Immortal Druid

“So, about the pills promised to me,” I began casually, “and maybe an update regarding the registration of my Sect?”

“I-I have no knowledge regarding the progress of your Sect’s registration,” answered Jia Ping carefully. “B-But… the pills may require additional time before they can be retrieved. The other elders of the Willow Order did not react favorably to the agreement Lady Li Qing made with you. There has been… considerable resistance.”

Ouch.

Not unexpected, but still unpleasant to hear directly.

“I understand,” I replied after a moment. “Guess I can only wait patiently, huh? Anyway, enough politics. Let’s go find ourselves a camping spot.”

The clearing we eventually settled in rested atop a gentle hill surrounded by ancient trees. The canopy opened enough for the night sky to remain visible overhead, revealing countless stars scattered across the heavens like glowing rivers of light.

I prepared camp quickly, casting a controlled Sunlight Orb to create campfire.

A simple bonfire crackled warmly at the center while several fallen logs became proper seating after a bit of phytokinesis smoothed their surfaces into curved benches. Roots shifted beneath the soil at my command, creating softer ground around the fire while branches bent naturally into crude shelters.

Roo had already fallen asleep beside the fire before dinner properly settled in his stomach. The giant kangaroo-beast snored loudly enough to scare smaller animals away from the surrounding forest.

Tao Wolong had lasted slightly longer.

Now the boy rested quietly with his head against Zhen Ai’s lap while she absentmindedly stroked his hair beneath the moonlight.

Meanwhile, Jia Ping sat across the fire with a book balanced carefully against her knees. Several maps had been spread beside her, including the one I created earlier while exploring the secret realm.

Her eyes widened more and more the longer she studied it.

“This is remarkably detailed,” she admitted quietly. “The terrain markings, beast territories, river paths… even elevation changes are included. With something like this, the Willow Order could drastically accelerate exploration efforts within this secret realm. It would be invaluable for future expeditions.”

I looked at her for several silent moments before speaking.

“Try not to think about conquering this place.”

Jia Ping blinked.

I leaned back slightly against the log behind me.

“This forest already has a master,” I continued calmly. “And I intend to speak with her eventually.”

The fire crackled softly between us.

“So tell the Willow Order to keep its grubby hands away from this place.”

Jia Ping lowered her gaze immediately.

“My apologies,” she said quietly. “I spoke carelessly.”

I sighed afterward and rubbed my forehead. Politics again. Sect mentality really did encourage people to view everything as territory waiting to be claimed. Hopefully, such thinking wouldn’t become a part of me.

Turning slightly, I looked toward Zhen Ai.

“Sorry,” I told her softly. “Today ended up noisier than expected.”

She smiled faintly.

“It was not unpleasant.”

Tao Wolong shifted slightly in his sleep afterward, clutching at his mother’s sleeve instinctively. Zhen Ai’s expression softened almost immediately as she adjusted his position more comfortably against her lap.

The sight carried a strange warmth to it.

For a while, none of us spoke.

We simply listened to the forest.

The distant chirping of nocturnal insects mixed with the crackling fire while cool night winds drifted through the clearing overhead. Somewhere far away, beasts called to one another beneath the moonlight.

I tilted my head back and stared at the stars.

Normally, mental exhaustion would have dragged me into sleep already. Between exploration, wandering through monkey civilization all day, and stopping Roo from committing accidental ecological destruction, my body should have been demanding rest.

Yet sleep refused to come.

Something lingered uneasily within my thoughts.

“Harmony between three worlds,” I muttered absentmindedly.

The words surfaced from somewhere deep within me. They were not memories exactly. More like echoes and fragments without context.

“Excuse me?” Jia Ping asked as she turned toward me.

“I don’t actually know what that means,” I admitted. “The thought just keeps repeating itself in my head lately. What do you know about the three worlds, Jia Ping?”

Jia Ping looked genuinely confused.

“The… three worlds?”

“Yes.”

She hesitated awkwardly.

“I only know of one world,” she admitted carefully. “The world we currently live on.”

Beside the fire, Zhen Ai laughed softly.

“There is wisdom in admitting ignorance,” argued Jia Ping defensively, flushing crimson in embarassment. “Far better than pretending knowledge one does not possess. If Lady Zhen Ai finds the question amusing, perhaps she herself knows the answer?”

“I do,” Zhen Ai replied casually.

Jia Ping immediately straightened.

“Then explain it.”

Zhen Ai scoffed lightly.

“Well, if you wish to know so badly, you could start by saying please.”

Jia Ping’s eye twitched.

I genuinely thought the chronicler might attack a dragon over basic conversational pettiness.

I intervened before diplomacy collapsed completely.

“Please?”

Zhen Ai smiled immediately.

“Much better.”

Jia Ping looked deeply betrayed.

“The story originates from ancient dragon traditions,” Zhen Ai began calmly while gazing toward the heavens above. “Long before kingdoms, sects, or even recorded civilization existed.”

Jia Ping crossed her arms, sounding the cynic. “Creation myths are hardly reliable historical sources.”

