The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

"Senior Spirit of the Cave Abode," Lei Zhan said with a smile as he looked at the white-haired old man.

"You..." The white-haired old man looked at Lei Zhan with some suspicion, "The Three Powers Unity Method?"

"Yes." Lei Zhan nodded slightly. "It is indeed a method of combining three forces."

The Origin Heart Manual is a method created by Lei Zhan through his understanding of the Heart Sword Technique. It is a spacetime method that perfectly combines mental power, divine power, and magical power, and its amplification of one's own strength is astonishing.

Just like the Heart Sword Technique, which is a sword technique created by the Heart Sword Emperor that combines mental power, divine power, and magical power.

Despite achieving the status of an emperor, the Heart Sword Emperor's understanding of the Dao was actually quite mediocre.

His swordsmanship alone is comparable to that of a peak Dao Lord, but by relying on his mastered Heart Sword Technique, his strength can be very close to that of a Dominator.

"The Three Powers United Method has an astonishing effect on a cultivator's strength," the white-haired old man said, his gaze distant.

"Even ordinary Eternal Emperors will experience a qualitative change in their strength by using this method. Even my master has been trying to comprehend this power."

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan looked at the white-haired old man, and he naturally understood the meaning behind the old man's words.

During his lifetime, Qi Zhizun had been studying the Blue and White Porcelain Method and pursuing the cultivation methods of the West civilization, which involved the 'unity of three forces'.

The blue-and-white mist was the result of Qi Zhizun's research on the method of unifying the three forces.

“Mental power…is indeed the most mysterious power in the universe. Even though the method created by the master can transform and unify all powers, mental power is still unique and transcendent.”

The white-haired old man gazed leisurely, "Your ability to combine the three forces into one shows considerable comprehension. Passing the second test with your cultivation at the third-step Dao Lord level also proves your strength."

As he spoke, the white-haired old man threw out a jade scroll.

"This is the treasure for the second trial. What is recorded in this jade slip is quite rare even in the entire universe. It is probably the treasure you are eager to obtain."

“This is…” Lei Zhan’s eyes lit up as he took the jade slip.

After passing the first test, the spirit of the cave gave him a natal talisman that was extremely precious to a Dao Lord.

The treasure rewarded by the second trial, if it is indeed the same treasure from his memory, is the one that Lei Zhan has always longed for.

"Your path must be the legendary ultimate path," the white-haired old man said calmly, looking at Lei Zhan.

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan was taken aback, then nodded slightly. "I walk the path of time and space, the ultimate path of time and space."

Lei Zhan made no attempt to hide anything from the white-haired old man.

Master Mangya and the others may have heard of the ultimate path, but they have never truly experienced it. If Lei Zhan were to reveal this secret, it would be impossible to predict what would happen in the future.

However, the white-haired old man in front of him was the spirit of the cave left behind by the Supreme Qi. Being recognized was actually somewhat beneficial to Zhan.

"As expected. To have reached this point at merely the second-step Ultimate Dao Lord level is truly a stroke of good fortune for you."

The white-haired old man's cold and indifferent gaze softened slightly. "This jade slip was left behind by a truly extraordinary Dao Lord whom my master once encountered."

"He was an unparalleled prodigy, pushing the art of fire to its ultimate level, even cultivating to the fourth step of Dao Lord!"

"It's a pity. It's already extremely difficult for ordinary cultivators to achieve eternal unity with the Dao. As for the ultimate Dao, achieving unity with the Dao... it's far too difficult, much more difficult than those peak Dao Lords becoming rulers."

"That exceptionally talented Dao Lord ultimately failed to achieve Dao integration. After failing to achieve Dao integration, he met my master before his death and gave my master the ultimate Dao he had created."

"The Ultimate Flame Path?" Lei Zhan's heart surged with emotion upon hearing this.

Although he possesses memories of his past life and knows some of the key points to the ultimate path of eternal union with the Dao, even with the help of the Enlightenment Pearl, he is not entirely confident in achieving eternal union with the Dao if he truly reaches the edge of it.

"The ultimate path to achieving eternity requires a Dao heart as the greatest hurdle. One must achieve a perfect Dao heart."

"And the only treasure that can be effective for the ultimate Dao Lord is the rare 'Harmony Dao Fire Cloud Flower' from the universe..." Lei Zhan muttered to himself, his desire for the countless methods left in the cave by the Supreme Qi grew stronger.

The ultimate path to merging with the Dao is difficult, but if one can transform all the opportunities in one's memory into fuel for one's own cultivation, the chances of merging with the Dao and achieving eternity will be greater.

