BOOM!!

Another massive explosion erupted. The blast pulverized a tremendous volume of seawater, transforming it into an even denser fog that shrouded the surroundings.

A poisonous miasma, far thicker than before—so dense you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face—slowly formed amidst the repeated explosions.

The moment this great fog appeared, it covered all the sea in a thousand-kilometer radius, and its area was still expanding rapidly.

To avoid being caught in the aftermath, Gongsun Xinlian had no choice but to retreat several thousand kilometers. At the same time, she kept watch, ready to disperse any massive waves heading for Black Cloud Harbor.

She floated in mid-air, her face etched with worry as she watched the continuous flashes of white light erupting over the distant sea.

"I underestimated the scale of their battle. If this continues, Black Cloud Harbor might be affected," she said grimly.

"Then we’ll intervene and stop the fight before that Lin Hui is defeated." Her elder brother, Xie Chang’an, appeared beside her. He stood with his hands behind his back, his long robes fluttering as he gazed at the distant battlefield.

"When the time comes, we’ll act together. I’ll stop the fight, and you’ll control the aftershocks. We’re still too close to the harbor here."

"Alright!" Gongsun Xinlian nodded firmly. "Big Brother, why are you so certain Lin Hui will lose?"

"Because the fog is indestructible. It may seem like they’re evenly matched, but in truth, Tuyue hasn’t even used her Evil Energy yet. Moreover, the fog that constitutes her body must be true evil fog now. It seems she’s had a breakthrough in recent years. You should know that true evil fog like ours has only ever been damaged by the power of a Fog Spirit or certain sealed taints since its creation. Otherwise, no matter how it’s destroyed or annihilated, it remains completely unharmed," Xie Chang’an explained. "True evil fog only transfers; it’s never consumed. That’s a theorem the Federation’s Inner Court established after many years of research."

"In that case, Lin Hui’s defeat is certain. He’s already injured..." Gongsun Xinlian nodded. "But to be able to fight one of us to this extent... he’s already comparable to the most elite Blood Progenitors."

"He is indeed a rare talent. If possible... Oh no, Tuyue is losing it! She’s going to use her Evil Energy!" Xie Chang’an’s expression suddenly changed, and his figure vanished in a flash.

Gongsun Xinlian didn’t hesitate either. She leaped, and her body silently dispersed into an explosion of pure white particles, instantly covering all the sea in a radius of several dozen kilometers.

Countless beams of white light rose from the sea, like innumerable pale, giant trees growing out of the ocean.

Vines of white light sprouted from the surface of every giant tree, intertwining to form an immense white wall that stretched for dozens of kilometers, shielding the direction of Black Cloud Harbor.

*

*

*

"HAHAHAHA!"

「At the heart of the battle.」

Tuyue once again coalesced a giant hand of white spores.

"You forced my hand! You forced me!"

Within the giant hand, a massive, dark-red wheel made of flesh and blood was faintly visible, shimmering with a crimson glow.

She had never imagined that even after fighting to this point and revealing her Realm of true evil fog, she still couldn’t suppress Lin Hui.

Her true body was immortal and indestructible, capable of re-forming an infinite number of times.

But to have the fight drag on this long... She was a Fog Person, and he was a mere mortal—not even a Blood Progenitor.

The fact that he could fight her to a standstill was, in itself, a loss for her.

It was like a grown man wrestling with a mouse and finding it an even match—the man had already lost by default.

Perhaps after today, she would be forever nailed to the Federation’s pillar of shame, branded as the weakest Fog Person in history! Bar none!

She couldn’t tolerate it.

Unforgivable!

"In that case, just die!"

The dark-red, fleshy wheel inside Tuyue’s body began to turn slowly, emitting a crisp, bell-like chime.

At this moment, Lin Hui, who had reformed a tornado and was floating within it, could no longer suppress his internal injuries.

"I’ve been waiting for this move... Then bring it on! Let’s see if your Evil Energy can even stir my Magic Body!"

Lin Hui was covered in blood, but his eyes were brighter than ever.

This brightness wasn’t a metaphor; they were literally glowing with a brilliant blue light.

