[Note up front: Many thanks to the readers who pointed out mistakes. I'll be revising the earlier parts about Thalassa, Soul Beast age, and how Soul Beasts address one another. Please keep pointing out anything else you find. I'll also add more from the Elves' perspective, since it really was lacking.]
As the Art of War put it, two people made a pair, three made a group, and six made an army. Any faction was bound to contain smaller groups.
The same was true of Rus Wang's side, which was divided into two major factions: the Elves and the Soul Beasts. Things were simpler among the Elves, who had been unified from the beginning; their only conflicts were internal class divisions. The Soul Beasts were much more complicated. True Dragons, Sub-Dragons, plants, and the Beast Race were the four main branches, each with its own further subdivisions. All in all, though, they were nowhere near as fragmented as Star Dou Forest. At least the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in each of the four branches shared a common understanding and lived under the Dragon King's rule.
The Silver Dragon King was busy dealing with the Divine Realm and had gone into seclusion to recover, so Star Dou Forest was actually under Di Tian's supervision. That was why Xiong Jun, a Dark Gold Dreadclaw, had always resented Di Tian and coveted his position.
Dragon Valley Forest was different. The soul of the Light Dragon King, one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings, was still active. What's more, the Heavenly Sun Dragon bloodline had maintained a stable succession of clan leaders for ten thousand years, and every year its leader traveled through a spatial rift to Dragon Valley World to report on the situation.
Overall, they still followed the same model of governance the Dragon God had established when he opened up the Divine Realm and allowed the best among the various star systems to become deities within the Divine Dragon Realm. When Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts caused trouble, they were truly judged according to the Dragon Clan Code.
"Treat Soul Beasts under ten thousand years old like wild animals. Don't worry too much about them. Even if the Elves eat them like livestock, don't feel bad. For Soul Beasts over ten thousand years old, arrange for them to stay with the Elves and give them some early education through the Mental Contract Law. Let the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts spend plenty of time with the Elves. When the Dragon Race rises again, the Elves must receive more divine positions—and positions with real authority."
With his annual report for the past year in hand, Rus Wang met with the Light Dragon King's soul once again. They discussed plans for the coming year.
"You must make good use of the spatial disturbance surrounding Zheer Continent, Rus. Before it dissipates, develop the Elf Kingdom as quickly as you can. We need a larger Elf population."
The Light Dragon King didn't know how the dense fog around Zheer Continent had formed, nor that it was caused by the divine power of Rus Wang's system. But the chaotic space within it made him realize that it was protecting Zheer Continent from human discovery.
"Oh, right. Speaking of the Elf Kingdom..."
The Light Dragon King set the report aside, intending to chat about more personal matters.
"Rus, how are your children getting along with the Elf children?"
Before and after the Dragon God's fall, True Dragons had always remained True Dragons. They had been classified by humans as Soul Beasts only because they too were threatened by the Heavenly Tribulation. But the Dragon Race was not the same as Soul Beasts. Sub-Dragons, on the other hand, really did belong to the Soul Beast category.
True Dragons could come in all sorts of shapes, but their most distinctive trait was that, even as young hatchlings, they could think by the time they were a few years old, just like human and Elf children. They were fundamentally different from the descendants of animals and plants mutated by the energy released when the Dragon God fell—the creatures known as Soul Beasts.
"They get along pretty well. They can play together throughout their six years in kindergarten, but when they turn twelve, I'll have to send them back to Nanshan Rainforest because of the difference in their size."
"That's good to hear, Rus. And since the Dragon Race members in Dragon Valley Forest have all moved to Zheer Continent over the past few years, we should shift our focus back to developing the Elf Kingdom. Make sure you keep a close eye on things. Soul Beasts are just a slogan; the relationship between the Dragon Race and the Elves is what really matters."
"I understand, senior."
Just then, the book the Light Dragon King had given to Rus Wang and the other Hundred-Thousand-Year Dragons for long-distance communication began to shake. (Think of the book Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle used to communicate across dimensions by writing to each other in My Little Pony: Equestria Girls.)
"Why is it shaking all of a sudden? Is something urgent happening?"
"Open it and find out."
