(Author: Hello! As promised, here is Wednesday's chapter. We're nearing the end of the second book. As it is chapter nineteen, it is already over book 1. I am starting book 3. Since I only release two chapters a week it is easier for me now. Again, sorry but college has begun once again. Lu Shu has completed the trials of the Spirit Road. Lu Shu is now a tenth stage Spirit Shaman! Now he returns to the real world. However, his descent back creates a backlash whole world would know. Enjoy.)

------------Chapter 19: The Titan's Expansion----------------

It must be known that Lu Shu practiced the [Titan Creator] body technique to become a true Archon. He has a connection to the planet deeper than others who did not practice the same true Archon body technique. His return to the Spirit Road made the whole world shudder for ten seconds. It must be known that the planet was made by the body of the Creator God, a black scorpion magical beast that was possibly at the Feral Emperor immortal rank!

When Shu descended back into his body, the world shuddered for ten seconds because Shu's body, cut off from the world, regained its connection and absorbed a substantial amount of the planet's life force. The planet's name was Titan. Thus, the true Archon body technique connecting a Practitioner to the planet's life force used the name of the planet, the name the Creator God was known by. If dragons and phoenixes were respected, scorpion magical beasts were hailed as gods. Most creatures considered them as children of the Creator God! Not only that, there was no scorpion magical beast found that was not a Saint rank magical beast! Not even one rank 9 magical beast scorpion was found!

Whenever a Practitioner of the [Titan Creator] body technique came down from the Spirit Road, the world expanded and shook for ten seconds. it was as if a scorpion body, curled into a ball, stretched open just a little wider. Previously inaccessible parts of the planet opened us as new lands and oceans appeared. Demons, dragons, Hyperion, magical beasts, and humans all began to migrate to the new lands, desperate to find the treasures within. Only the elite of the planet did not head immediately, observing the results of those too greedy to think of the dangers.

"He practiced the [Titan Creator] body technique?" Lu Ce cried as the crystal mass entrapping Shu broke as a pillar of white light touched it.

"That's right. When the Great Ancestor detected Shu opening this chamber and heading to Spirit Road, he assembled the next lower line of the cultivation pyramid formation to head to the four corners of the world and explore the lands. Only the lower three and lower two lines of the formation, below the Great Ancestor, remain," Lu Feng answered, shocking everyone present. Lu Tian and Lu Qing had also arrived and were inwardly shocked as they heard about the Great Ancestor and the fourteen Spirit Sages who cultivated with him as he waited for his human wife to reach the Spirit Sage tier.

The Great Ancestor's pagoda had fifteen people in a pyramid formation at the bottom floor, the Great Ancestor at the top. From above, a female was cultivating and could see a human pyramid on the floor, the foot of the pyramid close to the door. No one knew her name but she had the worst cultivation rate in the history of the Lu Clan. She was older than the top two Spirit Sages in the pyramid line below the Great Ancestor. Even with them all meditating, her pace was too slow as she absorbed some of the spirit energy they radiated. If the ancient clans knew someone was benefiting so dismally from the spirit energy of so many Spirit Sages, a Demon Emperor among them, they would vomit blood and question the Heavens why she was allowed to do so. Since Lu Feng, the four others at the base of the formation, and the four of the next pyramid line had left; the pyramid only had three lines. Only the top six of the Lu Clan remained.

"I have a question, Ancestor Feng," Fei asked as Shu slowly fell to the ground. "Where are the Magic Overlords of the clan? Did none of the Lu Clan reach that level?

"Them?" Lu Feng asked, surprised. "They're not Practitioners. Of course they would not be in the formation. Mages are weak and it is incomparably difficult to create your own spells at higher levels. Thus, they reside in the demon lands."

"I thought you had to have demonic purity at a high level?" Lu Yi asked as Lu Rong ran to her son. Even he did not know where his ancestor and his own father went.

