Decaying World Chapter 282

By all accounts, the stronger the Disaster Energy's erosion, the greater the power Lin Hui could draw on. He should have been thrilled.

But having witnessed both Purgatory and Extre Cold Heaven, Lin Hui understood all too well that the Wind Disaster's energy—far stronger than either—shared the very sa origin. If the Wind Disaster fully erupted and spread, what in this world could hope to contain it?

Back at the Dao Academy, he carefully inspected his physical condition before settling into ditation, easing himself into a state of deep comprehension.

Under normal circumstances, he would have subrged himself in the unford Sacred Form of Destruction, probing for its missing pieces. But this ti, for so unknown reason, the process felt entirely different.

Without realizing it, he drifted into a half-waking trance.

Do you feel it? A distant voice murmured at the edge of his mind.

All things have breath... The voice was ancient and profound, each word weighted with a solemn, archaic gravity.

Hear it... comply with it...

Who are you? Lin Hui's mind snapped to alertness, wariness surging as he fired the question through his mind-spirit.

Heaven and earth, the clear and the turbid, the great origins interchange. Within the wind, I am imperishable... The voice drifted over once more. This world is so filthy... co... call my na... cleanse the evil aura, and rectify the universe!

In the darkness behind his closed eyes, a vaguely familiar shape flickered past.

In his trance, he seed to see himself floating above a massive green planet. Facing him across the star-filled void was an old man robed in green, white-haired and vast enough to eclipse the planet itself.

The old man wore a benevolent expression, his eyes blazing with a blinding, seven-colored radiance. Slung across his back was a slender sword in an equally colorful scabbard.

Yet for all the entity's righteousness and solemnity—the transcendent bearing of an immortal—a deep unease rose instinctively in Lin Hui's chest, warning him of trendous danger.

"You are... Seven Extinctions..."

The mont Lin Hui recognized the entity and began to speak that na, everything before him vanished.

He gasped, snapping completely awake. He was seated cross-legged in the cultivation room, drenched in cold sweat, his heart hamring against his ribs.

It took a long ti to steady his breathing. Lowering his head, Lin Hui reached out and gripped his sword hilt.

"This is trouble..." He knew it was no re dream. Ever since his cultivation had reached an advanced stage, he hadn't dread at all—let alone experienced a vision so vivid and deliberately aid at him.

He stood, took a deep breath, and made to head out to wash up and change clothes.

Suddenly, his footsteps faltered. He snapped his head around to stare at the air behind him—and found it was not empty. Soti without his awareness, an irregular, elongated blue rift had torn open in the room.

It was barely the length of a pinky finger and the width of a fingernail, but from within, fine blue particles were silently drifting out.

Lin Hui's expression changed. He slowly extended his hand toward the drifting motes. As his fingers drew close, he felt a thickening current of Wind Disaster Energy brush against his skin.

Could this be a rift leading straight to the Wind Disaster's howorld?! His heart pounded.

He quickly scanned his surroundings. With a tug of Internal Force, he summoned an inkstone from the table and guided it toward the stream of blue particles.

But before the inkstone could draw close, the particles struck it in midair. It began to decompose in silence, dissolving into a cloud of identical blue motes within seconds before dispersing into the surrounding air and vanishing entirely.

Watching this, Lin Hui grasped the true scale of what he was facing.

His expression hardened. He retrieved an object from his waist and pressed it against the rift—a Treasure-grade isolation Relic he had acquired years ago. Given his current cultivation, anything below Treasure-grade would be useless.

The object—a brass curio shaped like a peach—lasted less than five seconds near the rift before it burst apart, dissolving into a cloud of copper-hued powder that packed itself into the tear.

Seizing the mont, Lin Hui raised his palm and rapidly absorbed the Disaster Energy that had leaked into the room. He then manipulated the Relic's copper powder to seal the gap even tighter.

He waited there for a long ti. Only after confirming that no more Disaster Energy was leaking out did he slowly retract his hand and exhale.

I hope it holds a bit longer. Once the Blood Seal is free, I'll deal with this properly.

…

Far away, deep within the Crystal Sea—ten thousand ters down in the pitch-black oceanic abyss.

A massive dark green ship—comparable in size to half of Black Cloud City—glided slowly and silently through a field of countless crystals. The vessel resembled a gargantuan cargo ship bereft of sails, its hull covered in sweeping silver patterns and emblazoned with a massive carved character: Sea.

Inside the ship, within a bright, pristine white spherical hall, three tall figures draped in silver-patterned black cloaks appeared soundlessly near a small door along the curved wall.

"Leila, Han Zhugui, and Xiao Dinghu greet Commander Yuchi Xin!"

The mont the three entered, they bowed in unison to a gaunt, green-haired man floating in midair.

"News has spread everywhere—everyone knows, and yet I am the last to learn of it. What exactly is the point of coming to now?" The green-haired man didn't bother opening his eyes. His calm tone concealed a cold, razor-edged nace.

"We are guilty. We beseech Commander Xin to grant us one more chance!" The foremost figure looked utterly shad, cupping his fists and pleading with evident sincerity.

"Two Bluebloods were killed. Elites at the Blood Ancestor level, dead during a two-on-one disciplinary pursuit... What's next? What kind of redy have you prepared?" the green-haired man asked icily.

"There is clearly sothing exceptional about this Xia Si. The three of us are prepared to move personally. We will take her in a single strike," the leader answered at once.

