Immortal Druid

[POV: Zhen Zhihao]

Even among immortals, there were distinct levels to their power.

Those who had only recently ascended into immortality were classified as Tier One, beings whose bodies had transcended mortality and could restore themselves from virtually any injury.

Beyond them stood the Tier Two immortals, cultivators who had not only mastered their immortal bodies but had also manifested one or more Immortal Arts. Each Immortal Art represented a profound understanding of existence itself, and the number an immortal possessed often reflected the breadth of their mastery.

Above both groups existed an exceedingly rare class of anomalies who defied every established convention. These irregulars were designated as Tier Three, not because they occupied a higher cultivation realm, but because they had developed powers that shattered the very limits of what immortality was believed to permit.

Mab, the elusive Fairy Queen who secluded herself within the Earthly Heart Continent, stood as one of the few acknowledged Tier Three immortals. Scholars, emperors, and immortal sects alike had spent countless generations attempting to unravel the mystery behind such beings.

Since immortality represented the pinnacle of cultivation, there existed no higher realm to pursue. Instead, immortals refined their techniques, experimented with their dao, and ventured into forbidden paths, hoping to discover a breakthrough that would elevate them beyond their peers. Those rare individuals who succeeded became singular existences whose abilities could not be replicated through conventional cultivation.

Zhen Zhihao had intended to become one of them.

Recovering Mab's corpse had never been about prestige or political influence. She wanted the Fairy Queen's body so she could dissect every secret hidden within it, studying the source of that impossible irregularity until she could reproduce it herself. She had believed the opportunity was finally within her grasp.

According to every intelligence report gathered by her sect, the immortal presiding over the Touch Grass Sect was merely a freshly ascended Tier One immortal. Even better, they had concluded that he served only as Mab's puppet, a convenient figurehead to represent the Fairy Queen in the cultivation world.

The reports had been catastrophically wrong.

Now, Zhen Zhihao fled through the heavens in utter disgrace.

Her arms and legs were gone, leaving only bleeding stumps that refused to regenerate. Thick roots burrowed through every vein in her immortal body, spreading with relentless determination as though she were fertile soil rather than an immortal cultivator. Agony consumed every passing moment, yet humiliation eclipsed even the pain. She propelled herself across the sky through sheer manipulation of qi, her movements unstable and awkward without limbs to stabilize her flight.

Again and again, she invoked her immortal authority.

Again and again, it failed.

Her flesh refused to regenerate.

The roots refused to wither.

Whatever sorcery had been inflicted upon her completely suppressed the restorative power that defined an immortal. For the first time since her ascension, genuine terror gripped her heart.

The floating island that housed her sect finally came into view.

Relief flooded her eyes as disciples rushed toward her in alarm. Though her tongue had been torn away, an immortal required no voice to speak. She violently vibrated the qi within her body, forcing a sound transmission across the island.

"GET ME A PHYSICIAN! SOMETHING IS INSIDE ME!"

Panic spread throughout the gathered elders and disciples. No one had ever witnessed an immortal reduced to such a pitiful state. The roots were horrifying enough, but they were not the only thing destroying her from within.

An enormous spirit stone had been forced down her throat. Now, she could feel it expanding and growing. Its overwhelming spiritual energy pressed against every organ, every meridian, and every inch of her immortal body.

The pressure mounted with terrifying speed suddenly.

"Someone!" her desperate transmission echoed across the floating island. "Get it out! PLEASE! IT'S GROWING! HELP ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

Those became the final words of the immortal known as Zhen Zhihao.

A deafening explosion tore through the sky.

Her immortal body ruptured from within, scattering blood, flesh, and shattered bones in every direction. Before the horrified eyes of her sect, countless emerald roots burst from the crimson cloud, intertwining as they absorbed the remains of the fallen immortal.

The roots thickened into massive trunks, while branches erupted toward the heavens with explosive force. Within moments, a colossal tree monster towered above the floating island, its bark pulsing like living flesh as streams of immortal qi flowed through its veins.

Silence descended over the battlefield.

Then a lone figure appeared atop the monster's crown without warning.

A silver-haired man with long pointed ears stood upon the highest branch, his robes fluttering gently in the wind. One hand rested upon a wooden staff, while his emotionless eyes overlooked the stunned cultivators below as though they were no more significant than blades of grass beneath an ancient forest.

None of them sensed his arrival or noticed him until he was already there.

