Druid Fairy

Chapter 62 There is a Way to Do Good
"This is Shui Ling."

The white snake did not make things difficult for the little human. A wisp of light, like smoke, floated in mid-air, its azure glow suppressing the mushroom's fluorescence and casting a shimmering, rippling light on the surrounding rock walls.

The rich, aquatic atmosphere gives one a suffocating feeling of being underwater.

Water is unpredictable; it can nourish all things, but it can also take lives.

The moment the water vapor spread, Li Pingcan used [Breath of the Tree], remaining calm and composed amidst the floating water vapor.

Seeking the Water Spirit, the Tree Breath's side effect, Breath Holding, allows one to remain submerged in water for a short time, but there are too many uncertainties.

The real trump card is a skill called [LV5 Water Manipulation], which is one of the skills unlocked when breaking through to LV4 Druid class, following [Rubber Staff Technique] and [Primal Strike].

【Water Manipulation: You can create or change the flow of water within a selected distance, changing the range by one zhang in any direction.】

You can shape water into simple forms, and the water will flow as you wish. This change lasts for one hour.

You can change the color or transparency of the water.

You have frozen the water; as long as there is no living organism in it, the water will thaw within an hour.

If you cast this spell multiple times, you can maintain up to two non-immediate effects simultaneously, or you can dispel one of these effects with a single action.

With the elemental amplification property of "Double", the effect of "Water Manipulation", a branch of the element, can last for two hours.

Of course, the depletion of one's energy and spirit is also particularly alarming.

On the other hand, by leveraging the spiritual energy intercepted by the "Mysterious Record of Blessed Heaven," he could completely stack the spell [Water Manipulation] to create a terrifying giant wave, or freeze lakes for miles, causing the extinction of all living things.

This is the source of Li Pingcan's confidence in finding Shui Ling.

'Simply intercepted spiritual energy is ultimately a source without roots, lacking the power to sustain it.'

Only through cultivation, using spiritual energy to power spells, can one unleash the strongest 'immortal arts'.

He longed for every chance encounter with a celestial being.

…………

The white snake lightly touched its tail tip, and the spreading watery energy quickly gathered at the tip of its tail into a clear blue crystal-like sphere, transparent and flawless.

Seeing Li Pingcan remain calm and react quickly, she couldn't hide her surprise and doubt, tilting her head to reveal her face on the snake.

Though a mortal, he possessed extraordinary abilities.

What was once a faint hope took root and sprouted in our hearts, blossoming into even more flowers of anticipation.

She longed for freedom so much.

The basis for the transaction between the two parties has been reached.

Before attempting to remove the Soul-Locking Nail, Li Pingcan had one more important question to ask.

"If the Soul-Locking Nail is removed, will any immortals find me, the 'culprit'?"

This is what he is most worried about.

He carefully sensed the white snake's emotions, and under the influence of [Animal Affinity], he didn't miss even the slightest facial expressions.

The white snake's eyes were distant, as if recalling the past, "The immortal who left the Soul-Locking Nail has already passed away."

That was once her master, but before he was on the verge of extinction, he set up such a restriction, imprisoning her for three hundred years.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems with your deal with me."

That sounds like the truth.

Li Pingcan thought about it carefully and found no word traps.

He took two steps forward, staring intently at the Soul-Locking Nail, its arm-thick shaft engraved with intricate runes. But when he reached out to touch it, the Soul-Locking Nail seemed to be an illusory object, passing directly through the phantom.

Even if one could see the Soul-Locking Nail, a mortal body could not touch it.

"Hiss..." The white snake sighed softly.

Li Pingcan's expression remained unchanged. He indeed could not touch it, but the combination of "The Mysterious Record of Blessed Heaven" and "Rubber Stick Technique" might produce a wonderful change.

In the skill bar of 【Oak Stick Technique】, there is a description that can transform ordinary tree branches into magical weapons, and magical weapons can retain spiritual energy.

He took out the willow branch he always carried and used the Oak Cudgel Technique, then transferred the spiritual energy from the Five Elements Spirit Storage Array created by the "Mysterious Record of Blessed Heaven" into the willow branch, causing the originally ordinary willow twig to bloom with multicolored divine light. The white snake let out a "Huh," its snake eyes brightening.

