Chapter 184

"Unlike Purgatory, which defiles the environment, this is manageable. It’s just that this freezing power is a bit too overbearing," Lin Hui mused.

After testing the might of his Internal Force, he decided that in future engagements, he would rely on it as little as possible. He would use Internal Force only to trigger the unknown energy beyond the Web to generate wind.

In truth, he rarely used Internal Force directly against enemies anymore. The deciding factor was always the wind generated by triggering that external, unknown energy. With Ruyi's incomparable hardness and the terrifying impact of super-speed, few situations remained that he couldn't resolve.

"Come to think of it, why has the Clear River Sect been so quiet lately? They sent people to cause trouble before... Now that it's so silent, I'm a bit unaccustomed to it."

Lin Hui suddenly felt an itch in his palms; he wanted to find an opponent to test his sword. After cultivating bitterly for so long, he always felt a strange impulse to see just how strong he had become. The Clear River Sect was undoubtedly the best whetstone for his sword—he could kill them freely without concern for the consequences.

…

Clear River Sect Headquarters.

Amidst the complex of buildings, now scorched black everywhere, waves of high heat and firelight spread in all directions. Crimson flames, like red lotuses, danced and bloomed, devouring every person and object they touched. Dense clusters of corpses littered the ground, all burned beyond recognition.

Pant... pant...

In a corner, a struggling figure staggered out of the flames. It was none other than the Sect Master of the Clear River Sect, Situ Ye.

Following behind him was a long-haired woman missing both hands. Her body was covered in charred wounds. Her once beautiful face, previously veiled, was now burned and covered in blisters. Her enchanting figure was a mass of large scars and scorched flesh. Half of her long hair had been burned into withered, yellow curls—a hideous sight.

"Black Fiend... what in the world happened!? How could he...!" the woman rasped through gritted teeth.

"This is the power of Purgatory... It's Purgatory fire that was sealed for hundreds of years... There wasn't a trace left back then! Why... why would it emerge now!?" Situ Ye's eyes were filled with confusion and hatred for the Black Fiend, Cao Xianzhong.

He had paid a huge price to kill Cao Xianzhong on the spot. But after his opponent underwent Purgatory-ization, Cao Xianzhong's strength had doubled, and his recovery ability increased drastically, causing Situ Ye to suffer a massive backlash. Moreover, because it was a sudden sneak attack, his injuries were severe.

"What do we do now, Sect Master!?" the woman asked, grinding her teeth behind him. "Do we go to the Moon Tower?"

"We can't go! We can't let the Extreme Desire Heaven know. If they find out we were injured by the Black Fiend, both you and I will be thoroughly purged!" Situ Ye said hatefully.

"...Mist God above... why!? Why is it like this?" The woman closed her eyes in pain; she understood what the Sect Master meant.

The pollution of Purgatory power was too strong—far too strong. Once it was discovered that they carried injuries from the Black Fiend's Purgatory-ization, the two of them—the only survivors—would be humanely destroyed by the Extreme Desire Heaven to prevent any spread. They would be incinerated until not even ash remained, completely cutting off the Purgatory taint.

"The key now is to leave here as soon as possible. We can't stay in this place. We leave immediately! Go to your place! The Mist God Sect headquarters are outside the Mist Zone. Go!" Situ Ye made a prompt decision.

"Alright!" The woman nodded and immediately took the lead, her figure flashing away rapidly.

Not long after their figures disappeared, new white-robed individuals appeared at the entrance of the Clear River Sect. Discovering the anomaly, they hurriedly reported it up the chain.

Soon, a vigorous sweeping operation against the Purgatory power was about to unveil its curtain.

…

Time passed. In the blink of an eye, two weeks went by.

Lin Hui continued his secluded cultivation and Body Tempering, bitterly practicing the Typhoon Sword Technique and the False Enactment Art every day. The Clear Wind Temple remained as peaceful as ever.

However, while it was peaceful here, the members of the Inspectorate Division who came from the Inner City for advanced movement technique training—and effectively for team building and leisure—brought some rather exaggerated news.

