Reborn as a Demonic Tree-Novel

Stella's Mother was the World Tree? How the fuck was that even possible?

The image of Stella's Father turned to a treehugger in his mind, and he felt his bark shudder at the thought—what horrible, unspeakable acts had occurred for this to happen?

Ashlock's mind was freed from its spiraling thoughts as he heard the silence broken by sniffling. Stella was still curled up in a ball to hide her face, and the more he looked at her, the more implausible her Mother being the World Tree seemed. No matter how you looked at it, she was human through and through.

"Senior Lee has made it very clear that looks can be deceiving," Ashlock mused, but it still seemed impossible. Stella wasn't some godly being from a higher realm of creation but just a girl abandoned by her family... right?

Diana seemed stunned by Stella's words and unable to form a response as her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, so to fill the silence, Ashlock spoke to his daughter.

"What do you think about it?"

"Do you even believe that your Mother is the World Tree? Are the words of the cosmos to be trusted?"

"So this cosmos thing could be lying?" Ashlock said, "Did it provide any evidence that your Mother is the World Tree?"

Stella shook her head.

"I still don't buy it," Ashlock said, "Stella isn't the only one who has noticed my spiritual gaze and my offspring emit their emotions through Qi fluctuations. Considering we grew up together and how much Stella depended on my presence, I wouldn't be surprised if she grew more attuned to my spiritual gaze and the fluctuations."

"I believe the cosmos is trying to teach you a lesson here," Ashlock said, "Which it seems to have succeeded in doing. Unless it told you anything else we can use to verify its words? The World Tree isn't exactly close by to ask."

"What is it?"

"Alive? I thought he died trying to force his way to the Star Core Realm?"

"Assuming he is alive and we found him, what would you—"

Ashlock had to admit that he felt some relief hearing Stella's opinions on her Father. "Thank you, Stella, that means a lot," Ashlock said as he moved his root to pat her head.

"Well, let's think. Verifying if your Mother is truly the World Tree would be difficult. Senior Lee told me the World Tree is capable of something close to speech through complex emotions, so we could ask her, but she is far away in the center of the Celestial Empire," Ashlock sighed, "There is also the issue that Senior Lee gave me the divine fragment that was supposed to be for the World Tree and there's a chance she will try to kill me for it."

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"That's a rather dramatic way of phrasing it, but that's not far from the truth. Nine divine fragments are spread throughout the realms, and one needs to acquire all nine to become a God. I hold one, and the World Tree needs it to initiate the Era of Ascension and rise to the next layer of creation."

"We could," Ashlock agreed, "But then neither of us could become Gods as one fragment would be held by the other. It's complicated... there's a whole cycle that the World Tree doesn't know it's a part of, so it will never reach true divinity even if it had my fragment, but I have a chance of ascending to Godhood and ending this accursed cycle. With the help of you two and the others, of course."

"Yes, as a Monarch Realm being, I am not in a position to defend myself if I catch its ire," Ashlock said, "Or at least I think so. Monarch Realm is an incomprehensible level of power to me. Also, I do not know about the World Tree's combat capabilities other than Senior Lee saying the World Tree's presence was the reason the Celestial Empire could fend off the beast tides."

"Oi," Ashlock interjected, "When you experience time like I do and have a body the size of a continent, you are allowed to be lazy. I could check on my roots in the far west and then head to the east, and I will be in a different time zone."

"With winter coming up, I am looking forward to being even lazier," Ashlock replied with amusement. Since the nights would be longer, he could spend even more time under the nine vertical moons, bathing in their lunar energies. To him, it was as pleasant as a visit to the spa had been, and he enjoyed the faster growth of himself and his offspring.

"So, not much different from now?" Ashlock laughed, "You know, for someone with legs, you sure like being rooted in place."

"Wait... are all spatial cultivators this lazy? Is this the personality trait of spatial cultivators? Our sample size isn't the best. Willow and I are both trees. Titus is a walking tree, and Stella might be part tree."

A decision Ashlock was still glad about to this day. That guy was bad news.

"Wasn't he the person who said you had to pass that Grand Elder exam to stay as the sole heir to Red Vine Peak?" Ashlock asked as he pictured the white-robed man with a presence that made the whole building creak as it tried to bow to him.

"Do you think Larry would let that happen?" Ashlock said, "With his evolution, he will be stepping into a level of power on par with the Nascent Soul Realm. He might even be able to threaten the Patriarch."

"Okay, we are getting off-topic." Ashlock paused as he gained the girl's attention, "Asking the World Tree if it's Stella's Mother is far too risky, so the better person to ask would be Stella's Father, who is apparently still alive.If he is found alive, that gives more validity to the cosmos's ridiculous claim about the World Tree. Are we in agreement?"

Both nodded.

Ashlock had anticipated this issue. Stella hadn't seen her Father in a long time and had still been a child back then when he supposedly died.

"Luckily, we have some leads. Grand Elder Valandor, for example, should know more about his whereabouts or at least his name and appearance as they were friends, right?" Ashlock suggested, "Another option would be buying information through the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion."

"You both can. We still have those jade masks we looted from those foolish bounty hunters that hide your face and distort your voice, right?"

Stella and Diana exchanged a grin.

"On that topic, I have evolved my roots to become more ethereal," Ashlock added as he patted Stella's head again, "It lets me do things like this, which is neat. But more importantly, the space within them is also now compressed, so the tunnels you once slid down to get into the cavern will act more like portals. Once I finish evolving all my roots and expand to reach the Tainted Cloud Sect, you two can freely move between the two sects."

"I know," Ashlock assured her. He had seen the effects of globalization back on Earth and couldn't even imagine how absurd it would be if portals were involved.

Ashlock was about to suggest they rest or continue studying their bloodlines, but then he remembered there was someone he wanted to introduce them to... again.

"Talking of becoming a tree, how would you two like to meet Nox again?"

"Nothing much," Ashlock said innocently. "I needed a guardian tree for Ashfallen City and thought a Nascent Soul Realm shadow tree would be a perfect fit, so I planted Nox's cursed-filled infant soul near the city..."