Supreme Pontiff Palace,
After settling everything, Lev left the Elder's Palace and headed directly back to the Supreme Pontiff Palace, where Bibi Dong was waiting for him. With one of the biggest obstacles to his plans now removed, he couldn't help but wear a faint smile. The first part of his mission had finally been completed.
Walking casually through the palace, it didn't take long for Lev to arrive at his destination. As soon as he entered, Bibi Dong greeted him, a hint of worry still visible in her eyes.
Lev responded with a faint smile.
"Everything's settled. Let's get things done already."
Hearing this, Bibi Dong smiled in relief. She had been anticipating some form of opposition from the Elders Palace, but seeing that nothing had happened, she finally felt at ease. With the Elder's Palace no longer standing in his way, Lev would soon become the one and only true ruler of the continent.
"I really hate working. Sigh."
Lev followed up with a helpless smile before walking out of the palace. Just thinking about how arduous the work awaiting him over the following days made him want to escape before it even began. Unfortunately, there was no running away from it. Since it needed to be done, he could only endure it and get started.
Bibi Dong couldn't help but smile at his reaction before quietly calling out to five figures hidden within the shadows.
She had things to take care of as well. Her role was to ensure that Lev's succession went as smoothly as possible. She knew that his rise to power would undoubtedly shock the entire continent, but what concerned her most were the people who would inevitably oppose it.
"You know what to do."
Her order was vague, yet the five figures immediately understood.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished without leaving a trace.
Bibi Dong then turned her gaze toward Lev, who was already walking farther away. With a faint smile, she followed after him, wanting to witness the rise of the soon-to-be ruler of the continent—and the man she loved.
**********
—One month later—
Time passed, and an entire month quietly slipped away.
A month could neither be considered short nor long, but it was more than enough time for news of Lev's successful acquisition of Spirit Hall to spread throughout the entire continent. Although the formal succession ceremony had yet to take place, the news alone was enough to stir the continent into an uproar of surprise, shock, excitement, and even joy.
There was still plenty of work left to be done, but after a month of preparation, Lev had finally entrusted most of the remaining matters to his people.
As for himself, he was now traveling with Xiao Wu toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
With the situation across the continent more or less settled, Lev felt that it was finally time to meet the Silver Dragon King and hear what she wanted to discuss with him.
With their formidable spirit power, Lev and Xiao Wu moved swiftly through the forest together. The three Pokémon accompanying them took care of most of the obstacles along the way, clearing a path and making their journey far easier.
The Star Dou Great Forest was located an enormous distance from the Eternal Divine Empire. However, with their speed, the journey didn't take nearly as long as it normally would have.
Before long, Lev and Xiao Wu finally arrived just outside the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest.
*****
Star Dou Great Forest,
Deep within the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, a beautiful woman who had been sleeping peacefully suddenly opened her eyes.
Her gaze immediately turned toward a particular direction as she sensed a powerful aura approaching from outside the barrier she had established to isolate this place from the outside world.
With a simple wave of her hand, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared before her.
"That person is already outside. Go and bring him here."
The beautiful woman spoke calmly, her voice carrying an unquestionable authority.
"Yes."
Di Tian's eyes widened slightly before he quickly regained his composure. He immediately bowed and turned around, leaving to carry out her orders.
Although he couldn't help but feel somewhat complicated about this upcoming meeting, there was nothing he could do about it. As the loyal guardian of the Dragon God, he could only follow his master's orders.
Meanwhile, Lev and Xiao Wu had already stopped moving.
They had been waiting for a while, but Lev wasn't impatient. He knew that someone would eventually come to guide them inside.
After all, he had deliberately released a portion of his aura earlier to notify the inhabitants of the core region of their arrival.
Sure enough, it didn't take long.
A black silhouette suddenly appeared before them.
"So, it's you, Di Tian."
Lev narrowed his eyes as he looked seriously at the middle-aged man standing before him.
Seeing Di Tian's somewhat strange behavior, Lev immediately understood that the shock the man had experienced back then might still be lingering in his mind.
Di Tian, on the other hand, couldn't help but avert his gaze while a bead of sweat trickled down his face.
However, his attention soon shifted toward the figures accompanying Lev.
His eyes widened when he noticed the five Elemental Spirits
But what surprised him even more was Xiao Wu.
Compared to the last time he had seen her, her aura had clearly become much stronger.
'How did she become this powerful in such a short amount of time?'
Di Tian couldn't help but feel astonished.
After a moment, he finally composed himself.
"Y-Young Lord, please follow me. The Silver Dragon King has been waiting for you."
