Immortal Druid

[POV: Teng Hua]

There were a total of five Nascent Soul cultivators deployed to this continent for the operation.

Long Xue had been assigned to spearhead the capture of the Shén, while Zhao Yan had been tasked with resurrecting their ancestor. Cheng Ru infiltrated the Steel Sky Sect, and Zhou Tu entered the Stone Spire Sect to incite chaos, assist Zhao Yan, and ensure the success of the mission no matter the cost.

Then there was Teng Hua.

Unlike the others, his existence had been hidden even within the Dark Order itself. He was the contingency, the final knife concealed in the dark. His purpose had never been glory or conquest. He was meant to preserve their remaining strength and remain dormant until the Dark Order’s main force completed its campaign in another continent. Only then would they descend upon this land in earnest and crush what remained of the Willow Order.

Unfortunately, Teng Hua no longer had the luxury of remaining hidden.

The Willow Order had reacted far faster than expected. One after another, the Dark Order’s hidden mountain bases had been discovered and destroyed with frightening precision. Teng Hua sat alone within the dimly lit room, his fingers tapping lightly against the wooden table as he reviewed the reports spread before him.

He still could not understand how they had been exposed.

The locations of those bases were known only to trusted operatives. Some had even been abandoned decades ago and secretly reactivated for the operation. Yet the Willow Order found them all the same, as though a divine eye hovered over the continent itself.

Their greatest mistake had been allowing Long Xue to personally spearhead the capture of the Shén.

At the time, it had seemed reasonable. Long Xue possessed overwhelming cultivation, powerful treasures, and techniques refined through centuries of slaughter. Against a declining Willow Order, his strength should have been absolute. In hindsight, however, they should have used a third party instead. They should have manipulated neighboring sects or ignited conflict from the shadows rather than revealing themselves directly.

The moment the Willow Order became aware of the Dark Order’s existence, retaliation came swiftly and mercilessly.

Teng Hua narrowed his eyes.

The Willow Order must possess some form of terrifying divination method. Whether it was a treasure or a secret technique, he did not know, but it was capable of uncovering operations hidden for generations. If this continued, the Dark Order would be stripped bare before the true war even began.

What would his superiors think of this failure?

The thought caused a chill to creep down his spine.

Still, not everything had gone poorly.

The ancestor had successfully revived.

That alone made every sacrifice worthwhile. With the ancestor alive, they could proceed to the next phase of the plan. It was to eradicate the Willow Order completely and reclaim the Shén for themselves.

The problem was how to use the ancestor safely.

Teng Hua was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator, and not even one of high standing within the organization. He lacked the authority and strength necessary to command the situation properly.

“I guess I can only use this…” Teng Hua muttered quietly.

His gaze lowered toward the piece of paper resting on the table.

It was a report concerning a mysterious cultivator named Wo Li.

A detailed painting occupied the center of the parchment. A silver-haired man with pointed ears stared back at him with calm, indifferent eyes.

Teng Hua frowned.

This cultivator had become an enormous thorn in the Dark Order’s side. Every attempt to investigate him ended in failure. Their spies were continuously exposed whenever they approached him or attempted to infiltrate areas connected to the Willow Order.

What infuriated Teng Hua the most was the Willow Order’s blatant provocation.

Rather than hiding Wo Li, they openly used him as bait.

Stories of his accomplishments spread throughout the continent like wildfire. The destruction of hidden mountain strongholds, the slaughter of Dark Order operatives, and impossible victories against overwhelming odds were advertised everywhere the Willow Order held influence.

And the worst part was that many of the stories were true.

Wo Li alone had destroyed more than half of the Dark Order’s prepared bases.

Teng Hua truly could not understand why the ancestor had become so obsessed with this cultivator.

Carefully, he folded the report into the shape of a paper crane. Spiritual energy gathered at his fingertips before flowing into the construct. The paper crane trembled slightly before lifting into the air.

Its destination was the Serenity Cliff Sect, where the ancestor currently laid low.

The Dark Order once relied upon specially trained crows for communication. Through sound transmission techniques, the birds could relay information quickly and discreetly across great distances. Recently, however, the crows had become strangely uncooperative. Worse, whenever they attempted to use them, Willow Order cultivators somehow intercepted their communications almost immediately.

Even the beasts of the world seemed to be turning against them.

The paper crane disappeared into the wind.

A sudden knock echoed from the door.

“Teng Hua, it’s our turn to guard Lady Li Ming,” a Willow Order cultivator called from outside. “Hurry up before the captain starts complaining again.”

Teng Hua’s expression remained calm.

Slowly, he reached for the skin mask resting beside him and pressed it firmly over his face. Spiritual energy rippled faintly as the flesh-like material merged seamlessly with his skin, transforming his appearance into that of an ordinary Willow Order cultivator.

