Year 11, Day 88

Splitten Trunk, Scattered Leaves, Burnt Petals

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Root felt pain. It was a weird sensation considering the fact that he has the [S Rank: Pain Resistance] skill. His mind was slow and he could feel his children and their sudden surprise, their worry and their happiness, but he could only focus on one thing at a time- “Status…” -he wanted to see, with his own eyes (Even though he doesn't have any- technically?) his progress, the sign that he improved. 

[Status]

[Name: Root

Species: Great Spirit Forest 

Cultivation Root: Nature [Heavenly Pure Quality]

Cultivation: Path of Embodiment

Age: 111 years

Qi Realm: Pale Star Core (1st Stage)

Special Achievements: 

[Crafter]

[Death Conqueror]

[Contract? Deal!]

[Fate Twister]

[Two in One]

[Soul Weaver]

[What is a tree, if not a forest?]

[Lightning Strikes]

[Hanging on by a Thread]

Daos - 

[Spirit] - 80%

[Transformation/Change] - 65%

[Nature] - 75%

[Fate/Destiny] - 50%

[Lightning] - 10%

Skills - 

F RANK: [Flower Make]

F RANK: [Silk Make]

E RANK: [Hibernation]

D RANK: [Wood Make]

D RANK: [Poison Resistance]

A RANK: [Sharing is Grounding]

S RANK: [Seed Make]

S RANK: [Purification]

S RANK: [Pain Resistance]

SS RANK: [Lightning Qi Resistance]

SSS RANK: [Seedling Make] ([Generational Instinctual Knowledge (S)], [Cultivation Root Influence (S)], [Symbiosis (S)]) 

Techniques - 

A RANK: [Natural Healing]

A RANK: [Soul Pressure]

A RANK: [Cosmic Connection]

A RANK: [Tree Stride Movement]

S RANK: [Root of Knowledge]

SS RANK: [Primordial Law Qi Conversion Technique]

SS RANK: [Soul Retrieval]

SS RANK: [Great Forest Breathing Technique]

SS RANK: [Mycorrhizal Network]

Sect - Heavenly Spirit Forest Sect

Great Ancestor: Root [Pale Star Core (1st Stage)]

Sect Master (Nature Branch Master): Leaf [Core Formation (7th Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Nature Spirit (×15,896,236)

Hui Yang - Human [Qi Gathering (8th Stage)]

Mei-Mei - Lesser Spirit [Qi Gathering (5th Stage)]

Death Branch Master: Lily [Core Formation (3rd Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Death Spirits (×112,652)

Bones [Foundation Formation (1st Stage)]

Earth Branch Master: Ahteus [Core Formation (4th Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Earth Spirits (×122,670)

Goldie [Qi Gathering (2nd Stage)]

Wind Branch Master: Zylph [Core Formation (3rd Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Wind Spirits (×131,634)

Fire Branch Master: Fiero [Core Formation (3rd Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Fire Spirits (×142,398)

Sister [Qi Gathering (9th Stage)]

Yan Zhun [Qi Gathering (8th Stage)]

Flare [Foundation Formation (1st Stage)]

Water Branch Master: Namis [Core Formation (3rd Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Water Spirits (×122,244)

Spirit Branch Master - Tahsm [Core Formation (1st Stage)]

Zhu Tei - Human [Qi Gathering (7th Stage)]

Chaos Branch Master: Chaos [Core Formation (1st Stage)]

Hyu Jin - Human [Qi Gathering (2nd Stage)]

Light Branch Master: Lumin [Core Formation (1st Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Light Spirits: ×102,803

Ice Branch Master: Freeze + Frost [Foundation Formation (5th Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Ice Spirits: ×120,322

Demonic Branch Master: Lilith [Foundation Formation (7th Stage)]

Unnamed Demonic Ants: ×786,220

Scarlet [Qi Gathering (8th Stage)]

Life Branch Master: Chrysalis [Foundation Formation (3rd Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Life Spirits: ×182,879

Lightning Branch Master: ??? [Core Formation (1st Stage)]

Unnamed Lesser Lightning Spirits: 1

Inventory - 

SSS Rank: Tea of Heaven (Recipe)

A Rank: Return Pill (Recipe)

A Rank: Spirit Dragon Egg

A Rank: Tapestry of Recollection - N01

B Rank: Alchemy for Dummies (Book)

C Rank: Scale of a Spirit Dragon

Rank D: Guide on How to Become the Cultivator that Defies Heaven, by HeavenDefier69.

