The lakeside divine palace, radiant with endless light.
Ever since the dragon of fortune bowed its head, the nine heavens and ten lands had gone utterly insane. Billions knelt before the palace, crying out "The Heavenly Emperor is the only one," their voices shaking the skies.
At that moment, heaven and earth rumbled. An unprecedented pressure descended.
—It was the will of Heaven itself!
In the depths of the void, black clouds churned, thunder roared. Endless chains of law descended, forming a magnificent throne of judgment, suspended above the divine palace.
The will of Heaven boomed:
"Ancient God Emperor, judge all realms, decide life and death!"
…
Countless cultivators trembled violently, weeping rivers of tears.
"Heavens! The will of Heaven has spoken itself!"
"The Heavenly Emperor now holds the right of judgment!"
"From this day forward, the life and death of all realms shall be his alone to decide!"
…
At the palace gates.
The black-haired youth squatted on the ground, hugging a basket of fish, happily sorting them.
"This one's too small—good for soup. This one's nice and fat—perfect for grilling. This one's got too many bones—eh, toss it."
He glanced up, and saw the golden throne descending from the heavens, overflowing with pressure.
"Whoa! What's that thing? A big waiting chair? Some kind of line-up stand?"
Then he noticed countless cultivators collapsing to their knees, forming an endless line stretching from the palace all the way to the lakeshore.
His eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, I get it! You're all lining up for me to hand out fish!"
…
Cultivators shook uncontrollably, tears streaming like waterfalls.
"The Ancient God Emperor has spoken! He is distributing the fate of the realms!"
"This is the supreme judgment! Whoever receives a fish receives new life!"
"Too great! This is the holy verdict!"
…
The black-haired youth, brimming with enthusiasm, placed his basket in front and shouted:
"Alright, don't push! Everyone gets one! One fish per person, first come, first served!"
He grabbed a few fish and tossed them to the first in line.
"Hold on tight, don't drop it! If it hits the ground, no replacements!"
…
Boom!
The moment the fish landed, heaven and earth exploded with power. Those few cultivators burst into radiance, breaking through on the spot and soaring into the sky.
"I—I've ascended!"
"The Holy Fish Verdict has granted me rebirth!"
…
The scene instantly drove the crowd insane.
"The Ancient God Emperor judges life and death with just a fish!"
"This is the supreme verdict! The one and only in all realms!"
"He is the incarnation of Heaven itself!"
Tens of thousands cried out, stretching out their hands:
"Please, Heavenly Emperor, judge us!"
"Please, Heavenly Emperor, divide the fish!"
…
The black-haired youth nearly laughed himself sick. "Hahaha, you people really know how to play! Eating fish like it's payday!"
Still laughing, he kept tossing fish into the crowd. "Here, here! Don't rush, there's enough for everyone!"
…
In the distance, the will of Heaven fell into complete silence.
It had thought it was installing a sole Judge of All Realms. Instead, the scene had turned into a "fish distribution event."
But the longer Heaven remained silent, the more cultivators believed—
"Heaven bows without words—it acknowledges the Heavenly Emperor as the only one!"
"This is the highest proclamation!"
…
Night fell.
Before the lakeside divine palace, a new inscription appeared upon the stone tablets:
[Holy Words of the Ancient God: Everyone gets a share, first come first served.]
In a single night, it spread across the nine heavens and ten lands.
—Thus, the Path of Holy Judgment was established!
…
In his little hut, the black-haired youth lay on his back, patting his full belly, murmuring drowsily:
"Whew… gave out all the fish today. Tomorrow I'll have to catch more, otherwise there won't be enough for everyone."
He rolled over, snoring loudly.
…
But the entire world was already roaring in madness:
"The Ancient God Emperor, sole wielder of judgment!"
"With a fish he divides, with a fish he decides fate!"
"The life and death of all realms rest in his hands!"