The Decaying World

The far north of the Federation.

On the deck of a warship constructed from colossal white crystals, the Bright Heart Association Leader stood quietly, gazing at the pitch-black, hollow sphere floating in the sky. He remained silent for a long time.

"Uncle..." The Fourth Princess, Song Fei Shi, walked up from behind him, looking at him with some concern.

"Let’s go get something to eat together. You’ve been standing here for five days..."

"The Deep Core is growing... and it’s becoming more and more unstable..." The Association Leader turned around. "The number turning into Void Cores is increasing, and the Super Adaptables the Federation has been cultivating can’t keep up with the rate of their appearance at all..."

"What did the Council President say?" Song Fei Shi fell silent for a moment before asking.

"He gave his tacit approval," the Association Leader said flatly. "His inaction, his refusal to stop it, is his approval... The three of us are now, after all, fated to walk three different paths that we each believe in... As for who is right and who is wrong... no one knows."

"The future... is so hopeless..." Song Fei Shi sighed softly.

"It doesn’t matter. I will lead everyone down a path to survival," the Association Leader said calmly. He turned back to continue watching the massive Void Core in the sky.

"This world is already devoid of hope, anyway."

Behind him, Song Fei Shi’s eyes tightened. She lowered her head, her hand gripping the hem of her skirt.

For some reason, at that moment, she inexplicably thought of Daoist Master Qingfeng, Lin Hui.

’That man... If it were him, how would he choose to face all this?’

*

*

*

「Eight years later...」

Black Cloud.

Lin Hui walked slowly through the woods at the edge of Jadeite Valley. There was no one else around. He was like a lone hiker on a suburban stroll, moving forward in silence, feeling a mysterious power churning and surging within the earth.

’It’s time...’

Suddenly, he stopped and looked up at the roiling, grayish-white mist above.

He took out one last elixir, placed it in his mouth, and swallowed.

Half a minute later, the Blood Seal prompt at the bottom of his vision instantly refreshed.

’Extreme Domain Territory evolution complete. Activate now?’

’Yes.’

’Please select a category to suppress: 1. Constitution, 2. Movement Speed, 3. Cultivation Power, 4. Five Senses.’

Looking at the four options, Lin Hui pondered for a moment without making an immediate choice. Instead, he first sent a notice to the members of his Qingfeng Dao via the Wind Chime.

’I have had a breakthrough in my understanding. Starting today, a great formation will be laid over Jadeite Valley to suppress the cultivation power of all outsiders. Only members of our sect will be unaffected.’

After sending the announcement, without waiting for replies or questions, he confirmed his selection.

With a thought, the suppression effect of his Extreme Domain Territory instantly activated.

HISS.

In that instant, a transparent ripple spread out from under his feet, sweeping rapidly in all directions.

Throughout Jadeite Valley and the surrounding area, every Martial Artist and Summoner within range felt an invisible wave wash over them.

At that moment, everyone with a cultivation base felt more than half of their internal power vanish.

Some of the Martial Artists and Summoners in town fell into disarray. Cries of alarm rang out continuously. Some quickly fled into the distance, while others sat down cross-legged, thinking they were injured. Still others immediately took a universal antidote, believing they might have been hit by some unknown poison.

Meanwhile, the members of Qingfeng Dao inside the valley, having received the Wind Chime announcement, reacted quickly. This kind of situation wasn’t exactly rare in the major cities, as many City Lords would set up formations in their Core Areas. It was just that the formation the Daoist Master had set up this time was somewhat special, being able to suppress the cultivation of outsiders.

Fortunately, they were long accustomed to the strange and wonderful things the Daoist Master came up with from time to time, and their acceptance was swift.

They immediately posted a notice, announcing that this was the work of the Daoist Master’s new formation. Under Wang Hongshi’s command, some of them dispersed to calm the panicked emotions of the townspeople.

Lin Hui paid no attention to his disciples’ appeasement efforts; these were steps that had already been arranged in advance.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking up quietly at the sky not far away.

