The Decaying World

Chapter 180: Chapter 170: Clue 4

On the other side of the token.

Dragon Maiden stood on the edge of a cliff in a windswept canyon. She put away the token and looked over at a woman in a white tiger mask who was engrossed in her fist practice.

"It’s all arranged. With that guy leading the mission for the Xingdiao City District branch, it shouldn’t be too difficult. What do you think of his strength?"

"Judging from his last reported accomplishment—wiping out two branches of the Qinghe Sect by himself—he’s quite impressive. He should be at the highest level of the Circulation realm. The key is, I’ve always been curious how he cultivated his strength so quickly. It’s only been a few years... Even for that direct disciple of the Nine Dreams Sect, this speed is a bit too fast." The woman in the white tiger mask stopped her practice and sighed.

"Indeed. Do you think it’s possible he used a... replica?" Dragon Maiden said hesitantly.

"How could that be? Why would the Nine Dreams Sect Leader allow his own disciple to trade his entire future for temporary strength?" The woman in the white tiger mask shook her head.

"Then let’s not worry about it. As long as we’re sure he’s sincere about joining us, that’s all that matters. This official mission will be his pledge of allegiance. Once he kills that person—even if he only participates—he can never be accepted by the Taixu. At that point, we can trust him more," Dragon Maiden said nonchalantly.

"True. When it’s one of our own, the stronger, the better. Besides, his father is a pillar of our branch. From that perspective, the Lin Family is quite trustworthy," the woman in the white tiger mask said with a smile.

"If he completes this successfully, I plan to request that Huichun Hall’s trading privileges be opened to him. As for the credit limit... let’s set it to my standard," Dragon Maiden said.

"He’ll probably just buy more aphrodisiacs. There are plenty of low-grade ones, but there’s hardly any stock of the high-end stuff. Something like a Purple Cloud Ganoderma is already near the top of the line. After all, truly powerful people have no need for medicinal enhancement," the woman in the white tiger mask said, exasperated.

These days, you never hear of any powerful figure needing an aphrodisiac to perform. In the upper echelons, the focus of such matters isn’t on the endurance aphrodisiacs provide, but on sensitivity.

Even if it’s brief, as long as the intensity is high enough, it’s still highly sought after.

A few of Tuyue’s Original Bloods are just like that.

"Whatever. Maybe he just has a particular taste. Or maybe his cultivation technique requires it," Dragon Maiden guessed.

The two of them felt a strange twinge whenever they thought of the nickname Lin Hui was known by.

The Great Yang-Enhancing Invisible Sword. Only Lin Hui could bear such a title. Compared to his original, monotonous moniker, Invisible Sword, this new one had far more character and was instantly unforgettable.

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Just as Lin Hui began preparing for his impending long journey.

The Qinghe Sect and the Profound Eagle Sect were already locked in a fierce, irreconcilable battle across the Outer City District and parts of the Inner City District.

The Profound Eagle Sect clearly had other intelligence channels, and they soon located the Qinghe Sect’s true headquarters.

After finding the location, the Profound Eagle Sect gathered a large number of experts, set up for a surprise attack, and successfully dismantled the protective Relic Array surrounding the Qinghe Sect’s headquarters.

What followed was a brutal, white-hot slaughter.

The Profound Eagle Sect had previously been partners with the Qinghe Sect, so no one expected Xue Ying to be so ruthless toward her former allies.

The slaughter lasted only half a day before ending. Both sides had powerful backers, so much so that the Inner City’s official Peacekeeping Army only received the notice to clean up the scene a full hour after the fighting had stopped.

It was already the next morning by the time Lin Hui received the message from his "big brother" at the Rain Palace.

"This is a little strange. Xue Ying needed the Qinghe Sect’s help to get her revenge. Why would she turn on her former partners the moment she returned?" He folded the letter and looked over at Mingxia, who was meticulously studying the Qingfeng Sword.

"Because in that final battle, the reason Xue Ying was so grievously wounded was that the Qinghe Sect double-crossed her," Mingxia replied casually.

