The collapse of the Dragon Spirit Secret Realm became the biggest topic in the entire nation overnight.
Countless experts had entered.
Thousands had competed.
Yet only a handful emerged as true winners.
And among them—
one name overshadowed everyone else.
Li Tao.
The once-forgotten young master of Fortune City had suddenly become the center of attention for every major force.
Nobody knew exactly what happened inside the secret realm.
But everyone knew one thing.
The Li Family faction entered strong.
And exited terrifying.
Three days after the secret realm closed.
Fortune City.
Li Family Manor.
For the first time since his rebirth...
Li Tao wasn't doing anything.
No schemes.
No protagonist slapping.
No emergency meetings.
No cultivation.
No business wars.
No assassinations.
No heroines causing trouble.
Absolutely nothing.
He was currently lying on a recliner near the backyard lake while drinking iced fruit juice.
A fishing rod rested beside him.
A large sun umbrella covered half his body.
His eyes remained half closed.
The scene looked incredibly peaceful.
Almost lazy.
Neo floated nearby staring at him.
Then stared again.
Then stared a third time.
Finally he couldn't endure it anymore.
[Ding!]
[Host.]
Li Tao didn't move.
"What?"
[Are you dead?]
"..."
[You've been lying here for four hours.]
Li Tao lazily adjusted his position.
"And?"
Neo nearly exploded.
[You're a cultivator!]
[You're supposed to cultivate!]
[You just obtained the Dragon Overlord Body!]
[Your enemies are preparing for war!]
[The wedding is less than ten days away!]
[Why are you fishing?!]
Li Tao opened one eye.
"Because I can."
Neo froze.
Li Tao took another sip of juice.
"Since my rebirth, have I ever rested?"
Neo thought about it.
The answer was no.
The man had spent months fighting.
Business wars.
Family wars.
Cultivation.
Protagonists.
Heroines.
Ancient inheritances.
Secret realms.
Revenge plans.
Every day brought new disasters.
Now that everything had temporarily calmed down...
he was simply enjoying himself.
Neo reluctantly admitted it.
The host had earned this break.
Nearby.
Li Jing ran into the courtyard carrying a giant fish.
"Cousin!"
Li Tao glanced over.
"Another one?"
Li Jing proudly raised the fish.
"Three kilograms!"
Li Tao nodded.
"Not bad."
Li Jing instantly became happy.
She then sat beside him and started talking nonstop about the secret realm.
For the tenth time.
And nobody stopped her.
Because everyone knew she would simply start over again.
Inside the main hall.
The atmosphere was entirely different.
Li Tian sat at the head seat.
Around him were representatives from countless families.
The attitude compared to a month ago was completely different.
Previously they treated the Li Family as a rising force.
Now they treated them as one of the rulers of the region.
The difference was enormous.
Every family present carried gifts.
Every family spoke politely.
Every family smiled.
Some smiles were genuine.
Others were forced.
But nobody dared disrespect them.
A Transcendent Realm expert was enough to change everything.
And the Li Family now possessed more than one terrifying figure.
Meanwhile.
The Xue Family was also experiencing dramatic changes.
After obtaining a secondary inheritance from the secret realm, their strength rose explosively.
Several Earth Immortal experts emerged.
Their old patriarch successfully advanced another step.
Most importantly—
their foundation was finally comparable to the Qin Family.
The difference in heritage still existed.
But the gap in strength had largely disappeared.
Xue Diwei stood on a balcony overlooking the city.
Her expression remained complicated.
The more she watched Li Tao rise...
the more she felt she had missed something important.
Unfortunately.
Some opportunities only appeared once.
At the same time.
Capital City.
The Xuan Family.
A meeting rarely seen in decades was underway.
Several elders sat around a large table.
Every one of them possessed terrifying cultivation.
Among them sat Xuan Lingtian.
Normally someone of his generation wouldn't even qualify to participate.
Yet nobody objected.
Because his performance inside the secret realm had earned everyone's recognition.
An elder slowly spoke.
"Fortune City's situation is becoming increasingly important."
Another nodded.
