The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

The Secret Pavilion is located atop a high mountain, shrouded in mist and clouds.

A streak of light flew from the distant horizon and landed in front of the secret pavilion, instantly revealing the figure of a young man in black robes.

"So you are the God of the Unified World?" A crimson-gold puppet stood before the secret pavilion, resembling a magical artifact, radiating a powerful aura.

"Yeah." Leizhan nodded.

"My name is Shi Jiu, and I am the guardian of the secret pavilion of the Time and Space Palace." The crimson-gold puppet looked at Lei Zhan, smiling gently, full of amusement.

“I had overheard those black-armored Dao Lords discussing this before, and Palace Master Lanzhou had also given me instructions. I am very curious about you.”

“Shi Jiu,” Lei Zhan said with a smile.

The puppets used to guard various places within the Time-Space Palace are powerful. Although they are not living beings, they are in fact no different from real cultivators.

"You didn't come to the Secret Pavilion today just for a casual stroll, did you?"

Shi Jiu said, "Over the countless years, my Secret Pavilion has collected many supernatural abilities and secret techniques. Palace Master Lanzhou has instructed that when you first join the Time and Space Palace, you do not need to pay a price to choose a suitable secret technique or inheritance."

"but……"

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan looked at Shi Jiu.

"The supernatural abilities and secret techniques I've collected in my twelve palaces are generally similar, but the inheritances within them are all from the lineage of the Time and Space Dao," Shi Jiu said.

Supernatural powers and secret techniques, as well as their inheritance, are also divided into high and low levels.

Some were left behind by ordinary Dao Lords, some by Dao Lords with illustrious reputations and strength no less than that of Eternal Emperors... and some were left behind by Eternal Emperors.

However, compared to these inheritances, they are naturally no match for the inheritance personally passed down by the Lord of Mangya.

The supernatural power, which is composed of blue-and-white mist, is the most suitable for him.

Of course, Lei Zhan's visit to the Secret Pavilion was not for these inheritances or supernatural powers.

"I've come to select some suitable secret techniques," Lei Zhan said with a smile.

"Secret technique? Just go in directly." Shi Jiu said, "Once you've chosen, just take it out, and I'll remove the restrictions left on the secret technique for you."

Lei Zhan smiled and nodded, then walked inside.

The entire Secret Pavilion resembles an ordinary bamboo house.

Inside the bamboo building, there were scrolls of jade slips.

There are also various items such as stone tablets, statues, books, scrolls, leaves, and wine gourds.

At first glance, there are many things that look ordinary, like countless odds and ends.

"Nine Source Secret Technique..." Lei Zhan looked at the vast array of items before him, his divine sense surging like a tide, enveloping the entire bamboo building.

"Nine Origin Divine Fire..."

"Nine Source Divine Water..."

Lei Zhan swept through the vast array of secret techniques in the secret pavilion and quickly found several Nine Origin Secret Techniques.

However, once you join the Time and Space Palace, you only get one chance to freely choose a secret technique from the Secret Pavilion.

If you want to gain more, you need to pay a sufficient price.

So even though Lei Zhan had found these secret techniques, he did so slowly and leisurely.

"Now that we've found them, let's take a look at these Nine Source Secret Techniques!" Lei Zhan smiled and walked directly into the depths.

The Nine Sources Secret Techniques are contained in a series of blue jade slips, which are casually placed on a huge table deep inside.

"It's actually Nine Source Thick Soil." Lei Zhan casually picked up a cyan jade slip.

The supernatural powers and secret techniques here are accompanied by a brief introduction and the price to be paid in exchange for them.

"Nine Origins Thick Earth, one of the nine secret techniques created by the Dao Lord of Myriad Gods, requires one million cubic meters of Chaos Spirit Liquid..."

"Nine Origin Divine Water... requires one million cubic meters of Chaos Spiritual Liquid in exchange..."

Lei Zhan looked through them one by one.

Of course, you can only read the most basic introduction on this jade slip. If you want to learn the complete secret technique, you must go to the entrance of the secret pavilion and find the guard 'Shi Jiu' to remove the restriction.

“I have one chance to exchange for a secret technique for free, and besides setting aside three million units of Chaos Spirit Liquid to buy Yin Wu Qi, I can actually also buy a Nine Source Secret Technique.” Lei Zhan looked at the secret technique in his hand.

The Nine Source Secret Techniques are inherently powerful. Even the more ordinary versions of these techniques, when mastered, can kill a weaker Fourth Step Dao Lord. They are truly terrifying trump cards.

When combined, their power will reach an even higher level.

By spending money to purchase two different Nine Source Secret Techniques, and combining them with the Nine Source Void that Lei Zhan is currently cultivating, the combined power of the three is naturally even more extraordinary.

“Nine Sources of Divine Fire, Nine Sources of Divine Water…” Lei Zhan pondered for a moment, then grabbed two jade slips from the table and walked toward the door.

Water and fire are inherently opposites, yet they also complement each other, making them two very suitable secret arts for developing one's own abilities.

……

"Nine Sources of Divine Water? Nine Sources of Divine Fire? Are you sure you want to choose these two secret techniques?" Shi Jiu looked at Lei Zhan.

