Three days.
That was all the time remaining before the Heavenly Dragon Tomb fully opened.
Yet those three days felt longer than the previous three months combined.
Every major force in Fortune City had entered a state of preparation.
Resources were being gathered.
Experts were being summoned.
Old grudges were temporarily suppressed.
Everyone understood the same thing.
The opportunity beneath Good Fortune Mountain was large enough to change the fate of an entire family.
Whoever obtained the greatest share would dominate the coming era.
Whoever failed might never recover.
And for the younger generation...
this was their battlefield.
Li Family Manor.
The atmosphere was unusually serious.
The main conference hall was packed.
Li Tian.
Murong Qing.
Li Jing.
A'Fu.
A'Qian.
The senior members of the family were all present.
Even Neo floated silently in a corner.
A large map of Good Fortune Mountain was projected onto the screen.
Unfortunately—
there wasn't much information.
The mountain remained mostly unexplored.
Every scouting team that approached the core area was forced back by a mysterious pressure.
Li Tao tapped the table.
"What do we know so far?"
Murong Qing spoke first.
"The tomb entrance has not fully materialized."
"However several smaller ruins have already appeared."
"Many martial artists have entered and returned with treasures."
Li Tao nodded.
"What kind of treasures?"
A'Qian answered.
"Spirit herbs."
"Ancient martial manuals."
"Rare ores."
"One family even discovered a damaged weapon from an unknown era."
The room fell silent.
Those were merely scraps left outside the true tomb.
If even the leftovers possessed such value—
the inheritance inside would be unimaginable.
Neo suddenly projected a panel.
[Heavenly Dragon Tomb]
Awakening Progress: 94%
Remaining Time: 61 Hours
Li Tao rubbed his forehead.
The closer the opening approached—
the more uneasy he became.
His cultivation had risen rapidly.
Middle Earth Immortal.
A realm that could dominate an entire province.
Yet compared to the forces now gathering around Fortune City—
it wasn't enough.
Not even close.
Meanwhile.
Inside another villa.
Ye Feng was undergoing his own preparations.
The room was filled with medicinal fragrance.
Divine Doctor Xiao sat nearby while observing him.
The old doctor's expression remained calm.
Yet inwardly he was extremely satisfied.
Compared to the original timeline—
Ye Feng had grown faster.
Much faster.
Although some of his foundation had become unstable due to excessive advancement—
his combat power remained terrifying.
Middle Earth Immortal Realm.
At his age—
such cultivation could already be called monstrous.
Ye Feng slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp aura erupted briefly.
Tang Jing immediately ran over.
"How is it?"
Ye Feng smiled slightly.
"I've stabilized my realm."
The surrounding women visibly relaxed.
Their cultivation had also increased during the previous weeks.
Not because they possessed extraordinary talent.
But because Ye Feng's opportunities were ridiculous.
Whenever he found one—
everyone around him benefited.
Tang Jing had reached Peak Dan Forging.
Shen Yao was approaching the same level.
Even Lin Bingxue's cultivation had increased dramatically.
Divine Doctor Xiao observed everything silently.
Then his gaze drifted toward the distant mountain.
His expression became serious.
This opportunity...
was important even for him.
Very important.
It might be his only chance to take a step further.
_________________________________
Several hundred kilometers away.
Luo Chen sat atop a cliff overlooking an entire city.
Behind him stood dozens of subordinates.
Some were family heads.
Others were martial artists.
Several were Earth Immortal experts.
All of them had been subdued during the past weeks.
Through strength.
Fear.
Or benefits.
Luo Chen had expanded frighteningly quickly.
He now controlled forces from multiple cities.
His influence already rivaled some provincial families.
Yet despite such achievements—
his attention remained fixed on Good Fortune Mountain.
The wind blew through his long hair.
His eyes remained calm.
Cold.
Ancient.
As though he stood above everyone else.
One subordinate cautiously stepped forward.
"Master."
"Should we mobilize everyone?"
Luo Chen shook his head.
"No."
The man became confused.
Luo Chen smiled faintly.
"Too many people are useless."