"Not just her. The upper echelons of both the Extre Desire Heaven and the Taisu Primal Disk have noticed our movents. Your window is narrow," the green-haired man said, his voice low and grave. "If the three Great City Lords are alerted prematurely and the Society Leader's plans are ruined... you know the consequences."

"Yes!" The three bowed their heads in succession, cold sweat seeping down their backs.

The plan largely mirrored their previous covert infiltrations and subjugations of other cities. The only difference was that Black Cloud's Great City Lord was exceptionally troubleso to deal with. Even accounting for his Evil Energy trump card, truly defeating him would be imnsely difficult.

"Step down, all of you. You have one last chance with Xia Si. If you still fail, I will act personally," the green-haired man ordered coldly.

…

Early November.

Breaking his usual habit of cultivating on the move, Lin Hui fixed his training spot permanently to the Dao Academy's cultivation room. He explicitly instructed that no one else was to enter, warning of hidden dangers within.

The others in the Dao Academy were puzzled, but the territory belonged to Lin Hui. How he chose to arrange things was his own business; no one else had a say in the matter.

Xia Si's whereabouts remained unknown, but the Mingxin Society's assault on the martial academy had already alerted Black Cloud's Black Army, resulting in strict patrols blanketing the city.

After the officials in charge of the case were assassinated twice in a row, a Blood Ancestor noble from the Extre Desire Heaven was dispatched to lead the investigation personally.

But only on the third day of their inquiry did the situation escalate.

The Black Army was routed by a mysterious assailant, and the leading Blood Ancestor was heavily injured. The three City Lords were furious. Gongsun Xinlian personally stepped in to take charge, launching a massive purge targeted at the Mingxin Society.

…

Inner City, Song Residence.

Song Yunhui, Lin Xiaoliu, and Xu Yaya filed through the main gates and stepped into a sowhat desolate interior courtyard.

In the yard, a slightly plump, middle-aged woman with her short hair tied in two small buns squatted on the ground, roasting a chicken over an open fire.

"Mother, I brought so classmates over to play." Song Yunhui maintained the outward appearance of an obedient, exemplary student. He had straight bangs, wore glasses, and always dressed in thick black long coats with standing collars. In public, he spoke with practiced humility.

Back ho, his voice was full of vigor.

"Oh, you're finally here. I've been at this chicken for half the day. Co on, sit by the fire—I just mopped." The middle-aged woman smiled, gesturing to three spots on the ground.

"Mom, stop dawdling. We ca to discuss what to do next. That purple-robed man has attacked at least three tis. We can't keep responding passively forever, can we?" Song Yunhui said helplessly.

"Haven't the upper echelons of Black Cloud already mobilized?" the middle-aged woman asked with a smile.

"I don't think it'll work." Song Yunhui shook his head. "They've been after us for a while now, and they've only intensified. Official forces alone can't protect us."

"Auntie, what exactly is the background of that purple-robed man? Why does he keep hunting Yunhui?" Lin Xiaoliu couldn't help but ask softly.

"It's a powerful organization called the Mingxin Society." The middle-aged woman's smile vanished. "Their strength is utterly terrifying. Just to stay ahead of them, we've already moved across three city districts..."

"Can we enter the Moon Tower to seek asylum?" Xu Yaya asked from the side. "The Moon Tower is where the elites from the Extre Desire Heaven and Taisu Primal Disk live. Its security is unparalleled."

"They're not afraid of Blood Ancestors." Song Yunhui shook his head. "You don't understand how far the Mingxin Society reaches. Their presence is everywhere—soone who hasn't lived through it couldn't possibly imagine it."

"Yunhui is right. I had him bring you both back because, relying on yourselves alone, you would never grasp the true terror of the Mingxin Society. If they target you, you'd be wiped out in a single sweep. We did drag you into this ss—but no matter what, we will find a way to keep you safe," the middle-aged woman said, her tone grave.

She then recounted everything they had endured during their escape to Black Cloud. Nothing they encountered had been a match for the Mingxin Society. The organization seed omnipotent and invincible.

Listening, Xu Yaya and Lin Xiaoliu's blood ran cold, their bodies trembling involuntarily.

"If that's the case, aren't we dead for sure?!" Xu Yaya looked terrified.

"No... there's still a chance. We have to seize the opening and escape Black Cloud in ti. The organization has a response lag; the window between their detection, pursuit, and net-tightening is just enough for us to relocate and slip away," Song Yunhui said gravely.

"aning, you plan to take us with you?" Lin Xiaoliu frowned.

"Yes," Song Yunhui nodded.

"But this matter had nothing to do with us in the first place. Why would they kill us too?" Lin Xiaoliu protested, feeling the profound injustice of it all.

"The Mingxin Society is just that domineering. Why would they bother reasoning with you?" the middle-aged woman sighed.

"Is there really no other way? I don't want to leave Black Cloud. My parents and grandparents are all here. If I run, what will happen to them?" Xu Yaya was just an ordinary girl; faced with this, she was completely at a loss.

"What about seeking out the three City Lords?" Lin Xiaoliu deepened her frown. "They're the strongest people in Black Cloud!"

"It's useless. Would the City Lords protect us every second of the day?" Song Yunhui smiled bitterly.

Swish!

Lin Xiaoliu gritted her teeth and stood up.

"I'm not leaving. On your word alone, I refuse to believe the Mingxin Society is truly untouchable."

"Then what do you want to do?" Song Yunhui stared at her.

"Since things have co to this, I can only ask my brother to step in," Lin Xiaoliu declared, her expression resolute.

"What?"

The three of them stared at her in sheer disbelief.