Immortal Druid

[POV: Wo Li]

The wind swept quietly across the mountain trail as we continued our journey, carrying with it the lingering scent of ash from the sects we had visited. Silence hung over our group for longer than usual. It was not the peaceful silence of companions traveling together, but the uneasy stillness that settled after witnessing too much death in too short a time. The weight pressing against my chest had little to do with exhaustion. It was the growing feeling that unseen hands were arranging pieces upon a board I could not yet perceive.

"Do you believe in signs, Zhen Ai?" I asked.

The dragon glanced at me curiously while maintaining her graceful pace through the air. "Signs? I am afraid I do not understand what you mean."

"I mean the sort that seem like hints from the universe," I explained. "Or perhaps messages. They can be blessings or warnings, but either way, they reveal themselves through coincidences. One event alone means little, yet enough of them begin to paint a picture of an eventuality."

She remained thoughtful for several moments before nodding slowly.

"The dragons believe many things govern this world beyond the understanding of mortals," she said. "Perhaps serving as conduits of such signs is one of our many functions. We observe the currents of fate more keenly than most creatures, though we rarely interfere with them. What troubles you enough to ask such a question?"

"I've been thinking about all the sects we just visited," I admitted. "One destroyed sect can be explained away. Two invites suspicion. Three becomes a pattern. Those weren't isolated tragedies anymore. They felt like signs that something far worse was approaching. Of course, they were all man-made. However, the fact that they were all allowed to happen without so much as a hint of resistance doesn't make sense. Did the heavens abandon them completely?"

I no longer believed the war alone explained everything. Too many unrelated calamities had begun overlapping until they resembled threads woven into the same tapestry.

"Everyone, stop," I said.

Our group descended upon a quiet mountainside overlooking the valleys below. The crows circled lazily overhead while Xuanwu and Zhen Ai resumed their human forms in flashes of spiritual light. Xuanwu carefully lowered Pan Bai from atop his massive shell before shrinking into the familiar young man I had grown accustomed to seeing.

The old cultivator stumbled forward, his hair disheveled and eyes bloodshot.

"I WILL KILL THEM ALL! I WILL KILL THEM ALL!"

His voice echoed across the mountain like a wounded beast.

Xuanwu gently steadied the old man before he could collapse.

"Elder Pan Bai, please calm yourself," he urged patiently. "Your enemies are not before you. Save your strength. Vengeance taken without reason will only consume what little remains."

Ignoring the old man's continued muttering, I reached into my storage ring and withdrew the Heavenly Eye. The crystalline orb shimmered faintly beneath the afternoon sun, its countless layers reflecting possibilities hidden from ordinary sight. I had barely begun circulating my spiritual qi when a slender hand gently wrapped around my wrist.

I looked toward Zhen Ai.

"Please do not rely on it too much," she said softly. "Lady Mab asked me to tell you this should it ever appear you were becoming dependent upon the Heavenly Eye."

She tightened her grip ever so slightly before continuing.

"She told me, 'Prophecy and prescience are seductive because they promise certainty where none should exist. Those who lean upon them too heavily eventually mistake possibility for destiny, and that misunderstanding always ends in tragedy.'"

Zhen Ai lowered her gaze toward the crystal resting in my hand.

"The dragons have long believed that tampering with time in any form is cursed. Whether one attempts to alter the past or peer into the future, both are violations of the natural order. A future derives meaning from its uncertainty. To define it before its time is not only among our greatest taboos, but a contradiction of nature itself."

Her words lingered in my mind far longer than I expected. Perhaps I had become too comfortable consulting the Heavenly Eye. With a quiet sigh, I returned the artifact to my storage ring.

She was right.

I should not become dependent upon it.

"It should still be safe enough for ordinary scrying," I muttered before looking toward the distant mountains. "This ought to be where Hu Gang is supposed to be. Spread out and search the surrounding area."

The crows answered with sharp cries before scattering into the sky in every direction.

Xuanwu folded his arms thoughtfully.

"Sage, I wonder if this is also a sign," he said. "I could not help overhearing your conversation with Lady Zhen Ai. My apologies."

Zhen Ai tilted her head.

"What do you mean by a sign?"

"We traveled here believing Lord Hu Gang would be waiting for us," Xuanwu replied. "Yet he is nowhere to be found."

"I tried receiving guidance," I answered. "I couldn't get a good look. Something was interfering."

Moments later, Old Crow descended from above and landed upon my shoulder with an irritated flap of his wings.

"We found a camp south of here," he reported. "Looks like soldiers. They've brought spiritual beasts with them. Horses."

