"What do you mean she's dying?" Jin Shu asked. His question went unanswered.

Frustrated, he reached to grab the dryad woman's shoulder, demanding an explanation. Instantly, a wall of twisted vines lashed up to block him. Nearby treants rose from their knees, their glares sharp and hostile, their massive frames radiating intent to rip him apart if he so much as brushed against her.

The woman flicked her hand, and the treants reluctantly stepped back—though their burning gazes didn't waver. She finally turned to him, and her eyes froze him in place, glacial and merciless.

"If you touch me, you will become fertilizer for our roots. Do not let it happen again."

Jin Shu swallowed hard. He knew from her tone it wasn't a threat, but a simple fact. If he defied her, her people would tear him apart and leave his blood and bone to feed their growth for the years to come.

She turned back to Biyu. "As I was saying—you are dying. Your body is filled with life energy, an offshoot of the wood element. Yet it also burns with fire qi, which uses that wood-based life energy as fuel. Your cultivation surges forward, yes, but each step forward consumes you. Eventually, you will burn until nothing remains but ash."

Biyu blinked slowly. "Burning… myself?" she whispered. "Then… will this bonding ceremony help me? How?"

The dryad opened her mouth to answer, but one of the treants cut in. "Queen, they are nearly upon us. We must set defenses."

"Raise barriers. Employ the humans," she replied evenly. Then, to Biyu: "Come, child. The ceremony must be completed."

She placed a hand on Biyu's back, gently guiding her toward the distant lake. But Biyu dug her heels in, unmoving.

"Why now? Isn't it dangerous to hold your ceremony while under attack?" she asked, her voice edged with doubt.

The dryad sighed and gestured toward the lake. At its center floated a small island, dominated by a massive tree—even larger than the giant treant from which the dryad had emerged. The tree loomed like an ancient guardian, but one near the end of its life. Its branches were barren, its gnarled bark split and peeling. Despite its towering presence, it looked weak, brittle, fading.

A breeze swept across the lake, rippling the crystal surface before buffeting the tree. A branch snapped, crashing down with an echo that seemed to shake the island itself.

The dryad woman clutched her chest. One of the leaves adorning her dress withered, shriveled midair, and crumbled into dry orange dust before touching the ground.

"I too am dying."

The nearby treants cast worried glances at their queen as they summoned vines and roots, weaving them into barricades of twisted growth studded with thorns.

One of the larger treants lumbered toward Jin Shu and laid a massive hand on his shoulder—though only two fingers were enough to cover it.

"Will you be joining the defense?" it asked with a sneer that rumbled like cracking wood. "Or shall I toss you out as bait?"

Jin Shu blinked up at it, then quickly looked for Biyu. She was already halfway to the lake, following the dryad. She had made her choice. That left him only one: ensure nothing reached her.

"Where am I needed?" he asked.

The treant's sneer faltered. Its wooden eye lids blinked slowly, then it gave a short nod. "Good. What is your specialty?"

Jin Shu tilted his head before realizing it meant combat. "Long range," he said.

He glanced around at the rising defenses, then asked, "Could you build me a sniper's nest?"

The treant cocked its head. "A bird's nest?"

"Not exactly. A high platform, something with a clear view of the battlefield."

"Understood." With a nod, it raised a towering spire of roots that curled into a flat platform above. "And what of your two little saplings?"

Jin Shu was confused for a moment, until he glanced down and saw Yin'er and Ji Ji clinging to his sides. Saplings… right.

"They can stay with ours," the treant continued, pointing toward an outcropping of trees. Several dozen small treants huddled there, peeking out curiously at the humans, while larger ones—vaguely feminine in shape—herded them deeper into the trunks for safety.

Jin Shu crouched to meet the girls' eyes. "Go hide over there until the fighting's done, alright?"

Yin'er shook her head fiercely. "No. Can't we stay with you?"

"We're strong," Ji Ji added, puffing her chest.

"I know you're strong," he said, patting their heads, "but these enemies are too dangerous. I can't protect you if you stay. Please—hide."

The girls exchanged looks, silent for several moments before finally nodding.

"Fine," Yin'er muttered. "But if Daddy's in trouble, we're coming."

Ji Ji nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Alright," he said. "But only if I'm really, really in danger." He prayed it wouldn't come to that—but he knew better than to underestimate them.

Satisfied, the girls trotted off hand in hand toward the nursery.

Jin Shu turned back to the others, watching treants and Immortal Phoenix Sect disciples prepare. Most of the women had agreed to fight, though a few were locked in heated arguments.

"How do you expect me to fight something immune to all my techniques?!" one young disciple snapped.

