Decaying World Chapter 287

The sea breeze howled. In the distance, the storm churned like a massive cylinder—slow and relentless, veined with arcs of electricity.

Zhang Yao floated in midair, struggling to contain the fractures spreading through his mind-spirit.

Father. The word had not crossed his mind in far, far too long.

Back then, he had only managed to escape the Royal City and shed his identity as an illegitimate child thanks to Eldest's help.

From childhood to adulthood, the fear of his father had seeped deep into his bones. It lingered even after he beca a Mistborn—and becoming a Mistborn only deepened his understanding of just how terrifying his father truly was.

In theory, a Mistborn's power was an enhanced version of a Blood Ancestor's. They, too, could devour external sources to grow stronger. However, most external targets offered little worth consuming, and martial arts techniques yielded even less. Very few, therefore, chose to devour directly. Even the more aggressive Mistborn would simply cultivate Blood Ancestors to devour large numbers of experts on their behalf, then effortlessly reap the harvest once it was ripe.

The fundantal reason was simple: the returns for a Mistborn devouring prey directly were abysmally low.

But this did not apply to his father.

His father had once been dispatched to suppress the largest abyssal rift in Federation history. From teetering on the brink of death to frantically devouring everything in his path, he had grown exponentially stronger. Nearly ten thousand years had passed since then. No one knew what heights he had reached.

"You shouldn't address like that," the man on the warship said, looking up to reveal a weathered face latticed with gray scars.

He looked like any ordinary middle-aged martial artist one might pass on the street. His aura was wholly unremarkable. His long, grizzled hair was bound with a silver ribbon, and he wore a plain gray robe, slightly faded at the hem. He carried no weapons.

But Zhang Yao knew the truth: his father's bare fists were the most terrifying weapons in the Federation. After all, his father was one of the three great experts who had forced the Mistborn Emperor to yield power.

"True—you expelled from the family long ago. Now… I suppose I should call you—"

"Society Master will do," the grizzled-haired man interrupted, indifferent as ever. "I govern the Mingxin Society now and rarely involve myself in public affairs. The throne of the past ans nothing to ."

"…Then may I ask what brings the Society Master to my Black Cloud City?" Zhang Yao had recovered from his initial shock, though a profound and leaden vigilance was already rising in his chest.

"Black Cloud is not a bad city. Its military strength is average, but its transient population is more than sufficient," the Society Master said plainly. "I want your cooperation. Secretly lay out a sche within Black Cloud City—conceal this array underground."

He extended his hand, palm open. White fluorescence gathered and resolved into a three-dinsional array of countless overlapping hexagons, a slowly rotating sphere bristling like a hedgehog with spines.

"I refuse." Zhang Yao rejected him without a mont's hesitation. "As you yourself said—you and I severed all ties long ago. Today, I am Zhang Yao of the Heart-Guarding Tower, Second City Lord of Black Cloud. This city was built on the sweat of the Eldest and Third Sisters. Whatever the circumstances, I will not betray it."

"You have a spine." The Society Master applauded lightly. "But a spine like that will only bring you suffering."

"Submitting to you again," Zhang Yao said through gritted teeth, "would be the greatest suffering of all."

Hiss— He clawed at the air, and a colorful, palm-sized miniature tower materialized in his right hand. Its surface was etched with countless golden patterns and symbols; endless colorful flas surged from its doors and windows.

"I am not the man I once was!" He seized the small tower with both hands and raised it high above his head. "Shine—Divine Light of My Heart!"

In an instant, the tower burst apart into countless motes of colorful light. A heartbeat later, a phantom of an identical but colossal pagoda—thousands of ters tall—rose into the sky behind him. Dense rows of golden talisman papers hung in swaying curtains beneath the eaves of every tier.

"Taste a thousand years of bitter cultivation!" A vertical pupil of colorful light split open between Zhang Yao's brows as he fixed his gaze on the Society Master. "Heaven's Heart is My Heart—Designate the Divine as Evil!"

Sizzle!

At the pagoda's crown, a point of blinding green light erupted, blazing with oppressive, sun-like intensity.

Boom!

It discharged in an instant—a pillar of erald light dozens of ters in diater, striking the Society Master at the speed of light where he stood, swallowing him whole.

"Even with your imnse strength, my Evil Energy can designate evil by will alone—you cannot fully break free!" Zhang Yao glared into the distance, his face taut, his focus locked onto his father's position.

His Evil Weapon's Evil Energy carried the properties of purging. But the "poison" it targeted—what might better be called an evil poison—was not defined by any worldly standard. It was defined entirely by his own judgnt. Even a power or dicine universally regarded as beneficial could be designated an evil poison by Zhang Yao's will, and his Evil Energy would purge it accordingly.

This purging was highly targeted. While insufficient to fully dissolve a Mistborn's Evil Mist, it caused severe disruption to the afflicted. Once a target's internal power was purged from any key point, their system would rapidly fall out of balance, sending their combat strength into a sharp decline. After all, even Mistborn were living beings—they relied on a precise circulation of internal power to sustain equilibrium.

"Even if you carry Emperor Blood… even if your strength towers over mine… my Evil Energy cannot be cleansed away." Zhang Yao stared fixedly at the Society Master.

