Chapter 297
297 Crack 1
Chapter 297 297 Crack One
The far north of the Federation.
On the deck of a massive white crystal-constructed warship, the Master of the Mingxin Society stood silently, gazing at the dark, empty sphere floating in the sky ahead. He remained silent for a long time.
“Uncle.” The fourth princess, Song Feishi, walked out from behind him, looking at him with some concern.
"Let's go get something to eat together; you've been standing here for five days."
"The deep cores are getting bigger and more unstable," the leader turned around, "and the number of them transforming into empty cores is increasing rapidly. The super-adaptors trained by the Federation simply cannot keep up with the rate of increase in empty cores."
"What did the Speaker say?" Song Feishi asked after a moment of silence.
"He tacitly approved," the leader said calmly. "His inaction and lack of intervention are tantamount to his tacit approval of the three of us. Now, we are destined to walk down three different paths that we each agree on. No one knows who is right and who is wrong."
"The future... is truly despairing," Song Feishi sighed softly.
"It's alright, I will lead everyone to find a way out." The leader said calmly, turning around to continue looking at the huge empty core in mid-air.
"There's no hope left in this kind of world anyway."
Behind him, Song Feishi's eyes narrowed, she lowered her head, and gently gripped the hem of her skirt.
For some reason, at this moment, she inexplicably recalled Lin Hui, the Daoist Master of Qingfeng.
If that man were him, what choice would he make in the face of all this?
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Eight years later.
Dark clouds.
Lin Hui walked slowly through the woodland at the edge of Emerald Valley. There was no one around, only him. Like a hiker taking a walk in the countryside, he walked quietly, feeling some mysterious power surging in the earth.
"It's time."
Suddenly, he stopped and looked up at the swirling gray-white mist in the sky.
Finally, he took out a pill, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it.
Half a minute later, the bloodstain notification at the bottom of the field of vision refreshed instantly.
'The evolution of the Extreme Territory is complete. Should it take effect immediately?'
'Yes. '
Please select the category you wish to suppress: 1. Constitution, 2. Movement Speed, 3. Cultivation Power, 4. Five Senses.
Looking at the four options, Lin Hui hesitated for a moment before making a choice. Instead, he used the wind chimes to inform the Qingfeng Dao members first.
'I have gained some insights. From this day forward, Emerald Valley will deploy a grand formation to suppress the cultivation power of all outsiders, except for our sect, which will remain unaffected.'
After the announcement was made, he confirmed his choice without waiting for a reply or inquiry.
With a thought, the suppression of the Extreme Domain territory took effect instantly.
hiss.
In an instant, a circle of transparent waves spread out from the center of his feet, rushing out in all directions at high speed.
At this moment, all the martial artists within the Emerald Valley and its surrounding area felt an invisible wave sweep over them.
At this moment, everyone with cultivation felt a large portion of their power disappear.
Some of the martial artists and followers in the town became agitated, with cries of alarm ringing out. Some quickly fled into the distance, while others sat cross-legged on the spot, believing they were injured. Still others immediately took out a common antidote and swallowed it, thinking they might have been poisoned by some unknown toxin.
Meanwhile, the Qingfeng Dao members in the valley reacted quickly after receiving the notification from Fengling. This situation was not uncommon in major cities, and many city lords would set up formations in the core area. However, the formation set up by the Dao Lord this time was somewhat special, as it could suppress the cultivation of outsiders.
Fortunately, they were already used to the strange and unusual things the Daoist Master did from time to time, and they accepted them quickly.
Immediately post notices announcing that this was the work of the Daoist Master. Under Wang Hongshi's command, some people dispersed to calm the panicked crowd in the town.
Lin Hui paid no attention to the attempts to appease his followers; these were all pre-arranged steps.
He stood with his hands behind his back, quietly looking up at the sky not far away.
A pale green light was rapidly approaching, hovering for a moment before landing and revealing its form.
It was none other than Xie Chang'an, the lord of Black Cloud City.
"Such a large area, you've got some skills, Ah Hui!" Xie Chang'an was slightly surprised. He also felt the oppressive atmosphere of this place.
However, because his power was so immense, this suppression was completely ineffective against him.
"It's just adding a slight layer of security, Brother Xie, you flatter me," Lin Hui said with a smile.
"This formation is so well set up that even I can't see any trace of its foundation. Amazing!" Xie Chang'an gave a thumbs up.
He couldn't see the array base, because it wasn't an array at all.
Lin Hui smiled but did not speak.
"Alright, enough with the chit-chat. The news that just came in is that half a year ago, the Northern Snow Leaf City was manipulated by the Mingxin Society and completely transformed into a sea-rumbling city. More than 30 million people in the city were transformed into deep-sea pollutants overnight." Xie Chang'an's smile faded, and his expression became solemn.
"Sea-Sound Pollutant?"
The number 30 million people immediately sent a chill down Lin Hui's spine.
What exactly is the leader of the Mingxin Society plotting that dares to defy the world and directly corrupt so many people?
"This pollutant is relatively mild among the many polluting forces, but it can still cause people to lose part of their sanity, turning them into one of the Night Fog Monsters. The downsides are that lifespan is halved, sanity is greatly reduced, and they become bloodthirsty and cruel. The upsides are that they can still barely maintain a normal state for half a day, and their adaptability is greatly enhanced. Their resistance to many polluting forces is also greatly increased," Xie Chang'an explained.
"It seems this is the choice the Mingxin Society has made. Rather than being gradually eroded by decay, they choose a gentler, more controllable form of pollution to erode themselves first."
"What would happen if the power of the Sea's Roar were fully unleashed?" Lin Hui asked in a deep voice.
