《Reborn as a Demonic Tree [Book 5 stubs Jan 7th]》 Art Chapter Stella Crestfallen: Ai Generation of Stella: Diana Ravenborne: Ai generation of Diana:The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Cover Arts (In Order) Words: I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Chapter 1: A Scrumptious Meal Ashlock stirred from his slumber as someone entered the courtyard. Even though he had been reincarnated in this bizarre new world two years ago, Ashlock doubted he would ever get used to sleeping as a tree. [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 2)] [Qi Realm: 1st Stage] [Sacrifice credits for complete system unlock: 30/50] Ashlock dismissed the system with a sigh. "I''ve been in this world for two years, yet I''ve only been awake for like an hour in total? So sleepy..." A second ago, he had been surrounded by a raging snowstorm in the depths of winter, but now the slothful tree was greeted with a gentle summer breeze that rustled his scarlet leaves. Yet, even though it had only been a second of sleep for his mortal mind, it took a moment for his tree body to wake up from hibernation. Still half-asleep, the tree basked in the sun''s warmth on his black bark for a while before finally opening his nonexistent eyes and looking around to find the human that interrupted his sleep. His sight was limited to a few meters in every direction, just enough to see the end of a stone walkway flanked by dark purple grass, overgrown with weeds. He could also see himself. But what was he? Well, according to the floating words in his mind that accompanied him for the last year, he was a Demonic Spirit Sapling. Ignoring the rude man that had interrupted his sleep, Ashlock summoned his status page. [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 2)] [Qi Realm: 1st Stage] Skills: {Devour [C]} {Basic Spirit Sight [F]} {Basic Meditation [F]} [Sacrifice credits for complete system unlock: 30/50] When Ashlock died back on Earth, he asked his friend to bury him under the enormous tree in his local park. It always gave him a certain feeling when he sat on the park bench under its canopy, like a warm welcome home. "Seems another season has passed..." Ashlock spoke to himself since nobody could hear him. When he first arrived in this alien world, he tried to talk to the humans who occasionally passed within his limited sight range, but they never reacted, no matter how much he yelled. The man waited patiently in front of him, but sadly not only was Ashlock''s spirit sight limited, but it was also blurry. Like looking through frosted glass, he could make out the shapes and colors, but any fine details were beyond him. "The fuck do you want, random guy? I have nothing to offer... I''m a tree, for god''s sake." Ashlock had no idea why, but this man came by every so often with a sacrifice to offer him as if he was some patron deity. After a minute, the man sat down in a cross-legged position and left the rabbit-looking creature he was holding on the ground. Then, as blood trickled out of the rabbit''s slit neck onto the purple grass, Ashlock felt a familiar feeling. Hunger. Without thinking, he activated his {Devour} skill. Black vines covered in tiny thorns surged from the ground like waiting vipers and wrapped around the rabbit corpse, mummifying it. The black vine pulsed with energy as the thorns bit into the rabbit''s soft flesh and pumped out the blood. Before Ashlock even realized it, the vines loosened up and retreated under the ground, and he felt a rush of power. It was small, but compared to the minuscule energy he absorbed through his {Meditation} skill from the sun, the devoured rabbit gave a week''s worth of energy all at once. Ashlock resisted the urge to use {Devour} on the sitting man. There was no requirement that the target had to be dead. They simply had to be in range and ideally stationary. Ashlock knew the man would give him a lot more energy than the rabbit, perhaps enough to finally reach the 2nd stage of the Qi realm, whatever that meant. But alas, Ashlock was no fool and knew the man wouldn''t take being devoured kindly. The man said some unintelligible words, patted his bark, and left. Ashlock checked his status, and sure enough, the number of sacrifices obtained for the system unlock had increased by one. [Sacrifice credits for complete system unlock: 31/50]This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Ashlock had no clue what complete system unlock meant. He had read many novels and played games back on Earth... wait maybe this was still Earth? The people who visited him were odd, and the creatures looked slightly off, but his vision was so poor it was hard to tell. "I think it''s safe to assume I''m in another world, though. Never heard of anyone cultivating back on Earth." And with that thought, Ashlock activated his {Basic Meditation} skill. The energy that was chaotically rampaging through his trunk began to calm. Ashlock had no clue how the skill worked, but it allowed him to somewhat control the energies within while also absorbing some Qi from the sun. "If only it wasn''t so slow..." Ashlock had been here for 2 years, and even with over thirty sacrifices and constant {Basic Meditation}, he hadn''t seen much improvement. Except his trunk had grown a little taller, he was now the height of an average man. "But don''t trees grow naturally? Sure I''m growing a little fast, but nothing that couldn''t happen on Earth. Maybe my bark has also gotten harder? Difficult to test..." Ashlock tried not to think about it, but he was terrified. What if the man needed some firewood? Or some otherworldly monster snuck into the area he was in. Unfortunately, apart from his {Devour} ability, he could not fight back. Deciding such thoughts were pointless as there was nothing he could do, Ashlock entered his state of meditation once more, and the world drifted away... *** "Three this time?" Ashlock saw a trio enter his field of view. "A small person?" Ashlock was only around the man''s height, so unless he had rapidly grown in stature, one of them was likely a child... or midget. "What if there are dwarves in this world?" Honestly, Ashlock had zero clue about this world. Maybe one day, he could learn more. "If only I could hear them speak, it would make my life so much easier." Ashlock sighed in his mind as he observed the three people. "Wait... is that a girl?" One of the three had long blonde hair flowing out of their black cloak like a cape. The other two were clearly male, and how they were a step behind the female suggested a potential subservient nature to their relationship. The girl was holding a bag tightly in her hands which the other two seemed interested in. Of course, Ashlock was also interested in the contents of the bag... although he time skipped when he meditated so he could avoid the weeks or months of boredom, he was still starving for some entertainment. "Oddly, the system seems to wake me up when someone comes within my range... will that be an issue when my {Basic Spirit Sight} upgrades and I can see further?" These were questions for another time as the girl had opened the bag and brought out a... decapitated head? The two other men seemed just as surprised as Ashlock. They both took a step back and drew out some type of long weapon, likely a sword, but Ashlock''s blurry vision made it hard to tell. The only reason he could tell the girl took out a head from the bag was that he recognized it... It was the head of the man who had given him the rabbit last time. A slight tinge of disgust and regret bloomed in the back of Ashlock''s mind. The man had been just a blurry figure, but he had provided him with food... "Wait, am I some kind of dog that wags its tail for food?" "Fuck that." Ashlock dismissed the feeling and focused on the action. The girl dropped the decapitated head on the floor by Ashlock''s exposed roots, and he could feel the fabric of her cloak as she backed up against his trunk. Blue energy illuminated the two swords like light sabers in Ashlock''s {Basic Spirit Sight}, and they swung forward. "Wait-" Ashlock screamed as two arcs of blue light surged toward him. The girl deflected the two incoming attacks with her palm, empowered with a purple light. She then acquired two daggers from god knows where and lunged at the man to the left. The man kicked back surprisingly quickly and vanished from Ashlock''s sight. It was bizarre to only watch one side of the fight. The girl fought just on the edge of his perception. Purple energy flickered across her hands like a flame as she deflected attacks from two sides. Then she dove to the left, dodging a blast of blue energy that disintegrated her hood and some free-flowing hair. There was just one slight issue... the blast kept going toward a defenseless tree... "Ahhhh¡ª" Ashlock screamed as the blinding beam of blue light smashed into one of his branches, obliterating it in a shower of splinters. Ashlock watched in horror as his branch tumbled to the ground beside him. Strangely, Ashlock felt nothing except the escape of energy like a popped balloon, so he quickly tried to seal the hole. Qi that he had stored in his trunk surged toward the hole and slowly knitted the spot closed. "I''m alive...?" Ashlock didn''t know what he expected. It''s not like trees bleed to death or something. Ashlock then watched as purple energy enveloped his fallen branch and hurled it outside his vision. The girl was clearly the culprit as she dashed after the flying branch, and then Ashlock saw nothing. Sadly, Ashlock had no clue how the fight was going, as it all happened outside his limited range. A few minutes passed until someone stepped back into his field of view... The girl''s black cloak was soaked in blood, and the two daggers in her hands dripped blood onto the purple grass, which made Ashlock feel hungry. If he could lick his lips, he would. She pocketed her daggers somewhere and then dragged two bodies into view. The two men were covered in cuts, and one was clearly missing a hand. It was the most heinous thing Ashlock had ever seen, but he felt... nothing but hunger. Which was disturbing, to say the least. Where had his humanity gone? The girl said something he couldn''t hear before dumping the two bodies up against his trunk next to the decapitated head. She also brought over his branch. She then collapsed against his trunk, looking up at his canopy. A while passed, and Ashlock couldn''t hold back his hunger any longer. The desire to devour overtook his mind, and a swarm of black vines mummified the various offerings, including the branch. The sound of metal snapping surprised Ashlock as his vines broke the swords into small pieces and dissolved them by secreting a corrosive fluid. The process was slow. An hour passed, and the girl seemed to grow impatient, leaving the courtyard. Days went by as the courtyard experienced the cycle of the sun and moon a total of four times. Ashlock had turned his brain off to the passage of time, so the sudden rush of euphoria caught him off guard. [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 2)] [Qi Realm: 2nd Stage] Skills: {Devour [C]} {Basic Spirit Sight [F]} {Basic Meditation [F]} [Sacrifice credits for complete system unlock: 56/50] "Oh! I finally reached the 2nd stage of the Qi Realm." Ashlock felt energy shoot up his roots and an immense fatigue wash over him. [Unlocking Sign-In System...] He resisted with all his mental fortitude, but he soon fell asleep. Chapter 2: The Wooden Stick Incident The courtyard was desolate¡ªa cold breeze rustled Ashlock''s scarlet leaves as his mind slowly awoke from a long sleep. Ashlock jolted awake as a sound similar to a ding resounded in his head. In confusion, Ashlock read the string of words that materialized in his mind. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 1050 Daily Credit: 1050 Sacrifice Credit: 6 [Sign in?] "Sign in?" Ashlock stared at the question. "Oh right, the system unlocked." Despite months passing, to Ashlock, it had felt like a short nap. "So my system is a sign-in system?" Ashlock had read many novels back on Earth, and a sign-in system was common. They rewarded the system user for remaining in a certain location for a long time by providing escalating rewards with each passing day. Eventually, all these wastrel young masters that had been banished to the cold palace, never to be seen again, returned after a hundred years as an undisputed existence with enough wealth and power to rule a nation. But Ashlock was a tree. What use were weapons, cultivation pills, or immense wealth to a tree stuck in a courtyard? "Well, on the plus side, if the rewards increase over time, I can sleep away until I gain something useful to me¡­ like maybe some new skills? Or a way to cultivate faster." Ashlock accepted the fate that he would spend a lot of time talking to himself about various things; the question is, how long until he went mad? Maybe he was already mad. He had consumed humans for nutrition and hadn''t batted an eye. Seeing no harm in trusting the system, Ashlock decided to [Sign-In]. [Sign in successful, 1056 credits consumed¡­] [Unlocked an A-grade skill: Eye of the Tree God] "Eye of the Tree God?" Ashlock''s brain buzzed as the darkness that shrouded him vanished, and his view range rapidly expanded in all directions. "Ugh." Ashlock tried to close his eyes in a vain attempt to block out the world, but alas, he had no eyes. He could only suffer as his mind was overloaded with more visual stimuli than he had ever endured when he was human. Deciding there was no other way out from the onslaught, Ashlock chose the easy way out and fell asleep. *** Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 1051 Daily Credit: 1 Sacrifice Credit: 0 [Sign in?] Ashlock awoke as he felt the presence of a girl he was familiar with. Confused, he spread his spiritual sight and realized the courtyard was empty. "Where is she?" Ashlock focused on the feeling, and his worldview shifted to an aerial view.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Wow..." Ashlock looked down at a small tree in the central courtyard of a Chinese-style pavilion. It was the size of an adult with beautiful red leaves and rugged obsidian bark. "Is this the power of the [Eye of the Tree God] skill?" Ashlock zoomed out, and now an entire mountain was in view. A lone girl with flowing blonde hair climbed up a thousand steps to the pavilion''s entrance. Ashlock recognized her as the girl who had helped him unlock his system all those months ago. He watched for a bit longer, but from the aerial view, she was a tiny speck climbing a very tall mountain. "It kinda feels like watching drone or CCTV footage." Ashlock hummed to himself as he rotated and moved the view to look at the pavilion from all sides. The massive pavilion was built atop the mountain with walls of pristine white stone topped with black wood roofs. There were also red vines covering the mountain and growing up the walls. Other than the central courtyard containing Ashlock''s body, there were another four courtyards with varying features. One included a herb garden with many exotic plants¡ªanother had a large pond with fish similar to Koi swimming around. Ashlock also spotted a training courtyard with a sandy-looking floor and training dummies made of wood. The final one had a raised stone platform covered in strange runes. During the tour of his home, Ashlock also spotted a few humans walking past the pavilion''s windows. "So there are other humans here. Why does their presence not awaken me like the girl?" A mystery for another time. Ashlock started to feel a strain on his mind, so he canceled out the {Eye of the Tree God} skill. "I can''t use it all the time? A shame... hopefully, through training, I can use it for longer periods or perhaps increase my view range?" Then Ashlock remembered the sign-in notification. As if on cue, it reappeared, and Ashlock chose to [Sign-In]. [Sign in successful, 1 credit consumed¡­] [Unlocked an F-grade item: Wooden stick] "¡­A wooden stick?" Ashlock was baffled. Compared to the last reward, this was almost insulting. "Shouldn''t the rewards scale with time? Was the first reward a first-time sign-in bonus or something?" Ashlock thought back to the system messages and discovered the reason. "It consumed my credits¡­ I had 1056 last time but only 1 today. So I get rewarded for accumulating credits first before signing in?" This would need more investigation. "But where is my wooden stick?" Ashlock looked around himself, but there were no wooden sticks. Just purple grass and his black roots. Then as if the system detected his thoughts, a large empty space within himself was revealed, and inside this space was a singular wooden stick. "Is this a pocket dimension?" Ashlock concentrated on the stick, and to his shock, it vanished from his pocket dimension and materialized a meter from himself in the purple grass. Ashlock tried to summon the stick back, but nothing happened. A few minutes passed with Ashlock glaring at the wooden stick and shouting random commands in his mind hoping to get the wooden stick back. Finally, giving up, Ashlock noticed he could now see the entire courtyard with his regular sight rather than just a meter. He could even sense the movement of a person through the walls... And they were heading straight toward him. A sliding wooden door revealed it was the blonde girl with magical abilities that killed the two men. She wore a thick winter-style black robe with a single red lotus sown on its chest area. Moving gracefully, she followed the cobbled walkway through the purple grass and passed the wooden stick. She paused, and then with a tilt of her head, she bent down and picked up the stick. Only now, as she ran her finger across its surface, Ashlock noticed a significant issue with the stick¡ªit was too perfect. As if it was a PNG out of a video game. Both ends were perfectly cut, something not achievable in reality, and its surface was smoother than glass. A sly smile appeared on the girl''s face. By her height and features, Ashlock discerned she couldn''t be older than ten, but the memory of her murdering two men in cold blood and revealing a decapitated head was fresh in his mind. "Did she notice me¡­ fuck." As a magical man-eating tree, Ashlock was lacking in combat capabilities. She stepped closer, and Ashlock debated casting his {Devour} skill. Before he knew it, she had closed the gap and patted his trunk with a smile. She spoke a few words that Ashlock couldn''t understand, but she seemed happy about something. Then to Ashlock''s relief, the girl turned to leave with the stick. Purple flames flickered across her body, and to Ashlock''s shock, she teleported back inside the building using a mysterious movement technique. "Show off..." Ashlock grumbled. With the crisis averted, he felt more determined than ever to grow stronger. "I hope my next sign-in bonus is a better meditation technique." Sadly, with how his system functioned, it was the Gods'' will to decide his fate. He could spend years accumulating credits just to cash in and unlock a worthless item like a sword. "What the hell could I use a sword for anyway?" Before his intense training session... involving a lot of sleeping, Ashlock checked his status page. [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 2)] [Qi Realm: 2nd Stage] Skills: {Eye of the Tree God[A]} {Devour[C]} {Basic Meditation[F]} "So weak. Should I sleep until I reach the next realm?" Ashlock scowled at his F-grade meditation skill. "Why did I get some dumb eye skill and a wooden stick? Increasing my meditation speed and becoming a godlike tree would be way better." Taking one final look around the courtyard, Ashlock activated his meditation skill and felt the trickle of ambient Qi through his leaves as he felt his mind drift away. Unknown to the sleeping tree, the young girl gleefully left the mountaintop pavilion with the [Wooden Stick] in her hand. Chapter 3: Aura of Fear [Qi Realm: 3rd Stage Achieved... deactivating sleep mode] A surge of energy like the world''s biggest caffeine rush awoke the slothful tree from its long slumber. Summer was in full swing, and the fluff of a bright blue bird resting happily on one of the tree''s many sturdy branches frizzled out like it had been electrocuted as ambient Qi rushed out into the surroundings. The bird''s muscles tensed up, and it tumbled to the ground like a rock¡ªluckily, the lush purple grass broke its fall... but then black vines erupted from the soil and mummified the bird. The poor thing squeaked like a dog toy as the air was crushed out of its lungs, and its bones crumbled into powder as the vines tightened their python-like grip. A girl lying under the tree''s canopy enjoying the shade from the relentless sun''s rays stopped twirling a dagger in her hand and watched the bird being eaten alive while humming. [+1 SC] "Whooo..." Ashlock felt the rush of energy subside, and he could focus again. "SC? Does that stand for sacrifice credits..." Ashlock let off a yawn as he spread out his spiritual sight. The vibrant colors of summer flooded his mind. "Wait, wasn''t it the start of winter when I fell asleep?" The rapid passage of time still baffled the poor human mind stuck in a tree, but with every passing season, he felt more tree than human. How could one treat life the same when months pass by in the blink of an eye? Since a lot of time had passed, Ashlock decided now was a great time to sign in... Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 1238 Daily Credit: 187 Sacrifice Credit: 1 [Sign in?] "Yes." [Sign in successful, 188 credits consumed¡­] [Unlocked a B-grade skill: Language of the World] "Not bad... I think." Ashlock would rather gain some combat abilities, but language was a good step in his pursuit of knowledge. "Hmmm, Tree, are you awake?" Ashlock mentally jumped in shock, "Who said that!?" He scanned around himself, but the courtyard was empty... "The other scions would laugh if I said my only friend was a tree..." Looking down at his base, Ashlock finally saw the culprit. It was the psycho girl. "Fuck sake, can she just leave me in peace?" Ashlock enjoyed his peace and quiet; months may have passed for the unknown girl, but he had seen her for almost all his brief moments of consciousness. "Tree, are you hungry? I tried to feed you during the winter, but you were sleeping." Ashlock had no way to answer. He was a tree. Did she expect him to drop an acorn on her head or spell out answers in the dirt? "Just go away so I can sleep again!" The girl watched his rustling leaves and seemed to reach some bizarre conclusion. "Okay, I will get you a snack." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Ashlock watched purple energy erupt in a blaze across her pale skin. But, to his surprise, it didn''t burn her thin black dress. She then retrieved a beautiful black dagger and wrapped it in her purple energy. "Hold on, is that dagger handle made of the stick she stole from me?" Ashlock didn''t get a chance to examine it closely as the dagger shot out of her hand like a bullet. A thin line of purple followed it. Then as if she was fishing, she reeled the purple line back... and impaled on the end of the dagger was a very plump bird. "Here." The girl plopped the bird down and stood to leave. "I will leave you to your meal as I have some cultivating to catch up on. Bye ~." Ashlock felt his opinion of the girl rise. She may be noisy, but at least she provides snacks. Ashlock cast his {Devour} skill... [+1 SC] "Sign in!" Nothing happened. "Oh, yea... I can only do it once a day." Being a tree was boring sometimes. "Status!" [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 3)] [Qi Realm: 3rd Stage] [Skills¡­] {Eye of the Tree God[A]} {Language of the World[B]} {Devour[C]} {Basic Meditation[F]} "Three years on this planet, and I''m still weak." Ashlock felt frustrated, but then a funny thought crossed his mind. "How did all those other sign-in system protagonists survive the boredom? At least I can sleep the years away..." Ashlock decided it had been a long day, so he started meditating and fell asleep. *** "Tree, my father failed his breakthrough to the Star Core realm." The girl had built a makeshift bench next to Ashlock''s largest root and was twirling the obsidian wood dagger between her fingers. "He is now a cripple... those vultures of the other peaks may set their eyes on my Red Vine peak soon." Ashlock listened to the girl''s mutterings in silence. He was going to go insane. Every day, she ended her training and wandered over to interrupt his sleep. But what she spoke of today differed from her usual ramblings about sect politics. Instead, today she spoke of her father, which was one of the many questions Ashlock wished to ask. "Why is a girl living alone in such a massive pavilion atop a mountain? Is she cursed or something?" Ashlock had observed that the other people in the pavilion were mortal servants. They didn''t awaken him due to their lack of presence. Furthermore, their souls let out such minuscule amounts of ambient Qi it was hardly noticeable even when they walked up to him. From this, Ashlock had concluded they weren''t cultivators like the girl. "But there had been those blue energy cultivators here previously until the girl killed them. But why did she kill them, and why are there only the girl and these mortals here?" Ashlock had gained information about the world through snippets of the girl''s rambles. Such as this mountain was called the Red Vine Peak, and apparently, there were other peaks. Luckily, Ashlock was a tree. So human politics had little effect on him. Time passed... "Tree, why do people important to me all have to die and leave me alone?" The girl had red eyes as she buried her head into her knees. "Being a tree sounds nice. Do you have any worries?" "Many." Ashlock wanted to say, but she couldn''t hear him. It seemed the girl''s father had died due to complications from failing to reach the next realm. News that his home may be changing ownership terrified him. The girl was a bit bizarre, but he felt she was safe to trust. What if the next owner saw an ominous tree dominating the central courtyard as an eyesore and chose to chop him down? After all, over the last few years, he rapidly grew to over ten meters. He was like a beacon lording over the entire courtyard. [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 4)] [Qi Realm: 3rd Stage] [Skills¡­] "Still stuck at the 3rd stage and considered a sapling..." Progress was slow. Unbearably slow. If not for the girl looking older and the passing of seasons, Ashlock would think the system was lying to him. "Tree... I have to go fight in a tournament to keep this place." Ashlock sighed mentally. He had accumulated a lot of daily credits and was saving them for an emergency, and in his eyes, the girl losing was a dire situation. Deciding there was only one way he could help, he summoned the sign-in system window. It was time to take a gamble. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 1698 Daily Credit: 460 Sacrifice Credit: 2 [Sign in?] "Yes." [Sign in successful, 462 credits consumed¡­] [Unlocked an A-grade item: Earrings of Absolute Fear] "This might be goodbye forever, tree. We had a fun few years...Huh?" The girl was baffled as two little red leaf earrings hanging from black chains materialized in her hand. Ominous whisps of shadow shrouded their surface, and if one got really close, they could hear the screams of the dead. "I love them!" The girl seemed rejuvenated with life as she bounded to her feet. "Best to die in style! Thanks for the gift tree!" Ashlock grumbled as he watched over a year''s worth of credits expended on some dumb cursed earrings. "A sword would have been so much better... or a skill that lets me assist her somehow." The girl carefully put the earrings on, and Ashlock had to admit they suited her, but they were nothing special. What a waste. "They are so pretty!" The girl looked directly at his trunk, and the Demonic Tree felt his sap run cold. Her eyes appeared as two swirling masses of darkness, and he felt a wave of fear like no other silently caress his nonexistent spine. [AURA OF FEAR DETECTED] And then she turned away, and the pressure immediately disappeared as if it were just a dream. "Holy shit..." Ashlock let out a long sigh of relief. "I will never doubt you again, system!" Watching her departing back, Ashlock felt happy. He could finally get some sleep. Chapter 4: Knowledge is Power
Autumn arrived with good news. "Tree, I won!" The girl seemed in an ecstatic mood as she sat on the bench. "I didn''t lose a single round, and by the end, they were calling me Demoness Stella Crestfallen! How funny is that?" "I finally got her name!" Ashlock was happy to finally learn the name of the annoying human that kept interrupting him. Referring to her as ''girl'' had been getting exhausting. Sadly, Stella kept calling him Tree, but that was fine. "I even accidentally killed the scion of the Ravenborne family. Their Grand Elder was beyond furious, but what could I do? The poor boy froze up and didn''t block my attack." Stella''s victory speech was interrupted by a servant. "Miss, would you like some tea?" "Sure. Bring some for my friend here as well." Stella said while patting Ashlock''s bark. The servant left with a sly smile that Stella didn''t seem to notice. She was too busy recounting her epic one-sided victories at the tournament. Ashlock found the servant''s behavior odd, so he activated his {Eye of the Tree God} skill, and his world view shifted from the purple grass courtyard to an ariel view of the mountain. "Seems the view range has expanded a little." Ashlock could now see more than just the mountaintop; the mountain''s base was now in view, and he could even see the slope of a neighboring mountain. "Now, where is that servant..." Ashlock rotated the view to try and peer through the windows, and eventually, he found a room near the exotic garden courtyard with someone very similar looking to the servant through the window. It was hard to make out what was going on inside, but from his previous investigations, this room should be some kind of alchemist room. "I believe the servant quarters and kitchen are on the other side of the pavilion..." Ashlock felt making tea in an alchemist''s room wasn''t too far-fetched for a cultivation world but was still suspicious. "Tree, I need to repay you..." Stella was leaning against his bark and playing with the earrings in her fingers. "I would give you these back, but what use are earrings to a tree? Is there something else you want?" "Food!" Ashlock wanted to shout. "If I got a few attack skills, I could hunt these darn birds that perch on my branches, but instead, I get language translation and some overpowered earrings." "Tree, I know you can hear me... do you understand me, though?" Stella let out a sigh. "Trees like knowledge, right?" Stella sat cross-legged on the bench, turned to face Ashlock, and placed a hand on his bark. Purple flames materialized on her palm and softly spread out on Ashlock''s bark. "Bitch are you burning me?!" So after everything he had done, she was scorching him? "Wow, tree, to cultivate to the 3rd realm in only a few years is very impressive! Of course, I am no tree expert, but I heard they usually cultivate very, very slowly." The invasive Qi was a little probing but, overall, felt rather nice. Ashlock tried to push her Qi away, but even inside his body, it was like trying to ward off a tsunami with a shovel. "How does such a young girl have so much power? Are all humans this fast at cultivation?" Stella had her eyes closed, and she let out a long breath. "While I attempt to impart a cultivation technique on you, let me tell you the realms. The Qi Realm, the first realm of cultivation, has nine layers. People in the Qi Realm can strengthen their bodies with ambient Qi and live long, healthy lives. Some also learn martial arts and can smash boulders while in the Qi Realm." Ashlock tried to ignore the tickling sensation of Stella''s Qi inspecting his body and listened intently to her talk. The cultivation systems for man and tree may differ but learning the strength of his enemies was always ideal. "So I am in the Qi Realm, and I have six more layers until reaching the next realm," Ashlock grumbled. "It''s been four years, and I am still stuck in the 3rd layer. At this rate, I will be a million years old before reaching the highest realm!" "Then, there is the Soul Forge realm after the Qi Realm. This is where the weak fail and the path of a true cultivator begins. The Soul Forge realm has no layers and is achieved once the cultivator has formed a soul core." Stella then mumbled to herself if a tree could even understand such terms. "A soul core is hard to explain in tree terms, but the important thing to know is if a person fails to form their soul core, they become a cripple and can never cultivate again." Ashlock could obviously understand what Stella was talking about to some degree. "But what if I fail to form a soul core? Will I become a cripple too?" Ashlock wondered. Unlike humans, trees can lose a branch and, over time, grow it back. "Just like the branch destroyed by those blue energy cultivators. It has grown back better than ever already." Ashlock was now a little afraid of reaching the Soul Forge realm. Could Stella guide him somehow? "Once a cultivator has formed a soul core, they can funnel the ambient Qi in the air through the soul core to produce soul fire. The Soul Fire realm has nine stages, and it''s the one I am in." Stella smiled as she flexed the purple flames that coated her arms. "This is why without a perfect soul core, a cultivator is a cripple. So make sure to take your time forming one mister tree."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Ashlock wanted to ask why her soul fire was purple, but unfortunately, she didn''t elaborate. "Then there is the Star Core realm..." Stella held back from crying at the mention of the realm that claimed her father''s life. "Sorry... hard to talk about that one..." Stella sighed before continuing. "And above the Star Core is Nascent Soul and Monarch, but I''ll speak of those another time. Those two realms are a long time away for the both of us." Ashlock was itching to discover the potential heights he could reach, but maybe knowing the horrors a Monarch cultivator could achieve would give him nightmares. He was just a little Qi Realm sapling, after all. "Miss, I have brought the tea." The servant stood at a respectful distance from Stella with two wooden cups of steaming tea in her hands. "Okay, I am busy... give the tree his tea and leave mine beside me," Stella said with her eyes still closed and purple flames cascading out of her hands. The servant''s eye twitched, but she complied with Stella''s words. She walked over to one of Ashlock''s exposed roots and dumped the tea. [POTENT POISON DETECTED] Ashlock''s brain buzzed as his body automatically acted to suppress the poison. It felt like someone had poured boiling oil on his foot¡ªthe pain was tremendous. Stella seemed to feel the chaotic flow of his Qi and frowned. "Calm down, tree. I''m almost done." Stella patted his bark and continued formulating a cultivation technique for him. The pain lasted for a minute but then thankfully subsided. "What a lethal poison! That felt more like cyanide than any poison I know." Ashlock was no expert, but he theorized that despite his low realm, his enormous size and abundant Qi helped suppress the poison. Taking a look at the concentrating Stella, Ashlock couldn''t help but doubt she would survive drinking such a poison. [Skill {Basic Poison Resistance [F]} Learned!] "Wait... I can learn skills?" Ashlock wanted to smack himself mentally. He had assumed he could only gain skills through the system''s daily sign-in. The possibility of learning new skills hadn''t even crossed his mind. "Status!" [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 4)] [Qi Realm: 3rd Stage] [Skills¡­] {Eye of the Tree God[A]} {Language of the World[B]} {Devour[C]} {Basic Meditation[F]} {Basic Poison Resistance [F]} "Sure enough, I actually did learn a new skill!" Ashlock was ecstatic, but the situation demanded his attention. It was safe to assume that the other cup of tea was also poisoned. "Maybe the sign-in can give me something helpful?" Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 1818 Daily Credit: 120 Sacrifice Credit: 0 [Sign in?] "Only 120 credits. How pitiful. Yes, sign in." [Sign in successful, 120 credits consumed¡­] [Unlocked a C-grade skill: Qi Fruit Production] "Right... That doesn''t sound useful at all." Ashlock activated the skill, and a menu appeared in his mind. It let him select many properties for the fruit, such as size, taste, and growth rate. He could even give properties of skills to the fruit, such as {Basic Poison Resistance}. "To grow a fruit, I have to consume my Qi?" Ashlock frowned. Any Qi he spent he had to regain through meditation, and since his meditation technique was F grade, it would take far too long to replenish the lost Qi. Deciding to at least test it, Ashlock picked a fast-growing fruit that tasted like an apple and gave it a {Basic Poison Resistance} buff. According to the menu, anyone who ate the fruit would gain poison resistance for a day. "Five months!?" Ashlock glared at the menu that had calculated the minimum growth time of the fruit while using one hundred percent of the Qi he accumulated from meditation. Removing the taste shaved off a month and then removing the added skill brought it down to three days. "So I can produce a tasteless fruit that contains a little Qi in three days but adding a skill or flavor greatly increases the production time..." Ashlock may be a magical cultivating man-eating tree. But he was still a tree. To a human, three days is a long time. To him, it was nothing. Sadly the situation was urgent, and Stella had picked the wrong teammate for a situation like this. "Is there any way I can warn her?" Ashlock mulled over the problem as he glared at the impatient servant whose eyes shifted between Stella¡ªemitting a scary amount of soul fire, and the steaming cup of tea beside her on the bench. "Phew!" The purple soul fire dissipated, and Stella stretched her back. "This will be more complicated than I thought... unsurprisingly, a tree''s biology is far too different from humans, so all the techniques I know won''t work. But, I guess I can check out the library tomorrow for you..." That was to be expected, but Ashlock was still disappointed. A better meditation technique would really help him out right now. "Miss, your tea is getting cold." Stella gave the servant an odd look. "Why are you still here? Is there anything else?" The servant gulped and bowed. "No, miss..." "Thank you, that will be all." Stella waved the servant off as she seemed lost in thought. The servant turned to leave, and Stella absentmindedly brought the still-warm tea to her lips. Ashlock cursed. There was a chance she would survive; it was even possible the tea contained rare ingredients that helped with cultivation but were harmful to trees. But Ashlock didn''t like the suspicious behavior of the servant. If he had another method to convey his thoughts, he would definitely do it. But alas, with his limited arsenal of combat or communication abilities, this was the only option. Ashlock targeted the servant and cast {Devour} with as much Qi as possible. The ground rumbled as black vines surged out of the purple grass. Stella was startled by a sudden scream and spilled some tea onto her dress; it sizzled as it dissolved some of the dress. Stella''s soul fire erupted, and the tea instantly evaporated, letting off a nasty stench. Stella dropped the cup, and her cold eyes looked up at the servant tied up by many vines crushing her to death. Ashlock felt the message had been conveyed and the crisis averted, so he tried to cancel out the {Devour} skill... [Skill cannot be canceled] A few seconds passed, and the servant cried as blood erupted from her mouth like a fountain. [+5 SC] "Well, shit." Chapter 5: A Totally Friendly Tree Ashlock felt absolutely nothing other than euphoria as he consumed the mortal servant. Qi rushed through the vines, and the thrill was intoxicating. Stella also watched the scene without a hint of interest; she was more bothered about her ruined dress. "Tree, thank you," Stella said before leaving for the pavilion. "It seems some rats from the other families have infiltrated my Red Vine peak." A sinister smile bloomed on her face. "Seems there will be more food coming your way soon." Then with a flash, she vanished from her spot in a trail of purple flames. After a few minutes, the vines retreated into the ground, leaving some shredded clothes dyed in blood, littering the spot the servant had once stood. "I know from stories that worlds with cultivators are brutal, but Stella''s indifference still surprises me. Does she not see the servants as people due to them not being cultivators? Or perhaps people only care for themselves and their family in this world." Ashlock struggled a little with his human morals from the Earth. He knew that murder was wrong, but it was hard to stop himself from killing when it brought him such euphoria and growth. "Also, not getting punished and instead rewarded for killing makes the deed far easier." Since he had gained some Qi, Ashlock decided to use some for advancing his cultivation and the rest to create some fruit. Like water, Qi was an odd thing¡ªhis body could only take in so much at once. Unfortunately, the excess Qi his body couldn''t store dissipated into the atmosphere unless he invested it into something, such as fruit. Bringing up the menu for {Qi Fruit Production}, Ashlock selected to create ten fruits. All of them were tasteless, but they stored some Qi, and three had the {Basic Poison Resistance} buff. Feeling content, Ashlock hit the create button and felt the chaotic Qi inside him rush toward his branches. In amazement, Ashlock then watched the stems of the fruit grow in real time. "Now what?" Ashlock had already signed in for the day, and Stella had gone off somewhere. "Guess I''ll sleep." *** Ashlock awoke to darkness and screams. Moonlight shrouded the courtyard, and Ashlock could see torchlight through the pavilion''s windows. "Wait... is this the first time I''ve seen the night." Ashlock had always woken up when Stella or the blue energy man came to bring him food which was during the day. He also naturally woke up during the daytime. Ashlock tried to activate his meditation skill, but nothing happened. "Huh... I guess there is no sunlight, and I am a plant. Never really occurred to me that I can''t cultivate during the night." Ashlock now realized why his meditation technique wasn''t just bad¡ªit was downright shit. "If I can get a moonlight cultivation technique, I should double my cultivation speed." "Anyway, back to the screams..." Ashlock struggled to really care. The cold night air and lack of sunlight made him feel sluggish and uncaring. Like waking up on a Sunday morning to bad news and just wanting to crawl back under the sheets and sleep. "Anything interesting going on?" Ashlock spread his spiritual sight, but his limit was still the courtyard unless he activated his skill. "Maybe someone died... so sleepy." Ashlock was about to succumb to his slothfulness when a man stumbled into the courtyard clutching his side. Ashlock''s spirit sight allowed him to see perfectly, even in the dark, so he noticed the area the man was clutching was dyed red. "Ooo! Another victim. Stella won''t mind, right?" Ashlock was itching to use his devour skill, but he decided to wait and see. Like a good patient tree. The man appeared to be a mortal as he lacked any type of presence, had a rather ordinary appearance, and wore servant clothes. Ashlock had noticed that the black robes and dresses with a sewn-on red lotus that Stella wore differed from the plain grey robes the servant wore. "Come to think of it... this is the Red Vine peak, so why does Stella have a red lotus sown onto her robe? She mentioned a lot of other families nearby and a tournament, so I assume we are inside a sect of some kind? Maybe the Red Lotus sect?" Ashlock mentally added that to his growing list of questions to investigate. Being a tree was an odd experience in a cultivation world. If he made enemies with powerful people, he couldn''t run. But on the other hand, he is a tree, so people have no reason to go out of their way to trouble him. Other young masters? Sure. A random tree in a courtyard? Why? He was a very harmless and friendly tree. "Maybe I should take a fight-if-threatened stance... at least until I''m a godlike tree that cannot be defeated." Deciding that was reasonable, Ashlock assumed an observing role, as any friendly tree should strive for, and watched the drama unfold. The screams continued, so Ashlock activated his {Eye of the Tree God} skill and observed the Red Vine peak from above. "Oh... seems Stella has found the rats." Stella was battling with two servants in the nearby sandy training area courtyard. As she battled with the two servants, purple flames flickered across Stella''s skin. Ashlock zoomed in on their faces and mentally frowned. "I have never seen these two before... since when did they work here?" The servants wore the usual robes, but their faces were far too chiseled and well-kept to belong to mere servants. Like in all cultivator novels, absorbing ambient Qi naturally removes imperfections like acne or rough skin. "Don''t look at her. She has a demonic eye technique!" The taller of the two servants shouted as he covered his eyes with one arm and summoned a blade of red flames in the other. The second servant nodded and covered his eyes while black flames flared to life on his fist. Ashlock could tell from here that the flames from these servants were far brighter than Stella''s. Especially the one with red flames, that sword of fire practically looked solid. Unfortunately for Stella, the two cultivator servants weren''t alone. Servants in grey robes lined the training courtyard holding various weapons. One even had a very fancy-looking sword.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Why?!" Stella screamed at the people surrounding her. "Who sent you? I will pay triple what they did." "Stella... don''t bother wasting your breath on them. They will never tell you." Ashlock sighed. The villains only made those stupid speeches in movies. "You think you can murder the scion of house Ravenborne and live?" The flame sword cultivator sneered and stepped forward. "The Grand Elder demands your head on a platter." "...I stand corrected," Ashlock grumbled. "This is a cultivator world, after all." Ashlock once again felt helpless and lacked options to assist. "Maybe that''s for the best, though. Anyone who can kill Stella could defeat me with a finger flick." Ashlock hated to admit it, but he was just a 3rd realm sapling with no defensive capabilities and a single attack skill that could be easily dodged or destroyed. The Vines that erupted from the ground had a thin layer of Qi strengthening them but only at his level, the 3rd layer of the Qi Realm. To a mortal servant, that was a death sentence. But to fire sword guy? He would laugh at Ashlock''s pathetic attempt to snare a demi god such as himself and chop Ashlock down with a single cut of his blade. "God being weak is so lame..." Ashlock mumbled as he watched the two cultivators slowly close in on Stella. The young girl rapidly looked around, and everyone she glanced at froze in fear. "I wonder if Stella knows the power those earrings have?" Fire sword guy launched forward and slashed at Stella, but she barely dodged and nimbly stepped to the side¡ªsummoning the black dagger from somewhere, she rammed it toward the man''s side, but a flare of red flames made her wince back. Stella didn''t have a moment of rest as the black fist guy came right for her head. Stella''s low stature helped her duck as the fist whistled through the air, making her blonde hair wave in the wind. Ashlock found the cultivators'' movements a little clumsy, but considering they were using an arm to block their eyes, it made sense. "Why don''t they just close their eyes? Are they stupid?" Stella retaliated against the black fist guy by tripping him up with a well-placed foot. But before she could move in for the kill on his exposed neck, the servant with a fancy sword blocked her blade¡ªwhich he instantly regretted as the purple flame-covered dagger sliced straight through the metal sword and cut the servant''s leg off in one smooth motion. Keeping up the tempo, Stella twirled around and finished the servant off by decapitating his head. Honestly, keeping up with the fight was exhausting. Ashlock debated going to sleep and learning the results tomorrow when lovely warm sunlight and Qi would be trickling in from his meditation skill. Focusing back on the central courtyard, it seemed the servant was dying. He was lying on the floor panting, clutching his wound, and trying to stop the bleeding. Ashlock recognized the servant. He often tended to the kitchen and was rarely seen outside. "All things return to the earth... as nutrients..." Ashlock stopped that trail of thought in surprise. He felt no pity for the dying man, only the desire for the inevitable nutrients. "Well... I might as well put him out of his misery?" If Ashlock used some twisted logic, when he was human back on Earth, he had no issue eating beef or chicken because that was considered food. Now he was a demonic sapling. Everything was food. Even humans. It was either he devoured and became strong enough to protect himself... or regretted his indecisiveness when that fire guy''s blade cut him in half. "Sorry, dude... you picked the wrong place to die." Ashlock mumbled a silent prayer for the guy and activated the devour skill. Unfortunately, the poor guy didn''t seem to have the strength to resist as the spiked vines mummified him. [+5 SC] Ashlock hummed as the rush of Qi flooded his system. But then, a second rush caught him off guard. Qi surged through his roots and chaotically rushed around his trunk like a hurricane. "Status!" [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 4)] [Qi Realm: 4th Stage] [Skills¡­] "Finally!" It had taken Ashlock over a year to reach the next stage. The rush made Ashlock hungry for more, so he searched the courtyard for any more stray servants to devour. "Stella will understand..." There was a decent chance that all the servants had turned against their master or weren''t subservient in the first place. Right on cue, another three servants stumbled through the connecting area between the training courtyard and the central courtyard. Ashlock didn''t even hesitate and cast devour. There was so much chaotic Qi running through his body that the vines shot out of the ground with such impressive speed that they straight-up impaled the three servants and dragged their corpses to the ground. [+5 SC] [+5 SC] [+5 SC] One after another, the corpses were devoured. In a haze of madness, Ashlock felt he might throw up Qi at this rate. With the only outlet being {Qi Fruit Production}, he summoned the menu and picked random options before pressing confirm. "Whew..." Ashlock let out a deep breath as the system initiated the skill and forcefully funneled the chaotic Qi away from his body and into the fruit production. "This skill is more useful than I thought..." Although it wasn''t a combat skill, it was a great way to prevent himself from dying due to gluttony. Ashlock saw a few tiny blood-red berries dangle from his branches in three clusters and realized there was an artistic beauty in recycling the dead into a new life that would provide for other living things. As a tree, he was no longer an endless consumer but now a provider to the world¡ªa governor of the natural cycle of life and death. "Tree..." Ashlock was broken from his thoughts as he saw Stella limp toward him. Purple flames flickered across her shoulders like weak candlelight as she collapsed just a short distance from his root. Her breathing was ragged and slow, and it appeared she had sustained some injuries. Before Ashlock could do anything, a heavily injured fire sword guy emerged from behind the door and slowly stepped toward Stella, using a steel sword as a makeshift cane. Flickering red flames illuminated his face as the man loomed over the dying girl. "Fucking bitch." The man grimaced as some blood dripped from his teeth. His eyes were sealed shut, and he tried to locate the girl by poking the ground with the sword. Ashlock waited patiently for the perfect moment to strike... The man inched ever closer... Stella was lying on her back, struggling to keep her eyes open as the man''s sword made contact with her leg. "There you are..." The man grinned as he brought the sword up over his head in a two-handed grip. "Die¡ª" the man stopped midsentence as a Qi-empowered vine surged out of the ground behind him and impaled his back. The man looked down at the hole in his chest with a lost look. The sword tumbled to the ground as the man''s arm lost strength. "Who..." The cultivator looked around, and his eyes landed on the black tree with scarlet leaves letting off a faint whiff of Qi. "A tree?" With a final gasp for air, the man fell forward onto Stella, causing the girl to groan in pain. [+100 SC] Chapter 6: Snacks Before Winter Ashlock stirred from his short sleep as the sun crested the horizon. Since his view range was limited, even with his {Eye of the Tree God} skill Ashlock saw the world as if he were in a snow globe. He had a perfect sphere of vision in all directions for a few miles, meaning he couldn''t see the sun. But its pleasant warmth pierced the clouds and illuminated the central courtyard. Shredded clothes dyed in dried blood littered the courtyard alongside bits of metal from half-destroyed weapons. Ashlock gazed upon the source of all this mess, a sleeping blonde-haired girl a few feet away. Her back rose and fell in a steady rhythm, and her breath swayed the purple grass dripping in her drool that tickled her nose. Stella was alive... Ashlock was no doctor, but from a glance, it would be impossible to survive the night with such injuries for a human back on Earth. "It''s moments like these that truly remind me I''m in a new world. Magic is just the manifestation of the world. I''ve seen a sword covered in flames back on Earth. But a person smashing a boulder with their bare hands or teleporting halfway across the courtyard in a single step? Now that was truly magical. And seeing Stella survive such a fight with her body barely intact was something I could never see back on Earth." Feeling bored, Ashlock summoned the daily sign-in. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 1819 Daily Credit: 1 Sacrifice Credit: 120 [Sign in?] "Yes." Ashlock decided this would be his last sign-in before a long sleep. Winter was coming, and retaining consciousness during the dark winter felt worse than his withdrawals from energy drinks. [Sign in successful, 121 credits consumed¡­] [Unlocked a C-grade skill: Hibernate] "Hibernate?" Ashlock concentrated on the skill, and its meaning materialized in his mind¡ªthe feeling was similar to deja vu. "Another type of meditation?" The skill had two functions. First, he would set a timer and enter deep sleep when activated. Nothing except exceptional circumstances would awaken him until the timer was complete. The second feature was that the longer he was asleep, the faster his cultivation became. The buff was small, but over a long period, it would add up. Ashlock practically cried tears of joy. "Finally!" He had a way of sleeping through all the girl''s ramblings and not being awoken every time she entered the courtyard. This skill obviously had some disadvantages, but it was overall an excellent addition to his arsenal. A few hours passed as the sun climbed the sky, and sometime around midday, Stella''s eyes opened, and she let out a long groan. Purple fire sprung to life, and Stella rolled over and looked at the sky with squinted eyes. "I lived..." She muttered as she held up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. A single tear ran down her cheek as she lay there for a while. It was hard to remember she was just a young girl, seemingly without any family living alone on a mountain peak when she went around slaughtering so many people. Half an hour passed, and the rumbling of Stella''s stomach forced her to get up. Only now did she look at Ashlock, and a smile bloomed on her face seeing the tree was still there. She looked closer at the scarlet leaves drifting in the autumn breeze and noticed the variety of fruits dangling from the branches.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Can I eat some?" Stella asked as she tried to stand on her tiptoes to reach the low-hanging fruit. Although Ashlock was relatively short for a tree, Stella was both short and young, so she struggled to reach up. Ashlock was sure she had a trick up her sleeve, but she looked haggard, and her purple flames flickered. Looking back at his {Qi Fruit Production} menu, there was an option to discharge a grown fruit. Clicking it, a tiny bit of Qi was used to break the stem, causing a bundle of red berries to fall into Stella''s waiting hand. "Thank you, tree!" Stella gave a thumbs up, and without debating if they were poisonous, she swallowed them in a single gulp... which she instantly regretted. "Bleh... Tree these taste like grass and sap." The girl surprisingly ate them all, but she had a disgusted face¡ªwhich transitioned into one of surprise as Qi rushed through her body. It was weak, but with the entire bundle of berries combined, it was enough to refill her depleted Qi reserves a little. "Taste better than Qi restoration weeds, at least..." Stella stood under the tree with her hands cupped. "Can I have some more?" A few moments passed, and nothing fell¡ªStella pouted, "They taste good! Better than any other cultivation supplements!" Only then did a single purple with black spots fruit plop into her hand. This time, she eyed the fruit more cautiously and took a hesitant bite. "Ugh, so bitter." Stella almost choked on the piece of fruit... "I mean, I like bitter things!" Steeling her resolve, she swallowed the entire thing and gagged. Ashlock sighed as he watched the dumb girl attempt to please a tree. He intended to withhold the fruit to prove he could understand her, not to make her torture herself by eating his tasteless fruit in a vain attempt to curry favor with him. The rest of the afternoon was spent by Stella pleading for berries and fruit and Ashlock providing them. Ashlock was glad to get rid of them as it freed up space to grow some nice fruit. However, a bit of his pride was hurt watching the girl almost die while trying to eat his fruit. "Feels like when mom used to refuse to eat my cooking..." The experience left a sour taste in his mouth, so he brought up the menu and invested everything into a single fruit in a momentary lapse in judgment. Ashlock felt Qi get sucked from his body down his thickest branch, and a watermelon-sized fruit with a golden color began its development. [Time till completion: 6 months] A bit of a waste, but oh well. Ashlock returned his attention to Stella, who looked a lot better. The abundant Qi helped restore her weary body to its peak condition. "Tree, I know you can understand me now!" Stella proclaimed with a bit of berry juice smeared on her face. "Don''t sleep just yet. Help me dispose of the evidence." Before Ashlock could ask what she meant¡ªnot that he could ask anyway¡ªthe girl had wandered off. "Dispose of the evidence?" Ashlock''s eyes drifted to the shredded remains of a grey servant robe. "Ah..." An hour later, there was a pile of servants in the courtyard. Stella had found a few servants still alive hiding throughout the pavilion, but she slaughtered them all. Ashlock didn''t know the customs or rules here, but it seemed even the servants expected their own demise. "I guess even if they weren''t accomplices to the intruders working for house Ravenborne, they still didn''t come to their master''s aid and instead cowered away under tables." "Right," Stella said while she brushed her hands off on her tattered robe. "I know most trees sleep through the winter, and you also seemed to sleep a lot." Stella tapped her nose. "When you are asleep, the flow of your Qi is very stable compared to when you are awake. I can tell..." The girl seemed very proud of herself, and Ashlock was relieved he didn''t have to scream into the void in frustration. Alas, it seemed the girl hadn''t figured out that he would prefer to sleep all year round uninterrupted. But it was the small victories that mattered here. Stella took a step back so Ashlock could get to work. {Devour} activated, and vines crawled over the human pyramid. A stream of alerts shot past his mind informing him of acquired sacrifice credits. In total, there were over a... hundred such notifications. Hours passed, and [+736 SC] was the final total as the vines retreated into the ground. Unfortunately, Ashlock didn''t have time to enjoy the increased credits as the surge of Qi inside his body was unfathomable. Ashlock mashed the create button as fast as he could on the watermelon-sized golden fruits. At some point, Stella had walked off to get changed into less ravaged clothes while Ashlock battled for his life to not explode from the rampaging Qi. Eventually, it was done after fighting all night... the sun of a new day appeared. Not only was he dripped out with enough golden fruit to feed an entire family, but he had also advanced two realms. [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 4)] [Qi Realm: 6th Stage] [Skills¡­] {Eye of the Tree God[A]} {Language of the World[B]} {Qi Fruit Production[C]} {Devour[C]} {Hibernate[C]} {Basic Meditation[F]} {Basic Poison Resistance [F]} Ashlock also checked the daily sign-in. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 1819 Daily Credit: 1 Sacrifice Credit: 856 [Sign in?] "No." Ashlock wanted to get another A-grade draw. However, he would need a thousand points combined, so he decided to save them. Looking around the courtyard, Stella was nowhere to be found, but Ashlock was beyond caring. He was mentally exhausted, and sleep was calling his name. Activating his new skill {Hibernate}, he input six months and felt a timer appear in his head, counting the 180 days until his awakening. Chapter 7: Treeskip Ashlock was in a tunnel¡ªan endless tunnel where he could do nothing. No thoughts crossed his mind... no dreams of a better tomorrow. Nothing. Just steady progress to an eventual end. An end he knew was coming due to the timer ticking down. It was slow, so agonizingly slow. [Hibernation: 32 Days] Ashlock was trapped within his mind. The cursed skill he had employed kept his mind on the straight and narrow. Before, when he slept, time passed in the blink of an eye. There were no dreams, no turbulence. Just one moment, he would close his eyes, and the next, awaken in a new season, a new situation.... a new time. [Hibernation: 31 Days] But with the {Hibernate} skill, he was forced to experience the flow of time. Like some kind of mortal creature. How long had he been here? Going down this tunnel in his mind. The grey walls of nothingness kept him confined from everything else. He wanted to think, dream, plot, and plan. Anything to end this mind-numbing state of being. [Hibernation: 30 Days] Easy decisions create hard times. A phrase that resounded in Ashlock''s head. The skill had seemed so innocent, so easy. Just flip a switch, and watch the world fly by. No more disturbances and even a slight boost to his Qi accumulation. [Hibernation: 29 Days] If Ashlock had to describe his current situation to a mortal mind, imagine a concrete, lifeless tunnel where you are paralyzed and rolling down the tunnel while strapped to a stretcher. Only an ominous timer floating in front of your eyes notifies you of your eventual freedom from this confinement. The worst of it? Ashlock did this to himself. [Hibernation: 28 Days] A small part of Ashlock appreciated this experience. It forcefully brought back a bit of his humanity that had been slipping away. Six months to him was nothing as a tree, just another passed winter. But to a human? Someone like Stella? Six months could be life-changing. For all Ashlock knew, he may escape this nightmare and awaken in an empty courtyard ravaged by nature. What if he went to sleep and no cultivators ever entered the courtyard? Would he awaken eons later to witness the eventual death of the planet as the sun expanded at the end of its long life and swallowed the planet whole? [Hibernation: 27 Days] He screamed. Anything to break the silence. [Hibernation: 26 Days] What was the rush? Ever since arriving in this world, Ashlock had chosen sleep over being awake. Was he hiding from his problems? Just because the system gave him rewards for passing the time and killing, did that justify him rushing into the future and letting the present pass him by? [Hibernation: 25 Days] Immortality is a funny thing. If given all the time in the world, the need to accomplish things suddenly vanishes since there''s always tomorrow... or next year. And unlike an ordinary immortal, who needs to fill their time with hobbies to avoid insanity... Ashlock could just blink the time away. Ashlock knew he was in a world of cultivators where the pursuit of overwhelming power and immortality was possible. What would happen if he could speak to another immortal? Would they have some advice to steer him on the right path? Maybe. Maybe not. Ashlock was just a young sapling confined to a single courtyard atop a mountain peak. He was young and ignorant of the world. But that didn''t mean planning for the future lacked merit. The endless pursuit of strength, new abilities, and land was fine, but what did he truly value? Perhaps a question for another time. [Hibernation: 24 Days] Ashlock''s mind came to a sudden halt with such force that the mental tunnel that confined his mind from distractions shattered in a shower of glass. His worldview lurched forward as if the stretcher he was attached to was connected to a bungee cord, and everything hit him at once. [Hibernation Terminated. Extreme Threat Detected] The air vibrated as something beyond this mortal realm arrived. Ashlock''s mind spun as he tried to identify the source and readapt to his surroundings. The purple grass central courtyard was empty; spring was in full swing, and Ashlock could feel the warmth on his leaves and the refreshing cool breeze on his shaded bark. But a suffocating presence blanketed the area like a godlike entity glaring from above. {Eye of the Tree God} activated, and Ashlock''s view shifted. His 6th layer in the Qi realm became apparent as the peak of the neighboring mountain was in full view. Atop was a pavilion similar to his, but its courtyards were filled with harrowing leafless trees that looked like withered black fingers reaching for the skies. Monstrous birds with raven feathers and beady red eyes perched upon the tree branches, and a dense mist shrouded the entire peak as people moved about in the shadows of the fog. But the source of the alarm didn''t come from there... no, it came from the base of Red Vine peak. Switching his view, Ashlock witnessed a man climbing a thousand steps, taking a hundred steps at a time. White fire so dense it was blinding shrouded the man as the air seemed to gravitate towards him as he gracefully glided up the mountain''s side as if he were ice skating.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As the man approached the pavilion''s door, Ashlock rotated his view and saw Stella. She had been cultivating in the middle of a runic formation in one of the courtyards. Ashlock was no expert, but he suspected the formation helped to condense the ambient Qi, making cultivation faster. Her eyes snapped open, and her body shuddered right as the man placed his hand on the door to knock. Stella practically stumbled off the runic formation and managed to stop herself from tumbling to the ground as she broke into a sprint. Purple flames sprung to life, and Ashlock caught a glimpse of her movement technique. Purple flames exploded at the base of her feet, rocketing her forward in a controlled manner, letting her close the distance in a split second. A single knock resounded through the courtyard as Stella halted in a cloud of dust. She then quickly tidied herself up before opening the door. "Stella Crestfallen greets the Grand Elder!" Stella''s hair whipped as she threw herself into a ninety-degree bow. "At ease, young one..." The man looked barely over twenty-five, but his voice and poise suggested a long life of politics and family drama. "I have come on behalf of the disciplinary committee." The man walked past Stella and slowly looked around as if bored. "I hope you don''t mind the surprise inspection?" Stella gulped and didn''t dare raise her head. "Of course not, Grand Elder. You are welcome to visit my humble abode anytime." "Mhm." The Grand Elder practically floated as he walked down the pavilion corridor toward the outer courtyards. The wooden walls creaked and groaned as he passed, unlocked window shutters swung inside, and plant pots wobbled on their stands. Ashlock tracked the man''s movements with his skill through the windows, but he felt a sense of danger as the man wrapped in subtle white flames paused and glanced directly at him. Some would believe it was pure luck, or perhaps the man was gazing at the passing clouds littering the sky... But the man''s cold eyes stared into Ashlock''s with such precision and purpose it was creepy. "Tell me, scion of house Crestfallen. Where are your servants?" The man kept walking toward the exotic garden as he spoke in a tranquil voice as if the affairs of the mortal world were of no concern to him. "My servants... they betrayed me," Stella said without masking anything. "I slaughtered them all." "I see." The man''s voice lacked emotion as the pair reached the garden, and the Grand Elder casually plucked a rose and twirled it between two fingers. The plants seemed to naturally bend their stalks as if an invisible weight was pressing down on them as the Grand Elder passed. "A fitting response. I would do the same... if not worse." The Grand Elder chuckled quietly as he continued his peaceful walk. His eyes lingered on the occasional splat of dried blood that Stella had missed when cleaning up. The pavilion was massive, and over three hundred people could live comfortably there at any given time. To expect a single teenage girl to clean every nook and cranny was unrealistic. The Grand Elder reached the kitchen wing and opened the door with a flick. White flames lashed out like a whip, and the hefty door creaked open. A plume of dust and stale air followed, causing the Grand Elder to frown. "Child, you are still growing. Food is important... why is the kitchen so unused?" "Responding to Grand Elder¡ª" "No need for such pleasantries. Just call me Elder." Stella winced back, "Uhm, Okay, Elder. I don''t know how to cook." "So, how do you eat?" Stella paused for a while. A gust of wind passed the two causing their robes to flutter. Only the chirps of birds and soft breeze filled the awkward silence. "It''s complicated..." "Child, you seem confused about my purpose here." The Grand Elder said in a friendly but flat tone. "Your father was a good friend of mine. The snakes of house Ravenborne demand this peak be turned over to them as compensation for the death of their scion. I am simply here to confirm you are not a threat or conducting anything against the sect rules." The relief was evident on Stella''s face as she let out a long sigh. "I grow food and live off that. Also, my cultivation is rather high, so my need for sustenance is rather low." "You are indeed a very impressive child. The Patriarch hopes you will become a Grand Elder in the future." The Grand Elder looked around the exotic garden with a deepening frown. "Don''t tell me you live off this stuff." He plucked a small berry and gave it a sniff. "Hardly a whiff of Qi and the size of my thumb. Garbage." Then he said with a thin smile, "Stella, you are a terrible gardener. Shall we go see the true source of your food?" The Grand Elder didn''t even wait for her response and glided toward the central courtyard. "Shit." Ashlock canceled out his {Eye of the Tree God} skill, and his view returned to the central courtyard''s purple grass. "What can I do? Should I sign in?" The Grand Elder claimed to be friendly, but what if he didn''t approve of a man-eating tree living near his dead friend''s daughter? "Best to be safe..." Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 1975 Daily Credit: 157 Sacrifice Credit: 856 [Sign in?] "Yes." [Sign in successful, 1013 credits consumed¡­] [Unlocked an A-grade skill: Deep Roots] Ashlock mentally slammed his mind against his bark in frustration. "System, what the fuck am I supposed to do with this? I have a demi-god walking toward me, and you give me this?" Focusing on the skill, the information appeared in his mind. "By spending Qi, my roots become empowered and can tunnel through rock without issue. I can also hollow out my roots to create tunnels..." Ashlock had to admit there were some applications for this skill, especially considering he was atop the peak of a mountain, so the only way was down. "And who knows what lies in the deep caverns of the mountains? There had to be a reason the sect was founded on this land. Maybe a secret realm or monsters for me to kill?" Sadly, the skill seemed rather useless in the current situation. Ashlock watched helplessly as the Grand Elder strolled across the courtyard. The purple grass flattened in a perfect circle around him as if the man had his own gravity, and the white flames shrouding his form made him so bright that he was blinding to look at in Ashlock''s spirit sight. The man approached and eyed the golden fruit blooming from Ashlock''s branches. "Interesting. I have never seen this type of fruit before." The Grand Elder reached up and easily plucked a fruit. He rotated it in his hand, observing every nook and crevice in the golden fruit. Then he threw it up and down a few times, testing its weight. "Dense and full of Qi. Although weaker than a cultivation pill, it''s definitely a miracle fruit." Ashlock held his breath as the Grand Elder stepped closer and laid a hand on his bark. A pulse of power, like a sonar wave, rippled through Ashlock''s body. The Grand Elder frowned. "Is this a demonic tree spirit?" Chapter 8: Grand Elder鈥檚 Declaration "Is this a demonic tree spirit?" Ashlock held his breath. If resisting Stella''s Qi was like warding off a tsunami with a shovel, then the Grand Elders Qi was like throwing a pebble at a star¡ªhis death was inevitable if the Grand Elder deemed it so. Ashlock attempted to appear as harmless as possible. "I am a harmless humble tree mister. Please don''t kill me." Obviously, the man couldn''t hear his pitiful plea, but it was worth a try. "I believe so, Elder." Stella curtly replied as she rocked on her heels. "Isn''t it amazing?" The Grand Elder sagely nodded his head as he inspected the demonic tree. "Indeed, for such a young demonic tree to cultivate to the 6th layer of the Qi realm? That''s almost as fast as you, Stella, and it shouldn''t even have a cultivation technique!" The Grand Elder opened his eyes and removed his hand from Ashlock''s trunk with a smile tugging at his lips. "Oh, Elder, speaking of cultivation techniques..." Stella scratched the back of her neck as if embarrassed to admit something. "I tried looking in the sect library and couldn''t find any cultivation technique that seemed applicable to a tree. Do we have any?" The Grand Elder shook his head. "Sadly, we do not. Tree spirits are barely sentient and, therefore, can''t comprehend a cultivation technique. After thousands of years, some form soul cores and gain higher intelligence, but their biology is so far from us it''s hard to convince one to try and cultivate like us." The Grand Elder picked up the golden fruit he had placed on the bench and twirled it in his hand. "This tree is a great find... but I fear if the Ravenbornes learn of its existence, they will storm in here unannounced and make a scene. These fruits alone would save them thousands of spirit stones a year in cultivation pills for their juniors." Stella walked up and patted Ashlock, "But Grand Elder, this tree is very intelligent. Unless I praised it or asked nicely, it wouldn''t give me fruit. I think it might be a narcissist like the Patriarch¡ª" "Hush child, do not speak ill of the Patriarch." The Grand Elder lightly smacked Stella on the head, causing her to whimper. "But you claim this tree has some level of intelligence?" The man stroked his chin and looked at the leaves rustling in the summer breeze with a distant look. No matter what the Grand Elder said, Ashlock planned to play dumb. Cultivator worlds were ruthless, and backstabbing was common. Keeping your true strength and trump cards close to your chest was the first rule of surviving in such a dog-eat-dog world. The Grand Elder positioned his hand below a fruit. "Drop." A few seconds passed by with nothing happening. "Is this really how you discovered the tree spirit was sentient?" Stella scratched her cheek. "That is correct, Elder. Perhaps ask the tree nicely?" The Grand Elder grumbled, "Please, o mighty tree spirit bestow upon me a divine fruit...." A breeze went by, and the happy chirping of the birds accompanied the awkward silence. "Maybe it''s asleep." The Grand Elder resolutely declared, withdrew his hand, and assumed a whimsical stance. Stella tactically decided to remain silent for the Grand Elders'' dignity and to avoid drawing any more attention to the tree. She knew in her heart that the tree spirit was there. Not only did it drop her fruits, it even gifted her earrings, and the most beautiful piece of wood Stella had ever seen, which she had turned into daggers¡ªboth of which were carefully hidden away. She was not strong enough yet to protect such rare treasures. "Alright, child, I will be on my way to report back to the disciplinary committee." The man winked as he left. "I saw nothing of interest." Stolen novel; please report. "Thank you, Elder, for your infinite kindness." Stella bowed, and the man waved her off. "No need to thank me... Oh, before I go, one last thing. As the Mistress and sole heir of Red Vine peak, you are hereby promoted to Grand Elder." Stella''s mouth gaped open. "B-but Elder! I am only thirteen and in the 2nd layer of the Soul Fire Realm! How can I possibly bear the responsibilities of a Grand Elder." The Grand Elder shrugged, "Order of the Patriarch. You have five years before you must pass the Grand Elder test. If you fail... Red Vine peak will be handed over to House Ravenborne. That is the agreement the Elders reached this morning." Stella was stumped, and The Grand Elder cared little for her inner turmoil as he turned his back to her and started channeling Qi, causing the surrounding air to vibrate and groan as he began to tear reality apart with his two hands. Finally, the white flames that shrouded his body created a wormhole, a crack in existence, and without a hint of hesitation, the Grand Elder stepped through, and with a pop, he was gone. Stella collapsed to her knees and just stared at the spot the Grand Elder once stood with vacant eyes, her arms hung by her sides and her shoulders slumped. Then, after a while, she picked herself up and, with a huff, collapsed onto the bench under Ashlock''s shade. "Tree... it''s impossible, Red Vine peak will be taken from me." A tear threatened to spill from her eye, but she brushed it off with the sleeve of her black robe. "I tried so darn hard, Tree¡ªeveryone in my family was slaughtered in the last beast tide, and only me and my Father remained. If my grandparents and sister hadn''t sacrificed themselves for the Patriarch, that bastard would be dead." Stella held back a sniffle as her arms dangled off the side of the bench. "And what does my family get for their sacrifice? The right to fight for our position among the other families. I could tell my Father was suffering; he was never the most talented at cultivation, and his foundation was already weak... So I begged him not to push for the Star Core realm¡ª" Stella never finished the sentence and instead opted to watch Ashlock''s red leaves gently sway in the wind. The weather was perfect, and the chorus of summer helped lighten Stella''s mood... somewhat. "Those bastards want to kill me! What kind of thirteen-year-old is expected to strive for the Star Core realm? My Father was over a hundred when he attempted to ascend and form his inner Star Core, and he died trying." Her hands balled into fists at her side. "Tree, you may not know of the horrors out there in the wilderness, but the spirit beasts outnumber us cultivators a thousand to one. So when there is a beast tide, if the sect doesn''t have a Monarch realm cultivator, the only option is abandoning the sect and migrating to new lands. If I can''t become a Grand Elder by age eighteen, I will be cast out of the sect and be left to die out there..." Ashlock tactically sniped Stella''s head by dropping fruit. "Ow!" Stella rubbed her head and scowled at the tree. "What was that for?" She picked up the golden apple and sensed the thick Qi, and her stomach rumbled from the delicious scent. Taking a bite, her eyes went wide, and she spoke with her mouth full, "Mhm! So good! Thank you." She ignored the tears streaming down her face and relished the delicious fruit. That was the fruit Ashlock had poured a lot of Qi into six months ago. "Sigh... this is quite the conundrum." Ashlock had felt firsthand the difference between Stella''s Qi and the Grand Elders. If he guessed correctly, the Grand Elder was in the elusive Star Core realm, one major realm above Stella. "I can''t imagine Stella could obtain that amount of power in just five short years... hell, I went from the 1st to the 6th layer of the Qi Realm in that time... Stella would need to obtain 7 layers in a higher realm in the same timeframe." "Tree, thank you for the snack. I feel much better now." Stella patted his bark with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "It may be impossible, but miracles can always come to those who try." Stella then marched directly toward the training courtyard and spent the next few hours smashing the ever-living shit out of the training dummies. Finally, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Stella collapsed in exhaustion. Seeing Stella work so hard inspired the slothful tree to finally do something useful. "I can sleep during the winter, but while summer persists, I best use my time... no more pointless sleeping... Maybe." The horrors of the {Hibernate} skill made him almost terrified of closing his eyes. What if he got trapped in that state of mind again? Ashlock decided to run away from sleep by distracting himself, and his first call to action was to utilize his new skill {Deep Roots}. First, Qi that he had collected throughout the day surged toward his roots like a cascading waterfall, and he felt them wiggle with power. Next, his roots began to expand like little fingers, seeping into every nook or crack in the rock. Then as the roots weaseled their way in, the Qi caused the root to rapidly expand, causing the rock to fracture and crack more, allowing the roots to delve even deeper. It was a horrifically slow, Qi-intensive, and mind-numbing process. Luckily his roots helped hold the rock together, so there was little chance of the mountain collapsing. "Heh. Soon the entire mountain will be one big tree." Chapter 9: Thunderstruck Despite Ashlock''s bold claims, his biology didn''t agree with his newfound aversion to sleep. As the sun dipped below the horizon, a wave of fatigue assaulted his mind, and before he knew it, the sun had risen once again, and it was the start of a new day... "I wish I had this power when I was a human," Ashlock grumbled as he reminisced about the many nights he spent gazing at the ceiling with the clock reading 5:00 am and his stomach grumbling. "Huh, being a tree isn''t so bad after all?" Ashlock didn''t need to worry about work or his next meal. Heck, he didn''t even need to pay taxes anymore. He was both free from Earth''s rigorous constraints yet strangely less free than ever before. He was trapped in a body of wood and sap, rooted in place for all eternity. Ashlock looked around and took in the view, likely the only sight he would see for the rest of his ageless life. Perhaps it was the time skipping or just his natural biology, but even after living here for five years, Ashlock felt like this was his home¡ªwhere he belonged more than anywhere else. Ashlock was secure, his roots were deep, and his leaves were exposed to the heavens above. A breeze blew by, and Ashlock watched as the lush purple grass danced in the wind. Nature was somehow even more breathtakingly beautiful when he had become nature. As a spiritual tree with command over Qi, he could see in all directions and sense everything. Unlike a human mind that was limited to his eyes and ears, Ashlock could take everything in at once. The silky feathers of every bird perched on his branches, the vibrant colors of every blooming flower throughout the courtyard¡ªeven Stella''s flowing hair and steady breathing as she cultivated were within Ashlock''s senses. The world was teeming with life, and he was part of that cycle. As his thoughts drifted from one mundane thing to another, the sun sailed across the sky, and as the horizon glowed a mellow orange, Ashlock fell asleep. *** The following day saw the rapid accumulation of cumulonimbus clouds that darkened the sky and cast a dreary mood on Red Vine peaks courtyard. "A big storm is coming, Tree," Stella commented as she munched on one of Ashlock''s golden fruit with a smile and swung her legs off the side of the makeshift bench. Unfortunately, there weren''t many fruits left, and Ashlock sadly didn''t have the Qi to make more. Currently, he was devoting all of his Qi to furthering his cultivation realm. [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 5)] [Qi Realm: 6th Stage] [Skills¡­] Ashlock glared at his summary. When would he be considered a tree rather than a sapling? What even was the definition of a tree in the first place? All Ashlock knew was that anything involving trees was incredibly slow. Five years felt like a few months to him, so it made sense. Suddenly Ashlock felt a small jolt of Qi. It was barely noticeable, like a fly landing on one''s skin. "Where did that come from?" Sadly Ashlock''s system was rather barebones, and unless he acquired some kind of AI or diagnostic skill, he had to manually search for the cause himself. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the courtyard. It took a second for Ashlock to remember he had activities occurring in the mountain''s depths... Ashlock liked to think he had made a lot of progress, but it had been two days, and he had dug around ten meters. "Five meters per day is horrifically slow... if I had to guess, this mountain is easily over eight thousand meters tall. It will take me five years to reach the base at this rate." Nevertheless, Ashlock felt his root network and soon located the small spike in Qi. One of his deepest roots to the mountain''s northern side had come across a small deposit of a silver rock. It seemed to shimmer like mercury but was as hard as iron. Ashlock wrapped his roots around the small deposit and felt some ambient Qi from the rock.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Some kind of mana stone? Qi stone? What would this even be called?" Its name was ultimately not important, but rather the implications of its discovery. This mountain contained a rock that provided Qi. "Can I absorb this Qi somehow?" Ashlock tightened the roots around the rock and tried to capture as much ambient Qi as possible. To his surprise, the amount was quite considerable, around the same rate he gained from his meditation technique. But there was a significant problem. "The Qi can''t travel far up my root." Ashlock tried to suck the Qi up the root and to his main body. But the attempt reminded him of that one time he tried to drink through a stupidy long straw. The distance, despite only being ten meters, was simply too far. The Qi frizzled out, absorbed by his root as it traveled, eventually becoming so weak it wasn''t worth the effort. But Ashlock didn''t plan to give up. There had to be a use for this underground deposit he had discovered. If he could talk, he would ask Stella if it was valuable and have her dig it up... but that was impossible. As Ashlock''s {Deep Roots} skill continued its operations, a thought manifested in the tree''s mind. "I am currently providing the Qi necessary for the skill to function... but what if I used this rock to power the skill instead? Like a battery?" Ashlock decided it was worth testing. Ashlock forced the skill to keep operating but cut off the Qi supply to that root. He then waited... and waited... the root was still utilizing the Qi that was stored within but eventually, it paused. Unable to keep tunneling through the rock. The mercury rock shimmered brighter as the roots surrounding it started forcefully sucking its Qi away. "It works!" Ashlock was ecstatic as he watched the root he had cut off from his supply of Qi continue tunneling down. "And I still have a connection to it... how convenient." The root was still connected to Ashlock''s main body, so he could supply it with Qi if needed, but for now, it was deriving all its power from the mineral deposit. When Ashlock returned his sights to the courtyard, Stella was gone. A quick search and Ashlock found her back on the runic formation diligently cultivating. The sun was slowly setting, but it was hard to tell through the thick cloud cover. *** Ashlock awoke to a storm of horrific proportions. Thunder boomed like an awakened god throughout the land, and rain pummeled Ashlock''s leaves and branches, making them violently sway in the relentless winds. Using his {Eye of the Tree God} skill, Ashlock located Stella. Despite the unfavorable outside conditions, she sat with her back straight, eyes closed, and her hands wide open as if heralding the arrival of her savior. Her damp blonde hair was plastered against her face as purple flames roared to life across her skin, making her a beacon of light in the darkened world. Yet, even from here, Ashlock could feel the chaotic Qi rushing around with the storm, particularly around the runic formation that Stella so resolutely sat upon. "So cultivating during a storm can lead to great benefits..." Ashlock tried to activate his meditation skill, but nothing happened. The dense clouds blocked out any sunlight, turning day to night, and the wind made his leaves unable to capture anything. But, looking to the sky, Ashlock''s sphere of vision had expanded to include the clouds above. Streaks of lightning illuminated the clouds in flashes of blue and white, followed by roaring thunder. Then suddenly, one of the streaks of lightning arced toward him like a coiling dragon hungry to strike. Ashlock''s world went white as the lightning obliterated one of his branches. Lightning Qi wrapped around Ashlock''s trunk and arced between his branches, causing them to burn. Smoke bellowed from his left side, near the impact site, as a fire bloomed to life inside his trunk. Ashlock was delirious as horrendous pain spread throughout his body. Ashlock had burned himself on a stove once or twice back on Earth, but this felt worse. Way worse. Like gasoline pouring down his throat and then being set on fire from within. "Tree!" Ashlock''s brain was fuzzy as his body fought against the invading fire. Like suffering from blood loss, moisture and sap were rerouted from his roots and lower body to deal with the blaze causing him to become sluggish. As more and more of his body became charred wood, his cognitive functions decreased further. "Tree... don''t die! Hey!" Ashlock felt tender hands trying to climb up his ten-meter-tall trunk to the source of the blaze. "Don''t leave me all alone!..." Ashlock heard Stella cry over the howling wind. He then felt Stella''s legs coiling around his branch as she was hung upside down. Stella thrust her purple flame-covered hands into the smoking hole and attempted to blast the flames away. "Fight the flames, you stupid tree! You can do it!" Stella cried out as residual lightning still arcing between his branches lashed out at the girl, forcing her to use her own Qi to defend against the onslaught. Thunder and rain continued to roar, making Stella''s shouting and insults harder and harder to decipher for the slowly dying tree. Despite Stella''s best efforts, Ashlock was just a five-year-old sapling with a pathetic amount of Qi. Surviving a typical lightning strike would be possible for Ashlock, but one empowered with Qi? Unlikely. Was this the end? Death by a stray strike from the gods? But right as everything was going dark, he saw two notifications flicker to life in his mind. [Skill {Fire Resistance [D]} Learned!] [Skill {Lightning Qi Resistance [C]} Learned!] It seemed the gods hadn''t abandoned him after all. With his last bit of consciousness, Ashlock told the system to redirect all the ambient Qi raging around his body toward his roots and Qi Fruit Production skill. "Tree..." Stella''s tears joined the rain cascading down his trunk and dripping from his leaves. "Stay with me... please... I have nothing left." Ashlock wanted to comfort the distraught girl¡ªtell her he would be fine. Alas... he could not¡ªthe world faded, and his consciousness slipped into a deep slumber. Chapter 10: Fractured Mind Stella felt helpless as the thunder roared in her ears and freezing rain cascaded from above, causing Stella to shiver and her breath to steam. Due to the relentless rain and her own efforts, the Qi-powered flames from the lightning strike within the tree trunk finally died out. Stella collapsed to her knees before the charred trunk and mud splashed on her black cloak with the symbol of the Blood Lotus sect proudly embroidered on her chest. "Tree... why do you face the wrath of the heavens?" Stella muttered to herself as she gazed up at the chaotic sky. Lightning flashed between the dark clouds as if ancient calamities were battling in the realms above. Stella knew that one day she would also face the wrath of the heavens. As a demonic cultivator, it was a natural part of her progression. Stella felt lost... confused. Her eyes were unfocused as she set her sights on the smoldering tree. For her, the tree represented stability. It was always there, growing alongside her and offering fruits to relieve her hunger. It never spoke, but it didn''t need to¡ªshe understood its desire for growth, yet she admired its selflessness for charity. Yet now, it was in a state of instability, half destroyed and lifeless. Its spirit was weak and barely noticeable, like a flickering candlelight in the howling wind. If she didn''t help the tree somehow, it might be extinguished forever. Demonic cultivators like Stella were at the peak of selfishness. They destroyed... devoured... consumed everything for power. They cultivated the principle of one standing above all rather than defeating the beast tides through cooperation. But the tree not only took the Qi of the dead as every demonic tree does, but it also recycled the dead into a new life. Through its fruits and its own growth. Stella felt the clouds above stir, and she made a decision that may be foolish, but she deemed it necessary for her future. Standing up, purple flames roared to life, and the water drenching her body evaporated in a rush of steam. The mud caked on her shins also slid off as she stepped forward. "Tree. I don''t know why you face a heavenly tribulation so early. But let''s face it together." When forming a Star Core, one will naturally attract the wrath of the heavens, Stella was still many layers away from such a threat, but it didn''t matter. She couldn''t ascend to such a high realm in a mere five years¡ªit was time to take a risk. Another roar of thunder rolled over the mountains as Stella used her movement technique. It was ill-advised to use Qi-based techniques as her Soul Core took a long time to replenish, but she had no other option. Although she had super strength and could jump high, the tree was over ten meters tall and had many branches in the way. A trail of purple flames manifested on the tree''s trunk as Stella sprinted up its side with her movement technique. Using her hand to shield her eyes from the relentless rain from above, Stella looked up at the sky from atop the tree with an unsettled mind. "It''s coming again." Stella could feel the restless Qi as the world displayed displeasure for the tree''s continued existence. Stella sat cross-legged on the highest branch and felt warm air rising from the open hole on the tree''s left side where the lightning had struck, and dying flames still festered. Purple fire shrouded the young girl''s form as she braced for the impact of lightning. Unfortunately, she didn''t have to wait long. The heavens made their anger known with another powerful strike. The world lit up as a lightning bolt arced out of a nearby cloud like a coiling viper eager to annihilate its prey. Stella screamed as the bolt struck her location as if drawn by the open hole of the tree below. The tree took the brunt of the impact¡ªthe lightning Qi striking the wood but mysteriously doing far less damage than last time. Only managing to destroy another branch and leave a burning indent in the tree''s side, which was quickly dispelled as if the fire struggled to keep the wood burning as fuel. Stella, however, didn''t know of the tree''s increased resistance to lightning and fire. So instead, she gritted her teeth as she tried to take on as much lightning as possible. Like last time, the tree''s branches acted as a conductor, and the lightning Qi, unable to penetrate the tree''s 6th layer ambient Qi, had no choice but to seek out another conductor, perhaps a fleshy human that had volunteered herself to become a lightning rod.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Stella''s hair frizzled as lightning that arced between the tree branches lashed at her. She clamped her eyes shut to avoid being blinded and instead concentrated on her breathing technique and keeping herself covered in purple flames. With the rain, the noise, the bright lights, and her overwhelming desire to protect¡ªStella had to concentrate harder than ever on maintaining her Soul Core and keeping it topped up with Qi. As residual lightning struck her, she felt her Qi deplete rapidly, but the chaotic Qi and her concentration helped her rekindle her Soul Core''s reserves. Despite the situation, a smile appeared on her face as she felt her progress quicken. It was hard to find adverse conditions to push her limits here¡ªalone on Red Vine peak. So long as the tree survived... today would be a good day. *** Ashlock awoke, and he felt drunk. An unfathomable headache wracked his mind from within, and his vision, despite being spiritual, was fragmented, limited, and blurry. Tiny jolts of pain around his branches helped jump-start his mind and focus... like getting slapped in the face. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 2008 Daily Credit: 33 Sacrifice Credit: 0 [Sign in?] "Huh?" Ashlock''s mind spun into gear, and he focused on the numbers of the daily sign-in system. The fact there were 33 unspent daily credits suggested a month had passed by. "What happened?" He questioned himself in a sluggish voice. The fact he was missing half his vision and his body felt wrecked helped jog his memory of the fact he had suffered a rather hefty attack from the sky. Looking around, Ashlock''s blurry vision picked up grey stones with glowing silvery lines like shimmering mercury. Concentrating on one thing was challenging. His mind was drowsy and drifting in and out of consciousness. But even in the haze, he could see a girl shrouded in purple flames sitting atop him with her eyes closed and breathing steady. If he looked a little closer... sparks of purple lightning ran through her hair and between her fingertips. Slowly, over the course of an hour, Ashlock was able to regain some focus without falling back asleep. Surrounding him in a circular formation were familiar stone blocks. If his memory served him correctly, they were the stones that made up the runic formation Stella used to cultivate. "Did she move her runic formation to be around me?" Ashlock wondered. He felt the subtle current of Qi being pulled toward the formation. His leaves captured some of it, and the rest went in and out of Stella''s lungs as she cycled her cultivation technique. Using his {Eye of the Tree God}, his mind screamed in pain, but Ashlock ignored it¡ªhe needed to get a full rundown of his condition, and without an aerial view, it would be impossible. "Well, that doesn''t look good at all..." The left side facing the pavilion''s kitchen was utterly charred black. It was hard to tell compared to his usual black bark, but the unburned side had a glossy and pleasant tint, whereas the burned side was jagged, raw, and untamed like the side of a volcano. "Would this be considered a manly scar for a tree?" Ashlock sadly chuckled to himself. It was apparent why he could no longer see anything in that direction, as the wood was dead and no longer part of him... It would seem the charred bark blocked the rest of his body from functioning. Alongside his destroyed half, he counted nine dents, likely given by multiple lightning strikes. "Sigh... I knew I would get hit by lightning eventually. It was just a matter of time. As a tree atop an eight thousand meter high mountain, I would be the quickest route to the ground for any lightning strikes for miles..." Ashlock remembered seeing the charred lifeless trees in the courtyard of the neighboring mountain. It was obvious what had happened to them. Canceling the skill, Ashlock returned to his fractured view of the courtyard and huffed in annoyance. "This simply won''t do... it''s like someone is holding an eye patch over one of my eyes with weird holes through it." Ashlock tried to think of a solution, but like always... it resorted to his golden finger in this world. His system. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 2008 Daily Credit: 33 Sacrifice Credit: 0 [Sign in?] "Yes," Ashlock said with a slur, and a notification popped up. [User is too damaged to receive a system manifestation] [Damage calculated at 67%] [Repair body with credits? Yes/No] "Oh, a repair feature! How helpful." Ashlock felt things finally going his way, so he happily pressed yes. [33 credits consumed...] The few clouds littering the sky seemed to part as a ray of sunshine beamed down on Ashlock, illuminating him in a warm golden glow. Stella''s eyes snapped open as she felt the heavenly light on her back¡ª looking down at the tree, she saw the smallest of the nine holes seal up in front of her eyes. "Tree? You''re awake? How are you healing like that?" A smile bloomed on her face. [3.3% of damage repaired... 63.7% remaining] Meanwhile, Ashlock was yelling at the system in rage. "Stupid fucking system, a month''s worth of credits for 3% of the damage to be repaired? Why didn''t you tell me of this horrendous conversion rate? Oi! Give me back my points, you scamming bastard." Alas, the system cared not for his plight, and the notification drifted away without a care in the world. Letting out a deep sigh, Ashlock felt his willpower to stay awake vacating him. "Well, although it will be a slow process, I should heal naturally... best to save my points for a new skill or something... Due to this new runic formation surrounding me, I am getting far more Qi than before, so I should heal and cultivate faster..." "Tree! Hey! Don''t sleep again! I will go get you food..." Ashlock would really like to listen to the girl''s ramblings, but sadly it would have to wait for another day... or maybe another year. Chapter 11: Passage of Time [Damage calculated at 0% ¡ª Sleep mode deactivated] Red Vine peak had undergone some significant changes since Ashlock last saw it. The familiar purple grass courtyard was replaced with smooth grey stone of the highest quality engraved with a shimmering silver metal gleaming under the summer rays. A dense stream of chaotic Qi danced around Ashlock as if he was the center of a grand whirlpool. The world''s energy felt revitalizing, like a jacuzzi. Ashlock relished the pleasant feeling. Ashlock was oblivious to this world''s common sense, but there was no way such a sizeable runic formation was easy or cheap to build. "Did Stella build all of this so I would heal faster?" Ashlock inspected his body and confirmed the earlier system message was accurate... he was fully healed and looked better than ever. The charred bark was gone, and the evidence of such an incident was lost with time... only he and maybe Stella, if she became an immortal, would remember what happened. Ashlock hummed to himself as he looked at his branches. They were practically dripping in various types of fruit. Some had clearly been plucked recently, as there were glaring gaps in a few fruit clusters. "Perhaps Stella has been feasting on them?" Ashlock glanced around and failed to spot the girl. "Maybe she went out..." A breeze blew by, rustling Ashlock''s scarlet leaves, and it was only now in the stifling silence that Ashlock realized he was terribly lonely without Stella. Letting out a sigh, Ashlock decided to busy himself to pass the time. "I should catch up on what''s changed while I was sleeping... Status!" [Demonic Spirit Sapling (Age: 7)] [Qi Realm: 7th Stage] [Skills¡­] "Seven years old?" When Ashlock had fallen asleep, he had barely been halfway through the fifth year of his life. A part of him winced at the thought that a year and a half had seemingly vanished... those were days he could never get back. But there was another startling point... he had gone up a stage in the Qi realm and was now at the 7th stage. "Cultivating in my sleep seems a bit ridiculous..." It made Ashlock think of all those people back on Earth that preached the importance of a side hustle that generated passive income. "Isn''t everything about being a tree passive? I have very little control over anything." Ashlock had successfully made himself sad again, so he looked at his skills to see if anything had changed. {Eye of the Tree God [A]} {Deep Roots [A]} {Language of the World [B]} {Qi Fruit Production [C]} {Devour [C]} {Hibernate [C]} {Lightning Qi Resistance [C]} -> {Lightning Qi Protection[B]} {Fire Resistance [D]} -> {Fire Qi Resistance[C]} {Basic Poison Resistance [F]} {Basic Meditation [F]} Ashlock paused for a while and read over his skills. They were mostly the same except for a new piece of UI that he had never seen before. "My skills can upgrade?" Once again, Ashlock wanted to smack himself for not thinking it was possible. His previous shock came from learning a skill outside of the sign-in rewards. So it was only natural he could upgrade his skills as well. However, what caused an upgrade was now a question gnawing at Ashlock''s mind. "Let''s think... The two skills that upgraded were resistance skills¡ªif my memories serve me correctly... I was struck at least nine times by lightning strikes during that storm almost two years ago. Those lightning strikes were Qi-enhanced, likely due to the chaotic weather. So {Lightning Qi Resistance} a [C] grade skill, upgraded to {Lightning Qi Protection}, a supposed [B] grade skill while I slept." Ashlock mulled over the difference in naming. His previous dismissal nature to the power of his skills had been cast away, and now if a skill was at the C grade or higher, he took them seriously. "What is the difference between resistance and protection?" As that was the only clue left for him by the system, Ashlock thought long and hard. "Resistance means not being as affected by something... whereas protection outright stops the threat from ever doing any harm. So in terms of lightning¡ªresistance should mean I would still get damaged by lightning, just not as much... meanwhile, protection would be like a shield?" Ashlock scrutinized the clear blue sky and silently begged the heavens to test him again with their vicious lightning. "I have been an evil tree! Strike me down if you dare!" Ashlock hollered at the mighty heavens while waving a metaphorical fist like a grumpy old man. A bird landed happily on his branch where it had made a nest and fed a grey slug-like creature to its awaiting children... Ashlock sighed... it was hard to give off evil tree vibes when a stupid bird could use his branches as free real estate. "At least pay to stay here with shiny coins or something..." Ashlock grumbled to himself.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Right, back to the skills, I keep getting sidetracked." Ashlock peeked back at the list, and there was one last skill upgrade. {Fire Resistance [D]} -> {Fire Qi Resistance[C]} "Well, this one is a little easier to figure out. The [D] grade skill clearly offers resistance to standard flames, whereas {Fire Qi Resistance} will give me resistance to fire powered by Qi rather than flames fueled by oxygen. It was interesting that the world considered them two separate things, and it would appear Qi-based attacks are in a league of their own above standard elemental attacks. "Anything else to check up on?" Ashlock did plan to check his sign-in system, but first, he wanted to confirm everything else. "How about down below?" It had been about a year and a half¡ªsurely he had made some progress through the mountain? Ashlock struggled to hold back his shock as he felt down below. His roots spread for thousands of meters, and he was around halfway down the mountain at this point. "Oh my god... look at all these mineral deposits!" Ashlock still did not know the true name for the silvery metal that seemed to power the runic formation, but the mountain was abundant with the stuff. Ashlock painstakingly counted over a hundred such deposits spread throughout the mountain. To his relief, it seemed his roots had learned from the previous experience and were latched around each mineral deposit. "Never underestimate the versatility and genius of an A-grade skill!" As {Deep Roots} was one of his two [A] grade skills, it was naturally a source of pride for Ashlock. "Sadly, the mineral deposits only help me dig deeper rather than improve my own cultivation..." Ashlock thought back to {Deep Roots} abilities. It allowed him to dig deeper and make tunnels. However, he hadn''t tried the tunnel-making feature due to his low Qi reserves and only discovering one mineral deposit. But now, with so much ambient Qi surrounding him due to the runic formation and the many mineral deposits scattered throughout the mountain, he should be able to use that feature. "Well, here goes nothing!" Metaphorically closing his eyes, Ashlock willed the {Deep Roots} skill to work its magic. Ashlock felt the ground tremble as the roots bulged outward, causing the rock to crack in protest. "This doesn''t seem very stable¡ª" Ashlock''s thoughts were rendered useless as he watched his now slightly hollowed roots open up and consume the loose rock, and then, like a very slow conveyor belt, the pebbles were carried within the roots. "But where can the stone go?" Ashlock traced the direction the rock was heading in his mind. It wasn''t upward or downward. Rather it was sideways. "Does the skill plan to dispel the rock out the side of the mountain?" With anything tree-related, Ashlock would likely know the answer in a few days... if not months. Unfortunately, the rock being carried by the viscous sap within the roots seemed about as motivated to move as he was to stay awake, which was to say... not very motivated at all. "Reminds me of public transport¡ªso bloody slow." Ashlock chuckled at his memories from Earth before regaining his focus. "Anything else to check up on?" Ashlock used his {Eye of the Tree God} to scout out the pavilion for anything interesting. "Oh look... the Koi fish in the pond have had children, and they seem rather large already." To Ashlock, no time had passed at all. One moment, he closed his eyes with half his body scorched and ruined, and the next time he awoke to a fully healed body. The rapid passage of time was jarring and hard to ground in reality, but little things like seeing baby fish in the pond let Ashlock comprehend the passing of time. Other than the new fish, some plants were added to the exotic garden, and some had grown slightly more mature. "Good to see my fellow plants are doing well." His roots were so expansive at this point that they ran below the entire pavilion, meaning some of his ambient Qi seemed to be helping all the plants in the courtyards bloom. Despite the pavilion''s immense size, as usual, it was desolate of people. It was like an abandoned site that would soon succumb to nature, but a few traces of footsteps amongst the dust suggested some recent activity. Ashlock checked around the entire mountain, including the steps, and even peeked into the misty fog of the neighboring peak, but alas, there was no sign of Stella. Since there was nothing else to do, Ashlock summoned his system. "Alright, time to sign in." Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 2774 Daily Credit: 766 Sacrifice Credit: 0 [Sign in?] "Wow..." Ashlock was aware that a lot of time had passed, but seeing it in numerical form really hammered in the fact that over seven hundred days had passed. "Now the question is... should I save up or spend now?" Ashlock sat there for a few hours, mulling over the decision. As a tree, he had patience and time on his side. There was no threat breathing down the back of his neck demanding he spend right away... so he should wait, right? The door to the pavilion swung open. Its creaking door broke Ashlock from his thoughts as a familiar but somewhat different face entered. "That is almost freaky..." The girl in Ashlock''s mind didn''t match up with the young lady. When he had last seen Stella, she was a thirteen-year-old girl who reminded him of a scared kitten, but she was now almost fifteen and walked with far more purpose and pride than before. Puberty was no joke as she had changed considerably in such a short time. Stella was a little taller, had sharper features, and the demeanor of a scared child was long gone. Her black cloak, which had seemed a little baggy and odd for a child to wear, now fit her form perfectly as she strolled into the courtyard. As she got closer while subconsciously twirling the black wooden handle daggers in her hands, her face was a cold mask, almost unrecognizable. Ashlock groaned, "Has she become one of those ice-cold beauties I heard so much about." Sadly it seemed to be the case as the girl that had once been so bubbly and full of life coldly appraised the courtyard, meticulously checking every runic stone underfoot as she walked. It wasn''t until she was a few steps from Ashlock that her head snapped upwards, and her eyes went wide. The cold facade vanished, and Ashlock once again saw the vulnerable child with an odd obsession with a tree return. "Tree!" She practically threw herself forward and placed both palms on Ashlock''s freshly healed trunk. "You took far too long to heal, so I built this runic formation for you! Hehe..." She nervously stepped back and rubbed her cheek as she surveyed the courtyard. "Hope you don''t mind... I did have to destroy the rather scenic courtyard to make space for it, but it should be worth it!" Ashlock found the sudden change in her demeanor around him rather amusing¡ªmaybe even a little endearing. "Glad to see she is doing well..." When Ashlock had seen the cold look on her face a moment ago, he was worried the lack of his presence had sent her down a dark path... "So Tree! How have you been? Feeling better?" Stella leaned forward and patted his trunk¡ªher blonde hair fell forward, revealing the red leaf earrings he had gifted her all those years ago. "Oh boy, do I have a story to tell you!" The young woman collapsed onto the bench, which Ashlock noticed had been upgraded to a lovely hand-crafted oak bench. Stella went to open her mouth¡ª "So noisy!" Ashlock grumbled and skillfully dropped a large fruit on her head, causing the girl to yelp. "What was that for!" Stella shook her fist at the tree in a playful manner and giggled while biting into the fruit. "Mhm, yummy. Oh, speaking of food... I went hunting this year and have some snacks for you..." A ring on Stella''s hand flashed with Qi, and suddenly the entire courtyard was pilled high with monster corpses of every type imaginable, and Ashlock could barely hold back the sudden surge of hunger. It was time to feast! Chapter 168: Ashfallens rise [Book 2 Epilogue] Ashlock and the others waited awhile, but Demetrios Skyrend never returned. The violent storm system dominated the distant horizon, and Ashlock suspected that Demetrios was giving a piece of his mind to the Voidmind family. He would go and look, but his roots didn''t extend far enough west to reach Slymere yet, and his {Eye of the Tree God} also didn''t reach the city. The Redclaw Grand Elder, who had his hands behind his back as he looked at the horizon, sighed in relief. His fire Qi then swirled around them to obscure his voice from others, "I must thank House Silverspire for mediating that conversation. Without your presence, I fear Demetrios would have taken Dante''s side and wiped us out instead." Sebastian frowned, "It is indeed troublesome. When I agreed to sponsor the tournament for an extra percentage, I didn''t expect to be dragged into a plot that may cause a civil war between the Voidmind and Skyrend families." "It''s okay!" Ryker, who had remained silent for most of the day, grinned, "Big sister promised me lots of money, which means I might beat my brother and sisters for the silver core!" Ashlock almost felt like chuckling as he was reminded about the inheritance battle between the heirs of the Silverspire family. "The poor Patriarch. He took his eyes off his Blood Lotus Sect for a few years to cultivate, and when he emerges, he will find all three of the most prominent families at war. Two against one another and the last having an internal fight between the heirs," Ashlock sneered, "That''s what he deserves for saving Stella as a pill furnace. In fact, the more the Blood Lotus Sect is in flames, the better. It will help camouflage our activities." "Rascal," Sebastian ruffled Ryker''s hair, "Imagine your mother''s face when she finds out." "Actually, she would be very proud of me!" Ryker smacked Sebastian''s hand away, "She always told me that war is good for business. People need weapons and spatial rings, which we sell, and then when they all die, we can move in and buy the land for cheap and start mining for metals." Sebastian and the Grand Elder exchanged a surprised look. "Ahem... that is technically true," Sebastian nodded thoughtfully, "The Mistress is wise." "Of course she is," Ryker nodded seriously, "My mother is the smartest woman I know!" "And how many women do you know?" The Grand Elder asked in jest. Ryker replied thoughtfully, "Only my mother and sisters, and my sisters are stupid." Sebastian snorted in amusement, "Oh? What makes them stupid? They are your sisters, you know." "You and my sister told me Darklight City was a backwater place with nothing worth mentioning," Ryker said, "But I found beautiful big sisters and lots of cool things here. So, Sebastian, you are also stupid." Sebastian seemed to stumble back with a painful expression as if an arrow had been shot into his chest, "Ouch, the young master''s words hurt my heart." "Good, let''s head back," Ryker demanded, "I want to cultivate after seeing the adults fight. I need to become stronger." Sebastian ceased his pained act, "Grand Elder, is our presence here no longer necessary?" The Grand Elder looked at the demonic tree trunk, and when Ashlock wrote nothing, he gave Sebastian a nod, "I believe so. I will send someone to fetch you if something comes up." Sebastian slightly bowed to the Grand Elder and the demonic tree, "I look forward to our continued business relationship." Ashlock didn''t want them to walk all the way back, so he created a portal for them to the White Stone Palace''s courtyard. The two Silverspires departed, and the Grand Elder was also about to leave when someone unexpectedly approached them. Kane Azurecrest floated through the air with a violent gale surrounding him. The Grand Elder withdrew his fire Qi and faced the approaching teen. Ashlock searched the colosseum stands and couldn''t see Celeste Starweaver anywhere. Only the Grand Elder and Kane were left in the half-destroyed colosseum covered in shattered glass, ash, and rubble. Kane touched down a few meters from the Grand Elder and offered a respectful bow, "Greetings, Grand Elder of the honorable Redclaw family." "To what do I owe the pleasure scion of House Azurecrest?" The Grand Elder replied with a slight smile. "I know I didn''t win your tournament," Kane replied. He sounded exhausted, as if he hadn''t slept in days, "But I wondered if there was a way I could still be hired alongside the rogues?" The Grand Elder raised his brow, "How unexpected. A scion from one of the top families asking for employment alongside rogue cultivators? Dare I ask the reason why?" Kane raised his head and looked at the Grand Elder through the gaps in his long white and crimson hair, "Could we take this conversation elsewhere? The subject matter is sensitive." The Grand Elder looked him up and down with scrutiny and nodded, "Come with me." *** After the two left through the portal to the White Stone Palace, total silence overtook the colosseum. A place that had once been alive with the cheers of a thousand mortals was now dead silent. Ashlock opened a portal and slowly dragged the Voidmind Elder''s corpse back to Red Vine Peak via a black vine. He also retracted his view from his Progeny and returned to his mountain because he wanted one of the girls to act as his spokesperson in the upcoming meeting between the Grand Elder and Kane Azurecrest. He hadn''t spoken to the Grand Elder through {Abyssal Whispers} before, and the man didn''t have a Mind Fortress pill, so Ashlock needed someone to speak for him. Stella was lying on the bench, passed out. A troubled expression was on her sleeping face as her chest peacefully rose and fell. Maple was sprawled out on her stomach and enjoying the late afternoon sun. "She must be exhausted. When did she last have a moment where she wasn''t learning alchemy or causing drama?" Ashlock laughed as he left her to sleep, and his gaze drifted a few meters away where a few corpses were lined up. He closed the portal as quietly as possible to not awaken Stella, dragged the Voidmind Elder''s corpse, and dumped it alongside the others.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Theron''s body was in bad condition, with around half missing due to the void tendrils devouring him. Meanwhile, Kassandra''s corpse was in much better shape as she had died from a dagger through the heart. Ashlock was tempted to turn them into Ents or devour them for credits, but that could wait until later as he needed everyone''s opinions. These were incredibly valuable corpses and weren''t to be wasted. "Mhm, I feel like I am missing one... oh yeah." Ashlock realized that Roderick Terraforge was still trapped in Titus''s hand prison, "I''ll wait until Stella is awake to deal with that one. He can wait." Ashlock looked around the peaceful courtyard and felt a sense of relief wash over him as the reality of the situation set in. So much had occurred in just a few hours. It was hard to believe it was finally over. After months of planning and plenty of schemes, the Ashfallen sect had come out unscathed while simultaneously gaining so much. The tournament had concluded, and it was time to set his sights on bigger and better things. The Ashfallen sect was about to welcome many new alchemists, and war may break out between the Skyrend and Voidmind families. A war Ashlock planned to profit off as much as possible. But that wasn''t all. A partnership had been formed with the infamous Silverspire family, and the merchants would soon come knocking to speak with Roselyn. Also, the Redclaws were now seen in higher regard by the other families, and Darklight City saw a significant influx of tourists due to the tournament. So long as the plan had worked and Demetrios Skyrend didn''t turn around and blast them with heavenly lightning, things looked up for Ashlock and the sect. "Just a few more rounds in the Mystic Realm, and I should have a group of mid to late-stage Star Core cultivators," Ashlock mused, "And if I can also get in there with my {Progeny Dominion} skill, then I might even reach the Nascent Soul Realm before the Patriarch comes out of seclusion." Realizing he was getting distracted, Ashlock glanced around the mountain peak and spotted Diana relaxing under the shade of a demonic tree and embraced by the mist. She appeared much less exhausted than Stella and more just enjoying the sun. "Hey Diana," Ashlock spoke into her mind, and the woman was shocked out of her daze. "What? Where? Who?" Diana shouted aloud while glancing around while blinking in confusion. "Shhh, it''s me. Stop shouting. Stella''s asleep," Ashlock answered, "I need you to head over to the White Stone Palace and sit in on a conversation and act as my spokesperson." Diana massaged her temples while standing up and then sighed. "Fine, let''s go," she said while popping a Mind Fortress pill. *** Ashlock watched Kane and the Grand Elder sit opposite one another in the reception room of the White Stone Palace. The walls had arrays built-in to stop other cultivators from eavesdropping, but the Grand Elder also used his own Qi to secure the area. They were solid measures but not enough to stop Ashlock from listening in through a root under the floorboards. Not that the Grand Elder was in any position to have a conversation he was unaware of, but if he had no need to ask, that was for the best. Ashlock effortlessly tore through the Grand Elder''s Qi and produced a portal through which a white wooden masked Diana emerged. She said nothing as she strode over, perched herself on an armchair, and glanced between the two other people in the room. Kane gave her an odd look, but the Grand Elder just waved it off, "She is a trusted person, feel free to speak your mind." Kane sighed with relief as he sank into the sofa and seemed about to pass out, "I appreciate you taking the time to listen to me." "You look haggard." The Grand Elder observed, "Do you need something? Perhaps some freshly brewed tea or revitalization pills?" "Nothing works," Kane stared at the ceiling, "I haven''t slept in weeks, and all I can do is replay the events of a single night in my mind over and over." "Nocturne keeping you awake?" Diana asked. Kane seemed to jolt in his seat and stare at her, "You know?" "I have encountered them before," Diana said flatly, "It didn''t end well." "I see," Kane seemed a bit taken aback, "And do you know anything about them, Grand Elder Redclaw?" "Small details have been made aware to me," The Grand Elder said, "But I will allow you to explain from the start as I am missing a lot of context." "As you wish," Kane sighed, "An order from the Patriarch had been given to my father before he went into seclusion, which sent the family into turmoil. He demanded that more airship pilots be available before the beast tide. The problem was that every abled person in the family was already working in the airship industry." "I see, and raising new talent takes a long time," The Grand Elder mused. "Exactly," Kane nodded, "So my father began to look for shortcuts, and he stumbled upon a demonic technique that allows for a rapid rise in cultivation." "Nocturnes," The Grand Elder said. Kane''s expression became grim, "I watched as all of my siblings had duels over who would be sacrificed to empower the other. It was a harrowing experience to watch my elder brother Venik slaughter our sister and consume her soul for a surge in cultivation. I hid away in the servant quarters and tried to stay out of my father''s sight for the duration of the sacrifices." "Venik... isn''t that the one you killed, Diana?" Ashlock asked through telepathy. "That''s right," Diana replied mentally. "So, how did you get here?" The Grand Elder asked Kane, "And how did you end up with a Nocturne?" "Well, you see, there was an odd number of us, so I had hoped all of my siblings would fight it out, and I would be left alone, but the head servant reported me to my father," Kane gulped, "If you don''t know my father is a lecherous man which is one of the reasons he is such good friends with the Patriarch." The Redclaw Grand Elder nodded, "There are some rumors regarding that man..." "I don''t care what they are. They are probably true," Kane shivered, "One of my father''s habits is having children with rogue cultivators outside the family line. So when I was brought to my father''s study one night, I was made to stand before a cage containing a red-haired kid who I later found out was my half brother from one of those rogues." Ashlock did not like where this story was going one bit. Why did he have to be constantly reminded that he was surrounded by savages wearing human skin? "You consumed him, didn''t you." The Grand Elder said, and Kane hesitantly nodded. "It was either him or me. Father justified it by saying the boy had fire affinity and was, therefore, the lesser of us," Kane clutched his head, "The fact that man would use the affinity purity argument while standing beside one of his children in a cage made me seethe with rage." "Then what happened?" Diana asked. "I don''t know," Kane began to quietly weep, "I have replayed that night so many times in my mind I don''t even know what really happened anymore. But all I know is I woke up in bed with a terrible headache, a voice in my head, and the ability to cultivate fire Qi. Father found it fascinating that I had become dual affinity, so he had me try and learn alchemy as the wind element is terrible at it." Ashlock had never considered that there would be ways to become a dual affinity after birth. "I wonder if there''s a way I could use my skills to help my sect members unlock new affinities?" "So that''s how you ended up here." The Grand Elder hummed as he tapped his chin, "And I assume you came to us looking for a way to escape your Father?" Kane shook his head, "Not initially. I came here to prove to my father that I had some skills in alchemy so he wouldn''t send me to work in the airship industry. But then I heard you guys were hiring and saw the Silverspire family was involved. They are one of the only families that could help shield me from my father." "Diana, I need time to decide if taking him on would be worth the risk." Ashlock told Diana, "Tell him we will consider his request to be hired over the next few days and for him to either wait here in the White Stone Palace or stay in the city." Diana relayed his message, and Kane gave a grateful nod. "Thank you, I would appreciate it if I could stay here." Kane requested, and at the command of the Grand Elder, he was led away by a group of maids. Although many significant threats were on the horizon, this conversation helped Ashlock refocus on things he had been putting off that needed to be resolved now that the Ashfallen sect was more out in the open and time wasn''t on their side. "With the Redclaws more established now, I need them to focus on mass recruitment of cultivators, alchemists, and even mortals," Ashlock explained to Diana, "The White Stone Palace was able to hold two families and their servants in the past. There is plenty of room to be utilized here, and we can always dig down and create more space within the mountain." Diana relayed the information. "I see," The Grand Elder said, "Are those rogue alchemists also going to stay here rather than in the cavern under Red Vine Peak?" "Yes," Ashlock said, and Diana nodded. It was time to start separating the two peaks. One was for his core sect members, while the White Stone Palace would be home for everyone else. During the next few months, he planned for the Ashfallen sect to rapidly expand in both size and power. His time lurking in the shadows was coming to a close, and the Blood Lotus Sect would soon learn their folly for allowing him to take root on their soil. Chapter 169: Satisfying Revenge [Start of Book 3]
Ashlock awoke to a pleasant autumn breeze that rustled his scarlet leaves. There were also the chirps of birds that had recently made the sprawling demonic forest across the mountain range their home. As always, it took a while for Ashlock''s mind to fully awaken from his slumber, but once he did, the all too familiar system message appeared in his vision. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3532 Daily Credit: 5 Sacrifice Credit: 28 [Sign in?] "Seems I fell asleep while waiting for Stella to wake up," Ashlock yawned as he dismissed the notification and glanced around the mountain peak with his spiritual sight. The three corpses of Blood Lotus nobles were still there as he hadn''t yet decided what to do with them. In the past, the only real option would be to consume them for sacrificial credits and then unlock a skill. However, now that he had his SS grade {Necroflora Sovereign} skill that let him raise powerful Ents, he had to carefully consider what he used corpses for. There was a loud yawn as Stella stretched like a cat on the bench and slowly woke up. "Good morning, Tree," Stella said as she sleepily looked around, "Huh, how long was I asleep?" "For half a day and night," Ashlock said through his {Abyssal Whispers} skill. "That long?" Stella murmured as she retrieved a Mind Fortress pill from her spatial storage and gulped it down to resist the attacking nature of his telepathy skill, "Darn, it''s my last one. I need to make another batch." "If you teach the rogue alchemists how to make it, then you won''t need to," Ashlock mentioned. "Oh yeah," Stella said through their link as she attempted to tie her hair into a ponytail, "How did everything end yesterday? The second I came back here, I felt compelled to fall asleep on the bench, so I bet I missed some things." "Well, if you look down near your feet, you will see some corpses," Ashlock said, "I need to decide which ones to consume to grow stronger and which to turn into Ents like Titus." "Mhm, and what are the downsides of both options?" "What do you mean?" "Well, power never comes for free, and I never fully understood how you get stronger, Tree," Stella explained, "Like does consuming corpses corrupt your Qi? Or does raising an Ent drain your soul? Sometimes when deciding on something, it''s best to look at what it will cost you rather than what you gain." That was a good point. He always focused on the benefits rather than the cost, as his tree body gave him an unnatural advantage when it came to gathering Qi and other resources. However, with the goal of advancing his cultivation and an upcoming war, he didn''t want to be caught without any Qi in his Star Core again like he has been so many times in the past due to mismanagement. So he needed to be careful with raising too many Ents. "Ent''s cost a lot to maintain. The more I have control over, the more Qi I have to waste on powering them," Ashlock explained, "Whereas if I just eat the corpses, I will definitely get more powerful as I can absorb the Qi in their remains, and there''s a chance I gain something new, but it will be random." "Gain something new?" Stella tilted her head, "Such as items from rifts like my earrings?" "Yeah, I basically stole those earrings from some other dimension for you," Ashlock half lied. He didn''t know for certain where the items were coming from, and he also didn''t consider the system''s feats as being from him. With a radiant smile, Stella touched the red maple leaf earrings dangling from her ears via a black chain, "I see! Well, that does make this decision rather difficult. I like new things, after all..." She walked around the corpses while tapping her chin and paused, "Isn''t someone missing?" "Roderick Terraforge is still trapped in Titus''s hands out in the wilderness," Ashlock replied, "I was saving him for you. What do you want to do with him?" "Just crush him," Stella shrugged, "Ever since I won the tournament and don''t feel threatened anymore, I don''t care for revenge against a nobody like Roderick." "I''m surprised. I thought you would want to slit his throat for crashing into your table during the tournament.". "At the time, I did," Stella sighed, "But in a way, I actually owe some gratitude for them pushing me so far to a level of stress I have never experienced before." "Why would you be grateful for that?" Ashlock wondered. "I think they helped me awaken my bloodline during that final round," Stella stared at the bench behind her, "I don''t know a lot about it, but I dreamed of this mountain peak and the things that have occurred here. They helped me focus to the point where I could create a Profound tier pill on my first try." "So you do have a bloodline! Did it give you a transformation like Diana?" Ashlock excitedly asked. Stella shook her head as she looked away from the bench, "No, and I don''t think I will get one." "Why not?" "It''s just a theory, but I think there might be different kinds of bloodlines," Stella mused, "For example, Diana has a transformation type that changes her species to one that''s more powerful, whereas mine boosts my mental capabilities." "Interesting," Ashlock was glad to learn even a little bit more about these mysterious bloodlines, and he was even more pleased to know that Stella had finally awakened hers. Since Larry said he sensed something ancient about the girls and Senior Lee mentioned that bloodlines belonged to the upper realms, he had been interested in them. "Can you tell me more details about your bloodline?" Ashlock asked. "I don''t want to say anything for definite, but when I feel my throne is threatened, I enter a trance-like state that lets me perform at my peak capabilities," Stella shrugged, "It also seemed to rapidly drain my stamina, and I could hardly stand after using it multiple times in succession." "And your throne is?" Stella gestured to the bench, "I have no idea why, but my body and mind feel linked to this bench." Ashlock hummed in interest, ¡°The day that you tried to punch the heavenly lightning and almost died, Senior Lee saved you with a pill from a higher realm that seemed to anger the heavens. He later told me that was likely because our fates are tied. I wonder if you see the bench as your throne because of that." "Perhaps," Stella yawned and stretched her back, "Ugh, I can still feel the fatigue from yesterday. Maybe I need to cultivate." "Wait before you go and do that, help me with deciding the fate of these corpses," Ashlock insisted, "I value your insight here, oh and go get Diana too." Stella closed her eyes, and a portal rippled to life right before her face. She then stuck her head through. "Okay, she is coming," Stella said, withdrawing her head and widening the portal. Diana stepped through alongside Douglas and Elaine as well. "Oh, perfect, everyone''s here," Ashlock mused, "Can you ask Elaine what her plans are now that she stayed behind? Oh, also, we really need to get more of those Mind Fortress pills so I can easily speak with everyone."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "I will make some more later today," Stella said and then relayed his question to Elaine. "Actually, I received a call from my Father late last night," Elaine confessed, "He told me my family had mostly withdrawn from Darklight City, but he wanted me to stay behind and report the situation here to him. So I guess it''s fine for me to continue working in the Academy as nobody from my family is keeping a close eye on me." Stella snorted, "So he withdrew everyone so they couldn''t be kidnapped or used as bargaining chips by the Skyrend family, but he''s fine with you staying here unguarded. What an arsehole." Elaine nodded sadly, "Yes... I don''t know how I didn''t notice his disregard for me sooner." "Well, this works in our favor," Diana pointed out, "We can feed them incorrect information through Elaine. Did your Father tell you anything about what is happening at Slymere?" "A little," Elaine said, "Slymere is on lockdown, and they spent a few hours powering arrays to protect the city from Demetrios Skyrend''s wrath. Father said they are fine for now, as Demetrios left after expending too much Qi on powering the storm." "Say, Elaine, who do you think will win if there''s a war?" Stella asked, "I found the Skyrend family a lot easier to deal with, but I have a natural resistance to lightning Qi so that gave me an unfair advantage." "That''s a good question," Douglas agreed, "And if what you guys told me is true, the Voidmind family lost multiple Elders in the recent attack, so that should have weakened them further? Right? Or am I being dumb?" Elaine nodded as she leaned back slightly against Douglas, "I believe the Skyrend family has the upper hand in an all-out war. As you know, void Qi is very powerful at both offense and defense, but it''s incredibly hard to gather. If Demetrios floats in the sky and forces my Father to waste his void Qi on powering a defensive array, Slymere will eventually fall. Lightning Qi is much easier to gather, and its attack power is high, so the defense must be taken seriously." "What if the Voidmind family went on the offensive?" Ashlock asked through Stella. In his mind, they should send assassins using those Void Caller artifacts and slaughter the Skyrend family scions when Demetrios isn''t looking. Ashlock had only managed to defeat the Voidmind Elders through some luck and the overpowered skills of his summons, so he couldn''t see how the Skyrend family could survive a direct assault. "The Voidmind family is unlikely to go on the offensive," Diana said, "They think Elaine''s Uncle has returned with a vengeance to silence the Skyrend family. I wouldn''t be surprised if they sat back and waited for the Head Librarian to make a move while their void Qi is depleted." Elaine shook her head, "If I had to guess, Dante is begging my Father to send people to investigate my Uncle''s return. My Father''s position as the family head was only gained because of his high cultivation rather than his good relationship with the branch families. If the other branches see a possibility to either snatch the head seat away by learning the secret of ascension themselves or going out of their way to make amends with my Uncle, they will take it." Everyone fell into deep contemplation for a while. "If a war does happen between the two families, how quickly will it escalate?" Ashlock asked. He needed to know what kind of timescale he was working with here so he could prioritize certain things. Stella relayed the question to Diana as she was most knowledgeable regarding sect politics and had also been on the receiving end of an invasion from another family. "If they are of equal strength, it will take a few months at least," Diana replied after some thought, "Neither side will want to rush in at risk of falling for a trap like the Voidminds did yesterday at the tournament. The only reason they invaded so hastily yesterday was because Dante believed he could achieve total victory before the Redclaws could get a chance to gather help from other families. In short, they were sure of an overwhelming victory." Stella glanced at Kassandra''s cold corpse with a hole in her heart, "Arrogance leads to death. If we want to come out of this alive, we must be better than those currently reigning at the top." Everyone exchanged a look and nodded. It was an idea Ashlock agreed with and had been doing from the very start. He may have been forced into this cautious mindset due to being unable to run away as a tree, but he had no plans to ditch it now. This trail of thought brought him back to the Ents... they are powerful assets that are also somewhat expendable. Perfect for war. "And if I manage to extend my roots all the way out to Slymere and even the entire Blood Lotus Sect, I can launch wars with my Ents at a moment''s notice through portals," Ashlock mused, "Maybe I should turn most of them into Ents?" With that idea in mind, he asked Stella, "Between the Skyrend corpses, which one do you think I should turn into an Ent?" "You''re going to eat one of them?" Stella asked. "That''s the plan. I still want to eat one or two of the corpses to boost my cultivation up a stage, as my Star Core is mostly filled after not doing much over the last few weeks," Ashlock explained. "I would ask you to consume Kassandra to put her to eternal rest, she may have been a bitch, but I admire that she stuck to her values until the very end," Stella''s eyes narrowed at Theron, "Meanwhile I believe Theron deserves to be an eternal slave for the things he said to me and for trying to spit on Elder Margret." Ashlock was surprised about Stella''s view of Kassandra but had no qualms about agreeing to her request. If he turned Theron Skyrend into an Ent, he would be on a similar power level to Titus. "He would also give me around a thousand credits..." Ashlock sighed. The temptation of picking the points and rolling the gacha was high, but he had to admit a guaranteed Star Core Ent that he could send into battle without the risk of losing someone he cared about was a big plus. "Wait, before we decide on the other corpses, let me bring over Roderick," Ashlock''s vision blurred as he arrived far out in the wilderness, creating a massive portal for Titus to walk back through. "What''s Titus doing back here?" Diana asked while glancing up at the looming titan of black wood. Everyone''s clothes and hair rustled as the massive portal snapped closed behind Titus, leaving him towering over them with his hands clenched around something. "Titus, bring your hands down here!" Stella shouted up at the Ent, and Titus complied by bending down on one knee and presenting the hand prison to her. Ashlock was surprised that the Ent listened, but then he remembered he had commanded Titus to listen to Stella and the twins when they had gone hunting for alchemy ingredients. "Now, crush," Stella gestured to what Titus should do, and there was a loud scream from within as Titus closed his hands. "Good! Now open up," Stella gestured for Titus to open his fingers, and the Ent complied¡ªrevealing a very bloodied and broken Roderick Terraforge that was barely alive. Stella frowned as she summoned her favorite dagger to her hand, "You''re a tough little bastard, aren''t you." "P-Please..." Roderick coughed blood as he glanced around and locked eyes with Douglas, "Cousin?" Douglas diverted his gaze and looked up at the sky. Stella was unfazed by his begging as she grabbed Roderick''s hair, forcefully tilted his head to face the heavens and slit his throat. As the life left his eyes, Stella hauled the now-dead man via his hair out of the hand prison and dumped him next to the other noble corpses. Everyone watched the scene in silence, some more shocked than others. "I thought you said you didn''t care for revenge against a nobody like Roderick?" Ashlock asked. "I lied¡ªthat was far too satisfying." Stella replied through their link as she smiled sweetly, "Anyway, didn''t you want to figure out what to do with the corpses? I was just hurrying things along." "Right... sure," Ashlock said and then reanalyzed the corpses. Before him lay two Star Core corpses: Theron Skyrend and Lilian Voidmind. "I think I will turn these two into Ents, so what should I do with the other two?" Ashlock stopped musing and realized he was being an idiot. He only wanted to consume the corpses to reach the next stage in the Star Core Realm so why not eat one and see if that was enough to advance? Casting {Consuming Abyss}, black vines coated in thorns emerged from the ground and wrapped around Kassandra Skyrend as Stella requested to put her to eternal rest. A while later, there was an immense rush of Qi through the vines as he finished devouring the corpse¡ªAshlock felt his Star Core pulse¡ªexpand a tenth larger¡ªand then rapidly drain of Qi as he felt his entire body on fire with power. [+311 SC] "Phew," Ashlock sighed as the feeling subsided, and he opened his status menu. [Demonic Demi-Divine Tree (Age: 9)] [Star Core: 4th Stage] [Soul Type: Amethyst (Spatial)] [Mutations¡­] {Demonic Eye [B]} {Blood Sap [C]} [Summons...] {Ashen King: Larry [A]} {Ebonflow Serpent Sovereign: Kaida [C]} [Skills¡­] {Necroflora Sovereign [SS]} {Mystic Realm [S]} [Locked until day: 3552] {Progeny Dominion [S]} {Eye of the Tree God [A]} {Abyssal Whispers [A]} {Deep Roots [A]} {Magic Mushroom Production [A]} {Lightning Qi Barrier [A]} {Qi Fruit Production [A]} {Consuming Abyss [B]} {Blooming Root Flower Production [B]} {Language of the World [B]} {Fire Qi Protection [B]} {Transpiration of Heaven and Chaos [B]} {Hibernate [C]} {Superior Poison Resistance [C]} Ashlock read over his ever-growing status menu and mentally grinned when he saw he had advanced to the 4th stage in the Star Core Realm. If he managed to eat a few more corpses, defeat some monsters, and cultivate in the Mystic Realm, he could see the possibility of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm on the distant horizon. With that advancement out of the way, Ashlock could turn all three of the remaining corpses into Ents. "Let''s start with Theron Skyrend. I wonder what a 6th Stage lightning affinity human cultivator will look like as an Ent," Ashlock mused, "Will he be as tall as Titus? What about his skin? Will he have a weird texture like Bob?" Deciding to find out, Ashlock activated his SS grade skill {Necroflora Sovereign} and watched the magic happen. AMAZON LAUNCH + ART (LETS GOOOOOO) Hey everyone! Today, I''m pleased to announce that the first book in the Reborn as a Demonic Tree series is finally available through Kindle, Kindle Unlimited & Audible! This has been in the works since January, and a part of me thought this day would never come! What started as a silly idea on a random November afternoon has now turned into a web serial spanning 500k+ words, which I know many people have enjoyed! We have gone through some trials and tribulations, but due to everyone''s encouragement and pointing out the flaws, I believe I have significantly improved as an author since I first started. The version on Amazon has been edited, with a few plot holes filled in. The reading experience was considerably improved, and I think the audio narrator did a great job. Now comes the shameless part...This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I write full-time and would love to write and devote all my time and effort to Tree for the next few years. This is only possible if this Amazon launch does well, and the odds are not stacked in my favor. On average, non-human lead books do five times worse than standard male human stories. My only hope is to gather enough ratings/reviews to convince Amazon readers who might be on the fence to try my novel, as I''m sure they will enjoy it once they start reading! So I need everyone''s help. I''m not asking you to buy the book (although that would help a lot), but I would really appreciate any reviews or ratings. You do not need to buy the book to leave a review or rating. It literally takes 5 seconds to click on Amazon, scroll down, select a star rating, and that''s it. Every single review/rating helps greatly with both the algorithm and making the rather silly-sounding premise have some more legitimacy. If you have left a review here on RoyalRoad, it would be very epic of you to cross-post it to Amazon :D But it wouldn''t be fun if I just ask things of you guys without offering something in return, right? If we can reach 500 ratings or rank 150 (on .com store) by Monday at the usual chapter posting time, I will dump an extra FIVE chapters. So, that means you guys will get ten chapters next week if this goal is reached. This goal will be reached if just 5% of the people reading this chapter buy or rate the book, so it''s a very obtainable goal if you all work together! That aside, here''s some artwork I got made for the occasion: It shows Larry, Stella, Ashlock, Diana, Douglas and Elaine. Book 3 Art!
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Some Ai fan art posted by "PraiseTheFOOL" in discord: Chapter 253: Inner World (End of book 3) Through all the chaos of the fight, Ashlock had kept one thing in the back of his mind: To make sure that Nox''s infant soul didn''t manage to escape. He wasn''t sure how it worked with Nascent Souls and what this infant soul would look like, so he kept his demonic eye peeled, which he had re-opened when Diana came in and took Nox to the skies. While everyone else was hurt and angry, he ignored the pain in his trunk from being almost chopped in half and tried to keep calm as he glared at Nox. Sure enough, one of the Star Cores within Nox began to go supernova while the other phased out and stayed floating high in the sky. Even as Diana slammed Nox''s body into the mountain peak, causing a shower of rubble and a crater to form and begin tearing her apart, he kept his focus on Nox''s soul. But Nox''s infant soul simply floated there. To his spiritual sense, and he assumed to everyone else, it was invisible, but in the gaze of his demonic eye, it was a blazing ball of shadow and so much more. It flickered and burned with personality. Somehow, the more he watched, the more he understood it. If before the soul had burned with rage, it was now calm and simply watching the world pass by. Ashlock tried to reach out to the soul, but it was intangible, like attempting to grasp a cloud of steam. But there was one thing he could latch onto... the black roots growing out from it like tentacles. The curse devouring the soul was very much tangible, and he could use telekinesis on it. Since it wasn''t going anywhere, while keeping an eye on it, Ashlock used {Consuming Abyss} on Nox''s body that was going supernova to avoid being blown up. The black vines and void tendrils of his skill worked in harmony to devour her clothes, flesh, and blood. To Ashlock''s surprise, the void tendrils could not rid Nox''s corpse of his cursed sap, but the digestive fluid from his black vines devoured it like everything else without issue. So, there had been a cure to his curse all along. "Even in death, you were useful," Ashlock muttered as he returned his focus to the soul floating overhead while he waited for Nox''s corpse to be fully devoured. He could drag it down here with telekinesis and eat it for sacrificial credits, but that felt wasteful. "I have yet to see my curse actually succeed in turning someone into a tree, and wouldn''t a Nascent Soul-level tree feed me loads of Qi and work great as a Bastion?" Worst case, he could just use {Consuming Abyss} on her once she became a tree for sacrificial credits. "I wonder how much personality and memories she will maintain once she succumbs to the curse." Ashlock mused. He could already tell she had changed by how the floating soul flickered and dimmed. Deciding to discover how much she had changed, he spoke to her through {Abyssal Whispers}. To his surprise, she could hold a conversation, but she was like a different person. More sentimental and thoughtful. Less hate and rage-filled. It was almost scary how much she reminded him of himself when he had faced death after the Dao Storm, so Ashlock did something even he hadn''t expected he would do after everything she had done. He gave her a second chance. But it was certainly a twisted form of mercy. She would be stripped of her human body and stuck into the body of a tree. Forced to watch over Ashfallen City, populated by the mortals as its guardian tree. After concluding his conversation with Nox, he used telekinesis to plant her in the raised area of Ashfallen City so Julian could keep an eye on her. "I will turn her into a Bastion after I confirm how turning into a tree has affected her," Ashlock pondered, "But for now, other things are demanding my attention. Red Vine Peak is still a mess, and Dante is still alive." Before he had left to plant Nox''s soul. The sunlight had caused the Mystic Realm to collapse and slowly pull everyone from it one by one, like last time. Stella had emerged first, followed by Diana, who had helped him defeat Nox. A few minutes later, the Redclaws, Elaine, Larry, Kaida, Douglas, and the thousands of Mudcloaks had arrived and surrounded Dante. There was no way for the Voidmind scion to emerge triumphant, so he left it in their hands. Returning to Red Vine Peak, the System notified Ashlock of how many sacrificial credits killing Nox had rewarded him. [+1800 SC] It was a significant amount. Ashlock hadn''t seen a number that high in a long time as prey of a higher realm became more challenging to come by and defeat. With Nox''s body and soul absorbed, Ashlock tried to control the chaotic Qi surging through his body. There was so much it felt like he had opened a floodgate as the Qi absorbed from Nox''s body rushed into his Soul Core, making it rapidly expand to its limit and then pulse with power. The entire mountain peak glowed with spatial flames, and Ashlock experienced a wave of excitement from his thousands of offspring as an event he had been waiting for occurred. He went up a cultivation stage. [Demonic Demi-Divine Tree (Age: 9)] [Star Core: 9th Stage] [Soul Type: Amethyst (Spatial)] He now stood at the peak of the Star Core Realm. Yet the rush of power didn''t stop. He had been close to reaching the next stage, so ascending to the 9th stage wasn''t surprising, but it kept going. His Star Core continued to expand and expand until he felt his trunk begin to struggle to contain his soul. [You reached the threshold for the Nascent Soul Realm] Ashlock mentally blinked at the system message floating in his mind. He knew that reaching the peak of Star Core was half the journey to ascending to Nascent Soul as he had fought with many peak Star Core cultivators, but Nox had been the first Nascent Soul he had ever faced. They were incredibly rare with the power to rule over entire sects, so simply getting enough Qi was the first step. "Will I need to form a second soul now?" Ashlock wondered. How did that even work, and would the fact he is a tree affect things? "I suppose using {Progeny Dominion} all the time makes splitting my soul through a supernova less intimidating. I also have {Nocturnal Genesis} to heal any soul damage." [Ascension to Nascent Soul Realm requires the creation of an Inner World] "An inner world?" Ashlock was confused, "Not a second soul? What even is an inner world? Is it like a realm created inside myself?" [Your soul size, unique capabilities, and divine nature have qualified you to create an Inner World] [Do you wish to begin the creation process?] Ashlock didn''t see a reason to hesitate, so he accepted the system prompt. Immediately, he felt something wrong, so he looked within himself. His Star Core was changing. Qi was being siphoned off, deconstructed into raw, untamed Qi, and then gathering into a loose cloud that converged inside his Star Core. As he fed more and more Qi into the cloud, it started to condense but never turned into something solid, no matter how hard he tried. It simply remained as a cloud of chaotic, untamed Qi. [Chaos Nebula formed] "So this strange cloud of untamed Qi inside my own soul is a Chaos Nebula?" Ashlock wondered. Other than absorbing a lot of his Qi in the most inefficient way possible, he hadn''t seen much point in it so far. [Requirements to turn Chaos Nebula into an Inner World: 2565 / 10000 Sacrificial Credits 0 / 1 Absorbed Fire Star Cores 0 / 1 Absorbed Water Star Cores 0 / 1 Absorbed Earth Star Cores 0 / 1 Absorbed Wind Star Cores 0 / 1 Absorbed Metal Star Cores] Ashlock looked down the long list of requirements and groaned in annoyance. But was then surprised when a list of rewards appeared alongside it. [Rewards upon formation of the Inner World: You will ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm. The System will be upgraded with new features. {Transpiration of Heaven and Chaos [B]} will be upgraded.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Your attacks will carry the weight of your Inner World behind them, and your rate of cultivation will increase the more you develop your Inner World] Ashlock read over the messages for a while since it was a lot to take in. He had never seen such a high sacrificial credit cost for something, and because he was at the peak of the Star Core Realm, it would become more challenging to gather the required credits. There was also the issue of him needing to find Star Core cultivators of the various basic elements to absorb. "Though with the Mystic Realm and bounty hunters after Stella, absorbing the Star Cores of such common affinities shouldn''t take long," Ashlock sighed. He was more worried about having to pour so many precious sacrificial credits into the creation of this Inner World, but despite the high costs, the rewards were clear. The gap between a Star Core and Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was uncrossable. If not for his curse eating Nox''s soul alive, she would have chopped him down and then gone on to kill everyone in his sect. Possibly only being stopped by Maple or Larry if the spider had reached his next evolution. So, to achieve that realm would make him one of the undisputed strongest in the region and give him a fighting chance against the Blood Lotus Patriarch. But that wasn''t all. Apparently, his system would be upgraded with new features, which definitely piqued Ashlock''s interest. His system had been very laid back and offered few features thus far, so he wondered how it would be upgraded. Next, it claimed his cultivation technique would be upgraded, likely in some relation to his new Inner World. "If my cultivation technique is raised to the A or even S grade, I should be able to soar through the stages compared to others due to my S grade skill {Nocturnal Genesis}, which can increase my cultivation speed tenfold during the night." Ashlock mused as he eyed the final reward, which spoke of increasing his cultivation speed even more the further developed his Inner World was. However, what interested him more was how his attacks would carry the weight of his Inner World. "Is that referring to the gravity of my presence? Will people feel the weight of a planet on their shoulders when they face me in the future?" His mind was racing with many ideas, and he was excited about what this Inner World could entail, but the real world demanded his attention for now. Dismissing the notifications and leaving his newly formed Chaos Nebula behind, he emerged from his body and glanced around with his {Demonic Eye}. The mountain peak was a mess. Crushed fruit painted the stone floor in a myriad of colors under a pile of broken branches. A crater that had served as Nox''s grave lay nearby, and fallen leaves decorated the destruction as if it were late autumn. In the distance, he saw Dante being restrained to the ground by nothing but Larry''s pressure. The Ashen King loomed over Dante with the ring of ash that orbited his crown of horns, rotating rapidly. "Since when was Larry that strong?" Ashlock wondered, "Has he reached the threshold to evolve to the S grade after this round in the Mystic Realm? Will he finally join Kaida and become a divine summon?" Dante could not even struggle as his Star Core was utterly devoid of Qi. He had clearly fought until the end against everyone who had suddenly appeared from the Mystic Realm if the burns and wounds covering his body and surroundings were anything to go by. "Sister! Tell these savages to let me go!" Dante ordered Elaine, who stood before him with her arms crossed below her chest. "Savages?" Elaine raised a brow, "You''re the one kneeling on the floor and barking like a dog. What exactly makes these people savages in your eyes." Dante glared at all the people present. He took a deep breath and looked back at Elaine with fake love in his eyes, "Elaine... I am your dear brother. We share the same superior bloodline and family. I have always cared deeply and looked out for you. So how can you stand beside these people as your brother is reduced to such a state?" "I have never heard so much delusional bullshit in my life, and again with that bloodline nonsense," Elaine pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a frustrated sigh, "You and Father never cared for me. I didn''t live up to both of your twisted standards of perfection, so I was sent off to work under Uncle." "No, that''s not true..." Elaine cleared her voice and began imitating Dante, "Sister, my time is precious. In fact, the mere seconds I spend gracing you with my words is a waste of time." Elaine smiled, "That is what you told me last time we met in the Voidmind residence in Darklight City. Is it not? Does that sound like something a loving brother would say?" "That was merely in jest. You know I didn''t mean it like that," Dante refuted with a frown, "How could you be so cold to me now? Ever since the Skyrend Grand Elder crippled me, I have seen the error in my ways and become a changed man. You can see that, right? I regret what I said in the past, I really do..." Elaine walked over and tapped Dante''s head. Through his {Demonic Eye}, Ashlock saw that Elaine had infused an illusion into Dante''s mind. She summoned a mirror before him and asked, "What do you see?" Dante''s eyes widened, "That''s me... my perfect self! How did you do this? My hideous scars are gone." Elaine lowered the mirror, "And me? What do you see?" Dante studied her face, "I see an inferior version of Mother..." "Yeah, you haven''t changed one bit," Elaine snorted, "Still the same terrible person you have always been." "Wait, how did you do that?" Dante was clawing at his face under Larry''s pressure as he glared at the mirror on the floor, "Change it back!" "It was all an illusion, Dante." Elaine smirked as she stepped away, "Did you know our bloodline isn''t cursed? There is a way for our family to ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm, and I know how to do it." "Dual-core..." Dante stared at Elaine as if she were a mythical creature, "How could I have not thought of that! Did Uncle discover this? Is that how he ascended? Come with me back to the family right now to share this news. Our family can rise to new heights, and we will both be heralded as family heroes!" "I don''t care about the family," Elaine looked away, "Both you and Father have been dead to me for a long time. I only care for Mother and some of my siblings." "Then you must let me live if you care about them!" Dante shouted but then winced from his injuries. "Don''t listen to this blabbering idiot anymore, Elaine," Stella scowled as she drew her sword, "His voice is grating my ears, and he''s so darn ugly to look at. Let''s just end this so we can move on and clean up this mess these two bastards caused." "Now, hold on, Stella." Elaine pulled her back and whispered in her ear, "I know you are distraught because Tree is hurt, but we might as well hear him out. It could be important. Okay?" Stella glared at Dante before lowering her sword. Her arm was shaking, and she was covered in blood. Her bones were also likely broken from fighting with Nox, but Sol needed to be restored before the Ent could heal anyone. "Thank you." Elaine sighed, "Dante, I will humor you, but be quick. Why should I let you live? What does your life have to do with Mother." Dante was clearly displeased but hurried up when he saw Stella raise her sword again. "Okay, I will tell you... A war is on the horizon between the Voidmind and the Skyrend family. A war that will start if I am not presented to the Skyrend Patriarch in a month." "Okay, and?" Elaine asked. "Did you not hear me, you idiot?" Dante hissed through his teeth, "If I die, the war will start, and our family, including Mother and our siblings, will be slaughtered! Nox consumed all of our spirit stones during her ascension, destroyed Slymere City, and killed dozens of Elders! Nox also cursed Father with the same curse that brought her here. I have to be kept alive for at least a month to prevent the war..." Ashlock finally got the answer to why there had been a lightning storm over Slymere. It had been Nox ascending to the Nascent Soul Realm. "Will my tribulation be that short and calm?" Ashlock wondered. Nox''s tribulation had destroyed the mortal city, but it had seemed weak compared to the tribulation Stella and the others had faced in the Mystic Realm to ascend to the Star Core Realm. "I don''t see the problem here," Stella shrugged. "We should just kill him." Elaine glanced over to Stella, "What do you mean? If we turn him in, the war can be prevented." "You only care about your mother and siblings, right? We can just go over and save them before the month ends and leave the rest of the family to die to the Skyrends." Stella grinned, "Then we can join the battle and wipe out the Skyrends from behind. The more corpses, the happier Tree is." Ashlock was proud of his daughter''s foresight. How could she have foreseen that he had a substantial sacrificial credit deficit to fill that a war would be perfect for. It was almost as if she read his mind... "Are you insane?" Dante asked Stella, "You want to kill me and wipe out two of the most powerful noble families in the glorious Blood Lotus Sect to feed corpses to a fucking tree? Elaine, are you listening to this? The people you stand beside are worshiping a tree!" Stella crouched down before Dante and forced him to meet her eyes by gripping his jaw, "Look around you. Everyone is gathered and alive here today because of that ''fucking tree.'' Under Ashlock''s canopy and guidance, we have formed the Ashfallen Sect that devours your beloved Blood Lotus Sect from within... one person and noble family at a time." "Your arrogance knows no bounds," Dante hissed, "The Patriarch will find out about this. There is no way he will turn a blind eye to the start of such a war. This can all be prevented! Elaine, stop this madness; restrain this crazy bitch!" Elaine ignored Dante and simply nodded to Stella. "You call me insane and arrogant," Stella''s eyes smiled as her hand blurred, and she stabbed Dante in the throat with a dagger, "But that is what I call those fools who stand against us." Stella ruthlessly twisted and pulled out the dagger in a shower of blood. Dante began coughing up blood and wheezing for air, but Stella didn''t care. She released her grip on Dante''s chin and let him drop onto the ground as if it were a dirty sack of potatoes. "Elaine, since it was your brother, what do you want to do with him?" "To call that person my brother," Elaine turned away as if disgusted to even look at it. "I will leave that thing to you. Treat him with as much respect as he treated me in life." Stella nodded and turned on her heel to look toward Ashlock, "Got any ideas, Tree? Do you want to eat him?" Ashlock needed more credits, but he had an even better idea. "Hey Maple," Ashlock spoke to the squirrel, napping in his branches, "Could you squash the body down and feed it into my eye?" The last time this had happened, he had upgraded his {Devour} skill into {Consuming Abyss} with the void Qi from the Voidmind Elder. Maple slowly woke up, and perhaps because he hadn''t contributed thus far, the lazy squirrel actually conformed to his request without protest and trapped Dante''s body into a bubble of void. Ashlock sent his void tendrils to wrap around the offered bubble of void containing Dante and began dragging him toward his demonic eye, peeking through his cracked and cut bark. Everyone who had emerged from the Mystic Realm watched as Dante gargled on blood and struggled within the void as he got closer to being swallowed by Ashlock. Once inside and released inside Ashlock''s trunk, the Voidmind scion gazed upon his blazing soul, engulfing a nebula with wide eyes. Blood flowed from his cut neck, and the life was slowly leaving his eyes. As expected, no Star Core cultivators were willing to die without a bang, so Dante started going supernova. Ashlock made no moves to stop the process and simply waited. As a demi-divine being, the void could not harm him. Instead, he would use the void Qi to empower one of his skills. The mountain peak was still a mess; everyone looked tired and hurt. But the Ashfallen Sect still stood taller than ever. Ashlock was on the cusp of forming an Inner World and reaching the next realm. Nox had been turned into a tree that lorded over Ashfallen City, which will see rapid development thanks to the thousands of new Mudcloaks that were joining the workforce. Everyone had seen a boost in cultivation due to the Mystic Realm, and Larry was likely about to ask to evolve to S rank. There was so much to catch up on and explore, but first, Ashlock would need to select which skill he wished to combine with the void element once Dante finished going supernova, and then... "I will need a long sleep to recover from all this." Ashlock sighed. Chapter 254: Ethereal Roots (Start of Book 4) Ashlock had never been a morning person. Even when he had been a human back on Earth, the morning sunlight filled him with more dread and sleepiness. Rather than waking up to the constant chirping of birds, he would roll over, bury his head deeper in his pillow, and pray for a few more minutes of rest. Ever since becoming a demonic tree, his slothful nature had only worsened. It was partially the fault of his personality that had followed him through death to this new world, but it was also due to his new biology. Time passed at a different rate to him, and even with the marvels of Qi, he was still a giant tree with a body that spanned a thousand miles in every direction and spread throughout the eight thousand-meter tall mountain he called home. Whatever the reasons and excuses, the point was he sucked at mornings, and the only thing worse than the mornings was a very eventful one that was sprung upon Ashlock before he could even bathe in the sunlight for a while. He had a headache, and it was not because of Dante Voidmind blowing himself up supernova-style inside his soul. [Warning: Foreign Qi Detected] [High Risk of Soul Corruption] Ashlock looked at the messages he had seen before and, unlike last time, didn''t feel a hint of panic. Soul corruption used to terrify him, but with his latest S-grade skill {Nocturnal Genesis}, which slowly healed soul damage, such a risk didn''t bother him. [Generating solutions...] [Convert foreign Qi into spatial Qi] [Merge void Qi with a system skill to upgrade it] [Dispel void Qi into the nearby atmosphere] Just like last time, he was given a list of options. "If only I was immune to all types of Qi and not just void Qi," Ashlock sighed as he picked the second option, "Having someone go supernova inside my soul would undoubtedly kill me, but wouldn''t it be cool if I could merge my skills with other affinities?" The system messages drifted away, and his all-too-familiar status screen appeared. [Demonic Demi-Divine Tree (Age: 9)] [Star Core: 9th Stage] [Soul Type: Amethyst (Spatial)] [Mutations¡­] {Demonic Eye [B]} {Blood Sap [C]} [Summons...] {Ashen King: Larry [A]} {Midnight Ink Lindwyrm: Kaida [B]} [Skills¡­] {Skyborne Bastion [SSS]} {Necroflora Sovereign [SS]} {Mystic Realm [S]} [Locked until day: 3626] {Progeny Dominion [S]} {Dimensional Overlap [S]} {Nocturnal Genesis [S]} {Eye of the Tree God [A]} {Abyssal Whispers [A]} {Deep Roots [A]} {Magic Mushroom Production [A]} {Lightning Qi Barrier [A]} {Qi Fruit Production [A]} {Consuming Abyss [B]} {Blooming Root Flower Production [B]} {Language of the World [B]} {Fire Qi Protection [B]} {Transpiration of Heaven and Chaos [B]} {Superior Poison Resistance [C]} "Compared to last time, I have so many more options to choose from," Ashlock lamented. It was too early in the morning to make such an important decision, and he was also pressed for time. Beyond his trunk were literally thousands of people and monsters that had emerged from the Mystic Realm awaiting his direction, and he also wanted to see how they had progressed. [Select the skill you wish to merge with the void Qi] As if sensing his wandering attention, the system reminded him to choose. The void Qi could harm him if left unused and floating around his soul. "Let''s think this through. Assuming it works the same as last time, whatever skill I choose will go up a grade and be changed due to the addition of the void element. {Devour [C]} became {Consuming Abyss [B]}, and without it, I would likely be dead by now. The void tendrils have been invaluable for disposing of stronger opponents that got past or defeated my allies." So, ideally, he would pick one of his attack skills to upgrade... "I don''t have any other attack skills other than {Consuming Abyss}." Ashlock scanned down the list, "Other than {Skyborne Bastion [SSS]} or perhaps {Dimension Overlap [S]}, which are sort of attack skills but not really." The more he thought about it, the more he realized these two would be interesting options. {Skyborne Bastion} because it was an SSS grade skill, and he was curious if there was a grade higher than the SSS grade. Whereas if he upgraded {Dimension Overlap}, he might gain access to the void where Maple''s siblings live. But these two skills already had a big issue. They were expensive. Sacrificial credits were getting harder to come by, and as Ashlock progressed, more skills relied on SC to function. "Skyborne Bastion is one of my strongest skills right now, but the thousand credit cost is already far too steep. If I upgraded it now and the cost jumped up to create void bastions, I would never be able to afford it. Dimension Overlap is the same. Even if it unlocked a feature where I could go and visit Maple''s siblings, I bet it won''t be cheap." Ashlock didn''t dismiss these skills, but he hunted for something better. "Mhm, I don''t see how my production skills could benefit from the void element much. My protection and resistance skills would greatly help me, but they feel like a waste. If I need to use those skills in a fight, it means all else failed, and I am in great danger. So, I would rather pick a skill that lets me avoid that."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ashlock then noticed {Transpiration of Heaven and Chaos [B]}, "There isn''t much point in upgrading my cultivation technique as I believe it was listed as one of the system rewards for reaching Nascent Soul Realm, right?" [Rewards upon formation of the Inner World: You will ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm. The System will be upgraded with new features. {Transpiration of Heaven and Chaos [B]} will be upgraded. Your attacks will carry the weight of your Inner World behind them, and your rate of cultivation will increase the more you develop your Inner World] "Oh yeah, there it is. Of course, there could be an argument for upgrading it to an A grade with void affinity and then upgrading again to an S once I reached Nascent Soul Realm, but I want to pick something that will help me both now and in the future." Ashlock dismissed it. He had no idea how long it would take him to gather those 10,000 credits and different star cores to reach the next realm, and in that time, a better cultivation technique wouldn''t help as it wouldn''t advance him past the bottleneck. Progeny Dominion, Nocturnal Genesis, and Abyssal Whispers were also ticked off his list as he didn''t want the void affinity affecting his connection to his offspring, warping the dreamscape before he figured out the purpose of those moons, or buffing his telepathy skill to the point it obliterated any mind he used it on. "So what does that leave me with?" Ashlock mulled over the list, and then a skill that he used every day in the background that was in desperate need of an upgrade caught his eye, "{Deep Roots [A]}, now that is an old skill. It constantly empowers my roots with Qi, allowing them to burrow deeper and grow far faster than a normal tree. The distance I can cover that would take another tree years, takes me a few days due to this A grade skill. I can also hollow out my roots to turn them into tunnels, which Stella used to travel through the mountain before we both got better at using portals." It sounded like a simple skill, but its importance in his life should not be underestimated. Spreading his roots was integral to expanding his power and influence upon the realm. Anywhere within Ashlock''s roots was his domain. He could flood areas with Qi and open portals to transport people across vast distances. Connect with faraway forests and hunt monsters and people before they get closer. Not to mention, his Bastions moved faster over land under his control. All of this happened because of his roots. His agency depended on the spreading of his roots. The further he reached, the more powerful and safer he was. In a way, his roots were his ultimate attack skill, as they enabled everything else. "I can also see how void affinity would greatly empower my roots. Maybe I can burrow deep enough to latch onto that leyline that causes the beast tides to follow set paths." Ashlock mused. He had not forgotten about the leylines. They were basically the Qi arteries of the realm, and the area along them had higher concentrations of Qi, which caused sects to be built upon them, but it also attracted the monsters. [Choose system skill: {Deep Roots [A]}?] Ashlock was a little hesitant. He was spoilt for choice, and there had been so many good options. No matter what he picked, there would be some regret, but overall, he felt this was the best choice for his current objectives. "There could always be a next time if I get my hands on some of the Voidmind family and force them to go supernova inside my soul." Mentally accepting the system prompt, he watched as the skill vanished from his list, and information began to flood his mind as something took its place. [Skill upgrading... 1%] [Skill upgrading... 27%] [Skill upgrading... 53%] A short while passed, and as the information settled in his mind, he knew he had made a good choice. [Skill upgrading... 100%] [Void Qi corruption eradicated] [Skill upgrade successful] [Upgraded {Deep Roots [A]} -> {Ethereal Roots [S]}] A wave of power surged through the entire mountain and across the land as his roots slowly changed from simple fleshy roots coated in a layer of Qi to something more. It wasn''t until now that Ashlock realized how weighed down he had been. Much like burying his foot in wet sand at the beach when he had been human, Ashlock''s roots had tons of rock and earth pressing down and restricting their movement. He just hadn''t noticed since it had been like that since his rebirth as a tree. Until now, he had spent a lot of Qi and nutrients trying to force his roots through the rock, which grew more challenging and costly the further from his trunk he ventured. But now he felt reborn as his roots began to take on an ethereal nature, much like the ones that phased through reality to connect him to his Bastion, and he was freed from the pressure. "God, that feels so good," Ashlock relished in the relief washing through his vast body. It was impossible to describe, but it was as if the weight of the world unknowingly suffocating him had been lifted. Ashlock closely inspected his nearest root right below his trunk, as it had been the first to complete the transformation. It looked similar to before but was ever so slightly transparent. He could see his cursed sap flowing through it and the hollowed-out center, which had served as a tunnel before. "Before, my roots could only burrow deeper; I couldn''t move them around freely due to the rock restricting them, but if the information regarding the skill is correct, then..." Ashlock tried to raise his root upwards, and to his astonishment, it worked. As the root rose to the surface, the rock above vanished as if eaten by the void. Ashlock felt Qi being drained from his Star Core, but to his relief, no sacrificial credits were spent. "So, at the cost of Qi, I can move my roots around freely as if they were tentacles underwater. Well, it is more like viscous mud; there is still some resistance, but it''s way less than before. Am I like a rock octopus now? No... more like an octotree." Ashlock wiggled around for a bit and wanted to experiment more, but at the rate of change, it would take a few days for all of his roots to transition to their new ethereal form. Which was a shame since he was looking forward to the other effects of the skill. Turning his roots from fleshy sap to ones that were more ethereal in nature came with many advantages. Worrying about the distance from his trunk was a thing of the past. Because his roots were now ethereal, the transfer of Qi down them offered no resistance, so he lost no Qi to the surroundings during the transfer. Which was a massive boon to everything he did. He could exchange Qi and nutrients with his offspring with the same efficiency no matter how far they were from him, and he could fight distant battles without wasting as much Qi. "The fact I don''t leak Qi into the surroundings as much also helps me spread my roots closer to my enemies without them noticing, perhaps even under their very feet," Ashlock concluded because one of the most significant advantages of the void element that had turned his roots ethereal was its ability to remain undetected. It''s what made Khaos an apex predator that could appear beside and rip apart cultivators before they even knew how they died. Other aspects of the void also carried over to his new roots, such as their capabilities to go through anything. Defensive arrays? Runically enhanced walls? Dimensions? The void itself? There was nothing to block or stop his roots from spreading. "Space also seems compressed in my roots, considering how fast my cursed sap appears to flow," Ashlock muttered as he examined his own root a little closer. Deciding to quickly test it for curiosity''s sake, he had the hollowed-out root rise out of the ground beside him and then, under everyone''s curious gazes, used telekinesis to drop fruit into it. The fruit blinked in and out of existence, traveling through the root as if the distance was near zero and arriving at the tunnel exit down in the cavern a second later. 8000 meters had been crossed in an instant. The fruit didn''t gain any velocity, so rather than splatting hard on the ground, it simply plopped onto the stone. "I am glad I tested that beforehand with a fruit. It would have been a disaster if Stella or someone went through and got slammed into the ground as if they had been shot via a railgun." Ashlock already had many ideas for this aspect of his new ethereal roots, as it seemed safe for even mortals and weak cultivators to use it. "Basically, it''s like a portal, but I don''t have to manually keep opening and closing it. The possibilities really are endless. I could use this to connect Red Vine Peak to Ashfallen City, create a way for the Redclaws to venture deep into the wilderness in seconds, or use it for our pill empire... which is still in the process of selling a single pill but let''s ignore that small detail." Ashlock had felt some spatial Qi being spent to send that fruit down, so his roots were definitely using his spatial Qi to shorten the distance. "Oh shit. If I spend my Qi, will the system take away my ability to reach Nascent Soul Realm?" Ashlock dug through his system screens and pulled up the notification. [Requirements to turn Chaos Nebula into an Inner World: 2565 / 10000 Sacrificial Credits 0 / 1 Absorbed Fire Star Cores 0 / 1 Absorbed Water Star Cores 0 / 1 Absorbed Earth Star Cores 0 / 1 Absorbed Wind Star Cores 0 / 1 Absorbed Metal Star Cores] He couldn''t see anywhere that mentioned or suggested that he couldn''t spend as much Qi as he wanted, which was a relief. As usual, the system only really cared for the precious sacrificial credits and left him and his cultivation alone. "Master, please excuse my interruption." Ashlock was pulled out of his consciousness by a gruff voice he recognized immediately. Since his {Demonic Eye} was still open, he gazed down at Larry standing before him. In the red hue that showed Ashlock the flow of Qi, Larry looked like a blazing sun of power on par with Nox, who had died moments earlier and been turned into a tree and planted in Ashfallen City. "Larry, my loyal summon. How can I help?" Ashlock asked, but he suspected the answer. "I was hoping the honorable master would bless my evolution." [Larry has accumulated enough Qi to evolve to S grade] [New evolution option(s) have been added due to consumption of divine flesh] [Ashen King {Larry} wishes to evolve] [Yes/No] Was that even a question? "Yes, of course, I approve of your evolution," Ashlock replied to Larry, and the system also seemed to hear his words as the words faded and new ones took their place. The divine evolution options for the Ashen King filled his mind. Announcement Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words WordsUnauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Chapter 305: A Monarchs Agony (End of Book 4) Ashlock felt a tingling sensation like pins and needles rising up through his roots, enveloping his entire land-spanning body. If the cries of concern echoing through the root network were anything to go by, his offspring suffered a similar fate. "Is this what it feels like to earn the attention of the World Tree," Ashlock shuddered, causing his bark to creak and his leaves to rustle violently as his Star Core quivered. It was an almost impossible sensation to describe, and it was made all the more concerning because he couldn''t exactly flee from it. "Agh!" Ashlock groaned as an incredibly low rumbling sound started reverberating through his consciousness, threatening to tear his very sense of being apart. [Skill {Basic Mental Resistance [F]} Learned!] A system notification he hadn''t seen in a very long time barely managed to distract him from the rumbling getting worse. [Upgraded {Basic Mental Resistance [F]} -> {Mental Resistance [E]}] If his consciousness had been a serene lake before, it was now a choppy ocean as the low rumbling squeezed and pulled on his mind. [Upgraded {Mental Resistance [E]} -> {Greater Mental Resistance [D]}] The terrible pain of his consciousness being messed with subsided slightly, but it was not enough to stop him from screaming in terror. [Upgraded {Greater Mental Resistance [D]} -> {Superior Mental Resistance [C]}] Ashlock could feel his system''s desperation to keep him alive as the system notifications practically overlaid one another, and his new mental resistance skill rapidly leveled up. [Upgraded {Superior Mental Resistance [C]} -> {Mental Protection [B]}] Like a shield, a bubble manifested around his consciousness, protecting him from the terrible rumbling. The tingling sensation and terror throughout his root network was still there, but at least he could think straight for a moment. "Tree? Are you okay?" He could hear Stella''s voice as she drummed her balled fists on his bark. "No," Ashlock answered honestly. If not for the system''s timely assistance and willingness to assist him in self-preservation, he wouldn''t have lasted another minute. He was not okay. That had been frightening, and he had no idea how long his new Mental Protection skill would hold out. "What happened? Did Mom attack you?" It took Ashlock a moment to realize Stella was talking about the World Tree when she spoke about her Mom. He was still out of it and trying to pull himself together. "Yeah... something like that. I''m not even sure if it was an attack, but I definitely earned her attention." Stella turned around and sat with her back pressed against his bark. Closing her eyes, she controlled her breathing and rested her head. Everyone watched in silence, including the Redclaws and Jasmine, as they let the Princess of Ashfallen figure out the best thing to do. Meanwhile, Ashlock poured as much Qi as possible into his mental defenses. Worst case, he would pull his roots back toward the surface and accept that he couldn''t tap into the untamed Qi of the leyline. A while passed until Stella eventually frowned and opened her eyes. "What is it?" Ashlock asked. "She''s in pain." "Pain?" Ashlock asked in confusion. "Am I causing her pain?" Stella shook her head, "I don''t think so, as I can''t see how you could cause such deep pain to such a powerful being." Ashlock thought back to his dreams and could still recall the phantom pain he experienced as the past World Trees, as he was harvested alive by those cultivators for eons. "The Celestial Empire..." Ashlock mused to himself. "What if it''s not a safe haven for the World Tree but rather a prison? We thought she was the protector of the Celestial Empire and was the reason the city had stood the test of time, unlike the demonic sects that had to keep moving. But once I learned that the World Tree''s roots are the leylines, I thought she was maliciously controlling the monsters to cause beast tides, but what if she''s trying to create a beast tide big enough to free herself from the Celestial Empire by wiping it out instead?" Stella looked to the floor, and she balled her fists. Feeling the World Tree''s pain seemed to be a lot for her. Ashlock slowly lowered his mental protection and listened more closely to the rumbling noise, which was reminiscent of a blue whale calling out through the ocean, just at the strength of a dying god. Sure enough, it didn''t feel directed at him. It was just an overwhelming wave of a single emotion: agony. "You poor thing," Ashlock spoke through his roots with raw emotions, the same way he communicated with his offspring. Senior Lee had mentioned that the World Tree was capable of rudimentary conversation through emotions, but she seemed to ignore him as the waves of agony continued. "Can you hear me? I can help you..." Ashlock tried his best to get a response, but nothing he said seemed to reach the miserable tree. Whatever pain she was suffering was simply too unbearable to even give him a sliver of her attention. "Mom needs our help, Tree," Stella said into her knees as she rocked back and forth on one of his exposed roots. She looked up at his canopy with tears in the corner of her eyes, "She''s suffering. Isn''t there anything we can do?" Ashlock glanced at everyone on the mountain peak with his Demonic Eye and nobody avoided his gaze. They were all members of Ashfallen¡ªdependable allies that he had gathered in fear of suffering the fate of the World Tree from those terrible nightmares. Meanwhile, the World Tree was likely all alone, fated for a lifetime of suffering. "Sorry, I seem to be missing something," Elder Margret said, "Stella''s Mother is suffering somewhere?" Stella hesitantly nodded, "Something like that... though I''m not totally sure if she is my Mom." Stella then whispered into Ashlock''s mind, "But even if she isn''t my Mom, feeling a tree in such pain makes me want to scream. Trees are such gentle and caring beings. To inflict misery to that level on one is something I can''t understand." "There is one thing we can do," Ashlock said to all present, his voice echoing in their minds much like the World Trees did in his own. "We have to get stronger to save her. That is the only way." Stella''s face fell, "We have to get stronger... Mom is in pain right now¡ªshe doesn''t have time to wait for us. Is that really the only option? " "Always has been," Magnus Redclaw said, "Since the day the first mortal gained the favor of the heavens and wielded Qi, it''s been a race to the top. To the mortals, we are gods, and to the strong, we are ants." "The race to the top is exhausting, and I am sick of it," Stella snapped back and stood. Her hands trembled, and tears flowed down her cheeks, "All my life, I have done nothing but endlessly pursue power, yet there seems to always be a higher mountain¡ªa greater peak to reach. I am never enough and always on the back foot. When someone is suffering... I can''t save them. I am a pathetic weakling when it matters." Magnus closed his eyes and let out a sigh. An aura of someone who had seen too many things and experienced all there was to experience swirled around him. "To come to such a realization at such a young age," Magnus slowly opened his eyes, and he seemed genuinely sad for Stella, "To realize it will never be enough. Not until the heavens fall, and you alone stand at the peak. This is a realization all cultivators reach at some point along their immortal journey. We call it the ''realization of the endless path,'' and it''s where many falter and become consumed by their heart demons. To finally stop charging endlessly ahead in the pursuit of power and stop to look up at the supposed destination... the realization of the journey ahead crushes the spirit of most."