Ashlock awoke to birds chirping and the warmth of the morning sun. As always, his body took a while to slowly wake up.

"Why can't I drink coffee as a tree? Being so sluggish in the morning is annoying," Ashlock grumbled as he looked around. Like every other morning, the sign-in system popped up, signifying yet another day had passed.

Idletree Daily Sign-In System

Day: 3522

Daily Credit: 1

Sacrifice Credit: 871

[Sign in?]

"Huh, those worms from Sebastian gave me more credits than I had expected."

Ashlock debated signing in, as it should be enough points to guarantee at least an A-grade draw, but he decided against it. "Since I should eat some more worm today, I should wait for the main course and get the best rewards."

He did have plans to sign in for lower grade rewards in the future, but being only a few hundred off from another S grade draw made him hesitant to spend. What if he drew a fantastic new A-grade skill when it could have been S-rank instead?

Dismissing those thoughts, Ashlock glanced at the Mystic Realm fog, "Today's the day that I see my sect members again. I wonder how much they have grown in our short time apart?"

He hoped the answer was a lot. Tensions were rising, and he feared an all-out war between him and another family like the Voidminds or perhaps the entire Blood Lotus Sect was only a single tiny slip-up away.

There were simply too many loose ends mounting up and people witnessing his absurd feats. A city with millions of people suddenly found themselves living alongside demonic trees with bizarre mushrooms growing on their trunks and pink flowers on their branches. If that wasn't bad enough, they had appeared seemingly overnight.

Then there's the sudden disappearance of the Voidmind Elder and his assistant, the death of three entire cultivator families, heaven opening up and dumping ash spiders everywhere, and even his ascension to the Star Core Realm.

"There really has been a lot of nonsense going on, hasn't there..." Ashlock chuckled, "There were even floating trees through portals and a giant worm that attacked the city. The fact Darklight City hasn't revolted and demanded answers is already a miracle."

Ashlock wasn't delusional. He knew all his activities were bringing him increasingly into the spotlight. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn't grow strong enough to fend off the beast tide in time if he wasn't a little daring. Opportunity came to those who sought it, and as a tree that couldn't move, he was limited in how to stumble across treasures.

"I got my void skill by being obnoxious with my activities, for example."

While Ashlock was thinking to himself, he briefly checked on Elaine, who he had deposited into the mine the night before. She seemed a little nervous as she paced around the cavern, seemingly aimlessly, only occasionally glancing up the large hole through the center of the mountain.

"Best she remains down there, I have no idea what will emerge from the Mystic Realm today, and her fighting and survival instincts are about as sharp as a Which is to say, I am surprised she hasn't died already." Ashlock switched sights back to the swirling fog seemingly trapped within an invisible snow globe.

The last time the Mystic Realm had been activated, he had sent in his roots, but this time he activated {Consuming Abyss} and sent his black vines into the fog as they were faster and easier to control.

For a brief moment, he debated activating the void version but decided against it because he concluded it could only end badly. What if the void tendrils destroyed any pocket realms they came into contact with? Not a risk worth taking while his sect members were still inside.

The fog of the Mystic Realm hindered his spiritual sight, just like the mountain's rock or walls. However, he could feel things; environments of the pocket realms flooded his mind as one vine ended up in a scorching hot climate. Meanwhile, another was up against ice.

It was incredibly unsettling, and he debated whether this was even necessary. Last time he had done this out of fear for an entire week straight as he was trying to find where Stella had gone like a crazed parent fearing the worst for their child.

Ashlock numbed the varying sensationsone of the many advantages of becoming a tree. He didn't pick up sensations like pain the same way humans did.

The sun slowly rose over the horizon, and the sunlight made Ashlock feel rejuvenated. Nothing truly made him happier than a beautiful day of clear blue skies and warm sunshine.

An hour passed, and Ashlock suddenly felt a pair of hands grabbing the tip of one of his many black vines. "Why does it feel like claws, though?"

Curiously, Ashlock told Larry through the tether, "About to bring someone back from their pocket realm. Or at least I think it's a person..."

The giant obedient spider crawled into position, and without further ado, Ashlock pulled on the black vine, and Diana came tumbling out. Ashlock swore he caught a glimpse of wings through the fog, but Diana emerged from the fog looking like usual.

"Strange..." Ashlock usually felt proud of his vision capabilities despite not having eyes, yet this time he started questioning things.

Diana picked herself up and brushed off the dust and dirt. Kaida hissed with annoyance around her neck as she looked around, patting his head. "Am I the first one back?" She said with even less emotion than usual.

Ashlock flashed his leaf once to confirm her thoughts which earned a shrug from Diana as she walked over and perched herself on the bench below his canopy.

"Has she ascended to the 9th stage? She almost seems ready to form her Star Core with how much Qi is swirling within her." Ashlock then mentally frowned, "There's also a lot of demonic Qi being suppressed in her Soul Core."

Kaida slithered off from around her neck and curled around a low-hanging branch.