With that, Di Tian turned around and began walking in a particular direction.
He didn't know exactly what would happen once Lev and the Silver Dragon King finally met, but he knew one thing for certain.
A change was bound to occur.
Lev glanced at Xiao Wu, who nodded in understanding. Without saying anything else, the two followed behind Di Tian.
Together, they entered the mysterious core region of the Star Dou Great Forest—a place completely unknown and inaccessible to ordinary humans.
The moment they crossed the boundary, Lev and Xiao Wu were greeted by an entirely different world.
The surroundings were filled with a mystical and beautiful ambiance. The vegetation was lush and vibrant, while the atmosphere itself seemed to contain an ancient and profound energy.
Yet their initial appreciation of the scenery quickly changed.
They could feel countless gazes falling upon them.
Spirit beasts were watching them from every direction.
And these weren't ordinary spirit beasts.
Every single one of them possessed an incredibly powerful aura.
Their collective gazes alone were enough to make even an ordinary Titled Douluo shudder in fear.
Yet Lev, Xiao Wu, and his summons remained completely unaffected.
If anything, the spirit beasts themselves were the ones who were shocked.
A human had actually entered their territory.
They couldn't understand how such a thing was possible.
However, seeing that the human was being personally guided by Di Tian, none of them dared to interfere. Instead, they could only watch Lev with curiosity and caution.
Lev and Xiao Wu, in turn, observed the surrounding spirit beasts with equal interest.
The five Elemental Spirit were particularly surprised.
The spirit beasts living in this place were vastly stronger than the ones they normally encountered and defeated while following their master.
Yet rather than feeling intimidated, they became excited.
For them, powerful opponents didn't inspire fear.
They inspired anticipation.
Di Tian continued leading them deeper into the core region until they finally arrived before the entrance of a strange cave.
He stopped and turned around.
"Young Lord, the Silver Dragon King is inside."
His gaze then swept over Xiao Wu and the three Pokémon.
"Only you may enter. The others will have to remain here."
Lev raised an eyebrow but didn't object.
Instead, he simply glanced at Xiao Wu before looking toward the mysterious cave in front of him.
Whatever awaited him inside, he had come here precisely because he wanted to find out.
With that thought in mind, Lev stepped forward and entered the cave, his heart filled with anticipation as he prepared to finally meet the Silver Dragon King.
*****
Inside the Cave,
Upon entering the cave, Lev first scrutinized his surroundings, carefully taking in every detail.
However, his attention soon came to a complete halt.
His gaze landed on the woman sitting before him, and for a brief moment, his mind seemingly stopped processing.
He was completely mesmerized.
If Bibi Dong's beauty could be described as being akin to that of a Goddess, then the woman before him could only be described as a Goddess herself.
Her appearance was so breathtaking that even Lev, who had already seen countless beautiful women, found himself momentarily unable to look away.
The woman, meanwhile, was also staring intently at him.
Although the moment was brief, the powerful aura she had sensed from outside the barrier was already enough to tell her that the person standing before her possessed strength far beyond her current level.
She carefully observed Lev, trying to understand exactly what was so special about him.
"You can call me Gu Yuena, the Silver Dragon King. Now that I've finally seen you in person, I'm wondering... are you really a human?"
Gu Yuena's sudden and direct question caught Lev off guard.
As she continued observing him, every instinct within her was screaming the same thing.
The person standing before her wasn't human.
But he wasn't a spirit beast either.
"W-Well... I'm probably still a human."
Lev gave a wry smile at the strange question.
"Anyways, Di Tian told me something very absurd after meeting you back then, but it really imps—"
Gu Yuena couldn't finish her sentence.
Lev's sudden interruption caused her eyes to widen as she immediately sensed a familiar aura emanating from him.
"Impossible, right?"
Lev smiled faintly.
"Well, that's true. What I have are only Soul Bones. A complete set of Soul Bones at that."
As he finished speaking, Lev activated the Soul Bones fused within his body.
In an instant, his appearance underwent a transformation.
Dragon-like characteristics emerged across his body, spreading from his legs to his torso and arms. A pair of majestic dragon wings also unfolded behind him, while an ancient and familiar aura permeated the entire cave.
Gu Yuena's expression changed immediately.
"Even with that... how is this possible?"
She couldn't believe what she was seeing despite the undeniable evidence standing right before her.
As the other half of the Dragon God, the aura emanating from Lev was far too familiar to her.
It was an aura that originated from the same source as herself.
And if Lev's explanation was truly correct, then the situation only became even more absurd.
