Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

The source of all paths is the sea.

Li Mu sat cross-legged above the Source Sea, his chaotic Dao intent merging with the vast land.

The initial stage of the Dao transformation has been achieved, like a newly forged sword whose sharpness is fully revealed;

After a thousand years of accumulation, Li Mu's sharp edge gradually subsided, and he returned to his original simplicity. His chaotic will silently spread along the source vein spiritual network, sensing the breath of every ancestral tree and the flow of every source qi.

Li Mu's chaotic will expanded and contracted with the pulse of the vast earth's source vein, each movement synchronized with the source flow of the entire vast earth.

Over the course of a thousand years, Li Mu's chaotic will has permeated seventy percent of the source veins of the vast land. The remaining thirty percent are all "dead zones" left over from the ancient calamities, where the source veins have solidified and the laws of the Dao have become rigid, requiring a long and painstaking process.

Li Mu was in no hurry. There were still 8,900 years left in the ten-thousand-year period, enough time for him to bring the entire vast land under the control of the Chaos Will.

……

Vast Land, Forest of Ten Thousand Ancestors, Ice Fox Dao Domain.

Xue'er stood in mid-air, her nine tails blotting out the sky behind her, and the moonlight fell like a ribbon, enveloping nearly a thousand armored cultivators below.

These cultivators were elites selected by Xue'er from nearly a hundred realms under her command. The worst among them was at the early stage of the Dao Cultivation Realm, and at this moment, they all had solemn expressions.

"Concentrate, guide the essence of the seed into your meridians." Xue'er was aloof, her Taiyin True Eyes swirling, and strands of residual Dao essence from the innate Taiyin seed emanated from her palms, turning into specks of ice crystals that entered the brows of the cultivator below.

"uh"

A cultivator's body trembled violently, and a layer of ice armor quickly covered his body. His aura rose steadily, and in the blink of an eye, he broke through to the Dao realm.

"efficient!"

Western Dao Domain

Iron Head grinned as the thousand fire-attribute cultivators in front of him, infused with the lingering essence of the Fire Seed, were engulfed in crimson flames. The intertwined flames condensed in mid-air into a hundred-foot-long phantom of a fire spear.

"Freeze!" Tie Tou shouted.

A thousand cultivators roared in unison, and their fiery spears thrust out fiercely, causing clouds to billow and the void to distort.

……

The Western Extremity, the Vajra Dao Domain.

Little Golden's crimson body stood like a mountain, arms crossed, staring at the nearly one thousand battle ape cultivators before him. Each of them had bulging muscles and their fighting spirit was as solid as a tangible substance.

"The most important aspect of Daoist soldier training is the battle spirit!" Xiao Jin's voice boomed like thunder. The natural battle pattern on his back emanated from his body, splitting into nearly a thousand streams of gold that pierced into the brows of the cultivators. He urged them sharply, "Use battle to sustain battle, use ferocity to temper your body—train for me!"

"Roar!" The thousand golden ape warriors roared in unison, their bodies surging with blood-red murderous aura. The murderous aura intertwined and condensed into a ten-thousand-foot-tall golden ape phantom in the sky above the army formation. The ape's eyes were wide open in anger, and it pounded its chest and roared, its ferocious power shaking the heavens and the earth.

……

In all the vast lands, the selection of Dao soldiers is in full swing.

Standing at the edge of the ten-thousand-foot-deep thunder pool, Lei Yan Daozu's purple lightning pupils swept over the three thousand thunder cultivators, his voice like thunder: "Draw upon the remaining essence of the thunder seed to temper your Dao foundation! Those who cannot withstand the three tribulations of thunder, retreat on your own!"

Before the words were finished, the thunderous liquid in the pool boiled, and the three thousand thunder cultivators groaned in unison, their bodies covered in flickering thunder patterns.

In less than ten breaths, hundreds of people were charred black, coughing up blood and falling into the pool.

"A bunch of trash!" With a flick of his sleeve, Dao Ancestor Lei Yan swept the eliminated contestants out and gestured, "Next batch!"

