Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 847:- Shadows of the Past, Hopes for the Future

The Crimson Dunes Conflict had finally ended. For the first time in 15000+ years, the Six Continent had seen such a massive shift in power. The Dune Sovereignty had essentially wiped out the existence of Sects from the Six Continents. Now, the only place where Cultivation Sects or Schools can be found is the Main Continent. At the end of the previous Era, under Charles's leadership, the Dune Sovereignty Empire rose to power, becoming an unstoppable force that no one dared to challenge. Their strength and influence sent waves through the continents, inspiring the belief that cultivation sects were more of a burden than a benefit to the growth of any kingdom or empire.

From the Dune Sovereignty, this new idea spread—the belief that sects only held kingdoms back, draining resources, occupying vast lands, and acting as a roadblock to true power. The Dry Savanna, home to the Dune Sovereignty, was the first to embrace this shift. Here, the empire's success without sect interference became a model that others began to consider.

Cultivation sects demanded enormous resources to maintain their schools, training grounds, and armies. They nurtured young cultivators but also claimed many of the most talented ones for themselves, keeping them from their Kingdoms and Empires.

Over time, these sects had become a bone no ruler could swallow or spit out, controlling land, resources, and loyalty that even kings could not ignore.

Their military strength and influence forced kings to show them respect, even to the point where the support of powerful sects could decide who would sit on the throne.

If a sect was displeased, they could even launch wars, overthrowing rulers and placing puppets on the throne to ensure their interests were protected. This meant that many kings were constantly under the thumb of these powerful sects, unable to act freely.

But the Dune Sovereignty changed all that. Charles showed that a kingdom could rise without bowing to the demands of the sects, proving that an empire could reach power and stability without being tied down by their influence.

By pushing sects out of the way, the Dune Sovereignty inspired others to imagine a path to power where only the empire and its people mattered.

But there was a downside to getting rid of the sects. Once a kingdom lost its sects, it also lost a large part of its military power. During foreign invasions, these sects would always lend their forces to defend the kingdom. Now, without the support of the sects, kingdoms were left exposed, with fewer fighters to rely on when trouble came from outside.

Many of these sects, instead of dissolving, packed up and left for the Main Continent. There, some powerful leaders founded new sects, while others joined forces with established ones, hoping to grow stronger in a new land. As for the cultivators who weren't strong enough, those below the 5th order who couldn't make the journey to the Main Continent. As a result, many were left with no choice.

About half of them became rogue cultivators, wandering the lands without a home or allegiance.

Others chose to become adventurers, using their skills to make a living on their own.

This was also when adventurer guilds started appearing everywhere, giving these lone cultivators a place to find work and purpose.

Most kingdoms struggled with what to do with the cultivators left behind from the sects they had broken up. Nearly all of them—99.9%—failed to convince these cultivators to join their armies or serve their lands.

After all, there was the hatred for destroying their Sects. The cultivation Sects were like their homes. This hate cannot be erased with some sweet words. Even if some were willing to serve, there was a huge problem: adding so many cultivators to the military meant a massive cost spike.

The kings realized they would have to pay out more than they could handle to support all these new fighters, and most kingdoms simply couldn't afford the extra spending.

As a result, the kingdoms faced a strange challenge. They had freed themselves from the control of the sects, yet they now found themselves weakened, with a smaller military and no easy way to make up for the lost power.

They had traded one problem for another, leaving themselves vulnerable. This is where a few kingdoms managed to rise in power and transform themselves into powerful empires. The biggest example of that is the Dune Sovereignty. Charles took advantage of the fact that many Kingdoms in his continent were weakened due to the absence of Sects. Over the next few centuries, the Dune Sovreginty Empire continued its rapid expansion. At that time, no Kingdom or Empire was expanding as fast as the Dune Sovereignty. Currently, no empire has expanded faster than the Istarin Empire. In comparing the expansion speed of the Istarin Empire to that of the Dune Sovereignty, many would argue that the Dune Sovereignty took significantly longer.

Over thousands of years of its existence, Charles established his domain as the True Overlord of the Six Continent. He maintained a friendly relationship with all the forces that came to the Six Continent. However, the Dune Sovereignty was ultimately defeated by the Istarin Empire at the height of its power. This meant the power structure of the entire continent was about to change. This event was so significant that every major power on the Main Continent had to pay attention to it.

Now, everyone wondered, how the power structure of the Main Continent is about to change. What everyone did not know is that, from the beginning, Aditya had no interest in the vast territories of the Dune Sovereignty.

Adding more land to the Istarin Empire would make the Istarin Empire unstable. This would mean more work for Spencer and Aditya. They would need to spend a year, if not a decade, just to properly integrate and stabilize everything. At this point, Aditay saw no real value in integrating the whole Dune Sovereignty territory into his Empire. Did the Istarin Empire lack resources? The answer was no. The Istarin Empire was the biggest exporter of food in the Six Continents. Did the Empire need more territories? The answer was again no. Now, the Istarin Empire was the biggest Empire in the Six Continents. All of the territories of the Istarin Empire now form their own continent, which certainly will not be the smallest among the seven continents. So why would he want more? Since the Empire did not lack resources or territories, what other motivations did he have for acquiring more territories?

