Decaying World

Chapter 140

"My Eldest Uncle and I have had a good relationship since childhood. My parents were often away on missions and couldn't take me along, so I frequently lived at his house when I was young. I have a great relationship with my two older sisters and one older brother. Now that Eldest Uncle is going to help the Chen clan, I am ultimately worried," Tao Xuehai sighed.

"Is that Xue Ying so formidable? Surely the Chen clan has powerhouses stronger than High Divine Officers?" Lin Hui frowned.

"Naturally, there are. However, Xue Ying also possesses mysterious powers that support her from the shadows. On the surface, she appears to be alone, but in reality, the government's Pacification Corps has encircled and suppressed her several times, always returning without success. This indirectly proves that the faction behind Xue Ying absolutely has the support of intelligence from within the government," Tao Xuehai explained.

"Then what do you plan to do? Go back? With your meager strength, how much of a difference can you make?" Lin Hui asked.

"This disciple knows his strength is weak, but at a time like this, with Eldest Uncle leaving and only two sisters and a brother left at home... no matter what, I should go back and take a look, to offer some comfort. Nowadays, many people in the family are deliberately distancing themselves from Eldest Uncle's household, afraid of Xue Ying, and afraid of being swept into this massive vortex of trouble," Tao Xuehai sighed.

"Then aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid? Naturally, I am. But Eldest Uncle treated me with the kindness of a parent. At a time like this, even if I am afraid, I must contribute my meager efforts!" Tao Xuehai said resolutely.

Lin Hui sighed. Inner City was not peaceful;

various troubles popped up every so often.

Looking at the disciple standing with his head bowed, he let out a long breath.

"How is your practice of the Clear Wind Sword? Have you exchanged for the secret art?""I have already reached Body Tempering Rank 4! I have also mastered Lightness!" Tao Xuehai answered in a deep voice.

Lin Hui fell silent for a moment.

"As your Master, my own strength is limited, and there isn’t much I can do to help you. The only advice I can give is that our sect’s movement technique is unique—if you cultivate it to the extreme, even a Divine Officer will find it difficult to catch you. If you encounter danger, remember to run with all your might and do not hesitate!"

"Disciple... will keep this in mind." Tao Xuehai bowed deeply.

Swish.

A small booklet suddenly floated down gently in front of him.

"This is the second secret art, Ethereal Agility. The prerequisite is that the Body Tempering of the Nine-Section Swift Sword must be completed. You can learn it now."

"Disciple's mission points haven't..." Tao Xuehai was stunned.

"You can owe me," Lin Hui said, closing his eyes slightly.

He had a premonition that on this trip back, Tao Xuehai would inevitably be swept into a huge vortex and beset by troubles.

The people from the great clans of the Inner City were either shrewd manipulators or madmen. Matters that neither of these types wanted to touch were bound to be extremely troublesome.

Now, he could only hope that Tao Xuehai could take his movement technique to the next level and return safely.

A trace of emotion flashed in Tao Xuehai's eyes. He did not decline;

he picked up the booklet, stood up, and bowed again.

"Disciple... is leaving!"

He left one last sentence and disappeared from his spot.

Lin Hui picked up the tea cup, which had gone somewhat cold. He wanted to drink, but lost interest and placed it back on the table.

…

A few days after Tao Xuehai left, new rumors began circulating in the town. Witnesses claimed they had seen people fleeing in scattered groups from the outskirts of the Mist Zone in the suburbs. It seemed they had stumbled into a monster disturbance—the beasts within the Mist Zone were no longer confined to their previous territories but had begun roaming freely.

On the third day after these rumors began spreading, Lin Hui received a report from one of the disciples under his command.

Someone had seen traces of Lin Hongyu near the Lin family home.

Lin Hongyu had been missing for a long time. There were rumors that she had died, and some even claimed to have seen her corpse. But now that she had suddenly reappeared, those claims were proven false.

Lin Hui didn't pay it much mind. He simply rewarded the disciple who reported the news with a Body Tempering pill and paid no further attention.

He was more concerned about the conflict between Xue Ying and the Chen clan in the Inner City.

Under such tense circumstances, his cultivation unexpectedly improved. The Body Tempering of the Typhoon Sword Technique, with the aid of the Purple Crystal, finally stepped into the First Rank.

Wild Wind Plains.

Lin Hui stood holding a long sword, eyes closed, invisible currents of air surrounding his entire body.

