Free Web NovelChapter 199: Chapter 189: Radiation 1
"A martial arts hall master... How interesting. For a common hall master to be qualified to enter a place like this..." Su Yaping chuckled, then let the matter drop. He turned and left the stage, starting a conversation with two other members of the Original Blood Nobility.
Lin Hui breathed a sigh of relief and turned to thank Hong Ling.
"Thanks to your help, Brother Hong. I would have been in real danger otherwise. This place really isn’t for me. I’m too weak; I lack the confidence for anything..."
Hong Ling clapped him on the shoulder.
"You’re not that weak. It’s just that this place is a special case."
The competition ended.
New attendants served a fresh round of wine and tea. The music shifted, becoming soft and melodious.
The atmosphere grew tranquil in turn.
Hong Ling pulled Lin Hui from the scene, ready to head back early and introduce him to the evening’s Time of Extreme Bliss.
The two of them left the teahouse and headed for the Moth Car parking area.
But they hadn’t gone far before they were intercepted by a somewhat familiar figure.
"What a coincidence... Hall Master Lin Hui." Su Yaping had appeared from nowhere, dressed in white, smiling at Lin Hui and Hong Ling.
He stood on the straight path leading to the Moth Cars, making no effort to conceal the dense, blended aura of Void Power and Inner Strength emanating from him.
Beyond that, an inexplicable, formless power coiled around him like a serpent, causing the Void Shocking Spirit in Lin Hui’s mind to stir.
"A coincidence indeed... Greetings, Palace Master Su," Lin Hui said earnestly, cupping his fists in salute.
"Er... Palace Master Su, the gathering is over. If you’d like to wander around a bit more, perhaps we can meet another day? Observatory Master Lin and I already made plans for tonight, so if you’ll excuse us...?" Hong Ling spoke up from the side with a smile.
His mother was an elder of Extreme Desire Heaven. In this territory, even someone like Su Yaping, whose strength far surpassed his own, had to show him some degree of respect.
"I understand," Su Yaping said with a smile. "It’s just a small matter I wish to confirm with Observatory Master Lin. Might I borrow him for a moment, Young Master Hong?"
"Palace Master Su..." Hong Ling could see something was off with Su Yaping and was about to say more, but he was struck head-on by a formless power, and the words caught in his throat.
The man was a Palace Master-level powerhouse, while he himself was only a Priest. With two major realms separating them, the difference in power was like that between an elephant and a mouse.
Crucially, he had already reached the limits of his potential and could grow no stronger. This meant the gap between them was one he could never close in his lifetime.
Because of this, from the perspective of the Moon Tower—or even his mother in Extreme Desire Heaven—if a conflict arose between him and Su Yaping, his mother might not even blame Su Yaping. Instead, she’d probably beat him up first just to appease the Palace Master.
Lin Hui saw Hong Ling’s predicament, yet Hong Ling still stood before him. This wasn’t about friendship; their relationship wasn’t nearly that deep. It was clearly a matter of Hong Ling’s personal principles.
He sighed and gently patted Hong Ling’s arm.
"Brother Hong, you head back first. I’ll join you shortly. Since Palace Master Su wishes to speak with me, how could a humble martial arts hall master from the Outer City possibly refuse?"
Hong Ling shot him a helpless look, then glanced at Su Yaping.
"Fine... I’ll wait for you by the Moth Cars. Don’t take too long. Mother might be waiting for us." He stressed the last part.
"I’ll do my best," Lin Hui nodded.
After seeing Hong Ling off, only the two of them remained.
In the distance on this level, the teahouses and taverns were still bustling with noise, music drifting over from afar. The scents of wine and tea lingered in the air.
But here, in this peripheral area, all was quiet.
Only occasionally would a few shadowy figures flash past toward the Moth Cars, their Body Techniques so fast they were mere blurs.
"Palace Master Su, what did you wish to discuss? I’m all ears," Lin Hui said with earnest respect.
"That was you the other day, wasn’t it?" Su Yaping said coolly. "Incredibly fast. An incredible Body Technique."
"I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean, Palace Master Su. What other day?" Lin Hui asked, his face a mask of confusion.
"Heh..." Su Yaping couldn’t be bothered to waste words. He slowly raised his right hand, his index finger glowing with a translucent aura of Heart and Spirit.
"I’ve made thorough preparations since we last met. Now seems like the perfect chance to test them out..."
Last time, he had been wary of that strange aura and hadn’t dared to make a move. Afterward, he had specifically sought out a relic with isolating properties, precisely to avoid facing such a situation again.
"Palace Master Su, what are you doing?!" Lin Hui’s face showed alarm, and he took two steps back.
"How have I offended you? Why stop me for no reason and prepare to attack just like that?"
"..." Su Yaping said no more, simply pointing his index finger forward.
"What are you two doing? This isn’t Xingdiao!" Suddenly, a clear and pleasant female voice came from behind Lin Hui.
Su Yaping paused and looked behind Lin Hui.
There, under the dim, soft yellow light, a petite figure slowly emerged, a figure only half the height of the two men.
It was a youth with short hair and red eyes.
Her head was round, somewhat like a radish, and she was dressed in a white robe with intricate, gold-trimmed patterns more luxurious than even Hong Ling’s.
Most notably, her eyes emanated a distinct red glow in the dim light.
’Original Blood Nobility...’
Su Yaping narrowed his eyes and lowered his raised finger.
"Miss, I was merely joking with him. I had no intention of fighting."
"I was watching from afar, and it didn’t look like a joke," the radish-headed girl’s brow furrowed. She stared at Su Yaping, questioning him without a trace of politeness. "Are you planning to bully someone in my Tuyue?"
