The Decaying World

At the end of year 3794, news of the Purgatory Extreme Cold Heaven invasion caused quite a stir in Black Cloud following Lin Hui’s return.

At the same time, the news reached Bique, the Royal City of the Federal Inner Court.

The Inner Court was furious. It began mobilizing large numbers of the Black Army from every city district, and streams of Fog People were continuously dispatched from within.

The Hongyin Empire also paused its small-scale skirmishes with Taixu, dispatching troops to launch probing attacks on the Extreme Cold Heaven polluted zones that were closer to them.

The cluster of Fog Spirits near Black Cloud directly pulled back, as if the previous battle had utterly drained their accumulated power, forcing them into a period of rest and recovery.

Amidst this situation, Lin Hui used up all the aphrodisiacs he could get his hands on. Pushing through his body’s growing resistance, he shortened the evolution time for his Blood Seal from two hundred years to 114—slashing it by nearly half. In the process, however, he all but wiped out the market’s supply of high-end aphrodisiacs that were effective on him.

To get more, he would have to wait for the next harvest cycle or for the transport fleets to increase the scale of their acquisitions.

With no other choice, Lin Hui could only retreat into secluded cultivation to comprehend the Annihilation Sacred Form. As time went on, his own battle records from Tuyue were gradually drowned out by a flood of new reports detailing the clashes between the Federation’s armies and the Purgatory Extreme Cold Heaven.

News of major events, each far more sensational than his own, spread to the city districts through special Federation bulletins and was then widely publicized by Black Cloud’s propaganda department, capturing the attention of everyone from the City Lord down to the common citizens.

And he, in turn, was able to truly return to the peaceful life he had always longed for...

「Five years later...」

「Thirteenth Branch of the Taixu Martial Academy.」

"Hurry, Xiaoliu, faster! We’ll miss it if we’re too slow! We barely managed to make it in time!"

Amidst the throng of students leaving the martial academy for the day, Lin Xiaoliu was dragged into a frantic sprint by her best friend, Xu Yaya. Using their newly learned footwork, they rushed toward the Outer City gate.

Xu Yaya was round and chubby. Her cultivation method had caused her to put on weight, making her look like a little brown bear, which had earned her the nickname Xiong Ya in class.

Behind her, Lin Xiaoliu’s figure was already beginning to take shape. Though only ten, she was as tall as other kids of thirteen or fourteen. She had fair skin, an innocent face, and large, watery eyes that gave her the look of a frightened rabbit, always on the verge of squeezing its eyes shut and crying out.

It was this very quality that made the tomboyish Xu Yaya always want to stand in front of her, playing the part of a protective boy.

"But... I’m already going as fast as I can... My footwork... isn’t as good... as yours... Slow... slow down..." Lin Xiaoliu was already gasping for breath.

The Thirteenth Branch was a famously large academy in the Inner City. Its grounds were so vast that it would take over an hour just to run from one end to the other.

The two of them had already endured a long training session during class, and their stamina was low. Now, with this mad dash on top of it, Lin Xiaoliu was starting to flag.

"This is the last day of the Sea Lantern Festival! If we’re any slower, we’ll really miss it! Plus, we have to save enough time to get home before dark! Hurry up!" Xu Yaya was frantic.

Lin Xiaoliu’s small hand ached from being pulled so hard. Just as she was feeling helpless, she caught a glimpse of a distant corner out of the corner of her eye.

It was a small, backlit grove of red trees to the right of the academy. In the shade, a boy from her grade, whom she recognized from large lectures, was speaking angrily to a tall man in elaborate purple robes.

’That person...’ Lin Xiaoliu frowned slightly, her gaze unconsciously shifting from the boy to the purple-robed man.

As she grew older in Black Cloud’s Inner City, her aptitudes had gradually become clear. Her talent for Martial Arts was average, and her aptitude as a Summoner was likewise unremarkable. Other than her strong perception, she held no particular advantage in her class. Even her looks and figure were considered ordinary.

