The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

"The entire Dao Alliance is quite large, and within it, there are numerous forces of varying sizes that are constantly fighting each other."

"And Emperor Qianbu belongs to the Tianmu Sect, one of the eight holy cities." Daoist Damo's gaze was leisurely, yet he softly reminded him:
"If Fellow Daoist Gui wants to ask Emperor Qianbu to help refine his natal divine weapon, that won't be easy."

"Not only do we need to prepare all the treasures required for our natal divine weapon, but we also need to find some treasures that would tempt even Emperor Qianbu as payment for asking the Emperor to take action."

“That’s natural.” Lei Zhan was also prepared.

Often, when asking for help from powerful individuals, especially old folks who have lived for countless years, it's impossible for them to offer their assistance for free.

Those eternal emperors are even more difficult to persuade because they have lived so long and accumulated so many treasures.

Of course, there's no need to go through such trouble to acquire a finished natal weapon like a regular crafted one; simply auctioning it off is enough.

However, Lei Zhan walks the path of time and space, and even the most powerful ultimate path of time and space. The divine weapon he needs must be perfect in every aspect to bear his ultimate path.

“However…” Daoist Da Mo looked at Lei Zhan with a complicated expression on his face.

“Da Mo, stop keeping me in suspense.” Lei Zhan looked at Daojun Da Mo and smiled. “But what? Since you brought up this Emperor Qianbu on your own initiative, it means that I have a chance to get what I want from this Emperor Qianbu.”

"But are there any secrets I don't know about?"

“There is indeed a shortcut,” said Daojun Damo. “Emperor Qianbu once released information that it was related to the Eternal Clan, a top power in the Endless Territory.”

"The Eternal Clan?" Lei Zhan asked with great curiosity.

What is the relationship between Emperor Qianbu and these vampires?
The Eternals were an attempt by the Supreme Lord Bolin to explore different possibilities, and most of them possess special abilities.

One of these is that they can gain power by devouring other cultivators.

If they can devour enough other Dao Lords of Life and Death, their bloodline will be enhanced, and their strength will become even greater.

For example, the Daoist Lord of Ten Thousand Gods' partner was devoured by Emperor Melopo of the Eternal Clan, which even drove the Daoist Lord of Ten Thousand Gods mad.

"Emperor Qianbu once had a son whom he had high hopes for, but he was devoured by a Heaven-defying Dao Lord of the Eternal Clan during an adventure thousands of years ago."

Daoist Da Mo shook his head and laughed, "That Daoist Da Mo of the Eternal Clan is a powerful figure with a great reputation throughout the Endless Territory. Even Emperor Qian Bu is unwilling to provoke him personally."

"However, the existence of the Eternal Dao, who has existed for countless years, will naturally not let this go. After suffering such a great loss, Emperor Qianbu also conducted a thorough investigation and finally locked onto this Heaven-Defying Dao Lord of the Eternal Clan."

"Oh?" Lei Zhan's heart skipped a beat; he was being watched by an Eternal Emperor...

"What was the final fate of this Heaven-Defying Dao Lord? Did he die and his Dao dissipate?"

It should be noted that among the six top forces in the entire endless territory, the Dao Alliance undoubtedly has the strongest foundation and strength.

However, although the Dao Alliance is powerful, it is also the most complex, with numerous forces of all sizes making it the most treacherous place.

Take Mangya Kingdom as an example. The entire Mangya Kingdom was established by the Mangya Ruler, who is also the most powerful being in Mangya Kingdom. Therefore, there is only one voice in Mangya Kingdom.

But the Dao Alliance is different. It includes the eight holy cities, the Dao Alliance Immortal Palace, and other forces of all sizes, such as the Great Mo Academy and the Heavenly Azure Palace.

Even so, the Heavenly Wood Sect, where Emperor Qianbu resides, is the overlord of the Heavenly Wood Holy City, one of the eight holy cities. Although its own strength is average, the strength of the sect it belongs to is the most outstanding.

"The fate of that Heaven-defying Dao Lord 'Kong E' was naturally not good," said Dao Lord Da Mo, shaking his head.

"After the news leaked, Emperor Qianbu made it clear that if anyone could kill that Daoist Kong'e, he would be willing to owe him a favor."

"But that Daoist Kong'e is skilled in the Dao of Wind and has cultivated the Undying Body of Wind, which makes him incredibly powerful at preserving his life. He has been hiding very discreetly for over a thousand Chaos Eras, just like Emperor Melobo. Almost no one knows where Daoist Kong'e is hiding."

"This..." Lei Zhan was very puzzled, "You want me to go and kill that Daoist Kong'e?"

