The outcome was clear.
The protagonist faction had failed.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough for the entire city to notice.
The Wang Family's carefully built momentum suffered its first major setback.
Several projects were delayed after resources had to be diverted away from Fortune City.
The Tang Family suffered even more.
Numerous local businesses that had previously stood firmly behind them began distancing themselves after witnessing Li Group survive yet another coordinated attack.
For the first time in years, people started questioning whether the Tang Family was truly invincible within Fortune City.
The Shen Family fared slightly better.
Their medical network remained intact.
However the loss of influence caused by backing the wrong side forced them into a far more cautious position.
As for the smaller families attached to Ye Feng's faction—
their situation was miserable.
Many had invested heavily in the business war expecting quick rewards.
Instead they became cannon fodder.
Several companies suffered severe financial losses.
Some even began secretly approaching Li Group seeking reconciliation.
Nobody wanted to sink together with a losing ship.
Inside the Wang Family residence.
Wang Jun smashed a teacup.
The shattered porcelain scattered across the floor.
His face looked extremely ugly.
"We had Divine Doctor Xiao personally appear."
"We had every possible advantage."
"So how did we still lose?"
No one answered.
Because nobody knew.
Not even Ye Feng.
Meanwhile inside another villa.
Tang Jing sat on a sofa while kicking a cushion repeatedly.
Every time she remembered Murong Qing's breakthrough, she felt like coughing blood.
If that breakthrough had happened one day later—
just one day later—
the outcome might have been completely different.
Shen Yao remained silent.
Nangong Li remained silent.
Even Qin Chanchan had lost much of her previous confidence.
The battle outside the factory had shown them something unpleasant.
Li Tao was no longer a young master relying solely on family influence.
He had become a genuine threat.
A threat capable of standing directly opposite Ye Feng.
The atmosphere became increasingly heavy.
Only Ye Feng remained calm.
He stood beside the window looking toward the distant city lights.
His expression was unreadable.
Nobody knew what he was thinking.
After several minutes he finally spoke.
"We lost this round."
The room fell silent.
"But the war isn't over."
His eyes gradually became colder.
"Fortune City is only the beginning."
"We still have the province."
"We still have opportunities."
"And most importantly..."
A faint killing intent flashed through his eyes.
"Li Tao still isn't strong enough."
The room gradually regained confidence.
The others began discussing future plans.
Only Ye Feng remained standing beside the window.
Because deep inside—
he felt a growing sense of urgency.
Li Tao's growth speed had exceeded all expectations.
If this continued...
even his advantage as a reborn person might eventually disappear.
____________________
At the same time.
Inside Li Family Villa.
The atmosphere was completely different.
Li Jing was enthusiastically describing the battle to everyone for the seventh time.
According to her version—
she had personally contributed at least seventy percent of the victory.
No one bothered correcting her.
Li Tian looked at the reports arriving from every direction and finally allowed himself to relax.
Uncle Cheng opened a bottle he had been saving for years.
Even Murong Qing appeared far less tense than usual.
The pressure hanging over the family for weeks had finally eased.
Li Tao stood alone on a balcony overlooking the city.
The night wind brushed against his face.
Behind him, celebrations continued.
Inside his mind, Neo appeared unusually quiet.
After a long silence, Li Tao spoke.
"We won."
Neo nodded.
"For now."
Li Tao looked toward the distant lights of Fortune City.
His expression remained calm.
Because both of them understood the truth.
The battle today had only been a preview.
Divine Doctor Xiao had intervened.
Uncle Long had intervened.
The province-level forces were beginning to move.
Even Luo Chen remained hidden somewhere in the shadows.
And beyond all of them—
the mysterious black gate hidden within the Endless Mountains continued waiting silently.
The real storm had not arrived yet.
It was merely gathering strength.
Waiting for the perfect moment to descend upon Fortune City.
Three days after the battle outside Li Group's manufacturing facility, Fortune City appeared peaceful on the surface.
The factories resumed operation.
The damaged roads were repaired.
Business negotiations restarted.
The various families returned to their routines.
Yet everyone knew the peace was fake.
It was merely the calm before a much larger storm.
The conflict between Li Tao and Ye Feng had already escalated beyond the level of ordinary family disputes.
The younger generation was growing too quickly.
The older generation was beginning to interfere.
Even forces from the provincial capital had started paying attention.
Nobody knew what would happen next.
Only one thing was certain.
