Chapter Sixty-Five: The Name of the Divine Clan (Part Two)

The Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Sovereign Token was the supreme emblem of the dragon race, symbolizing the highest authority as if the Ancestral Dragon himself were present. To see the token was to see the sovereign! Unless the dragon race faced a crisis of life or death, no one was permitted to use the Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Sovereign Token without cause.

“My elder brother has actually used the Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Sovereign Token… How could the dragon race be facing such a pivotal crisis?” Candle Dragon frowned, gazing at the Sovereign Token presented by the Fire Dragon General, and ruminated over the dragon race’s recent plans, finding no sign of looming disaster.

Then what order could this Sovereign Token be delivering?

Could it be...?!

Candle Dragon’s golden pupils widened abruptly, flickering with a strange light as he recalled the words his elder brother, the Ancestral Dragon, had spoken to him before Not-Yet Mountain.

A few months earlier, at the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, in the Star-Picking Pavilion.

Under the dark night sky, starlight shimmered upon the magnificent Star-Picking Pavilion, infusing the scene with mystery.

The Ancestral Dragon, crowned with the Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Sovereign Crown and robed in matching regalia, appeared majestic and awe-inspiring. His golden dragon eyes radiated a unique allure, as if capable of drawing in the entire world.

“Third brother, on your journey to Not-Yet Mountain, you need not clash with Nan Luo. Simply observe the birth of the God Race,” the Ancestral Dragon commanded, his back to Candle Dragon as he gazed at the starry sky, his tone dignified yet calm.

“The God Race?! Nan Luo is going to create a race called the God Race?!” Candle Dragon stared in astonishment at the towering figure before him, suspicion and surprise intermingling in his voice.

“The God Race?! Even from the name, one can tell it’s destined for calamity. Elder brother, why don’t we ally with the other great races and strangle this God Race at its inception?” Candle Dragon’s eyes glinted with ferocity, his murderous intent barely concealed as he offered his counsel.

From the first mention of the God Race, Candle Dragon had felt a strange discomfort, a sense that it would become the dragon race’s greatest nemesis—a mortal threat.

The Ancestral Dragon turned, his brilliant golden eyes burning into Candle Dragon’s until the latter, under their intense scrutiny, could not help but lower his head.

“Third brother, I am gratified by your vigilance. Indeed, the God Race is destined to be the dragon race’s greatest adversary. But they are not our enemy now—they are the enemy of our future. For now, our true threat is the Fierce Beast Tribe,” the Ancestral Dragon began by praising Candle Dragon, then continued in a steady voice.

“The Fierce Beast Tribe? What are they?” Candle Dragon asked, puzzled.

The Ancestral Dragon produced a crystal of memories and tossed it to Candle Dragon.

With curiosity, Candle Dragon sent his divine sense into the crystal. Moments later, cold sweat streamed down his brow.

“Brother, the Fierce Beast Tribe is terrifying beyond measure! They have extinguished and united all the races of the Western Wastes. What are we to do?” Candle Dragon inquired anxiously.

The Ancestral Dragon revealed a mysterious smile, his golden eyes icy as he replied calmly, “We wait! When the Fierce Beast Tribe invades the wilderness and slaughters the races, the dragon race will seize the moment to rescue all from the flames and waters, swallowing the other races and dominating the wilds!”

“What?!” Candle Dragon was thunderstruck by the grand ambition in his brother’s plan.

“And what of the God Race?” Candle Dragon asked curiously.

The Ancestral Dragon’s gaze turned profound as he replied, “The God Race is the mortal enemy of the Fierce Beast Tribe. The dragon race will simply bide its time until both sides are spent, then claim victory over both and unite all beneath heaven.”

Recalling these words, Candle Dragon stared at the Sovereign Token before him, a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and dread surging within. “So this is brother’s next plan!”

Candle Dragon extended his right hand, plucking the Sovereign Token from the air. Eagerly, he sent his divine sense into it, intent on hearing his brother’s next command.

“When the God Race is founded, the world’s barrier shall fall. When the Fierce Beasts emerge, the wilderness shall bleed.”

Candle Dragon lifted his head to the heavens, watching the gods and dragons battling above, a cold smile curling his lips. “So that’s how it is. I know what I must do!”

Dong, dong, dong...

Suddenly, clear peals of bell rang out, reverberating through the heavens and earth.

“That’s the call to cease battle!” The gods and the factions all turned toward the Dragon Palace with puzzled expressions.

