Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

At the bow of the starship, Li Mu stood with his hands behind his back, speeding through the vast starry sky.

Xue'er stood a step behind him, her hands clenched tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force. Her clear, glassy eyes were filled with struggle and confusion as they gazed at Li Mu's back.

Xue'er couldn't sense, couldn't sense even the slightest emotional fluctuation in Li Mu.

Having slept for hundreds of years within the space of the Beast Taming Bracelet, Xue'er was unaware of what had happened during those years. All she knew was that after being awakened by Li Mu, she sped through the vast and boundless sea of ​​stars.

The once profound Li Mu now exudes a deep and mysterious aura. In her presence, his concern, gentleness, and even occasional sternness are like a stream under the warm sun, clearly perceptible. His joys and sorrows need no words; with the bloodline powers of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, she can always catch a ripple of his emotions.

But now, Li Mu stands there, seemingly so close, yet it feels as if a vast galaxy separates him from me.

The flowing chaotic energy, like the most solid barrier, isolated all traces of "humanity." Li Mu was like a god overlooking the starry sky, devoid of joy or sorrow, leaving only a chilling, absolute indifference and detachment.

This huge difference made Xue'er's heart tighten, and an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity and subtle fear quietly grew.

"Brother Li...where are we...going?" Xue'er asked, mustering her courage, her voice trembling slightly.

"Leave this world and head to the Three Thousand Main Worlds!" Li Mu's voice remained gentle, even carrying a hint of ease, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

These gentle words, paired with those calm and unwavering eyes, created an extremely eerie sense of disconnect.

"Leave...this world?The three thousand main worlds?" Xue'er repeated.

Xue'er's heart sank completely. The Li Mu before her seemed to have been completely reshaped by that chaotic energy, stripped of all emotional ties, leaving only the pure pursuit of some higher, more distant goal. She felt as if she were facing a completely unfamiliar being wearing Li Mu's skin.

"Brother Li, are we going to abandon Xiao Jin and Xiao Wa?"

Xue'er was shaken to her core. An uncontrollable impulse made her take a step forward, almost breaking through the invisible barrier of the starry river, stubbornly meeting Li Mu's indifferent, chaotic eyes.

Xue'er's words carried a sharp questioning tone, more like a call, trying to penetrate that hard shell and awaken the person sleeping inside.

"Little Jin... Little Wa..."

That familiar name, like a stone thrown into a stagnant pool, made Li Mu pause slightly. A crack finally appeared on his unchanging indifference. He paused slightly, as if recalling something. The chaotic light in his eyes disappeared, and the expression on his face gradually regained its human touch.

Li Mu's gaze, which had been so detached from looking down at the stars, gradually focused and landed on the pale face before him, a face etched with stubbornness.

Xue'er's tightly pursed lips, her slightly trembling eyelashes, and the panic and worry in her glassy eyes were clearly reflected in Li Mu's eyes.

Before long, Li Mu's gaze, filled with a dazed look as if he were just waking up, seemed to be confirming the authenticity of a rare treasure that had been lost and found. The coldness faded, and the warmth that belonged to "humanity," the tenderness that was engraved in his bones and unique to Xue'er, gathered and flowed again in Li Mu's eyes.

The chaos in Li Mu's eyes completely dissipated, replaced by a profound clarity. He saw Xue'er's tense body and anxious expression.

"Are you alright? I scared you!"

Li Mu's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't, instead letting out a soft, apologetic sigh.

"Brother Li..." Xue'er sensed Li Mu's emotions and, like a lost child finally finding refuge, threw herself into Li Mu's arms, excitedly saying, "You were just now... just now was so scary... like... like you became a different person..."

"It's my fault!" Li Mu quickly reached out and pulled her into his arms, apologizing, "Just now... I was too immersed in the Dao realm and forgot to restrain myself. The Great Dao is ruthless; it was not my intention..."

"Xue'er," Li Muxuan began to recount in detail how, over the past few hundred years, he had refined the will of the Demon Abyss and used it as nourishment to nurture the Chaos Dao Seed.

"However, the will of the Ghost Realm cut off its tail to survive and disappeared. After I achieved the Seed Dao Realm, I was restless and had a sudden thought that a great disaster was about to befall me. If I did not leave, I would bring great danger to the Three Realms. Therefore, I must leave immediately."

Xue'er was utterly shocked. She looked up at Li Mu, her eyes still glistening with tears, and asked with concern, "What about Little Jin and Little Wa...?"

“They will stay,” Li Mu interrupted, his tone resolute and leaving no room for argument. “The road ahead is unpredictable, and the dangers far exceed our imagination. If they follow me, they will surely perish, while they have a sliver of hope in this realm. If fate allows… we will meet again in the future.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mu thought of something, and began to manipulate the Spirit Control Contract Seal. His fingers flew, and chaotic energy condensed at his fingertips, transforming into several dark blue marks.

"Seal, release!"

With a low shout, Li Mu caused the mark to shatter silently, turning into specks of starlight and dissipating. A profound Dao power, taking advantage of the moment of breaking the bond, instantly pierced through the endless void and reached the depths of the four beasts' sea of ​​consciousness.