"The true inheritance won't be obtained through numbers."
His gaze gradually deepened.
This opportunity...
felt familiar.
Almost suspiciously familiar.
The more he thought about it—
the more uncomfortable he became.
As though something hidden beneath the surface was waiting for him.
Watching him.
Judging him.
The feeling was unpleasant.
Yet he could not ignore it.
No cultivator could ignore an opportunity connected to dragon essence.
_____________________________
Back in Fortune City.
New arrivals appeared every day.
The streets became crowded.
Hotels reached full capacity.
Luxury vehicles lined every major road.
Even the local authorities stopped interfering.
Some matters were simply beyond their control.
A few ordinary citizens became rich overnight by renting spare rooms.
Others wisely packed their belongings and left the city.
Everyone sensed the coming storm.
Inside a restaurant.
Two elderly men quietly observed the crowds.
Their clothing looked ordinary.
Their aura was completely concealed.
Yet the moment they entered—
even Earth Immortal experts subconsciously avoided them.
One of them smiled.
"A lot of people."
The second nodded.
"The Dragon Tomb is attracting everyone."
The first took a sip of tea.
"What about the gate?"
The second man's expression became slightly colder.
"It is becoming unstable."
The first immediately frowned.
For several seconds neither spoke.
Eventually—
the older man sighed.
"I hope we are wrong."
Neither continued the discussion.
Some topics were too dangerous even for them.
At the same time.
Deep beneath Good Fortune Mountain.
Darkness filled an enormous underground cavern.
Ancient stone pillars stretched endlessly into the distance.
Countless runes glowed faintly upon the walls.
At the center stood a massive black gate.
Cracks covered its surface.
Each crack leaked tiny amounts of dark energy.
The seals around it were weakening.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
One chain suddenly snapped.
Clang.
The sound echoed throughout the underground world.
Then silence returned.
Yet if anyone had witnessed the scene—
their scalp would have gone numb.
Because the chain had been forged from pure dragon essence.
And now—
it had broken.
Li Family Manor.
Night.
Li Tao stood alone on a balcony.
The city lights stretched into the distance.
For once—
everything seemed peaceful.
Neo floated nearby.
Unusually quiet.
Li Tao glanced toward him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Neo hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"Statistics."
Li Tao immediately regretted asking.
Neo continued anyway.
"Whenever multiple protagonists gather around a world-level opportunity..."
"...the death rate increases dramatically."
Li Tao's eyelid twitched.
"Define dramatically."
Neo pulled out a panel.
Average Survival Rate: 38%
"..."
"..."
Li Tao stared.
Neo stared back.
Neither spoke.
Finally Li Tao sighed.
"I hate your statistics."
Neo nodded.
"So do I."
For several moments they simply watched the city.
Then another notification appeared.
[DING!]
Awakening Progress: 97%
Remaining Time: 28 Hours
Both immediately became serious.
Twenty-eight hours.
The waiting period was almost over.
Soon—
everyone would move.
Ye Feng.
Luo Chen.
The capital families.
The hidden forces.
The Xue Family.
The Wang Family.
Everyone.
The entire province was converging toward a single location.
And only one thing was certain.
When the Heavenly Dragon Tomb finally opened—
blood would be spilled.
A lot of blood.
The following morning.
The sky above Good Fortune Mountain changed again.
Golden clouds covered hundreds of kilometers.
Dragon-shaped shadows swam among them.
The pressure became visible even to ordinary people.
Countless martial artists rushed toward the mountain.
Nobody wanted to arrive late.
The opening was imminent.
The final preparations had begun.
Inside his room, Li Tao slowly stood.
A powerful aura erupted briefly.
Middle Earth Immortal.
At the same time.
In another part of the city.
Ye Feng opened his eyes.
His aura surged.
Middle Earth Immortal.
And far away—
Luo Chen stood atop a mountain.
Spiritual energy swirled around him.
Half-step Core Formation.
Three geniuses.
Three factions.
Three completely different destinies.
All moving toward the same battlefield.
And above them all—
the golden clouds continued gathering.
As if the heavens themselves were waiting for the show to begin.