The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

"The strongest offensive path... the strongest defensive path... although I haven't perfectly combined these two paths yet, this strength is already comparable to Dong Xiu and the others!"

"Two? It seems there are more than two, and among them, there appears to be the shadow of the strongest defensive path..."

"Betale's current understanding of the art of attack is extremely profound, and his mastery of the path of light is comparable to that of Lei Zhan. But if he doesn't use his trump card soon, he's likely to lose!"

"Using my trump card... While the combination of mental power and the Dao of Light is strong, it's still far from being comparable to a powerful second-step Dao Lord!"

"That depends on the Dao heart of the God of the Unified World." The ethereal figure hidden in the black robe said, "Cultivators of mental power are inherently powerful. If this God of the Unified World has an ordinary Dao heart, the outcome might just be a draw."

"A mediocre Dao heart?" The blue-eyed Daoist Lanzhou glanced at the Daoist of the Heart Power Palace and said with dissatisfaction, "A cultivator who can walk the strongest path, would have a mediocre Dao heart? At most, he would suffer some minor losses in front of Betalieu."

"As for a draw... Although Betalieu has established the World of the Heart, it can only interfere. But how do you know that little Guiyi doesn't have some trump cards up his sleeve?"

"Well, Lan Zhou. He hasn't even joined your Time and Space Palace yet, and you're already protecting him like this?" Palace Master Qian Tao Daojun of the Bright Palace teased. "But what will the final result be..."

"If the God of this unified world were to perfectly combine the strongest paths, the final result would be a foregone conclusion, and Betalieu would certainly have no chance of winning."

“But right now… I still think Bertalea has a slightly better chance of winning.”

“Those who cultivate mental power must admit that, at the same level, there is indeed a difference between those who cultivate mental power and those who do not.”

The powerful figures watched the battle scene displayed in the void and discussed it amongst themselves.

suddenly.

"Hmm? The world of the heart!"

"It's the world of the heart! Betalieu has used his trump card!"

"The World of the Heart has arrived!"

The powerful figures immediately perked up and stared intently at the enormous image.

……

Above a vast ocean.

“World God of Unity, be careful!” Betalieu hissed, “World Projection.”

Buzz ~~~~~~
Suddenly, the surrounding scenery changed.

Originally, Lei Zhan and his companions were on the ocean, with the original broken island beneath their feet.

But in that instant, the surrounding scenery changed.

At a glance, the vast ocean transformed into a vast plain, then into towering mountains, and atop those towering mountains stood a temple, radiating billions of rays of light that illuminated the vast plain.

Meanwhile, Reizen and Betalieux were locked in a fierce battle on this vast plain.

"Hmm? A projection of the world of the heart?" Lei Zhan frowned, immediately feeling the omnipresent pressure and constraint around him.

The vast plains surrounding them, and even the majestic temples in the distance, all existed in a state between reality and illusion.

At this moment, it was as if a vast world had descended upon them, crushing and overwhelming them.

Even at this moment, some illusions came over him, stirring the softness deep in Lei Zhan's heart.

"Enjoy this! This is my world!" Betalieu stood on the vast plain, a faint smile on his face.

When the World of the Heart descends, it is visibly visible that within this world, the speed of both attacks and escape techniques has decreased significantly.

The omnipresent gunfire around them also disappeared in that instant, making things much easier for Betalieux.

"your world?"

Lei Zhan looked around at the familiar figures that appeared one after another:

"Your projection of the world does put some pressure on me, but it's far from enough to secure victory!"

"At least, apart from your projection of this world, the illusions you use are of no use to me."

Around the fortified platform, there were Master Bodhi, the Three Pure Ones Suirenshi, Wangshu and Kucao, and even the eldest brother Houyi, Yinyue, Sun Wukong, and others, all appearing one by one...

"Disperse!" With a thought, Lei Zhan unleashed an invisible wave.

The powerful true spirit and strong will of the demons caused everything before them to vanish in an instant.

"Hmm? These illusions I left behind have no effect on him at all?" Betalieu's gaze sharpened, and he began to wonder.

"Where did this monster come from? It's one thing to be this strong, but his mental strength and spiritual essence are also quite formidable."

It should be understood that for an illusion to succeed, it depends on the victim's mental strength, secret techniques, and true spirit.

Those with weak Daoist hearts and weak souls and true spirits will find it difficult to break free from an illusion.

Just like the inner demon tribulation of the Three Realms, even if one senses the existence of illusion, as long as one's Dao heart wavers even slightly, one will be forever trapped in it until death and the Dao dissipates.

However, Betalieu's inner world is powerful, and the illusions within it are also quite formidable.

But how could Betalieu know that although Lei Zhan's talent in mental power was not as good as that in the realm of spacetime, he was still at the peak of the fifth level of mental power?