The sight froze every immortal on the island where they stood, each one reacting in surprise at the sudden appearance of this figure. The immortal ruling the Touch Grass Sect had never been Mab's puppet. He had been the greater monster all along, just waiting to be provoked.

…

..

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[POV: Yu Gan]

According to the Heavenly Domain Sect's registry, there were six hundred and seventy-two known immortals in the world.

Once, seventy-four of them had been affiliated with the sect in one way or another. After Hu Gang's betrayal, that number had fallen to sixty-three. Then Jin Hong's death reduced it to sixty-two. If Yu Gan counted only those who remained closely tied to the Heavenly Domain Sect, they numbered merely a dozen. Now, with Jin Hong gone, only eleven remained.

The old Sect Leader silently gazed over the jade slips containing the registry, his weathered fingers lightly tracing the names engraved upon them. Every immortal represented thousands of years of accumulated strength and influence. Losing even one was a blow that could not be measured by numbers alone.

"Do we have any leads regarding who slew Jin Hong?" he asked.

It was an unfortunate loss.

Although Jin Hong had never possessed remarkable talent in combat, she had been the architect behind the puppet legion, the very force the Heavenly Domain Sect had decided to transition toward in recent centuries. Their greatest strength had never been the immortals themselves, but the undying army and the flying city they commanded.

While most righteous factions condemned the use of undead as a profane violation of the natural order, the Heavenly Domain Sect had never shared such sentiments. Everything beneath the heavens existed to be used. Flesh, blood, souls, and even the dead all possessed value so long as they served a purpose.

Unfortunately, such methods did little to improve the sect's reputation.

Many cultivators viewed them with suspicion because of their undead soldiers. The puppet legion had offered a cleaner alternative, allowing the sect to maintain an immortal army without relying upon corpses. Naturally, they had thrown their full support behind Jin Hong's research.

"I'm afraid we have nothing, Sect Leader," Cui Dan replied respectfully. "Jin Hong was traveling toward the Touch Grass Sect before she disappeared. If we follow the evidence, the only likely culprit was Mab. Sadly, Mab herself perished while fighting you. Any connection died with her."

She paused before continuing with an unconcealed look of disdain.

"Perhaps we should have been stricter with Elder Jin Hong. She was always an arrogant fool who mistook stubbornness for vision. For someone who lived that long, she accomplished surprisingly little. I daresay it may even be for the best that she's gone. We had little use for a talentless hack."

Yu Gan let out a quiet sigh.

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"Don't say that," he said gently. "She was your elder."

Jin Hong had accompanied him for nearly as long as he could remember. While countless familiar faces had vanished into history, she had remained by the sect's side through every era of prosperity and decline.

The years, however, had not treated her kindly.

Unlike Yu Gan, who embraced the passing centuries with patient acceptance, Jin Hong had slowly grown numb to the world around her. The excitement she once possessed had gradually faded until only restless dissatisfaction remained.

She lacked the talent to manifest an Immortal Art, a limitation that forever prevented her from standing among the greatest immortals. Yet heaven had compensated her elsewhere.

Her aptitude for artifact forging bordered on miraculous.

Countless treasures, formations, and puppets that strengthened the Heavenly Domain Sect had originated from her hands. That talent alone had secured her position despite her eccentric personality.

Unfortunately, her endless pursuit of stimulation often led her to wander wherever curiosity carried her. Rules meant little to her whenever inspiration struck.

Before Yu Gan could continue the discussion, his expression suddenly stiffened.

A ripple spread through the entire floating island.

The spiritual energy surrounding the Heavenly Domain Sect trembled as though something enormous had forced its way into their domain. Every immortal present instinctively turned toward the disturbance.

Yu Gan slowly rose to his feet.

"...Someone has entered our sect."

...

..

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[POV: Cui Dan]

Cui Dan had never deluded herself into believing they were righteous people.

Morality was a luxury reserved for mortals and weak cultivators who required rules to protect themselves. Immortals stood above such trivial concerns. They were living gods who watched the world from the heavens, and their words naturally became law. Whether others accepted that truth or not mattered little to those possessing absolute strength.

Because of that, revenge seekers appeared with surprising frequency.

Entire clans had been erased from existence by the Heavenly Domain Sect throughout its long history. Every so often, some grief-stricken survivor would charge toward their sacred floating island in a futile attempt at vengeance. Even a handful of immortals whose homes had been destroyed had attempted the same over the millennia.

None had ever succeeded.

