Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

As the Daoist chanting subsided, the chaotic Dao essence returned to Li Mu's body, and the sermon came to an end.

The Starry Sky Platform remained silent for three breaths.

Suddenly, a bolt of purple lightning shot into the sky, and the trunk of a newly established Thunder Ancestral Tree cracked open with seven lightning patterns. The tree crown exploded with lightning flowers all over the sky. Under the tree, an old man in purple robes roared and broke through the air, his aura fiercely breaking through the early stage of the Dao Integration stage!

Immediately afterwards, radiant light soared into the sky from all parts of the Forest of Ten Thousand Ancestors, including the Western Regions, Southern Regions, and Northern Regions.

The newly established ancestral trees trembled violently, the Dao patterns on their trunks spread wildly, the Dao fruits on their branches solidified, and the Dao light in their canopies intertwined into a sea.

Beneath the ancestral tree, the Dao Ancestors either roared to the sky or sat cross-legged in deep concentration, their auras rising steadily. The sounds of breaking through realms—early, middle, and late stages of Dao Integration—were continuous and echoed throughout the vast land.

“Thousands of Dao Ancestors broke through to the next realm at the same time!” Dao Ancestor Gu Xi exclaimed excitedly, “The Dao Lord’s sermon resonated with the very origin of the vast land. Such a phenomenon is unprecedented in history.”

Dao Ancestor Haotian agreed, exclaiming, "The Great Dao of Chaos is indeed profound. The Dao Master spent ten years expounding the Dao to us, saving all cultivators a thousand years of arduous work!"

"Yes! Dao Master, you've worked hard!" Dao Ancestor Lei Yan nodded happily, looking at Li Mu with immense gratitude.

"Dao Ancestor, you've worked hard!"

……

The other Dao Ancestors looked at Li Mu, paid their respects in unison, and expressed their gratitude.

Li Mu smiled, unconcerned, and glanced at the various domains before nodding slightly.

This sermon has stirred the chaotic will to unite with the primordial veins of the vast land, and through the spiritual network of the primordial veins, the Dao intent has been precisely transferred into the foundation of each ancestral tree. It is only natural that they have gained something from it.

As the ancestral tree's advancement surged, the very origin of the vast land boiled, the flow of primordial energy accelerated by three times, and the Daoist rhyme between heaven and earth became as rich as a tangible drizzle, sprinkling across the vast land.

Li Mu's gaze swept over the ancestors, and he nodded, saying, "Today's lecture has come to this point, and all of you fellow Daoists have gained some insights, which is excellent! The time for ten thousand years is still ahead, and external threats have not yet been eliminated. I hope that you will all diligently cultivate without ceasing, hone your Dao soldiers, and consolidate the foundation of our vast land."

After speaking, Li Mu's figure gradually dissipated, transforming into billions of chaotic streams of energy that merged into the Origin Vein Spirit Network, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

"Respectfully seeing off the Dao Master!"

The Dao Ancestors bowed and saw them off, watching the chaotic energy dissipate, their eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

Time flies.

Three hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Three hundred million miles to the east of the Starry Dao Platform, a vast martial arts arena was created out of thin air. The arena stretches for millions of miles, with the five elements Dao patterns imprinted on the ground. At each of the five extreme directions stands a thousand-foot array stele, its body swirling with gray and chaotic energy.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The war drums thundered like lightning, and 100,000 soldiers were divided into five divisions, clad in armor and armed with weapons, standing solemnly at the five corners of the land.

Xue'er, her silver hair flying, stood atop the Northern Water Extreme Array Stele, with five thousand Dao soldiers behind her all covered in ice armor, their auras as cold as an abyss.

Xiao Jin guarded the Western Golden Stele, his crimson-gold battle body as solid as a mountain, while below him, five thousand war apes held spears and shields, their murderous aura gathering like clouds.

Iron Head treads on the Southern Fire Stele, the Fire Dao Soldiers are engulfed in flames; Bright Moon sits on the Central Earth Stele, the Puppet-Patterned Dao Soldiers arrayed like a forest; Qingyuan Dao Ancestor personally leads the Wood-type Dao Soldiers, standing on the Eastern Wood Stele, full of vitality.

Fifteen peak Dao Ancestors, including Gu Xi, Hao Tian, ​​Lei Yan, Chi Xiao, and Tian Yao, watched the ceremony from the air, their expressions solemn.

"Activate the formation!"

With a sharp shout, Xue'er activated her Taiyin True Eyes and caused the Water Extreme Array Stele beneath her feet to bloom.

