Reborn as a Demonic Tree

Chapter 476: Five Hundred Years

The Ashfallen Sect had Nox—that much Stella had already admitted to Tiberius in the past. She claimed Nox was adapting to her curse and repenting for her sins in the Ashfallen Sect.

His stomach twisted, and a deep rage brewed in the recesses of his consciousness. He dared not think of what they were doing to his love. Until now, he had only put up with the Princessʼs antics because of the promise she had dangled before him that he would one day get to see Nox again.

Because of this, he had been incredibly patient.

It had already been five hundred years since she betrayed her betrothed for a single night of stolen passion with him. In the aftermath, she confided in him, baring her disgust for the political marriage arranged with the Lunarshade family. Their affair continued, hidden beneath layers of secrecy—until the day it was exposed. A bounty was swiftly placed on Noxʼs head by the Lunarshade family, vast enough to make even friends turn against him. Despite his efforts to threaten anyone who dared to pursue the bounty, Nox panicked and fled. Her family was doomed in her wake, and he was left heartbroken.

For the next five hundred years, he had continued to cultivate in hopes of one day surpassing the Lunarshade Grand Elder and killing him so Nox could return home safely.

But then the Ashfallen Sect had come out of nowhere and crushed his mortal enemy in a single night because the girl sitting before him in his seat got a little hurt. He could still remember that night like it was yesterday. Seeing that grand battle from the window of the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion, heʼd been filled with hope and despair.

Nox could come home as the bounty would be dropped, but she had vanished after encountering the Ashfallen Sect—the very sect he had watched wipe out an ancient war family like it was nothing.

”Sure,” Stellaʼs voice cut through the tense silence in the room.

He blinked, his anger faltering. ”Really?” he asked suspiciously.

Stella shrugged. ”I got the okay from my father. He values the relationship between the Ashfallen Sect and the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion. However, he wanted me to warn you that Nox is no longer the woman you remember. Knowing that, are you sure you wish to continue?”

Tiberius nodded along. So long as she was alive, he was convinced that he could fix her curse. Although Stellaʼs words raised some concern, he wanted to see her as soon as possible.

”In that case, I have one other request, if I may?”

”Sure, what is it?” Stella asked.

He paused, trying to frame it in the right way. ”Could you... not let her know Iʼm coming? Ever since she became a merchant, she has managed to evade my attempts at contacting her. Iʼm just worried that she will escape before I can get a chance to speak with her, and this will have all been for naught.”

To his surprise, Stella snorted and seemed to find his request amusing.

”Trust me, she isnʼt going anywhere,” she tapped her chin, lost in thought. ”Iʼd advise we let her know first. But if I am to honor your request of visiting in secret, we will need to bring some guards.”

Tiberius raised a brow. ”Guards? What for?”

Stella met his gaze, her expression deathly serious. ”To stop you from dying, of course.”

”Dying...?” Tiberius was confused. Nox was a Star Core Realm merchant. While she was very adept at running, she wasnʼt much of a fighter. He was in the 6th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm—practically a walking god. Few existing on this layer of creation could threaten his life, and Nox definitely wasnʼt one of them.

”I really donʼt think guards will be necessary, you see—”

”If I say you need guards, you will need guards,” Stella said, standing up and yawning. ”Itʼs getting late. We should get this reunion between you two done now.”

”Now? Like right now?” A knot formed in his stomach once more, this time from anxiety rather than rage. It was all so sudden.

”Thereʼs no time like the present,” Stella winked as the air behind her began to distort as it was torn apart, and a portal formed. Through it, he could see a massive building of black stone rising up into the night sky. ”Come on, follow me,” she said. The portal wobbled around her body as she backstepped through and made it to the other side. She gestured for him to follow.

”Ah, what the hell,” he muttered, striding forward with increasingly confident steps. For five hundred years, he had been dreaming of the moment he could speak to Nox again. It was almost surreal that it was coming to fruition because of a deal he made with the Princess.

Despite his responsibilities as the Celestial Warden and the requirement of his presence in these trying times with the beast tide on the way, he took one last look around his office and decided to drop everything. He followed Stella through the portal. He didnʼt care where it ended up or what happened next.

All he wanted was to see Nox again.

His ears popped as the pressure changed, and the slightly pungent stench of a slum tickled his nose. They had gone from the top of a mountain to a city nestled in a valley overshadowed by a mountainside covered in red-leaf trees.

However, as a powerful cultivator, an immense presence demanded his attention. His head whipped in the direction of the south, and there it was, backdropped by starlight—a tree of tremendous size. Nine massive branches curled skyward like the horns of a slumbering demon, each crackling with divine energy that arced and danced down their length. Furthermore, if he looked at it with his Qi sense, the tree seemed to act like a funnel, endlessly drawing reality into itself.

”Eyes over here,” Stella demanded while clicking her fingers to draw his attention.

”Whatʼs up with that tree...”

”You donʼt need to know,” Stella replied, turning her back to him and walking toward the tower of black stone.

