The Legend of the Great Desolation: I Am the Fortress

"it is good!"

Lei Zhan revealed a slight smile.

"Since you've agreed, it saves me the trouble."

"Do I even have a choice?" Emperor Dingyuan revealed a bitter expression.

They really had no choice.

Since they had already set their sights on the treasure, and their strength was inferior to the other's, and their lives were in the hands of the other's whim.

In the end, besides obediently submitting, all that remains is death and the annihilation of one's spirit.

After all, escaping from a spacetime powerhouse with strength comparable to a ruler is an extremely difficult task.

Putting aside everything else, the mental techniques alone that can arouse the desires in the hearts of cultivators are difficult for them to resist.

Although they had already experienced it once, and the effect would definitely be greatly reduced if they did it again, this level of confrontation, even if it lasted only a moment, was enough to determine the outcome.

"Emperor Dingyuan, make your life vow." Lei Zhan said to Emperor Dingyuan, "Follow me for 108,000 Chaos Eras until I achieve eternal Dao or fail to achieve Dao, then you will regain your freedom."

One hundred and eight thousand Chaos Eras is an extremely long time for Lei Zhan. It is also the entire lifespan of a Dao Lord of Life and Death.

In reality, very few Dao Lords of Life and Death can truly drag on until the 108,000 Chaos Eras are up. Lei Zhan himself doesn't intend to wait until the 108,000 Chaos Eras are up.

"Yes." Emperor Dingyuan nodded. "I swear on my life..."

……

"This this……"

"Even Brother Dingyuan is no match for this Dao Lord?"

"What a monster! He managed to make Brother Dingyuan suffer simply by using an Eternal Top-Grade Divine Weapon. And this terrifying mental power technique..."

The Blazing Sun Emperor, the Underworld Emperor, and the others finally broke free from the illusion. Their hearts were filled with turbulent waves of shock.

Words are no proof. These eternal emperors, who have attained the Dao and lived for countless years, would naturally not be frightened by mere words.

They initially thought that the Daoist's claim that "his greatest strength is not mental power" was just empty talk, but when this real combat power was presented to them, they were still shocked.

"Emperor Beihe, ten breaths have passed. Emperor Dingyuan has already agreed to submit and made a vow. What about you few?" Lei Zhan waved his hand to disperse the spacetime power around Emperor Dingyuan. His eyes swept over Emperor Beihe and the others, but his eyes were filled with cold killing intent.

"We..." Emperor Beihe turned to look at Emperor Minghua and Emperor Lieyang, whose faces were heavy, and said in a deep voice.

"My greatest obsession in cultivation is to resurrect my Daoist companion. If I follow you, I will be unable to obtain the treasure needed to persuade the Supreme Being to intervene..."

"What a pity." Lei Zhan's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "I didn't want to make a move..."

“Fellow Daoist Beihe,” Emperor Dingyuan immediately looked at Emperor Beihe, “if you die and your Dao dissipates, what will become of your Daoist partner…”

"Senior sister..." Emperor Beihe's face was full of complicated emotions.

Those friends and relatives from the past have been dead for who knows how long. If he were to die too…

"Have you thought this through? If you submit to me, there might be a chance to revive your Daoist partner in the future." Lei Zhan had absolute confidence in his heart.

The supreme beings, though truly detached from worldly affairs.

However, they will occasionally respond to the requests of powerful beings. As long as they can offer a treasure that even a supreme being would covet, there is a high chance of persuading the supreme beings to take action.

It should be noted that if Venerable Dan wanted to ask Supreme Hongran for help in reviving that Sword Dao Master, he would need to offer treasures comparable to a thousand interdimensional flying ships.

If one were to revive a World Realm expert or a Dao Lord of Life and Death, the cost would be much lower.

As for those below the World Realm, a treasure comparable to a Domain Realm flying boat would probably suffice.

“I… am willing to submit.” After a moment of contemplation, Emperor Beihe immediately said respectfully.

The remaining few, including the Blazing Sun Emperor, exchanged glances and respectfully followed suit:

“We…are also willing to submit.”

“Alright.” Lei Zhan nodded slightly. “Make your life oath! I’ve already wasted too much time because of you guys.”

"Too much time wasted?" Emperor Dingyuan and the others looked at each other, secretly muttering to themselves, "They subdued the five emperors in about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn... Is that considered a waste of time?"

However, since they had already submitted, they naturally dared not say anything more.

……

Space rippled, and Lei Zhan returned once again to the broken stars.

"Master," the Dustless Emperor, dressed in a snow-white Daoist robe and exuding an otherworldly aura, asked curiously, "Does Master also study the array formations of the Sith Clan? Are you trying to comprehend and repair this weapon of war?"

“The weapon is damaged and its core cannot be activated, so it naturally needs to be repaired first,” Lei Zhan said.

"Master," Emperor Lieyang said, "Among us, only Sister Wuchen has a deep understanding of formations and weapon crafting."

