Immortal Druid

[POV: Jin Hong]

The palanquin drifted serenely through the heavens, its polished jade frame gleaming beneath the afternoon sun. Four Soul Transformation cultivators bore it effortlessly upon their shoulders, each moving as though they weighed nothing despite carrying a personage worthy of kingdoms. White veils concealed their handsome faces, embroidered only with the crimson characters denoting their identities—Right Hand, Left Hand, Right Foot, and Left Foot. Surrounding them, a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators balanced upon their flying swords formed an impenetrable escort around the procession.

Within the luxurious palanquin reclined Jin Hong.

Golden hair cascaded over her shoulders like molten sunlight, contrasting beautifully against a pair of crimson eyes that seemed perpetually filled with amusement. She rested her cheek upon one hand as the scenery below drifted by in an endless blur of mountains, rivers, and forests. None of it interested her anymore. After countless centuries of life, every landscape eventually blended into another.

She sighed softly before lazily lifting her gaze toward the servant supporting the front-right corner of her palanquin.

"Right Foot," she called with a teasing smile, "tell me honestly... am I beautiful?"

Without even the slightest hesitation, the veiled man answered in a voice filled with reverence.

"My lady's beauty eclipses the heavens themselves. The sun borrows your radiance, the moon envies your grace, and every flower withers in shame before your smile. Should the immortals witness your visage, they would abandon cultivation simply to admire you forever."

Jin Hong giggled.

"You've become even better at flattery."

"It is not flattery, my lady," Right Foot replied sincerely. "I merely lack the words to describe your perfection."

Her laughter echoed gently inside the palanquin.

She had personally gathered the four men over the centuries, nurturing them from promising youths into loyal Soul Transformation cultivators. Each possessed remarkable appearances that pleased her eyes. More importantly, each had devoted heart and soul solely to her. Their existence revolved around serving, protecting, and adoring her.

Some would have called them slaves.

Jin Hong disliked the ugliness of the word.

Still...

Perhaps that was exactly what they were.

She had long ceased pretending otherwise. Endless years of immortality had stripped away many of the moral boundaries she once held dear. When one possessed limitless time, eventually every curiosity became worth indulging. Collecting beautiful, loyal servants had simply become another pastime to relieve the unbearable monotony.

She stretched languidly before looking toward another servant.

"Right Hand."

"Yes, my lady."

"How much farther until we reach the Touch Grass Sect?"

Right Hand answered immediately.

"We must still cross several domains before reaching their territory. At our current pace, it will still require some time."

"I suppose I'll have to endure my boredom a little longer."

Her thoughts drifted toward recent events.

The Sect Leader of the Divine Trinity Sect had been entertaining.

Despite standing an entire realm beneath her, the man had displayed remarkable courage. Their battle had almost become enjoyable.

Almost.

Unfortunately, that old fox had appeared.

Yu Gan.

The Heavenly Domain Sect's Sect Leader had shamelessly stolen both her amusement and her prize through sheer authority. She still found the memory irritating.

Turning toward another of her attendants, she asked thoughtfully,

"Left Hand... why do you think Yu Gan intervened and spared that bald monk?"

Unlike the others, Left Hand's greatest talent had never been cultivation. His aptitude was merely average, but his mind remained exceptionally sharp. His observational skills and ability to gather information had earned him a permanent place at her side.

After a brief pause, he answered.

"I overheard several prisoners discussing the matter, my lady. They claimed the monk's sect preserved the corpse of an ancient Immortal of extraordinary strength. Sect Leader Yu Gan may have wished to acquire that corpse for himself to study its secrets and perhaps uncover clues leading toward the realm beyond Immortal."

"The next realm..."

Jin Hong murmured the words quietly.

Even within the Heavenly Domain Sect, countless debates surrounded that mysterious destination.

Some believed Immortal represented the ultimate peak.

Others insisted another realm existed beyond.

