Reborn as a Demonic Tree

Douglas realized he may have gotten in over his head.

Call him stupid, a blockhead, rocks for brains, whatever, he would nod and agree. He was a Grand Elder of the Ashfallen Sect but hadn't yet mentally grown into his role. After all, just half a year ago, he had been a debt-riddled thug scraping by in the shadows of Darklight City. So when a group of outer sect members that had recently joined the Ashfallen Sect after the tournament came to him, eager to prove their worth and to earn favor in this battle, he struggled to say no when they referred to him as a Grand Elder and treated him with the respect a person with such a title deserved.

I should have listened to Elaine and not let my arrogance get the best of me. This plan was so obviously stupid. He glanced around the dark room as the ceiling overhead rumbled and chunks of rock rained down on them like hail as thousands of crazed people's feet thundered over them toward Red Vine Peak.

There were five of them in total hiding out in these unground tunnels they had hastily created. Two 'Grand Elders' of the Ashfallen Sect and three outer sect disciples. The outer sect disciples had been so keen to introduce themselves to him only an hour ago. He could understand why, as two of the outer sect disciples had earth affinity and likely wanted to get on his good side in hopes of receiving guidance or resources in the future. The bright smiles and eagerness for battle were long gone—their expressions now ones of fear and despair.

"Sam and Hugo," he said, and the two soul-fire realm earth cultivators looked at him. Sam was a well-built teenager with tanned skin and blonde hair, while Hugo was the definition of a middle-aged Darklight City thug with crooked teeth, shifty eyes, and a faded mark of the Iron Fist Brotherhood on the back of his right palm. A group of rogue earth cultivators that used to be hired to destroy competitors' warehouses until they messed with the wrong group and disbanded. Both of their soul flames had impurities. Especially Hugo's, whose soul flames were darker than the depths of a swamp, suggesting a lifetime of beast core abuse.

Apparently, they were friends somehow. Douglas was quite interested in Sam as he had shown good potential in his fight alongside Celeste Starweaver in the tournament. Meanwhile, Hugo... well, Douglas could hardly judge the guy for leading the life of a thug.

"How are you two holding up?" He asked them.

The two earth cultivators exchanged a look. They were both covered in blood that was a mixture of their own and that of the people they had killed. Hugo's shirt had been ripped to shreds, showing an aged body covered in old scars, while Sam wasn't doing much better as he nursed a broken arm and had a busted nose.

Meanwhile, Douglas and Elaine hadn't suffered a single injury, showing the large gap between these Soul Fire Realm outer sect disciples and the Star Core Realm Grand Elders.

"Don't worry, this isn't a test of some kind." Douglas chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little. "I like to think I'm not as uptight as the other Grand Elders might be. Hugo, you were part of the Iron Fist Brotherhood?"

"Erm," the thuggish man looked at the tattoo on the back of his right hand and awkwardly smeared blood onto it with his thumb as if trying to cover it up. "Yeah, for a time. You know of them?"

"Know of them? I've fought to the death with them... and shared drinks and laughs. You could say we have quite the history." Douglas then focused on Sam, "You're a farmer, right?"

Sam's eyes widened, "How did you know?"

"Accent and tanned skin that doesn't match the rest of your complexion, suggesting a lot of time spent outside. It was just a guess, but it seems I hit the nail on the head."

"Yeah," Sam looked embarrassed, "I come from a family of farmers."

"Nothing to be ashamed about, lad. We all came from somewhere, so don't be ashamed. All that matters is we are now together under the banner of Ashfallen." Douglas smiled.

Sam returned an awkward smile and looked to the ground. If Douglas looked closely, he could see him trembling.

Can hardly blame the kid. Douglas frowned as he recalled the earlier battle. He initially put up a good fight, but those people out there are strong for the Soul Fire Realm and fight like ferocious beasts with no care for self-preservation. While I could block their attacks with earth Qi coating my skin, Hugo and Sam weren't so lucky. Their earth Qi simply wasn't dense enough to block everything, and they quickly got overwhelmed and wrestled to the floor by multiple enemies.

The dark hole they were seeking shelter in returned to an uncomfortable silence.

