The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

"Yanming Daojun".

"Greetings, Daoist Yanming!"

"Yan Ming Daojun? He is that Yan Ming Daojun?"
Two Dao Lords of Life and Death walked in from outside. One was an old man with black hair dressed in a magnificent golden robe, and behind him was a man in a gray robe.

As soon as they entered Feiyu Tower, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.

"Daoist Yanming?" Lei Zhan, who had just bought cultivation methods, secret techniques, and treasures, also looked over with a hint of curiosity on his face, following the gazes of many others.

"Hmm?" Tian Qingzi, who was following Lei Zhan, frowned, but a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes. "Yan Ming Daojun is actually in this Tianmu Holy City!"

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Tian Qingzi. "Do you have a grudge against this Daoist Yanming?"

Once you embark on the ultimate path, every movement in the surrounding space and time will be under your control.

As for Tian Qingzi's slightly changed expression, it was immediately noticed by Lei Zhan.

“I did have a great grudge against this Daoist Yanming before.”

Tian Qingzi transmitted his voice, saying, "Back then, my friend and I ventured into the Yu Xinghai together and obtained some opportunities, but later we encountered this Yan Ming Daojun... In the struggle for opportunities and treasures, even my friend died at the hands of this Yan Ming Daojun."

"Hmm? Even my best friend died at the hands of this Daoist Yanming?" Lei Zhan's heart stirred.

It seems the visitors have ill intentions!

The star map contains records of some renowned Dao Lords from the Endless Territory.

Even someone like Tian Qingzi, whose records weren't very detailed, could still vaguely understand the strength of this Yanming Daojun.

This Yanming Daojun is a top-tier Daojun with some fame in the Endless Territory, and his strength is roughly on par with Tian Qingzi.

“Master.” Tian Qingzi’s expression was also very solemn. “I didn’t expect that Daoist Yanming would also come to Tianmu Holy City. The last time I fought with him was hundreds of Chaos Eras ago.”

"Based on my understanding of Daoist Yanming, he is an absolutely confident person, and I'm afraid this visitor is up to no good!"

"It's alright, let's wait and see." Lei Zhan shook his head and said, "Even if he has some trump card, he wouldn't dare to make a move here at Feiyu Tower. As for who will emerge victorious outside of Feiyu Tower, it's still hard to say."

It is important to know that fighting is prohibited within the boundaries of the eight holy cities of the Dao Alliance. This applies to Tianmu Holy City, and especially to important locations within Tianmu Holy City such as Feiyu Tower.

This is an ironclad rule.

Even if the Eternal Emperors came to Tianmu Holy City, they would not easily cross this boundary.

Moreover, even if a Fourth-Step Dao Lord, whose strength is on par with Tian Qingzi, has some trump cards, Lei Zhan is still very confident in his own strength when it comes to a real fight.

"Tian Qingzi. I never expected that we would meet again after hundreds of chaotic eras."

Just then, Yanming Daojun's gaze fell on Tian Qingzi, who was following behind Lei Zhan, and the killing intent in his eyes almost solidified.

"What? You haven't been here for hundreds of chaotic eras, and now you're rushing to your death?" Tian Qingzi sneered. "If you want to die, just say so. I, Tian Qingzi, am quite adept at doing this kind of favor."

"You're courting death!" Daoist Yanming's eyes turned cold, but then he smiled, though the smile was chilling.

"Tian Qingzi, I hope you'll remain so stubborn once you leave this Flying Feather Tower. Otherwise, even if you kneel down and beg for mercy, I will annihilate you."

"Let's go." Lei Zhan smiled and turned to the attendant who had been following him. "When does your treasure-hunting competition start? Find me a quiet room. I just bought a lot of treasures, so I can use this time to cultivate."

"Senior, you're going to participate in the treasure hunt?" The waiter's eyes lit up, and he said quickly, "Senior, our Flying Feather Pavilion does indeed have a treasure hunt a year from now, and there will be quite a few treasures this time..."

The three major trading venues for magical treasures within Tianmu Holy City, such as Feiyu Tower and Blackwater Pavilion, hold treasure-hunting events from time to time to attract cultivators to participate in the competition and bid against each other.

