Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

"Everyone, stabilize the earth's veins!"

The ancient Daoist ancestor's pure light surged wildly, and the Daoist rhyme of Gui Cang transformed into countless chains, embedding themselves into the nodes of the eight regions' earth veins.

The star-like eyes of the Dao Ancestor Haotian burst open, and the Star Evolution Array reversed, forcibly resisting the backflow of the source energy; Lei Yan, Qing Yuan, Chao Yuan, Ying Hong, You Guang, and Ye Yan poured in without regard to their origins or the cost, firmly locking the connection between the chaotic roots and the earth veins.

Dao Ancestor Chixiao gritted his teeth and roared, "You surnamed Li, you'd better hurry up!"

The Heavenly Demon Ancestor's bone claws shattered, and he roared angrily, "If you fail, I will haunt you even as a ghost!"

The five ancestors, Xuan Sha, Wen Huang, Chen Guang, Ming Gu, and Jin Xi, all had pale faces, and their Daoist auras flickered erratically, yet none of them withdrew their power.

......

Burial route ancient tomb.

The Chaos Dao Tree stands like a pillar supporting the sky, deep within the vast earth. Infinite primordial energy from all directions converges and flows continuously into the roots of the Chaos Dao Tree.

The trunk of the Chaos Dao Tree roared and cracked, growing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, seven hundred and eighty billion zhang... eight hundred billion zhang... eight hundred and fifty billion zhang!
The light of the Dao condensed from the fifty thousand chaotic Dao leaves on the branches illuminated the vast land. New Dao leaves continued to grow, and new realms were constantly being conceived. It was as if they were being forced to grow, conceived, grown, stabilized, and their Dao essence was formed on its own. Step by step, they crossed over...

Outside the Heavenly Realm of Blazing Fire, three thousand smaller realms of crimson flames abound; beside the Azure Realm of Longevity, thirty thousand poisonous forests stretch endlessly; outside the Realm of Vajra Ape, the desolate wasteland of Nether Bone transforms into a vast battle domain… The source of feedback from tens of thousands of mature realms is continuously poured into the Chaos Dao Fruit.

At this moment, the Chaos Dao Fruit on the Chaos Dao Tree had completely turned transparent. The chaotic primordial energy inside was constantly compressing, emitting a dangerous and terrifying aura, as if it were about to explode.

The gray-robed figure that Li Mu Dao Nian had transformed into pressed his hands firmly against the Gate of Transformation.

The tightly closed gate to the Dao cracked open with a three-inch gap, from which a vast Daoist aura continuously flowed, as if the scene of billions of stars being born and dying, mountains and rivers being reshaped, and all spirits being reincarnated was flowing.

Through this, Li Mu glimpsed a trace of the true meaning of the Dao Transformation. Chaotic Dao Yuan continuously poured into his body, maintaining the gap in the gate of the Dao Transformation while attempting to forcefully open it in order to glimpse the true meaning of the Dao Transformation.

The chaotic Dao energy surged in his palm, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea; the gate to the Dao remained completely still.

"Why isn't it open? Why!"

Li Mu's eyes swirled rapidly like chaotic stars, and the Chaos Dao Tree behind him trembled violently. The Dao light of the fifty thousand realms on its branches converged into a torrent, carrying endless chaotic Dao source and pouring it all into his body of Dao thought.

"Open it for me!"

Li Mu's eyes widened, and he roared angrily. The veins in his arms burst open, and the gray light splattered like blood.

With a "click!",
The crack in the Gate of Transformation widened to four inches, and a desolate Daoist aura surged out from within.

The next moment, Li Mu's soul was struck as if by lightning, and the scene before him changed drastically.

Li Mu found himself standing in a gray void, surrounded by endless chaos above, below, left, and right. There was no light, no sound, no Dao, only the most primordial "nothingness".

"This place... is the origin of chaos?"

Li Mu raised his hand and focused his mind. A wisp of gray Daoist charm flowed from his fingertips and then quickly dissolved into the surrounding chaos.

"wrong."

Li Mu frowned. The Great Dao of Chaos encompasses everything, but here even "existence" does not exist; there is only absolute "nothingness."

"If chaos is nothingness, how can the myriad paths arise?"

Li Mu closed his eyes and sank his mind into the Chaos Dao Fruit. Within the Chaos Dao Fruit, myriad paths flowed, including thunder, fire, wind, water, life and death, reincarnation, time, space, and destiny... all kinds of Dao principles surged like rivers.

"Is chaos not nothingness, but the mother of all things?"

