Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

Thirty years have passed.

The source of all paths is the sea.

Seven primordial ancestral trees stand tall, their trunks shrouded in gray light, with seven-colored radiance interwoven among their branches and leaves like a sea.

Li Mu sat cross-legged among the seven trees, his body shrouded in a hazy, profound aura.

The chaotic vortex in his eyes slowly rotated, and in the center of the vortex, the long river of time surged endlessly, while fragments of the void floated and drifted away.

Spatial Dao patterns float above the Dao base.

After thirty years of nurturing, the patterns are three times more stable than when they first formed. The transparent patterns have folded and layered voids within them, with scenes of distant horizons constantly changing within a small space.

Of course.

Cracks are still visible on the textured surface.

The Dao patterns of time surged forth with the power of time, enveloping the Dao patterns of space, stabilizing the cracks and preventing them from expanding. They could stabilize them, but they could not completely mend them.

Li Mu opened his eyes and awoke. His chaotic will sank into the chaotic earth, sweeping across the spatial Dao pattern, where the spatial power within surged like a tide. However, this power was like a tree without roots or water without a source, entirely sustained by the Dao pattern of time.

As the Dao patterns of time were withdrawn, the Dao patterns of space shattered instantly.

"It won't solidify!"

Li Mu murmured something, stood up, and ended his secluded meditation session.

The seven trees swayed, and seven colors of light converged and poured into the body.

The chaotic will spread out, instantly enveloping the entire chaotic land.

In the Forest of Ten Thousand Ancestors, ten thousand ancestral trees stand tall, their roots as solid as mountains. Dao soldiers sit cross-legged beneath the trees, various colors of Dao light flowing around them. Together with the Dao Ancestor, they close their eyes to cultivate, their aura calm and steady.

At the border of this vast land, the walls of time stand tall, and the scale of time flows ceaselessly.

Business as usual.

Li Mu stopped and looked into the depths of the void.

"The second transformation of chaos requires the filling of the spatial origin. There is no source to be found within the vast land, so we can only seek it externally."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mu turned around and took a step forward.

Starry Sky Platform.

A flash of gray light.

Li Mu landed in the center of the platform.

Xue'er sat cross-legged to one side of the platform, her Taiyin True Eye rotating between her brows, moonlight cascading down like a waterfall. Ancient Dao Ancestor Gu Xi stood before the Source Measurement Array, his clear eyes reflecting a screen of light. Dao Ancestor Haotian sat cross-legged at the array's eye, starlight flowing around him.

The three of them stood up at the same time.

"Master."

Xue'er looked at Li Mu with her icy blue eyes. The moonlight fell and she sensed that Li Mu's aura was contained, with no trace of pressure leaking out.

"Brother Li, you've emerged from seclusion?"

Li Mu smiled and nodded.

Gu Xi Dao Zu cupped his hands in congratulations and said, "Congratulations, Dao Master, on your successful completion of seclusion!"

"I have gained something from this seclusion. I need to go out and seek some opportunities!" Li Mu said with a smile, looking at the three of them.

Xue'er's icy blue eyes narrowed, and she asked urgently, "Going out? Brother Li, where are you going?"

Li Mu gazed into the depths of the void and said calmly, "The second transformation of chaos requires the origin of space. The vast land has no source, so we can only seek it in the outside world."

Xue'er stepped forward, her Taiyin True Eyes swirling between her brows, and hurriedly said, "I'll go with you."

Li Mu smiled and shook his head.

Xue'er frowned and said anxiously, "If you go out alone and are ambushed by the Three Realms..."

"They are severely weakened and unable to launch an ambush," Li Mu reassured them with a smile. "I'm only here to seek some opportunities; I won't risk my life. You don't need to worry. Just keep an eye on Haotu for me, and that will be helping me!"

Xue'er remained silent for a moment, then silently agreed.

Li Mu turned to the two ancestors, Gu Xi and Hao Tian.

Gu Xi Dao Zu bowed: "What are your orders, Dao Master?"

Li Mu raised his hand, and a hazy light condensed, forming a Dao Seal of Time in his palm. Within the Dao Seal, the scales of time flowed, and the power of time surged like a tide.

