Chapter 450: Maw

Carried by the storm's turbulent winds, the Cursebloom Sap spread rapidly and engulfed the area within seconds. A demonic bull-looking beast whose curiosity had led it closer to the corpse backtracked from the bellowing miasma, yet it was too late. While the storm was suppressing Ashlock's Qi, the ground was his domain. His roots still infected the soil with desolation Qi, causing the weaker monster's feet to rot and fester with open wounds as they marched over the ruined land.

With the A rank upgrade, the Cursebloom Sap would hone in on anything already injured—meaning the open wounds on the bull's feet were a target. The Cursebloom Sap surged toward the retreating monster like a swarm of ravenous insects. The beast dropped to the blackened mud as if trying to extinguish a fire, which doomed it further. The ground was festering with desolation Qi, so as the monster's limbs frailed frantically in the air and it rolled around, the demonic Qi coating its skin was eaten away, followed by its flesh rotting before falling off. Wounds began to tear open all across the monster's large body, giving easy access for the Cursebloom Sap to burrow deep under its skin.

"This is quite a horrifying sight, even for me," Ashlock muttered, and it seemed the surrounding monsters shared the sentiment as they quickly backed away, growling and snarling at the swirling miasma.

The bull-like monster tilted its head toward the other monsters, a look of desperation in its fading eyes. Its spirit roots were corrupted, so all that awaited it was death as the Cursebloom Sap began turning its insides into wood. The beast uttered a final cry as its chest erupted, and a demonic tree quickly grew from within. As the tree branches spread out, sprouting blood-red maple leaves, the monster from which it grew dried up and withered away to nothing—all the water and nutrients in its body having been drawn in to fuel the tree's growth.

While the body was gone, the excess miasma returned to the surroundings and swirled around the tree. No monster dared to suffer such a painful death as the bull, so they all kept a cautious distance. The turbulent winds picked the miasma up, spreading it further. A small cloud blew toward a few monsters, but they managed to ward it off by flaring their demonic Qi.

One of the Star Core monsters that looked like a red wyvern gathered fire Qi in its mouth and torched the area. The miasma didn't survive the attack, but the tree stood there unfazed except for a patch of burned bark.

It made sense as Ashlock's offspring inherited his passive skills, including his {Fire Qi Protection [B]} skill. A low-stage Star Core Realm wyvern would need a more focused attack to burn through his B-grade protection passive.

The wyvern was understandably surprised by the outcome but didn't seem eager to go for a second round. It snarled at the tree and headed deeper into the storm. The weaker monsters parted to give the wyvern a wide breadth.

"Quite an effective upgrade for my sap, but not without its flaws and counters. While it seemed very effective at killing a Soul Fire Realm monster, that Star Core wyvern had enough firepower to torch the miasma before it could spread further. I could upgrade the sap again to the S grade, but that seems like a waste. At best, it will help thin the numbers of the weaker monsters that my desolation Qi, Ents, and sect members can deal with. What I need is to focus on countermeasures for the Nascent Soul Realm and especially the Monarch Realm monsters."

Even at S grade or above, he couldn't image his sap being able to kill a Monarch Realm monster like the bull just now. It was effective at culling the cannon fodder.

"The best way to deal with the more powerful monsters would be to reach the Monarch Realm myself, but I don't think that's possible in the time frame I'm working with." Ashlock glanced at his status screen.

[Demonic Demi-Divine Tree (Age: 10)]

[Nascent Soul Realm: 5th Stage]

[Soul Type: Nine Moons(Desolation)]

"Yeah, I still have 5 stages to go and only a few months at most to do it. I might be able to make it if I totally cut my Qi expenditure and hibernated under the nine moons, but then the beast tide would reach Red Vine Peak far faster. System, bring up the description of my cultivation technique again."