On Qiling Star, deep within the Wanyao Mountain Range, ancient trees reach for the sky, and miasma lingers.

Jin was on a steep cliff, his golden eyes sharply scanning the deep ravine below, trying to find the cunning wolf demon king and avenge the arrow that had tricked him last time.

The Crimson Fire Phoenix perched atop an ancient phoenix tree burning with an inextinguishable flame, its eyes slightly closed, refining the source of the Dao of Fire.

The Azure Moon Dragon coiled atop a solitary peak, bathed in the cool moonlight, its scales shimmering with silver light, silently circulating its cultivation technique.

At that very moment, all four beasts simultaneously felt a sudden tremor deep within their very souls!
The "Spirit Control Seal," which was like a life-branding mark and closely connected to Li Mu, snapped without warning!

"Awooo—!" Little Wa let out a shrill, distorted roar, and sprang up from the swamp. The mud covering its body was instantly shaken off by the violent demonic power. Its eyes, which were always full of dependence and liveliness, were now filled with extreme panic and confusion. It stared intently in the direction from which the contract had broken, as if the pillar of the whole world had collapsed.

"Roar!!!" Little Gold on the cliff reacted violently, its golden fur standing on end, and its violent demonic aura soared into the sky, shaking the surrounding hard rock walls and causing spiderweb-like cracks.

Little Gold roared to the sky, its voice booming with the anger of abandonment and endless bewilderment: "The contract seal! Master's contract seal is shattered? Why?!" The Crimson Fire Phoenix let out a piercing cry that seemed to shatter gold and stone, and the flames on the ancient paulownia tree suddenly surged, transforming into a raging sea of ​​fire. Its wings flapped rapidly, and its crimson eyes were fixed on the direction of the starry sea where Li Mu had departed.

At the summit of the solitary peak, the Azure Moon True Dragon's massive body trembled violently, its coiled posture instantly tensing like a bow. It abruptly raised its head, its majestic dragon head gazing at the deep night sky, the moonlight in its dragon eyes flickering wildly and uncertainly, and let out a low, suppressed dragon roar filled with disbelief and deep sorrow.

The words echoed like muffled thunder through the mountains: "Dissolve the contract, why, why, why forcibly dissolve the contract?"

Following the breaking of the seal, Li Mu used the chaotic power that erupted at the moment of breaking the seal to forcefully penetrate the endless spatial barrier and directly imprint his final message deep into their souls: "A powerful enemy is approaching, and the danger is unpredictable. I intend to leave this world to avoid the storm. You must remain in this world for a chance to survive; cultivate diligently, achieve the Nine Extremes, and we will meet again if fate allows."

The message was clear, cold, and resolute, allowing no room for doubt or sway.

"No! Master! Don't leave me!" Little Wa went completely mad, digging its limbs into the ground and charging recklessly toward the direction from which the message came. Its immense force smashed ancient trees and boulders along the way to pieces. It only wanted to chase after it and grasp the ethereal starlight trail.

Upon receiving the message, Xiao Jin's initial rage vanished as if doused with ice water, instantly transforming into profound despair. His massive body hunched slightly, his golden eyes losing their former brilliance, and he murmured, "A powerful enemy... even Master feels... unable to protect us..."

The Crimson Fire Phoenix suppressed its raging flames, the flames in its crimson eyes pulsating violently, finally transforming into a suppressed shriek filled with resentment, anger, and deep fear of the unknown "powerful enemy."

The Azure Moon True Dragon's claws were deeply embedded in the mountain rocks, its enormous dragon eyes gazing towards the other three beasts, emitting a low, long summoning roar. Four powerful demonic energies soared into the sky, tearing through the miasma, and rapidly converged towards a pre-arranged location deep within the mountains.

A moment later, a secluded valley.

Little Wa lay on the ground, its huge head buried between its front paws, its shoulders twitching slightly as it let out a suppressed whimper. Little Jin paced restlessly, its tail sweeping across the ground, carving deep furrows, its eyes flashing with golden light, filled with ferocity and unease.

The Crimson Phoenix folded its wings, its crimson eyes coldly scanning the void, as if searching for an unseen threat. The Azure Moon Dragon coiled in the center, its body bathed in moonlight, attempting to stabilize the situation, yet its deep eyes betrayed a heavy heart.

"Why? Why did Master do this?" Little Gold suddenly stopped and roared, his voice hoarse with anger: "Just because of that damn powerful enemy? We're at the eighth rank! We can help! Even if we die, we should die together!"

The Crimson Fire Phoenix spoke coldly, its voice like the clash of metal and stone: "Help? Master is of such high cultivation level that even he thinks we must break the contract to gain a chance of survival for us. That enemy... is probably beyond our imagination. If we stay, we might just be a burden, only hindering Master."

Little Wa suddenly raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and cried out in a choked voice, "A burden? How could we be a burden! Master... Master, does he not want us anymore?!"

