(Author: Hello! Posted chapters catching up to written chapters! Bad Omen! Bad Omen! The military forces are nearing Giant's Chain and Lu Shu met with Meng Ce once again. Some might wonder how many chapters this book will be. I don't know. It all depends on whether my imagination does not disappoint me and keeps streaming ideas. Enjoy.)
----------Chapter 2: Giant's Chain--------------
"T, this is Giant's Chain? There really is a chain? I thought it meant a chain of islands," Lu Shu gasped as they neared the sea, his army taking a break near the shore.
"This island chain has a unique legend, even persevering from before I was born," Lu Feng smiled, everyone instantly bowing as he appeared.
"Greetings, Ancestor Lu Feng," they all cried, many soldiers from the Lu Clan with reverence in their eyes.
"Since the armies are taking a break, allow me to tell you of the legend that I know of this place," Lu Feng said, all eyes and ears on him as many soldiers crowded around the campfire Lu Feng, Lu Shu, Cao Wei, Lu Gong, Matsuda Ken, and Li Jiro sat around.
Long ago, there lived a race of giants. No one knows how they came to pass. Some believed an ancient group, Spirit Sage equivalent in power, arrived from another planet. These beings were the giants. Stronger than any dragon and taller than the mightiest mountain. Some believed they were the beloved of the Heavens. These islands was their ancestral home, the place their ancestors first settled in. It was the time before magic. It was a time before the ancient civilizations of ages past.
They ruled the world, not with a tyrant's fist, but an open-hand. Despite their might and prowess, they were a race far gentler and kinder than mankind had ever been. However, their kindness was their ruin. Another race of beings came to this planet. They did not come here to colonize. That race had come to invade and conquer. The giants tried to stop them. The land crumbled and the oceans spread, all that got in their path was destroyed. It is said that the Overseers tried to speak reason, but helping defend the planet defied Heaven's Will.
The invaders were destroyed, a complete genocide of the species. Not a trace was found. However, only the king of the giants remained. He was anguished, the loss of his race unspeakably painful and beyond comprehension. The core of the planet had suffered damage. Unable to bear the pain, the king of giants made the ultimate sacrifice, turning his spirit energy into indestructible, gigantic chains and used his life to restore the planet. As if honoring him, the Heavens altered these islands, concentrating unlimited amounts of spirit energy on the islands.
In the islands, the magical beasts of old were able to grow beyond measure. It is said that the reason magical beasts survived was due to the giants' protection. Mankind is believed to have been divided among the continents due to the fight with the invaders. No one knows if the legend speaks true. One thing remains: these chains exist and the magical beasts on the islands are all of the Saint rank, just like any scorpion magical beast found anywhere on the planet. The legend says that the day the chains break, the core will become a black hole that swallows the world. Many Practitioners and mages tried to follow the chains downward, but the life force of the planet is too thick and acts like a barrier. When the day the chains break, we will know, too late, the authenticity of the legend of Giant's Chain.
"A sad tale," Lu Shu said as he fed lion wine to Hao.
"What great wine," Lu Gong said as the Tiger Army soldiers drank the lion wine. "I can actually feel it empowering me. No wonder the general had such strength to knock General Sun Zhong back.
"You'll need all the strength you can get. A pity it does not do the same to mages," Jiro said, drinking the wine and savoring it like ordinary wine. "Ancestor Lu Feng, have you ever gone into the heart of Giant's Chain?"
"There are five large islands that dwarf the others. Four of those five are not in our path to the Hyperion lands. Each of those four islands have magical beasts above the Spirit Knight tier and any Arch Mage," Lu Feng said. "The islands the Yan Dynasty conquered are those which only contain magical beasts at the Spirit Shaman tier, due to the spirit energy being at its weakest on those islands. Naturally, the stronger ones migrate to the islands with thicker spirit energy. Those magical beasts do not venture to our conquered islands due to a strange presence. I suspect the four islands have their own leaders and are true Archon magical beasts, probably at the Fiend Adept or Fiend Immortal tier. Otherwise, many martial sects or academies would already have established themselves to take advantage of the high quantities of spirit energy here."
"Does that mean the Yan Emperor will establish a base for his Gold Yan Guards here?" Ken inquired, seeing the dangerous potential of successfully establishing a base on one of the five islands.
"Indeed. The Yan Emperor intends to make the Lu Clan rival the ancient clans. Those of the Lu Clan, with lots of potential, will live in the new base here. The Yan Emperor has also been collecting methods to make true Archon bodies, with my assistance in gaining Spirit Beast cores. It's funny really," Lu Feng laughed. "The clan of a Practitioner who massacred a family of true Archons will also be a clan of true Archons. HAHAHAHAHA!"