Five thousand ice-armored soldiers took a step in unison, and the chilling aura soared into the sky, condensing into a ten-thousand-foot-long phantom of an ice dragon, its head held high and its scales covered with frost patterns.

"Golden Extreme, rise!" Little Gold roared, raising its head.

The golden stele of the Western Pole resounded with a clanging sound, and five thousand war apes roared in unison, their fighting spirit coalescing into a giant crimson-gold axe, its blade cleaving through the void.

"Fire reaches its extreme, then ignite!"

"Earth's extreme, suppress!"

"Wood at its extreme, life begins!"

Three steles resounded in unison, a phoenix spread its wings, mountains took shape, and green vines entwined the sky... Five extraordinary phenomena appeared in the sky, and the Taoist charm intertwined like a net.

"The five elements revolve, and chaos returns to one!"

The five Dao soldiers simultaneously changed formation, their footsteps thunderous, their formation power converging wildly along the Dao patterns on the ground. An ice dragon roared, a giant axe cleaved the air, a fire phoenix flapped its wings, mountains collapsed, and green vines spread—the five powerful formation forces merged with a deafening roar in the center of the training ground!
A deafening boom!
A hazy, chaotic pillar of light shot into the sky, its thickness exceeding a thousand miles. Within it, the five elements were born and destroyed, and all things were created and generated. The oppressive aura emanating from it caused all the ancestors watching the ceremony to change color.

"It actually possesses the power of the Dao Transformation Realm!" Dao Ancestor Lei Yan exclaimed, his purple eyes wide open. "This attack is no weaker than the full strength of an early-stage Dao Transformation Realm cultivator!"

Dao Ancestor Chixiao's eyes blazed with excitement as he exclaimed, "Ten thousand Dao-cultivating cultivators working together have actually reached this level...!"

The chaotic pillar of light lasted for a hundred breaths before slowly dissipating.

On the training ground, the aura of the 100,000 Dao soldiers appeared somewhat weak, their Dao light intertwined.

The void rippled slightly, and Li Mu's figure materialized from the chaotic air currents.

"Greetings, Lord Dao!"

One hundred thousand Dao soldiers knelt on one knee, remaining silent. When the Dao Ancestors saw him, they greeted him in unison.

"No need for formalities!"

Li Mu smiled slightly, greeted them, and looked at the 100,000 Dao soldiers, saying with satisfaction, "You have worked hard. After three hundred years of tempering, the formation is complete. However, the attack just now consumed nearly half of your essence. If you encounter a real battle, you must fight quickly and decisively."

Xue'er flew forward and asked with concern, "Brother Li, how many attacks can this formation withstand at its limit?"

“At its peak, three strikes.” Li Mu said, “After three strikes, the formation will collapse and require three days to recover; therefore, in battle, we should seize the opportunity to strike, and each strike will be sure to hit.”

Xiao Jin asked with concern, "Master, what if we encounter someone in the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm..."

"It can injure, but it's hard to kill." Li Mu said frankly: "The origin of the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm is profound and the Dao is perfect. Even if it is injured, it can recover in an instant. The purpose of this formation is to defend against the origin of the Vast Earth and to buy you a chance to win the battle."

Gu Xi Daozu stroked his beard and said, "With this formation in place, we are already capable of fighting against ordinary Dao Transformation cultivators."

The Dao Ancestor Haotian's starry eyes flickered as he asked with concern, "Dao Master, could this formation be set up at the border of Haotu?"

“Alright.” Li Mu flicked his sleeve, and five gray array seeds floated toward Xue’er, Xiao Jin, Tie Tou, Ming Yue, and Qing Yuan: “These are the ‘Five Elements Array Pivots.’ After refining them, array foundations can be laid at the five extremes of the vast land to connect with the earth veins and form the ‘Great Chaos Array of the Five Elements of the Heavenly Realm.’ On the day the array is completed, the boundaries of the vast land will be as solid as a rock, and even the Daoist realm will find it difficult to break through.”

The five men took the array and responded in unison.

Li Mu turned his gaze to the assembled ancestors and gestured, "The Dao soldiers are now complete, and the array cores have been given. Over the next thousand years, they will need to be diligently trained and their array transformations refined. Resources from all domains should be prioritized for the Dao soldiers' nurturing, and efforts should also be made to expand their numbers."

"I will obey your command!"

The ancestors bowed and accepted the order.

Three hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.

At the Starry Dao Platform, all the ancestors gathered once more.

