Wei's journey from Silent Bloom Peak to the central Jade Emperor Peak was a disorienting experience. The sect he had known for centuries was gone, replaced by something far grander and more vibrant. The ten years he had spent in seclusion, a mere blink in his long life, had been a transformative era for the Verdant Serpent Sect.
The path, once a familiar stone walkway, was now a wide, gleaming avenue paved with spirit-conducting jade. The number of disciples he passed was tenfold what it used to be, and their average cultivation was noticeably higher. He saw inner court disciples who were mere children when he entered seclusion now walking with the confident auras of the Core Formation realm. The influx of resources from the subjugated Blackwood Sect had been a powerful catalyst, accelerating the growth of an entire generation.
What was most striking, however, was the change to the sect's landscape. In the distance, where there had once been untamed wilderness, three new mountain peaks now stood, each shrouded in its own unique energy and crowned with new, magnificent palaces. These were the new pillars of the sect, a testament to its explosive growth. He could feel the powerful auras of unfamiliar Spirit Kings residing on those peaks, new elders who had risen to power in his absence. The sect was no longer a simple hierarchy; it was a complex political ecosystem, and he was now a stranger in his own home.
He arrived at the Palace of Verdant Skies to find the atmosphere grim, a stark contrast to the vibrant energy outside. He was ushered directly into the First Elder's private council chamber. The First Elder was present, his face etched with deep lines of worry. With him were two other figures. One was Elder Jin, his stoic presence a familiar anchor in this changed world. The other was a woman Wei did not recognize. She was ancient, her hair as white as snow, and she wore the pale green robes of a physician. Her spiritual pressure was that of a Spirit King, but her aura was gentle, filled with a profound life force.
"Elder Wei," the First Elder said, his voice heavy with relief. "Thank you for coming so quickly. This is Elder Lihua, of the newly established Peak of Resurgent Springs. She is our sect's foremost expert on healing arts and purification."
Elder Lihua gave Wei a respectful but weary nod. "Elder Wei. Your reputation precedes you. I confess, I had hoped never to require your... particular expertise." Her words were polite, but the underlying sentiment was clear: she was a healer, and he was a poisoner. They were fundamentally opposed.
"The 'Grey Rot' is not a matter of conventional healing, Elder Lihua," Wei replied, his tone flat and devoid of any emotion. "Tell me what you know."
The First Elder gestured to a large map spread across a central table. The entire eastern section, the Azure Province, was stained with an encroaching grey shadow. "It began a month ago, in a mortal village on the coast," he explained. "At first, we thought it was a common sickness. Then it began to spread. It ignores the boundaries between mortal and cultivator. Qi Condensation disciples, Foundation Establishment experts... they are all equally vulnerable. It does not kill. It simply... changes them."
Elder Lihua stepped forward, her expression pained. "We have brought back victims for study. The affliction begins with a numbness in the extremities. Within three days, the skin takes on a grey, mottled appearance. By the seventh day, the victim is completely petrified. Their body becomes a substance resembling grey stone, their life force completely extinguished. We have tried every purification art, every life-infusion technique, every known antidote in the sect's archives. Nothing works. The process is irreversible."
"Have you tried destroying a petrified victim?" Wei asked, his first question sharp and to the point.
Lihua recoiled slightly. "Of course not! They are still our disciples, our people!"
"A pragmatic question, not a malicious one," Wei stated calmly. "If the 'stone' can be destroyed, it is a physical transformation. If it cannot, it is a curse that has altered the victim on a fundamental, lawful level."
"We... we did test a small sample from a victim who had already passed," the First Elder admitted grimly. "A finger. It is harder than spiritual iron. A normal artifact cannot even scratch it."
Wei's eyes showed a flicker of academic interest. "Fascinating. And the curse itself, how does it spread?"
"We do not know," Lihua confessed, her frustration evident. "It does not seem to be airborne, nor is it spread by touch. It simply appears. A village will be fine one day, and the next, a dozen people will show the first symptoms. It is as if the very land has become sick."
