Elenor Evergreen tried to calm her raging emotions as she looked out the pristine glass window, although there wasn't much to see of the vast valley or Darklight City in the distance due to the constant rising smog from the forges at the foot of Slymere City.
In the slight reflection of the glass, she could glimpse the haunted complexion that stared back at her, reminding her of the torment she had faced over the last month or so.
How foolish had she been to not foresee the betray...
2023-05-25 16:33:22 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock wanted to ask Stella or Diana's opinion regarding Kaida's evolution, but one was deep in meditation, and the other was missing from the mountain peak.
"Larry, do you know anything about these options..." Ashlock then read out all of the evolution options through their black Qi tether.
There was a long pause before Larry quietly replied, "Master, my apologies, but the realm I came from was a place of eternal darkness, fire, and ash. So I lack the insight into many of th...
2023-05-24 00:39:30 +0000 UTC
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Within the weird fractured space where the sun never moved and the external world appeared eternally frozen, the sound of laughter and clashing blades resounded.
Sparks flew as a crazed blonde hair girl with glowing pink eyes blurred as she dashed and weaved through eight black vines coated in spikes, each wielding a sword and trying to chop off her limbs.
Ashlock winced, a jolt of pain flaring as Stella sliced through one of his vines. He sent the now free-floating sword hurtling...
2023-05-22 23:28:05 +0000 UTC
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After the sweet taste of victory, it was time for Ashlock to enjoy the spoils of his fight. He could now understand why cultivators were so bloodthirsty and prone to killing each other over the slightest grievance. Cultivation was a costly and time-consuming process. Why waste time traveling the realms when he can sit here on his mountaintop and have fools come and offer their lives and treasures to him?
At first, Ashlock had been baffled by the sheer quantity of belongings the Voidmind...
2023-05-19 17:15:36 +0000 UTC
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Despite Ashlock's exhaustion, shrouded by the surrounding cold darkness of night, he refused to squander this rare opportunity.
Cultivation had always been his area of control, where he got to learn and practice his own techniques independently of the system, except for it randomly deciding his spatial affinity.
For the rest of his life on this planet as a tree, he had been prepared to coexist with the system, focusing on his cultivation while hoping it would occasionally provide ...
2023-05-17 23:00:56 +0000 UTC
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Despite the spirit tree's assertions that he was inside its body, the Elder found himself doubting the claim. The environment around him was immense, as if he'd been reduced to an ant's size, and the divine eye overhead appeared to belong to a god-like entity, observing its creation.
His only explanation for this surreal reality was the spatial Qi pervading the area—known to alter the dimensions of spaces. For instance, spatial rings used stored spatial Qi to create a tiny pocket dime...
2023-05-16 23:24:54 +0000 UTC
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Elder Voidmind felt his peak stage Star Core burning in his chest as he desperately resisted the compressive force enveloping him. It was as though he was imprisoned within a collapsing pocket dimension, and the only thing preventing it from imploding into a singularity and obliterating him was the outward pressure exerted by his own Star Core.
His sight and senses were completely eclipsed; his Qi was powerless against the crushing force, leaving him isolated in a void that felt so unfa...
2023-05-15 22:49:59 +0000 UTC
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Realizing his immunity to void-based attacks, Ashlock found some comfort in knowing he wouldn't be reduced to splinters by the Voidmind Elder's newly formed arm of pure void. But his mind was troubled by concerns for the girl's safety.
He wasn't certain if Larry could even stand against a peak Star Core cultivator, yet he had to try. "Larry, return immediately!" he called through the tether. A confirmation pulsed through their connection, but dread still choked him. Would Larry make it ...
2023-05-14 07:12:19 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock grumbled to himself, guiding yet another tree through a rift and situating it a thousand miles north. Here, he was constructing a colossal wall of demonic trees. This wall was to serve as an early warning system against incoming threats, such as another dao storm, beast tide, or perhaps wandering cultivators like the merchants.
Ever since the crack of dawn, Ashlock had tirelessly relocated trees across Darklight City. His quick thinking the previous night had eased the residents...
2023-05-12 18:21:25 +0000 UTC
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The spatial rift snapped closed, and Ashlock watched Diana return from her meeting with a joyous smile as she removed the white wooden mask from her face and stored it away in her spatial ring.
He had naturally been listening in on the conversation between Diana and the Silverspires through his roots, so he left her and Stella to chat on the bench under his shade as he knew how the meeting had turned out. While awaiting the Silverspire's reply, he would keep pressing forward with his pl...
