The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

Chapter 211 confirms it's the 'Source'!
"I've been infected?" Lei Zhan was taken aback.

When his guess became reality, he felt a mix of emotions.

However, having reached the fourth level of mental strength, and possessing an extraordinary Dao heart, he instantly suppressed this emotion deep within his heart.

Lei Zhan looked at his senior brother, the woodcutter, and asked in confusion, "I didn't feel any threat at all, nor did I notice anything unusual, and yet I was hit directly?"

"Hmm." The woodcutter nodded. "The person who enslaved your soul was indeed extremely skilled, and their mental strength was at least at the fifth level. Moreover, this kind of ingenious use of mental strength is something I'm not good at."

In the woodcutter's view, to be able to deceive the fourth level of mental strength and enslave a soul is like a gigantic giant with a missing hand trying to carve a pattern on tofu with a steel needle smaller than a toothpick while his senses are sealed. The difficulty is unimaginable.

“This…” Lei Zhan fell silent.

"Junior brother, you don't need to worry."

The woodcutter chuckled and said, "You must have only been in contact with that person for a short time. This soul enslavement has only just begun, with only a few clues already emerging. Moreover, this method should be extremely gentle, its strength lying in its 'slowness.' It is precisely because of this that it has been able to deceive your senses. And this process should last for a long time."

The woodcutter analyzed it carefully.

This secret technique of using mental power to enslave the soul of cultivators would have been extremely difficult for him to discover in the past.

Mental power is ethereal and elusive, and also the most mysterious and unpredictable.

Although his mental strength was also at the fifth level, he was more skilled in techniques like "Hou Yi's Archery," where mental strength was attached to objects to unleash power far exceeding ordinary levels.

However, more than a thousand years ago, after being reminded by Lei Zhan, he began to comprehend the method of creating the unity of the three forces.

He began to try to integrate his mental strength, divine power, and magical power into the axe, creating a powerful axe technique.

Although he has only created some unsystematic techniques and secret arts so far, and is still a long way from a true method of unifying the three forces, this has still greatly enhanced his understanding of mental power.

It was precisely because of this that the gloom that had been weighing on his heart in the past was quietly broken open by him!
"Like boiling a frog in lukewarm water..." Lei Zhan frowned.

"Boiling a frog in lukewarm water?" The woodcutter was taken aback, but a thought flashed through his mind and he instantly understood the meaning of the phrase. "Junior Brother's description is quite apt."

The woodcutter casually sat down on a tree stump beside him, grabbed the wine gourd hanging from his waist, took a sip of wine, and continued:
"As I just said, you don't need to worry. With your Dao heart, if your mental strength can reach the fourth level of perfection in the years to come, you will naturally be able to directly block his secret technique of enslaving the soul with mental strength."

"Hmm? Can one resist this enslavement by reaching the pinnacle of mortal power?" Lei Zhan nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright." The woodcutter slowly covered the gourd in his hand, his expression becoming serious as he looked at the stack of gourds.

"Junior brother, tell me!"

"You probably already have some idea of ​​who wanted to enslave you. Your beloved Daoist partner wasn't enslaved, but your own avatar shows signs of being enslaved, yet you're unaware of it..."

The woodcutter did not continue speaking.

This judgment, if continued to be inferred, could lead to many different answers.

But he still wanted to hear it from his junior brother, the last to formally become a disciple of their master, Bodhi Patriarch, so that he could uncover the truth that had troubled him for millions of years.

"This..." Lei Zhan felt the firm gaze of his senior brother, the woodcutter, and a thousand thoughts surged in his mind.

“Speak! This person has been lurking in our Three Realms for a long time. It’s even highly likely that he quietly infiltrated our Three Realms back in the ancient Pangu world.” The woodcutter looked at Lei Zhan and said.

"Huh?" This sentence was like a thunderbolt, startling Lei Zhan and causing his heart to tremble.

"Senior Brother, how monstrous! Just by seeing the avatar of my being in contact with Elder Yuan, you were able to deduce so much? Could it be that Senior Brother has also witnessed a similar situation?" Lei Zhan muttered to himself. "The ancient Pangu world... Senior Brother can deduce time back to the ancient Pangu world... Could it be... Chang'e?"

In an instant, a thought flashed through Lei Zhan's mind.

But the soul and spirit of a true god are so powerful that even if countless thoughts flash through their mind, the outside world would only be a moment away.

"Senior Brother." Lei Zhan looked at his senior brother, the woodcutter, and after a moment of contemplation, slowly spoke, "I suspect it's that one of the Four Ancestors of the Source River... Daoist Yuan!"

"Hmm? Yuan Daoren?" The woodcutter was taken aback, and his brows furrowed.

“Yes. Yuan Daoren.” Lei Zhan nodded and said, “Ku Cao would not easily crush the jade talisman I gave her. When I got there, I found that Yuan Daoren wanted to take Ku Cao as his disciple. Moreover, my clone had just come into contact with Yuan Daoren.”

“It is indeed a bit strange that Daoist Yuan wants to take your Daoist partner.” The woodcutter pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, “I understand. As for the truth, I will investigate it slowly.”

“Yes,” Lei Zhan said.

……

Fangcun Mountain.

Lei Zhan and Ku Cao walked along the rugged mountain path, and at the end of the path, they could vaguely see a woman dressed in a white dress.

"That must be Sister Wangshu..." Kucao looked into the distance, his gaze falling on the woman in the distance, a complex expression on his face.

"Hmm." Lei Zhan also looked over. Wang Shu was originally a fairy descended to earth, a truly peerless beauty. Her pure white dress fluttered like snowflakes in the passing breeze.

Over a thousand years, Wangshu and Kucao have come to know each other, and now they are both willing to be his Daoist partners. Lei Zhan had long anticipated this day.

