Immortal Paladin

391 Stealing a Forest for Real

The earth trembled every few breaths. Far behind them, a titan of living wood clashed with a colossal ghost wielding six glowing scepters. Their strikes sent waves through the trees, snapping branches and shaking stones loose. Each boom echoed like thunder across the forest.

Ding Cai’s heart pounded harder with every quake.

She had grown up hearing tales of the Inquisition, tales whispered by adults who thought children needed fear to stay obedient. They were the monsters under the bed, the shadows in the rafters, the faceless judges who would drag away anyone who displeased the Heavenly Temple. Her aunt Peng Ru had always warned her to never cross them, never draw their attention, and never even speak their name too loudly.

Yet here she was, running from them.

Ding Cai carried her master’s limp body on her back, refusing to loosen her grip no matter how badly her arms trembled. Ren Jingyi followed behind, kicking up dust and shockwaves as she blocked the pursuing inquisitors. Each time one drew too close, Ren Jingyi’s whip-like tail lashed out, sending them tumbling into trees.

Ding Cai trusted her master far more than she trusted herself, but she was not blind. He had secrets, deep ones, and he had never pretended otherwise. In fact, he was often too honest. He told stories as if they were casual anecdotes, and he taught her cultivation with a bluntness that revealed just how unusual he truly was.

As they ran, her bracelet vibrated sharply. Static crackled through the jade, followed by a strained voice.

“Cai’er? Cai’er, what is happening? I lost your life signal just now!”

“A-Aunt… Aunt Ru?” Ding Cai gasped for breath as she ran. “The Inquisition, they’re after my master. I—”

The jade shattered mid-sentence, and a shadow fell over her.

Jia Mu landed ahead of her with the force of a collapsing cliff. His long silver hair swayed as he leveled his spear at her throat.

“Ding Cai,” he said coldly, “put that traitor down. If you behave, I can beg Elder Qin Yating to spare you.”

Ding Cai froze, not because of his threat, but because he was lying. Her Divine Sense, the first technique her master had ever taught her, tingled in her spiritual perception. It was more than a sensing ability; it showed her the subtle shifts in intent, and the patterns in the world that revealed deceit.

And Jia Mu’s words were coated with deception.

She set her feet firmly on the ground. “Explain yourself. What crimes did my master commit?”

Jia Mu threw his head back with a laugh. “You? A little naive fool, daring to ask questions? Calling that inept, lowly beast your master? Hah! No wonder the Peng Clan shelter useless strays.”

Ding Cai gritted her teeth. “Wasn’t your Jia Clan’s ancestor an immortal fox? Doesn’t that mean you’re also a beast?”

Jia Mu’s face twisted. “Brat—”

The spear flashed toward her neck.

But it never reached.

A translucent figure of Peng Ru materialized between them, raising a hand. A surge of spell-light erupted from the tiny ring on Ding Cai’s pinky finger, intercepting the blow with a sharp crack. The mirage wavered like smoke but held firm long enough to block the killing strike.

Jia Mu clicked his tongue. “Even her? The Peng Clan keeps making things difficult for themselves.”

With one explosive step, he blurred forward. World force tore through the air as he thrust again, this time with lethal precision.

Ding Cai blinked once, instinctively. In that instant she switched places with Ren Jingyi.

Ren Jingyi caught the spear point with her own body. Her torso split open under the strike, but she only grinned wildly as her qi surged. Orange scales glimmered along her arms and neck, and her mundane blonde hair turned bright gold, then orange, and then blazing red at the tips.

Ding Cai screamed, “Senior Sister!”

But Ren Jingyi only laughed. “Relax, Cai!”

Blood spilled down her chin, yet her voice carried a mocking lilt.

Because at the same moment the spear pierced her chest, Jia Mu coughed up blood of his own.

A wound tore open across his shoulder, identical to the one he had inflicted.

Ren Jingyi twisted the spear lodged in her body and smirked. “What’s wrong, Jia Mu? Injured by someone ‘inferior’ to your cultivation? How embarrassing.”

Jia Mu’s expression warped with shock and fury as Ren Jingyi pushed the spear deeper into herself, dragging the mirrored wound further open on his body. Jia Mu wiped the blood from his lips and sneered. “Struggle all you want. It’s useless. You’re surrounded.”

Ren Jingyi’s golden hair settled back into its usual pale blonde, though her scales still glimmered faintly under the light. She rolled her shoulders and replied with a tired grin, “I don’t know about that.”

Ding Cai blinked, and blinked again as she realized something. It was because the Inquisition who had been chasing them just moments ago had vanished from sight as if swallowed whole.