2023-05-11 01:58:53 +0000 UTC
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The portal collapsed with a soft pop, and Stella said nothing as she trudged over to the bench beneath Ashlock's canopy. She collapsed onto it with a long sigh, closed her eyes briefly, and murmured, "That was exhausting. I can't tell if the child or his guard was more annoying to deal with."
Stella was clearly not cut out for politics after spending a childhood alone, but unfortunately, she was the only one other than Larry who currently knew the ancient language.
Ashloc...
2023-05-09 18:11:31 +0000 UTC
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Got this really cool piece of fan art today that I thought you guys would like to see :)
2023-05-08 14:25:03 +0000 UTC
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Stella stood beside the Redclaw Grand Elder, her stomach churning with nerves. Despite her efforts to steady her breathing, the flashy display of wealth and power from the Silverspires, along with her limited knowledge about them, eroded the confidence she had been carefully building over the past few weeks, particularly through her frequent interactions with Douglas, who often challenged her on various subjects.
Looking up, she saw the Silverspire airship, a weirdly ring-shaped contrap...
2023-05-08 00:59:47 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock watched the scene unfold in horror. Stella had gone far beyond the point where she could mess up, and he could simply eliminate the Redclaws. They were too valuable to be disposed of now. Why had she mentioned something like that?
Stella sighed at the Grand Elder's question and replied, "The immortal expended great effort to transform the Dao Storm into new life. Wouldn't you consider those beautiful red trees his children?"
The Grand Elder appeared bewildered, wh...
2023-05-07 01:18:30 +0000 UTC
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[Hibernation Mode Deactivated]
"Tree! Hey Tree, wake up!"
Ashlock was roused by a system chime and the sensation of a hand patting his trunk, accompanied by Stella's persistent voice.
His mind felt even more sluggish than when waking from an ordinary slumber. He felt so slow and just wanted to go back to sleep.
"Treeeee!" Stella cheered, "You woke up! I can sense it."
"Huh?" Ashlock mumbled as his thoughts accelerated, ...
2023-05-05 23:42:14 +0000 UTC
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The darkness enveloping Diana shifted from an empty void to a dreamscape—a world that seemed real but fell apart under scrutiny. The verdant meadow of lush grass lay still as if painted, and the horizon blurred, making the sky appear to be melting.
Diana tried to steady her mind and recall her father's advice on handling Nocturnes, rare but dangerous threats that sometimes appeared when dealing with demonic sect scions.
Nocturnes, also known as dream eaters, were abominations th...
2023-05-04 22:10:03 +0000 UTC
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Diana felt the wind rush past her ears and ruffle her hair as she dashed between the branches of the dense demonic forest that sprawled between Red Vine Peak and Darklight City. The place reeked of death and decay, emanating an eerie atmosphere that was difficult to describe.
Once a haven of greenery, the area had transformed after the Dao Storm. Diana refrained from questioning the Patriarch's abilities, but she couldn't help but wonder how Ashlock had survived the ferocious tempest, e...
2023-05-02 23:06:34 +0000 UTC
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As the mountain was enveloped in the darkness of dusk, Ashlock observed Stella drawing lines on the ground with a paintbrush in one hand and a pot of black ink in her other.
Ancient runic symbols painted by Stella surrounded him, which his {Language of the World} skill seemed to automatically translate in his mind.
As Stella went about her work of writing the ancient runic language onto the ground with the paintbrush, Douglas was watching from the sidelines and offering advice whe...
2023-05-01 22:47:50 +0000 UTC
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"Did someone mention runic formation?" Douglas shouted, pushing himself out of the rubble he had fallen face-first into. He was drenched, with a thick layer of dust from the wreckage covering him from head to toe. Even his brown hair had turned white from the grime.
Diana casually walked over and effortlessly extracted the water and dust from Douglas's clothes, forming a ball above her palm that turned into a dusky snow globe. With a flick of her wrist, the water ball transform...
2023-04-30 21:39:25 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock observed the entire scene through his spiritual sight, facilitated by his roots that covered nearly every inch of the cavern. He hadn't actually told Diana where to instruct Douglas to dig the tunnel; he had simply assumed the earth affinity cultivator could peer through the rock or something and determine the optimal route.
Her words, however, rang true. If Douglas created a tunnel beside the black root, they would find themselves a thousand meters up a mountain—close enough ...
