Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

Deep within the myriad Dao Source Sea, a hazy, gray Dao light enveloped Li Mu like a cocoon.

Gu Xi, Hao Tian, ​​Lei Yan, and the other Dao Ancestors held their breath and dared not make the slightest sound, lest they disturb Li Mu's breakthrough.

Time flies, and ten days have passed.

The Cocoon of Chaos shattered, and Li Mu opened his eyes and awoke. The chaotic star vortex in his eyes was as deep as an abyss, and within it seemed to contain the cycle of birth and death of countless worlds. His aura was several times more powerful than before.

"Congratulations, Dao Master, on achieving the mid-stage of the Dao Transformation Realm!"

All the Daoist masters were overjoyed and bowed to offer their congratulations, their happiness overflowing.

With Li Mu's breakthrough, they clearly sensed the changes in the Vast Land. The Origin Qi had become several times purer, which was also a great benefit to their Dao-Merging Ancestral Tree rooted in the Vast Land. Now, they were in a relationship where they would prosper together and suffer together.

"Thank you all for protecting me!"

Li Mu smiled slightly, then closed his eyes to sense the connection with the vast land. The source vein spiritual network extended like blood vessels, and the breath of each ancestral tree in the Forest of Ten Thousand Ancestors and the flow of wisps of source qi were reflected in his heart.

not only that.

Deep within the vast land, the "source marrow layer," which had been deposited for hundreds of millions of years and had never been touched even by the old master, was now clearly visible. The source marrow, like milky white liquid, flowed quietly in the core of the vast land, and its essence was hundreds of times more profound than that of the surface source veins.

"The depth of this land's history is far greater than I realize!"

Li Mu opened his eyes and woke up, a smile appearing on his lips as he said with satisfaction.

Upon hearing this, all the Dao Ancestors were taken aback, not understanding its meaning.

Li Mu raised his hand and pressed down, causing the myriad primordial seas to roar and the primordial energy to surge rapidly, revealing the layers of crystallized primordial veins below. Deep within these veins, strands of milky white light were forcibly drawn out of the earth.

One by one, milky-white crystal nuclei the size of an infant's fist precipitated from the source marrow layer and floated above the source sea.

The crystal core is lustrous and warm, with natural Dao patterns imprinted on its surface, some like flames, some like water ripples, and some like thunder patterns, all of which subtly echo the Great Dao cultivated by the Dao Ancestors of various realms.

Gu Xi Dao Zu stared at the crystal cores and asked in surprise, "Dao Master, what are these...?"

“This is something that has been condensed over billions of years in the vast land, and has settled in the source marrow layer to this day, forming this thing.” Li Mu raised his hand and gestured, and the crystal core gathered like stars, hovering above his palm, indicating that it could be called the ‘Source Qi Dao Crystal’. It contains pure source essence and carries a wisp of the true meaning of the Great Dao. If a Dao Integration cultivator can refine it, it can help him break through his bottleneck.

Lei Yan Dao Ancestor's purple eyes widened, and he asked with delight, "Can it break through the bottleneck? Dao Master, could this item help someone advance from the early stage of Dao Integration to the middle stage?"

“That’s right!” Li Mu looked at Dao Ancestor Lei Yan and nodded, “One is enough for those below the mid-stage of the Dao Integration Realm. But for those in the late stage, this item might not be enough.”

Qingyuan Daozu Bi exclaimed excitedly, "There are currently over seven thousand newly promoted Dao Integration cultivators in the Vast Land, and most of them are stuck in the early stages. If we had this item..."

Li Mu flicked his finger, and the crystal core transformed into streams of light, flying towards the Dao Ancestors, indicating:

"Distribute them. Each of you who overthrow the Dao Domain shall receive two hundred. The remainder shall be given to Xue'er, Xiao Jin, and other mid-stage Dao Integration Ancestors, who shall distribute them as appropriate to the newly promoted Dao Integration cultivators in each domain."

The ancestors received the crystal core, scanned it with their divine senses, and sensed the vast origin and profound Daoist charm within. Their faces lit up with joy.

Gu Xi Dao Zu cupped his hands and asked, "Dao Master, is this item easy to refine? Can it be produced in the future?"

“The source marrow layer is still thick, and another batch can be conceived within a thousand years.” Li Mu looked into the depths of the source sea and frowned. “However, the source marrow is the foundation of the vast land. We cannot exhaust the resources. It can only be extracted once every thousand years, and each time it can only yield a thousand pieces.”

Haotian Daozu calculated with his fingers and said happily, "A thousand in a thousand years, ten thousand in ten thousand years... that's enough."

Dao Ancestor Chenguang pondered and said, "Dao Master, there should be rules for distributing the crystal cores. Who gets them first, who gets them later, and if disputes arise..."

