The Decaying World

"A lot of people find me annoying, just like that Duke of Purgatory. But the more annoyed you get, the happier I am," Xie Chang’an laughed.

SWISH!

In the next instant, without the slightest warning, both of them vanished, entering a state of super-divine speed.

The world around them, every single thing, began to rapidly turn red.

But within that red, a brilliant green light hung in mid-air like a sun, forcibly carving out a central region and dyeing it green.

At the same time, Song Feishi and the other masters from the Bright Heart Association clashed with the people of Black Cloud City.

"I knew you didn’t come all this way with good intentions!" Gongsun Xinlian couldn’t suppress the rage in her heart as she looked at Song Feishi.

Like two shooting stars, the two women collided in the blink of an eye.

At super-divine speed, their attacks were terrifyingly fast. In almost an instant, Gongsun Xinlian was at a disadvantage. But with Zhang Yao’s assistance from the side, she managed to fight to a standstill for the time being.

Zhang Yao’s previous injuries had not yet healed, so he couldn’t use his full strength. He could only use his Evil Energy to amplify his third sister’s combat power.

Amidst the battle between beings at the True Evil Fog and Emperor Blood Fog People Level, no one else dared to approach. They all scattered, using green threads to continuously pour their power into the grand formation to restrict the Association Leader, Song Feishi, and the others.

However, this restriction was partially canceled out by the strange red light emanating from the Association Leader.

For a short time, the two sides were locked in a stalemate.

But this stalemate didn’t last long. Just half a minute later...

BOOM!!!

High in the sky, the green sun that was Xie Chang’an was smashed apart. He was sent flying backward like a cannonball, coughing up blood continuously.

"Heaven and Earth Lose Their Color..."

The Association Leader instantly appeared by his side, the skin of his right hand stained a deep, dark red.

The next moment, a small flesh bud inexplicably appeared out of thin air in his hand.

The flesh bud grew rapidly, expanding until, in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a still-beating, bloody heart.

"Farewell..."

At that very moment, Xie Chang’an looked down at his chest. Sure enough, only a bloody hole remained. His heart was long gone.

"Interesting!" he laughed heartily. "If my real body were here, this would have been a fight!"

"That’s why I find you annoying." The Association Leader withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping over Song Feishi.

SWISH.

The two of them vanished from the spot, making a swift departure.

*

*

*

「Inside the Qingfeng Daoist Academy.」

Xinshuai was sitting alone in the small courtyard where she was under house arrest, cultivating with her eyes closed.

Suddenly, she raised her head to the sky and hastily got to her feet.

"Go!"

The Association Leader’s voice exploded in her mind.

"Yes!"

Xinshuai acted decisively. With a leap, her figure turned into a phantom and shot toward the sky.

But just then, from the Daoist academy below...

A Heart and Spirit suddenly soared into the air, catching up to Xinshuai’s figure.

"Since you’re here, why not come in for a chat?"

SWISH.

A flickering figure appeared high in the sky. It was none other than Lin Hui, dressed in a white robe with a sword at his side.

The rushing air currents billowed his long black hair, making it whip to the left. It trailed a long, blue-black phantom image, like a dancing flame.

A chill ran down Xinshuai’s spine. She instantly tried to stop, but an immense force from beside her grabbed hold of her.

"Junior, you wish to obstruct me?" The Association Leader’s voice reverberated through the surrounding space.

"Lin Hui, Daoist Master of the Qingfeng Daoist Sect." Lin Hui’s hand rested lightly on the Ruyi Sword Handle.

"I await your instruction."

CLANG!

In that instant, a red shadow and a blue light flashed and crossed.

Lin Hui turned his head. Xinshuai’s figure was gone. He didn’t seem to mind, just smiled and flew back down.

"Daoist Master!"

Below, Master Yunxia and the others all looked up at him.

"It’s nothing. Let’s continue with the lecture from before," Lin Hui said, his expression returning to calm.

WHOOO!!!

At that moment, high in the sky far from Black Cloud City...

The Association Leader, Song Feishi, and Xinshuai were streaking away into the distance at extreme speed.

In the distance, over the sea, a colossal warship made of white crystal was rising from beneath the waves, sounding its horn to welcome them.

"Association Leader... just now!?" Song Feishi couldn’t help but look ahead, wanting to know what had just happened in that exchange.

"He knew he was outmatched and retreated. Can’t you even see that?" Xinshuai laughed, relaxing at her side.

"Do you really think he retreated because he was outmatched?" the Association Leader suddenly asked, looking at her with an inscrutable expression.

"I..." Xinshuai froze, not understanding what her leader meant.

PFFT!

The next instant.

A massive, bloody gash suddenly split open on her body, running from her shoulder to her waist.

Countless streams of blood sprayed out like a fountain, turning into a bloody mist that churned and danced in mid-air, attempting to fly back to the wound.

But strangely, as soon as the blood mist got near the wound, it was forcibly dissipated by a bizarre disintegrating power.

Xinshuai’s eyes widened. Feeling the excruciating pain, she tried to cover the wound in disbelief.

But the wound was too horrifying. It had nearly sliced her in two.

’This power... was this a parting gift for me?’ the Association Leader thought, looking back in the direction of Black Cloud City.

’Daoist Master Qingfeng... I’ll remember this.’

He waved his hand gently. A viscous, blue-black liquid smelling of the sea surged from behind him, completely enveloping Xinshuai and forming a large black bundle. He then flew down toward the warship below, carrying it with him.

Song Feishi followed closely behind, also glancing back at Black Cloud City.

’My biggest loss this time was exposing my true allegiance. Now, I’ll probably have to face the Council’s censure.’

