[Tree] Chapter 659: Old Monsters (Patreon)

Ashlock decided to take a heavier-handed approach in securing the Coralspear Sect for himself.

Another secretly orchestrated war simply wouldn't cut it. With the Red Tide approaching, time was short, and Elysia had already won over the Coralspear Sect's rightful leader to his side.

So, unlike the methods they used for the Saltstone and Wavescale Sects, where Diana and Morrigan had to work hard to win over their leaders, with the Coralspear Sect all that was left was to unseat Gorran's brother. The tricky part was to make sure Yun Zhilan didn't find out until after the Jade Emperor's Consortium outpost was swallowed by Uldrenneth.

That's why, instead of having Torvun and Ferrin dispatch their best airships to take back the Coralspear Sect, Ashlock decided to use his own far superior one to get the job done as quickly and quietly as possible.

Using Progeny Dominion on Erebus, Ashlock guided Moros through the ocean under the cover of the fog array, cloaked in a layer of aether and void Qi.

Ferrin, Torvun, and Gorran stood at Moros's bow, while Gorran's elites hung back in a group near the aether trees. Elder Maren and Timmy were left behind to deal with the Saltstone Sect, while Torvun's Elders were entrusted with the Wavescale Sect. They would also be working alongside Dennis, the new spirit tree Ashlock had brought in for the Wavescale Sect. He was another elite earth-affinity spirit tree like Timmy, but needed some time to spread his roots through the Wavescale Sect's island before he could match Timmy's capabilities.

Ashlock sighed. "Dennis only just connected his roots to my network, and yet somehow, they are already bickering."

He tuned out most of his offspring to avoid going insane, but since Timmy and Dennis had important roles, he let them be a whisper in the back of his head. Though he was starting to regret it.

"Just because you're on a bigger island than mine doesn't make you better than me," Timmy ranted. "Our father chose me first. Remember that."

"That's only because, out of all of us who reached the Nascent Soul Realm, you were the most expendable," Dennis replied. "I mean, think about it. Would you send your most precious soldiers in first? No, of course not. You send scouts. That's what you are, Timmy. A mere scout."

"I am not a scout! I'm a pioneer. The first of us to venture to the new realm!"

"If you're not an expendable scout and going first is so honorable, then where is the Princess?" Dennis pointed out. "Or Grand Elder Elysia, Douglas, and Elaine? The only people here are Diana's clone, the unkillable Origin of the Void, and a few Generals! You're a scout, Timmy!"

"Oh, is that so? Then please, remind me, Dennis, how many people have you killed? Because, in front of our father, I destroyed a thousand cultivators with ease and was even rewarded with an attendant! Do you have an attendant? I didn't think so—"

"You killed a thousand cultivators? I call bullshit, Timmy. And you think that shadow wraith is your attendant? Don't you mean a babysitter?"

"IT'S NOT A BABYSITTER—"

Ashlock tuned them out as he couldn't think straight. If the islands sank, he would probably notice before they did anyway, as they were too busy arguing.

"Though it is rather amusing how different Timmy is when talking to one of his siblings than to me," Ashlock chuckled. "I wonder if they will calm down once I plant a third sibling on the Coralspear Sect's island... yeah, probably not. I'll have to come up with another warning system to get my attention, rather than relying on them reaching out to me."

While pondering a solution, he gently reached out with his spiritual senses to overhear what the Sunken Isles Patriarchs were quietly discussing among themselves.

"—because you look far more..." Gorran leaned forward and scrutinized Torvun's face through squinted eyes. "How can I put it... lively? Yes, you look more lively than when I last saw you, Torvun. There's no longer a terrible darkness in your gaze."

"That's because the darkness was violently ripped out of me," Torvun said, jaw clenched.

"And I was made to fight it," Ferrin added. "I knew yer was rotten to the core, Torvun, but your heart demon was almost as strong as yer! Honestly, I'm surprised yer didn't become a demon yourself... though you did answer my plea for help with a cup of Uldrenneth blood and a death sentence. So maybe you were farther gone than I thought."

