The Decaying World

In the depths of the Jade Sea.

Massive dark silhouettes swam back and forth in the seawater, circling a disc-shaped stone formation at the center.

This formation disc was surrounded by ancient stone pillars, each dozens of meters tall.

A faint golden fluorescence emanated from the center, drifting slowly upward before scattering and dissolving into the seawater.

SPLASH.

Zhang Yao groggily awoke from his stupor. He tested the heavy chains on his hands and feet, then slowly sat up to survey his surroundings.

"You’re awake?" The familiar voice of his Third Sister reached his ears.

"Hm?" Zhang Yao’s mind jolted. He finally remembered being instantly defeated by his father, his regenerative powers suppressed. He figured he must have been thrown into some secret prison.

The Federation naturally had its own unique methods for restraining and imprisoning Fog People.

One such method was the Fog Person Prison Disc.

This method of imprisonment used an extremely precise and rigid relic formation to create a massive array that suppressed the Mental Power of Fog People.

In essence, the entire foundation of a Fog Person was their cultivated Mental Power. Without it, Fog People were incapable of resisting the innate characteristics of the Evil Soldier Insect Scripture within them.

At that point, by using special means to stabilize the Evil Soldier Insect Scripture and keep it dormant, the imprisonment of the Fog Person would achieve its desired effect.

And he was currently inside one such Fog Person Prison Disc.

’Third Sister? Where are you?’ After hearing Gongsun Xinlian’s voice, Zhang Yao looked around but couldn’t find any sign of her.

’I just escaped from the storm myself, Second Brother... Were you also tricked by the Bright Heart Association, lured out, and defeated?’ Gongsun Xinlian’s thought came, tinged with a sigh.

"...I was careless..." Zhang Yao opened his mouth but stopped himself from revealing the fact that the Bright Heart Association Leader was his biological father. At this point, whether he was his father or not didn’t really matter anymore.

What surprised him, however, was that the Association Leader hadn’t devoured him, but merely imprisoned him.

’There’s a guard nearby. I’m badly injured. If I act rashly, I might not be able to save you. Second Brother, wait a moment. I’ll lure the guard away first.’ Gongsun Xinlian’s voice once again drifted from a distance.

’Be careful. Don’t force it if it’s not possible,’ Zhang Yao sent back.

’I understand.’

’Also, don’t worry. Even if we’re gone, Eldest Brother left a contingency plan in place before he departed. That person from the Bright Heart Association won’t succeed easily,’ Zhang Yao continued.

’A contingency plan?’

’Yes. By now, Eldest Brother has probably sensed something is wrong and is on his way back at top speed,’ Zhang Yao sighed.

’But...’

BOOM!!

Just as Gongsun Xinlian was about to say more, a tremendous tremor ran through the distant seawater.

Both of them looked in that direction at the same time.

’A fight between Fog People, this close!? And there are three of them!?’

’This is my chance!’

Zhang Yao’s eyes lit up. With his younger sister assisting from the side, he instantly thought of a way to escape.

*

*

*

Inside the Moon Tower library.

Lin Hui gently took down a volume on sealing techniques and quickly flipped through its contents.

’Three-Origin Seven-Aperture Sealing Technique: Use an earth-attribute treasured relic as the formation core, supplemented by nine rare water-attribute relics. Then, combine eighteen catties of mercury, one thousand catties of gold, and one thousand catties of Sea Beast bone marrow to concoct formation ink and construct array-vein pillars...’

This was indeed a powerful formation capable of sealing Purgatory, but its complexity far exceeded Lin Hui’s imagination. It not only required inanimate materials but also the souls of living beings.

Now he understood why Tuyue’s sealing fortresses often doubled as prisons for death-row inmates.

Many fortresses carried out executions directly inside or nearby.

Clearly, this was partly because these kinds of formations required the souls of the living.

’This is too complicated, and this volume is supposed to be one of the simplest... I’ll have to give it a try first.’

He took the book to the elderly administrator at the entrance, showed it to him for registration, then walked to the edge of the Moon Tower, leaped off, and flew toward the Dao Academy.

While still in mid-air, he quickly targeted the sealing technique, summoned his Blood Seal, and after letting it lock on, prompted it to display its evolutionary branches.

’Three-Origin Seven-Aperture Sealing Technique: A sealing technique created by Zhang Yao, Second City Lord of Black Cloud City. It is powerful and widely applicable, capable of completely sealing all forms of polluting power. Duration: thirty years. Resource consumption...’

Following this was a list of the resources he had just read about.

Lin Hui scrolled straight to the end to check the available evolutionary branches.

’...Available evolutionary branches: 4.’

’1—Purgatory Seal.’

’2—Extreme Cold Seal.’

’3—Ashen Seal.’

’4—Wind Disaster Seal.’

’Huh? That was fast!?’ Lin Hui had tried using other sealing techniques before, but none had produced a targeted seal so quickly.

The others had all initially shown only the first three options. He’d had to "reroll" them several times to get the Wind Disaster Seal to appear, but this time it came up right away.

Yes, Lin Hui had now discovered that the Blood Seal’s evolutions would reveal different branches with repeated attempts.

He remembered when he was still weak; the Blood Seal’s evolution types were few, and the branches were limited to a fixed set.

Now, the potential evolutionary branches had likely increased dramatically, but only a few could be displayed at a time. Repetition was needed to reveal new branches and new possibilities.

Since this sealing technique had yielded his desired path on the first try, Lin Hui didn’t hesitate. He clutched the book and tapped on the fourth option in his vision, Wind Disaster Seal, to see the details.

