Immortal Druid

The figure vanished shortly afterward, dissolving into drifting motes of light until only the empty throne remained before me. Silence reclaimed the throne room once more. I stared at the throne for a long moment.

Instead of answers, I somehow ended up with even more questions.

What exactly was the Source?

What was an Avatar?

And what kind of lunatic created an entire flying city and casually entrusted it to a random druid from another world?

I approached the throne cautiously and inspected it with Druidic Insight. Nature energy flowed through the ancient seat, but nothing appeared abnormal. No hidden formation. No curse. No trap waiting to devour my soul.

At least, none that I could perceive.

Eventually, curiosity won.

I sat down.

Honestly, I still doubted that was what the mysterious figure meant when he told me to take the throne. The idea sounded ridiculous even inside my own head.

Out of nowhere, the throne spoke.

“Divine Possession.”

The instant those words echoed through the chamber, my vision shattered.

An endless torrent of memories flooded my consciousness with overwhelming force. My sense of self blurred beneath the weight of countless lives and countless years. I saw a humble settlement of hunters struggling against beasts beneath towering trees. I saw frightened young men conscripted into an army meant to fight wars they barely understood.

One memory surfaced more vividly than the others.

A boy, young, furious, and determined.

He beat his own father bloody to steal the man’s place in the conscription ranks because he believed the village needed stronger men at the front. Also, because the boy didn’t want his father to join the war. It was strange in ways I couldn’t comprehend.

The memories accelerated and the village grew.

Stone replaced wood.

Walls rose.

Temples followed.

Armies marched beneath white banners marked by the golden cross I had seen earlier.

I watched the city itself ripped from the earth and elevated toward another world entirely. The civilization became part of a vast Holy Empire whose influence stretched beyond mortal comprehension. The city transformed into a sacred symbol tied to rites surrounding a Holy Emperor.

The sheer scale of the memories overwhelmed me.

For several terrifying moments, I became the divine itself.

The sensation felt horrifying and liberating at the same time. Countless emotions crashed through me. Pride. Wrath. Grief. Triumph. Loneliness. The memories carried so much information that even my enhanced mind failed to retain everything. Entire eras slipped away the instant I perceived them.

Faces vanished.

Names disappeared.

Wars blurred together.

I forgot more than I remembered.

Slowly, the torrent weakened.

My awareness returned piece by piece until I found myself observing my own memories. I saw myself entering the Sacred Ruins, wandering through abandoned districts, reaching the throne room, hearing the recorded message, and finally sitting upon the throne.

The perspective changed again.

I watched the entire Emerald Verdant Forest tremble violently as the land itself tore free from the earth. Mountains shattered. Rivers twisted through the air. The Hermit Sage Forest rose together with the island while countless beasts fled in panic.

Leafhome City happened to rest close enough to the boundary that it rose alongside the ascending landmass.

From above, the sight looked absurd.

An entire island floated toward the heavens while cultivators below screamed in terror. My eyes snapped open. Sunlight streamed through the ruined throne room. An entire night had passed. I slowly looked down at my hands and immediately froze.

They no longer resembled elven hands.

My fingers appeared slender and luminous, carrying an almost ethereal beauty. Pale green markings resembling branches stretched across my skin while particles of nature energy drifted around my body like fireflies.

I was in my Fairy King form.

Usually, achieving this transformation required activating Wild Shape: Primal Nature Elemental while channeling the Spirit of the World Tree.

This time, however, it had manifested naturally.

Even the throne had changed. The ancient stone seat transformed into an enormous throne crafted from living wood, ivory, and intertwining branches covered in silver leaves.

I slowly stood.

The transformation unraveled moments later as my Wild Shape dispersed, returning me to my normal elven form. Even then, I could feel the difference immediately. My qi reserves had expanded tremendously, and the flow of mana felt smoother than before, almost instinctive.

Unfortunately, I lacked time to admire the improvements.

“Wild Shape: Eagle.”

