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It had been overwhelming and challenging, with each day feeling like a battle for survival. But experiencing the chill of death and having Senior Lee appear to explain his situation made him appreciate life more deeply.

Although his system being temporarily offline for the next week and his cultivation rapidly recovering to its previous strength should have made him uneasy, Ashlock only felt relief as he finally felt in control.

It might have been merely an illusion of choice provided by the system, but his mindset had significantly improved since fully becoming a tree. It was immensely satisfying to be asked if he wished to be free and to resolutely say no.

This was now a life he had chosen and was ecstatic to have.

As the late afternoon sun shone on his leaves and filled him with warmth and life, Ashlock tried to push aside the many threats and goals Senior Lee had laid out in his mind. The Patriarch, beast tide, and Monarch Realm World Tree in the Celestial Empire that wanted to eat him could wait as right now he was just a half-grown tree on a desolate mountaintop.

The Dao Storm may have given him a rebirth of both body and mind, but it had also stripped away the pavilion he had called home for the last decade, and he felt naked and exposed without those white walls and red vines surrounding him on all sides.

This vulnerability was somewhat alleviated by the thousands of demonic trees encircling him, offering a fraction of their Qi through the mycelium network. Each tree contributed a tiny amount, but combined, he could sense his Qi intake was at least five times faster than when he had done it alone, and he knew that as the demonic trees evolved into spirit trees and grew his Qi intake would only increase.

"Thanks for the help," Ashlock muttered. "I\'ll pay you guys back once I have some Qi to spare, but for now, keep helping Dad grow big and strong to protect you all, okay?"

A faint wave of happiness emanated through the network from the few demonic trees scattered throughout the vast forest that had been nurtured from his Demonic Seeds directly and were old enough to have developed a spirit.

With the new demonic forest addressed, it was time to refocus on the humans.

Since his system was offline, Ashlock had no way to check how much time had passed for him to complete his soul merge, so he didn\'t know the situation with the alchemy tournament as it was supposed to start a week or so from when the Dao Storm struck, but that wasn\'t important for now.

First, he needed to get his Ashfallen sect in order. As Senior Lee had mentioned, the human ego that allowed him to form connections with the humans and raise them into dependable allies placed him above the other world trees that had been taken advantage of and ultimately perished. He planned to use this advantage to its fullest.

The Ashfallen sect was his sanctuary for nurturing and raising dependable allies, and in a world of egotistical cultivators fond of displaying wealth, first impressions were crucial.

The rogue cultivator Diana had led up the mountain said some harsh words that hurt to hear but were true. There really was nothing up here except a tree on a desolate mountain. Not much for a supposed sect that had made some big claims and was running the entire region from the shadows.

Despite the truth in rogue cultivator Douglas\'s words, Ashlock still had to assert his authority, so upon Diana\'s request, he demonstrated his presence by staring down the sect\'s newest member through his {Demonic Eye}.

The muscular man with golden brown hair and some of the most chiseled muscles Ashlock had ever seen instantly knelt under his gaze and trembled like a leaf.

Strangely, this scene reminded Ashlock of Senior Lee\'s comment that bodies were merely vessels for a person\'s soul.

Back on Earth, Douglas could have been a world-class fighter that no one would dare confront—due to his tall stature and formidable presence—unless they were heavily armed. Yet, here in a cultivation world, he knelt from a mere glance from a superior being.

Since Ashlock was already using his Demonic Eye to showcase his presence, he decided to examine Douglas\'s Soul Core, as that was one of the primary advantages of observing someone through his Demonic Eye.

Douglas clenched his teeth as Ashlock\'s gaze intensified.

Ashlock could see the man\'s quivering Soul Core desperately attempting to keep the turbulent earth Qi within his body under control. "3rd stage of the Soul Fire realm with an impure spirit root," Ashlock mused as he slowly closed his bark to conceal his eye, feeling pity for Douglas.

"A bit too weak for combat, but should be suitable for construction with his earth affinity." Ashlock mused while closing his demonic eye.

