Schools of carp stirred, their bodies twisting, rising towards the moon. The scales on their bodies shone brightly under the moonlight, like armor on warriors.

Black carp, silver carp, grass carp, and the most numerous of all, carp, all in various forms. Some were entirely golden, some had half a tail of gold, and others were completely red.

The Dragon Gate Crossing seemed to possess some kind of miraculous elixir, attracting countless fish eager to leap into it.

This drew astonished exclamations from the common people and martial artists gathered on the riverbanks.

They cried out that their trip had not been in vain.

It was indeed a magnificent and beautiful scene.

It also rekindled hope in the hearts of several frustrated martial artists as they watched.

Even fish had the ambition to leap, how much more should humans?

The surging river water drowned out all other sounds in the world as everyone focused intently on the scene.

After all, according to many people's memories from previous years, this scene of ten thousand fish leaping together would soon end, leaving only a few fish leaping sporadically.

Princess Pingyang stood in an excellent spot, hands clasped behind her back, watching the surging scene below, her heart filled with a surge of emotion.

A flicker in her eyes seemed to reveal the various hidden struggles within the capital.

Fish leaping over the Dragon Gate.

Were those vying for the position of crown prince and the throne not the same?

As she thought this, Princess Pingyang's gaze unconsciously turned in one direction, towards the place where Chen Yuan had taken Zhang Wanshu to view the scene earlier. She had seen them in the crowd when she arrived.

But now, only Zhang Wanshu remained.

Where did Chen Yuan go?

......

......

Where did Chen Yuan go?

Naturally, after concealing his presence, he had silently entered the water from the void. Although it caused some ripples, no one noticed such strangeness in the distance under the auspicious scene of ten thousand fish leaping over the Dragon Gate.

Of course, even if they wanted to observe, they probably didn't have the ability.

Chen Yuan swept his divine sense over everyone viewing the scene along the riverbank. Apart from a Dan Realm Grandmaster guarding Princess Pingyang, there were only three other Grandmasters.

One was a slovenly Daoist wearing tattered clothes, a wine gourd hanging from his waist, lying on a tree branch watching the scene.

Another was a monk with a shiny head, his kasaya faded and dull, still twirling dirty prayer beads.

And the third was Jiang Xiong, the Sky Survey Blue Envoy of Lin'an Prefecture.

Among these four, the slovenly Daoist with the wine gourd was the strongest, but he was only at the Solid Dan cultivation level and could barely detect Chen Yuan's presence.

Now that he had made some disguise, naturally no one would notice him.

Without a fifth realm true being of the same level, Chen Yuan acted much more boldly, directly and openly entering the Dragon Gate Crossing, a layer of ethereal aura propping up around his body, separating all the turbulent currents.

Not a single drop of moisture touched his body.

At the same time, he opened his Heavenly Eye pupil technique!

In the night sky, the moon hanging high was particularly round tonight, casting a silvery-gray light on the ground. Even though Chen Yuan was in the river, he could still see that jade-white disc.

Step by step, he stepped into the water. Due to the river's turbulent flow, the water was actually very muddy, but this did not prevent Chen Yuan from seeing the situation below.

Countless fish frantically burrowed downward, stirring up a lot of silt.

At the same time, his Heavenly Eye finally underwent a change.

Beneath the silt, a bright cyan light bloomed, about several zhang in size, very strange.

Chen Yuan thought to himself, as expected.

He had previously speculated that his opportunity should be under the silt. After all, there were no signs of unstable void nearby, so it couldn't be a secret realm.

Moreover, the phenomenon of attracting the moon and fish to leap over the Dragon Gate did not seem to be caused by the strangeness emanating from a secret realm.

It was just that this crossing was somewhat large, more than ten zhang deep, almost forty or fifty meters, and a hundred zhang wide, with an incredibly vast amount of silt piled below.

Searching for it would not be easy.

Most importantly, no one knew how deeply the Dragon Pearl was buried. If Chen Yuan caused too much commotion, it would inevitably attract people to come and investigate and compete for it.

The cyan light below did not resemble the size of a pearl. Chen Yuan had an unconfirmed guess in his mind.

Dragon Pearl, Dragon Pearl, naturally the essence of a dragon condensed. Obtained from a dragon, it could not be born out of thin air. This meant that the thing below might be a dragon corpse or dragon bone.