"Large-scale Purgatory pollution has appeared in the Inner City?" Lin Hui looked at Hong Ling, the Director of the Inspectorate Division sitting opposite him, with some surprise.

"Yes. Your big brother was also ordered to investigate it thoroughly. He found that several people inside the Rain Palace had been polluted by Purgatory without knowing it. Who knows how many people were killed in this operation? At least over a hundred."

As a Director of the Inspectorate Division, Hong Ling rarely left the city. This time, he came out specifically for the investigation of the Purgatory power. Since the Inspectorate Division and Clear Wind Temple had been cooperating on movement technique training for a long time, he came over to check on the situation.

Speaking of which, he and Lin Hui had gotten to know each other because Wu Zhaoming, the Association Leader of the Red Rice Association, had stirred up trouble last time. Of course, this was Hong Ling's side of the story; as for whether it was true, Lin Hui laughed inwardly and didn't delve deeper.

"Your big brother found renewal after destruction on this trip. His cultivation has broken through; I suspect he has already touched the edge of the Palace Master realm. In the future, as the tide rises, your ship will rise as well—your situation will be different. I also came this time to offer my congratulations," Hong Ling said with a smile, cupping his fists.

"Big Brother broken through?" Lin Hui was stunned. Liu Wujun was already a standout among the High Divine Officers. Now that he had broken through again... no wonder Director Hong, who had never visited before, would actively run to Clear Wind Temple with such a humble posture.

"Indeed. Your big brother keeps a low profile. Although he was unrestrained and challenged people everywhere for a period, he later concentrated on bitter cultivation. Now, he has finally reaped the rewards in one stroke. It is gratifying and worthy of celebration! Truly one of the contemporary supreme geniuses of the Rain Palace! The attentive cultivation by Vice Palace Master Jiang Zhixia also played a part in this."

"Many thanks to Director Hong for the news." Lin Hui also smiled and returned the salute.

"What is there to thank? My Inspectorate Division and Clear Wind Temple have cooperated for so long, yet I haven't invited you to my home as a guest. How about choosing a day? Better yet, today—since I've just finished my report and need to head back, why don't you return with me for a visit?" Hong Ling said enthusiastically.

"Where is Director Hong's home located?" Lin Hui asked.

"Mn, I am of Trueblood origin. My home is in the Third Moon Tower, on the fourteen-hundredth floor," Hong Ling said casually.

"...The Moon Tower? I am just an Outer City person. Can I enter?" Lin Hui paused. He had always thought about entering the Moon Tower to broaden his horizons, but he hadn't expected the opportunity to land right in front of him so proactively.

"I just need to invite you. So what if it's the Outer City? Your big brother has a boundless future; no one would dare say anything if you, his younger brother, went into the Moon Tower for a stroll. Do you think all us Truebloods are top experts, all Evil Energy awakeners, all bloodline awakeners who can casually enter the Extreme Desire Heaven or the Taisu Primal Disk? That's not the case," Hong Ling laughed.

"Truebloods are a very large group. Only those who have truly awakened Evil Energy are qualified to be called Trueblood Nobles. I live in the Moon Tower because my mother awakened Evil Energy, so I live there too. I haven't awakened Evil Energy myself. There are actually quite a few Truebloods like me. The rumored figure of two hundred Trueblood Nobles refers only to those who have awakened Evil Energy. In reality, aside from them, there are at least several thousand more Truebloods."

He paused. "People like us cannot hold positions in the Extreme Desire Heaven, so we can only be sent out to the Core Zone to hold other positions. Of course, in the eyes of many, marginal Truebloods like us hardly count as Truebloods."

He waved his hand with a smile.

"Besides, the Moon Tower isn't as mysterious as you imagine. Most places in the Moon Tower are just like the outside—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation; it's nothing more than those things. It's just that living in a high place makes the location different. But the Extreme Desire Heaven is different. After entering that place, it's too easy to sink into depravity and fall into a state of extreme bliss. That place is used to counteract the negative states of top-tier experts, so it isn't prepared for normal people. Don't overthink it."