"...Is Xue Ying really that strong?" Lin Hui asked, surprised.

"Of course she’s strong. Not only did she break through to the Bright Extreme Grandmaster level, but she also has several special relics. When used together, these relics form a system of abilities that is truly disgusting to face. The whole reason she can wander around freely without fear of being captured or killed is entirely due to this combination of relics," Mingxia explained slowly, sheathing her sword and exhaling.

"Relying on relics? Is that viable? Can that really contend with the likes of the Inner City’s Palace Masters and Original Bloods?" Lin Hui was skeptical.

"Why wouldn’t it be? Strength is strength, no matter the source. As long as you can produce results, who cares if it comes from relics?" Mingxia said.

"Alright... By the way, I need to go on a long trip in a few days. Can you watch over the temple for me?" Lin Hui asked casually.

"Sure. I’m not going anywhere lately anyway. This swordsmanship of yours is just divine... I won’t be able to sleep soundly until I figure it out!" Mingxia wasn’t even bothering to act anymore. As she spoke, she would often naturally slip into her persona as Master Yunxia.

’This led me to guess that her previous identity as the daughter of Master Yunxia was a complete fabrication. She is Master Yunxia herself, having changed her identity to appear younger so she could come and become my disciple. As for changing her body, that must have been laughably simple for a Bright Extreme Grandmaster. A few body-modification medicines or a cultivation technique would do the trick easily.’

Watching Mingxia remain engrossed in the Perfect Clear Wind Sword, Lin Hui shook his head inwardly. ’If she needs this long to study the Perfect Clear Wind Sword, won’t she need to research the Gale Sword for years?’

Leaving Qingfeng Temple, Lin Hui headed toward the Gale Plain as usual, ready to complete his daily training on schedule.

But just as he reached his usual practice spot, he heard the faint sounds of a fight in the distance.

He frowned, worried the fight might disturb his cultivation. Fortunately, the sounds of battle gradually faded into the distance until they disappeared completely. Only then did he settle down, closing his eyes to begin cultivating the Illusionary Performance Technique, which was primarily a form of Static Cultivation.

Soon, a dark, humanoid figure that looked as if it were wearing a wide cloak appeared on the plain before him.

The figure’s head was lowered, its face a blur. It vaguely resembled someone Lin Hui knew, but when he tried to think harder, he couldn’t recall who it was.

This was the Void Shocking Spirit, condensed by the Illusionary Performance Technique.

It was an amalgam of all the fears deep within Lin Hui’s heart, meaning its every move could easily evoke his pain and terror.

Defeating it just once would strengthen his will and his Heart and Spirit.

「Meanwhile, back at the location where Lin Hui had heard the fighting.」

At the foot of the Fog Wall on the gray-black plain.

Three figures were currently clashing at high speed.

A fierce wind howled, sweeping across the area. One of the figures was clad in purple-black armor, wielding a longsword of the same material. The blade was inscribed with mystical symbols and emitted a faint purple glow.

It was Tao Xuehai, who had been on his way to bid farewell to Lin Hui and deliver some medicine he had just found.

This final farewell had unexpectedly turned into a targeted ambush.

The Qinghe Sect members who were watching Qingfeng Temple had spotted him and mobilized experts to assassinate him.

The experts from the Qinghe Sect were two white-haired old men wearing black masks. Though their faces were covered, Tao Xuehai could still guess that they were definitely from the Inner City’s Three Sects and Six Gangs—incumbent Elders who were Triple Harmony Grandmasters.

Their thick, decaying auras were identical to ones he had encountered before.

People like them couldn’t stay in the Outer City for long; their bodies relied on the environment of the Inner City to survive.

Correspondingly, the longer they lived, the stronger their Power became.

He didn’t know how the Qinghe Sect had managed to recruit such experts. Even within the Three Sects and Six Gangs, Triple Harmony Grandmasters were considered absolute top brass. Why would they come to ambush a mere member of the Profound Eagle Sect like him?

BANG!

The two figures suddenly shot past each other, striking Tao Xuehai from the left and right with simultaneous punches.