The next moment, Thunder Dao Ancestor roared with thunder, and thousands of thunder cultivators appeared.

……

Deep within the Crimson Flame Ancestral Domain and the Fiery Prison.

The Crimson Sky Dao Ancestor's eyes were filled with malice, and the phantoms of nine blazing suns hung above his head. The fiery Dao aura enveloped the five thousand fire-attribute cultivators below: "Even a trace of the residual power of the Burning World Dao is enough to incinerate ordinary seed Daos. If you are afraid, you may retreat now."

However, no one is willing to give up such a great opportunity!

"Good!" Dao Ancestor Chixiao grabbed with his five fingers, and the nine blazing suns simultaneously burst forth with crimson-gold light, penetrating the spiritual realms of all cultivators.

"Ah! Ah!"

In an instant, screams of agony rose and fell, hundreds and thousands of people struggled endlessly, the rest were engulfed in flames, their skin torn and their flesh ripped open, gritting their teeth and enduring the pain.

Dao Ancestor Chixiao nodded slightly and praised, "That's quite impressive."

……

In the abyss of the Weak Water, the Xuan Sha Dao Ancestor sat cross-legged on the black water. With a light tap of his withered finger, the remnant essence of the Weak Water Dao Seed transformed into three thousand black threads, which burrowed into the seven orifices of the Dao soldiers and cultivators.

The cultivators' faces turned ashen, their vitality receding like a receding tide, replaced by a chilling and deathly aura.

"To understand life through death, to reverse the transformation of evil." Xuan Sha Dao Zu solemnly said, "If you can survive for seven days, you may be retained!"

……

Starry Sky Platform.

The two ancestors, Gu Xi and Hao Tian, ​​stood side by side, their starlight and clear radiance forming a mirror that reflected the selection process across various realms.

"Fellow Daoist Lei Yan's methods are too ruthless, eliminating nearly half of them!" Dao Ancestor Haotian frowned, displeased.

Gu Xi Daozu stroked his beard and sighed, "The Chaos Dao Soldiers can only be made by those with a firm will and a solid foundation in Dao. It is only right to eliminate the weak and keep the strong."

The scene in the mirror shifted, revealing the Qingyuan Dao Domain—beneath the Ancestral Tree of Ten Thousand Spirits, azure light emanated, and over a thousand wood-type cultivators sat cross-legged. The lingering aura of the Life-Giving Dao Seed fell like spring rain, and everyone's expressions relaxed as their auras steadily rose.

"Fellow Daoist Qingyuan is indeed gentle," Dao Ancestor Haotian praised with a smile.

"The path to life is one of gradual progress." Ancient Dao Ancestor's gaze swept to another place, and he said in a deep voice, "Look at the Heavenly Demon Blood Forest."

Blood mist churned in the mirror, the Heavenly Demon Ancestor's blood-red eyes were cold, and his bone claws pressed down. Below, thousands of demon cultivators were bursting with blood mist, which merged with the remnants of the Blood Fiend Dao Seed. They wailed incessantly, their bodies twisted, and occasionally some demon cultivators completely lost control and were swallowed by the blood mist.

“The dangers of demonic cultivation are even greater when it comes to forging weapons,” sighed Dao Ancestor Gu Xi.

...

Time flows on, and three hundred years have passed.

The initial selection process across various regions has been completed, with over 70% of those eliminated. The remaining 100,000 elite Dao soldiers have absorbed the residual essence of the Dao Seeds, reshaping their Dao foundations and stabilizing their cultivation at the peak of the Dao Seed stage or even the late stage of the Dao Achievement stage.

At the Starry Dao Platform, all the Dao Ancestors gathered.

Li Mu's figure emerged from the gathering of several wisps of chaotic energy, standing in mid-air, his green robe fluttering slightly.

"Greetings, Dao Master!"

Dao Ancestor Gu Xi, Dao Ancestor Hao Tian, ​​and Dao Ancestor Lei Yan all stepped forward and paid their respects in unison.

