Druid Fairy

Chapter 231 Sixty Years

Sixty years is almost a lifetime for ordinary people; but for cultivators, it is but a fleeting moment.

However, for the entire Eastern Region, these sixty years have brought about earth-shattering changes, transforming the world completely.

The Immortal Alliance's blockade, like an invisible barrier, transformed the Eastern Region into a secluded paradise.

But this isolation did not cause it to decay. Instead, it was like a huge greenhouse, allowing the seed called "Human Path" that Li Pingcan had personally sown to take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree that no one, including the Immortal Alliance, could ignore.

The former capital of the Great Yu Dynasty is now revered by the people of the Eastern Region as the "City of All Beings".

The boundaries of the city have long been blurred, completely blending into the mountains, rivers, and vegetation.

Towering ancient trees are high-rise buildings, clear rivers are streets, birds and pedestrians live in harmony, and mythical beasts lazily bask in the sun on street corners.

The third generation of the Li family has long since grown up and taken over the responsibility of protecting this land from their fathers.

Li Ziran, the headmaster of the Natural Academy, has become increasingly gentle and refined, and his understanding of the Great Way of Nature has surpassed that of his predecessors.

He no longer merely taught breathing techniques, but innovatively established a magic array. Under the cover of this array, mortals' rice paddies could coexist with spiritual plants. The rice absorbed the dissipated spiritual energy, which could strengthen the bodies of mortals; the spiritual plants, in turn, absorbed the vibrant life force of the rice paddies and grew even more luxuriantly.

The commander of the Mountain and River Guard was Li Weishan, a man as imposing as a mountain. He established the "Covenant of Ten Thousand Beasts" in the various treacherous mountain ranges of the Eastern Region, signing contracts with those great demons who had gained sentience but were unwilling to wreak havoc on the human world.

The demon race guards the mountains and forests and restrains its own kind in exchange for the human race's respect for their habitat and assistance with elixirs and magical artifacts.

Within the Eastern Region, the conflict between humans and demons has ceased. The heavy sword that guards this land protects all kind-hearted beings.

Li Lingxi, the master of the Hundred Herbs Palace, became the most sacred being in the hearts of countless beings in the Eastern Region. Her footprints covered every corner of the Eastern Region, and her path had long surpassed the simple act of saving lives.

This thriving scene finally managed to leak a glimmer of light through the seemingly impenetrable blockade of the Immortal Alliance.

Some rogue cultivators from the Central Plains, who had violated the Heavenly Laws and were being hunted down by the Immortal Alliance, had nowhere to turn and, after narrowly escaping death, ventured into this legendary "land beyond the reach of civilization."

They had thought this place was synonymous with wilderness and chaos, but what they saw before them completely overturned their understanding.

Ancestor Yunqing was such an intruder.

He is a notorious demonic figure in Zhongzhou, whose "Yunqing Sha" has devoured the life force of countless cultivators. Due to his ruthless actions, he plundered the treasure trove of a certain affiliated sect of the Immortal Alliance and is being hunted down by the cultivators of the Punishment Hall with nowhere to run.

In his memory, the Eastern Region was a barren land of exile. With the mindset of "better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix," he exhausted his last life-saving magic treasure, tore open a crack in the Immortal Alliance's sealing array, and stumbled in in a sorry state.

The expected scene of sparse spiritual energy and devastation did not appear.

As soon as he entered, a surge of life essence, so rich it was almost tangible, rushed towards him, giving his meridians, which had been eroded by malevolent energy for many years, a long-lost sense of comfort.

He looked up in horror at the distant capital city known as the "City of All Beings," and was completely stunned.

There are no towering city walls, no airtight restrictions; it is a city that grows in the forest.

Giant vines naturally form bridges, clear river water flows gently under the houses, and some children even ride gentle deer and play in the streets.

The entire city is less a human settlement and more a work of art created by nature.

"An illusion! It must be an illusion created by some kind of mountain-protecting formation!" Ancestor Yun Qing was filled with doubt and surprise.

He had roamed the Central Plains for hundreds of years and had never seen such a heretical scene.

Exhaustion from the escape and his inherent greed quickly made him forget the shock.

In his eyes, this undefended "fairyland" was simply a blood bank and treasure vault tailor-made for him!

He concealed his presence and quietly crept to the vicinity of what appeared to be the most fertile manor on the outskirts of the city.

Inside the manor, several acres of spirit rice swayed in the wind, emitting a refreshing fragrance. Beside them grew several spirit herbs that looked to be of considerable age, which intensified the greed in his eyes.

