After the Great Dao Sect's high-level meeting concluded that day, the unknown illness continued to spread through the sect at a terrifying pace.
Edicts had been issued in advance ordering disciples to take extra precautions, isolate themselves, and avoid unnecessary contact with others. Medicinal pills had been distributed according to need.
None of it made any difference.
The speed of contagion and the lethality of the disease among lower-realm cultivators far exceeded what the sect's leadership had anticipated. In less than a month, nearly every disciple of the Great Dao Sect had contracted it. Creation Violet-Gold Pills were not something every disciple was fortunate enough to receive, and common pills offered little more than comfort against a plague like this.
In the end, it came down to luck and the strength to endure.
Those with mild infections suffered for a time before slowly improving. Their cultivation realms regressed, but they kept their lives. Many more were not so fortunate. Despite exhausting every life-preserving method and secret technique at their disposal, those with severe symptoms did not survive.
Fear had settled over the entire sect like a second plague. When the dead fell, no one dared approach the bodies. Disciples would stand at a distance and use arcane arts to annihilate the corpses entirely, a crude substitute for a funeral. Within the Great Dao Sect, a heavy gloom had taken hold, and the sounds of lamentation were constant. It was difficult to imagine that this was one of the most powerful sects in the cultivation world.
If the Great Dao Sect had been reduced to this, the devastation elsewhere was not hard to envision.
On this particular day, Sect Leader Ji Changxi summoned Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan once more to the main hall to discuss the plague.
"Cough... cough..."
The moment they entered, coughing came from every direction. The sect's elders and Ji Changxi himself no longer possessed their former vigor. They looked sickly, visibly straining to appear alert. Several elders had given up the pretense altogether and were lying down, surrounded by puppets that massaged them gently while they groaned at intervals. Though they shared the same hall, Li Fan noticed that each of them had isolated themselves from the others using restrictive seals and arrays.
"How have the two of you been faring?" Ji Changxi asked.
Senior Sister Zhao bowed her head. "Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader. Over this past month, we have each taken three Creation Violet-Gold Pills. Li Fan and I are largely unaffected at this point. Most symptoms have disappeared, and we expect a full recovery soon."
"Cough, cough. Good, but do not grow careless. Personal protection remains essential." Ji Changxi's expression was grave. "Based on current observations, recovery does not confer immunity. One can be infected a second time, or even more."
Senior Sister Zhao's face paled slightly.
Before she could respond, Ji Changxi pressed on. "The reason I called you here today is to assign you a task. After considerable investigation, we have reached a preliminary conclusion regarding the origin of this plague."
Li Fan focused, listening intently.
"We previously speculated that this illness resulted from an Eternal Heavenly Venerable reversing one of the fundamental principles of heaven and earth. We have only recently determined which principle.
"In the eyes of cultivators, mortals are like ants. But with the emergence of this disease, even a mortal... can slay an immortal." A flash of barely suppressed fury crossed Ji Changxi's eyes. "The true origin of this plague is a pestilence that circulated among mortals some years ago. Originally, it posed no threat to cultivators whatsoever. But after that Eternal Heavenly Venerable's manipulations, it underwent a qualitative change and became lethal to us as well. One could call it the Immortal Plague.
"I do not know what this Eternal Life powerhouse intends, or what his ultimate goal is in driving us toward death. But the situation has already grown somewhat out of control."
"Out of control?" Senior Sister Zhao was taken aback. "Has the Immortal Plague already spread that far?"
Ji Changxi shook his head. "You two have been staying within the sect this past month and are unaware of what has been happening outside. The Immortal Plague originates with mortals. That is no secret, and word has spread throughout the cultivator community. Cultivators dying from the plague have begun slaughtering mortals wholesale to vent their rage. The lands below the mountains have become a scene of utter hell."
A cold glint appeared in Senior Sister Zhao's eyes. "Instead of seeking trouble with that Eternal Heavenly Venerable, they take their anger out on mortals. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong... a worthless lot. They deserve to die."
"For those facing death, losing reason is natural," Ji Changxi said. "We cannot entirely blame them. But the large-scale slaughter of mortals has gone too far. The Immortal Plague lies dormant within mortal bodies. When a mortal dies, it does not dissipate. Instead, it scatters in all directions, spreading further. And if they were to wipe out all mortals entirely, how would we continue to..." He paused.
"This madness must be stopped.
"The various elders are all occupied researching countermeasures against the Immortal Plague and cannot free themselves. After careful thought, this responsibility can only be entrusted to the two of you. Of course, the Xuanhuang World is vast. You cannot be expected to manage it alone. Other sects will also dispatch disciples to protect mortal lives."
Senior Sister Zhao acknowledged the order, then voiced her doubt. "In the past, those cultivators might have stopped their slaughter of mortals without much persuasion, fearing the reputation of our Ten Immortal Dao Sects. But now, many of them are terminally ill. In their madness..."
Ji Changxi understood. He waved a hand, cutting her off. "For those who have lost all reason, there is no need for further words. Simply kill them and be done with it. As for the others, tell them that our Ten Immortal Dao Sects have already devised a method to address the Immortal Plague, and that they should wait patiently rather than add to the slaughter."
Senior Sister Zhao's expression shifted. "Have we truly found a way to counter the Immortal Plague?"
To her surprise, Ji Changxi gave a slight nod. "It was a suggestion put forth by the Eternal Life Beast of the Beast Taming Sect. Since the Immortal Plague originates with mortals, and mortals cannot be exterminated entirely, the alternative is to relocate them, to banish all mortals to the various subsidiary grotto-heavens and minor worlds of the Xuanhuang World.
"With no mortals remaining in the main world, the concentration of the Immortal Plague should drop dramatically. After that, eradicating its influence entirely ought to be manageable. At the very least, it should allow us cultivators to live normally again.
"The practical feasibility of the plan is still being evaluated, but there should be no major obstacles. Call it the Great Migration Plan, and present it to those cultivators in those terms. Give them a sliver of hope, and they are less likely to descend into complete madness."