A new demon tree guardian seed appeared further from where the previous clone had died.
This seed quickly sprouted roots that dug deep into the soil.
This time, however, the seed didn’t undergo a massive growth to become a tree.
Instead, it germinated below the ground and turned into a relatively large potato, which was four times the size of a normal pumpkin.
From inside the potato-like growth emerged a woodland creature.
It had the size, shape, and appearance similar to a certain imaginary character from Aksai’s past life: a humanoid figure with bark-like skin, twigs sprouting from its body, and glowing eyes that emitted a gentle green light.
The creature’s limbs were slender but sturdy, resembling tree branches, and its face had a gentle, expressive quality, with features that seemed carved from wood.
The creature had a stature of only 10 inches and its aura was masked to the point of nothingness. Aksai clearly wanted the 2nd clone to remain low-key in a dangerous world that had killed his first clone as soon as he had entered. He didn’t want to take any more chances.
Aksai’s 2nd clone, now fully formed, stretched his neck above the ground, cautiously scanning the surroundings. His wooden eyes darted left and right, making sure there were no drones or any other people around. Satisfied that the coast was clear, he fully emerged from the ground.
“I am Groo–” Aksai started, then stopped himself. He let out a small chuckle, amused by the resemblance.
He shook off the remaining dirt from his wooden limbs and took a deep breath, though he didn’t need to breathe.
“Although small, I am still as strong as a Spirit Refinings Perfectionist. And my original self has also strengthened my mortal shell using the body cultivation path. I should be as strong as a late-stage Bronze Body Realm martial artist.
My original self really used all the Brain Bonsai plants he had in his possession to think of this way. This much of foundation is already enough.”
The clone murmured to himself, examining his new form. He felt the strength and flexibility of his body, marveling at how natural it felt.
[Subroutine#0002 now functional]
[The host shell has been made compatible to harness Spirit essence as well as qi energy]
[The host is requested to make some basic movements in order to optimize the sensory readings]
Aksai raised his non-existent eyebrows as he went through a series of spectral instructions that popped in front of him. He then stretched his limbs, feeling the energy coursing through his wooden veins, and took a few tentative steps.
Aksai’s 2nd clone glanced around once more, making sure there were no prying eyes. In the meantime, he optimized the subroutine neural link fabric.
After the optimization was done, the neural link fabric retracted his aura even more, turning him practically invisible if one were to scan the surroundings using supernatural senses.
Aksai’s second clone then destroyed the potato-like growth from which he had come out using a simple fire-element spell, erasing any traces of his presence. He then used Flash Steps to quickly get away from his initial position.
Aksai ran further away from the battlefield in which his first clone had died. He didn’t stop running until he was sure that there was no drone following him. He then hid behind a large rock and stayed there for a few hours, only peeking his head when the new day began.
“Looks like I really wasn’t followed this time,” Aksai murmured to himself as he used his eyes to look far in the distance. He prevented himself from using the Spirit Sense because it might get caught by the drone or the so-called “net”.
Satisfied with his inspection, he began to explore his new surroundings, ready to continue his mission. “Time to get to work,” he said with a grin, the wood of his face creaking slightly with the motion.
***
Aksai’s second clone had been traveling for miles, navigating through forests and fields, when he stumbled upon a massive greenhouse structure.
It stood in an open field about 80 miles away from his starting point, its glass walls glistening under the sun. The greenhouse was an impressive sight, stretching across a vast area with a high, domed roof that sparkled like a giant crystal palace.
Inside, the greenhouse was a lush paradise. Rows upon rows of plants, both familiar and strange, thrived in the controlled environment. There were sections filled with common herbs like basil and rosemary, towering fruit trees bearing vibrant oranges and apples, and exotic flowers that seemed to pulse with an inner light.
Some plants had leaves that shimmered with iridescent hues, while others had tendrils that moved subtly as if sensing the air around them.
Among the more peculiar specimens were plants with bioluminescent blooms, their petals glowing softly in the dimmer corners of the greenhouse. There were vines that coiled and uncoiled with a life of their own, and cacti with spines that emitted a faint, almost musical hum when touched. One particularly odd plant had translucent leaves that revealed intricate, shifting patterns within, like living stained glass.
“Hehe. Alien flora and fauna. Just what I wanted to see.”
Aksai’s clone sneaked into the greenhouse facility, moving with the stealth of a shadow.
“Hm? I guess they haven’t gone fully automatic yet,” Aksai murmured to himself as he saw a few humans working in the fields. He thanked his small form that allowed him to stay out of anyone’s sight as he observed them from a distance.
“There they go using some weird spells.”
He observed the humans inside, noting how they used strange powers to cultivate and grow the plants.
These powers were similar to the Spirit spells Aksai was familiar with, but they didn’t require the complicated spell-casting process he knew. Instead, the humans used a medium to cast their spells: spectral entities that they could conjure with a mere thought.
These spectral entities varied widely. Some were non-organic objects, like glowing crystals or ethereal tools, while others were beasts, granted consciousness and connected to their casters.
Aksai watched in fascination as one caster summoned a spectral wolf, its form shimmering with energy as it helped to tend the plants. Another caster used a spectral hoe that moved with a life of its own, tilling the soil with expert precision.
“This… This can’t be. A Spell Domain!”
What surprised Aksai the most was seeing some of the casters deploy a spell-domain to increase the efficiency of their spells.
As far as Aksai knew, domain casting could only be done by Spirit cultivators who had reached the 4th realm, becoming Nascent Soul Realm Kings.
Yet, here were seemingly ordinary people, who could not be more than low and mid-stage Spirit Refiners in terms of power, deploying spell domains with ease.