Chapter 110: The Flawed Calamity Seed, A Story

Heart of fire, kidney of water, liver of wood... These currents of calamity are indeed inextricably linked to the Five Elements of the Primordial World. Yet something feels amiss; the portion I have obtained seems incomplete.

Hong Yun felt a surge of vitality, excessively rich, coursing through his physical body. With a muffled groan, the currents of calamity within him began to brew frantically, tempering his flesh. At this moment, his hair grew wildly, and his fingers began to twitch and divide uncontrollably. Fortunately, having already balanced two such seeds of calamity, he possessed enough experience to handle the situation with relative ease. Leveraging his original internal currents, he began to suppress and gradually absorb the new power, minute by minute, until a balance was restored.

By the time he regained control, the vitality of his body had reached an unprecedented height. Opening his eyes to survey his surroundings, he saw that the once bleak valley had transformed into a lush, verdant landscape, altered entirely by the influence of his own calamitous aura. Ignoring these changes, he accessed his interface to check his current status.

Status:
Calamity Lord Identity: Primordial World, Ancestor Hong Yun
Calamity Lord Talent: Cage of the Heavens (Currently summonable once from nothing)
Calamity Lord Realm: Late-stage Peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal
Calamity Lord Current Abilities: Will Projection (2 uses remaining), Lingbao Projection (Used)
Host: Zhao Jingcheng (Dissipated)
Realm: Undetermined
Cultivation Method: Planting Calamity within the Self (Captured: Water Calamity Seed, Fire Calamity Seed, Wood Calamity Seed / Incomplete)
Host Talents: Eye of Calamity Perception, Cloud-Traversing Wings, Calamity Infection
Return Requirements for the Gate of Heavens: Fulfill the host's obsession (Completed. Note: It is detected that the host has an unfinished major task; returning now may trigger unknown variables. The Calamity Lord is advised to proceed with caution!)
Gate of Heavens Task: Capture the Calamity Object of the Precious Vase World (Incomplete)
Gate of Heavens Side Quest: Resolve the three trials of life and death (Completed)
Usable Calamity Points: 391
(Resolving one life-and-death trial grants 100 Calamity Points. Currently, as physical calamity is gestating, fully mastering one adds 1000 points; capturing a new calamity adds 100 points.)
Available Rewards: None
Warning: The host's body has absorbed an incomplete Calamity Seed, which may trigger unknown variables. Please address this as soon as possible!

It was just as he had suspected: the Calamity Seed he had refined was incomplete. A flash of realization crossed his expression, though he paid little heed to the warning. With his eyes, any object of calamity in heaven and earth could not escape his gaze; finding the rest would be no issue.

As for now... he should first bury the remains of Ying Yue. This person had shown him kindness, and now that his obsession was gone, burying them together could be considered a fulfillment. But as he looked toward the spot where the body had been placed, his eyes narrowed: the corpse was gone!

Hong Yun hurried to look around and was surprised to see a ragged figure standing motionless before the grave. He stood up, tapped the Tanyue Blade at his waist, and using the calamity energy, effortlessly severed his unruly hair, tying it into a simple knot. He then stepped forward, arriving before the mound.

Using the Eye of Calamity Perception, his expression turned strange: the body lacked a soul, deathly and void of any true vitality, yet for some reason, it could still move.

"Elder Ying Yue?"

Hong Yun called out tentatively. The figure trembled but did not move. After a long silence, the figure spoke in a voice like a broken bellows:

"I have a feeling that what was inside me has been taken by you, has it not?"

Without waiting for an answer, he slumped down before the grave. "I once felt my spiritual sense dissipate, never imagining there would be a possibility of recovery, yet my memories are largely fragmented. I seem to harbor a desire for revenge, but my strength is insufficient, forcing me to seek other ways. That day, I took advantage of the formation's stagnation to sneak into the Burial Moon Cave, but the moment I entered, I lost consciousness. Only recently did I regain my senses, and I found myself here. Also... do not call me Ying Yue. I am weary of that name, though I find I quite like the name 'Yao Yue' carved here."

This state... Hong Yun pondered, not speaking rashly. It was like a lost soul, yet not quite. It seemed as though his own obsession and the vitality-rich calamity energy were controlling him, masking his original memories, and with his soul vanished, he was effectively already dead. As for why he still "lived," it was perhaps due to the fragmented memories remaining in the flesh. But extremes meet; he seemed to have transcended life and death, possessing no vitality or lifespan.

Hong Yun did not say too much, deciding to offer a measure of comfort. "If you do not wish to be called Ying Yue, then forget that name. It is natural that you like the name Yao Yue, for that was the name of the one you loved dearly."

"The one I loved?" he murmured, looking down at his chest with an indescribable feeling. After another long silence, he spoke again: "Thank you for telling me."

Hong Yun paused, wanting to say more, but seeing the man's state, he held his tongue. He looked at Luan Seventeen, who was cowering in the distance, beckoned him over, and gave a slight nod.

"Do not dwell on these things. Is there anything else you wish to ask, Senior?"

"Ask...?" Ying Yue was silent for a while, his tone hesitant. "I wish to hear the story of myself and the one I loved."

"Very well." Hong Yun agreed without hesitation, his voice softening into a steady narrative. "In those days, you and Yao Yue were both elders of the same sect. My memories of you date back to when I was six. That year, the human lands suffered a great drought; the earth was scorched for thousands of miles, and disasters were constant. Yao Yue brought me into the sect and took me to see you to show me off. You were always stern and meticulous, but whenever you saw my master, you would smile. Originally, I had no name, only a childhood nickname, 'Iron Stone.' You said that since I followed my master, I couldn't bear such a name, lest people laugh. You also said that since I had endured such hardships, I was destined for greatness, so you helped name me, taking the master's surname, 'Jingcheng'..."

That night, Hong Yun recounted everything he knew of the story of Yao Yue and Ying Yue from the depths of his memories. He spoke until the sun reached its zenith, until the bright moon hung high, casting long shadows of Ying Yue and the tombstone.

Toasting the bright moon, their shadows made three.