The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

Chapter 227 Refining the Heavenly Heart of Myriad Tribulations Back to Truth

"Achievements of 2.68 billion..."

In the depths of the Earth's core, in a void, a girl in white sat quietly cross-legged, her gaze serene, as if the entire Earth's core was beyond her control.

"This little guy does have some potential. He's only been cultivating for less than ten thousand years, yet his spacetime power has already reached the fifth level..."

The girl in white gazed into the void, her eyes seemingly containing an endless abyss. She watched Lei Zhan, who was completely absorbed in selecting magical treasures and supernatural abilities, a faint smile on her face.

“Nearly a hundred Chaos Eras have passed, and among the True Gods and True Immortals, there are not many who can surpass this little guy. It’s a pity that there is only one True God.”

"We're still a long way from the World Realm..."

Having seen so many geniuses and prodigies, she naturally wouldn't pay much attention to a true god or immortal.

She usually only spares a little attention when certain specific requirements are met.

"genius……"

"evildoer……"

"Sigh..." A faint sigh echoed in the space.

"How difficult it is to cultivate a prodigy who can rival his master..."

……

"treasure……"

"Strange object..."

"Treasures and rare items that can enhance mental strength."

The thick book in his mind kept turning, and a vast amount of information flowed through his mind like a fleeting glance.

"This item... over 40,000 merit points? That's too expensive!"

"The Earth Core Pearl? It can help train mental strength? It requires 100,000 merit points!"

Lei Zhan shook his head helplessly.

"This...is a bit expensive!"

"This... um?" A hint of joy immediately appeared on Lei Zhan's face.

"found it!"

Even though the souls of true gods and immortals are incredibly powerful, they still spent more than ten breaths searching through the vast amount of information transmitted in the sea of ​​consciousness by the Demon Subduing Palace.

"The Eternal Tribulation Heart Stone is suitable for cultivators of mental power who have not yet been born into a world of the heart. It is worth 19,500 merit points. It can generate an incredibly realistic illusion, allowing cultivators to enter the illusion as if they have been reincarnated for countless lifetimes..."

As this information surfaced in Lei Zhan's mind, he thought to himself, "Eternal reincarnation, each time exactly the same as reality. Although it cannot work on cultivators with mental power who possess a world of the heart, it is a treasure for training my mental power, which has not even broken through to the fifth level."

The Eternal Calamity Heart Stone is a rare and wondrous object.

The Eternal Calamity Heart Stone is a special artifact crafted by cultivators of inner strength from the depths of endless chaos. It appears to be just an ordinary black stone, but a terrifying illusion array has been planted within it...

This illusion array is as if a world-level mental power cultivator skilled in illusion techniques personally casts an illusion spell, just like entering the six realms of reincarnation in the Three Realms, constantly experiencing one life after another.

Each lifetime is completely blocked by the Eternal Tribulation Heart Stone, and all memories will be restored only after the entire lifetime has passed.

The cycle repeated itself, and after ten thousand lifetimes, the energy of the Eternal Calamity Heart Stone was completely exhausted.

Like some powerful beings born from chaos in the Three Realms, they only retain a trace of their soul and true spirit to reincarnate.

Like the Buddha Tathagata, the master of Rulei Zhan, in ancient times, Tathagata's strength was still quite ordinary, but he entered the cycle of reincarnation countless times, gradually growing from weak to strong. With so many experiences, his Dao heart naturally became incredibly powerful, and even without deliberately cultivating his mental strength, he reached the peak of the 'mortal realm' after countless years.

The Eternal Tribulation Heart Stone doesn't require the extreme measure of dissipating one's cultivation, yet it achieves the same effect. Furthermore, the illusion array within the Eternal Tribulation Heart Stone can protect the undergoing individual's self-awareness, allowing them to break free when they are unable to resist.

Lei Zhan flipped through the various information about the Eternal Calamity Heart Stone in his mind, and the more he looked, the more suitable it seemed.

"My mental strength is already at its peak in the mortal realm. If I use this wondrous item, my chances of breaking through to the fifth level will increase significantly..."

Lei Zhan was truly tempted when he saw this treasure. Reaching the 'Return to Truth' level of mental power not only minimized the threat from the Mind General, but also greatly enhanced Lei Zhan's own strength.

You should know that once you reach the fifth level of mental power, you are already qualified to call yourself a mental power practitioner!

Most importantly, the merit required to exchange for this rare item is something that Lei Zhan can now fully afford.

As for the others, although they are also very effective and can enhance mental strength, without exception, just like the inheritance of mental strength, they are far beyond what Lei Xian can currently exchange for.

"Hu~~"

Lei Zhan pondered for a moment, then made a decision. He reached out and placed his left hand directly over the crystal ball in front of him, simultaneously communicating with the mysterious being within the Demon-Subduing Palace.

“Buzz~~~”

In an instant, ripples began to spread throughout the hall, and then a seemingly ordinary black stone appeared directly in the hall, right in front of Lei Zhan.

"This feeling is truly wonderful."

Lei used his mental energy to sense the black stone floating in front of him. It looked no different from any random roadside stone. But as soon as his mental energy enveloped it, he could directly feel the illusion surrounding the stone beginning to become real…

"I did indeed sense the existence of the illusion array within this Eternal Calamity Heart Stone. The mere fluctuations emanating from the stone were enough to affect me," Lei Zhan thought with satisfaction. "Fortunately, this wondrous object isn't offensive; otherwise, this treasure alone could easily influence those Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals who aren't skilled in mental power!" Whoosh…
With a wave of his hand, Lei Zhan directly collected the treasure in front of him.

