strength of his eyes had been enhanced to a terrifying level that even Ruyi could not hope to compare with.

He even had the illusion that if he drew his sword and struck his own eyes with all his might, he wouldn’t be able to damage them.

"I really have no idea how such a bizarre and powerful organ was strengthened..." Lin Hui himself was somewhat amazed.

The strength of his eyes had reached a level he couldn’t comprehend. Their very material seemed to have transcended the limits of a simple physical structure, and their density was at a level beyond his understanding.

’I can test out their effects later when I have the chance, but I’d better hope the day I actually need to use them never comes.’

Lin Hui sighed inwardly. The Blood Seal was finally free.

He casually appraised his current eyes.

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