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 deat...
2024-09-15 23:01:14 +0000 UTC
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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 'execut...
2024-09-13 21:04:55 +0000 UTC
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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.
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 ...
2024-09-03 11:26:09 +0000 UTC
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Jasmine had never stared death in the eyes before. It had all happened in the blink of an eye—she 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 sendi...
2024-09-02 21:20:52 +0000 UTC
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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 a...
2024-09-01 03:52:37 +0000 UTC
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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 th...
2024-08-29 16:09:08 +0000 UTC
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Book 4 is out today on Amazon!
You guys are already the best for directly supporting the creation of tree, so it feels silly to ask any more of you. However, I am shamelessly seeking some assistance! If you could leave a rating or review on amazon it goes a long way in helping the book reach more people :D the cult of the All-Seeing Eye can only grow if I deploy Stella's marketing tactics sometimes...
2024-08-28 16:15:34 +0000 UTC
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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 ...
2024-08-27 21:29:25 +0000 UTC
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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 si...
2024-08-25 12:52:11 +0000 UTC
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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—spending 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 cultivator...
2024-08-23 13:00:52 +0000 UTC
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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! C...
2024-08-21 13:15:43 +0000 UTC
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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 ...
2024-08-19 12:28:22 +0000 UTC
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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 ha...
2024-08-17 12:06:02 +0000 UTC
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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 ...
2024-08-15 13:37:38 +0000 UTC
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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 Ashfal...
2024-08-13 12:49:34 +0000 UTC
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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.
<...
2024-08-11 12:16:37 +0000 UTC
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Hello, below is book 5's cover and some fan art done by the very talented Evan Barnaud
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.
Next up is Ashlock's light Ent Sol! Not 100% accurate to how he appears in the novel, but they got th...
2024-08-11 03:56:18 +0000 UTC
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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 sys...
2024-08-09 14:06:43 +0000 UTC
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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...
2024-08-07 14:42:14 +0000 UTC
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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 m...
2024-08-05 15:34:07 +0000 UTC
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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—whichever direction overhead was supposed to be. It was hard to tell up from down when surrounded by nothingness.
2024-08-03 14:11:04 +0000 UTC
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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, th...
2024-08-01 12:22:25 +0000 UTC
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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 sl...
2024-07-30 14:30:26 +0000 UTC
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"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 directio...
2024-07-28 12:14:40 +0000 UTC
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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 throu...
2024-07-26 13:04:19 +0000 UTC
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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 fi...
2024-07-24 12:49:58 +0000 UTC
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[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 descr...
2024-07-22 09:18:16 +0000 UTC
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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 cre...
2024-07-20 12:46:33 +0000 UTC
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Ashlock noticed the void lightning was not simply being shrugged off by the mysterious figure wearing his cult's garments—it 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 t...
2024-07-18 12:39:50 +0000 UTC
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"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 Sh...
2024-07-16 15:46:00 +0000 UTC
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