The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

Inside the ancient Time Tower Forest.

A magnificent palace complex sits amidst towering, ancient pagodas, and several figures can be faintly seen sitting cross-legged.

Rumble~~~
Rumble~~~
The grand palace gates slowly opened, and a young man dressed in black robes walked out of the palace with a faint smile on his face, clearly indicating that he had gained a great deal from his seclusion.

"After a thousand years of enlightenment, the Time-Space Tower Forest has cultivated the Nine Origins of Void, the Nine Origins of Divine Fire, and the Nine Origins of Divine Water to the fifth level. When combined, their power is even more terrifying than the original Qianyi Void Realm." Lei Zhan turned around and looked at the majestic palace behind him, his gaze leisurely.

Boom! ! !

With a wave of his hand, Lei Zhan caused the palace in front of him to float in mid-air, then rapidly shrink into a miniature palace the size of a palm.

"Now that the Dao of Time and Space is perfected, all nine secret techniques have been cultivated to the limit of what can be cultivated at present." Lei Zhan passed through one tall black tower after another and slowly walked towards the outside of the tower forest.

"Now, it's time to seize that opportunity beyond the Three Realms."

Now that my strength has reached the level of "Lei Zhan", if I want to break through, I must either comprehend the ultimate Dao or directly break through to become a Dao Lord of Life and Death.

But before that, in the chaos surrounding the Three Realms, there was a great opportunity waiting to unfold.

"A treasure of the universe... the supreme-level mental power inheritance left behind by Daoist Ruosang..."

As this thought crossed Lei Zhan's mind, his eyes suddenly burned with passion.

"However, we still need to go to Senior Brother Lanzhou to discuss leaving Mangya Kingdom."

……

Lei Zhan stood outside one of the palaces in the Time and Space Palace, looking at the blue-eyed man standing in front of the palace gate.

“Senior Brother Lanzhou,” Lei Zhan said with a smile.

"It's not often that you come to see me," Daoist Lanzhou said with a smile, looking at Lei Zhan. "Tell me, what brings you here this time?"

“I’m preparing to leave Mangya Kingdom and go on a trip,” Lei Zhan said.

"Going out for a while?" Daoist Lanzhou paused, then asked curiously, "Don't you break through to the Life and Death Daoist level before leaving Mangya Kingdom?"

The entire Time Palace, and even the entire Twelve Palaces, had some knowledge of the events that Lei Zhan had accomplished in Mangya Kingdom.

By becoming an apprentice of the Great Ruler, one can comprehend the five strongest paths and even perfectly combine them.

Many practitioners of the Twelve Palaces are speculating about when this World God of Unity will break through to become the Lord of Life and Death.

Even the most powerful palace master of the Time and Space Palace, Daoist Lanzhou, was somewhat curious about this matter.

After all, Mangya Kingdom implements an elite strategy!

The Dao Lords of Mangya Kingdom are generally stronger than those of the Dao Alliance. However, their numbers are also much smaller!
The emergence of another extraordinary and powerful Dao Lord of Life and Death is a matter of great interest to the entire Twelve Palaces.

"Breaking through the Dao Lord of Life and Death..." Lei Zhan smiled and said, "I feel that my own Dao is not as perfect as I expected, and I still want to settle down and accumulate for a period of time."

"After leaving Mangya Kingdom this time, he may have had some enlightenment while traveling and adventuring, and then broke through directly!"

“Alright.” Daoist Lanzhou smiled as well. “Since you are leaving Mangya Kingdom, then come with me. Let’s light a lamp of the heart first.”

The Heart Lamp, lit by the true spirit, is similar to the Life Lamp, but its range of perception is much greater!
The Heart Lamp and the True Spirit Tower are already considered the best sensing devices, almost comparable to the sensing between the original self and its clones.

Therefore, the Heart Lamp can usually sense the life or death of its owner; when the owner dies, the Heart Lamp will go out.

Of course, there are exceptions like entering certain forbidden ancient ruins, or like when Lei Zhan's second primordial spirit was taken to the distant Eight Great Origin Domains...

The initial connection between Lei Zhan's main body and his second primordial spirit was vague, and even the most extensive sensing methods like the Life Slip and the True Spirit Tower could not detect it.

"Mm." Lei Zhan nodded and followed Daoist Lan Zhou into the Time and Space Palace.

Along the way, they encountered many black-armored Dao Lords and World Realm cultivators, all of whom bowed respectfully.

Even Lei Zhan, who was following Lan Zhou Dao Jun, adopted a very humble posture.

"I've met the palace master!"

"Palace Master!"

"I have met the God of the Unified World."

"The One World God!"

“Hmm.” Lei Zhan followed behind Daoist Lan Zhou, also quite amiable.