The ground overhead continued to tremble from the blood explosions triggered after one of the crazy people was killed. They had learned about the fact they exploded the hard way, and that was why Sam's arm was broken. He had wrestled one of the people to the ground, and after landing a finishing blow, they had exploded, almost killing the poor teen. Thankfully, he reacted in time and sacrificed his arm to take on the brunt of the explosion.

Brown soul flames flickered across Douglas's hands on the wall behind him as he fed their shelter with earth Qi to keep it stable. He was also shooting out earth spikes at the crazed people as they passed overhead, but it wasn't enough. He needed to get back out there to kill as many as possible, but they had three outer sect disciples with them.

Besides the two earth cultivators, the last one was Ray, a Soul Fire Realm water cultivator. She'd struggled a lot to fight off the crazed people. The holes she punctured in their skin with water jets were easily healed, and they quickly overpowered her. If Elaine hadn't saved her at the last second, she would have died rather than simply being knocked out from her injuries.

"How is she doing?" Douglas whispered to Elaine, who was nursing the sleeping girl covered in wounds.

"Not good. Ray needs healing from Sol as soon as possible to survive." Elaine said with a frown. She then looked up, met his eyes, and mouthed, "Just call them."

It was obvious who she was referring to by the way she glared at the gemstone crown on his head.

His shoulders sagged, and he gave her a slight nod. He didn't want to call upon the Mudcloaks to sacrifice themselves to clear a path out of here for them, but he was at a loss for what to do with Ashlock busy dealing with Vincent Nightrose and the other sect members desperately fighting off the horde from the other flanks. Everyone's Qi was running low and proved ineffective against the horde.

This is so embarrassing. God damn it.

It had been his job to defend this section of the mountain range, and he had done a lousy job. He didn't even want to imagine the Princess's condescending look or Ashlock's disappointment in him once this was over.

Reaching up, he inserted his presence into the gemstone crown on his head and called upon the Mudcloaks. He knew they were tough, but only one had stepped into the Star Core Realm the last time he checked. The rest were all in the Soul Fire Realm except and not that adept at fighting. It felt like he was calling them to die for him, and he hated that idea.

But unlike Stella, who could walk through reality, he could not teleport. At best, he could fly on his sword, but he had only recently learned to do so and wasn't convinced he could fly up to Red Vine Peak while holding two people. Especially one who was unconscious. While Elaine could step through the void, she couldn't bring anyone with her, and her range was limited. Not to mention the high Qi cost.

While I can't do the fancy stuff they can, I can still make a path.

Standing up, he drew everyone's tired gazes.

"I've called for reinforcements. We should get ready to move when they arrive. Can you two stand?"

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"Yes, Grand Elder," both respectfully replied as they struggled to their feet. Hugo seemed to react to his injuries less, showing his decades of fighting it out in the streets of Darklight City. Sam didn't fare as well. He visibly winced as he stood, and his lower lip was trembling from the pain.

"I'll handle her," Douglas said, gesturing to Ray. Legs emerged from the stone ledge she was on as he turned it into a golem.

Elaine stood and brushed the dust off the cloak while giving Ray a sad look. "We shouldn't have brought them here," she rambled under her breath, "While the enemies are in the Soul Fire Realm, we should have taken time to analyze them and come up with a more concrete plan to defend against them."

"I know this was—I was rash and stupid." Douglas sighed as he approached the far wall and placed both palms on it. His Star Core hummed in his chest as he fed the land his Qi. "Let me make this right. I'll clear us a path toward the reinforcements." His hands sank into the rock, and as he brought them apart, the wall cracked down the middle and began to split into a jagged but wide tunnel.

"Come on," He took the lead with the golem supporting Ray trailing behind. Hugo and Sam followed next, with Elaine taking up the rear.

"Will the beast tide be like this?" Sam muttered, yet everyone heard.

"Far worse," Douglas replied, "But that's not for someone like you to worry about."

"Why not?" Sam asked. "Are we not part of the Ashfallen Sect that plans to stand against it?"

"The beast tide will be dealt with by the sect's powerhouses and the Boss—sorry, I mean Patriarch. It's not a threat someone at your level can hope to stand against."