It really works!

Li Pingcan became excited. The willow branch easily wrapped around the Spirit-Locking Nail. He stood on the white snake, gripping the willow branch tightly. His blood and qi surged, and in an instant, an enormous resistance pressed down like the sky.

"open!"

He gritted his teeth, shouted loudly, and unleashed his power. The spiritual energy remaining in the willow branch was rapidly consumed, and the ancient runes on the copper nails flickered. The surrounding water vapor was shaken into mist by the shockwave.

The white snake's vertical pupils suddenly contracted, and the scales on its tail, which hadn't trembled for three hundred years, rustled.

The moment the Soul-Locking Nail loosened, a strange change occurred.

Suddenly, the Soul-Locking Nail burst forth with dazzling divine light. The spiritual energy trapped by the willow branch was instantly melted away like snow hitting boiling water, collapsing and breaking into several pieces.

"It is a remnant of the immortal's true essence!"

Before the white snake's hiss had even faded, the out-of-control spiritual energy had already swirled into a vortex, about to hurl Li Pingcan against the rock wall. Before he could even use [Spore Growth] as a buffer, the white snake's long tail caught him steadily.

The runes on the surface of the Soul-Locking Nail have been stabilized again, and even have gained a bit more divine light than before.

Fall short.

Li Pingcan said with remorse, "This humble one is not skilled enough and has failed Your Majesty's expectations."

[Animal affinity] allowed him to clearly perceive the White Snake's surging emotions—not anger, nor resentment, but the helplessness buried for three hundred years.

He couldn't fulfill the White Snake's wish, and therefore he couldn't obtain this water spirit.

It's impossible not to be disappointed, but how could mortals easily crack the methods of immortals? The immortal who imprisoned the white snake must be no ordinary person.

Just as he sighed, the azure water spirit hovered in front of him, its light and shadow fleeting.

"You are not yet able to break through the immortal restrictions. Wait until the day you truly refine the water spirit."

The white snake's peaceful words lingered in his ears. Li Pingcan was both surprised and delighted. Just when he thought he had reached the end of the road, a new path opened up before him!
He accepted the essence of water with both hands, bowed deeply in gratitude, and sincerely said, "Thank you, Lady White!"

…………

The cave returned to calm.

The white snake coiled on the stone pillar, its gaze distant, lost in quiet contemplation.

A sullen, old-fashioned voice rang out in the cave, displeased: "White Snake, why are you being so nice to that kid? Have you forgotten that the human immortals imprisoned us for three hundred years?"

The Soul-Locking Nails not only imprisoned the White Snake, but also the Black Tortoise, which served as the "island in the heart of the lake," trapping it in Dragon Spring Lake like a cage between heaven and earth.

"Old turtle."

The white snake regained her senses and said, "I just remembered him. Although he trapped me for three hundred years, if it weren't for his enlightenment, I would have been nothing more than a little white snake without any intelligence. He taught me to be kind to others and to seek the Great Dao."

The kindness of enlightenment far outweighs the resentment of the past three hundred years.

An immortal stroked the snake's head, and the white snake bestowed upon him a water spirit.

The scene at this moment is just like that moment back then, making the snake miss the beauty of the beginning.

What truly bothered her was not the imprisonment, but the immortal's dying words: "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."

This is also the origin of the "Spirit-Locking Nail".

For three hundred years, the White Snake had been doing good deeds and cultivating virtue, simply to prove that although she was not human, she also possessed a kind heart.

This is her obsession, and also her guiding principle.

She smiled and said, "Once that child refines the water spirit, it might just be able to solve our predicament."

The black tortoise didn't believe it: "Humans don't do things without a reason. He's already gotten what he wanted from you, so he won't come back!"

"It will come."

The white snake shook her head. Li Pingcan exuded a natural and peaceful aura, which no other cultivator possessed. This inexplicable sense of closeness made her willing to believe.

I believe this connection will take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit.

(End of this chapter)