Ancestral Woods

*Oneness with nature.*

## Summary

Ancestral Woods is an above-average peak-quality E-Grade skill that Zac manually evolved from Hatchetman's Spirit while in the Orom World**.** The changes were great enough to change the name of the skill but the epigraph stayed the same. It remained a domain skill that boosted strength and vitality 10% and provide omniscience of all in the conjured forest. But the forest was now semi-corporeal and there was no longer one "real" tree. Instead the defensive properties were transformed so that each tree could be expended to provide some damage transference or a single teleportation to another tree.

It's synergy with the skills Earthstrider and Forester's Constitution, and Nature Daos were not changed when it evolved. Synergy with Ancestral Woods was included when Primal Edict was created.

## Evolution

* Sitting in its crown and gazing upon the surroundings had helped him gain some insights into the Dao of Life. The scenery had played a big role when upgrading **[Hatchetman's Spirit]** into **[Ancestral Woods]** as well, though he had drawn inspiration from multiple sources. **Chapter 809**
* The teleportation was a mix of his omnipresence of **[Pillar of Desolation]** and the lanky swordsman in the Battle of Fates, who could move through the sword pillars he had erected. **Chapter 809**
* Unfortunately, the high-grade skill-upgrading chamber along with years of accumulation hadn't been enough to form another ultimate pathbound skill, **[Ancestral Woods]** was above-average even among peak-quality domain skills. The result was no doubt better than what he would have accomplished with just a **[Fractal Framework Array]**. **Chapter 809**
* For example, he had managed to completely transform the defensive properties of the skill. Before, the skill had conjured a divine tree with defensive charges, but those had never really come into play. They weren't powerful enough to help if his constitution proved insufficient. So instead, Zac had taken inspiration from **[Undying Legion]** when making the adjustments. **Chapter 809**

## Skill Location

**Back**

* *Same location as Hatchetman's Spirit.*

## Skill Window

[E] Ancestral Woods - Proficiency: Middle. Oneness with nature **Chapter 898**

## Early Proficiency

* Now, the trees could soak up some of the damage he received, apart from providing the omniscience, attribute buffs, and teleportation. It had become like a skill with over a hundred small charges, where each teleportation expended one charge. **Chapter 809**

## Middle Proficiency

* In fact, most of his skills were evolving, proving just how powerful the altar was. That was not to say it was all thanks to this temple. Many of his skills were long overdue for an upgrade, ... After having been through two tremendous epiphanies and getting blessed by the altar, they were all bursting forth at once. **Chapter 897**

## Peak Proficiency

* Now that it also had reached Peak Mastery, it wasn't so easy to get rid of, and new trees were constantly sprouting. The resilience of the woods had grown far greater. Technically, Zac could keep regrowing the forest as long as at least 20% of the trees remained standing. The only downside was that each tree he had to regrow cost a little more Cosmic Energy than the one before. The cost would become prohibitive if the warriors were allowed to act as lumberjacks for too long. **Chapter 1,029**

## Upgrade to D-Grade

* *Presumably upgraded to Apex Jungle:*
	+ They had entered the **[Apex Jungle],** where even the strongest predator would become prey. **Chapter 1,123**

## Synergy

* The vines which sprouted close to **[Ancestral Woods]** wound themselves around the trees, forming secondary armor before they shot toward the sky. **Chapter 1,029**
* The magical trunks of **[Ancestral Woods]** were no longer limited to transporting just Zac. During his epiphany, he'd figured out a way to harmonize his two skills, allowing the vines to do the same. **Chapter 1,029**
* The synergy benefitted both skills greatly. **[Ancestral Woods]** was no longer just a domain and teleportation devise. Each tree was suddenly a deathtrap that could spring on anyone that got too close. **Chapter 1,029**

## Commentary

* Hundreds of engraved trees rose from the ground, and their vibrant lifeforce pushed the blistering cold of the tundra away. Zac disappeared a moment later, fusing with the tree that had appeared right next to him. A moment later, the tree was ripped apart by the pangolin's scale array, but Zac had already been transported to another tree right by that point. **Chapter 808**
* It was altogether superior to the previous version, with the exception that the trees had become semi-corporeal now. Attacks infused with either Dao Branches or enough energy could damage the trees, though it would take some effort to rip them all apart. That was doubly true considering **[Adamance of Eoz]** transferred over to his human side through **[Quantum Gate]**, even if the node didn't appear in his status screen. **Chapter 808**
* The upgraded version of **[Hatchetman’s Spirit]** had its limitation when fighting in the sky – for example, its teleportation abilities were landlocked. Still, the trees provided him with a series of other advantages, from the attribute boost to the damage-soaking capabilities and improved vision. **Chapter 883**
* Through his unique vision from **[Ancestral Woods]**, Zac also saw a pale-faced Vai desperately holding on to the array control crystal with blood running down her nose. **Chapter 883**
* Even Zac was surprised - **[Ancestral Woods]** was still active, and he had barely noticed anything.Vai must have slowly charged that skill since the moment they appeared above the waters for such a powerful skill to suddenly appear like that. **Chapter 888**
* The forest covered quite a big area, so a few of them [*referring to the trees*] appeared outside the barrier. **Chapter 896**
* Thousands of ancient trees sprung from the ground, and the haze even lifted a bit as they swallowed the mist around them. Zac's vision expanded to a radius of over three hundred meters in every direction, and Zac immediately found the source of the changes. **Chapter 959**