I was too focused on the lake, watching the divine flame's efforts slowly dwindle against the persistent corruption, to notice the rustling behind me. My mind raced with potential solutions, "If one burst wasn't enough, maybe a thousand more?" Could I even afford a thousand more? If I had any sort of mana/energy reserve I really needed to conserve it for the time being. My eyes were locked on the murky water and the swirling miasma.

A sudden, aggressive chirping broke my concentration. I turned around almost too late, catching a glimpse of a vicious fox lunging at me with bared teeth and wild eyes.

I stumbled backward, almost falling into the lake, narrowly dodging the fox’s attack. The creature snarled, its fur bristling and its eyes glowing. It was clear that this fox was also affected by the same corruption plaguing the grove.

The squirrel, still perched on my shoulder, continued to chirp furiously, baring its teeth and snarling at the fox. I quickly assessed my options, realizing that i needed to act fast if I wanted any chance to defend myself.

I reached for my brush, feeling its familiar shape in my hand. With a quick motion, I drew a barrier in the air, hoping the spell would hold the fox at bay. The fox collided with the barrier, snarling and scratching at the invisible wall, but the barrier held firm.

I took a moment to steady my breath. The grove was not only corrupted but also filled with dangerous creatures. This fox was clearly a threat, and I needed to purify it just as I had with the squirrel.

I summoned a ball of celestial flame, aiming it at the snarling fox. With a swift motion, I hurled the flame towards it, hoping to purify the creature just as I had done with the squirrel. The fox was engulfed in flames, but to my surprise, it immediately disappeared..

A message suddenly appeared in front of me:

Purification Attempt Failed. Target's Corruption Too Strong. Weaken the Target First.

Great, just great. I had to weaken the fox before I could purify it. The barrier wouldn't hold forever, and I needed to think fast. I couldn't rely on brute force alone, could I even rely on brute force to begin with? I'm sure I'm very flimsy. Think Ethan, I had to use my wits and the tools at my disposal.

I drew my enchanted bow and notched an arrow, what element would be the most useful to me now? I didn't want to kill it, but I definitely didn't want it to kill me. Yes! Ice would be perfect! I aimed carefully at the fox. I needed to slow it down, to weaken its resolve so that the celestial flames could do their work. The fox's eyes locked onto mine, and I could almost sense its killing intent.

"Alright" I muttered to myself, "let's see how you handle this"

With a deep breath, I released the arrow, aiming for the fox's legs. The fox leapt out of the way, but the arrow quickly followed it, did I unintentionally make a homing missile? It didn't really matter, the arrow did hit, striking the fox and causing it to yelp in pain, freezing its leg in place. It stumbled, momentarily distracted by the wound. This was my chance.

I nocked another arrow, again, this one imbued with ice. As I drew the string back, I could feel the chill emanating from the arrowhead. I released it, and it struck the fox in the side, a burst of frost spreading from the point of impact. The fox snarled and snapped at the arrow, but its movements were growing sluggish as the ice began to slow it down.

Taking a deep breath, I summoned another ball of celestial flame. This time, the fox was slower to react. I hurled the flame at it, watching as it enveloped the creature. The purifying light seeped into the fox's body, battling the corruption within its meridian, again, it had the same orb at the center or mass, and the celestial flames were trying to breach in.

The fox yelped and writhed, but the celestial flame clung to it, burning away the disgusting miasma. Slowly, the fox's fur began to change, shifting from a sickly, matted black to a healthier, reddish hue. The malicious gleam in its eyes faded, replaced by a more natural, if still wary, expression.

I could see the fox's spirit through my spirit vision. The dark red, twisted lines of corruption were being overwritten by the bright, vibrant threads of purified energy. The process was painful for the fox, but it was working.

After what felt like an eternity, the flame finally subsided, leaving the fox lying on the ground, breathing heavily but no longer possessed by corruption. I cautiously approached, ready to defend myself if necessary, but the fox simply looked up at me.

I reached out with my hand, letting the fox sniff it. After a moment of hesitation, it nuzzled my palm, a sign of trust. I smiled, relieved that the purification had worked.

