The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

Inside the quiet room of Feiyu Tower.

Tian Qingzi sat cross-legged in front of a long table, picked up a wine pot next to him, poured some fine wine, and leisurely raised his wine cup to drink.

In front of him were some food and drinks, and the rich aroma of food filled the space.

"I'm still the most carefree old man. Although I've lost my freedom and am now a slave, following a monster like my master isn't without its advantages." Tian Qingzi muttered to himself, glancing at the magnificent palace in the distance.

"Even though I am already a fourth-step Dao Lord who has reached the edge of the Dao Integration stage, being able to follow such a monstrous master... in the future, there is still a chance to achieve eternal Dao Integration."

Before this, Tian Qingzi had only two obsessions. The first was to achieve eternal union with the Dao, which was also the greatest obsession in the hearts of countless Dao Lords.

The second one is the Tianqing Sect, to which Tianqingzi belongs.

In the past, the Tianqing Sect had never had a powerful Dao Lord who could shoulder the responsibility of the sect, so Tianqingzi, as the sect leader, had never prepared to merge with the Dao.

But now, the Ugly Slave Dao Lord of the Azure Sky Sect is dead and his Dao has vanished, and Azure Sky himself has become a servant of others. Only one Step Dao Lord remains in the entire sect.

Now, Tian Qingzi's second obsession has faded.

"The Azure Sky Sect..." Tian Qingzi thought of the sect he belonged to, and suddenly lost his appetite.

With a wave of his hand, he cleared away the entire table, along with all the food and drinks on it.

"Although the Tianqing Sect is currently facing a talent shortage, with only Black Fox as a first-step Dao Lord, if I successfully achieve Dao Integration in the future, it will not be a failure to live up to my master's last wishes. But if I fail to achieve Dao Integration..." Tianqingzi sighed softly.

"That's enough. Maintaining the crumbling true spirit, preventing it from completely disintegrating, will take at least several chaotic eras, which is also enough time to cultivate some successors."

"However, before that..."

Tian Qingzi thought of Yan Ming Daojun, who had appeared in Tianmu Holy City.

"That Daoist Yanming, I don't know what kind of great luck he has had, or what kind of opportunity he has obtained in these hundreds of chaotic eras, that even the master feels threatened."

"Back when they fought me, they were even slightly weaker than me, only at the level of a top-tier Dao Lord. But now..."

As Tian Qingzi was pondering, a loud rumbling sound suddenly echoed in the quiet room.

"Hmm?" Tian Qingzi looked over and saw the magnificent palace gates in the distance suddenly open, and a young man dressed in black robes walked out of the palace.

"Master!" Tian Qingzi stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Hmm." Lei Zhan smiled faintly, glanced casually at Tian Qingzi, and nodded slightly. "Let's go."

"This, this is only two days, and Master has already mastered the nine secret techniques of the Myriad Gods Dao Lord?" Tian Qingzi looked at Lei Zhan with great surprise.

Even with the time-acceleration magic item, two days wouldn't add up to a very long time!

For Dao Lords like them, which one hasn't spent tens of millions of years in seclusion?

"In two days, I have spent more than five hundred years inside the Time Acceleration Magic Treasure. If it weren't for the extra time spent cultivating that protective divine power, it would have only taken a few hours."

Having mastered the Nine Sources Secret Technique, Lei Zhan was overjoyed and patiently explained it to everyone.

"Over five hundred years?" Tian Qingzi clicked his tongue in amazement. "Cultivators who follow the path of time and space are truly defying the heavens. With this level of control over time and space, it probably won't be long before Master becomes a fourth-step Dao Lord!"

Only two days have passed outside, but more than five hundred years have passed inside the Time Treasure, which is almost a hundred thousand times the speed of time!

This level of spacetime acceleration is not something that can be used on weak cultivators, but rather it can be applied to oneself!
Even a top-tier fourth-step Dao Lord like Tian Qingzi understands some aspects of the Dao of Time and Space, but at most, he can only use time-accelerating magic treasures to maintain his own time-space flow at a speed of a hundred times.

If it were any faster, the energy expenditure would be staggering.

