The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

Chapter 210 Junior Brother, you've fallen for it!

In the mountains and forests, incredibly thick giant trees blocked out the entire space.

The dappled sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting a layer of golden light across the forest.

The woodcutter remained seated atop the newly felled giant tree, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

"This junior brother seems to have quite a few secrets..."

As Lei Zhan's figure gradually disappeared into the forest, the woodcutter sighed and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

"However, this method of controlling the soul with mental power is probably rare even in the endless chaos."

"And when did our Three Realms gain such a powerful being?"

The woodcutter frowned: "Even the Lord of the Infinite Gate, who has merged with the Heavenly Dao of the Three Realms, while his mental strength is at the fifth level, his previous expertise was merely in bewitching people's hearts and stirring up inner demons..."

You must know that even the Lord of the Heart Demons wasn't this strong during the ancient War of Annihilation! If they could truly enslave souls silently, there would be no need for Nuwa's camp to fight; they could simply surrender and admit defeat.

At that moment, a thousand thoughts flashed through the woodcutter's mind.

The more I pondered it, the more suspicious I felt there was something fishy about the matter.

After his conversation with Lei Zhan, the woodcutter learned a bit about Ku Cao, Lei Zhan's Daoist partner. Ku Cao was a Pure Yang True Immortal, though his strength seemed average to him.

However, to silently control the soul of a Pure Yang True Immortal, one's mental strength must reach at least the fourth or fifth level. Furthermore, one would need to learn some special mental strength techniques.

Otherwise, forcibly controlling the soul would be futile.

Such secret techniques are rare to begin with, and those that can enslave Pure Yang True Immortals are even rarer.

"Could it be that some alien race from beyond the endless chaos has infiltrated?" This thought flashed through the woodcutter's mind. He shook his head and then stood up.

"We still have to see! If it really is a Chaos Alien Race... then the Three Realms will be thrown into turmoil again."

Shouldering his axe, the woodcutter ignored the fallen tree and left the forest.

……

Yuanhe Grand World.

High in the sky at the center of this world, there is a huge floating fairy island, on which are magnificent palaces.

Wow~~~
An old man dressed in white robes appeared in the void above the world, then transformed into a streak of light and flew into the depths of the floating island.

In front of a thatched hut.

The old man sat cross-legged on a futon, his face no longer bearing the previous smiling and approachable expression. Instead, his eyes revealed a condescending gaze and a cold indifference as if looking down on ants.

This is the true form of his mind.

But over the long years, he hid it all too well.

Although he appears to be crazy and eccentric, in the hearts of many powerful beings throughout the Three Realms, everyone thinks that this Chaos True God Source Daoist is a kind-hearted person in the entire ancient Pangu world and even the Three Realms!
"Unfortunately, in the end, he was still a bit too hasty..." Old Man Yuan shook his head and said, "But Lei Zhan has only been rising for less than ten thousand years, yet his 'heart' is so strong. Even if he is not as strong as the Three Pure Ones or Tathagata, his mental strength is still at the fourth level..."

"Moreover, they were somewhat wary of my presence..."

"Could this also be related to the vanished Fuxi clan?"

Old Man Yuan pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "It must be that my contact with that little kid named Kucao was a bit too strange."

"Unfortunately, this withered grass wasn't the weakness I was looking for, but fortunately, I've achieved my goal directly. With this initial contact, it will be easier for me to make another contact once the natives' attention has shifted away..."

In fact, he wanted to approach those weak cultivators, preferably at the level of Heavenly Gods or True Immortals or the Returning to Emptiness level, so that he could casually offer some guidance without seeming abrupt.

After all, throughout the Three Realms, there are still quite a few powerful figures who enjoy casually instructing younger generations. If they take a liking to someone, it's quite common for them to be accepted as disciples.

But treating a Pure Yang True Immortal like this... that's rather conspicuous.

But apart from this method, both mind and spirit feel helpless.