“Coming,” Teng Hua answered evenly.

Infiltrating the Willow Order had not been easy.

The Dark Order attempted it many times throughout the years, sending spies, sleeper agents, and even captured cultivators whose memories had been rewritten through forbidden techniques. Every single attempt ended in failure. The Willow Order’s methods of screening outsiders were meticulous to an almost paranoid degree, especially after the attack on the Shén.

In the end, it required someone like Teng Hua to finally succeed.

Among the Dark Order, Teng Hua carried the title Thousand Faces of Centipede Mountain.

Long ago, he trained beneath the centipede sages that dwelled within the poisonous caverns of Centipede Mountain. They were ancient creatures who understood flesh better than most understood spiritual energy. Under them, Teng Hua learned how to steal not merely appearances, but identity itself. Every twitch of muscle, every subtle habit, every trace of aura and scent? He could replicate them flawlessly.

Even perceptive cultivators would fail to see through his disguise unless they directly searched his soul.

That ability was what allowed him to stand among the Willow Order now.

Shortly after dawn, Teng Hua joined the group of Core Formation cultivators assigned to guard Lady Li Ming.

“Don’t be rude once we arrive,” Li Ming said calmly as she stepped onto her flying sword. “The people there are important to me.”

The bodyguards immediately nodded.

“Yes, Lady Li Ming.”

Teng Hua lowered his head alongside the others, hiding the flicker within his eyes.

Li Ming rose into the sky atop her sword, her robes fluttering gracefully beneath the morning light. The guards quickly followed behind her, streaking through the heavens as streams of light.

Most of the time, Li Ming remained within Leafhome City.

That alone made acquiring her nearly impossible.

The city’s protective formation was formidable enough, but the presence of a Nascent Soul cultivator overseeing the region made any attempt suicidal, even with Teng Hua’s cultivation. The Dark Order had tested the defenses before through indirect means and quickly realized that even the ancestor would struggle to seize her cleanly within the city. Of course, that would change quickly once the ancestor reacovered his cultivation.

Fortunately, the intercepted letter changed everything.

The Dark Order discovered that Li Ming occasionally left the city to visit the forest, where she secretly met someone.

Teng Hua could not ignore such an opportunity.

By now, the ancestor should have already begun the ritual to ascend into the Immortal Realm. Teng Hua did not fully understand the ancestor’s ambitions, nor did he trust them completely. In an organization like the Dark Order, loyalty only existed so long as strength remained balanced.

If the opportunity presented itself, Teng Hua intended to secure the Shén for himself.

The group traveled swiftly across the skies before descending near the outskirts of the forest.

“We’re here,” one of the bodyguards muttered.

Li Ming landed lightly upon the earth before dismissing her sword. Without hesitation, she began walking deeper into the woods instead of flying further inside.

Teng Hua quietly followed behind her.

After several moments, he decided to play the role of a curious junior.

“Senior brother,” Teng Hua asked with deliberate hesitation, “what’s so special about this forest? Why does the young lady keep coming here?”

The cultivator beside him shot him an irritated glance.

“Don’t ask too many questions,” the man replied coldly. “We’re bodyguards. Our job is to protect, not pry.”

Teng Hua immediately bowed his head apologetically.

“Understood.”

Internally, however, his thoughts sharpened.

The Willow Order’s suppression of information within their own ranks was extraordinarily strict. After Long Xue’s attack exposed the possibility of spies, the organization tightened itself like a sealed fortress. Members were isolated, questioned privately, and monitored carefully until suspicion gradually faded.

That environment made Teng Hua extremely cautious.

He avoided asking about the silver-haired cultivator entirely despite his curiosity. Any unusual interest toward Wo Li would immediately attract suspicion. Instead, Teng Hua carefully maintained the personality of the cultivator whose face he had stolen, obedient, somewhat timid, and thoroughly unremarkable.

When Long Xue attacked the village, Teng Hua had intentionally been elsewhere, carrying out a mission assigned by the village itself. It served as the perfect alibi in case the operation failed.

And it did fail.

Catastrophically.

In fact, it was only recently that he had been permitted to return to the village proper, and later Leafhome City, after the investigations concluded. Because of that isolation, Teng Hua remained ignorant regarding many details of the assault.

The Dark Order cultivators who participated had been utterly destroyed.

None survived long enough to pass information back to him.

At first, Teng Hua assumed the Willow Order simply possessed more hidden experts than expected.

Then came the rumors.

Stories spread throughout the city like wildfire. Tales of impossible feats, miraculous battles, and a mysterious cultivator with silver hair and pointed ears. At the center of the city stood a statue commemorating him openly for all to see.

