The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

Chapter 199 Invitation

“Yes! We concede!” said the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal.

"Continuing to fight is pointless. With the crisis looming, it's best to focus our efforts on resisting Ice Demon Valley!"

The Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire also returned to his original size. He stood in the air and looked at Fuxi, Lei Zhan, Tathagata and the others from afar.

"Ice Demon Valley? Is this why you appeared and even stopped fighting?" Fuxi glanced at the Ancestral Gods and Immortals who had been fighting fiercely earlier, but now these two had gentle smiles on their faces.

"Hmm." Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire nodded. "The most important reason we came here is to assess your strength. If it were truly for the purpose of fighting or capturing you, then it wouldn't have been just the two of us who came."

“That’s right.” Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal also spoke up, “Although my Earth Core World doesn’t have many Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals, there are still a dozen or twenty of them. If we really wanted to deal with you, it would be very easy.”

"Twenty or so ancestral gods and immortals?" Fuxi's heart sank. Twenty or so was an extremely terrifying number.

The entire Three Realms, including even the Wind Demons of the Wujian Sect, probably only have about half the number of powerful beings comparable to leaders.

"Ten or twenty?" Lei Zhan was also shocked. "This underground world actually has so many ancestral gods and immortals?"

"This..." Even Buddha felt a little apprehensive. The strength of the alien races in this underground world far surpassed that of their Three Realms!
The Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire looked at Fuxi and smiled, "Fellow Daoist, you must have noticed some clues during the battle just now. When I fought with you, I didn't even take out this treasure of mine."

"A treasure?" Fuxi stared at the Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire.

"Wow~~~"

As the Abandoned Fire Ancestor's divine voice fell, two large black hammers appeared in his hands. Each of these two black hammers emanated an extremely powerful aura.

The fluctuations... even in Fuxi's perception, were faintly stronger than the Chaos Divine Sword that the Nine Flames Ancestor Immortal had just taken out.

"This is... a wondrous treasure of chaos." Fuxi's heart sank.

Just now, when he was fighting with the Abandoned Fire Ancestral God, Fuxi felt a little strange.

Even a mediocre Qi Refining First-Class Ancestral Immortal can produce three or four powerful Chaos Treasures.

However, as the more powerful Ancestral God of Abandoned Fire, a strong person with the strength of a top Ancestral God, he did not have a single Chaos Treasure on his body.
This is clearly extremely unreasonable.

Although the crimson fleshy whiskers of the Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire looked powerful, it was confirmed by Fuxi that the two whiskers were manifestations of divine power, similar to Lei Zhan's Star-Picking Hand.

They all refined parts of their bodies into artifacts resembling magical treasures, with those two fleshy tendrils reaching a level comparable to top-grade innate spiritual treasures. However, innate spiritual treasures are completely unbecoming of the standard expected of an Ancestral God.

The Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire had a hint of pride on his face:
"The two fleshy hairs on my forehead are my natal magic weapons, which I have cultivated since I was a child. But they are not my strongest techniques."

The Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire laughed and said, "If I were to unleash the full power of these two magic treasures, would you, fellow Daoist, with your set of innate top-grade spiritual treasures, as well as these ancestral waters and ancestral fires, still be able to defeat me so easily?"

"This..." Fuxi fell silent.

Fuxi sensed the immense power emanating from the great hammer and understood. He estimated that he now possessed strength comparable to a peak Ancestral God, but his only weakness was the lack of a suitable magic weapon. If he acquired a suitable magic weapon, he would truly be considered a peak Ancestral God.

Over countless ages, the Three Realms have acquired many wondrous treasures of chaos, but most of them were auxiliary magical artifacts. Very few could be used in combat.

Even Fuxi only possessed a Dragon River Sky-Escape Boat, a Chaos Treasure.

"Alright, after going around in circles, tell me your purpose!" Lei Zhan said, staring at the somewhat smug Ancestral God of Abandoned Fire.

The conversation between the Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire and Fuxi was not kept secret from the public, so Tathagata and Lei Zhan heard it clearly.

"Hmm?" The Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire looked over.

When Lei Zhan and Rulai were fighting against the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal, even Lei Zhan, the most inconspicuous True God, unleashed strength comparable to an Ancestral God. This led the Ancestral God of Abandoned Fire to treat Lei Zhan as a powerhouse of equal caliber.

You should know that in the years to come, as long as Lei Zhan breaks through to the level of Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal, he will become a fellow Daoist fighting side by side.