Rank F: Soft Pale Golden Leaves from a Golden Qi Tree.

Rank F: A Guide for Dummies: Human Anatomy

Trash: Worthless Stone Blade>]

Root, with a headache, sighed. “Okay, okay…” He pushed his awareness outwards. Immediately, he was met with a sight he did not expect. His tree body had grown from its 600 meters (1,968 feet) to 1000 meters (3,280 feet), his canopy stretching over 150 meters (328 feet) outwards, casting shadows beneath him. But what shocked him most were these black lines across his bark, they looked like burn marks done by a lightning bolt, but they were actually… moss? Root was confused, but with a simple look he could tell that this moss was had grown over where his bark had pulled itself together, healing and closing the wounds he received from the lightning strikes of the Heavenly Tribulation. The moss grew in jagged sharp lines that went from the top of his canopy nearly all the way down to his roots, except it didn't reach the ground completely, for Root had grown 400 meters (1,312 feet) compared to his previous height. He sent a wave of consciousness through the deep bond he had with his children, including a new one…?

“Father-!”

“Pops-”

“Dad-!?” 

“Oh fuck, dad's awake!” 

“Dad…” a voice he did not recognize whispered: “-It's good to finally meet you!” It was a sharp and loud voice, masculine and very excited. 

Root turned around to meet his children, and he saw each and every single one of them- Leaf, Lily, Ahteus, Zylph, Fiero, Namis, Chaos, Lumin, Lilith, Freeze, Frost, and he could feel Tahsm within his soul while Bones was safe beneath the ground. He could feel Flare and felt her “welcome, dad” through the bond they shared, and Chrysalis was flying right beside his trunk and checking the moss, but there was a new one. A new bond that was tingly, and felt like the lightning from the Heavens. “Hello, my children.” His spiritual form was no longer a humanoid shape nor did it resemble a humanoid visage, his soul was the manifestation of his consciousness- sure, he could show himself as a humanoid being, but his soul was this deep green sphere, a visual representation of every single tree of his forest. Forest which went from a 505,000 (124 acres) square meters to a whopping 1,000,000 square meters (247 acres)! Root could feel it deep within his soul, this softly glowing green core. It pulsed with Qi every second, and even when he was not actively cultivating and pulling Qi into his core, it was slowly, at a snail's pace, growing. 

“...You're my new child.” Before him, floating alongside his siblings, was this tall man. He was broad shouldered, very muscular with these bright white jagged tattoos all across his body, imitating lightning scars. He had this bright azure blue spiky hair that was short in the front and long in the back, reaching his waist: “Ah, the youngest son.” Sounds of a thousand voices whispered, the mass of green wrapped around the spirit, cheers of birds and the sound of a thousand smiles echoed in the wind: “Your name, I didn't give you a name.” 

Root had a very vague memory of being very hurt by the Heavenly Tribulation, the last lightning bolt was about to strike him when he used the first thing that came to mind, what his instincts told him to do- He used his [Seed Make] skill. He now could understand why that skill had reached Rank S. The seed had absorbed the last lightning bolt, and it had fallen to the earth, whereupon it grew into his new child. His 16th child, his- Oh fuck, he needs to think about a name! ‘...Thor sounds really unoriginal, even though he is loud like thunder.’ Root felt like a lightning bolt had struck his mind, a new idea growing in his head: ‘Heaven attacked me, tested me… I need to give him, born from a thunderbolt, a name that reflects his origins…’ Root had an idea: “What do you think about the name 

Thrümm?” It was a name that came to mind, he didn't really care about the origins of said name, all that mattered was that Thrümm liked the name he received from his father. 

