Immortal Druid

“You will have my Steel Sky Sect’s cooperation,” said Xing Mei.

“And so my Stone Spire Sect’s cooperation,” added Xu Ping without hesitation.

That was good enough. I would need more than just the cooperation of the wildlife to track down that man, and with both sects aligned, the path ahead no longer seemed as uncertain.

“You have my thanks,” I said, inclining my head slightly. “With your support, this hunt will not be in vain.”

Xu Ping stroked his beard, his gaze turning grim. “I will be occupied with my own sect. There are traitors within Stone Spire, and they will be purged.”

Xing Mei nodded in agreement. “Steel Sky Sect will do the same. We cannot allow rot to fester within our foundations.”

At that, Xu Lei stepped forward, followed by Kang Wen. “We will represent our sects in this matter,” Xu Lei said firmly. Kang Wen gave a short nod in affirmation. I regarded them both for a moment before responding.

“Then I will rely on the two of you,” I said. “You have my gratitude.”

If my Druidic Insight was to be trusted, Lu Jing would bring a calamity unlike any other if left unchecked. With this much assistance, perhaps tracking him down would no longer be an impossible task.

Xing Mei exhaled softly before speaking again. “Leave us. I wish to speak with him privately.”

Xu Ping, Xu Lei, and Kang Wen departed without protest, their footsteps echoing through the cave tunnel until silence reclaimed the chamber. Only Xing Mei and I remained, standing before the mural that depicted Lu Jing in all his unnatural grandeur.

Her voice, when it came again, was quieter, but no less sharp. “Why do you have my son’s storage ring?”

So, she recognized it.

I glanced at the ring resting on my finger, weighing my options. There was no reason to hide it now. If anything, this was the most appropriate moment to reveal the truth. Without another word, I summoned the corpse.

Xing Ning’s headless body fell into my arms, limp and cold.

Xing Mei froze. For a brief moment, she did not move, did not breathe. Then her hands trembled as she reached forward, her fingers brushing against the familiar fabric of her son’s robes.

“Ning’er…” Her voice broke as realization struck. “No… no, this… this is…” Her breathing became ragged, her composure shattering as she pulled the corpse closer. “They did this to you? Tell me… tell me where his head is! Where is his head?!”

It was a pitiful sight, her eyes glaring at me.

There were many things I could have said. I could have told her I tried. I could have explained the failure of my resurrection spell, the delicate balance of life and death, the truth that Xing Ning himself had refused to return. I could have spoken of the Natural Order, of how death was not an end but a continuation. But all of those words would serve only to ease my own conscience. They would not bring her son back.

So I chose the truth.

“I crushed it.”

The words fell like a blade.

She recoiled as if struck, horror flooding her expression. “You… what did you say?”

“I crushed his head,” I repeated, my tone even. “His body was used as a vessel. The man in that mural, Lu Jing. was resurrected through dark means. Your son’s corpse was nothing more than a conduit.” I paused, ensuring she understood every word. “I destroyed the vessel. But the soul that possessed it escaped.”

Silence followed.

Xing Mei clutched her son’s body tighter, rocking back and forth as quiet sobs wracked her frame. The grief came in waves, raw and unrestrained, echoing faintly against the stone walls of the chamber. I said nothing. There was nothing to say.

Time passed before she finally stilled.

When she looked up again, her eyes were red, but the storm within them had not faded. “Swear it,” she said hoarsely. “Swear that you will find him. Swear that you will make him pay.”

“I intend to,” I replied. That was all I could offer.

She closed her eyes briefly, then inhaled deeply, forcing herself back into composure. “Keep his body,” she said at last. “For now… no one must know. If word spreads, it will shatter what remains of my sect’s morale.” Her gaze hardened. “You understand.”

“You have my word,” I said.

Reluctantly, she let go. I returned the body to my storage ring, my hand lingering for a brief moment before I sealed it away.

Though her breathing steadied, my Druidic Insight told me the truth that her anger had not diminished in the slightest.

We exited the chamber together and found Kang Wen waiting just beyond the tunnel. He straightened upon seeing us. “Sect Leader. Senior Wo Li,” he greeted respectfully.

Then, without another word, he drew his sword.