The squirrel, having watched the entire ordeal, chirped excitedly from its perch. It seemed to approve of my efforts and hopped down to join the fox and me.

With the fox now purified and seemingly on my side, I turned my attention back to the pond. The celestial flame had initially pushed back the dark miasma, but the forces were once again locked in a stalemate.

I looked at the grove's status window once more and noticed the first task about purifying five corrupted areas, if these areas are like the pond, I can safely assume that the five areas acted as hearts to the grove, sources of energy if I were to simplify it, if the energy in the five hearts is pure, it'll try to push back the corruption, if the energy is corrupted, it will spread the corruption.

The squirrel and the fox seemed to sense my thoughts, as they began to lead me away from the pond. I now knew there were more areas that needed cleansing, and these animals seemed to know exactly where to go.

Our first stop was a clearing surrounded by twisted, gnarled trees. In the center stood a massive, ancient oak, its bark blackened and its branches heavy with withered leaves. This was clearly another heart of the grove. I tunneled into my spirit vision, expecting to see the same stalemate as the meridian of the tree tried to push back the corruption, but to my surprise, the meridian of this tree was highly corrupted, spreading corrupted mana everywhere.

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The sight was alarming. The oak's meridian, a core of life force that should have been glowing with vibrant energy, was instead a sickly, pulsing black. The corruption was deeply rooted, branching out and poisoning everything around it. I realized this would require more than a single celestial flame to cleanse.

I nocked an ice arrow and aimed it at the base of the tree. The arrow struck with a sharp crack, spreading frost over the corrupted bark. I could see the ice slowing the spread of the dark mana, but it wasn’t enough to purify it. I needed to weaken the corruption further before attempting to cleanse it completely.

Next, I used my bow to channel lightning, striking the roots with a bolt of energy. The shockwave traveled through the tree, disrupting the corrupted flow. Sparks flew, and I could see the dark veins momentarily recoil from the lightning’s purity. But the corruption was resilient, quickly reasserting itself.

I then summoned celestial flames, targeting the branches where the corruption seemed most concentrated. The fire spread along the branches, burning away the dark mana. The process was slow and grueling. Each time the flames would push back the corruption, it would resist, forcing me to continually renew the purifying fire.

As I worked, I could feel the strain of maintaining the celestial flames. My connection to the grove’s energy was tenuous, and I had to draw deeply from my own reserves to keep the purification process going. The fox and the squirrel watched me intently, their eyes reflecting a mix of hope and anxiety.

Weird isn't it, I could interpret the animals' emotions, almost like reading a human's face. Was this a part of me being an ancient spirit? Or maybe it was my connection to the grove, whatever it is, it made me feel less lonely for now.

The tree groaned under the strain, its branches creaking as if in pain. I focused on the meridian, sending a concentrated beam of celestial fire directly into its core. The flames met fierce resistance, the corrupted mana lashing out violently. I could see the dark energy swirling, trying to extinguish the purifying light, the miasma tried to spread towards me, but my body suddenly emitted a strong light, pushing it back where it came from.

I closed my eyes and focused all my willpower on the purification, drawing on every ounce of my remaining strength. The celestial flames intensified, becoming a brilliant, blinding light that enveloped the entire tree. The corruption writhed and twisted, fighting back with a ferocity that left me gasping for breath.

Gradually, the dark veins began to shrink, retreating from the pure energy. The blackened bark started to lighten, and the withered leaves showed hints of green. I pressed on, refusing to let up even as the strain threatened to overwhelm me.

Finally, with one last surge of power, the celestial flames overcame the corruption. The blackness dissipated, and the tree’s meridian glowed with a pure, vibrant energy. The surrounding area began to change, the twisted trees straightening and the air becoming lighter, the corrupted energy tried pushing back, but the tree's energy was stronger, it managed to bring the small clearing back to life.

I collapsed to my knees, exhausted but triumphant. The oak stood tall and healthy once more, its branches full of life. The fox and the squirrel approached, their eyes filled with gratitude. I felt the tree calling for me, i don't know how, but I just felt it.

