Ashlock opened a hole in the Bastion's shadow shield, allowing Evelyn to pass through. The liquid shadows sealed up behind her as she hopped off her sword and absorbed it in a flash of silver light.

"I'm so relieved you are okay," Nox drifted over and embraced Evelyn before she could even react, "We were worried you were going to die in here. Thank the heavens we made it in time."

Evelyn frowned while awkwardly returning the hug, "Why would I die in here?"

Nox released the hug and looked at Evelyn strangely, "You picked a pocket realm with Nascent Soul level Qi. As someone at the 3rd stage of the Star Core Realm, you wouldn't have stood a chance against any monsters here."

"Monsters?" Evelyn seemed even more confused, "I haven't seen any—well, to be fair, I didn't see much of anything. The moment I appeared here, I was shrouded in darkness. After flying around for a while, I gave up and found a nice spot of stone to sit on. I was cultivating the incredibly dense shadow Qi here until it all drifted away, and then I saw you in the distance."

"Did you not see or even hear the giant monster guarding this castle?"

"No? Though the ground did seem to tremble a lot. But I assumed those were earthquakes, not the result of a monster walking around." Evelyn glanced around, "Where is it?"

"We killed it already and stored the body elsewhere," Nox lied, "It was drawing all the light into itself to create that shadow veil which it was using to empower itself and hide the castle from intruders. Once it died, the veil dissipated, and that's how you saw us."

"I see," Evelyn slowly nodded, "So what now? Is that the end of my visit to the Mystic Realm? I chose the wrong one, and now I have to leave?"

"No, I can let you pick another one," Ashlock informed her, and Evelyn winced at his voice. "However, at least for now, it would be easier if you stayed with us while we explored this castle and the rest of this pocket realm. Nox can protect you from the monsters. It's safe here."

Evelyn glanced at Nox, who gave her a thumbs up. "That's fine with me," Evelyn shrugged, "All I wanted to do in this Mystic Realm visit was go up a stage in cultivation. Killing monsters and whatnot is of no interest to me, so if there's a safe space for me to cultivate from, then that's ideal."

"Leave it to me, Sis," Nox gestured toward her tree. "Come take a seat under my canopy. I will direct shadow Qi from outside straight to you in an amount that won't overwhelm your soul."

"Thank you," Evelyn turned and paused as she looked at the tree. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Who is that?" She asked as she gestured with her chin to the sleeping beauty.

"Her name is Morrigan, and she is the head of the Voidmind family. Well, at least for now," Ashlock said.

"For now?" Morrigan murmured.

Seeing Morrigan listen to their conversation and even join in annoyed Ashlock. He didn't mind if people slept; as a tree, he understood the appeal. But what Morrigan was doing was disrespectful.

"Why are you pretending to sleep to avoid my questions, Morrigan?" Ashlock asked. "Cultivators, especially at your level, could go forever without sleep. We both know this. Drop the act, and yes. You are the head of the family for now. I took steps to wipe the Voidmind family out, leaving only those I deemed useful alive. Those that aren't useful to me can serve in death."

Ashlock decided to air out his thoughts to ensure they were on the same page. He did not like Morrigan nor trust her. Spending a decade in this world had taught him there was nothing weaker than a family bond, so to trust her for the sole reason of being Elaine's mother would be insanity.

She was dangerous in more ways than one.

The problem was, what was he supposed to do to her? Thus far, she hadn't shown any hints of aggression, and other than going where she pleased, she hadn't caused him any harm... yet.

Morrigan opened her eyes—the fake drowsiness gone like the wind. "Are you threatening me?"

"Threatening you? That's one way to put it, I suppose. But I would say I feel more threatened by you. I can't trust someone to be so close to my sect members who I don't know or isn't under an oath of loyalty to me."

Nox positioned herself before Evelyn, and the pair stepped back from the awakening void cultivator.

Having Evelyn here certainly wasn't ideal, but in a twisted way, she was a good test subject to see Morrigan's motives. Ashlock valued all his sect members, but some certainly more than others. Evelyn was a new addition to the sect and part of a proxy family in another city. In other words, she's replaceable. As the sect grew, his love for humanity and cultivators didn't expand to all. If anything, it only narrowed his focus to those he truly cared for.

