Decaying World

Chapter 170 Clues Part 170 (Thanks to BJ Hippo God Alliance Leader)

The other side of the token.

Long Ji stood on the edge of a cliff in a canyon where the wind howled, put away her token, and looked at a woman wearing a white tiger mask who was concentrating on practicing her fist techniques.

"It's all arranged. The mission for the Xingdao City branch shouldn't be too difficult with that guy leading the team. What do you think of this guy from all sides? What's his strength?"

"Judging from his last battle record, single-handedly wiping out two branches of the Qinghe Sect is already quite impressive. He should be among the strongest in Zhou Tian. The key is, I've always been very curious about how this person trained his strength in just a few years. Even if he's a direct disciple of the Jiu Meng Sect, that speed is too fast." The woman with the white tiger mask stopped practicing her fist techniques and sighed.

“Indeed, do you think it’s possible that it’s a counterfeit?” Long Ji asked hesitantly.

"How could that be? How could the Nine Dreams Sect Master allow his disciple to ruin all the future with a moment's strength?" White Tiger shook his head.

"Then let's not worry about that. Just make sure he's genuinely joining us. This official mission is his pledge of loyalty. Kill that person, and even if he's only involved, he'll never be able to escape Tai Su's wrath in the future. That way, we can give him more trust," Long Ji said nonchalantly.

“That’s true. If it’s one of our own, the stronger the better. Besides, his father is a pillar of our branch. So it seems the Lin family is quite trustworthy.” Baihu smiled.

“If this goes smoothly, I also plan to apply for him to have access to Huichuntang’s trading privileges, and the limit will be set according to my standards,” Long Ji said.

"I reckon he'll still buy aphrodisiacs. There are plenty of low-grade ones, but the high-grade ones are really hard to find. Purple Cloud Mushrooms are already close to the limit, since strong people don't need drugs to enhance their strength," White Tiger said speechlessly.

These days, I've never heard of any strong man needing aphrodisiacs to be satisfied. In upper-class circles, the focus in matters of love isn't on the stamina gained from aphrodisiacs, but on sensitivity.

Even if it's short, if the intensity is high, it's still very popular.

Tu Yue has several original bloodlines, just like that.

"Never mind, maybe he just likes that kind of thing. Or maybe he just needs it for his training," Long Ji guessed.

The two felt a strange sensation when they thought of Lin Hui's reputation.

The nickname "Great Aphrodisiac Invisible Sword" is something only Lin Hui can live up to. Compared to the original, simple "Invisible Sword," this nickname is much more distinctive and unforgettable.

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Just as Lin Hui was making preparations for his upcoming long trip.

Qinghe Gate and Xuanying Gate are already locked in fierce fighting in the outer city and parts of the inner city.

Xuan Ying Sect clearly had other intelligence channels and quickly located the true headquarters of Qinghe Sect.

After locating the site, the Xuan Ying Sect gathered a large number of experts and set up a surprise attack, successfully destroying the protective artifact array surrounding the Qinghe Sect headquarters.

Then came the fierce and brutal battle.

Xuan Ying Sect had previously cooperated with Qing He Sect, and no one expected Xue Ying to be so ruthless towards his former partner.

The fighting lasted only half a day before it ended. Both sides had powerful backers, so much so that the official Anmin Army in the inner city didn't receive the order to clear the area until half an hour after the fighting ended.

Lin Hui received the message from Amamiya's older brother the next morning.

“It’s a bit strange. Xue Ying only managed to get revenge with the help of Qinghe Sect before. Why is he now targeting his former collaborators as soon as he returns?” He closed the letter and looked at Mingxia, who was carefully studying the Qingfeng Sword.

"The reason Xue Ying was severely injured in the final battle was because Qinghe Sect turned the tables on him," Mingxia replied casually.

"Is Xue Ying really that strong?" Lin Hui asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course she's strong. Not only did she break through to the Mingji realm, but she also mastered several special relics. These relics, when combined, form a system of abilities that are incredibly powerful. The reason she can keep roaming around like this without fear of being captured or killed is entirely due to this system of relics." Mingxia sheathed her sword and exhaled, explaining slowly.

"Relying on relics? Is that really possible? Can it really contend with the original bloodline of the palace master in the inner city?" Lin Hui was somewhat skeptical.

“Why not? Strength has no source. As long as you can achieve results, what does it matter if it’s a relic?” Mingxia said.

"Okay. By the way, I'm going on a long trip in a few days. Could you keep an eye on the temple for me?" Lin Hui said casually.

"Alright, I'm not going anywhere lately anyway. Your swordsmanship is absolutely amazing. I can't sleep peacefully until I figure it out!" Mingxia is no longer pretending. As she talks, she often naturally identifies herself as Yunxiazi.

Therefore, Lin Hui guessed that this guy's previous identity as the son of Yunxiazi was all fake.

She is actually Yunxiazi who changed her identity, pretended to be young, and came to become a disciple.

As for physical alterations, that's incredibly easy for a Grandmaster like Mingji. A few transformative drugs or cultivation techniques would suffice.

Seeing that Mingxia was still engrossed in the Perfect Qingfeng Sword, Lin Hui shook his head inwardly. If it takes this long to study the Perfect Qingfeng Sword, then when it comes to the Gale Sword, won't it take years to study it?
After leaving Qingfeng Temple, Lin Hui headed towards Kuangfeng Plain as usual, preparing to complete his training for the day on time.

But as soon as they arrived at their usual sword practice spot, they could faintly hear the sounds of fighting in the distance.

He frowned, worried that the fighting on the other side might affect his cultivation. Fortunately, the sounds of fighting gradually faded away until they disappeared completely, and only then did he calm down and close his eyes to cultivate the virtual technique, which mainly focuses on stillness.