Even Lei Xing, the Thunder God, who was gathering the power of the Sea of Lightning, paused in confusion, his gaze drawn to the Dragon Palace.

“Could it be that the always-proud dragon race has surrendered?!” Lion Xiong, the Grand Elder of the Lion Tribe, stared in disbelief toward the palace as the bell tolled.

A similar thought arose in the hearts of all the gods and powers.

High above the Dragon Palace, a massive golden bell appeared, its sonorous tolls echoing far and wide.

Roar!

Hearing the bell, the Water-Fire Dragon, locked in fierce combat with the Thunder Dragon, broke away with a mighty effort, transforming into a beam of divine light and retreating in disarray to the palace.

The Thunder Dragon, under Lei Xing’s control, did not pursue, but instead soared back to the Sea of Lightning, roaring as he went.

Then, a Dragon King, clad in the Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon Robe and crowned with the Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon Crown, appeared slowly above the Dragon Palace.

Candle Dragon rode a cloud of auspicious vapor, flying to the foot of Water-Fire Mountain. Facing the southern road, he bowed respectfully and declared, “I greet you, Divine Sovereign. This humble dragon concedes. The dragon race admits defeat!”

Seated upon the Frozen Throne, Nan Luo gazed deeply at Candle Dragon, thinking to himself, “It must be that Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Sovereign Token just now that made Candle Dragon yield so readily. But what is the dragon race truly plotting?”

Nan Luo had already noticed the Sovereign Token delivered to Candle Dragon from the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace. After all, as the exalted Primordial Divine Sovereign, how could he fail to detect it? Yet the token bore the power of the Ancestral Dragon, making it impossible for Nan Luo to seize it unnoticed.

Not wishing to provoke war with the dragon race, Nan Luo had allowed the token to reach Candle Dragon’s hand. Now it seemed the token had accomplished much—forcing the dragon race, through Candle Dragon, to admit defeat before Nan Luo.

“Rise, Dragon King,” Nan Luo said, extending his hand in the void. An irresistible force lifted Candle Dragon to his feet.

Sweeping his gaze over heaven and earth, Nan Luo looked upon the gods and the assembled powers. Not wanting to delay further, he resolved to cut the Gordian knot and immediately announce the founding of the God Race.

From the moment he arrived at Not-Yet Mountain, Nan Luo had sensed an invisible crisis looming over him. At first, he attributed it to the Dao Patriarch Hong Jun, but even after Hong Jun’s disappearance, the sense of threat only grew stronger.

Especially since the gods and the powers began their war, Nan Luo’s unease intensified, becoming almost unbearable.

Though he appeared to be merely observing the battle, Nan Luo was constantly calculating in secret, seeking the source of this intangible threat. To aid his divination, he even resorted to the Creation Jade Disc, an artifact he was loath to use—yet some mysterious force blocked his efforts, revealing only that the crisis originated in the west.

Thus, Nan Luo decided to found the God Race at once, harnessing its destiny to elevate the gods to divine sovereigns. With the God Race’s fortune and the combined strength of the new sovereigns, he hoped to shelter himself and avert disaster.

“Everyone, I have come to announce a matter that will change the fate of the wilderness,” Nan Luo declared.

Suddenly, an intense golden light radiated from him, his authority as Divine Sovereign surging and pressing down upon all the powers.

The assembled races and the gods alike felt a life-or-death sense of crisis, as if their fates were now in Nan Luo’s hands.

“I shall establish the God Race, the people of destiny!” Nan Luo’s voice, holy and majestic, echoed through heaven and earth, reaching the ears of every power.

Boom!

The sky erupted with massive bolts of purple, gold, and fiery lightning—each far more terrifying than Lei Xing’s divine thunder, as if the heavens themselves were responding.

Endless golden auspicious clouds of fortune, accompanied by infinite divine thunder, gathered above Nan Luo’s head.

The golden clouds swelled rapidly, spreading to cover five hundred thousand miles in a blink.

The gods gazed upon the endless golden clouds above Nan Luo with delight, while the leaders of the great powers regarded them with grave calculation.

A fortune cloud spanning five hundred thousand miles—this was far beyond what any single Primordial Divine Sovereign could possess!

According to the hierarchy of fortune in the wilderness:

A hundred thousand miles of fortune cloud belonged to an ordinary divine sovereign; three hundred thousand to a Primordial Divine Sovereign. The great races’ million-mile fortune clouds encompassed the combined fortune of their sovereigns, kings, domains, and all their subjects.