"Most of them are dead. The demon lands they went into were the Seas of Miasma. It is there that any life form can become a demon, tainted by the miasma from the water of the seas. Those seas hold countless treasures, techniques, and spells for demons. Only someone with demon blood can enter and survive. Of all the mages of the Lu Clan, only two Magic Overlords survived. All other mages died, including forty seven Arch Magus. They were not killed by the inhabitants, but by their own blood. Their human blood. Their greed blinded them and they died for it," Lu Feng said. "One of the two Magic Overlords is your father and my niece. Your father is a lord of one of the seas, but my niece decided to become the Demon King, not the immortal rank, and united the Seas of Miasma under her rule. She is the current Demon Lord of this world and is planning to rule over it. For now, her target is the Hyperion. That is, until a human kingdom pisses her off. Especially now, new territories have emerged and she is sure to slaughter all in her way to attain them. The coming war is approaching. It is certain to escalate after the Pantheon of Devils as most forces will reserve their armies for the treasures within."

"Hello Lu Feng. I succeeded," Lu Shu said weakly as he spread spirit energy through his veins. His muscles had not been used for so long and his Soul Realm trembled as it tried to convert all the planet's life force beyond the normal capacity.

"Welcome back, son," Lu Yi cried as he hugged his son as Lu Rong held him steady. "Sword Immortal cultivator. Well done."

"Leave the felicitations for later. Shu, you announced that you were a ninth stage Spirit Shaman. Do you have anyway to disguise your cultivation?" Lu Feng asked.

"Yes. This headband cloaks my cultivation," Shu said, everyone surprised as they felt Shu seemed to weaken to the ninth stage and could not tell that it was not his true strength.

"It seems I underestimated the Vault of Kings," Lu Feng murmured. "The relics of the Old Gods even cloaks your cultivation from me. Good. We must head to the Great Ancestor and report the news. He is ascending soon. His wife finally reached the Spirit Sage level. The four Spirit Sages who left will not come back as they chose to live in the new territories and live in seclusion. Me and the other four will remain here, to guard the Lu Clan. We also don't wish to ascend to the Immortal Realms. I like being the top dog. I don't want to run the risk of being someone else's bitch. I also don't want to depend on the Great Ancestor."

Lu Ce, Lu Rong, Lu Fei, and Lu Yi inwardly sighed with relief in their hearts. They knew the day would come. They had hoped that Lu Feng would stay and were beyond joyful that the four others were staying. They did not know the Great Ancestor's wife reached the Spirit Sage tier. Secretly, they felt sorry for her and thankful she did not become a Spirit Sage sooner. Lu Rong picked up Lu Kui as Supaiku left to the Great Ancestor's pagoda, Shu mentally telling Bahamut to also head there. As soon as Wraith returned into his shadow. Shu replaced the storage bag on his hip as he followed the Great Ancestor while drinking lion wine. Lu Yi, Lu Ce, and Lu Fei were also permitted as Lu Yi was the emperor while Lu Ce and Lu Fei needed Ancient Spirit Beasts for their totems. Their trial was clearly not as hard as they did not absorb the essence of a Spirit Beast in the process. They returned sooner than Lu Shu and had waited with the others for his return.

"Lu Shu, son of Lu Yi, you have completed the Spirit Road?" an ancient voice rasped while the giggles of a woman resounded from above.

"Yes, Great Ancestor," Shu bowed as he approached him.

"Tell me the changes to your sword," the voice continued.

"Yes. My sword seems to be sharper than before. The weight is lighter, but the impact is fiercer. My sword's poison changed as well. As I bleed my foe, the sword absorbs the spirit energy that seeps out the wound. It is a strange poison as the wounds are slow to heal, as if the regeneration is slowed to a little faster than the average human. I can also use nether flames," Shu answered.

"Nether flames," the Great Ancestor repeated as he slowly opened his eyes. "Flames of a demon of the Nether Realm, one of the seven immortal realms. Nether flames.....perhaps the First Tiger enhanced you and your weapon to use those flames as homage to your lineage. No human could possibly use those flames without dire, life-taking, consequences."

"Great Ancestor," Lu Feng bowed. "Perhaps it is time to awaken the Snow Emperor Pearl inside him. You will be departing soon."

"Ah, yes. I had forgotten that. Where is Lu Yang?" the Great Ancestor asked.

"Great Grandfather is currently cultivating with the other three Spirit Sages in the palace grounds above," Lu Feng answered.