"Establish a 'Book of Merits' on the Starry Sky Dao Platform." Li Mu looked at Dao Ancestor Haotian and gestured, "From now on, all Dao Ancestors and Dao Integration cultivators from various domains who contribute to the Vast Land will have their merits recorded. Crystal cores, secret techniques, and Dao soldiers quotas will all be exchanged for merits."

The Dao Ancestor Haotian's starry eyes lit up: "This method is fair."

Lei Yan Daozu grinned and said, "Then I must have made quite a few contributions over the years in training Dao soldiers and guarding the Thunder Domain."

Li Mu smiled slightly, flicked his sleeve, and several streaks of gray light entered the brows of the Dao Ancestors.

"This is the 'Book of Merits' mark, which can record the merits of all realms and calculate them independently. You may return now and spread the word to all realms: Within a thousand years, a second batch of Dao Integration cultivators will be born in the Vast Land."

The five patriarchs responded in unison, bowed, and took their leave.

……

Starry Sky Platform.

The news of the establishment of the merit register spread like wildfire throughout the lands.

Upon returning to Thunder Pool, Dao Ancestor Lei Yan immediately summoned his elite Thunder Dao cultivators. They stood at the edge of Thunder Pool, each with a deep and concentrated aura. Most of them were at the peak of Dao attainment, while many were stuck at the early stage of Dao integration, working together to refine the Thunder Dao Ancestor Tree.

"This item is called Origin Qi Dao Crystal." Dao Ancestor Lei Yan held up a crystal core, with lightning patterns faintly appearing within it, resonating with the lightning path he cultivated. He solemnly introduced it, "Refining one can help you advance to the Dao Integration stage, or even break through the initial barrier of the Dao Integration stage and directly enter the middle stage."

In an instant, the gazes of all the thunder cultivators became fervent.

Lei Yan Dao Ancestor's purple eyes swept over the crowd, and he said in a deep voice: "The Book of Merit has been established. From now on, only those who contribute to the Vast Land and make contributions to the Dao Domain can obtain this item. If you are interested, go to the Starry Dao Platform to receive a mission—patrolling the border, tempering Dao soldiers, cultivating ancestral trees, and deducing formations will all earn you merit."

A purple-robed thunder cultivator stepped forward: "May I ask, Ancestor, how many merits are required for one crystal core?"

"Tentatively set at 30,000," said Dao Ancestor Lei Yan. "Ordinary missions yield 30 to 50 merit points per mission. Once you accumulate 30,000, you can exchange them."

The cultivators below looked on with burning desire, eagerly accepting tasks from Dao Ancestor Lei Yan.

Western Vajra Domain.

Xiao Jin sat cross-legged beneath the Crimson Gold Ancestral Tree, with thirty crystal cores piled up in front of him. The crystal cores were dark gold in color and contained the sharp edge of the battle path.

"Master said this item can help one break through to the Dao Integration Realm." Little Gold's voice boomed like thunder as he glared at the elite war apes below: "You have fought alongside me for many years and have earned countless merits. However, let me make this clear—after refining it, you must hone your skills in the Void Battlefield for a hundred years to solidify your Dao foundation. Anyone who dares to slack off will be dealt with by me personally!"

The elite warrior apes roared in unison, their fighting spirit soaring to the heavens.

……

A thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the Daoist principles have soared to the heavens across the vast land.

Deep within the Ice Fox Domain, a beam of cold moonlight shot into the sky, its illusory image covering a thousand miles of territory. Within it, the illusory image of an ice-blue ancestral tree swayed, its aura rising steadily.

Xue'er opened her eyes, and in the depths of her Taiyin True Eye between her brows, the image of a waning moon and a full moon stood side by side, with coldness and warmth coexisting.

"Peak of the Dao Integration Realm." Xue'er murmured softly, sensing the surging source within her body: "Three crystal cores, saving me three thousand years of arduous cultivation."

In the Western Vajra Domain, a burst of crimson-gold battle energy exploded outwards. The ten-thousand-foot-tall golden ape body shattered the void, and natural battle patterns spread across its entire body, condensing into a crimson-gold battle armor.

"Peak of the Dao Integration Realm! I've finally caught up with those old geezers!"

Iron Head sat cross-legged beneath the Fire Ancestral Tree, his crimson flames contained within, while a wisp of white flame leaped at the heart of the flames, burning away all things yet containing the potential for new life. He opened his eyes and grinned: "The crystal core bestowed by Master is truly effective."

Mingyue sat regally at the core of the Myriad Manifestations Puppet Realm, a sea of ​​data surging, puppet patterns spreading throughout the entire realm. She raised her hand and gestured, and millions of puppet soldiers moved in unison, their formation as one.