"And there's my second primordial spirit." Lei Zhan's thoughts soared. "For hundreds of thousands of years, my second primordial spirit has been comprehending space-time and secret techniques in the ruins of the Southern Wind Sect. Now my strength has undergone a complete transformation, and it will be easier for me to venture into the Blazing Sun Domain again."

The Blazing Sun Domain is one of the eight major source domains of the universe, and it was far too dangerous for Lei Zhan in the past.

After all, the place close to the origin of the universe is a dangerous place for the Eternal Emperors. It is usually the Heaven-Defying Dao Lords and Eternal Emperors on the verge of Dao Integration who venture into it.

Previously, Lei Zhan was only at the first world realm. If he ventured out into the world, he might easily lose his life.

……

"The ultimate path is extraordinary and unpredictable. It truly transcends all other paths and is the most ultimate path in the universe." The white-haired old man looked at Lei Zhan.

"Although you cultivate the Way of Time and Space, you can still learn from it and gain insights, which can also touch you and help you. Perhaps, it can greatly increase your chances of successfully 'merging with the Way' in the future."

Lei Zhan grasped the jade slip in his hand and nodded slightly. Following the surge of his divine thoughts, he immediately began to comprehend it.

After Lei Zhan decisively made his vow, a flood of information rushed into his mind, and at the same time, the jade scroll in Lei Zhan's hand naturally began to crumble into ashes.

The ultimate path is mysterious and profound.

The ultimate flame path recorded in this jade slip is the ultimate form of flame.

The deceased Daoist had truly mastered the art of fire, controlling all kinds of flames—whether scorching, icy, chilling, or explosive.

This Dao Lord of the 'Ultimate Flame Dao' unleashes an extremely terrifying killing move.

“The terrifying ‘Tao’, the terrifying ‘flame’.”

Lei Zhan exclaimed in astonishment, "I have also seen some Daos at the Sovereign level, but none of them can compare to this ultimate Dao of Flame. Perhaps only the Daos of the Supreme Beings can surpass this ultimate Dao of Flame in depth."

Also.

The ultimate path encompasses everything, just as the ultimate spacetime path, like a stacked array, is a spacetime that encompasses everything.

This ultimate flame path is an all-encompassing flame.

call.

Immediately, Lei Zhan became immersed in it, carefully comprehending this profound and mysterious ultimate way of fire.

Without thinking, Lei Zhan closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the ground.

All paths lead to the same destination.

Every path leads to the same end, and looking at the ultimate fiery path, it's as if you're seeing the end of time and space.

"It's really amazing."

"In this Dao Lord's understanding, the Dao of Flame was directly divided into six strongest Daos."

"The six strongest paths combine to form the final ultimate..."

"It's so mysterious and profound, it's truly enigmatic."

The more Lei Zhan tries to understand and comprehend, the more admiring he becomes.

They were both on the same ultimate path, and even shared a sense of mutual respect. Time slowly passed.

In the first year, Lei Zhan only grasped the outermost layer of the Dao, and his understanding was merely superficial.

In his tenth year, Lei Zhan comprehended the heat and explosion of the flames, and seemed to see more possibilities for the annihilation of time and space.

In the fifth hundred years, Lei Zhan comprehends the subtlety and eeriness of the ultimate path of fire.

The constant stimulation of the barrier led to a significant improvement in his understanding of the Instant Shadow Style among the Five Styles of Time and Space.

Although the Way of Time and Space and the Way of Flame are two completely different 'ways', the core of the Way remains unchanged despite all the variations.

To comprehend the Dao of Flames of this Heaven-Defying Dao Lord, Lei Zhan did not mean to walk the same path he had taken, but rather to feel and learn from it.

Like a lighthouse in endless darkness, it provides guidance for Lei Zhan.

Lei Zhan also understood very well that whether it was the ultimate path of flame before him, the path of other rulers, or the path of those supreme beings...

These can only be considered as guidelines, because every practitioner has their own path. Forcing oneself to follow someone else's path will only backfire and may even affect one's own path.

"The ultimate path of time and space is my path. It is the foundation upon which I embarked on the path of cultivation. It is even the foundation upon which I will eventually achieve eternal union with the Dao and become the ultimate supreme being!"

Lei Zhan's ambitions were vast, for he knew the immensity of the world. Whether it was the primordial universe, the Sith universe, or even the far more expansive space...

"The eternal path of harmony is merely my starting point, not my end," Lei Zhan silently thought to himself.

……

"Hmm? Enlightenment?"

The white-haired old man was somewhat taken aback by the black-robed youth in front of him. The youth sat cross-legged in front of the palace gate with his eyes closed, completely absorbed in enlightenment.

"The Way of Time and Space... This vast Way of Time and Space is indeed the ultimate Way."

The involuntary fluctuations in the aura emanating from Lei Zhan's body once again confirmed the white-haired old man's suspicions.