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"That is for you to solve," a treant replied coldly. "Otherwise, you will serve as a distraction." It turned away, leaving the girl pale and fuming.

Jin Shu spotted Tian Li and Li Xue finishing their own discussion with another treant. When they were done, they came to stand at his side.

"Are you going to be okay?" Jin Shu asked Li Xue. She looked steadier now—her face brighter, though still a little pale.

She drew in a breath, fighting the tremor in her hands, and gripped the Vector more firmly. "I'll be fine," she said with a nod.

"Remember, this is the mag release. You can't reload if you forget to press it," he teased lightly.

"I remember," she said, nodding again, too nervous to notice the joke.

Jin Shu shook his head. He hoped she wouldn't freeze up again, but there was nothing more he could do—it was her battle to fight. He turned to Tian Li.

"How about you?"

"I'm alright. A little embarrassed."

"Embarrassed? Why?"

"I've always prided myself on staying calm no matter the situation. But when I realized my techniques were useless, I froze." She flushed faintly, then straightened her shoulders. "I've had time to process it. Mentally, I'm ready now."

"That's good," he said, glancing around. "Now we should round up the troops and—"

He broke off, tilting his head. In the distance came the shrill screeches of spiderlings, mingling with the cries of demonic beasts unlucky enough to cross their path.

"There's no time left. Go. Gather the disciples."

Tian Li and Li Xue split off in opposite directions, rallying the others. A few had already been heading over—Bing Hou among them, her group trailing behind. They stopped nearby, giving Jin Shu curt nods of acknowledgment.

When the disciples were assembled, Jin Shu did a quick count: around thirty. He wasn't sure how many had entered the forest at the start, but judging by the blips he'd seen vanish inside the slipspace, it had been a little over forty.

They stood waiting, faces tight with nerves. All eyes fell on Jin Shu's group. He and Tian Li carried Chen Ai Yun's mantle, which gave them the highest seniority present.

"I know you're nervous—scared, even. Li Xue here actually fainted at the first sight of the spiders."

Li Xue shot him a vicious glare, but the crowd broke into chuckles, the tension easing just enough for them to breathe.

"Even if you feel useless, even if your techniques won't work, remember this: if we work together—us and them—we'll survive to see tomorrow's sunrise. And the next. And the one after that."

He wasn't much for speeches, and he wasn't sure if it was enough, or if he was even making sense. But the mood had lifted. It was time for orders.

"Those of you with techniques effective against spiders, raise your hands."

Ten women raised their hands out of thirty. Not many… but better than nothing.

"You nine—excluding Bing Hou—join Tian Li and Li Xue. They'll lead you." He motioned Bing Hou forward. "Bing Hou, I need you to use your fire and ice affinities to spread a thick mist across the battlefield. The water element will weaken the fire-aspected spiders. Can you manage that?"

"I can," she said with a sharp nod.

"Good." He turned to the rest of the women. "As for you—take these."

He held out one hand full of gleaming objects they didn't recognize, and in the other, metal cases. Cautiously, they stepped up one by one, taking a handful and a case each.

"These are bullets—ammunition for my weapons. Useless on their own, normally. But I've inscribed them with explosive runes. Your job is simple: toss them into the densest clusters of enemies. Then, use the other object I gave you—the magazine. I've inscribed a detonation formation into it. Activate it, and the explosives will go off inside the swarm."

He smiled. "Easy, right?"

A few of the women managed nervous smiles in return, though most stayed grim and silent.

"Moving on…" he chuckled. "You two."

He pointed toward a pair of identical girls in white healer's robes. They stood shoulder to shoulder, inseparable, their matching twin-bun hairstyles making them mirror images. They looked young—sixteen at most—and their auras revealed them as the weakest among those gathered. But if they were healers, their role would be vital.

"Are you two healers?"

"We are," one said as the other nodded.

"Good. You'll stay in the rear and tend to the wounded. Understood?"

Both nodded in perfect unison.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Xiao Yi." "And I'm Xiao Er."

Jin Shu blinked. Naming them One and Two didn't exactly scream creativity—but he let it slide.

"Uh… could one of you change something so I can tell you apart?"

"Sure," Xiao Yi said, unpinning one of her buns and letting her hair fall loose on one side.

"Better. Here's the plan: if someone's injured and can't move, I'll call for you. I'll provide cover fire while you extract them and get them to the backline."

"But… don't the spiders get stronger in fire?" Xiao Er asked, tilting her head innocently.

Jin Shu blinked, then rubbed his temple. "Not fire. I'll support you, covering you with long range attacks."

"Oh. Right." She nodded earnestly.

He opened his mouth to clarify further, but a shout cut through the camp like a blade.

"Enemy!"