Chapter 72: Chapter 1: Plants Have Feelings Too...
Thomas felt confused by what he was feeling because he was not feeling anything, the first thing he tried to do was to try and open his eyes, but that did him no good and the next best thing came to his mind, Mana Sense. He tried to focus on himself and find a core or something that could help him channel the Spirit Energy in and around him.
After an unknown amount of soul and core searching later, he found that his Spiritual core was right in the middle of his soul scape and that it was connected to the very earth and nature itself. With he tried to sense the surroundings and slowly the outlines formed and the world gained shape, it was like seeing the world in a blueprint-like view.
He knew that he was no longer a human or humanoid for the consolation part, he was a bona fide tree, one that was towering over the forest. A trunk so big that it would need at least twenty adult men to hug it completely and his branches and leaves cast a shade that could easily span over a kilometer or so, truly the crowning jewel of the forest.
Days passed and he witnessed the sunrise and set, he could feel his branches and leaves sway in the wind as the soft rustling sound and the warm sunlight brought him a sense of satisfaction and relaxation.
Being the oldest and still alive plant spirit beast, he was well respected and most of the stronger spirit beasts would rarely come near him, but for the weaker ones, he was an impregnable bastion and a magnificent castle. His shade would give them shelter from the elements and his fruits would give them sustenance.
He could feel the surrounding spirit energy pooling into him as he slowly inched towards the 100,000 years boundary. A few weeks passed like it was a few hours and then came a curious little creature, a munchkin who was clad in pink, with cute little bunny ears on her head.
"Hey, Xiao Lu!" she hollered as she tried to look at my crown which was nigh impossible for the little munchkin she was.
But for Xiao Lu <Thomas>, who was a 1,000-foot-tall tree who was called the Heaven Dou's crown to be called 'little' by a bite-sized munchkin, it certainly felt odd. But knowing that she passed the 100,000-year mark before him, he had no way but to relent.
Despite being the strongest, his pace of cultivation was the slowest among the spirit beasts. Er Ming tried to be smart which he was clearly not, and challenged him to a fight while Da Ming snickered. The result was simple, Er Ming was bound and hung upside down by Thomas and spanked till his white furry ass turned red.
Xiao Wu was rolling at the sight and Da Ming was smart enough to not challenge Xiao Lu to get a public humiliation. Years passed and the fated day came; Bibi Dong was here in the forest to hunt a 100,000-year ring.
Xiao Wu's mother who Xiao Lu rarely met would die today, but did that make him sad? Spending years with the trio, he came to see Xiao Wu, Da Ming, and Er Ming as his friends but he knew that without the death, the plot would never come to pass.
'This was a necessary sacrifice', that's what he tried telling himself but he still could not come to terms with it. For millennia, he did not speak and the first word that came from his lips was "run, I will hold them back."
He could not help but get attached to Xiao Wu, she became a sister to him, the gap between her and Silica was really laughable, one was mature, calm, and responsible and the other was a little hellion that was an expert in the art of throwing tantrums.
Xiao Lu could not help but chuckle at the memories of the years they spent together, the hunting party of three Title Douluo plus Bibi Dong came towards them with a ferocious zeal like wolves that caught a whiff of blood.
Xiao Lu spread his branches and roots to make an impregnable fortress and lines the outside with brambles and spines. The wood was harder than steel yet it could last no longer than a few slashes from Qian Xunji, but the moment a barrier fell another took its place while another reinforced it.
The three Title Douluos, Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo with Qian Xunji attacked without relent while Xiao Lu continued building defenses, but no matter how hard he tried, he was still on the threshold of being a 100,000-year-old beast, the team of Douluos inched closer but the intensity of their attacks were not the same as before.
The constant struggle between both sides was taxing for them all, seeing that despite hours of labor they only advanced a little more than a few hundred meters while the damned tree <Xiao Lu> was at least a kilometer away. While they were running on fumes, the damned tree kept popping up barriers and brambles like it was no big deal.
Qian Xunji decided to take a tactical retreat as they knew that there was at least another beast in the 100,000-year level and if it charged them right now, there would be no other option but death because he was sure that the damned tree would make their lives hard and allow them no retreat.
Xiao Wu and the others were cheering for Xiao Lu as they felt the hunting party retreat.
With Bibi Dong< Helena>:
I came to the Star Dou Forest for my first 100,000-year-old ring with my master and the Ghost and Chrysanthemum Doulou duo, her father had informed me that he had sent Thomas to help her in the quest.
At first, she was a bit unwilling to accept help after seeing Thomas doing quests like it was another Tuesday, she felt that she could do it easily. But, it was only after coming to the Douluo Planet did she understand how wrong she was, the Spirit Hall was filled with schemes running deep and the politics and the powerplay was on a whole another level than what she had expected.
The only reason that she was still in a single piece is simply that she was the Pope's disciple and the Holy Maiden and because she did not involve herself with the powerplays and stayed clear of the undercurrents of the Spirit Hall.
She somehow managed to scrape through, but she knew that she was nothing more than a bird in a golden cage. She held no say or better she did not dare voice her thoughts in fear of being dragged into the shit storm of a political mess.
She knew, what looked so simple, was not simple at all, it was Thomas who made it seem effortless, she wanted nothing more than to get him by her side. How she regretted not having taken a tutorial for these things and had chosen a difficult quest right off the bat.
She knew that she would meet him today when she would get to hunt for her 100,000-year ring. But what she did not expect was that there was a possibility that he would not want a fellow beast to die.
After hours of the grueling onslaught, the four of them could barely advance a few hundred meters before they were running on fumes while the barriers were coming without pause, tirelessly.
The Ghost Douluo spoke for a tactical retreat as they all were tired and to face a beast horde or another 100,000-year beast, there would be only be death awaiting them.
"With this damned tree guarding them, unless Lord father comes here himself, there would never be a chance of success. We should retreat after a short rest and return with a proper plan to deal with the situation." Qian Xunji voiced his thoughts on the matter while the other Douluos nodded in approval.
"Master, the 100,000-year-old beasts are intelligent creatures, but they are not experienced enough to deal with humans other than the old 'kill or be killed scenario. So, what I suggest is that you let me talk to them and maybe we can solve this without bloodshed. Old ghost can follow me to protect me while I try and make a deal, would that be alright?" Bibi Dong asked the three.
The three Douluos looked pensive while Chrysanthemum spoke, "They are sentient beings but we are here to kill them and I doubt that they would just sit there and die."
"Then we can just say that we won't kill the younger ones if one of them chooses to make a sacrifice." Ghost Douluo sneered.
"Alright, let's go with that. Ghost, make sure that no harm befalls her, or you will have me to worry about." The pope finalized the plan.
'Good, now I need to find him and deal with the situation.' Bibi Dong thought as she walked towards the Golden Tree.
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