"Why not?"

Douglas paused and glanced over his shoulder. He felt this was a rare moment he could look like a sage and offer some knowledge like a Grand Elder should.

"How are your Qi reserves?"

Sam took a moment to feel his soul and replied with a bitter expression, "Nearly empty."

"And how long will it take you to replenish those reserves?"

"Erm—"

"Not with the help of beast cores," Douglas added.

"Then it will take weeks," Sam frowned.

"Weeks of recovery for a battle that lasted an hour where you managed to kill how many, one? Five? Maybe ten of those crazed people? There will be so many monsters in the beast tide that you won't be able to see the horizon, and it will last for months."

"Is the difference between us really that vast?"

Douglas laughed and kept walking, "Like heaven and earth, lad. You have a dull rock for a soul that needs to be fed, while I have a blazing star that floods me with power. Forget that I can flatten you with my mere presence—I can fight for days or even weeks before running out of Qi, not a pitiful hour. Not to mention, I recover Qi far faster."

"Their firepower and techniques are also a realm above us," Hugo added, further souring Sam's already miserable mood. It seemed the defeat to Jasmine at the tournament, combined with the utter thrashing he received today, had piled up. "Hey, don't give up." Hugo smacked Sam on the back, making the teen hiss with pain, "You're young and full of ambition. I'm in my fifties and got beaten up as badly as you. Imagine how embarrassing that is for me!"

Hugo's following laughter was drowned out by a sudden loud horn that echoed down the tunnel, making everyone freeze.

"Was that from the reinforcements?" Hugo asked like a scared cat.

Douglas exchanged a look with Elaine, but she didn't seem to know any more than he did. A second horn came that was tenfold more thunderous than the last, causing an earthquake. Oh shit. The hastily made tunnel collapsed around them, exposing them to the freezing cold rain and the attention of a hundred crazed people who peered down the sides like hungry vultures.

"Heavens be damned. Elaine, back me up!" Douglas roared as he brought out his large sword and wreathed his entire body and weapon in earth Qi. Flexing his Star Core pressure, he bought a moment as the crazed people faltered and were brought to their knees.

Douglas vaulted out of the hole, cracking the ground in his wake as his Soul Fire greatly empowered his strength. In a single, brutal arc, his sword sliced through the necks of a row of kneeling figures struggling to stand under his soul pressure. This time, he didn't hesitate. He kicked the collapsing corpses aside, just in time for them to detonate in a chain of bone-rattling explosions that shook the ground. The blasts staggered nearby crazed people, searing their flesh, but it wasn't enough to finish them. Their wounds writhed and knitted back together, their relentless regeneration making them seem more monstrous than human.

Douglas clicked his tongue in annoyance, seeing them getting back up.

"Take this." With a sharp kick to the ground, jagged spikes erupted beneath them, impaling their writhing bodies. But they were relentless, snarling like feral beasts as they clawed themselves off the spikes. Blood dripped down their torsos, yet even as they staggered forward, the gaping wounds in their chests sealed shut, flesh knitting back together in grotesque defiance.

Missed their hearts, I suppose. Douglas tried again, this time focusing more on his aim. Earth Qi was more about raw and brutal strength over precision, and he'd never come across a foe that a good old earth spike through the stomach hadn't killed. Kicking up some rock, he raised his hand, adorned with a silver ring encrusted with an amethyst gemstone. It had been gifted to him by Stella, and the ring let him use telekinesis. He'd mainly used it for construction in the past, but now it would help him in combat.

The rocks whistled through the rain as they pelted the wall of incoming crazed people, taking out their heads with satisfying crunches. Once that side was done, Douglas turned and saw the injured Hugo and Sam desperately trying to hold their own against a single crazed person while Elaine was fending off a wave by herself.

"Damn it, there's too many of them." Douglas raised his hands, and from the ground, a fortress rose around them. It burned quite a bit of Qi, but he needed to protect the outer sect disciples who had trusted him to lead them into battle. I need to learn more combat techniques now that I'm in the Star Core Realm. I didn't realize until now how useless I am in combat. It's pathetic; I can only construct tunnels and buildings and throw myself at enemies.