[Kaida has accumulated enough Qi to evolve to C grade]

[Infant Ink Serpent {Kaida} wishes to evolve]

[Yes/No]

Ashlock obviously selected yes.

[Infant Ink Serpent {Kaida} has begun to evolve]

[Please select {Kaida} evolution path...]

The system flickered and soon displayed all of the evolution options at once.

[Shadowcall Scriptor Serpent]

This evolution emphasizes the serpent's ink and stealth attributes, allowing Kaida to blend seamlessly into shadows and manipulate darkness to his advantage. His golden eyes glow ominously in the dark, unnerving any potential enemies.

[Golden-Eyed Ink Mystic]

In this evolution, Kaida's golden eyes become even more striking, enabling him to see through illusions and perceive the truth of the world around him. His ink affinity deepens, allowing him to cast complex ink-based techniques and illusions, confusing his opponents and giving him an edge in battles.

[Ebonflow Serpent Sovereign]

As an Ebonflow Serpent Sovereign, Kaida's ink affinity merges with water and darkness, giving him fluid control over his surroundings. His scales become jet black, and his golden eyes gleam with newfound authority. This evolution boosts his offensive capabilities, allowing him to attack with torrents of ink and water.

[Inkborn Nether Viper]

This evolution allows Kaida to tap into nether or death-related energies, adding a deadly edge to his ink-based abilities. The golden eyes take on an otherworldly glow, and his presence becomes even more fearsome. This evolution makes Kaida an intimidating opponent, especially against those who fear darkness and death.

Ashlock read through the options.

They seemed more interesting than the ones he had been given for Larry. This also meant he had to think harder about which to pick, as the best option wasn't as obvious.

"Shadowcall Scriptor Serpent can be ignored as it focuses on stealth abilities. Although I don't have someone specializing in stealth in my group, I have {Eye of the Tree God} to spy on people and can always evacuate Diana or someone else if they get caught with a portal. An evolution in stealth feels pointless compared to the other better options."

Crossing out the first option, he contemplated the second. "Golden-Eyed Ink Mystic sounds very fancy, but it basically boils down to looking through illusions and fighting with illusions. This would force Kaida into the support role, as illusions are great if he's alongside someone else that can provide the firepower."

Ashlock hummed as he contemplated. It certainly had a lot of potential, but wouldn't Kaida's power be rather limited if he fought someone who didn't use illusions or, even worse, a cultivator that could also see through illusions?

"Personally, the next option, Ebonflow Serpent Sovereign, seems the most promising to me. For the simple fact, it gives Kaida the ability to work with water Qi, making him the ideal guardian for Diana as they will work perfectly together."

Ashlock still had the idea to group his summons up with those most important to him. Maple for Stella, Kaida for Diana, and Larry for him. He could imagine it now... Kaida around Diana's shoulders as she dashed through her haunted mist and attacked foes.

He gave the last option a brief look but didn't like it. Something about turning the cute snake into a death affinity-wielding monster didn't sit right with him. Also, the fact it mentioned a snake species in the name made him fearful that it was a dead-end evolution.

"Alright, I will pick..." Ashlock felt a sudden pain through his black vines as he pondered his options. "Ow, what the fuck."

He tried to dismiss the system notification, but it wouldn't budge. The words flashed, prompting him to make his decision. Meanwhile, the pain only got more extreme. He focused on the source and felt two large hands gripping the vine. It felt like someone was trying to climb up his vine despite its large thorns.

"Ah, what the hell. I will pick Ebonflow Serpent Sovereign." Ashlock shouted at his system.

[Evolution path {Ebonflow Serpent Sovereign} chosen, evolution initiating....]

Ashlock ignored the snake as the system message vanished, and he could focus on the strange pain through his vine. Without delay, he pulled that particular vine back and watched Douglas fly out of the Mystic Realm... screaming like a little girl.

His clothes were shredded and bloody as he collapsed in a heap on the ground. He groaned as he tilted his head, and his eyes seemed to go wide with relief as he saw Diana staring at him weirdly while sitting on the bench.

Before Douglas could even open his mouth to explain, the end of the Ashlock's vine whipped out from the Mystic Realm, dragging the all too familiar Star Core Realm worm with it.

Although far smaller than its full size, the enormous worm was still a few hundred meters long and gnawing on his vine. Ashlock sent a surge of spatial Qi down the vine and straight into the worm's body, causing it to screech and try to reel back, but the spike on the end of the vine was deeply entrenched inside its body's inner wall like a harpoon.

With the worm somewhat under control, Ashlock didn't delay as he toggled the void version of his {Consuming Abyss} skill. The usual lake of void Qi spread out from his trunk, and hundreds of tendrils shot out, impaling the worm gnawing on the end of his vine, causing it to let out another ear-piercing screech before falling to the ground beside a terrified Douglas, causing the mountain to tremble.

Once on the ground, that sealed the worm's fate. The void lake flowed against its body and washed away any feeble defense. The worm segment released a final cry as it became blanketed in void Qi.