A slow, cold voice drifted through the forest. “It was a mistake for them to attack within my territory.”

Leaves rustled. Branches parted.

Wu Chen stepped from the thickets dragging two mutilated Inquisition cultivators by their collars. Their bodies were burned, twisted, and broken, leaving a smear of blood behind her as she tossed them aside like empty sacks.

At that exact moment, the ground boomed. Ding Cai snapped her head toward the distant battle.

The colossal ghost, earlier towering like a mountain of blue fire, was now locked in a savage struggle against an equally colossal nine-tailed fox. A smaller blazing figure darted between them, slicing through shadows with blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, the silver fox turned gold.

Ding Cai swallowed hard.

Wu Chen’s voice echoed, layered and sharp. “Jia Mu, is it? Do anything suspicious and I’ll tear you apart.”

The forest shifted.

From dozens of thickets, more Wu Chens emerged, each one stepping out with the same calm expression, the same cold eyes, and the same dripping blood on their hands as the color and texture of wood marked her skin. Ding Cai’s mouth hung open.

“She… she was a tree?” she whispered.

Ren Jingyi nodded breathlessly. “The whole forest is part of her body. You didn’t know?”

Ding Cai wanted to scream ‘How could I possibly have known?!’, but she held it in. She genuinely thought Wu Chen had been just another external disciple. Seeing her reveal her true form had nearly made her drop her master earlier.

Jia Mu’s face twisted in disgust. “I’ll never submit to any of you.”

He lunged, grabbing Ren Jingyi’s shoulder. Frost crawled across her skin like venomous vines. He spat a capsule from between his teeth and bit down. It cracked sharply.

His body ignited in painful blue flames.

Ren Jingyi screamed as the frost on her body reacted violently to the heat. Ding Cai’s heart tore. “Senior Sister!”

Even though Ren Jingyi was technically younger, Ding Cai had always seen her as a senior in cultivation, someone she admired, respected, and leaned on.

‘Why? Why are you fighting like this?’ Ding Cai wondered as tears stung her eyes.

She couldn’t understand Jia Mu’s determination. Was it loyalty to Elder Qin Yating? Was it ambition for the Jia Clan’s leadership? Or… was it fear? Ding Cai wasn’t talented in cultivation, but she was observant. She had noticed the cracks in his expression filled with dread, urgency, and obsession.

A deafening roar shook the sky.

The golden fox had become crimson. Every tail burned like molten blades as it crushed the colossal ghost against the earth. If not for Wu Chen’s forest absorbing the shockwaves, the flames alone would have reduced all of them to ash.

Ren Jingyi collapsed in a burst of blue flames as Jia Mu tore his spear free. Ding Cai screamed her name, and then froze.

Ren Jingyi’s hand moved.

Her fingers clamped down hard onto the spear shaft.

With her voice trembling yet clear, she whispered, “Sanctified Resurgence.”

Light exploded from her. Her aura surged so violently the ground cracked beneath her feet. She rose with a glare sharp enough to pierce steel, pulling herself along the spear until she stood face-to-face with Jia Mu.

Her other hand clenched into a fist overflowing with Divine Smite.

She slammed it into his jaw.

Jia Mu’s head snapped back, but he resisted with a furious roar, swinging his fist toward her ribs with all his strength, but Wu Chen moved first as she grabbed Jia Mu’s wrist with a single hand. Every clone performed the same gesture, casting a spell at once.

Roots erupted violently from the ground beneath him, wrapping around his legs and drilling through his skin. Jia Mu tried to unleash world force, but his qi was swallowed instantly into the roots.

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His scream was high, sharp, and desperate.

Then a shadow fell over all of them.

The fiery fox loomed larger than ever. Flames curled from its nine tails like spirals of molten wrath. It raised its head to the sky and howled, the sound shaking the world itself.

The colossal ghost was gone and eliminated.

However, the fox’s aggression had not faded yet in the slightest. It stared down at them, eyes glowing like two burning stars.

The sky cracked open with a sharp, echoing boom.

Ding Cai flinched as the formation barrier shattered like glass, its fragments dissolving into motes of fading light. The crimson fox towering above the forest let out a low rumble that rolled like thunder. Flames bled from its fur, shifting into gold, then dimming into a cool silver sheen. Its massive frame shrank with each breath until only a petite silver-haired woman stood on the scorched clearing with nine tails unfurled behind her, ears twitching atop her head.

Da Ji.

Ding Cai exhaled shakily.

Behind her, the body she carried twitched. A sleepy mumble escaped. Then her master sat up, rubbed his eyes, and yawned as if he had simply been napping under a tree. He walked past her without ceremony.