"No need to be so polite!" Li Mu smiled and waved his hand, indicating, "You've all worked hard to train your Dao soldiers over the years, thank you for your efforts!"

"Of course! To protect our homeland!"

"You're too kind, Daoist Master! We will not fail your trust!"

...All the Dao Ancestors responded in unison, their smiles radiant.

During this period, they gained a lot. The vast land was pacified, and there was no longer any threat of great calamity. The spiritual network was formed, the source energy was pure, the ancestral tree grew rapidly, and the tempering of Dao soldiers became more and more effective.

"You 100,000 Dao soldiers have already taken initial shape." Li Mu's voice resounded throughout the Dao Domains: "However, the essence of Dao soldiers lies not in individual combat, but in coordinated attacks!"

The next moment, Li Mu raised his hand and made a sweeping gesture, and a vast array diagram appeared in the void. The array was divided into five poles, corresponding to the five elements, and contained the flow of yin and yang and the transformation of all things.

“This is the ‘Chaotic Five Elements Battle Formation’,” Li Mu continued. “Based on the five elements, it derives from the changes of chaos. Five people form a team, five teams form a squad, five squads form a camp… layer upon layer, with the formation’s power stacked. When the formation is complete, the energy is connected, the origin is shared, and it is embedded in the vast earth. Its attack is like a sudden thunderbolt, and its defense is as immovable as a mountain or sea.”

Lei Yan Daozu's purple eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "This formation... seems to have something in common with my Thunder Domain's 'Five Thunderbolts Formation'?"

“All paths originate from the same source.” Li Mu nodded and smiled. “This formation encompasses the changes of the five elements. All Dao soldiers from various regions can enter the formation and return to their respective positions according to their own Dao attribute: fire in the south, metal in the west, wood in the east, water in the north, and earth in the center. The five elements rotate, endlessly regenerating.”

The Crimson Sky Dao Ancestor's fiery eyes burned with concern as he asked, "How do we practice?"

"Imprint the array diagram upon you all." Li Mu flicked his sleeve, transmitting the array diagram to the Dao Ancestors, and instructed them: "From now on, you will use your domains as your base and practice on your own. A hundred years from now, you will combine your efforts to form the array. A thousand years from now! I will witness the array's completion!"

"Yes!"

The Dao Ancestors all became solemn and responded in unison.

Seeing this, Li Mu nodded in satisfaction, walked straight to the center of the platform and sat down, indicating, "Next, I will preach to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, clouds and mist arose around the platform, and the chaotic light of the Dao rose up like a lotus platform, making the entire platform look like a fairyland.

Xue'er, Xiao Jin, Mingyue, Tietou, Gu Xi, Haotian, Lei Yan, Qingyuan, and other Dao Ancestors sat in the inner circle, while the newly promoted Dao Ancestors sat in the outer circle, their auras as deep and concentrated as the sea.

"The word 'Dao' is profound and mysterious!" Li Mu said, his words resonating in the minds of every Dao Ancestor: "The Great Dao of Chaos encompasses everything, but its essence lies in 'evolution'."

Lei Yan Daozu's purple eyes narrowed: "Evolution?"

“In the beginning of chaos, the clear and the turbid separated, and the ‘mechanism of evolution’ within the chaos spontaneously began to move.” Li Mu raised his hand, and a gray vortex appeared in his palm. As the vortex spun, nebulae were created and destroyed within it, and the rudiments of mountains and rivers were revealed: “All things are born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence. This ‘non-existence’ is not emptiness, but the state before all things were distinguished, containing infinite possibilities for evolution.”

A thoughtful look flashed in Gu Xi Dao Zu Qing Hui's eyes: "Does the Dao Lord mean that Chaos is that 'undifferentiated state'?"

“Yes and no.” Li Mu shook his head and said, “Chaos is the source, the root, the mother that gives birth to all the Dao. Cultivating Chaos is not about forcibly absorbing all the Dao into oneself, but about using one’s own heart as a mirror to reflect the mechanism of Chaos’ evolution, and then resonating with the source veins of the vast earth to jointly develop the Great Dao.”

