Under these circumstances, the village chief can directly offer a prayer to Heaven and Earth from within the Fate space.
As long as the heavens acknowledge the request, the village's ascension to a town becomes a natural progression. Moreover, the Spirit of Fortune would undergo a transformation. Once this transformation is complete, the promotion is considered fully achieved.
RUMBLE!!
The moment Yi Tianxing's words fell, he immediately felt an invisible will descend upon the entire Fate space—an unseen force shrouded the village, as if a pair of eyes were now watching everything from above.
SHING!!
Suddenly, a divine radiance appeared in the Fate space. The divine light gathered swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into an ancient Dragon Gate. This gate exuded an overwhelming pressure, vivid illusions of countless true dragons roaring and soaring through the skies—lifelike and awe-inspiring.
"The Dragon Gate!!"
Yi Tianxing's eyes burned with passion.
For a fish to transform into a dragon, it must leap over the Dragon Gate. Only by crossing it can it gain the opportunity for evolution. The Dragon Gate is a crucible of destiny, filled with boundless mysteries. It is said that golden carp carry dragon bloodlines. Once they leap the gate, they receive a baptism that awakens this blood, allowing them to become true dragonkin. Though not actual dragons, they would be considered part of the dragon lineage.
The chance to leap the Dragon Gate is incredibly rare.
The Fate Golden Carp, being golden in color, is one such creature rumored to carry draconic blood.
SHING!!
As the Dragon Gate condensed into being, the Fate Golden Carp in the Heavenly Pond grew visibly excited. Its eyes burned with an unexplainable intensity—a mix of deep yearning and ferocious determination.
It must leap.That desire surged from its very blood.
According to ancient records, at the source of the Yellow River in ancient Huaxia, there stood a Dragon Gate. Each year, countless golden carp would gather and swim upstream toward it, struggling against the current in hopes of making the leap. But many perished in the attempt—so many that the river surface was strewn with the corpses of carp. Very few ever succeeded.
It was that difficult.
Yet despite the odds, golden carp would still throw themselves at the gate year after year, never giving up, even in death. This was an instinctual call from their very blood—an irresistible urge.
That same pull now overtook the Fate Golden Carp.
But just then, the Dragon Gate abruptly tore through space and exited the Fate realm.
SPLASH!!
Seeing this, the Fate Golden Carp panicked and immediately surged forward, chasing after the gate and bursting out of the Fate space.
"What's going on? The Dragon Gate just flew off!"
Yi Tianxing was momentarily stunned, but quickly followed, exiting the Fate space and appearing outside.
BOOM!!
Above Xuanhuang Village, without warning, a thunderous boom echoed. There in the sky, the golden Dragon Gate appeared out of thin air. But beneath the golden radiance, a swirling mass of strange, bloody black mist now loomed—ominous and unsettling.
"The Dragon Gate... and that black mist—was that always over our village?"
Even Master Lu gripped his beard tightly, eyes wide with shock.
That black mist had always existed—but only he had ever been able to perceive it.
Now, however, under the power of the Dragon Gate, it had become visible to all.
"What is that? Why is there such thick black mist above our village?"
"An ominous sign... Is that the calamity we feared?"
"That's the Dragon Gate! I've heard of it... Legend says golden carp that leap it become dragonkin, awakening their bloodline. But why is it here?"
The villagers murmured in awe and confusion.
Many had heard of the Dragon Gate but didn't understand its implications. Yet the moment they saw the black mist, an instinctual disgust and dread took hold—like staring into the eyes of a natural predator.
The Dragon Gate now hung in the sky.
The black mist, under some strange force, began to condense below it—forming into a churning black river. One end stretched into the sky, yet never reached the gate. There remained a gap of nine meters between the river and the gate. The other end extended above the village.
It looked like a dark waterfall flowing from the heavens.
Within it, black gas rolled and churned like raging waters, surging downward. A terrifying aura radiated from the Dragon Gate itself. Without crossing the black river, one couldn't even approach the gate—it would crush you beneath its pressure.
CRACK!!
A streak of golden light shot out from Yi Tianxing's mansion and fell into the black river with a crisp splash.
"The Golden Carp!"
Master Lu and Huang Chengyan cried out in alarm.
SPLASH!!
Inside the black river, the dark gas surged like a violent tide. To reach the Dragon Gate, one had to swim upstream—against the current. If the carp couldn't make it, it would never leap the gate.
The Fate Golden Carp, upon entering the river, was immediately assaulted by an immense pressure. It felt like being submerged in a swamp, being crushed and dragged downward—never to rise again.
But the carp was relentless.
In a flash, it became a golden lightning bolt, darting upward against the current. Huge waves of black gas parted before it—unable to stop its advance.
Xuanhuang Village's accumulated fortune was simply too vast. The carp had grown to its peak within the Fate Pool, and even the powerful resistance of the black river couldn't suppress it.
It surged forward—defying the flow.
Yi Tianxing watched from the ground, eyes burning with anticipation.
"Swim upstream. Leap the Dragon Gate."
This was the village's trial to become a town. If the carp could cross the Dragon Gate, the promotion would be perfect. If it failed, not only would the attempt collapse, but all accumulated Fate would be consumed, leaving the carp drained and weakened.
There was no second chance.
The carp and the Fate Pool were one. As it fought against the current, the village's Fate rapidly depleted. Once gone, it could only be rebuilt over time.
Everyone watched with bated breath.
Their eyes locked on the black river—and the golden carp that refused to yield. In it, they saw a force that wouldn't be stopped. A will that shouted: I am invincible.
Even the blood in their hearts began to boil. Passion ignited.
"Go! Leap the gate!"
"We will not fail! No power can stop us!"
They silently cheered for the golden carp, praying from the depths of their hearts.
Meanwhile, deep within a forested canyon, from within a pitch-black cave, dark mists began to pour out in great waves. Within that blackness was a vile energy that stirred the worst of human emotions.
Seven sins, six desires—all intertwined in chaotic waves.
Karmic forces boiled, evil resounded.
BOOM!!
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the cave. A towering skeletal warhorse burst forth. On its back sat a general clad in white bone armor—also a skeleton.
A bone warhorse, a bone general.
The horse bore a single black horn on its head, inscribed with eerie patterns that seemed to drag one's soul inward. Just looking at it inspired primal fear.
The general's back bore two banners, each with a single large character on it. As they unfurled, his aura surged dramatically.
A true Bone Marshal.
CRACK!! BANG BANG BANG!!
One by one, countless skeletal soldiers erupted from the cave—like a tide. Densely packed, they quickly overwhelmed the area. They came in all types: swordsmen, archers, cavalry, shieldbearers, spearmen.
Each one surrounded the skeletal general, their hollow eyes glowing with cold flames. Their movements caused their bones to rattle with chilling sounds.
It was a nightmare made real.
Thousands upon thousands of skeletons poured from the cave, endless and unrelenting—as if the cave connected to another world.
CLINK!!
The Bone General raised his bone saber, looked toward the direction of Xuanhuang Village, and slashed.
BOOM!!
Without hesitation, the skeletal army surged forward like a flood. Trees, plants—anything in their path—were trampled and obliterated.
A sea of bone surged forth.
The fear it instilled was indescribable.
These thousands of undead warriors moved with incredible speed—faster than humans. In moments, they had crossed a massive distance.
Beasts and monsters scattered in panic, fleeing in all directions.
Those who failed to escape were torn apart on the spot. These skeleton soldiers possessed an innate, honed combat instinct.
To be continued...