Rus Wang opened the book so the Light Dragon King could see. The Light Dragon King's usually relaxed expression turned to one of long-awaited recognition.
"The Hell Demon Dragon King from another continent has been sent here as an envoy? I thought I'd have to wait thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, of years."
"Maybe the human survivors I drove out of Dragon Valley Forest more than a decade ago made it back to that continent. The information they carried might have been sensed by the Dragons there."
"Hmm... That makes sense. But if she's been sent as an envoy and came by ship, she probably isn't stronger than a three-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. Considering her status, you can't just send a message to her from afar, Rus. You're the Dragon King now; doing that would be beneath you. You have to meet her in person, at a proper venue. I'll look through my library and see if I've written down any Dragon Clan Secret Techniques that would let her safely cross the spatial rift and reach Dragon Valley World. There's no place more solemn for a meeting than Dragon Valley World. Rus, wait here a moment."
Rus Wang nodded. People said that having an elder in the family was like having a treasure, and the Light Dragon King could always provide something the Paradox System couldn't. Perhaps, if the Silver Dragon King did something foolish in the future, the Light Dragon King—whose seniority was on par with hers—could give her a talking-to.
"But is it really appropriate to hold a meeting in the Dragon Clan Graveyard?"
Meanwhile, after receiving Rus Wang's reply, Riven returned to the Core Circle of Dragon Valley Forest ahead of the others through the Spatial Teleportation Rune Array, bringing Zi JI and the Elves who had been living undercover among humans with her.
"So, Riven, this is your territory in Dragon Valley Forest?"
Zi JI sensed the concentration of heaven and earth energy in the forest. Overall, it was weaker than in Star Dou Forest, only about as strong as the boundary between the Core Circle and the Mixed Circle.
"It used to be my territory. Now, for the Elves and me, it's just a military zone."
"A military zone?"
The answer displeased Zi JI. Since when could another race casually designate land belonging to the Dragon Race? She could see from Riven's earlier description that the Elves had a promising future, but that was all it was: a promising future.
The Dragon Race had once been glorious, and humans were glorious now. The Elves? Sorry, Zi JI wasn't trying to put them down; she'd simply never heard of them before.
"Yes. A lot changed in Dragon Valley Forest before you came to this continent. Things only stabilized after the current Dragon King of Dragon Valley Forest, Rus Wang, came over from Zheer Continent—the continent where the Elves live—and drove out the human Soul Hunting Squad more than a decade ago. After he discussed things with our ancestors, many of our Dragon Race kin, along with Soul Beast groups that had produced Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, were relocated to Zheer Continent, where the Elves live. From then on, this place became a military zone."
"That Rus Wang you mentioned—is he the six-hundred-thousand-year Dragon Race member I'm supposed to meet?"
Riven glanced at Zi JI without answering, then silently pointed behind her.
Whoosh—
"This aura! When did he get behind me?!"
Only then did Zi JI sense Rus Wang's breath behind her. She immediately rolled away, putting distance between them, and stared in shock at the strange-looking True Dragon who had suddenly appeared behind her.
"Weren't you hoping to meet me? Why are you backing away?"
Rus Wang watched with interest as Zi JI performed the startled, evasive move he'd seen her make in the comics in his previous life. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Sensing that his strength was as unfathomable as Di Tian's, Zi JI didn't dare get angry. Instead, she immediately addressed him with utmost respect. "Greetings, Your Excellency Rus Wang. I'm the envoy Zi JI, the Hell Demon Dragon King from Star Dou Forest on Douluo Continent."
"Zi JI? That's a fine name."
Rus Wang examined Zi JI for a moment. She looked different from the version he'd seen in the comics. Then he continued, "This isn't an appropriate place for formal talks. Come with me. We'll meet somewhere else."
The Core Circle of Dragon Valley Forest still wasn't an appropriate place for a meeting? Zi JI instinctively wanted to ask.
"Are we going to Zheer Continent?"
"No. The place we're going is even more solemn. It's a place that weighs heavily on both of us as members of the Dragon Race."
Rus Wang shook his head.
"Dragon Valley."
Zi JI's eyes widened.
Before you continue