Because the starting price at the Treasure Hunt is much lower than outside, the overall price will be much cheaper after the auction. Most importantly, treasures that are very rare and hard to find outside will also appear at the Treasure Hunt.

“A year? That’s a bit long.” Lei Zhan glanced at Yan Ming Daojun, whose expression was rather unpleasant, and said with a smile, “Give us a quiet room, and we’ll wait until the treasure competition a year from now.”

A year is a very short time for a cultivator.

However, Lei Zhan's original intention was not to participate in the treasure hunt.

When a lion fights a rabbit, he also uses all his strength.

Lei Zhan has now learned the remaining six secret techniques of the Nine Sources Secret Techniques, as well as protective divine abilities. He has now obtained all the treasures needed for cultivating these techniques, and Lei Zhan is eager to begin cultivating. Naturally, he will leave only after he has finished cultivating.

“Alright.” The alluring waitress nodded repeatedly. “Please follow me, seniors.”

Watching Lei Zhan, Tian Qingzi, and the attendant leave, Daoist Yanming observed coldly, but was powerless to stop them. These maids might be weak, but they were from the Tianmu Sect, and naturally no cultivator in the Tianmu Holy City would dare to attack or kill them.

“This Tianqingzi… is quite strange.”

Yanming Daojun frowned and pondered as he watched the figures disappear quickly. "Why would Tian Qingzi show such respect to a second-step Daojun? It seems... like a follower treating his master."

"Go, find out everything about the Second-Step Dao Lord who was with Tian Qingzi. Gather all the information about him, the more detailed the better!"

……

Quiet room.

Lei Zhan led Tian Qingzi in.

"I need to go into seclusion next," Lei Zhan instructed. "You stay in this quiet room during this time. As for Daoist Yanming, we'll talk about it when I come out."

“Master, I am confident that I can severely injure or even kill Daoist Yanming…” Tian Qingzi said to Lei Zhan.

"Kill him?" Lei Zhan shook his head and said, "With your strength, it's too difficult to kill him."

"Although Dao Lord Yanming is also a fourth-step Dao Lord, his strength is only at the level of a top-tier Dao Lord according to those intelligence records. However, the threat he poses to me is much stronger than yours."

"This...how is this possible?" Tian Qingzi exclaimed in surprise.

Tenseiko also trusted Lei Zhan's speculation.

But if the opponent is a greater threat, wouldn't that mean their strength is now far superior to his? "Alright. We'll meet force with force and water with water," Lei Zhan said softly. "Everything will depend on when I emerge from seclusion."

As Lei Zhan spoke, he waved his hand, and a magnificent palace appeared beside him.

With a flicker of his body, Lei Zhan vanished from the quiet room.

Although the Universal Cloud Palace is only a high-grade eternal magic treasure, Lei Zhan now has a deeper understanding of the Dao of Time and Space, and can fully unleash the power of this magic treasure to its limit.

Being inside the Universal Cloud Palace, one can maintain a 100,000-fold time acceleration by consuming some magic power.

Inside the palace, Lei Zhan sat cross-legged, with jade bottles appearing before him.

These jade bottles contained treasures such as divine thunder and divine wind, which were needed for cultivating the Nine Sources Secret Technique.

"Of the six secret techniques, I am more familiar with the way of thunder, so I will start by cultivating the Nine Source Divine Thunder!" Lei Zhan glanced at the jade bottle in front of him and his mind stirred.

Wow wow wow~~~~
Instantly, the jade bottle in front of them opened, and a bolt of divine lightning flashing with crimson light flew out.

……

He forcefully controlled the power of the blue-and-white mist, relying on his understanding of the Dao, and also because Lei Zhan had specially studied some profound alchemy methods.

Just like refining elixirs, having experience in cultivating the Nine Sources Void, Nine Sources Divine Fire, and Divine Water makes it much easier for one to develop the Nine Sources Secret Technique than for an ordinary Dao Lord of Life and Death.

In just two months, he cultivated the Nine Origin Divine Thunder to the seventh level.

It took another month to cultivate the Nine Origin Divine Wind to the seventh level.

