The apex Heavenly Tribulation, the Royal-Tier Calamity, descended. The Water Emperor's spectral image materialized at this very location.

With a casual sweep, it batted away the Five Emperors' Sword, revealing the true, terrifying might of the Royal-Tier Heavenly Tribulation. Lu Yuan unleashed his final gambit: summoning both the Xuanhuazi and the Mingjianzi puppets simultaneously.

With both puppets deployed, they executed the Xuanming Twin Serpent Sword Art—one focused solely on becoming the Serpent of Xuan, the other the Serpent of Ming. The two serpents intertwined, head connecting to tail, tail connecting to head, subtly evoking the ancient and chaotic flavor of the Twin Serpents.

In the primordial era, there were Twin Serpents, creatures of absolute destruction that consumed and annihilated everything in their path. This Xuanming Dragon Transformation Art inherently differed from standard transformation arts, bearing the imprint of that ancient destructive duality.

As it manifested now, icy, pitch-black cold energy saturated every inch of space. Lu Yuan simultaneously struck back, drawing forth the Water Emperor's Heavenly Might Sword and the Fire Emperor's Heavenly Might Sword, which unexpectedly hinted at a convergence of water and fire.

The Water Emperor and Fire Emperor merged into one. Lu Yuan's entire reservoir of skill, his two powerful puppets, and his dual sword doctrines clashed head-on with the Water Emperor's phantom.

In that singular moment, thought vanished from Lu Yuan's mind; there was nothing but the desperate commitment to this final impact. If this last exchange were won, the ordeal of the tribulation would finally be surmounted.

The Water Emperor's spectral image surged forward to meet him. This was no mere recreation of the Heavenly Realm's Water Emperor, but the inherent, unconscious will of heaven and earth asserting itself, refusing to permit a consciousness that had reached the Great Dao Realm to interfere with the fundamental operation of the cosmos.

Lu Yuan committed everything he had. At the instant of collision, blood erupted from his seven apertures, muscles screamed in agony, multiple internal organs shattered, and bones across his body fractured.

With a furious roar, Lu Yuan simultaneously absorbed untold quantities of ambient well-spirit energy, while all his myriad alien-grade and giant spirit beasts channeled an inexhaustible torrent of spiritual energy into his form. Yet, even with this immense influx, he felt the crushing pressure of the Water Emperor's phantom, his entire being teetering on the brink of collapse under the sheer weight of it.

The Royal-Tier Heavenly Tribulation—truly terrifying beyond measure. There was no other choice; he had to employ his ultimate sword move.

Lu Yuan roared again, sheathing the Town-Suppressing Spiritual Sword. He focused his entire being into the single blade, the Nurturing My Spirit Sword, and unleashed a solitary cut.

The first stroke sliced toward the right side of the Water Emperor's phantom, then began to cut inward, millimeter by millimeter. Every impact point was flawless, utterly precise.

Each stroke integrated the virtues of countless sword techniques, and every subtle shift in angle was executed with absolute perfection. This was the perfect strike.

It was a move woven with every lethal technique, a sword art that, once initiated, admitted no flaw. It was a sword move that defied belief.

This single cut unified every shred of Lu Yuan’s spirit, essence, and focus. Initially, this strike was merely a sword, but as it progressed, it became something far beyond the blade.

The sword qi, the edge, the very essence of the weapon transformed into a magnificent white dragon, baring its fangs and claws. This dragon, birthed from the sword, roared as it charged toward the Water Emperor's phantom.

It was the Dragon Form of Swordsmanship! The legendary Dragon Form of Swordsmanship—rumored to be achievable only when one’s mastery of the sword reached the absolute zenith.

This single strike fused one’s essence, spirit, every known technique, and all sword intent, releasing it completely in an act of pure devastation, thereby stirring the very essence of heaven and earth. How could it possibly be the Dragon Form of Swordsmanship?

The assembled Sect Masters and the figures dwelling in the Great Dao Realm, after their initial shock, finally understood why Lu Yuan had drawn down such a devastating Royal-Tier Calamity. For someone capable of executing the Dragon Form of Swordsmanship, attracting the Royal-Tier Tribulation was utterly predictable.

How could the heavens allow such a monstrous talent to survive? Not only the demons lurking in the Black Water River, but even many Great Dao Realm experts on the surface muttered similar sentiments under their breath.

Under the onslaught of the Dragon Form, the Water Emperor's phantom finally dissolved with a sigh, perfectly dismembered, its noble illusion vanishing into pure emptiness. Leaning on his sword, Lu Yuan planted himself on the ground and let out a long, ragged breath.

He had passed the tribulation. Once the Dragon Form was unleashed, every last drop of his power, his spiritual force, was utterly expended.

He was left completely drained, though thankfully, an abundance of ambient spirit energy and vital essence surrounded him, which he began rapidly drawing in to heal his injuries. But such grievous wounds could not mend quickly.

Yet, Lu Yuan's immediate focus shifted away from his pain; he was beginning to faintly sense the Gate of Heaven and Earth. He had first felt the Gate of Heaven and Earth upon advancing from the Body Tempering stage to the Longevity stage.

The Gate of Heaven and Earth—the Heavenly Gate exhaled the Primal Qi of the cosmos, while the Earth Gate drew it back in, a ceaseless cycle of circulation akin to breathing. Yet, the location of this Gate remained unknown to all.

Beings could feel its presence but never pinpoint its source. Rumor held that within the Gate lay the greatest secret: the reason for the disappearance of the Heavenly Court and the departure of the Myriad Heavens Realms.

