Reborn as a Demonic Tree

Morrigan was having fun for the first time in a long time.

It wasn't every day that she got to wrap multiple higher-stage cultivation beings around her finger. She loved nothing more than seeing these arrogant children who called themselves cultivators reduced to despair, and there was nobody she wanted to see despair more in this lifetime than Vincent Nightrose.

So it was quite a surprise when a soul pressure she recognized to belong to Vincent showed up in her room. As the origin of the void, a being that was the manifestation of an affinity and had lived countless lives since the heavens created reality. Her attachment to anything was fleeting at best, including her pride.

Her void affinity is significantly suppressed in reality. Because of this, she had to listen to Vincent's orders despite the strength of her affinity. The gap between them was simply too huge, and she really hated dying and having to start over again as a baby. Void Qi was nearly impossible to cultivate without the assistance of arrays, so childhood was always rough.

Yet Vincent had come to her room with an adorable plan to turn her into one of his puppets. All she had to do to flip the script on him was lick his foot. She had almost burst out laughing at how easy the request had been. As a being who had been there since the birth of creation, she had done and seen everything there was to be experienced. She hadn't lied when she said she was willing to do anything. Besides, she had coated her tongue in void Qi, so she hadn't felt a thing.

With Vincent convinced of her soul-burning hatred for the Ashfallen Sect, Morrigan had flown over here with Vincent in tow and bumped into Stella, stepping out of the aether. Morrigan had to admit she was impressed with Stella's growth as a cultivator. The girl managed to remain stone-faced at her words regarding the fact that Vincent was listening.

"What do you mean he is listening?" Ashlock's voice echoed through the void, reaching her and Stella's ears.

"He came to Slymere in search of a puppet, and I offered myself up," Morrigan replied, ensuring both could hear as she spoke with void Qi to hide her words from Vincent's prying ears. "He's a cautious man, though, so he's invisible and floating outside the defensive void array you have set up."

"Vincent is here?" Ashlock sounded a little panicked. "Are you under his mind control?"

"How did you convince him to trust you?"

"Oh, that was easy." Morrigan paused, "I got on my knees and sucked his toes."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

There was a drawn-out silence, and Morrigan enjoyed how Stella's stone-faced facade cracked as she silently stared her down. While she wanted to see Vincent despair, it was also fun to mess with the others.

"Sucked his toes? Why? Is Vincent into that sort of thing or something?"

"No idea. I said he could request anything to prove my loyalty to him, and that was his request."

"I'm surprised that's all it took." Ashlock seemed understandably baffled.

"Well, I also gave a compelling speech that I put my heart and soul into about how much I despised the Ashfallen Sect."

"Huh, what did we do to you?"

"Killed my family, turned my husband into a tree, kidnapped my daughter—"

"Okay, I see your point."

"—turned Elaine into a sex slave for Douglas, forced me to keep watch over an empty residence."

"Alright, now you're just making up bullshit."

"Of course. It was all bullshit from the start. I even told him I was the one who made this defensive void array. What I said doesn't matter; what matters is that I have convinced him I'm on his side. The problem is, he's one cautious bastard. I need to prove myself more before he will trust me to the point I can lead him to his death."

"How can I even trust you at this point?" Ashlock sighed deeply, "But fine, what do you need us to do?"

Morrigan was about to reply when a distorted voice tickled her ear. "What's the hold-up? Who is that mortal in front of you?" It was Vincent's adorable attempts to obscure himself, and it seemed he didn't recognize Stella?

"She's a mortal in service to the All-Seeing Eye. Nobody for you to be concerned about, but she is allowed to carry out the All-Seeing Eye's will onto the people of the Ashfallen Sect." Morrigan effortlessly lied to Vincent through the void before subtly informing Stella, "Vincent doesn't recognize you. I told him you're a mortal who is able to carry out the All-Seeing Eye's will. Now, I'm supposed to be watching over the residence, yet I came here unannounced. What would be a fitting punishment for a disobedient servant like me? It can be anything, I don't mind."

In a twisted way, Morrigan was deeply curious about what Stella would do.

Stella stopped staring at her. A look of annoyance flashed across her face. "Morrigan Voidmind, you're supposed to be guarding the Slymere residence. Why are you here?"

It's not the best acting, but it will do. Morrigan stepped forward. "I'm concerned about the safety of Slymere and Red Vine Peak. Is this void array really the only thing that can stop Vincent Nightrose should he appear?"