Many Immortals had abandoned the search altogether after thousands of fruitless years. The Heavenly Domain Sect, however, refused to surrender that hope. Their scholars continued investigating ancient ruins and forgotten civilizations, even maintaining dealings with the ambitious organization known as the Dark Order.

She snorted.

"A pack of dangerous fanatics."

Yet she could not entirely mock their obsession.

Immortals possessed miraculous regenerative abilities, lifespans that stretched nearly without limit, and power that dwarfed even the strongest ordinary cultivators. Yet despite all of that, immortals could still die. Immortal-slaying poisons, ancient treasures, and forbidden techniques designed to target the immortal soul. All of these existed as lethal threats. The title of immortal granted incredible longevity, but it never offered true invincibility.

What saddened Jin Hong even more, however, was a deeper realization. Cultivation itself was the pursuit of immortality. Once that goal had been achieved, the road simply ended. There was nowhere else to climb. No greater summit, no higher heaven. All that remained were endless years stretching out toward eternity, with nothing left to strive for.

She leaned back with an exaggerated groan.

"I'm so bored," she complained. "Can't something interesting happen for once?"

Almost as though the heavens had heard her plea, the world answered.

In a single instant, day vanished. Darkness swallowed everything, blotting out the sun as if it had never existed. Stars bloomed across the sky where bright daylight had shone only moments before.

Jin Hong’s crimson eyes widened. A wild, exhilarated grin slowly spread across her face.

Finally.

Something unexpected had arrived.

Without warning, space distorted around her.

She disappeared from the palanquin.

An instant later, she floated high above the escort, golden hair dancing wildly in the night wind. Vast spiritual senses exploded outward, sweeping across mountains and forests alike.

Life.

Jin Hong felt countless flickers of life hidden beneath the dense forest canopy, yet one after another, those presences began to vanish as if something were deliberately teasing her.

“My lady!” Right Hand called out urgently. “Please return to the palanquin!”

“This phenomenon is unknown!” Left Foot added anxiously. “It may be dangerous!”

“Allow us to investigate first!”

Even Left Hand’s voice carried a rare note of unease.

Jin Hong clicked her tongue in irritation.

“Shut your mouths.”

Silence fell immediately.

Her grin only widened, sharp and eager. Deep inside her chest, something savage stirred. It was an excitement that bordered on bloodlust.

An irresistible urge whispered that she should erase the entire forest from existence. Burn every tree. Crush every mountain. Force whoever hid below to crawl out screaming beneath overwhelming destruction.

This was clearly an ambush. Whoever had orchestrated it already knew their identities.

Excellent.

Jin Hong had no intention of ending things quickly. Where would the fun be in that? She wanted to play with them first to learn who they were, watch them struggle, perhaps even hear them beg. Only then would she decide whether they deserved a swift death or something far more entertaining.

Hovering beneath the unnatural star-filled sky, her voice echoed across the silent wilderness.

“Reveal yourselves.”

Only silence answered.

Jin Hong laughed, low and delighted. “So stubborn.”

She slowly raised one delicate hand. Scarlet spiritual energy condensed above her palm, swirling with malevolent beauty. Then, with a flicker of intent, blood-red flames erupted into existence.

They fused together into an enormous sphere of cursed fire, growing larger with every heartbeat until it rivaled a small mountain. The horrifying blood curse contained within radiated enough malice to taint heaven and earth alike.

Moments later, blood began raining from the sky.

Every crimson droplet carried suffocating resentment, transforming the once peaceful forest into a nightmarish landscape beneath the enormous sphere of cursed flames waiting above.

A delighted laugh escaped Jin Hong's lips.

"Finally! Finally!" she cheered, clapping her hands together like an excited child. "A new toy! Don't disappoint me!"