How had a human obtained such a complete set of Dragon God's Soul Bones in the first place?
"I don't have an answer to that question."
Lev calmly retracted his Soul Bones before continuing.
"And even if I did, I'm not obliged to give you an answer."
Gu Yuena stared at him for a moment before surprisingly not taking offense.
Even with her current strength, she understood very well that Lev possessed enough power to kill her right here and now.
Furthermore, despite how unbelievable his explanation sounded, the fact remained that Lev possessed an aura connected to the Dragon God.
That alone was enough for her to know that he wasn't an enemy.
If anything, he could become a powerful ally.
Gu Yuena's expression became slightly more serious.
"I don't know how you ended up like this, but I don't really care. You, as the strongest being on this continent, have probably already realized the consequences of possessing such power."
She paused before looking directly into his eyes.
"You know about the Gods, don't you?"
Lev's expression turned serious.
"You're talking about those Gods, right?"
He nodded.
"I've known about them for a long time. That's precisely why I came here. I wanted to suggest a form of cooperation."
Lev wasn't surprised that Gu Yuena had brought up the matter.
Not long ago, she had sensed that familiar presence scattered throughout the continent. And considering her position and knowledge, it was only natural that she would understand what it meant.
He also knew that although the Gods might not have discovered everything about him yet, it was only a matter of time.
Gu Yuena smiled upon hearing his answer.
"Looks like we have the same goal in mind."
She slowly rose from her seat before walking toward Lev.
There was now a hint of excitement in her eyes.
One thing was certain.
The Spirit Beasts would soon rise again.
And with Lev's strength and cooperation, that possibility was no longer merely a distant dream.
Gu Yuena was looking forward to seeing what the future would bring.
Lev, meanwhile, simply watched as Gu Yuena approached.
He could fight the Gods by himself if necessary. With his current strength, he wasn't particularly worried about facing them.
What concerned him was everything that would happen afterward.
If he fought the Gods alone, the aftermath could easily involve the people around him.
He needed someone powerful enough to protect them.
And who could be more suitable for that role than the Silver Dragon King herself?
With that understanding, Lev and Gu Yuena continued their conversation inside the cave.
There were countless matters they needed to discuss, but the main focus of their meeting quickly became Lev himself.
Gu Yuena was simply too interested in him.
His existence, his Soul Bones, his mysterious identity, and the strange aura that connected him to the Dragon God raised far too many questions for her to ignore.
Meanwhile, while the two of them continued their conversation inside the cave, something else was happening not too far away from where they were.
*****
Outside the cave,
Meanwhile, while Lev and Gu Yuena continued their conversation inside the cave, a small reunion was taking place outside.
Xiao Wu could be seen wearing a wide smile as she talked with two familiar figures—or, more accurately, two familiar spirit beasts. After all, aside from Lev, there were no humans to be found within this hidden region.
"Er Ming, Da Ming! I never thought you two were living here now."
Xiao Wu couldn't hide her surprise. After walking around the area, she had never expected to encounter the two familiar spirit beasts in this legendary place.
"Xiao Wu, after you left, someone came and told us to live here. They said that we were now qualified to stay in this place."
Da Ming answered with a smile, clearly happy to see Xiao Wu again.
Er Ming, on the other hand, could only let out a series of excited growls. He still couldn't speak properly, but his expression and tone made it obvious that he was just as happy to see her again.
"Something like that happened?"
Xiao Wu was surprised by Da Ming's explanation.
She immediately began bombarding the two with questions, eager to learn what had happened to them after she left the forest.
However, after a while, Da Ming's curiosity shifted toward the five strange creatures accompanying Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu, who—and what—are these spirit beasts with you?"
Da Ming curiously looked toward the five creature lying on the ground as if they were sleeping.
This was the first time in all the years he had lived that he had seen creatures resembling them.
"Well, this is Salamander, Undine, Gnome, Sylph, and Whisp."
Xiao Wu introduced them with a smile.
"Despite their size and cuteness, don't underestimate them. They're all very strong, especially when they work together."
As she said this, Xiao Wu glanced toward the five Elemental Spirits.
Although they appeared to be sleeping peacefully, their ears suddenly twitched upward.
They had clearly been listening to the conversation the entire time.
"Yeah. I can tell."
Da Ming nodded while continuing to observe them.
Even without Xiao Wu's explanation, he could vaguely sense that they weren't ordinary creatures.
The conversation then continued, with Da Ming and Er Ming taking their turn to ask Xiao Wu about what she had been doing during the past year since leaving the forest.
