Seven days remained before the wedding.
For the first time since his rebirth, Li Tao felt that life was finally moving in a normal direction.
Well...
At least as normal as life could be after fighting reborn protagonists, cultivators from another world, hidden inheritances, secret realms and ancient monsters.
Fortune City was more lively than ever.
Large banners decorated the streets.
Luxury vehicles entered and left the city daily.
Hotels had become fully booked.
Even neighboring provinces were discussing the upcoming marriage between the Li Family and the Murong Family.
The union itself was important.
But what truly attracted attention was the power standing behind it.
The Li Family.
The Murong Family.
The Xuan Family.
Several rising powers from the capital.
Together they had become a force nobody dared underestimate.
Meanwhile—
inside the Li Family manor.
Li Tao was regretting every decision he had made in his life.
"Stand still."
Murong Qing's voice came from nearby.
Li Tao's mouth twitched.
"I've been standing still for thirty minutes."
"Another ten."
"I would rather fight Ye Feng."
Murong Qing smiled.
"Unfortunately for you, this battle cannot be avoided."
Several servants nearby immediately covered their mouths to stop themselves from laughing.
Li Tao was currently wearing wedding robes.
A very expensive set.
A very uncomfortable set.
A very heavy set.
And apparently...
there were still adjustments being made.
Across from him sat Li Jing eating snacks while watching the show.
"Cousin looks like a roasted duck."
Silence filled the room.
Murong Qing froze.
The servants froze.
Li Tao slowly turned his head.
Li Jing immediately ran.
Unfortunately...
she wasn't fast enough.
Ten seconds later her scream echoed throughout the manor.
"Hahaha! Save me!"
"Cousin is trying to kill me!"
The entire Li Family became lively.
For once nobody talked about cultivation.
Nobody talked about enemies.
Nobody talked about conspiracies.
Everyone simply enjoyed the atmosphere.
Even Neo found himself smiling.
It had been a long time since he had seen his host acting his actual age.
That evening.
A large banquet was held.
Representatives from various forces had already started arriving.
Among them were several familiar faces.
Xuan Lingtian arrived personally.
The moment he entered the manor, Li Tao welcomed him with a smile.
"Still alive?"
Xuan Lingtian laughed.
"Barely."
The two exchanged a firm handshake.
Their alliance had been forged through countless battles.
There was no longer any need for excessive politeness.
Nearby, several elders of the Xuan Family observed quietly.
The more they watched Li Tao, the more satisfied they became.
This young man possessed strength.
Talent.
Luck.
And most importantly—
he remembered favors.
Such people rarely betrayed their allies.
The Xue Family also arrived.
Compared to their previous appearance, their confidence had increased significantly.
The secret realm inheritance had completely changed their standing.
Several families that once ignored them were now actively seeking cooperation.
Xue Ningdi remained silent throughout most of the evening.
Occasionally her gaze drifted toward Li Tao.
Then toward Murong Qing.
Eventually she simply sighed.
Some opportunities were lost forever.
There was no point dwelling on them.
Late at night.
After the banquet ended.
Li Tao finally escaped.
He climbed onto the rooftop of the manor and looked at the city lights.
The cool breeze felt refreshing.
Neo appeared beside him.
[Ding.]
Li Tao didn't turn around.
"What?"
[You seem happy.]
Li Tao smiled slightly.
"Shouldn't I be?"
Neo thought about it.
The Li Family had risen.
The wedding was approaching.
The protagonist faction had suffered a major defeat.
Everything appeared to be moving in the right direction.
Yet...
For some reason Neo still felt uneasy.
He couldn't explain why.
The feeling simply refused to disappear.
Several hundred kilometers away.
The atmosphere was completely different.
Dark clouds covered the sky.
A hidden valley sat deep within the mountains.
The surrounding vegetation had already withered.
Even animals avoided the area.
At the center of the valley sat Ye Feng.
His appearance had changed.
The black scroll floated before him.
Dark energy continuously entered his body.
His aura grew stronger daily.
Yet something else was changing as well.
His eyes.
Every now and then they flashed crimson.
His expression became increasingly cold.
The warm confidence that once attracted others was slowly disappearing.
Replacing it was something darker.
Something more dangerous.