"After I leave, use this seal to activate the Light Barrier of Time." Li Mu flicked his finger, and the seal flew toward Ancient Dao Ancestor: "If the Light Barrier is not broken, the outer realms cannot invade."

Gu Xi Daozu accepted the Dao Seal and carefully put it away.

Li Mu took a step forward, his figure dissipated, and he transformed into a stream of chaotic energy, disappearing into the depths of the void.

The border of the vast land.

The wall of time stands tall in the void, the scale of time flows endlessly, and the power of time surges like a tide.

Gu Xi Daozu stood on the Star Evolution Dao Platform, above the light curtain of the Source Measurement Array. The gray light wall was as stable as a mountain. Beyond the four realms, the void was deathly silent, with turbulent currents surging.

Xue'er stood in the center of the platform, her Taiyin True Eyes rotating between her brows, moonlight cascading down like a waterfall, gazing in the direction where the gray mist disappeared into the depths of the void, her icy blue eyes filled with worry.

Gu Xi Daozu looked at Xue'er and reassured her, "Don't worry, Miss Xue'er, the Dao Master's journey will surely be successful."

Xue'er nodded, without saying a word.

Dao Ancestor Haotian sat cross-legged at the core of the formation, starlight flowing around him. He quickly calculated with his fingers and sighed, "The Dao Lord's aura has left Haotu and gone into the depths of the void."

Gu Xi Daozu looked at the light screen, the border scenery reflected in his clear eyes, and solemnly said: "Guard the vast land and wait for the Dao Lord to return."

……

Deep in the void.

The hazy air current swept past silently, as fast as lightning, without escaping a trace.

Li Mu spread his chaotic will, covering an area of ​​hundreds of millions of miles. The void was deathly silent, and the turbulent currents surged like a tide. Occasionally, a few pieces of spatial Dao source would drift by, as thin as morning mist, dissipating at the slightest touch, so thin that not even a trace of spatial origin could be extracted.

Three months.

For three whole months, Li Mu traversed back and forth in this void fault, his chaotic will sweeping across the boundless void, every turbulent current, and every place where the source of space was scattered.

However, nothing was gained.

Some of those scattered spatial Dao sources were only the size of a fingernail, some were so thin they were transparent, and some shattered into specks of light. Once the Chaos Dao Yuan rolled up them, the Dao sources turned into nothingness, leaving not even a trace of spatial source power. Occasionally, when a slightly thicker spatial Dao source was encountered, the Chaos Will would probe into it, only to find that the spatial origin within had already been completely lost, leaving only an empty shell that would crumble at the slightest touch.

Li Mu stopped his escape light and stood in a chaotic void. His chaotic will suddenly spread out like a tide, probing into the distance.

It covers an area of ​​thirty million li.

Fifty million miles.

Eighty million miles.

……

The void remained deathly silent, turbulent currents surged, and the spatial Dao source remained as thin as ever.

Li Mu frowned slightly. He searched the vast void surrounding the Chaotic Land for billions of miles, but found nothing. The spatial Dao Source was too sparse, like a handful of salt scattered into the ocean—impossible to scoop up, impossible to find.

"Search for another three years."

Li Mu murmured a sentence, his figure transforming into a gray mist and disappearing into the deeper void.

Its speed was extremely fast, covering tens of thousands of miles in an instant. The chaotic will spread out like an invisible net, casting its rays across the endless void.

Two years have passed.

……

Li Mu traversed a void fault, his chaotic will spreading out as usual, sweeping across the void for thirty million miles ahead.

suddenly.

The will of chaos trembled violently.

Twenty million miles ahead, a void exhibited unusual fluctuations. Space folded and overlapped there, like a mirror that had been shattered and then pieced back together with exquisite skill. The void twisted and the laws of nature became disordered at the folds, vaguely forming a void labyrinth, with something faintly visible deep within it.

Li Mu's eyes narrowed.

The chaotic will condensed into a single line, silently probing towards that void. Twenty million miles.

Ten million miles.

Five million miles.

The chaotic will touched the edge of that folded void.