Zhen Ai ignored her entirely and continued. There once existed the Six Paths. The Heaven Path, Asura Path, Human Path, Animal Path, Ghost Path, and Hell Path. In the time before ours, they represented the Six Paths of Reincarnation, or greater realms that divided the Greater Universe beyond. As a consequence of the war in the Age of Supremacy, the Six Paths were broken, and from their remains emerged the three worlds.”

Jia Ping immediately shook her head.

“Ridiculous.”

Zhen Ai glanced toward her lazily.

“You asked.”

“The Willow Order possesses the most comprehensive historical records remaining in this region,” Jia Ping argued firmly. “Even after losing much of our history, nothing within our archives references such worlds.”

She adjusted her glasses sharply.

“These myths are likely exaggerated tales born from ancient cultivators battling one another. Over time, stories become distorted. Legends become gods. Hyperbole becomes religion. There is nothing grand about such myths. No hidden cosmic truth. Merely fragmented stories mythologized across generations.”

Zhen Ai snorted softly.

“And you accuse dragons of arrogance.”

“Because you speak as though you possess certainty.”

“We do.”

The atmosphere shifted subtly.

Zhen Ai’s expression carried unmistakable weight behind it.

“Before your sect chroniclers existed,” she said calmly, “dragons already watched the rise and fall of civilizations. We preserved history orally across generations while kingdoms turned to dust.”

Jia Ping opened her mouth, but Zhen Ai continued speaking.

“The Six Paths broke long ago. Their remains became separated realities.”

Her gaze lifted toward the stars again.

“The Heaven Path and Asura Path became the Godly Plane. The Human Path and Animal Path awakened within the Mortal Plane. The Ghost Path and Hell Path descended into the Spiritual Plane.”

The bonfire crackled softly.

“These worlds have remained separated since the ending of the old universe and the birth of the current one,” she finished quietly. “At least, that is the story passed from dragon ancestor to dragon ancestor.”

“Indeed,” softly echoed a voice from the darkness beyond the firelight, “the child of dragons speaks correctly.”

Every hair on my body stood upright, surprised at the suddenness of the voice.

One moment the clearing had been empty, and the next, fair-skinned arms wrapped gently around me from behind. A woman leaned against my back as though she had always belonged there, her long verdant hair cascading across my shoulders like flowing emerald silk.

I tightened my grip around my staff immediately.

“Who are you supposed to be?” I asked carefully.

The woman merely smiled.

Up close, her beauty felt unreal. Not in the mortal sense of elegance or charm, but something deeper and stranger. Her very presence carried an ancient vitality that blended naturally into the surrounding forest. The trees bent subtly toward her. Grass brightened beneath her bare feet. Even the bonfire seemed calmer in her presence.

My Druidic Insight reacted, revealing what she truly was.

Dryad.

A true to bones Dryad.

And far more terrifying than any I could have imagined.

Beside me, Zhen Ai moved immediately. Dragon qi surged from her body as she pulled Tao Wolong protectively against her chest. Faint scales surfaced along her cheeks and neck while golden draconic eyes narrowed toward the newcomer.

Tao Wolong blinked sleepily.

“M-Mother?” he asked in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Zhen Ai gently stroked his head without taking her eyes off the woman.

“Nothing for you to fear,” she said softly. “But remain alert.”

Across the fire, Jia Ping reacted as well.

The timid chronicler suddenly produced a long spear wrapped with a white banner from her spatial storage ring. The weapon hummed faintly with restrained spiritual power as she pointed it toward the newcomer.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Jia Ping demanded.

“At ease,” the woman said calmly.

She casually lowered my staff with one hand before sitting beside me with complete comfort, as though she owned the clearing itself.

Her emerald eyes wandered across our group.

“This truly is an interesting gathering,” she mused softly.

Her gaze settled upon Jia Ping first.

“A child of foxes.”

Jia Ping stiffened visibly.

The woman then looked toward Zhen Ai.

“A child of dragons.”

Finally, her eyes moved toward Tao Wolong.

“A child of destiny.”

The sleeping Roo suddenly snorted loudly beside the fire, scratching his stomach mid-slumber while muttering something about carrots.

The woman stared at him silently for several awkward seconds.

“…Hm.”

Then she simply skipped him entirely.

Her attention returned to me afterward.

“And a Supreme walking within the current age,” she whispered with visible fascination. “I sincerely believed your kind no longer wandered this universe, but it seems I was wrong. Ah, such as the tidings of fate. Every unpredictable. Truly the essence of chaos.”

The way she said Supreme made me deeply uncomfortable.

“Who are you!?” Jia Ping demanded once more.

This time, the woman slowly turned toward her.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Pressure descended upon the clearing. It was absolute, ancient, and vast beyond comprehension. The surrounding forest fell silent as though every living thing nearby had instinctively lowered its head.

“Careful with your tone, child,” the woman warned softly. “I am older than the Willow Order you serve.”

“That’s impossible,” Jia Ping argued immediately despite visibly trembling. “The Willow Order has existed since the dawn of creation—”

“Indeed,” the woman interrupted calmly, “but I believe you misunderstand something important.”

