The dawn after their reunion was heavy with anticipation. Jalen stood in the palace courtyard, and with him were Rana, Jael, Jaquan, Lloyd, Calista, and Frost. Their purpose was clear: to follow him on a cultivation expedition.
Before leaving, Jalen summoned Zakia, Nate, and Calen. Their task was simple—defend the Flare State should that upper‑realm cultivator attempt to stir trouble in his absence. There was also the Raven State. Though they had not retaliated since he rescued his daughter from that brute, Jalen knew he must ensure the state was well defended with capable guardians so they would not dare attack. He considered wiping out the entire state to rid himself of the headache, but he was not a bloodthirsty tyrant. He would only eliminate them if they struck first.
The weeklong journey was not uneventful. They crossed mountain ranges, rivers that shimmered with latent qi, and mortal villages before arriving at the Great Erias.
But they did not stop in Ron. Instead, Jalen led them straight to Wren, where the river beneath the gorge shimmered. The portal awaited, its surface rippling like liquid glass.
They dove into the river, and the currents swallowed them, carrying them into the hidden time realm, where they headed to the Flame Clan.
There they were greeted with reverence. Patriarch Ricard himself stood at the gates, his aura restrained but vast, his expression solemn. Disciples bowed low, elders lowered their heads, and even the old monsters of the clan treated Jalen and his companions as sovereigns. After the welcoming ceremony, Jalen and his group were led to the finest residence, prepared for Jael when they had last visited nearly four decades ago.
There, Jalen presented treasures he had collected from the Transformation Realm.
To Frost, Jalen bestowed the Ice Eternal‑grade Spirit, a crystalline core that pulsed with frost qi so dense it shimmered like diamond dust. Frost's eyes widened, his stoic mask cracking as awe filled him. He had never seen such a treasure. Not only was it brimming with immense energy, but he could also tell it was something priceless, which meant his master truly treasured him. Overcome, he dropped to his knees in gratitude. Jalen quickly raised him, for such action was unnecessary. Frost had stayed behind to protect his family in the Flare State while he was off to the transformation realm and did a good job at that. In his book that made him someone worthy to be his friend more than a servant.
To Rana, he bestowed the Flame Eternal‑grade Spirit, a blazing ember that radiated warmth and power. Her spirit flame aura resonated instantly, flames rising around her like a crown of fire. Gratitude filled her heart toward her husband, for he had entrusted her with a treasure both rare and formidable.
To Calista, his second disciple, he granted two of the remaining three spirits—the Earth and Water Eternal‑grade Spirits. She bowed deeply, reverence in every motion, and offered her thanks with solemn grace.
Afterward, the three were led into separate hidden chambers, where they would fuse with their spirits, their destinies forever transformed.
Lloyd departed on his own adventure, seeking opportunities to strengthen himself.
As for Jaquan, his father, Jalen, took him to another private chamber to assist with his growth.
According to the tri‑structure of Jalen's pre‑incarnate self, one aspect had once merged with his father. Unfortunately, his father had been crippled at an early stage of cultivation. Yet even in ruin, fragments of undigested energy remained dormant within his body, sealed away like embers beneath ash. Back then, when Jalen restored his father's cultivation, he had been too weak to sense or awaken that hidden power. But now, stronger and resonating with the first of his tri‑selves, he could stir it from slumber. The dormant energy pulsed faintly, awaiting his call, a legacy long buried yet never extinguished.
He placed his hand upon his father's chest, where his dantian was present. Thunder qi stirred, faint at first, then swelling. Beneath it, a second current emerged—wood qi, ancient and steady.
His father gasped, eyes widening. "What is this…?"
Jalen explained his true nature, startling his father at first. But Jaquan did not care. He assured him that regardless of what he was, Jalen was his son in this life.
For a year, Jalen guided him, carefully merging the energies without harm. His father's thunder cultivation grew sharper and more radiant, while the wood qi granted him a unique ability—to command growth, to weave life into battle.
When at last the process stabilized, Jalen stepped back, allowing his father to complete the process on his own—a journey that might take another fifty years.
____
Meanwhile, Jael was out playing conqueror. He did not march with armies, nor did he waste time on negotiations. He simply walked into the halls of the so‑called righteous dragon clans, his bloodline pressing down like a mountain.
Before the weight of the Verus Rex Sanguine, even the proudest elders could not lift a finger. If he commanded them to kneel, they knelt. If he commanded them to die, they died.
The Obsidian Talon fell first, their traitorous elders erased in silence. The Azure Scale followed; their lightning shattered beneath his dominance. The Crimson Fang, the Silvercrest, and every other clan that had conspired bent beneath his will. Those who resisted were annihilated; those who submitted were bound into his new order.
But he did not stop there. With his powerful bloodline, he tracked down all the clans and sects of the shadow dragon race, eliminating those who needed to be destroyed and subjugating those who raised the flag of peace.
This took less than a week to accomplish. Afterwards, with all the surviving dragon clans and sects united, he formed what became known as the Jael Union, where every dragon of this realm served under him. All former sects and clans are now factions within the Union, numbering over two hundred and fifty. The Flame Clan, loyal from the start, became the first branch and leader above all—second only to Jael himself.