Jiro and Ken did not laugh, as Lu Gong said, "This is great news for the Lu Clan. The emperor is truly ambitious."
"Ancestor Lu Feng, what will the Practitioners and mages above the Spirit Shaman do while the armies conquer the islands? They could easily travel to the Hyperion lands," Cao Wei asked.
"They can't" Lu Gong said. "You don't know, but these chains are truly mysterious. No pure-blood human can travel to the other islands. No one above the Spirit Shaman tier can travel to other islands that are not conquered by man. I imagine some sects are here, hoping to establish sects and academies in the Hyperion lands once we conquer them. They would be able to visit the islands and take advantage of the spirit energy and powerful magical beasts. Giant's Chain is literally a gateway to a new world. A gateway no army has conquered and one the Hyperion don't expect to fall. Of course, they also welcome it. Gateways open both ways. We do their work for them, killing the magical beasts and establishing checkpoints and connecting bridges, and they reap the benefits when they overcome us with sheer numbers."
"So we can't fail in conquering the lands near the shores of Giant's Chain," Lu Feng nodded. "Me, I can simply exit the atmosphere of the planet and drop down, or simply fly around the territory of Giant's Chain. Anyone below the Spirit Sage tier, good luck."
"What's it like there?" Shu asked Lu Gong, knowing he used to do military service there.
"We lost several thousand men when trying to veer off the mapped path," Lu Gong sighed. "General, it took our empire four hundred years to map the entire territory with some map makers dying as they delivered their hand-drawn maps with their dying breath. We will travel through thirty seven islands in total. We currently have thirty one islands, but each of them are ten times smaller than the other six. We don't even have one fourth of the sea conquered. That is how big those islands are. It is more fitting to call them island nations. Those islands have magical beasts that are stronger and more sophisticated."
"The other islands off the path are even more so," Lu Feng nodded. "However, you and I can go to those islands. Pure-blood humans cannot go, but we are descended from a demon, according to legend anyway."
"That is true," Lu Gong said, trying to make a cover for Lu Feng nonchalantly revealing the origins of the Lu Clan. "Members of the Lu Clan have actually ventured to those islands. Most don't come back alive. I never went as no one can tell at what stage, or tier, the magical beasts are at."
"I did hear the legend," Matsuda Ken nodded. "Others can too. Lu Shu, you're not completely human, proven by the eyes and tiger stripes under your eyes. Fake Archons, true Archons, and some mages are all able to go to the islands, if they lost some of their humanity. Some people are prejudice and look down upon Practitioners and mages who gave up their humanity, but it also comes with benefits. A member of my clan actually went to the other islands, coming back with both arms and a leg gone. He easily regenerated them, as a true Archon, and obtained many treasures."
"So there could be treasures on the islands we invade," Shu grinned. "Lu Feng, what will those Practitioners and mages under your command do?"
"They will chill and relax with me on this shore. We have no reason to suspect any creature above the Spirit Shaman tier can attack you," Lu Feng laughed. "Once we reach the Hyperion lands, then we take action to ensure none of them attack the army. You can't fight on behalf of an army, but it does not mean you can't annihilate an army. Good luck. Tomorrow, we march through the islands. By the time we reach the shores of the last conquered island, your abilities will be tested. You are a general, of the Tiger Army no less, do not waver and trust in your strength, your men, your advisors, and your strategies."
"Thanks for the advice," Lu Shu bowed as Lu Feng left. Lu Shu entered his tent and meditated. Each of the generals were given special tents that contained more space inside than it appeared on the outside. Furthermore, only Lu Shu was allowed inside, other people only entering with his permission. His war tent was different than his private tent. The war tent was a large tent containing several chairs and a long table, the map of Giant's Chain now spread over the surface.
Lu Shu's private tent was where he slept, ate magical beast meat, and cultivated while in the demon pool. As Hao nibbled on some magical beast meat, Lu Shu wondered why the Spirit Beast didn't just suck it into its mouth like a black hole. He guessed that it was because the body was not fresh, and abundant with spirit energy, being the reason Hao just ate it like any other creature.
"Master!" Wraith cried as it appeared from the guardian lion's shadow. "A Keeper of the Dead approaches! I think it was because you were near Lu Feng, and the Great Ancestor, that it did not approach you and merely followed you. I'm pretty sure Lu Feng knows, probably told by the Great Ancestor. It has been watching you since before you trained under your ancestor. I always had a feeling, being a creature made from angry and vengeful souls."