Not far away, Jia Mu knelt on the ground, drenched in blood, glaring at them with wild defiance.

“This… this has to be a conspiracy of the Holy Emperor!” he shouted hoarsely. “There’s no other way… this doesn’t make sense… none of this makes—”

He choked mid-sentence.

The roots beneath him bulged, split open, and surged upward through his chest. Jia Mu’s scream died in his throat as the forest swallowed him from the inside out. His body crumpled, dragged entirely into the earth, leaving no trace.

Ding Cai shuddered.

Da Ji floated downward and landed gracefully, her silver hair drifting like mist.

Ding Cai gathered her courage and turned sharply to the man she called master. Her voice cracked. “J-just… who are you?”

He glanced back at her. There was pain in his smile. “This isn’t how I wanted things to turn out,” he murmured. “But I guess, I have to come clean now, huh?”

Da Ji stepped forward, cutting him off before he continued. “I’ll stay and handle the aftermath. You should take your disciples back. The area is unstable.”

Ding Cai stomped once, fists tight. “No! Don’t dodge the question! I want an answer!”

There had always been something different about the man who guided her through her Soul Recognition. His knowledge, his strange habits, the way his presence bent around reality at times. Ding Cai had long suspected he wasn’t simple, yet she still treated him casually, even teasing him at times.

But the way Lady Da Ji addressed him with respect and familiarity? Her heart raced. Her palms sweated. She wasn’t prepared for whatever she was about to hear.

Her master coughed into his sleeve. “I suppose… a little introduction won’t hurt.”

Da Ji folded her arms. “It’s harmless now. Besides, they won’t be staying in the Heavenly Temple after this.”

Ren Jingyi stepped forward first, steady despite her injuries. She cupped her fists respectfully and bowed.

“I am Ren Jingyi, Third Disciple of the Holy Emperor Da Wei.”

Ding Cai’s stomach dropped. “H-holy… what?”

Da Ji touched her fingers lightly to her own chest. “I am Da Ji. Twin sister of the Holy Emperor.”

Ding Cai stared between them.

Then very, very slowly, she turned to her master.

He puffed out his chest, lifted one pudgy arm, and made a proud pose that made his belly jiggle. “And I,” he declared cheerfully, “am Holy Emperor Da Wei.”

Ding Cai’s jaw nearly struck the ground.

The enemy of the Heavenly Temple. The impossible figure who sundered the Summit. The calamity whose name was whispered as both a warning and a legend.

She had been dragging his unconscious body through the forest like a sack of rice. Her Divine Sense flickered instinctively. The truth resonated through each of their words like clear bells.

‘They weren’t lying.’

She felt faint.

A new voice cut sharply through the air.

“Well,” it said dryly, “that would explain a lot… such as how I was tricked again and again, and how something miraculous happened with my niece.”

Ding Cai froze as she turned slowly.

Peng Ru stepped out from the trees, her expression a mix of fury, disbelief, and exhaustion.

“A-Auntie…?” Ding Cai whispered.

Peng Ru stared at her niece, then at Da Wei, then back at Ding Cai. “I came as fast as I could…”

Ding Cai didn’t think as she simply ran.

“Auntie!” she cried as she threw herself into Peng Ru’s arms.

Peng Ru caught her, though she sighed heavily. “You’re not a child anymore, little Cai. You should stop jumping at people like this.”

Ding Cai clung tighter anyway.

Peng Ru patted her back once before releasing her and stepping forward. She faced Da Wei, dropped to her knees, and kowtowed so deeply her forehead touched the ground.

“Holy Emperor Da Wei,” she said, voice trembling with urgency, “please take Ding Cai with you. I beg you. If the deal with Lady Da Ji still stands, I will fulfill my part. I will do everything in my power to assist her.”

Da Wei blinked in surprise and waved his hands. “Raise your head first. What brought this on?”

Ding Cai’s eyes burned. She grabbed her aunt’s sleeve. “I don’t want to be separated from you!”

Peng Ru stroked her cheek gently. “It’s only temporary. You and I will meet again soon.”

“That doesn’t make sense!” Ding Cai snapped, her voice cracking. “You have to tell me why!”

Da Wei nodded. “I’d also like to hear it. She’s stronger than you give her credit for. You can speak plainly.”

Peng Ru drew a slow breath, then looked at her niece seriously.

“Little Cai… were you aware that you didn’t have a soul?”

She remembered the feeling, It was a vague hollowness no one else seemed to have, though it didn’t really bother her. It was more like a fog inside her mind. A silence where other people felt warmth. She knew something was missing. She knew she wasn’t… complete.