In that instant, the terrifying force unique to Triple Harmony Grandmasters, accompanied by immense Inner Strength, slammed into his body.

Tao Xuehai roared in pain as his body exploded, transforming into countless black flying insects that scattered in all directions.

He didn’t flee toward the town. In theory, if he had, he could have drawn in more variables, forcing his attackers to hesitate for fear of collateral damage and possibly retreat.

But considering that his teacher’s Qingfeng Temple was in the town, Tao Xuehai gritted his teeth, dispersed his body, and used the power of the Insect Scripture to fly at full speed toward the Fog Area.

"It’s a replica Insect Scripture! Use Spirit Mountain Fist to pin him down!" one of the old men said in a low voice.

"I’ve got it!" The other man drew circles with his hands, his boundless Inner Strength continuously condensing into a transparent, water-like orb.

BOOM!

The next moment, he thrust his hands forward. The massive sphere of Inner Strength exploded, transforming into a tidal wave that washed over the rapidly dispersing black Insect Fog.

"Alright, our mission is complete. We have to go back immediately. If we stay too long, our bodies might not be able to take it," the old man who threw the punch said grimly before turning and speeding away toward the Inner City.

The other man took out a silver sphere, crushed it gently, and then left as well, ignoring the fleeing Tao Xuehai.

Having just flown into the Fog Area, Tao Xuehai was a bit confused as to why his pursuers hadn’t followed.

He wasn’t too worried about himself. As someone who had fused with a replica Insect Scripture, he couldn’t defeat those two old Grandmasters, but with the Scripture’s power, he could never truly die.

Not even a Grandmaster could destroy his Insect Scripture body. If he was heavily injured, he just had to disperse and reform. Even if only a wisp of Insect Fog the size of a strand of hair remained, it could rapidly absorb the unknown power in the surroundings and take shape again.

This was the power of the Insect Scripture. Even a replica possessed terrifying regenerative abilities.

This was precisely why the replica Evil Soldiers and replica Insect Scriptures were so highly sought after and fought over.

Other than their own kind, no one could truly kill someone who had fused with an Evil Soldier Insect Scripture. This held true even for those who had fused with replicas.

Ever since humanity discovered the first Evil Soldier Insect Scripture, not a single one had ever been destroyed. Their fused hosts would only suffer damage and lose consciousness when eroded by one of their own kind.

This was also why the strongest Summoning System focused on the path of consciousness and spirit.

Because it was the system passed down by the original Fog People, and also because the material power inherent to the Evil Soldier Insect Scriptures was already nigh invincible.

The Evil Soldier Insect Scripture guaranteed material immortality, so the only thing that could be extinguished was the Fog Person’s consciousness.

Thus, consciousness became the sole vulnerability.

The immense power of the Spirit Mountain Fist had instantly eroded more than half of Tao Xuehai’s Insect Fog body, but he paid it no mind. After flying into the Fog Area, he found a spot with no monsters, landed, and began to rapidly recover and reform his body.

But just as he finished reforming his body and stood up, he realized something was wrong.

He turned to see a slender, pale-faced figure standing under a withered tree behind him, who had appeared there at some unknown time. freewebnøvel.coɱ

The aura emanating from this person was remarkably similar to his own.

"The Profound Eagle Sect’s Dharma Protector, Profound Mysterious Sword Wu Hai?... I never thought that watching Qingfeng Temple would yield such an unexpected prize..."

The newcomer had deathly pale skin and no hair. He was thin, bare-chested, and wore only a pair of wide, black trousers that resembled a battle skirt.

"The Vice Sect Leader of the Qinghe Sect... Black Death Cao Xianzhong...!" Tao Xuehai’s expression turned grim.

It wasn’t just because his opponent’s strength far surpassed his own—this was a powerhouse on the same level as the Profound Eagle Sect’s Vice Sect Leader. It was also because the aura coming from him was that of a replica Evil Soldier Insect Scripture...

This meant his opponent could severely suppress the regeneration of his Insect Fog...