His black hair suddenly broke free from its cord, spreading out and flying wildly as it rapidly turned blue, transforming into translucent, glowing blue strands.

Like tentacles, each strand of hair quietly pierced into the void, beginning to draw and absorb immense power from some unknown place.

At the same time, his body began to expand rapidly, growing larger and taller. In the blink of an eye, he had reached a height of three and a half meters.

Three golden runes floated behind him, while large patches of sky-blue markings appeared all over his skin.

"Qingyuan Body! Activate!"

Lin Hui gripped his Ruyi again. In front of his current massive frame, the Ruyi now looked a little short.

But he paid it no mind, his gaze fixed on the wheel of flesh and blood in the distance.

His injuries were already healing rapidly under the Wind Disaster Power. Aside from his torn robes, it was as if everything had returned to how it was at the start.

The two sides faced off once more. A new, more intense round of their final battle was about to begin.

"Enough!" A sharp cry suddenly rang out in the space between them.

A giant hand formed from countless emerald leaves materialized in the air, blocking Lin Hui’s path.

The hand spanned dozens of kilometers like a wall, forcibly separating him and Tuyue.

"Young friend Lin Hui, I am Xie Chang’an, one of the Three Black Cloud City Lords. Please, show me some respect. This is too close to Black Cloud Harbor. If you keep fighting, the port could be destroyed by a tsunami, and the casualties could be in the millions!" Xie Chang’an’s voice echoed in Lin Hui’s mind.

"If you continue, I’m afraid Tuyue will wear you down to your death. As long as our main bodies of evil fog remain undamaged, we Fog People can fight like this forever! You are already heavily injured, and I can sense that you’ve expended most of your Heart and Spirit. It’s not in your favor to go on, so why not quit while you’re ahead? Rest assured, as long as you’re in Black Cloud, my two siblings and I will look after your family and friends for as long as you’re here. This is my promise as the Black Cloud City Lord."

Lin Hui remained silent.

It was just as the man said. Though his body had been healed by the Wind Disaster Power, the consumption and damage to his Heart and Spirit were substantial—he had lost more than half.

All Swordsmanship required his Heart and Spirit to execute. If he kept fighting like this, he would likely be worn down to his death in less than two hours.

Seeing his silence, Xie Chang’an knew he was wavering and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"Besides, Tuyue is about to use her innate Evil Energy. The life-draining ability of the Wheel of Longevity holds absolute power over all life forms that aren’t Fog People or Fog Spirits. It can absorb a year of your life every second. What will you fight her with then? It would be better to stop now. We can mediate a truce, and you can both take a step back."

Lin Hui tightened his grip on his Ruyi, not speaking for a long time.

Only now did he truly understand why the Fog People had stood at the apex for so many years, unchallenged.

’This kind of existence... is too dangerous...’

Once they reveal their true forms, they can easily annihilate all life within a radius of thousands of kilometers.

The Nine Eyes on his neck were now shimmering with a faint green fluorescence, ready to be activated at any moment.

In truth, he had already noticed the contrast between his own injuries and depletion versus Tuyue’s complete lack of exhaustion.

It was a clear case of one side weakening while the other remained strong.

That was why he had been prepared, if all else failed, to use his trump card and seal her away.

But whether the Spirit-Sealing Array could truly seal her completely was still an unknown.

Even though he had sealed the strongest monsters he could find from the Outer Fog Area within the Spirit-Sealing Array—nine of them, all at the peak High Priest level...

...facing an entity beyond all convention like a Fog Person, success was still uncertain.

"I understand. Then I’ll have to trouble City Lord Xie." Lin Hui held his Ruyi upright, slowly sheathed it, and returned it to his waist.

Although having the other party intervene to make peace was his original goal, he still felt a bit of regret now that the fight had reached this stage.

’If only I could have sealed a Fog Person...’

Across the distance, Tuyue’s massive wheel of flesh and blood also slowly dissipated.

Clearly, she had also been persuaded to stop.

Before long, the surrounding fog dispersed. A sea breeze swept through, forcibly suppressing all the waves and swells.

The surface of the sea was calm once more.

Lin Hui looked up at the sky. The massive, fate-like typhoon cyclone also slowly dissipated, returning the sky to its previous state as a hazy, fog-filled sea.