For a while, the reunion remained peaceful and filled with questions about the changes they had experienced.
However, that peaceful atmosphere suddenly changed.
Not long afterward, Lev and Gu Yuena emerged from the cave.
The moment they appeared, every spirit beast in the surrounding area immediately sensed their presence.
Their attention instantly shifted toward their sovereign.
Curious about what was happening, the spirit beasts began gathering around them.
Before long, countless powerful spirit beasts had surrounded Lev and Gu Yuena.
However, the moment they noticed that a human was standing side-by-side with their Lord, their expressions changed.
A faint hostility began spreading through the gathered spirit beasts.
To them, the sight was almost unimaginable.
A human was standing beside the Silver Dragon King.
And judging by the way their Lord treated him, this human's position was clearly extraordinary.
Gu Yuena calmly looked over the gathered spirit beasts before speaking.
"All of you, follow my command as the sovereign of this place."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried across the entire area.
"The time for us to fight against the Gods once more is approaching. And this human standing beside me will be our greatest ally—and our hope."
She then turned her gaze toward Lev.
"I want all of you to respect and obey him just as you respect and obey me."
The moment her declaration ended, the entire gathering erupted.
Shock and disbelief appeared across the faces of the spirit beasts, followed by countless protests.
The hostility they had previously suppressed immediately surged.
To them, the situation was simply absurd.
How could their Lord, the Silver Dragon King, order them to follow a human?
Some even suspected that this human had somehow done something to their Lord.
"Lord, how could we possibly follow a mere human?"
A tiger-like spirit beast suddenly stepped forward, his brows furrowed in displeasure.
The moment he heard that they were expected to obey another person—especially a human—a deep hatred appeared in his eyes.
He knew all too well how cruel and greedy humans could be.
Other spirit beasts were also confused by Gu Yuena's order and wanted to understand the reason behind it.
However, this reaction mostly came from the younger and more ignorant spirit beasts.
The older and more powerful spirit beasts had a completely different reaction.
Di Tian and the other ancient existences didn't need Gu Yuena to explain anything.
Their instincts alone were enough to tell them that Lev was dangerous.
Despite his calm and noble appearance, the aura surrounding him gave them an inexplicable sense of danger.
Gu Yuena wasn't surprised by their reaction.
"The fact that this human is the strongest human on the continent is already one reason why you should follow him."
She paused, her gaze becoming serious.
"But there is another, far more important reason."
Gu Yuena looked directly at the spirit beast who had questioned her before sweeping her eyes across the entire gathering.
"He is stronger than me."
The moment those words were spoken, the entire area fell silent.
Even the spirit beasts who had been protesting moments ago were rendered speechless.
Gu Yuena's expression remained calm as she continued looking at them.
"That is why you will follow him."
Hearing their Lord's words, all the spirit beasts were left completely shocked.
For a moment, their minds struggled to process what they had just heard. They simply couldn't believe that a mere human could be stronger than their Lord. To them, such a thing was practically impossible.
Di Tian was equally shocked.
He already knew that Lev was incredibly powerful, but knowing that Lev was actually stronger than his Lord was an entirely different matter.
Still, he had no reason to doubt it.
Those words had come directly from Gu Yuena herself.
"That is all I wanted to say."
Gu Yuena's gaze swept across the gathered spirit beasts.
"If I find out that anyone is plotting against me or acting behind my back, then you should all be prepared to face the consequences."
As her final words fell, Gu Yuena released a portion of her pressure.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Every spirit beast present felt their bodies tremble as they instinctively lowered themselves, fearfully cowering beneath their Lord's overwhelming pressure.
Lev, who was standing beside Gu Yuena, simply looked at the gathered spirit beasts with a faint smile.
However, beneath that calm expression, his thoughts were running in an entirely different direction.
To Lev, the countless spirit beasts surrounding him weren't simply living creatures.
They were experience points waiting to be harvested.
He couldn't help but wonder just how many levels he would gain if he were to kill every powerful spirit beast gathered here.
An evil smile slowly appeared on his face.
The moment they saw that smile, every spirit beast's hair immediately stood on end.
A primal sense of danger surged through them.
For some reason, they suddenly felt as though they were being watched by a predator.
Fortunately, Lev didn't act on his thoughts.
Not long afterward, Gu Yuena told Lev that he could stay in the core region and live there for as long as he wanted. She then returned to her cave, intending to rest after their lengthy conversation.
The spirit beasts, however, remained where they were.
They cautiously watched Lev.
They still hadn't recovered from the unsettling smile he had shown earlier.
Di Tian was the first to step forward.
