The Decaying World-Chapter 75 - 70: Devour 2

"That’ll be one million, if you please," Lin Hui said with a smile.

"You!?" The woman was furious and about to retort.

"Either pay up or die." Lin Hui’s grip on his sword hilt tightened slightly.

"You..." The woman’s heart pounded with fear. Meeting his gaze, she desperately wanted to demand, ’On what grounds!?’ ’I was just looking from the outside, I didn’t even go in.’

But she didn’t dare say it out loud.

This guy before her, this junior, was too fast. And unlike Baohe, he had a fearless, devil-may-care attitude.

Plus, his family background was a mystery, and he seemed to have backing from a power in the Inner City...

"I... don’t have that much money on me." After a moment, the middle-aged woman lowered her head.

"Then pay with items," Lin Hui said bluntly.

The woman rummaged through her belongings and, after some difficulty, produced two items as collateral for Lin Hui.

One was a pale yellow crystal she had received as her share from hunting a monster in the Fog Area with others.

The other was an exquisite dagger, incredibly sharp—a superior weapon comparable to the Qinghe Sword.

After taking the items, Lin Hui let her go and turned toward a nearby tailor shop.

Inside the shop, a white-haired old man in a long gray robe saw this and immediately grabbed his granddaughter, lowered his head, and turned to leave.

"Grandpa... why are we leaving so suddenly? Weren’t we going to check out the Black Dragon Sect?" his granddaughter asked, confused. She was a beautiful girl of fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a turquoise long skirt that accentuated her slender waist.

"No more looking, no more looking! Another look might cost us a million, and we can’t afford that! This old man’s coffin fund is only so much. That kid is too fast, even faster than Baohe was back in his day. It’s not just his Body Technique; his sword strikes are even faster!" the old man said in a hushed voice.

It wasn’t just him. The leaders of various factions who had been observing from the shadows all began to leave, afraid that if they were too slow, Lin Hui would corner them and demand money.

In just a short while, the once-bustling area outside the Black Dragon Headquarters became much quieter.

Only then did Lin Hui turn to head back.

But he had only taken a few steps when a voice suddenly and stealthily entered his ear from an unknown source.

"Sect Leader Lin, you’re quite arrogant, daring to monopolize a fat prize like the Black Dragon Sect. But with the Qingfeng Sword Sect having so many members now, aren’t you afraid your disciples will get ambushed and killed outside?" The voice was strange and mocking, the speaker deliberately altering their tone to avoid being recognized.

"Then let them die. Useless people staying in the Sword Sect would be a waste of a spot anyway," Lin Hui said, completely unconcerned.

The other party was left speechless, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Anything else? I happen to have some free time, so you might as well say it all now," Lin Hui continued.

"Fine! Then let’s see if Sect Leader Lin truly doesn’t care if his own members die!" the voice snarled, apparently provoked.

"Found you!" In the next instant, Lin Hui spun around, leaving a trail of afterimages as he shot toward a nearby corner.

A person in a yellow robe and a bamboo hat was standing there with their back against the wall.

Hearing the commotion, the hatted figure also reacted with incredible speed. Moving just a fraction slower than Lin Hui, they took off, darting into an alley to escape.

So began a chase. The person in front constantly changed direction and ducked through gaps, expertly avoiding straight paths where they could be quickly overtaken.

This was because by turning and weaving through unfamiliar environments with many obstacles, the pursuer would have to use their Heart and Spirit to check for ambushes, forcing them to slow down or pause.

This indirectly slowed Lin Hui down.

’In the midst of the chase, Lin Hui learned this trick from his opponent. If I ever encounter someone faster than me in the future, I can use this tactic too.’

As they chased and fled, they unknowingly moved far away from the Black Dragon Headquarters, arriving at a wide-open area surrounded by farmland, windmills, and mills.

The hatted figure in front leaped up and landed lightly on a ridge between the fields, turning to face Lin Hui.

