Immortal Druid

[POV: Wo Li]

The moment my party returned to the Serenity Lake Domain, a suffocating silence greeted us.

My eyes immediately searched for the towering mountain that had once housed the Serenity Cliff Sect, only to find empty sky where it should have stood.

The mountain that had once been uprooted, shattered, and painstakingly restored had vanished once more. This time, there were no broken cliffs, no fractured peaks waiting to be mended. It was simply... gone.

A chill crept down my spine as I recalled another mountain that had disappeared without a trace, the Divine Trinity Sect's sacred peak. I had dismissed it as an isolated catastrophe back then, but seeing another mountain erased so completely filled me with a dreadful certainty that these disasters were connected.

I lowered my gaze toward the lake beneath the missing mountain. The calm waters had become a floating graveyard, carrying countless corpses across its surface. Human cultivators drifted beside the bodies of spirit beasts, their blood staining the water in wide crimson streaks that stretched toward the shore.

The gruesome sight dragged my thoughts back to the ruins of the True Origin Sect, where death had blanketed the land just as mercilessly. I had hoped never to witness such carnage again.

"My son... I can no longer feel him," Zhen Ai said, her voice trembling with panic. "Where is he?"

I never had the chance to urge her onward. The dragon accelerated with a thunderous roar, tearing through the clouds as anxiety overwhelmed every ounce of restraint she possessed. I remained silent, knowing there was nothing I could say that would ease a mother's fear.

The Hermit Sage Forest soon came into view, and my heart sank even further. Great walls of fire devoured the ancient woodland, their crimson flames climbing from tree to tree as though determined to consume every trace of life. Thick smoke rolled into the heavens, blotting out the sun beneath a suffocating black veil.

"What have they done?" Zhen Ai whispered, her voice shaking so violently that even her massive body quivered beneath my feet. "This can't be happening. It's almost exactly like what happened to the Clear Harmony Sect."

She remembered that burning mountain well. None of us could have forgotten such a horrifying spectacle.

"Find your son," I told her. "I'll handle everything else."

Without waiting for a reply, I stepped from her forehead and allowed myself to fall through the smoky sky. Zhen Ai banked sharply toward the heart of the forest, disappearing into the sea of flames as she desperately searched for any trace of her child.

I hovered above the burning woodland and stretched my senses toward the heavens.

"Control Weather."

Dark clouds gathered with astonishing speed, swallowing the smoke as thunder echoed across the ruined domain. Moments later, torrential rain poured from the sky, drenching the blazing forest. Steam erupted wherever the rain met the inferno, and although the fire did not surrender immediately, its relentless advance finally began to slow.

A familiar presence approached from behind.

Xuanwu landed nearby after transforming into his human form, casually dropping the elderly man onto a patch of scorched earth before brushing the dust from his hands. The old man scrambled backward with terror etched across his face, clutching his head as though trying to escape his own memories.

"IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!" he screamed. "IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!"

Xuanwu merely glanced at him before turning toward me.

"Sage Wo Li," he said calmly, "let me handle this."

Before I could answer, a chorus of caws filled the rain-soaked sky.

Hundreds of crows descended through the clouds, circling overhead before several landed around us. Old Crow fluttered onto a charred branch and regarded me with solemn eyes.

"We found many of the fallen," he reported. "My crows will gather every body we can find. We shall keep them safe until we bring them to you for resurrection."

Relief flickered across my heart despite the devastation surrounding us.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. "All of you."

The crows answered with a chorus of approving caws, while Xuanwu simply nodded toward the east.

"Go," he said.

I wasted no time.

"Wild Shape: Eagle."

My body transformed in an instant, feathers replacing flesh as powerful wings carried me high above the burning canopy. I flew as fast as the wind itself, heading toward the center of the domain where Freedom City stood.

To my surprise, the city still remained.