She leaned slightly against my shoulder while gazing toward the stars overhead.

“There exists a gap between the known world and the universe that came before. A Dark Age. An era when survivors from the previous universe battled desperately for a place within the newly born world order. During that time, the old powers sought dominion while newly awakened souls struggled merely to survive.”

Her voice carried no arrogance. Instead, there was only longing.

“I was there during those years,” she said softly. “One of the few immortals who chose to stand beside mortals rather than rule above them.”

Jia Ping’s eyes widened.

The woman smiled faintly afterward.

“I am one of the three disciples personally taught by the founder of your Order. I stood beside that special existence when the first laws of the Willow Order were written. You would do well to show greater respect toward my name.”

Then she finally introduced herself.

“I am the Daughter of the Origin. First of the Dryads born within the New World. Queen of the Fae.”

Her emerald eyes met mine directly.

“My name is Mab.”

The moment she spoke that name, something ancient stirred faintly within the forest itself. The trees rustled despite the absence of wind while distant lights flickered between the woods like wandering spirits.

Mab leaned more comfortably against me.

Her expression softened with something dangerously close to longing and expectations.

Things were getting weird very quickly.

Across the fire, Jia Ping hurriedly pulled out a small wooden stick from her robes. The object began glowing brilliantly the instant Mab revealed her identity.

Jia Ping nearly dropped it in shock.

“Oh my heavens,” she whispered shakily. “On Dawei’s balls, it’s true!”

Mab glanced toward the glowing branch with visible surprise.

“A branch from a World Tree,” she remarked approvingly. “Impressive. That is a rather effective method for identifying my lineage.”

Jia Ping looked seconds away from a religious crisis.

As for me?

I was mostly focused on the fact that the immortal Dryad queen was still holding onto my arm.

Mab suddenly stood up while pulling me along with her effortlessly.

“Come,” she said warmly. “I wish to show you my home.”

I blinked.

Wait.

Hold on.

Things were progressing way too fast.

“…Why exactly do you want to show me your home?”

Mab blinked once, clearly surprised I even needed to ask.

“Because that is where you shall be living from now on.”

“…What?”

“You are my king,” she explained matter-of-factly.

I genuinely looked around afterward because surely she could not have been speaking to me.

Unfortunately, she was.

“Wait,” I said slowly. “Who decided that?”

“I did.”

“That feels extremely one-sided.”

Mab tilted her head slightly as though unable to understand the issue. To my growing horror, she began casually listing plans. “We shall naturally require a proper ceremony, something beneath the most beautiful tree in the forest perhaps. Mm… no, the Silver Groves would be more romantic during spring. The Beast Courts would complain if they were not invited, but they complain about everything regardless, so perhaps it is better to ignore them entirely. Ah, and afterward, we could spend our honeymoon wandering the many secret realms around the world.”

“Honeymoon?”

“There is also the matter of crowns,” she continued happily. “You would look wonderful wearing antlers.”

“What?”

“And eventually,” she added with growing enthusiasm, “we could restore the old gardens together. Perhaps raise children afterward.”

My soul nearly left my body.

Children?!

I carefully removed my hand from hers and took one very deliberate step backward.

“Sorry, lady,” I said diplomatically. “But I think you’re moving a little too fast.”

Mab blinked slowly.

“Do not worry,” I continued quickly. “It’s not you. I think it’s me.”

Honestly?

I wanted to flee into the forest immediately and live among the monkey clans forever.

At least Elder Monke had never tried to marry me.

“That is unfortunate,” Mab said softly.

For one beautiful moment, I thought she had accepted rejection normally. However, her smile was telling me otherwise.

“I suppose I shall simply need to convince you.”

My survival instincts screamed violently.

“How?” I asked cautiously.

Mab’s smile widened with terrifying confidence.

“I shall find a way. If it takes ten years, then I shall spend ten years. If it requires a hundred years, then a hundred years shall pass. If a thousand years are necessary, then I shall wait a thousand years. Ten thousand years if needed.”

The way she spoke made it sound less like romance and more like a natural law of the universe.

“I will make it happen,” she finished confidently.

I blinked.

“…Why? Just why!?”

Mab’s expression softened instantly, answering gently. “Because, it is my wish to provide you happiness. The dark sun within you. You shall bear the misfortune of this world endlessly. It’s just so sad. I don’t want to be sad. I don’t want you to be sad. Oh, I’ve seen it all.”

My body froze.

Every thought in my mind halted instantly.

How did she know about that?

I had never spoken about it. Not to Roo. Not to Zhen Ai. Not to anyone. The dark sun of misfortune buried deep within me had always remained my secret alone. Yet Mab spoke of it with absolute certainty.

She slowly raised her hands and gently held my face.

“Can you not see it?” she asked softly. Her emerald eyes reflected my stunned expression perfectly as she strated directly to my eyes. “We are ideal for one another. I am chaos, and you are order. Together, we balance each other. Ah… We truly are perfect for one another.”

Yeah, I’m calling it in.

This lady was definitely crazy.