Free Web NovelChapter 194: Chapter 184: Infiltration 4
’It doesn’t pollute the area like Purgatory, so that’s good, but this freezing power is a bit too overbearing...’ After testing the might of his Inner Strength, Lin Hui decided to use it as little as possible in future fights. He would only need to use his Inner Strength to draw upon unknown external energy and shape it into wind.
In fact, his Inner Strength was rarely used to directly engage enemies anymore. What truly decided his battles was the wind formed by manipulating that unknown external power.
By leveraging Ruyi’s incredible hardness, combined with the terrifying force of high-speed impacts, there were few situations he couldn’t resolve.
’Come to think of it, why has the Qinghe Sect been so quiet? They sent people to cause trouble before... It’s so quiet now, I’m not used to it...’ Lin Hui’s hands suddenly started to itch. He wanted to find an opponent to test his swordsmanship against. After training so hard for so long, he had the strange urge to see just how strong he had become.
’The Qinghe Sect was undoubtedly the best whetstone for his blade; he could kill them as he pleased without worrying about the consequences.’
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Qinghe Sect headquarters.
Amidst the scorched, blackened buildings, waves of intense heat spread out along with the flickering light of flames.
Crimson fires bloomed like red lotuses, dancing as they devoured every person and thing they touched.
The ground was littered with countless bodies, all charred beyond recognition.
HUFF... HUFF...
From a corner, a struggling figure staggered out of the flames. It was none other than the Qinghe Sect Leader, Situ Ye.
Following behind him was a long-haired woman who had lost both her hands. Her body was covered in black burns, and her once-beautiful, veiled face was now covered in blisters. Her enchanting figure was now a canvas of large, charred scars. Half of her long hair had been seared a brittle, curly yellow, making for a ghastly sight.
"Black Death... what in the world happened!? How could he...!" the woman grit out through clenched teeth.
"This is the Power of Purgatory... the fires of Purgatory, sealed for hundreds of years... There wasn’t a single trace of it left back then! Why... Why has it reappeared now!?" Situ Ye’s eyes were filled with confusion and hatred for Black Death Cao Xianzhong.
He had paid a huge price to finally kill Cao Xianzhong on the spot. But after his opponent’s Purgatory Transformation, his power had doubled and his regenerative abilities had increased dramatically, resulting in a massive backlash against Situ Ye himself. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Furthermore, because he had been caught in a surprise attack, his own injuries were not light.
"What do we do now, Sect Leader!?" the woman asked, gritting her teeth. "Do we go to the Moon Tower?"
"We can’t! We can’t let Extreme Desire Heaven find out! If they learn we were wounded by Black Death, both of us will be completely eliminated!" Situ Ye said hatefully.
"...By the Fog Spirit... Why!? Why must it be so?" The woman closed her eyes in pain, understanding what the Sect Leader meant.
The corrupting nature of Purgatory’s power was far too strong. Once it was discovered they had been wounded by Black Death’s Purgatory Transformation, to prevent a new outbreak, the two of them—the only survivors—would be "humanely" destroyed by the Celestial People of Extreme Desire Heaven. Not even ash would remain, all to completely stop the spread of Purgatory.
"The key now is to get out of here as fast as possible. We can’t stay here any longer. Let’s go now! To your place! The Fog God Sect headquarters outside the Fog Area. Go!" Situ Ye made a swift decision.
"Alright!" The woman nodded and immediately took the lead, her figure flashing as she quickly departed.
Not long after the two of them vanished,
new figures in white robes appeared at the entrance of the Qinghe Sect. Discovering the abnormality here, they hurriedly reported it up the chain of command.
Soon, a massive, vigorous campaign to sweep away the power of Purgatory was about to begin.
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「Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.」
Lin Hui continued his secluded Body Tempering, diligently practicing the Typhoon Swordsmanship and the Illusionary Performance Technique every day.
Qingfeng Temple remained as peaceful as ever.
But while it was peaceful here, the members of the Inspectorate who came from the Inner City to "further their training" in Body Technique (read: to slack off and have fun) brought some rather startling news.