The Blackedge Eclipse gleamed faintly in the dim light.

“I wish to return what you have given to Xing Ning,” Kang Wen said. “It is only right that it be returned to its rightful owner.”

I looked at the blade, then back at him.

“That sword was never mine to begin with,” I said. “I took it from an enemy who had no right to wield it.”

I turned away slightly, dismissing the matter as trivial.

“Keep it.”

“...”

The two Sect Leaders followed through on their word.

Before long, the secret realm of the Sky Stone Cave was filled with cultivators from both sects, each bringing their own expertise. Formation specialists gathered along the fractured wall where Lu Jing had escaped, while diviners occupied the opposite side, surrounding the cadavers of the black-robed cultivators I had provided. The air itself felt dense with qi and unspoken hostility. Though the war had ended, its embers still smoldered beneath the surface.

At first, it was manageable.

Then the arguments began.

“This is pointless!” one of the formation masters snapped, his sleeve whipping through the air as he pointed toward the corpses. “Those remnants are insufficient! We should focus all resources on deciphering the formation left behind!”

“And waste time chasing dead patterns?” a diviner shot back, eyes blazing. “Your so-called analysis could take months! If we establish a connection through divination, we can trace the target directly!”

“Trace what? You have nothing of him!”

“We have enough!”

“You have scraps!”

The chamber erupted into chaos as voices rose over one another, each side shouting until their lungs burned. Accusations of incompetence flew freely, neither group willing to yield.

I watched them for a moment before speaking.

“What is the problem?” I asked flatly. “Why can you not do both?”

The shouting faltered, though the tension remained.

Kang Wen stepped forward, offering a measured explanation. “Senior, the formation specialists believe resources should be allocated to them. They argue that the cadavers provide too little to establish a proper trail to the Dark Order. Divination requires a personal connection, preferably a body part of the target, and even then, it is a slow process.”

Xu Lei followed, his tone just as composed. “On the other hand, the formation used to escape… it is no ordinary construct. The damage to the wall complicates matters further. It may require knowledge beyond what either sect possesses. Their concern is that pursuing it could be just as time-consuming, with no guarantee of success.”

So, it was a matter of pride and scarcity.

I had asked them to be quick, but this was not something that could be forced through sheer will. Even so, letting them continue like this would only lead to greater problems.

As expected, the arguments reignited.

“Your methods are flawed!”

“And yours are blind guesswork!”

“If not for us, you would have nothing to work with!”

“If not for us, you would still be staring at a wall!”

I sighed.

At this rate, there would be another war, this time between scholars.

My gaze shifted to the wall. The cracks and craters stood as an ugly reminder of my earlier emotional outburst when I lost Lu Jing. Without another word, I thumped my staff against the ground.

Qi rippled outward.

Silence fell.

Drawing upon finer control, I guided my phytokinesis into the stone itself, weaving through the fractured surface. The broken wall began to mend, cracks sealing, craters smoothing as if time itself had been reversed. It was not perfect, but it was enough to restore the integrity of the formation’s remnants.

At the same time, I cast Thorn Whip. The vines slithered from my hand and slipped into my storage ring, returning moments later with a torn piece of cloth soaked faintly in dried blood.

It was Xing Ning’s, but Lu Jing had used him as a vessel, so it should work, right?

I held it out to the nearest cultivator.

“Use this,” I said. “If it works, proceed. If you require spirit stones, I have more than enough.”

Their eyes widened slightly, the earlier hostility giving way to focus.

Without waiting, I retrieved the storage rings I looted from the fallen black-robed cultivators and tossed them to Xu Lei. “Distribute these,” I ordered. “Ensure both sides have what they need.”

Then I turned to Kang Wen. “Inspect the mural chamber again. Take a few with you. We may have missed something.”

This time, there was no argument.

“Yes, Senior!” several voices answered in unison.

Suddenly, a figure came sprinting through the cave tunnels, breath ragged and footsteps uneven against the stone.

“We found something!” the young cultivator shouted, barely slowing as he reached us.

Kang Wen’s expression darkened immediately. “Watch your tone,” he snapped. “Compose yourself. You stand before a senior! Show proper respect!”