"Although she only has the strength of a second-level emperor, it is entirely because she is not good at killing in the art of formations and weapon crafting. In terms of her achievements in weapon crafting, she is at the level of a first-level emperor."

"Oh? Both weapon crafting and array formation are at the first-level Emperor level?" Lei Zhan's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

Having witnessed the countless methods of the cultivator civilization and the Sith civilization, Lei Zhan naturally knew that 'Level One Emperor' was a relatively common title in the eight major source domains.

If this level of emperor were placed in the Flame Dragon Domain, it would correspond to the level of the lords of the eight holy cities.

"If that's the case, it's an unexpected bonus." Lei Zhan glanced at Emperor Wuchen, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Whether it's weapon crafting, alchemy, or array formation, these skills are extremely rare in the chaotic universe. Those who can reach the level of the lords of the eight holy cities are highly sought after by all the major powers.

For example, the Dao Lord Abandoned Fire, who helped me forge my natal divine weapon, was only barely comparable to the level of the lords of the eight holy cities in the art of weapon forging. Yet, even so, he was still one of the top three weapon forging masters in a certain domain.

“I was originally a Dao Lord who achieved enlightenment through the art of weapon crafting. Later, I merged with the Dao of Eternity…” Emperor Wuchen nodded and said, “If you want to try to repair this Sith war weapon, perhaps I can be of some help.”

"Help..." Lei Zhan smiled slightly, but shook his head and said, "There's no need for help. I have more important things to do."

"Hmm?" Emperor Wuchen was taken aback. "Master, just give the order directly."

“I am currently lacking some suitable natal divine weapons. Since you are skilled in weapon crafting, Wuchen, please help me craft a few suitable natal divine weapons.” Lei Zhan instructed, “As for the materials… I will provide them to you after I obtain some treasures.”

"Refine a natal divine weapon?" Emperor Wuchen was somewhat taken aback. But he still nodded and said, "This is a small matter, and a little bit of material is nothing. We just obtained a spatial fire-evil stone mine, which is an excellent material for refining a spatial-temporal type of natal divine weapon."

"Hmm." Lei Zhan didn't seem to mind.

The materials needed to forge a few natal divine weapons are generally worth only a few hundred million cubic meters of Chaos Spirit Liquid. This is nothing to an Emperor.

"A natal divine weapon..." Upon hearing this, Emperor Dingyuan's heart stirred. "I observe that although the master walks the path of time and space, the weapon he uses is a spear?"

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan looked at Emperor Dingyuan.

"Brother Dingyuan, what you're talking about... could it be those two cosmic treasures?" Emperor Minghua, who was standing to the side, had a bright look in his eyes.

"Cosmic treasures?" Lei Zhan asked with some curiosity. "Before we came to the Blazing Sun Domain, we passed through the Azure Wu Domain," Emperor Minghua explained. "While adventuring in the Azure Wu Domain, we obtained two cosmic treasures by chance."

"These two cosmic treasures are a greatsword and a long spear."

"Yes, I took that sword. But it's been over ten Chaos Eras, and that cosmic treasure still refuses to acknowledge me as its master."

Emperor Beihe said, "As for the other spear, none of the five of us use spears, so it has been kept with Fellow Daoist Minghua."

"Since you don't need it, give it to me first."

Lei Zhan said this, but secretly thought to himself, "If I can make this cosmic treasure recognize me as its master, I will not be afraid even if I encounter those powerful rulers."

Of course, it is very difficult to get a cosmic treasure to recognize its owner.

They are the most powerful among magical artifacts; to gain their willingness to follow, you must win their complete consent. Otherwise, they are simply impossible to control.

The main reason why Lei Zhan was able to gain 'Frost Moon's' recognition as his master was that his Dao was very similar to that of Dao Lord Ruosang.

Even so, it was after many twists and turns that they finally obtained this cosmic treasure.

"Yes." Emperor Minghua nodded.

Wow.

With a wave of her hand, a dark red spear appeared in the void. The spear emanated an astonishing aura, its blade radiating extreme sharpness.

"Indeed, it is a treasure of the universe." Lei Zhan nodded in satisfaction. The aura emanating from this spear was on the same level as that of Shuang Yue.

"Whoosh." A streak of light suddenly flew out from the dark red spear, revealing a figure—a young man in black.

"Gentlemen," the black-clad youth said calmly, his gaze as serene as the endless starry sky, his voice echoing through the void, "Since none of you are armed, why not let me wander and find my own master... Hmm?"

The boy in black was speaking when he suddenly froze.

"Dao Lord? How come there's another Fourth Step Dao Lord? Emperor Minghua, is this your newly accepted disciple?"

“This is my master,” said Emperor Minghua.

"Master? Master?" The black-clad youth exclaimed in surprise. "You, an Emperor, acknowledge a Fourth-Step Dao Lord as your master? What's so special about this Dao Lord? A peak Dao Lord?"

