Decaying World

Chapter 127

Inner City, Middle Ring plains.

A pure white carriage with silver rims sped toward the Outer Ring, escorted by over a dozen silver-armored cavalrymen. The carriage cabin was sealed tight, and a faint, rapid chanting could be heard from within. The voice was female, her tone frantic, laced with anxiety and suppressed panic.

The sky was a dim gray. Though it was high noon, the light resembled dusk. Gale winds howled across the plains, carrying fine, sand-like particles that drifted down from high above.

Braving the strong winds, the carriage drove determinately along its set route. But before it had gone far, a blue figure descended gently from mid-air, blocking the path.

"I didn't expect a fish to slip through the net here... Sorry, this road is closed."

The man in blue raised his head slightly, revealing a pale chin hidden beneath his hooded robe.

The escorting silver-armored cavalrymen stared at him with strange, inexplicable gazes.

"Friend, we are not a cargo carriage, nor a merchant caravan," the captain of the cavalry spurred his horse forward, speaking in a deep voice. His tone sounded exhausted and hoarse against the wind.

"I don't care what kind of carriage you are. All vehicles are prohibited from passing," the man in blue said indifferently.

"Friend..." The captain wanted to say more, but the chanting inside the carriage grew rapid. The woman's voice became increasingly unstable, terrified."That's right, it is this Absolute Native... As expected, I didn't look in the wrong place." Hearing the voice, the corners of the blue-clad man's lips curled into a smile.

At this address, the expressions of the surrounding cavalrymen shifted instantly, their pupils constricting beneath their visors.

"The intelligence from the Clear River Sect was indeed correct... Friend in the carriage, I am Zhao Yuexing. Let me explain: I am not here to cause trouble. I heard news of you and came specially from the Outer Ring to rescue you..." the man in blue said with a smile.

The woman inside did not answer;

the chanting only became faster and louder.

"Are you crazy!? Do you know what we are escorting?!" The captain realized the man’s intentions, and his eyes shook violently as he shouted. "Retreat! While there's still time, don't provoke her!!"

"You weaklings naturally couldn't stop them. But I am different..." Zhao Yuexing smiled and stepped closer, one pace at a time. "I have cultivated bitterly for a hundred years, possessing unparalleled talent. I didn't travel millions of miles just to listen to your frail words."

Arriving quickly at the side of the carriage, he suddenly realized that none of the surrounding cavalrymen were paying him any attention. They had turned their mounts around and were frantically whipping them, galloping wildly into the distance.

They looked... as if they were fleeing for their lives.

Zhao Yuexing looked back in confusion, wondering when his reputation had become so formidable—formidable enough to make the Silver Scale Cavalry of the Core Zone turn and run without even testing him.

But before he could recover his senses, the surroundings fell dead silent.

The chanting was gone.

The wind and sand were gone.

The area seemed to instantly enter a vacuum;

all sound fled madly, as if escaping for its life.

Zhao Yuexing sensed something was wrong. His expression changed, and he hurriedly turned back to the carriage.

He discovered that the vehicle, which had just been pulled by three horses, was now lying askew on the ground. The three horses had vanished completely, leaving not a trace behind.

And from inside the cabin came the sound of fine bones being chewed, as if something was eating...

"Friend... aren't you coming out? The Silver Scale Cavalry has already been chased away." A trace of wariness rose in Zhao Yuexing's heart, and he slowly backed away to create distance.

"Pain..."

"So much pain..."

A voice of a woman in agony drifted out from the cabin.

Boom!!

In the next instant, the cabin exploded. A massive mass of dark red flesh surged out, lunging toward Zhao Yuexing like an overwhelming tide.

The flesh resembled the tentacles of a giant octopus, its surface covered in countless blisters and pustules. The flying mass was dozens of meters wide, a vast carpet of meat that enveloped the area where Zhao Yuexing stood in the blink of an eye.

Zhao couldn't react at all;

he could only widen his eyes, frozen in place.

Puchi.

In a hundred-thousandth of a second, everything returned to calm.

On the plain, a massive monster of dark red flesh, topped with a giant, pale woman's face, gradually elongated its body like a giant python. Rows of dense legs grew from her underside as she transformed into a human-faced giant python dozens of meters long, crawling toward the distant Inner City gathering area.

…

The next day.

Outer City, the mansion behind the Clear Wind Temple.

Lin Hui held a sword, slowly practicing Body Tempering while familiarizing himself with the detailed changes of the Purgatory Internal Force within his body.

Suddenly, Ding Ning hurried in from the courtyard gate and curtsied. "Young Master Hui, the Master sent a verbal message telling you not to enter the Inner City for the time being."

"For the time being? Did he mention how long?" Lin Hui lowered his sword.

"He didn't say. The news was reportedly released by the Liu family. They said a very serious case occurred in the Inner City yesterday, causing some situations to spiral out of control. Entering the Inner City now might be dangerous." Ding Ning relayed the words exactly as she had heard them.

"Alright, I understand." Lin Hui nodded.

He had no need to go to the Inner City recently anyway, so waiting was fine. Since the news came from the Liu family, clearly something major had happened that affected the surrounding districts.

After waving for Ding Ning to leave, he paused, then arranged for a disciple to call Tao Xuehai, Wang Hongshi, Chen Sui, Xue Meng, and the others for a small meeting in the Council Hall.

Before long, the top five disciples and the three Elders, including Xue Meng, had all arrived. Tao Xuehai strode in carrying a sword, shirtless, not caring in the slightest that he wasn't wearing an outer robe, revealing his strong, broad-shouldered physique.

Once everyone had arrived, Lin Hui sat down in the Grand Preceptor Chair and signaled for them to take their seats.

"I just received news that a change has occurred in the Inner City. Do you know what it is?"