A translucent barrier shimmered around its walls, though its brilliance had faded considerably. The protective spell had nearly exhausted itself, leaving only faint ripples dancing across the air. Outside the gates gathered countless familiar faces. Spirit beasts rested beside exhausted cultivators while healers rushed between rows of wounded survivors. Members of the Renewal Sect had erected large medical tents outside the city, tending to the injured while others carefully laid the recovered dead beneath white cloth.

Among those directing the relief efforts stood Zi Wen.

"What happened here?" I asked as I landed beside him, transforming to my elven shape.

He looked toward the ruined horizon before answering.

"It was already like this when we arrived," he said. "If not for the mysterious barrier surrounding your city, I doubt this place would still be standing."

"This could have happened to us as well," said a regretful voice.

I turned to find Su Zhelan emerging from one of the tents, fatigue visible beneath the dried blood staining his robes.

"The barrier won't allow my people to enter," he continued. "We've been forced to treat everyone outside the walls. We want to help the survivors inside. Please... let us in."

Only then did I notice the faint spiritual thread connecting my being to Freedom City. It had weakened considerably, yet it still answered my call. I reached toward it with my will.

"Please let them in."

The barrier rippled like the surface of a tranquil pond before a section of it quietly dissolved.

Zi Wen stepped across the threshold without resistance and smiled faintly.

"Impressive."

Together, we entered the city.

The streets overflowed with refugees from every corner of my territory. Cultivators from allied sects worked alongside spirit beasts to distribute food, water, and medicine while frightened children clung tightly to their parents. Weariness covered every face I passed, yet hope still lingered within their eyes simply because the city had survived.

My gaze quickly found a familiar figure directing groups of volunteers through the crowded streets.

"Xing Ning," I called.

The dark-haired man turned immediately before hurrying toward me.

"Where's Mab?" I asked.

If she were here, none of this would have happened.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

He gestured for me to follow, his expression growing heavier with every step we took.

"The Heavenly Domain Sect attacked," he began. "They brought an army of wooden puppets, each possessing strength comparable to the Core Formation Realm. At first we believed they could be destroyed like ordinary constructs, but as the battle dragged on, they revealed something far worse."

His voice tightened.

"No matter how thoroughly we shattered them, they stood back up. They fought like immortal soldiers that simply refused to die. Even Lady Mab couldn't destroy them completely."

A knot formed in my stomach.

Xing Ning slowed to a stop before continuing.

"Then the sky darkened. A flying island descended from the heavens. It didn't attack us with spells or bombardments. It simply tore the mountain apart. The Hermit Sage Forest would have been next... if Lady Mab hadn't stood in its path."

I reached out with my consciousness, instinctively attempting to merge my senses with the Hermit Sage Forest as I had countless times before.

Nothing answered.

The bond that had always existed between us had been severed. I could no longer feel the countless trees stretching across the mountains, nor the streams winding beneath their roots. The familiar vitality that had embraced my soul whenever I called upon the forest had become distant, as though a wall had been erected between us.

Only one voice remained. It belonged to the world itself. Its whispers no longer carried the laughter of rustling leaves or the songs of birds welcoming the dawn. Instead, every corner of my mind became flooded with anguish.

"It hurts..."

"They tore us apart..."

"Why did they burn our children?"

"We sheltered them... We gave them life... Why did they repay us with suffering?"

"It isn't fair..."

"Sage... it hurts..."

Each sorrowful plea pierced deeper than any blade ever could.

"Where is Mab?" I asked again.

Only then did I realize we had been walking in circles.

Xing Ning came to a halt before silently pointing deeper into the forest.

Before either of us could continue, Xing Mei hurried over, her eyes swollen red from endless tears.

"Sage... please... don't..."

Xing Ning gently shook his head.

"Mother," he said quietly, "he has to see it for himself. Only then can he decide what to do next."

I did not wait for another word.

"Nature's Stride."

The forest blurred around me as I crossed the distance in mere moments.

Shortly, I stopped. My breathing caught inside my throat. Before me stood a row of gallows. Six figures hung beneath the rain-darkened sky.

