Chapter 1236: Fusion with the Calamity of Thought

*RUMBLE—!!*

Almost the moment Chen Ling rushed out of the Mother Tree with Xiao Tao and Xiao Bai, a root that blotted out the sky smashed down, crushing the half of the Mother Tree that was already full of cracks!

Large swaths of tree bark mixed with broken furniture collapsed, like a mountain crumbling before their eyes, slamming heavily onto the Gray World earth and kicking up massive clouds of dust.

Old Wolf, Zhao Yi, Sun Bumian, and a large number of Fusion Faction members rushed out from the remaining half of the Mother Tree by the skin of their teeth. They were covered in wounds and dust, looking as if they had just fought to the death with those dense roots, appearing incredibly disheveled.

"Xiao Tao, are you okay?"

Chen Ling looked down at Xiao Tao, who was covered in bloody holes in his arms.

Chen Ling felt that Xiao Tao was terrifyingly light now, as if all her internal organs and bones had been hollowed out, leaving only a layer of fur. Holding her in his arms was no different from holding a piece of white paper.

Hearing Chen Ling’s voice, Xiao Tao’s originally empty pupils regained vitality, the fur retracted beneath her delicate human skin, and the tail behind her disappeared without a trace... The light Xiao Tao began to gain weight, as if all the missing internal organs had returned.

"Brother Chen Ling... I... I’m fine," Xiao Tao said weakly.

Chen Ling wanted to say something else, but the next moment, chaotic shouts erupted from all around:

"How is it!! Is there anyone else who hasn't been saved??"

"Gather by class!! Roll call!! Roll call!!"

"Class One is all here!!"

"Class Two is all here!!"

"Class Three... Class Three is still missing a few!"

"...Damn it..."

Old Wolf and the others, panting, looked back at the crumbling Mother Tree. Large swaths of the trunk were falling off under the grip of the roots. It was now a ruin inside, and there was no way to find anyone else who might have survived.

"Teacher Ye! Teacher Ye hasn't come out either!!"

At these words, everyone’s heart jumped into their throats.

Teacher Ye was of immense significance to the Fusion Faction. If Teacher Ye didn't escape, the heart of the entire Fusion Faction would be scattered.

"You all stay here! I have a lot of luck! I’m going to save him!" Zhao Yi, covered in wounds, gritted his teeth and prepared to risk his life to rush into the Mother Tree, which was almost entirely occupied by the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest.

To Zhao Yi, the Fusion Faction was as important as the Ancient Treasure of the Opera Path had been to Chen Ling. This wasn't just where he lived; it was his home... He couldn't bear to watch the children he spent every day with and Teacher Ye die at the hands of the Calamities.

"You can't go!" Old Wolf grabbed his shoulder fiercely and shouted,

"Don't you see! The Mother Tree has already been occupied by those Calamities! If you go in, you won't come out!!"

"I don't care if I don't come out, I have to go!! I, Zhao Yi, have nothing left anyway! I only have the Fusion Faction!! Those children only have the Fusion Faction!! I’m not afraid of death!!"

Zhao Yi shook off Old Wolf’s arm.

However, just as he was about to risk his life and rush into the Mother Tree, another mysterious and terrifying aura erupted from beneath the roots of the Mother Tree!

*BOOM—!!!*

Surging air waves swept across the Gray World.

The moment this aura appeared, everyone’s brain stalled for a moment, as if a mental storm had swept through the world, and a sense of dreamlike confusion welled up in their hearts...

Even Chen Ling’s mind wavered for a moment. He stared blankly in the direction the storm was sweeping, his pupils contracting in disbelief.

Others might be very unfamiliar with that aura, but Chen Ling was different... He was too familiar with it, so familiar that he had felt it in his sleep just this morning. It was the aura of a World-Ending Calamity, just like his own and the Calamity of Turbidity.

[Nightmare of the Island of Eternal Sleep, Eerie Ghost at the End of Thought]

"Calamity of Thought... how is that possible??"

Chen Ling was stunned for a long time before suddenly sensing something keenly,

"No, that’s not right..."

"Although this aura is the same as the Calamity of Thought, its power is far weaker... What is going on?"

The moment the aura of the Calamity of Thought appeared, the dense roots tightly entangled around the Mother Tree stopped instantly, just like the people of the Fusion Faction.

At the same time,

A loud noise exploded from beneath the roots of the Mother Tree!

A raging storm filled the sky and earth. Amidst the flying dust, a figure wrapped in messy lines of thought rose slowly...

"That is..." Zhao Yi rubbed his eyes. After seeing the figure clearly, he opened his mouth in shock,

"Teacher Ye??!!"

The hem of his simple shirt fluttered in the wind. Teacher Ye held a black bag full of experimental samples in one hand and casually tossed the empty syringe aside with the other. Behind his black-rimmed glasses, his pupils had been replaced by black lines of thought rotating in disorder.

Chen Ling had seen these lines before. Back on the trunk of the Mother Tree, it was these lines that had hypnotized Xiao Tao and the others to head to the Jiangtian Sect branch...

This was the power of the Calamity of Thought!

"Teacher Ye, how can you use the power of the Calamity of Thought???" Chen Ling asked, puzzled.

"This is the Fusion Faction. Teacher Ye is the founder of the Fusion Faction and the world’s first Fusionist..." Old Wolf looked at Teacher Ye’s figure rising into mid-air and spoke slowly, "What he fused with is one of the six World-Ending Calamities... the Calamity of Thought."

"Teacher Ye fused with the Calamity of Thought??" This was the first time Zhao Yi had heard of it. He said happily, "Doesn't that mean Teacher Ye has World-Ending level combat power?!"

"How could that be... The Calamity of Thought is a World-Ending Calamity, and Teacher Ye is just an ordinary person. Rather than saying Teacher Ye fused with the Calamity of Thought, it’s more accurate to say he fused with a fragment of the Calamity of Thought’s thoughts... Moreover, he needs medication daily to suppress this fusion and maintain his sanity, otherwise, he would be assimilated by the Calamity of Thought."

"Even if it’s just a small fragment of thoughts, it still counts as fusing with a World-Ending Calamity. This is already a miracle."

Sun Bumian was also shocked by this scene and couldn't help but sigh.

Besides the Calamities of the Bitter Flesh Turbid Forest, even the Calamity of Turbidity was stunned for a moment. It felt the aura of the Calamity of Thought from afar and was clearly confused for a moment, then, as if realizing something, it moved toward this place even faster.

Teacher Ye hovered above the Fusion Faction, the lines of thought in his pupils churning constantly. He took a deep breath, and a large mass of lines exploded from around him like a storm!

As the lines of thought swept across the surroundings, those Calamity roots that were frantically dismantling the Mother Tree suddenly stopped, and then, as if they had their own consciousness, they directly ignored the control of their distant main body and turned to circle around Teacher Ye instead...

Teacher Ye raised his hand, pointed at the ruins below, and said in a deep voice:

"Save them."

Dense plant roots dove down simultaneously, quickly moving the heavy furniture and trunks pressing down on them. One by one, the Fusion Faction students who had been pressed into the ruins were picked up like chicks and transferred in an orderly fashion to the area around Chen Ling and the others.