[{Divine Cycle of Creation and Ruin [SS]} Your offspring have become the yin to your yang. As you reek ruin upon the world, they provide regrowth through harmony dao and vice versa. Your offspring can also switch between empowering their own affinities with either desolation dao or harmony dao. When using desolation dao, their destructive capabilities in all aspects will be amplified. Meanwhile, harmony dao will enhance their regrowth and defensive capabilities]

Ashlock looked back at the tree that had taken the fireball to the face. He could feel its utilization of harmony dao as it drew on the desolation Qi around it to rapidly heal and continue its explosive growth. He had also relied heavily on this enhanced connection he gained with his offspring during the fight with heaven as he had pulled deeply on his offspring's Qi reserves to fuel Moros and his own attempts at fighting the heavens off.

His SS-grade cultivation technique became more effective the more offspring he had in his network and the higher level their cultivation realms. He could also directly power up offspring by feeding them Qi, which is why he wanted to get as many spirit stones as possible from the Silverspires so he could bring all his offspring up to the Star Core Realm.

That way, he would have thousands of Star Core Realm trees able to empower their attacks with his desolation Qi to fight back against the beast tide. Also, due to his new Cursebloom Sap, the monsters were wary of attacking the trees, allowing his offspring to remain deep in enemy lines as the beast tide passed them by. Who would have thought non-moving spirit trees would become his advanced assault team?

"Okay, so upgrading my cultivation technique will cost at least 8000 credits, if not more. While something crazy could happen at SSS grade, I assume it will further build upon empowering my offspring. Great, for sure, but just like my Cursebloom Sap, my offspring have no hope of defeating a Monarch Realm monster. I need offensive power, and I need it now."

That naturally led him to squint at his one and only truly offensive skill.

"System, tell me about Abyssal Devourer again."

[{Abyssal Devourer [A]} This attack skill currently has two modes:

Abyssal Devour - You rapidly grow and can control black vines coated in thorns that end in a spike. These vines secrete a digestive fluid that dissolves living beings into sacrificial credits. With the most recent upgrade, these black vines also have a corrosive aura that feeds off foreign Qi and lifeforce and channels the absorbed Qi and lifeforce back to you.

Consuming Abyss - At the cost of 1 sacrificial credit per minute, create an expanding area of void Qi around your trunk that spawns void tendrils. You can also use these void tendrils to devour opponents for sacrificial credits]

This skill had been one of Ashlock's most used and depended upon throughout his life in this new world. Not only was it the way he gained sacrificial credits, but it was also the most direct attack skill the system had provided him with.

"It incorporates void Qi, which is great for getting past defenses and punching above my weight class. Its main drawback is that it can only be used close to my trunk or one of my offspring if I'm controlling them with {Progeny Dominion [S]}. There's a chance that by upgrading it, such a weakness might be solved." Ashlock hummed to himself as he browsed his list of skills, but only Abyssal Devourer seemed to answer his current problems.

Or at least that he could afford. Upgrading it to S-grade would cost upwards of 5000 credits as it was at the A grade. A hefty sum, but far less than trying to upgrade any of his S-grade skills.

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Idletree Daily Sign-In System

Day: 3671

Daily Credit: 13

Sacrifice Credit: 6438

[Sign in?]

"Let's see, I have over six thousand credits. If I upgrade Abyssal Devourer to S grade, I'd have enough credits left over for a random S grade draw." Ashlock paused, "Or I could just sign in now and get an SSS grade draw."

It was... tempting. His only SSS grade skill, the Skyborne Bastion, had been helpful until now. But on the flip side, his SSS grade summons Nyxalia had caused more problems than good. What if he got an SSS-grade cursed item or a skill that wasn't useful for either attack or defense? Hell, he could draw another Netherworld Wraith from the beyond with nobody's soul to keep it sane.

With threats knocking on his door and so many people depending on him, gambling away so many credits on a non-guaranteed return was something he would have to turn down for now.

"After killing every monster in this darn beast tide and anyone else that comes to mess with me, I'm going to sign-in for an SSS grade draw," He sighed, "But that will have to wait. System, I want to upgrade Abyssal Devourer."

