Chapter 1098: Welcome

Chen Ling did not look back.

He knew the Destroyer's methods were extremely peculiar. If he looked back and met its gaze again, there was no telling what might happen. Even though he knew he was a Trickster himself, he currently lacked the ferocious combat power of a full Trickster. If he were killed by the Thought Calamity here, he would still die—or perhaps, suffer a fate worse than death.

The good news was that this time, the powerful hand that clouded thoughts seemed to have malfunctioned and had no effect on them. Zhao Yi and the others sped off at full throttle, putting an unknown distance between themselves and the Storm Island, leaving it far behind. They didn't stop, instead continuing to run for almost half a day. When they looked back, the storm had completely vanished.

"Phew..." Zhao Yi let out a long breath, patting his chest. "That was terrifying, truly terrifying..."

"What are you shouting about? You were sitting on me; you didn't run a single step!" Old Wolf retorted, out of breath. Perhaps due to their recent escape from death, he momentarily forgot about Zhao Yi's status as the Holy Son.

"That was close; we almost fell into its trap," another Fusionist said, shuddering at the memory. "No wonder so few witnesses from Storm Island survived before... If Chen Ling hadn't called out to stop us this time, we probably would have been finished too."

Everyone turned to look at Chen Ling behind them. The large red opera robe sat quietly atop the centipede's head, deep in thought.

"We're close to the Mother Tree now... we should arrive in an hour at most."

"That's good..."

"Once we get back, I need to report this thoroughly to Teacher Ye," Old Wolf said with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Witnessing Storm Island is no small matter..."

Hearing this, Chen Ling asked Zhao Yi curiously, "Who is Teacher Ye?"

"He's the founder of the Calamity Fusion Theory and the leader of our Fusion Faction!" A look of admiration appeared in Zhao Yi's eyes as he spoke of him. "Let me tell you, Teacher Ye is truly amazing. He spearheaded the development of our entire theoretical system, found the Mother Tree in the Gray Realm, and established our sanctuary... Almost all the Fusionists in our faction were personally saved by him."

"The leader of the Fusion Faction, huh..." Chen Ling glanced at Zhao Yi with a strange expression. "Aren't you the Holy Son of the Fusion Faction? I thought your leader would call himself a Holy Lord or something similar."

"Uh... no."

Zhao Yi scratched his head sheepishly. "Teacher Ye is very low-key. Apparently, before the Great Cataclysm, he was a renowned biologist with a doctorate, and perhaps even a professor... but he dislikes being called Doctor, Professor, or Leader. He says those titles feel too 'airy.' 'Teacher' sounds more grounded. As for my title of Holy Son... I suggested it to Teacher Ye myself, hehe..."

Chen Ling: ...

When Chen Ling first heard Zhao Yi call himself a Holy Son, he assumed the Fusion Faction was a rigidly hierarchical organization where power or talent reigned supreme. Now, it seemed it was purely because Zhao Yi himself was overly dramatic and childish.

After a brief rest, the group set off again.

Just as Old Wolf had said, they weren't far from the Fusion Faction's base. Before long, Chen Ling saw the outline of a colossal tree, reaching towards the sky, slowly appearing on the horizon. The giant tree appeared ancient and decayed, its dry black branches pointing like tangled spikes towards the sky. As they got closer, they could see countless tree hollows riddling its surface, interconnected like a vast beehive.

"This is your Fusion Faction's base?" Chen Ling found it incredible. "...How did Teacher Ye find a place like this in the Gray Realm back then?"

"I don't know that; you can ask him yourself," Zhao Yi said, visibly relaxing upon seeing the Mother Tree. He smiled at Chen Ling. "They'll be very happy to know you've arrived."

Chen Ling lowered his head, noncommittal.

The next moment, to Chen Ling's astonishment, Zhao Yi took a deep breath... then cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Brothers and sisters!!! Chen! Ling!! Is!!! Here!!!!"

Chen Ling: ???????

Zhao Yi's booming voice echoed through the Gray Realm. After a brief silence, figures began to emerge from the countless tree hollows. They looked in their direction with a mixture of bewilderment and curiosity. A rough count showed over a hundred people.

"Are you crazy?? What are you doing??" Chen Ling clapped a hand over Zhao Yi's mouth, his eyes wide.

"I'm telling them you're here!" Zhao Yi said matter-of-factly. "So they can all come out to greet you... I told you, they'll be very happy to see you."

Chen Ling struggled for a moment before managing to say, "I... don't need such a grand welcome..."

"Oh, it's too late for that," Zhao Yi chuckled, pointing towards the Mother Tree. "Look, they've all come out."

Chen Ling looked up and saw many figures emerging from the Mother Tree. As they drew closer, he could finally make out their forms... A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Not all Fusionists had the normal human appearance of Zhao Yi and the powerful Fusionists who accompanied him. Most of those emerging now still bore marks of their calamity fusion. Some had skin as black as ink, some were three or four meters tall like giants, some had unknown animal ears and tails, some had iridescent eyes, and some had furry wings on their backs. The commonality among them was their youth; the oldest appeared to be around thirty, while most others were teenagers and young adults in their twenties. Despite their unique appearances, their eyes sparkled with purity and vitality.

At this moment, all their gazes converged on Chen Ling, their eyes filled with curiosity and delight.

At the entrance of the Mother Tree, two girls, quick with their hands, had already swiftly written a large banner: "A Warm Welcome to Mr. Chen Ling to the Fusion Faction!!!" Another girl, seeing the sign, hurried over with a newspaper. While scolding the two clumsy girls, she corrected the spelling of 'Ling' on the sign. Then she dragged them both to bow and apologize to Chen Ling from a distance, muttering something under her breath.

Chen Ling had never seen so many Fusionists.

He rode the shadow centipede, arriving with Zhao Yi and the others at the Mother Tree's entrance. Noticing that a few young people at the entrance seemed to be intimidated by the shadow centipede beneath him, he patted the centipede's head. The creature immediately burrowed into the ground as if granted a reprieve, disappearing to who knew where.

Zhao Yi leaned in close to Chen Ling, nudging him with his elbow, and chuckled, "Chen Ling, welcome to... the Fusion Faction."