He followed along, analyzing the building before them. It lorded over the entire city, which consisted of very similar-looking one-story stone houses.

Is this the city that was built in a single night? Iʼve yet to check on the new city they built for the people of Nightshade, but I hope itʼs better than this.

Despite the late hour, there was a stream of people going in and out of the buildingʼs entrance, mortals and cultivators alike. Above the doorway, there was a sign reading ʼAshfallen Trading Company.ʼ

Is this the headquarters of that legendary pill company?

As the Celestial Warden, he was aware of the ongoings within the Pavilion and knew the pills from this group were selling like hotcakes.

Iʼve had the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild sending in non-stop requests for intel on the Ashfallen Trading Company, only to receive no answers, as little is known about them.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Not that he was complaining. Competition was great for business, and he had never been a fan of the Golden Dragon Alchemy Guild.

He was eager to step inside and have a snoop around, but to his surprise, Stella took a sharp right turn and led him around the back. Hearing the rustling of leaves, he glanced up as they walked and noticed more red-leafed trees growing on the roof of the building.

Wait... are these all demonic trees? On the mountainside, on the roof... everywhere? He once again looked at the titanic tree in the distance. That one also looks like a demonic tree, although far more godly than any Iʼve seen before.

As they finished making it around the large building, he froze. They were here. Two towering monsters of white wood with black flowers blooming from their backs and emitting the chill of lunar Qi. He knew they had been birthed from fallen Lunarshade Elders and now seemed to silently guard a large portal of darkness.

And they werenʼt the only guards. A group of fire cultivators he assumed were the Redclaw family of the Blood Lotus Sect stood among the cultivators he recognized.

The Duskwalkers—Noxʼs family. They paused what they were doing and stared at him, surprise and horror blooming on their faces. One of the Elders hastily stepped forward and bowed.

”Princess, Tartarus isnʼt quite ready to open to the public yet,” he said while stealing glances at Tiberius over her shoulder. ”Someone like the Celestial Warden shouldnʼt be here,” the Elder insisted, and other members of the Duskwalker family nodded in agreement.

Stella sighed. ”I honestly forgot you people stood guard,” she grumbled. ”Iʼm here on official business with the Celestial Warden. Stand aside,” she commanded, her tone leaving no room for rebuttal.

Yet the Duskwalker Elder did not stand aside as instructed. He stood his ground and unapologetically glared at Tiberius. ”I think this is a really terrible idea, Princess. He should not be allowed to enter.”

”I agree,” Stella nodded.

”Then why...” the Elder furrowed his brows.

”Itʼs an order from the Patriarch, and if this love-struck fool wishes to die, Iʼm not going to stop him,” Stella shrugged. ”We made a deal, and Iʼm honoring my end of it. Now, stand aside before I get mad.”

The Duskwalker Elder tensed his body before giving up and begrudgingly stepping aside. Everyone else gave a slight bow as Stella passed and fearlessly stepped into the black abyss of the portal.

So, Nox is being kept imprisoned in here? Tiberius steeled his resolve and followed. On the other side, he expected to find a prison, but instead, there was a town in a realm of darkness.

”Welcome to Tartarus,” Stella said, casually gesturing around.

”What in the...” Tiberius muttered in disbelief. It was clear that this was an artificially created pocket realm. The question was who made it and what for?

”As the Duskwalker Elder said outside, itʼs still under construction, so I apologize for the mess,” Stella said, wandering forward down a wide street lined with empty shops and other buildings. She seemed to be searching for something as she peered around.

”What is this place going to be used for?” Tiberius asked absentmindedly as he checked out the area with his spiritual senses. It seemed the town was nearly completely devoid of Qi. It was almost suffocating and significantly suppressed his senses.

”None of your business for now,” Stella mused, suddenly coming to a stop. ”Ah, there he is. Larry is going to be guarding you during this meeting.”

A cloud of silver ash passed overhead and condensed on the road before them into the vague shape of a spider that he was well acquainted with at this point. Larry floated to Stellaʼs side and eyed him. From Tiberiusʼs understanding, the spider was the guardian beast of the Ashfallen Sect and was often seen guarding Stella. The crown on its head slowly spun, radiating a soul pressure that far surpassed his own.

”Is the spiderʼs presence really necessary?” Tiberius asked, starting to feel uneasy about all this. ”Nox is only in the Star Core Realm. I alone should be able to handle her.”

Stella laughed, ”Oh, you have no idea how fun this is going to be. Come with me.” She jumped onto Larryʼs back and had the spider carry her into the air and over the town toward a massive staircase in the distance.

Tiberius ensured his life-saving artifacts were fully activated before ascending effortlessly into the air, his Nascent Soul Realm strength allowing him to hover with ease over the town. Looking down, he confirmed his suspicion that it was mostly empty, except for a few cultivators walking about. As they neared the staircase, he realized it was more like a tunnel of stairways linked by portals. Along the steps, demonic trees dripping with colored fruits loomed with eerie elegance, and treasure chests lay nestled among their roots. Shadowy monsters prowled the stairs, their movements silent, with the promise of violence in the dim light.

