Chapter 33 - Return Home Part 1

A youth practiced his blade techniques on the grass in front of the palace, with the universe stretching out in the background. A four-foot dragon, ten feet in length, slept a few yards away, while crescent moon blades of water sliced the air with every slash of Rain Slayer. The dragon grew quickly, as all dragons did. However, Agemo barely aged over the nine months, aside from getting a little taller. An elderly man watched silently as he approached the youth.

"You seem to have improved much. Your Radiant Howl technique looks more natural for you to use now. No doubt your other techniques have also improved," the Overseer smiled. "Still, to spend five years here and only reach the fourth stage of Spirit Shaman… your cultivation is just not as impressive as the last one I taught a few centuries back."

"Overseer," Agemo bowed, wearing a white shirt with black pants and shoes. "How can I hope to compare to an ancestor with higher demon blood purity than mine? Is the nine months already over?"

"HAHAHA. Indeed it is. At least now, your cultivation can compare with geniuses of your age. However, to call them geniuses… Ha! Their cultivation stage is meaningless compared to your own strength. Perhaps you can contend with Spirit Shamans of the sixth stage," the Overseer laughed as he tossed Agemo a green jacket with a bone dragon on the back. "Your jacket is complete. It is made from the scales of an ancient Emerald Steel Dragon. I added a little something to remember me by on the back. There are also metal plates on the shoulders made from an ancient metal not found on your planet. The three plates on each shoulder should offer more protection."

"Thank you, Overseer," Agemo said, bowing and putting on the jacket. He went on both knees and cupped his hands. "Thank you for your teachings. I don't know how I can repay such kindness."

"No need to thank me. You were interesting to watch as I trained you. Remember, show kindness to others and do not let your arrogance or pride overtake you. Mercy to the enemy is inviting death. If you can kill him, do so if there are no witnesses. If you are in public, defeat him in a way that ensures you will win all future battles. You have that innate demonic ability. People will believe it is a spirit sealing technique. They do exist, but they are very rare and even more difficult to train," the Overseer advised. "Also, change the name of that Rain Slayer blade to Arctic Emperor. The blade is made of metal ice and contains death energy. You must do your best to kill the Hyperion with the blade. They are man-eating monsters, and the humanoids have infiltrated the human lands, hiding among them. As a true Archon, you can detect their spirit energy and see them for what they are. You must kill them. They are a blight on the planet."

"Yes, Overseer. Thank you," Agemo said, looking at the dragon. "Let's go, Bahamut. It's time to go home. What's my name again? Oh right. It's Lu Shu."

"That brat," the Overseer laughed as he waved goodbye to the boy. "Train well, Lu Shu."

The dragon woke up and nodded at Agemo. The thirteen-year-old climbed onto the dragon's back, and they left the pocket dimension. The dragon roared green flames into the sky as it departed from the lake and mountain. Shu stretched out his hands, enjoying the ride on his dragon in the sky. The Spirit Knights guarding the capital had received prior notice about a dragon matching Bahamut's description and did not attack. After five minutes, Bahamut landed in front of the palace steps leading to the main hall. Many ministers and royal guards emerged from the surrounding buildings to greet Prince Shu.

Lu Shu grinned as he saw four familiar people rush out of the palace. Lu Yi, wearing golden dragon robes, smiled as Lu Rong had tears streaming down her face upon seeing her second son. Lu Mei and Lu Xing were also happy to see their little brother. They stared at the Emerald Steel Dragon, obviously shocked. Lu Yi was also astonished, recognizing that Lu Shu was at the fourth stage. He knew his son worked hard, and the imperial family members embraced their second prince at last.

"I feared you had forgotten to come home in time to celebrate your birthday and the Lu Clan competition," Lu Yi laughed.

"Why does it have to be on his birthday? I don't approve. Why is your hair blonde, why are you so tall, and why do you have horns?" Lu Rong pouted as she held her son tightly.

"He must have practiced an Archon technique," Lu Xing guessed, but he didn't know the whole truth. "This is good. He must be at the third stage or higher. Our family has another Practitioner at last. At least now, he can be recognized as a Practitioner. Those cousins of ours won't dare underestimate Lu Shu now."

"Those sub-branch members, along with your brother and sister, dare to challenge our youngest son on his own birthday. Not to mention those delegates from the city-states. Are they trying to rebel?" Lu Rong yelled at Lu Yi. "I'll have them all chained and executed for high treason. Challenging him is expected, but to demand the Lu Clan competition to occur on his birthday, they mean to humiliate us. If it were up to me, I would summon legions of fire elementals and watch them burn."

"Nonsense. It's just them acting out of jealousy. They don't amount to much anyway," Lu Yi shrugged. "My brother and sister are both Spirit Knights, and the sub-branches don't even have a Spirit Master among them. They're just acting out. No need to take them seriously."

"They are trying to humiliate our family. After failing to defeat Mei and me, who are top-class mages and geniuses among geniuses, they are trying to regain their face by challenging Shu," Xing sighed in agreement. "You must be careful, Shu. They will likely target you."

"I understand," Shu nodded as Bahamut shrank to the size of a baby's fist and nestled on his head. "Hm? Oh, Bahamut must be tired."

"You have a magical beast and you're younger than me," Lu Mei said, slightly jealous.

"Come with me. It's time you meet the Great Ancestor," Lu Yi whispered as he ordered everyone to return to their duties and led Lu Shu to the underground chamber. "You must be respectful at all times."

"Yes, father," Shu said as they entered the chamber and saw the fifteen ancestors, with the one at the top of the pyramid formation dressed in black.

"Lu Shu greets the ancestors," Lu Shu said as Lu Yi did the same with his own name.

