The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

Outside the Tower of Inquiry, all was quiet.

Looking at the enormous tower in front of him, Lei Zhan felt a burning passion that was hard to dispel.

"The Tower of Inquiry, is it for inquiring into one's own heart?" Lei Zhan walked towards the huge gate beneath the tall tower ahead.

The entire tower gate was not a gate in the traditional sense, but a huge golden vortex.

The vortex was enormous, radiating waves of spatial fluctuations.

"The test left behind by the Cloud Sovereign is a test of one's Dao heart."

Lei Zhan pondered to himself, "As for the ultimate path, with the help of the Enlightenment Pearl, all I need to do to reach the edge of the Dao is a lot of time to accumulate knowledge, and one day I will be able to successfully reach that level."

"But the Dao Heart is extremely mysterious, and reaching the perfect level is incredibly difficult."

It should be known that the supreme beings who stand at the pinnacle of cultivator civilization have reached the perfect level of Dao heart... This is also a condition that those rulers must meet when they want to break through to the supreme level.

If Lei Zhan wants to achieve eternal enlightenment and possess combat power comparable to a supreme being as an eternal emperor, the first step he must take is to achieve perfect enlightenment.

"Seize every opportunity, seize every opportunity that can elevate your Dao heart..."

Lei Zhan murmured to himself, "And this time, the test left by the Heart Power Flow Emperor, whose strength is comparable to that of a ruler, may also be an opportunity for me."

For a cultivator, the Dao heart is of utmost importance.

It was precisely because Lei Zhan knew this that he willingly succumbed to the allure of the fundamental chains and actively sought the slight improvement that came with it.

Now, with the test left behind by the Cloud Sovereign in front of him, Lei Zhan is even more eager to get started.

call.

Suddenly.

With a thought, Lei Zhan transformed into a streak of light, entered the massive tower gate before him, and then entered the enormous golden vortex.

……

"Boom~~~"

As Lei Zhan entered the Tower of Inquiry, a faint rumbling sound could be heard all around him.

Before me lay a very familiar world.

White clouds drift lazily by, below which lie three vast continents separated by the ocean. A mighty river, like a coiled dragon, meanders through the central continent.

In the center of the world, a huge immortal mountain floats, with mountain streams flowing on it, bright red spiritual fruits hanging on the branches, and occasionally some immortal birds flying by.

A winding, rugged path stretches from the foot of the mountain to its summit, at the end of which stands an unassuming Taoist temple.

“This is…” Lei Zhan, dressed in a black robe, appeared on this winding and rugged mountain road.

He looked at the familiar scene around him, but felt that his own cultivation level was very weak.

"The power flowing through my body seems to be only at the Void Returning level?" Lei Zhan frowned slightly.

A mere Void Returning level of strength, yet they haven't even survived the Heavenly Tribulation! They're already as weak as they can possibly be!

With his current strength, even those Dao Lords of Life and Death would probably perish with a single thought, yet after entering the Tower of Inquiry, he has become so weak.

Suddenly, a voice rang in Lei Zhan's ears.

"You must be the new junior brother?"

"My name is Yinyue, and I am Master's fifth disciple. You can call me Senior Brother Yinyue."

A handsome young man, waving a feather fan, walked from the distant nine-story Taoist palace. He looked at Lei Zhan with a smile.

“Silver Moon…Senior Brother? Is it Senior Brother Silver Moon?” Lei Zhan’s eyes flashed as he watched the man approaching.

"Fangcun Mountain? Am I back in the Great World of the Crescent Moon? Back in Fangcun Mountain?"

Lei Zhan stared in a daze at the Silver Moon Goddess, who exuded the aura of a celestial being.

"I...aren't I in another universe? Haven't I already become the Dao Lord of Life and Death?"

"I followed my master, the Overlord Mangya, to this alien universe, where I met the Pill Venerable and the Abandoned Fire Emperor... Now, I have entered the Inner Domain through the Origin Chains..."

Lei Zhan's memories seemed to blur for a moment.

"What, how did we end up back to when we first joined Fangcun Mountain?"

Lei Zhan was completely dumbfounded.

His soul, his true spirit, and even the somewhat blurred yet incredibly vast memories within his sea of ​​consciousness constantly reminded him of these things.