"It almost ate me!" Douglas shouted as he hauled his bloodied self away from the worm-turned Swiss Cheese from all the holes leaking blood.

Ashlock wanted to call him a drama queen, but his body did suggest a life-or-death battle. "It's a good job that I decided to send in my vines. Otherwise, Douglas might have become worm food."

Diana stood up and went to Douglas's side, offering him help. Meanwhile, Ashlock got to work on devouring the corpse for sacrificial credits.

[+543 SC]

***

Stella's eyes snapped open as a burst of power emanated from her chest, traveling for hundreds of miles throughout the vast pocket realm. The violent tempest of spatial Qi and lightning encircling her began to die down as her ascension had concluded.

She took a deep breath, and the surrounding storm flowed into her mouth and cycled throughout her body and her newly formed Star Core. Invigorating her with a level of power she had dreamed about.

A massive grin manifested on her face as she stood up and stretched. Her bones cracked, and her muscles protested the stretch as she had been sitting perfectly still for the last month, but it was finally over. She had successfully formed every cultivator's dreama Star Core.

Something her biological father had failed to do. Perhaps if he had access to Tree's amazing cultivation resources, he wouldn't have perished and left her alone for those early years...

Stella reached up and placed her hand on her chest as she sighed. It was a spatial Star Core, the last remnant of her biological father, as it had been passed down to her through blood. In a way, he would live on through her, and that was all she needed.

"Mother... Father, don't worry about your daughter. I'm in good hands... err, I mean branches..." The image of Tree flashed through her mind, and a warm feeling spread throughout her.

Shaking her head, she focused back on the feeling in her chest. It felt so weird for the burning star in her chest to constantly supply her body with a stream of spatial Qi without any need for meditation.

Although I will still have to meditate to push my Star Core to grow and eventually reach the Nascent Soul Realm. Only then can I relax as I will have escaped the shackles of a finite lifespan and become a semi-immortal.

But that was a long way away. Stella surveyed the silver metal ocean surrounding the tiny spike of obsidian rock she was standing on. Over the last month, the relentless lightning had often missed her, hitting the black mountain and eroding it to almost nothing.

Closing her eyes, the world was reduced to its rawest spatial form. Everything was outlined by grids. Stella spread her spiritual sense further than ever before and found a flatter piece of black rock jutting from the metal ocean.

Her Star Core flared up in her chest as she summoned a portal at the tips of her fingers and designated that distant flat rock as the anchor for the portal's destination. As the entire pocket realm was saturated with spatial Qi, she easily compressed the grids to shorten the space between her and the distant flat rock to almost nothing and... stepped through.

Opening her eyes as she heard the portal snap closed behind her, she grinned, "It really worked! Hahahaha! I finally figured out the spatial plane. Whoohoo!" She giggled and glared at the metal ocean below, eager to try something else.

Her Star Core pulsed in her chest, and she saw the metal ocean compress and flow away as if an invisible force was pressing down on it.

The pressure of a Star Core cultivator... I always wanted to be able to crush people with my mere presence.

She still remembered the feeling of when she had made Tree mad when they were being invaded by the Evergreens and Winterwraths, and he had unleashed his Star Core pressure on her.

Satisfied with her new power level, she reached up and gave Maple tummy rubs while looking around, "What should I do now?"

An entire day later, as Stella stood there throwing rocks into the metal ocean, procrastinating instead of doing any more meditation after doing it for a month straight, she suddenly felt something surfacing.

Drawing her sword from her spatial ring, she watched as a half-formed abyssal worm she was all too familiar with tried to escape the molten metal ocean.

Furrowing her brows in confusion at the presence of the worm, Stella aimed the sword at the worm. It crackled with golden lightning as she unleashed all of the lightning Dao stored up in her body after being struck by lightning for a month straight.

A concentrated bolt of golden lightning arced out the tip of her sword and slammed into the worm halfway out of the ocean. The sheer force of her attack nearly pushed it back under, but its scorched, malformed head remained on display.

The smell of cooked worm meat mixed with decay and poison made Stella reel back. Even after ending her attack, the lightning arced on the metal ocean's surface, further cooking the worm alive.

Does it not have any earth Qi left to defend itself?

Stella wasn't sure, but she had no intention of sticking around to find out due to the rancid smell and poison. Closing her eyes and entering the spatial plane again, she picked a location near where she had initially landed in this pocket realm and exited there.

To her surprise, moments later, a black vine coated in spikes she was familiar with appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Tree! Is it really time to leave? Have you come to get me?" The vine offered no words or signs of hearing her, so she grabbed it. The vine rapidly pulled back, causing her to yelp in surprise.

It brought her through a tear in reality, rushed her through the dense white fog of the Mystic Realm, and threw her out onto the mountain peak.

Landing gracefully, Stella glanced at Douglas, who was crawling away from her in tattered rags, and Diana, standing over him. The black-haired girl offered her a genuine smile, which made Stella pause.

Since when did Diana have fangs?