But Nan Luo, with only himself as a Primordial Divine Sovereign, already commanded five hundred thousand miles of fortune cloud. What an astonishing display of destined power!

“Gods, do you wish to join the God Race?” Nan Luo’s sacred, solemn voice invited the gods to become part of his new order.

“I, Miao Yan, Goddess of Fate, am willing!”

“I, Shi Shi, God of Devouring, am willing!”

“I, Ni Gu, God of Time, am willing!”

“I, Bu Xu, God of the Earth, am willing!”

“I, Lei Xing, God of Thunder, am willing!”

“I, Bai Hua, God of Light, am willing!”

“I, Hei An, God of Darkness, am willing!”

“I, Fang Yan, God of Literature, am willing!”

“I, Wu Potian, God of War, am willing!”

“I, Jehovah, God of Creation, am willing!”

“I, Tian Jun, God of Order, am willing!”

“I, Huan Hun, God of Dreams, am willing!”

Had the gods not waited and struggled so long for this very moment—to join the God Race? Their faces lit with excitement, their voices rang high and clear: “We are willing!”

Boom!

The sea of fortune clouds above Nan Luo’s head abruptly swelled from five hundred thousand miles to a million.

Twelve golden pillars of fortune light shot out from the million-mile expanse, enveloping the twelve divine kings.

Endless fortune surged, pouring into the gods’ divine bodies.

“This immense power—now I am a Divine Sovereign!” The gods, feeling the rapid ascent of their strength and the loosening of the Celestial Gate’s bonds, shouted with unrestrained joy.

“I am Miao Yan, Sovereign of Fate!”

As the first among the gods, Miao Yan, with her deep reserves, was the first to break through the Celestial Gate and become the Sovereign of Fate.

“I am Shi Shi, Sovereign of Devouring!”

“I am Ni Gu, Sovereign of Time!”

“I am Bu Xu, Sovereign of Earth!”

“I am Lei Xing, Sovereign of Thunder!”

“I am Bai Hua, Sovereign of Light!”

“I am Hei An, Sovereign of Darkness!”

“I am Fang Yan, Sovereign of Literature!”

“I am Wu Potian, Sovereign of War!”

“I am Jehovah, Sovereign of Creation!”

“I am Tian Jun, Sovereign of Order!”

“I am Huan Hun, Sovereign of Dreams!”

The proclamations of eleven newly ascended Primordial Divine Sovereigns resounded like the grandest symphony, echoing across Not-Yet Mountain and throughout the wilderness.

“Powers of the world, do you acknowledge my God Race?” Nan Luo pressed the gathered powers to recognize the God Race’s status.

With their recognition, the God Race would immediately rise from a newly born force to stand shoulder to shoulder with all the dominant powers.

The gathered powers could guess Nan Luo’s intention. Though the God Race now possessed Nan Luo and eleven other Primordial Divine Sovereigns, making them the strongest force in the wilds, they still lacked a foundation—rulers without subjects.

How could the established powers, the overlords of the wilds, yield so easily?

“The dragon race congratulates the founding of the God Race!” As the grand elders hesitated, Candle Dragon took the lead in offering congratulations.

“The Phoenix Clan congratulates the founding of the God Race!” Next, Elder Feng Huang of the Phoenix Clan followed suit.

“The Kirin Clan congratulates the founding of the God Race!” Elder Kirin Huo of the Kirin Clan likewise extended their wishes.

If the dragon and phoenix clans’ actions were already difficult for the other powers to comprehend, unsure what they were plotting, the Kirin Clan’s actions promptly spurred a wave of imitation.

With the three clans acting in unison, the other powers followed suit, offering their congratulations as well. They might not understand the three clans’ calculations, but they knew these clans were shrewd and would not make deals at a loss.

Thus, under the lead of the three great clans, the God Race was recognized and congratulated by all major powers.

The million-mile sea of fortune clouds above Nan Luo’s head now exploded into a golden ocean spanning three million miles.

“Three million miles—already rivaling the dragon race, the strongest in the wilderness!” None of the gods, the powers, or even Nan Luo himself, had expected the God Race’s fortune to be so vast.

And this was only the fortune of a race with high-level strength; once the God Race established its own lower echelons and began to claim territory, who could say how immense their fortune would become then?

The gods and Nan Luo beamed with joy, unable to contain their delight, while the other powers looked on in shock and disbelief.

Bathed in sacred golden light, Nan Luo stood between heaven and earth, like the one and only divinity, and proclaimed with solemn majesty:

“The God Race is founded!”