Soon, with the speed of Daoist Lanzhou and Leizhan, an ancient tower came into view in the distance.

"It's just ahead." A strange look appeared in Daoist Lanzhou's eyes. "Come in with me."

Lei Zhan followed them into the tower.

The tower is very ancient, and deep inside, on a stone platform, many heart-shaped lamps are placed in layers.

The heart lamp resembles a lotus flower, with a flame of true spirit within its center.

The lamp of the heart will never be extinguished as long as its owner lives.

The entire stone platform is divided into five levels, and the first level has a great many heart lamps, more than three thousand.

The number of heart lamps on the second floor is much smaller, with only twenty-one.

There are only 116 heart lamps on the third level.

The fourth level has forty-seven heart lamps, while the fifth level has only three.

"The stone platform is divided into five levels. The first level refers to the first-step Dao Lord, the second level is the second-step Dao Lord... and so on. As for the fifth level, it is the Eternal Emperor." Dao Lord Lanzhou's voice echoed in Lei Zhan's ears.

"My Time and Space Palace still has three Eternal Emperors?" Lei Zhan asked with some surprise.

As far as he knew, the number of heart lamps in the Heart Lighthouse of the Palace of Swords, which is also one of the twelve palaces, was much smaller than that of the Palace of Time and Space.

"Pretty much." Daoist Lanzhou looked at the three heart lamps at the highest point and sighed. "My Time and Space Palace was the first Dao Palace to be established. It was also the first among all Dao Palaces to have an Eternal Emperor."

"Yeah." Leizhan nodded.

The Mangya Ruler achieved his status by following the path of time and space. With the Mangya Ruler around, it's only natural that the Time and Space Palace was able to stand out first.

"Over countless years, five Eternal Emperors have been born within my Time-Space Palace," Daoist Lanzhou continued.
"Two of them perished over the long years, and of the remaining three, two went to wander in endless darkness. Now, only Emperor Fuzhe remains in Mangya Kingdom."

"Emperor Fuzhe?" Lei Zhan was taken aback. He was very familiar with the name Emperor Fuzhe.

Whether in the Time-Space Tower Forest or in the secret techniques left behind in the Secret Pavilion, Lei Zhan had seen traces left by this person.

However, as time passed, in the entire Mangya Kingdom, besides the Mangya Ruler, there was actually a second emperor who walked the path of time and space.

“Yes, Emperor Fuzhe.” Daoist Lanzhou nodded. “This great being can be confirmed to be in Mangya Kingdom. Countless years ago, Emperor Fuzhe also left the Endless Territory and went to the Endless Darkness outside, but after wandering outside for a period of time, he returned to Mangya Kingdom.”

"Yeah." Leizhan nodded.

"Alright, come, light a lamp of the heart." Daoist Lanzhou said, "According to the normal rules, one leaves only after becoming a Daoist. However, although you are at the World Realm, you are already comparable to some three-step Daoists, and you can become a Daoist at any time, so there is no need to insist on these rules."

“Yes,” Lei Zhan replied.

"Place your heart lamp on the first floor for now." Daoist Lanzhou pointed in the distance, and a dark lotus heart lamp floated in front of Lei Zhan.

Lei Zhan pointed, and a wisp of his soul and divine thought landed on the Heart Lamp.

"Chi~~~"

A flame immediately appeared at the stamen of the lotus heart lamp. The moment the heart lamp was lit, Lei Zhan was able to sense a strong connection between himself and this true spirit flame.

It's like the connection between the main body and the second primordial spirit, or the connection between the main body and the clone.

"Go!" With a thought, Lei Zhan sent the heart lamp to the edge of the first stone platform and placed it down.

"Alright, let's go!" Daoist Lanzhou glanced at the One Heart Lamp that had been placed at the edge and nodded slightly.

Lighting the lamp of his heart, Lei Zhan followed Daoist Lan Zhou out of the tower, only to see a golden-robed alien standing respectfully in front of the tower.

This alien race had hundreds of braids like tentacles, and its eyes were like flames, with chaotic stars flashing repeatedly in its golden pupils.

"Master." Upon seeing the two emerge, the golden-robed alien immediately knelt before Lei Zhan, speaking with great respect.

“This is…” Lei Zhan turned to look at Daoist Lanzhou.

"This is your servant," Daoist Lanzhou said with a smile. "He is a servant that Mangya Kingdom prepared for you."

"The Mangya Kingdom sent me a servant?" Lei Zhan's heart stirred.

"Yes, each of these servants was trained by the Mangya Kingdom. They possess the ability to create clones, and their souls are extremely powerful."