After all, this was an Inner City martial academy, completely different from the Outer City. An aptitude like hers, which would have been considered excellent in the Outer City, was commonplace among the boys and girls here. The same went for her looks and figure.

For this very reason, she had worked hard to develop her sole advantage, honing her perception to become exceptionally keen.

The moment she saw the purple-robed man, a sense of unease welled up within her.

"Hey, don’t space out! We’re getting on the carriage!" Xu Yaya’s voice snapped her out of her trance.

"Ah, oh!" Before Lin Xiaoliu could react, she was yanked into a black carriage pulled by a giant horse that was waiting on the road.

After all that, the two made it to the Sea Lantern Festival on the beach. They bought some dried seafood jerky and munched on it as they headed home.

In the Lin Mansion, as everyone ate dinner together, the adults fell into their routine chatter about the latest news and gossip from around the city.

The male elders always gathered to discuss battle reports from the Purgatory and Extreme Cold front lines, analyzing the state of the war.

The female elders, meanwhile, discussed new fashion trends, battle armor designs, and which smithy’s weapons were more stylish.

For some reason, Lin Xiaoliu’s mind kept returning to the purple-robed man she had seen after school.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, she took a carriage to the academy. As soon as she entered the classroom, she heard her classmates whispering amongst themselves, most of them looking nervous.

"Xiaoliu, something big happened last night!" Xu Yaya emerged from a corner and pulled her aside, whispering urgently.

"What happened?"

"A boy in our grade suddenly fell into a coma yesterday, and no one can wake him up. According to the Pharmacist they called, he seems to have caught something called ’Desynchronosis’!" Xu Yaya whispered mysteriously.

"Desynchronosis? Who has it?" For some reason, an image of the purple-robed man from the day before flashed through Lin Xiaoliu’s mind.

"It’s Zhang Jingfei from Class One!"

"Him?" Lin Xiaoliu froze. Wasn’t that the name of the boy she had seen in the shade of the red grove yesterday?

Her brow furrowed. She had a feeling something wasn’t right.

Yet, as she thought about it, she couldn’t put her finger on what felt off. She had only heard of Zhang Jingfei by name. He was, after all, a member of the Zhang Family—one of the Three Great Families of the Inner City. Even as a member of a branch lineage, he was still a scion of a top clan. Everyone had been warned at the start of the school year to avoid provoking the few students like him in their grade.

"They say this illness might be contagious," Xu Yaya continued in a low voice. "The academy is already arranging for mandatory check-ups."

Lin Xiaoliu nodded silently, but a sense of unease lingered in her heart.

*

*

*

「Qingfeng Daoist Temple.」

Lin Hui sat cross-legged in the courtyard, gazing up through a transparent, crystal-reinforced canopy at the slowly swirling night fog.

Within the fog, ghastly white figures with twisted limbs would occasionally appear, silently pressing their faces hard against the canopy to peer inside.

The figures had twisted, agonizing expressions. They were completely naked, bearing no male or female characteristics. Like Celestial People from before the dawn of chaos, their eyes were vacant and black.

"Ah Hui, it’s so late. Why aren’t you resting?" Liu Xiao, with a robe draped over her shoulders, emerged from the bedroom and asked softly as she came to his side.

"I couldn’t sleep, so I came out to watch the night fog." Lin Hui smiled, gently pulling Liu Xiao down by the waist to sit and lean against him.

"How’s work been lately?"

"It’s fine," Liu Xiao said simply. "Work at the Hall of Vain Wishes in the Rain Palace isn’t too demanding. It’s mostly just receiving ordinary people who come to pray, seek blessings, or unburden their hearts."

"Speaking of which, I’ve never understood—what god does the Rain Palace actually worship? It’s not some powerful Fog Spirit, is it?" Lin Hui still remembered the eight-armed, faceless Divine Statue he’d seen on his first visit.

The Divine Statue was faceless, and its eight-armed form was somewhat similar to the Mingji form he recalled.

