Li Yu turned Tempest around. His back was now to both of his destroyed homes. There was nothing for him here. But there was still a duty to be done. A need to honor those that had fallen.

He stood on the back of his leviathan and the wind was whipping his hair. His mind now slightly more clear began to work. He sank his consciousness into the Koi Sanctuary.

His first contact was to Kui.

"Hello Kui, I need your help once again."

The connection was instant and he soon heard a reply back "Li Yu! We... we heard what had happened. The explosion... it was felt all the way where I was. Cyra had already told me what was happening and told me to take care of the affairs of the Guild. We lost many members that were working at the sect and the surrounding areas. We had just finished construction of your hometown and thankfully those workers were not there anymore when this happened.”

“I am sorry for what happened to your home Li Yu…” Kui voice trailed off and was not in his usual happy tone. Not being called Wise Host as usual was enough for Li Yu to know that Kui understood, or was at least caring enough not to be over the top at this moment.

"Thank you Kui," Li Yu replied back. "Kui, what is the status of the Guild?"

"The core is safe, Young Master. I am currently at our southern headquarters. Mo Ling is in the west. Fat Pig is in the North. Xylia is currently at the Eye in the south. The others are safe too, none of your direct followers were... there… thankfully." Kui responded with relief.

"But... the Green Mountain headquarters... the new fortress town... the surrounding cities and those that were working there... their communication all went dark. We've lost contact with thousands of members. Local managers, merchants, guards and families of those working for us... they are all just... gone." His voice tinged with pain.

Both Li Yu and Kui felt the responsibility to those that were lost. They were hired on and worked for them. They wouldn’t have been in those areas if they weren’t working for the Golden Shell Guild. The two of them couldn’t have known what would happen but they both felt a responsibility for it happening regardless.

"Kui," Li Yu continued, his voice with more sadness than before but firm. "I am holding a funeral. For everyone. The sect. The towns. The cities. Our Guild members. Everyone who was lost from this event."

"A funeral? Yes, that makes sense and is the least we can do" Kui asked.

"Ten days from now. At the edge of the crater. I want every guild member who can be there to be there. I want the families of those we have lost to be found and brought there. I also want you to make sure their families are well taken care of as well moving forward. Make sure they get the pay rewarded for those that died on duty normally and keep an eye on them in the future as well.”

I also want you to make it known to the public so everyone can gather and share their grief for those that they lost this day. I want a vigil for the dead. Can you organize this?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. Ten days. It will be done. We will... we will honor them. I will work with others to go over the details for the funeral and make sure all the ceremonies are in place correctly."

“Thank you Kui, for everything you have done and are going to do. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Li Yu said as he ended the conversation.

Li Yu then used his communication token to reach out to Mako. He asked him to gather intel on everyone from the sect and who was still alive. He wanted to give them a home in the Golden Shell Guild if they wanted it or he would provide them with resources for whatever journey they were going to go on next.

One day later there was finally some good news. Li Yu was finally able to reach Lin Tao and Hu Jian. As Cyra had told him, they were not in the area and was where Hu Jian was staying. They were both deeply saddened by the event and lost friends.

They actually knew a lot more people at the sect and were closer to them than Li Yu so they felt the loss as much as he did. Li Yu told them about the funeral that will be held in ten days and they were of course coming.

News spread that the Golden Shell Guild was holding a funeral to honor those that were lost that day. Everyone that was affected made plans accordingly to be there.

Ten days later, the landscape of the Central Continent was changed in two ways.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The first was the crater. It was now a vast circular inland sea. The water was still muddy and unsettled but it was a permanent new feature on this continent.

The second was the crowd.

Tens of thousands of people had gathered here to honor those that have fallen. They came from all corners of the continent. They were the families of the lost disciples. They were the friends of the merchants and everyone else from the vanished towns.

There were also citizens that had come to gaze in terror at the scar. There were guild members that had come to honor their friends or fellow workers. Those that had once had a connection with the Green Mountain Sect also came to pay their respects. It was a mix of mortals and cultivators from all walks of life but have come together due to the tragedy.

Li Yu stood at the very edge and was overlooking the new vast lake with endless thoughts going through his mind. He was surrounded by his friends and followers. They were talking quietly among themselves but everyone left him to think and compose himself.

Then two figures arrived from the sky and landed down next to the small group that had gathered here.

"Brother Li."

