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This ape had a lot of muscle tissue that had greedily absorbed the uncontrolled Qi. However, through his Demonic Eye, Ashlock could also see demonic Qi rising off the corpse—like smoke into the surrounding atmosphere.

It's why he preferred fresh corpses. They always provided the most sacrificial credits and had worked best for root puppets due to the Qi still present in the body.

Ashlock tossed this ape corpse to the right into a giant pile doused in corrosive fluids. It showed no signs of having been near ascending to the next stage or realm, which is what he was hunting for—he wanted Dragon Marrow.

"I can see why alchemists charge so much for pills now," Ashlock grumbled as he picked up another corpse to inspect it, "I'm going through all this effort for a single ingredient used in a tier-one pill, and I'm cheating with my Demonic Eye! Hell... I even grew the other two ingredients, so this should have been a breeze. Right? Am I missing something here? Why is sourcing ingredients so darn hard?"

Ashlock's grumbling was cut short as his eye pulsed with interest—this ape monster seemed more promising than the last few he had inspected. The demonic Qi smoke was denser, and the muscles were also packed with demonic Qi. It was all a guess at the end of the day, but Ashlock felt confident that this ape may have Dragon Marrow, so he carefully lowered it into the smaller pile to his left side and retracted his vine.

He still hadn't figured out how to get the Dragon Marrow out of the corpses, but he decided to deal with that later. Sorting through this monstrous pile came first.

As Ashlock picked up yet another corpse, he heard Larry gruffly ask, "Master, may I eat some?"

"What?" Ashlock's eye turned to glance at Larry, who had crawled down from his resting tree and stood beside the corpses that he had been busy absorbing.

"I can't?" Larry said, his head dropping a little.

"Of course, you can. You just startled me," Ashlock obviously wanted as many sacrificial credits as possible, but he wasn't going to deny his summons a good meal.

"Thank you, Master, your generosity is as boundless as the stars in the sky!" Larry said as he opened his maw wide to devour a nearby corpse, but then Ashlock had a sudden idea.

"Wait!"

Larry comically froze mid-bite as if time had stopped.

"Don't eat from that pile. Come eat these ones instead," Ashlock pointed a vine at the pile of corpses that should have Dragon Marrow, "However, you must leave all the bones behind, only eat the flesh."

Larry slowly withdrew his fangs and closed his maw. He then crawled past Ashlock, careful not to step on the hundreds of vines that slithered around his feet and made his way to the smaller, more tasty-looking pile.

To both of their surprise, Kaida had also made his way over to the pile and flickered his tongue at Ashlock as if asking for permission to also feast.

"Yes, yes, you can have some too, Kaida. I need you to grow up big and strong, after all. Just remember not to eat the bones. I need them." Ashlock reassured the snake and earned a gleeful hiss.

He hadn't forgotten about the ink snake's unique power to bend reality to the words written in his ink. But he needed the snake to get to the Star Core Realm so that he could slowly produce ink Qi to use his powers without setting his cultivation backward.

Kaida's current Soul Core was like a tiny ink pot inside his body. He needed to fill the ink pot up to advance his cultivation but would drain the ink pot if he used his powers. This is why reaching Star Core would be so monumental, as the ink pot would automatically refill itself over time without Kaida even needing to cultivate.

Ashlock watched in interest as Larry reopened his maw, and thousands of tiny ash spiders tumbled out and latched onto the corpses. Then just like worker ants, they started tearing off bits of flesh with their fangs and carrying it back to Larry.

"A rather suitable way to eat for a royal spider," Ashlock laughed as he returned to work. An hour passed, and the final corpse had been checked as the courtyard was bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun.

Of the hundreds of corpses, only twenty had been deemed by him to potentially have Dragon Marrow. All of them had been devoured to the bone by Kaida and Larry. After having their fill, his two pets were relaxing off to the side with stuffed bellies.

With night approaching, Ashlock wanted to quickly confirm if any of these bones contained the alchemy ingredient they were after.

'Stella, can you check for Dragon Marrow?' Ashlock wrote on his trunk.

The girl chilling on the bench below his canopy and playing with Maple noticed his spatial Qi. She sat up and translated his words. With a sigh, Stella got up and walked over.

Diana was already crouched over and touching the bones with her finger.

"What are you doing?" Stella asked while crouching down beside her friend.

"I'm checking which one has the most demonic Qi," Diana replied in her usual monotone voice while pointing between two sets of bones, "I think this one will have Dragon Marrow while this one is a dud."

"Well, let's find out..." Stella trailed off and frowned, "How do we find out?"

"I don't know? Aren't you the alchemist?"

Diana snorted, "You just spent the last hour telling me how easy you found alchemy, and now you are stumped."

Stella crossed her arms and grumbled, "I didn't lie. I'm good at alchemy—much better than those brats the Redclaws sent."

"Oh? You didn't tell me they were young," Diana snorted, "And yet they knew about the Dreamweaver Orchids? Impressive."

"There's nothing impressive about memorizing plants from some dusty old books." Stella retorted.