"Young man, you’re not the only one with a fast Body Technique. Though mine is a step slower, it’s more than enough to intercept and catch your sword."

The man took off his bamboo hat, revealing a sorrowful, wrinkled face.

"Your sword is fast, but you have no Inner Strength. If you can’t create a significant gap, you can easily be pinned in a single move and forced into a confrontation of Inner Strength. At that point, you will surely die."

"Well said. And who are you?" Lin Hui knew all sorts of opportunists would crawl out of the woodwork for a prize like the Black Dragon Sect. They were also sizing him up, this new Sect Leader, to see if he was qualified to take over Song Zhanlong’s existing assets.

He just hadn’t expected an old-timer to show up whose Body Technique was only marginally slower than his own.

This man used his Inner Strength to augment his legs, and with the explosive increase in speed, he was only a hair slower than him.

That was already an incredible feat.

One had to know that his current Body Technique, built upon the foundation of two Body Tempering sessions from the Qingfeng Sword, had been forcefully elevated two levels by his Perfect Swordsmanship.

The Perfect Swordsmanship of the Seven-Section Quick Sword and the perfect version of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship—these two sets of swordsmanship had respectively made his regular Sword Speed and Body Technique a full twenty percent faster than the original Daoist Baohe of Qingfeng Temple.

The Qingfeng Sword was already renowned for its speed in the surrounding area. To be able to increase that by another twenty percent was a terrifying level of improvement.

After all, he was comparing Body Tempering and Inner Strength—two completely different realms.

And once he could wield Inner Strength...

"I am Xue Meng, Sect Leader of the Intention Blade Sect. Young man, you’ve made too many enemies, which is not conducive to managing your assets in the future. The businesses left by the Black Dragon Sect are bloated and complex. Why not cooperate with my Intention Blade Sect? I will help you bear some of the pressure, and we can split the monthly profits fifty-fifty. How about it?" the man said in a deep voice.

"That’s a nice thought. The Intention Blade Sect... I’ve heard of it. A newly established sect in the New Martial Alliance, right? Came over from Xingdiao, a rootless duckweed. My businesses would be the perfect place for you to put down roots, wouldn’t they?" Lin Hui chuckled.

"How about this instead? Your Intention Blade Sect can merge into my Qingfeng Sword Sect. As for profits and businesses, we’d all be one family then. There’d be no need to distinguish between yours and mine."

"Interesting. Arrogant enough."

The old man didn’t get angry. Instead, he seemed faintly tempted.

"I saw your exchange with that person just now. You are indeed fast enough. But without breaking into the Inner Power Realm, it’s all just an illusion that shatters on contact. So, if you want my Intention Blade Sect to join, you’ll have to show me if you, Sect Leader Lin, have what it takes!"

The moment his voice fell, he lunged forward. A white glint flashed from the blade in his hand as he swung out a curtain of blade shadows, slashing toward Lin Hui.

The speed of this strike was now only a hair slower than Lin Hui’s.

Just as he had said, without a decisive advantage in speed, it was impossible to perfectly evade the opponent’s attacks. Once touched or hit, and caught in the corrosion of Inner Strength, Lin Hui would undoubtedly lose.

’He can extend his Inner Strength into his weapon. This is a Sixth Layer master!’

Lin Hui didn’t dare to be careless. The opponent’s Inner Strength was immense; it was best not to make contact at all. He immediately retreated, dodging continuously while observing his opponent’s patterns.

Ten moves passed.

Twenty moves passed.

He didn’t dare to draw his sword unless he activated the Feathering Special Effects. But his opponent was extremely fast and his Inner Strength was immense. Even with Feathering, he couldn’t guarantee that his sword wouldn’t be corroded by the extended Inner Strength.

After all, such immense Inner Strength meant he would need at least several dozen strikes to break through the barrier with a single point of focus.

A slower opponent naturally wouldn’t be able to perceive that many strikes, but against a fast Inner Power Realm expert like the one before him, it was extremely dangerous. He could easily be forced into a direct clash of Inner Strength.

