"Many people find annoying—just like that Purgatory Duke. But the more you dislike it, the more I enjoy it," Xie Chang'an laughed.
Swish!
In the next instant, both vanished without the slightest warning, entering Super Divine Speed.
The surrounding world rapidly bled into deep red. Yet within that crimson expanse, a brilliant green light hung in midair like a sun, seizing the center by force and bathing it in erald.
Simultaneously, Song Feishi and the other Mingxin Society experts clashed with the defenders of Black Cloud City.
"I knew you didn't co all this way with good intentions!" Gongsun Xinlian glared at Song Feishi, unable to suppress her fury.
The two won collided like shooting stars in an instant. Under Super Divine Speed, their attack speeds were terrifying. Gongsun Xinlian fell into an imdiate disadvantage, but with Zhang Yao's assistance, she managed to fight to a temporary draw.
Zhang Yao's previous injuries had not yet healed. Unable to exert his full strength, he could only use his Evil Energy to bolster his Third Sister's combat power.
Faced with a battle at the level of true Evil Mist and Emperor Blood Mistborn, the others dared not step forward. They scattered, weaving green threads to channel their power into the grand array, aiming to restrict the Society Master, Song Feishi, and the rest.
This suppression partially canceled out the bizarre light emanating from the Society Master.
The two sides fell into a brief stalemate. But it did not last long—only half a minute later…
Boom!
High above, the green sun Xie Chang'an had transford into was shattered in a single blow. He was sent flying backward like a cannonball, spewing blood.
"The world loses its color…"
The Society Master appeared beside him in an instant, the skin of his right hand dyed a deep, dark red.
A tiny fleshy sprout materialized in his palm without warning. It grew and swelled rapidly; in the blink of an eye, it had transford into a beating, bloody heart.
"Goodbye."
Xie Chang'an looked down at his chest. Sure enough, only a bloody hole remained. His heart was gone.
"Interesting!" Xie Chang'an burst into loud laughter. "If my true body were here, we'd still have a real fight!"
"That is why I find you annoying," the Society Master said, withdrawing his hand. His gaze swept to Song Feishi in the distance.
Swish.
The two vanished simultaneously, departing at extre speed.
…
Inside the Clear Wind Dao Academy.
Commander Yuchi Xin sat alone in the small courtyard where she was under house arrest, cultivating with her eyes closed. Suddenly, she looked up at the sky and shot to her feet.
"Go!" The Society Master's voice exploded in her mind.
"Yes!" Commander Xin didn't hesitate. With a single leap, she transford into a phantom and shot toward the sky.
But at that very mont, a wave of mind-spirit surged from the Dao Academy below, catching up to her in an instant.
"Since you're here, why not stay for a chat?"
Swish.
A figure flickered into view high in the sky. It was Lin Hui, clad in a white robe, one hand resting near his sword. Surging air currents whipped his long black hair to the side, trailing a blue-black phantom wake like dancing flas.
Commander Xin's heart went cold. She tried to stop, but a massive force beside her seized her instantly.
"Junior, you wish to stop ?" The Society Master's voice reverberated through the space.
"Dao Master of the Clear Wind Dao, Lin Hui." Lin Hui gently rested his hand on the hilt of the Ruyi Sword. "Please enlighten ."
Clang!
In a flash, a crimson shadow and an azure light intersected.
Lin Hui looked back. There was no sign of Commander Xin anywhere. Unbothered, he smiled and descended.
"Dao Master!" Below, Yun Xiazi and the others were staring up at him.
"It's nothing. Let us pick up where we left off," Lin Hui said, his expression calm.
Woooo!
High in the sky, far from Black Cloud City, the Society Master, Song Feishi, and Commander Xin shot into the distance at extre speed.
On the distant horizon, a massive warship wrought of white crystal breached the ocean's surface, its horn blaring a welco.
"Society Master… just now?" Song Feishi asked, eager to know what had passed in that brief exchange.
"He knew when to back down. Can't you see that?" Commander Xin laughed, visibly at ease.
"Do you truly believe he backed down?" The Society Master glanced at her, his expression unreadable.
"I…" Commander Xin faltered, not grasping his aning.
Pfft!
In the next instant, her body split open from shoulder to waist, revealing a massive, gaping wound. Blood sprayed like a fountain, atomizing into a crimson mist that surged in midair and strained to flow back into the gash.
Bizarrely, the mont the mist neared the wound, a strange, decomposing power steadily eroded it away.
Commander Xin's eyes went wide. Overwheld by the searing agony, she reached out in disbelief to cover the wound. But the wound was too horrific—it had nearly cleaved her in two.
"This power… a parting gift?" The Society Master turned to look back at Black Cloud City. "Dao Master of the Clear Wind Dao… I will rember this."
He waved his hand gently. A viscous, blue-black liquid carrying the scent of seawater surged from behind him, enveloping Commander Xin completely. It coalesced into a large black bundle and flew alongside him toward the warship below.
Song Feishi followed closely, glancing back at the distant Black Cloud City. Her greatest loss today was the exposure of her origins. She would likely have to face the assembly's censure.
After the three boarded, the warship sounded a deep, resonant blast from its horn, then rapidly sank and departed into the depths.