These currents were far less violent than those of the Wild Wind Sword Technique, but they were deep, vast, and covered an area far exceeding the range of the Wild Wind Sword, reaching a radius of at least five or six hundred meters.

The previous Wild Wind Sword Technique only affected an area of a hundred meters. Further out, the wind force became extremely weak and ineffective.

But at this moment, Lin Hui could clearly sense that he could mobilize and rotate a massive range of wind force exceeding six hundred meters.

This was the first time he had fully deployed the Typhoon Sword Technique for cultivation after his Body Tempering reached the First Rank.

If the Wild Wind Sword Technique is a sword art designed for one-on-one combat, then the Typhoon Sword Technique is meant for facing many opponents at once—an entire army, even. Although it requires time to build up power, once fully charged, a single swing can instantly unleash a typhoon field covering a range of six hundred meters.

Yes, the wind force of the Typhoon Sword Technique was not a one-off release. Once formed, it turned into a large-scale personal field that continuously suppressed all opponents.

Woo~~

Wild winds howled over the plains;

sand and stones flew across the ground, and not a blade of grass remained.

Under the constant sweeping of Lin Hui’s wild winds, this place had long since become barren. Now, it was even more desolate, with not a single trace of vegetation left.

It’s just that my Body Tempering realm is still too low, and the momentum gathers too slowly. If I reach the Ninth Rank, I should be able to summon a gale the instant I draw my sword, instantly forming the field to suppress all opponents. Those whose strength is even slightly weaker won’t be able to make a single move in front of me.

Lin Hui carefully experienced the essence of this sword technique while executing the subsequent moves one by one, using the motion to trigger Internal Force for Body Tempering.

Just as he was carefully feeling the power of the Typhoon, at the furthest reach of the wind's sweep, near the edge of the Mist Zone, a gray rabbit searching for food suddenly discovered a few blades of green grass.

The green grass had been torn from the soil, roots and all, by the gale and blown to the edge of the wind-swept area. Even the soil at the roots had been blown clean away.

The wild rabbit's eyes lit up. It hurriedly pounced, pinned down the green grass that was still rolling slightly, and quickly bit into it.

After rustling and gnawing through it, the rabbit burped in satisfaction and hopped away.

At that moment, a flash of crimson suddenly flickered in the wild rabbit’s eyes. Because rabbit eyes were naturally reddish, that hint of crimson was completely concealed. Unless one drew close and looked carefully, it would be impossible to notice.

Meanwhile, within the Clear Wind Temple.

Wang Hongshi, Chen Sui, and others who were concentrating on practicing swordsmanship felt their skin itching slightly.

Especially those who interacted frequently with Lin Hui during cultivation;

every one of them felt a subtle itching all over their skin. A faint trace of crimson implicitly tainted the eyes of quite a few people.

Lin Hui, who was in the midst of sword practice, suddenly trembled.

Without him actively invoking it, the Blood Seal emerged on its own, displaying a line of text at the bottom of his field of vision.

[Hint: Your Purgatory-aura has produced a subtle influence on the surroundings. Affected living beings will gain a subtle enhancement to skin protection, a subtle strengthening in physical power, a subtle strengthening in recovery, and a small increase in mental confusion.]

"???" Lin Hui's movements came to an abrupt halt.

He had worried whether the Purgatory-aura would affect the surroundings, but since there had been no changes until now, he hadn't paid it further attention.

But right now... the Blood Seal suddenly popped out to alert him that the influence of the Purgatory-aura had begun.

Lin Hui looked all around, but no matter how he scanned the area, he couldn't find the source of the influence.

He searched the ground carefully and soon discovered a gray rat in an earthen hole dozens of meters away.

On the surface, there was nothing unusual about the gray rat, but Lin Hui noticed an extra layer of faint crimson on the creature's fur. Its claws and teeth were also sharper and more pointed.

He grabbed it and felt that the struggling strength of this rat was much greater than that of a normal one.

It seems that even if I don't use my Internal Force on people, it will subtly and imperceptibly influence the living beings that approach me... This is a bit troublesome...

Lin Hui frowned.

Regarding this "Purgatory-ization," the physical changes were acceptable, but the mental confusion and physical festering... people would easily associate them with something evil.

This appearance looked unorthodox at first glance. He somewhat regretted not choosing another evolution for the meat skewer back then. The Purgatory-ization of that single skewer actually had such a troublesome influence...