Lei Zhan's mental strength is at the peak of the fifth level. He has also cultivated the Azure Mist, which can nurture the soul and true spirit of cultivators. Such a top-tier method makes the soul and true spirit as strong as many Dao Lords. As for the final mental strength secret technique, Lei Zhan has received a lot of inheritance in the Demon Subduing Dao Palace, and has also comprehended a lot of the inheritance left by the Mental Strength Flow Dao Lord.

Although it was slightly inferior to the mental power inheritance left by Daoist Yu Chang, Lei Zhan had learned quite a few mental power secret techniques such as 'Mental Power Soul Locking'.

Many factors combined to allow Lei Zhan to directly ignore many of Betalieu's illusions.

“Betale, if this is all you’ve got…” Lei Zhan looked at Bertalle, “then it’s my turn!”

"That's all the methods? Of course not!" Bertalele glanced at Lei Zhan and said calmly, "Everywhere—everywhere!"

Wow~~~
Suddenly, golden light surged throughout the entire plain, and countless golden lights began to surround and bind the plain.

Despite the relentless barrage of gunfire and destruction, the golden light remained omnipresent and endless.

"They can't be wiped out, they can't be killed off!"

Betalieu radiated light, as if he were a god representing endless light, and a faint smile appeared on his face:

"This is something I've spent countless years and immense effort to achieve, fusing my mental energy with the path of light, and combining the body-refining techniques of gods and demons, the cultivation of qi, and my mental energy..."

"I went through so much, so much joy and sorrow, all of it, to get me onto this path."

“Your move is indeed extraordinary.” Lei Zhan nodded. “Seeing your move also reminds me of a powerful being.”

"Hmm? A powerful being? Who is it?" Betalieu showed a hint of curiosity. Although they were fighting to the death, it was very easy for them to spare a bit of their attention to communicate.

Moreover, he was also very interested in the powerful figure that Lei Zhan had mentioned.

"Heart Sword Emperor. He is the Eternal Emperor who is closest to the Sovereign in the Endless Territory, and also the strongest Eternal Emperor below the Sovereign."

Lei Zhan said softly, "However, he did not follow the path of light, nor the path of time and space, but the path of the sword!"

"Although I have never seen the 'Heart Sword Technique' he left behind, it is the only sword technique in the endless territory that perfectly combines the cultivation of mental power with the refinement of divine and demonic energy, and can achieve eternity."

"Closest to the Dominator? Heart Sword Technique?" Betalieu's eyes were filled with endless longing. "I've remembered it. I've also remembered this favor you did me."

He vaguely sensed that if he could study and comprehend this Eternal Sword Technique before breaking through to the Dao Lord of Life and Death, it would be of great benefit to him!
"Human relationships?" Lei Zhan laughed. "I brought these things up simply because I had some feelings about them."

"but……"

Looking at Betalieu, who was almost within arm's reach, blocking his attack, Lei Zhan said softly:
"Now, it's time to end this!"

"Rumble~~~"

suddenly.

Suddenly, the world fell silent.

Dust billowed across the vast plains.

In the distance, the aftershocks of the battle whipped up a fierce wind, and the flowers and grasses swayed in the gale...

Even Betalieu, wielding two heavy hammers, one black and one white, desperately trying to fend off the suddenly appearing black spear shadow, was slowed down countless times in an instant.

Originally capable of speeds exceeding several times the speed of light, it now moves at a snail's pace.

At this moment, on the vast plain, time, space, everything, and the entire battlefield seemed to stand still.

However, Bertalleur knew very well that this was not stillness! Rather, it was only when the cultivator's understanding of the Dao of Time and Space reached an extremely high level that this step could be achieved.

"This...time has stopped, and even I am so greatly affected within this world's projection?" Betalieu's heart tightened, and waves of unease surged through him like tides, constantly impacting his Dao heart.

"Destroy!" Lei Zhan twirled his spear and swung it out fiercely. In that instant, the black spear grew to a length of a million miles.

The spear danced, its vast expanse instantly distorting and shattering the surrounding space and time. The omnipresent golden light on the expansive plains seemed to become more illusory at that moment.

The spear swept out like lightning, its entire shaft rippled with spacetime distortion, an endless aura of destruction and annihilation spreading across the sky with astonishing power.

"Boom boom boom boom!!!!"

The projection of the world of the heart onto the shattered, endlessly vast plain, and the majestic temples atop the distant mountains, were all shattered by the black spears that stood like pillars supporting the sky.

“It’s over…” Bertalei thought helplessly.

Faced with such power, even though he had wandered through endless territories and experienced countless things, he felt somewhat powerless.

"Is this level of power something that a cultivator at the World Realm level can possess?"

Bertalier thought to himself as he looked at the one who had caused all this commotion.

Unbeknownst to them, the black-robed youth holding the spear stood high in the sky and closed his eyes at some point.

“The gap is a bit too big.” Bertaleu shook his head. Although he still had some trump cards and could still put up a fight, it was all meaningless now.

"But this guy... he really is something else!"

……

(End of this chapter)