However, if Soraya were to become the new Ruler and lead the Dune Sovereignty, it would bring numerous benefits to the Istarin Empire. •••

By the time everything ended, it was already evening. The troops of the Dune Sovereignty returned to the capital. There were also two million Istarin troops with them. All the troops temporarily camped outside of the City. Spencer sent two million troops to everyone and everything in line. Victoria, Amber, and Henry were assigned to lead the two million troops and ensure stability, prepared to respond if anything unexpected occurred during the coronation.

At this point, all the higher-ups of the Empire knew that the Istarin Empire won't be taking over their Empire. Instead, Aditya supported Soraya in inheriting Charles as the New Ruler.

All the nobles of the Dune Sovereignty received letters informing them about the changes that would take effect tomorrow morning. They were presented with two options: either submit and bow to their new ruler or, if they failed to arrive in the capital before the coronation, they would be replaced by the new ruler.

This letter had the signatures of all the Dune Sovereignty Empire's generals and the Istarin Empire's Prime Minister. The signatures symbolized the positions of both sides. Both sides right now supported Soraya as their New Ruler. If they failed to respond appropriately, they would not only be ousted, but their lives would also become extremely difficult.

The generals did not have much choice either. Rather than being taken over by the Istarin Empire, supporting Soraya as the New Ruler of this Empire was more acceptable and wise. So, when asked for their stance, none of the Generals hesitated to support Soraya. "Father...!!" Soraya knocked on Charles's door. After Charles was arrested, she did not put him in prison. Instead, he was confined in his bedroom. But a Cultivation suppression bracket was put on his wrists to suppress his cultivation.

This was done so that he wouldn't escape. "Come in....!!"

Click!!!

With a conflicted look, Soraya walked inside his room.

Before today, she had never dared to enter his bedroom. The last time she came to his bedroom was when she was about 11 years of age, and her mother was still alive. Last time, she came to look for her mom. And this time, she came to look for her dad. She noticed a man with long, messy hair sitting on a chair by the window. Typically, he would tie his hair in a ponytail, keeping his appearance tidy and clean. But now, his appearance looked really messy. That handsome face of his seems to have aged by a few centuries within a single day. His red pupils looked hollow and lifeless. It was like he had lost a part of himself in that defeat. He no longer had a dignified, proud expression on his face. He now looked like a broken man who had lost his will to live. As she walked towards him, Charles also looked towards his daughter. His eyes were also complex. Before today, he had never realized that his daughter had grown this much. Charles always thought of this daughter as a protected woman who needed to stay inside the Dragon Palace all the time. He never really had any expectations from her since birth. This is why, she received a different kind of education from Garrick. Where Garrick was groomed to be the Next Empire, she was taught how to be a loving and gentle wife. But she had surpassed all of his expectations. 'I have done so much for Garrick, yet he disappointed me.'

'But I rarely did anything for you yet you have become someone bigger than me.' At this moment, Charles felt just how little he knew his daughter. Just how disconnected he had become from his daughter. Over the centuries, Soraya had become nothing but a stranger to him. 'Perphaps, I neglected my fatherly duties too much.' Charles felt a strong sense of guilt. "I heard from some of the servants that you are going to be the Next Ruler of this great Nation." Charles started the conversation. Soraya sat opposite her father. For the first time, Soraya was speaking to her father as an equal. Now their position had changed. Now, her status and social ranking were higher than his. Charles was nothing but her captive. "Yes, Father!!" She replied in a slow but heavy tone. Charles knew it. She knew it. It was time for them to have a deep conversation. It was time to reveal everything.

"When did all of this begin?" He asked in a low tone. There was no anger in his voice. After accepting his defeat, Charles lost his motivation to Rule. He no longer saw himself as a King who was above all. He saw himself as another human. This big change within him has made him calmer than before. If this was Charles of the past, then by now, he would be fuming in anger. He would have screamed and shouted at his own daughter. Although he felt disappointment at his daughter's betrayal, there was no anger in his heart, as he had completely given up.

"It all started with a letter that I secretly sent to His Majesty after their war with Merchant Felix had ended."

----------------

Thank you very much to all those who sent support with valuable golden tickets and gifts. I hope we can keep it up!!!

Sorry, but I have been really busy the last two days. Now that the fight between Aditya and Robert is finally over, and hopefully, you guys enjoyed the whole fight, it's time for me to show you all the skills that Robert had. Please note that I added each time only after writing each chapter, so I might have forgotten to include a few. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

『_Name: - Robert Antony _Race: - Human _Clan: - Ice Mystic Clan

_Title: - Enemy of Dragons

_Class: - Hero

_Cultivation: - Peak 5th-order

_Innate Skill: - Ice Manipulation, Gravity Manipulation

_Passive skill: - Dragon Slayer, Snowball Momentum, Ice Clone, Winter's Chill, Frost Terrain Density Shift, Cryo-Gravitic Spikes, Eternal Anti-Dragon _Artifact: - Mystic Ice Spear』