"Didn't you learn the ancient runic language from some dusty old books?"

Stella glared at Diana, "Will you shut up? Whose side are you on?"

"We were picking sides?" Diana rolled her eyes, "Why don't you go and get one of them to tell us how to do it?"

"But I just dropped them off with Douglas," Stella protested, "Surely we can figure it out without their help. Can I try something, Ash? I think I have an idea."

Ashlock would rather get the twin's advice with the sun setting and the somewhat limited number of carcasses, but it wouldn't hurt to let Stella quickly try her idea, so he flashed his leaf once.

"It's rather funny how motivated she gets in an attempt to avoid having to rely on others," Ashlock mused. "Hopefully, she will be willing to work with others more as the sect expands and she gets used to those around her. But if she doesn't, that's fine too."

Stella pulled a single bone free from two of the corpses. "You said this one was a dud, right?" she asked Diana and the black-haired woman nodded.

"Alright then, let's do this—" There was a snap as Stella cleanly cracked the bone in half down the middle with her Star Core strength. Inside was normal solid bone marrow.

She then cracked the bone Diana had identified as likely containing Dragon Marrow, and sure enough, a more jelly-like substance oozed out.

"Ha! Dragon Marrow!" Stella cheered as she tried to stop it from falling onto the floor, "Told you we didn't need the twins."

"But why would the Dragon Marrow be more jelly-like than regular bone marrow?" Diana tilted her head in confusion, "That doesn't seem to make much sense."

Stella shrugged, "Why would I know? Go ask the twins or read the answer in a dusty book."

Ashlock listened to them bickering for a while longer before deciding to fall asleep. He would finish absorbing all the corpses overnight, and then he could spend his points in the morning.

***

Ashlock awoke to another pleasant day. In fact, he was starting to get worried that there hadn't been rain in weeks.

"Actually, has it rained since the Dao Storm?" Ashlock wondered as he yawned in his mind. There was something about sleep that seemed to revitalize his soul and make him more motivated to tackle the day.

That was, of course, after his biology had finished kicking into gear. He had never been a fast riser, even when he had been human, but now it wasn't his laziness that held him back from starting his day but rather a wrestle with his tree body every morning.

Idletree Daily Sign-In System

Day: 3527

Daily Credit: 5

Sacrifice Credit: 821

[Sign in?]

"Morning system," Ashlock mumbled at the familiar notification but then realized he had accumulated a surprising number of credits from the corpses.

"It would have been more if Kaida and Larry didn't eat a portion of them, but it would never be loads as they were all Qi Realm or low-stage Soul Fire Realm monsters." Ashlock hummed to himself as he debated whether he should sign in.

"Eight hundred points. Should be enough for an A grade draw." Ashlock could wait around and farm more points for yet another S-grade draw, but the tournament was starting soon, and he had killed literally everything alive for miles around his demonic tree wall.

And if Dante Voidmind's plans were anything to go by, he was sure many sacrificial credits were on the horizon in the form of arrogant Voidmind family members.

"System, sign in for me."

[Sign in successful, 826 credits consumed…]

[Unlocked an A-grade skill: Abyssal Whispers]

Ashlock tried to hold back his excitement and relax as the information was shoved into his memory as if it had always been there. However, he was unable to stay calm for long...

"Is this telepathy? No fucking way—wait, no, not quite. It is telepathy, but the system lists it as an attack skill... why?" Ashlock ran through the information in a half panic one last time and complied as a sort of ability description in his mind.

"The skill lets me project my consciousness outwards, infiltrating the minds of those nearby with an insidious whisper. This isn't ordinary telepathy; the whispers are an invasive force that disrupts the mental and spiritual equilibrium of those with the misfortune of listening. I can use these whispers to sow confusion, fear, or paranoia through hallucinations by essentially assaulting the target's mind and spirit from within."

Ashlock sighed. This was too much excitement and confusion for so early in the morning. He had been practically dying for telepathy as a skill, and although this sounded similar, it was most certainly an attack skill meant to overwhelm a target's mind so he could impale with his vines and devour them.

"So {Abyssal Whispers} shouldn't be used on the weak-minded as I effectively invade their mind with my entire presence, and my words cause hallucinations and instill fear..."

Ashlock glanced around and saw Stella stirring awake from her meditation on the bench. As her eyes fluttered open to the rising sun, he decided to write her a message in his lilac flames.

If there was anyone he wanted to test this skill with first, it would be her.

***

Stella stretched her back as she cycled the Qi she had just absorbed throughout her body. It was a pleasant sensation, and she didn't notice a massive difference between cultivating on the bench or under the demonic trees lining the mountain peak.

"I think I will cultivate here from now on," She said aloud while leaning back and enjoying the sunrise.

However, she soon felt a small burst of spatial Qi behind her, so she turned to see lilac flames manifesting on Ash's black bark.

"Stella, I want to talk to you..." She translated and then smiled, "What's up Tree?"