On the far left was Sect Leader Xu Ping of the Stone Spire Sect, his aged body swaying gently in the wind despite the rope digging deeply into his neck. Beside him hung Li Qing, the Willow Order's Archon, her silver hair hanging over her face like a funeral veil. Next came Roo, the loyal gatekeeper of the Touch Grass Sect, the proud kangaroo whose powerful frame now dangled helplessly from the cursed noose.

The remaining three belonged to the Guo Clan, namely Guo Yume, Guo Yuti, and Sect Leader Guo Yupin.

Every one of them should have been dead, yet they moved.

Their bodies twisted violently as black mist seeped endlessly from the ropes binding their necks. Hollow eyes stared into nothingness while their mouths opened impossibly wide, releasing screams that no living throat should have been capable of producing.

"Damn the Heavenly Domain Sect!" Xu Ping roared, struggling uselessly against the rope. "May every disciple they possess suffer a thousand deaths! I'll haunt them until the heavens themselves collapse!"

Li Qing raised her head despite the noose crushing her neck.

"Our Sage..." she cried hoarsely. "He will avenge us! He will make every one of you repay this blood debt!"

Roo laughed. It was ragged, broken, and defiant.

"You think... this is enough... to break Roo?" he shouted. "I've survived worse! I'm stronger than this! You hear me!? Stronger than this!"

The three members of the Guo Clan no longer looked toward their executioners.

They looked only at each other.

"I'm sorry, father..." Guo Yuti whispered.

"You fool..." Guo Yume answered through sobs. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Sect Leader Guo Yupin forced a smile despite tears flowing down his weathered face.

"You've both made me proud."

"Father..."

"I'm proud of you."

Their voices slowly dissolved into endless screams. The ropes had transformed them. They were no longer merely corpses. They had become vengeful spirits.

I silently retrieved the Heavenly Eye from my storage ring.

Its golden iris opened.

The world before me shattered into fragments of the past.

I watched as countless cultivators and spirit beasts were herded into the clearing by wooden puppets. Their expressions were filled with terror as they were forced onto their knees before the gallows. Among them stood Xing Ning, Jia Ping, and many familiar faces from Freedom City. They were surrounded on every side by emotionless wooden constructs whose workmanship reminded me disturbingly of Jin Hong's creations.

An elderly cultivator stepped forward.

His robes were immaculate despite the carnage surrounding him.

"I am Sect Leader Yu Gan of the Heavenly Domain Sect," he announced proudly. "Remember this sight. Let it serve as a lesson to every fool who dares oppose the Heavenly Domain Sect."

No one answered him.

The prisoners were brought forward one by one.

Finally, the executions began.

After the condemned were hanged and left dangling lifeless from the gallows, their bodies were set ablaze while still suspended, the flames rapidly consuming flesh and bone until only charred remnants remained; yet the nooses continued to sway with the restless, writhing forms of their souls, trapped and twisting eternally within the empty loops as smoke and ash drifted away.

I closed the Heavenly Eye, unable to look at them any longer.

Footsteps approached from behind me.

Xing Ning and Xing Mei stood quietly beside me, neither daring to disturb the silence for several long moments.

Finally, Xing Ning spoke.

"I was fortunate they never recognized my status as a Shén. They mistook me for an insignificant cultivator and forced me to watch everything."

His fists slowly tightened.

"I could do nothing."

I lowered the Heavenly Eye.

"Where is Mab?"

Xing Ning pointed beyond the clearing.

"Just ahead," he answered. "There was an immortal from the Heavenly Domain Sect guarding that place."

He hesitated.

"Please be careful."

I continued walking, every step heavier than the last. My fingers instinctively tightened around my staff. I possessed resurrection. I had brought countless people back from death.

“Everything is going to be okay,” I whispered.

The words sounded hollow. No reassurance came. Instead, questions flooded my thoughts. Could I resurrect someone whose soul had already become a vengeful spirit? Had I ever attempted to revive an immortal before? Why was I already assuming Mab had died? She couldn’t have… She wouldn’t. Would she?

The forest gradually gave way to a wide clearing littered with uprooted trees.

