The Decaying World-Chapter 96 - 91: Sword Test 5

Faint traces by the wall showed that these people had been hiding here for a long time, constantly monitoring the apothecary.

They were likely waiting to be the first to spot reinforcements from Qingfeng Temple so they could plan their next move.

With a flick of his sword, Lin Hui sent the cylinder in the woman’s hand flying into the air and caught it.

"Let’s see what’s stronger: your confidence or my blade..." He pinched the thin cord at the bottom of the cylinder, about to pull it.

"Friend, you’d better think this through." Suddenly, an old man with messy hair and a grizzled beard emerged from the nearby shadows, carrying a brown pipa.

The old man was clearly a Martial Artist, and definitely not an ordinary one.

His pipa wasn’t made of wood, but forged from pure metal. An ordinary person, or even an average Martial Artist, couldn’t hope to defeat an enemy with such a weapon. They would likely injure themselves just by swinging it too fast.

"Think what through?" Lin Hui’s hand paused as he looked at the man. "And who are you?"

"The New Martial Alliance isn’t just for those from Xingdiao. I am Wu Shihan, and I’ve been observing the Flying Stone Sect for some time now. They haven’t only provoked you. They’ve also moved against three other sects in the area, encroaching on their interests. They’re extremely domineering." The old man spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the corpses on the ground.

"If you rashly send that signal and give away your position, they will spare no effort to send their masters here to eliminate you at once. That’s why I’m telling you to think twice before you pull."

"The outcome will be the same. Since we have to settle this sooner or later, why not now?" Lin Hui had no intention of wasting time hunting them down later.

’Since everyone is so confident in their own strength, let’s put it to the test.’

"Good, very confident! You must be... Observatory Master Lin Hui of Qingfeng Temple, correct? I’d heard the rumors but didn’t think much of them. I see now the man is more impressive than the legend," Wu Shihan of the New Martial Alliance said admiringly.

PFFT!

The next moment, a streak of fire shot skyward from the cylinder.

The streak of fire exploded in mid-air, turning into a shower of orange sparks that lasted for two seconds before quickly flickering out.

Tossing the cylinder aside, Lin Hui glanced at Wu Shihan of the New Martial Alliance.

"Does the New Martial Alliance have a plan to deal with this? Or are you just going to let the Martial Artists from Xingdiao expand as they please?"

"Of course not. The New Martial Alliance was built on the foundations of the old, collapsed Martial Alliance. Currently, the Carefree Pavilion is aggressively recruiting Martial Artists from Xingdiao, and its power is growing with incredible speed. The Golden Crow Sect has already made preparations," Wu Shihan said with a smile.

"What preparations?" Lin Hui had heard from Xue Meng that the Golden Crow Sect and the Carefree Pavilion were now the two strongest powers in the New Martial Alliance, the two giants in a coalition composed mainly of martial arts schools.

The Carefree Pavilion was the outsider faction from Xingdiao, while the Golden Crow Sect was composed of native Tuyue Martial Artists.

"It’s actually quite simple." Wu Shihan, holding his pipa, gave it a casual strum, producing a brief, metallic melody.

"It boils down to four words: overt conflict, covert battles."

"Overt conflict, covert battles..."

"Overtly, we suppress the speed of their growth and expansion. Covertly, we take action to weaken their strength," Wu Shihan replied. "And as for how to weaken them... you already have a perfect justification, don’t you? You can’t just let someone beat you up and not expect them to fight back, right?"

He gestured at the corpses on the ground with a knowing look.

"So, you’re also here to kill?" Lin Hui asked bluntly.

"Don’t make it sound so ugly. I’m here to help... in self-defense," Wu Shihan’s face stiffened as he quickly corrected him.

Lin Hui couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. ’So that’s his game,’ he thought. ’The Golden Crow Sect of the New Martial Alliance sent him to cause trouble for the Carefree Pavilion.’

The Flying Stone Sect was essentially a proxy force, established by the Carefree Pavilion pulling the strings and recruiting Martial Artists from Xingdiao.

He turned and stepped out from behind the wall. He saw Wang Hongshi and the other three forming a perimeter, keeping curious onlookers from getting too close.

The locals here really had no fear of death. Too much Wanfu Meat had left some of them permanently dazed and unhinged, so crowd control was a must.

"Observatory Master, that flare...?" Wang Hongshi stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"They’ll be here any second. Spread out, don’t clump together. I’ll handle the Inner Power Realm Martial Artists; you take care of the rest," Lin Hui said calmly. His gaze drifted past a nearby street corner, as if he could already hear the sounds of rapid approach.

His opponents were arriving faster than he had expected.

Before long, a squad of burly Martial Artists appeared through the swirling snow. They all had cross-shaped scars on the backs of their hands, wore matching light-yellow martial attire, and carried Thick-Backed Sabers.

Their leader was a woman—tall and powerfully built. Were it not for her prominent bust, one might mistake her for a man even up close.

"Over here!" The woman was Yao Huan, the same Inner Power Martial Artist who had fought Xue Meng.

Even from a distance, through the wind and snow, her eyes immediately locked onto Lin Hui’s group of five. She also saw the corpses lying in the corner, blood pooling around them.

But perhaps because she was accustomed to such sights, Yao Huan merely gave the bodies a cold glance before fixing her gaze on Lin Hui and his disciples.

"Qingfeng Temple? They finally sent someone... Master!" She stopped short and looked to her right.

To the right was a row of residential houses. But now, atop a two-story building, two figures in gray robes and black tiger masks slowly emerged.

Judging by the color of their hair, which was more white than black, they were not young—at least sixty years old.