I reached out, touching the now-vibrant bark of the oak, and felt a surge of energy flow through me. It was a strange, yet comforting sensation, like the tree was giving back the life force I had expended to purify it. The fatigue that had weighed me down moments ago began to lift, replaced by a refreshing sense of vitality, was this the way it was paying me back? Is the grove actually sentient?

This realization brought a smile to my face. The grove and I were connected in a profound way. As I helped it heal, it would help me in return. This mutual relationship was the key to restoring the grove and maintaining my strength. With the purified oak renewing my energy, I felt ready to tackle the remaining areas and cleanse them of corruption.

The fox and the squirrel seemed to sense my renewed vigor. They looked at me with hopeful eyes, and I knew they were ready to guide me to the next heart of the grove. I gave the oak one last appreciative pat before following my newfound companions.

Our next destination was a secluded glade, surrounded by tall, ominous-looking trees with dark, twisted branches. In the center of the glade stood a towering willow, its long, drooping branches covered in sickly, grey leaves. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and even the ground felt tainted beneath my feet.

I activated my spirit vision and saw a horrifying sight: the willow's meridian was almost completely corrupted, its life essence barely flickering amidst the dark red miasma. This was going to be a challenge, the oak tree was corrupted, yes, but the meridian was intact, so it could be quickly healed under the right circumstances, but this one, the meridian itself is very damaged.

Following my previous steps, I nocked an arrow, this one imbued with ice, and aimed at the base of the willow. As I released the arrow, it flew straight and true, striking the tree with a satisfying thud. Frost spread rapidly from the point of impact, slowing the spread of corruption and giving me a clearer target for my next move. After two successful experiments, I can safely say that elemental ice is effective in slowing down the spread of the corruption, and the corruption also seemed weak to any sort of fire.

The celestial flames would not be effective in this case, since it attacks the corrupted mana and everything surrounding it, which would damage the meridian and possibly destroy it if it deems it unpurifyable.

I decided that I would draw out my Verdant Brush, I began to paint glowing lines of green light in the air. Each stroke felt like it connected me deeper to the grove’s essence, and I felt the energy of the oak inside them. As I finished the final stroke, the lines coalesced into a shimmering barrier of pure life energy, which I directed toward the willow.

The barrier enveloped the tree, and started inserting thin small strings of pure energy into the vessels connected to the meridian, I could see the corruption start to recede slightly, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to combine my efforts. I switched back to my bow and drew an arrow imbued with fire. This time, I aimed higher, targeting the thickest branches. The arrow ignited the corrupted leaves in a burst of flame, burning away the black that tainted the branches and pushing out the dark miasma.

I continued alternating between my brush and bow, painting more threads of life energy with the brush and firing elemental arrows to weaken the corruption. The willow began to respond, its once-dim life essence growing brighter with each combined effort.

Despite my efforts, the corruption fought back fiercely. The dark red miasma pushed against my barriers, but I refused to give up. I painted faster, fired more arrows, and channeled every ounce of my willpower into purifying the tree.

For what felt like an hour or two, I kept doing what I'm doing, even if the progress was slow, it was still progress, and I was too afraid to take a break in case the dark energy dominates the tree's vessels once more.

And after what felt like an eternity, the tide began to turn. The corruption receded further and further until, finally, the willow’s meridian was clear of the dark red miasma. Its branches began to show signs of life, the sickly grey leaves turning a vibrant green.

Finally I ended it with a large ball of celestial flame, letting it do the rest of the work as I once more, fell down to my knees.

Exhausted, I placed my hand against the now-purified willow, feeling its renewed life force flow into me. Just like with the oak, the willow shared its energy with me, replenishing my strength and clearing my fatigue. The connection was even stronger this time, as if the grove was beginning to recognize me as its guardian.

I took a deep breath, feeling the vitality of the grove infuse my being. With two areas purified, I knew the grove and I were growing stronger together. I was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead, confident that the grove would support me as I continued to cleanse it of corruption.