[Tree] Chapter 343: Return of the Ashfallen Sect (Patreon)

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—" 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—ah."

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 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—scared 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—some 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."

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—an 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—"

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."

"—I'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, even though 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 or 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.