“It will engulf the entire world,” Xie Chang’an said softly. “This power comes from an infinite world consisting only of seawater. Not long ago, I explored that world with my mind. The supreme power of the sea roar within it can convert all power and matter into seawater. It is an extreme power of assimilation! The more seawater it assimilates, the stronger the power of the sea roar becomes. Now that the Mingxin Society has assimilated so many pollutants in one go, it must have also released a huge amount of pollution and assimilated a large amount of seawater. The power of the Mingxin Society has probably expanded to a new height that was far beyond what it was eight years ago.”
Lin Hui remained silent.
When he first met the leader of the Mingxin Society, he felt that the other party was definitely not an impulsive or reckless person. Now it seems that he really has some grand plans.
"After discussions in the Federal Parliament, the Speaker decided to personally lead a team, in conjunction with the surrounding city lords, to suppress the Mingxin Society. I also plan to go and assist them on this trip. I'll probably have to rely on you a lot to look after Black Cloud here," Xie Chang'an said solemnly.
"Okay," Lin Hui nodded.
"This trip will take anywhere from a month to a year. I will try my best to find out the situation there and hopefully obtain enough detailed first-hand intelligence to confirm whether the Mingxin Society's methods are truly effective." Xie Chang'an's voice grew weaker and weaker as he finished speaking.
"Has the situation gotten that serious?" Lin Hui frowned.
"Actually, it's been quite serious for a long time, but we've been using super-adaptors to fill the gaps, and now the number of super-adaptors is decreasing." Xie Chang'an didn't continue, turned around, waved his hand, and disappeared into the air.
Lin Hui watched him leave, his resolve to establish a stable rear area strengthened.
'Next step: Establish a solid formation. This formation must amplify the strength of our own forces, suppress the opponent, and add a second layer of negative effects.'
Several formations he had selected in advance over the past few years flashed through his mind; these were the starting points for evolution, serving as the baseline.
Rising abruptly from the woods, Lin Hui quickly returned to Qingfeng Taoist Temple, where he saw Lin Xiaoliu playing chess with Tao Changsheng in the courtyard.
He suppressed his worries, put on his usual calm smile, and walked over.
He didn't intend to confide these troubles to those around him; such a major problem would only cause them more annoyance and be of no use.
"teacher."
"Third brother."
Upon seeing him appear, the two children stood up and bowed to him.
"No need for so much formality, we're all family, let's continue. I'll just take a look," Lin Hui said with a smile.
The two children then sat down and continued playing chess.
Half an hour later, the game of chess ended, and Lin Xiaoliu suffered a crushing defeat, standing up with a helpless expression.
"Third Brother, would you like to come?"
"No need, you can continue." Lin Hui noticed that Lin Xiaoliu had a small black scarf pinned to her right arm.
"what is this?"
"Third Brother, how long has it been since you returned to the Martial Academy? Our academy's dean passed away five days ago. The entire academy is still in mourning." Lin Xiaoliu asked in surprise.
"Is that so?" Lin Hui squinted.
"Well, although it's said he died of illness, many classmates are saying that the truth might be... the dean is corrupt," Lin Xiaoliu said softly.
"Rotten up, are there such rumors circulating in the academy now?" Lin Hui asked.
“Every year, a few people will rot away, and then new people will be brought in. Whether it’s students or faculty, it’s all the same,” Tao Changsheng replied from the side.
"Third Brother, why do people decay?" Lin Xiaoliu asked softly.
"Because of erosion. The erosion from fog. If there's no way to isolate the fog during the day, staying in it for too long will cause problems. The same goes for night fog, and the effect is even stronger than that of daytime fog," Lin Hui explained simply. "In addition, lifespan and injuries can also lead to decay, which is a hurdle that no cultivator in this world can avoid. The stronger one is, the stronger the decay and erosion, and the more one needs to find ways to deal with and solve it."
Both children seemed to be deep in thought after listening.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You'll be graduating soon. Where are you planning to go?" Lin Hui smiled and changed the subject.
If this world wants to become stronger, it must face increasingly stronger corruption and erosion. Some people choose to let more ordinary people join in to share the burden, some choose to fight against other forms of pollution of the same level, and some simply give up cultivation and are willing to become ordinary people.
"That's just how the world is. Corruption forces all the strong to build large groups, and it also forces all the ordinary and weak to depend on the strong," Lin Xiaoliu said in a deep voice. "So, no matter what, I still hope to become a strong person who can determine his own fate to a certain extent."
“Me too.” Tao Changsheng nodded in agreement.
“You have all reached the limit of your internal strength, and your divine techniques have reached the level of high-level awakening. You have a few options in the future.” Lin Hui paused. “One is to go to the Rain Palace. It’s a stable place with good benefits, and there’s less competition at the Black Cloud Rain Palace.”
"No, Amamiya is too boring! It's not the best choice for becoming a strong person!" Lin Xiaoliu seemed very ambitious.
"Secondly, go to the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance. You'll grow rapidly after a few sea voyages there; it's the place with the most practical combat training. You can also gain a lot of experience by going out to sea. This will greatly help you comprehend higher levels of martial arts in the future," Lin Hui continued.
"Why can't we stay at the academy?" Lin Xiaoliu asked cautiously.
"Because without real combat experience, one cannot embark on a higher path of martial arts," Lin Hui sighed.
Martial arts were created for the purpose of fighting; without fighting, one cannot truly understand and comprehend them.
"Are there any other options?" Lin Xiaoliu asked.
"The last option." The smile on Lin Hui's face slowly faded. "Be an ordinary person and live a good life in Emerald Valley."
(End of this chapter)