The young man shot him an incredulous look, chest heaving. “Respect? Old man, I just ran half the cave to get here! Don’t start lecturing me like I’m one of your disciples!”

There was a familiarity in the way they clashed, sharp yet unrestrained.

Kang Wen bristled. “Old? I am not that old!” He exhaled sharply before turning to me with a slight bow. “Senior Wo Li, forgive my nephew’s idiocy.”

Before the exchange could spiral further, Xu Lei stepped in, his voice cutting cleanly through the tension. “Enough. Mind your conduct,” he said to the cultivator. “You are in the presence of not only your seniors in cultivation, but also a distinguished cultivator from another domain. Show respect.”

Distinguished… eminent… I wasn’t sure about any of that, but I let it pass.

The young man clicked his tongue but didn’t argue further. Instead, he gestured deeper into the cave. “It’s better if I show you,” he said. “Uncle Wen, you should come too.”

Xu Lei handed the storage rings he had been organizing to a nearby cultivator before stepping forward. “I shall accompany you as well.”

We followed.

As we moved deeper into the winding tunnels, the young man spoke again, this time with less urgency and more weight behind his words. “My name is Kang Kong. I’m part of the Geological Survey Corps of the Steel Sky Sect. Our team has been working with the Dragon Vein Mining Squad from the Stone Spire Sect. We’ve been searching areas that might… help with your investigation.”

His voice tightened.

“When we learned the truth behind the war…” He clenched his fists. “Many of us volunteered to come here. Too many died. From our sect… and theirs.” His gaze flicked briefly toward Xu Lei. “Even Young Master Xing Ning…”

The resentment in his tone was unmistakable.

Xu Lei met his glare without flinching. “Stone Spire Sect suffered no less,” he replied calmly. “But if blame must be placed, it lies not with us, nor with you.” His eyes hardened slightly. “It was the elders. The ones who pushed their agendas onto the younger generation. Most of the skirmishes… they were driven by profit, not hatred. Yes, I understand the anger. The Dark Order is a convenient foil, however, the truth is, each sect is as guilty as the next. None of this could’ve happened if we just tamed our greed and lust for battle. However, the truth is we are cultivators cannot separate ourselves from this traits.”

Kang Kong scoffed, but he did not refute it.

Behind them, Kang Wen had been unusually quiet.

I could feel his gaze lingering on me.

I ignored it.

Of everyone present, only Kang Wen and Xu Lei knew I possessed the ability to resurrect the dead. If he intended to ask me to revive those who had fallen in this war, he would find no answer from me. Those who fought had done so knowing the risks. To drag them back would not erase the pain. It would only twist it into something uglier, something that would never truly heal.

Peace was not something that could be forced through power.

It had to be accepted.

Kang Wen finally spoke, his voice subdued. “Senior Wo Li… about before. The words I said then… they were spoken in anger. I did not understand.” He paused. “Now, I think I understand… at least a part of it.”

I reckoned he was probably talking about the time I resurrected Xu Lei.

I said nothing.

Some things did not require a response.

He nodded faintly and moved ahead.

Xu Lei watched him for a moment before murmuring, “The Sword Frenzy and I have never seen eye to eye. But… perhaps I understand what he meant just now.”

Before I could respond, Kang Wen’s voice rang out from ahead. “This place… I recognize it.”

We quickened our pace.

“This is where we were ambushed the first time,” he continued, his tone turning grim. “Where I lost Young Master Xing Ning.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly. “You mean when he ended up in the Serenity Lake Domain?”

Kang Wen gave a short nod. “Yes.”

Up ahead, Kang Kong broke into a run, reaching the edge of a cliff before turning back to wave us over. “Over here!” he called. “This is what we found!”

Several cultivators from both sects were already gathered there. As we approached, they stepped aside.

“Make way!”

“Let them through!”

The crowd parted.

I stepped to the edge, and looked down.

At the bottom of the cliff, stretching far into the darkness, was a sea of unmoving figures.

The air was thick with the stench of decay, a suffocating miasma that clung to the senses. Pale limbs twisted at unnatural angles, hollow eyes staring into nothingness. Some still wore the tattered remnants of sect robes, others little more than bone and rotted flesh.

It was an army of the dead.