Chapter 1052: Returning to the Peak, Anran Reaching Dao-Fusion
Editor: Henyee Translations

In the boundless and profound outer realm, Jiang Chengxuan stood alone with his hands behind his back, transcending the mundane, entering a state of selflessness.

Behind him, the three great Dao of the Five Elements, Life and Death, and Samsara manifested, swirling in the void around him, their divine light majestic and domineering, suppressing the chaos.

Having crushed the final tribulation of lightning, Jiang Chengxuan was slowly assimilating the enlightenment gained from that battle of life and death. With the mysterious forces contained in the tribulation now augmenting him, he had formally stepped into a Mahayana Daolord.

Moments later, Jiang Chengxuan opened his eyes, gazing upon the ravaged landscape of the outer realm, feeling a sense of grandeur. This place was reserved for those at Mahayana, beyond the reach of those below, a realm only the most powerful could appreciate the profound darkness and its elegance.

Feeling his power, now a hundred times greater both in quantity and quality than when he was in the realm of controlling the Dao, Jiang Chengxuan’s heart surged with emotions, filled with immense pride.

In the past, during the great battle against the three foreign races in the outer realm, it was here that Daolords of various realms fought. The fates of the Human and foreign races were determined by these battles, with the Human race eventually prevailing while the others fell into ruin.

Back then, Jiang Chengxuan could only look up to those battles from within the Floodgate realm, entrusting his fate to the powerful beings of his race. He had not even been qualified to witness the clash of Mahayana Daolords.

But now, after a millennium, he was capable of standing toe-to-toe with any Daolord, traversing the outer realm with a snap of his fingers, looking down upon all that existed within the Floodgate realm.

He thought to himself that perhaps this was the true meaning of cultivation: to tread everything underfoot, to take in every scene that others find unreachable, and to hold it within his gaze.

…

Unbeknownst to others, Jiang Chengxuan, who had broken through to the Mahayana, quietly returned to his cave abode on Cloud Mist Peak. The ordeal of his tribulation had vanished without a trace, as if it had been but a dream.

Choosing not to emerge from seclusion, Jiang Chengxuan decided to first stabilize his realm and protect Shen Ruyan until she too could break through. The couple would then emerge together from seclusion.

He had several reasons for this decision. Firstly, the Haoran Sect no longer needed the presence of a Mahayana Daolord to bolster its reputation, as it already had Qin Shenwu and no longer needed to establish its authority. Secondly, stabilizing his realm was his primary concern, with all other matters secondary. Thirdly, there was Shen Ruyan.

Knowing the dangers he had faced during his own breakthrough and the tribulations that nearly led to his demise, protecting Shen Ruyan was an imperative.

He sensed that Shen Ruyan was not far from reaching the Mahayana herself, and faced no significant obstacles in her breakthrough.

With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Chengxuan sat down in his cave abode and began cycling his Dao powers, repeatedly stabilizing his aura.

After ascending to the Mahayana Daolord status, Jiang Chengxuan felt a profound connection with the world, a subtle bond that explained why, during times of calamity, other Mahayana Daolords would forcefully defend their realms.

This was not just out of sentiment but because their fates were intrinsically tied to their realms—a mutual prosperity, a shared loss.

Should the Floodgate realm be destroyed by a celestial calamity, the fate of a Mahayana Daolord, who had merged their Dao with the realm, was easy to imagine.

Pushing aside all distractions, Jiang Chengxuan manifested his Mahayana Dao powers, enveloping the cave in a protective barrier, ensuring nothing disturbed the long period of cultivation that was beginning anew.

…

Time once again swiftly passed, and in the blink of an eye, thousands of years of silence slipped away.

Outside Cloud Mist Peak, within a newly erected grand hall of the Haoran Sect, a massive platform rose, buzzing with the voices of many.

Over these millennia, the Haoran Sect had grown increasingly powerful, formally recognized as the foremost righteous sect hundreds of years ago.

The sect’s territory in the Floodgate realm had expanded continuously, with the new world being developed impressively.

Although Jiang Chengxuan remained in seclusion, figures like Qin Shenwu occasionally emerged to handle important decisions for the sect’s development.

Today’s Haoran Sect was a far cry from its state a thousand years ago, having transformed completely. New halls and blessed lands sprung up, injecting vigorous momentum into the sect’s growth.

With excellent resources at their disposal, the disciples of the Haoran Sect dominated their ranks, continuously attracting a stream of talented individuals eager to join. This virtuous cycle propelled the sect’s power to remarkable heights.

During a bustling gathering in the grand hall, many cultivators from various sects were present, indicating a gathering of significant importance.

“The final round of the Floodgate Dao Competition is about to begin. The disciples representing their sects will compete for the championship. The winner will receive half a year’s harvest from the new world’s medicinal garden as a reward,” announced an elder from the Haoran Sect with a voice resonant as a bell.

At the most prominent part of the platform, eight young cultivators stood, each radiating intense energy. They were the strongest disciples from various sects across the Floodgate realm, gathered here for this grand event by the Haoran Sect.

As the competition reached its climax in this final round, the victor would be granted significant rewards jointly offered by the allied sects.

Among these competitors, not only were there prominent figures from overlord forces like the Pantheon Sect and Divine Shadow Gate, but the most dazzling of all was a female disciple from the Haoran Sect, absorbing countless admiring gazes.

“With the commencement of the final round!” the elder declared, and all eight young cultivators unleashed their powers without reservation.

Each one demonstrated half-step Dao fusion capabilities. However, in an unexpected twist, rather than attacking each other, they all simultaneously directed their efforts against the single Haoran Sect disciple.

Seven formidable forces combined in a coordinated assault, emitting an aura so strong that it astonished even some of the elder cultivators present.

“Ha!” With a fierce shout, the Haoran Sect disciple erupted in a burst of five-colored divine light, repelling the combined attack with overwhelming force. Alone, her power seemed no less formidable than the combined might of the seven other sect disciples.

Such prowess clearly indicated she had reached the realm of Dao fusion!

Under the brilliant glow, the familiar face of Jiang Anran was revealed.