With a thought, immense pressure instantly enveloped the entire riverbed of Dragon Gate Crossing. Countless silt boiled, stirred up by the turbulent currents, along with thousands of fish.

However, because tonight's river convergence was too fierce, not many people noticed.

Continuing deeper, even more silt was washed away. There were corroded swords, humanoid bones. Under the silt beneath the Dragon Gate Crossing, who knew how many filthy things were hidden.

Chen Yuan ignored everything, only getting closer and closer to the direction where the cyan light was shining.

Ten breaths of time passed, and finally, a small part of the opportunity emitting the cyan light below was revealed, shaped like white jade, incredibly transparent. If it weren't for the muddy river water, it might even have been able to emit white light.

Bones!

Very large bones!

Completely unlike human form.

Chen Yuan's guess was very accurate. As more silt was washed away, more of the things below were revealed, shaped like joints, each one the size of a basin.

At least several zhang long, with a dignified form.

A powerful, indescribable pressure radiated from its entire body, enveloping the entire riverbed of the Dragon Gate Crossing. Moreover, Chen Yuan keenly noticed that this dragon-shaped bone was still rising...

It seemed to be under the pull of the moonlight.

No one knew how deeply it was buried.

With a wave of his hand, countless silt was blocked, and the entire dragon corpse revealed its true face. No... to be precise, this was not a dragon corpse, but a... flood dragon corpse.

Because it had no horns, only a broken single horn in the middle.

Without scales or eyes, it had clearly been dead for many years.

This was just a scan by Chen Yuan. The place where he truly focused was roughly above the flood dragon bone, where a cyan pearl the size of a wine shop's platter was emitting a rich light.

Dragon Pearl.

Flood Dragon Pearl!

The essence of the entire flood dragon corpse was gathered there. The immense light radiating from its body all came from the Dragon Pearl.

Opportunity.

A glint of eagerness flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes.

Every opportunity meant that his cultivation could soar once more. Anyone in his place would not be able to remain calm. The fact that he hadn't grabbed it immediately was already a sign of his composure.

It wasn't that he didn't want to act, but... he dared not act rashly.

The flood dragon had been dead for many years, its flesh and blood withered, leaving only dragon bones. But no one knew if there were still any wonders on its flood dragon corpse. After all, in Chen Yuan's perception, it still radiated a considerable pressure.

Let's call it dragon aura for now.

He estimated that the reason it attracted fish to leap over the Dragon Gate, scrambling to enter here, should be that faint, almost imperceptible dragon aura that was leaking out.

For ordinary aquatic creatures whose intelligence had not yet developed, this was no less than an opportunity for rebirth and a change of fate. Calling it leaping over the Dragon Gate was not an exaggeration.

Carefully staring for a few breaths, Chen Yuan raised his vigilance to the highest level, slowly enveloping the dragon corpse with his divine sense, wanting to use this to get the Dragon Pearl in his hands.

At least in his careful perception, he had not found anything wrong.

Naturally, there was no need to be too alarmed and stalemate here with a pile of bones.

Just as the powerful divine sense enveloped the flood dragon skeleton, suddenly, it seemed to trigger a strange reaction. The flood dragon skeleton actually moved abruptly, and the Dragon Pearl also bloomed with dazzling light.

Before Chen Yuan could withdraw his divine sense, he felt an unwilling intent.

His mind was instantly drawn into the Dragon Pearl, into the unwilling intent.

Black clouds pressed down, affecting a hundred miles.

Chen Yuan seemed like an observer, staying in the void. At a glance, he saw the massive body in the river.

It was at least several dozen zhang in size, with a single horn on its head and scales like fish. Its whole body exuded a powerful aura, which was almost comparable to that of a Yang God True Monarch.

Converted, it was roughly equivalent to a powerhouse at the level of a Great Sage of the demon race.

Chen Yuan, this ethereal observer, did not attract any attention. Even he himself felt like he didn't exist.

The flood dragon in the river wrapped around the monstrous waves, rose against the wind, and roared in the void, the sound like a dragon's roar, exuding a powerful pressure.

Then, it soared into the sky.

But just as it leaped up, the scene in the void began to change. Thunder rumbled in the black clouds, the light illuminating the world. After brewing for a breath, it fell down with a bang.