A Dao Lord who defies the heavens, especially one who has reached the edge of the Dao Integration stage, is a powerful Dao Lord who is not like Tian Qingzi!
This type of Dao Lord is also capable of fighting against Eternal Emperors!

Even though he possessed the cosmic treasure 'Frost Moon', it was unrealistic for him to kill a Dao Lord like this with his current strength.

“Of course not.” Daoist Da Mo looked at Lei Zhan. “Since Daoist Kong E hid himself, Emperor Qian Bu naturally couldn’t let it go, so he directly added a line before the Hundred Chaos Era.”

"Any cultivator willing to kill three or thirty fourth-step Dao Lords of the Eternal Clan will be offered to help refine a treasure of no more than fifty million cubic meters for free..."

"Huh?" Lei Zhan was taken aback, secretly clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Slay three fourth-step Dao Lords, or even thirty third-step Dao Lords? In return, I'll ask Emperor Qianbu to forge a treasure for me for free?"

Although the Eternal Clan has many Dao Lords of Life and Death, how can they be killed like this? If this continues, won't it uproot the Eternal Clan?

Although these top powers value the eternal emperors who have achieved eternal unity with the Dao most, the Dao Lords of Life and Death below them also attach great importance to them.

Although there are only a handful of beings in each era who can achieve eternal unity with the Dao, each power at least has a slight chance of success.

If we continue like this, the Eternal Clan will not allow it to continue.

"Because of this, many Dao Lords who have requests of Emperor Qianbu have gone mad," Dao Lord Damo sighed.

"Although not many can find Dao Lord Kong'e, there are always a few powerful Dao Lords of Life and Death who are not afraid of the Eternal Clan. So, a few of them have appeared in these hundreds of Chaos Eras."

"Hmm? No one is hunting down the Eternal Clan?" Lei Zhan was also very intrigued.

If this path is successful, I can use my strength to hunt down those Dao Lords of the Eternal Clan.

Putting aside the fact that Mangya Kingdom and the entire Dao Alliance are enemies of the Eternal Clan, even if they are somewhat used as 'weapons' by Emperor Qianbu, the treasure is still incredibly tempting.

Even disregarding the conditions proposed by Emperor Qianbu, the Life and Death Dao Lords of the Eternal Clan would still possess some wealth.

It should be noted that even a top-tier Dao Lord like Tian Qingzi can produce tens of millions of cubic meters of treasures. Other Dao Lords of Life and Death, though less capable, can still contribute some.

"Pursue them?" Daojun Damo scoffed. "Those Daojuns who dare to make a move are at least top-tier Daojuns like Brother Tian Qingzi. Some who are hostile to the Eternal Clan even possess the strength of peak Daojuns..."

Lei Zhan immediately understood upon hearing this.

Those Dao Lords of the Eternal Clan who were pursuing them were simply easy prey for the weak. Even those who were powerful, with some Eternal Emperors personally taking action, risked death if they encountered peak Dao Lords.

Unless... those who are inherently heaven-defying Dao Lords and Dao-merging beings, such as those with the strength of a Holy City Lord, personally take action, they might not have absolute certainty.

But such beings are the absolute leaders of the Eternal Race, so why would they bother with such trivial matters?
"The reason I've revealed all the details is to give Fellow Daoist Guiyi another option," said Daoist Damo, shaking his head. "Ultimately, the choice is up to you."

To be honest, even Daoist Da Mo was quite excited when he first heard the news.

However, his cultivation method is quite different from most Dao Lords of Life and Death, and he rarely ventures out to explore. Although Dao Lord Da Mo has a need for treasures, his need is not as great as that of ordinary Dao Lords.

Of course, most importantly, Dao Lord Da Mo is currently only a third-step Dao Lord. It's likely that once he breaks through to the fourth-step Dao Lord level, his strength will increase, and in order to achieve Dao Integration, he will probably actively hunt down the Life and Death Dao Lords of the Eternal Clan.

"Yes." Lei Zhan nodded slightly. "I understand."

……

time flies.

A black flying boat is flying in the chaotic void; it is the Sky One Heart Boat that Lei Zhan is piloting.

After bidding farewell to Daoist Da Mo, Lei Zhan placed Hou Yi and Suirenshi in the Da Mo Domain, and then, together with Tian Qingzi and Yi Feng World God and a few other servants, embarked on the journey to Tianmu Holy City.

Emperor Qianbu is the eternal emperor of the Tianmu Sect, and he has been staying in his cave in Tianmu City for thousands of chaotic eras.

Although Lei Zhan knew some secrets about Emperor Qianbu, the forging of his natal divine weapon was a matter of great importance, so he naturally couldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

Besides choosing Emperor Qianbu, Lei Zhan also sought help from the Mangya Kingdom and transmitted many messages through the World Realm bestowed upon him by the Mangya Kingdom.