Both were powerful cultivators, and they quickly approached each other.

“Wang Shu,” Lei Zhan said. “Pfft!” Wang Shu looked at Lei Zhan’s slightly awkward appearance and immediately laughed, “Look at you, where is the demeanor of a top power in the Three Realms? Since Fairy Kucao and I have agreed to be your Daoist partners, we naturally won’t embarrass you in front of you.”

"Sister Wangshu." Kucao looked at Wangshu, immediately let go of Leizhan's hand, and instead took the initiative to link arms with Wangshu.

"I have long admired my sister, and now I have finally met her in person."

"Huh?" Wang Shu was taken aback, somewhat surprised that the withered grass had bowed its head on its own initiative. She glanced at Lei Zhan indifferently, then smiled and said, "Why are we talking about being sisters? It's just that this fool is getting a free ride. Come on, I'll show you around Fangcun Mountain."

"Want to take a look around? Sure!" Kucao smiled too.

As soon as they finished speaking, the two women turned around and walked away without even glancing at Lei Zhan.

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan was taken aback. Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, one dressed in gray linen clothes and the other in a pure white dress, they resembled exquisite twin lotus flowers.

"Junior brother. I'm so envious!" Jiang Jun, dressed in white, had disappeared from somewhere, watching the two departing figures with a hint of mockery on his face.
"To be able to enjoy the blessings of having two wives, to be with such a perfect couple, they're practically a match made in heaven! I even made a bet with Senior Brother Silver Moon before, and I was somewhat looking forward to this scene. But..."

"It's boring, it's boring!"

"A bet?" Lei Zhan turned his head and looked over, shaking his head helplessly. "You two..."

……

Fangcun Mountain, inside a Taoist temple.

Bodhi Patriarch sat cross-legged on the futon and slowly opened his eyes.

"You came."

Wow~~~
Suddenly, another person appeared in the Taoist temple; it was none other than the eldest disciple, the woodcutter.

"Master," the woodcutter looked over.

"Is it confirmed? It's the source?" Patriarch Bodhi's gaze was distant, filled with indescribable complexity.

"It's confirmed. Junior Brother also suspects that Yuan Daoist." The woodcutter looked at Bodhi sitting cross-legged and said calmly.

"It seems that he is indeed the most suspicious among the chaotic alien races who want to slowly control the many powerful beings in my Three Realms." The old patriarch Bodhi's voice was very soft, but his heart was filled with heartache.

A heartache that cuts to the bone.

They emerged together from the chaos, bewildered and confused. These old friends supported each other, discussed the Dao, and progressed together on the path of cultivation.

Their bond was so deep, it was like that of brothers who had been through thick and thin together.

Some old friends died in the ancient chaos, while others died in the ancient destruction war. People like the Taoist Sanshou are already dead.

There are not many left alive, but this one of the few remaining old friends, 'Yuan', is very likely to have died long ago.

In fact, it could be a clone possessed by a chaotic alien race that secretly infiltrated the Three Realms.

All the brotherhood shown before was very likely a deliberate scheme by someone with ulterior motives...

“Hmm.” The woodcutter said, “After my junior brother mentioned it yesterday, I also secretly observed the Three Pure Ones, Tathagata, and you, Master… I have secretly observed most of the great beings in the Three Realms.”

"The so-called Four Ancestors of the Source River alone, that group of true gods and Dao Ancestors, have all had their souls completely enslaved. As for you, you are either in the process of being enslaved or have already completely failed... It's only because your 'hearts' are too powerful that you haven't been truly controlled. There are indeed some shocking things to see here."

"Alas..." Patriarch Bodhi sighed deeply, his voice turning icy cold, like an eternal, unyielding block of ice.

"It seems that his risking his life to save me was also deliberately arranged."

The woodcutter remained silent, his heart filled with boundless anger.

Wasn't he someone who hated Old Man Yuan to the core?

However, his Dao heart was extremely strong, and his mental strength had long since reached the 'Return to Truth' level. He viewed everything as if he were a child returning to his original, innocent self. Even his deep-seated hatred was like a volcano yet to erupt, waiting only for the right opportunity...

"Back then, when Fuxi's golden core was refined into a second-grade golden core, his soul and true spirit were nurtured to become even stronger, breaking free of their shackles and thus breaking through to become an ancestral god. He had also suspected the Old Man of Source in his heart." Bodhi Ancestor said quietly, "But we were all somewhat unwilling to believe it, and we had been secretly investigating... I never expected it, I really never expected it."

In the hearts of these powerful beings, Elder Yuan was a very special figure. Moreover, they were all old brothers who trusted each other deeply.

However, the old man was silently possessed and even made his move against them. They managed to block it, but they were completely unaware of it.

"To be able to control so many powerful beings so silently, this Chaos alien who possessed the body of the Old Man of Origin may be even more powerful than Rahu and the Lord of All Things who broke into the ancient Pangu world." The woodcutter shook his head and said, "Right now we are in the dark, and he is in the open. We can only make a move when Fuxi and Tathagata come out, and when we are more confident."

"Suirenshi and the others also had this concern. However, we are very fortunate to have received the eight great methods from Lei Zhan. The Ice and Fire Tempering Golden Elixir Technique is a method that can greatly enhance our strength in a short period of time," said Patriarch Bodhi.

"The Ice and Fire Refining Golden Core Technique? Having more Second-Rank Ancestral Immortals here will indeed significantly increase our strength." The woodcutter nodded.

"It seems we need to collect both the Ice Heart Marrow and the Nine Flames Elixir, these two chaotic treasures, as soon as possible."

"Once all the Dao Ancestors on our side whom we can trust have broken through to become Second-Class Ancestral Immortals, we will have enough strength to suppress everything."

……

(End of this chapter)