I stopped breathing as I fell on my knees.

High above the shattered earth hung Mab.

She had been crucified upon a colossal tree whose trunk had long since been split apart. Thick iron nails pierced both her wrists and feet, while countless chains wrapped around her body to ensure she remained suspended for all to witness.

“No…” My voice barely escaped my lips. With trembling hands, I manipulated the surrounding vines. The chains loosened, the nails withdrew, and the branches gently lowered her broken body into my waiting arms.

She felt far too cold to touch. I brushed a strand of hair from her face. Her eyes stared into the empty sky without focus. There was no warmth, no heartbeat, and no breath.

“Revive Life.”

Emerald light enveloped her body. Nothing happened. I poured more nature power into the spell. Still nothing. The light faded, and she remained motionless. A long sigh escaped me.

"And here I thought you fancied me," I murmured, gently cradling her against my chest. "Why would you hurt me if that was the case?"

A feminine laugh drifted from the surrounding thickets.

"So," the unseen woman said, "you must be Wo Li, the self-proclaimed Sage. You possess quite a bizarre presence."

Branches parted.

A beautiful woman emerged from the shadows, every movement graceful enough to captivate the eye. Her smile was enchanting, while her melodious voice carried a confidence born from absolute superiority.

"I can see you're mourning," she continued. "However, there are more important matters demanding your attention."

She stopped several paces away.

"Choose."

Her smile widened.

"Bend the knee."

Her eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Or die... just as she did."

I looked at her only briefly before lowering my gaze to Mab once more. There had to be a way. This was a magical world. It wasn't Earth. Death here had never felt absolute.

The memories I carried from my previous life constantly reminded me that mortality was inevitable, but this world had always defied such common sense. Even the world of LWO had contained miracles beyond imagination.

So why... Why did this feel different? Did I truly have to let her go? Did I have to bury her beneath the earth? Was this where her story ended?

"Did you just ignore me?" the woman asked, sounding genuinely offended.

I slowly stood while continuing to support Mab's body. Part of me wanted to keep searching for an answer. Another part whispered revenge. However, more than that, I just wanted to lash out, except I felt my strength vanish the more I looked at Mab's way. I wondered why that was the case.

Perhaps I was just confused about my feelings.

“I want to tear this world apart,” I thought out loud coldly, the words forming like a fracture in my mind, “to rip it from its roots, to shatter every sky that watched in silence, every land that swallowed the screams without answer."

"Empty words," said the woman haughtily. "Hmph."

I shook my head.

"I found myself wondering what I was even feeling anymore—why I still stood here, still reacting, when I had grown so tired of watching people die before me, one after another, until even grief felt distant and worn. If this is the world that allows this kind of death, then I will not accept it as it is. I will break it, burn it, and reduce it to nothing but scattered remnants of what it once was, until even the heavens regret ever allowing me to exist within it.”

The immortal before me smiled seductively and contemptuously.

"So you've chosen death."

I stared at her.

For some reason, I felt nothing.

Instead of fear or hatred, I only felt irritation.

"What a pity," she sighed. "We had hoped to recruit another genuine immortal into our ranks. Perhaps another time. After all, you will wake up to reality soon that in the end we are just another kind of mortal under the heaven and that no matter how grand your declarations become, we are subject to its whims and tyranny."

She circled leisurely around me as though evaluating merchandise.

"Hm. I can see that you're far more reasonable than that stubborn old hag. According to our archives, you became an immortal only recently. We've already heard about your little excursions throughout the neighboring sects, along with Hu Gang's betrayal."

She glanced toward the destroyed mountain.

"You've now witnessed what becomes of those who reject the Heavenly Domain Sect. Even your own territory has experienced our mercy."

A faint smile returned to her lips, almost mocking in the way she looked down on me.

"You must be overwhelmed by your emotions. As a gesture of generosity, we'll allow you time to consider your future. But don't take too long. After all, we might change our minds. For now, we're satisfied with acquiring the Fairy Queen's body."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!