The tree’s vines dug deeper into the ground, siphoning every ounce of vitality from the barren land.
The sky grew darker, and the red lightning strikes became more intense, signaling the World Will’s fierce resistance to the tree’s ambitions.
It was as if the world itself had decided to oppose the threat instead of the aboriginals it had supported, launching a catastrophic calamity upon the demon tree and its devoted followers.
The lava rain fell with increased ferocity, engulfing the creatures that surrounded the tree. Their prayers grew louder, even as their bodies were consumed by the molten waves.
Finally, the red lightning strikes converged into a single, world-blinding attack, aimed directly at the demon tree. The sheer force of this strike was unimaginable, shaking the very fabric of the world.
Swoosh. Strike. Boom.
The demon tree, already weakened by the relentless assault, finally began to succumb. It started to burn, engulfed in red flames that spread rapidly across its colossal form.
Screeeee!
The faces etched into its trunk screamed in a chorus of agony as they were consumed by the fire. The tree’s once formidable branches and vines turned to ash, disintegrating into the wind.
Aksai could feel the tree’s anguish, its dreams of breaking through shattered by the overwhelming might of the World Will.
As the red flames consumed the last remnants of the demon tree, its giant body dissolved into a spectral blaze before disappearing completely. All that was left was a mountain of ash, a somber reminder of the tree’s failed ambition.
Aksai’s gaze focused on the top of the ash heap, where a small seed lay untouched. The seed, adorned with golden runes, seemed to pulse with an overwhelming energy. These runes represented the Great Dao of the current world, a testament to the tree’s profound connection to the world’s essence.
Even though the demon tree didn’t survive the tribulation, it managed to live on in another form. The runes etched over the new demon tree seed contained the world laws of the current world, which could potentially help the seed grow even further than its previous form.
“These bloodline memories… How long ago was it?”
Aksai’s heart raced as he realized the enormity of what he was witnessing. The giant tree’s attempt to harness the world’s life force had almost brought about the world’s destruction. The World Will had responded with unparalleled ferocity, determined to prevent such a catastrophe.
“I… I am still too weak.”
Aksai felt a deep sense of frustration and insignificance. The level of power involved in this conflict was beyond his comprehension. He was but an ant in the grand scheme of things, powerless against the forces that shaped the world.
As the vision began to fade, Aksai’s consciousness returned to his meditative state under the demon tree in the real world. His body was drenched in sweat, and his heart pounded in his chest.
“This… This is the power of the druid bloodline?”
Aksai felt a potent amount of life force coursing through his veins as the first stage of the bloodline refinement was completed. It was as if he had just had a magical meal, enriching every fiber of his being.
He felt a warmth spread through his body, energizing his muscles and revitalizing his spirit. His Spirit essence had also been refined, and he could sense that his Spirit pathways had broadened significantly. Though his Spirit Root Aptitude hadn’t changed, he felt a newfound fluency in casting his Spirit spells.
“Hahaha. This… this feels great. I never knew improving my bloodline could help me in my Spirit cultivation as well.”
The Spirit farmer’s Spirit cultivation had taken a giant leap, bringing him just shy of breaking through the mid-stage of the Foundation Building realm.
Ideally, Aksai should have reached this point only after two decades of steady practice and uninterrupted Spirit cultivation technique use. More– if he had to face the bottlenecks.
However, the first stage of the bloodline refinement enabled him to bypass these time-consuming and daunting steps, allowing his cultivation base to advance by leaps and bounds. Aksai felt like he had taken some rare elixir from the ancient cave to increase his cultivation base. That too while avoiding all the side effects of consuming such shady ways of progressing through one’s cultivation path.
What other Spirit cultivators achieved by risking their lives in secret realms and other life-threatening trials, Aksai had obtained simply by staying on his island and refining his druid bloodline. He almost felt sorry for other Spirit cultivators who had to go out and put their lives on the line to achieve a semblance of what Aksai had achieved simply by staying put.
“This… no way! My body cultivation path resumed on its own. How?”
To Aksai’s surprise, the silvery Qi within Aksai’s body, a manifestation of his Argent Body realm, had also become more potent and refined. The sheer life force imbued in his blood allowed him to break through the stagnation in his body cultivation path, enabling further progress despite not having a suitable body cultivation manual.
This was not everything.
Aksai’s soul felt reenergized and different. Since he had also started practicing the mind cultivation path, he could sense the changes within his soul and mind.
“There’s only one way to check this out. Aether cultivation!”
Sending his consciousness inside his Mind Palace to investigate, he found that the Aether Sea within his soul had expanded, reflected in the rising sea level within the Mind Palace.
The Aether Shell within the Mind Palace pulsated with vibrant Aether energy, ready to accept any demon beast soul and transform it into an Aether Beast for Aksai.
Aksai opened his eyes, still seated under the demon tree, and took a deep breath. The vines that had formed a shell around him slowly retracted, and the tree seemed to settle into a state of calm.
He felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. He stood up, feeling a newfound strength and vitality coursing through his veins.
“Unbelievable. Mind, body, and spirit. My bloodline refinement improved all three of my cultivation paths at the same time. And this is only the 1st stage of the bloodline refinement.”