Decaying World

Chapter 136 136 Gaze 4 (Thanks to the Northwest Mudslide Lickdog Alliance Leader)
"Big brother." Lin Hui took a breath and mentally simulated the situation. If Han Xiaoyue hadn't reminded him, Liu Wujun would likely have failed this time, and Liu Xiao would definitely not have been able to continue guarding the area. In a fit of rage, she would likely have returned immediately, and given Liu Xiao's temper, she might have been ambushed even more easily.

In this way, if the two fall, the powerful Liu family will naturally be unaffected, but the Lin family, who are associated with them, may be implicated.
"Now that you're here and have seen me, let your uncle, aunt, and mother know you're safe. I'll maintain my injuries and go out to make an appearance to deter any evil intentions. While you're in the outer city, remember to keep an eye on the family. Although Uncle Lin has some influence of his own, he ultimately relies on external forces. If anything unexpected happens, remember to take your family out of the city immediately and go to another district. Don't stay in one place."

"Is the situation that serious?" Lin Hui asked in a deep voice.

“As long as I’m here, everything will be fine. The day you find that the ball I gave you is broken, don’t hesitate, run away immediately! Take your mother, aunt, Uncle Lin and the others with you, and run!” Liu Wujun said earnestly.

"it is good!"

Lin Hui nodded heavily.

He could tell that Liu Wujun's condition was not good, and he felt somewhat guilty.

Ultimately, it was he who initiated the conflict with the Wanhua Sect in the first place.

Later, the eldest brother stepped in and took responsibility for the trouble, which was unexpected.

"Don't overthink it. This has nothing to do with you. It's just that someone in the Liu family's main branch doesn't like me. This isn't the first time they've colluded with the Wanhua Sect. Even without your incident, they would have colluded with other forces. Besides, I've encountered similar situations before. It's nothing serious," Liu Wujun patted Lin Hui's shoulder, comforting him.

"Yes." Lin Hui nodded emphatically.

After leaving the Rain Palace, he was preoccupied with his thoughts, but instead of going straight back, he asked a carriage shop for directions and found out where the Moon Tower in the core area was. He planned to visit the Moon Tower before heading back.

"Moon Tower area?? No, buddy, do you know how far the Moon Tower is from us?" The clerk at the carriage shop couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard the question.

"What do you mean? Two days should be enough, right?" Lin Hui asked in surprise.

"Two days? If you ride a horse non-stop from here, it will take at least six days and six nights!" The waiter gestured with his fingers and shook his head.

"Even if you're a very important person, it would still take you a whole day to get there by moth carriage. What are you thinking, buddy?" the waiter laughed.

"And why would you go to the Moon Tower if you have nothing to do? That place is full of lords and gentlemen. They have terrible memories. If you're not careful and don't recognize someone, they might slap you to death, and you won't even have a chance to complain." A worker who was moving boxes nearby took a moment to complain.

"You talk as if you've actually been there?" the counter clerk said with a laugh.

"Didn't I hear about this from the caravans that came back?" the box carrier retorted.

"Forgetful?" Lin Hui narrowed his eyes. "Isn't it said that the people in the Moon Tower in the core area are either top martial artists, high-level summoners, or original blood nobles? How could those powerful people be so forgetful?"

"I don't know about that, but the large caravans that come and go often mention it. That place is said to be a place of pure enjoyment, where you can find everything you want. Delicious food, fun activities, good drinks, and great entertainment—everything you could want." The porter's face showed longing.

Lin Hui then asked about some details of the core area, but the man knew only a limited amount of information, so he could only leave the carriage shop and head to his second target—the New Martial Alliance.

He also had another plan for this trip, which he intended to take care of as well: to find out what the subsequent realms and strengths of martial artists would be like.

Having cultivated to this point, he has long since broken away from the traditional system of internal force martial artists and embarked on the path of blood seal evolution martial arts that combines body tempering and internal force.

Which is stronger, the Blood Seal Evolution Martial Arts or the Inherent Martial Arts System? What level does his current strength rank in the New Martial Alliance? These questions need to be verified, and a suitable benchmark needs to be found.

Therefore, this trip to the New Martial Alliance is indispensable.

Actually, the best reference point should be the Three Sects and Six Gangs, but the Three Sects and Six Gangs are too powerful and too complex, so it's not as easy to deal with as the New Martial Alliance.