"I saw it. Such a fast sword. That must be Observatory Master Lin of Qingfeng Temple, Lin Hui himself, I presume?" One of the gray-robed men was Bai Feihan, who had previously fought Xue Meng. He looked down upon the five from Qingfeng Temple with a mixture of confusion and admiration.

"A mere five people, daring to charge in here. One man facing several masters of Inner Strength. Your courage is commendable, but you are more brave than wise."

"I heard his Body Technique is incredibly fast. I made a special trip just to see for myself which is quicker: his Qingfeng Sword of Tuyue, or my Heaven-Flipping Hand of Xingdiao!" the other gray-robed man said, his voice cold and tinged with arrogance.

And that wasn’t all. Another person emerged from behind Lin Hui and his group.

This man was bald and eyebrowless. He wore a black kasaya and carried a coiled, gray, net-like object. His gaze instantly locked onto Lin Hui and his disciples.

"Then you’d better be quick. Once I cast this great net, no matter how fast he is, he’ll be like a turtle in a jar—an easy catch!"

"Old Yan, you can wait until after I’ve made my move," the gray-robed man said, displeased.

"Time is short. We can talk after the job is done," the bald man said with a grin.

The men bantered casually in front of Lin Hui’s group, completely at ease, as if he wasn’t even there.

But posturing was one thing. The formation they took told a different story. Far from underestimating Lin Hui, they had prepared for every contingency.

Four Inner Power Martial Artists had them completely surrounded, and they even had a special net designed to counter high-speed opponents. For Lin Hui, who wasn’t even twenty, they were clearly taking him very seriously.

Four pairs of eyes were now locked on Lin Hui, watching his every move. They simply couldn’t fathom it. Why would Qingfeng Temple’s Observatory Master really walk right into an ambush with only four disciples in tow?

’He’s still too young... far too confident.’

Hiding nearby, Wu Shihan secretly shook his head. ’This force could take down two more fighters of Xue Meng’s caliber, let alone a novice like Lin Hui who just reached the Inner Power Realm.’

’Worse, Lin Hui’s arrogance led him to bring four liabilities. Once the fighting starts, they’ll just hold him back and tie his hands.’

’I really don’t know what he was thinking.’

Wu Shihan could already see it: after today’s battle, Qingfeng Temple would go into decline, its glory vanishing as quickly as a shooting star.

’So be it. I’ll have to make a move in a moment and risk snatching Lin Hui away. If the others die, they die. A genius like him, once he reaches the peak of Perfection, will surely get his chance for revenge someday.’

’The death of his disciples today might even become the motivation he needs to strive for greater power.’

His mind made up, Wu Shihan gripped his Iron Pipa and began to circulate his Inner Strength, preparing to strike at a moment’s notice.

He wasn’t the only one. Wang Hongshi and the other three disciples had also sensed the danger, and their expressions grew grim.

Through the wind and snow, the auras of the Inner Power Realm masters flared without restraint. A faint white glow of Inner Strength emanated from them, like pale lanterns, clearly distinguishing them from ordinary Martial Artists.

One, two, three, four... A total of four Inner Power Realm masters!

’How are we supposed to fight this!?’

Wang Hongshi’s resolve wavered. He snuck a glance forward, only to see the calm back of Lin Hui, dressed in white.

’He didn’t know what the Observatory Master had planned, but one wrong move now could get them all killed. The three branches of Qingfeng Temple had only just united, and Observatory Master Lin Hui was their backbone. If anything happened to him...’

He glanced at Chen Sui and the other two beside him.

Their faces were also grim, but their expressions were resolute. They were ready to fight.

Clearly, compared to the three original disciples of Qingfeng Temple who had been through so many ups and downs, Wang Hongshi’s composure was lacking.

Just then, Lin Hui gave his sword a casual flourish, his gaze sweeping over the four Inner Power Realm masters one by one.

"Is that everyone?"

"??!!"

The four of them froze, stunned by his sudden question.

’It was four against one, a clear kill-squad, yet their target was still perfectly calm and confident. This wasn’t just pride, it was pure arrogance!’

’Shouldn’t he be trying to break through and escape for his life at a time like this?’

HSSS.

Lin Hui ran his fingers lightly along the flat of his blade, wiping away the last traces of blood.

"Does anyone know where our Elder, Xue Meng, is?"

"Is he dead or alive? Or have you locked him up somewhere?"

"At a time like this, Observatory Master Lin, you should be more worried about yourself," Bai Feihan laughed. After his initial surprise, he guessed Lin Hui was still calm because he believed he could easily escape thanks to his speed.

But unfortunately for him, they had come fully prepared to counter a high-speed Body Technique.

And yet, the words Xue Meng had said as he chased him into the Fog Area flashed unbidden through his mind.

"You have no idea how fast the Observatory Master’s sword is." The memory of Xue Meng’s mocking expression still bothered him.

For a veteran master at the peak of Inner Power Perfection to praise someone’s speed to that extent... it was something that could not be taken lightly.

That was why he had invited two old friends to join him and his disciple in this ambush against Qingfeng Temple. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

They had to completely absorb Qingfeng Temple in this one battle and seize its vast surrounding assets.

Snowflakes danced on the wind.

Lin Hui realized he wasn’t going to get any answers out of them.

He raised his sword, holding it diagonally across his body.

"Isn’t it good to be alive?"

A faint white light began to glow along his arms and shoulders.

"I should be the one saying that to you. It’s a pity your four young disciples have to die here with you," Bai Feihan roared with laughter.

Likewise, the white glow of Inner Strength around his own body grew brighter.

The two men locked eyes, each seeing absolute, murderous intent in the other’s gaze.