Endless Life Sect, Nine Nether Palace.  

This place never sees daylight, shrouded year-round in black mist.  

The hall was built from an unknown black giant stone, its walls carved with thousands of devotees kneeling in reverence, ultimately offering their flesh, blood, and souls to a grotesque relief of a faceless god.  

At the center of the grand hall was not a luxurious throne, but a lotus platform piled with white bones.  

On the lotus platform sat a young man dressed in pure white robes.  

He appeared no older than his early twenties, his face so strikingly beautiful it was almost otherworldly. His long black hair was casually draped over his shoulders, and his skin was pale without a trace of color. His eyes were closed, his expression serene, like an untainted jade statue.  

Yet, upon closer inspection, the space around him was slightly distorted, as if it could not withstand the vast and terrifying power within him.  

This man was the current Holy Lord of the Endless Life Sect, the reincarnation of the "Eternal Mother" Zhao Wu had spoken of.  

"Crack..."  

A faint yet piercing shattering sound broke the dead silence of the hall.  

Beneath the lotus platform of the Holy Lord, among a row of neatly arranged soul lamps, the rightmost lamp—representing the White Lotus Saint Envoy Zhao Wu—shattered piece by piece without warning, turning into dust on the ground.  

The handsome youth on the lotus platform slowly opened his eyes.  

There was not a trace of human emotion in them—only abyssal indifference and an icy coldness looking down on ants, as if all things in the world were illusions before him.  

"Zhao Wu is dead."  

His voice was like millennia-old ice, causing a white-robed guardian standing in the hall to feel as if he had plunged into an ice cave. With a "thud," he knelt, his body trembling like a leaf in a storm.  

"H-Holy... Holy Lord, please calm your anger!"  

The white-robed guardian dared not raise his head, his voice trembling noticeably.  

I deeply understood the temperament of this young Holy Lord; though his anger seemed fierce and turbulent, it was controlled and deliberate, and his methods ruthless.  

The Holy Lord ignored my fear and hurriedly extended a pale, slender hand.  

In his palm lay a dark brown shard quietly resting, identical to the one the Druid had obtained.  

However, that shard was unstained by any blood, while the pollution clinging beneath it was a hundred times denser than the one under Zhao Wu’s lamp.  

"The ‘White Lotus Inheritance’ you left beneath Zhao Wu has also disappeared."  

The Holy Lord’s tone remained calm, but the temperature in the small hall suddenly dropped sharply. The white-robed guardian felt as if his blood was freezing; even breathing became difficult.  

"To have killed Zhao Wu, and still manage to erase the aura of the White Lotus Inheritance right under your nose..."  

For the first time, a flicker of what could only be called "interest" appeared in the Holy Lord’s cold, emotionless eyes. "Li Pingcan from that backwater—when did such a figure emerge?"  

The white-robed guardian spoke shakily, "Reporting to the Holy Lord, I speculate this matter may be connected to two newly appointed officials from Li Pingcan’s family. These seven men are named Li Pingfu and Li Ping’an, and they are brothers."  

"Li Pingfu is the new County Captain Zuo Wu, with martial cultivation already reaching the Innate Realm. Before taking office, he repeatedly wiped out your sect’s forces with ruthless methods. His younger brother, Li Ping’an, is even more adept; using some unknown means, he uncovered the connection between the Zhou family and your sect, then leveraged government power to uproot the Zhou family overnight."  

"Oh?"  

The Holy Lord smiled coldly, a cruel and amused curve on his lips. "Seven brothers, one literary, one martial, an Innate Realm martial artist and a rising official... sounds like the so-called children of destiny outside those tales."  

I paused, then my voice suddenly heated. This icy killing intent made the entire Four Nether Palace tremble.  

"Too bad they shouldn’t have blocked my path, nor touched my things."  

He slowly stood, his seemingly frail body erupting with terrifying pressure of the late Refining Qi stage. The black mist in the entire hall roared turbulently, emitting sharp whistling sounds from friction.  