"Fool!" Little Gold glared angrily at Little Wa, but seeing the reluctance in its eyes, it suppressed its anger, growled irritably, and slashed its sharp claws at the mountain wall beside it, sending rocks flying.

Azure Moon True Dragon said in a deep voice, “Little Wa, calm down. If Master really wanted to abandon us, why would he need to send a special message? Why would he need to tell us to ‘Nine Extremes Perfection’? Breaking the contract is like cutting off a tail to save our lives, it’s about protection! Master is using himself to bear the backlash of the contract seal, severing the karmic ties for us, and preventing that ‘powerful enemy’ from tracing back to us through the contract mark!”

The valley fell into a deathly silence. Xiao Wa's whimpers stopped, Xiao Jin's anxious pacing also stopped, and even the coldness in the eyes of the Crimson Fire Phoenix melted slightly, revealing a complex emotion on its face.

They all understood the weighty meaning behind Qingyue Zhenlong's words. The enemy their master faced was so powerful that even the slightest thread of causal connection in their contract could become a clue for their pursuit.

“The backlash of the seal…” the Crimson Phoenix murmured, flames flickering in its crimson eyes: “Master… must be suffering badly right now as well.”

The Azure Moon True Dragon lowered its massive head slightly, its roar carrying an unprecedented strength and determination: "Our master used his own cultivation as a guide to break our shackles and open a path to survival. We... can only live up to your expectations!"

Azure Moon Dragon raised its head, the moonlight in its eyes shining brighter than ever before, as if illuminating the entire valley: "Dedicate yourself to cultivation, and you will achieve the Nine Extremes! The thousand-year timeframe will surely be reached!"

The Crimson Phoenix remained silent for a moment, then its wings once again ignited with the flames of rebirth, with star trails flowing within the flames: "Nine Extremes Perfected, I will seek a master again! Even surrounded by powerful enemies, amidst seas of fire and mountains of knives, I will forge a path!"

The ferocity and despair in Xiao Jin's eyes were finally replaced by a resolute fighting spirit. It let out a low roar, and golden light surged around its body, causing space to distort slightly: "Become stronger! Become stronger than that damned enemy! And then, take my master back!"

Little Wa wiped its face hard with its paw, stood up, and although the tears in its eyes were still wet, it revealed an unprecedented fierceness. Its voice was choked but unusually clear: "Cultivation! I want to reach the Nine Extremes Perfection - Ultimate Dao Realm as quickly as possible! Master... wait for me!"

Four powerful demonic energies rose and intertwined in the valley. There was no confusion or panic, but rather a resolute determination carrying a heavy mission. They gazed in the direction of the starry sea where Li Mu had disappeared, as if they wanted to imprint that invisible burden in their hearts.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the other side, aboard the starship, Li Mu comforted Xue'er, gesturing for her to sit still.

Before he finished speaking, Li Mu's eyes narrowed, and the chaotic energy around him surged suddenly. He pointed his fingers like a sword and pointed at the void in front of him.

hum!
A deep, dark light exploded at his fingertips, instantly expanding and spinning into a massive vortex that devoured light.

At the center of the vortex, countless hazy, chaotic currents surged and tangled, and the vague silhouette of a giant tree could be seen taking root within it, its roots piercing into the endless void, its branches stirring up stardust.

The aura emanating from the vortex was ancient and savage, carrying both the annihilation of all things and the vitality of nurturing all things—two diametrically opposed forces perfectly fused together. The violent suction pulled at the starship, distorting and devouring the surrounding starlight, and causing space to groan under its unbearable burden.

The starship shuddered violently, transforming into a streak of light and plunging headlong into the chaotic vortex!

The scene before them instantly collapsed and reformed, revealing a bizarre and distorted chaotic passage. The raging spatial turbulence, like tangible blades, slashed fiercely at the starship's protective shield, emitting piercing shrieks. Countless shattered star fragments and solidified law fragments roared through the passage, colliding and creating dazzling sparks of energy.

Xue'er's face paled slightly as she gripped the edge of the seat tightly. The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's keen sense of crisis made her feel small and apprehensive amidst the chaos. Only Li Mu's figure stood firmly as a mountain on the violently shaking starship, his chaotic Dao power acting as the most resilient anchor, firmly protecting the starship's core.

An unknown amount of time passed—perhaps a moment, perhaps a century. Suddenly, the chaotic air currents ahead thinned, and a dazzling spot of light rapidly expanded!
boom!
The starship burst through the barrier of chaos, shooting into a brand new sea of ​​stars like an arrow released from a bow.

My eyes suddenly opened up.

In the vast and boundless starry sky, the density of stars far exceeds that of the Qiling Starfield. Large stars are as big as buckets, and small stars are as small as grains of sand, densely packed together, weaving a dazzling starry river scroll. The starlight here is extremely bright, emitting a powerful aura of laws that is different from the spirit world, heavy, ancient, and carrying a primal sense of oppression.

The distant nebulae displayed magnificent and strange colors, seemingly concealing endless mysteries. Further still, the outlines of some unimaginably massive celestial bodies were faintly visible, radiating a chilling aura. (End of Chapter)