A faint green light was rapidly approaching. It stopped in an instant, landed, and revealed a figure.

It was none other than the Great City Lord of Black Cloud, Xie Chang’an.

"Covering such a large area... you’ve really got some skills, Ah Hui!" Xie Chang’an was slightly astonished. He had also felt the suppression in this place.

However, because his own power was so immense, this level of suppression was completely ineffective against him.

"Just adding an extra layer of security. You flatter me, Brother Xie," Lin Hui said with a smile.

"This formation is laid out so well that even I can’t see a trace of a foundation. Impressive!" Xie Chang’an gave him a thumbs-up.

’Of course you can’t see a foundation, because this isn’t a formation at all.’

Lin Hui smiled on the surface but said nothing.

"Alright, enough chitchat. News just came in. Six months ago, the Bright Heart Association targeted Northern Snowleaf City and subjected it to a complete Sea Roaring Transformation. The more than thirty million people in the city were transformed into deep-sea beings overnight, completely converted into Sea Roar polluted bodies..." Xie Chang’an’s smile faded, his expression turning grave.

"Sea Roar polluted bodies?"

Thirty million people. The number sent a chill through Lin Hui’s heart.

’What in the world is the Bright Heart Association Leader planning, that he would dare risk universal condemnation and directly contaminate so many people...?’

"This type of polluted body is one of the relatively milder forms of pollution power, but it still causes people to lose part of their rationality and become a type of night-fog monster. The downside is their lifespan is halved, their rationality is greatly reduced, and they become bloodthirsty and cruel. The upside is that they can still barely maintain a normal state for half of each day, their adaptability is greatly enhanced, and their resistance to many types of pollution power increases significantly," Xie Chang’an explained.

"It seems this is the Bright Heart Association’s choice. Rather than being gradually eroded by the decay, they’d rather take the initiative and choose a milder, more controllable form of pollution to infest themselves first..."

"The Sea Roar Power... what happens if it’s completely unleashed?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.

"It will drown the entire world," Xie Chang’an said softly. "This power comes from an infinite world composed entirely of seawater. Not long ago, my Heart and Spirit explored that world. The supreme Sea Roar Power within it can convert all power and matter into seawater. It’s a power of extreme assimilation! The more seawater it assimilates from its surroundings, the stronger the Sea Roar Power becomes. Now that the Bright Heart Association has assimilated so many polluted bodies at once, they must have also released a huge amount of pollution to assimilate a massive volume of seawater. The Bright Heart Association’s power has probably swelled to a new height, far beyond what it was eight years ago."

"..." Lin Hui was silent.

When he had met the Bright Heart Association Leader back then, he had sensed that the man was no impulsive fool. Now it seemed he truly was plotting something grand.

"After discussions in the Federation Council, the Council President has decided to personally lead a team, uniting with neighboring City Lords to suppress the Bright Heart Association. I plan to go and assist as well. While I’m gone, I may have to rely on you to look after things here in Black Cloud," Xie Chang’an said seriously.

"Alright..." Lin Hui nodded.

"I’ll be gone for a month at the shortest, a year at the longest. I will try my best to get a clear picture of the situation over there and hopefully obtain enough detailed, firsthand intelligence. To determine... if the Bright Heart Association’s method is truly effective..." As Xie Chang’an spoke, his voice grew quieter and quieter.

"Has the situation already become so serious?" Lin Hui frowned.

"Actually, it’s been very serious for a long time. We were just using Super Adaptables to plug the holes everywhere. But now, the number of Super Adaptables is dwindling." Xie Chang’an didn’t elaborate further. He turned, waved his hand, and leaped into the air, disappearing.

Lin Hui watched him leave, his resolve to establish a stable rear base growing even firmer.

’On to the next step: establish a solid formation. This formation must amplify the strength of my own people while also suppressing opponents, stacking a second negative effect.’

Several formations he had selected over the past few years flashed through his mind. These would serve as the baseline, the starting point for evolution.