"A bunch of fools who don't know their own mortality! They've even neglected the most basic defensive formations. It's only right that I, their ancestor, make a fortune!"

He grinned maliciously, no longer hiding his true intentions. He spread his five fingers, and a dense, ink-black cloud-green evil energy instantly condensed, transforming into a ferocious ghost claw. With a terrifying power that tainted life force and eroded the soul, it fiercely grabbed down towards that spiritual field!

However, the seemingly sure-fire strike missed its mark.

Above the spiritual field, a soft light curtain composed of countless emerald green light spots silently appeared.

The domineering and unparalleled Cloud Azure Ghost Claw, upon contact with the light barrier, was like boiling oil splashed on snow, making a "sizzling" sound. Not only did it fail to tear through the defense, but it was also rapidly melted away by the immense vitality contained within the light barrier!
"What?!" Ancestor Yunqing was shocked.

What happened next was even more incomprehensible to him. The person who emerged from the thatched hut in the manor was not some cultivator who was on high alert, but a young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old and was wearing a blue robe from the academy.

The young man looked at him without any fear on his face, but rather with a hint of pity and doubt, and asked, "Senior, why do you harm these crops that are trying to grow? Your magic is full of pain and loneliness. Your path must have been very difficult."

These words nearly made Ancestor Yunqing spit out a mouthful of blood.

Hard work? Pain?
He cultivates demonic arts, kills and steals treasures, and acts recklessly. When has anyone ever dared to speak to him in such a tone?
This is an insult far greater than being attacked with swords!

"You little brat, you're looking for death!"

Enraged, Ancestor Yunqing unleashed a torrent of murderous intent, ready to unleash a thunderous attack to reduce this arrogant brat and the entire manor to dust.

Just then, three imposing auras, as heavy as mountains, rushed over from not far away. The leader's voice boomed like a bell: "Who dares to cause trouble here! The Mountain and River Guard is here! Surrender at once!"

The newcomers were three guards clad in black armor. They did not launch an attack immediately, but instead quickly formed a simple formation, drawing upon the power of the earth to create a thicker, earthen-yellow barrier outside the manor, completely isolating the evil aura of Ancestor Yun Qing. Clearly, they were worried that the aftershocks of the battle would destroy the vitality of this place.

This principle of "protect first, then eliminate evil" threw Ancestor Yunqing's mind into chaos once again.

Taking this opportunity, he finally saw the cultivation level of the three guards, who were all only at the late Foundation Establishment stage!

In his divine sense, the young man in the green robe hadn't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage!

"How dare a few Foundation Establishment stage juniors be so presumptuous in front of the Ancestor!"

Ancestor Yunqing was furious. He felt that his dignity as a giant of the demonic path had been challenged like never before.

Without holding back, he transformed into a towering azure cloud and swept away.

Facing the full force of this Golden Core stage demon's attack, the Mountain and River Guards showed no fear whatsoever. They shouted in unison, activated their battle formation, and the earth beneath their feet seemed to come alive, drawing in endless earth vein power that flowed into the standard longswords in their hands.

Instead of a direct confrontation, they unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, transforming into a massive net of mountain and river power, layer upon layer. Ancestor Yun Qing felt his own power vanish like a mud ox sinking into the sea; every ounce of his malevolent aura was weakened layer by layer by the immense power of the earth.

His demonic powers, which he was so proud of throughout his life, were actually restricted everywhere in this land!

In the end, the exhausted Ancestor Yunqing was trapped by the net of mountains and rivers, his magical power was temporarily sealed, and he could not move.

He was not defeated by a powerful cultivator, but by this entire world that was so incompatible with him.

Instead of being imprisoned in a gloomy dungeon, Ancestor Yunqing was taken to a place called "Tranquil Garden" in the Natural Academy.

There were no instruments of torture, no restrictions, only birdsong and fragrant flowers, gentle breezes and warm sunshine. What sealed his magical power was not cold chains, but a "Rejuvenation Seal" personally set by Li Ziran. This seal would not cause him any pain, but would instead continuously use the purest life energy to cleanse the Yunqing evil energy that had accumulated in his body for many years.

For Ancestor Yunqing, who was used to being accompanied by malevolent energy, this feeling was more unbearable than being torn to pieces.

He was required to attend lectures with the students of the academy every day.

The person giving the lecture on the stage was Li Ziran.

He wasn't talking about any specific technique, but rather how plants take root and how rain and dew nourish things. He would personally demonstrate the entire process of a seed breaking through the soil, flowering, and bearing fruit, allowing everyone to experience the most simple and resilient "Tao" contained within it.