Learning from his previous experience, Lin Hui bought a full-body night suit on the street, then bought four masks to wear on the four sides of his head, and finally put on the newly evolved steel sword, which no one had ever seen before, so he could test its power this time.

After asking around, he quickly learned the location of the New Martial Alliance's headquarters, which was in a mountainous area in the central ring, quite far from here. So he gave up on going to the headquarters and went to the nearest branch of the New Martial Alliance instead.

Two hours later.

In front of a mountain fortress on the outer ring road, Lin Hui, guided by a hired guide, finally found the road sign indicating the branch of the New Martial Alliance.

On the sign, the New Martial Alliance Yuanshan Branch and Yuanshan Fortress are both superimposed, pointing in the same direction.

“Friend, do you know anything about the New Martial Alliance? Would you like me to tell you? This organization has only been established and has risen to prominence in recent years. This branch is considered a fairly large organization near the South Ninth Gate.”

The guide, a burly man with a beard and skilled martial arts background, immediately recognized Lin Hui's strange and mysterious attire—covering him completely and wearing four masks on his head—and knew he was likely there to cause trouble.

"I know a little bit about it, tell me about it?" Lin Hui tossed a small piece of gold with his hand, which immediately made the man beam with joy.

He caught the gold and weighed it in his hand.

"The structure of the New Martial Alliance is actually quite simple. There are two leaders, a chief and a deputy leader, and nine elders who are all masters of martial arts schools. Then there are dozens of formal members. In addition to the formal members, there are also peripheral members, which adds up to a lot. This Yuanshan branch is headed by Mu Shanqing, one of the nine elders, who is also known as Butterfly Shadow Sword. Below him are two deputy ministers, more than ten stewards, and hundreds of peripheral members. The stewards are all formal members. The deputy ministers are Ding Chengying, the Bright Moon Blade, and Zhao Dong, the Ghost Hand."

"What is the strength of this Elder Butterfly Shadow Sword Mu Shanqing?" Lin Hui didn't expect this guy to know so much, so he asked another question.

"That's unclear. Strength depends entirely on battle record. Mushan Qing hasn't made a move in many years. His last appearance was probably ten years ago when he was besieging a monster in the fog zone, the Golden-Topped Centipede. With the cooperation of eight Zhou Tians, he killed the high-risk monster in one move, establishing the reputation of the Butterfly Shadow Sword."

He paused.

"As for earlier times, I haven't heard of them either. Perhaps older martial artists would know more about them. After all, the Butterfly Shadow Sword doesn't belong to our generation."

"Thank you, brother." Lin Hui clasped his hands in thanks. Although he was still unsure of the Butterfly Shadow Sword's strength, it was clear that it was stronger than most top-tier cultivators, and that was ten years ago; it must be even stronger now.

Having understood this, Lin Hui raised an eyebrow and gazed in the direction of the New Martial Alliance's Yuanshan branch in the mountains, feeling a little more cautious.

"No need to thank me, I don't have any other problems, I just love watching the excitement. If you have any questions, just ask!" the bearded man said cheerfully.

He glanced at Lin Hui's attire, hesitated for a moment, and said, "However, are you dressed like this to cause trouble for the New Martial Alliance?"

"That's not the case. It's just that I've been cultivating diligently for many years and I'm not sure how strong I really am. I'm planning to find a place to assess myself and see which level I belong to," Lin Hui said honestly.

“That’s easy. Just go to the New Martial Alliance and explain your purpose. There will be a trial arena, which is specially prepared for martial artists like you. At the same time, they are also using this method to train their own disciples.” The bearded man clearly knew this very well.

"Brother, you know so much about this?" Lin Hui asked in surprise. It would be even better if they could peacefully test each other's strength.

“Yes, because I used to fight in this ring.” The bearded man’s eyes showed a hint of nostalgia.

Lin Hui remained silent. He bid farewell to the bearded man and followed the signs forward. Soon, the road ahead widened, and the path began to steepen as he climbed upwards.

After passing through a withered, yellow forest, a sheer cliff with white flowers came into view.

On the cliff face, round, white stone platforms have been carved out. From a distance, one can vaguely see people sparring and exchanging blows on these platforms.

Further away, large clusters of light green buildings blend into the mountains and forests, interspersed with dense woodlands, where figures occasionally dart in and out.

These people are all high up and low, taking unconventional paths, flashing past the tops of trees or rooftops.