Nine Sources of Divine Light...

Nine Origin Divine Tree...

One after another, the secret techniques were cultivated to the seventh level.

After mastering all nine secret techniques, Lei Zhan found it increasingly easier to cultivate the Nine Origin Secret Techniques, as if water had naturally flowed into a channel.

“Nine Source Secret Technique…” A faint smile appeared on Lei Zhan’s face.

"The creation of these nine secret techniques by the Dao Lord of Ten Thousand Gods was truly ingenious. It seems that cultivating the remaining eighth and ninth levels is not as difficult as imagined."

The nine secret arts involve nine different 'paths'.

The Nine Sources Secret Technique combines these rare treasures into one, much like refining an elixir.

Lei Zhan purchased the treasures for cultivating secret techniques at Feiyu Tower based on the goal of mastering the techniques. For example, he bought all nine types of divine thunder needed for the Nine Source Divine Thunder Secret Technique.

The purchase of these cultivation treasures even cost nearly fifty million cubic meters of Chaos Spirit Liquid.

Time passed by, and Lei Zhan's mastery of the nine secret techniques continued to deepen.

Those familiar with the Dao of Lightning, the Dao of Fire, the Dao of Water, and so on, cultivated very quickly, reaching the ninth level with almost no effort.

While the Path of Wind and the Path of Light are relatively unfamiliar, the Path of Lei Zhan takes longer to cultivate to the ninth level.

In the blink of an eye, more than thirty years have passed.

"Finally, it's done!" Lei Zhan took a deep breath and his mind stirred.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom~~~
Powerful forces surged forth from Lei Zhan's body, each possessing incredible strength; any one of them would be fatal to an ordinary fourth-step Dao Lord.

But now, there are nine forces surrounding Lei Zhan, like an extremely docile little beast.

"Go!" Lei Zhan pointed in the distance.

Rumble~~~
Nine forces crisscrossed in the air, quickly intertwining and transforming into a dazzling golden light.

The nine divine fires, nine divine waters, and other elements of the five elements, along with the remaining nine divine thunders, nine divine winds, nine divine lights, and nine voids, are all governed by the nine voids.

The Ninefold Void is the strongest of the nine secret arts. As the core of the nine source secret arts, it can command the other eight secret arts. Now, under Lei Zhan's control, the nine secret arts are united, which is naturally easy.

"This power..." Lei Zhan was satisfied. "When the Myriad Gods Dao Lord created this Nine Origin Secret Technique, it was originally intended to deal with the Eternal Emperor. Now that I have mastered the Nine Origin Secret Technique, I have another method that has reached the Eternal level."

By combining the Ultimate Time-Space Path with the use of cosmic treasures, Lei Zhan, with his cultivation level of a First-Step Dao Lord, can indeed unleash power comparable to that of an Eternal Emperor.

But it's like a three-year-old child wielding a sledgehammer; the energy expenditure is terrifying.

Even though Lei Zhan possesses the power of blue-and-white mist, the rate at which it is consumed is terrifying.

However, now that he has cultivated the Nine Origin Secret Technique and combined it with the projection of the Heart World, the consumption involved is much less compared to using a cosmic treasure.

"Disperse!" Lei Zhan silently watched the power that crisscrossed the heavens and earth, then waved his hand. Instantly, the terrifying power that could easily annihilate a fourth-step Dao Lord vanished into thin air.

"Only the last protective divine power remains." Lei Zhan thought to himself, "And then there's Tian Qingzi's mortal enemy, Daojun Yanming... he's also a problem."

Lei Zhan did indeed sense a threat and killing intent emanating from Daoist Yanming.

That is why Lei Zhan dared not be careless in the slightest.

After all, the more you know, the more awe you will feel.

In the endless territory, some methods are too terrifying and too secretive.

Even if Lei Zhan comprehends the ultimate spacetime Dao and has a cosmic treasure recognize him as its master, he could very well die and perish from a moment's carelessness.

“That Dao Lord Yanming, the feeling I get from him…” Lei Zhan murmured softly, “is that his strength is probably that of a second-level Heaven-Defying Dao Lord.”

...(End of chapter)