roccoschili Chapter 712 712: The beginning of the five decay, wearing wonderful clothes, and a crown of precious stones_1
Chapter 712 712: The beginning of the five decay, wearing wonderful clothes, and a crown of precious stones_1
"The Heaven and Man Five Decay...""The first decay: The splendid garments of the Heavenly Crowd, usually lustrous and pristine, become soiled and filthy at the end of their fortune and lifespan."
"The second decay: The jeweled crowns of the Heavenly Crowd, typically vibrant and bright, naturally wither and fade upon their heads at the end of their fortune and lifespan."
When Wang Linchi noticed the Zombie Virus 'Crown of Pearls and Jades' beginning to spread in the Southern Territory, a smile touched his lips.
And the bizarre changes in the Northern Territory corresponded to the 'Decay of Splendid Garments.'
"The Zombie Virus spreads more slowly than the corruption in the Strange Domain. Even though it can travel through the air and bypass many cultivator abilities, its propagation speed is a drawback; it can't instantly cover the entire Southern Territory. But no matter, the snowball has begun to roll."
"One Supreme Mystery Cultivator, one Supreme Evil Cultivator... The Heaven and Man Five Decay still requires two more components."
Five minus two was indeed three. However, Wang Linchi also possessed a Merit Giant, so he only needed to gather two more. The Heaven and Man Five Decay was a strategy he had devised against the Chaotic God World; for now, he would test it on the Green Nether Fairyland, as a trial run. When the Northern Territory of the Green Nether Fairyland transformed into a Strange Domain, it had already lost its ability to resist. If it had been capable of resisting, the entire Northern Territory wouldn't have degenerated to such a state. Thus, the 'end of fortune and lifespan' mentioned in the Heaven and Man Five Decay referred to the Green Nether Fairyland itself, not the so-called Ancestor Immortal Realm cultivators. Once the five decays manifested, they would impact the entire world, directly eroding and damaging the Green Nether Fairyland's Transcendental System. In severe cases, the system could even shatter. If problems arose within the Cultivator System, cultivators in the Ancestor Immortal Realm would naturally suffer the consequences, with the impact being disproportionately severe for the more powerful among them. This is because the more powerful a cultivator, the more deeply they are entwined with the Cultivator System. It's inconceivable that an Ancestor Immortal Realm cultivator would have no connection to it. Therefore, if the Cultivator System faltered, those most intimately connected to it would inevitably face problems as well. This would directly strike down the strongest individuals within the system. The overall strategy was simple: to catch bandits, first catch the king. Without the resistance of its core forces, the rest wouldn't pose a significant problem. As for the world itself, it was indeed the greatest threat, but for Wang Linchi, this threat had already been neutralized.
"There are still two protagonists that need to be dealt with."
"The Demon Path protagonist is in the Central Territory; no need to worry about him. He's nearing his end. With a slight push from me, he'll likely perish within a month or two."
"The Righteous Path protagonist is a bit trickier. He's currently in a phase of rapid advancement, making him difficult to handle at this critical juncture. Attempting a direct assassination could easily lead to complications."
"It's a pity the Merit Banner and the Meritorious Guardian were already sacrificed. Otherwise, I could have sent those two to charge once more."
The previous time the Meritorious Guardian, using the Merit Banner, had released the Biochemical Crisis in the Southern Territory, he had been struck dead by thunder from the Green Nether Fairyland момент he completed the release. Although both were lost, the Biochemical Crisis Divine Skill was successfully unleashed. The Green Nether Fairyland lacked the experience to handle such an event, so it couldn't immediately suppress the Zombie Virus's spread. As a result, the virus propagated widely, first annihilating the Dust Removal Sect and then reaching the Shaking Mountain Sect. Now, spread by Zhan Shang and through the air, the virus had already infected one percent of the Southern Territory, and this area was still expanding. In at most three days, the entire Southern Territory would become an Evil Realm. Wang Linchi could directly kill the Righteous Path protagonist he was targeting, who was currently in the Western Territory. However, to Wang Linchi, wasting such a prime protagonist seemed too regrettable.
"I recall the Western Territory being an Evil Domain where Magical Artifacts awaken, correct?"
Wang Linchi flipped through his plan. He felt he would once again have to play the role of a gift-bearing boy for the protagonist. Fortuitous encounters might seem beneficial, but some were far from it. For instance, items bestowed by him were essentially calamities in disguise.
"As a protagonist, I should lend him a hand. Otherwise, how could he keep up with the current trends?" Wang Linchi's eyes narrowed.
