Immortal Druid

I returned to the plains where the battle had been at its most intense. The earth was scarred beyond recognition. Craters pockmarked the landscape, broken trees lay scattered across the ground, and lingering traces of spiritual energy drifted through the air like ghosts unwilling to depart. I closed my eyes and stretched my senses through phytokinesis. Countless roots beneath the soil became my eyes and ears, carrying information from every direction.

I searched for corpses.

The undead that had recently perished were easy enough to identify. Their lingering death aura stood out among the countless remains littering the battlefield. The difficulty came from the sheer number of Core Formation cultivators who had accompanied us. Their spiritual signatures blended together into a confusing mess.

The result of this operation had been bleak.

If I had to be painfully frank, the bulk of the casualties belonged to the Willow Order. Most of them had never stood a chance against enemies of this caliber. They had marched here believing they could contribute to the war effort, only to become corpses upon the battlefield.

Their deaths had been utterly pointless.

My expression darkened as I walked through the field. One after another, I stored every body I could find into my storage ring. Friends and enemies alike disappeared from the ruined landscape.

I was not confident I could resurrect this many people.

That was not even accounting for the logistics involved. More troubling was the bizarre feeling that my resurrection spell would not function properly on them. Something about the dead cultivators felt wrong, as though their souls had already been disturbed by forces beyond my understanding.

Most frightening of all was the misfortune.

Every resurrection invited backlash from fate. The greater the violation, the greater the price. Bringing back a handful of people was one thing. Bringing back hundreds was another matter entirely.

I did not know whether I could survive the consequences.

Eventually, I reached the enormous crater where the rotten tree had first manifested. The devastation was immense. The surrounding forest had been obliterated, leaving behind a barren wound upon the land.

I planted my staff into the ground.

According to Druidic Insight, the forest could recover. Nature was resilient. It merely needed a proper foundation.

A body of water would suffice.

"Water Ball."

I infused the spell with quintessence.

The surrounding air trembled.

An enormous sphere of water materialized overhead. It continued expanding until it resembled a floating lake suspended in the sky. When I judged the size sufficient, I released my control.

The sphere descended into the crater.

A thunderous splash echoed across the plains.

Water surged outward before settling into the depression. Using phytokinesis, I carefully guided the surrounding terrain. Soil shifted. Stone cracked. Roots spread through the earth. The shape of the lake gradually transformed under my direction until it appeared natural.

When I finally stepped back, a pristine lake occupied the center of the forest.

Life would return.

Perhaps not today.

Perhaps not tomorrow.

But it would return.

Satisfied, I turned toward the Dark Order stronghold.

Even from a distance, sounds of battle reached my ears.

"Kill them!"

"Push forward!"

"Hold the eastern courtyard!"

"Formation! Formation!"

Spiritual techniques collided with explosive force. Metal rang against metal. The cries of wounded cultivators mixed with the roars of battle.

A familiar weight landed upon my shoulder.

Old Crow folded his wings and clicked his beak.

"My lord, there weren't any casualties on our side," he reported. "The resistance has been ferocious, though. The Dark Order has more experts than we expected. We also linked up with Hao Lei and his people."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Hao Lei?"

Old Crow nodded.

"He's occupied with something else. Whatever he's fighting, it isn't normal."

That immediately caught my attention. The stronghold soon came into view. The gates had already been destroyed. Fragments of reinforced stone littered the entrance. Blood stained the walls. Corpses wearing dark robes lay scattered across the courtyard.

I stepped through the broken gateway.

The battle inside was still raging.

Xing Mei moved through the battlefield like a storm incarnate. Every swing of her sword unleashed violent winds capable of shredding cultivators apart. Her enemies struggled to approach before being blown backward by tempestuous currents.

Nearby, Chen Lin directed the flow of battle. Spells continuously erupted from her hands as she coordinated allied movements.

"Left flank advance!"

"Don't break formation!"

"Focus on the Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Her commands kept the Willow Order organized despite the chaos.

Guo Yupin fought surrounded by orbiting swords. The blades moved according to his will, weaving through the battlefield like a deadly constellation. Every rotation claimed another enemy.

Kang Wen's fighting style had become even stranger than before.

Dark spells intertwined with fiendish swordsmanship. Black energy flowed around his blade as he cut through enemy cultivators with ruthless efficiency.

Mixed among the Willow Order forces were cultivators dressed in dark robes. They were Hao Lei's subordinates. Apparently, they had chosen their side rather quickly in the side of there master.

I quickly assessed the battlefield.

Every remaining enemy possessed at least Core Formation cultivation. Several Nascent Soul cultivators remained active. They were dangerous opponents for ordinary cultivators.

Old Crow clicked his beak again.

"You know those Soul Transformation cultivators that showed up earlier?"

I glanced toward him.

"What about them?"

"Hao Lei killed them."

I stopped walking.

Old Crow continued.

"Every single one. Then that dark thing appeared and Hao Lei was forced to fight it by himself!"

The dark thing. Whatever it was, it had managed to occupy Hao Lei. That alone spoke volumes. For now, however, the battlefield demanded immediate attention. I raised my staff. Control Weather spread outward. Dark clouds gathered overhead. Rain began to fall.

