Decaying World

Chapter 146:

"You take him, or I take him?" Single-Thread asked.

"Cut the crap. We go together, obviously. Make it quick. Dammit, he's running!"

Triple-Thread's tone suddenly turned urgent; Lin Hui’s figure had already vanished from sight.

His expression shifted instantly, and he charged toward the Mist wall.

In his aura perception, Lin Hui’s Internal Force signature rushed into the Mist Zone at a speed that left him dumbfounded.

Behind him, the slightly slower Single-Thread also panicked. Seeing the credit about to slip through his fingers, he hurriedly followed, pushing his speed to the limit.

One after the other, they chased Lin Hui into the Mist Zone.

Both moved with extreme speed, covering hundreds of meters in seconds. However, not long after entering the Mist, both stopped almost simultaneously, arresting their momentum.

"Wait, he is luring us deep into the uninhabited zone."

"What do we do?""Signal the two Lords. Let's not act rashly. This guy kills Circulation Realm experts in two strikes; we might not be able to kill him even if we go in. His family is still in town—the monk can run, but the temple can't." Triple-Thread remained quite rational.

The two quickly pulled cylindrical black objects from their waist pouches and gently—

Chi!

Silver light flashed.

A bright sword trail bloomed abruptly within the Mist, precisely slicing through the objects in their hands.

"Fuck!!"

The two scattered and retreated simultaneously, but it was already too late.

The mist ahead was violently split by silver sword light. A slender beam swept across their chests like a thread at extreme speed.

The sword speed was simply too fast; although they saw it, their bodies couldn't react in time.

They only managed to circulate their Void Force and strike forward.

Unexpectedly, the Void Force hit empty air. The sword light scattered, and a new silver beam slashed down from above, descending straight toward Triple-Thread's head.

Void Force condensed once more. With a thought from Triple-Thread, it surged upward to block.

The dominance of a Divine Officer was fully displayed in this moment. Even if his speed couldn't keep up, as long as his eyes and thoughts could follow, he feared no ambush.

Bang!!

This time, the sword light and Void Force finally collided head-on.

The sword light was instantly annihilated, revealing the long, narrow Ruyi Steel Sword within.

Lin Hui was right behind the steel sword, robes fluttering as he descended from the sky, slashing downward.

The incredibly sturdy Ruyi sword remained deadlocked with the Void Force for a breath before both were violently repelled. Lin Hui borrowed the force to flash away, disappearing into the Mist.

Triple-Thread quickly retreated to stabilize his condition.

Fast!

Too fast.

In that instant just now, if he had been even a fraction slower, his body would have been cut in two by that sword.

He didn't want to bet on whether his tough body, stacked with Circulation Internal Force, could withstand the opponent's long sword.

Also, what weapon is that? It can actually clash head-on with Void Force!? Could it be…! Suddenly, a terrifying guess surfaced in his mind.

"Not good, what if it's that faction…!" Triple-Thread felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly transmitted his voice to his companion.

"Retreat! It might be the Benevolent Heart Sect!"

"What!?" Single-Thread's body trembled.

But before he could recover, another silver sword blade flew silently from his rear flank.

Pu!

He missed this one. The silver light instantly broke through his Circulation Internal Force and made contact with the skin beneath his robes.

The Sealing Toxin activated instantly.

Single-Thread tried to circulate his energy, only to discover with horror that his body couldn't move. He could only frantically circulate his Void Force to strike out in retaliation.

Unexpectedly, the sword light flickered like an illusion, skipping and abruptly appearing at his other hip.

Puchi!

With a crisp sound like shattering glass, something Single-Thread was wearing shattered. He snapped awake as if from a dream, forcibly restored to his state by an invisible force.

Immediately, the Void Force all over his body turned into a stagnation field, exploding outward.

Whoosh!!

In an instant, everything within a fifty-meter radius was frozen still.

"Let's see how you—" Pu!

A sword light instantly slashed across his face.

Single-Thread's body went rigid again, unable to move. His eyes were sliced into four quadrants, just like Song Zhanlong's had been.

A second later, he opened his mouth to scream. The Void Force around his body turned into threads, sweeping madly in all directions like countless invisible hairs, dicing everything into fragments.

Not far away, Triple-Thread, who had wanted to approach and check the situation, became collateral damage. With a muffled groan, he was swept by the outburst. His protective Circulation Internal Force shattered instantly, and even his skin was marked with bloody welts.

"Are you fucking crazy! You hit me!!" Triple-Thread roared, completely failing to notice that in the Mist behind him, Lin Hui stood silently with his sword horizontal, a faint red light glowing in his eyes.

Just as Triple-Thread's Circulation Internal Force was broken by his companion, Lin Hui’s Internal Force circulated at full speed. Special effects activated, and his power was pushed to the limit, ready to strike.

If I kill them, what if the Clear River Sect sends someone stronger?

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

But if I don't kill them, they already know my identity. If this goes on… exposing my true strength will likely invite trouble.

An Internal Force martial artist—and one who cultivated from External to Internal at that—who could cross so many levels and be strong enough to kill a Divine Officer…

The hidden implications of such a case would inevitably attract a horde of covetous and prying eyes.