"Send my order!"  

The Holy Lord’s voice thundered through the entire Nine Nether Palace.  

"Dispatch the Black Lotus and Green Lotus envoys immediately to Yunshui County. I do not care what methods they use; within three days, I want to see the heads of the entire Li family hanging above my sect’s main gate!"  

"Y-Yes, sir!"  

The black-robed guardian obeyed in shock, though his heart was a storm of turmoil.  

The Black Lotus and Green Lotus envoys were the Holy Lord’s two strongest envoys, both top-tier experts at the mid Refining Qi stage, their methods unfathomably strange. To deal with a mere Li family, the Holy Lord had simultaneously dispatched both!  

What terrifying wrath!  

It seemed the small Li family would be utterly annihilated beneath this furious storm.  

All because they were unlucky enough to block the path!  

........  

Spirit Mountain, inside a cave dwelling.  

Li Pingcan was immersed in the wonderful feeling after breaking through.  

The Divine Martial Realm, the pinnacle of human martial arts, brought him a rebirth-like transformation.  

He could clearly feel his five senses sharpening incredibly; an ant crawling a hundred meters outside his cave could be heard faintly in the rustling sound.  

His body emitted a faint precious light, so resilient that ordinary magical weapons could hardly injure him.  

Within his dantian, a droplet of liquid True Essence contained explosive power, capable of shaking mountains and splitting rocks with every movement.  

"Just the early Divine Martial Realm already has such might; if I reach its peak..."  

Li Pingcan suppressed his excitement and began meditation to stabilize the breakthrough.  

His mind sank into a void; after an unknown time, when he opened his eyes again, he realized he was no longer inside the cave.  

Li Pingcan was stunned.  

He stood at the village entrance of Peach Blossom Village.  

The familiar ridges, the smoke curling in the distance, even the old tree outside his home’s gate—all exactly the same.  

But here, it was too quiet.  

No sounds, no roosters crowing or dogs barking, no children playing, no villagers laughing.  

The whole world seemed like a paused painting—terrifyingly silent and empty.  

"Is this... a dream?"  

Li Pingcan wondered. He tried walking a few steps; the sensations were real, and the blue stone slabs beneath his feet even felt a slight cold dampness.  

He frowned. Since cultivating, he replaced sleep with cultivation, but that didn’t mean he never slept. Occasional sleep was very peaceful; his soul was clear and rarely disturbed by nightmares.  

Today’s dream felt strange.  

He suppressed the doubt and transformed into Nightingale, beginning to "wander" the dream.  

As he flew, his wings suddenly paused in the gliding motion.  

Not far ahead, Dragon Spring Town’s land appeared sickly gray, as if all life had been drained. The air was filled with a faint, indistinct rotten stench.  

This stench...  

Li Pingcan’s pupils suddenly contracted sharply!  

He knew it too well! It was the same cold, twisted, nauseating pollution attached to the "White Lotus Inheritance" shard!  

Instinctively, he reached out to touch the edge of that gray, withered land.  

The moment his fingertip touched the edge of the "polluted zone," a fiercely corrosive force surged along his fingertip, violently piercing into his consciousness!  

"Ugh!"  

Li Pingcan groaned and pulled his hand back as if electrocuted, instantly jolting awake from the dream!  

He sat upright, a layer of fine cold sweat on his forehead, heart pounding wildly.  

"What’s happening?"  

He gasped, the cold, sticky sensation from the dream still lingering on his fingertips, incredibly real.  

"This isn’t right, not right at all!"  

Li Pingcan’s expression grew extremely grave.  

This was no ordinary dream!  

And the pollution aura in the dream was exactly the same as that on the White Lotus Inheritance shard.  

Coincidence?  

Impossible!  

This dream was no accident!  

He immediately rose, fetched paper and pen, and relying on his strong memory, marked every polluted location from the dream onto the map one by one.  

