~THUD~
Unable to hold on, Little Shrubby collapsed on the ground while the vines tightened around him even more. Watching the dire state of Little Shrubby, Lin Mu's heart ached like never before.
It didn't take that long for that pain to turn into desperation as Lin Mu made a move.
"Halt!" But before Lin Mu could move more than a meter, he was frozen in place.
He felt like his body was shackled in rock and he couldn't even move a finger. What was even strange was that there was actually nothing physical attached to him.
"I have to save him! I have to save little Shrubby!" Lin Mu shouted.
"You cannot interfere in an Immortal Tribulation." The Saintess firmly said before pointing to Little Shrubby again. "Besides, it is not over yet."
Lin Mu looked on and saw that Little Shrubby's body was moving.
~RIP~
Suddenly, a few vines snapped out of nowhere and were sent flying.
~SNAP~
More vines broke apart, the reason behind them unseen. Lin Mu narrowed his eyes as he realized that the Dao Traces of Wood were now increasing rapidly.
With the increase in Wood Dao Traces, Lin Mu could also feel that Little Shrubby's aura was returning. It wasn't just returning either, it was also getting stronger!
~SHUA~
A burst of energy spread out from the mass of vines, tearing them apart with great force. The figure of Little Shrubby became visible again, this time standing up from the ground. His eyes were still closed and his fur was Grey.
Lin Mu watched on without moving now. Since the Saintess had already told him that there was no use, it was far better for him to be alert instead and watch Little Shrubby's progress.
After all, if the Saintess had not stopped him, Lin Mu would have already been interfering with the entire process.
~HUALA~
A wave of energy spread from Little Shrubby's body and a Dao Shell rose from it!
This was none other than the Wood Dao Shell that he had formed a while back. There was no Dao Embryo in it back then, but now it was clear that one was forming.
The Wood Dao Traces gathered within the Dao shell, turning into a mass of verdant green energy. The energy was very pleasant and made one feel refreshed.
It was a strange situation where the draining of the Tribulation vines and the abundance of the Dao Embryo were contrasting. Lin Mu and the Saintess watched as the energy in the Dao Shell kept on increasing.
~HONG~
Finally the energy transformed, turning into a Dao Shell.
"Is that… A seed?" Lin Mu observed the Dao Embryo that looked like a large seed.
There were fine runes glowing on it as well from which great vitality was pouring out. This vitality entered Little Shrubby and overpowered the effect of the Immortal Tribulation vines.
Little Shrubby's body started to change as well, his fur returning to a bright sheen. His eyes opened up as well, gleaming with power and fury. His jaws then opened with a roar sending a wave of aura.
~ROAR~
Little Shrubby's roar shook the vines and the courtyard, directly making a crater in the ground from it. His Dao Shell with the new Dao Embryo thrummed with power and repelled the vines.
Green tendrils of energy rose from Little Shrubby's body while the Bloodline Figure of the Fume Wood Panther made its appearance. It too let out a growl and channeled its powers into Little Shrubby.
"The bloodline has completed its progression." Lin Mu muttered his eyes holding joy.
Just a few moments ago, he was feeling a great pain and now it was replaced with pure joy.
Little Shrubby too seemed to be pleased but his joy was mixed with anger towards the Immortal Tribulation.
~ROAR~
~GROWL~
Both he and the bloodline figure of the Fume Wood Panther cried out in unison, unleashing their power. The Vitality that was being drained by the vines suddenly stopped before flowing in reverse!
Now it wasn't the vines that were draining the Vitality but Little Shrubby!
"Vital Drain!" The Saintess said out loud. "If he managed to to obtain this Dao Skill then… That Dao Embryo…"
"Do you know about the Dao Embryo?" Lin Mu asked seeing the familiarity in the Saintess's voice.
"Yes, it is one of the rare wood elemental Dao Embryos. It is called as the Verdant Bloom Seed Dao Embryo. It is said to only be obtained by very few creatures in the world and it is almost impossible for humans to obtain it.
The Fume Wood Panthers can sometimes have it, but it is still rare." The Saintess explained.
Hearing more about this, Lin Mu was impressed. He could also make a good guess about what the Dao Skill Little Shrubby had obtained was from its name.
It was rather straightforward after all.
~SNAP~SNAP~SNAP~
The vines from the immortal tribulation were unable to withstand the drain on the vitality and started to wither. This led them to becoming weak, allowing Little Shrubby to tear them apart with ease.
Even if more vines were trying to wrap around him, they only ended up withering instead.
This 'battle' continued for about five minutes, after which no new vines were born. Instead, Little Shrubby continued to drain the Immortal Tribulation vines fully, gaining more vitality than he originally had.
By the time he was done with it, all the vines were gone and only the faint fluctuations of the tribulation were left. Even those were fading away, and one could tell that the Tribulation was now coming to an end.
~SHUA~
And finally, the cracks in the space closed up signaling the end of the Tribulation.
The Dao Embryo and Dao Shell returned to Little Shrubby's Dantian, within which one could now see a new halo around the Nascent Soul.
Little Shrubby had successfully broken through!
He was now at the Second Tribulation Stage of the Immortal Realm!