Lifting off from the forest floor, Lin Hui quickly returned to the Qingfeng Daoist Temple. In the courtyard, he saw Lin Xiaoliu playing a board game against Tao Changsheng.

He reined in the worries in his heart, his face returning to its usual peaceful smile as he landed and walked over.

He had no intention of burdening those around him with these troubles. It was a crisis of a massive scale; even if they knew, it would only cause them pointless anxiety.

"Teacher."

"Third Brother."

Seeing him appear, the two youths stood up and bowed to him.

"No need for such formalities. We’re all family. Continue your game. I’ll just watch," Lin Hui said with a smile.

The two youths sat down again and resumed their game.

An hour later, the game ended. Lin Xiaoliu had lost badly and stood up with a helpless look on her face.

"Do you want to play, Third Brother?"

"No, you two continue." Lin Hui noticed a small black silk ribbon tied around Lin Xiaoliu’s upper right arm.

"What’s this?"

"Third Brother, how long has it been since you’ve been back to the martial academy? Our academy’s dean passed away from illness five days ago. The whole academy is still in a period of mourning," Lin Xiaoliu said with surprise.

"Is that so?" Lin Hui narrowed his eyes.

"Mhm. But while they say it was an illness, a lot of students are saying the truth might be... the dean corroded..." Lin Xiaoliu said softly.

"Corrosion? Are there rumors like that in the academy now?" Lin Hui asked.

"Every year, a few people basically corrode, and then new people are brought in. It happens to students and faculty alike," Tao Changsheng added from the side.

"Third Brother, why do people corrode?" Lin Xiaoliu asked in a small voice.

"Because of erosion. The erosion from the mist. If you can’t find a way to isolate yourself from the mist in the daytime Fog Areas and stay too long, something will happen. The same goes for the night-fog, and its effect is even stronger than the daytime Fog Area," Lin Hui explained simply. "In addition, lifespan and injuries can also lead to corrosion. This is a trial that no cultivator in this world can avoid. The more powerful you are, the stronger the corrosive erosion, and the more you need to find a way to deal with it."

The two youths seemed lost in thought after hearing this.

"Alright, let’s not talk about this. You two are about to graduate soon. Where are you planning to go?" Lin Hui smiled, changing the subject.

In this world, if you wanted to become stronger, you had to face a stronger corrosive erosion. Some chose to have more ordinary people join them to share the burden, some chose to use other, same-level pollutions to fight it, and some simply gave up on cultivation, content to become ordinary people.

"This world is just like that. Corrosion forces all powerful people to build large groups, and it forces all ordinary people, the weak, to rely on the strong," Lin Xiaoliu said in a low, serious voice. "So, no matter what, I still want to become a strong person who can decide my own fate to some extent."

"Me too," Tao Changsheng nodded in agreement.

"You two have now reached the limit of your Inner Strength, and your Divine Decision has also reached the level of Upper Rank awakening. You’ll have a few choices going forward." Lin Hui paused. "One is to go to the Rain Palace. It’s stable, the benefits are good, and the competition in the Black Cloud Rain Palace is low."

"No way, the Rain Palace is too boring! It’s not the first choice for becoming strong!" Lin Xiaoliu seemed full of ambition.

"Second, go to the Hundred Seas Merchant Guild. You’ll grow quickly after a few expeditions out at sea. It’s the place with the most practical combat training. You can also gain a lot of experience by sailing everywhere. That will be very helpful for your future comprehension of higher-level Martial Arts," Lin Hui continued.

"Why can’t we just stay at the Daoist temple?" Lin Xiaoliu asked cautiously.

"Because, without any real combat experience, there’s no way to walk the path to higher Martial Arts..." Lin Hui sighed.

Martial Arts were created for slaughter. If one did not engage in it, one could never truly understand or master them.

"Are there any other choices?" Lin Xiaoliu asked.

"The last choice." The smile on Lin Hui’s face slowly faded. "Be an ordinary person and live a good life in Jadeite Valley."