In an instant, a tremendous spatial force rebounded. The threads formed by the chaotic will snapped inch by inch, and a loud "boom" resounded in Li Mu's mind, as if he had been hit by a sledgehammer.

Li Mu was not surprised but delighted. His chaotic will quickly reassembled and probed towards that void.

This time, the exploration was extremely slow and cautious. The chaotic will transformed into a thread thinner than a silkworm's silk, slowly gliding along the edge of the folded void, sensing the source of that spatial power.

Folding.

layer.

Two layers.

Three floors.

The chaotic will pierced through the three layers of folded void, and the scene before it suddenly opened up.

A Taoist palace.

The dilapidated Dao Palace floats in the deepest part of the folded void. More than half of the palace walls have collapsed, and the ruins are covered with a dense network of spatial Dao patterns. These Dao patterns are transparent, and the void inside is folded and layered, with scenes of near yet far constantly changing.

Deep within the Dao Palace, the primordial energy of space faintly surged.

The spatial origin was so dense it seemed to have solidified, thousands or even tens of thousands of times denser than the sparse spatial origins surrounding the Chaotic Vast Land. The power of the inner space surged like a tide, and the void origins rose and fell like stars, folding, twisting, collapsing, and regrouping—these four transformations repeatedly played out deep within the Dao Palace, endlessly regenerating.

Chaotic star vortexes swirled rapidly in Li Mu's eyes.

"This is... the training ground of a spatial master."

The chaotic will slowly wandered along the outer perimeter of the Dao Palace.

Although the palace walls were in ruins, the remaining spatial Dao patterns continued to flow. These patterns intertwined, forming a dilapidated array. While the array was mostly destroyed, the core main patterns remained intact, and spatial power flowed within them, preventing the palace from completely collapsing.

The main gate of the Taoist temple was heavily fortified.

The outermost layer is a spatial barrier, transparent as nothingness, within which the void folds and folds hundreds of times; a single step into it would tear one's Dao source apart. Beyond the barrier, countless spatial Dao patterns intertwine into a net, each pattern connected to the spatial origin deep within the Dao Palace. Further in, three dilapidated restrictions are faintly visible; though broken, their power remains.

Li Mu withdrew his chaotic will and looked thoughtful.

The master of this Dao Palace possesses unfathomable cultivation, and the restrictions are difficult to break. If forcibly broken, the entire Dao Palace will collapse, and the spatial origin will also explode and dissipate into the void.

Li Mu pondered for a moment, then raised his hand, and a hazy light gathered at his fingertips.

A wisp of extremely fine chaotic Dao energy peeked out and touched the spatial barrier.

The moment Dao Yuan touched the barrier, the spatial power on the barrier's surface surged like a tide. The hundreds of folded layers of void trembled simultaneously, and a terrifying tearing force spread along Dao Yuan toward Li Mu's main body.

"The spatial barrier is composed of thousands of layers of folded void. The Chaos Dao Body can withstand it, but forcibly breaking in will cause a great disturbance. Once the spatial origin deep within the Dao Palace senses the intrusion of external forces, it is very likely to self-destruct."

Li Mu muttered to himself, his divine sense falling towards the edge of the barrier, his eyes brightening slightly.

The great array barrier is not complete!

On the side near where the palace wall collapsed, a crack can be faintly seen on the surface of the barrier. The crack is so fine that it is almost invisible. Deep within the crack, one layer of the folded void has broken, leaving only nine hundred and ninety-nine layers.

Li Mu's spirits lifted, and his chaotic will immediately probed into the crack.

Within the cracks of the grand formation, where the void shattered, the power of space was chaotic and boiling. The chaotic will traversed within, avoiding the raging spatial turbulence, probing in inch by inch.

layer.

Two layers.

Three floors.

The chaotic will penetrated the three layers of folded void and reached the second line of defense of the barrier.

There, spatial patterns intertwine like a net. The patterns are so dense that there are almost no gaps to exploit.

Although the Dao patterns were dense, there was a break. The break was located at the junction of the barrier and the palace wall, where a Dao pattern had been severed when the palace wall collapsed. The break was extremely small, thinner than a needle tip, barely allowing a wisp of chaotic will to pass through.

Li Mu's eyes narrowed.