My body shifted instantly.

Feathers erupted across my skin while the world expanded beneath my sharpened senses. I burst from the ruined palace and soared high above the Sacred Ruins.

Finally, when I was far enough, I saw the island floating among the clouds.

An actual island hung in the sky!

Forests. Rivers. Mountains. Leafhome City. Everything.

And here I was hoping the whole thing had merely been some elaborate hallucination.

Wind rushed against my wings while I circled the floating landmass in disbelief. Smaller flying beasts darted through the air nearby, equally confused by the situation. Far below, tiny figures moved frantically through Leafhome.

Yeah.

People were definitely panicking.

I returned toward the throne room using Nature’s Stride. The technique responded far more fluidly than before. Instead of feeling like stepping through connected roots, it now resembled becoming part of the forest itself for a brief instant.

I reappeared beside the throne, released my Wild Shape, and sat down once more.

The moment I focused, the entire island entered my awareness.

Roots.

Trees.

Vines.

Grass.

Every living plant connected to me through phytokinesis. Spiritual sense expanded through the vegetation until I perceived nearly the entire forest at once.

Unfortunately, the cultivators noticed movement beneath the island and immediately started panicking again.

Probably understandable.

I tightened my grip around my staff and stabbed it against the ground.

Nature energy surged outward.

I poured more power into the forest and slowly guided the floating island downward. Massive roots extended from the underside of the landmass like enormous tendrils searching for the earth below.

The descent took time.

Entire forests swayed violently.

Eventually, the roots pierced the ground beneath and began integrating the island back into the world. Soil connected. Stone fused together. Nature itself slowly repaired the catastrophic damage caused by ripping an entire region from the planet.

The instant the land stabilized completely, I slumped slightly against the throne.

“That scared the shit out of me.”

…

..

.

[POV: Zhong Zhong]

Zhong Zhong was a busy man.

As captain of the guards of Leafhome City, his responsibilities rarely allowed him proper rest. Every day involved managing disputes between cultivators, coordinating patrol routes, receiving representatives from various sects, organizing city defenses, assigning personnel to guard the entrance of the secret realm, and ensuring merchants did not murder each other over taxes and spirit stone tariffs.

Unfortunately, recent events had made his workload significantly worse.

Namely, the part where the entire city had flown into the sky.

Even now, Zhong Zhong still struggled to believe it truly happened. The memory remained vivid inside his mind. The mountains trembled. The ground tore apart. Entire districts shook violently while terrified cultivators screamed prayers to every deity they knew.

The forest rose along with it.

The entire region literally ascended into the heavens.

For several horrifying moments, Zhong Zhong genuinely believed the world was ending.

The land had eventually returned safely to the ground, but nobody in Leafhome remained calm afterward. Panic spread throughout the city like wildfire. Rumors multiplied by the hour. Some claimed immortals had descended. Others believed an ancient beast awakened beneath the forest.

One drunk cultivator loudly insisted the moon itself had tried to kidnap Leafhome.

Honestly, Zhong Zhong no longer possessed the energy to argue.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose while reviewing another stack of reports inside the guard headquarters.

Every single report contradicted the previous one.

“Wonderful.”

A subordinate hurried into the room and bowed respectfully.

“Captain Zhong, the sect representatives continue demanding answers.”

“Tell them to wait,” Zhong Zhong replied immediately. “I do not have answers to give them.”

The subordinate hesitated.

“And regarding the forest?”

Zhong Zhong exhaled slowly before standing.

“Send a message immediately to Lady Li Qing,” he ordered firmly. “Also dispatch a runner to locate Sage Wo Li and inquire what exactly happened.”

The subordinate visibly relaxed after receiving direct orders.

“At once, Captain!”

The man quickly departed.

Zhong Zhong moved toward the window overlooking the city. Even now, people crowded the streets while discussing the incident anxiously. Several cultivators pointed nervously toward the distant forest as though expecting it to suddenly float upward again.

…

..

.