The Dao Ancestor Haotian's starry eyes lit up: "This is the 'Source of Evolution'?"

“Exactly.” Li Mu nodded and said, “You all cultivate your own Great Dao. Thunder, Weak Water, Crimson Flame, Life Force… all of them are paths that differentiated from Chaos. If you can trace back to the source, comprehend your own Dao’s ‘position’ in Chaos, and understand its evolutionary path, your path will naturally be broadened, and the bottleneck will also be loosened.”

Gu Xi Daozu seemed to have an epiphany: "The Way of Returning to the Source, which is to be hidden without being extinguished, is also a form of evolution?"

"Hiding is for accumulating strength, preparing to unleash it." Li Mu looked at Dao Ancestor Gu Xi and asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoist, is it a forced request that the 'Hidden Marrow Source Vein' naturally generated within the inner veins of the Hidden Domain over three hundred years?"

Gu Xi Daozu was taken aback and shook his head: "No, it is the source vein that is derived from itself."

“That is evolution,” Li Mu continued. “From now on, when you cultivate forests and nourish the source, you should always reflect on whether your actions are in accordance with the trend or against it.”

Li Mu continued, "At the beginning of evolution, there was also the distinction between existence and non-existence; this is the source of evolution..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the energy vortex in Li Mu's palm changed, transforming into an absolute "emptiness," devoid of light, color, sound, and breath.

“This is ‘nothingness’,” Li Mu said. “But is there truly nothing in this ‘nothingness’?”

Before the words were finished, a tiny glimmer of light suddenly burst forth from the void. The light exploded, separating into the pure and the impure, giving rise to the five elements... In an instant, a miniature world was created, grew, decayed, and returned to silence in his palm, before returning to nothingness.

"From nothing comes something, and something returns to nothing; this is the cycle of chaos." Li Mu's gaze swept over the assembled Dao Ancestors: "Your Dao Domains, your Realm Spirits, and yourselves are all 'beings' that evolved from this 'boundless chaos' of the Vast Land. Clinging to 'being' reveals limitations; understanding 'nothingness' reveals the origin. Being and nothingness give rise to each other, and the path of the Dao is eternal..."

Time passed slowly, and Li Mu's teachings became increasingly profound. He explained the Great Dao of Chaos, the evolution of all Daos, and the origin of the Dao principles in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

Li Mu's words of sermon were like the resounding tones of a great bell, causing the Dao Ancestors to tremble with emotion. Some Dao Ancestors understood and gained insights, while others frowned and looked bewildered... all kinds of reactions were observed.

With a smile on his face, Li Mu observed the reactions of each Dao Ancestor, and spoke more deeply to those who had the opportunity for enlightenment.

Xue'er is Li Mu's Daoist partner, so naturally he will give her special care. He specifically listed the Dao of Taiyin, the Dao of Ice, the Dao of Demonic Essence Transformation, and so on.

Xue'er's icy blue eyes grew brighter and brighter, and the Taiyin True Eye between her brows rotated on its own, reflecting the waxing and waning of the moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, and so on.

Soon, Xue'er murmured softly, as if she had come to a realization: "Taiyin, the waning moon is nothingness, the full moon is existence, the alternation of new and new moon is a sign of the evolution of chaos... Before, I only grasped the coldness of 'existence', but forgot the inclusiveness of 'nothingness'."

With a "buzz!" sound,
Behind Xue'er, the icy blue ancestral tree Dharma image suddenly unfolded, and the moonlight Dao pattern on the branch suddenly expanded, transforming into a perfect bright moon phantom. Its clear light shone down, and in the thousand miles of frozen land, a trace of warmth arose, and greenery appeared hidden beneath the ice.

