Chapter 844: The Double Calamity

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

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

"Leave them be for now," the first man replied. "The Nine Realms aren't that large. Finding them won't be difficult, and we can eliminate them whenever we want. What’s more important right now is this area unaffected by the Black Domain."

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

"Humph, there’s no teleportation array. If there were, with our power, wouldn’t we have sensed the fluctuations?" the first man sneered. "They probably noticed we were following them and used some method to escape. It’s no big deal."

"True. Then let’s not delay. We should report this place to the sect immediately."

"Agreed."

"Let’s split up. You stay here and keep an eye out for any other anomalies. I’ll return to inform the sect."

After their discussion, one stayed behind while the other hurried back to the Three Lives Sect.

The remaining black-robed man circled the area but found nothing unusual. He then settled down in a spot to meditate.

**Inside Shadow Island**

Yi Feng was frustrated.

The monsters were almost entirely wiped out, and the few that remained couldn’t provide much experience.

As for his strength…

Yi Feng was utterly confused.

In his current state, was he strong? Or was he weak?

"Ding!"

Just as Yi Feng was brooding over this, a long-unheard sound echoed in his mind.

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

"Tribulation?"

"What tribulation?"

"And what’s this 'second level'?"

Yi Feng sprang to his feet.

"First Tribulation: Tempering of the Mind—Host has already successfully passed this."

"Second Tribulation: Destruction and Rebirth—Please complete this as soon as possible."

"Destruction and Rebirth? What’s that supposed to mean? And how do I achieve it?" Yi Feng quickly asked.

"Destruction is death; rebirth is life," the system replied coldly.

Yi Feng exploded. "Are you telling me I have to die?"

The system clarified, "It’s about breaking and then rebuilding. First, you die; then, you are reborn."

"So you’re saying that when I die, it’s not a real death? I’ll just come back to life?" Yi Feng pressed.

The system answered, "Correct."

"What benefits do I gain after being reborn?" Yi Feng inquired further.

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

Yi Feng stroked his chin, deep in thought.

**True immortality.**

Now that was tempting.

But was this damn system trying to trick him?

Probably not…

After all, if he, the host, died, the system wouldn’t exist anymore. So, it wouldn’t make sense for the system to play such a self-destructive trick.

Besides, the system had been quite reliable lately. It gave him cultivation power whenever it said it would, and killing monsters did indeed increase his experience.

"Fine, I’ll die!" Yi Feng gritted his teeth. "So how should I go about it?"

The system replied, "Any method."

"Host must complete the tribulation within ninety-nine years. If the host fails to undergo the tribulation, the great calamity of heaven and earth in ninety-nine years will pose a grave danger."

"At that time, there is a possibility of true death."

With that, the system fell silent.

"Oh," Yi Feng responded flatly.

The great calamity in ninety-nine years—likely the one the system had mentioned earlier. Since over a year had already passed, he had ninety-nine years left.

But did it really need to remind him?

Dying was easy. He didn’t need ninety-nine years for that.

Pah.

Yi Feng scoffed and turned, heading into the kitchen. He grabbed a gleaming kitchen knife, spun it around, and pressed it against his neck.

"Hey…" Yi Feng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, steeled his heart, but still couldn’t bring himself to make the cut.

"Damn, suicide really takes guts…" Yi Feng muttered, pouting. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

What if he didn’t die instantly and ended up lingering in agony?

"Clang!"

He tossed the knife to the ground and walked out, hands behind his back.

**Time for a different method.**

The streets of Shadow Island were bustling with people.

Some old men were playing chess, while others exchanged flirtatious glances. The atmosphere was lively and warm.

As Yi Feng strolled down the street, he pondered.

After dying, how long would it take for him to come back to life?

Immediately?

Probably not.

From what he remembered in his past life, characters who underwent "destruction and rebirth" usually had a process of resurrection. It could take months, years, or even decades.

If it took decades….

Yi Feng glanced at the white-haired old men and women around him.

Would they still be around by then?

"Better say my goodbyes."

Yi Feng approached a group of elderly people gathered under a tree, playing chess.

Seeing him, they greeted him warmly.

"Ahem."

Yi Feng cleared his throat and spoke solemnly, "Everyone, stop the game for a moment. I have something important to say."

They turned their attention to him.

"I’m here to say goodbye. Due to unavoidable circumstances, I’m going to die."

Yi Feng had struggled to muster the words, his voice tinged with sorrow. The thought of never seeing these old friends again left a pang of sadness in his heart.

He could already imagine how heartbroken they would be upon hearing the news.

After all, they had been neighbors for so long, and their bond was deep.

Regret washed over him. Maybe he shouldn’t have said he was going to die. He could have made up some other excuse.

He didn’t want to cause them, in their old age, such pain and sorrow.

As he prepared to console them, a cheerful voice interrupted.

"Checkmate! Haha, you lost!"

"Let me take that move back, just this once!"

"No way!"

The two elderly players bickered.

"Move aside! My turn!"

"Let me in! I’ve been waiting for ages!"

The others, seeing the game had ended, clamored to take their places.

??????

Yi Feng was baffled.

Did they not hear what he just said?

He was about to die, and no one even asked why or showed concern?

They just kept playing chess?

"Quiet!" Yi Feng barked.

The commotion died down, and they all turned to him.

"I said, I’m going to die!" Yi Feng repeated, his face stern and his tone grave.

The group blinked, exchanged glances, and then, almost in unison, replied, "Oh."

Then, they resumed their squabbling.

"Move! It’s my turn!"

"If you’re so bad, don’t waste the seat. Let someone else play!"

"Hurry up, it’s my chance now…"

Yi Feng’s face twitched.

Hearing that he was going to die, they just… said "oh"?

What the hell?