Li Mu appeared in the center of the platform, his body enveloped in chaotic Dao energy. Dao Ancestor Gu Xi was the first to stand up and gestured, "Dao Master, I will now demonstrate the effects of practicing the Void Source Absorption Technique."

After speaking, Gu Xi Dao Zu formed a hand seal, and the Daoist rhyme of Gui Cang surged from between his eyebrows, transforming into countless fine threads of clear light that pierced into the void. The threads trembled, and faint wisps of gray-black energy could be seen being pulled out from the depths of the void, incorporated into the trillions of Dao leaves of the Gu Xi Dao Tree, and then along the main trunk and roots into the source vein beneath his feet.

"This method can indeed greatly increase the absorption of the vast earth's source energy!" Dao Ancestor Haotian exclaimed.

Dao Ancestor Lei Yan exclaimed with delight, "Such results have been achieved in just three hundred years! With the simultaneous application of ten thousand Dao Trees, the origin of this vast land will surely be restored within ten thousand years!"

Gu Xi Daozu smiled slightly and gestured, "The primordial energy in the void is as thin as dust and needs to be carefully sifted and filtered with Daoist thought. After three hundred years of inhalation and exhalation, the primordial energy of the Guicang Domain has increased by half a percent, and the flow of primordial energy has become faster."

The Azure Origin Dao Ancestor, his azure light swirling, looked at Li Mu and gestured, "Dao Master, I have also gained something."

After speaking, Dao Ancestor Qingyuan raised his palm and pressed down, causing the roots of the Myriad Spirits Ancestral Tree to break through the soil and thousands of jade tentacles to probe into the void. As they stirred rapidly, specks of shimmering green light fragments emerged from the void, merging into the roots and nourishing the ancestral tree. New buds bloomed one after another on the branches, and the vitality and Daoist charm became three times stronger.

"Good!" Li Mu nodded and praised, "This method can indeed greatly replenish the essence of the vast land!"

Next, the ancestors Chenguang, Minggu, Jinxi, Wenhuang, and Xuansha demonstrated their abilities one after another, using starlight to guide the light fragments of the void, refining death energy from bones as a source, extracting gold essence with sword intent, and transforming poisonous mist into life rain... Each displayed their abilities, and the origin of the vast land increased.

Li Mu observed for a moment, then nodded in praise: "Excellent. Such progress in just three hundred years; after ten thousand years, the original source of this vast land will surely be restored."

After a pause, Li Mu pondered and said, "However, the Void Source Absorption is ultimately a slow and steady process. If we want to quickly replenish the source, we need to find another method."

Gu Xi Daozu was slightly taken aback, and asked with concern, "What does the Dao Master mean...?"

“Among all the heavens and myriad realms, there are many with abundant origins.” Li Mu said calmly, “If you wish to quickly build up your vast land, you may… draw upon the source veins of other realms.”

The faces of all the ancestors changed.

Lei Yan Dao Ancestor said urgently, "Dao Master, this action may alert the Dao Transformation cultivators from other realms!"

“Therefore, we must plan carefully before we act.” Li Mu conjured a star map, on which several points of light were marked: “Eastern Purple Cloud, Northwestern Cold Desolation, Southern Blazing Glory… These vast lands all have thick origins and their domains are heavily fortified. They are guarded by Dao Transformation experts, and it is not easy to take them by force. We must wait for the right opportunity to act.”

Haotian Daozu pondered: "Has the Dao Lord already made a plan?"

"Within three thousand years, proceed step by step, nurturing the forest and nourishing the source." Li Mu flicked his sleeve, and the star map dissipated. He gestured and said, "Three thousand years later, if the source of the vast land has recovered to seventy percent, we can plan the 'Void Source Hunting' project. At that time, I will personally go beyond the boundary to investigate its true nature."

The ancestors looked at each other and saw the solemnity in each other's eyes.

As Li Mu's breath faded, he left behind his last words, indicating, "Everyone, return to your respective domains and continue your cultivation. This matter will be discussed again in three thousand years."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mu dispersed into chaotic energy and returned to the Myriad Dao Source Sea.

After watching Li Mu leave, the Starry Sky Dao Platform fell silent for a moment. The Dao Ancestors looked at each other and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, Dao Ancestor Chixiao's fiery eyes flashed, and he sighed, "Void Hunting Source... this is like snatching food from a tiger's mouth."

The Heavenly Demon Ancestor's blood-red eyes coldly said, "It is inherently a world where the strong prey on the weak. When the Vast Land is weak, they are eyeing it covetously; when the Vast Land is strong, it should naturally give back to us!"

