The Decaying World

Chapter 231: Chapter 220: The Battle Begins, Part 2

"I’m afraid you won’t be luring me away, old man. The bounty on the Lin Family is quite something this time. The sect posted a reward equivalent to three missions. To attract so many experts at once, you should feel honored."

The blurry figure shot through the crowd and landed lightly in front of Lin Shunhe’s horse, blocking the path. The startled horse reared slightly, nearly falling.

"This old one..." Elder Du began as he moved to dismount.

Suddenly, he saw the figure dash forward, unexpectedly flashing past him, past Lin Shunhe and Lin Hui, and heading straight for the Lin Mansion’s carriage at the front of the procession.

Their target wasn’t them, but Liu Shenglan in the carriage!

"Oh no!" Elder Du rushed forward, but he was a step too slow.

"Hahaha! The first prize is mine!" The blurry figure drew two blades, unleashing them in two silvery arcs that slashed at the carriage from both the left and right.

Void Power surged and Inner Strength swept out. Before the blades even drew near, cracks spiderwebbed across the carriage’s wooden exterior.

THUMP!

The next moment, a figure appeared instantly in front of the carriage.

His eyes glowed with a purple luminescence. Wearing a purple-black metal gauntlet on his right hand, he swept it out in a single motion.

CRASH! The two blades were easily knocked aside, striking the ground to the right and carving two deep gashes into it.

"Friend, attacking my wife and daughter right in front of me... isn’t that taking things a bit too far?" Lin Shunhe still wore the gentle smile of a businessman, but his eyes held a trace of killing intent he had never before revealed.

"Hm?" The blurry figure froze. Using the force of the rebound, he retreated several steps, staring at Lin Shunhe with shock and suspicion.

"You...?!"

It wasn’t just him. Inside the carriage, through the half-open window, Liu Shenglan covered her mouth with her hands. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on her husband, equally startled by the power Lin Shunhe had suddenly revealed.

"Husband... You... how are you also...?!"

"I just like to keep a trick up my sleeve," Lin Shunhe said with a smile. "You go on ahead. I’ll be right behind you."

"But..." Liu Shenglan started to protest, but with a backward wave of his hand, Lin Shunhe sent a formless force striking the haunches of the carriage horses.

With a sharp neigh, the two strong horses took off, charging forward.

"Xiaoliu, don’t be afraid! Mommy’s here, and Daddy is protecting us! Don’t be afraid." Liu Shenglan hugged her daughter tightly, her face pale.

Across from her, Lin Hui’s mother, Yao Shan, was also pale-faced, constantly muttering fragmented prayers for divine protection.

A pendant hanging around her neck was now faintly glowing with a soft blue light.

It was a Protective Talisman personally bestowed upon her by the Sect Hierarch of a new sect she had recently joined due to her substantial contributions.

But just as the two horses charged forward and the members of the Wanhua Sect were tied down by their own opponents...

WHOOSH!!!

In that instant, the fog in the air was completely cleared away.

A terrifying, invisible pressure of unknown origin, extending for hundreds of meters, slammed down on everyone present.

Amid screams of pain and the terrified neighing of horses, the many commoners, Martial Artists, and servants of the Lin Mansion fell to the ground, unable to get up. It was a scene of total chaos.

The many Qingfeng Daoist Disciples were slightly stronger, but they too were forced to their knees, struggling to hold on.

Only those engaged in the scattered skirmishes—the Priests and High Priests of the Wanhua Sect, the blurry figure, the man with the Black Blade, as well as Xia Si and Liu Xiao—were able to withstand the pressure, albeit with difficulty, and looked up at the sky.

In the air, a slender figure with waist-length white hair stood upon the void.

He wore a pure white mask and a pair of pristine white metal gauntlets. His body was clad in gold-threaded Black Armor, intricately patterned with dragons and phoenixes.

His face was hidden, but judging by the invisible ripples of pressure spreading out from him...

’Walking on air, projecting Void Power... over such a large area...!!’ Although Liu Xiao’s own power was nowhere near that level, her insight—thanks to her big brother—was far sharper than anyone else’s present.

It was precisely because she could gauge the newcomer’s level that a thick sense of panic and despair rose uncontrollably in her heart.

"...A Palace Master...! He’s at the Palace Master realm!!"

Why would a supreme expert at the Palace Master level appear here!? Why would he target an ordinary caravan of a major family!?

What had they ever done to attract such a high-level expert?!

’Could it be... because of Big Brother!?’ Liu Xiao’s Heart and Spirit trembled. It was the only connection she could guess at.

Elsewhere, Lin Shunhe was also terrified.

As the Kind Heart Church Master, he naturally had access to a great deal of intelligence and could recognize an expert of this caliber at a glance.

Walking on air and projecting oppressive Void Power over a wide area—these were the external hallmarks of a Palace Master.

Especially the former. Flying through the air was a feat only Palace Masters could achieve.

Yet, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out how he had offended such a mighty figure.

’Is it some expert the sect offended, and he’s just taking a potshot as he passes by!? Or has one of my secret plots been exposed? Did it lead to the Inner City seeking accountability, sending someone to silence me? That can’t be it. I framed the Wanhua Sect for everything—the witnesses and evidence are all there, it couldn’t possibly... This is a disaster!! Is my Lin Family so unlucky that we’re about to be annihilated!?’

Various methods of escape and survival raced through his mind, but none of them would work against an expert of this level.

He knew that against a mighty figure of this caliber, unless Lord Black Face himself appeared... no one here would survive.