After all, the Twelve Palaces of Mangya Kingdom include the royal family of Mangya Kingdom, and there are quite a few powerful and heaven-defying Dao Lords, such as the various palace masters of the twelve palaces, many of whom naturally possess their own natal divine weapons.

Once you reach the peak of the Dao Lord level, the difference in strength between you isn't that great.

Even if one uses an eternal supreme divine weapon, its effect is not that obvious. Therefore, the Dao Lords of this level basically use their natal divine weapons that are infused with their own 'Dao'.

This makes it easier to unleash one's full potential.

"It will be about a hundred years before we reach the Heavenly Wood Holy City." Lei Zhan looked out into the endless void from the deck of the flying boat.

Tianmu Holy City is the closest of the eight holy cities to the Great Mo Domain, but even with Lei Zhan's understanding of the Dao of Time and Space, it would still take him nearly two hundred years to control the Qiongtian Yixin Boat to travel through time and space.

This speed is already very fast.

He thus reached the level of a Dao Lord in the ultimate path of time and space. If it were any other Dao Lord of life and death traveling this route, it would take at least a thousand years.

“Master.” Tian Qingzi stood behind Lei Zhan, also looking at the endless void in the distance.

"Hmm." Lei Zhan gazed into the distance. "Do you know anything about what Da Mo said about Emperor Qianbu?"

"Yes, Master."

Tian Qingzi said, "I had heard about the matter of Daoist Kong'e and Emperor Qianbu before, and I was also very tempted. However, I have the Tianqing Sect behind me, and Daoist Chounu and the others have not yet grown up, so I dare not easily offend the Eternal Clan, and that thought was put to rest."

The Eternal Clan is incredibly powerful. Those who become Dao Lords of Life and Death, even ordinary Dao Lords, are far stronger than other Dao Lords of the same level.

As the leader of the power, Tian Qingzi also had a family to support, so he naturally dared not offend the Eternal Clan.

"Hmm." Lei Zhan nodded slightly. "Do you know which Dao Lords have received bounties from Emperor Qianbu in the past thousand Chaos Eras?"

Tian Qingzi immediately began to think, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Kong E Daojun fled frantically during the period when the matter was exposed, and eventually disappeared without a trace."

"After that, Emperor Qianbu released a message to hunt down the Life and Death Dao Lords of the Eternal Clan, and so far five of them have met the conditions."

"Five? That's quite a lot!" Lei Zhan chuckled.

These five individuals met the conditions, meaning that the Eternal Clan lost at least fifteen Fourth-Step Dao Lords or one hundred and fifty Third-Step Dao Lords.

If we include those who did not meet the conditions, or those who are still hunting down the Dao Lords of the Eternal Clan, the number would be even greater.

“Who says otherwise?” Tian Qingzi’s expression was complicated. “In just a few hundred Chaos Eras, nearly two hundred Dao Lords of the entire Eternal Clan have been hunted down!”

"Even the few emperors at the pinnacle of the Eternal Clan are starting to get restless."

In the past, although the Dao Lords of Life and Death of the Eternal Clan lived in an era that everyone hated, they were still able to make a living.

But now, with Emperor Qianbu's order to hunt down the enemy, it's like a fuse that has ignited a powder keg.

"Among these five Heaven-Defying Dao Lords, the two of them, the Lord of Sui Meng and the Ugly King, who are ranked in the top ten of the Endless Territory, killed six Fourth-Step Dao Lords." Tian Qingzi continued, "Of the remaining three, one is from the Dark Empire, and the other two are from the Twelve Palaces of Mangya Kingdom."

"Hmm? From the Twelve Palaces of Mangya?" Lei Zhan was taken aback, and a hint of interest appeared on his face. "Which two of the remaining two are from the Twelve Palaces?"

The palace masters of the twelve palaces are all at least at the second level of the Heaven-Defying Dao Lord.

Moreover, the Mangya Kingdom and the Eternal Clan were not on good terms, so it wasn't surprising that Lei Zhan heard the names of the Twelve Palaces of the Mangya Kingdom. However, he was still very curious about these two.

“One of them is the Vice Palace Master Fu Yi Dao Jun of the Heart Power Palace.” Tian Qingzi looked at Lei Zhan. “And the other is Mu Hua Dao Jun of the Sword Palace.”

"Oh?" Lei Zhan nodded slightly.

According to the information recorded in the star map provided by Mangya Kingdom, both Mu Hua, the Palace Master of Sword Palace, and Fu Yi Daojun are second-tier Heaven-Defying Daojun.

And they were all beings who broke through to become Dao Lords after comprehending at least one of the strongest paths.

……

(End of this chapter)