Reborn as a Demonic Tree-Novel

Ashlock watched the scene unfold in horror.

His relationship with the Redclaws had gone far beyond the point where Stella could mess up, and he could simply eliminate them without a second thought.

They were too valuable to be disposed of now.

So why had she mentioned something like that?

The Grand Elder appeared bewildered, which was entirely understandable. Even Ashlock was somewhat confused by Stella's words, but fortunately, the Grand Elder dismissed her weird comments with a respectful bow.

Ashlock let out a long sigh of relief. Stella had salvaged it somehow.

Ashlock really didn't appreciate being gawked at as it made him feel naked, nor did he condone Stella saying he was only capable of basic thought! Was that a roundabout way to call him stupid or something?

The Grand Elder's eyes widened as panic seemed to set in. Meanwhile, Ashlock found it astonishing that they would believe Stella's words, but in fairness, her explanation was more plausible than claiming he could communicate and had a sign-in system.

No. Absolutely not. Ashlock wanted the trees to live for his own selfish reason of generating more Qi. That was not a justification for taking people's lives so brutally. What if someone genuinely ignorant, like a playful child, touched a tree? Would the child be killed on the spot, no questions asked?

Ashlock had been concerned that Stella might be somewhat psychopathic when she seriously asked if he needed her to wipe out Darklight City, but now he wondered if they all shared this trait.

Fortunately, Stella shook her head. Ashlock had never been more relieved that he had provided Stella with a pre-outlined plan before she left. Otherwise, he wouldn't be surprised if they went to commit mass murder.

"I fucking knew it," Ashlock groaned. He really needed to rein in her misguided loyalty—it was getting out of hand.

Ashlock watched the transfer of money with a pained heart. Why was everything to do with cultivators so expensive?

With a simple nod from Stella, the Grand Elder took to the skies, leaving a blazing trail of crimson flame as he rode his sword toward Darklight City.

***

A brief pause in the conversation led Ashlock to realize how certain affinities seemed more valuable than others. For example, what could the Redclaws really provide the sect other than firepower?

Ashlock was confused as he had never heard of this Nightrose family, and hadn't the Grand Elder said the Silverspire family was on their way?

That was a lot of information to take in. Ashlock finally learned the name of the Patriarch's family. "I wonder what type of affinity the Nightrose family has? I should ask Stella when she returns to the mountain," Ashlock mused.

It was also interesting to learn that some affinities didn't have a Soul Fire. Did they follow a different cultivation system than everyone else? He was now even more intrigued to see these Silverspire people who were apparently on their way despite being told to wait.

Ashlock hadn't encountered most of those yet, but the Terraforge family rang a bell as they were mentioned in regard to Douglas and, finally, the Azurecrest family. After hearing from Diana what happened to Venik and his sister, he had a bone to pick with them.

Stella nodded sagely, but Ashlock suspected she didn't know about those families either.

The group continued to converse for a while, and after an hour or so, the skies became filled with noise. Airships floated over the demonic forest-covered city, and a few low-rank cultivators empowered their voices with Qi and shouted to the streets below from the platforms.

Ashlock was surprised at how quickly the Grand Elder had put his plan into motion, which made things a little awkward as the city was enormous, and his roots didn't even cover a fifth of it. Fortunately, only the nearest half of the city was affected by the demonic trees, as the further one got from Red Vine Peak, the fewer demonic trees were present.

After a while, the city buzzed with people rushing toward guilds and requesting demonic tree removal. Ashlock was sure many of them would regret their decision once he decorated the demonic trees with beautiful flowers and magical mushrooms.

Something he planned to do overnight. Darklight City would wake up in the morning to a city they could hardly recognize. But while the sun was still up, he wanted to test out moving these demonic trees in the colosseum via his portals.

Back on Red Vine Peak, Ashlock opened a portal next to Douglas, who had been meticulously checking that the runic formation surrounding him was working properly. The man made eye contact with Stella through the portal, who gestured him through.

Once he stepped through and saw the colosseum filled with demonic trees, and a portal opened next to one of the trees that led to a random spot in the wilderness, Douglas seemed to understand his task.

Jumping down, Douglas landed in a cloud of dust and got to work. The ground turned into the same weird viscous state Ashlock had experienced two days ago, and he slowly pushed the tree up from the ground, roots and all.

Almost effortlessly, Ashlock used telekinesis through the root coiled around the demonic tree, guided it through the portal, and set it down on the lush grass of the wilderness. "Kid, dig your roots deep into the ground to stabilize yourself."

His root was naturally cut off when the portal snapped closed, but he had roots just below the surface of the wilderness, so he used them to help the demonic tree stay upright while it found its footing... rooting?

"This is going to be a tiring process, isn't it?" Ashlock sighed as he returned and worked alongside Douglas to move another one. Honestly, the fact he could lift trees with his mind was baffling, and it seemed to entertain the Redclaw Elders as well, as they stood watching with immense interest as trees many meters tall were uprooted and then floated through portals.

Things were going smoothly until late evening when Ashlock noticed something on the horizon approaching. Due to its size, he thought it was a giant cloud, but he was soon proven wrong when an airship that looked vast enough to be a floating city cast a looming shadow on Darklight City.

Stella nodded and gestured for the Elders to lead the way.

Just looking at how large and majestic the Silverspires' airship was made Ashlock realize how small the Redclaw family was compared to the true powerhouses of the Blood Lotus sect.

All he could hope was they didn't eradicate the Redclaws and seize Darklight City for themselves because if they did, he would be shooting his roots through portals and popping that pompously big balloon.