"Boom!"

With just one strike, it seemed like the sky was falling and the earth was splitting. Lightning filled the sky, directly hitting the cyan flood dragon, blasting out a fist-sized wound.

Half of its body was charred black.

The flood dragon let out an unwilling roar, as if unconvinced.

But the thunder had no emotion. After three breaths, another thunderbolt descended from the sky. This thunder could not be avoided, could not be dispelled, and could only be endured.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The cyan flood dragon was bombarded by thunderbolts, its originally towering momentum began to decline at a visible speed with each strike.

The cyan body of the flood dragon was about to turn black.

The lightning was like a maggot clinging to bone, wrapped around every part of the flood dragon's body. Scales began to fall off, and there was a deep, bone-exposing wound on its tail. The most miserable part was the single horn.

It was already half broken...

Its spirit was also faint.

Chen Yuan's eyes were solemn as he stared at the terrifying tribulation.

If he were the cyan dragon at this moment, would he dare to face the thunder tribulation?

After pondering for a long time, Chen Yuan felt the terrifying thunder, and the true meaning of martial arts in his heart became more and more solidified.

Dare!

He dared!

If he were the dragon at this moment, he would definitely have a chance to fight.

Risking everything, he dared to call for a new sky!

If he didn't have this spirit, how could he have risen from weakness, using only two years to achieve this step? If he didn't have the courage to gamble everything, how could he dare to have the heart to rebel?

Success would open the path to transformation, failure would mean... eternal damnation.

It was a pity that he was not a dragon, and the dragon did not have his spirit. Chen Yuan could clearly feel that the dragon no longer had the courage to undergo the thunder tribulation.

Lowering its proud dragon head, it slowly lowered itself and disappeared into the river, the huge waves it had stirred up quickly dissipating.

The thunder tribulation in the sky seemed to have sensed this, and the sky-filled tribulation clouds began to gradually dissipate, the black clouds also disappearing without a trace.

Only the heavily injured dragon licking its wounds remained between heaven and earth.

Unfortunately, the more its spirit dissipated, the more terrifying the bone-adhering tribulation thunder became. Traces of blood began to scatter into the river, quickly dyeing a stretch of the river red.

Following the river, the dragon's vitality became weaker and weaker.

Chen Yuan stood less than ten zhang away from it, quietly watching this scene.

One day, two days, three days...

The sun had cycled nine times before the dragon seemed to realize something before it died. If it had fought to the death at that time, perhaps it would not be in this situation.

Although it might have been killed by the thunder tribulation on the spot, there would have been a glimmer of hope.

But now, it was too late.

Its vitality could no longer support it to rise again.

Only a sense of unwillingness lingered in its heart.

It gradually closed its eyes and sank to the bottom of the river...

Chen Yuan sighed softly, his eyes solemn.

The cyan dragon undergoing tribulation to transform into a dragon, was it not a picture of martial artists climbing step by step?

The path of martial arts, only courageous advancement.

Once defeated, once the spirit dissipates, there is no more chance.

Not to mention the ethereal path of longevity.

The scene in his eyes ended here, Chen Yuan's mind, immersed in the Dragon Pearl's unwillingness, gradually returned, looking slightly complexly at the flood dragon skeleton lying in the silt.

Humans are like dragons, and dragons are like humans.

No matter how graceful and unparalleled you were in life, how awe-inspiring your power, after death you are just a pile of withered bones in a tomb.

Under the passage of time, flesh, blood, and scales will still vanish, and perhaps, after some more years, even this dragon skeleton will vanish from the world, with no trace of its existence.

Staring at the skeleton for a moment, Chen Yuan was about to collect the Dragon Pearl when suddenly, the Emperor Slaughtering Saber, which had been placed in the Heavenly Tome space, trembled. Chen Yuan's eyes moved, and with a thought, he brought it out of the Heavenly Tome space.

On the Emperor Slaughtering Saber, a pitch-black, immense dragon soul condensed, circling once in the riverbed, staring intently at the cyan Dragon Pearl.

It seemed to want to swallow it in one gulp.

Chen Yuan frowned. This was his opportunity, and he was prepared to rely on this Flood Dragon Pearl to take another step forward. If he let the dragon soul swallow it, it would be a big loss.