Li Yu turned to look and Jian Xuan stood there. His usual boisterous energy was completely gone, his face grim and full of a warrior's sympathy. Beside him was Fengliu who looked tired. They had both already been informed of what happened and had come back at great cost to be here.

Fengliu went up to Li Yu and placed his hand on his shoulder and stared into his eyes. After a short moment, he gave Li Yu a quick nod and walked away. Fengliu didn’t say a single word but Li Yu understood his intentions. Fengliu understood his feelings of loss and desire for revenge.

Jian Xuan walked up and pulled Li Yu into a bone-crushing hug, a powerful gesture of support. As dusk began to fall, the ceremony began. Kui gave the signal for the ceremonies to begin.

This was not a funeral of a single sect. It was a funeral for a region and was a mix of different customs from around this region.

Along the entire rim of the crater, for miles in every direction, massive pyres of spirit-wood had been constructed. Each thirty feet high and there were hundreds of them given the size of the crater. As the sun dipped below the horizon, cultivators flew past to light them all at once.

A ring of roaring fires illuminated the new dark lake. They were not for burning bodies. There were no bodies to burn. They were a guide for the lost. A ring of lighthouses to show the wandering souls the way to their next journey.

At the center of the gathering, a massive uncarved monolith of black stone had been erected. Li Yu had personally asked Khaos to condense down a large quantity of deep sea ores to create this monolith. This was to ensure it would last nearly forever.

This was the Ancestor Stone for the entire region. Grieving families walked forward, one by one, and placed offerings at its base. A woman left a small woven doll. A man left a blacksmith's hammer. An old woman left a jar of wine.

And all the while, a low continuous sound echoed over the crowd. It was the "Naming of the Lost." A hundred cultivators who were chosen for the tasks and with their voices amplified by arrays were chanting. They were reading in a continuous rolling eulogy the names of every known person who had died.

The disciples of the Green Mountain Sect. The merchants and residents of the surrounding towns. The guild members. The simple villagers. No one would be forgotten. The chant would last for three days and three nights.

As the naming continued, people moved to the water's edge. They had crafted small and simple "soul boats." They placed a single glowing light-stone inside and released them onto the dark water. Soon, the vast muddy lake was covered in thousands of tiny floating lights. It was a new watery constellation for the dead.

Li Yu watched this all with a straight face and his thoughts unknown. Some comfort washed over him as he was at least able to do this for those that passed. It was a far cry from when his own parents had passed and he could only simply erect tiny wooden sticks by the side of the river..

As the crowd settled into a long somber vigil, he finally saw them approach. They were two familiar figures. Hu Jian and Lin Tao.

Li Yu walked over. Hu Jian looked... broken. He was coming over but his eyes were just staring into the fire, his boisterous energy gone. In its place was a numb hollow shell.

Lin Tao was even worse. He too was just staring into the fire and out at the dark lake. He had lost everyone except Hu Jian and Li Yu. Li Yu said nothing as the three friends met back up once again. They just sat down together and all three of them stared outward at the fire, the small light boats and the darkness that seemed to consume all these lights.

For a long time the three friends just sat in the flickering light of the great pyres.

Finally, Li Yu stood. He walked to a stable patch of earth right at the crater's edge. From his storage ring he took out a small spiritual bonsai. It was a miniature pine, its needles a vibrant and defiant green. Memories of his master trimming bonsais just like this flooded his mind.

A huge range of different emotions flowed through him. At times he smiled, at times tears rolled down his cheek and of course the anger. After a long moment of thought he dug a small hole in the scarred earth with his hands. He planted it. It was for Elder Ning. A small, stern and unbending piece of life in honor of his master.

He then turned to his friends. "Lin Tao. Hu Jian. Come."

They stood, like men in a dream and followed him to the very edge. Li Yu took out a large exquisite jar of his finest and most potent spirit wine. The kind he had been saving for a celebration.

"For Brother Kai," he said, his voice thick. "And for Uncle Wei."

He uncorked the jar. He tilted it. A long clear and fragrant stream of alcohol poured over the edge, disappearing into the darkness, a final drink for his lost friends.

He, Lin Tao, and Hu Jian stood there in the night, the great pyres blazing behind them. The lake of lost souls glowing before them. Scenes like theirs played out across the edge of the crater as others were honoring their friends, family and loved ones.

The night seemed long and unending as many stared across the lake.