"A large-scale Purgatory contamination in the Inner City?" Lin Hui looked at Hong Ling, the head of the Inspectorate sitting opposite him, and asked in surprise.
"That’s right. Your older brother was also ordered to conduct a thorough investigation. He found out that several people within the Rain Palace had been contaminated by Purgatory without even knowing it. They killed a whole lot of people this time, at least over a hundred." As the head of the Inspectorate, Hong Ling rarely left the city. He had come out this time specifically to investigate the power of Purgatory.
Since the Inspectorate and Qingfeng Temple had a long-standing collaboration on Body Technique training, he decided to come and check on the situation.
Speaking of which, he and Lin Hui had met because Wu Zhao Ming, the Gang Leader of the Chi Mi Bang, had instigated trouble last time. Of course, this was Hong Ling’s side of the story. As for whether it was true, Lin Hui just smiled to himself and didn’t press the matter.
"Your brother has risen from the ashes this time, achieving a breakthrough in his Cultivation. I’m afraid he’s already touching the level of a Palace Master. As the water rises, so does the boat; your situation has changed as well. I also came this time to congratulate you," Hong Ling said with a smile, cupping his fists.
"My brother had a breakthrough?" Lin Hui was stunned. Liu Wu Jun was already one of the most outstanding High Priests, and now he had broken through again... ’No wonder Inspector Hong Ling, who has never visited before, would take the initiative to come to Qingfeng Temple and act so humbly.’
"Indeed. Your brother is a low-key person. Although he went through a period of living unrestrainedly and challenging everyone, he later devoted himself to arduous training. Now, his efforts have finally paid off. It’s truly worthy of celebration! He lives up to his reputation as one of the Rain Palace’s top geniuses of this generation! Of course, this was also thanks to the careful nurturing of Vice Palace Master Jiang Zhixia."
"Thank you for the news, Director Hong." Lin Hui also smiled and cupped his fists in return.
"Don’t thank me. The Inspectorate and Qingfeng Temple have been cooperating for so long, and come to think of it, I’ve never invited you to my home. No time like the present, as they say. I’ve just finished my report and have to head back anyway. How about you come back with me for a visit?" Hong Ling said enthusiastically.
"Well... where is your home, Director Hong?" Lin Hui asked.
"Mm, I’m of the Original Blood. My home is in the third Moon Tower, on the fourteen hundredth floor," Hong Ling said casually.
"...The Moon Tower... I’m just an Outer City Person, am I allowed in?" Lin Hui’s heart skipped a beat. He had been wondering when he’d get a chance to see the inside of a Moon Tower, and now an opportunity had unexpectedly landed right in his lap.
"I just need to invite you, that’s all. What’s wrong with being from the Outer City? Your brother has a limitless future; no one would dare say a thing if his younger brother takes a look around the Moon Tower. Do you think all of us Original Blood are top-tier masters, all awakened to Evil Energy, all with awakened bloodlines, all able to enter Extreme Desire Heaven and Taixu at will? That’s not the case," Hong Ling laughed.
"The Original Blood are a very large group. Only those who have awakened their Evil Energy are qualified to be called Original Blood Nobility. I live in the Moon Tower because my mother awakened her Evil Energy and still resides there. I myself have not. There are quite a few Original Blood like me. The rumors outside say there are only two hundred Original Blood Nobility, but that number refers to those who have awakened their Evil Energy. Besides them, the total number of Original Blood is at least several thousand."
He paused. "People like us can’t hold positions in Extreme Desire Heaven, so we can only be assigned to other posts in the Core Area. Of course, in the eyes of many, these marginalized Original Blood like us aren’t considered true Original Blood."
He smiled and waved his hand dismissively.
