Chapter 283: Chapter 269: Return, Part 1
’This reward should be enough to complete the evolution of the Blood Seal’s Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique. After that, I’ll need to consider a new direction and goal for its evolution. The immortality of the Fog People is too difficult to deal with. In comparison, I’m just at the level of an ordinary person—still too weak, with terrible stamina. I need to evolve a special Secret Technique that can increase my own stamina and survivability, as well as that of the people around me...’
The unkillable Fog People were a source of deep frustration for Lin Hui. Although he didn’t know why the Wheel of Longevity had abandoned Tuyue in the end, he couldn’t pin his hopes on such speculation and possibilities until he figured out if the Star Breath Sword Manual was responsible.
He had to plan ahead and take the initiative.
In this war, Lin Hui had witnessed the stacking effects of the Fog Spirits’ auras, and they were truly a massive headache.
’If I could create something like the Fog Spirit auras... for me and the people of Qingfeng Temple to use together, then...’
Besides the auras, the power of formations had also left a huge impression on him this time.
’And formations... battlefield formations offer too much protection for the weaker clansmen. I have to create some of those. It would be perfect if I could make a field-type attribute that absolutely suppresses anyone who enters a certain area. Combined with a high-defense formation, it could block both ranged and close-quarters attacks...’ Lin Hui recalled some myths from his past life that always featured special regions like cursed lands, deadlands, or blessed lands.
Anyone entering these areas would be subjected to a powerful, indiscriminate effect.
He planned to have the Blood Seal see if it could create such a field.
As for the rest, he had now assembled the Pulse of Annihilation and just needed some quiet time to comprehend its sacred form. The next step, the Pulse of the Heavens, required governing the sky and atmosphere... He had no clue about this. Even if the area wasn’t large, Lin Hui had no idea how one was supposed to "govern" the sky and atmosphere to obtain the Pulse of the Heavens.
Putting these thoughts aside, he stood up, gave some instructions to Li Yuanyuan, and then vanished from the Qingfeng Academy, heading straight for the Third Mountain.
There was one more troublesome matter that he had to ask about. It concerned whether he could continue to live and operate in Black Cloud City in the future.
The surrounding scenery blurred, shifted, and then sharpened again a moment later.
When Lin Hui stopped, he was outside the circular formation at the summit of the Third Mountain.
"City Lord Gongsun, I am Lin Hui. I have an urgent matter to discuss."
He had deliberately waited until after the three City Lords had finished distributing the spoils of war and taken care of all business before coming. This was also to avoid the crowds and prying eyes from earlier.
Gongsun Xinlian sat cross-legged within the formation, her expression weary. Her severed arm had already grown back. She wore a pure white long dress, her black hair tied up high. Her face was cold and detached, still giving off an austere, unworldly air.
"Come in and speak. There’s no need for such formality between you and the three of us." She managed a slight smile.
"Yes." Lin Hui remained very polite. After all, he knew that the power of these three far surpassed Tuyue’s level. To be able to hold down a Federation border city as prosperous as Black Cloud City for so many years, their trump cards definitely weren’t limited to just one or two.
He slowly entered the formation, stopping a few meters away from Gongsun Xinlian before sitting down cross-legged.
"Third City Lord, this subordinate would like to ask, under what circumstances does the Evil Soldier Insect Scripture separate from a Fog Person’s body?"
"Separate?" Gongsun Xinlian raised an eyebrow. "There are generally only two scenarios."
She seemed to have guessed something.
"First: When one of us is about to decay and our time is up, the Evil Soldier Insect Scripture will separate on its own."
"Second: If the true Evil Fog is devoured and transferred, and it reaches a certain limit, the Evil Soldier Insect Scripture will also actively separate."
Lin Hui thought for a moment, but ultimately decided not to hide anything and told her about Tuyue coming to seek revenge.
After all, Li Hanzhang and Hong Lingxiao had seen it, so there was no point in hiding it. He just altered his story, saying that just as Tuyue was about to make a move on him, the Evil Soldier suddenly began to separate, and then her body rapidly decayed.
The other one, Xie Jun, was terrified and turned to flee. This allowed him to escape and quickly return.
"Tuyue is dead!?" Gongsun Xinlian was slightly stunned after hearing his account.
The surroundings fell quiet. There was no sound, no words.
Only silence.
She closed her eyes and remained silent for a long time before speaking again.
"She... must have been drained too much by the power of Purgatory and Extreme Cold Heaven... and with the decay no longer being shared by her city’s residents... it must have happened sooner..."
"Is that so... Can you be sure she’s really dead?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.
"...There’s no faking the separation of an Evil Soldier. Soon, that Xie Jun who fled should be spreading the news. Our circle is only so big; we’ll know soon enough what’s true and what’s false. I, for one, hope that bitch is dead for good!"
As she spoke the last words, her tone became sharp and resentful again.
"In that case, I can rest easy." Lin Hui let out a breath.
He then casually asked about Black Cloud’s losses before taking his leave.
Before he left, he clearly saw a complex expression of hatred mixed with bewilderment on Gongsun Xinlian’s face.
Tuyue could not be killed by a colleague because she was a Federation City Lord. That was why for so many years, Gongsun Xinlian could only suppress the Tuyue City District on the surface.
But unexpectedly, this problem was solved not long after Lin Hui’s arrival.
Tuyue City was gone, and Tuyue was dead.
Once a Fog Person dies, the Evil Energy of the Original Blood Nobility they spawned will also rapidly degenerate and disappear, turning them into ordinary people.
Their Cultivation would remain, but without Evil Energy, they who had already lived far beyond a normal lifespan would inevitably suffer a mass outbreak of decay...
