Chapter 1100: Ye Laoshi

Chapter 1100: Teacher YeAuthor: Sanyin YinyuWord Count: 1199

Chen Ling paused slightly. The light in his eyes dimmed unmistakably as he lowered his head and fell silent. Back then, Chen Ling had the courage to face the Mortal Realm alone because he knew the Ancient Trove of Drama supported him. In the past, Chen Ling could boldly let Lu Xun clear the way for him because his comrades and brothers were by his side, with boundless prospects and high spirits... But what about now? Now, he was just a homeless wanderer; everything that once gave him confidence had left him.

Noticing the change in Chen Ling's expression, Teacher Ye paused, then spoke again: "Mr. Chen, I actually understand you... No one in this world can always have smooth sailing, and no one can always charge ahead without hindrance. There are peaks, and there will be valleys, and it is precisely because of the valleys that people climb to higher peaks.

Zhao Yi has already sent me a message detailing your situation. Whatever confusion you have, whatever plans you have for the future, you can treat the Fusion Faction as a safe harbor. You can stay as long as you wish, and when you've thought things through, we won't stop you from leaving... In short, I hope you, like everyone else, treat this place as your home, not just a so-called 'organization'."

Chen Ling silently watched the steaming teacup before him. After an unknown amount of time, he nodded. "...Thank you."

"Oh, right," Teacher Ye suddenly recalled something and asked with some doubt, "According to the time Zhao Yi messaged me, you should have arrived half a day ago... Was there something that caused a delay?"

"Yes, we encountered the Stormy Isolated Island on our way."

Hearing the words "Stormy Isolated Island," Teacher Ye's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Thought Calamity... Hmm... Let me guess, did you make eye contact with it?"

Chen Ling was startled. "How did you know?"

"It most likely sensed your aura, which is why it approached," Teacher Ye calmly replied. "Thought Calamity is a disaster hidden within thoughts; it has no physical body. Therefore, among all the world-ending calamities, it is the most low-key one... But at the same time, it is related to all of them. The Scarlet Sovereign of the Abyss of Demonic Mockery has been missing for so long and then suddenly appeared deep within the Gray Realm. When Thought Calamity sensed this, it naturally became curious and came to observe you... But rest assured, the relationship between Thought Calamity and Mockery Calamity is not as poor as that between Breath Calamity and Mockery Calamity, so it shouldn't directly provoke you. However, you should be careful in the future; don't think about it when there's no need, because as soon as you think of it, it will sense you and might even directly intervene in your mind."

Teacher Ye's words left Chen Ling stunned... He couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Ye, do you... have extensive research on the world-ending calamities?"

From Teacher Ye's words, it seemed he had thoroughly studied these world-ending calamities, even knowing about the strained relationship between Mockery Calamity and Breath Calamity. This seemingly ordinary teacher now appeared shrouded in a mysterious veil to Chen Ling.

"Me?" Teacher Ye smiled slightly. "Not particularly extensive... However, I should be one of the first people in the world to start studying them, and I've been researching them the longest... I've studied their abilities, territories, and even their offspring. Among humans, probably no one understands them better than I do. In the early years, to help other researchers better understand the characteristics of these world-ending calamities, I even summarized a descriptive phrase for each of them. What was the phrase I wrote for Thought Calamity back then... Oh, I remember now: 'The island nightmare of the long-sleeping storm, the sinister wraith at the end of thought.'"

Chen Ling gaped in astonishment. "Those descriptive phrases... you wrote them? And their names, and the names of their territories..."

"I named them all," Teacher Ye said, gently skimming the foam from the tea's surface with the teacup lid. A hint of reminiscence flickered in his eyes. "That's all in the past now... By now, the Human Realm probably struck my name off their records. Those young scholars likely don't even know someone like me ever existed."

Chen Ling's thoughts raced. The leader of the Fusion Faction was an expert in world-ending calamities—this news made him somewhat excited. After all, his purpose in coming to the Fusion Faction was to better control Mockery Calamity. Originally, he only held a little hope for the Fusion Faction, but now, after meeting Teacher Ye, that hope grew much stronger.

"Teacher Ye, to be honest..." Chen Ling got straight to the point. "I came to the Fusion Faction hoping to use your strength to control Mockery Calamity."

Teacher Ye was not surprised by Chen Ling's objective. He stroked his chin with one hand, falling into thought. "Control Mockery Calamity, you say... That's not easy. Frankly, if someone from our Fusion Faction had that idea, I would tell them to dismiss it immediately. But you... you're different."

"Why am I different?"

"Mockery Calamity is not what people perceive as 'a single calamity.' It is a collective entity of calamities, each possessing self-awareness and individual aspirations. Think of it like an ant colony: the queen is the brain that gives orders, and the other ants are its veins and limbs. You can view an ant colony as a cluster of hundreds of individual ants, or from another perspective, as a complete entity with a unified mind and absolute executive power.

Mockery Calamity's power is the strongest among all world-ending calamities. If not for its 'cluster' nature, which often leads to self-cannibalism and internal conflict among its individual components, it might have already unified all calamity territories and become the true King of Calamities... Therefore, for anyone to attempt to control even a shred of Mockery Calamity's power is a delusion. But you are different... because you yourself are one of the individuals that constitute 'Mockery Calamity'... aren't you?"

Teacher Ye's gaze fixed on Chen Ling's eyes. This single sentence sent a shockwave through Chen Ling's mind! The world might know Chen Ling is Mockery Calamity, but the fact that he is one of its observers, a part of Mockery Calamity itself, remains a secret... Aside from himself and the Red King, no one should know. Yet, Teacher Ye had seen through Chen Ling's essence with just a glance.

"How... how did you see that?" Chen Ling asked, incredulous.

"As I said, no one can control Mockery Calamity's power... yet you have. The only possibility is that you are one of the 'Mockery Calamities' who has developed self-awareness." Teacher Ye paused briefly. "As for how your consciousness was born, I cannot comprehend it; in my view, it's absolutely impossible... yet you did it. That's why I've always wanted to meet you."

Chen Ling fell silent. Chen Ling knew very well that he hadn't achieved this himself; it was the Red King who had...

"So, is there hope for me to control Mockery Calamity?" Chen Ling asked.

Teacher Ye thought for a long time, then nodded uncertainly. "Perhaps... we can try."