The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

There are no years in practice, no years in the cold or the heat.

Lei Zhan has been in seclusion in the Huanyu Liuyun Palace, cultivating his skills.

Although this life-or-death crisis nearly cost Lei Zhan his life, the benefits it brought him afterward were immense.

This time, not only did Lei Zhan successfully break through to the second level of the Ultimate Time-Space Path, but it also made his Dao Heart even stronger.

After breaking through to become a second-step Dao Lord, Lei Zhan stayed in the Huanyu Liuyun Palace to cultivate in peace.

In the blink of an eye, ten thousand years have passed.

Mangya Twelve Palaces, Time and Space Palace.

Inside the Time-Space Tower Forest, two figures were walking side by side. One was a man with messy hair and emerald green eyes, the light in which was startling.

The other was a handsome young man dressed in a black robe, who looked like an ordinary person.

“Junior brother, you have been in seclusion since you returned to Mangya Kingdom with the Great Ruler. Now you have finally emerged from seclusion.” The disheveled man with emerald eyes laughed. “Junior brother has not moved around the Twelve Palaces for the past ten thousand years. Now the name of you, Lord Guiyi, is known throughout the Twelve Palaces.”

"My name? Senior Brother Lanzhou is joking." The black-robed youth shook his head and said, "If my master hadn't sensed the anomaly of the Time-Space Disc and encountered a powerful figure comparable to the lords of the eight holy cities, I would probably have been reduced to ashes long ago."

This young man in black robes was none other than Lei Zhan, who had just emerged from seclusion.

The disheveled, blue-eyed man walking alongside him was none other than Lan Zhou Daojun, the master of the Time and Space Palace among the Twelve Palaces of Mangya.

"To be reduced to ashes? Junior Brother, you have extraordinary opportunities and are a person with great fortune, yet you still didn't perish so easily," Daoist Lanzhou laughed.

"Those with extraordinary luck in the endless territory are favored by the chaotic universe and can find treasures while walking. They can sit on the ground and find a precious mineral vein underneath. My junior brother's luck is probably no less than that of these geniuses."

“Luck…” Lei Zhan’s gaze lingered. Was he a person with great luck?

Lei Zhan understood this perfectly well. The concept of luck is mysterious and profound, yet it does exist. Cultivators with great luck can indeed turn misfortune into good fortune.

Perhaps he wasn't originally a person of great fortune, but he obtained the Enlightenment Pearl, an unreasonable treasure for enlightenment, and also received the inheritance and treasures left by Daoist Ruosang. Later, he became a disciple of the Mangya Ruler...

With each stroke of good fortune, one's luck accumulates and strengthens.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore," Daoist Lanzhou said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"Only tens of thousands of years have passed, and everything within the Twelve Palaces seems unchanged, but you, Lord Guiyi... tens of thousands of years ago you were just a little fellow at the World Realm, and now you are already the Vice Palace Master of my Time and Space Palace."

"The deputy palace master of the Time and Space Palace?" Lei Zhan was stunned. "Senior Brother Lan Zhou, when did I suddenly become the deputy palace master of my Time and Space Palace?"

A single Mangya Kingdom's twelve palaces typically only have one palace master and two deputy palace masters.

Daoist Lanzhou and the other two vice palace masters have probably served in the position of palace master for thousands of Chaos Eras!
“Junior Brother has been in seclusion in his cave, so he probably doesn’t know yet.” Daoist Lanzhou turned to look at Lei Zhan and said with a smile, “This time, Junior Brother, your fame has spread throughout the entire Endless Territory.”

"Whether it was slaying the Divine Banyan Clan in front of the Heavenly Wood Holy City, hunting down the Four-Step Dao Lord of the Eternal Clan, or resisting and confronting the Divine Banyan Emperor... your reputation is even stronger than mine as the Palace Master."

"This..." Lei Zhan revealed a bitter smile, which spread throughout the entire Endless Territory? Although Lei Zhan had made some preparations before this day, when it actually came, it still stirred up a wave in his heart.

"In our Mangya Kingdom's twelve palaces, only the strongest can become the palace master. The situation is a bit special for the Bright Palace, where the two palace masters are evenly matched, resulting in two true palace masters," Daoist Lanzhou continued to explain.
“Junior Brother Guiyi, you are not only powerful, but you have also killed several Heaven-Defying Dao Lords at the second level. Your strength has long surpassed Youpeng’s. The most powerful become the Palace Master, and you are undoubtedly worthy of the position of Vice Palace Master of this Space-Time Palace.”