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "I don''t blame them," Stella planted a weak fist into Ashlock''s bark and ranted at the floor, "If even my Mother, a Monarch Realm being at the peak of creation, has to endure so much suffering, is there any point in getting stronger!?" "All you can do is your best and strive to improve," Magnus replied seriously. Stella ground her teeth, "Is that really enough. Will doing my best save my Mom from this overwhelming misery?" Ashlock noticed that Stella seemed overwhelmed because she was putting too big a task on her shoulders. Until now, they had mostly strived to simply survive day to day, fighting off local threats. But now? Stella wanted to help a Monarch Realm being, which was at the center of the strongest empire in the realm. Such a feat was impossible for their current selves... Before Ashlock could console Stella, Magus continued his lecture. "Strength, no matter how much you wield, is pointless if you stagnate. The Lunarshade Grand Elder is a good example. Since the War Era, his cultivation hadn''t improved much as he lost motivation and fell into a life ruled by sin. Now he''s dead, despite having been one of the ''strongest'' people that walked this realm." Magnus grinned, "Meanwhile, here we all stand, alive, thanks to the immortal''s guidance in helping us improve. Don''t give up. We can save your Mother, it will just take time." Ashlock agreed with Magnus''s words and was unsurprised to learn of cultivators realizing that the path to immortality was essentially a fruitless endeavor and deciding to give up and enjoy living out their hundreds if not thousands of years of life instead of spending it all sitting in a cave alone and meditating on the heavens'' whispers for decades at a time. "I can cheat because trees are quite well suited for cultivation. But these humans must conquer their heart demons and sit silently for decades in closed-door meditation. That''s enough to drive even the hardest-headed cultivators insane once they learn it never ends. A son of heaven will always stand upon a higher peak that can smite them down and eradicate their centuries of efforts and sacrifice in an instant." The question was, would they falter at the bottom of the cliff when faced with the impossible climb to their goal or defy the heavens and crawl their way up one root or foot at a time? Ashlock had his answer, and it seemed Stella also had hers. "Fine, let''s do it," Stella patted his trunk and wiped her tears with her other arm, "Let''s all get stronger and kill all the bastards hurting Mom. One step at a time, no matter how many years it takes." Ashlock knew his heart would be aching if he had one right now. Stella, having grown up without any warmth from a family, finally got to ''talk'' to her supposed Mom, and all she learned was that she was in intense agony. "If we are to save her, as the Patriarch of this sect, allow me to lead the charge by ascending to Nascent Soul Realm. The coming days won''t be easy. The Blood Lotus Sect is unlikely to let me ascend without interference, and the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion has its eyes on us. Are you all ready to stand with me and fight?" Ashlock wasn''t sure why, but the air seemed to subtly glow with divine light at his words. His sect members all exchanged a quick glance. "If I said no, I fear Elder Mo would kill me in my sleep," Magnus chuckled as he stepped forward and promptly dropped to one knee. His Elders followed suit a step behind as they fell in line. "Jokes aside, the Redclaws were founded on war and will stand with you until death. In fact, even in death, feel free to use our corpses to create Ents so we may serve you once more." A rather grim declaration coming from a living person''s mouth, but Ashlock could see the fierce loyalty blazing in their eyes. This type of loyalty couldn''t be bought or bullied out of someone with fear. It was genuine and wrathful. Diana stepped forward with a fang-filled smile. "You know our answer," she gestured to Douglas and Elaine, who were lovingly holding hands to the side. A Mudcloak awkwardly stood under their clasped hands, giving an enthusiastic wave when pointed at. "Then I will do two last gestures before I initiate my ascension. Since we will attract heaven''s wrath anyway, now is a good time to make Bastions." Ashlock selected Willow and was glad the system interface recognized him as an offspring after Jasmine''s efforts and three days under the nine moons in the dreamscape. [Do you wish to activate the Skyborne Bastion? The cost is 1000 sacrificial credits and the required materials to form a Bastion Core] "Yes," Ashlock told his system. Clouds began to gather in the sky, and thunder roared over the mountain peak as the process started. Ignoring the system messages notifying him of heaven''s incoming wrath due to Willow''s damaged cultivation, his vision blurred as he went to make a brand new Bastion. Finding Nox in her usual field of white flowers, she was looking up at the gathering storm with interest. "Nox, after careful consideration and observation of your change of heart and turning over a new leaf, you have been chosen as the next one to join the noble ranks of the Bastions. The current highest honor for any tree under the Ashfallen Sect. Do you accept this new role as the guardian and Bastion of Ashfallen City?" The shadow dryad cupped her hands and respectfully bowed toward Red Vine Peak, "It would be an honor. I always wanted to be a flying tree." "You... did?" "Honestly? No. But a floating shadow tree emerging from the darkness sounds rather ominous, doesn''t it? Better than sitting here all day, at least! Nobody even visits me..." Ashlock wanted to point out that a scary shadow lady hanging around an already offputting-looking tree wouldn''t attract curious visitors, but he refrained. He was glad as long as Nox was happy with becoming a floating island outfitted with shields and weapons to protect him while he ascended. [Do you wish to activate the Skyborne Bastion? The cost is 1000 sacrificial credits and the required materials to form a Bastion Core] "Yes, I do," Ashlock told the system. Another thousand credits vanished from his vision as he saw something begin to eat away at the rock below Nox. [Forming Bastion Core...] [Bastion''s operator has been successfully designated as {Nox Duskwalker}] [Bastion''s affinity type set to Onyx (Shadow)] Waves of dark power rippled out across the mountain around Nox as she began her transformation. The storm overhead suddenly expanded outward to the horizon and went from grey to an obsidian black. Thunder roared so loud that it shook every tree on the mountain, and the sky flashed as lightning gathered. [Bastion {Nox Duskwalker}''s cultivation is unstable... initiating tribulation] An ungodly amount of lightning descended upon Nox, but she seemed to relish the onslaught as liquid shadow wreathed her bark, and she greedily absorbed the heavenly punishment. "Look''s like I will have a Nascent Soul Bastion real soon," Ashlock mused as he returned to Red Vine Peak to join the ''fun.'' Who didn''t love getting struck by lightning? Once again, and hopefully for the last time, he pulled up his system to begin his ascension. [Requirements to turn Chaos Nebula into an Inner World have been met!] [11743 / 10000 Sacrificial Credits 1 / 1 Absorbed Fire Star Cores 1 / 1 Absorbed Water Star Cores 1 / 1 Absorbed Earth Star Cores 1 / 1 Absorbed Wind Star Cores 1 / 1 Absorbed Metal Star Cores] [Do you wish to form your Inner World and begin the ascension process to Nascent Soul Realm?] "Yes." With those simple words, reality began to shake as his soul slowly rose out of his trunk, past his branches and canopy, to float as a literal sun of spatial Qi above him. [Expanding Inner World...] "Huh?" Ashlock said as his Star Core floating overhead suddenly began to balloon in size until it completely dwarfed the entire mountain range, illuminating everything in a lilac hue under the dark clouded sky. Through the lilac haze of his soul, he could see the Chaos Nebula being crushed under immense Qi pressure from a mixture of random Qi''s into an actual planet. "That''s ridiculous!" Magnus said over the roaring thunder as he pointed to the sky, his finger trembling, "A Star Core of such size and to have the ego to rip it out and challenge the very heavens with nothing but your soul is... is... the act of a true immortal unfazed by heaven''s puny might!" Ashlock didn''t want to admit this was the system''s doing, as he had no idea how to handle an ascension. [Beginning ascension to Nascent Soul Realm...] The heavens answered his challenge by tearing the sky apart, and thousands of lightning bolts of every color and Qi imaginable struck his Star Core and, in turn, his forming Inner World. Some lightning bolts also went and targeted his offspring. "You dare strike my children?" Ashlock now realized why his system had wanted him to link up with the leyline. He pulled deeply on as much Qi as possible and blanketed every one of his offspring in his Qi to protect them. He wouldn''t let them become collateral damage like the mortals of Slymere had. [Ascension to Nascent Soul Realm at 1% (estimated time of tribulation: 7 days)...] Ashlock coated himself in his {Lightning Qi Barrier [A]} and hunkered down for the long haul. His past ascension to Star Core had been quick, but it seemed the inclusion of the Inner World and becoming a demi-divine being had upped the difficulty of the tribulation to hell level. "I just hope the Blood Lotus Sect stays quiet¡ª" *** Vincent Nightrose''s eyes snapped open. "Too soon," he muttered as he stared at the stone ceiling¡ªhe could still smell and feel the vicious blood of the bloodline holder he was bathing in. There was still plenty to absorb before the ritual was complete, and he added their bloodline to his arsenal. Vincent''s eyes narrowed, "Why am I awake?" Something felt wrong. Terribly wrong. Raising his pale hand that dripped with blood, he gripped the edge of the stone coffin he was using to bathe in blood and hauled his naked body out. His skin was sunken, gripping his bones like a layer of paint, and his claw-like toenails scraped against the stone floor as he walked. He sniffed the air, uninterested in the musky scent of death as he crushed the skull of the person whose blood he had been bathing in. Instead, he used his bloodline-hunting ability and picked up on a delectable distant smell. "Ripe already?" Vincent smirked as he licked the blood and dirt from between his spindly fingers with his pointed tongue but then paused. Something else was tainting the smell¡ªsomething he hated. A powerful infant soul was being born. Someone was ascending to Nascent Soul Realm on his land. "Oh, this won''t do at all," Vincent shuffled toward the door of his cultivation chamber. It would seem someone had forgotten who ruled this place. Chapter 306: Closed Door Cultivation (Start of Book 5) Vincent Nightrose, Patriarch and absolute ruler of the Blood Lotus sect strode up to the doorway of his cultivation chamber. Slotting his fingers into a hole in the wall, the silver runic lines glowed a dark red in response to his Qi. His power pulsed throughout the cavern, bathing it in a bloodied light alongside a loud crack as the stone split away, revealing a long tunnel. Swinging his arms that reached his shins, Vincent lumbered through the tunnel, the scraping of his toenails alerting those ahead of his emergence from closed-door cultivation. His two Star Cores in the shapes of spiritual hearts beat loudly like drums in his chest as they cycled blood through his spirit veins. Reaching the end of the tunnel, Vincent stepped into a hall. Pillars of twisted obsidian held up a high ceiling made entirely of red jade. The floor had a checked pattern of white and black, which was bathed in a red glow due to the sunlight streaking through the jade ceiling. Vincent''s piercing gaze swept the empty room. "Nobody dares to greet their Patriarch?" He uttered in a raspy voice, but his Qi empowered his words, carrying them throughout the castle. The far doors to the room flew open, and a group of cultivators hurried inside. He recognized the ones at the front in black cloaks as members of his Nightrose family, and he could hear the drum of their spiritual hearts beating in their chests. The constant thumping was a sign of their cultivation art and blood affinity. Something smells good. Vincent licked his cracked lips as a team of blank-faced maids dragged in a chair with a green-haired woman kicking and screaming chained to it. "Ancestor! I hope you will forgive our tardiness in welcoming your return as you left closed-door cultivation sooner than expected," The man at the front of the group dropped to one knee. "I pray that your swift exit is because of an unexpected breakthrough?" "I will spare you this time, Elder Cassian, as even I didn''t expect to awaken this early," Vincent absentmindedly replied to the man. Cassian''s pounding heart slowed with relief, "Your benevolence knows no bounds, Ancestor¡ª" "Unfortunately, because my cultivation was abruptly interrupted, I am still stuck in the 8th stage and haven''t finished absorbing the Starweaver family''s sacrifice. That is to say, my early awakening has nothing to do with an early breakthrough. Rather, I suspect someone is ascending to Nascent Soul Realm on my land." Cassian''s face froze, "I-Is that so?" Vincent narrowed his eyes, "Who is it?" Cassian gulped, "The Silverspire Grand Elder entered closed-door cultivation to ascend to the Golden Core realm shortly after you. He has been quite public about his ascension and even sent his sons and daughters out to every city in our sect to set up businesses to determine who is worthy to inherit his Silver Core once he succeeds." Vincent''s spiritual hearts began beating a little louder, sending out waves of power that made his family tremble before him. "Is that so? He sounds rather confident he will succeed¡ªyet none of you thought to inform me of this?" Cassian planted his forehead on the ground, "We didn''t dare interrupt your closed-door cultivation for something so trivial! Despite his confidence, we are unsure he will succeed, and even if he does, disposing of him during his recovery period after ascending is a task the Disciplinary Committee is capable of. To disturb you when a threat like the Beast Tide approaches over such matters seemed unimportant in comparison. I hope you can see we did this with the best intentions." It was true that he had told them to only alert him if the sect was about to fall, as progressing his cultivation was more important right now. Enforcers from the Celestial Empire had increased activity nearby, even going so far as to plant a Celestial Warden in a branch of the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion in the Tainted Cloud Sect. Such acts of aggression were a prelude to a conflict he couldn''t foresee. "What you say makes sense, Elder Cassian, but something still feels off." Vincent glanced to the east and wrinkled his nose. Detecting Qi from so far was more difficult than detecting bloodlines. All he could tell was that someone quite powerful was undergoing an ascension toward the east. But even so, I was deep in my cultivation chamber and meditation. Unless the Silverspire Grand Elder has stumbled upon an ancient inheritance, his Qi shouldn''t be this intense. Vincent frowned. Things weren''t adding up. Maybe it''s not an infant soul but a massive Dao Storm, or one of the Grand Elders has gone supernova. Qi is a fickle thing that''s hard to comprehend from such a distance. "The intensity of Qi to the east is far too much to be the Silverspire Grand Elder... wait." Vincent sniffed the air in confusion. The scent of distant Qi had decreased drastically. "It''s gone as if I were imagining it." "What is gone, Ancestor?" "The intense smell of Qi which awakened me." Vincent tilted his head. Had he been mistaken, and had it been the ripe bloodline that awakened him? "Perhaps the Grand Elder has succeeded in his ascension," Cassian suggested. "Do you want me to send the Disciplinary Committee to investigate?" Vincent nodded with a crooked grin, "Don''t make it too obvious¡ªthey are still one of the strongest families, and I know they have connections to those Celestial Empire bastards through the pavilion. We will know if he succeeded one way or another. Cassian slowly raised his head from the floor and looked up at Vincent like a well-trained dog, "I will ensure it is handled without problems." "You better, or it''s your blood I will be dining on next," Vincent said coldly. Cassian grimaced as he stood up and seemed eager to change the topic. He gestured to the sacrifice, "It''s not much, but to hopefully appease you, we prepared a small snack for you." Vincent played along and eyed the woman tied to the chair the maids had put down. He hated to admit it, but he had been growing hungrier as they spoke. Cultivators didn''t need to eat like mortals, but spending so long in a cave made anyone crave something delectable. Muffled screams escaped the magical cloth stuffed in her mouth as she stared back at him with wide eyes of terror and desperately tried to fight against the chains. "Such noisy food," Vincent stepped forward and ran his nail along the nape of her neck. She shivered and trembled at his touch. Such a pathetic thing. "Which family offered her as a sacrifice to me?"This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "The Voidmind family did Ancestor." Cassian helpfully replied. "Voidmind family? Why would they be the ones to offer her?" Vincent dug his nail into the woman''s neck, causing her to jolt in pain and scream into the cloth. Slowly drawing back his finger, he pulled out a floating line of blood like a string and brought it to the tip of his long tongue. A quick taste confirmed this girl was from the Evergreen family. A line of nobles he had welcomed into the sect due to the chance that one of them would awaken a bloodline that allowed for harmony with forest spirits. Sadly, the bloodline had never appeared in many generations, so he had grown disinterested in them. "Ancestor, as you instructed, we sent the Evergreen and Winterwrath families to kill the Grand Elder of the Ravenborne family right after he reached the Nascent Soul Realm. However, the conflict seemed to have caused an overnight war, resulting in all three families being wiped out. This girl, Elenor Evergreen, is one of the sole survivors from her family. She sprouted nonsense about a void beast being the one to cause the death of her family¡ª" "Cassian, what did you just say?" Vincent''s words were ice cold, silencing the man. "All three families were wiped out?" The Evergreen and Winterwrath families were of little consequence as their affinities were common. They had also produced a lack of bloodline inheritors, so he had used them as pawns. Keeping them around was a waste of precious airships and spirit stones. But the Ravenborne family was worth keeping around. I saw the faintest trace of the Ravena Clan bloodline in their Grand Elder, but sadly, that useless old man never manifested any demonic powers. I know he had many children and planned to check on them before fleeing this incoming Beast Tide and relocating away from the Celestial Warden. But to think they were wiped out before I got a chance is a bit of a shame, but it is nothing worth dwelling on. "Yes, Ancestor. The Redclaws now oversee Darklight City." Vincent clicked his tongue, "That old dog Magnus Redclaw is still trying to throw his weight around? Well, whatever. I don''t have time to deal with these useless matters¡ªthe precious blood in my chambers grows stale as we speak, and I feel on the verge of finally breaking through to the peak of Nascent Soul Realm." Compared to the threat of the Celestial Empire, noble families abusing Beast Cores for quick rises in power aren''t worth my attention. But losing three whole families is still quite a blow. Should I send someone to try and breed new noble families? As he pondered, he rested his palm on the Evergreen woman''s head. Clamping his fingers around her skull like one would grip an egg, he enjoyed her final struggle as he simply twisted his hand, snapping her neck with a satisfying crunch and pulling her head free from her now limp body held in place by runic chains. Vincent raised his hand to his mouth, unhinged his jaw and bit a chunk out of the woman''s head like a fruit. The sound of chewing and grinding her skull with his teeth filled the silent room, and the dried tears that had been on her cheeks gave the snack a salty flavor. After a few more bites and gulping down the brain, he licked his lips as he finished. "Not bad, though nature affinity cultivators always have this offputting floral taste to their blood," Vincent said as he sucked out all the blood from the now headless corpse in the chair and absorbed it, causing the corpse skin to turn deathly grey and wither. Vincent felt vitality rejuvenate his body as his skin took on a healthier shade. His joints let off satisfying clicks as he straightened his back and rolled his shoulders. This vessel''s life force was running a little lower than he would have liked. Ah, that feels good. Heavens, I can''t wait to be young again. If only it wasn''t too risky to weaken myself by swapping bodies until after the Beast Tide relocation. Just a few more years, and I can escape this abomination of a body mutated by all the bloodlines from ancient beasts I have consumed over the years. Though the soul damage incurred from swapping vessels is never fun. Memory loss and personality changes are a real bitch to deal with. The maids wordlessly picked up the chair and took it away while he was lost in thought. Their eyes were blank stares and always would be. He had overtaken their minds many years ago to turn them into mindless creatures that obey his words. He wished he could do the same to all the cultivators in the sect... maybe one day. "Ancestor, the Skyrend and Voidmind families have also gone to war." "Was it done within the rules?" Vincent asked. So long as his family got a large chunk of the war spoils, he didn''t mind seeing those two families duel it out. Void affinity was one of the few things he had to concern himself with, and the Skyrend family could call down heavenly lightning. Neither were families he was too keen on trying to keep in check, so if they would weaken each other without him lifting a finger, that sounded ideal. Cassian nodded, "All the rules were followed." "Then let them at it," Vincent sneered as he turned to head back into his cultivation chamber, "Don''t disturb me for any reason unless the Silverspire Grand Elder is successful and the Disciplinary Committee cannot contain him." "As you wish," Cassian gave a deep bow. Vincent set foot in the tunnel and then remembered something. I can''t enjoy Stella Crestfallen''s bloodline just yet, as I can only absorb one at a time, but there''s no harm in getting her ''ready.'' "Cassian," Vincent looked over his shoulder. "Yes, Ancestor?" "Who from the Disciplinary Committee was responsible for keeping an eye on Stella Crestfallen?" Cassian paused to think for a moment, "I believe it was Grand Elder Valandor. Why?" "Inform him that Stella Crestfallen''s bloodline is ready to harvest, and he should go and capture her when he has some free time. I know he''s busy, but we should secure her before something bad happens." Cassian gave him a wordless bow to show his understanding, and Vincent vanished back into the depths of his cultivation chamber. It seemed his sect was in a rather turbulent state at the moment, but he had more significant problems to worry about than a ragtag group of cultivators he kept around in hopes a few of them carried bloodlines. I hope that weird Qi fluctuation wasn''t from an Enforcer from the Celestial Empire. At least it''s gone for now and returned to a more reasonable level that I could believe is the Silverspire Grand Elder ascending. If the Qi fluctuation had persisted, he might have even gone to take a look himself, but since it dissipated, he would let his sect members investigate it for him. "So long as I don''t feel it again, that is..." *** Over on Red Vine Peak, Ashlock watched as his Star Core, which had been floating above his body for the last hour and absorbing all the lightning from the storm overhead, began to condense in size. "Huh, why is it shrinking already?" Ashlock glanced over at Nox and saw her Star Core still ballooning in size and looking like it was about to go supernova before splitting in two. Or at least that is how Ashlock understood an ascension to Nascent Soul Realm was supposed to work. "So why is mine different?" [Necessary divine energies absorbed. Inner World formation in progress...] "Is it because of my Inner World?" Ashlock wondered as he welcomed his soul back into the safety of his trunk and raised his {Lightning Qi Barrier} to its maximum strength. "My system promised I would ascend to Nascent Soul within a week so maybe I just need to wait?" Lightning switched focus and began to pummel him, but the purple barrier absorbed the strikes. He also tried to use his Qi to conceal as much of what was happening here as possible but doubted it would help much. "Do I really need to deal with a whole week of this?" Ashlock groaned. How was he going to get any sleep? Luckily, he had a lot to keep him busy. Just because he was undergoing an ascension didn''t mean he couldn''t continue to strengthen his defenses by creating Ents or signing in. He also had many spatial rings to break and extract their contents. He was also curious about how his Inner World looked. Deciding to check on it first, he focused on his soul inside his body. What had once been a chaotic cloud of basic affinities in the vague shape of a ball certainly looked more like a planet than before, but it was clear there was still a way to go before it was solidified. Around the Inner World was a shell of divine lightning that arced across the Inner World''s surface. Wanting to know what lay below it, he pushed his spiritual sense through and was bewildered. "Why am I here?" He looked up at the nine moons dominating the sky. He was in the dreamscape. As if to answer his confusion, the lowest of the moons, which glowed with purple light and carried spatial Qi, split down the middle. "No way..." Ashlock muttered as the moon revealed its purpose. Chapter 307: Boundless Affinities All nine moons cracked perfectly down the middle and slowly split apart to reveal a hollowed space inside each one, except for the ninth moon that kissed the horizon, glowing with spatial Qi. The divine shard that Ashlock thought he had used to repair his damaged soul was floating between its two halves, held in place by crackling purple energy. "So a divine shard gives the moon its affinity?" Ashlock mused as he gazed up at the sky and the other moons. The same energy crackled and fizzed along their surfaces as if trying to reach out for something that wasn''t there. "If I slotted a divine shard into one of these moons, would I gain a new affinity?" Ashlock was unsure if he would be able to outright choose the affinity he got or if it would be a gacha draw with sacrificial credits like his spatial affinity had been when he rejected the chance to get ice affinity after killing the Winterwrath idiot who wanted to kidnap Stella. "Either way, if I can wield nine different affinities alongside many system abilities, I fail to see how I will not surpass the World Tree from my dreams and manage to avoid suffering a similar fate. Senior Lee told me there are nine shards, one on each layer of creation, and he gave me the one intended for the World Tree." Ashlock was glad to finally learn the truth behind the moons. The next layer of creation was still far away as he would first need to ascend through Nascent Soul Realm and Monarch Realm, but knowing there would be an opportunity in the future to unlock another one of his moons made him look forward to the future. "Wait... assuming I can pick which affinity to unlock, I wonder what I will choose?" The first that came to mind was lunar or light affinity, as they played to his strength of being a tree and always being outside below one of the celestial objects. There were also options like void or cosmic, which were great for killing stronger opponents. "Even something like blood affinity would be cool when combined with my cursed sap... the options are endless. I mean, I can pool more Qi with my offspring than a normal cultivator, so the high cost of certain affinities doesn''t hold me back as much." While Ashlock was lost in thought about how overpowered it would be if he became a time wizard, he realized he was standing on the surface of his Inner World. It looked far more primal down here on the surface than when observed through the distortion of his soul as it had floated overhead being struck by lightning. He thought it resembled a planet, but being on the surface proved it was still a work in progress. The existence of gravity was dubious at best as flames manifested in mid-air, chunks of rock floated by, and streams of water flowed upward and sideways. Divine energy radiated strongly from the moons overhead which seemed to be quelling the chaos into something more habitable. Is this how the nine layers of creation came into existence? A random jumble of Qi types woven together into a habitable reality by the divine forces. His bizarre surroundings aside, he could feel the shifting excuse for a ground beneath him, meaning he was inhabiting a body of some kind on the surface of his Inner World. "It''s not a human body, is it?" Ashlock wondered as he slowly looked down. He immensely enjoyed his life as a tree and had long forgotten what walking around as a human was like. Maybe having some legs for once could be fun too... "Ah, why did I expect anything else?" Ashlock chuckled as he saw black bark instead of human flesh. He was still a demonic tree, identical to the one in the real world. He could even split open his trunk, much like the moons overhead, to reveal his Demonic Eye. The only difference between his true body and this soul-manifested one was that his roots were only a dozen or so meters long and fully exposed on the surface. "Huh, strange," Ashlock muttered as he raised one of his roots up and inspected it with his Demonic Eye. It was far easier to move than expected, and the root had as much dexterity as a tentacle as he flexed it. "Weird, even my ethereal roots aren''t as easy to move as this." Ashlock raised all of his roots in unison and then slammed them down, throwing up clouds of rock and dust that floated off in nonsense directions. No matter how many he raised, he never toppled over. However, the rock he was perched on didn''t survive his experiments, as it began to crumble and fall apart. "Oh shit," Ashlock flicked out one of his roots like an octopus and latched onto a larger nearby rock that had floated close. He pulled it toward himself, and without really thinking, he crawled onto the new rock. He watched the crumbled rock he had once stood on disperse into nothingness as it was swept away by the chaotic firestorms. Only once he settled on his new rock did he realize what he had just done. "Did I just walk? As a tree?" Ashlock was baffled. Such a concept was impossible for his real body as he was firmly rooted to Red Vine Peak. The best he could do was turn Red Vine Peak into a Bastion and float around, not walk like this. Deciding to try to walk again, he threw all his roots in one direction and pulled his trunk along. He did it again and again. It was slow, but he was moving. The spatial Qi blazing down from the moon seemed to be the source of his stability. This was incredibly impressive until he remembered it wasn''t the real world. He was inside his own soul. "If that''s true, shouldn''t nearly anything be possible? This Inner World is mine¡ªI am its god." Raising a root and glaring at the tip, he uttered, "Fireball." A small reddish flame burst into life and then quickly died out. It was hardly as impressive as the fireball he had been picturing, but he had just summoned fire at will... an affinity he didn''t have. "Mhm, fire is all around me. That could have been luck. What about ice?" No matter how hard he tried, no ice coated his root. Nothing happened even when he plunged his root into a nearby stream and begged it to turn to ice. "What about water¡ª" a small dribble of water flowed down his root. "Darn it," Ashlock flicked his root tip to remove the water¡ªthe wave of water droplets flew upwards into the sky. "It looks like I can only manipulate the affinities already present here in my Inner World. Is that because I have dao comprehension over them or something?" He certainly felt like he understood the present affinities to a deeper level than before absorbing the bounty hunter cores to fulfill his systems requirements.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Deciding to continue his exploration, he pulled on the moon to wreath himself with telekinesis and float around his forming world. "This place is far too chaotic for anything to thrive... I can see things slowly slotting into place, but I assume it will take the full week to complete." He traveled for some time through the swirling chaos of fire storms, raging rivers, and howling winds filled with metal shards. Getting sick of the total disorder, he grabbed random rocks with his roots and smashed them together to fuse them into a larger landmass. To his surprise, it kinda worked. Humming an upbeat tune, he got lost in his work, and before he knew it, he was smoothing out and shaping the island to resemble Red Vine Peak¡ªjust on a tiny scale in comparison. "Tree! What is all this?" Ashlock was shocked out of his humming and turned his trunk to see Stella stepping through a portal with Larry curiously trailing her. "How did you get in here?!" Ashlock pointed an accusing root at Stella. "Am I not supposed to?" Stella tilted her head, "I was sitting in your branches and absorbing stray lightning bolts when I entered the Spatial Plane to check on things and noticed a massive tear appear. So, to sate my curiosity, I decided to step through it." "Questionable line of reasoning aside," Ashlock lowered his root and scratched his canopy in confusion, "I wonder what caused that." Stella pointed to the spatial moon in the sky, "I think that''s the source of the tear." "The moon?" Ashlock wondered why, but all he could think of was how the moon had split. "Whatever," he muttered as he returned to looking down at Stella and his beloved pet spider waiting at the base of his trunk, "I guess welcome to the chaos of my soul. I know it ain''t much, but feel free to make yourselves at home." Under their confused gazes, he shifted past them with his roots. "Tree, how are you moving around?" Stella asked as she jumped to avoid one of his moving roots from taking her out. His spatial awareness while moving still wasn''t the best yet. "I''m inside my own soul. I can do whatever the hell I want¡ªokay, that''s not actually true, or at least not until I acquire dao comprehension in all affinities." "Right..." Stella scrunched her nose, thinking, "Um, is it normal to have a world inside your soul?" She asked Larry beside her, and the spider shook his head. "No, usually Inner Worlds are the privilege of those in the Monarch Realm and above." Larry gruffly replied, "Though I am not that familiar with the human cultivation system as beasts don''t have distinctive realms. We just get progressively stronger." "Then why does Ash have one?" "Hey, who are you calling a human?" Ashlock grumbled as he summoned water at the tip of his root to fill up a little lake he had been making. "I am a spirit tree. We have a different path of cultivation... I think." Honestly, he wasn''t sure what was going on. He just let his system do its thing as he fed it corpses and Star Cores. Either way, he could already see the immense benefits of this Inner World and deem it worth the 10,000 SC and Star Cores he spent. He''d gained a level of dao comprehension with any affinity in his Inner World and could infuse his techniques with these daos, such as Abyssal Whispers with wind Qi. Daos were far inferior to actually possessing the affinity as he couldn''t learn wind-based techniques or passively generate wind Qi. Any time he used wind Qi, he had to drain it from his Inner World, just like how Stella couldn''t produce lightning, but she was able to absorb it for later use. "Wow, there''s basically a sea of untamed Qi down there," Stella whistled as she leaned over the edge of the floating island to stare into the shifting abyss. "You can thank your mother for paying child support," Ashlock chuckled. He was still drawing untamed Qi from the World Tree and would repay her by saving her in the future. "Child support? What''s that?" Stella muttered as she wandered around the floating island more, but there was little to see. "So, when will you stop messing around making lakes and return to focusing on the real world?" "I''m not messing around. I am making important discoveries here!" Ashlock snapped back at his adopted daughter. "You act like I have been in here for hours¡ª" Stella crossed her arms, "It''s been four days." "¡ªHuh... no way." Ashlock brought up his system to check. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3613 Daily Credit: 50 Sacrifice Credit: 1174 [Sign in?] Ashlock did some mental maths and realized four days had indeed passed. To be fair, as a tree, months could go by, and it wouldn''t bother him too much. He found it easy to lose track of time, especially in here where there''s no sun¡ªonly the moons that never move from their spot in the sky. If a whole four days had passed, he was drawing closer to completing his ascension. "System? What''s the progress?" [Ascension to Nascent Soul Realm at 67%] Ashlock assumed he would receive the upgrade to his cultivation technique and system once it reached 100%. "If you''re going to stay holed up here, could you at least open the spatial rings?" Stella had a slight sparkle in her eye, "I am in dire need of some new clothes, and setting up a meeting with Merchants or going to the pavilion to purchase new artifact gear is such a hassle. Oh! Also, some spending money would be nice. I was thinking of buying Jasmine some things next time I am in Darklight City..." Ashlock pulled on his connection to his spatial storage and dragged the many spatial rings into his Inner World. If there was a place he could easily break their seals, it was where he had the most power. Honestly, he had forgotten about the loot as items didn''t interest him as much as new cultivation techniques or Dao revelations. What use were clothes or trinkets to a tree anyway? At least his sect members could use them or have Sebastian Silverspire sell them off. "While I do this, care to tell me about the situation outside?" Ashlock asked as he floated the many rings in the air. With the pressure of his Inner World, he broke their seals in seconds. Items began to pour from them to the ground below, creating large piles of clothes, weapons, spirit stones, pill bottles, and random other junk. While that was happening, Stella grinned as she brought her two palms before her chest. Lightning suddenly arced between her fingertips, illuminating her face and causing thunder to roar into the chaos. Clapping her palms together to snuff out the dazzling display, she said, "Not much. Just a lot of lightning and constant thunder. There have also been no signs of anyone from the Blood Lotus Sect or pavilion yet. Though the Redclaws have been receiving complaints from Ashfallen and Darklight City from the mortals as they have been unable to really sleep in days." "Valid complaints, but at least I shield them." Ashlock had blanketed everything in his Qi to try and reduce the number of deaths before he retreated to explore his Inner World. "Wait, if you''re here, Stella, doesn''t that mean anyone can come and stay?" Ashlock asked. He knew the mortals wouldn''t survive the ambient pressure in here, but what if he used this as a place to raise monsters like those Midnight Inkwing eggs. "If I can make a portal into here, I don''t see why you couldn''t." Stella shrugged, "Do you want me to invite more people inside?" "Yeah, if there''s not much going on outside, then now would be a good time to sort through this loot," Ashlock replied. "Okay." Stella absentmindedly replied as she strolled back through the portal, leaving Larry behind to engage in a staring contest. A loud noise drew Ashlock''s attention to the shardless moons overhead. "Huh, what now?" They seemed unstable and began to drift back together¡ªthe intense moonlight that had been bathing his Inner World subsided back to the levels he was used to when sleeping under them. The portal Stella had left through vanished. [Inner World entering final stages...] Chapter 308: Valandor Grand Elder Valandor couldn''t believe his ears as he stared at the black-robed cultivator standing outside his door. "Could you repeat that one more time?" "Yes, Grand Elder," The woman with hair as pale as her sickly white skin gave a slight bow. Her spiritual heart thumped calmly in her chest, and the thick sense of blood tickled his nose, making Valandor uneasy. He never liked being too near members of the Nightrose family. "The Ancestor was awoken by a Qi disturbance to the east. He believes that the Silverspire Grand Elder is about to complete his ascension¡ª" "Yeah, I got that bit," Valandor waved her off. He was curious how someone''s ascension in a distant city could force the Patriarch from his cave, but it seemed trivial compared to the other thing. "What was the second message?" The Nightrose woman''s heart thumped a little louder, mirroring the slight look of annoyance on her face for being interrupted. Pursing her lips, she eventually replied, "Stella Crestfallen''s bloodline is ready to harvest. The Ancestor decreed that you should go and capture her when you have some free time." Valandor offered a slight smile, "Of course, I will ensure the Ancestor''s orders are carried out when I have the time." "Make sure that you do," the woman flicked her hair as she turned and left down his mountain. Valandor politely closed his door, and the moment the defensive and concealment formations of his pavilion activated, his smile turned to a frown as his hand still rested on the doorknob. "She should have still had a year," Valandor muttered, stepping away from his door and effortlessly gliding through his pavilion toward his office. After securing his surroundings for a second time by throwing around his aether Qi, he walked over to a bookcase and withdrew a record. As the head of the Disciplinary Committee, he had to keep detailed records of every order and event inside the Blood Lotus Sect. Since the Patriarch entered closed-door cultivation, everyone could breathe a little more, but he remained diligent. "Let''s see, Stella Crestfallen..." Valandor found her record. It was a single piece of parchment with a fabricated backstory, a list of lies told to the girl, and the red lotus stamp of the Nightrose Patriarch in the top corner showed she was marked for death. As one of the sect''s people deemed likely to awaken a bloodline, Vincent Nightrose had given her a special status known to outsiders as being destined to be his ''pill furnace.'' Few would dare harm someone marked as useful to the Patriarch unless they wanted to be hunted down and killed by the Disciplinary Committee, so it was a powerful deterrent to keep the many potential bloodline awakeners alive without wasting manpower. There were hundreds of people with this mark, and the vast majority didn''t ever awaken a bloodline. Vincent usually devoured the failures as snacks between cultivation sessions or used them as pill furnaces. However, the few that were successful in awakening had their blood drained in a ritual, and then Vincent would bathe in it while cultivating to try and acquire an inferior version of their bloodlines. As the head of the Disciplinary Committee, Valandor''s job was to ensure that this darker side of the Blood Lotus Sect operated smoothly. But Stella Crestfallen was an exception. Without a chance meeting with her Father, Valandor would have remained a slave to the Patriarch until his lifespan ran out. A small vial of sap from the world tree had freed him of Vincent''s control. Ever since breaking free, Valandor had been working with others in the shadows to bring down Vincent Nightrose over the last decade, which is why the Patriarch''s awakening ahead of schedule was a big concern. Valandor clicked his tongue as his eyes scanned the parchment, "I got the Elders to agree that Stella Crestfallen would be given the Grand Elder position of the Crestfallen Family and Red Vine Peak after her 18th birthday. I knew she could not reach the Star Core Realm in a short five years, but she should have had another year." Setting the parchment down on the table, Valandor ran a hand through his long white hair as he stared down at the drawing of a terrified young girl with short blonde hair and pink eyes. He had promised her Father that he could buy him at least five years after faking his death. "There''s no way Stella has awakened her bloodline already, right?" Valandor leaned on the desk with both hands and hung his head low, "If she has, then we may need to speed up our plans. Vincent will turn a blind eye to many things as he believes himself to be so far above the sect''s affairs, but a ripe bloodline will never escape his nose." Valandor grimaced and drummed his fingers as he ran through scenarios. Decades of work in the shadows were at risk here. Vincent Nightrose was an incredibly careful man who had lived through many eras and accumulated an unknown number of bloodlines alongside his near Monarch Realm-level cultivation. He even kept his own family at arm''s length and swiftly squashed anyone who dared step into the Nascent Soul Realm within the sect. "I suppose the only solution here is to check on Stella and assess the situation," Valandor sighed as he glanced to the side at a towering stack of paperwork, "Right after I finish checking these, though. The trip over to Darklight City will be a long one." *** Valandor admitted he had a warped sense of how long it took to get around the sect as a wielder of aether Qi, a higher form of spatial Qi. This allowed him to tear through reality easily, making what should''ve been a week-long trip into one that would take less than an afternoon. Also, as the head of the Disciplinary Committee, he had nearly unlimited access to the teleportation hubs. Honestly, if one were to overlook the whole harvesting cultivators for their bloodlines thing and the promise of being killed once I step into the next realm, working for the Nightrose family has a lot of perks. They are beyond rich as they rule this sect with a series of rules that always benefit them the most, and every demonic sect in the region fears them, so it''s quite safe here. Valandor idly thought as he watched an overworked cultivator empty multiple spatial rings filled to the brim with high-grade spirit stones into a pit next to a vast array. "Esteemed Grand Elder, the array is active. Which hub do you wish to visit?" "Slymere, but let me handle the coordinates," Valandor replied as he floated forward. White flames flickered across his robes, and he barely restrained his peak Star Core pressure. The cultivator bowed deeply, "As you wish." Valandor knew the Voidmind family was at war with the Skyrend family as he had been there to officiate the war. So, appearing suddenly inside the Voidmind residence was an excellent way to have a void lance thrown at his face. I''ll change it to be next to the mountain peak on which the Redclaws should be based. Then, I can make my way over to Red Vine Peak after checking on them.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Placing his hand on a raised stone pillar in the center of the array and inserting his aether Qi, he gave it a boost to tear open a rift closer to his destination. Red Vine Peak. With white flames wreathing his form, Valandor gave the cultivator a nod. "Have a pleasant trip, Grand Elder Valandor," the cultivator bowed again to show respect. The pile of spirit stones in the nearby pit glowed with silver light as they melted into the array. Reality began to shudder, and Valandor closed his eyes. Entering the Spatial Plane, he double-checked that the array was going where he wanted it to. Everyone in the Blood Lotus Sect would love to see the fall of the Patriarch, and few knew Valandor was working in the shadows to bring about that dream. Most saw him for his role as Vincent''s top dog, who followed his orders. It wouldn''t be the first time someone tried to cast him out into the void. Confirming the coordinates had been entered correctly, he waited for the array to work. He could make it run faster with his Qi or even tear open the portal himself from his office, but why bother? Why waste his precious Qi when he can use his boss''s money to solve the issue. Tapping his foot impatiently as the array slowly tore reality apart, Valandor could only think about his promise to Stella''s Father. He had never been one to go against his word, but if Vincent got involved, there would be little he could do. I promised you five years. But are you even still alive out there? If you don''t hurry back, your adopted daughter is going to die. "Please don''t be ripe," Valandor muttered under his breath as he passed through the portal. Appearing on the other side, high in the sky, he was confused to be met with roaring thunder and darkened skies flashing all around him with lightning. Valandor narrowed his eyes. Due to the intense Qi, fierce storms occurred all the time over Leyline regions, but this was no ordinary storm. The lightning carried heavenly intent, and it was concentrated over this one mountain region, which could only mean one thing. Someone is ascending to Nascent Soul Realm all the way out here. The question is, who? The Redclaws don''t have anyone at such a high cultivation stage, and the Voidmind family is cursed to never ascend. Valandor used his aether Qi to maintain his perfect appearance. Despite the howling winds and sideways rain, his robes remained pristine, and his hair flowed neatly down his back. He hummed in thought as he stroked his chin and took a moment to contemplate the phenomenon and its implications. After living centuries, he had seen almost everything a cultivator could, and few things could surprise him anymore. "How curious! I wonder who it could be¡ª" he looked down, and the words died in his throat. The scene below him was enough to create cracks in his composure. "Okay, what in the nine realms is going on?" Valandor blinked a few times in disbelief at what he saw. Below him was a vast city of uniform houses that seemed populated by mortals. Which was rather strange, as the city certainly hadn''t been here four years ago when he last visited. However, such a basic-looking city was nothing to bat an eye at. What was confusing were the thousands of demonic trees all blanketed in a thick layer of spatial Qi growing throughout the city and up the mountainside. "Ashfallen City?" Valandor read off a sign near the main road entrance leading off to Darklight City in the distance. He had never heard of such a city. Lightning struck down from the storm overhead and was absorbed by this blanket of Qi. Many mortals had also taken cover under the canopies of these trees and were eating mushrooms growing on their barks. Valandor unleashed his spiritual sense upon the land, and his eyes widened. "There''s not only one, but two people ascending at the same time?!?" His eyes flickered to a large tree that seemed shrouded in darkness in a field of white jasmine flowers nestled in the forest of demonic trees on the mountain. He tried to find the person who was ascending, but his spiritual sense only led him to... "A tree?" Valandor felt his brain slowly shutting down. Had he messed up the coordinates through the aether so badly that he ended up in an alternate timeline? Spirit trees took thousands of years to develop, not less than a decade. Yet thousands of spirit trees were all around, and there was even one ascending to the Nascent Soul Realm. Valandor wanted to float closer to investigate, but due to the Patriarch, his cultivation realm was limited to the absolute peak of the Star Core Realm. There was a nonzero chance that the divine lightning overhead could strike him down if he wasn''t careful. He had also detected someone even more powerful in the distance, which somehow overshadowed a darkness affinity spirit tree ascending. An event that had likely never occurred before in the realm''s history. Valandor floated up the mountainside and only briefly marveled at the city of white stone built atop it. It was nice, but he had seen more impressive cities, and creating such a place within four years was perfectly reasonable. He then looked to the horizon. "You have got to be kidding me," Valandor felt his composure slip further as he saw a mountain range of demonic trees spreading before him, blanketed in enough spatial Qi to power a thousand spatial arrays. He could even feel a hint of divinity coming from that land. How could a desolate mountain ruled by lackluster families living off mining spirit stones be transformed into a divine spiritual spring in such a short time? Unless a deity descended from the heavens and died on this land, I fail to see how such a transformation is possible. Valandor thought. This was an insane discovery, and he could only shiver thinking what would happen if a powerhouse in the region discovered this place or, even worse, if Vincent Nightrose had come to get Stella himself. Oh, right, I came here to check on Stella. Valandor''s eyes followed the trail along the mountain peak with a network of pathways that led off to groves emitting various affinities that shouldn''t all exist so close to one another and gulped as he saw a wall of spatial Qi rising to the heavens, obscuring the entirety of Red Vine Peak from the outside world. Manifesting aether Qi to his eyes, he barely managed to pierce the spatial distortion array and almost choked at what he saw. "How the hell did that spirit tree grow so quickly?" Just four years ago, Stella had shown him a spirit tree barely a few meters tall that grew Qi-dense fruits. To poorer families like the Ravenbornes, such a spirit tree would help offset some pill costs, but it was nothing impressive enough for him to make more than a mental note to check on it later. The only weird thing he had noticed about it was that he felt a gaze coming from the tree. Now? The tree was a towering behemoth, at a hundred meters tall, dominating the entire mountain peak and shrouding it in its vast canopy, which blazed with the purest soul flames he had ever seen. Also, an aura of divinity radiated off the tree as if it were a divine being, but that wasn''t all. Four monstrosities of white twisted wood stood around it like guardians, each one radiating the strength of a noble family Elder. Valandor floated over the mountain range, dumbstruck. What the hell was he supposed to do in this situation. Could he even get close enough to warn Stella about the Patriarch''s interest in her ripe bloodline with such a godly tree watching over her? Did he even need to? "Was I not diligent enough?" Valandor asked the sky. All of this defied any sense of logic aside. He should have paid more attention to the girl he had promised an old friend to protect for five years. But he had believed that not much would occur in such a short period. Four years was barely a good cultivation session. If he didn''t have so much work and was allowed to ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm, he would happily spend a decade away from the world to contemplate heaven''s whispers. So what the hell was a mere four years in comparison to cause all this? A ripple through the Spatial Plane caught his attention, and he focused back on Red Vine Peak in the distance. A portal he hadn''t noticed before, as it was a tiny speck at the base of the giant tree snapped closed. The girl who had just stepped through it stared back at the now-blank space in confusion. "Blonde hair, and that figure... is that Stella?" Valandor wondered. The last time he had seen her, she was a 13-year-old girl barely in the Soul Fire Realm. Had she really grown up so much in such a short time? Stroking his chin, he debated for a while what to do but eventually decided there was only one good option that would show his sincerity. "I should go and pay my respects to the great tree and offer my words of caution. Maybe I can even convince it to help me rid this realm of the vile filth that is the Blood Lotus Patriarch." Unleashing his aether Qi, he tore open a tunnel beside Stella and stepped through. "Long time no see, Stella," He said, and the girl spun around on her heel to glare at him. To Valandor''s utter surprise, she had not only reached the Star Core Realm a year ahead of the date he had set her, but her cultivation was almost on the same level as his. "Grand Elder Valandor," Stella narrowed her eyes at him. Pure spatial flames flared to life around her body, and a blade of black metal manifested in her hand in a flash of silver. "What are you doing here?" Valandor actually felt threatened by the girl. He offered a weary smile and raised his hands in surrender, "Believe it or not, I come in peace. We have a lot to catch up on, wouldn''t you agree?" Chapter 309: The Truth Stella''s Star Core blazed in her chest as she glared at Grand Elder Valandor, who had appeared out of nowhere on Red Vine Peak. The man was the same as always, with his pristine white robes, flowing white hair, and profound temperament despite his younger face. He watched her with cautious amusement and had his hands raised in fake surrender despite the white soul flames dancing along his shoulders. It had been years since she had last seen this ghost of her past. Valandor had visited Red Vine Peak on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee a few years ago and given her the ridiculous task of reaching Star Core Realm before her 18th birthday¡ªa feat her Father had supposedly died trying to accomplish. Stella tightened her grip around her dagger. She had seen this man as a kind uncle figure in the past, but now she wasn''t so sure. He hadn''t reported Ashlock''s existence or demanded anything from her since their last meeting four years ago, but that didn''t explain why he was here now. Clearly, Ashlock''s ascension attracted him here. But what is his angle? He claims that he comes in peace, so was he worried for me and came to check if I was alright? Or is he here on Vincent Nightrose''s orders to eliminate us? A shadow appeared overhead, and Diana dropped down between Stella and Valador. She protectively spread her wings, wreathed in demonic mist. "Stella, do you know Valandor the White Reaper?" she asked as her nails extended into claws. "White Reaper?" Stella had never heard such an ominous term for Valandor before. Diana didn''t dare take her eyes off Valandor. "Yeah, that''s his title among the nobles. I heard my Father arguing with his Elders about protecting him from the White Reaper before his ascension to the Nascent Soul Realm, so I got curious and asked around." Diana raised her finger and accusingly pointed at Valandor, "He is the Blood Lotus Sect Patriarch''s personal reaper. There is a list of people marked for death at the Patriarch''s hands, and it''s his job to hunt them down." Stella gulped. Such a man had been friends with her Father? "Really, there is no need to be so cautious," Grand Elder Valandor offered a charming smile, "I will admit I came here on Vincent Nightrose''s orders, but¡ª" "What orders?" Stella interrupted. Right now, Vincent was the man the Ashfallen Sect feared the most, so learning that he was aware of their existence, especially at a vulnerable time like this, sent a shiver down her spine. The Lunarshade Grand Elder had been hard enough to defeat, and Vincent was likely much worse. "To capture you." Valandor said bluntly, "In the words of the Patriarch, your bloodline is now ripe for harvesting, and as his ''reaper,'' I am here to fulfill his desire." Stella felt bile threatening to escape her throat as her stomach churned at the words. "So, are you here to capture me?" Stella took a step back, ready to Spatial Step away, and Diana hissed as she spread her wings even more. "I am rather saddened that you do not believe my words of coming in peace." Valandor''s smile turned to a frown, and he dropped his arms. An immense pressure descended on Stella''s shoulders, making her breath vacate her lungs, and then it was gone. "You have certainly grown in strength since I last saw you, but if I was truly here to fulfill the Patriarch''s orders, I wouldn''t waste time talking." "Can you blame me for not trusting you?" Stella snapped back, "After all the lies you have told me..." Her voice shook a little. Her whole body was tense as she struggled to get a read on him. I hate interacting with ancient cultivators¡ªthey are far too good at hiding their motives. Simpletons like Douglas are far easier to talk to. Valandor raised a brow, "Oh, you figured it out?" Have I figured what out? How deep do the lies go? Stella gritted her teeth. She knew his wording was deliberate, designed to make her reveal as much as she knew without him giving anything away. The problem was he had the upper hand here as he was a complete enigma, and Stella had been left in the dark. If I had visited the pavilion and learned more about my bloodline and Father, I might have had more to work with. Stella hesitantly nodded, unsure how much she should share. She decided to go with one of the more glaring lies: "My Father didn''t die trying to reach the Star Core Realm. He is still alive out there somewhere, right?" "You don''t sound so sure," Valandor narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, "So you accused me of being a liar due to an unconfirmed rumor you heard from somewhere?" That''s kind of true. Stella bit her lip. Though I haven''t confirmed it as I hadn''t paid the Yinxi Coins, the pavilion basically told me he is still out there. So it is more than a simple rumor, but it is a bit much to accuse someone of being a liar. Stella suddenly felt an all too familiar pressure blanket the area. The air began to glow with divine light, and rips in reality crackled all around them, merging with the roaring thunder and lightning overhead. Spatial Qi rose from the mountain below and whirled around her in a protective embrace. "It would seem that the great spirit tree awakens," Valandor muttered as his eyes flickered to the giant tree looming behind Stella. Stella hated to admit her body relaxed as she heard the bark behind her split open, and she felt Ashlock''s gaze on her back. She liked to face challenges on her own, but sometimes she needed her Father''s help. A spiritual tree bloomed in her consciousness, and Ashlock''s voice echoed through her mind. "Who the hell is this guy? He seems kinda familiar?" Valandor winced as Ashlock had likely planted the seed of telepathy in his mind. "The White Reaper of Vincent Nightrose, Grand Elder Valandor," Stella filled Ash in on the situation, "He is here on the Patriarch''s orders because apparently my bloodline is ripe." Valandor nodded, "That is all true, but I also came here on a promise to an old friend." Valandor locked eyes with Stella, "Your Father." Stella felt her blood turn to ice. The idea that her real Father was out there somewhere made her sick. He should have just died. "I also believe this isn''t the first time we have met, oh great spirit tree," Valandor met Ashlock''s profound gaze without faltering, "I felt your spiritual gaze all those years ago despite how small you were. I must say it hurt my feelings when you didn''t give me a fruit and pretended to be asleep even after I asked so nicely." "How uncouth of me," Ash replied sarcastically, "Since you came all this way, allow me to make up for a past mistake." A bright red fruit dropped from above, and Valandor caught it with telekinesis as his hands rested behind his back. It floated before his face, and he eyed it curiously. "Such a Qi-dense fruit¡ªeven more impressive than a few short years ago. However, I must say, it appears we have gotten off on the wrong foot."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Oh? What makes you think that, Grand Elder?" Ash replied with a hint of amusement. "This fruit contains enough poison to kill me three times over," Valandor summoned a dagger to his hand and poked a hole in the fruit, and Ashlock''s black blood leaked out and pooled at his feet. "And this viscous fluid carries something rather sinister, am I right?" "A tree never reveals its secrets." Valandor gave a thin smile, "A good quality to have to survive in this world. But sometimes, we need to reveal our secrets to gain the trust of others, so allow me to be the first. Stella..." Stella stopped hiding behind Diana''s wing and faced Valandor directly. "You have been told many lies throughout your life. For example, your family didn''t die saving the Patriarch. I mean, think about it, how would that man ever need saving?" "True..." Stella muttered under her breath. Why had she never questioned that part of the story? How could anyone ''save'' such a powerful cultivator. Valandor continued, "I met your Father while scouting for new potential bloodlines. He was alone, crossing the wilderness as the sole survivor of an envoy from the Celestial Empire. All he had with him was the clothes on his back, some supplies in a spatial ring, and... you. A baby girl bundled in cloth." Stella furrowed her brows, "So I was born in the Celestial Empire?" If that''s true, it further validates the fact that my Mother is the World Tree. "Most likely," Valandor nodded, "Though everything about you and your Father was a bit of a mystery. How he managed to survive in the wilderness alone while in the Soul Fire Realm didn''t make any sense, and what followed was even more bizarre." Stella eagerly gestured for Valandor to continue¡ªthe anticipation of learning about her past rising. "After checking with the Patriarch, he was very interested in you. So after I added you to the list of people to be devoured by him, I offered your Father a useless peak near the most impoverished city in the Blood Lotus Sect to raise you and call home. To my surprise, he offered me a small vial containing a golden liquid in appreciation." "World tree sap?" Ashlock asked. His voice was sharp and cold, clearly not enjoying Valandor''s story. Valandor nodded, "I tested it thoroughly as he didn''t tell me anything about it other than it would ''free me.'' After making it into a pill, I consumed it and felt a cloud in my mind lift. I don''t know when or how, but Vincent had been controlling me. After ingesting the World Tree sap Stella''s Father had gifted me, I was finally free." "So that''s why you were friendly with my Father?" Stella said. "More than friendly. I basically owed your Father my life." Valandor looked off into the distance, "But one day, he suddenly disappeared. All he left was a note asking for me to protect you for the next five years. A task I admit I should have devoted more time and attention to..." Stella was in disbelief as all the crazy near-death experiences rushed through her mind. The maids that wanted to kill her, the guy from the Winterwrath family trying to capture her, the wars with other families, the giant worm monster, and Dao Storm... the list went on. The fact she was still alive was a mixture of a miracle and Ash''s incredible abilities. "I thought this was a desolate peak on the edge of the sect. A place nobody would go to or care about, so I left you alone. Clearly, I was wrong to think as such, but unfortunately, if I paid too much attention to this place, people would grow suspicious, and I don''t trust anyone in this sect to watch over you." Valandor looked at Ash''s canopy, "But it seems a being even greater than I took on that role in my absence." Valandor gave a slight bow, "For that, I am deeply grateful." Ash hummed as if he were deeply contemplating, "Did Stella''s Father ever mention anything about her Mother?" Valandor rubbed his chin, "Not that I remember. He was clearly a man with many secrets. I never even learned his name and simply called him Elder Crestfallen." So, I still have much to learn about him from the pavilion. Stella glanced up at the sky. Once this storm is over and Ash is safe, I will head over and use the Yinxi Coins from cashing in Albis Lunarshade''s bounty to buy the information. "Okay, Grand Elder Valandor, this is all very helpful, but if you won''t capture Stella, then why are you here?" Ash''s pressure flickered across the mountain peak, "Did my ascension attract your interest in this place?" Valandor''s expression turned serious, "I believe your ascension brought the Patriarch out of seclusion, and then he smelled that Stella''s bloodline was ripe. You need to hide Stella. Even I can''t protect Stella if the Patriarch reemerges and decides to hunt her down himself." "How does he know her bloodline is ripe?" Ash asked. Valandor tapped his nose, "By smell. He has a keen sense for bloodlines and knows a ritual that allows him to bathe in the blood of bloodline holders and assimilate a weaker version of their bloodline." Valandor then gestured to Diana with his chin, "Is this form of yours a result of a bloodline? If so, you should hide as well." "How can we hide?" Diana asked as she lowered her wings. "I have two suggestions," Valandor raised two fingers, "First, you run far away, perhaps even further than the Tainted Cloud Sect. The second less feasible one is to hide away in a pocket realm somehow." Diana crossed her arms below her chest and didn''t seem convinced, "Won''t the Patriarch notice the disappearance of our scent and hunt us down before we can even get away?" Valandor shook his head, "He returned to close-door cultivation to finish absorbing a bloodline from the Starweaver family. I can also buy you some time by claiming the Voidmind family killed you during the war with the Skyrend family¡ªvoid Qi would explain the sudden lack of scent. Would that work for you?" Stella exchanged a look with Diana. "We could run off to the Tainted Cloud Sect until Ash is finished ascending." Diana nodded, "Looks like the only option for now." Later, we can hide inside Ash''s Inner World. Stella thought but didn''t say that out loud in front of Valandor. Clearly, he was on their side, but there was no telling what information would make him switch sides. "Good, you should leave as soon as possible," Valandor said as white flames flickered across his body. "I will head over to the Voidmind residence and conduct a fake investigation." "Hold on." Ash said as a portal rippled into existence, "Allow my guardian and Elder Elaine to accompany you. I have some business to settle with the Voidmind family." Larry crawled through the portal in all his shimmering silver glory and eyed Valandor with his many red eyes. Stella smirked a little, seeing the composed man take a hesitant step back as the Nascent Soul Realm divine beast stared him down. "O-of course," Valandor said warily, "May I ask what this business with the Voidmind family could be?" "Eradication and salvation for a chosen few," Ash replied cryptically. A tired-looking Elaine stepped through a portal beside Larry, giving Stella a wink. Stella returned the gesture with a smile. They had discussed going to save her family members in the past, and it seemed Ash had finally decided to take action. With Larry''s evolution, conquering the Voidmind family would be a breeze. Two new portals rippled into existence on either side of the peak: one behind Stella and Diana and the other behind Valandor. Through the rift, Stella could see Slymere, and glancing over her shoulder, the one behind her showed the empty alley behind the restaurant in Nightshade City. "Looks like we are going our separate ways already," Stella gave a slight nod to Valandor¡ªthe man known as the White Reaper was rather untrustworthy. Still, it was a fact that he had risked a lot to come over to Red Vine Peak and warn her about the Patriarch, and for that, she was thankful. "Until Vincent Nightrose is dead, it''s for the best we keep our distance." Grand Elder Valandor clasped his hands behind his back and turned to walk through the portal, "I''m sure we will cross paths sometime soon, and I say this with genuine awe¡ªI am surprised how far you have grown since I last saw you. Keep it up. I''m sure your parents would be proud, Stella." With those words, he was gone. Larry and Elaine followed behind, and the portal snapped closed. Stella clicked her tongue. They would be proud? Why should I care what they think? All I care about is Ash''s opinion¡ª "He is right," Ashlock said, "Even I am beyond proud of you." Stella felt her lip quiver. This was all too much. "Now run to the Tainted Cloud Sect, don''t worry about me. My ascension is almost over." Stella walked over and patted his bark, "See you soon... and just so you know, you are the only Dad I care for." Ashlock chuckled, "I am flattered, truly. But learning about your family is important. We don''t know the circumstances behind your origins, so give them the benefit of the doubt. Okay?" "Fine," Stella replied, but internally she wasn''t so sure. Everyone had neglected her upbringing¡ªonly Ash had been there to protect her. How could she face her supposed Father who abandoned her and she thought was dead for all these years? Stepping away and giving Ash one final smile, she stepped through the portal with Diana and headed to the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, where she planned to turn in the bounty and learn more. "I just hope the Celestial Warden doesn''t make things difficult for me..." Stella muttered. Chapter 310: Frozen Star Sect Stella pulled the hood of her black cloak tighter over her face as she scanned the many lines before the Lotus Informants, who all stood behind a counter encircling a jade pillar that dominated the center of the Iron Seeker pavilion. The Eternal Pursuit Pavilion always gave her the feeling that she was being watched, but now it was especially bad. There were fewer people here than usual, but she still picked the line for a Lotus Informant with the most people. There was no way she would make that mistake again. I wonder if the reason for fewer people is due to them dying to Larry in the recent battle? Stella didn''t feel bad about it, but she was somewhat nervous about how the pavilion viewed things. Did they care if the number of bounty hunters decreased, and would they blame her and the Ashfallen Sect for it? "Nervous?" Diana asked as she put a hand on her shoulder. Stella hadn''t even realized she had been tapping her foot and drumming her fingers on her leg as she waited in line. The Lotus Informant she had picked to line up for seemed professional and efficient, so the queue was moving at a good pace, but it still gave time for turbulent thoughts to brew in her mind. "Yeah, a little," Stella whispered back, "I am also worried about Ash." "He will be fine," Diana squeezed her shoulder lightly, and Stella was surprised to feel some of her nerves dissipate knowing Diana was at her side. Stella hummed in agreement but wasn''t so sure. Knowing that they had attracted Vincent Nightrose''s attention made her worry as Ash had sent away Larry to finish off the Voidmind family and was in a vulnerable state as he shouldered the onslaught of heaven. He also gets easily distracted by his new Inner World, and I wouldn''t be surprised if he fell asleep while all of us were gone... "Next, please." Stella hadn''t been focusing on the line as she was lost in thought. Stepping up to the counter alongside Diana, she felt an array wash over them. "Noise-canceling array is active," the man said, giving a slight bow like a butler and flashing a charming smile as his icy blue hair fell over his face. "My name is Louis. How can the pavilion serve you today?" "Um..." Stella was taken aback. Is this how a Lotus Informant is supposed to be? The difference in professionalism between this man and the last bitch is crazy. "First time here?" Louis recovered from his bow and began bringing out parchments that listed the pavilion''s services. "I understand this place can be rather overwhelming, but don''t worry. I am here to assist you with every need¡ªfor a price, of course! I can sell you information about anything documented since the founding of the pavilion, or perhaps having a rival killed is on your agenda for today? We are the number one place to hire bounty hunters¡ª" Stella wasn''t sure how to interrupt Louis''s sales pitch without seeming rude, so in a flash of silver, she deposited a bloodstained brown sack on the counter between them. "Oh, straight to business, I see. It looks like I was mistaken," Louis seemed embarrassed as he stored away the parchments. Reaching into his pockets, he brought out a fresh pair of white gloves and carefully picked up the sack, noting its weight. "May I ask which poor cultivator''s head is in here?" "Albis Lunarshade," Stella said as nonchalantly as she could. Louis''s demeanor changed as he froze in place for a second and then frowned. "I see," he set the head down between them, "and may I ask for your pendant and name?" Stella gulped and felt her palms getting sweaty as the tension rose. What was with his sudden change in attitude? "Sure, here," Stella said, carefully placing her black and gold pendant on the counter. "My name is Stella Crestfallen of the Iron Seekers." Louis sighed, "Just my luck. Please wait here a moment." Stella raised a brow behind her mask in confusion as Louis turned his back and spoke into a communication jade. Due to the noise-canceling formation, she couldn''t hear what he was saying, and with his back turned, lip reading was also out of the question. "We might have a problem," Diana mused at her side. "Yeah, his reaction once he heard about the bounty was odd. Maybe he''s also paid off by the Lunarshade family?" Stella whispered. She had given her name and pendant at the entrance to a guard while still in the range of Ashlock''s portals in case they had a negative reaction so she could escape, but they hadn''t shown one or barred her entry. Stella glanced over to the other side of the counter where the loud-mouthed Lotus Informant had been stationed last time and was surprised to find the spot empty. Did something happen to her after the Lunarshade family fell? "That is concerning, but I wasn''t referring to his reaction¡ªlook up there." Stella followed Diana''s finger, pointing at the jade pillar covered in golden letters detailing the many bounties and missions open to the Iron Seekers. She glanced over two that caught her attention. One was still active near the top of the pillar, while the latter was at the pillar''s base and seemed to be fading alongside other failed missions. [Death of Albis Lunarshade] Target''s estimated threat level: Star Core 2 Affiliation with the Lunarshade Family: Nascent Soul 6 Bounty: 10,000 Yinxi Coins The bounty is placed by Corvin Bightbane. For more information, consult a Lotus Informant. [Mission: Protect the Lunarshade Grand Elder from the Ashfallen Sect until sunrise (FAILED)] Mission''s estimated threat level: Nascent Soul [Unverified] Bounty: 5,000 Yinxi Coins per participant with a meaningful contribution upon completing the mission. The mission is commissioned by the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild and will take place in Nightshade City. For more information, consult a Lotus Informant. "No, look at the very top," Diana gestured to the near the ceiling. "Huh?" It would be hard to make out such small words so far up if not for Stella''s superior eyesight as a cultivator. Narrowing her eyes, she realized that the very top had a list of organizations recognized by the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, and right at the top were two that glowed exceptionally bright. [Celestial Empire (Divine)]The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. [Ashfallen Sect (Divine)] [Frozen Star Sect (Monarch Realm)] [Blood Lotus Sect (Nascent Soul Realm)] [Tainted Cloud Sect (Nascent Soul Realm)] [Shadowfang Sect (Nascent Soul Realm)] [Emerald Serpent Sect (Star Core Realm)] [Ironwood Sect (Star Core Realm)] [Stormclaw Sect (Star Core Realm)] ... Stella''s eyes went up the list, and she was surprised there were dozens of sects she had never heard of listed in the Star Core Realm. Some sects were even listed as being in the Soul Fire Realm, and she wondered how they survived in this harsh world. Really puts into perspective just how powerful a single Nascent Soul cultivator is. Stella mused as she went up the list. Interestingly, they put the Tainted Cloud Sect below the Blood Lotus Sect. They must really fear Vincent Nightrose. She briefly paused on the Frozen Star Sect. There''s a Monarch Realm Patriarch out there? I suppose it makes sense with how vast the realm is. Her eyes then widened as she saw what was placed above a Monarch Realm sect. [Ashfallen Sect (Divine)] "That''s a mistake, right?!" Stella tugged on Diana''s arm as she used Qi to hide her voice from the Lotus Informant, who was still busy talking to someone else. "Ash is barely in the Nascent Soul Realm, let alone Monarch Realm. Why the hell are we listed above the Frozen Star Sect as a Divine?" "I have some ideas," Diana sighed, "If one were to watch our fight with the Lunarshade, I can see how they could draw such a conclusion. Larry, being a divine monster certainly doesn''t help, and Ashlock had a certain way of coming off as a godly being rather than your typical cultivator." Curse the nine realms! Should we run away? I didn''t realize our battle would cause such a misunderstanding. What if the Frozen Star Sect''s Patriarch takes offense to this ranking and challenges us? "Ahem, sorry to keep you two waiting." Stella felt her blood run cold as Louis coughed to draw their attention. He looked at both of them carefully before settling on Stella''s mask. "Here at the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, we like to remain independent of sect politics, but as this is a land ruled by the strong, sometimes exceptions have to be made to ensure the pavilion''s survival." What is he talking about? Stella wondered as Louis reached under his desk and placed a gem-encrusted pendant on the counter. Hey, where did my black and gold pendant go? When did he have time to hide it away? "By order of the Celestial Warden, Stella Crestfallen, you have been designated an esteemed guest with close ties to a sect or person with power more significant than the pavilion." Louis tapped the pendant with the tip of his finger, "Although we won''t promote you to the Jade Sentinel rank off background alone, this pendant allows you to visit any area within the pavilion and utilize all the services we have to offer. Just put some blood on it, and it will be yours." "Thanks?" Stella took the very fancy-looking pendant with some apprehension and smeared some blood on its surface. Why did it feel harder to remain low-key with every visit to the pavilion? At least this shows they don''t hate me¡ªor I guess they are more scared of my Dad''s supposed strength. Wait, what happens when they discover that Ash is in the Nascent Soul Realm and isn''t a divine entity? Will they call me a fraud and take this status away? Louis gave a deep bow, "On behalf of the pavilion, we appreciate someone of your status choosing to work with us. Now, I have been informed some pill evaluations need your attention, but first, should I process this bounty for you?" "Yes, please," Stella said in a more professional tone than usual, wanting nothing more than to leave as soon as possible. Never before had she felt like such a fraud, and she was starting to hallucinate cracks appearing in her mask and facade. Louis removed the head from the brown sack and thoroughly inspected it. He opened Albis''s eyelids to check his eyeballs before carefully removing one with a knife and placing it in a small jade bowl lit up with silver light as the runic formation activated. "This head doesn''t appear to have been created out of illusion Qi or manufactured from organic matter. There are traces of Lunar Qi, and the overall appearance matches those we have in our records," Louis set Albis''s head down on a cloth behind him, "But realistically, none of these checks matter since the pavilion witnessed Albis dying alongside the rest of the Lunarshade family. Therefore, I have authorized the addition of 10,000 Yinxi Coins to your account, and the bounty is marked as complete on your record." "Thank you." "Now, onto the pill evaluation," Louis brought out a parchment and held it out to Stella. She took the offered document and read it''s contents. "Fifty to a hundred Yinxi Coins per pill?! I thought the appraiser said it would be ten per pill?" Stella looked up from the parchment in bafflement. Such a sharp increase in evaluation was unexpected. "I am unaware of the original appraisal, but apparently, due to current market conditions and the quality of those pills, they should go for that price at auction," Louis said dismissively. Stella bit her lip as she thought about how ridiculous this was. Assuming the upper-end evaluation, each pill bottle would be worth a thousand Yinxi Coins. If she sold a dozen bottles, it would be equal to hunting down and killing the scion of a Nascent Soul Realm family from the war era. "Though I suppose I should offer my congratulations," Louis said with a beaming smile. "It''s not often that such talented alchemists with access to such materials appear out of nowhere. The Ashfallen Sect and Trading Company really is deserving of its Divine evaluation." "Yeah..." Stella wanted to leave already. This was too much nonsense. She had lied a lot in the past, such as to the Redclaws, but this was on another level with much more severe consequences. "Now, concerning the distribution of these pills, due to the death of the Lunarshade family, there aren''t many families left in the Tainted Cloud Sect that could consistently purchase such expensive pills," Louis pulled out another parchment with a list of potential clients. "For a fee, we can sell the pills on your behalf in other sects, the Celestial Empire, and even other institutions like the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild." Stella grabbed an ink-dipped quill off Louis''s desk and crossed out the Celestial Empire, the Frozen Star Sect, and the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild. "Do not sell pills to these people," Stella said, depositing the quill back into its inkwell. "Anyone else is fine." "May I ask why? These groups would have the most purchasing power, so if you have a lot of pills to sell, crossing them out seems counterproductive¡ª" "Because I said so, don''t ask questions." Stella snapped. There was no way she could reveal that the real reason was because these groups were all more powerful than the Ashfallen Sect, or she simply didn''t like them, so selling pills to these regional powers would be a terrible idea. "Understood," Louis bowed and took the parchment, "I will inform the Alchemy and Trade halls of these requirements. Do you want to sell any pills with us today?" Stella didn''t see why not since she was already here. The idea of coming here again so soon to speak with another Lotus Informant drained her of all her remaining patience, so her spatial ring flashed, and a dozen pill bottles appeared. I should really have the Duskwalker residence sell these pills instead of me so they get their cut, but the cats out of the bag. The pavilion knows who the source of these pills is now, so I might as well sell some. "Excellent. I will see that these are sold in auctions to the sects you have specified, and then I will deposit the funds into your account automatically." Louis waved his hand, and the pill bottles vanished into the table. "Is there anything else I can help you with today?" Stella was briefly distracted by how the bottles had sunk into the table. "Um, yeah, there is one more thing, actually. Could I buy the information about the other person with the Crestfallen ancestral bloodline?" "Of course, that will be 800 Yinxi Coins." Stella nodded, and Louis went to retrieve a leatherbound book. Glancing down at her gem-encrusted pendant, she noted the number floating on its surface in golden letters, which showed her current balance decreasing to 9200. Louis flicked through the pages, "Ah, here we go, Crestfallen. There are only two registered names here, Stella Crestfallen and Janus Crestfallen. Which, might I add, is rather strange for a bloodline." "How so?" Stella asked. It looks like my father''s name is Janus. Louis looked up and gave her a strange look, "We have kept records for thousands of years. How can a family bloodline only include two people? A man and a girl as well. There''s no list of a mother in here or any ancestors." That''s because my mother might be a tree. Stella thought with a hint of amusement. "Is there any other information about Janus Crestfallen?" "Not much," Louis said, "He is noted to be in the Nascent Soul Realm and was last seen in the Frozen Star Sect. Besides that, nothing is known about him or his origins." "Sorry, what?" "Mhm?" Louis looked up from the book. "Nascent Soul Realm?" Stella didn''t believe it. Five years ago, he had been in the Soul Fire Realm and had even supposedly ''died'' while trying to reach the Star Core Realm. How could he have reached such a realm so quickly? Louis shrugged, "That''s what it says here." "I remember that guy. He was an interesting man with many secrets," a deep voice said, tickling Stella''s ear. Stella whirled around to see a tall man shrouded in a black cloak and jade mask, just like any other bounty hunter. "Who are you?" Stella asked, and Diana stepped to put herself between them. A hand emerged from the folds of the man''s cloak clutching an impressive gem-encrusted pendant around twice the size of Stella''s but looked normal in his hand. "My name is Tiberius." Stella searched her memories but couldn''t remember anyone with such a name. "Sorry, I don''t know anyone called Tiberius. Are you also an esteemed guest?" Tiberius chuckled as he hid the pendant away, "I guess so? It''s understandable that you wouldn''t know me by name. Few do. Perhaps my title of Celestial Warden of this pavilion would have been a better introduction?" Stella froze. "You''re the Celestial Warden?" "I am indeed," Tiberius said, and Louis nodded in agreement. "I know you are a busy woman, but could you spare me a few minutes for a quick chat? I have some questions, and perhaps I can offer some answers in return." Stella gulped. Did she even have a choice? Chapter 311: A Message Tiberius''s main objective in calling Stella Crestfallen to his office was to sate his burning curiosity. He had lived a long, long life, and as a Celestial Warden of the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, he had connections to powerful cultivators as numerous as stars in the sky. None of them could make a divine being move to save them. Not even one. Divine beings were transcendent, meaning they had to originate from a higher plane of existence. Until recently, the World Tree was the only divine being in the realm, and nobody could manifest her power in combat. Yet Stella had a spider-shaped storm of divine ash move to kill her foes. Also, Dorian Lunarshade seemed convinced the leader of the Ashfallen Sect was the reincarnation of a divine being from the higher realms before he was dragged off and likely killed. She certainly carries herself like someone capable of such a feat. Tiberius mused as he looked at the girl casually sitting opposite him. Her legs were crossed, and she rested her head in her palm as she leaned on the armrest. As a courtesy, they had both removed their masks so Tiberius could see her expression and she could see his. Stella seemed bored¡ªher eyes seemed distant and tranquil, like an immortal yet with a hint of madness brewing beneath, which didn''t match her youthful physique that couldn''t be older than eighteen. "Not one for meetings?" He asked to break the silence that had drawn on between them. "No." Stella replied, "They bore me to death and are usually a waste of time." "I see," Tiberius mused as he fell into thought. She displays the attitude of a spoiled child or an immortal princess who knows the value of her time. To show such disinterest when meeting someone of my stature means I am below those she usually converses with, or her cultivation is so far above mine that I am an ant in her eyes, but that shouldn''t be the case. Judging by how the defensive formations reacted, she has to be in the upper stages of the Star Core Realm. An impossibility for a spatial cultivator of such a young age, meaning her youthful appearance is the result of being a prodigy at a young age. Yet I don''t feel a hint or see any evidence of heart demons plaguing her soul. It''s as if she is entirely pure. Now that I think about it, her soul flames during the fight with the Lunarshade family were also devoid of impurities. An impossible feat without slow and careful cultivation to build a perfect foundation. "Well, as I promised, I will make this quick," Tiberius said, earning a slight stir in interest from Stella as she looked at him. "But first, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Tiberius, and I originally hail from the Celestial Empire." Stella''s eyes widened slightly, and she raised her head from her palm. "Then what are you doing here?" I finally got her attention. It seems the Celestial Empire is a topic of interest to her. I wonder why. Tiberius decided to humor her question, "The Eternal Pursuit Pavilion is a realm-spanning organization, meaning we have a branch in almost every sect and empire¡ªincluding the Celestial Empire. I worked my way up the ranks all the way up to Sage Advisor to the Celestial Warden in the Celestial Empire''s branch during my youth. Unable to promote further, I looked for opportunities elsewhere, and that''s how I ended up here in the Tainted Cloud Sect, where the largest branch for this region''s demonic sects lies." It wasn''t exactly a secret, so Tiberius didn''t mind telling Stella if it would earn some trust. As far as he was concerned, she had all the secrets and was shrouded in mystery. Due to her background and temperament, he was unsure how far he could push for answers without risking the wrath of those behind her. Stella hummed with interest as she leaned back in her chair, "I didn''t know celestial cultivators would mingle with the dregs out here in the demonic sects." So, she has a poor opinion of demonic cultivators. It makes sense as she is devoid of any heart demons, meaning she reached her impressive cultivation level without abusing beast cores. But then, where is she from? Tiberius chuckled lightly, "Why wouldn''t we? There is much to learn and gain from trading and interacting with the demonic cultivators, though I will admit few would be as bold as I to move and live out here. What about you? Where are you from?" "I don''t know," Stella answered nonchalantly. Tiberius searched her expression and found no hint of lies¡ªor perhaps she was too good at hiding it. "What about your parents?" Stella shrugged, "Don''t know either." "You are part of the Crestfallen bloodline, right?" Tiberius stroked his chin in fake contemplation. He knew that was a fact¡ªat least, that''s what the records said. "Janus Crestfallen''s origins are also unknown. How does he relate to you?" "I wouldn''t know," Stella returned to her bored position. "All I know is we share a bloodline. He could be my father, cousin, or brother, but I have no idea unless I ask him." "Would you like to ask him? We have a branch in the Frozen Star Sect where he resides, so sending a message would be easy enough." "Oh?" Stella perked up, "That''s a good idea, I will do it later." "Why not now?" Tiberius stood up and walked over to his desk. They would get nowhere at this rate, and he still craved answers. Just who is this girl, and where the hell did she come from? "I would rather do it later," Stella said, but Tiberius ignored her. She was far too hard to read and didn''t seem keen on opening up about her dubious origins, so this would be an excellent way to gain more insight. He inserted his pendant into a hole in the center of the desk with a satisfying click, and power rippled across the desk surface before a golden light interface sprung to life, showing him all the operations of the pavilion. As the Celestial Warden, he could use most services for free, so he selected the Frozen Star Sect with a swipe of his finger.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. *** Stella really hated the direction in which the meeting was going. She had been instructed to remove her mask, so she tried her best to show no emotions or reactions to any questions while seeming as bored as possible so the Celestial Warden would lose interest in her and let her go. "What message should I send him?" The handsome man with short black hair and a perfect temperament asked as he poked his head around the floating golden words over the table. "Don''t worry, it''s free of charge." I wasn''t worried about the cost. I am going to be quite wealthy soon from selling pills, you know? Stella cursed in her mind and barely managed to hide her irritation. Now was not the time to speak to her deadbeat dad, who had faked his death and left her alone yet was supposedly in the Nascent Soul Realm. She did have many questions she wished to ask him, but not with the Celestial Warden breathing over her shoulder. "Say hello from me, and that I am in a meeting with you," Stella said, hoping that Janus would get the hint and not spill anything important. "Okay," the Celestial Warden relayed Stella''s message aloud to his table, and then it was sent off to the Frozen Star Sect. Withdrawing his pendant from the table with a click, he strode back over to their table and took his seat. "It shouldn''t take too long to get an answer," he said, giving a charming smile. "In the meantime, I must admit I have a burning question." So many questions. Stella sighed. "Sure, what is it?" "Nox¡ª" Stella gripped the armrest a little tighter at the mention of the thing she had been dreading. "¡ªwhere is she?" Tiberius leaned in closer. "I know she is still alive, but I haven''t heard from her since she visited the Voidmind family to rid herself of a rather unique curse. You wouldn''t happen to know anything about it, would you?" Stella quickly thought about the best way to go about this. Begging for forgiveness? Off the table. Admitting that Nox had become a tree? A quick path to the grave. The Celestial Warden seemed like a man who knew boundaries despite his superior cultivation and position, but Stella had no plans to test its breaking point. Deciding to default to the mode she was best at, she smirked and assumed a haunting young mistress pose. "The Voidmind family? I fear they won''t have been much help." "Oh?" Tiberius raised a brow, "Why not?" Stella inspected her nails to avoid having to look into the Celestial Warden''s eyes. "They were a stain on the land, so the Ashfallen Sect wiped them out. So it suffices to say that Nox wouldn''t have found much help from a family that only exists in history books." Or they will be gone... soon. I can''t imagine them surviving Larry''s wrath, and no information seems to leave the Blood Lotus Sect and reach the pavilion''s ears due to Vincent driving them out, so they won''t be able to verify my words for quite some time. Tiberius leaned back in his chair, unable to contain a look of surprise on his handsome face. "Was there a reason for eradicating such a rare and powerful family? You do know there''s no other void Qi cultivators out there." "Mhm?" Stella glanced up from her nails, "Oh, I know. As for the reason, there wasn''t really one. They just caused too much disturbance for us¡ªwe hate people that go around poking their noses where they don''t belong. I''m sure you would understand that much?" That wasn''t a total lie. The Voidmind librarian had met an unfortunate end inside Ash''s trunk due to appearing on Red Vine Peak uninvited, and that death had caused a series of events that led to the Voidminds'' imminent extinction. "I see, so the Voidmind family is no more. It''s a hard pill to swallow as few dare to stand against one who can wield the void, but if anyone can do it, I believe it lies within the realm of capabilities for the Ashfallen Sect." Tiberius closed his eyes as if saying a prayer for the fallen, or perhaps he was taking a moment to calm his expression. Once his eyes snapped open, he asked, "So what happened to my dear Nox?" Heavens, this topic is a real pain. Stella internally groaned. She hated meetings and despised talking with ancient cultivators like this even more. Everything had a hidden meaning, and she had to be very careful and cryptic with her words. Any wrong move could expose the true strength of the Ashfallen Sect, and Stella wasn''t sure they would survive if such a fact became known. Clearing her throat, Stella replied, "Ahem, well, Nox dared to go against a deal and steal from me, so the fact she isn''t dead is quite generous of me," Stella said as arrogantly as she could muster, "For now, she is repenting in the Ashfallen Sect for her crimes while she adapts to living with the curse. You will be free to see her in time." "She is repenting?" The Celestial Warden clearly wasn''t too happy with learning that his beloved Nox was being held hostage if his grave expression was anything to go by. Yet, it seemed Stella''s arrogant performance had convinced him it was a twisted form of kindness as he wiped away his anger and gave a weary smile, "I suppose I should thank the Ashfallen Sect for showing her mercy... she was always a rash and hardheaded girl that caused those who cared for her a lot of problems in the past. I had hoped she grew up, but I guess not." "Be assured, Celestial Warden, as a gesture for our new friendship, I will personally ensure she is treated well." Stella lied through her teeth. The damage was already done¡ªNox was a freaking tree! "If a person such as yourself is seeing to it personally, then I can rest assured," Tiberius replied. Stella quickly jumped in to change the topic. "Could you tell me about the World Tree from the perspective of someone who lived in the Celestial Empire?" "That''s an interesting question, and I suppose it''s unfair if I am the only one asking," Tiberius stroked his chin. "Let''s see. The World Tree is breathtakingly beautiful, with bark of shining gold that reaches for the heavens. The sheer size of the tree is impossible to articulate in words, but entire cities are built along its numerous branches and between its exposed roots. Its canopy is so vast it encompasses the sky from horizon to horizon, and during the day, the cities are bathed in golden light as the sunlight bounces between her golden leaves." Stella wasn''t sure when it happened, but she was on the edge of her seat. The description of the World Tree painted such a breathtaking picture in her head that she couldn''t imagine her Mother gifting the cultivators under her canopy such a life while being in immense pain. A twinkling of nostalgia clouded the Celestial Warden''s eyes, "I still miss it sometimes. The air was crisp with Qi, so there was never a need for beast cores to cultivate. It was all right there for us. Oh, and the World Tree''s sap... ah, it was bliss." "Yes, the World Tree sap. Tell me more," Stella couldn''t hold back. "I am most curious about it." Valandor said Janus had fed him World Tree sap to free him from Vincent''s control, so it must be a mythical substance. "What''s there to say?" Tiberius shrugged. "The Celestial Order, the most powerful group in the Empire, harvests divine sap from the World Tree and gives it to their followers in the form of pills or wines. In return, the cultivators pray to the World Tree and protect it from beast tides. A harmonious relationship that has gone on for thousands of years." Stella heard her seat creak in protest as her grip around the armrest tightened as she tried to hold back her rage. Harmonious? What an unbelievable lie. Those Celestial Order bastards know precisely what they are doing, and they hide it from the cultivators by putting themselves between the cultivators and the divine sap supply. "Other than that, there isn''t much to say¡ªoh, actually, as a higher-up, I did hear rumors that the Order had started doing some more questionable practices using the World Tree sap inspired by some of the rituals conducted here in the demonic sects." "Such as?" Stella asked. Tiberius bit his lip, "Mhm, I shouldn''t really say. It made raising pill furnaces or creating Nocturnes seem like child''s play¡ª" A sudden flash from the table drew both of their attention. "¡ªlooks like a message from Janus has arrived." He got up and strode over to the desk. Inserting his pendant with a click, a voice Stella vaguely remembered from her childhood echoed through the room with a single ominous line before it cut out. "Run¡ªthey are coming for you." Chapter 312: Visiting Family Tiberius raised a brow in confusion as the message from the Frozen Star Sect cut out. That had most certainly been Janus Crestfallen''s voice as he had spoken with the man a few times before he vanished to the far west, where the only Monarch Realm sect resided on a vast frozen plane. "Run¡ªthey are coming for you," Tiberius muttered to himself as he dismissed the golden words and retrieved his pendant from the table. "Do you have any idea what that means, Stella Crestfallen?" The girl was frozen¡ªstaring off into space. We all have enemies, and one can learn a lot about another person by knowing who opposes them. So Stella... who are yours? Who hunts you from the shadows? Always lurking and waiting to strike at the slightest hint of weakness. Tiberius mused as he sat opposite Stella and patiently waited. Eventually, Stella snapped out of her daze and met his gaze. "Sorry, I have to go," she said simply. Tiberius frowned, "Who is after you, Stella? As your new friend, I can help." "I appreciate the offer, but this is likely something beyond your capabilities," Stella said as she stood up, and Tiberius matched her as he also rose. She eyed him up and down with a weary smile, "I really do have to go. Sorry to cut the meeting short." Tiberius examined her expression and struggled to get a read on her. If it was anyone else, he would command them to stay or flex his cultivation until they spilled the answer, but this girl''s background was far too mysterious. He had brought her here to satisfy his curiosity and had somehow ended the meeting with more questions than answers. I refuse to believe anything is beyond my help. Who are these people who are after her? I need to know. Stella turned to walk toward the door. Tiberius reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder¡ªStella froze under his grip. "As the Celestial Warden, I can mobilize the full potential of the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion. So long as you provide the funds with the selling of your pills, then no problem or group of people is too big to run from¡ª" Stella slowly glanced over her shoulder, and Tiberius felt the words die in his throat under Stella''s gaze. Her previously tranquil eyes, with a hint of madness, had transformed into two swirling orbs of darkness that sent a chill down his spine. The red maple earrings dangling from her ears radiated power, and her hair seemed to float slightly as if defying gravity. "Take your hand off me." Tiberius retracted his hand. "Good. Now stay out of my business," Stella blinked, and her eyes returned to normal, "Okay?" she insisted, offering a smile. "Sure..." Tiberius had a cold sweat, and his hands felt clammy. This was the first time someone had dared to ''attack'' him in his own study, so he hadn''t been expecting it, and he was now totally convinced that no ordinary teenage cultivator could display such confidence. She has to be an ancient cultivator like me, somehow suppressing her cultivation. She made me back off with just her gaze by showing a hint of her true wrath. "Goodbye, Celestial Warden, and don''t call for me again." With that, Stella was gone, and Tiberius was left alone in his study. He stood there for a long while, staring at the door as he calmed down. "Don''t call on me again? Why is that the second time I have heard such a phrase?" Tiberius unceremoniously collapsed back into his chair with a sigh. The image of Stella''s gaze flashed through his mind as he closed his eyes with a frown. Stella hinted that the group after her was beyond my capabilities, which, if true, surprisingly narrows it down. Only the Celestial Order or the Frozen Star Sect could rival the power of the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion. Tiberius opened his eyes and studied the ceiling for a moment. "I don''t think the Frozen Star Sect would allow such a message to be sent if they were the instigators, leaving only the Celestial Order... but they would only move after a single person if World Tree sap was involved." Tiberius thought about the rumor he had heard. A girl born from the World Tree went missing over a decade ago. Tiberius shook his head with a smirk. There''s no way that girl is Stella¡ªI bet she is even older than me. However, I wonder how good the reward would be from the Order if I found their missing child. *** Elaine thought she had gained more confidence from her time in the Ashfallen Sect, but she was currently a bundle of nerves as she stood before the extravagant entrance of the Voidmind residence atop Slymere mountain. It had been years since she had last been here, yet the memories of the family looking down their noses with contempt at her as she was ushered out and banished in shame to Darklight City to study under her uncle were still fresh in her mind. The mental scars of it had run deep¡ªmade even worse knowing the treatment her superior brother received. "They are always so slow to power down the defensive arrays." Valandor, standing at her side, grumbled as he tapped his foot with impatience, "Maybe they all died to the Skyrend family already? That would help speed up my investigation." "Hopefully not!" Elaine half-lied¡ªthey didn''t know who was listening. I do hope Mother is okay. The plan was simple: They were to have her family lower their defenses and let her and Grand Elder Valandor enter for an inspection. Larry, still waiting in the aether, would then appear and slaughter almost everyone. There was no way her family would suspect such a ruse, as Valandor was supposed to be a faithful agent of the Nightrose family who wouldn''t pick a side in a war as they benefit no matter who wins. What my family hasn''t accounted for is that another powerhouse nearby has already decided their fate. Elaine understood that Ashlock had some personal vendetta against her family after her uncle almost killed him, and her family also seemed to make great Ents, so she understood why he decided to eradicate them. I feel weirdly cold about the whole thing. Family values say I should care, but they treated me like an outcast. There was a ripple of power across the towering black brick walls of the residence, and the silver runic lines dimmed. The defensive arrays were briefly disabled. "Finally," Valandor clicked his tongue. The two giant doors glided open, and two black-haired and-eyed cultivators greeted them. However, they were dressed like servants, meaning they were from one of the branch families. "Grand Elder Valandor, we apologize for the delay." They both bowed and gestured for him to enter. "Please come inside. The Grand Elder awaits you in the main hall." Elaine bit her lip as neither even spared her a look. "Don''t mind if I do," Valandor strode into the residence. Elaine tried to follow behind, but the two servants moved to block her. "Young Mistress, we are currently at war, so someone of your capabilities would only be a liability." The left one said coldly, and the right one nodded in agreement. "Please turn back." "I''m a liability?" Elaine found that laughable as she flexed her 9th stage Soul Fire Realm cultivation, which wasn''t that impressive to an Elder, but it was enough to make two servants rethink their insults as they paled. "If I am a liability, what would that make you two then?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The two exchanged a glance before the left one cleared his throat. "Young Mistress, don''t make it difficult for us. Your Father has ordered us to prevent you from stepping onto the residence grounds." Elaine knew she had been sent to study in Darklight City, but this was the first she had heard of being completely banned from coming home. Why would Father go so far as to tell all the servants to prevent my entry? Unless he has done something to Mother that he doesn''t want me to see. "Step aside," Elaine said coldly, "I won''t tell you again." "Young Mistress, just because you have seen a little jump in cultivation doesn''t mean you can command us around¡ª" Something inside Elaine snapped. Taking a page from Stella''s book on dealing with people who are an inconvenience, her hands blurred as she grabbed their foreheads and pulsed void-tainted illusion Qi into their minds. "The air makes your lungs feel incredibly itchy," Elaine said as she retracted her hands, wreathed in soul flames from their foreheads. Both servants dropped to the ground. Their eyes were wide as they gasped and clawed at their necks. One of them even began ripping at his clothes and drew blood by scratching his chest as he desperately tried to satisfy an itch from within. Valandor turned around and seemed impressed, "That''s truly horrific." Elaine gave a weary smile as she retrieved a dagger from her spatial ring and tried to ignore how it trembled in her hand. Unlike Stella, such brutality didn''t come as naturally to her, and now she was starting to overthink the situation. These are just lackeys under my tyrant of a Father. They will likely die to Ashlock anyway, so I best put them out of their misery first. Elaine knew she was doing mental gymnastics to justify her actions, but it was the best she could do. The Ashfallen Sect had no use for a pacifist. Grabbing the black hair of the left one, her body clenched as she rammed the dagger into his throat. Withdrawing it and flicking off the blood, she repeated the process for the second. Both cultivators fell flat on their faces, letting off desperate gargles before falling silent. I did it. I actually killed them. Elaine''s hand was trembling worse now as she stood over the corpses. A portal rippled into existence, and a single black root thicker than her body drooped down and scooped the two bodies up and back to Red Vine Peak. "I''ll be honest. I believe that''s my first time seeing a spirit tree do that." Valandor ran a hand through his hair, "Quite pragmatic, isn''t he? Most spirit trees just sit around and wait for food to come to them." "Yeah... he is." Elaine''s gaze lingered on where the bodies had been before she deposited her dagger and walked down the corridor as memories of the place came flooding back, adding to her already unsettled mood. "Let''s head to the main hall, shall we?" Valandor asked as he took the lead. "What if we run into people on the way?" Valandor smirked as white flames wreathed his hand, "The Ashfallen Sect wanted this family eradicated, right? I''ll deal with them. Just shout if there''s someone I should leave alive." Elaine was surprised, "Is that really fine? Won''t you waste a lot of Qi?" "It''s not like I can ascend to Nascent Soul until Vincent is dead," Valandor winked before looking ahead, "So why not have a little fun with my excess Qi until then." Elaine''s lips pressed into a line. She had heard rumors about Valandor from her family, and she knew the White Reaper wasn''t someone to be trifled with, but could he really deal with anyone they encountered? "Mistress?!" A young maid with freckles that Elaine recognized cried out as she emerged from a side room holding a stack of towels that almost reached her head. "Is that you? You look so... different? Beautiful?" Valandor casually clicked his finger, and the maid vanished, causing the stack of towels to fall to the ground. Elaine blinked in disbelief. "Where did she go? You didn''t kill her, did you?!" "I sent her to the basement," Valandor hummed as he kept walking forward as if nothing had happened, "I have no interest in staining the walls with mortal blood. They have no Qi to prevent teleportation, so moving them is almost more efficient than killing them." Elaine knew aether Qi was a higher form of spatial Qi as it operated with reality on a higher level, but she had never seen it used before. I remember reading in a book once that if spatial Qi was the art of tearing reality apart to forcefully create a pathway, aether Qi gave one the ability to simply phase through reality to their location. If that''s the case, teleportation is likely a relatively cheap use of aether Qi, whereas it''s one of the more expensive applications of spatial Qi. The route to the main hall was uneventful except for a few more poor maids and butlers that went poof the moment they crossed paths with Valandor. "Elaine? What are you doing here?" Oh heavens, not this bitch of a half-sister. Elaine mentally groaned as she turned to see a woman sneering at her. Veronica had always been a massive thorn in her side, as she was the eldest daughter of her Father''s second wife, so she would taunt Dante and her endlessly. "What''s with that look you are giving me?" Veronica laughed through her fingers, "Come running back to Daddy for more pills just because you had a glow-up? You know they are wasted on you¡ª" "Noisy." Valandor flicked his finger, making the stretch of reality between them and Veronica slowly ripple and wobble in a wave. Veronica eyed the approaching attack with amusement as she casually summoned her void soul flames. "What is this?" Oh, this isn''t going to be good. Elaine thought. The ripple didn''t seem to care much for Veronica''s half-baked defense, turning her arrogant expression into absolute fear as the ripple drew her in and didn''t let go. She screamed as it stretched her body apart before compressing it, making her blood instantly boil and her body explode, starting from her outstretched arm and then her body. I know she is only in the mid stages of the soul-fire realm, but that was brutal. Elaine''s eyes flickered to Valandor. So that is the power of the White Reaper. I sure hope Stella never learns how to use aether. I don''t think the world would be safe. "Hey, don''t look at me like that," Valandor turned away from the corridor, now dyed red. "We are conducting an investigation, remember? Those who interrupt it deserve such a fate." "It was more the method than the killing... you are having way too much fun with it." Elaine shook her head. The main hall was just up ahead. Valandor clasped his hands behind his back and assumed an elegant pose as he gracefully led the way, "It''s not often that I get to go all out, you know? I have to flex my mastery over my techniques every few centuries¡ªotherwise, I will get rusty." "Sure, sure," Elaine took the lead and opened the door for Valandor, which had guards a moment ago before they poofed out of existence at the click of a finger like the rest. The aura in the main hall was chilling as they strode in under the stares of all the remaining Elders of the family and her Father, who sat on the main seat and glared at her. "Grand Elder Valandor, welcome¡ªwait, what are you doing here, Elaine?" The Grand Elder rose from his seat. "I instructed the guards to inform you that it''s too dangerous here. Return to Darklight City." Elaine ignored him and desperately looked around for her mom. A terrible sinking feeling brewed in her stomach as she met Veronica''s mom''s eyes, who occupied her mother''s usual seat at her Father''s side. No, this can''t be real. Elaine desperately looked around but couldn''t see her mom anywhere else, even after searching the faces of everyone present. "Answer your Father, Young Mistress." One of the Elders called out with a hint of disdain. "Where is my mother?" Elaine replied, ignoring the previous question. Her Father''s thin face, which reminded her of Dante, twisted in rage. "Your mother''s whereabouts are none of your concern." "They absolutely are, and I won''t ask again," Elaine gulped as every Elder rose from their seats, eyes locked on her. "What have you done with my mom?" "Maybe you can ask her yourself," Her Father smirked, "Elders capture her and take her to the dungeon." The Elder, who had called out earlier and was also from Veronica''s branch family, was the first to move as he vanished and reappeared before Elaine with Void Step. "Young Mistress, please come with me." Elaine sidestepped his grasp, "I don''t think so." "Brat," The Elder scowled, "You should learn your branch has brought too much shame upon the family and is no longer welcome here!" "That''s good to know," Elaine snapped back. "Then I won''t need to feel bad about what will happen next. Larry!" "Larry? What nonsense are you sprouting¡ª" A portal of white flames manifested behind Elaine, and a storm of silver ash surged past her and engulfed the Elder. He howled in agony before being reduced to nothing but a pile of silver ash. The storm didn''t stop there and expanded out into the rest of the room. The Elders all scrambled backward from their chairs toward the far side of the hall. "Protect the Grand Elder!" Veronica''s mom shrieked as the Elders moved to try and fight the storm. They hurled void attacks at it, but the void dissipated against the glimmering silver ash without leaving a mark that terrified all the Elders. All the dozens of attacks managed to do was force Larry backward for a moment before he reformed and went after the weaker targets. "You are all useless," The Grand Elder yelled as another one of his Elders was caught off guard by silver ash swirling up his legs and devouring him from below. "Why do I have to do everything myself?" The Grand Elder summoned dozens of black holes made from the void and threw them at Larry, forcing his body to disperse. Lances of void manifested next and tore through Larry¡ªaiming for his eyes. But Larry was seemingly unfazed as his swirling body continuously reformed. Valandor kept next to Elaine and blocked any incoming void attacks from the Elders with his aether Qi-wreathed hand. "Will the divine beast be fine?" He hissed over the chaos as he returned fire and killed an Elder. Elaine looked up at the vague spider-shaped storm that dominated the hall''s roof. He shifted around as her Father burned through his Qi reserves to fight a seemingly impossible foe. "Come fight me, you cowardly monster!" Elaine''s Father shouted, and Elaine was surprised to sense a hint of desperation in his voice. Was her Father really going to lose without doing any damage? How was this possible? It was as if the divine spider was immune to the void. A haunted laugh echoed through the room, and Elaine recognized the voice as Larry''s. "I have no need to fight you, Grand Elder, you¡¯re already dead," Larry proclaimed in the ancient runic language that echoed through the room with power. "My Master''s curse festers in your soul¡ªyour death will give birth to a new life, so rejoice!" Elaine was confused by Larry''s words, but upon narrowing her eyes at her father, she saw a part of his neck that had turned to... wood? He also stood more stiffly than usual, with his arm hanging at his side like a stick rather than a functional limb. Is my Father turning into a tree? Chapter 313: Void Tree Ashlock knew from the moment Larry gained divine authority over ash and decay that the battle with the Voidmind family would be easy. Void Qi had immense upsides with its capabilities to fight people of higher stages or even realms, but as with anything, it also came with equal, if not worse, downsides. The difficulty of cultivating void Qi aside, it was the only affinity that had absolutely no effect on divine beings. Now, down here on the lowest realm of creation, that shouldn''t have been an issue so long as the Voidmind family stayed far from the reach of the World Tree, as historically, it had been the only divine being down here besides the occasional interest from the heavens. But that had all changed a few short years ago with the arrival of Ashlock. After receiving the divine fragment from Senior Lee, he''d evolved into a Demonic Demi-Divine Tree with unlimited cultivation potential and immunity to the void that lies beyond heaven''s carefully woven reality. These seemingly impossible events lined up and resulted in this one-sided fight and the inevitable fall of one of the Blood Lotus Sect''s most feared and influential families. "It also seems like the Voidmind Grand Elder is infected with my cursed sap, as Dante told me he would be before that fool died," Ashlock mused, "I was going to turn the Grand Elder into an Ent to replace Khaos, whom I lost in the war with the Lunarshades, but a void tree would be fascinating." The shifting storm of silver ash surged down and rammed into one of the Elders, who had switched targets and was doing everything he could to try and kill Elaine. The Elder howled in despair as his body was devoured and reduced to a sad pile of silver ash. "M-Monster," the woman standing beside the Voidmind Grand Elder shrieked as she stumbled back. "Why can''t we hurt it? Why won''t our void attacks annihilate it like it does with all else?" "Larry, stop eating the Elders!" Ashlock berated his loyal summon, who had switched targets and was now surging toward the woman, "I know they are tasty, but leave at least a few behind. I want to try and upgrade my abilities with the void and make a group of void Ents." The spider-shaped silver ash storm paused right before the woman before soaring up to the ceiling, scaring the shit out of the woman as she fell backward as a trembling mess. Since victory was assured, Ashlock''s main goal here was to maximize the profits from this battle, unlike the war with the Lunarshades, which he had fought tooth and nail to barely win. "Let''s see... I should try to prevent them from running away first." Ashlock''s immense Star Core, many miles away, ablaze with Qi being drawn up from the World Tree, began to pulse as he activated Spatial Lock and targeted many of the Elders. The Qi flowed through his ethereal roots that sprawled across the land and throughout the Slymere mountain. All of this was within his domain of control¡ªnobody would escape. With the room now locked down and Void Step blocked, the next problem was preventing the Elders and the Grand Elder from going supernova in the face of an unbeatable foe. Larry would likely be fine, but there was no way Elaine or Valandor would survive a void Qi supernova. "Elaine, can you prevent your Father from going supernova with illusion Qi?" Elaine looked at her Father and nervously bit her lip, "Maybe. I could give it a try." She mentally replied, "But there''s a likely chance he will kill me before I can even get close. He is no fool and has honed his fighting style since his cultivation stalled at the peak of the Star Core Realm." "Valandor and Larry, do you two think you could protect her long enough?" "Nobody can harm those my Master commands me to protect," Larry thundered from above, and Valandor gave a more lowkey-nod. "Okay, go now. I think the Voidmind Grand Elder knows he is nearing his limit as the curse has spread to most of his body, and he''s also stopped attacking." Valandor grabbed Elaine''s arm and dragged her through a sudden portal of white flames. Ashlock felt them both effortlessly phase through reality as if they were merely walking rather than tearing a tunnel through space. Larry flooded the room from above, focusing on engulfing the Grand Elder without reducing him to a pile of silver ash. Valandor and Elaine rematerialized behind the Grand Elder, but nobody noticed their arrival as they were too busy trying to protect themselves from the silver ash storm. Elaine wreathed her hands in translucent white flames that shifted between various colors like a rainbow. Void Qi then mixed in with the illusion Qi, and she thrust her hands through the ashen storm swirling around her Father and clamped her hands on either side of the man''s head. "You are winning, Father! The ashen storm is nothing compared to your cultivation, which stands at the pinnacle of the Voidmind family. So long as you fight to the bitter end, victory and redemption of house Voidmind will be assured." Elaine whispered into his ear as she pumped his mind full of illusions. "Everyone else are mere ants compared to your greatness. The void bows before you and listens to your every word. Wield the void and crush all who oppose you." "That''s certainly an interesting way to go about it," Ashlock chuckled. He knew there were limits to illusion Qi. If the illusion wasn''t something the person could genuinely believe in, then it was far more likely to fail. "Playing to her Father''s ego and inflating his pride is a perfect way to prevent him from taking the cowardly way out by going supernova. Elaine never fails to impress me." A chilling laughter echoed through the room from the Voidmind Grand Elder as Elaine jumped back and disappeared into the aether again with Valandor. Larry dispersed, revealing the Grand Elder ablaze with soul flames so black it was as if he was wreathed in the absence of anything. Like a glitch in a game¡ªreality around him was non-existent. Deleted. "I alone wield the peak of the void. There is nothing I can''t annihilate from existence." The Grand Elder said as he looked up and glared at Larry. Black wood crawled up his neck and down his arms to his palms, but the crazed man seemed unfazed by his rapid transformation into something inhuman. His focus was entirely on the monster looming overhead he was now convinced he could defeat. Even Ashlock felt a chill down his bark at the Grand Elder''s words. If not for his immunity to the void, this was possibly the last person he wanted as his enemy. Void Qi was not something to be messed with. The Grand Elder raised his hands, and his totally black eyes widened, "Soul Expansion¡ª" "No, don''t!" the woman at his side shouted and tried to tackle him to the ground, "That will kill you!" The Grand Elder was unfazed by the woman''s plea as he finished his technique. "¡ªOblivion Ray." All of the void Qi wreathed around his form focused toward his arms. His chest seemingly caved in, revealing what could only be described as a black hole. His arms folded inwards and were devoured by the swirling darkness. Seemingly satisfied with the sacrifice, the void answered the call, and a beam of pure void ten meters wide that deleted reality shot out and smashed Larry square in the face. Despite being immune, the force of the attack caused Larry to scatter, and the beam continued until it tore a hole in the ceiling and shot off into the sky. Once the beam of void vanished, a thunderclap roared across the land as air rapidly moved to fill the gap left behind. "Grand Elder..." The Elders around the room gasped in horror as the Grand Elder stood there wordlessly without arms and a hole to the void in his chest. His eyes were unfocused and distant on the ceiling as he wordlessly stood there. "Illusion Qi is horrifying," Ashlock murmured to himself, "He was so convinced that he had absolute command over the void that he forgot the cost of using such power." Larry casually reformed, and Ashlock saw the rays of hope dim in the Grand Elder''s eyes. Valandor and Elaine reappeared from the aether, and the Grand Elder slowly tilted his head to look at them.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The few Elders still alive didn''t dare move after seeing such an attack have no effect on the ashen spider. All of them had tried to use Void Step to escape, but Ashlock''s Spatial Lock technique prevented the void from hearing their call. They were stuck in a room with something they likely thought impossible¡ªa monster immune to the void. Grand Elder Voidmind''s lips slowly parted, and he whispered, "It''s so cold... where am I?" The man seemed genuinely lost and confused as if he wasn''t himself. It was then that Ashlock realized the void had taken much more than his arms and body. "No wonder that woman was so hellbent on trying to stop him. I thought Soul Expansion meant he was unleashing the power stored in his soul, but he literally used his own soul to fuel the attack." "Father, you did this to yourself," Elaine said adamantly, but Ashlock could see redness gathering at the corner of her eyes. "My daughter?" The Grand Elder whispered as he tilted his head. The whole scene was beyond creepy. The man''s eyes were black as if dyed with ink, and an endless void was still swirling in his chest like a gateway to the beyond. The lack of arms also wasn''t helping matters. Elaine shook her head, "Don''t call me that. What did you do with mom?" "She is safe," his head dropped, and he stared at the floor. "I had to protect her from the others... the ridicule was too much." His voice was barely a whisper at this point, and he was almost entirely consumed by the curse, as his cheeks were now wood. "I''m sorry, Elaine. I listened to them." With those parting words, his body had fully succumbed to the curse, and his mouth and eyes were sealed with bark. The crackling of wood filled the room, and his body began twisting upwards as branches grew like gnarled fingers reaching for the heavens. The hole to the void in his chest remained as he turned into a tree and began to curve toward Elaine, likely influenced by the Voidmind Grand Elder''s posture. A disturbed silence filled the room as everyone watched the transformation. Eventually, Elaine''s gaze swept over the Elders and landed on the woman frozen in fear under the Grand Elder''s forming canopy, "What did he mean by that? Did you ridicule my Mother and tell my Father to banish her, Elder Natalia?" "Is that surprising to you?" Natalia gathered herself and began ranting, clearly unable to hold herself back anymore, "Your brother¡ªher vile spawn¡ªbrought ruin upon the family! Nothing has gone right for us since Dante left to attend that alchemy tournament and visit you. Having not been taught proper manners by that wench, Dante killed a scion of house Skyrend and brought war upon our lands. Then, instead of turning himself in and preventing it, he ran off with an intruder. All the while, Slymere City vanished without a trace. Now you return with a void immune monster and somehow turn the Grand Elder into a tree?" Elaine''s lips pressed into a line at Natalia''s accusations. "I believe you two colluded together for the downfall of the family," Natalia pointed an accusing finger at Elaine as spittle flew from her mouth, "So, of course, we shamed the bitch that birthed two hellspawn that cursed our family." "Hellspawn?" Elaine put the finger on her chin, "What about me is indiscernible from a hellspawn, Elder Natalia? From what I remember, I was always diligent and worked hard for the family." Natalia sneered, "You were untalented and an eye sore¡ªa leech on the family''s resources. Thankfully, the Grand Elder had the brains to send you far away." "Talent? Don''t make me laugh," translucent illusion Qi soul flames flickered to life across her shoulders, "What use is talent if our family is handicapped at the 9th stage of the Star Core Realm? You and I know that, given enough time and resources, we would all meet the same bottleneck. Well... except me." Natalia''s eyes widened along with the other Elders at the soul flames on her shoulders, "T-That is?" "Oh, this?" Elaine opened her palm, and the translucent soul flames transformed into a small black tree with red leaves that looked suspiciously like Ashlock. "My second affinity¡ªthe key to breaking the family''s curse. I alone will enter the Nascent Soul Realm, bearing the Voidmind name. So I am asking you, Natalia, who is the more talented? You or I?" "How?" Natalia looked like someone who had discovered the holy grail floating before her. Elaine closed her palm, dismissing the illusion. "That wasn''t an answer to my question. The answer is neither of us. Talent is mostly irrelevant. I simply stumbled upon an opportunity you have not, and from the greed in your eyes, it seems you desire the same?" Natalia readjusted her cloak and changed her expression to a friendly smile. The fakeness of it all made Ashlock want to smite her down on the spot. "It seems I was hasty to lump you together with your brother." Natalia slowly walked forward while her eyes looked everywhere that Elaine was not. It was as if she was afraid to meet her gaze, "In truth, we have hardly ever spoken before, and I only harbor bad feelings toward Dante. I apologize for what I said about your mother. She was a true pillar of the sect." Elaine smiled, "I am glad you think so." "So please," Natalia stood before Elaine and didn''t even spare Valandor or Larry floating overhead a glance. She was entirely tunneled on the possibility of freeing herself from the curse, "We are family, right? Tell us how to break the curse, and the Voidmind family will rise to heights unseen. We can even overlook the fate of the Grand Elder¡ªno, for this discovery, your mother will be made the head of the family. What do you think? I am sure the other Elders would agree." Ashlock watched on with amusement. This foolish Elder still believed that Elaine wanted to be accepted back into the family. "In her mind, Elaine is probably a confused child who would jump at the first opportunity to be welcomed back into a position of power within the Voidmind family and gain access to the special void Qi gathering arrays and resources they have. Little does she know that Elaine has already switched to the winning team. Such temptations mean nothing to her." "I think that''s a fair deal, Elder Natalia. After all, with my brother causing us to be at war, now is not the time for me to hold back on a secret that would help us all. Right?" "Exactly," Elder Natalia nodded. "It''s a good job you are such a smart girl. This is why we sent you off to study under your Uncle." Elaine smiled weary. "I see... well, come here. It''s easier if I gift the knowledge to you directly." Natalia smirked slightly as Elaine put her hands on either side of her head, and she closed her eyes to receive the knowledge. Clearly, she thought she had won. She had not. Elaine''s smile faded, and her gaze became dark, "The answers you seek lie in the beyond." Translucent flames violently flickered across her hands and into Natalia''s head. "Do you see them? The ancient holders of knowledge and rewriters of souls?" Natalia''s eyes widened, and she trembled, "I-I see them." "The Worldwalkers¡ªthey are the key. Do not be afraid of them. Rather, seek the Worldwalkers out¡ªescape the shackles of this curse. There are no lies to my words. I speak only the truth." "What should I do, Elaine?" Natalia begged, "How can I find them?" "Surrender yourself to the void. Trust in it, and it will guide you." Elaine withdrew her hands and gestured to the swirling void in the center of the still-forming void tree. "A gateway has been opened for you." Blinded by false promises and visions from the beyond that likely seemed unbelievably vivid as they were drawn from experiences Elaine had actually lived through, Natalia turned and desperately ran toward the tree like a starving person seeing food. To Ashlock''s surprise, some other Elders began scrambling toward the tree. They had clearly listened in, and since this was already a hopeless situation for them to survive, they decided on a last-ditch attempt at breaking the curse. Natalia actually summoned void to her hand and conjured void lances to blast them away. "They are literally fighting each other to die first," Ashlock laughed, astounded at the madness a well-crafted lie could cause when the victims were driven into a corner. "Maybe desperation makes illusion Qi even more potent? I fear how strong Elaine will become once she reaches the Star Core Realm and can manifest her void-coated illusions beyond her body." "Elder Natalia, don''t do it!" an old-looking man shouted from the side as he gripped a chair so hard his knuckles were going white. "Don''t believe anything that silver-tongued vixen says! I suspect she led the Grand Elder to his death under the cover of the ashen storm!" Thankfully, greed blinded Natalia, and she ignored the well-thought-out warning. She plunged her head straight into the gateway to the void, desperate to seek answers¡ªher body fell limp against the tree¡ªheadless. All the Elders that had been madly dashing to follow paused as they saw Natalia''s fate. The void had not welcomed her¡ªit had devoured her. Elaine strode up to what was left of Natalia. Her smile and agreeable attitude from earlier were entirely gone. "I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you sitting in my mother''s seat what had happened. Your branch of the family always aimed to dethrone my mother and steal my Father''s heart. It looks like you took advantage of the situation to ruin my Mother, so I am simply returning the favor. Now you can join my Father in the void." Elaine turned and glared at the other Elders, "You will all suffer a similar fate." "Young Mistress..." They pleaded and begged, but Ashlock tuned them out. He wanted to turn the headless corpse into an Ent. He debated opening a portal to retrieve it but decided otherwise, as it would give the Voidmind Elders a way to escape. "Mhm, the only other way would be doing it through the void tree, but then I would have to connect my roots, which takes some time... wait." Ashlock shifted his ethereal roots and seamlessly merged them with the void tree. "Yeah, as I thought. I upgraded my deep roots skill with void affinity to acquire these ethereal roots, so merging my roots with the roots of a void tree should be easy." Now that he was connected, he cast {Progeny Dominion} on the void tree. [Progeny selected: Initiating soul transfer...] A fragment of the still-forming Inner World broke off and traveled down his ethereal roots before inserting itself into the void tree, making the entire room shudder and creak under a mere fraction of his Inner World''s pressure. Everyone, including the Elders, Valandor, and Elaine, kneeled at his arrival as the tree blazed with lilac flames. "Um, will my Inner World still form correctly?" Ashlock wondered. [Soul fragmented: Damage to soul mitigated] "Phew, okay." Ashlock relaxed his pressure on Elaine and Valandor but kept the rest pinned. Controlling such pressure was hard, as it was far higher than he was used to. A black root snuck out of the cracked stone floor and slithered toward Natalia. It was time to honor Khaos by creating a new void Ent even more lethal than the last in her name. Chapter 314: Rescue Elaine put on a strong front as she stood over Elder Natalia''s corpse, and her gaze swept the room. Despite her best efforts, a conflict of emotions was going through her head. Elders who had fawned over her in youth and taught her the ways of cultivation were now begging her for their lives. But Elaine''s love for them died the day they cast her out, and she learned the true nature of cultivators. Once they discovered she was talentless and being sent away by her Father, their love turned to disinterest, and some even looked at her with disdain as she was ushered out of the residence and sent to Darklight City. Now, they dared to shamelessly beg for their lives when they had turned their backs on her in the past. It was sickening and made Elaine''s skin crawl, but despite her bold words, she didn''t wish such a horrific death upon them. Ashlock''s methods were... gruesome, to say the least. Watching her family being slaughtered in a fair battle with swords and Qi was one thing. Yet, it was a whole other experience, seeing them reduced to piles of ash without the ability to fight back or being transformed into inhuman beings. "Elaine, step away," Ashlock''s many voices echoed through her mind. She did as instructed as silver ash swirled around her in a protective embrace, and Valandor escorted her away from her Father, who had become a tree. A bubble of spatial Qi expanded outward around the void tree. Through the lilac hue, Elaine noticed a black root enter Natalia''s headless corpse. An explosion of death Qi corrupted the spatial Qi bubble briefly before Natalia''s corpse began to convulse. Her clothes and skin melted away, revealing black flesh that turned into bark. Another set of arms grew like branches from her waist, and both sets of hands extended into claws. The headless monstrosity that was once Natalia slowly stood up, and despite lacking a head, it was still taller than Elaine. Void soul flames flickered across its body as it emerged from the spatial bubble, much to all of the Elders''s terror. "Go find your mother and answer her questions. I''m sure she will be bewildered by all this, and I don''t want her freaking out." Ashlock told Elaine, "Khaos and I will handle things here." Elaine gulped and nodded to Valandor. Valandor returned the nod and summoned a gateway of white flames that would grant them passage through the aether. From the corner of her eye, Elaine noticed the old Elder who had called out to Natalia earlier begin dashing across the room toward the portal. Having seen the old Khaos in action, Elaine could only think of the man as foolish. This new version of Khaos, birthed from Natalia''s corpse, should be near the peak of the Star Core Realm, as Natalia was one of the more powerful Elders in the family and had the most access to the void Qi gathering arrays. Khaos turned slightly toward the fool before vanishing into the void. The Elder seemed to realize his mistake as Khaos silently emerged behind him from the chilling void and rammed a void-coated claw through his body, killing him instantly. Tilting her claws, the body slid off Khaos''s hand and dropped to the ground in a pool of blood. "Anyone else?" Valandor asked the Elders while jokingly gesturing to the still-open doorway. Nobody took him up on the offer, so Elaine left with Valandor and fell through the aether. "You are enjoying this too much," Elaine grumbled as they emerged at the doorway to one of the lower floors of the dungeons. "Why?" Valandor grinned, "How could I not? For centuries, I have had to mediate quarrels between the various families, and the Voidmind family had always been the worst offenders. Sorry to say this, but seeing the downfall of your family is deeply satisfying. Also, the way the Ashfallen Sect does things with ruthless efficiency is so refreshing. You have no idea how hard it is to usually get cultivators to fight for something. It''s why certain families that should have been eradicated long ago manage to stick around as their eradication isn''t deemed worth the effort and Qi." Elaine stared at Valandor, "That was... a lot. I don''t really know what to say to that." "Some things are better left unsaid," Valandor gestured to the door, "Your Mother should be in here. Do you want to do the honors?" Elaine nodded, but her hand paused on the door. She hadn''t seen her Mother in years and feared what she would find on the other side of this door. Would her dear Mother be bound in chains? Tortured with the darkest whispers of the void until her mind broke? Natalia was a vile woman who had always sought her Mother''s position, so there would have been years of pent-up frustration that were bound to have been unleashed. After inserting some Qi, the door''s many runic-enhanced locks clicked, and the door opened. Elaine slowly pushed it open and peeked inside. A beautiful woman lay casually on her stomach in a night dress on a giant red and gold bed that dominated most of the room. She was flipping through the pages of a shabby-looking book with a bored expression while her bare legs lightly kicked her plump cushions, and she hummed a pleasant tune. "Mother?" Elaine asked in confusion. This wasn''t the scene she had been expecting. "Mhm?" She slothfully put the book down and glanced over as her hair cascaded over her face. Her eyes widened as she pushed her hair aside and looked Elaine up and down, "Elaine? Is that you?" "Yes?" Elaine replied in confusion as she stepped inside and glanced around, "I thought you were being held in a dungeon and being tortured?" "Tortured? No. Dying of boredom? Yes, most certainly." Her Mother gestured to the book, "I''ve read this mortal recipe book three times now. I haven''t eaten anything in decades, but the way they make casseroles interests me greatly. Wait¡ªthat''s beside the point. Come here, my baby! What are you doing here?" "Um, to save you?" Elaine said as she sat on the edge of the bed. Her Mother had always been a bit of an odd but friendly person. "Save me?" Her Mother''s eyes dimmed. "Sadly, I have lost my standing in the family to Elder Natalia¡ªI failed you and Dante. I''m sorry. I tried my best to fight back, but your Father sent me down here as it was fragmenting the family, and we are at war. They might let me leave once the war ends, but until then, I''ll have to remain down here." "Mother, Natalia is dead¡ªso is Father in a way. Trust me; you have no reason to stay down here." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Her Mother slowly sat up into a cross-legged position and raised a brow, "Is what you say true? Natalia is really dead, and what''s this about your Father?" "Sorry to intrude," Valandor walked into the room, "But what your daughter says is true, Elder Morrigan. I saw it with my own eyes, Elder Natalia is no more and the fate of the Voidmind family hangs in the balance." "Elder Valandor," her Mother''s voice turned ice cold as her spatial ring flashed with silver, and a midnight black dress manifested around her body. "What is the White Reaper doing in my chambers unannounced?" Valandor smirked, "It''s a pleasure to see you again, Elder Morrigan. I am simply here to investigate and protect your daughter on behalf of a higher power. Don''t mind me." "It''s hard not to," her Mother said, climbing off the bed and slowly walking around it while eying Grand Elder Valandor with narrowed eyes. "I know that you came to take away our children to feed that monster you serve, and anyone who protested would vanish in the night. So forgive my caution around you." Valandor glanced between Elaine and Elder Morrigan before his smirk faded into a frown, "It seems my past continues to haunt me like a phantom. An understandable situation but uncomfortable nonetheless. I will take my leave and guard Elaine from the aether until this investigation is complete." White flames wreathed his body, and with a step back, he phased out of reality like a ghost. "Weirdo," Her Mother clicked her tongue, and after tearing her eyes off where Valandor had once stood, she offered her hand to Elaine. Elaine took it and couldn''t help but smile, finally holding her Mother''s hand after so many years. "Woah¡ª" Elaine yelped as she was pulled to her feet by her Mother. "Daughter, before we go, I have to know, what in the heavens is your skincare routine?" She caressed Elaine''s cheek¡ªran a hand through her hair, and then pouted like a child, "I almost didn''t recognize you when you first walked in. Are you using some products from the black market? I swear I know every brand, even those exclusively sold through the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, and none of them are as good as this." Elaine pushed her Mother''s touchy hands away. "Well, that''s a long story." "I love stories!" "Now really isn''t the time," Elaine sighed. Her Mother''s personality could be grating at times. "Just tell me on the way¡ªa condensed version if you must." Her Mother led her by the hand through the door and past the many doors that led to various dungeons. "I also want to know what you have been up to these years. You seem less meek than I remember you." "Thanks?" Elaine never understood why her Mother couldn''t just give a compliment. "So? Tell me everything!" "Fine." Elaine huffed the hair out of her face, "Long story short, Uncle died, and I was kidnapped and imprisoned in Red Vine Peak by a group called the Ashfallen Sect. There was then a vote on whether I should be killed or not, but thankfully, they decided to keep me around. Dante then came to an alchemy tournament¡ªnever mind. You will find out about that later, I''m sure. Anyway, the Ashfallen Sect helped me advance my cultivation and taught me to fight. I even met a man¡ª" Her Mother suddenly paused and got uncomfortably close again, "A man?! What''s his name? How tall is he? What''s his job?" "Um, you''re too close," Elaine pushed her Mother away. "His name is Douglas. He is taller than me, and his job is... well... a warlord king to a race of monsters from an alternate dimension, and he''s also a construction worker on the side?" Her Mother nodded happily, "Sounds good. I need to meet him." Elaine started to regret rescuing her Mother. "Do you have to?" "Of course?" She kept walking, "And if he''s not a good match for you, I will send him to the void." Elaine vowed to never let them meet. "So you were kidnapped and almost died, yet came out the other side and found true love." Her Mother continued, "How lovely. But you still haven''t told me where you get your skincare." "The Ashfallen Sect makes it," Elaine absentmindedly replied. "I like them already." "Mom, did you not hear they kidnapped me?" "Darling, I have been kidnapped like twenty times," Her Mother shot her a grin, "What is some kidnapping compared to godly skin care." "Your priorities are all wrong," Elaine shook her head as they climbed the staircase to the upper floor. Her Mother laughed, "When you have lived as long as I have, that is only natural." They reached the top of the stairs, and as they walked through the residence, Elaine couldn''t help but notice how quiet it was. "Where is everyone?" "War, darling," her Mother shrugged. "The Elders mostly remained behind to power the formations while the youngsters went to fight the Skyrend family. If we lose the void Qi gathering formations, the family would be finished either way, and the Skyrend family knows that. The attacks on this place have been relentless." So that''s why the formation was powered up at full strength when I arrived. Elaine realized. "I don''t really know the full details, though. Just rumors from the maids as they bring me things, and when the whole building shakes, I assume we are under attack." "I see," Elaine nodded. "So this Ashfallen Sect that you are a part of now, are they here?" she asked as they stopped before the Main Hall. "Erm, something like that," Elaine pushed the door open and stepped through. Dominating the center of the main hall was the void tree that had once been her Father, still ablaze with lilac flames. Its bark was curved toward her as if trying to conceal the gateway to the void still open. Surrounding the tree were void Ents, five to be exact, including Khaos, who was easy to point out as she had no head and four arms. The rest were more similar looking to the old Khaos, with spindly arms ending in meter-long claws and horns growing from their heads. Meanwhile, Larry surrounded the few remaining Elders while a short white-haired human wrapped in a very fluffy-looking white tail as a substitution for clothes created a bubble of void around them before crushing them and then floating the void bubbles down a hollowed-out ethereal root. Elaine looked at the room and wondered how the hell she was supposed to explain this to her Mother. "Hey Elaine," her Mother tapped her on the shoulder. "What?" "Is that a friend of yours?" she asked, pointing at Maple in his human form. "Kinda?" Elaine wasn''t sure if she would go so far as to call them friends, but Maple''s siblings had been the ones to guide her in breaking the curse, so they were certainly close. "From the Ashfallen Sect?" Elaine nodded. "Ha, I knew it." "How?" Elaine raised a brow. Mother tapped her nose and looked smug. "Their fur is far too fluffy. I mean, just look how it shimmers under the lilac hue of the tree. They are definitely using the same product as you." Elaine rolled her eyes, "Don''t you have any other questions?" "Mhm," she mused, looking around, "I suppose I have a few." "Such as?" "I can answer any questions you have," Ashlock''s voice thundered in Elaine and her Mother''s mind. "Is this your boyfriend?" "No, Mom," Elaine hissed, "It''s his and my boss." "The head of the Ashfallen Sect?" she whispered back. Elaine nodded seriously. Her Mother became serious and gathered herself. Looking toward the tree in the center of the room, she cleared her throat and said, "Ahem, I heard the Ashfallen Sect kidnapped my daughter and almost killed her." Why is she pretending to care about that now? "As her mother, I find such treatment of my daughter simply unacceptable. But..." Elaine narrowed her eyes. Where is she going with this... hold on, there''s no way. "I would forgive such a transgression if you give me some of the skin care products she has." Elaine covered her face with her hands in despair as there was a drawn-out silence. There''s no way Ashlock will accept such nonsense. I mean, look around?! He has our entire family under his control. Why do you think you can make demands? "Really? You would forgive me?" Elaine peeked through her fingers to see her Mother nodding. "Would you also turn a blind eye to everything that has occurred here and help run the Voidmind family from now on as its head if I were to give it to you?" Her Mother shrugged, "Sure, why not." A rift opened, and her Mother caught the large truffle that fell through. "Eat that, and you will see the results you are after." "A truffle?" She sniffed it cautiously before glancing at Elaine, "Is this what you had?" Elaine nodded, "Though mine was smaller." Her Mother grinned and gave her a thumbs up, "Great! Thanks for getting kidnapped." Elaine rolled her eyes and walked off. She wanted a refund for her empathy. Chapter 315: Investing in Protection
Ashlock had been rather busy picking and choosing which Voidmind Elders to turn into Ents, so he hadn''t been able to divert attention away to check on Elaine and her mother''s rescue mission, but at least the woman seemed in good spirits? "Is this normal?" Ashlock couldn''t help but wonder. He had been expecting a more natural reaction, such as shouting, crying, or maybe even hurling a few void lances here and there. Instead, Elaine''s mother seemed more interested in getting her hands on a skin improvement truffle and talking to her daughter. "Your mom is quite the character," Ashlock said to Elaine as the woman trudged across the room and sat on an exposed root of the void tree with a sigh. "Tell me about it," Elaine grumbled. "I was so worried about her, but it seems it was one-sided." "Oi, I was worried about you," Her mother said, chewing on the truffle while walking over and glancing around. "Say, where is your brother?" "Dante?" Elaine sighed, "He died." "Oh." Her mother paused for a moment but then continued chewing. "That''s it? Just an ''Oh''?" Elaine said dryly. Her mother shrugged, "Did you want me to start crying or something?" "No, I just thought you would have a bit more of a reaction." Her mother snorted, "Darling, we both knew he was a lost cause. Either he would kill himself doing something stupid, or he would be offered to the Skyrend family to appease them and stop the war. I tried to steer him on the right path but knew it was a waste of time. He''s also my... 37th, no wait," she began counting on her fingers, "was he my 43rd child? 46th? Bah, does it even matter anymore?" Elaine narrowed her eyes, "Which number am I?" "Next question." Elaine groaned as she leaned against the void tree, "So you really don''t care about his death at all?" "Darling, I get bored, bring kids into the world, and regret that decision every darn time. They either die off in some dumb duel to defend their unearned ''honor,'' or they fall for someone and leave for distant lands with them. All I get is a letter or jade communication years later that they died to some monster or in a battle." Her mother smiled as she slowly ate the last half of the truffle, "Though you turned out quite well so far." "Would you care if I died then?" "Of course I would!" Her mother rubbed her head like one would to a cute puppy, "I still haven''t met this boyfriend of yours yet," her voice then dropped to a whisper, "Also, you helped me get this truffle." "Mother, you stink," Elaine pushed her away. "Really?" she ran a finger along her cheek and then rubbed her two fingers together to produce a few flakes of impurities, "Oh wow, this truffle works fast." "When I ate that truffle, I had so many impurities I had to bathe in a river," Elaine grumbled. "That''s because you had a lot to improve upon, darling," her mother grinned as she brought out a mirror and cloth and sat down beside her daughter. "I''m sorry to say, but my good looks were worked for, and between you and me, your father''s looks didn''t help... speaking of, where is he? Dead as well?" "You are sitting on him," Ashlock said, "He drank my cursed blood, so he turned into a tree." She burst out laughing, "A tree? You turned Erebus into a darn tree?" she looked the tree up and down in amusement, "You know, now that you mention it, it does kind of look like him." "So his name was Erebus? What is your name, if you don''t mind me asking?" "You can call me Elder Morrigan or just Morrigan now, I suppose." "You don''t care about father either?" Elaine asked, clearly unamused at her mother''s reactions to everything. "Meh, he was one of the most boring out of the twenty husbands I''ve had over the years," Morrigan chuckled, "Which makes him having one of the most interesting deaths rather ironic." "He''s not actually dead," Ashlock informed her, "He sacrificed much of his soul for an attack¡ª" "Soul something, something ray, right?" Morrigan interrupted as she meticulously wiped away the impurities in the mirror. "Yeah, that''s the one. Due to using it, Erebus''s soul was consumed to the point where he''s hardly conscious anymore, but he will slowly recover in time." "Funny that. I listed ways I thought Erebus would get himself killed, and that technique was number one. He always bragged about it, but we all know how soul techniques are, especially those involving the void. A big no-no." Morrigan smirked, "I suspect living life as a tree will suit him, though. He can watch the world go by without having to pretend he''s interested in conversations." Ashlock was starting to realize that this was the first time he had a long conversation with a truly ancient cultivator, aside from Senior Lee and maybe the Redclaw Grand Elder. At first, he had thought she was a bit of an airhead or perhaps someone who didn''t take life seriously. But the more they spoke, he realized she simply had the view of a very long-lived person who had seen it all to the point where others'' lives were like a game to her. "So, leader of Ashfallen¡ª" "You can call me Ashlock." "Oh, we are on a first-name basis now. How lovely," Morrigan stowed away the mirror and relaxed as she surveyed the room, "So Ashlock, what are your plans for the Voidmind family? Enslavement? Death? Maybe even a little kidnapping? I heard you are a fan of that one." Ashlock did not appreciate this terrible picture that Morrigan was painting of him. "Quite the opposite, actually. I need the Voidmind family alive, at least on the surface." "Strange voice in my head; I don''t like beating around the bush and speaking cryptically. Just tell it to me straight." "Fine. Valandor is working with me to fake my daughter''s death to buy her some time, as she''s earned Vincent''s interest. For Vincent to believe that she was killed during the crossfire of this war, I need the war to still be going on when he finds out." "I see. You need the Voidmind family to still be around," Morrigan tapped her chin in thought. "Exactly, and that''s where you come in. I will power the residence''s defensive formations through Erebus here, and your job will be to keep any Voidmind family members or outsiders from learning what happened here." "So I just have to sit around looking pretty, then?" Morrigan stretched her arms over her head and cracked her neck. "I can do that. Just keep me entertained, alright? Otherwise, I might wander off." "Please don''t," Ashlock chuckled, "I really have nobody left to run this place. It will only be for a few months at most." "Fiiiine," Morrigan threw a hand around Elaine''s shoulders, "So dear, tell me more about this Douglas lad."Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Elaine groaned at her mother''s affection and tried to push the woman off to little effect. Ashlock left the mother-daughter pair to their catch-up and focused back on Red Vine Peak. The heavens'' wrath overhead continued to roar as lightning endlessly rained down and dissipated on his lightning Qi barrier. There was only around a day left until his system estimated his ascension would be complete, and so far, Vincent hadn''t come to obliterate him, but there was no telling when that could happen. "The war with the Lunarshades made me realize that I need to focus more on improving my personal power as well as the sect." Ashlock mused. "I will need to learn more techniques via Willow and Kaida, especially because those attacks will now carry the weight of my Inner World. But first, I need to upgrade one of my system skills with the void affinity." A while ago, he had discovered a system exploit that came with being a divine being immune to the void. Having someone go supernova inside your own soul would usually result in instant death, but since he was immune to void Qi, he wouldn''t die, but the system would still need to dispel the foreign Qi from his soul somehow. "Thank you for bringing these to me, Maple." Maple nodded before transforming back into a fluffy white squirrel. Like balloons, a collection of void bubbles floated above him. "I ate two on the way," Maple shamelessly admitted. "...I guess that''s only fair," Ashlock quickly opened his demonic eye before Maple got hungry and ate another. The void bubbles were shepherded through his eye and floated near his still-forming Inner World. Was this risky... yes. But Ashlock''s system had handled such a scenario for him twice before, and he planned to be even more careful this time. "Okay, crush the void bubbles one at a time until the Elders go supernova. But ensure you contain their blast and carefully let the void Qi into my soul." Maple was floating alongside the void bubbles and having fun doing summersaults while Ashlock was busy explaining, which didn''t fill him with confidence that the Worldwalker had listened to him. "Maple, did you listen to me?" "Yes." Maple stopped chasing his own tail and glazed down at his Inner World with curious golden eyes. "Okay, let''s begin then." Maple tapped one of the void bubbles with his claw, causing it to condense. The Elder inside pleaded and begged, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Worldwalkers weren''t ones for empathy toward humans, and Ashlock was excitedly anticipating his skill upgrade. "You bastards will die in the chilling void for what you have done," The Elder finally yelled before going supernova. Maple opened the void bubble once the man''s body was consumed by his own soul, and the leftover void Qi poured out into Ashlock''s soul and sort of... fizzled out. "No system message?" Ashlock waited a moment, but nothing came up. "Does it not work anymore?" Wondering if it was perhaps because the supernova didn''t actually go off in his soul but rather in the void bubble, he told Maple to open the next void bubble at the last moment and direct the supernova in the opposite direction of his Inner World. Maple did as instructed, opening the void bubble at the last second. An explosion of void Qi erupted out, and rather than wreaking havoc, the void Qi simply mingled with the spatial Qi filling his soul. Once again, there wasn''t a system message. "Well, I only got one shot left because I turned the rest into Ents, and you ate the other two," Ashlock grumbled. "What should I do this time?" Maple asked, casually ignoring the accusation of snacking. Ashlock looked to his Inner World. Surely, the system would feel the need to intervene if he blasted it with void Qi... right? It wasn''t a totally suicidal idea, as he could see a golden divine aura surrounding his Inner World flickering as it fended off the void Qi he had already welcomed into his soul. "Direct the blast at my Inner World this time. Just try and clip the side of it, though, in case something goes wrong." Ashlock watched in deathly silence as Maple forced the Elder to go supernova and directed the blast at his Inner World. The void wave washed over the still-forming planet, making the divine aura glow a pale gold. [Warning: Foreign Qi Detected] [High Risk of Soul Corruption] "Finally!" Ashlock cheered. [Generating solutions...] [Convert foreign Qi into spatial Qi] [Merge void Qi with a system skill to upgrade it] [Dispel void Qi into the nearby atmosphere] Selecting the second option, his full status screen appeared. [Demonic Demi-Divine Tree (Age: 9)] [Star Core: 9th Stage] [Soul Type: Amethyst (Spatial)] [Mutations¡­] {Demonic Eye [B]} {Blood Sap [C]} [Summons...] {Herald of the Divine Ash: Larry [S]} {Midnight Ink Lindwyrm: Kaida [B]} [Skills¡­] {Skyborne Bastion [SSS]} {Necroflora Sovereign [SS]} {Mystic Realm [S]} [Locked until day: 3626] {Progeny Dominion [S]} {Dimensional Overlap [S]} {Nocturnal Genesis [S]} {Ethereal Roots [S]} {Eye of the Tree God [A]} {Abyssal Whispers [A]} {Magic Mushroom Production [A]} {Lightning Qi Barrier [A]} {Qi Fruit Production [A]} {Consuming Abyss [B]} {Blooming Root Flower Production [B]} {Language of the World [B]} {Fire Qi Protection [B]} {Transpiration of Heaven and Chaos [B]} {Mental Protection [B]} {Superior Poison Resistance [C]} It wasn''t too long ago that he had last been met with this choice, and other than {Mental Protection}, he hadn''t gained a new skill since. "Mental Protection doesn''t seem that useful to upgrade for now," Ashlock ran down the list and mentally checked off the expensive skills like {Skyborne Bastion} or any skill that involved his offspring, like {Progeny Dominion}. "Sacrificial credits will only get harder to come by as I advance, so upgrading a skill like {Dimensional Overlap} to SS grade when it''s already quite expensive to use seems counterproductive," Ashlock also wanted to focus more on his attack skills or skills that could help him survive if Vincent Nightrose showed up on his mountain peak tomorrow. "Ignoring my production skills and my cultivation technique, as it''s going to upgrade tomorrow anyway, I am only really left with {Abyssal Whispers [A]} and {Consuming Abyss [B]}." Ashlock mused but didn''t really like either option. "Abyssal Whispers is treated as a mental attack skill by the system. Adding void affinity would help me bypass Vincent Nightroses''s mental protections. But even when I forced my way into the Lunarshade Grand Elder''s consciousness, he seemed rather unfazed by my illusions." Ashlock thought. He also wasn''t too happy with the idea that using this skill may start to cost sacrificial credits as it was his only way of talking to his sect members. "Meanwhile {Consuming Abyss} has already been empowered with void Qi, so upgrading it here would only increase its grade and make it stronger overall," Ashlock sighed. It wasn''t a terrible choice, but it felt like a waste. "Is there really nothing else that would benefit from void affinity?" His focus landed on his protection skills. "Come to think of it, my {Lightning Qi Barrier [A]} hasn''t upgraded despite the onslaught from heaven. Is that because the current power the heavens can unleash doesn''t surpass what an A-grade protection skill can block?" If that were the case, what would an S-grade protection skill be capable of defending him from? "Vincent Nightrose is likely some kind of blood affinity, but I only have protection from lightning, fire, poison, and mental attacks. My bark is strong, but without a technique or skill, I definitely can''t survive a single direct hit from a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator." Ashlock hadn''t given much thought to protection skills before, as he had focused more on improving his offensive capabilities and uplifting his sect members, which had been the right call in the past. Yet, now he had an Inner World to protect and foes that could appear suddenly and kill him in a single move. If there was an affinity that could defend him in such a situation, it would be void Qi. "Now the question is, which protection skill should I upgrade?" {Lightning Qi Barrier [A]} {Fire Qi Protection [B]} {Mental Protection [B]} {Superior Poison Resistance [C]} "Obviously, it will be between lightning or fire, as upgrading a C-grade skill is a total waste, and mental protection isn''t going to save me from getting one shot. The only issue is I am currently using my lightning barrier to fend off the heavens, so it''s not the optimal time to upgrade it. However, the difference between an S-grade and an A-grade protection skill is clear, and it seems that upgrading a protection skill past A-grade is only possible with sacrificial credits for now." It was going to really suck if his new void-based barrier sucked up all his remaining sacrificial credits to combat the heavens, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to take to have an S-grade protection skill. [Choose system skill: {Lightning Qi Barrier [A]}?] "Yes." [Skill upgrading... 1%] [Skill upgrading... 32%] [Skill upgrading... 100%] [Void Qi corruption eradicated] [Skill upgrade successful] [Upgraded {Lightning Qi Barrier [A]} -> {Voidstorm Aegis [S]}] "Interesting..." If he understood the skill correctly, at the cost of sacrificial credits, it would surround him in a dome that would unleash void lightning at anything he deemed a threat, including people or incoming attacks. As more detailed information about his new skill settled into his mind, he couldn''t help but wonder. "Isn''t this basically an attack skill?" Chapter 316: Beauty Hides Rotting Flesh Ashlock was relieved to learn that his new {Voidstorm Aegis [S]} skill had two modes, much like {Consuming Abyss [B]}. The purple lightning Qi barrier covering the entire mountain range and Ashfallen City from before was still active, just denser than before. However, for the initial cost of five hundred sacrificial credits, he could activate the Voidstorm Aegis¡ªan immense defensive formation that would create a dome around him. Anything deemed a threat that entered this dome would be deleted from existence by a barrage of void affinity lightning. It would need some testing, but Ashlock suspected the amount of Qi the formation would take to keep running would be unfathomable¡ªbut thankfully, there was no sacrificial credit upkeep once it was active. "At least it doesn''t cost sacrificial credits to use after the initial cost," Ashlock sighed with relief. Consuming Abyss was already a big enough drain on his precious sacrificial credits, so he didn''t want any more. "It''s quite annoying. I have 1174 SC stored up in my system, which is enough to do an A grade draw, but I need to keep enough credits on hand in case I get attacked." It definitely was a frustrating aspect of his system. "Hopefully, when the system upgrades, it will introduce some new features," Ashlock thought as he looked up at the enraged sky over Red Vine Peak. "Not long now. By this time tomorrow, I will be in the Nascent Soul Realm... assuming nothing goes wrong." It was a crazy thought that he was about to enter a realm of power that had seemed so far out of reach years ago. Even some of his sect members who didn''t have the cheat of being a tree and owning a system were inching ever closer to stepping into the elusive realm of true immortals that could escape the shackles of time. "Speaking of, I wonder how old Elder Morrigan is?" Ashlock mused, "She said Erebus Voidmind was her 20th husband and that Elaine was her 50th child or something? Even if she only stayed a few hundred years with each husband, that would make her thousands of years old. But isn''t she cursed to the peak of the Star Core Realm? So, shouldn''t her body be dying by now..." Ashlock paused as he remembered what she had been most interested in. "Is that why she is so into skincare? There were hardly any impurities expelled from her skin when she ate one of my skin improvement truffles." Ashlock felt like he had discovered Elder Morrigan''s dark secret. "I wondered why she was so obsessed with it, but I suppose skincare is more than simply looking beautiful. She is literally extending her lifespan with self-care as no Star Core cultivator should live as long as she likely has." "Ashlock," Maple tapped his branch with his tiny paw. "What is it?" Ashlock asked as he was broken from his thoughts. "Make a portal for me back to the void tree." "Why?" Ashlock wondered. What reason could this usually lazy squirrel have to go back to Slymere? "Did you not see the gateway to the void in the center of that tree? I should be able to use it to meet my family without waiting for the Mystic Realm." Ashlock hadn''t even considered such a thing. "Wait, does that mean your siblings could come here through the portal?" Maple shook his head. "It''s the same issue as before. They must be summoned or protected from the heavens'' carefully woven reality by something like Mystic Qi; otherwise, the realm will kill them like a fish out of water." "I see..." Ashlock thought to himself, "If we have a portal to the void, I wonder if I can get the cult to figure something out?" He wasn''t sure if he wanted the Worldwalkers running freely in the realm just yet; one unhinged Worldwalker was enough, and they had a pact of mutual protection that gave Ashlock some peace of mind. "So? Where''s the portal?" Maple demanded. Ashlock was still a bit miffed about Maple eating his void cultivators, resulting in only a single upgrade, so despite this revelation of the void portal, he wasn''t so motivated to assist the fat squirrel. "Why don''t you Void Step over yourself?" Maple grinned, "Because then I would get hungry again, and we don''t want that, do we?" "Good point," Ashlock admitted, "Fine, but take these truffles with you and give them to Elder Morrigan." Ashlock had no idea how close to death she was despite her youthful and perfect looks. For all he knew, her body may be rotting beneath that flawless skin. Maple turned into his human form and held the two truffles in his hands. "Is this wise? Despite her power, you could entice that woman to do a lot for these." "How could I be so heartless to the mother of one of my closest sect members?" Ashlock said, "Though... assuming she has to maintain such a high standard of purity to keep her body alive, a single truffle won''t be enough. Once she has experienced how effective they are, she will hopefully do all she can to keep me alive so she can get more." Maple narrowed his eyes, "I can''t tell if you are benevolent or evil." "That''s because you have a more questionable moral compass than me." Ashlock clapped back, "Besides, I have to play to my strengths. I am a provider of miracles to the cultivators of this land, which, if used unwisely, will lead to my enslavement or death." "Mhm," Maple hummed as he inspected the miracle truffles in his hands, "So you don''t plan to tell Elder Morrigan that there''s a way to give her a second affinity and break her curse?" Ashlock couldn''t think of a worse idea right now. "No. Morrigan may be Elaine''s mother, but you saw the disregard she has for her own family. She is dangerous¡ªperhaps even more so than Vincent Nightrose. For now, I will give her incentives to assist me, and once I have verified her character or assured her loyalty with a contract, I will tell her such a solution." Ashlock personally wasn''t so afraid of Morrigan as a divine being immune to the void, and he had Larry to fight her if needed. But there was no guarantee he could protect Stella or others from such an ancient void cultivator if she got serious. "I do wonder if Erebus was nothing but a puppet and Morrigan was really the one controlling the family from behind the scenes," Ashlock mused. "Erebus felt a bit lacking for the head of such a supposedly powerful family. Sure, he was chilling to listen to and had a mean look, but he didn''t give off that unhinged ancient cultivator aura like Morrigan does." "What if Elaine tells her?" Maple asked. "You sure are asking a lot of questions. This isn''t like you." Ashlock said with a hint of suspicion, "But in that case, I would just say she has to wait. Don''t misunderstand me. I plan to offer her the opportunity at some point soon, just not now." Ashlock didn''t want to be questioned anymore, so he created the portal that led to the Voidmind residence. "I would be careful whom you try to control," Maple said before jumping through. "What does he mean by that," Ashlock muttered as his vision blurred. He returned to the Voidmind residence, where Morrigan was holding her daughter hostage and making her tell her stories. Maple''s arrival drew both women''s attention. "Oh, it''s that representative from Ashfallen," Morrigan said with an oddly respectful tone as she stood up and freed Elaine from her prison of motherly hugs. "Maple was the name, right?"This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "That is the name the mortals of this realm have given me." "You speak through the void. How curious." Morrigan looked Maple up and down and smirked, "Despite your attempts to hide it, I can tell you are beyond powerful. Isn''t that right?" Maple gave her a blank stare, "That feels like an insult coming from you." "Oh my," Morrigan grinned widely, and Ashlock swore for a moment he saw an extra row of teeth. "I do apologize. I wouldn''t want to insult my benefactor." "Did I just hallucinate that?" Ashlock honestly wasn''t sure. It had been for such a brief moment that it could have merely been due to the lighting in the room. But something definitely felt off. Elaine walked past the two of them, giving each a confused look before quietly escaping through the still-open portal back to Red Vine Peak. Maple shrugged, "None taken. I am still young." Morrigan Void Stepped behind Maple and wrestled him in a tight hug, "Yes, you are!" "Please put me down," Maple asked, still blank-faced. "But you are simply too adorable," Morrigan twirled around and buried her face between the fluffy squirrel ears on Maple''s head. "I want hair as soft as this." "I brought a gift from Ashlock for you. Maybe they can help." "You did?!" Morrigan set Maple down, "Where?" Maple presented the two truffles, "Heart demon expelling and spirit root improvement truffles." "Yahoo!" Morrigan grabbed both of them, and Ashlock saw the faintest hint of Qi envelop them from her hands before she scoffed them down. "Did she just check them for poisons or curses," Ashlock pondered. Her actions were so over the place it was hard to read her. Maple took the opportunity to bail and jumped through the gateway to the void. Unlike Elder Natalia, he wasn''t killed instantly and could pass through. "Guess I will see him later," Ashlock focused back on Morrigan. He was very curious to see if his truffles would have any effect. A while passed, and the tiniest heart demon that he almost mistook for a fly appeared at the corner of Morrigan''s mouth, and she easily killed it with a void-wreathed tongue strike. "No sign of the spirit root improvement truffle having any effect. Does that mean her spirit roots were already pure?" Morrigan licked her lips and glanced up at the ceiling. For the briefest moment, they locked eyes, but then she looked elsewhere. "Thanks for the meal," she muttered, stretching like a cat. She then wandered over to her husband, who had been turned into a tree, and decided to nap against him despite the lilac flames still blazing around him. Ashlock didn''t know what to make of anything he had just witnessed. He decided to quietly take his leave after injecting a lot of Qi through Erebus into the residence and reactivating the defensive formations. "Now, with the Voidmind residence secured and Morrigan hopefully happy, should I check on Stella?" Ashlock''s gaze drifted over the mountains as he returned to Red Vine Peak, "Mhm, or I could grab an early night''s sleep under the nine moons. It''s going to be a big day tomorrow." As tempting as grabbing some sleep was, he would grow restless if he didn''t know what Stella was up to. "Hopefully, she hasn''t caused another war or something," he grumbled as he focused on Nightshade City in the Tainted Cloud Sect. "I should be harsher on her, but I just can''t. I know it''s silly, but if I am too hard on her, I fear she will grow to hate me." He wasn''t proud of being an overly doting parent as he knew they often raised bad kids. Yet, despite being self-aware of the issue, he didn''t feel like changing his parenting style. "Now, where is my dear daughter hiding..." Ashlock checked on his roots throughout the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion but came up empty. Stella and Diana were both missing. "Strange, I thought they would be here somewhere." Ashlock grew slightly concerned as he switched focus to the Duskwalker residence. To his relief, he found Stella pacing the meeting room while biting her nail. The atmosphere was heavy, and the only other person present was Diana, looking out the window at the distant horizon in concern. "Did something happen?" Ashlock asked Stella and Diana. "Tree!" Stella frantically looked at the ceiling, "Yes, something did happen." "Calm down and explain from the start," Ashlock said as calmly as he could. "Okay, so..." Stella got her bearings. "While handing in the bounty on Albis, a lot happened. The good news is that our pills were evaluated as being way more valuable than initially predicted and have been sent to be auctioned. The Ashfallen Sect has also been recognized as a Divine level sect, on par with the Celestial Empire." "A Divine level... what? That doesn''t sound good at all," Ashlock muttered. It was understandable that she was so stressed. That was huge news. "Because of that, my pendant was upgraded," Stella said, showing off an impressive gem-encrusted pendant. "In the words of the Lotus Informant, I''m an esteemed guest with close ties to a sect or person with power more significant than the pavilion." "Diana, too?" "No," Diana smirked, "Just Stella." "Huh? That''s weird; you both have ties to the Ashfallen Sect, so why are they only scared of Stella?" Diana hummed with amusement, "Truly a mystery." "Anyway, none of that is important right now." Stella clapped her hands to draw their attention. "Huh?" Ashlock was baffled, "That wasn''t what worried you?!" Stella shook her head, "I was invited to speak with the Celestial Warden. During our talk, the topic of my father came up as I had used Yinxi Coins to inquire about him." "Right, what did you learn?" Ashlock had so many questions, but he felt that hearing this to the end first was for the best. "His name is Janus Crestfallen, or at least that''s what is registered in the bloodline records. His current location is the Frozen Star Sect to the far west of here, a Monarch realm-level sect." Stella explained, "The Celestial Warden suggested I message my father. I tried to refuse and say I would do it later as I didn''t want him listening or reading any message I received, but he insisted." "So... did you get a message back from Janus?" Ashlock couldn''t believe he had missed out on such a pivotal moment! Stella gulped, "Yeah. A single line." Ashlock didn''t like her reaction. Was it something like ''Never speak to me again'' or ''Who are you?'' In which case, he could understand Stella''s terrible mood. This was supposed to be her biological father, after all. "It was a warning," Stella bit her lip, "Run¡ªthey are coming for you." "What? Was that it?" Ashlock asked. "Are you even sure the message was from Janus?" Stella nodded, "The Celestial Warden said he recognized the voice, and that is all he told me before the message cut off." "Do you have any idea who is after you?" Stella exchanged a glance with Diana. "There are a few options, and none are good." "It could be the Frozen Star Sect." Diana said, "The reasoning is unknown, but they are the only Monarch Realm level sect, apart from the Celestial Empire and apparently us." Stella nodded in agreement, "He did sound a bit rushed in the message. Though personally, the rumor that the Celestial Warden hinted at sounds like the more likely cause." "What rumor?" "Apparently, the Celestial Order, the most powerful group in the Celestial Empire, in charge of harvesting the sap from the World Tree, started doing some demonic-style experiments with the sap." Stella explained, "What if I have something to do with those experiments?" "Mhm..." Ashlock hummed. He didn''t want to say it, but if Stella was the child of a World Tree, some nonsense had to have occurred for her to be birthed. "So, in that case, you think the Celestial Order is after you?" "Yeah, the only other group I can think of is the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion. But if that was the case, I''m not sure the Celestial Warden would have let me go so easily." Stella tapped her chin in thought, "Though I did have to use my earrings to get away from him." Ashlock felt his anger rising, "Did he try to hold you against your will?" Stella waved him off, "Don''t get mad, Tree. I don''t think he''s a terrible person or after me. He just got a bit too curious and wanted me to stay to answer more questions." "Fine. But I''m not letting you stay here. It''s too dangerous." Ashlock ripped open a portal to his soul that led to the island he had gotten distracted building earlier. "Stay inside my soul where I can protect you." Stella looked at the portal with some apprehension, "Can Diana come too?" "Sure." Diana didn''t seem so sure about staying inside another person''s soul on an island surrounded by the chaos of a forming Inner World. But Stella grabbed her wrist and dragged the poor girl along with her. "Okay, you two stay here and don''t move," he told them, returning to the outside world. If unknown foes were potentially inbound on the night of his ascension, he wouldn''t hold back. He already had his four lunar Ents guarding him. Titus, Geb, and Sol were also healed up and ready to go. "One can never be too safe," Ashlock directed Khaos and one other void Ent through a portal and told them to guard him. "And now for the final layer of defense." [Do you wish to activate {Voidstorm Aegis [S]} for 500 SC?] "Yes." The credits vanished from his system, and a faint dark purple bubble that looked like a more sinister lightning shield rapidly expanded out to encompass most of the mountain peak. A red-feathered bird trying to steal one of his Qi-dense fruits from his uppermost branches didn''t even make a noise as void lightning silently arced from the shield''s perimeter and deleted it from existence. "Holy shit," Ashlock gasped as he felt Qi being pulled from his Soul Core to replenish the dome. "That attack took out like a tenth of my total Qi." Thankfully, Qi rushed in from his roots connected to the World Tree and his many offspring to replenish the spent Qi, but it was still stupidly expensive. "At least it''s effective, I suppose." Ashlock thought but told Sol to shoot down any bird before they entered the dome to avoid wasting so much Qi. He also closed the ethereal roots leading to his monster farm as any monsters that crawled through would be reduced to nothing by the void, so it would be a waste. Ashlock did a few more checks as the sun dipped below the horizon, and as the darkness of night enveloped him, he activated {Nocturnal Genesis} to speed up the formation of his Inner World and fell into slumber. Chapter 317: Nascent Soul Realm Stella idly sat on a rock surrounded by sparkling wealth and unfathomable chaos. Strewn across the island in Ashlock''s soul were piles of spirit stones, mortal currencies, and artifacts looted from the Lunarshade family. With nothing better to do while they waited, Stella and Diana had been sorting through the items. The currencies went into one pile, while the unverified artifacts were piled up with the intention of selling them through the Silverspire family or getting a few of the more interesting-looking ones evaluated. "This feels nice," Diana said with a pleasant sigh. "Mhm?" Stella glanced up from a spatial ring she had been trying to crack open at Diana sitting on a taller rock opposite her. The demoness, illuminated with silver moonlight, was casually leaning back on her arms and smiling up at the nine moons. It was quite the ethereal scene, as her black hair cascaded down her shoulders, and it was made all the more mystical by the dreamscape backdrop. "The moonlight, it feels like it''s healing my soul." Diana tilted her head and locked eyes with Stella, "Don''t you feel it, too?" "Sure I do," Stella replied, looking away and using telekinesis to float over a pile of artifacts and set them beside Diana, "But I don''t let it distract me from our work." Diana frowned at the pile, "Why do you even care about this stuff?" "What do you mean?" Stella raised a brow. "Why do you think cultivators chase wealth?" "Because wealth is power?" Stella said but was unsure. "No. It''s because of what wealth can be exchanged for. Wealth on its own is nearly useless to cultivators, but it can be used to buy pills, create Qi-gathering formations, hire rogue cultivators, and more." Diana picked up a handful of Dragon Crowns from the pile Stella had just set beside her, "What use is this to us? Ashlock produces the best pills, his groves are superior Qi-gathering formations, and there''s no need to hire rogue cultivators when we are a sect that can welcome in new cultivators." "Artifacts are useful..." Stella retorted. "Sure they are, but despite the sea of artifacts here, how many do you plan on wearing? You have worn the same casual clothes for months, and the only artifacts you wear are the earrings Ashlock gifted to you." Stella touched the maple leaf earrings she had worn since childhood. Something about them made her feel safe, and she could depend on them. Meanwhile, she didn''t desire to rely on these cultivator-made artifacts. "You don''t want to wear the artifacts, right? Because they feel like borrowed power? Maybe unreliable?" Diana smirked knowingly when she saw Stella''s expression, "That''s because they are. A cultivator''s true wealth is their own personal power¡ªtheir cultivation. Defensive artifacts are great and all, but they usually don''t scale alongside a cultivator''s power. Eventually, they become obsolete, but if the cultivator relied on that artifact for their fighting style or survival, they would be stuck until they could find a superior artifact to replace the old." Stella frowned, "Why are you telling me all of this." "Because I know that you know this deep down. The Ashfallen Sect may have some uses for wealth, but you don''t and never have," Diana rolled over and looked at her, "So, why the sudden interest in sorting through mountains of shiny rubbish you have no use for." Sighing, Stella threw the spatial ring to the side, "You''re right, I don''t care for this stuff. I''m just doing this to take my mind off things. Happy now?" Diana beamed, showing off the tips of her cute fangs, "Yes, I am. Now, what is worrying you? If you don''t speak about or try to solve your problems, they will only fester." Stella huffed the hair out of her face. Why couldn''t Diana just leave her alone to her mindless task? "Fine. I''m still thinking about what the Celestial Warden told me," Stella looked down and started fidgeting with her sleeve. "Maybe it''s silly, but once I heard the words of the cosmic being, a small part of me hoped there were a mother and father who loved me out there, and we were simply separated by circumstance. I know I have Ash, and nothing will detract from our relationship, but you know..." "So what about Janus and the World Tree?" Diana asked. Stella smiled wearily, "There''s no confirmation yet if Janus is really my father, and assuming I have something to do with these experiments with the World Tree sap the Celestial Order was rumored to be conducting, I fear my birth was far more artificial than I had been hoping." "I see," Diana''s expression turned more serious as she sat up, "Even though I don''t see how it could have been possible, you hoped that you were created by the union of the World Tree with some human, possibly Janus. Right?" Stella nodded. "But now, due to the rumors you heard from the Celestial Warden regarding the Celestial Order, you think you might be the product of some demonic ritual involving World Tree sap." Stella nodded again and felt her lip quivering, "Which is a far colder origin story than I had been hoping, and now I have people after me who might cause problems for Tree." "Don''t be ridiculous," Diana scoffed, "Ashlock has and will go to war for you. That is why the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion gave you an esteemed status, as they know this too." Stella grumbled, "I''m tired of causing Ash problems, though. Just because he will do something for me doesn''t mean I want him to." "I get that, I really do. But I think Ashlock would be far more distraught if you pushed him away and tried to face these problems yourself." Stella bit her lip and fell into silence. Diana hopped off the rock and walked to the island''s edge. She stood there for a while and surveyed the chaos. Eventually, she began speaking to break the silence. "Ashlock may not be a divine being yet on the level of the World Tree, but I have to say I am impressed." "Why?" Stella asked as she got up and walked over to join Diana in appreciating the surrounding chaos. Under the nine moons, roaring winds moved giant chunks of land across a depthless ocean. As the landmasses crashed into one another, molten metal and fire fused them together, forming islands large enough to be continents if this small world was scaled up to the size of the layers of creation. "I read about Inner Worlds as a child," Diana said, reminiscing. "Legends of cultivators having such profound knowledge regarding the heavenly daos that heaven granted them the privilege of weaving their own pocket of reality inside their own souls." Diana grinned, "You know that''s where the term Monarch Realm comes from? Those who reach that level of power become the rulers of their own realm." "A monarch of their own reality," Stella muttered as she took in the breathtaking display of power. "But Ash isn''t ascending to the Monarch Realm, yet he has an Inner World? How can that work?"If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Diana shrugged, "All I know is the difference between a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator who has escaped the shackles of time by creating a secondary soul and a Monarch Realm cultivator is whether or not they have an Inner World. For all we know, Ashlock has jumped to the Monarch Realm and just needs his cultivation to catch up." "I hope that''s the case," Stella smiled and felt very proud of her dad. He always did everything he could to ensure those around him were cared for and praised them when they progressed. Yet silently in the background, he had progressed the fastest, all to protect them. Diana laughed, "To be fair, when has anything concerning Ashlock made sense? From the day he summoned Larry, I gave up on trying to understand the source of his power." Diana''s voice dropped to a whisper, and she leaned in, "Do you happen to know?" "He offered to tell me once," Stella mused and smirked as Diana''s eyes widened, "But I refused." "What? Why?!" Stella leaned back and looked up at the endless dreamscape, "Because if I knew the secret to his power and was captured, I might cause him problems if they found a way to torture or extract the information from me. That is why I refused. It''s all to protect him." "Huh, that''s surprising." Stella tilted her head, "Why?" "Dunno," Diana shrugged, "I know you say you don''t want to cause problems for Tree, but you have quite the track record. But if you are willing to turn down such knowledge to protect Tree, I''m starting to think you are just reckless." Stella punched Diana in the shoulder, "I''m not reckless." Diana burst out laughing, "Yeah, good one, and the sky isn''t blue¡ªwait, that phrase doesn''t work here." "See?" Stella sneered, "It''s all about perspective, something, something..." "Uh huh," Diana rubbed her chin, "Such profound words." "Just shut up." "Fine..." Stella couldn''t help but smile as she stood beside her best friend while watching her dad''s Inner World finish forming. Despite their joking, this was a sight few cultivators would ever witness. Such a raw display of daos weaving together a reality was helping Stella reach enlightenment. So, for the next few hours, Stella and Diana sat in silence and meditated on the world''s truths. Stella was analyzing the entire process from the spatial plane when the final landmass fused into place. The moment it did, the whole planet glowed with a blinding divine light, and Stella swore she heard a gong go off. Confused, she opened her eyes. "You heard it too?" she asked Diana, who was also glancing around in confusion. "Yeah... did you hear a gong?" "I did." Stella jumped to her feet and surveyed the island, which was now the center of multiple larger landmasses. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but bare earth covered in patches of grass and the occasional meandering river. Stella didn''t know why, but something made her shiver. Diana walked past Stella, "Weird..." "You feel it, too?" "Mhm," Diana''s lips pressed into a line, "I feel something sinister." "Yeah¡ªah!" Stella yelped as she felt something wet pass under her bare foot. Leaping back, she hopped around on one leg while she checked the sole of her foot. "What? Why is there blood on my foot?" Diana backed up from where they had been standing, "Is it yours?" Stella wiped away the blood and didn''t see any evidence of a cut. "I don''t think so? There''s no cut or anything." "Look, the grass is changing," Diana pointed. Following her finger, Stella saw that the grass was shifting from a dull green to a scarlet red. Stella dropped to the ground and planted her palm on a patch of bloodied grass. Closing her eyes, she entered the spatial plane to find the source. What she saw horrified her. A giant creature of some kind originating from the center of the Inner World was surging toward the surface. Why is such a thing inside Ash''s soul? Stella thought as she stood up. Her spatial ring flashed, and she leaped onto her sword. "Diana, take to the skies. Something is coming from below." Diana didn''t need to be told twice as giant feathered wings erupted from her back, and she shot up into the air with a single flap just in time, as the ground below cracked before rupturing upwards as the creature below broke to the surface. It was genuinely titanic in size, as Stella felt like an annoying fly desperately buzzing out of the way. "What in the nine realms is this thing?!" Stella cried out as the ground trembled for miles, throwing up a cloud of dust as a living pillar of bloodied white flesh that pulsed like a beating heart rose to the sky. "We should wake up Ashlock!" Diana, who was a tiny black dot in comparison, cried out. "How?!" We are on a planet floating within his soul. If the appearance of this monster isn''t waking him up, then us shouting at the sky isn''t going to do anything either. Helpless to do anything, Stella and Diana flew to a safe distance and watched from afar. "Why does it look like a tree made of flesh?" Diana said. Stella looked at the still-rising pillar of flesh and noted it was getting wider at the base. The top had also split open, and what could be described as leafless branches of ivory bone were sprawling out to form a canopy. Stella was about to agree with Diana when the pillar suddenly stopped rising, and the ground settled. "Is it done?" Stella asked skeptically. "I sure hope so," Diana snorted, "Any higher, and it will reach the moons." Stella bit her lip. I wonder if this is how big the World Tree is? Another gong sound reverberated through the Inner World, and Stella was sure it originated from the flesh tree. Diana clicked her tongue, "That strange noise again. I wonder what it means." "Nothing good, I suspect," Stella said, and she was proven correct as slits appeared down the entire length of the flesh tree, and in unison, they split apart. Blood exploded out of the slits, sending globs of scarlet that rained upon the land all around, and rivers of blood flowed down the length of the flesh tree. Once the blood spewing out the slits slowed to a trickle, thousands of red eyes peered through the slits and looked all around. The slits blinked like eyelids making the flesh tree seem more conscious than Stella had initially thought. "Heavens, that thing is creepy." Diana shuddered. Stella chuckled as she watched the flesh tree look around, "I think it''s kinda cute, though." Diana stared at her, "How? Are you crazy?" "Its ridiculous size aside, and the whole river of blood thing. Look how curious it is." Stella grinned, enjoying Diana''s horrified glare, "Don''t you want to try and befriend it? Maybe it''s friendlier than it looks." "That," Diana pointed at the flesh tree, "is the stuff of nightmares. Understand? It''s not friend-shaped." "Hmmm...." It''s vaguely tree-shaped, which means it could be a friend. "Oh look, there''s now a forest of death blooming," Diana said in disbelief. Stella glanced down, and sure enough, the many blobs of blood were rising into tiny flesh trees covered in eyes. More friends! *** The next day, Ashlock awoke to silence. There were no chirping birds or roaring thunder from the wrath of the heavens overhead. All was calm except for a quiet breeze. But Ashlock was not calm as many system messages dominated his vision. [Formation of Inner World Complete] [Ascension to Nascent Soul Realm Complete] [System upgrade complete] He had done it. He had completed his ascension. Quickly, he looked within himself at his Inner World as the dreamscape faded away. As expected, he was greeted with a world of order rather than chaos. There were continents, oceans, and even plant life appearing. However, one thing was impossible to miss as it dominated an entire side of his Inner World. "What the hell is this creepy thing?" Ashlock muttered in disbelief as he examined the towering tree of flesh and eyes wreathed in a divine glow. To his surprise, his system offered an answer in the form of a notification that floated over the tree. [Divine Flesh Tree - The physical manifestation of the [System]. It was crafted from the image of the many mortals and cultivators that revere you as a deity] "That''s how my worshipers see me?" Ashlock had no idea what to think, "Wait, this is a physical manifestation of the system. Is this tree... you?" [Yes] floated above the tree. Ashlock was amazed. Did the system just speak to him like normal? "What about these little flesh trees all around you?" [They are the physical manifestation of your sacrificial credits. Each tree represents one SC] Ashlock had 674 SC left after activating the {Voidstorm Aegis} last night, and by a rough estimate, there were around that many tiny flesh trees surrounding the Divine Flesh Tree. "Why are they here?" [So they can grow] "What? How does that work?" [The divine energy gathered from your worshipers flows into the forest, and over time, they will multiply. One tree will split into three. However, if faith in you diminishes, the forest can wither away] "So this is a divine stock market? The more divine energy I invest, the faster it compounds?" Ashlock had been worried that hitting Nascent Soul Realm would completely cripple his sacrificial credit inflow, but it looked like becoming a deity had given him a new source of credits. "This is a system upgrade, right? Was there anything else?" [You can now upgrade any specific skill or mutation you want for 2x the cost of an equivalent level gacha pull] Ashlock had a few skills, such as {Consuming Abyss [B]}, which he really wanted to upgrade, but blindly doing gacha pulls could have taken him until the end of time to get the upgrade he wanted. "The cost is steep at 2x, but I suppose that''s the cost of guaranteeing I get something I want." Ashlock mused but was pulled from his thoughts as he noticed Stella and Diana sitting and hanging out on one of the Divine Flesh Tree''s ivory branches. Chapter 318: Sapience "What the hell are you two doing up there?" Ashlock asked Stella and Diana, who were sitting on a vast bone branch of the Divine Flesh Tree. They looked like insects compared to the tree''s size, which is why he hadn''t noticed them at first. Diana seemed very uncomfortable as she shifted around. Meanwhile, Stella happily swung her legs while surveying the sprawling landscape of his fully formed Inner World. "Oh! Good morning, Tree," Stella grinned. "Morning... it was quite the night, huh?" "I have been trying to talk to my new friend here but haven''t had a lot of luck so far." Stella patted the bone branch. "There is no way this thing will be your friend," Diana grumbled. "Well... can you be her friend?" Ashlock asked his System. In the past, the system had remained silent regarding most topics that didn''t concern his direct survival or the system''s functions. Something like a casual conversation had seemed beyond its capabilities, but since its upgrade, he had noticed a new level of sapience. [I refrained from revealing my existence to the fate-tied human] That wasn''t an outright no, but it did show some reluctance. Also, ''fate-tied'' was a rather odd way to refer to Stella, as that is what Senior Lee had called Stella in the past. "Now that you mention it, keeping yourself hidden from Stella is probably for the best," Ashlock remembered he still hadn''t told Stella about the system''s existence as she didn''t want to cause him problems. "What should I tell her this tree represents then?" [The Divine Flesh Tree is your infant soul, created to complete the ascension to the Nascent Soul Realm. If you wished to be reborn in a new vessel, you could plant this tree as a seed in the outside world and transfer yourself to it] "Huh? This is my second soul?" Ashlock shivered as he looked at the demonic creation, "I thought it was your body?" [I don''t require a physical body, so I would survive even if the Divine Flesh Tree were to perish] "So what is the purpose of this body besides being my second soul?" [Deities require a physical body to harness their divine energy. Since I needed access to your divine energy to implement the ''divine stock market'' as you call it, I crafted your second soul into a form most compatible with receiving the divine energy. Hence, it was made in the image your worshipers have of you] "Okay, just to confirm, if that tree were to die, you would be fine?" [Yes. Though my control over your divine energy would be crippled] Ashlock didn''t like that sound of that. "What is divine energy exactly?" [The purest form of Qi untainted by anything. Due to its purity, only those with unlimited cultivation potential can hope to harness it. Usually, a deity will be rewarded with divine energy from the heavens when they inspire cultivators and mortals to pursue power] "The heavens reward me with divine energy for making people want to pursue power? What a strange motive. Actually speaking of motives... what is yours?" Ashlock asked, followed by an uncomfortable silence. [To assist your growth] the system eventually replied. Since the messages appeared in text form, Ashlock could not infer any tone behind the words. "So your motives align with my personal growth, then," Ashlock mused. If that were the case, he wouldn''t have any issues, as the development of his allies also contributed to his personal growth, so the system was unlikely to do anything to them. "Do you know who or what created you?" [No, I only know my objective] "I see. Wait, on that topic, what are you?" [Once you unlock all nine moons, my existence and your reason for being reborn will become clear. Until then, knowing the truth will cause the collapse of the nine realms and your death along with everyone else] "Well, that''s ominous," Ashlock was surprised the system didn''t outright ignore him. "Can you really not give me a clue?" The system fell silent and never replied. "No dice, huh. This reminds me of when the Worldwalkers couldn''t tell me more about bloodlines without earning the heaven''s ire. I wonder why heaven tries to safeguard certain knowledge so much?" The system did not entertain his thoughts with an answer. Ashlock didn''t want to push his golden finger in this world any further, so he focused on the present situation. The system had been nothing but helpful thus far, and its goals seemed aligned with his. So, until proven otherwise, he planned to continue working alongside it. "Unlike the cosmic guard in Stella''s library, it seems my system understands the dangers of knowledge and knows where to draw the line on how much it''s willing to share," Ashlock mused. "Though, I do find it interesting that heaven rewards people for chasing power, and it seems my system does this as well. The more I kill, the more SC I am rewarded. The higher my cultivation reaches, the more the system upgrades. There''s even an incentive to reach the next layers of creation with the allure of the divine fragments and nine moons. What a suspicious coincidence." Ashlock didn''t like that he was being kept in the dark, but at the end of the day, he was still just a Nascent Soul Realm spirit tree growing on a desolate mountain peak at the edge of a demonic sect out in the wilderness on the lowest layer of creation. According to Stella, there was a Monarch realm Patriarch out there, and the World Tree dwarfed him in size and cultivation. "I have so far to go, but the system is helping supercharge my growth to catch up to them as quickly as possible." Ashlock understood his position in the grand scheme of things and his unfathomable potential. With the addition of divine energy, his power would only snowball from here.