[Sign in successful, 4875 credits consumed...]

[Upgraded {Abyssal Devourer [A]} -> {Abyssal Maw [S]}]

[{Abyssal Maw [S]} All previous capabilities of this ability are enhanced in all aspects. Furthermore, there is a third mode now available:

Hungering Maw - At the cost of 100 SC per minute, mark a target and summon a rapidly expanding abyssal maw full of void tendrils and black vines around yourself. These vines and tendrils will automatically seek out the marked target. Enemies infected with Cursebloom Sap will be automatically marked as targets. If the marked target is cursed by Ashlock from any skill or technique, they cannot teleport away while in the radius of the Hungering Maw until either the skill ends or the caster of the skill dies. While the skill is active, the Hungering Maw siphons the marked targets Qi and lifeforce to sustain itself and grow in size, meaning the stronger the opponent, the larger the skill will become]

"Woah..." Ashlock muttered as he read over the description again. There was a lot to unpack. First, it seemed the previous two modes of the skill, which included his vines and the void tendrils, had been enhanced. The system didn't specify, but it did say in all aspects, meaning a general overall improvement. While that was great, the most obvious boon was the added third mode, Hungering Maw—and from the looks of it, this new mode was a last stand type ability.

"Still got the same drawback as before," Ashlock mused. "But with my offspring being so widespread now and even behind enemy lines, having a tree I can cast this skill from near an enemy should be possible in most situations. But darn, 100 SC per minute is quite a steep cost. That's an S-grade random draw per ten minutes. However, even I can see one very important aspect of this skill that should not be overlooked—locking down cursed targets. Say system, what are curses anyways?"

[They are self-sustaining system skills or techniques that continuously attack a foe from within]

"What do you mean by self-sustaining?"

[Take the Cursebloom Sap, for example. Once someone is infected, it will continue trying to turn them into a tree whether you feed the sap Qi or not. That's why it's considered self-sustaining]

"Wait, you included techniques? Does that mean I could make a cursed technique myself, and that would work in tandem with this and other skills that mention curses?"

[That's correct]

"How do I make cursed techniques?"

[Come up with something that can invade a target's body or soul and sustain itself] The system answered simply. Frankly, Ashlock had no idea how that could be possible. Techniques required Qi to use, and seldom did he come across a technique that didn't need further Qi to sustain itself—especially when desolation Qi was involved. Maybe if he developed a desolation virus that somehow fed off an enemy's soul?

Pushing those thoughts aside for a rainy day, Ashlock focused back on his new skill. The fact it locked cursed opponents in place and prevented them from fleeing the area was game-changing. So many of his abilities required the enemy to be within range of whatever offspring he was using {Progeny Dominion [S]} on.

"The Hungering Maw siphons the marked targets Qi and lifeforce to sustain itself and grow in size, meaning the stronger the opponent, the larger the skill will become." Ashlock read from the description, "This might just become my trump card against any Monarch Realm foe. While the cost is high, and it requires the enemy to be near an offspring, I could just drain an enemy to death..."

While that was technically possible, he doubted the Monarch Realm beast would be too pleased about being drained to death.

"The skill made it quite clear that it would terminate should the caster, likely one of my offspring, were to die. But what if I used this from one of my Bastions, like Moros, for example? That way, the Hungering Maw would be moveable, and the Bastion's shields could keep my offspring alive."

It was almost beautiful how all his skills could work together. He could even overlap a Bastion while casting this skill with a dimensional overlap to further defend it from whatever monster they were trying to lock down.

Overall, Ashlock was happy with his decision to upgrade Abyssal Devouer to S-grade. All that was left to do was test it. While the cost was high, he might recoup the lost credits if he managed to catch enough monsters in the attack and devour them.

"I have 1563 credits remaining, which is easily enough for an S grade draw but not anywhere near enough for an SS grade one. Which means I have some spare credits to use for testing."