"Thank you, City Lord Xie, for your intervention. I am deeply grateful." Lin Hui returned to his original form and bowed slightly to Xie Chang’an.

Although he felt that if the fight had continued, he wouldn’t necessarily have lost, others didn’t know about his trump card.

For Xie Chang’an to step in and mediate a truce when Lin Hui was at a clear disadvantage was already a significant favor.

"There’s no need to be so polite, young friend Lin. Since you’ve come to settle in my Black Cloud City, you’re one of our citizens. Having a top-tier fighter like you join us is a great help in our fight against the god hordes. We couldn’t be happier, so don’t mention gratitude!" Xie Chang’an laughed heartily.

"If you don’t mind, you can just call me Big Brother Xie from now on."

"Then thank you, Big Brother Xie." Lin Hui went along with it, accepting the relationship, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, Xie Chang’an was multitasking, communicating telepathically with the now-calm Tuyue.

"If you had kept fighting, so what if you won? So what if you killed that Lin Hui? You fought to the point of revealing your true evil fog body. Even if you won, the story would spread and you’d become a laughingstock. It’s better to quit while you’re ahead. This way, you can build a reputation for sparring with a junior. You can say you revealed your true form to let a junior witness the power of us Fog People. Everyone’s happy this way, isn’t that wonderful?" Xie Chang’an’s words quickly pulled Tuyue back from the depths of her shame and anger.

Her thoughts raced, and a soft, charming smile returned to her face.

"Big Brother Xie is truly righteous. You are worthy of being the senior who has managed Black Cloud to such a grand and prosperous scale. This little sister is impressed."

"Little Sister was just momentarily overcome, her Heart and Spirit thrown into chaos by Evil Energy, leading her down a dead end. It’s good that you’re clear-headed now," Xie Chang’an said with a smile.

"Since Big Brother Xie is so righteous, why not just hand over the entire Lin Family for this little sister to take back? I am willing to trade three vials of Blood Progenitor’s blood essence for them," Tuyue continued.

"How could I do that? The Lin Family came to my Black Cloud together; they are citizens of Black Cloud City. If I were to hand them over, wouldn’t that tarnish my righteous name? Why don’t we do this instead: Little Sister Tuyue, you send the rest of the Lin Family’s relatives and friends over from your side to mine. Fulfill my wish to do a good deed and complete my righteous heart. For that, I am willing to trade three vials of Blood Progenitor’s blood essence. How about it?" Xie Chang’an replied with a placid smile.

"Big Brother Xie... that’s unreasonable," Tuyue’s expression shifted slightly.

"No? Then I’ll just have to go pick them up myself. Coincidentally, I haven’t left Black Cloud in a long time. In a few months, I’ll pay a personal visit to your domain, Tuyue..."

"Big Brother Xie, you jest. Why should a busy man like yourself make a personal trip over such a small matter? This little sister will have someone send them over shortly." Tuyue’s eyes changed at his words.

The Evil Soldier that this Xie Chang’an had fused with was named Infinite Blade. Despite his current peaceful and gentle demeanor...

...when he truly turned hostile, he was a terrifying ogre, infamous even among the Fog People.

The number of Fog People who had died at his hands—or rather, been devoured by him—was at least five, if not eight.

As for Fog Spirits, there were even more.

Of the Fog Spirits whose power and reputation were similar to her own, she knew of at least a double-digit number who had died at the hands of the man before her!

"Little Sister Tuyue is truly understanding. I can rest easy then," Xie Chang’an laughed. "Since everything is settled, you may go back. I have important matters to attend to, so I won’t see you off."

"...Big Brother Xie, why don’t you come over to my place for a... visit?" Tuyue’s eyes danced. She lightly bit her lower lip, her voice taking on a strange, seductive tone as she put a slight emphasis on the word "visit."

"That won’t be necessary. We wouldn’t want any unsavory rumors to spread and cause a misunderstanding for a little sister like you," Xie Chang’an replied with an unswayed smile, rejecting her offer.

With that, the connection broke, leaving Tuyue floating in mid-air with an ugly expression on her face, motionless for a long time.