Dragon Spring Town, Flat Peach Town, Rolling Stone Town, Yunluo Town...  

When the last mark was placed, he looked at the scattered red dots on the map that seemed unrelated, and his pupils shrank sharply.  

Lines crisscrossed, eventually forming a huge and twisted formation prototype!  

At the core of this formation was one place—Yunshui County Government!  

Li Pingcan gasped and instantly understood this was the "masterpiece" of the Endless Life Sect.  

"Such a grand scheme—they must have more than one ‘White Lotus Inheritance’ shard!"  

The Endless Life Sect’s plan was far more meticulous than he imagined. They quietly planted multiple "formation foundations" throughout Yunshui County, attempting to build a terrifying large-scale formation covering the entire county, aiming to seize all its destiny at once!  

The shard on Saint Envoy Zhao Wu was only the most crucial piece, responsible for prying open the government’s ley lines at the county seat.  

This discovery sent chills down his spine.  

To confirm his guess, Li Pingcan transformed into a bird and stood atop various mountain peaks, immediately closing his eyes to use a large-range Druid skill—  

Animal Speech!  

In an instant, his consciousness connected with the birds and beasts around Spirit Mountain.  

"Caw! The fish in Dragon Spring Town’s river have been flipping belly-up recently! There’s a strange smell in the water!"  

"Hiss... The snakes in Rolling Stone Valley have become very aggressive and have killed many of each other!"  

"Hey! The fruits in the forest of Yunluo Town rot before ripening and cause diarrhea if eaten!"  

One chaotic message after another flooded his mind, confirming Li Pingcan’s suspicions.  

The polluted areas seen in the dream also experienced all kinds of ominous anomalies in the real world.  

"The Endless Life Sect must be stopped!"  

A resolute glint flashed in Li Pingcan’s eyes. He had to take the initiative.  

But the problem was—  

As the trump card behind the Li family, was he supposed to go clean the pollution in those corrupted places himself?  

Wouldn’t that expose himself and hand a gift to the Endless Life Sect?  

The Holy Lord was a late Refining Qi expert; though his exact strength was unknown, as the sect leader, he could hardly be weak.  

Facing a late Refining Qi expert head-on would be unwise.  

Wait... a thought flashed in Li Pingcan’s mind.  

Since the dream and reality were linked, what if he purified the pollution within the dream?  

Without hesitation, Li Pingcan closed his eyes again, adjusted his breathing, and this time deliberately sank his consciousness into the dream world.  

...........  

It was still that silent Peach Blossom Village.  

Li Pingcan returned to the polluted area.  

He took a deep breath and, without hesitation, stretched out his palm toward the withered land continuously spewing black smoke.  

This time, he did not use any martial True Essence or magical power, but invoked his most fundamental, purest force.  

"In the name of nature..."  

He whispered softly. A gentle, warm emerald-green light quietly glowed in his palm—  

Divine Blessing of Nature!  

The sacred purifying power was like a miniature sun illuminating this dead land.  

"Sizzle!"  

Upon contact with the divine light, the black pollution hissed and emitted thick black smoke, beginning to melt visibly.  

As the pollution was purified, a faint patch of green stubbornly sprouted beneath the dead black soil.  

Effective!  

Li Pingcan’s heart soared with joy. As this dreamland was purified, the pollution clinging to the shard he held in reality was stripped away at ten times the previous speed!  

Moreover, a feedback force derived from the primordial power of heaven and earth slowly nourished his soul through this dream.  

During the purification, his magical power subtly advanced as well!  

"I see now..."  

Li Pingcan’s mind cleared suddenly.  

This strange dream, mirroring the real world yet filled with primordial natural energy, was none other than...  

His inspiration surged, and a new term accompanied by ancient Druidic inheritance information exploded into his mind.  

The panel before his eyes flickered with light.  

You have comprehended the link between reality and dream, gaining insight into the truth of nature and soul.  