Wei fell silent, his mind processing the information. It was exactly as he suspected. This was no disease. A disease needed a vector. This was a curse, and a high-level one at that. The petrification, the resistance to damage, the way it "appeared" without a clear transmission method—it all pointed to a curse that was not spreading from person to person, but being actively cast over a wide area. And to power such a curse required a source, a focal point of immense necrotic energy.
"This is not a plague," Wei announced, his words dropping into the chamber with the weight of finality. "It is a curse. A powerful one, anchored to a physical object or location. A 'Necrotic Anchor'. The curse radiates from this anchor, infecting the land itself. Anyone who stays within the cursed zone for too long becomes a victim. That is why it seems to appear randomly. The only way to stop it is to find and destroy the anchor."
The First Elder and Lihua stared at him, a glimmer of hope in their eyes. For weeks, they had been fighting a mysterious illness. Wei, in a matter of minutes, had given their enemy a name and a structure.
"Can it be done?" the First Elder asked.
"Finding it will be difficult," Wei said. "A Necrotic Anchor of this power would be heavily guarded. Destroying it will be even more so. This is not the work of a common rogue cultivator. Whoever is behind this is a master of necrotic arts, likely a Spirit King or even higher."
A heavy silence descended on the room. A hostile Spirit King operating so close to their territory was a threat of the highest order.
"The sect cannot stand by while our people are turned to stone," the First Elder declared. "Elder Wei, your insight has already proven invaluable. I must ask you to lead an expedition to the Azure Province. Find this Necrotic Anchor, identify who is responsible, and if possible, put an end to this curse."
"I will go," Wei said without hesitation. This was a puzzle he was eager to solve. "But I will not take an army. A large force would be easily detected. I require a small, elite team. Discretion is paramount."
"Whom do you require?"
"Elder Jin will accompany me," Wei stated, looking at his friend. Jin gave a single, sharp nod. His power was a necessary shield for what was to come. "His strength will be needed when we find the anchor's guardians."
"It is my duty," Jin rumbled.
"I also wish to join," Elder Lihua said, stepping forward. "My healing arts may be useless against the petrification, but I can still treat conventional injuries. And if you do find a way to reverse the curse, my knowledge of the living body will be essential."
Wei considered it. Her presence could be a complication, her righteous morality a potential hindrance. However, her expertise was undeniable, and having a master healer on hand was a logical precaution. Her presence would also lend legitimacy to the mission. "Very well. You may come."
Just as the team was being finalized, a young woman stepped into the room. She wore the same pale green robes as Lihua and had a proud, determined look on her face. She was young, but her cultivation was already at the peak of the Core Formation realm.
"First Elder, Master," she said, bowing deeply. "I am Sun Ling, Elder Lihua's personal disciple. I request permission to join the expedition. My 'Sunlight Purification' technique is one of the strongest light-based arts in the sect. I may be of use against this necrotic energy."
Lihua looked at her prized student with a mixture of pride and worry. "Ling'er, this is too dangerous."
"Master, if we do not face danger, how can we grow?" Sun Ling countered, her gaze unwavering. She then looked directly at Wei, her eyes holding a hint of suspicion. "The sect's greatest healer should not travel into such a dark place without a guardian of the light. I will protect my master."
Wei saw her for what she was: a true believer, a prodigy of the righteous path. She would be an annoyance, her light-based arts a direct counter to the shadows he preferred to move in. But refusing her would seem strange. It was better to keep a potential critic close, where he could observe and control her.
"Her courage is commendable," Wei said, his voice flat. "Let her come, wouldn't hurt to have a little assistant to run the small tasks."
The First Elder nodded. "Then it is settled. Elder Wei, you will lead. Elder Jin, Elder Lihua, and Disciple Sun Ling will accompany you. You have the full authority of the sect behind you. Spare no expense, and do what is necessary to end this threat."
Wei bowed, a flicker of something cold and calculating in his abyssal eyes. The team was assembled. A stoic warrior, a compassionate healer, and a righteous prodigy. They thought they were on a mission to save the province. Wei knew better. He was on a mission to study a masterpiece of dark art, to hunt its creator, and to harvest the unimaginable power that such a being would undoubtedly possess. The others were simply tools and camouflage for his true purpose.