The barrier formation surrounding the sect had always stopped them long before they reached the island.

That was precisely why today's disturbance caught her completely off guard.

She appeared above the source of the commotion in a flash of immortal light.

An enormous tree monster stood at the edge of the floating island, its colossal roots tearing through palaces, pavilions, and defensive formations alike. Every movement of its towering limbs sent fragments of jade and stone cascading into the endless skies below.

Standing calmly upon its highest branch was a silver-haired man with long pointed ears.

He leaned lightly upon a wooden staff, his expression devoid of emotion as countless disciples gathered around him in alarm.

Yu Gan materialized beside her, his aged eyes narrowing.

"Now this is curious," he murmured. "How did he bypass our barrier formation?"

Cui Dan casually unfolded the pair of jade fans concealed within her sleeves, a playful smile spreading across her face.

"How about we ask him?"

She tilted her head toward the old Sect Leader.

"Sect Leader, shall I release the puppet legion?"

Yu Gan studied the stranger for another moment before giving a slow nod.

"Do it."

Cui Dan's smile widened into something far more sinister.

"As you command."

Excitement bubbled within her chest.

It had been far too long since she had been allowed to unleash the Heavenly Domain Sect's immortal army. Perhaps this mysterious intruder would survive long enough to make today's battle entertaining.

…

..

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[POV: Wo Li]

The moment my eyes settled upon Yu Gan, my vision nearly turned crimson.

Countless memories surfaced without invitation. Every instinct urged me to charge forward and crush the old man where he stood. However, I forced those emotions down.

Anger clouded judgment, and judgment was something I could not afford to lose.

I inhaled slowly before letting the breath escape my lips. The Voice of the World whispered countless truths into my ears while Druidic Insight quietly painted everything before me in remarkable clarity.

Eleven immortals.

That was how many remained upon this floating island.

Eliminating them all would certainly wound the Heavenly Domain Sect, but I had not come here merely to reduce their numbers. Death was temporary for immortals, since they could be resurrected if they weren't killed properly. Infrastructure, however, was not immortal.

I had come to cripple their ability to wage war.

The woman standing beside Yu Gan suddenly formed a rapid series of hand seals.

The next instant, the heavens trembled.

Thousands upon thousands of puppets burst from every direction, descending upon me like an overwhelming tide. Wooden soldiers, bronze guardians, jade constructs, and metallic giants filled the sky, each radiating a different cultivation level. Some rivaled Nascent Soul cultivators, while others barely reached Foundation Establishment.

At first glance, it was an intimidating sight.

At second glance, it was laughably crude.

Druidic Insight immediately unraveled the principles behind the entire legion.

"They've linked every puppet's existence to the dragon vein beneath this floating island..."

I couldn't help shaking my head.

"So that's your secret."

Each puppet possessed a shared immortality anchored to the island itself. Destroying one meant little because the formation simply restored it using the dragon vein's endless spiritual energy.

It was fancy, efficient, and utterly unimpressive.

Even Mab could have dismantled such a system with ease. So, it stood to reason it was not because of this 'immortal army' that Mab fell.

My gaze shifted toward Yu Gan. The old man remained the true danger.

Mab taught me that immortals generally fought in three different ways.

The first was through themselves. The second was through their Immortal Arts. The third was through war. Empires. Armies. Kingdoms. Sects. The Heavenly Domain Sect had chosen the third path. If that was the case, I would simply take it away from them.

The puppet legion surged toward me with frightening speed.

Before they reached me, the Elder Treant beneath my feet roared.

Its enormous branches swept through the sky, intercepting hundreds of puppets at once before hurling them away like scattered leaves. Thick roots erupted from its body, binding construct after construct before they could organize another assault.

At the same time, I silently cast another spell.

"Entanglement."

Invisible pulses spread across the battlefield. Roots exploded beneath every puppet that had touched the floating island. The roots ignored the constructs completely.

Instead, they sought the cultivators fleeing from us.

"Aahhh!"

"My meridians! Something's drilling into my meridians!"

"Stop them!"

"I can't cut them!"

"Senior! Save me!"

Countless emerald roots erupted beneath bewildered puppet masters. They pierced robes, shattered protective qi, and burrowed into flesh with merciless precision. Horrified screams echoed throughout the floating island as disciples collapsed one after another, their bodies rapidly becoming nourishment for the expanding forest.

I casually tossed several enormous spirit stones into the air.

Before gravity reclaimed them, I raised my staff.