Stella snorted arrogantly, "So what if it is? With this void array, we have no need to fear someone like Vincent."

"If it was to be disabled..."

Stella waved her off, "That would never happen, right? You're the one who made it in the first place."

"Right," Morrigan awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, "Also, you wouldn't happen to know where Stella is? I had something to tell her."

"The All-Seeing Eye is protecting her for now, though she has been insisting on making an appearance in..." she paused for a moment, seemingly trying to remember something, "Ah yes, Tartarus. Stella Crestfallen insisted on testing the new training realm before it opened to the rest of the cult."

"I see," Morrigan bowed deeply.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Say, Morrigan, have you seen Valandor recently?" Stella asked cryptically.

"No?"

"Stella has meant to meet with him as she has something very important to give him."

"Right..." Morrigan nodded, unsure what Stella was getting at. "Thank you for answering my questions, I'll return now."

"Hold it right there," Stella said, and Morrigan could barely contain her smile. Just what was the little murder princess going to think up? "Put out your arm."

Morrigan turned to face her punisher and complied.

Stella clicked her finger, and Ashlock, looming behind her, charged up with spatial Qi. A second later, reality tore apart, and she felt a shoot of pain followed by a thud. Her arm, cleanly cut off by a spatial blade, lay at her feet.

"Get out of here, Voidmind trash, and don't you dare try to heal that arm. Every time you look at the bloodied stump, remember the greatness of Ashfallen and your place in this sect." Stella sneered and left.

Morrigan stood there, stunned for a moment.

***

Vincent returned to Slymere with an enranged Morrigan.

"I'll kill them. I'll fucking kill those bastards," She screamed as she paced the room. The sofa had long been obliterated by a kick, pieces of it scattered across the mostly empty room. Void Qi aggressively flickered across her shoulders as she clutched her stump with her left hand. "To think a mortal would be so arrogant as to smite my arm off. Heavens, if not for them having my dear Elaine captive, I would kill them myself."

Vincent was now entirely convinced that Morrigan was on his side. While she might not be considered a reliable puppet, there was one thing for sure. They shared a common enemy, and that was good enough for him.

"Morrigan, together we can put an end to them. Especially that mortal..." While the girl had looked vaguely familiar, she had no scent he recognized, so she might as well be another mortal in a sea of faces. All useless and beneath him, not worth the precious space in his mind. With his soul on the edge of collapse and at the end of its lifespan, he was effectively going senile.

"Forget the mortal," Morrigan hissed, "She is just a pawn of the All-Seeing Eye. A mere mouthpiece. The whole sect is like that, every last one of them. You promise to help me eradicate them?"

Vincent had no plans for such a thing. He didn't care about the Ashfallen Sect at all. The Crestfallen bloodline was his focus.

"Sure," he lied through his teeth, "If we work together, anything is possible."

Morrigan collapsed to the floor against a pillar, a look of despair on her face. "But how can we do it? You heard them. The void array is strong enough to defeat Vincent Nightrose, one of the most powerful cultivators in the wilderness. While I could disable it, there's a chance they catch me before I succeed."

"The void array is a concern, but I have a better idea." Vincent canceled out his illusions and revealed himself to Morrigan.

"Valandor?" Morrigan's eyes widened, "Why are you naked?! Have some decency!"

Vincent snorted, "Rich coming from a woman with as little pride as you. Besides, clothes are a nuisance. They mess with my invisibility and get torn up when I use my blood affinity."

"Blood affinity?" Morrigan seemed confused.

"Ah," Vincent chuckled, "Apologise for the confusion. It's me, Vincent Nightrose. I overtook Valandor's body."

A look of realization seemed to hit Morrigan, "Vincent Nightrose?! You're alive!" She threw herself at his feet, "Oh, thank the heavens, there is still hope. With someone of your caliber helping me, we can defeat the Ashfallen Sect and recover the Blood Lotus Sect to its former glory."

Vincent sneered, "That's right."

What a dumb bitch. I can see right through her. She thinks by clinging to me, she will get a great position in the sect once I retake everything that was once mine. But that will only happen if she gives her everything to me. Body and soul.

"What was your profound plan?" Morrigan asked with expectant eyes.

"Ahem," Vincent coughed into his hand, "Remember when that mortal asked if you had seen Valandor recently?"

Morrigan scowled at the mention of the mortal who had commanded for her arm to be blown off by the spirit tree before slowly nodding. "Yes, I remember. She said that Stella had something to give Valandor."