"Especially Li Tao."
Several people immediately agreed.
One of the elders suddenly asked:
"Lingtian."
"What do you think?"
Everyone looked toward him.
Xuan Lingtian smiled.
Then answered without hesitation.
"Invest everything."
The room became silent.
Several elders raised their eyebrows.
Invest everything?
That was an extremely bold statement.
Xuan Lingtian remained calm.
"I watched him rise from nothing."
"I fought beside him."
"I watched him defeat impossible opponents."
"He isn't the type of person who loses."
The elders exchanged glances.
Eventually one of them nodded.
The Xuan Family had made its decision.
The alliance would deepen further.
Meanwhile.
Murong Family Headquarters.
The atmosphere was much happier.
Murong Qing's breakthrough to Core Formation had shocked the entire family.
For hundreds of years...
no member of the younger generation had reached such heights.
{Because they dont cultivate...}
The old family head laughed so much that his beard nearly fell off.
Every discussion eventually returned to one topic.
The wedding.
The date was approaching rapidly.
Preparations accelerated daily.
The scale continued increasing.
By now even provincial powers had begun sending gifts.
Everyone wanted to attend.
Everyone wanted to establish connections.
Everyone wanted a place at the table before the next era began.
Far away.
Inside a hidden valley.
The atmosphere was completely different.
Dark.
Oppressive.
Dangerous.
Ye Feng sat cross-legged inside a cave.
The black scroll floated before him.
Black energy continuously entered his body.
His cultivation rose rapidly.
Yet his appearance became increasingly frightening.
His veins darkened.
His eyes occasionally flashed crimson.
Even Divine Doctor Xiao remained silent while observing.
He understood the price.
But he also understood Ye Feng's obsession.
The disciple had already reached a point where he would do anything for power.
Anything.
Tang Jing watched from outside the cave.
A chill gradually appeared in her heart.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The man before her was still Ye Feng.
Yet at the same time...
he seemed to be changing into someone else.
Unfortunately.
The road had already been chosen.
There was no turning back.
Elsewhere.
Inside a remote province.
Luo Chen sat atop a mountain peak.
The Blood Dragon Crystal floated before him.
His aura grew increasingly stable.
The injuries from the secret realm had mostly recovered.
Yet his expression remained serious.
Because his thoughts were no longer focused on Li Tao.
Instead—
they were focused on the Black Gate.
The deeper he investigated...
the more terrifying it became.
Something behind that gate was waking up.
And whatever it was...
even his previous self would have treated it cautiously.
The inheritance battle had merely been a prelude.
The true disaster was approaching.
Back in Fortune City.
The sun gradually began setting.
Li Tao remained beside the lake.
The fishing rod hadn't moved for nearly an hour.
Neo floated nearby.
Neither spoke.
The evening breeze carried a rare sense of peace.
Finally Neo broke the silence.
[Ding.]
[Host.]
"What now?"
[After everything is over...]
[What do you plan to do?]
Li Tao opened his eyes.
For a moment—
even he didn't know the answer.
Revenge had largely been completed.
The Li Family had risen.
The wedding was approaching.
The final enemies were nearing their last struggle.
His previous life felt increasingly distant.
After several seconds he smiled.
"Sleep."
Neo almost choked.
"That's your answer?"
Li Tao laughed.
"A long sleep."
"Then maybe travel."
"Maybe explore the world."
"Maybe see what's behind that gate."
Neo became quiet.
Because he knew something Li Tao didn't.
The world outside the gate...
was far larger than anything they had encountered so far.
Far more dangerous.
Far more mysterious.
Far more terrifying.
And somehow...
he had a feeling that their story was only beginning.
Above them, the evening sky slowly darkened.
Fortune City remained peaceful.
Families celebrated.
Experts cultivated.
Businesses recovered.
The wedding preparations continued.
Everything appeared calm.
But beneath that calm surface...
three people were preparing.
Li Tao.
Ye Feng.
Luo Chen.
Ten days remained.
And everyone understood.
When those ten days ended—
the final storm would descend upon Fortune City.