Reborn as a Demonic Tree

The Chairman of the Celestial Empire strode through a hallway of twisted golden wood with two attendants in tow. They had followed him for centuries but kept a cautious distance, lest they wanted to be crushed by his Monarch realm soul pressure radiating off him, causing the air around him to shimmer with rage. The trio had just left a meeting with the council, and things had gotten heated.

"Chairman, what are we going to do? At this rate, your hold on Empyrea will fall, which will cause a civil war throughout the Celestial Empire."

"Veyra," The Chairman paused and glared at the woman trailing behind him, "You really believe I can lose control over Empyrea? The capital city of the Empire that I rule?!"

"I do, Chairman," Veyra fearlessly replied and bowed. She was an ethereal beauty well known for her deep wisdom and insight. As much as he wanted to ignore her words, he wasn't such a prideful fool to believe he was above the advice of others.

"Kaelion?" He asked the bronze-skinned warrior at her side, "Do you mirror Veyra's thoughts?"

The man briefly glanced between them before reluctantly nodding, "I do, my lord."

"Why?" The Chairman inquired, earning a frown from Veyra, "Speak freely."

Kaelion awkwardly coughed into his hand, "Ahem, well, while you founded the Celestial Empire and come from a bloodline known to nurture the World Tree, your cultivation has stalled in recent centuries, allowing the leaders of the other factions to catch up." The man paused as if trying to choose his following words carefully, "Furthermore, it has to be said that your intense focus on the Crestfallen project over anything else brought your leadership into question, and even worse..."

The Chairman raised a brow, "What could be even worse?"