"Of course it’s not a Fog Spirit." Liu Xiao smiled and explained, "The sacred texts of the Rain Palace record that the source of everything in this world—the Evil Soldier Insect Scripture, all of it—originates from an entity named Xiao. Unlike the Fog Spirits, this being has never revealed itself, and no one even knows if it truly exists. However, everyone believes that Xiao represents hope. When He appears, all dangers and difficulties will be effortlessly overcome."

"That makes sense," Lin Hui nodded. "In a world this desperate, hope is the one thing everyone wants."

He gazed at the night fog overhead, his hand gently stroking Liu Xiao’s waist. This was the life he had always cherished.

It was peaceful and calm. He spent his days cultivating and exploring the Martial Dao, searching for rare medicines, and teaching his disciples. In the evenings, he enjoyed all sorts of pastimes with Liu Xiao.

Everything was so perfect.

Except... Liu Xiao seemed to have grown weaker recently, and he didn’t know why.

The color was draining from her face, and her energy was flagging. She was always drowsy.

There was one other thing. In five years, they still hadn’t conceived a child.

He was beginning to grasp the Death Sacred Form, and the enhancement of his Life Sacred Form was nearing completion. His physical attributes had been greatly enhanced across the board, to the point where he could stand still and completely nullify attacks from a Grand Priest Level expert. This applied to both physical and Mental Attacks. Even without activating the Wind of Surrounding, his body’s toughness had reached a terrifying extreme. His strength, defenses, recovery, and resistances were all more than ten times greater than they had been five years ago.

He named this transformation the Sacred Breath Magic Body—a Magic Body derived from the Star Breath Sword Manual and induced by the Sacred Forms.

He considered it the advanced version of his Qingyuan Body.

Despite his dramatic increase in power, the issue of fertility seemed far more difficult to solve than his cultivation, and he remained completely clueless.

"Let’s not dwell on that," Liu Xiao said, changing the subject. "By the way, a strange contagious disease has appeared in the city. You should tell the people of Qingfeng Dao to avoid crowded places so they don’t catch it. The transmission mechanism isn’t clear yet."

"Okay, thanks for the heads-up," Lin Hui nodded.

"I don’t want a verbal ’thanks’!" Liu Xiao’s eyes flashed, her smile turning flirtatious.

"You..." Lin Hui said, exasperated. He reached out and gave her a gentle tap.

The instant his fingertip touched her arm, a powerful, tingling numbness, like an electric shock, shot through her entire body.

A second later, Liu Xiao let out a pleasurable moan, then turned and fled.

"You’re cheating again!!" she called out, disappearing into the bedroom in a flash.

"Loves the game but can’t play," Lin Hui muttered, shaking his head. He summoned his Blood Seal to check it.

The timer on the Eye of Life now showed 50 years remaining. This was the result of his five years of gathering resources and medicines to speed up the process.

’Almost there, almost there...’

Everything seemed perfect and peaceful. But lately, it seemed Xia Si was secretly plotting something.

Ever since awakening her memories, Xia Si had become a different person. Or rather, she hadn’t changed so much as reverted to her true nature.

According to the check via his Seal Technique, she still acknowledged her identity as a disciple of Qingfeng Dao, but she also coveted his position as Sect Leader and constantly harbored rebellious thoughts.

Especially considering she’d had another breakthrough not long ago... Without even learning the Typhoon Swordsmanship, she had somehow managed to advance her Gale Swordsmanship to a height that even Lin Hui found unimaginable.

Combined with that powerful, Infinite force capable of turning all things to ash, even Lin Hui wasn’t sure just how strong Xia Si had become.

Once someone was tainted by such a polluting power, conventional Realm levels lost all meaning as an accurate measure of strength.

Most polluting powers shared the trait of enabling extremely rapid advancement.

However, armed with the four great Seal Techniques and the layered Nine Eyes seal, Lin Hui was confident he could still suppress her with ease.