Tang Jing watched from nearby.
A strange feeling appeared in her heart.
She couldn't explain it.
The man before her was still Ye Feng.
Yet...
he no longer felt like the same person.
Several times she wanted to speak.
Several times she stopped herself.
Eventually she turned around and left.
She wasn't the only one.
Shen Yao had noticed it.
Xu Yue had noticed it.
Even Nangong Li had begun keeping her distance.
The only person who remained calm was Divine Doctor Xiao.
Or at least—
he appeared calm.
In reality his heart was becoming increasingly heavy.
Because he knew exactly what the black scroll contained.
A forbidden technique.
One abandoned by countless generations.
A technique capable of turning geniuses into monsters.
Deep inside the cave.
Ye Feng slowly opened his eyes.
Boom.
A violent aura erupted.
The mountain shook.
Several cracks appeared along nearby stone walls.
The surrounding spiritual energy instantly rushed toward him.
Middle-stage Earth Immortal.
Peak Middle-stage Earth Immortal.
Only a small distance remained before advancing again.
Normally such progress would make him ecstatic.
Today he felt nothing.
Only one thought remained.
Li Tao.
The image of the secret realm repeatedly appeared inside his mind.
The humiliation.
The defeat.
The helplessness.
Every memory became fuel for his obsession.
His fists slowly tightened.
"I will kill him."
The words echoed softly through the cave.
Yet everyone present heard them clearly.
_____________________________
Far away.
Another figure stood atop a cliff.
Luo Chen.
The former Nascent Soul cultivator had spent the past several days investigating ancient ruins connected to the Black Gate.
The deeper he searched...
the more alarmed he became.
Ancient murals.
Destroyed formations.
Records written in forgotten languages.
All pointed toward the same conclusion.
This world was not as simple as it appeared.
Not even close.
A massive stone tablet stood before him.
Most of its contents had eroded away.
Only a few words remained visible.
Luo Chen carefully brushed away the dust.
His pupils contracted.
"Dragon Overlord Body..."
"World Seal..."
"True Immortal..."
The words felt strangely connected.
Even more shocking—
the Black Gate appeared in multiple murals.
Each depiction ended identically.
Destruction.
Death.
The collapse of civilization.
Luo Chen's expression gradually became serious.
He had initially assumed the gate connected to another world.
Now he wasn't so sure.
The thing behind it...
might be something much worse.
A sudden realization appeared inside his mind.
He immediately examined several nearby inscriptions again.
His expression changed.
Then changed again.
Finally he looked toward Fortune City.
"The wedding..."
He whispered.
Several calculations rapidly formed inside his head.
The celestial alignment.
The realm instability.
The spiritual energy fluctuations.
Everything pointed toward one date.
The wedding day.
_______________________________
At the same time—
inside the System Administration Universe.
A familiar alarm suddenly rang.
Marcus looked toward the report in disbelief.
"What?"
Several nearby entities became alarmed.
The platinum-robed administrator immediately opened the file.
His face turned pale.
A few moments later—
he disappeared from the room.
Elsewhere.
Genesis slowly opened his eyes.
An ancient report floated before him.
His usual smile disappeared.
For the first time in a very long time...
he looked serious.
"Interesting."
The report burst into flames.
Countless calculations appeared around him.
After several moments he sighed.
Then laughed.
A very dangerous laugh.
"That little newborn really knows how to cause trouble."
_________________________
Back in Fortune City.
Li Tao suddenly frowned.
For some reason—
his Dragon Overlord Body had become restless.
The feeling lasted only a second.
Yet it felt unusually familiar.
As though something was calling him.
Something ancient.
Something hidden.
Something connected to the Black Gate.
Neo immediately noticed.
[Ding.]
[Host.]
"You felt it too?"
Neo nodded.
For several seconds neither spoke.
Eventually Li Tao stood up.
The relaxed expression from earlier had disappeared.
The peaceful days were ending.
His instincts told him that much.
Far away.
Ye Feng cultivated forbidden arts.
Luo Chen investigated ancient secrets.
Unknown forces stirred behind the Black Gate.
And somewhere beyond everyone's sight—
fate itself was beginning to move.
Only seven days remained before the wedding.
And every thread of destiny was slowly converging toward that single day.