Chapter 31 - True Archon Body Part 1

"Why are we back here?" Agemo asked as they entered the Yan Empire after traveling through a teleportation circle.

They had spent seven months exploring the wilderness to the northwest of the Kasara Kingdom. Meng Ce wanted Agemo to get used to killing different types of magical beasts and to learn their strengths and weaknesses. During his training, Agemo had to climb up waterfalls without using his spirit energy, carry boulders up hills and through mountains, and endure other grueling tasks. After seven months of intense training, Meng Ce led Agemo to Purple Cloud City, where they used the teleportation circle to return to the Yan Empire.

They were currently in front of a hidden cave in the mountains next to the capital. Guardians wearing pure white cloaks let the duo in, and Agemo stared around as fire crystals illuminated the cave. They followed a path to a large lake beneath the mountain, guarded by several people in similar clothing. Agemo noticed a large red string made of magical beast fur encircling the lake.

"Welcome to the Lake of Bone," Meng Ce said as Agemo gazed at the lake. "This lake has been here since before the Yan Empire was created by the Great Ancestor. However, what you see is not a lake but a mirror of water."

"This is a mirror?" Agemo asked. "What are the large red strings for? Is it to keep something in?"

"Something, yes. Someone, no. Those within can freely enter and leave. However, the aura inside cannot exist within our dimension. It is too old, too powerful, and beyond comprehension. It is a pocket of another dimension. Within that pocket is someone even the Great Ancestor respects," Meng Ce explained. "You will enter the mirror and visit that great being. My role as your instructor is over. I return to the battlefields to slay our enemies. Time moves differently there. Compared to this dimension, that dimension is incredibly slow. You have just over a year left. When you return, you will enter the Lu Clan competition. Many will wish to fight you, especially your father's siblings and their children. Beware of them. They have not let go of Mortal Realm affairs and care deeply about the throne despite not being suited for the task. Goodbye, Agemo. It was an honor to teach you, Second Prince."

"Goodbye," Agemo said as he hugged Meng Ce and watched him leave. One of the guardians then approached him.

"You don’t expect to see the Bone Demon dressed like that, do you?" the guardian asked.

"Bone Demon? As in a demon made of bones?" Agemo asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Don’t compare the Great Bone Demon with the likes of them. They are abominations," the guardian scoffed. "Head to the bathhouse and cleanse yourself from the filth of the outside world. Then change into the pure white robes similar to ours. However, as the descendant of the main branch of the Lu Clan, your robe will have completely black collars with golden dragons along them. Take out the puppet and the wraiths from your storage bag."

"How do you—?" Agemo began, startled that he hadn’t sensed any spirit energy from the man.

"We serve the Bone Demon. There is nothing we cannot see with our spirit energy. Take them out and place them before me, along with your weapon, the strange bow, the bracelet, the Emerald Steel Dragon egg, and the true Archon body manual," the man instructed.

Agemo swallowed and did as instructed. He looked at the man angrily as he took the Dragon Monkey Bracelet and destroyed it. The man then placed his hand on the single page containing the two wraiths. A strange white and black entwining energy appeared on the man’s right index finger as he touched the page.

"You do not need that necklace. It is beneath you and will bring unnecessary changes to your body. As for the wraiths, I will transfer the largest one into the wooden puppet. You will give it commands, as is usual with puppets, but this one will be sentient and completely bound to your will. The remaining wraith will be absorbed by the larger one," the man said, as an infinite amount of darkness seemed to drain from the page into the puppet. "Whoever gave you that puppet did you a service you cannot repay. The white wood is ancient, very ancient. The puppet will move like a spider but can stand upright like a human. It has blades in each hand. It is up to you to upgrade it accordingly. It is not a golem and can be altered. Now bind it to you, and it will serve you well."

"How can you do all this?" Agemo asked as he bound the puppet to himself with a drop of his blood containing his spirit energy and watched it stand next to him on all fours.

"We are as old as the Great Ancestor has retreated into the Mortal Realm. You will learn that time is meaningless. It is only a perception made by mortals to understand the universe. Now hatch the dragon egg. It will learn alongside you and the sentient wraith puppet. Awaken it," the man said, picking up the manual and Rain Slayer.

"Yes, Elder," Agemo bowed, realizing the true power of this man.

He rubbed his hands with excitement. Who didn’t want their own dragon as a child? He placed his hand on the egg and poured his spirit energy into it. The large emerald egg began to stir, and a small tooth appeared. Agemo watched with excitement as the dragon broke out of its egg. The tooth popped out, and a new set of teeth replaced it. The dragon was about two feet long and half a foot high. It stretched its wings and crawled to Agemo, rubbing its head against his leg. Agemo smiled and patted its head as it learned to walk and stand.