Torvun glanced at Ferrin and, to Ashlock's surprise, patted him on the shoulder. "I still can't believe I did such a terrible thing to such an old friend, and for that, I'm truly sorry."

Ferrin blinked in disbelief. "Yer mean it?"

Torvun nodded seriously. "I do, and I meant every word I said at the speech earlier. I'm serious, Ferrin—that wasn't me who sentenced you to die. You saw my darkness and even fought it. Now imagine living with it. I really was a demon."

"True," Ferrin sighed, shaking his head. "I'll admit, it will take me some time to accept yer apology after what you did. But seriously, Torvun, how did you let yourself fall so far? Even my heart demon was only the size of a small child. Yer's was like a second person!"

Torvun's hand dropped to his side, and he fell silent for a moment as he seemed to contemplate how to answer.

"I... knew my growing frustrations with my bottlenecked cultivation and deteriorating position within the isles were eating me from the inside, but when the Archdemon pulled it out of me, and I stared my own darkness in the face..." He looked up with a complicated expression. "I realized somewhere along the way, I ruined myself. I blamed my shortcomings on a lack of talent, my desolate island, my incompetent sect members, and those close to me. I thought I just needed more time, that the bottleneck would be overcome eventually and I'd catch up to Yun Zhilan."

"Catch up to Yun Zhilan, huh?" Gorran snorted. "What a pipe dream. It isn't more time that any of us need to catch up to someone like her, but you know that. She's a monster."

"Yeah..." Torvun shook his head. "I've been called an 'old monster' for as long as I can remember, yet it's the youthful prodigies that surpass my level in mere decades that are the true monsters. We are just fossils from a bygone era that were rotting in chairs we no longer deserved."

"Tell me about it," Gorran sighed. "In such a brief absence, my brother managed to steal my seat at the table. I swear on my life, if not for the All-Seeing Eye ridding me of my heart demons, and Elysia's kindness of sharing the All-Seeing Eye's stories, I fear this year would be the end of Gorran Redreef."

"What nonsense are you spouting, old man?" Ferrin chuckled.

"No, it's true, ya old fart. I'd have either died in that treasure realm chasing riches, or been consumed by my heart demon while trying to break the bottleneck and forcefully ascend." He shook his head. "I only see now, by grace of the All-Seeing Eye, how far I've truly fallen."

Ferrin slowly nodded in agreement. "I suppose a Monarch rarely dies to another. It is our own greed for power and self-doubt we have to be most fearful of."

"That's true!" Diana said, appearing behind the three men and scaring the shit out of them. "Except when we are involved, heart demons aren't a problem, and Monarchs most certainly die. Anyway, sorry to interrupt. But Gorran, we are going to be killing your brother. Is that alright with you?"

Gorran froze. "Uh—"

"I know, I know." Diana put an arm around his shoulder, which seemed to terrify him even more. "We promised you would get to overthrow your brother with your own strength and all that, but you see... time is tight, and a battle between two almost equally strong Monarchs will take forever and definitely attract the attention of Yun Zhilan."

"So you're going to kill him?" Gorran asked.

"Well... not me specifically. This body is only a clone, so I'd probably struggle to kill your brother. Others in service to the All-Seeing Eye will deal with him, but don't worry. I'll let you speak to him before he dies."

"Oh." Gorran's brain seemed short-circuited. "Thank you?"

"Great! We will be arriving in a moment, so get ready, you three," Diana said, pulling her arm away and walking off.

"Um, Diana..." Ferrin began.

"What is it, my Champion?" Diana asked, flashing a demon's smile.

"Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if you're going to just kill him, are we really needed here?"

Diana stared at him for a moment, then tilted her head. "Of course you're needed."

"May I ask why?" Ferrin said.

"Because, despite the plans to kill Gorran's brother, this is a diplomatic mission."

The three Patriarchs exchanged glances.

"Diplomatic?" Ferrin seemed lost for words. "There's nothing diplomatic about this."

Diana turned and faced them with seriousness.