Of course, if Douglas impressed him with his efforts, Ashlock would be generous and send the man to the Mystic Realm for training, and if he truly amazed him, some truffles might find their way to him.

However, that was for the future when Douglas had proven himself to be a reliable ally worth investing in, as, for now, Douglas was far from being fully integrated into the Ashfallen sect.

Ashlock had been lucky with Stella, as they had been together from the beginning, and Diana had spent over a year getting accustomed to how Ashlock did things before Stella showed up and formally introduced her to him.

Though Douglas was about to get a crash course on the life and his position within the Ashfallen sect, Ashlock almost felt bad for the man. Douglas\'s ranting and cursing about being glared at by a tree had angered the awakened Stella, and she was looking at the man with a gaze that could kill.

"I asked to see your leader, not be glared at by some cursed tree!" Douglas yelled into the mountain as his hands continued to tremble on the stone. Sweat dripped from his hair, and his breathing was erratic. "I was told my cousin would introduce me to a rebel sect. I expected it to be somewhat shabby, but this is absurd! Stop messing around, and let me see your leader. Intimidating me like this will get us nowhere!"

That was unexpected. Ashlock was curious about the sales pitch the girls had used to persuade people to come work here. He had anticipated mortals or maybe late Qi stage cultivators to arrive, but a 3rd stage earth affinity cultivator exceeded his expectations.

Diana stood calmly beside Douglas. Her hand was slightly shaking, but she seemed to have mostly resisted his demonic glare. Nonetheless, her dull gray eyes observed the man and a faint frown appeared on her face.

"Patriarch," Diana spoke flatly, "please forgive the man for his crude words. Douglas is a cousin of Mister Choi, an old friend, and was the only rogue cultivator willing to join our sect on such short notice."

This was the second time Ashlock had heard the phrase, rogue cultivator. What made a cultivator rogue? Was the man a criminal or something? Regardless, Ashlock was sure he would find out soon. His cultivation was still recovering, so he didn\'t want to waste Qi on telekinesis to communicate, so he flashed a single leaf once to say yes.

"I thank the Patriarch for your kindness," Diana said, and then she turned to Douglas, who was slowly rising on his wobbly legs. "Introduce yourself and then take the oath to join the Ashfallen sect."

The man was a mess, but he finally found his balance. He took a deep breath and said, "My name is Douglas Terraforge, and no, I won\'t take the oath."

A brief silence passed, and Diana scowled. "Either recite the oath or die."

"Now, just reign in your fucking temper for a moment, Miss. I think we got off on the wrong foot here." Douglas took another shaky breath and continued. "Please understand that signing an oath is close to a bloody slave contract. I only followed you up this damnable mountain with expectations that haven\'t been met!"

"What did you expect?" Stella said coldly from the bench while leaning on its armrest.

"Where is this fucking hostility coming from?" Douglas replied, "I apologize if I offended your Patriarch. But cut me some slack, okay? It\'s just the first time I have seen people taking orders from a fucking tree before!"

Stella frowned and glanced back at Ashlock—he could feel the brief warmth in her eyes, which then transitioned back to cold when she looked back at Douglas. "This tree, as you call it, is our Patriarch. He is currently recovering after defending against the Dao Storm that nearly destroyed Darklight City, but at his peak strength, he is in the Star Core realm."

She then gestured around. "I\'m sure you saw the ferocity of the Dao Storm from the streets of Darklight City? Such a storm naturally wiped out the beautiful pavilion left behind by my family. That is why there is nothing here except us and a rapidly regrowing tree."

Douglas nodded. "I see, so the Ashfallen sect consists of you two rude women and a tree?"

Diana reached over, gripped his shoulder, and said in a low, threatening tone, "We are fine with sharing our secrets only after you recite the oath and stop insulting us."

Douglas shrugged. "The way I see it, I\'m dead either way. You two are clearly far stronger than me since I can\'t guess your cultivation stage, and that spirit tree made me quiver with just a glance. I\'m simply asking for some clarification on what I\'m even swearing a fucking oath for!"