The next collision would be far more violent than anything seen before.
Inside Li Family Manor.
Li Tao sat cross-legged inside his cultivation room.
Spiritual energy circulated through his meridians.
After spending nearly all of his remaining points, his cultivation had finally stabilized.
Middle-stage Earth Immortal Realm.
A realm he could not even imagine touching in his previous life.
Yet instead of excitement—
he felt uneasy.
The stronger he became, the more he realized how many hidden dangers existed in this world.
The Black Gate.
Luo Chen.
Divine Doctor Xiao.
The mysterious forces behind Neo's organization.
Any one of them could overturn everything.
Neo floated beside him while looking depressed.
The system spirit looked like a gambler who had lost his house.
"Stop looking at me."
Li Tao opened one eye.
"You spent fifty thousand points."
Neo immediately exploded.
"ONLY fifty thousand?"
"Do you know how long it took me to save that money?"
"Do you know how many accounting tricks I had to use?"
"Do you know how many newborn systems would sell their souls for that amount?"
Li Tao shrugged.
"You still have your soul."
Neo looked even more depressed.
"Not for long at this rate."
Before Li Tao could continue bullying him—
the ground suddenly trembled.
Rumble...
The teacup on the table shook slightly.
Neo froze.
Li Tao frowned.
Then the second tremor arrived.
Stronger than before.
Boom.
The entire cultivation room shook.
Outside, startled voices echoed throughout the manor.
Li Tao immediately stood.
"What happened?"
Neo's expression changed dramatically.
His usual laziness vanished instantly.
A massive system panel appeared before both of them.
[DING!]
[Large Scale World Event Detected.]
[DING!]
[Ancient Opportunity Awakening.]
[Location: Good Fortune Mountain.]
[Threat Assessment: Extremely High.]
Li Tao's eyes narrowed.
"Good Fortune Mountain?"
The mountain was practically Fortune City's symbol.
Everyone knew of it.
Yet nobody had ever discovered anything unusual there.
Neo swallowed.
Then another notification appeared.
[Opportunity Name:]
Heavenly Dragon Tomb
[Estimated Rank: Low Blue Realm]
[Status:]
Awakening
For several seconds—
the room became completely silent.
Then Neo screamed.
"FUCK!"
Li Tao nearly jumped.
"What now?!"
Neo pointed toward the panel with trembling fingers.
"Blue Realm!"
"Do you understand what Blue Realm means?"
Li Tao shook his head.
Neo almost cried.
"It means we're screwed!"
At almost the same moment.
Several hundred kilometers away.
Inside a luxurious villa.
Ye Feng abruptly opened his eyes.
The jade pendant around his neck began glowing.
Divine Doctor Xiao appeared instantly.
The old doctor's expression carried a rare trace of shock.
"Master?"
Ye Feng immediately noticed something was wrong.
Divine Doctor Xiao slowly looked toward the horizon.
"The dragon awakens."
Ye Feng blinked.
"What?"
"The opportunity."
"The greatest opportunity in this region."
For the first time since his rebirth—
Ye Feng saw genuine excitement in his master's eyes.
Divine Doctor Xiao's voice became serious.
"If we obtain it..."
"Your future achievements may surpass mine."
Ye Feng's breathing accelerated.
The old monster had always acted superior to everyone.
For him to say something like that—
the opportunity must be extraordinary.
A dangerous light gradually appeared in Ye Feng's eyes.
"No matter what."
"I will obtain it."
Meanwhile.
In a different province.
Inside a mountain villa hidden from the world.
Luo Chen suddenly opened his eyes.
The spiritual energy surrounding him instantly surged.
Boom.
The table before him exploded.
The servants outside immediately knelt.
Nobody dared move.
Luo Chen ignored them completely.
His eyes remained fixed on the southern sky.
An aura.
A familiar aura.
Ancient.
Tyrannical.
Overbearing.
His calm expression finally cracked.
"Impossible..."
He slowly stood.
His breathing became slightly heavier.
A memory buried deep inside his previous life resurfaced.
The Dragon Emperor.
One of the legendary figures from the era before his birth.
A monster who once suppressed entire continents.
A being rumored to have touched immortality itself.
Luo Chen originally believed such legends were exaggerated.
Yet now—
he could clearly feel the traces of that existence.
His heart began beating faster.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that he felt true excitement.
If his guess was correct...
this opportunity could allow him to recover decades worth of cultivation.
Perhaps even centuries.
