Dragon Elephant

Beside the Innate Water Eye deep beneath the Water Mansion, Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on a prayer mat.

"The war in the heavens has yet to end."

"But barring any surprises, Fuxi and Nuwa will surely prevail."

"And the Five Directions Imperial Dynasty will vanish into smoke and dust from then on."

A thoughtful look appeared in Zhou Yuan's eyes.

However, Innate Dao Lords possessed countless methods. Even though they were far above in the heavens at the moment,

Zhou Yuan had no desire to expose himself and draw their hatred.

"So, I still need to wait for the right opportunity and observe the changes in the heavens."

"After the heavens change, it will be time to strike in earnest."

With that thought, Zhou Yuan slowly closed his eyes.

Before long, a vast and ancient sword intent emerged around him.

Old Man Heavenly Sword had devoted countless kalpas to the path of the sword.

His inherited divine abilities were incomparably precious.

Yet now, they had all become Zhou Yuan's cultivation sustenance.

"Gather the strengths of a hundred schools to prove my own Great Dao."

"Use the method of furnace refinement to fuse ten thousand Daos into one body."

"Perhaps that is also a path."

The underground palace was silent, save for his murmured whispers.

Inside a side hall of the Water Mansion,

Guizhenzi smiled as he assessed the fellow officials before him.

"The Internal and External Divisions."

"Two different sets of personnel naturally form two different factions."

"Our lord is quite skilled in the art of balance."

Countless thoughts flickered through his mind, though none showed on his face. Guizhenzi spoke softly.

"Since you have all been favored by our lord and entrusted with separate authority,"

"you must place the affairs of the Water Mansion first. You must not neglect public duties for personal interests."

These hall masters and commanders had been operating for many years. Rat Ancestor Zishu and the others had clans beneath them that required care, while Old Man Qingrong and the rest had each gathered a group of independent cultivators.

With the Water Mansion's various systems only just established, Guizhenzi would not allow them to act recklessly.

Guizhenzi still wore a smile, but anyone could see the cold warning in his eyes.

"Rest assured, Chief Steward. We understand what matters."

The cake had yet to grow larger, so they did not have that many ulterior thoughts for now.

Guizhenzi nodded.

"The most urgent matter is for the Internal Affairs Hall to properly settle the many tribes that have submitted to the Wei River."

"Establish the regulations. Their annual tributes must not be lacking."

"The other halls must likewise follow our lord's orders to forge weapons and refine pills."

"So that we may be prepared when the time comes for conquest."

Madam Jiuzhen took the lead in voicing her assent.

Guizhenzi then addressed the twelve commanders.

"You and I are old acquaintances as well."

"On Chessboard Mountain, this poor Daoist became quite familiar with the methods of every tribe."

"Now, our lord has personally bestowed divine abilities and the arts of battle formations upon you."

"You must also forge your Dao soldiers as soon as possible."

The twelve commanders did not dare delay.

"Chief Steward, we will arrange this matter immediately."

"Within ten years, the Dao soldiers will take initial form."

"Good!"

Guizhenzi lightly swept his broad sleeve, his aged voice ringing with fervor.

"In this age of great contention,"

"you must all strive forward and expand the prestige of our Wei River."

"Our lord is benevolent and will surely not be stingy with rewards."

"When great achievements are made in the future, this old man will seek credit for you!"

Everyone present bowed toward the Water Mansion and answered in unison.

"We will never fail the grace of our lord's promotion and trust!"

Upstream along the Wei River.

The Dragon Elephant Tribe.

Rain poured down in torrents.

Thunder roared as lightning flashed.

The chief of the Dragon Elephant Tribe, with large ears, a long trunk, and golden light flickering in his eyes, gazed at the surging Wei River with worry in his heart.

"I wonder whether coming to the Wei River was a good thing or a bad one."

"And whether this place can provide shelter to our Dragon Elephant Tribe."

The Golden Brilliance Divine Dynasty...

Thinking of the divine race tribe that had once enslaved them, fear flashed across the aged, wrinkled face of the Dragon Elephant chief.

But when he glanced at the young elephants sleeping peacefully inside the stone house, his expression immediately turned resolute.

"I was not wrong."