“Hey, that's a cool name! I'm takin’ it.” The big guy flexed his arms and laughed, making Root immediately conjure an image inside his head… A jock. His new lighting son is a jock. ‘...well, not all of them can be smart.’ Root mentally shrugged, it was too early to know about Thrümm's intelligence. “So, Thrümm, tell me everything about yourself-” 

“Uhm, father, if I may?” Leaf lifted his left hand, looking at the giant mass of green energy that ever softly and gently moved. He looked a little bit nervous about something: “Yes, son? Is there something wrong?” Root immediately sent out his awareness to his surroundings- It was way quicker than before! Usually, it would take him between 1 minute to 2 minutes to fully spread out his consciousness and finally see through every tree and feel through every root. But now? It took him 5 seconds to spread his consciousness over 1,000,000 square meters (247 acres) of land. “Ah, I see.” At first he ignored them because they felt like a small Lesser Nature Spirit, but the bright golden dot of light amongst the greenery of the cultivators around made him very aware of their presence here. “We have guests, huh?” 

“Yes, father. They arrived three days ago, and with them, these-” Leaf's face contorted, and even though he tried to hide it, Root could see and could feel his anger: “-cultivators.” The word “Cultivators” was truly said through gritted teeth and sharp tongue, if Root didn't know his son, he'd say there was poison dripping from his mouth too. But, as he knew his son, there was only spite. “Disrespectful bitches…” 

“Well then, my little ones, show me- Through each of your perspectives.” 

They smiled as these long tendrils of green softly touched their foreheads.

Before

It was a grand journey. They traveled through hard stones and soft sand, pushing through sandstorms and going against the wind, and each day they moved forward, the feeling the Rottenwoods were having got stronger and stronger. Time was not exactly on their side but it wasn't against them either, the Rottenwoods due to their Cultivation Technique did not require much to eat and neither did the beasts that were pulling the carriages. Jhin De Zhi was in a philosophical and very important discussion with Elder Rottenwoods about whether it is a carnal sin deserving of harsh punishment by lashing or hanging to be a person that loves wine and all the pleasures of the flesh (he likes to drink, okay?) or whether it is simply natural for a person to love everything that it can get.

Alcohol was truly a luxurious thing that only those who can afford the production price can enjoy- And as a Bright Star Core Realm cultivator, he had all the riches he could get his hands on. Of course, a large majority of those riches were spent on himself, he was Gold Qi Cultivator after all. 

On the 23rd day of the 4th month ever since they started their journey, that was when all the Rottenwoods could clearly feel it. They all started crying, sobbing harder than a newborn. Even the old lady Rottenwoods was crying, even though she wasn't as loud or obnoxious as the rest of her family. 

When he asked why, the answer he got was a question: 

“When a mother sees their child, they cry. When a man lost in the desert finds water, he cries. When a lonely tree finds a forest, they also cry… You know why?”

Seeing as she didn't answer and she didn't look like she was being a bitch, then this wasn't a rhetorical question. So he answered: “I do not.” 

“Then I pity you… They cry because their hope wasn't hopeless, they cry because their hope weighed a ton, but the relief took all of that weight off of their body, and now they can finally breathe. That's why they cry, because their hope grew wings and flew away as a relief.” 

Relief… That one stupid word was the one that haunted his dreams and his ambitions. They were crying because they could feel that they weren't wrong, and that the little floating green bunny was leading them to a specific place. 

…if only the owner of this place was more merciful, he wouldn't have lost his subordinate. 

-Author- 

Thank you: Dallas Meck, jean, Kaleb, underdog121, DarksoulS, Maxwell Joseph, Ether's Blessed One, Jared Tate, Sin of Sloth, Harrison Brown, Golden Mold, Yerock, Robbie, Jeremy, ry10970, Me Me, Gabriel, Captain Dragnee, Tah Ma, and HILLARY Tchuente for your support.

You can read up to +10 chapters ahead on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DaoOfGay