Morrigan stood up and ran a hand through her hair, "So you are one of those types. How annoying."

"What do you mean?" Ashlock asked, not expecting this answer. He had slaughtered her bloodline, turned them into abominations, and even transformed her husband into a tree. He expected her to show malicious intentions toward him after everything he had said and done, yet she seemed more annoyed than enraged.

"You are a paranoid control freak," Morrigan said bluntly while crossing her arms beneath her chest.

"What?" Ashlock replied on instinct at the insult, "I'm not—"

"Yes, you are, but I don't mean that as an insult. As annoying as it is, people like you live the longest." Morrigan cut him off, "Exceedingly few prosper in this world alone. To live a long life and reach the peak, those with your traits become rulers, surround themselves with allies, and, dare I say, brainwashed meat bags to throw at enemies. Even the most powerful cultivator has to let their guard down or have moments of weakness—such as the days following a fresh ascension to Nascent Soul Realm. Having dependable people around you during those times is imperative to your survival. So, do you admit now you are a paranoid control freak?"

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Ashlock thought over his life as a tree. Since he couldn't run, and his cultivation had been far behind those around him. Yes, he had been paranoid in the past about his existence getting out, which naturally led him to need a sense of control over those around him to feel safe. He still felt the need for heaven-bound oaths to trust people, especially someone as strange and mysterious as Morrigan. But was that so wrong?

"Maybe a little." Ashlock eventually agreed. "But what is your point?"

"You and I are the same, more than you even know. We are the types to rule over others with secrets we want to take to the grave." Morrigan grinned, and with his spiritual sight, Ashlock peered into the darkness of her mouth and could see the vague shadow of another row of teeth.

Morrigan's grin faded, and she turned serious, "I will never bend the knee to you and become your oath-bound slave. That is why you feel unnerved around me—because you think I threaten your rule. Don't you agree?"

Ashlock hated having to interact with these old monsters. Morrigan seemed to switch between being a drunk wine mom who was an airhead to someone with almost suspicious levels of insight. He had gotten used to most cultivators training their poker faces to never show any reaction, but Morrigan had taken a completely different approach, which was far worse.

"Is this how people feel talking to Stella sometimes?" Ashlock grumbled to himself, "That totally unchecked confidence that, in her case, comes from lacking social skills, but she always manages to find a way to throw cultivators off."

In truth, he hadn't known that she would never accept an oath. He also didn't feel his rule threatened by her at all. As a divine being, he was immune to void Qi. If Morrigan became a threat, he would hide anyone he cared about in his Inner World, seal it off, and then have Larry hunt Morrigan down until the end of the realm. He did not fear her. But he did find her unchecked presence a nuisance and danger to those not immune to the void like Stella or Diana.

With a sigh, he decided to reply to Morrigan, "You are partially correct. But you got one thing terribly wrong."

"Oh? What is that?"

Nox exploded with divine lilac flames that soared into the sky. Ashlock activated Spatial Lock while slamming his entire presence onto Morrigan, including the weight of his Inner World and his divinity. The black-haired beauty grunted as she buckled under his pressure and fell to her knees before Nox.

"You may not agree to an oath, but you will bend your knee to me one way or another," Ashlock said, not holding back his Abyssal Whispers from invading her mind.

Morrigan trembled under his pressure as she fell forward onto her arms, her black hair obscuring her expression like curtains.

"Also, I may be a paranoid control freak, but I do not fear you." Ashlock said, "I have tolerated you until now, but if you refuse to cooperate with me and show your true colors, don't expect me to be kind."

Nox drifted a little closer, leaving Evelyn behind. She seemed concerned as she looked down at the woman being crushed.

"Ashlock, maybe this is a bit of an overreaction," Nox said softly.

"No, it's not," Ashlock replied. Nox hadn't seen what he had seen and didn't know what he did. This was the best way to handle this situation. Morrigan needed to be put in her place before she got out of control, and he came to regret not putting his metaphorical foot down and letting this monster in human skin parade around like she owned the place.