He has entered the Tower of Inquiry, the test set by the Lord of Flowing Clouds.

But everything before his eyes, even in Lei Zhan's perception, felt incredibly real.

Lei Zhan could still sense the fluctuation of that emotion called joy originating from his soul and true spirit.

It's like the story of Guiyi Daojun, whose fame spread throughout the endless lands, which is now nothing more than a beautiful dream.

"This is the first level of the Tower of Inquiry? The first level is already this powerful..."

Lei Zhan frowned as he watched the 'Silver Moon God' getting closer and closer. His soul and spirit remained clear, but the inexplicable joy kept affecting him.

"Joy? It seems... to me the joy I felt when I first became a disciple of Master Bodhi... the joy of having a renowned teacher?"

Lei Zhan's thoughts raced so quickly that he understood everything in a moment's thought.

"Could this illusion be a manifestation of 'joy' among the seven emotions and six desires?" This was the only thought that had crossed Lei Zhan's mind at the very first illusion.

"However, this illusion is incredibly realistic."

"If I'm not careful, I can't even distinguish between illusion and reality. Fortunately, the continuous improvement of my Dao heart allows me to keep my soul and true spirit clear."

Lei Zhan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This small example demonstrates the immense power of the Cloud Sovereign.

This is merely one of the methods left behind by that being. If the Flowing Cloud Sovereign were still alive, how terrifying would his methods be?
I'm afraid that even a mere glance from him would completely immerse him in the illusion, making it impossible for him to extricate himself.

"Legend has it that those who reach the deepest levels of the Mind Power Flow and the Path of Illusion, even the ultimate level, will no longer distinguish between illusion and reality..." Lei Zhan's gaze was deep and mysterious.

"In such a situation, even a powerful being at the Dominator level would probably be unable to distinguish between illusion and reality under such an illusion, and would easily lose their life."

According to information Lei Zhan knows, among the supreme beings of the cultivator civilization, there is one who achieved supreme status by following the path of illusion.

That is already the ultimate level that cultivator civilization can currently achieve on the Path of Illusion.

"Junior Brother!" The Silver Moon Celestial God grabbed the feather fan in his hand and waved it in front of Lei Zhan. "Junior Brother Lei Zhan? It's time to come with me to pay our respects to Master!"

The Silver Moon God spoke repeatedly, but the black-robed youth before him remained lost in thought. "Hmm? Master's newly accepted disciple, how could he be like this…"

As the Silver Moon God was muttering to himself, he suddenly saw the black-robed youth look up at him.

"Senior Brother Yinyue, it's been a long time." Lei Zhan smiled slightly. "The last time we met was when my true form returned to the Three Realms."

"Long time no see? I've returned to the Three Realms?" The Silver Moon God looked astonished. "Junior Brother, have we met before? Why do I have absolutely no recollection of it?"

“Oh? This illusion…” Lei Zhan laughed, “If my soul and spirit were not so strong that I could remain absolutely clear-headed, I would probably have taken this illusion for reality.”

Lei Zhan looked at the Silver Moon God with his brows furrowed, and put down the feather fan that had been waving.

"Unfortunately, although this illusion is realistic, it is still not enough to completely trap me."

Lei Zhan looked at the Silver Moon God, which had materialized from his own memories in the illusion, and thought, "At least, this first layer of environment can't easily control me."

"Hmm?" The Silver Moon Goddess was taken aback upon hearing this, and her smiling expression turned indifferent.

“You are no longer Senior Brother Yin Yue, and I am no longer the Lei Zhan who only had the cultivation of the Returning to Void Realm!” Lei Zhan shook his head and sighed, “And this illusion should end!”

The Silver Moon God in the illusion was indeed real, and Lei Zhan almost thought that his master, Patriarch Bodhi, was also his very familiar fifth senior brother who had come to this alien universe.

"Break open!"

With a thought, Lei Zhan's Dao heart became incredibly stable, and his powerful will immediately caused this world to begin to tremble.

"Broken! Broken! Broken!"

The immense mental power swept across the land, emanating an invisible wave.

Rumble~~~
The earth shook violently, the whole world trembled, and huge cracks began to appear.

And everything around began to crumble, returning to darkness.