’Wind Disaster Seal—The Wind Disaster Energy rift, brought about by originator Lin Hui’s cultivation of the Martial Art Typhoon Swordsmanship, has begun to manifest in the world for the first time. The threat level of this disaster far exceeds Purgatory and Extreme Cold, and it is also much greater than that of Ashes. This Dharma Gate combines the Secret Technique of the Imperial Shadow Sect, which once fought the Wind Calamity for countless years, and the initial sealing technique, the Three-Origin Seven-Aperture Sealing Technique, to fuse and evolve into a perfect Secret Technique for sealing the Wind Calamity rift in this world.’

’Resources required: 10 years’ worth of stored Wind Disaster Energy, 50 years’ worth of stored Vigor, 50 years’ worth of stored Heart and Spirit.’

’Time required: 120 years.’

*Phew...* Lin Hui let out a long breath. ’It’s finally here. I’ve got it.’

He knew better than anyone that the stories of the True Monarch of Seven Destructions were real. Even if the man’s tone suggested he saw Lin Hui as his successor from a later generation.

But regardless of whether he was a successor or if the being was real, he didn’t dare let it cross over rashly.

After all, the True Monarch of Seven Destructions was dead. Was this being that had appeared truly him, or was it a shadow that had long since merged and faded within the Wind Calamity?

He didn’t know.

If it was the latter, it would mean a massive invasion of this world by the Wind Calamity.

Even lower-level polluting powers like Purgatory and Extreme Cold Heaven had caused such exaggerated death and destruction. If it were the Wind Calamity...

The tens of millions of people in Black Cloud City wouldn’t stand a chance...

It might even drag down the surrounding island chains.

With the sealing technique in hand, Lin Hui took stock of his remaining medicinal supplies.

The Golden Coral was already gone, and the rest of his medicines combined were far from enough to accelerate the sealing technique.

’Looks like I’ll have to wait for the next procurement...’

After confirming the Wind Disaster Seal’s evolution and putting the book away, he suddenly remembered something and turned, flying toward the third floating mountain peak.

The Fourth Princess was trouble. He planned to explain this to Gongsun Xinlian in person.

He was desperately short on medicine anyway. Since this information was so important, couldn’t he trade it for what he needed?

But halfway there, he abruptly stopped, his brow furrowed.

At this distance, even with the floating mountain’s formation interfering, his Heart and Spirit could clearly sense that Gongsun Xinlian was not on the mountain.

Recalling what Song Feishi had said earlier, Lin Hui’s eyes narrowed slightly.

RUMBLE!!!

Suddenly, a faint droning sound echoed from the distance.

Three familiar auras were emanating from that direction.

’In such a short time, that child actually...’

Lin Hui was slightly astonished as he sensed Xia Si’s immense power.

Xia Si didn’t have a Blood Seal or the Qingyuan Body, yet she could improve this quickly. It was clearly inextricably linked to the polluting Power of Ashes within her.

Sensing the violent clash of the three auras, he could tell Xia Si’s power was being rapidly suppressed.

Her Power of Ashes couldn’t overcome the Wind Disaster Power, which was at the same level or even stronger.

After obtaining the Qingyuan Body, Master Yunxia and Su Yaping, when they unleashed their power, were able to combine their strength and completely suppress her outburst.

At this rate, Lin Hui estimated that Xia Si would be utterly defeated in half a minute at most, then obediently dragged back to kneel before him.

But the next moment, three strange bursts of power suddenly erupted from the side, shattering the combined force of Master Yunxia and Su Yaping.

Seizing this opportunity, Xia Si’s aura vanished in an instant, as if she had turned invisible. She had clearly taken the chance to flee.

Her escape speed was so fast it left even Lin Hui slightly dumbfounded.

Because the speed Xia Si had just unleashed was over fifty percent faster than it had been during the fight.

It was obvious she had been holding back, waiting for this very chance to escape in an instant.

Sensing Xia Si’s barely perceptible aura rapidly receding into the distance, the smile on Lin Hui’s lips grew wider.

He really was growing to appreciate Xia Si more and more. She was the only one of his disciples he hadn’t spent much effort instructing. The others, including Su Yaping, often came to him for guidance.

But Xia Si alone had relied on herself, fighting tooth and nail out in the world, and had now developed to such a level.

’Oh well. It’s time this farce came to an end.’ Putting the book away, Lin Hui adjusted his direction and vanished in an instant, heading in the direction Xia Si had fled.

At this very moment, on the other side of Black Cloud City, high above the docks, the Bright Heart Association Leader, disguised as Zhang Yao, was currently surrounded by a crowd of subordinates, flying back toward the Inner City Moon Tower.

He too had sensed the Fog People-level battle that had broken out nearby.

"City Lord, should we issue a warning and drive them away?" asked his subordinate, Xin Shuai, who was disguised as the personal guard Xue Zu, in a low voice.

"No need. Continue back," the Association Leader said with a slight shake of his head.

The group continued to fly toward the Inner City.

SWOOSH.

Just then, a blurry shadow shot toward them from the direction of the Inner City at extreme speed.

SWISH.

Seeming to notice the approaching group, the shadow slowed, paused, and revealed its form.

It was a tall man in white robes with waist-length black hair, carrying a sword.

The man’s face possessed a strange harmony, one with no discernible flaws. Yet for all its harmony, it conveyed no sense of beauty, handsomeness, or charm.

This person was none other than Lin Hui.

The party led by the Association Leader disguised as Zhang Yao, and Lin Hui, who had left the city to bring back Xia Si, had unexpectedly crossed paths.

In a mere instant, their auras connected, and their eyes met.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Both men smiled and nodded at each other simultaneously.

With a SWISH, the two parties passed each other, one to the left and one to the right, and quickly flew away.