"Then let me lay it out for you. Gaining power through an underhanded method like assassination is pointless. Those who recognize Gorran's brother as their new leader won't simply accept him back because the person in the seat got killed. What we need to do is show that Gorran has backing, which is you two, by the way, and that he has powerful assassins on his side." She looked between them. "Any other questions?"

They had none.

"Good! We surface in thirty seconds. I want the Coralspear reclaimed by tonight!"

***

Harrek Redreef was having an early evening in bed. His wife was busy moving their belongings into the main palace and replacing the servants with their own, so he settled for Sael's company. For a mortal, she was pretty, with sand-colored hair, ocean-blue eyes, and sun-kissed freckles across her cheeks. A shame she would grow old and die, but that just made the time they shared together all the more exciting.

"Did... Gorran... really... die... down... there?" she asked while panting.

"Is this really the time to be bringing up Gorran?" Harrek asked with a frown. Since she was a mortal, he had to take it slow, which would have annoyed him if not for how novel the experience was compared to doing it with his wife... things got boring after centuries, no matter how wild she was.

"It's just..." Sael gasped. "Ah... I don't think... he would..." she groaned again and fell against the bed. "I just don't think..."

"Stop thinking—and talking, for that matter," Harrek said, pushing her head into the sheets and picking up the pace. "You're ruining the mood by bringing up my most certainly dead brother right now!"

"He's not dead!" Sael said, her voice muffled.

"If he's not, then I'll make sure he is when he returns," Harrek grinned, inspecting himself in a nearby mirror of polished silver. Everything about his brother's room was so much better than his, and now it all belonged to him, and nobody could take it away.

The moment Gorran left, it took only an afternoon to convince all the Elders to side with me. It cost a lot, but the payoff was worth it. He glanced down at Sael's bare back. They had done this many times since she became his concubine a few years ago, but today felt off. Bringing up Gorran was one thing, but something else nagged at him—specifically, a voice whispering in the back of his head. He thought it was the ocean, but it grew louder until he could make out what it was saying.

Moros, Moros, Moros...

A single name, chanted over and over again. Each time, it grew louder and carried a terrible sense of doom that made him sweat.

"Hey, Harrek," Sael said, pushing her head up for air. "Do you hear it too?" She glanced at him with those mesmerizing, ocean-blue eyes. "A name calling out to you?"

Harrek slowed to a stop. "What name do you hear?"

Sael thought for a moment. "Mo... Moros, I think? What does it mean?"

Harrek stepped away and quickly put on his robes.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sael asked, her face bright red.

"If a mortal like you can hear it, then it's not the heavens' whispers," he said. "Dress yourself. Something's not right."

"O-Okay," Sael scrambled to fish her clothes from the floor and dress herself.

Harrek walked across the large stone room, past the lit fireplace, and unlocked the balcony door. Peering outside, he was surprised to see the fog surrounding the island had darkened to an almost smog-like texture. He reached out with his spiritual senses, but they fizzled out against the fog long before he could check the ocean.

"We need to leave," Harrek said.

"What's wrong?" Sael asked as she was trying to tie her boots.

Before Harrek could answer, the bedroom doors flew open, and two Elders barged inside without asking.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Harrek yelled. "You didn't even knock!"

"We called ahead," the First Elder said curtly. "It seems you were too busy to get the message."

Harrek glanced at his communication jade on the table. It was dull.

"Liars, it's been quiet all evening." He ran a hand through his hair to calm down. He blamed the whispers; they were putting him on edge. "Fine, out with it. Is it the Drowned Bell Sect again? I already refused to pay their ridiculous tribute."

"Your brother has returned," the Second Elder said, making Harrek's heart skip a beat. "Please follow us to the reception hall—"

"No need," a voice Harrek knew all too well said from beyond the doors. The two Elders stepped aside respectfully, and Gorran stepped inside. Having known him all his life, Harrek could instantly tell Gorran was different. He carried himself with the air of superiority he'd shown many years ago, and a grin sat on his face.

