The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

Chapter 212 Enlightenment in the Three Realms
On Fangcun Mountain, the decision made by Master Bodhi Patriarch and his senior brother, the woodcutter, was a matter that could affect the entire Three Realms.

However, Lei Zhan knew nothing about any of this. He only had a vague guess in his mind.

Now that their powerful figures have noticed the unusual behavior of Elder Yuan, they will naturally take action. They will no longer suffer a severe loss at Elder Yuan's hands as before.

However, none of this was told to Lei Zhan, so he didn't need to worry about it for the time being. Lei Zhan, whose original body and avatar were originally destined to travel through the Three Realms, was preparing to leave Fangcun Mountain to travel and seek enlightenment in the Three Realms.

They were originally destined to travel through the Three Realms and hone themselves in the mortal world. If it weren't for the matter of the Old Man of Source, they would have started long ago.

Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

"Lei Zhan, are you going to travel through the Three Realms with this clone of yourself?" Wang Shu looked at Lei Zhan with a smile.

In the past six months, Lei Zhandu passed on the "Eighteen Gods and Demons of Tao Wu" to Wang Shu and Ku Cao, and also gave each of them two bottles of Chaos Spirit Liquid. Therefore, Wang Shu and Ku Cao were aware of the matter of the clone.

"Yes." Lei Zhan nodded with a smile. "The path of cultivation involves both relaxation and rest. I've been cultivating in seclusion, but I also need to go out and explore. And this clone of mine traveling through the Three Realms is also a form of cultivation."

"Traveling through the Three Realms..." Wang Shu smiled, "My sister Kucao and I have both cultivated the Eighteen Divine Demons of Tao Wu, and each of us has a total of thirty-six clones. That's enough, and we can even send one of our clones to travel through the Three Realms with you."

"Hmm? You want to come with me?" Lei Zhan looked at Wang Shu's serious expression, then turned to look at the woman beside him who looked like a fairy from heaven and earth, dressed in gray linen and barefoot.

"Ku Cao, is that what you think too?"

“Yes. When my sister and I were young, we also wandered through the Three Realms and honed our skills in the mortal world. But now we have both become celestial gods and immortals. Moreover, the Heavenly Dao is not so easy to comprehend, so it would be better to travel with you.” Kucao smiled.

It can be said that the two of them have now cultivated the "Eighteen Gods and Demons of Tao Wu", and their cultivation speed is now thirty-five times faster than before.

The thirty-five clones share the same memories; if one comprehends something, it's equivalent to all of them comprehending it, so they are not afraid of being delayed.

After all, not everyone can achieve enlightenment like Lei Zhan, who can have a sudden realization at a crucial moment.

Cultivation is not something that guarantees progress simply by cultivating for a long time. If one could continuously improve indefinitely, then those celestial beings who have lived for billions of years would have already become pure yang immortals, which is clearly impossible.

Most importantly, as their cultivation level increased, each period of seclusion for cultivation lasted for tens of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of years.

Now that they have the opportunity, they want to spend more time with Lei Zhan.

“Yes!” Wang Shu nodded. “You are now a true god. You can give us some pointers along the way.”

"Hmm." Lei Zhan looked at the two women in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and then instructed, "It's fine if you come with me. But you two have to listen to me."

“At least, your remaining thirty-five clones must remain in the Crescent Moon Great World! Dry Grass, so must you.”

"You'll all stay in the Crescent Moon Great World?" Wang Shu nodded repeatedly. "Of course. I want to become a True God Ancestor as soon as possible and catch up with you!"

"Stay in the Great World of the Crescent Moon?" Kucao hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "I have an avatar traveling with you through the Three Realms. If there is any trouble at Hundred Tomb Mountain, I can return in time. Staying here is fine."

"Okay." Lei Zhan smiled.

Traveling through the Three Realms, one can travel alone, travel with a beautiful companion, or travel with two Daoist partners. The journey becomes more interesting, and Lei Zhan is quite happy to do so.

……

Hell.

Beautiful flowers bloom along the banks of the River of Oblivion.

Not far from the bridgehead, there is a crystal stone that faintly shimmers with images; that is the legendary Three Lives Stone.

Wow~~~
Suddenly, a young man in black robes appeared, accompanied by two stunningly beautiful women. The three of them did not alert anyone. These three figures were none other than Lei Zhan, Wang Shu, and Ku Cao, who had left Fangcun Mountain.

Below, countless lines of ghosts continued to slowly move forward.

"The underworld, the banks of the River of Oblivion." Lei Zhan looked down, a smile on his face. "We've arrived."