The mountain-sized sphere of crimson flames pulsed violently above her. Its core gradually shifted from scarlet to brilliant gold as streams of primal divine energy poured into the inferno. Divine runes surfaced one after another across the fireball's surface, intertwining with blood curses so ancient that the surrounding heavens trembled beneath their presence.

For centuries, Jin Hong had pursued countless avenues of research such as alchemy, ancient artifacts, and soul cultivation. Yet among them all, divinity fascinated her the most.

If immortality truly represented the end of the cultivation path, then perhaps godhood was the road beyond it. Perhaps gods were simply immortals who had discovered the next step. The mere thought sent a thrill racing through her.

She laughed louder, her crimson eyes blazing with wild anticipation.

"Stop hiding like frightened rats!" she shouted across the burning heavens. "Come! Become the next stepping stone upon my path to godhood! Hellcurse Inferno~!"

With a casual wave of her arm, the gigantic sphere of blood-red flames descended. The cursed sun plummeted toward the forest below, roaring with terrifying power as it lit up the unnatural night sky.

Before it could reach the canopy, however, another voice echoed calmly through the heavens.

"Sunblaze Inferno."

A second fireball erupted from the forest.

Golden flames roared skyward, rapidly expanding until they matched the size of Jin Hong's own attack. The two infernos collided head-on.

BOOOOOOM!

The explosion engulfed the heavens.

Scarlet and golden flames intertwined, painting the sky in crimson and sunlight. Firestorms spread across the clouds as violent shockwaves rippled through the atmosphere.

Within the curtain of flames, Jin Hong caught sight of a silhouette.

Her grin faltered.

A man walked straight through the inferno.

Silver hair fluttered gently behind him while traces of a translucent barrier shimmered around his body. Layers of water essence quietly dispersed the moment the surrounding flames touched him, neutralizing both cursed fire and divine energy before dissolving into mist.

Not a single burn marked his robes.

"My lady!"

Right Hand's voice thundered across the battlefield.

"Immortal Slaying Formation! Do not hold back! Kill him!"

The dozen Nascent Soul cultivators immediately separated into formation, their swords radiating with deadly intent as streams of spiritual energy intertwined into a gigantic execution array.

Jin Hong’s expression twisted with annoyance. “Don’t get in my way!”

She thrust both palms forward. “Crimson Arrows of Death!”

Thousands of crimson arrows materialized in the air behind her. Each one radiated dense death qi, blood curses, and divine energy as they shot forward like an endless crimson rain, tearing through the sky toward the approaching stranger.

The man neither retreated nor flinched. He possessed none of the overwhelming spiritual pressure unique to Immortals, yet everything about him radiated the quiet, unshakable strength of one. His silver hair flowed with the wind, and his green and silver robes fluttered elegantly around his lean figure as he held an ancient wooden staff with effortless ease.

He calmly lifted the staff.

Water and Wood, two elemental powers, bloomed simultaneously.

Rather than merging into one spell, the techniques layered perfectly atop one another. Water became the outer shell while wood continuously regenerated its strength from within, creating a living barrier that repaired itself every instant.

The crimson arrows exploded endlessly against its surface.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Each detonation released poisonous scarlet clouds that rapidly spread across the battlefield. The miasma devoured spiritual energy, corroded qi circulation, and obscured all vision within its depths.

Jin Hong laughed so hard that tears nearly formed in her eyes. “I know you!” Her smile widened until it bordered on madness. “The Hermit Sage. Master of the Touch Grass Sect. The man who destroyed the Dark Order. Oh, this is wonderful.”

She could scarcely contain her excitement. An opponent truly worthy of her amusement had finally appeared.

Her spiritual energy surged violently. “Dao Domain… Golden Red—”

“My lady!” Left Foot cried out desperately. “Please don’t! If you unleash your Dao Domain, we’ll die as well!”

Jin Hong clicked her tongue. “Tch.”

How irritating. That was precisely why she could never help viewing weaker cultivators as nothing more than ants. Most Dao Domains existed solely for destruction, and victory rarely cared about collateral damage. She reluctantly dispersed the gathering golden light beneath her feet.