It should be noted that when Lei Zhan was still a Void Returning God-Demon, he already knew about the secret of time and space after inheriting the Bodhi Patriarch's technique, but it was too late.

Before he could even show himself and make contact, the second primordial spirit that had been wandering outside directly joined the Buddhist sect, and later went into seclusion on Mount Ling for a thousand years.

The mind and spirit would then have even less opportunity to come into contact with it.

When Deng Leizhan broke through to the level of a Celestial God, he finally began to walk among the Three Realms. However, this prodigy rose to prominence too quickly, coinciding with the time when Fuxi was about to comprehend the Dao of Life.

By a twist of fate, he was forced to resort to this desperate measure.

"There are too many monsters in these three realms, and it's all too abnormal," Xin Shenjiang said with a deep gaze.

“A primordial god could forcibly break through to the level of a world god without any guidance. A chaotic true god could also create an extremely precious spacetime secret technique from scratch... Now, this Fuxi can actually break free from my control…”

"Although I haven't fully controlled his soul yet, I've already achieved this much..."

Xin Shen shook his head slightly: "In the end, it was Fu Xi's sudden break free that made my heart somewhat unsettled."

"More than twenty years have passed, and I've tried to subtly inquire with the Three Pure Ones and Buddha, but I've never received an answer. This Fuxi either left the Three Realms for the Great Mo Domain and obtained some fortuitous opportunity, or he was just lucky..." Xin Shenjiang's expression shifted between light and shadow, his gaze turning cold. "No, impossible!"

"It hasn't been long since a World God was born in this chaotic world of the Three Realms, so it's impossible for another World Realm expert to be born!"

"The most likely possibility is that Fuxi obtained an opportunity in the chaos and directly broke through to the level of the Ancestral God! Thus, he broke free from my constraints!"

Whenever I think back to that day twenty-two years ago, I feel inexplicably uneasy.

After Fuxi's memories were interfered with, he suddenly went deep into the chaos surrounding the Three Realms and broke free from the soul enslavement that he had not yet fully controlled more than twenty years ago.

This is the first case in countless years!
This incident naturally filled him with both surprise and fear.

It should be noted that the secret technique of soul enslavement practiced by Elder Yuan is superior in that it is subtle and gradual.

Over the long years, it silently erodes the soul of a cultivator, until finally, without anyone noticing, it can completely control all the powerful beings in the Three Realms.

This secret technique is not only superior because it is impossible to defend against, but it also minimizes the burden on one's soul.

Of course, although his mental cultivation techniques were profound, they couldn't possibly cover every aspect.

Such a subtle and effective technique of mental cultivation, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, cannot be without its advantages.

Aside from the extremely long time required, if a cultivator has a strong Dao heart, they can unknowingly block his covert enslavement and control. Moreover, such enslavement and control, as long as the soul is not completely controlled, has very little influence on the other party.

For example, the Three Pure Ones and Buddha. He has absolutely no control over them, and it is very difficult for him to intervene in their affairs.

Similarly, when Fuxi left the Three Realms and went to the depths of chaos surrounding the Three Realms, he was unable to know immediately.

He sensed that the restriction left on Fuxi had suddenly shattered, just as the life tablet and soul lamp left on him had shattered, leaving him belatedly aware of it.

"Fuxi..." Xin Shenjiang murmured softly, "This is the first one to break free from my soul control. It actually made me sense a sense of crisis."

"Are you leaving...?"

This thought suddenly surged into his mind. Once it appeared, it became unstoppable.

long silence.

call.

He took a deep breath and instantly extinguished the thought.

"No, I've hidden myself very well! Over countless years, I've been extremely careful with every act of enslavement. Even Nuwa, who broke through to become a World God, didn't discover my existence. I've been lying dormant here for most of the Chaos Era... It's truly unwilling to give up!"

The voice of the mind gradually became low and deep.

Before him stood an unclaimed, chaotic world. He had paid such a high price, only to end up with nothing. No matter what he said, he would feel resentful.

"After all, what lies before me is the heart of a world formed by the fusion of two shattered chaotic worlds..."