This was something he had completely failed to anticipate.

Pu.

Crushing the rat casually, an extremely subtle trace of heat flowed immediately into Lin Hui's arm, flowing into his heart along the meridians.

He immediately felt his heart diffuse countless fine threads, dispersing to every part of his body, beginning to strengthen his overall physical quality. Although this strengthening was very weak, he was indeed very familiar with the process.

Thinking of this, Lin Hui's figure suddenly disappeared as he began to frantically search the wilderness for living creatures that were about to undergo semi-Purgatory-ization.

Find them, kill them, repeat the process.

…

Lin Family Main Branch.

The portrait of Lin Chaoyi was still placed on the altar in the main hall of the Main Branch for people to offer incense and pay respects.

Lin Shunchong, the head of the second branch, sat at a table in the corner with two friends. He had one foot on the bench and was shirtless as he played cards.

These cards had evolved from the Leaf Cards that originated in the Inner City. Green bamboo tiles were carved with numbers, adopting rules similar to Mahjong.

At this moment, the pile of silver coins in front of Lin Shunchong had already diminished by more than half. The consecutive streak of bad luck made his mood increasingly foul.

"Motherfucker, lost again!" Seeing a card friend declare a win, Lin Shunchong stood up. "I'm going to the latrine. I'll fight again after I freshen up!"

"Remember to bring money! That little bit of yours won't last half an hour!" A card friend reminded him with a chuckle.

"Heh, I don't believe it. There's no way I'll be unlucky from start to finish today!" Lin Shunchong scolded laughingly.

Turning to leave the main hall, a gust of cold wind blew past, making him shiver.

Crossing the courtyard, he was just about to head straight for the latrine when he heard the courtyard gate creak as it was pulled half-open from the outside.

He turned his head. "Who is it?"

By the dim white light of the sky, he recognized at a glance that the person was none other than Lin Hongyu, who had been missing for some time!

Lin Hongyu was wearing tattered brown leather armor. One of her sleeves was empty, and in her other hand, she carried a black bundle.

Her eyes were dull, her face was deathly pale, and her lips were covered in cracked, dead skin. It was unknown how long it had been since she had drunk water.

"Hongyu!? You!" Lin Shunchong stared at her in astonishment. Everyone had basically given up hope, but unexpectedly...

"Grandpa... where is Grandpa?" Lin Hongyu spoke dully.

"Didn't your grandpa pass away?" Lin Shunchong was stunned.

"Second Uncle... Second Uncle, do you have any Violet Silk Grass?" Lin Hongyu fixed her eyes tightly on Lin Shunchong.

She approached quickly and grabbed Second Uncle's arm.

"Give me some Violet Silk Grass, give me some... I just want a lick... just a little..."

"Hey, Ah-Yu, let go of me, you're hurting me!" Lin Shunchong's expression changed slightly. He remembered what Violet Silk Grass was. Wasn't that the hallucinogenic "Happy Herb" that people in the Inner City loved most!? That thing became more addictive the more one consumed it;

once addicted, it was impossible to quit!

"Second Uncle, wasn't I very respectful to you before? Buy me some, buy me some Violet Silk Grass. I just want one tael, one tael of dried grass. I won't ask for much, just give it to me, okay...!" Lin Hongyu's tears and snot poured out continuously. Her entire body went limp as she tried to kneel.

"I really don't have any, I really don't! Let go of me first! Let go!" Lin Shunchong's voice grew louder.

"Didn’t you all say I was a genius? Didn’t you all say you would fully support me!? Why aren’t you saying it now!?" Lin Hongyu’s grip tightened, the bloodshot veins in her eyes so dense it seemed her eyeballs were about to bulge from their sockets.

"I..."

Squelch!!

In an instant, Lin Shunchong's body went stiff. He slowly lowered his head, looking at the pit of his stomach.

There, unbeknownst to him, a black dagger had appeared.

"I am the hope of the Lin family! The genius of the Lin family! If you don't support me... You are harming me!!" Lin Hongyu yanked out the dagger, pushed Lin Shunchong away, and staggered toward the main hall.

Behind her, Lin Shunchong, face full of bewilderment and helplessness, looked up at the sky as his body fell heavily to the ground.

Beside his ears, he faintly heard the sharp screams of the rest of the Lin family, mixed with Lin Hongyu's neurotic shouting.

"Harming me! You all want to harm me! You all want to drag me down! I am a genius! A genius!!!"

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