Gu Xi Dao Zu sighed and said, "Since the Dao Lord has this intention, he must have weighed the pros and cons. We should follow his orders and prioritize the expansion of the vast land."

Upon hearing this, the Dao Ancestors all nodded and departed one after another.

Li Mu returned to the Sea of ​​Myriad Paths, sat cross-legged in the void, and his chaotic will rippled outwards, resonating with the spiritual network of source veins covering the vast land.

"Void Source Hunting!"

Li Mu slightly closed his eyes, and his chaotic will extended along the spiritual network to the four extremes of the vast land.

The eastern sky shone brightly like the sun, the northwest was cold and desolate like a tomb, and the south was blazing and scorching like a furnace... The outlines of the vast heavens and earth faintly emerged in my will, separated by endless void turbulence, and the source energy was as thin as mist.

Li Mu's chaotic divine consciousness transformed into a wisp of tendril, scanning the void at the edge of the vast land again and again, searching for the source of nothingness and the source of the void.

Suddenly, in the deep void of the Northwest Pole, Li Mu discovered a barely perceptible "ripple" that his chaotic will had captured.

"Hmm?" Li Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, his will focused like a needle, piercing that area.

A rift hidden in the folds of the void, about a thousand miles long and only a few dozen miles wide, with twisted and uncertain edges, is pitch black inside. It faintly emits a strange and ancient Daoist aura, which is different from the known vast lands such as Zixiao and Lengyou.

Li Mu murmured in surprise, "A new crack? Or... a recurrence of an old wound?"

The next moment, Li Mu had a thought, and a wisp of chaotic spirit flew out from between his eyebrows, instantly transforming into a chaotic clone phantom, appearing at the edge of the rift.

The rift spews chaotic void currents, its inner aura obscure and difficult to discern, revealing a sense of decay, death, and desolation.

After a moment's thought, Li Mu sent a wisp of chaotic divine thought into the rift, probing far into the crack.

Spacetime is distorted deep within the rift, and turbulent currents are like knives.

With his powerful chaotic divine sense, Li Mu charged left and right, continuously delving deeper into the source of that unfamiliar Daoist aura.

Thousands of miles, tens of thousands of miles, hundreds of millions of miles... After traveling for half a day, the road ahead suddenly opened up!

A vast, boundless void unfolded before my eyes—no stars, no light source, only an endless expanse of "wreckage".

It was the 'remains' of a vast land.

The vast land crumbled into countless fragments, suspended in the void. The surfaces of the fragments were charred black, mountains and rivers were upside down, seas and rivers dried up, and the source veins were exposed like withered bones. The source energy dissipated, leaving only wisps of the "ancient origin" floating among the fragments like fireflies.

This vast land is completely 'dead'.

Li Mu divided his mind and condensed his form, standing on a thousand-mile-long fragment of rock. Beneath his feet was solidified lava, and the remnants of an ancient Dao source could be vaguely seen deep within the cracks.

“The remnants of the Dao source… at least at the level of the Dao Integration stage.”

Li Mu bent down, his fingertips touching a remnant of the source, and absorbed it into his sea of ​​consciousness.

With a "boom," a wave of regret surged forth!

The shattered scene exploded in my mind: the sky cracked, the earth erupted in flames, billions of living beings wailed and were annihilated, and a blurry figure that stood tall and upright roared to the sky, its laws collapsing inch by inch...

"Calamity! No, it's not calamity!"

Amidst the lingering regrets and chaotic roars, silence quickly descended.

Li Mu withdrew his finger, his expression grave.

The destruction of this vast land was not caused by external forces, nor by natural decay, but rather by an internal "collapse," like a chain reaction of annihilation triggered by the collapse of the foundation of the Dao.

"Beyond the Dao? The Calamity of Dao Collapse?"

Li Mu frowned, gazing into the depths of the void. Those drifting ancient origins were now ownerless, containing immense source power. If he could absorb it, it would be enough to thicken the earth's veins by 30%.

However, this vast dead zone, apart from the remains and the origin, has no trace of life, not even a trace of a remnant soul or a wisp of obsession.

It was spotless, as if it had been completely "erased".

Li Mu's attention was diverted as he moved among the fragments, examining dozens of ruins. He found that all of them were the same: the source veins were completely depleted, the source cores were shattered, and only those ancient origins were like rootless duckweed, drifting aimlessly.

"Strange! Absolutely strange!"

Li Mu's attention returned to his body, hesitating whether to incorporate this vast land's 'remains' into his collection. (End of Chapter)