The chaotic will transformed into a thread thinner than a silkworm's silk, silently drilling into the broken opening.

Inside the fracture, the power of space was thin. The chaotic will moved through it silently, like a fish swimming in water. Passing through the fracture and then through the gaps in three broken restrictions, the chaotic will probed into the depths of the Dao Palace.

The view before me suddenly opened up.

The main hall of the Dao Palace had collapsed, and amidst the ruins, a space crystal core the size of a fist floated in the void.

The crystal core was transparent as if it were nothing, with hundreds of layers of void folded inside, and the origin of space surging like a tide. On the surface of the crystal core, spatial patterns were densely distributed, each pattern flowing endlessly, drawing upon the remaining spatial power of the entire Dao Palace.

The origin of space.

The spatial origin that is so rich as to solidify into a tangible substance.

A glint flashed in Li Mu's eyes, and his chaotic will quietly withdrew.

Cracks in the barrier, broken Dao patterns, gaps in the restrictions. A path leading to the depths of the Dao Palace was clearly outlined in his mind. This path was extremely narrow and treacherous; the Chaos Will could barely pass through, but the Chaos Dao Body would find it impossible to traverse.

With a thought, Li Mu was enveloped in a hazy, gray light.

The chaotic Dao body slowly etherealized within the Dao light.

Flesh and blood dissolved, bones etherealized, and the entire person transformed into a wisp of chaotic origin, solidified as a substance, yet as fine as a spider's thread.

The Great Dao of Chaos encompasses all things and can give rise to countless paths. Since the Chaos Dao Body cannot pass through, it will transform into the Chaos Origin and pass through the gap in the restriction in the form of the Origin.

The gray wisps drifted silently toward the crack in the spatial barrier.

The instant it touched the crack, the tearing force of the folded void surged forth once more. The wisp of silk was so thin, even thinner than the fragments of space, that the tearing force slid past its sides without leaving a trace.

The filament pierced the crack, passed through a layer of folded void, then through another layer, and then through yet another.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine layers of folded void, each thread passing through it.

Passing through the barrier, through the broken Dao patterns, and through the gaps in the three broken restrictions, the chaotic wisps silently drifted into the main hall of the Dao Palace.

In the center of the hall.

The spatial crystal core floats in the void, transparent as nothing, while the primordial energy within it surges like a tide.

Three feet.

Two feet.

one foot.

The moment Li Mu touched the surface of the crystal core, the entire Dao Palace trembled violently.

The spatial crystal core erupted, and transparent light surged forth like a tide, crushing towards Li Mu. Wherever the light passed, the void solidified, time stopped, and everything froze.

The chaotic wisp that Li Mu transformed into was fixed on the surface of the crystal core, and the radiance of space seeped into its body, into the origin of chaos, and into the depths of its soul.

Li Mu's soul trembled violently, and the folded void exploded within his body, layer upon layer, carrying an extremely dense spatial origin. This origin, like a flood bursting its banks, surged into the Chaos Dao Foundation and into that spatial Dao Pattern.

The spatial Dao patterns frantically devoured the crystal core's origin.

The crystal nucleus trembled violently.

A burst of transparent light erupted, and spatial power surged forth like a raging tide, pouring towards the wispy strand that Li Mu had transformed into. The entire Dao Palace trembled, and on the ruins, spatial Dao patterns flickered erratically, while cracks in the great formation rapidly spread.

Li Mu's mind raced.

The spatial crystal core is self-destructing. His absorption has triggered the restriction on the core of the crystal core. The remaining power of the restriction is detonating the entire Dao Palace. If he does not stop in time, the Dao Palace will collapse, the crystal core will explode, and everything he has gained will turn into nothingness.

However, it's already unstoppable.

Li Mu struggled to hold on, his chaotic Dao Yuan surging wildly, stabilizing his precarious state and allowing the spatial origin to flow back in.

吞。

Take as much as you can!

The palace trembled violently.

The palace walls collapsed, ruins crumbled, spatial Dao patterns shattered in patches, the great array barrier was riddled with cracks, and layers of folded void crumbled away. The entire Dao Palace collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye. (End of Chapter)