[POV: Mab]

Meanwhile, far deeper within the forest, Mab sat peacefully beneath the pavilion while moon-colored wisps drifted around her.

When she first sensed Wo Li’s arrival within the secret realm, certainty settled within her heart almost immediately.

He was the existence she had been waiting for.

Not merely a chosen individual.

Not merely a cultivator.

The Avatar of the Source.

Zhen Ai, however, appeared considerably less calm.

“What exactly is happening?” she asked anxiously. “The entire forest shook violently, the land rose into the heavens, and Sage Wo Li still has not returned. It has already been over a day since he entered the ruins.”

Mab calmly poured tea into a small cup.

“It has only been a day,” she replied gently. “There is no need to worry so greatly.”

Beside his mother, Tao Wolong nodded confidently.

“Everything’s fine,” the boy declared. “Godfather’s super strong.”

Zhen Ai looked unconvinced.

“That is precisely why I worry,” she muttered.

Jia Ping adjusted her glasses while staring toward the distant ruins with obvious impatience. The scholarly woman had spent nearly the entire day pacing around the pavilion like a trapped spirit.

Eventually, Zhen Ai stood.

“I shall check the ruins personally,” she declared.

She glanced toward Jia Ping.

“You are coming with me.”

Jia Ping immediately brightened.

“Yes!”

The three of them departed shortly afterward, heading toward the Sacred Ruins beyond the barrier. The distance was not particularly far, though Mab already knew they would not gain entrance.

Still, she found the situation amusing.

According to her divinations, Wo Li had not existed within this world for very long. Despite that, people already cared deeply for him. Concern lingered clearly within Zhen Ai’s expression while Tao Wolong spoke of him with admiration.

That meant he was likely a good person.

Mab preferred that outcome.

The world no longer needed the tyranny of gods.

Her role had never been to worship the Avatar of the Source blindly. Her purpose was far simpler and far more important.

Guide him.

Protect the balance of the world.

Ensure prosperity endured against the chaos beyond existence itself.

Slowly, the beasts of the forest began gathering around the pavilion. Massive wolves emerged from the trees alongside serpent chiefs large enough to coil around buildings. Great apes approached silently while spirit birds perched atop ancient branches nearby.

Representatives from every beast clan within the Emerald Verdant Forest had arrived.

For countless years, Mab remained restrained by the secret realm and its ancient agreements. She could not directly interfere with the outside cultivation world. When cultivators violated the old pacts and trespassed deeper into the forest than permitted, Mab originally intended to unleash the beasts upon them as punishment.

However, Wo Li’s appearance changed everything.

The Sacred Ruins recognized him, and the forest itself had submitted to his authority.

Mab felt the boundary between forests vanished.

The Emerald Verdant Forest merged together with the outer woodland under a singular will. Ancient roots connected beneath the earth while nature energy flowed freely between both forest.

Mab slowly rose before the gathered beast chiefs.

“The invasion shall not proceed,” she declared calmly. “Rescind all previous orders regarding the cultivators beyond the forest.”

The beasts stirred uneasily.

Mab continued.

“I hereby abdicate my position as master of this forest.”

Silence followed immediately afterward.

“The Emerald Verdant Forest is no more.”

The chiefs lowered themselves respectfully.

At that exact moment, Wo Li appeared beneath the pavilion together with his entourage.

Mab inclined her head gracefully.

“Sage Wo Li is now the true master of the forest.”

A muffled voice suddenly interrupted the solemn atmosphere.

“Master of what now?”

Everyone turned.

Roo remained sprawled beneath the pavilion floor, barely awake. One eye opened lazily while the kangaroo scratched his stomach.

“The forest?” Roo muttered sleepily. “Wo Li? Isn’t that old news now?”

He yawned loudly and rolled over onto his side.

“Don’t disturb me,” Roo grumbled. “I need my beauty nap.”

Several beast chiefs stared at him in complete disbelief while the kangaroo immediately resumed snoring.