"Don’t be afraid... don’t be afraid... Mommy’s here..." Inside the carriage, Liu Shenglan trembled uncontrollably as she stroked Lin Xiaoliu’s long hair.

But she didn’t notice that Lin Xiaoliu’s big eyes were wide open, staring fixedly in a certain direction.

And in that direction...

"Young friend Lin Hui. A friend has come from afar. Now that things have come to this, won’t you come out and greet me?"

At this moment, in midair, the white-haired figure who held everyone’s attention gently removed his white mask, revealing a handsome, gentle face.

The most striking feature was his pair of eyes.

They were the pale blue pupils of the Python Race.

Lin Hui?!?

In that instant.

"?!?!" Lin Shunhe.

"?!?!" Liu Shenglan.

"!!!" Liu Xiao.

Wang Hongshi and the other Qingfeng Daoist Disciples looked even more astonished and shocked. Their gazes swept the surroundings, trying to find Lin Hui.

Only then did everyone discover that on the empty ground beneath the white-haired man, a tall figure was now inexplicably standing.

His black hair fell to his waist, his white robes billowed, and he held a sword in one hand, pointed down behind his back.

It was Lin Hui.

FWOOSH!

A breeze swept through the area, then suddenly surged upward, forcibly pushing back against the invisible pressure weighing down on everyone.

Everyone felt the weight on their bodies suddenly vanish, and they could move again.

The white-haired man stared intently at Lin Hui below.

"It’s been a while since the Moon Tower, young friend Lin. You still love to hide your true abilities. Why bother?"

"I hide my abilities precisely to deal with people like you, Palace Master Su Yaping," Lin Hui replied with a slight smile.

"Deal with me?" Su Yaping raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"When you think you have victory in the palm of your hand... have you ever considered the possibility..." Lin Hui looked up, the smile at the corner of his mouth growing wider.

"...that this was all an illusion I deliberately created for you?"

"You..." Su Yaping frowned, about to speak. But to his horror, he saw the Lin Hui in his vision slowly burst like a soap bubble and dissipate.

"!!?"

He reacted instantly, channeling his Power into a palm strike behind him.

But the chilling attack came from the left!

SQUELCH!!!

In an instant, blood sprayed through the air.

A phantom image instantly pierced Su Yaping’s waist, carrying him off into the distant Fog Area and disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Kill!!"

Xia Si was the first to react from below. With a wild laugh, her muscles swelled, her frame grew taller, and she activated her True Body Seal. Gripping her sword with both hands, she unleashed a horizontal slash at her opponent.

"You’re dead! You’re all dead! Hahahaha! Teacher won’t spare anyone who knows his secret!! You idiots! You’re courting death!!"

Her power surged by half, and her strike sent the Black Blade warrior stumbling backward, spitting blood.

The Black Blade warrior’s face was a mask of despair.

"It’s over... Kicked another iron plate... Hey, you little lunatic opposite me, is it too late to surrender?"

"Surrender?" Xia Si froze.

Meanwhile, Lin Shunhe took a deep breath, recovering from the immense pressure, and turned his attention back to his opponent.

He quickly pulled himself out of the shocking realization that his son was a powerhouse, planning to deal with his opponent first and sort out his thoughts later.

But...

TCHSS!!

The next moment, a crisp sound, like tearing cloth, came from the blurry figure opposite him.

The man was suddenly sliced into a dozen pieces that scattered across the ground. His presence was gone.

Behind the corpse, a figure in a black mask flashed past—it was Tao Xuehai, who had rushed to the scene.

It was the same for Liu Xiao.

She had just been about to make a move when she saw her opponent turn and flee without a word.

Liu Xiao seized the opportunity to land a palm strike on his back, caving it in and severely injuring him until he spat blood. Even so, the man didn’t dare to look back, using a Secret Technique to vanish into the fog in the blink of an eye.

Liu Xiao was left standing there, a dazed expression on her face. Recalling the recent events, she felt as if she were trapped in a dream.

"Lin Hui..." She lowered her head and stared at her own pale hands. She had heard that you can’t see fine details in a dream, and that by carefully examining your own palm lines, you could wake yourself up.

But right now, no matter how hard she stared at her palms, everything remained the same. Nothing changed.

"I don’t want to go to Qingfeng Temple!" Lin Xiaoliu’s crying voice once again rang in her ears.

From a very young age, ever since Lin Xiaoliu had learned to speak, she had always hated going to Qingfeng Temple.

When asked why, she could never explain it clearly. She would just say she was afraid of Lin Hui, but she didn’t know the reason.

And now...

Liu Xiao thought she might be starting to understand why...

Inside the carriage, Liu Shenglan blankly held her young daughter, listening to the tearful words Lin Xiaoliu kept repeating.

"I told you, Brother Hui is scary, but you didn’t believe me! I told you... If you don’t listen to him, you’ll be killed, beaten to death... You’ll turn into wind and get blown away!"

"..." Liu Shenglan’s mind was in turmoil.

"Xiaoliu, we believe you now. So, can Daddy ask you, between that man from before and Brother Hui, who do you think is scarier?" Lin Shunhe’s voice came from the side.

He had entered the carriage at some point and was now questioning his young daughter.

"I don’t know... I don’t know..." Lin Xiaoliu shrank back, crying. "That man... I could only feel that he was scared... and also very excited!"

Scared? Excited?

What did that mean?

Lin Shunhe and Liu Shenglan exchanged a look, neither of them quite understanding.