Double Calamity

"Let's go, return to the sect immediately," one of the men urged anxiously.

"But what about that centipede and the soul entity?" another man in black asked.

"Leave them for now," the first man replied. "The Nine Realms aren’t that vast. Finding them won’t be difficult, and we can eliminate them anytime. But this area unaffected by the Black Domain is far more important in comparison."

"Killing them would indeed be easy," the other man said. "But what puzzles me is how they vanished the moment they arrived here. Could there be some kind of teleportation array?"

"Hmph, there’s no teleportation array here. If there were, wouldn’t we have sensed its fluctuations with our strength?" the first man sneered. "They probably noticed our pursuit and used some means to escape. No matter—it’s insignificant!"

"True. Then we shouldn’t delay. Let’s report this place to the sect at once."

"Agreed."

"We’ll split up. You stay here and keep watch, checking for anything unusual. I’ll return to notify the Three Lives Sect."

After settling their plan, one remained behind while the other hurried back to the Three Lives Sect.

The black-clad man left behind circled the area but found nothing out of the ordinary. He then settled down in a spot to meditate.

---

Inside Dark Shadow Island, Yi Feng was troubled.

The monsters? Nearly all cleared out. The few left barely gave any experience.

As for his strength…

Yi Feng was utterly confused.

In his current state, was he strong or weak?

"Ding!"

Just as he brooded, a long-absent voice echoed in his mind.

"Host has reached the second stage of the Heavenly Tribulation. Please undergo the tribulation as soon as possible."

"Tribulation?"

"What tribulation?"

"And what’s this 'second stage'?"

Yi Feng shot to his feet.

"The first tribulation—tempering the heart—has already been successfully passed."

"The second tribulation—'break to rebuild'—must be completed promptly."

"'Break to rebuild'? What nonsense is that? And how am I supposed to do it?" Yi Feng pressed.

"'Break' means death. 'Rebuild' means rebirth," the system replied coldly.

Yi Feng exploded.

"You’re telling me to die?!"

The system clarified, "It is 'perish to rise anew'—first death, then revival."

"So you’re saying if I die, I won’t actually die? I’ll just come back to life?" Yi Feng asked hurriedly.

The system confirmed, "Correct."

"And what do I gain after reviving?" Yi Feng pressed further.

The system answered, "True immortality—even if the universe perishes."

Yi Feng stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Immortality…

It was tempting.

But was this damn system trying to trick him?

Probably not…

If he, the host, died, the system would cease to exist too.

So it wouldn’t make sense for the system to screw him over.

Besides, lately, the system had been pretty reliable—delivering promised cultivation boosts and confirming that killing monsters really did grant experience.

"Fine, I’ll die!" Yi Feng gritted his teeth. "But how should I do it?"

The system replied, "Any method."

"Please complete the tribulation within ninety-nine years. If the host fails, the Great Cataclysm at that time will bring true peril."

"In that case, actual death may occur!"

With that, the system fell silent.

"Oh."

Yi Feng let out a flat, indifferent "Oh."

The Great Cataclysm in ninety-nine years must be the one the system had mentioned before. A year had already passed, so ninety-nine remained.

But did it really need to remind him?

Dying was easy. Did he need ninety-nine years to figure it out?

Pfft.

Yi Feng scoffed and strode into the kitchen, grabbing a gleaming cleaver. With a swift spin, he pressed it against his neck.

"Hey."

He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, steeled himself—but the blade didn’t move.

"Damn, suicide really takes guts!"

Yi Feng grimaced. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

What if he didn’t die cleanly and ended up half-alive, suffering?

Clang!

He tossed the cleaver aside and walked out, hands behind his back.

Time to find another way.

The streets of Dark Shadow Island bustled with activity.

Elderly men played chess. Others exchanged flirtatious glances. The lively atmosphere was thick with the warmth of everyday life.

As Yi Feng wandered, he pondered.

After dying, how long until revival?

Immediately?

Unlikely.

In the novels he’d read in his past life, those who underwent "break to rebuild" usually went through a rebirth process—lasting months, years, or even decades.

If it took decades…

Yi Feng glanced at the white-haired elders around him.

Would they still be here by then?

"Better say my goodbyes."

He approached a chess game under a tree, where a crowd of elders had gathered.

Seeing Yi Feng, they greeted him warmly.

Ahem.

Yi Feng cleared his throat and announced solemnly, "Everyone, pause the game. I have something to say."

The group turned to him.

"I’ve come to bid you all farewell. Due to unavoidable circumstances… I’m going to die."

It took him a moment to say it, his expression tinged with sorrow. The thought of never seeing these elders again filled him with an inexplicable ache.

He could already imagine their grief—after all, they’d been neighbors for years. Surely, they shared a deep bond.

Regret crept in. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so blunt. He could’ve made up an excuse to spare their old hearts the pain.

As he braced himself for their tears and lamentations—

"Checkmate! Hah, you lose!"

A cheerful voice rang out.

"Let me take that back—just one move!"

"No way!"

The two players bickered.

"Move aside! My turn!"

"I’ve been waiting forever—finally!"

Others, eager for their chance, joined the commotion.

???

Yi Feng’s face twisted in confusion.

Did they not hear him?

He was going to die. No one cared? Not even a word of concern?

They were still playing chess?!

"Quiet!" Yi Feng barked.

The chatter died down as they turned to him again.

"I said—I’m going to die!"

Yi Feng scowled, emphasizing each word with grave seriousness.

The elders blinked.

Exchanged glances.

Then, in unison, they replied, "Oh."

And resumed their uproar.

"Come on, give up the seat!"

"If you’re this bad, stop embarrassing yourself!"

"My turn! Out of the way!"

Yi Feng’s eye twitched.

That was it? Just… Oh?

What do you mean?