The red carp began slipping into people's bodies through their palms. Once inside, they immediately transformed into flames that coursed through their entire being.
But those flames were like raging fire — not only did they make everyone's body steam with heat, the searing pain was so intense that it twisted their faces in agony.
That said, the ones suffering the most were inevitably Chu Feng and Little Fish. After all, the most red carp had gathered on their palms.
Chu Feng couldn't help glancing over at Little Fish, concern flickering in his eyes.
But at that very moment, he discovered that Little Fish was also looking at him.
The two of them sensed each other's worry, and even as they gritted their teeth against the pain, they somehow managed to squeeze out a smile.
Fortunately, both Chu Feng and Little Fish possessed remarkable endurance. For them, the pain was still within a tolerable range.
As the red carp continued to fuse with their bodies, the people not only steamed like they were on fire, but a red glow began radiating from them. Naturally, the light emanating from Chu Feng and Little Fish was the most brilliant of all.
Thankfully, both of them succeeded in the fusion.
And the moment they finished merging, the waves ahead churned once more. Then a massive wall rose from the sea, blocking off the waters ahead of Chu Feng and the others.
The outer surface of the wall was covered with enormous red scales that rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern, as though it possessed life — as though it were breathing.
Beyond the wall, there was also a great gate. The gate's design took the shape of a fish's head, with the entrance itself located where the fish's mouth would be.
The design was actually rather cute, even a little comical — but because of its sheer size, it gave off an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Besides the main gate, however, there was also a smaller door at the very bottom center. It was a barrier gate, and it stood open.
"What does that mean?" The crowd was confused, but none of them dared make a move. They all looked toward Chu Feng.
"Do you feel anything?" Chu Feng pointed at the barrier gate.
"What kind of feeling?" The group was bewildered.
Little Fish was the one who spoke up. "I feel something."
"Then it seems only Little Fish and I can pass through that barrier gate."
"It's probably related to the number of red carp we merged with," Chu Feng said.
"W-wait — so does that mean we can't get through?" Ouyang Kuangfei panicked.
Immediately after, the rest of his clan, including Long Chengyu and Long Muxi, also grew alarmed. While their numbers couldn't compare to Chu Feng and Little Fish, they had still managed to catch a fair number of red carp.
The critical issue was that when those red carp had transformed into flames and entered their bodies, they had endured tremendous pain. They had assumed that even if they couldn't match Chu Feng and Little Fish, they would at least gain something from the experience.
How were they supposed to know they'd end up completely shut out?
*Buzz—* At that moment, two lines of text materialized on either side of the gate.
The content roughly stated that Chu Feng and Little Fish could choose to pass through the barrier gate and continue their trial.
However, they could also choose to fully open the great gate, granting everyone the chance to enter.
If they chose to take on the challenge, they would potentially receive a reward.
But if they failed, they would lose the opportunity to proceed further.
Staring at those two prominent lines of text, everyone fell silent.
They naturally hoped Chu Feng would help them, but how could they bring themselves to ask?
They couldn't very well ask him to gamble his own future for their sake.
"Why don't you go in first and wait for me," Chu Feng said to Little Fish.
"Big brother, let's go together." Little Fish knew that Chu Feng wanted to help everyone get in.
"Chu Feng, you don't need to do this."
"This trial — we were always going to be stopped eventually. I didn't expect it would happen so soon, but this is our own shortcoming. Our abilities can only take us this far," Long Chengyu urged.
"Chu Feng, this is your opportunity. Don't take risks for our sake," Long Muxi added her own plea.
The members of the Ouyang Heavenly Clan remained silent, but they watched Chu Feng with eyes full of longing.
They truly did not want their journey to end here.
Some even reached toward their Universe Bags, thinking they might offer Chu Feng some treasures in exchange for his help — but in the end, none of them could bring themselves to say it.