"If we had not escaped during this change in the heavens,"

"our Dragon Elephant Tribe would have continued to be enslaved by the Golden Brilliance Divine Race."

"Generation after generation, and after another ten thousand years, our Dragon Elephant race would likely vanish from the Primordial Great Land."

The Dragon Elephant Tribe had been a major tribe active around the Huai River since ancient times.

Their ancestors had been closely connected to the true dragons of the Four Seas. Thus, their bloodline contained the divine power of true dragons, making them a natural warrior race.

"Unfortunately, after the ancient war, the ancestors and great powers of our Dragon Elephant race all perished."

How could a tribe with only a handful of stragglers obtain cultivation resources?

Without cultivation resources, their bloodline was difficult to awaken. As time passed, the Dragon Elephant race declined further and further.

The Dragon Elephant chief sighed.

If the Dragon Elephant race had not fallen into decline, how could they have ended up in their present state?

"Enslaved by a tribe with a True One Realm cultivator."

"Because the natal tusks of our tribe contain true dragon bloodline and are excellent materials for artifact refinement, they demanded that our tribe offer a pair of tusks every hundred years."

"These tusks carry the cultivation of our entire lives. Once the tusks are removed, a dragon elephant's life reaches its end."

"This is nothing less than treating us as expendable materials."

At this thought, the Dragon Elephant chief's eyes became bloodshot, filled with hatred.

The divine race of the Golden Brilliance Imperial Dynasty was truly hateful. Even during the era of the three races, there had never been such a plan to exterminate a people at their roots.

When one's strength was inferior, what could one do?

After composing himself and forcing up his spirits, the Dragon Elephant chief asked the clansman beside him,

"Lie, have you found out which lord is currently in charge of the Water Mansion? I will pay him a visit tomorrow."

Longshan Lie, whose skin was dark and hard as iron, replied in a deep, muffled voice,

"I asked around."

"The Wei River Water Lord is in seclusion cultivating. The one currently overseeing the Water Mansion's affairs is Lord Guizhenzi, a great Divine Demon Cultivator of the True One Realm."

"As for the one responsible for settling tribes like ours, that is Madam Jiuzhen."

The Dragon Elephant chief's white brows twitched.

"Do you know Madam Jiuzhen's background?"

Guizhenzi was a Divine Demon Cultivator of the True One Realm and oversaw the Wei River Water Mansion. The Dragon Elephant Tribe knew their own limits when it came to such a great figure.

They were far too insignificant to approach him now.

But Madam Jiuzhen might still be within reach...

"It is said that Madam Jiuzhen is a white fox who attained the Dao."

"Her cultivation has already reached the peak of the Heavenly Human Realm. She is only one step away from entering the True One Realm."

Peak Heavenly Human Realm, half a step into True One!

The Dragon Elephant chief paced back and forth inside the stone house.

"How does she handle matters?"

Longshan Lie answered cautiously,

"I heard from the surrounding tribes that this lady handles matters very fairly."

"Since she also came from an independent cultivator background and was once a wild fox who attained the Dao, she is quite protective of small tribes and independent cultivators."

After pondering for a moment, the old Dragon Elephant chief made up his mind.

"Prepare yourself. Tomorrow, accompany this old man to visit Madam Jiuzhen with that Crimson Dragon Ginseng."

"This..."

Longshan Lie was stunned.

"Chief, shouldn't we observe and consider things a little longer?"

This Crimson Dragon Ginseng was one of the Dragon Elephant Tribe's foundations. It was a High-grade Acquired Spiritual Root, formed when the blood essence of a Dao Lord-level Crimson Dragon combined with the spiritual plant red ginseng after the dragon's death.

Not only could it stimulate bloodlines and allow creatures with dragon blood to return to their ancestors,

it also contained Dao essence that could help living beings comprehend the Dao and cultivate.

It was the Dragon Elephant Tribe's last treasure.

A trace of sorrow flashed through the old Dragon Elephant chief's eyes, but he said decisively,

"There is no time."

"Madam Jiuzhen is the strongest existence our race can reach in the short term."

"Only by obtaining her protection will our tribe have a sliver of hope."

As for entrusting themselves to the wrong person, they could only accept it if that happened.

Longshan Lie opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But no words came out.

His face merely flushed crimson.

At that moment, his desire to become strong had never been more intense.