On the meter-wide dirt path along the ridge, the two moved, one advancing and one retreating. The gleam of the blade transformed into cascading white waterfalls, rushing relentlessly toward Lin Hui.

The blade’s light drew closer and closer. Lin Hui was gradually running out of room to dodge and was about to be struck.

"Is this the extent of your abilities, Sect Leader Lin? This isn’t enough to make me agree to form a United Sect!" Xue Meng of the Intention Blade Sect laughed heartily.

"I just wanted to observe your strength a bit more, old brother." Lin Hui, sensing that his opponent’s blade speed had slowed and that he had no intention to harm, felt the man’s goodwill and replied with a smile.

"However, be careful now, Sect Leader Xue. I have comprehended my sect’s Martial Arts and created a Secret Technique rooted in the Qingfeng Sword. Once I use it, my speed might get a little faster. If I’m not careful, I might not be able to hold back."

"Oh? Then I must experience it for myself!" Xue Meng’s eyes lit up.

"Be careful!" With a thought, Lin Hui instantly activated Feathering.

SHIIING!!

In a flash, the sword at his waist shot out of its scabbard like lightning.

The blade vanished, dissolving into a flurry of afterimages. Like a gentle breeze, it pierced and slashed with terrifying speed, twice as fast as before.

TING TING TING TING!

In an instant, the Qinghe Sword struck Xue Meng’s body, sending a shower of sparks flying.

That was the result of the sword tip colliding at extreme speed with his Inner Strength barrier.

This speed was far, far too fast. Forget about corrosion from extended Inner Strength; even just trying to see the blade clearly was an extremely difficult task for Xue Meng.

He had anticipated it would be fast, but he never expected it to be *this* fast!

’This is what he calls "a little faster"!?

This is several times faster!!’

In that moment, the situation completely reversed. Where before it was Lin Hui retreating, it was now Xue Meng, the roles entirely switched.

Xue Meng’s face was twisted in shock. He was completely stunned.

He couldn’t see it, couldn’t see it at all. He could only feel the sword shadows opposite him moving like a gentle breeze—all-pervasive, impossible to catch. It truly lived up to the name of the Qingfeng Sword!

Retreat, retreat, retreat!

He didn’t know how far he’d retreated before he missed his footing on the ridge, stumbling into the muddy field. He couldn’t spare a thought for the mud caking his feet.

The sword shadows before him were too fast and too dense, causing his Inner Strength barrier to deplete at an alarming rate.

At this rate, he calculated that in ten minutes at most, his Inner Strength would be exhausted and he would be ground down to death.

Although he still had a Secret Technique he could unleash, the two of them had no deep-seated hatred for each other. There was no need to use such a self-harming ultimate move. So, after trying several methods to reverse the situation to no avail, Xue Meng simply shouted.

"I surrender! I give up, I give up!!"

He was over seventy years old. Using the Secret Technique would indeed grant him a massive, short-term boost in speed and Inner Strength, but it would also shorten his lifespan to some extent.

He was at an age for retirement and preserving his health. He had left Xingdiao precisely to find a stable and peaceful environment, to avoid overexerting himself and causing harm to his body.

If things were going to be the same old way here, then what was the point of coming to Tuyue? 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

SHHHK.

The instant his shout rang out, the gentle breeze stirred by the sword shadows abruptly ceased.

Lin Hui’s figure appeared a few meters in front of him. He smiled faintly and sheathed his sword.

"You let me win."

"A United Sect! Your Secret Technique is too absurd. We must form a United Sect!" Xue Meng said, panting.

"We can exchange Martial Arts knowledge," Lin Hui said with a smile. He could tell his opponent also had trump cards he hadn’t played. No one but him could learn Feathering, but with the talent of his Blood Seal, learning other Martial Arts was effortless, a piece of cake.

’No matter what, this is a huge win.’