Li Mu opened his eyes, and his gaze reflected the inner landscape of the Chaos Dao Fruit. The chaotic primordial energy slowly rotated, and within it seemed that nebulae were just beginning to form, and the prototypes of mountains and rivers were taking shape.

"I cultivate chaos, embracing all paths into one, yet I have never considered... what chaos itself truly is?"

Li Mu seemed to understand something, but he couldn't grasp that glimmer of opportunity, and for a time, he was caught in a dilemma.

Immediately, the chaotic Dao Domain surrounding Li Mu underwent a dramatic change following his sudden enlightenment; it first transformed into a blazing white fireball, which then exploded, scattering countless starlight points. These points floated and sank, some solidifying into metal and stone, some turning into flowing water, and some sprouting into vegetation...

"The clear and the turbid are differentiated, and the five elements rotate."

Li Mu was immersed in the scene of chaos and creation, but the scene soon came to an abrupt end; the fireball dimmed, the starlight dissipated, and everything returned to gray.

"Why? Why can't I take that step? Why?"

Li Mu wanted to chase after the dissipating starlight, but his feet seemed to be stuck in quagmire, unable to move forward or backward.

"The creation of chaos requires a force to propel it," an ancient voice echoed from the void, answering, "You have absorbed all the myriad paths, yet you have not comprehended the true nature of chaos!"

"Who?"

Li Mu looked around and a blurry figure emerged from the gray mist. The figure was wearing a black Daoist robe and had long hair. It was the black-robed old man he had seen in the Myriad Dao Source Sea.

"senior?"

The old man in black robes looked at Li Mu with no joy or sorrow in his eyes, and gestured, "The Great Dao of Chaos begins with nothingness and is born from existence. You have gathered all the Daos into one, seemingly perfect, but in reality, you have not touched the fundamental truth."

Li Mu quickly cupped his hands and earnestly requested, "Please give me your guidance, senior."

"The true nature of chaos is neither the violence of thunder, nor the gentleness of weak water, nor the vastness of the sun, nor the change of life and death." The old man in black robes raised his hand, and a gray vortex appeared in his palm, indicating that it was the source of "evolution".

"evolution?"

“When chaos first opened up, the pure and the impure naturally separated. This was not due to external force, but rather the spontaneous movement of the ‘evolutionary mechanism’ within the chaos.” The black-robed elder’s palm vortex gradually expanded, with nebulae arising and disappearing within it, indicating that “if you wish to transform into the Dao, you must entrust your Dao intent to a vast land and dissolve your life’s cultivation into the Great Dao—this is ‘evolution’.”

Li Mu was startled: "Entrusting the Vast Land?"

"Transforming into the Dao means transforming oneself and merging with heaven and earth." The black-robed elder looked at Li Mu and continued to explain to him with a smile: "The Great Dao of Chaos is unprecedented and extremely rare. You take Chaos as your Dao, so you should know how difficult this Dao is. Transforming into the Dao is returning to the beginning. If you only absorb without transforming, you will only end up with an accumulation of external paths and will find it difficult to see the true realm! If you are unwilling to transform yourself, how can you achieve the Great Dao?"

Li Mu stared at the old man in black robes and said in a deep voice, "Senior, do you mean I should disperse the Dao Tree and transform the Dao into the Vast Earth?"

"So teachable!" The old man in black robes smiled and nodded.

"And what about me?" Li Mu frowned and asked in return, "If one transforms into the subtle and enters the Dao, then where am I?"

"In the chaos that leads to the Dao, there is no 'self'." The old man in black robes raised his hand and gently waved it, the gray vortex gradually dissipating, indicating that "if you cling to 'self,' that is an obsession, and you will find it difficult to see the true realm."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu fell silent, unsure of what to do, and fell into deep contemplation.
Li Mu suddenly raised his eyes, looked at the old man in black robes, and asked inquisitively, "Who exactly are you, senior? Why are you instructing me?"

The old man in black robes smiled slightly: "When you achieve the Dao Transformation, you will know!"

"If you can't take this step, then give up your desire to transform into the Dao!"

Before he finished speaking, the figure of the old man in black robes faded away, vanishing like smoke without a trace.

……

Starry Sky Platform.

Ancient Dao Ancestor stared wide-eyed at the stagnant Chaos Dao Tree, unwilling to believe it, and asked, "Chaos Dao Tree, what happened? Why did it stop?"