He quickly conveyed his thoughts to the dragon soul.

But the dragon soul seemed unaware, still staring at the Dragon Pearl.

Seeing it like this, Chen Yuan also noticed something was wrong, his eyes narrowed, and his gaze fixed on the Dragon Pearl.

Time stalled for ten breaths, and the dragon soul radiated a fierce dragon might, enveloping the Dragon Pearl. A tiny cyan dragon soul suddenly drilled out from within the Dragon Pearl.

With a hint of human-like fearful gaze, it glanced at Chen Yuan and the dragon soul, and the next moment, a roar like a dragon's cry rang out, wanting to break out of the water.

To escape this place.

......

......

Nine River Riverbank.

The carp leaping from the river, as time passed, not only did not end, but became more and more numerous, and even more restless, as if something was attracting them.

The bright moon in the void also became brighter.

This strange state also made several Dan Realm Grandmasters who came to view the scene realize something was wrong. Among them, not all had seen the phenomenon of fish leaping over the Dragon Gate.

But never had a day been as strange as it was now.

The number of various fish and shrimp leaping up was simply too many, and upon closer inspection, the river water was becoming increasingly turbid. If they hadn't noticed anything unusual before, it was understandable, after all, with such turbulent currents and such dense fish jumping, it was normal to stir up the silt at the bottom of the river.

But... this silt was a bit too thick.

Calling it a quicksand river seemed more accurate.

Zhang Wanshu's fists clenched under her sleeves, and her eyes held a hint of worry. It had been almost a quarter of an hour since Chen Yuan left.

Why hadn't he returned yet?

What exactly was he doing?

The fish leaping over the Dragon Gate in this river probably wouldn't last too long.

A once-a-year opportunity, it would be a pity to miss it. After all, this was not manipulated by martial artists, but entirely a spontaneous behavior of the fish.

Second Sister Zhang felt somewhat regretful.

But so many people were gathered here, and she didn't dare to cheer. What if Chen Yuan was doing something important, and her shout ruined things?

Zhang Wanshu stared at the river, and someone was also staring at her.

Since realizing that Chen Yuan had left, Princess Pingyang had frequently looked in her direction, her gaze thoughtful.

Chen Yuan was traveling with beauty, he shouldn't have left alone.

Could there be something she didn't know?

"Your Highness."

While she was thinking, a plain-looking man in black beside her bowed and called out softly.

"Hmm?"

Princess Pingyang regained her senses and turned to look.

"Something is wrong with the water. Your Highness, be careful."

The man continued.

"What did you notice?"

Princess Pingyang frowned and asked.

"This subordinate doesn't know yet. I'm afraid I can only find out by going deep into the water."

The man said hesitantly.

"Then you..."

Princess Pingyang was about to order something.

Suddenly, three powerful auras rose from various parts of the crowd, a slovenly Daoist, a simple monk, and a middle-aged man wearing the official uniform of the Sky Survey Division.

The three Dan Realm Grandmasters were now suspended above the Dragon Gate Crossing.

"You go too."

Princess Pingyang instructed.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The man in black nodded slightly, and quickly soared into the sky, carefully surveying the other three Dan Realm Grandmasters. They had each noticed the others while viewing the scene earlier, but had no intention of interacting.

Now was considered the first time.

The four figures were in the sky, immediately causing the surrounding people and martial artists to exclaim in alarm, thinking that something big had happened, feeling somewhat uneasy. Some, sensing the danger, had already begun to flee.

But there were also some martial artists who couldn't resist coming forward to see what was happening.

"It seems that you fellow Daoists have already discovered the strangeness here."

The slovenly Daoist glanced at everyone.

"There is dragon aura."

The simple monk put his palms together.

"Dragon aura..."

The others were shocked, their gazes instantly falling on the river water below where the Dragon Gate was, their expressions suspicious and joyful, but when they looked at the others around them, they were also somewhat wary and guarded.

With treasures in front of them, something might happen.

"Fellow Daoists, since we don't know what's happening, why don't we..." The slovenly Daoist had not finished speaking.

The moonlight in the night sky grew brighter, the river water stirred up a vortex, a roar similar to a dragon's cry suddenly rang out, and then, everyone saw a streak of cyan light breaking out of the water!