Ashlock moved through the storm in the direction the fire wyvern had left. While it seemed the monsters were mostly weary of fighting one another, most still traveled in groups of their own kind. So he assumed he would come across other wyverns if he searched in that direction.

"There we go," Ashlock said as he found what he sought. A nice heard of multicolored wyverns—and was that a drake? The wyverns were like large winged snakes with two hind legs, while the drake was a wingless dragon. The wyverns in the group were all in the early stages of the Star Core Realm, while the silver drake was in the mid-stages.

It seemed the drake was the group's leader as the wyverns were gathered around it in a loose encirclement. Ashlock watched on for a while longer, but they all seemed content with lounging around and cultivating, likely waiting for the weaker monsters to advance and clear the path to the next spiritual spring.

As he was about to begin his test on the group, the fire wyvern emerged from the storm and snarled. It opened its mouth and... spoke.

"Beware of the trees."

It was almost indecipherable to Ashlock, but he had understood.

"Did that wyvern just speak?"

The drake opened an eye and looked at the fire wyvern.

"Why should we fear the trees?" The drake replied in a similarly hard-to-understand mixture of grunts and snarls.

"Something's off about them,"

the wyvern looked over to the nearest of Ashlock's offspring. "When hurt, the ones with the red leaves release this red miasma that turns anything it touches into trees."

"Lies," the drake snarled, "We have destroyed many of those spirit trees and suffered no such consequence until now."

"Go on, give it a try." The wyvern sneered and gestured to the nearby offspring with his head.

The drake had a glint of intellect as it analyzed the wyvern's expression and looked at Ashlock's offspring.

"Has a follower of Lady Nymeria gotten cold feet?" The fire wyvern sneered again, shaking its large head in disappointment, "What if she came through here and got turned into a tree? Could you survive the Lord Celestial Star Dragon's wrath for your negligence?"

The drake puffed plumes of silver dust from his nostrils. "Save your concern. Lord Astralis kicked Lady Nymeria through a building the last time he saw her. Those Primal Overlords have as many children as stars in the sky, and Lord Astralis is no exception."

"Fine, it's not like I care either way." The wyvern stomped over to the group, found a spot, and curled into a ball. His abrupt change in attitude seemed to throw the drake off as it grew increasingly uneasy while staring right at Ashlock's offspring.

Eventually, it caved into the pressure and loomed over the fire wyvern.

"Attack it."

"Why?" The fire wyvern opened an eye and let out an amused snort, "Has your pride fallen, and you believe me now? Do it yourself."

Ashlock strained his mind to listen in. Their language was so primitive and far from anything he had ever heard. Despite his best efforts, he was only getting around half of what was being said. But the fact he understood the intent behind the words of the monsters at all astounded him. He had so many questions.

Who was Lady Nymeria and this Lord Celestial Star Dragon? Were they as powerful as they sounded? What was a Primal Overlord? He also wanted to know who or what was causing this darn storm that was making repelling the beast tide a total pain.

The silver drake raised a Qi-empowered claw and placed it on the fire wyvern's head.

"Don't make me ask again. Lady Nymeria will appear on the frontline soon, and you know there can be no mistakes. Attack the tree to prove your claim, or die."

The fire wyvern seemed to give in without a fight after the silver drake mentioned Lady Nymeria again. Raising to his feet, he cautiously approached Ashlock's offspring. Keeping as much distance as possible, the wyvern wreathed his claw in fire Qi and swiped at the ethereal root wrapped around his offspring.

Gashes appeared on its surface. The wyvern wasted no time and used his wings and legs to leap backward, but he didn't stop until he was behind everyone else. The other wyverns snorted at his apparent cowardness.

Only the silver drake didn't take its eyes off the tree, and when the red-tinted miasma began to leak out, he took a clever step backward. Unfortunately, this group of lizards had been chosen as Ashlock's test subjects for his new skill, and he didn't want word of his offspring's new defensive measures to reach the ears of this Lady Nymeria.

So, he cast {Progeny Dominion [S]} on his offspring and prepared to unleash the Abyssal Maw.