"The ultimate Dao Lord is inherently more powerful than a typical peak Dao Lord. And the aura fluctuations emitted by this little guy are only at the third step level, so his true strength is probably only at the second step level."

The white-haired old man stood there quietly, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

"There is always a glimmer of hope in everything. In the vast universe, after countless years, another Dao Lord has come to the cave, and he is a Dao Lord of Life and Death who has embarked on the ultimate path."

“Master, there’s probably a sliver of hope that your last wish might be fulfilled…”

……

Time passed, and before we knew it, a full 80,000 years had gone by.

Wow.

At the end of the vast square, the black-robed youth who had been sitting cross-legged in front of the palace gate suddenly moved.

"It moved! That Dao Lord is probably about to wake up!"

"The lucky little fellow, I wonder what kind of benefits he received from the cave's owner, that he has been sitting here for eighty thousand years."

"He's broken through! He must have broken through! He was able to easily break through the encirclement of ten second-level emperors before, so he probably has the strength of a first-level emperor now!"

"A Level One Emperor? Did you see that kid's glove on his left hand? That kid possesses a cosmic treasure! He's probably one of the most powerful Level One Emperors!"

The emperors who had been staying in the square all kept their eyes on Lei Zhan, and they noticed any slight movement immediately.

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the Eternal Emperors who were discussing, a smile appearing in his eyes.

“Cultivation knows no time, and in the blink of an eye, another 80,000 years have passed…” Lei Zhan said softly, “The Five Forms of Time and Space have long since broken through to the level of the Third Step Dao Lord. Now, my Dao should also break through.”

Having immersed himself in comprehending the ultimate path of fire for many years, both his main body and his second primordial spirit were completely absorbed in it.

The meanings of Shattered Star, Annihilation, Thousand Realms, Reincarnation, and Instant Shadow had already broken through to the third level 30,000 years ago.

Lei Zhan had been trying to comprehend and merge the 'Third Layer of the Ultimate Time-Space Path' but had not succeeded until now, when a blessing came to him, and a lot of inspiration surged in his heart.

"The world of the heart expands!"

"The Dao Tree, grow!"

"Divine Body, transform!"

Thoughts flashed through Lei Zhan's mind.

"Hua Hua Hua~~"

The majestic Dao tree was growing, continuing to climb from eight thousand four thousand feet, its trunk growing thicker and its branches longer and thicker.

The entire Dao Tree grew larger and larger until it reached a height of 99,000 zhang and stopped!
Ninety-nine thousand feet!
This is the limit for a Three-Step Dao Lord. Of course, when Lei Zhan breaks through to the Three-Step Dao Lord level, he also comprehends the ultimate Dao of Time and Space.

The 'Dao Tree' of the stacked trees is also much thicker and larger than the Dao Trees of other Dao Lords, which means that its foundation is more solid.

"Boom~~~"

At the same time, Lei Zhan's world of the heart also began to expand wildly.

Instantly, a massive chaotic vortex formed around them, and chaotic power from billions of miles away surged wildly towards the tower from all directions. This world of the heart frantically absorbed energy and began to expand rapidly.

“Hua La La~~~~”

The number of divine crystals condensed from divine power is also constantly increasing, starting from 8,400...

"Relying solely on the power of chaos within chaos, it would probably take a thousand years to absorb the power of chaos and complete the expansion..." Lei Zhan shook his head as he sensed the chaotic spiritual liquid that had condensed into liquid around him continuously flowing into him.

Upon reaching the level of the Dao Lord of Life and Death, the amount of chaotic power required for each breakthrough is enormous. Ordinary Dao Lords of Life and Death cherish the chaotic spiritual liquid and treasures, and slowly absorb the power from the chaos.

But the expansion is different. Whether it's expanding the world of the heart or replenishing the energy of the blue-and-white mist, the amount of chaotic power required is many times greater.

"Use some Spirit-Mixing Pills! That will help me break through faster!"

With a thought, Lei Zhan instantly created hundreds of 'Chaotic Spirit Pills' within his mental world, which transformed into a massive amount of chaotic power the moment they appeared.

The world of the heart is also becoming increasingly vast and expansive, with the third level of the ultimate spacetime path at its core.

After a long while, everything returned to calm, and everything came to a complete stop.

When Jian Lei Zhan opened his eyes again, the white-haired old man still had that same cold and indifferent look.

"You've passed the second level; only the final third level remains. Once you pass it, there will be no more danger. And you'll reap rewards far greater than those from the 'Ultimate Path' you just encountered!"

The white-haired old man spoke, his indifferent gaze fixed on Lei Zhan.

"Do you want to continue your adventure?"

...(End of chapter)