Every cultivator upon the battlefield was quickly drenched.

The enemy paid little attention.

That was their mistake.

I struck the ground with my staff.

"Winter Sonata."

The world became silent, and then the frost began to sing. An ethereal melody echoed throughout the battlefield. Snowflakes drifted from the heavens while freezing energy spread through the falling rain.

Using Druidic Insight and my enhanced senses, I carefully controlled the spell.

Allies were ignored.

Enemies were not.

The moment the freezing energy touched them, Core Formation cultivators froze solid one after another. Dozens became ice statues. The battlefield fell into stunned silence. The surviving Nascent Soul cultivators reacted instantly.

Three flashes of light erupted as they escaped through movement techniques.

However, they were not faster than me.

"Wild Shape: Tyrant Lizard King."

My body expanded explosively. Muscles swelled. Scales emerged. Massive jaws opened. Nature's Stride activated simultaneously and the world blurred. Before the nearest Nascent Soul cultivator could react, my jaws closed around him.

Crunch.

His upper and lower halves separated instantly. Blood rained through the snow. I immediately released the transformation. My body returned to normal in a single breath.

The second Nascent Soul cultivator attempted to flee.

I pointed my staff toward the sky.

"Raindrop Edge."

The falling snow crystals transformed. Each crystal became a blade. Thousands descended simultaneously. The cultivator raised defensive techniques in desperation. However, they just shattered.

The storm of crystal blades pierced his body from every direction.

He collapsed moments later.

The final Nascent Soul cultivator abandoned all dignity.

Rather than fight, he slammed his hands into the ground and attempted to escape underground through earth shaping.

I calmly raised my staff.

"World Fall."

Gravity multiplied. The earth itself groaned. The fleeing cultivator screamed. His body was violently forced downward before being crushed beneath the overwhelming pressure. The ground collapsed inward around him.

Silence followed.

The battlefield had ended.

Hao Lei's subordinates visibly tensed.

Several immediately reached for their weapons.

One of them swallowed nervously.

"Monster..."

"Is he really our ally?"

"How can someone this terrifying exist?"

I glanced toward them.

The cultivators immediately stiffened.

"I'm an ally," I said. "Where is your master?"

The group exchanged uncertain looks before one finally stepped forward.

"Master Hao is deeper within the stronghold."

His expression grew serious.

"Whatever he's fighting, it's still alive."

Before I could take more than a few steps, a figure suddenly landed before me.

Chen Lin dropped to one knee.

Her fist cupped into her palm, her head lowered in respect. The normally composed elder looked exhausted. Dirt stained her robes. Blood streaked one side of her face. The battle had taken its toll on her.

"Sage Wo Li," she said quietly. "Thank you for your heroic deeds. Without your intervention, we would have suffered even greater losses."

She hesitated.

The next words seemed difficult to say.

"The members of my Willow Order... what became of them?"

I looked at her for several moments before answering.

"They perished in battle."

The color drained from her face. Her shoulders trembled. For a moment, she simply knelt there in silence. Then she asked softly, "Is there truth to the tales of your power over resurrection?"

The battlefield grew strangely quiet.

Even those nearby were listening.

Chen Lin lowered her head further, hiding the doubts that probably smeared her face.

"I apologize for my rudeness."

Her voice shook.

"But I beg for your aid during my sect's most trying times."

I stared at her.

Where had I heard that before?

Ah.

Li Qing.

The difference was that Li Qing had never been this shameless. At least, she had been able to meet my eyes. Chen Lin could not even do that. If I were going to resurrect someone, it certainly would not be for her sake.

"No."

The answer came without hesitation.

Chen Lin's body stiffened, and then she suddenly lowered herself completely. Her forehead struck the ground.

"Sage Wo Li, please show mercy!"

She kowtowed.

Again.

And again.

"I was arrogant!"

Another kowtow.

"I believed I understood the might of immortals!"

Another.

"I overestimated myself!"

Her voice cracked.

"The cultivators who followed me trusted my judgment. They marched here believing they would return home. They died because of my mistakes."

Her forehead struck the ground once more.

"But they can still have a second chance through your hands! Sage Wo Li, please... please, I am begging you. I know I have no right to ask this of you. I know I have already burdened you far more than I should have, but I cannot simply accept this. I cannot return to the Willow Order and tell their families that their sons and daughters are gone forever. I cannot face my fellow elders and tell them that the disciples they entrusted to me died because of my arrogance. Every one of those cultivators followed me because they believed in my judgment. They trusted me. They believed I would bring them home."

Tears streamed down her face and splashed against the ground beneath her.

"I failed them. I failed all of them. If anyone deserves punishment, it is me. Not them. Please, Sage Wo Li, if there is even the slightest possibility, if there is even the smallest chance that they can live again, then I beg you to grant it. Let them have another opportunity. Let them see their families again. Let them continue the lives that were stolen from them here. I will accept any price, any punishment, any humiliation. I will spend the rest of my life repaying the debt if I must. Just... please..."

Her voice broke into sobs.