Teng Hua almost scoffed whenever he remembered the stories.

A cultivator without spiritual roots?

Without a core?

A man capable of bringing back the dead?

Ridiculous.

Such things violated common sense entirely.

And yet…

The destroyed Dark Order bases were very real.

The group continued deeper into the forest, following behind Li Ming on foot.

Suddenly, Teng Hua’s expression shifted slightly.

He frowned.

The qi in the surroundings was astonishingly pure.

Every breath felt refreshing, almost intoxicating. Spiritual energy drifted naturally through the atmosphere in dense currents, nourishing the body without effort.

That should not have been possible.

Teng Hua had spent considerable time within the Hidden Village of Leaf already. He knew this forest well enough to recognize that something had fundamentally changed.

This forest had never possessed qi this pure before.

Eventually, the trees opened into a clearing.

At the center stood a massive tree house built around an ancient towering tree whose trunk was wider than a palace hall. Countless roots stretched across the earth like sleeping dragons, while glowing leaves shimmered faintly beneath the dim light filtering through the canopy above.

Teng Hua narrowed his eyes subtly.

This was his first time seeing the place.

The reactions of the surrounding cultivators immediately caught his attention. Every single bodyguard unconsciously straightened their posture. Their expressions turned reverent, almost worshipful.

Without hesitation, Teng Hua replicated them perfectly.

Years of training beneath the centipede sages made mimicry second nature to him. Even the smallest changes in breathing and gaze were copied flawlessly.

This place was clearly important.

Teng Hua lowered his voice carefully.

“Senior brother… what is this place?”

The cultivator beside him glanced toward the tree house before answering quietly.

“This is where the Sage used to live,” he said. “Until the dragon from the Sea Dragon Palace came and attacked it.”

This was enormous news. A hidden residence connected to the mysterious sage. And a dragon from the Sea Dragon Palace had personally attacked it? The amount of information hidden behind those words was staggering.

Teng Hua immediately transmitted a message through sound transmission.

“Prepare yourselves,” he ordered coldly. “We move once I secure the target.”

Hidden throughout the surrounding forest were Dark Order cultivators lying in wait. Foundation Establishment and Core Formation experts concealed themselves through stealth arts and suppression techniques, ready to strike the moment Teng Hua created an opening.

He had no intention of leaving things to chance.

However, no reply came. Teng Hua’s eyes sharpened instantly. That was impossible. Even if they were discovered, someone should have responded. Before he could investigate further, Li Ming suddenly stepped onto her flying sword and shot toward the opposite direction like a streak of light.

Teng Hua’s instincts screamed.

He immediately moved to pursue her.

Yet the moment he stepped forward, a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Junior,” a calm voice asked behind him, “where are you going?”

Teng Hua froze as a horrifying realization dawned upon him. It was a trap. His aura exploded violently.

Boom!

The disguise around his cultivation shattered instantly as Nascent Soul pressure surged outward like a tidal wave. Spiritual energy tore through the clearing while Teng Hua drew forth his hidden weapon, a bladed whip concealed beneath his robes.

The whip lashed outward in a deadly arc as sharp blades screamed through the air, slicing apart every nearby cultivator.

But the moment the bodies split apart, Teng Hua’s expression changed. They were all made of straw. The severed figures collapsed into bundles of dried grass as illusory light scattered into the air.

They were some form of clones. Not ordinary clones either. The illusion layered over them was so flawless that even Teng Hua failed to notice.

“You are not going anywhere,” an old woman remarked calmly behind him.

Teng Hua spun around immediately.

Li Qing stood there silently. She was the current master of the Willow Order and a Nascent Soul cultivator. Pressure rolled off her ancient figure like an endless ocean, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to tremble violently.

Then another figure appeared directly ahead.

An old man carrying several swords across his back stepped forward with a savage grin.

“My blood is boiling,” the old man declared. “I am going to test my new cultivation on you.”

Teng Hua’s heart sank.

It was Guo Yupin, the Sword Formation King. And judging by the terrifying pressure radiating from him? He had broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm just recently. This was impossible. The Willow Order should not possess this many Nascent Soul cultivators.

Of course, Guo Yupin was not a member of the Willow Order, but still…

Suddenly, thunder rumbled across the heavens. Dark clouds gathered overhead as rain began pouring from the skies.

Teng Hua slowly raised his head.

An azure dragon soared above the clouds.

Its massive body twisted through the storm as lightning danced across its scales. Draconic pressure descended upon the forest, suffocating everything beneath it.

Teng Hua stared blankly at the sight.

His mind could no longer process what he was seeing.

“What… what is happening?” Teng Hua muttered in disbelief. “Why are there suddenly so many Nascent Soul cultivators…?”