Ten minutes after the warship vanished, a green light streaked across the skies of Black Cloud at extre speed, crashing heavily into the first suspended mountain.
Xie Chang'an had returned.
…
Two days later. First Mountain.
"Hahahaha! Thanks to your stepping in when you did, little brother. Otherwise, Second Brother and Third Sister might have really been taken in."
Great City Lord Xie Chang'an sat cross-legged in the seat of honor, grinning. Grasping a roasted leg in one hand, he tore into the at and pressed Lin Hui, seated below, to eat as well.
Zhang Yao and Gongsun Xinlian sat beside him with weary, resigned expressions. Both carried a mottled aura, indicating their injuries had yet to fully heal.
"You've felt it too. At our level, ordinary injuries heal instantly. The real danger is the polluting erosion of heterogeneous powers—those take ti to expel," Gongsun Xinlian explained. "The Mingxin Society's power is incredibly troubleso. It feels sowhat similar to the power of the deep-sea Mist Gods, but its corrosive nature runs even deeper."
"That is the Sea Cry," Xie Chang'an said. "Sea Cry is a polluting force found in the deep sea, akin to Purgatory and Extre Cold. Its defining trait is that it's a devil to eradicate."
"Just how many types of polluting powers are there in this world?" Zhang Yao laughed bitterly.
"Who knows? Why bother? As long as we can purge it from our bodies, that's all that matters," Xie Chang'an said carelessly.
"He's right, Second Brother. Hurry up and restore your Evil Energy. Without your help, expelling this kind of power is far too slow," Gongsun Xinlian added.
"I'll do my best…" Most of Zhang Yao's Evil Energy had been spent in the battle to purge the Society Master's corruption. But regardless of the cost, he had succeeded—he had stripped the Society Master's power of its sharpest edge.
However, due to this excessive consumption, his Evil Energy would not recover to its peak for at least a thousand years. Left with no choice, he laid out the full account.
"So you're saying that when the Society Master fought Eldest Brother's body double, he was already fighting with a portion of his strength locked away—sealed by you?" Hearing this, Gongsun Xinlian shuddered.
"Yes." Zhang Yao nodded with a bitter smile. He picked up his wine, tilted his head back, and drained the cup. Then he refilled it and raised his glass toward Lin Hui.
"Brother Lin, I misjudged you at every turn and was blind to your true character. I repeatedly placed the bla on you when you did not deserve it. Without your intervention, Black Cloud City would have suffered a grievous loss. I offer you my sincere apology."
He drained the cup in a single swallow and set it down hard on the table.
"Second City Lord overstates it." Lin Hui raised his cup in turn and drained it. "As a mber of Black Cloud City, it was only my duty."
"Stop exchanging pleasantries, Second Brother—give him sothing useful," Xie Chang'an cut in, waving his hand.
"Agreed." Zhang Yao looked at Lin Hui. "I heard that Brother Lin has been troubled by the pill resistance that cos from consuming too many dicinal pills. I'm no physician, but Evil Energy works exceptionally well on this condition. If you trust , I can clear your pill resistance in one fell swoop."
"Excellent—that is precisely what I need. Many thanks, Second City Lord!" Lin Hui's eyes lit up as he cupped his fist in salute.
"Just call Zhang Yao," the Second City Lord said, waving him off. "No need for formalities."
"Then many thanks, Brother Zhang!" Lin Hui smiled.
"Good, good! That's more like it. We are all on the sa side. Adversity has shown us one another's true character. From now on, we stand together—and we will build Black Cloud into the most prosperous city in the Federation!" Xie Chang'an laughed.
He raised his cup in a toast. The other three returned the gesture.
After drinking, they turned to the intelligence gathered on the Mingxin Society and the Fourth Princess's betrayal. None of them could determine the Society's true objective.
Mid-conversation, Gongsun Xinlian turned to look at Lin Hui.
"Over these past few years, I've watched Pang Jiu's condition improve…" She trailed off. "Brother Lin, I believe it is ti we discussed the matter of your Clear Wind Dao's law seal."
Law seal.
Lin Hui's heart stirred. He swept a glance around the room—Zhang Yao and Xie Chang'an were both watching him. Evidently, despite their silence, the law seal had held their attention throughout.
"The conditions for the law seal remain unchanged. You can only receive the Bestowal Seal by joining my Clear Wind Dao," he said, his expression turning serious. "This is not a rule I set myself. It is an ancestral mandate laid down by the Grandmaster of the Nine Skies Gate, from whom I received my inheritance. It cannot be altered."
"Have you ever tried granting the Bestowal Seal to an outsider?" Xie Chang'an asked.
"Naturally. But it had no effect," Lin Hui said, shaking his head.
"I am already familiar with the Clear Wind Dao's sect rules. The Bestowal Seal's terms—what is gained and what is sacrificed—are both clear enough," Gongsun Xinlian said solemnly. The recent battle had driven ho a grim truth: as Corruption accelerated, the world would only grow more dangerous. If the three siblings remained together, they would be fine—their complentary Evil Energy was a terrifying force.
But remaining at each other's side every mont was impossible. And so…
"I have decided to join the Clear Wind Dao," Gongsun Xinlian declared. "But I do not intend to begin learning martial arts from scratch. I will study the seal arts only."
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