Reborn as a Demonic Tree-Novel

Ashlock wasn't sure what Douglas was on about as he freaked out. To him, Elaine stood with a mischievous smile before Douglas while the well-dressed man acted as if invisible people were clinging onto his arms as he stumbled back and tried to push them off. It was rather funny watching Douglas freaking out, but it also made Ashlock incredibly curious. What had happened to Elaine in such a short month for her to be able to do this?

Unlike Diana, who had undergone a practical evolution, Elaine looked the same. "So it must be something on the inside..." Ashlock scrutinized Elaine with his {Demonic Eye} and tried to gaze into her soul but came up short. Rather than being able to peer through her skin and see the true power of her soul, he could see nothing.

It was as if Elaine was nothing but a human-shaped void. "Well, that confirms she still cultivates void Qi, so what's with Douglas seeing hallucinations?"

"I would also like to know," Ashlock said to Elaine through {Abyssal Whispers}. She seemed entirely unbothered by his voice and illusions, which he found odd.

Ashlock was glad to learn more about the supposed curse on the Voidmind family and was even more delighted to hear that Elaine could progress further. But the method Mars had suggested baffled him. He knew dual affinities existed; Kane Azurecrest was one such example, but he had no idea people could take on more affinities later in life!

Ashlock also wanted to know. He didn't know the choices Elaine had been given by Mars, but if he was given such a big decision, he wasn't sure what he would pick.

"Void would be a good choice, but Elaine already has void affinity, so what else is a good choice? Perhaps something easy to cultivate, like water Qi, could be good. I can imagine a void tsunami being hard to survive." Ashlock got lost in thought for a moment but then realized what Elaine had done to Douglas was the likely answer. "Some kind of mind control or mind-altering affinity. What a strange pick."

For Ashlock, having a good offense was the best defense. So, if he could pick any affinity, he would choose the most destructive one, no matter its cost. "Although I have a rather unfair advantage due to my biology and a literal forest of offspring providing me with far more Qi than anyone else could access."

"What price did you pay for a second affinity?" Ashlock asked. If he knew what it cost, he could replicate it at some point.

"So Mars ripped your soul in two and made you cultivate again from the start?" Ashlock asked. With his Mystic Realms and immense cultivation resources, that didn't seem such a steep price to pay...

One thing still bugged Ashlock, though. How could Elaine regain her cultivation in a month without his cultivation resources? "How long did it take to recover your cultivation?"

Ashlock was impressed at how such a casual touch on someone's head invoked such a powerful technique. No matter who it was, seeing many versions of someone else during a fight would be incredibly distracting, and if Elaine learned how to use Void Step, she would be able to get that close to people easily.

"Elaine, can they tell you apart from the illusions?" Ashlock asked. Even if they could, these illusions can serve a purpose in battle. But then he would need to make sure an Ent or someone guarded Elaine in fights, as the best way to deal with a summoner or illusionist is to target the source.

"Void Qi has always been nearly impossible to detect, so the fact Stella couldn't detect you makes sense," Ashlock said, "But that is still very impressive. Can you cast illusions without touching people's heads, Elaine?"

"Well, I have a grove filled with Dreamweaver Orchids that produce illusion Qi, so feel free to use that to further your cultivation. Actually, on that point, what is your cultivation level now? I can't tell due to the void Qi."

It was good to know Douglas had grown by two stages, but it was far more impressive that Elaine had jumped up six stages!

"You should reach Star Core by the end of the year after another two Mystic Realm visits," Ashlock said excitedly, "What outstanding progress and great choice of a second affinity. You will definitely be a pillar of the Ashfallen Sect in the future once your powers have grown some more."

Ashlock laughed as Stella scowled. It must feel weird for Elaine to learn how others viewed her. Of course, he didn't know what suggestion Elaine's illusion Qi had carried, but it seemed to be something along the lines of 'How do you view me' or 'What would you do with me?'

Ashlock hadn't visited Douglas during the Mystic Realm but knew the man had been dumped into a mine. Were these Mudcloaks the natives of that Dragonite Mine?

"Douglas, could you tell me more about the Dragonite Mines and these Mudcloaks?" Ashlock asked, and the man immediately straightened up and gobbled down a Mind Fortress pill.

"No, hold on," Ashlock brought up his {Dimensional Overlap} menu. Scrolling through, he found the Dragonite Mines Douglas had been in. If Douglas could call them to him, then there was a chance they could bring the Mudcloaks back to Red Vine Peak through a {Dimensional Overlap}.