Decaying World

Faint traces along the base of the wall suggested these people had been hiding here for a long time, constantly monitoring the apothecary. Their goal was likely to detect any reinforcements from Clear Wind Temple the moment they arrived and react accordingly.

With a flick of his sword tip, Lin Hui caught the cylinder from the woman’s hand.

"Let's see if your confidence is strong enough, or if my sword is sharper." He reached out, pinched the thin fuse at the bottom of the cylinder, and prepared to pull.

"Friend, you might want to think this through."

Suddenly, a white-bearded old man with messy hair walked out from the nearby shadows, holding a brown pipa.

One look revealed he was a martial artist, and certainly not an ordinary one. His pipa was not made of wood, but cast from solid metal. An ordinary person, or even an average martial artist, would hurt themselves just by wielding such a heavy instrument, let alone using it to defeat an enemy.

"Think what through?" Lin Hui paused his hand and looked at the stranger. "And who are you?"

"The New Martial Alliance isn't made up only of people from Xingdao. This old man is Wu Shinan. I have been observing the Flying Stone Sect for some time now. They haven't just provoked you; they've simultaneously moved against three other neighboring sects, encroaching on interests with extreme dominance." The old man spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the corpses on the ground.

"If you recklessly send the signal now and give away your position, they will spare no effort to send their experts to slaughter you immediately. That is why I said, think it through before you pull."

"The result is the same. Since there must be a settlement sooner or later, why not now?" Lin Hui didn't want to waste time hunting people down later. Since everyone was confident in their backing, let them clash. "Good, you have confidence! You are... Temple Master Lin Hui of Clear Wind Temple, correct? I had heard the rumors and didn't think much of them, but as it turns out, hearing a name is inferior to seeing the person," Wu Shinan praised.

Chi!

The next moment, a streak of fire shot out from the cylinder, soaring into the sky.

The streak exploded in mid-air, turning into a rain of orange sparks. It lasted for two seconds before quickly extinguishing and vanishing.

Tossing the cylinder aside, Lin Hui glanced at Wu Shinan. "Does the New Martial Alliance have a corresponding response to this matter? Or will you allow the martial artists of Xingdao to expand at will?"

"Naturally not. The New Martial Alliance was established on the foundation of the previously collapsed Martial Alliance. Nowadays, the Carefree Pavilion is frantically absorbing Xingdao martial artists, and their power is growing extremely fast. The Golden Goose Gate has already made preparations." Wu Shinan smiled.

"What preparations?"

Lin Hui had heard Xue Meng mention that the Golden Goose Gate and the Carefree Pavilion were currently the two strongest sects in the New Martial Alliance—the two giants within the union. The Carefree Pavilion was an outsider faction from Xingdao, while the Golden Goose Gate was composed of native Tuyue martial artists.

"It's actually quite simple." Wu Shinan casually strummed his pipa, sending a wisp of music into the air. "It amounts to nothing more than four words: Open strife, veiled struggle."

"Openly suppressing the speed of their growth and expansion, and secretly, naturally, making moves to weaken their strength," Wu Shinan replied. "As for how to weaken them... don't you already have a justifiable cause? We can't simply let people get beaten without allowing them to resist, right?"

He pointed a finger at the corpses on the ground, wearing a knowing expression.

"So, you are also here to kill people?" Lin Hui asked bluntly.

"Don't say it so crudely. I am here to help wait for self-defense." Wu Shinan’s old face stiffened, and he hurriedly corrected him.

Lin Hui couldn't be bothered to pay him any more attention. He understood the old man's intentions; he was sent by the Golden Goose Gate of the New Martial Alliance to cause trouble for the Carefree Pavilion. As for the Flying Stone Sect, it was essentially the Carefree Pavilion pulling the strings from behind, contacting martial artists from Xingdao to establish forces.

Turning around and walking out of the corner, he saw Wang Hongshi and the other three waiting on the periphery, blocking passersby trying to get close to watch the excitement. The passersby here truly included some who didn't fear death; having eaten too much Myriad Blessings Meat, there were always those who were addled and crazed, so controlling the scene was necessary.

"Temple Master, just now...?" Wang Hongshi stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"They're coming. Spread out a bit, don't cluster together. Leave the Internal Force martial artists to me; you handle the rest," Lin Hui said calmly, his gaze looking past a nearby street corner. He seemed to hear the movement of people approaching rapidly.

The opponents arrived even faster than he had imagined.

Before long, a squad of burly martial artists with cross-shaped scars on the backs of their hands, dressed uniformly in pale yellow combat attire and holding thick-backed sabers, appeared in the wind and snow.

The leader was a woman, tall and strong. If not for the exaggerated curve of her chest, likely no one would have been able to recognize her gender upon approach.

"Right here!"

This woman was none other than Yao Huan, the Internal Force martial artist who had fought Xue Meng previously.

Even from a distance through the wind and snow, she spotted Lin Hui's group of five at a glance, and likewise saw the several corpses leaking blood in the corner by the wall. But perhaps having long grown accustomed to such sights, Yao Huan merely swept a cold gaze over the bodies before immediately focusing her attention on Lin Hui's group.

"Clear Wind Temple? Someone finally came... Master!" Her footsteps paused as she looked toward the right.

To the right were residential houses, yet at this moment, two strange men wearing gray robes and black tiger masks walked slowly out from the roof of a two-story building. Judging by their hair color, these two eccentrics were not young; their hair was more white than black, indicating they were at least sixty.

"I see it. What a fast sword. This should be Temple Master Lin Hui of Clear Wind Temple in person, correct?"

One of the gray-robed men was precisely Bai Feihan, who had previously stepped forward to fight Xue Meng. He looked down at the five people from Clear Wind Temple, seeming somewhat puzzled, yet also appreciative.

"To dare rush over here with a mere five people, facing multiple Internal Force experts single-handedly... your courage is commendable, but you have more valor than strategy."

"I heard his movement technique is extremely fast. I made a special trip here just to see whether his Tuyue Clear Wind Sword is faster, or if my Xingdao Overturning Heaven Hand is faster!"

The other gray-robed man spoke in an icy voice, carrying a trace of arrogance.

Not only that, but at this moment, another person walked out from behind Lin Hui and his group.

This man was bald and eyebrowless, dressed in a black kasaya, and carried a rolled-up gray object resembling a fishing net. His gaze locked onto Lin Hui's group with precision.

"Then you had better be quick. Otherwise, once I cast this great net, no matter how fast his speed, he will be like a turtle in a jar—an easy catch!"