"Besides, the Moon Tower isn’t as mysterious as you think. Most places in the tower are just like the outside—food, clothing, housing, transportation, all the usual stuff. It’s just that we live up high, in a different location. But Extreme Desire Heaven is different. It’s too easy to lose yourself once you go in, to fall into a state of ecstasy. It’s used to counteract the negative states of top-tier experts, so it’s not meant for normal people. Don’t overthink it." freeweɓnøvel.com
"What do you mean? The ecstasy of Extreme Desire Heaven is used to counteract the negative states of top-tier experts? Do all top-tier experts share some common, similar negative state?" Lin Hui asked curiously as he poured the other man some tea.
"Yes. Above the level of Palace Master, significant signs of decay appear. To fight this decay, experts at this level need to constantly mobilize their Mental Power to counteract it. As early as hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Taixu Federation discovered that only the Mental Power of ecstasy could safely offset this unending corrosive decay. That’s why almost every city district has an Extreme Desire Heaven—to gather the ecstatic Mental Power of all living beings and help the experts above the Palace Master level counteract the corrosive decay, preventing them from self-destructing."
"And because the abilities of the Wheel of Longevity are relatively suitable for this kind of counteraction, we in Tuyue are considered quite well-developed in this area. Xingdiao, on the other hand, is no good. Their core Evil Soldier and Evil Energy powers are focused on slaughter and frenzy, completely unsuitable for refining ecstatic Heart and Spirit, which is why they’ve had constant problems since their city was founded."
As an insider among the Original Blood, Hong Ling held nothing back, revealing the situation among the Moon Tower’s upper echelons in one breath.
It also allowed Lin Hui to finally and thoroughly understand the core structure of the Moon Tower.
Below the Fog People, the Original Blood Nobility, though powerful, also endured immense pain from the corrosive decay.
"Then... I’ve also heard about Wanfu Meat..." Lin Hui trailed off, hinting at the topic.
"Ah, that. It’s true; Wanfu Meat is indeed used to share the burden of the decay." Hong Ling made no effort to hide it. "With your current situation, it’s only a matter of time before you can enter the Inner City and enjoy this life-extending distribution, so there’s no harm in telling you. I’m looking forward to us going fishing together in the Inner City someday. I don’t have many hobbies, but I love fishing. I can see you’re the patient type, too. It would be perfect for us to go together."
"Alright..." Lin Hui nodded helplessly.
"Then it’s settled!" Hong Ling laughed. With his white hair, white eyebrows, and white clothes, the man looked cold and domineering, but once you got to know him, you realized he was just cold on the outside and warm on the inside.
"Speaking of Wanfu Meat, we don’t actually go out of our way to restrict its effects. After all, if you don’t want it, you don’t have to eat it. You’ll just be cleared out and driven away at set times. If you’re unwilling to share the burden of decay with us, we can’t very well let you hang around and freeload, right? Groups like the Good Heart Sect and the Wanhua Sect are always stirring up trouble and resisting us under the banner of an unjust world. Aren’t they just looking for trouble? If you think it’s unfair, go find your own place and build a city. Nobody’s stopping you."
"But I heard that if you build a city, you’ll be..." Lin Hui trailed off again.
"You believe that? If you hole up in a Fog Area that big, who the hell is going to find you? But you insist on piggybacking off the Federation’s safe zones to build your city—what is that if not asking for trouble? You think we spend all this effort clearing out and destroying monsters just to provide you with a safety cushion?" Hong Ling said, annoyed.
From his perspective, Lin Hui could clearly sense the Original Blood’s attitude toward the Good Heart Sect and other resistance forces.
Both sides felt it was unfair. Each acted according to their own principles.
In reality, when you thought about it, the viewpoint of Original Blood like Hong Ling was just a philosophy of survival of the fittest, where the weak are meat for the strong.
The Good Heart Sect, on the other hand, preached a doctrine of greater love, but they clearly had their own selfish motives and dirty secrets.
Listening to Hong Ling’s idle chatter, Lin Hui was suddenly reminded of a saying. ’Perhaps neither of them was wrong; they just had different standpoints.’
’In his view, the true fault of the Original Blood wasn’t any of that. It was that they didn’t treat human life as if it mattered. That was the greatest evil of all.’