Behind Xue'er, the nine tails turned completely silver-white, each fox fur flowing with moonlight. In the depths of the Taiyin True Eye between her brows, next to the shrunken bright moon, a faint crescent moon appeared—the appearance of a waning moon!
The true essence of the Moon is that perfection and imperfection coexist, and coldness and gentleness are intertwined.

Xue'er's aura rose steadily, and the barrier of the mid-stage of Dao Integration shattered like paper. She stepped into the late stage of Dao Integration, and the Taiyin Domain naturally unfolded, with ice plains and snow-capped mountains, moonlit springs and other wonders coexisting within, creating a magnificent spectacle.

……

Upon seeing this, Dao Ancestor Gu Xi, Dao Ancestor Hao Tian, ​​Dao Ancestor Lei Yan, and others all turned their heads to look at him with envy.

Suddenly, the Azure Origin Dao Ancestor's emerald eyes shone brightly, as if he had just realized something, and he said: "I control the life force and have always been wary of death energy. However, life and death are a cycle... The wonder of 'nothingness' lies in breaking free from attachments!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Azure Origin Dao Ancestor's body shimmered with azure light, and suddenly a wisp of deathly gray energy emerged. The deathly energy intertwined with the vitality, condensing into a black and white Dao pattern, which was imprinted into the trunk of the Ancestral Tree. The Myriad Spirits Ancestral Tree hummed, and at the same time, signs of vitality and decay burst forth among its branches and leaves, causing its aura to surge.

"Thank you for your guidance, Dao Master!" Dao Ancestor Qingyuan bowed deeply to Li Mu in gratitude.

Suddenly, Daoist Yeyan burst into laughter: "I have been trapped in a nightmare illusion for a long time, always trying to use illusion to counter illusion, but I did not know that 'no illusion' is the truth!"

The next moment, the illusory light in the eyes of the Nightmare Dao Ancestor dissipated, turning into a clear and bright state. The illusory image of the Nightmare Ancestral Tree behind him suddenly solidified by three-tenths, breaking through to the peak of the Dao Integration stage.

……

Five years have passed since I began preaching.

As the Crimson Sky Dao Ancestor opened his eyes, nine illusory suns appeared behind his head. They were no longer scorching hot, but instead radiated a warm glow, like the first rays of dawn.

"The Way of Burning the World also has profound secrets!" Dao Ancestor Chixiao murmured, a wisp of flame flickering at his fingertip, within which scenes of sprouting grass and babbling mountain springs appeared: "Fire can burn the world, but it can also warm the earth and bring spring. In the past, I only cultivated half of the Great Way of Burning the World!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the nine blazing suns merged into one, transforming into a single, warm, crimson-gold sun that hung above the fiery hell.

In the barren land, red crystals broke through the soil, and within the crystals, wisps of spiritual flames emerged, gradually transforming the fiery hell into a "warm ruin."

The Heavenly Demon Ancestor witnessed this scene, his blood-red eyes flashing.

"Blood Fiend can only be used to refine ferocity?" The Heavenly Demon Dao Ancestor lightly tapped the throne with his bone claws, and the churning blood mist around him suddenly condensed, transforming into countless crimson petals that fluttered down.

When the petals touched the demon cultivator in the Blood Forest, the violent aura within the demon cultivator gradually dissipated, the bloodlust in his eyes faded, and a clear light appeared.

“Nourish the spirit with evil, feed life with blood…this path may be even longer.”

The celestial demon's aura was deep and serene, and the ancestral tree's dharma image behind it retracted its ferocious bone wings, which were covered with a layer of dark red downy feathers.

……

Li Mu preached for the eighth year.

The ancestors of Chenguang, Minggu, Jinxi, and Wenhuang each gained something: some starlight softened, illuminating the dark realm; some bones grew flesh, bringing life from the dead; some sword intent was sheathed, its sharpness concealed; some poisonous mist transformed into rain, bringing spring to the eroded places...

All paths lead to different destinations, but all trace back a portion of the primordial chaos.

In the ninth year of preaching, Little Gold's golden ape body, which had been still for nine years, suddenly stirred. (End of Chapter)