"Brother—" Harrek began, but then fell silent as Ferrin of the Saltstone Sect, carrying a beautiful battle-axe, stepped in behind him. Harrek hadn't seen Ferrin in many years, but he remembered him looking worse for wear than he did now. Like Gorran, he carried himself like he owned the place, and his massive frame did the rest.

"Ferrin? Why are you..."

Ferrin stepped aside to make way for Torvun Wavescale, dressed in his signature emerald-green robes, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Torvun too?" Harrek gulped. "What is the meaning of this?"

"A show of power," Gorran answered. "Sael was kind enough to expose your little plot to me, so I've returned with friends to take back what is rightfully mine."

Harrek glared at Sael. "You mortal bitch dared—"

"Now, now, brother. None of that in your possible final moments, please," Gorran sighed loudly. "I know you've been abusing beast cores from the ocean monsters to surpass me. Not that I'm blaming you—it's how I reached my stage too. But this... isn't you. You're corrupted by the heart demon within you." He extended his hand. "Please, see the error in your ways and step down. If you submit quietly, there's a chance you live."

Harrek snorted. "Why? You think you three can take me down so easily?"

An indescribable expression passed Gorran's features. "Brother... please. I can't go into details, but powers bigger than us are at play here. Listen to me. Otherwise, a painful death awaits—"

Harrek lunged for Sael and grabbed her leg. She screamed and tried to claw at the bedsheets.

"Cast your domains, and your precious little informant is dead! You hear me, Gorran!" Harrek yelled as he forced her to stand up and wrapped an arm around her throat. "You let us leave peacefully, and I won't go supernova." He began to step back toward the open balcony door while barely registering Sael's struggles. She was a mere mortal, making him practically a god by comparison. "You hear me, Gorran?! Not a step forward, or a domain used! I will leave peacefully with Sael here—"

Sael suddenly vanished from his grasp.

"Huh?" He looked down, and then up. A pink-haired, demon-looking woman cradled Sael beside Gorran as if the pathetic mortal were her daughter.

"Who are you to interfere?!" Harrek shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the demon. "Give Sael back to me! Or else I'll—" The wind fled his lungs, followed by a sharp pain. He gasped for air as he looked down at ten void-black claws jutting from his stomach and ribs. The claws then tore outwards, ripping his body to shreds. His infant soul was ejected before he understood what was going on.

His killer turned out to be a towering void monster with no head and six arms. It was totally invisible to his spiritual senses, and it vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the remains of his corpse to fall to the ground in a bloody mess.

Harrek didn't wait around. He fled toward the balcony, and the pink-haired demon watched him flee. She could see his soul. That wasn't good. He needed to run. Anywhere but here! Plunging through the black fog that burned, he dropped into the ocean and compelled the surrounding ocean to form him a temporary body.

I need to find one of my children, he thought, and circled the island. My eldest could be a suitable vessel...

His thoughts froze as a massive airship materialized beside him as if it had always been there. It was made of black stone and topped with many spirit trees that radiated dangerous auras. Especially the one in the middle.

Moros, Moros, Moros...

The chant was suddenly deafening. Gripped by an inescapable feeling of impending doom, Harrek dove down into the dark depths of the ocean. So what if he burned through centuries of Qi—he had to get away...

Then something grabbed him. No matter how he resisted, the current pulled him deeper.

Oh no, is this Uldrenneth pulling me in? Harrek wondered as he saw the great trench looming below. No please. I'm too young to die like this! The Coralspear Sect was mine! This isn't how I planned to go out!

Yet, his cries were ignored. The current grew stronger, pulling him sideways toward a monster perched on the trench's lip that he hadn't noticed before.

A hydra surrounded by souls and corpses? Since when was there such a monster down here?!

The hydra turned one head toward him and opened its mouth expectantly. He was going to be eaten!

Waaoaoooooooooooaoaoo.

An incredibly deep noise suddenly reverberated out of the Great Trench, making the ocean tremble, and the seabed erupted into a cloud of sand that swallowed the hydra. Something truly immense moved beneath the sand, and Harrek knew only one being could do this.

Uldrenneth was waking up.