After the three returned to the warship, it quickly submerged with a loud horn blast and sped away into the distance.

More than ten minutes after the warship departed, a streak of green light flew at high speed over Black Cloud City, crashing heavily into its First Floating Mountain.

Xie Chang’an was back.

*

*

*

「Two days later.」

「The First Floating Mountain.」

"Hahahaha! We really have you to thank this time, little brother. You intercepted that Xinshuai just in time. Otherwise, Second Brother and Third Sister would have been in real trouble."

The Great City Lord, Xie Chang’an, sat cross-legged in the seat of honor, a smile on his face. He held a roasted ox leg in one hand, inviting Lin Hui, who was seated below, to eat with him.

Zhang Yao and Gongsun Xinlian stood to the side with helpless expressions. Both of them had a trace of a muddled aura, a clear sign that their previous injuries had not fully healed.

"You can feel it too, can’t you? At our level, ordinary injuries heal instantly. The real problem is the corrosive pollution from foreign powers; it takes time to purge," Gongsun Xinlian explained with a sigh. "The Bright Heart Association’s power is very troublesome. It seems similar to the power of the deep-sea Fog Spirits, but its polluting properties are even stronger."

"That’s the Sea Roar Power," Xie Chang’an said. "Haiming is one of the pollution powers discovered in the deep sea, similar to Purgatory’s extreme cold. Its main characteristic is that it’s extremely difficult to eradicate."

"Just how many types of pollution powers are there in this world?!" Zhang Yao said with a wry smile.

"Who knows? Why worry about it? As long as we can purge it ourselves, we’re fine," Xie Chang’an said nonchalantly.

"He’s right, Second Brother. You should hurry up and recover your Evil Energy. Without your ability to help, purging this power is too slow," Gongsun Xinlian said, also sounding helpless.

"I’ll do my best..." Zhang Yao had exhausted most of his Evil Energy in the battle to neutralize the Association Leader’s power. Regardless, he had indeed succeeded in depriving the Association Leader’s power of a crucial component.

But because of that massive expenditure, his Evil Energy would not be able to return to its peak for at least the next thousand years.

He had no choice but to explain the matter in detail.

"So, you’re saying that when the Bright Heart Association Leader fought Eldest Brother’s double, his strength had already been partially sealed by you?" Gongsun Xinlian’s body trembled upon hearing this.

"Yes..." Zhang Yao nodded with a bitter smile.

He picked up his cup, tilted his head back, and drained it. Then he refilled it and raised it toward Lin Hui, who sat opposite him.

"Brother Lin, this time I misjudged the situation and made one mistake after another. I wrongly blamed you. If not for your interception, I’m afraid the city would have suffered great losses. My apologies!"

He downed the drink in one gulp again and placed the cup heavily on the table.

"Second City Lord, you speak too seriously." Lin Hui raised his cup and drank it all. "As a member of Black Cloud, it was my duty."

"Alright, you two, stop with all the pleasantries. Second Brother! Offer him something practical," Xie Chang’an said, waving his hand.

"Right!" Zhang Yao nodded and looked at Lin Hui. "I’ve heard that Brother Lin has been troubled by the drug resistance he’s developed from taking too many medicines. I may not be much, but my Evil Energy is extremely effective against such conditions. If Brother Lin trusts me, I can help you eliminate all of your drug resistance in one go!"

"Excellent! That’s exactly what I need! Thank you, Second City Lord!" Lin Hui’s eyes lit up as he cupped his fist in his hand.

"Just call me by my name," Zhang Yao said with a wave of his hand. "Brother Lin, you’re being too formal."

"Then thank you, Brother Zhang!" Lin Hui said with a smile.

"Good, good, that’s more like it. We’re all on the same side. This crisis has shown us who our true friends are. From now on, we’ll be even more united and build our Black Cloud into the most prosperous city in the Federation!" Xie Chang’an laughed.

He immediately raised his cup to toast everyone.

The other three returned the toast.

After the drinks, they chatted for a while about various intel related to the Bright Heart Association, as well as the Fourth Princess’s betrayal, but they still didn’t know the Association’s specific goal.

As they were talking, Gongsun Xinlian suddenly looked at Lin Hui.

"Over the past few years, Pang Jiu’s condition has been getting better and better. Brother Lin, perhaps it’s time we talked about your Qingfeng Daoist Sect’s Dharma Seal."

’The Dharma Seal...’

Lin Hui’s heart stirred. He glanced around and saw that Zhang Yao and Xie Chang’an were also looking at him intently. It was clear that although they hadn’t mentioned it, they too had been paying close attention to the matter of the Dharma Seal.

"The condition for activating the Dharma Seal is still the same. One can only receive the seal by joining my Qingfeng Daoist Sect. This is not a rule I set, but an ancestral rule established by the founding master of the Jiuxiao Sect, from which I inherited my teachings. It cannot be changed," he explained with a serious expression.

"Have you ever tried to bestow the seal on someone who hasn’t joined?" Xie Chang’an asked.

"Of course, I have, but it’s had no effect," Lin Hui replied, shaking his head.

"I’ve already come to understand the rules of the Qingfeng Daoist Sect quite well. Both the benefits and the costs of receiving the seal are straightforward," Gongsun Xinlian said in a low voice. This battle had made her realize that as the decay accelerated, the future would likely become increasingly chaotic and dangerous. If the three of them—the three siblings—could always stay together, their Evil Energies would complement each other, unleashing terrifying power.

But it was impossible for them to be at each other’s side every single moment.

So...

"I’ve decided to join the Qingfeng Daoist Sect!" Gongsun Xinlian declared seriously. "But I don’t intend to learn its martial arts from the beginning. I only want to learn the Seal Technique."