’Ning Yue... did you see that? That damned bitch is finally gone! She was worse than me in every way, inferior in every aspect. On what grounds did you choose her!? On what grounds!?’
The familiar, handsome face reappeared in Gongsun Xinlian’s mind. In truth, she knew where she fell short.
That’s why all these years, she had been secretly studying Tuyue, hating Tuyue, yet also envying her.
Closing her eyes, she inexplicably felt a little more at ease than before Lin Hui’s arrival.
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After getting confirmation, some of Lin Hui’s worries were eased. But this was immediately followed by concerns about the situation on Tuyue’s side.
Tuyue was dead, so the Original Blood was bound to degenerate. Without their Blood Progenitor, without the support of the Original Blood, the other side of the sea still had to face the threats of Purgatory and Extreme Cold Heaven. What would happen to his medicinal garden?
’I should still make a trip to see for myself...’ After thinking it over, Lin Hui decided he had to personally go to the former site of Tuyue City to check on the safety of his medicinal garden and some people he cared about.
The situation in Black Cloud City was basically stable now.
’I’ll go after the Blood Seal’s evolution is complete. With the Blood Seal’s assessment abilities, I’ll have more of a safety net.’
The death of a City Lord-level Fog Person had very troublesome consequences. The chain reaction would cause turmoil over a large area.
He immediately packed his things, informed the three City Lords, and instead of taking his exclusive Moth Car, he set off alone to return to Tuyue at top speed.
At his current speed, he could maintain a super-divine speed state at the Fogman Level. Traveling at this pace, as long as he didn’t lose his way, a journey that previously took over half a year could now be completed in just half a month.
This was even faster than the Moth Car, and he was more agile. Plus, traveling alone allowed for greater freedom and flexibility, so Lin Hui chose to go by himself.
Soon, early the next morning, Lin Hui informed the Lin Mansion, especially his wife Liu Xiao and his brother-in-law Liu Wu Jun. Both of them had many friends and mentors in Tuyue, and Lin Hui made a list of the friends they were worried about for this trip back.
Then, after saying goodbye to his parents, he returned to the Qingfeng Academy.
「Two days of seclusion later.」
After drinking most of the Divine Blood Tea, the Blood Seal finally completed its evolution.
The next day, a phantom-like figure shot up from the Qingfeng Academy and vanished into the distant sky, heading toward Tuyue.
The people of the Qingfeng Academy silently watched in that direction, praying in their hearts for the Sect Leader’s safe return.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Princess, Song Feishi, paid no attention to Lin Hui’s departure at all. Instead, she was gravely observing the Cultivation of the newly joined, crippled Fog Person, Pang Jiu.
The perfect version of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship.
After joining the Qingfeng Academy, Pang Jiu didn’t waste a single moment. He trained diligently every day, and thanks to his extremely strong Martial Arts foundation, he quickly surpassed the threshold of the first two swordsmanship techniques and moved directly to the perfect version of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship.
And it was this very swordsmanship that completely changed his perception of the Qingfeng Academy.
It wasn’t just him, but also Song Feishi and the three Black Cloud City Lords who had been observing him.
In reality, both Lin Hui and the four Fog People knew full well that Pang Jiu was a test subject, sent to scout the path and set off any traps.
That was why Lin Hui gave him no special treatment at all, simply having him start from the very basics like any ordinary disciple.
He acted as if no Fog Person had joined the sect, ignoring his status.
It was precisely this attitude that allowed the four of them to observe the subtle anomaly that occurred when Pang Jiu was cultivating the perfect version of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship.
The Qingfeng Swordsmanship was the starting point, the beginning of weaving a web of Inner Strength.
It was also from this point that the martial arts of the Qingfeng Temple and the current Qingfeng Academy completely diverged onto two separate paths.
The perfect version’s swordsmanship, with its ability to perfectly charm the Heart and Spirit, showed the four of them a path completely different from the conventional Martial Dao!
For a time, Song Feishi and the three City Lords silently analyzed and studied the mysteries of the perfect version of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship.
Just like Master Yunxia had once done.
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「Above the Jade Sea.」
The white fog was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
The acrid, foul stench of seawater filled his nostrils.
Lin Hui sped forward, following the map he had obtained from the Moon Tower. All the surrounding fog and water vapor automatically parted under the passive control of his Star Breath Sword Manual, reducing friction and drag.
He was like a translucent shuttle, silently streaking through the dense fog at extreme speed.
After confirming he was heading in the right direction, Lin Hui diverted a sliver of his attention to the Blood Seal.
The newly evolved Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique, just like before, had infused him with a vast amount of related cultivation experience and memories.
This sword technique was all about extreme speed. Since it was in the same vein as his previous high-speed swordsmanship styles, it had also significantly increased Lin Hui’s physical speed.
He didn’t know about other Fog People, but if he compared himself to the Wild Fog People and Tuyue, he estimated his own speed had already surpassed their super-divine speed by a large margin.
But that wasn’t the crucial part. The key was the massive amount of information that came with the Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique.
’The Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique is divided into nine layers. Each layer requires washing away one layer of one’s own ’Spiritual Burden’. This continues until one can ultimately distort the Fissure of Time.’
’Spiritual Burden refers to the innate and acquired burdens of the body and mind. Flesh and blood, bones, internal organs, and the seven passions and six desires all fall into this category.’
’Sever everything, illuminate the true self, all that has passed is but illusion... This sword technique is simply...’
Lin Hui felt conflicted. If a person were to sever all their passions and desires, would they still be human?
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