Lei Zhan said in a deep voice, "If your world truly has twenty Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals, you could easily resolve any crisis that might arise! Why would you need our help?"

“Generally speaking, that is indeed the case,” the Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire said slowly. “However, the main reason we came here is because of the Ice Demon Valley mentioned earlier.”

"And by joining us in fighting against the Ice Demon Valley, you are not only helping us, but also helping yourselves."

"Hmm? This Ice Demon Valley is actually related to them?" Fuxi, Lei Zhan, and Tathagata were puzzled, but they listened silently.

“Nine Flames Ancestor Immortal, you should tell them these things.” Abandoned Fire Ancestor God turned to look at Nine Flames Ancestor Immortal.

“Yes.” Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal nodded, then said in a deep voice, “You should have tried it after you entered the Earth’s core world.”

"The Endless Ice Cave can only be entered, but there is no way out. And throughout the entire inner world, over countless years, there is only one way out. That is to go deep into the Ice Demon Valley, defeat the Ice Demon Lord, and only then can you leave safely."

"Hmm? Ice Demon... Demon Lord?" Lei Zhan listened carefully, but some thoughts flashed through his mind.

Nine Flames Ancestor Immortal said, "Our world, though deep underground, is still trillions of miles wide, and is filled with powerful beings. Over countless years, many powerful beings have been born generation after generation. However, in the entire inner world, the most powerful beings are always the ice demons who emerged from the Ice Demon Valley."

“Every million years, countless ice demons will emerge from the Ice Demon Valley, and under the leadership of a demon lord, they will sweep across this world.”

"At that time, all the powerful beings will have to join forces to resist. And the main force to resist together will be us, the Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals."

"Of course, we sometimes fail, but the price of failure is that all the ancestral gods and immortals in the entire inner world, including even the weak third-class ancestral immortals, will be slaughtered by the Demon Lord and his many ice demons."

"Once those ice demons have killed enough, it won't be long before they all retreat back to the depths of the Ice Demon Valley."

"Because the Demon Lord and the Ice Demons have killed enough, they will fall into a deep sleep. Generally, in an era without Ancestral Gods and Immortals, they will sleep for ten million years until the Ancestral Gods and Immortals reappear, at which point they will make a comeback!"

"Ancestral gods and ancestral immortals, must all be slaughtered?" Fuxi frowned upon hearing this, recalling what the Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire had said earlier: "Even including us Ancestral Gods and ancestral immortals who accidentally intruded?"

"Hmm? Ice Demon Valley? Demon Lord?" Lei Zhan's gaze was distant, his mind filled with countless thoughts. He muttered to himself, "This... seems more like a test left behind by a powerful being? But it seems to be only for Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals? Passing the test will allow one to live. If one fails, one will die and perish."

Lei Zhan had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, but he kept it to himself. He was still far from breaking through to the level of Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal, so he wasn't in a hurry.

"However... if it is difficult for cultivators in the Earth's core to get out, then the Three Realms are temporarily much safer."

Lei Zhan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If everything is true, then all the previous assumptions were just a false alarm.

"Tathagata, unfold the layers."

at this time.

After pondering for a moment, Fuxi transmitted his voice, saying, "What the Nine Flames Ancestor Immortal said seems quite plausible. If it's true, we might also be drawn into this unexpected event." "Ice Demon Valley..." Tathagata paused for a moment and also transmitted his voice, "If this is true, we won't be able to avoid it in the end, and we'll have to make a contribution to these alien races."

"Contribution?" Lei Zhan transmitted his voice, "What the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal mentioned doesn't seem to be false. However, we also need to confirm how much of the information they provided is true. If we can't avoid it in the end, can we ask for some benefits?"

“Lei Zhan’s words make sense.” Fu Xi agreed, “It seems they want to talk to us. But since it’s a talk, there’s room for negotiation.”

"Fuxi, you are the strongest among us, and the Ancestral God of Abandoned Fire and the Ancestral Immortal of Nine Flames care more about your opinion. It is up to you to negotiate with them next," Tathagata transmitted his voice.

“Yes. Fuxi, you come.” Lei Zhan also agreed, “However, there are life oath stones in this inner world. Why don’t we let them take the initiative to make a life oath? This way, we can also verify the authenticity of the information.”

"A vow of destiny?" Both Fuxi and Tathagata's eyes lit up.

When they explored Qingyun Tianxian's memories, Fuxi and Tathagata were eventually able to confirm the existence of the Life Oath Stone in this world.

