Chapter 66 - Spirit Road Part 1

Shu opened the white book and began reading. It told him about requiring the essence of a Sword Immortal. The book went on to say that this method was special. If he were to succeed, he could cultivate the Sundering Thorn Scripture. It contained knowledge of an sword spirit energy technique used by a Sword Immortal cultivator who was at the rank of Immortal Emperor.

The book went on to talk about his trial. During the trial, the log and item used will fuse and transform. When the method is complete, a wooden totem inscribed with markings made out of the item will appear. It will be almost half a foot long and the image of the Holy Spirit Beast, if absorbed at the time the totem is made, will appear. The totem could disappear and appear at will. The Practitioner weapon will also do the same from now on.

The book also said the trial all shamans must face lies in the Spirit Road. All totem methods, regardless of what immortal path, takes the Practitioner to a unique area called Spirit Road. If you survive the trials, you will be reborn as a true shaman. The elements will be easier to manipulate. Pure spirit energy techniques can only be performed by those who have created a totem as it slowly transforms spirit energy into that of Immortals. Spirit force is not a spirit technique as it is just a Practitioner expelling his spirit energy like a pressurized force. On the Spirit Road, a death there is a death in real life. This risk is necessary to compensate for such power.

Shu closed the book, placed a palm on the log with the radiant purple crystal inside, held Freezing Tail and chanted the words, "Practitioners walk the path that defies Creation. Spirit and Body turn two into one. The Heavens shudder as the Sword sunders. The totem is power. With power, I control the Holy Spirit Beast. Immortal Gods, deities of the Immortal Realm, allow this Practitioner into the Spirit Road to defy Creation and be born anew!"

The essence of the Sword Immortal entered Shu's body as the guardian lion sighed with bliss as it died, its essence drained into the log as it began to shine with a purple radiance. The blue sky turned to gold as if the Heavens were bleeding. Those who could see the sky trembled as the sky, within a hundred miles, emmited a gold light. Members of the ancient clans stirred, realizing someone was entering the Spirit Road to make a totem with a Spirit Beast. A pillar of white light condensed and fell upon Shu, going through objects as if they did not exist. Lu Yi, Lu Ce, and Lu Fei were startled as they could sense an energy so ancient and powerful, their skin seemed to shiver with dread. Even the Great Ancestor and the Spirit Sages of the Lu Clan looked to where they felt a strange energy converge near them.

"Someone has opened the chamber at last," the Great Ancestor murmured before resuming his meditation.

The gold sky cleared and the white pillar of light vanished. As Lu Yi, Lu Ce, and Lu Fei rushed to where the energy converged, they saw Lu Feng appear out of thin air. He blocked their path as they wanted to head inside the chamber. Soon, Lu Rong appeared, Lu Kui laughing as the little girl rode on Supaiku. Wraith appeared as it stood in front of the chamber. All of them wanted to know what happened.

"Ancestor Lu Feng," they cried as the Lu Clan members, save for Lu Kui, knelt on one knee before him.

"At ease, my descendants. It seems Lu Shu now walks the Spirit Road," Lu Feng said.

"What? I did not find him a Holy Spirit Beast," Lu Rong cried.

"The Great Ancestor sent me here as his meditation was disturbed. The gold sky you see is different from the red and white sky that would appear when someone made a totem who walked the path of Devil or Celestial Immortals. Most people don't have a method that takes them to the Spirit Road to such a degree. No doubt, all the Practitioners within a hundred miles felt the disturbance of the Heavens. Those at the Fiend Adept, Fiend Immortal, and Spirit Sage level would have felt it all over the world. We feel it all the time, due to the ancient clans, but not one caused by a Sword Immortal cultivation method," Lu Feng answered. "Just wait. In the mean time, Lu Ce and Lu Fei; did you find a suitable method?"