"What?" Shu cried as a black specter somehow entered his private tent.
"It seems we are finally alone, in an area no living creature can pass," the specter rasped. "I am a Keeper of the Dead, a Shinigami to you Japanese. Death god. Angel of Death and other names. I appeared here, the day you sensed the child of the Titan. I have watched you, judged you, and waited for a opportunity to appear before you. Only those who have died and were reborn anew, can see and hear me with their senses. I am different than the one you met. I am the Keeper of the Dead of this planet, not the one you call Earth. If I was the one chasing, you would not have been reborn."
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"Why appear before me now?" Shu asked as Wraith stood in front of Hao. "What did I do? I don't believe it is just sensing the child of the Titan either."
"I came to give you this," the specter said, placing a vial on the ground.
"What is it?" Shu asked, picking up a clear crystal vial with a strange gold energy that looked likes small flames.
"That is karmic fire. The other Keeper of the Dead let you live, but I must judge if you are a threat to the stability of this planet," the Keeper of the Dead said. "Karmic fire judges your past life, not the new one. If you were evil, you die. If you were a saint, you live. The one who will be called Tiger Immortal, drink and be judged."
"Tiger Immortal? That title again?" Shu murmured and drank the karmic fire, the vial disappearing as the fire went inside him. "Uh, what happens to me now?"
"If you live, I must present you with an award and tell the Heavens to allow you to continue living this life. If you die, not even a sliver of your soul will exist," the Keeper of the Dead said as it took off its hood in shock, revealing a skull with darkness instead of flesh and two curved horns growing from its head. "You're not burning to oblivion. You're the first spirit to come here without doing so, that managed to survive to the judgment day."
"There are others?" Shu asked.
"Yes. However, some lost all their memories. Even if they inhabited a new body, they won't come back as they don't have any recollection. Some spirits, like you, came from other galaxies and universes. If they survived to their judgment day, they all died. It's usually the evil ones who try to run away from the Keeper of the Dead. We are different, but we are connected. What one sees, we all see. I did not believe, but it seems I was mistaken," the specter said.
"A hive mentality," Shu gasped. "You're not really a keeper. You're Death, aren't you. No, more like a fragment of whatever Death is."
Gold flames burst from the pores of Shu's body, but Shu did not burn or feel pain. Not even his clothes burned. His body grew larger, his muscles more leaner and gentler. Instead of the face of a masculine warrior, he had the face of a peaceful monk. Only his glowing orange eyes and emerald tiger stripes displayed a mighty image. His veins grew larger, more spirit energy now flowing throughout his body.
"Ugh," Shu said as he collapsed on his knees, his body adjusting to its sudden enhancement.
"You still live. You had the karma of a saint, not an evil menace. I suppose I must give you the reward. I'll answer two questions and give you an item that is the envy of the Hyperion. Now, ask your two questions," the specter said.
"What does five items, the ones I found that the Hyperion tried to find, do?" Shu asked, taking out the bead from beneath his clothes and the map from Spook.
"Smart question. However, you do not possess all the items pertaining to the question. Thus, I will only answer according to the items you attained: the Spirit Beast core, single bead of the five star formation array, and the map. The Spirit Beast core belongs to a Chaos Spirit Beast, a beast needed to walk the Devil Immortal path. However, the Hyperion need twenty five of those cores. They do not know which one they need, only knowing the amount required," the specter answered. "They are needed for the revival of the Old God they serve and revere."
"Malikutai the Divine," Shu said, the specter nodding in affirmation.
"It won't have all its power and be reborn as a humanoid Hyperion. The beads, one of which you own, all contain power that defies the heaven. In other words, they can turn a Spirit Beast core into a spirit reactor," the specter said.
"That's why how my first spirit reactor is made. However, the wing is still inside the bead," Shu said.
"That's right. Each of the five beads contains a fragment of a body, a body cursed by the Heavens that the Old God created: two wings, a head, an upper body, and a lower body. They were meant to be the humanoid body Malikutai the Divine would use to enter the Immortal Realms and realize its dream: to become the sovereign over all realms. It defied its purpose. That is the body that needs the remaining two beads. One is the right wing you have. The other is the head Li Jiro has, the other bead you hid in the root wall beneath the tree. Malikutai the Divine may be resurrected, but it can be killed through the destruction of its head," the specter explained. "As you have the right wing, it only has half of its powers."