Until one day, she suddenly was.

And she had long suspected Da Wei had something to do with that miracle.

“Yes,” Ding Cai whispered. “I was aware.”

Peng Ru nodded slowly. “How much do you remember of your past?”

Ding Cai held her head, searching for fragments. “Vague things. Foggy things. A few memories from… before. And a cold cave. I remember being born there.”

Peng Ru’s eyes softened with both sorrow and awe. “It truly was a miracle unlike any other. I was terrified when I discovered you suddenly had a soul. Terrified… and relieved… and grateful…”

She turned toward Da Wei and Da Ji. “She shouldn’t have had one.”

Ding Cai shivered.

Peng Ru straightened her posture. “You were created through an alchemical method. Artificial life, formed through complex spells. The Heaven Elder personally oversaw your creation. The Ghost Elder only provided the ritual materials.”

Ding Cai’s breath caught. “I… was made?”

Peng Ru nodded. “Yes. That is why the Heavenly Academy is about to become the eye of the storm. Three of the Six Elders died here. The remaining Elders will come. And the Heaven Elder will immediately sense that something about you has changed.”

Da Wei lifted his hand. “Then what about Da Ji or you? Is it safe for either of you to stay behind?”

Da Ji smiled calmly. “Chen Wei will remain with me. The boy improved a lot. He’ll be able to handle trouble long enough for me to intervene.”

Peng Ru added, “It’s the perfect time to fulfill my end of the deal with her. If she’s to become dean, the momentum is already here. We must strike while the iron is hot.”

Da Wei looked uneasy. “Still—”

Da Ji waved him off with a toothy grin. “Relax, Brother. This is also the perfect time for me to devour the Jia Clan and make them ours.”

Ding Cai swallowed hard.

Her master’s sister spoke casually of eating an entire clan.

Da Wei looked at her with worry hidden behind his usual softness. “So,” he asked gently, “what do you think, Ding Cai?”

She froze.

Her mind spun from her origin, the Elders, the danger, her aunt’s fear, and her master’s identity. It was too far too much for her. She wasn’t ready for any of this. But her aunt’s trembling hands and anxious voice… Those pushed Ding Cai toward a decision she didn’t know she could make.

She bowed her head and steadied her breath. “I’ll become stronger,” she said, voice shaking. “I’ll become strong enough to come back here and stay by Auntie’s side.”

Peng Ru flicked her forehead lightly. “There’s no need to make it sound so dramatic, you silly child.”

It struck Ding Cai how rare this was. Her aunt almost never showed emotion. Yet now she was worried, frantic, and determined all at once. That alone told Ding Cai how serious everything was.

Peng Ru turned toward Da Wei and Da Ji. “The Heavenly Temple is rotting with corruption,” she said. “I’ll do everything in my power to correct the path.”

Da Ji raised a brow. Da Wei listened quietly.

“It should be safe for Lady Da Ji to remain,” Peng Ru continued. “Any sighting of the fox can be attributed to Da Wei. After all, in the Heavenly Temple, he already has a certain… reputation of shapeshifting.”

Da Wei grimaced. Da Ji smirked.

Peng Ru continued matter-of-factly, “I can fake all three deaths with Da Wei, Ding Cai, and Ren Jingyi. There have been many casualties lately. I can fold the paperwork in easily.”

Da Ji tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm. But if the scapegoat is going to work, we need something dramatic. Something big, dumb, ridiculous, and obviously Da Wei’s fault.”

Da Wei pointed at someone behind him. “…How about stealing the forest?”

Wu Chen, who had been quietly standing nearby, blinked. “Wait, are we finally going to do it?”

Ding Cai stared at them in disbelief. Her aunt, her master, and the fox spirit began scheming like bandits planning a legendary heist.

Ren Jingyi patted Ding Cai’s shoulder and sat down on a patch of grass. “Come. This will take a while.”

Ding Cai sat beside her.

“Senior Sister,” she asked softly, “what’s it like? Being the Holy Emperor’s disciple?”

Ren Jingyi thought for a moment. “I don’t have anything to compare it to. He’s the only master I ever had. But… if there’s one thing I appreciate most, it’s the lessons.”

Ding Cai’s eyes brightened. “Lessons? Like those fearsome techniques you use?”

Ren Jingyi laughed. “Fearsome techniques are just tools. The important part is character, since he values that above everything. Being near him teaches you more about yourself than you’d expect.”

Ding Cai stared. “I… don’t understand.”

Ren Jingyi placed a hand on her hip proudly. “Let me put it this way: among the disciples, I was the weakest. Keyword—was.”

