bookbashuk Chapter 1 Transformation into a Dragon and Reaching the Shore
Chapter 1 Transformation into a Dragon and Reaching the Shore
Southern Jambudvipa, the Luo River of the Divine Capital.
It is early spring, a time when the spring breeze and rain bring about the revival of all things.
The Luo River, with its long history, carries a hint of early spring chill as it flows eastward as always, just like the passage of time.
Although the river water was cold in early spring, a golden carp would occasionally leap out of the water, poke its head out, and then fall back into the river.
His gaze remained fixed on the gate tower, about nine zhang nine feet tall, suspended above the Luo River, shimmering with seven-colored light and shrouded in a deep, misty atmosphere.
That was his ultimate goal, having swum tirelessly from the Xiang River thousands of miles away to this place.
"Over a hundred years! I've cultivated myself in the Xiang River for over a hundred years, waiting for this moment. If I leap across, I can transform into a dragon. From then on, I can roam freely in the world, no longer confined to the river as a salted fish. Mother! May your spirit in heaven protect your child!"
After pondering for a while, the carp plunged into the deep water, preparing to leap into the water and achieve the great feat of transforming into a dragon.
He had waited more than a hundred years for this moment.
He was reincarnated from the present world to this world more than a hundred years ago.
Unfortunately, he was different from other reincarnated individuals. He was not a prince or nobleman, nor even a human; he was merely a carp born in the Xiang River.
Having been in the water for many years, he was unaware of the outside world, to the point that he didn't even know which dynasty or era he had been reincarnated into.
All he knew was that he was in a mythical world.
Because his mother in this life was a carp spirit in the Xiang River.
Although my mother possessed cultivation, it was inherited from her predecessors. To avoid being harmed by demons, she never left the vicinity of the Xiang River and knew very little about external affairs.
He guessed he was probably in the world of Journey to the West, as his mother had mentioned the concept of the Three Realms and Four Continents. He was just not entirely sure.
Because he could speak soon after birth and possessed innate intelligence, his mother placed high hopes on him. Not only did she teach him rudimentary cultivation methods, but before her death, she also gave him her inner elixir to prolong his life.
His mother also told him that the only way for the aquatic race to rise above their circumstances was to leap over the Dragon Gate and become a dragon.
His mother even pointed to the clouds in the sky and named him after Emperor Shun, whose name was found in the Xiangfei Temple on the banks of the Xiang River.
His mother named him "Yun Chonghua," hoping that her son would one day transform into a dragon and soar into the clouds.
To avoid being harmed by other "demons" in the Xiang River, he followed his mother's last wish and the methods she taught him, and quietly cultivated himself in the Xiang River for over a hundred years, never speaking to anyone or coming into contact with other fish.
After a hundred years of cultivation, it emerged from that mud cave, swam across rivers, and arrived here. All for the sake of successfully transforming into a dragon.
Yun Chonghua dived to the bottom of the water and looked out at the Dragon Gate, which was shimmering with colorful light.
He then channeled all his spiritual energy, violently shaking his tail, and shot towards the surface of the water like an arrow.
He then leaped out of the water, leaving a trail of water behind, and flew straight towards the Dragon Gate.
The splashing river water slid over his scales and fell back down like raindrops, causing the already turbulent Luo River to ripple even more.
He used his century-long cultivation to draw up a water column that flew into the air, but could no longer take another step forward. At this point, he was only a little over two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) away from crossing the Dragon Gate.
At that moment, Yun Chonghua was overjoyed. "Enough! That's enough! Mother! Your son has succeeded!"
The next moment, his tail lashed out from the top of the water column, slamming downwards violently. Using the force of the collapsing water column, he leaped up again.
With that leap, he soared three zhang (approximately 10 meters), directly over the Dragon Gate he had always dreamed of.
The moment he leaped over the Dragon Gate, the once clear sky above the gate was instantly covered with dark clouds.
The dark clouds that blotted out the sky, along with the rumbling thunder from the air, startled the birds and beasts around the Dragon Gate, causing fish and shrimp to flee in terror.
A powerful aura of dragons, accompanied by a radiant glow, dissipated around the Dragon Gate.
The once calm Luo River was now stirred up by countless waves, and undercurrents were surging beneath the surface.
The next moment, the dragon energy emanating from the Dragon Gate converged into a bolt of lightning, tearing through the sky like a ripple, and struck Yun Chonghua directly.
The moment the lightning struck him, Yun Chonghua felt as if his body was on fire.
A tearing sensation, from the inside out, instantly swept over my entire body.
He felt an expansion, as if every part of his body was swelling. If it weren't for his centuries of cultivation, even if he had leaped over the Dragon Gate, the tearing and swelling pain might have killed him instantly.
Although he was in great discomfort, his body was changing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The fish whiskers around his mouth slowly grew longer, turning into two slender dragon whiskers.
And rows of sharp teeth grew from his mouth. A dragon beard slowly grew from his forehead and neck.
The fish's body was stretched and torn apart, transforming into a slender dragon's body. Its fins, too, slowly changed into dragon claws under the influence of the lightning.
What tormented him most was the change in his head; the bones on the top of his head ruptured until a pair of dragon horns slowly grew out.
After his transformation into a dragon was complete, the dark clouds in the sky slowly dispersed, and the churning river waves gradually subsided. In their place, auspicious light and clouds returned.
Sunlight shone through the clouds onto the Dragon Gate, which still gleamed with colorful light, as if nothing had happened.
But in this world, one little carp was missing, and one dragon leaped over the Dragon Gate.
Having lost the support of his magical power, Yun Chonghua, who had successfully transformed into a dragon, plummeted heavily from the sky. He then fell back into the Luo River, his massive dragon body splashing water everywhere.
He only snapped out of his dreamlike state when the icy river water washed over him again.
He twisted his body, and his upper body swam out of the water again.
He shook his body, wiping the river water off his dragon beard and whiskers. Water droplets trickled down his dragon scales, countless droplets hitting the water's surface and creating countless ripples.
After the water calmed down again, he looked at his reflection in the water.
Where were the carp? What appeared on the surface of the water was a majestic, pale golden dragon.
He gazed at the water for a moment, as if he couldn't believe he had truly transformed into a dragon. If it weren't for the dragon's short claws, which made it impossible to reach the head without bowing, he would have loved to rub his eyes and take another closer look.
At this moment, he lowered his head and looked at his dragon claw.
"One...two...three...four...How come there are only four claws? Could it be that leaping over this Dragon Gate only transformed me into a dragon, but I didn't become a true dragon? Oh well, it's good that I've become a dragon. At least I can use my hands now. It's been over a hundred years, and I've almost forgotten what it feels like to have hands."
He took a good look at his new dragon form. He dived into the water and then leaped out, quickly getting used to his new body.
"Alas! It feels so much better to be a dragon than a fish. I wonder what the difference is between a dragon and a fish after transforming into one? Can I fly?" Thinking of this, Yun Chonghua leaped into the water again, but he fell back down after only a few feet.
He swayed his body, brushing the river water off.
"Alas! It seems that even after leaping over the Dragon Gate, I'm still just a river dragon, not yet able to fly. Apart from being able to breathe through my nose and not drowning in the water, it seems there's not much difference between me and a fish. Oh well, at least I can leave the water now. I've been hiding at the bottom of the river eating fish and shrimp for over a hundred years, and my mouth is full of fishy smells. Now at least I can go ashore to change my taste and find some fruit to eat. I just wonder when I can transform into a human."
Just as Yun Chonghua was envisioning his bright future, auspicious clouds drifted in from afar.
The next moment, a net of heaven covered the sky and descended upon him from mid-air.