Watching the little fire crows chirping noisily without pause, Thorne felt a slight headache. When three thousand fire crows squawked together, the racket was truly unbearable.
Moreover, these fire crows obviously couldn't live in water, and even the lakeshore wasn't suitable. There were no proper cliffs or steep rock faces nearby, so finding a home for them had become a real problem.
"Where should I put them?"
Thorne looked toward Shelley, hoping to get her opinion.
"My lord, fire crows prefer dry environments. Places with fire-attributed trees or rocks would be best."
Thorne nodded. Such places were indeed ideal, but within a thousand meters of the lake, there wasn't a single suitable spot.
Just as Thorne decided to temporarily settle the little fire crows around the lake (which would also make it easier for him to supply them with spiritual energy), the Ghostspine Tree suddenly spoke.
"Master, I'm about to break through to Transcendent."
Thorne wasn't the least bit surprised by the news. In fact, the Ghostspine Tree had been ready to advance to Transcendent not long after he himself reached the Spirit Lake stage. It had simply wanted to continue expanding its root system first, which was why it had delayed the breakthrough.
"Do you need any help from me?"
Deep down, Thorne knew the Ghostspine Tree's breakthrough would happen naturally and that he didn't actually need to do anything extra.
As expected, the Ghostspine Tree replied:
"No need, Master. It'll be very easy."
If the Demon Dragon Gecko heard that, it would probably sulk for days. If those people stuck at the peak of the mortal tier heard it, they'd be furious enough to half-die from anger. Yet for Thorne and the Ghostspine Tree, advancing to Transcendent really was that effortless.
Thorne felt the ground tremble. He quickly told Shelley to lead the flock of fire crows away from the lake. Even the Demon Dragon Gecko hurriedly leapt down from the Ghostspine Tree's trunk and ran to the shore to watch from a safe distance.
After the previous destruction caused by Elix, the Ghostspine Tree's trunk had only regrown a little before it stopped. Now, the trunk rapidly shot upward, reaching dozens of meters in height. At the same time, on the shore of the lake, countless saplings broke through the soil and grew taller in quick succession, forming a small, dense forest.
With a careful probe, Thorne discovered that every single tree looked identical, right down to their auras.
He instantly understood the Ghostspine Tree's intention: it wanted to grow an entire forest of Ghostspine Trees on the shore. That way, enemies would have a much harder time locating its true body.
Moreover, every tree on the shore was an extension of its root system, like extra limbs. This gave the Ghostspine Tree a vastly wider attack range and more diverse offensive options.
In time, once its roots spread throughout the entire area around the lake, the whole lake would be encircled by a Ghostspine forest. Anyone who wanted to reach Thorne would first have to pass through the forest with the Ghostspine Tree's permission. This created a protective barrier for Thorne, so the area would no longer be completely exposed as it had been before.
In the blink of an eye, a Ghostspine forest stretching several hundred meters took shape before everyone's eyes. Without waiting for Thorne's command, the little fire crows flapped their small wings and flew up to perch on the branches.
The fiery-red fire crows resting on the pitch-black Ghostspine Trees looked almost like iron trees blooming with flowers.
"Master, this way the fire crows have a place to live too."
This time, the Ghostspine Tree spoke aloud instead of using soul transmission, so not only Thorne but also the Demon Dragon Gecko, Shelley, and the others could hear it clearly.
"So, how does Transcendent feel? Anything different?"
"Hmm… my soul power has grown much stronger. I can control far more ghostspines now, and I've gained a soul-attack skill. I call it Soul Execution."
"Oh? Soul Execution? A skill that directly attacks the soul is extremely powerful. Looks like your strength has truly increased by a lot."
Thorne wasn't particularly shocked that the Ghostspine Tree had awakened such a skill. After all, its greatest trait had always been devouring souls, so it was only natural for its attacks to focus on the soul aspect.
Thorne turned with a smile toward the Demon Dragon Gecko, which was standing far away beside Shelley, looking thoroughly displeased.
He manipulated a stream of water to roll the gecko over to him.
"How about I awaken your bloodline one more time?"
The Demon Dragon Gecko had seen how painful bloodline awakening was for other demonic beasts and instinctively started shaking its head. But then it remembered that even the Ghostspine Tree had reached Transcendent while it was still stuck at the mortal tier, so it reluctantly nodded.
Laughing, Thorne tossed it straight into the lake. Before it could scramble back up, he immediately activated the awakening skill.
The Demon Dragon Gecko jolted. Its wings flapped violently, sending it shooting into the sky. Its limbs and wings began to transform, and its entire body turned bright red as if it were being boiled alive.
"Master, aren't you going to bestow a blessing on it?"
Thorne shook his head.
"If it can endure this on its own, the results will be far better. If I bestow a blessing, although the awakening would be easier, the final effect would be weaker. After all, it has a mutated bloodline—no one can predict whether it will awaken the demon dragon bloodline or the gecko bloodline."
Within the Demon Dragon Gecko flowed both demon dragon and ordinary gecko bloodlines. Naturally, the demon dragon bloodline was far more domineering. No matter how strong an awakened gecko bloodline became, it would still pale in comparison to the demon dragon.
If Thorne rashly interfered, it might force the gecko to awaken the weaker gecko bloodline instead. It could still reach Transcendent easily, but the resulting bloodline power would be less than half as strong.
The Demon Dragon Gecko thrashed in agony—crashing to the ground, diving into the water, then spiraling through the sky again. It looked terrifying, as if it might explode at any moment.
But Thorne constantly monitored the changes inside its body and confirmed it was still stable; there was no danger to its life.
This painful state lasted for more than half an hour. Finally, the Demon Dragon Gecko threw its head back and let out a sky-shaking roar. An aura of supremacy radiated from its body, making all the nearby demonic beasts—including the three thousand fire crows—tremble in fear.
It opened its jaws and spewed a massive pillar of flame toward the heavens. Then, with a single flick of its wings, it instantly reappeared several hundred meters away.
In Thorne's perception, the Demon Dragon Gecko had undeniably reached the Transcendent tier. Right now, it was obviously showing off like crazy.
"Looks like it gained a fire-breathing skill, and its teleportation range and speed have increased too."
"Its body got a lot bigger. At a glance, it actually looks pretty intimidating now."
Thorne and the Ghostspine Tree watched the Demon Dragon Gecko strut around, casually commenting on its performance.