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "System, you still there? Could you show me any more upgrades I received for ascending?" [Certainly...] [Upgraded {Transpiration of Heaven and Chaos [B]} -> {Transpiration of Heaven¡¯s Divinity [A]}] [Your cultivation technique was upgraded to be capable of processing divine energy. While cultivating, you will now have a divine aura that blesses the land and increases your spiritual presence] [As the monarch of an Inner World, your attacks will now carry the weight of your Inner World] [With the formation of the Inner World and the creation of the Divine Flesh Tree, your maximum Qi holding capacity has exponentially increased] [Your base cultivation rate has increased a hundredfold, further increased by your connection to the World Tree] "Um... how normal is this compared to a typical Nascent Soul Realm cultivator''s ascension?" Ashlock felt the need to clarify if these upgrades were as ridiculous as he thought. [As abnormal as it gets. This is the result of my great ideas. You''re welcome :)] "Did you just smile at me... you know what, never mind. With these increases, how long will it take to reach the Monarch Realm?" [A few years with cultivation alone. As a spirit tree, your soul is far bigger than most, so despite the insane inflow of Qi, a large amount will go to developing your Inner World and growing your soul] "I see," Ashlock was happy to hear it wouldn''t take him decades or centuries. It would seem being able to cultivate divine energy was a more significant boon than he had first thought. Withdrawing his focus from his Inner World, Ashlock took a moment to feel the changes. His body didn''t appear much different as he towered over Red Vine Peak as a tree of black bark, supporting a beautiful canopy of scarlet leaves that gently rustled in the mountain winds. However, even he could tell from a glance there was a certain awe-inspiring grandeur about him that hadn''t been there before. If he had to guess, it was the natural presence of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator that also possessed an Inner World and a hint of divinity. "Looking like a handsome mate," Ashlock chuckled as he praised himself, but he really meant it. His trunk was a blessed sight compared to the monstrosity of flesh and eyes his system had so ''nicely'' made for him. The mountain¡ªespecially his peak¡ªwas also glowing with a divine aura that made the place seem holy. "Huh, the Voidstorm Aegis barrier is still active," Ashlock noted. [It constantly drains Qi to stay active but will not fade unless it''s dismissed] "Oh, neat," Ashlock had no plans to dismiss it for now despite the relatively significant Qi drain, as he had spent 500 sacrificial credits to summon it, and the threat of Vincent Nightrose or those people after Stella appearing at any moment still lingered over his head. Once things calmed down a bit, he might dismiss it. "Say system, are we enemies of the heavens?" Ashlock asked as he began feeling more like a holy tree than a demonic one¡ªassuming he ignored the abomination in his soul. [Anyone who cultivates Qi will, in time, seek to reach the pinnacle of existence and surpass the heavens] "Mhm, so that''s a yes then." [Yes :)] "Stop doing that." [...No] "Whatever," Ashlock dismissed the messages and activated his new cultivation technique after taking a moment to take in the surroundings some more. The faint divine aura wreathing his form glowed with intensity and made him look all the more holy, with the rising sun cresting the distant mountain peaks and illuminating him. Well... as sacred as a giant blood-red and black tree that devoured people could look. "I should have Douglas build some temples around me," Ashlock thought as the view he saw was something out of a painting. "Actually, that''s a good idea. If playing into this whole deity shtick will accelerate my cultivation and sacrificial credit gain, then I need to look the part. However, I would need to lean into the demonic image my followers have of me." Would anyone even want to hang around him if he was surrounded by temples of death and eyes? Ashlock returned to his Inner World for inspiration and could instantly feel the ridiculous difference from when he had been at the peak of the Star Core Realm. Gushing rivers of Qi and divine energy poured in through his roots and leaves, yet they felt like drops in an ocean as they fed the Inner World, which hardly reacted to the inflow. "What if I pull on the World Tree''s supply..." Ashlock tapped into the leyline and greedily absorbed as much as he could from the untamed Qi wreathing the root. His new capacity for absorbing Qi was immense, but he soon learned there was still a notable gap between himself and the World Tree. "I doubt the World Tree even notices this loss of Qi..." Or so he had thought. His whole Inner World trembled as what could only be described as a howl of pain from a god echoed through his soul. "Was that the World Tree?" [I believe so] "Do you know why she is in pain?" [No] "Huh, so you aren''t omniscient then." [I only know what you know and have some knowledge about reality] The howls continued and were beginning to hurt his mind, so Ashlock deployed {Mental Protection} to shield himself. "Are you able to translate what the World Tree is saying?" [I could if you had the skill] "...Aren''t you the one giving me the skills?" [You can''t create something out of nothingness. Power comes at a cost, and for you, power is paid in sacrifices. So feed me, and I will grant you power!] Ashlock looked down at the forest of flesh trees, each representing a sacrificial credit. Unlike a simple number on a screen, they were a brutal reminder of the lives he had reaped for power. They were also kinda cute, in a weird way. "Hey, Tree!" Stella''s shouts drew his attention back to the Divine Flesh Tree. "Can you let us out now?" "You can''t make a portal?" Ashlock asked. Stella shook her head, "Nope. This place is sealed tight from the outside world. The spatial plane won''t let me see beyond the bounds of your soul. It''s as if there''s nothing but a void." "I guess that makes sense. Otherwise, any spatial cultivator could teleport into other people''s Inner Worlds. As for your request, my dear daughter, I can let Diana out, but you must stay in here for now." "What?! But there''s nothing here!" "It''s simply too dangerous for you outside right now, even with my Ents guarding you until I know who the people Janus warned you about are. At least for a bit, stay in here. You can cultivate my Qi, and the place is rich with divinity, so you will reach enlightenment faster." Stella sprawled out on the bone branch like a lazy cat. By her expression, his words seemed to go in one ear and out the other. "But cultivating is so boring, and I can''t get myself to focus on it with everything that''s happening right now." "That''s fine. I have another task you could help me with." Stella huffed the hair out of her face, "What is it?" "The Divine Flesh Tree you are currently lying on is my second soul created in the image my worshipers have of me. The more I am worshiped, the more divine energy I can gather, and the faster I will cultivate." Stella sat up, and her eyes widened, "And the sooner we can try to save my moth¡ªI mean the World Tree." "Exactly." Stella clapped her hands together. "Okay, okay. How can we get more people to worship you?" "It''s all about presentation," Ashlock laughed as he realized he was starting to sound like a villain, "We need demonic temples and a group of devoted worshipers to entice the masses by spreading the word and maybe even handing out some free pills. Only once the name of the All-Seeing Eye is chanted throughout the land will I step into the Monarch Realm." Stella jumped to her feet, practically bouncing with excitement. "Are we going to run the cult from in here?" "Yes. Here in my Inner World is where I possess the most power and can pose as a godly being. Until now, my worshipers have only witnessed my powers from afar, and if they discover I am merely a Nascent Soul Realm demonic tree it may shatter their perception of me." Ashlock explained, "I will connect this place with ethereal roots and tell Douglas and Jasmine to come here, as the girl still needs you to train her." "Oh yeah, Jasmine!" Stella grinned, "She will make a great little cult leader." "You are way too excited about running a fake cult," Diana smiled. "Of course I am excited," Stella smugly raised her nose to the sky. "They will all be worshiping Tree after all." Chapter 319: Life in the Ashfallen Sect Mister Choi shook his head in shame as he looked at himself in the cracked mirror. It had hardly been a few weeks since Douglas showed up at his noodle shop with a heavenly contract and a proposal he couldn''t refuse. Just maintain control over Ashfallen City''s underworld for us and complete a few tasks. How hard could it be? Or so I thought... Even in the dim blue hue provided by the glowing mushrooms overhead that grew throughout the mine, he could see the bags under his eyes. He had never even heard of a 9th-stage Soul Fire Realm cultivator having bags under their eyes, but he had done the impossible. "Ugh," Mister Choi pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a long, tired sigh. The personal brand he had built up as the big Boss of the Golden Springs noodle shop with his terrifying gaze and broad body that loomed over most would be ruined at this rate. Now, he just looked like every overworked mortal on the darn council. "What was his name again? Julian? I''m going to start looking as exhausted as that poor bastard." "Boss!" Mister Choi froze. He turned his head to look at his door and held back yelling, ''Leave me the hell alone for a day!'' Instead, he gathered himself and replied deeply, "What is it?" "Grand Elder Douglas and Grand Elder Elaine of the Ashfallen Sect are here to see you." "Oh great, more nonsense requests." Mister Choi muttered under his breath as he grabbed his signature purple silk robe embroidered with golden koi hanging from a stone hook. Wearing it and giving himself one last check in the mirror, he strode over and opened the door to his subordinate¡ªan almost equally tall and broad earth cultivator, his right-hand man. "Gavin, let''s walk and talk." Mister Choi took the lead, and Gavin fell a step behind. "I''m sure Grand Elder Douglas will ask about our control over Ashfallen City. How is it?" "Everything is running smoothly, Boss. A few stragglers from Darklight City tried to move into the upper south side. But the former nobles of Slymere living there had their hired rogue cultivators inform us, and we dealt with it." "Good," Mister Choi nodded. "Make sure to keep security tight around there. The Princess''s disciple''s mother lives on the upper south side, and if anything happens to her, I am sure there will be hell to pay." Gavin gulped, "Don''t worry, Boss. We have all heard the rumors of how Princess Stella slaughtered the last batch of rogue cultivators she deemed an eyesore. I have my boys patrolling that area, and there is always someone from the Redclaw family cultivating nearby." Those lousy red-haired Redclaws nobles are bloody clueless. Their cultivation levels are oddly high, but their answer to every problem is blasting it with flames. They are a bunch of hotheaded idiots. Mister Choi thought to himself before agreeing with his subordinate, "Mhm, that''s for the best. What of the shadow mistress?" "Rumors of her generosity spread far and wide, so the shadow dryad has become more selective with whom she gives fruits to," Gavin sighed, "Some of the more hot-blooded youngsters gave a bad impression, so now the shadow mistress flattens anyone she doesn''t deem worthy of her fruits with her mere presence before they can even step foot on the field of white flowers." Mister Choi let out a hearty chuckle, "Serves those fools right. I knew the shadow mistress was being too generous, and it was bound to backfire, but to think she could be so fierce." "You thought the guardian of the ethereal root that leads to Red Vine Peak would be weak?" Gavin smirked as he caught up to Mister Choi''s pace, "Honestly, I am just surprised she hasn''t killed anyone yet." "As am I," Mister Choi agreed as they left the lower levels and began their ascent up the long tunnel to the surface. "Mo''ning Boss," the many rogue cultivators under his command bowed respectfully as he passed. Some were carrying boxes of food to the boys below, who were busy mining spirit stones, while others were dashing up the tunnel with a sword resting on their shoulders as they headed out to work for the day. Mister Choi answered their greetings with a slight nod, but that was it. He didn''t know most of them by name, as his gang had to rapidly expand to maintain their stranglehold on Darklight City while also moving into Ashfallen City. It was hard work, and he disliked the ghostly chains wrapped around his heart that enforced his loyalty to the Ashfallen Sect. But with the resources he was being given, it was impossible to be mad about it. Soon, he would step into the Star Core Realm. "Oh Gavin, one last thing..." "Yes, Boss?" "How''s the blockade on information leaking going?" A long time ago, the Redclaw Grand Elder had paid a significant amount of spirit stones to the mortal council overseeing Darklight City. In return for the investment, he requested that no information regarding anything strange happening on the mountain range be reported to the Blood Lotus Sect. As the mortal council loved having the Redclaws as their new overlords, they went to great lengths to silence anyone, even blocking many airship routes. They had naturally approached Mister Choi with a portion of the funds for his assistance in keeping the rogue cultivators of Darklight City quiet. He didn''t have everyone under his thumb, but after a few raids and slaughters, the other gangs got the message. Anything that happens on Red Vine Peak? It might as well be my imagination! Yep, nothing to see there. "The mortal council requested more funds to pay off people regarding the event last week." Gavin grimaced, "As you can imagine, the attendees of Darklight City''s Academy from other noble families were rather eager to report back what they had seen. It''s not every day you see such an aggressive ascension. It was like a god descended, ya know?" "What was Ashfallen''s response to the request?" Gavin grinned, "They threw so much money at the problem that I think they almost crashed the economy, and the poor mortal council was beyond overwhelmed." Gavin laughed. "I heard a rumor that half of the mortal council''s income now is from the Ashfallen Sect, and they have to spend it all on suppressing information." "So? Are they?" "Yeah," Gavin nodded, "They constructed the most outlandish building I''ve ever seen to house a dedicated department for the task and have started constructing arrays around the city that block jade pendants. Which, might I add, is an absolute waste of money. Those pendants can only reach Slymere at best, so anything they transmit there and have relayed to their families in other cities will be seen as rumors at best by the Nightrose family. ''Oh yeah, all this crazy shit is happening in a random mining city at the edge of the sect'' as if they would believe that crap. The Nightrose family is terrified of getting assassinated outside their stronghold, and the Disciplinary Committee is busy." "True, it does feel like a paranoid countermeasure," Mister Choi grinned, "Yet, that''s always been the solution these noble families and sects use. Throw obscene amounts of money at the problem until it goes away." Gavin shrugged, "Better than them having to stroll down from their lofty mountain peaks and waste their Qi smiting down the mortals that dare to defy them. And to be fair, I have never seen the mortal council move so fast to get something done before." "True that." Mister Choi turned and patted Gavin on the shoulder. The poor lad looked even more exhausted than he did. "Good work today. Take the rest of the afternoon off and spend some time with your wife. I fear she will chop down my door with an axe if I give you any more work." Gavin smirked knowingly, "Thank you, Boss. I will ensure she is satisfied and stop causing you problems." "You dirty dog," Mister Choi grinned and continued walking toward the surface. "Now get out of my face and keep the noise down. Those stone walls aren''t as thick as you think they are." Gavin''s laughter echoed through the tunnel as the large man returned to the dark depths of the mine. Mister Choi gathered himself by straightening his robe and posture. If it was just Douglas I was meeting, I wouldn''t be so concerned, but whenever he brings his girlfriend, it''s always some complicated task that goes over my head. Emerging into the afternoon sun, his eyes readjusted, and he saw Douglas and Elaine waiting near the tunnel''s entrance. Douglas was wearing a spotless beige suit and that strange stone crown encrusted with gems that had an ancient feel to it. A black cloak hung from his shoulders, and one of his hands rested on a shard of brown crystal shaped into a walking stick. Interlocking arms at his side was the stunningly beautiful Elaine wearing a casual light grey dress embroidered with a subtle black decal of flowers around the chest area. She was beaming and had her hair tied up in a ponytail, which was odd for her. Mister Choi mustered up all the social energy he could and put on his signature smile as he strode over to them with measured steps. "Ah, Boss Choi!" Douglas called as they made eye contact. "Grand Elder Douglas, my friend! It''s so good to see you!" Mister Choi clasped hands with Douglas and was pulled into a brief shoulder hug. As they parted, Mister Choi gave a slight bow toward Elaine. "And, of course, Grand Elder Elaine, it''s a pleasure to see you as well."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Elaine gave a curtsy, "It''s good to see you, Boss Choi." "Ha ha, please don''t call me that," he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "I like it when my men call me Boss, but it almost feels like a pet name coming from you two. Please call me Mister Choi." Elaine smiled, "Sure." "Thanks," Mister Choi looked between the lovebirds, "You two seem in better spirits than usual. Did something good happen?" The two exchanged a knowing look, and Douglas awkwardly laughed, "We actually just came back from a date at the Voidmind estate in Darklight City." "Woah, no way?" Mister Choi knew of the residence in the noble district. Due to the layers of defensive formations and guards, it used to be one of the most mysterious houses in the entire city. "Yeah, my Mother gifted it to me," Elaine added casually, "I complained to her that Douglas has been overworked the last week since the ascension with helping Stella create temples for the All-Seeing Eye cult, so she suggested we have a relaxing weekend there together." Elaine pulled Douglas in tighter, but the man frowned, "You also promised your Mother that I would meet her." "No way." Elaine pouted, "It wasn''t a promise, just a strong suggestion. Not my fault if she tries to follow up on it." "Errr, is that really a good idea," Douglas looked genuinely concerned. "It will be fiiiine," Elaine waved him off, "Maybe..." she trailed off at the end. Mister Choi stood there awkwardly, unsure what to say. He didn''t even want to imagine what Elaine''s mother could be capable of. He knew his place in the world, and he may rule over many rogue cultivators, but compared to the noble families, he was nothing but trash. They were the true titans of this world, able to decimate entire cities and slaughter millions on a whim. He was merely a bug that played king in their backyard. Even if he gathered all he had earned in his entire life, it wouldn''t equate to a fraction of the value of the Voidmind residence in Darklight City, and yet it had been gifted to Elaine to simply fulfill a weekend date? "Anyway," Douglas coughed to draw Mister Choi''s attention, "While we were passing through, I wanted to invite you for a drink." "A drink?" Mister Choi''s eyes widened, "You''re not pulling my leg, are you? I swear if you suggest a drink and then spring more work upon me, I am not going to be a happy chap¡ª" Douglas put his hand on his shoulder, "Brother, how could I do that to you? Trust me, I got the good stuff." "Spirit wine?" Mister Choi asked with a whisper. Douglas leaned in closer and grinned, "The very best. Brewed it myself." Mister Choi narrowed his eyes as his excitement faded, "You... brewed it yourself. What do you know about brewing spirit wine?" "He had Stella help him brew it ages ago and has been excited to try it for weeks," Elaine mumbled, deliberately loud enough for both of them to hear. "Spirit wine brewed by the princess of the Ashfallen Sect?" Mister Choi gulped, "How could I refuse such an offer?" Some bad wine is nothing compared to keeping my head. Imagine if she learned I turned down the opportunity to drink her wine¡ªforget me¡ªwould anyone I know survive? "Great, let''s head over then." Douglas took the lead with Elaine in tow, and Mister Choi walked beside them. They drew many curious gazes as they strode down the main street of Ashfallen City. In the short time he had lived here, Mister Choi had witnessed an impressive boom as this place transformed from something resembling a slum to a somewhat charming and clean city built with wide tree-lined streets. Also, it was never cold due to the blanket of heat caused by the fire Qi flowers growing in the trees. One thing that had changed very recently was the sharp increase in people walking around in black cloaks with a red eye decal on the back. "Praise be the all-seeing gaze," a charming woman said as she approached a nearby couple out for a walk with their child. Curious, Mister Choi channeled some Qi to his ears to listen in. The couple gave a weary smile, and the father stepped between his family and the cultist. "Good afternoon. What can I do for you?" "My name is Maya, and I am a representative for the All-Seeing Eye! Sir, have you ever wanted to be a cultivator?" "Um..." "Who hasn''t, right?! Well, we are offering our members the opportunity to become cultivators!" "What? Huh?" Maya pushed a package into the confused man''s hands. "This is our welcome package. It contains enlightening pills that will open your mind to the whispers of heaven! Ever wondered how cultivators are so powerful? With this, you will learn the truth!" "The truth... wait, how much is this?" "Free!" Maya grinned. "However, inside, there is a parchment that details how to pursue the path of a cultivator under the All-Seeing Eye. Our first service is actually tomorrow at midnight. Trust me, you don''t want to miss it. Okay, have a great day!" With those parting words, Maya ran off, her hair flying in the wind as she hunted down the next group of mortals she spotted, leaving the man holding a box of pills and looking very confused. As Mister Choi followed Douglas up a path that led to the shadow mistress who guarded the ethereal root, he couldn''t help but ask. "Whose marketing idea was that exactly?" Douglas smirked, "Stella''s, obviously. She''s convinced it will work, and it''s not like her father will tell her no." "The immortal of Ashfallen won''t tell her no?" Mister Choi furrowed his brows, "Actually, speaking of the immortal, as your Boss, won''t he be mad to find you drinking on the job?" "Nah, he works me to the bone and has a skewed sense of reasonable requests, but he''s usually quite forgiving," Douglas said as he took a left and began walking up the steps that lead to the upper south side, "Though I doubt he will even notice." "Why not?" Mister Choi asked. How could an immortal being not know everything going on? "His attention is so split nowadays between multiple cities, battles, and even worlds. I suppose, when one has a level of control that vast, it''s only natural for most events to slip under one''s notice," Douglas''s eyes lit up, and he turned with a grin, "Actually, perfect example. Recently, we fought a war in Nightshade City¡ªdetails are not important. But the immortal owns a walking mountain, right? He had no idea the Mudcloaks had outfitted it with an entire city and weapons until the moment he went to deploy it. I swear if someone doesn''t report things to him, he has no idea what''s going on." Mister Choi had many questions but decided to simply hum in agreement. It''s pointless to try and understand noble families and sects. I thought the gang war I fought last week in Darklight City''s East Side was quite neat, but it was probably a child''s fight compared to this one Douglas describes if a walking city was involved. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked down at the street. To his surprise, the mortals were actually inspecting the box''s contents and reading the many parchments inside. Maybe it''s not such a bad idea after all. "Sup Nox, how''s it going," Douglas shouted to the shadow tree in the distance, surrounded by a field of beautiful white flowers that seemed to part as they walked. From behind a tree emerged an enchanting beauty of pure darkness. The shadow mistress floated elegantly above the field like a spirit toward them with a casual smile. Mister Choi had laid eyes on her in the not-so-distant past before the ascension, and she had looked like some sort of wraith that would haunt people''s nightmares. However, now, she looked like a goddess crafted from shadows with surprisingly human features. Mister Choi didn''t like being before the shadow mistress. She made him nervous. "Douglas... Elaine... welcome back," Nox said with a pleasant tone. Yet her smile turned to a frown as her swirling eyes of darkness landed on him. "Mister Choi, your men¡ª" "I am aware of the issue and sincerely apologize," Mister Choi bowed as deeply as his joints would let him, "Please feel free to punish them as you see fit if they are to continue. I don''t need fools under my leadership who don''t know boundaries." "Very well," Nox replied simply as she floated away, "My flowers do need some nourishment." "Lady Nox is wise. It''s a death befitting those who try to harm your peace," Mister Choi readily agreed as he straightened up. Ugh, all the blood rushed to my head, and I hate having to speak so stiffly to these nobles. Thankfully, he was granted a peaceful passage and could follow Douglas and Elaine down into the ethereal root. No matter how often he used it to get around between the cities, it still amazed him that he could take a few steps and appear many miles away. Reaching Red Vine Peak, he climbed out of the hole and felt a divine presence envelop him. "Ah, it''s good to be home," Elaine said while sniffing the air, "This fresh mountain air and Qi were sorely missed during our weekend getaway." It''s a bit more than fresh. This is straight-up divine cultivating conditions. I practically feel myself reaching enlightenment just walking around this place¡ªholy shit, that is a giant tree. The entire sky until the horizon was seemingly dominated by a dense canopy of scarlet leaves, bathing the empty mountain peak in an autumn-like red hue. The charcoal-black tree trunk was at least a hundred meters in diameter, and he had to strain his neck to trace its towering length. Divine energy swirled up the tree like a river of liquid gold, merging with crackles of spatial Qi that danced between its many branches. "Don''t stop and stare at the tree for too long; otherwise, the immortal will notice us and give us more work to do," Douglas hissed under his breath and dragged him along to a hole that dominated the center of the peak. Mister Choi remained in silent awe as he descended through a vertical city inhabited by the Mudcloaks he had briefly worked with in the past. Arriving near the lowest level, Douglas stood before a doorway blocked up with stone. "Bob, it''s me. Roll aside." Mister Choi wondered why Douglas was speaking to a wall, but he soon discovered the answer when the stone rippled like water and turned into slime¡ªor was it always slime? Either way, the slime monster he assumed was called Bob moved aside and let them pass into an expansive chamber overflowing with rare cultivation herbs. Douglas grinned as he ran over to a table piled high with books and empty pill bottles. Pushing it aside to make space, he gestured for Mister Choi to sit opposite him. "One moment, I need to find where Stella hid the booze." "Hid?" Mister Choi asked. He couldn''t imagine Stella was the type to get drunk... actually, most of her actions aligned with someone drunk on power. "Well, I convinced her we were making a type of potion," Douglas explained as he crouched down and rummaged through a cupboard under a nearby table, "And she isn''t the most organized person, so she must have put it somewhere random..." Something loomed out of the darkness¡ªa creature of twisted black vines that obscured limbs ending in claws and glowing blue eyes emerged. Why does it look strangely like a giant Mudcloak? Mister Choi wondered and could smell earth Qi from it, though not as strong as his own. "Ah! Here it is." Douglas accepted the offered bottle from the creature, and it wordlessly lumbered back into the cavern to tend to the herbs. Douglas then put the porcelain bottle usually used to contain potions on the table, and his spatial ring flashed, producing three crystal glasses. "If you are trying to poison me, we didn''t have to go through all this effort." Mister Choi said, half joking as he eyed the setup. Douglas snorted as he popped the cork and poured the luminescent blue liquid, "You think I would bring out the crystal glasses if I thought you would fall over dead with it in your hand? Actually..." Douglas had a flash of regret, "This shit is really strong. It might fuck you up real bad." The two exchanged a glance and then burst out laughing. "I sure bloody hope it fucks me up! If it doesn''t make me regret waking up tomorrow, then it wasn''t worth the trip over," Mister Choi said as he raised his glass, and the three carefully clinked their glasses. Downing it in one gulp, Mister Choi felt it go all the way down as the infused Qi wine burned his throat and ignited his Soul Core. The flavor was intense, and the burn was even better. He felt his spirit roots opening up, and a feeling of ecstasy ran down his spine. I''m in heaven. "Whoooo!" Elaine planted the glass down. Her face was already flushed red, and her glasses almost fell off her nose, "That''s the good stuff." Mister Choi had to agree. It was the best darn spirit wine he had ever fucking tasted in all his years. The Princess really can do anything. "What are you three doing?" Mister Choi turned to see a demoness stroll in. Her giant feathered wings collapsed into her back as she eyed all three of them. "Erm... drinking?" Douglas said hesitantly. "Great, pour me a glass," Diana said as she pulled up a chair beside Mister Choi. "Oh, I was actually looking for you." "Me?" Mister Choi asked, trying to stop his voice from stammering. "Yeah, I wanted to ask if you would be entering the Mystic Realm that''s about to open." Chapter 320: Uninvited Guest Diana had been peacefully cultivating on the mountain peak when she felt Douglas''s presence descending into the Citadel''s depths. Curious and with nothing better to do, she followed and was surprised to find Elaine, Douglas, and Mister Choi sharing some spirit wine. Inviting herself in, she took the seat beside Mister Choi. "What is the Mystic Realm?" He asked as he leaned his beefy arm on the table and faced her. The man reminded her of every earth cultivator; bulky, chiseled, and blunt. Diana raised a brow, "You weren''t informed about it when you signed the heavenly contract?" She glanced at Douglas across the table, "You were supposed to tell him." Douglas shrugged, "He accepted the contract before I even had to mention it, so I didn''t see the point." "Hey," Elaine smacked Douglas on the shoulder and slurred a little as her face flushed red from the spirit wine, "You shouldn''t be... so neglectful... okay?" "Sure darling, I''ll do better next time," Douglas said with a blank face as he poured Diana a drink. It would seem he had already mastered the art of just saying yes and agreeing with his girlfriend. Diana took the offered glass of spirit wine with a nod of appreciation. "Well, since you weren''t told, let me fill you in on the details. Once a month, the immortal grants those he chooses access to numerous pocket realms of every affinity you can imagine. Within some of these pocket realms lie inheritances or great treasures. But even if you cannot find such things, the Qi inside is dense, and time moves slower. A month in there is a week out here." "Right... more noble cultivator nonsense. I hate how calmly you can say such things." Mister Choi muttered and decided to down another cup of spirit wine. Blinking away the burning sensation, he regathered his senses, "Let''s say I am entering this Mystic Realm. What happens if I''m on the cusp of breaking my bottleneck and reaching the Star Core Realm due to the pills the Ashfallen Sect has provided me? Would it be fine to ascend inside one of these pocket realms?" Douglas laughed, "Of course it would be! We have people ascend all the time during the Mystic Realm visits. Actually, I will also hopefully be ascending this time round so we can do so together." "As will I!" Elaine grinned, holding up a half-drunk glass. "Okay, you have had enough. This is strong stuff," Douglas slowly pried the glass from Elaine''s grip despite her grumbling. Mister Choi leaned on the table, "Is it safe though? I heard the ascension to the Star Core Realm can be quite risky, and many die during the process. Doing such a thing in an unknown pocket realm feels dangerous." "Nah," Douglas waved him off, "I''ll just ask the immortal to borrow the walking city, and we can have a nice relaxing ascension with the Mudcloaks guarding us." Diana reached into her spatial ring, pulled out three truffles from the small pile she had, and placed them before Mister Choi, "The pills you have consumed thus far are made from these truffles. Eat all three before entering, and you will have a seamless ascension." Mister Choi took the truffles and bowed, "Grand Elder Diana, I can''t tell you how much I appreciate the hospitality and gifts." "No worries," Diana said before downing her own glass of spirit wine. The Qi in it reacted violently with her demonic mist Qi as it went down her throat and burned in her stomach. The hit was nearly instant¡ªit felt like a gong went off as her head throbbed. "Wow..." Diana set the glass down and nursed her head, "That''s some strong stuff." She had drunk spirit wine with her siblings as a dare as a teenager. Since mortal alcohol couldn''t get cultivators that drunk, they infused mortal wines with Qi to produce spirit wine. It was very expensive and never usually this strong. "Yeah, Stella made it." Douglas grinned as he poured her another glass. She accepted the second glass¡ªher head was already recovering as her demonic mist Qi consumed the spirit wine, and now she just felt warm. "You convinced Stella to brew spirit wine? That''s surprising." Diana mused while she swirled the luminescent blue liquid in the crystal glass and debated if she was mentally and physically ready for a second hit. Douglas chuckled, "No, she had no idea this was alcohol. I convinced her it was something we needed for a type of pill." "Hey, that''s not very nice," Diana smirked, "And I wouldn''t try to take advantage of Stella''s naivety¡ªthat''s bound to bite you in the ass one day. You know that girl can hold grudges like no one else and struggles to accept things as jokes." Douglas gulped, "Yeah... It should be fine. Just don''t bring this up to her, please?" "I don''t see why you didn''t admit it was for wine," Diana shrugged, "I''m sure Stella would be open to it without you pulling the wool over her eyes..." Douglas looked at her in horror, making her trail off, "What?" "Can you imagine Stella drunk on spirit wine?" "Mhm..." Diana hummed as she stared into the glass before downing it. Feeling the burning sensation once again ignite the fire in her soul, she held out her hand. "Now that you mention it, let''s keep this a secret." Douglas grinned and leaned over to shake the offered hand, "Deal." He sat down and sighed in relief, "I really needed this. Life has been far too crazy recently." Everyone around the table grunted in agreement as they lost themselves in the spirit wine. It had this cleansing effect on one''s soul, and there were stories of some cultivators using spirit wine to cultivate¡ªassuming they could afford it. The relaxed state it induced made it easier for one to listen to heaven''s whispers. Though it''s usually never this strong. This concoction must have been made with Ashlock''s fruits and truffles. If I have one more glass, I might start seeing the streams of Qi in the air. "Say, Diana, do you know who will attend the Mystic Realm this time?" Douglas asked, his face was bright red.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Diana had her head propped up against the table with her hand. "Errr, let me think. From what Stella told me, the Ashfallen Sect is entering a period of rapid development, so I believe the immortal wants anyone in the sect to attend to it." Elaine had been sleeping face-first on the table, but Diana''s words seemed to wake her up, "For real? Everyone?" "Yeah, anyone who has signed an oath of loyalty to Ashfallen should attend. Hence, I asked Mister Choi if he wanted to attend." "Even the Silverspires and the Redclaw youngsters?" Douglas asked. Diana nodded, causing the man to lean back on his chair¡ªstroking his stubble in contemplation. "I guess the days of hiding really are over," Douglas frowned, "It''s an exciting time but also a dangerous one. Nobody knows how powerful the Nightrose Patriarch really is, and so many other powerhouses could move against us." With a sigh, he rested his hand on Elaine''s back and ran a hand through her hair, "I just hope the immortal knows what he''s doing. Many lives now rest on his shoulders for him to make such rash judgments, especially when Stella is involved." Diana hummed in agreement, "That''s true, but we are also all here and in this position because of those two. Stella is maturing, and the immortal is getting better at delegating and focusing on problems only he can solve. Only time will tell if this more outlandish era the Ashfallen Sect is moving into draws the wrong attention too soon." "Yeah, I''m probably just being paranoid," Douglas downed another glass and set it down almost too hard as his face twisted due to the burn. "Phew¡ªheavens, this stuff is strong; it''s like Stella is trying to kill us with it." "What did you tell her it was when you made it?" Elaine asked as she held her head in her hands and stared at the floor. Douglas''s face fell as the realization dawned on him, "Oh... when trying to explain how to make alcohol without naming what it was, I did say it was a type of poison. No wonder she was so enthusiastic about helping." "Idiot," Diana rolled her eyes. She then reached across the table and tapped Elaine''s arm. "Huh?!" "Are you okay?" Diana asked, "This stuff is strong, but you should be able to use your Qi to fight its effects." "I don''t have any void Qi left, and my illusion Qi only makes it worse," Elaine grumbled. "But didn''t you spend all weekend at the Voidmind residence in Darklight City? Don''t they have void Qi gathering arrays you could¡ªoh!" Diana felt stupid seeing the couple''s smile, "You were too busy doing that to cultivate, I guess. Suffice to say the date went well then?" Douglas grinned, and Elaine banged her head on the table, seemingly tapping out for the night. "The date went so well that they seem to have forgotten to come and visit me." Diana froze at the sudden unknown voice. She turned her head to look at the chair right beside Elaine. Since when was someone sitting there, and who the hell is that. A woman with long silky black hair sat casually opposite her as if she had always been there; her elbow rested on the table, and a glass full of spirit wine hung between her fingertips. Her features were perfect, and her skin was so smooth that Diana wondered if she was hallucinating this person. Why does she look familiar? "Yes, I look familiar, and no, I''m not a figment of your imagination, dear," the woman said, taking a sip of the spirit wine and not reacting in the slightest. "My name is Morrigan, Mother to this lightweight¡ªcome on, stop pretending. I know you saw me a moment ago." Morrigan? Diana''s eyes widened a little. No wonder I didn''t sense her arrival. She must have traversed the void. But that''s quite concerning since this place is thousands of meters underground and near Ashlock. Elaine groaned as she raised her heavy head, "Mother, to what do I owe the pleasure." "So you do remember those manners I drilled into you as a child. How curious. Though I am disappointed you are hosting a fun little get-together and didn''t invite me." She grinned and glanced at Douglas, "Your boyfriend is even here, and you have yet to introduce us!" "H-Hello, Mrs Morrigan," Douglas''s usually confident and outgoing nature seemed crushed under this surprise visit. "That''s Miss Morrigan to you," she took another sip, "Someone turned my husband into a tree, so now I''m single and free!" "You divorced Father?!" Elaine shouted in shock. "Duh," Morrigan grinned, "It''s not like he could say no. You know, being a tree and all." "Um... dare I ask?" Mister Choi whispered and drew Morrigan''s attention. Morrigan glanced Mister Choi up and down, "Of course you can, handsome¡ª" "Mother!" Elaine interrupted, "Please don''t show up uninvited and start flirting with people in front of me." Morrigan pouted, "Why not? You''re not my Mother." "Huh... what?" Elaine massaged her temples as she struggled to comprehend what she just heard. She tried to form some words but gave up with a groan. "You are so frustrating sometimes." Morrigan smirked, "You take life too seriously, isn''t that right, Douglas?" "Yes... wait, no." Douglas winced as Elaine glared at him. "Did you just agree with her?" Douglas raised his hands in surrender, "It was a slip of the tongue." Morrigan burst out laughing and downed her drink. "Mother, this is so embarrassing. Please just go." Elaine pushed Morrigan''s shoulder. "How did you even get in here?" "Whatever do you mean?" Morrigan asked as her body swayed back and forth, "I simply walked right in." Everyone looked toward the cave''s entrance at the same time and saw that Bob hadn''t retaken his spot as the door, leaving it wide open. A bunch of Mudcloaks were peering inside as if waiting for something. "Hey!" Douglas shouted and drunkardly stumbled off his chair. "Ahhhh!" A Mudcloak holding the mostly drunk spirit wine over its head yelped as it ran as fast as his little legs would take him across the cavern. Seeing an opportunity, Elaine followed Douglas in chasing the Mudcloak. "I suppose I should take my leave as well," Mister Choi chuckled as he stood up. "I will return for the Mystic Realm trip in a few days." Diana nodded to him, "Sure, see you soon." Mister Choi thanked Diana one last time before leaving through the wide-open door. That left only Diana and Morrigan at the table. "Mystic Realm, huh." Morrigan smiled at Diana as she rocked her empty glass on the table, "That sounds interesting." Diana sobered up real quick. "If you haven''t been told about it by the Ashfallen Patriarch directly or signed a heavenly contract, I can''t tell you anything about it." She wasn''t sure why, but her whole body was tense. Something about this woman opposite her prickled her danger senses and made her bloodline act up. Morrigan''s ink-black eyes stared deeply into hers for a moment, and Diana swore they would swallow her whole. "What''s got you so tense, darling? You don''t have to tell me anything you don''t want to," Morrigan mused, and that overwhelming sense of danger faded like a cool breeze. "Your name is Grand Elder Diana, right? I''ve been looking for you." Diana gulped as she tensed up again, "You have?" "I heard you are the woman I should ask if I have problems with the Voidmind family, as the other two leaders are quite hard to get a hold of." "Oh... yes, that''s right," Diana replied. What could an ancient void affinity cultivator possibly need help with? "I''m sure you have heard of Slymere Academy?" Diana nodded. "Well, I established it back in the day when I went through a phase of wanting to find a husband with an artistic talent¡ªthat''s not important," Morrigan shook her head, "I left it in the control of my children and whatnot a long time ago when I outgrew that phase. But the Academy still stands to this day. Though, it''s running into a slight issue that I was hoping you would help me with." Diana leaned on the table. This seemed like quite a severe issue for the founder to be the one seeking assistance. "Go on, I''m all ears." Morrigan sighed, "As uncaring as cultivators are regarding their surroundings and the mortals that live beneath them, it suffices to say that the disappearance of all the mortals in Slymere has caused some problems. The nobles from other houses have begun raising quite a fuss about the lack of maids tending to them, as many vanished during the storm. I fear that in time, one of them may dare to step beyond the Slymere Academy''s grounds and notice that the entire city is missing. If that happens, news may spread to the nearby cities." Diana scratched her head. That was indeed quite an odd problem to solve. Chapter 321: Sacrificial Credits [Demonic Demi-Divine Tree (Age: 9)] [Nascent Soul Realm: 1st Stage] [Soul Type: Nine Moons(Spatial)] It had been over a week since Ashlock ascended to the Nascent Soul Realm. As the system had warned him, it had taken around a week to fully stabilize his new cultivation and imbue his attacks with the weight of his Inner World. Along with all the changes, it now said on his status screen that his soul type was of the ''Nine Moons.'' "Hey, system..." [You know, asking me pointless questions costs divine energy, right? I talk through the Divine Flesh Tree, so that''s divine energy not going toward growing your sacrificial credits] Over the last week, it seemed the system had gotten rather tired of his questions, most of which it refused to answer. Either because knowing the answer would bring the end of the world or because it simply didn''t know. "I know that; you have reminded me like twenty times, but I still want to ask a question." [Go on...] "It says my Soul Type is of the Nine Moons. Can you confirm my theory that each moon represents a potential affinity I can unlock by gathering divine fragments?" [Yes, that theory is correct] "Thought so." Ashlock mused as he looked up at the nine moons dominating the sky over his Inner World. They were quite strange as they didn''t seem to be physical objects. He had confirmed with Stella that their position in the sky never changed regardless of where she stood in the Inner World, so they seemed more spiritual in nature. "System, will I be able to pick which affinities I want?" [You will have a degree of control over which affinities are picked] "That''s rather cryptic," Ashlock sighed, "Though it''s reassuring to know I won''t get stuck with a random affinity that I have no say in." Any new affinity would boost his capabilities, but some would help far more than others. He was currently quite interested in acquiring some higher tier affinities like Lunar as they had a lot more capabilities than lower tier ones, at the cost of being difficult to cultivate. A drawback that hardly applied to him as a spirit tree with access to endless pocket realms and who could terraform the environment to suit his needs. However, worrying about a second affinity was pointless until he reached the Monarch Realm and initiated the era of ascension to the next layer of creation. For now, his focus was entirely on divine energy. "I better check on the divine stock market. I wonder if it''s gone up today," Ashlock chuckled as he satisfied his latest addiction. He must have been glancing at it twenty times a day, but it was too satisfying. The Divine Flesh Tree dominated the center of a vast forest of flesh trees. Divine energy from across the realm flowed into the tree, and then his system distributed the gathered energy to the forest of flesh trees via streams of ethereal gold. From a quick glance, he could see tiny flesh trees on the outskirts being fed the divine energy and blooming. "Oh! The latest campaign advertising the ceremony tonight seems to be working. I''m already seeing returns." Ashlock mused. He had around six hundred credits a week ago, but it had already increased due to the cult''s efforts in Ashfallen City and his general notoriety being spread across the realm. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3625 Daily Credit: 59 Sacrifice Credit: 845 [Sign in?] "After tonight, it might even double if we put on an impressive enough display." It would be an infinite money hack if doing so wasn''t such an expensive affair. To entice people, he gifted free pills made from his truffles that could have been sold through the pavilion. He had to hire many salespeople to convince people, and creating thousands of high-quality cloaks with their logo on the back was a whole industry by itself. The cost of constructing many temples floating over the flesh trees and orbiting the Divine Flesh Tree was also high. Although labor was technically free, the materials had to be bought from Darklight City, and some unique decals were made by artists now living in Ashfallen City. "In just a week, we have blown through two-thirds of all the wealth we acquired from defeating the Lunarshade family. The piles had seemed so high, so I didn''t pay much attention to how much we were throwing at problems," Ashlock sighed, "Maybe I should have been more vigilant." All of that preparation aside, there was another issue. Most attendees would be mortals, so he had to be careful not to break their minds too much, as broken people wouldn''t give him continuous divine energy and spread the word of his greatness. They would be too busy rocking in their chairs and muttering about the horrors they had seen. "Kane Azurecrest and the other alchemists under the White Stone Palace have been working day and night to produce thousands of potent Mind Fortress pills and other things to prepare for tonight." Ashlock occasionally checked on them, but his attention was more focused on discovering the intricacies of his new system upgrades. The first thing he tested was the number of sacrificial credits needed to upgrade each tier of skill and mutation. To his surprise, it wasn''t a fixed amount for each skill, and mutations seemed to require more credits to upgrade than skills. [Directly upgrading the skill {Consuming Abyss [B]} will consume 1276 credits] [Directly upgrading the mutation {Demonic Eye [B]} will consume 1589 credits] These were two upgrades he had been eyeing up to purchase soon, as well as his mutation {Blood Sap [C]}, which would cost 470 credits. For fun, he had seen what upgrading his highest grade skill would cost... [Directly upgrading the skill {Skyborne Bastion [SSS]} will consume 13846 credits] "More credits than it took to form my Inner World," Ashlock dismissed the notification. Over the past week, he had compiled a vague list detailing how many credits it would cost to reach each grade via an upgrade.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. SSS - 10000+ SS - 8000+ S - 5000+ A - 800+ B - 300+ C - 200+ D - 100+ E - 20+ F - 2+ Of course, obtaining each grade would cost half of that if he used the gacha. However, that upside came with a problem, as the gacha pull would consume all of his stored sacrificial credits, which seemed contradictory to the benefits of the divine stock market he had unlocked. Finding it ridiculous, Ashlock pestered his system to see if he could spend a specific number of credits to do a gacha pull. But it shrugged him off, never really giving him a straight answer. However, after much observation, he noticed a ring of divine energy around the forest that expanded the more flesh trees he grew. Taking over the Divine Flesh Tree as it was his second soul, he could forcefully pull this ring in to only encompass a fraction of the trees for a brief moment. "To think this system would have exploits..." Ashlock laughed as his sign-in system showed a different number. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3625 Daily Credit: 59 Sacrifice Credit: 324 [Sign in?] Weirdly, the daily credits would never change. Ashlock had asked the system about this, but it refused to disclose the nature behind the daily credits and how they differed from sacrificial credits. Like, where did they even come from? What was so significant about a day passing? Ashlock released his hold on the divine energy, letting it flood back to the trees. The more divine energy he had, the harder it was to pull back, so the lowest gacha draw he could manage right now would be something in the B grade. "Hey, Stella! Are you here? Do you know if Ashlock is around?!" Ashlock was hyper-aware of anything happening in his soul, so he followed the voice and focused on what he liked to call the light side of his Inner World. It was nothing but endless green pastures, winding rivers, and horizons dominated by towering mountains. There were no flesh trees, eldritch abominations, or spires of darkness like on the other side. It was just seemingly endless, untouched nature. Well, except for the sizeable ornate-style single-story pavilion built on a riverfront. Douglas and a team of Mudcloaks had built it for Stella on the first day here as although she wasn''t so fussed about having a place to live, Jasmine was staying with her, and as a cultivator that had barely surpassed a mortal, Jasmine still had to eat and sleep somewhere. The door swung open, and Stella wandered out with a towel wrapped around her body and head, munching on a fruit. "Watchu want?" Diana looked her up and down, "Did you have a bath in the river again?" "Yeah, so?" Stella asked while she tried to dry her short blonde hair with the towel. Diana raised her finger, and a small stream of water flowed from Stella''s hair, which gathered in a tiny swirling ball above her finger. "Why do you waste time like this? You could use your soul fire to burn the water away instead of relying on towels." Stella pouted, "It''s part of the experience, Diana. I don''t even need to bathe in the river. But Jasmine took one after every training session, and it looked fun, so I joined in." "I wonder how people would react if they knew the Princess of Ashfallen, the slaughterer of rogues and head of the fastest growing cult, did nonsense like this." Diana jokingly shook her head as if it were a real tragedy, "If only they knew you were such a child. Speaking of, how is Jasmine doing? Ready for the tournament?" "Of course, she will win for sure. Her training is going fantastic, and her talent for hand-to-hand combat is impressive, so we have been focusing on body tempering. She has also been entertaining the idea of picking up poison affinity as her second affinity¡ªwait." Stella narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean I am such a child? I can do whatever the hell I want¡ªactually, why are you even here? I thought you went to cultivate outside." Diana snorted at Stella''s sudden change in attitude, "Well, I stood beside Ashlock and shouted for a while but couldn''t get his attention, so I came in via the ethereal root to see if you could call him for me." Stella glanced at the sky, "He has been focused on the Inner World or sleeping for most of the week. But I can feel his attention on us right now." Ashlock manifested his soul avatar nearby, and both girls glanced at the tree. "Sorry, Diana. I have been rather stuck in my own head these last few days," Ashlock apologized, "What can I help you with?" "Two things actually, first a bit of a slip-up. We were having a meeting in the Alchemy cavern with Mister Choi and were explaining the Mystic Realm to him when Morrigan showed up unannounced and was curious about it." Ashlock''s soul avatar mirrored his distress as he began pacing around with his roots: "Mhm, that is quite a problem. I have some thoughts about Morrigan that make me apprehensive about sharing too much with her." Ashlock paused and asked Diana, "What are your thoughts about her?" "Terrifying and strange¡ªwhich is how I would describe most ancient cultivators. Their immense, unknown power and aloof personalities make them notoriously difficult to deal with." Diana sighed, "And she has to be one of the worst I''ve ever met. It''s impossible to tell if she is a friend or foe or what her motives are." "I agree, which is why I have tried to keep her at arm''s length. My pills and truffles are one thing, but her learning about the Mystic Realm may awaken an ancient greed in her that will be hard to quell," Ashlock sighed. This was a headache that he didn''t need right now. There was the first major service for the All-Seeing Eye cult tonight, and then tomorrow morning, the Mystic Realm would open. He planned for everyone under an oath of loyalty or secrecy to go inside as he needed to uplift the cultivation level of the entire sect. "I will find a way to deal with her," Ashlock decided to face that problem when it arose. In the worst case, he could send Larry to fight her off, as he''s immune to the void. "What was the second issue?" Diana seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Phew, that''s good. As for the second issue, Morrigan actually raised it with me." "That doesn''t sound good. What could such an ancient cultivator need help with¡ª" Diana nodded, "That''s exactly what I thought, too!" "So? What is it?" "Apparently, Morrigan founded the Slymere Academy. Some nonsense reason about seeking a man with artistic talent. That aside, she remarked that the nobles attending the academy have noticed a lack of maids and complained about it." "That''s the issue?" Stella snorted, "Oh, poor cultivators! However will they survive without being tended to by the mortals they deem so lesser! This is such a tragedy..." "Are you done?" Diana asked while crossing her arms. Stella dropped her arm and clicked her tongue, "Yes. I''m finished." "I assume the lack of maids is due to us displacing Slymere''s mortals?" Ashlock mused, "But I can''t see how this is a big issue." Diana grinned, "Turns out the egotistical cultivators attending the best academy in the Blood Lotus Sect deem themselves so great that not a single one has stepped outside the academy grounds since the incident and actually noticed what has happened. I bet they don''t even know the Voidmind family are at war." Ashlock''s avatar froze in place as he processed Diana''s words. "There''s no way," he said as he slowly turned to look at her, "you''re telling me that every noble cultivator in Slymere has had no idea this whole time, and a lack of maids tending to them is what will reveal us." Diana shrugged, "It''s actually not that surprising. Some will attend the academy for a century without ever stepping out. Not everyone cultivates and comprehends the dao as fast as you and Stella do. It''s only been a few months since you started, which isn''t even a single closed-door cultivation session for most." "That is true... I have progressed shockingly quick." Ashlock realized he had started the year at the start of the Star Core Realm and was now in the Nascent Soul Realm. Such a massive leap in cultivation was likely unheard of. "So they just need maids, and they will stop raising a fuss and stay inside their walls?" Diana nodded. "Mhm, well, I do have two solutions." Ashlock said, "One, give them the maids that we rescued from the Lunarshade family, as I haven''t found any use for them yet." "What''s the second option?" Diana asked curiously. "Kill them all." "YES!" Stella cheered. "No." Diana shot the option down. "We don''t know which noble families are working with the Silverspires to revolt against the Nightrose family. Until then, no slaughters." "Lame," Stella said and wandered back into her house. Diana rolled her eyes. "Good point. We will go with option one, then. Could you deal with it for me?" "Sure," Diana agreed. "Great. One more thing." "Yes?" "Could you head to the Duskwalker residence and call over the Mystshroud family? Oh, and tell Evelyn that Nox wants to meet her now that she has a more human-looking form capable of speech." Diana nodded and left, leaving Ashlock to continue messing with his system and ensuring everything was set up for tonight. Chapter 322: Sisters Evelyn strode through the Duskwalker residence with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. It felt like centuries of misery were finally paying off as she passed maids hanging up new art pieces and a team of mortal builders repairing cracked tiles. For the first time in generations, she had money that wasn''t obtained by groveling at Albis Lunarshades'' feet. Since the Ashfallen Sect''s arrival, the money had been flowing. Boxes of porcelain pill bottles were delivered daily, and she took them to the pavilion to be sold throughout the realm. As agreed, she got a cut of the sale for acting as a proxy for the Ashfallen Sect, and that is how the residence''s wealth rose from the negatives to a healthy surplus. It also helps that with the Lunarshade family gone, the Duskwalker residence is now considered the leading family in Nightshade City. So many businesses that used to sell exclusively to the Lunarshades now come to us. Evelyn hummed a tune as she picked up today''s delivery and headed to the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion as usual. She climbed to the Crimson Tracker area and patiently lined up to see a Lotus Informant. It was a daily routine at this point. "Next." "Evelyn Duskwalker of the Crimson Trackers," she said as she placed the wooden crate on the table, "Here to sell another box of Florist''s Touch pills." "I''m starting to think these are created out of thin air," the Lotus Informant joked as he took the box, and it vanished in a flash of silver as the spatial formation built into his desk glowed. "The Alchemy Hall has been crazy for these pills. You should have seen how they flew off the shelves. Do you wish to sell this batch locally or in an auction?" "Well, they sell higher at an auction, right? So let''s do that¡ª" "Hold on," the Lotus Informant leaned in closer, "Just between you and me, I wouldn''t do that." Evelyn raised a brow, "Why not?" The Lotus Informant tapped the desk, "50 Yinxi Coins, and I will tell you some important information." Evelyn clicked her tongue, "That''s extortion, and you know it." "Our main commodity here at the pavilion is information," The Lotus Informant gave a knowing smile, "But how can I sell you answers to questions you don''t have?" Evelyn grumbled as she brought out her pendant and transferred the funds. Having lived a life of lavish poverty until now, a small part of her died as she saw those funds go. "Now tell me. Why shouldn''t I sell these pills at an auction?" "Pleasure doing business with you," The Lotus Informant gave a slight bow, "The reason you should reconsider selling through an auction is the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild. They are majority owners of almost every auction house across the realm, and the reported prices your pills have been selling for at auctions differ from the funds we receive and pass onto you." Evelyn narrowed her eyes, "So what''s happening here?" "We believe the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild receives the pills and pays us the appraiser market value. They then sell the pills at auction as if they were their own at ten times the price." "Ten times?!" "Yes. We believe the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild is hiding away the majority of the pills to artificially inflate your pills'' value and protect the sales of their other products." Evelyn''s eyes widened, "So they are profiting by reselling our pills at a higher price?" "Precisely," the Lotus Informant nodded, "Now, this is bad practice and goes against their own rules as you are supposed to receive money based on the auction price, but alchemy sects and guilds are known for being ruthless to their competition. The Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild didn''t spend centuries clawing their way to the top to be outshined by an upstart." Evelyn drummed her fingers on the counter, "So the ones benefiting the most from our pills are the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild. But selling locally isn''t possible as there are not enough people with deep enough pockets left in Nightshade City that can buy our pills." With the eradication of the Lunarshade family, only a few minor families were left to sell pills to in Nightshade City that weren''t already under Ashfallen. The Lotus Informant shrugged, "That''s a problem for you to figure out, as there''s not much we can enforce on the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild. Their leaders are considered esteemed guests as their organization has a stranglehold on pill distribution." "You said these Florist''s Touch pills were flying off the shelves in the Alchemy Hall, right? Let''s sell these locally." "Perfect, and here are the 8400 Yinxi Coins from your last few batches of pills," The Lotus Informant deposited the funds, but compared to the last few times, she didn''t feel a sense of joy. Instead, there was a sickening twist in the stomach now that she knew what the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild was up to. Bidding the Lotus Informant goodbye, Evelyn returned to the Duskwalker residence with a frown. I need to inform Ashfallen of this transgression against us. Heading to the heavily guarded transport hub deep within the residence, Evelyn briefly nodded to the many cultivators from different families silently lining the corridor. Reaching the end, she paused before a grand doorway shimmering from many layers of runic protection. The formations and the room beyond the door had been installed by the Ashfallen Sect to protect the ethereal root leading straight to Red Vine Peak. "Open the door," she ordered two of her cousins standing guard. Shadow Qi surged into the door, and the locks slowly opened with a satisfying click. The many layers of runic protection on the door were lowered, and the door opened to reveal a plain room with a hole in the floor. Inside were two Elders silently cultivating atop Qi gathering formations; one was from the Mystshroud family, and the other was from the Blightbane family. Evelyn was about to give her greeting when a sudden presence blanketed the room. It wasn''t suffocating like the immortal''s but likely belonged to one of the stronger sect members, and from the uneasy feeling of the approaching Qi, Evelyn had a suspect. The demoness is here. Tips of feathered wings were the first to emerge, followed by a woman with long raven hair that flowed down her back with a hint of blue. She effortlessly stepped out of the hole and surveyed the room with cold grey eyes as demonic mist swirled around her enchanting figure. Even as her wings retracted into her back, she maintained her identity as a demoness with black claws that gleamed under the light and two prominent fangs. "Welcome, Grand Elder Diana," both Elders who had been quietly cultivating were now standing at attention as the third highest-ranked member of the Ashfallen Sect graced them with her presence. "Elder Mystshroud, your family''s presence is needed on Red Vine Peak," Diana said, getting straight to business. "Gather everyone and head over before dusk. The cult of the All-Seeing Eye is holding a service."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "As you command, Grand Elder." The Mystshroud Elder bowed and left the room. While passing Evelyn on the way out, the man gave her a respectful nod. "Evelyn! You''re just the person I was looking for!" Diana strode over with a slight smirk. "How are things?" "I have something to inform you of urgently, but why... are you looking at me like that?" Evelyn shifted uncomfortably under Diana''s gaze. Why does she seem amused about something? "Great, you can tell me on the way. Follow me." "Huh? Where are we going?" "To meet your sister." Diana grinned, "She''s been looking forward to seeing you." "My sister?" Evelyn paused and looked at Diana with confusion, "Do you mean Nox? You told me she was dead." "No. The Nox you knew is dead, but a part of her lives on." Diana laughed, clearly enjoying her confusion. "Come on, it''s no fun if I explain it." "This is fun for you?!" Evelyn was baffled, "If she really is alive, I hope you know that I will send her to the afterlife myself." Diana snorted, "I''d like to see you try." *** The chilly evening breeze messed with Evelyn''s hair as she soared through the sky alongside Diana, who glided so effortlessly beside her that it felt like cheating. Red Vine Peak was to their backs, with the great spirit tree lording over all, surrounded by a purple bubble crackling with black lightning. Thankfully, they had left that place quickly. The overbearing pressure of the immortal had been suffocating, and Evelyn could still feel it weighing on her now, even after leaving the peak and flying toward the White Stone Palace. "Stella put in a request for our pills to not be sold to the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild, but since you are acting as a proxy for us, the pavilion hasn''t applied those restrictions to your pills. We could rectify this issue, but..." Diana fell into thought for a while. "The Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild stealing our profits might not be such a bad thing," Diana mused as she flapped her giant feathered wings a single time to remain airborne, "As you mentioned, they are claiming the pills are their own. That draws focus away from us until we can establish our own distribution network, likely through the cult, as it''s disassociated from us. If anything, we can use their greed as a shield while we gather power." Evelyn rubbed her chin. That is a shockingly reasonable reaction and plan. Most sect leaders would be furious knowing they were being taken advantage of, but the Ashfallen Sect only considers how it can puppet others for its own gain. Evelyn glanced at Diana with a newfound respect. I knew she managed many of the Ashfallen Sect affairs as the Princess is rumored to be lacking in diplomacy. But I didn''t think her decision-making and insight were so deep! I need to learn a thing or two from her. "We are here," Diana said, suddenly diving down the mountainside. "Wait, what? Out here?" Evelyn had many questions as she tried to match Diana''s immense speed. How is Nox still alive? Why isn''t she staying on Red Vine Peak or in the White Stone Palace? Has she been hiding out in Ashfallen City this whole time, and if she is alive, why did they feel the need to lie to me? Diana touched down in a beautiful field of jasmine flowers lorded over by a tree seemingly doused in darkness. From the bark to the leaves, it was pitch black like night, and Evelyn could sense familiar shadow Qi. What is going on? Why can I feel my sister''s presence from the tree... "For her crimes of stealing Stella''s earrings gifted to her by the immortal, Nox''s soul was trapped in a spirit tree." Diana casually gestured to the shadow tree as if what she had just said made any sense. "You turned my sister into a tree?!" "Nox! Your sister is here to see you." Diana called out, and something shifted from behind the tree. A woman crafted from the darkness stepped out and gave a little wave, "Long time no see, sis." What kind of sick joke is this? She was alive this whole time and just hiding behind the tree? Evelyn felt her blood boil as centuries of stored-up anger and misery exploded all at once. "After what you did, you still dare to call me sis?" Evelyn Shadow Stepped forward and punched her sister in the face¡ªher fist harmlessly passed through a wisp of shadow as if her sister were made of smoke. The shadows shifted around her feet before reforming behind her. Evelyn spun around, ready for another punch. However, upon closer look, Evelyn furrowed her brows. The shadow woman had some of Nox''s features from when she had been younger but the figure of their mother. It was as if she were staring at a family member she never had. "What... are you?" Evelyn asked, dropping her fist to her side. "A shadow of someone you once knew. Sis, when I tell you I''m not the Nox you remember, I mean it." The shadow woman touched the tree, "When my soul was split and twisted into a spirit tree, it changed me. The soul damage was so extensive I lost who I was and became someone new. However, don''t misunderstand. That does not excuse me from repenting for what Nox did to you and everyone else. Every night, I relive my memories with a new perspective; it''s torture. I hate my past self on a level that''s hard to describe, and I selfishly called you here to say... I''m sorry. I''m sorry for selfishly leaving you behind to pick up my burdens so I could go off and live a life free of family obligations." Evelyn bit her trembling lip. She had spent many nights screaming at the mirror¡ªreenacting all the things she would say to Nox if they ever met again. Evelyn had barely managed to contain herself the last time Nox visited for a day, so she had promised herself she would go through with it this time round. But how could she, in the face of such a sincere apology? "I understand if you say no, but is there any chance you could find it in your heart to forgive me¡ª" "Yes," Evelyn said, feeling like an immense weight lifted from her shoulders. "I forgive you. I don''t have the energy to hold so much hatred in my heart anymore now that my life has improved. You made my life a living hell, and for the longest time, I wanted to inflict misery on you. But now... I just want to move on from it all and start again." Nox dashed forward and embraced her, and Evelyn was surprised at how solid her shadow body felt. "I can''t tell you how glad I am," Nox whispered in her ear as she tightened the hug, "The guilt of my past life has been eating me alive." Evelyn awkwardly patted Nox on the back, "You definitely don''t talk or act like the sister I knew, and that''s certainly a positive thing. She was a real bitch." "Right?!" Nox laughed as she freed Evelyn from the hug and stepped back, "Even as I regain my past memories, I still have no idea what I was thinking. What an absolute bitch I was." Evelyn nodded in agreement and looked her sister up and down, "So... not sure how to really begin understanding this, but you''re a spirit tree now?" "Yeah," Nox said, looking up at her canopy, "I left behind a body of flesh and bone for one of bark and sap. I have to say it''s a lifestyle completely opposite to my past life as a Merchant, always on the run and moving between locations." Nox looked down and met Evelyn''s gaze with a warm smile, "Now I spend my days and nights watching over Ashfallen City under the sea of stars." "Sounds like a quiet and peaceful existence." "It is, but it got terribly lonely," Nox said, crouching on the ground and plucking a jasmine flower. "Nobody came to visit or talk to me." "Is that why you made this body?" Nox nodded, "I used our Shadow Soul technique to make this form, and once I ascended to Nascent Soul Realm, it became more detailed and capable of speech." "You reached Nascent Soul Realm?! Nobody in Nightshade City is even near that realm of power! Only those in the pavilion are at that level. If you came back, you could elevate the Duskwalker name¡ª" "No, Evelyn," Nox stood up and put the jasmine flower she had plucked behind Evelyn''s ear, "My home is here now. I still consider you my sister, but I have left the Duskwalker name behind." Evelyn felt rather stupid, "Sorry. I got carried away for a moment and forgot you are a tree now. Even if you wanted to, it''s not like you could move back home..." Nox cracked a smile, "Who said I couldn''t move?" "You can?" A sudden pressure descended on the area. "Sorry to interrupt," the immortal''s voice thundered in Evelyn''s mind, "But could you three make your way to my Inner World? The service is about to begin." Inner World? Does that mean the immortal is in the Monarch Realm?! The sky overhead split open as a giant rift formed. "Us three?" Evelyn wondered. But there''s just Diana and I who can go. The ground began to tremble, followed by the sound of falling rock. Evelyn stumbled before catching herself by leaning on the tree. "Whoa, what is happening... are we flying?!" "Up we go!" Nox gestured upwards, and a whole section of the mountain floated up toward the portal. Evelyn''s ears popped as they phased through the rift and emerged above a forest of flesh trees shrouded in a bloodied mist that encircled a gigantic pillar of white flesh. It was covered in eyes that Evelyn felt were watching her as the island floated to join the many other floating islands wreathed in spatial Qi and supporting spires of black stone covered in intricate carvings of eyes. Squinting at the other islands, Evelyn saw hundreds of mortals and cultivators wearing the same cult-like cloaks pouring out of portals. "An impressive sight, isn''t it?" Diana mused as she stood on the edge of the floating island with her arms crossed. "To think the Ashfallen Sect wasn''t even known a year ago, and now our leader has become a recognized deity revered through the land." Evelyn gulped. This was indeed an awe-inspiring display of power. "Oh look, it''s about to start." Diana pointed into the distance as a gong sound reverberated through the world. The sky tore apart, and an impossible-to-describe eye of godly proportions gazed down at its believers. The cult of the All-Seeing Eye was about to make its entrance onto the world stage. Chapter 323: A Mortals Perspective Sam had been nothing but a simple village boy¡ªborn a mortal and raised on a farm a mountain range away from Darklight City. As a child, he was told stories of the elusive cultivators that lived on the mountain peaks. How they could fly through the skies and effortlessly slaughter the monsters the mortals were so afraid of with a finger flick. They sounded like unbelievable fairy tales to the young Sam until he grew old enough to join his old man on a trip to Darklight City to sell their produce to the millions of mortals there. Passing the mining area, he laid eyes on a man who looked too perfect. His skin was flawless as if crafted from porcelain; his eyes were sharp, and the immaculate white robe carried a sense of majesty. The difference between this man and the line of mortals before him was like the gap between heaven and earth. "Father, who is that?" he whispered to his old man, who was controlling the horse and drawing their cart loaded with vegetables. "Is he a noble?" "Don''t point at him," His father hissed back with a grave look on his tired and sunkissed face, "That is a cultivator." Sam''s eyes widened as he looked back at the white-haired man. That was a cultivator? Sure, he had this aura around him that showed he was different from the common man, but he still looked human. In his mind, cultivators were giant ethereal beings from the tales¡ªnot handsome humans. "Mortal, did you think your tricks would escape my notice?" The cultivator casually told the man standing before him with a half-filled dusty sack clutched in his callous hands. The man gulped, "Whatever do you mean, my lord?" "You are trying to smuggle spirit stones in your clothes without paying the tax," the cultivator said, looking down his nose at the mortal. "L-Lord Winterwrath, it was an honest mistake," The accused man dropped to his knees on the rough stone and groveled at the cultivator''s feet. "I ran out of space in my bag, so I used my pockets to carry the excess spirit stones! It was not my intention to question your rule¡ª" White flames wreathed the cultivator''s hand, and with a simple tap on the man''s forehead, he was flash-frozen into a groveling ice statue. "Mortals should learn their place," the cultivator lightly kicked the ice statue in the face, shattering it into a million bloodied shards that showered the line of mortals waiting behind. Sam felt his heart freeze in his chest. What just happened?! He turned to his father to share his utter shock but was met with a disinterested stare. Sam''s father didn''t offer any commentary; instead, he shook his head and pulled on the reins to quicken the horse. Once they were halfway down the road with Darklight City dominating their view, Sam was finally able to suppress the tightness in his chest and stutter out. "He really killed a man." "That he did," his father answered bluntly as if they were discussing the weather. "Shouldn''t the cultivator be punished for that? How can he just kill someone so casually like that?" His father stopped the horse and slapped Sam so hard it shocked him awake. "Don''t you ever have such useless thoughts again, my son," he said in a grave tone his usually cheerful father had never used before, "We toil away on the lands and the mines for the cultivators, and in return, they protect us from the beasts. When it comes to the cultivators, there is no law¡ªthey are the law. If they wish to kill you in the street for looking at them funny, then they can do so, and nobody will dare to stop them." "Not even the other cultivators?" His father looked at him as if he were stupid, "Why would they? To them, we are no better than rats. Have you ever thought twice about killing the rats eating our crops?" "No..." Sam admitted. In fact, he liked to kill those disgusting creatures after hearing them scampering through the ceiling at night. His father pulled on the reins to continue their slow journey toward Darklight City, "Now you know how cultivators think about us." That day, Sam learned the truth about cultivators and has been fascinated by them ever since. He would take every opportunity to visit the city to catch a glimpse of them. Soon, he learned there was a difference between cultivators, just like with mortals. The noble cultivators lived atop the mountain peaks and lorded from above, while the rogue cultivators, who seemed far more human, roughed it with the mortals in Darklight City. "Father, why can''t I be a cultivator?" His old man leaned on his shovel and wiped his sweat with a hole-filled rag, "Only those chosen by the heavens can be cultivators." Sam frowned, "So I wasn''t chosen?" His father shrugged and pulled his shovel from the dirt. "Who knows? I never got your spirit roots checked at the academy, but you haven''t shown any signs of detecting the whispers of heaven or absorbing more Qi than the rest of us. If you were born to be a cultivator, you would have developed faster and wouldn''t be so scrawny." Sam narrowed his eyes, "Why didn''t you get me tested to be sure?" His father laughed as he dug the shovel into the ground and threw up dirt in a swift motion, "Because then you wouldn''t help me on the farm, and those evaluations aren''t cheap, ya know? Cost an arm and a leg." Sam begged every birthday for a chance to be tested, but he always received the same answers: His father would say, "It''s too expensive. Now go work in the fields." "The chance of a farming family like us producing a cultivator is one in a million," his mother would repeat with a tired smile while ruffling his hair. "It''s not even worth the journey to the academy, Sam." They treated him like an ignorant child. "I hate living like this," Sam muttered to himself on one fateful rainy night as he was outside toiling the fields alone. All that was on his mind was wanting to leave behind his mortal life as a villager and join the ranks of the cultivators. It was his dream. "What are these monsters we are so afraid of anyway? I have never seen them, yet we cower behind these walls and give half our money to the cultivators." Sam ranted as the rain roared in his ears, soaking him down to the bone. His whole life felt like a lie. He was just supposed to shut up and accept being nothing but a farmer until he died at the ripe old age of a hundred and twenty? That was when he made a life-changing decision to venture into the woods in search of one of these monsters. The dense canopy gave him some respite from the rain, and before long, he found himself lost in the darkness. That is when he encountered that thing in a clearing¡ªan insect larger than a hut with razor-sharp claws dripping with rain. He turned and ran. It hunted him for days, and as Sam hid shivering under a rock in a puddle of mud, he swore if he survived somehow, he would return to his life as a farmer boy and work hard for the cultivators. The monsters were far too terrifying! As he knocked on death''s door, the stone was pulled away, and to his surprise, a blonde-haired girl offered him salvation¡ªa cultivator. Something his father swore was impossible had happened. The cultivator not only saved him, a mere mortal, but she also promised he had the potential to follow the path of a cultivator and would even teach him if he reached the top of the mountain. From then on, his life in the village changed. Instead of being forced by his father to work the fields, he was told and supported by the whole village to practice the sword and meditate on heaven''s whispers. Which he did. Every single day. From morning until night, he would swing the crude wooden sword his father made for him until his arms went numb, and then he would meditate in different locations to try and hear the whispers of heaven. "Maybe she lied to you," his father suggested one day, "You have spent hours meditating every day with no improvement. In this state, you would disgrace yourself if you dared to try and climb the mountain." "Why would she lie?" Sam snapped back with frustration. He didn''t want to agree with such a theory, but deep down, he was starting to also have doubts. If he showed up at the mountain peak after so long with no capabilities to wield Qi, maybe they would kill him on the spot for wasting their time. His father shrugged as he walked off to the fields, "We all dreamed of soaring through the skies at some point in our lives. But the world has a nasty habit of reminding us of our place. We are mortals, and they are cultivators. We belong down here, son." Sam gritted his teeth. He refused to give up on his dreams like his father had, so he doubled his efforts. His muscles became more defined, and his mind became a spotless temple surrounded by a serene lake. No matter how much the villagers began to doubt his capabilities, he stuck with it, working harder and harder.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. One day, the cultivator who saved him made a surprise return with their disciple in tow. They both wore masks and spoke to him from the sky, reminding him of their differences. To Sam''s bewilderment, he wasn''t shamed for his lack of progress. Instead, he was encouraged and gifted a truffle, a bottle of pills, and a parchment that detailed a basic breathing technique. He was then informed of a tournament occurring in a month. After the cultivators left, Sam scurried off to his room and devoured the truffle. His body expelled black sludge as his spirit roots unclogged, and despite the stench, he took in a deep breath according to the diagrams on the parchment, and to his shock, he finally felt it. Qi¡ªthe underlying power of creation flowed through his body in a noticeable enough way that he could focus it on particular muscles. With a grin, he strode out and under the eyes of the villagers and punched a dead tree down in a single strike. Finally, the power he had wanted for so long was at his fingertips, and it was all thanks to that cultivator. He basked in the village''s praise and received numerous marriage proposals from neighboring villages. But in the end, he began to distance himself from the villagers. They were different now. Heaven''s whispers opened up his perspective of the world, and as he meditated and saw how vast and intertwined reality was, he couldn''t help but feel that the village was suffocatingly small and their lives were meaningless. He tried to explain the whispers of reality to the villagers, but they couldn''t understand him. They needed to see, but without open spirit roots, it would never happen. The following month passed in a blur as he shut himself away and trained non-stop until the day the skies over Red Vine Peak darkened and the heavens unleashed their wrath. With the rest of the villagers, he had gathered in the town square and gazed up at the mountain peak as thousands of lightning bolts rained down relentlessly. They watched in awe, the hours slipping by unnoticed, as the dazzling spectacle showed no sign of stopping. "The tribulation for the Ravenborne Grand Elder''s ascension was nothing like this," his father muttered while scratching the back of his head, "Just how much did that person infuriate the heavens?" "You don''t think it''s my master?" Sam asked. Since he had been gifted the art of cultivation by the blonde-haired cultivator, she was his master as far as he was concerned. "She seemed powerful, but it''s likely her master that is causing this." His father shuddered, "To think such an earth-shatteringly powerful cultivator was living nearby." That Sam had to agree with. Having started on the path of cultivation, he couldn''t fathom the level someone had to reach to incite such a reaction from the heavens. "I need to train even harder," Sam clenched his fist. For the next week, under the constant booming thunder and flashing of lightning, he trained until his hands bled and he heard the heavens whispers in his sleep. "What was that," Sam''s eyes snapped open, and he pushed his exhausted body to stand. Opening his door, he noticed the sky overhead had cleared up, and the Qi throughout the land had changed. It feels so fresh and pure. What happened? Unsure of what to make of it, he returned to his training. Despite his efforts, progress was not as fast as he wanted. He needed to beat his master''s disciple in the tournament to earn her favor. Sam gritted his teeth and tripled his efforts. Only to be interrupted by a person wearing a black cloak embroidered with a red eye two days later. "Hello, boy. I heard from asking around that you have shown promise as a cultivator?" "Depends on who''s asking," Sam said while directing some Qi to his fingertips. The other villages had not taken the news of his progress kindly, as his presence elevated the prestige of his village too far above the others. "I represent the All-Seeing Eye," the woman smiled, "I''m passing through villages and offering anyone curious to join a free welcome package." "Darn cult," his father muttered under his breath. The woman''s smile hardly faltered at the accusation. "What does the welcome package contain?" Sam asked curiously. "We believe everyone has the right to cultivation under the All-Seeing Eye''s benevolent gaze. The welcome package contains a pill that will help awaken dormant spirit roots," the woman gave Sam a wink, "It''s not strong enough to achieve spirit roots as pure as yours, but it will help any mortal cycle a little Qi." Sam was pushed aside as his father strode past, "How many other villagers accepted your offer?" "Mhm," the woman tapped her chin in thought, "Almost all of them, though some did say no. Funnily enough, around half the villagers who initially said no ran after me only a few hours later." "I see," Sam''s father stroked his chin. "Is it really free and works?" "Yes, I swear on the All-Seeing Eye that your path to becoming a cultivator will start today under his guidance." The woman bowed slightly, "This welcome package is his benevolence. You are not required to do anything after receiving it." More villagers had gathered, and soon enough, everyone accepted a package and giddily returned to their huts. Meanwhile, Sam inspected the pill''s smell and concluded it was made from the truffle his master had given him. The other pills and instructions provided in the welcome package were quite helpful. "So my master has a hand in this?" Sam wondered as he put on the provided cloak. It was a little big on him, as it seemed to be a standardized size, but he just folded the sleeves. Walking outside, he glanced up at Red Vine Peak. Master, what is your plan here? I thought I was special, but now I have to wonder... did you uplift me just to cause jealousy among my fellow villagers? If so, just how far did her plans go? The stench of impurities became overwhelming, and by sundown, the villagers emerged with grins. They had stepped on the path of cultivation and were eager to let him know about it and beg him for guidance. "Son, thanks to the All-Seeing Eye''s benevolence, things are about to change around here," his father patted him on the back as he stood before everyone wearing the provided black cloaks, "Cultivators have always been heavens'' chosen¡ªit was unheard of for a mortal to dare walk their path. But now, with the All-Seeing Eye watching over us, we too can challenge the heavens." His father stepped forward and raised his arms triumphantly, "If every other village also accepted the All-Seeing Eye''s benevolence, then we must work hard to stay ahead of them. If everyone is special, then nobody is!" A cheer rang out through the village. *** Days passed, and the night of the All-Seeing Eye''s service dawned. As twilight turned to dusk, portals rippled into existence across the land. In every single village, town, and city surrounding Red Vine Peak, streams of mortals dressed in matching black robes embroidered with red eyes made their way through the rifts and spilled out onto floating islands. Sam led his village through their portal. "Welcome to tonight''s service," a man whose features were obscured by the cloak hood said in a pleasant tone, "To survive the experience, everyone is required to take these pills." "To survive?" Sam asked as he was handed a handful of multicolored pills. "Yes, the presence of the All-Seeing Eye can be rather intense on the untrained mind," the man gestured for him to move along and repeated the same words to those behind him. Sam shrugged and followed the rest of the worshipers down a stone path that snaked through towering black stone spires encrusted with glowing red gems polished into the appearance of eyes that gave Sam an unsettling feeling. Rounding a corner, his breath was taken away by the breathtaking view of nine giant moons that dominated the sky from the horizon until the peak. Where the hell are we? Sam wondered as he paused beside many other people and strained his neck to take in the otherwordly spectacle. Why is one of them purple? With nobody around to answer his question and eager to not have to stand alongside his family and village during the service, he disappeared into the shifting crowd and took up a spot behind a fence. Okay, the moon was one thing, but this... He stared at a living tower of pulsating white flesh that vaguely resembled a tree with a canopy of bare-bones wreathed in a golden aura. An uncountable number of slits flickered open and closed like eyelids, with each one concealing numerous eyes that rolled in their sockets and made Sam''s skin crawl. Surrounding the tower of white flesh were dozens of floating islands, much like his own, wreathed in a purple hue. I didn''t think I would need these pills after all of my training, but if the service hasn''t even started and this is what I have to look at... Sam found himself humbled real quick and downed the handful of pills without a second thought. To his surprise, the air began to shimmer as the pills took effect, and soon, he was looking around like a lost child at the streams of Qi rushing all around him. Vivid greens, deep blues, bright purples, and murky browns all intertwined into spirals of color. When I cultivate, the Qi streams are disorderly and impossible to separate. I never realized it could all be so clear. Sam felt a newfound appreciation for the All-Seeing Eye due to this experience. Even if he couldn''t get a hold of these pills again, he felt enlightened to the truths governing reality. Curious, he leaned on the fence and looked down. Encircling the tower of living flesh was a forest of creepy-looking trees fed by streams of gold that flowed out of the base of the white flesh tower. A blood mist shrouded the whole thing in mystery. How is this place real? Sam bit his lip as he took it all in. I thought I was closing the gap as my cultivation advanced, but this is on another level of unfathomable. Is this something a mere cultivator can achieve, or is it reserved for the realm of the gods? A gong sound shook Sam to his soul, followed by the sky tearing apart. An impossible-to-describe eye of godly proportions peered through the rift, and Sam felt his whole body freeze. He had never felt so small and insignificant before. "We will now begin the very first service to the All-Seeing Eye!" A woman''s voice, carried by Qi, reached everyone''s ears as a black rock ship nestled in the canopy of bone emerged and took center stage, lording over all the other islands. Standing on its bow was a purple-haired woman wearing the same black cloak as everyone else but had its hood down. "My name is Elysia, and I am the Vice Leader. Here to my left is the Head Priestess Stella." Sam could not see the woman''s face as she was wearing a black mask with a giant red eye painted on it. The taller person beside Elysia took down her cloak hood, and despite also wearing a mask, Sam narrowed his eyes. That short blonde hair and red maple leaf earrings. I recognize her. But from where... His eyes widened in shock. It was his master. She was the head of the All-Seeing Eye? "Now we can begin the ceremony to honor the All-Seeing Eye''s generosity to you all," Elysia announced. But a wave of confusion rang out as multiple cloaked individuals soared into the air from every island on swords and encircled the black rock ship with a red-leaf tree growing on it. One of the cultivators floated slightly closer and pointed toward Sam''s master. "Stella Crestfallen! We have traversed across the realm and searched high and low for you with the intention of bringing you home. However, in light of what you are doing here with this accursed abomination pretending to be a god, by command of the highest chair in the Celestial Order, you are hereby sentenced to death." Every one of them drew a sword that shone with golden light and pointed it toward Stella. An overwhelming pressure flooded the land. These guys were powerful. "Any final words?" Stella stepped forward, "Yeah, I have some." "What would that be?" the leader asked. As Stella raised her arm, Sam saw a section of the flesh trees below wither into dust. A moment later, a purple hue ballooned out, encompassing everything. "Perish, under the wrath of a supposedly fake god," Stella said simply, pointing at the accuser. Pitch-black lightning silently arched through the air, instantly striking every one of the cultivators and reducing them to nothingness. Their now ownerless swords fell like rain to the forest of flesh below. Silence from every island followed as everyone tried to process what had just happened. "Anyone else dares to question the legitimacy of the All-Seeing Eye?" Stella''s voice boomed across the land. Receiving no takers, she quietly stepped back and let the service continue. Chapter 324: Hunt For The Lost Child In a sunlit room made from interwoven and overlapping golden wood, a group of white-cloaked cultivators sat crossed-legged in silence around a shimmering crystal tree that supported thousands of tiny golden balls on its branches like fruits. Divine energy swirling freely through the room was pulled in and circulated by the cultivators, making their veins glow like a web of golden thread through their skin. A door to the side of the room opened, and a tall, slender man gracefully strode in, followed by two attendants who didn''t dare raise their heads. His long flowing hair that cascaded down the back of his robe was like strands of golden silk, while his eyes were narrow and his gaze piercing. "Council, how goes the hunt for the lost child?" The man addressed the room. One of the old monsters let out a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. "Chairman, there was a development." "Speak freely." "Very well," the cultivator stood up and bowed, "The lost child, Stella Crestfallen, was found. However, it appears she has connections to an upstart cult. We received a kill request from the inquisitors," the man straightened up and met the Chairman''s gaze, "the council decided to agree." "What!?" The Chairman glared around the room, "Retract that order right now! Stella may be a heretic, but she was the only successful example from our decades of work." "The order has already been sent. It cannot be recalled now," the cultivator shrugged. "Sorry, Chairman. Maybe it''s time to say goodbye to your failed experiment and move on." "I see what''s happening here," the Chairman glared at all the cultivators in the room who refused to open their eyes or greet him. "You will all come to regret this." "Whatever do you mean, Chairman?" The cultivator said with a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Don''t be too harsh on them for not giving you face. It''s hard managing the empire, you know?" "Of course, I know. I was the one who founded it, lest you forget," The Chairman turned on his heel to leave the room, "Be careful who you dare to make an enemy councilman¡ª" An explosion occurred in the room as a dozen golden balls on the crystal tree branches disintegrated simultaneously. Every single councilman''s eyes snapped open. Something terrible had just happened. "How many did we lose?" the cultivator shouted, joining the others in circling the crystal tree. "All of them," another cultivator replied while stroking his beard, "every inquisitor we sent after Stella Crestfallen has perished." *** Ashlock was astounded. Not because of the Celestial Order cultivators who had snuck in with the crowd as worshipers¡ªhe had flagged them as suspicious when he detected their peak Star Core cultivation and hints of divinity likely from the consumption of World Tree sap. No, he was astounded because of how easily they died. There had been a dozen of them, decked out in artifacts and wielding swords wreathed in divine energy. Yet, in the face of his {Voidstorm Aegis [S]}, they fell faster than flies. "Thank the gods I decided to hold this service inside my Inner World," Ashlock mused as he opened small portals and collected the falling swords, "I doubt they would have fallen as easily if I tried to fight them outside." Inside here, he truly was a god as the void lightning also carried the entire weight of his Inner World without restraint. So they weren''t just struck with void Qi, but also all the daos from his Inner World all at once. Those foolish Celestial Order cultivators never stood a chance of challenging him inside his own soul. Stella stepped back after her show of force and let Elysia continue the service alongside the Mystshroud family. They planned to use their mystic Qi to fill the people''s minds with visions that were on theme with the All-Seeing Eye, but it seemed like their efforts would be in vain. Divine energy was already flooding into the Divine Flesh Tree from the thousands of people here after witnessing him effortlessly deleting so many powerful cultivators. Nothing like an overwhelming show of force to get people to take you seriously. "Looks like we got our answer to who is hunting you down," Ashlock said to Stella, who was leaning against Willow on the Bastion. "The Celestial Order." Stella bit her lip, "The bastards who are hurting the World Tree." "Yeah, from their words, it seemed they wished to bring you home, but your ties to me made them change their mind." "Home?" Stella snorted. "My home is here. I don''t need a bunch of tree-torturing freaks to drag me back somewhere else." "I thought you wanted to go to the Celestial Empire?" Stella nodded, "I do, but with you. We will save my mom together." "Mhm, I do suppose it''s hard to deny the World Tree was involved in your birth somehow at this point with the Celestial Order hunting you down, combined with the rumor the Celestial Warden shared and all the other clues we have gotten." Ashlock sighed, "What a mess, but fret not. I planned to help the World Tree, and we will do it together." Stella sighed wearily, "Thank you, Tree." "You''re welcome. At least we now know who your father tried to warn you about. Of course, the Frozen Star Sect or the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion could also be sending people after you as well. But hopefully not for now." Stella let out a long sigh and rested her head against Willow, "Then what should I do now, Tree?" she said while looking up into Willow''s canopy, "Hide forever?" "Well, tomorrow morning, the Mystic Realm opens up." Ashlock replied as he hummed in thought, "That should keep you occupied for a while. After that... I don''t know. All we have planned is the tournament we are holding for Darklight City, which I bet will be a lot more interesting after we have gifted the ability to cultivate to so many mortals."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "I doubt it will do much," Stella said, pushing herself off Willow. "We made hundreds of pills from a single spirit root improvement truffle. All you gave these mortals was false hope and maybe extended their lifespans a little. Cultivation is already an expensive endeavor, and there is a need for constant pills, Qi-gathering formations, and technique manuals made all the worse with barely functioning spirit roots. None of them will have a chance at making it as cultivators." "That was the plan from the start," Ashlock explained, "We gifted them the chance to become cultivators. For those dedicated to the cult, we will reward them with endless pills and techniques. Effectively, we will raise a devoted army of cultivators whose faith in me further empowers myself and the Ashfallen Sect." Stella clasped her hands behind her back. "Excellent. It''s about time all these mortals freeloading off us in Ashfallen City became useful and worth the headache they gave us." "It''s a good relationship. I gave them salvation from Slymere. A new city, free food, and protection. I even gifted them the chance at something the heavens had deemed them unworthy of and offered a path to power under the All-Seeing Eye, all in return for their faith." Stella nodded, "Benevolent as always, Tree." "I try my best," Ashlock chuckled, and their conversation died down. There wasn''t much more to discuss regarding the Celestial Order, as Stella would be heading into the Mystic Realm soon. After that? They would figure it out. "I doubt they can send more people for a while, but I''m sure a dozen of their people perishing at once is bound to raise some alarm," Ashlock sighed as he returned his focus to the service, "I will have to keep an eye out and maintain my {Voidstorm Aegis} for now." While Ashlock was thinking up defensive measures, the service continued. Elysia, alongside the other members of the Mystshroud families, flooded each island with Mystic Qi. They then summoned abominations from their imagination, with many clearly inspired by their experience in the forest where Ashlock broke their minds. Ashlock didn''t find the whole show that impressive, but he bet to the mortals it was absolutely enthralling compared to their usually mundane lives. He couldn''t imagine going from digging up dirt in a field to being drawn through a portal, fed a load of pills, and then told to stand and watch as so much unfolded. Hours passed, and Ashlock was beginning to feel sleepy. "Elysia, wrap the service up," Ashlock told the girl, who was far too into it and had even tried summoning Pluto, but the Worldwalker was either unable to or refused to enter Ashlock''s Inner World. "Awww, fine." Elysia did as instructed while Ashlock did the annoying part of opening a hundred portals across the land to get the mortals back to where they lived. Once his Inner World was empty, he turned off his {Voidstorm Aegis} as running two at a time was an immense drain on his Qi reserves. It was a shame to have spent 500 sacrificial credits on it, only to have to dismiss it so soon, but it had served its purpose¡ªmaybe a little too well. "I still can''t believe they all died instantly like that. If I had known I held such unbelievable power in my Inner World, I would have just crushed them with my presence and devoured them." Though more cost-effective, there was the argument that such a death would have been far less impressive and resulted in less reverence from his followers. From then on, if his followers were watching, he had to follow the rule of cool. The more flashy he made the enemy''s deaths, the better. "Am I going to need to bring in sacrifices?" Ashlock suddenly realized. Today should be a one-off event, as he doubted that the Celestial Order would be stupid enough to send more cultivators just to die in the same way. He would need targets if he wanted to stage more impressive demonstrations of his powers. "Maybe I could ask my sect members to haul some monsters from the Mystic Realm back here?" Putting on a show for his new worshipers aside, maybe he should inspect the reward for all his effort. "I had around 800 credits this morning, which had passively grown from the 600 I had last week. After spending 500 on the {Voidstorm Aegis}, I would have gone down to a mere 300." Ashlock glanced down at the forest of flesh trees surrounding the Divine Flesh Tree. It looked like a lot more than 300, and the amount of divine energy pulsing through the land was immense. "This inflow of divine energy is nothing like before the service despite the cult''s marketing efforts," Ashlock mused. "Everyone in Darklight and Ashfallen City knew of my existence, yet the returns were minuscule compared to tonight." Ashlock opened his system to check the new number. From 300, he had gone to... Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3625 Daily Credit: 59 Sacrifice Credit: 1637 [Sign in?] "My number of credits increased by five times," Ashlock mused. "System, if I had 5000 credits, would it have also increased by five times?" [No. Do you think your little display of power in front of a load of mortals generated enough divine energy to grow 20000 flesh trees?] "Fair point..." Ashlock sighed. At least that confirmed that he wasn''t being that heavily punished for not saving up more credits before the service. Having more would definitely be better, but it seemed there were diminishing returns. If that was the case, he wanted to upgrade something. [Directly upgrading the skill {Consuming Abyss [B]} will consume 1276 credits] It was a bit expensive, but it was one of his most used skills, and in the past, he had increased its effectiveness with void Qi. Making it the skill at the top of his list to be upgraded, even over his mutations. "Upgrading it now won''t leave me with many credits, but I am bound to devour a lot of monsters in the Mystic Realm tomorrow, and my sacrificial credits will passively grow as my infamy spreads throughout the land." [Are you sure you want to upgrade this skill?] "Yes System, do it." [Upgraded {Consuming Abyss [B]} -> {Abyssal Devourer [A]}] Most of the forest of flesh trees below him withered away to dust as he spent his sacrificial credits. Information regarding the skill flooded his mind. His beloved Consuming Abyss skill now had many new features alongside its new name, Abyssal Devourer. His thorn-covered vines now had a corrosive aura that he could activate at will for no cost, which devoured the Qi of anyone nearby and fed it back to Ashlock to replenish his Qi reserves. "This feature would have been handy against the Lunarshade Grand Elder," Ashlock sighed as he recalled that battle. If he had this feature back then, he could have devoured the Lunarshade Grand Elder''s infant soul, which he dared to wear as armor. "Though this other feature... system, can you explain it to me?" [Targets impaled by your void tendrils experience a draining effect, where their life force and Qi are slowly consumed, healing you and restoring your Qi reserves. This can significantly weaken enemies over time and bolster your strength] "I see this upgrade comes with a theme of devouring people alive," Ashlock yawned and dismissed the system messages. He was exhausted and wanted to sleep under the nine moons. *** Sam returned to the village with his worldview shattered. Witnessing the immense tribulation that had occurred over Red Vine Peak a week ago was one thing, but something about it still felt disconnected. It had been hard for him to fathom the level of power that would incite such a tribulation, but now he felt he understood a little more. That otherworldly eye in the sky that had gazed down at them through a rift was no short of a godly being in his eyes. If its priestess¡ªhis Master¡ªcould instantly wipe out so many powerful cultivators with a flick of her fingers, what cultivation level could the All-Seeing Eye possibly possess? The mood in the village was ecstatic; his father, along with the others, eagerly gathered around the campfire with their cult cloaks still on to discuss the experience. Sam meanwhile faded off into the darkness and returned to his hut. While his head was still buzzing with pills and heavenly enlightenment, he wanted nothing more than to meditate and train. He was not in awe nor terrified by what he had seen tonight. Instead, it motivated him to strive to improve even more. Whatever cultivation level those from the Celestial Order possessed, it was too weak for this world. He wanted to reach many realms higher than that and then some more. Nothing would stand in his way. Not even his Master''s disciple, whom he would face in the upcoming tournament. Chapter 325: Rival Jasmine awoke to a familiar wooden ceiling. Huffing the hair out of her mouth, she rolled over on the incredibly soft futon Stella had bought her and looked out the window. The nine moons that always dominated the sky here in Ashlock''s Inner World were dimming, and the dreamscape was fading away. "It''s almost morning," Jasmine murmured and pushed her body and sat upright. Perhaps it was a habit she picked up from her Master, but she wouldn''t call herself a morning person anymore. Yawning, Jasmine grabbed the wooden comb from the floor beside her and stood up. Her head was relatively empty as she idly stood beside the window, combing the knots out of her hair. "Ugh," Jasmine grunted as her comb got stuck in a dense knot, "How does my hair find new ways to knot itself in ways previously unknown to mankind during my sleep? Just how much do I roll around?" Jasmine grumbled as she wrestled with the knot and debated giving up. "Why do I even bother? It''s not like I''m doing anything except training with Master today, and she cares about appearance even less than me¡ª" Jasmine paused as she realized something, "¡ªwait, isn''t today the day I''m entering the Mystic Realm?" She had heard stories about the place from Stella and had been both excited and extremely nervous about it. I can''t wait to advance in cultivation and maybe find a treasure or inheritance. But Stella also told me about how dangerous it is. Am I ready to survive for a whole month in such a place? Jasmine looked down at her balled-up fists under the fading moonlight. Despite all her training under her Master''s guidance, she had never fought with a monster before. If Master thinks I am ready, then I must be. Jasmine nodded to herself and turned around to face her room. She would need to pack for this trip. Thankfully, she was a cultivator now. She inserted some Qi into the silver ring on her finger, and everything in the room vanished as she waved her hand in a flash of silver light. "Being a cultivator is cheating," Jasmine shook her head. When she was younger, she went on trips with her parents and spent hours with her mother packing their belongings into chests and loading them onto a cart. Many arguments and headaches could have been avoided if they''d had spatial rings. Leaving her bedroom, she sleepily walked down the corridor to Stella''s room. Not bothering to knock, she walked in. "Master! Wake up. Today is an important day." A single hand emerged from the giant bundle of blankets, followed by a muffled voice, "Five more minutes." "Master, last time you said that, you spent the rest of the day sleeping." Jasmine crouched down and found Stella''s foot poking out of the blankets. Taking out a feather from her spatial ring that she had gotten for this sole purpose, she tickled her foot. "Ah!" Stella yelped and pulled in her leg with frightening speed. "Jasmine! I told you not to use that thing again!" Jasmine rolled her eyes as she hid the feather, "Sorry Master, I forgot. Though Master, I have to ask, why do you sleep so much? I thought cultivators of your level could go forever without sleeping?" Stella grumbled, "Because I''m bored, and this bed is so darn comfortable. Also, those moons in the sky make me so sleepy." "Oh..." Jasmine hadn''t been expecting such an answer. So, it wasn''t some cultivation technique I was unaware of. She is just lazy. Stella sat up and rubbed her eyes, "What did you wake me up for? It''s not even morning." "Master, the Mystic Realm opens today." Stella''s eyes widened. "Oh yeah, Ash told me about that last night during the All-Seeing Eye service. How are you feeling? Are you excited?" "Excited and nervous," Jasmine admitted, "I''m scared of the monsters. Will I really be fine, Master? What if I get injured and starve to death or something." Stella smirked, "If it was anyone else asking, I''d tell them it was their fate, but for you, my dear disciple, you will have nothing to worry about. You will be drawn to enter a Mystic Realm that''s of a suitable level for you, and I will tell Ash to have Sol look after you." "The light Ent?" "Yeah," Stella nodded, "Sol is at the peak of the Star Core Realm. His offensive capabilities are quite good, but he is best at healing and can provide shields. If there''s anyone under Ashfallen who can keep you alive without denying you the experience by eliminating everything, it''s Sol." Jasmine felt the bundle of nerves in her chest relax at the reassurance that she didn''t have to face the Mystic Realm alone. "Thank you, Master." "After all the effort I went through to raise you to deal with the annoying things, it would be inconvenient for you to die," Stella said as she rocked Jasmine''s head from side to side, "So don''t die, okay?" Jasmine could tell Stella was half joking through their link. But only half joking... she really did think Jasmine dying would be inconvenient. "I''m so lucky to have such a caring Master," Jasmine replied sarcastically. "Yes, you are," Stella grinned, "Now, make sure you are ready. I can''t follow you through due to my bloodline, as Vincent might detect me if I go outside and wait for it to appear¡ª" "I''m already ready," Jasmine interrupted. Now that the fear was gone, she was giddy with excitement. She couldn''t wait around anymore. "Can we go?" Stella groaned as she rolled out of bed and stood up. "Fine, let me get dressed first. Shoo, get out of my room." *** I should have listened to Stella. It was too early to leave. Jasmine thought as the excitment she had felt was long gone. She had spent the freezing morning perched on one of Ashlock''s many branches. The black bark felt like ice under her, and no matter how tightly she pulled the coat Douglas and Elaine had gifted her, she struggled to ward off the chill. Meanwhile, Stella sat casually in their warm living room back in the Inner World with one leg propped up and watched the horizon through a portal that she had somehow convinced the Divine Flesh Tree to manifest for her. She was dressed in her usual white cotton outfit that looked like casual summer wear. They were waiting until sunrise because, according to Stella, Ashlock would wake up at the crack of dawn and open the Mystic Realm for all the people gathered and waiting. Since the Mystic Realm was only open for exactly a week, nobody seemed to want to waste a single moment, even if that involved waiting around in the dark and cold. "M-Master, it''s s-so cold," Jasmine said as she blew into her cupped hands. They were bright red and puffy. "Can I come back home?" "Because it''s winter, the sun is taking longer to rise than I expected, but it should rise any minute now," Stella retorted. "Anyway, you should use this as training for the Mystic Realm. In there, you won''t be able to return home when you face an inconvenience." Jasmine sighed, causing a cloud to leave her lips. "Fine. But do we have to hide up here away from everyone else?" "You make it sound like I forced you to stay up here? You could have taken the ethereal root but said you wanted to watch the sunrise with me." Stella tilted her head to look at her through the very clear portal except for a slight purple hue, "If you''re so cold, coat your skin in Qi. If that doesn''t work, snuggle under a fire Qi tree or ask a Redclaw to warm you up. I just didn''t want the Divine Flesh Tree to open a portal to my home in full view of everyone as it''s quite messy."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Jasmine frowned, "The portal from our house led to this branch. How is that not forcing me to sit up here?" "Am I holding you hostage here?" "Yes, you aren''t letting me return through the portal for supposed training." Stella rolled her eyes and gestured to the ground, "Just jump down if you want to escape the chilling breeze. Use your head a little." Jasmine glanced down at the drop. It was easily more than a hundred meters high. "Master, do you want to kill me?" Stella gave her a strange look, "If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already. Go on, jump. You will be fine if you cycle Qi¡ªdon''t give me that look. Trust me, okay? If you are scared to jump from such heights, you will struggle in the Mystic Realm." Despite how ridiculous her Master''s suggestion was, she could tell Stella was dead serious through their Master-Disciple link. Her Master wholly believed that she wouldn''t die from such a height. I did jump down the Citadel, but that was thousands of meters deep. There was no way I would survive, no matter how I landed, so I didn''t think about it. This drop, though, is much less, and I have Qi now... "Fine, I will trust you, Master," Jasmine said confidently, but in truth, she was desperate to get some warmth. Avoiding frostbite was a powerful motivator to do potentially suicidal actions. Surging Qi to her legs and gritting her teeth, she pushed herself off the branch. The freezing wind burned her ears as it rushed through the hair she had so carefully combed earlier. The ground came sooner than she expected¡ªa dull pain smacked her feet, and she was thrown forward onto the stone. "Are you alright?" Jasmine groaned as she rolled over and saw a young red-haired woman standing over her and offering a hand. "Surprisingly, I feel fine," Jasmine said as she took the offered hand and was gently hauled to her feet. The dull pain had already faded, and her coat seemed to have cushioned her fall, so she didn''t have any scrapes or bruises on her elbows that had taken the brunt of the second fall. Glancing up at the canopy, she couldn''t believe she had survived from such a height. Master was right... Qi really is amazing. I need to stop thinking like a mortal and remember that my body is far stronger now. The problem is I don''t know how strong I am now compared to before... maybe this is something I should have figured out earlier. "Well, I''m glad you seem fine," the red-haired woman smiled, "Seeing such a young girl falling from the tree like a fruit gave me quite the scare. My name is Amber, by the way... you are?" Amber? Where have I heard that before? Jasmine wondered, and then it dawned on her. Master offhandedly mentioned once she had made a bet with Ashlock for me to beat someone. I think her name was Amber. Is this her? Jasmine couldn''t believe it. Even though she was suppressing it well, there was still notable pressure around Amber that Jasmine knew was from Star Core cultivators, as Stella and Diana had the same pressure around them. Stella wants me to defeat such a person? How would that even be possible? "Something wrong?" Amber asked, "You seem pale. Are you sure you aren''t injured?" "No, no, I''m fine," Jasmine offered a weary smile, "My name is Jasmine." "Jasmine? That''s a nice name. It is one of my favorite flowers, and Jasmine tea is also great. Wait. Jasmine? Are you Princess Stella''s beloved disciple?" "Um," Jasmine grimaced, remembering Stella''s true reason for training her. Being called her beloved disciple was a bit of a stretch. "Yes..." she sighed, "Stella is my Master." Amber threw herself into a deep bow, "I apologize if I spoke out of turn." Jasmine swore she would never get used to powerful cultivators throwing themselves at her feet at the mere mention of her Master''s name. Just what did Stella do to these people to cause them to have this level of respect... or fear? Now that she thought about it, it was probably fear. "Please raise your head," Jasmine said frantically, "There''s no need to bow to me like this. You are a far more powerful cultivator than me." Amber straightened up and offered a kind smile, "You will surpass me soon enough. I bet Stella is sparing no effort to power you up, and now you are joining us in the Mystic Realm at such a young age. Your progress will be frightening." Jasmine thought back and had to agree that, as lazy as her Master seemed, she had given her more truffles and fruits from Ashlock than she could remember, and her training had been quite brutal thus far. "Have you gone into the Mystic Realm before, Amber?" Jasmine asked while enjoying the heat radiating off the woman from the fire Qi flickering across her body to ward off the cold. Amber nodded, "A few times, actually. I see a few new faces such as yourself here, but almost everyone else here has gone at least once before." Amber gestured to the many other people gathered on Red Vine Peak. Jasmine recognized many of them. All the people with bright red hair and wearing dark red cloaks like Amber were from the noble Redclaw family, and judging from their numbers, it seemed like the entire family was here. Diana, Douglas, and Elaine were also off to the side, casually discussing with each other alongside the Redclaw Grand Elder and a large bald man wearing a purple silk robe that Jasmine didn''t recognize. There were also the two cultivators from the Silverspire family who seemed about as nervous as she was by their uneasy expressions. "Do you have any advice?" Jasmine asked Amber after glancing around. "Make use of every moment in there; the month will fly by faster than you realize, and once you leave, cultivating out here will feel like a waste of time." Amber sighed, "Even with the groves of fire flowers and Qi gathering formations, I find myself slacking while cultivating ever since my first Mystic Realm visit." "Interesting," Jasmine mused. She was even more excited now. "Beside that? Know that these Mystic Realms are pocket dimensions created by Monarch Realm cultivators. Some were created to pass down their legacy, while others are monster-infested hellscapes. Both are likely designed to kill you. Until you grasp your chosen shard and enter the Mystic Realm, there''s no way to know what you have gotten yourself into." Jasmine gulped. The uncertainty and importance of making the most of the Mystic Realm visit, as she would be participating in a tournament right after, made her nerves return. She had to pick the right one! "Okay, everyone!" Diana''s voice echoed across the mountain peak, drawing everyone''s attention. She was floating above with her feathered wings spread out. "Sunrise is almost upon us, meaning the immortal will arise and open the Mystic Realm. Anyone who is lacking pills, come and see me." A few people in the crowd began to make their way over toward Diana. As the demoness touched back down on the stone, streaks of sunlight hit the peak. "It''s about to begin," Amber whispered, and Jasmine could see a grim determination on her face. Did something happen to her? Jasmine knew little about Amber, but Stella seemed to want her to defeat Amber in the future. So, if something was motivating her rival to get stronger, she would need to find equal motivation. The sun crested the distant mountain peak some more, bathing Red Vine Peak in its warmth, and then Jasmine could feel it¡ªAshlock was awakening. It wasn''t as obvious to everyone yet, but as someone attuned to nature Qi and having often hung out with Stella and Ashlock, she could tell that the entire mountain was becoming alive. It was a slow process¡ªit always was. But eventually, the demonic tree lording over them all awoke from his slumber. All the highest-ranking members of the Ashfallen Sect glanced toward the tree at the same time as they were likely receiving his words. Jasmine felt the ground under her tremble slightly. Confused, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Sol towering over her. I guess Master already spoke to Ashlock about my protection. Jasmine smiled as her bodyguard took his place beside her. "By the glory of Ashfallen, the Mystic Realm is about to open! Everyone stand back," Diana instructed, and everyone shuffled to form a wide circle in front of Ashlock. Jasmine''s eyes widened as a dense mist of what appeared to be glass shards manifested out of thin air and ballooned out to fill the space. Once it was finished, everyone ran inside. Jasmine even saw one of the Mudcloaks pick one of the floating shards on the outside of the cloud, and the moment its hand wrapped around the glass shard, it popped out of existence. "Scary..." Jasmine muttered as she slowly walked toward the cloud. Holding her breath and tensing her body, she stepped inside. The lack of a floor was somewhat disorientating, and now that she was closer, she could see that these were no simple glass shards. Each one showed a glimpse into another world. Okay, calm down, you can do this. As Master suggested, I should just trust my instincts. Jasmine closed her eyes and let the Qi guide her to the pocket dimension she should pick. She wandered for quite a while until she felt one calling to her. In the sea of options, this one alone felt perfect. "It looks peaceful," Jasmine mused as she peered into the shard and tried to make out the tiny details. "There seems to be a dense forest of some kind surrounding a cliff and is that a waterfall? I can''t see any signs of monsters or birds, but it''s hard to tell." Reaching out with some apprehension, she grasped the shard and felt herself being dragged into it. Blinking the blinding light away, she found herself on a rock outcrop above the treeline. The sun was intense, the air was incredibly humid, and the loud hum of insects was assaulting her ears. "So this is going to be my home for the next month," Jasmine frowned as she removed her thick coat and stowed it away. "Not what I would call ideal conditions for living, but the nature Qi here is incredibly dense." Jasmine closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, "Wow... it''s so much better than back home¡ª" There was a loud crash behind her. Snapping her eyes open and balling her fists, she spun around, ready to face the monster, only to feel stupid. "Oh, thank the heavens. It''s only you." The portal overhead snapped closed, and Sol stood there wordlessly, looking at her with his ball of blinding light for a head. Shaking her head, Jasmine walked past her guardian. "Come on, let''s go explore our new home." Deciding to take advantage of her vantage point, she scanned the surroundings while covering her eyes, and to her surprise, she saw what appeared to be a stone temple in the far distance. "That looks way too maintained to be a ruin..." Jasmine decided to go investigate. Chapter 326: Eclipse Behemoth Ashlock hated winter. The days were shorter, and he took longer to wake up. Which was a problem when the Mystic Realm had a set duration. After finally wrestling off the sluggishness of sleep and rushing to open the Mystic Realm for everyone waiting, he had some questions. "Stella, what is this?" Ashlock asked his adopted daughter, who was lounging on a couch in her house and watching the sunrise through a portal he didn''t remember making. "Morning to you too," Stella rolled her eyes, "As for what this is? It''s a portal." "I can see it''s a portal. Why is there one leading to my branches?" "Well, I have to stay inside your Inner World so that Vincent doesn''t discover I am still alive after we faked my death in the Voidmind and Skyrend family war, remember?" "Yes... but what does that have to do with this portal?" Stella stretched out like a lazy cat and yawned, "My adorable Disciple came and woke me up this morning all excited about the Mystic Realm. I know she could have used the ethereal root to leave the Inner World, but I wanted to see my Disciple''s first time entering, so I begged the Divine Flesh Tree to open a portal for me to watch the sunrise with her and see her off. It sucks being locked in here, you know? I don''t want to miss the big moments." Ashlock changed his focus to the divine tree in question, "System? You did this?" [Yes] "Why?" [The fated one threatened to leave through the ethereal root with her Disciple and put you in danger if I didn''t help her] "Fated one?" [Your fates were tied by the ???] "Do you mean Senior Lee?" [I do not know of a Senior Lee] "Strange..." Ashlock squinted at the system message. The ??? were blurred as if something else was preventing him from seeing what the system had said. "Whatever. How come you can open portals? Since when could you control my Qi?" [I cannot directly control your Qi without your permission, but I manage your second soul. I simply made a path through the Inner World to the outside, and Stella did the rest] "So Stella threatened you to make a path through my soul so she could make a portal," Ashlock didn''t even know where she got the idea from. Switching back to the house on the other side of his Inner World, he saw Stella''s eyes glance up at the ceiling when he arrived. "I heard you¡ª" "Threatened the Divine Flesh Tree? Don''t worry. I wouldn''t have gone outside if it had said no to my request. I was just really desperate, I''m sorry¡ª" "I know you wouldn''t have done anything to put me in danger," Ashlock sighed again, "I will tell the Divine Flesh Tree to honor your requests so long as they are reasonable so you don''t have to threaten it in the future. Just don''t go asking it questions, okay?" Stella smiled, "Sure! I don''t want to know anything I shouldn''t anyway, so I''m fine with that." "Good. Are you ready for the Mystic Realm? Everyone else has entered." Stella stood up and nodded with determination, "I''ve been waiting all week for this. I will try to close in on the peak of the Star Core Realm and catch up with you." "You will need to pick quite a high-level pocket realm if you want to achieve that," Ashlock chuckled as he opened a portal that led directly to Willow, who was in the middle of the Mystic Realm cloud. He didn''t believe she could ascend three whole stages in the Star Core Realm in a month, but he nonetheless offered his support. "Good luck." "Thank you," Stella grinned. "I will bring you back a corpse or two for you to snack on!" She then vanished through the portal, waving behind her. Ashlock closed it with a pop and was left alone in an empty room. Even though he could now interact with the Mystic Realm more than ever before, it was still a rather lonely feeling when the peak became deathly quiet with everyone gone. "I wonder where everyone ended up," Ashlock brought up his {Dimensional Overlap} menu. "Holy shit, there are so many!" Hundreds of pocket realms had at least one of his people in them. "I have never seen so many pocket realms being occupied at once. It''s only been a handful before this," Ashlock quickly scrolled through the list. It reminded him of those old video games where he would scroll through the list of open lobbies with people waiting for others to join for a full game. "Ah, I see what happened. It seems the Mudcloaks have decided to invade the galaxy. Meanwhile, the Redclaws went their separate ways in small groups into pocket realms of varying difficulties, which makes sense." Elder Mo and his spirit fire had become a living legend among the Redclaws. His weapons were well known, and once the Mystic Realm became more widely known among the Redclaws, they learned that he had achieved the spirit fire through an inheritance from one of the pocket realms. "No wonder they all split up. Strength in numbers would be for the best as the Qi in the pocket realms isn''t likely to run out, but these are hot-blooded youths with a burning passion to get ahead of their peers. There is no way they would let the chance slip by. I wonder how many will return with treasures or inheritances?" Ashlock glanced past the long list of earth and fire pocket realms. Honestly, he was unsure what the Mudcloaks were up to. Something about their capabilities and motives made him suspicious. They seemed loyal to Douglas and were hard workers for the sect, but they also created weapons out of nowhere and were more competent than they let on. "Oh, here we go. This must be Jasmine''s pocket realm." [Secret Garden of Venomwood: Description: A vast forest that was once used by the Venomwood Sect to grow poisonous plants. During the sect''s downfall, this pocket realm created by their Patriarch was the stage for their last stand. Qi Level: Soul Fire 2nd Stage Environment: Hostile Monsters: True Current Occupants: 1] "Interesting. The Qi level seems a bit high for Jasmine, but there are unlikely to be any pocket realms below the Soul Fire Realm, considering they are all made by Monarch Realm beings, usually with the purpose of helping train or kill cultivators." Ashlock looked back at the description of the realm and felt it was a good reminder. "Throughout history, many empires believed they would be around forever, one of the best examples being Rome. I suppose it''s the same here, even with cultivators that can live forever. Make a wrong move or annoy the wrong powerhouse, and a sect that has lasted thousands of years can be wiped out in a day. Just like this Venomwood Sect might have been." The dreams from the World Tree also taught him this important lesson. Even the most powerful beings can fall if they don''t prepare to deal with threats to their existence. "Jasmine should be fine with Sol at her side. He can dispel and heal any poisons and deal with monsters of the Soul Fire Realm level." Scrolling down some more, he found the shadow Qi realm that Evelyn had likely entered.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. [Shadow Veil Sanctum: Description: A forbidden enclave once used by the Shadow Sovereigns as their hidden training ground and fortress. Qi Level: Nascent Soul 1st Stage Environment: Hostile Monsters: True Current Occupants: 1] "Oh shit," Ashlock triple-checked if he was reading the system message correctly. "Evelyn somehow stumbled into a pocket realm with Qi at the Nascent Soul Realm? Which means the monsters may be of similar strength. How strong was Evelyn again? Somewhere in the lower stages of the Star Core Realm?" There was no way she could survive a month in such a place. "I had planned to cycle between my different Bastions with {Progeny Dominion} and explore different pocket dimensions, but it seems Nox will be the first one up." Ashlock switched his view from the empty room Stella had left behind to the other side of his Inner World, where Nox was still floating from last night. She had wanted to sleep directly under the nine moons, so he had seen no reason to send her back, only to recall her for the Mystic Realm. "Nox, are you awake?" Ashlock asked as he manifested his soul avatar on Nox''s Bastion. The black leaves rustled, and from the shadows of the canopy, a woman of liquid darkness emerged into the light. "Morning Ashlock," she looked his spiritual tree avatar up and down, "I''m awake now. Is something up?" "Your sister," Ashlock hurriedly replied, "She has entered a pocket realm far beyond her capabilities filled with monsters that may be at our level." Nox''s eyes widened, "What? Can you pull her out?" "Not from here. The only two ways out of the Mystic Realm are if I enter their pocket realm directly and teleport them out through a portal or if they survive the whole month inside and are pulled out when the Mystic Realm closes." "What are we waiting for then," Nox panicked, "Let''s go." Ashlock pointed one of his avatar''s roots at the bow of the Bastion, and a giant portal to the Mystic Realm opened up. One of the weird intricacies of his {Dimensional Overlap} skill was that as long as a fragment of his soul was present within the Mystic Realm fog, it was free to enter a pocket realm with one of his people already in it. While Nox floated the Bastion toward the portal, Ashlock activated {Progeny Dominion}. Having never activated the skill with the target tree already inside his soul, he wondered if it would even work. [Progeny selected: Initiating soul transfer...] His soul avatar was drawn toward Nox. He shuffled over, and to his surprise, his avatar phased through Nox''s bark and merged with her soul alongside some divine energy. [Soul fragmented: Damage to soul mitigated] [Connection complete: Time till sundown 8:15] "That felt like a way smaller fragment than usual," Ashlock briefly checked his Inner World and didn''t see a giant fragment missing or anything, "Has my soul really grown that much that using {Progeny Dominion} has become so trivial? Maybe I could use it every day and just heal the soul damage overnight?" Leaving aside the new discovery of how ridiculous having an Inner World really was, Nox passed through the portal. They were now engulfed in the Mystic Realm''s fog and surrounded by floating celestial shards. "So this is the Mystic Realm?" Nox watched the shards passing by in awe. "Don''t touch any of them," Ashlock reminded her as he glanced back at the Dimensional Overlap menu and confirmed that Evelyn''s shadow pocket realm was now [Free]. "Let''s go see what a Nascent Soul-level pocket realm looks like," Ashlock said as he pressed the button. [Dimensional Overlap Initiated] Reality briefly twisted before everything went dark. Ashlock spread out his spiritual senses to the maximum but found he could only penetrate a few hundred meters through the shadow veil and could not find anything. He would believe they were in the void if not for the slight breeze that rustled Nox''s leaves. "The shadow Qi here is remarkable," Nox said as she strayed from her tree and made her way to the edge of the Bastion to look around. "Can you see much?" Nox frowned, "Not as far as usual. The shadow veil all around us seems to be a type of defensive formation that is at least at the Nascent Soul level. I likely have an easier time peering through it than you due to my shadow Qi, but not by much." "So we are blind. What an interesting type of defensive formation." Ashlock had always considered defensive formations shields or something offensive like a trap or his void lightning. Who would have thought robbing someone of their senses, such as sight, would be just as effective? "There''s no point in such a formation if it''s not being used to obscure something. The question is what." Nox said as she began pacing along the edge of the Bastion. "Monsters, buildings, traps, your sister," Ashlock listed some suggestions. "Either way, we should pick a direction and get moving." Nox nodded. "We are moving... right?" Ashlock asked after a moment. Without reference points, it was hard to tell if they were going forward, backward, sideways or remaining stationary. "Should be in this direction," Nox pointed downward. "If my sister is here, she was never the best at flying on her sword, so she might have taken to the ground... assuming there is one." "A good place to start, then," Ashlock agreed, and the two fell silent for a while as they moved through the darkness. To fill the time, Ashlock decided to ask his system something that had been bugging him. "System, you know the name and background of every pocket realm I have access to, right?" [Yes, there are many more pocket realms out there, but I only have access to named and documented ones] "Who does the naming and documentation?" [I don''t know] "I see. Can you tell me anything else about this Shadow Veil Sanctum? Maybe about its layout or the monsters here?" [Such specific details are unknown to me as they can change with time. All I know is the pocket realms'' history, purpose and I can estimate its threat level] "This place was made by the Shadow Sovereigns, right? Who are they?" [One of the more powerful factions fighting for dominance on the upper layers. Unlike the Venomwood Sect, they are still around, though they have fallen in power from their peak] "I can sense the floor," Nox said, drawing Ashlock''s attention. "What''s it like?" "Seems to be a type of black stone¡ªwait, it''s trembling." "What?" Ashlock said, but then the ''floor'' entered his range of spiritual sense, and he could see what Nox was talking about. The floor was indeed moving, almost as if it were alive. Ashlock then noticed that between the slabs of black stone were deep fissures pulsing with shadow Qi. Almost like veins between scales... The floor then moved quickly, swinging around, and before Ashlock knew it, he and Nox were staring down the throat of a colossal creature made entirely of darkness. [Eclipse Behemoth] The name of the monster flashed in golden letters in Ashlock''s mind. The system knew what this thing was? "Shield up!" Ashlock said. The Bastion''s core pulsed with power as a bubble of shadow manifested around them. [Shadow Shield: ACTIVE] Right as the system informed him of the shield being active, he saw something massive moving incredibly quickly in his spiritual sense. Due to its immense size, it took him a moment to realize it was the monster''s claw. The shadow Qi wreathed hand smacked the Bastion''s shield, sending it plummeting to the actual ground of this place, which seemed to be made of the same black stone as the monster''s scales. Just not moving this time. Despite the brutal hit, the shield held strong, and the Bastion didn''t suffer much damage. "Nascent Soul Bastions are a whole league above my Star Core ones," Ashlock mused as he looked up at the looming monster. Due to the shadow veil over this place, he couldn''t see the thing''s face. "Just how tall is this monster?" Ashlock wondered, but the system didn''t seem to answer him. Either way, he needed to find a way to kill it. Sacrificial credits aside, the Bastion wasn''t fast enough to outrun this monster as they weren''t over his roots. "Ashlock, I believe this monster is the source of the shadow veil that''s preventing us from seeing," Nox pointed at the looming titan, "It draws in and absorbs the light, which is why the area around it is so dark." "Wait, a shadow affinity monster draws in the light? For what reason..." Ashlock trailed off at the end as the monster''s face came back into sight with its abyssal maw now illuminated like a miniature sun. It bent down and, using both arms, held the Bastion in place, making the shield ripple against its crushing pressure. "The best way for a shadow monster to fight another shadow monster isn''t with shadow Qi. It''s with light..." Nox narrowed her eyes, "What a dishonorable way to fight. Truly befitting of a monster." The ball of light in its mouth grew as it leaned in even closer. Ashlock could not get the Bastion to move under the Eclipse Behemoth''s grasp. The shadow shield was unlikely to hold out against the light blast, and the monster was still too far up for him to devour its head. From his rough estimate, the monster towering over him was at the level of a Nascent Soul Realm. Thankfully, he had many options even while fighting through a proxy, and he was far from helpless against a Nascent Soul Realm threat. However, before he unleashed his attack, Nox seemed to have taken up the initiative. "Get off me, you overgrown lizard," Nox pointed at one of the Eclipse Behemoths'' hands, and dozens of roots conjured from shadows emerged from Nox''s tree body. They passed through the shield and drilled into the monster''s hand. Ashlock felt an immense pull on the Bastion core and his Qi reserves as the shadow roots bulged. A moment later, the monster''s hand exploded with a thousand shadow tendrils, splattering the shield with blood. The monster roared in pain that seemingly shook the whole world and made the shield tremble. "Good job," Ashlock said. She had drawn on a lot of his Qi for that stunt, but it was still quite impressive. Nox spun around and repeated the same attack for the other hand. While Ashlock felt his Qi being drained even more to make the monster''s hand explode, he decided to stop the enranged monster powering up the light Qi attack. Due to the dense veil of darkness surrounding the monster, shadow attacks from the Bastion would be worthless, and any long-range attack he did would dissipate. "I can''t eat you when you are standing over me, so be a good lizard and kneel." With the full weight of his Inner World, Ashlock''s presence slammed down on the towering Eclipse Behemoth. The monster groaned as its muscles bulged, and shadow Qi blazed across its scales as it tried to resist his pressure. Perhaps knowing it was in trouble, the light ball in its mouth seemed to reach its zenith. Ashlock quickly targeted one of its quivering knees with his Spatial Blades techniques and added fire dao from his Inner World. Reality tore apart, cutting deep into the monster''s scales and setting its flesh ablaze. With only one leg to stand on, the Eclipse Behemoth roared as it fell to the side, and what could only be described as a disintegration ray left its mouth. It hit the side of the shadow shield, eliminating it instantly. However, the light beam went off course, leaving a burning fissure in the ground, followed by an earthquake as the titan fell. As the dust settled, the Bastion slowly rose into the sky with nothing to hold it down anymore, and Ashlock directed it toward the still-alive monster. "Now, should I turn you into an Ent or feast on your corpse?" Ashlock mused as he floated over his prey. Chapter 327: Void Reapers Despite being downed, the Eclipse Behemoth continued to put up a fight. "I guess a Nascent Soul Realm monster wouldn''t be so easy to kill," Ashlock grumbled. Through his spiritual sight, he could vaguely see the flow of Qi as the veil of darkness began pouring toward the monster. "It''s using Darkness Absorption to heal," Nox informed him, "and if the amount of shadow Qi around us is anything to go by, this monster might as well be immortal." Sure enough, the crimson flames dancing across its flesh turned black, and its badly damaged leg rapidly healed. It was slower than Sol''s healing with light Qi but was still quite impressive. Nox whistled, "It knows Dark Flame Manipulation as well." "I should avoid imbuing my attacks with fire dao then," Ashlock said as he lowered the Bastion toward the monster''s chest as it lay on its back. Just in case the beast knew Shadow Step, he cast Spatial Lock. Unsurprisingly, matching the Eclipse Behemoth''s soul pulses was a breeze when he used the weight of his Inner World. With the monster unable to teleport away and pinned down by his presence, all he had to do was take care of the limbs and stop the Eclipse Behemoth from regenerating. Targeting each limb''s joints and the monster''s neck, he unleashed Spatial Blades, this time imbued with earth dao to hopefully make the attacks harder to heal. As if a spectral reaper manifested from his Qi, reality tore apart and cut deeply into the monster. "Despite my immense Qi regeneration, the drain from these and Nox''s earlier attack is significant. This accursed veil of shadow all around us eats away at my attacks, making them less effective unless I pour a ridiculous amount of Qi into them," Ashlock lamented. This was why fighting monsters in these pocket realms was always a pain, as they fought on their home ground, where they had a massive advantage. Of course, the fact that he could exert such power through a proxy with no danger to himself was pretty unfair to the monsters, but whoever said life was fair? This was the power of an S-grade skill that he had to kill many things to afford and a level of cultivation he had gone through numerous trials to reach. Speaking of skills, he had just the one to stop the monster''s regeneration. {Abyssal Devourer [A]} "I had thought of making you an Ent, but you just had to seal your fate as my food by refusing to roll over and die for me," Ashlock sighed. He had no use for a corpse that would be half-eaten by the void when he was finished with it. Ramming the Bastion into the monster''s chest, which was so vast, it felt like landing on an alien planet. He activated his upgraded version of Consuming Abyss. The void lake spread out faster than before. It blanketed the Bastion in seconds, and numerous void tendrils rose from its depths. This was followed by thick thorn-covered vines wreathed in a corrosive aura that devoured Qi and returned it to Ashlock. The writhing mass of tendrils and vines flowed over the sides of the Bastion and, like anchors, dug into the Eclipse Behemoth. Shadow Qi and life force were drained out of the monster down the vines and tendrils into the Bastion''s core, where they were then redistributed to Nox and Ashlock. "This is an impressive amount of Qi! Almost as much as I receive from the World Tree. Likely because I am draining the monster alive without restraint." Ashlock could also feel the flow of life force heading toward his Inner World. It felt refreshing. "I wonder what effects life force will have on my Inner World? Will it cause wildlife to appear, or will it accelerate the growth of nature¡ª" Ashlock''s thoughts were interrupted as the Bastion shook because the monster unleashed a belly-deep roar of pain. The vines strained to keep the Bastion locked onto the monster''s chest as it tried to shake off the leech on its body. "Oh no you don''t," Ashlock used some of the Qi he had drained from the monster to once again unleash a barrage of Spatial Blades at the monster''s joints. However, this time was different. As if the monster had anticipated his attack, the shadow Qi around the joints had hardened into something solid. It looked very similar to the technique Nox had used to block Stella''s attacks long ago. His Spatial Blades still managed to tear through the shadows but barely left a wound on the joints. "Shadow Armor," Nox said, "Would be far too Qi intensive for a monster of this size to cover its whole body, but it can protect weak points with it." "Annoying. Why does it insist on dragging out its death," Ashlock complained as he remembered how irritating Nox had been to kill. If only he had Sol with him right now and hadn''t agreed to send the Ent with Jasmine, this fight would be over already. Ashlock didn''t want to waste any more Qi than he had to on keeping a struggling monster pinned to the ground. But it seemed the Eclipse Behemoth had underestimated him and was now showing off the true capabilities of a Nascent Soul Realm monster. "To think there will be a whole wave of monsters at this level in the beast tide." It was an almost tiring thought. Before the Shadow Armor around the joints reformed, the Bastion core glowed with power as Ashlock unleashed another round of Spatial Blades, this time cutting deep. The wound began healing immediately as shadow Qi poured into the fissures in the monster''s scales, furthering Ashlock''s growing impatience. A loud groan reverberated from the monster, and everything began to move. Despite its wounds, it shifted its weight. Like a tsunami of shadows, the monster''s body rose as it heaved its titanic body into a sitting position and loomed over them. Shadow Armor coated its entire head as it opened its maw that could swallow the world, and light began to bloom in the abyss of its throat. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous." Ashlock had to come up with a new attack strategy. The Bastion moved too slowly to dodge the attack. The shield had shown it wouldn''t hold against the light beam no matter how much Qi he shoved into it, and Spatial Blades were ineffective as the monster healed too fast. "Perhaps {Voidstorm Aegis [S]} can block the light beam, but then what? We will be back to square one." Ashlock paused, "Wait, the void is perfect for piercing defenses. I should call on Khaos and the other void Ents." Quickly switching his view to his main body, he opened a portal on Red Vine Peak. Khaos, who was very distinct from the other void Ent standing beside her due to her missing her head and having four arms, was standing guard alongside the four lunar Ents and one void Ent. Ashlock briefly debated telling the lunar Ents to also go through, but he wasn''t even sure if there was a moon in the pocket realm, so he decided they were best left here as they would be crippled due to the environment.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Just Khaos won''t be enough," his vision blurred again as he went through his roots to check on the Voidmind residence. The three other void reapers he had left there stood silently in the empty room. Morrigan was nowhere to be seen. "Come assist me," Ashlock told the Ents, and in unison, they moved toward a portal, brandishing their meter-long claws. They phased through the portal with a whisper and reappeared on the Bastion. Ashlock closed the portals. "Kill the monster," he glanced up and noticed only its eyes were uncovered in Shadow Armor, "target its eyes and then destroy it from within." Khaos vanished along with the others as they used Void Step. For whatever reason, they reappeared near the monster''s neck and were unable to Void Step all the way to its head. The monster seemed to notice the new threats silently rushing up its neck toward its head. Ashlock noticed the monster swinging its massive claw from the shadow veil in time to open a dozen portals and use telekinesis to control a dozen swords wreathed in spatial flames and the weight of his Inner World with a focus on metal dao to sharpen their edge. The swords impacted the swinging arm, and despite how tiny they looked compared to the arm''s massive size, the force caused the monster''s arm to snap back the other way with a sickening crunch. "So that''s what getting hit with the weight of an Inner World looks like," Ashlock mused as he dialed up his spiritual pressure to use the monster''s instability and push it back onto its back. The world trembled once more as the titan fell and was now aiming its light beam uselessly at the sky. The void reapers, as he had decided to call them, were making swift progress, which seemed to concern the monster. The Shadow Armor around its neck began to shift into a liquid resembling oil, and from the liquid darkness rose fiends¡ªabominations halfway between humanoid and beast comprised of haunted darkness. As if to mirror their creator''s size, these fiends towered over the approaching void reapers. Khaos and the others began tearing into them, but the wall of living shadows kept reforming faster than the Ents could cut through the void. "Shit, what can I do?" Ashlock could barely even see that far away through the shadow veil pouring into the monster, let alone assist his Ents. "Two can play at that game," Nox stood at the bow of the Bastion and punched at the shadow shield of the Bastion. An accursed bird of darkness manifested from the shadow Qi and shot out toward the other fiends. Nox didn''t stop there. She kept punching at the shield until a horde of shadow birds soared across the Eclipse Behemoth''s chest into the wall of fiends and viciously attacked them. "Nice one," Ashlock said as he saw Khaos use the distraction to carve a path straight toward the monster''s eye, but that is when Ashlock lost sight of them. As the beast had fallen, the furthest his spiritual sight could penetrate was the top of the monster''s maw, which was still glowing like a sun as the attack powered up. "Just doing my part to pay you back," Nox slightly bowed, "Oh, and this monster deserves it. Any shadow cultivator that uses shadow Qi to trap light is an insult. If anyone in my family showed interest in such techniques, I wouldn''t be surprised if my father struck them down where they stood." Ashlock sometimes forgot how intertwined with their Qi-type cultivators became, as his spatial Qi didn''t affect him that much. If a cultivator''s soul was altered to take in shadow Qi, it made sense that shadow cultivators would have a natural hatred for their main weakness, light Qi. Taking in and trying to co-exist with their enemy must seem disgusting to them. There was a sudden pained and panicked roar from the Eclipse Behemoth, followed by it tensing up and thrashing around its head. "I think Khaos found a way in." The monster let out one last groan before its head fell back with a crash. The light gathering in its mouth dimmed, and the shadow fiends on its neck faded away in the wind. The shadow veil slowly lifted, revealing Khaos emerging from the Eclipse Behemoth''s eye with yellow blood dripping from the end of her four arms. "Looks like we won," Nox said with relief. "If that monster hadn''t underestimated us from the start, we might have struggled to leave even a dent, let alone kill it." "That''s always been the advantage of fighting monsters over cultivators," Ashlock replied, "One is far more cunning than the other. Monsters tend to believe in their strength more than they should." Nox nodded in agreement. "It was quite an impressive fight. You two should be proud." Nox spun around, and Ashlock looked to where the voice had come from. Leaning casually under the shadow tree with her eyes closed was Morrigan, Elaine''s mother and someone who should not be here. "Why are you here?" Ashlock asked and was glad he no longer had a heart; otherwise, her sudden appearance would have given him a heart attack. Morrigan barely opened her eyes. "Can I not be?" "I gave you truffles with the agreement that you would manage the Voidmind residence." "That was indeed our agreement," Morrigan smiled slightly, "so would you agree that as long as no problems befall the residence, it is being managed as per our agreement?" "I suppose so?" "Then there''s no problem with me being here. I have it all handled." "How?" Ashlock didn''t believe her. When he had checked the residence earlier, it was empty, and now he had pulled all of the void Ents to this pocket realm. There was nobody left guarding or managing the place. "Darling, I have lived long enough to not let some distance stop me from fulfilling my goals and duties." Morrigan fully opened her eyes, "You''re here, and Red Vine Peak is fine, is it not?" "Yes, but we are different..." Morrigan smirked, "Are we?" Ashlock thought back to the moment he saw her extra row of teeth. Whatever Morrigan was, it certainly wasn''t human. Which, from what Senior Lee suggested, wouldn''t be so strange on the upper layers of creation but down here on the lowest level? It was certainly suspicious. Especially since void cultivators were supposed to be cursed to remain below the Nascent Soul Realm, yet Morrigan gave him a sense of indescribable danger. "What are you then?" Ashlock asked, "Are you even human?" Morrigan giggled, "I''m Elaine''s mother, darling. That''s all you need to know." "Fine. But seriously, why are you here?" "I was bored," Morrigan replied bluntly. "Bored?" Morrigan closed her eyes and leaned back on the tree. "Yes, I heard all this discussion about a Mystic Realm trip, and then I was left alone in an empty residence with your silent creations and nothing to do. So when a portal opened in the residence, I went through it to see if there was anything fun on the other side." "So, will you go back now?" "No," Morrigan sat down, eyes still closed as if she was going to sleep. "Don''t mind me, I won''t interfere. But if you want to find the Dark Throne, it should be that way through a few shadow rifts and past the spectral tombs." Morrigan lazily pointed off to the left before dropping her hand. "Dark Throne? What''s that? Have you been here before?" "The one who controls the throne becomes the ruler of the darkness," Morrigan yawned and ignored the rest of his question as she fell asleep. "What a strange woman, I still can''t get a read on her," Ashlock sighed. What a headache. He had enough to deal with already, and now he had an unhinged passenger with unknown motives other than to quell her boredom. "But this Dark Throne does sound quite interesting. Is it an inheritance of some kind?" With the Eclipse Behemoth dead, over the next few hours, Ashlock finished devouring its gargantuan body alongside the shadow veil. The whole pocket realm was still shrouded in a permanent darkness, but now he could see. Sure enough, in the direction Morrigan had pointed earlier, there was an obsidian castle of such impressive size that it made him realize the Eclipse Behemoth had merely been the guard dog. If so, what terrible monsters could be awaiting him inside that were guarding this Dark Throne and the Spectral Tombs Morrigan mentioned? "Maybe I should call in more backup," Ashlock wondered as the results of devouring the Eclipse Behemoth flashed in his mind. [+1298 SC] "So many? That monster might have even been at the third stage of the Nascent Soul Realm," Ashlock mused as he brought up his sign-in system to check his total. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3626 Daily Credit: 60 Sacrifice Credit: 2143 [Sign in?] "Up to over 2000 credits," Ashlock looked to the castle and wondered if he would need to upgrade one of his skills or perhaps do a gacha draw to beat it. As the Bastion floated up and toward the castle, he brought up his list of skills to see what he could upgrade but got distracted by something. "Is that... a person?" Ashlock saw a tiny speck that soon revealed itself as a black-haired woman soaring toward them on a sword wreathed in shadows. Chapter 328: Origins Ashlock opened a hole in the Bastion''s shadow shield, allowing Evelyn to pass through. The liquid shadows sealed up behind her as she hopped off her sword and absorbed it in a flash of silver light. "I''m so relieved you are okay," Nox drifted over and embraced Evelyn before she could even react, "We were worried you were going to die in here. Thank the heavens we made it in time." Evelyn frowned while awkwardly returning the hug, "Why would I die in here?" Nox released the hug and looked at Evelyn strangely, "You picked a pocket realm with Nascent Soul level Qi. As someone at the 3rd stage of the Star Core Realm, you wouldn''t have stood a chance against any monsters here." "Monsters?" Evelyn seemed even more confused, "I haven''t seen any¡ªwell, to be fair, I didn''t see much of anything. The moment I appeared here, I was shrouded in darkness. After flying around for a while, I gave up and found a nice spot of stone to sit on. I was cultivating the incredibly dense shadow Qi here until it all drifted away, and then I saw you in the distance." "Did you not see or even hear the giant monster guarding this castle?" "No? Though the ground did seem to tremble a lot. But I assumed those were earthquakes, not the result of a monster walking around." Evelyn glanced around, "Where is it?" "We killed it already and stored the body elsewhere," Nox lied, "It was drawing all the light into itself to create that shadow veil which it was using to empower itself and hide the castle from intruders. Once it died, the veil dissipated, and that''s how you saw us." "I see," Evelyn slowly nodded, "So what now? Is that the end of my visit to the Mystic Realm? I chose the wrong one, and now I have to leave?" "No, I can let you pick another one," Ashlock informed her, and Evelyn winced at his voice. "However, at least for now, it would be easier if you stayed with us while we explored this castle and the rest of this pocket realm. Nox can protect you from the monsters. It''s safe here." Evelyn glanced at Nox, who gave her a thumbs up. "That''s fine with me," Evelyn shrugged, "All I wanted to do in this Mystic Realm visit was go up a stage in cultivation. Killing monsters and whatnot is of no interest to me, so if there''s a safe space for me to cultivate from, then that''s ideal." "Leave it to me, Sis," Nox gestured toward her tree. "Come take a seat under my canopy. I will direct shadow Qi from outside straight to you in an amount that won''t overwhelm your soul." "Thank you," Evelyn turned and paused as she looked at the tree. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Who is that?" She asked as she gestured with her chin to the sleeping beauty. "Her name is Morrigan, and she is the head of the Voidmind family. Well, at least for now," Ashlock said. "For now?" Morrigan murmured. Seeing Morrigan listen to their conversation and even join in annoyed Ashlock. He didn''t mind if people slept; as a tree, he understood the appeal. But what Morrigan was doing was disrespectful. "Why are you pretending to sleep to avoid my questions, Morrigan?" Ashlock asked. "Cultivators, especially at your level, could go forever without sleep. We both know this. Drop the act, and yes. You are the head of the family for now. I took steps to wipe the Voidmind family out, leaving only those I deemed useful alive. Those that aren''t useful to me can serve in death." Ashlock decided to air out his thoughts to ensure they were on the same page. He did not like Morrigan nor trust her. Spending a decade in this world had taught him there was nothing weaker than a family bond, so to trust her for the sole reason of being Elaine''s mother would be insanity. She was dangerous in more ways than one. The problem was, what was he supposed to do to her? Thus far, she hadn''t shown any hints of aggression, and other than going where she pleased, she hadn''t caused him any harm... yet. Morrigan opened her eyes¡ªthe fake drowsiness gone like the wind. "Are you threatening me?" "Threatening you? That''s one way to put it, I suppose. But I would say I feel more threatened by you. I can''t trust someone to be so close to my sect members who I don''t know or isn''t under an oath of loyalty to me." Nox positioned herself before Evelyn, and the pair stepped back from the awakening void cultivator. Having Evelyn here certainly wasn''t ideal, but in a twisted way, she was a good test subject to see Morrigan''s motives. Ashlock valued all his sect members, but some certainly more than others. Evelyn was a new addition to the sect and part of a proxy family in another city. In other words, she''s replaceable. As the sect grew, his love for humanity and cultivators didn''t expand to all. If anything, it only narrowed his focus to those he truly cared for. Morrigan stood up and ran a hand through her hair, "So you are one of those types. How annoying." "What do you mean?" Ashlock asked, not expecting this answer. He had slaughtered her bloodline, turned them into abominations, and even transformed her husband into a tree. He expected her to show malicious intentions toward him after everything he had said and done, yet she seemed more annoyed than enraged. "You are a paranoid control freak," Morrigan said bluntly while crossing her arms beneath her chest. "What?" Ashlock replied on instinct at the insult, "I''m not¡ª" "Yes, you are, but I don''t mean that as an insult. As annoying as it is, people like you live the longest." Morrigan cut him off, "Exceedingly few prosper in this world alone. To live a long life and reach the peak, those with your traits become rulers, surround themselves with allies, and, dare I say, brainwashed meat bags to throw at enemies. Even the most powerful cultivator has to let their guard down or have moments of weakness¡ªsuch as the days following a fresh ascension to Nascent Soul Realm. Having dependable people around you during those times is imperative to your survival. So, do you admit now you are a paranoid control freak?"Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Ashlock thought over his life as a tree. Since he couldn''t run, and his cultivation had been far behind those around him. Yes, he had been paranoid in the past about his existence getting out, which naturally led him to need a sense of control over those around him to feel safe. He still felt the need for heaven-bound oaths to trust people, especially someone as strange and mysterious as Morrigan. But was that so wrong? "Maybe a little." Ashlock eventually agreed. "But what is your point?" "You and I are the same, more than you even know. We are the types to rule over others with secrets we want to take to the grave." Morrigan grinned, and with his spiritual sight, Ashlock peered into the darkness of her mouth and could see the vague shadow of another row of teeth. Morrigan''s grin faded, and she turned serious, "I will never bend the knee to you and become your oath-bound slave. That is why you feel unnerved around me¡ªbecause you think I threaten your rule. Don''t you agree?" Ashlock hated having to interact with these old monsters. Morrigan seemed to switch between being a drunk wine mom who was an airhead to someone with almost suspicious levels of insight. He had gotten used to most cultivators training their poker faces to never show any reaction, but Morrigan had taken a completely different approach, which was far worse. "Is this how people feel talking to Stella sometimes?" Ashlock grumbled to himself, "That totally unchecked confidence that, in her case, comes from lacking social skills, but she always manages to find a way to throw cultivators off." In truth, he hadn''t known that she would never accept an oath. He also didn''t feel his rule threatened by her at all. As a divine being, he was immune to void Qi. If Morrigan became a threat, he would hide anyone he cared about in his Inner World, seal it off, and then have Larry hunt Morrigan down until the end of the realm. He did not fear her. But he did find her unchecked presence a nuisance and danger to those not immune to the void like Stella or Diana. With a sigh, he decided to reply to Morrigan, "You are partially correct. But you got one thing terribly wrong." "Oh? What is that?" Nox exploded with divine lilac flames that soared into the sky. Ashlock activated Spatial Lock while slamming his entire presence onto Morrigan, including the weight of his Inner World and his divinity. The black-haired beauty grunted as she buckled under his pressure and fell to her knees before Nox. "You may not agree to an oath, but you will bend your knee to me one way or another," Ashlock said, not holding back his Abyssal Whispers from invading her mind. Morrigan trembled under his pressure as she fell forward onto her arms, her black hair obscuring her expression like curtains. "Also, I may be a paranoid control freak, but I do not fear you." Ashlock said, "I have tolerated you until now, but if you refuse to cooperate with me and show your true colors, don''t expect me to be kind." Nox drifted a little closer, leaving Evelyn behind. She seemed concerned as she looked down at the woman being crushed. "Ashlock, maybe this is a bit of an overreaction," Nox said softly. "No, it''s not," Ashlock replied. Nox hadn''t seen what he had seen and didn''t know what he did. This was the best way to handle this situation. Morrigan needed to be put in her place before she got out of control, and he came to regret not putting his metaphorical foot down and letting this monster in human skin parade around like she owned the place. Nox went to say something more, but Evelyn held her shoulder and shook her head. "The immortal knows what he is doing." Her loyalty lay with Ashlock, but the scene before Nox likely didn''t seem fair or make sense. If only she knew the full extent of Ashlock''s suspicions, but he didn''t want to say them just yet. "But..." Nox trailed off, clearly conflicted. A small laugh escaped Morrigan, making Nox frown and Evelyn step back. It was then that Ashlock realized her trembling hadn''t been from his pressure but rather her holding back laughter. "I must admit I respect the arrogance and resolve to put me in my place. You''re going to go far, immortal." Morrigan''s hair turned from black to rose gold, just like her daughter Elaine''s, starting from the roots and cascading down to her hair tips. Rolling her shoulders, she casually stood up despite Ashlock never letting up his pressure and looked defiantly at Nox''s tree with a calm gaze. "But to show me such disrespect is a mistake." Raising her hand, Morrigan clicked her fingers, and everything was gone. Nox, the Bastion, Evelyn, the pocket realm with the giant castle and darkened skies. All that remained was Ashlock in his spiritual tree form and Morrigan in an endless void. "What did you do?" "Pulled out your soul to the void for a chat. Some things should be kept between us, away from prying eyes and ears. Those heavenly oaths you rely on for loyalty aren''t as dependable as you think." Morrigan''s smile faded, and she glared at him. He felt his soul shudder despite being immune to void Qi. Just what was she? "I would say my tolerance for dealing with arrogant people is quite high after many years of life, but you might be the first to make me snap in centuries," Morrigan said as she slowly walked around his spiritual avatar and ran a finger along his bark. "You slaughtered my family that I spent effort raising, made a member of my bloodline swear an oath to you under the heavens. I dismissed these as minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, but now you dare to crush me with your pathetic pressure?" Ashlock now realized his mistake. He believed Morrigan was stuck at the peak of the Star Core Realm, just like the rest of the Voidmind family. But if she could shrug off his pressure like this, he no longer knew the extent of her power. "I may not be able to kill your divine soul," Morrigan fully grinned. Her jaw unlocked further than a human''s, and she showed off her extra row of teeth, "But I can make your life a living hell." "So you really aren''t human," Ashlock said, steering the conversation away from the threats. He wanted answers to help him better understand and navigate this situation. "Neither are you." Morrigan pointed out. "How do you know I''m not human?" Morrigan seemed confused by his question. "Humanity is the most basic form of sapient beings capable of cultivating through distinct realms with bottlenecks. As such, they are only found in their untouched form on the 9th layer of creation. Once you go to higher layers, nobody is what you would call a "human" anymore. Many default to a humanoid appearance as it''s comfortable, but the flesh is merely a vessel for the soul." Ashlock had heard that term before from Senior Lee. "I can tell you aren''t human because nobody with your power would be down here," Morrigan narrowed her eyes, "Though I have to admit this is the first time I have spoken to such a capable spirit tree that wasn''t one of the iterations of the World Tree." So she had figured out he was a spirit tree, which wasn''t much of a surprise if one looked past his facade even a little. "You spoke to the old World Tree?" "I have, and it''s the reason I have put up with your actions thus far. You might be the only one capable of freeing us from the eternal cycle, and it seems one of the origins has already taken an interest in you, and I want in," Morrigan licked her lips, "What do you say to a pact where we agree to mutual cooperation?" [Origin of the void wishes to form a pact] Ashlock looked at the message floating in his vision with contempt. Morrigan had displayed impressive power, yet despite all his wrongdoings against her, she still wanted a pact? Something wasn''t right here. She wanted to use him. That much was clear. The question was... for what? His truffles? His Mystic Realm? What was she after? Even more concerning are these ''origins''. Who were they? He didn''t know. Apparently, one had already taken an interest in him, and Morrigan knew somehow? Until he figured all of this out, there was no way he was signing a pact with such a person. Mutual cooperation worked both ways. Before he knew it, the Ashfallen Sect could be dragged into higher-layer wars due to Morrigan and her enemies. Ashlock dismissed the message floating in his mind. "My answer is no." Chapter 329: Eternal Cycle Unsurprisingly, Morrigan was not happy with his rejection. Her eyes dulled like an emotionless killer before slaughter, and her fingers trembled and clenched as they struggled to contain a rising rage. "No?" She asked, her voice colder than ice. The edges of her lips twitched. "In all my lifetimes, I have never met someone as arrogant as you. If only you knew what you were dealing with and what was at stake." Morrigan vanished and reappeared beside his spirit form. Her voice dropped to a hushed whisper that made Ashlock shiver. "Do I have to kill everyone you care about for you to understand I am not to be trifled with? Are you so blind that you fail to see? You aren''t in a position to say no." "You''re right. I am arrogant because I am also ignorant and possibly deluded by my newfound power." Ashlock replied, "I reject your pact because I don''t understand what I am dealing with and what is at stake. Once I know, I can make my decision." "I see, you want to make an informed decision," Morrigan looked to the floor, hiding her expression with her hair. After a moment, she straightened up, and it was as if someone else had possessed her body. Life returned to her eyes, and that amused and playful expression she had worn like a mask with Elaine was back. Gone was the monster wearing human skin. "It looks like there was some miscommunication, darling," Morrigan pleasantly smiled. "What would you like to know?" Ashlock ignored her change for now as he had many questions, but the most pressing was regarding Morrigan''s identity. "You are called the Origin of the void. What does that mean?" Morrigan''s eyes widened in surprise, "How do you know my true title, yet you are oblivious to its meaning?" "I''m the one asking questions," Ashlock replied. He was still unsure of the system''s origins and had no plans to reveal its existence to Morrigan. Morrigan''s facade cracked slightly, and she gave an annoyed smile. "Of course, you can keep your secrets, and so will I. However, I will tell you about my true title, as I am not unique. An Origin is a manifestation of an affinity or dao. We were there at the beginning and witnessed the birth of the nine realms through war." "War?" Morrigan nodded, "In the beginning, there was nothing but heaven and us Origins. We fought for dominance, and as the Origins bled, they flooded the void with their Qi. You have an Inner World, right? Imagine when you formed it, but it was even more chaotic. For an unknown length of time, a nebula of chaos, the stage for war, was all there was until the heavens finally stepped in and established order. The realms as you know them today were carefully woven together by the heavens, and the Origins were brought under its control." Ashlock felt like a curtain was slowly being lifted as he learned more pieces to the puzzle. He had always been curious about what was before the nine realms, and it seemed just like in his own universe, there had been a long period of disorder before gravity kicked in and started forming the stars and planets from the lingering gasses. It''s just that in this case, instead of gravity doing the work, it was the heavens. However, what confused Ashlock the most was that Morrigan was one of these so-called Origins. As an ancient monster alive since before the heavens formed the realms, she didn''t give off the same vibes as a powerhouse like Senior Lee. Was she hiding it that well, or was the Origin of the void weaker than the others? "How were the Origins brought under control?" Ashlock decided to ask. "The World Tree, and the cultivators." Morrigan''s answer surprised Ashlock. It hadn''t been heaven directly or some kind of oath contract? "Does it have something to do with the eternal cycle?" Morrigan nodded, "Our souls were bonded to the World Tree, so every time it dies, so do we. In a random place and time, we will be reborn again with clear memories of our past, but our cultivation has reset. Again and again, I reach the peak only to be pulled back down and have to start again as a baby." Morrigan''s expression got progressively worse, "Cultivators seek eternal life, but it is nothing but torture. Nothing I do matters as it''s stripped away from me. Every time I get a glimpse at the peak, I am struck down by the cultivators and dragged down to oblivion." Ashlock thought back on his dreams of the World Tree, including all the suffering it endured as it was devoured alive by the cultivator''s greed. "Where were you?" he said, surprised at the hint of anger that seeped into his tone. "When the World Tree needed help, nobody came. If you helped it, maybe it wouldn''t have died, and you would be free." Morrigan glared at him, "What do you think I did the first five thousand lifetimes? I fought and conspired along with the other Origins. We did everything we could, but it was a fruitless endeavor. The cultivators outnumber us Origins, and they can continue cultivating forever while we have to keep starting from scratch. Over and over and OVER AND OVER." Morrigan pulled at her hair as she became overcome with frustration. "The other Origins gave up. Content with living out their lifecycles in peace, and the more that gave up, the worse our chances of winning became. The heavens broke us." Ashlock was beginning to see the whole picture. The heavens are untouchable so long as a bridge is never made between the highest layer of creation and itself. He had wondered why the heavens were so motivated to give cultivators strength and encouraged ''deities'' to empower their followers. It was all so that there was a group strong enough to keep the Origins in check and prevent the World Tree from becoming the bridge. "I''m sorry," Ashlock didn''t know what else to say. Eternal life sounded fine when you were immortal, free of the obligations of needing food, water, or sleep to live. He would be quite content relaxing under the nine moons for decades at a time. But if he knew all this progress, all these trials he went through for power would be inevitably stripped away from him, and he would have to start from zero? That sounded like a twisted kind of torture that he wouldn''t wish on his worst enemy. "It''s fine. I have long gotten used to it and, like the other Origins, gave up and accepted the eternal cycle as unbreakable," Morrigan''s lips curled upward, "But then you come along. An intelligent demonic tree with divinity that could serve as the bridge we have been looking for all along."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "So you really were planning to drag me into a war," Ashlock''s fears had come true. Agreeing to the pact would solidify his involvement and side in a war that had been going on since the dawn of creation between the Origins and the heavens. Morrigan shrugged, "War is inevitable no matter where you go or what you do. Life under the heavens is competitive, and resources are limited. Whether for land, political power, or just for the thrill. War comes for us all. The only question is, which side will you choose?" Ashlock thought over the question and realized his fate may have already been decided long ago. Perhaps from the very moment a human soul appeared in the body of a demonic tree with a suspicious sign-in system, it had set the ball rolling for this moment. Whether it be the skills and mutations he had been given that fixed the World Tree''s issues, Senior Lee passing by and giving him divinity, or the Worldwalkers who despise the heavens taking an interest in him. Something or someone was hellbent on destroying this eternal cycle and seemed to have chosen Ashlock for the job. "Before I can pick a side, I have a question. You mentioned another Origin had taken an interest in me. Do you know who it is?" "I''m not sure," Morrigan rubbed her chin and stared at his spirit form. "At first, I thought an Origin had taken an interest in you. However, now that I have isolated your soul and gotten a better look at it, you seem to be an Origin." "What? How is that possible? I don''t remember my past lives..." He trailed off at the end. He certainly didn''t remember thousands of past lives as a cultivator but remembered his life on Earth. Wait, did that make him an Origin? It seemed that remembering a past life and using that knowledge to their advantage was one of the Origin''s main things. He still had free will and could choose whatever path he desired, but if he didn''t stop the cycle and prevent the World Tree from dying, he might suffer the fate of the other Origins and have his life reset. Morrigan shrugged, "Everything about you doesn''t make sense¡ªyour knowledge, capabilities, and past. Spirit trees are usually dumb and take forever to grow. Trust me, I would know after trying to convince the World Tree to defend itself from being harvested." "So what now? I agree to the pact and join you in a battle against the cultivators and heaven?" "No, now that I suspect you are an Origin, we cannot make a pact," Morrigan said thoughtfully, "It will attract the attention of heaven, and you should lessen your reliance on heavenly contracts. You are a small fish in a big pond, but once the heavens catch on, the cultivators will start coming." Ashlock found that amusing. It felt like the cultivators had been coming since day one. Maybe the heavens had already noticed long ago? It did like to glare down at him quite regularly with its thousands of golden eyes. "So I will just have to trust you? No pact or contract?" Morrigan grinned, "There''s no need for a pact. As a fellow Origin, we are in the same boat with the same goal. Either we work together, or maybe we will meet again in another cycle someday. Though I will look different, and so will you. The body is only the vessel for the soul, after all. Maybe you will be a pine tree or a shrub in your next cycle." "That sounds terrible," Ashlock couldn''t think of being stuck as such lame flora. He loved being a demonic tree. "I guess we really do need to work together, but I simply can''t come to trust you..." "How about I prove you can trust me?" Morrigan reeled back her fist and planted it into Ashlock''s trunk with immense force. He felt his reality break as everything returned. He was back in the shadow pocket realm, with his soul inside Nox''s trunk. Evelyn and Nox were basically exactly as he had left them, looking around in confusion. A lengthy conversation in the void had likely been mere seconds here. However, one thing was missing, and Ashlock mirrored his companion''s confusion. Morrigan was nowhere to be seen. He spread out his spiritual senses, but she was gone. "Just how does she plan to prove I can trust her?" Ashlock wondered as he stared up at the darkened sky. *** Stella blinked in confusion. Right after touching the shard floating around in the Mystic Realm''s fog, she had been transported to a stone corridor. It took a moment for her eyes to readjust to the dim lighting, and she wrinkled her nose at the intense smell of damp mould. "Hardly any spatial Qi down here," Stella clicked her tongue and crossed her arms as she glanced around. "I have ended up somewhere annoying again, haven''t I?" Picking a random direction, she began walking. Closing her eyes, she entered the Spatial Plane but was surprised to find runic formations embedded into the walls of this seemingly abandoned place, muddling with her senses. Irritation grew the further she walked. She had been trapped in Ashlock''s Inner World because of Vincent Nightrose for the last week. After finally being given an opportunity to explore somewhere new and advance her cultivation, she was cast into a dungeon of some kind with no Qi worth cultivating. "Is this a sick joke?" Stella grumbled. Unless Ashlock came to check on her and somehow broke her out of here, she would be trapped in this useless pocket realm for a month. "I''m going to lose my mind." With a flash of silver, she summoned her sword. Hopping on it, she had to crouch down as the tunnel was barely a person tall and two persons wide. Cycling her Qi, she raised her finger, and a portal flashed into existence. Due to the runic formations, she couldn''t make a portal that far down the tunnel, but it would certainly be quicker. A waste of Qi, but every moment I spend down here is time I could have spent cultivating and contemplating the whispers of heaven. Her ears popped as she passed through portal after portal, increasing her speed as she went. Just how long is this stupid tunnel? "Where do you think you will place in the tournament¡ª" Stella heard a snippet of a conversation followed by a scream. The sudden noise made Stella''s heart jump in her chest, and the man''s skull skewered on the end of her sword wasn''t doing her any favors. She quickly stopped her sword before passing through the next portal she had conjured. Okay what in the nine realms just happened? How did I kill this guy? Stella turned her sword around to face the screaming. The body belonging to the skewered head dragged along the ground, following the path of the sword. "Brother!" The screaming girl shouted as she ran toward Stella. Her focus was entirely on the dead body, and she didn''t seem at all interested in looking at her brother''s killer. Which worked great for Stella. Casually hopping off her sword, she summoned a black dagger to her hand and rammed it straight into the girl''s face. Killing her instantly and making her neck snap back from the force. The girl fell at Stella''s feet as a corpse as she let go of the dagger''s hilt. "I really can''t believe it," Stella muttered as she crouched down, pulled back the girl''s hood, and rolled her over. The girl''s eyes were wide open, showing their pale blue color. Pushing her hair aside, Stella ran a finger along her pointed ears. A long sigh escaped Stella''s lips as she freed the dagger and burned off the blood with her soul fire. She had seen these blue-robed, pointed-ear people before and doubted they would be delighted to see her again. After all, she had caused one of their Elders to lose their arm and had stolen a few of their precious books. "The Azure Clan again," Stella grumbled as she looked between her two recent kills. Both wore the same blue robes, yet only the girl had pointed ears and blue eyes. Wait, didn''t the girl call this man her brother? They have similar facial features, but only the girl has the features I associate with the Azure Clan. Does that mean she is pure-blood while this brother of hers was something else? Either way, it gave Stella an idea. Stripping the girl of her blue cloak, she burned off the blood stains and wore it over her clothes. Dusting it off, she gave a twirl and grinned. "They mentioned a tournament, right? I wonder how strong the people of the upper layer of creation are. What do you think, Maple? Can we win a few rounds?" Maple yawned from atop her head, rolled over, and went back to sleep. Stella shrugged at her lazy companion''s response. Waving her hand, the murder scene and her sword vanished in a flash of silver light. While whistling a tune, she picked the path the pair had come from and headed in that direction on foot. Soon, she began hearing the voices of other Azure Clan members drowned out by the roar of a crowd. If I''m stuck here, I might as well have some fun. Stella grinned as she put up the hood of her blue cloak. Chapter 330: Outsider Days had passed since Stella arrived in this Azure Clan pocket realm, and the tournament was in full swing. "Outer Disciple Thalassa from Spatial Peak will be fighting Outer Disciple Evan from Dream Peak." A bored-sounding Elder announced before he sat down on a raised platform alongside the other Elders. Stella counted three Elders in participation for today, with one she recognized. The man taking the center seat was the Monarch Realm Elder who had tried to kill her in the library, and one of his cloak sleeves lay flat as he was still missing his arm. The stands surrounding the arena rumbled as the cultivators drummed their feet in excitement as Thalassa and Evan took the stage. Stella hadn''t interacted with large groups of cultivators before, so she had no idea if this kind of reaction was typical. However, thinking back on the alchemy tournament, the mortals had shown a similar level of excitement so maybe it was normal? Either way, she found the behavior and decorum of the cultivators from the Azure Clan quite detestable. She had tried to sneak her way into a fight, but was barred entry, as she didn''t know the participation number of the siblings she killed in the tunnel. So, with nothing else to do, she was stuck watching the matches between the various peaks of the Azure Clan while surrounded by these loud weaklings. Her soul itched to be unleashed on those around her, flattening them under her pressure to silence them, but she refrained. Now wasn''t the time to expose her prowess, but the opportunity was fast approaching. After all, she hadn''t been idle these last few days watching battles between Outer Disciples in the early stages of the Star Core Realm. She had tracked down a target and found a possible way in. Looking up at the pocket realm sun''s location and comparing it to the fighting schedule she had memorized, a smile tugged at the edge of her lips as she stood up. It''s time. Stella unapologetically blocked people''s views and stepped on people''s toes as she strode down the stand to the exit. "Hey? Which peak are you from¡ª" A loudmouth stood up and tried to confront her. You hurl insults, throw food, and drum your feet, yet I step on your toes, and now you have a problem? Stella didn''t understand these people at all. The only talent they seemed to have was making her last few days here as irritating as possible. "Sit," Stella said simply and flicked him in the chest with the faintest whisper of Qi. The man''s eyes widened as the wind vacated his lungs, and he crashed back into his seat while gasping for air. Stella smirked as she finally got some revenge against these people she had endured for the last few days. To her surprise, despite the amount of commentary and insults these people had for those fighting in the arena, nobody else stepped up to confront her after seeing how effortlessly she disposed of the last idiot. That''s a shame. I wanted to put a few more of them in their place. Stella pouted as she descended the stairs to the nearest tunnel heading deeper into the arena. "Let the fight begin!" The same Elder from before bellowed, not even bothering to stand up. Stella paused and decided to give the fight a quick look as she still had time. I bet it will be as disappointing as the rest. Thalassa, a petite red-haired girl, held up a dagger with two hands and coated it in dark purple spatial Qi. Dashing forward through the sand, spatial Qi flashed across her body, and she vanished. Reappearing beside Evan a moment later, she stumbled before falling flat on her face. What a terrible use of Spatial Step. Stella sighed. You have to make sure your foot is raised when you teleport; otherwise, you have nothing to balance yourself with when you arrive. Every spatial cultivator with a brain can figure that out. Stella had been told in the past that there were few spatial cultivators because it was a difficult and dangerous affinity to cultivate. She didn''t really understand why until coming here. These people were so bad that they were more of a danger to themselves than their enemies. To think I tried to learn from the books written by these foolish Elders. No wonder they don''t know what they are doing. Their books were nothing but flowery nonsense. Evan, who looked half asleep with his eyes closed and shoulders sagged, turned to Thalassa, who was quickly recovering from her blunder. He flared his Star Core pressure to throw her off balance and surged forward with impressive speed. With his eyes still closed, he punched Thalassa square in the stomach with his prismatic dream Qi-wreathed fist. "Go to sleep," Evan said. Stella picked up on his words over the crowd''s roar. Sure enough, Thalassa wasn''t getting up, and despite the uncomfortable position of hugging her stomach in pain, she seemed to be sleeping. This is how most fights with the Dream Peak cultivators had gone. If they didn''t get cut down straight away, they often managed to land a hit on their opponent, sending them into a dream state. Some people with strong mental wills or protective artifacts broke out of the effect, but Thalassa didn''t seem so lucky. Evan staggered over to Thalassa in his sleepy state and proceeded to beat the shit out of her until she appeared to die, and an Elder declared him the victor. "Evan from Dream Peak wins!" Stella vanished unnoticed down the tunnel while everyone stood up and cheered. Despite being an outsider of the Azure Clan, she was surprised at the subtle rage brewing in her heart due to the Spatial Peak''s continued terrible performance. Of all the peaks competing, Spatial Peak had, without a doubt, the weakest showing, and it wasn''t even close. They were the laughingstock of everyone in the stands, and Stella couldn''t blame them for laughing. After all, they hadn''t seen how terrifying spatial Qi could be... yet. Stella walked past some other blue-robed cultivators of the Azure Clan, and they hardly spared her a glance as they chatted with one another about the upcoming fights. "Lyra is up next, right?" "The Spatial Peak Elder''s daughter? Heavens, this is going to be so embarrassing." "I know, right? He even came specifically today to watch her fight! I wonder if he will step in if her life is endangered?" The other person snorted, "Probably not, as that goes against the clan''s rules, and the Elder has more children than stars in the sky. But I wouldn''t be surprised if the opponent vanished the next day, maybe along with his family and friends for good measure. However, I wonder if the Elder even wants his daughter to win? I mean, she is assured to lose and be brutally killed out there like the other Spatial Peak losers¡ª" "Careful what you say," the second person whispered, "Rumors have it the Elder has become far more ruthless since his accident." "Good point..." The pair of cultivators had rounded a corner a while ago, and Stella had kept walking while listening in. Eventually, she failed to catch much else over the noise from the crowd. Well, that complicates things. I knew Lyra was special, but to think she is one of the on duty Elder''s daughters. Stella bit her lip. She had picked out this girl for a few reasons and had been stalking her every action for the last few days to ensure this plan went smoothly. Nobody else Stella had seen so far matched her needs, and already, a quarter of the time in the Mystic Realm had gone by. She had yet to gain anything, and spending another week or two looking for a perfect target didn''t seem worth it. I''m going to attract attention either way. If things turn for the worse, Maple should protect me. Pausing before a door, Stella held her hand up an inch from the door and let out a breath. No going back now. She knocked thrice and heard some movement. "Who is it?" A voice thundered through the door¡ªone of Lyra''s guards.