He spent nearly 20,000 merit points to obtain this, enough to exchange for one or two Chaos Treasures, so its preciousness goes without saying.

"Hmm? This is..." Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal walked over, "This strange item that Fellow Daoist Lei Zhan exchanged... seems to be related to the illusion?"

"Hmm." Lei Zhan nodded slightly. "There are too many treasures in the Demon Subduing Palace, but my merits are not enough, so I can only stare at them with envy. After thinking for a long time, I finally replaced this rare item."

“These kinds of rare and precious items are not cheap…” Jiu Yan Zu Xian glanced at Lei Zhan and gained a clearer understanding of Lei Zhan’s extraordinary talent.

Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal muttered to himself, "These few freaks really don't know where they came from. Fellow Daoist Lei Zhan is like this, as are Fellow Daoist Fuxi and Fellow Daoist Tathagata."

"Outside the world! These monstrous talents, rarely seen even in the Earth's core for billions of years, have now appeared in three at once. If they all came from the same place..."

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and even more so, a longing for the outside world sprouted in the mind of the Nine Flames Ancestral Immortal.

……

The inner Earth, though a closed space created by a powerful being, is actually incredibly vast.

As the 'holy city' of the inner world, the majestic mountain range where the Demon-Subduing Palace and the Ice Demon Valley are located is also vast and boundless.

On an unnamed mountain peak stands a magnificent and enormous palace.

Lei Zhan stood before the palace, his eyes flickering with the faint light of candles. In the far distance, in the center of the mountains, lay a bottomless abyss.

“Ice Demon Valley.” Lei Zhan thought to himself, “It’s a pity that one’s cultivation level must reach the level of Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal to guarantee a safe return from the depths of Ice Demon Valley.”

In Ice Demon Valley, even the most ordinary ice demons are comparable to ancestral gods and immortals. If you are not strong enough, you are simply courting death.

Ice Demon Valley is far less peaceful than the world evolved from the Demon Subduing Palace.

"I have now comprehended most of the Heavenly Dao of Fire in the Three Realms. My understanding of the Heavenly Dao of Water is equally profound, and I have even progressed further than I have with the Heavenly Dao of Fire."

"Ancestor Immortal, it shouldn't be long."

Lei Zhan gazed leisurely at the deep abyss in the distance, a ripple flashing in his eyes.

"Once my cultivation breaks through to the Ancestral Immortal level, all the clones of my second primordial spirit will be able to enter this inner world. Once my second primordial spirit has mastered the third level of the Tao Wu Eighteen Gods and Demons, and the eighteen clones merge into one, even at the most basic level, I will directly possess the power of a half-step Chaos Immortal."

"With the various supernatural powers and methods of the Demon Subduing Palace, I must also seize the opportunities in this inner world."

Lei Zhan had always harbored some expectations for the powerful being who created the inner world of the earth.

However, when Lei Zhan saw more than ten successors belonging to the Heart Power Flow Dao Lord in the Demon Subduing Palace, this expectation was magnified to the extreme.

"The Heart Power Inheritance 'Feathered Robe Exquisite Heart' requires 2.6 billion merit points just for this one Heart Power Inheritance. It would be difficult to gather enough through ordinary methods, so the safest way is to venture into the Ice Demon Valley." Lei Zhan pondered to himself.

Even a monstrous genius like Lei Zhan could only accumulate around 20,000 merit points at most in the Demon Subduing Palace. Meanwhile, Ancestral Gods and Immortals at the same level could accumulate about ten times more merit points. But 200,000 merit points are a drop in the ocean compared to over two billion!
"The first thirty-six levels are occupied by the Ice Demon and the Ice Demon Lord, while the deeper levels are occupied by the Fire Demon. But what about the deeper parts of the Fire Demon's territory?"

"Since the secret techniques and methods within the Demon Subduing Palace have been priced, it means there's still a chance to obtain this opportunity..."

Countless thoughts surfaced in Lei Zhan's mind, each one related to the secrets of this inner world.

As for whether "Feathered Robe and Exquisite Heart" was just a gimmick, the thought that crossed Lei Zhan's mind was immediately extinguished.

Great beings are all proud, and those who can arrange such a grand undertaking would certainly not be fooled by ants who are not even world gods or chaos immortals.

Otherwise, it would be completely unnecessary just to tease someone.

“It’s time to begin.” Lei Zhan collected his myriad thoughts, shook his head, and turned to walk towards his personal immortal abode.

Now, seeing hope for improving mental strength in this subterranean world, Lei Zhan cherishes this opportunity all the more.

……

Quiet room.

Lei Zhan sat cross-legged on a futon, with a black stone floating in front of him, constantly emitting unique fluctuations.

"The reality around us is slowly becoming unreal..."

"And the illusion emitted by this Eternal Tribulation Heart Stone is slowly becoming real..."

Lei Zhan's consciousness triggered the core restrictions of the Eternal Calamity Heart Stone, and gradually, illusions began to invade, affecting Lei Zhan himself.

"Truly a marvel created by the being that gave birth to the world of the heart."

The unusual fluctuations around them piled up, forming something like mist that completely enveloped the pile.

The surrounding reality gradually becomes more and more illusory as perception expands. At the same time, the illusory scene becomes more and more real as perception deepens.

Around the fortified area, even some rare and precious treasures appeared, along with alluring beauties and evil demons...

"It's starting." Lei Zhan retained a sliver of consciousness, but was almost completely immersed in the illusion.

In Lei Zhan's eyes, there was no trace of the quiet room left, and even the futon beneath him had completely disappeared.

……

(End of this chapter)