Chapter 69 - Birthright: Royal Intervention

East of the Kunlun Mountain. The Bennett family had a circle formed with Lucien in the center. Lucien ȧssumed if the first sovereign could steal a treasure from the celestial elves and the last of the five emperors could seal it away, then it must have had a powerful cloaking spell placed on it. To keep it hidden for thousands of years.

The Bennetts now combined their magic and used the map as a talisman to reveal the location of Shangri-La. Centuries of lives were sacrificed over the map, collecting so much death had morphed it into a powerful dark talisman.

When the spell was finished, they all received images of paradises, five valleys spread across China, on the same level as Shangri-La.

Deep within the Kunlun mountain, was a valley paradise. Lushes green trees spread across the land and the rivers radiated magic that nourished the land around it. The plants bore fruits the held tyrannical robust energy. And the cries of beasts well beyond the stages of the everyday magical beast seen in the wizarding world could be heard echoing throughout the sacred land.

"My Lord, I've never felt such power from beasts before, even in the Congo."

"Relax Vega, we'll be alright. Do you feel the energy in the plants around here? I think this is the stuff that Farvi said that you need."

Lucien and the family spent time exploring the outer forest of Shangri-La. Picking different herbs, roots, fruits, and drinking the water from the rivers. The water did not make them immortal, it did, however, expand their life span and increased the density of their magic.

The water's magical attributes became stronger the closer Lucien got to the source of its origin, Lucien figured the immortal pool was at the center Shangri-La.

Vega spent her time eating the heavenly resources with the weakest energy and worked her way up to her limit. The Heavenly resources refined her body and allowed her to grow in strength and magic.

Collecting and exploring, Lucien and his family ventured for two days, until they ran into their first beast. six feet in height, two huge antlers erected from the deer headed fiend.

Lucien channeled all the magic he had, flexing his hand, he began to break the bones in the fiend's body until it was sprawled out on the forest floor in agony. With the flick of his wrist, wooden spears shot from the trees and impaled the fiend until its death.

"We should be able to battle the beast in this layer, but I have no idea how long we will be able to hold out. Well, let's start hunting."

The family paired up and went their separate ways to gain some battle experience, while Lucien and Vega ventured deeper into Shangri-La.

'Eat, grow, and fight.' Lucien told Vega

For the next two weeks, Shangri-La was turned into a battlefield. Lucien was gaining better control over his magic, while the waters of Shangri-La increased its quality. Lucien's elements were four times more deadly and he had gained better control over the protective flames, he had used to slay the basilisk. The structures he created with transfiguration became more stable, charms and curses became more refined, the more he fought with the beast.

Closer to the middle section of Shangri-La, Lucien and Vega had come across a Leshen. The first beast they had an encounter, in Shangri-La that could use magic.

The Leshen raised its claws and vines erupted from the earth and flying in Lucien direction with the intent to kill. Vega stepped forward, she let out a low growl and released a psychic wave, ripping the cursed vines to shreds.

'Master Lucien, allow me.'

During their time in Shangri-La, Vega had the most progress. Not only did her mental arts reach new heights, but she had also acquired dream arts and telekinesis, like Lucien. With her rapid growth in power, Vega had gained her third tail. A testament to her growing strength.

In the middle of an open area, the Leshen and Vega went blow for blow. Vega was now 6 feet 7 inches tall, a massive beast she was.

But, the Leshen continued to hold its own. As it went up in a puff of smoke and reappeared behind Vega. Pointing at Vega, the Leshen had commanded an oak tree to smash her. Before she could dodge, vines encased her paw and held her in place as the tree smashed into her.

"ferrum ventus turbinis" a windstorm collided into the oak tree pulling it out the ground, sending it airborne. Lucien's hex diminished it to woodchips before it could even hit the ground.

Stopping the wood chips from falling, Lucien guided them like a swarm of insects and sent them at the Leshen, destroying the lower half of the beast.

Braking from the vines, Vega pounced on the Leshen and tore it's head off. When the Leshen was no more, howls echoed through the forest. Vexation, malice, and wrath could be detected in the howls.

"Dire wolves, Get ready Vega."

A Pack of eight massive grey and black Dire wolves, came sprinting from the treeline. The first wolf that sprung into the air, Lucien had intercepted it by landing a blow directly on its forehead.

Lucien was playing with the same concept he had used in the Congo, but instead of attaching a spell to a weapon, he attached it to his fist, placing a curse on the dire wolves. Before Lucien landed on the ground, he muttered the activation.

"Implosion..." the entire body of the wolf violently caved in on itself, turning in to a bloody ball of meat and shattered bones.

Vega dashed off to meet the incoming pack head-on. Lucien landed and shouted for Vega to use her claws. Vega collided with the pack, sinking her claws into one wolf, she used her telekinetic force as she ripped out and extracted the wolf's spine.

As Vega got accustomed to her new abilities, overpowering the dire wolves with Lucien's help, was a simple matter. Lucien collected the hearts and livers of the Dire wolves and put them in proper storage before he moved on.

With Lucien's High priest mark now carved into them, Lucien could now feel his cousins. So, sending resources to nurture them in critical times or going to their aid in strenuous situations was a simple matter for Lucien now.

When the ladies finished their ascensions. Lucien bottled up as much of the river water as he could and left Shangri-La with his family. Right now, he and Vega together could only make it to the middle regions of Shangri-La.

The power Lucien felt deeper into the middle region, was beyond the power Lucien had felt coming from Dumbledore. Lucien was positive by the end of the middle region, all of the beasts had to be 10th baptism equivalent, 9th baptism 2nd Trial at the very least.

When Lucien and the ladies reached the entrance of Shangri-La, Lucien told them that Shangri-La had to be sealed, with only a key they could use. Lucien then Conjured a bowl and slit his wrist.

The rest of the family also slit their wrist, as they watched the bowl feel with Bennett blood. Lucien placed the bowl at the entrance of Shangri-La and asked the ladies for the hearts of all the beast they killed over the weeks. Altogether the number of beasts, killed by Bennett blood reached the two hundred, Lucien added another one hundred and fifty.

Waving his hand, a deep round hole appeared in front of the Shangri-La entrance. Lucien threw all of the beast hearts, some of the heavenly resources, and River water into the hole. snapping his fingers the contents of the hole began to bubble, turning the earth into a cauldron.

"We will consecrate this ground as Bennet-Dubois land. So, even if they make it through the cloaking spell they will not be able to enter."

Lucien then poured the bowl of blood into the earth cauldron and all the contents went up in flames.

The winds began to wail, the clouds drifted in, turn the day dark with shadows. Lightning struck the earth cauldron in a loud crash.

"Together!"

The ladies stepped forward with the consecration incantation fresh in their minds. Lucien had also added a little something extra. Lucien knew that they wouldn't be able to draw enough power to claim a place like Shangri-La, however, he planned on feeling that gap with something special.

The family began to chant.

"carnem, sanguinem, et os

impleat manum super terram illam et nostro.

vocamus spiritum nobis unius tribus, familia antiqua. Dicimus pientissimam contentionem throni in humili domuncula habitans: num custos nostro!"

During the second round of saying the incantation the world went deathly silent, and 1000's of Bennett men and women appeared, the world flashed back to reality and all of Lucien's ancestors had been present in the land of the living. The Bennetts in Mystic Falls were all summoned as well.

Lucien looked around and they all bowed.

However, they weren't bowing before Lucien. They were bowing before the woman standing in front of Lucien…