"Retreat into the fortress," Douglas shouted over the storm. Hugo and Sam climbed back into the building, and Douglas sealed the doorways with a rock before the crazed people could tear their heads off. Elaine continued fighting for a while before she Void Stepped to his side.

"This is insane," she wiped some blood from the corner of her mouth on her sleeve as she heaved with exhaustion.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine."

"But you're bleeding."

Elaine looked into his eyes before gripping his cheek with her fingers and pulling on it, "You're such a big softie. This is obviously not my blood, you oaf."

"Ahem," Douglas pushed her hand away as people were present. He crouched down and kept feeding the fortress his Qi as the crazed people outside were trying to tear it apart. "We will wait here until reinforcements—"

"SAVE THE KING!"

A warcry shook the realm, making Douglas smirk. "Looks like they are here."

"The king?" Hugo scratched his head in confusion until he looked up at Douglas's gemstone crown and put the pieces together. "Are they talking about you? Just what kind of reinforcement did you call upon?"

"Nothing much," Douglas stood up and walked toward the wall, "Just the construction workers of Ashfallen." Parting the wall, he kicked the crazed people trying to get in, pulverizing them into a bloody mist on the tip of his shoe.

"You call those construction workers?" Hugo asked in disbelief as the blood mist was whisked away by the storm, revealing what Douglas assumed to be the Mudcloaks. But they were decked out in silver armor covered from head to toe in blood and were wreathed in ominous purple and black flames. They charged toward him through the rain, tearing apart and devouring anyone in their way. These Soul Fire Realm crazed people that had given them so much trouble seemed like nothing but food to them.

Douglas stood there, stunned.

"My king!" a Mudcloak said in a distorted voice before raising his visor and looking at him. "We have come to your aid."

"Right..." Douglas could hardly form words. What the hell was happening? Shaking his head to refocus, he gave the Mudcloak the praise he deserved. "Good job. Is the path to Red Vine Peak clear? We have injured people."

The Mudcloak looked past him at Sam, and the two exchanged a nod? The Mudcloak then noticed Ray and walked over to her. He reached up with his three-fingered hand and was about to drag the body off the table when Elaine slapped his hand.

"Ray's not dead."

"Not food?" The Mudcloak seemed saddened by this.

"No, she can still be healed."

"Okay," The Mudcloak nodded and put his visor back down.

"Is the path to Red Vine Peak clear?" Douglas asked.

The Mudcloak nodded and gestured for them to follow.

"Are these really construction workers." Hugo hissed as hundreds of Mudcloaks were lined up in a royal procession.

"Everyone always overlooks the construction workers," Douglas gave Hugo a smirk despite being just as surprised as he was. Since when had the Mudcloaks gotten this strong? He knew their cultivation was progressing, but when could they slaughter Soul Fire Realm enemies and devour them like this?

"If this is the level of a mere construction worker in the Ashfallen Sect, I can hardly fathom how powerful the true powerhouses are... or, heavens forbid, the Patriarch himself," Hugo said.

As if the heavens sought to answer his musings, the sky flared with a blinding radiance, burning away the thick cloud cover that had loomed over them for weeks. A deafening explosion assaulted their ears, shaking the air itself. Moments later, a wall of wind that felt like a god's ghostly palm crashed into them, sending thousands of leaves from the surrounding demonic trees spiraling into chaos.

Douglas managed to stumble while shielding his ears—his knees buckled but his footing held strong. Sam and Hugo, however, weren't so lucky as they were hurled several meters away, landing hard against the forest floor. The Mudcloaks stood firm, refusing to break their formation despite the insanity, and they continued to fight against the crazed people.

Breathless, Hugo rolled over from where he had landed and looked up, his eyes wide as he beheld the sky, now ripped apart by a kaleidoscope of raging Qi—as if a fragment of primordial chaos had descended upon the world.

"Do you understand now?" Douglas said, and Hugo looked at him in fear. "That is the power of the true powerhouses."

Hugo gulped, "You know what, maybe being a construction worker ain't so bad."

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