"What do you mean? The Extreme Bliss of the Extreme Desire Heaven counteracts negative states for top-tier experts? Could it be that top-tier experts all share similar negative states?" Lin Hui poured tea for the other party and asked curiously.

"Mn. Above the Palace Master level, traces of Corruption appear to a massive degree. To resist Corruption, experts of this level need to mobilize their own mind-spirit power every moment to cancel it out. As early as hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Taisu Alliance discovered through research that only the mind-spirit power of Extreme Bliss can safely counteract this constant erosion of Corruption. Therefore, an Extreme Desire Heaven exists in almost every urban district. The purpose is to gather the Extreme Bliss mind-spirit power of all living beings to help experts above the Palace Master level counteract the erosion of Corruption, lest they self-destruct."

"And because the ability of the Longevity Wheel is relatively suitable for this kind of counteraction, we in Tuyue are considered to be developing quite well in this aspect. A place like Xingdao, for instance, won't do. Their core Evil Weapon and Evil Energy focus on slaughter and berserk fury; they are fundamentally unsuitable for extracting Extreme Bliss mind-spirit, so trouble always arises after they build a city."

Hong Ling was a Trueblood insider; he knew everything and said everything, revealing the situation of the Moon Tower's higher echelons in one breath.

This allowed Lin Hui to thoroughly understand the core structure of the Moon Tower. The Trueblood Nobles beneath the Mistborn, though powerful, also endured the immense pain of Corruption's erosion.

"Then I also heard that Myriad Blessings Meat..." Lin Hui nodded slightly but didn't finish.

"That, ah. It is indeed as you think. Myriad Blessings Meat is indeed used to share the burden of Corruption." Hong Ling showed no intention of concealing it. "With your current situation, you'll be able to enter the Inner City sooner or later to enjoy the shared life extension, so it doesn't hurt to tell you. I'm still waiting to go fishing with you in the Inner City in the future. I don't have many hobbies usually, just fishing. I see that you also have a personality that can sit still, so we should go together as companions."

"Alright..." Lin Hui nodded helplessly.

"Then it's settled!" Hong Ling laughed.

This fellow, with his white hair, white eyebrows, and white clothes, looked cold and imposing. But once one truly got to know him, one would realize that beneath his icy exterior lay a warm heart.

"Speaking of Myriad Blessings Meat, we actually don't have any intention of specifically blocking news of its efficacy. After all, if you aren't willing, you don't have to eat it. It's just that you'll be cleared out and driven away at fixed times. If you aren't even willing to share the Corruption with us, naturally, we can't allow you to sponge off us on the side. Don't you agree? Like that Benevolent Heart Sect and Wanhua Sect—they always wave the banner of the world being unfair, causing trouble, and resisting us everywhere. Isn't that just looking for trouble? If you think it's unfair, then go open up a place and build a city yourself; no one is stopping you."

"But I heard that building a city will be..." Lin Hui hesitated.

"Do you believe that? If you burrow deep into the vast Mist Zone, who the hell could find you? But insisting on rubbing up against the Alliance's safety zones to build a city—if that isn't looking for trouble, what is? Do we expend all this effort cleaning up and destroying monsters just to provide a safety cushion for you?" Hong Ling said grumpily.

From his perspective, one could clearly sense the attitude of the Truebloods toward resistance forces like the Benevolent Heart Sect. Both sides felt it was unfair. Each acted according to their own principles.

Actually, strictly speaking, the philosophy held by Truebloods like Hong Ling was one of "the weak are meat and the strong do eat"—natural selection. The Benevolent Heart Sect was more about "universal love," but obviously, they also had their own selfish motives and shady business.

Listening to Hong Ling's idle chatter, a thought suddenly occurred to Lin Hui: Perhaps neither of them was wrong; they just had different standpoints.

In his view, the Truebloods' true error wasn't in these logistics, but in the fact that they did not treat human life as life. That was the greatest evil.