Soon, a figure entirely in black, resembling a human draped in a wide cloak, appeared on the plain ahead.

The humanoid figure had its head down and its face was blurry. It vaguely resembled someone Lin Hui knew, but when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't recall who it was.

This is the method of virtual performance, a condensed, awe-inspiring void.

It is the embodiment of all the fears deep in Lin Hui's heart, meaning that its every move can easily evoke the pain and fear in Lin Hui's heart.

Defeating it once strengthens one's will and spirit. And this was right where the sounds of fighting had just come from.

On the gray-black plain, at the foot of the fog wall.

At that moment, three figures were rapidly passing each other.

A howling wind swept across the surroundings, and one of the figures was covered in purple-black armor, holding a purple-black longsword of the same material. The sword was engraved with mysterious symbols and emitted a faint purple light.

He was on his way to say goodbye to Lin Hui and to see Tao Xuehai off, who had just found the medicine.

This final farewell unexpectedly turned into a targeted attack.

Those at Qinghe Gate who were keeping an eye on Qingfeng Temple discovered him and mobilized their experts to surround and kill him.

The Qinghe Sect experts who arrived were two white-haired old men wearing black masks. Although their faces were covered, Tao Xuehai could still guess that they were definitely from the Three Sects and Six Gangs of the inner city, and were incumbent elders and Three Harmony Masters.

That strong smell of decay was exactly the same as what I had seen before.

Such people cannot stay in the outer city for long; their bodies rely entirely on the inner city for recuperation and survival.

Correspondingly, the longer one lives, the stronger one's skills will naturally become.

He didn't know how Qinghe Sect managed to find these experts. Even among the Three Sects and Six Gangs, the Three Harmony Grandmasters were absolute high-ranking members. Why would they come to surround and kill a Xuan Ying Sect member like him?

Bang!
Two figures suddenly passed each other, throwing punches at Tao Xuehai from the left and right at the same time.

The terrifying power unique to the Three Harmonies Grandmaster surged into his body at this moment, accompanied by immense internal energy.

Tao Xuehai roared in pain, and his body exploded, turning into countless black flying insects that scattered and fled.

He didn't run towards the town. Theoretically, if he had, it would have attracted more variables, causing the other side to hesitate and potentially retreat.

However, considering that his teacher's Qingfeng Temple was in the town, Tao Xuehai gritted his teeth, dispersed his body, and relied on the power of the Insect Codex to fly towards the fog area at full speed.

"It's a copy of the Insect Codex! Use the Spirit Mountain Fist to immobilize him!" an old man said in a deep voice.

"I'll do it!" The other person drew circles with both hands, and his inner strength continuously condensed into a transparent shape that resembled a water sphere.

boom!
The next instant, he pushed forward with both hands, and the massive sphere of internal energy exploded, turning into a wave that crashed into the rapidly dissipating black insect mist.

"Alright, our mission is complete. We must return immediately. Our bodies might not be able to withstand it if we stay any longer." After throwing the punch, the old man said in a deep voice, then turned and quickly left towards the inner city.

The other person took out a silver sphere, gently crushed it, and then ignored Tao Xuehai as he left, and left together with him.

Tao Xuehai, who had only flown into the fog area not long ago, was still wondering why the people behind him hadn't caught up.

He wasn't too worried about getting into trouble. As a replica Insect Codex fusion user, although he couldn't defeat those two old masters, with the Insect Codex's abilities, he wouldn't die no matter what.

Even a grandmaster couldn't destroy his insect body. If he was seriously injured, he could just disperse and reassemble. Even if only a tiny bit of insect mist the size of a hair remained, it could quickly absorb the unknown power around it and reform.

This is the power of the Insect Codex; even a replica possesses terrifying regenerative capabilities.

The reason why counterfeit evil weapons and counterfeit insect encyclopedias are so sought after and even fought over is precisely this.

Aside from their own kind, no one can truly kill a Demonic Insect Codex Fusionist, and this applies equally to replica Fusionists.

Since the first evil insect codex was discovered by humans, not a single one of these creatures has ever died. And their hybrids only suffer damage and lose consciousness when they are invaded by their own kind.

This is why the strongest appeal systems tend to focus on consciousness and spirit.

This is because it is the system passed down from the original Mist People, and also because the material power inherent in the Evil Weapon Insect Codex is already invincible.

The Evil Insect Codex guarantees physical immortality, so the only thing that can be destroyed is the consciousness of the Mist People.

Thus, consciousness became the only weakness.

The massive Spirit Mountain Fist instantly eroded most of Tao Xuehai's insect-mist body, but he didn't care. After flying into the misty area, he found a place without monsters and landed, then began to quickly recover his body and reassemble his entire body.

He had barely formed a physical body and stood up when he realized something was wrong.

Turning around, he saw a pale-faced, slender figure appear under the withered tree behind him.

The aura emanating from the other person was extremely similar to his own at that moment.

"The protector of the Xuan Ying Sect, the Mysterious Sword Master Wu Hai? I never expected that keeping an eye on Qingfeng Temple would yield such an unexpected gain."

The newcomer had a pale complexion, no hair, and a thin build. He was not wearing any clothes on his upper body, but only a pair of wide black trousers that resembled a battle skirt on his lower body.

"Qinghe Sect's Deputy Sect Master, Black Fiend Cao Xianzhong!" Tao Xuehai's face turned grim.

This was not only because the opponent's strength far surpassed his own, making him a powerful figure on par with the deputy sect leader of the Xuan Ying Sect, but also because the aura emanating from the opponent was a replica of the Evil Weapon Insect Codex.
This means that the opponent can severely suppress his insect fog regeneration.
(End of this chapter)