Read Novel Full Chapter 1202: Return
Chapter 1202: Return
In the future, once he finally made the ghost truly submit to him, or at least trust him fully enough to do anything he wanted, he could evolve this tree to Legendary grade. Its effect would be even greater.
Michael's eyelid twitched at the ghost's intentions.
"That doesn't mean I should pay you to move it."
"You'll use it."
"That's for the future to decide."
The ghost stared at him. Michael stared back.
She pointed toward the tree.
"Crystals."
"No."
"Crystals."
"No."
The ghost floated closer.
Michael folded his arms.
"You're getting greedy."
Her expression remained completely serious.
"You said work gets crystals."
"Yes."
"You move my tree."
"That's me working."
She paused.
Michael immediately continued.
"If anything, you should be paying me."
The ghost's silver eyes widened. Soon she wore a wounded expression on her face.
Michael could practically see her reconsidering the entire situation.
Behind him, Isabella's violet soul flames flickered strangely. Michael ignored her.
The ghost eventually pointed toward the tree again.
"But you'll use it."
Michael sighed.
"Yes."
"Then crystals."
"No."
"Why so stingy?"
"You…!"
His home training won out in the end. Finally, after so many refusals, the ghost gave up.
"Okay."
Michael relaxed.
Over the next few minutes, Michael focused entirely on preparing a suitable location for the Nether Soul Tree. This was already becoming a familiar process.
His consciousness spread throughout the Mausoleum of Endless Dominion, passing across the enormous independent world until he reached one of the remaining regions naturally saturated with dark-element energy.
There were noticeably fewer of those regions now.
Between the Soul Preservation Flame, the numerous dark-element resources he had gathered throughout the Netherworld, the undead settlements he had relocated, and several other treasures requiring specialized environments, Michael had already consumed a surprising number of the Mausoleum's naturally valuable locations.
Still, there remained enough.
Michael soon selected a suitable region. The land there stretched across an enormous black plain surrounded by jagged mountain ranges.
Dark-element mana naturally gathered between the peaks before flowing downward into the basin below, creating an environment considerably richer than most parts of the Mausoleum.
Michael began modifying it immediately. The ground beneath the selected area slowly sank. A massive depression formed. The surrounding mountains shifted slightly as Michael redirected several natural streams of dark-element energy toward the center.
Michael deliberately avoided making the environment identical to the Netherworld.
The Nether Soul Tree had already proven capable of surviving naturally within an environment saturated with death and soul energy, so there was no need to reproduce every characteristic of the realm of the dead.
Instead, he simply ensured that the basic element most closely associated with the tree remained abundant.
By the time Michael finished, the entire region had changed. Thin streams of pale mist drifted above the black ground. Dark-element mana continuously gathered from the surrounding mountains.
It was easily one of the richest environments inside the Mausoleum.
Fortunately, the Mausoleum was enormous. Even if naturally exceptional regions were limited, Michael could always alter ordinary environments later using treasures, formations, resources, or the Mausoleum's own abilities. For now, this was more than sufficient.
Michael returned his attention to the Nether Soul Tree. His mana spread underground. Unlike when he had harvested the dark crystal mine, Michael moved carefully.
The tree itself was far too valuable to risk damaging simply because brute force was faster.
His mana traced the roots individually. Some extended several dozen metres underground. Others intertwined with natural veins of energy beneath the ravine.
Michael gradually separated the surrounding earth from the larger landscape. Cracks appeared several dozen metres away from the trunk. They travelled downward rather than inward, forming an enormous block around the entire root system.
The ground trembled. Large sections of black stone broke free.
Several minutes later, an enormous mass of earth containing the Nether Soul Tree slowly rose from the ravine. The pale-blue flames surrounding its branches flickered but remained stable. None of the major roots had been damaged.
Michael immediately opened the Mausoleum. Space distorted beside the floating section of land before expanding into an enormous gateway. Beyond it lay the newly prepared region.
Michael guided the entire mass through. The moment the Nether Soul Tree entered the Mausoleum, the surrounding energy reacted.
Michael lowered the enormous section of earth into the prepared depression. The surrounding land shifted. Stone connected with stone. Earth closed around the edges. Within seconds, the transplanted section had completely merged with the new environment.
The Nether Soul Tree stood exactly as it had before. Only its surroundings had changed.
The silver lines beneath its black bark gradually brightened, and the pale-blue Soul Flames floating around its branches expanded slightly. Several smaller flames appeared between them.
Michael watched carefully for several moments. There were no signs of rejection.
The ghost entered the Mausoleum immediately afterward. Her translucent figure crossed the gateway and appeared beside the tree. She remained near it while Michael continued monitoring the surrounding energy flow.
Isabella followed shortly after.
Michael adjusted several minor details. The energy concentration was increased slightly around the roots. The dark-element streams flowing down from the surrounding mountains were redistributed more evenly.
A section of land nearby was flattened to provide space for any future resources or undead Michael might decide to place within the region.
Only after confirming that the environment remained stable did Michael finally stop.
Everything they had gathered throughout the expedition was now safely stored.
Michael allowed his perception to sweep across the Mausoleum one final time. The once relatively empty world was beginning to feel noticeably different.
There were still enormous stretches of untouched wilderness, but life, or rather undeath this time, had begun appearing throughout it.
Skeleton settlements occupied one region. Ghosts wandered through another. Various weaker undead roamed through forests, valleys, plains, and ruins previously left empty.
Michael withdrew his consciousness.
The spatial gateway gradually contracted. Then it disappeared completely.
The Netherworld became silent again.
However, Michael had only just settled when a panel appeared in front of him.
After dropping a short sentence to both the skeleton and the ghost, telling them to remain where they stood and that he'd be back soon, Michael disappeared from his location.
Soon he was back at the place he had left Lucky to evolve.
Yes.
Lucky was done with his evolution to an Epic-grade Three-Star creature, just in time to match Michael's return.