”What are those?” Tiberius couldnʼt help but ask to sate his burning curiosity.

”Shadows animated by monster souls,” Stella said as if it were obvious.

They looked up at him as he passed over, some even running up the stairs and snarling. But they always came to a stop at each portal as if they were borders. Meanwhile, the only thing Tiberius felt as he passed through each portal during their ascent was a consistent jump in the density of the surrounding Qi and a rising soul pressure.

”Is this a test realm for the Ashfallen Sect?” he mused aloud. The Celestial Empire had something similar, but it was simply a tower constructed out of Qi-suppressing formations that escalated in intensity as one ascended. It was only opened once a year to conduct a test and cost an exorbitant amount of spirit stones to operate.

It was absolutely nothing compared to this.

”Maybe, maybe not,” Stella smirked.

”Not going to give me any straight answers, huh?” Tiberius said, half-joking.

Stella had a playful smile as she glanced back at him while lying on Larryʼs back. ”And why would I give you answers? That will only ruin the fun. If you really want to know anything, you can ask Nox. She rules this place.”

”...what?” Tiberius asked, utterly baffled. Nox? The same woman he knew was the ruler of this alternate shadow dimension? If she managed it, he could maybe understand that. But outright rule it? He chuckled at Stellaʼs joke. ”Thatʼs a good one, but an impossibility.”

Stella didnʼt answer, instead opting to take a nap on Larryʼs back. They kept ascending, the soul pressure intensifying with every step. Once they reached the 19th staircase, he started to mobilize his Qi to ward off the pressure and maintain the pace.

Meanwhile, Larry seemed utterly unfazed.

Arriving on the 20th floor, they touched down. Shadow monsters nearby, estimated to be in the higher stages of the Star Core Realm, noticed them, but unlike the more mindless ones on the lower floor, they kept their distance.

”Huh, even dumb monsters fear Larry,” Stella chuckled as she hopped off the silver spiderʼs back and stretched. White flames danced along her shoulders, showing she was having to expend some effort to walk around here. She turned on her heel and, with smiling pink eyes, asked, ”Ready to meet Nox?”

”Sheʼs here?” Tiberius glanced around, but there was nothing except monsters. A terrible thought crossed his mind. Had the Ashfallen Sect turned her into a monster? Perhaps like those Ents that guarded the doorway?

”No,” Stella said, giving him hope. ”Sheʼs in the next room.”

Relief washed through him.

”Is she imprisoned here?” he asked.

Stella thought for a moment. ”I... guess so? She definitely canʼt leave.”

Tiberius steeled himself. Heʼd seen his fair share of how cultivators treated prisoners. Since she was apparently ʼrepenting for her sinsʼ in this place, had she been chained up to a wall, and her soul was being sucked away by a formation to help power this place?

”Iʼm ready,” he said, his voice filled with resolve.

”This is such a bad idea,” Stella muttered but wore an expectant grin as if she was excited to see how he would react. The seemingly impenetrable darkness before them faded away like smoke, slowly revealing a space beyond.

A tree with bark and leaves of shadow lorded over a field of white flowers. Unlike the canopy of the demonic trees he had seen earlier, the shadow tree canopy spread out for a great distance as if it were the night sky itself.

”Tiberius...” a soft voice called out to him like a gentle spring breeze. ”Is that really you?”

”Nox? My love?” Recognizing the voice, he rushed forward while desperately looking around for any signs of her.

”Huh,” Stella tilted her head in confusion, ”She seems less angry than I was expecting. Ah... sheʼs probably lonely being locked up in here.”

Tiberius ignored Stellaʼs remarks and kept looking around, yet he couldnʼt see the woman he had fallen in love with anywhere. Just a field of white flowers and a shadowy tree looming over him. ”Nox,” Tiberius called out again, fear creeping into his voice. ”Where are you?”

Stella laughed behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder at the cackling Princess, ”Whatʼs so funny?”

”Sorry... I know itʼs supposed to be a touching reunion, but you are looking right at her,” Stella said, pointing in the distance.

Tiberius followed her finger and landed on the trunk of the shadowy tree.

”No...” he whispered under his breath as a terrible realization dawned on him. ”Did you trap my love into a... tree?”

”Um, not quite,” Stella answered.

”Then what happened to her—” he paused as he saw the silhouette of a woman emerge from behind the trunk.

”No, Tiberius, Iʼm right here,” Nox said softly, walking toward him.

”Oh, thank the heavens,” he dropped to his knees. ”Youʼre okay, I canʼt believe youʼre okay...” he trailed off. Something was wrong—the woman wasnʼt walking toward him—she was floating. Secondly, her silhouette had more pronounced curves than he remembered.

He was stunned into silence as she drifted closer, her silhouette never gaining any more color. She remained a shadow of a woman all the way until she was right before him, looking down at him with a weary smile.

Nox, the woman he loved and had been chasing for five hundred years, had turned into some kind of shadow dryad.

Something inside Tiberius broke.