Almost instantly, Lei Zhan forcefully shattered the illusion before him.

"Impressive. Truly impressive!" Lei Zhan looked around; the once-familiar Great World of the Crescent Moon had been completely shattered.

Before them lay a vast, empty palace, and in the center of the palace was a vortex radiating golden light.

“Mental power cultivators are truly terrifying. And the methods of the Mental Power Emperor who has achieved eternal Dao and even possesses the power of a ruler are truly terrifying!” A ripple spread across Lei Zhan’s heart lake.

"However, the more powerful the illusion, the better it will be for me to temper my Dao heart."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Zhan looked at the golden vortex in the distance and then walked into it.

……

Seven emotions and six desires, joy, anger, sorrow and happiness.

The Tower of Inquiry, with its 108 floors lighting up sequentially from the bottom.

As the tower continued to climb upwards, an illusion began to creep in, and the surrounding real scene gradually became unreal.

He also experienced one illusion after another, each incredibly realistic.

The joy of finding a good teacher, the anger of betrayal by a trusted person, the sorrow of losing all relatives and friends...

At first, the illusions in the Tower of Inquiry were quite simple, and even had little effect on Lei Zhan himself, so much so that he was able to remain conscious.

But as time slowly passed...

The higher you climb the Tower of Inquiry, the more illusory the surrounding reality becomes, while the illusory scenes become more real.

The illusions formed around the seven emotions and six desires are becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.

As Lei Zhan stepped into the fourteenth floor of the Tower of Inquiry, the illusion formed around 'joy,' one of the seven emotions, became even more real, and the joy originating from the depths of the soul and spirit grew even stronger.

The 'rage' of the fifteenth level...

The 'sorrow' of the sixteenth level...

Layer upon layer, there is love, family, hatred, boundless ambition, and unbridled madness...

Each layer evokes the softest, most vulnerable part of Lei Zhan's heart.

In the Tower of Inquiry, every thirteen floors constitute a cycle. With each cycle, the power of the illusion increases significantly, making it increasingly difficult for the tower to resist it.

However, Lei Zhan's Dao heart remained unaffected, and his soul and consciousness remained clear.

Even as breaking free from the illusion became increasingly difficult, he still knew that his name was Lei Zhan, and that he came from the Three Realms…

As long as one remains clear-headed, one can continue to move forward.

However, if there is even the slightest sign of confusion, you must stop immediately!

……

Rumble~~~
"Break! Break it open for me!" With Lei Zhan's furious roar, the world before his eyes began to shatter.

“Now, this illusion is becoming more and more troublesome, and more and more real.” Lei Zhan was no longer as relaxed as before.

In fact, with Lei Zhan's powerful mental strength, comparable to that of some Eternal Emperors, coupled with the nurturing effect of the Blue Flower Mist on his soul and true spirit, resisting illusions should not be too difficult.

But the trials left behind by the Cloud Lord were too real and too terrifying.

Later on, even Lei Zhan had a slight thought of becoming addicted to it.

Ke Leizhan clearly understood that one could succumb to illusion, but one's soul and consciousness must maintain a basic level of clarity.

But if even the most basic consciousness becomes blurred, and one no longer knows who they are, then they may be permanently trapped in a hallucination, which would be dangerous.

"The closer you get to the top floor, the more real the illusions that form around you become."

Lei Zhan said softly, "However, although this illusion is becoming more and more terrifying, it is also becoming more and more beneficial to me."

"I can feel my Dao heart growing stronger. If I keep going until I reach the very top of this Tower of Inquiry, my Dao heart will probably see a huge improvement."

The greater the risk, the greater the opportunity. Lei Zhan understood this principle very well, just like walking a tightrope along a cliff.

Once this hurdle is overcome, the sky's the limit, and the sea is wide enough for birds to soar and fish to leap. Lei Zhan himself will also undergo a transformative change.

"I can feel that my understanding of the Origin Heart Sutra has improved very quickly!"

The Origin Heart Canon is a powerful method that unifies the three forces and integrates the ultimate path, and it is also related to the development of one's Dao heart.

Naturally, the Dao heart that had been building up was also significantly enhanced within this Tower of Inquiry.

……

(End of this chapter)