The Decaying World

"Daoist Master, cases of a special infectious disease called Dysfunctional Syndrome have appeared at Xiaoliu’s martial academy. Our investigation leads us to suspect an organization called the Bright Heart Association is secretly spreading it. What are your thoughts?" Li Yuanyuan’s voice suddenly reached Lin Hui’s ear through the Wind Chime.

"The Bright Heart Association? What’s their background?" Lin Hui pulled his gaze back and closed his eyes.

"We don’t know. The organization is extremely mysterious, and their very first move was to directly target fringe members of the Three Great Original Blood families. This has already put the Original Bloods on alert, and they began investigating some time ago," Li Yuanyuan replied.

"Directly targeting the Three Great Original Blood families?" Lin Hui was taken aback. ’That’s bold. Clearly, this Bright Heart Association has some powerful backing.’

’After all, who would believe that a group would dare to go straight for the Original Blood families under the Three Great City Lords right from the get-go without some serious power and influence behind them?’

"Daoist Master, how should we respond?" Li Yuanyuan asked softly.

"Ignore them. As long as it doesn’t involve us, we’re fine." ’He actually liked it when these mysterious factions popped up out of nowhere.’

It was just like the Duke of Purgatory and the Queen of Extreme Cold Heaven. Over five years, they continuously clashed with the Federation. The Duke’s ability to grow stronger the more he was wounded had caused many powerful Fog People of the old guard to suffer greatly.

The saving grace was that he couldn’t kill the Fog People, and they couldn’t kill him. After more than three years of grueling war, the two sides finally agreed to cede over half of the entire Tuyue region to the spheres of influence of Purgatory and Extreme Cold Heaven.

At first, the Federation was unwilling to concede. But after more than ten consecutive defeats, where the Fog People sent into battle were blasted apart dozens of times each, they were forced to announce the decision.

Of course, the Fog People who could be easily mobilized by the Inner Court were all of mediocre strength. The truly powerful ones, top-tier City Lords like Xie Chang’an, acknowledged the court’s decrees but not its direct commands.

The Inner Court had suffered enough public humiliation and wouldn’t court disaster by trying to mobilize a Fog Person of Xie Chang’an’s caliber.

The Duke of Purgatory also seemed to know where to draw the line. After occupying those territories, he surprisingly abandoned Purgatory’s typically aggressive style and simply consolidated his position, ceasing all further movement.

Extreme Cold Heaven, on the other hand, continued to expand rapidly in another direction and soon came into conflict with Hong Yin. After four years of mutually destructive war, the Queen of Extreme Cold Heaven was shattered by a joint attack from three Fog People dispatched by Hong Yin. She was forced to revive back in Extreme Cold Heaven, while her subordinate monsters fled back to the Gate of Sealing in disarray. The territories she had occupied were all annexed by the Hongyin Empire.

The Hongyin Empire also suffered heavy losses; it was said that two of its Fog People were ground to death by the Queen’s power as she was defeated.

This series of battles made the old news of Lin Hui clashing with the Duke of Purgatory and emerging unscathed seem rather unremarkable.

Collecting his thoughts, Lin Hui pondered for a moment.

"What about Xia Si? How has she been recently?"

"She... has had another breakthrough. At a gathering half a month ago, she and Elder Su Yaping got into an argument. The two of them went out to sea to fight, and it seems Elder Su was slightly injured when she returned... At this point, other than you, I’m afraid no one can keep Senior Sister Xia in check..." Li Yuanyuan explained.

"Interesting. So not even Su Yaping is a match for her anymore?" Lin Hui’s interest was piqued.

One had to understand that Su Yaping was not the same as she was five years ago. In the last five years, under the enlightenment boost from the Dharma Seal, everyone in the Clear Wind Way had made significant strides. Su Yaping’s foundation was already exceptionally high, and her strength now far surpassed what it once was. A Blood Progenitor like Han Sanmian probably wouldn’t last long against her now. However, because a Blood Progenitor’s regenerative abilities are so powerful, Lin Hui couldn’t predict the outcome of a prolonged battle.

The only thing he could be certain of was that Su Yaping’s aura was stronger than Han Sanmian’s had been. As for her true upper limit, that could only be known after a direct confrontation.

After all, the boosts one could gain from various insights, Secret Techniques, and relics were too numerous to calculate.

"Daoist Master, I don’t understand. Why are you willing to let Senior Sister Xia remain in the sect when you know she’s rebellious? You’re letting her absorb the essence of the Clear Wind Way to grow stronger. Isn’t that a threat to you?" Li Yuanyuan couldn’t help but ask, confused.

"I tolerate her precisely because she still considers herself a part of the Clear Wind Way," Lin Hui replied with a smile.

Li Yuanyuan froze for a moment, lost in thought.

"All right, go get some rest," Lin Hui instructed.

"I’m already bathing and am just drying off now. Does the Daoist Master require me to come and attend to you?" Li Yuanyuan replied with a straight face.

".....Honestly, you people..." Lin Hui was speechless and cut the connection to the Wind Chime.

It had been five years, and still nothing had happened between him and Liu Xiao. As a result, the Disciples and subordinates around him had all started trying to seduce him in various ways.

Gravitating toward the powerful was an instinct for almost everyone in this world; many even took pride in it. That was why Liu Xiao, far from being against it, would even deliberately create opportunities for him with others.