Furthermore, maintaining such an astonishing level of consumption over a long period of time would require an enormous price to pay!
As for 100,000 times... maintaining time acceleration for beings with weak cultivation levels is worlds apart from maintaining time acceleration for oneself.

Tian Qingzi couldn't even imagine such a terrifying speed of spacetime flow!

"Let's go." Lei Zhan waved his hand and put away the Huanyu Liuyun Palace. He turned to look at Tian Qingzi. "Now, it's time to see what kind of abilities that Daoist Yanming has."

"Yes." Tian Qingzi also showed a hint of anticipation.

……

Outside the protective range of the array formation of Tianmu Holy City and Feiyu Tower.

Dressed in golden robes, Daoist Yanming sat cross-legged in the void, waiting silently.

The gray-robed man who had been following him was nowhere to be seen.

"Where exactly did Dao Lord Guiyi come from? A mere second-step Dao Lord commands such respect from Tian Qingzi, yet before that, he was completely unknown..."

Yan Ming Daojun's golden eyes were somewhat gloomy as he gazed intently at the towering nine-story building in the distance.

"So mysterious, and able to make Tian Qingzi react like this... This Second Step Dao Lord must have some secrets."

Yanming Daojun thought to himself, "However, after hundreds of chaotic eras of comprehension and accumulation, I have broken through from the third step Daojun to the fourth step. Now, there are only a few people in the entire endless territory who are stronger than me."

"And those who have the power to kill me are probably only the Palace Master Li Xing of Mangya Kingdom and the Wine Saint of the Dark Empire..."

Suddenly, a surge of waves erupted in front of Feiyu Tower.

"Out?"

"So, the Second Step Dao Lord and Tian Qingzi Dao Lord have already emerged?"

"It's only been two days, right? Daojun Yanming has been waiting outside the whole time."

"I thought that Second-Step Dao Lord would hide in the Flying Feather Tower and cultivate for hundreds or thousands of Chaos Eras?"

"He's only a second-step Dao Lord, yet he can command the obedience of Dao Lord Tian Qingzi, who possesses the strength of a top-tier Dao Lord. If he were to cultivate to the fourth-step level, he would likely become another heaven-defying Dao Lord!"

Some of the waiters and guests inside Feiyu Tower had not yet left. When they saw the two figures emerging from the depths, they immediately erupted into a clamor of discussion.

The strongest among them were only second- or third-step Dao Lords, while the weakest were even World Gods or Chaos Immortals. Even so, they were all eagerly anticipating the clash between the two sides.

Such a clash between top-tier Dao Lords is a rare spectacle even in the endless territories.

Just like when the Myriad Gods Dao Lord pursued Emperor Melobo, the story was passed down orally for countless years across the endless territories. Although such a clash between top-tier Dao Lords might not be celebrated for that long, it would at least become a topic of conversation for a short time, enough to arouse their great interest.

"Hmm?" Daoist Yanming's gaze also fell directly on the gate of Feiyu Tower. When he sensed the fluctuations of aura emanating from the two figures, one in black robes and the other in green robes, he was also taken aback.

So fast...it's out already? He thought it would take at least tens of thousands of years!
"You, Yan Ming, are really bored, just waiting here in front of Feiyu Tower?"

Tian Qingzi looked at Yan Ming Daojun from afar and sneered, "If my master and I don't come out, will you, Yan Ming Daojun, have to wait until the end of time?"

"Master?" Yan Ming Daojun's gaze sharpened, and he turned to look at Lei Zhan beside him, his aura as a second-step Daojun showing no sign of restraint.

He frowned and said, "This is a Second Step Dao Lord. When did you, Tian Qingzi, become so lowly? You are actually willing to follow a Second Step Dao Lord?"

All four-step Dao Lords are powerful figures who dominate their respective regions. Even a top-tier Dao Lord like Tian Qingzi is the 'ruler' of a territory and the master of a power.

However, this very fact made Daoist Yanming secretly wary.

"The only ones who could willingly accept Tian Qingzi's acknowledgment of their master, besides those stronger than Tian Qingzi, are most likely to be monstrous geniuses who defy the heavens..."

“Such extraordinary talents are difficult for ordinary forces to cultivate. At least, it is absolutely impossible for a force of the Azure Sky Sect to cultivate one.”