"Yes, Ancestor Lu Feng. We only require an Ancient Spirit Beast to enter the Spirit Road," Lu Ce answered, Lu Fei nodding as well. No one felt disturbed, an hour later, when a similar event occurred, the sky turning white this time. However, all eyes were on the chamber as they could see a nineteen year old male trapped in a huge pillar of radiant purple crystal. All waited for the first Sword Immortal cultivator in their clan to be reborn.

"Ugh. Where am I?" Shu murmured as he rubbed in eyes. He stood up and gazed around, shocked. All around him were wooden poles with carvings on them. So many totems littered a road of made of solid white energy with white wisps flowing up from the road's edges. The road seemed to go for miles with totems everywhere in sight. Shu looked at himself and he was wearing a simple white robe with Freezing Tail at his feet.

Shu picked up his sword and started walking. Strange enough, he never seemed to tire. As he walked, the road behind him disappeared and the white energy seemed to flow through his body as he breathed in and out. After what seemed like days, Shu arrived at the end of the road and onto a rocky field leading to the mountains. Shu arrived at a village. As he did so, he felt his body change. His hair had turned black and his fox ears disappeared as he had human ears again. His eyes still glowed orange with the cosmos within. Under both eyes were two stripes of glowing emerald, the emerald tattoos pulsing a brighter color as if they were alive. They were horizontal and parallel with his eyes. His greatest shock was that Freezing Tail disappeared.

His clothes also changed into white tiger fur over his body from the waist down. His upper body became bare and his black scorpion, tribal tattoo still glowed a little blue green on his back. His eyes narrowed as a girl his age appeared before him. She wore a simple short dress of white tiger fur with straight, dark brown hair that fell past her shoulders. Her dark brown eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled at him.

"Hello. Welcome to the shaman village of the Tiger Tribe," she said. "Come. the chief is waiting."

"The chief? Tiger Tribe?" Shu asked as the girl grabbed his hand. A warm feeling spread in his chest as he followed her. "What happened to me? Where's my sword?"

She giggled and said, "The chief will explain everything. It's been a long time since two outsiders, me and you, entered the Spirit Road among the Tiger Tribe. No doubt your spirit is that of a tiger. What immortal path did you come here for and what Spirit Beast did you absorb into your totem? Wait...those tattoos on your shoulders...guardian lion? How rare."

"I aim to walk the path of a Sword Immortal," Shu answered, causing the girl to clap her hands.

"Oh!" the girl said. "Wow. I came to this village as a Celestial Immortal and my Spirit Beast was a rain dragon. Come. The chief is waiting. My name is Meng Wan of the Meng Clan."

"I am Lu Shu of the Lu Clan. So you must have a tiger beast spirit as well?" Shu asked.

"Yes. I just arrived a few minutes ago. I was told to wait as another person was coming. We are the first tiger beast spirit Practitioners to arrive over a few hundred years. I think they will let us in now. All the top shaman warriors are in the chief's tent, waiting for us," Wan said as she let go of his hand as they stood before the largest magical beast fur tent in the village.

The duo walked inside the tent and saw eight people standing with a ninth person in the middle behind them on a white wooden throne. Clearly, this man was the chief of the Tiger Tribe. The eight elite warriors, two of the women, expelled their spirit force, Wan and Shu forced to materialize their tiger beast spirits above them. The eight elite warriors laughed, smiles on their faces and immediately dissipated their spirit force. They sat on the black wooden chairs behind them as the chief cleared his throat.

"Heavens, thank you. At last, we have Practitioners of the Tiger Tribe," the chief cried. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you all. In case you are wondering, time moves faster here compared to the real world. You can say this is a space between the Mortal and the Immortal Realms. Girl, you have the rare Heaven Swallowing Tiger spirit. Boy, you have two spirits fused into one: the Armored Ocean Tiger God spirit. Seeing you two having such powerful tiger spirits and true Archons at that, it is no small wonder the Heavens haven't allowed any member of the Tiger Tribe to Spirit Road."

"You must be mistaken," Shu said. "I don't recall being a part of the Tiger Tribe."