Honestly, the man was more confrontational than Ashlock assumed most were used to in this world, as most just bowed to the strong without question, but he liked the guy\'s attitude. So he flashed his leaf and groaned when he saw the timer in the corner of his interface add another half an hour to his recovery time.

Diana saw his flashing leaf and removed her grasp from the man\'s shoulder. "Fine. Stella can explain things to you."

"Perfect," Douglas said. "I just need to know some surface-level details. I understand the pavilion was taken away in the storm, so it\'s just you three... I can\'t believe I\'m including a tree as a person."

"Well, you better get used to it." Stella crossed her arms under her chest. "The Ashfallen sect is the true ruler of this land—"

Douglas seemed confused, "Isn\'t that the Redclaws?"

"The Redclaws answer to us and have already recited oaths of loyalty," Stella snapped back, silencing Douglas. "With just us three, we fended off and eradicated the Winterwrath and Evergreen families and ruled the entire region from the shadows. As some random schmuck, you have been brought here to construct a place befitting of us—"

"With what?" Douglas replied.

"What?" Stella stopped her ramblings and glared at Douglas, clearly infuriated at how he didn\'t care about everything she had just claimed.

"You want some majestic palace to show off your big egos, right? So what do you plan to build it from? Hopes and dreams?" Douglas continued as Stella furrowed her brows, "Do you have an architect? What about a budget for the materials? Or mortals to furnish the place?"

Ashlock felt a little foolish. Although he had left the girls to handle the job, he had seen how the white stone palace had been constructed. Hundreds of mortals had streamed up and down the mountainside like worker ants. To expect a single cultivator to do the entire thing himself was unreasonable.

Douglas continued to rant. "As some random schmuck, did you expect me to build an entire palace at a wave of my hands? Should I also keep the place clean for you once it\'s built? Should I dress up in a maid outfit and sing a song for you fine ladies?"

"Shut up," Stella shouted, and some of her immaturity leaked through her confident facade. Before Douglas could retort, Diana stepped in and lectured the man with as much enthusiasm as a dead fish.

"Douglas, we have many people to rely on. Even if you can\'t see them, they\'re here. We have connections in the city, including Mister Choi. We can mobilize the Redclaws to secure as many mortal servants as needed, and there\'s an abundance of building materials all around. If that\'s not enough, we have thousands of dragon crowns on hand to purchase anything."

Diana\'s rant reminded Ashlock that he needed to get the Redclaws back to work. Sadly, they were buried deep in the mine, under thousands of meters of rock, waiting out the Dao Storm, and he didn\'t want to add another day to his recovery time to portal them out.

"Fine," Douglas crossed his arms. "If what you say about the resources at your oh-so-powerful sect\'s disposal is true, I don\'t mind reciting the oath. But let\'s be clear: constructing a palace with a wave of my hand is beyond my abilities. However, I could carve some rooms into the mountain right now."

For some reason, Ashlock had been far too focused on getting that sense of safety that being surrounded by pavilion walls gave him. When the actual logical solution all along had been to build the Ashfallen sect inside the mountain.

Now that Douglas brought up the idea, it seemed almost too perfect for many reasons. First, building a giant shiny palace atop a mountain was an ideal way to blow their cover and attract the attention of others when the Redclaw\'s white palace was supposed to draw everyone\'s attention.

Second, it wasn\'t certain if the beast tide included monsters capable of burrowing through rock, but the Dao Storm had taught him that above-ground structures were futile against cataclysmic events unless they were runically enchanted.

Finally, his hollowed-out roots could serve as tunnels to connect the rooms. He should have Douglas start in the mine and work his way up from there.

Ashlock decided to use a little bit of Qi to manipulate a rock and write out his plan on the ground, which earned a rather funny yelp from Douglas as a rock floated past his head.

His plan? Have Douglas take a ride down his root with the help of Diana and then dig a tunnel to get everyone out of the mine.

His only hope was Larry wouldn\'t try and eat the new guy.