"The formation array is to make its new body?" Shu said, brooding over its words. "Pity about the Practitioner weapon and staff, but what does the map lead to. Perhaps, is it the ancient tree of legend?"
"Correct. It is. There are three maps. However, your map contains the safest route to the entrance of the ruin. However, the tree is not its goal. That is all I am allowed to say. Your gift is the very sap of that tree, extracted and be safely consumed," the specter said, laying a vial with a strange liquid the color of a sapphire. "Consider it one of the goals of the Hyperion, and not their god. Your two questions have been answered and the reward, given. Now, a warning and request. On one of the five large islands, the very one controlled by the magical beasts below the Spirit Knight tier; some magical beasts are more powerful than you are. I suggest avoid killing them and entrapping them in that painting you found. The request: kill the leader of the island. It has survived and denied Death. I cannot take its soul. Kill it and carry the will of the Heavens. Do so, and the new minion I bestow you is yours for eternity."
The Keeper of the Dead looked at Wraith and waved a hand, large amounts of death energy going into the puppet as a skeleton appeared. Wraith had changed, becoming a rather large, white wooden spider similar to a tarantula. Shu grinned, really surprised and pleased as it actually looked like a spider now, save for being the size of a hundred year old tortoise. As for the skeleton that appeared, it also seemed to have a wraith inside it but was different as it appeared in a skeleton instead of a puppet. The skeleton had bones as white as snow and its eyes were the same gold flames known as karmic fire. As if in tribute to Shu's origins, the skeleton wore red and steel colored armor, in the shape of samurai armor, below its neck, a samurai helmet on its skull. Most of all, even if its body was covered, it had the skull of a tiger! It was definitely more scary than a samurai mask covering the front of the skull.
"Greetings, Lord Lu Shu. I am a servant, bestowed by a Keeper of the Dead, to assist you in killing the leader of the magical beasts below the Spirit Knight tier. Should you succeed, I will not be destroyed and serve you and follow your orders for eternity. Like the puppet and Holy Spirit Beast, when you die, I will die," the skeleton bowed on both knees.
Shu stared at the four foot soldier and said, "My own personal samurai, and it's even undead. Sweet. Your name is Bakura. Yeah. Man, I missed that show. Well, before it got stupid. The shows of the past had a view surviving recordings during my time."
"Yes, Lord Lu Shu. I am Bakura," the skeleton said, rising to its feet. "I will be the wraith skeleton that protects you in the light, while wraith puppet guards your Holy Spirit Beast in the shadows."
"My time with you is done here. As I said, the wraith has become a sentient skeleton minion, one that will be the same cultivation strength as you are. Just like your wraith spider puppet. No doubt, you realize how powerful wraiths can be. Just so you know, the one who bought the book was not a human, but a demon. It wore a magical item similar to the Crimson Ring, but inferior to the one called Spook. Do not doubt my words: it will be your greatest enemy. That demon, and its allies, also possess one of the three maps. However, the ruins do not open until all three maps are present at the entrance. Its dangers are similar to the Pantheon of Devils," the specter said. "Do not attempt to go in below the Archon Dragon tier. That is one indisputable fact. You will die otherwise. Good luck and please kill the leader."
"No matter how powerful I become, there is always something bad I learn that I am too weak for," Shu sighed as the specter disappeared before he could blink once.
"That was scary," Spook said. "This one was more powerful than the one you met before, when half of me was the Crimson Ring you wore during the tournament in Kasara. I was unable to speak and suggest some questions for you to ask. It is a good thing you included the ancient tree in your question. Otherwise, the Keeper of the Dead might not have told so many specific details."
"Whoa. You mean you were actually silenced? Geez," Shu said as Bakura practiced swinging its katana and wakizashi, a smaller sword similar to a katana. "It seems this world is full of mysteries. No, the universes and galaxies within those universes."
"Are you going to drink the vial?" Spook asked as Wraith disappeared into Hao's shadow as the Spirit Beast finally slept, Shu surprised it did not seem affected by the Keeper of the Dead.
"No, the specter said I should not enter the ruin below the Archon Dragon tier. This tree sap should be attainable at the ruins, although with high risks compared to the sap within the vial. I'm guessing the extraction method was different. I think I will drink it when I reach the Archon Dragon tier," Shu said as he stored the vial in Spook. "For now, I'll focus on the matter at hand: leading my Tiger Army through Giant's Chain, alive with as little casualties as I can. I can't worry about the future if I am struggling with today."