Frankly, if the Demon Path protagonist in the Central Territory could just hold on for another ten years or so, Wang Linchi would have eagerly rushed to his doorstep with gifts, inviting him to join his 'family' of protagonists. Unfortunately, that protagonist's luck was abysmal; he was clearly nearing his end. As for saving him—why bother? He was a dark-path protagonist, specializing in betrayal and repaying kindness with malice. Did anyone truly believe that those who rose to prominence in the Demon Path were forced into it or merely misunderstood? Such coincidences were rare. If he were truly saved, he might just turn around and backstab Wang Linchi. Wouldn't it be better to wait for him to perish and then cultivate a new protagonist? Controlling someone from their weakest state was far preferable to dealing with a cunning Old Silver Coin. Righteous Path protagonists had their weaknesses; Demon Path protagonists had none.
Wang Linchi re-estimated the time and cross-referenced the data. The Qiandao Realm was still about a year and a half away from the Green Nether Fairyland.
For him, there was still ample time.
However, for all the cultivators of the Green Nether Fairyland, this year and a half was perilously short.
The changes in the Northern and Southern Territories struck them like a blitzkrieg; before they could react, things had irrevocably changed in an instant.
They were slow to grasp the situation, and even now, had not yet realized the true nature of the problem.
For instance, the Supreme Sword Sect had indeed dispatched someone to investigate the Southern Strange Domain—an Immortal Sovereign Realm expert, no less. This demonstrated the gravity with which they viewed the situation.
But they overlooked a critical issue: time.
Yu Ke had already become a powerful Guixiu within the Strange Domain, yet the Supreme Sword Sect still believed he was investigating, completely unaware that he had already met with misfortune.
The reason was simple: only a few days had passed. How could there be results so quickly? Meaningful findings would typically take a year or two to emerge.
The entire cultivator community, outside of combat, operated on a vastly slower perception of time. They might spend a thousand years in seclusion to cultivate a single Divine Skill or remain motionless for ten thousand years to comprehend a Cultivation Technique. For them, the timescale was immense.
This stemmed from their own long lifespans.
"I wonder what their perception of time is like. Even immortal species should be feeling a sense of urgency by now, shouldn't they?"
"Surely it can't be because they're still too engrossed in internal strife to sense the impending crisis?"
The Supreme Sword Sect had always been entangled with the three major Demon Path Sects in the Central Territory, and the precarious balance between the Righteous and Demon Paths had drawn in most of the major powers. Furthermore, the Central Territory had always maintained a superior mindset. Even if everyone in the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Territories perished, it wouldn't significantly affect the Central Territory. This was primarily because the Central Territory was vast and rich in resources. The other four territories were more like minor appendages, almost like freebies thrown in with the acquisition of the Central Territory. Wang Linchi himself was somewhat puzzled as to why the Green Nether Fairyland was demarcated in such a way. However, precisely because of this, the Green Nether Fairyland, though unable to mount a defense, had not suffered damage to its core. It was akin to losing limbs but managing to survive.
...
Ding Chaomu involuntarily shivered, an ominous premonition surfacing in his heart.
"Could it be that the Grand Heaven Sect is plotting something again?" His first thought was that his old adversary, the Grand Heaven Sect, was stirring up trouble once more.
He recalled how his Hengtian Sect had risen from obscurity; under his stewardship, it now ranked among the top ten sects in the Western Territory.
"I must break through to the Immortal Sovereign Realm as soon as possible. The Western Territory is ultimately too small. To advance further, I must go to the Central Territory." Ding Chaomu assessed his situation. He currently had numerous enemies. Besides the Demon Path, many within the Righteous Path were also trying to hinder his progress and drag him down.
For example, his old nemesis, the Grand Heaven Sect, had repeatedly sold his intelligence to Demon Path Sects, thereby disrupting many of his plans.
However, as they were a Righteous Sect, he couldn't just eliminate them directly. He could only engage in mutual provocations and underhanded tactics, which had been exasperating.
"No, I cannot remain in the Western Territory any longer."
For reasons unknown, ever since the Northern Territory transformed into a Strange Domain, Ding Chaomu had sensed a peculiar, unsettling shift within the Green Nether Fairyland, a feeling that filled him with palpitations.
He couldn't quite articulate this sensation. He had always dismissed it as a mere illusion, until today, when it suddenly became sharp and undeniable.
It instilled in him an urgent desire to head towards the Central Territory.
"The resources needed for the breakthrough to the Immortal Sovereign Realm must be gathered as quickly as possible." Ding Chaomu resolved, deciding to accelerate his efforts, even if it meant a complete falling out with the Grand Heaven Sect.
However, his 'as soon as possible' referred to a timeframe of within ten years, not ten days.
He wished it could be ten days, or even just twenty hours, but that was unrealistic. If breaking through to the Immortal Sovereign Realm were truly so simple, so many cultivators wouldn't be stuck at that bottleneck.
Surely, it wasn't that these cultivators didn't *want* to reach the Immortal Sovereign Realm and preferred to stagnate in the Immortal Emperor Realm? That would be utterly foolish.