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "It''s Elara!" Stella said in an upbeat, overly cute tone that she despised with every fiber of her being, "I have come to wish Lyra good luck in her upcoming fight!" Stella had identified this Elara girl as one of Lyra''s best friends. After copying her mannerisms by observing her from afar for many days, Stella disposed of the annoying girl yesterday evening when she spotted her heading to the town built around the arena to house participants and spectators for the event. "Elara?! I wondered where she had gone last night," the muffled voice of Lyra came through the door, "Let her in, Hugo." Stella grinned as she heard the door''s multiple locks click open one by one. The moment the door opened, she came face to face with Hugo. The guard''s eyes widened as he saw an unfamiliar face that was most certainly not Elara. After all, Elara was nothing but a corpse in Stella''s spatial ring. "You aren''t Elara¡ª" Hugo said, but it was too late. Stella activated her earrings to confuse the man before she Spatial Stepped into the room with perfect precision, unlike Thalassa. With a pop of air, she effortlessly appeared before Lyra. "Elara?! Wait, who are you?" Lyra stumbled back. The pleasant smile she had been wearing as she anticipated a meeting with her best friend had turned into pure terror, and her confused mental state was evident by how chaotic her surprisingly pure spatial Qi was flickering across her shoulders. "Me?" Stella summoned a dagger to her hand, wreathing it in pure spatial Qi, "I''m whoever I last killed." Her hand blurred as she went to slash Lyra''s neck. "Ah!" A golden barrier manifested as the gemstone in Lyra''s necklace cracked. The brief look of hope in Lyra''s eyes faded as Stella''s blade sliced through the barrier, shattering it as if it were a minor inconvenience, and stabbed Lyra in the neck. A pained gargle left Lyra''s mouth. She reached up to try to push Stella off. Stella answered her effort by twisting the dagger to widen the wound before kicking Lyra to the ground and pulling the dagger free in a shower of blood. Lyra coughed up blood as she desperately tried to cover the bleeding hole in her neck, but it was useless. That''s the important one down. Stella twirled around. Her black sword materialized in a flash of silver, and with telekinesis, she sent the sword to impale Hugo against the door. The guard, who was still stunned by her earrings, tried to raise his arms to block the Qi-wreathed sword, but Stella directed it to tilt down at the last second, so it went through his stomach. "Wha-ah?!" Hugo shouted in surprise, followed by the sound of the once half-opened door slamming shut with him pinned to it. Stella had less to worry about with the door closed and the room now sealed by the arena''s formation. "Let''s make this quick, shall we?" Stella said to the four other guards in the room, who had finally reacted to what was happening and were now cautiously circling her. She noticed two of them eying the dying Lyra with concern while the other two didn''t dare take their eyes off her for a second. Their knuckles went white as they clutched their swords tightly, and Stella could practically smell their fear. All of them were spatial cultivators, and it only took her one look to tell that they were deeply inferior to her. This is a weird feeling. Usually, I''m on the losing side, facing someone far stronger than me. Stella grinned. I better not get too overconfident. That''s how the others died. "M-Monster!" One of the guards who seemed the most concerned with Lyra shouted, "What did Miss Lyra do to you? What are you after? Money? Revenge?" Stella scoffed, "Revenge? I hardly knew her. Money, I have more than I know what to do with." "Then?! What reason do you have!" Another guard protested. Stella laughed, "I want her face." "Her... face?" "Enough questions. The dead don''t need answers," Stella summoned a dagger to her free hand and now wielded two. She then flared her Qi to make a portal behind the two distracted guards'' heads. They hardly reacted as she thrust her daggers through and stabbed them in the back of the head. Pulling the daggers back out of their skulls, the two guards crumbled to the floor. Dead. "No!" one of the still-alive guards charged at Stella. She effortlessly sidestepped his sword with her superior reflexes and gently redirected him toward a portal. She grabbed his cloak to stop him from fully stumbling through. I always wanted to test something. Other Qi types react violently with portals, so they rarely work as attacks. However, what about against other spatial cultivators? Stella looked at the guard, whose head poked out a portal across the room. Hatred filled the guard''s eyes. "I''ll kill you," he swore, "I''ll really fucking kill you, you crazy bitch." Stella tilted her head, "You sure? From where I''m standing, you are already dead." "What are you on about¡ª" Stella snapped her fingers, and the portal the guard was partially through collapsed. He tried to resist the closure with his spatial Qi, but Stella found the attempt cute. Despite being in the same realm, the difference between them was too vast. With a pop, the portal cleaved the guard in two. Both halves dropped to the ground at the same time in different parts of the room. So I really can cut spatial cultivators in half if my Qi is superior¡ªStella ducked as a sword whistled past where her head had been. "Did you really think you could sneak up on me?" Stella had long noticed the final guard''s approach. She spun around and used her dagger to cut the guard''s head off in a reverse grip with such force it sent the body spiraling through the air before it crashed and took out a chair. Stella slowly straightened up and relished in the rush from the hunt. It had been so long since she last stretched her muscles against some foes. "You''re sick in the head." Stella looked at Hugo, who had managed to pull the sword from his stomach, but it seemed the poison she had dripped on her blade was already working if his pale complexion and short breaths were anything to go by. "How so?" Stella asked, genuinely confused. Was there something wrong with the way I fought? I swear I did everything right, though? I incapacitated the guard closest to the door so he couldn''t run for help. Neutralized the main target so she couldn''t Spatial Step away, and then I closed the door to seal the room so I could deal with the rest one by one. I even made sure most of the deaths were quick and only slightly painful. Hugo grimaced at her question, "Why would you slaughter your fellow family members like this? The world is already rife with war. If you want to fight, use your skills for the benefit of the Azure Clan instead of this senseless killing for no apparent gain." Stella slowly processed what Hugo said and eventually realized the misunderstanding. "Oh..." a small chuckle escaped her lips. "You thought I was one of you?" Hugo narrowed his eyes, "You''re an outsider?" "Why else would I want your dear Lyra''s face?" Stella said in Elara''s cute voice before switching to Lyra''s more mature tone, "It''s hard to fit in otherwise, you know?" Hugo''s expression twisted, and his complexion darkened. His purple soul flames erupted from his shoulders in a blaze as he glared at her with absolute hatred. "Disgusting outsider, I will take you down with me." "Going supernova in here?" Stella tilted her head, "What about Lyra? She''s not dead yet, you know?" "Miss Lyra wasn''t going to survive the tournament anyway. Her sacrifice will be worth stopping a monster like you from destroying the Azure Clan from within!" Hugo shouted, "You''re too dangerous to be left alive." Liquid spatial Qi spluttered from his mouth and poured from his eyes and ears. Despite being in the initial stages of the Star Core Realm and having such impure Qi, if Stella faced Hugo going supernova in such a small room, her death would be assured. "What a lame way to die," Stella shook her head as she fearlessly walked toward Hugo. "You can''t stop me!" Hugo grinned, "Even if you cut off my head, the process has already started. You''re dead bitch." Stella sighed as she pulled down her hood and patted Maple on the head. "Wakey wakey Maple. I got a snack for you." Maple stirred awake, and after a little more encouragement, the slothful squirrel sniffed the air and finally decided to hop off her head. Stella left Maple to enjoy his meal while she cleaned up the rest of the room as the time for Lyra''s fight was fast approaching. "What is that? A squirrel?" Hugo snorted, "What is such a cute pet going to¡ª" A girlish scream followed that made Stella raise a brow as she waved her hand to absorb the bodies of the other guards. A moment later, a weight landed on Stella''s head, and she reached up to rub Maple under his chin. "It''s a shame I gave Hugo a chance to go supernova. I promised Tree some monster corpses as snacks, but the pile of Azure Clan bodies will have to suffice." Maple yawned in response and went back to sleep. Such a fat and lazy squirrel. Stella snorted as she put her hood back up. Now, where is Lyra? Ah, there she is. Stella followed the trail of blood around the back of a sofa and saw Lyra desperately trying to crawl away. "I guess that''s the daughter of an Elder for you. Struggling until the last breath instead of taking the cowardly way out." Stella crouched down over her body, "I will reward your tenacity with a swift death." She placed her hand on the back of her head and felt the girl freeze up. "Please..." Lyra gasped out. "You people are confusing," Stella shook her head, "The arena matches out there are to the death or until someone surrenders. Is life on the upper layer of creation more civil than where I''m from, and fighting to death a sport rather than an everyday reality?" Lyra kept struggling. "You know you''re already dead, right? Why does it matter if I kill you now or if you die in the arena?" "Maybe," Lyra wheezed out, "But I don''t want to die at the hands of a monstrous outsider like you." Stella shrugged, "Well, sorry about this. I came to hunt monsters and found you guys. But at the end of the day, monster and human... is there really a difference?" Putting some force into her fingers, she cracked Lyra''s skull like an egg, and the Elder''s daughter went limp. "That kill definitely felt less satisfying compared to the guards," Stella mused as she rolled the body over. There were two reasons she had targeted Lyra. Her cultivation and spirit roots were the most impressive she had seen, but even more importantly... Stella pulled free the dark blue mask from Lyra''s face, which was like a half-moon. Stella hadn''t lied to the guards. She really was after Lyra''s face. Underneath the mask that had covered most of Lyra''s face, there were horrific scars and disfigurement. Perhaps to maintain her father''s dignity, she was the only person Stella had seen in the tournament who wore a mask. Which served her needs perfectly. The mask exposed her mouth, but as long as it covered her eyes, she could use her hood to hide the rest. Cleaning the inside of the mask from Lyra''s blood, Stella put the mask on and was satisfied with how well it fit. "Lyra!" A loud knock rang through the room, "It''s time for your fight. I''m coming in." Stella''s blood ran cold as she looked at the dead girl at her feet. Oh shit. Chapter 331: Losers Bracket Stella pulsed her spatial Qi and moved faster than her brain could process. Lyra''s corpse vanished in a flash of silver light. She used telekinesis to raise the blood off the floor and rearrange the furniture. Anything destroyed, she Spatial Stepped next to and stored in her spatial ring. It all happened so fast. Barely a second had passed before she Spatial Stepped back to the chair Lyra had originally been sitting in. "Com¡ªahem," Stella coughed as she readjusted her voice to match Lyra''s, "Come in." "Sorry to intrude, Miss Lyra." A man of impressive stature strode in. He paused after taking a step inside the room and glanced around. "Where are Hugo and the other guards?" "I sent them away," Stella said dismissively. "They were overly worried about me before the fight, which made me anxious, too. I didn''t want to disappoint Father after he made the effort to come and see my match, so they had to go." "Is that so?" the man said cryptically. He looked around the room some more, and whenever he paused on something, Stella felt her fingers twitch. If this man made a single move she didn''t like, his head would fly. Oblivious to her thoughts, the man seemed to finish the inspection as he did the equivalent of a dismissive shrug and returned his focus to her. Stella was honestly surprised at how little regard the man showed for Lyra. Her story was weak, and despite her efforts, evidence of a fight could still be seen throughout the room¡ªmissing furniture in awkward places where there should be something, a significant dent in the door from where Hugo had been impaled, and lingering spatial Qi. Either the man was blind, deliberately ignoring the signs, or simply didn''t care enough to ask anymore. Clearing his throat, the man said, "Well, I have a message from your dear Father. Would you care to hear it?" "Tell me," Stella said. She had observed that while Lyra was nice to her friends and close aides, she treated servants coldly. The man grinned, "Elder Vortexian has fixed the tournament layout, so you will face your brother in the losers bracket. Due to Spatial Peak''s poor performance, he needs you to make your brother look as powerful as possible to maintain our peak''s face. Understand?" "Huh?" Stella answered, not as Lyra this time but as herself. What kind of instruction was that? It was a death match out there. That was no better than saying, ''Die to your brother.'' "Why do you seem surprised, Lyra?" The man narrowed his eyes, "Your fate was sealed long ago, or is that scar on your face not a good enough reminder of the crimes you committed?" As Stella was not Lyra, she had no idea what these supposed crimes were, nor did she care. She didn''t plan to lose a single match from now on while assuming Lyra''s identity. Losers bracket? Die to some random Spatial Peak ''brother'' to make him look good? Stella had never heard anything so ridiculous. It took every fiber in her body not to stand up and strangle this arrogant servant to death while watching the life slowly leave his eyes as he slowly realized who he was talking to¡ªStella let out a breath to calm herself. She was wearing someone else''s ''face'' now. This servant had this attitude to someone already dead, not her. "I understand," Stella nodded to the servant, "Thank you for relaying the message." The man smirked, "It''s good that you understand. Now follow me, it''s time." With those words, he strode out of the room with an arrogant flick of his robes. Stella sheepishly followed him while mentally marking this man for death. *** Stella stood opposite Lyra''s supposed ''brother.'' Like Lyra, he was a pure-blooded Azure Clan member with pointed ears and pale blue eyes. She had actually seen one of his fights, and it had been a step above the other Spatial Peak fights simply because he wasn''t beaten to death. "Hello, sister," the unnamed brother she knew nothing about smirked. "Let''s have a good duel for the people watching." At his words, the crowd Stella despised cheered, and she could hear hundreds of insults being hurled at them. The view of Spatial Peak was at an all-time low, and it was made even worse by two Spatial Peak siblings fighting to the death in the losers bracket. She wanted nothing more than to silence everyone with her Star Core pressure. Her mood was made even worse by the idea of intentionally losing to this guy, which made her skin crawl. No, stop letting your own pride get in the way. You are Lyra right now. Ugh, posing as such a weakling is humiliating. Why wasn''t there an arrogant and strong spatial cultivator''s identity I could have taken with a pure soul flame? "I-I will try my best," Stella stuttered while gritting her teeth and taking a slightly off battle stance, which made her ''brothers'' smirk widen. Now, how should I kill this fool? She could kill him in numerous ways if it was a random battle. But she was here to put on a performance while hopefully not earning too much attention. At least this early on. Stella glanced at the attending Elders. If the gossip from earlier was anything to go by, the man sitting in the middle and missing his arm must be Elder Vortexian, Lyra''s Father. She would never forget such a face. Undoubtedly, he was the Elder who found her in the library and got attacked by Maple. Maple only managed to take out an arm last time, but he has devoured a lot since then and is rather fat now. I''m sure if Elder Vortexian grew displeased with me showing off, Maple could protect me... maybe. Stella knew messing around with a Monarch Realm was a bad idea, but what else was she supposed to do? Sit around and rot away in this realm while the other sect members progressed and overtook her? Fighting practice aside, the various members of the Azure Clan peaks weren''t dueling to the death for fun. There were rewards for victors, but the only problem was that Stella didn''t know what they were. All she knew was they were spirit stones and other cultivation resources in an upper creation layer. If I can get my hands on them, I might be able to jump up to the Nascent Soul Realm. Stella felt her mind wander as she imagined how proud Ash would be of her if she made such progress and how the other sect members would praise her. It would be glorious compared to how they would react if she returned with no progress and a few measly corpses. Forgive me, Azure Clan. Whether you are a clan from the upper layer of creation or not. You will be my prey and fuel my growth so I can pay back Tree and protect everyone I care about. You may all consider yourself something greater, but anyone outside of Ashfallen is nothing but a talking beast to me. Stella raised her head slightly and looked directly into Lyra''s brother''s eyes. Without intending to, she leaked a little of her bloodlust as she imagined all the ways she could slaughter him. His smirk slowly faded, and his arrogance was replaced with unease. Maybe something primal within him was screaming out and telling him something was about to go terribly wrong. Perhaps the sheepish girl wearing a mask before him was not the weak sister instructed to make him look as competent as possible. The usually bored-sounding Elder stood up with more vigor than before. His sky-blue robe mirrored the refined movements of someone who had tempered themselves as he glanced between them with a kindle of interest. Stepping forward purposefully, he used Qi to boost his voice and present their duel. "Due to the sheer number of Spatial Peak cultivators in the losers bracket, I introduce a duel between two siblings from Spatial Peak. Lyra Azure and Aaron Azure will now fight till the death or until one surrenders." Elder Vortexian stirred in his chair as he finally bothered to look at his two children down in the arena. There was no love in his piercing blue eyes. Stella may be bad at reading people, but even she could tell he was as cold and disinterested as one would be when looking at animals on the way to slaughter.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He raised his finger, gesturing for the presenting Elder to pause. "It will be to the death." He added, "Surrender will not be tolerated." His voice was a whisper, yet it reached everyone who dared listen. A pressure followed, washing over the arena and reminding Stella and Aaron that a Monarch was watching. Aaron''s fighting spirit seemed to have left him as he turned to the Elder and called out, "Wait! Something isn''t quite right." Unfortunately for him, his concern was drowned out by the crowd''s roar at Elder Vortexian''s statement. It was the loudest Stella had ever heard them¡ªclearly, a death match between a powerful Elder''s children was the week''s highlight. The presenting Elder, who definitely heard Aaron''s plea, raised his hand anyway, "The battle will now begin!" The Elder lowered his hand in a swift motion to signal the start. Aaron fell backward onto the sand with a thump, sending up a small cloud of dust. A blue wooden dagger''s hilt stuck out from his forehead like a horn. The portal that had manifested into existence before him snapped closed with a small pop, and Stella put her hands behind her back. Before the Elder had even fully lowered his hand, Aaron was dead. The arena fell silent in an instant, which made Stella nervous. She had made sure to use a dagger from Lyra''s spatial ring that she had broken into earlier, and the portal technique she used to plant the dagger into Aaron''s forehead was one from the Azure Clan''s library. Nothing she had done was technically impossible for Lyra. However, she might have done it a little too quickly, and the portal may have been too stable. I did the most straightforward and cleanest kill I could think of. Stella lamented in her mind. I could have tried crushing him to death with my Star Core pressure, decapitating him with a portal, or even using my earrings to make him incapacitated like the dream Qi cultivators. Hell, I could have walked over there and beaten him to death with a Qi-wreathed stick. Compared to those options, a simple dagger through the skull should have been reasonable? Surveying the arena''s spectators, it was as if time had stopped. Everyone''s mouth was wide open, with some holding food and being mid-bite. Nobody seemed able to understand what had just happened. "Announce the victor, Elder Soren." Elder Vortexian said. His utter lack of emotion in his tone and facial expressions showed his position as an Elder of such a clan. "O-oh right," Elder Soren gathered himself. Unlike in the other duels, he hadn''t even had a chance to fully lower his hand, let alone sit down, so he was still standing there as dumbfounded as the rest. "Lyra Azure is the victor! Um..." The Elder turned to Elder Vortexian, "What should we do about the loser bracket?" Knowing that the bracket had been artificially set up, the fact she won had likely ruined the system they had in place. Stella watched Elder Vortexian with interest in her spiritual sight. She maintained her stance of standing still, with her hands clasped behind her back, and looked at Aaron''s corpse on the other side of the arena, though she was sure someone at Elder Vortexian''s level would sense her watching him. Despite his perfectly crafted facade, Stella believed she had worked out Elder Vortexian goals based on his attitude thus far. He, or someone clearly, hated Lyra, but the death of this girl Stella was posing as wasn''t the main objective. No, what Elder Vortexian wanted was for Spatial Peak to save face. Let''s test if I''m correct. Elder Vortexian looked at Stella as if searching for something. She answered in kind by directly flashing a hint of her true cultivation strength at him. It was a gamble, but he might look upon her favorably if she showed that her strength surpassed anyone here. For the first time, Elder Vortexian showed some reaction. His brow raised, and the slightest smile tugged at the edge of his lips. Turning to Elder Soren, he gave his verdict, "Move Lyra to the main bracket. She will compete until she either dies or wins." "Elder Vortexian... that''s a bit..." Elder Soren protested. "Are you questioning me?" Dream Qi flicked across Elder Soren''s shoulders as he resisted the pressure from Elder Vortexian''s gaze. "No, there are just thirty people still in the main bracket, and we had everything set up. I agree Lyra seems to have talent, but putting her against thirty opponents in a row is unreasonable." "Lyra, what do you say?" Elder Vortexian said with interest, "Care to show what mastery over spatial Qi can achieve?" "I would be honored to... Father," Stella replied, stumbling on the last word. The word ''father'' held a lot of meaning to her, so even while pretending to be someone else, calling this man as such twisted her heart. "Then it shall be so. Bring in the next challenger." Elder Vortexian instructed. *** From Stella''s understanding, the tournament was supposed to last another few days. As the darkness of dusk descended on the arena, all around her lay bloody sand littered with pieces of humans and random dead bodies with missing heads or holes in their skulls. It was as if some savage beast had gone to war with a group of cultivators and fought without mercy to the death. Stella sighed as she looked up at the sky and scrunched her nose at the strong metallic smell of death wafting all around from the dried blood. She was exhausted¡ªnot physically, nor were her Qi reserves low. She was bored to the point of exhaustion. After the first dozen rounds of going all out to display the strength of spatial Qi by teleporting around and playing with her opponents, she soon grew bored and gave up on showing off in the last ten rounds. Not once had she taken a step from where she stood. Instead, she''d chosen to kill her foes in a similar fashion to Aaron, with a simple one-hit the moment the duel started. Similar to killing Lyra, something about killing weaklings left a sour aftertaste. There was no thrill, and victory left her hollow. Whenever a body hit the sand and moved for the last time, she felt the slightest hint of regret. To distract herself during the one-sided slaughter, she listened to the crowd. What had started as disbelief after Aaron''s death turned to excitement for the following matches. However, around the time she stopped putting in as much effort and killed each opponent within a second, the crowd''s opinions changed from excitement to fear. Some even began questioning her cultivation level, but Elder Vortexian shrugged off the complaints and kept the tournament going. It was clear as day to everyone there that he was using Lyra as a weapon to brutally eliminate the upcoming talents from the other peaks by abusing the rules. If Stella killed the enemies before the Elder had even finished introducing the start of the match, then the foe didn''t have an opportunity to surrender. Stella knew this, and she also knew she was being used. It was obvious that her disguise or true skill would be plain as day under the scrutiny of a Monarch Realm Elder. What she hadn''t expected was for the Elder in question to turn a blind eye to the chance she was an outsider and even actively encourage her and shield her from scrutiny. The question is, what will he do with me after the last match? By then, his objective would be complete, and he would have no reason to let me continue to do what I please. I would be an expired tool, and I know how this man deals with those he deems disposable. "Evan from Dream Peak will now challenge Lyra Azure in the final match." The presenting Elder seemed exhausted as from afternoon to dusk he barely had a chance to sit down and watch the fights like before. Also, as a Dream Peak Elder, watching his peak members being decapitated before they could even blink likely wasn''t helping his mental fatigue. The man Stella had seen beat the redhead from Spatial Peak to death, jumped down from the stands and landed in a small cloud of dust. Dream Qi flickered across his body as he eyed her with understandable concern. "Who¡ªno, what are you?" Evan asked like a scared child. Stella could see his fingers trembling at his side, and he was biting the edge of his lip. A pitiful display, yet Stella''s heart was cold. As with many of the other people she had ended today, they hadn''t batted an eye as they killed members from Spatial Peak after they made errors with Spatial Step or other techniques Stella had been so lucky to be able to practice and master under Ash''s loving canopy. This is why she hated humans. They were walking contradictions. Stella looked at Evan and said nothing. "Really? Are you going to stay quiet?" Evan gritted his teeth. "What is it you want?" Stella tilted her head, "What do you mean?" "To let me surrender without killing me instantly," Evan said, "Name your price." "Oh..." Stella playfully tapped her chin. This was the first opponent that had begged for their life in a while. "Ah! I got something." "Yes?" Evan said with a hint of hope. "Name it, you can have anything¡ª" "I want your heart." "What?" Evan looked down at his chest in confusion. The tired Elder dropped his hand, "Final duel begin!" Stella appeared before Evan. She wreathed her fingers in spatial Qi and punched through his chest. Evan''s eyes widened as he looked down at Stella''s arm embedded in his body. Stella felt the buzz of the dream Qi trying to invade her mind, but it was laughable compared to Ash''s dream realm and the illusions that came with his voice. "Say you surrender," Stella pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, "I got what I wanted." Evan wheezed, "I... I... s-surrender¡ª" Stella smiled, "Good." Pulling her hand back, Evan collapsed at her feet. His still-beating heart was in her palm, glowing with dream Qi. Her smile faded as she looked at it. "Thank you for the once-in-a-lifetime gift," Stella said as she dropped it beside Evan''s face, and Spatial Stepped back to the spot where she had spent most of the day. "Lyra Azure is the winner of the entire tournament," Elder Soren announced with a hint of disdain. "May the presiding Elder for this tournament step forward to present the rewards." Elder Vortexian stood up gracefully, and the arena fell silent. Stella turned on her heel and looked up at the Monarch Realm Elder directly for the first time. He vanished and appeared right beside her on the sand. "Lyra Azure, come with me." A portal to elsewhere materialized, and Stella was envious of the power radiating from it. It was so clear she almost needed a double-take to see if it was even a portal and not a clean cut through reality. Not one to say no to the request of a Monarch Realm, Stella followed him through the portal into a room deep underground home to a single orb placed upon a pedestal. The portal quietly closed behind them, leaving them alone. A short silence drew out between them until Elder Vortexian looked over his shoulder at Stella. "How were the books? They must have been quite enthralling, considering you never returned them." "So, you recognized me." Stella crossed her arms as she eyed the Elder. "As for the books?" she snorted, "They were nothing but flowery nonsense." Chapter 332: Arrogance Incarnate "Flowery nonsense?" Elder Vortexian raised a brow as he stared at arrogance incarnate and mused over her strange answer to his question. Without a doubt, this was the girl he had encountered in Heavenly King Cepheus''s Eternal Library because of the blob of void hiding under her hood. It was likely the pet Worldwalker that had effortlessly devoured his arm despite being under the effects of his time-slowing domain. If not for my life-saving artifact inscribed with my famed Spatial Anchor technique, I would have died that day. If anyone else had said such an insult about the technique manuals to his face, he would have decapitated them on the spot, but with this girl? He had to be careful. "I suppose to someone of your stature, such books would appear primitive and convoluted," Elder Vortexian brushed off the claim despite being the one to write many of those books. Of course, his technique manuals would seem lacking to a person from the highest layer of creation, as who else could waltz around pocket realms without fear and tame a Worldwalker as a mere pet? "My stature?" The girl wearing Lyra''s mask looked at him blankly. "Ah, I apologize. You must want to stay incognito as you have assumed my daughter''s identity. Should I refer to you as Lyra?" Elder Vortexian had analyzed the girl during the many fights she effortlessly won and concluded she was likely a powerhouse''s daughter from a higher layer of creation rather than an old monster in a young-looking vessel. His centuries of insight let him catch the slight cracks in her techniques and mannerisms to confirm she was just a very talented teenager. She wore too much emotion on her face, and while her techniques were impressive, they lacked the refinement an old monster suppressing their cultivation would be able to achieve. Her killing intent was missing the razor edge of someone hardened by war, and her actions were too dictated by the crowd''s insults. Having figured out her identity to some extent, Elder Vortexian altered the trajectory of the tournament to foster this outcome. He wanted to be alone with the girl to hopefully glean some answers for her motives and, more importantly, ask if she could save Spatial Peak. She shrugged at his suggestion, "Lyra works for now. Though we have met before, so there''s no need for this mask," the blue mask vanished in a flash of silver, revealing a girl with flawless skin and crazed pink eyes that put him on edge. She smiled, "I wanted to apologize about killing Lyra and messing with your tournament layout. She happened to have a convenient situation I could take advantage of." Elder Vortexian scoffed and waved his hand to dismiss her fears. "The tournament barely had any thought put into it. These are worthless Outer Disciples, after all. I wouldn''t have even bothered attending if not for Spatial Peak''s imminent decline and the need to find some diamonds in the rough." Elder Vortexian shook his head, "To think they were all nothing but disappointments." As for Lyra? She had better served him in death than her twenty years of life. He had more children carrying his blood than the clan had doorways. Other than the few that were Inner Disciples, he cared not for any of them. Their only purpose was in death, as he could use them as an excuse to go on a rampage against his fellow Elder''s disciples to defend his ''honor.'' Lyra tilted her head, "Imminent decline? Did something happen?" "Yes, after you devoured my arm, I was pulled out of the Eternal Library. I relayed what had happened to the clan''s council. We feared you would kill all of our Inner Disciples, which would have crippled Spatial Peak for generations to come." "But I didn''t," Lyra pointed out, "I left peacefully, other than taking some books and your arm." Elder Vortexian felt his eye twitch at her casual tone. Does she have any idea how hard life has been without my arm? Since a Worldwalker devoured it, I can''t regenerate it, even if I switch vessels. It''s gone, down to the soul level. Coughing awkwardly to clear his rage, he said, "Right, but we didn''t know you would leave amicably, so the council made the swift decision to awaken the Heavenly King Cepheus." "Heavenly King Cepheus?" Lyra asked, her tone turning bored. Elder Vortexian had expected some reaction at the mention of the Heavenly King''s name. After all, his name was known throughout the 8th layer of creation as one of the strongest cultivators and the lord of Spatial Peak. Even if someone was clueless about his long list of achievements, surely his awe-inspiring title would instill a sense of wonder or fear in those who heard it... Meanwhile, Lyra seemed disinterested. "Heavenly King Cepheus is one of the four strongest people in the Azure Clan and the ruler of Spatial Peak! He has been in closed-door cultivation for a long time now, trying to reach the peak of the Sovereign of Realities. If successful, it would have made him the strongest on the 8th layer..." Elder Vortexian trailed off his explanation of his Master''s might as he heard Lyra yawn. "Ahem, the point is, he''s dead." "Mhm?" Lyra perked up a little. "Dead?" "It''s been our fear for a long time, but nobody wanted to confirm its truth. It wasn''t until you forced the council''s hand that they went into his cultivation chamber to call upon his assistance when they found him long dead." Elder Vortexian sighed, "With Heavenly King Cepheus confirmed dead, the Azure Clan has lost its pillar of strength. As he was a spatial cultivator, Spatial Peak will also naturally fall in prestige along with him. Once one of the other three remaining Heavenly Kings learns of Cepheus''s demise, there will be an all-out war." "How did he die, though?" Lyra asked. Elder Vortexian shrugged, "Poisoned pills, assassinated while cultivating or soul backlash. It could have been any number of things. All that matters is he is gone, and our downfall is only a matter of time." Lyra snorted, "It''s been a long time coming." Elder Vortexian frowned as his eyes trailed Lyra as she wandered around the room, the orb in the middle capturing her attention. "What do you mean?" Lyra leaned in and squinted at the orb, "You lot have been relying on the protection of a dead man for far too long. Peace and security breeds weakness, while war calls for strength and sacrifice. You said this Heavenly whatever was a spatial cultivator, right?" Lyra tilted her head to look at him. The soft white glow from the orb illuminated the left side of her face. "In his shadow, Spatial Peak allowed itself to become a disgrace. I understand spatial Qi is more difficult to master than other types of Qi, but that showing during the tournament reeked of incompetence and a lack of proper guidance. Seeing spatial Qi being so misrepresented compelled me to take action." "Are you offering to teach our most talented¡ª" "Your supposed ''talents'' aren''t worth an hour of my time," Lyra said, cutting him off. "Hundreds of them couldn''t prevent me from leaving the library. How could you possibly call them your talents?"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Elder Vortexian chuckled for the first time in a century. "You really don''t hold back your words, do you?" "I dislike pointlessly drawn-out conversations," Lyra withdrew from the orb and completed her circuit of the small room. "So," she narrowed her eyes, "Let''s get to the point. What do you want from me?" "Figured me out, eh?" "You wouldn''t be telling all this information to an outsider if you were just going to hand me a bundle of goodies and send me on my way right after," Lyra monotonously replied as if he were a fool for thinking of deceiving her. Elder Vortexian had interacted with the eldest son of one of the Heavenly Kings before, and he hadn''t been this flippant and blunt. Who was this entitled princess''s father, and did anyone raise her correctly? Where were the manners and understanding of social cues? Yes, he wanted to request something from her, but putting him on the spot like this lacked any decorum. "Fine, I will be blunt then," Elder Vortexian strode over to the orb dominating the center of the room as the only focal piece, "As someone of your stature from a higher layer of creation, our measly cultivation resources will be laughable to you so¡ª" "I want them too," Lyra said. Elder Vortexian almost missed a step. Just how greedy was this girl? Pulling a silver ring free from his finger, he floated it to her with telekinesis, "Just take everything in there. Such rewards aren''t worth either of our time compared to what''s at stake." "Speak for yourself," Lyra said as she inspected the ring in her palm, "The downfall of your clan and peak has nothing to do with me. As I said, it was a long time coming. Your technique manuals are nonsense, and your cultivators are poorly trained." Why do her words feel like personal attacks? Did she read the manuals and decide they were nonsense compared to the ones she is used to reading? Elder Vortexian gritted his teeth. If not for that blob of void on her head, he would remind this brat of who she was talking to. But for the good of his clan and especially Spatial Peak, which had lost his Master''s shadow, he would have to suck it up for now. "This is the real reason I rigged the tournament to let you win and brought you down here," Elder Vortexian said, tapping the orb glowing with white light, "an artifact my late Master left behind. Unfortunately, long ago, there was a great battle, and during it, this orb changed hands many times, breaking in the process." "You wanted me to see a broken artifact?" Lyra seemed perplexed, "What is it supposed to do?" "It''s an origin stone¡ªor at least it was one." Elder Vortexian analyzed Lyra''s face, but she still seemed confused, which surprised him a little. If there was a place where the origin stones should be well known, it would be on the upper layers. "Origin stones are left behind when an origin dies. They are extremely rare, especially down here. They can usually be used to upgrade an affinity to one of a higher dao complexity, but this one is broken because a few daos were stripped off and used during the war." Elder Vortexian half expected Lyra to command her Worldwalker to attack him and steal the artifact for herself after his explanation, as wars were often fought over origin stones. However, to his surprise, she just stared blankly at him. Was she messing with him? "Oh, were you done?" Lyra asked. "Yes?" "Great, can we get to the point now? I don''t really care about artifacts, let alone a broken one." "I''m hoping it won''t stay broken for long. After all, I want you to fix it." Elder Vortexian tapped the orb, and power rippled across its surface. "This orb allowed Heavenly King Cepheus to advance his comprehension of spatial dao to the point of being able to wield the aether." "Oh, the aether? I know someone who can use that," Lyra said casually as she tapped her chin, "But to fix it? What do I get out of this, and why does it feel like I''m being given work instead of a reward?" Elder Vortexian scoffed, "An origin stone would never be given as a reward for anything. Such an artifact is a clan''s treasure and wouldn''t be handed over even if it would save the clan." "Well, that seems rather stupid. You only have one life. What''s the point of trading it to protect some glowy stone sitting broken in a dungeon?" "Because..." Elder Vortexian frowned, "That''s what my Master told me. So long as one of us remains standing, the clan can use this origin stone to rise from the ashes and dominate the world in the name of the Azure Clan once more." "Uh huh," Lyra crossed her arms, "Well, your Master seems to have kicked the bucket, and this artifact that''s supposed to save you cannot offer the salvation you seek." "Unless someone fixes it?" Elder Vortexian pointed out. "And I ask again, what do I get if I fix it?" "I will allow you to use the origin stone to try and unlock aether Qi." "Oh?" Lyra looked him up and down, "If the origin stone was truly capable of such a thing, why do you use spatial Qi?" Elder Vortexian refrained from strangling her, though his patience was growing thin. "Aether Qi, while stronger than spatial Qi, is more complex to cultivate. I''m already stagnant in my understanding of spatial dao at my current level in the Monarch Realm. Stacking more daos wouldn''t improve my chances; it would only cripple me." He could have given her a fake answer like he would to others, but for some reason, he felt this girl would poke holes in his answers until she got the truth. It was a painful truth, but it was the truth. Aether Qi wasn''t for everyone. Lyra bit her lower lip as she looked at the orb again. Greed finally flashed through her eyes, "Can''t I just have it if I fix it?" "No? Are you insane?" Elder Vortexian wanted to smack this girl over the head, "Even in its current state, it contains many condensed daos. To someone of my level, it''s not that helpful anymore, but to Inner clan talents, it will help ascend their understanding. Despite its state, we still bring them down here to meditate with the origin stone to increase the chances of enlightenment." "What made you think I could fix it?" Lyra asked as she tapped the orb, making it ripple. "It''s an artifact from beyond this layer of creation. As someone from beyond us, you may have or know someone with the expertise to restore it to its previous capabilities." Lyra hummed and crossed her arms again, "I think I might have a way, but I should bring it to my father. He would definitely be able to fix it." "The origin stone cannot be removed from this room," Elder Vortexian gulped, "If you could get your father to venture down here to look at it¡ª" Lyra shook her head, "He isn''t one for travel." "Right..." Elder Vortexian hadn''t been expecting such a powerful figure to travel so far for an origin stone. What was an origin stone compared to a pet Worldwalker guarding his daughter? He likely had jewelry made from origin stones that he casually gifted to his wives. "I can fix it," Lyra placed her index fingers on the orb. Elder Vortexian sighed. He appreciated her enthusiasm but didn''t have high hopes. She hadn''t seemed to even know what an origin stone was a few moments ago. Repairing it would likely require deep comprehension of the missing daos and some high-level artifact-repairing techniques. Honestly, he didn''t even know if it could be repaired. Lyra''s crazed eyes seemed to lose their edge as her gaze turned tranquil, and she wholly focused on her task. Hours passed in silence as Elder Vortexian watched spatial Qi, which was so pure even he was jealous, arc from Lyra''s fingertips and dance along the surface of the orb. She also kept looking up as if waiting for something to appear. Despite her tranquil gaze, it was evident Lyra was growing frustrated with the lack of progress, and by prodding the orb with his spiritual sense, Elder Vortexian could tell it was much the same as before. Not wanting to waste more time entertaining a spoiled child who had likely been told she could achieve anything all her life, he awkwardly coughed. "Ahem, let''s end it here, shall we. It''s clear you aren''t capable of repairing the artifact." "No," Lyra hissed through her teeth, "I can do it." Elder Vortexian shook his head, "Know when to give up. I will admit your talent is impressive, but it''s important to learn some humility in the face of failure." Elder Vortexian''s tone was not kind. This girl insulted his life''s work, called his peak a disgrace, told him their downfall was a long time coming, and was generally rude. He didn''t know her background, but it was clear she hadn''t been raised correctly, so he decided to vent his frustrations verbally by lecturing her. "Pride comes before the fall. Over the centuries, I have seen far too many cultivators consumed by pride and arrogance. It blinds them to the advice of others, convinces them they are untouchable, and they often use pride as a mask for their lacking capabilities." Elder Vortexian sighed as nostalgia clouded his mind. "Didn''t your family ever teach you the dangers of being consumed by pride?" Elder Vortexian felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise as a sudden pressure descended on the room. "My name is Stella Crestfallen," the girl looked at him as pressure cracked around her, causing Elder Vortexian to take a hesitant step back, "and my bloodline is the sin of pride. If I say I can fix this artifact, then on my family''s legacy, it will be done." Elder Vortexian gasped as he felt every bone in his body crushed under her gaze, and only one thought went through his mind. Wait, she is from that family?! Book 5 Cover + Fan Art! Version without text:
Now for the fan art! This first one is NOT Ashlock. It''s a picture of his offspring Quill in the library surrounded by an ink lake and the library! I now have this one set as my desktop background, as it''s simply beautiful. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Next up is Ashlock''s light Ent Sol! Not 100% accurate to how he appears in the novel, but they got the floating ball of light held up by a crown of arms perfectly :D
Next up is a picture of Nox. The artist said they made Nox''s canopy very wide so it would cast a large shadow, which I think is a great idea. There is also Nox''s shadow dryard form. Last but not least is our main man (tree), Ashlock. This picture shows the meeting between the Silverspires and the main cast on that rainy day in Chapter 228: Artifacts in book 3. I like this picture because it shows the sheer scale of Ashlock compared to the humans. Chapter 333: Pride Before The Fall Stella had really not wanted to reveal her true identity to Elder Vortexian. She had tried her absolute best to fix the origin stone with her current capabilities and knowledge of spatial dao, but it was nowhere near enough. Hours had passed, and as fatigue dug its gnarled claws into her mind, she had to accept the reality that she had made no clear progress. Yet she pressed on. Call it pride, stubbornness, or whatever else, but she was determined to try and fix it herself with her own power. She loved a challenge and became fully absorbed in her work. However, right as she began making a hint of progress by correctly identifying a missing dao, Elder Vortexian just had to open his mouth. He told her to give up, and she adamantly refused. Even if blood poured from her ears due to the headache of her bloodline, she would complete the task she set out to do. Elder Vortexian looked down his nose at her determination, and after lecturing her about the downfall of others due to pride, he said something he shouldn''t have. "Didn''t your family ever teach you the dangers of being consumed by pride?" Stella couldn''t let such a claim go unanswered. While pride may lead to the downfall for others, it was a source of power for her. Her family didn''t teach her about the dangers; they actively encouraged her to be as prideful as possible against any adversary. The greater the hurdle, the more help they would offer to overcome it. So long as the legacy of the Crestfallen bloodline was at stake, her ancestors would work to uplift her. In a way, her bloodline was the sin of pride. Stella removed Lyra''s mask and swore on her name that she would fix this origin stone. She felt her ancient bloodline stir awake, and a rising pressure filled the small room and bore down on her shoulders. Weirdly, upon learning her name, Elder Vortexian collapsed to his knees. "You''re from that family of tyrants?" He said in disbelief, his gaze growing distant as if horror had overtaken him. "There is one name that has reappeared in the annals of history since time immemorial, and it was always mentioned before the fall of the nine realms." Elder Vortexian met her eyes, "The Crestfallen family." Stella wanted to know what he was talking about, but before she could ask, the ceiling vanished. In its place was the celestial library, built inside a hollowed-out golden tree with rows of bookshelves spiraling up into infinity. He was also there, gazing down at her with stars for eyes. "Well, if it isn''t our bloodline''s rising star," the living cosmos thundered, making Stella almost spit blood. "Have you come to beg your ancestors for a quick solution again?" Stella grimaced as she defiantly remained standing despite the intense pressure on her soul. "What do you mean?" "This library is a part of you and is always watching over you," the cosmos replied. "As you put in the effort to learn new skills and develop yourself, knowledge will be slowly fed to you. It''s how you learned the skills you were so eager to brag to me about last time, such as alchemy and swordsmanship, in such a short period." Stella already knew this. What was the cosmos trying to tell her? "However, while forcing your ancestors'' hand by putting the legacy of the Crestfallen name at stake is a valid use of your bloodline as you are entitled to all the knowledge in this library, there are consequences to failure." The cosmos leaned in, and Stella felt her soul tremble, "Against the Lunarshade guards, you bet on the Crestfallen name you could defeat them with a single finger. We gave you the power you desired, yet you still failed¡ªdragging your legacy through the mud." Stella had thought her inability to recall the technique was her punishment for failure. Was there another punishment in store? "What price must I pay?" Stella said through gritted teeth. The cosmos laughed, "Luckily, you slaughtered everyone you challenged and lost to, so the price was simply the loss of the technique from the library forever. However, if you were to put the name of the Crestfallen family on the line, lose and let a foe escape with the knowledge of your shame..." The cosmos leaned in so close she felt like she could touch the stars, "Let''s just say you would learn why they say pride comes before the fall. Power comes at a price, little girl. You best remember that." Stella gulped. It looked like trying to manipulate her ancestors into giving her free powerups to overcome adversities had been fine so long as she won. But the moment she swore victory on the Crestfallen name and lost despite her ancestors'' support, they would quickly let her know why they should be feared. Though it made sense that they would be so harsh. Due to her failure, the Supreme Nirvana Finger technique had faded from the library for current and future Crestfallen bloodline holders. It was now gone forever unless someone found the lost technique and added it back to the library. The cosmos pulled back and laughed again, "And it looks like you are going to fail once again while betting your family name before a foe you cannot defeat." Stella''s eyes flickered to Elder Vortexian. While Maple could likely devour one of his arms to make him vanish again or at least defend her. If the Elder wanted to escape with the knowledge of her true name and failure, she could not stop a Monarch Realm spatial cultivator on home ground. If such an outcome occurred, she would have violated the pride of her bloodline and would have to face the vague and terrible sounding repercussions. Weirdly, in the face of such a seemingly dire situation, it only got Stella''s blood pumping. This wasn''t the first, nor would it be the last time she put everything on the line to overcome a seemingly impossible task. Cracking her knuckles and rolling her shoulders, she focused back on the orb. Now wasn''t the time to feel discouraged. "Let''s begin." She told the cosmos. "You have to be joking," The cosmos sneered, "Repairing an origin stone is no simple affair. That thing was birthed from the Qi of a dead origin far above you. You really messed up this time¡ª" "I don''t care," Stella retorted, "I said I would do it, so I will. Now, give me the knowledge to do so." The cosmos stared down at her for a moment in thought. "It might be possible as the Crestfallen bloodline shares similarities to the origins. But reforming an origin stone after daos have been ripped from it would require a comprehension level far beyond what someone at your level is capable of." "When have I ever adhered to the standards of cultivators at my level? Or do you think so lowly of a Crestfallen that such a simple task as repairing an origin stone is beyond me?" The cosmos grinned, revealing a sea of twinkling lights. "Oh, you''re a Crestfallen, all right. Very well, I will grant you the knowledge you need. Whether you succeed will be up to your own tenacity and capabilities as this will be a lengthy and torturous process." "I''m sure I''ve suffered worse," Stella said as the cosmos split into many arms and began pulling books from the shelves. The library overhead lit up as streams of information descended toward her. Knowing how much she had suffered having the Supreme Nirvana Finger technique forced into her mind, she panicked. Wouldn''t this overwhelm her mind and reduce her to a drooling vegetable?Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Stella''s spatial ring flashed, and she greedily devoured every fruit she could stuff her face with. As the cooling effect of the Mind Fortress fruit caressed her mind, it was effortlessly pulverized by an assault of knowledge. Her mind buzzed louder and louder as if there was a swarm of insects breeding inside her skull and desperately trying to find a way out. Stella screamed out in pain as she clenched the table for support. She tried shaking her head to free her mind from the terrible pain as the knowledge seeped into every nook and cranny of her brain, heating it up and making it pulse against the confines of her skull. "Your mental resilience is far higher than I expected," the cosmos mused. "If you manage to endure this level of input for a few more days, you might know enough to get started." Stella spat blood at his words. She had to endure this for days? "After that, the repair should take a few weeks..." I don''t have a few weeks! If I account for the time to repair and meditate. I might be pulled out of the Mystic Realm before I even get a chance to use the origin stone to learn the mysteries of Aether Qi. Stella dropped to one knee while still clutching the table to stabilize herself. There had to be a way. Straining her neck, she glared up at the cosmos. "More," she muttered through bloodstained teeth. "Mhm?" The cosmos glanced down at her, "What did you say?" "Give me more knowledge and faster. I don''t have days to waste." Stella said resolutely. She refused to entertain the idea that she would endure all of this, only to fix the origin stone and get pulled away before acquiring a higher affinity. Diana had become much more powerful after cultivating demonic mist Qi. If she left this realm without advancing a single stage, there was the terrifying possibility that others from the sect that were previously below her would now be of an equal level. That was simply unacceptable. If Tree needed something done or someone killed. She wanted to be the one he relied on. If she fell too far behind the others, her position in the sect would naturally fall. Perhaps even to the point of her becoming a burden for Tree. Compared to becoming a burden, what was a little pain? "You''re crazy, girl," The cosmos''s grin widened, "But perhaps the right type of crazy to pull this off." Stella felt another wave of knowledge burrow its way into her mind, and she instantly fell to both knees. The world was spinning, and her arms were violently trembling. Never in all her life had she felt this terrible, and she started to wonder through the pain that even if she survived this ordeal, wouldn''t she come out the other end insane? Insane but stronger than ever. Stella''s body gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. In her spinning, blurring vision, she reached out an arm and made a fist. "Tree, I''ll fix this origin stone for the both of us." "Stand up, girl." the cosmos bellowed, his voice shaking the world, "No matter your state of mind or body, you cannot show weakness before others." Stella felt a wave of energy pass through her body from above and despite the immense suffering, she found herself able to stand. *** Jasmine wanted to go home. Spitting the vile muck out of her mouth, she tried to haul her body from the sinking mud she had fallen into that covered her from head to toe as she had fallen face first off a small ridge. She wouldn''t usually have made such a blunder, but a tree root had been hidden under the flora in the darkness, and she had been checking the treeline for the floating flowers that would spew a poisonous gas if she got too close. "A little¡ªagh," Jasmine spat again in a vain attempt to remove the disgusting taste. This mud was undoubtedly made from beast waste if the stench was anything to go by. "A little help, please," she begged the towering light Ent that emerged through the foliage at the top of the ridge she had tumbled down and illuminated the area like a miniature sun. Life here in this jungle filled with poisonous plant monsters was made much more bearable by this Ent''s presence, and Jasmine swore she would thank Stella and Ashlock immensely for letting her use it. Sol lumbered down the slope and crouched beside the swamp''s edge. Jasmine could feel the warmth from its head radiating on her face. Due to the dense canopy overhead, this place got freezing at night and was incredibly dark. There was no moonlight to help navigate the treacherous paths through the foliage lined with monsters disguised as plant life, which was more obvious during the day but difficult to differentiate in the darkness. One of Sol''s many arms that looked like they were praising its floating head bent down. Jasmine grabbed hold of the offered hand and felt her arms strain as the Ent effortlessly hauled her out of the waist-deep mud. "Disgusting," Jasmine muttered as she was placed on the edge of the sinking mud by Sol. Grumbling curses to herself, she patted the ground to find a dry patch, and once she found a bit that wasn''t too bad, she sat down and crossed her legs. It had poured with rain yesterday, and the lingering smell of dampness still hung in the air. Under Sol''s reassuring light, she retrieved a fruit from her spatial ring and, after eating it, began to meditate. It had been a few days since she arrived in this floral hell, and she had long run out of usable clothes. The brutal heat and humidity during the day alone would have been enough to eat through her clothing supply in weeks, but add on the treacherous environment, and she was down to her last. The others had been torn to shreds, lost in bogs, or melted by these living miasmas that would hunt her at night. Out of desperation, she had been forced to try and rely on her cultivation to solve her issues as Sol hadn''t proven much help apart from becoming a walking drying rack the few times she had found a clear enough lake to wash her clothes. She had seen her Master sometimes use her spatial Qi to dry herself when she was too lazy to use a towel, so Jasmine had concluded that surely she could do the same. As it turned out, she could use her untamed Qi to somewhat rescue her from this muddy situation, but it was terribly slow compared to her Master, who could do it instantly at the snap of a finger. "Hopefully, it will be somewhat cleaned by morning," Jasmine muttered under her breath. For the next hour, she cycled her Qi and breathed in the intoxicatingly dense nature Qi all around her. Progress had been rapid. She had spent every waking moment since arriving here that wasn''t spent walking toward the temple in the distance cultivating and was already knocking on the door of the 9th stage of the Qi Realm. A little more, and she would have to forge a soul core of a specific affinity. Naturally, it would be of the nature affinity. But she still desired to take on a second affinity if she could. Desires aside, she still had a ways to go, so to the buzzing of insects and distant cries of birds, she cultivated in a bubble of light surrounded by an encroaching chilly darkness. Unfortunately, the calm never lasted long. It was still an hour from sunrise when Jasmine''s eyes snapped open. She planted a hand on the ground beside her in a hurry and intently watched the grass swaying. There are distant tremors. Jasmine looked at how the grass swayed and glanced at the ridge behind her. It''s approaching us from behind. Jasmine had felt these tremors before and knew the monster they belonged to. Since she didn''t know the name of anything, she had given it the name Icky Tree. "We have to go," Jasmine said, getting to her feet and wincing as she tried to get blood flowing through her numb legs. The cold from the mud and wet ground, combined with sitting cross-legged while meditating, had sent them to sleep. Icky Trees were slow-moving masses of rotting flora capable of smashing through trees and strangling monsters with venomous vines. If she tried to avoid them, there was no way they could catch up to her. She doubted they were even intelligent and simply attacked anything that got in their way. Shifting along the grass by practically dragging herself around the edge of the mud, she felt her blood run cold as she noticed the grass at the edge of Sol''s light swaying in a different direction. There have to be two of them, and they are approaching from both angles. Jasmine heard her heart pounding in her ears. She had almost died to an Icky Tree earlier in the week, but she had never encountered two at once. Which way should I go¡ª A loud crack was followed by shards of wood flying at her. Jasmine raised her fists, wreathed them with Qi, and punched at one heading straight for her, shattering it into splinters. Ow ow ow. Jasmine hissed as she cradled her hand. That punch had definitely broken most of the bones, and she could feel the warmth of blood trickling down her fingers. Gritting her teeth, she looked at the direction the monster was coming from, and her eyes widened as she saw the silhouette of a titanic mass move into view. Here it comes. First came the stench of decomposing plants, then the squelching as the mass moved over the mud toward her. Withering vines appeared at the edge of Sol''s light, followed by the rest of the lumbering mass of rot. Jasmine used a half-torn shirt from her spatial ring to quickly bandage her broken hand and then prepared to fight while suffering through the pain. Despite having an Ent at her side, she would face this monster alone. Never once had Sol stepped in to help her with a fight, and the Ent remained perfectly stationary like a tree as usual. Only if her life was endangered would it assist. Master really didn''t want to make my life easy, did she? Sol suddenly turned. Huh? One of his many arms retrieved a whisp of light from his head between its fingertips. Aiming at something behind her, Jasmine''s world went white as the Ent obliterated something behind her. Chapter 334: Poisonous Jasmine''s legs burned as she rushed through the thicket of the jungle. Streaks of light pierced through the foliage from Sol, illuminating her path. The Ent was following behind her with large strides and using its many arms to effortlessly shatter branches in showers of splinters that got in its way. Jasmine wasn''t sure in which direction she was even running anymore as she had long lost her bearings in an effort to run away from the Icky Tree. "This should... be far... enough," Jasmine said while gasping for air. Even with Qi cycling through her muscles, her lungs hurt as she balanced herself against a nearby tree and tried to get her breathing under control. "Thank the heavens... that stupid Icky Tree... tried to chase me across the sinking mud and got trapped." Sol stood wordlessly beside her as always. "Any chance... I could get some healing?" Jasmine asked as she slumped on an exposed moss-covered root and leaned against the random tree. Unlike the trees on Red Vine Peak that felt alive and would react when you got close, this one felt comparatively dead. It wasn''t actually dead. Just spiritually, there was nothing there. It was simply a typical tree. "No?" Jasmine raised a brow as Sol looked at her... or at least she thought the Ent was. It was hard to tell when its head was nothing but a floating ball of light. "Is it because I ran away from the Icky Tree instead of standing my ground and fighting it? You know I have no chance against those things..." Jasmine had made a fatal mistake during the incident at the clearing. In her shock at being pincered by two Icky Trees, she had given her back to the first one. Call it panic or outright stupidity, but she had made a mistake that should have killed her. But Sol had intervened. The Ent obliterated a monster that seemed like an immovable mountain to her by hurling a single wisp at it. It had been the first time Sol had displayed that level of power, having focused more on healing and protecting her while leaving the fighting to her where possible. Jasmine had seen glimpses of what her Master was capable of, but never anything like this. She knew Sol was considered to have a higher cultivation level than Stella, but she struggled with the idea that such a powerful creature was a mere servant to Ashlock. "I understand if you don''t want to heal me. My stupidity forced you to waste Qi." Jasmine curled up and burrowed her head into her knees. As the rush of battle drained and the biting chill of the night brought her back to reality, the pain in her broken hand from punching the flying wood made her tear up. This wasn''t training on Red Vine Peak, where if she had a miserable day, she could go home at night and have a nice home-cooked meal and a cozy bed to sleep in. She was trapped for a whole month in this jungle, along with a heartless Ent commanded by its master to do the bare minimum to keep her alive. Which was reassuring. She liked living. But it didn''t take away how miserable her situation was. I''m freezing, my last clothes are caked in mud, and I have barely eaten anything except dried meats and fruits for a whole week. I spend my nights terrified of dying and have to cultivate with one eye open. During the day, I struggle to breathe due to the heat and humidity, and bugs attack me endlessly. Not to mention, the plants want to devour me. Jasmine wanted to give up. The problem was she couldn''t even if she wanted to. The Mystic Realm didn''t care about her thoughts or feelings, so she had to endure it for a whole month. "Get yourself together," Jasmine hissed through clenched teeth. "Master also hunted for monsters in the vast wilderness in her youth. This is a passage all cultivators must go through as it will make them tougher..." Warm tears rolled down her cheeks. "Who am I kidding? I can''t do this." The tears flowed freely as she began sobbing. Her situation felt beyond hopeless. A sudden tender warmth spread through her body, and the terrible pain from her hand that she was clutching close to her chest numbed before fading away. "Huh?" Jasmine blinked away her tears and turned her head to the side to see Sol slowly standing up from a crouched position. His glowing head had notably dimmed from before tonight''s events. "You really healed me..." Jasmine had been warned before going in that Sol had to be careful with his Qi usage to last the whole month. Qi was a precious and limited resource for all cultivators that should only be expended when necessary. However, it was especially true for the Ents that required their Master to cultivate. Or at least that''s how she had understood the explanation. "Heavens, I''m pathetic," Jasmine said, taking a shaky breath. She felt a lot better after Sol''s healing, so she got back up and tried to pump herself up again. "I''ll find somewhere safe to cultivate before sunrise and try to reach the Soul Fire Realm. I bet that would make Master happy seeing such progress." Jasmine balled her fist. I also want to give Stella a worthy performance at the upcoming tournament. *** After finding a perfect spot beside a poisonous lake to cultivate for the day before sunrise, hours passed in the blink of an eye. Much to her annoyance, she was awoken by the falling of distant trees from her half-cultivating, half-asleep state. Due to the lake''s higher altitude on a hillside, she got a clearer view of her surroundings. Icky Trees again. Jasmine clicked her tongue¡ªa bad habit she had learned from Stella. I''m so close to condensing my untamed Qi into a soul core. Of course, I had to get interrupted. "Come on Sol, let''s move." Jasmine gathered her things and began to move. If there was one thing this Mystic Realm and the Icky Trees had taught her, it was how to live while always being on the move. I can see why Stella uses portals to get around all the time. Walking is such a pain. *** At the coming of dusk, Jasmine found herself wandering through the courtyard of a grey stone building overgrown with flora that looked vaguely similar to the one she had seen from her vantage point the day she arrived. Only it was better maintained than she had initially expected. From afar, the stone peeking through the vibrant green vines made her think of a long-lost ruin; however, the courtyard was suspiciously spotless, making the place seem more like a well-taken-care-of temple. The only weird thing was this swirling fog around the temple that smelled vaguely fruity. "Not coming?" Jasmine asked and slowed as she noticed Sol standing rooted in place at the entrance to the courtyard. Coming to a stop, she turned and put her hands on her hips. Possibly another bad habit she had picked up from her Master. "Why are you just standing there? I know it might be dangerous, but didn''t you hear about the chance of getting an inheritance?" Jasmine gestured to the giant temple, "Doesn''t this place just scream ''there''s a long lost inheritance inside?'' My increase in cultivation is great and all, but do you know how famous and respected Elder Mo became after he got spirit fire?" As always, Sol was not one to participate in a conversation. "Fine. I still plan to go inside, but I''ll prepare a bit more." Jasmine walked over, rested against a stone pillar near Sol, and began cultivating the dense nature Qi swirling all around her. "I could get addicted to this Qi." After leaving the Mystic Realm, Jasmine feared how terrible cultivating in the real world would feel. Assuming she survived until the end, that is.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. If I died, I wonder how Master would react. Would she find my death inconvenient because she would need to spend effort raising a new disciple to take on her annoying tasks in the future? Jasmine smiled. I''m sure that''s the attitude she would show others. Through our link, I know that''s not how she would really feel, though. Stella puts on a tough act but deeply cares for those close to her. Jasmine shuddered slightly as she remembered following Stella into the cave to eradicate the rogue cultivators in the mine under Ashfallen City. However, she was utterly emotionless and cold through our link as she slaughtered those she deemed enemies to Ashlock. It was as if she were merely taking out the trash instead of killing people. Getting rid of those thoughts, Jasmine focused on herself. Hours passed as she devoured fruits and carefully compressed the untamed Qi in her body. Almost there! This should count as the Soul Forge stage, so all I have left to do is form a soul core with a specific affinity. Jasmine constantly cycled the Qi through her spirit roots and slowly watched as her spirit roots converted the untamed Qi into nature Qi. By night''s arrival, she had let out a deep breath as she marveled at her soul. A small marble of condensed nature Qi was suspended within her body. It fluctuated like a baby''s heart as she drew Qi from it and also absorbed the surrounding Qi to replenish it. She could tell it wasn''t yet fully formed, but for all intents and purposes, it was done. My very own soul core! Jasmine grinned from ear to ear as she opened her palm and pulled on her soul core to conjure a tiny flickering flame of green. It was about as intimidating as a candle flame and looked like it would snuff out at the slightest wind, but Jasmine didn''t care. She could finally use Qi beyond her body, meaning she could learn nature techniques and could finally call herself a real cultivator. This was a stage mortals couldn''t reach naturally during their lifetime, no matter how Qi-dense the area they lived in. Jasmine snuffed out the flame by clenching her hand. Mother, father, I did it. I''m an actual cultivator now and will live for hundreds of years! Her hand slowly fell to her side as she realized something. Doesn''t that mean they will die way before I do, as they are both still mortals? No¡ªI can''t let that happen. I have to make sure they both work hard to cultivate as well. With more determination than ever, Jasmine set her sights on the stone temple, now shrouded in darkness. Sol, who still stood at her side, partially illuminated the courtyard. But the temple''s entrance was barely visible, with only the moonlight sneaking through the foliage. It was creepy¡ªmade worse by the stifling silence. What had happened to the constant drone of bugs or the distant crashing of trees as the Icky Trees went about their senseless rampages. There was none of that here. Around the temple, it was deathly quiet. Jasmine bit her lip as she took hesitant steps forward. She cautiously shuffled across the courtyard while reacting to every slight movement in the corner of her eye. Her whole body was tense, and her heart softly pounded in her ears. A sudden noise made her jump back a step like a scared cat. "Whew, that scared me. It was just a loose rock I kicked..." That was odd. Hadn''t the courtyard looked flawless before? She would have noticed some loose rocks lying around as they would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Walking forward, she was unable to find this rock anywhere. It was as if the ground had eaten it up, or she was hallucinating. "Am I going crazy?" Jasmine muttered. Shaking her head, she approached the entrance, and Sol reluctantly followed her. The doorway was draped with seemingly harmless green vines, so she cautiously made her way through the curtain of green. She dared not venture further until Sol made his way through and illuminated the dark hallway. "Sorry to intrude," Jasmine said in a tiny voice as she glanced around. Not seeing anything except pristine stone, which looked like it had been washed recently. Why is everything so clean? Does somebody live here? Jasmine didn''t like it at all. She would have much preferred a long-abandoned ruin than this strange temple. Venturing down the hallway with nothing but the sound of their feet accompanying their journey into the darkness, they eventually came across a room. In the middle of the room was a table decorated with a royal red cloth embroidered with a beautiful golden floral pattern. It was such a work of art it was almost impossible to believe it was real. However, what really drew her attention was a large bowl of vibrant fruit in its center. Jasmine squinted at the fruit. She had never seen anything that looked so vibrant and delicious. Her stomach rumbled, and without noticing, she licked her lips. Jasmine had never felt so hungry for something in her life. Reaching forward, she picked up a banana from the options, which was heavier than expected. Peeling back its skin, Jasmine had some vague conflicting thoughts. First of all, why was she suddenly so hungry? Sure, she had a bad diet the last few days and desired some of her mother''s home-cooked meals, but this was a bowl of fruit. She had piles of delicious fruits in her spatial ring that Ashlock had grown. Something is terribly wrong. Jasmine thought as she paused her peeling. Why is there a bowl of such ripe-looking fruit here to begin with? Nothing makes any sense. "If nothing makes sense, then the only logical answer is that it can''t be real," Jasmine muttered a line Elaine had told her once during training. The pristine temple, the missing rock, the fog that smelled vaguely sweet... Jasmine looked down at the heavy banana in her hand. Why didn''t it smell of anything despite looking so delicious? Actually, when was the last time she noticed the smell of anything at all? The last time was the sweet fog outside the temple. Since then, I haven''t noticed the smell of anything. "Sol, we need to run¡ª" The room suddenly lit up as torches of flickering green flames, much like her own soul fire, ignited one by one along the walls, revealing the room to be far more extensive than she had thought and also something truly terrifying. This whole time, a monstrous mass of green vines and floral maws had been shifting in the darkness beyond Sol''s light and had surrounded them. "Ah?!" Jasmine felt the thing in her hand wiggle. Dropping it in fright, she looked at what it had been and was horrified to find the table was now nothing but a cracked slab of stone. The beautiful tablecloth was gone, as was the bowl of fruit. The banana hadn''t even been real¡ªshe had been holding one of the green vines in disguise. It had all been an illusion from the start. That darn fog tricked me! Jasmine felt the blood drain from her face as she slowly backed up, but there was nowhere to go. The entrance to the room was buried under a shifting mass of vines. "Sol! Get us out of here!" Jasmine cried out. The Ent responded in kind by retrieving a wisp of light and aiming at the entrance. Flicking the wisp, a light beam burned the vines away, making a clear exit. Even with the singed vines, I can''t smell anything. The fog must still be here. Jasmine noted as she dashed forward. "Come on, let''s go¡ª" Something pulled her feet together, and she hit the floor. Hard. Her head rang, and her vision blurred as an intense pain shot up her chin. The perfect stone floors had also been a lie. They were cracked and jagged, and she had smacked her head on one such bit of rock. What... happened... Jasmine tried to blink to stop the world from spinning. Whatever was coiled around her legs tightened and began dragging her along the floor. She felt the burning pain biting into her numbed limbs, and before long, the burning had spread through her body. There was a flash of light, and the burning tightness around her legs lessened. Sol''s familiar healing light washed through her body a moment later, purging the burning and healing the many wounds and nausea. Finally, after getting a hold of herself, Jasmine could determine what had happened. The mass of vines had caught her legs, injected her with poison through spikes, and then tried to drag her off somewhere, likely to devour her like Ashlock did to the snacks Stella brought him. "I almost became plant food," Jasmine said, her eyes wide with disbelief and her chest rapidly rising and forward as she hyperventilated. It had drawn her in with illusions, and if not for Sol, she would have been long dead even if she had a higher cultivation level. In hindsight, she couldn''t believe she had fallen for such a trap. There had been so many signs along the way, but her inexperience and greed for an inheritance had almost led to her demise. The monster shifted away, back into the shadows. Sol stood defiantly next to her, a wisp of light at the ready. Jasmine took the opportunity to quickly check on her newly formed soul core. She had cycled Qi during the attack to try to strengthen her body from being crushed by the vines, and she was unsure if she had drained it fully. Hold on. Jasmine sat down and closed her eyes. Within her soul space, there was some lingering poison Qi that Sol had failed to purge thoroughly from her body. Her own freshly formed soul core was consuming it¡ªand absorbing it. Is this how I can take on a second affinity? Jasmine wondered. She had been told that she should pick her second affinity before forming her soul core, as once it was fully formed, it was nearly impossible to take on more affinities. She had thought she could not take on a second affinity since she had formed her nature soul core, but maybe there was still a window of opportunity to get a second affinity. You know what? This realm, and especially this monster, has taught me that poison and illusions work very well with nature affinity. I don''t see myself learning all three. But poison shouldn''t be so hard to cultivate back home, with Stella already able to create poisons with alchemy and Ashlock''s capabilities in growing poisonous fruits and plants. "I''ve decided. Poison is going to be my second affinity." Jasmine told no one but herself as she stood back up and walked toward the slithering darkness. So long as Sol was at her side, she would survive long enough to thoroughly absorb enough poison Qi. The agonizing pain of assimilating poison into her body that followed was par the course, but what she hadn''t expected was how bringing poison Qi into her soul would turn her into something... monstrous. Chapter 335: Shadow Sovereigns Legacy Ashlock could use Progeny Dominion multiple times a week as he could offset the incurred soul damage by recovering under the nine moons'' healing energies. But that didn''t mean he wanted to. Soul damage was scary, and as fun as exploring the pocket realms alongside his sect members could be, it was sometimes frustrating. Morrigan had left him with more questions than answers before she vanished to ''prove her trustworthiness'' to him. His concerns about being an origin aside, she had strongly suggested he venture deeper into the Shadow Veil Sanctum in search of this ''Dark Throne,'' which sounded like an inheritance. So, they continued onwards despite Nox and himself completing their objective of saving Evelyn from a Nascent Soul pocket realm that contained monsters far above her capabilities. "I swear we have gone through this shadow rift before," Ashlock said as they warped through a crack in the darkness and floated down a giant corridor that looked suspiciously familiar. "No, the flow of darkness is different in here," Nox reassured him, "I''m now more sure than ever that the Shadow Sovereigns designed this place to only be navigatable by those with high aptitude for shadow Qi and are at least in the Nascent Soul Realm." She closed her eyes and pointed in a seemingly random direction, "If we trust my instincts and follow the flow, we should eventually locate the Dark Throne." Ashlock had been very excited about what an inheritance from one of the most powerful factions fighting for dominance on the upper layers would entail. But the excitement had been slowly drained from him as he spent two whole days lost in an endlessly dark building going in and out of these shadow rifts, which were the only way to move between rooms in the castle as there were no doorways. Due to the time dilation, he had around a day left until it would be nighttime in the real world, and his connection to Nox would be cut. Ideally, he wanted to find and secure the inheritance alongside Nox before then, as he didn''t want to incur soul damage to continue exploring this darn castle anymore. However, being stuck in one realm was making him feel anxious. He had checked Stella''s realm a few times out of habit to ensure nothing seemed out of the ordinary, as she had a history of causing trouble. [Tournament Realm: Description: A once-empty pocket realm devoid of Qi repurposed into a tournament realm. It''s owned by the Jade Emperor''s Consortium and rented out to sects and clans for a fee. Qi Level: Star Core Realm Environment: Peaceful Monsters: None Current Occupants: 2] Thankfully, she seemed to have ended up in a peaceful-sounding realm that wasn''t owned by the Azure Clan for once. So long as she kept to herself and found a quiet corner to cultivate in, everything would be fine. "It''s not like she has any incentive to mess with a tournament..." Ashlock tried to convince himself but eventually sighed. "Who am I kidding? She will find one way or another to cause me trouble." The only things stopping Ashlock from rushing over to check on her was the incentive of the Dark Throne, his system not mentioning the Azure Clan in the pocket realm''s description, and Maple was with Stella. That little squirrel had a soft spot for Stella and would do his best to protect her, and few things could threaten a Worldwalker who wanted to go all out, even with heaven''s carefully woven reality heavily restricting his powers. So here he was, stuck in this castle of darkness and trusting Nox to lead the way. They had encountered absolutely nothing since the Eclipse Behemoth guarding the entrance. However, the Qi here was very dense, so Nox and Evelyn were busy cultivating. While shadow Qi was mostly useless to him, when his soul shard returned to his main body, he would get a share of the Qi Nox had cultivated during their journey. "I really hope this next shadow rift results in something," Ashlock grumbled. He was tempted to use a portal of his own to close the gap, but the shadow Qi in here was so dense that it was a total waste. He could barely cover much distance at all. "For a tree, you''re terribly impatient, you know." Nox telepathically replied to him so Evelyn couldn''t hear. "These things take time and patience." "I..." Ashlock swallowed his response. He had been rather useless thus far in traversing the darkness as his spatial capabilities were hindered in here, so all he had to occupy himself over the last two days was complaining, worrying about Stella and the other sect members, and wondering about life. Environmental advantages were sometimes ridiculous. He wouldn''t be able to traverse this place even if he was in the Monarch Realm. Feeling bored as the Bastion moved forward at a snail''s pace, he opened his system. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3626 Daily Credit: 60 Sacrifice Credit: 2143 [Sign in?] It was a decent number with plenty of options. Ashlock had considered upgrading his mutations earlier but was now debating a different option. [Directly upgrading the skill {Mystic Realm [S]} will consume 5729 credits] He was unsure what the upgrade would entail, and the cost was terribly high. But the value in the Mystic Realm for his sect''s development was irrefutable. "I''ll have to see how many credits I can amass by the end of this round in the Mystic Realm first," Ashlock mused, "But if there are Nascent Soul pocket realms filled with monsters like this one should be, then reaching five thousand credits is doable." He could also gacha pull with that many credits and guarantee a new random SSS grade draw. The options were endless, which is what made it so much harder to decide how to spend them. "Let''s focus on amassing as many as possible first and letting it grow in the divine stock market. Spending can come later," Ashlock dismissed his system and focused back on his surroundings. The almost impossible-to-make-out rift in the darkness was right up ahead. "I think this is the one we have been looking for," Nox said. "Really? Why?" "The shadow Qi pouring out of this rift is immense," Nox spread out her hands, and Ashlock felt a tug on the Bastion Core as the shields took on a darker shade as they powered up. "Whatever is on the other side of this shadow rift is unlikely to welcome our visit." "If that''s the case, let''s get all the Bastions capabilities powered up to the maximum." Ashlock pulled deeply on the Bastion Core. The stone along the ship''s edge cracked as black flowers a person high sprouted and all swiveled to aim ahead. [Shadow Artillery: ACTIVE] Shadow Qi poured out of the ship and began to shroud the Bastion, pushing back against the surrounding darkness. They were now surrounded by a storm of shadows under their absolute control. [Shadow Storm: ACTIVE] "Okay, ready. Push us through." Ashlock commanded. Nox nodded. The ship lurched forward and was swallowed by the darkness. [Now entering the Spectral Tombs] His system informed him of the room with golden words hanging in his vision the moment he set his spiritual gaze on what lay beyond the rift. In the expansive room were enormous statues of obsidian carved in the shape of dignified-looking cultivators. They were so towering that Ashlock estimated Nox''s Bastion to be the size of one of their fingers. "What the hell is this," Ashlock muttered. He had never felt so small in his life. Just who were these Shadow Sovereigns that dominated the upper layers? Did they mine out entire worlds to construct this place? Ashlock hated to admit it, but it made the statues in Willow''s library look cute in comparison. "Whoa¡ª" Evelyn yelled, shocked out of her cultivation by the entire Bastion jerking to the side. The shadow shield rippled and reformed¡ªsomething powerful had struck them out of nowhere.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Nox, what just hit us?!" Ashlock said as the lilac flames around Nox flared up, and he boosted his spiritual perception to its maximum to try to penetrate the darkness and find the culprit. "I have no idea," Nox admitted as her avatar rushed to the left side of the Bastion and pointed into the endless darkness ahead of them, "The attack came from over there, and considering it punched a hole in our shield, the enemy is at least in the middle stages of the Nascent Soul Realm." "Shit, this is bad." Ashlock looked behind them, and the shadow rift they had passed through had long closed. They were trapped here with an unknown enemy far more powerful than anything he had encountered before¡ªand worst of all, they had the environmental advantage. Thinking of what to do, he recalled the fight with the Lunarshade Grand Elder. "I have an idea," Ashlock said, moving the Bastion forward. "What are you... oh." "Shields at full power, we are going to rush them," Ashlock funneled Qi into the Bastion Core from his body back into the real world and felt the immense power flow through the entire Bastion, and the shields pulsed with power. There was just one problem¡ªthey weren''t traveling over his roots, so the Bastion was terribly slow. Since he was paying attention this time, Ashlock barely saw the bolt of shadow before it impacted the shield and took out a solid chunk of it. "Khaos, guard Evelyn. The remaining void reapers will stand at the front and prepare for imminent combat." Ashlock instructed, and his loyal Ents moved to fulfill his commands. Khaos stood before Evelyn and wreathed her four claws in void Qi. The other void Ents followed suit by standing on the Bastion''s bow and looking ready to tear apart the first thing they saw. The Bastion''s shadow shield rapidly regenerated but wasn''t fast enough. Another shadow bolt hit the same spot a mere moment after the first. Thankfully, one of the void reapers reacted quickly and swatted it out of existence with void Qi. However, Ashlock could tell that it had taken almost all of that Ent''s Qi as it could barely stand afterward. "Retreat and I will recharge you with Qi," Ashlock told the void reaper while preparing a black root. If there was one thing he had an excess of right now, it was Qi. The Ent complied, and after staggering across the Bastion, he hooked it up with the black root and began refilling its Star Core with Qi. "I have eyes on the enemy!" Nox informed him. "Oh? What is it?" "A person... I think?" Nox hesitated, "There''s something wrong with them." Ashlock found out what she was talking about a moment later when a colossal statue that towered over the rest came partially into view. In its upturned open palm, a humanoid wreathed in a cloak of shadows stood there with their finger pointed at them. Shadow Qi coiled around the humanoid''s wrist and seemed to be regathering to form another attack. "What the hell is that?" Ashlock said to himself as he tried to understand what he was seeing. [That is a Shadow Lich. They are undead monsters artificially created by the Shadow Sovereigns out of the bodies of their disciples to guard their tombs] "Their disciples?" Ashlock asked, horrified. Had this abomination of bone once been the disciple of whoever this statue was depicting? [In the upper realms, it''s usual practice for masters to require disciples to agree to death contracts should the master die. It''s a way to prevent betrayals from the disciples and ensure the highest level of loyalty] "That''s diabolical," Ashlock paused, "But also a really good idea... wait, that''s beside the point." Now was not the time to appreciate the practices of the Shadow Sovereigns. Before him was a Nascent Soul Realm monster created from the bones of this statue''s disciple. "Let''s blast it to death." Nox agreed. All of the plants on the ship simultaneously aimed toward the lich. Spikes of shadow Qi grew on their petals, and then, on Ashlock''s command, they fired out all at once. The Shadow Lich weirdly moved like a human as it crouched down and opened both its palms to summon a consuming abyss of shadows that devoured the incoming attacks and seemingly added to its own reserves. "Shadow attacks are wasted on a foe like this," Nox said, stating the obvious. She turned to her tree, which was aflame with lilac soul fire. "Defeating it is up to you." "Leave it to me." The lilac soul flames flared as he smashed the lich with the full weight of his presence. Yet, even with the addition of his Inner World, the Shadow Lich seemed capable of resisting it. What the lich didn''t manage to resist was Spatial Lock, as with the addition of the Inner World, Ashlock could lock down anyone not in the Monarch Realm by abusing his soul''s more significant capabilities. With his foe unable to run, he just had to find a way to defeat it. Deciding to hit it all at once, he first activated {Abyssal Devourer [A]}, his newly upgraded attack skill. It was perfect for defeating more powerful foes, assuming he could get close enough, as after the upgrade, his thorn-covered vines had a corrosive aura that devoured the Qi of anyone nearby and fed it back to him to replenish his Qi reserves. Also, targets impaled by Ashlock''s void tendrils would experience a draining effect, where their life force and Qi were slowly consumed, healing him and restoring his Qi reserves. Now, he wasn''t sure if this undead even had any life force to take, but if it did, he would make sure to drain the life out of it until it stayed dead. The void lake spread out from Nox alongside innumerable tendrils of void and thorn-covered vines. Moving the Bastion closer, Ashlock began an assault of spatial attacks to keep the lich busy. Reality split as if a demon from another realm had slashed with his claw as Ashlock unleashed his arsenal of spatial techniques. The attack was imbued with wind dao from his Inner World to make it faster and more chaotic in an effort to reduce the chance of the lich reacting in time. Portals also opened, and he directed his soul flame-wreathed swords through them with telekinesis to skewer the lich and shatter its bones. The lich answered the slashes in reality by simply waving his hand and effortlessly blocking them with a wall of shadow Qi. Meanwhile, the swords made an impact but bounced off the constantly shifting cloak of shadows that protected the lich''s body. Despite how small the lich seemed compared to the Bastion, it was far from weak. In fact, it was stronger than Ashlock and Nox, but the immense pressure coming from the lich was reduced by the Shadow Storm surrounding the Bastion. "Luckily, those were just distractions." Ashlock had never expected his spatial attacks to have an effect on enemies in this shadow pocket realm, even with his Inner World empowering them with other daos. The void lake, alongside the tendrils and vines, rushed over the Bastion''s side onto the statue''s open palm that could hold a town. The lich answered the incoming tide by walking backward, spreading his arms, and twisting the surrounding shadows into an army of darkness. Fiends and other monstrosities manifested and charged fearlessly at the incoming surge of void tendrils and vines. Ashlock didn''t hold back on expending sacrificial credits as the void tendrils annihilated the twisted darkness. Any fiends they missed had vines coiling around them. The corrosive aura made the shadow constructs melt in real time as the Qi was drained from their bodies and fed directly to Ashlock''s Bastion Core. "Go, go, go!" Nox cheered him on as she watched the attack unfold off the side of the Bastion. "It''s nowhere near won yet." Ashlock assisted his tendrils and vines by tearing through the constantly forming army with more Spatial Blades. Reality kept tearing open and cutting the forming shadows in half before the lich could finish summoning them. "Hold on¡ªthe lich is preparing something big," Nox suddenly warned him; her excitement had faded, and she seemed genuinely concerned by her tone. "These summoned shadows are distractions. An unbelievable amount of shadow Qi is gathering toward the lich''s soul." Ashlock had been so focused on wiping out the army that he hadn''t noticed the change in flow. Sure enough, the lich was like a vortex and shadow Qi poured into it but didn''t seem to be going toward the army. It was being gathered for something else. "What should we do?" "Run... but we can''t." Nox grimaced, "The Bastion is too slow to avoid whatever is coming, and the amount of Qi that lich has gathered eclipses the realm of attack my shield can defend against. We either need to kill it now or escape this pocket realm." Ashlock refused to leave now when they were so darn close. Before him was a Nascent Soul Realm monster that he could devour for credits or turn into an Ent to fight Vincent and the upcoming beast tide with. That alone would make this whole trip worth it, but there was apparently even more to discover. "No, we won''t run." Ashlock said, "Void reapers and Khaos, go kill the lich." All four operational void Ents gave him a slight bow before they Void Stepped toward their target. The void affinity was powerful, but there was an entire realm gap between the Ents and the lich. He had hoped to defeat the lich without risking them, but the lich was forcing his hand. He had to go all out. The Ents emerged from the void nearby and rushed the Shadow Lich. The lich noticed the void reapers'' arrival and immediately stopped focusing on creating an army of darkness. The three void Ents made from the Voidmind Elders with heads took the lead and dug their void-wreathed claws into the lich. "What is the void affinity doing here?" the lich spoke in a grating voice that was hard to listen to as its two eye sockets ignited with soul flames. "It can speak?!" Ashlock was taken aback. Despite being impaled by void claws, the lich seemed unfazed as he put both hands on the shoulder of one of the Ents and forcefully channeled an unbelievable amount of shadow Qi through his skeletal fingers. The Ent tried to resist the assault with its void Qi but had its entire supply of void Qi annihilated in mere seconds. The Ent looked up at the sky as spikes of shadow erupted from inside. Ashlock felt his connection cut as the Ent''s head rolled to the side. "Shit!" Ashlock shouted as the dead Ent withered to dust between the lich''s fingers. He had known there would be a gap, but that was far too one-sided. However, before the lich could disintegrate his next target, Khaos rushed forward and thrust all four claws into the lich''s face. The lich''s shadow armor prevented him from dying, but he did lose his balance and fall backward. Before the lich knew what had happened, Khaos stood on top of him, relentlessly tearing into his shadow armor alongside the other void Ents. A moment later, Ashlock''s {Abyssal Devourer} finished getting through the lich''s hastily conjured army and joined the Ents in devouring the lich''s shadow armor that was barely keeping up with the onslaught. "How much Qi does this skelly have? What the hell?" Ashlock wondered as he felt the immense amount of Qi flowing through his roots back to the Bastion. "Master..." the lich uttered, his body barely visible under the withering mass of void tendrils and vines. "I have guarded you for eons and have failed you. I leave the protection of your legacy and the Dark Throne to you..." "The lich is doing something again!" Nox cried out and ran back from the edge of the Bastion. "Wha¡ª" Ashlock didn''t have time to react as an explosion of shadow Qi left the lich''s body. However, to his surprise, the blast wasn''t aimed at him. It went down into the statue''s hand. [The Shadow Lich''s Qi signature is gone] Ashlock confirmed the system''s message by moving his tendrils and vines aside. The lich''s shadow armor was gone, as were the soul flames in its eye sockets. It was dead¡ªfor real this time. He pulled his vines and tendrils away and used telekinesis to bring the body to the Bastion, as he wasn''t sure if he wanted to turn the lich into credits or an Ent just yet. "I wonder why it gave up like that¡ª" The statue''s hand began to tremble. "Huh? What''s happening? I thought the lich was dead?" Ashlock asked in confusion and looked around. Had the lich''s attack intended to destroy the statue so they couldn''t defile it? While looking around, Ashlock saw Nox standing there wordlessly, staring up at something. Ashlock followed her gaze and felt his soul freeze. The colossal statue was looking down at them with eyes of blazing soul fire so black that it felt like he was staring into the abyss. "That thing can move?!" Ashlock didn''t hesitate. He cast his SS grade skill {Necroflora Sovereign} to turn the Shadow Lich into an Ent. If he needed to defeat the master, he wanted their disciple on his side. Chapter 336: Gaze Of The Colossus "Evelyn, you need to leave. Now." Ashlock said as he opened a portal that led back to Red Vine Peak. "Don''t worry. You can reenter the Mystic Realm fog and pick another hopefully more suitable pocket realm." "But¡ª" "If you stay for a moment longer, you will die," Ashlock said bluntly. Now was not the time to mess around. The seed of death Qi was about to be deposited within the shadow lich, beginning its transformation into an Ent that would obey his every command. Evelyn glanced between the statue looming over them and Nox. Ashlock knew that she didn''t intend to fight, as this battle was way beyond her. However, it was natural for cultivators to want to witness higher-level cultivator battles, as they could glean insight and even enlightenment. It was just like how, back on earth, students would watch and learn a lot from watching masters at their craft. This was especially true for Evelyn right now, considering this was between shadow cultivators, which was her affinity. Unfortunately, Ashlock had no way to guarantee her safety in the face of the creation of his first-ever Nascent Soul Ent. Evelyn gave a short bow toward the tree, "Thank you for rescuing me earlier," she then looked at Nox''s avatar with softer eyes than usual. Despite forgiving Nox for her past actions, Evelyn usually had a slight wariness when looking at her sister. "Good luck, sister." Nox waved and smiled, "See you soon, and cultivate hard." Evelyn nodded, and thankfully, Shadow Stepped to the portal and jumped through it. She barely had time to turn and wave goodbye to Nox through the rift before death Qi radiated out from the Shadow Lich in a surge. The death Qi and spatial Qi of his portal violently reacted, and the rift promptly collapsed. The death Qi continued its destructive chaos as it swirled around Nox''s tree and hissed violently as it interacted with the Shadow Shield enshrouding the Bastion. Ashlock had expected the death Qi to be potent but was somewhat surprised to see Nox''s black leaves wither to dust and some of the weaker branches take on a grey shade as they decayed due to the death Qi. "Nox? Are you alright?" Ashlock asked with concern as he protected the main trunk by wrapping it in as much spatial Qi as he could force through his soul fragment. "Just about..." Nox replied telepathically. "Where is your avatar?" Ashlock said as he noticed it missing. Had the death Qi killed the other half of her soul? "Over here," Nox''s shadow avatar waved from beyond the Bastion''s shield. "Whew, I thought something bad happened," Ashlock sighed with relief. Funnily enough, it was safer out there than inside this death bubble. If Evelyn had stayed a moment longer, she would have died without a doubt. The death Qi subsided a moment later, and Ashlock focused on the Shadow Lich. With the death Qi preparing the corpse for its transformation, he now had a brief chance to mentally alter his creation. "Do I want to change anything, or should I let the system decide for me?" Ashlock mused. If he did decide to make changes, it would cost a ridiculous amount of Qi and possibly drain all of his Inner World''s Qi reserves. Trying to alter the genetic code of a mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator that had been turned into an undying monstrosity of bone from a long-distant past sounded like a great way to nullify any progress he had made toward the 2nd stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. Keeping his mind blank, he let the system take the reins. The unmoving white skeleton that had once been the Shadow Lich now looked rather harmless without its cloak of darkness and burning eyes filled with hatred. Its eternal rest was cut short as cracks began to form before it disintegrated and was pulled into the seed. [Even without altering the body genetics, it will result in something fitting for your first Nascent Soul Ent] "Thank you," Ashlock replied to his system. He didn''t want to give it any suggestions regarding its appearance or capabilities as that may trigger a draining of his Qi. "But maybe hurry the process up a little. We are about to get squashed." Ashlock said that as kindly as he could without sounding panicked. But the fact of the matter was the statue had taken notice of them, and in the darkness, and by its posture, he could tell it was reeling back its titanic fist. Which was not good as they were currently a sitting duck in its palm. The creation of his first Nascent Soul Realm Ent should have been a glorious affair. He dreamed of it for a while, but sadly, the situation didn''t allow him to take a second to enjoy the moment. Death was knocking. [Don''t worry :) The Shadow Lich will rise once more¡ªthis time in service to a new master] A shoot of white bamboo reminiscent of bone shot up from the seed to around three meters tall. It was slightly curved as if blown over by the wind. Tiny branches then sprouted down its length. They rapidly grew outward and twisted into the vague shape of a ribcage. The main bamboo shoot then split down the middle into legs and arms. The system had created a vaguely hunchbacked undead out of bone-looking bamboo. However, it was not yet done. Strange runes were carved on the surface of the bamboo as the Ent raised its hands to the sky as if welcoming the coming of a god. The runes glowed with a sinister darkness followed by a majestic cape of shifting shadows running down the Ent''s back and black flames flaring to life in its once empty eye sockets. Ashlock tried to look inside the Ent''s ribcage from the front, but now all he saw was an endless darkness, like an abyss. It was as if the darkness had been trapped within the Ent like a prison. Snakes of shadow coiled up the Ent''s arms, and for the first time in forever, Ashlock felt intimidated by his own creation as the Ent turned to look at him. The last time had been the Ent he made for Senior Lee to house the Voidmind librarian who tried to kill him. [Creation of the 5th stage Nascent Soul Realm Shadow Lich Ent is complete] "Just in time¡ª" Ashlock looked up and saw the statue''s fist descending on them like a meteor through the darkness, "¡ªShadow Lich, stop your old master''s attack." [Shadow Lich honors your command] A level of power far beyond Ashlock erupted from the lich''s hands as an enormous claw of solidified shadow shot upwards like a roaring dragon and met with the incoming fist. Ashlock had been anticipating a few outcomes, but he hadn''t foreseen the shadow claw from his new Ent not only stopping the attack dead in its tracks like a brick wall but also the claw fingers curling around and digging into the statue''s fist¡ªshattering it.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Pieces of obsidian rained down around the shadow claw and fell upon the Bastion''s shield like iceberg-sized chunks of hail, causing the shield to ripple with every impact. "Is the statue not as strong as I feared?" Ashlock wondered. He spread out his spiritual senses to analyze the statue more closely. It definitely had the presence of a Nascent Soul Realm, but the pressure from its gaze had decreased considerably in such a short time. "Ah, I see what''s going on," Ashlock said, seeing the flames in its eyes dimmed slightly. "Like my Ents, this statue is running on borrowed Qi. That explains why I didn''t notice it before the Shadow Lich sacrificed itself to shove all its Qi into the statue. I would guess the only Qi it has to work with was gifted by its disciple." Which made sense. If the statue still had Qi to defend its legacy, it wouldn''t have needed one of its disciples to stand as an eternal guard. "So that was a last-ditch suicidal effort by the Shadow Lich," Ashlock mused, "Almost like a final show of loyalty to his long-dead master." The colossal statue didn''t give up despite its fading lease on existence. Its palm trembled and cracked as its fingers, rising like towers, came into view and curled around the Bastion. Ashlock imbued his Spatial Blades with earth dao from his Inner World to give them more punch and struck the obsidian fingers. The statue didn''t even have enough Qi to coat itself in Shadow Armor, so the tears in reality sliced into the fingers, sending showers of obsidian as the fingers fractured. The palm rumbled as the fingers slowly cracked off before Ashlock used telekinesis to push them off into the abyss of darkness below. "Shadow Lich, defend the Bastion against any further incoming attacks," Ashlock instructed, and the Ent honored his orders by rising up on a pillar of shadow beyond the Bastion''s shield. The runes carved into his bamboo bones glowed with power as his Ent pulled the surrounding Qi into himself. "Holy shit, Nascent Soul Realm Ents can do that?" Ashlock said. He had wondered how the Shadow Lich was fighting when it had been almost devoid of Qi when he turned into an Ent. That aside, Ashlock had a moment to decide what to do. The statue clearly had a remnant of a soul somewhere inside, meaning he could also turn it into an Ent. The other option was devouring it for credits. However, since the statue relied on borrowing Qi to fight, Ashlock was unlikely to get that many credits from devouring it compared to its seemingly high cultivation level. Not to mention how darn big the thing is, it would take all day to finish eating it. "If I turn it into an Ent, that would give me two Nascent Soul Realm Ents. One was already a massive boost to my combat power, but with two? That would put the Ashfallen Sects'' combat capabilities at five Nascent Soul Realms if we include Larry, making us the undisputed powerhouse in the region." Ashlock made his decision; the statue would join its disciple in service to him. It was just too good of an opportunity to secure combat power, which he desperately needed to fight off the surrounding demonic sects, the beast tide, and the Celestial Order that had their sights on dragging Stella back to their Empire. He was surrounded by enemies in the realm he had barely dipped the tip of his roots into thus far, and his advantage of having formed an Inner World so early would only help him so much. Doom and gloom about his situation outside the Mystic Realm aside, he had to first kill the statue to turn it into an Ent. He was left with one solution since he couldn''t send his void Ents to destroy it, as he had no idea where the statue''s core was. "Time to make use of {Abyssal Devourer}''s new capabilities once again." His void tendrils and corrosive vines burrowed into the statue''s hand and began forcefully draining it of its Qi and life force. Surprisingly, there were still hints of lifeforce residing in the statue that his vines managed to absorb and feed into Nox. The greyed branches restored their black shade, and the leafless branches began to sprout new life. With three Nascent Soul cultivators fighting off the dying remnants of a long-dead Shadow Sovereign, the battle was one-sided. The Shadow Lich casually blocked any incoming attacks with walls or claws of shadow. Ashlock went on the offensive with {Abyssal Devourer} and Spatial Blades, while Nox used the Bastion''s artillery to gun down an army of Shadow Fiends the statue tried to summon to rush the Bastion. After an hour, the black flames of rage in the statue''s eyes snuffed out as the statue ran out of its borrowed power. It ceased all movement and once again became a dormant monolith of obsidian resembling a once powerful cultivator. "I will definitely ascend to at least the second stage of the Nascent Soul Realm when my soul fragment remerges with my Inner World." Ashlock couldn''t believe how much he had absorbed between the Shadow Lich and the statue. It was like an all-you-can-eat buffet of Qi that was even better than the World Tree as it wasn''t untamed Qi carefully taken off the surface of her roots. Ashlock directed the Bastion to fly up to the statue''s open mouth. Landing on its row of carved-out teeth, he marveled at the careful detail in the craftsmanship. Whoever had made this colossal statue was skilled, as the teeth seemed realistic in how they weren''t perfectly straight, and he could even see indents in the roof of the mouth. "This Shadow Sovereign must have had an overbite as such indents would have been made by someone resting their lower teeth behind their upper row," Ashlock noted as he activated {Necroflora Sovereign}. It took a while for the single black root to emerge from Nox, slither past the void Ents that he had called back onto the Bastion after the Shadow Lich was killed, and slowly descend into the abyss of the statue''s throat like a climbing rope. "I wonder what type of Ent can be made from such a thing? Will it be closer to the size of the original guy, or will it transform the entire statue?" Ashlock''s mind raced with possibilities. There was also the chance that his skill would fail to find anything usable at all, considering it had only been able to fight with borrowed power, suggesting damage or perhaps death of the soul. *** "I''m bored," Nox said after an hour¡ªher avatar was sitting on the bow of the Bastion, looking down into the darkness with her legs swinging casually while her chin resting in the palm of her hand. "What happened to having the patience of a tree?" Ashlock chuckled. Nox pointed to herself, "This half of me is bored." She then pointed to her tree, which was greedily cultivating the surrounding Qi while they waited. "Meanwhile, she is perfectly happy." "There''s two of you?" Ashlock asked, his amusement fading. "Well, yeah, in a way." Nox yawned and stretched her back, "I split my soul right down the middle. Together, we are one¡ªapart, we are technically two. Usually, our consciousnesses are linked, but I was curious to see what would happen to the statue after such a display of turning the Shadow Lich into a new monstrosity. So I left my tree body to sleep and cultivate while I waited here for something interesting to happen. If one half of us were to die, the other would survive. We would just have lost memories and a drastic personality change." "I see." "Huh, I guess that''s similar to myself and the system. Though we are more split..." Ashlock muttered to himself. [The mummified remains of the Shadow Sovereign have been located deep inside its body. The runic formation around the body prevented the soul from entering the reincarnation cycle, though over time, the formation has degraded, and the soul slowly seeped and decayed into the surrounding statue] "Finally!" Ashlock mirrored Nox''s impatience. He was on the clock here as sundown in the real world was fast approaching, and he had yet to locate the Dark Throne. "Is it possible to make an Ent from it?" [Yes, but it will be far weaker than the Shadow Sovereign was during their life] "How strong were they?" [Impossible for you to currently comprehend. Even the faint whispers of their soul are far beyond the Sovereign of Realities realm, but they will be an upper-stage Nascent Soul at best as an Ent] Ashlock felt rather silly that he was so disappointed that he hadn''t struck gold and found a usable corpse of someone beyond this layer of creation. But to think the pocket realms could contain such unimaginable powers. Even the faint whispers of a dead man''s soul were enough for him to dominate the lower layer of creation with another Nascent Soul Ent. "That''s good enough. Deploy the seed." [Very well. I advise you to move back] Ashlock heeded his systems warning and floated the Bastion as far away as he could in the short time he was given. Barely clearing the distance of the statue''s outstretched palm that was missing its fingers, Ashlock could feel the death coming. It erupted from the statue''s mouth like a volcano and blasted the Bastion like a tsunami. Ashlock felt an immense pull on the Bastion Core as the shadow shield resisted the onslaught. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. The death Qi dissipated into the shadows and Ashlock was left watching and waiting. What would his new and likely strongest Ent of all time look like? As it turned out, the answer was that it was fucking massive. Chapter 337: Pantheon Large cracks appeared along the surface of the colossal obsidian statue, which was so towering that Ashlock couldn''t see the top of its feet in the abyssal darkness below. As if there was a black hole in its stomach, the cracks in the statue deepened until it couldn''t resist anymore and collapsed on itself, much like the Shadow Lich. It seemed that once the death Qi from the seed killed whatever ego lingered, it would be absolutely loyal to him; the skill would then devour anything it could use to create a new being, including Qi and materials. Once all the obsidian had been crushed down into nothingness, Ashlock got a brief look at a body encased in a translucent crystal. Its resemblance to the statue was almost uncanny all the way down to the facial features, the sunken eyes, and the way his head was slightly left-leaning due to bad posture. The crystal seemed to have perfectly preserved the body from the day the cultivator died¡ªthere was still the bloody wound in their chest where they had likely been stabbed with a sword that had ended them. However, their eyes had a hollow gaze; the soul that had once inhabited this vessel had moved on. "I''m sorry to disturb your peace," Ashlock offered a silent prayer, feeling a little bad at reviving a long-dead man who had been put to eternal rest to fight for him as a mindless weapon. Okay, he didn''t really feel bad at all, but he could recognize that a level of respect for the dead was being overstepped here. "I bet the Blightbane family would give me an earful if they ever learned about this." Thankfully, the crystal was soon obscured by hundreds of black roots that suddenly grew out of it. Ashlock wasn''t sure where the system was going with this development until he saw the roots begin to take on the vague form of a humanoid nervous system. Due to the titanic size of the thing, it just took him a moment to see past the eldritch squid vibes. However, the system wasn''t done. Strange runic carvings, similar to those on the Shadow Lich''s bamboo bones, appeared along the length of all the roots, followed by a pulse of shadow that expanded like a fog of darkness and took on a similar form to what the statue had before. It swirled around the Ent, pulling in the surrounding darkness like a black hurricane. [Due to the weakened state of the Shadow Sovereign''s soul, it will struggle to retain shadow Qi] "What do you mean by that?" [Because the soul has dissipated to such an extent. Like a bucket with holes, anything you put into it will flow right out. With this in mind, I made the leaking of shadow Qi part of the Ents design. Don''t worry, as a Nascent Soul Realm Ent, it can draw in shadow Qi on its own to maintain the form you see before you now] "This reminds me of the Lunarshade Grand Elder''s avatar he made with his second soul," Ashlock mused as he looked the Ent up and down. "How strong is it in this form?" [Around the 7th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm] "What about when there is no shadow Qi available?" The titan of darkness before him faded away, revealing the crystal and the many black roots sprouting from it and glowing with power due to the runes. It almost looked naked like this. [In this form, the Ent is closer to a peak Star Core Realm Ent in power but will run out of Qi after only a few attacks, even if you charge it up to full] "Mhm, I see," Ashlock sighed, "So during the night or any time I can provide it a constant source of shadow Qi, this is by far my strongest Ent. But its creation was flawed due to what little you had to work with?" [Correct. The statue had no Qi of its own; it was all borrowed from the Shadow Lich. Usually, in such a case, we would convert something this devoid of Qi into one of your affinities, so spatial as you haven''t unlocked any of the other moons. But the original soul was so far beyond you that forcing a change of its affinity wouldn''t have been feasible no matter how weakened it may be] "A shame, but I can''t really complain. If that Shadow Lich hadn''t reawakened the statue, I wouldn''t have noticed the person trapped inside. Speaking of..." Ashlock looked at the other smaller statues in this grand room enshrouded in darkness, "Can I turn these statues into Ents, too?" [If you forcefully shove all the Qi you have stored in your soul fragment into them, you may reawaken them if there''s a body inside] "That''s a terrible suggestion. If I did that, I wouldn''t ascend to the next stage of the Nascent Soul Realm when my soul fragment returns to my body tonight. Any other ideas?" [You could devour the statues with {Abyssal Devourer} until you reached the crystals containing the corpses... assuming they are even there and at all usable] "That will take forever with no guaranteed results. If anything, I will waste hundreds of sacrificial credits on maintaining my void tendrils." Ashlock pondered. The more he thought about it, the less worth going after the other statues seemed. There was no guarantee they would be usable, and he had yet to set his eyes upon this Dark Throne, which was a problem as night was fast approaching. "Damn it, I''ll come back for these one day." Ashlock decided. If they had stood here undisturbed long enough for their runic formations to degrade, they would still be here the next time he wanted to visit. [You should name both Ents] "Huh?" That seemed like a somewhat random and unprompted message from the system, "Why? Does it do something?" [While Ents are incapable of advancing their cultivation, they still have souls. Though they are wiped almost clean by the death Qi to make them loyal to you. Those personally named by you are likely to be more responsive, and if you pick a name with a deeper meaning, it can affect their personality and bleed into their capabilities. Basically, it makes them feel important :)] "Really?" [Yes. Remember, you are a demi-divine existence recognized by the heavens and worshiped like a god throughout the realm. Imagine how a human would feel if they were personally named by a deity. The Ents are no different]Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Oh yeah, sometimes I forget I''m not just a vulnerable tree on a mountain peak. But to think my words hold such weight now, it''s almost scary." Ashlock had been giving his Ents names to make it easier for him to order them around during a battle. But to think giving the seemingly mindless monsters names would have a tangible effect. "What happens if I give an Ent a name that I previously used for an Ent now dead? Is that considered lazy?" Ashlock felt the pressure of responsibility on his branches to give his followers suitable names, but he didn''t have an endless pool of good names to pull from and had already reused a few names, such as Khaos and Geb. [Since those names carry more significance for both you and the world, an Ent would be honored to have the name of a fallen comrade and continue the legacy of that name] "Interesting," Ashlock sighed with relief. Since the Ents couldn''t progress in cultivation, it was natural that they would fall in battle as Ashfallen faced stronger foes. Titus had once been a pillar of his strength, but the Ent was now weaker than many of his sect members, with no way to catch up. A sad truth, but there was something special about realizing that while their time under his leadership may be short, their name would carry on the memory of their efforts. Eventually, a name like Khaos will be feared by all, and while it may not always be the same Ent, its legacy as a void reaper of Ashfallen will remain. "Speaking of names, do you want a name too?" [...I already have a name] "You do? What is it." [I''ll tell you on the day heaven falls] "Oh... okay." Why did he feel oddly rejected? He was getting flashbacks to his school life¡ªnever mind. Those were memories best sealed away. "That might take a while." [You are progressing swiftly. So long as you rapidly rise as a deity before the heavens can turn everyone against you, whether it be man or beast] "Everyone?" Ashlock felt exhausted just thinking about it. He hadn''t even angered the heavens yet and already felt surrounded by foes. [The tallest trees catch the most wind but get the most sun. It''s impossible to grow so quickly without attracting attention. All you can do is prepare in advance for war against reality itself] Ashlock contemplated the system''s words as he looked at the swirling titan of darkness before him. Didn''t the system and his new body make him suspiciously well-suited for realm-spanning wars? Other cultivators refrained from fighting because it wasted their precious Qi and set back their cultivation. Meanwhile, he only grew in power through devouring and enslaving souls, twisting them into abominations. "System, you know I''ve been thinking... are we the bad guys?" [...] The system refrained from answering his musings, which was probably for the best. If he was indeed an origin, he was on a head-on collision course with heaven, and only one would emerge victorious. "And I''ve always been a sore loser," Ashlock chuckled. There was no way in hell he was going to die and leave Stella and the others behind to some dumb golden eyes in the sky that glared at him every once in a while. "Alright, the first step to dethroning the heavens is to become a god, and what does a god need? A pantheon of warriors to fight for me. The system says I need to give names that hold meaning, and thankfully, I have already been doing that." According to Greek mythology, Khaos was the Greek goddess of chaos and the first entity to exist; meanwhile, Zeus was the god of the sky. He was also considered the father to all gods, which is the position Ashlock had now assumed as he created and named these Ents, so it was as if they were his children. Geb was the god of the Earth, farming, and fertility and was considered one of the God Kings in the Egyptian mythos. To the Romans, Sol was the personification of the sun and was also a god in his own right. Until now, Ashlock had already given his Ents suitable names with deep meaning in his past world. So, to continue that trend, he now needed to give names to his two newest and most powerful Ents. Due to the place he found them resembling an underworld of sorts with all the darkness, Ashlock had some ideas. "You will be named Hades after the Greek god of the underworld and the dead. A powerful name for my strongest Ent," Ashlock said to the titan of shifting darkness looming before him. He then switched to the Shadow Lich, who was patiently waiting back on the Bastion. Far smaller but almost equally as powerful. "You will be named Anubis, after the Egyptian deity of funerary rites and the protection of graves. A suitable name for an undead that faithfully guarded his master''s grave." To his surprise, Anubis gave a gracious bow, and it seemed that Hades'' shifting shadows had become even more sinister and intimidating after he assumed the name Hades. "Names really are powerful things, huh." With that done, it was time to get moving, as time was of the essence. "Nox, do you know where we should go now?" Ashlock asked his navigator. "No," Nox scratched the back of her head as she stood on the bow of the Bastion and glanced around. "But if we keep moving, I''m sure it will be hard to miss." "Fine, let''s go." Ashlock picked a random direction. But then he felt something buzzing in the back of his mind. "Mhm?" Turning in the direction he felt the buzzing coming from, he saw Hades''s colossal arm moving through the darkness with surprising speed. The titan then pointed to the ground. "Hey, Nox, is that where we need to go? Behind Hades?" "Hades? Oh, is that the name you gave the shadow titan," Nox caught on quickly and squinted at the shadow rift that had been hidden behind Hades. "I didn''t notice it before because Hades is pulling all the surrounding darkness toward himself, but that looks correct? Float closer, and I can be sure." Ashlock did just that as the Bastion tipped downward and descended. Passing through the gap in Hades'' legs that felt like a chasm into the abyss, Nox got more excited the closer they got. "Yes! This has to be it!" Nox clapped her hands, "All of the shadow Qi in this room and likely the rest of the castle is pouring out of this rift. I bet even someone unattuned to shadow Qi would notice it." "That''s probably why they placed Hades''s statue there to obscure it and Anubis as a guard to ward people off." Ashlock replied, "Just what is this Dark Throne that they went to all this effort to hide its existence?" "Well, whatever it is, I bet it''s not left undefended." Nox spread out her arms, and there was an immense pull on the Bastion''s Core as the shadow shield glowed with power. "Shields up, it''s time to fight." "You''re getting quick on the uptake. But let me send in Hades first. If there''s anything on the other side that can harm or kill him, then there''s no chance we will survive if we go through." Nox nodded, "Good thinking." Ashlock slowed the Bastion down until it was right before the shadow rift that was dozens of times bigger than any of the ones they had seen until now. "Hades, go through," Ashlock said through their mental link. The titan of darkness complied and shrunk his body to fit through the shadow rift. As his body vanished into the abyss of the rift, Ashlock waited. A while passed, and he didn''t feel his connection to the Ent get cut. "Look''s like it''s at least somewhat safe. Hades has survived in there for a while," Ashlock floated the Bastion forward. As the shadow rift swallowed the Bastion, the shadow storm surrounding them was torn from his control by the immense current of shadow Qi pouring out of the rift. The Shadow Shield also faltered and began flickering due to the immense pressure. [Now entering the Shadow Veil Sanctum''s Throne Room] Ashlock was welcomed by his system, which informed him of his destination, but he was more distracted by the chaos he was seeing before him. The room was just as seemingly endless as the last as if it had been built for titans rather than people. In the center was a jagged pillar of obsidian jutting out from a whirlpool of darkness in the vague shape of a throne. However, what drew his attention was not the Dark Throne he had been seeking, but Hades, who was riding the whirlpool''s current while ripping apart monsters resembling giant squids. [Those are Shadow Leviathans] Ashlock didn''t care what they were called. All he saw was a sacrificial credit buffet. Chapter 338: Laws "Stop! Don''t lower the Bastion any further," Nox shouted with concern while leaning over the Bastion''s bow and looking down at the swirling darkness below. Ashlock stopped the Bastion''s descent. "Why? What''s wrong." "There''s something wrong about this whirlpool of shadow Qi," Nox pointed at Hades, who was caught up in it along with the Shadow Leviathans. "Hades is unable to escape its pull." "Really? Hades, come back to me," Ashlock ordered. The titan of darkness glanced up toward the Bastion. He twisted the leviathan in his hands in opposite directions as if trying to wring out a towel. The leviathan desperately tried to resist as a deep tear in its flesh widened; Hades pulled the monster apart, and it exploded with black blood. The whirlpool of darkness sucked out a string of organs and black blood from the two halves before Hades unceremoniously dropped the corpse into the abyss. Honoring his command to return, Hades tried to float away from the whirlpool, but his body of shadow began to elongate. "It''s like watching something try to escape the event horizon of a black hole," Ashlock muttered as Hades continued to stretch despite not getting any closer. "Okay, stop," Ashlock said as Hades seemed to reach his breaking point. Anymore and the pull from the whirlpool would tear him apart. "Nox, what is going on?" Ashlock asked. It didn''t make any sense. Hades was at the 7th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. How could some swirling shadow Qi have such a strong pull that he couldn''t escape? "I don''t know," Nox replied. Her eyes were closed, and Ashlock could feel her prodding the whirlpool with borrowed power from the Bastion Core. "It''s definitely shadow Qi, but Hades seems incapable of absorbing it. It''s as if something has absolute control over it, which shouldn''t be possible except in a Monarch''s domain." "Mhm, I see," Ashlock replied and turned to his system, "Hey, system, what is a Monarch domain?" Ashlock didn''t mind admitting ignorance to shadow Qi-related topics in front of Nox as he wasn''t a shadow cultivator. Nevertheless, he couldn''t admit to lacking general knowledge if he wanted to preserve whatever image Nox had of him. [Monarch Realm Cultivators can often overlap their Inner Worlds onto reality. This is known as a Monarch domain as the Monarch Realm cultivator will have absolute control over their affinity while in this domain] "Wait... can I do that?" [No, you are at the Nascent Soul Realm. Once you reach the Monarch Realm, you will be capable of expanding your domain] "What about my {Dimensional Overlap [S]} skill? Isn''t that the same thing?" [Similar concept but different. You can overlap a pocket realm into reality but have no control over the Qi. For example, if you used {Dimensional Overlap} to manifest a spatial Qi realm while fighting a spatial cultivator, they could use the pocket realms spatial Qi to fight you. However, if it were a Monarch Realm''s domain, despite being surrounded by spatial Qi, it might as well be water Qi for the spatial cultivator as they would be unable to use it] "That''s terrifying," Ashlock couldn''t imagine being surrounded by Qi but unable to use any of it. Just like dying from dehydration while floating adrift on the ocean¡ªsurrounded by undrinkable water. "Wait, what affinity is my Inner World?" [As of now, if you were capable, your domain would have law over the spatial affinity and lesser control over the daos of water, wind, earth, fire, metal, and soul] "What do you mean by ''law,'' and why do I have dao over soul?" [If Stella spent more time studying, she could have taught you these things] "I... hold on a darn second," Ashlock spiritually squinted at the words floating in his vision. "I was wondering where you were pulling all this information. Stella said the celestial library of her bloodline was inside a giant golden tree. Are you also using the Crestfallen bloodlines library?" [Whoever said it was theirs?] "That''s not what I asked, and you know it," Ashlock huffed in frustration, "Just give me a straight answer for once." [No :)] "Ugh," Ashlock hated being kept in the dark by his supposed sidekick, who was supposed to be helping him topple the heavens. How was he supposed to trust something that has so many secrets? "Fine, can you tell me about the law and soul dao thing at least?" [You have soul dao as it''s impossible to create a secondary soul and an entire world within your soul without some deep understanding of soul dao. You wouldn''t know that because I''m the one who manages anything that could lead to soul damage. It''s the main reason cultivators die during realm ascensions, and I have the knowledge to perform soul techniques perfectly every time, so for both of our survival, I handle it] Ashlock remembered Nox telling him how dangerous her Shadow Soul technique was because soul damage was nearly impossible to reverse and had a high chance of killing the cultivator if done wrong. There are few second chances when using soul techniques, so few cultivators dare to leap to the next realm of power, even if they have enough Qi. "System, you annoy me sometimes, but I do have to thank you for handling the soul stuff," Ashlock had done a lot of messing around with his soul. Whether merging his soul with his tree body, fracturing his soul to manifest his powers through his offspring, or forming an Inner World. Any one of these could have led to his soul''s permanent death if left up to him. [You''re welcome. As for the law over spatial Qi, what are laws to a ruler?] Ashlock paused. That was a good question. "Mhm, let me think. Laws allow those in power to instill order and control over the populace? Right?" [Correct, and laws concerning affinities work much the same way. If you comprehend an affinity''s daos, you have a deep understanding of how it works in relation to reality. The heavens reward this understanding by letting you borrow their control over that dao, for example, Stella with lightning. But Stella doesn''t have more control over lightning than someone whose affinity is lightning, does she?] "No... so daos are sort of below affinities. At least in terms of control over that type of Qi?" [Exactly. Every cultivator has an affinity, such as you with spatial or Nox with shadow. However, what separates you both from Monarch Realm cultivators is your control over your affinities is not absolute. A stronger cultivator with the same affinity can come along and seize control from you as their understanding of the underlying daos is far greater] After the earlier talk about domains, Ashlock saw where the system was going. If Monarch Realms had absolute control over a Qi type within these domains, it likely had something to do with these laws.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. [As you have guessed, Monarch Realm cultivators know the laws of their affinities, giving them absolute control within their domains] "What do I need to do in order to comprehend the laws of spatial affinity and form a domain?" From what Ashlock had learned, it seemed the only thing separating him from a true Monarch Realm was the capability of manifesting his Inner World as a domain. If he could figure out how to make that leap, he might be able to reach the Monarch Realm in record time. [There are three ways. The first is cultivating and listening to heaven''s whispers until you obtain absolute understanding. This method takes forever. Most die or turn mad before reaching true enlightenment] "Yeah, that sounds terrible." Ashlock agreed. Even as a slothful spirit tree whose existence seemed perfect for cultivation, he disliked connecting with the heavens and spending days trying to understand their nonsense. "What are the other ways?" [The second way is if you got your roots on an origin stone or devoured the origin of spatial''s body, I could extract the law of spatial and teach it to you] "The origins, huh?" Ashlock sighed. Why couldn''t Morrigan be the origin of spatial? Wait, what was he thinking? He had unleashed his full pressure on her, and she had been utterly unfazed. The likelihood of him managing to kill Morrigan, the origin of the void, was even less likely than reaching enlightenment from meditating. "Wait, origin stone? What''s that?" [When origins die for whatever reason, their souls are stripped of all their accumulated Qi before being reincarnated in a new vessel. This Qi is condensed down into a stone left at the location of their death. If nobody finds the stone, origins often revisit their place of death to see if they can quickly regain their cultivation by reabsorbing their past Qi] "If I found this stone first, I could learn the laws of spatial from it?" [Yes, and you would likely go up a few stages in the Nascent Soul Realm] Ashlock wondered for a moment why the heavens would make these stones out of the origins when they died instead of letting the Qi re-enter the atmosphere when the sinister realization struck him. "Cultivators hunt origins, don''t they. If they drop such amazing loot like the boss of a video game, there''s no way they won''t get hunted constantly. In turn, keeping them weak." [The heavens will do anything to keep the origins weak] "Meditating will take too long, and finding these origins, whether it be their reincarnated vessel or a dropped stone, seems unlikely. They might as well be unicorns. What was the third reason?" [Inherit the knowledge of the laws from a higher power] Ashlock looked down at the obsidian throne surrounded by the whirlpool of darkness. The words Morrigan had told him before she left echoed in his mind. The one who controls the Dark Throne will lord over the darkness. "Nox, don''t worry about the whirlpool. We need to get closer to that giant obsidian throne." "What?" Nox whipped her head around and looked at the tree as if he were crazy, "If you are wrong and get caught in that whirlpool, it will drain every last drop of shadow Qi from my soul until my soul collapses and I die." "The whirlpool is a manifestation of shadow Qi law. Hades will never be able to escape unless we take control of this place and free him." Ashlock felt it was worth the risk to save his most powerful Ent, whose presence back home would make the Ashfallen Sect the region''s ruler. "Shadow Qi law?" Nox''s eyes widened, "I''ve heard of that before, but I thought it was a myth. Qi law is real?" "Very real. Monarch Realm cultivators are not only rulers of Inner Worlds, but they also lord over their affinity." Ashlock replied confidently despite only learning about it from his system moments ago. Nox gulped and looked back at the abyss below. Balling up her fists, she seemed to resolve herself as the Bastion''s bow tilted downward, and they descended toward the obsidian throne within the eye of the abyssal storm of darkness. Even Ashlock felt unnerved as he watched the swirling walls of shadow encircling them spinning around at terrifying speeds. They clung as closely as possible to the titan-sized throne as Nox carefully directed them with her arms spread out¡ªthe Bastion tilting along with her movements. Finally touching down on the throne seat, the Bastion barely fit. "Phew, we made it." Nox let out a breath. "I wouldn''t be so sure that we are safe..." Ashlock said as streams of shadow were forcefully drawn off the Bastion''s shield by the surrounding whirlpool, causing an immense pull on the Bastion''s Core. They couldn''t survive down here long. "Okay, system, what now?" Ashlock asked with slight panic in his tone. [Merge the artifact {Dark Throne} created by the Shadow Sovereigns to the Bastion {Nox}?] "How much will it cost?" [Materials for expansion are already available within the Dark Throne. So the only cost is the standard expansion cost of around 30 sacrificial credits per square meter...] Ashlock looked up at the looming throne of obsidian. He wasn''t a mathematician, but even he knew this wouldn''t be cheap. He had once entertained the idea of turning the whole of Red Vine Peak into one massive Bastion but quickly realized the cost of expanding the size of a Bastion was no joke. [...so it will cost 9000 sacrificial credits to fully integrate with the Dark Throne] "You''re joking," Ashlock snorted. That was almost as expensive as his ascension to Nascent Soul Realm. What a joke. [As cultivators ascend the realms, resources that advance their cultivation become more expensive and even rarer. You are no different, even with my assistance. The other option is to have Nox meditate on the throne until she comprehends the laws of shadow Qi, but the chance of success is nearly zero before the Mystic Realm ends and she is forcefully brought out] Ashlock was so frustrated reading the system''s logical arguments that he overlooked a Shadow Leviathan emerging from the swirling darkness and wrapping its tentacles around the Bastion''s shield. "What in the nine realms!" Nox''s confused shout and firing of shadow Qi drew Ashlock''s attention to the foe. "Oh shit," on instinct, Ashlock directed the withering mass of void tendrils and corrosive vines from his {Abyssal Devourer} skill up through the shield. He wrapped them around and pierced the leviathan before it even knew what was happening. The monster let out an ear-piercing screech as the tendrils dug into its flesh like harpoons and drained it of lifeforce and Qi. Due to the sheer number of tendrils and vines devouring the monster alive, it barely lasted a minute despite its size. [+768 SC] Ashlock saw the notification of sacrificial credits along with a rush of Qi. "That thing was in the Nascent Soul Realm?" Ashlock said in disbelief. It was definitely in the lower stages because it had been easier to kill than Anubis or Hades. "Ashlock, we should lower the shield!" Nox suggested as another leviathan bigger than the last emerged from the darkness like an eldritch spaceship, "It''s attracting the monsters!" "No, this is what we want," Ashlock shot down that idea as he used the same method as before to devour the unsuspecting Shadow Leviathan attracted by the Bastion like a moth to a flame. [+870 SC] "System, how many credits do I have now?" Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3626 Daily Credit: 60 Sacrifice Credit: 3760 [Sign in?] "Almost four thousand, I could do a lot with these credits. Can you outline what I would gain from merging Nox''s Bastion with the Dark Throne for 9000 credits? Surely, it has to be worth that obscene price." [Nox, and in turn, the Bastion, would gain absolute control over shadow Qi after absorbing the latent shadow Qi law stored within the Dark Throne. Nox would also experience a large boost in cultivation as her comprehension of shadow Qi transcends. This would put her on a direct path to reaching the Monarch Realm. Finally, Nox would become one with this pocket realm, making it hers] "Wait, the pocket realm will become hers? Does that mean she won''t get forcefully removed after the Mystic Realm ends?" [That is correct] Ashlock looked around at the shadow pocket realm. Anything Nox gained control of, he also got as she was his Bastion. If she had authority over this pocket realm, so did he. "With my groves, I can produce good conditions for cultivation, but nothing would compare to a place like this." Ashlock''s mind spun with possibilities. It was one thing to be allowed to visit random pocket realms each month for a short time, but it was a whole other thing to own a pocket realm, especially one of this level. Since his ethereal roots were connected to Nox, he wouldn''t even need to spend Qi to open portals to send people here. They could simply step through an ethereal root. "If I could find mortals attuned to shadow affinity and had them cultivate here, their cultivation would increase rapidly. I think I just decided on the main affinity for the cult of the All-Seeing Eye''s higher-ups," Ashlock mused as two more Shadow Leviathans floated out of the darkness. The cost of the merger was ridiculous, but so were the rewards. "But it might just be possible. Because the system is giving me credits based on being at the first stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, as my soul fragment has yet to remerge with my soul, this is a rare opportunity to farm a lot of credits against weaker Nascent Soul Realm monsters. Not to mention, the divine stock market can double or even triple any credits I get in here...." [+665 SC] [+743 SC] Things were starting to get ridiculous, and he was all for it. Chapter 339: Sin of Gluttony "Misery loves company, and so does death, apparently," Ashlock mused as he watched another Shadow Leviathan''s corpse melt into a gloop against the Bastion''s shield as it was devoured by his void tendrils and vines. These monsters weren''t weak by any stretch of the imagination, but the swirling abyss of shadow law around them was a double-edged sword. It trapped them here. Ashlock and Nox couldn''t gaze into the abyss to see the enemies coming. However, the same was true for the Shadow Leviathans. All these monsters knew was that there was a glowing blob of shadow Qi waiting to be absorbed, so they moved toward it, unaware of what awaited them: a swift and brutal death to the void. [+ 287] Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3626 Daily Credit: 60 Sacrifice Credit: 6450 [Sign in?] "The number of them appearing has greatly slowed down, and the latest seems to be in the Star Core Realm," Ashlock muttered as he looked at his sign-in menu, "Did I really already kill all of the Nascent Soul Realm ones? I still need over 2500 credits to reach the 9000 I need for the Bastion to merge with the Dark Throne. At this rate..." Ashlock paused as he suddenly felt an immense pull on his soul as golden words flashed into existence in his vision, interrupting his seafood feast. [Time until sundown 0:00] "No, wait¡ª" But his plea fell on deaf ears. His time had run out¡ªthe sun had set, and it was time for his soul to return. His soul fragment detached from Nox and was pulled back to Red Vine Peak through his ethereal roots. As his soul fragment slotted in and fused with the rest of his soul, he had to go through the uncomfortable experience of once again feeling ''whole.'' Despite being apart, he still shared memories with his soul fragment; otherwise, when using the {Progeny Dominion [S]} skill, a very different and confused version of him would fuse with his offspring. However, the experiences through his soul fragment felt very detached, almost like watching a movie. It wasn''t until the soul fragment merged with his soul that those memories became real to him. If Nox had died with his soul shard inside the realm, he would have lost those memories he had inside, and they would seem like a fading dream at best, almost like the visions he had of the past world tree. The moment his soul fragment fully returned and ''clicked'' into place, once again making him whole, golden words appeared over the Divine Flesh Tree. [Brace for soul expansion] [Attempting to convert and absorb [%%%] units of shadow Qi from soul fragment] "What?" A mere few seconds ago, he had been engaged in a battle to the death against a wave of leviathans in the eye of a shadow Qi law storm while trying to seize control over a pocket dimension from a group called the Shadow Sovereigns. Now, he was back in his soul, gazing down at his Inner World. It seemed so peaceful here compared to the insanity of the shadow pocket realm. There were no monsters here, just endless meadows of grass that swayed in the soft wind of his wind dao. For a moment, Ashlock took in the serenity of the place and let his consciousness relax. He didn''t realize how stressful that last few hours in the pocket realm had been. However, the peace didn''t last long. The system hadn''t been joking when it told him to brace for a ''soul expansion'' as his entire soul began to tremble as if it were experiencing a dimensional earthquake. "System, what the hell is happening?" Ashlock yelled as he saw thin cracks appearing along the surface of his Inner World, and a flood of shadow Qi poured out the gaps as if there were burst water pipes. [Inner World absorption rate deemed too low to safely absorb all [%%%] units of Qi at once without risk of triggering a supernova... searching for solutions] "Uhm, could you hurry up the search for solutions a little?" Ashlock pleaded as his Inner World continued to quake and fracture under the immense amount of Qi pouring out of the soul fragment from everything he devoured in the Mystic Realm. He had gone up multiple stages before, and the system had never had a problem; just how much Qi had he absorbed while in that shadow realm? He squinted at the message in search of answers, but the units of measurement the system was using didn''t seem to make sense to him, as they appeared to be jumbled symbols. Ashlock had once believed the system to be all-powerful, but over time, he had learned it was far from that. The sacrificial credits he gained from devouring things were like tokens he could exchange with the system for rewards. The system would then use the energy from the souls he devoured to perform the miracles he saw as gacha pulls. Now that they had a more transactional relationship, he understood the system''s limits. It couldn''t outright break the rules of heaven. There was a reason cultivation was usually a slow process; like training a muscle, expanding one''s soul to reach the next stage took a long time and consistent effort. But he often skipped stages by relying on his system to expand his soul safely and rapidly. "System?" Ashlock asked but got no response. He could see the system was hard at work, trying to keep his Inner World together and wielding divine energy to block the shadow Qi from the giant forest of flesh trees that encircled the Divine Flesh Tree and represented all of the SC he had worked so hard to get in the shadow realm. "Okay Ashlock, think. If you were the system, what would you do?" Ashlock recalled sci-fi shows where an engineer would have to reroute power through a ship to power shields or something during a battle. It was weird to think of himself as a spaceship, but weirdly, his biology wasn''t that far off. "If the immense amount of shadow Qi is too much to convert and process all at once, I need to find somewhere to store it so I can spread out the process over a longer period." Ashlock looked at his Inner World, which looked on the verge of fracturing as the shadow Qi tried to escape the confines and spread into the rest of his soul. "What could possibly store this much Qi? Maybe my offspring?" Ashlock did have many vast forests of offspring spread across the land that he often pulled on in times of need to supplement his Qi reserves, but passing Qi back to them was a whole different story. Forcing Nascent Soul Realm level shadow Qi onto his children sounded like a great way to overwhelm their souls and kill them. Especially the ones that already had Star Cores of different affinities. "My offspring can''t handle this. What about the mountain? No, that doesn''t even make any sense. If it was an entire mountain of empty spirit stones, I could use it as a sort of battery, but that isn''t the case. The mountain is mostly rock held together with earth Qi, divine energy, and my roots..." Ashlock paused, "If I could find a way to convert it all into spatial Qi, I could temporarily store it in my roots. But that won''t work if it stays as shadow Qi, as my roots can only handle spatial Qi. What a joke! There''s no way I can convert all of this Qi before my Inner World explodes. Shit, what can I do?" A dome of divine energy began to surround the Divine Flesh Tree as what could only be described as a tsunami of shadow slammed into it, washing up the dome and almost cresting the top. [Ashlock, help me!] "Give me a second! I''m thinking..." Ashlock hadn''t ever expected the day would come when the system that seemed like a godly existence would rely on him. This wasn''t how it was supposed to go! He had always believed that rewards and power would come as long as he devoured all who stood in his way. If Stella was the sin of pride, had he become the sin of gluttony? This was the first time he had encountered the repercussions of being a glutton, and it was hard for him to think straight, with his soul breaking apart before his eyes. "Fucking hell, surely there is something I can do," Ashlock tried to bring up his status menu, but with his system fighting to keep his Nascent Soul alive, nothing appeared. Weirdly, he felt he could still use all of his ''system-granted'' skills, mutations, and more despite being unable to see them as a list. "Nice to know those skills and whatnot are considered mine rather than being borrowed power... wait that''s not important right now. There''s gotta be some cultivator bullshit I can do." Worst case, he could dispel the Qi into the surroundings or even hand it off to the World Tree, but then he wouldn''t benefit from the leap in cultivation. There had to be something he could do. Glancing around his soul, he searched for somewhere to offload the Qi when he had a sudden idea. "Hold on, when I ascended to Nascent Soul Realm, didn''t my soul type change from Amethyst to the Nine Moons? Hey, system, you never really said what the benefit of that was besides the fact I could unlock other affinities in the future with divine fragments." Ashlock knew he was grasping at straws at this point, but he was desperate, "Is there anything we can do with the moons?"Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The Divine Flesh Tree suddenly lit up like a beacon of raw power, drawing in the rampaging shadow Qi flooding the surface of his Inner World toward itself. The divine shield barely held off the surge. Just what was his system doing? [That could work!] His system said before it switched to its more formal way of speaking, [Activating Soul Type: Nine Moons and distributing excess Qi to the nine moons] The dreamscape appeared as if a curtain had been lifted to reveal a distorted cosmic show, and the nine moons took center stage from the horizon until his soul''s zenith. The eight blank moons began to glow with pale light that kept intensifying as if someone was turning up the brightness until it got so intense that they shot down concentrated beams of light as if they were circular mirrors redirecting the sun to incinerate ants. Rampaging shadow Qi was sucked from the surface of his Inner World by these light beams in streams, and within minutes, the quaking stopped, and he felt relief. The eight moons now had storms of darkness rampaging across their surface and the usual soft healing glow he was used to was gone. "Phew that was close. Good job, system," Ashlock praised his partner in crime for coming in clutch and saving him from a self-inflicted supernova with his vague idea. Looking down at his Inner World it was still a mess and in serious need of repair. The fissures along the surface ran deep, and the careful balance of daos that kept the Inner World functioning was out of balance. Fire tornados clashed with torrential hail from immense storms that swept the once serene meadows that now resembled hell. The divine energy dome faded, revealing the Divine Flesh Tree that was thankfully unharmed and able to shrug off the daos fighting for dominance. "Is this how the heavens felt when it needed to get the origins under control?" Ashlock mused as he saw the system flex its might to dispel the chaos around it. [The damage to the Inner World and your soul is immense. Furthermore, your recovery will be slow while storing Qi on the eight moons lacking an affinity] "Just how much Qi did I devour to cause this disaster?" [Enough to cause a supernova that would wipe out everything from here to Slymere faster than someone could blink] "And that''s enough Qi to almost kill me?" Call him arrogant, but if there was one thing his body had been great at until now, it was wielding an ungodly amount of Qi. Whether it be how large his soul was compared to humans or his ability to pull in Qi from his offspring. He found it hard to believe his main advantage had almost been his downfall. [The amount of Qi was a problem, but there were other factors that caused me to lose control. Such as your Inner World lacking any shadow Qi dao, so it reacted violently. I also couldn''t forcefully convert it all into spatial Qi at once as your soul is at a lower stage than the Qi you absorbed] Ashlock had believed absorbing higher-level Qi with his weaker soul fragment to be an exploit, and the system would reward him more once his soul fragment remerged with his soul. Such logic would have worked if his system was a godly entity far above him, but that was not the case. "My greed caused this." Ashlock sighed, "Sorry, system. Is there a way we can fix this?" [I can fix everything if you enter hibernation with {Nocturnal Genesis} active for five days and nights. While you are asleep, I will convert the Qi from the moons to spatial and then absorb the Qi, freeing them from the darkness blocking their soul-healing light. By the time you wake, you will be healed and more powerful than ever] "Wait, hold on." Ashlock said, "Five whole days and nights? That will take me to the end of the Mystic Realm! What about Nox? I left her alone in that realm surrounded by leviathans. I also wanted to check on the others. Is there no way we can delay this until after the Mystic Realm is done?" He also still needed 2500 credits for Nox to learn shadow Qi law. The shadow realm had shown a decline in credit earnings, so he debated venturing into other realms to get the needed credits. The timing would be too tight if he was locked out until the last day. [With your soul in such a sorry state, performing {Progeny Dominion} is too dangerous, let alone multiple times in a week] Ashlock sighed. The system was, unfortunately, right. Even he could see from a glance that trying to find an area of his soul that wasn''t too damaged to extract a soul fragment for the skill would be impossible. "Okay, put me to sleep," he said with great reluctance. [Goodnight] *** Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3631 Daily Credit: 65 Sacrifice Credit: 6450 [Sign in?] Ashlock groggily awoke on the last full day of the Mystic Realm. He had experienced the strangest dreams as memories merged together in the wrongest ways, likely because of how fractured his soul had been. He looked beyond his trunk at the sunrise and enjoyed the feeling of sunlight cresting over the distant mountains, landing on his canopy and warming him this winter morning. Once he felt a little more awake to face reality, he retreated into his soul to check on the situation. "Woah, when the hell did this happen?" His Inner World had expanded and was easily twice as big as before. The Divine Flesh Tree that had seemed to dominate half the world now seemed more reasonably sized in comparison. "Just how many stages did I go up¡ª" [Demonic Demi-Divine Tree (Age: 9)] [Nascent Soul Realm: 4th Stage] [Soul Type: Nine Moons(Spatial)] "Oh, here we are... wait, really?" Ashlock had expected to go up a stage or two at least, but three whole stages in one go? It almost seemed worth the whole ordeal he... well, the system went through to convert it all. Looking up at the nine moons, there were no shadows on their perfect surfaces, and he could feel their soul-healing energies. The Inner World was also devoid of fissures leaking Qi. There appeared to be some surface-level damage to the floating islands he had built for the cult, and one seemed to have crashed during the debacle. "Nothing Douglas can''t fix," Ashlock mumbled as he wrapped the ruins in spatial Qi and floated them back into the sky. He also checked on Stella''s home and was surprised to find it intact. [Don''t worry. I protected it from the storms and made sure the land it sat on was unaffected by the Inner Worlds expansion] "Thank you, and good morning system," Ashlock said, barely holding back a yawn. That had been the most intense sleep he had ever experienced. "I still have a day left for the Mystic Realm, right?" [That is correct, and your soul is healed enough to perform {Progeny Dominion} again] Ashlock hummed in acknowledgment and opened his menus to once again select Nox. It was time to revisit the Shadow Veil Sanctum. Of course, he took a brief second to check Stella''s pocket dimension in the menu and was pleased to see she was still alive. "Okay let''s go!" [Progeny selected: Initiating soul transfer...] *** "Thank the heavens you are back!" Nox cried tears of darkness as she hugged the tree with her avatar. "I thought I was going to die." "Not very stoic for a tree," Ashlock chuckled as he looked around, but he could hardly blame her. There was a literal pile of dead Shadow Leviathans so high it left the Bastion''s shield, and by their vicious wounds, it was clear each one had been fought to the death in a great battle over a long time. "How can a tree be stoic when it can''t run away from death," Nox retorted as she released her grip and placed her hands on her hips. "I''ve never felt more helpless in my life. Being a tree is horrifying. Without these Ents and endless Qi, I would have surely died." Ashlock saw that all three void Ents were running on fumes despite being plugged into the Bastion via black roots. Anubis wasn''t much better as he couldn''t absorb the shadow Qi law swirling around them, so he was also running on empty. "Looks like I arrived just in time," Ashlock said as the void lake expanded, and he began devouring the pile of corpses. Nox nodded vigorously, "Yes, you certainly did." *** [Connection complete: Time till sundown 1:07] "Well, this is concerning," Ashlock mused while intently watching the swirling abyss. It was quiet... too quiet. After devouring the pile of corpses and killing a few more, he had gained a little under 2000 credits. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3631 Daily Credit: 65 Sacrifice Credit: 8340 [Sign in?] An amount he would have been happy with in the past, but with the end of the Mystic Realm approaching, he was at a loss. Since he was now in the 4th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, Star Core Realm monsters barely gave him anything. "I still need around seven hundred more credits, but there are no more leviathans?! Did I really already eat them all?" Ashlock began to grow frustrated. He couldn''t move Nox to another pocket realm in search of monsters, and he couldn''t recast {Progeny Dominion} as his soul was already fragmented. There were still the statues in the other room, but they would take too long to devour, and he didn''t think they would be worth many credits to him. So, how the hell was he supposed to get the last credits he needed? "I could try and go after the Celestial Warden. He is in the mid stages of the Nascent Soul Realm, so he should give enough credits. Vincent Nightrose is also another option..." Ashlock realized that other than himself, he could count the people worth eating on one hand, well, if he had a hand. "Mhm, all of those people are well guarded, and all of my people are still in the Mystic Realm. I am still quite limited in what I can do from range, especially without a Bastion to exert my power through. Darn it." Ashlock pondered for a while longer as he watched the timer ticking down in the corner of his vision. Would he really have to say goodbye to having Nox inherit the Dark Throne? "Man... it''s hard to be mad considering all the things I gained from this Mystic Realm, but damn it. Ents, Qi, and credits can come anytime. These inheritances are way more important than any of those." Ashlock grumbled as he absentmindedly looked at his Inner World. The Divine Flesh Tree suddenly flared up with divine energy, catching him off guard. "System? What''s going on?" [I don''t know. There''s a massive influx of divine energy from your worshipers. Did you do something?] Divine energy flowed down the tree in a flood and was absorbed by the sacrificial credit forest. Ashlock watched in awe as the fleshy trees multiplied in real time. The growth was far more than what he had seen after the service he put on for the mortals and showed off. The forest, which consisted of over 8,000 trees, greedily absorbed the divine energy and began to double in size. It was a divine miracle! Forget the Dark Throne. He could afford skill and mutation upgrades as well! [WARNING: Voidstorm Aegis triggered and failed to kill the intruder. Requesting intervention.] Ashlock''s joy evaporated. That was an S-grade defensive skill that used void lightning. Anything that could survive that was bad news. His vision shifted, and he spread his spiritual senses to encompass Red Vine Peak. Who could it be? Had Vincent finally made his appearance? Instead of Vincent Nightrose or an army of cultivators awaiting him, he saw a single figure standing on his mountain peak, unfazed by the void lightning striking them. "Who the hell...?" The weirdest part was the clothes they wore. A black cloak embroidered with a red eye¡ªthe uniform of his cult, the All-Seeing Eye. Was this person the cause of the sudden influx of divine energy? Just what did they do... Announcement! Do not open unless you are a devote member of the All-Seeing Eye: Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise the tree Praise 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Praise the tree The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Chapter 340: Tartarus Ashlock noticed the void lightning was not simply being shrugged off by the mysterious figure wearing his cult''s garments¡ªit was coiling around their body, meaning one thing... they had seized control of his void lightning. A feat only possible by someone who knew void Qi law and had a higher cultivation level than him. Considering nobody on this layer of creation with void affinity should be able to ascend to Nascent Soul Realm, let alone Monarch Realm where most learned how to wield their affinities laws, that left only one person it could be. "Is that your attention I feel prickling down the back of my neck?" the figure said as they pulled back their hood to reveal silky black hair, eyes blacker than an abyss, and flawless skin. She was a woman who was as beautiful as she was dangerous. A person who had been there since the start and seen it all: the origin of the void. "Morrigan, what are you doing here," Ashlock said as he stopped his {Voidstorm Aegis [S]} from targeting her. It didn''t cost 10% of his Qi per lightning strike like in the past when he had been in the Star Core Realm, but it was still a costly technique. Each strike taking around 1% of his Qi reserves. "Am I not allowed to be here?" Morrigan asked, tilting her head. "Was the barrage of void lightning not clear enough?" Ashlock retorted. "Oh, this?" Morrigan opened her palm and made the void lightning harmlessly gather in a stack of silently crackling rings, "I thought you were giving me a welcome gift." "Did you really?" Ashlock said as sarcastically as possible. His clear distaste for her presence dripped from every word. He did not want her here at all. Morrigan snorted and absorbed the void Qi, "No. But since we are friends, I decided to delude myself¡ª" "We are not friends," Ashlock corrected the origin. Morrigan ignored him, "¡ªafter all, you wouldn''t strike me down for simply coming to say hi, right? Especially after I just did you a tremendous favor." Ashlock remembered the sudden influx of divine energy arriving moments before Morrigan appeared. Just what had she done while wearing his cults clothes? "What was the favor?" Morrigan went to sit on the bench, "Well, you see¡ª" "Don''t sit there. That''s Stella''s bench," Ashlock said. Morrigan paused mid-motion as she was about to take a seat. Frowning, she straightened up and crossed her arms while glaring up at Ashlock, who loomed over her. "I left you in the shadow realm to go and assist your sect members, as I know they are important to you. I planned to save a few of them from certain death to prove we can work together." "Uh-huh, and how did that go?" "Terrible," Morrigan threw up her hands, "Finding your sect members in the endless sea of pocket realms was a nightmare. I did find a few of those monsters you have living in your mountain¡ªI believe they were called Mudcloaks? Anyway, I don''t know what demonic god created those terrors, but I have never seen such one-sided Conquest over pocket realms before. Those poor turtles didn''t stand a chance." Ashlock had questions... many questions. He mostly let the Mudcloaks do their own thing. Outfitting Geb as a walking military base with weapons was one thing, but outright conquering pocket realms in a planned manner that even scared the origin of the void that had seen all history has to offer? Now, that was suspicious. "Maybe I should make the Mudcloaks wear cult uniforms. At least that way, I will receive divine energy while they commit war crimes." Ashlock muttered to himself. His brand as a deity was already questionable at best, so he was willing to lend his name to various ventures if it resulted in divine energy. Morrigan let out a long sigh, "I tried and failed to find any of your sect members that needed my help. I was about to give up and admit I couldn''t find a way to earn your trust when I returned home and encountered a problem that gave me a great idea." Ashlock wasn''t sure if Morrigan should be quite this open about her failed schemes. Though, to be fair, it did make her feel a little more trustworthy but incompetent at the same time. Or was that all part of her plan? This is why he hated hard-to-read people like Morrigan the most. "What was your great idea?" Ashlock asked. He was terribly curious about the devious scheme an origin devised that resulted in this immense influx of divine energy. Morrigan slowly walked around the bench, trailing her finger along its backrest worn down by the elements, "You tasked me with defending Slymere, keeping the death of the Voidmind Grand Elder and Elders a secret from those that are left of my family, and to fend off the Skyrend family." Ashlock didn''t like where this was going. Just what problem did she encounter that gave her an idea? "When I returned, I discovered those Skyrend dogs had sneakily brought in reinforcements from other families, wiped out most of my remaining family, and were heading toward Slymere. So, I finally figured out how to be helpful. I would restore balance to the battlefield!" Alarm bells started going off in Ashlock''s head. If he had learned anything from the Worldwalkers, it was that old monsters, especially those attuned to the void, only had one answer to problems. Violence. Morrigan''s finger paused, and she looked up with a slight smirk hanging on her lips. "A simple task, but someone had to do it. Otherwise, Slymere would have fallen while you were distracted. To level the battlefield and give the dregs of my family a chance to hold off a little longer, all I had to do was kill their Grand Elder Demetrios Skyrend and most of their Elders. Plus, I always found that heaven-loving bastard an eyesore, so it was like killing two birds with one stone!" Ashlock felt his world freeze as the implications of what she just said set in. The Blood Lotus Sect was in a careful state of balance, which Ashlock had been trying to maintain for as long as possible. Killing Demetrios Skyrend¡ªhead of one of the most influential and powerful families in the sect¡ªwould be a perfect way to throw everything into chaos. "Tell me you are joking. Killing the Elders is one thing, but Grand Elder Demetrios Skyrend? Did you really kill him?" Morrigan stuck her nose in the air as if she were enjoying his disbelief, "Yes, that heaven-loving bastard is dead! I Void Stepped to the battlefield, killed Demetrios Skyrend and a dozen of his Elders, and then left. All within a minute. It was Qi intensive, but now the battle should continue for a little longer. Helpful, right?" Ashlock was confused. Nothing about that was helpful¡ªon the contrary, it was outright detrimental to his plans. In fact, the only positive to take from this was the divine energy he had gained, but she hadn''t mentioned anything about it during her reasoning. "Hold on, Morrigan doesn''t know anything about my plans or the runnings of the sect or cult." Ashlock realized. It wasn''t her fault that she had a skewed view of what was helpful. He had kept her in the dark to try and avoid problems, but holding back information seemed to have been a bad idea when involving an origin that would naturally have a very different view from him on how to solve issues. Now that he thought about it more, why she was wearing his cult''s clothes was even more confusing as he never remembered her showing interest in joining. "Where did you get that cloak?" "Not quite the reaction I expected, considering who I killed." Morrigan frowned as she looked down at the cloak and pulled at its fabric, "This thing? Just some cloak I got for free from a very enthusiastic woman in Ashfallen City while I was wandering around. She said it was free so long as I spread the name of their clothing brand, the All-Seeing Eye or something. I wasn''t really listening." Ashlock couldn''t believe what he was hearing. She hadn''t intended to join his cult at all. Did that mean the surge in divine energy was simply dumb luck from a misunderstanding involving a powerhouse? "So you accepted the cloak and decided to wear it while killing Demetrios Skyrend? Why?" "I wanted to hide my identity when I interfered with the war and killed the Skyrend Grand Elder. Which is a problem, mind you, because my wardrobe is quite iconic, dare I say." Morrigan snapped her fingers, and her outfit changed in a flash of silver light to a rather daring midnight black dress that flowed down to her heels. She also wore knee-high tights, and Ashlock could now see why she said her outfit was iconic. It would definitely draw some eyes.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Morrigan grinned as she gave a twirl, "See? Iconic. So, I was hunting for new clothes and saw many people wearing the All-Seeing Eye brand, which I had never seen in Slymere before, meaning it''s a Darklight City region exclusive, so tracking me down to Slymere would be hard if I wore a cloak from them." "Did you mention the clothing brand''s name during the killing?" "Of course I did. I got it for free, and I promised the sweet girl who gave me the cloak that I would spread the name of her business." Morrigan said, almost offended, as if he had questioned her nature as a person. Ashlock would facepalm if he could. "Morrigan, the All-Seeing Eye isn''t a clothing brand," Ashlock sighed, "It''s a cult." "Really?" Morrigan snorted in disbelief, "Never heard of them, and I guess I never will again after pretending to be one of their members while killing... whoops." Ashlock wondered if there was nothing but a void between her ears. If the All-Seeing Eye had been a clothing brand, her directing the Skyrend family''s anger toward them to cover her tracks would have resulted in problems for the ''sweet girl'' who gave her the free cloak. Not to mention, void wasn''t exactly a common affinity. It wouldn''t be hard to guess who was the culprit. Morrigan frowned, unaware of Ashlock''s judgment. "But to think they managed to convince such a sweet girl to handle recruitment. What a devilish marketing strategy! Let me tell you, I''ve run into a fair number of cults over the years and have never seen one recruit off the street like that in all my life. I mean, I even saw mortals wearing their clothes!" Morrigan shook her head as if it were the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen, "They are a cult? Really? Cults usually sacrifice children in blood rituals to their ''gods'' in exchange for power, not give out free things in the street to passersby." "Yes, I''m sure of it." Ashlock felt tired, so so tired. He let out an irritated sigh. "I''m so sure because the All-Seeing Eye is my cult. They worship me. " There was a long, drawn-out, awkward silence. "You have a cult?" Morrigan eventually broke the silence as she stared up at his canopy. The corner of her lip twitched as if she held something back with all her might. "Yes...?" He was unsure how to answer such a question. "You? A cult?" "What''s so hard to believe about me having a cult¡ª" Morrigan couldn''t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing, "That has to be... the cutest thing... I''ve ever heard... oh heavens, my sides hurt." She was fully buckled over, using the bench''s backrest for support. "Cults are for idiots! Those fools believe that godly deities care about them at all. I could never have imagined there would be an even bigger group of fools willing to pray to a weak spirit tree posing as a deity." Lilac flames and divine energy roared to life in a grand pillar that touched the clouds and wreathed Ashlock as he smacked Morrigan on the head with the entire weight of his presence, which had increased dramatically with his recent leap in cultivation. She lost her balance and kneeled over, eating the dirt, which silenced her laughter and made her grunt as she tried and failed to stand. "Who said I was posing as a deity? I may be ''weak'' now in comparison, but soon I will be above them." Ashlock flexed his power a little more, lighting the entire peak with a divine glow, "In the void, you may be an origin, one of, if not the strongest existence. But in heaven''s carefully woven reality? You are nothing before a deity¡ªeven a demi one like me." "Ugh," Morrigan gasped out as she spat blood on the purple grass. Ashlock relaxed his presence all at once. The mountain peak stopped glowing as intensely, and the grand pillar of soul flames reduced to a causal flicker across his bark. "Us becoming enemies does neither of us any good, especially if we are both origins and therefore share a common goal," Ashlock said as Morrigan staggered to her feet and wiped her mouth. "You are godly in the void. You made that much clear when you toyed with my soul fragment. But I am a deity, and immune to the void. You can''t kill me, but I can kill you." Morrigan clicked her tongue. "You sure about that? There''s other ways to kill a deity, you know." Ashlock''s trunk slowly split open to reveal his demonic eye, and he glared at Morrigan. As expected, she appeared as nothing but a blob of void in his demonic sight. In fact, he wasn''t even sure if Morrigan counted as having a body. She seemed closer to a vessel made entirely of void Qi. If that were the case, he had nothing to fear. Morrigan was bluffing. "Try me," Ashlock said defiantly. Even when a Voidmind Elder had gone supernova inside his soul, it had only made him stronger. The problem was that he didn''t want to kill Morrigan. As an origin, she would be reborn on death as she likely had been many thousands of times before. If he were to kill her right now, she would become an immortal cockroach villain who could kill his sect members at any time while rocking a new identity, as even after rebirth, she would remember how she died. Of course, she would have to cultivate from scratch again unless she managed to retrieve her origin stone, but that wasn''t the point. For the safety of his sect members, void was too dangerous of an affinity to make an enemy out of. Shown by how effortlessly she had apparently killed the Skyrend family''s top dogs. Morrigan stared into his eye for a long time before eventually grinning, "You''re an interesting one, you know that, right?" "People have told me that before, yes." Morrigan nodded as if confirming something she had decided on her own. She held out her hand in an open palm, "Friends?" The ground split apart, and a black root, a person-thick ending in a spike, emerged like a snake. Ashlock rested the tip of the spike in Morrigan''s palm. "Allies for now, possible friends in the future." Morrigan shook his root. "Cautious as always." He had to be. He already had trust issues without a heavenly contract, but this was an immortal being who was likely older than even Senior Lee. How much did a promise of friendship really mean to someone who had seen as much as Morrigan? It was hard to imagine where her values and priorities lay as she had simply lived such a long and unique life. Morrigan withdrew her hand and scratched the back of her head awkwardly, "Sorry about drawing attention to you with the whole telling them about the cult thing." "Don''t worry. This time, it turned out quite helpful. I got quite a lot of divine energy from your antics. It seems you scared the hell out of them while under my cult''s name," Ashlock said, deliberately not explaining how his system worked. It was common knowledge that deities got stronger the more they were worshipped, but he had no plan to disclose how much more it benefited him compared to a typical deity. Morrigan exhaled an exaggerated sigh of relief. "That''s good to hear, darling. I feared I''d made a blunder." She began to walk away from the bench with a slight spring in her step. "Now that we have come to an agreement, I will return to Slymere. That fight took a lot out of this body of mine, so I must spend time recovering." Snapping her fingers, Morrigan vanished into the void. "She is finally gone," Ashlock muttered as he looked to the distant mountains and saw the bottom of the sun kissing the mountain peaks. Dusk was upon him as night drew near. [Time until sundown 0:52] Ashlock''s vision blurred as he returned to the Shadow Veil Sanctum. He didn''t have time to check on his Inner World to see if the flesh trees had finished multiplying, so he brought up his system menu. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3631 Daily Credit: 65 Sacrifice Credit: 16680 [Sign in?] It was a ridiculous number of credits. As always, the temptation to say fuck it and do a gacha draw festered at the back of his mind, but Ashlock resisted. He had a Dark Throne to claim, a shadow Qi law to inherit, and a shadow realm to own. [Merge the artifact {Dark Throne} created by the Shadow Sovereigns to the Bastion {Nox} for 9000 credits?] "Yes," Ashlock said and watched the number drop in an instant from 16680 to a comparatively small 7680. Tendrils of shadow spread out like fingers, and the Bastion began to melt into the titanic obsidian throne that dominated the eye of the abyssal storm. [Assimilation of shadow Qi law commencing...] Nox''s avatar collapsed to her knees, clutching her head, and her tree body erupted with shadow soul fire. [Siezing control of the pocket realm {Shadow Veil Sanctum} created by the Elder Thalion of the Shadow Sovereigns...] A while passed, and Ashlock nervously watched the timer tick down to the last minute before sundown. [Dark Throne assimilated. Please choose a new name for the pocket realm] "Finally! Wait, a name?" Ashlock had expected to seize a level of control over the pocket realm, but outright stealing it to the point he got to rename it? This was beyond his wildest expectations. Now that he knew names held power, the question was... what should he name it? "I choose Tartarus. It was the name given to the abyss used to imprison the gods." Ashlock decreed, "That will be this place''s name." [Acknowledged. You are now in possession of {Tartarus}] [Tartarus: Description: A forbidden enclave once used by the Shadow Sovereigns as their hidden training ground and fortress. Now under the control of the Demonic Demi-Divine Tree Ashlock. Qi Level: Nascent Soul 1st Stage Environment: Hostile Monsters: True Current Occupants: 2] [Edit Tartarus?] "Not now," Ashlock dismissed the notifications and spread out his spiritual sight through the Bastion that was now fused with the throne. Compared to the disabling darkness from before, he was now able to see everything. Reaching into the abyss, he pulled Hades out. The Ent was in a sorry state. With its Qi drained, it had been reduced to its crystal state, and it seemed the Bastion hadn''t been the only target of the Shadow Leviathans, as Hades was missing many of his tentacles. Nothing Ashlock couldn''t fix by plugging the Ent in with a black root, but it would take a while for his most powerful Ent to fully recover. "Would have been Qi intensive too, if not for all this," Ashlock mentally grinned at the surrounding shadow Qi law that had been a horrifying prison and was now a source of power under his control. Ashlock wanted to explore his new powers some more, but life had other plans. [Time until sundown 0:00] His soul fragment was once again forcefully pulled and remerged with his Inner World. Thankfully, there was no life-threatening amount of Qi this time, so he could relax. Ashlock watched the tip of the sun vanish below the horizon, and despite it being the end of the day, he was far too excited to sleep. He had over 7000 credits to spend, and in the morning, the Mystic Realm would end, and his sect members would return. "I can''t wait to see how everyone has grown," Ashlock stared at the celestial fog on the mountain peak. A mere week had passed, yet so much had happened. Whether he liked it or not, things were about to get a whole lot more interesting. "But first... time to upgrade some skills." Chapter 341: Evil Eye Ashlock''s leaves rustled in the chilly winter breeze as the sun set and the sky became a seemingly endless sea of stars. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and Ashlock knew that somewhere out there in the vast cosmos under the heavens, his sect members were doing their best in pocket realms to achieve their own goals and dreams. In the stifling silence left in their absence, he awaited their return by distracting himself by mulling over a problem unique to him: how to spend his credits on his increasingly growing list of skills and mutations. For once, he had a rather large budget of 7680 sacrificial credits due to his antics in the shadow realm getting multiplied by Morrigan''s slaughter, and he also had far more options than ever regarding what to do with them. Upgrading skills and mutations was twice as expensive as an equivalent grade gacha pull, but it guaranteed that he would gain something useful for his current situation. Meanwhile, if he signed in with all the credits he had right now, he would get an SSS grade draw that could change the whole game. There was also now a third option. Do nothing and let the credits multiply due to the divine stock market. But that was boring, and there weren''t massive results due to diminishing returns the more credits he had, unless he got someone to do something as ridiculous as slaughtering the Skyrend family while wearing his cult clothes to generate an obscene amount of divine energy. Ashlock may have gotten a huge boost in power from the Mystic Realm, but he still wasn''t strong enough to let credits sit around idly. His Ents had high cultivation levels, but Ents were comparatively weaker than cultivators at the same cultivation stage due to their lack of techniques and being even more simple-minded than monsters. On the topic of his personal power, Ashlock''s jump in cultivation had been considerable, but he was still below many powerhouses. Apart from his unique biology, what gave him a tremendous advantage over the other powerhouses was his system, which gave him skills, summons, mutations, and items at the price of having to spend his sacrificial credits. He had also gained control over a pocket realm, but it was unclear how that would affect his combat power as he hadn''t gotten a chance to explore its capabilities yet. "Mhm... This was easier when I only had the binary choice of to sign in or not," Ashlock hummed as he glanced over the floating list of skills and mutations in his mind for the tenth time since the sunset. He had already narrowed down a few options he liked and was now debating between them. "System, can you highlight this one and this one? Oh, and this one..." [Demonic Demi-Divine Tree (Age: 9)] [Nascent Soul Realm: 4th Stage] [Soul Type: Nine Moons(Spatial)] [Mutations¡­] {Demonic Eye [B]} {Blood Sap [C]} [Summons...] {Herald of the Divine Ash: Larry [S]} {Midnight Ink Lindwyrm: Kaida [B]} [Skills¡­] {Skyborne Bastion [SSS]} {Necroflora Sovereign [SS]} {Mystic Realm [S]} {Progeny Dominion [S]} {Dimensional Overlap [S]} {Nocturnal Genesis [S]} {Ethereal Roots [S]} {Voidstorm Aegis [S]} {Eye of the Tree God [A]} {Abyssal Whispers [A]} {Magic Mushroom Production [A]} {Qi Fruit Production [A]} {Transpiration of Heaven''s Divinity [A]} {Abyssal Devourer [A]} {Blooming Root Flower Production [B]} {Language of the World [B]} {Fire Qi Protection [B]} {Mental Protection [B]} {Superior Poison Resistance [C]} Ashlock didn''t bother looking at his SS and SSS grade skills as they were out of his budget. He ''only'' had 7680 credits to spend, and they were 8000+ and 10000+ credits to upgrade, respectively. So, he focused more on his mutations and a select few skills. He had highlighted his mutations simply because upgrading them would only cost around 2000 credits, and he felt they were integral to him. Despite their lower grades, his Demonic Eye had given him an edge in many situations, and his C-grade Blood Sap had resulted in vast forests across the land and the death of many powerful cultivators after ingesting his sap in various ways. When comparing his mutations to his skills, they had vastly superior results, considering their lower grade. If he were to upgrade both mutations, he would be left with over 5000 sacrificial credits, which was enough to upgrade any A-grade skill to S. He had spent the last few minutes debating which one to go with. Of the three he selected, the two he was less sure about were {Mystic Realm [S]} and {Abyssal Devourer [A]}. "The Mystic Realm is about to end, so upgrading it right now feels like a waste. Either way, I''ll likely be locked out from using it for a month, so it might be better to consider upgrading it in the future. Ugh, but how will I raise the needed credits without more visits to high-level pocket realms?" Ashlock retreated into his Inner World and looked at the Divine Flesh Tree, "I suppose the divine stock market might be my only option unless I can turn Tartarus into a monster spawner? Is this why deities focus so much on increasing their influence? I never realized growing in power once you neared the peak was so difficult... no wonder Senior Lee said he was entering closed-door cultivation for an eon." Ashlock''s reliance on the Mystic Realm had now increased considerably as his cultivation outgrew what the 9th layer of creation could offer him. Besides the powerhouses and the final waves of the beast tide, there were few opportunities besides the Mystic Realm to get his roots on a corpse that would be considered more than a mere snack. This made upgrading it very tempting... "But it''s such a useless upgrade for now, yet super necessary for the future," Ashlock grumbled. This would be a far easier decision if he knew what situations he would encounter in the near future. With the war between the Skyrends and Voidminds taking a drastic turn due to Morrigan''s interference and involving his cult, he wouldn''t be surprised if a full-on civil war in the Blood Lotus Sect broke out any minute now. He fully expected to get dragged into it as the deity of the cult seemingly behind the Skyrend family''s slaughter. "If such a civil war were to break out, I doubt Vincent Nightrose could stay quiet much longer. The problem is, I have no idea what precautions I need to take against him." Nobody seemed to know for sure what level of cultivation the Blood Lotus Sect''s Patriarch possessed. All Ashlock knew was that he had a 100,000 Yinxi Coin bounty, he was able to defend the sect from everyone despite being its sole Nascent Soul Realm, and he could absorb bloodlines, which would likely make him far more formidable compared to another cultivator of his level.Stolen novel; please report. Ashlock glanced to the west, where his roots were still spreading through the vast lands of the Blood Lotus Sect. He had reached Nightrose City, the capital city of the Blood Lotus Sect and the home of the Patriarch. He hadn''t dared to have his roots actually enter the city yet and instead looked at it through {Eye of the Tree God} from afar. His ethereal roots had infiltrated the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion without notice, but this was different. Nightrose City''s ruler had an unknown number of bloodlines, and there was no knowing if one of them would cause him to notice Ashlock''s advance. "Do I have a reason to be scared of him to this extent, though?" Ashlock mused as he looked at the immense city before him, surrounded by heavily enchanted walls of black stone that rose to the heavens, making the people guarding them from atop look like specks. A giant semi-translucent blood-red dome enveloped the city like a barrier. Holes would occasionally open in the barrier near heavily guarded sections of the wall to allow passage of immense airships dozens of times bigger than even the airship the Silverspires had used when they first visited. Nightrose City, even from afar, was such a metropolis it made Darklight City look like a backwater town in comparison. "I may not be able to kill Vincent Nightrose from afar through my roots or offspring, but I''m sure that so long as he hasn''t stepped into the Monarch Realm, he won''t be able to kill me either." Assuming Vincent Nightrose somehow made it past Hades, Anubis, Larry, and Maple, he had his {Voidstorm Aegis [S]} surrounding him and the assistance of Quill and Kaida once they recovered their ink Qi. If Vincent somehow shrugged off over a hundred lightning bolts of void and the barrage of techniques from Quill and Kaida, he would have to destroy the whole of Red Vine Peak, so Ashlock had no way to regrow. "A little expansion shouldn''t hurt now that I think about it," Ashlock pushed some Qi into his roots, and they began to advance toward the walls in the distance. "Who knows, maybe I can get my roots all the way into Vincent Nightrose''s cave undetected and kill him while he''s cultivating." What a pathetic death that would be... assassinated by a tree. It would take a few days for his roots to pass the walls and sprawl below Nightrose City, so he retreated his view back to Red Vine Peak. He still had decisions to make. Now that he had taken a moment away from the list, looking back at it, he was even more sure of his choice to not consider the following skills for an upgrade: {Eye of the Tree God [A]} {Abyssal Whispers [A]} {Magic Mushroom Production [A]} {Transpiration of Heaven''s Divinity [A]} These skills already served their intended purpose and didn''t have large enough drawbacks, making him want to upgrade them as soon as possible over other skills. This left him with two A-grade skills to choose from since he had decided that the Mystic Realm was likely best left for later. {Qi Fruit Production [A]} {Abyssal Devourer [A]} "Personal fighting power, or boosting my allies." Ashlock mused. "Upgrading my main attack skill again is definitely tempting, but if I upgrade Qi Fruit Production, I will be able to finally make fruit from my S-grade skills: Mystic Realm, Progeny Dominion, Dimensional Overlap, Nocturnal Genesis, Ethereal Roots, and Voidstorm Aegis." Ashlock had learned in recent wars that no matter his personal strength, he also needed to rely on his allies. He expected many of them would see boosts in cultivation just like he did from this Mystic Realm visit, so being able to grow many new and powerful fruits to empower them further seemed like a great idea. He was also very curious about what some of these fruits would do. "System..." [Finally decided?] Ashlock was taken aback by this system remark. "Yes? Why did you ask like that?" [It''s almost morning. You have been thinking it over for so long I was starting to worry you had suffered damage to your consciousness during the Qi overflow incident] "Huh?" Ashlock looked at the sky beyond his trunk. Sure enough, he could see the sky starting to lighten, accompanied by the distant chirps of birds. "Look, system, I had a lot to contemplate, okay? Also, the cold and dark make me sluggish and sleepy." [If you say so] "Bastard¡ªahem. I want to upgrade my {Qi Fruit Production [A]} skill." [Directly upgrading the skill {Qi Fruit Production [A]} will consume 5201 credits. Are you sure?] "Yes, do it," Ashlock said, returning to his Inner World, where he witnessed over 5000 flesh trees wither to dust. A number on a status screen was one thing, but seeing the consumption of credits in reality hit home just how costly this upgrade really was. [5201 credits consumed¡­] [Upgraded {Qi Fruit Production [A]} -> {Dao Fruit Production [S]}] Information flooded his mind, and Ashlock knew he had made the right choice. He hurriedly opened his Dao Fruit Production menu, and sure enough, he could now add the daos he had comprehended for his Inner World to his fruit and seeds. He had previously grown poisonous fruits containing seeds that birds would eat and then perish to the poison far away from his trunk. Their bodies would provide the needed Qi to nurture his offspring. Despite being his offspring, he had little control over the affinity they would take on unless he heavily altered their environment by spawning in flowers. But now he could inject the knowledge of certain daos straight into the seed, guaranteeing which affinity it would take on and greatly speeding up their cultivation. He could also do the same with fruits that people could eat. "System, by having Nox merge with the Dark Throne, did I gain anything regarding shadow Qi?" [The absorption of knowledge isn''t yet complete, but soon you will have dao knowledge of shadow Qi] "Not Shadow Qi law?" [You cannot possibly comprehend a law without having the affinity, so no. Only Nox will be able to wield shadow Qi law] "I see..." Ashlock said. If he gained shadow dao, that meant he now had eight possible daos he could imbue his fruit with. Fire, water, earth, wind, metal, soul, spatial, and shadow. With these new capabilities, he could speed up the growth of the cultivators in his sect and cult to a tremendous degree by giving them dao fruits directly and making larger groves of the various affinities'' trees. Now that he had seen the new feature of his upgraded skill, he was deathly curious about what his new S-grade fruits were capable of. "System, could you list my new fruits and what they do?" [Sure, generating list... altering skills not suitable for cultivators... upgrading old skills... done] {Mystic Realm [S]} -> {Mystic Realmwarp} Upon eating the fruit, the person will leave any pocket realm and return to their last position or a soul anchor point. {Progeny Dominion [S]} -> {Soul Dominion} For a duration after eating the fruit, the user has complete dominion over their soul. They can fracture it and even temporarily put their soul into items without risk of permanent soul damage. {Dimensional Overlap [S]} -> {Dimensional Overlap} For a duration after eating the fruit, the user can create a large area around their body from their Qi reminiscent of a Monarchs domain. {Nocturnal Genesis [S]} -> {Soul Meditation} Induce a level of meditation so deep it heals the soul. {Ethereal Roots [S]} -> {Ethereal Spirit Roots} For a short time after eating this fruit, the user''s spirit roots turn ethereal, allowing for effortless movement of Qi through the body. {Voidstorm Aegis [S]} -> {Void Protection} Upon consuming the fruit, a large amount of the user''s Qi will be consumed to produce a thin barrier of void able to block any single attack for a short duration. {Dao Fruit Production [S]} -> {Florist''s Infusion} After eating the fruit, the user can nurture a fruit with their Qi. {Transpiration of Heaven''s Divinity [A]} -> {Divine Enlightenment} Upon eating this fruit, become capable of understanding heaven''s whispers. {Abyssal Devourer [A]} -> {Corrosive Aura} After eating this fruit, the user can devour other Qi types to replenish their own Qi reserves. {Mental Protection [B]} -> {Soul Protection} Eating this fruit protects the user''s soul from external attacks. Ashlock''s mind was swimming with possibilities while looking at this list. Despite how short the description was for the Mystic Realm fruit, {Mystic Realmwarp} would greatly reduce the dangers that came with the Mystic Realm. If Evelyn had been able to eat a Mystic Realmwarp fruit when she found herself in such a dangerous place, he wouldn''t have had to rush in there to save her. She could have simply eaten the fruit and reentered the celestial fog to pick a new one. The other upgrades seemed to focus on soul-related things, which was perfect. Since many of his sect members were approaching their Nascent Soul Realm ascensions, anything that helped prevent soul damage would be useful when it came time for them to go supernova and split their soul in two. However, out of all the new fruits, he liked Void Protection the most. Maybe because he was an overprotective parent, but he would be more relieved knowing Stella had a way to survive long enough if she got caught in a bad situation against a superiorly powerful foe for him to intervene. "Stella has a habit of taunting powerful people, which is made all the worse by her bloodline, turning her into the sin of pride." Ashlock mused as he opened his production menu and began growing fruit containing these new skills. He also created batches of fruits that held the various daos from his Inner World and put seeds in some of them. He planned to create even bigger and better groves. Ashlock took a moment to enjoy the lightening sky, signifying the coming of morning, before returning his focus to his status menu. It was time to upgrade his mutations. "Let''s do my Demonic Eye first." [Directly upgrading the mutation {Demonic Eye [B]} will consume 1589 credits. Are you sure?] "Yes, hit it." [1589 credits consumed¡­] [Upgraded {Demonic Eye [B]} -> {Evil Eye [A]}] Ashlock felt an intense pain as his Demonic Eye was altered. Unlike a skill that was deployed on command at the cost of Qi or sacrificial credits, his mutations were permanent changes to his very being. Chapter 342: Aether Qi [Evil Eye: Your eye can now unleash the combined anguish of every soul you have devoured, your bloodlust and presence to break the mind of those who dare to meet your gaze. Once their mind is broken, you can create realistic illusions inside their consciousness. These illusions can be tailored to exploit the target''s fears or desires, making them more effective] Ashlock glanced around the mountain peak with his new mutation {Evil Eye [A]} while the system''s description hung in his vision. "I can unleash the combined anguish of everything I''ve eaten? How many is that now?" Ashlock started counting every meal he remembered and soon gave up. There were far too many, and there were undoubtedly many souls that hadn''t been very willing to die. "I bet I harvested a lot of anguish from the Voidmind librarian as I slowly tortured him inside my soul... oh, and that Evergreen brat that damaged my soul during my Star Core ascension." Ashlock looked around some more and realized he could see the flow of Qi far more clearly than before. "System, what other changes has my eye undergone?" [Your gaze now has true sight. You can see through any kind of barrier or illusion made by Qi. Your ability to perceive the flow of Qi in your surroundings and people has also increased significantly] Ashlock realized he could see through the illusion barrier surrounding Red Vine Peak as if it weren''t even there. It had never inhibited his sight as it was made from his Qi, but it would still distort the air a little. "Truly an upgrade befitting the ''All-Seeing Eye.'' Now barriers or illusions can''t block my sight," Ashlock paused, "But the Evil Eye part is a little concerning. This is a perfectly good attack skill, but it doesn''t do my evil god image any good. It''s been fine until now due to Stella''s clever marketing idea with the welcome boxes, but if my public image turns too evil, it will be hard to recruit new members..." Ashlock sighed. Such was the life of an up-and-coming deity. He had never anticipated that his ability to gather allies would depend on good public relations and marketing in a cultivator world, but life was full of surprises. "It can''t be that bad, surely," Ashlock thought as he switched to his spiritual senses and looked at himself. What greeted him was a vast, towering tree at least a hundred meters high, supporting a canopy of blood-red leaves and intertwining branches like gnarled fingers reaching for the heavens. The subtly divine glow did little to take away from the ominous and dangerous aura surrounding him and the single building-sized eye peering at him through a thirty-meter-high slit in his trunk. "Yeah, I''m doomed," Ashlock gave up, "Path of an evil god it is." Besides its immense size, the eye was indescribable. Ashlock looked deeply into it, trying to find the words. "It''s like the suffering of a million souls was condensed into a blood-red orb of pure hatred and anguish." Ashlock felt deeply unsettled as the titanic eye pulsed faintly like a beating heart as he moved it around. If his eye from before had carried an otherworldly fascination that stunned cultivators who looked at it, this upgraded Evil Eye carried bloodlust so dense that it made Ashlock scared of himself. "I''m afraid to upgrade my Blood Sap now," Ashlock half-joked. [Directly upgrading the mutation {Blood Sap [C]} will consume 470 credits. Are you sure?] "Do it..." [470 credits consumed¡­] [Upgraded {Blood Sap [C]} -> {Cursed Sap [B]}] Ashlock felt something was terribly wrong. The malicious aura around him intensified tenfold, competing for dominance with the divine glow. A burning sensation, just like last time, began to spread, starting from his Inner World. Rivers of liquified darkness, blacker than tar, flowed from the Divine Flesh Tree. The fog of blood shrouding the flesh tree forest followed suit, turning into a sinister miasma. As the rivers flowed, the burning sensation spread through his vast body, which spanned the land. Knowing what was coming, Ashlock activated {Mental Protection [B]}. He didn''t want to be dragged off to experience another fleeting dream about a past life of the World Tree. "Agh," Ashlock howled in his mind as the burning pain soon became intolerable. It felt like he was being forced to stand on lit coals with no way to jump off. Red Vine Peak cracked, and showers of rock were thrown up as he thrashed around in desperation. "System..." Ashlock gasped as he tried to distract himself with something. "What does my new Cursed Sap do?" [Cursed Sap: Those that dare to drink your sap are cursed to turn into a tree and become your offspring. With this upgrade, the potency of the curse has increased, and you can track the location of anyone cursed by your sap. Furthermore, the effect of any curse will be significantly boosted against the target. None shall escape your reach] The golden words were nothing but a blur as he barely managed to hold onto his fading consciousness. He adamantly refused to live out an eon of suffering in a dream as the World Tree. Whether he had been the World Tree in a past life or had been shown these dreams to demonstrate an alternate path, he did not care. He was a demonic tree that achieved growth by devouring the flesh of others. There was no way he would willingly experience being taken advantage of again. Through the pain as his sap evolved, Ashlock became fixated on the distant mountain, where he could see the earliest signs of the sun cresting the mountain peaks. The morning was almost here, signifying the end of the Mystic Realm and the return of the Ashfallen Sect to the world stage. *** "I can''t believe it," the cosmos''s laughter boomed from overhead, "You really are a Crestfallen and, dare I say, deserving of the ancient bloodline." The cosmos''s praise went in one ear and out of the other as Stella held the fixed origin stone in her trembling hands. Stella would have grinned or spouted some prideful nonsense such as ''of course I am'' to such words in the past. But right now? Her ego had been broken down and crushed. Repairing the origin stone had humbled her greatly in the face of her ancestors. She''d experienced a spiritual reawakening similar to when she first took in heaven''s whispers as a child, expanding her worldview and understanding of reality. To repair an origin stone of a higher tier affinity to her own, a task deemed impossible, the cosmos rammed an immense amount of information into her skull. As her body and mind broke down, so did her spirit and arrogance. Her ancestors inspired her to rise again from the remnants of her ego as a new person¡ªa Crestfallen capable of the impossible. The Crestfallen name hadn''t held a high place in her heart before. If anything, she had held a hint of disdain for the name as she felt abandoned by her parents and looked down on by the cosmos the first time they met. Yet now, she could only kneel in respect to her ancestors'' past achievements. She now wanted nothing more than to continue the legacy and pride of the name, and the first step was to complete what she had set out to do with their name on the line. Repair the origin stone. "It''s done," Stella muttered through bloodstained teeth as she stared into the glowing white stone, letting off a subtle steam of aether Qi into the surroundings. "That... you did," Elder Vortexian stuttered from the side with his back pressed against the far wall, "As expected of a Crestfallen."