When the last plant was in place, Yelia lowered her hands, and the hum in the air faded away.
The Everwood farm, once a patchwork of individually managed plots, now looked like a masterfully designed garden, each section harmoniously arranged to bring out the best in the cultivation resources.
Aksai let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “This is… incredible,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I never realized I was wasting so much space and resources with my earlier approach.”
At its core, true Spirit farming was all about maximizing gains while minimizing overall production costs. A Spirit farmer would rather have a small, low-maintenance farm than a larger one with even bigger problems.
Aksai had thought he was doing a good job cultivating various resources inside the Everwood farm. He had indeed achieved a harmonious balance by creating a whole ecosystem around his Spirit farming.
However, the addition of the second region inside the Everwood farm made Aksai’s job even more complicated. His Spirit farming yield had increased due to the expanded land, but the increment wasn’t proportional to the size increment introduced by the second region.
As satisfied as he was with his earlier accomplishments, even Aksai could tell at a glance that he was wasting a lot of space. A lot of the farm’s potential was being wasted.
After all, cultivating Spirit plants inside the farm was far more complex than growing mortal plants. Each plant type required special care and attention. These restrictions demanded the isolation of one plant type from another by introducing dedicated vacant spaces, which served as buffer zones.
***
Aksai and Yelia took a short tour of the Everwood farm after the reorganization was finished.
As they continued to walk, their conversation shifted to the future, discussing the kinds of cultivation resources they could focus on, the alchemy experiments Aksai could conduct, and how they could better integrate the talisman and Array Formation labs into their plans.
Eventually, their path led them to the center of the second region of the Everwood farm, where a towering tree loomed above them. Its dark, twisted branches reached out like claws, and its bark was a deep, ominous shade that seemed to absorb the light around it.
This was the Demon Tree, an imposing presence that stood in stark contrast to the lush greenery surrounding it.
Yelia frowned as she took in the sight of the gigantic trunk. “My lord, why do you keep this Demon Tree in the Everwood farm?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Although she had kept tabs on the farm while slumbering, she had not known when or how her master had acquired such a specimen. There was something about the tree that made her uneasy.
Aksai didn’t hesitate to explain. “Because this Demon Tree is capable of refining my druid bloodline,” he said, his voice steady as he prepared to demonstrate.
With a simple thought, Aksai began to transform, his aura shifting dramatically as his body underwent its change.
His height increased, his frame becoming more robust, and his hair turned a brighter shade of red copper, shimmering in the twilight of the farm. His facial features grew sharper, more refined, and his ears elongated into a graceful, elf-like shape.
His amber eyes, once warm and inviting, now gleamed with a golden light. He was now in his druid form.
The Demon Tree responded almost immediately to Aksai’s transformation. Its massive trunk creaked as it stretched out a few of its wood vines towards him.
The vine wrapped around Aksai’s arm, its touch gentle yet firm, as if the tree were embracing him with multiple limbs. Aksai closed his eyes, allowing the radiant and potent nature energy that flowed through the vine to seep into his skin. The energy invigorated him, revitalizing his life force and stamina, deepening his connection with the tree.
“This is how I make use of the Demon Tree to refine my druid bloodline,” Aksai explained, his voice calm as he continued to demonstrate the process.
“It’s a slow and deliberate process, one that requires patience and careful management. I haven’t yet started the second stage of the refinement, but the tree’s energy allows me to revitalize myself, keeping me in peak condition. It also lets me replenish the lifespan I lost due to external factors.”
Yelia watched closely, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern. She could sense the immense power within the Demon Tree, but she also seemed to have recognized the danger it posed.
Aksai continued, sharing the story of how he had obtained the Demon Tree from the corrupted druid of the Martial World, Sharang. “It was a bloodline refinement technique I got from the corrupted druid,” he said, his tone casual as if discussing a simple transaction. “I modified the technique to suit my advanced druid bloodline. It wasn’t easy, but the results have been worth the effort.”