"Oh. This one has potential," one of the fourteen lesser ancestors smiled. "The Great Ancestor was right to allow you to accept the Bone Demon's summons. To learn from an Overseer is a truly lucky thing."

"You old fart, didn’t you also learn from him centuries ago?" another laughed. "I can sense the demon stone in his skull. It resonates with our own. He is a true descendant. Pity it's only the large one."

"He has a spirit reactor? It even absorbs the planet's life force, and he has two types of energies," another admired.

"Wait, I sense something in his shadow. Is it a puppet? Truly?" one said.

"Honorable ancestor, are you Lu Feng?" Shu bowed.

"HAHAHAHA! I was right. You must have met that Seto. Good to know he's still alive. I reckon he's a Spirit Sage as well. The kid had talent," Lu Feng laughed. "He must have sent me a letter. Where is he now?"

"He owns a shop in the Korgar Auction House in the Kasara Kingdom. He asks to give the Honorable Ancestor this letter," Shu said as he retrieved the letter from his storage bag.

"Hm. He is a Spirit Sage. The wraith he sold to you lies in your puppet. He said he gave you a puppet as a gift but did not indicate their fusion. The Overseer must have done so. Thank you," Lu Feng said as he grabbed the letter with his spirit energy and read it.

"So you are Lu Shu," an ancient voice rasped, silencing the chamber.

"Yes, Great Ancestor," Shu bowed. "I am Lu Shu, son of Lu Yi. I am a Spirit Shaman of the fourth stage and have attained a true Archon body through the [Titan Creator] body technique."

"Yes, I see. You also have a magical beast already. That is good. You have dual spirits. The White Ocean Tiger spirit is quite rare. You are a God Eater already, yes?" the Great Ancestor asked.

"Yes, Great Ancestor. I also took two flying moon blades from the corpse of a humanoid Hyperion," Shu answered.

"I recognize the purple flames from the blades. The energy should have transformed into flames now. No doubt, the Overseer told you to hunt the Hyperion. Those purple flames are the same color as their Spirit Pulse. I know you have abnormally high spirit sensitivity. You can even detect Spirit Pulses and discern their actual location," the Great Ancestor noted. "Humans are gold, demons are red, magical beasts are green, and Hyperion are purple. They are the four life forms on this planet. Hyperion humanoids are known for their face-shifting abilities. They can look like anyone else, but their physique and stature remain the same. Do not falter and kill them without hesitation."

"Yes, Great Ancestor," Shu said.

"I will give you a ring.

First, give the Crimson Ring, which is currently disguised, to Lu Feng. He will fuse it with the disguised vermillion ring," the Great Ancestor said.

"This ring is now a skull ring. It will detect Hyperion as well as act as a mentor. It can talk to you. Might be a little too sentient. You don’t want to know how many sacrifices were made to make it," Lu Feng said as he got the two rings, fused them, and gave them to Shu.

"Thank you," Shu said as he put on the ring.

"Glad to work with you, partner. I'll be here if you need advice," the skull said before becoming as still as a statue.

"I will give you this pearl. It contains the soul of demon nobility. It will assist in your cultivation and reveal its power in time," the Great Ancestor said and tossed a snow-white pearl with a black, serpentine spine curving into a spiral inside it.

"Thank you, Great Ancestor," Shu said as he put it on his chest, watching it sink into the depths of his soul lake as it merged into the Mystic Stone.

"You already have a magical beast," Lu Feng said as the other fourteen resumed cultivation. "You have received the Great Ancestor's gifts. Good luck in the Lu Clan competition. One day, you will lose all that human lineage in your body and truly awaken the power of the Snow Emperor Pearl, the pearl that contains the soul of demon nobility. It is one of the reasons our Great Ancestor escaped from the Immortal Realms. He killed a few Demon Emperors. One day, you'll learn how Immortals are ranked. For now, settle for the Mortal Realm limits of Spirit Sage or Fiend Immortal. Thank you for the letter and good luck to you."

"Many thanks, Honorable Ancestors and Great Ancestor, for your kindness," Lu Yi said and led his son out until they were in his throne room. "Whew. So many Spirit Sages in one room and a Demon Emperor rank among immortals. You truly don't realize how powerful they are. To receive the Snow Emperor Pearl, I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

"He is worthy of it," the ring said as the cover flipped up. "My name is Spook. Anyway, it is a rare thing. To actually strip the soul from the body and transform it into power. It's quite frightening how powerful a Golden Earth Fiend is. HAHAHA! This will be an amusing hunt."

"Charming fellow," the emperor noted as the skull became still. "Tomorrow is your birthday and the guests and our relatives have already started to arrive since yesterday. No doubt, they'll know you have already arrived. Rest now. Tomorrow, we feast and you will display your might and strike those bastards into their place."

"Home sure is the liveliest place to be," Shu sighed as he gazed at the moon when night fell.

"Krrrruuuuuu?" the dragon asked as it tried to speak, leaving his head and perching on the balcony outside his room.

"Funny guy. I wonder when you can speak," Agemo wondered aloud as he patted Bahamut in its tiny form. "Wraith, appear."

"Yes, master. You summoned me?" the white puppet asked as it emerged from Shu's shadow and stood behind him, wisps of darkness permeating from its body.

"The palace will have guests during my birthday feast tomorrow. Hide in the shadows and prepare to intercept anyone who dares try a sneak attack during my fight when I am challenged. There are bound to be those with hidden weapons who want to see me suffer an unfortunate accident during my fight," Shu ordered.

"Yes, master. Am I permitted to kill them?" Wraith asked.

"Do as you see fit with them," Shu waved, and Wraith nodded before disappearing into his shadow.

"Do you have any advice for me, Spook?" Shu asked.