Before I could respond, an unpleasant scent of brimstone drifted upon the wind. Every instinct within me sharpened. I gripped my wooden staff tightly.

"Stay alert."

The world suddenly grew louder.

My Voice of the World responded without distortion.

The wind cried.

"I don't want to die... I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."

The sulfur screamed.

"Please... not again... don't let me burn... don't let me die... I don't want to die..."

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The maddened chorus repeated endlessly until even the mountain itself seemed to tremble beneath their despair.

A rider emerged from beyond a rocky ridge.

His horse staggered beneath layers of dried blood while its rider remained upright with stubborn resolve. Hu Gang's armor was battered beyond recognition, countless cuts covering both steel and flesh alike. In one hand he carried his sword.

In the other, he held the severed head of a horned demon.

Its yellow eyes remained very much alive.

"You might've won now," the demon sneered with bloodstained teeth. "So enjoy it while it lasts."

The druid within me recoiled instinctively.

Suppressing my discomfort, I stepped toward Hu Gang until only several paces separated us.

"How did you end up carrying a demon's head?"

He looked down at the grotesque trophy before giving the simplest answer imaginable.

"Bad luck."

Only then did I notice what lay beyond him.

The Purple Flame Sect no longer existed.

Its once-proud fortress had vanished completely, replaced by a wasteland carved apart by unimaginable violence. Entire hills had been split open while rivers of molten rock had cooled into jagged black scars stretching toward the horizon. Nothing remained standing. Even the spiritual veins beneath the mountain appeared to have ruptured during the battle.

I slowly exhaled.

"What happened here?"

Hu Gang's expression darkened.

"The Purple Flame Sect is no more."

"How?"

He gave the same answer.

"Bad luck."

He shifted the demon's head slightly before continuing.

"So far, between what this thing has been saying and what I've managed to discover myself, it appears the Purple Flame Sect sealed an extraordinarily powerful demon beneath their mountain generations ago."

I glanced toward the snarling head in his grasp.

"Was it this demon?"

Hu Gang shook his head.

"No."

The severed head erupted into mocking laughter.

"Foolish mortal!"

Hu Gang tightened his grip until the demon winced.

"This one was merely a servant," he said grimly. "The true demon remained sealed beneath the mountain... or at least, it was supposed to."

My gaze fell upon the demon's severed head. Its hateful eyes glared back at me with all the venom of a creature that refused to acknowledge defeat.

For a fleeting moment, I wondered how many different ways I could erase it from existence. Fire, lightning, purification, the authority of nature itself?

I possessed no shortage of methods to destroy monsters. Then reason prevailed over impulse. The old lore surrounding demons resurfaced in my mind, and I understood why Hu Gang had chosen to carry the thing rather than dispose of it.

"You can't kill him," I said. "That's why he ended up in this state."

Hu Gang nodded without hesitation.

"Yes."

My attention shifted to the bloodied horse beneath him. Unlike ordinary spiritual beasts, intelligence shone clearly within its eyes. It watched our conversation with remarkable composure, as though it understood every word.

"I believe this is our first meeting," I said politely. "I'm Wo Li."

The horse dipped its head.

"I'm Blade."

I returned the greeting before looking back at Hu Gang.

"What do you plan to do with the demon's head?"

I still had no idea how this world truly connected to the game I once called home. Yet if even a fraction of what I knew about demons remained true, then this creature was effectively immortal. Their destruction meant nothing so long as their essence remained bound elsewhere. Their true immortality belonged to another: their master, the being that claimed ownership over their soul.

Hu Gang shrugged.

"I have no plans for it. Truth be told, I haven't the faintest idea what to do with it. Do you want it, Sage?"

"Sure."

He extended the severed head toward me.

I grasped one of its horns.

The instant Hu Gang released his grip, flesh erupted from the ragged neck in a torrent of black blood. Muscles knitted together. Bone stretched outward with sickening cracks while new ribs, shoulders, and arms rapidly formed beneath layers of crimson flesh.

"I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU!" cried the demon.

I reacted immediately.

"Thorn Whip!"

Half a dozen thorn-covered vines burst from the earth, wrapping around the regenerating demon before it could even finish rebuilding itself. The creature roared furiously as the thorns pierced deep into its flesh, pinning every limb in place.

Ignoring its struggles, I plunged my hand directly into its chest.

My fingers closed around its still-beating heart.

With one brutal pull, I tore it free.

The demon screamed.

Its body continued regenerating despite the missing organ, confirming my suspicions.

"Zhen Ai! The Immortal-Sealing Chest!"

She was already moving.