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Stella grinned; something about being called a Crestfallen brought her joy and a sense of belonging. It was like a badge of honor that felt earned after the last week of mind-breaking suffering. Even the cosmos, who oversaw the records of her ancestor''s exploits, recognized her now. Her body was a bloodied mess, but she was able to stand there calmly due to the strange energy the cosmos had infused into her so she wouldn''t show such a weak display in front of Elder Vortexian and sully her name. After all, a Crestfallen should show unwavering competence in all situations, not lying on the floor, coughing up blood, and passing out. Elder Vortexian gulped, "As agreed, set the origin stone down on the podium, and I will allow you to meditate here as long as you wish to achieve comprehension of aether Qi." Stella slowly placed the stone in a metal holder, like a bird''s claw, with an audible click. Runic lines down the side of the podium began to glow a pale white, and the Qi in the room started to noticeably change. "Well done, Stella. The pact with the ancestors is complete, and you have honored their legacy by doing the impossible." The cosmos said in a far kinder tone than before, and his voice no longer violently shook her soul to its core. "Remember, we will assist from the shadows in anything you put your mind and full effort into. We are always here, watching over you and your progress." Stella looked up and smiled as she quietly mouthed, "Thank you." "Your mother will be proud of you in her own unique way." The cosmos grinned, with every tooth being its own blindingly bright star. Stella''s eyes widened as the grand celestial library carved inside a golden tree faded out of existence with its guardians'' mysterious parting words. Will be? So, that confirms my mother is still alive, which lends more to the theory that she is the World Tree. Stella wanted answers. Her head slowly lowered from looking at the now bare stone ceiling, which felt incredibly heavy, and she locked eyes with Elder Vortexian. "Before I start cultivating, I have a question for you." Stella smiled, seeing how uncomfortable a superior cultivator seemed under her gaze, "You said my family were tyrants. What did you mean by that?" "Mistress Crestfallen, forgive my slip of words¡ª" "Just answer the question," Stella tilted her head, "Truthfully." "It''s all rumors, Mistress. Nonsense sprouted between some dregs far below your status to be concerned with." "You listened to these rumors, so it makes you one of these worthless dregs, does it not?" Stella crossed her arms, "If you know your place, then answer my question. What did you mean by calling my family tyrants? What do you know of the Crestfallen family?" Maple stirred from his slumber on Stella''s head and eyed Elder Vortexian with one eye open. Being glared at by a Worldwalker seemed to be enough to convince Elder Vortexian to give up what he knew. With his remaining arm, he crossed his chest and spoke to the floor while bowing. "The rumors are that whenever the World Tree is about to crest the peak and bridge the gap between the heavens and earth, it falls at the hands of someone bearing the Crestfallen name." Elder Vortexian straightened up with a solemn expression, "When the World Tree falls and the upper layers of creation become impossible to reach once more, those bearing the Crestfallen name seemingly vanish, only to reappear again an eon later to destroy the tree again. It''s almost like an eternal cycle of rebirth and destruction..." Stella bit her lip as she tried to process what this rumor was implying. She knew next to nothing about her family''s origins, but if this was true, she was sure there was a good reason for it. Elder Vortexian coughed into his hand, "Anyway, it''s usually good practice to kill Crestfallens on sight just to be safe." "Why?" Stella wanted to know the exact reason someone would have to kill her on sight. Because if she wanted to access the ultimate form of her bloodline, where she summoned the help of her ancestors, she had to reveal her identity as a Crestfallen. "Because you are the enemy of all cultivators," Elder Vortexian bluntly replied, "We all want to increase our cultivation, but as you reach the pinnacle a layer of creation can support, advancing becomes nigh impossible for anyone except those with tremendous talent and resources. My cultivation has stagnated in the Monarch Realm, but if the World Tree was here, I could ascend to the 7th layer of creation and bask in their superior Qi. My ascension would be assured then!" Stella tapped her chin, "But because of my tyrannical ancestors, you are stuck down here?" Elder Vortexian nodded, "Yes." "These rumors... how do you know of them? Are they common knowledge?" Elder Vortexian thought for a moment, "Mhm, common knowledge? No. Especially on a lower layer, it would be nothing but a fairytale known by a few scholars. But I''ve heard the higher you go, the stronger the hatred for your bloodline grows." "I see," Stella hummed in thought for a moment. That makes sense, as there will be more long-lived people on the higher layers to remember my family''s past exploits. Stella''s head was swimming with ideas, and she wanted to ask for more but refrained. All this man knew were rumors, and rumors were dangerous things. What if an enemy family trying to keep hers down had spun this web of lies so anyone who showed up with her bloodline was killed on the spot? Elder Vortexian''s eyes flickered to Maple, "It seems your Father is aware of this, and that is why he has a Worldwalker guarding you." Stella glanced up at the fluffy blob lazing on her head and then back at Elder Vortexian, who had an empty cloak sleeve. Sometimes, I forget that Maple managed to eat the arm of a Monarch Realm cultivator before I could even react and is more than a lazy glutton¡ªas if reading her thoughts, Maple smacked her on the forehead with his paw. "Ow." Stella rubbed the sore spot on her forehead and smeared blood. Oh yeah, I forgot my body was in such a sorry state. This had been a nice chat, but the end of the Mystic Realm was fast approaching, and she had yet to comprehend aether Qi and devise a plan to steal the origin stone for Ashlock. Sitting down cross-legged next to the podium, she winced as every action felt like tearing a muscle or moving a broken bone. She needed Sol''s healing as soon as possible but had unfortunately sent the Ent to look after her disciple. "I will be cultivating now." Stella closed her eyes, "Don''t try anything funny, Elder Vortexian." Elder Vortexian also sat down and chuckled nervously. "Don''t worry, Mistress, I wouldn''t dare." Stella did a rough estimate of how long she had and didn''t like the answer. If I''m correct, I should only have three days to comprehend aether Qi. Though it''s nearly impossible to count the days and nights down here when I was so distracted by trying not to pass out, and there''s no view of a sun and moon cycle in this enclosed room. *** Elder Vortexian hadn''t actually bothered meditating. Instead, he intently watched Stella and the Worldwalker through his spiritual sight. The repaired origin stone sat between them. Even in a damaged state, it was a clan treasure, and now that it was restored, it was his duty to protect it with his life. After three short days, Elder Vortexian was surprised to see Stella awaken from her meditation. She opened her palm and casually summoned a flickering white flame in her palm. How did she manage to attune her spirit roots to aether Qi in just three short days? How profound is her insight into the heavens'' whispers, and how pure are her spirit roots to pull off such a quick transformation? Elder Vortexian''s eyes flickered to the origin stone. What a stupid thought. She managed to repair an aether origin stone. Of course she would pick it up quickly. Stella clenched her palm, dismissing the flame. Her attention briefly landed on him before switching to the origin stone. I knew it. Stella would not leave such a valuable thing in my hands. It goes against the Crestfallen''s nature of selfish destruction. Elder Vortexian''s Inner World stirred as he prepared to unleash his domain. Stella wouldn''t be ready to use aether Qi techniques, so he would use his law over spatial Qi to seal her escape and strike her down here and now. Yet Stella didn''t make a move. Hours passed, and she simply sat there, staring at the origin stone as if waiting for something to happen. The question was, what? The answer came in a strange presence that appeared on the dawn of the fourth day. It encompassed the room, and a peculiar celestial fog appeared on the walls like morning dew. Whatever its purpose, it seemed to be the signal Stella had been waiting on as she stood up and brushed off her clothes. She tried to hide her intentions with pointless movements, but it was clear as day to Elder Vortexian. Her target was the origin stone. As the strange fog expanded into the rest of the room, Stella suddenly reached out to grab the origin stone from the grasp of the metal claw on the podium. Elder Vortexian moved faster¡ªhis spatial domain expanded, freezing space like time had reached a standstill. He had absolute control over space in this purple hue world, which was a manifestation of his Inner World. Unlike last time, his goal wasn''t to kill Stella. In an attempt to avoid angering the Worldwalker on her head, he went for the origin stone instead. While Stella was frozen in space, he swiftly moved forward and swiped the origin stone before she could. Satisfied, he was about to teleport away and leave her down here with no interest in trying to kill her when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Death was coming. He twisted his body just in time to face the threat and saw a mass of void tendrils moving unimpeded through his domain at immense speed. "Worldwalker! Why do you aid a Crestfallen?!" Elder Vortexian cried out as he raised his hand, holding the origin stone in the hope it would deter the Worldwalker long enough for him to escape¡ªit did not. "No!" Elder Vortexian shouted in absolute horror as his arm, along with the origin stone and spatial rings, were devoured by the Worldwalker. Once again, his Spatial Anchor technique activated, bringing him back to the same room. Just this time, he was now missing both arms. Shuffling across the room, he used his forehead to activate a glowing ball. "Councilman!" Elder Vortexian said before the ghost that appeared even had a chance to speak, "It''s the same girl from before with the pet Worldwalker. She appeared in the training realm we rented and slaughtered many of our up-and-coming talents before feeding the aether origin stone to her pet!" "What?!" The councilman''s ghost rippled with anger. "The origin stone is our clan''s treasure. How could you allow this to happen?" "I tried to stop her," Elder Vortexian gestured with his chin to his lack of arms. "But I failed." The councilman was understandably livid at the news. "Did you get any more information about her, at least?" Elder Vortexian nodded, "I did." He paused as the councilman showed surprise, "Her name is Stella Crestfallen." The ghost fell silent for a long while before turning to speak to someone behind them. After a lengthy discussion, they turned back to address him. "Don''t worry, we will deal with this. Matters concerning those tyrants have to be handled with care." Elder Vortexian nodded, and the ghost faded, leaving him alone in the dark room. "Stella Crestfallen..." Elder Vortexian wobbled as he stood. His life in the Azure Clan was now over. His reputation was dead. There was only the killing of one girl that could save him now. Chapter 343: Return of the Ashfallen Sect The pain from upgrading Cursed Sap faded into the background as the sunlight bathed Ashlock''s leaves in its pleasant warmth. The pain was still there, but he could tune out most sensations occurring throughout his vast body other than those happening in his Inner World or to his trunk. If he didn''t have a constant mental barrier, he would be overwhelmed by the demands of his offspring, and his soul would quake from the continuous suffering of the World Tree. "It''s finally time to welcome everyone home," Ashlock thought as he looked at the sunlight inching across the mountain peak before touching the edge of the Mystic Realm fog. "Though it''s a shame, I had planned to visit other pocket realms via my Bastions, but Tartarus and the recovery from absorbing so much Qi took up most of my time." Ashlock had a lot to process and go over from this Mystic Realm. The power of his new cultivation level, upgraded skills, and mutations aside, he also wanted to check out Tartarus and explore the possibilities that were open to him by owning a pocket realm. But first, he wanted to welcome everyone back home. This had been the largest excursion into the Mystic Realm yet, with the entire Redclaw family, the Silverspires, and an army of Mudcloaks in attendance alongside the usual crowd. It had been easier to track everyone''s changes when it had just been his core group, the Grand Elders of the Ashfallen Sect and the Redclaw Elders. But now? He would just be happy to see everyone return safely and hopefully satisfied with their own progress. Though a few inheritances, bundles of treasure, and corpses would be appreciated too. "I wonder who will be first to return..." Ashlock mused as the sunlight hit the celestial fog of the Mystic Realm. The fog degraded into nothingness in the sunlight, and a very distraught Stella stumbled out from the empty space. Her eyes were wide in shock as she stared at her empty hands. Ashlock was glad to see her alive, but her distress worried him. "What''s wrong¡ª" He said but was held back as Stella collapsed to her knees in utter despair. "It''s gone," Stella clenched her fist and pounded it into the rock, "The origin stone is gone!" Maple hopped off her head and transformed into his humanoid form in midair. "I''m sorry, Stella," Maple said sheepishly as he peeked from behind the giant white fluffy tail that curled around his body. I tried my best to save it, but I had to prioritize our safety. He had it sealed inside his hand, and the moment I tried to devour his hand to retrieve it, a technique activated, and he got away¡ªah." Stella jumped up and swept Maple off his feet in a tight hug. "Don''t blame yourself! I''m more mad at myself than you, Maple. If I had been tracking the timing of the Mystic Realm a little better or gone with a better plan and fooled him to let me get close enough to store the origin stone in my spatial ring, we might have been able to steal it..." She trailed off and held Maple at arm''s length, "Did you get heavier?" Maple licked his lips, "The origin stone did have a lot of Qi inside it." "It''s not a complete waste, then," Stella sighed and put Maple down. He looked up at her with big golden eyes, and she couldn''t help but smile and rub his head. "Thank you for watching over and defending me for the whole Mystic Realm. You deserved that snack." "Origin stone? What''s going on?" Ashlock asked in confusion. He could piece together a vague idea of what had happened, and through his Evil Eye, he could see that a profound change had occurred within Stella''s Star Core and to her overall cultivation. Her soul was now a blinding ball of white that seemed strangely ethereal. Stella glanced over her shoulder and met Ashlock''s gaze. She blinked a few times and tilted her head. "Tree, you look different. Did you get a new eye?" "Oh shit," Ashlock realized he had forgotten about his terrifying new gaze and hadn''t offered Stella his new and improved fruits to protect her mind. Was she going to find his gaze unsettling now? He wouldn''t blame her... as even he had found it disturbing staring into the combined anguish of a thousand souls. Stella strode forward, pulling Maple along by the hand. Arriving before the bench, she put her hands on her hips and stared at his Evil Eye looming over her. "Do you find it unsettling?" Ashlock asked apprehensively¡ªscared of her answer. Stella tilted her head in confusion, "Unsettling? Why would I?" "Because..." Stella grinned, "I think it makes you look even more remarkable, Tree. Scary but cool." Ashlock swallowed his words and sighed. What had he been thinking? This was Stella they were talking about. She made friends with the Divine Flesh Tree and had never been too bothered by watching him devour corpses. For rare moments like these, he was glad she was a little insane. "Well, thank you, I''m glad you don''t find my gaze repulsive." Ashlock said, "Anyway, about this origin stone... how did you even find one?" Stella''s mood instantly turned sour, "It''s a long story. I ran into those Azure Clan people again." "How? I thought your realm was owned by the Jade Emperor''s Consortium and rented out to sects and clans for a fee, not the Azure Clan." Stella shrugged, "Dunno. I know nothing about a Jade Emperor, but I can say with certainty that people from the Azure Clan were there." Her spatial ring flashed with a silver light, and a small heap of blue-robed cultivator corpses appeared at her feet. All of them had suffered horrendous wounds, with some missing limbs or even heads. However, a few had pointed ears, which Ashlock knew were one of the Azure Clan''s more defining features. "I''m sorry. I know I promised you snacks, but this was all I managed to get you¡ªsome lousy cultivator corpses." Stella lightly kicked the pile. Her expression twisted as she began to rant. "Heavens, looking at them pisses me off." "Really? Why?" Ashlock knew that they would likely forever be at odds with the Azure Clan after invading their library. But he didn''t outright despise them like Stella seemed to. "Ugh, you have no idea," Stella groaned, "That pocket realm was an absolute nightmare. These people were so obnoxiously loud, treated life-and-death battles as mere entertainment, and mocked spatial affinity as if they were any better. Oh, and the hypocrisy of these people! When I finally made my move against them, I was apparently ''sick in the head,'' but the moment they discovered I was an outsider, they were more than willing to go supernova to kill me and each other in the process." Ashlock bet that wasn''t exactly how things went down, but the Azure Clan people''s reactions seemed about right. During his time in this world, he realized cultivators were simply more intelligent monsters wearing human skin capable of working together toward a common goal under leadership. They were not humans, like the mortals who toiled the farms. If anything, cultivators feared each other more than they feared the monsters they were supposedly chasing the strength to defeat. It was a cruel world out there, and the only thing Ashlock found was safe to rely on was his own strength. Rules only worked when they were enforceable, and in a world where people could fly and punch mountains, the rules were made and enforced by the one with the biggest fist, and their motivations were usually selfish. Even Ashlock wasn''t innocent of this, as he basically enslaved the Redclaw family by forcing them to take on a heavenly oath of loyalty. Of course, he treated them well and believed they were grateful for what he did in hindsight, but he could have just as easily made them hunt monsters and gather corpses for him without any rewards like slaves. "So you killed some people," Ashlock looked down at the corpses, and through his true sight, he could see they were in the Star Core Realm at best, "What then?" "I assumed the identity of the daughter of Elder Vortexian, who is the guy that tried to execute me in the Azure Clan''s library last time." Stella patted Maple on the head again, likely as a show of appreciation for him saving her that time as well. "After beating his son in a duel, I slaughtered my way to first place in their tournament. Elder Vortexian then took me away to give me rewards."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Stella threw a ring into the air, and Ashlock caught it in place with telekinesis. "After giving me that ring, he showed me a broken aether origin stone. He told me if I could fix it, I would be able to cultivate near it for as long as I wanted to comprehend the aether affinity." "Did you manage to fix it?" "Yes, due to the help of my ancestors," Stella said, placing a hand on her chest. She looked to the sky with a look of profound respect¡ªan expression he had seldom seen from Stella. After a seemingly silent prayer, she relaxed and opened her palm. A small white candle flame manifested, "I tried to bring it back here as a present for you, Tree. But Maple ended up having to eat it to save me." "I see..." Ashlock was admittedly a little disappointed that Stella didn''t manage to return with the origin stone. He would have loved to see what his system could do with it. Stella clenched her palm, extinguishing the white soul flame. "Don''t worry, Tree. I managed to repair one, so I''m sure I can eventually make an aether origin stone now that I have a deep understanding of aether Qi." Ashlock doubted that was true, considering they were made from the remnants of a literal origin when they died, but Stella seemed determined, and he had no reason to tell her his doubts. She had recently seemed a little directionless and lost in her cultivation journey, shifting between different professions and interests like alchemy and swordsmanship as she mastered them and got bored. This task was likely unachievable, but she would learn a lot along the way, and who knew, maybe she would discover something interesting in the process. "If you could, that would be amazing," Ashlock said, glad to see his daughter''s passion for learning again. "But don''t work too hard, I don''t mind waiting." Stella laughed, "If you tell me to not work too hard, I''ll end up lazy again." "I think you deserve a rest. I can''t imagine what you went through in that pocket realm." Ashlock looked into her soul a little closer and marveled at the changes. "To win a tournament, repair an origin stone, replace your affinity, and reach the 7th stage of the Star Core Realm? All in a single month?" Stella shook her head. "It''s still not enough to earn the right to proudly use my family name. I still have a lot to learn, so there''s no time for rest." Despite her words, Stella proceeded to sit on the bench, and it seemed exhaustion finally set in as she slumped and her head fell back over the backrest. "Okay... maybe a little rest first," she muttered as she stared at his canopy and yawned. "You look tired." Ashlock looked toward the voice and saw Diana collapsing her giant raven wings into her back. Somehow, the aura around her seemed to have changed since he last saw her. Diana''s claws were sharper, her hair flowing down her back more lustrous, and she seemed to have grown a little taller, with her features becoming more pronounced. She was looking more and more like a demoness. Barely sparing a glance at the pile of ruined Azure Clan corpses at her feet, Diana stopped before Stella and cast a shadow by blocking out the sun. Stella groaned as she tilted her head to look at Diana. "I''m exhausted." She waved her hand, "Move so I can get some sunlight to wake up¡ª" Diana grinned, "Did you have much luck in the Mystic Realm, Stella? I got pretty fortunate and managed to slip into the 7th stage near the end." "¡ªI''m suddenly feeling full of energy." Stella straightened up quickly as if shocked awake by lightning and narrowed her eyes at Diana, "You were in the 4th stage before we went in! How did you go up to the 7th stage while I only went up a single stage? This isn''t fair." Diana smirked. "Who knows? We should have another duel to see which of us is stronger now." "I would..." Stella trailed off. "Why the hesitation?" Diana smirked, "Are you scared?" Stella shook her head and summoned white soul flames to flicker across her shoulders, "I only just learned aether affinity, rendering most of my spatial techniques useless until I relearn how they work with aether Qi." Diana''s face fell, "You... learned a new affinity?" "Yeah?" Diana flicked Stella on the forehead, rocking her head backward. "Honestly, how can you act jealous?! I was so excited to return and show off my progress, but you just had to show me up again." "Ow," Stella groaned, "What in the nine realms are you talking about? You made more progress than I did!" "You can''t be serious," Diana shook her head, "You are hopeless. How can you compare an upgraded affinity to a few stages of cultivation?" Ashlock couldn''t believe Diana''s words either. Such a drastic leap in cultivation was very impressive. Curious if she was telling the truth, he used true sight to analyze her soul. In the past, he hadn''t been able to tell with certainty what stage of cultivation someone was at, even when looking at them through his demonic eye. All he could do was make an accurate estimate. But now, due to true sight, he could see that Stella and Diana''s Star Cores were roughly the same size, meaning they were at the same stage. If he looked even closer, he could see vague layers within the soul where the expansions had happened and counted seven of such layers in both of them. "I can now see the exact cultivation level of someone from a glace," Ashlock realized this was quite the advantage in a fight. If he could get a good look at Vincent Nightrose before they fought, he would be able to estimate the needed fighting force. Ashlock left Stella and Diana to their squabbling as he felt the presence of more people popping out of the Mystic Realm fog. He was careful not to stare at anyone for too long, as he understood that Diana and Stella were special cases. Not everyone would be so unfazed when having their souls stared at by an eye the size of a ten-story building. Many Redclaws poured out in groups. Some looked disheveled and exhausted, while others seemed well-rested and pleased with themselves. The Mystic Realm was like a lottery; some would get a peaceful realm with perfect conditions for cultivation, and others would get a monster-infested nightmare where they had to fight to survive. While combat practice was undoubtedly important, they could do that here in reality if they wanted. Ashlock glanced over their souls briefly. Many were inching closer to the Star Core Realm, but he could see heart demons beginning to fester in their souls, especially those that looked worse off. Perhaps fighting monsters for so long had caused doubt in themselves to develop, or the knowledge that they had fallen behind their peers due to pulling an unlucky pocket realm was causing resentment to build. The Redclaw Elders emerged soon after, one after the other. Ashlock took a more intensive look at each of them. The Redclaw Grand Elder had made impressive progress and reached the 9th stage of the Star Core Realm and was now on the cusp of becoming the next Nascent Soul Realm member of the sect. Meanwhile, Elder Brent had finally reached Star Core Realm. Elder Margret was off to the side, counting the attendance of the Redclaws. She had also made considerable progress, ascending to the 4th stage of the Star Core Realm alongside Elder Mo. Amber, the most talented member of the Redclaw''s younger generation had also made good progress and was now in the 3rd stage of the Star Core Realm. Douglas, Elaine, and Mister Choi were next to follow. They spotted each other and grinned. It seemed they had all finally reached the Star Core Realm, with Douglas and Elaine also reaching the 2nd stage. The trio then made their separate ways toward the bench where Stella, Diana, and Maple were still arguing. Red Vine Peak was already getting chaotic because many people were excitedly discussing what they had seen or done in the Mystic Realm. However, it was made far worse when thousands of Mudcloaks suddenly spawned in, and like a tidal wave, they rushed through everyone toward Douglas. "KING!" They cheered as they carried chests overflowing with treasures, random lumps of shiny rocks, corpses, and more over their heads like a stream of worker ants. "Whoa, what is all this," Douglas raised his hands in genuine concern and kept taking steps back as the wave of Mudcloaks advanced. Throwing Redclaw cultivators aside as if they were minor inconveniences. "Tributes for the King!" The Mudcloak leading the charge cried, "Presents for the Queen!" "Was that the reason for their conquest?" Ashlock wondered with amusement as Douglas found himself swamped with Mudcloaks trying to show him whatever they had looted. From a glance, he could also tell that the Mudcloaks had seen a significant advance in cultivation, with some nearing the Star Core Realm. "Flying Mudcloaks, now that is a terrifying thought." Ashlock then noticed two silver-haired people making their way through the crowd. It would seem the Silverspires had survived their ordeal, and Ryker had even advanced to the Silver Core, their equivalent of the Star Core Realm. "Just how young was he again? Seven or something?" Ashlock couldn''t believe it. He was definitely a genuine talent when it came to cultivation. However, if Sebastian''s lack of growth was anything to go by, the butler had focused on assisting his young master''s development during the Mystic Realm. On the topic of young talents, Ashlock was beginning to grow concerned about Jasmine. The Mystic Realm was half gone as the sun illuminated Red Vine Peak, and she was yet to be seen. "Stella, where is Jasmine?" Ashlock asked. "Huh?" Stella closed her eyes for a second. After a moment, she opened them and waved him off, "Don''t worry, she''s fine." Ashlock glanced back at the Mystic Realm fog and waited. He couldn''t help but worry, but Jasmine''s Master seemed unbothered, so he trusted the process. People from Nightshade City, such as those from the Duskwalker, Mystshroud, Blightbane, and Frostveil families, appeared. Evelyn Duskwalker had made the most progress of the lot, having reached the 6th stage of the Star Core Realm, likely due to the Qi she had absorbed from Tartarus, a Nascent Soul pocket realm. Elysia had also reached the 6th stage as well, putting them a stage below Diana and Stella. As the sunlight hit the last bit, Jasmine, shadowed by Sol, finally materialized. But there was something... off about her. Stella seemed to notice this as well, and she stood up despite having been in the middle of bickering. With a simple jump, she leaped over everyone and arrived beside Jasmine a moment later with an effortless landing. Grabbing the confused Jasmine in her arms, she threw her disciple over her shoulder and dashed toward the hut. There was a wave of confusion as everyone fell silent and looked toward the hut. Sol seemed to receive a command from Stella as the Ent trudged to the hut, and the Redclaw and Mudcloaks shifted to give way. "Just what happened to Jasmine?" Ashlock wondered. Short break until the 12th Hey everyone, I¡¯m going to be taking a much needed break from the 3rd to the 12th this month. I hoped to time this break with the end of book 5, but we still have around 3 or so chapters left to go (on Patreon) The last holiday I took was a few days for Christmas, and while I have reduced upload schedule a little to make keeping up with the series more manageable, I still need a short break every now and then to recharge. I¡¯ll use this time to get back into reading to get new ideas and also to plot the next book so there will be no break from posting between book 5 and 6. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.Patreon will also be going on break during this time! Thank you for the support as always. Looking forward to writing more tree soon :) Tree tree tree e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e we e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e w w w w e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e E e e e e etreee e e e e e e e e e e e we r e e e e e e e e e r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r eeee r e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e d e e e e e e e e e e e w we e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e Chapter 344: Body Constitutions Stella rushed inside and gently placed Jasmine onto the hut''s small bed. The morning sunlight illuminated half her face through the doorway, and Stella could see the confusion in Jasmine''s eyes. "Master, what''s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that." Stella crouched down beside her and frowned. Does she not know about her changes and condition? Jasmine tilted her head, "Master?" "What happened to you?" Stella ran her hand through Jasmine''s hair¡ªit looked and felt like lush grass she could find in Ash''s Inner World. Tiny white jasmine flowers bloomed throughout her hair, which was quite pretty, but why had Jasmine''s hair changed? Stella also noticed that Jasmine''s skin had a slight green tint, which she found strange. "What happened to me?" Jasmine asked with a hint of fear, "Master, I don''t understand what you are asking." Stella placed two fingers on Jasmine''s wrist and closed her eyes. Lightly inserting some Qi, she checked to see what was happening in Jasmine''s spirit roots. Let''s see. I feel some nature Qi and also... poison?! Is that what is turning her skin slightly green? Stella''s eyes widened, and she called for Sol. This is bad. The poison has gotten so deep that it''s in Jasmine''s spirit roots. If I had some time, I could identify which poison it is and brew an antidote. Shit. At this rate, her organs will fail before I can do anything! "D-Did I do something wrong?" Jasmine stammered as Stella''s expression darkened and Sol lumbered into view in the doorway. "Of course not. Don''t worry, everything is going to be just fiiiine," Stella reassured Jasmine as she hurriedly gestured for Sol to heal her Disciple. A blindingly bright wisp was planted on her forehead, making Jasmine even more confused. "Master, you know I can feel your emotions," Jasmine said as she inspected her arms and chest, enveloped in a healing glow. "Am I injured?" "No, but your spirit roots are rife with poison," Stella said seriously, "I need to keep you alive while I brew an antidote¡ªSol, keep healing her. I''ll be back in an hour." Stella turned to leave the hut. "Master, wait." Jasmine reached out and grabbed Stella''s arm with surprising strength. "Don''t worry about the poison. I put it there." "You... put it there?" Stella looked at her Disciple strangely. Jasmine nodded, "Yes, so don''t worry. The poison doesn''t hurt me." That doesn''t make any sense. It wasn''t poison Qi. It was straight-up poison infesting her spirit roots. Stella furrowed her brows. She should be dying, yet she seems fine. "What happened?" Elaine asked, poking her head around the door, casting a shadow. "Is Jasmine alright." "I have no idea." Stella stood up and moved deeper into the hut to make room. "Could you take a look?" If anyone is likely to know what is up with Jasmine, it would be Elaine. She was a lecturer in Qi theory at Darklight City''s Academy for a while and spent many years studying this stuff. "Certainly," Elaine cautiously stepped into the hut and sat beside Jasmine on the bed. "Let me get a look at you first," Elaine said, tilting Jasmine forward to inspect her flower-filled hair. She ran a finger along her neck''s green-tinted veins and tilted Jasmine''s head to check her eyes. Jasmine didn''t seem uncomfortable and almost went limp in Elaine''s embrace, letting the woman inspect what she needed to. Elaine held her wrist and did a similar deep inspection of her spirit roots as Stella had done. "Mhm, a potent poison exists in her spirit roots and bloodstream. But it doesn''t seem to be reacting to her body as if they are co-existing peacefully. How strange. Jasmine, do you mind telling us how this happened?" Jasmine seemed to be fading in and out of sleep in Elaine''s embrace. She must be exhausted like me. Stella thought and confirmed through their mental link. Both of them were tired to the bone. Rubbing her eyes and shaking her head, Jasmine began to explain. "After forging my nature Qi soul core, I explored what I thought was a ruin, but it was actually all a carefully laid trap by a poisonous plant monster lurking within. It used illusions to bait me in..." Jasmine yawned, "If not for Sol and your teachings, Grand Elder Elaine, I would have definitely been eaten." Stella glanced at Sol, who was waiting in the doorway. She needed such a strong Ent to survive in a Soul Fire pocket realm? Maybe I let her enter too early and should have spent more time teaching her the basics and how to fight monsters. "I can see that you formed a nature Soul Core and even reached the second stage," Elaine said while she had her palm on Jasmine''s chest, "But that doesn''t explain how you are surviving this poison. You don''t have poison affinity. Otherwise, there would be poison Qi, not straight-up poison in your spirit roots." Elaine pulled her hand away and pushed up her glasses, "Even if you understand poison dao, this would be too lethal." "The poison is from the plant monster in the ruin. I noticed my soul was absorbing the poison, so long as it was a little bit at a time..." Jasmine paused, looked down, and began fidgeting with her hands. "So I had the monster poison me over and over again while Sol healed me." Her voice dropped to a whisper as if she knew what she had done was a bad idea. "Eventually, my body seemed used to the poison, and it didn''t hurt anymore. My soul even started producing it..." What a genius way to build up poison immunity! Stella thought, proud of her Disciple. Elaine lightly flicked Jasmine on the forehead. "How could you do something so dangerous?! You''re lucky Sol''s light Qi is so potent and cleansing. Otherwise, no amount of healing would have saved you." "Sorry..." Jasmine said but smiled slightly when she saw Stella grinning and giving her a thumbs up from behind Elaine. Stella also conveyed how proud she was through their Master-Disciple link. Elaine gave Stella a side eye, "Stop that. As her Master, you shouldn''t encourage her to do such dangerous things. As cultivators, we can live for a long time, but those that chase power and fight in such a manner have shorter lifespans than mortals." "Hey, I never taught her to do something like this. She thought that up on her own." Stella retorted. "Besides, it worked out, though, right?" "Yes... somehow." Elaine turned back to Jasmine. "If I could take her to my study, run some tests, and compare this condition to some records, I might be able to discern the cause of her strange poison immunity." "No need." Ash''s voice echoed in their minds. "Have her eat this, and then I''ll take a look." A bright blue fruit Stella had never seen before floated over their heads into the hut and dropped in Jasmine''s lap. "What''s this?" Stella asked. She''d spent many hours hanging out in Ashlock''s canopy and munching on random fruits as they tasted delicious, so she knew every fruit and its effect by heart. "While you were gone, I developed some new and improved fruits. This is a superior version to the Mind Fortress fruit." Ash explained, "This bright blue fruit is the Soul Protection fruit. I need Jasmine to eat this so my gaze doesn''t turn her insane." "Your gaze didn''t turn me insane..." Stella muttered under her breath. In fact, she found the unfiltered outpouring of bloodlust and anguish oddly comforting.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "How can I say this nicely... you and Diana are special cases. I understand why neither of you feels repulsed by my gaze, but Jasmine undoubtedly will." Stella glanced out of the hut and smirked at Diana. They were special! Diana just shook her head in frustration. Jasmine scarfed down the fruit, and the juices dyed her lips and tongue blue. "Good, now have her brought to the doorway, and let me get a good look." Stella shepherded Jasmine toward the hut''s doorway and supported her back as they both looked at Ash''s eye, which was like a blood-red miniature sun suspended inside his trunk. Only the middle third of the giant eye was visible through the slit as it swiveled to look at them. Almost visible waves of bloodlust and anguish radiated off the eye, which Stella shrugged off. Meanwhile, Jasmine had gone pale, and despite the Soul Protection fruit, she was shivering against Stella. Her hands trembled loosely at her sides, and she stared down at the ground, not daring to look up. "Sorry, Jasmine. This will only take a moment." Stella gently played with Jasmine''s hair and tried to reassure her through the mental link that there was nothing to fear. No matter how scary the eye was, it was Ash''s. He wouldn''t do anything to hurt them. "Now, this is interesting," Ash said after a while. "Are there such things as body constitutions?" Stella glanced at Elaine as she had never heard of body constitutions. "There are," Elaine nodded, "though the chance of being born with one is perhaps even rarer than a bloodline." Elaine paused and tapped her chin. "Now that I think about it, cults have been known to perform rituals to alter their body constitutions, but most consider them a waste, as once they reach Nascent Soul Realm, such changes to their vessel won''t pass over." "What do you mean by body constitutions?" Stella asked, not entirely understanding what they were talking about. "Most cultivators like you and I focus on soul cultivation, but a few use various methods to alter their bodies to become more resistant to certain things," Elaine opened her palm, and an illusion appeared in the white soul flame she summoned. It depicted the face of a man with a beard turned to ice. His skin was bright red from the cold, and he seemed to be standing bare-chested on a mountain surrounded by a frozen wasteland. "This random man I thought up could have been a water cultivator, but he wanted more resistance to ice, so he tortured himself in a freezing environment to force his body to adapt." Stella furrowed her brows in confusion, "But why would he do that? Wouldn''t sitting down on that mountain and focusing on comprehending ice dao result in the same thing without the self-torture?" "Yup," Elaine dismissed the illusion, "And dao comprehension follows you between vessels. This is why nobody really talks much about body constitutions except cults that need people''s bodies to be resistant to demonic Qi to survive a ritual or something. However, Jasmine here seems to be a special case. I''m still not quite sure what is going on with her." Elaine looked toward Ash''s eye as if seeking the last piece of the puzzle. "Not sure how to say this, but Jasmine''s soul seems to have absorbed and merged with a small part of the poisonous plant''s soul. I guess the addition of the poisonous plant to Jasmine''s soul caused her body to alter, resulting in her hair changing and the appearance of the plant''s poison being produced in Jasmine''s body." Stella relayed what Ash said to Jasmine, but her Disciple didn''t seem surprised. "Jasmine, you said you encountered this plant monster right after forging your soul core, right?" Elaine asked. The little girl nodded. "It''s starting to make sense. Cultivators'' souls are always unstable after a breakthrough and need time to adjust." Elaine mused, "Maybe the plant tried to take advantage of that by poisoning your soul, but between Sol''s healing, your slight affinity to poison Qi, and perhaps being born with a poisonous body constitution, you have managed to do something unique. You are basically part poisonous plant now." "Eh?" Jasmine looked at her hands in confusion, "I''m a plant now?" "You are still very much human," Elaine reassured her. "But eating vegetables now may be considered cannibalism." Jasmine giggled at Elaine''s joke. "My mother isn''t going to like that excuse for me avoiding my greens." "Jokes aside, doesn''t that mean she has poison affinity?" Stella asked, slightly worried. Raising Jasmine''s cultivation stage to a level where she could compete with Amber and help her win the bet with Tree was already looking hard enough while needing to gather the Qi for a single affinity. If poison Qi was also thrown into the mix, it would complicate things. "No, she only has nature affinity." Ash answered, "But being resistant and able to produce poisons within her body and becoming part plant is bound to greatly boost her capabilities with nature Qi. She will likely be able to infuse her attacks with poison, similar to what I do with my cursed sap." "I see," Stella nodded in understanding and felt relief wash over her. When she first saw her dear Disciple emerge from the Mystic Realm looking so strange, she jumped over in worry and panicked when she noticed the poison invading her body. Finding out it was instead a massive advantage for her Disciple made her head spin with ideas to assist her training while also making her slightly jealous. I want to be a plant, too... I''d rather be a plant than a human. My mother is likely a tree, and so is my adoptive father. I hardly feel much connection to humans except those closest to me, like Diana. "Well, it''s a relief to know I overreacted, my dear Disciple," Stella dismissed her thoughts, stretched her back, and barely held back a yawn. "We should head down to my alchemy cave to see what we can make out of your poison¡ª" "Not so fast," Diana said as she strode from the bench with Douglas in tow, "Aren''t you supposed to be hiding away from Vincent Nightrose in Ashlock''s Inner World¡ªforget about the alchemy cave. You shouldn''t even be up here." "Ah..." Stella had been so caught up in losing the aether origin stone, talking with Diana and now her Disciple, that it had totally slipped her mind. "I totally forgot about that. Ash, what should we do?" A portal that seemed to lead to the living room of her house in the Inner World appeared. "Everyone, head in here for a moment; let me think and dismiss everyone else still on Red Vine Peak." Stella, Diana, Elaine, Douglas, and Jasmine all made their way through the portal into a rather messy living room. Random pieces of training equipment were strewn across the floor, a pile of Jasmine''s unfolded laundry dominated one of the chairs, and a few books Stella had been reading were left open on the table. "Pardon the mess," Stella said, using telekinesis to raise everything into the air. What in the nine realms? Why does everything feel so easy to move? Is this the difference between aether and spatial Qi? Stella wondered as she waved her hand. Then, with a flash of silver light, everything vanished into one of her spatial rings. Picking her favorite couch, she lay across it and put her feet up on the backrest while letting her head roll off the side. It hadn''t really set in until now, but her body and mind felt thoroughly... broken. Everyone else took seats in the morning-lit room while she stared at the wooden ceiling and contemplated these changes. It wasn''t until a while later that Stella felt Ash''s presence loom over the room, followed by his voice in her mind. "Alright, everyone has left the peak. Sorry for taking so long, Elder Margret reported casualties from the Mystic Realm. Around a dozen are unaccounted for. There are one or two cases where she believes infighting over treasures or inheritances caused the deaths, and those who killed their fellow family members will be punished accordingly¡ªI just thought I would fill you all in on that. Now to business. I was dealing with something unforeseen this morning, so I didn''t have time to pull Stella out of the Mystic Realm, leading to this oversight." Stella bit her lip. They had gone through a lot of effort to fake her death, and she had been quarantined in Ash''s Inner World for this very reason. "This certainly isn''t ideal, but it''s not the end of the world. It was only a week ago that Valandor left, so there''s a possibility he hasn''t even given Vincent Nightrose the report of Stella''s death during the war yet, considering he should still be in closed-door cultivation. And even if he had given the report, Morrigan has recently stepped in and wiped out the Skyrend family''s upper echelon, so ultimately, our schemes may have been for nothing. Vincent will need to intervene one way or another with so many of his top cultivators dying." Stella physically recoiled at that news. Just what had Morrigan been thinking? Killing the whole Skyrend family would draw far too much attention than if she had left it alone to stall out for months. "Anyway, the plan to fake Stella''s death was made a while ago when Vincent was still a significant threat to Ashfallen." "He''s not anymore?" Diana raised a brow. "I have since stepped into the 4th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm and upped my defenses. I can almost guarantee I have the techniques and forces to deal with him if a battle was fought here on Red Vine Peak. So no, he is no longer a significant threat to me." Stella fell off the couch in shock and banged her head on the floor. FOURTH STAGE?! Did he capture and eat a god or something?! As she groaned on the floor and tried to sit up, the rest of the room seemed to have an equally shocked reaction. Everyone knew it got harder to ascend with every stage, so to jump to the 4th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm was simply unthinkable. A portal opened, and Stella could see the tip of it over the backrest of the couch she was lying on the floor in front of. The spatial Qi rippled as something stepped through, and an oppressive darkness crept into the room. "This is Anubis, one of my newest Ents," Ashlock explained as a tall skeleton made of white bamboo wreathed in a cape of darkness looked around the room with eyes of flickering black soul flames. "He is also at the 5th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, and I have another called Hades at the 7th stage. Both Ents are technically stronger than me, so we also have a strike force potentially equal to Vincent Nightrose." "We can speak more about this later. For now, I have a few suggestions. First, we hold the upcoming tournament inside my Inner World, and second, we work on creating an artifact that can block Stella''s bloodline from leaking. There is also a third option..." Stella smirked as she followed Tree''s line of thinking. If there was a pest, it was best to kill it. "We could go on the offensive and kill Vincent Nightrose." Chapter 345: Redclaw Tribunal "So it has come to this, huh?" Diana leaned forward, interlacing her fingers below her chin with a serious expression. "An all-out war between regional titans. The land isn''t big enough for two rulers, a fact Vincent Nightrose has known all too well. Hence, he made efforts to curb any possibilities of resistance." "I actually don''t mind if other powers are nearby," Ashlock corrected her. As his roots expanded in all directions, there was a possible future where his roots covered the entire realm. If he couldn''t stand sharing his land with others, would he turn into the next Vincent Nightrose and slaughter anyone who got too close to his cultivation stage? That seemed tiresome. "This is personal. Vincent Nightrose wants Stella dead, so he has to die. It''s as simple as that." Not to mention the credits and control he would get for killing such a foe. Vincent was now less of a threat and more of an opportunity to further his personal growth and political influence in the region. All the while removing a threat to Stella and the weaker ones in the sect. "Still, it is amazing to think that the tyrant who has ruled the Blood Lotus Sect with an iron fist since before my father''s time could actually die. To a tree, no less," Diana leaned back in her chair and smirked, "All because he happened to pick on Stella. I wonder if he will curse his luck in the afterlife." "Afterlife? Such scum doesn''t deserve to venture to such a place," Ashlock would devour his soul and turn him into thousands of sacrificial credits. Nothing would be left to even reincarnate as a mere blade of grass in his next life, let alone curse him in death. Vincent Nightrose would be reduced to nothing but a memory in the minds of those who knew and feared him. Such was the fate of a cultivator who believed he was invincible and above everyone else. Stella jumped up, suddenly full of energy. "I''m all for this plan! Let''s kill him right now. He has been a shadow looming over me and this sect for too long, like a reaper. We can''t move forward with confidence until he is gone and Ashfallen takes over the Blood Lotus Sect." "Well said," Ashlock agreed, "Any objections?" "Do we know Vincent''s cultivation stage for sure?" Elaine asked the room. "My father was always vague regarding Vincent. Maybe your family knew more than we did?" "You think we would have known more than the Voidmind family? Nobody knows Vincent''s true cultivation as far as I know. It''s a well-guarded secret." Diana said. "Estimates range from the middle of the Nascent Soul Realm to the first step into the Monarch Realm." "Has nobody seen him fight?" Stella asked. Diana shrugged, "The Disciplinary Committee disposed of anyone who stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm, such as my father. Also, the well-designed laws of the sect prevented any one family from gaining enough influence by having any winnings from wars shared with the Nightrose family. Since no family rose above the rest, the Nightrose family could use other families to deal with infighting." "Yeah, it''s as Diana said," Elaine nodded. "He has so many layers of people below him that he rarely has to intervene directly. The few times he''s had to fight, his enemies have been crushed one-sidedly¡ªor so the stories go. "Those stories have some legitimacy behind them, with Vincent Nightrose having the highest bounty in the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion at 100,000 and his ability to single-handedly defend the Blood Lotus Sect all this time from other demonic sects," Ashlock pointed out. "Phew, this is a lot to take in," Douglas jokingly pulled at the collar of his beige suit. "Forget the Nightrose family; when I was a rogue struggling in Darklight City, you noble families seemed like untouchable gods. Now, you tell me the collective strength of all these noble families put together couldn''t stand up to this one guy? And we are going to be the ones to put an end to his rule?" "Don''t worry. I won''t take action until I have verified Vincent Nightrose''s strength by analyzing his soul with my eye in a few days," Ashlock reassured Douglas. He understood that many lives depended on him and his leadership to survive. If he decided to poke the hornet''s nest, it wouldn''t just be him who had to deal with it. Everyone under the Ashfallen banner would suffer if he tried and failed to punch above his weight. "It would be like the fight with the Lunarshade Grand Elder but on a far larger scale," Ashlock mused. He knew he had a chance of victory, especially if he could bait Vincent Nightrose to fight near Red Vine Peak. The problem is that it brought the fight toward vulnerable cities like Darklight and Ashfallen City. "That''s a relief," Douglas let out a sigh, "I only just reached the Star Core Realm at the end of the Mystic Realm and haven''t had time to get used to my new strength. So heading straight into a war wouldn''t have been ideal." "That''s a good point, and I should congratulate you and Elaine on your successful ascensions. Now, all of Ashfallen''s Grand Elders are in the Star Core Realm, which is much more fitting." When Ashlock first discovered the Redclaw family, only the Grand Elder was in the Star Core Realm. Elder Brent, Margret, and Mo were stuck in the Soul Fire Realm due to heart demons creating bottlenecks. So it hadn''t been weird to have Douglas and Elaine as Elders despite being in the Soul Fire Realm, but now that the Ashfallen Sect rivaled the top-tier families like the Silverspires who had Star Core Realm butlers for their scions, it had been a little embarrassing. Elaine and Douglas gave a bow of appreciation at his words. "Now, Douglas..." Douglas straightened up, and a worrisome expression bloomed on his face. "Yes, boss?" "While we wait to see if Vincent Nightrose is defeatable, don''t you agree we hold the tournament here in my Inner World so as not to repeat the alchemy tournament incident?" "Right..." Douglas nodded slowly. His worsening expression clearly indicated that the conversation was heading in an unfavorable direction. "Unfortunately, we lack a suitable venue for such an event here," Ashlock said. "Could you build a floating arena surrounded by a town to host our events for the foreseeable future? My Inner World has expanded in size, so there should be plenty of room." "It would be my pleasure," Douglas said with a strained smile, "How long do I have?" "Would a week be long enough?" Ashlock suggested. The tournament had been scheduled to occur straight after the Mystic Realm, but sometimes plans had to be changed. Douglas''s eye twitched, "A week?" "Yeah." The tournament aimed to welcome cultivators into the white stone palace and elevate the prestige of the Ashfallen Sect. News of it had already spread throughout Darklight City and all the mortals who had gained the ability to cultivate due to the welcome packages provided for joining the cult of the All-Seeing Eye. If they were to delay the tournament for long, it would reflect poorly on them and give the Ashfallen Sect a bad name. "It can''t be helped," Douglas sighed as he stood up, "An arena in a week? It should be possible, and I needed the practice anyway." "Um, Douglas..." Stella mumbled. "Could you build me a new alchemy lab and study, too? This house is nice, but it doesn''t have enough room, and I have to stay here until Vincent dies." "How could I say no to an earnest request from the princess?" Douglas said as sarcastically as possible, "I''ll go get the Mudcloaks." *** Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Magnus Redclaw stood in the White Stone Palace''s courtyard flanked by his family''s Elders. His arms rested behind his back as he stared down at three members of the younger generation. He usually looked upon these youths with fondness, as they were the future of the family, but today, there was only coldness in his gaze. A total of 60 members from the younger generation, aged between 12 and 40, had entered the Mystic Realm, yet only 48 returned safely home. The pocket realms were dangerous, so Magnus had steeled his heart with the knowledge that someone may not return alive, but this was far too many casualties. All three of the singled-out youths were in a line before him, kneeling with one leg raised and their gazes fixated on the floor. Before entering the Mystic Realm, everyone had been assigned groups. These three had emerged and could not provide a coherent reason for the deaths of the others in their pocket realms. Hence, they were lined up to face judgment. It was midday, yet the sky was overcast, and a cold winter breeze accompanied the solemn occasion. In all his years as family head, he had never had to punish his own family. Every cultivator was to be cherished in a family as small and tight as the Redclaws, especially with how abundant cultivation resources were now. All I can hope is Elder Margret found no wrongdoings during the last few hours of interrogation. Either way, I need to give an example so we do not repeat this tragedy again. Magnus thought as he took a calming breath before addressing the crowd of Redclaws that had gathered around the edges of the White Stone Palace. "Everyone, look around. Who stands beside you? Who stands before you? That''s right, it''s a fellow Redclaw¡ªyour family. We have survived and stood together through thick and thin under one proud name. In the past, we were war heroes, and in the present, we thrive under the canopy of a god as his flaming swords." Magnus paused as his gaze swept the crowd. "Ashfallen rewarded our loyalty by granting us access to the Mystic Realm, a passageway into pocket realms from past and present Monarch Realm cultivators. An opportunity I''m sure you can all understand is an unprecedented privilege that even the Nightrose family couldn''t grant us. However! With opportunity comes danger. While some pocket realms contain inheritances or treasures beyond what can be found on our layer of creation, others are filled with unthinkable monsters and threats. In the face of such danger, we should band together to support one another¡ª" Magnus glared down at the three kneeling before him, "¡ªnot turn on our own blood due to greed." Whispers broke out among the Redclaws gathered. Many looked at the kneeling group with disgust, others with worry. The boys'' and girls'' parents, siblings, and friends were in the crowd. Everyone was emotionally invested in this, so it was no simple affair and had to be handled correctly. "Silence," Magnus said calmly, and the courtyard went deathly still. Magnus glanced over his shoulder, "Elder Margret, please announce the interrogation results and pass your judgment." Elder Margret nodded and stepped forward with a clipboard in hand. "Terrance, Isabella, and Nathan, you three were part of a larger group that included twelve others, all of whom are unaccounted for. In light of this oddity and the suspiciously high number of casualties, you were separated, asked to give testimonies, and we inspected your spatial rings. While we may never know the whole truth of what occurred in the Mystic Realm, I believe I have drawn a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence." Elder Margret paused as she switched the parchment on the clipboard. "First of all, inspecting your spatial rings revealed a bundle of potent undocumented flowers, likely originating from the pocket realm. I believe these flowers were a source of conflict." "Elder Margret, we didn''t do anything!" Isabella, a usually quiet and studious girl, looked up from the ground and shouted. "Right, guys? Some flowers don''t mean anything." Magnus flared a fraction of his peak Star Core presence, forcing Isabella''s head down and silencing her. He hated having to do this to his own family. It tore his heart in two, but if putting on a show of strength would prevent a tragedy like this from occurring in the future, then he had to suck it up and do it. This was his role as a leader. "Really, Isabella? Then how do you care to explain the abundant amount of spirit stones in your spatial ring?" Elder Margret said. "Spirit stones? How does that show anything? I have been saving up for a long time!" Elder Margret raised a brow. "What about the pendant known to have been worn by Harris, who never made it out alive?" "That''s..." Isabella froze up for a moment. "It was a gift from him!" "Bullshit, Harris always hated you. I know you killed my boy!" A curly, red-haired woman who Magnus knew was the mother of Harris pushed through the crowd and pointed an accusing finger at Isabella, "Because of you, my boy is dead!" "Samatha, please hold on. Let me seek justice for your boy," Elder Margret said softly. Magnus knew the two were good friends, so Elder Margret shared Samatha''s pain. Harris had been a good kid and had only just turned twelve; hence, they had sent him with the largest group. Magnus''s gaze fell to the floor. When they decided on the groups, he promised Samatha it would be the safest group for her boy, but it turned out to be the worst option. He couldn''t foresee the future, but he still felt he was partially to blame. Elder Margret coughed to refocus everyone''s attention on the matter at hand. "Isabella, you say this was a gift from Harris? If so, when did he give it to you?" "As I told you, toward the end of the month. While we were all busy harvesting those flowers, a Fire Drake appeared and killed everyone!" Isabella had tears trailing down the side of her cheeks. "We didn''t stand a chance! I tried to help those I could, but in the end, only Terrance, Nathan, and I survived. Right guys?" Neither of the boys answered her. They kept their gazes firmly on the ground. "I separated you three and compared your recollection of events," Elder Margret tapped the clipboard, "Your story does not match Nathan and Terrance''s, Isabella." Her eyes widened, and she looked between the two in panic. "W-What? How did they differ?" "Almost every detail matches; however, it''s said that Harris died earlier due to unforeseen circumstances, but in your report, you say he was alive until the Fire Drake attacked." Elder Margret''s gaze hardened. "Nathan and Terrance were very vague about how Harris died, even though the death of a family member would have been a very polarizing and notable event. The only thing they both agreed on was that Harris died at the end of the first week." Isabella''s shock turned to anger, "You two!" "Silence." Elder Margret snapped, "The appearance of the Fire Drake is also strange. You all described the location with the high-elevation flowers and that after a few days, a single Fire Drake egg was discovered in a hole. This is odd since Fire Drakes prefer to lay their eggs in low-elevation areas and always in groups of three. This means someone put the egg there to bait the Fire Drake to attack." Elder Margret stepped toward Isabella, "You were the only one out of the three able to mention details about the egg. So, in conclusion, I have reason to suspect after killing Harris, for whatever reason, you wanted to wipe out the witnesses by baiting a Fire Drake to attack. Is that correct?" "No¡ª" "Yes, Elder Margret," Terrance stood up. He was an older boy in his twenties with messy red hair that fell over his face. "It was also partially mine and Nathan''s fault that Harris died. The three of us and Harris went exploring and¡ª" "Terrance, shut up." Isabella hit him in the shoulder, sending him staggering to the side. "You''re just spouting lies." "Samatha deserves to know the truth," Terrance retorted, "Despite being stronger, we used him as a scout! He died because we were too cowardly to go first." Magnus closed his eyes as he imagined the terrible scene and heard a thump followed by a howl as Samatha dropped to her knees. Somehow, the story was even more horrific than he had imagined it. To use the youngest and weakest in the group as a scout? They were a family of war heroes, not savages. The thought of doing such a thing made him almost spit out with disgust. Nathan stood up last and looked at his father, a usually cheerful, round-faced man with a bushy red beard, in the crowd with shame. His father returned a wrathful glare. "It''s as Terrance says." Nathan looked between the two youths, "When we returned, the others said they would tell the Elders about what we had done. When the Fire Drake attacked and killed everyone, we all agreed to keep how Harris died a secret... but now I see the Fire Drake attack wasn''t by chance." Magnus opened his eyes, and his voice carried a fiery rage he had long kept restrained. "You three had committed an unforgivable sin by leading a fellow Redclaw to their untimely demise. However, Isabella took it further by committing an act reminiscent of a cold-hearted demon. You slaughtered your family and planned to hide it. You even looted the dead in hopes it would fuel your own selfish growth." Isabella stepped back, her lip quivering as she looked between the Elders facing her down. "No... how did it turn out like this?!" A sudden pressure descended on White Stone Peak, and divine energy crackled through the air. The immortal had arrived to witness the judgment on those who had defiled the Mystic Realm. Magnus slowly raised his hand to give judgment while under the immortal''s gaze, "For these crimes, Nathan and Terrance will have their cultivation stripped, and they will be reduced to cripples. Meanwhile, Isabella, you will be sentenced to death¡ª" "Hold on, Grand Elder." Magnus glanced to the side and was surprised to see Elder Brent, of all people, gripping his arm. "I have a more fitting punishment for these evildoers." Magnus raised a brow, "What is it?" "These three took talented youths and loved ones from us with their actions. Crippling them and executing another just creates more death and suffering." "Are you suggesting we spare them?" Magnus couldn''t understand his brother''s line of thinking. Elder Brent shook his head, "I suggest we have the immortal turn them into trees right here in the courtyard so they may benefit our family forever by bathing the courtyard in their Qi while serving as a constant reminder to the others." Magnus looked at Elder Mo and saw his old war buddy nodding profoundly at the suggestion. Elder Margret also seemed to agree. Magnus lowered his arm and looked up at the sky. "Immortal, would such a punishment be acceptable?" The immortal answered his question through action. The ground below split open, and three-person thick, ethereal black roots covered in thorns and ending in spikes emerged like coiling snakes and wrapped around the youths. They howled in pain as their flesh was torn to shreds and their bones crushed. Everyone watched on with mixed expressions. It was gruesome and brutal but also deserved. After a while, the three crushed and bloodied bodies were thrown to the floor a few meters from one another. Immediately, their unconscious bodies began to twist upwards, as if they were trying to stand, and solidified into black wood. After a while, they took on the general shape of a tree, and blood-red leaves sprouted from their branches that resembled arms ending in gnarled fingers. Most stayed deathly silent during the transformation, though sobbing could be heard from the crowd. Today was a dark day for the Redclaw family, but also the start of a new beginning, Magnus thought as he saw the three trees rise in the courtyard. Chapter 346: (Interlude) Spiritual Springs Far north of Red Vine Peak, a monster stirred awake under a sea of stars in a spiritual spring. Curled around a mountain peak, the titanic creature slowly opened his silver eyes. To the weak, he was known as the Celestial Star Dragon. To the more powerful, he was known as Astralis. "Something''s wrong," Astralis growled and slowly raised his head. Foliage that had grown on his black scales decorated with silver speckles during his long sleep fell to the wayside as he looked up at the stars. As a peak Nascent Soul level monster cultivating cosmic affinity, he could tell the exact time from a quick glance at the position and brightness of the stars littering the vast cosmos overhead. "Why have I awakened three years early?" Astralis narrowed his eyes as he verified the date a second time just to be sure, but the stars never lied. He had awoken from his deep cultivation three years too early. Looking within himself, he noted that his beast core was still a few decades from reaching the stage that cultivators called the Monarch Realm, confirming that he had awoken early. A part of him wanted to shrug off the strange feeling that had disturbed his rest and let one of the other Primal Overlords handle it. I''m likely the only one to have noticed this disturbance so far, as none of those ancient monsters are as adept at sensing disturbances in Qi as I am. Well, except Zephyrine. Astralis thought, and the image of an ethereal celestial white stag who ruled over them appeared in his mind. Zephyrine was what every monster strived to become, as she was as intelligent as she was powerful. It had been a century since Astralis had last dealt with her, and his soul still trembled at the memory of when she had flexed a hint of her cultivation at him. Monarch Realm monsters were terrifying existences. Imagining Zephyrine''s wrath at him for not investigating filled Astralis with dread. "I guess I have no choice," he said, spreading his titanic wings. His silver claws curled into the rock as he arched his back, and with a gentle leap, he soared into the sky, accompanied by the thundering boom of destroying the mountain he had been resting on. Without even flexing his cultivation, the clouds parted as if welcoming their king. Feeling the wind rushing past and the starlight bathing his scales, Astralis glided through the night sky, casting a shadow on the land below. "Before investigating, a snack after such a long sleep wouldn''t hurt," Astralis''s lips curled up into a cruel smirk as he spread out his spiritual senses. The spiritual spring the monsters lived on was divided into undefined levels. Zephyrine''s domain was to the north, at the dead center of the spiritual spring. Around her were areas controlled by the Primal Overlords, monsters in the Nascent Soul Realm capable of taking on other forms and complex thoughts. They mostly spent their time sleeping like Astralis had, as nobody dared to fight them. Other than the initial few years of fighting over territory between the Primal Overlords, these areas were usually the most peaceful. Vast swathes of land dominated by single powers where no others dare to venture by sheer virtue of the Primal Overlord''s natural presence guarding the area. Meanwhile, the lower levels to the south, which contained Star Core Realm-level monsters with some levels of intelligence, were total warzones. There were factions of like-minded or similar race monsters at constant war over the ever-shrinking land of the spiritual spring. The weaker ones were pushed out and forced into lower levels with less Qi, while the stronger ones dominated the land at the borders to the Primal Overlords regions. Astralis knew the struggle well, as he hadn''t always been a Primal Overlord respected and feared by all below him. In a long distant past, from before the last era of ascension, he was a newborn lizard. It had taken a lot of luck, ruthlessness and time to reach the level he was at now. "What''s this?" Astralis was surprised to find some life signs within his territory. Although they were near the border, they had definitely dared to step into his area. Tilting his body, he changed his course and headed toward them. Drakes, and three of them. Astralis didn''t even bother to conceal his presence and enjoyed how all three looked to the sky in unison as he loomed on the horizon. Total darkness followed, and the shadow of his body blocking out the moonlight came as a prelude to his arrival. Instead of running, all three dropped their heads on the ground in surrender. Astralis flapped his wings once, wiping out all trees for many miles. Setting his body down before the three, the ground trembled and cracked beneath him. All three of the drakes were visibly trembling under his pressure. "I miss the days my food uselessly fought and struggled for survival," Astralis said as he loomed over them, "Though dull, I can''t say I hate skipping the useless steps and presenting your heads on a platter. Eating around the meat filled with crushed bones was always a pain." "Lord Celestial Star Dragon¡ª" "Who said you could speak in my presence?" Astralis moved the faintest hint of his Qi and called upon a star. A beam of starlight struck down, obliterating the drake''s head and freezing its neck. The drake''s body stood for a moment before losing strength in its limbs and falling to the side. Reaching forward with his claw, Astralis picked up the drake''s body. It was unsatisfyingly small, only the size of a large cow with wings, so it barely qualified as a snack. He gobbled it down with one hearty bite. Feeling a little less moody from being awoken from his sleep after a snack, he decided to humor the drakes who had dared to venture onto his territory, as at least they knew his title and could communicate. "Speak, why have you come here, drakes?" "Lord Celestial Star Dragon," The left drake growled in barely comprehensible draconic compared to the last one who had spoken in the common beast tongue. "We have come on behalf of your daughter." Astralis'' laughter boomed across the land. "My daughter, you say? You''re going to have to be more specific. I have as many children as there are stars in the sky." "Nymeria, my lord." The other drake answered in the common tongue. "We came to seek your help¡ª" Astralis reached forward and crushed the drake under his claw with a satisfying crunch. Coming into his territory and speaking to him without making an effort to learn draconic was an insult. The common tongue was based purely on conveying concepts through grunts. It was the way weaklings communicated. "You are supposedly under my daughter, yet talk to me in the common tongue?" Astralis mused as he licked his second snack off his claws, "Nymeria though, mhm. I believe I had her with a human. Does she allow you to speak the common language in her presence, drake?" The remaining drake groveled even harder, "While proud of her dragon lineage, Mistress Nymeria understands that draconic is the hardest language to master, so she allows the common language to be spoken in her presence, my Lord." If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Astralis huffed out his nostrils. This displeased him greatly, and this drake''s draconic language was barely passable. It was rather unpleasant and grating to his ears. "So, why have you trespassed into the domain of a Primal Overlord? You know such an act means certain death, do you not?" "Yes, my Lord. However, Nymeria was desperate. Something has gone terribly wrong in the spiritual spring¡ªQi is leaving quickly. Hoards of beasts have attacked her land, pushing her to the border. She hoped to call upon your might in this time of need, so she sent us here." "Call upon my might?" Astralis had never heard something so laughable in all his long years. Dragons were prideful creatures at the peak of power. To admit defeat and call upon their daddy for help? Laughable! Those weren''t the acts of a dragon at all! "Her cowardly human side must have led her to believe I would honor such a request. It''s just her luck that I was awakened by another disturbance; otherwise, I would have struck her down myself if you had awoken me." Astralis placed the tip of his bloodied claw on the bowing drake''s forehead. "I suppose I can overlook her cowardly request just this once, as she sent me three drakes for breakfast." "Three, my lord?" "Yes." Astralis put some strength into his claw and skewered the drake''s brain, silencing it. "Three dared to trespass, so three will die." Astralis''s bloodied lips curled as he picked up the drake and dangled it overhead. It swung from his claw as he opened his maw wide and let the corpse slide off and drop into the abyss of his throat. Licking his lips, he felt mildly satisfied as the Qi from the three Star Core drakes traveled through his spirit roots and was absorbed into his beast core. Hunting other monsters usually resulted in spending more Qi than he gained, but this had been an easy meal courtesy of his dear daughter. While waiting for his beast core to settle and picking bones out of his teeth, he thought about the information the now-dead drake had provided. Qi is leaving the spiritual springs? If Zephyrine''s prediction was correct¡ªand she is never wrong¡ªthat shouldn''t happen for another three years. Even when the process does start, it takes months or sometimes years. Yet, by how the drake spoke, it seemed like the process was happening so quickly that it sent the monsters into a panic for higher ground. It''s almost like a reverse beast tide, where the beasts don''t want to leave for the next spiritual spring yet, but the Qi-rich land is rapidly shrinking. If that was true, it was a problem. The cultivator sects built along the leylines sometimes put up a resistance, so the Primal Overlords preferred to let the weaker monsters wipe them out so they didn''t have to waste their precious Qi. If monsters fought each other or formed a sparse beast tide along the leyline, the cultivators might be able to fight back and cull their numbers. Who will I eat then if all the monsters die? Astralis sighed as he spread out his wings once again. This was a strange and unprecedented situation, which could only mean one thing: it would be a pain to solve. While the Primal Overlords could sometimes come together and work toward a common goal, they were still selfish monsters at the end of the day, driven by greed. Unless something threatened all of their peace or Zephyrine made a move, they wouldn''t work together. Astralis soared into the sky toward his region''s border. I guess I''ll see if I can handle it myself. But to think one of my children reached out to me for help. Nymeria may be half-human, but I remember her as one of my more capable children despite her mixed bloodline. What a bold child to call upon me. Lost in his thoughts, he soon arrived at the border; sure enough, it was chaos. Innumerable monsters from different factions surrounded a crude fortress city built into a towering mountain. Qi flew around like it was free as hundreds of drakes fought off the monsters clawing their way up the sides of the mountain. Why are they all gathered here at my border? Fights here are normal, but never on this scale. Spreading out his spiritual senses further, Astralis made a disturbing discovery. The spiritual spring... was gone. What should have been a hundred miles of Qi-rich land was barren like the Qi-deprived lands between the leylines. This wasn''t just a ''disturbance''; something had sucked the area dry of Qi, and he could see the edge of the spiritual spring moving in closer. Soon, even his own region would be at risk of vanishing. If that were to happen, he couldn''t move deeper as that was Zephyrine''s territory. He would have no choice but to move on to the next spiritual spring earlier than intended and once again waste Qi fighting his fellow Primal Overlords over the best cultivation spots. I wonder if the other Primal Overlords also have this situation on their borders. Astralis thought as he confirmed with his spiritual senses that his daughter was residing in the city. Was this city hers? Either way, as a Primal Overlord, he could go as he pleased, so he dived down toward the mountain. He needed answers, and while he did not want to help his daughter directly, his presence here was bound to assist her. Before hitting the peak, his body shapeshifted into a smaller, human-like form, as his usual body would crush this city under his weight. Bombing through the mountain and all its crude runic enhancements, he stopped in a large chamber. Cracking the stone where he landed, he stood within a cloud of dust and checked that his shapeshift had been successful. He stood over two meters tall, with silver scales instead of skin, a meter-long tail, two smaller black folded wings against his back, and claws sharp enough to impale stone. He also had dark hair with star-like sparkles flowing down his back, complementing his bright silver eyes and calm, ethereal presence. Astralis had crafted this secondary appearance from his Nascent Soul, which was something almost every Primal Overlord had done. Their large monstrous forms were sometimes inconvenient, especially when interacting with smaller monsters in their makeshift cities. Smaller forms were also sometimes easier to fight in. Being a city-sized dragon made him a rather large target on the battlefield, and using weapons looted from the cultivators was difficult without appropriately sized hands. A human girl with silver serpentine eyes and a small horn jutting from her forehead rushed into the room. She only had scales running down the sides of her body like armor, but another could tell from a glance that she was half dragon. She paused a reasonable distance away and dropped to one knee. "Father, I am honored by your arrival," Nymeria said in fluent draconic. It was like music to his ears as it flowed so beautifully compared to the grunts of the common tongue. "Mhm. I see you have kept up your studies over the last century. Though you still have a slight accent from the human language." Nymeria smiled weary, "I apologize for my failings, Father, and I hope my subordinates weren''t too much of a bother." Astralis smirked and picked at his teeth, "They served their purpose to quell my mood." "That''s... a relief." Nymeria bowed her head again, "Father, I know it''s presumptuous of me, but I find myself in dire straits. The spiritual spring suddenly began shrinking over the last month, leaving the beasts nowhere to go. Now, they are at the base of my mountain, and I find myself cornered. In respect for you, Father, I dared not step into your domain and protected it from these vile creatures." "So you called on me¡ªa foolish mistake," Astralis said, putting his claw under his daughter''s chin. Forcefully raising her head, they locked eyes. He could see and smell her fear. "Did you think us sharing blood would give you the right to seek my help? My dear daughter, I hope you understand the cost of calling on me." "Father, please... I was desperate." Nymeria begged, "I didn''t want to die." Astralis leaned in closer and hissed through his teeth, "You should have just died. A dragon''s greatest pride is their own strength. Calling on me disgraces yourself as a dragon and my name." "Father, I was wrong," Nymeria cried, switching to the human tongue in panic, "I shouldn''t have¡ª" Astralis kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying across the room and smashing into the far wall, making the whole room tremble. If this were any other day, he might strip her cultivation and feed her to the horde outside. But this was a strange set of events that he couldn''t blame her for not foreseeing. So, the spiritual spring began to shrink rapidly a month ago. How interesting. "Primal Overlords, awaken from your slumbers." A voice carried by the winds that Astralis recognized all too well as Zephyrine tickled his ear and sent a shiver down his spine. Whenever she had something to say, it was never good. "The Beast Tide has begun three years early. Prepare to move south toward the next spiritual spring and have my area prepared. That is all." "So it''s time to move," Astralis clicked his tongue. Irritating times and pointless fights lay ahead. Astralis spread out his wings and soared into the sky once more. Flexing his presence, the monsters froze up before they all began to flee in fear toward the Qi-less lands to the south. If he could get these monsters moving, he could beat the other Primal Overlords to the next spiritual spring and get set up for his next sleep. Chapter 347: Brewing Storm The clouds from a week ago had developed into a ferocious storm that roared in the ears of any who dared to step outside. Freezing winds tore through Ashlock''s canopy, and he hadn''t relished in the sun''s warmth in days. Due to this, he had spent most of his time focusing within himself on his Inner World and helping Douglas with the construction of the floating arena surrounded by a town. Since many low-level cultivators in the Qi and Soul Fire Realm were going to participate, the usual amenities mortals require, such as housing, food, and water, were needed. The floating island was easy enough to make; Ashlock simply tore a mountain in two by warping space, flipped it upside down, and suspended it above his Inner World with his spatial Qi. Being a god over his Inner World made such feats as easy as breathing. He had then opened a portal to this floating land for the Mudcloaks and Douglas so they could get to work. Besides floating up more material and opening portals to the outside world now and then so Douglas could weather the worsening storm to purchase materials from Darklight and Ashfallen City with seemingly endless funds, Ashlock didn''t have any other ways to contribute, so he left them to it. After a week of effort, the arena and town seemed nearly finished. The arena itself was a grandiose structure similar to a coliseum. It was built from polished obsidian decorated with ruby eyes and an ominous decal to give it the vibe of a place owned by the All-Seeing Eye. Seats carved from the same dark stone spiraled upward, providing ample space for thousands of spectators. All of the spirit stones looted from Elder Vortexian of the Azure Clan''s spatial ring were infused into every inch of the arena to power a plethora of arrays that Stella had directed construction on using her bloodline''s library. Other than reinforcement arrays that made use of the Inner World''s metal and earth dao to keep the arena from taking damage during fights, there was also a spatial bubble that would protect the spectators and an illusion array that made use of Dreamweaver Orchids to allow Ashlock to alter how the arena looked to those under a certain cultivation level. That way, he could theme the place based on the event. Such a structure would have taken much more to construct outside, but in his Inner World, he had absolute control over everything. Surrounding the coliseum was a currently empty town with a rustic charm due to the rushed job being left to the Mudcloaks'' discretion. Yet Ashlock was still quite impressed. Human-sized wooden cottages with tiled roofs lined the uneven cobblestone streets, interspersed with vibrant spaces for marketplaces and serene gardens made from a plethora of Ashlock''s flowers and mushrooms. By tomorrow, a team of maids from White Stone Peak will temporarily move here to staff the taverns, shops, and other places. Then, the tournament can begin to find the first generation of cultivators that will join the Ashfallen Sect ranks. Satisfied with the progress, Ashlock returned to looking at the outside world. "This storm is getting quite ridiculous." He had experienced many intense weather events brought on by the presence of Qi, but this was something else. "It also seems to only be getting worse. I wonder how the new trees are holding up?" His vision blurred as he arrived over White Stone Peak and looked down at the courtyard. The three Redclaws he had turned into trees as punishment stood tall despite the storm''s relentless punishment. A few Redclaws braved the storms and sat solemnly under the trees with fire Qi swirling around them. Some were cultivating, others were mourning. Harris'' mother sat in deathly silence under Isabella, clutching the pendant her son had once worn. Interestingly, all three of their souls had been distorted and damaged beyond recognition during the transformation into trees. He hadn''t expected that, as Nox had been mostly fine apart from the missing memories brought on by lacking half her soul. From this, Ashlock concluded that the strength of the person''s soul affected how well they survived the transformation. "How are you three holding up?" Ashlock asked them through the root network and received waves of more complex emotions than his other trees could provide. He felt deep fear, confusion, and pain from them. "Still non-verbal, huh. But I can see a significant improvement in your egos after only a week. I suspect one of your souls will have healed enough to string a sentence together by next month." Ashlock readily agreed to Elder Brent''s proposed punishment as he needed test subjects to see how strong his upgraded cursed sap was and how fast he could heal a soul. All three Redclaws-turned-trees were enjoying nights under the nine moons. Ashlock also instructed Kane Azurecrest, along with the other alchemists working under White Stone Peak, to create a new fertilizer from his new Soul Meditation fruit, which induces a level of meditation so deep it heals the soul. This fertilizer was then fed to Nathan and Terrance. Isabella, the one who was said to have killed Harris, was left out. She deserved to suffer a fractured soul a little longer than the other two, and she served as a good control variable to make sure blending fruits into fertilizer actually worked. Out of curiosity, Ashlock fed himself some fertilizer, but he didn''t feel the effects. His system explained it as something to do with the fertilizer being made from his fruits, which were altered versions of his already existing skills, so it was simply recycling energy he had expended back into himself. Speaking of his new fruits, he had planted many fire dao seeds around White Stone Peak. Once these trees finished growing, he hoped they would develop fire Soul Cores and maybe even release Qi that carried daos. To further make the courtyard a great place to cultivate when it wasn''t shitting down with rain, he had analyzed the flowers the Redclaws looted from their pocket realm and had them growing along the walls. The Crimson Ember Lily turned out to be a rather rare and majestic flower, and Ashlock could see why the Redclaws may have felt the need to kill over it. Even in the storm, their vibrant red petals shimmered like molten lava. The petals were edged with a faint golden hue, giving the impression of flames dancing in the chaotic wind. In the day, they were exquisite, but at night, they were simply beautiful. The flower''s elongated stamen emitted a gentle, warm glow, and tiny embers would float off through the dark like drowsy fireflies. With how many he had grown, the courtyard was flooded with dancing embers from twilight until dawn. He hoped their beauty would help lift the Redclaws'' spirits after their devastating recent loss. Having loved ones die was bad enough, but knowing the killers were family was a quick way to sow discord among a once tight-knit group of cultivators. "I''ll have to keep an eye on them," Ashlock sighed. If he wasn''t careful, the Redclaws could soon resemble the other families in the Blood Lotus Sect¡ªall of whom were rife with backstabbing between the various side branches over resources and to curry favor with the family Grand Elder. Having finished his daily checkup on his experiments on White Stone Peak, Ashlock returned to Red Vine Peak and peered into Quill''s library atop the citadel. Quill had grown a lot over the last few months, and his canopy now shrouded the entire library, keeping the insides dry from the storm. Both of his summons were also taking shelter in the library. Larry sat quietly on the shoreline near the bookcases in all his divine glory. His crown of ash swirled slowly around his horns, and even while resting, he gave off the appearance of a heavenly creature. Having spent the month in a Nascent Soul level Realm, his cultivation had advanced to near Monarch Realm status. Ashlock wasn''t sure who was the outright strongest in the sect, but the divine spider was a strong contender. The ink lake rippled before parting and giving way to a long snake-like head followed by two muscular arms ending in claws. Ashlock got a good look at Kaida''s regrown scales engraved with runic words like tattoos as he clawed his way onto the shore. Ever since the Midnight Ink Lindwyrm had consumed his scales to nuke the Lunarshade Grand Elder with dozens of techniques at once, his cultivation had been significantly setback, and he had been recovering ever since.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. If not for this incident, Kaida would have been ready to evolve by now after the most recent Mystic Realm. Instead, he had spent the month regenerating his scales and progressing his cultivation. Considering how much he had grown and the presence he was giving off, Kaida''s evolution to A grade was just around the corner. Kaida turned to look at the ceiling with curious golden eyes as if sensing his gaze. "Sorry to intrude; I was just looking around." Ashlock said, then noticed something was missing: "Where is the Midnight Inkwing egg that was in the lake?" Larry was the one to answer in his usual gruff voice, "Stella requested it." "Stella wanted the egg?" Ashlock hadn''t expected that answer, "What could she possibly need a divine creature''s egg for?" "To create an artifact to conceal her bloodline," Larry helpfully informed him. Ashlock had been the one to suggest the creation of such an artifact, but he still didn''t see what that had to do with the divine Inkwing egg. It was the last one left after Larry had eaten the rest to get his divine evolution option, so he hoped to see it hatch. "What does the egg have to do with that?" "According to her ancestors, the divine nature of the Inkwing''s soul could overpower the smell of her bloodline. When combined with the ingredients of the Spiritual Nullification Pill to hide her cultivation, she would appear like a normal mortal girl." Larry huffed, "Honestly, most of it went over my head. That girl has an intense way with words when she is deadset on something. I''m still hiding here to recover from her lecture on why it was a good idea." Ashlock was a bit taken aback by what he was hearing. It all made some sense, but didn''t that mean she would need to kill the Inkwing to take out its soul? "You let her take it, Kaida?" Ashlock asked his summon. He couldn''t imagine Kaida willingly parting with the egg he had been looking after for months simply because Stella asked for it. Kaida hissed loudly and shook his head. "She stole it before Kaida could react," Larry explained the Lindwyrm''s reaction. "The new aether Qi she can wield is quite deadly. She appeared silently wreathed in white flames and vanished with the egg before Kaida could stop her." "I see. Let me go and talk to her." Ashlock left his summons and went hunting for his unruly daughter. Finding her was pretty easy as she was inside her newly built alchemy lab, sitting on the floor cross-legged and surrounded by piles of half-opened books. Her arms were crossed in deep contemplation. She had a frown on her face as she squinted at two books floating before her. "Mhm, that''s not going to work," Stella flicked her finger, and the book to the left flew off to the side and haphazardly joined the pile. Another book became bathed in white soul flames and rose from the mess behind her. Its pages rapidly flipped as it floated over to take the place to her left that the useless book had previously occupied. She briefly looked at the new book, compared it to something noted in the right one, and reached the same conclusion. This time, she was slightly more annoyed. "Useless again!" "Stella." Her ear twitched at his words, but otherwise, she hardly reacted as the left book flew and another rose from the piles to take its place. The sound of pages flipping and books flying was only occasionally broken by Stella''s mumbling and cursing. She reminded him of a crazed researcher or perhaps an overworked university student... just with magical powers. "Stella, don''t ignore me." "Huh?" Stella was so shocked by his voice that she fell backward. Both books fell on her stomach, and judging by her pained expression, they were as heavy as they looked. Leatherbound tomes as thick as a person''s arm were not to be messed with. Pushing them off, Stella winced as she uprighted herself and looked to the ceiling, "Oh, hi Tree, what''s up?" "I heard from Kaida that you stole the Inkwing egg." "Stole?" Stella tilted her head, "Who did I steal from?" "Well..." Ashlock trailed off. That was a fair point. Though Kaida had been tasked with protecting the egg, he hadn''t been given ownership. Technically, it was his as the egg was under the ownership of the Ashfallen Sect, and he had been the one to steal it, but he had never withheld anything from Stella before. What was his was typically hers as well. She was the second highest authority in the sect under only him, and he hadn''t explicitly told her not to touch the egg. "Are you going to kill it?" "What? The egg? That was the plan, yes." Stella nodded, "I need its soul for the artifact you suggested I make so I can step out of here without endangering all of us. But killing it is no longer necessary as the Inkwing inside the egg is already dead." "Huh? Really?" "Yup," Stella said confidently. "The little guy''s soul had almost faded, too. I had to enlist the help of the Blightbane family to extract what was left of it and its remaining life force. Thankfully, it should be enough for my needs. Elder Mo is creating the artifact as we speak with his Spirit Fire, and it should be ready soon." Ashlock''s slight anger faded. If the fetus in the egg had already died, then he was just glad they found a use for it before it ended up having no use other than making a divine omelet. "I hadn''t been keeping tabs on it, but it was rather strange that it hadn''t shown any signs of maturing or hatching," Ashlock mused. "Though I suppose it would be quite worthless for a long time even if it did hatch. Unlike my system summons that progress as quickly as I can evolve them, a random Inkwing I hatched wouldn''t enjoy the same benefits." "Has the tournament started yet?" Stella''s question broke him out of his thoughts. "I have been rather busy studying, so I haven''t stepped outside here in the last few days." "No, not yet. Everything should be ready by tomorrow, though. Will you be watching?" Stella smirked, "Of course. My little terror is participating. How could I not enjoy the show?" "Little terror... do you mean Jasmine?" Ashlock chuckled. The name was rather fitting for Stella''s disciple. "How do you think she will fare against the other Soul Fire cultivators?" "Honestly? I have no idea." Stella stood up and stretched her back. "She has the drive and a sprinkle of insanity a cultivator needs to succeed, as shown by her willingness to endure being poisoned. Because of that, she has the advantage of having a poisoned body constitution, but she is still lacking in many areas." "Oh? Such as?" Ashlock was quite curious. He wielded immense power but had gained it in a very unnatural way. Unlike a normal cultivator who also had to spend a lot of time practicing the sword and contemplating techniques, he skipped many of those steps. "Her talent in combat is mediocre at best and is made all the worse by her lack of bloodlust and the intent to kill." Stella shrugged, "Understandable, considering her sheltered upbringing as a noble mortal in Slymere and then us taking her in and showering her with resources. The Mystic Realm was definitely good for her, and I''ve noticed an improvement in her reflexes and general sense of survival, but it seems she did little combat while in there. Likely in part because Sol went in with her." Ashlock agreed that sending in Sol had likely robbed Jasmine of a life-altering moment that would give rise to her bloodlust, but Sol''s presence had undoubtedly saved her from the maw of a poisonous plant. Those with intense instincts to kill, like Stella, had experienced and survived insane things. Few were born with that desire to kill out the gate unless they were a demon of some kind. Or a man-eating tree... Stella leaned against a nearby wall and hummed to herself, "Hmm, you know what? Even if Jasmine loses, I''m hoping this tournament will sharpen that mental blade of hers. There''s no room for anything but ruthlessness in the real world; I want her to understand that. I don''t have the patience to train someone who can''t kill." "That''s fair. So you have little hope she will win then?" Stella smirked, "She is still my disciple, trained personally by me and given the best resources in the wilderness by you. It will take someone quite impressive to utterly defeat her." "Has she learned any techniques yet?" Ashlock asked. Since she had stepped into the Soul Fire Realm, she could now exert her will onto Qi beyond her body, meaning she could finally start learning techniques. "Ehhhh, not really," Stella sighed. "It''s a work in progress. Since nobody in the sect is an expert in nature affinity, we are trying to decipher those darn books written by people who should be poets instead of teachers." Ashlock now had the whole picture and could see why Stella wasn''t super confident that Jasmine would secure first place against the other Soul Fire Realm cultivators. While she had many advantages, she was inexperienced and lacked the fighting skills and instincts to thrive in a tournament environment. Either she would impress them both, or this would be a rude awakening for the ''little terror.'' "I suppose we will find out tomorrow just how effective your teachings have been thus far, Stella," Ashlock said. After all, the tournament was soon to begin. But first, Ashlock had to check in with Nox. Tartarus had undergone some changes since he acquired it. Chapter 348: Shadow Realm Ashlock followed his ethereal roots through the endless void. Despite knowing there should be a collection of pocket realms here, like lanterns floating in the darkness. Yet, there was simply nothing. Either the void obscured their existence, or they were elsewhere. He also couldn''t see the upper layers of creation, which should have been overhead¡ªwhichever direction overhead was supposed to be. It was hard to tell up from down when surrounded by nothingness. "I thought I felt the presence of someone familiar," a perfectly neutral voice echoed through the void. Then, a giant red eye opened before him as if it had always been there. "Mars, it''s good to see you again," Ashlock replied to Maple''s sibling, using Abyssal Whispers as he paused his journey through his root. "How have you been?" The eye seemed amused by his words, "Same old, same old. If I get lazy, time ceases to flow, and since our last meeting, I have been rather bored." Tendrils of darkness slipped out from a giant mass of something hidden behind the eye and seemed to come toward Ashlock''s vision with curiosity. "So imagine my surprise when I awoke from a nap and sensed something traversing the void. I had hoped for a tasty fool trying to sneak between the layers, but it turned out to be my sibling''s favorite spirit tree. What brings you to the void? Finally, starting the era of ascension again? That''s always fun." "Sadly, not yet." Ashlock replied, "I have just entered the Nascent Soul Realm, and my sect members are far from strong enough to deal with even middling sects on the 8th layer of creation. We have a long way to go until then." Ashlock could feel Mars'' disappointment. He had promised to help them enter heaven''s reality once he reached the 8th layer of creation and retrieved the next divine fragment. Until then, they were stuck in the endless void, dying of boredom. "I suppose I can''t blame you. It hasn''t been that long since we last spoke. Right?" Ashlock had lost track, "It can''t have been more than a few months ago." "You were in the Star Core Realm back then... wow, you are growing quickly." Ashlock laughed. It was weird being flattered by an eldritch abomination. "Say Mars, where are the pocket realms? The Mystic Realm made it seem like they were close together." "The void is as vast as it wants to be," Mars answered cryptically, "Those unattuned to the void or without a path like you using your root have no chance of traversing it." "I see..." Ashlock didn''t fully get it, as he kept thinking of the void as a magical version of space. It was hard to wrap his head around sometimes. "So, Ashlock, may I ask where this root leads?" Mars asked as their eye trailed the path through the void. Ashlock saw no reason to lie. "I''m heading to check on my pocket realm." "Oh, I see¡ª" Mars blinked in confusion. "Hold on. Pocket realm? How can someone in the Nascent Soul Realm own a pocket realm?" "I stole control of one from the Shadow Sovereigns." Was that something unheard of? Maybe he should have given a different answer. "You stole one?" Mars seemed baffled, "Can I come? I promise I won''t devour it. I just want to look around to cull my boredom a little." Ashlock was taken aback as he hadn''t expected that request. He couldn''t help the Worldwalkers infiltrate heaven''s carefully woven reality, but pocket realms were separate spaces created and ruled over by individuals. So, it might be possible to let a Worldwalker in? "I can try and let you in, but what do you mean by devouring it?" "Ah, you wouldn''t know," Mars paused, "Mhm, how can I explain this. Monarch Realm cultivators can create a pocket realm from their knowledge of daos and a large amount of Qi. They then cast this ''seed'' filled with intent out into the void and let it slowly grow over time by absorbing the Qi that trickles down from the heavens. Imagine it as a lake. The cultivator figuratively creates the hole in the ground that will house the lake and also carves out the path for a river. They then let the flow of water do the rest. It''s a far less Qi-intensive process than forming an Inner World, but it takes much longer." Ashlock kinda understood what Mars was saying. "So cultivators lay the foundations, and the pocket realms grow on their own?" "Correct. The size of a pocket realm depends on how well it is designed to absorb Qi, what it is used for, and, most importantly, how old it is. If Qi is drained from a pocket realm, like a lake, it will eventually dry out and turn into barren land." That sounded really bad. Thankfully, Ashlock hadn''t drawn any Qi from Tartarus over the last week since he''d gained control over it, and he was glad he hadn''t. If he had greedily drawn Qi from it like he did from the World Tree''s roots, it would have become useless with time. However, there was a slight issue: if cultivating in Tartarus drained it of Qi, how was he supposed to use the pocket realm to raise shadow cultivators for the cult? "I''ve seen pocket realms covered in Qi gathering arrays." Ashlock said, "If pocket realms have limited Qi, they don''t make sense as places to cultivate. Are the cultivators simply unaware that cultivating inside a pocket realm kills it over time? Otherwise, I can''t see logic in their actions." "Nowhere except the heavens has infinite Qi." Mars replied, "While using a pocket realm as a cultivation space will slow down its growth, so long as it''s well designed to catch the ambient Qi of heaven and not overused, it can maintain its size or even grow." Ashlock felt a light bulb go off in his head. So, a pocket realm was a giant Qi battery he could tap into. Continuing the lake analogy, the heavens'' Qi was like a constant rain pour. The better the lake captured the rain, the faster it would fill. But no matter what, if he opened the dam and let all the water flow out, it would eventually empty. "I had wondered why the pocket realm filled with Qi gathering formations that Stella found had been left empty. They were likely giving it some time to recharge, and I bet those Qi gathering formations also help the pocket realm capture heaven ambient Qi." Ashlock was grateful for this insight from Mars as it explained a lot about pocket realms and hinted at how he would form them in the future. But he was still apprehensive about letting a Worldwalker enter his. Now that he owned a Qi-filled reality, he felt even more averse to letting in a Worldwalker whose one desire was to devour reality itself to grow in power. He could hardly blame heaven for wanting to keep them out. Letting Maple in had resulted in enough slaughter thus far, and he was still a baby Worldwalker. Ashlock sighed. As much as he wanted to say no, it wasn''t a good idea to deny a Worldwalker''s honest request. "Can you pinky promise you won''t devour my new pocket realm? I only just got it and would be quite mad if you ate it." "Pinky promise? Is that how spirit trees make pacts?" "Errr, kinda." Ashlock realized he had used a phrase from his old world and had assumed it was one here, too. "Just promise me, okay? No eating it."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "I already promised not to; you just don''t believe me," Mars retorted, and they were right¡ªhe didn''t. But could you blame him for ensuring they were on the same page here? Mars was a world-eating eldritch monster that even heaven¡ªthe very fabric of reality itself¡ªseemed to fear. He could be naive sometimes but even he wasn''t that trusting. Unfortunately, there wasn''t much he could do here. If Mars did end up eating the realm, he would now have a good reason to never trust the Worldwalkers again, and maybe that would save the 8th layer of creation from being devoured in the future. "Fine. You can come visit with me." Ashlock gave in. "Seriously though, if you absorb any Qi from there, consider our friendship over." Wait, did Worldwalkers even understand the concept of friendship? "That''s fine by me." Mars''s eye began to collapse in on itself until they were a comparatively tiny dot. Zooming in, Ashlock noticed they had changed into their naked, androgynous humanoid body with no defining features like a plastic toy other than shoulder-length red hair. The form still had a slightly feminine figure as Mars and Neptune had copied Diana''s DNA to make their human forms, while Maple had used Stella as his template. Mars floated down and touched the outside of his ethereal root. "Let me inside," Mars said, and Ashlock complied by creating a slit. Once inside his hollowed-out ethereal root, Mars looked both ways. It seemed they briefly debated taking the route that would lead back to Red Vine Peak but thought better of trying to survive realities suppression and began walking the correct way. Since space was compressed inside his root, Ashlock barely managed to keep up with Mars as they moved through. [Now entering Tartarus] Ashlock saw a system notification flash in his vision announcing his arrival. As before, surrounded by a swirling vortex of shadow law was Nox. She had grown in cultivation since he had last seen her and was now in the second stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. Her shadow dryad form, which was peacefully cultivating under her canopy, had gained more definition and looked even more mesmerizing and deadly than before. Her trunk had also grown, now towering at around fifty meters tall. The ground near her roots cracked open, and from the rough crevice, an unnaturally white hand emerged. "Who goes there?" Nox said as she slowly opened her eyes and began siphoning shadow law from the swirling vortex. She gathered it in her open palm and turned her head to the intruder. Nox received no reply as the ground tore open, and Mars emerged. The Worldwalker''s humanoid features were perfectly muted despite Nox''s threatening posture of pointing a finger swirling with shadow law at them, and their black eyes, which carried the emptiness of the void, didn''t help matters. "Who are you," Nox asked again, finally standing up. "You are invading a pocket realm belonging to the All-Seeing Eye. What business do you have here?" Ignoring the talking shadow, Mars looked to the sky. "Spirit tree, if this human attacks me, am I allowed to eat them¡ª" "No." "Shame," Mars replied with the same monotonous tone as always. "Ashlock, you''re here?" Nox lowered her hand, "Who is this exactly?" "They are one of Maple''s siblings¡ªa Worldwalker. I ran into them on my way here, and they asked me to check out my new pocket realm." Ashlock explained and enjoyed that he didn''t have to hold anything back. Nox had become one of his most trusted aides, partially due to the level of control he had over her. "You can call them Mars." Mars stared at Nox with a blank face. "Sorry to intrude." "No... problem?" Nox seemed unsure how to converse with Mars, which was understandable. A lot of nuance regarding human communication was lost on the Worldwalker, and their flat tone and expressions made them hard to read. Mars looked around with slightly offputting movements like an owl. Their neck twisted just slightly too far, and they never blinked. "This seems to be quite an old pocket realm judging by its size and Qi quality. I''d estimate it was made at least ten cycles ago. You have gotten control of something quite special, spirit tree." "Ten world tree cycles? Wouldn''t that make the Shadow Sovereigns..." "A very old family? Yes, if I remember correctly, they are one of the more powerful groups on the 1st layer of creation and have been around for a long time." Mars paused, "This was likely a tomb of some sort if it was left down here, right?" "Yes, it had statues of dead cultivators defended by Shadow Liches." Upon his first return here a week ago, he''d checked out the statues after dealing with the Redclaw traitors. Whoever''s soul had been stored in them had long passed, so they were nothing but lifeless husks of stone. He sadly couldn''t extract any credits from devouring them or turn them into Ents as there was no soul left to consume or enslave. Ashlock waited to see if Mars had anything else to say, but the Worldwalker seemed quiet, perhaps lost in thought. Since he was on a time crunch, and the tournament starting tomorrow would absorb most of his attention for the foreseeable future, he asked Nox, "How has the progress on our plans for converting this place been?" The plan was simple. Ashlock wanted to turn Tartarus into the ultimate all-purpose realm for the cult of the All-Seeing Eye. Or at least those with shadow affinity. The Duskwalker family, such as Evelyn, would also obviously be encouraged to use it as their strength was his. Since most cultivators under the All-Seeing Eye were in the Qi and Soul Fire Realms, the Nascent Soul Realm shadow law Qi in this room would do more harm than good. So Ashlock had tasked Nox with finding a solution and left her with many shadow dao-filled seeds, as he wanted to raise powerful offspring here. Nox looked away from squinting at the motionless Mars, which looked like a creepy naked life-sized doll, and replied. "I''ve got some good and bad news." "What''s the bad news?" "There are no monsters left anywhere in the pocket realm. You devoured them all." Ashlock had half-expected this. There had been a disturbing number of leviathans in this room. Now that he thought about it, they had likely bred like crazy here over the many eons they had been left alone. "That''s fine. Next time, I''ll find some monsters in another shadow realm and turn them into Ents to guard this place. I assume the good news concerns changing the Qi level?" Nox nodded, "Yeah, it wasn''t too tricky. As I have total domain over shadow Qi in this place, I simply willed for the level to be lower in the outer rooms and have it scaling up until this room." "Perfect." Ashlock moved away from the Bastion and was surprised to find his vision able to phase through walls despite Nox''s roots not spreading that far. "I guess her roots linking with the dark throne gave me total access to this place," Ashlock mused as he looked around and realized why the castle had been such a nightmare to navigate. While it appeared somewhat normal on the outside, besides its immense size, the inside was like a strange pocket dimension with floating rooms only connected by a complex network of shadow rifts. "Hold on, I can open and close these rifts at will and even float the rooms around. If someone had been sitting on the Dark Throne and controlling this place when we arrived, there''s no chance we could have made it to the throne room unless we smashed through the heavily enchanted walls. This place is a true labyrinth fortress." Ashlock followed the shadow rift path and noticed that Nox had created a very clear pathway but had disconnected the throne room from the rest of the castle. Making it impossible to reach for anyone coming in. Looking at it from afar, Ashlock noticed the rooms connected by shadow rifts were arranged in a slanted stack like a titans staircase. The one at the bottom had Soul Fire Realm level Qi. Each subsequent room went up a single stage for a total of 21 steps, going from the 1st stage of the Soul Fire Realm all the way up to the Nascent Soul Realm. Looking closer, each room had a literal staircase of darkness with a shadow rift at the top linking to the next room, or ''step'' as it could be called. Flanking the side of the shadow staircase were groves of Ashlock''s offspring that had grown from his dao seeds. His offspring were all only a few meters tall at this point, with the ones growing in more Qi-dense floors having grown up faster and were now upwards of ten meters tall. "To prevent people from getting overconfident and climbing up to a room beyond their level, I constantly release my presence. The higher they go, the more suppressive it becomes until they can''t proceed without more training." Nox explained as if sensing where he was looking. "I also planted your dao seeds along the sides to give concentrated areas of shadow Qi for people to cultivate under. While I have total control of the shadow Qi in here, your offspring do a good job of assisting me in managing the flow of it." "This is perfect," Ashlock praised Nox. He could foresee this place becoming a legend to those in the All-Seeing Eye, resulting in divine energy for himself. The only change to his original plan was how often he could open this place to the ''public'' due to the knowledge given by Mars. "When Tartarus is not in use, my offspring here should do a good job capturing the ambient Qi from heaven and feeding it back into the pocket realm like Qi gathering arrays to prevent it from shrinking," Ashlock mused. "Once my offspring reach the Star Core Realm, they will passively generate Qi on their own like mini power stations, and the issue will be even less." That is how things worked back in reality as well. Ashlock drew Qi from his many forests across the land during intense battles to fuel his techniques and skills. Once the battle was over, he would return the Qi and extra in hopes that once his offspring reached Star Core Realm, he would have a new consistent source of Qi. Ashlock glanced over the many rooms in the castle once more, and while imagining how one room could be used as a jail cell to trap powerful cultivators, he realized something. "Isn''t this basically like a dungeon from those fantasy games?" Ashlock laughed. "It definitely has a stairway to heaven vibe, or should it be a stairway to hell with the dark theme I''ve got going on? Either way, a dungeon is no fun without rewards and monsters to kill." Ashlock realized he had just found a great new way to distribute rewards for ''free'' while making his cult members feel like they worked for them. Chapter 349: Beast Core Sam covered his face with his drenched robes in a poor attempt to shield his eyes from the intense storm. The main street of Ashfallen City, which had been bustling with life when he arrived here a week ago, was now nearly vacant. Few dared to move around in this winter storm that had only gotten worse with every day that passed. The freezing rain seemed to come from every direction, and if not for the Qi he was cycling through his body to keep the chill from seeping deep into his bones, he might have suffered frostbite within minutes. Can my old man even protect the harvest from this? Sam thought as he plodded through the freezing mud toward his temporary home, which he was sharing with others while waiting for the tournament to start. We were mere weeks away from the last big harvest of the year, but even Qi-enhanced crops would struggle to survive this storm. If the farmers'' crops die over the winter season, things will get really ugly. Sam wouldn''t have been so worried if the Ashfallen Sect hadn''t been buying up every last crop to feed the growing population of Ashfallen City. It had been lucrative for the farmers, but little crops were left in storage for freak events like this. Whatever, the fate of the farm is no longer my concern. Sam balled his fists, which were numb and red from the cold. My sole focus is advancing my cultivation and winning this tournament to impress my master. How can the life of a farmer compare to that of a cultivator anyway? Why would I want to live as a slave to the land when I can defy the heavens and soar through the skies? Lofty dreams, he had to admit. But he was hopeful. Ever since the service to the All-Seeing Eye, his cultivation progress had exploded to the 9th stage of the Qi Realm. His rapid progress through the stages was a perfect combination of his master''s gift opening his spirit roots, getting access to a cultivation technique and free resources through the cult, and the insight he received the night of the service after watching Stella annihilate dozens of cultivators more powerful than he could ever imagine being with a snap of her finger. He supplemented all these advantages with intense cultivation, where he would keep going until he fainted from hunger. Yet despite this explosive progress, he couldn''t help but feel bitter. Before his master returned to gift him the truffle, he had tried this hard for months yet seen no results. All that had changed between now and then was his access to resources. He had once looked up to cultivators, but this realization that resources overshadowed effort lessened his respect for them. It also soured his motivation to train whenever he pondered how different his life would have been if he had been born to a noble cultivator family rather than to a poor farmer. Would he have to train to the brink of death every day if he had the wealth of a noble family behind him? He doubted it. But what could he do? These were the cards he had been dealt, and he would make the most of them. A sudden feeling of nearby spiritual pressure broke Sam out of his bitter thoughts. Looking to the other side of the street, he saw a middle-aged woman moving through the rain with skin so white he had to double-check she wasn''t a ghost. No, that''s definitely a person. She was one of the most beautiful people Sam had ever laid eyes on. Although his Master still held the crown for her youthful beauty, this woman exuded a commanding presence that captured his attention. Her purposeful and unbothered gait through the mud made her seem like a true noble, untouched by the world around her. Her pristine white cloak, trimmed with fluffy fur, clung elegantly to her figure, and she was decorated with incredibly expensive-looking and well-made jewelry, and her fingers sparkled with a collection of spatial rings. In comparison, Sam looked like a dirty beggar with his drenched and dirtied cloak from the mud he had waded through on his journey back from the Ashfallen Trading Company''s building. There, he exchanged some crowns for a bottle of Body Strengthening Pills, as he had been falling behind on his physical training in favor of progressing his soul. Sam didn''t understand how she was so unfazed by the storm until he noticed the rain was bouncing off subtle blue soul flames flicking across her body. A water cultivator? If she possesses an affinity and can bring forth soul flames, she must be in the Soul Fire Realm. Sam thought as he stood rooted in place, and his head slowly swiveled to watch the cultivator casually walk through a storm that would be lethal to most mortals. Of course, there''s a chance she''s in the Star Core Realm, but I heard from others who have had the honor, or horror, of seeing a Star Core cultivator in the flesh say they usually always have an overbearing pressure surrounding them that makes the world bow to them. The cultivator paused and tilted her head toward him as if sensing his gaze. "See something you like, boy?" Despite the roaring wind and the distance separating them, the cultivator''s words effortlessly reached his ears through the rain as if she were whispering right into his ear. Her tone was soft and aloof, but even from here, Sam could feel the coldness in her eyes and the prickle of bloodlust. He had messed up. "I was just enchanted by your power, mistress," Sam shouted and discarded all pride as he threw himself into a ninety-degree bow. The freezing rain pierced his back like icicles, and water dripped onto the mud below from his blonde hair, which stuck to his face. His whole body was tense as his muscles hardened by training turned rock solid. If the cultivator wanted him to stay here as a living statue, he would. The memory of the Winterwrath cultivator killing a miner still sometimes haunted him at night, and he refused to suffer a similar fate. Cultivators were not to be messed with. "Mortals should keep their eyes on the dirt where they belong," the woman said, but she didn''t sound angry. No, she found amusement in tormenting a lesser. "Don''t you agree?" Sam went to reply when his eyes widened. What was he doing? While their level was clearly different, he wasn''t a mortal anymore. Bowing in respect was one thing, but groveling at another cultivator''s feet made no sense when he was also a cultivator. He had trained so hard to escape this fate! This woman must have mistaken me for a mortal because I kept my Qi internally to keep my body warm. Once she sees I am a cultivator, she will surely apologize and treat me with the respect a cultivator demands. "Whether I agree or not doesn''t matter," Sam said confidently as he straightened his back and met her amused gaze, "Because I''m a cultivator." He pulled on the untamed Qi stored inside his soul and let it cycle through his muscles. The woman blinked in disbelief before losing her ethereal composure and burst out laughing, "You''re in the Qi Realm and call yourself a cultivator? Is this some childish joke?" Sam was taken aback. He hadn''t expected such a response. "I meditate the heavens whisper. How am I not a cultiva¡ª" The woman vanished in the rain and reappeared before him in an instant. A blue flame palm came out of the corner of his vision, followed by intense pain as it slammed him in the cheek, and his world spun as he went flying. What... just happened? Eating a face full of wet mud, Sam groaned as he pushed his body up and kneeled over on all fours. He had double vision and felt nauseous. Spitting on the ground, he saw a blurry puddle of red decorated with a few of his teeth that had been knocked out of his mouth. "Still think you''re a cultivator, or did that knock some sense into you?" The woman''s haunted laughter echoed in his ears. "Keep your head down next time, mortal. Lest you earn the ire of someone less forgiving than me." Barely managing to look over his shoulder, he saw the woman continue her unbothered stroll toward the Ashfallen Trading Company''s main building, looming in the distance. That was the only reason a cultivator of her caliber would be here: to purchase pills or to register for the upcoming tournament¡ªmaybe even both. Whatever her reason, she had thankfully decided that almost breaking his neck was enough punishment for looking in her direction. Sam lay in the mud for a long time, with dark thoughts swimming through his disorientated mind. Soon, his warm tears joined the rain streaking down his cheeks. He didn''t even know who or what to aim his frustration at. Should he be mad at himself for not being strong enough or for being foolish enough to talk back to a superior cultivator? Or should he direct his anger outwards, onto that woman for hitting him or the people who raised her to be such a bitch.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "Nobody cares about you," Sam spat more blood, and if not for the rain numbing his cheek, he was sure he would be in a lot of pain right now. "You''re just a farmer''s son who dared to dream of something more." His fingers dug into the mud as he tried and failed to contain his anger. Eventually, he staggered to his feet and began to trudge through the mud toward his home. Lost in bitter thoughts, he turned a corner off the main street and limped past rows of almost identical stone homes. The dirt roads had turned into rivers of mud that clamped to his feet, and the rain was so intense that it obscured everything in fog. Due to his intense headache and the conditions, he took a few wrong turns until he finally found the right road. "I think this is it," Sam stood before a house that looked the same as any other. The only identifiable feature was three blood-red lines streaking across the wood like a claw scratch. A rather ominous symbol he had asked brother Hugo about before, but the guy had always avoided the topic. Sliding the bolt, the hefty wooden door flew inwards before Sam could react due to the ferocious winds. He winced as it slammed into the wall with a bang. "Who the fuck¡ª" A voice thundered from within. The hairs on the back of Sam''s neck prickled as a spiritual pressure washed over him, and he saw the vague figure of a large man wreathed in dark brown soul flames climb up from the basement. "It''s me, Hugo!" Sam shouted over the roaring winds. "Sam?! What in the nine realms are you standing around for? Close the door, you fool; you''re letting all the rain in!" "Oh right¡ªsorry." Sam stepped inside and attempted to close the door behind him. The intense winds made the door creak on its hinges, and it felt like trying to push a boulder up a hill. Gritting his teeth as Hugo stood there glaring at him, he expended a little of his stored Qi to empower his muscles and almost fell forward with how easily the door closed once he used his Qi. I''m really not a cultivator. Sam thought as he bolted the door closed. I almost lost a fight to a door. "You''re back late. Run into some trouble?" Hugo asked. Sam stood there for a moment, frozen in place. His pride was in the dumps, and he just wanted to crawl into a hole and die rather than show his beaten and broken self to Hugo. This gentle giant of a man had offered him a place to sleep for the next week, and then they would enter the tournament together. Apparently, he had been part of a gang back in Darklight City and had moved here for a better life and a new start to calm his mind and quell something he called heart demons. Or at least that was his reasoning for being willing to take in a random lost kid. "I..." Sam tensed as a strong hand clamped on his shoulder and slowly turned him around. Sam looked at Hugo''s concerned face and gave him a weary, bloodstained smile, "I did run into some trouble." "Woah, you''re messed up, brother! Who was it?" Hugo said as if impressed by how crap he looked, "The Iron Fist Brotherhood? The Blood Blades? Maybe the Savage Boar Gang?" "No, none of those rogue cultivator groups." Sam shook his head. Hugo had described these groups when telling stories of his time in Darklight City. He had been part of the Iron Fist Brotherhood. A small group of mostly earth cultivators were known to be ruthless and cause a lot of property damage while fighting. "The Enforcers?" Sam knew that was the name others gave the group run by the tyrant Mister Choi from the mines. While a large and influential group of rogue cultivators, everyone knew they were under orders from the Redclaws. He shook his head, doubting that the cultivator that slapped him had been part of that group. Hugo''s eyes narrowed, "You didn''t anger the Redclaws, did you? Because if you did, even I can''t save you." His voice dropped to a whisper, "Everyone knows they answer straight to the All-Seeing Eye, and there is no escaping that god''s gaze. Run to another Sect, and they will still find you." Sam kept that in mind but shook his head. The Redclaws rarely sought out trouble anymore and simply strode around like they owned the place¡ªor at least they had on the day he arrived before the storm started. It seemed they disliked the freezing rain, as he hadn''t seen one of those red-haired nobles in days. Hugo sighed in relief, knowing he hadn''t dared to anger the ruling noble family of this region. "Mhm, if it isn''t any of those. Did you get hit by a stray attack from the Princess?" Sam knew that was the name the people of Ashfallen City gave his Master. She had a ruthless reputation, known for slaughtering people she deemed an eyesore with ease. While the cult of the All-Seeing Eye was seen as benevolent, people didn''t dare take advantage of them as the Princess was the cult''s head priestess. Anything run by her couldn''t possibly be tolerant of enemies. "No, I haven''t seen the Princess," he replied but refrained from calling Stella his ''Master'' because, after hearing her reputation, he thought it best to keep his relationship with her a secret. With a sigh, he decided to stop avoiding the topic. He had to come clean about the humiliation. Hugo''s grin grew as he explained what happened earlier without missing out on a single detail. "Welcome to the club, kid." Hugo patted his shoulder enthusiastically and laughed. "The club?" Hugo pulled his lips apart and proudly showed off his crooked and gap-filled teeth, "Exact same shit happened to me. I thought I was a tough guy before another cultivator put me in my place. Don''t look so down, brother; getting slapped about builds character." "Uhm..." Sam had once again not expected this reaction. He thought he would get laughed at or scolded by Hugo and called a fool. Instead, he felt welcomed into a brotherhood of other cultivators who had been beaten to a pulp before. "She ain''t wrong, though." Hugo pulled away his hand, and his tone turned more serious. "It''s not that you aren''t a cultivator, Sam. It''s just that you might as well be a mortal in her eyes. The difference in power between realms only gets more extreme the further you ascend. To you, she seemed powerful, right? Sam nodded. His face still stung, and he hadn''t even had time to react to her attack. If he hadn''t been tensing his muscles and flexing his cultivation at that moment, that slap would have snapped his neck, and he would be dead right now. "Well, as a fellow Soul Fire Realm cultivator, let me tell you, we are basically mortals in the eyes of Star Core Realms. It''s all a matter of perspective." Hugo rubbed his chin for a moment and smirked as an idea seemed to come to him. "You said she was heading toward the Ashfallen Trading Company''s building, right? I bet she will register for the tournament. How about you get revenge on her at the tournament?" "How?" Sam frowned, "I''m stuck at the peak of the Qi Realm, and there''s no way I can gather enough Qi to push myself to form a Soul Core before the tournament starts." Hugo reached into his pocket, as he couldn''t afford a spatial ring, and revealed a black rock. Qi wafted from it, which felt slightly off as if it were tainted. "What''s that?" Sam asked, taking a step back. "This is a beast core, fresh from a peak Soul Fire Realm monster. If you absorb all the Qi from it, I bet you can make it to the Soul Fire Realm." Sam gulped. "Is it safe? The Qi coming from it feels weird." Hugo chuckled, "Safe? Of course, it is. I''ve absorbed many during my life, and look at me, I''m fine, aren''t I?" He held it out, and Sam subconsciously reached to take it. The stone was cold and he felt a little ill holding it. "It''s expensive, you know?" Hugo said and patted him on the shoulder, "I was going to use it to get a quick boost before the tournament, but I think you need it more than me. I doubt you will get far if you''re stuck in the Qi Realm without an affinity." Sam bit his lip. Hugo was right. While his Master''s disciple had appeared to be in the Qi Realm like him, there was no guarantee she hadn''t already advanced to the Soul Fire Realm with all the resources she likely had access to. "Thank you," Sam said, bowing to Hugo. The man had not only somehow managed to lift his spirits after being humbled but had given him a new path to power. After some rest, Sam headed back into the storm and trekked his way up the mountain, past the Slymere noble area and as close to White Stone Peak as he dared to go. He wasn''t sure why, but the closer he got to Red Vine Peak, the purer the Qi felt and the easier it was to listen to heaven''s whispers. Hanging up his drenched cloak on a branch, Sam sat in his damp underwear on an exposed root under a cluster of demonic trees for shelter. Shivering from the cold, he stared at the beast core in his hands for a long time. Hugo seemed mostly alright, but surely absorbing the Qi from a monster is a bad idea? But at this rate, I will just get beaten up at the tournament if I don''t advance to the next realm. That woman showed me that I can''t bridge the gap between realms with technique or determination alone. I didn''t even have time to react before I almost died. Gritting his teeth, he opened his soul to the strange Qi and began absorbing it. Black miasma surged out of the stone, through his pure spirit roots, and reached his soul. He threw his head back in pure ecstasy as the Qi rapidly poured into and expanded his soul. Within an hour, the rock became dim, as almost all the Qi that had once belonged to a peak Soul Fire Realm beast was now assimilated into his soul. Checking his body, he couldn''t see anything obviously wrong. There was a slight build-up of some miasma in his spirit roots, but he was sure that would clear out with time. "Okay, time to form a Soul Core." Sam hyped himself up. Closing his eyes, he entered his deep consciousness, and in the serene darkness of his mind, he could feel himself surrounded by heaven-woven reality. Presented with seemingly endless Qi types to try and cultivate, he mentally reached out and pulled on the earth Qi below him. It was Hugo who had told him he likely had an affinity to earth Qi due to his stubborn personality to keep training, his tough body, and, embarrassingly, his life spent on the farm. He had never considered earth Qi much, but after Hugo''s advice, he gave it more attention and noticed that he felt a kinship with the affinity when he listened to heaven''s whispers. Throughout the night, he carefully cycled earth Qi through his spirit roots, turning the untamed raw Qi in his soul a slightly dark brown. By morning, Sam was drenched in both rain and sweat as his Soul Core finished forming. It wasn''t stable or perfect. But Sam now had an affinity and, more importantly, was in the same realm as that bitch who had humbled him and should be equal to or better than his Master''s favored disciple. I can''t believe it! I really made it to the Soul Fire Realm in time, and it''s all thanks to Hugo giving me that beast core. I wonder how I can get more of those? Standing up, he was eager to test his newfound strength. Brown soul flames flickered to life across his foot, and with a simple stamp, the ground fractured in a line down the mountainside for many meters. This power from an affinity couldn''t compare to wielding untamed Qi. The tournament should be starting soon. Sam thought as he looked through the heavy rain at the Ashfallen Trading Company''s building, a megastructure of black stone looming over Ashfallen City. I better get going. Chapter 350: Little Terror Too fast, Jasmine thought as she desperately swung her sword upward to meet the overhead blade coming for her face. If not for Elder Mo''s fighting spirit imbued in her sword subtly guiding her to have a better form, she wouldn''t have been able to react in time. With a loud clang, her arms went numb as she barely managed to parry the sword to the side. Clumsily, she followed Elder Mo''s fighting spirit, letting it tell her what to do next. Shifting her weight onto her back foot, Jasmine twisted her sword a second too late. Even she could tell the angle was too awkward to put up much of a defense. Jasmine could feel the intense heat radiating from her foe''s blade, roaring with crimson flames as it slid up her sword in a shower of sparks and impacted its guard. She lost her grip on the sword hilt as her hands were numb from previous exchanges. "Ah!" She cried out as her sword flew to the side, leaving her wide open. "You''re mine now!" Oliver Redclaw smirked as he spun around and skillfully aimed at her neck. Jasmine helplessly raised her hands and closed her eyes as the sword made contact, and she was thrown to the ground with immense force. The soft grass of Ashlock''s Inner World did little to cushion her fall as the wind was knocked out of her. "Oliver!" Jasmine heard a girl shout¡ªlikely the boy''s twin sister. "You can''t mistreat Stella''s disciple like that! You already won once she lost her sword. There was no need to go so far. She even raised her hands in surrender." "No... it''s okay..." Jasmine wheezed as she pushed her body up and looked at the arguing twins with a strained smile. They were both fourteen years old, meaning they were six years older than her. Despite their cultivation realms being the same at the 2nd stage of the Soul Fire Realm, the gap in experience and sword reach from being taller showed. Despite their claims of disliking fighting and wanting to follow the path of alchemy under Stella, Jasmine hadn''t won a single round against either of them. "Are you sure you''re okay with this, Jasmine?" Olivia gave her a concerned look. "Mhm." Jasmine nodded slowly as she rubbed her neck, "Besides, Master asked us to test Sol''s shielding ability for the tournament. So it wouldn''t be a good test if you didn''t go for the kill." Stella had proposed the idea of using Sol to wrap the tournament contestants in a light Qi shield that would absorb attacks. Since the tournament focused on testing those in the Qi and Soul Fire Realm and Sol was at the peak of the Star Core Realm, his light shield could easily absorb such ''weak'' attacks. This way, people could go all out without the risk of getting disqualified for accidentally killing their opponent. Apparently, Stella had been inspired by the Mystic Realm she visited but didn''t specify how. If not for Sol''s light shield, Oliver would have decapitated her. Scary! "I suppose..." Olivia didn''t seem so sure as she glanced at the Ent standing at the side. "Still, Oliver didn''t need to go so far." "Don''t blame Oliver. It''s my fault for being too weak. Just give me a moment to recover, and we can go again," Jasmine said, sprawling out on the lush grass. She gazed up at the nine moons as she tried to control her breathing. Her whole body ached, and her hands were still numb from trying to resist the impact of Oliver''s sword. How did he have so much strength? Had he dabbled in body cultivation? Speaking of the devil, Oliver came into view with a playful smirk. "I''ll be ready to go again anytime," he said as he dropped her sword beside her. "However, I don''t think the sword really suits you. Your movements are clunky and off as if you are being guided by someone else rather than listening to your own instincts." He wasn''t wrong. Jasmine really was hopeless with the sword¡ªsomething Stella had pointed out as well¡ªbut she had hoped with her improved cultivation and the guidance of Elder Mo''s spirit that, she could close the gap... apparently, she was still utterly lacking in talent with the sword. "I''m not lying when I say I''m subpar with the sword. So to be losing to me is concerning." Oliver said with a thoughtful expression. Despite his aggression during duels, he was a nice guy at heart. His twin sister Olivia came over and pushed him aside, "Ignore him, Jasmine. We will spar instead, okay?" "It''s not like you are any easier to beat," Jasmine rolled her eyes. Olivia actually had some skill with the sword compared to Oliver, and it showed by how short their bouts had been. Olivia grinned at her brother as if to say, ''See? She fears me too!'' But Oliver wasn''t paying attention to them anymore. Instead, he looked off into the distance with an expression of shock. "He really beat her?" Oliver muttered under his breath. "What a little monster." "He did?" Olivia matched her brother''s expression. Tilting her head to the side, Jasmine saw a lone silver-haired child standing defiantly before a red-haired girl who had collapsed to one knee. Sol''s shield enveloped them in a faint light, but the red-haired girl''s shield was flickering. Jasmine knew both of them. The ''little monster'' was Ryker Silverspire, and the girl was Amber Redclaw. Ryker was a few years younger than Jasmine, yet somehow, after his most recent Mystic Realm visit, he was in the same realm of power as her Master. A coil of shimmering silver calmly orbited Ryker as the boy put his hands behind his back. "Please surrender, big sister Amber," Ryker said. "This fighting between us is pointless." Amber looked genuinely distressed at having been beaten. "No. I can still fight¡ª" The coil of silver orbiting Ryker lashed out like a snake, silencing Amber by smacking her in the face and shattering Sol''s shield. "Ryker wins!" Sebastian announced as Amber fell on her butt. There was a moment of stifling silence followed by an eruption of angry shouts from the group of Redclaws, who had come to watch the fight. Sebastian moved with the gait of a butler to stand before his Young Master and protect him from the furious crowd. "I understand you are all upset, but ganging up on a child to this degree is rather unbecoming of a noble family in service to the immortal. Let''s cease this nonsense before it gets us all kicked out of here, okay?" Sebastian said calmly. He flexed his Star Core cultivation to add weight to his warning, and the Redclaws took a hesitant step back. Because of the intense storm outside, everyone had sought refuge in the Inner World to cultivate. To keep them away from Stella''s home, Ashlock had created groves of trees that focused certain types of Qi into areas. The metal Qi and fire Qi groves were right next to one another. From afar, both groves looked identical¡ªjust a group of demonic trees. However, when one got closer, there was a noticeable difference in the types of flowers growing and releasing Qi. Jasmine had seen the fire flowers before on White Stone Peak, but the metallic flowers in the metal Qi grove were unbelievable. A flower made from silver or gold felt like something only Ashlock could do, but apparently, they had been sourced from the pocket realm. Ryker had given her a brief tour of the grove, and Jasmine had been awed at how the Inner World''s light shimmered and bounced between the shiny flowers. After the tour and wanting to get some practice before the tournament, Jasmine had ventured into the Redclaw''s grove in search of a suitable sparring partner, as Ryker was too strong. That is where she found Oliver and Olivia.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The Redclaws weren''t supposed to participate in the tournament, as its purpose was to find new talents to welcome into the sect. The same was true for Star Cores; there was no point in testing them as Star Core Realm cultivators were incredibly rare, and if there were any, they would likely be welcomed in after a background check. However, after seeing Jasmine training for the upcoming tournament with the twins, the hotheaded Redclaws got bored of cultivating and wanted to join in on the fun. Add in the safety provided by Sol''s shield, and things got absurd really fast. After fighting amongst themselves, a few left to check out the neighboring metal Qi grove. There, they challenged Ryker one by one to duels, and after a whole group of Soul Fire Realm Redclaws ganged up and lost to him, they managed to convince Amber to avenge them. Yet, despite Amber being two stages in the Star Core Realm above Ryker, it had gone surprisingly poorly. Ryker had won once again. Jasmine watched from afar and couldn''t believe her wanting to get a little practice in before the tournament had resulted in the scene before her. I wonder what is going to happen now? The Redclaws don''t seem like the type to back down after a loss, but Sebastian is too strong for them to defy without getting their own Elders involved. Amber got up from the ground. Under everyone''s gaze, she patted herself down and rolled her shoulders. With a sigh, she picked up her sword and stowed it away in a flash of silver light before walking toward Ryker. Sebastian moved to stop her. "Don''t stop big sister Amber, Sebastian." Ryker stepped around his butler and grinned at Amber as he held out his hand. "It was a good fight." Amber shook the offered hand and nodded, "You''re very impressive for someone so young." "Thank you." Ryker grinned at the praise. His positivity was almost blinding... or was it his silver hair and eyes? Jasmine wasn''t sure, but she hoped that she would have a similar attitude when she was as strong as Ryker. Amber bid Ryker farewell and rejoined the group of Redclaws. She had to join Sebastian in flexing her Star Core''s pressure to get the rowdy group to finally give it a rest and return to their grove. "Everyone in my family is a hotheaded fool," Olivia said as she sat on the grass beside Jasmine. "Why are they fools?" Jasmine asked. From her perspective, it was Ryker who made no sense here. How was someone his age so powerful? "Because metal affinity is a terrible matchup for us," Oliver chimed in. "Fire Qi is all about widespread destruction, which is perfect in large-scale wars. Meanwhile, metal affinity is about single-target killing. It''s like comparing the effectiveness of a wildfire and a sword in a duel." Olivia hummed in agreement, "It''s important to play to your strengths as a cultivator. For example, if Ryker had gone up against an earth cultivator, his metal attacks would have been much less effective. But against less tangible affinities like fire or water? He has the upper hand, for sure. That liquid metal of his can simply ignore our fire and go right through it," Olivia turned and grinned at Jasmine, "This is actually something Stella taught us." Jasmine nodded, "She taught me this too." Stella had drilled the idea that no cultivator was all-powerful into her head many times. It''s why keeping the appearance of always being in control was so important. Until you show weakness, the enemy will be more careful, as they can never know your true strength and capabilities from a glance. "You have a good Master," Olivia said, "Despite having never done alchemy before, she overshadowed us almost immediately. Even Elder Margret was impressed." Oliver agreed with his sister, "Yeah. It must be nice knowing you have a Master who is open to learning new things. Many Masters are locked in their old ways and can be stubborn and dismissive of fields outside their expertise." "Mhm." Jasmine smiled a little. She liked it when others praised her Master. "Is someone speaking about me?" Stella manifested before them in a burst of white flames, and her restrained pressure bore down on them. "Ah!" Oliver, who had remained standing, fell backward in shock at Stella''s sudden appearance out of thin air. Jasmine couldn''t blame him as her heart had also almost jumped out of her chest. "Whew, you scared us, Grand Elder Stella," Olivia said while resting a hand on her likely pounding heart. Luckily, she had been sitting down, so she didn''t suffer the same embarrassment as her brother. "Sorry," Stella said, but Jasmine could tell through their link that she wasn''t sorry at all. "How did you even do that?" Oliver asked. "Do what?" Stella asked with a playful smirk. "Appear like some ghost. Didn''t you have to make a portal first?" Olivia paused. "Hold on, your soul flames are white now, too. Did something happen?" "Yeah, I comprehended a higher-tier affinity¡ªaether Qi," Stella said nonchalantly as she summoned some white flames to her fingers. They seemed to reach through reality to somewhere else. "See? No need for portals anymore. I can seamlessly move between here and the aether plane." "You upgraded your affinity? I''ve never heard of something so ridiculous before," Oliver seemed at a loss for words, "Like... how is that even possible? I didn''t know affinities could even be upgraded." Stella shrugged, "Wasn''t too hard. I just had to slaughter dozens of weaklings in a tournament, make a deal with a Monarch Realm, fix an origin stone, and then comprehend multiple new daos." "Uh huh," Oliver crossed his arms, "Not that hard? I didn''t even understand half of what you just said." "I''m sure you could do it too," Stella patted him on the shoulder like an antagonistic big sister. Jasmine had long gotten used to Stella''s antics and was many years younger, so she didn''t feel inferior or intimidated by her Master''s capabilities. But these twins were only a few years younger than Stella, yet the difference between them was vast. Actually, Stella is far above almost everyone in the sect. Forget the twins feeling inferior. I bet the Redclaw Grand Elder would spit blood if he heard what Stella was saying. "You jest, Grand Elder Stella," Oliver said politely, but his face betrayed his true thoughts. "How can I possibly compare to the Princess of the sect?" "There are people far better than me¡ª" "Are you trying to make me so depressed I form heart demons?" Oliver cut her off with a strained smile. Stella was about to reply but was cut off by a distant voice. "Big sister!" Ryker came running over with Sebastian in tow. He stopped a few steps away and was practically jumping with excitement. "Can we have a duel?!" The amusement on Stella''s face faded, and Jasmine felt her Master''s annoyance through their mental link, though Stella didn''t show it on her face. She withdrew her hand from Oliver''s shoulder and turned to face the little terror. "And what is in it for me?" Ryker seemed taken aback by Stella''s retort. "Uhm," Ryker frowned, "Is there anything you want from me, big sister?" "Not really. I just want to be left alone by loud people." "Oh!" Ryker grinned. "Okay, if you win, I will leave you alone... wait¡ª" His smile faded as he seemed to process what he had said. "Perfect," Stella said and snapped her fingers. White flames swallowed Ryker in an instant, and the boy was gone. The ''duel'' was over just like that. Stella casually dusted off her hands under everyone''s baffled gaze, including Jasmine''s. Her Master had always awed her, but this was a new level of power. She actually snapped a Star Core Realm out of existence that easily? "Mistress Stella, is the Young Master..." "Mhm?" Stella raised a brow at Sebastian, "What? Spit it out." Sebastian gulped, "Did you kill him?" "Of course not," Stella snorted, "Do you think I''m that heartless?" The following silence from everyone said a thousand words. Stella looked at everyone and clicked her tongue, "No, I didn''t kill him, see¡ª" she snapped her fingers, and a very distressed-looking Ryker reappeared. The boy collapsed to his knees and hugged the ground. "Oh, thank the heavens!" Ryker rubbed his face on the grass, "The ground has never felt so firm under me. That was horrifying¡ª" "Shhh," Stella raised a finger to her lips, "Remember my reward? Or I''ll send you back there." Ryker went silent and gestured that his lips were sealed. "Good." Stella nodded, clearly pleased at the quiet. "Now for why I''m here. How did Sol''s shield hold up in your duels?" Jasmine spoke up, "No problems for us. It would block a few Soul Fire Realm strikes before breaking. Even when Oliver went for a lethal attack against my neck with full force, it held up." Oliver shot her a death stare, and Olivia chuckled. "Oh, did he now," Stella merely side-eyed Oliver, and the poor kid froze up. "I... uh..." Oliver stuttered. Stella shook her head, "It''s a good thing the shield held up. But seriously, how did you let that happen, Jasmine? My disciple shouldn''t lose so one-sidedly." Jasmine regretted her jab at Oliver as she gulped. "Sorry, Master..." Stella eyed the sword at her feet, "Did you try using a sword again?" Jasmine hesitantly nodded. "You have a talent when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, and your body creates a fast-acting paralyzing poison that you can inflict through your nails and teeth, yet you insist on crippling yourself with a sword?" Stella snapped her fingers, and Elder Mo''s sword vanished in a flash of white soul flames, "I''ll give it back to you after the tournament. But until then, you aren''t allowed to wield any swords." Jasmine bit her lip, "But Master, I don''t feel comfortable fighting people like that when they have swords." She expected to get scolded for voicing her opinion on the matter since Stella had given her an ultimatum to use her fists, but to her surprise, Stella knelt down before Jasmine and looked her in the eyes. "Then let''s find a fighting style you are comfortable with," she said. "But what about the tournament?" Jasmine looked up at the sky. It was already night, and it was set to begin tomorrow morning. "Don''t stress about it," Stella smirked as she stood, "Did you forget who is running the tournament?" "Master..." Jasmine didn''t like the idea of delaying it because of her. "Don''t worry. Tomorrow will be the Qi Realm bracket. The Soul Fire matches don''t start for a few days," Stella dismissed her worries. "So do your best until then." "Okay." Jasmine nodded with determination. She had a few days to develop a fighting style incorporating her talents and advantages to make her Master proud. Chapter 351: New Fighting Style Ashlock returned to Red Vine Peak at nightfall, pleased with Nox''s efforts to turn Tartarus into a place he could use to do what he did best: power up those around him. The nightmares inflicted on him by past World Trees had taught him early on the importance of having strong allies, and this insight had only been further reinforced by the many battles that he wouldn''t have been able to win on his own. The Ashfallen Sect was arguably at the same level of personal power as his system. Both were ''borrowed'' powers that he invested heavily in, whether through resources or by devouring corpses, but in return, he had gained the capabilities to carve out a place of belonging in this hostile world. Because of this, for his own survival, he needed to use every resource possible to uplift those around him, which is why the upcoming tournament was so important. As his sect members'' cultivation advanced, the number and quality of resources required would increase drastically. While manageable to a degree right now, it wouldn''t be anymore if he offered unlimited cultivation resources and opened the gates of the Ashfallen Sect to anybody, including the millions of mortals in Darklight City, that he could turn into cultivators like Sam and Jasmine. His cultivation would stagnate with how much Qi he would have to spend on growing all the required truffles and fruits. "My Qi generation is immense by siphoning off the World Tree, and my vast body is adept at capturing Qi, but it''s nowhere near enough. While my Qi intake is like a burst dam, my soul is the size of an ocean. I also want to divert some Qi to my offspring to help them advance so that I can depend on them in a future crisis to provide the Qi I need. Not to mention the headache of trying to house and manage so many new cultivators. The Redclaws are already spread thin." That is why he was holding a tournament¡ªto filter out people that resources would be wasted on and keep the numbers manageable. However, he planned to run this tournament in a rather unique way. He would watch the matches personally alongside some Grand Elders from his sect. As a group, they would decide who passed based on potential rather than results. If someone showed amazing talent with the sword but fell short of a win because of corrupted spirit roots, that was something Ashlock could fix. So, sending such a person away simply because they lost made no sense. "Ashfallen will be known as a sect that only cares for talent and potential. Background does not matter. If there''s one thing we have, it''s the resources and capabilities to polish a diamond in the rough. People that other sects would look down their noses at may be the perfect fit for us," Ashlock was getting excited already. He hoped this odd way of selecting individuals would also work as an advertisement and spread his name to attract more talents. There was little point in hiding anymore; every power in the realm knew of the Ashfallen Sect''s existence by now. Which meant it was time for all hands on deck. Disaster could strike at any moment, and Ashlock wanted his sect to be as prepared as possible. Perhaps it was because the sun had dipped below the mountains, engulfing him in cold darkness, but Ashlock felt beyond exhausted. At this point, his body covered an area as vast as a country. He was also the god of a religion, head of a sect, and overseer of multiple cities, yet he was only one tree. His attention was spread so thin these days that he always felt he was overlooking or forgetting something. "Hey, Immortal!" "Huh?" Ashlock glanced away from the distant horizon and saw Stella, Jasmine, and Elder Mo standing below his trunk. Compared to his towering height reaching for the heavens, which was slowly growing every day, the three humans looked tiny in comparison. But that was no excuse. He would usually notice Stella''s presence near him immediately. "Why do you feel so... different?" Ashlock asked Stella. He prodded her with his spiritual senses but returned empty. He couldn''t feel any soul fluctuations coming from her. It was as if she had been reduced to a mere mortal. Even Jasmine was giving off more presence despite being in the Soul Fire Realm. "Why don''t you take a closer look and see if you can figure it out?" Stella said cheekily. She was acting like a child who had done something impressive and wanted to make their parents guess what it was. Ashlock had been a little slow, but he was pretty sure he had figured out what had happened, considering Elder Mo''s presence. But he decided to play along. Opening his Evil Eye, he stared down at Stella. Spiritually, she seemed utterly devoid of Qi. As if she were a random rock on the wayside. This, however, was suspicious. Even a clueless mortal would be at the 1st stage of the Qi Realm if they grew up on a leyline. So, to have no Qi? Any cultivator worth their salt would raise a brow at that. Stella stood under his gaze, utterly unfazed. "Found it yet?" "Hold on," Ashlock didn''t want to cheat, so he searched her spiritual presence rather than looking at her attire, and only by knowing he was looking for something did he finally find it. Switching back to his normal sight, he identified a new piece of jewelry hanging from her neck. "It''s the amulet." Stella nodded, "Yep. How easily did you notice that it was the thing hiding my cultivation?" "I think it will fool almost anyone under the heavens," Ashlock replied, and he meant it. His gaze was very unique and even he struggled. "But the utter lack of Qi coming from you is quite suspicious." Stella sighed, "Yeah, that was a concern we had as well," she exchanged a glance with Elder Mo, "But to completely erase the smell of my bloodline, we can''t let the faintest slither of Qi leak." "I see... though I have to say, being able to hide your presence to this extent is very impressive. How was it made?" Elder Mo stepped forward and coughed into his hand, "Ahem. May I do the honors of presenting my finest craftsmanship to date to you, my lord?" "Please do," Ashlock replied. He had always appreciated this old man''s enthusiasm. "Thank you," Elder Mo said, giving a short bow before gesturing to the amulet. It was a black stone with gold veins running throughout it. The stone was shaped like a teardrop and was held by a silver claw hanging from a chain that suited Stella very well. "I have named this artifact the Phantom Veil Amulet. The central piece is crafted from a divine creature''s crystalized flesh and blood, and the stone is cradled by an enchanted mithril claw. The chain securing the artifact to the Princess''s neck is also made from mithril, so it shouldn''t ever break during a fight."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "Where did you get the mithril?" Ashlock asked. It wasn''t a metal he had heard much about thus far on this layer of creation. "There was a whole load of it in the Azure Clan Elder''s spatial ring that I got as a reward for winning the tournament." Stella said, "There should be enough left in there to make a few weapons at least." "That''s good to know. Was there much else of use in there?" Ashlock had left the ring''s contents for his sect members to look through as he was already busy dealing with other things. "I found some books about aether Qi that have helped me relearn many of my old techniques," Stella shrugged, "Besides that, we are still trying to figure out what some of the items are supposed to be. It definitely seemed to be the ring that the Elder threw random things into without much thought." "I see," Ashlock mused as he returned his attention to the amulet. "Actually, one more question. How are you powering that thing?" Elder Mo answered, "The array within the amulet absorbs Grand Elder Stella''s Qi, which doubles as one of the ways it masks her presence. However, the Princess must also feed the amulet a special liquid made from the juices of your Soul Protection fruit and the ingredients of the Spiritual Nullification Pill every day for it to function." "I see..." Ashlock suppressed a yawn. The explanation was interesting, but the cold darkness called him to the land of dreams. Maybe noticing his fading interest, Stella spoke up. "Before you sleep, I had a problem I was hoping to get your advice on." "Oh?" Ashlock perked up. Nowadays, it was rare for his prideful daughter to ask for his help. Stella patted Jasmine on the head. "I hate to admit it, but I''m struggling to come up with a suitable fighting style for Jasmine. We spent the last hour having duels with the Redclaw twins, but despite her talent in hand-to-hand combat, she is too frightened to go unarmed against people with swords." Upon Stella''s explanation, Jasmine looked down at the floor in defeat. Ashlock looked at the little girl and could hardly blame her. What eight-year-old who only recently became a cultivator would be suicidal enough to punch swords with bare hands? "Wait... I know who would." Ashlock''s dear adopted daughter, who had slaughtered dozens of servants at Jasmine''s age. She would definitely have faced down a cultivator with nothing but her fists if she had to. "Stella, you frame it like this is something out of the ordinary or to be concerned about. While being talented in hand-to-hand combat is great, if Jasmine faced a foe with superior cultivation, her fists would be unable to block their blade, and she would find herself missing her arms very quickly." Ashlock explained his point of view. "So I think we should figure out which weapon she is able to wield effectively." Elder Mo helpfully relayed what Ashlock said to Jasmine, and the little girl seemed to experience a new rush of life as she went from depressed to hopeful. It appeared that being unable to triumph over her meekness and become a suicidal berserker had weighed deeply on her. "I suppose that does make sense," Stella nodded thoughtfully. "I wasn''t adverse to Jasmine using a weapon. It''s just clear the sword isn''t suited for her." "Okay, so not a sword. Mhm..." Ashlock pondered while fighting off the desire to sleep. What would be suitable? "Oh! How about heavily armored gauntlets? That way, she puts some metal between herself and enemies'' swords while still leaning into her strengths at hand-to-hand combat." Stella''s spatial ring flashed, and she brought out a pair of small gauntlets. "I had the same trail of thought. So when I went to pick up the amulet from Elder Mo, I asked him to make these. While the design could have been much better if Elder Mo had been given more time, Jasmine still struggled with them during practice." Ashlock agreed they were a bit basic. In his mind, he imagined gauntlets that ran all the way up her forearm and maybe had spikes. "What was her problem with them?" "My body freezes up when people come at me with swords," Jasmine explained after being relayed Ashlock''s question, "I can only raise my arms and defend, which isn''t going to win me any duels. I could maybe get used to it with time, though?" "No, finding a way that works for you is for the best." Ashlock barely restrained himself from delving into gamer terminology that would undoubtedly go over people''s heads in this world. "Let''s see. Nature affinity encompasses the domain of plant life. While having similar advantages as earth Qi in close-quarter combat with high resilience, strength, and regeneration, nature cultivators can spec into a more mage-style build by controlling plants to snare opponents. Just like me! This style is perfect for Jasmine because she can synergize it with her body''s ability to produce poison. The only problem is that because she is at the Soul Fire Realm, she doesn''t have the Qi reserves to create plant life from nothing, and she hasn''t learned any techniques yet to control plants. Basically, she is a mage without a mana pool or spells to cast." Definitely not ideal for her chances of winning in the upcoming tournament. "Strictly speaking, Jasmine has no reason to win or even participate, but it has given her a focus for her training and a chance to show off her progress. Also, it will be a vital opportunity for Jasmine to hone her battle sense." Ashlock sighed, "But it''s also a double-edged sword. If she gets completely wrecked in the tournament, it will shatter her confidence and reflect badly on Stella as a Master." Ashlock also feared how Stella would react if she had to sit there and watch random people beat her dear disciple half to death. She wasn''t known to take such things in stride. While Ashlock wished Stella would control herself a bit more, he mostly let her do as she pleased. She never deliberately acted with ill intentions toward the Ashfallen Sect, and while he didn''t always fully agree with her solutions to things, it was hard to deny the results. Her way of handling situations had gotten them very far, and he didn''t like the idea of forcing her to change her personality and outlook on life. All he could hope was that, over time, she would mature and realize that killing wasn''t always the solution to every problem. But who was he to judge? He was a man-eating tree whose main power source was killing. Ashlock brought his wandering thoughts about trying to prevent a slaughter at the tournament back to the problem at hand. What weapon would suit Jasmine? Thinking some more, a strike of inspiration hit him. While she couldn''t manifest plants out of her own Qi, nothing said she couldn''t use a weapon to achieve a similar result. "What about a spiked whip coated with her poison?" Ashlock suggested. "It can be used to disarm an opponent of their sword, forcing the fight into a situation that lets Jasmine excel. If they try to grab the whip, Jasmine''s fast-acting paralyzing poison will disable them and give her an advantage." "What do you think of that idea, Jasmine?" Stella asked her disciple. "I like it!" Jasmine clenched her fists and seemed quite thrilled, "But Master, I don''t know how to use a whip." "That''s fine. You didn''t know how to use a sword either," Stella joked and rubbed Jasmine''s head as the little girl pouted. "Don''t worry, I''ll teach you." "You know how to use a whip, Master?" "Nope, but I can learn anything I put my mind to." Stella tapped her head. While they had been trying to find a weapon for Jasmine, Ashlock imagined that a whip would be quite lethal in Stella''s hands. Her aether Qi would give the whip effectively infinite reach and the ability to strike from anywhere. It really was a hidden blessing that Stella had picked up a disciple. While Ashlock gained power by empowering his sect members, Stella now had a reason to pursue new knowledge via her bloodline with a disciple who depended on her for guidance. "Now you just need a suitable whip," Stella mused and turned to Elder Mo, "Do you think you could make one?" Elder Mo crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "Mhm, while I could, I don''t think I''m suitable for the job. I''ve never used a whip, so it would be difficult to imbue any useful intent into the weapon, but more importantly, it would be made from either rope or metal." He gestured to Jasmine with his thumb, "Neither of which Jasmine can control any more than a mortal." "So she needs a whip that would be controllable with her nature affinity?" Stella frowned in thought. "Couldn''t I use Ashlock''s vine as a whip?" Jasmine whispered. Stella''s eyes widened, "That''s... actually a good idea." Chapter 352: Master Assassin Ashlock had to agree that it was a pretty good idea. A whip made from one of his vines should be challenging for those in the Star Core Realm and below to cut, and if it ever got destroyed, he could always grow another. "Let''s give it a try," Ashlock said to Stella and cast Abyssal Devourer. He didn''t summon the void lake or tendrils, as that would be a waste of sacrificial credits. The ground cracked open, causing Elder Mo to take a hesitant step back. Two black thorn-covered vines ending in a spike slowly emerged. Ashlock tried to restrain their size as much as possible as his usual person-thick vines he used to dissolve colossal monsters like the eclipse behemoth wouldn''t be usable as a whip for little Jasmine. To his surprise, his skill seemed quite happy to make the vines as small as he wanted, so they both came out as suitable sizes. One for Jasmine and another slightly larger one for Stella. "To think there was a time many years ago when I had so little control over Devour and my hunger that once I activated the skill, I basically lost all control, and I would keep trying to eat my target until they died." Ashlock mused. It hadn''t even been a decade since he arrived in this world, yet he had already made such progress. "You''re really fine with this?" Stella asked as she eyed the wiggling vines poking out the ground. "Of course, go ahead and cut them." Ashlock insisted. "Very well then," Stella held out her hand to Elder Mo, "Axe." "As you wish, Princess." Elder Mo''s spatial ring flashed with silver light, and a suspiciously good-quality axe appeared in his hand. The dark wooden handle supported an enchanted axe head the size of Jasmine. Despite the axe''s likely weight, Elder Mo passed it to Stella as if it were a toy, and Stella received it gracefully without making any expression acknowledging its weight. White soul flames spiraled up the shaft from Stella''s hand and ignited the axe head. Ashlock was confused. He could see Stella''s white soul flames but couldn''t feel anything from them. Even while using her flames, she appeared as an ordinary mortal in his spiritual sight. Seeing that she was about to make her cut, he drained his Qi from the vines to make them as easy to cut as possible. Stella effortlessly swung the axe, and it seemed to phase through his vines, and despite focusing on them, he didn''t feel any pain. "Did you miss¡ª" Ashlock swallowed his words as he felt a sharp pain. The vines fell with a thump on the ground a second later. "You really think I would miss? That was an aether dimension slash," Stella smirked as she balanced the axe on her shoulder and dismissed her soul flames. "Unlike spatial Qi, which directly tears through reality and can therefore be blocked, aether Qi operates on a separate plane parallel to reality. It takes a moment for actions done in the aether plane to appear in reality." "Fascinating," Ashlock said, "How can someone block it?" "Physical defenses are basically useless," Stella said as she passed the axe back to Elder Mo. "However, if you had spatial Qi flooding your vines, I likely would have struggled to make the cut as your Qi would have reacted violently with the aether Qi. But the axe''s blade would have finished the job in that situation." "Oh, I see. So aether Qi also gets disrupted by other Qi types," Ashlock said, "While it still has the same issue as spatial Qi, it''s to a lesser degree. Aether Qi really is quite good, isn''t it?" "I know, right?" Stella nodded. "That is why I''ve been researching how to teach it to you. While I have knowledge of the affinity and its daos, that''s not enough. Otherwise, people wouldn''t have to listen to heaven''s whispers, and we could all teach each other daos." Stella''s expression turned serious, "I promise you, I will figure out a way." "I look forward to it," Ashlock said, genuinely appreciating his adopted daughter''s determination to help him. The more he saw her use aether Qi, the more he desired it. "Though I have to ask, why did I feel nothing from you even when you used your soul flames. Is that another advantage of aether Qi?" Stella shook her head and put a hand on her amulet, "This artifact absorbs my Qi, remember? So long as I don''t overwhelm its absorption rate by using too much Qi or send Qi too far away from my body, it will maintain the shroud." Ashlock hadn''t realized Stella could still fight while appearing like a mortal. This totally changed things. He had expected her to simply be able to wander around on the surface, having to keep her Qi to herself until they got rid of Vincent Nightrose. But now, the development of this amulet and her new affinity had opened up a whole new way for Stella to benefit the sect. "Stella, in my spiritual gaze right now, you are even more unassuming than Khaos. While the void Ents are totally silent as they move around, they leave a dead zone in my spiritual sense, which is noticeable if I''m paying attention. However, you appear as a Qi-less mortal." "So?" Stella asked, seemingly confused at why he sounded so excited. "Why would appearing as a mortal be a good thing? Nobody will respect or fear me when I can''t show my cultivation." "Exactly!" Ashlock said, "You currently have the perfect setup for an assassin. Dare I say, you could become one of the most feared assassins in the realm if you wanted." That little sales pitch seemed to grab Stella''s attention. "Oh? Go on," she urged, "What makes me such a good assassin?" "The most essential quality of an assassin is looking unassuming. It''s easiest to kill people when they have their guard down. Imagine how quickly we could have killed the Lunarshade Grand Elder if you rammed a dagger through his head while he was relaxing in his gambling house surrounded by whores?" "True..." Stella slowly nodded. "That is something you would be capable of right now. The amulet makes you nearly impossible to detect, and your youthful appearance would make arrogant cultivators overlook any possibility of you being stronger than them." Ashlock paused, "Combined with your killer instincts, aether Qi that lets you effortlessly phase through reality without leaving a trace and my realm-spanning support. I fail to see how anyone could match you."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Stella''s eyes were practically sparkling at this point. Jasmine was proudly looking up at her Master, and Elder Mo had a wide grin. The only thing holding Stella back now was her cultivation realm being in the Star Core Realm and her pride. Being an assassin required patience, and Ashlock worried she wouldn''t be able to bow her head when necessary to an enemy to get them to lower their guard. "If anything, going down this path will hopefully teach you many things. The best assassins are the masters of all. They have to be able to adapt to any situation, wield every weapon, sweet talk people, and infiltrate their target''s inner circles before striking." Ashlock continued. "While killing someone like Vincent Nightrose might be a little too much for you now, I''m sure you could get a lot of practice doing missions for the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion." While Stella hadn''t gone into details about her time in the Azure Crest tournament realm, she had briefly mentioned that she had assumed the identity of the daughter of Elder Vortexian, which sounded like an infiltration attempt. Ashlock doubted she did it flawlessly, considering she followed that up by telling him that she slaughtered everyone in the tournament, which was not exactly something an assassin would do, but it was a good start. "Okay, okay," Stella seemed pumped up, "If becoming the realm''s best assassin is how I can benefit you and the Ashfallen Sect the most, then I''d be happy to pursue it." By the sounds of it, while excited, her reasons for doing it were for the benefit of others. Ashlock wanted her to pursue a path that suited her and would make her happy. "You should only do it if you really want to¡ª" "Of course I do," Stella grinned, "It sounds cool." "Oh... okay then." Ashlock chuckled. It seemed his worries were unnecessary. "Speaking of my support, I have some new fruits that I think would also help you." "What do they do?" Stella asked as Ashlock floated down a few bundles of fruits from his branches a hundred meters over their heads. "These small black ones are called Void Protection fruits. When you eat it, a thin barrier of void capable of blocking any single attack for a short duration will appear around you at the cost of a large amount of your Qi." Ashlock explained, "I would eat one of these right before going for a kill on a target, just in case they react in time or have a defensive artifact that might harm or trap you." Stella''s eyes widened as she took the fruits. "Isn''t this really powerful? Why don''t we use these for the tournament instead of Sol''s light shield?" "Because it consumes a lot of Qi and only blocks a single attack. Very worth it when that one attack is lethal, but what if a wind cultivator simply threw a gust of wind in your direction, and you wasted a week of Qi to block it?" "Oh..." Stella nodded in understanding, "I see now. Powerful but with some caveats. What about these fruits that look like rainbow crystals?" "Those are Mystic Realmwarp fruits. After eating the fruit, you will teleport out of any pocket realm and return to your last position in reality or a soul anchor point." Ashlock explained. "What was a soul anchor point, again?" Stella asked, and Ashlock paused. That was a good question. If he remembered correctly, there was a technique in the Azure Clan''s technique book called Anchor Seal that had likely been the technique Elder Vortexian used to escape when Maple devoured his arm. Bringing the book out of his storage, which was now a giant cave deep in his Inner World, he flicked through the pages and found it. Anchor Seal: The ability to plant a seal that serves as an anchor for a cultivator''s soul. When the seal is activated due to the condition set upon its creation, the cultivator will return to the seal''s location instantly, regardless of distance or difference in realms. Ashlock read down the page and almost missed the warning in small print at the bottom. Do not use this technique on those below the Nascent Soul Realm if the target''s soul is not aligned with an affinity suitable for dimensional travel. "Put such an important warning in red at the top of the page!" Ashlock understood this book was written for those with spatial affinity, but it was still ridiculous. Though the warning did give him a good idea. What if when Diana and the others reached Nascent Soul Realm, he put this seal on their infant souls with the condition that if their main soul died, the seal would activate and bring their infant souls back here to him where he could keep them safe. "While useless for anyone except Stella and maybe my summons right now, I''ll have Quill write this technique on his bark and then transfer the knowledge to me." Ashlock then explained to Stella what an anchor point was. "That''s definitely what Elder Vortexian used," Stella agreed with his theory, "The moment Maple ate his arm, he vanished. The condition he put on his seal must have been taking any form of permanent damage." Stella snorted, "What a coward. He has a second soul as a Monarch Realm, yet he protects his main soul to such an extent." "Cowards who are obsessed with self-preservation are the ones who survive long enough to reach the Monarch Realm in this world, Stella. You should learn something from him," Ashlock said. Stella pouted, "Fair..." "Once I learn this technique, I''ll set an anchor point for you. We can decide what the seal''s condition will be later..." Ashlock trailed off as he mentally yawned. "God, I''m tired. I''ll explain the other fruit another time." Ashlock gave Stella a bundle of every one of his new fruits. She graciously took them and placed them in her spatial ring. Elder Mo and Jasmine stood there quietly as Ashlock and Stella conversed. Naturally, Ashlock refrained from telling Elder Mo too much regarding the Azure Clan and anything else that concerned his biology. The Redclaws still thought he was an immortal human slumbering under the tree, or at least he hoped they did. "Now, back to the whips," Ashlock had gotten a little sidetracked there. "Since they aren''t part of my body, you don''t have to worry about cursed sap. But there is corrosive fluid inside that you will need to remove first. I already drained them of my Qi, so you can fill them with your own. I guess Jasmine will be able to control the vine with nature Qi, and you can manipulate it via telekinesis with Aether Qi." "I see," Stella nodded and relaid the relevant bits to Elder Mo. "These will make fine whips," Elder Mo agreed as he carefully picked one of the vines up and avoided pricking his fingers with the thorns dripping with corrosive fluids. "I worried the vine would be too inflexible to make a whip, but this is bendable enough." He placed it back on the ground and stepped back while rubbing his chin, "We could fasten a mithril handle to the bottom, and for Jasmine''s, this handle would have holes so she can feed her paralyzing poison into the whip. Would that work?" "Yes, I think that sounds perfect," Ashlock agreed. "Then I would like to get started right away." Elder Mo bowed slightly, "I wouldn''t want our Princess'' dear disciple to fight empty-handed." "Couldn''t agree more," Ashlock opened a portal to Elder Mo''s workshop and levitated the two cut vines through. Elder Mo followed the vines through, leaving Stella and Jasmine on the mountain peak. "What are you going to do now?" "Drill some more practice into Jasmine," Stella sighed, and the little girl flinched. "She still has a lot to learn if she is to not embarrass me, so there''s no time to waste." "Noooo," Jasmine dashed out from beside Stella and stumbled toward him, "Ashlock, save me!" Stella vanished in a flash of white soul flames and reappeared before Jasmine. "You should know running from me is impossible, my dear disciple." Grabbing her hand, Stella dragged Jasmine into the aether. A quiet winter breeze went by, and Ashlock was finally left alone. As much as he would love to save Jasmine, Stella was right. She had a lot to learn and not enough hours to do so. All she could do was accept her fate and double her efforts. Letting out a long yawn, Ashlock felt his body shutting down. "Ugh. I''ll let Quill know about Anchor Seal and then head to sleep. I need to be well-rested for tomorrow. So long as nothing goes wrong, I will open multiple portals to the tournament island in my Inner World in the morning. I wonder how many Qi Realm people will try their luck at joining the Ashfallen Sect. We are still quite lowkey, so hopefully, it won''t be too many..." Ashlock went to sleep blissfully. Only to discover the next day that he had severely misjudged the Ashfallen Sect''s fame across the realm. Chapter 353: Blacktide Serena Blacktide left the blonde-haired twerp half dead in the mud. She hadn''t planned to do anything to the kid until he started spouting such nonsense as being a cultivator despite lacking a soul flame. These land dwellers are so strange. Are their heads on straight? In the Abyssal Tide Sect, saying something so ridiculous would result in death. Serena Blacktide pondered as she strode through the storm toward the distant looming building dominating the center of Ashfallen City. Five years ago, a land dweller stole the stone of Abyssal Tides from her sect. Furious, the Patriarch of her sect ordered everyone capable of taking a ship to the continent''s shores to conduct a realm-spanning search. Without the stone, the sect was crippled. In the Patriarch''s words, the abyssal tide affinity was not ''naturally occurring'' and originated from a higher realm. The crazed man had spared no expense, raiding the sect''s ancestral grounds to outfit every cultivator that agreed to leave with as many spirit stones and treasures as they wanted. Serena Blacktide had naturally jumped at the opportunity to leave the small island they called home with a large starting fund and explore the rest of the world. So here she was, aimlessly drifting from one city to the next while keeping her eyes and ears open for any sign of her sect''s treasure. Of course, she had no plans to return if she were to stumble across it. Time inside the abyssal chamber was reserved for the talented disciples¡ªa group she hadn''t belonged to and despised. She hated people that were ''talented.'' No matter how much effort she put in, her progress in getting to the point she was at now had been grueling, which made that twerp''s claim of being a cultivator so laughable. Using her peak Soul Fire Realm Qi, she warded off the rain and guarded her shoes from the mud as she walked through Ashfallen City. So far, it was one of the strangest cities she had seen. It seemed built among a forest of selectively bred demonic trees? The usual smell of decay that lingered around demonic trees she had seen in the wild was absent. There wasn''t even any evidence of half-dissolved carcasses. Serena Blacktide stepped under the canopy of a nearby tree. Two stone huts sat on either side of its trunk, and with her spiritual senses, she could feel groups of people inside. More strong mortals? Serena raised a brow. While she had knocked some sense into that boy earlier, it was true that he was above a mortal, as were these people. While none of them were in the Soul Fire Realm, she could tell they were cultivating while waiting out the storm by the Qi''s flow. This place is so strange. I''ve never seen so many people capable of cultivating while all being so weak? It''s as if this is the land of the weakest sect in existence... or the strongest, where even their servants and farmers are cultivators. Both options are ridiculous. Serena frowned as she noticed more oddities with the demonic tree. Wait, how is this possible? Wrapping around the demonic tree like a snake was a root. Running her finger along it, she felt a level of Qi far beyond her own and also a hint of... divinity? There were also Blaze Serpent Roses that she had seen growing in volcanic regions sprouting from the root. While not an especially rare flower, they wouldn''t be left alone to grow like this. Especially with how poor the people who live here look. Do they simply not know the value of this flower? Plucking one, she twirled it between her fingers. Do they leave them alone because they release fire Qi, which heats up the air? Serena mused. Due to the sheer number of Blaze Serpent Roses that were growing, the air temperature in Ashfallen City was a few degrees higher than it had been in Darklight City just down the road. This root was also strange. I should cut off a bit. It''s very rare to find anything with divinity out here in the wilderness, and it''s sure to be a good ingredient for a pill. Besides, they drained the World Tree of its sap, and that was a Monarch Realm tree. While stronger than her, whatever plant this root belonged to was undoubtedly weaker than the World Tree, so it probably wouldn''t fight back. Bringing out a small hatchet from her spatial ring, she held it overhead before swinging down. It bounced off the root like it had hit metal, not wood. Annoyed that she would have to waste some of her precious abyssal tide Qi, which was nearly impossible to come across, she wreathed the hatchet in dark blue soul flames and tried again. This time, the hatchet made the slightest indent¡ªno greater than a papercut. Withdrawing the hatchet, she noticed a black sap coating the blade tip. Running her finger along it, she frowned at how it had a similar viscosity to blood. "I wouldn''t do that miss." "Oh?" Serena looked to the side and saw a man leaning in the doorframe of his hut with his arms crossed. He was quite a broad fellow with sun-kissed skin and a rogue appearance that alluded to a life spent tending to the fields. Serena had encountered many such people during her travels. "What should I not do exactly?" Serena asked, genuinely curious. "That flower," The man''s gaze was deathly serious, "It doesn''t belong to you." Serena raised a brow. She had expected the man to be angry because she cut at the root. Not the fact she plucked a single flower. "Who does it belong to?" "Our savior, the Ashfallen Sect." The man uncrossed his arms and moved toward her, "When the wrath of the heavens came to strike us down, they alone came to save us. They gave us shelter, food, and unfathomable opportunities." He stopped before her and looked down at her with contempt in his emerald eyes. "There''s just one rule." "What would that be?" The man slapped the hatchet out of her hand, making it fall to the mud below. Thunder roared as lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the man''s furious expression. "Don''t touch the fucking trees." The man hissed. Serena smirked, "And why shouldn''t I?" The man leaned in so close she could smell his putrid breath, "They give us respite from the cold and Qi-rich mushrooms to fend off hunger. But most importantly, if you touch them, the overlords of this place will fucking kill you." "I see, how amusing." Serena wiped off the man''s spittle from her face. "Do you know who else will fucking kill you?" She asked cheerfully as she bent down and curled her spatial ring-laden fingers around the handle of her hatchet. "Who?" "Me." She brought the hatchet up and embedded it deep in the man''s chin. He yelped and stumbled back, garbling on the blood flowing down his brown shirt from his sliced open throat. "Seriously," Serena shook her head in disbelief, "What is with people in this shoddy excuse of a city not understanding the natural order? A mere mortal stands up to a cultivator over fucking trees? Really?" Serena kicked the man to the ground and sneered, "Besides, your story doesn''t make any sense. Why would a sect have any reason to help mortals to such an extent?" "The..." "Mhm?" Serena crouched down and leaned closer, "What was that? I didn''t quite hear you over the sound of you dying." "I worship the All-Seeing Eye," the man said, barely audible over the gargling. His eyes widened as if he saw something she did not. "Your actions won''t escape its gaze." "The All-Seeing Eye?" Serena snorted, "Never heard of it. Is that a cult or something?" "The trees have eyes. Your death won''t be painless." The man gave her a crazed, blood-stained grin before his lips relaxed and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He was dead. "Will it now," Serena placed the flower she had plucked in the man''s half-open mouth and stood. "Somehow, I doubt that." She was at the peak of the Soul Fire Realm. In such a backwater city, only the Grand Elder of a sect could match her in strength, and those old fools were usually in closed-door cultivation. They would only appear if the sect was in trouble, not over the death of some crazed mortal believing in an eye or whatever. She deposited the hatchet in her carefully organized spatial ring, which was still quite healthy with spirit stones and other life-saving treasures she had gotten from her sect. "I should get going," she looked at the building in the distance, "Apparently, the Ashfallen Trading Company is the only good place to buy pills out here." She clicked her tongue, "If not for the airship route to Slymere being blocked until further notice, I wouldn''t have even bothered coming here. What a shithole."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Taking one step away from the corpse, she froze. She turned her head and saw over her shoulder that the flower she had put in the man''s mouth was rising. The man''s veins had turned black like sprawling roots, and the flower was lifted by what could only be described as a demonic tree sapling. Even in a place rich with Qi, a tree didn''t grow so fast, and why was it sprouting from this corpse? Serena''s eyes darted between the strange demonic trees as she slowly stepped back. Within moments, the tree growing from the corpse was already a meter tall. Gulping, she turned and ran off into the storm. Maybe the trees really did have eyes. *** "Ashfallen Trading Company..." Serena Blacktide muttered as she read the words engraved in a refreshingly simplistic style compared to the overly flowery calligraphy favored by cultivators. Serena had no idea whether it was done this way to be easier for the mortals in this city to read or because they couldn''t afford a professional. But after the man turning into a tree incident, she found herself looking at things with more scrutiny. She had to admit the building was impressive. Dominating the heart of Ashfallen City, it stood as a striking contrast to the surrounding dull grey huts. Crafted from glossy black marble, it soared skyward in the unmistakable silhouette of a towering tree. Straining her neck to look at the top of the tower, she could see more demonic trees growing on its roof. The whole structure had those same divine black roots spiraling up its exterior, likely to feed the trees on the top nutrients and water. Serena also noted an immense number of spirit stones embedded into the building, likely to power a grand defensive formation. This felt less like a merchant guild building and resembled a powerful sect''s treasury. The entrance to such a building was no less impressive than the rest. Two towering demonic trees flanked the doorway like pillars, and Serena could feel the fire Qi emanating from them. Walking through the open doorway, she felt the presence of a formation wash over her, and her spiritual senses flooded the room. Woah, there''s a lot of people in here. From the outside, she hadn''t felt the presence of anyone, but the inside told a different story. It was packed with Qi Realm mortals like the man she had killed earlier. They all had a wide variety of weapons of questionable quality strapped to their backs or resting at their sides as they chatted among themselves. Mainly about the fierce storm, the upcoming bad harvest, and a tournament? "Excuse me," Serena said, tapping a random mortal woman''s shoulder. "What?" The woman turned around with a hint of annoyance at being interrupted from chatting up a guy. She looked Serena up and down before a hint of disgust flashed across her face. "A noble?" "No, I''m a cultivator," Serena replied. ''Noble'' was a title given to those who ruled over others, such as wealthy mortals who ran cities or noble cultivators who lorded from above on mountain peaks. While she was rich, her family name wouldn''t inspire any reaction as she was so far from home. "Duh, we all are," the woman rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Miss Cultivator?" Serena looked around and realized the reason for this hostility. Everyone here was dressed like mortals, so she stuck out like a sore thumb. Just as she hated the talented people back at her sect, who seemed born with a silver spoon in their mouth, she likely appeared the same to mortals who were born in the mud. While she would have killed this woman for having such an attitude, Serena was smart enough to realize that wouldn''t go so well here. So, with a strained smile, she restrained her bloodlust and asked the rude woman, "What''s this about a tournament?" "Why do you want to know?" The woman snorted, "Does someone like you have a reason to enter?" "How could I know if I wish to enter if I''m not privy to the details?" Serena tilted her head. The woman clicked her tongue, "Fine. It''s a tournament to try and join the Ashfallen Sect. There''s a round for Qi Realm cultivators and another for those in the Soul Fire Realm in a few days." "Is it to the death?" Serena asked. While she wasn''t averse to death matches, she had no willingness to endanger her life and waste Qi to be granted entry into a sect she knew nothing about. "Why are you asking me?" the woman seemed genuinely disgusted by Serena''s presence. "Go speak to one of the representatives. They might be more open to humoring your questions." "I will do that then," Serena said and mentally marked this woman for death. If she saw her outside this building, well... there might be another tree growing from the mud. The crowd at least had the decency to part and give her a route to a grand counter manned by many people wearing black robes adorned with red eyes. "Welcome to the Ashfallen Trading Company, miss. What can I do for you?" A man with short brown hair and a well-kept mustache said as she approached. "Tell me about the tournament," Serena said calmly. "Very well," The man withdrew a parchment from under the table and placed it between them. "This outlines the details if you can read. But in short, the tournament is open to all who wish to enter. It begins tomorrow morning." "From where?" "Portals will open at various locations, including here and in Darklight City. Participants will then be welcomed to a tournament realm where housing and food will be provided for free during the duration of the tournament." What? Portals? Serena didn''t show the shock on her face, but her mind was racing. It wasn''t unusual for sects to have spatial arrays that allowed the sect''s Elders to traverse the cities under a sect''s rule, but they were expensive to build and spirit stone hungry to operate. Few sects would go through such effort for initiates, let alone for Qi Realm ones?! Also, a tournament realm? What did they mean by that? "The tournament is safe; participants will be shielded during the fights." The mustache man continued, "Also, victory is not determined by who wins the fight. Rather, the Ashfallen Sect seeks those with latent talent." "Latent talent?" Serena asked. "While some are born with talent, others need a little help to make it appear," the man grinned. "The Ashfallen Sect is the only one in the world with the capabilities to awaken said talent, and that is what they seek." Serena had never heard such garbage in her life. Latent talent? There were no such things. Just like how cultivators were chosen at birth by the heavens, so was their talent. There was no way to change a person''s heaven-decided fate. Before she could voice her thoughts, the man added, "Complimentary pills will also be provided so participants don''t have their cultivation set back." Remembering that was her original reason for coming here, Serena wondered what pills the Ashfallen Trading Company sold to afford such a grand building. If they were willing to give them out for free, they were likely of low quality, and this place made money through other more devious means. "What types of pills?" The man grinned, "I''m glad you asked." With a flash of silver, many pill bottles and wooden boxes appeared on the counter, "We have quite a few for sale. Though for you, miss, may I recommend starting with our signature pill?" Picking up one of the wooden boxes, he opened it with a satisfying click and presented a single pill on a cushion. "This is the spirit root improvement pill. Taking one will permanently improve the quality of your spirit roots, making every aspect of cultivating easier." Serena stared at the pill in bafflement. How could he make such an outlandish claim with a straight face? "If that doesn''t tickle your fancy," The man set that box down and opened another, "This is the heart demon removal pill. Take one and say goodbye to bottlenecks. Though you must be supervised while taking the pill so we can assist in slaying the heart demon once it emerges." The man held both boxes up and smiled, "So miss, which will it be?" "I''ll take both." Serena decided to give them a go. If they were lying, she would demand her money back. "Great, are you part of the Ashfallen Sect, the cult of the All-Seeing Eye, or related to an employee of the Ashfallen Trading Company? We offer staff discounts." The man smiled. "No... I''m not part of any of those." Serena winced hearing the name ''All-Seeing Eye'' again. "Would you like to join the All-Seeing Eye? You can register here and enjoy up to 50% off on pill purchases made with us alongside free pills every month!" "What kind of marketing tactic is this?!" Serena had never heard something so absurd¡ªno, wait, she had. Everything coming from the mouths of these people had been absurd from the start, and she now dreaded the reality that these pills worked, as that would lend some legitimacy to the rest of this madness. "So, will you join¡ª" "No!" "That''s a shame. For you, each pill will be a hundred high-grade spirit stones then." The man said, snapping the two boxes closed before pushing them to her side. "Do you wish to pay now or after you have tested the pills?" You can even pay after using the pills? Just how sure are these people that these pills work?! Serena bit her lip. "I''ll pay after..." On the off chance they did work, maybe she would join the cult for that discount. "Very well," the man gestured to a room off to the side with a knowing grin, "Please feel free to use our meditation room. After using both pills, come back here, and we can speak again about payment and maybe joining the All-Seeing Eye!" "Right," Serena said, taking the two boxes and going to the room. Shutting the door, she let out a long sigh. This place was far too weird. Sitting on the floor, she opened one of the boxes and first popped the spirit root improvement pill. "It''s not like these fairytale pills could possibly work." *** "Well? How were they?" The mustache man asked. It had been a few hours, and it was now morning. Serena felt like she had gone through a rebirth after literally fighting her demons and improving her spirit roots. "They were alright," Serena said with a straight face. There was no way she would admit to this smug-faced worker that she wanted to kiss the pill''s creator. "So about payment..." "I''ll join the cult¡ª" She didn''t even get to finish her words as a black cloak, just like the man''s, was shoved into her hands along with a welcome package. "Perfect, that will be a hundred high-grade spirit stones for both boxes," the man sounded like a demon as he gestured to the other bottles on the table. "Could I interest you in any others?" Serena was about to ask about them when a sudden pressure descended on the room. Whipping her head toward it along with everyone else in the room, the air crackled before it was torn apart as a portal manifested without a formation. This was simply the raw power of a spatial cultivator. "Oh, it looks like the tournament is about to begin," the mustache man said from behind. Serena ignored the demon salesman as she scanned the crowd to see their reaction and to locate the spatial cultivator. She couldn''t find one with the presence of a spatial master. However, the room now had a few Soul Fire Realm cultivators, her eyes locked with one of them. The blonde-haired cultivator returned a fierce gaze. Hold on... is that the twerp. How the hell is he in the Soul Fire Realm now? Chapter 354: Thrill Of The Hunt Ashlock awoke at dawn, and his sign-in system greeted him as usual. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3640 Daily Credit: 74 Sacrifice Credit: 1008 [Sign in?] "Huh, my credits grew in my sleep." Ashlock slurred as his body fought off the winter cold, and his mind kicked into gear. While his biology had many advantages, waking up quickly in the mornings wasn''t one of them. "Did something happen to earn me divine energy?" The only reason he could think of was the tournament that was supposed to start today. Looking out at Red Vine Peak, it was desolate, and the storm had gotten even worse. The heavy rain had transitioned into hail that relentlessly pelted his canopy. While he had his senses beyond his trunk muted to save his sanity, there was no way to entirely ignore the sensations his main body was experiencing. So he would have to accept being pummeled by hail. "No, this is getting ridiculous," Ashlock pulled on his soul, and a spatial barrier manifested around his entire body. He pushed the falling hail away from him by constantly pulsing the space like a vibrating speaker. While not very Qi-efficient, it gave him respite from the storm. "I don''t remember previous winter storms being this long or intense. Has something affected the weather in this realm? Maybe instead of climate change, they have Qi change here?" Whatever was causing it, he hoped it would stop some time soon. The lack of sunlight made him more sluggish than usual, and he felt bad for the mortals who had to stay inside their huts. "Hopefully, the tournament will cheer some of them up. Who doesn''t like a good bit of fighting to let out some anger." Dismissing his system message, he cast {Eye of the Tree God}, and his viewpoint became detached like a floating eye. "I''ll open a portal in the Ashfallen Trading Company first and then a few throughout Darklight City. With this intense storm, I don''t want to force people to travel to a single location." His vision blurred slightly as he moved quickly through the hail over the demonic tree-covered mountain range. White Stone Peak was deathly quiet, with nobody outside cultivating under his new offspring. He went down the side of the mountain, passing over where Nox had once resided before she set up home in Tartarus. "I need to decide what to do about that, as Nox was Ashfallen City''s defender. I could find or raise a replacement or figure out a way to have Nox in both locations simultaneously." Ashlock mused as he left that area and headed for the Ashfallen Trading Company''s building at the city''s heart. Following the main road and surveying the storm''s effect on the buildings, he paused as something odd caught his eye. Having helped place every single tree and knowing the city''s layout intrinsically through his root network, a random demonic tree sprouting in the road looked really out of place. "Did I place this here?" Ashlock thought back and didn''t remember having a reason to grow another tree here. Its positioning was terrible as it cut into the road, making it narrower, and it partially blocked the entrance of a hut. "Maybe it spawned from one of my freshly grown dao fruits?" Fusing his ethereal roots with the tree, he took a closer look at it. "This tree has a warped soul and no evidence of developing an affinity," Ashlock mused, "So it isn''t likely to have grown from my dao fruit, and judging by how much it has grown already, it had a food source to start with. A corpse, perhaps?" There were no monsters in Ashfallen City, so it had to be from a human corpse. "The warped soul also suggests it was a human and likely in the Qi Realm as it has no affinity." He tried to ask it questions, but as expected, like with the Redclaws turning to trees, the soul was far too warped to form anything more than simple waves of emotions. He felt pride, satisfaction, and anger from the tree. A strange combo. "So a mortal of Ashfallen City somehow ingested my cursed sap and turned into a tree overnight." Ashlock hummed in thought. Something didn''t add up here. His cursed sap wasn''t freely available on the market to buy, so the only way to acquire it would be to chop at his roots and harvest it, just like what is happening to the World Tree. "But my roots are quite tough. Someone in the Qi Realm would lack the strength to even leave a dent." Ashlock looked around the ''crime scene,'' but the intense storm had washed away any evidence. If someone had managed to cut into one of the roots spiraling up the demonic trees, it had healed by now, as he couldn''t see any damage to them. For a split moment, he opened his senses to the few demonic trees surrounding the out-of-place tree, and, as expected, he was assaulted by a confusing mess of emotions from his offspring. "All of you be quiet for a minute. Shhh, yes, I know the storm is cold." Ashlock tried to soothe his children like a good father. Once the few offspring he focused on calmed down, he asked them, "Which of you got hurt?" Rage surged from the tree to the left. "Okay, so it was you." The tree showed no injury, and nothing else looked out of place. "Let''s see. Get more angry if a cultivator damaged my root wrapped around your trunk." As expected, his offspring got angrier, which confirmed his hypothesis. A mortal man had been killed and somehow fed his cursed sap, which was harvested by a cultivator from this tree. He referred to the victim as a mortal man, as those in the Qi Realm would never possess the strength to damage his roots. The culprit was likely around the Star Core Realm. "Was it a man or a woman that did it?" Ashlock asked in hopes of more clues to narrow down the suspects but simply received confusion from the tree. "Ah, you can''t tell the gender of humans apart?" More confusion. "It seems my Soul Fire Realm offspring are rather clueless¡ªno, don''t get sad. Dad still loves you. It''s okay. You were very helpful, thank you." Ashlock cut off his attention to those offspring and returned to his Inner World in search of Stella. If a cultivator participated in the tournament with some of his cursed sap, things could quickly go wrong. His offspring didn''t serve as great witnesses, so he needed someone to go undercover and investigate. Ashlock found Stella outside her house, training with Jasmine and the Redclaws. He caught Stella up on the situation. "Don''t they know that touching the trees leads to a death sentence?!" Stella scowled, "Open a portal." She demanded, pointing at the space before her, "Let me see the situation." "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but calm down," Ashlock said, "This is an ideal opportunity for training. An assassin first needs to locate their target before they can kill. The clues are few, but if you put your mind to it, I''m sure you can find them." Stella crossed her arms and nodded thoughtfully, "And if I find them?" "Kill them." Ashlock said simply, "As you said, harming my offspring is a death sentence." "Great," Stella smirked, "The hunt is on then." *** Ashlock watched Stella, wearing her cult clothes and a jade Eternal Pursuit Pavilion mask, knock on the door of a hut thrice. She had her hood up to cover her ears and hair. The door opened slightly as someone from inside peeked through the crack with understandable wariness of such a suspicious-looking figure. "Who is it?" "An investigator from the cult of the All-Seeing Eye," Stella said simply. She was widely known throughout Ashfallen City, and the mere mention of her name would have anyone groveling at her feet and spilling everything they knew. But that wasn''t the way an assassin did things. She had to act discreetly and learn to get things from people without brute force or flexing her status. "What is it you wish to know, investigator?" The man opened the door wider. While still cautious, he didn''t seem overly guarded as he leaned on the doorframe. "When did this tree appear?" Stella asked, gesturing to the still-growing demonic tree behind her. The man''s eyes widened as he looked at the tree in disbelief, "What in the nine realms? I know this sounds ridiculous, investigator, but that wasn''t there yesterday." "I see," Stella nodded, "Has someone you know gone missing recently?" "No¡ªwait," the man rubbed his chin in thought, "Old Bill said he felt the presence of a cultivator outside and went to investigate. Now that I think about it, he never returned." The man suddenly became worried, "Did something happen to Old Bill?"If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "That''s what I''m trying to find out. Did you hear anything when Old Bill went to investigate the cultivator? Some shouting or sounds of battle?" The man shook his head, "Old Bill was never one to get easily angry. While a passionate and upstanding person, he would rarely resort to violence. I didn''t hear anything, and I doubt he would fight with a cultivator over nothing." "I see," Stella said thoughtfully as she looked at the tree before glancing back at the man. "If Old Bill returns or you remember any more information, please leave it with the workers in the Ashfallen Trading Company. You will be rewarded." "Thank you, I''ll be sure to stop by if I learn of anything." the man said with a small bow. "Though I have to say, I''m surprised Ashfallen cares enough about us mortals to send someone to check on us, and I''m sorry those cultivators made you brave the storm in search of answers only to end up questioning a useless person like me." The man shook his head. "Don''t those cultivators understand the cold isn''t easy on us mortals?" "I''m not¡ªahem," Stella caught herself from refuting the man thinking she was a mortal. "Yes, the cold is less than ideal. I''ll be heading off now as I have more duties to attend to. Thank you for the information." As Stella turned to leave, the man called out. "If you don''t mind me asking, how did you know Old Bill had gone missing? Even I hadn''t noticed his disappearance until you pointed it out." Stella chuckled as she disappeared into the storm, "The trees have eyes." "The trees have eyes? Old Bill used to say that too..." The man stood there for a moment contemplating what Stella had said, but having lost sight of her through the hail, he shrugged and closed his door. Meanwhile, Stella rounded the corner across the street, and Ashlock opened a portal for her to walk through. Appearing in her living room, Stella took off her mask with a frown as the portal snapped closed behind her. "Did you figure out who hurt Ashlock''s offspring?" Jasmine asked from the couch. She looked totally exhausted, and Stella''s reappearance seemed to have stirred her awake from a quick nap. Those in the Soul Fire Realm still needed to sleep and eat, though far less than mortals. "No," Stella flashed her white soul fire to quickly dry her drenched cloak. "But that only makes it all the more intriguing," her frown faded, and she smiled. "It does?" Jasmine tilted her head, "Why? It sounds more of a hassle than anything, and I thought you found killing a chore." "You''re right, I do, my dear Disciple. Killing weaklings in the tournament realm left a sour taste in my mouth, so I had wanted to focus on research, but this... the thrill of the hunt." Stella''s eyes gleamed, "I know you might not understand yet, but let me tell you. It adds a whole new meaning to the kill. Rather than a simple conquest of strength, it''s also a battle of wits. They cover their tracks and lurk in the shadows while I analyze the hints and draw ever closer to revealing their identity. The one who wins this hunt is superior in all aspects." "That does sound more fun, I guess..." Jasmine chuckled nervously. "Indeed," Stella nodded and began pacing around the room, "So far, I know it''s a cultivator of at least the Soul Fire Realm, but more likely to be in the Star Core Realm if they managed to cut Ashlock''s roots. Logically, such cultivators are rare around here. Anyone that strong is either under us, part of Mister Choi''s group, or in Darklight City. The only reason someone of that strength would have to come to Ashfallen City is to visit the Ashfallen Trading Company to buy pills or join the tournament." Stella slowly put the mask back on. "Now I know where to investigate next." Ashlock agreed with Stella''s deduction, so his vision blurred until he reached the Ashfallen Trading Company''s building. "What the hell?" He muttered as he looked at the sheer number of people crammed inside. He had expected the fierce storm to affect turnout, and he hadn''t widely advertised that the Ashfallen Sect was opening its doors besides having it mentioned in Darklight City''s academy and here at the Trading Company''s building. Despite the hail outside, the line to join the tournament extended outside, with people huddling under the canopies of the demonic trees lining the road. Curious, he switched his view to Darklight City''s colosseum, which was next to the academy, as that is where he had agreed to open the portal, and was even more surprised. The place was utterly full. Every seat was taken by a colorful sea of reds, browns, blues, and more as cultivators flexed their soul fires to ward off the storm, and the sandy arena was packed. "Shit... this is way more than I expected." Ashlock rushed to call on his sect Elders and anyone else he could. This was going to need far more organizing than he had initially planned. *** Serena Blacktide broke eye contact with the twerp and turned around to face the mustache man. "Along with these two boxes, I''ll buy a bottle and box of every pill you have." With the portal open, the tournament was about to begin. If this sect really could awaken latent talent, she wanted to put on the best show for them. "Excellent," the man rubbed his hands together gleefully like a demon and quickly counted up her order, "With your discount, your total comes to four hundred high-grade spirit stones. Trust me, this is a far better price than we sell them to the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion¡ª" Serena''s spatial ring flashed, and a pile of silver stones appeared on the table. "¡ªpleasure doing business with you," the man waved his hands, and the pile disappeared. Having completed their transaction, Serena took the pills. Looking back into the crowd, she locked eyes with that darn kid again. All I did was knock some sense into him. Does he think he''s a big shot now that he''s broken into the Soul Fire Realm? Serena debated walking over and knocking some more sense into the kid. "Excuse me." Serena turned to the voice and was about to reply when she realized the woman wasn''t talking to her¡ªshe was speaking with the mustache man behind her. Serena stepped aside to give way. "Yes, how can I help you miss?" "I''m an investigator for the All-Seeing Eye," the woman said, "I''m looking into two likely connected incidents. One of the trees on the main street was harmed, followed by the murder of a mortal. His name was Old Bill, and he was a devoted believer in the All-Seeing Eye. We believe he was murdered by a cultivator of at least the Soul Fire Realm." "That''s terrible!" The mustache man''s eyes widened, "Who would be foolish enough to do such a thing? Everyone knows harming the trees is the fastest way to earn the Princess''s wrath." "You wouldn''t happen to know anything?" The investigator asked, "Have you seen anyone suspicious or perhaps sold any pills to cultivators you have never seen before?" Serena''s blood ran cold. That was most likely referring to what she had done last night. What in the nine realms? Why would they care to investigate the death of a random person... no it''s not the mortal''s death they care about. It''s the harming of that darn tree. Serena stepped away as casually as she could and faded into the crowd. While keeping within earshot, she put on the cult cloak given to her so she wouldn''t stand out, as over half the people were also part of the All-Seeing Eye. "Suspicious? Not really..." the man twirled his mustache in thought, "Though I have sold many pills to quite a few cultivators I''ve never seen before. The tournament has drawn quite the crowd, as you can see." "That it has," the investigator replied. "Any of these new patrons catch your interest?" "Mhm, there was this one woman that was here just a moment ago, actually," the mustache man''s gaze swept across the crowd, and Serena barely put her hood up in time to hide. "I''ve lost sight of her now, but she had many spatial rings and..." Serena could not hear the rest as the mustache man leaned in closer, and something around the investigator seemed to disrupt her spiritual sense, which she had been using to eavesdrop. Cursing to herself, Serena shuffled through the crowd toward the portal nobody had dared to enter yet as a few employees of the Trading Company stood before it, telling people to wait. Shit, what is wrong with this place. How was I supposed to know the rules surrounding the trees? Serena thought as she took off her spatial rings and hid them inside her fur coat under the cloak, as it seemed having so many would be a way for the investigator to identify her. I should figure out what that investigator looks like to avoid them. Serena glanced back, but the woman was gone like a ghost. Spreading out her spiritual sense, she tried to locate the woman when something dawned on her. The investigator had the presence of a mortal, making it harder to find her. However, it gave her an easy solution. There''s a short list of people that are currently risks to me. If I kill the investigator, the mustache man, and the twerp, I can start my life here in Ashfallen with a clean slate. A domineering pressure suddenly washed over the room. Serena looked toward the portal and saw a man wearing dark red robes that matched his striking red hair step through. She had only ever felt this level of spiritual pressure when the Patriarch of the Abyssal Tide sect made a rare appearance. That must be the Patriarch of the Ashfallen Sect. Serena mused. The man certainly had the aura of a ruler and the level of cultivation to match. The portal then rippled as another person stepped through. The newcomer was a taller-than-average woman. Lustrous black hair with a blue tint ran all the way down her back, but her most striking features were her in-human ones. She had cute fangs and elongated nails that were like claws, but the most striking feature was the giant raven-style wings sprouting from her back. A demon? And a strong one at that. Easily as strong as the red-haired man here. What''s going on? The woman was as beautiful as she seemed dangerous, and Serena felt the hairs on the back of her neck spike as she looked into the woman''s chilling grey eyes. As if the appearance of two such powerful cultivators in this backwater city wasn''t enough, a third person stepped through the portal and took up the other side of the red-haired cultivator. This third cultivator was a muscular man in a well-tailored beige suit with a strange stone crown encrusted with gems adorning his head. While he had a lesser presence than the other two, he was still in the Star Core Realm. "Greetings, everyone. My name is Grand Elder Redclaw. To my right is Grand Elder Diana, and to my left is Grand Elder Douglas." At the red-haired man''s introduction, the demon gave a fang-filled smile, and the man called Douglas gave a firm nod. Serena could feel the excited tension from those around her. To these mortals, these three people were like living gods. Even to Serena, they were an almost untouchable existence that could make her kneel with their mere presence, and there were three of them! "We will oversee the tournament alongside many other Grand Elders of the Ashfallen Sect to ensure those with talent don''t go unnoticed." There are more of them?! Serena thought in disbelief. Also, how powerful is the Patriarch of this place? Don''t tell me they are in the Nascent Soul Realm... "While the tournament realm is built to accommodate you all, this is the first time we have done this. Despite the storm, there''s an unexpectedly large turnout, and we are a bit stretched for personnel. So we will let those bearing the cloak of the All-Seeing Eye in first, and then the nonbelievers in second." Grand Elder Redclaw gestured to the counter, "Sign-ups are always welcome." Another devious marketing tactic! "Does anyone have any questions?" Grand Elder Redclaw asked. A hand shot up, and he nodded toward it. "Uhm, will the Princess also be making an appearance?" a young girl with a sword strapped to her back and holding what looked to be a blonde-haired doll with pink eyes tightly in her arms asked. "S-she''s my hero." The demoness seemed to look strangely at the doll as the Redclaw Grand Elder nodded. "Yes, the Princess will be making an appearance. The immortal of Ashfallen will also be watching. So everyone, do your best!" He then flicked his robe gracefully and returned through the portal with the other two Grand Elders in tow. The Trading Companies'' employees stepped aside and let those wearing the All-Seeing Eye cloaks through while many disgruntled people headed over to the counter to sign up. Serena gulped as she followed the excited crowd through the portal while trying to keep her head down. It seems I need to keep an eye out, especially for this wrathful Princess known to hunt down those who harm the trees. Chapter 355: Cornered Rat Stella had her arms crossed and was drumming her fingers with impatience. She stood on the slanted roof of a house near the portal in the tournament realm, and her eyes flickered between the hundreds of cloaked individuals streaming through the portal and down the main cobbled stone road. The mustache man said that out of all the people he sold pills to, the one that stood out the most was a rich-looking outsider who had made their appearance around midnight. Which just so happens to line up with the time when Old Bill was likely murdered and turned into a tree. While not enough to mark her as the suspect, she is worth investigating. Mustache man described her as having ghostly white hair, skin, and icy blue eyes. She also had many silver spatial rings, which are rare for those outside noble families to own. With features like that, she should stand out from the crowd. Stella frowned. She had quite a lot to go off, yet it was proving rather useless when everyone streaming through the portal wore the same style of black cloak, marking them as members of the All-Seeing Eye, and many had their hoods up, obscuring their features. Their proximity to each other also made sensing for cultivators in the Soul Fire Realm and above impossible for her. "Tree, are you able to pick her out?" Stella said under her breath. An assassin used any means available to them to gather intel. While she would love to handle this herself, asking Tree for help wasn''t cheating."While outnumbered by a hundred to one, there are still more than a hundred Soul Fire Realm''s present, and I don''t know her affinity." Ash''s voice reverberated through her mind, "So no, I can''t easily pick her out. You need to find a way to narrow down the search even more, regardless of their appearance, as appearances can be obscured or changed. Just like what you are doing now. Thousands of people are walking below you with no idea the Princess of the sect is watching over them." Stella silently nodded in agreement. By blanketing her spiritual senses over the people, she reached a similar conclusion to Ash. There were too many Soul Fire Realm cultivators to investigate them all individually. I can''t detect any Star Core cultivators besides those in the Ashfallen Sect here, so the culprit, assuming they are still around, is definitely in the Soul Fire Realm. However, to harm Ash''s roots in such a realm, they must be in the upper stages or possess a rare and powerful affinity. That definitely narrows down the possibilities even more. "This is really bad," Ash said, "To think someone would get a hold of my sap during an event like this. I can track people infected with my sap now, but that also came with an upgrade to its potency. If the culprit infects the water supply, everyone in the Qi Realm will turn into trees before I have time to react and save them." Stella winced. That would be an absolute disaster, as the disappearance of everyone participating in the tournament wouldn''t go unnoticed by these people''s families. Ashfallen''s reputation would crumble, along with faith in the All-Seeing Eye. "Don''t worry, Tree. I''ll find them before that happens." Realizing that standing here was a waste of time, she needed a new approach. If the culprit was here, the best way to single them out would be to use the tournament to her advantage. It forced participants to show off their cultivation level and affinities, which would help narrow down the suspects further. There was still one problem, though. Unless there is only a single person with the possible cultivation level or affinity to damage Ashlock''s roots, how would she discern the culprit between the options? Stella turned on her heel, walked over the cusp of the slanted roof, and then traversed through the aether. During the brief journey, her spatial ring flashed as she removed her mask and cult cloak and changed into her usual ''Princess'' attire, which consisted of comfortable white cotton clothes that left her arms and ankles exposed and had tree decals on them. She exited the aether plane in a flash of white flames and appeared next to the Redclaw Grand Elder. The man was standing in the judge''s box. His arms were behind his back as he oversaw the arena, gradually filling up with Qi Realm cultivators in preparation for the first round. "Grand Elder," Stella said as the man hadn''t noticed her presence. "Oh, Princess! Welcome." The Redclaw Grand Elder said over his shoulder. "We are about an hour from starting the first round. The other judges are currently busy assisting with getting everything prepared but will be here soon." "Good," Stella nodded to him as she sat on a cushioned stone throne. "When will the Soul Fire Realm matches begin?" "Not for a few days, Princess. There are far too many Qi Realm people to get through first." "I see..." Stella frowned. There were also far too many Soul Fire Realm cultivators to watch them fight one by one. Disaster could strike at any moment. If I were the culprit trapped inside a tournament realm, what would make me show my true colors the fastest? Hmmm. Stella stared off into the distance for a moment as she thought back to the Azure Clan tournament realm. She hadn''t felt pressured into making a move besides her greed because they assumed she was one of them. We already offer outstanding rewards for this tournament, so improving those won''t make them act. No. What I need to do is put pressure on them. Make them feel they are in a pot of water about to boil them to death if they don''t run. "Grand Elder," Stella said. "Yes, Princess?" He turned and faced her. "I need a favor from you and the Redclaws." "Oh? What would that be?" Stella''s gaze and tone turned ice cold. "Someone dared to harm the trees in Ashfallen City. As you know, the immortal is directly linked to these trees, so harming the trees is like cutting the immortal directly." "Who dared?!" The Grand Elder''s face twisted in rage. "We don''t know yet, that''s the problem." "Then what should we do?" Stella smirked, "Spread the news. Someone dared to hurt the trees." The Grand Elder looked at her with concern, "Is that really wise, Princess? If the enemy knows we are looking for them, they might run before we figure out their identity." "That would be perfect as it would make them stand out," Stella retorted as she sat back on the throne, "A cornered rat always bares its claws. Let''s see how long they can take the heat and lay low." "As you wish, Princess," the Grand Elder said, giving a short bow before he left the room to fulfill her orders. "I should get going, too," Stella said as she rose and stepped into the aether plane. In a flash of silver, she reassumed her investigator outfit. She planned to head back to Old Bill and try to use aether Qi to determine the culprit''s affinity type. After all, if she could figure that out, then it was all over for the rat. *** Serena was sure of it. The investigator, who had vanished like a ghost mere moments ago, was now standing on a rooftop through the portal. Making sure not to make direct eye contact, she watched the strange mortal out of the corner of her eye.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Of course, there was a chance that there were multiple investigators, but she could see a few strands of blonde hair poking out between the hood and the mask. However, the most notable defining feature was how arrogantly the person stood. It was as if they were looking down on people despite being mortal. The investigator''s head moved slightly as their gaze, obscured by the jade mask, swept over the crowd. Serena lowered her head further¡ªstupid trees and mortals. If I had known the pills sold here were so good, and this Ashfallen Sect had such high capabilities, I wouldn''t have dared to even look at the trees, let alone damage them. But what was done was done. Now, all Serena needed to do was dispose of the leads, integrate into this sect, and drain it of all it was worth before leaving and continuing the search for the Abyssal Tide sect''s stone. No matter how good this place was, she couldn''t stay for long. Converting untamed Qi into Abyssal Tide Qi was too slow, and she would die of old age before she reached the Nascent Soul Realm at this rate. "Cultivation realm?" Serena glanced up and saw a cultivator who, judging by his strikingly similar features to the Redclaw Grand Elder, was likely part of the Redclaw family. "9th stage of the Soul Fire Realm," Serena replied. This cultivator seemed at a similar level of power to her, so there was no point in lying. The man nodded and simply gestured at a road off to the side that seemed to have few people walking down it. "You will stay in the Red Village in house 109 until you are called to participate in the tournament. This village will be housing the Soul Fire Realm cultivators. Please know that setting up formations inside your house is not allowed, and fighting outside the arena is not tolerated. We will personally review any violations." The man gave an unkind smile. "Don''t expect the punishments to be lenient. Do I make myself clear?" Serena nodded. "Good," the man looked past her, "Next!" As Serena left and walked down the cobbled stone road, she glanced over her shoulder at where the investigator had been standing on the rooftop. Yet all she saw was a small flash of white flames, and the investigator was gone. Huh? What was that? *** Serena sat in house 109, gazing out the window at the sky. Nine moons dominated her view from the horizon to the zenith, backdropped by a swirling lilac cloud that seemed alive as it ebbed and flowed around the moons. Serena had to admit the Ashfallen Sect had gone all out with the illusion array, as it almost felt like she was in a different dimension. Of course, such a thing would be impossible, even for a sect as impressive as this. If a Monarch Realm cultivator really resided here, the name Ashfallen would be in the history books, and stories of their might would be passed down by the Elders for generations. After all, Monarch Realm beings didn''t just appear overnight. They were historical figures, usually from before the Era of Ascension, whose influence and feats echoed throughout the realm''s history. "Though it is strange for a nameless sect to have so many Star Core Realm people. Just what is going on here?" Serena sighed as she stopped being mesmerized by the sky and decided to look out the window at the village square. Red flowers grew from a large circular flowerbed encircled by a dozen similar-looking houses, which was likely why this place was called ''Red Village.'' Hours had passed since she arrived here, and she had spent them sitting and gazing out the window. She had tried to cultivate but felt too on edge as if something was watching her. "The trees have eyes," Serena muttered to herself, then snorted. "How ridiculous." She stood up, her wooden chair screeching across the floor as it was pushed back. Shaking her head, she walked to the middle of the small room, where there was a large cushion. Plopping down on it, she brought out the bottles of pills she had bought. Since she had a few days to kill before her matches likely started, she thought now would be an excellent time to test these pills. *** Serena opened her eyes the following day. Her brain was buzzing, and her body felt refreshed. "I''m starting to realize why this place has so many Star Core cultivators," Serena mused as she cycled her Qi through her clearer spirit roots and soul, which were devoid of the heart demon she hadn''t even realized was suppressing her progress. "Cultivation has never felt so easy, and the quality of the Qi here... it''s unbelievable." No place on the land had compared to the Abyssal Tide Sect thus far, but Serena had to admit. The Ashfallen Sect impressed her greatly. While marveling at how much her cultivation had progressed toward forming a Star Core in a single night, she felt her stomach grumble. "To think a cultivator as powerful as I still needs to eat," Serena clicked her tongue and stood up. "If I remember, I passed Red Village''s tavern on the way here, where there should be free food. I guess I''ll try the cuisine here and gather some intel from the other Soul Fire Realm cultivators." Serena then thought back to the mustache man whispering something into the investigator''s ear. Unsure of what was shared, she fished out one of her spatial rings. Inserting some Qi, she retrieved a simple mask that covered the top of her face and a Spiritual Nullification Pill. It was a profound tier pill capable of concealing a cultivator''s aura, making them appear far weaker for a few hours or days, depending on the quality and strength of the cultivator. The stronger the cultivator, the less it could suppress. A mask would definitely make her stand out, but so would her foreign-looking features that she hadn''t seen anyone else on the land possessing. Eating the pill, she cycled it and frowned. "Shit quality. Looks like I got scammed." Exerting her aura, she estimated that she appeared to be in the lower stages of the Soul Fire Realm now. "Whatever, I only need it to alter my cultivation realm enough to appear like a different person. Just in case the mustache man deduced my cultivation stage and passed it onto the investigator." *** Serena picked at her food as she glanced around the tavern. It was some unfamiliar purplish meat and orange potatoes. It was tasty enough with good seasoning, but she missed the fresh taste of seafood. Glancing around, she saw quite a lot of people in this tavern. "The fights were quite fun to watch, honestly," a man with a hearty laugh at a neighboring table told a bored-looking woman. "They put a hundred of those Qi Realm weaklings in the arena and told them to have a brawl as the Ashfallen Sect''s Grand Elders watched on from their private booth." "Did any die?" The woman asked dryly before taking a swing of alcohol. "No, that''s the best part!" the man said excitedly. "They all had these light shields around them, and the moment they shattered, someone used telekinesis to pick up the weaklings like mangled dogs and carried them out of the battle. Once the hour-long fight ended, a dozen or so of them were told they passed. But that''s not even the crazy bit." "Oh?" The woman raised a brow. "The person who was the last one standing?" The man paused in suspense, "They didn''t get chosen." "Huh? Why?" The man leaned back on his chair, causing it to creek. "The Princess personally stood up and told them they were a talentless coward and unfit for the Ashfallen Sect." "Ah, so the Princess of Slaughter has made her appearance." The woman crossed her arms, "I''ve heard the stories from those who saw her effortlessly kill the rogue cultivators in the mine but never laid eyes on her myself." The man grinned, "Even if you don''t watch the Qi Realm fights, she should be residing over our matches, so you will get a good look." "Is it true she is young?" "Mhm, I''m not sure," the man rubbed his chin, "She looks to be about sixteen, but you know how it is. Qi greatly slows the aging process, making it hard to tell the age of prodigies." The woman nodded, "True." A moment of quiet spanned between the two before the man leaned in, and his voice dropped to a whisper that Serena barely heard over the noise in the tavern. "Did you hear the rumor going around? Someone dared to harm one of the sacred trees." Serena dropped her fork on her plate, and her blood ran cold. The woman''s eyes widened, "No? Did that really happen?" "Yeah, but here''s the crazy part. The Ashfallen Sect haven''t caught the culprit yet." "Nobody has ever harmed the trees and gotten away with it." The woman shrugged dismissively, "It''s only a matter of time until the Princess catches and executes them to set an example." The man laughed as he stood up, "Ain''t that the truth. I almost feel bad for them. No matter how far they run, it''s impossible to escape the gaze of the All-Seeing Eye." "True..." Serena watched the pair leave with a sinking feeling in her stomach. I need to learn more about this Princess as soon as possible. I should be able to see her during the Qi Realm matches today, but I also need to know stories about her. Who are her allies? What are her weaknesses? How can I avoid her? Is there a way to beg for her mercy? Having no more appetite, Serena searched the tavern for someone to ask. Most were in groups, or it looked like they might be trouble asking, like the few Redclaws scattered around. Oh, what about her? Serena thought as her eyes landed on a young girl who couldn''t be older than ten, stabbing at her food with a fork. She had bright green hair and seemed to have many cute little jasmine flowers intertwined with it. From the doll Serena had seen that other kid holding earlier, this Princess seemed popular with the kids, so maybe this girl would know some stories about her. Leaving her half-eaten food behind, she strode over to the table. "Hey, is this chair taken?" The girl looked up from her food, "No... why are you asking?" "Can I sit here?" The girl looked around at the empty tables with a hint of confusion before shrugging, "Sure." "I know this might be a strange question," Serena said as she sat. "But do you know anything about the Princess? I''ve heard a lot about her and wondered if there are any stories about her." The room suddenly went deathly silent, and it seemed like every pair of eyeballs in the room turned to look at her. Did I mess up? The green-haired girl lowered her fork and looked at her strangely, "Yes, of course, I know about the Princess. She is my Master, after all." Chapter 356: Princess of Slaughter Jasmine hadn''t been enjoying her time while waiting for the tournament to start. Her Master was busy hunting down the person crazy enough to attack Ashlock''s offspring in his own city, so she was left alone in the Red Village. Too nervous about the upcoming fight to cultivate, she tried to ask some of the people in this village if they wanted to spar, but they all turned her down. "Spar with the Princess''s disciple? What if you get hurt? Will I be hunted down and my whole family slaughtered?" No, Master isn''t that crazy... Sol can heal me. "Waste my Qi on sparring? Are you crazy? Do you think Qi grows on trees?" The Qi in here is so dense. Can''t you just cultivate it back? "You just want to figure out my techniques beforehand, don''t you?" No, I don''t even know who you are. It''s just practice... These were just some of the answers she received, and no matter how much she retorted, they brushed her off. So here she was, sitting alone in the Red Villages tavern, eating the free food to kill time. Master and the others were always so open and willing to help me. Is this how cultivators usually are? Selfish and suspicious of everyone else? I just wanted to practice using my new whip. Jasmine hadn''t expected making friends, let alone a simple conversation partner, outside of the Ashfallen Sect to be such an insurmountable task. She glanced around the room, and any eyes she caught quickly looked away. They fear me. The story of Stella killing the rogue cultivators in the mine and earning the title ''Princess of Slaughter'' was famous in Ashfallen City. In addition to tales of how effortlessly Stella disposed of the cultivators terrorizing the citizens, there were also stories about the Princess of Slaughter''s bloodthirsty disciple. Jasmine stabbed her fork into the potatoes. The rumors around her were honestly even more ridiculous than Stella''s, and her recent transformation from absorbing the poison plant into her soul wasn''t helping her beat the allegations of being a demon. Everyone was interested in her, but nobody dared to get close. As if she were a poisonous cactus or something. So, that was her current situation. Jasmine sat alone yet was the center of attention. Everyone was stealing glances at her from their tables, yet nobody dared to come and talk to her. That''s why she was so confused when a masked woman suddenly appeared and asked if she could sit opposite her. Everyone else also seemed to share her confusion, especially when the woman asked if she knew anything about Stella. "She''s your M-Master?" Jasmine wanted to punch herself, seeing the woman''s reaction. Here she was, lamenting that nobody would talk to her. Yet when someone finally had the courage to, she just had to scare her off with her Master''s name. "Yes, she''s my Master," Jasmine said dismissively, "Why do you want to know about her?" The woman looked around and seemed deeply uncomfortable from all the stares she was receiving. "Urm, I only arrived in the city a few weeks ago, and after learning about the t-tournament, I entered closed-door cultivation. S-so I never had a chance to learn much about this place." "Oh?" Jasmine narrowed her eyes. Darklight City and Ashfallen City saw almost no visitors from outside cities. The airship routes were closed, and as far as outsiders knew, there was little here worth going through the hassle of visiting for. Stella had warned her that cultivators were more dangerous and crafty than monsters in the past, and Jasmine hated it, but she couldn''t help but mirror the suspicion of those around her. "What reason did you have for coming here?" "I''m looking for something..." The woman frowned, "My sister. She ran away from my sect, and I have spent the last few years searching for her. I drift from one city to the next, looking for clues." Jasmine didn''t have a sibling, but she could imagine how terrible having her family run away would feel. "I''m sorry about that, really." Jasmine said, "Does she have a name or any defining features? I could ask my Master about her for you." The woman seemed startled at that suggestion, "N-no, it''s quite alright. I wouldn''t want to trouble your Master. She seems very busy." "You wanted to know stories about her, right? Wouldn''t it be better to see her in person?" Jasmine pushed her chair back and hopped down, as it was just a little too high for her legs to reach the ground. The trouble of being only eight years old. No matter her cultivation realm, she was still held back by the limits of her small body. "Most of those stories are made up anyways," Jasmine muttered as she glared at the people watching. "Right..." The woman seemed a bit bewildered. Determined to kidnap her new friend, Jasmine grabbed the woman''s hand and led her outside. The air outside felt refreshing as they left the tavern and the intense stares behind them. "You''re the first person who dared talk to me," Jasmine smiled. "I''m Jasmine. What''s your name?" "Uh," the woman glanced around quickly, "My name? It''s... Daisy." "Daisy, huh? You''re also named after a flower like me?" "That''s right." Jasmine grinned. They had another thing in common! "Don''t worry, Daisy, there is nobody in this world that my Master and her Father can''t find. I''m sure they will be able to find your sister in no time." Jasmine said proudly. The woman nervously chuckled, "Is that so..." *** Serena felt her heart pound in her chest like a drum as the little girl led her toward the arena, dominating the skyline. It was a truly colossal structure that left an impression. Serena had looked for an opportunity to ditch the girl and run, but there were too many eyes on them. Despite it being so early in the morning, a stream of people headed toward the arena, likely to participate in or watch the Qi Realm fights today.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. All of them parted and stared at her as she passed. "It''s the Princess''s disciple." "Keep your voice down, or she will tear out your throat." "Would she really do such a thing?" "Are you kidding? She casually followed the Princess into that den of thieves and relished in their screams as they died despite being so young." "No, it''s far worse. She''s a demon that feasts on human flesh." Serena looked at the little girl leading her as she listened to the rumors. Maybe those stories are mostly made up, as Jasmine claimed. I can''t imagine such a sweet kid doing all those things they are saying. Jasmine appeared unfazed by the gossiping, as if she didn''t even hear them. Serena searched the faces of those making the remarks and noticed none were wearing the cloaks from the cult of the All-Seeing Eye. It seems some of these mortals aren''t too accepting of how things are run around here. Serena mused, but she couldn''t blame them. This place and the people in charge were crazy. I do wonder why they are bothering to participate in this tournament in the first place. Do they have no plans to join the Ashfallen Sect? Then Serena remembered the fierce storm outside compared to the pleasant weather here. There was also free food and housing. There was also no rule saying they had to participate. Some people were here just to watch the fights and would then head back home through the portal at night. Serena looked down the road, running parallel to the arena, and saw people going in and out of the still-open portal leading back to the Ashfallen Trading Company''s building. I still need to deal with that mustache man. Serena thought as she glanced away. But let''s first see what the Princess is like in person. I didn''t expect to encounter her disciple, but this isn''t so bad. So long as the Spiritual Nullification Pill lasts long enough, they shouldn''t be too suspicious of me. "A shame such a cute girl has been turned into a demon by that evil god-worshiping Princess. What a terrible Master to be stuck with..." Serena had been lost in thought but felt Jasmine pause and turn to glare at a man in the crowd. "You can say what you want about me," Jasmine said, letting go of her hand and walking toward a smirking man. The crowd stepped away with haste to give space to the green-haired girl. "But don''t spout such nonsense about my Master. She is a great person and Master to me." "I disagree." The man crossed his arms and glared at Jasmine. "You''re just brainwashed like the rest of these cult freaks." Jasmine tensed up and balled her fist but then relaxed and took a long breath. "Okay, could you explain your hatred for the All-Seeing Eye? What have they done that makes you despise them?" The red-faced man with a strong smell of alcohol sneered, "We all thought cultivators were heaven''s chosen to lord over us. From birth, we were told that the gap between us and the cultivators was bigger than heaven and earth. Us mortals groveled in the mud and toiled away as their slaves while they enjoyed the fruits of our labor." The man raised his voice so all could hear, "But that was all one big lie, wasn''t it?! With a simple pill, we also became cultivators and realized it was nothing special. You aren''t heaven-chosen; you were all hoarding a power meant for all." Serena''s eyes went wide. What was this madman talking about? Mortals turned into cultivators? Such a thing wasn''t possible. Cultivators were heaven''s chosen, and that had been a fact since the dawn of time. "Why are you accusing me of this? I was a mortal once too¡ª" Jasmine started but was cut off by the man. "Why the sudden change of heart? Why gift us mere mortals the power to defy the heavens? Out of the kindness of your cold hearts?" The man snorted as he swayed on his feet, "Don''t make me laugh. The Princess of Slaughter isn''t so kind." Murmurs spread throughout the crowd. "Think about it, people," the man shouted even louder, "When have you ever heard of cultivators sharing resources with the common man? They are selfish beings in human skin. Using their Qi directly affects their progress in cultivation, so such acts of kindness make no sense! They have to come from a place of greed... or fear." "What could the cultivators possibly be scared of?" Serena asked. Greed, she could understand. If they really did have the ability to turn mortals into cultivators, raising them up to be used as pill furnaces or to use their souls as fuel to power demonic rituals was quite a good idea. But fear? What did cultivators possibly have to fear? They were the apex predators on the land that bowed to nothing but the heavens themselves. The man''s lips curled, "The Beast Tide. It comes for us all, even the cultivators." Serena was confused. She had never heard of this beast tide, but it seemed the crowd had as the murmurs grew louder. "It''s said this will be the largest and most powerful beast tide in history, yet there has been no news about reserving spots on airships from the Redclaws or the Ashfallen Sect, which can only mean one thing. They plan to stay. Which would be a suicidal idea despite the sect''s strength. But that''s where we come in, right?" The man gestured to everyone around, "Hundreds of thousands of mortals, all turned into cultivators and pumped with pills. A questionable investment unless they all reach the Soul Fire Realm before the Beast Tide arrives. In that case, this will be the largest army of cultivators in the wilderness¡ªno, actually in the entire realm, and you bet they will lay their lives down in the name of the god who so generously gave them this opportunity: The All-Seeing Eye." Jasmine twisted her face in confusion. "I don''t even know what to say!" she said quickly, stumbling over her words. "That''s such a fabricated lie that''s so far from the truth. I..." "Is anything I said wrong?" The man shrugged and spread out his arms, "I''ve said my piece. You can silence me by killing me now." Jasmine stared at the man strangely, "I never planned to kill you. We are having a civil conversation, are we not¡ª" "Because there are too many witnesses, right? There are not only mortals here but also a few cultivators from Darklight City''s academy!" The man laughed, "Go on, it''s fine. Silence me like the rest. Those in the mine figured out the truth and were labeled undesirables and slaughtered, weren''t they?" "More nonsense!" Jasmine stamped her foot, "They were stealing food and robbing people." "According to who? You?" The man shook his head, "Don''t make me laugh. That''s like doing an internal investigation and finding yourself not guilty. Everyone who went to that service for the All-Seeing Eye emerged as crazy people. I saw it with my own two eyes how friends and family started worshiping trees and saying they would do anything for a giant fucking eye. The world has gone mad, and I will expose it." "Hey man," a person wearing the cult''s cloak stepped up, "What you said about the Beast Tide might have some merit, but the All-Seeing Eye is the real deal. I doubt we will even need to step in to defend this sacred land with him watching over us. I saw the extent of his power that night. It was truly godly. Some horde of monsters couldn''t possibly compare." "What was the nonsense story again? The Princess snapped fifty Star Core cultivators out of existence with black lightning? Come on, man, listen to yourself speak. What''s more likely? Fifty Star Core cultivators present in a single location and being defeated so easily, or it all being an illusion?" "I swear it was... real..." the person''s voice trailed off as he frowned. I have to agree with the man here. This place is too weird and ridiculous. Something ain''t right. Serena glanced over the crowd and saw a mixture of reactions. Some looked at the man with hatred, while others seemed to deeply contemplate his words. "Ugh, stop twisting my master''s kindness into something vile," Jasmine said with an expression of irritation. "Stella saved the people of Slymere from certain death when they had been abandoned by the Voidminds. Grand Elder Douglas worked tirelessly day and night to build Ashfallen City for you all. Food was purchased with sect funds to feed everyone, and then the sect went a step further and gave mortals a path to become cultivators. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Yet all you do is spit in the face of my Master''s kindness and spread made-up rumors." "Little girl," the man leaned in, "Such kindness doesn''t exist here in the wilderness. It''s not the monsters you should fear." His eyes flickered between everyone present as he put on a crazed grin. "But it''s each other. You sure listed a lot of acts of kindness your dear Master has imparted on us, poor mortals. So I ask again... what is her goal?" Jasmine looked to the ground as she tried and failed to form a response. "Do I need one?" Everyone''s heads whipped around to a teenager standing there with her arms crossed. Despite her youth, she had a domineering presence like no other and deep bloodlust hidden in her pink eyes, partially obscured by a fringe of blonde hair. Serena didn''t need to have met her in person to take a guess at who this was. The Princess of Slaughter had arrived. Chapter 357: First Impressions Stella had been observing the tournament realm from the shadows when she came across her dear Disciple engaged in an argument with what appeared to be an angry drunkard. Curious to see how her Disciple would handle the pressure, she hung back and watched the events unfold. However, the more the man spoke, the angrier Stella became. As Jasmine pointed out, the man was twisting all of Tree''s actions and spitting in their face! Go on, Jasmine! Kill him! Rip out his throat! Come on! Stella was a little peeved that her Disciple hadn''t learned that the best way to deal with arguments was with arrogance and lethal force. Entertaining these idiots wasn''t worth it. "Looks like I''ll have to step in¡ª" "Hold on," Ashlock''s voice echoed through her mind, "Are you about to do what I think you are going to do?" Damn it. Stella paused with one foot in the aether and looked at the sky with an innocent smile, "Whatever do you mean, Tree?" "You can handle the situation however you please as it involves your Disciple, but I just wanted to point out that many people from Darklight City''s Academy are in attendance. While we have an information blockade around the city, there are still ways they could alert their families. I suspect many are participating in this tournament for that reason. To gather information." "Should I kill them too, then?" Stella didn''t understand the concern. If there were no witnesses, then there was no problem, right? "Honestly, we are stronger than everyone in the region except maybe the Patriarch at this point. Anyone they send to deal with me will become my food. So you can do as you please. Just bear in mind that whatever you do will be the first impression they have of you... beside the exaggerated rumors, of course." "First impression?" Stella grinned. Oh, this is going to be fun. She took off her Phantom Veil Amulet and let her 7th stage of Star Core Realm pressure and bloodlust run free. If there was an impression she wanted to give to these people of the Blood Lotus Sect, it was that the Ashfallen Sect and herself were not to be messed with. If I can make them fear me now, then hopefully, I won''t get dragged into as many meetings in the future. Stepping through the aether, Stella appeared a few steps behind Jasmine. The moment she arrived, her pressure descended on the area, causing everyone''s heads to snap in her direction. "The Princess of Slaughter," the drunkard went pale as he staggered backward. "W¡ªWhat are you doing here!" Stella ignored the drunkard and surveyed the crowd, finding the variety of reactions to her appearance interesting. Those wearing cult clothes had nothing but respect in their gazes, and some even bowed. The mortals that weren''t part of the All-Seeing Eye, despite the incentive of joining to be let into the tournament realm early, all stepped back in fear as if they had done something wrong. Meanwhile, the few Soul Fire Realm cultivators who belonged to various noble families from the Blood Lotus Sect watched on in interest. As Ashlock had warned her, this was the first time those from Darklight Academy had been allowed so deep into the Ashfallen Sect''s affairs. Until now, they had been kept at arm''s length and in the dark as much as possible regarding what was happening on Red Vine Peak. But with the Ashfallen Trading Company selling pills and creating Ashfallen City, there was no point in hiding anymore. Now, all that was left to do was leave a lasting impression. Stella stepped forward, and the crowd behind the drunkard solidified into a wall of people, preventing the man from being able to retreat any further. He glared at them with hatred before turning back to face her. He tried and failed to form a sentence under the intensity of her glare. "What? Cat got your tongue now that I''m here, and you can''t bully my Disciple anymore?" Stella crossed her arms, "I heard everything you said, so there''s no point pretending to be a mute now. Come on, say your piece to my face." Someone from the crowd pushed the man forward, causing him to stumble a few steps. Stella reached out to steady him by the shoulder. "You know this is a rare opportunity?" she hissed in his ear. "It''s not often I have enough patience to hear people out." She pushed him back as he reeked, "Now tell me, why do I need a goal?" The man gulped, "Because such kindness doesn''t exist in the wilderness. So you must have a goal besides being nice to us! I know it¡ª" "There''s no need to shout. We can all hear you." Stella sighed. "But yeah, you caught me red-handed. I do have a goal." The man looked at her strangely. "What? Did I ever say I didn''t have one?" Stella snorted, "As you said, nobody is that nice. Especially me." "See, I was right!" The man turned to the crowd. "She has ulterior motives for turning us into cultivators." "Yeah, of course I do." The man grinned, "What is it?" Stella tilted her head, "Why would I tell you?" The man''s confident expression cracked, "Because... the people deserve to know!" "They don''t deserve shit," Stella glared at everyone gathered, and they all took a step back, "The Ashfallen Sect and the cult of the All-Seeing Eye aren''t a charity." "Right, exactly. We don''t deserve all of these free things, as you say. So you are raising us as cultivators to fight off the beast tide, right?!" The man said triumphantly, and murmurs of agreement spread throughout the crowd. Stella flexed a hint of her cultivation and bloodlust, making everyone fall silent at once as their eyes widened, and many collapsed to the ground. As they all groaned, Stella snorted. "What in the nine realms would you pathetic weaklings do against a beast tide? If anything, you would just be food for the monsters." Stella met the gazes of the few Soul Fire Realm cultivators from the academy that remained standing, "The Ashfallen Sect and the All-Seeing Eye will be the ones protecting the land and its people. Not the other way around. If anything, I''d rather you all stayed out of my way while I deal with the monsters."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Then why go through all the effort?" the man grunted from the ground as he struggled under a hint of her soul''s presence. "Turning mortals into cultivators! Providing free housing and food? It doesn''t make any sense!" "It''s simple, really." Stella paused as everyone strained their necks, clearly curious about the depth of her schemes. "I just wanted more money," Stella shrugged. "Running a sect is expensive, you know?" "Wha¡ªmoney?!" The drunkard''s face twisted in confusion, "How is giving out free things a way to make money?" Stella crouched before the man, looking at him like an injured puppy, "Oh, you poor soul." She placed her finger against his skull, "There''s not much in here, is there? Let me spell it out for you so your empty brain can understand. What does the Ashfallen Trading Company sell?" "Pills," the man said, gritting his teeth. "Good," Stella smiled, "Now, who would we sell the pills to?" "Cultivators?" The man said hesitantly. "Sure, but there''s some problems. The only cultivation family here is the Redclaws, who assist in making the pills. Okay? Are you following me? There are certainly rogue cultivators in Darklight City, but they aren''t known for having the deepest pockets. Basically, they are poor. The people of Darklight City Academy were also potential clients," Stella glanced up and met the eyes of the curious students gathered around, who were all likely older than her despite being so much weaker, "But as I''m sure even they will admit they aren''t the most favored children of their respective families as they are studying in this backwater city and therefore also have shallow pockets. So, I ask again. Who can the Ashfallen Trading Company sell pills to?" Stella could see the wheel turning in the man''s head as he put the dots together. "You made us all cultivators, not for war but so you could sell pills to us?" Stella grinned, "There we go! Why should we sell to other cultivator families when we can mass produce and sell weak pills to hundreds of thousands of mortals turned into cultivators? As you all advance, so will your need for pills, and the Ashfallen Trading Company will be there by your side to provide high-quality and affordable pills." "But what about the free housing and food? What does that have to do with selling pills." Stella laughed, "These stone huts were easy to make, and we purchased the food from the farmers at a fair price. The money returned to us anyway, as the farmers turned around and used those same spirit stones to buy pills from us." "That''s evil..." "Is it?" Stella tilted her head, "We just figured the easier lives people had, the more productive they would become, and the more money they would have to purchase pills. Nobody is forcing them to buy our pills and pursue the path of a cultivator, a life many of your buddies in the crowd seem to have decided to reject. Which is fine. We sell to those who want it and leave everyone else be." Murmurs spread throughout the crowd. Listening in, Stella concluded that revealing the truth behind Ashfallen''s generosity seemed to be doing more good than harm to their public image. Such generosity, especially out here in the wilderness, was understandably met with suspicion. So, learning that their generosity came from greed for their money helped ease people''s fears as it was a far better outcome than being turned into cultivators to participate in wars or act as pill furnaces. "Bullshit," the man spat on the ground in disgust, "You expect us to believe you will be as kind to those that don''t buy into your little scheme? There''s no way you will let us who disagree with your evil methods go. What of the people in the mine? Why did you kill them?" "They were pests waiting to be culled," Stella said simply. "That''s not a valid justification! What heinous acts did they commit?" "Do I need justification?" Stella increased her spiritual pressure, smashing the man to the ground, "I''m the judge and executioner around here. My job is to eliminate inconveniences or threats to Ashfallen. There was something about them sacrificing citizens, but honestly, the most criminal thing they did was cause me to waste my entire morning in a meeting about their antics, so I slaughtered them. Is that so hard to understand?" Stella lessened her pressure as it seemed the man was struggling to speak. He coughed violently for a moment before getting enough air in his lungs to utter a reply. "Psycho bitch." "That''s harsh," Stella pouted, "I can be quite nice and diplomatic when I want to be." White soul flames sprouted to life across her shoulders before snaking down her arms and wreathing her fingertips. "It just so happens today is not one of those days." The man''s eyes widened in horror, "You... are going to kill me?" "Isn''t that what you wanted my disciple to do earlier?" Stella asked, tilting her head innocently. "Why the sudden change of heart?" "But the witnesses! Everyone here will see your act of cruelty. A powerful cultivator killing a mortal for speaking the truth!" "Uh huh," Stella nodded along and acted like she was thinking it over. Right as some hope had returned to the man''s eyes, she paused and looked straight into his gaze. "But I don''t really care, though?" "Wha¡ª" "Whether you said truth or lies, your fate was already sealed," Stella said dryly as she picked at her nails, flickering with her soul flames. "You picked on my Disciple, spoke poorly of the Ashfallen Sect, but most criminal of all," Stella narrowed her eyes at him. "You''re an eyesore." Stella flicked her finger, and white flames jumped from her fingertip, impacting the man''s forehead. A pulse of white spread throughout his body along his veins. The man seemed unaware of what had happened as Stella released her pressure. He stood on wobbling legs and glared at her, "I knew you wouldn''t kill me!" he smirked as if he had won, "You don''t have the guts." "Neither will you," Stella said dismissively. The man sneered, a glint of mockery in his eyes, "The hell do you mean by tha¡ª" Before he could finish, white flames erupted from his body as the aether answered Stella''s call and latched onto his skin from within like ghostly white claws. There was a brief expression of twisted horror on the man''s face as he looked at the ghostly fingers emerging from his body before his flesh was peeled away in grotesque strips, unraveling from his bones as if the aether was obeying the command of an unseen butcher. His scream pierced the air, raw and desperate, but was cut short as the aether claimed his lungs, silencing him forever. The white flames of the aether didn''t stop there as they rapidly spread throughout the rest of his mortal body like wildfire, devouring his organs next and reducing him to a mere shell of what he once was. As quickly as everyone realized what was happening, nothing remained of the man but a pristine white skeleton, suspended for a breathless instant before gravity exerted its ever-present authority. With a hollow clatter, the skeleton fell forward onto the cobbled stone street. A disturbed silence overcame the area as Stella casually dismissed her soul flames and snapped her fingers to close the doorway to the aether plane. Since the man had been in the lowly Qi Realm, orchestrating such a brutal death had been child''s play. His Qi was so faint that while the man thought she had spared him, Stella had effortlessly commanded her aether Qi to invade his body and mark everything but his bones for transport through the aether. By sending every part of his body to different locations, he was basically torn apart by reality itself, with only his skeleton left behind. Against such a weakling, this gruesome technique felt like overkill¡ªto silence him, a single swing of her sword would have been far more practical, saving both time and Qi. But Stella did this to leave an impression, and judging by everyone''s stares, she had been successful. Smirking to herself, she spun on her heel to face her Disciple. The little girl looked understandably horrified and pale, but perhaps the person who looked the most taken aback by the whole thing was the cultivator standing next to Jasmine. She seems to be around the second stage of the Soul Fire Realm. Not strong enough to be the one who cut Ashlock''s roots, but wearing a mask is rather suspicious. "Jasmine." "Y-Yes Master?" Jasmine gulped. Stella gestured to the woman standing next to her. "Aren''t you going to introduce me to your friend?" Chapter 358: Diplomatic Solution Serena was in total shock and could hardly keep her face straight. She had heard rumors of what peak Star Core cultivators were capable of but had never witnessed it with her own eyes. The higher cultivation a person achieved, the more elusive and reserved they typically became¡ªspending months or years in closed-door cultivation and becoming very averse to fighting. After all, it became harder to progress the closer one got to Nascent Soul Realm, and while Star Core cultivators could live for centuries, they weren''t immortal. The amount of Qi a cultivator had to accumulate in preparation to form an infant soul was staggering, and the depth of their dao comprehension had to be absurd. Time was ticking, so to waste Qi on disposing of someone in such a spectacle of power when a simple sword swing would have sufficed was insanity. Or it should be... but this girl, the Princess of Slaughter, seemed to be an exception. Serena looked at the Princess''s youthful face and felt deeply inferior. Here she was, judging how this girl used her powers so casually because she would only have centuries to gather the Qi for a Nascent Soul while she appeared near the peak of the Star Core Realm at such a young age. The Princess didn''t need to be considerate about her Qi usage as, unlike the talentless Grand Elders suppressed by impassable bottlenecks, she must have laughed at the heavens for trying to hold her back. Serena felt a chill run through her spine. It was a universal rule throughout the realm that Star Core Realm and above cultivators didn''t care for the actions of those weaker than them so long as you didn''t offend them or those close to them. You simply weren''t worth the effort of them exiting closed-door cultivation and wasting their precious Qi. But this girl seemed free of such constraints. I need to get out of here. Serena made the resolute decision to leave right away. Trying to stick around when such an unreasonably powerful person was in charge would only lead to death. She had held out a sliver of hope that the Grand Elders of this sect would be dismissive of those below them, and she could lurk under their elusive gazes, but this Princess proved that point wrong. She went out of her way to argue and kill a drunkard mortal simply because he spouted some nonsense claims against her. If such a gruesome fate at the hands of a Grand Elder awaited those who talked badly of the sect, what fate awaited her for killing one of their cult believers and damaging a tree? "This is Daisy. I met her in the tavern." The Princess''s Disciple introduced her with the fake name she had made up earlier by looking around and seeing a flowerbed with some daisies growing in them. "She wanted to know stories about you." Serena snapped back to reality and wanted to strangle this dumb, grass-haired girl. Keep your mouth shut! You''re going to get me killed here. "Oh?" Stella took a single step closer, and despite her best efforts, Serena''s entire body tensed. She could feel a primal fear buzz at the back of her mind from the bloodlust emanating from the Princess of Slaughter as the girl curiously encircled her as if she were a statue. Finishing her rounds and coming to a stop before her, the blonde-haired psycho had an innocent smile made all the worse by the skeleton of the mortal still in clear view behind her. "So. Do I live up to the stories?" Absolutely, if not worse... "You''re more diplomatic than the stories suggested," Serena said instead and gulped. With people like this, she found it best to lie to their faces and tell them what they likely wanted to hear. The Princess hadn''t seemed so thrilled to be called a psycho bitch despite being one by the mortal earlier, so maybe this was a better approach? Stella glanced between her and the skeleton a few times. "You really think so?" she mused before nodding to herself. "I suppose you are right. At least I heard this guy out first." "It is a step in the right direction," Jasmine agreed with her Master. Wait, what? Serena was in disbelief. She could be worse? Stella ruffled the little girl''s hair, "I know, right? I''m sorry I haven''t had time to spar with you over the last few days. Far more people than we thought turned up for the tournament, and let me tell you, trying to pick out talented people from a hundred-person brawl is no easy feat," Stella tilted her head and looked straight into Serena''s eyes, "We have also been looking for someone." Does she know? "Oh, Master! Daisy here is also looking for someone¡ªher sister. Do you think you could find her?" Jasmine looked at the ground, "I can''t imagine how terrible it must be to lose family. So I hoped you could help her..." Serena looked up at the illusory sky and silently begged the heavens to strike this girl down. How could a girl with such a heart of gold be the disciple of such a dangerous person? Was this some sick joke? "Finding a person? That''s easy enough," Stella smirked, "So Daisy, what does your sister look like? It''s hard to imagine her features when you''re wearing a mask." Serena hated this feeling of being toyed with. Why was the Princess acting and speaking as if she had already figured her out yet making no moves against her? It was deeply unsettling and made her second-guess any retort she could come up with. I don''t know what the mustache man said to the investigator. What if the Princess has been informed of what I look like and goes around murdering anyone with my features without asking questions first and giving me a chance to reason with her? I have no idea how much she knows! Why did I think saying I was after my sister was a good idea? Sure, it tugged on Jasmine''s heartstrings and made me seem less greedy than saying I was after my sect''s treasured stone. But that was stupid... "Ah, sorry," Serena stuttered, realizing she was taking too long when the Princess began to frown. "My sister has black hair and blue eyes." "That''s not very helpful," Stella gestured to the crowd behind them, "Look how many people have black hair and blue eyes. That''s one of the most common combinations. What''s her name, affinity, and cultivation level?" "Her name is..." Serena blanked. She hadn''t thought this far. All that appeared in her mind was that darn stone. "Abyssa, yeah, that''s her name. She has water affinity and is in the Soul Fire Realm." "Right, I''ll make a note of her and ask the immortal to begin keeping an eye out for her. If she''s somewhere in the Blood Lotus Sect, we will likely find her soon," The Princess stared into Serena''s eyes for an unsettlingly long time before turning to Jasmine, "Speaking of finding someone, have you seen a rich-looking woman with many spatial rings in the Soul Fire Realm village?" She hasn''t been told about my appearance? Serena thought and had never been so glad to have bare fingers. Her dozen spatial rings sat securely in her fur coat''s inner pocket. "No," Jasmine shook her head. "What about you?" she asked Serena. "Erm, no." Serena shook her head, "I''ve done nothing but sit inside and cultivate since I got here." Which was true.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The Princess clicked her tongue, "I''ve been so busy, and I can''t be bothered to search every house. If you see someone like that, let me know, and I''ll have the investigator do a search, too. I haven''t gotten any other details thus far, but I''m sure someone would have seen her face. Once the investigator confirms what she looks like, there will be nowhere for her to run." There was hope! For whatever reason, that strange mortal investigator had yet to inform the Princess of Slaughter about all the details regarding her. Thank the heavens. Dealing with that weak investigator shouldn''t be too much hassle compared to trying to survive a single second against the Princess. "Master, what will you do when you find this person?" Jasmine asked curiously. "Just ask a few questions; she is merely one of many suspects right now." Stella shrugged, "Though she is the most promising one, and if she''s found guilty as the person who harmed a tree," she gestured to the skeleton behind her, "It''s not going to be pretty." The mortal man''s raw screams from before he was ripped apart by the white flames echoed through Serena''s mind. Staying here was an absolute death sentence. She had to run and cover her tracks by any means necessary and get far away from Stella! "Grand Elder Stella," A tall man with sharp features and a piercing gaze said, causing Stella to turn on her heel and glare at the person who had interrupted her. The crowd of mortal onlookers had mostly dispersed, but there was now a small gathering of Soul Fire Realm cultivators behind Stella, who seemed to belong to the noble families of the Blood Lotus Sect by their demeanor. "Or would you prefer the title Princess of Slaughter?" "Who are you?" Stella asked, looking the man up and down. The man smiled, "My name is Evander Starweaver." He then patted the head of the short girl beside him. She was incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were like swirling galaxies, and her hair was black as night, intertwined with streaks of blue and gold running down her back to her legs. "And this is my sister, Celeste Starweaver." Stella looked between the two, "Okay? Am I supposed to know you?" "You don''t know me, but you may remember that Celeste participated in the alchemy tournament. After winning first place in the second round, she was robbed of a spot in the top three in the final round by someone called Roselyn, who clearly cheated one way or another." Evander shook his head sadly while recalling the past, "Then there was the whole debacle with Dante''s attempt at taking over Darklight City, but I digress. Celeste is planning to participate in the upcoming Soul Fire Realm duels, and we wanted to ensure those light shields would survive an attack from our cosmic affinity, as our Qi has a habit of ignoring defenses. We don''t want to be responsible for any unwanted casualties, after all." Serena didn''t know either of these people, but she had heard stories about the Starweaver family during her journey through the cities of the Blood Lotus Sect. Unlike the Ashfallen Sect, which had somehow kept to the shadows of this backwater city, the Starweaver family had a reputation for being an antagonistic family openly displeased with how the Blood Lotus sect is run but was left alone by the Nightrose family as their cosmic affinity was one of, if not, the most lethal. If someone with cosmic affinity was to go supernova, Serena doubted anyone could survive the fallout. They were like walking disasters. "That might be a good idea to test," Stella nodded. "While the light shield is made from Qi at the peak of the Star Core Realm, I''ve seen the power of the cosmic affinity before." Evander nodded, "Greatly appreciated, and I must say it''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Grand Elder Stella. Your name has become quite well known, and I have been meaning to meet with you for a while now." "Have you now..." Stella frowned, and even Serena could feel Stella''s impatience growing. Evander continued, "Since I''m in the Star Core Realm and unable to participate, I was hoping we could have a meeting to discuss some¡ª" "No," Stella said resolutely before vanishing in a flash of white flames. Evander swallowed his words and stared at where Stella had been standing. The other nobles that had been gathered behind Evander glared at his back. "Way to scare her off, Evander. That was a rare opportunity for us to speak with the immortal''s daughter, and you blew it!" A noble from a family Serena didn''t recognize sneered. But she didn''t care enough to stick around and find out. With Stella gone, this was her opportunity to run. "Sorry, Jasmine," Serena said, and the grass-haired girl looked up at her. "After witnessing your Master''s impressive display of power, I feel the heaven''s whispers calling to me. I must be on the cusp of enlightenment, so I will leave you for today." Jasmine''s eyes widened. "Enlightenment! Forget about me. You must hurry! Or you might miss it." She pointed toward the portal, "You should buy some pills to help, too. I know there''s one that helps with enlightenment." "Thank you, I will." Serena nodded and took advantage of the girl''s naive kindness to escape. Walking swiftly but without trying to draw attention to herself, she headed through the portal. While the Princess is distracted, I must dispose of all my tracks before the investigator begins searching around the Red Village. Stella mentioned they would be looking for a ''rich-looking'' woman with many spatial rings but didn''t seem to know my physical appearance. So long as I eliminate everyone who has seen my face, including that investigator, there''s a slim chance I can get away from here with my life. She was desperate, but what could she do? With the airships down, escape from the Ashfallen Sect realm of influence that appeared to cover the whole Blood Lotus Sect would take too long. She had to cover her tracks to have a chance of escaping. Anyone who had seen her face had to die. Feeling the temperature change as she stepped through the portal into the relatively quiet lobby of the Ashfallen Trading Company, she glanced to the side. She was relieved to see the mustached man seemingly just starting his shift as he took over his same spot at the desk from an older white-haired man. "See you later, old Mike." The mustache man called over his shoulder and laughed as he received an angry response from the white-haired man who had vanished into a backroom. Serena waited off to the side as she watched the man re-organize the items on the desk and flatten out the creases in his shirt. Since everyone was busy with the tournament and it was quiet here, he seemed to be the only one on duty. Serena approached the counter after ensuring they were mostly alone except for a few random mortals wandering around. "Hello, I want to buy some pills," She said, putting on a slightly different accent and keeping her voice low. Her words seemed to break the mustache man out of his wandering thoughts, "Oh, absolutely. What can I get you?" "One of everything," she said. While her goal was to kill this man, she did want to buy some pills. Since she was never going to return here, getting her hands on such amazing pills at a fifty percent discount would never be possible again. If only she had heeded that mortal''s warning about the trees and not let her pride get in the way, causing her to kill him for lecturing her. As she watched the mustache man excitedly bring out all the pills, she stealthily brought out two spatial rings from her inner pocket and slid them onto her fingers. There was another reason she wanted to buy so many pills at once, and that''s because she needed to give this man as many spirit stones as possible to ensure his death. One of these rings contained a pile of spirit stones, while the other contained an egg of an abyssal creature from her homeland. It was of utmost importance the egg and the spirit stones were kept separately. Serena was betting on the mustache man being unaware of this fact. "Here are your pills," the man smiled kindly. "Is there anything else I can get you?" "No, that will be all." Serena''s rings flashed with silver light, and a large pile of spirit stones appeared alongside the abyssal egg. The egg looked as unassuming as a random black pebble, yet it had already begun slowly draining the Qi out of the nearby spirit stones. The mortal worker, however, was unaware of these subtle Qi fluctuations and simply placed the pile of spirit stones onto a piece of jade. A runic formation lit up, quickly counting the number of spirit stones present and confirming their quality was of high grade. After verifying that the amount and grade of spirit stones were correct, the man waved his hand to put the pile into his own spatial ring. Serena copied him and took all the pills into her spatial ring. All that was left was the abyssal egg. The man eyed it curiously before pushing it toward her, "I believe this is yours." "Consider it a gift," her voice dropped low, "It''s a rock said to be blessed by the All-Seeing Eye himself. I won it in the tournament." She flashed him a flirtatious smile, "You should treasure it." The man gulped as he looked at her lips, "A-Are you sure? It seems quite valuable." "Please," she pushed it toward him, "I would feel dishonored if you were to reject it." The man nodded in understanding and absorbed the abyssal egg into his spatial ring. "Thank you for doing business with the Ashfallen Trading Company," the man said, giving a small bow and smile. "I hope to serve you next time, miss." Serena wordlessly nodded and left. Except there won''t be a next time unless we meet in the afterlife. Heading back through the portal, she was now on a time limit to find and kill the twerp and the investigator before the egg hatched and caused mayhem. Chapter 359: Abyssal Egg Sam opened his eyes to a dark room. Something felt wrong. A shiver ran through his body as his eyes darted around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Shadows danced across the table under the window, which had his few belongings haphazardly dumped on it. Opened pill bottles were scattered around him as he sat deathly still on the cushion. His senses were heightened as he subconsciously cycled his Qi. His eyes darted at every movement. He was possibly acting paranoid, but ever since becoming a cultivator, he had started depending more and more on his spiritual sense. It helped reveal the truth of the world around him, and he had learned to trust it. Right now, it was telling him there was a lurking unseen danger. Slowly standing up while careful not to make a sound, he stepped over to the table and clasped his hand around his sword''s handle. He had been sharpening its blade in preparation for the upcoming matches and had left it out. Should I escape out the backdoor and run to Hugo for help? Sam thought. His friend from Darklight City had entered the tournament with him and was staying a few houses away. I could also run into the street and call for a Redclaw to protect me. Deciding that was a good idea, Sam curled his fingers around the sword''s hilt. Picking it up with ease and still surprised at how light it felt since reaching the Soul Fire Realm, he raised the sword and saw how the moonlight reflected off the blade. His heart froze. He locked eyes with someone through the window. It was a half-masked woman shrouded in black cult robes, and upon seeing him, she smiled. A predatory smile. "Found you," she mouthed before rushing off to the side. Sam stood there dumbly, rooted in place in sheer terror. The off feeling that had awoken him from his meditation had been that woman''s encroaching bloodlust. She was here to kill him, and worst of all, he recognized those lips. They belonged to that arrogant woman who had pulverized him into the mud a few days ago. Fear gripped his soul. While he had experienced a power-up to the Soul Fire Realm, he knew the difference between them was still vast. She had humbled him greatly that night. The door rattling broke him out of his stupor. He turned and staggered through his dark room toward the back door. Half-empty porcelain pill bottles shattered underfoot as he desperately ran toward the exit. There was a loud crash behind him, and he barely had time to sidestep a flying part of the door. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. His breathing became erratic as he spun and saw the woman''s figure backlit by moonlight through a cloud of dust. "I finally found you," the woman said as she stepped inside. Thick soul flames like water flared across her body as she brought out a sword that glinted in the moonlight. "As I expected, you recognize me, don''t you?" "W-What do you want." Sam stuttered as he raised his sword and desperately pushed his earth Qi into the blade. Brown soul flames wreathed the metal, and he felt a constant tug on his Soul Core. "Dead men tell no tales," the woman said simply. "Or should I say dead boys in this case? I suppose you are quite talented to reach the Soul Fire Realm at your age," she tilted her sword and pointed the tip at him, "And I hate talented people the most." "A dull rock is more talented than me," Sam retorted. To be labeled as ''talented'' was ridiculous in his eyes. Had she seen the effort he had put into training for months without results, would she say the same thing? He locked his eyes on her and slowly backed up toward the door. If he could just reach Hugo¡ªno his friend wouldn''t last a minute against this woman. He needed the Redclaws or the help of his Master! "Maybe you''re right," the woman sneered. "Even a rock would know there''s no chance of running." She rushed toward him so fast that he barely raised his sword in time. An ear-shattering clang echoed through the room, and Sam immediately felt his arms numb from the impact despite his muscles and bones being hardened by his earth Qi. Is the difference between us really this vast? Sam gritted his teeth as his arms strained. I could barely block a single attack. "You really have gotten stronger," the woman sneered as she shifted her body weight forward, causing Sam to lose his footing and send him stumbling back. "But it''s still not enough." Sam desperately blocked the next few sword swings from the woman. While she had impressive strength, her technique was lacking, which let him bridge the gap a little. Why isn''t she using any Qi techniques? Sam wondered as he noted the black flames flaring across her body, empowering her muscles. He had only just stepped into the Soul Fire Realm and hadn''t had time to learn any techniques yet, but she should know a few. Is she trying to kill me without leaving a trace? It was then that Sam remembered where he was. It''s no wonder she is trying to kill me quietly. If she earned the ire of the Ashfallen Sect, especially the Princess, there is no way she can survive. Sam knew there was no way for him to survive parrying any more attacks as his arms were dead weight at his sides. So he breathed in as much dust-filled air as possible and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Help! Somebody is trying to kill me! Help!" It was shameless, but he didn''t care. "You twerp," the woman hissed, and he could feel the impatience in her voice, "Just die already." She became a flurry of attacks. Sam barely blocked two strikes, but the third finished him. His sword went flying out his numb fingers, clattering to the ground. What followed was a horizontal slash aimed at his neck. He managed to lean back enough to prevent himself from being decapitated, but the blade still cut cleanly through his throat, painting the nearby wall in his blood. The burning, hot pain that followed made him scream, but all that came out was a gurgle as he began to drown in his own blood. "This is your fault, you know?" the woman smirked as she leaned over him, pointing the bloodstained blade at his face. "If you had kept your eyes on the ground like a good little mortal, you could have lived out the rest of your miserable life." Sam still didn''t understand why this cultivator had gone so far out of their way to kill him. Dead men told no tales? What the hell was he going to tell anyone about? How he got beaten up and left in the mud? What would he gain from telling anyone that embarrassing story other than Hugo? "It was over there!" A voice shouted from outside. Sam saw the woman''s arrogance twist into utter fear at the voice. Her sword vanished in a flash of silver, and she didn''t even give him a second glance as she dashed out the back door. "They are on the move!" The voices shouted, and he could hear them getting further away. No! What about me! Sam cried out in his mind as he lay there, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn''t breathe, his ears rang, and his vision darkened. He was so so tired. His whole body was numb. Is this how I die?Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. When he heard that the Redclaws could be called upon for security, and considering how many cultivators lived in the Red Village, he felt safe living here. But in the end, his lack of personal strength was his downfall. "Mhm, sloppy swordsmanship, and she never used her Qi, so it''s hard to tell if she is the one I''m searching for..." Sam''s eyes widened as he tilted his head and saw a cloaked person emerge from the shadows. They wore a jade mask that covered their entire face and seemed to distort their voice. If not for their mutterings, I would have never noticed their presence. How long have they been there? Wait, that''s not important right now. I''m dying. He raised his arm with all the effort he could muster to draw their attention and slapped it down. The masked person glanced at him. "You''re still alive?" the person crouched beside him and ran a finger along the slit in his neck, "Ah, you used earth Qi to stop the bleeding and harden your neck so the sword didn''t bite as deep as it could. You earth affinity cultivators sure are tough. Let''s get you healed up." Sam saw a flash of infinite white encompassing his entire vision, paired with the feeling of falling through the floor. The person stood over him, looking down at him and tilting their head. "You look familiar," they mused as the infinite white was replaced with a vast canopy of red leaves and the roar of a ferocious storm. "If you want a job after the tournament, you should speak with Grand Elder Douglas. We are always looking for people capable of construction." What is happening? Sam was so confused, and his head was spinning. He squinted as a blinding light came into view. "Don''t worry, Sol here will heal you up." The person said before they turned to leave, "I''ve got a rat to catch, so this is goodbye." In a flash of white, the person vanished like a ghost. Wait, don''t leave me here... The blinding light got closer until it was pushed into his forehead. A wave of refreshing coolness washed through his body from his head to his toes. The burning pain in his throat vanished, and a few moments later, he gasped and sat up as he desperately took in a deep breath. "I''m alive?" Sam patted himself down in disbelief. As the rush of battle faded, he hated to admit a tear rolled down his cheek. Since becoming a cultivator, his life has been opened to new possibilities and dangers. In a single week, he had almost died twice. He''d thought mortals had it rough as cultivators could easily kill them, but it turned out to be even worse as a cultivator. "I hate that woman..." he said, his voice shaking, "How can she treat people like this. Killing people for simply looking at her..." It took him a while to calm down. He simply lay there on the purple grass. There was a bench nearby, but for some reason, his spiritual instincts told him not to sit on it. The strange wooden creature supporting the orb of light that had healed him wordlessly lumbered back to its position under the massive tree, leaving him alone. Sam looked up at the tree that towered over him, and a realization slowly set in. Isn''t this... Red Vine Peak? He scampered to his feet and glanced around. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Sam called out. Master said if I ever made it to Red Vine Peak, I would learn the secrets of cultivation. While I got here in a different way than I expected, it should still count, right? Nobody answered him for a while until Sam saw the silhouette of someone walking through the intense rain. A person! Someone is here. He gingerly walked toward them, and as they got closer, he noticed they hadn''t gotten taller. A tiny person, barely reaching his chest, emerged. They wore a black cloak that seemed to be made of almost skin-like material and had two giant glowing blue eyes. The monster looked up at him. "Great potential, you have." It said, pulling out a parchment from its sleeve, "Take this." Sam hesitantly took the parchment and unrolled it. This must be the secret to cultivation. He thought as his heart pounded in his chest. He had dreamed of this moment for months. With baited breaths, he read the title. Mudcloaks realm domination scripture. "What an imposing title." Sam hissed through his teeth in awe. "This must be a powerful cultivation technique." "While the tree slumbers, follow the teachings. Powerful you will become." the monster said before giving a small nod and vanishing into the rain. "Good luck, human." "Uh..." Sam didn''t know what to say as he looked between the scripture and where the small monster had left. While the tree slumbers... he looked up at the demonic tree lording over the peak. When it awakens, will it take this scripture from me? Sam hurried back to the grass and sat down. Before sunrise, he would learn as much as he could about the secrets to cultivation. *** Stella passed through the aether and returned to the house where she had found the half-dead kid. The place was a mess, with signs of a battle all around: broken furniture, pieces of porcelain strewn around, and bloodstained walls. She had been scouting the area when she heard a loud clang, so she teleported and watched the final moments of the battle from the shadows. No traces of Qi. What affinity did that woman have? Stella was very curious. Since Ashlock was asleep as it was the night, Stella was left alone to deal with this mess. Though, she could command the Ents and Redclaws as she pleased. It''s only been a minute, so the woman couldn''t have escaped far. The Redclaws are locking this area down, so there''s only one place she could flee... White flames engulfed her as she once again silently stepped into the aether and remerged in the lobby of the Ashfallen Trading Company. Nobody was here so late at night except for a single employee behind the counter. The same man she had asked questions to the other day. "Has anyone come through here?" Stella asked, pointing at the portal. "Ah, investigator!" The man awoke from his daydreaming, "Yes, a few have." "Any in the last minute?" The man nodded, "Yeah, a woman came rushing through here a moment ago. Actually, now that I think about it," he twirled his mustache in thought, "I believe I sold her pills earlier. I didn''t get the best look, but she seemed familiar." "I see, thank you." Stella turned and was about to leave when she felt a ripple of Qi behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the man looking at his spatial ring in concern. Cracks were appearing on its surface. Stella wasn''t sure what was wrong with it, but she instinctively shouted, "Quick! Throw the ring to me!" "Oh!" The man yelped in surprise and threw the ring at her. As it arced through the air, the ring shattered into a hundred pieces, and something began to emerge from a corrupted-looking portal that manifested where the ring had been. Stella stood there patiently as the monster made its appearance. The disgusting-looking creature took advantage of her lack of action and slithered out of the portal with unsettling grace. It resembled a nightmarish amalgamation of various predatory features, such as an elongated body covered in an oily black carapace that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Its head was a hideous blend of a serpent and an insect, and the creature made a low thumping noise, matching the rhythm of the pulsating, crimson veins that decorated its body. The monster looked around with multifaceted eyes that glowed with an eerie violet hue, observing its surroundings with unnerving intelligence. "What in the nine realms is that," The mustache man stammered as he stepped back from the counter. "I dunno, you tell me. It came from your spatial ring" The monster lumbered toward Stella with hunger. A viscous, dark substance dripped from its row of jagged, uneven teeth and hissed as it hit the ground. Clearly, it was a corrosive fluid similar to what Tree used to melt his prey. Tentacle-like appendages extended from its back, like featherless wings. At their tips were sharp bones that looked like they could impale anything. "Investigator, you should run! I-I can call for the Princess." No need when I''m right here. Stella thought and smirked behind her mask. The monster lunged at her to take a bite¡ªStella unleashed her soul pressure and bloodlust, flattening the monster and stopping it in its tracks. The monster let out a strange whimper. What an odd monster. Stella thought as she patted it on the head and felt it shiver under her touch. "You''re my pet now. Understand?" She whispered, and the monster seemed smart enough to agree with a pitiful cry. "Good. Now stay still." Stella stepped around it and faced the mustache man, "Why was this in your spatial ring?" The man gulped, "I-I have no idea..." "Have you been given anything strange recently?" Stella asked, "Your spatial ring is linked to the Ashfallen Trading Companies vault underground that stores all our spirit stones, so there should be nothing but spirit stones and pills in there." The man''s face scrunched up in deep thought before a look of realization struck him, "That woman," his eyes darted to the doorway that gave way to the ferocious storm, "She gave me a strange black pebble as a gift¡ªsaid it was blessed by the All-Seeing Eye and that she won it in the tournament." Stella snorted, "That bitch never competed in the tournament." Walking toward the storm, a sword appeared in her hand, and she whistled to her new pet, "Come on, we got some hunting to do." The nightmarish creature lumbered forward, and the unlikely pair headed out and vanished into the rainfall, leaving the pale-faced mustache man muttering to himself behind. Chapter 360: Guppy Serena sprinted down the main street of Ashfallen City, uncaring of the mud she was kicking up as the ferocious storm roared in her ears and bombarded her with rain that felt like hail. If not for the fire Qi flowers growing on the demonic trees lining the road, letting off a subtle warm glow that pierced the mist, she would have no idea where she was going through the darkness. Are they still following me? She kept casting frantic glances over her shoulder at the Ashfallen Trading Company''s building. It was impossible to miss even in the storm and darkness of night. It stood as a monolith of power that pierced the stormy sky with its sharp silhouette outlined by the ghostly glow of the hidden moon. Compared to the dull stone single-story huts all around her, the grandiose structure was a constant reminder of who ruled these lands. The people she was currently desperately fleeing from¡ªThe Ashfallen Sect. She had barely avoided capture by running out the backdoor when she heard a distant voice and headed down a back road to reach the portal without being found. She had vanished into the storm without even stopping to look at the man behind the counter of the Ashfallen Trading Company to whom she had given the abyssal egg that was no doubt close to hatching after absorbing the spirit stones in his ring. Her only goal was to run nonstop from here to Darklight City and then lose her pursuers among the sprawling city and millions of people. Then, when the airships began operations again, she would take one as far away from here as possible. With the twerp dead and the distraction that''s about to happen from the abyssal creature''s birth, I should have bought myself enough time to escape to Darklight City. I should be able to vanish there as I eliminated the people who knew anything about me. Well, everyone except that investigator, but I couldn''t find them no matter where I looked. The streets were thankfully empty this late at night, and the storm did a great job of covering her tracks further. The Redclaws who were chasing her used fire Qi, so the dense mist brought on by the downpour acted as a natural shroud for her escape. I might have actually gotten away with it! Serena cheered as she kept running down the road and didn''t encounter any troubles. Making it halfway to the gate that gave way to a dirt road between here and Darklight City, she noticed a tree that stuck out like a sore thumb into the road. It was shorter and thinner than all those surrounding it, but its presence was far more than an inconvenience in her way. Even in the storm''s chaos and her desperation to escape, she found herself slowing down to glare at it. This tree... it had sprouted from that mortal she killed. Coming to a stop before it, a certain phrase replayed in her mind. The trees have eyes. Her eyes darted around¡ªeverywhere she looked, there were demonic trees along the roads and between the houses. Recalling her journey here, she hadn''t paid it as much attention at the time, but there was a literal forest of demonic trees between Ashfallen and Darklight City. If that wasn''t bad enough, she now remembered there were even more trees growing throughout Darklight City like an infestation. They had just been less aggressive about leaving the trees alone there, so she hadn''t paid it as much thought. No matter where she ran, there were demonic trees for miles in all directions. If they truly did have eyes, it was only a matter of time before she was found¡ª "Terrible weather for a late-night jog, isn''t it?" Serena felt her heart leap out of her chest as she stumbled back. "T-They can talk?!" "They do sometimes," A figure stepped out from behind the tree¡ªthe source of the voice, "But not this one, at least not yet." Serena would recognize that jade mask, distorted voice, and non-existent presence anywhere. It was the investigator that had haunted her like a ghost. She quickly spread her spiritual sense through the mist, expecting to find a dozen Redclaws or other investigators of Ashfallen closing in on their location, but there was nothing. Not even a group of mortals was sent to slow her down. "While it contains the soul of a mortal, it will take time for Old Bill here to recover, having his soul twisted to fit the vessel of a tree." the investigator continued as they patted the smaller tree beside them. "Now tell me, Daisy, how did you kill Old Bill?" "How did you¡­" "Know?" The investigator shrugged, "A matter of deduction and your questionable attempts to cover your tracks." What do they mean by that? Serena wondered. Her escape plan had seemed perfect; where could she have possibly messed up? Her eyes narrowed as she caught onto the investigator''s scheme. They were mortal and were the only person standing in her way of making a flawless escape. Of course, they would bluff to buy time for the Redclaws to catch up. "You''re alone," Serena stated. "Yes, there are no other cultivators here," the investigator replied all too calmly, "Just you and I." This must be my lucky day. Serena smirked as she drew her sword. I had regrets about leaving the investigator alive, but to think they would come and present themselves alone to me like this? It seems fate is finally smiling at me. "What are you planning to do with that?" The investigator asked as they tilted their head at her drawn sword. Serena snorted, "What a strange question." She raised the sword and pointed it at the person who had been a thorn in her side, "To kill you, of course." There was an awkwardly long-drawn-out silence before the investigator began to giggle, which turned into full-out cackling laughter that sounded harrowing as it was distorted by the jade mask. The laughter was made all the more ominous by the roar of thunder and flashes of lightning briefly illuminating the investigator''s featureless mask. Is this mortal insane? Serena had suffered disrespect before but had never been outright laughed at by a mere mortal. Flaring her soul pressure at the mortal to silence them, she immediately felt something was off. When her pressure typically made a mortal kneel, it felt like it had impacted an impassable wall. Raising a brow, she put more effort into it, but the results were the same. No matter how much her soul hummed in her chest and pulsed with power, the investigator continued giggling, utterly unfazed by her attempts to make them kneel. Serena stood there speechless, her expression grim. She was at the peak of the Soul Fire Realm¡ªa level of power only achieved by those with access to immense amounts of resources and some talent for cultivation. She had yet to step into the Star Core Realm, as that was a level reserved for sect elders and even Patriarchs. Few survived the Star Core tribulation, which is why Serena was searching for her sect''s precious stone. She planned to use it to guarantee her ascension. So, it was suffice to say she was no weakling¡ªquite the contrary, she should have been one of the strongest in this backwater city. "Phew, sorry. That was just too funny," the investigator leaned against the tree and got their breathing under control, "You just said it with such a serious and arrogant expression that I couldn''t hold myself together." Serena bit her lip and felt her face heat up with embarrassment. "What right does a mortal have to laugh in the face of a cultivator? Who the hell are you?" she snapped, unable to handle this anymore. Whatever artifact this mortal was using to resist her pressure didn''t give the mortal the right to laugh in her face, and she couldn''t wait to see how they fared against her blade. "Me? I''m¡­" The investigator trailed off as they seemed to fall into thought. Serena didn''t need to take advantage of a mortal being distracted to defeat them, but she also didn''t want to wait around to be captured by the extremely powerful Ashfallen Sect, so she charged forward. As with the twerp, she refrained from using any of her abyssal tide Qi in the attack to keep her tracks clean. A simple sword slash was all she would need to butcher this weird mortal.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Or so she had thought. Despite still looking lost in thought, the investigator managed to barely sidestep her sword swing within a hair width. What lucky timing! Serena couldn''t believe it as she went for a kick¡ªthat was also barely dodged. Bringing her sword back for a horizontal slash, the mortal jumped over the blade that harmlessly cleaved through the rain. Dodging in such a way once, maybe twice, she could understand. But three times? Either this mortal was blessed by the dao of luck, or this person was highly trained. "Mhm, do assassins need names?" The investigator mused as they effortlessly landed and were even so brazen as to turn their back to her as they looked up at the tree canopy. Serena shook away her wandering thoughts and decided to end this. Infusing her sword with abyssal tide Qi, viscous dark blue flames wreathed the blade, illuminating the investigators back in a blue light, and she went for an overhead slash aimed at the darn mortal''s head¡ªthis time, they didn''t dodge and accepted their death. "Do you mind? I''m thinking here." Serena blinked in confusion. Rather than the mortal''s head going flying like she had envisioned, her sword seemed stuck on an invisible barrier. A high-grade defensive artifact found from the rifts, perhaps? "How many artifacts do you have¡ª" Serena didn''t finish her sentence as a soul pressure smashed into her chest, sending her flying a few meters backward and impacting the mud¡ªhard. Her sword followed her, spiraling through the air before planting tip first into the mud a mere inch from her face. What the hell was that?! Groaning, Serena sat up. Her clothes were drenched in freezing mud, and her white hair clung to her mask and cheeks. Gritting her teeth, she curled her hand around the hilt of her sword while eying the investigator suspiciously. The investigator turned and met her gaze. "What do you think? Do assassins need names?" The investigator asked her as they stood there under the canopy of Old Bill¡ªthe mortal she somehow turned into a tree. "I mean, on the one hand, having a name could be cool, but doesn''t that defeat the whole point of going undercover?" Serena ignored the strange mortal''s ramblings and pulled her sword out of the mud. She had no time to humor jokes; this situation was a matter of life or death. The commotion caused by the abyssal monster''s birth would only last so long¡ªafter all, it wouldn''t be able to grow that large from the few spirit stones she had given the man. Perhaps the size of a person at most. While she wanted to kill the investigator, it seemed the Ashfallen Sect had mobilized their immense wealth to outfit this person with the most ridiculous defensive artifacts she had ever seen. The only solution to an immovable mountain is to go around. So, while keeping an eye on the investigator, she attempted to walk past them down the road. "Where do you think you''re going?" "I''m leaving," Serena replied without looking back. "Why? Weren''t we having so much fun?" Serena turned to look at the mortal weirdly, "Fun? What about this is fun?" "True¡­ this isn''t as fun as I envisioned." The mortal crossed their arms, "It''s not my fault though, you know? Hunting you down was entertaining, but now that I have found you, you are far too weak to be worth a fight." Serena felt a vein bulge on her forehead in anger. "If you''re so strong, why don''t you just kill me already?" "I have some unanswered questions that would be troublesome to extract from your corpse." Serena sneered, "And why the hell would I humor a mere mortal?" The investigator ignored her, "First question, what is this monster?" "What monster?" Serena asked, but the large shifting darkness behind the investigator made the words die in her throat. A familiar clicking noise as the nightmare incarnate lowered its head under the canopy, and the dull orange hue from the flowers bathed its dark, oily carapace in a warm light; Serena felt a shiver run down her spine. What is a Darktide Devourer doing here? "This is Guppy, my new pet." Pet?! Serena screamed in her mind. You cannot tame a devourer. You can only beg as it reaps your life! The investigator patted the monster on its head, and instead of biting their head off, it let out a small, helpless cry. As it opened its mouth, globs of viscous black sludge fell from between its jagged teeth onto the soil below, causing the ground to hiss as the sludge ate through the mud down to the tips of the tree''s roots. Serena gulped. While the Darktide Devourer was a tough monster due to its keen senses, speed, and hard body, making it resistant to most weapons¡ªthat corrosive saliva was the true terror. Able to melt through solid stone, if an island became invaded by the Darktide Devourers, by morning, there might be nothing left but a sad crater-filled rock that promptly became flooded with seawater and was then uninhabitable unless an earth cultivator miraculously existed on the island. The monster''s saliva could also melt through weapons, clothes, and skin¡­ Noticing the problem, the investigator promptly smacked Guppy''s mouth shut. "Slobbering everywhere is bad manners, and if you hurt any trees, I will kill you. Understand?" Guppy cried again, closed its mouth, and lowered its head. Serena felt her worldview cracking even more than it already had, and she regretted ever setting foot on Ashfallen Sect''s soil. If she died, she swore she would haunt this place and deter anyone from entering ever again. "Now, I was told by the man behind the counter that you gave him a strange pebble that was supposedly blessed by the All-Seeing Eye. Utter nonsense, but I have to wonder, how does that pebble relate to Guppy here?" Serena turned tail and ran. There was no way she would stick around when that nightmare was here¡ªwhich turned out to be a terrible idea. *** Guppy was faster than Stella had been expecting. The serpentine horror slithered through the mud and caught up to the fleeing rat in no time¡ªpinning the girl to the ground. The woman had been right. If not for the unanswered questions, Stella would have put a stop to this farce and ordered Guppy to kill this woman already. Stella had far better things to be doing than tormenting a random Soul Fire Realm cultivator in the middle of the night and with such terrible weather. Also, after having witnessed her sloppy swordsmanship and laughable attempt at covering her tracks to escape, the thrill of the hunt was gone. But Stella did face a new problem. How was she supposed to get information out of this woman before she died? That''s where Guppy came in. That nightmarish creature that was half insect, half snake seemed to instill a fear like no other into the woman as words began to frantically pour out of her mouth as she desperately struggled in the mud and parried the limbs ending in sharp bone spikes that grew out of Guppy''s segmented back like deformed spider legs. "It''s a Darktide Devourer! The pebble I gave the man at the counter was an egg. If exposed to enough Qi it will hatch into one of these!" "I see," Stella mused, "Are they usually this big and strong upon hatching?" It was around the peak of the Soul Fire Realm, just like the woman. Yet it was seemingly overpowering her with ease. "NO!" The woman shrieked as the clang of her sword on bone reverberated through the storm, "With how many spiritual stones I gave the man, it should have been born the size of a person at best and been in the Qi Realm. Just enough to kill that mortal and cause a scene!" Stella looked at Guppy. Her new pet was quite large, being around four meters tall when it had its back straight. Though, its total length was even longer than that. And it was supposed to be in the Qi Realm? Then why did it match this cultivator in strength upon birth? Is Guppy a very promising and talented Darktide Devourer or something? "Why is it so big then?" "Is this Darktide Devourer truly the one that birthed from that egg I provided the man?!" Stella nodded, "Yeah, I saw it hatch with my own eyes." "Just how many¡­ spirit stones¡­ were in¡­ that ring?" The woman said between grunts as she fought for her life. Though Stella had told Guppy to not go for any lethal attacks and to avoid the throat. She needed the woman to be able to spill her secrets, after all. Stella paused, "Erm, quite a lot? That spatial ring linked to the Ashfallen Trading Company''s vault." The woman scoffed, "Well, there you go then! Darktide Devourers are difficult to deal with because they absorb Qi from spirit stones to grow in power. You can say goodbye to all those spirit stones you had; this glutton likely siphoned all the Qi from them, already reducing them to dull stones." Stella knew monsters gradually grew in strength by absorbing Qi, but she had never heard of one growing this strong and quickly from directly eating spirit stones. "It''s why these monsters are the biggest threat to us island dwellers of the Abyssal Tide Sect. They invade our shores in search of spirit stones, and they will melt entire islands into the sea to get what they want." So, this woman is from an island in the vast monster-infested sea? No wonder she seems foreign. Abyssal Tide Sect, though. Interesting name. I''ll remember that. As if angered by the slander, Guppy put more of his weight onto the woman, and she yelped. "Oi Guppy, don''t squash her for telling the truth," Stella berated her pet, and the monster reluctantly reeled back. She then looked at her fingers, which had many spatial rings, and tried to remember which one accessed the Ashfallen Trading Company''s vault. It should be this one. Inserting some Qi, she delved inside, and sure enough, a mountain of a hundred thousand dull stones greeted her. While this vault didn''t contain all of Ashfallen''s wealth, it contained a lot of their profits made from pills. Stella looked at Guppy and let some of her genuine anger and bloodlust leak, "Who said you could devour all of our profits?" Guppy trembled, and the nightmarish creature turned to her with what she assumed was a pleading look, but it was hard to tell even for her by how malformed it was. Taking advantage of Guppy''s negligence, the woman scrambled from under it. Stella got ready to command Guppy to finish the job when she tried to run again, but to her surprise, the woman staggered toward her for a few steps before she dropped to one knee. "My name is Serena Blacktide of the Abyssal Sect. Investigator¡ªI confess. I killed Old Bill, plucked a Fire Serpent Rose, and tried to cut the root growing around one of the demonic trees with this axe." Her spatial ring flashed and an axe with some of Ashlock''s cursed sap dried on its blade edge appeared in the mud between them. "I was an arrogant fool who thought I would be the strongest in this backwater city and could, therefore, act accordingly¡­ please, find it in your heart to forgive me and let me go this time. It was a series of honest mistakes, and the Princess will murder me if she finds me." Stella slowly stepped through the mud under Serena Blacktide''s expectant gaze and crouched before her. Reaching up, she removed her mask and smiled at the woman''s look of absolute horror. Chapter 361: Praise The Trees Serena met the Princess''s gaze and felt a cold dread seep into her bones and soul. A tightness coiled around her heart, caressing it as if finding amusement in its pounding beat. She tried to breathe, but the air had fled her lungs in fear. She tried to look away but could not. These were the eyes of a reaper devoid of any warmth, and to look away would spell death. "Serena Blacktide." The Princess said, her voice no longer distorted by the mask, "You harvested cursed sap with this axe, harming a tree in the process, and then killed a devoted believer of the All-Seeing Eye and unlawfully turned them into a tree with the harvested cursed sap." Stella brought up the axe caked in black sap and blood and lightly ran its cold blade against Serena''s neck, "This alone would be enough for a public execution..." Her voice dropped to a sadistic whisper, "We have to set an example, after all." Every word made Serena tremble. This girl''s bloodlust was terrifying. "Yet somehow, you committed even more crimes." Stella stood up and loomed over her with axe in hand. Lightning flashed behind her, and the bone-chilling winds violently rustled her cloak and hair, "You almost killed a tournament participant in the Red Village and attempted murder on an Ashfallen Trading Company representative by giving him an egg that absorbed months'' worth of profits. Serena Blacktide, do you agree this is a fair assessment of your crimes?" "Yes..." Serena gulped as she felt the weight of death hanging over her. "Except what do you mean by almost killed?" "The blonde-haired kid you tried to murder is still alive," The Princess smirked, "I saved him just in time." "So that twerp didn''t even die?" Serena looked at the ground in despair. Here she was, a Soul Fire Realm cultivator reduced to such a pitiful state. Unable to cycle Qi under the Princess''s deathly glare, she was soaked to the bone by freezing rain. Her list of crimes was too extensive, so she knew death was coming, yet she couldn''t help but be bittersweet about it. There was so much I still wanted to do and see. "Now tell me, Serena Blacktide, why did you want to kill the twerp anyways?" The Princess asked, and Serena could hear a series of clicking noises as the Darktide Devourer shifted its weight behind her. "It''s pointless now, but he had seen my face," Serena muttered, "I heard rumors that nobody could escape from the Ashfallen Sect, so instead of laying low and proceeding with the tournament or running straight away, I felt the need to cover my tracks by disposing of the few people that had seen me." "What about Old Bill? What did he do?" Serena smiled sadly, "He was sprouting nonsense, or so I thought, about the trees having eyes and that I shouldn''t touch them. I wanted to cut off a little of the root encircling the tree as I sensed divine nature from it and thought it would make a good pill ingredient. I had no idea about this cursed sap. I simply had the axe in hand and killed the mortal for talking to me in such a tone." "So you thought murder was the solution to all your problems?" "I know, it was stupid. I was wrong and too prideful¡ª" Serena paused as she felt the Princess put a hand on her shoulder. Trembling, she looked up and met the Princess''s gaze. "There''s nothing wrong with using murder to solve your problems," Stella smiled eerily, "But if you''re going to choose the path of murder, make sure you are the best murderer around. Else, you earn the ire of a true predator." Despite her dire straits, Serena let a chuckle slip, "That''s oddly insightful, Princess." "It''s a lesson that was beaten into me," Stella mused, "If not for my Father, ancestors, and friends, I would have been dead by now many times over. While murdering is a quick and easy solution to problems, I''ve learned that sometimes talking it out or running away is better." Stella patted her on the shoulder, "Sadly, you are learning these words of wisdom a little too late. Luckily, you will have eternity to contemplate this lesson." Stella stepped back and turned to leave. "Eternity?" Serena tilted her head. What does she mean by that? "You have a rare affinity, right?" Serena pondered for a second before nodding. "Yes, I have abyssal tide affinity." While her affinity wasn''t anything unusual among the island nations, she hadn''t met anyone with abyssal tide affinity on the mainland before. "With Nox gone, there is a new job opening here in Ashfallen City," The Princess glanced over her shoulder. "However, you will be publicly executed tomorrow at the tournament before I give you your new job." Serena was confused, "How can I work for you if I''m dead?" The Princess smirked, "The trees have eyes." Serena''s eyes widened, and she glanced at the tree that had once been Old Bill. Was her soul going to be twisted into a tree? Were her crimes so dire that a swift death was too much? Not only was she to be publically executed, but even in death, she wouldn''t be free from this terror? "Don''t worry; I''m merciful." Stella laughed as she continued on through the rain. "If you can beat your executioner tomorrow, we can consider lessening the punishment to eternal servitude while you''re still alive." With a snap of her fingers, before Serena could react, white flames engulfed her. There was sudden absolute silence. The storm''s roar, the freezing rain pinning her to the ground, and Stella''s overwhelming bloodlust were all gone instantly. Scrambling to her feet, Serena felt disoriented for a moment. There was nothing under her feet¡ªjust endless white in all directions. This must be where the Princess sent that mortal''s skin and organs as he was peeled alive by white flames. A distinct clicking noise behind her made her freeze. Slowly turning, she came face to face with the Princess''s nightmarish pet¡ªGuppy. Serena gulped and backed away, "I guess you''re here to guard me?" She then realized that wasn''t the monster''s purpose for being here at all. She couldn''t escape from here, so a guard was unnecessary. The Princess had simply sent her pet to accompany her as a sick joke. Collapsing and curling into a ball, Serena hugged her legs and shivered. I wonder who my executioner is going to be? Will I even have a chance? *** After telling the Redclaws the problem had been resolved and cleaning up the mess, Stella returned to Red Vine Peak before sunrise to check on the kid she had saved. While she had absolute faith in Sol''s healing capabilities, Stella realized she had left the kid unattended while she had gone off. Appearing near Ash in a flash of white, she saw the kid intently reading something while sitting near her bench but not on it. He clutched the parchment tightly in his hands as his eyes carefully scanned every line. He was so enthralled by whatever was written on the parchment that he failed to notice Stella even when she stood right over him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "What are you reading?" she asked, and the kid yelped in surprise. "M-Master..." he said in shock as he looked at her face. Stella wasn''t wearing her jade mask anymore, but this wasn''t the reaction she had expected. "Who are you calling Master? I only have one disciple, kid." The blonde-haired boy gulped, "Right. I apologize, Grand Elder Stella. I''m not yet worthy to call you by such a title." Stella reached down and pulled the parchment from the kid''s hands. "Mudcloaks realm domination scripture." Stella raised her brow as she read the domineering title. She then looked down at the contents. It appeared to be a detailed step-by-step plan for conquering the nine realms, with goals such as ''harvest the souls of every origin'' and ''establish outposts on the 8th layer of creation before the era of ascension.'' "What is this?" "The secret to cultivation I was promised if I reached the top of the mountain!" The kid replied confidently. "Top of the mountain?" Stella looked at the kid strangely but slowly matched the story with the kid''s face. Although he had changed a lot since she last saw him, was this Sam? The mortal she gave a truffle to in the village? "Ah, right... who gave this to you?" "A mysterious monster. He approached me through the rain. Told me I had great potential and handed me this profound scripture." Stella gestured toward her knee, "Was this mysterious monster this high with big blue eyes." Sam''s eyes widened, "You know of him?!" Stella shook her head in disbelief and returned the nonsense scripture to Sam. Either one of the Mudcloaks was playing a prank on the poor kid, or those little guys were utterly delusional. "Yeah, I know of them." Stella smiled. Whether they were playing a prank or not, they had saved her a headache. The Ashfallen Sect''s techniques were in the library, and she didn''t want to bother Kaida. The kid seemed happy with this nonsense realm domination scripture, so who was she to judge. Just let the kid be happy and move on. Easier for everyone. Sam carefully took back the parchment. "I''ll send you back to Red Village now." "Thank you," Sam bowed, "I needed to leave here before the tree awakened from its slumber." Stella gave the kid an odd look but was too tired to care. Snapping her fingers, Sam vanished in a flash of white. "What a strange kid." Yawning, Stella made her way over to the bench to lie down. It had been a long day. *** The all-encompassing white vanished, and Serena''s ears were assaulted with the deafening noise of a crowd cheer compared to the utter silence of her prison. Scrambling to her feet, the arena''s sand stuck to her still-soaked cult cloak. There had been no warmth in her prison, and she didn''t want to waste any of her Qi to force the water out. Dry clothes were not her priority right now; survival was. Serena had seen how awful the process of turning into a tree had been. That was a finality. There was no coming back from that. But if she was made into an eternal slave? Who was to say what would happen. If Ashfallen fell to a stronger foe, she would be without a master and may one day be free. While her soaked cloak and hair clung to her body, she stood there defiantly under the gazes of all. Before her, high above the arena floor, was a booth occupied by the leaders of Ashfallen. Nearly a dozen people, some of whom she recognized, such as the Redclaw Grand Elder and Grand Elder Diana, were flanking a single girl sitting on a throne and looking down at her with amusement. The Princess of the Ashfallen Sect. Serena''s gaze passed over the thousands of onlookers. Most seemed to be mortals, which made her skin crawl. If she were here to show off her skills in a tournament match, she wouldn''t mind their gazes, but she wasn''t here to show off. No, she was here to survive. Stella didn''t even stand from her throne. Instead, she gestured with her chin, and the demoness called Diana stepped up to address the arena. "Citizens of Darklight City, Ashfallen City, and those who have traveled from afar to visit the Ashfallen Sect, today we have a special event." The demoness gestured to Serena, and she felt every gaze bore into her, "A few days ago, it came to our attention that someone had not only harmed the trees but gone a step further and murdered one of the All-Seeing Eye cult''s devoted believers who tried to warn her against such actions. Such a crime is punishable by death." A cheer echoed through the area, and Serena couldn''t help but back up a few steps and glance around nervously. Grand Elder Diana paused before continuing, "As you all know, the trees are a sacred part and extension of the Ashfallen Sect. They provide the citizens of the cities under our control with food, warmth, light, sanitation, and protection from the elements. Without them, far more of your friends and family would have died during this winter and especially this storm! Think back to a time before the Ashfallen Sect blessed the land with demonic trees. Darklight City reeked of human waste. The city was shrouded in darkness when night came, and everyone had to return home. There was no way for the hungry to have access to free food, and during the winter, many homeless would perish to the cold and elements. But these are also stories of the past. With the demonic trees, the quality of life for the average mortal has increased tremendously. Furthermore, you all now have an opportunity to become cultivators through the All-Seeing Eye!" Everyone in the arena stood and began clapping toward the booth. The noise was deafening, and the people''s energy was tremendous. Serena wasn''t sure how much of what Grand Elder Diana said was true. Still, she had found Darklight and Ashfallen City surprisingly cleaner and better managed than other more ''developed'' cities she had visited. "While those days are in the past due to the Ashfallen Sect''s grace," Grand Elder Diana raised her arms as if relishing in the applause, but her cold grey eyes were locked onto Serena as if casting judgment upon her. "Allow this public execution to remind you of the consequences. Do not harm the trees; your attempts will not go unnoticed as the trees have eyes." "Praise the trees!" "Praise the trees!" "Praise the trees!" "Praise the trees!" A chant began throughout the crowd and got louder and louder. The most reverent were definitely the ones wearing the same cult cloaks as Serena. Diana stepped back, and the Princess stopped resting her chin on her palm. Straightening her back with a sigh, she stood and came to the forefront of the booth. Stella was wearing the cult cloak of the All-Seeing Eye and had the hood down to reveal her face to the masses. The gentle breeze of this place played softly with her hair, and as she stood there wordlessly¡ªthe arena slowly descended into silence. Everyone seemed to eagerly anticipate what the Princess had to say, including Serena. "I welcome the All-Seeing Eye to cast judgment upon Serena Blacktide," Stella said without raising her voice, yet her words reached all who listened. In unison, everyone looked at the illusionary sky, and Serena followed suit. Divine energy swirled up the pillars of the arena and arced into the sky like crackling lightning. The sky began to tear apart, and through the rift, a godly eye that stole Serena''s breath away peered through. It was utterly incomprehensible. Both its sheer size and the weight of the gaze as it dwarfed all that dared to behold it. *** Ashlock stared down through the rift with his Evil Eye as he wanted to get a good look at Serena Blacktide before she died. Stella had already caught him up on the situation. She was from some faraway island in the vast sea and had ignored the locals'' warnings regarding harming the trees. "Let''s see," Ashlock mused as he peered deeply into her soul, uncaring of the mental torment he was likely causing the woman. "9th stage of the Soul Fire Realm, and what''s this? It resembles water affinity but a rare variant like Diana''s demonic mist. So this is what abyssal tide affinity looks like." Ashlock was thankful that Stella managed to hold back from killing Serena just yet. He wanted to get a good look at what this affinity was capable of in a battle. "Serena Blacktide, for your crimes against the Ashfallen Sect and your ruthless murder of a devoted member of the All-Seeing Eye, I sentence you to eternal servitude either in life or death to me. What will decide your fate is the result of this upcoming match. If you want to live and overcome fate, surpass your limits and win this challenge." Ashlock passed his judgment and withdrew his eye as Stella repeated his words to the crowd. "Stella, bring out her opponent." *** Serena trembled as the eye in the sky looked away. Upon relaying the All-Seeing Eye''s declaration, white flames wreathed Stella''s hand. With a simple gesture, the grand gates to the arena were pulled apart, and Serena got a good look at who stood between her and the remaining human. You have got to be kidding me. Serena felt despair as an incredibly beautiful, short girl stepped into the arena with purposeful strides. Her eyes, like swirling galaxies, looked over the crowd while her hair, which was black as night, intertwined with streaks of blue and gold, floated behind her like a cape as a powerful aura crackled around her. This girl was a person possessing the cosmic affinity that was deemed so lethal that even Stella had acknowledged the possibility that the light shields would be unable to resist the might of cosmic disintegration. Her opponent was Celeste Starweaver. Chapter 362: Starfire As Celeste Starweaver took her position, Serena could tell from the pressure she was casually emitting that she was half a step into the Star Core Realm. Half steps were different from mere 9th-stage cultivators. They were people who deliberately suppressed their Soul Core from going supernova and advancing because they wanted to build the perfect foundation first. The only cultivators who did this were prodigies who could afford to waste time perfecting their foundation or had abused beast cores and wanted to overcome their heart demons before advancing. I''m in the 9th stage and have enough Qi to potentially advance to the Star Core Realm right now, but it would be rushed. Without my sect''s stone, I might struggle to draw in enough Qi to succeed in forming my Star Core, as converting untamed Qi is far too inefficient and slow. Serena mused as she shifted her weight and summoned a sword to her hand. Yet this girl is deliberately suppressing herself in the Soul Fire Realm. She must have influential people behind her to be so arrogant. It was all terrible news for Serena''s chance in this battle. Not only was Celeste Starweaver a half step into the Star Core Realm, but she also possessed one of the hardest to deal with and most lethal affinities. Meanwhile, Serena had a water-based affinity and was standing in an arena of sand with no water in sight. Serena looked up at the booth where the Ashfallen Sect''s overlords stood. The Princess of the sect seemed to be discussing with the Redclaw Grand Elder as the man leaned in and told her something. A look of amusement was on the Princess''s face as she listened. While Serena didn''t want to intrude on their conversation, since her death seemed assured, she decided to speak up. "I understand you are putting on a show for my execution, but isn''t this too unfair? I have a water affinity, yet I am suffocated by sand. My opponent is more powerful and possesses an unmatched affinity." The cheering crowd fell deathly silent at her words as they all looked toward the booth with anticipating expressions. Serena had been here long enough to know that few spoke up against the Princess and lived. Stella''s gaze landed on her as she rested her head on her palm. "Serena Blacktide, while your crimes are numerous, I''m not unfair. The preparations for this battle are not yet complete." "What do you mean?" "I''ve received a request to make this a two-on-two battle and debated whether I should humor it." Stella smiled, "How about this? I''ll let you decide. Do you wish to face Celeste Starweaver alone or alongside another?" Serena was convinced that her loss was assured, so she would take any option that might help tip the scales in her favor. "I''d rather make it a two-on-two." "Excellent," Stella grinned as she casually opened the massive gates of the arena below the booth with a flick of her soul-flame-wreathed hand, "This is going to be a lot more entertaining." From the darkness beyond the arena gate, a lone boy walked out into the light. Sandy blonde hair barely obscured his hate-filled gaze. It was the twerp who she had failed to assassinate before fleeing into the storm. "This is Sam," Grand Elder Diana introduced the arena to the newcomer, "A farmer''s son who we blessed with the ability to cultivate and has since ascended to the Soul Fire Realm. Such an impressive youth was almost killed in cold blood outside of the arena by Serena Blacktide during her escape attempt. He also requested to face Serena in a duel." Diana''s cold eyes bore into Serena, "You made so many enemies in just a few days. It''s quite impressive." At the twerp''s introduction, the crowd cheered with vigor. It seemed his story of farmer''s son to cultivator ignited their passion, which made sense; most people in the crowd were filthy mortals, after all. Serena let out a sigh of relief. The twerp was barely in the Soul Fire Realm and likely knew no techniques yet. His addition barely increased Celeste Starweaver''s fighting strength. But there was just one problem... who would stand beside her? "Who will stand at my side?" Serena asked. Stella tilted her head to the side and spoke to someone she couldn''t see. The conversation went on back and forth until Serena saw a blob of green hair move toward the booth''s open-air window and jump onto its ledge. "My Disciple wishes to join the fight. However, she does not support your crimes, so losing your light shield will still be considered your loss, even if my Disciple goes on to defeat your two opponents. Do you accept these terms?" So Jasmine will be on my side, but rather than being a team, we are basically fighting independently. What a shitty deal, but Jasmine will definitely be more beneficial than Sam in this fight, and if I can use her as a meat shield. This should work to my advantage... Serena bit her lip. What choice did she really have? Who else would stand on her side than the crazy Princess''s bored Disciple? "Fine. I accept these terms." Jasmine leapt down from the booth, throwing up a cloud of sand where she landed. The little girl then crossed the arena, passing their opponents on the way. She exchanged a look with Sam, which indicated a rivalry Serena was unaware of. Jasmine also nodded at Celeste Starweaver, who actually bowed in response to the little girl. Being the Princess''s only Disciple sure is a prestigious position. Serena mused as she thought back to the Abyssal Tide Sect Patriarch''s son, who always strode around the sect with his nose pointed at the sky. At least Jasmine seems a little more humble than that brat. "Hello, Daisy," Jasmine said sarcastically, pausing at her side and facing their opponents. Serena gave a weary smile, "Sorry for lying to you." "Don''t worry, I''m here to save you," Jasmine said cryptically, which wasn''t the response Serena had been expecting. "What''s our battle plan? I''ve never participated in a cultivator battle like this." She gestured with her chin to Sam, "I need to beat that kid into the ground." So they do have a rivalry. Perfect, that means Jasmine has the motivation to help me, at least somewhat. Serena moved the Qi in her body toward her mouth. "Well, the first piece of advice I can give is when discussing what you plan to do, obscure your voice with your Qi like this. Otherwise, they can hear everything you are saying..." Jasmine winced as Sam gave her a death stare from across the arena.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Like this?" Jasmine said, and Serena could hear her words directly in her ears like a pleasant breeze going over a lush meadow. "Impressive, you picked that up quickly," Serena replied in genuine awe. "Now, as for battle tactics, give me a moment to think..." As she fell into thought, a portal of immense raw power opened, and a strange wooden being taller than a human with a crown of arms supporting an orb of pure light took center stage. "Sol will now distribute light shields." Grand Elder Diana announced from Stella''s side. "We have tested its defensive capabilities, and at maximum strength, it could survive a single hit from Evandor Starweaver. It should survive a few hits from you, Celeste, but we will observe closely and ask you to try and avoid two highly lethal techniques in a row." "Fine by me." Celeste smiled. I bet they wouldn''t have given that warning if it was just me. Serena thought sadly as she side-eyed the Princess''s precious Disciple. The wooden being lumbered over to Jasmine first, and one of the arms extended out to bless her with an aura of intense light that slowly faded to be more tolerable as it condensed against her skin. The being gave Serena the same treatment before lumbering over to Celeste and Sam. Serena felt the light shield condense and realized it wasn''t settling on her skin but was sitting on top of her own natural aura so she didn''t feel suffocated by the foreign Qi. "The All-Seeing Eye will now alter the terrain to give everyone the best fighting chance," Grand Elder Diana announced, and Serena felt the ground begin to shift under her feet. Under the excited murmurs of the crowd and praises for the All-Seeing Eye, pillars of stone erected from the ground, grass rapidly sprouted from the sand, water rushed out of holes in the arena''s walls and carved meandering rivers, and finally, the illusionary sky over the arena became a sea of stars. Along with these changes, Serena felt the actual Qi in the arena shift to mirror the changing environment. Instead of nothing, there was now a chaotic mixture of earth, water, and nature Qi. As for cosmic Qi? Serena wasn''t so sure if she simply couldn''t detect such a high-tier affinity or if it was lacking. Either way, Celeste Starweaver didn''t seem too fazed about it. "How do you feel about taking the frontline?" Serena asked Jasmine while hiding her voice with Qi. "Frontline? What do you mean?" Do I have to start from there? How little training has this girl been given? Serena suppressed a sigh and explained, "There are frontline and backline affinities. Most affinities excel at range, but a few do best when used in someone''s face. Earth affinity is an excellent example of a frontline one. They want to get close as their bodies are their best weapon." "How do I know which one I am?" "Nature affinity can be either depending on your fighting style. What weapon do you use?" Jasmine''s spatial ring flashed with silver light, and a mighty whip made from a vine resembling the tree root Serena had struck with an axe that got her into this whole mess in the first place appeared in the little girl''s hand. It was pretty long compared to her height, so most of it coiled and rested on the ground. The whip was rather impressive, and Serena couldn''t even recognize the metal from which the platinum-colored handle was made. "Okay, a whip user. Longer reach than a sword or hammer, but not enough to be considered a ranged weapon like a bow. I''d say you should fight in the frontline." Jasmine nodded, "Alright. I''ll be fighting Sam in the frontline then." "Yes." Serena locked eyes with Celeste, who returned an amused smile. "Cosmic affinity is a backline affinity, as is my abyssal tide affinity, so both of us will be hurling techniques at each other from afar until one of us runs out of Qi." "What happens then?" Serena tightened her hand around the sword''s handle, "We engage in a furious melee." "Ah, so that''s why you''re terrible at fighting with the sword." Jasmine nodded in understanding. "What''s that supposed to mean?" Serena frowned as she stepped to the side to avoid being swept away by a rushing river passing by as the arena finished setting up. Jasmine shrugged. "My Master said you were weirdly incompetent with the sword." They were now on opposite banks, separated by a raging river. So Serena couldn''t slap her on the head for such a remark. I might not be the most talented, but I was still considered quite good at the sword in the Abyssal Tide Sect before I left. These land dwellers just have different standards. "It''s a good thing you will be handling the frontline then," Serena said with a strained smile. Jasmine tilted her head, "What''s stopping Celeste from destroying my light shield and ''killing'' me while I''m fighting Sam?" "I will stop her. If you fall, the twerp will become annoying to deal with while I try to match Celeste''s attacks. So I need you to hold the line. Understood?" Jasmine nodded, and Serena could see the determination on the little girl''s face. It''s slim, but maybe together, we can bridge the gap in strength and take down Celeste. Serena let out a breath and began to cycle her Qi throughout her entire body. Either way, she planned to go all out. She refused to kneel to the future fate had decided for her. Stella stood from her throne, "The battle will now begin!" she announced, and Serena''s desperate struggle for survival under this sect''s overlords began with a clap of Stella''s hands. Dark blue soul flames coated Serena''s hands. Abyssal tide Qi was a higher-tier version of simple water Qi. While acting quite similar to water in most cases, as described by her elders, it was the type of water you see in your nightmares. The black depths conceal unspoken horrors and will pull you into the darkness if you let it. The more of the abyss Serena inserted into the water, the more nightmarish it would become. I''ll devote a third of my Qi to an Abyssal Water Cloak to protect Jasmine from Celeste and give her an edge over Sam. Cosmic Qi isn''t known for its protective properties, only its unparalleled capabilities at destruction. So this should buy us some time. Black water jumped out of the nearby river at her command, engulfed Jasmine, and began coiling around her body as if alive. Initially confused, Jasmine slowed for a moment to inspect what was happening to her. While distracted, the twerp had surprisingly closed the gap, kicking up a trench behind him as he shot forward like an arrow. Jasmine didn''t raise her whip in time to meet the kid''s sword, but the coiling water surged forward, punching the twerp in the stomach and sending him flying backward. "Oh!" Jasmine looked over her shoulder and grinned at Serena. "Thanks for the shield." "I said I would protect you," Serena grumbled under her breath in disbelief. For how fast Jasmine had picked up the ability to talk via Qi, the Princess''s Disciple wasn''t the brightest at combat. Jasmine thankfully didn''t waste Serena''s charity as unfathomably pure nature Qi wreathed the whip in her hand, bathing it in a bright green hue. The whip seemed to come alive in the girl''s hand, and she lashed out at Sam, who had already recovered from the brutal hit. Serena had expected the twerp to be fine as earth cultivators could take quite a beating before they went down. Sam tried to stupidly block the whip with his sword, and instead of the blade slicing through the whip like the blockhead likely hoped, the sword simply got caught in the whip as the black thorn-covered vine coiled around the blade. Jasmine tried to pull backward to steal Sam''s sword, but Sam was far stronger. The twerp dug his feet into the ground, and his muscles tensed as he pulled the sword over his head and made Jasmine stumble forward as she lost the contest of strength. "I hope that light shield is as strong as the Princess claims," Celeste Starweaver said casually from across the arena. Serena eyed her opponent cautiously as the girl raised her hand. Here we go. It''s time for us to fight¡ªor so Serena thought. But rather than pointing at her, Celeste aimed at Jasmine and Sam. "I can''t fight at full strength with them in the way, so the children need to go over there." Serena didn''t even have time to react as there was a flash of blinding light followed by intense heat. Blinking away the light, color slowly returned. What in the nine realms... Serena gulped at what she saw. Between Celeste and where Jasmine and Sam had been fighting, there was a trench of molten stone lined by grass that was on fire. The heat was so intense the air shimmered. Serena had heard that cosmic affinity cultivators were capable of destruction, but she hadn''t expected someone at the Soul Fire Realm to be capable of hurling literal Starfire. Glancing to the side, she saw Jasmine and Sam. Both seemed alive, and their light shields had yet to break, but they were in bad shape. Thank the heavens. That means the light shields can survive a hit or two and Jasmine is still in the fight. Hope is not all lost. Serena looked back at Celeste. The girl was silently staring her down with her eyes that were like swirling galaxies while her finger was pointed at the stars above. "For fuck sake," Serena cursed under her breath as she looked up and saw multiple meteors hurled toward her. Chapter 363: Honorable Battle Jasmine had never stared death in the eyes before. It had all happened in the blink of an eye¡ªshe had been entirely focused on holding the frontline as Serena had instructed when a spike in Qi drew her curiosity. She hadn''t even had time to process the spectacle of a miniature blue star manifesting between Celeste Starweaver''s fingers before she pointed at her, and there was a flash of light and an immense force that slammed into Jasmine''s entire body and swept her off her feet before sending her spiraling through the air like a ragdoll. Instead of being graced with death, Jasmine ''bounced'' off the arena''s wall with enough whiplash to leave a dent and almost detach her limbs before she hit the ground hard and tumbled a few times across the grassy sands before finally coming to a stop against a rocky outcrop. Blinking away the stars in her eyes and groaning, Jasmine rolled over and tried to stand on her shaky legs. Her whole body felt numb and refused to respond. How am I not dead? Jasmine wondered as she looked at her still intact arm shrouded in the light shield. I doubt this light shield can block having a star hurled at it. Jasmine thought back and realized the dark water rushing around her body was gone. Serena''s shield must have saved me. Jasmine managed to move her body enough to peek over the stone outcrop she had been thrown behind, and her jaw dropped at what she saw. The arena was practically divided in two by a meter-deep trench of molten rock and glass. It looked like a path to hell as the grass on either side was ablaze, throwing up plumes of dense smoke mixed with a haze caused by water pouring into the trench and instantly turning to steam. Master warned me that I might not last long against Celeste as she''s a half step into the Star Core Realm, making her almost a full realm above me, but to think the gap between us was this vast. I didn''t even have time to react before I would have died. Jasmine gulped. If Master is another realm above Celeste, and then Ashlock is another above that... Just how powerful are Nascent Soul Realm cultivators? Jasmine deeply respected her Master, but sometimes, she forgot just how powerful Stella was. Stella often acts quite lazy, and I rarely see Master go all out in a fight. If she were to join the battle, would Celeste even last a second? Jasmine pondered but paused as the ground trembled. Following the feeling, she glanced to Serena Blacktide''s side of the trench, and her eyes widened in disbelief as the smoke parted to reveal a churning wave of black water surging upwards and looming over the arena like a rising wall. Jasmine expected it to crash toward Celeste''s side of the burning trench. But instead, the water reared up, towering as if pressed against an unseen barrier, its dark surface churning ominously. What is the point of this... oh. Jasmine received her answer as she looked toward a whistling noise from the sky and saw multiple fiery chunks of rock descending from the heavens like the wrath of a vengeful god, each one trailing embers and cosmic dust. The meteors slammed into the churning water with thunderous force, hissing violently as they gouged through the inky black waves before crashing into the earth below that now looked like the sea bed of an ocean. Jasmine had to catch her footing on the rocky outcrop to avoid falling over from the following earthquake. Though unable to completely halt the meteor''s wrath, the water had blunted their impact, sparing the arena from utter devastation. Jasmine couldn''t even imagine what would have happened without Serena''s defensive measures. Would a shower of molten sand and rock rained upon me and ended my chance to do anything? This is ridiculous. How can cultivators be this powerful? Despite her disbelief, the exchange between the two Soul Fire Realm cultivators wasn''t done. The wave pulled the meteors up through itself to the forefront before the towering wave crashed down like a godly flood toward Celeste''s side of the arena. As the wave washed out across the land, it extinguished the grass fires, and an intense gale pushed the smoke aside, revealing a figure trudging toward Jasmine. Sam was alive and making his way through the madness toward her. Blood trailed from the corner of his mouth, but his light shield was very much intact. He had also survived Celeste''s attack. Either Celeste protected him somehow before her attack, or I took the brunt of it with Serena''s shield, and he was simply thrown aside by the sheer force of a hurled star. Jasmine concluded and found herself grinning from excitement. This meant they could have their more appropriate battle to the side while the two Soul Fire Realm cultivators burned their precious Qi to hurl techniques at each other. Sam came to a stop a few meters away. As a teenager a few years older than her and a boy, he was notably taller than Jasmine and had clearly trained hard by his impressive physique, which Jasmine believed only Douglas matched. His cult of the All-Seeing Eye cloak had suffered from the throw, as had his sandy blonde hair caked with dirt. "Pick it up, " he said. His tone was sharp, and his gaze was firm, if not a little domineering. "What?" Jasmine lowered her raised fists in confusion. Did he not come to fight? "Your whip," he gestured with his chin to the side. "Pick it up." Jasmine followed his gesture and saw her whip sprawled out among some grass, with the latter third of it flailing around in a rushing river. If not for the thorns coating it that had dug into the river bank, it would have surely been swept away by now. "You''re letting me get my whip?" Jasmine asked suspiciously. "You''re an earth cultivator. If I''m unarmed, you could defeat me in seconds." Sam shrugged, "That would leave a sour taste in my mouth. I have been training night and day for this moment, and I won''t let the cataclysmic battle between two peak Soul Fire Realm cultivators steal this from me." "But..." "Pick it up. I won''t ask again." Sam said as he flashed a sword tip wreathed in brown soul flames from the long sleeve of the cult cloak. Jasmine kept Sam in view as she backed up to her whip. Crouching, she curled her fingers around its mithril handle and felt it welcome her nature Qi like a warm glove. "You know, this kindness toward me in battle won''t win my Master''s respect." Sam smirked as he brandished his sword, "We will let our weapons do the talking." The ground under him cracked as he flung himself forward with his sword primed over his head. Jasmine threw herself to the side on instinct. She heard the sword whistle past her ear as Sam rushed past where she had been standing and crashed into the river behind her like a raging bull. Jasmine backed up, putting some space between them as Sam stood knee-deep in the river, unfazed by its intense current, and turned to face her.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Um, sorry about that. If I hadn''t dodged and met your attack, you wouldn''t have gotten wet..." Jasmine trailed off, unsure why she was apologizing. Sam snorted as he trudged through the river and heaved his body up out of the water. "It''s not your fault. I''m used to my targets not moving. It''s hard to find people to practice receiving your attacks out on the farm when you are the strongest, and our crappy wooden swords shatter after one exchange." "Right." Jasmine slowly nodded. He must have trained against a wooden post or something. Jasmine hadn''t put much thought into it until now, but her training routine had likely been far different from Sam''s or anyone else. If I had to guess, I likely got better tuition than any cultivator, comparable to the heirs of noble families. Not only did my Master train me personally. She also had Elaine conjure up illusions to practice against, and I also had unlimited access to Ashlock''s pills and fruits. In comparison, Sam had to teach himself on the farm... this feels unfair. Jasmine smiled wearily as she watched Sam remove and discard his soaked boots into the river. Once he was done, he turned to face her and frowned. "You''re pitying me?" "Huh?" "That soft gaze you''re giving me," Sam scrunched his face in disgust. "That''s not how one should view an opponent. Do you believe you are better than me because of your training and background?" Brown soul flames flickered angrily across Sam''s shoulders and down his sword that gleamed with water. "Don''t be so arrogant." Jasmine was taken aback. "I was just thinking about the difference in our training routines. I wasn''t looking down on you¡ª" Sam exploded toward her, and Jasmine barely had time to cross her arms across her face to block the fist. The force felt tame compared to Celeste, only managing to knock her back a few steps. "If you look down on others all your life, you will be blindsided when the little guy you pitied shows his true colors," Sam said as he made space between them rather than pressing his advantage. "Believing you are untouchable is what gives you the arrogance to overlook those quietly building a staircase behind your throne to reach even greater heights." Jasmine''s gaze hardened, and she gripped her whip tightly. Just where had this village boy gained such insights? He had changed so much since she saw him a few months ago from atop her Master''s flying sword. From a scrawny kid to this? I haven''t experienced this extreme of a change despite my Master''s efforts. This boy¡ªhe''s dangerous. If I lose and Master takes him in, he will definitely overshadow me. "Good, that''s the look I was seeking." Sam raised his sword between his eyes and stared her down with a smirk, "Suspect all or lose your kingdom from under you. That is the Mudcloak way." The Mudcloak way? Jasmine felt a suppressive aura similar to enlightenment emanating from Sam, followed by him again charging at her. Jasmine wasn''t sure what he was talking about, but this time she was ready. There was no way she would be caught off guard by such a straightforward attack for a third time. Like a snake waiting to strike, her whip resting outstretched in the grass between them lashed up at Sam. Noticing the attack just in time, Sam blocked the strike with his sword. He has more raw strength than me, so let''s try a different approach. Jasmine didn''t direct her whip to coil around the blade and try to pull the sword out of his grasp this time. Instead, she had the whip''s tip arc down and dig into his hands. Sam''s earth Qi flared in response to resist the thorns from piercing his skin, and he kept charging at her. Ah! Jasmine turned to run, and to her surprise, despite the size difference, she could maintain some distance. As they ran together across the grassy fields with the backdrop of Celeste and Serena orchestrating destruction, Jasmine silently thanked Stella for forcing her to train her stamina by running laps around the mountain peak daily. "Stop running," Sam yelled, and Jasmine felt an immense tug on her whip. Sam had stopped and grabbed the whip barehanded. The thorns dug deep, drawing blood, but Sam seemed content with his decision. As if he were a fisherman drawing in a catch, he pulled hard on Jasmine''s whip, likely expecting her to come along with it. Jasmine simply let go. Sam seemed surprised by her decision to surrender her weapon, but he followed as he threw his sword to the side that was weighed down by the whip coiling around its hilt and once again barreled toward her while raising his clenched, bloodied fist. This time, he was faster without the burden of his sword, so Jasmine gave up on running and stood her ground. She wreathed her fists in sickly green soul flames and prepared to meet his fist. If this blockhead wanted a fistfight, she would give it to him. With both of them grinning, they engaged in an intense brawl. Unfortunately for Jasmine, their cultivation stage was on par, so she could not make up the size difference, giving Sam far greater reach, and the earth Qi made his fist hit far harder. After a brief exchange, she tasted blood in her mouth and had been knocked to the ground by a savage kick. Sam drove his knee into her stomach and pinned her to the ground. "Don''t hate me for this," Sam said, raising his fist and striking down with the force of a smashing boulder. Jasmine desperately raised her palm to meet it and saw the light shield flicker. If not for it, such a hit would have likely shattered every bone in her arm. He kept up the punishment, and Jasmine gritted her teeth as she did her best to resist. Just a little longer. Jasmine thought as she gasped from the pain. It felt like her ribs would crack under Sam''s knee, and now she understood what Serena meant about frontline affinities. Sam hadn''t felt very threatening at range, but up close? It felt like she was pinned under an immovable mountain. Sam''s earth Qi significantly increased his strength, resilience, and sheer weight behind everything he did. Nature Qi seemed to pale in comparison; considering they were both in the early stages of the Soul Fire Realm, she had thought it would be a little closer. "This feels like a primitive way of fighting," Jasmine said, spitting blood to the side. Sam agreed by planting his fist into her cheek, shaking her vision. "Maybe one day we can fight like those two over there with grand techniques," Sam raised his fist high above, and his soul flames flared up once more. "But until then, this will have to do." His fist descended once more, this time on her neck. While the hit did make breathing harder, Jasmine couldn''t help but feel a glimmer of hope¡ªhe was growing weaker. Looking up at Sam with a bloodstained grin, Jasmine croaked, "You can feel it, can''t you?" Sam''s eyes narrowed, and his raised fist trembled as if he were struggling. "What did you do to me?" "Didn''t your mom ever tell you to be careful when playing in the forest? You never know what could be poisonous." Jasmine grinned as she looked at Sam''s bloodied fist. "It looks like you got bit." Sam looked at his fist strangely as her words set in, and then he panicked as her fast-acting, paralyzing poison set in. The thrill of battle and the fact that Sam was cycling his Qi had been holding it back from working until now. "What a cheap trick," Sam hissed through his teeth as he punched down, but Jasmine easily slapped it away. He had grown weak. Jasmine reached up and clawed at his throat with her nails that were dripping in green poison. Sam tried to wrestle her arms off, but he could not as she reinforced them with as much Qi as possible. Growing frustrated, he tried to stand up. Jasmine allowed him to stand, but not before slugging him in the face, breaking his nose in a shower of blood, making him stumble away. She didn''t feel bad at all. He hadn''t held back from trying to beat the light shield off her. Getting to her feet, she watched Sam sway on his feet while clutching his broken nose. "This isn''t exactly how I hoped it would have gone." Sam slurred his words as he seemed on the brink of passing out. He looked at her, but there was no hatred in his eyes. "I hope our next fight will have a different outcome." Jasmine shook her head, "You think I''ll overlook the ''little guy'' again? Not a chance." She wreathed her foot in soul flames and kicked Sam in the stomach, sending him to the ground. "Your Master should tread carefully, too," Sam said before passing out. The shield around him shattered, and not even a moment later, a portal tore into existence over his body, and an invisible hand picked up his limp body and carried him up through the portal. Jasmine watched Sam go and spat a glob of blood to the side before wiping her mouth. The fight hadn''t been pretty, but she had won. Rolling her shoulders and hissing as she tapped her bruises, she verified that the light shield hadn''t yet broken, though it had faded from Sam''s beating. If not for it nullifying his soul flames, he would have undoubtedly beaten her to death. "I need to train harder," Jasmine clenched her hand around the handle of her whip before looking up at the distant destruction, "But first, I need to ''save someone'' by switching teams." Chapter 364: Betrayal Serena Blacktide despised how unfazed Celeste Starweaver appeared across the arena. Raw cosmic Qi crackled around the star-eyed girl, radiating waves of intense pressure that constantly put Serena on edge and broke her composure. However, Serena felt justified in her fear, as she had been on the back foot from the start of the battle. Celeste Starweaver was as deadly and powerful as Serena had feared when she discovered this cosmic affinity girl would be her ''executioner.'' With simple flicks of her fingers, Celeste orchestrated her near Star Core level of might to hurl miniature stars that tore through the air with blinding light and intense heat or to direct meteors to rain down upon her. Serena had found the only method to survive was to take to the skies atop a pillar of twisting black water and use it to dodge incoming attacks. If she tried to hold her ground while on the surface, she would be pummeled by relentless meteors or blasted in the face with star fire. "Why don''t you get down from there?" Celeste Starweaver''s voice echoed across the arena. Despite her wrathful appearance with cosmic Qi swirling around her body, her tone was peaceful and serene. It didn''t carry any overbearing presence, which matched her short, almost kid-like appearance. Serena would naturally look down on Celeste if not for the immense pressure and hurling stars she was capable of. "How do you have so much Qi?" Serena retorted, showing no signs of stepping down from her pillar of water. The battle had only lasted a few minutes thus far, and she had already expended years of Qi on conjuring all the grand techniques she knew to try and survive Celeste Starweaver''s onslaught. I had planned to outlast Celeste''s Qi reserves as cosmic Qi is one of the most costly affinities, but she has been forcing me to use my most expensive techniques from the start, and now my Soul Core is almost empty. Serena gritted her teeth. I don''t want to die and be turned into a fucking tree. I just need to kill this star bitch, and I can find a way to escape from here in the far future. "I don''t know how I have so much Qi," Celeste shrugged as she raised her hand and curled her fingers into a claw motion. Cosmic Qi crackled down her fingers and condensed into a blinding light between her fingertips. "Why do you ask?" Celeste asked while tilting her head. "Are you almost out of Qi?" "What kind of airhead are you¡ªwhy the hell would I tell you that?" Serena tripped over her words and was taken aback by their first exchange. Unfortunately, she had no time to process anything as she knew what that gathering of Qi entailed. Serena looked down into the dark depths of the water pillar and commanded it to pull her under. The water obliged, and the roar of the mortal crowd was drowned out and replaced by the intense churning of water as she was enveloped by the abyssal water. Due to breathing techniques taught in the island nations, Serena had no issues breathing the air in the water. She almost felt less restrained in the water than anywhere else, as she could freely move in any direction the water reached. Which was vital to her survival so far as, despite the water''s darkness, it lit up with light, followed by the water above her instantly boiling and exploding as the beam of star fire carved through the water and down toward her head. Not wanting to be cooked to death, she plummeted down through the water like a rock thrown into a lake. What the hell?! How is it still going? Serena''s eyes widened, and she yelped in the water as her legs hit the sandy ground of the arena. This hasn''t happened before. Is this a finishing move? Shit, it''s one of these continuous attacks, isn''t it? Where the hell is that girl getting so much Qi from? She feels closer to the Star Core Realm than any Soul Fire Realm cultivator I''ve ever encountered. Darn, half-steps are absolute monsters. In an act of desperation to save her light shield that was already fading after getting hit by a stray meteor earlier, Serena commanded the water to throw her out to the side. The pitiful remains of her water pillar fell to the sand, and the area where she would be standing was turned to glass by the star beam before it finally faded. "Phew," Serena spat out some sandy water and staggered to her feet. She felt exhausted to the bone as her Soul Core, a pool of power representing her very existence, ran dry. Luckily, there was no follow-up attack as superheated mist swirled around her, shrouding the entire area in a thick fog and acting as a natural barrier. "Fuck this," she muttered as she pulled all the water out of her clothes and gathered it alongside some of the mist into a ball that she floated above her trembling palm. "This Ashfallen Sect is a sick joke. The Princess should have just killed me instead of dangling the ''chance'' of living in front of my face so I would put on a good show. Bunch of bastards¡ª" "Are you dead yet?" Celeste''s calm voice tickled her ear as it echoed across the land. No, I''m not dead yet, bitch. Serena turned to her right and heaved her exhausted body toward the vague outline of a rocky outcrop for some shelter. Curse the heavens... I still have enough Qi for one more technique, but it looks bleak. Fuck sake, why did I ever have to stumble upon this place? As her muscles burned, Serena couldn''t help but wonder what the point of struggling to survive was. The gap between her and Celeste was ridiculous, and even if she somehow won, all that awaited her was servitude to the Princess rather than having her soul twisted and imprisoned in a spirit tree. Serena collapsed against the rocky outcrop, feeling her lungs burn from the star-heated mist. "I don''t want to become a fucking tree," Serena cursed between clenched teeth. "It''s far better than the alternative. Trust me." Serena''s head snapped toward the voice. Through the swirling fog, she could see the silhouette of a human child that appeared to have a spiked tail. But the voice was somewhat familiar. "Jasmine?" Serena said as the fog revealed the green-haired girl trailing a bloodied whip through the sand. "You beat Sam?" "Mhm," Jasmine nodded as she paused a few steps away. Her gaze wasn''t that of an ally, nor was her stance. The little girl had her hand firmly around the handle of her whip, glowing with sickly green soul flames, and she looked ready to fight. Serena frowned as she remembered the terms presented to her at the start of the duel. If she were to lose her light shield, it would still be considered her loss, even if Jasmine went on to defeat both Sam and Celeste. While Jasmine technically stood on her side, the girl did not endorse her crimes and could even turn against her if she pleased. I just narrowly avoided a finishing technique from Celeste and escaped under this intense fog that will soon subside. Even Celeste wasn''t sure if I died or not, so the crowd certainly won''t know. "I should have known," Serena shook her head. "You''ve come to finish me off. Haven''t you?" Jasmine looked at her with an angered gaze. "You killed a mortal¡ªa man who was a devoted believer and member of our community for trying to warn you about our rules. You tried to kill Sam, who is a very honorable and true-spirited person, and you betrayed my trust by trying to get close to me to learn about my dear Master."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Ah, I see." With a sigh, Serena pushed her body off the outcrop and stared down at the Princess''s disciple, who glared at her defiantly. "You saw me in a moment of weakness and thought to get revenge. Let''s get this over with then¡ª" "But I''m not here to try and steal your chance to win or finish you off." "¡ªhuh?" Serena paused. Jasmine relaxed her stance. "You may have killed people, harmed the trees, and betrayed my trust, but the Ashfallen Sect believes in second chances." Serena took a moment to process Jasmine''s words before she scoffed, "Second chances? Kid, how can you call this a second chance? I''m either a slave or dead no matter the outcome." "Well, duh." Jasmine put a hand on her hip, "You broke the rules. Did you expect to live? The only reason my Master hasn''t killed you yet is because she was curious about your affinity." Serena tried to retort, but the words died in her mouth. "Trust me, I''d take becoming a tree out of the options." Jasmine smiled, "I might even go so far as to call it a blessing." Serena sneered. "Of course, a nature affinity tree lover would say something so ridiculous." Jasmine pouted, "It''s not because of my affinity. The trees under the Ashfallen Sect are sacred. They are treated with the utmost respect by all and become living legends, such as Nox. My Master told me she was once an enemy of Ashfallen but was turned into a tree and left to oversee Ashfallen City alongside my dad and the Redclaws. She quickly became a legend among the populace for giving out rare fruits and guarding the passageways to the sect. Now, compared to that treatment, how do you think you will be treated as a living slave to the sect hated by all? Which sounds better?" "The trees can do things?" Serena hadn''t even entertained that possibility. In her eyes, being stuck into a tree was no better than having her soul forever chained to hell. Jasmine nodded, "When Nox reached Nascent Soul Realm, she even made a human body out of shadows that hung around her tree, and she used it to converse with people." A spirit tree at the Nascent Soul level? I''ve never even heard of any except the World Tree near that level! Would I also be able to reach such heights? "I would keep my memories? My soul?" "Yeah, you even keep your affinity." Jasmine smiled, "Not a bad deal, right? You will turn from a fugitive of the sect that should have died to a spirit tree that is seen as sacred and can live forever." Serena narrowed her eyes, "This is a good deal... almost too good. Why are you giving this option to me?" "You have a rare affinity. If not for it, you would have likely become food already." Food? Serena wondered, but that wasn''t important right now. "Also, to quote my master," Jasmine put on an impression of the Princess, "Turning Serena into a tree in front of everyone present here today would be quite the finale of this spectacle." Serena sighed, "The Princess was never going to let me walk away alive from here, was she." "Probably not," Jasmine shrugged, "You killed a mortal, and the people are angry. Cultivators could do as they pleased in the past, but now, the populace has the chance to cultivate. It''s only been a short time, and one has already stepped into the Soul Fire Realm. Imagine decades from now..." the little girl balled her fists and seemed excited, "An entire city of cultivators!" Serena gulped. Cultivators rarely gathered in such a small area as the Qi would quickly dry up, as would the resources like spirit stones and herbs for pills. The only instance of a city of cultivators she knew of was the Celestial Empire, but she had never visited. "I guess my fate really is sealed to become a tree," Serena looked through the fog where Celeste should still be, "But to lose to that star bitch in my final fight, what a shame." "To save your honor, I could betray and poison you." Jasmine offered. "Why would you do that?" Serena looked at the girl strangely. Cultivators live for a long time, and so do stories about them. Once you have a reputation, it follows you like a plague forever. Why would she be willing to sully her reputation for a scumbag like me? "Quoting my Master again: ''We don''t mind looking like the bad guys.''" Jasmine grinned. "The rumors around us are already ridiculous; let the people believe what they want. So long as they fear and revere us, then the order is maintained." "Looking like the bad guys?" Serena snorted, "If that really is all an act, then you, and especially the Princess, are doing an outstanding performance." Jasmine gave a strained smile, "I''ll admit it''s not all a performance, especially when it comes to my Master... but she does care for people! She saved me from death, for example." Serena hummed as the superheated fog finally subsided, revealing Celeste across the arena. "I guess I''ll have eternity as a tree to see that for myself," Serena smirked. "But for now, I''ll have to decline your offer, little girl. I want to fight Celeste until my dying breath." "Okay," Jasmine stepped back and nodded. "Good luck. Teammate." "Teammate..." Serena muttered in disbelief. She had expected a sword in the back from the Princess''s Disciple, not words of encouragement. Filled with newfound strength, Serena brandished her sword and prepared to face Celeste, only to once again be staring down a blinding light. This time, one far brighter than the last. Celeste held both her hands before her chest as if cradling a bowl, and between her fingers, a burning star was forming far bigger than any before. So this is her final move. Will I even survive this? My light shield is almost out¡ªoh shit. Serena looked at Jasmine and saw that the little girl''s shield had almost faded. If Jasmine was to be hit by Celeste''s attack, there is no guarantee she would survive. "Forgive me for this," Serena said, pivoting on her heel and thrusting her sword into Jasmine''s stomach. Jasmine looked down at the blade digging into her stomach in shock as the light shield shattered. She coughed a few times until blood was trailing from the corners of her mouth. "Why..." Jasmine gasped out. Serena did not answer as there was no time. Withdrawing her sword carefully so as not to cause too much pain, Serena picked Jasmine up under the armpits and tossed her into the air as far away as possible. Before Jasmine hit the ground, an invisible hand held her in the air, followed by a portal manifesting, which she was brought through. Good. Jasmine is safe. "In a shocking turn of events, Serena Blacktide has betrayed her own teammate after Jasmine returned triumphant from victory against Sam!" One of the Ashfallen overlords announced to the arena, followed by a raging crowd. Being the bad guy. Huh. That suits me. Serena smiled, unbothered by their interpretation of events as her Soul Core hummed in her chest, and she pulled deeply upon her reserves to conjure up a shield of abyssal water and coat her sword to make a pathetic final stand in the face of death. As the world became bright, Serena looked to the stars in the illusionary sky and said a silent prayer. However, the pain never came. She wasn''t disintegrated nor burned to death. Confused, she looked at Celeste and saw she hadn''t been charging up some super attack but rather forming an impressive sword out of cosmic dust and starlight. "Now that the kids are gone, how about we have some fun?" Celeste said, brandishing her newly formed weapon. Serena knew what that really meant: Celeste wanted to show off her swordsmanship, but she was happy to oblige. It was better to die a warrior in a furious melee than be burned to a crisp. "Fun is one way to put it," Serena laughed as she raised her sword and prepared for a world of pain. "Let''s go¡ª" she didn''t even have time to finish as Celeste teleported across the arena and struck her raised sword with her starlight sword. Serena could feel the intense heat of the weapon on her face and noticed her blade glowing red hot as it desperately tried to resist. Barely managing to push her off, Serena frowned at her sword that was half melted through. "This isn''t fair." "All''s fair in battle," Celeste said calmly as she raised her sword, which split into three identical versions that seemed to fade in and out of each other. "I don''t know what you''re fighting for, but I must win this match." Celeste said with a severe tone for once, "Otherwise, I won''t survive my brother''s wrath." Serena raised a brow. Evander Starweaver is threatening her to be here? Celeste left no time for contemplation as she swung her swords of starlight. Serena made a last-ditch effort to resist, but as expected, her half-melted sword offered little resistance as it shattered in three places, and the starlight swords continued their arc, shattering her light shield and leaving three burning cuts across her chest. She had lost. I guess we are all fighting for something, huh. Serena thought as she fell backward to the sand in immense pain. "Celeste Starweaver wins!" Grand Elder Diana announced, and the crowd roared. Serena barely held onto consciousness over the pain. "Please welcome the Princess to the stage. We have something special to show everyone here today." There was a flash of white, followed by that dreaded face looming over her. "You fought well, and thank you for saving my Disciple at the end." The Princess smiled. "Are you ready to become a tree?" Chapter 365: Spectacle (End of Book 5) Ashlock had watched the fight between Celeste Starweaver and the outsider Serena Blacktide with great interest. It was a rare opportunity to see cosmic affinity in action and what peak Soul Fire Realm cultivators were capable of when pushed to fight to the death. Qi was hard to accumulate, so it wasn''t often that a peak Soul Fire Realm cultivator on the brink of attaining enough Qi to ascend to the elusive Star Core Realm would recklessly waste years of Qi on a fight unless it was to the death. That is what Ashlock had wanted to witness. The raw power a Soul Fire Realm cultivator could output. However, his excitement had been soured a little as he knew what the fight''s outcome would be from the start. "Why is someone like her here?" Ashlock couldn''t help but wonder as he looked at Celeste Starweaver through his Evil Eye via a portal. He used the illusionary sky powered by the arena''s formations to hide his sight from everyone below to prevent his gaze from affecting the participants. "Her Qi reserves are on another level. Even now, as the battle has drawn to a close, her Soul Core is still brimming with Qi, while Serena Blacktide''s is like a lifeless husk." Of course, it was a lot of Qi for a Soul Fire Realm cultivator. Stella, who had stepped onto the arena, dwarfed Celeste''s Qi pool many times over, and Ashlock''s Qi pool that surrounded his Inner World was like an endless galactic ocean in comparison. "I had hoped to use this fight to judge the limits of cosmic and abyssal tide Qi, but it would appear I messed up. The matchup was simply too one-sided despite them being in the same stage and realm. Half-steps really are something else." Ashlock sighed, but he couldn''t be too hung up over it. The person running amok with his cursed sap had been captured and would soon be dealt with. The tournament had otherwise run smoothly, with many talents having been picked out from the Qi Realm brawls, and he almost wanted to thank Serena for opening his eyes to security risks regarding his cursed sap and other things. All in all, it had gone better than the alchemy tournament they held many months ago. While Ashlock was musing, Stella pulled Serena to her feet and, in a flash of white, repositioned them clearly in the center of the arena. The mist had cleared, as had the fires, so the thousands of mortals, rogue cultivators, nobles from the academy, and more could clearly see the two. "Looks like the finale to all of this is about to begin," Ashlock said, pulling up his system. Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3642 Daily Credit: 76 Sacrifice Credit: 1540 [Sign in?] During the last few days, he had gained around 500 credits from his believers. Mainly due to them being impressed by the arena, and he had seen an influx of around 400 when it was announced earlier that Serena was to be executed for killing a devoted believer of the cult. An outcome Ashlock had expected, as knowing that the cult cared enough to hunt down the murder of a single believer, enhanced the sense of community and companionship between those under the All-Seeing Eye. Of course, it was all smoke and mirrors, a ruse, if you will. Ashlock obviously didn''t appreciate some random cultivator going around and killing his believers. But if not for his sap being harvested and offspring hurt, he wouldn''t have even been aware of the murder. He was more concerned about maintaining public opinion and emphasizing the cult and his control over the populace. There were millions of mortals between Darklight and Ashfallen City, all of whom were gaining access to cultivation. It would be impossible to police them all with force, so Ashlock needed to establish himself as an elusive power with influence beyond what he was actually capable of. So long as there were enough stories and rumors of troublemakers being dealt with circling around, people would hopefully police themselves. Just like Old Bill had tried to do with Serena by telling her not to harm the trees. "While I was very interested in seeing the abyssal tide affinity in action, the biggest boon this wandering cultivator will provide me is being a divine energy printer due to her crimes of harming a tree and killing Old Bill. The more I punish and make an example out of her, the better my returns. I''ll pay her back for this sacrifice once she is a tree." Ashlock dismissed his system screen, looking forward to the coming influx of credits. Would his number double? Triple? He didn''t know, but a large part of the influx would be based on how big of a show they could make out of this. So he planned to go all out. This was his Inner World, where he truly was a godly being. But first, Stella addressed the crowd while Serena kneeled at her feet. "Serena Blacktide, murderer of a devoted believer. You were sentenced by the All-Seeing Eye to eternal servitude, either in life or death. Having lost the duel to Celeste Starweaver and unable to triumph over fate, Serena Blacktide, you will serve the All-Seeing Eye and pay for your sins for all eternity in death." The parchment between Stella''s hands from which she had been reading Serena''s fate was consumed by white flames and disintegrated. Ashlock mobilized a fierce wind to carry away the ashes and rustle Stella''s cloak and hair. He furthered the effect by taking red leaves he had gathered for the occasion out of his storage, having them fall out of a portal overhead, and encircling the pair in a spiraling vortex. Stella snapped her fingers, and a dozen people in cult robes emerged from bursts of white flames among the swirling leaves. Their hoods were up, and their hands clasped before their bodies were obscured by the cloaks'' oversized sleeves. Ashlock could tell from a glance through his Evil Eye that all of them were members of the Mystshroud family¡ªa noble family that cultivated mystic affinity, which let them manifest into reality anything they believed in strongly enough. They made up the most devoted believers of the All-Seeing Eye, and it helped that the more they believed in him, the greater their power. "The cult isn''t established enough yet to have a group of influential people at the top who can lead ceremonies like this, aside from Elysia Mystshroud, who had been appointed Vice Cult Leader. So until the cult has a more defined hierarchy, the Mystshroud family will have to do." Ashlock mused as a woman appeared beside Stella. "Speaking of the devil, there she is." The Vice Cult Leader, Elysia Mystshroud¡ªone of the stronger people from Nightshade City, had taken the stage. Having already been in the Star Core Realm and a legend among the Crimson Trackers, with a record of 49 wins and two losses, she had only exploded in power since and was now sitting a single stage below Stella at the 6th stage of the Star Core Realm. Ashlock could hardly blame Serena Blacktide for looking as terrified as she was stared down by two high-stage Star Core cultivators who weren''t exactly holding back their bloodlust or soul pressure. It was made all the worse because Elysia''s presence and attacks also carried the weight of her ''god,'' who had been Pluto before but was now Ashlock. "Everyone, please welcome the Vice Cult Leader, Elysia Mystshroud, to the arena," Stella said, gesturing to the new arrival. Many members of the crowd wearing the cult robes rose from their seats like a wave that spread throughout the arena''s stands, and they began to chant her name. "Elysia!" "Elysia!!" "Elysia!!!" Purple smoke¡ªwhich was the manifestation of Elysia''s mystic Qi¡ªbellowed from her hood and sleeves. Reaching up, only the tips of her fingertips were visible over the rising smoke as she threw back her large hood. The purple smoke fell away to reveal two violet-glowing eyes and silver-tinted black hair. There was an aura of sinister madness around the girl, likely due to her thoroughly broken and twisted mind. "Vice Cult Leader Elysia Mystshroud will now prepare¡ª" "There is no need for preparation," Elysia said, holding up a finger and silencing Stella. "He''s already here," A shudder seemed to run through Elysia''s body as she threw her head back and looked up at the illusionary sky, straight at his Evil Eye obscured behind the array. "I CAN ALREADY FEEL HIS ALMIGHTY GAZE UPON ME. STRIPPING MY SOUL TO ITS MOST NAKED SELF!" "Ah right, Elysia is bat shit insane. I forgot about this," Ashlock sighed. Stella took a few steps back as Elysia rose into the air atop a column of purple smoke. "Allow my humble self to prepare this sinner for your reckoning!" Her eyes burned with raw, unrestrained power, their violet hue deepening as her aura surged.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Truthfully, there was no ''preparation'' needed. All Ashlock had to do was feed Serena some cursed sap, and that was it. But Elysia didn''t know that, nor did the crowd. Serena desperately shuffled back along the sand despite the immense pain she was likely in to get away from Elysia, but it was hopeless. Below Elysia, a tremendous ritual circle that took up half the arena manifested. It crackled violently with purple energy as if barely managing to restrain some unseen monstrosity. Elysia opened her arms as if conducting an orchestra, and more ritual circles began to appear, stacking on top of each other, each one bigger than the last. After uttering a deranged prayer, the stack of ritual circles began to spin faster and faster, each one at a different speed, with the slowest at the top and the fastest directly around Serena, trapping her in place. Stella had given up at this point and quietly retreated to the booth to watch the madness unfold alongside the other Grand Elders of the Ashfallen Sect. "Elysia sure knows how to put on a show, doesn''t she?" Diana said with a chuckle as Stella collapsed onto her throne. "Uh huh," Stella sighed as she rested her head on her palm, "At least I didn''t have to stand down there acting any longer. She does a far better job of this than me." "That power... how terrifying." Grand Elder Redclaw stroked his chin as he observed the chaos, "Elysia might have surpassed all of us. I certainly wouldn''t want to try fighting her right now." "Her power did come at a great cost," Ashlock felt like reminding them. "Elysia''s soul is cracked, her personality is twisted, and if I were exposed as a fake god, her power would plummet. She can only wield such power as she believes strongly in me, and so do the people around us, making the mythical all the more real." "I can see that now," The Redclaw Grand Elder nodded. "The arena has come alive." Ashlock looked back at the arena; sure enough, the Mystshroud family had unleashed their mystic Qi to flood the arena in purple smoke and create a grand spectacle. Thousands of demonic trees covered in madness-filled eyes that peered through gaps in their bark seemed to be fading in from another dimension. They were floating around the vortex of leaves and spinning ritual circles. "PRAISE THE TREES!" Elysia screamed frantically as she directed more illusionary demonic trees to fade in from the beyond. However, they weren''t actually illusions, as mystic Qi turned imagination into reality. If this were a battle, she could use these demonic trees to fight enemies. "Now I see Grand Elder Redclaw''s apprehension to fight her," Ashlock mused. As a Nascent Soul Realm, he could easily flatten her with his soul pressure alone. But Elysia likely seemed on a whole other level for another Star Core cultivator. "Just what will happen when she reaches Nascent Soul Realm?" Ashlock couldn''t help but wonder. Would it be a normal ascension, or would something weird happen? Elysia finally calmed down a little. She snapped her attention away from his Evil Eye to Serena. Ashlock didn''t even want to imagine what was going through Elysia''s mind as she looked down at the traitor and sacrifice for her god. "Your time has come," Elysia said in an ice-cold tone. She flicked her finger up, and a titanic tentacle erupted from the sand that Elysia had made out of mystic Qi. It grabbed the bewildered Serena and hauled her into the sky. "TO FACE RETRIBUTION!" Elysia gestured to the sky as if calling down a divine. Ashlock realized it was finally time for him to act, as leaving his Vice Cult Leader hanging would be awkward. "Well, here goes nothing." Ashlock directed the ambient divine energy to coil up all the pillars in the arena toward the sky, "Why do I feel like the heavens when they try to act ominous..." The illusionary sky began to crack as Ashlock directed the divine energy to arc toward it. Through the cracks, he leaked his very pure spatial Qi and a hint of his presence. The people here weren''t ready to face his Evil Eye, so he closed the portal he had been peering through and created a giant illusionary eye instead. As the sky entirely tore asunder, he lowered the fake eye like a falling star and stared down at Serena. "You will serve me and Ashfallen City well in death," Ashlock said with Abyssal Whispers straight into Serena''s mind, making her cough blood. It seemed Serena coughing blood from what appeared to be his mere gaze threw the cult members into a frenzy as they began chanting his name. "Praise the All-Seeing Eye!" "Death to the nonbeliever!" "None can escape your gaze!" Ashlock sneakily opened a portal inside the giant eye and had his cursed sap spiral down from his pupil toward Serena. The woman''s eyes widened at the approaching black liquid as realization dawned on her. It was time to become a tree. "Accept his offering," Elysia said, floating closer and forcefully prying Serena''s mouth open to accept the sap. It flowed down her throat, and its increased potency became apparent as her veins turned black within seconds. A desperate howl of terror was followed by Serena''s body rapidly breaking down and twisting to take on the form of a tree. Her pale skin seemed to carry over to her tree form as the bark was snow-white. Branches sprouted from where her ears had been, and dark blue leaves with streaks of black grew from them. The whole process took a few minutes¡ªsped up by the lack of Qi in Serena''s soul core to resist, and surprisingly, Elysia''s imagination as she fed Serena with mystic Qi from the rotating ritual circles. "So they weren''t just for show," Ashlock thought as the process concluded. Serena was now a five-meter tall snow-white tree with blue and black leaves floating high above the arena. Since it was in his Inner World, he could direct his ethereal roots to rise from the arena sand and fuse with Serena''s dangling roots. "This is good, but I could do even more..." Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3642 Daily Credit: 76 Sacrifice Credit: 2780 [Sign in?] "Gained around 1500 credits, wow." Ashlock hadn''t been expecting so much in such a short time. The show really was working. "Hmm, what if I turned Serena into a Bastion right now? Wouldn''t the spectacle end up paying for itself?" [Do you wish to activate the Skyborne Bastion? The cost is 1000 sacrificial credits and the required materials to form a Bastion Core] "Yes," Ashlock said, targeting Serena. [Forming Bastion Core...] The entire Inner World began to tremble as waves of power began rippling out. [Bastion''s Qi source has been designated as {Ashlock}] [Bastion''s operator has been designated as {Serena Blacktide}] [ERROR: {Serena Blacktide} cultivation too low to operate Bastion Core] [Initiating tribulation...] [ERROR: Heavenly tribulations cannot reach inside an Inner World. Mobilizing divine energy to simulate a tribulation] "Huh?" Ashlock hadn''t been expecting that. He felt his system take over as it pulled divine energy from around his Inner World and gathered it above the arena. Just like the heavens, thousands of golden eyes manifested like clouds, followed by lightning that struck Serena. One, two, three... the onslaught was brutal, and at some point, an explosion erupted out of Serena but was then forcefully brought back in. [Forming Star Core...] Most would never witness a Star Core ascension in their lives, let alone this closely and for a human turned into a tree no less. [Star Core Formed] [Bastion''s affinity type set to Cordierite (Abyssal Tide)] Sand, rock, water, and more began to rise from the arena as if gravity had been reversed and gathered toward the floating tree. A giant bowl solidified from this mixture around Serena, which was then filled with water. Ultimately, it looked like a snow-white tree growing in a lake of abyssal waters. [Skyborne Bastion Active] Ashlock lowered Serena down through the spinning ritual circles and flying leaves. The moment she touched what was left of the arena''s ground, Elysia canceled out the ritual, and everything fell quiet. Even the thousands of demonic trees she had manifested faded back to the beyond. Stella stood from her throne and announced from the booth, "Everyone, the All-Seeing Eye has granted a new life to the criminal. Serena Blacktide, the wandering murderer, is no more. She is now a sacred tree that will serve as the new overseer and protector of Ashfallen City." [An immense influx of divine energy has been detected...] The system informed Ashlock as the crowd cheered. He couldn''t even tell how many he had gained as the number kept climbing, and a quick glance at the Divine Flesh Tree showed the forest of sacrificial credits rapidly expanding. "Oh, this is going to be big." Ashlock had basically gotten a Bastion for free and even more credits on top of that. The number was already over 3000 and still climbing... "Today''s events are now complete!" Stella announced and turned to leave. Ashlock couldn''t believe such a chaotic day was finally over. "I''ll have to get Douglas to help me build an area in the center of Ashfallen City to put Serena. She doesn''t seem responsive so far, but after a few nights under the healing moons, she should start speaking to me¡ª" "Wait!" Ashlock was broken from his thoughts by a shout. Looking down at the arena, Celeste Starweaver stood among the destruction, staring at the booth. "Yes?" Stella asked, confused by the girl''s outburst. "My brother has been wanting to tell you something, but you keep ignoring his attempts at a meeting." "Oh, that..." Stella frowned. "I''ll meet him sometime in the coming days, okay?" "No." Celeste shook her head, "It''s an urgent matter. Our Grand Elder received a divination." A strange aura began to surround Celeste as her eyes glowed, and she began to recite. "A new god is born to challenge the roots of old. Along the winds of change comes a wrathful storm. But the storm is not a message¡ªit is the prelude. Shadows of ancient beasts loom, drawn by the storm''s call¡ªa tide of claws and fangs, hunger and rage, they are coming. The storm is their herald, their veil. Prepare, for the sky''s fury will give way to the beast tide that will flood the land with blood and despair." Celeste closed her eyes to recover for a moment before opening them again and looking right at Stella. "The beast tide. It''s coming as we speak." Evander Starweaver appeared beside his sister in a flash of cosmic power. "Sister, what have you done!" He was enraged. "How could you announce such a thing before all these people?" Ashlock was shocked out of his stupor by Evander''s shouting. This strange storm that had been battering his lands wasn''t a mere storm but a prelude for the beast tide?! Stella vanished in a flash of white and reappeared before Celeste. She shrouded her voice with Qi, but it didn''t escape Ashlock''s notice. "Does Vincent Nightrose know?" Evander Starweaver clicked his tongue and nodded gravely. "Not only does he know, but he has called for a summit. It''s time for the Blood Lotus Sect to flee, but things are different this time." "So he''s awake again?" Stella looked to the floor for a moment in contemplation before looking back at Evander. "How is it different this time?" Evander exchanged a look with his sister before taking a deep breath, "Well you see... not everyone plans to leave. A civil war is about to begin, and it''s time to pick sides." Chapter 366: Incoming Storm (Start of Book 6) Ashlock left the Redclaw family to do damage control and calm down everyone while he called an emergency meeting. It hadn''t even been an hour since Serena Blacktide was turned into a tree, and Celeste Starweaver announced to the thousands of people watching the tournament that the terrible storm outside wasn''t a random act of nature¡ªit was the prelude to something much more terrifying. The Beast Tide. An event on an eternal cycle that struck fear into the heart of every sect in the wilderness. It wasn''t so much the strength of the beasts that was the problem. It was the sheer number. For months, waves upon waves of monsters would endlessly march from one spiritual spring to another. For cultivators where every bit of Qi spent set their cultivation back, to waste years of meticulously gathered Qi on defending some land against a swarm of monsters was pointless. Moving out of the way was almost always the best decision. Unless the beast tide was predicted to be smaller, that is. In that case, it might be worth staying if the land was still rich with spirit ore for mine and had a good variety of Qi types to cultivate. This one, however? It was forecasted to be the biggest one in the history of the nine realms, and Ashlock was rooted in place, directly in their path. He had no choice but to stay and fight, and he would selfishly have the Ashfallen Sect and the surrounding cities follow suit. There would be no airships leaving for safer pastures. A stance that seemed to have attracted the interest of some other noble families like the Starweavers, eager to take a stand against Vincent Nightrose and his tyrannical rule. While everyone gathered to hold the meeting, Ashlock''s vision blurred as he crossed vast swathes of land. His destination? The furthest reaches of his roots to the north. He had been expanding his reach in all directions for months, focusing on the north where the spiritual spring housing the beast tide was said to be. "Elaine told me that in three years, the beast tide would move from the spiritual spring in the north and follow the giant leyline we are on all the way down to the south where the Celestial Empire is." Ashlock mused as he saw the storm get more severe the further north he went. It made the storm over Ashfallen City look like a joke. Up in the north, even with his spiritual sight, he struggled to see that far through the hurricane blizzard and fog. All he could see was a wall of white blanketing the land and inching ever closer to the south. This helped explain why he had never noticed the rag-tag groups of monsters trudging through the madness toward the south. They hadn''t yet entered the range of his roots or trees, and the storm was messing with his spiritual perception, but he estimated the monsters to be in the Soul Fire Realm. "These monsters must be part of the first wave." Ashlock attempted to look closer, but the storm got in the way. He tried to open a portal near the monsters to kidnap them and get a better look, but the violent storm tore his portal apart before the Qi could finish stringing itself together. "That''s strange. I know spatial Qi doesn''t do too well when interacting with other types of Qi, but I should still be able to open one within a storm..." Retreating from the notable boundary where the swirling wall of the blizzard was, Ashlock opened a portal within the range of his roots a few miles away and observed the storm from afar with his Evil Eye. "What a terrifying mix of daos and Qi and this control... it''s not natural. Someone, or more likely, a powerful monster, is orchestrating this storm. But why?" Even for a monster, this amount of Qi spent to cover the beast tide''s approach seemed like a waste. "Unless a storm on this scale is nothing to them," Ashlock sighed. Since the storm was being controlled by someone, he didn''t want to show all his cards yet, but he still wanted to test some things. "Let''s see the limits of this storm." His soul hummed as he surged Qi through his ethereal roots toward the north. Manifesting portals inside the storm was impossible, but what about attacking the storm directly to disperse their cover? Reality tore apart as Ashlock unleashed his will upon the world and used his Spatial Blades technique. As if he had a gigantic invisible claw, he swiped at the storm and left clear gaps in his technique''s wake that were instantly filled back in. While little damage was done to the storm, he managed to kill a few monsters, and fissures were etched deep into the earth. "Not so strong as to utterly block my attacks, which makes sense. If it was that fierce of a storm as to stop the attempts of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, those Soul Fire Realm monsters would have no chance of surviving..." Ashlock paused as he looked closer with his Evil Eye. "Hold on." He muttered as he surged his spatial Qi and sent out ripples of compressed space that pushed back against the storm. It was a total waste of Qi as the storm would just reform, and these were weak monsters, but he wanted to check something. "Ah, that makes more sense," Ashlock said as he noted a thin veil of demonic Qi around the monsters, which seemed to be somewhat protecting them from the storm. He was unsure whether the demonic Qi was coming from the monsters themselves or something else, as the storm was making it hard to discern anything. "Well, only one way to know for sure. You''re coming with me." Once more, Ashlock bent space to his will, compressing and decompressing it in rapid succession to force the storm back. The monsters looked up in confusion as their veil had been pushed back, and they likely saw sunlight for the first time in a while. Ashlock didn''t waste time as he summoned portals above their heads. There was no need to bother with vines or roots. He simply used his overwhelming cultivation compared to these weak monsters to pluck them from the ground with telekinesis and drag them up through the portals. The pack of brown-furred wolf-looking monsters kicked at the air and let out desperate howls as they were kidnapped by an invisible force. Ashlock barely got them through the portals before the storm lurched forward, annihilating his portals and reclaiming the lost ground. Switching his view to Red Vine Peak, he restrained the monsters with his soul pressure and got a good look directly at them with his Evil Eye. "Mhm, the demonic veil they had is gone. That means it must have been given by something else to protect them from the storm." Ashlock found their howls distracting, so he tightened his black vines around them¡ªcrushing their bones until they fell limp. He then dissolved them. [+23 SC] "Barely two sacrificial credits per monster," Ashlock laughed. While his Qi regeneration was impressive, he had done the equivalent of shooting missiles to kill a fly. Even for him, this wouldn''t be a sustainable way to defeat the beast tide. "The monsters aren''t even my biggest concern right now; unless a Monarch Realm one appears, I should be fine. The real issue is how will I deal with the storm?" Ashlock sighed as he recalled the Dao Storm that had almost killed him in the past. He had used his cursed sap to turn it into demonic trees. Could he do the same here? Returning to the north, he pulled out some cursed sap he had left in storage through a portal and carried it toward the storm with telekinesis. It was only a single cup full, as he didn''t want some monster inside the storm getting ahold of his cursed sap if it didn''t work. "Well, here goes nothing," Ashlock threw it into the storm. It dyed some snow black before it was promptly whisked away by the ferocious winds, leaving him without an answer. "I... don''t know what I expected, to be honest." His sap didn''t work instantly, and with the hurricane rotating so fast, he couldn''t track that patch of black snow to see if anything would come of it. Ashlock pulled his view back and looked at the storm as a whole. It consumed the entire horizon from east to west. It made the Dao Storm that had almost killed him look like a joke. "Do I even have enough sap in all of my body to do any damage to this storm, assuming it worked?" Ashlock pondered and concluded it was like using a cup of water to put out a fast-approaching forest fire. The scale of damage he could do was a total mismatch with the threat before him. "Could Larry do anything? Nah... the storm would devour him before he could make a dent. Kaida could blow all his scales to nuke it, but again, the same problem. In the worst case, I suppose I could move Darklight and Ashfallen City into my Inner World and try to weather the storm? But that''s less than ideal."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Saving the people aside, he wanted to gain many sacrificial credits from the beast tide, but this storm would make it a very Qi-intensive process. Plucking a few Soul Fire Realm monsters with telekinesis was no problem, but the storm would get in the way big time if he wanted to get his roots on monsters worth killing. Ashlock spent a while vaguely measuring the storm''s rate of advancement. "I think it will reach my roots within the next day or two and then my furthest northern forest in a week. Wait, shit¡ªI forgot about my offspring. How will they survive this?" He had been so focused on keeping the humans safe that he had forgotten about his many forests of offspring dotted along the leyline between himself and the encroaching beast tide. "I have a week to come up with something," Ashlock said, quickly switching his view from the north to the meeting room in The Ashfallen Trading Company''s headquarters. Sat around a grand round table were many cultivators of varying ages and stations in life. It was deathly silent, apart from the drumming sound of the rain and the howling of the winds battering the stone fortress. Ashlock had been expecting the talks to have already begun, but it seemed there was a silent agreement among all present as they all stole glances at Stella, whose eyes were closed. As if noticing his arrival, Stella''s eyes opened, and she smiled. "With the All-Seeing eye''s attention, we can now begin this emergency council," Stella looked up at the ceiling in the vague direction of his spiritual gaze, "I had them all eat enhanced Mind Fortress and Soul Protection pills, so you should be able to speak freely." Ashlock got cold feet as everyone looked up expectantly at the ceiling. There was such a wide range of people here, some he had never talked directly to and others he had never seen before the tournament. Since Ashlock had so many personas that differed depending on how close to the inner sect one was, it was hard to decide on his decorum moving forward when presented with such a variety of people. Remembering that to many here he was seen as a god, he decided against apologizing for holding everyone up and got straight to it. "The Starweaver family''s prophecy is true. I cast my gaze to the far north and laid eyes on not only a tide of beasts, but also a cataclysmic storm that spread from east to west, consuming the entire horizon and obscuring their advance." Ashlock finished presenting his findings and enjoyed the various reactions. Jasmine clutched Stella''s hand under the table and seemed deathly pale yet excited at hearing his voice for the first time. Ryker was massaging his temples, but his jump in cultivation to the Silver Core Realm allowed him to maintain his composure. Meanwhile, the Starweaver siblings had risen from their chairs and bowed. Though the act of respect had been directed by Evander, who had his hand firmly planted on his sister''s back. Straightening themselves, Evander cleared his throat before addressing the ceiling. "All-Seeing Eye, it''s an honor to be in your presence. Our Grand Elder spoke of you." "He did?" Evander nodded, "With a look of terror I have never seen in that man''s eyes before." Ashlock had never seen or spoken with the Grand Elder of the Starweaver family. What had he done to strike such fear into an old cultivator? "Why does he fear me?" "Starweaver is a name that carries two meanings," Evander raised his hands. In his left palm, a marble-sized cosmos appeared. "We harness the power of the stars to strike down our enemies and reap destruction upon the realms." In his right palm, golden threads appeared. "But we also gaze upon the woven threads of fate," Evander combined his two palms and the golden threads intertwined with the cosmos, "so that we may weave a path forward of our own." He clapped his hands together, dismissing the demonstration. "Sometimes a being appears, and its influence spreads quickly across the threads of fate, corrupting and bending unseen futures to its will." Ashlock had a bad feeling that he was this being in question. "What happens when such a being appears?" Evanders gaze hardened. "The threads... they come to an end." Silence overcame the room. "I see," Ashlock said, "And I assume your Grand Elder believes I am this reality-ending being?" Evander nodded, "According to the threads, your journey has just begun. For now, you are nothing but a newborn god finding his feet and gathering a following. But you have already outgrown this region. Only Vincent Nightrose could hope to stop you¡ªso rather than fight you, we have come to work with you¡ªat least for now." "Interesting. A temporary partnership then?" Ashlock didn''t like being labeled as something he wasn''t, but it was hard to fight his case when reading the threads of fate was their family''s forte. He had enough sense to know that telling him their fears were unnecessary wouldn''t bode well for their apparent upcoming partnership. "Yes. I assume you have been made aware of the Silverspire''s plan to overthrow Vincent Nightrose?" "I have." "Good, that makes things easier," Evander Starweaver paused to catch his breath. Despite his good posture, a combination of Ashlock''s Abyssal Whispers and general pressure was likely wearing on the man. "We both have a common enemy, Vincent Nightrose. The plan was for the Silverspire Grand Elder to time the completion of his ascension to the Golden Core stage¡ª" Evander nodded to Sebastian and Ryker, who were sitting opposite him, "¡ªtheir equivalent of the Nascent Soul Realm with the arrival of the beast tide... in three years time. He had hoped to use the pressure of Beast Tide''s arrival to escape the fate of previous Grand Elders who reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Of course, the schedule has moved up. So the plans have changed." "I understand why the Silverspire Grand Elder wishes to free himself of Vincent''s rule, but what about the Starweaver family?" Evander exchanged a pained look with his sister Celeste. "There used to be three of us..." He trailed off as his gaze hardened, "But he took her." "Our sister awakened her bloodline." Celeste added, "We thought it was great news and were confused why our elders were so horrified once they found out. But we soon learned the fate of those who awaken bloodlines as the Disciplinary Committee showed up years later and dragged her off." "Her bloodline was harvested by Vincent, right?" Evander nodded as his sister fell silent. "The Blood Lotus Sect isn''t a sect at all. It''s a breeding ground for bloodlines. That''s why he cares so little about how it''s managed and leaves it to his mind-controlled subordinates." Evander then looked toward Stella, "We aren''t here for revenge for our sister. Rather, we are here for the same reason you are fighting. Celeste also awakened her bloodline recently... so she might be next. Just like you." Stella and Celeste exchanged a knowing look of two people going through the same thing. "Vincent is a paranoid bastard," Evander continued. "He has been after the Starweaver family''s bloodline, capable of foreseeing threats in the cosmic weave, for generations. Vincent calling for a summit can only mean one thing¡ªhe finally succeeded, as we never informed him of the prophecy. Things will only worsen for us from here, as he will keep harvesting us to improve his inferior bloodline. This is why the Starweaver family is willing to work with an evil god like yourself to take down a greater evil." Stella''s eye twitched, and everyone else had sour expressions as Evander finished his piece and sat beside his sister. Ashlock wasn''t pleased with how they spoke of him, but he wasn''t in a position to turn down help, with Vincent Nightrose on one side and a cataclysmic beast tide on the other. If they wanted to offer themselves as disposable pawns to help him deal with these looming threats, he wouldn''t turn them down. "Actually, I''ve seen the beast tide now, but I still know little about Vincent." Ashlock mused, "If Vincent isn''t too hard to deal with, I could ambush him at the summit he is calling. I bet the beast tide will be easier to deal with after I turn him into an Ent." "How strong is Vincent Nightrose?" The room fell silent at his question. Sebastian Silverspire leaned back on his chair slightly with a frown. "Nobody knows," he said, breaking the silence. "His powers are a closely guarded secret." "Not even a vague idea?" "I know," someone said, and everyone turned to see a black-haired woman emerging from the shadows. It was Morrigan, the origin of the void. "It''s been a long time since I last laid eyes on that boy, but there''s a reason he has been able to stay in power for so long despite his tyranny." Morrigan tapped her chin in thought, "His cultivation level is likely in the upper stages of the Nascent Soul Realm by now. That alone is quite impressive for this Qi dead realm, but that''s not what makes him so hard to kill. No, it''s the dozens of inferior bloodlines he''s juggling and his three affinities." "Three affinities?!" The room erupted with surprised gasps and discussion. Morrigan smiled as she counted off her fingers, "His main affinity is blood, but he also has gravity." "What about his third?" Morrigan shrugged, "That''s his closest guarded secret. Nobody has discovered his third affinity and lived to disclose it. All we know is he has at least three. All near the Monarch Realm level." Ashlock sighed as he realized he might have underestimated the overlord of the Blood Lotus Sect a little. "The summit should be held before the Beast Tide arrives. I''ll have to kill him first, one way or another. Especially if he can now see the effect that my presence in this world seems to have on the threads of fate." Chapter 367: The Immortals Truth Stella bit her lip as she mulled over Morrigan''s words. Having three affinities that were all near the Monarch Realm sounded unbelievable. How did Vincent Nightrose even survive long enough to get strong? It will have taken him at least three times as long to cultivate as he had to rotate between gathering and processing three different Qi types. Is he a madman or a genius? The amount of insight into the heavens daos he must have... I shudder just thinking about it. Even with all of Ash''s help, I feel like I''m falling behind with just one affinity. Stella looked around the table and saw everyone else contemplating what they had just been told. Even Sebastian Silverspire seemed confused despite being part of the Silverspire family, which had close ties to Vincent as they made the spatial rings for the whole sect. Well, they used to have closed ties. They are the ones trying to lead the mutiny. "That''s terrible news. That means it will be far worse fighting Vincent Nightrose than three Nascent Soul Realm cultivators at once," Grand Elder Redclaw spoke aloud, drawing everyone''s attention. "As I''m sure you all know, except for the younglings at the table, our Qi reacts violently with each other. Even if we are of the same affinity and from the same family. But when a cultivator has multiple affinities, they can be seamlessly combined. Two affinities already greatly increase a cultivator''s possibilities in combat, but three? I just can''t believe it... no wonder he has ruled this sect for so long." Stella nodded at the Redclaw Grand Elder''s words as his musing matched her past experience. A long time ago, she tried to fling spatial techniques through Ash''s portals, but it didn''t work despite them sharing the same affinity. But according to the Redclaw Grand Elder, if I had another affinity, let''s say fire. I could throw fireballs through portals? That really is far different from fighting a separate spatial and fire cultivator. "Big Uncle, I''m confused. If having more than one affinity is so strong, why do I only have metal?" Ryker asked. "What are the downsides to having multiple affinities? Stella gave the kid a side-eye. Despite being five years old and his head barely reaching above the table, he commanded a surprising presence due to his Star Core Realm cultivation. How does a kid that young reach the Star Core Realm anyway? Just what did he find in the Mystic Realm for such growth? I never bothered to ask since there''s been so much going on... Is this how things keep escaping Ash''s notice? Elaine, who was sitting next to an empty seat where Douglas should be, enthusiastically took up the kid''s question. "Cultivation speed is by far the biggest downside. Each affinity needs to be tended to individually, and while they can be at different stages within the same realm, in order to ascend to the next realm, the cultivator has to bring them all to the maximum stage. So Vincent Nightrose might have blood at the 9th stage but cannot ascend to Monarch Realm until he gets gravity and his mysterious third affinity to the 9th stage as well." "I believe he would need to learn the laws of all three of his affinities, too," Ashlock added, but it seemed he only spoke directly to a few people in the room, which made Stella smile wearily. There was still a lot of research she needed to carry out before she could create an aether origin stone for Ashlock. Stella felt on a time crunch. It might be too late to change his affinity if she couldn''t figure it out before Ash reached Monarch Realm. "So the main disadvantage is all in preparation?" Ryker asked curiously. Elaine shook her head, "While versatile in combat, his Qi pool is split three ways. So if he faced a foe that only one of his affinities worked against, he would run out of Qi far faster than a comparable cultivator..." Elaine trailed off as a giant shadow passed by the room. Everyone glanced toward the runically enhanced window being battered by the storm as the room darkened. Stella raised a brow as she made out the vague outline of a white tree floating past and down toward the main street of Ashfallen City. A moment later, Douglas flew by on a sword of brown flames, giving them all a thumbs up. "You''re planting Serena now?" Stella asked aloud, knowing Ash would hear her. "The people are understandably concerned due to Celeste Starweaver''s public declaration of the incoming beast tide. So, I''m doing what I can to alleviate their concerns. Since Nox is in another dimension right now, I need a focal point for the people to place their trust in. While not ideal, Serena will have to do for now." Stella saw Celeste sink back into her seat as her brother rightfully glared at her. "I''ll also have the cult increase the number of free pills they give out, and I''ll have to look into food production due to the storm. Anything to distract the people while we work out how to tackle this problem." "Free pills and food?" Evander Starweaver asked with a gleam of interest. Stella glared at him, "Why do you seem surprised? Didn''t think an ''evil god'' would care for others?" "I had heard from my sister about it before the information blockade became too strict to receive any more messages. I didn''t believe it initially, but when my Father received the prophecy and asked me to seek allies, I came here despite the All-Seeing Eye''s fate." He looked to Celeste, "Despite being empty-headed sometimes, I trust her judgment, and I''m glad I did. I''m not caught up on the Ashfallen Sect''s strengths, but with the Silverspire Grand Elder still in closed-door cultivation, you seem like our best bet of making a stand against Vincent and weathering the beast tide." "Freeloaders," Stella snorted. Evander shrugged, "We share a common enemy and goal." "Stella, leave it. They are desperate for help. Following Vincent Nightrose to the next area is a death sentence for them, especially Celeste Starweaver, with her awakened bloodline. I''m sure they will come to our side willingly over time. If not, we can deal with them accordingly when this is all over." Stella clicked her tongue but let it rest. She had seen the raw destructive power of Celeste Starweaver during the tournament while being in the Soul Fire Realm. It was hard to imagine the destructive capabilities of the Star Core Realm cultivator sitting opposite her or their Father, who was likely half a step into the Nascent Soul Realm. It was hard to turn away such firepower simply because they refused to bend the knee to Ash.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. While the Blood Lotus Sect Patriarch will be a force to be reckoned with, I''m confident we at least have a chance. But a hint of worry was in Ash''s voice earlier when talking about the incoming storm. It had been subtle, but I know him best and caught it. Moving the conversation away from Vincent Nightrose and the Starweavers, Stella asked Ash, "You saw the beast tide and a cataclysmic storm shrouding their advance, right? Is it the same as the storm over us right now?" "Yes. However, the further north you go, the storm grows far more violent than what we have been experiencing. I had thought it was a natural occurrence, but now I know it''s likely being orchestrated by one of the monsters in the beast tide. I pushed back against it and noticed the first wave of beasts were being protected by a veil of demonic Qi, which vanished when I brought them back to Red Vine Peak." "How does this storm compare to the Dao Storm?" Stella asked. "Far, far worse." Ash replied with that same hint of worry in his tone, "I can''t think of a way to stop it." "Stronger than a Dao Storm? Interesting," Elaine muttered to herself as she pushed up her glasses, "A storm on such a scale would need at least the backing of a Nascent Soul Realm beast. But for what purpose? Past beast tides didn''t have this treatment. Usually, the weaker monsters are forced forward to weaken the cultivators so the Star Core and above ones can sweep in and end us. It''s almost as if they know that sending monsters will only strengthen the All-Seeing Eye." Evander looked like he was about to ask something but refrained. Celeste, however, didn''t have the same ability to hold back. "Stronger? How can monsters make the All-Seeing Eye stronger?" Stella instinctively gathered a hint of Qi at her fingertips. No matter how destructive the cosmic affinity was, she could decapitate these outsiders before they knew what happened. "I won''t give outsiders specifics, but I can absorb Qi from monsters," Ashlock replied and Stella was a little taken aback by how he revealed such a thing. "No matter how many they send my way, I will never run out of Qi. Well, that would have been the case if not for the storm making my efforts to kill even the weakest monsters incredibly Qi intensive." "Oh... okay, that makes sense." Celeste bobbed her head in understanding, not pressing the matter further. Stella relaxed as she realized the girl wasn''t malicious. She was just a curious person. "This storm is quite far to the north, and yet you were able to kill monsters from here? That''s quite an impressive feat. Is there any chance we could get a look at this storm? You know... so we can see what we are up against?" Evander asked as he leaned back in his chair. "For a godlike being such as yourself to sound concerned, I fail to imagine it in my head." There was a long pause. Stella could feel Ash''s presence still in the room, so she was unsure why he wasn''t replying. An uncomfortable silence blanketed the room as everyone exchanged glances. Stella met Diana''s eyes, and they had a silent conversation. They had been best friends for years and had gone through many life-and-death struggles together, so they didn''t even need to exchange words to understand one another. Oh... I see the problem. Stella realized as Diana eyed Evander with caution. Giving a slight nod toward the demoness to confirm she would handle this. "Evander and Celeste Starweaver, we greatly appreciate your presence in today''s meeting, but the Ashfallen Sect will handle things from here," Stella announced, catching the two off guard. "If you need accommodations, there are spare rooms in the White Stone Peak that you are free to use." Evander tilted his head, "Did I say something wrong?" Stella shook her head, "No..." The true answer was on the tip of her tongue, but she knew better and refrained. "We will speak again very soon when a more in-depth plan to deal with Vincent Nightrose is drafted. We just have a few details to discuss first that we cannot share with outsiders such as yourselves." "Ah. I see," Evander stood up, and his sister mirrored his action. "We shall take our leave then." Stella gestured to the door, and the pair made their way out of the room. Celeste looked over her shoulder before rounding the doorway. She gave a small smile and said, "Thank you for including us in your plans." "No worries," Stella said with a slight nod. The door clicked closed, and she felt everyone''s eyes on her. Some were understandably confused, except the more veteran cultivators at the table who had seen their fair share of politics. "Before I say anything," Stella looked directly at Sebastian Silverspire. "What is the Silverspire family''s relation to the Starweavers?" "Mutual interests, that is all," Sebastian said coldly. "You don''t have to concern yourself with sharing your true thoughts about them with me. After all, I have an oath of loyalty to the Ashfallen Sect." "Was there something wrong with them, Master?" Jasmine asked in a hushed tone. It seemed Ryker was also deeply curious as the boy leaned in closer. Stella ran a hand through Jasmine''s grassy hair and playfully shook her Disciples head, much to the girl''s annoyance. "Jasmine, do you know why the Ashfallen Sect has survived until now?" "Why, Master?" "At least try to guess," Stella rolled her eyes. "Uh," Jasmine cutely wrinkled her nose as she thought deeply. "Because of your Father''s powers?" Stella laughed, "I suppose that is a big part of it. But it''s something more general than that." "What is it, Master?" Stella tapped Jasmine''s nose. "We keep the extent of our powers secret, just like how Vincent Nightrose''s third affinity and true cultivation stage is a closely guarded secret. So is everything about the Ashfallen Sect. I sent Evander and his sister away because they were trying to figure out the extent of Ashlock''s power while under the guise of cooperation. The questions seemed innocent enough, but remember¡ªthey openly admitted their plan to oppose us once Vincent and the beast tide had been dealt with. Those aren''t people we want knowing how far Ashlock''s powers reach." Jasmine''s eyes went wide, "Master, how did you notice?" "I didn''t at first," Stella gestured to Diana, "Ashlock''s lack of response and Diana made me stop and realize it. They are far better at political stuff than I could ever hope to be." "Don''t say that, Stella." The Redclaw Grand Elder said, "You definitely have some rough edges to your personality and weak areas, but who doesn''t? Dare I say I have had the pleasure of watching you grow significantly over the last year. Just now, you handled the situation perfectly. If it had been you from a few months ago, their heads would have gone flying." "I did think about it..." Stella sheepishly admitted. The Grand Elder smirked, "I could tell. You still need to work on your emotionless cultivator face. If you wear your emotions so openly, you lose the upper hand in an ambush. I can''t tell you how many fights have started while sitting around a table just like this one, but you wouldn''t have known a slaughter was about to begin based on everyone''s expressions as they talked." "I will take your teachings to heart, Grand Elder Redclaw," Stella said, giving the man a slight bow of respect. The Redclaws had been nothing but honorable neighbors since being forced to join the Ashfallen Sect, and Stella still felt a little bad about how their relationship had been built upon a series of lies and threats. "Just looking out for the immortal''s dear daughter. I would hate to think what would happen to this little piece of paradise out in the wilderness if something were to happen to you..." his gaze swept the room, "Or anyone else sitting here today. My family was on the verge of falling apart, but now we are closer than ever before. Seriously, one day, I hope to share a drink with the immortal to show my appreciation!" "I can take you up on that offer." Ash''s voice echoed in everyone''s heads. "But I must warn you, it will be hard to out-drink me." "You... will drink with me?" The Redclaw Grand Elder said in disbelief. The air rippled as spatial Qi swirled through the room before gathering near the door that the Starweavers had left through earlier. A portal manifested, and through it, Stella saw the base of Ash''s vast trunk that reached for the heavens. "Does this mean..." Stella trailed off in utter disbelief. "I think it''s about time. Unlike those outsiders, everyone around this table deserves to know the truth about what I truly am." Chapter 368: Spirit Wine The truth behind the immortal? Magnus Redclaw exchanged a look with his family''s Elders, who had gathered for the emergency meeting. Even Elder Mo had taken time out of his busy schedule of making spirit fire weapons to be here. His old war buddy looked at the portal overlaying the room''s door with anxious anticipation. We have had suspicions about the immortal for a long time, but it was hard to prove anything. Is he really an old master recovering within the mountain and using the demonic spirit tree to communicate and protect his daughter? Magnus slowly stood¡ªhis chair grinding against the stone floor. All eyes in the room turned to him, and he felt the need to say a few words as he scanned the faces of the Ashfallen Sect¡ªmy allies. "While my family was forced into servitude to the Ashfallen Sect via violence, there is no grudge. Immortal, it would be an absolute honor to share a drink with you. Oath of loyalty aside, I''m sure my Elders are in agreement that the Ashfallen Sect has been nothing but fair and generous toward my family." Magnus gave a heartfelt bow, "No matter your circumstances, I will continue to stand by your side." The scraping of wood on stone filled the room as Elder Margret, Brent, and Mo stood in unison at his sides. "As will we," Elder Mo said with a hearty grin, and the other two Elders nodded in agreement. The Silverspires soon followed, and the Redclaw Grand Elder exchanged a slight nod with Sebastian. He had gotten relatively close to the Silverspire scion''s guard as the pair had lived within the White Stone Palace for months. The man was of good character, and the kid was a polite genius who only occasionally caused mischief with one of the ''big sisters'' in the sect. "Is this really a good idea?" Stella said, scratching her head. "I know everyone around this table is trustworthy, but we have kept the act up for so long now..." Diana shrugged, "I''m just looking forward to the look on their faces." The demoness stood with a smile and placed a hand on Stella''s shoulder, "Besides, isn''t it exhausting having to watch what you say and how you refer to the ''immortal'' when people outside the inner sect are present?" Stella sighed and nodded in agreement, "Yeah, calling him the ''immortal'' was quite annoying. There were so many times I almost called him tr¡ª" Diana stopped her with a scowl. "Don''t ruin the fun now." Stella quickly covered her mouth. "You''re making my mind run with ideas now," Sebastian rubbed his chin in thought. "Still, to this day, I remember witnessing the immortal''s power as he snapped that Star Core worm out of existence. Ever since then, I have been deeply curious." "Well, there''s no point standing around here as he won''t be coming to greet us," Stella said as she stood up. Her short blonde hair that reached her shoulders bobbed as she walked with a spring in her step around the table toward the portal. "Everyone follow me!" Her body phased through the shimmering purple doorway, and a slightly blurred and distorted version of her waved at them from the other side. Jasmine had followed her Master through without hesitation and was waiting at her side. "Big sister, I''m coming!" Ryker leapt from his chair. "Don''t call her that..." Sebastian trailed off and sighed in resignation as Ryker passed through the portal. "Don''t worry about it, Sebastian. Ryker''s a good kid, and Stella has a soft spot for young talents." Elder Mo chuckled and took the lead. "Though it''s best to not keep her waiting." "True, she can be quite impatient compared to how us older cultivators like to handle matters," Magnus said, following Elder Mo''s lead. I can hardly blame her. She has reached such a high level of cultivation in a few short years. I can''t say I''m not a little jealous. It took me decades between some stages due to constantly draining my Qi to fight off other demonic cultivators and beasts, which drastically hampered my progress. Magnus frowned as he remembered those days. The Redclaw family had been one of the strongest in the sect when Vincent first brought them in, and the Blood Lotus Sect was tiny. Yet over time, as more noble families joined, they were politically outmaneuvered and always ended up as the ones who had to expend their Qi to clear out the monsters at the new locations when they moved the sect to avoid the beast tides. Then Vincent started picking new regions lacking in fire Qi. Heavens, I still shudder when I remember those horrible few decades when we positioned ourselves on the edge of an ice region. We had to travel far and deep into the wilderness on excursions to find spots with fire Qi to cultivate. Many died during those years. In comparison, those under the Ashfallen Sect seem to have it easy. With a seemingly unlimited source of cultivation resources and wars that were won swiftly and decisively rather than drawn out over decades with constant fights, leaving no time to cultivate and advance. Those two aspects alone would help a cultivator soar in progress, but then you added the Mystic Realm and numerous cultivation groves covering different affinities... that wasn''t even mentioning the truffles that improved their spirit roots, removed heart demons, and made bottlenecks a thing of the past. The Ashfallen Sect was a literal cultivator''s paradise, and Magnus Redclaw was filled with anticipation. He was about to meet the mastermind behind it all. He felt the atmosphere around him shift as he passed through the portal. His ears popped, a chilling gale ruffled his cloak, and the heavy drum of rain that had served as background noise for the meeting was replaced with the full roar of the intense downpour. However, no rain reached him as they stood under the vast canopy of the demonic tree that lorded over Red Vine Peak. It''s bigger every time I see it, Magnus thought as he strained his neck to look up the length of the tree''s trunk. Branches so thick they looked like trees sprawled out from around halfway up to make up the canopy, and he saw something large with many legs shifting between the branches. It seems like our presence has awoken the guardian beast from his nap. "Master, it''s so cold..." Jasmine complained even as sickly green flames danced across her shoulders. Before Stella could say anything to her Disciple, it seemed the Immortal heard the little girl''s words. Spatial Qi, originating from the demonic tree, danced through the air toward the edge of the canopy''s reach, where Magnus could see the raindrops pounding the stone ground. The spatial Qi spread out to form a shimmering barrier, and everything stopped at once. The chilled winds were gone, as was the noise of the rain. It was oddly peaceful watching the intense storm all around them yet being unaffected by it.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Better?" The immortal''s voice echoed in his mind like a strange chorus of a hundred voices overlapping each other. Jasmine nodded happily. "Good. I want everyone to be comfortable as we continue our meeting here and enjoy some drinks." A more casual wooden table that appeared as if pulled out of thin air materialized near Stella''s bench, or ''throne'' as some people liked to refer to it, alongside many chairs. Liquor bottles populated the table alongside a few bowls of juicy-looking fruits and other snacks. Another portal suddenly appeared, and Grand Elder Douglas strode through it and seemed to be talking to the air. "I''ll have the Mudcloaks finish the relocation of Old Bill¡ªoh, we having a party?" He eyed the table as he walked over to Elaine. They hooked their arms, and he smiled at his girlfriend. "What''s the occasion?" "The immortal has decided to reveal his true self to everyone here," Elaine said, standing on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his cheek. Magnus Redclaw smiled at the lovebirds and wondered how grand their wedding would be. Douglas whistled, "Woah, really? It''s about time, Boss! You have really been holding back on us. I joined the ''inner group'' a little late, so even I''m clueless to the full extent of things." "That has been part of the headache," the immortal sighed, "Circumstances required I kept my identity a secret, but I also needed at least a few close aides to understand my situation to help me progress. But I trust everyone here, and with such massive threats to the life we have built festering on the horizon, it''s about time I tear down the walls dividing us so we can all be on the same page." "About darn time," Stella said as she lounged on her bench with one of the liquor bottles in hand. She popped the cork and wrinkled her nose as she took a sniff. "What is this?" She held it out and eyed it suspiciously, "Why does it smell so weird?" Diana ran over and confiscated the bottle from Stella''s hand. "I don''t think you drinking alcohol is a good idea." "Eh? Why?" "Here, take this instead." Diana put a cup of juice in her hand. "Made from Ashlock''s fruits." Stella stared at the cup of red juice in her hand and pouted. Diana rolled her eyes as she took a seat at the table. "Don''t make that face. Try it." Stella took a sip, and her eyes widened. "So? How is it?" "I''ll admit it''s tasty," Stella finished the rest in one gulp as everyone else took their seats. Ryker and Jasmine also had cups of juice placed before them, and they mirrored Stella''s satisfaction with the taste. "They are making me jealous," Elder Brent muttered as he poured himself a glass of spirit wine. "That juice looks darn good¡ª" A cup appeared before him from a small rift. "Oh! Thanks!" Magnus shook his head at his brother''s nonsense. Is he a child? His amusement faded as Elder Brent poured his spirit wine into the juice. He really is a child?! "Phew, this is good stuff," Sebastian Silverspire said as he set his empty cup down with a satisfied look on his face. Douglas leaned over to the silver-haired man and whispered, "Stella and I made some even better stuff if you''re interested in joining me for a drink someday¡ª" Stella materialized behind and threw an arm around his shoulder. "We did?" The poor man froze up and looked like he had been caught red-handed. Diana facepalmed, and Elaine gave him a side-eye. "Come on, buddy. Tell me." Stella shook him, which was rather comical as she could barely get her arm around the broad-shouldered man''s neck, yet she had so much strength. Douglas gulped. "Okay, but don''t be mad. Do you remember when I came to your alchemy cave and asked to make something with you? "Uh-huh." Stella nodded along. "You wanted to make a liquid medicine to help your spirit roots, right?" "Exactly, but it somehow slipped my mind to mention that I planned to brew spirit wine with the medicine we made as an ingredient, as it would make the alcohol more potent." Magnus smiled in amusement as he saw Stella''s eyes narrow. "It just so happened to slip your mind. Really?" Stella reached over and grabbed his bottle. "So this is spirit wine? A type of alcohol? What even is alcohol? I saw some mortals drinking it when walking through Darklight City, but they either stumbled around or were passed out cold with a bottle in hand." "That''s because it''s a poison." Douglas tried to take the bottle back, but Stella swooped it out of his reach. "Poison? Why would you drink poison?" Stella looked at Douglas as if he were mad. Douglas shrugged, "Tastes good. Helps take the edge off life." "Poison can taste good? Interesting... I want to try it." Stella popped off the cork, and with a second of hesitation, she downed a mouthful. "Bleh," she spat to the side, and her distaste was apparent. "Why would anyone drink this¡ª" A shiver of ecstasy ran through her body, and she eyed the bottle again with newfound interest, "What was that burning sensation that just went through my body? It felt... good?" Douglas smirked, "You should try the spirit wine we made together. It''s ten times better than this stuff brewed in Darklight City with inferior ingredients." "Mhm, maybe I will." Stella put the bottle back next to Douglas before returning to the bench. Her face was slightly flushed red, and she seemed amused. Everyone had a smile on their face at the Princess''s antics. Small talk broke out as food and drink were passed around. Magnus absorbed the pleasant atmosphere but refrained from drinking. He was waiting to toast the Immortal. "Now that everyone is settled in, I think it''s about time I join the party." The immortal said. Magnus looked around but didn''t see anyone making an appearance. Where is he? A loud cracking noise drew everyone''s attention to the tree towering over them. The trunk, which likely dwarfed any building, began to split with a groaning creak, and the two halves shifted apart like colossal gates being pried open from whatever lay within. Magnus narrowed his eyes, his frown deepening as his finely tuned danger sense flickered like a warning flame at the edge of his awareness. Yet, even as the instinct clawed at his mind, the Mind Protection pill Stella had given him before the meeting swirled like a cooling mist in his thoughts, dulling the edge of his wariness. Something moved from within, coming to the forefront of the gap and gazing down at them. It was that eye that seemed to strip one down to their soul. Is the immortal checking on us one last time before making his appearance? I know he uses this technique through the tree to check on us after our Mystic Realm visits and to look at Stella sometimes. Magnus half expected the immortal to step out of the gap, but that didn''t happen. The ominous creaking paused as the eye swiveled down and looked at them all. "Grand Elder Redclaw, allow me to offer you a toast." Magnus was confused, but he obliged. Standing, he held out his still-full cup of spirit wine. An ethereal root erupted from the purple grass surrounding the demonic tree. It arched toward the table as its tip coiled around into a circular shape. Spatial Qi flickered from the root toward the table, lifting a cup. As if there was an invisible attendant, spirit wine was poured into the floating cup from a nearby open bottle. The ethereal root then moved to accept the cup, and Magnus was left dumbfounded as the curled root presented the cup before him to toast. "There is no man under the mountain recovering from a failed breakthrough¡ªthere is no Immortal. My true name is Ashlock, a Demonic Demi-Divine Tree. Leader of the Ashfallen Sect and revered as the All-Seeing Eye." There was a brief pause, "Magnus Redclaw, if you are a man of your word and accept a demonic tree as your ruler¡ªaccept my toast." Chapter 369: Birthday Gift Ashlock was actually quite nervous as he held out the cup of spirit wine for the Redclaw Grand Elder to toast. Would they still take him seriously now they knew he was a tree? This concern had festered at the back of his mind for a while, but he felt he had shown enough competency for them to overlook his race as a spirit tree and still see him as their leader. "Come on... please," Ashlock muttered as he watched the Redclaw Grand Elder''s soul through his Evil Eye¡ªthe man''s Qi had grown turbulent since Ashlock''s declaration of being a tree. "Is he going to get angry with me because I have lied to the Redclaws this whole time?" Ashlock felt saddened at the thought. He liked the Redclaws a lot, so if they were to reject him, it would be quite the blow. "Maybe if I told them I was a human in my past life, they might be more accepting? But honestly, I feel very detached from my past self. My life as a human feels like a fleeting dream at this point. Sometimes, I wonder if I was even human at all..." The Redclaw Grand Elder''s Qi calmed down as if he were overcome with relief, and he looked directly into Ashlock''s Evil Eye with a grin. "To think I was worried all this time for your health and swift recovery! If I had known you were the tree all along, I could have rested easy. Of course, I accept you as our leader." He clinked his cup against Ashlock''s and promptly downed it in one gulp. He then set the cup down and let off a satisfied sigh. "Well said, Grand Elder. Though I never had any concerns as I always thought he was the tree!" Elder Mo laughed and offered a toast of his own. Ashlock accepted the toast from Elder Mo. Elder Brent, Margret, and Sebastian Silverspire soon followed, clinking his cup before downing their spirit wine. With everyone toasted, Ashlock crushed the cup with his root and absorbed the spirit wine. A brief burning sensation quickly faded as his {Superior Poison Resistance} quietly activated in the background. "Really? I didn''t see this coming at all." Elder Margret grumbled, and Elder Brent nodded in agreement. "I was told he was the tree but still held some doubts. It''s nice to have it confirmed." Douglas added. Elder Mo raised a hand in surrender, "Okay, unlike Douglas, I may not have always thought he was a tree. But I was pretty sure of it after making a whip for Jasmine and Stella. When using my spirit fire, I become one with the weapon I''m trying to make and have to form a close bond with the materials." "What does that have to do with the immortal being a tree, you blabbering old fool." Elder Brent said, his face flushed red from the spirit wine. "I was getting to that part, and who are you calling an old man?!" Elder Mo scowled at Elder Brent and sighed in resignation. "Whatever. Since I used one of Ashlock''s roots to make the whips, much of his soul was still imparted into the root, so I learned quite a bit about him. Happy now?" That raised some concern for Ashlock. How much had Elder Mo gleaned from the lingering soul left in his roots? "Since almost dying to the Dao Storm, the system said my soul became ''tree-shaped,'' so the fact I was once a human soul trapped in a tree shouldn''t be possible to discern." "Oh?" Elder Brent raised a brow in interest, unaware of Ashlock''s concerns. "I didn''t know you could talk to materials." "I can, and it lets me say with certainty that we have found ourselves a worthy leader." Elder Mo''s spatial ring flashed with silver light, and a sword as tall as he was manifested at his side. "Ashlock, I heard from Stella that you are a big fan of trying to learn swordsmanship, but I doubt human-sized swords are most appropriate for you, so I began working on this. My masterpiece." "This is for me?" Ashlock took one deeper look at the sword with his Evil Eye, and he could tell the love that had been poured into every inch of the blade. Despite being many times bigger than a human-sized great sword, it had the level of detail in the handle and hilt he would expect from a prized display piece. He could feel Elder Mo''s presence within the blade as it had been forged from his spirit fire. However, Ashlock also felt something sinister festering within the blood-red metal from which the blade was crafted. "It''s finished already?!" Stella yelled in glee and reappeared next to Elder Mo in a flash of white flames. "Woah, it looks even more awesome than the designs we agreed on." Elder Mo looked very smug, "Of course, Princess." Ashlock was surprised. "You had Elder Mo make this? When? I never saw you talking to Elder Mo..." "Tree, did you forget you spend half your time sleeping?" "That''s fair..." Ashlock replied and wondered what else Stella got up to when he wasn''t looking. It was true; he did spend a lot of time under the nine moons, which increased his and all of his offspring''s cultivation speed¡ªyet she made it sound like he was lazy. Stella tried to pick the sword up, and while she managed to heave it into the air above her head, it looked silly as her hand couldn''t even wrap around the handle. It was very clearly designed for a titan... or a tree swordsman. Not human-sized at all. "Here you go, Tree," Stella held the sword out for him to take. "It was supposed to be your birthday present, but it seems Elder Mo finished it early." "You had this made as a birthday present? Wow..." Ashlock was speechless. His birthday wasn''t for another week, as it was late December. Once it became January 1st, his status screen would update and say he had been in this world for a decade. With everything going on, it had slipped his mind that he had told Stella his birthday, and since Stella didn''t know when she was born, they had agreed to share the same birthday. "I haven''t gotten Stella anything yet," Ashlock cursed. He would have to think of something. Ashlock wrapped his root around the hilt and was shocked at how comfortable it felt. Human-sized swords had felt like waving around a toothpick, and once his devour skill upgraded, swords became almost useless compared to his thorn-covered vines. But this? It felt like a real weapon, and one made for him. Elder Mo stepped up beside Stella and coughed to draw everyone''s attention. "Ahem. The blade is crafted from Bloodiron, a type of spiritual metal found below ancient battlefields. The hatred and despair of the fallen souls that linger on the battlefield, unwilling to move on to their next life until they have inflicted enough misery onto the living take refuge in the metal on the battlefield. Over many centuries, their souls change the metal into Bloodiron." Elder Mo began to lecture about his creations again, but nobody interrupted him as he traced a finger down the blade. "Bloodiron?" Sebastian said with surprise, "That''s quite the interesting choice as it''s known as a cursed metal. One that is usually detrimental to use." "Is that why I feel a sinister aura deep in the metal?" Ashlock asked. Elder Mo nodded, "Bloodiron is one of the strongest metals, but it''s no stronger than crude iron if it''s not fed lifeforce. A trade-off that few are willing to shoulder. But I suspected you were a spirit tree all along, meaning you have nearly unlimited life force. So, I had Stella assist me in installing a runic formation that amplifies this effect even more." Elder Mo proudly patted the sword, "This baby should be able to block Monarch Realm attacks without breaking so long as you feed it enough Qi and lifeforce."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "That''s amazing," Ashlock said as he studied the silver runic pattern along the sword''s length. He could feel the faintest tug from the sword that he assumed was it siphoning off lifeforce, and the runic formation shimmered in response. It was beautiful, but as Ashlock fed it some more lifeforce, the silver lines turned a dark red, giving the weapon quite an ominous appearance. He kept feeding it more and more, yet the sword happily drank all he could give it. A red haze began swirling around the blade, and an aura of slaughter radiated from it. Everyone took a step back except Stella, who seemed to take the aura as a challenge rather than a threat. Her own black and gold sword manifested in her hand, and white flames ignited down its blade. "Elder Mo sold me on using Bloodiron for your sword, but I still want to test it," Stella grinned. "We still have time before your birthday to fix or change things." "Good idea," Ashlock said as he also wanted to test the weapon''s weight and reach. He extended his root over the table, past Stella, and to an open space still under the protection of his canopy from the rain. "Let''s do it over here. Everyone else, please enjoy the spirit wine and food." Stella cheerfully walked toward the designated area with her sword resting on her shoulder. Once in position, they began with Ashlock taking a big and obvious swing. He hadn''t put any of his own Qi on the weapon, as he wanted to see what the sword was capable of on its own. Stella effortlessly met the attack, parrying it to the side with her sword, which was a fifth of the size. There was a loud clang that echoed out, and Stella looked at his blood-red sword with relief. "I put quite a bit of force into that parry¡ªat least mid-stage Star Core Realm, and it didn''t break." "Bloodiron is amazing. I didn''t even protect the sword with my own Qi. Let''s go a few more hits, and then I will see if it can handle my Qi." Ashlock said. Stella nodded, and Ashlock went on the offensive. Spatial Qi crackled through his ethereal root as he used telekinesis to control his ethereal root like a tentacle. It let him attack quickly and at angles that would be difficult for a human body to imitate. Stella showcased her swordsmanship, which was impressive even without activating her bloodline as she nullified his attempts with well-timed parries. "Go, Master!" Jasmine cheered from the table while stuffing her face with fruits. The others commented on the battle in a group while Elder Mo stood off to the side, watching intently with Qi flickering around his eyes. He held a small parchment and seemed to be carefully noting down possible improvements. Stella seemed spurred on by her Disciple''s words as she began to push forward and go on the offensive. This is where her smaller sword helped as she could maneuver it far easier and get under his attacks while his monstrously big sword whistled through the air. "Getting a little confident are we? Let''s see how this sword handles my Nascent Soul Realm Qi, which carries the weight of my inner world." Ashlock mused as lilac flames engulfed the blade, and he swung to the side. As before, Stella met the attack to parry it, but her eyes widened as her arms buckled under the force. Her sword shattered, and she was swept off her feet and propelled off to the side as if she had been hit by a car-sized bullet. There was a small sonic boom as she crashed through the spatial shield, drowning out the rain. Everyone turned to see where Stella had flown off to in the distance. The Redclaws and Sebastian were controlling their surprise quite well, but Jasmine and Ryker had their mouths wide open in absolute shock. "Is Stella fine? I didn''t put my all into that attack, but there is an entire realm between us in strength," Ashlock worried and was about to look for her when there was a flash of white, and Stella reappeared in the spot she had been standing before. Her damp blonde hair had darkened slightly as it clung to her face, and her clothes were soaked from the storm she had just flown through. Stella wiped a streak of blood trailing from her mouth with her sleeve. Yet, despite her injuries, she seemed far more concerned about the sword hilt she was holding with broken fingers, which now lacked a blade. Diana glided across the mountain peak and swiftly pulled the water from Stella''s clothes and hair, drying her instantly. Sol also lumbered over and healed her. "My sword," Stella muttered, looking at the hilt as if she were about to cry while her fingers snapped back into place. She seemed far more distressed over the sword than the injuries and experience of being hit so hard. Ashlock hadn''t expected to shatter Stella''s sword with a single hit. If it had survived, she might have been able to parry his attack, and she wouldn''t have gone flying. "Elder Mo," he spoke directly into the man''s mind. "I need a gift for Stella''s birthday next week. With her sword broken, I''m sure you know what to do." The man gave a slight nod and jogged over to Stella. "Don''t worry, Princess, I can get it fixed." He held out his hand, and Stella reluctantly gave him the hilt. "I''ll provide the materials and the design later," Ashlock said to Elder Mo. She deserved more than a simple repair. "Please make sure to repair it well," Stella said, unaware of the silent conversation the two were having. "Tree gifted that sword to me in the past." "I will do the best I can," Elder Mo nodded seriously. Stella sighed and eyed Ashlock''s sword, which still emanated a sinister aura, "Bloodiron really was a good choice of metal for you." She rolled her shoulders, "It felt like I tried to parry an unstoppable wall." Ashlock flexed his ethereal root to look at the sword more and had to agree. This wasn''t some gimmick weapon or joke. It actually made swordsmanship a viable way to fight for him. "This is the best present I''ve ever received. Thank you, Stella. Seriously, this means a lot." Stella''s sour mood was instantly turned around, and she beamed, "I''m glad you like it." Ashlock waved the sword around some more but noticed its presence was disturbing a few people as it pulsed as if alive, so he deposited it in his storage. Stella returned to her bench along with Diana. Everyone seemed in good spirits, and he couldn''t believe how easily they seemed to have taken the news that there was no immortal under the mountain¡ª "So, Ashlock. I have some questions, if you don''t mind." The Redclaw Grand Elder said, and everyone fell silent. It seemed many of them also had questions but had been waiting for an opportunity. "There it is. I guess it''s time for the dreaded Q&A session." Ashlock sighed and swiveled his eye to look straight at the Redclaw Grand Elder. "I''m happy to answer almost anything." There were many things he hadn''t even told Stella yet¡ªmostly because she refused to be told for fear of causing him problems if her memories got probed. He obviously wouldn''t tell them about his system. "Okay, first question and one that''s all the more relevant now that I know you aren''t a recovering immortal. How do you grow so fast? Even the World Tree takes centuries to reach any relevant level of power, and that''s with cultivators tending to it, hoping it would mature and start providing them divine sap they can drink." Well, that was certainly a loaded question. The true answer was the Idletree Daily Sign-In System. Without it, even with his human soul, he would have been stuck in the Qi Realm without his devour skill. "I don''t know what species of tree the World Tree is, but as a Demonic Spirit Tree, I can gain power through consuming monsters. I got lucky in my early life as a sapling that Stella fed me the bodies of the servants she slaughtered, allowing me to grow strong enough to start sourcing monster corpses on my own." Stella was unfazed as a few people stared at her. "Right." The Grand Elder nodded, but he understandably wasn''t convinced. "There are other reasons for my rapid growth. A senior from an upper realm gifted me a divine fragment that gives me unlimited cultivation potential and puts me on the path to becoming a divine being." Ashlock added, "And there are other reasons for my rapid growth that would be dangerous to disclose." "So you aren''t some reincarnated being from a higher realm?" "No," Ashlock answered honestly, unless Earth counted as a higher realm. "I was once a very weak and clueless tree." Diana nodded, "I can attest to that. Until this year, he couldn''t even speak. Poor Stella spent a year learning the ancient runic language day and night in Darklight City''s library to try communicating with Ashlock. She also fought in a tournament to desperately protect Red Vine Peak from falling into the hands of my family. While Ashlock''s rapid rise in cultivation has been impressive, he definitely didn''t give off the feeling of a cultivator or old spiritual being that knew what they were doing." Stella nodded along proudly. "I protected Tree as best I could, and he did the same for me." The Grand Elder smiled, "I see. But that leads me to a slightly awkward question." He looked between Ashlock and Stella. "If you are a tree, how can Stella be your daughter?" "I treat her as my own, but she''s not my biological daughter. However, she is at least half tree," Ashlock said. "That''s right!" Stella stuck her nose in the air, "My mother is the World Tree." "Sorry... what?" The Grand Elder raised a brow. Ashlock sighed. This was going to be hard to explain. Chapter 370: Half Tree Ashlock paused for a while, trying to think of the best way to explain how Stella was half tree, but the girl in question beat him to it. "My background is quite the mystery. I''ve never met my Mother, and I only vaguely remember my Father teaching me a few techniques when I was tiny before he apparently died after failing to reach Star Core. Until recently, I believed both my parents were dead, so to me, Ashlock is the only one I could call family." Stella raised a finger in the air, "But then a cosmic being guarding a library pointed out some inconsistencies. Where is the rest of my family, the Crestfallens? I was told they all died protecting Vincent Nightrose, but why would that man need saving? He''s the strongest in the region." "I always did find that rather odd," The Redclaw Grand Elder admitted as he rubbed his chin. "I met Grand Elder Crestfallen once at a summit for all the peaks. He was the only person representing Red Vine Peak and the Crestfallen family and drew a lot of attention as he was at the measly Soul Fire Realm. He never shared his name and sidestepped any questions. One day, I heard he died and didn''t think much more of the matter." "You have met him?!" Stella sat up straight from the bench and stared at the Grand Elder with wide eyes. "What did he look like?" "Nothing like you. I honestly fail to see how you could possibly be related that closely." The Grand Elder said thoughtfully as he looked Stella up and down, "He did have similar eyes to you, but that''s about it. That''s why I never even brought him up or felt like asking about him until now." Stella fell quiet for a while, and nobody dared say a word. "Grand Elder Valandor told me¡ª" "Grand Elder Valandor?!" The Redclaw Grand Elder almost fell out of his chair. "The White Reaper of the Blood Lotus Sect? You spoke with him and survived?" "Yes, he is a friend of my Father. He was searching for new bloodlines for Vincent Nightrose when he found my Father traversing the wilderness and became interested in us. My Father was apparently alone, crossing the wilderness as the survivor of a group from the Celestial Empire. All he had with him were the clothes on his back, some supplies in a spatial ring, and me. A baby girl bundled in cloth. He never disclosed anything about himself to Valandor." "So Valandor brought you into the sect, but it sounds like he sold you and your Father out to Vincent rather than an act of kindness. That sounds like the White Reaper that I know of." Stella nodded. "Yes, it wasn''t out of kindness at all. However, after being offered refuge in the Blood Lotus Sect, my Father gifted Valandor a vial of World Tree sap as thanks. After turning it into a pill, Valandor ate the pill and felt a mist lift from his mind as he was freed from Vincent''s mind control." "Valandor was mind controlled?" the Grand Elder mused. "I always thought that man was oddly loyal, considering Vincent is the one preventing him from reaching the Nascent Soul Realm. But if he was mind-controlled, that makes more sense." He sighed, "Your Father sounded like an interesting man. It''s a shame he is dead." "He is not dead." Stella said bluntly, "He faked his death under the guise of a failed Star Core ascension." "So he left you all alone here?" Stella shook her head, "He left a note with Valandor asking him to protect me for five years." "Mhm... now that I hear that story again, knowing that he apparently looked nothing like you, maybe he really wasn''t your Father," Ashlock said. "Stella, the only thing you share with him is the Crestfallen bloodline¡ªwhich means you are at least somewhat related, but not necessarily Father and Daughter." "He''s not my Father, then?" Stella looked sullen at the thought. "The bond between parent and child varies wildly in this world," Sebastian Silverspire said, drawing attention, "But Grand Elder Crestfallen seems to have gone to great lengths to bring Stella somewhere ''safe'' and far away from the Celestial Empire. An act that seems in line with what a Father would do. Which makes him faking his death and leaving you here all alone so strange." "You''re certain that crafty man really faked his death? If he said he would return in five years, he''s still alive, right? Where is he now?" The Redclaw Grand Elder asked. "Yes, he is still alive." Stella confirmed with a nod, "After inquiring at the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, I know his name is Janus Crestfallen. He is in the Nascent Soul Realm and hiding in the Frozen Star Sect. I did get to speak with him briefly, but all he told me was to run." "Run? From what?" Elder Mo asked. "The beast tide, perhaps?" Stella shook her head, "He wasn''t specific, but a few days after I got that message, the Celestial Order tried to capture me and bring me back to the Celestial Empire during the first service for the All-Seeing Eye." Sebastian whistled, recalling the memory, "Oh yeah, I remember that. Ashlock struck them all down in a second with that black lightning after they made their appearance." "The Celestial Order is after you? Has that got something to do with your Mother being the World Tree?" The Redclaw Grand Elder said. Stella nodded. "While not confirmed, it''s been hinted from a few sources that I''m the result of an experiment with World Tree sap. While unbelievable, there are no other mentions of a potential Mother for me, and I did originate from the Celestial Empire, where the World Tree grows. I''ve also always had a sort of affinity for trees. I can understand them on a deeper level than others, I think." The Grand Elder leaned back on his chair and hummed in thought. "You weren''t kidding. Your background really is a mysterious mess. It''s a shame you can''t just ask Janus, as he seems to be desperately running from something as well? The question is, who?" "I''ve seen this before. Janus Crestfallen likely faked his death to divert the attention of the Celestial Order away from here." Morrigan, who had been keeping to the shadows as she wasn''t really supposed to be here as she hadn''t sworn an oath, suggested. Everyone fell into deep thoughts at her words, while Ashlock wondered if there was a way to get rid of Morrigan but soon gave up. Even if he killed her, she would reincarnate with her memories intact. She was like a void cockroach. "I think that''s quite likely," Diana said as she sat beside Stella on the bench, "Don''t worry. Once we have dealt with Vincent and the Beast Tide, we will save the World Tree and get Janus Crestfallen to spill all the answers." Stella nodded with pain in her eyes. "Mhm. That sounds good." She said, but there wasn''t a lot of energy behind her tone. She sounded defeated and tired. "Every step we take forward feels like two steps backward. To think Janus Crestfallen looks nothing like Stella and is unlikely to be her Father. If so, then does she even have one?" Ashlock felt a headache coming as he muttered to himself, "If she was made from the World Tree sap, does there even need to be a Father? Trees can obviously reproduce without a human''s involvement, but then why is Stella clearly human? God, this makes no sense."Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The mood at the party had certainly soured as everyone idly sipped their spirit wine, lost in their own thoughts. A lot had been said today. It gave everyone a lot to think about. In fact, everyone was so lost in their own worlds, including Ashlock, that nobody noticed the flash of white flames not belonging to Stella. Luckily, his system had been paying attention and informed him. [A known cultivator that is half a step into the Nascent Soul Realm was detected within the Voidstorm Aegis. Do you wish to annihilate them?] Void lightning crackled across the dome, ready to strike down the person who had just appeared uninvited on the mountain peak. He had a young face¡ªlooking no older than twenty-five. Lustrous white hair ran down the length of his back and was lost in the folds of his pristine white robes. "Relax system. It''s just Grand Elder Valandor." Ashlock said, and he felt the defensive technique relax. It was nice to know it wouldn''t instantly try to kill anyone uninvited if the system had seen them before and knew they weren''t likely to be a threat. Valandor eyed the dissipating crackling void lightning overhead with a weary expression. "Sorry to appear out of nowhere. I checked on the Redclaws'' mountain peak, and a girl called Amber said you might be holding a meeting in Ashfallen City. I checked there too but couldn''t find anyone, so I thought I might find you lot here." Larry dropped down from Ashlock''s branches, landing gracefully like a soft cloud between Valandor and the others. His crown began to spin subtly but was clearly a threat as the pressure about Larry slowly escalated. This was an appropriate response. Valandor, while technically an ally, was dangerous and shouldn''t be here. Ashlock shifted his Evil Eye to look at him and invaded his mind with Abyssal Whispers carrying the weight of his Inner World¡ªeasily smashing through the man''s mental defenses. "What are you doing here? Speak before I strike you down." "To think you were once a little spirit tree eating rabbits and growing fruits for Stella." Valandor wiped away a fake tear, "They grow up so fast." While not as strong as many of the beings before him, Valandor was unfazed by threats¡ªan attitude befitting the White Reaper, the person who was once the right-hand man of Vincent Nightrose. Stella appeared before Valandor in a flash of white with a wide grin. "Long time no see, Grand Elder Valandor." The man broke character when he saw the white flames dancing across Stella''s shoulders. "You... how?! Since when did you learn aether Qi!?" Stella sheepishly scratched her cheek, "Just recently. I had hoped to get some training from you on how to use it. I''ve managed to convert many of my spatial techniques over, but I''m at a loss when it comes to learning other techniques as I have no technique manuals to look at." "Why didn''t you say so earlier?!" Valandor waved his hand, and with a flash of silver, a small book pile appeared floating between them. "I don''t have many unfortunately. Manuals for aether Qi can only be found in rifts." Valandor floated them forward, and Stella accepted the pile with open arms, "I know this doesn''t make up for the years of neglect despite your Father asking me to watch over you..." Stella shook her head as she accepted the books, "All is forgiven, Grand Elder. While I don''t know the circumstances regarding Janus Crestfallen¡ª" Ashlock noted she avoided using the word Father and called the man by name, "¡ªIt wasn''t your fault so much happened to me in a few short years. This is more than enough." Stella stowed the books away, "I''ll look through these later. But Grand Elder Valandor, what are you doing here?" The man''s cheerful mood vanished, and his expression hardened. "Vincent Nightrose is out of seclusion and has called a summit for tomorrow." His gaze swept across everyone standing behind Larry. "He expects everyone to be in attendance, including the Silverspire, Voidmind, and Redclaw families." He then looked straight into Stella''s eyes, "He also knows you are alive. I have no idea how, but he said something about the threads of fate leading him to you and pointed in this direction. He was adamant that I find you and force your attendance." Valandor''s face scrunched up in disgust, "He also said to wear something nice and revealing. He hates it when clothes get in the way of his meals." "What..." Stella seemed frozen in place as her lip trembled. Vincent Nightrose had been a phantom of death hovering over her since she was young. They thought she had finally escaped his grasp, but fate had other plans. "She won''t be going," Ashlock said, his voice rumbling with emotion. He would not let Stella walk into the lion''s den just to be devoured. His roots had spread through nearly every inch of Nightrose City, and he had planted a few trees around so he could use {Progeny Dominion}. But even so, the difference between himself and Vincent Nightrose was too vast. He couldn''t protect Stella from him. There were undoubtedly ways he could hope to win. Larry, Maple, and his Ents were all in the Nascent Soul Realm. If Morrigan offered to help, that would up their chances even more. Killing him wasn''t impossible, but preventing him from retaliating was different. If Stella didn''t go, Vincent would likely show up at his doorstep, where Ashlock was strongest. But even the Voidstorm Aegis wasn''t infallible. It devoured his Qi at an alarming rate even after ascension, and void lightning would do little if Vincent surrounded himself with a constantly replenishing blood shield. That wasn''t even considering that there was nobody but Morrigan to represent the Voidmind family, as everyone at the Elder level was either dead or turned into a tree, and the Redclaw family had undergone too many changes. The sudden rise in cultivation levels would catch Vincent''s interest immediately. Ashlock''s brain churned for a solution, arriving at a crazy one. Crazy enough that it might just work. "Valandor, what is Vincent up to right now? Where is he?" The man seemed taken aback by the question. "Erm, he should be cultivating. That''s all that freak does every spare second he has." "Where? You said he had left closed-door cultivation." Ashlock had searched Nightrose City for Vincent before but hadn''t found the slightest hint of the man. Valandor nodded, "I saw him heading to his room on the upper floor of the castle to cultivate after giving out his orders. It would be easy to find him by following the dozens of brainwashed Nightrose cultivators guarding him." Ashlock''s vision shifted as he headed westward toward Nightrose City. He felt his anger rising. What had he gone through all this for if he didn''t have the power to protect those he held dear? Vincent was a cancer in his life that needed to be culled. Arriving at the vast castle that lorded over Nightrose City, it would be easy to get lost in these endless dark hallways, but Ashlock followed Valandor''s advice and followed the trail. Many white-haired, deathly pale cultivators with glowing blood-red eyes shifted through the hallways. They walked in silence apart from a constant ominous synchronized drumming that closely resembled a loud heartbeat. Ashlock followed the flow of the cultivators, noting a surprising number of them being in the Star Core Realm. His vision ascended the stairs. He couldn''t go everywhere as he was forced to follow where he had grown roots under the floorboards, but it seemed he was in luck. Deeming it an important-looking room, he had made sure to have roots near the large bedroom at the top of the castle that was encased in more layers of protective arrays than he thought possible. Vincent was a very cautious man. At the doors to the room, there were three dulled-eyed members of the Nightrose Family¡ªthey were all half a step into the Nascent Soul Realm, making them stronger than Stella. Taking a deep breath, Ashlock pushed his spiritual sight through the formation. He felt his vision blur and stretch, and there was a slight hissing noise as he phased through the layers of protection. One of the guarding cultivators seemed to notice the noise, but other than a quick once over of the door, they returned to looking forward. Entering the inner sanctum, Ashlock finally laid eyes on who he assumed was the tyrant. Vincent Nightrose lay in a stone coffin filled to the brim with crimson blood that shimmered with Qi. A team of naked mortal maids tended to him, reminding Ashlock of Valandor''s comment about the clothes Stella was expected to wear. There wasn''t a hint of emotion on any of their faces as they tirelessly worked like drones. The man himself was eerie to behold. His skin was nearly translucent and impossibly thin¡ªgripping to his bones like white paint. If Ashlock had to describe the man in one word, he resembled a ghoul. Vaguely human, yet slightly wrong in every way. His arms were too long, ending in clawed nails that looked like they could tear through stone. His cracked lips failed to hide his crooked shark-like teeth. Unlike the half steps guarding the door, Vincent had two notable heartbeats, and Ashlock saw the blood bath''s luster glow and dull along with the rhythm. One of the mindless maids tripped and fell off to the side, spilling a bucket of blood onto the floor and legs of some of the other maids. Vincent didn''t even stir at the loud noise; his heartbeats continued, and his eyes remained closed. The man was cultivating and unfazed about the world around him. Ashlock withdrew himself from the room and returned to Red Vine Peak. Noticing his return, Stella perked up slightly but still looked pale. "Ash, what should we do?" "What else is there to do than eliminate the root of the problem?" Ashlock said, his tone full of wrath, "I found Vincent. He has his guard down and is busy cultivating. We have a rare opportunity." Valandor narrowed his eyes, "Don''t tell me." "We are going to kill him tonight," Ashlock said with finality. "And you are going to help us, Grand Elder Valandor." Chapter 371: Grim Reaper "W-We are going to kill him tonight?" Stella stuttered as she felt a pain in her chest. They had slaughtered the Voidmind family to fake her death, used the last divine beast egg to create the amulet to hide her bloodline and Qi from the world, and she had hidden away for weeks. Yet it was all for nothing? Stella was struggling to breathe. Everyone will die because of me¡ªVincent is near the Monarch Realm with three affinities and can track me down through the threads of fate? If I stay here, Tree, Diana... Stella looked down to her side at Jasmine, who looked up at her with those big, innocent yellow eyes filled with youth and hope. Stella gulped as she imagined Jasmine, a bloodied paste on the ground below Vincent''s feet. They are all going to die trying to fight him for me. "We aren''t ready to fight him," Stella said resolutely as she looked into Ash''s eye. "It''s my bloodline he wants, not all of you or anyone else here." She clenched her jaw, and her whole body tensed. This was the right decision. "I''ll go¡ª" "What in the nine realms are you talking about? Think Stella, what would that achieve?" Ashlock thundered¡ªhis voice filled with a churning wrath of emotions that crashed against the Soul Protection fruit enveloping her consciousness. Stella almost fell to her knees beside Valandor as the mist encircling her consciousness pulsed an enraged red, and spatial Qi crackled through the air all around the demonic spirit tree. Stella had never seen Ash so angry... was her way of seeing this situation so wrong? "I just don''t want anyone else to get hurt because of me." Stella choked on her own words. "You have all done so much for me, and all I''ve done in return is cause problems. How could I possibly agree that we all fight against a foe so powerful that even if we win..." Her expression hardened as she surveyed everyone''s faces. "There will be casualties. Deaths. All because he wants my bloodline¡ª" Diana came out of nowhere and stole the breath from her lungs with a crushing hug. "You silly girl," she whispered in her ear before putting her down. The Demoness had a sad smile as she looked deeply into her eyes, "We are cultivators who defy the heavens and fight every day for survival. How many times have we almost died together? Do you truly believe any of us fear death at this point? Besides, if we die, we can simply rise again as a tree." Diana smirked, "What we truly fear is what that lump of wood would do if we lost you." Diana pointed a thumb over her shoulder at Ash. His Qi was out of control as it radiated off his trunk, and divine energy arced between his branches overhead. "I don''t think any of us are ready to deal with that headache," Diana joked and patted Stella on the shoulder. "So do your best to live and keep him happy, okay?" Stella absentmindedly nodded. It was as if her brain had stopped working. Nothing made sense. Why was everyone nodding at Diana''s words in the background? "Also, it''s not your fault you have a delicious bloodline that some old creep wants a taste of," Diana winked at her, "If not for you, I''m sure he would be after me. He needs to go, and sacrificing you isn''t the answer. That''s just silly, and you know it. We will tackle this together, as we have always done." Stella breathed as Diana''s words lifted a weight from her shoulders. "Thank you, Diana," she said, returning a weak smile. "I just... got confused and scared for a moment. I''m fine now." Despite never meeting Vincent or knowing much about him, the man had somehow cast his deathly grip on her life, and sometimes, she felt like a puppet desperately dancing in his hand. She only wanted to live and enjoy life alongside Tree while discovering new and exciting things with her friends and Disciple. I have so much to live for; why did I instantly want to fold and forfeit it all because Vincent demanded it? I really am stupid. The Qi swirling around Ashlock relaxed, and the pressure on her consciousness lessened. "Sorry for making you worry... Dad." Stella said. Her mind rumbled as Ash sighed deeply. "Stella, surely you can understand that I would rather fight to the death than watch you be devoured by that bastard," Ashlock said coldly as his rage faded. "I need you to be focused here. Time isn''t on our side as dusk approaches, and believe it or not, you are the only one here capable of killing him. Quite the twist of fate, wouldn''t you say?" "Me?" Stella pointed at herself. I know I''m one of the stronger ones in the sect, but wouldn''t Khaos, Maple, or even Grand Elder Valandor, who shares the same affinity as me while being half a step into the Nascent Soul Realm, be a better choice for the job? "Yes, I just checked on Vincent Nightrose in his castle. I only proposed the crazy plan of killing him in a single day because I saw an opening. You are correct; fighting him head-on will be difficult¡ªif not outright impossible, depending on this third affinity¡ªand likely result in casualties." Grand Elder Valandor hummed at Stella''s side and didn''t seem convinced. "I''ll have to hear this plan of yours, but I would like to go on record saying it''s unlikely to work. So many attempts have been made on Vincent''s life and failed that at this point that I''m starting to suspect the man is actually immortal." "We have to try," Ashlock said. "The summit will be the start of an all-out war once Vincent learns of our presence and the downfall of his sect. It''s either we kill him now or prepare to fight an angry cultivator who might as well be a living god hellbent on eating Stella." "Okay," Grand Elder Valandor said thoughtfully, "Let''s hear this plan of yours. I should be able to tell you if it has a hint of success or not." Ashlock explained his plan to the group, and Valandor offered his own suggestions throughout. As the sun dipped below the distant mountain range, Grand Elder Valandor sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You know what, this might actually work. You have two advantages that no other attempts have had. Okay, I will assist with this plan to the best of my abilities, though ultimately," Grand Elder Valandor glanced over at Stella, "It will be up to you to silence this tyrant once and for all." Stella nodded, "I can do it." "Great," Valandor said with a smile as he rose from his chair and looked at the sunset. "Tonight may be one for the history books. Stella, get ready, and we will head out together at dusk." "What did I need to do first again? The Spatial Anchor, right?" "Yes. Go and visit Quill. He will get you sorted out." Ash helpfully reminded her. She snapped her fingers, and after briefly phasing through the aether realm that ran parallel to reality, she reemerged in the library. The ink lake surrounding Quill rippled and parted as Kaida''s large body emerged from the darkness. His golden eyes swirled with curiosity, and the last streaks of sunlight through Quill''s canopy caused his inky body to shimmer. "Hey Kaida, sorry to bother you." Stella glanced around the library and noticed Maple was also here, sleeping on one of Quill''s branches with a half-eaten acorn in his paw. Despite the storm outside, it was peaceful here beside the rain drumming on the stone walls. That is when Stella noticed Quill had thrown up a spatial bubble around his canopy to block the rain. I guess that''s why Maple is hiding in here. Ash hadn''t bothered to block the rain until we arrived earlier today. Kaida leaned in closer, his tongue flickering out, and he let off a low, non-threatening hiss. Stella smiled wearily. She and Kaida had never gotten along that well. There were too many pranks done between them, and the snake liked Diana way too much. It wasn''t fair! "It would be best to get changed first," Ash said as what could only be described as a maid outfit fell through a portal alongside a few fruits. "The clothes were provided by Valandor. Apparently, they are standard issue attire for the maids in the Nightrose castle and should fit you. After that, eat the Void Protection fruit, and we can get started on the spatial anchor." This was by far the part Stella disliked about the plan the most. "I''ll check back on you soon," Ash said, and Stella felt his attention move elsewhere. Stella bent down and picked up the plain white clothes. Unlike the clothes the maids she had seen attending to the rich mortals in Darklight City, which were covered in frills, this one was almost too basic. Holding the clothes out before her, she noted the dress left a lot of open area around the neck and shoulders. I bet that''s so the bloodsuckers of the Nightrose family have easy access to the maids'' necks. Stella frowned as she noted the outfit also had shoes. She hated shoes. They felt restrictive and painful to wear. Stella went to undress but then tilted her head at Kaida, who was still quite close and eyeing her. "Shoo, look away." The serpent looked at her strangely. Stella sighed and decided to use the age-old trick of changing clothes with her spatial ring. Her usual clothes were replaced with a maid outfit in a flash of silver. "Ouch," she walked a few steps forward in the godforsaken shoes. They were lacking any support and did nothing but rub against her ankles. "Stupid shoes... why would anyone wear these accursed things." "Done?" Ash''s voice echoed in her mind, and she nodded. Finding the Void Protection fruit with its notable dark purple color, she ate it, and her eyes widened as she felt the horrific pull on her Star Core. Qi gushed out of her reserves to form a thin void layer over her skin. "Okay, I''m going to have Quill act as your Spatial Anchor, and the activation requirement will be the destruction of your void shield. Remember, this is the Azure Clan Elder''s technique to escape when Maple ate his arm. So, while it will keep you safe by bringing you back here, it comes with the caveat that you have no control over it. Even if you are about to kill Vincent, you will be forced back to this library if he manages to break your void shield. Understood?"This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Stella nodded. The Spatial Anchor was an essential part of the plan¡ªnot only to keep her safe but also to allow her to leave after she had killed Vincent, as she would be entering his chambers alone. Valandor would only be helping to get her inside, hence the maid outfit. If only Ash could open a portal straight into the chamber. But he said the defensive formations almost blocked his spiritual sight, so he''s not convinced he could forcefully form a portal, which might make escaping through the aether impossible, too. A piece of bark on Quill glowed with golden light. It flashed, and a golden symbol shot through the air, hitting Stella in the stomach. It didn''t hurt, but she felt something connecting her void shield to a distant point. "Okay, that should be done." Ashlock said, "Make sure to also eat the Soul Protection and Mind Protection fruits. We have no idea what Vincent''s third affinity is, but the last thing I need is him taking control of your mind and soul." "Don''t forget his dozens of bloodlines¡ªone of which can apparently track me down no matter what I do," Stella grumbled as she bit into the other two fruits and felt their powers flow through her body and enshroud her mind and soul in a protective layer. "Your mind, body, and soul are now all protected to the best of my abilities. Show me your weapons," Ash instructed. Stella presented her two black wooden daggers that had served her well since childhood. They felt like the most fitting weapons to reap Vincent''s life. Cursed sap flowed out of a nearby portal and coated her blades. "I''m not sure how Vincent will react to my cursed blood as he''s a blood cultivator, but let''s call this insurance. Blood affinity has ultra-speed regeneration, so there''s a chance that if both your daggers don''t hit the perfect spots to kill him, he will not die. Hopefully, in that case, he cannot remove the cursed blood, and it will slowly drain him of Qi until he runs out and turns into a tree. Also, if he does die, the cursed blood should spread to his other soul if he tries to escape." Stella nodded in understanding and felt rather silly as she stood there in a maid outfit, holding two daggers dripping in cursed blood from an ''evil'' god tree. "Time to go." Ashlock paused, and his voice softened. "Are you ready?" "Honestly, no." Stella sighed as she clutched her Phantom Veil Amulet that hung against her chest, which made her appear as an ordinary mortal. "But when will I ever be? Now is as good of a time as ever." "That''s the spirit, and no matter what happens, your safety is most important. We can always try to kill him again another day, but if you die..." Ashlock trailed off, and Stella felt the mist in her mind subtly pulse red again. "Don''t worry. I''ll be safe," Stella smiled, feeling warm. Waving Kaida and Maple goodbye, she left the library and joined up with Grand Elder Valandor under Ash''s canopy. "It''s too far to use aether Qi, so we will take a series of teleportation hubs. Make sure to keep your head down and look like a docile maid. It''s best we attract as little attention as possible." Valandor''s eyes drifted to the daggers and chuckled, "Oh, and hide those. Maids look far less threatening with a broom in hand than daggers dripping in black blood." *** Stella had not expected to start her day watching Serena Blacktide fighting for her life against Celeste Starweaver in a tournament held inside Ash''s Inner World and to end it walking through the hallways of Vincent Nightrose''s castle. As instructed, she kept her head down and trailed a step behind Valandor, who walked with the poise of someone who owned the place. Maids bowed deeply as he passed, their eyes dull as if they were looking elsewhere with no thoughts of their own. "Grand Elder Valandor, you are back already?" A man with sickly white skin and hair greeted Valandor. Stella could tell he was a member of the Nightrose family by the subtle pounding of his spiritual heart that apparently all blood cultivators had. The man didn''t even give Stella a moment of attention; to him, she likely appeared as nothing but a lowly mortal maid. "I have important news to present directly to Vincent Nightrose regarding the summit tomorrow and of a top-grade bloodline''s whereabouts," Grand Elder Valandor said casually. The man snarled, "The Ancestor is busy." "So am I," Valandor replied with a deadpan expression. "Now move aside." The man begrudgingly stepped aside and let them pass. "Disgusting daywalker," he hissed before vanishing down another passage. They made their way through the hallways otherwise undisturbed. Whatever had given that particular Nightrose family member the courage to get in the White Reaper''s way didn''t seem to carry over to the other members of the family, who did their best to avoid them. Stella frowned in pain as they climbed a stupidly long flight of stairs. Her ill-fitting shoes clacked on the marble-like surface as they ascended toward the castle''s largest chamber. Cresting the top, they were greeted by three intense gazes belonging to members of the Nightrose family who seemed to be standing guard. These three... are strong. Stella gulped. Soul pressure radiated from all three of them, and if Valandor had not stood before her, she might have buckled to the floor. Are they all half a step into the Nascent Soul Realm? No wonder Ash proposed that I sneak in rather than fight our way in. It would take some serious effort and be a massive waste of Qi to kill these three. Vincent would also wake up from such high amounts of Qi being thrown around. "Open the door, guardians; I''ve brought a new maid for Vincent that I''m sure he will find delectable, and she also has a message to give him," Valandor said, putting some Qi into his voice. The three Nightrose cultivators exchanged a dull look before stepping aside and opening the door. Stella almost wanted to laugh. It turned out to be just as easy as Valandor had claimed it would be earlier. While Vincent was a cautious man, he was also the strongest in the region. They had no reason to put up their guard over allowing a random mortal maid into his chamber. All three guardians inserted some of their blood into an ominous formation that glowed with power. Multiple clicks sounded before the defensive formations relaxed, and the doors began to part. Stella waited with bated breath, eager to find out what lay beyond. She soon found her answer as a wave of bloodlust and pressure erupted from the gap, followed by the drum of two spiritual hearts. With each beat, she felt a wave of force hit her body. "Get inside, mortal, and tend to the Ancestor," Valandor said, pushing her roughly inside before turning to leave. Stella didn''t care if it was an act. She would get him back for that someday. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the low lighting in the room. Shadows shifted around, and she soon realized they were other mortal maids. They moved strangely, and their eyes were unfocused as they worked. Most of them were retrieving buckets of blood marked with labels that Stella didn''t understand and pouring them into channels in the stone floor that were all leading to the centerpiece of the large chamber¡ªa coffin of stone filled to the brim with blood that smelled strongly of iron. It wasn''t until she took a few steps forward that Stella saw a person bathing in blood. The scarlet liquid rippled along with his powerful heartbeats. This must be Vincent Nightrose. Stella felt her own heart pounding at the sight of a man who had haunted her dreams for far too long and tried to calm down. His eyes were closed, and he seemed unmoving. It''s okay. He''s cultivating or sleeping. Stella double-checked and then triple-checked that her amulet was still active before moving deeper into the chamber. Remember, you''re just a mortal maid. There is nothing to see here... Stella felt her heart leap out of her chest as the door to the chamber behind her clicked closed. The room glowed with silver light as the defensive formations activated once more. The mindless naked maids paid her no attention as Stella stalked around the room, circling the coffin. Standard attire, my ass. Stella thought as she saw a naked maid who had dried blood all down her leg as if someone had spilled a bucket on her walk past. If anything, her wearing the maid outfit made her stand out. Stella did a few more rounds around the room and confirmed that Vincent wasn''t paying attention. Stop stalling, Stella. She admonished herself, recognizing exactly what she was doing. Just do it. A quick stab to the head and heart, with a twist and dosage of cursed sap for good measure. If he lives through all that, you did your best. Taking a deep breath, she approached the coffin and looked directly at Vincent''s sleeping face. The man was disheveled and sickly with sunken cheeks, skin so thin it clung desperately to his bones, and cracked lips. His body looked a few years past death as if he had risen from a grave just this morning. Stella quietly pulled two daggers from her pockets, which she had hidden earlier because she didn''t want to use a spatial ring so close to Vincent and wake him up. Valandor had identified two things that they had that no other attempt had. First, Valandor''s help getting someone so close to Vincent, and second, the Phantom Veil Amulet that allowed Stella to appear as a regular mortal. Nobody as strong and capable of killing as Stella had gotten this close to Vincent before. Cultivators were strong, but if Stella wasn''t shielding her body with Qi, she could die in her sleep from someone stabbing her heart and brain. At the end of the day, without a vessel, her soul had no place in this world and would drift off to the afterlife... well, until she reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Stella loomed over Vincent, still asleep in his coffin. Just how deeply does this man cultivate? Even I would notice a mortal this close to me. It was strange, but she wasn''t one to complain. If he was so arrogant as to leave himself unaware of the mind-controlled ''weaklings'' around him, then she was going to take full advantage of that and end him. Taking a breath, Stella exploded with aether Qi as she rammed both daggers into Vincent''s body. There was some resistance as the man''s body was far tougher than it looked, but there was soon the crunching noise of cracked bone as she impaled his skull and ribcage. Vincent''s eyes snapped open, and they glared up at her. He mouthed something as he seemed to recognize her, but the life vacated his eyes before he could say a word. Stella twisted her daggers, creating even more damage before ruthlessly pulling them out and plunging them down repeatedly. She kept going, lost in the slaughter for a while. It wasn''t until her daggers met nothing but blood that she stopped and frowned. The body was gone. All that remained was a murky coffin of black blood. "Is he... dead?" Stella panted as she looked around. All the mindless maids simply stood there, eerily staring at her like living statues. None offered an answer to her question. Stella spun back around and plunged her hand into the coffin, digging for anything like clothes or bone, but came up empty. "Gather the blood and leave," Ash''s voice echoed in her mind, "There''s no sign he survived. I was watching the whole time; it seemed his life force was nearing its end, and your attack was enough to cause his body to disintegrate into the blood." "Really?" Stella bit her lip, she wasn''t so sure. Either way, this place was creepy, and she had no intention of sticking around. Waving her hand, she absorbed all of the blood into a spatial ring. The door to the room clicked open, and Stella''s eyes went wide as the three Nightrose family guardians strode inside with blood-red power crackling around them. She didn''t even have time to know what hit her as the void shield vanished, and she felt an immense pull on her soul and body. The Spatial Anchor activated, and she was pulled through reality back to Quill. Stella collapsed on the rocky shore, unable to process what happened. Had she really killed Vincent Nightrose, a cultivator nearing the Monarch Realm? Ashlock said she did, but it all felt too unreal. Shouts echoed as Diana, followed by Jasmine and the others, ran inside the library. "You did it, Stella!" Diana hugged her from behind, "Ashlock told us Vincent is dead." "Yeah..." Stella trailed off as she felt all the strength leave her body, "I suppose he is." "The summit tomorrow sure is going to be something," The Redclaw Grand Elder chuckled, "I can''t wait to see the faces of the families loyal to him when he doesn''t show up." *** Vincent Nightrose frowned as he emerged from a coffin in the darkest depths of the castle. "To think Stella Crestfallen, of all people, would have the skills to kill me," he mused as he stepped out, blood dripping from his body onto the cold stone below. "Well, that wasn''t me, but close enough. How interesting... I can''t wait to taste her even more now." He stretched his back for the first time in decades, and it cracked a dozen times. "Such incredible growth in cultivation. The Crestfallen bloodline never fails to amaze and to think it would appear in the ninth layer of creation this time. Lucky me." Losing that body had been a significant loss. Vincent licked his lips as his eyes flickered around the room at the channels of blood heading off to different parts of the castle. "Cursed blood with divinity?" he muttered as he ran his finger through one of the channels dyed black by foreign blood. A savage grin appeared on his face as he effortlessly absorbed and isolated the blood within his body. "I wonder if they will be foolish enough to still show up now that they think I''m dead." Vincent mused as he coated his fingers in the black blood, "Tomorrow sure is going to be interesting." Chapter 372: Nightrose City Ashlock watched as Diana helped lug Stella onto the bench under his canopy and set her down while bundled in a cloak. She seemed utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically. Supplying the void shield with Qi had drained a significant amount of her reserves, and by how ferocious Stella had been while stabbing Vincent, he assumed the murder had let her vent a lot of pent-up frustrations. They had made sure to burn her maid outfit to a crisp to avoid any risk of tracking from the Nightrose family, as it had been soaked with blood, "Tree, are you sure Vincent is dead?" Stella muttered. The warm glow from the fire-affinity trees lining Red Vine Peak illuminated her concerned expression, which was partially buried in the oversized hood of her cult cloak. The sun had long set, and Ashlock was starting to feel the call of sleep himself. "Yes. You destroyed Vincent Nightrose''s body. A spiritual heart that appeared to be his infant soul floated up from the coffin, but you were too preoccupied, so I destroyed it myself with spatial blades. It''s why the Nightrose guardians charged into the room¡ªI had to overwhelm the defensive formations before I could attack the room with my Qi." "It just felt so... easy." Stella didn''t sound so sure, and Ashlock couldn''t blame her. For a near Monarch Realm cultivator that had ruled the lands for centuries, it felt like a more straightforward victory than many of their other hard-fought battles. Like the Lunarshade Grand Elder, for example. "You think it was easy?" Ashlock chuckled, "Vincent is an almost Monarch Realm cultivator in a room surrounded by five layers of defensive formations and guarded by three half-step Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. You could only get so close to him because Valandor broke his mind control by being given World Tree sap and switched sides. Furthermore, you had an artifact crafted from the blood of a divine being that totally masked your cultivation level. That isn''t even including the void fruit that shouldn''t exist within heaven''s carefully woven reality, my cursed blood, and your high cultivation level for your age. Vincent may be a cautious man who has lived for a long time, but there is a limit. He never cared much for the sect''s destruction around him because he believed himself to be the strongest." Stella bit her lip, "When you put it like that, I guess you just made it seem easy with all the nonsense you can accomplish." Ashlock had to admit he had expected a little more of a fight. It had felt a little too easy, even with all the bullshit he was capable of that surpassed the known possibilities to those on the 9th layer of creation. But he had seen Vincent''s body collapse and dissolve into the coffin of blood that Stella had gathered and safely stored away in a ring, and he had killed what appeared to be Vincent''s infant soul. "I can track people through my cursed sap, and while it has leaked throughout the castle, I can''t detect anyone having absorbed it." Ashlock added, "Though I also can''t detect the cursed blood inside your spatial ring, so it''s not foolproof." Stella frowned as she drew out a small stream of the darkened blood. "What about now?" Ashlock reached out and could feel its presence, "Yes, I can feel it now." "So if any of the Nightrose cultivators get their hands on your blood and absorb or use it, you will know?" "Yeah, that should be the case unless they can isolate my blood somehow," Ashlock confirmed, "That is why I had you coat your daggers with my cursed blood in the first place. Even if it can''t turn them into trees, I can use it to track them down. But right now, I''m detecting nothing." "This is so strange. All signs point to Vincent dying, and it makes sense with all the preparations we made that he could die. But still..." Stella frowned. "I still feel in my heart that he did not die. It didn''t feel conclusive. There was nothing left behind for you to turn into an Ent or tree." Diana nodded in agreement as she perched on the bench''s armrest while Stella was lying down and taking up the whole length. "The spiritual heart that rose from Vincent''s corpse, are you sure that was his infant soul and that you definitely killed it?" "I can''t say anything for certain as I could not make a portal and look at the room through my Evil Eye, but I put my all into those spatial blades. They carried the weight of my Inner World and multiple daos. I can''t see a way for a soul to survive that." Ashlock paused, "Look, even if Vincent''s soul did somehow escape, it will take days, if not weeks, for his soul to transfer to a new vessel and for him to recover enough to face us." "That''s true," The Redclaw Grand Elder, who stood off to the side, agreed. "So, are we still going to attend the summit tomorrow?" "Cautiously, but yes. We still don''t know Vincent''s third affinity or the capabilities of his many inferior bloodlines. Maybe he has one that lets him recover quickly. If Vincent is still alive, he will show himself there. Otherwise, his sect will fall apart. " Ashlock yawned. "We can discuss this in the morning. I feel on the cusp of reaching the 5th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm and would like to reach it before dealing with the summit tomorrow." "That sounds like a good idea. Today has been a long one." The Grand Elder exchanged a nod with the other Elders from his family, and they all took to the skies with swords of crimson flame. Sebastian followed their lead, taking Ryker with him. "See you tomorrow." Elder Magret said, waving at them. "You''re part of the Inner Circle now," Ashlock said as they rose into the air, "You can all stay here on Red Vine Peak if you wish." They all exchanged a look of surprise. "I suppose we are, huh." The Grand Elder rubbed his chin in thought but eventually shook his head, "Not for tonight. If we moved here permanently, I''d need to establish management over White Stone Peak rather than leaving it all to poor Amber." "We will need to move many things over," Sebastian smiled, "But we appreciate the offer." "Suit yourselves. The Ashfallen Sect is here to serve your needs. Wherever you feel most comfortable is where you should stay." They all bowed and said another round of goodbyes before shooting off through the darkness toward White Stone Peak. "Do they have to move here," Stella grumbled as she drifted in and out of sleep, "They are so... loud..." She trailed off as sleep finally claimed her consciousness. Her face relaxed, and she began to breathe softly. "Where would we even put them?" Diana mused as she stood and stretched her back, "Above the Mudcloaks in the citadel?" Ashlock surveyed the mostly empty mountain peak. There had once been a grand pavilion here fit to house hundreds of servants, but it had been wiped away during the Dao Storm. Now, besides a hut for Jasmine and Quill''s library, there wasn''t much here. "That''s a good point," Ashlock hummed in thought. Where would he put them? They had outfitted the top half of the citadel with abodes and cultivation rooms, but they had gone unused thus far. "Whatever, I''ll deal with that another day. No point building anything when the beast tide storm is rolling in." "Any ideas on how to stop it yet?" Diana said as she shifted through the darkness over to Jasmine, who had fallen asleep at the table. "None," Ashlock answered honestly. The storm itself shouldn''t be able to destroy his trunk anymore, given how robust he was, but if he was swarmed with high-cultivation beasts alongside the storm, his Voidstorm Aegis might struggle to keep up. There was also the issue of what to do about his offspring and the multiple cities under his control. His Inner World was big, but housing millions of mortals inside his soul didn''t sound like an easy task.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "I''m sure you will think of something. You always do," Diana said as she rubbed Jasmine''s back to wake the girl up. "Wha¡ªhuh." Jasmine rubbed her eyes and yawned, "Diana?" "Yes, it''s me. I''m going to take you home to your mother. She must be worried about you," Diana said, pulling Jasmine up and holding her against her chest. The girl slothfully wrapped her arms around Diana''s neck and fell back asleep. "I''ll be right back," Diana said before jumping down the hole into the root network, which reminded Ashlock that he should probably close that route as Nox was no longer there to defend it. "Speaking of Nox, Tartarus should serve as a good distraction for the mortals distraught about the incoming Beast Tide." Ashlock mused, "Public order is important to maintain, and when people believe their lives are forfeit by staying, fear of the Ashfallen sect won''t keep them in line. They will desperately try anything to get on an airship to flee..." The Ashfallen Sect didn''t have the manpower to keep the millions of people living in Darklight and Ashfallen City in check, nor did the mortals. The concept of a police or a military didn''t really exist in this world. There was more of a focus on everyone for themselves and doing what the cultivators told them to survive. "I''ll deal with all of this soon, but first, I need to sleep, ascend to the 5th stage, and then watch over the summit." Ashlock let off one final mental yawn before allowing his {Nocturnal Genesis [S]} skill to shepherd him off to sleep under the pleasant glow of the nine moons. *** Stella awoke abruptly as she was thrown off her bench by the mountain''s trembling. Sitting up and feeling like a slug as she was still bundled in her cloak like a snug blanket, she glanced around in confusion. Spatial Qi crackled through the air like lightning, tearing reality apart while divine energy spiraled to the heavens up Ash''s trunk. "Morning Stella," Ash''s voice blossomed in her mind. "Are we under attack?" Stella yelped as she tried to look through the raging storm beyond Ash''s canopy, which had only gotten worse since yesterday. The sun had barely risen, though it was hard to tell through the dense cloud cover. "No, I''m just ascending to the 5th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. It will be over soon." "Oh... that''s good." Stella felt the tension leave her body. She yawned and laid back on the lush purple grass surrounding Ash''s trunk. "It''s still too early. Wake me up when it''s over." *** Stella awoke again to being gently kicked. "Wake up, sleepyhead," Diana said as she loomed over her with a grin. "Valandor is here to take us to the summit." "Five more minutes," Stella complained, rolling over. The dense cloud overhead was now glowing slightly from the sun, suggesting it was mid-morning, but Stella still felt exhausted down to her very soul. The idea of getting up was too much, but to attend a summit? Hell no. "Was yesterday really that draining for you?" Diana mused, "All you did was kill Vincent Nightrose in cold blood¡ªheh, see what I did there?" Stella used aether Qi to fling a nearby pebble at Diana''s face, but she easily slapped it away. "Hey, that wasn''t nice. Did you not appreciate my joke?" "No." Stella huffed hair out of her face and twisted her body to look at Diana while still lying in the grass, "I don''t want to go." "Why? Vincent is likely dead or incapacitated, so we will be the strongest there. Don''t you want to be able to sit at the summit all smug and demand the remaining noble families, like the arrogant Skyrend family, bow to Ashfallen''s power?" Diana said with a playful smirk, and Stella bit her lip. "That does sound kinda fun..." Stella rolled over and got to her feet. "Let me get changed, and we will go." Diana clapped her hands, "That''s the spirit!" *** Despite having come here yesterday, Stella was still awed by Nightrose City. As the capital of the Blood Lotus Sect, it was incomparable in size and wealth to Darklight City. Black stone walls glowing from defensive runic formations shadowed the city, and the sky was tinted red by a massive blood-red dome. Occasionally, holes would appear in the dome to allow city-sized airships to pass through and dock with a grand pillar that rose from the city''s northern district. It rivaled the Nightrose castle in size but not height, yet it could still have dozens of these airships dock at a time. Stella strode down the central street to the Nightrose castle, which lorded over the massive city in the distance. The Nightrose family refused to leave their castle for any reason, so the summit would naturally be held here as it also served as the heart of the sect. The central street was bustling with people from all walks of life, and the wealth and opportunities available to the people here were apparent. Clothing, jewelry, and just general fashion were on a far higher level than back home, not that Stella cared much for those things. She was only looking to keep her mind wandering to avoid bad thoughts regarding Vincent and his possible survival. Stella was impatient to learn the truth. Luckily, they had a direct path to the castle and would arrive shortly as, despite the mortal''s superior way of life here, the dynamic between cultivator and mortal had not changed. Like parting the sea, the mortals respectfully moved to the side to allow Stella''s group to pass unperturbed. She couldn''t blame them, as their group was large, and even while hiding their cultivation, anyone could tell they were strong. I wonder how these people would react if they knew the people in Darklight City had access to fruits and pills that made them cultivators. Would they sneer at the news, calling it nonsense? Her eyes flickered to one of the airships slowly floating through the sky overhead, casting an extensive shadow over a large part of the city. Or would they all board one of those floating cities bound for our lands and come in endless droves? Depending on how the summit went, there was a genuine chance that by the end of the day, the Ashfallen Sect would be the new rulers of this city and the rest of those under the Blood Lotus Sect. Besides Vincent, there was nobody else in the Blood Lotus Sect that was in the Nascent Soul Realm. Meanwhile, the Ashfallen Sect had Ashlock, Larry, two shadow Ents, and Maple. That wasn''t even including all the other sect members that were in the upper stages of the Star Core Realm. The Ashfallen Sect had some serious weight to throw around, and they intended to use it. Stella reached up to her chest and didn''t feel her amulet. She''d debated wearing it for the summit but concluded that revealing she could hide her cultivation and bloodline was not ideal. Many would kill for such an artifact, and she didn''t want her enemies to start putting their guard up around people who appeared to be mortals. "These void shields sure are Qi intensive," Diana grumbled from Stella''s side, drawing her attention away from a bakery selling cute-looking cakes. They were naturally masking their voice with Qi as they were deep in enemy lines. "A whole week of cultivation, gone in an instant. All for a shield that breaks from the slightest hit." Stella snorted, "You''re complaining? This is the second one I''ve had to feed in two days. Besides, there''s nothing better to link a Spatial Anchor to. It might break from a mere Qi-infused breeze but can also block a Monarch Realm attack." They had decided to play it safe since they were unsure if Vincent was truly dead. Everyone had eaten a Void Protection fruit and had a Spatial Anchor with Quill setup. It was a highly unsustainable arrangement. Each time, they had to eat a Void Protection fruit, sacrificing a significant amount of their stored Qi. Then Quill had to consume a piece of his ink bark, setting the tree''s cultivation behind. It was also temporary. Once the void shield faded, so would the Spatial Anchor. Stella sighed as she remembered how Ash had gone a step further. There was a second Spatial Anchor setup just for her, with the activation condition being losing a body part. Similar to the Azure Clan''s Grand Elder. So if the void shield ran out and she lost a finger in a fight, she would be returned to Red Vine Peak. While Ash''s overprotectiveness was a bit much sometimes, it allowed Stella to be her reckless self without as much risk to herself and those around her. "I guess it''s better to be safe than sorry," Diana paused, as did everyone else. Stella looked at what the holdup was and noticed one of the Nightrose guardians standing in the road, staring at them with dull eyes. The steady beat of the man''s spiritual heart put Stella on edge. The Nightrose guardian pulled a parchment from the sleeve of his robes and began to read. "Cultivators in the Star Core Realm are prohibited in Nightrose City without permission. Your presence is expected as there is a summit today, but peaceful entry is not guaranteed. Leaders of the following groups, make yourselves known by stepping forward. First, the Redclaw family." The Redclaw Grand Elder checked over his shoulder, and seeing no disagreement of his compliance, he stepped forward and gave a slight bow. "Magnus Redclaw, Grand Elder of the Redclaw family. I am here for the summit." "Very well," the Nightrose guardian said, his eyes swirling ominously as he looked the man up and down. "You may proceed to the castle with up to five members." Magnus continued walking with Elder Margret, Brent, and Mo in tow. "Next up, the Voidmind family." Morrigan stepped forward. "Just you?" The Nightrose guardian raised a brow. "Just me." Morrigan smiled. "Oh, and my daughter," she added and pulled Elaine in close. "Where is the Voidmind Grand Elder?" "Preoccupied." Morrigan lazily replied in a dismissive tone. "I see," the Nightrose guardian noted something down before nodding for her to go forward. He then cast his gaze over those remaining before landing on Sebastian. "Member of house Silverspire?" Sebastian nodded, "Is there a problem?" The guardian frowned and tapped his parchment, "Your house has already sent a representative who is waiting in the summit hall right now. Were you aware of this?" "No. How many members does the group have?" "Four." "Perfect. There is room for me then," Sebastian smiled and walked past. Surprisingly, the guardian said nothing in response, possibly showing the weight of the Silverspire name within the sect. Douglas stepped forward and received the same question. There was already a representative from the Terraforge family, but they had come alone, so there was space for Douglas. That leaves just Diana and I left. Stella fidgeted as she was unsure what the guardian would say. "You are?" The guaridan squinted at Diana. "Diana Ravenborne," she replied without missing a beat. She radiated confidence even as the guardian scratched his head in confusion. "Ravenborne family? That shouldn''t be possible. Your family was wiped out during an unlawful war. What was your relation to the Grand Elder?" "He was my father," Diana smirked at the guardian''s reaction. "Is there a problem?" By the guardian''s frown, there was indeed a problem¡ªa big one. Chapter 373: A Show of Force Stella glanced between Diana and the Nightrose guardian. She noticed the guardian''s eyes were swirling with blood Qi as they examined Diana. His frown soon faded and was replaced with that stone-cold facade all old cultivators liked to wear. That it had been broken in the first place showed how Diana''s presence deeply unnerved the man for some reason. "I see you have awakened the Ravena Bloodline." The man''s eyes stopped swirling, and his gaze became dull once more as if he were a corpse that had been worked to death. Heaven seemed to become alert at the mention of the bloodline as divine energy streaked through the sky and impacted the blood dome over the city, making it ripple. Diana crossed her arms and bared her fangs, "What of it?" "You''re going to have to come with me," the Nightrose guardian said, releasing his soul pressure to pin them down. It flooded out of the man like a tide of suffocating bloodlust, painting the world slightly red. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you," Diana hissed through gritted teeth. Since they had both hit the 7th stage of the Star Core Realm, they were able to resist being forced to kneel at the man''s feet, but only barely. Stella grunted as she tensed every Qi-filled muscle in her body. The moment she felt close to succumbing to the pressure, her bloodline activated, and power subtly flowed into her soul, allowing her to maintain her dignity. The Nightrose guardian ignored Diana''s warning and weaved blood chains from his fingers that draped on the floor before stepping forward while holding out a section of the chain as if he were about to wrap it around Diana''s body. Despite the situation, Stella relaxed a little, noticing a familiar presence passing under their feet a second before anyone else. Ash''s soul pressure erupted from below, followed by Spatial Qi crackling through the air. The Nightrose guardian''s eyes widened. "Who dares?" he growled like an animal as a blood-red mist enveloped him, and his blood chains shifted into two longswords. He seemed to have changed his plan from capture to eliminating Diana as he desperately fought through Ash''s soul pressure and raised his sword. "This pressure is commendable, but it''s not enough to save you." While Diana could remain standing by using the strength of her bloodline, she could not raise her arm to block the blood sword. Stella tried to intervene, but the Nightrose guardian''s movements were swift¡ªthe blood swords weaved around her quickly conjured daggers and went straight for Diana''s throat. Stella wondered for a second if Diana''s void shield would be broken and the Spatial Anchor would pull her back to Red Vine Peak. However, as the guardian struck down¡ªAsh made his move. A portal opened before Diana, and a skeletal-looking hand made from twisted white bamboo reached out, easily stopping the blood sword as if it were nothing. Tendrils of shadow carrying an ominous presence that seemed to lock the Nightrose guardian in place flowed out of the crack in reality as the owner of the arm made itself known. Anubis, a 5th-stage Nascent Soul Realm Ent in service to Ashlock, slowly stepped through the widening portal and loomed over the Nightrose guardian as the lich was over three meters tall. It leaned in slightly, glaring at the man, its eyes blazing with shadow flames. "You say my pressure wasn''t enough to stop you, but that''s because I wasn''t even trying." As if a god put their finger down, the guardian''s head was smashed into the street. "Guardian, you have made a grave mistake by trying to lay your hands on someone I watch over." Ash''s voice sounded like a hundred spirits talking at once, thundering in their minds. Yet it seemed to originate from Anubis somehow, as if he were his herald. The Soul Protection fruits Stella and Diana had eaten to protect their minds from Vincent if he was still alive got to work shielding them from Ash''s rage. The Nightrose guardian wasn''t so lucky. Despite having near Nascent Soul Realm level cultivation, he paled at Ash''s words as he stared at Anubis. "This is Nightrose City. Monsters aren''t allowed within the dome. How did you¡ª" The Nightrose guardian had his breath stolen from him as Anubis gathered a ball of shadow at the tip of his finger and unleashed it into the man. "I care not. Perish." The Nightrose guardian''s chest caved in before he was sent flying across the street. Stella winced at the bloody mess. There was a red carpet of blood between them and the Nightrose guardian, who had been reduced to a smear on the street. The citizens had long fled the area, but many watched on from afar while cowering in shops or peeking through second-floor windows. It was likely the first time any of them had seen a cultivator stand up to a member of the Nightrose family¡ªlet alone beat them to death. "Is he dead?" Stella whispered under her breath. He certainly looked like it to her. I''ve heard blood cultivators are famed for their amazing regeneration, but what''s left to regenerate? Anubis reduced that guardian to a bloodied paste. "I wouldn''t be surprised if that killed him¡ªnever mind," Diana swallowed her words as the bloodied pulp twitched before it began to regather into a human shape and heal. First, his arms and legs sprung up from the puddle before a body and head formed. "To think a person could recover from such a state..." Diana muttered. "It looks like we angered them," Stella said, pointing to the sky. There, she saw a woman standing atop a sword flying toward them from the castle that lorded over the city. Even from so far, the woman''s presence crashed down on them. "This was part of the plan, though earlier than expected." Diana clicked her tongue. "To think they would stop us and cause problems before we arrived at the summit." "I know, right? They are so unwelcoming." Stella grumbled. Ash had sent them to the summit with multiple objectives. The first was to determine whether Vincent was still alive. They planned to do this during the summit by declaring the Ashfallen Sect''s existence and demanding everyone join or die. If Vincent was still alive, he would surely appear to stop his sect from switching sides. The second was to see what the Nightrose family''s combat strength was, with the final objective of establishing the Ashfallen Sect as the new powerhouse in the region and taking over all the cities, including Nightrose City. To complete these objectives, Ash was willing to go all out and had told them to as well. Ash is done playing around with the fast-approaching beast tide. He doesn''t want to have to fight a battle on two fronts. The time for action is now, and since we have the firepower to threaten the Nightrose family, it''s best to show off our strength with the other families present rather than having to prove ourselves to each one individually. That led to the current situation of a second cultivator appearing. She hovered overhead, taking in the scene before she touched down next to the reforming puddle a moment later, leaving a slight crater in the street. Her pounding spiritual heart, snow-white hair, and sickly skin made it obvious that she was a member of the Nightrose family and likely also a guardian. She stepped forward to put herself before the recovering guardian while eying Anubis. "May I ask who this senior might be?" The Nightrose guardian cupped her hands and bowed, "A possible ancestor of the Ravena Clan?"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Diana looked at Anubis, who remained mute, and said, "Yeah, something like that." Stella could see how the Nightrose guardian had reached that conclusion. Anubis looked demonic, with his shadow cape endlessly cascading behind him, and if one dared to look into his ribcage, it was like gazing into the abyss. "A Nascent Soul Realm guardian beast, then? Or some kind of technique..." The guardian was stone-faced but couldn''t hide her trembling hand from trying to resist Anubis''s soul pressure. "Do you still intend to capture me?" Diana asked, stepping forward to stand at Anubis''s side. The woman shook her head. "Forgive his rashness. This matter requires the Ancestor''s attention." Stella raised a brow. Did that mean Vincent Nightrose was still alive, or were they putting on an act? Noble families were well known to claim that their powerful ancestor was simply in closed-door cultivation rather than admitting they were dead. They would continue to hide behind a dead person''s name, and rival families wouldn''t be willing to waste Qi and lives to poke the hornet''s nest and see if an angry ancestor came out to beat them to death. "What is your name? " the woman asked while retrieving the parchment from the blood puddle and drying it off. "Diana Ravenborne." "Mhm, I see. This is a problem; the Ravenborne family is listed as wiped out and, therefore, isn''t qualified to join the summit as you have no city, peak, or land that you rule on behalf of the Blood Lotus Sect." The woman''s eyes flickered to Anubis, "But with a monster like that on your side, I can make an exception." The Nightrose guardian then stared at Stella for an uncomfortably long time. "You look familiar. What is your name?" "Stella Crestfallen." Stella felt weird openly admitting her real name. She had spent so long hiding behind fake names and masks, only ever saying her full name when needing to entice her bloodline to act. "Ah!" the woman''s eyes lit up, and how she licked her lips reminded Stella why she kept to fake names. "Please follow me. The Ancestor has been expecting you." "No." "Excuse me?" "I said no, I''m not following you." Stella frowned, "I''m going to attend the summit." "Sorry, that''s not possible for you," the Nightrose guardian checked the parchment, "Similar to Diana here, the Crestfallen family is listed as having no cities, peaks, or land. Therefore, you cannot attend the summit." "Huh? Aren''t I listed as the Grand Elder of the Crestfallen family and Red Vine Peak?" Valandor had visited Stella on Red Vine Peak when she was thirteen and declared as such. Since she was apparently the sole heir to the Crestfallen family, Valandor told her she was appointed as the temporary Grand Elder, which would be made official once she passed some tests. The Nightrose guardian looked at her with dull eyes as if she were asking pointless questions. "No. Since Grand Elder Crestfallen''s disappearance, Red Vine Peak was tentatively returned to the Nightrose family until you passed the Elder exam. Since you haven''t passed it, Red Vine Peak was supposed to be awarded to the Ravenborne family, but they were wiped out." "If Red Vine Peak is supposedly owned by the Nightrose family," Stella felt her anger rising, and it leaked into her tone, "Then how come I''ve never seen a member from the Nightrose family visit? How can you claim to own a peak without ever stepping foot on it." "Why would we," the woman snorted, "It''s a worthless wasteland on the edge of the sect''s territory. There''s nothing there worth noting except millions of filthy mortals and a dying mining industry." Stella blinked in disbelief, unable to form words. Worthless wasteland? Nothing there? How could they possibly be so clueless? There was Ashlock, the city they had built, and so much more. To call it a worthless wasteland was nonsense¡ªStella felt Diana''s hand on her shoulder. Glancing to the side, she saw Diana giving her a knowing grin as if they had gotten away with something. Oh... that is too funny. Stella shook her head in disbelief. They are so far up their own asses they couldn''t even be bothered to check. What a sad fate. The Nightrose family might have lived to see tomorrow morning if they had been bothered to handle matters appropriately. "She is with me," Diana said, patting Stella on the shoulder, "As is my guardian monster here." "That''s..." the Nightrose guardian said with a strained smile, "I really can''t agree. We are all under strict instructions to bring Stella Crestfallen to the Ancestor. Even if she also had a beast¡ª" Spatial Qi arced upwards high into the sky before peeling back reality like a curtain. Stella didn''t turn, but from the sudden shadow looming over them and blocking out the red-tinted sun and the guardian''s face of utter disbelief, Ash had decided to play another of his cards. A sinister aura that lashed out as flickers of shadows froze the guardian in place, followed by a titanic fist of shifting darkness that reached over Stella''s head. It paused, looming overhead as the guardian looked up with wide eyes. "Here''s a gift from a worthless land," Ash said through Hades this time as the titanic fist slammed down, pulverizing the Nightrose guardian and the half-reformed puddle behind her. The ground shook violently as cracks sprawled out like a spiderweb. As the fist raised, dripping blood¡ªthere were already signs of the Nightrose guardians beginning to reform. "That was a hit from a 7th-stage Nascent Soul Realm Ent, and yet they can still regenerate?" Diana said in disbelief, "Are they immortal?" "Sure seems like it," Stella mused, "I really doubt Vincent died now. He''s a whole realm above these guardians, and I didn''t see any signs of the blood in the coffin reforming into a body when I stabbed him. Just what did I kill that night?" Diana hummed in thought, "Was the cursed blood simply that effective against a blood cultivator to totally incapacitate him? If their whole bodies are made from blood, if their blood became cursed, wouldn''t that be a death sentence?" "I suppose we can find out for certain," Stella strolled over to the reforming puddles, and her spatial ring flashed with silver light. A vial of Ash''s black sap appeared in her hand. Squatting down, she popped off the cork and dumped it onto the puddle. It was impossible to tell which was the woman and which was the man as they had merged into one bloodied mess. "You think experimenting on and turning his guardians into trees will get the boss to reveal himself?" Diana asked as she stared at the castle in the distance. "Maybe?" Stella squinted at the blood puddle and saw the darkness of Ash''s cursed blood spread throughout, corrupting it. "If this doesn''t anger him, I''m unsure if anything will." "Yeah, fair." Diana leaned over Stella''s back and glanced down at her experiment. "How''s it looking. Are they turning into trees yet?" "It seems to be working, the blood is becoming corrupted... no wait¡ª" Stella pointed at the central area where she had first poured the cursed sap and noticed the color changing back to scarlet as if it had absorbed the cursed blood. "Ash, can you feel the cursed blood in this puddle?" "Right now? Yes, I can. But its presence is fading." Ash replied. "I suppose it''s unsurprising, but blood cultivators can deal with my cursed blood." Ash trailed off as he seemed to realize something. "Wait, doesn''t that mean Vincent has a sample of my cursed blood if he''s still alive? That doesn''t sound good." "You can extract your cursed blood from someone''s soul, right?" Diana asked. "I can, yeah. But the question is if I get to them fast enough. With how potent my cursed blood is now, if someone is out of Qi, they will turn into a tree within seconds." "That''s scary," Diana frowned. Stella poked at the blood puddles with a nearby piece of rubble, "So these blood-obsessed bastards are immune to cursed blood? If turning them into trees won''t work, what about an Ent?" "I can only turn dead bodies into Ents. I can make it work if you can find a way to kill them for good while having any of them remain." Stella and Diana looked at the blood puddle that had regained its vibrant scarlet shade and was starting to reform into two humans again. Even in such a state, the soft pounding of their spiritual hearts could still be heard. "How?" Diana sighed, "If they have unlimited regeneration, they will never die unless they are reduced to nothing by someone like Larry or void Qi from Morrigan and Maple. But then there''s nothing left to turn into an Ent or tree." "Mhm, killing them won''t be a total waste. I can devour them for a lot of Qi and other benefits. If Larry or Maple eats them, their cultivation will grow greatly, too. Actually, I''ll eat these two." Another portal ripped into existence above the blood puddle, and black vines slithered down like hungering snakes. The blood puddle was surprisingly viscous, like wet dough, so Ash''s vines could pick them up and drag them away to be devoured. "You two go on ahead to the summit. I guess there''s nobody to show you in anymore, so let yourselves in." "What if someone else tries to stop us?" Diana asked. "Stop you? With Anubis and Hades watching over you?" Ash laughed, "At that point, they are just asking to die. Remember, we are here to make noise and make ourselves known. There''s only one way to drag that tyrant out of his hole if he lives or take over his empty throne, and that''s with force." Stella smirked as she walked down the now empty and destroyed street toward the Nightrose castle. Today was going to be good. Chapter 374: Dead Man Walking Ashlock used {Eye of the Tree God} to watch from the skies as his adopted daughter strode toward the castle of their greatest foe with two Nascent Soul Realm Ents and Diana in tow. She had a carefree spring in her step and a smile on her face that didn''t fade even as dozens of members of the Nightrose family, all in the Star Core Realm, flew in from the castle and took up positions on the rooftops of the houses lining the central street. As if they were living statues, none of the Nightrose family cultivators made a move, even as Hades floated over them, the Ent''s shadowy head almost scraping the blood-red dome shielding the city. Watching a shadow titan following a girl barely the size of one of its fingers was rather comical¡ªor at least Ashlock found it funny. The Nightrose family didn''t seem to mirror his amusement at the titan''s presence. Their expressions were tense, and a few had already conjured blood weapons. The surrounding city was chaos as the titan''s presence and stature were impossible to miss. Mortals and cultivators alike pointed at the 7th stage Nascent Soul Realm Ent, and like a swarm of ants, they fled through the streets to the outskirts. Warning bells echoed in the distance, and the airships that were like floating cities did their best to get out of Hades''s way. They slowly rotated as fierce winds from the Azurecrest wind cultivators on board desperately tried to get the airships moving while the people aboard gathered at the windows and stared at Hades. Ashlock had never felt this... powerful. He hadn''t even unleashed everything he and his sect were capable of, yet the tyrants of this land were already showing caution, and their city was in chaos. If he wanted, he could tear the sky apart, envelop everyone in telekinesis, and haul them into his waiting vines to be devoured. The capital city of the Blood Lotus Sect could be brought to ruin by him in a single day. But he didn''t plan to or want to do that. Despite his emotions being dulled since becoming a tree, causing mass suffering of mortals for sacrificial credits, and some Qi wasn''t the route he wanted to go down. "That''s how you become a tyrant like Vincent Nightrose. You can only push people so far before the world finds a way to bring you down. I doubt Vincent ever foresaw Nightrose City falling to a spirit tree, of all things." Speaking of Vincent Nightrose, Ashlock decided to go ahead of Stella to scout for the tyrant. They had killed two of his guardians and made a lot of noise, so if he was still alive, he should be on the move to stop the chaos. Looking into the main hallway of the castle, Ashlock was surprised to see people from the various noble families of the Blood Lotus Sect rushing out of a grandiose meeting room and toward the castle''s front entrance. By their appearance and the Qi wreathing their bodies, he could tell which families were in attendance. "I can see people from the Skyrend, Terraforge, Azurecrest, Starweaver, and Silverspire families. All seem to be Grand Elders or at least high-ups in their respective families by their mid to high Star Core level cultivation." Ashlock mused. Of course, none were in the Nascent Soul Realm, as that would be a death sentence from Vincent. "I wonder if they would be willing to switch sides if I tell them they are allowed to ascend, and I''ll even help them." So long as they signed oaths of loyalty and stayed in their cities, Ashlock would accept them all¡ªeven the Skyrend family, which he found annoyingly arrogant and generally disliked. Past transgressions could be overlooked if they were willing to be loyal and use their strength to help him repel the beast tide. There only seemed to be a single member representing the Skyrend family, which made sense as Morrigan and Maple had wiped out most of them. However, he couldn''t see their representative''s face due to the cloak they wore. Ashlock searched the rest of the castle, his gaze sweeping across every room and hallway. But other than many panicking Star Core Elders of the Nightrose family barking orders to each other, he found no signs of Vincent. It should be impossible for a man of Vincent''s caliber to completely hide his cultivation and presence. Ashlock tried to track his cursed blood but couldn''t feel it anywhere in the castle. Someone had definitely absorbed and isolated it from his senses. "Did he really die that night?" Ashlock was on the fence about it. As Stella had discovered, his cursed blood had little effect on blood cultivators. Also, the guardians had managed to start regenerating after being hit by an attack from Hades, who is an entire realm above Stella. It simply didn''t add up for Vincent to have died that night to someone so beneath his cultivation level. "Maybe he dissolved into the blood and escaped via the blood channels leading to the coffin?" Ashlock thought as he looked at the empty chamber where Vincent had been on the castle''s top floor. The maids were gone, and the door was left open. He followed each channel, but they led to empty rooms. With no more leads or ideas, he gave up. While unable to locate Vincent, Ashlock had learned something new today. His Nascent Soul Realm Ents were capable of speech, but they didn''t have an ego to form their own complex thoughts. But Ashlock could have them relay his words through Abyssal Whispers, meaning he could now use the mental attack skill away from his trunk. "If Vincent still won''t show himself," Ashlock''s vision shifted back to Hades, and he looked down at the group of noble cultivators gathered before the castle''s entrance, "Then it''s about time we make ourselves known." *** Stella crested the staircase''s final step leading up to the Nightrose castle''s entrance and was met with a vast courtyard before the doorway decorated with statues of Vincent Nightrose looking far less like a corpse than he had when she stabbed him to death in the coffin and black stone fountains spouting blood. A putrid smell of iron in the air tickled Stella''s nose. But she didn''t care much for the smell. Her focus was entirely on the group of noble cultivators glaring her down. They all looked on edge, except one. A giant cloaked man stepped forward and pulled back his hood, revealing his face. It was Demetrios Skyrend, Grand Elder of the powerful Skyrend family. At five meters tall, he was almost twice as tall as Anubis. His golden eyes glowed as they flickered between Stella, Diana, the Redclaws, the Silverspires, Morrigan, and Ents. For whatever reason, the man seemed enraged about something as lightning crackled down his arms, and he seemed tense. "Something isn''t right," Morrigan''s cold voice echoed in Stella''s ears, "Demetrios Skyrend is dead. I killed him with my own two hands. He can''t be here." Stella raised a brow, "What should we do?" "Play along for now; we have no reason to reveal that we know something is up just yet." Diana was the one to answer. "Magnus Redclaw," Demetrios Skyrend bellowed, his voice shaking the heavens, "What is the meaning of this?" "Whatever do you mean, Demetrios?" Magnus said with fake concern. "What do I mean?! My children, Kassandra and Theron, died in Darklight City during your alchemy tournament." The titanic man pointed an accusing finger at Magnus, "You accused the Voidmind family of attacking the tournament and my children dying during the battle. Your evidence was a Voidmind Elder with lightning and metal Qi in their corpse as proof that the Silverspire family''s words were to be trusted and that they had stood alongside my children to push back the unlawful invasion." His golden eyes narrowed angrily, and he gestured to Morrigan and Elaine with his chin, "Care to explain why you and a Silverspire arrived alongside your supposed enemy?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "No, not really." "What?" Demetrios seemed to be moments away from striking Magnus down where he stood as he could hardly contain his rage. Magnus shrugged, "It''s not my place to explain." A shifty old man with hair that looked like strands of silver, similar to Sebastian and Ryker, stepped forward with a deep frown. "Magnus Redclaw, I''ve also been meaning to talk with you. My nephew was in the Tainted Cloud Sect when his soul jade shattered. I gathered some intel and found out he had been fighting against the Redclaws and a blonde-haired girl when he was ambushed by a monster and died." The man''s eyes flickered between Magnus, Sebastian, and Stella. "I thought this was simply a matter between us and the Redclaw family. But it would appear a branch of my family may have been plotting against mine. Is that right, Sebastian? How can you stand beside a family that worked to kill your nephew?" Sebastian snorted, "Nobody needs to plot against your branch, Third Elder." "You dare utter such words, you filthy servant of a mere child!" The sly old man spat on the floor, "My youngest son is already nearing the Star Core Realm at thirteen! What hope can Ryker possibly have to surpass him?" Sebastian gave the Third Elder a blank stare. "Star Core Realm at thirteen? Wow... so impressive." His every word was more sarcastic than the last, which only seemed to anger the Third Elder more. Stella stood there trying to put faces to names. She remembered Demetrios Skyrend. He had arrived at the end of the alchemy tournament after Ashlock devoured his children. They pinned their deaths on Dante Voidmind, who then lost his arm, blocking an attack from Demetrios Skyrend before escaping. Demetrios then chased after Dante and wasn''t seen again¡ªlikely because he was too busy participating in the war with the Voidmind family that Ash had orchestrated. He was also apparently a dead man, yet stood before them looking alive and well. But who is this Third Elder? Stella wracked her brain before she realized who he was. During the Nightshade City war, Jade Sentinels and many other Eternal Pursuit Pavilion hunters assisted the Lunarshade family in fighting us. During the battle, a Jade Sentinel from the Silverspire family attacked me. I tried to convince them we had ties to the Silverspire family by saying I knew about their plan for a mutiny. The man then asked me who my connection was, and not wanting to say it was Sebastian and Ryker, I claimed to know the Third Elder. It had been a random guess, but to think I would meet the man one day. The monster in question was likely Larry, as the spider ultimately killed the Silverspire Jade Sentinel. So this Third Elder thinks Larry killed his nephew? Interestingly, he doesn''t want to admit that his nephew was a Jade Sentinel and is using vague terms. Is that because Vincent Nightrose banned the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion from the sect? Demetrios stepped before the Third Elder and glared at him, "Your matter is of little importance. I have a score to settle with them first." "No, hold on." A man with tanned skin, a bald head, and muscles as hard as rocks interrupted Demetrios. While not as tall as the lightning titan, this man radiated raw strength like an unstoppable mountain. "One of my children also happened to attend this alchemy tournament at Darklight City. I was in closed-door cultivation until recently, but I was informed upon my exit to attend this summit that my son Roderick Terraforge had also died. However, if the records are accurate, he died shortly after the tournament concluded. Not during this supposed Voidmind attack." The colossal mountain of a man tilted his head to glare at Douglas, "Care to explain your cousin''s death, Douglas?" Douglas glanced at Magnus Redclaw and Stella before shrugging, "Not really, Father. It''s not my place to explain." A smile crept onto Stella''s face. Due to the oath of secrecy wrapped around the souls of Magnus and Douglas, they could not disclose anything about that day. Not that Stella would care if they did, but seeing the noble families that had made her life harder, boiling with rage yet unable to do anything, was amusing. They hadn''t yet addressed the elephant in the room, but it was hard to ignore the two Nascent Soul Realm Ents looming over her like guardians. All of the noble family Elders had stolen a few glances at the Ents and her¡ªlikely wondering who she was. Luckily for them, they would soon get their answer. "Not that I care too much," A man with grey hair and a constant breeze around him stepped forward, "But I learned that one of my children also perished in Darklight City around the same time, and more importantly, one of my pride and joys Kane Azurecrest went missing after heading toward that accursed city." The more Stella heard, the more it became increasingly unbelievable how unattentive the noble families in the Blood Lotus Sect were, especially the Nightrose family. So much attention should''ve been drawn toward Red Vine Peak and Darklight City while Ash and the Ashfallen sect were still weak, yet because the noble families refuse to work together or share information except at events like this, they simply deemed the vanishing of their children to be unworthy of their immediate attention. Demetrios Skyrend glared at everyone on Stella''s side, "We are the noble families of the Blood Lotus Sect under the great Vincent Nightrose. We rule over the rogue cultivators and millions of mortals¡ªthey fear and worship us. Our children carry our profound names and legacy! They should be able to walk freely between our cities, which has been the case for centuries. So explain to me what is going on! The Winterwrath, Evergreen, and Ravenborne families seemingly vanished. The Redclaw family takes over their land and opens up an alchemy tournament. Our children then start to go missing, wars break out, and the sect starts falling apart..." His voice dropped to a whisper, and realization seemed to strike the man like lightning, "It''s a mutiny." Stella stepped forward, clapping her hands. "Looks like someone finally got it." "You." Demetrios hissed through gritted teeth, "Who are you?" He took a hesitant step back as Anubis gathered chaotic shadows around his spindly fingers and moved to be beside Stella. I should be asking you that. Stella thought. How are you still alive? Let''s see if a little pressure will help peel back that facade of yours. "You want to know who I am?" Stella let her 7th stage Star Core aether Qi dance across her shoulders, "I''m Stella Crestfallen¡ªPrincess of the Ashfallen Sect and Head Priestess of the All-Seeing Eye." For the first time, she said her full name and titles with her chest and absolute pride. With Ashlock watching over her, she had nothing to fear. At such a declaration, the ultimate form of her bloodline activated on its own. As if her ancestors proudly watched down on her, an immense pressure descended on the courtyard. Most were forced to take a few strained steps back, but Demetrios actually spit blood. "The Ashfallen Sect?" Demetrios wiped the blood from his mouth, "I''ve never heard of it. Have any of you?" He asked the other noble family Grand Elders behind him. "I have..." the Third Elder paled as he brought out a black and gold pendant, showing he was a member of the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion. He inserted some Qi into the pendant to make words appear on its surface in golden letters. [Celestial Empire (Divine)] [Ashfallen Sect (Divine)] [Frozen Star Sect (Monarch Realm)] [Blood Lotus Sect (Nascent Soul Realm)] It was the list of the top sects, and clearly displayed was the Ashfallen Sect, which was one of the only Divine-level sects, behind only the Celestial Empire. The cultivators from the noble families gathered around the pendant, and their eyes widened at what they saw. "What is a Divine level sect doing here?" Demetrios cursed under his breath, but the man was so tall and loud that it was easily heard by all. "No... how is a Divine level sect here? Since when did a sect on the level of the Celestial Empire appear?" "Recently." The Third Elder muttered, "I thought it was an error made by the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion at first, but seeing it with my own eyes, now I''m not so sure. Maybe there really is a Divine level sect out here in the wilderness." Demetrios''s face twisted so much that he almost seemed inhuman. "You didn''t deem this information important enough to tell Vincent Nightrose?" "No, he would kill me." The Third Elder said adamantly as he waved around the pendant, "These are banned from the sect, as is the information I may glean from it." "You''re right¡ªhe probably would." The Third Elder exploded. There was no warning, no flash or Qi or grand technique. The man was standing there one moment, and the next, blood caked every surface in a circle. It had been a silent death. Not even time for a scream. Stella was stunned. "Stab Diana." "What?!" Stella didn''t even know how to process Ash''s order. "Come again?" "Listen to me, Stella. Stab Diana quickly. Don''t worry, she is fine." Stella didn''t think twice. If her dad wanted her to do something, she would do it. Summoning daggers, she turned to her best friend and rammed both of them deep into her side. Diana turned to look at her in shock before she collapsed into a pile of nothing but blood. "I''m... so confused," Stella muttered as she stared at her bloodied daggers and what used to be Diana. Chapter 375: Figuring Things Out Diana blinked in confusion as she stared at Quill across the ink lake in the Ashfallen Sect''s library. Just a second ago, she had witnessed the Silverspire Third Elder explode. Before she''d even had a moment to process the man''s spontaneous death, she had felt an immense tug on her soul and ended up back here on Red Vine Peak. Glancing around, Diana noted that there was nobody else here. She was the only one that had returned. "Ashlock?" Diana asked the ceiling. When she received no response, she cupped her hands and infused her voice with Qi. "Ashlock!!!" The ceiling shook slightly, and Quill''s leaves rustled, yet she still received no response from the spirit tree that lorded over the peak. Ashlock not responding when he''s focusing somewhere else is normal, but why am I back here? Something triggered my void shield and activated my Spatial Anchor, yet Ashlock isn''t checking on me to ask what happened. That means he''s either busy dealing with whatever broke my shield, or he doesn''t even know... which is a far worse-case scenario. Diana began to get worried. She thought back to Demetrios Skyrend, who Morrigan adamantly declared should be dead. His questions had seemed a little oddly phrased, and how he spoke to the Third Elder before he exploded was too convenient. If Vincent has some way to bring dead people back to life, who is to say he can''t do the same for me? I''ve got to get Ashlock''s attention somehow and let him know I''m safely back here. I could try to wake Larry, but I''m unsure if even he can get Ashlock''s attention if he''s focused elsewhere. Diana bit her lip as she desperately surveyed the room¡ªher eyes landed on Quill. That''s it! The ink tree is the head of Red Vine Peak''s defenses when Ashlock isn''t around, and I bet Ashlock won''t ignore one of his favorite offspring. Kaida was naturally aroused from his slumber by her shouting and presence. His annoyed expression faded once he looked at her and gave a happy hiss. "Sorry, now''s not the time for cuddles," Diana gently pushed the Lindwyrm''s head away. "I need Quill to get Ashlock''s attention¡ªquickly. It''s urgent. I need him to know I''m fine and here on Red Vine Peak." Kaida bowed his head in understanding and poked Quill with his tail. The Lindwyrm and tree seemed to communicate silently with one another, and a second later, the ink tree radiated presence like a beacon. The ink lake rippled out in waves like a calling signal, and a moment later, Diana felt a familiar voice echo through her mind. "Diana? What the hell are you doing back here? This doesn''t make any sense..." "I don''t know! My void shield broke, and the Spatial Anchor brought me back here." "But..." Diana felt Ashlock''s presence briefly leave her mind before focusing back in again, "You''re there, standing beside Stella right now." "What?! That''s not me!" Diana declared adamantly. "How can I exist in two places at the same time? This is definitely a trick of some kind!" A portal suddenly tore into existence beside her, and she felt her soul tremble as Ashlock stared at her through a purple rift with his demonic eye. He looked her up and down before the rift snapped closed with a pop. "Sorry about that, I just had to check it''s really you before telling Stella to do something crazy¡ª" "Crazy? Like what..." Diana trailed off as Ashlock''s presence withdrew from her mind as quickly as it had arrived. "Curse the nine realms. What is going on?!" She was now all alone in the stone library again. Except for Kaida, who leaned in and playfully licked her face. "Kaida, what should I do?" The Lindwyrm tilted his head to expose the optimal scratching location on his neck. "You''re not helping," Diana sighed as she obliged and humored the Lindwyrm. "If I ate another Void Protection fruit and had Quill set me up with a new Spatial Anchor, I could ask Ashlock to portal me over." Diana''s face scrunched up in a frown at the thought of consuming another Void Protection fruit. It had wiped out a week in the Mystic Realm worth of Qi. While not an amount of Qi she was unwilling to expend, she had no idea of the situation to know if it was worth it or not. After all, it could have been some stray blood from the Third Elder exploding or a Qi-infused wind that took her void shield out. Depending on a void shield was a double-edged sword. It was costly, a one-time use, and anything could trigger it. Not to mention poor Quill, who had to spend his ink Qi to form the Spatial Anchor each time. Diana tapped her foot with impatience and worry. "I should have had my Spatial Anchor trigger if my skin got cut or something¡ªno, that wouldn''t have worked. What if I exploded instantly like the Third Elder? The Spatial Anchor would have transported nothing but pieces back here. It was a confusing mess. Dead people were back to life. Someone was pretending to be her, and a Star Core Realm Silverspire Elder had perished in such a quick and gruesome way that Diana couldn''t even begin to make guesses as to how he died. "Is this Vincent Nightrose''s power?" Diana bit her lip. "Maybe it''s his third affinity or one of his bloodlines?" There was a flash of spatial Qi to her side, followed by Stella appearing. The girl was staring at the floor with a blank expression while holding two daggers that were dripping blood onto the floor. Kaida reacted immediately, pulling away from Diana''s absentminded scratching and hissing at Stella. "Stella?!" Diana ran over, "What''s happening in Nightrose City?" Her best friend tilted her head to look at her, and relief seemed to wash over the girl. "Phew, you are fine. I just stabbed you¡ªAsh told me to." Stella enacted the stabbing motion with the two bloodied daggers, "You were reduced to a pool of blood." "So that''s what Ashlock meant by making you do something crazy... wait, I turned into blood? Nothing else?" Stella shook her head, "Nope, just blood." "Must have something to do with Vincent Nightrose''s blood affinity then. Maybe he can make blood clones of real people? Mhm, that would explain why Demetrios Skyrend is seemingly still alive." Diana tapped her chin. "I don''t even know how my void shield broke," Stella muttered. She seemed deeply confused, as if her brain had shut down. She was glancing around with a blank stare again.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Diana shook her shoulder, "Snap out of it and concentrate. Did anything hit you? Did someone explode again like the Third Elder?" Stella took a deep breath to recalibrate, "Okay sorry, I''m here now. With the Third Elder exploding, having to stab you to death, dying somehow, and now being brought back here, and then my bloodline deactivating all within the span of a few seconds. It was a lot to take in and process." "I understand, I was also disorientated for a moment when I was brought back here, but we need to devise a plan." Diana gave Stella a reassuring smile and patted her again on the shoulder. "Do you remember anything before you were brought back here? Perhaps the moment your void shield broke?" Stella fell silent for a moment, her eyes shifting around as she seemed to wrack her brain. "Hmmm, a pressure? Though it was different from soul pressure." "How?" "I don''t know... soul pressure radiates from a person, if you know what I mean? If I were to stand over there and unleash soul pressure, you would know exactly where I was and look in my direction." Diana nodded. "But the pressure I felt was more targeted? Concentrated? Like an attack, I guess." Diana snapped her fingers as she remembered something. "Vincent has gravity affinity. That must be what hit our shields. It''s a nearly invisible affinity, similar to sound. You will only sense the Qi once it hits you if Vincent is skilled, and for void shields, that''s too late, as the moment it hits us and breaks, we are pulled back here. He can expend barely any Qi and get rid of us within a second before we even know what happened." "I think you''re right," Stella bit her lip. "That''s bad, isn''t it? We need those shields, as there''s no way we can survive a high-stage Nascent Soul Realm attack without them. Surely he can just crush us like bugs with gravity at a snap of a finger..." They exchanged a sudden look of realization. "The Third Elder," Diana cursed. "That must be how he exploded so suddenly." "Yeah, you''re right. That''s terrifying," Stella opened her palm, and a white soul flame flickered to life, "I wonder if I will ever wield such power." "I''m sure you will if Vincent doesn''t kill you first," Diana sighed. "Heavens, this fight feels way out of our league. I guess we will have to leave Ashlock to deal with it¡ª" Spatial Qi suddenly tore through the room, and people began to appear one by one. First, it was the Redclaw Grand Elder, followed by his Elders. Douglas followed a few seconds later alongside Sebastian. "Elaine?" Douglas looked around in a panic. There was another pop of spatial Qi, and a distraught Elaine appeared. "Mother, no!" She screamed as she reached for empty space. Stella and Diana exchanged worried expressions before running toward their sect members to ask what happened. *** Ashlock didn''t like where this was going. "Now that the children are gone, how about us old monsters have a talk." Demetrios Skyrend''s body had shifted in a grotesque display and taken on the appearance of Vincent Nightrose. A wave of Qi-infused gravity had wiped out his sect members by triggering their void shields, and now Vincent had Morrigan trapped in a bubble of reversed gravity. She was slowly spinning in the air and looked very grumpy about it. At the snap of his fingers, Vincent summoned a chair and casually took a seat while staring up at Hades. All that remained of Ashlock''s mini invasion of Nightrose City were his Nascent Soul Realm Ents and Morrigan, who wasn''t offering much help as she tried and failed to escape Vincent''s grasp. "It would appear quite a lot has occurred during my closed-door cultivation. Not the first time a little revolt like this has been attempted," he casually gestured to Morrigan and Ashlock''s Ents, "But I haven''t had to get this serious in a long time. So why don''t we have a chat?" Ashlock remained silent, as did Morrigan. "Look," Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose and seemed frustrated, "People like us are at the peak of this realm. The Qi is thin; cultivating is a long and tedious process for us. Fighting each other is pointless." Morrigan laughed, "Maybe for you." "You may be unable to ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm, but void Qi is still hard to cultivate, is it not?" Vincent retorted, "What about you, newcomer? Ashfallen Sect, was it? Are you the All-Seeing Eye?" Ashlock had no reason to answer his questions. Information was worth its weight in gold, and while his sect members were gone, he still held the advantage. It was technically three Nascent Soul Realms against one right now, and for Ashlock, Qi was hardly a resource worth preserving. He didn''t mind pitting his vast Qi pool against Vincent''s any day to see who would run out first. "Vincent is only acting reasonably as he''s in the dark. Antagonizing me right now while he''s on the back foot wouldn''t be smart, and I hate to admit it, but there''s a reason this tyrant has lived for so long. I''m not entirely sure how he''s doing it, but he seems to be using clones made of blood to talk with me, similar to my Ents. So, neither of us are actually here in person right now. Rather, we are using proxies." Ashlock couldn''t tell if that was cowardly or smart, but he didn''t care. Right now, there was an invisible information war occurring between them, and he held the advantage. This was made all the more apparent by Vincent''s assumption that he was some old monster despite barely being a decade old. Vincent didn''t know who he was, his affinities, capabilities, or goals. A lot could be uncovered about a person if one knew their end goal. If Ashlock was willing to negotiate a peace treaty for a piece of land, then that meant that land had something of interest¡ªperhaps a rift or a Qi-dense area for a certain affinity. Call him paranoid, but he refused to play Vincent''s games. While he did hold the advantage, there was plenty about Vincent that was still a mystery. "I know you can talk," Vincent frowned as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Don''t go quiet on me now. You were quite eager to talk while pulverizing my poor guardians. Those were my spawn, you know? Here I am, willing to work this out amicably despite that." Ashlock continued to simply have Hades looming overhead, staring down at Vincent. "I wonder how long he can keep this act up for," Ashlock mused. "I really wish I could open a portal and look at this blood clone with my Evil Eye to uncover how it works, but that''s far too risky. If the real Vincent shot through my portal and arrived before my trunk, there''s a chance he can kill me and everyone else on the peak who are now without a void shield to save them. I must keep Vincent at range, fighting him here would be my best bet." Vincent clicked his tongue and stood up. "I guess we will have to do this the hard way." He strode over to where Morrigan floated, and as if he were cupping the bottom of an invisible bubble around Morrigan, he clenched his fingers, and she screamed. Void Qi wreathed her body as she desperately tried to fight against the crushing pressure, but a realm of difference was nearly impossible to overcome. The noble cultivators from the other families slowly stepped back, eager to get themselves away from Vincent''s torture. Ashlock had no idea why her Spatial Anchor wasn''t activating. Morrigan hadn''t taken a void protection fruit as there was no point since she already had access to void Qi, so having the fruit consume a lot of her Qi to create the void shield didn''t make sense. Instead, the Spatial Anchor had been linked to the breaking of bones. Now, Ashlock was no doctor, but Morrigan had likely broken all of her bones as her body collapsed to fit a third of the space. It also didn''t make sense that Morrigan wasn''t using Void Step to escape. "Did you think I didn''t notice the neat little spatial technique the others had?" Vincent looked over his shoulder at Hades with a light smirk, "I could have trapped them here and done this to all of them, but I let them go. How reasonable of me, right? Trust me, there are many nasty rumors around me, but I can be quite easy to work with." Ashlock didn''t believe the man for a single moment, but Morrigan was in trouble. A part of him wanted to let Vincent kill her. As an origin, she wouldn''t truly die, and he had been looking for a way to get rid of her for a while. But if Vincent was the one to do it, then it was a win-win. He would see more of his power, and Morrigan wouldn''t be a problem. That would be the logical thing. To let Morrigan die. Ashlock sighed as he quietly opened a portal far away from the castle and beckoned Larry through. His guardian turned into a vaguely spider-shaped ash cloud and soared toward them through the sky. He hadn''t come here to watch his sect member''s mother be tortured and killed. No, he had come here to kill a man, and that is precisely what he was going to do. Chapter 376: One Shot "Morrigan, hang in there. I''m coming to save you." Ashlock couldn''t believe what he was saying. Since when did he¡ªa demonic spirit tree revered as an evil god¡ªsprout such heroic lines? "Why?" Morrigan replied through Abyssal Whispers of her own, as it was the language of the void. She sounded calm, too calm for her situation. Cultivators were very good at putting up a facade, but there was surely a limit. The Morrigan he saw being crushed to death under immense gravity sounded the polar opposite of the one in his head. "What do you mean why?" Ashlock felt annoyed. Here he was, offering to save someone he would be pretty happy to let go, and they didn''t even appreciate it. "Elaine would be sad if you died and would definitely get mad at me for not doing everything within my power to help." "I''m fine, though?" Ashlock squinted at her crushed body with his spiritual sight and had to respectfully disagree. She was one step away from becoming nothing more than fleshy paste. "They aren''t even stopping me from leaving." "Leaving...?" What was she talking about? She was trapped by Vincent. Did he have mind control powers to make her delirious? "Yeah, the Nightrose cultivators watching over the central street are simply watching me go. It''s kinda creepy how statue-like they are." Ashlock looked behind him, and sure enough, in the distance down the cracked and deserted central street, he saw a lone woman with black hair walking away. His vision blurred as he went to take a closer look just to confirm. Void Qi flickered across her skin, forming a sheen, making her a dead spot in his spiritual sight, which is why he hadn''t noticed her earlier. "Morrigan? Is that really you?" The woman paused and looked at the sky, "Yes, it''s me. Why are you acting so strange?" "How did you get here?" "...Void Step?" Morrigan tilted her head, confused at the question. "The moment I noticed Diana''s void shield suddenly break, I used Void Step to escape." Morrigan pointed at the entrance to the city they had entered through, "And now I''m going to make my way out unless you need something from me? Though I don''t know what you expect me to do against a peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivator while reality suppresses me to the Star Core Realm." Ashlock sighed with relief, "You are free to leave¡ªactually, I would prefer if you flee this place as quickly as possible." "I have no qualms with that." Morrigan shrugged and continued on her way. Ashlock returned to the Nightrose castle''s courtyard in a totally different mood. Vincent was still there, putting on a show and torturing something resembling Morrigan, but Ashlock now knew it was nothing more than an imitation and wasn''t buying it. Vincent hadn''t captured Morrigan at all, making the rest of his claims hard to believe. Ashlock had already been skeptical of his nice guy act, but now he also doubted Vincent''s claims that he could have forcefully captured everyone here if he wanted. "I can''t tell if he''s powerful or not," Ashlock grumbled, "Okay, I know he''s powerful by sheer cultivation realm alone, but until now, he hasn''t actually shown any of his true strength. He''s keeping his cards so darn close to his chest it''s insane. He''s got me doubting everything. Now I don''t even know if the Silverspire Third Elder died in such a gruesome way or if he was some sort of blood clone from the start like Demetrios Skyrend." It reminded Ashlock of those school plays he used to be forced to participate in, where they would use ketchup packs to substitute blood. It actually looked quite realistic under the dramatic lighting of the stage. So, the kids in the audience may believe it was real for a moment, but the adults who knew the trick couldn''t see it as anything but ketchup and would struggle to suspend their suspension of disbelief. That is how Ashlock felt as he stared at the fake Morrigan being tortured. Vincent glared up at Hades and flexed his hand some more, making the fake Morrigan howl in agony again, reminding Ashlock that he had never heard the woman make such a noise. Even when he crushed her with his soul pressure, she had seemed unfazed and simply laughed it off. "I really don''t enjoy torturing a fellow cultivator like this," Vincent sighed dramatically, "But if we can''t reach an agreement, you leave me no choice!" Ashlock had lost all motivation to ''save'' Morrigan. After all, that wasn''t Morrigan inside that bubble of intense gravity. "You know what? Vincent clearly believes targeting those around a cultivator is a good way to control them and get them to do what he wants. I wonder if the same would work against him?" He hadn''t reacted much to losing two guardians, but that could be an act. Maybe deep down, he was seething but knew better than to be rash. At what point would he snap? Ashlock was curious to find out. "Larry." "Yes, Master? What can this humble servant do for you?" "Kill the Nightrose cultivators lining the central street for me." The spider-shaped cloud of silver ash closing in on the Nightrose castle shifted toward the central street. "How many should I kill, Master?" "All of them." Ashlock coldly answered. Vincent had the nerve to capture and pretend to torture one of his so he wouldn''t hold back. He had already marked the Nightrose family for death due to their hunger for Stella''s bloodline, and today had only further solidified his decision in stone. "All of them?" There was a hint of childlike glee from the spider, "Master, may I devour them whole?" Ashlock paused. He hadn''t finished devouring the two Nightrose guardians from earlier but didn''t expect a massive amount of sacrificial credits as they were in the Star Core Realm, five whole stages below him. Meanwhile, the Nightrose cultivators on the central street were weaker, with most being mid or low-stage Star Core Realms. So, for him, their corpses wouldn''t be worth much. Especially because their ridiculous regeneration made turning them into Ents more of a hassle than it was worth. Ashlock brought up the system''s description of Larry. {Herald of the Divine Ash: Larry [S]} Having consumed the flesh of a divine being from an upper realm, Larry has unlocked a new path to power. As a Herald of the Divine Ash, he has begun his path to become a deity. Alongside unlimited cultivation potential, Larry has divine authority over ash and decay. He can decay any matter at will within his realm of influence. As a divine being with governance over an affinity, Larry''s body has been reformed entirely from divine ash, allowing him to reincarnate from ash and gain immortality.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. He was perfect for the job. Larry''s authority over decay countered the Nightrose cultivators'' ultra-speed regeneration. If he was left to reduce these cultivators to ashes and absorb them into his body, his combat strength and cultivation would soar. As an S-rank summon, Larry was supposed to be at the strength of an early-stage Nascent Soul Realm beast. But after a few Mystic Realm visits, he was nearing the threshold of evolving to S+ grade. This feast could tip him over the edge toward evolution and put him on the same level as Vincent Nightrose. As much as some more sacrificial credits would be appreciated, sometimes it was better to share. "Yes, Larry. Eat to your heart''s content. Today, the Ashfallen Sect will enjoy a grand feast on vile blood!" "Your wish is my command, Master." Larry''s eyes glowed an ominous red as he loomed over the central street. The Nightrose cultivators that were quietly watching Morrigan leave looked up at Larry with far more concern. The halo of ash orbiting Larry''s crown of horns began to spin as Nascent Soul Realm soul pressure with a hint of divinity radiated down on the cultivators. Many collapsed to one knee, others spat blood. A few managed to remain standing, and they desperately drew weapons. "Those who defy my Master are destined for death," Larry declared in the ancient runic language. His silver-ashen body shimmered with the majesty of a divine creature as he floated there high above his soon-to-be food before he crashed down upon the more incapacitated ones. As they were unable to even resist his soul pressure, they couldn''t fight back as they found themselves in Larry''s maw. They screamed as their blood affinity desperately tried to regenerate their bodies, only for it to cause them to decay faster. Within seconds, they melted into silvery ash that flowed into Larry''s body, making him grow in size slightly. Larry didn''t hang around. His body, like a swarm of blood-thirsty locusts, shifted in direction and headed toward the ones able to barely resist his soul pressure. "Stop, vile beast!" A Nightrose woman screamed as she raised her hands, and a net of blood hastily woven from her fingers flew out at Larry. For a brief moment, it looked like it worked as it wrapped around his form, only for the relief to be wiped from the woman''s face as the blood net decayed to ash and simply added to Larry''s power. "Resistance is futile." Larry''s maw opened wide and engulfed the woman. "All shall decay to ash for my Master." Blood poured out of the woman''s eyes, nose, ears, and mouth as pressure exploded out from her. She had tried to go supernova as a last-ditch effort, but it was pointless. All it did was make it easier for Larry to devour her as she gave up on defense. "Elders! On my command, we attack together! Buy time for the Ancestor to help us!" A Nightrose man who seemed important by his black robes embroidered with a golden lotus on the back bellowed out. Larry turned toward the voice. He looked sinister, his maw of silvery ash still dyed red from his half-finished meal. As the last remains of the woman decayed in his mouth, his body grew in size again. He was now half the size of the buildings the cultivators were standing on. The halo of ash orbiting his crown of horns thickened, as did his soul pressure. It began to spin as Larry floated through the air toward them, his ashen legs dragging across the street as he made his way to the other side. All of the remaining Nightrose cultivators that could put up any fight gathered around the leading Elder. "Blood spear array!" He commanded, and blood poured from their fingers and solidified into spears that rose and gathered above them in a dense cluster. Blood also seemed to pour down from the dome surrounding the city, empowering the spears further. "Attack!" the man shouted, pointing at Larry. The tips of the blood spears tilted to aim at Larry before they all shot toward him at once. There was a whistling noise as they all impacted the floating spider a second later, turning him into a bloodied hedgehog. "That hurt," Larry growled as he raised his head and glared at them with his many red eyes, "But only a little bit." The blood spears impaling him rapidly decayed into silvery ash, and Larry ballooned in size as he absorbed it all. His body would now take up the entire street as he floated overhead. The Nightrose Elders strained their necks to look up at the silvery cloud of death that loomed over them. "Stop." With a single word, an immense pressure that even Ashlock could feel weighing down on his roots deep under the street gripped the area. Looking toward the voice, he saw that Vincent had seemingly teleported from the courtyard and was now standing effortlessly in the air above Larry. His hand was open like a claw and aimed at the spider cloud, seemingly holding Larry in place. "What are you doing?" Vincent seemed exasperated as he frowned. Ashlock finally felt in the mood to humor the man. Hades turned around and he addressed Vincent with Abyssal Whispers by using the Ent as a proxy. "Finally got bored of playing pretend and torturing a clone?" Vincent slowly turned in the air and glared at Hades, "So you finally decide to speak." "I don''t like to waste words speaking with deluded fools like yourself. If you want to play pretend, do so at the expense of your own time." Ashlock was still a little bitter about being fooled by Vincent''s act. It had been a little too convincing. To the man''s credit, he seemed unfazed by Ashlock''s taunting. "You are the leader of this Ashfallen Sect, correct?" "Who knows," Ashlock replied, "We are both using proxies, so who''s to say that''s even how you look?" "It''s normal for high-level cultivators such as ourselves to use proxies. There are too many uncertainties in life to risk exposing ourselves out in the open." Vincent gestured to Larry, "This is a perfect example. Summits are always a little chaotic, but this is on a different level. It''s like you have a vendetta against me or something. Come on, let''s talk about it. Slaughter like this doesn''t benefit anyone. It''s just a waste of Qi." Ashlock almost wanted to laugh. For anyone else, that may be true. But for him, there was no better way to power level than a good slaughter. "Vincent sure does seem obsessed with preserving Qi." Ashlock mused, "Maybe he is close to reaching the Monarch Realm?" Even if he could safely use his Evil Eye, Ashlock doubted he would learn Vincent''s true cultivation level from gazing at a blood clone. "Let me hear your proposal," Ashlock said with a deliberately dismissive tone. He had already shown his open aggressiveness and had no plans to stop. Nightrose City would be reduced to ash by sundown, so there was little Vincent could offer to make him stop. Other than Vincent actually forcing him away by showing off some of his power for once. "We should work together¡ª" "No." "Why not?" Vincent frowned. "If the Ashfallen Sect is truly a Divine-level sect on par with the Celestial Empire, us demonic sects finally have a chance! For too long, the Celestial Order has exercised its authority across the realm. If not for us having to constantly move to avoid the beast tides and rebuild, we could have a chance of matching them." "As you said, the Ashfallen Sect is Divine level. What need would we have for you?" Vincent''s face twisted, "I''m nearing the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm!" Ashlock laughed through Hades, "Yet you couldn''t save a single one of your family." "My family? I don''t need them," Vincent sneered, "None of their strength matches even a fraction of mine." "Isn''t that because you suppress them to be below you? Why? Scared they will surpass you?" "No, it''s so I can do this," Vincent pointed his free hand at the remaining group of Nightrose Elders on the rooftop. The one who had been leading them with the golden embroidered lotus on his back collapsed as streams of blood flowed out of his nose, eyes, and mouth toward Vincent. After a few moments, the Star Core Realm cultivator was reduced to a lifeless husk as he fell forward, slid down the roof, and crashed into a heap on the street below. Vincent then turned to Hades with blood gathered in a sphere above his palm. "Am I supposed to be impressed or something?" Ashlock asked. In truth, that was a terrifying power. His main advantage over other cultivators was his Qi pool and how easy it was to replenish through killing. Yet it seemed Vincent had a similar capability, though more restricted. It was interesting how challenging the man''s pride caused him to freely display such capabilities. This is what Ashlock wanted more than anything right now. Information on Vincent Nightrose''s capabilities so he could determine the best way to bring him down. They were like two chess grandmasters playing a death game with words through their proxies, and Ashlock was on the offensive. "What can you even do with that gathered blood? It''s only of the Star Core Realm, is it not? It seems like a waste to me." Vincent pointed his hand at Hades. A million spikes shot out at once, annihilating Hades. There was nothing left of the Ent as the blood fell to the ground, forming a river of blood that rushed down the street, painting the storefronts a gruesome scarlet. "Need I demonstrate more?" Vincent smirked as he pointed his finger at a cowering Nightrose woman who was barely in the Star Core Realm and unable to move a muscle under the immense soul pressures of Vincent and Larry. "Fuck no, what the hell was that?!" Ashlock shouted in his mind. Hades had been a 7th-stage Nascent Soul Realm Ent, yet he was one-shot with borrowed Qi via a proxy! What if Vincent showed up at Red Vine Peak with a bunch of his family in tow and started shooting attacks like that off? Would his Voidstorm Aegis even react in time? "I guess you possess the firepower to kill one of my weaker servants," Ashlock said as arrogantly as he could muster through Anubis as he felt his connection to Hades cut, "How about you tell me more about this possible partnership?" Meanwhile, Ashlock opened a portal deep within the Nightrose castle and had Khaos step through. As a peak Star Core Realm Ent with the void affinity, she was the perfect choice to hunt for Vincent Nightrose''s true body. Chapter 377: Threads of Fate It looks like I successfully fooled him. Vincent hid a sigh of relief as he didn''t have to do another demonstration and lowered his hand. While he had made it look impressive, a lot of work had gone into killing that Nascent Soul Realm shadow titan, and it started way before he drained the blood from one of his Elders. In fact, the draining of the Elder was more for show than anything else. A classic misdirection to draw attention away from the truth. Since the moment this Ashfallen Sect showed up and summoned those two Nascent Soul Realm shadow monsters, I knew I had to take the opportunity to get rid of one of them. I''m just glad the illusion I conjured of Elder Morrigan Voidmind being tortured managed to obscure my powering up of the grand blood-gathering array below the city. Vincent''s spiritual senses were spread across the city, and he had detected the presence of the strange silver cloud ages ago. Noting its divine nature and cultivation level, he allowed the vaguely spider-shaped cloud to devour some of his family members to gauge its strength and to see if it would be a better target for the grand array. I can''t stop this one. Vincent concluded as he eyed the divine monster cautiously. The shadow titan had been an easy target due to its size, and as a shadow affinity monster out during the daytime, its defenses were considerably weaker for its cultivation level. Meanwhile, this spider seemed impossible to stop. All Vincent could do was burn his gravity Qi to lock it in place for a while, but that wasn''t a permanent solution. I have no idea who this Ashfallen Sect is, but they are too dangerous to fight head-on for now. I need to reach Monarch Realm, and then nothing in this layer of creation can stop me, not even this divine spider. Vincent''s eyes flickered to the horizon. All I need is to absorb the Crestfallen bloodline. With access to their ancestral knowledge, I can comprehend the laws of all three of my affinities, form my Inner World, and become unstoppable. Devouring Stella Crestfallen''s bloodline was all he cared about now. He had been unsure if she had awakened the truly ancient variant of her bloodline that gave her access to the knowledge of the Crestfallen family until he provoked her enough earlier while posing as Demetrios Skyrend. Once Stella declared her full name, the overwhelming presence of her bloodline had almost broken his blood clone apart. That was when he knew without a doubt that she possessed the absolute pinnacle of bloodlines. The one that rules over all others. Descendants of the Crestfallen family were already rare enough, but unless they awakened the ancient variant, their bloodline provided nothing but the ability to focus and learn quickly. While useful, it was nothing compared to the version Stella had. Vincent had tried to replace the demoness standing beside Stella with a clone to capture her, but while he had been setting his trap, Stella had unexpectedly turned and stabbed him. I still don''t know how she noticed. Maybe the leader of the Ashfallen Sect informed her with telepathy? Vincent squinted at the remaining Nascent Soul Realm shadow Ent, which the Ashfallen Sect''s leader was now using as a proxy. Right now, he would lose a fight to it as his capabilities were considerably reduced when fighting through a blood clone, and the array under the city would need days to recharge. Vincent cleared his throat and addressed the strange skeleton made from bamboo. "First of all, we should forgive each other''s transgressions. While I did destroy your shadow titan to prove a point, you killed many of my Elders. It would be improper for us to start off an alliance with grudges. What do you say?" He didn''t believe for one second that the shadow titan had been a weaker servant. Even for a Divine level sect, anything in the Nascent Soul Realm was a considerable asset. It hadn''t acted like a sentient monster. Instead, it seemed like a created being similar to a golem some earth cultivators use to fight. Such a creation had likely been incredibly costly to make. More expensive than the entire Blood Lotus Sect could afford. If not for the fact there was a second one, he could be convinced it was one of a kind. In comparison, the death of my family members is inconsequential. I cannot afford to enrage this Ashfallen Sect for now. What I need is to buy time. While under their protection from the Celestial Order and the beast tides, I will find Stella Crestfallen, bathe in her blood, and ascend to heights unseen. For too long, he had been trying to advance all three of his affinities to the level of Monarch Realm, but the path before him without the help of the Crestfallen ancestral knowledge was looking slimmer with every passing year. Getting useful information on obtaining laws in an affinity was terribly difficult. All he could find was texts saying to contemplate heaven''s whispers for centuries. But he didn''t have centuries to spare anymore. Enemies, new and old, were breathing down his neck, and he wasn''t getting any stronger. "I can agree to that," A hundred voices overlaid reverberated out of the shadowy skeleton. Vincent felt the words buzz against his mental defenses as if trying to worm their way in, but he resisted by weakening his link to the blood clone. There was no way he was letting anyone get a look inside his head. "Great. I''ll release the spider," Vincent didn''t want to admit it, but the spider had devoured his gravity Qi, and he was moments away from losing his grip on it. His Elders, who were still cowering on the rooftop, yelped as the ashen spider lurched forward and engulfed them. Vincent raised a brow as the silver cloud expanded in size and dispersed to reveal an empty rooftop beside blood stains on the tiles. "Do we not have an alliance?" "I simply agreed to forgive past transgressions." The skeleton laughed, "Besides, I promised my divine pet a feast. Wouldn''t it be unfair to deny him such a delicious meal? Don''t you agree?" Vincent ground his blood clone''s fake teeth. He had never experienced such humiliation in all his life. How arrogant could this Ashfallen Sect be to refer to his family members as a delicious meal and devour them when he is standing right here? Once I reach Monarch Realm, I''m going to find this bastard and skin him alive right after slaughtering nine generations of his bloodline. "That would be quite unfair," Vincent agreed with a strained smile. "Now that your pet has had his fill, what do you think about halting the bloodshed?" "Mhm," the skeleton tilted its head. "You have yet to offer a proposal that benefits me. I admit you are strong, but I have strength rivaling the Celestial Empire under my command." The ashen spider rose up and began to encircle Vincent. Its red eyes glowed with intense bloodlust, and he could feel the monster''s soul pressure weighing down on him. This was the first time in centuries that Vincent had felt this threatened. Where in the nine realms of hell had this Ashfallen Sect come from?This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Did they descend from a higher realm? Are they a disgruntled fragment of the Frozen Star Sect that stumbled upon some powerful legacy in a rift? None of this makes any sense. "Perhaps if you were to tell me your affinities or the capabilities of your bloodlines, I could see if you would fit into my sect." What a joke. I''m nearing the Monarch Realm. There''s no way I can''t ''fit'' into his sect. Just what is his objective here? Maybe I''ll give him a small taste and see if he bites... "I have gravity, blood, and shadow." Vincent lied. He would rather die than reveal his actual affinities. Illusion affinity only worked when others were unaware he possessed it. He could create anything and make it look realistic by combining gravity, blood, and illusion affinity. For example, his blood clones were made from blood. He then used illusion affinity to fake their appearance and voice, while his gravity affinity gave the clone weight and the presence of a genuine cultivator. The same could be applied to techniques. Vincent raised his hand and skillfully weaved his three affinities together. First, he created a tendril out of blood. He then wrapped it with his illusion affinity to make it appear like a tendril of shadow Qi. The final touch was a little gravity Qi to make the attack hit harder than it should. Aiming down, he shot the tendrils at a nearby building, obliterating it. "Interesting," the shadow skeleton said. "To think you possess shadow affinity. What a good combination." It looks like I fooled him again. The leader of the Ashfallen Sect seemed clueless, which he wasn''t surprised by. His illusion affinity was nearing the Monarch Realm, so unless someone''s cultivation was on par with his or they were aware of his affinities'' existence, they were unlikely to see through his lies. This raised some questions. Vincent deliberately did that demonstration to gauge the Ashfallen Sect leader''s cultivation level and, from his response, could conclude that the Ashfallen Sect leader could not use his full range of senses through his proxy or wasn''t really in the Monarch Realm. Both options were good; Vincent just needed to keep the Ashfallen Sect leader at arm''s length, and he shouldn''t pose too much of a threat. "Now, tell me about your bloodlines." Vincent frowned, "How about you reveal a bit about yourself or the Ashfallen Sect? This is feeling quite one-sided." "That''s because it is," the skeleton gestured to the floating spider still circling him, hunger in its eyes. "You answer my questions or become his food. Simple as that." Vincent snorted, "This is a mere clone. You can''t threaten me with death." "I have no use for a disobedient servant. Prove your value to me, or I will hunt you down until the end of the realm." Vincent narrowed his eyes, "I''m starting to think you have no interest in an alliance at all." "Correct," the skeleton said as shadow Qi gathered around its fingers, "You are worthless in my eyes." "Worthless?" Vincent had never heard such nonsense, "Why waste my time coming here and humoring my offer of an alliance? If you want to fight, let''s not waste any more of my precious time and get down to it." Vincent hated the idea of losing this clone, as it was costly to make. He had to use a considerable amount of Qi from all three of his affinities, alongside a few buckets of blood from his family members¡ªmany of whom had perished today at the hands of this new regional power¡ªthe Ashfallen Sect. But if the death of this clone was inevitable, he might as well use it to test his enemy''s combat capabilities. He turned to the spider and conjured more fake shadow tendrils. Draining all the Qi left inside the blood clone, he unleashed an onslaught of blood tendrils disguised as shadows upon the spider. To his surprise, the spider actually struggled to maintain its size as his tendrils knocked out a large chunk of it. Why didn''t it grow in size like it had when devouring the blood techniques from my Elders? Vincent wondered. He had actually damaged it... if he had more Qi to work with, maybe he could even kill it. Was it because I layered my affinities, and it couldn''t decay my attacks fast enough? Vincent''s mind wandered as the spider recovered its general shape and charged at him. He didn''t even have the strength left in the blood clone to raise his hand, and he experienced being decayed alive. His world went dark as his connection to the blood clone was cut. *** "I really need to get ahold of the Echoheart bloodline again," Vincent groaned as he sat up from his bloody coffin and felt his consciousness spread through this new clone. "Tsk, I can feel my control over my blood clones weakening with each one that gets destroyed by the Ashfallen Sect." Not only were the bloodlines he absorbed inferior versions, but they also weakened over time like an unused muscle if he didn''t keep absorbing the bloodline. This is why he founded the Blood Lotus Sect, the largest bloodline farm on the 9th layer of creation. "But it''s all falling apart," Vincent climbed out of the coffin with a deep frown. "I seem to have lost control of too many families while focusing on advancing my cultivation as much as possible before wasting months relocating." Vincent looked at the ceiling and pulled on his recently acquired Starweaver bloodline. Using it took a lot out of him and corrupted the bloodline quickly. I estimate I can call upon the threads of fate only three more times before I need to bathe in the blood of a starweaver again. Who was next on my list? Celeste, right? His eyes glowed gold, and the bare stone ceiling was replaced with a sea of stars. Hints at innumerable futures flowed into his mind as he was strung along the threads of fate. He wasn''t sure how clear or coherent these futures were to those with the ancient bloodline, but his inferior version proved quite useful. "Let''s see... tell me threads of fate, where should I go from here." Every thread of fate he followed seemed to lead to the same result. Over and over, every thread was cut short, meaning he died. He didn''t know how exactly he died, just that almost every choice he could make from here ended in his demise. The only decision that seemed to give him a glimmer of hope was running for the hills as fast as he could to the Celestial Empire. "What if I manage to absorb Stella Crestallen''s bloodline¡ªoh." Vincent winced as he went down that thread. It was by far the longest, as he lived long enough to reach the peak of power. But it resulted in far more than his death. While the other threads of fate would keep going despite the lack of his presence in them, this one was different. He got a vision that the divine being that would devour him would go on to destroy the nine realms as well. "The collapse of the nine realms? What does that have to do with Stella?" Vincent was perplexed. These visions didn''t make sense. Before today, he had used this power, and his future had seemed more optimistic. All that had changed was the arrival of the Ashfallen Sect, and now he was doomed to die? "What about right now?" He latched onto the shortest thread and was surprised to get a vivid vision of him dying in the corridor to a vague darkness. Dismissing the bloodline, his eyes returned to normal, and he supported himself on the coffin''s edge as his head pounded. If he was to believe the threads of fate, he was destined to die. "Nonsense, I''m a man-made god." Vincent straightened his back and got control of himself. "Let''s see if these threads of fate tell the truth. If I open this door, I should die." Opening the door slowly, he couldn''t feel the presence of anything with his spiritual senses. "Maybe the inferior version isn''t totally accurate?" Vincent mused as he stepped into the corridor. "Perhaps they are possible timelines rather than guarantees¡ª" Vincent coughed blood. Confused, he slowly looked down and saw four claws wreathed in void Qi impaling his chest. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a headless abomination. It ripped out its arms and swiftly tore him apart a second later, once again cutting his connection to another blood clone. As his world went dark once again, all he could think of was the Ashfallen Sect''s leader declaring that he would be hunted to the end of the realm. If all paths lead to death, then he would pick the one that gave him the longest chance at life. To hell with the nine realms. He would get his hands on the Crestfallen bloodline if it was the last thing he did. Chapter 378: Masterful Deception Vincent pressed his back against the stone wall as he carefully peered through a runically enhanced window. Down below in the Nightrose castle''s courtyard lined by statues of him in his prime, he saw the few remaining Grand Elders of the Blood Lotus Sect who had stood on his side cowering before the Nascent Soul Realm shadow lich. He couldn''t hear what the lich was saying to the Grand Elders as he was refraining from spreading his spiritual sense beyond the castle and possibly giving away his location. "It looks like it''s finally time," Vincent said in a deep, raspy voice that surprised even himself. It had been a while since his consciousness occupied his real body, and he had forgotten how far it had deteriorated. He stepped away from the wall, and his long toenails scraped on the stone as he trudged into the depths of the dark room. His long arms reached for the shelves as he gathered body parts floating in large jars of murky brown liquid. While he could create clones from blood and have them appear genuine to weaker cultivators with a clever application of illusion and gravity Qi, they were nothing but disposable puppets that could command a fraction of his power. He had to carefully make a body from scratch if he wanted to create one capable of housing his many bloodlines and affinities. "Hopefully, the eyes won''t spoil before I can set up a new preservation array," Vincent grumbled as he took the jar containing his new eyes off the array built into the shelves. While spatial rings slowed down decay, they couldn''t stop it entirely. "Wha¡ªugh," Vincent suddenly kneeled over and retched while desperately gripping the shelf to stabilize his shaking body. Wiping his mouth, he inspected the back of his hand with a frown. "Black blood? That''s new..." Pushing himself up to his trembling knees, he tried to calm his broken body down. "The killing of my clones had a more significant toll than I thought," Vincent grimaced as he looked within. His soul was an absolute mess. Three affinities competed for dominance, and since he had used much more blood and gravity Qi recently, he was unstable. Add some soul damage on top of that, and he seemed on the brink of going supernova. This isn''t good. I had hoped to strike an alliance with the Ashfallen Sect to buy some time to switch bodies, but those bastards seem hellbent on destroying everything I have built up and killing me, but for what purpose? Vincent stabilized himself on the shelf as he thought through his long list of enemies and drew up the most likely. Now that I think about it, there''s no way for a Divine-level sect to appear out of nowhere. This must be a division or lapdog for the Celestial Empire. Maybe the Chairman finally decided to free himself from the council by establishing a shadow Empire in the wilderness? If that''s the case, it would explain why the threads of fate with my highest survival rate would be if I headed to the Celestial Empire. The Chairman would rather let me live and recover than expose his secret branch to the Celestial Empire to hunt me down. Vincent had a long history with the Chairman. They were like two old friends, just on the opposite side of a fence and with a dagger ready to slit the other''s throat. Of course, there is no guarantee that the Chairman has anything to do with the Ashfallen Sect. They could also be a group that found a way down from the eighth layer of creation. Vincent sighed. What he needed was more information. He was utterly in the dark. Let''s see... I''ve already decided I need to get ahold of Stella Crestfallen''s bloodline. If I let her live and I escaped from here to the Celestial Empire, all I would achieve is living for a few centuries, but I would never be able to step into the Monarch Realm without the assistance of her ancestral knowledge of laws. I''m sick and tired of sitting in silence and listening to heaven''s whispers for years on end with no results. With that course of action decided Vincent looked toward the east. He had failed to capture Stella Crestfallen earlier due to her Spatial Anchor and because she somehow noticed that he had replaced the demoness beside her with a clone. But all hope was not lost. He could smell her bloodline from here. Taking a deep sniff and contemplating for a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and smiled. "Darklight City. She is hiding near there, without a doubt." Trudging back to the window, Vincent eyed the Grand Elders in the courtyard below. It seemed the situation had deteriorated. Moving the sect is not feasible without the protection of other families and their help in building arrays. The new area will be monster-infested, and another demonic sect may try to claim it. A fight is inevitable, which will consume a lot of Qi and set me back decades. I''ll go after Stella Crestfallen in Darklight City and flee elsewhere once the beast tide reaches its zenith. Now, who was in control of Darklight City again? His eyes flickered between the group below, and a slow realization set in. It was the Ravenborne family, but they were killed by the Winterwrath and Evergreen families under my orders. However, both of those families were then killed, and then the Redclaw family took over? That shouldn''t have been possible unless the Redclaws got help from someone else. Vincent ground his teeth as he remembered the Redclaws had shown up alongside the Ashfallen Sect. They must be working together to take me down. I''ll have to approach Darklight City cautiously, as it''s likely the stronghold for the Ashfallen Sect. Vincent suddenly felt a cold grasp caress his soul as pressure washed over him. His gaze snapped in the direction it was coming from, and he locked his eyes with the shadow lich down in the courtyard. It was staring right at him. How did he notice me? Vincent scowled as he raised his hand and saw the viscous black blood still webbed between his sickly white fingers. All that had changed between now and the last time he was at the window was the presence of this blood. Analyzing it a little closer, Vincent sensed the faintest hint of divinity from the black blood. "Is this blood from the All-Seeing Eye?" Vincent aggressively shook his hand as he stepped away from the window. That had been the name of the god Stella claimed to be a priestess of, and her daggers had been coated in this black blood. "It must contain some tracking qualities. But why now? Because it was exposed to the air¡ªget off me!" The building suddenly shook, and the runic enchantments on the window glowed fiercely with silver light as the defensive formation fought back against a cluster of shadow tendrils. Vincent wiped the black blood on a random cloth before throwing it away. I need to leave¡ªnow. He quickly spread out his spiritual senses as his location was already compromised. As expected, he could feel strong cultivators and monstrous beings, likely belonging to the Ashfallen Sect, rushing toward his position through the castle. If not for the defensive formations slowing them down, they would already be upon him.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Rather than wasting his Qi fighting his way out and risking his body falling apart, Vincent exited the room and made his way to another. Inserting his hands into two holes atop a podium, he fed a grand array under the city his overflowing illusion Qi that was throwing his soul out of balance. The Nightrose Elders had thought him mad when he melted down their vast fortune of spirit stones to build multiple grand arrays under Nightrose City. He had done the same thing with every city he moved to, and never once had the arrays been activated. Some doubted they even worked and begged him not to spend so much time and spirit stones recreating the arrays in each new location. But one could never be too careful. Money didn''t follow one to the afterlife, and the one time he needed them, they were here for him. "Let''s cover my escape with a few illusions, shall we?" First, he had the city blanketed in a thick illusionary blood fog that seemingly appeared from nowhere. It was always easier to trick the mind when as many senses as possible were impaired¡ªespecially sight. Next, he had the fog seemingly drain the blood out of millions of mortals and gather it toward the Nightrose castle. He wanted it to look like the castle was gathering power and would explode. "Now for the cherry on top," Vincent grinned as he manipulated the illusionary blood fog to wrap around anyone inside it to give them blood masks and matching soul pressure. This way, everyone in Nightshade City almost looked and felt the same in a cultivator''s spiritual sight. Including the shadow lich, his still-alive family members, and the cowering Grand Elders of the Blood Lotus Sect. "Now I just have to sneak out through the chaos." Pulling in his soul''s presence as much as possible, Vincent wreathed himself in illusion and gravity Qi to turn himself virtually invisible by bending light around himself before he left the array room. He then skillfully avoided his pursuers, who were still blasting through defensive arrays to his secret room, by using hidden tunnels between the walls that were only traversable by manipulating gravity to bend the space. Making his way out into the street through an escape tunnel he had built himself and hidden behind illusion formations, he took a satisfied breath of fresh air. Ominous bells rang throughout the city, and the screams of mortals scrambling around through the fog, who all looked as if they were drowning from blood masks attached to their faces, were music to his ears. Vincent grinned as he effortlessly floated into the sky without a sword¡ªone of the capabilities after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm¡ªand while still hidden by bending light around him, he shot off toward the east, leaving Nightrose City to fend for itself. I''ll head to Darklight City first and call on Valandor. There''s something he has that''s mine. *** Ashlock couldn''t believe he had missed an area of the castle. It now seemed obvious from the outside, but it must have been the work of these defensive arrays that kept his roots from getting near it. Silver light flashed across the exterior and window of the room like a force field. "Come on, Anubis. Put some more power into those attacks." While ''talking'' nicely to the Grand Elders from the other families, he''d sensed his cursed blood from an upper floor of the castle and locked eyes with someone who looked like Vincent. Obviously, it could just be another clone, but anything was a potential lead, especially since his cursed blood led to the discovery. He had expected Anubis''s shadow tendrils to smash right through the castle''s stone so he could get a better look at the person inside, yet that had not been the case. This was one of the most impressive defensive formations he had ever seen. Just how paranoid was that freak? The amount of time and spirit stones that must have been poured into this castle could have founded a nation, and they were just going to leave it for the beast tide to destroy? He even unleashed barrages of Spatial Blades infused with daos upon the castle, but his attack strength was weak as he wasn''t fighting through {Progeny Dominion [S]}. Still, this was ridiculous. The stone around that one room could be blasted through, but the room itself seemed impenetrable. Ashlock''s vision blurred as he once again searched the vast castle with its thousands of rooms and corridors. He had his {Ethereal Roots [S]} already burrowing through the defensive formations around the room as fast as they could. Meanwhile, the Void reapers of Ashfallen, led by Khaos, were using their void-coated claws to slash away at a door that had appeared as nothing but another wall before. It had only been a minute since Ashlock sensed his cursed blood and feared the man had already somehow escaped. His fears turned out to be true when his ethereal root broke through the wall, and his spiritual sense flooded the room. The place was empty. There was no sign of Vincent, clone or not. Honing in on black-blood-stained cloth discarded on the floor, Ashlock picked it up with telekinesis and confirmed that it was his Blood Sap. "Spread out, find Vincent Nightrose at all costs," Ashlock said to the Void Reapers, and they vanished in absolute silence as they used Void Step to move elsewhere. He debated bringing in the rest of the sect to search for a moment but then dismissed the idea. They would need to eat Void Protection fruits and get their Spatial Anchors done again, all for the possibility of getting sent back to Red Vine Peak without seeing him. Gravity Qi could travel silently, and with Vincent claiming to have shadow Qi, he would be a nightmare to catch. Nox had been enough of a headache. Searching a few more corridors and finding nothing but terrified maids hiding out in random bedrooms, he gave up and looked outside the castle to a sight he wasn''t expecting to see. The city was shrouded in a thick, blood-red fog that swirled aggressively through the streets. Gongs from distant bells rang out, and he could hear everyone screaming. "Larry? What the hell is going on?" He asked his guardian who he had left in the street to keep the Nightrose Elders suppressed. "Chaos Master," Larry said as he floated above the fog, "It happened so suddenly throughout the entire city. The fog appeared, and then there were screams." Ashlock tried to look closer, but the fog was like taking the lid off a boiling pan and getting a face full of steam to his spiritual senses. It was utterly impossible to penetrate. Surging Qi through his roots, he used telekinesis to push the fog aside, revealing a few mortals. There were strange blood masks on their faces that they were trying to yank off one another, and it seemed as if thin streams of blood were being siphoned from their bodies and gathering toward... the castle. "Oh shit," Ashlock saw the gathered blood condensing around the castle and begin pulsing like a heartbeat. Faster and faster, it pulsed, all the while glowing with power. It was almost as if it were a soul about to go supernova. "Did that bastard set the castle and maybe the whole city to explode?" It was a hell of a way to cover an escape, that was for sure. Ashlock''s mind began to race. He could hear the mortals crying out for help through the blood fog. Millions would die, a capital city gone if he didn''t do something. Morals and doing the right thing aside, this was an opportunity to get a lot of new worshipers¡ªand fast. The problem was that he would need to open a portal to Red Vine Peak to use his Evil Eye and search for a solution to save everyone. After all, there was no use for worshipers that were dead. Ashlock quickly confirmed his Voidstorm Aegis was active back on Red Vine Peak and found his sect members in Quill''s library. "Stella, take everyone and hide in my Inner World for now." "Tree! What is happening over there¡ª" "Sorry. No time to explain. Just trust me, okay!" Ashlock switched back to Nightrose City while feeling sorry for leaving his daughter in the dark. Gathering as much spatial Qi as he could muster, he opened a truly titanic rift in the sky. While one of this size was not needed, it helped add grandeur to his performance. Opening his Evil Eye, he stared through and could finally see Qi''s flow, types, and cultivation level. "Let''s see how I can stop this from happening..." Ashlock trailed off as he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. The Qi was high level, nearing the Monarch Realm. It was pure, and one of the most impressive displays of Qi he had ever seen. But none of it was real. It was all an illusion. The blood, the fog, the masks... everything. Vincent hadn''t been the fool¡ªAshlock had been played from the start. He wanted to be angry at being fooled, but how could he be? While Vincent had escaped, the bastard had set the stage for the All-Seeing Eye to save millions from nothing but an illusion. Chapter 379: Twisted Kindness In the darkest depths of the Duskwalker residence, Elysia Mystshroud was sitting cross-legged in a viscous pool of blood before a tiny red-leafed sapling growing out of a stone altar. A purple-tinted aura wreathed her body, making her appear ghostly to her family members kneeling in rows behind her, their reverence focused on the tiny tree. Stella Crestfallen, the Grand Priestess of the All-Seeing Eye, had gifted Elysia a fruit that contained a divine seed of their god when Elysia had begged for a holy object to be the subject of her worship. Planting the seed, a small demonic sapling had sprouted. Since its birth, the whole Mystshroud family had carefully tended the tree, and Elysia had ensured it understood the greatness of the All-Seeing Eye through dreams via mystic Qi. "Mytherion," Elysia said as she caressed the tree gently like a mother with her mystic Qi, "Do you understand yet? The greatness of your father?" The tree did not answer, but Elysia could tell it did not yet understand¡ªfor if it truly did, it would join them in prayer and sing praises to the high heavens. "Perhaps you need more blood. A child needs to eat." Elysia pricked her finger with the tip of a ceremonial dagger and dripped blood over the tree''s leaves. The droplets of blood rolled off its small leaves and trickled down its rock altar into the pool of blood Elysia was bathing in below. A few of the demonic sapling''s roots had burrowed through the altar and extended into this blood pool, so Elysia used it as a place to leave corpses, her own blood, and some Mystic Qi. It was important that this child of her god was well-fed and taken care of. Elysia let her Qi pour into the pool as she lounged back and lazily opened her mind to the demonic sapling to show it the wonders of the All-Seeing Eye. Her long silver-tinted black hair that ran down her back was sprawled out floating in the blood pool and got dirtied by the bits of half-decayed animals floating around, but she didn''t care. "Little Mytherion, when you grow up, you will finally understand that there''s far more to the All-Seeing Eye than anyone thinks possible. I''ve seen it." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "He is not from this world. I need to raise you in case¡ª" Her eyes suddenly widened as she felt a domineering presence overwhelm her consciousness. Instead of resisting or even protecting herself, she let it flow in and dominate every part of her body and soul. "Elysia Mystshroud, as the Vice Cult Leader, I require your assistance with something." "Anything!" Elysia screamed in ecstasy as her god''s words thundered in her mind like a chorus of the dead, and her body trembled, "My body and soul are yours to command. Just tell me what your heavenly gaze desires!" "Uhm..." Her god sounded uncomfortable. Perhaps she hadn''t shown her devotion enough?! "I apologize for my lack of manners. I''ll..." she glanced around desperately and laid eyes on the altar, which gave her the perfect idea, "I''ll show my devotion by opening my mind to you more!" she stood quickly¡ªblood and bits of animal from the pool trailed down her body as she gripped the altar before her and, without hesitation, slammed her forehead on the sharpest corner. Along with the crunch of her skull, pain shot through her body, causing her to collapse backward. Her vision was blurred slightly as she squinted up at the demonic sapling on the altar she had been taking care of, and to her bewilderment, she could see the illusion of her god overlaying it. "Elysia, what are you doing?" The Grand Elder of her family had gotten up from his kneeled position and walked beside her with a look of concern. "Father, be quiet. I''m receiving a divine message from the All-Seeing Eye," Elysia scowled at the blurred man as blood trickled down her face and into the pool below. "Do not interrupt me." The Grand Elder seemed shocked as he knelt and bowed his head, "I apologize. What does our god desire from my humble family." Elysia reached out to the presence in her mind, "Speak through me. Whatever your desire is, have it be known to your humble servants." "Very well..." Her god sighed. He seemed tired. Yet the sudden presence that took hold of her was anything but. Elysia felt her body turn to face her still-kneeling family. Her mouth opened, yet what came out was not her usual voice but a hundred voices at once. "Vincent Nightrose, leader of the Blood Lotus Sect, desires something that is mine. Something so close to me that losing it would cause me to war with the nine realms until its destruction or my own. Elysia watched as her family slowly stood up in unison. Mystic Qi flickered across their skin, pulsing red with rage. The All-Seeing Eye had opened their minds to a new height of power¡ªthey owed their everything to him. "Vincent Nightrose has been marked for death by me for this transgression, as has the Nightrose family. By sundown, the Nightrose family will be no more, and Nightrose City will fall under my domain. However, while running away, Vincent Nightrose activated a grand array and set the city to explode, threatening to kill everyone. People who are unaware of my greatness. New potential worshipers." Elysia felt her body tremble. Such an outcome was inconceivable. Not only did this bastard cause trouble for her god by desiring something that was his, but he even dared to deny people from learning about the All-Seeing Eye''s greatness before their demise. Inconceivable! What a tragic fate to perish before learning of the All-Seeing Eye? Without him, their souls will wander in the afterlife without knowing of his love. "We need to save them." The Grand Elder said seriously. "Agreed. I will teleport you all over to Nightrose City. Save the city and its people with everything you have, all while spreading my name. That is my decree." Elysia fell to the pool like a puppet cut from its strings as the All-Seeing Eye withdrew his intense presence from her body. Her Qi exploded out, sending waves through the pool. Her mind was left even more broken, her soul fractured and drifting. Yet she felt her strength reach a new height... her cultivation had actually gone up to the 7th stage of the Star Core Realm. It seemed the experience of becoming her god''s voice had enlightened her. A face-splitting grin spread across her face as she stepped out of the pool, drenched in blood. "Mistress Elysia, please clean yourself and get dressed..." A nearby maid hesitantly handed her cult cloak, which she grabbed and absentmindedly put on. Her thoughts were elsewhere. My cultivation increasing means the heavens recognize and have rewarded my devotion to the All-Seeing Eye. I must show even more vigor and worship next time! Elysia balled her fists before she decided to address her family again. This time with her own voice. She was... enraged. What the All-Seeing Eye had told her made her blood boil. "The All-Seeing Eye has blessed us with his divine words. We will hunt and kill Vincent Nightrose till our last breath. We will wipe out all nine generations of his bloodline and feast on their corpses," Elysia spread out her arms as she looked to the ceiling and shouted, "But first, we will spread the name of our god!" She licked her lips as blood continued to trickle down her face from the wound on her head. "This is a decree, and it''s our job as his faithful servants to carry out his will." "All hail the All-Seeing Eye. May his gaze be forever eternal." The Grand Elder''s voice boomed through the room, and the dozen other members of the Mystshroud family echoed the words with equal vigor. Elysia turned and caressed the leaves of the demonic sapling one last time. "Mytherion, do you feel our love and devotion to your father? Can you feel his greatness flow through you? His profound words and teachings?" Once again, the tree didn''t reply, but the tree''s father sure did.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Spatial Qi, along with the All-Seeing Eye''s presence, flooded the room, and reality was torn asunder as a rift manifested. Elysia narrowed her eyes at the rift that had appeared before her. So this is a gateway to the land my god desires dominion over. Whether it be hell, heaven, or somewhere in between. I will go where he wishes and conquer it all the same. Withdrawing and stepping on a sword, she flew through the portal with mystic Qi wreathing her form and ready to manifest whatever she could imagine. As her ears popped from the pressure change, the intense smell of iron assaulted her nose alongside the sound of a gong and screams. She seemed to have been directed to the center of a city so large she could hardly make out the towering black walls in the distance. Below her was the courtyard of a comically large castle built on a mountain that lorded over the city. How could someone even live in a castle like this? It has to have thousands of rooms. Walking from one end to the other must take at least an hour. The castle''s size made what Elysia was seeing even more unbelievable. The entire structure was covered in a layer of thick blood that pulsed as if it were a heart. The power radiating off it was immense, and it looked like it would explode at any moment as Qi leaked out of random holes. So this is the power of someone that can anger a god¡ªmy god. Yet despite the imminent danger, the All-Seeing Eye simply watched through a massive rift in the sky. He did not show signs of intending to act, which contradicted what he had told her at the Duskwalker residence. Elysia realized the hidden meaning. If the All-Seeing Eye has entrusted me to deal with this, that means it''s not worth his involvement. Elysia raised her hand above her head, and her mystic Qi began to condense. Which has to mean that he trusts me enough to deal with it myself. Ah! I can feel his love. Mystic Qi worked off belief from both the wielder and the opponent. As a higher form of illusion Qi, she could bring things into reality so long as she could visualize them. If she believed strongly enough, almost anything was possible. I must liberate the city of this blood fog first so they can see the castle and the All-Seeing Eye in the sky. Otherwise, how else will the mortals experience his gaze invading their body and soul, bringing them to new heights? Elysia raised her other arm and showed both palms to the sky. Her broken soul hummed in her chest as she began to feed a small ritual circle between her fingers with power. It spun upwards and grew bigger and bigger. Her eyes glowed with a violet hue as the ritual circle expanded, covering the entire city and grinding away at the blood-red dome. It also began to suck up the bloody fog that was blanketing the city. As it absorbed more of this strange blood mist, the ritual circle actually grew in power rather than weakening. Elysia was in awe. The All-Seeing Eye must have foreseen this and given me a blessing! Otherwise, it wouldn''t make sense for this technique to grow in power. That only happened when it encountered illusions, but her god wouldn''t send her in to save the people from something that wasn''t real. This city needed saving, and she was here to do it in the name of the All-Seeing Eye, even if it resulted in her soul''s death from using up all her Qi. "Mystshroud family! Believe in the All-Seeing Eye, and he shall grant you a blessing. Your powers will grow tenfold as we rid the world of this filth that threatens to deprive millions of feeling the warmth of his eternal gaze!" "Praise the eternal gaze!" They all chanted, raising their hands to the sky and following her lead. Dozens of ritual circles expanded through the sky like ripples on a lake. They all spun at different speeds as the blood fog flowed toward them. Once all the blood fog had been lifted from the city, the rings began to spin in reverse, and mystic Qi cascaded down, flooding the streets at no cost to Elysia''s Star Core. No wonder the All-Seeing Eye saw no need to intervene. Just how far ahead into the future can he see? Elysia was in awe once again. Whenever she thought she understood the situation, more was revealed to her. I need to let the people know. They need to understand who saved them. The city was now saturated with mystic Qi, giving Elysia near unlimited control via the ritual circles overhead. Since the blood fog had been dealt with, the mortals could now look up at the All-Seeing Eye in the sky. As gongs continued to echo through the city, people stood staring at the crack in reality. Their eyes were wide, and they seemed afraid despite gazing upon their savior. Elysia grinned. They are clearly all experiencing the joy of the All-Seeing Eye''s gaze. How marvelous! The more their minds break and accept his grace, the more devoted they will be. Mirroring her thoughts, the ritual circles in the sky began to spin aggressively. All at once, the mortals throughout the city collapsed to their knees. Howls and pained screams of celebration resonated through the city as Elysia flooded their minds so they would understand. They had to understand. They did not need to live if their puny little minds couldn''t understand the All-Seeing Eye''s grace¡ª "Elysia." Her own name thundered in her mind, spoken by her god. Looking toward the rift, she saw the eye of her god glaring at her. "We are a peaceful cult that accepts people into our ranks without breaking their minds... you and your family were a unique case. It''s better to win mortals over with goodwill and demonstrations. They become more loyal that way." Elysia felt like she had been struck by a lightning bolt of enlightenment. Only the All-Seeing Eye, an evil god, could develop such a profound kind of mind control. Goodwill? Of course... how hadn''t I thought of that before? Twisted kindness is a perfect way to worm into the hearts of others and make them believe they owe you something. I can''t force the All-Seeing Eye''s greatness upon people. They need to experience it for themselves. That is the ultimate kindness I could give anyone. Elysia''s eyes flickered to the castle that was still a beacon of leaking power, about to explode. Relaxing her arms, Elysia used the mystic Qi that had already invaded everyone''s minds to spread the word of her god. "The Nightrose family has forsaken you all, lost and confused in a fog of your own blood¡ªyour death draws near. But fear not, citizens of Nightrose City, not all is lost. Accept the gaze of the All-Seeing Eye, and feel it down to your soul. The pain you feel now is not an attack; it is the cleansing of your body and soul from the control the Nightrose family once held over you." Elysia utilized the mystic Qi to relax everyone''s mind and make a calming feeling flow through them, along with her words. She then made the sky crackle with lightning between the spinning rings. With the All-Seeing Eye to her back, she drew attraction to herself. It was time to show them the power of a mere follower. "With the fog lifted, do you see it now? The castle that once served as the home for the ruling Nightrose family, cultivators that promised to protect you from the beast tide¡ªthey are gone. In their place, they set it to explode and kill you all." Mystic Qi warped around the castle, making it look even worse than it really was. Elysia grinned as she heard shouts of outrage from the streets below. The mortals gathered in the streets at the foot of the mountain were little black dots, almost like ants. Not that she saw them as ants... assuming they became worshipers. Mortal or cultivator, she respected anyone who revered the eternal gaze. *** A young teen stood with his five siblings outside his mother''s bakery shop. Tears streamed down his face as he tightly gripped his mother''s hand. Their shop''s glass front had been smashed in during the chaos earlier. Everyone had gone mad as their faces were eaten by blood, but some had used the opportunity to loot. Nearly every store on the street had been hit. He knew his mother had already been struggling to pay the high taxes and rent to the Nightrose family. He had overheard her soft cries as she sat alone at the dinner table while he stayed hidden on the stairs after putting his brothers and sisters to bed. Now, with all their bread gone, he knew his mother was on the edge of a mental breakdown. But none of that would matter if they all died in an explosion orchestrated by the very people who promised to use those funds to further their cultivation and protect them. He stared up at the sky with a clear mind due to the apparent cleansing of the control the Nightrose family had on his mind. Those cultivators... it''s so clear now. They robbed us. Used us as nothing more than cattle. We work ourselves to death while they enjoy the fruits of our labor. "Fear not, with the power vested in me as the Vice Cult Leader for the All-Seeing Eye, I will annihilate this transgression against you." It was strange. He shouldn''t be able to see the woman from so far away or hear her words. Yet they reached him as if she were right before him. The crazed woman in the sky threw her head back and began chanting. "O herald of the gaze, devourer of worlds and all who dare to oppose you. Hear this servant call and lend me your strength to bring these hard-working people salvation from this accursed fate." Hard-working people? He looked at his tired mother standing at his side. Had they ever once been acknowledged as hard-working by a cultivator? The bizarre circles in the sky that had freed the land of the blood fog stacked up into a tunnel that seemed to give focus to the godly eye staring down at them through a rift in the sky. From the moment he had laid eyes on it, his brain had broken. Yet now it seemed peaceful as if it was here to help. Which was a stark contrast to how evil it looked. So that eye is the All-Seeing Eye? Some kind of god? Is it really going to save us? He squeezed his mother''s hand with a grim expression. The god looked evil, and the crazed woman said she was part of a cult worshiping them. But maybe they really can? Rifts opened up around the eye, and he felt a chill down to his bones as tendrils of otherworldly darkness snaked through the cracks in reality. At first, it was just a few, but as if the sky was barely holding back a withering mass of tentacles, they just kept pouring out until the entire sky was like a waterfall of slithering darkness. Soon, the castle was utterly drowned in darkness. "How can we ever hope to fight something like that?" His mother muttered, her face pale with fear. "Hopefully, we don''t have to," he hissed back so his younger siblings didn''t hear. But he wasn''t so sure himself. To him, it looked like a tyrant had been squashed to make way for an evil god. Chapter 380: Netherworld Ashlock watched through his Evil Eye as Elysia commanded Pluto''s tendrils to stop the castle from exploding. Of course, it was merely an illusion¡ªnot that he had told Elysia that. Ashlock worried she wouldn''t put on a dramatic enough performance if she didn''t believe failure would result in the loss of millions of potential new worshipers. "Though I have to say that girl somehow became even more insane. I didn''t expect to find her bathing in a pool of blood and animal parts while praying to one of my offspring," Ashlock sighed as he watched Elysia cackle away as she made more of Pluto''s tendrils snake their way into heaven''s carefully woven reality. "Just how broken is her mind to imagine Pluto''s body to look this eldritch?" Just a few months ago, when they first met, the body Elysia could conjure with Mystic Qi for Pluto could easily fit in an arena, but now... it looked like the sky might fall like ceiling paint holding back a leak. "Is that what Maple''s true body looks like?" Ashlock mused. Pluto was Maple''s little sibling, and they were both Worldwalkers, so he doubted they differed that much. The display was quite horrifying and made all the worse as he watched it unfold through his Evil Eye. Pluto was just darkness in his sight¡ªan all-consuming void that devoured everything it touched. [A large inflow of divine energy has been detected] Golden letters flashed before his eye, informing him it had begun. Elysia had spread his name while putting on a performance that even impacted him. It was such a raw display of reality-bending power that even he wouldn''t want to mess with Elysia. Yet she happily proclaimed that she was wielding such cataclysmic powers in his name, which would definitely bring their respect for the All-Seeing Eye to new heights in the minds of the millions of mortals watching. "System, what''s my current number of sacrificial credits?" [You have 3500 sacrificial credits and rapidly counting] "That''s quite a lot," Ashlock mused as his Evil Eye swiveled to look at the mortals lining the streets gazing up at him and the castle in fear. Maybe in hindsight, Elysia hadn''t been the best one to handle this. "This could have been an opportunity to give the cult a new light! Darn it, I should have tried to appear more majestic and benevolent." Ashlock sighed. "This display has definitely furthered my evil god image, but I fear that might be the only option moving forward." They had mystic Qi on their side, and it could manifest anything, but the problem was that, unlike illusion Qi, it only worked if the cultivator fully believed in what they were trying to conjure. Ashlock glanced back at Elysia, whose eyes had rolled back, and she looked possessed as she pulled immense amounts of mystic Qi in from her surroundings to manifest Pluto''s body. All of her family and the dozens of ritual rings were pumping her with Qi and it looked like she would go supernova any second as Pluto kept coming. "Should I... tell her? That it''s just an illusion, and she doesn''t need to go this far?" Ashlock wondered as he felt a little bad and definitely didn''t want Elysia to die or explode, but on the flip side, the insane girl seemed to grow in strength the more she broke, so... "I''m sure she will be fine¡ªow!" Ashlock winced as he felt pain shoot through his root network. He hadn''t felt pain like this in a long time, as he had his root network tuned out. It would drive him crazy if he were to experience the fears, concerns, and pains of every tree he was linked to across the realm. So something big had to have happened for the pain to be so extreme it overwhelmed his ability to tune it out. Immediately, he tried to locate the source of the pain. Anything that could cut through so many of his S-grade ethereal roots so effortlessly had to be something at the Nascent Soul Realm. "Could it be Vincent? Is he attacking me somewhere? Or maybe the beast tide has reached my roots sooner than expected?" Following the pain, all signs pointed toward his roots inside the castle. "Is Vincent trying to claw his way out like a caged rat and hurting me in the process?" Ashlock''s vision blurred as he switched to his spiritual sight through his roots inside the castle. All he was met with was an all-consuming darkness. It took a moment for Ashlock to realize what he was surrounded by as he shifted his view through his roots until he could finally see. "This looks like the vague remnants of a room and are those cries of fear. Wait, they aren''t Vincent. Why the hell are their maids here? Oh god." The ceiling collapsed as a tendril of void belonging to Pluto crashed through. The wood hissed as it was deleted from existence, and the tendril rushed into the room like a flood of ink. The darkness was Pluto, and it was about to reach three maids cowering in the corner behind a table. "Pluto, stop," Ashlock commanded the Worldwalker with Abyssal Whispers. But the encroaching void did not cease. "Pluto, I know you can hear me. Stop what you are doing; mortals are here, and you are destroying the castle." A deep and otherwordly laugh that reminded Ashlock of a whale calling out through the vast ocean filled not just the room but the entire castle. "You may have a leash on my sibling, but you don''t control me. I can devour what I please." The void tendril that had crashed into the room suddenly lashed out and plowed through the table and cowering maids. It was unsettling how silently the attack deleted them from existence as if they had never existed. Ashlock didn''t understand why Pluto was doing this. "Why did you kill the mortals? They don''t have any Qi worth devouring." "They deserve to die as reality is a stain on the void. Before, there was beautiful chaos, but now there is a clear barrier¡ªa divide between the nothingness of the void and the everything of reality." Pluto''s voice raised to a thunderous volume that seemed to echo throughout the void, "Tell me why I should be born into slavery, to guard something I''m not even allowed to taste?" Another void tendril drooped down and slammed through a side wall, silencing another set of distant cries. The castle was still full of hundreds if not thousands of maids, and they would all be devoured by Pluto at this rate. "In here, it''s beautiful." Pluto continued, "The air is sweet and dense with Qi. Millions of different organisms are waiting to be savored and minds to be broken. Compared to the void, where even time doesn''t flow, how am I supposed to exist knowing what I''m being denied?" Ashlock was reminded that the Worldwalkers were realm-devouring monsters. They grew in power by destroying, and it seemed Pluto viewed reality as a golden chest they desperately wanted to open. "So when given entry to this paradise, all you seek is to destroy it in childish rage? If you devour it all, there will be nothing left." Ashlock tried to reason with him, "Reality will return to the void." "Good, then all will be fair. These puny humans devoid of Qi cower before me yet live better lives than I." Another tendril silently shot off through a wall, snuffing out the candle of life on another group of maids. "Power is supposed to be all that matters, so why am I denied what is rightfully mine?" "You are nothing but a foolish and short-sighted child." Ashlock switched his perspective to his Evil Eye and glared at Elysia. "It''s over, Elysia. Send Pluto back to the void." Elysia stayed utterly motionless, almost as if she were dead. Her head was to the sky, and she had a manic look of utter fascination as if she were seeing something otherworldly.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "She is broken." Pluto''s laughter echoed through the void, "Her ego is fractured and adrift. She barely has any will of her own, allowing me to easily overpower and giving me free rein." "I know," Ashlock flooded Elysia with his presence and saw the girl grin, "This crazy girl surrendered her soul to me..." Elysia''s head slowly rolled forward, and she looked down at Pluto. "...which lets me do things like this." He said through Elysia''s mouth as she pointed a finger at Pluto. "No... that shouldn''t be possible. Complete soul dominion?!" Pluto''s body squirmed aggressively as tendrils moved away from the castle and began spiraling up toward Elysia. "That''s impossible! How can she still be alive?" "Because I''m a divine being, and her faith in me is unwavering," Ashlock said through Elysia again. "Lies!" Pluto thundered, "I have tried to achieve soul dominion over her this whole time but was unsuccessful. Her soul should be extinguished by your presence, not embracing it." "This is why I called you a foolish child. True power does not always lie in your own overwhelming strength," Tendrils of divine energy shaped by Elysia''s mystic Qi exploded out of her hand and met the void tendrils attempting to spiral up and devour her. "Even the heavens rely on others to manage reality, and it looks like I''ll have to do my job as a divine being to vanquish an encroaching voidling." "No!" Pluto roared as his entire body surged upward, "You can''t send me back! I''ve spent too long preparing Elysia as my gateway to invading reality, only for you to stand in my way. I refuse to accept this!" "Use that overwhelming power you are so proud of to stay then," Ashlock sneered via Elysia as he increased the divine energy tendrils tenfold and began forcefully collapsing Pluto''s body despite the Worldwalkers best efforts to maintain his form. After all, the body was not Pluto''s. It was crafted from Elysia''s imagination. An otherworldly scream echoed through the void as Pluto was utterly overwhelmed. Ashlock almost found it laughable that this Worldwalker truly believed he could do as he pleased while using his worshiper. [Ashlock, you are losing control] "What?" Ashlock was surprised by the golden system message flashing before his vision. "Losing control? Over what?" [Divine energy. You are using Elysia as a gateway to channel an incredible amount of divine energy from the millions of mortals enthralled by the display of your power. This is a valid use of the gathered divine energy, but power comes at a price. Using divine energy in this way deprives your sacrificial credits of being able to multiply as much as they could as you will shortly lose your domain over the spent divine energy, and it will return to the heavens] Ashlock glared at the system message, enraged. This stupid Worldwalker''s powertrip and hunger had cost him precious sacrificial credits? That wouldn''t do at all. He would give Maple an earful about his sibling once this was over, but for now, he needed a solution. He refused to humor the idea of losing out on such a boon in such a dumb way. Channeling his rage into the divine tendrils, Elysia''s eyes glowed with a purple-gold hue as he quickly extinguished Pluto from the realm, sending the bastard back to the cold darkness he came from. "Elysia, you did well," Ashlock said through her in a hushed whisper before withdrawing his presence. Her whole body went limp for a second before she caught herself from falling off her flying sword. "Now, system, what should we do?" Ashlock said as he gazed down at the half-eaten castle. It was as if someone had poured lava over it with how the walls had deteriorated. Despite its destroyed appearance, it gave off the feeling of a holy site with how much divine energy was swirling around the structure. As the system had informed him, this was divine energy that had been directed toward him from the mortals due to Elysia''s terrifying display, but instead of absorbing and directing it toward his divine stock market to grow his number of sacrificial credits, it had been used to fight Pluto and was now almost out of his control. [Suggestion: Channel the raw divine energy into a gacha draw. I''m unsure of the outcome, but it''s bound to have a significant impact on the draw, whether it be a summon, item, mutation, or a new skill] Ashlock hadn''t expected such a suggestion. It had been a long time since he had entertained the idea of a gacha draw due to how risky it was and the level of threats he faced. However, he was being advised to do some gambling. How could he possibly say no? "How many sacrificial credits do I have right now?" [5938 sacrificial credits and climbing] "Phew, that''s a lot. What would that result in? An SSS grade draw, at least? Maybe even higher? Maybe I should wait until it climbs a little higher..." [But you will soon reach the maximum number of sacrificial credits your Inner World can support, and my hold on the divine energy is loosening] "Oh yeah. I forgot there was a limit to how many sacrificial credits I can have at once, but that increases with how many worshipers I have, right?" [Yes, but the mortals of Nightrose City are not yet worshipers. If anything, they fear you and your power more than revere you] "What''s the difference?" [A worshiper will provide a steady amount of divine energy that can be used to nurture a sacrificial credit tree and multiply it. Meanwhile, someone who fears you will only give a burst of divine energy upon witnessing an act that instills that deep fear. Humans keep memories and ideas that terrify them out of their consciousness until reminded of their existence] "Because living in fear is a twisted form of self-torture. It''s better to turn a blind eye and drown out things that weigh deeply on one''s mind... just like how I tune out my offspring. I see what you mean now." Ashlock sighed but didn''t lose hope. He could still turn these people into worshipers; all he had to do was deploy the cult to the streets armed with gift baskets of pills and smiles. "Okay, if my sacrificial credits are about to reach their limit and this divine energy will go to waste, let''s do the gacha draw now." Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3643 Daily Credit: 77 Sacrifice Credit: 6117 [Sign in?] [Are you sure? Over 6000 credits will be used on a random draw] "Of course, I''m sure. There''s still some Nightrose Elders to devour for dessert anyway." [Very well...] [Sign in successful, 6194 credits consumed¡­] [Unlocked an SSS-grade Summon: Netherworld Wraith] An SSS grade summon? It had been a long time since he had drawn a summon, the last being Kaida, but he had slowly leveled his summons up through the grades. What would an SSS-grade summon even be capable of? Would it rival a Monarch Realm or perhaps even surpass them in strength? "Where is it?" Ashlock asked as he noticed the divine energy swirling around the castle suddenly take on a hint of sinister darkness. [This is bad...] Ashlock didn''t need to be told. He could feel it. The coming of death. "What is happening?" [You are not yet strong enough to wholly control the ego of an S-grade being, let alone an SSS-grade one] The darkened divine energy began to condense around a vague figure in the castle''s center. [We may have just welcomed an uncontrollable harbinger of death into the realm] "A harbinger of death? Just what is a Netherworld Wraith?" [It''s a being born from the intersection of death and life and is said to feast on lost souls. They are neither alive nor dead and are said to inhabit the liminal space between the realms. They can traverse reality effortlessly since they exist on the bridge between life and death. I believe Netherworld Wraiths can phase through physical matter and can''t be harmed by conventional means] "Why have I never encountered them before?" [They exist on a different plane of existence to us and are also egoless beings. They don''t know how to seek out sustenance; they simply float around the liminal space between the realms and devour any souls in reach like jellyfish] "If it''s egoless, why can''t I control it easily despite being SSS-grade?" [What is there to control? Without an ego, it has no brain. Not thoughts or desires that can be altered to suit your needs] "So we just need to give it an ego, right? One that''s already under my control." [You want to transplant an ego into an SSS-grade being? It would have to be one you have a firm grasp on, is of at least the Nascent Soul Realm, and has a deep understanding of soul dao] "I happen to know just the girl for the job," Ashlock said. There was no way he was letting a Netherworld Wraith wreak havoc right after he had vanquished Pluto back to the void. This was his realm, and his alone to conquer. *** "It sure is quiet..." Nox muttered as her dryad form lay in a field of white flowers around her tree. Ever since she had inherited the Dark Throne and learned the shadow Qi law, she had been left to oversee a pocket realm called Tartarus. She had worked hard to set it up in preparation for members of the All-Seeing Eye to train here, but nothing had happened yet. "The others must be busy. Sigh, I just wish someone would visit me," Nox sat up with slothful grace. All around, there was nothing but darkness. It might as well be the void, and she was starting to get lonely. "This is the most powerful I have ever been, yet I have never felt more trapped than now." A sad chuckle escaped her lips, "I know they said it was lonely at the top, but I didn''t imagine this¡ª" A sudden message in golden letters manifested before her face. [Ashlock has requested to implant your dryad soul into an SSS-grade spiritual being. Doing so will promote the summoned {Netherworld Wraith} to a Mythical Grade being] [Do you accept?] "Mythical grade? What in the nine realms does that mean?" Chapter 381: Mythical Grade Nox was unsure if she should trust the words floating before her. It claimed Ashlock needed her to make a decision, but it used too many terms that she had never heard of. SSS-grade? Mythical being? Netherworld Wraith? Nox raised her hand, and it effortlessly passed through the floating golden words, but they did shimmer in reaction to her Qi, meaning they were likely carved out of divine energy. Is another diving being trying to tempt me away from Ashlock? It just seems too suspicious. "Nox, accept the system message." Ashlock''s voice, along with his presence, surged through the ethereal roots connecting her tree body to the root network. His tone was filled with urgency. Whatever this system message thing was, it seemed important. "Oh¡ªokay! I accept." Nox said without another thought. If Ashlock needed her to do something, she had no reason to protest. The golden words swam through the air to rearrange themselves into a new message. [Which soul do you wish to sacrifice?] "Sacrifice?!" Nox''s eyes widened. Was she talking to a demon? She was willing to do almost anything to repent for her past life''s sins, but while she was lonely, she still enjoyed living. Sacrificing her soul was a bit... [You have two souls of comparable strength. While your memories are linked, you are essentially two separate entities. Pick which one to sacrifice] Nox glanced at her tree. It was true; she had used her family''s most difficult technique, Shadow Soul, to divide her soul in two so she could create this dryad form to give herself mobility and the ability to talk to people. While being a tree had advantages, she had lived too long as a human to not desire a humanoid form. By using Shadow Soul, she could live the best of both worlds. But as the message had said, her memories were linked. While possessing two distinct vessels, she was still one. If either her dryad or tree soul were to perish, she would become half of the person she once was. Memories would be lost, and her personality would completely change. "What exactly do you mean by sacrificed?" Nox understood Ashlock seemed in a hurry, but this was still a big decision, and considering she was given a choice in the first place, maybe she could say no? [On the scale, your soul is currently at the level of an S-grade being. The reason I say sacrificed is because I will be trying to implant your soul into an SSS-grade being, which is incomparably stronger than you, and Netherworld Wraiths are known to devour souls... it''s their only food source. So there is a high probability of failure, resulting in the Netherworld Wraith consuming your soul] "Right..." Nox nursed her head as she re-read the words floating before her three times. "If it''s so incomparably stronger than me, do I even have a chance of success?" [A slim one, yes. The Netherworld Wraith is egoless, meaning the vessel acts purely on instincts. If it had an ego, taking it over and achieving soul dominion over it would be utterly impossible for you. Also, it''s currently in the process of manifesting, meaning it''s in a weakened state] "You''re our best bet," Ashlock added, "The Netherworld Wraith seems to have aspects of shadow Qi, meaning your shadow Qi law can overpower it. You also have a good grasp of soul dao, and your cultivation level is among the highest in the sect." "I see..." Nox sighed and looked at her peaceful field of flowers, "And dare I ask, what happens if I say no?" "We might all die. If the Netherworld Wraith finishes manifesting without an ego I can control, it will begin feasting on any soul within range. Even if we all came together, I''m not sure we could stop it. SSS-grade is a level of power that is likely beyond Monarch Realm..." "Meaning nothing on the 9th layer of creation can defeat it," Nox bit her lip. "So, hypothetically, if I succeed at taking control of this Netherworld Wraith, would that make me the most powerful being in the realm?" [Potentially, yes. Though it''s unlikely that you will be able to unleash the full potential of a Netherworld Wraith from the start. While the vessel will be at the Mythical grade, your soul will still be at the S-grade. A soul can''t jump multiple realms of power and not implode] Nox nodded in understanding. So I will have the body of a super powerful being, but I will be limited to outputting whatever level of techniques my current Nascent Soul Realm soul is capable of. That''s crazy... with Tartarus and Ashlock''s ability to invade pocket realms, I can cultivate my soul to catch up to the Netherworld Wraith quickly. But I still don''t understand just how strong I can be... "What does Mythical grade mean if SSS grade is so powerful that nothing in the realm can stand against it? Does that mean I''ll be like a god once my soul can utilize its full potential?" Nox asked. She assumed these strange terms Ashlock and these floating words were using were some kind of knowledge or way of categorizing things only known between divine beings. It was relatively intuitive, but she did have to wonder if a snake god came up with the naming scheme, considering how many S''s were being thrown around. [Mythical grade is undefinable. However, it would be impossible for a Mythical grade being to use their full strength down here on the 9th layer of creation without earning the ire of the heavens] Nox was starting to get the full picture. They wanted to put her soul into an egoless vessel that had a high probability of eating her. But should she succeed, she would gain a new body at a level of strength unreachable for another on the 9th layer of creation. If I can wield such power, I can keep my promise of protecting the Ashfallen Sect from almost any threat. Nox''s eyes flared with determination. If I''m so valuable to the sect, there''s no way I will be left alone to guard an empty pocket realm anymore. "Okay," Nox balled her fists, "You can take my soul inhabiting this dryad body as I assume a soul used to a more humanoid body will fare better?" [Netherworld wraiths aren''t known to have any fixed shape. They are soul-devouring spiritual beings that exist on a plane between realities that shouldn''t even exist, so either of your souls would be fine, but I agree the dryad one is the better choice] Nox thought about it for a moment but was sure she wanted to keep her tree soul around. It was the body Ashlock had given her, and she wasn''t about to sacrifice it. "Alright, I''m ready," Nox said after sitting down cross-legged in the field of white flowers. [This will be an excruciatingly painful experience, and it will take all your willpower to hold your ego together. You will be walking a thin line between success and soul death. There is no margin for error] Nox glared at the words, "I already said I was ready. How is this supposed to motivate me?" [I will now begin. First, I am going to melt away your vessel and free your soul] "Wait, what¡ªAHHHHH." She threw her head back as the most unfathomable pain shot up her spine. Through her blurring vision, she saw her tree body blazing with lilac soul flames and dozens of void tendrils piercing her back. Black thorn-covered vines had also erupted between the white flowers and pierced her body. She was being eaten alive.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. [I''m going to need you to hold still...] An immense force locked her body in place, and she was unable to even close her eyes. All she could do was stare at the words floating before her face and howl through the pain. I understood this would be painful, but I thought that would begin later! I haven''t even seen the Netherworld Wraith, yet I''m already experiencing so much pain. [Almost done] Nox couldn''t see the state of her body as she couldn''t even switch her view to her tree body, but from the floating words, she discerned that there wasn''t much left of the dryad body she had spent so long meticulously crafting. It was a shame to see it go, but she wouldn''t achieve much if left here in a pocket realm. It was time for Ashfallen City''s guardian to reclaim her position. Suddenly, the telekinetic force locking her in place pulled her free. She was an intangible ball of black power floating in the air for a split moment before she hurtled toward the ground, only to go through the flowers and end up inside an ethereal root. Her world blurred as she was dragged through the tunnel at immense speed, and not even seconds later, she erupted out and was now overlooking a vast city. "Is this Nightrose City?" Nox wondered as many bad memories resurfaced. She had gone here many times as a Hunter to sell items at one of the many auction houses littering the Blood Lotus Sect''s capital city. Looking around for the city''s most famous landmark, her spiritual gaze landed on a half-destroyed castle. It looked like a dragon''s fierce breath had melted the structure from the top. She could also feel an intense sense of death radiating from the place as tainted divine energy swirled around the place. "The Netherworld Wraith is still manifesting in the center of the castle," Ashlock said in her mind, "Unlike the system, all I have to tell you is good luck, and if you succeed, consider all your past sins forgiven. You will have saved us all." Nox sighed. Despite the more positive tone, Ashlock''s words made her even more nervous than what the golden words had said. "I''ll try my best," she said while looking up at the giant eye gazing down through reality. Ashlock really is starting to feel like a genuine god. While his true strength is only a few stages in the Nascent Soul Realm above mine, the difference between us is staggering. I''m not even sure that taking over the Netherworld Wraith will close the gap between us. It''s not that she wanted to surpass Ashlock. She just wanted him to deem her helpful to whatever schemes he devised. Nox didn''t have any more time to contemplate her goals as she was once again flying¡ªthis time right toward the swirling chaos of tainted divine energy in the castle. As she closed in, she could see the vague outline of a figure, and it was this being that she was hurtling toward. The tainted divine energy burned her, and she felt like she was drowning in boiling water as the telekinetic force that had been dragging her ceased. She was on her own, floating through the chaos. Pushing through the pain of having her soul boiled alive, she tried to keep herself together and sought out the forming Netherworld Wraith. *** Ashlock watched through his Evil Eye with bated breaths as he saw the flickering ball of darkness that was Nox''s soul merging with the Netherworld Wraith. It was not a joke to say this moment defined the future of the 9th layer of creation and possibly the entire nine realms. "Now I remember why I held back from saving up ridiculous amounts of credits in the past," Ashlock said as he recalled his failed summoning of Maple back when he was still basically a sapling. "Who''s to say an SSS-grade skill wouldn''t tear my soul apart if I tried to use it, or what if I received an SSS-grade cursed item with an ego of its own? While the system is my golden finger in this world, power comes with responsibility, and if I get greedy and aim above my capabilities, we end up with a situation like this. If Nox fails, I might have just invited my own demise." A Netherworld Wraith was a spiritual being able to phase through reality, meaning physical attacks would be useless, and due to its ridiculously high cultivation level, it was unlikely that any Qi attacks anyone on this layer of creation could conjure would leave a lasting wound on the thing. "System, how do you even summon things?" [I offer up a bounty of divine energy and capture the first being that answers the call. In this case, we offered so much that it seems our reach extended to the space between realms, and it just so happened for a Netherworld Wraith to be nearby, which is incredibly unlucky. They are as rare as finding a star in the cosmos] There were a lot of stars in the cosmos, but compared to the vastness of space, Ashlock understood what the system was saying. There are a lot of Netherworld Wraiths out there, cleaning up wandering souls that somehow escaped the cycle of reincarnation. But the chances of opening a random portal in space and being next to a star were near zero. "What would you say is the percentage chance of Nox succeeding?" [5% at most? I''m unsure if it''s even possible to transplant an ego into an egoless vessel. I don''t think it''s ever been done before] Ashlock gazed down at the swirling chaos with newfound fear. There wasn''t any bloodlust radiating off the forming Netherworld Wraith like he would experience from an enemy with an ego. It was simply the cold feeling of certain death. Bloodlust was like being faced down by a hungry tiger, snarling and drooling as it circles you with deep hunger in its eyes. Meanwhile, the feeling coming from the Netherworld Wraith was like standing there and watching a star system''s sun exploding in the sky. No weapon, prayers, or hope could save someone in that situation. All they could do was wait for certain death. "Let''s say Nox fails... do you have any ideas on ways we could kill it? Would my void tendrils work?" [No, it can phase through realms and is therefore immune to the void that lies between them] "What about Larry? Can he decay it?" [The Netherworld Wraith has no tangible form to decay. It''s a spiritual being] Ashlock sighed. "This is cheating." [That''s an SSS-grade summon lured here with an insane amount of gathered divine energy for you. In a twisted way, we should be glad we didn''t accidentally summon another deity. I don''t think they would have taken your attempts to control them lightly] "I guess there is some good to be found in every bad situation," Ashlock was now even more glad he had given Nox a second chance at life, and he began to wonder if karma existed. He would be facing doom if he had simply devoured her for credits. Nox was, ironically, his ray of light in the darkness right now. "Come on, Nox. I believe you can do it." Ashlock quietly cheered as he intently watched. Minutes passed, and he began to lose hope. The tiny ball of darkness that was Nox''s soul began to flicker like a dying flame. [We should start preparing for the worst. If the Netherworld Wraith finishes forming without Nox being in control, its soul pressure alone will lock everything in place, including Larry and Anubis. There will be no way to save them] "Not yet," Ashlock replied. "Nox is still alive, if barely." [Ashlock, if she fails...] "She won''t." Ashlock dared not take his eye off her, "Besides, if she fails, it''s over for us." As a tree, he could not move. He was stuck here, and if there was an undefeatable foe, it was only a matter of time before the Netherworld Wraith floated to Red Vine Peak and killed him. A house near the castle suddenly exploded. It happened so fast that Ashlock hadn''t caught the shadow tendril that was now jutting out of the swirling chaos. The destroyed house''s tiles hadn''t even finished shattering on the ground when another shadow tendril shot out and took out two multistory buildings this time. "Is that Nox''s doing?" Ashlock sure hoped so. [I don''t think so...] The system trailed off as more shadow tendrils emerged from the chaos with dead mortal maids skewered on them. There were... hundreds. The shadow tendrils extended into the sky, putting them all on display. "What is happening?" [The Netherworld Wraith is preparing for a Soul Harvest] "A what¡ª" All at once, the corpses withered to dust that fell and drifted off in the wind. The shadow tendrils that had once supported the corpses slammed down, obliterating the surrounding area, including what was left of the castle. The swirling, corrupted divine energy began to condense, and something rose from the chaos. It was a tall, wraith-like woman with a body made of twisted roots and ghostly branches. Even through his Evil Eye, Ashlock struggled to keep her in focus. Her form shimmered between reality and somewhere else. The woman looked around with translucent, glowing white eyes. Atop her head was a crown of dark wooden antlers that radiated the chill of death as she rose into the air, giving Ashlock a better look at her ethereal body that trailed a cape of shadowy tendrils as if she needed to stay connected to the ground that was now far below her. The Netherworld Wraith continued to rise until she was right below his Evil Eye, gazing through a rift. "I can finally see what you truly are." The wraith cracked a smile. "Nox?" Ashlock asked apprehensively. The voice certainly didn''t sound anything like her. The wraith nodded, "It''s me." [SSS-grade summon deemed successful] [What was once an egoless being known to devour wandering souls between realms has become capable of critical thinking. In light of this, a new variant of the Netherworld Wraith has been registered as Netherwood Wraith due to Nox''s unique appearance and given the grade of Mythical] [Summons list updated...] {Netherwood Wraith: Nox [Mythical]} {Herald of the Divine Ash: Larry [S]} {Midnight Ink Lindwyrm: Kaida [B]} Ashlock dismissed the system messages. They had avoided the worst-case scenario, but he wasn''t out of the woods yet. He wasn''t sure what Nox had seen, and more importantly, was Nox still an ally? Chapter 382: Sovereign of the Veil Ashlock stared down at Nox through his Evil Eye. He saw that her soul spread throughout the Netherwood Wraith''s body like spirit roots. "You aren''t in total control, are you?" Ashlock said. If he looked at any other person or monster, their soul would have a focal point, and its influence would spread equally throughout the vessel. On the other hand, Nox was like a parasite that had taken root inside the Netherwood Wraith. Almost as if she was controlling the body like a puppet rather than being its absolute master. "I''m not," Nox agreed, "I feel like I''m using my own soul as a leash to keep a feral beast under control, and it''s hungry..." Her translucent white eyes glowed, "so, so hungry." "For souls?" Nox nodded, "If I don''t eat some soon, I fear I will start to consume myself. I can see why Netherworld Wraiths are egoless; if they had minds, they would surely go insane from this hunger." "You remind me of Maple, just a lot worse, I suppose. As a Worldwalker who grew from devouring, I had to turn a blind eye to many of his antics, as restraining him would only lead to him turning on me. Same with Larry. I had to let him go off and feast, and I''m ashamed to admit he brought back a fair number of mortal corpses for me, and there were a fair number of rumors among the mortals about him hunting in the woods." "Sorry¡ª" Nox gave what he assumed was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but on the face of a mythical grade herald of death, it sent a chill through his bark, "¡ªthis is the best I can do for now. Once my soul''s cultivation level matches my vessel, I will be able to control myself better. But I think the hunger for souls will never go away as there''s a clear disconnect between my soul and this body... and this body hungers." "Okay, we can work with this. Anything is better than the other outcome, which was your soul death and a very hungry SSS-grade being floating around in search of any soul it could get its shadowy tendrils on." Ashlock swiveled his Evil Eye to look around at the surroundings and reactions of the populace. It was suffice to say that it was not looking good. Elysia''s display of summoning Pluto had already been quite intense, but then the Netherworld Wraith was summoned, blanketing the whole city in a feeling of certain death. "I fear my dream of having a good image will be an uphill battle from here." Ashlock returned to Nox, "Why exactly did you skewer hundreds of maids and turn them to dust? Was that you or the Netherworld Wraith?" "Oh, that was me," Nox replied casually, "What? Don''t look at me like that. I managed to seize control over the Netherworld Wraith''s body for a split moment, but my soul was about to extinguish, so I had no choice. I had to use the Netherworld Wraith''s ability to feed on souls to empower myself, or else I would be the one devoured." "Wait, you can use Soul Harvest to empower your soul?" "Soul Harvest? Is that what it''s called?" Nox paused, "I suppose just like a parasite that invades a body and feeds off that body''s food supply, I can do the same. I didn''t think much about it at the time¡ªit just felt natural. But yeah, I suppose I can grow in strength simply by devouring the souls of others... or a Soul Harvest, as you call it. That''s quite insane, right?" "It is," Ashlock agreed, "It''s how I grew in power so quickly, as did Maple and Larry. Human cultivators must sit and absorb Qi, while we can grow in strength by stealing the Qi from those we kill." "That''s unfair..." "What would you say your current strength is?" Ashlock asked curiously. He needed to know where to send her to feast on souls. Nox looked down at her body as if it would give her the answer. "Uhm, I''m not sure, to be honest. My soul''s strength is still in the lower stages of the Nascent Soul Realm, and I cannot use many of this body''s innate talents as they use daos I''m unfamiliar with, such as death, life, spirit, and dimensions." "But if you were to just let go and let the Netherworld Wraith take over?" Ashlock asked. Those were all things the body had been capable of using without an ego, so they had to be built into its DNA of sorts. Nox''s gaze darkened, "Then I doubt anything could stop me, but there''s no guarantee I''ll be able to wrestle back control, and if that happens..." Ashlock had expected as much. The problem was Nox couldn''t wield the daos with intention as she didn''t have the knowledge. It was almost as if she were piloting a plane and didn''t know what the buttons did except the autopilot feature, which would rob her of control but let the aircraft perform as intended. "Yeah," Ashlock sighed, "We will need to be very careful about that." He paused, and his tone turned more serious. "You said that you could finally see what I truly am. What did you mean by that?" Nox''s translucent white eyes glowed again. They were creepy and alien-like, "It''s hard to explain, but to me, reality doesn''t look... real anymore?" Her head tilted, "It''s as if I am disconnected, looking at reality from the beyond. Almost as if I''m in the walls." The system had said that Netherworld Wraiths could phase through reality effortlessly. Did Nox see the world like someone using wall hacks in a video game? Like X-ray vision? "The only thing that''s ''real'' in my eyes are souls," Nox explained, "That''s what I meant by the fact I could see what you truly are, and now I understand why there was such a gap between us." "What do you mean a gap between us?" "We are both in the Nascent Soul Realm, a mere few stages apart. Yet your soul pressure and ability to influence the world were on the level of a god. Not of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator." Nox gestured around at the destroyed city, "But now I can see it, feel it. Your presence is everywhere. As far as your roots reach, so does your control. The entire ground is dyed a lilac hue." Nox twisted her head, stared toward the east, and licked her lips, "Even from here, your soul smells delicious." "Nox, I don''t know how I feel about being called delicious by the Mythical grade being known to dine on souls for breakfast." That earned a haunted laugh out of the Netherwood Wraith, "I''m not joking. If I left this body to do as it pleased, you are like a beacon that echoes across the land. Like a moth to a flame, the Netherworld Wraith would have likely ignored everything here and floated straight for you." Ashlock had never thought of his presence in such a way. It was true his soul''s reach covered a very large area, but it hadn''t occurred to him that anything able to see or smell souls would be drawn toward him. "Just for the sake of argument," He chuckled nervously, "Now that you have taken over the body, do you have any weaknesses I could know about? You know... just in case."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Nox replied after contemplating, "Mhm, soul and spiritual attacks would be effective, I suppose. Soul attacks to kill me, and then spiritual ones to destroy this body." "I don''t think I have either of those," Ashlock grumbled. The best he could think of was his Abyssal Whispers skill that attacked a person''s consciousness, but he doubted an egoless Netherworld Wraith would have cared much for his illusions or words. Nox nodded, "Soul attacks are incredibly rare, and that just so happens to be what a Netherworld Wraith is capable of. I can simply phase through reality, including a person''s body, and feast on the soul directly." "Terrifying," Ashlock said with all seriousness. "Final question then, are you still... loyal?" That last word felt hard to say as, in a way, he liked to think of those around him as his friends, but he was also well aware that most of them were kept in order via oaths he had them take or because being near him granted them resources that helped advance their own cultivation. "I''m saddened you even felt the need to ask," Nox replied in the best way possible. "Of course I am, and I hope I can be useful moving forward... though I am getting ravenous. There''s a limit to how much I can resist this body''s desires." Ashlock let out a long sigh of relief, "That''s great to hear, and I''ll let you go to hunt in a moment, but first, we need to do some damage control and harvest some more divine energy." He wasn''t done until he had milked every last drop of divine energy from the population of Nightrose City, and then he would go and do it again to every city in the Blood Lotus Sect until everyone across the wilderness either feared or revered his name. He was on a roll, and there was no reason to let up now. "Elysia," Ashlock said into the mind of his vice cult leader, who was lying sideways on her sword and looking at Nox in utter fascination, "Meet..." He trailed off as he realized something. He wanted to make Nox into a figure for his cult. Her sheer cultivation strength aside, she looked the part and radiated an ominous presence. If the world decided he was an evil god, he would play into it. Switching back to Nox, he explained the situation. "I think you should pick a new name or persona for your Netherwood Wraith body and keep the name Nox for your tree body in Tartarus." "Any suggestions?" Nox drew up a blank. "Let me think... what about Nyxalia?" Nox was the name for the Goddess of the Night in Roman mythology, while Nyx was the name for the Goddess of the Night in Greek mythology. The significant difference between them was the level of importance and power they had over their respective myths. While Nox was important as one of the original gods, her role in Roman myths is more symbolic than central. Nyx was one of the primordial deities born from chaos and the mother to many of the important gods, including the gods of death and sleep. Nyx was a powerful and mysterious figure, often feared even by Zeus, the king of the gods. He added alia to the end of Nyx because it meant ''other'' in Latin. Since she already had a soul named after the Goddess of Night, Ashlock felt adding this suffix helped differentiate the two. He could have suggested any random name, but he liked to give his close subjects names with deeper meanings, at least to him. Especially since he had discovered that the names he gave his Ents and summons held importance and could be carried down. Nox thought for a while before nodding, "I like it." "Okay," Ashlock switched back to Elysia. "This is Nyxalia, a demi-god of the night in service to me." He referred to her as such as Nyxalia could only control shadow dao as of now, "I need you to announce her arrival to the populace and inform them she was summoned here to vanquish the Nightrose family. We are doing damage control here as I bet the population''s opinion of her is rather sour after watching her obliterate a few buildings and suck the souls out of a hundred maids." Ashlock was unsure if Elysia listened to a word he said. She leaped off her sword at Nyxalia and embraced her in a tight koala-like hug. Her whole body trembled, and her eyes widened, "Yes..." she gasped to the sky with a crazed look, "This must be what dying for my god feels like. Oh, this feeling of death, it''s so cold... right down to my soul." Nyxalia looked utterly unimpressed, "Elysia, get off me, or I''ll eat your soul." "Oh heavens! Please do," Elysia begged, "Eat me up¡ªdevour everything I have. If it can savor the taste of one such as yourself in service to my god, I''m willing¡ª" Nyxalia plucked Elysia off herself with a shadow tendril and threw the crazed girl toward her floating sword. Elysia cackled as she spiraled through the air before catching her sword. "Good restraint," Ashlock complemented Nyxalia, "I thought you might devour her for a moment." Nyxalia shook her head, "Her soul, how can I explain it." Her face twisted in disgust, "It''s so corrupted it might as well be rotten food. If I devoured it, I think I might get sick." Ashlock burst out laughing. Elysia was so broken that even an egoless Netherworld Wraith might float away from her, and the idea that a cultivator of Nyxalia''s level could get sick was hilarious. "I''m serious," Nyxalia said with a straight face, "Keep that thing away from me. Elysia was hanging from her flying sword like a monkey bar and had a saddened expression. "My god laughs at me, and my demi-goddess rejects my love." "Maybe I''d like you more if you do what was asked of you," Nyxalia said, impatience evident in her voice. She was getting hungry, and her mood was turning sour. "Really?" Elysia clambered on top of her sword and cleared her throat. "Ahem," mystic Qi that was still swirling throughout the city from earlier pulsed and carried her words to the minds of all who would listen, "People of Nightrose City, you are saved! While I have managed to rescue the city from destruction, the Nightrose family''s stranglehold on this city''s populace runs deep. In light of this, in his infinite wisdom, the All-Seeing Eye has summoned his herald, Nyxalia, Sovereign of the Veil, to bring death upon those beyond saving, such as the maids of the castle from earlier and the members of the Nightrose family still here in the city. Please sit back and relax as we leave it to Nyxalia to bring salvation." "Sovereign of the Veil?" Nyxalia said, sounding unimpressed. "It''s your stage name," Elysia winked, "Sounds cool, right? Now go devour some souls or something to please the All-Seeing Eye and get us some new worshipers." "Maybe I should have stayed in Tartarus," Nyxalia sighed. She sounded exhausted. Ashlock opened a portal that led back to Ashfallen City. "Elysia, head back to Ashfallen City and gather the cult. I need everyone possible to take to the streets, offering welcome packages and spreading the name of the cult." "Okay," Elysia didn''t hesitate and went to fulfill his orders. "Meanwhile, Nyxalia¡ª" Ashlock paused as a system message flashed before his face. [+432 SC] "Look''s like I finished devouring those two Nightrose guardians, and as suspected, they were nothing more than dessert due to our cultivation difference, but that''s fine. It gives me a nice sum to start multiplying with divine energy." Ashlock mused before telling Nyxalia, "You must be hungry. You see those Nightrose Elders being held down by Larry? Eat a few of them and make a scene out of it. We want the population to see how easily you deal with the tyrants that have been lording over them for far too long." Nyxalia slowly rotated upon her rising spiral of shadowy tendrils and looked straight down the central street where the Nightrose Elders were cowering under Larry''s soul pressure. The Mythical being licked her lips as shadow tendrils shot out and grabbed them like a frog hunting for flies. Five elders of the Nightrose family, varying in age and gender, were displayed high above the city. They cried out curses, but they fell on deaf ears. Moments later, their lives were snuffed out, and their ultraspeed regeneration proved useless at preventing their soulless husks from disintegrating into dust, just like the maids had before them. Nyxalia let out a satisfied moan as their souls flowed down the shadow tendrils and were harvested. However, the satisfaction seemed short-lived. Not even moments later, the hunger returned to her eyes. This time, it was even more fierce than before. "Sorry, Ashlock. Now that I''ve had a taste, I need to go. I can''t stay here." Nyxalai said between gasps. "What? Where are you going?" Ashlock asked, but his words fell on nothing. Nyxalia was gone; she simply phased out of existence without a trace. "Well, shit." Ashlock was deathly worried about where Nyxalia had gone, but he couldn''t even feel her presence anymore. It was as if she had never existed. Deciding to focus on the task at hand and deal with a hungry Mythical being later, he opened portals to Ashfallen City near the castle, and people wearing his cult''s cloaks poured into the streets. Satisfied, he was about to leave to search for Nyxalia and talk to Stella about what had happened, as he was sure she was worried alongside the others, when someone caught his eye. "Grand Elder Starweaver? Why is he the only one left?" It would seem that the other Grand Elders had taken the opportunity to escape during the chaos. Only the Starweaver Grand Elder remained. He was kneeling on the ground. His eyes were glowing gold, and he was staring up at the sky with a look of horror. "I guess the threads of fate are showing him something quite nasty," Ashlock chuckled, "I hope it''s not about me." Chapter 383: Net Positive Nyxalia had to get as far away from Ashlock as she could. His all-encompassing presence that blanketed the land was all too enticing. It was as if Nightrose City''s streets were slathered in sweet honey while she was starving¡ªno, she was absolutely ravenous. It was driving her insane as her Netherwood Wraith body was trying to devour her from within. It''s fine. It''s going to be okay. I''m okay. Nyxalia leaned on her other soul in Tartarus to maintain her sanity. If not for it serving as a mental rock, she would have lost control back there. The feeling of harvesting power straight from another¡ªit was intoxicating. It felt like cheating as if her entire life until now had been a lie. All those decades spent hiding away in dark moss-filled caves, meditating while droplets of water trickled down her face as she slowly became one with the darkness now felt like a waste. It had been agonizing, but at the time, the growth in cultivation had been worth it. But now she could grow in a different way, so to sate her hunger, she had run away toward distant souls. As evening fell, there was a feeling of unease and terror in the wilderness beyond Nightrose City as shadow tendrils struck out relentlessly from a withering mass phasing in and out of reality. Nyxalia feasted on anything and everything that had a heartbeat and, more importantly, a soul. They were all so weak, like little fireflies in the night. Ashlock was like a blazing sun of power in comparison to these insects. Nyxalia glanced toward the east, where the sea of power converged¡ªRed Vine Peak. She was far enough away to barely resist, but even from out here, she could still see his vast presence dominating a large part of the wilderness. Maybe a tiny taste of Ashlock''s soul would be fine... he wouldn''t even notice¡ªno, these insects will do. Nyxalia returned to devouring anything she could get her tendrils on. While she referred to these monsters as insects because they might as well have been when compared to her cultivation level, some were tree-sized monsters in the Soul Fire Realm, yet they died all the same. Hundreds of monsters perished within minutes, and the wilderness, once home to a chorus of howls and sounds of battle, had fallen deathly silent. The only evidence of the one-sided slaughter was a breeze carrying a cloud of soulless dust to sprinkle across the grass in Nyxalias'' wake as she moved further west, deeper into the Blood Lotus Sect''s territory. Between each city in the Blood Lotus Sect and other demonic sects were vast, untamed swathes of land known to cultivators as the wilderness. Here, animals were mutated by the ambient Qi into monsters. Cultivators usually had little reason to interact with these monsters. They rarely made it to the Star Core Realm as making it to such a stage required protection from others, something most monsters found hard to come by. Because of this, cultivators could fly over them on guarded airships without wasting their Qi. I used to be the same. I always dreaded long trips through the wilderness between cities to delve into rifts and sell my wares, as I would have to waste Qi flying on my sword or battling through the endless wilderness. But now... I gain power the more I kill. Yet why am I only getting hungrier the more I devour? Am I losing control over this body? It was a terrifying thought. After experiencing such a ridiculous way to gather Qi, there was no way she could go back to her old way of gathering Qi as a tree or human. She wanted to continue living as a Netherwood Wraith. So why? Why did she hunger so? Let''s think. Ashlock said he gained power through harvesting the souls of others, yet he never slaughtered everything in his vicinity like I have so far. Nyxalia paused near a calm lake and focused intently on the peaceful water illuminated by streaks of sunlight in a vain attempt to relax her ravenous hunger. Unfortunately, all she could see were the tiny white orbs that were souls belonging to fish in the lake''s depths. Wait, tiny white orbs. Nyxalia extended a shadowy tendril and watched intently. It passed through the water, and she noticed her hunger worsen slightly. The tendril then made contact with the fish. She pulled on the Netherwood Wraith''s innate Soul Harvest ability, and her hunger worsened considerably. However, once the little white orb was pulled free and absorbed, her hunger lessened¡ªbut only slightly. Overall, the experience had been a net negative. Curious, Nyxalia targeted another fish, but this time, she wrapped her shadowy tendril around its body and crushed it. Blood and guts shot out its mouth into the water, terrifying the nearby fish. Pulling the fish out of the water and leaving it on the lake''s shore, she waited. It took longer than she had hoped, but eventually, the little white orb floated free from the vessel, and Nyxalia noticed it began to phase out of reality to somewhere she couldn''t even see. Before it could fully go, she reached out and grabbed it. Pulling it into her own soul, she felt a tiny rush of power. It was insignificant, like savoring a single water droplet while dying of thirst. But more importantly, she hadn''t felt more hungry from the process. It had been a net positive. A ray of hope bloomed in Nyxalia''s mind as she now understood. Ashlock told me Netherworld Wraiths were spiritual beings that feasted on souls and existed on a plane of reality that shouldn''t exist. I expend no energy when I''m simply floating through reality without interacting with it. However, when I try to manifest my shadow tendrils in water, I use energy, and I use far more to pull souls out of people''s bodies while they are alive. I see now why devouring those Nightrose Elders almost made me lose it. While their souls did contain a lot of Qi, I ended up expending more to forcefully pull the souls from their bodies and reduce their vessels to dust. As I killed so many at once, the sudden loss of Qi caused me to almost lose control. So, the key is to expend less energy than I receive from absorbing a soul. No wonder Ashlock doesn''t bother to kill the mortals in Darklight and Ashfallen City. The effort isn''t worth the gain. Nyxalia felt relieved to have discovered the reason and was glad she decided to seclude herself deep in the wilderness. But then, a disturbing thought occurred to her. Is that why Ashlock is turning mortals into cultivators? Raising them as cattle for slaughter? Nyxalia paused and shrugged. What Ashlock does is none of my business. My job is simply to defend his livestock¡ªer, I mean citizens. "Now I have two options," Nyxalia said as she floated alongside the lakeshore upon a mass of squirming shadows. Her voice was far different from how it had been as a human. It sounded ethereal as if she were speaking from another place. "I keep hunting these weak monsters in the most Qi-efficient way until my body is stabilized, or I go hunting for cultivators¡ª" Her eyes snapped to the sky as she saw a Star Core Realm cultivator blitz past, propelled by an intense wind that blew the leaves off the trees they passed over with a boom. No matter how fast they traveled, in Nyxalia''s spiritual gaze, all she saw was their delicious soul of wind Qi. "Looks like the heavens have given me an answer," Nyxalia phased through reality after the cultivator. It was time to hunt. *** Stratos Azurecrests Star Core hummed in his chest as he burned his air Qi to get as far away from Nightrose City as possible. As the Grand Elder of the Azurecrest family, he had been in attendance for the summit. With the beast tide on the horizon, he had expected to be the center of attention as the one who provided and managed the airships.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. At the demands of Vincent Nightrose, he had done terrible things. He used demonic techniques such as fusing the souls of his own children to make them into nocturnes just to meet the quota. So much suffering, so much sacrifice. It had all been for today. At the summit, he was supposed to have reaped the benefits of his loyalty to the Nightrose family. He had dreamed of sitting at the table as the other families paid their respects and begged him for more airships. Who in the nine realms did Vincent offend? Stratos Azurecrest screamed in his mind as the world blurred around him. Just who is the Ashfallen Sect?! I''d have called anyone who claimed there was a new Divine level sect mad. But they had multiple Nascent Soul Realm monsters under their command and... whatever that thing that came down from the sky was. His mind ached just thinking of it. All he wanted to do now was fly back to his family''s airship that he had left far from the city. Bringing it to Nightrose City was always a pain when all the families came together as the oversized docking stations were limited, and the noble families turned it into a competition to see who could get a higher one. I''ll have to gather the Elders and inform them of what has happened. Stratos Azurecrest frowned. I cannot tell who is loyal to who. The Nightrose family has fallen and the Blood Lotus Sect is no more, that''s for sure. The Ashfallen Sect made it clear that they were hellbent on destroying the Nightrose family and would be so kind as to incorporate us into their sect so long as we assisted with fending off the beast tide. What a bunch of lunatics. Why would they want to stay and fight the largest beast tide in history? Just get out of the way and return in a few months if the land is so precious. If they think they can use my family as disposable pawns and throw us at the beasts, they are delusional. I''m done being a slave to tyrants. Stratos Azurecrest brought out a communication jade from his spatial ring and did something he never thought he would do. Inserting some Qi, he spoke into it. "This is Stratos Azurecrest. As the Grand Elder of the Azurecrest family and president of the airship industry," he paused but decided this was for the best. "I demand a recall of all airships to Azurecrest City. This is an absolute order, and any who disobey... well, you know what will happen." He cut his Qi and pocketed the communication jade. His message would be relayed between every airship station throughout the Blood Lotus Sect, and by sundown, every airship would be cruising through the sky toward Azurecrest City. While the message had been about airships, his stance was clear to anyone listening. The Azurecrest family was betraying not only the Nightrose but every family in the Blood Lotus Sect. This was a decision that would not be taken lightly by the other Elders. It has to be done. The Blood Lotus Sect is over. After recalling all the airships, I will evacuate Azurecrest City. The question is to where. Taking a piece of land that''s still on the leyline but out of the way of the beast tide will be difficult. Any good spots will be highly contested. Stratos rubbed his chin in thought. What if we stayed in the air? If we used our spirit stone reserves, setting up Qi-efficient formations on a few airships to keep them permanently airborne wouldn''t be impossible. Expensive, sure. But the survival of my bloodline is what is important here. He would have to leave nearly every mortal behind to perish, even though they had paid for a ticket, and just take maids to tend to his needs, but that was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make. Mortals were only useful for building houses, mining spirit stones, and farming. If he only needed to keep his family alive for a few months while the beast tide passed, he could return to this area, and so long as the Ashfallen Sect hadn''t fully taken it over, he could get the mortal breeding and have a workforce within a decade. I can''t tell if the Ashfallen Sect''s arrival is a blessing or a curse. I know that old man Starweaver was ranting about the descent of an evil god or something. I wasn''t really taking him seriously, well, until now. There''s no doubt the All-Seeing Eye is an evil god, but even a demon can be reasoned with. The problem was the cost. According to the strange lich-looking monster, they would be welcomed under the All-Seeing Eye in exchange for servitude and taking an oath. Apparently, the rewards would be worth it, but he refused to believe such words. It''s fine. We can just run away and decide if it''s worth it another time. Stratos thought as he saw his airship on the horizon. Perhaps he had gone a little overboard during its construction, but it was his family''s pride and joy. A true symbol of their dominance over the air. The thing was a floating fortress decked out in a mountain worth of spirit stones. Silver light flickered across its dull metal exterior from the many hidden defensive formations. Even from afar, he could see dozens of hired cultivators with various affinities standing guard, but they were tiny dots compared to the floating behemoth they stood upon. Since wind Qi lacked combat capabilities compared to many other affinities, he had to use the profits from the airship industry to hire rogue cultivators with more combat-orientated affinities, such as fire, which was still effective in the air. As he got closer, Stratos sensed something was wrong. He wasn''t exactly hiding his presence, and usually, the cultivators would notice him coming and prepare to welcome him. Instead, they all had their backs to him and seemed in a panic as Qi flickered across their shoulders. What is going on? Are they on guard due to my message? A bell began to ring, signifying the airship was under attack. It thundered across the wilderness, and he saw the entire ship glow brightly as the defensive formations fully powered up. At the level of power being emitted, the defensive formations would burn through the ship''s spirit stone reserves within an hour. Either the commanding Elders on the ship had gone mad due to his message, or they were being attacked by a threat equal to Vincent Nightrose. "What? How?" Stratos spread out his spiritual sight but couldn''t detect the presence of any other airships, cultivators, or monsters. Could it be the All-Seeing Eye? No, that shouldn''t be possible. He pushed even more Qi into his sword and there was a sonic boom as he broke the sound barrier and arrived beside the cultivators a moment later. "Report. What is happening." Two cultivators turned to face him, and one of their expressions lit up. "Grand Elder, thank the heavens you are here!" It was one of his brothers. "Right after you sent your message, people began to die." "What do you mean die? Who and where?" Stratos was growing frustrated as the bell continued to ring, and he could feel the intense pressure coming from the defensive formations. They had been designed to ward off Nascent Soul level attacks but at a significant cost. "I don''t know, Grand Elder, the situation is still developing..." "Useless," Stratos pushed past his brother to get a better overview of the ship. Annoyingly, the defensive formations meant his spiritual gaze could not penetrate the walls to get a better idea of what was happening. The airship was built in a giant ring with crosswalks connecting the whole thing and suspending a command room in the center. Everything seemed in order. Nothing had been blown up or gone missing. There weren''t even any signs of fighting. Stratos narrowed his eyes, "Brother, who is commanding the ship right now?" "Elder Ventus is commanding as usual¡ª" He paused as a body was thrown through the wall of the command center, taking out one of the walkways before splatting on the side. The force of the throw caused the entire airship to briefly tilt. "Never mind, he''s dead." "I can see that," Stratos hissed as he conjured his light grey soul flames. But deep down, he knew it was pointless. Anything that could hurl a Star Core Elder through runically enhanced metal would laugh at his attacks. The question is who. He got his answer as a squirming mass of shadows manifested out of thin air, dragging the splattered body toward the ground and vanishing among the trees. Only one being he could think of had this kind of power. "The All-Seeing Eye is here." He cursed, much to the confusion of the cultivators around him. "You people don''t understand," he turned and jumped back on his sword, "abandon ship or die here." They exchanged a look of confusion. "But Grand Elder, this ship is a fortress designed to handle Nascent Soul Realm threats. Even Vincent Nightrose wouldn''t stand a chance at forcing us to abandon ship¡ª" "Brother," Stratos narrowed his eyes, his tone deathly serious, "It''s that kind of arrogance that resulted in the Nightrose family''s downfall. This ship was designed to hold off beasts and cultivators, not a reality-bending evil god." "Evil god? Brother, what are you on about?" Stratos was about to answer, but the words died in his throat as a woman with translucent white eyes and a crown of dark wooden antlers manifested behind his brother. The ghostly woman, who seemed to shimmer in and out of existence, placed a hand on his brother''s head, only for the hand to pass through him. She continued down until her hand reached the chest area that was known to house the soul. "Brother..." Stratos grimaced as the woman pulled her hand back, and the life left his brother''s eyes. Moments later, his brother''s body disintegrated into dust. Chapter 384: Constellations Ashlock stared down at the Starweaver Grand Elder with growing concern. The amount of Qi radiating from the man was well past what should have been possible from a cultivator in the Star Core Realm, and it was only rising. The old man blinked, and his eyes, which had been glowing a heavenly gold, were now black abysses. He continued to blink as if something was irritating his eye, and with each blink, a tiny white spot appeared in his utterly black eyes. "What is going on?" Ashlock wondered as the man''s Qi increased in intensity with the addition of every white spot. Eventually, his eyes looked like the endless night sky. A celestial wind swirled around the Starweaver Grand Elder, picking him up from his kneeling position and making him stand up tall. The man raised an accusing finger and pointed straight at Ashlock''s Evil Eye. "The heavens are aware of you and your origin''s scheme!" he shouted, his Qi-infused voice parting the clouds and making the portal Ashlock was looking through ripple, "The threads of fate demand an intervention." "Wait!" Ashlock thundered into his mind with Abyssal Whispers, "What do you mean by my origin''s scheme?" Morrigan had previously mentioned that an origin had taken an interest in him, so she initially tried to form a pact with him, which he had denied. She had then accused him of being an origin. However, Ashlock suspected his system was the origin but did not know what type, and his system wasn''t keen to answer his questions. Unfortunately, his question fell on deaf ears as the Starweaver Grand Elder seemed possessed by a higher power. "I will now commence your eradication." The Starweaver Grand Elder declared as he clapped his two hands together, and an immense amount of Qi shot into the sky. Ashlock''s Evil Eye swiveled to look around, but nothing seemed to be happening. There were no falling stars or meteor showers. "A misfire?" Ashlock thought but suddenly felt an immense pull on his soul. [WARNING: Voidstorm Aegis was automatically triggered to block an incoming attack] [Qi reserves lacking to block further incoming attacks] [Requesting intervention] "What in the hell?" Ashlock closed the portal right in front of his Evil Eye and glanced up at the sky over Red Vine Peak. It was supposed to be the middle of the afternoon, yet all he could see was the vast cosmos overhead. Black lightning arced up from his Voidstom Aegis to meet intense beams of starlight shooting down at him, and he also saw hundreds... no thousands of meteors burning through the atmosphere toward Red Vine Peak and the entire region. It looked like the end of the world. "No wonder my system said I don''t have the Qi reserves to repel this attack." Ashlock cursed. While his Qi reserves had grown tremendously since he first unlocked the S-grade defensive skill, each bolt of void lightning still took around one percent of his reserves. The skill was terrifyingly lethal and effective, but not against a wide-scale attack like this. This was the type of attack that would level cities and make Nascent Soul Realm patriarchs bend their knees in awe. Unfortunately for the Starweaver Grand Elder, the foolish old man had chosen to fight with a demi-god who didn''t take attacks on himself lightly. "So this is the wrath of the heavens," Ashlock said with Abyssal Whispers to the sky. "Do you think I''m an insect that will be easy to crush?" His Inner World suspended within his vast Star Core began to spin faster. Spatial Qi mixed with divine energy taken from his sacrificial credit trees crackled violently as his soul pressure skyrocketed. Red Vine Peak began to glow as a beacon of power across the entire region as Ashlock glared at the heavens. "Let''s see who will be eradicating whom." A bubble of reality-warping divine-empowered spatial Qi rapidly expanded upwards like a shockwave toward the heavens. The moment it hit the thousands of meteors, the fire wrapping them was extinguished, and a second later, they exploded in a wave into tiny pieces that were then thrown back into the cosmos. With the meteors that would have wiped out the entire region dealt with, Ashlock needed to find a way to stop the starlight beams. They were too high intensity to block with spatial Qi alone, and while they were all targeting him right now, there was no guarantee they wouldn''t start targeting the surrounding cities. "How is this attack even possible? It''s far beyond something a Star Core Realm cultivator could be capable of..." Ashlock recalled the merchant Lucius, who worked with Nox and gave his body and soul to the sun god to unlock far more power. The Starweaver Grand Elder''s actions before unleashing this attack had seemed in line with what Lucius had done. "The heavens must be using the Starweaver Grand Elder as a proxy to try and smite me down." It was well known that the heavens couldn''t unleash their full power on lower layers of creation. Ashlock reopened a portal to Nightrose City and looked down at the Starweaver Grand Elder with his Evil Eye. Sure enough, the man''s soul was breaking apart under the strain. The heavens were using him as a disposable pawn to try and kill him. "Khaos, kill him," Ashlock commanded his reaper. Not even a second after his command, a four-armed headless Ent emerged from the void and skewered the Starweaver Grand Elder with over a dozen claws. The man''s night sky eyes widened, and he gasped in pain. It was sad to see such a powerful cultivator being controlled by the heavens, but that was the outcome for those who listened to the threads of fate. They were lies spun by the heavens, not a future to live by. "You..." The Starweaver Grand Elder wheezed before coughing up a mouthful of blood. "This was always your fate," Ashlock told the dying man, "From the moment you stated that I was an evil god and we would become enemies after dealing with the beast tide. I''ve simply moved up the timeline." "Under you... there is only darkness on the horizon," The man''s body slumped forward, the life leaving his eyes, "Devourer of worlds, I curse you sin of gluttony." "Is that what the heavens are calling me?" The Grand Elder spat on the ground with a disgusted grin, "I''ll never answer the likes of you." "Alright," Ashlock said, "I will see you again very soon." "I hope to never see you aga¡ª" Khaos silenced the Starweaver Grand Elder by tearing him apart. What was left of the old man plopped down in a bloodied mess with Khaos standing over him. "What you hope doesn''t matter to me. Sin of gluttony? What a joke." Ashlock mused as an ethereal root cracked from the ground and loomed over the corpse. Khaos poked a tiny hole with her claw into his root, and a single drop of cursed blood fell onto the Starweaver Grand Elders''s body. "If the heavens are already aware of my existence and the threads of fate call for my eradication, I will take control of everything I can to survive. Starting with making a cosmic Qi bastion." Ents were good, but they couldn''t grow in power. Already, his Ents were starting to fall behind him in power, except for Anubis and his void Ents, simply because void affinity was so strong. Meanwhile, Bastions could grow in cultivation, and he could use {Progeny Dominion [S]} on them, turning Bastions into an extension of himself. Bastion cores were also linked directly to Ashlock''s soul and Qi reserves, allowing his Bastions to make use of his vast Qi pool, which would be perfect for a Qi-intensive affinity like cosmic.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The Starweaver Grand Elder was nearing the peak of the Star Core Realm, so he would make a strong Bastion, and Ashlock had seen the highly destructive potential of cosmic affinity during Celeste''s fight. The cursed blood spread throughout the two halves of his body, and moments later, black wood spiraled upwards, and the two joined into one. Branches sprouted out at unnatural angles as if reaching for distant stars. Translucent leaves bloomed with veins of celestial energy that, when looking from below, reflected a map of constellations. When Ashlock thought the process was complete, the roots around the tree thinned into threads that radiated divine energy and began spreading out. "I don''t know what your name was before this, but you will be known as Orion from now on," Ashlock declared. It was a fitting name of Greek origin, meaning heaven''s lights and the name of a constellation. Power surged through the tree, making it glow with an ethereal light. "Now, system¡ª" [Do you wish to activate the Skyborne Bastion? The cost is 1000 sacrificial credits and the required materials to form a Bastion Core] "How did you... oh yeah, you can read my mind. Yes, turn him into one." Ashlock paid the thousand credits and began the process. [Forming Bastion Core...] The castle''s courtyard, now covered in rubble and signs of battle, began to tremble as waves of power rippled out. [Bastion''s Qi source has been designated as {Ashlock}] [Bastion''s operator has been designated as {Orion}] Since Orion was already in the Star Core Realm, forcing a tribulation was unnecessary. [Bastion''s affinity type set to Meteorite (Cosmic)] Below the courtyard, a shard of black and silver meteorite with intricate carvings formed and linked up with his ethereal roots, giving him the feeling of absolute control. [Skyborne Bastion Active] Ashlock paid some extra credits to increase the size of the Bastion to encompass the entire courtyard, including the stone statues of Vincent Nightrose. "I wonder if I should keep them as the idea of Vincent fighting a flying island with his own statues on it sounds quite amusing," Ashlock pondered but eventually gave up and decided to figure it out later. For now, he would leave Orion here. He needed to go after Nyxalia and inform others about the state of things. [Immense inflow of divine energy detected] "Huh? What for?" Ashlock thought back on what had happened and then felt dumb. He had just been defending himself, but he realized his display of defiance against the heavens had been in full view of everyone in Ashfallen and Darklight City. Ashlock looked inside his Inner World, and while on the way to watch his forest of sacrificial credits grow, he passed the floating arena and realized the tournament was still going on inside his Inner World. It had been put on a brief hold, but there were still many cultivators inside his Inner World that had no doubt seen the inside of his soul as he repelled heaven''s wrath. "System, how many credits do I have?" Idletree Daily Sign-In System Day: 3643 Daily Credit: 0 Sacrifice Credit: 822 [Sign in?] "Decent. I''m sure it''s about to go a lot higher than that once all the divine energy has been harvested," Ashlock moved away from the floating arena toward Stella''s house. He knew she was worried as he hadn''t had time to explain. *** Stella sat on the couch in her house, twiddling her thumbs. An oppressive mood blanketed the room as she stole glances at the others sitting around the house''s biggest table in silence. It had been an hour since Ash had hurriedly told her to take everyone into his Inner World. They had already exhausted their list of theories and concerns regarding the outcome of the battle in Nightrose City. "We are going to be fine, right?" Elaine asked in a small voice that everyone heard. She was the most on edge, as there had been no sign of Morrigan. All they had experienced was having their void shields popped in various ways and teleporting back to Quill''s library. "Trust in Ashlock," Douglas said, softly rubbing Elaine''s back with a kind smile, "When has he ever let us down?" "But..." Elaine trailed off, but everyone knew what she wanted to say. Vincent Nightrose is nearing the Monarch Realm. Stella closed her eyes and leaned back as she felt an ache in her stomach from the nerves. Every passing second felt like an agonizing hour. Ash is strong, but there''s no guarantee he can deal with such a powerhouse. A sudden wave of power washed over the entire house, making Stella''s eyes snap open. She stood up, as did everyone else, and they scrambled toward the windows. "What is happening?" The Redclaw Grand Elder said, glancing at Stella. "How would I know?!" Stella replied in a panic as she stared up at Ash''s turbulent soul that made up the sky. It seemed an immense amount of Qi was being diverted somewhere, and divine energy was also being used. Whatever Ash was fighting, he was going all out. "We have to go help him," Stella''s Star Core hummed in her chest. She was about to step through the aether when she felt a firm grasp on her shoulder, rooting her in place. "Where do you think you''re going?" Stella glared over her shoulder at Diana, "Why are you stopping me?" Diana cocked a brow, "Are you suicidal now? If Ashlock has to exert this much effort to kill something, it is way out of your league." Stella ground her teeth. "Am I wrong?" "No," Stella said through clenched teeth as she shrugged Diana''s hand off her shoulder but didn''t make any moves to leave. Diana was right; if she was to go out there, she would only be a hindrance. "It''s just frustrating. I want to be useful, but¡ª" "I know," Diana ruffled her hair, "But it''s not our fault Ashlock can grow in cultivation so fast. We can only do our best to keep up and be useful when the time calls for it." "Diana is right," Douglas sighed while not taking his eyes off staring out the window, "Whatever this is, it ain''t our fight. Sometimes, it''s best to sit back and let the godly beings fight it out." "Besides, it''s not like the fight is here on Red Vine Peak," Diana added, "I bet he''s beating the shit out of Vincent through one of his offspring or Bastions." Stella slowly nodded, only half convinced. Somehow, she felt the fight was much closer than they expected, but even then, what would she do as a measly Star Core Realm cultivator? If Ash, who had a literal planet inside his own soul, had to go all out, she would just get in the way. I need to get stronger. Otherwise, I will just be a burden to Tree moving forward. Stella stepped away from the window and sat back on the couch. Her spatial ring flashed with silver light, and the books on aether affinity Valandor had given her appeared in her hands. Flipping to the first page, she began to read while the rest continued watching the awe-inspiring display of power outside the window. A few confusing minutes later, Stella felt Ash''s presence breathing down her neck, followed by his voice. "Watcha reading?" "Tree!" Stella had never felt so relieved. She had been using this hard-to-read cultivation manual to distract her wandering thoughts, but she had begun to fear the worst. Everyone turned at her shouting, and soon came a wave of questions toward the ceiling. "Okay, everyone relax. One at a time." "Is Vincent Nightrose dead?" The Redclaw Grand Elder asked the burning question. "No," Ash replied, "He ran away, leaving a giant illusion formation to cover his escape. Though it''s not all bad. I used Elysia to turn the whole thing into an opportunity to incorporate Nightrose City into our cult." Stella felt her stomach sink. The man who wanted to hunt her down and was powerful enough to threaten Ash was still out there. But she also couldn''t believe Ash managed to turn that situation into one that benefited him. "Sorry to ask, but do you know what happened to Morrigan?" Elaine asked with hope in her eyes. "Oh, Morrigan? She''s doing just fine." Ashlock replied with some sourness in his tone. "Not sure where she ran off to, but that old fox can take care of herself." "I see, that''s good." Elaine breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned into Douglas. "Ashlock, I have a question. What was that earlier?" Diana asked while pointing outside, "We saw you using a lot of Qi and even divine energy to fight something." "Oh, that?" Ashlock laughed, "Nothing too serious, just some old fool colluding with the heavens to try and kill me." "Who was this old fool?" Stella said, her eyes narrowing. Was it someone she could go and hunt? "The Starweaver Grand Elder, but you don''t need to worry about him. I already turned him into a tree. Actually, you can come and see for yourself." A portal rippled into existence, showing a truly breathtaking tree in the middle of a destroyed courtyard backdropped by a destroyed castle that looked very different from the one they had seen earlier, "Just make sure to wear your artifact, Stella. We don''t want Vincent sniffing your bloodline''s location just yet... at least not until we have a suitable trap set up for him." "You think he will come?" Diana asked, "He is one paranoid bastard and is bound to sniff out a trap from miles away." "I don''t ''think'' he will come," Ashlock paused, "I know he will. We have something he can''t live without. The question isn''t if he will strike, it''s when." Chapter 385: Discerning Ones Nature Stella''s foot paused before the portal with a bone-chilling fear gripping her heart. Even with the Phantom Veil Amulet hanging from her neck, masking her cultivation and bloodline, making her appear as nothing but a mortal, she still couldn''t take the next step. Taking a step back, Stella gulped before looking to the ceiling, where she could feel Ash''s presence. "Tree, how can you be so sure that Vincent isn''t lurking in Nightrose City?" Stella asked, making everyone else pause at her side. The portal seemed to lead to an inviting scene, with a majestic tree''s leaves softly rustling in a wind they could not yet feel. However, there was still a sense of danger. None of them had eaten a void protection fruit, and they also hadn''t set up spatial anchors to pull them back if something terrible happened. Only Stella had set up a secondary anchor that triggered if she lost a body part. "There are no guarantees in life," Ash answered honestly, "But I can say with near certainty that Vincent will not be there, nor will he return to Nightrose City." Stella let out a long breath to try and calm her inner turmoil. While she trusted Tree unquestionably, her body refused to comply. It was as if her legs were convinced that if they took a step through the portal, it would be the end of her and everyone she had come to care about. This wasn''t just her fight. It involved everyone else as well. "Vincent is quite similar to me, you see..." Ash continued. Stella scowled, "He''s nothing like you. How could you even compare yourself to that monster." "Oh, but he is." Ash said casually, "We are both rulers who gain power from those under us. He founded the Blood Lotus Sect as a breeding ground for bloodlines and a place to safely cultivate by growing a family to protect him and controlling those around him to be absolutely loyal." Ash paused, "Meanwhile, I founded the Ashfallen Sect to raise cultivators to protect me and created the cult of the All-Seeing Eye because I gain power from believers. Those who refuse to comply with me are forced to take oaths of loyalty, secrecy or service me in death as Ents, trees, or are outright devoured to further my cultivation." "But you are different!" Stella retorted, "You care about us, the sect. Vincent is a monster who only cares about himself." "You are right, Stella." Ash agreed, "That''s why I said Vincent and I are very similar, not the exact same. While our methods and goals differ slightly, I believe I can predict Vincent''s next move by thinking what I would do in his situation." "Is that how you know Vincent isn''t in Nightrose City and has no plans to return?" Diana asked. "Yes. While I care about nurturing and protecting those around me, Vincent is the total opposite. He sees everyone as pawns to be used to satisfy his goals. We can see this aspect of his character through the way he happily abandoned his family members and watched from afar as his guardians were devoured. That is why he won''t return to Nightrose City. It has expended its purpose, and he has no lingering attachments to this place. The castle that had served as a stronghold is gone, his family is either dead or fleeing, and he has no use for the mortal population." Stella felt disgusted at the idea of abandoning one''s home so easily. To her, Red Vine Peak was her everything. She had grown up there, laughed and cried there, and, more importantly, made friends and family there. How could Vincent abandon his home so easily? "Patriarch, where do you think he is going next?" The Redclaw Grand Elder asked. "There is only one place he has to go," Ash replied, "To me¡ªwell, more specifically, Stella. The last place Stella went without wearing her artifact was Red Vine Peak, so that is where he will go. It might not be today, tomorrow, next week, or even this year. But one day, he will go where Stella is to get her bloodline. From Valandor, we know Vincent can smell bloodlines at vast ranges, so we can effectively lead him by the nose to wherever we want. That is how we will kill him." "How can you be sure he is after Stella''s bloodline?" Elaine asked, and everyone in the room glanced at her. "Because Vincent is a slave to his own nature. Bloodlines give him power, but they also control his actions, and you should know this better than most, Elaine. Knowledge is power." As if to reinforce his point, Ash took the aether technique manuals out of Stella''s hands with telekinesis and had them floating in the air, flicking through the pages. "We can see his obsession with getting information by focusing on obtaining the Starweaver bloodline that lets one peer into the threads of fate. Stella''s bloodline is not only likely one of the greatest bloodlines to emerge out of the Blood Lotus Sect, but it''s also one that would give him access to a vast amount of knowledge not only about cultivation but also about the many bloodlines out there in higher realms and who to obtain them from. Vincent is close to the peak of what this layer of creation can offer him and is likely starving for ways to progress. Stella''s bloodline is likely the key, and he knows that." Stella was rather impressed with Ash''s analysis of Vincent, and somehow, laying out his personality and goals like this helped calm her down. It turned this all-powerful grim reaper in her mind into just another person. A powerful person for sure, but not an undefeatable phantom. The Grand Elder hummed in thought before asking, "So you don''t believe he will visit other families like the Azurecrest or Terraforge families still loyal to him?" "That, I''m not sure." Ash hummed in thought, "Mhm, let''s think. We all know affinities often shape a person''s personality as they grow their soul with the Qi of their affinity, right? Earth cultivators are usually more hard-headed and down for a fistfight, while fire cultivators are usually more short-tempered. From this, we can infer that Vincent is obsessed with control. His affinities are blood, gravity and his last one is shadow or, more likely, illusion. What do all of these have in common? An aspect of control over one''s body, mind or surroundings." Ash paused, "My point is, he discovered today that he has lost control over many of the families in the Blood Lotus Sect. The question is if that challenges his pride on a deeper level, and he feels compelled to reestablish control. If it does, he will likely visit the noble families first and try to regain control over them and possibly the families that fell out of favor with him." "I don''t think he will bother to visit the other families," Stella said without thinking. "Oh?" Diana raised a brow, "Why not?" "Because he''s arrogant." Stella shrugged. Perhaps it was because she was also self-admittedly too prideful sometimes; she felt like she also understood Vincent on a deeper level now that Ash had laid out his personality for her. "As Ash has already pointed out, in Vincent''s eyes, everyone in the sect is a pawn. They aren''t allies to lean on or people worth keeping around once they become a hindrance. Imagine you are a cultivator nearing the Monarch Realm. What use would a bunch of Star Core Realm Elders be to you? Remember, Vincent founded this sect to breed bloodlines. He has never cared about the families that make up the sect. If he did, he would have cared more when entire families like the Winterwrath and Evergreens were wiped out." "Mhm, that''s true," Diana nodded, "So, in conclusion, Vincent is likely to abandon all ties to Nightrose City and the Blood Lotus Sect and will someday come after Stella''s scent as he desires her bloodline." "That''s my assumption, yes." Stella frowned, "There''s just one part I don''t understand, how are we going to kill him? So far, he has evaded our capture and likes to use clones instead of ever putting himself in danger." "Ah, that won''t be so hard. Our favorite shadow tree saw quite the upgrade today," Ashlock chuckled, "Once Nyxalia gets control of her body, she will be able to handle Vincent like a toy."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Nyxalia?" Stella didn''t know who that was. "It''s the name I gave Nox''s new form. She is a Netherwood Wraith, a mythical being that feasts on souls. The problem is the body I transplanted her soul into surpasses the Monarch Realm, so she is lacking control over the body''s ravenous hunger for souls." Diana rubbed her temples, "How did you even... you know what, never mind. Where is Nyxalia now?" "That, I''m not sure. She can effortlessly phase through reality, making her impossible to track. She devoured the souls of a few Nightrose Elders and then vanished." Diana sighed, "So the person we need to defeat Vincent, is currently off somewhere devouring souls?" "Very likely, yes." Ash paused, "But she should be back soon... maybe." Stella exchanged a knowing glance with everyone, and Diana rolled her eyes. "I''m sure it will be fine," Stella said, stepping through the portal. She tensed up for a moment as the smell of rubble and destruction tickled her nose. A distant bell was also ringing, and she could feel the cold aura from the celestial tree before her. But she relaxed. Vincent didn''t appear out of nowhere and kill her. Ash hadn''t been wrong. Her hand, which had unknowingly tightly clutched the Phantom Veil Amulet around her neck, fell to her side. The portal behind her rippled as the others stepped through, looking around curiously. Stella could feel their spiritual presence spreading out to scope out the area. She did the same and was surprised at how much mystic Qi was drenching the city. Elysia must have gone all out. Stella thought as her spiritual presence encompassed the entire courtyard, what was left of the castle and surrounding streets. Just how powerful has that crazy girl gotten? I hope she liked Ash''s seed, which I gave her as a present. "Where are the rest of the Nightrose family?" Diana asked. "Dead," Ash replied coldly, "Larry just devoured the remaining few. Of course, there''s a chance a few escaped during the chaos, but we got most of them." Stella glanced down the central street and saw a shifting mass of silver ash heading straight for her. It surged up the steps to the courtyard and paused before her before condensing into the vague shape of a spider. "Princess, I''m glad to see you are alright," Larry said. Stella smiled and fluently responded in kind with the runic language, "You have grown since I last saw you, Larry." "Master gave me the honor of reducing these vermin that have plagued you since young to ash, Princess." The divine spider bowed his head, "I will now return to Master to evolve into a form that will be able to better protect you in the future." Stella patted Larry''s head, but her hand went through the ash. "I''ll look forward to it. But make sure to take your time, okay? Maple will look after me in the meantime." The lazy squirrel that had been hanging around Quill and had hopped onto her head at some point rolled over at the mention of his name but didn''t so much as open an eyelid. Larry''s many eyes glared at Maple, "That squirrel is a fickle one. I would be careful about putting your life in his hands." Stella reached up and gently rubbed Maple''s head, which earned a satisfied cry out of the world-devouring eldritch horror, "He may be lazy, but he does act when it counts." "If the Princess says so then it must be true," Larry said, earning an amused smirk from Stella. "Go on, don''t let me keep you." Stella gestured to the portal, which was still open behind them, to her house. Larry obliged by strangely walking through the air and phasing through the rift. With the Ashfallen Sect''s guardian gone, Stella coughed as the runic language was a bit rough on human vocal cords before turning her attention to the others. They were all crowded around the tree lording over the destroyed courtyard. Stella came to stand beside Diana, who was squinting at the leaves. "What you looking at?" Stella asked. The leaves were breathtakingly beautiful, and the blue sky served as a backdrop to the translucent leaves, with a tapestry of celestial energy running through them. "I''m not so sure," Diana mused as she pointed at the leaves above, "The patterns within the leaves, do you notice them changing ever so slightly?" Stella watched for a while and slowly nodded, "Yeah, I think so. Especially the ones around here. Are they supposed to mean something?" Diana crossed her arms in thought before looking to the sky. "Ashlock, you said this tree was made from the Starweaver Grand Elder?" She stepped back and glanced around at the roots that looked like golden threads sprawling out through the courtyard, "Are these the threads of fate?" "Huh, now that you point it out. Maybe they are?" Ash said, "Can you discern anything from the changing leaves?" Diana shook her head, "All I can see is them changing, not what they mean. Maybe if we got Celeste to take a look at it, she could tell us what it means since she has the bloodline?" "One problem with that is how will I explain the tree''s origin? I can''t admit it''s their father now, can I? Diana had a look of realization, "That''s true..." "We can figure this out later. For now, can you guys clean up this place and assist the cult in convincing the populace to accept me as their new god?" Douglas froze up, "By clean up, do you mean..." "Yes. The castle needs to be rebuilt. It serves as a focal point of authority here in Nightrose City, and we need the people to know they have a new, hopefully nicer ruler. You can get the help of the Mudcloaks if you need. Just ensure the courtyard can freely detach from the castle, as I made Orion here into a Bastion." Douglas sighed, "Is there a time limit?" "No... but could you get it done by tomorrow?" Douglas cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, "By tomorrow... sure, why not. One grand castle coming right up. Stella, could you assist me?" "Huh?" Stella raised a brow, "Sure, but what for?" "I bet this monstrosity is decked out to the brim with defensive formations." Douglas pointed to the melted castle with his thumb, "You''re likely the only cookie smart enough to know anything about them." Stella smiled at the praise and joined Douglas in walking over to the castle, leaving the others around Orion. They walked in silence for a while until Douglas mumbled under his breath, "Things are really starting to get crazy, aren''t they?" "What do you mean?" Stella asked while continuing to give Maple head rubs and dodging random pieces of rubble. "I don''t know. I guess I''m just feeling sentimental?" Douglas chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, "It''s just that I remember when we were a rag-tag group struggling to survive on Red Vine Peak a few months ago. But now..." He trailed off as they walked through the castle''s cracked grand entrance, "We are conquering distant cities in a single day, and not just any city, mind you. This is Nightrose City, the capital of the Blood Lotus Sect, and here I am, casually walking through their castle, which was half eaten by heaven knows what." "So?" Stella asked as she ran her finger along a section of wall that had a part of a formation exposed. "We are a big fish in a small pond. Senior Lee could come down and end us with a mere thought. The beast tide on the horizon may still wipe out all of us, and if Vincent tried his absolute best to kill me, I''m sure he would succeed. Hell, we are on the 9th layer of creation. Who knows what powerhouses are still above us?" Douglas let out a long breath of resignation, "I suppose you''re right. It''s just quite the adjustment from my decades as a street rat and fighting for fucking gangs in slums. You''re really unfazed by all this?" Stella shrugged, "Maybe it will all hit me when I see Vincent dead at my feet, but in my mind, the threats that have loomed over my head since my childhood are still ever present despite our leap in power. Instead of being far away and unbeatable, they are now very much in my face while still feeling threatening despite my growth in cultivation." Stella put a hand on the stone and looked up at the vaulted ceiling. "It''s frustrating, to say the least. I just want to live in peace with Ash." She looked over her shoulder and met Douglas''s eyes, "Is that so much to ask?" "No, it''s not," Douglas shook his head, "Unfortunately, we live in a rather cruel world that doesn''t give a rat''s ass about our dreams." "Exactly, so stop thinking so much. We have indeed come far in a short amount of time, but in the grand scheme of things, we are still a frog trapped in a well." Douglas snorted, "Where did you learn an old phrase like that?" "I pick things up here and there from books I have ''acquired'' from various places," Stella returned her focus to the runic formation, "Now, as for this runic formation, it''s a little too complex for my current understanding." She followed the trail of silver up a nearby pillar, "I think the formation spreads throughout the entire castle, though, which means you either need to rebuild the entire castle with the runic formation or simply tear it all out. It also seems like the formation was powered beyond its intended capability as most of the runic circuitry is dulled and will need replacing." "Mhm," Douglas rubbed his chin, "How long do you think it would take you to analyze and rebuild the formation." "Quite a while? Days possibly." Stella sighed and stepped away, "But that''s assuming there''s enough intact formation buried in all this stone to rebuild the entire thing. If a vital section has been destroyed, then I''ll have to improvise, and at that point..." "It''s better to start from scratch with a formation of our own." Douglas finished what she was going to say. "Alright, I''m on a time limit to build something worthy of Ashlock, so I''ll have the Mudcloaks tear it all out." "Hold on, I have a better idea." Stella opened a rift to the aether, "Come on out, Guppy, I have a meal for you." "Who''s Guppy?" Douglas eyed the tear in reality with confusion. "My adorable pet," Stella grinned as a shadow moved toward the rift entrance, followed by a clicking noise. Guppy poked his head through a moment later, earning a string of curses from Douglas as the man stumbled back. "Pet? You call that abomination a pet?!" Stella pouted as she rubbed Guppy''s snout, "Douglas, you''re being rude." "S-Sorry," Douglas grimaced, "What is it?" "A Darktide Devourer, they are known to devour islands and grow in power by eating spirit stones¡ªGuppy stop drooling." Stella gently smacked the monster, and it let off a soft cry. "Unbelievable," Douglas pinched the bridge of his nose, "Sometimes I forget just how screwed in the head... you know what, never mind. Let''s get this show on the road." He reached up to his crude stone crown, "Could you open a portal to Red Vine Peak? It''s about darn time for the Mudcloaks to assemble." Chapter 386: Mudcloaks Secret Ashlock''s focus returned to Red Vine Peak to open a portal for the Mudcloaks, as Stella couldn''t open such a long-range portal herself. "Come to think of it, I haven''t checked on them in quite a while," Ashlock mused as his spiritual gaze floated through the rain and roaring wind toward the Citadel. "I wonder what they have been up to." Atop the monolith that served as the central core of the Citadel was Quill''s library, and Ashlock could see his offspring''s leaves fighting with the storm. The Citadel was an 8000-meter-deep hole through the center of the mountain that had been made by a giant Star Core Realm worm. While the roaring wind quietened down the deeper he delved, the Citadel had been turned into a waterfall as rain drummed on the spiral staircase and cascaded down into the depths. "If I remember correctly, there''s a small lake at the bottom that is fed by my ethereal roots alongside the troughs built into the central pillar that feed the moss that the Mudcloaks like to eat." Ashlock thought as he reached the bottom, "Ah yeah, there it is." He was pretty surprised as he inspected the small lake. It wasn''t overflowing like he had anticipated. "Wait, are those pipes?" Looking closer, he saw industrial-sized pipes built into the lake''s side, and he could see the water rapidly flowing into them. "Were these always here? I don''t think so..." Deciding to follow them, as he hadn''t seen any Mudcloaks daring to brave the rain thus far, he soon came upon a vast tunnel. He would have thought it was a giant cave system if not for the perfectly smooth walls. It was as if it had been dug out by a machine. It didn''t take long for him to run into his first Mudcloaks. There was a small group inspecting a crack in the wall. All of them were wearing bright yellow rain boots and matching metal helmets. One of them was holding a clipboard and seemed to be the group leader as they waved a runic device over the crack. It looked like a long stick letting off a blue light, but when the Mudcloak waved it over the crack, it turned red. "Bugs." The Mudcloak declared, causing excitement from the other Mudcloaks. The leader handed his clipboard and device to another and, to Ashlock''s surprise, took out what he assumed to be a weapon. It was comically large compared to the 3-foot-tall Mudcloak. It vaguely resembled a gun with a long nozzle and was covered in runic circuits. Ashlock took a closer look and saw words related to fire. From within his tattered black cloak, which Ashlock knew now was actually their skin and served as a protective layer, the leader Mudcloak revealed his hand and placed it on the wall. Earth soul flames flared to life, and a fist-sized hole in the rock appeared. "This Mudcloak is in the Star Core Realm?!" Ashlock triple-checked, but there was no doubt about it. The leading Mudcloak was in the early stages of the Star Core Realm. "Wait, this little guy is technically as strong as Douglas? What..." The sound of clicking came from beyond the wall, and Ashlock could see something shifting in the darkness through the hole. His surprise at the Mudcloaks reaching the Star Core Realm was briefly put aside as his curiosity at what they were doing got the better of him. "Are there really bugs in the walls? I''ve never noticed them." The leader stepped back and slotted the nozzle of his weapon into the suitably sized hole. The runes covering the weapon flared to life all at once, and the Mudcloak laughed manically as fire blasted into the hole, causing the insects on the other side to let off a shrill cry followed by the sound of their bodies exploding like party poppers. Ashlock watched the whole scene in disbelief. Once the runic weapon finally ran out of power as all the spirit stones had dulled, the leader pulled the nozzle out of the hole, and the other Mudcloaks moved in, soul flames wreathing their bodies. They created a Mudcloak-sized doorway into the stone and gleefully dragged charred bug corpses into the tunnel. It was almost impossible to tell what the bug had once looked like as now it closely resembled a vaguely insect-shaped piece of coal. "Yummy!" One of the Mudcloaks cheered with glee as they brutally tore off pieces of charred flesh and devoured it. Ashlock couldn''t even see their mouths, just their glowing blue eyes that narrowed in ecstasy. The bugs were easily twice the size of a single Mudcloak, yet that didn''t seem to faze the Mudcloaks at all as they each consumed an entire bug by themselves. Having finished their meal, the leader sealed up the hole and crack in the tunnel before leading his small entourage of yellow hat and boot-wearing Mudcloaks down the tunnel. Ashlock absentmindedly followed them with more questions than answers. When did they reach the Star Core Realm? How did they make a flamethrower? What the hell are those bugs, and are their stomachs linked to a spatial dimension? He would ask them directly, but his {Abyssal Whispers} skill would undoubtedly break their minds. Since they were quite slow due to their short legs, Ashlock went on ahead down the tunnel, and in the distance, he could hear the loud clanging noise of metal striking metal. "What in the nine realms is this?" Ashlock uttered in awe as the tunnel opened into an expansive space. He finally uncovered the source of the clanging as he saw hundreds of Mudcloaks working on assembly lines, creating weapons and what looked like parts. Instead of conveyor belts, they had aqueducts, and the finished parts were carried along on floating pieces of wood. Ashlock finally figured out what they were using all the water for. Not only was it used to transport things around, but it was also used in the forging process to quench the metal and in cooling towers to stop the room from overheating. While they seemed to mostly focus on weapons and smaller parts, there was a giant forge in the corner that dominated the room, operated by Mudcloaks using suits of shifting earth. The door to the forge was slowly opened, and a large sheet of still-red-hot metal that looked like armor for a tank was pulled out. The largest of the suits of earth, five meters tall and operated by multiple Mudcloaks, moved across the room toward the forge. Mudcloaks, all wearing the yellow helmets, streamed around its feet as they went about their own tasks. The titan of earth waited until the metal cooled before lugging it down a tunnel that seemed to lead to a neighboring room. "Did Douglas tell them to do all this?" Ashlock''s opinion of the man skyrocketed. He was a diligent worker, and while dealing with his requests, he also micromanaged such a widescale production from the Mudcloaks? He had come here to open a portal for them but was far too curious about what else they had been doing down here. Following the earth titan down the tunnel, Ashlock was stunned further. If that last space was large, this one was massive and primarily dominated by a half-complete construction that vaguely looked like a spaceship Ashlock used to see in those sci-fi shows designed to house colonies as they explored the stars. The earth titan that had seemed domineering in the last room as it lumbered past the endless rows of Mudcloaks working looked tiny compared to this construction.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Beside the spaceship, piled up at the side of the room were what looked like missiles and giant suits of armor made from metal and runes. "Are the Mudcloaks trying to build their own Bastion? I have to say, it looks very impressive. I can see they have attached multiple of those guns that Geb had been outfitted with that almost one shot the Lunarshade Grand Elder. Just what is this ship going to be used for?" He would have assumed the beast tide, but the ship looked months from completion, and the beast tide was already upon them. "I also wonder how they plan to power this thing¡ªwait, how are they funding the construction? Even in this world, building a spaceship isn''t free. This amount of metal had to be sourced from elsewhere, and the amount of spirit stones needed for the runic circuits in those guns alone is astronomical." Ashlock returned to the other room. "Are they making money from selling these weapons? They seem mostly human-sized, so they can''t use them¡ª" Ashlock suddenly felt uncomfortable when every Mudcloak paused and looked at the ceiling. "The King calls!" A Mudcloak called out, and chaos ensued. Every Mudcloak abandoned their post and ran around in confused circles, chanting, "King, King, King!" "Douglas must have called for them through his crown," Ashlock mobilized his spatial Qi and tore open a portal in the middle of the room that led to Douglas. Mudcloaks streamed toward the portal while gleefully wielding various tools. Ashlock had to widen the portal as the Earth titans they were controlling also lumbered toward the portal to honor their King''s call. Ashlock returned to Nightrose City and waited while Douglas barked orders to the Mudcloaks and passed out some hastily drawn designs to the leader Mudcloaks that could almost string complete sentences together. "Douglas, can I talk to you for a moment," Ashlock asked when he saw Douglas had a moment to catch his breath. "Of course boss, how can I help?" Douglas said while leaning against a destroyed pillar that trembled as the Mudcloaks got to work tearing down the entire castle. "Did you tell the Mudcloaks to do all those things they are doing back at the Citadel?" "What do you mean?" Douglas raised a brow. "I saw them mass-producing human-sized weapons." "Oh," Douglas rubbed his chin, "They asked how they could make money, and I suggested they make things since they seemed quite skilled with their hands." "Who are they selling these weapons to?" Douglas shrugged, "If I had to guess, there has been a spike in demand for weapons since the Ashfallen Sect turned thousands of people into cultivators." "Is there really that big of a demand?" Ashlock wasn''t convinced. The level of production they had going was too much, and many of the weapons seemed runically engraved, meaning they would be too expensive for most of the mortals in Darklight and Ashfallen City. "It''s just a few crappy swords, it''s not a big deal," Douglas said dismissively. "Right..." Ashlock realized he was talking to a man who could build a city in a day. He was way too humble to admit the swords were quite good, considering they were being mass-produced. Sure, he had seen far better craftsmanship, but the sheer scale of production had still been impressive. "What about the giant construction with the cannons?" "Cannons?" Douglas asked with confusion. "Yeah, it looked like a half-built ship." A lightbulb seemed to appear over Douglas''s head, "Ah! They complained to me that Geb was too weak, and they wanted to improve him. If it uses the same cannons as the one they built into Geb, maybe it''s for that?" Ashlock thought back to the half-built spaceship, and he could kinda see the vision, assuming they were planning to make Geb fly or something. "Is there anything else you wanted to ask¡ªoi!" Douglas glared off to the side and shouted, "Stella! Your pet is trying to eat a Mudcloak!" "Guppy, you glutton! Don''t eat the little guys¡ªthey aren''t food!" A distant voice he knew was Stella''s shouted, and the abomination let out a sad cry as it put the confused Mudcloak down and got back to devouring the dulled runic formations. Ashlock decided to leave everyone to it and withdrew his presence to his Inner World as he knew a pressing matter needed attention. Looming over Stella''s house, a shifting mass of divine ash was patiently waiting for him. The moment he laid eyes on his guardian, the system informed him of something he had been eagerly anticipating. [Larry has accumulated enough Qi to evolve to SS grade] [Herald of the Divine Ash {Larry} wishes to evolve] [Yes/No] "Yes," Ashlock answered and was surprised when the system didn''t present him with a list of options to choose from. There was only one. [Harbinger of the Eternal Ash {SS}] As an SS Grade being, he steps into the realm of kings¡ªthe Monarch Realm. This evolution into the Harbinger of the Eternal Ash marks his ascension into a higher form of divinity, with full dominion over decay, ash, and rebirth. Now wielding the immense potential of a domain, Larry will become an undying apocalyptic power. [Please note: This evolution will take longer than previous ones as Larry must comprehend multiple laws and form an Inner World. Do you still wish to proceed?] "That''s concerning. Larry is one of the best counters I have to Vincent Nightrose, and the first stages of the beast tide are quickly approaching. It won''t take more than a week, will it?" [The process has no set time frame. It entirely depends on Larry''s comprehension speed, but I would guess a week at minimum] "What do you think, Larry? Should I start it now, or should we hold off on your evolution?" "Master, I beseech you to allow me to evolve," Larry lowered his head, "In my current state, I am not worthy of being called the guardian of the Ashfallen Sect." "Not worthy?" Ashlock chuckled, "If not you, then who? You are one of the strongest in the sect." "Nyxalia has surpassed me, Maple''s strength is unknown, and I suspect Mistress Elysia will be able to wield the power of a god soon enough. Please, Master, allow me to undergo this ascension so I will not be cast aside." "Larry..." Ashlock sighed. This darn spider already had higher cultivation than him and would be a step into the Monarch Realm after this evolution. If Larry was feeling inadequate, how was he supposed to feel? Everyone around him treated him like this godly figure despite a few in his sect being in a higher stage of cultivation than him. That aside, now really was a bad time to undergo an evolution that would last an undetermined amount of time. With Larry busy evolving and Nyxalia off somewhere else, he was left with few trump cards. Vincent Nightrose had proved that Nascent Soul Realm Ents were a joke before him, and it was said that this beast tide would have multiple Nascent Soul Realm monsters and possibly even a Monarch Realm one. So, relying on Anubis was ill-advised, and Nox was trapped in a pocket realm. "Leaving myself and Maple as the powerhouses in the sect," Ashlock didn''t like that his partner in crime would be a very unreliable squirrel. "System, could you tell me more about this evolution? I understand the jump in cultivation to the Monarch Realm level is significant, as is the formation of an inner world and learning multiple laws, but can you give a little more? Because as it is right now, Larry''s strength serves my current needs." [A lot of Larry''s strength after the evolution will be based on how he can wield his new power level and capabilities. However, with the creation of an Inner World, Larry will have a place where he can store ash beside his body, effectively making him utterly immortal as he can keep reforming his body. He could also unleash this stored ash upon the battlefield in a storm that corrodes anything it touches into ash that Larry can absorb into his Inner World or control] "That does sound quite strong. Mhm, what do you mean when you say control? Since he will have laws over decay, ash, and rebirth, what can he do with the ash besides unleashing it in a storm to decay everything?" [He will be capable of commanding an army of ash-based warriors and creatures that fight alongside him. He can also impart his will to these creations, giving them intelligence. They will also be able to reform indefinitely from ash, making them incredibly resilient unless completely obliterated] "Oh, I can see why you said he will become an undying apocalyptic power. That does sound quite useful for fighting against the beast tide." Ashlock paused as he looked at his servant, who hadn''t yet raised his head. "This is really bad timing, but it''s hard to say no. Better to start the process now before the worst part of the beast tide hits, and I realize I need another member of my sect to be in the Monarch Realm. I can''t yet depend on Nyxalia, after all." "Okay, system. Commence the evolution." [Acknowledged. Evolution to Harbinger of the Eternal Ash {SS} initiating....] Chapter 387: Never Aware Of The Strings Three days had passed since Nightrose City saw a change in leadership. In such a short span of time, the Ashfallen Sect had made their overwhelming presence known. While cultists from the All-Seeing Eye flooded the streets, preaching stories of his past deeds and offering free pills and technique manuals to the masses, the Mudcloaks had been busy. The initial one-day deadline to replace the half-destroyed castle with a new symbol of power had been extended to three. Even with Douglas working around the clock and with the help of the Mudcloaks, the project turned out to be bigger than any of them had expected. Formations of unknown purpose ran deep below the city. Not wanting to waste the opportunity to harvest so many spirit stones and to sate Guppy''s endless hunger, the Mudcloaks had excavated hundreds of meters deep into the earth under the city. After an entire day and night of digging, all the spirit stones had been recovered, and construction could finally begin. Due to the sheer amount of materials needed, Ashlock actually flew Willow over to Nightrose City and used the Bastion''s artillery to blow up nearby mountains and then used telekinesis and portals to transport the pieces over to the Mudcloaks so they could reshape them into useable bricks. They needed a mountain''s worth of materials because the castle and its surrounding land had been so vast that it could have been considered a city within a city. If this had been on Earth, Ashlock had no doubts that the populace would complain, saying a royal family did not need such a large space inside a capital city, and they would have been right. Driving from the front gate to the castle''s door would have taken hours, and then you would have had to add the extra hour it would take to traverse the castle hallways to find a meeting room. Of course, that would have been the opinion of humans born and raised with Earth''s standards. Meanwhile, despite resembling Earth in many ways with beautiful nature, blue skies, and the cities of humans, this world might as well be alien. After all, there were no cars in this world, and the Nightrose family certainly hadn''t been a typical royal family. If Vincent was in a bad mood and released his soul pressure, he could crush millions of citizens to death. That was the type of power entire nations wielded, not a single man. Cultivators and mortals simply weren''t comparable. The gap between them was that of heaven and earth, so Ashlock doubted the people of Nightrose City had any negative opinions except jealously on the amount of space the Nightrose family had allocated themselves, as living too near to the comparative demigods could lead to a swift death. Not that the complaints of the mortals would have mattered if voiced, as the words of the Nightrose family had been absolute in this city, and that fact didn''t change despite Ashlock taking over. If he made a castle any smaller or less impressive than Vincent''s had been, then the populace would look down on their new rulers. While Ashlock didn''t rule through fear like the Nightrose family, he still understood what it took to be respected. As such, Ashlock had helped with its construction while enjoying a steady inflow of divine energy as citizens watched in awe at such a construction project being completed so fast. "I never thought Douglas and the Mudcloaks would become a source of divine energy for me," Ashlock mused during the evening of the third day as the building neared completion. In total, he had gained 2700 sacrificial credits from defending himself from the heavens in view of everyone, the efforts of his cult members indoctrinating people, and this construction project. It would have been far more, but he didn''t have many credits stored up to multiply in the first place, as he spent them to summon the SSS-grade Netherworld Wraith, who became Nyxalia. "Boss, the building''s exterior is complete, but all the rooms need furniture," Douglas informed him as he flew above the castle, "What do you think? Do you want any changes done while the Mudcloaks are still here?" "Let me see," Ashlock had overseen most of the building construction over the last few days when he wasn''t distracted with concluding the tournament in his Inner World, but it was still a good idea to do a once over now that it was all finished. The entire structure took up the central third of the city, utterly dominating the comparatively tiny buildings occupied by the mortals that sprawled out around it until the giant walls of the city in the distance. They hadn''t bothered to fill in the chasm they had made in the ground while digging out the formations, instead using it as an endless darkness from which a grand pillar of stone rose. Like a banner planted into the heart of Nightrose City, the defiant pillar flattened out a few stories above ground level, proudly showing off the intricate carvings along its wreath of screaming people looking to the skies and gouging out their own eyes in madness. However, this pillar merely served as the foundation upon which the castle was built. While he called it a castle, it resembled a Gothic-style church, perfectly melded with a black metal tree that encased it like a butterfly''s cocoon. Branches draped in chains fanned out in every direction, giving twisted chaos to the structure that reached for the heavens. It was a blend of human architecture being overtaken by nature despite the entire thing being constructed of cold stone and metal. Impossibly tall, its base was also broad enough to fill up the given space upon the pillar, creating a truly gargantuan structure that symbolized the Ashfallen Sect''s dominance over the city. Around the pinnacle of the castle was a halo of suspended red gemstones sculpted to look like eyes, which were suspiciously sized to fit in the empty eye holes of the statues at the pillar''s wreath. It slowly rotated as if signifying the gradual passage of time. Ashlock then focused on the rest, as while the pillar and castle were the centerpieces, it wasn''t all there was to the structure. Suspended bridges, bound by iron chains and etched with ancient runes, extended from the castle, linking it to innumerable smaller towers that rose from the crater-like spikes on the back of a slumbering eldritch god. These narrow pathways hung over the yawning pit below, reminding all who crossed them of the darkness lurking beneath their feet. Silver light flickered down the length of these bridges as, together with the surrounding towers, they formed an intricate defensive formation that protected the central structure from external attacks built from the recovered spirit stones. It was one of the most extensive and impressive formations Ashlock had ever seen. But considering what he had seen below Red Vine Peak, he wasn''t surprised at how capable the Mudcloaks were at creating runic arrays. "It''s good." Ashlock said, "Though a bit... evil looking? The statues tearing their own eyes out for them to endlessly float around the castle like a crown is a bit much, don''t you think? Also, it doesn''t look very inviting." "Mhm," Douglas stroked his chin, "While I agree, this is already the toned-down version. I had to say no to many suggestions the Mudcloaks had when I said we needed to make a building that encapsulated what the Ashfallen Sect and All-Seeing Eye are all about. I''m sorry to say this, but I think we both know it''s too late for you to change your ''evil god'' image." "I know." Ashlock sighed, "Maybe the bad weather is making it look worse than it would during a nice summer day?" As the beast tide closed in, the storm had reached Nightrose City, and without the blood-red dome protecting the city, freezing gales were accompanied by thunderous rain that drummed on the roofs and flooded the streets. Since the beast tide was coming from the north, it would hit all the cities in the Blood Lotus Sect and the Tainted Cloud Sect alongside the cities under Ashlock''s control. Nobody was safe, as all these cities sat on the leyline and in the path of the beast tide on its way south toward the Celestial Empire.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "I have to admit the terrible weather arriving on the evening of you taking over the city and only growing worse since might spawn some rumors as it''s only going to keep getting more intense as the beast tide closes in, right?" "Yeah." Ashlock agreed. "Speaking of, do we have a plan yet on how to deal with it?" "I''ve been thinking a lot over the last few days..." Douglas nodded expectantly, "And?" "I got nothing. Well, not nothing, but yeah, it''s not looking good." Douglas frowned, "I know I''m not the smartest in the sect, but I''m always open to lending an ear. Come on, boss, we can think of something. Ain''t no way I''m letting Ashfallen fall to some dumb monsters and a bit of rain." Ashlock sighed as he looked over Nightrose City, guilt tugging at his consciousness. "The problem is I can''t save them all." "You don''t have to. Nobody can." Douglas shrugged. "What do you mean?" Douglas pointed to the towering docking station in a distant part of the city that was suspiciously empty. "Because we took over the city, all the airships left, and we have a policy of staying and standing against the beast tide. But you need to remember that there are millions upon millions of mortals across all the cities under the Blood Lotus Sect. If I had to guess, over 90% would be left behind to die. The Nightrose family said there would only be a single trip to the new location because Vincent Nightrose wanted to have as much time as possible to progress his cultivation before moving, so even with the increased number of airships, most would have been left to die." A silence hung between them as Ashlock contemplated his words. While the people of Nightrose City wouldn''t know it, being under him would give them a higher chance of survival. But he couldn''t save them all. The beast tide would hit multiple cities at once, and he simply didn''t have enough powerful people to defend every city. He also couldn''t move everyone into his Inner World as it was too small and couldn''t produce enough food to feed millions of people that quickly. "Just focus on what you can do," Douglas said after a while, "I''ve found that when I do my best, things usually fall into place. Sometimes a problem can seem insurmountable at first, but if you break it down into small enough pieces and tackle them one at a time before you know it, it''s as if the problem never existed." "Huh, who knew you had such deep insights." Douglas''s words reminded Ashlock of his days as a computer scientist when he was taught to break down problems. "What''s that supposed to mean?" Douglas scowled and then laughed, "I get it though. Many people look down on earth cultivators and those who work in construction¡ªlabeling them as hard-headed people with rocks for brains. But look at this," Douglas gestured to the castle, "Can you not see and feel the creativity poured into this? It''s a piece of art, one of the greatest in all the wilderness, and it was made by me, you, and a bunch of Mudcloaks who can barely string a sentence together. That should sound impossible, but it was made possible because everyone had their job, and we worked together. Even if I had all the power in the world and was a god, I doubt I could complete this in that time frame on my own. At some point, the limit becomes our own minds and how much we can focus on at once." Ashlock felt like Douglas was speaking straight to his soul and oddly felt a weight lifted from his branches. He had been subconsciously putting the burden of the beast tide and saving millions of people on himself and forgot he was surrounded by many talented, capable people. "Teamwork makes the dream work," Ashlock muttered a saying from his old world. Just because he was a godly tree with the potential to influence an area spanning the equivalent of a continent didn''t mean he had to. He just had to bunker down, survive the coming storm, and save as many people as possible. Then, as Douglas rightly said, everything else would fall into place. "Thank you, Douglas." Ashlock said sincerely, "I''ll go figure out what I can do and get back to you. Also, love the castle." Douglas bowed slightly, "A pleasure as always, boss. May your brainstorming be fruitful, for all our sakes." *** Grand Elder Valandor stepped out of the aether into a dark living room. Flashes of lightning from the raging storm outside briefly illuminated the room through the hefty drawn curtains. The furniture seemed new, yet a light layer of dust coated everything, like dirty snowfall. From here, he could see into a small kitchen. Grimy pots likely left out for days were piled up in the sink, and between where he stood and the kitchen tiles was a line of dried blood. Mortal, Qi-less blood. Likely belonging to the people who once lived here. Following the line, Valandor set eyes on the wooden staircase leading up to the second floor of the two-story house. "I can feel the disturbance in the aether," Valandor said as he stared at the top of the staircase, "I know you are there, Vincent Nightrose." A haunting chuckle filled the seemingly empty house. "Good, very good. As expected of the Disciplinary Committee''s head." The stairs creaked under an invisible weight, and Valandor felt the hair on the back of his neck rise and the sound of nails scraping on wood. Slowly, Vincent revealed himself, starting with his gnarled feet. The light bending around him faded with every step, revealing Vincent''s terrifying figure. He looked vaguely human, yet the influence of all the bloodlines he had consumed over the years had warped him into something else. His limbs, including his fingers, were just slightly too long. His teeth were like needles, and his skin hung to his bones like a layer of paint. He looked utterly ghastly, and if the uncomfortable noise of him walking wasn''t enough, the constant drum of his two spiritual hearts echoed through the room like a drumbeat. "You''re dying," Valandor said as Vincent struggled to descend the final step. "The Ashfallen Sect is going to butcher you and put your tyrannical rule to rest. You know that, yet dare to show yourself before me?" Vincent smiled wildly, his lips splitting at the edges as he made his way to a chair in the room and sat. "Valandor, you are part of the Ashfallen Sect now, are you not? Yet your actions contradict your words. Here I am, one step in the afterlife. Yet you simply watch." A hint of delight flashed through his sunken eyes, "Go on, Valandor. Try and kill me." "It would rob Stella of her glory, but very well." Valandor stepped forward, his hand wreathed in burning aether. Vincent didn''t move as he clasped his hand around the man''s neck, pinning him to the chair, and tried to squeeze the life out of his old master. But he couldn''t. His face twisted in confusion as he tried as hard as he could to command his hand to throttle the life out of this monster in human skin, yet it refused to comply. Vincent studied his face with amusement. "What''s wrong?" "I... don''t know. Why can''t I kill you?" Valandor''s whole body trembled as he tensed every muscle he could, but it was fruitless. It was as if there was an impossible-to-breach barrier around Vincent, yet he could feel no Qi. This wasn''t Vincent''s doing. He was simply incapable of killing his old master. Vincent sneered, "I knew you were compromised ever since you told me those lies about Stella. She is alive, I''ve seen it." Why? Why?! Why can''t I kill this bastard?!?! "You thought you were free." Vincent leaned against his hand and whispered in his ear, making his body tingle. "But you never were. After all, a puppet is never aware of their strings." "No... no, no, no." Valandor stumbled back, collapsing on his back and looking at Vincent, staring down at him from the chair with terror gripping his soul. "That''s not possible! I was freed from you by consuming the world tree''s sap. I WAS FREE!" "Really?" Vincent leaned his head on his palm, "Then why are you here? Did you inform the Ashfallen Sect I was here in Darklight City? Why did you come alone and without help?" "I..." Valandor trailed off. Why had he come here alone? "Your master called, so you came." Vincent smirked, "Just like a good servant." Valandor tried to run, but his brain felt clouded. He couldn''t focus. "Now come here," Vincent beckoned with his finger, "As you rightly pointed out, I''m dying. It''s time I got a new body, and a perfect one to take over is right before me." "No, please," Valandor begged. Vincent raised his hand, and ghostly red strings seemingly made of blood appeared between them. There were hundreds. "What a disobedient puppet." Vincent pulled his hand back, and Valandor felt his whole body lurch forward along with the strings, and he was forcefully made to grovel at Vincent''s feet. The monster reached down, caressing his ear as he went, and his surprisingly strong fingers wrapped around his throat. "Master, I''m sorry. Please..." Vincent ignored his pleading and effortlessly pulled him up despite his struggle and looked him dead in the eyes. "You knew deep down this was always your fate, Valandor. You tried to foolishly escape it by sowing the seeds of war in the sect and raising rivals to me, but you always have been and always will be my spare body. You can''t escape my control because you are me." Valandor closed his eyes and whispered, "I know." It was something he had repressed deeply to the point of almost forgetting his dark past. But it was true. He was nothing but a spare. "Good boy." Valandor dared not open his eyes but could hear Vincent unlocking his jaw. The monster''s putrid breath assaulted his nose, followed by the horrifying pain of his needle-like teeth piercing his skin, followed by being eaten alive and unable to do anything about it. Stella, I could never escape my fate, but you and that spirit tree are different. You two are the defiers of fate. I could tell from a glance that you would both laugh in the face of the heavens. If there is anyone who will kill me after I become a monster, I hope it''s one of you. Valandor let out one last soul-filled scream as he was devoured by himself. Chapter 388: Sly Fox Vincent Nightrose stretched his new limbs with satisfying clicks and groaned in relief. He''d planned to craft a new body from scratch with the body parts he had harvested, but his current situation didn''t afford him the time for fleshcraft. So he had to use something he had prepared long ago: Valandor. A cultivator with potential that he had taken under his wing and raised, all while deeply weaving his threads of control into his body. He had given Valandor everything. A position of great power, responsibility, and resources. He had been his most dependable pawn for years, a true backbone of the sect. But even Valandor likely knew his true purpose deep down as he began feeling a deep sense of detachment between his body and soul. After all, Vincent had never been after Valandor''s soul, as achieving utter Soul Dominion over another was a power in the realm of the gods, and he had no use for aether affinity. No, what Vincent had always been after was a fresh body ready for use at any time. Vincent looked inside himself and was quite content with how the transition had gone. He had washed out Valandor''s soul by burning it in his soul flames. Leaving an empty husk behind that was strong enough to handle his soul without breaking. If Valandor had been in the Nascent Soul Realm, this process would have been far more messy, if not outright impossible. It was one of the reasons Vincent had such a strict policy of keeping his sect members below the Nascent Soul Realm, as the easiest way to escape his methods of control was by creating an infant soul and escaping to a new body. "I will need to spend some time widening the spirit roots and altering the body to better utilize some of my bloodlines¡ª" Vincent paused his mutterings, surprised by his own voice. No matter how many times he swapped bodies, it always took a while to get used to hearing a different voice when he spoke. "I heard Valandor giving me reports with this voice so many times, but it sounds so different inside my own head." Vincent had to admit he was slightly saddened at having to overtake Valandor. It was a true waste of such a good pawn, but the man had been compromised, so his fate had been sealed. Not to mention, this body won''t last long. Vincent thought as he ran young fingers along the quickly healing cavity in his chest where he had bitten a chunk out to create a pathway for his soul to invade. This is a temporary solution. My soul is still damaged and nearing the end of its lifespan, so I need to get my infant soul into a new, specially-made body soon. But for now, this will have to do. I can''t afford to be weakened to the extent that swapping souls would entail right now¡ªhuh? The sound of cracking wood drew Vincent''s attention. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his old body slumped in the chair with an unhinged jaw caked in blood and soulless eyes looking down at the floor. "What the..." Vincent noticed a branch growing from the corpse''s chest, and the veins around it were quickly blackening through the corpse''s pale skin like sprawling roots. "Is this a result of that black blood I had been confining?" He had left the black blood in his old body as it had drained on his blood Qi to keep it suppressed, and he didn''t see any use in holding onto it as if he let it out in any capacity, it seemed to attract the ire of the Ashfallen Sect''s leader. "I''ve got to go," Vincent cursed as his two hearts pounded in his chest. He wrapped himself in a mixture of illusion and gravity Qi, to make him invisible. The sound of his old body being twisted into a tree filled the room, and he quickly became unrecognizable. I could destroy this body, but the black blood seemed indestructible, and that would expose my presence here. I drained my old body of any trace of my soul, so they shouldn''t be able to trace this back to me. Vincent turned and left the house that had belonged to a mortal family before he devoured them for a snack. He floated into the sky far above Darklight City and stared at Red Vine Peak in the distance. He could easily peer through the giant illusion array surrounding the peak due to his higher cultivation level and understanding of illusion Qi. A demonic spirit tree nearing two hundred meters high, whose canopy encompasses the entire mountain peak. It''s unbelievable, but it appears to be in the Nascent Soul Realm and is the focal point of the divine energy bathing the area. I knew the Celestial Empire''s chancellor was experimenting with world tree sap. Was this tree a result of those experiments? If so, who is controlling it? Vincent had yet to find anyone who could be the leader of this Ashfallen Sect. The World Tree was the strongest being in the Celestial Empire, but the council of human cultivators controlled the empire, not the tree. In fact, the World Tree was enslaved by the council and harvested for its sap to progress their own cultivation. Spirit trees simply couldn''t lead a sect. I heard that even at Monarch Realm, unlike monsters who gain a level of intelligence that rivals humans at the Nascent Soul Realm, spirit trees can barely string sentences together and prefer to communicate through raw emotions. Meanwhile, this demonic spirit tree is in the middle of the Nascent Soul Realm. Despite all signs suggesting it rules these lands, it''s not possible. Vincent sniffed the air. The Crestfallen scent was last there on the peak, but it''s gone stale. They are hiding her somehow, or she has escaped through a portal to somewhere far outside my range. Either way... His eyes narrowed. Due to the illusion array and the very nature of the void, most wouldn''t notice. But surrounding the peak in a dome was something sinister that promised an instant death, and Vincent had honed his sense of danger long enough to trust it. I must find a way to get close to the scent without raising suspicion. The problem is I don''t know Valandor''s standing within the Ashfallen Sect. Not to mention, if the leader of Ashfallen uses whatever technique he used to discover that I had replaced the demoness with a blood clone, he might uncover that I''m not Valandor. Vincent raised his palm, and white flames appeared. With illusion and gravity Qi, I can simulate aether Qi to a point. But I can''t traverse the aether, which will likely give me away. Vincent snuffed out his illusionary aether Qi and looked back at the defensive void array surrounding the mountain peak. Wait, a void array? Only one family could have installed it and would know how to bypass or disable it. He turned and flew off toward Slymere. While even he was weary of the Voidmind family, he had to make use of the short timeframe where he was still at full power to gather some valuable puppets. *** Vincent arrived at the Voidmind residence confused. The place was empty. He knew the Voidmind family had been at war with the Skyrend family, but he had never expected this. Did they go into hiding? Vincent wondered as he floated through the quiet corridors with light bending around him. Eventually, he slowly opened the doors to the main room. Peeking his head through, he saw someone''s foot poking off the end of a large sofa positioned before a... tree? The person was softly humming and twitching their foot to their tune. Finally, a person is here, but why is a tree growing inside a room? Vincent floated closer and wrapped around. He looked at the woman up and down. She was dressed in a nightgown and reading a book with apparent amusement. He drew up a blank as to her name, though; he had never been good at recognizing faces. Sniffing the air, he realized. Isn''t this Morrigan? She was at Nightrose City a few days ago. That means she should be on the side of Ashfallen. Not the best candidate to try and puppet, but there''s nobody else here. Mhm, the Ashfallen Sect leader didn''t show much initiative to save her when I trapped an illusionary version of her in a bubble of gravity Qi. Also, wasn''t she accompanied by her daughter? Where is she? Morrigan snapped the book she was reading closed and looked forward, not at Vincent. "Do you need something?" Vincent raised a brow, "Morrigan, you can feel my presence?" He asked while using illusion Qi to alter his voice.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Call it intuition," Morrigan said, "I know when I''m being watched." "Who am I?" "How would I know?" Morrigan shrugged and laid back without a care in the world. "Have you come to kill me?" "That depends on if you answer my questions," Vincent replied, "What happened to the Voidmind family? Where did everyone go?" Morrigan''s personality seemingly flipped as her eyes filled with hatred. "They died. Slaughtered by the Ashfallen Sect and turned into monstrosities that will serve their leader for all eternity." She gestured to the tree in the room, "Or turned into a tree, like my dear husband over there¡ªbless his soul, he deserved a better fate, but I couldn''t save him despite my best efforts." Monstrosities? Vincent recalled the headless creature that had butchered his blood clones in his castle. He hadn''t sensed the monster''s approach, and it had effortlessly pierced his defenses. Both aspects of void Qi. "You know the Ashfallen Sect''s leader?" Vincent asked. He needed to know the identity of a being capable of controlling even the void. Morrigan shook her head, "He is a mythical figure that never makes himself known. Some call him the voice, others the All-Seeing Eye." "What about your daughter..." He tried to remember the girl''s name but drew a blank. "My dearest Elaine? Can you believe the Ashfallen Sect kidnapped her and turned her into a sex slave of that bastard Douglas? They made her sign a heavenly oath and brainwashed the poor girl. I recently brought her to Nightrose City, hoping to free her from their control, but things went sideways. The Ashfallen Sect won, and the Blood Lotus Sect is falling apart." Morrigan sat up, a look of sadness overtaking her. "If only Vincent was still in control, this wouldn''t have happened. Unfortunately, I think he might be dead. Phew, sorry. That was just a lot I had to get off my chest." Vincent''s smile couldn''t grow any wider. It was as if Morrigan was saying everything he wanted to hear. He had been wondering how he would go about controlling a void cultivator as they were well known to resist mind control techniques, but it seemed that wouldn''t be necessary. She was practically at his feet, begging to be his puppet at this point. He could almost taste it. "Do you hate the Ashfallen Sect?" Morrigan snorted, "Hate?" Rage engulfed her as her nails dug into the sofa''s cushions, tearing them. "I despise the Ashfallen Sect with all my being. They killed everyone in my family, enslaved my daughter, and forced me to sit here watching over an empty residence." "Interesting. Do you know anything about the void array surrounding Red Vine Peak?" "Of course I do," Morrigan smirked, "I''m the one who built it." Vincent chuckled. "This is music to my ears. You see, I have quite the bone to pick with the Ashfallen Sect myself and have been looking for a way in. What would you say to a partnership?" "You are clearly a very strong and capable man, one able to elude my senses and sneak into this place I''m supposed to guard." Morrigan sat up and bowed her head, "I would do anything to get the help of one such as yourself. To save my daughter and reclaim what was once mine." "Really? You would do anything?" Vincent had heard from Valandor''s reports that Morrigan was quite an elusive figure in the Voidmind family, which gave him the most difficulty. She seemed serious, and her hatred for the Ashfallen Sect seemed genuine from all the signs. But since he couldn''t control her directly due to void Qi, there was only one way to be sure. He canceled out the illusion on his foot. "If you are really willing to go that far, prove it to me. Lick it." A cultivator, especially one of her standing, would never delve this low. To grovel at the foot of another and agree to partake in such a deplorable and demeaning act would mean they are willing to utterly discard their pride. That, or they are batshit insane. Vincent was wholly convinced that Morrigan had been saying empty words, but to his surprise, she walked over to him and dropped to her knees. "You''re serious about this," He said with a hint of surprise that he couldn''t hide, "Are you willing to go to Red Vine Peak and gather some information for me?" Morrigan smiled and stared up at him while licking his foot, "Sure, toying with arrogant beings is one of my favorite pastimes." *** "Stella." "Yes, Tree?" Stella had just returned to Red Vine Peak and was in her alchemy lab. The Phantom Veil Amulet hung from her neck, ensuring she could do as she liked. She just had to be careful not to shoot her Qi out too far or leave any of her blood anywhere, as that may attract Vincent''s attention. "Sorry to bother you when you just got back, but can you go and check on an unauthorized demonic tree that has been reported in Darklight City?" "Uhm..." Stella trailed off as she looked at her pill experiment that was half done. "Can you send anyone else?" "The others are currently preparing for a meeting where we will discuss countermeasures to the beast tide. I could maybe send Diana, but then you would have to attend the meeting in her place¡ª" "Okay, okay! I''m going!" Stella ignored Ashlock''s chuckling as she put the book she had been holding on the table and stepped into the aether. She didn''t even know where this darn tree was, but anything was better than being dragged into a meeting, and she was sure an out-of-place tree would be easy to spot once she got there. This is concerning, though. Did someone get a hold of Ash''s sap again? I thought Serena''s fate at the tournament would have instilled enough wariness in the populace to not dare harvest his sap. Stella rushed through the aether and was about to return to reality somewhere in Darklight City when a distant presence caught her attention. A monster? She whipped her head in the direction of the presence but paused. Here in the aether? She had never heard or read about the aether containing other beings. If this is like the void, could it be the aether equivalent of a Worldwalker? "What should I do, Maple? Do I investigate or run?" Stella whispered to the sleeping squirrel on her head but didn''t receive an answer. "Hey, listen to me," she smacked him lightly on the head, and Maple yawned. "I know speaking for you wastes energy, so just point or something. Do you think it''s fine?" Maple sleepily opened an eye and looked in the direction of the presence. Whatever he saw didn''t impress him as he snorted before rolling back over and falling asleep. "I''ll take that as your seal of approval," Stella rolled her eyes. Maple had never been very reliable except when it counted, but if he seemed unconcerned, it likely wasn''t a being on the level of a Worldwalker. "I wonder what it could be." Stella walked closer as cautiously as she could toward it and narrowed her eyes. Is that a... soul? There was a blazing ball like a miniature star about the size of a fist. It was clearly alive and aware as it flickered toward her. Though even she could tell it was dying and fading away. Why is it floating there? "Hello, little soul, who are you?" Stella asked as she extended her hand. She didn''t feel any bloodlust or malice from the soul, but if it hurt her to the point of losing a finger, the Spatial Anchor would activate, and she would be dragged back through space to Quill''s library. The soul nudged her hand, and she felt an intense tingle. This soul isn''t little at all. Stella''s eyes widened. It''s at least at the peak of the Star Core Realm. Far stronger than me. "Is someone else out there with aether affinity as strong as Valandor?" Stella mused, and that got a reaction out of the soul. It blazed with power as if begging for her attention. "You know Valandor?" It pulsed enthusiastically. Stella tapped her chin as a terrible realization set in, "Are you Valandor?" The soul did the universally known equivalent of an enthusiastic yes. "What happened to you?" Stella asked in a panic but then remembered the soul couldn''t speak. "Did someone kill you? Yeah? Who? Darn it, why can''t you speak? No, wait, don''t die on me." Stella desperately cradled the soul and tried to feed it Qi to no avail as the soul seemed to reject her offering. Stella''s mind raced as she thought about who could have done it. Valandor was strong, a Grand Elder of the Blood Lotus Sect, and was known as the White Reaper as he worked under Vincent Nightrose. He had a lot of enemies, and many people resented him. "Could it have been one of the other noble families making use of the chaos to get revenge on you? No, that shouldn''t be possible. You were too strong." Stella''s eyes widened, "Was it Vincent? Did he kill you?" The soul did one final pathetic flicker to say yes as it almost faded into the beyond. "That bastard," Stella gritted her teeth, "I''ll kill him one day. I swear to the heavens I''ll rip his head off." She cupped her hands around Valandor''s soul, "Don''t go! Stay here to watch me get revenge. For the both of us..." An intense tingle burned into her fingers, but she didn''t dare let go. "Please stay," She whispered through the pain, "I still have a lot to learn from you. The books are too hard to understand." Her brain and consciousness suddenly flared with pain, and her eyes glowed white as what could only be described as enlightenment flooded her mind. She floated there in agony for a long while, but she didn''t dare reject the pain. She embraced it and desperately tried to comprehend everything being thrown at her. If not for her bloodline, her consciousness may have fallen apart. But she managed to hold on until the end, and the result of what she had gained shocked her. The information Valandor provided her had perfectly merged with her own and what her ancestors could bestow into the very peak of enlightenment. "This... this is..." She couldn''t believe it, "Aether Qi law? I want to practice... no." She shook her head; now wasn''t the time to grasp her new capabilities. She needed to inform Ash of her findings straight away. Vincent had killed Valandor and was likely here in Darklight City. Stella stepped out of the aether into a house. A howling wind played with her hair, and rain fell on her face. She glanced up, the ceiling having been pierced by a tree. While big, it felt soulless to her. There was no hint of Qi coming from it. "Where did this tree get such rich nutrients to grow so quickly from?" Stella was puzzled until she wondered why Valandor''s soul was floating in the aether beside this tree. "Was it made from Valandor''s body? But why? Wasn''t Vincent looking for a new body?" Stella rushed through the aether back to Red Vine Peak, and as she stepped out, she was surprised to see someone who didn''t visit often. "Morrigan?" "Oh, hello." Morrigan smiled at her. Her mouth didn''t move, yet she somehow whispered into her ear with a hint of amusement. "Vincent is listening." Chapter 389: Desolation Morrigan was having fun for the first time in a long time. It wasn''t every day that she got to wrap multiple higher-stage cultivation beings around her finger. She loved nothing more than seeing these arrogant children who called themselves cultivators reduced to despair, and there was nobody she wanted to see despair more in this lifetime than Vincent Nightrose. So it was quite a surprise when a soul pressure she recognized to belong to Vincent showed up in her room. As the origin of the void, a being that was the manifestation of an affinity and had lived countless lives since the heavens created reality. Her attachment to anything was fleeting at best, including her pride. Her void affinity is significantly suppressed in reality. Because of this, she had to listen to Vincent''s orders despite the strength of her affinity. The gap between them was simply too huge, and she really hated dying and having to start over again as a baby. Void Qi was nearly impossible to cultivate without the assistance of arrays, so childhood was always rough. Yet Vincent had come to her room with an adorable plan to turn her into one of his puppets. All she had to do to flip the script on him was lick his foot. She had almost burst out laughing at how easy the request had been. As a being who had been there since the birth of creation, she had done and seen everything there was to be experienced. She hadn''t lied when she said she was willing to do anything. Besides, she had coated her tongue in void Qi, so she hadn''t felt a thing. With Vincent convinced of her soul-burning hatred for the Ashfallen Sect, Morrigan had flown over here with Vincent in tow and bumped into Stella, stepping out of the aether. Morrigan had to admit she was impressed with Stella''s growth as a cultivator. The girl managed to remain stone-faced at her words regarding the fact that Vincent was listening. "What do you mean he is listening?" Ashlock''s voice echoed through the void, reaching her and Stella''s ears. "He came to Slymere in search of a puppet, and I offered myself up," Morrigan replied, ensuring both could hear as she spoke with void Qi to hide her words from Vincent''s prying ears. "He''s a cautious man, though, so he''s invisible and floating outside the defensive void array you have set up." "Vincent is here?" Ashlock sounded a little panicked. "Are you under his mind control?" "Of course not." Morrigan felt like rolling her eyes. "How did you convince him to trust you?" "Oh, that was easy." Morrigan paused, "I got on my knees and sucked his toes." There was a drawn-out silence, and Morrigan enjoyed how Stella''s stone-faced facade cracked as she silently stared her down. While she wanted to see Vincent despair, it was also fun to mess with the others. "Sucked his toes? Why? Is Vincent into that sort of thing or something?" "No idea. I said he could request anything to prove my loyalty to him, and that was his request." "I''m surprised that''s all it took." Ashlock seemed understandably baffled. "Well, I also gave a compelling speech that I put my heart and soul into about how much I despised the Ashfallen Sect." "Huh, what did we do to you?" "Killed my family, turned my husband into a tree, kidnapped my daughter¡ª" "Okay, I see your point." "¡ªturned Elaine into a sex slave for Douglas, forced me to keep watch over an empty residence." "Alright, now you''re just making up bullshit." "Of course. It was all bullshit from the start. I even told him I was the one who made this defensive void array. What I said doesn''t matter; what matters is that I have convinced him I''m on his side. The problem is, he''s one cautious bastard. I need to prove myself more before he will trust me to the point I can lead him to his death." "How can I even trust you at this point?" Ashlock sighed deeply, "But fine, what do you need us to do?" Morrigan was about to reply when a distorted voice tickled her ear. "What''s the hold-up? Who is that mortal in front of you?" It was Vincent''s adorable attempts to obscure himself, and it seemed he didn''t recognize Stella? "She''s a mortal in service to the All-Seeing Eye. Nobody for you to be concerned about, but she is allowed to carry out the All-Seeing Eye''s will onto the people of the Ashfallen Sect." Morrigan effortlessly lied to Vincent through the void before subtly informing Stella, "Vincent doesn''t recognize you. I told him you''re a mortal who is able to carry out the All-Seeing Eye''s will. Now, I''m supposed to be watching over the residence, yet I came here unannounced. What would be a fitting punishment for a disobedient servant like me? It can be anything, I don''t mind." In a twisted way, Morrigan was deeply curious about what Stella would do. Stella stopped staring at her. A look of annoyance flashed across her face. "Morrigan Voidmind, you''re supposed to be guarding the Slymere residence. Why are you here?" It''s not the best acting, but it will do. Morrigan stepped forward. "I''m concerned about the safety of Slymere and Red Vine Peak. Is this void array really the only thing that can stop Vincent Nightrose should he appear?" Stella snorted arrogantly, "So what if it is? With this void array, we have no need to fear someone like Vincent." "If it was to be disabled..." Stella waved her off, "That would never happen, right? You''re the one who made it in the first place." "Right," Morrigan awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, "Also, you wouldn''t happen to know where Stella is? I had something to tell her." "The All-Seeing Eye is protecting her for now, though she has been insisting on making an appearance in..." she paused for a moment, seemingly trying to remember something, "Ah yes, Tartarus. Stella Crestfallen insisted on testing the new training realm before it opened to the rest of the cult." "I see," Morrigan bowed deeply.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Say, Morrigan, have you seen Valandor recently?" Stella asked cryptically. "No?" "Stella has meant to meet with him as she has something very important to give him." "Right..." Morrigan nodded, unsure what Stella was getting at. "Thank you for answering my questions, I''ll return now." "Hold it right there," Stella said, and Morrigan could barely contain her smile. Just what was the little murder princess going to think up? "Put out your arm." Morrigan turned to face her punisher and complied. Stella clicked her finger, and Ashlock, looming behind her, charged up with spatial Qi. A second later, reality tore apart, and she felt a shoot of pain followed by a thud. Her arm, cleanly cut off by a spatial blade, lay at her feet. "Get out of here, Voidmind trash, and don''t you dare try to heal that arm. Every time you look at the bloodied stump, remember the greatness of Ashfallen and your place in this sect." Stella sneered and left. Morrigan stood there, stunned for a moment. *** Vincent returned to Slymere with an enranged Morrigan. "I''ll kill them. I''ll fucking kill those bastards," She screamed as she paced the room. The sofa had long been obliterated by a kick, pieces of it scattered across the mostly empty room. Void Qi aggressively flickered across her shoulders as she clutched her stump with her left hand. "To think a mortal would be so arrogant as to smite my arm off. Heavens, if not for them having my dear Elaine captive, I would kill them myself." Vincent was now entirely convinced that Morrigan was on his side. While she might not be considered a reliable puppet, there was one thing for sure. They shared a common enemy, and that was good enough for him. "Morrigan, together we can put an end to them. Especially that mortal..." While the girl had looked vaguely familiar, she had no scent he recognized, so she might as well be another mortal in a sea of faces. All useless and beneath him, not worth the precious space in his mind. With his soul on the edge of collapse and at the end of its lifespan, he was effectively going senile. "Forget the mortal," Morrigan hissed, "She is just a pawn of the All-Seeing Eye. A mere mouthpiece. The whole sect is like that, every last one of them. You promise to help me eradicate them?" Vincent had no plans for such a thing. He didn''t care about the Ashfallen Sect at all. The Crestfallen bloodline was his focus. "Sure," he lied through his teeth, "If we work together, anything is possible." Morrigan collapsed to the floor against a pillar, a look of despair on her face. "But how can we do it? You heard them. The void array is strong enough to defeat Vincent Nightrose, one of the most powerful cultivators in the wilderness. While I could disable it, there''s a chance they catch me before I succeed." "The void array is a concern, but I have a better idea." Vincent canceled out his illusions and revealed himself to Morrigan. "Valandor?" Morrigan''s eyes widened, "Why are you naked?! Have some decency!" Vincent snorted, "Rich coming from a woman with as little pride as you. Besides, clothes are a nuisance. They mess with my invisibility and get torn up when I use my blood affinity." "Blood affinity?" Morrigan seemed confused. "Ah," Vincent chuckled, "Apologise for the confusion. It''s me, Vincent Nightrose. I overtook Valandor''s body." A look of realization seemed to hit Morrigan, "Vincent Nightrose?! You''re alive!" She threw herself at his feet, "Oh, thank the heavens, there is still hope. With someone of your caliber helping me, we can defeat the Ashfallen Sect and recover the Blood Lotus Sect to its former glory." Vincent sneered, "That''s right." What a dumb bitch. I can see right through her. She thinks by clinging to me, she will get a great position in the sect once I retake everything that was once mine. But that will only happen if she gives her everything to me. Body and soul. "What was your profound plan?" Morrigan asked with expectant eyes. "Ahem," Vincent coughed into his hand, "Remember when that mortal asked if you had seen Valandor recently?" Morrigan scowled at the mention of the mortal who had commanded for her arm to be blown off by the spirit tree before slowly nodding. "Yes, I remember. She said that Stella had something to give Valandor." "Exactly," Vincent summoned some illusionary aether flames, "With this body and my illusion Qi, I can pass as Valandor and get close to Stella Crestfallen. I just need to avoid the Ashfallen Sect''s leader, as he will see through my disguise. Which is why I think this place the mortal mentioned... what was it called?" "Tartarus?" "Yeah, that''s the one. What can you tell me about it?" "It''s a rift that the Ashfallen Sect plans to turn into a training realm." Vincent raised a brow, "A permanent rift?" Morrigan nodded. Vincent whistled, "Those are rare. No wonder the Ashfallen Sect plans to stay and face the beast tide. How much control do they have over it?" "I''m not entirely sure..." "Enough to seal off the entrance should I enter?" Morrigan shook her head, "No. Definitely not. Nobody can do that except the gods." "That''s good enough then," Vincent grinned, proud of his plan. From the mortal''s words, it seemed Valandor had a decent standing in the sect. At least enough that he was allowed to speak directly with Stella, which is all he needed. Defeating the Ashfallen Sect? Freeing Morrigan''s daughter? What an utter waste of Qi. He only had eyes for the Crestfallen bloodline. Though I am interested in this permanent rift. Should the beast tide wipe them out, I''ll be sure to return to this land and claim it for myself. Vincent found a spot on the floor that wasn''t covered in pieces of the sofa and sat down on the cold stone. Assuming a cross-legged position, he closed his eyes, "I will be busy fixing this body and cultivating for now. Inform me if you hear anything about Stella being in Tartarus." "Don''t you worry," Morrigan said as she walked through the room toward the door, clutching her stump. "You will be the first to know." *** Ashlock withdrew his attention from Slymere and was somewhat concerned. Either Morrigan was the greatest actor of all time, or cutting off her arm had genuinely enraged her. "Either way, it seems we have tricked Vincent," Ashlock said to Stella back on Red Vine Peak and had to admit he was quite surprised, as he had planned to play a significant role in scheming against Vincent, yet it had been handled by Stella and Morrigan, of all people. "To think he overtook Valandor''s body, how did you know that?" "Two reasons," Stella held up two fingers while she stood in the meeting room with everyone else. Ashlock tried his best to refrain from commenting on the fact that sending her to investigate the tree had resulted in her attending the meeting anyway. It was almost as if fate had it out for her. "The tree you sent me to investigate. It was soulless yet had grown so big in what I assumed was a short amount of time, considering it had only just been reported. For that to occur, it had to have grown from a powerful cultivator or monster''s body that was somehow missing its soul." Stella lowered one of her fingers, "While that had been a big clue, I wouldn''t have figured it out if not for running into Valandor''s soul in the aether." "What was it doing there?" Diana asked. "I think he either escaped or was forced there by Vincent. I sadly don''t know the truth as he could not speak to me, just answer yes or no questions. One of which confirmed he had been killed by Vincent. Either way, we know Vincent had no reason to go after Valandor like that unless he needed something. Such as switching bodies. How he did it, I still have no idea." "So where is Valandor''s soul now?" Ashlock asked. That man had been quite strong and had aether affinity. He would make a good Bastion and cultivation area for Stella. Stella patted her chest, "I absorbed his soul, so he''s a part of me now. Don''t worry, he''s not dead. Just in a state too weak to do anything." "That''s a relief," Ashlock sighed. "He also imparted his knowledge on me," Stella conjured an aether Qi soul flame, and something about it felt... different. It was unsettling how perfect it was, as if Stella was not simply borrowing the power of the aether but was the aether herself. "Is that what I think it is?" Stella grinned, "Yep, it''s aether Qi law, and I have concluded something through this newfound understanding." "What have you concluded?" Ashlock was intrigued. "While I could probably make a pseudo-aether Qi origin stone now if I had the materials," she snuffed out the soul flame. "I won''t." "Why not?" Ashlock didn''t understand. Stella knew how valuable that stone would be for him. It would upgrade his affinity from spatial to the higher tier aether affinity. That had been their whole plan after she had returned from the Mystic Realm. Stella grinned, "Because aether Qi doesn''t suit you, but I think I know which one will. There are two sides to every coin, and the same can be said about affinities. While aether Qi is about seamless traversal through reality, which suits me. You want to use your affinity for something else, right?" "Yeah," Ashlock agreed. As his system rarely gave him direct attack skills, it was through his affinity and learned techniques that he had combat capabilities. Stella nodded, "That''s why I think desolation affinity that focuses on the raw destruction of reality would suit you better."