Nox went to say something more, but Evelyn held her shoulder and shook her head. "The immortal knows what he is doing."

Her loyalty lay with Ashlock, but the scene before Nox likely didn't seem fair or make sense. If only she knew the full extent of Ashlock's suspicions, but he didn't want to say them just yet.

"But..." Nox trailed off, clearly conflicted.

A small laugh escaped Morrigan, making Nox frown and Evelyn step back. It was then that Ashlock realized her trembling hadn't been from his pressure but rather her holding back laughter.

"I must admit I respect the arrogance and resolve to put me in my place. You're going to go far, immortal." Morrigan's hair turned from black to rose gold, just like her daughter Elaine's, starting from the roots and cascading down to her hair tips. Rolling her shoulders, she casually stood up despite Ashlock never letting up his pressure and looked defiantly at Nox's tree with a calm gaze.

"But to show me such disrespect is a mistake."

Raising her hand, Morrigan clicked her fingers, and everything was gone. Nox, the Bastion, Evelyn, the pocket realm with the giant castle and darkened skies. All that remained was Ashlock in his spiritual tree form and Morrigan in an endless void.

"What did you do?"

"Pulled out your soul to the void for a chat. Some things should be kept between us, away from prying eyes and ears. Those heavenly oaths you rely on for loyalty aren't as dependable as you think." Morrigan's smile faded, and she glared at him. He felt his soul shudder despite being immune to void Qi. Just what was she?

"I would say my tolerance for dealing with arrogant people is quite high after many years of life, but you might be the first to make me snap in centuries," Morrigan said as she slowly walked around his spiritual avatar and ran a finger along his bark. "You slaughtered my family that I spent effort raising, made a member of my bloodline swear an oath to you under the heavens. I dismissed these as minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, but now you dare to crush me with your pathetic pressure?"

Ashlock now realized his mistake. He believed Morrigan was stuck at the peak of the Star Core Realm, just like the rest of the Voidmind family. But if she could shrug off his pressure like this, he no longer knew the extent of her power.

"I may not be able to kill your divine soul," Morrigan fully grinned. Her jaw unlocked further than a human's, and she showed off her extra row of teeth, "But I can make your life a living hell."

"So you really aren't human," Ashlock said, steering the conversation away from the threats. He wanted answers to help him better understand and navigate this situation.

"Neither are you." Morrigan pointed out.

"How do you know I'm not human?"

Morrigan seemed confused by his question. "Humanity is the most basic form of sapient beings capable of cultivating through distinct realms with bottlenecks. As such, they are only found in their untouched form on the 9th layer of creation. Once you go to higher layers, nobody is what you would call a "human" anymore. Many default to a humanoid appearance as it's comfortable, but the flesh is merely a vessel for the soul."

Ashlock had heard that term before from Senior Lee.

"I can tell you aren't human because nobody with your power would be down here," Morrigan narrowed her eyes, "Though I have to admit this is the first time I have spoken to such a capable spirit tree that wasn't one of the iterations of the World Tree."

So she had figured out he was a spirit tree, which wasn't much of a surprise if one looked past his facade even a little.

"You spoke to the old World Tree?"

"I have, and it's the reason I have put up with your actions thus far. You might be the only one capable of freeing us from the eternal cycle, and it seems one of the origins has already taken an interest in you, and I want in," Morrigan licked her lips, "What do you say to a pact where we agree to mutual cooperation?"

[Origin of the void wishes to form a pact]

Ashlock looked at the message floating in his vision with contempt. Morrigan had displayed impressive power, yet despite all his wrongdoings against her, she still wanted a pact? Something wasn't right here.

She wanted to use him. That much was clear. The question was... for what? His truffles? His Mystic Realm? What was she after?

Even more concerning are these 'origins'. Who were they? He didn't know. Apparently, one had already taken an interest in him, and Morrigan knew somehow?

Until he figured all of this out, there was no way he was signing a pact with such a person. Mutual cooperation worked both ways. Before he knew it, the Ashfallen Sect could be dragged into higher-layer wars due to Morrigan and her enemies.

Ashlock dismissed the message floating in his mind.

"My answer is no."