At first, Ancestor Yunqing scoffed at this, thinking it was just womanly compassion and childish trickery.

His assigned task was to care for a dying ancient tea tree. He intended to destroy it secretly, but whenever he had a wicked thought, the "Rejuvenation Seal" would shine brightly, causing a violent conflict between the evil energy and vitality within his body, resulting in immense pain.

Left with no other choice, he could only imitate the students, clumsily watering the ancient tree with the spiritual spring and pruning its branches.

One day, while watering the tea trees, he saw a girl of only seven or eight years old lying under an ancient tea tree, intently watching a group of ants moving their nest.

Ancestor Yunqing snorted disdainfully and was about to crush these ants with one foot.

The little girl looked up and said earnestly, "Grandpa, you can't step on them. The teacher said they are also part of this land, and they are helping to loosen the soil for the tea trees. Look, the roots of the tea trees are becoming more vibrant."

Ancestor Yunqing's feet froze in mid-air.

Looking into the girl's innocent, curious eyes, the overwhelming murderous intent in his heart inexplicably froze for a moment.

"Loosening the soil?" He had lived for hundreds of years and this was the first time he had heard such a thing. In his view, ants were just ants, mere ants that could be crushed at any time, and their existence or non-existence was insignificant to the world.

Seeing that he didn't move, the little girl thought he hadn't understood, so she continued to explain in her childish voice, "Yes, Teacher Li Lingxi told us that there is a world we can't see at the foot of every big tree. There are earthworms turning over the soil so that the roots can breathe; there are ants carrying seeds so that the flowers and grass can travel far; and there are mycelia that we can't see. They are good friends with the roots of the big tree and exchange nutrients with each other."

The little girl reached out her small hand, carefully picked up an ant that had strayed from the line, and gently placed it back into the queue.

"The teacher said that this is 'symbiosis'. No one lives alone."

"Symbiosis..."

Ancestor Yunqing muttered to himself.

His lifelong pursuit was to devour, to plunder, to take everything from others and make it his own, so as to become stronger.

His path is absolutely "living alone".

But the seven or eight-year-old girl in front of him was using the most innocent language to describe a completely opposite, yet seemingly self-contained, principle.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at the ancient tea tree that he regarded as a burden.

Against the backdrop of the girl's clear voice, he seemed to "see" for the first time the busy and orderly microcosm beneath the roots of the tea tree, a world he had never paid attention to before.

"You ignorant brat, spouting nonsense!"

Ancestor Yunqing suddenly flicked his sleeves, turned around and walked away, but his back view looked somewhat disheveled.

He wasn't persuaded by reason, but rather his Daoist heart was shaken by an unprecedented and unfamiliar worldview.

In the days that followed, he remained confined to "Jingxin Garden" and continued to care for that ancient tea tree.

But he began to unconsciously look at everything around him with a completely new perspective.

After class, the students of the academy would actively guide the excess wood spirit energy gathered during their breathing exercises into the plants around them, a practice they called "feeding back".

An injured bird landed on a student's shoulder. Instead of trying to catch it, the student clumsily bandaged its wounds and shared his fasting pills.

This world seems to have an invisible principle that runs through every corner and sustains every life.

The strong protect the weak, and the weak give back to the strong.

Life and death are not a matter of plunder, but a cycle.

One day, when the ancestor Yunqing was watering the ancient tea tree with spiritual spring water, he was astonished to find that a tiny, almost invisible, fresh green shoot was sprouting from the scorched and dead trunk.

That touch of green seemed to possess boundless magic, instantly capturing his entire being.

He stretched out his hands, trembling, which were stained with the blood of countless lives and had long since become dry and claw-like, wanting to touch the newly sprouted tea leaf.

But just as his fingertips were about to touch it, he suddenly pulled back.

He feared that the deep-seated malevolent energy within him would taint this hard-won chance of survival.

For the first time in centuries, he felt a sense of "protection" for a life.

"boom!"

At this moment, the "Rejuvenation Seal" within his body shone brightly, no longer forcibly cleansing him, but transforming into a gentle spring rain that seeped into his limbs and bones. Under the guidance of this innate sense of "protection," the cloud-green evil energy that had accumulated within him for hundreds of years began to dissolve on its own, transforming into the purest life essence.

"So...that's it..."

Ancestor Yunqing collapsed to the ground.

He was not defeated by anyone, but at this moment, he lost to the little bit of kindness that had just sprouted in his heart.

He lost fair and square.

(End of this chapter)