"And Bodhi's time-space secret technique, letting one go would be a huge loss."

……

One day later.

In the forests at the foot of Fangcun Mountain.

Lei Zhan held the hand of the withered grass, with countless fallen leaves under his feet, and then he arrived deep in the mountains and forests.

"Senior Brother." Lei Zhan approached the woodcutter with withered grass and bowed respectfully.

"Senior Brother?" Kucao looked at the woodcutter and bowed in return. Although she felt that the tall, burly man dressed in the woodcutter's clothes seemed to be just an ordinary mortal, Lei Zhan's instructions made her feel a little more reserved.

"Phew." The woodcutter hoisted his axe onto his shoulder, straightened up, grabbed the gourd from his waist, and took a big gulp of wine. "Hmm?"

He turned to look at Lei Zhan, his eyes flickering for a moment before he said, "It's Junior Brother! And this must be your Dao Companion?"

"Senior Brother," Lei Zhan nodded and smiled, "This is my Daoist partner, Ku Cao. He is currently the master of Hundred Tomb Mountain, a powerful force in the Heavenly Realm."

The woodcutter nodded, then turned to look at the withered grass, scrutinizing it closely. His gaze was ordinary, lacking any penetrating insight.

“Dry grass. This is the senior brother I told you about before,” Lei Zhan said with a smile.

"Ku Cao greets Senior Brother." Ku Cao also bowed respectfully.

"Hmm. What a perfect couple," the woodcutter chuckled. "Go on. I reckon my junior brother is in for a lot of trouble. I won't keep you any longer."

"Huh?" Lei Zhan was stunned.

"Headache?" Ku Cao turned to look at Lei Zhan, a thought suddenly occurring to her. Zhan Yan smiled, offering no further explanation.

The woodcutter smiled at Lei Zhan, his voice tinged with a hint of sarcasm, "When I came to chop wood this morning, I saw my junior sister standing in front of the cave waiting. As for who she was waiting for, I, as the senior brother, really have no idea."

"This..." Lei Zhan was speechless.

Thinking about this really gave me a headache.

If both parties are safe and sound, that's fine. But if things escalate...

Lei Zhan shook his head. "Senior Brother, we'll be going now."

"Go! Go!" the woodcutter waved his hand.

"Yes." Lei Zhan then left with the withered grass.

Just moments after the two left.

"Wow~~~"

The surrounding space and time blurred, and a figure in black robes emerged. It was another avatar of Lei Zhan's main body.

"Junior brother," the woodcutter said with a smile, "you've cultivated a clone technique like the 'Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons'?"

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan was taken aback, then nodded and said, "It can't be hidden from Senior Brother's eyes."

"Hmm." The woodcutter said, "Your main body and all your clones are exactly the same. Yesterday, I thought the one who came to me was your true body, so I didn't think much of it. But just now, I confirmed it directly."

"Huh?" Leizhan was stunned.

He had two clones appear on this small mountain at the same time. The eldest brother, the woodcutter, was able to confirm that he had cultivated the clone technique, but Lei Zhan was not surprised at all.

It can be confirmed directly...

Lei Zhan's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "Confirm? Confirm what? Could it be that the withered grass has really been enslaved by the mind?"

"Yes. It was confirmed immediately!" The woodcutter's expression was enigmatic. He said softly, "Junior Brother, didn't your avatar that was out there notice anything? Didn't it sense any traces of its own soul already existing?"

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan's heart tightened. A trace of a soul remained?
Could it be that he was the one whose soul was unknowingly enslaved?

You must know that Lei Zhan only had contact with that spiritual general for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and he never relaxed his guard for a moment.

"Your Daoist companion is perfectly fine. I examined her soul and spirit with all my might, but I couldn't find anything amiss within her soul," the woodcutter said leisurely.

"On the contrary, it is your soul and true spirit, junior brother, that show some traces of mental enslavement."

"Junior brother, you... you've been hit!"

……

(End of this chapter)