"Yeah." Leizhan nodded slightly.

Lei Zhan also knows something about the other deputy palace master of the Time and Space Palace.

This deputy palace master, whose Daoist name is 'Youpeng', is roughly at the second level of the Heaven-Defying Dao Lords in the entire Endless Territory. His strength is comparable to that of Heaven-Defying Dao Lords such as Kong Sa, Yan Ming, and Du Ling.

"A second-step Dao Lord already possesses the recognition of a cosmic treasure, and can even fight against a powerful being comparable to the lords of the eight holy cities..." Dao Lord Lanzhou looked at Lei Zhan with deep emotion:

"Now that you have successfully broken through to the third step of Dao Lord, with the help of the cosmic treasure, you are probably not much worse than those Dao Lords at the peak level. Before long, when you break through to the fourth step of Dao Lord, I will probably have to hand over my position as Palace Master to you."

“This… Senior Brother Lanzhou, please don’t make fun of me. Every three-step Dao Lord who wants to break through to the four-step Dao Lord level has accumulated a long time at the three-step Dao Lord level.” Lei Zhan shook his head and laughed, “It will probably be a long time before I break through to the four-step Dao Lord level.”

Only Lei Zhan himself knows that his true level is now only the Second Step Dao Lord.

Breaking through from the first step Dao Lord to the second step Dao Lord is relatively easy, but even so, it still took him a long time to cultivate, let alone break through to the third step Dao Lord or the fourth step Dao Lord.

Without special, wondrous places to hone one's skills and explore, it would probably take an unknown amount of time to achieve a breakthrough.

"I wonder how long?" A glint flashed in Daoist Lanzhou's pair of emerald eyes, reflecting the dense forest of tall pagodas, but suddenly a hint of melancholy appeared in them.

“The cultivation level that requires time to accumulate is nothing to a prodigy like him.”

"In just tens of thousands of years, you have directly become a three-step Dao Lord. This day will not be too late. By then, the Time and Space Palace will have a new Palace Master, and I can prepare for Dao Integration with peace of mind."

“Senior Brother Lanzhou.” Lei Zhan turned to look at Daoist Lanzhou.

suddenly.

“Guiyi, come to Mangya Palace.” A voice echoed in Lei Zhan’s heart.

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan, who was talking with Daoist Lan Zhou, was startled and suddenly realized, "It's Master calling me!"

"Guiyi, what's wrong?" Daoist Lanzhou looked over, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Master needs me to go to the palace," Lei Zhan said. "Since Master has given the order, I have no choice but to go..."

"The Great Ruler summoned you?" Daoist Lanzhou nodded slightly. "The Ruler must have important matters to instruct you on if he summons you, Junior Brother. You don't need to worry about me, just go directly there."

Even Daoist Lanzhou himself had to treat the summons from the Lord of Mangya with utmost care, and naturally dared not be negligent.

"Alright." Lei Zhan nodded slightly to Daoist Lanzhou, and then disappeared from the spot.

……

"Master." Lei Zhan entered the Mangya Kingdom's palace and respectfully greeted the Mangya ruler, who looked like a familiar white-bearded old man.

The Mangya Overlord, seated high on his magnificent throne, nodded slightly with a smile: "Guiyi, the reason I summoned you here this time is to have you accompany me on a trip."

"Master, just give the orders," Lei Zhan said, suppressing his doubts.

"Ten thousand years ago, I promised to forge several natal divine weapons suitable for you. Now that ten thousand years have passed and your cultivation has been consolidated, it is time to begin preparing these natal divine weapons." The Mangya Overlord looked at Lei Zhan with a smile.

"You were able to fight against that madman Shenrong with your cultivation at the second step of Dao Lord level, so your own Dao must also be of an extremely heaven-defying kind."

"Now, demonstrate your Dao to me, and I will then invite a powerful being to forge several divine weapons that are most suitable for you based on your own Dao."

"Practice my way?" Lei Zhan nodded slightly.

He understood what the Lord of Mangya meant.

For ordinary divine weapons, such trouble is unnecessary.

It should be noted that newly forged natal divine weapons vary in some ways. Some are extremely heavy and suitable for fierce and powerful moves, while others are more suited to speed, unpredictability, or similar techniques...

However, such a natal divine weapon is just the most common and ordinary of all natal divine weapons.