2023-04-28 21:43:35 +0000 UTC
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Douglas tried to ignore the awkward tension in the air as he finally felt the shivers that ran through his body subside. It was difficult, but he pushed the terrifying truths he had seen in the spirit tree's ageless gaze to the back of his mind.
He had come here at the request of his cousin, Mr. Choi, to whom he owed a lot after fleeing the Terraforge family in his youth. However, although he greatly respected his cousin, he never expected to be deceived like this.
His cousin had ...
2023-04-26 21:53:08 +0000 UTC
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The rebirth gave Ashlock an opportunity to retake control of his life as throughout his life in this new world, he had constantly felt forced into situations and compelled to react to threats as they arose.
Naturally, such a lack of independence was expected from a human mind abruptly torn from the modern world and thrust into a tree with no warning or guidance and expected to flourish in an ancient world of cultivators where impulsive youths could imbue their weapons with the fire of t...
2023-04-24 22:10:51 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock awoke to the golden radiance of a summer day—the sky was crystal clear, extending to the horizon without a hint of cloud or storm. It was perfect—almost too perfect.
"You were supposed to die."
Startled, Ashlock looked down at the source of the voice and saw a majestic young man wearing simple white robes sipping from a steaming teacup.
"Senior Lee?" Ashlock wondered. He still remembered the old man's distinctive jawline and stature, and despite this man...
2023-04-22 21:54:45 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone, a piece of art I got commissioned over a month ago is finally done!
It shows Maple resting on Stella's head as she sits under Ashlock's shade. For now, I'm using this as a RoyalRoad cover, and it might be used as the cover art for book 2 when it goes to Amazon because I want the book one cover to have more focus on Ashlock :)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the series as much as I enjoy writing it. There will be a chapter out tomorrow, as usual.
2023-04-22 02:39:25 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock found himself in a silent void—no matter where he looked, complete darkness surrounded him. There was no light or shadows, just cold blackness in every direction. He couldn't grasp the size of this space nor his own appearance within it.
How could he remain alive after the Dao Storm ripped him apart?
"System!" Ashlock shouted into the void, but it remained unresponsive. It was strange for something that had always occupied his headspace and answered him to suddenly vanis...
2023-04-20 19:11:02 +0000 UTC
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The late afternoon sun bathed the noble district of Darklight City in warmth. Through idle conversation with Diana, as they walked, Stella learned that Darklight City was primarily governed by mortals. They had a governing body and influential mortal families that managed various industries, often with the assistance of rogue cultivators.
The group strolled down a picturesque street lined with grand pavilions that seemed out of place in such a large and dense city. Stella observed sever...
2023-04-19 00:03:08 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock observed in hushed stillness as the colossal Cloud Titan eradicated the forest with each stride. The Titan's foot, a swirling vortex of fierce gales, hovered just above the ground, not quite making contact. Yet, much like a brutal hurricane, trees in close proximity were wrenched from their roots and hurled into the raging storm, tearing them apart.
A wall of clouds trailed behind the Titan like a divine cape, furiously consuming the landscape in its wake as though it were a rel...
2023-04-16 23:07:21 +0000 UTC
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Upon observing the Elder on the walls using a talisman to contact the Grand Elder, Ashlock shifted his view to the study inside the White Stone Palace, where the Grand Elder was slumped over a desk, murmuring the ancient language to himself.
The Grand Elder's concentration on the parchments was interrupted when one of the many communication talismans hanging from hooks beneath plaques bearing the Elders' names on the far wall emitted a pale light.
With a groan, the Grand Elder got...
2023-04-15 16:44:18 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock knew he had to be fast.
Over time, Ashlock enhanced his resistance to hunger during his life as a tree. However, once he activated his {Devour} skill on a monster, the skill would persist until either he depleted his Qi or the target perished.
Having used {Devour} on hundreds of demonic chickens simultaneously, he would need to rapidly interact with his system if he intended to experiment with his new idea of claiming low-grade rewards.
[+3 SC]
2023-04-13 18:33:27 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock was sorely tempted to refuse to help Stella and make her walk down the mountain while holding her head in shame. But as much as he wanted to embarrass her, it was a lower priority than maintaining the Ashfallen sect's mysterious facade.
The Redclaws had sworn an oath and had been diligent so far, but Ashlock knew their loyalty was born out of fear of the unknown. He could control them using his Star Core prowess, but he preferred to use the carrot-and-stick method.
This me...
2023-04-11 17:19:20 +0000 UTC
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