"Four of you have left to cultivate in seclusion. The five Spirit Sages, the youngest and weakest among us, will remain here," the Great Ancestor said. "When I depart, tell Lu Yang he is the new pillar of the clan. He is to give the remaining Snow Emperor Pearls to those who reach the qualifications in the future. The four who left in seclusion will ascend to the Immortal Realms when they wish. You five who wish not to will remain the guardians of the Lu Clan in the shadows. Lu Ce and Lu Fei, leave us. Go to Lu Yang and tell him the news and he will lead you to the hidden Spirit Beast Sanctuary."

"Thank you, Great Ancestor," they said and left.

"Lu Shu, tell me, do you have the power of the Old God: Laozi the Undying?" the Great Ancestor asked.

"I have his Eye of Execution," Shu answered.

"Do you know about the Snow Emperor Pearl?" the Great Ancestor asked.

"I know that it contains the soul of demon nobility, a Demon Emperor rank demon. With it, I can gain the power of a Demon Emperor in the future," Shu answered.

"Yes. You are like my fourteen Spirit Sage descendants. Demons, but capable of cultivating the superior human cultivation as you were born one. Demons are superior than humans and humans over magical beasts. However, the magical beasts cultivate the fastest while humans have the most profound of techniques. You have the demonic red spirit energy and a demon horn. However, you have not demonized yet. Lu Feng is right. It is time to awaken the Snow Emperor Pearl in you," the Great Ancestor said.

"I thought I couldn't change?' Shu asked, startled.

"Hmph. Do you think me to be weaker than the First Tiger, a Spirit Overlord between Realms? The Snow Emperor Pearl is one from the echelons of the Immortal Realms. There is no comparison," the Great Ancestor said as he held his hand out to Shu. Shu cried out in pain as the Snow Emperor Pearl returned into his hand. The Great Ancestor began to chant, Shu immobilizing as he became a statue of red diamonds. Wraith left his shadow, staring at its master in wonder.

"Stay calm. This is part of the process," Lu Feng assured as he placed a palm on Lu Yi's shoulder, Lu Yi trembling as he stared at his son. Lu Yi watched, pure terror on his face, as a Mystic Crystal emerged, fusing into the Snow Emperor Pearl as the statue shattered, leaving behind Shu's black armor, the white silver headband, the gourd of lion wine, his storage bag, and Spook.

"What is this?" Lu Yi asked, trembling as he fell to the ground while demonic red spirit energy radiated from the Snow Emperor Pearl, creating a new body in the process. Lu Shu looked exactly as before: hiar as black as space, orange eyes of Laozi the Undying, the tribal scorpion tattoo on the back, emerald tiger stripes under his eyes, and the white dragon scales on his neck. Before the skin and muscle formed, Lu Yi saw the cerulean crystal skeleton, a result of the living water spirit technique, a demon horn sprouting from the skull but as white as a human bone, and an oval demonic stone in the center of his skull. As Shu's body formed, the guardian lion had appeared and was whimpering as it saw its master.

"Black blood?" Lu Yi frowned.

"The blood of a Golden Earth Fiend, but his hair did not turn back to a gold color. Ah, the mark of the Snow Emperor Peal appeared," Lu Feng smiled as a skeleton of a serpentine-bodied dragon appeared in the center of Shu's chest, as if spiraling deeper. The Snow Emperor Pearl shattered as its power went into the Mystic Crystal.

"It is finished. The power lies within him now and he no longer has a human body," the great Ancestor said. "It will take time for it to manifest. Goodbye Lu Yi. There is no more reason to come here again. I will return Lu Shu to you in time for the feast among those human nobles and delegates."

"Thank you, Great Ancestor, for watching over the Lu Clan," Lu Yi said, bowing and knocking his head on the ground nine times as Shu dressed himself and let Wraith hide in his shadow as the guardian lion disappeared.

"How is the demon body, Lu Shu?" Lu Feng grinned.

"I feel, strangely good. It's as if this was the body I should have had. It feels too natural," Shu answered as he dressed himself, replacing the white silver Monkey King headband and the black leather armor.

"It finally happened," Spook laughed. "Good. Now my master is a true Golden Earth Fiend demon. No more of those useless human genes. Don't worry, with me, your spirit energy will still look like human gold spirit energy to anyone below the Demon Emperor immortal rank unless you say otherwise."

