Chapter 431 - 395: Zuo Xuan’s Renown, Mobilizing the Army

After investigating the Thunder Restricted Area and learning from Xue’s senses about a being within—a Demon Race member, possibly with the White Tiger Bloodline, on the verge of reaching the Harmonization Realm—Jiang Qiu had returned to a city controlled by a Thunder Clan to focus on deepening his fusion. The location was convenient for gathering intelligence from the clan, and it wasn’t too far from the Restricted Area.

When they had been gathering intelligence, it was Xue who had obtained most of the information. She seemed to possess an Innate ability to sense the presence deep within the Restricted Area’s barrier, an ability Jiang Qiu himself lacked.

Of course, this wasn’t a major issue. Most of their senses were shared, so as long as neither of them deliberately shielded their Soul, no information could be hidden. And since deliberately shielding one’s Soul came at a great cost, it was extremely difficult for even people from the Outer Realm to interfere.

After all, the two of them were practically a single entity, merely possessing two bodies and two minds. In essence, they were one. If one of them were to die, the other would inherit their complete consciousness. This was because they had both achieved their state through Fusion, following the rather unique Hundred Ghosts Dao.

Of course, it couldn’t exactly be called the Hundred Ghosts Dao anymore. After all, the original Hundred Ghosts Dao had been created by a Fusion Realm cultivator, the Hundred Ghost Ancestor, a man who lacked the potential to break through to the Harmonization Realm. His own path had been left incomplete. That Jiang Qiu had been able to reach his current stage was the result of further optimization.

In other words, while Jiang Qiu’s Dao had initially drawn inspiration from the concepts of the Hundred Ghosts Dao, he had later carved out his own trail. He developed a different route with greater potential and uniqueness: two bodies sharing a single Soul. Their two Souls were fused together, yet each possessed an independent body.

He had traveled far along this path but had yet to ascend to the next level. Still, Jiang Qiu was doing his utmost to fuse their Souls. He had discovered that once he set foot on this Dao, he had no choice but to see it through to the end. Otherwise, he would be held back by Xue. If their strengths were unequal, they could not achieve Unity. They had to achieve it together. The difficulty was immense, but the potential was even greater.

Once they achieved Unity, their fusion would become even more perfect. He might even be able to perceive the memories buried deep within Xue’s Soul.

It was strange. Ever since their Fusion, through all their periods of spiritual adjustment, Jiang Qiu and Xue had come to share a common consciousness. Xue’s thought processes were completely unguarded; her every mental fluctuation was laid bare to him. Yet, this one portion of her memory remained beyond his reach. It was as if he simply lacked the authorization to access it.

This was, in fact, part of the reason Jiang Qiu was so eager to achieve Unity. ’I have to see Xue’s memories from her past life,’ he thought. ’I need to confirm if she’s really the one I’m hoping for...’

"Senior Brother, is there something on my mask?" Xue touched her White Jade mask, her eyes shimmering with confusion as she tilted her head slightly. "I don’t think so..."

Ever since forging her Dragon Form, she had taken on the perfect likeness of a Little Dragon Maiden. Her exquisite Dragon Horns seemed carved from White Jade, and the mask on her face was a work of ancient, luxurious craftsmanship, inlaid with Gold filigree and Jade patterns. It fit her face perfectly, lending an air of mystery to her gentle beauty.

Even without revealing her face, the mere sight of her through the mask was enough to make one’s heart tremble. Anyone would assume she was a woman of incomparable beauty—unless, of course, their race had an abnormal sense of aesthetics.

After all, the aura of the Dragon Race bloodline was both noble and domineering, and she carried herself with the aloof grace of the White Moon Fairy. No one had ever truly seen her face, not even Jiang Qiu.

Her attire was a long, classically styled dress in blue and white, through which one could faintly glimpse the graceful curves of her figure. A ring of golden Dragon Scale patterns around her arm further accentuated her luxurious nobility, making her look like a highborn lady of the Dragon Race who had descended to the mortal realm.

’And this woman, this Dragon Maiden, is my other half,’ he thought. ’My other half in the truest sense of the word. We are one.’

There were moments he would find himself lost while gazing into those Dragon Eyes, which seemed to contain the sun, moon, and stars. It was like looking in a mirror, or seeing his own reflection on the surface of a lake.

It had been a long and difficult journey.

A myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind. Jiang Qiu smiled and shook his head, gently tucking a stray lock of hair from her cheek behind her ear. "No, I was just thinking about when we’ll finally achieve Unity."

Achieving Unity was no longer a matter that could be solved with mere Cultivation time and resources. It required a great, fateful opportunity, a moment of profound enlightenment. Only by obtaining a special inheritance at a specific time, or by experiencing a sudden epiphany, could one possibly advance to the Harmonization Realm.

The path Jiang Qiu and Xue walked was one that, it could be said, no one had ever taken before. Even if someone had, he wouldn’t know, as no one had passed the teachings down to him. He was taking it one step at a time, just to see if they could ultimately achieve Unity.

In his view, the key to Unity was fusion. The moment their two Souls merged completely, without the slightest shackle or barrier between them, would most likely be the moment they succeeded.

After all, his past Cultivation had followed this pattern. His transitions from the Dharma Realm to the Peeping Dao Realm and then to the Dao Entry Realm had all relied on fusion. This was especially true for the Fusion Realm, which was centered entirely on that principle.

Yet, he was different from the past Cultivators of the Hundred Ghosts Sect. For them, fusion was a dead end. For him, fusion had led to an advancement in his Realm. His experience was completely anomalous, but with no other examples to follow, he could only continue to trust in what had worked for him so far.