"The River of Oblivion... Is that the Red Spider Lily? It's so beautiful!" The withered grass also looked at the beautiful flowers below.

"This is my first time in the Underworld. It is indeed very different from the Heavenly Realm and the three thousand great worlds of the mortal realm." Wang Shu looked down and took in everything below.

"Hmm." Lei Zhan's gaze was distant, and he was filled with emotion.

"I still remember the first time I came to this underworld, when I was sending my master, the immortal Juhua, to reincarnate here. I was only at the first stage of the Void Returning Realm, and it was my sixth senior brother who brought me here. Now, more than a thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the Six Paths of Reincarnation are still the same on the other side of the River of Oblivion."

Space and time are the main paths to cultivation.

Within the entire Three Realms, and even in the surrounding chaos, there are few wondrous or perilous places related to time and space. The Six Paths of Reincarnation in the Netherworld is one of them.

When he sent the immortal Juhua back to reincarnation, Lei Zhan had planned to seclude himself here to cultivate enlightenment for a thousand years.

If it weren't for the delay caused by his decision to join the Buddhist order, Lei Zhan would probably have arrived much earlier. However, since he has brought two Daoist companions with him now, it's not too late.

"The Six Paths of Reincarnation..." Lei Zhan's gaze drifted, his bright eyes looking into the distance through the endless gray clouds.

The flow of time and space there is completely different from the outside world; it is the final destination for all ghosts.

"At that time, I felt that the Six Paths of Reincarnation established by the Goddess Nuwa was the culmination of the cycle of time and space. Now that I am at the level of a true god and my power of time and space has broken through to the fourth level, I still find it extremely mysterious."

Lei Zhan gazed down at the banks of the River of Oblivion, and at the six realms of reincarnation in the distance, which seemed like an abyss. He sat cross-legged high in the sky, watching quietly, lost in thought.

"Time-space reincarnation... This is completely different from the Star Shattering Technique I created myself, and the 'Time-Space Annihilation' secret technique I comprehended. It should be considered another path of time and space..."

Both women looked at Lei Zhan, who had suddenly fallen into thought, and tacitly refrained from disturbing him.

long silence.

Lei Zhan turned to look at Wang Shu and Ku Cao, "The Six Paths of Reincarnation left behind by the Goddess Nuwa are the product of the perfect combination of the Great Dao of Time and the Great Dao of Space. You can also study them, which will greatly benefit your understanding of the Great Dao of Time and Space."

"Yes! The mysteries within are indeed helpful for my understanding of the principles of time and space!" Wang Shu nodded.

“Space…” Kucao nodded. In addition to her profound knowledge of water, she was also skilled in the art of space.

Of course, this 'skill' also depends on who you're comparing yourself to.

Compared to a base-running player, he's just a beginner.

……

Inside Fengdu City in the underworld. This is a quiet study with rows of bookshelves. The surrounding walls are bare, with only a painting as the sole decoration.

In the center of the study was a desk, where a middle-aged man in a blue robe was intently flipping through books.

"Ok?"

suddenly.

"Spatial fluctuations? When did a powerful being arrive in my Netherworld?" The middle-aged man in a green robe sitting at the table closed the book he was reading.

He looked up, his eyes seemingly filled with endless gray mist, gazing into the distant void.

"Huh? It's him!"

What came into view was a young man in black robes sitting cross-legged above the gray clouds. Around him were two celestial-like women.

The young man wasn't afraid of being disturbed; he sat cross-legged on a patch of gray mist, seemingly meditating on something.

"Is this... comprehending the Six Paths of Reincarnation left behind by the Goddess?" Lord Cui looked on silently, seemingly lost in thought.

"I've long heard that this renowned Lord of the Star-Picking Palace has inherited the legacy of Patriarch Bodhi. He is the sole successor of the Patriarch's unparalleled mastery of time and space... When that monkey brought me to the Underworld, he was merely at the Void Returning stage. Now, in just over a thousand years, he has directly transcended tribulation to become an immortal, and has even become a powerful being at the level of a True God or Dao Ancestor..."

He turned his head and glanced at the only decoration on the wall. It was a painting, a portrait of a woman, her feathered robes flowing with a natural rhythm.

"You have come to my Underworld, and you are no ordinary true gods or Dao ancestors. Do not let people laugh at my Underworld for losing its way of hospitality." Lord Cui said softly, and then disappeared from the study.

……

The entire underworld was perpetually gray. The sky was overcast, with endless gray clouds drifting across the high heavens.

“Build up the true God.”

A voice came from the distant sky.

call.

call.

The sound hadn't even faded.

A large group of figures flew in from afar, riding on gray clouds. Each figure exuded a powerful aura.

