Step by step, Yi Tianxing ascended to the third tier of the altar. The moment his foot landed, he distinctly felt two formless wills descend upon him—one aloof, the other awe-inspiring. The aloof will belonged to the Great Dao, boundless and unfathomable like an abyss. The other, majestic and imposing, came from the Heavenly Dao, a manifestation of the laws of the universe.
An unimaginable pressure descended on Yi Tianxing. Even though he had reached the Yang God Realm, he still felt minuscule—like an ant facing the vast ocean, on the verge of being utterly crushed.
"I, Yi Tianxing, ruler of the Great Yi Dynasty, offer this tribute today to the Heavens and the Great Dao. The title of Dynasty can no longer bear the weight of our nation's destiny. I hereby entreat the heavens for mercy—grant permission to ascend to Emperor Dynasty."
Despite the overwhelming pressure, Yi Tianxing's voice did not waver. Every word he uttered intensified the burden on his body. Without a strong cultivation base and unyielding will, one could not even speak under such pressure—let alone complete the ritual.
This was the trial of the Dao and the Heavenly Will, a test of worthiness. Without the will to match it, how could one bear the destiny of an Emperor Dynasty?
Crack!!
As his words echoed out, a flash of lightning crossed the golden Heavenly Eye, followed by a sharp thunderclap echoing through the void.
"Approved!!"
A divine voice seemed to echo from the Heavenly Dao, and a silent resonance followed from the Great Dao.
At that moment, Yi Tianxing instinctively sensed the shackles restraining the Great Yi Dynasty had been broken. The invisible fetters were gone.
"Today, the Great Yi shall ascend to the Emperor Dynasty!"
Yi Tianxing stood atop the altar and proclaimed this to the world.
"Ascend to Emperor Dynasty—Great Yi Emperor Dynasty!"
His voice stirred a wave of euphoria across the realm. Countless citizens of Great Yi raised their voices in unison, shouting in wild celebration and joy.
With the response of the Heavens and the Dao, thick tribulation clouds gathered over Xuanhuang City. Arcs of lightning flashed within, and an oppressive might spread far and wide. The Heavenly Eye vanished within the clouds, signifying the beginning of a trial.
Even with Heaven's approval, any ascension in national fortune required passing a test. Failure would result in a severe setback to destiny and fate.
Roar!!
Golden auspicious clouds of merit bloomed in the sky, vast and radiant.
At the same time, the True Dragon of National Fate emerged atop the clouds. The massive golden dragon, over a thousand meters long, coiled and shimmered—yet in the blink of an eye, its golden scales shifted to a vivid blue. It was a Five-Clawed Blue Dragon now.
Previously, the golden dragon had merely been a projection. Its true form was this five-clawed blue dragon, intrinsically tied to the fate of the dynasty. As the dynasty's fortune turned blue, all fate condensed within the true spirit of destiny, and its essence naturally transformed to match.
Boom! Boom!
Tribulation lightning gathered in the sky and struck down toward the blue dragon.
Bang!!
The first bolt hit, but a blue divine light radiated from the dragon, dispersing the lightning into threads of energy that danced along its scales. The skies became a sea of thunder, but the dragon's roar was not one of pain—it rang with excitement and exhilaration.
This was both a tribulation and a blessing, a baptism of flesh and soul.
Yi Tianxing watched as the dragon's immense thousand-meter body gradually shrank. The lightning purified its bloodline, breaking down impurities and ushering in a higher form. Broken scales turned to radiant divine light and vanished, while new ones formed—still blue, but now with traces of green.
The green hue was subtle—hard to notice unless one looked closely. But it was real.
As the first bolt fell, the second soon followed, then the third—each strike driving deeper change. The True Dragon of Fate was reborn in the storm.
"With the foundation of the True Dragon, this tribulation will not be a problem. This is a necessary trial—a transformation that must occur."
Yi Tianxing knew this process could not be interrupted. The dragon had to overcome the tribulation on its own. Normally, the spirit of fate didn't need to be so massive to ascend, but Great Yi's had already exceeded a thousand meters—its foundation was unmatched.
As the dragon shrank—from a thousand meters, to nine hundred, to eight hundred—its form grew more refined. When it reached seven hundred meters, a piercing roar erupted.
Suddenly, the entire dragon body radiated a pure green divine light. Every scale turned green. The claws flashed—and an additional talon emerged.
From a Five-Clawed Blue Dragon, it had evolved into a Six-Clawed Green Dragon!
An awe-inspiring pressure surged outward like a tidal wave.
The True Dragon of National Fate had transformed—into a Six-Clawed Green Dragon.
Great Yi's national fate had transformed as well—into green fate, the hallmark of an Emperor Dynasty.
"Wonderful! The True Spirit has transformed into a Six-Clawed Green Dragon!"
"Six claws… green fortune… this is truly an Emperor sign! Our Great Yi has become an Emperor Dynasty!"
The citizens stared at the dragon in awe. The most vital component of the ascension—the spirit of fate—had succeeded. Everything else would now follow naturally.
"Xuanhuang City shall ascend—to Emperor City."
Yi Tianxing made the declaration without hesitation.
In the path of Fate Dynasties, the Celestial City was crucial. An ordinary city could not bear the fate of an Emperor Dynasty.
But Xuanhuang City was no ordinary city—it was a Supreme Divine Artifact fused with a Celestial City, forged from Willing Power Orbs, with the Well of Eternity as its core. Over the years, the city had absorbed the collective will of billions of citizens, growing stronger each day.
Runes of Dao crisscrossed its structure. The Twelve Zodiac Formation had been perfectly merged. Twelve Innate Spirit Veins flowed within its foundation.
These were Xuanhuang's true strengths.
And the True Spirit of Fate was both the heart of the nation and the soul of the city. As it transformed, the city's shackles broke as well.
Flash!!
A column of divine light from the heavens descended, engulfing both the Six-Clawed Green Dragon and the entirety of Xuanhuang City.
"This is divine favor—bestowed by Heaven and the Great Dao. It is the very power of transformation that Xuanhuang City needs to ascend."
Yi Tianxing's heart surged. This was the long-awaited moment.
The Well of Eternity evolved first, devouring the divine energy. Within it, layers of Innate Divine Seals emerged one after another.
The city's structure, forged from willing power, transformed—becoming tougher, more stable, far more resilient. Defense multiplied dozens of times over. Runes of profound meaning carved themselves into every inch.
The Twelve Zodiac Formation evolved too, its power surging exponentially.
The city expanded rapidly—doubling, tripling in size. It now spanned the heavens, a colossus that redefined the word "city."
If in its early days as a Royal City, the layout was one ring—then as an Imperial Capital, it gained a second ring with dozens of new districts.
Now, with this latest expansion, a third ring formed—vast, new zones for habitation, trade, and governance.
With three rings now encircling it, Xuanhuang Emperor City had become a behemoth—beyond anything previously imagined.