The Decaying World

In an instant, the sky turned gray and the sea surged wildly. A colossal golden vortex, spanning hundreds of kilometers, materialized with Xia Si at its center.

The vortex blazed with golden light as a terrifying Golden Sword, so massive it connected heaven and earth, rapidly condensed at its very center.

VSSSH!

In an instant, the Golden Sword slashed down.

It descended with the Infinite Power of Ashes, far surpassing that of any ordinary Fog Person.

WHOOSH!

It completely submerged Lin Hui’s body.

"You have forgotten... I am the one who taught you this Swordsmanship..."

Within the giant Golden Sword, a dense swarm of countless smaller golden blades frantically stabbed at Lin Hui’s position.

But it was all meaningless.

Every small golden blade might as well have been striking a phantom, passing straight through Lin Hui’s form.

It was as if the trajectory of every single golden blade was actively cooperating with Lin Hui, never striking anything solid.

Lin Hui simply flickered in and out of existence, effortlessly dodging every attack.

No Special Effects, no drawn sword—with nothing more than evasive movements, he had completely neutralized Xia Si’s all-out killing strike.

This pointed to a terrifying truth.

Before him, every aspect of Xia Si’s Swordsmanship was as clear as the lines on his own palm, holding no secrets whatsoever.

"KILL!" The fear in Xia Si’s heart finally peaked.

Throwing caution to the wind, golden cracks began to appear all over her skin, and countless points of blinding golden light began to erupt from within them.

She was unleashing the Power of Ashes, regardless of the cost.

With a soft sigh, Lin Hui gently closed his right hand around the Ruyi Sword Handle.

"Rest now."

The next instant, he gave the handle a light squeeze, then let go, returning to his previous relaxed posture.

As for Xia Si...

SPURT!!

A massive, bloody gash suddenly tore open in the center of her chest.

Countless golden motes of light and a torrent of fresh blood erupted from the wound.

This scene...!!

This scene!!!!

The memory of that year resurfaced in Xia Si’s mind. Back then, she had watched him, just like this, as he annihilated her entire people right before her very eyes!

In this moment, everything clicked into place.

The same way of striking, the same posture—this moment was a perfect echo of the past!

At that instant, the fear in Xia Si’s eyes died out.

Her entire being, her very consciousness, felt as if it were plummeting into an abyss, falling straight down, deep into the lowest depths of oblivion.

And then, her Heart and Spirit were gone.

Lin Hui flashed forward to catch the unconscious Xia Si. He reached out and gently swiped his finger along the edge of the massive gash on her body.

Golden motes of light, mixed with crimson blood, clung to the tip of his index finger.

’Just as I thought... this new, fused blood...’

As he meticulously observed Xia Si’s fused blood, he savored the texture of the very essence of the blood of ashes.

Lin Hui felt a direct change occurring within his Annihilation Sacred Form.

A white, humanoid figure once again began to slowly separate from his back, its pace quickening.

POP!

As Lin Hui closed his eyes, delving deeper into the sensations from the golden blood, the white figure behind him finally severed all connection to his back.

A wondrous new understanding of the Annihilation Sacred Form instantly flooded Lin Hui’s mind.

Just then, a continuous humming emanated from Xia Si’s body.

Streaks of golden light began to rapidly tear through her skin. The boundless Power of Ashes was attempting to erupt from within her body and be unleashed completely.

’She’s a restless one, too...’ Lin Hui opened his eyes, recalling the sealing Secret Technique he had just acquired.

"Get back in there!"

The next instant, an equally boundless and terrifying Wind Disaster Energy erupted from him.

Being a level higher, the Wind Disaster Energy instantly and forcibly suppressed the burgeoning Power of Ashes, forcing it back down.

The golden light was violently compressed by the translucent blue wind, and in moments, it lost all signs of eruption and settled down obediently.

With that settled, Lin Hui picked up Xia Si, his figure flickering as he sped back toward the Dao Academy.

On the way back, he felt a faint, tingling itch in his right arm. Lifting it for a look, he was surprised to find a new, pale blue, fluorescent sword-shaped mark on his inner forearm.

The instant he saw the mark, threads of information and insight automatically flooded his mind.

’Sacred Mark of the Wind. A special trace that only appears after one has assimilated with the Wind Calamity to a certain degree. The possessor of the Sacred Mark of the Wind will be deeply fused with the Wind Calamity. The Disaster Energy they release with every move will be far stronger than before, greatly surpassing previous levels in both density and quantity.’

’Sacred Mark...’

The term reminded Lin Hui of myths from his past life, and it also brought some unpleasant associations to mind.

Looking at the fluorescent blue sword mark on his arm, he lowered his hand.

’Did the Star Breath Sword Manual’s suppression of Disaster Energy actually take effect, or...’ A shadow of doubt crossed his heart.

*

*

*

「Black Cloud Inner City, at the base of the First Moon Tower.」

A deafening, massive explosion rang out.

The Moon Tower shook violently for a moment before returning to normal.

Deep underground, within a vast subterranean palace.

The Association Leader watched as the phantom of Xie Chang’an across from him slowly faded and dissipated.

"Did he really think a mere relic-avatar could bar my way?"

"Against anyone else, it might have succeeded. But to think it could stop you, Association Leader... that is simply too arrogant," the Heart Marshal at his side said in a deep voice.

"It wasn’t arrogance," the Association Leader said coolly. "Xie Chang’an is not a benevolent man. This avatar was a warning ward he left behind. Now that it has collapsed, his true self has certainly been alerted and is rushing back. From his current position, it will take him at least four hours to return to Black Cloud."

"Rest assured, my lord. Everything is in place. Once we embed the array and take Song Yunhui, the situation here will be irreversible," the Heart Marshal said softly, his black-masked face lowered slightly.