There was a pause, and Stella started to wonder if she had translated the meaning wrong, but the flames soon changed to clarify, "I have learned a form of telepathy,"

Stella's eyes widened. "Speak to me? Directly? Will I finally hear your voice after all these years?"

"Yes," Stella read from the flames, "However, it may frighten you or make you mad. So relax and don't worry. Is that okay?"

Stella grinned, "I'm already mad! Hit me with it—" A chill throughout her body forced her to blink—when she opened her eyes, the courtyard was gone, the sky was black, and all around her was a mystical fog that reminded her of the Mystic Realm.

But most importantly, there was a familiar tree before her. It was alone in this abyssal world, its bare branches spreading to the starless sky above and fading out of view.

"Is this a dream?" Stella called out. Her voice sounded normal and didn't seem to match the space she was in. Desperately glancing around, things weren't adding up. She could still feel the constant cool wind of Red Vine Peak, and the way it brushed against her skin didn't match how the mystical fog rotated around them.

"This is a mental projection of me into your mind. You are still on the bench."

Stella felt her Star Core quiver as Ashlock's strange words echoed in her mind. She couldn't write out his words nor recite them. But she understood them on a fundamental level.

"Can you understand me? Am I speaking in the ancient runic language?"

As if it was listening to its master's whims, the mystical fog began to morph and change into a mirage of vibrant silver runes that floated around her, tempting her to read them, but if she focused on one for too long, it vanished as if scared of being seen and understood.

"Yes... no." Stella shook her head. She was getting disorientated. "It's not the ancient runic language, but I understand your intent."

"I see. It must be Soul Speech, then."

Stella had no idea what Soul Speech was, but she was far too distracted by the leafless tree, "Your form, why do you look like that? I am still on the bench, right? So you should be just behind me?"

"It's all an illusion..."

The tree suddenly grew larger and more menacing as it loomed over her. Even though she knew Ash wouldn't try to harm her, she couldn't help but gulp and feel fear festering on the outskirts of her mind.

"So this is Tree... no Father's voice." She said in a small voice, "A bit more haunting than I imagined in my mind."

"These are not my words—I speak to you through the whispers of the abyss," Ashlock said, "Now tell me what you see."

Before Stella could respond, the fog morphed again into a sea of ghostly eyes that all glared at her, their pupil's pulsings as if daring her to speak.

"I... I see a black barked tree, bare of any leaves or features." Stella hesitantly replied as the eyes moved in closer. "And thousands of creepy eyes glaring at me. I think every time you talk, it gets worse."

"Gets worse?"

Stella shivered as the eyes began to scream and wail, the starless sky cracked and shook, and a terrible feeling washed over her, making her stomach twist.

"Stop talking!" Stella snapped as she clutched her head. A moment passed, and the wails died down just enough for Stella to hear herself think.

I need to block out the mental torment somehow... ah!

An idea struck—her spatial ring flashed with power, and a fruit materialized in her hand. Without delay, she bit into the fruit that should have the {Mind Fortress} effect Ashlock said would protect her from mental attacks.

A calming wave washed over her, banishing the horrors surrounding her and freeing her mind from the nightmare.

"Tree, I can think now!" She yelled, but her smile faded as the illusionary world cracked and crumbled around her. Streaks of morning sunlight cascaded through the gaps, and the next time she blinked, the world was back to normal.

Glancing back, Ash was there just like always. His scarlet leaves rustled in the morning breeze. His words felt like distant whispers in her mind that she struggled to recall as the calming wave continued to flow through her mind.

She leaned back on Ash's bark to enjoy the wonderous feeling of tranquility, "Mhm... I think the fruit was too powerful. It completely cut you out, Tree. I'm sorry."

A while passed, and as the numbing tranquility passed, she had a sudden realization.

What if I turned that fruit into a pill to lessen the effects? That way I can listen to him without the nightmare. However, I don't know any recipes using Ashlock's fruit, but we have Dragon Marrow, Qi Flowing Grass, Starlight Lotus, and even Dreamweaver Orchids to work with! I'm sure I can create something with those ingredients. To hell with old dusty books. I'll just make it myself.

Stella sprung up from the bench, grabbed a few of the {Mind Fortress} fruit growing from Ashlock's branches, and after consulting the spatial plane to set her anchor point many thousand meters below, she snapped her fingers, and a portal manifested.

"Tree, I will be right back!" She hollered before stepping through the rift and feeling the sudden shift in pressure and air quality.

Douglas was chatting away with the two twins, but they all turned to look at her when she arrived. She disliked their gaze but was getting used to it with time. The twins weren't so bad after spending most of yesterday with them.

"Have either of you ever created a new pill recipe?"

The twins both shook their heads as if it was obvious.

"That's impossible," Oliver replied respectfully, "It would take a master alchemist their whole life to create a new pill recipe that hasn't been discovered before."

"What if I had ingredients that have never existed before?" Stella grinned as she strode over to the cauldron, "Just sit back and watch if you don't believe me."

The twins looked to Douglas, who was grinning ear to ear as he watched Stella bring out an assortment of fruits onto the rim of the earthen bowl.