Although it had always stayed inside the magical treasure cave of Emperor Minghua, it was quite familiar with Emperor Minghua and Emperor Dingyuan.

He looked up at the other four emperors, only to see a series of silent faces.

“They are all my followers,” Lei Zhan said calmly.

"These... are all your followers?" The black-clad youth was utterly shocked. One Dao Lord? Five Emperors in a row? Two of them were even Level One Emperors?
"We few were no match for our master in our struggle for the treasure..." Emperor Dingyuan didn't say much, but his meaning was very clear.

"This..." The boy in black fell silent. "So, you released me because you wanted me to acknowledge you as your master?"

The only reason for releasing it under these circumstances is probably to make it recognize its master.

"Although my master walks the path of spacetime, he is also quite skilled with a spear. Although he is only a fourth-step Dao Lord, his achievements in the way of the spear have reached the threshold of a first-level Dao Lord. As for my master's true strength, it is completely comparable to that of a Dominator!"

"This...this..." The black-clad youth's eyes widened. "A fourth-step Dao Lord with strength comparable to a Dominator? Such a heaven-defying prodigy actually exists?"

"It may seem unbelievable, but it is the truth," Emperor Dingyuan continued. "My master is currently lacking a suitable weapon. If you were to acknowledge him as your master, you would probably be comparable to those powerful rulers."

“Recognize the master…” The black-clad youth walked around the fortified platform once, but remained silent.

"Well? Are you willing to acknowledge me as your master?" Lei Zhan smiled. Judging from the appearance of this cosmic treasure, he was clearly somewhat tempted.

“Interesting. A prodigy like you is probably a rare sight even in the entire Chaos Universe,” the black-clad youth said. “Put me away for now. Let me consider it for a while.”

"Consider?" Lei Zhan nodded slightly, and with a wave of his hand, he put away the dark red spear. Then, the black-clad youth disappeared as well.

Since you're willing to consider it, the chances of success are very high.

Of course, Lei Zhan remained quite indifferent to this. Although the idea of ​​the cosmic treasure recognizing its master tempted him somewhat, he was already mentally prepared for the possibility that the other party might not be willing to acknowledge it.

"Congratulations, Master!" Emperor Dingyuan immediately offered his congratulations.

"I think this cosmic treasure is clearly interested, and it probably won't be long before it recognizes its owner."

"If the master obtains a cosmic treasure that recognizes him as its master, his strength will also greatly increase!"

"A Heaven-defying Dao Lord comparable to a Sovereign is even rarer than those Lords of other universes. If I were one of those universe treasures, I would be tempted."

The Fiery Sun Emperor and the others all offered their congratulations with smiles.

“Wuchen.” Lei Zhan looked at the woman in the snow-white Taoist robe. “Although the treasures of the universe are powerful, the one most suitable for me is still my natal divine weapon. Therefore, the matter of forging a divine weapon needs to be resolved as soon as possible.”

"Yes," Emperor Wuchen replied respectfully.

"As for Dingyuan and the rest of you," Lei Zhan instructed, "the Sith war weapon is extremely important. Whether it's a ruler, an emperor, or a lord of another universe, they will risk everything if they encounter it. Therefore, while I am working on repairing this war weapon, you must also keep watch around it."

"Yes."

"Yes!"

They all nodded solemnly.

Every Sith relic is a treasure trove. The Sith war weapon that Leizan and his companions encountered is far more valuable than any ordinary Sith treasure.

The appearance of alien universes and Sith treasures usually attracts powerful beings to compete for them.

The alien universe that Lei Zhan visited was a case in point. There were even thirty-five rulers and emperors who died at its core. And these weren't all the powerful beings who fought for control of that alien universe.

As for the eight core domains of the entire desolate universe, emperors and rulers are as numerous as fish crossing a river.

This Sith war is comparable to an entire alien universe, and if luck is not on your side, it will likely attract some more powerful beings.

"Hmm." Lei Zhan nodded slightly, then turned and took a step forward.

Wow~~~
Lei Zhan's figure vanished into thin air, then instantly reappeared before that broken star.

"My true self has been continuously studying these formations and restrictions without stopping. Even the Creation Origin Heart Scripture has been temporarily halted. I must hurry up and do it as soon as possible!" Lei Zhan thought to himself.

In Lei Zhan's heart, apart from the Qinghua Cave, this Sith war weapon was the most precious opportunity he had encountered so far.

Time is precious; everything else can be postponed for now, and everything must give way to this Sith war weapon before us.

"With the Enlightenment Pearl and the Supreme Stone Platform, hopefully the refining and repair process can be completed as soon as possible," Lei Zhan muttered, as the flow of time around him began to change rapidly.

The flow of time accelerated by a factor of ten thousand before the surrounding spacetime stabilized.

Ignoring his newly acquired followers, Lei Zhan carefully examined the complex restrictions before him, comparing them one by one with the Sith formations in his memory, and quietly began to comprehend them.

...(End of chapter)