While the dragons were worried, Lin Shi returned to the demon realm and went directly to the demon king’s palace to report.

Ye Yang wasn’t surprised that the dragons hadn’t accepted directly. “It might seem like a small thing but the implications are much bigger. They wouldn’t dare to make a decision unless their king is available.”

He didn’t have anyone to spy on the dragon king’s palace or the Nine Heavens so he wasn’t aware of what exactly was going on over there. He had only heard a rough account because there was also movement in the border regions. Well, in fact, it wasn’t like there hadn’t been spies but he had ordered everyone he knew off to come back to the demon realm. While it would be beneficial to have a clearer view of what was going on in the other realms, this was also a way to show that he was more trustworthy than his predecessors.

Their three races were currently at a crossroads. The gods and dragons had long since been allied but that alliance had always been fragile. Apart from fighting together when necessary, both sides remained mostly strangers, unaware of the deeper issues of what should have been their partner.

As it so happened, the dragon king and the future Heavenly Emperor had fallen in love though. Thus, in the foreseeable future, the character of this alliance would change. The effect of this might not be obvious at first but over time, it would only become stronger. For the demons, this could be disastrous news. Unless, of course, they changed as well.

Ye Yang lowered his gaze. He had already started with this plan but … it might be too late. Whether it was the dragons or the gods, they might assume he was simply doing this to adapt to the circumstances. Well, in fact, this was probably the most charitable explanation they could come up with. Most likely, they were thinking that he was trying to mollify them before using the opportunity when their vigilance went down to pull something big.

He suppressed a sigh, feeling that it really wasn’t easy to be king of the demon race. His predecessors had left a mess for him and with the demons being as they were … it seemed impossible to go forward and reach the goal he had set. Still, he didn’t want to give up yet. He wanted to return to a world where there could be peace between the three immortal realms. There was simply no reason to fight.

Ye Yang tapped the armrest of the throne and then motioned at Lin Shi. “Organize for the best painters of our realm to come to the palace. After that, find out who else is good. Just make a list with their names and the places of their current residence. If you can find out any details about their motivations, write those down for me as well.”

Lin Shi nodded and left when she was sure that Ye Yang didn’t have more to say. There was still a smile on her lips as she did. Others might think she had been reduced to running errands but she knew that this wasn’t simply it. Their king attached great importance to this task since it had to do with the relationship they built with the other races. Being allowed to gather this information for him proved that he trusted her. To her, it was a source of pride. Naturally, she wouldn’t disappoint him.

Back in the palace, Ye Yang continued to sit on the throne quietly. They hadn’t received a response yet but he wanted to be prepared. Considering the importance of the Son of Heaven, it was likely that the dragons would accept. At the same time, irrespective of their decision, he could use this as an opportunity for the demon realm. As the new king, he couldn’t just focus on the relationship with the other races, after all.

The demon realm was chaotic. It had been for a long time and nothing would change unless somebody headed that change. It needed big changes to turn this realm into a place where people could actually live and live well at that. Since he had assumed this seat, he wouldn’t rest before he had achieved that. And when he did …

Ye Yang’s gaze turned complicated. He still didn’t want to be king but there was a lot of work that needed to be done and after it was implemented, he couldn’t just abdicate or all that work would go to waste. No, he had to do this and then guard the results of his work carefully.

Since nobody else was around, he sighed to himself. All of this would be so much easier if he had a few trustworthy people at his side. Lin Shi wasn’t bad and so was Xia Wei but that was about it. The others could be used for some tasks but not too many. He just hadn’t reached that level yet. If he was able to show the benefits of his plans — not just in theory but in their everyday life — then naturally, those people could be used more easily as well. Until then though, most of this had to be carried on the shoulders of just those two helpers.

Of course, even worse was that every single decision had to be made by himself. In this regard, he really envied the Heavenly Emperor with all those precisely set-up palaces and the dragon king with his handful of advisers whom he could trust with all his heart. Well, he especially envied the latter. That trust was important but couldn’t be easily built and the advisers he had seemed well-chosen too. Just thinking of that little white-haired dragon who was residing in the Nine Heavens right now … Ah, really jealous.