Star Dou Forest – Heart of the Ancient Wilds
The mists of the Star Dou Forest were alive with primal energy. Towering trees swayed with a wind that whispered secrets older than the God Realm itself. Here, in the deep heart of the wild, the great soul beasts stirred.
Ren stood in the center of a newly formed stone platform, shadows swirling at his feet. Behind him, Feiyan lounged lazily, and Arkana stood with crossed arms, eyes scanning the trees with a warrior's sharp gaze.
"They're watching," Arkana said. "And they're not happy."
"They'll get over it," Ren replied, unfazed. "Once they understand they don't have to serve. They can rule."
A sudden pressure fell upon the clearing. The temperature dropped, then flared. Cracks formed in the earth. From all sides, ancient presences emerged.
One after another.
Behemoths cloaked in flame. Celestial serpents with eyes like stars. A silver-furred tigress whose gaze cut through the mist like lightning.
Each of them was over 100,000 years old—ancient kings and queens of the beast world.
And at their head… the majestic Ice Jade Empress Scorpion and Titan Giant Ape, both emanating power that could rend cities.
"Human," the Jade Empress spoke, her tone sharp and cold. "You walk where no human should. Why?"
Ren didn't flinch. Instead, he raised a hand—and with a surge of energy, the shadow realm expanded behind him, vast and eternal. "Because I'm not just a human. I'm the one who sees your worth. Not as resources… but as rulers."
His gaze moved across them.
"I've claimed gods. I've faced the heavens. And now, I offer you a throne."
The Titan Giant Ape grunted. "And if we refuse?"
Ren smiled faintly. "Then I'll prove it to you. Power to power. Heart to heart. Let the strongest stand before me."
The beasts growled and shifted. Tension thickened. Until finally, the Silver Moon Lynx, one of the oldest soul beasts in the forest, stepped forward, her beauty wild and regal.
"Very well, King of Shadows. Show us the heart that would make us kneel not in fear… but in devotion."
A Trial of Honor, Not Chains
What followed was not a battle of dominance—but one of will, empathy, and dreams.
Ren faced them one by one—not to subdue, but to understand.
He matched the strength of the Titan Ape in pure physical might using his Shadow Monarch-enhanced physique.
He danced with the Nine-Tailed Flame Vixen in illusionary space, catching glimpses of her lost kin and offering resurrection through his dimension.
He stood in silence with the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, matching her cold with calm, melting her frozen heart with truth rather than fire.
And when all was done…
They knelt.
Not as defeated beasts.
But as queens in waiting.
Citadel of Shadows – Beast Court Assembly
By twilight, the Citadel's inner sanctum was filled with the powerful presence of soul beasts turned women—each of them now dwelling within the Pocket Hunting Dimension alongside Ren's growing family.
They were fierce, ancient, and proud.
And they had chosen him.
Not as a master.
But as a king. A mate. A force they would walk beside until the end of eternity.
The Beast Court was born—composed of all ancient soul beasts who had taken human forms through Ren's will and were now eternal, beautiful empresses of the empire.
"From this day on," Ren said, seated upon his obsidian throne, "we are no longer divided by species, status, or spirit rings."
"We are one dynasty. And together, we will forge a world where no god dares look down again."