Dao Ancestor Haotian quickly calculated with his fingers and exclaimed in surprise, "Growth has stagnated, and the source energy has reversed. Fellow Daoist Li is trapped in the predicament of Dao Transformation!"

Dao Ancestor Lei Yan was filled with shock and rage, and shouted angrily, "Li Mu, what are you doing? You still dare to hesitate at a time like this! If you fail to achieve Dao Transformation, you will all die!"

The Crimson Sky Dao Ancestor's fiery eyes burned with resentment as he said, "I told you long ago, this boy is unreliable!"

The Heavenly Demon Ancestor's blood-red eyes were icy cold as he resolutely declared, "It would be better to sever ties as soon as possible and each seek our own way to survive!"

"Let's wait a little longer." Dao Ancestor Gu Xi gritted his teeth and said with confidence, "Fellow Daoist Li... will definitely get through this. Let's persevere a little longer!"

The Dao Ancestors exchanged glances, their faces showing anxiety and helplessness. They could only grit their teeth and endure the onslaught of the tribulation power, continuing to maintain their Dao Source and draw upon the source energy.

……

Time passed slowly, and three years went by in the blink of an eye. The Dao Ancestors felt like they were living through years, but the Chaos Dao Tree made no progress, and Li Mu was still trapped in the predicament of Dao Transformation.

Burial route ancient tomb.

Li Mu sat cross-legged under the tree, his eyes closed.

Within the Chaos Dao Fruit, the flow of myriad paths gradually slowed, and the primordial chaos energy ceased its expansion.
From the depths of the vast earth's veins, a furious roar reverberated through the heavens:

"You brat, prepare to die!"

The colossal, earthen-yellow body soared into the sky from the Sea of ​​Origin. The old master's eyes flashed with turbid light, and all the strange white threads around his body snapped. With a single palm strike, the vast earth primordial energy surged back, transforming into a colossal seal that blotted out the sky, pressing down directly on the Chaos Dao Tree!

The branches of the Chaos Dao Tree shook all realms.

Xue'er leaped out, her nine tails billowing, her icy blue eyes fixed on the enormous hand, and shouted sharply, "Brother Li is at a critical moment, we absolutely cannot let it get close!"

Xiao Jin pounded his chest and roared, his towering body rising from the ground: "Brothers, follow me to protect our master!" Iron Head was engulfed in flames, transforming into a crimson-armored giant: "My master granted me a new life, and today is the day to repay him!"

Mingyue's figure emerged from the Myriad Puppet Realm, her body shimmering with puppet patterns, and a sea of ​​data light poured forth: "Myriad Puppet Formation!"

……

Fifty thousand realm lords moved in unison, each drawing upon the source of their realm, and the light of the Dao fell like rain, weaving together a Dao net that covered the sky.

"A bunch of ants, die!"

The giant hand slammed down, causing the Dao Net to tremble violently, and the Dao light of the fifty thousand realms dimmed simultaneously.

Little Snowflakes unfurled her nine tails, and her Yin True Eyes burst forth with icy divine light, freezing one of the dragon claws: "Don't even think about it!"

"Get lost!" The giant hand swept lightly.

In an instant, the ice light shattered, Xue'er's delicate body flew backward, and her nine tails, stained with blood, broke off completely.

Ironhead and crimson armor blazed to the heavens as he slammed a punch at the dragon's head: "Back off!"

"Oh!"

The giant hand trembled slightly, the iron head's gauntlets shattered, his arm bones broke, and he coughed up blood and fell to the ground.

Xiao Jin's towering battle physique gripped a single finger, his arm muscles bulging: "I'll tear you apart!"

"You're courting death." The giant hand swung back and grabbed, digging into the Vajra body. The little golden warrior's body cracked and was instantly crushed.

The bright moon stirs up the myriad phenomena of the puppet world, while data chains bind three fingers.

However, the giant palm was incredibly powerful, causing the puppet patterns to crumble inch by inch, and Mingyue's figure became weak and almost collapsed.

……

Fifty thousand realm lords fought desperately to resist, their Dao light flickering like fireworks, yet they could not stop the old ferocity.

In less than ten breaths, countless people were killed or injured, and the Dao Net was on the verge of collapse!

Fifty thousand realm lords, their Dao domains collapsing layer by layer, blood splattering across the sky, yet not a single one retreated.

"Brother Li, hurry! Wake up quickly!" Xue'er fell into the void, her eyes unfocused.

Little Wa knelt on one knee, arms outstretched to the sky, crying out in a blood-red voice, "Master, run away quickly...!"