You have mastered a new skill: Emerald Dream (Tier One).  

Emerald Dream: You can actively enter a spiritual dimension corresponding to the real world and cultivate there. In this dimension, you can communicate with the spirits of nature, heal corrupted land, and purify evil pollution. Your actions in the dream will subtly yet profoundly affect the real world and be protected by natural destiny.  

Emerald Dream, a mysterious realm in the Druid inheritance reachable only by those in deep resonance with nature, now opened fully to Li Pingcan.  

It was an unprecedented experience.  

His consciousness seemed to transform into countless fine threads, tightly connecting the mountains, rivers, trees, and flowing clouds of this dream world.  

Here, he was part of nature, and nature was his extension.  

"So this is the true power of the Druid."  

Suppressing the excitement within, Li Pingcan hesitated not for a moment and prepared to move toward his next target.  

His goal was clear:  

Purge all filth and restore the source!  

Crush the Endless Life Sect’s plan!  

With a thought, the surroundings sped backward like flowing light. This spiritual dimension seemed perfectly synchronized with his will. After awakening Emerald Dream, he could instantly reach any corner that the dream reflected.  

His figure finally stopped above a desolate small town.  

This was Rolling Stone Town, located west of Yunshui County.  

The dream’s version of Rolling Stone Town was more desolate than reality. The streets were empty; the bricks and tiles of the houses appeared lifeless and gray-white.  

At the town’s center, an ancient well continuously emitted strands of black mist, distorting and swallowing even the dream’s light wherever it spread.  

"Such dense pollution."  

Li Pingcan frowned and slowly descended to stand beside the ancient well, extending his palm toward the rolling black mist.  

The light of Divine Blessing of Nature shone again without hesitation on the source of the corruption.  

The moment the sacred light arrived, the shadow lurking in the land’s center twisted violently, and a huge, faceless black figure dozens of feet tall rose from the ground!  

The shadow fiercely charged at the green light, attempting to crush this light that dared to challenge its authority!  

"Sizzle!"  

The purifying light and pollution collided thunderously in midair.  

For a moment, the entire dream space trembled violently. Black smoke billowed, contending fiercely with the warm, peaceful sacred light.  

Li Pingcan felt an extreme, chilling malice surge through the spiritual link, wildly assaulting his soul, attempting to drag his consciousness into an endless abyss.  

He grunted, face slightly pale, but stubbornly maintained the operation of Divine Blessing of Nature.  

Though the shadow was powerful, its strength seemed closely tied to this polluted dreamland.  

Every inch of land purified by the divine light dimmed the shadow’s form and weakened its power accordingly.  

The shadow seemed aware of his intent; the black mist churned, trying to stop Li Pingcan, but its movements slowed as its strength waned.  

Meanwhile, Li Pingcan’s figure was as agile as a flying bird in the dream.  

On the purified land, dead plants and trees revived; tender green shoots broke through the soil. A life force far greater than before surged into this Emerald Dream.  

What had once been somewhat illusory mountains and trees solidified, and even the air gained a faint fragrance of vegetation.  

Li Pingcan felt refreshed; all the fatigue accumulated during the long purification vanished, and his soul power faintly advanced again.  

His mind was bright and clear: "Purifying polluted land not only weakens him but also strengthens me!"  

As one waned and the other waxed, the scales of victory began to tilt toward him!  

At the same time, inside the Nine Nether Palace.  

"Pft!"  

On the bone lotus platform, the handsome, otherworldly Holy Lord suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood without warning.  

On his eternally cold face, for the first time appeared a look of shock and disbelief.  

"Impossible!"  

He abruptly lifted his head, eyes like abysses filled with anger and confusion.  

Just now, he clearly felt that the formation foundation of the "Endless Testing Site" he had painstakingly set in Rolling Stone Town—an imprint of divine will tightly connected to his soul—had been erased by someone in a way he could not comprehend.