Ding Cai blinked slowly. “So now… that’s me?”

“Mm.” Ren Jingyi grinned wickedly. “Congratulations.”

Ding Cai felt her stomach twist. “Then… what are the others like?”

Ren Jingyi leaned back on her palms, her smile softening as she listed the names.

“There’s Big Sister Gu Jie, First Disciple,” she said. “She has the strongest eyes among us, eyes that can peer into anything, from lies to fate to realms we can’t see.”

Ding Cai swallowed hard. That alone sounded terrifying.

“Then,” Ren Jingyi continued, “there’s Lu Gao, Second Disciple. His purple flames come from the clash between demonic taint and spiritual purity. They burn anything from soul, body, and fate… you name it.”

Ding Cai tried not to gasp.

“And then,” Ren Jingyi said with a proud flick of her ponytail, “there’s me, the Third Disciple, and obviously the cutest. The mighty dragon!”

Ding Cai tried to hold back a laugh.

“Fourth Disciple is Hei Mao,” the blonde girl continued. “The only immortal among us, but not for long! His shadow techniques are lethal. Also, he’s an idiot.”

“And the Fifth?” Ding Cai asked nervously.

“Yuen Fu,” Ren Jingyi replied. “He came from a world called the False Earth. His martial arts ignore realms entirely. If he wants to hit someone, he hits them.”

Ding Cai’s eyes widened. “Ignore realms…?”

“And finally…” Ren Jingyi tapped Ding Cai’s forehead gently. “You. The newly born soul. The Sixth Disciple. Recently soulless existence and now a traitor to the Heavenly Temple.”

Ding Cai winced at the last part. It wasn’t wrong, but it hurt a little.

The strategy meeting ended with Da Wei dusting his hands together. Peng Ru walked straight toward Ding Cai. Without hesitation, she pulled her into a tight hug.

“Cai’er,” Peng Ru said, voice trembling slightly, “you must be careful. If you find yourself a man, you bring him to Auntie first. I’ll judge if he’s good enough.”

“A-Auntie!” Ding Cai’s face flushed. “Shouldn’t you find someone first? You’ll be lonely when you get old! Should I help you pick a man instead?”

Peng Ru sputtered. “You little brat!”

They both ended up laughing, teasing one another until Peng Ru wiped a tear from her eye and turned back to Da Wei.

“We’re done here.”

Da Ji stepped forward and pulled a massive golden box from her pocket dimension.

Ding Cai blinked. “L-Lady Da Ji… What is that?”

Da Wei cracked his knuckles and began drawing formations around the box. As he activated the last seal, the box unfolded, expanded, twisted, and transformed into an enormous flying boat that towered above the trees.

The polished hull gleamed beautifully.

Da Wei puffed up his chest proudly. “Behold! Megatron 2.0!”

Ding Cai tilted her head. “What… kind of name is that?”

Ren Jingyi laughed. “That’s the same boat Master used when he attended the Summit. You know, the one where he earned the title Sunderer of the Summit.”

Ding Cai shuddered. She had heard stories about that.

Da Wei clapped his hands. “Alright! Wu Chen, it’s time. Let’s steal the forest and get out of here!”

Wu Chen raised both hands. The earth trembled. Trees bent toward her, roots unearthing themselves like serpents before shrinking into wisps of green light. In only two minutes, the entire immortal forest folded neatly into her dantian.

Ding Cai could only stare in awe.

Da Wei jumped aboard the Megatron 2.0. “Come on, everyone!”

Ren Jingyi hopped in first, Wu Chen following right behind. Ding Cai scrambled after them.

“Master!” Ding Cai asked, voice worried. “Will we really be safe?”

Da Wei waved his hand casually. “Relax. I’ll have Asura and his goons intercept anyone who comes after us.”

Ding Cai blinked. “…I don’t know what that means.”

“It means we’re fine!” Da Wei laughed.

They were ready to leave.

Ding Cai turned toward her aunt and felt her chest tighten.

“Auntie…” she whispered.

Peng Ru smiled. “Go. Become strong. Come back to me.”

Da Ji lifted a hand lazily. “Da Wei, be careful. You just stole an entire immortal forest. The Heavenly Temple’s going to want your head. Of course, they want it bad enough, even without you stealing an entire immortal forest, but you should understand what I mean…”

Da Wei threw back his head and laughed as he gripped the steering wheel.

“Let them come! Megatron, full speed!”

The flying boat surged into the sky, roaring with power as wind blasted past them.

Da Wei pointed forward triumphantly.

“Next stop, New Willow!”