Lin Xiaolun, Da Niu, Er Hu... more than half of the six hundred disciples have entered the late stage of the Dao Integration Realm, and the rest have also stabilized in the middle stage. On the Star Evolution Dao Platform, the five ancestors Gu Xi, Hao Tian, ​​Lei Yan, Qing Yuan, and Chen Guang stood side by side, their divine senses sweeping across the various domains.

"Over the past thousand years, there have been 437 people at the mid-stage of the Dao Integration Realm." Dao Ancestor Haotian counted with his fingers and said excitedly, "Adding the original thousand or so, the total number of people at the mid-stage of the Dao Integration Realm in Haotian has exceeded five thousand."

Gu Xi Daozu stroked his beard and laughed, "Five thousand mid-stage Dao Integration cultivators, the Forest of Ten Thousand Ancestors, the Chaos Array, one hundred thousand Dao Soldiers, a million elite troops... the grandeur of this land is incomparable to that of a thousand years ago."

Lei Yan Daozu, his purple lightning flashing, grinned and said, "If that old man Ziji comes again, I'll make him suffer a great loss!"

Ancestor Chenguang gazed into the depths of the void and pondered, "The ten-thousand-year period still has five thousand years left. The Purple Heaven Vast Land will probably not be idle either."

Qingyuan Daozu nodded: "Before the Dao Master went into seclusion, he said that once the second batch of Dao Integration was completed, he would plan the matter of hunting for Void Sources."

As they were speaking, a gray beam of light shot into the sky from the direction of the Myriad Origin Sea, instantly enveloping the entire vast land.

Its Daoist intent is gentle, containing boundless primordial chaos and true meaning.

All the Dao Ancestors looked up and sensed the Dao aura emanating from that light—the perfected mid-stage of the Dao Transformation realm, only a hair's breadth away from the late stage.

"The Dao Lord has emerged from seclusion!"

As soon as Gu Xi Daozu finished speaking, Li Mu's figure materialized from the chaotic Dao light and landed in the center of the Star Evolution Dao Platform.

He still wore the same green robe, his eyes held a deep, chaotic star vortex, and his aura was even more profound and serene than it had been a thousand years ago, a return to simplicity and authenticity.

All the ancestors bowed in unison: "Welcome, Dao Master."

Li Mu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the various domains, taking in the auras of all the Dao Ancestors in the Forest of Ten Thousand Ancestors.

"A thousand years of effort have not failed to live up to expectations." Li Mu looked at Gu Xi, the Dao Ancestor of Haotian, and asked, "How many crystal cores are left?"

Dao Ancestor Haotian hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Dao Master, a total of 870 crystal cores have been distributed over the past thousand years, with the remaining 130 stored in the Star Evolution Dao Platform Merit Treasury."

“Good.” Li Mu raised his hand, and a star map appeared in his palm. Several points of light were marked on the map. The east was bright and purple like the sun, the northwest was cold and desolate like a tomb, the south was blazing and burning like a furnace, and there were several dim points of light scattered in the depths of the void turbulence.

"Half of the ten thousand years have passed. The origin of the vast land has recovered to seventy percent, and the Forest of Ten Thousand Ancestors has been initially restored. We are now ready for battle." Li Mu pointed to the dim spots of light and said, "These are small source veins that wander in the void. They are ownerless and can be hunted."

Gu Xi Daozu frowned slightly: "Dao Master, although these source veins are ownerless, they are close to the borders of the Zixiao and Lengyou domains. If we take action, we may arouse suspicion."

“Therefore, we must act quickly.” Li Mu looked at the three ancestors, Lei Yan, Qing Yuan, and Chen Guang, and gestured, “The three of you should each lead three thousand Dao soldiers, divide into three groups, and attack at the same time. Each group should hunt for the source veins for no more than ten days, and then retreat once they have succeeded.”

Lei Yan Daozu's purple eyes lit up, but he also asked with some worry, "Dao Master, what if we encounter Zixiao's obstruction?"

"I will personally oversee the operation." Li Mu's eyes swirled with chaotic starlight as he said in a deep voice, "If Zi Ji comes, I will block him. You all just focus on hunting for the source."

After a moment's thought, Dao Ancestor Haotian suggested, "Dao Master, it's not easy to coordinate three routes simultaneously. Could we use the Star Evolution Array as the central hub to transmit messages to all routes?"

“Alright.” Li Mu flicked his finger, and three gray jade slips flew toward Lei Yan, Qing Yuan, and Chen Guang. “These are ‘Chaos Communication Talismans.’ After refining them, they can be used to transmit thoughts instantly within a range of ten thousand miles. If there are any changes in the three routes, a message can be sent immediately.”

