Why is the dragon, one of the 12 zodiac animals, not a real-life creature?

No one could have imagined that before dragons became one of the twelve zodiac animals, they had to endure hardships unimaginable to ordinary people. And all of this explains why dragons are the only species not found in the twelve zodiac animals.

Legend has it that in ancient times, in the beautiful and rich land of Yangdong, which is now Jiuzhaigou, lived a gentle little dragon named Xiaobailong (Little White Dragon).

Meanwhile, on the Hachishui River next to Jiuzhaigou, a large and vicious dragon named Dahelong (Great Black Dragon) occupied the area. Wherever Dahelong passed, vegetation could not grow, depleting the resources of the Hachishui River. Seeing the lush and beautiful Jiuzhaigou protected by Xiaobailong, Dahelong became envious and quickly set his greedy gaze upon this pristine land.

The very next day, a thick cloud of black smoke billowed in, and the ferocious Great Black Dragon launched an attack on the Little White Dragon. Caught off guard by the Great Black Dragon's sudden invasion, the Little White Dragon hastily charged into battle. In an instant, the sky flashed with lightning, the clouds and wind changed color, creating a fierce spectacle.

The two dragons in the clouds engaged in a fierce and relentless battle, fighting for seven days and seven nights straight. However, the Great Black Dragon, with its superior magical power and brutal nature, gradually lost ground to the wounded Little White Dragon. Ultimately, it was forced to retreat from its homeland.

Since the Black Dragon took power, Jiuzhaigou has been plunged into chaos. Countless creatures have been devoured by it. The once verdant waters and majestic mountains have become desolate and gloomy.

After escaping, Little White Dragon, riddled with wounds and filled with despair, arrived at a small lake. The intense pain forced it to stop and rest. At that moment, it overheard a conversation between a frog and a panda, learning that the Jade Emperor was holding a vote for the 12 zodiac animals.

The one who won first place would be granted a powerful surge of divine energy by the Jade Emperor. Hearing this, Little White Dragon's eyes lit up, and all its fatigue and pain vanished. Without hesitation, Little White Dragon rushed with all its might to the place where the 12 zodiac animals were being voted on.

All the way, it disregarded its wounds and sped along. Soon, it saw the divine altar not far away, the light of victory clearly visible before its eyes. But suddenly, it heard an urgent cry for help coming from beneath the ground.

Little White Dragon looked down and saw a hungry wolf preparing to hunt a small, weak white rabbit. At this moment, Little White Dragon found himself in a dilemma. If he stopped to save Little White Rabbit, he would waste time in the voting process, completely losing his chance to compete for first place. But if he ignored it and watched Little White Rabbit being harmed by the hungry wolves, he would violate the principle of protecting living beings that he had upheld for a thousand years. Ultimately, compassion triumphed over stubbornness. Little White Dragon resolutely jumped down from the sky, tightly embracing Little White Rabbit behind him, and immediately engaged in a fierce battle with the ferocious wolves.

After a fierce struggle, Little White Dragon successfully repelled the wolves and rescued Little White Rabbit. Seeing Little White Rabbit safely escape, he quickly turned and rushed back to the altar. However, he still spent a considerable amount of time saving Little White Rabbit.

When Little White Dragon arrived at the altar, four other animals were already standing there, having already secured the top four positions. Little White Dragon, arriving later, regretted not achieving the first place, ultimately finishing fifth among the twelve zodiac animals. Although unable to attain such immense power, Little White Dragon felt no regret, remembering that protecting living beings was the very purpose of its existence.

Afterward, it sought out the Jade Emperor and recounted everything it had experienced, including the hardships of Jiuzhaigou and the wicked deeds of the Great Black Dragon in detail. The Jade Emperor, deeply moved, immediately instructed Little White Dragon on how to overcome its difficulties, telling it that to defeat the Black Dragon, it must gather the power of all living beings in the world into itself to form a force capable of countering the Black Dragon. Little White Dragon remembered the Jade Emperor's advice.

From then on, it diligently cultivated in the deep forest, relentlessly focusing on practicing the art of condensing the spiritual energy of the world. In just a few months, it had mastered the ability to gather the spiritual energy of all things, coupled with the support of its identity as one of the twelve zodiac animals. Its magical power increased significantly, enough to directly confront the Great Black Dragon.

It majestically flew back to Jiuzhaigou without hesitation. It challenged the Great Black Dragon, who was occupying its home. The two immediately engaged in a fierce battle.

They fought for 300 rounds, yet neither could gain the upper hand. Seeing that both were nearly exhausted, the Little White Dragon suddenly remembered the Jade Emperor's guidance. It immediately stopped the fight and calmed its mind, concentrating all its strength to absorb the spiritual energy of all things in the world.

Instantly, a tremendous surge of power erupted from its body, transforming into a dazzling shockwave that hurtled straight towards the Great Black Dragon. This time, the Little White Dragon finally relied on the power of all things' spiritual energy to successfully defeat the Great Black Dragon. As the Great Black Dragon fell, the black smoke surrounding its body gradually dissipated, and Jiuzhaigou, which had been shrouded in darkness for so long, finally saw the sunlight again.

Everything returned to its original beauty. The Jade Emperor witnessed the Little White Dragon's entire demeanor. He greatly admired this compassionate little dragon and immediately issued an edict, elevating the Little White Dragon to the ranks of the immortals, appointing it as his own Dragon Guardian, to protect the peace of Heaven and Earth. But the Little White Dragon always wondered, what kind of divine power had the creature that topped the twelve zodiac signs that year been bestowed with?

Little White Dragon had kept that question in his heart for a long time. Until one day, when the Heavenly Court was at peace, he finally had the opportunity to ask the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor smiled, his eyes gentler than usual, and said:

“The creature that was the head of the twelve zodiac animals that year was indeed granted the strongest divine power. But that power wasn't for fighting.”

Little White Dragon was surprised.

The Jade Emperor continued:

“That divine power is called ‘Heavenly Timing’—the ability to conform to the workings of heaven and earth. Thanks to it, that creature always stays one step ahead, avoids disaster, turns misfortune into good fortune, and guides all things to move in order. But that power is only effective when it puts its own interests first. It cannot protect all living beings.”

The Jade Emperor looked directly at Little White Dragon:

“As for you, you don't have Heavenly Timing, but you have ‘Human Heart’.”

The Jade Emperor continued slowly:

“The day you stopped to save Little White Rabbit, you voluntarily relinquished your position as the supreme ruler. But at that very moment, you chose to stand with all living beings. The power you will later possess—the power that condenses the spiritual energy of all things—was not bestowed upon you by me, but was voluntarily given to you by the world.”

Little White Dragon fell silent.

The Jade Emperor concluded softly:

“The divine power of the supreme ruler allows an individual to endure.

But your power allows the entire world to live.

Therefore, a dragon doesn't need to be at the top of the twelve zodiac animals… a dragon stands higher than the ranking.”

Hearing this, Little White Dragon bowed in reverence. In that moment, it finally understood:

What makes a dragon a dragon is never its rank or the divine power bestowed upon it,

but the choice not to turn its back on living beings, even at the cost of its own destiny.

And that's also why the dragon is the only zodiac animal that doesn't exist, because it has become a symbol, not a species anymore.