"Disciple also received news that an extremely troublesome destructive creature appeared in the Middle Ring of the Inner City. It cannot be suppressed, and one can only wait for it to rest on its own before entry is possible again. Many gathering places in the Inner City are now sealed. My family also told me to stay in the Outer City for the time being," Tao Xuehai answered.

"Destructive creature... Is it a Mist Zone creature?" Xue Meng asked in confusion. "I haven't heard any news on my end."

"Not sure, but if it really is a Mist Zone creature, what level must it be to make it so even the Inner City Moon Towers can only wait and not take action?" Tao Xuehai shook his head. "Cannot be suppressed, can only wait... doesn't that mean waiting for it to finish its business, get tired, vent its anger, and then deal with it?"

"Observe the other merchants and people entering and exiting the South Ninth Gate over the next few days. Report to me promptly if there are any changes," Lin Hui ordered.

"Yes."

Everyone cupped their fists.

"By the way, aren't the students from the Inspectorate Division still practicing martial arts in the temple? Why not ask them?" Wang Hongshi spoke up.

"Even I am unclear;

they are just ordinary members. They are not as informed as I am, so it's unlikely they know the inside story," Tao Xuehai shook his head.

"Alright, that's it for now. Tao Xuehai, come with me for a moment." Lin Hui stood up and walked toward the rear mansion with his hands behind his back.

"Yes."

The others dispersed, leaving only Tao Xuehai to follow, which caused a stir of jealousy among them. Everyone could see how much importance was attached to Tao Xuehai recently. The Temple Master frequently gave him private lessons. If Tao Xuehai weren't so tactful and generous with his wealth, there would likely have been dissatisfaction and resentment by now.

The two arrived in the mansion courtyard.

Lin Hui sat down in the gazebo where he often drank tea with Wang Yueheng, pointing to the cushion opposite for Tao Xuehai.

"I called you here, firstly, to understand your current cultivation situation. Secondly, for the exploration team's third departure, I plan to appoint you as the team leader. What do you think?"

"Disciple's cultivation is going smoothly. Although the progress is a bit slow, I can clearly sense my advancement every day. I estimate that in about three months, I will be able to step into the next rank of Body Tempering," Tao Xuehai answered earnestly. "As for the exploration team, what is Temple Master's intention?"

"The map drawn previously, supplemented by the family map you brought, was a great contribution. It marked many important resource points, ruins, and monster colonies. The danger level of the Purple Crystal Ruins is too high, so I don't plan to go there again, but we can probe the other places more. It can be considered training for everyone."

Lin Hui explained his thoughts. The Mist Zone held too many resources and treasures. Aside from the extremely great danger, it was indeed a treasure land that could endlessly produce resources. And upon careful calculation, the strongest person in the temple wasn't Xue Meng, but Tao Xuehai, who hadn't joined that long ago.

"Just wandering around the perimeter, testing various monster groups, and attempting to confront different styles and types of Mist Zone creatures—this is feasible. The materials from some creatures also bring high profits when brought back. I used to go with my family's exploration team;

as long as we aren't greedy, it shouldn't be a big problem." Tao Xuehai nodded and accepted the task.

His combat power was already close to the Circulation Realm. Now that he had joined the Clear Wind Temple and practiced the perfected version of Clear Wind Sword, his movement speed had increased greatly, and his strength had skyrocketed. His confidence when speaking had also grown.

"Then it's settled. You will lead the third exploration team. Don't worry about how many resources you bring back;

the important thing is to keep everyone safe and get trained," Lin Hui instructed.

"Master is benevolent. Disciple accepts the order." Tao Xuehai lowered his head.

After the team leader selection was settled, Lin Hui began to brew tea, but he saw a look of hesitation on Tao Xuehai's face, as if he wanted to speak but stopped.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"It's like this, Master. A few days ago, an envoy from the New Martial Alliance in the Inner City came, saying that our Clear Wind Temple needs to pay an apportionment fee. That person's attitude was barbaric, and his tone arrogant. Disciple couldn't bear his insults to the sect, and accidentally made a move... beating the person into serious injury." Tao Xuehai's voice grew smaller as he spoke.

"New Martial Alliance? That new coalition of martial halls? I gave them face and dealt with them once before. I didn't participate in the Martial Alliance Grand Competition, and now they still dare to come looking for trouble?" Lin Hui said calmly. "If you beat him, you beat him. Pay it no mind."

"This... Master, the Elders of the New Martial Alliance are all at the Circulation Realm, and the Alliance Leader and Vice Alliance Leader are Minor Three Harmonies Grandmasters. This... Disciple can't beat them," Tao Xuehai whispered.

"When do you estimate you can break through to Circulation?" Lin Hui asked.

"I'm not sure. The martial arts Master taught are not within the Circulation system framework, and there is no assistance between the two paths, so Disciple is effectively still at the previous cultivation level..." Tao Xuehai answered earnestly.

"Then do you think you can defeat a Circulation Realm martial artist now?" Lin Hui smiled.

"I'm not sure... however, Disciple intends to try and see," Tao Xuehai answered. "The path Master has created is unprecedented. Disciple also very much wants to know what kind of scenery can be seen from the heights of this path."

"Work hard." Lin Hui poured a cup of tea for each of them. "Speaking of which, have you ever seen a Divine Officer take action? I have lived in the Outer City for a long time and haven't had contact with Divine Officers. If you have seen one, can you tell me about the Called One system?"

“Master is truly Master. Even when facing a disciple, you neither conceal your doubts nor hesitate to ask directly, courageously acknowledging your shortcomings and immediately seeking to correct them. No wonder you could comprehend such profound martial arts as the Wild Wind Sword Technique at such a young age. Truly admirable…”

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