By then, the Hermit Sage had already emerged from the poisonous cloud of her earlier attack, completely unharmed. Not even a trace of the cursed miasma lingered on his robes. He simply walked through it as if it were morning mist.

Then he raised his staff toward her.

Curious. For someone who resembled a spellcaster, why insist on closing the distance?

Far below, her servants and escorts had already fled dozens of kilometers away, unwilling to remain anywhere near the range of whatever techniques these two monsters intended to unleash.

Jin Hong smiled coldly. Defense had never suited her. Overwhelming offense always solved every problem.

With a flash of light, two crimson folding fans appeared in her hands. She spread them open gracefully. “Tempest Destruction.”

She swung both fans gently.

The heavens split apart. Countless crescent-shaped crimson slashes intertwined into an enormous net capable of shredding mountains as they raced toward the Hermit Sage.

At the same time, Jin Hong expanded her spiritual senses to their absolute limit, scrutinizing every inch of the surrounding space. Above Nascent Soul, teleportation had become second nature. She refused to be caught unaware.

Then a voice echoed directly within her mind.

“I need to bring you to ground level first.”

The calm tone almost sounded playful, as though he were kindly informing her exactly how he intended to defeat her.

Jin Hong narrowed her eyes. 'Taunting me?'

A single leaf slowly drifted upward beside her shoulder. She frowned. 'A leaf?'

Before she could understand its purpose, the Hermit Sage vanished.

Her pupils contracted. No spatial fluctuations. None. Impossible. Even Immortals distorted space when they teleported. Yet he had simply… disappeared.

She instinctively turned.

The Hermit Sage stood calmly atop the floating leaf behind her.

“When—”

She never finished the question.

“Wild Shape.” His body dissolved into emerald light. “Steppe Mammoth.”

The heavens trembled. An enormous beast materialized overhead. It was an absolute colossus. Dense brown fur covered its mountain-like body, while gigantic ivory tusks curved toward the skies. Every breath released from its trunk howled like a hurricane.

Jin Hong immediately teleported. Space folded around her as she reappeared hundreds of meters away.

Her heart skipped a beat. The mammoth remained directly above her. Another leaf floated quietly at her side. He had anticipated her destination.

She pressed both palms together at once. Layer upon layer of protective qi barriers condensed around her body, reinforced until they resembled translucent crystal.

The mammoth’s eyes glowed. “World Fall.”

Gravity exploded. The surrounding air screamed as space itself seemed to collapse beneath the unbearable pressure. Gravity multiplied several times over in an instant.

Jin Hong’s body froze. Her teleportation failed. Even lifting a finger became immensely difficult.

Then the mammoth descended.

CRAAAAASH!

The impact shattered the heavens. The ground erupted into a colossal crater spanning several kilometers. Forests were flattened instantly, mountains cracked apart, and shockwaves tore across the landscape, uprooting ancient trees like blades of grass. A massive cloud of dust exploded skyward, swallowing everything in chaos.

Within the swirling dust, space distorted. Jin Hong reappeared several kilometers away. She immediately cast an invisibility technique, concealing both her aura and presence, then quickly inspected her injuries.

Blood trickled from the corner of her lips. Several bones had fractured, internal organs had ruptured, and cracks spread across her immortal body. Golden immortal vitality surged through her wounds at once. Broken bones knitted together, shattered flesh regenerated, and her heartbeat stabilized within moments.

Even so, her expression had lost much of its earlier amusement.

This opponent was far more dangerous than she had anticipated.

“You are not going anywhere just yet.”

The calm voice sounded right beside her ear.

Jin Hong’s eyes widened. The Hermit Sage stood at her side as though he had always been there. His staff rested inches from her forehead, and atop it floated a radiant orb that shone with the brilliance of a miniature sun.

“Sunlight Orb.”