"Master, please forgive your incompetence! I am unable to protect you!"

"Master, take care!"

……

Lin Xiaolun, Tie Tou, and other disciples and realm masters exhausted their own Dao Source to keep the Chaos Dao Tree from being invaded. The realm collapsed, the Dao Source dissolved, the mountains and rivers returned to their original course, the stars fell, and the endless source surged forth.

Li Mu suddenly opened his eyes and woke up. The chaotic star vortex stopped abruptly, and scene after scene rushed into his mind.

After the auction ended, at their first meeting, the three-tailed fox followed him timidly and called out, "Brother Li."

The blue-eyed golden ape pounded its chest and swore, "I will follow my master for life!"

"Disciple Tietou is willing to follow Master in cultivation!"

……

After five hundred years of trials and tribulations, six hundred and fifty-three disciples chose to enter the realm; the realm is ever-changing, and billions of living beings thrive and multiply.

Everything, everything depends on him.

"I cultivate chaos, absorb all paths, nurture all realms, and protect all spirits..."

Li Mu closed his eyes, parted his lips slightly, and murmured, "But what is chaos? And who...am I?"

The words of the old man in black robes still echoed in my ears: "The true nature of chaos is the source of evolution... Transforming into the Dao is transforming oneself and merging with heaven and earth."

"Without 'I', how can there be evolution?"

"If one clings to 'self,' how can one transform the Way?"

……

Deep within Li Mu's soul, the chaotic primordial energy surged violently, and the true meaning of chaos solidified. However, it was always separated by an invisible barrier, unable to truly "open the heavens"...

The former master raised his giant hand once more, with turbid yellow Dao patterns swirling around his five fingers, and the void beneath his palm was annihilated inch by inch.

"Young man, you are attached to the feelings of an ant, your heart is tainted by the Dao, how can you possibly attain enlightenment?"

Before the words were even finished, a giant hand slammed down!
With a deafening roar, a thousand-mile-long crack appeared on the trunk of the Chaos Dao Tree, and gray sap gushed out like blood.

Vast swathes of the Branch Realm collapsed, the Flame Sea of ​​the Blazing Heaven Realm overflowed, the vegetation of the Eternal Green Realm turned to ash, and the mountains of the Vajra Ape Realm shattered...

Xue'er's remaining body was swept into the palm wind, and her Ice Blue Dao Body disintegrated inch by inch.

"Brother Li..."

The last soft call dissipated into the void.

"Xue'er!"

Li Mu's heart skipped a beat, his eyes widened, and the chaotic star vortex in his eyes exploded, turning into billions of gray rays of light.

The stagnant Chaos Dao Body trembled violently at this moment, and the gray Dao light around it surged like boiling water.

"I got it!"

Li Mu stood up, his blue robe fluttering without wind, his long hair turning gray strand by strand.

"Chaos is neither nothingness nor existence, but the myriad phenomena reflected in 'my' mind."

"I embrace all paths, nurture all realms, and protect all spirits—this is my path."

"The transformation of the Dao does not mean the elimination of 'I,' but rather the evolution of heaven and earth from 'I' as the source."

……

Li Mu raised his head and looked at his former master's colossal, sky-covering hand, his gaze as calm as an ancient well.

“Former master, you rule the vast land, treating all living beings like straw dogs, harvesting their essence to prolong your remaining life. This path has already deviated from the original heart of heaven and earth.”

"Today, I will use this Chaos Dao Tree, the 50,000 realms, and the 'existence' of billions of living beings to open the door to the Dao of Transformation."

After speaking, Li Mu formed a hand seal, and a gray light suddenly shone from between his eyebrows.

"Chaos Tree—Disperse!"

"Fifty Thousand Realms - Fusion!"

"Six hundred disciples—return!"

"My body and my soul—transform!"

……

The four verses, each word like thunder, resounded across the vast land.

The Chaos Dao Tree trembled violently, its main trunk disintegrating inch by inch from its roots, turning into billions of gray light spots.

Li Mu's own chaotic body, starting from his hands, gradually turned into ashes.

His long, gray-black hair, his green Taoist robe, his flesh and bones, his meridians and spiritual sea... all dissolved and returned to chaos.

Only a sliver of clear consciousness remained, suspended in the void.

"With my primordial chaos as my foundation, I absorb the thoughts of all living beings and evolve the origin of heaven and earth—"

Li Mu spoke through his divine soul, his voice resounding through the heavens: "Today, I am Chaos, and Chaos is me."

"The Great Dao, Transform!" (End of Chapter)