It was said that whoever found the Gate and drew it into their own Cave Void—a feat reserved for true titans of the Cave Void Realm—would become the sole Eternal Being between heaven and earth, immortal, indestructible, and the sovereign ruler of a domain. Lu Yuan pushed aside all extraneous thoughts and began to focus intently on sensing the Gate of Heaven and Earth.

In that moment, his divine consciousness pierced through eons of time and space, reaching out to that celestial portal. This time, the Gate felt intensely clear; he could discern the finest markings upon its surface, perceive its ancient aura, and feel its profound, desolate majesty.

The immense Gate of Heaven and Earth was normally closed, even when exchanging the Primal Qi of the cosmos. But now, this gate had begun to slowly swing open.

A colossal torrent of the purest essence of heaven and earth, vast as a rolling river, poured down. This was not ordinary Primal Qi; this was the Utmost Pure Power of the cosmos, surpassing common ambient energy manifold.

As Lu Yuan absorbed this supreme energy, every pore on his body thrilled with comfort. Moreover, the nature of Cloud Qi was supreme softness, and this Utmost Pure Cloud Qi began relentlessly mending Lu Yuan’s body—his seven apertures, his muscles, the fractured segments of his organs, and the pulverized bone structure were all being restored.

Boom! It sounded as if something invisible had fractured, unleashing heavenly laws as violent as collapsing mountains and rupturing seas, flooding him with profound truths and Daoist mysteries.

Visually, he could see massive rivers of energy flowing directly into his brain and body. Lu Yuan felt that he was not just being repaired physically; his entire magical essence, having been converted into Utmost Pure Mana, was surging upward, growing stronger, more terrifying, with a magnitude far exceeding any prior anticipation.

His strength increased relentlessly. Eventually, Lu Yuan felt the pure magical energy coating his very skin, refusing to dissipate.

His entire being was enveloped in this immense mana, a sensation so exquisite it nearly provoked a moan of pleasure. So satisfying!

Simultaneously, myriad Great Dao Laws flowed into Lu Yuan's core. He perceived the world around him with an entirely new vision; he could see the inherent structure, the very veins and meridians of every single thing.

Nothing could escape this perception—this was the true sight of the Great Dao Realm, the ability to witness so much. The Great Dao Realm, finally achieved!

In that instant, infinite joy swelled within Lu Yuan's heart. This success had been hard-won.

After accumulating so much, preparing for so long, with so many protectors standing guard, and utilizing countless rare treasures, he had achieved the first layer of the Great Dao Realm, surviving by the narrowest of margins. “Congratulations, congratulations,” “Congratulations on reaching the Great Dao Realm.” Those nearby rushed forward to offer their felicitations on his ascent.

Upon reaching the Great Dao Realm, his status shifted dramatically from before. He was now a dominant force in the Jin Kingdom, his ranking on North Peak soaring to seventh—or, officially, the foremost position in plain view.

The Great Dao Realm was divided into ten layers: the First Layer, Initial Grasp of the Great Dao; the Second Layer, Heaven and Earth Laws; the Third Layer, Myriad Laws; the Fourth Layer, Laws Unified; the Fifth Layer, Nascent Soul Manifestation; the Sixth Layer, Nascent Soul Dominion; the Seventh Layer, Crown Cloud Formation; the Eighth Layer, Heaven and Earth Dharma Form; the Ninth Layer, Supreme Golden Body; and the Tenth Layer, Great Perfection. The First Layer, Initial Grasp of the Great Dao, marked the very entry into the realm, where mana converted to Utmost Pure Mana, a power vastly surpassing the Longevity stage; the ten layers of the Longevity Realm were but a joke to one in the First Layer of the Great Dao Realm.

The Second Layer was known as Heaven and Earth Laws. A defining feature of the Great Dao Realm was the ability to observe the traces and laws of heaven and earth.

Reaching the Second Layer meant mastering a single strand of these laws, thus earning the title of the Heaven and Earth Law Realm. The Third Layer, Myriad Laws, meant mastering numerous such laws.

The Fourth Layer, Laws Unified, involved merging these myriad laws into a single Talisman Diagram suspended above the head. The Fifth Layer, Nascent Soul Manifestation, involved identifying one's core Natal Law among the many and manifesting it as a Nascent Soul.

The Sixth Layer, Nascent Soul Dominion, meant the Nascent Soul gained sovereignty over all mastered laws. The Seventh Layer, Crown Cloud Formation, was where the myriad laws, governed by the Nascent Soul, coalesced to generate the Crown Cloud hovering above the head—the very power utilized when Zhou Qingxuan, Chu Duan, Dongfang Yao, and the Sky Abandoning Emperor clashed.

The Eighth Layer, Heaven and Earth Dharma Form, involved integrating the laws into the Nascent Soul, causing it to manifest a towering, cosmic form. The Ninth Layer, Supreme Golden Body, was the Dharma Form feeding back into the self, reinforcing the physical body to attain the method of the Supreme Golden Body.

The Tenth Layer, Great Perfection, marked the apex of the Great Dao Realm, whereupon one could prepare to assault the next major transition: the Cave Void Realm. These ten layers of the Great Dao Realm grew exponentially more powerful with each step, granting control over cosmic vitality and heavenly laws.

Particularly significant milestones—such as Nascent Soul Manifestation, forming the Crown Cloud, producing the Dharma Form, and solidifying the Supreme Golden Body—granted boundless might once achieved.