"Please save them."

I looked down at her.

"No."

The answer remained unchanged.

A second later, two more figures stepped forward. It was Xing Mei and Guo Yupin.

Both cupped their fists and fell to their knees.

"Sage Wo Li," Xing Mei said. "I beg for mercy. Countless disciples of the Steel Sky Sect followed me here. They died believing they were helping deliver justice. If there remains even the slightest possibility of saving them, I ask you to consider it."

Guo Yupin's expression was even more pained.

His face seemed to age years in mere moments.

"My Sect Leader died in this battle."

His voice was hoarse.

"I brought him here."

The guilt in his eyes was unmistakable.

"I brought disciples of my Sect here. If anyone deserves blame, it is me. I beg Sage Wo Li to show mercy upon the dead of Serenity Cliff Sect."

I clenched my jaw.

This was different from Chen Lin. These two carried the weight of entire sects upon their shoulders. They had people depending on them. People mourning because of them. People dead because of their decisions.

Yet my answer did not change.

"No."

The word echoed through the courtyard. Silence followed. Today, I had learned the immense value of resurrection.

Hao Lei had betrayed the Dark Order despite decades, perhaps centuries, of loyalty.

Why?

Because my power of resurrection existed and the possibility of undoing death existed within me.

Hao Lei was an immortal. He was a being standing at the pinnacle of cultivation. Yet even he had been willing to gamble everything for a chance at bringing someone back.

I had underestimated my powers in this world.

At times, they felt diminished. The interaction between mana and qi often weakened their effects. That much was true. But what I possessed operated under completely different rules.

A simple respawn mechanic?

An ordinary resurrection spell?

In LWO, they were conveniences.

Here, they were miracles.

If word spread too far, people would kill kingdoms for monopoly to such power.

No.

If I was going to bring someone back to life, it would be solely by my will. Not because others demanded it. Not because they expected it. Not because they viewed me as a solution to their failures.

I stepped forward.

The three sect leaders remained kneeling.

My voice hardened.

"Do you know what your problem is?"

None of them answered.

"You are arrogant."

Their expressions changed.

I continued.

"You charge into danger without adequate preparation, you gamble with the lives of your followers as though their lives are chips on a gaming table, and then when everything falls apart, you expect someone else to bear the consequences of your decisions; that is arrogance, plain and simple."

My gaze settled on Xing Mei.

"You."

She lowered her head.

My voice sharpened.

"Ask yourself honestly, Xing Mei—was this revenge truly worth it? Was avenging old grievances worth the lives of every disciple who followed you here believing in your cause? When you look at the dead scattered across this battlefield, can you truly say their sacrifices were worth the satisfaction of settling a score? Or did your hatred blind you to the cost until it was too late?"

Xing Mei's body trembled.

I did not wait for her answer.

I turned toward Guo Yupin.

"Guo Yupin, you involved your sect in a conflict that was never theirs to begin with, and in doing so, you dragged your Sect Leader and your fellow disciples into a war they had no obligation to fight; you placed loyalty above judgment, and now the very man you were supposed to support and protect lies dead because of that choice."

His face paled, but I wasn't done yet.

"Look around you. This is the result. Your Sect Leader trusted your judgment enough to come here, and now he will never return home. Tell me, was it truly right to gamble the future of your entire sect on a matter that belonged to the Willow Order?"

Guo Yupin closed his eyes.

His shoulders slumped.

Finally, I looked at Chen Lin.

Of the three, she appeared the most devastated.

"You failed as a leader, Chen Lin. Those cultivators followed you because they believed you would guide them victoriously through danger. They trusted your experience, your wisdom, and your judgment. A leader's duty is not merely to command people into battle. It is to understand the risks, to recognize when a situation exceeds their capabilities, and to protect those under their care from needless death. Yet you led them here despite not fully understanding what you were facing, and because of that failure, the people who placed their faith in you are now corpses scattered across this battlefield."

The words struck harder than any attack, and I made sure they would hurt.

"They trusted you, and that trust carried a responsibility you failed to uphold. Whether your intentions were noble or not no longer matters to the dead. What matters is that they followed their leader into a trap and paid for that mistake with their lives."

Tears appeared in her eyes.

I took a slow breath. Truthfully, I was angry at myself as well. Many of these deaths could have been avoided, and there were things I could have done differently, things I should have anticipated, and things I should have handled personally. The blame did not belong solely to them. Even so, these words still needed to be spoken, because I was not a wish button, nor was I some magical solution that existed to clean up everyone's mistakes.

Slowly, I reached into the Ring of Dark Banishment in my hand.

I tossed it toward Chen Lin.

She barely managed to catch it.

Her eyes widened.

I pointed at the ring.

"Reflect."

The single word carried far more weight than any lecture.

"When you finally understand where you went wrong..."

My gaze swept across all three of them.

"...then the next time, make sure you do not commit the same mistakes again."

None of them dared to speak.

The courtyard remained silent.

I turned away.

My anger still burned.

But allowing it to control me would accomplish nothing.

Taking a slow breath, I began walking deeper into the Dark Order stronghold.