It seems there is only one way… Just as Lin Hui was thinking about how to shift the blame, a somewhat familiar figure abruptly appeared beside Triple-Thread.

The person wore a silver Evil Dragon mask and white robes. They reached out, their hand landing silently on Triple-Thread's left temple.

Chi!

In the next instant, Triple-Thread vanished!

It was as if he had never been there.

Not only that, but on the other side, a man wearing a silver Rhinoceros mask appeared behind Single-Thread.

Using the same method, the man easily made Single-Thread disappear instantly as well.

In the Mist, the Dragon Mask and Rhinoceros Mask looked at Lin Hui.

"Long time no see, Temple Master Lin."

Dragon Mask greeted him with a hint of a smile.

"That black jade I gave you… you haven't used it even once, have you?" Dragon Mask sighed.

Lin Hui subconsciously touched the black jade hanging at his waist, recalling the other party's identity.

The Long Ji (Dragon Lady) of the self-proclaimed Benevolent Heart Sect.

"Those two… what happened to them?" he asked in a low voice.

"They should be deep inside some monster's nest right now. They won't be coming out for a while. Don't worry, we'll help you clean up the aftermath. From start to finish, this has nothing to do with you," Long Ji laughed.

"What is your objective?" Lin Hui asked again.

"We have been observing you for a long time, Temple Master Lin Hui. You are naturally destined to become one of us. Because you will inevitably come into conflict with the Inner City's Moon Tower. The Extreme Desire Heaven of the Moon Tower will not let off 'Outsiders' to the board like you and us," Long Ji continued.

"What does that mean!?" Lin Hui sensed no malice from them and slowly lowered his Ruyi sword.

"If we simply said it out loud, you wouldn't believe it. Only by seeing it with your own eyes and experiencing it yourself can you understand what I meant." Long Ji's tone became more solemn.

"In other words, according to you, I will be targeted by the Moon Tower sooner or later, so I naturally stand on the same front as you. Then I want to know, what is the Moon Tower, and what is their goal?" Lin Hui asked deeply.

"You can go look for yourself," Long Ji said.

"Look at what? How?" Lin Hui pressed.

"Look at the trajectories of those cultivators who, like you, do not eat Myriad Blessings Meat. Look at their fates," Long Ji replied. "I believe you will arrive at the answer."

"Let's go," Rhinoceros Mask said in a deep voice from the side.

"Alright." Long Ji nodded and turned to leave.

"Then what is your purpose!?" Lin Hui asked one last time.

"For freedom," Long Ji said without looking back.

…

The two ran quickly through the Mist for several hundred meters before slowing down.

"Hurry, hurry! Don't let those two from the Clear River Sect get away!" Long Ji turned a corner and rushed in another direction.

"Then why were you putting on that act just now?" Rhinoceros Mask said speechlessly.

"Wasn't I setting the mood? The mood was right there; if I didn't act a bit, I'd feel itchy inside."

"You've observed Lin Hui for so long; do you think his potential is that great?"

"If I'm not guessing wrong, he must be a pawn secretly nurtured by some major faction in the Outer City. Look at the sword in his hand, that material… an ordinary faction can't forge. Then there's his martial arts quality—so strong that even a Clear River Sect Divine Officer couldn't handle it. So I deduce he is very likely a top-tier genius personally nurtured by one of the Sect Masters of the Three Sects," Long Ji replied.

"So you hurried to pull me out to show goodwill?" Rhinoceros Mask realized.

"Yeah. If we waited until his identity was truly exposed, there wouldn't be any business for us. By acting now, we can offer some support. Be of some use, understand?" Long Ji said helplessly.

"What about the Clear River Sect?"

"The Black and White Sabers wouldn't dare launch a high‑profile investigation. Without enough manpower, all they can do is suspect. What can they actually do? Liu Wujun is right there—they wouldn't dare make a move," Long Ji laughed. "And Liu Wujun is Lin Hui's elder brother… Don't you think this kills two birds with one stone?"

"You're truly!" Rhinoceros Mask immediately gave a thumbs up.

"Then why did you tell him to go observe?" He suddenly thought of another question.

"Because Liu Wujun won't make it up there. The legitimate eldest son of the Liu family won't allow him to be too dazzling. If it didn't work last time, there will be a next time, and a time after that. We start with Lin Hui, and in the future, we might have a chance to pull him in too. It would be a pity if such a top-tier genius fell." Long Ji sighed.

…

On the other side.

Lin Hui withdrew from the Mist Zone, thoughts flowing through his mind as he recalled the scene just now.

I still need to be more cautious. I was too careless, exposing myself after just a slight probe from someone.

After mentally organizing a contingency plan for what to do if a similar situation occurred again, Lin Hui's thoughts settled on the words Long Ji left before departing.

Observe the cultivators who don't eat Myriad Blessings Meat…?

For some reason, he suddenly thought of his master, Mingde, and the several Internal Force seniors who had left the Clear Wind Temple in Xinyu Town.

Tomorrow, I'll go to the Moon Tower and see. I'll see if what Long Ji said is actually true. What exactly is this so-called Moon Tower?

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