Reborn as a Demonic Tree

Far north of Red Vine Peak, a monster stirred awake under a sea of stars in a spiritual spring.

Curled around a mountain peak, the titanic creature slowly opened his silver eyes. To the weak, he was known as theCelestial Star Dragon. To the more powerful, he was known as Astralis.

"Something's wrong," Astralis growled and slowly raised his head. Foliage that had grown on his black scales decorated with silver speckles during his long sleep fell to the wayside as he looked up at the stars. As a peak Nascent Soul level monster cultivating cosmic affinity, he could tell the exact time from a quick glance at the position and brightness of the stars littering the vast cosmos overhead.

"Why have I awakened three years early?" Astralis narrowed his eyes as he verified the date a second time just to be sure, but the stars never lied. He had awoken from his deep cultivation three years too early. Looking within himself, he noted that his beast core was still a few decades from reaching the stage that cultivators called the Monarch Realm, confirming that he had awoken early.

A part of him wanted to shrug off the strange feeling that had disturbed his rest and let one of the other Primal Overlords handle it. I'm likely the only one to have noticed this disturbance so far, as none of those ancient monsters are as adept at sensing disturbances in Qi as I am. Well, except Zephyrine. Astralis thought, and the image of an ethereal celestial white stag who ruled over them appeared in his mind.

Zephyrine was what every monster strived to become, as she was as intelligent as she was powerful. It had been a century since Astralis had last dealt with her, and his soul still trembled at the memory of when she had flexed a hint of her cultivation at him. Monarch Realm monsters were terrifying existences.

Imagining Zephyrine's wrath at him for not investigating filled Astralis with dread. "I guess I have no choice," he said, spreading his titanic wings. His silver claws curled into the rock as he arched his back, and with a gentle leap, he soared into the sky, accompanied by the thundering boom of destroying the mountain he had been resting on.

Without even flexing his cultivation, the clouds parted as if welcoming their king. Feeling the wind rushing past and the starlight bathing his scales, Astralis glided through the night sky, casting a shadow on the land below.

"Before investigating, a snack after such a long sleep wouldn't hurt," Astralis's lips curled up into a cruel smirk as he spread out his spiritual senses.