A flash of golden light appeared beside me as she retrieved an ancient bronze chest from her storage ring. Countless draconic runes shimmered across its surface, each one radiating an oppressive sealing aura capable of imprisoning even immortal beings.

The treasure had originally been entrusted to Zhen Ai because of her dragon lineage. Although I could wield it myself, the burden it imposed upon its owner was considerable. Between the two of us, she was undoubtedly the better choice.

The lid opened with a deep metallic groan.

Before the demon could regenerate further, I cast another spell.

"Slumber Pollen."

Golden spores drifted across the struggling body. Its furious curses gradually dissolved into sluggish muttering before its eyelids finally closed. Even asleep, the regeneration continued.

Not wasting a heartbeat, I raised my hand again.

"Raindrop Edge."

"Razorjade Leaf."

Countless blades of compressed water and razor-sharp jade leaves carved away flesh, tendons, and ligaments surrounding the detached heart. The remaining strands snapped apart beneath the relentless barrage.

Holding the pulsating heart firmly in my palm, I cast one final spell.

"Entanglement."

Roots burst from within the heart itself, weaving through every chamber before wrapping tightly around the organ in layer after layer of living restraints. Only then did I lower it into the Immortal-Sealing Chest.

Zhen Ai immediately shut the lid.

The countless sealing inscriptions ignited simultaneously before disappearing beneath the bronze surface. Once the chest had been completely sealed, she quietly returned it to her storage ring.

I released a slow breath.

Thankfully, this wasn't one of the highest-ranked named demons. Otherwise, I doubted the chest alone would have sufficed.

Hu Gang scratched the back of his head.

"It looks like my coming here is a lost."

He chuckled.

"How did things go on your end?"

"I managed to capture the Cloud General."

His eyes wandered across our group.

"I don't see the general anywhere."

"We sealed him inside a treasure," I explained. "The same chest we just used for the demon."

Hu Gang frowned.

"Is he going to be all right? We have no intention of killing or torturing him. Trapping the Cloud General together with a demon doesn't strike me as particularly diplomatic."

"He'll be fine," Zhen Ai answered, her cheeks reddening ever so slightly. "I'm connected to the treasure, so... I can vaguely sense what's happening inside it. Right now..." She coughed awkwardly. "The general appears to be... enjoying the demon's company."

For a brief moment, silence settled over us.

Then Hu Gang burst into hearty laughter.

"That sounds exactly like him."

I couldn't help shaking my head.

"While I'd like to remain optimistic and celebrate the few victories we've managed to secure, our overall situation is becoming increasingly grim. I just came from the True Origin Sect. It has been sunk beneath the sea. As for the Clear Harmony Sect..."

I paused.

"It burned."

Behind us, Pan Bai suddenly erupted into another fit of madness.

"They're all dead! They're all dead!" he screamed, clawing at his own robes. "My disciples! My elders! Everything we've protected for generations is gone! Burn them alive! Tear them apart! I'll drag every last one of those bastards into hell with me! Let them burn! LET THEM ALL BURN!"

Xuanwu quickly restrained the hysterical old man before he could hurt himself.

Hu Gang's smile disappeared.

"Who is the old man?"

"The Sect Leader of the Clear Harmony Sect," I answered quietly. "And the only surviving member of his entire organization."

Even speaking those words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"The Divine Trinity Sect wasn't doing well either."

That particular tragedy was far too complicated to summarize.

Hu Gang lowered his head thoughtfully.

"What is our plan from here?"

"For now, we return to our respective homes," I said. "Continue playing your role within the Four Sovereign Flags. With the Purple Flame Sect's destruction, no one will suspect your loyalty anymore. We'll maintain discreet contact instead of drawing unnecessary attention. I'll send Hao Lei to assist you. We'll need someone with a steady hand before the next crisis unfolds."

Hu Gang nodded solemnly.

"You're right. Turbulent times lie ahead of us, Sage. I'm afraid this war engulfing our continent won't be the last of our troubles. The demon was merely one omen among many."

He pulled gently upon Blade's reins.

"Take care, Sage Wo Li of the Touch Grass Sect. I must excuse myself."

I folded my hands in farewell.

"Travel safely, Hu Gang. May your sword continue protecting those who cannot defend themselves. We each have our own battles ahead, but I believe we'll meet again when the time is right. Until then, may fortune favor your path, and may our efforts today become the foundation of tomorrow's victory."

Hu Gang returned the salute before turning Blade toward the southern horizon. Horse and rider soon disappeared beyond the broken landscape, leaving only the ruined mountain and the unsettling certainty that the disasters surrounding us had only just begun.

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