Daoist Lanzhou laughed and said, "Although he is following you, it is only an avatar that is following you, while he also has an avatar in Mangya Kingdom."

"Is this used to transmit messages?" Lei Zhan asked, looking at Daoist Lanzhou.

“Yes.” Daoist Lanzhou nodded. “For example, if you encounter serious trouble and want to ask for help, you can tell him! His avatar in Mangya Kingdom will report it immediately!”

"The Mangya Kingdom will immediately spread the news to all the Dao Lords and Emperors scattered throughout the endless territory. Those closest to you will naturally arrive as quickly as possible!"

Lei Zhan's eyes lit up. By using these servants, he could tightly connect all the Dao Lords of Mangya Kingdom into a huge net.

Whether seeking help from the Mangya Kingdom or sending messages, it is very convenient.

"That's the advantage of having a powerful backer!" Lei Zhan exclaimed.

"My Mangya Kingdom has a young Daoist master, so I can do this," Daoist Lanzhou said with a smile. "The Dao Alliance can't do this, but they have their own methods. Of course, their communication is much slower than ours."

"Yes. Even so, it's still a great help to me," Lei Zhan said with a smile.

When he ventured out into the world, the Mangya Kingdom became his strongest shield.

However, having a powerful backer and support is a world of difference compared to not having one.

"When you're out in the world, the powerful figures of Mangya Kingdom are very united. If you encounter any other Dao Lord from Mangya Kingdom in danger, you should help them too." Dao Lord Lanzhou looked at Lei Zhan.

“Hmm.” Lei Zhan nodded, it wasn’t just the constraint of his life oath.

After all, he had received help from other Dao Lords, so naturally he should help them in return.

"Alright, put your servant away first." Daoist Lanzhou looked at Lei Zhan. "Next is the star map. Traveling through the endless territories without a star map will undoubtedly cause a lot of trouble."

“Alright.” Lei Zhan readily agreed and with a wave of his hand, he took the alien servant into his personal magical treasure.

Wow~~~
Lan Zhou Daojun flipped his hand, and a golden scroll appeared in his hand. "This is a star map of the known territory explored by my Mangya Kingdom. It also records the vast majority of forces and races in the endless territory."

“This star map…” Lei Zhan opened the golden scroll in his hand and was immediately stunned.

Vast, infinitely vast.

After Lei Zhan killed the Dragon God Dao Lord and the Heavenly Dragon Dao Lord, the star map he obtained was already very vast.

However, compared to the one in my hand, it only occupies a small portion. And the information recorded is far less detailed than this star map.

"You will need to be extremely careful as you venture into the Endless Territory. There are six major powers in the entire Endless Territory, and not all of them are afraid of my Mangya Kingdom..." Daoist Lanzhou looked at Lei Zhan and gave him his instructions one by one, with utmost seriousness.

Lei Zhan listened attentively, knowing that when he became the Lord of Life and Death in the future, he would eventually have to come into contact with these things.

After all, the endless territory is too vast, and the journey is full of dangers. Knowing more about it will allow Lei Zhan to deal with it more effectively in the future.

……

The entire Mangya Kingdom has three major time-space channels.

The three spacetime passages personally opened by the Lord of Mangya lead to three different places in the endless territory.

With these three channels, cultivators in Mangya Kingdom can avoid spending too much time on their journeys.

Compared to the spacetime passage outside the Three Realms, the one opened up by the Lord of Mangya was far more stable.

"The end of this time-space passage is the closest to the Great Mo Domain."

Lei Zhan nodded to the black-armored Daoist Lord who was guarding the spacetime passage, and then led the Winged Wind World God into the spacetime passage.

As for the other two servants, Su Qi, the World God, and Wu Ming, the World God, were in seclusion, engaged in a critical cultivation, and were naturally not suitable to follow him outside.

……

"Whoosh."

A flying boat traverses the void.

Lei Zhan and Yi Feng, the world gods, sat facing each other on the flying boat.

"At my speed of time travel, it will take me about a hundred years to reach the outside of the Three Realms." Lei Zhan looked at the star map in his hand, sensing the inconspicuous, palm-sized area on the entire star map, and pondered to himself.

The Great Mo Dao Lord, who occupies the entire Great Mo Domain, is extremely famous throughout the Endless Territory.

However, placing the Great Mo Domain on the star map in Lei Zhan's hands is actually just an insignificant little corner in the endless territory.

"When I left the Great Mo Domain, nearly two thousand years had passed, and I had no idea how my master and the Three Pure Ones were doing."

Lei Zhan thought of Bodhi Patriarch, the Three Pure Ones, and the others whom he had parted ways with back in the Pantheon, and a thousand thoughts came to mind.

"Before that, let's go see our master and the others."

……

(End of this chapter)