The corners of his mouth slowly rose.
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
The nearby subordinates shivered.
Whenever their master smiled like that—
someone usually died.
The following morning.
Fortune City exploded.
News spread like wildfire.
Strange phenomena had appeared around Good Fortune Mountain.
Witnesses claimed to have seen golden clouds gathering above the peak.
Others claimed to hear dragon roars during the night.
Some swore they saw enormous shadows flying through the sky.
Many believed it was nonsense.
Until noon arrived.
Then the mountain erupted.
A pillar of golden light shot toward the heavens.
The entire province witnessed it.
Even ordinary people could see the phenomenon.
Countless birds fled.
Wild beasts escaped from the forests.
The spiritual energy within the surrounding region suddenly became more active.
The entire mountain range seemed alive.
Panic.
Excitement.
Fear.
Greed.
Every possible emotion spread through the city.
The major families immediately entered emergency meetings.
Inside Wang Family headquarters.
Wang Jun slammed his fist onto the table.
"This opportunity belongs to us."
Several elders nodded.
The Wang Family had already suffered losses against Li Tao.
This was their chance to recover.
No matter the cost.
Inside the Tang Family.
Tang Jing was practically bouncing in excitement.
"A treasure hunt!"
"A real treasure hunt!"
Her father looked exhausted.
This girl truly possessed only one brain cell.
Yet her cultivation had increased absurdly fast after meeting Ye Feng.
Nobody could explain it.
Inside the Nangong Family temporary residence.
Nangong Li stood before a large map.
Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Good Fortune Mountain.
Her instincts told her this opportunity would change everything.
Fortune City was no longer a backwater city.
It had become the center of the storm.
Even the Xue Family became involved.
Since their separation from Ye Feng's faction, they had remained relatively quiet.
Now they could no longer stay neutral.
The opportunity was simply too large.
Three days later.
The first outsiders arrived.
Then more followed.
Then even more.
Soon Fortune City became overcrowded.
Luxury cars filled the streets.
Private helicopters appeared in the skies.
Experts from neighboring provinces entered the city daily.
The atmosphere became increasingly tense.
A single spark could trigger war.
Meanwhile.
Neo was working harder than ever.
Dozens of system windows floated before him.
His expression became uglier with each passing second.
Li Tao casually glanced at one of the screens.
Then froze.
Participating Factions:
Capital Qin Family
Capital Nangong Family
Capital Xuan Family
Wang Family
Tang Family
Xue Family
Shen Family
Ye Feng Faction
Li Family
Luo Chen Faction
Unknown Forces x 17
Li Tao's eyelid twitched.
"Unknown forces?"
Neo nodded.
"Those are the dangerous ones."
"Some of them weren't even supposed to appear in this region."
Li Tao frowned.
"How dangerous?"
Neo stared at him.
Then answered honestly.
"Dangerous enough that if you accidentally provoke the wrong person..."
"...your wedding might become a funeral."
Li Tao: "..."
Neo: "..."
For the first time in a long while—
neither found the joke funny.
That evening.
A second notification appeared.
[DING!]
Heavenly Dragon Tomb
Awakening Progress: 91%
Estimated Opening Time: 3 Days
The entire city fell into anticipation.
Three days.
Only three days remained.
The greatest opportunity in Fortune City's history was about to appear.
And everyone wanted a piece of it.
Li Tao stood atop Li Family Manor and looked toward Good Fortune Mountain.
In the distance—
golden clouds continued gathering around the peak.
A faint dragon roar echoed through the heavens.
Neo floated beside him silently.
Neither spoke for several minutes.
Finally—
Li Tao broke the silence.
"Think we'll survive this?"
Neo looked at the terrifying notifications filling his screen.
Then looked toward the mountain.
Then looked toward the Black Gate's location deep beneath the earth.
For some reason—
a very bad feeling appeared in his heart.
The Heavenly Dragon Tomb.
The Black Gate.
Luo Chen.
Ye Feng.
Ten days until the wedding.
Everything seemed to be converging toward one final point.
Neo slowly exhaled.
"I have no idea."
"But if we do survive..."
He pointed toward the mountain.
"...we'll either become rich beyond imagination."
"Or become corpses."
Far away.
Beyond the mountain.
Beneath layers of earth.
Inside a dark underground chamber that nobody knew existed—
a massive black gate trembled slightly.
A single crack widened.
And from within the darkness—
something opened its eyes.