Chapter 1232: A Precarious Future

"The Tianchu Domain went into a state of high alert, shutting down all domain trains and beginning to seal off its borders..."

"Old Wolf and I discussed it carefully. If the Sighing Wilderness’s goal was to conquer the Tianchu Domain, this blockade wouldn't be lifted anytime soon. But without our supplies, the children of the Fusion Faction wouldn't last long."

"So, we decided to risk a breakout before the encirclement of the Sighing Wilderness was fully formed."

Zhao Yi’s lips were cracked. He took the water cup handed to him by Sun Bumian, took a large gulp, and continued:

"It was smooth at first. After all, Old Wolf had fused with a Calamity from the Sighing Wilderness, and since there were gaps in the encirclement, we successfully avoided most of the Calamities. But we were dragging a large amount of supplies, which made us too conspicuous..."

"Just as we were about to leave the encirclement, we encountered a wave of Calamity attacks."

"Those Calamities seemed to have entered some kind of frenzied state. Even though we all had Calamity auras, they still attacked us. All our supplies were smashed, and we had to fight for our lives. If Old Wolf hadn't been fast enough to lead us out at the end, I’m afraid..."

Zhao Yi didn't continue.

But after hearing this, everyone present had a grave expression.

"To actually bring the entire Sighing Wilderness to surround the Tianchu Domain..." Teacher Ye muttered to himself. "They are even more impatient than I anticipated."

Half a year ago, Chen Ling and the others had noticed the unusual movements in the Sighing Wilderness. They knew clearly that this encirclement of the Tianchu Domain by the Sighing Wilderness was definitely not a sudden whim of the Calamity of Breath, but a plot hatched over half a year...

And this action was undoubtedly sending a signal to everyone:

The World-Ending Calamities were going to war with the human domains.

Although Calamities had attacked human domains before—for instance, the Forbidden Sea occupying the Aurora Domain—that was only when the Aurora Monarch was on the verge of death. So far, there had been no instances of a World-Ending Calamity assaulting a human domain in its prime.

After all, the World-Ending Calamities weren't stupid. Once they did that, the Nine Monarchs would awaken from their slumber, and the Nine Monarchs, with their fleeting lifespans, would be like dying beasts, capable of unleashing terrifying lethality... Even if the World-Ending Calamities won, they would have to pay a heavy price.

But this time, they had no way out.

Staying in the Gray World meant certain death; conquering a domain and capturing a Monarch was their only glimmer of hope...

"The Sighing Wilderness has already made its move; the other Calamity territories are likely not far behind," He Chengxuan said, deep in thought. "Excluding the Ghost-Mocking Abyss, there are currently five major Calamity territories in the Gray World, and there happen to be five human domains left... Heh, how fitting."

At the mention of the Ghost-Mocking Abyss, He Chengxuan, Mi Bo, and the others subconsciously looked at Chen Ling...

Who would have thought that while the other five World-Ending Calamities were preparing to conquer human domains, Chen Ling, the Lord of the Ghost-Mocking Abyss, was here in the Fusion Faction, stressed out over final exams.

"Teacher Ye, what should we do?" Mi Bo looked at Teacher Ye, who had remained silent.

"If all human domains are surrounded by Calamity territories, we will lose our supply of goods... Other things like clothes and books are one thing, but with over a hundred people in our Fusion Faction, if we don't have a continuous food supply, I’m afraid we won't last long."

Mi Bo’s words pointed directly to the core dilemma of the Fusion Faction. Although the children of the Fusion Faction had fused with parts of Calamities, it didn't mean they didn't need to eat. Without a continuous food supply, the final outcome for all the children would be starving to death in the Gray World...

Were they supposed to eat human flesh, gray soil, or tree bark??

"What if we immediately switch to another domain and procure a large amount of food to stockpile?" Sun Bumian asked.

"That won't work. Food is different from gold; food will inevitably rot if kept too long in the Gray World. The key is a continuous food supply... But if the human domains are all under wartime blockade, where else can we get food?" Chen Ling shook his head repeatedly.

Although Chen Ling could reshape things, he could currently only perform simple reshaping of buildings or metal materials. Turning gray soil into organic matter that humans could digest was beyond him, as he was only at the Fifth Rank. Besides, Chen Ling could eat roasted centipedes because he was a World-Ending Calamity; if those children ate Calamity meat, heaven knows what kind of mutations would occur.

The group pondered for a long time without reaching an answer, as if everything had reached a dead end.

Just then, He Chengxuan suddenly spoke:

"Actually... there is one more way."

"What?"

"Abandon the Mother Tree and take all the children into a human domain."

"He Chengxuan, have you lost your mind?" Mi Bo’s brow furrowed instantly. "In the human domains, we are rats that everyone wants to beat. Which domain would accept us? And now is a time of war between humans and Calamities; those citizens will inevitably harbor strong hostility toward Calamities. Have you thought about how we, as half-human, half-Calamity beings, would be treated if we entered a domain?"

"Then you tell me what to do! How long can our current food last? A month? A month and a half? There are still five months until the Red Star descends, and those Calamity territories will definitely fight to the bitter end. What do we do in the months that follow? Just watch the children starve to death?"

He Chengxuan said in a deep voice,

"And do you think the human domains have any chance of winning against the World-Ending Calamities? If the human domains are destroyed by them, we will never be able to obtain supplies again! If we join a human domain, not only can we ensure the children’s survival, but with our help, the domain’s chances of winning will greatly increase...

Maybe when the war ends, our Fusion Faction can gain the recognition of the world, and we won't have to hide in the Gray World anymore!"

"We aren't hiding in the Gray World! We are building our own paradise here!! Those people in the human domains will always have prejudices against Fusionists. Where there is prejudice, there is no fairness! Only here can the children grow up happily!"

"But the prerequisite for growing up is that they have to survive!"

The heated argument between He Chengxuan and Mi Bo filled every corner of the room.

Since joining the Fusion Faction, this was the first time Chen Ling had seen them argue. It seemed the death of those two Fusionists had left everyone in the Fusion Faction on edge and under immense pressure.

"Enough!"

Teacher Ye interrupted their argument.

He Chengxuan and Mi Bo both shut their mouths and turned to look at Teacher Ye, as if waiting for his final decision...

But Teacher Ye remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

"Everyone go back and rest... I need to think about this carefully."

With that, he left the room alone and walked toward his office without looking back.

Soon, He Chengxuan and Mi Bo also left one after another. They didn't argue anymore; they even acted relaxed and put their arms around each other’s shoulders after stepping outside, because downstairs, many students were still watching them with anxiety...

Watching this scene, Sun Bumian let out a long sigh.

"Sigh..."