When Lin Hui chatted idly with Gongsun Xinlian about this, the two of them often found themselves at a loss for words.

Gongsun Xinlian was in the exact same situation. In fact, hers was even more extreme—there was no shortage of handsome men of all types flocking to her side.

After all, she was a City Lord who had been single for several thousand years...

Even more terrifyingly, because there had been no progress for so long, some factions began to suspect the Third City Lord might have... special fetishes. In recent years, they had started sending her ferocious, well-endowed male beasts and monsters on any and every pretext.

This gave Lin Hui a sense of camaraderie with her, born from their shared misery.

While Lin Hui was still troubled by these daily trifles,

「Tens of thousands of miles from the Clear Wind Dao Academy, in the Crystal Sea Territory.」

An infinite ocean of countless, densely packed white crystals stirred, forming faint ripples in the breeze.

The high temperature of over three hundred huan (over a thousand degrees) meant that no passing ship dared to linger. They had to activate cooling relic formations and pass through as quickly as possible.

This harsh environment also made it a free zone where many high-level experts could operate as they pleased.

Several hundred meters above the Crystal Sea, a transparent whirlwind held a slender young woman aloft.

The young woman wore her hair in a simple, high ponytail. She had a curvaceous figure, clad in a simple, form-fitting white swordswoman’s uniform. A wide, dark-green silk sash at her waist made her already fair skin seem even more pristine.

Her face was lovely, her features sharply defined, but her silver-gray eyes were chillingly grim and somber.

Her eyes were filled with impatience. With one hand resting on the black Longsword at her waist, she looked down imperiously at the churning crystalline waters of the Crystal Sea below.

"Spit it out! What’s so urgent you needed me to come here in person? Don’t you know we’ll both be in for it if that guy finds out?"

"Miss Xia, don’t be so quick to anger. Do you remember why you agreed to join our ranks three years ago?" A gentle, scholarly male face slowly surfaced from among the countless crystals of the sea.

The face was composed entirely of white crystals and was ten meters in both length and width. It was clearly formed by some ability or Cultivation Technique, not a physical body.

"The Crystal Exchange Island was a great help, yes. It allowed me to walk a path I never would have dared to imagine before. So what? Do you have something new to help me get stronger?" Xia Si’s interest was suddenly piqued, and a gray light flashed in her eyes.

"Er... everything on the island that could help you has already been traded. However, we have a new member. Perhaps he’ll have what you need..." the crystal face said in a low voice.

"Oh? A new member? What’s their background? Sounds like a big deal," Xia Si said, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s quite a coincidence, actually. That person shares your surname," the crystal face replied gently.

"Tell me," Xia Si said impatiently.

"Their name is Xia Ziyi. Said to be from Biqiu of the Inner Court’s Royal City."

*

*

*

「Three days later.」

Lin Xiaoliu went to school as usual. She spent her days sparring and practicing with her good friend Xu Yaya, thinking things would return to their previous, peaceful state.

However, as she and Xu Yaya were leaving school on the afternoon of the third day, she unexpectedly saw him again: the man in the purple robe.

He was in the same red forest as before.

This time, the purple-robed man was smiling as he spoke to a short-haired boy.

What struck Lin Xiaoliu was the boy’s unique aura. He had a somewhat pale complexion, looked to be about thirteen or fourteen, and had a faint, red vertical line between his eyebrows.

She recognized him. He was Song Yunhui from Class Nine. He was said to be fatherless, raised by his single mother.

"What is it, Xiaoliu?" Xu Yaya, walking beside her, noticed her friend had stopped and gave her a strange look.

"You... you can’t see them? Over there." Lin Xiaoliu jerked her chin toward the red forest.

Xu Yaya followed her gaze, but there was nothing in the red forest.

"There’s nothing there. What is it?"

"..." Lin Xiaoliu fell silent. ’I should have known,’ she thought immediately. ’It’s this damn super-perception of mine acting up again.’

Just like every time she was near her Third Brother, the perception brought her not happiness or joy, but fear and oppression.

Her Third Brother, whose aura was as vast as the sky, was the last person she ever wanted to be near.

Every time she got close to him, her body would react randomly, with convulsions, fear, trembling, pain, and more.

Now, she glanced at the groups of teachers and students passing by. Not a single one seemed to notice the two people in the red forest.

Some people passed by less than ten meters from them, right at the edge of the forest, yet they acted as if they saw nothing, chatting and laughing as they went on their way.

The bizarre scene sent a chill down her spine.

"It’s nothing. Let’s go." Feeling a deep sense of unease, Lin Xiaoliu grabbed her friend and continued walking home.

But after only a few steps, she couldn’t resist a quick glance back at the red forest.

And what she saw in that single glance made her freeze in her tracks.

"Xiaoliu, what’s wrong?" Xu Yaya asked again, puzzled.

THUD.

The next moment, she watched as Lin Xiaoliu violently pulled her hand away and sprinted toward the red forest at full speed.

"Stop!"

Lin Xiaoliu’s voice was like a stone tossed into a still lake, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

In the red forest, the purple-robed man’s right hand had nearly touched Song Yunhui’s forehead, but the shout made him pause.

He turned his head and glanced at the two girls—one of them, Lin Xiaoliu, sprinting toward him—and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Then, he withdrew his hand, nonchalantly took a step back, and his figure dissipated like smoke.

All that was left was Song Yunhui, who collapsed softly to the ground, unconscious.