But there are no such precious treasures in the Three Realms. Ordinary cultivators all make vows to the Heavenly Dao.

However, the oath of Heaven has no binding force on the true gods and ancestral masters who have comprehended the Heavenly Dao.

It's fair to say that they wouldn't have thought of this method if Lei Zhan hadn't reminded them.

"Then I'll do it?" Fuxi turned his head and glanced at the two of them, then nodded.

"Have you all made up your minds?" The Ancestral God of Abandoned Fire and the Ancestral Immortal of Nine Flames silently watched all this. Seeing the appearance of Fuxi and the others, they understood that the group was secretly discussing something.

Of course, the Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire and the Ancestral Immortal of Nine Flames didn't care. Since they were willing to show themselves and win them over, they had already made preparations.

"Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal?" Fuxi paused, his gaze sharpening. "What you've said is merely one side of the story. How can we believe you? Unless you can swear an oath of destiny!"

A vow of one's destiny is similar to a vow of heavenly authority in the Three Realms.

However, the vow of one's life is more complex, as it is made with one's own soul and true spirit, and it is absolutely impossible to break.

It's not like you can just make a vow of destiny whenever you want.

In the Three Realms, no powerful being can make a vow of their own destiny!

Generally, only those who have become Chaos Immortals or World Gods can voluntarily make their own life oath. Otherwise, they can only rely on external objects.

For example, this life oath stone.

"A life oath?" The Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire nodded. "Making a life oath is indeed the most convenient method."

“Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal.” Abandoned Fire Ancestral God looked over.

"Hmm." Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal nodded, and with a flick of his hand, a golden stone tablet appeared in his hand: "This is the 'Golden Light Stone Tablet' which has the effect of a Life Oath Stone."

call.

After saying this, the Nine Flames Ancestor Immortal threw the Oath Stone directly to Fuxi.

Of course, while the Oath Stone was precious, the Nine Flames Ancestor Immortal and the others weren't worried that Fuxi and the others would escape with it, since the entire inner world was sealed off. Where could they possibly escape to?

"This is the revised vow I need to make. Please confirm it. If there are no problems, we will make this life vow together."

"Hmm?" Fuxi was taken aback, then took the golden stone tablet, examined it carefully for a moment, and then casually handed the tablet to Tathagata, "Take a look too."

"Hmm." Tathagata nodded, and also used his mind to probe the contents of the golden stone tablet. After a moment, he handed it directly to Lei Zhan.

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan silently examined the oath recorded on the golden stone tablet.

It can be said that the oath made by the Nine Flames Ancestor Immortal was very sincere, taking into account almost every aspect and leaving no loopholes.

If this oath is truly made, there is no way to avoid it. If there is even the slightest falsehood in the previous words, the final consequence will be that both the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal and the Abandoned Fire Ancestral God will directly break their life oath and then their souls will be scattered.

“No problem.” Fuxi simply tossed the golden stone tablet over.

“Alright.” Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal nodded, glanced at the Abandoned Fire Ancestral God beside him, and gently placed his hand on the stone tablet.

boom!
Instantly, a mysterious and profound aura enveloped the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal, and then the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal involuntarily began to utter a vow:

“I swear on my life that everything I just said to the Ancestral God of Abandoned Fire about the Ice Demon Valley was absolutely true.”

"Hmm." The wariness in the hearts of Fuxi and Tathagata dissipated somewhat.

Lei Zhan watched silently.

The oath made by the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal was exactly the same as what they had just seen.

"I swear on my life..." The Ancestral God of Abandoning Fire also made the same vow.

a long time.

"Now, are you all willing to believe?" Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal looked at the three of them, including Fuxi and Tathagata. Of course, they valued Fuxi and Tathagata the most.

As for Lei Zhan, even though he barely possesses the strength of an Ancestral God, he is only a True God and is still far from the level of an Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal!

"Making this oath does indeed confirm that everything about Ice Demon Valley is true." Fuxi's gaze softened considerably. "However..."

"Huh?" Both the Abandoned Fire Ancestral God and the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal were taken aback.

but?

"But what?" The Ancestral God of Abandoned Fire looked over, a hint of doubt on his face.

"We were unexpectedly drawn into the Ice Demon Valley incident. Tathagata and I can also help you resist the Ice Demon."

Fuxi slowly said, "But what benefits can we gain from this?"

"Those weak, ordinary beings get some pay for helping with the work, let alone the few of us?"

There's no such thing as working for free in this world!

……

(End of this chapter)