It's like the embryo of a divine weapon; the cultivator infuses their own 'Dao' into the origin of the divine weapon.

Of course, one's natal weapon can evolve continuously. Even if it is not suitable for the time being, it can slowly grow and become more and more suitable as time goes by and with the consumption of some precious treasures!

But all of these things will take a long time.

If it is the most suitable from the beginning, then it will naturally evolve faster.

Most importantly, Lei Zhan is pursuing the ultimate path, and unlike ordinary cultivators, he has higher requirements for his natal divine weapon.

The reason why the Lord of Mangya allowed Lei Zhan to practice his own Dao was so that, based on Lei Zhan's Dao, a powerful being could forge the most suitable divine weapon for Lei Zhan's destiny.

"Master, please watch." Lei Zhan smiled and immediately began the drill.

"My path of time and space has been divided into five strongest paths."

Lei Zhan's drill immediately made the Mangya Overlord's eyelids twitch, and he became much more serious.

"Five of the strongest paths... and they've been perfectly combined? This is essentially encompassing all the paths of time and space." Lord Mangya looked at Lei Zhan.

"Such a perfect Dao... I'm really looking forward to this little guy."

The extraordinary nature of the spacetime path that is so well-developed can be discerned even by some Eternal Emperors.

However, compared to those powerful beings who follow other paths, only the Mangya Overlord, who also has a deep understanding of time and space, can comprehend the terror within.

This all-encompassing Dao, encompassing all time and space, is what the Lord of Mangya has been pursuing for countless years since he became the ruler.

"If this little guy grows up and succeeds in achieving eternal Dao, he will definitely be the most heaven-defying kind of powerful being. At that time, his strength will probably be much stronger than mine."

The Lord of Mangya was unaware that the Dao that Lei Zhan was currently practicing was only the five strongest Daos of the Five Forms of Time and Space, and he had not practiced the ultimate Dao of Time and Space.

The ultimate path is of great importance, and even though Lei Zhan is the personal disciple of the Mangya Overlord, he will not easily reveal it before he has fully developed his power.

Of course, demonstrating the perfect Five Elements of Time and Space is already dazzling enough.

a long time.

"Master." After finishing his practice, Lei Zhan also looked at the Lord of Mangya.

"Hmm." Lord Mangya smiled. "I originally thought that recording your Dao with the Water Seal Technique would be enough for those powerful beings skilled in weapon crafting. But now, I've changed my mind."

"Huh?" Lei Zhan was taken aback. Changed his mind? Changed what mind?
"I was originally going to see an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time, and helping you forge your natal divine weapon was just a side thing," Lord Mangya said with a smile.

"However... I've decided to take you with me now. My old friend is quite skilled at weapon crafting, and having you with me will help you craft your natal divine weapon more effectively."

"Master is taking me with him?" Lei Zhan blinked, his heart filled with curiosity.

The friends of the Mangya Overlord... In the entire Yanlong Domain, there are very few people who can be called friends by the Mangya Overlord.

“Yes.” The Lord of Mangya seemed to see through Lei Zhan’s thoughts and smiled, “My friend isn’t in the Endless Territory, but in another universe. The reason I changed my mind and took you there this time, besides forging your natal divine weapon, is that there are some opportunities in that universe.”

"Some of the opportunities there might be perfect for you, or you might end up with nothing. In short, what benefits you ultimately gain depends entirely on your own destiny."

"Another universe?" Lei Zhan's mind raced. Could it be... the alien universe where Venerable Dan and the Lord of the Destruction Divine Court reside?

Even Lei Zhan had a vague suspicion about that opportunity.

"Our homeland, the Endless Territory, is a domain," said the Mangya Overlord. "This domain is called the Flame Dragon Domain, and the other universe, in terms of its vastness and immensity, is comparable to the Flame Dragon Domain."

The Lord of Mangya gave a brief explanation, then looked at Lei Zhan, "Guiyi, would you be willing to travel to that other universe together?"

“Yes, disciple is willing to go with Master and experience the scenery of this ‘alternate universe’,” Lei Zhanlian nodded.

Having the opportunity to travel to another universe, especially with the Lord of Mangya personally leading the way... only a fool would refuse to go.

In that alien universe, there are many opportunities that even the Eternal Emperor would covet.

Moreover, whether it's the divine weapon tailored to the great power or the opportunities left behind by the eternal emperors and rulers who died in battle in the origin of that other universe, Lei Zhan is very much looking forward to them.

...(End of chapter)