Decaying World

Wind and snow drifted down, settling silently in the small courtyard of the Lin Manor and upon Lin Shunhe’s shoulders.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky.

"This weather... it snows whenever it pleases. Elder Du, what is the situation at the Clear Wind Sword Sect?"

"It is somewhat troublesome. Young Master Hui moved too fast. The moment he received the news, he rushed to Fu'an Town. However, we reported it to Lord Black Face in time, and he has already sent someone to secretly provide support. It shouldn't be a major issue," Elder Du said in a deep voice.

"Is that so? That’s good. That’s just how Ah Hui is; he has always been impulsive. I thought his recent daily obsession with martial arts training had tempered his nature, but it seems he's still the same old way." Lin Shunhe sighed.

"Young Master Hui is actually quite excellent. His aptitude is extremely high. Reviving the Clear Wind Sword Sect to its current standing... no ordinary person could achieve that," Elder Du praised.

"Li Chi... the Circulation Realm..." Lin Shunhe fell silent.

He had intended to wait until he fused with the Imitation Evil Weapon and established a Hall—mastering greater power—before bringing his son into the fold.

But he hadn't expected the Clear Wind Sword Sect to stir up trouble so quickly.

Thinking of this, he felt a bit of a headache. Perhaps hitting a wall and bloodying his head this time will make him give up.

An Internal Force Realm cultivator charging headfirst at a Circulation Realm expert... he truly didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

As the trouble his son stirred up grew more frequent and severe, Lin Shunhe felt his ability to clean up the mess slipping away. This made him hunger even more for the impending delivery of the Imitation Evil Weapon.

"By the way, which envoy did Lord Black Face send?" he suddenly asked.

"It is Envoy Zhuo—Zhuo Tianjue, the Cold Hook," Elder Du replied.

"That is good. Among the envoys, Senior Zhuo's strength ranks near the top. Holding back Li Chi should be no problem." Lin Shunhe had worked with him before and knew some of his background. He instantly relaxed.

"If Ah Hui sweet-talks him a bit when the time comes, and acts sensibly, he might even be able to build a relationship with Senior Zhuo. If he can get a pointer or two and edge closer to the Circulation Realm, that would be even better." Lin Shunhe calculated in his heart, his expression relaxing.

….

At the mountain gate of the Flying Stone Sect.

The martial artist with the strange weapon squatted on the roof of a two-story wooden building inside the gate, staring dumbstruck at the fierce battle between Lin Hui and Li Chi.

"Brother Zhuo... is this the person you said we needed to save?"

Behind him, the white-clad woman in the conical hat looked at the slaughter in the distance with equal speechlessness.

"To be honest... looking at this situation, I don't think we're qualified to save anyone."

"The problem is, Lord Black Face told me to come, but he didn't say who to save. Could it be... I'm supposed to save Li Chi?" The martial artist with the strange weapon stroked his chin helplessly, suppressing the shock in his eyes.

"Let's watch how things change for now. It's really unclear right now which side will win," the woman in the conical hat replied.

"The trouble is, I probably can't beat either of them." The martial artist sighed.

"That is normal. I have the same feeling. Just watch..." The woman in the conical hat nodded, her gaze piercing through her veil to continue staring at the distant battle.

Clang!

Just then, the two spheres finally collided.

White lines turned into a torrent, rushing forward like countless steel needles. Or like an avalanche composed of countless threads, crushing everything ahead, submerging everything.

Opposite them, the formless sword vanished. Fast to the extreme, merely slicing through the air instantly drove the airflow.

Massive swathes of sword-shaped airflow trailed the blade, transforming into a giant transparent sword that hacked straight into the torrent of white lines.

Hum!

The formless sword and the white torrent stalemated for a split second.

The next moment.

Shua!

The torrent of white silk threads was abruptly split in two, cleaved down the middle by the giant, formless sword.

The invisible, transparent giant sword split the white lines, slashing all the way to Li Chi's forehead.

Bang!

The sword broke; the figure appeared.

Lin Hui’s figure appeared in front of Li Chi. The Clear River Sword in his hand had completely shattered into countless fragments.

Silver fragments shot forward and backward, exploding outward.

Lin Hui’s figure blurred, dodging the fragments. In the next instant, he flashed again, appearing on the snowy ground five meters away.

Pfft.

The hilt of the broken sword fell, plugging into the snow.

In the next second, a new longsword appeared in his hand—a weapon belonging to a nearby Flying Stone Sect disciple.

"A pity. If only I had a good sword..."

"There are no 'ifs.' Without Internal Force reinforcement, even the best sword cannot breach my protective Internal Force," Li Chi said calmly.

The broken sword struck him like it was hitting a steel plate, bouncing off and vanishing.

He lifted his foot and walked toward Lin Hui again, step by step, treading on the black mud revealed by the fierce wind.

"Then let's try again." Lin Hui raised the longsword. "It just so happens there are plenty of weapons here."

Gusts of strong wind scattered from his body again, centering him in the eye of a storm.

If before he was relying purely on extreme speed sword strikes, now, he was truly about to employ the killing moves of the Wild Wind Sword Technique.

An even more exaggerated gale than before began to form a giant sphere around him, blowing the wind and snow away to the periphery.

Hu!

The next second, both rushed forward simultaneously.

One shone with blinding white light; the other vanished once more.

Invisible rings emerged within the gale, floating and trembling like transparent bubbles.

The rings hovered around Li Chi, forming a cage.

"Wind!"

Lin Hui's voice penetrated icily through the sound of the wind.

Bang!

In the next instant, a terrifying sword mark appeared on Li Chi’s back, compressing the white light covering his body inward.

But likewise, the immense pressure caused the longsword to shatter once again, turning into countless flying fragments.