The ox-headed and horse-faced demon soldiers maintaining order all looked up. They were horrified to discover that all the high-ranking officials in their underworld had suddenly flown towards the sky above the River of Oblivion.

at this time.

On a small earthen platform below, the hunched old woman looked up. A figure identical to her emerged from her body, leaving behind an avatar to continue feeding the passing ghosts the Meng Po soup, while her true form flew towards the gray clouds.

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan, who was sitting cross-legged on the gray cloud high in the sky, looked up and smiled. "This Judge Cui is quite polite!"

“That’s… the Five Ghost Emperors, the Ten Kings of Hell, the Four Judges, and the Ten Underworld Generals have all come.” Wang Shu said in surprise.

"That one down there, isn't that Meng Po?" Ku Cao opened his eyes and looked at the old woman flying towards them from below.

Wow~~~
In an instant, all the figures stopped in mid-air, several feet away from the pile. Each of them wore a respectful expression.

"We have met the true god Lei Zhan!" all the top figures of the Netherworld said respectfully.

These celestial beings and immortals who came all attained enlightenment in the ancient world of Pangu.

After the Three Realms were created, the Goddess Nuwa re-established the Six Paths of Reincarnation and appointed these gods and immortals to serve as divine officials in the Netherworld to assist the operation of the Heavenly Dao in the Three Realms.

Unlike the Heavenly Emperor, who also needs to assist the operation of the Heavenly Dao in the Three Realms, the Heavenly Emperor was more of a figurehead, his status being roughly equivalent to the ruler of one of the three thousand great worlds in the mortal realm.

The entire underworld is involved in the workings of the Heavenly Dao and the cycle of reincarnation in the Six Paths. It is also related to the reincarnation of the entire Three Realms, so every position there is extremely important.

“There’s no need for such a fuss.” Lei Zhan shook his head and laughed. “We just came here on a whim to see the Six Paths of Reincarnation that Goddess Nuwa left behind. We’ll stay here for a while and then leave.”

"Since a true god has come to my underworld, we should naturally do our duty as hosts. How can this be considered troublesome!"

Cui Fujun, who was standing at the very front among the group of figures, smiled and said, "As for the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Her Majesty once said that any strong person in our Three Realms who does not affect the Six Paths of Reincarnation may freely observe it."

“Yes. Back then, the Goddess Nuwa established the Three Lives Stone and the Six Paths of Reincarnation on the banks of the River of Oblivion. It is truly mysterious. We often come here to study the principles of time and the universe.” A figure wearing an imperial crown said.

“If the true god has any needs, just give us your orders,” one of the ghost emperors said with a smile.

If it were an ordinary true god or Dao ancestor, they would usually come and pay their respects, which would be enough.

But the base fielders who have come to them now have an unusual status.

It's important to know that the Zhaixing Mansion lineage under Lei Zhan's command has re-emerged from the Three Realms and is currently conquering various great worlds. The power of the entire Zhaixing Mansion is also growing larger and larger, like a snowball rolling downhill.

Most importantly, it is about cultivating one's own strength. There are many powerful beings with the strength of top-tier True Gods and Dao Ancestors, but there is only one such example of a top-tier powerful being who could possibly kill that God King of the Boundless Gate.

In the Three Realms, strength reigns supreme. Anyone with the power of Lei Zhan would be respected wherever they go.

"Alright. Now that you've met them, you can all go!" Lei Zhan looked at the figures in front of him, nodding to each of them, and then spoke.

"This……"

They looked at each other, but dared not insist. They then bowed respectfully before turning and leaving.

“Lei Zhan, they are very respectful to you!” Wang Shu said with a smile. “I heard my father say that when he came here, only a few of the Ten Kings of Hell came to see him briefly. As for the many powerful figures from the Underworld who came to pay their respects, I estimate that there are very few people in the entire Three Realms who can enjoy this kind of treatment.”

"It's all just empty fame. In the end, it all comes down to strength." Lei Zhan watched the departing figures, his heart filled with emotion. When his sixth senior brother, Sun Wukong, brought him here, he didn't even have this kind of status. It was only through Judge Cui's favor that he was able to be reincarnated into the Heavenly Realm.

"Life is truly unpredictable. I remember when we first met, we were all just ordinary beings in the Purple Palace, and now only a little over a thousand years have passed..." A sigh appeared in the withered grass's eyes. He shook his head, then closed his eyes to contemplate.

"Hahaha." Lei Zhan chuckled, gathering his myriad thoughts. With a thought, the flow of time around him changed, and he continued to comprehend it.

……

(End of this chapter)