The three patriarchs accepted the jade slip and responded in unison.

Gu Xi Dao Zu cupped his hands and asked, "Dao Master, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Fellow Daoist Gu Xi, you are stationed at the Star Evolution Platform, in charge of the Zhou Tian Chaos Array." Li Mu pondered for a moment and instructed, "If I encounter a powerful enemy outside, you can mobilize the array to provide remote support."

Gu Xi solemnly replied, "I obey the command of the Lord."

Li Mu's gaze fell upon the various domains of the Vast Land, and his Dao voice resounded throughout the two thousand Dao Integration Realm cultivators and one hundred thousand Dao soldiers: "Three days later, the three domains of Lei Yan, Qing Yuan, and Chen Guang will each select three thousand Dao soldiers to accompany me to hunt for Origins in the Void. The rest will remain in their respective domains and await good news."

"As the Lord commands!"

All the Daoist patriarchs responded in unison, their voices resounding across the vast land.

Three days later.

At the Starry Dao Platform, nine thousand Dao soldiers were arrayed in the Five Extremes, their icy armor chilling the air, their crimson flames scorching the sky, their golden spears splitting the clouds, their puppet patterns flowing, and their green vines entwining the heavens.

Li Mu, his green robe fluttering, stood at the heart of the formation.

"Divide into three routes: Lei Yan will advance eastward, Qing Yuan will head south, and Chen Guang will explore westward." Li Mu glanced at the three ancestors and instructed, "Ten days is the limit. Send a message immediately if any danger arises."

The three patriarchs responded in unison.

With a single scroll of purple lightning, Dao Ancestor Lei Yan sent three thousand Thunder Department soldiers into the air, whereupon they vanished.

The Azure Primordial Dao Ancestor shimmered with azure light, and three thousand wood-element Dao soldiers followed closely behind, disappearing into the void.

The Dao Ancestor Chenguang shone brightly, and his three thousand light-attribute Dao soldiers vanished in an instant, like the sun piercing through the clouds.

Li Mu's figure faded away, and a wisp of chaotic will dispersed into the void, enveloping the three paths.

……

Deep in the void, shattered stars float, and turbulent currents are like knives.

After leading his followers on a swift journey of a hundred days, a magnificent source vein suddenly appeared ahead. The source vein was over ten million miles thick, stretching across the void, with faint fluctuations of source energy flowing across its surface.

"Found it!" Dao Ancestor Lei Yan's purple eyes lit up, and he unleashed his Thunder Dao Domain, ordering, "Set up the Five Thunder Strike Formation, refine it!"

Three thousand lightning cultivators moved in unison, their lightning patterns weaving into a net that enveloped the drifting source vein.

Purple lightning surged down like a tide, peeling away the surface layer of the source vein inch by inch, revealing the crystal-clear, pure source energy inside.

With a "hiss" sound,
Suddenly, hundreds of rifts appeared in the void, and giant insects, each a hundred feet long, emerged from the rifts in the source vein. They were pitch black, with forelimbs like scythes, crimson compound eyes, and open mouthparts, frantically sucking up the source energy overflowing from the thunder array.

"The Devouring Mantis!" Dao Ancestor Lei Yan's expression changed, and he shouted sharply, "Form ranks and meet the enemy!"

The formation of the three thousand lightning cultivators suddenly changed, the lightning net contracted, and transformed into streaks of purple lightning spears, which shot at the swarm of insects.

The giant insect was pierced by the lightning spears, its dark green fluid splashing and corroding the void. However, the swarm of insects continued unabated, with millions of them surging out and rushing towards the lightning array one after another.

Lei Yan Daozu formed a hand seal, activating the origin of thunder, and a million-foot-long bolt of purple lightning exploded, clearing away the swarm of insects within a thousand miles.

In less than three breaths, the Devouring Mantises continued to pour out of the rift, endless and stretching for thousands of miles, fearless of death, rushing straight towards the lightning array.

At the critical moment, Li Mu's will traversed the void, transmitting his thoughts to Dao Ancestor Lei Yan, and commanded: "Continue refining your meridians, I'll handle the swarm of insects."

As soon as he finished speaking, the gray, chaotic Dao fire poured down from the void, like a reversed Milky Way, completely sealing off the path the insect swarm had taken.

Wherever the Chaos Dao Fire passed, the giant insect turned to ash, and the cracks healed inch by inch under the scorching fire.

Dao Ancestor Lei Yan was greatly encouraged: "Focus all on refining my meridians!"

The three thousand Lei Xiu shouted in unison, causing the lightning to surge and the stone vein to shrink at a visible speed. One by one, milky-white Dao crystals peeled off and were collected by Lei Yan Dao Ancestor. (End of this chapter)