"You are a Sword Immortal cultivator and a demon. Now...blast. That wife of mine is too excited. Calm her down and make her sleep," the Great Ancestor asked as the five Spirit Sages in his cultivation pyramid array left to attend the giggling woman above. "Where was I? Ah, yes. I was about to talk about the Sundering Thorn Scripture. It is a Sword Immortal cultivation technique as well as a martial art. This is the main sword spirit technique you will spend your entire lifetime mastering, perfecting, evolving, and improving."

"One of my four planets, one of the two with my demonic red spirit energy, is the color of emerald. Sword spirit energy?" Shu frowned. "The other three planets are one of the three other energies I have."

"Indeed. Those two other types of energies will only have a single planet until you reach the tenth level of soul condensation. At the eighth level, you develop a small sun and finish making a small galaxy. By the ninth stage, you have a full-sized sun and fifteen planets. Only immortals can reach the tenth level of soul condensation, when the body creates two galaxies and begins the start of creating a universe. One galaxy will contain all your sword spirit energy. It won't be a demonic red but a demonic emerald as your demonic red spirit energy will have finished converting into emerald sword spirit energy. The other energies will share half of that galaxy. At the eleventh level is when those two energies will stop expanding their influence as they will each have their own galaxy while your emerald sword spirit energy take up the ones that appear," the Great Ancestor explained. "Other immortal paths, like those of the Devil and Celestial Immortal paths, don't need to condense their souls as their spirit energy is not a weapon in itself. As you already condensed your soul to the highest level for Spirit Shamans, I am well pleased."

"So important?" Shu cried, realization dawning on his face.

"Now, one of the four powers of the Tiger should have appeared," the Great Ancestor said, pointing at Shu's face. "I know those marks and the powers they possess. The first power is always the same: healing. Using that power, you can heal virtually any wound or that of others. To humans, those who can heal virtually any wound for others are akin to nobles or gods."

"It is true. Humans do call an adventurer who enters a town, saves it, and heals its people: hero or noble," Lu Feng nodded as the Tiger's Shield Bracelet appeared on Shu's left wrist.

"Wraith, you better hide in the guardian lion's shadow. It does not seem to like my Soul Realm and is at my cultivation. However it is still young," Shu said, Wraith transferring to the Holy Spirit Beast's shadow.

"You have gotten all you were meant to, the same as Lu Feng and all my descendants with high demon purity levels. I also have a task for you. I sense one of the three living spirit techniques in the palace grounds. I suspect a descendant of the thief appeared as one of the delegates. What nerve. Punish him. You already have your innate demonic ability. Even if you can't kill him, drain his spirit energy dry. Although you can't take the living spirit energy, you can still drain some of its power into your own," the Great Ancestor ordered. "Farewell, Lu Shu. You are the last demonic descendant I will see in this realm. Come find me in the Immortal Realm. Which one, the Keeper of the Immortal Gateway will tell you."

"Thank you, Great Ancestor," Shu said, bowing his head as he knelt on both knees.

"He's a good seed. See that he sprouts. He will need it. He obviously does not know the importance of the bead on his silver necklace," the Great Ancestor said.

"Yes, Great Ancestor," Lu Feng said as they watched Lu Shu leave with his magical beasts, the guardian lion in his hands as it seemed to have shrunk to the size of a kitten.

"I don't even know what to say anymore," Shu muttered. "Is it because I got stronger that it reverted back?"

"I will be protecting the pagoda. Congratulations, master," Bahamut said as it flew off.

Shu wore a gold cloak over his armor as Supaiku asked, "What will you call that Holy Spirit Beast, master?"

"I was thinking Hao. It's a good name and similar to my fake identity of Yao in that illusionary array," Shu said as he rode Supaiku toward the plaza where the feast would be held.

"And what of the thief with the living spirit technique?" Wraith asked as Shu felt his skeleton tremble and knew his Great Ancestor was right, as if his Radiant Howl water spirit technique resonated with something.

"We will see. If I don't like him, I'll try to kill him and make it look like an accident while challenging him to a duel," Shu grinned malevolently.