"Greetings, Young Lord."
He bowed respectfully.
Di Tian had no intention of defying his Lord's order, especially after learning that Lev was stronger than Gu Yuena herself.
Furthermore, he could clearly sense the aura of the Dragon God from Lev.
That alone was enough reason for him to acknowledge Lev.
"G-Greetings, Young Lord."
The other spirit beasts hurriedly followed Di Tian's example, their voices nervous and hesitant.
Lev merely smiled at them before casually beginning to walk away.
He headed toward Xiao Wu and the others.
His purpose for coming here had essentially been accomplished for the time being.
There were still matters that needed to be discussed with Gu Yuena, but those could be handled later.
As Lev walked through the area, the spirit beasts instinctively made way for him.
None dared to block his path.
They didn't want to offend this mysterious Young Lord, but they were also curious about where he was going and what he intended to do.
Meanwhile, Er Ming and Da Ming became increasingly nervous as they saw Lev approaching them.
Their minds immediately began racing as they tried to recall whether they had done anything that might have offended him.
Neither of them could think of anything.
"G-Greetings, Young Lord."
Er Ming and Da Ming nervously greeted him.
Large beads of sweat had already formed on their foreheads and backs.
They then glanced toward Xiao Wu, silently hoping that she would also greet the Young Lord and perhaps prevent them from accidentally getting into trouble.
Lev, however, was surprised when he noticed that the two were currently in human form.
'They can transform into human form?'
He vaguely remembered reading about them back on Earth, but he couldn't recall this particular detail. Perhaps he had simply overlooked it.
Regardless, he didn't dwell on it.
Lev turned his attention toward Xiao Wu and reached out, gently caressing her head.
"Are we done now?" Xiao Wu suddenly asked.
Although she was still somewhat surprised by everything that had happened, she decided to set her questions aside for the moment.
She could always ask Lev about it later.
"Yeah."
Lev smiled.
"So, how about you give me a tour and show me the place where you used to live when you were here?"
Since they had some time to spare, he wanted to see more of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Mmm!"
Xiao Wu happily nodded.
She was clearly excited by the idea.
"Di Tian, I'll be staying at Xiao Wu's place for now. Don't worry. I'll visit here from time to time since there are still some matters about the Silver Dragon King and I haven't finished discussing."
After saying this, Lev turned around.
Xiao Wu immediately followed beside him and excitedly began guiding him away from the core region, with Umbreon, Leafeon, and Sylveon following behind them.
Once they were gone, the surrounding spirit beasts couldn't help but exchange surprised looks.
The fact that their mysterious Young Lord seemed to favor the 100,000-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit was already shocking enough.
Di Tian also narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Er Ming, however, was completely dumbfounded.
As he watched Lev disappear into the distance, something suddenly clicked in his mind.
"Er Ming, what's wrong?"
Da Ming noticed his friend's strange expression and couldn't help but ask.
Although he was also curious about Xiao Wu's relationship with the Young Lord, he knew better than to pry into matters that didn't concern him.
"I-I actually met the Young Lord before..."
Er Ming's nervousness suddenly made it difficult for him to speak properly.
"It happened the last time I went to see Xiao Wu."
He then proceeded to recount the entire incident to Da Ming.
The more Da Ming listened, the more surprised his expression became.
He had never expected that such an encounter had already happened between Er Ming and their newly appointed Young Lord.
**********
—One hour later—
Star Dou Great Forest,
After walking through the forest for nearly an hour, Lev finally arrived outside Xiao Wu's small house.
The two could now be seen relaxing together in the pond nearby, embracing each other as they quietly enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. The beauty of the forest, combined with the warmth and tranquility of the area, created the perfect atmosphere for them to forget about everything else.
For once, there were no responsibilities, battles, or complicated matters to worry about.
They were finally alone.
"Lev... we're finally alone."
Xiao Wu's face flushed completely red as she spoke softly.
"Yeah."
Lev smiled before lowering his head and capturing her lips in a gentle kiss.
Xiao Wu readily returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him as their kiss gradually became more passionate. The warmth between them continued to grow, and both of them finally allowed themselves to set aside everything else.
For the first time in a while, they could simply enjoy each other's company without having to worry about anything beyond the two of them.
Xiao Wu eventually broke the kiss, her flushed face and expressive eyes silently conveying what she wanted.
Lev understood immediately.
Without saying anything, he leaned forward and kissed her lips once more before gently lifting her into his arms.
Xiao Wu instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as Lev carried her toward her house, both of them knowing exactly how they wanted to spend their private time together.