"Keep that baby dragon tooth and hang it on the chain of the bead necklace. I don’t know how you got the necklace, but I am not allowed to say anything about it. It is your curse and your blessing. Men call it fate and destiny. In truth, all events are just ripples in a pond called coincidence. There is no such thing as luck or fate. You will learn this in time. The baby dragon tooth will serve as a token of the bond between you and the dragon," the man said as he admired the katana. "The katana has changed since you first wielded it. I assume it has become vermillion and black instead of cerulean and black. As for that bow, use it well. The [Titan Creator] is a suitable true Archon body technique. You did well to choose it, as you have the highest chance of success without dying. Did you fuse anything with this katana?"

"I fused two swords, one of a Hyperion and one of a murderous Practitioner," Agemo said, bowing his head.

"I see. I’ll return it to you after you cleanse yourself. Put the manual and the bow in your storage bag. Leave the puppet and the dragon hatchling here," the man said as two others appeared and led Agemo to the bathhouse.

After half an hour, Agemo returned in the required robe. He was also given hundreds of similar pairs and put them in his storage bag. He looked at the puppet, which resembled a spider but had human eyes that glowed a blue-green, and the dragon screeched happily as it stood beside him. He arrived in front of the man again, and Rain Slayer looked the same as before.

"You truly are the descendant of the Great Ancestor," the man said. "Rebirth in another body is not easy, and you have become Lu Shu. The soul was weak, but recesses always remain, allowing you to merge with the body. By the time you reach the third stage, no one will be able to ascertain the truth. I know this because your katana told me. It is connected to your soul and has all your memories except the ones you lost."

"This... how?" Agemo said, speechless and unable to say anything further.

"Take Rain Slayer. It has recognized you as its owner and is bound to your soul. Take care, Agemo Miura. You are Lu Shu now, even if you use your old name. The Bone Demon knows all, but even he does not go against Heaven’s Will. There are things he can teach you and more that you cannot yet comprehend. Every time a true Archon body is made, ripples of elemental spirit energy surge through the Practitioner. As you are in the pocket dimension, they will not know," the man said, not answering Agemo’s question.

"How will I absorb the life force of the planet?" Agemo asked.

"Worry not. The Bone Demon has his methods," the man said as he returned the katana to Agemo.

"You! You’re a puppet?" Agemo gasped in shock as he felt the man's hands were made of wood. "Are you all puppets?"

"Perceptive. Good. It will help you gain the insights you need," the man said. "Yes, we are sentient puppets that guard the mirror. We are the first made. That is all I am permitted to say. Good luck."

The guardians vanished from view, and Agemo was left alone, staring at the lake with his puppet and dragon hatchling. Within his subconscious, the living spirit technique shuddered as Agemo walked into the water. Empowered by the water, an insect-like vertebrae appeared on his back and head as he went deeper and vanished with his puppet and baby dragon.

They appeared in the pocket dimension, and Agemo stared around in shock. It appeared as if they were in

front of a simple wooden house on the plains, but it gazed down at the stars and planets. He could see the shape of the galaxies as they swirled with cosmic energy like a whirlpool with a sun at its center. Several large planets lay within the whirlpool, and he could see into the recesses of space. Comets and meteor showers illuminated the sky, while black holes seemed to absorb matter and distort space around them.

"Is this what the universe looks like? A collection of galaxies and stars?" Agemo asked in wonder.

"You gaze upon a sight only the gods or the upper echelons of Spirit Sages and Fiend Immortals see in the Mortal Realm," an ancient voice said from the wooden cabin. "Now you can see how insignificant one life on a planet is compared to the infinite galaxies in a single universe, and there are many. I have sent a message to the Great Ancestor, your parents, and siblings. Your name was changed to Agemo during your travels, as you seemed to enjoy your old name more. Do not use it anymore. You no longer need it now that your journey is complete."

"Is this truly what it looks like?" Agemo asked as he admired the comets streaking and clashing against meteors, many planets being destroyed by fragments of ice and rock. "How can ice exist in space and not melt? How can meteor showers appear as if they are following a gravitational circle around a sun?"

"You ask a question with infinite answers. Come inside my house. You did not come here to understand the laws of the universe. We will begin with the elements," the voice answered, and the wooden house transformed into a white marble palace. "This shape is more suited to the task. Enter now. Know that I am called many names, and the one I am most known for is the father of all bone demons. Each planet is assigned three Planetary Overseers. I am one such existence. Each has different tasks. My task is to train and spread knowledge to a degree."

Agemo walked inside the palace, carrying the baby dragon in his hands while the puppet followed beside him. The architecture seemed Roman but contained hieroglyphics, reminiscent of Egyptian palaces. The man’s figure was that of a large, serpentine dragon without wings, resembling dragons from Asian cultures rather than the western dragons of his world.

"Greetings," a man on a white silver throne smiled. The upper half of his face was covered with a white hood, and a white cloak covered his entire body. "As you might have guessed, I am a dragon with scales made of bones. I was one of the first created by the Creator Gods and as ancient as the planet you now live on. The Earth you come from is many trillions of years younger but already on the verge of death. You really kill your own planet for modern conveniences. Do you know why I had Meng Ce bring you here?"

"To reach the third stage and attain a true Archon body in peace?" Agemo answered with a bow.