They just wouldn't walk properly on the steps, as if the steps on the ground were an insult to their boots.

Lin Hui then noticed that on the tree branch more than ten meters above his head, there were anti-slip footboards specially tied for people who were moving around at high altitudes.

A round wooden sign was also hung on one side of the board, indicating the direction of the next anti-slip foot pedal.

Swish.

Just then, two figures flashed past from above, their internal energy fluctuations also disappearing in an instant.

The martial arts masters with internal strength, who are rare in the outer city, seem extremely ordinary here.

Just as Lin Hui was heading to the Yuanshan branch.

Inside the branch office, Minister Butterfly Sword Wood Mountain Kei was stroking his beard, sitting cross-legged on the terrace, gazing at the distant rolling mountains.

The two vice ministers behind him arrived at the same time, both with solemn expressions, and sat down cross-legged as if waiting for his answer.

"No matter what happens, you have to endure it now," Kiyama Kei said calmly.

“If this continues, the annual fees in various places will soon be gone! If we don’t make a statement, I’m afraid that in the future…” Deputy Minister Ding Chengying was over fifty years old, and her once delicate face now had faint crow’s feet. This woman, who looked like a noblewoman, now had her own children and grandchildren. The once bright moon blade was no longer as unstoppable and pure as the bright moon.

The enormous expenses at home gradually turned her into the kind of person she used to despise.

“Liu Wujun has already laid low. Even if he isn’t seriously injured, he won’t be able to come out and suppress us again in the short term. Now is the perfect opportunity to take revenge!” another deputy minister, Zhao Dong, said in a deep voice.

"How do you know if his injury is real or fake? Have you forgotten what happened three years ago?" Minister Kiyama Kei said calmly. "If they really make a move, we'll be the ones who struck first. Liu Wujun has every reason to target us directly. Even if the Alliance Leader intervenes, it won't be enough to solve our immediate problem."

“Then let’s not target Liu Wujun’s directly affiliated industries. Doesn’t he have a younger sister stationed outside?” Ding Chengying suggested.

"Liu Xiao has just broken through to the Divine Official level. Are you going?" Mu Shanqing asked.

Ding Chengying fell silent immediately.

"Can't we notify the internal cult to send a messenger?" Zhao Dong frowned.

"Watch your words!" Mu Shanqing frowned, giving Zhao Dong a sharp look. "Last time, the envoy died, and the other branches suffered heavy losses, which has already caused great dissatisfaction among the surrounding envoys. Who would be willing to take the risk here now?"

"Then we can only go back to the outermost edge and test whether Liu Wujun's injury is real or fake," Zhao Dong said.

"You mean his mother, and his adopted brother?" Kiyama Kei asked thoughtfully.

“That’s right. His stepsister isn’t important; he’s fast, and even if we catch him, it won’t be of any use—he’s no threat. The only one we need to catch is his mother, Liu Shenglan.”

“No, the Lin residence is too heavily guarded,” Ding Chengying shook her head.

"Alright, that's enough." Kiyama Kei suddenly stood up. "We have a guest." He stood on the terrace, looking down from above, and his gaze instantly focused on a black-clad swordsman slowly approaching the mountain gate.

Lin Hui, who was at the foot of the mountain, also looked into the distance and his gaze fell on Mu Shanqing.

The inexplicable aura of these powerful martial artists made them sense each other at this moment.

"This feeling? Even from such a distance, I can still feel the lock of their aura and their gaze." Lin Hui stretched out his hand, loosened and clenched his fingers, carefully feeling this sensation that he had never experienced before.

The other person's gaze was as tangible as a knife, slowly slicing across him.

This is something I've never encountered before when facing Wang Yueheng and other opponents.

Novelty, anticipation, and a hint of desire to try out the sword made Lin Hui quicken his pace and walk forward with a smile.

Snapped.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

The smile on his face vanished abruptly.

A flash of red appeared in his eyes, and the words in the blood-stained mark emerged.

'Notification: You are under the gaze of the Mist God; your speed is reduced.'

"interesting."

Lin Hui grinned.

"How interesting, the New Martial Alliance's branch actually has something like this hidden away??"

hiss.
He slowly drew his sword, the silver, 1.6-meter-long steel Ruyi sword, pulled from behind him and held horizontally at his side.

The wind suddenly rose, swirled, and turned.

It swept across the surrounding area.

(End of this chapter)