"Exactly," Vincent summoned some illusionary aether flames, "With this body and my illusion Qi, I can pass as Valandor and get close to Stella Crestfallen. I just need to avoid the Ashfallen Sect's leader, as he will see through my disguise. Which is why I think this place the mortal mentioned... what was it called?"

"Tartarus?"

"Yeah, that's the one. What can you tell me about it?"

"It's a rift that the Ashfallen Sect plans to turn into a training realm."

Vincent raised a brow, "A permanent rift?"

Morrigan nodded.

Vincent whistled, "Those are rare. No wonder the Ashfallen Sect plans to stay and face the beast tide. How much control do they have over it?"

"I'm not entirely sure..."

"Enough to seal off the entrance should I enter?"

Morrigan shook her head, "No. Definitely not. Nobody can do that except the gods."

"That's good enough then," Vincent grinned, proud of his plan. From the mortal's words, it seemed Valandor had a decent standing in the sect. At least enough that he was allowed to speak directly with Stella, which is all he needed. Defeating the Ashfallen Sect? Freeing Morrigan's daughter? What an utter waste of Qi. He only had eyes for the Crestfallen bloodline.

Though I am interested in this permanent rift. Should the beast tide wipe them out, I'll be sure to return to this land and claim it for myself.

Vincent found a spot on the floor that wasn't covered in pieces of the sofa and sat down on the cold stone. Assuming a cross-legged position, he closed his eyes, "I will be busy fixing this body and cultivating for now. Inform me if you hear anything about Stella being in Tartarus."

"Don't you worry," Morrigan said as she walked through the room toward the door, clutching her stump. "You will be the first to know."

***

Ashlock withdrew his attention from Slymere and was somewhat concerned. Either Morrigan was the greatest actor of all time, or cutting off her arm had genuinely enraged her.

"Either way, it seems we have tricked Vincent," Ashlock said to Stella back on Red Vine Peak and had to admit he was quite surprised, as he had planned to play a significant role in scheming against Vincent, yet it had been handled by Stella and Morrigan, of all people. "To think he overtook Valandor's body, how did you know that?"

"Two reasons," Stella held up two fingers while she stood in the meeting room with everyone else. Ashlock tried his best to refrain from commenting on the fact that sending her to investigate the tree had resulted in her attending the meeting anyway. It was almost as if fate had it out for her.

"The tree you sent me to investigate. It was soulless yet had grown so big in what I assumed was a short amount of time, considering it had only just been reported. For that to occur, it had to have grown from a powerful cultivator or monster's body that was somehow missing its soul." Stella lowered one of her fingers, "While that had been a big clue, I wouldn't have figured it out if not for running into Valandor's soul in the aether."

"What was it doing there?" Diana asked.

"I think he either escaped or was forced there by Vincent. I sadly don't know the truth as he could not speak to me, just answer yes or no questions. One of which confirmed he had been killed by Vincent. Either way, we know Vincent had no reason to go after Valandor like that unless he needed something. Such as switching bodies. How he did it, I still have no idea."

"So where is Valandor's soul now?"Ashlock asked. That man had been quite strong and had aether affinity. He would make a good Bastion and cultivation area for Stella.

Stella patted her chest, "I absorbed his soul, so he's a part of me now. Don't worry, he's not dead. Just in a state too weak to do anything."

"That's a relief," Ashlock sighed.

"He also imparted his knowledge on me," Stella conjured an aether Qi soul flame, and something about it felt... different. It was unsettling how perfect it was, as if Stella was not simply borrowing the power of the aether but was the aether herself.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Stella grinned, "Yep, it's aether Qi law, and I have concluded something through this newfound understanding."

"What have you concluded?" Ashlock was intrigued.

"While I could probably make a pseudo-aether Qi origin stone now if I had the materials," she snuffed out the soul flame. "I won't."

"Why not?" Ashlock didn't understand. Stella knew how valuable that stone would be for him. It would upgrade his affinity from spatial to the higher tier aether affinity. That had been their whole plan after she had returned from the Mystic Realm.

Stella grinned, "Because aether Qi doesn't suit you, but I think I know which one will. There are two sides to every coin, and the same can be said about affinities. While aether Qi is about seamless traversal through reality, which suits me. You want to use your affinity for something else, right?"

"Yeah," Ashlock agreed. As his system rarely gave him direct attack skills, it was through his affinity and learned techniques that he had combat capabilities.

Stella nodded, "That's why I think desolation affinity that focuses on the raw destruction of reality would suit you better."

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