He had once tested it on Eldest, and even he could not escape the predicant of having a portion of his power purged. The most insidious aspect of Zhang Yao's Evil Energy was his freedom to designate which of the opponent's powers he targeted—aning he could direct his full force against the weakest link in their entire system.

He could not defeat his father. But by pouring his full strength into the guise of purging, he could absolutely seal one of his father's eyes—or so inconspicuous yet indispensable organ—and use it as a bargaining chip. If his father agreed to negotiate, so be it. If not, his father would endure the smothering affliction of sealed strength for at least a thousand years.

In all his years, Zhang Yao had never encountered a single person capable of cleansing his Evil Energy. At its core, the purging power worked by transforming itself into a similar, benevolent energy that helped the target expel the "evil poison." The only true redy was ti—letting it slowly dilute and fade on its own.

"A very interesting Evil Energy." The Society Master's voice drifted from within the green pillar of light. "When word reached that you had swapped Evil Weapons, I was rather surprised. I hadn't thought you'd go to such lengths to cut ties with ."

Swapping Evil Weapons was gambling with one's life. Everyone knew this.

"Now you see," Zhang Yao said, his expression cold as iron. "My Evil Energy—even you cannot purge it."

"Indeed." The green light dispersed, and the Society Master's unremarkable figure stood exactly where it had before. "A highly targeted Evil Energy. You spent a long ti thinking about how to face ."

"Return Third Sister to , and I will undo the Evil Energy," Zhang Yao said swiftly.

"I did not make a move on her," the Society Master said flatly. "My subordinate, Commander Yuchi Xin, moved to capture her in a joint operation—but let her slip away into the storm through carelessness."

"That is your problem to answer for. I only want her back." Zhang Yao's voice cut like a blade.

"You are still so impatient," the Society Master exhaled. "Despite looking so much calr on the surface."

"?!" Zhang Yao was about to retort—then the world around him flashed.

Everything turned red. The sky. The mist. The seawater. Even the distant storm. Everything, without exception, bled to crimson.

Sizzle— A sharp pain tore through his chest. His hand moved instinctively to cover his heart… and found only an empty, blood-slick hole.

"The world loses its color, and I alone pluck the red."

The Society Master's figure materialized behind him like a phantom, exhaling a soft sigh. "Your life ends here."

He turned and watched Zhang Yao stagger, pitch forward, and plunge into the sea. The massive phantom of the Heart-Guarding Tower scattered, dimd, and vanished.

…

Clear Wind Dao Academy

Beneath the pear tree, Lin Hui and Song Feishi faced each other. A warm breeze moved between them, drawing fine fallen leaves up from the ground.

"You discovered five years ago?! Did Xie Chang'an tell you?!" Song Feishi stared at Lin Hui, the shock already receding behind her composure.

As a veteran Mistborn who had lived ten thousand years, she had seen everything. Her initial miscalculation—compounded by having her thoughts read—had rattled her briefly. But now that she had recalibrated her estimation of him, she would not let it show again.

"I have no interest in answering the sa question twice," Lin Hui said. "You've been here observing for quite so ti. Do you have anything you wish to say? Or rather—what do you intend to do?"

"…Do?" Song Feishi fell quiet. She had a plan: wrap Lin Hui up and bring him with her when she left. But now… her thoughts were in mild disarray. His abnormality exceeded every expectation she had carried here.

Her mind sorted through its threads, and she spoke carefully. "Staying in Black Cloud City is a waste of your potential. Would you be willing to co with to the Royal City? There, you would have a far grander stage—and far more of what you desire."

"The Royal City?" Lin Hui shook his head slightly. "I may go soday. But that is not what I want right now."

He wanted only a quiet life. Everything else was noise.

"Then what do you want?" Song Feishi pressed.

"Everything I already have," Lin Hui replied.

"You can bring all of it to the Royal City."

"Too troubleso. Moving ans surrendering too much."

"But this place will not remain stable for long."

The mont Song Feishi said it, silence fell between them. Lin Hui narrowed his eyes, reading her expression carefully.

As the Fourth Princess of the Federation, Song Feishi's strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Mistborn; she carried absolute Emperor Blood. For a Mistborn of her caliber to say that Black Cloud would beco unstable…

"You think I'm joking?" Song Feishi dropped the pretense. "Black Cloud will continue to function as normal for now—the three City Lords will remain in place—but there will be sweeping internal changes."

"Why?"

"Why? Because this is the tide of the age." Song Feishi's voice dropped, carrying the weight of the words. "Even with Xie Chang'an's outrageous strength, he cannot hold back a turning tide. Did you truly believe I spent five years hidden here for your sake alone?"

The density of that single statent made it imdiately clear to Lin Hui: Song Feishi held another identity entirely. Her presence in Black Cloud was nowhere near as simple as it appeared.

"Now that we've co this far, you should understand that my arrival will bring you no harm—only a better future, for you and for Clear Wind Dao alike. Doesn't that align perfectly with your desire for a quiet life?" Song Feishi continued. "Only by standing with the stronger side can you preserve the peace you want. Otherwise, you'll spend your days scrambling like a stray dog."

"Who stands behind you?" The faint smile on Lin Hui's face dissolved into still, unreadable calm.

"A force beyond anything you can imagine," Song Feishi replied.