"Summon: Elder Treant."

One spirit stone vanished.

An enormous Elder Treant burst into existence.

"Summon: Elder Treant."

A second emerged.

Then a third.

A fourth.

A fifth.

Each spirit stone disappeared as another colossal guardian joined the battlefield, their towering forms eclipsing palaces as they marched across the floating island. Thousands of roots spread beneath them like an invading forest, swallowing streets, pavilions, and defensive formations alike.

Only then did I raise my gaze toward the woman beside Yu Gan.

"Your name is Cui Dan. Correct?"

Her confident smile faltered.

"...How did you know my name?"

The Voice of the World had already told me everything I needed to know.

I ignored her question and instead looked directly at Yu Gan.

"I am going to demonstrate how I killed Jin Hong..."

Using a vine, I lifted the severed head of the woman whose body had ferried me here.

"...and this woman."

Silence spread across the battlefield. This world didn’t need another hero. Heroes inspired hope, and hope encouraged resistance. No… what this world needed was a monster, a villain whose cruelty alone would make others hesitate before ever threatening those under my protection again. A faint smile spread across my face, cold, merciless, almost cruel.

“Die.”

The declaration echoed throughout the heavens. It was nothing more than a bluff. At that exact moment, I activated Nature’s Stride. The surrounding world answered my call. Space folded. The world blurred.

An instant later, I emerged at the very heart of the floating island. The Voice of the World had guided me there, and Druidic Insight had confirmed it. Beneath my feet rested the central formation, and directly below it was the dragon vein.

Two immortal elders overseeing the formation stared at me in utter disbelief.

“W-Where did he come from?!”

“Impossible! No one can enter the formation chamber without passing through the outer barriers!”

Neither of them moved quickly enough. I drove my staff into the earth.

“I’m going to destroy your flying island.”

The dragon vein beneath me trembled. I smiled.

“Forest Creation.”

...

..

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[POV: Yu Gan]

The instant Wo Li looked toward Cui Dan, Yu Gan felt an inexplicable chill crawl up his spine.

It was a premonition, an immortal's instinct.

Cui Dan had followed him for countless years. She was more than merely an elder of the Heavenly Domain Sect. She was his protégé, someone he had personally nurtured into the immortal she had become.

He could not lose her.

At the same time, another realization settled heavily upon his heart.

The silver-haired stranger...

This had to be Wo Li, the immortal rumored to rule the Touch Grass Sect.

Yu Gan immediately saw through the deception surrounding the man. Reports claiming he was Mab's puppet were absurd. The pressure he radiated rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, that of the Fairy Queen herself.

When Wo Li declared that Cui Dan would die before vanishing without warning, Yu Gan's immortal senses expanded to their limit.

He prepared to intercept any assassination attempt.

It never came.

Instead, the entire floating island lurched violently.

"What...?"

The heavens groaned, mountains cracked, and ancient palaces trembled as if struck by an invisible giant.

"W-What is happening?" Cui Dan exclaimed, the excitement on her face instantly replaced by confusion.

Yu Gan slowly turned toward the center of the floating island.

His pupils contracted.

"How...? T-This is impossible..."

An ancient forest erupted from the heart of the Heavenly Domain Sect.

Towering trees burst through halls that had stood for tens of thousands of years. Thick vines coiled around defensive formations before crushing them beneath overwhelming force. Countless roots plunged deep beneath the island, reaching toward the dragon vein that sustained the entire floating continent.

Soon, the roots found their prey.

They wrapped themselves around the dragon vein like starving serpents before greedily devouring its spiritual essence.

The entire island screamed through the violent collapse of every formation connected to its spiritual foundation. Barrier formations flickered and shattered one after another. Transportation formations dimmed before exploding into showers of light. Defensive arrays collapsed in rapid succession.

The puppet legion abruptly froze mid-battle.

Thousands of constructs lost their spiritual supply simultaneously. One after another, they crumbled into lifeless husks as their shared immortality disappeared alongside the dragon vein sustaining them.

The forest continued to spread.

Every heartbeat allowed it to consume another section of the floating island. Roots fractured mountains. Branches split open immortal palaces. Entire districts vanished beneath an ocean of emerald leaves. The dragon vein writhed desperately beneath the island as the colossal forest drained it without mercy.

Soon, the inevitable happened.

Without the dragon vein supporting its foundation, the floating island began to descend slowly and inexorably. The sacred island that had ruled the heavens for countless generations was falling from the sky.

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