Decaying World

Chapter 247 247 Scheme 1
Liu Xiao's escape was just a temporary emotional release. The next morning, everyone returned to the state of mind as if nothing had happened.

Lin Hui went to the sea early to cultivate. He now mainly practices his swordsmanship in the sea because it makes quite a commotion.

After completing his basic Typhoon Sword Technique training, he returned to town to continue his Star Breath Sword Manual training.

The accumulation of life force is very slow. After trying various types of life force, Lin Hui found that the more life force a species with stronger vitality could obtain, the more life force he could obtain.

However, these resilient species are few in number, difficult to find, and unlikely to encounter natural injuries.

After all, they have strong vitality; they can heal themselves when they are injured and don't need his help or rescue.

However, having him personally cripple someone else would not meet the conditions for obtaining the Pulse of Life.

Therefore, Lin Hui had no choice but to honestly use the different types of items to increase his progress.

After all, according to the Blood Seal's hint, as long as one completes the redemption of ninety-nine different types of species, one can obtain the pulse of life and thus comprehend the first level of the Star Breath Sword Manual.

Time passed little by little.

The aftermath of Lin Hui and Liu Xiao's marriage gradually subsided.

With gradual control and adjustment of the pace, life returned to the peace and tranquility he had always envisioned.

There is no oppression, no restraint.

Everyone in Qingfengdao has their own future development, and Lin Xiaoliu has successfully entered the Inner City Martial Academy and begun her academic journey.

As promised, Xie Chang'an, the Lord of Black Cloud City, arrived at the Lin Mansion gate two weeks later, looking completely bewildered. He was greeted by Liu Shenglan, Lin Shunhe, and others who had been waiting for him.

Hei Yun arranged for Liu Wujun to be transferred to a lateral position in Yu Gong, a sinecure, which would at least provide some support.

Because Black Cloud's resources are far richer than Tu Yue's, even though it's just a sinecure, Liu Wujun enjoys more cultivation resources than he did in Tu Yue. This allowed him to quickly adapt to life here after a brief period of chaos.

Time flies, and more than a month has passed.

Inside Qingfeng Taoist Temple.

Lin Hui sat cross-legged opposite his elder brother Liu Wujun. The two chatted and brewed tea under the pear tree in the courtyard. They had just finished their cultivation for the day and were now taking a break.

"I never expected this," Liu Wujun said, his hands tucked into his sleeves and sitting together, looking helplessly at Lin Hui opposite him.

"The moment I opened and closed my eyes that day, everything changed completely. Then someone told me that I had come to Black Cloud from Tu Yue. It really felt like a dream. Then someone else told me that my brother was so powerful that he persuaded the Black Cloud City Lord to personally request his return, which is why he was able to safely cross the two seas to Black Cloud City."

"Brother, things have come to this, why don't we eat some shrimp?" Lin Hui picked up a dried shrimp, and with a burst of internal energy, the shrimp shell automatically decomposed, leaving only a pale red dried shrimp in his hand.

"Well, never mind. I really don't know how you cultivated. Sigh, what are your plans now? Have you settled down in Black Cloud?" Liu Wujun sighed.

"Otherwise what? This place is peaceful and stable, rich in resources, and we have the care of three city lords, so life is quite good. We can also occasionally get news from Tu Yue, making it convenient for you to inquire about your friends and teachers. With so many conditions met, where else could we go?" Lin Hui retorted, putting a dried shrimp into his mouth.

“That’s true. However, before I was brought here, I was actually involved in a secret operation on Amamiya’s side. Speaking of which, this matter is also related to you, Ahui,” Liu Wujun said.

"Oh?" Lin Hui raised an eyebrow. He couldn't believe that he, an honest martial arts master from the outer city, could be involved in any secret operation of the Rain Palace.
"Do you still remember Han Xiaoyue?" Liu Wujun continued.

"Her? What happened?" Lin Hui paused slightly in the hand holding the second dried shrimp.

His parting with Han Xiaoyue before leaving was essentially a change in their relationship.

From a hint of ambiguity to a quiet and peaceful friendship, and a shared path.

The twenty-year promise made back then—neither Lin Hui nor Han Xiaoyue knew whether it could be fulfilled in the future.

Therefore, when they parted, they both treated it as their final separation.

Unexpectedly, I learned about Han Xiaoyue from my older brother.

“Ahui, you should have also encountered the situation of decay and alienation, right?” Liu Wujun said in a deep voice.

"Yes," Lin Hui's eyes turned cold as he recalled Xue Meng's death in Qingfeng Road.

“Then let me tell you, decay has actually been accelerating, it’s been getting faster,” Liu Wujun continued. “Getting faster? What do you mean?” Lin Hui’s mind raced with speculation, his eyes sharpening as he stared intently at his elder brother, awaiting his answer.

"Literally, decay has existed since ancient times, but our Sha Yue Cult has actually found a way to temporarily slow down the rate of decay within a certain area. You should know about this method, which is..."

"Share the cost?" Lin Hui asked.

“No, it’s a hedge.” Liu Wujun shook his head. “Dividing the burden simply brings more new life together to help powerful individuals slow down their decay. This is a method that only powerful individuals can enjoy; it sacrifices the lower classes and only benefits the middle and upper classes. But this method is extremely dependent on new blood. That’s why Tu Yue has the Wheel of Immortality, and Xing Dao goes around waging wars to snatch people. Hei Yun uses prosperity and stability, along with a huge amount of abundant resources, to attract people.”