He then recounted his experiences with the Demon Tree, detailing how he had completed the first stage of the bloodline refinement technique with its help.
Aksai also explained how he had used the Everwood farm’s Space Anchoring power to plant the Demon Tree inside the separate dimension, allowing him to reap the benefits outside it.
Furthermore, he described how he had harnessed the tree’s power to create the Devil’s Den Formation, a powerful defense mechanism that protected Emerald Cove Island, his property outside the Everwood farm.
Yelia turned to Aksai with a thoughtful expression. “My lord,” she said, “may I access your memories of the time when you faced the corrupted druid inside the Devil’s Den?”
Aksai looked at her, slightly taken aback by the request. He trusted Yelia to some extent, but the idea of someone else sifting through his memories was still a bit unsettling.
‘I don’t think she is talking about my core memories. Just the memories related to the corrupted druid. It should be fine.’
The Spirit farmer nodded. “Sure, but… I’m not exactly sure how that works,” he admitted.
Yelia returned the smile. “It’s simple, really. All you need to do is close your eyes and think back to that time. I’ll be able to analyze your memories in real-time as long as you focus on them.”
Aksai took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trusting Yelia to guide him through this unfamiliar process. He extended his hand, and Yelia gently took it in hers. Everwood farm was already bound to Aksai and his soul. As such, Yelia didn’t have to struggle hard.
Her touch was cool, almost intangible, reminding him that she wasn’t human but a Spirit, a being of ethereal essence. The sensation was strange, but he pushed the thought aside and began to concentrate on his memories of the Devil’s Den.
As he delved into his recollections, Aksai felt a subtle shift in his consciousness, as if he were being pulled into a world that existed somewhere between reality and imagination. The sensation was surreal, like stepping into a dream where the lines between what was real and what was not blurred together.
He soon found himself floating in a fantastical realm made of swirling smoke and indistinct shapes. The world around him was hazy, as if viewed through a foggy lens. But as he focused on his memories, the haze began to clear, and the shapes around him started to solidify, taking on familiar forms.
Aksai realized that he was now hovering above a scene from his past, granting him a bird’s-eye view of the Devil’s Den.
He could see himself in the midst of a fierce battle, surrounded by a sea of martial artists fighting against the relentless onslaught of tree devils.
The memory was vivid, almost too real, and Aksai could feel the tension of the battle as if he were reliving it all over again.
Beside him in this illusory realm, Yelia floated silently. She didn’t say anything, allowing Aksai to relive the events as they unfolded.
Aksai watched as his past self fought with a mix of cunning and ferocity, cutting down the tree devils one by one.
The battle raged on, the air thick with the sounds of clashing weapons and the cries of the wounded. Despite the chaos, Aksai’s past self moved with purpose, his eyes locked onto the corrupted druid at the heart of the Devil’s Den.
As the battle reached its peak, Yelia drifted closer to the scene, her gaze fixed on the corrupted druid. She studied him intently, her eyes narrowing as she took in every detail. Aksai could feel her concentration, as if she were piecing together a puzzle in her mind.
When his past self finally engaged the corrupted druid in combat, Yelia’s expression shifted, a look of realization crossing her face. She seemed to confirm something, though Aksai couldn’t quite tell what it was.
Snap!
With a snap of her fingers, the entire illusory realm began to dissipate, the world around them unraveling like threads of smoke in the wind.
Aksai felt his consciousness being pulled back to reality, the fantastical landscape of his memories fading away. He opened his eyes and found himself back in the Everwood farm, standing before the Demon Tree with Yelia by his side.
Yelia was staring at the Demon Tree, her expression thoughtful and serious. There was a weight to her gaze that hadn’t been there before, as if she had uncovered something important.
“Well… what did you find out?” Aksai asked.
Yelia didn’t answer immediately, her eyes still fixed on the tree.
After a moment, she turned to Aksai, her expression a mix of concern and determination.
“My lord, this demon tree is turning you into a demon,” she said, her tone serious.