"Of course not," Su Yaping replied with a smile. He was well aware that in any district, the bloodline nobility, second only to the Fog People, were an absolutely rare and protected population. Back in Xingdiao, with his power and influence, he could perhaps challenge an ordinary member of the Original Blood Nobility. But this was Tuyue.
These members of the Original Blood Nobility who had awakened Evil Energy were each a mobile core of the Moon Tower.
’They couldn’t be offended.’ frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"You’d better have been joking," the radish-headed girl said gravely. "Alright, if it was just a joke, then everyone can go their separate ways. It’s late. It would be a shame to waste time instead of going back to relax." frёeωebɳovel.com
"The young lady is correct." Su Yaping retreated, vanishing in the blink of an eye. His aura receded just as quickly, without a moment’s hesitation.
He had clearly given up.
Only then did Lin Hui finally breathe a sigh of relief. He hadn’t wanted to fight Su Yaping. This wasn’t the right place for it. If he accidentally revealed the properties of his Inner Strength—his Purgatory Aura—it would attract even more trouble, and that would be dangerous.
After all, an expert like Su Yaping was not someone he could deal with simply by hiding his strength.
’It’s a good thing that little girl helped me out of this bind.’
He turned to look at the little girl.
"You’re... Lady Sha Ye?" He suddenly recognized her. Wasn’t this the kind-hearted member of the Original Blood Nobility he had met on his first visit to the Moon Tower?
’Yes, it was the little radish-head from the carriage entering the city.’
Sha Ye, the radish-head, broke into a smile.
"Yes, yes, that’s me! I saw you in the teahouse just now, but something came up and I didn’t get a chance to say hello. I came looking for you specifically after I left, just to see if you were the same person I met last time. I can’t believe it really is you. It must be fate."
Her voice was clear and crisp.
"What did I tell you last time? If you’re weak, you shouldn’t be wandering around the Moon Tower. People like you—with a bit of a background, but not enough—are the ones who run into trouble most easily here. If you only barely meet the requirements to enter the tower, you’re better off staying out. This place is crawling with monsters who do as they please. Look, if I hadn’t stepped in just now, you would’ve been in serious trouble."
"Yes, I will remember Lady Sha Ye’s great kindness," Lin Hui said solemnly.
"Oh, it wasn’t that big a deal." Sha Ye seemed a bit embarrassed. "And you don’t need to thank me. Just hurry and get back. There are very, very few good people in this place. You were lucky I was around to help this time, but if I’m not so conveniently present next time, you’ll really be in for it."
"Yes, you’re right," Lin Hui said with a sigh. "This truly is no place for someone as weak as myself. I was fortunate to meet a kind-hearted member of the Original Blood Nobility like yourself. I wonder, could we exchange correspondence addresses? It would make it easier for me to send a gift of thanks in the future."
"A thank-you gift... Hmm. I could go for that. If you could get your hands on some live creatures from the Fog Area—the cute kind—and send them over, that would be great. My family doesn’t let me go outside..." Sha Ye mused.
She removed a string of moon-white beads from her wrist and tossed it to Lin Hui.
"This is a token. If you want to send something, address it to the 1744th floor of the Fifth Tower."
"Deal!" Lin Hui caught the string of beads. "I am the Observatory Master of Qingfeng Temple in the Outer City District. If you ask around a little, you’ll find the address. I have something of a reputation in the Outer City District," Lin Hui said with a smile.
"Okay, then, hurry up and go. Don’t linger," Sha Ye said, waving her hand to urge him on.
Lin Hui acknowledged her, then turned and activated his Body Technique, hurrying toward the Moth Car station.
Hong Ling was waiting in the car. Seeing Lin Hui arrive safely, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Let’s go, quick. Good thing you’re alright. Those people from Xingdiao are just barbaric, always ready to fight and kill. So uncivilized. I don’t know why Sister Han invited him to the gathering."
Lin Hui didn’t say anything, just smiled, got into the Moth Car, and they flew out of the level together.
Night had fallen outside. Below, the rolling sea of fog was like a gray woolen blanket. Above, an infinite number of silver-blue stars dotted the vast, deep, dark night sky.
The cold night wind blew against the Moth Car’s protective shield, creating faint, transparent ripples.
They soon returned to the Hong family’s location on the 1400th floor.
The large expanse of dark pavilions was now lit up.
In the dim yellow lamplight, the night wind howled, carrying faint moans.
Hong Ling’s expression didn’t change. He got out of the Moth Car, ordered the handsome male attendant who came forward to take care of it, and then quickly led Lin Hui into a small, square, black stone building.
"Before we enter the Time of Extreme Bliss, let me give you a warning," Hong Ling said seriously. "This so-called Time of Extreme Bliss is actually a kind of dreamscape. Once you’re inside, you’ll be influenced by the blissful Heart and Spirit collected from the lower levels, which will make it extremely easy to succumb to carnal desires. Time passes very quickly in that state, so a great bell will toll within the space to remind you that your time is nearly up. That’s your signal to withdraw your Heart and Spirit and prepare to wake."
"Is it all about carnal desires inside?" Lin Hui asked curiously.
"It depends on you. Whatever you crave most, it will provide. It also dramatically heightens your sensory perception," Hong Ling chuckled. "And, since everyone enters the Time of Extreme Bliss, anyone you can imagine will appear in your dream with every physical detail, every measurement, exactly as they are in reality."
’In that case,’ Lin Hui suddenly mused, ’if one were to use this Time of Extreme Bliss to practice a Heart and Spirit Cultivation Technique, wouldn’t that mean...?’
"I knew it!" Hong Ling clapped his hands and laughed. "I knew you’d figure it out. That’s right. During the Time of Extreme Bliss, you are in complete control of everything. Progress in cultivating a Heart and Spirit Divine Decision is incredibly fast in there."