"I'm afraid... there's some terrifying force behind this Second Step Dao Lord."

"Whom I follow is my freedom," Tian Qingzi said calmly.

"Hmm?" Daoist Yanming also gathered his thoughts.

"Alright." Tian Qingzi looked at Yan Ming Daojun from afar, his eyes indifferent. "Haven't seen this in hundreds of Chaos Eras. Isn't it all about a life-or-death battle? I'll come out now. If you have the guts... then come on!"

"Oh?" A golden light flashed in Yanming Daojun's eyes, and he sneered, "It is indeed your freedom to follow whomever you choose. But today, your master will also be implicated by you and perish along with you."

"Hmph!" Tian Qingzi snorted coldly and instantly transformed into a streak of light, flying out of the array's restricted area.

With his servant around, there was no reason for the master to make the first move.

As for whether he would ultimately be a match for Yanming Daojun, with a more powerful master behind him, Tian Qingzi was not intimidated at all.

boom! ! !
In an instant, the entire void lit up with thousands of azure sword lights, followed by tens of thousands of azure divine swords whistling as they swept towards Daoist Yanming like a monstrous wave.

"Hmm? Sword formation technique? Is that the opportunity from back then!" Daoist Yanming's aura surged, and the surroundings instantly transformed into a raging sea of ​​fire, with endless golden flames sweeping towards the thousands of sword beams.

At the same time, terrifying flames, capable of scorching mountains and boiling seas, enveloped Tian Qingzi's main body.

"Huh? What?" Tian Qingzi stared at the terrifying sea of ​​fire from afar. "The power of this flame... is actually so terrifying!"

Beneath the vast, raging flames, it seemed as if the endless void itself had been transformed into fuel for the fire, burned into nothingness. Even the sword formation composed of tens of thousands of divine swords began to tremble faintly under the flames.

"Tian Qingzi, hundreds of chaotic eras have passed, and you are still as useless as ever." Daoist Yanming revealed a hint of disdain. "Although this secret technique is powerful, its power is so weak when you use it."

"Shatter!" A cold voice echoed across a radius of billions of miles.

"Rumble~~~"

The raging flames, stretching for hundreds of millions of miles, grew even hotter, and the brilliant golden flames seemed to dim slightly, while the power of the flames became even more terrifying.

"Break!" Tian Qingzi's gaze sharpened, and the pair of deer antlers on his head instantly emitted a dazzling blue light.

Then, the tens of thousands of cyan sword beams instantly resembled a dazzling cyan galaxy.

Azure Desolate Realm!

"Boom boom boom~~~"

Flames clashed with sword light.

"What?" Tian Qingzi's expression changed. At the moment the flames and sword light collided, the flames were seen to roll back, and the sword formation composed of tens of thousands of azure divine swords only lasted for more than ten breaths before it shattered instantly.

"You do have some skills. But... die!"

"Boom!"

With a wave of his hand, Daoist Yanming caused the surrounding dark gold flames to rapidly condense into a flaming scimitar. The scimitar was swung around and instantly enveloped Tian Qingzi.

"Huh? Damn it—" A look of shock flashed in Tian Qingzi's eyes.

But the flaming scimitar was too fast, and it was a powerful attack that Yanming Daojun had been planning for a long time. Its power was ridiculously great, so naturally Tian Qingzi would not be able to dodge it easily.

This strike seemed to seal off space, completely enveloping him from all directions.

With Tian Qingzi's strength, there was no way he could dodge this strike!

The flaming scimitar sliced ​​through the void like a golden streak of light, instantly arriving before Tian Qingzi.

suddenly.

Bang! ! !
A loud bang echoed throughout the void.

A black spear was seen gently thrusting into the void, its tip carrying a faint golden light as it sliced ​​through space, naturally splitting it in two.

But the power of this shot did not leak out in the slightest; the space was as neat and orderly as if a scissor had cut through it.

The spear moved silently, traversing billions of miles of void in an instant, and pierced directly at the surging, fiery scimitar.

"Boom~~~"

"Boom~~~"

"Boom~~~"

In an instant, the roar of the collision almost blended into one.

In that instant, as the black spear deflected the flaming scimitar, the two clashed in mid-air, exchanging blows tens of thousands of times!

...(End of chapter)