"I understand," Lin Hui nodded.

"But have you ever thought about what the fate of the truly lower classes is?" Liu Wujun asked again.

“Waiting for decay,” Lin Hui said softly.

“Yes. They could only watch helplessly as they decayed. To the outside world, many people claimed it was caused by Wanfu Meat. In fact, I participated in this operation and also went out to communicate with many comrades in other cities. In the end, I discovered a secret.” Liu Wujun picked up a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp.

"I've discovered that in many other cities, the lower classes are actually the same; they too become bloodthirsty and bloodthirsty. Some of them don't even have the flesh of the Ten Thousand Blessings, yet they still become like this. Why?"

"You mean, the claim that the Wanfu Meat caused decay and mutation is actually false?" Lin Hui frowned.

“No, it’s not necessarily fake. It may indeed have that effect, but the real root cause of the decay shouldn’t be the Wanfu meat. This thing probably just accelerated the process,” Liu Wujun said solemnly.

Lin Hui fell silent and did not speak.

“Sigh, you might think I’m making a mountain out of a molehill. Everyone is destined to die, and there’s not much difference between dying of decay and dying of old age. Look at all the elderly people in the city, some even in their seventies or eighties, and they haven’t decayed at such an advanced age. This shows that the limit of decay and degeneration is close to the lifespan limit of ordinary people. We shouldn’t really care whether we die of old age or decay,” Liu Wujun sighed.

"So, what exactly are you trying to say, brother?" Lin Hui put down the dried shrimp, his expression gradually becoming solemn. He seemed to have gleaned something from the information.

“I want to say, Ah Hui, have you ever thought about this?” Liu Wujun paused, seemingly trying to find the right words to say.

Have you ever thought about changing this seemingly normal yet abnormal situation?

"Why change?" Lin Hui asked. "As long as my family and friends are safe and sound, I don't care. Everything in this world has its own natural development, coordination, and balance. I don't have the ability or the determination to change the general trend."

“But we are now discovering that the rate of decay is accelerating,” Liu Wujun said quickly.

"accelerate?"

“Yes. There were actually signs of this a long time ago. So many virtuous and ambitious people in the upper and middle classes were also paying attention to and monitoring the situation of corruption. As early as a thousand years ago, my predecessors of the Sha Yue Sect collected information from various places, compiled a document, and submitted it to the Federation. The Federation also attached great importance to it, and therefore established a special executive agency in conjunction with the Sha Yue Sect—the Blood Tide Society.” Liu Wujun paused here and looked at Lin Hui.

"Big brother, you... joined the Blood Tide Society?" Lin Hui finally understood. This big brother was here to recruit new members.

"I've been a member of the Blood Tide Society from the very beginning, ever since I became a disciple of my master," Liu Wujun replied. "The Blood Tide Society is responsible for cultivating super-adaptors. With the terrifying regenerative power and enormous vitality of super-adaptors, they can counteract the accelerated decay within a certain range at fixed cyclical points. That is the purpose of the Blood Tide Society."

"And then?" Lin Hui wasn't entirely convinced by this explanation. Did they have any evidence to prove that the slowdown in the situation was due to their own efforts?

"Then, a few years ago, a super-adaptor who was supposed to be near Tu Yue to counteract the accelerated decay was killed by the Tu Yue City Lord with a single palm strike due to an unexpected riot. As a result, the decay in this area was no longer restrained. Before I left, some senior members of the guild had already calculated that the maximum lifespan of decay in the last year or two had rapidly decreased from eighty-five to eighty, and it is still falling rapidly," Liu Wujun said.

Before Lin Hui could ask, he continued.

"In order to curb this situation, Han Xiaoyue, the leader of this super-adaptor team, decided to push forward the next super-adaptor to fill the decaying core of Tu Yue City. Originally, it was arranged to be one every ten years, but due to the death of the previous one, all super-adaptors had to be moved forward in order."

"What does this have to do with Han Xiaoyue?" Lin Hui asked. Although she had a vague idea of ​​what might be going on, she still asked the question.

“Originally, it was Han Xiaoyue’s turn to fill the deep core in thirty years, but now that we’re missing a super-adaptor, her turn has been moved to twenty years later. This is only because she’s the leader of the team of four and has supervisory responsibilities, so she’s filling the deep core last,” Liu Wujun sighed. “The end result of filling the deep core is becoming a consumable, fighting alone against the boundless decay and erosion within the deep core until the regenerative power is completely defeated, dissipates, and finally turns into dust. After decaying and mutating within the deep core, it won’t become a blood-eyed, blood-bodied monster, but will directly and completely turn into dust and disappear.”

Lin Hui stopped talking.

How to prevent regional decay and fill the deep core?
He never imagined that Han Xiaoyue was actually the leader of the Federation, who was specially sent to carry out such suicide missions.

No wonder her status always seemed a bit strange back then. Despite her strength, she was always treated as invisible by Tu Yue's inner city.

Everything you do can be ignored and forgiven, as if you were a bystander detached from the situation.

Now that I know the situation from my older brother, everything is back online.

(End of this chapter)