“Okay.” Lei Zhan nodded. “One skill counts as one attempt. For the other, I’ll buy it directly with Chaos Spirit Liquid.” “Alright.” Shi Jiu nodded. After receiving one million cubic meters of Chaos Spirit Liquid, he immediately removed the restrictions on the two jade slips. “You can learn it now.”

Sensing the information on the cyan jade slip, Lei Zhan made a life vow and quickly learned the two Nine Source Secret Techniques.

……

As Lei Zhan walked out of the secret pavilion and was about to return to his residence, he saw a young man in a black imperial robe, wearing a tall crown, with skin as clear as jade and eyes as deep as the starry sky, stepping on the void and gazing into the distance.

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan's gaze sharpened, and he vaguely understood that this cultivator had come for him. "Judging from his appearance, he seems to be that Prince Qinghuan?"

“Fellow Daoist Gui.” The young man looked over and smiled slightly. “I am Qing Huan, also from the Time and Space Palace.”

“Prince Qinghuan.” Lei Zhan looked at Prince Qinghuan. “I’ve heard about you from Senior Brother Lanzhou.”

“Senior Brother Lanzhou…” Prince Qinghuan nodded, “Fellow Daoist Guiyi has been making waves lately. I’ve heard all sorts of news about you while I was adventuring in the Daoist Cloud Realm.”

"Oh," Lei Zhan said directly, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Qing Huan has something important to discuss with me here today?"

Even a fool could sense something was amiss by the fact that someone was actively waiting outside this secret chamber.

Moreover, even though this was the first time Lei Zhan had met him today, he could vaguely sense the madness hidden beneath Prince Qing Huan's calm exterior.

"The Great Ruler has not accepted any disciples for a long time. In the past ten Chaos Eras, he has only accepted me as a nominal disciple." Prince Qinghuan's voice was very calm, like the calm before a storm.

"Until you appeared, the Great Ruler immediately took you as his personal disciple."

Prince Qinghuan was merely a disciple of the Great Ruler, not even qualified to address him as "Master."

The ruler's rule is that only his direct disciples are qualified to call him Master.

"So what?" Lei Zhan asked, frowning.

"We are both in the same world realm, but I want to see what the differences are between us."

Prince Qinghuan looked at Lei Zhan and said, "We both walk the path of time and space, but I am a disciple of the Great Ruler, while you were able to become a direct disciple of the Great Ruler."

"On what basis? Or rather, on your ability, talent, or comprehension?"

"Why should I?" Lei Zhan laughed.

"Yes. In terms of understanding the Dao, I have also comprehended many of the strongest Daos."

"In terms of strength, I stopped at the 682nd level of the Dao Lord Cloud Realm, which is comparable to a second-step Dao Lord."

"In terms of talent and comprehension, I have not even completed a single Chaos Era in my cultivation so far, and I am about to embark on the path of the Dao Lord of Life and Death..."

A hint of resentment flashed in Prince Qinghuan's eyes. The fact that he could become a disciple of the Sovereign already showed his extraordinary talent.

The more extraordinary a person is, the deeper their obsessions become. Of course, those with weak obsessions and weak Dao hearts will find it difficult to reach the path of the strongest.

"Within the Time and Space Palace, Senior Brother Lan Zhou also spoke highly of you. He once said that you, Prince Qing Huan, were also a prodigy, and were undoubtedly the number one person among all the World Realm cultivators in the Time and Space Palace," Lei Zhan said calmly.

"I was number one before." Prince Qinghuan waved his hand. "Many people say you're number one now."

"so……"

The madness in Prince Qinghuan's eyes grew stronger and stronger, and a burning fighting spirit appeared around him. "Guiyi, fight me. If you are strong, let me also find out how big the gap is between us."

“If I am strong, it means your strength is inferior to mine, and…” Prince Qinghuan paused as he spoke.

Although he felt somewhat unwilling, he knew that it was not something a mere nominal disciple like himself could arbitrarily decide who the Sovereign was willing to accept as a personal disciple.

"If you are not as strong as me, you should give way to me, Prince Qinghuan, in the future!"

"Retreat three steps?" Lei Zhan said calmly. "If you have the strength, then so be it. But what if you lose?"

"I can pay the price you want, but what about you? What price can you pay?"

If they lose, they will have to avoid Prince Qinghuan in the future, which would be a disgrace. They might even become a laughingstock among the Twelve Palaces for all time!

A master's personal disciple was unable to defeat a disciple who was only nominally a disciple.

In the endless realm, no one cares how many years you've cultivated, nor how long you've been a disciple of the Sovereign. They only care about the final result.

"I..." Prince Qinghuan looked at the composed young man in black robes before him, his expression shifting between light and shadow, "I will not lose!"

"You won't lose? It seems you haven't made up your mind yet?" Lei Zhan glanced at Prince Qing Huan and shook his head. "Come find me again after you've made up your mind."

"Wow~~~"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Zhan's figure gradually became blurry.

"Wait!" Prince Qinghuan said, "There's no need to wait until next time, I've made up my mind."

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan's own figure became clearer.

“If you win…” Prince Qinghuan said, “I, Qinghuan, will also give way to you whenever I see you!”

“Not enough, far from enough!” Lei Zhan shook his head and said, “You are just one of the many nominal disciples of the Sovereign, while I am a direct disciple. The price of merely retreating is completely unequal.”

"Hmph!" Prince Qinghuan's face was icy, but his eyes were filled with madness. "Then what do you say?"

...(End of chapter)