Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

hum-

Without warning, a thin crack appeared in the void, and blinding golden light burst forth, tearing the space itself apart! A figure, enveloped in golden light that tore through the gale, instantly landed in the center of the hall, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Nine-Tailed Demon Saint.

The golden light receded, revealing a haughty figure draped in a golden feather cloak. His face was as cold and hard as if carved by a knife, and his eagle eyes were so sharp they pierced through the void—it was none other than the Golden Roc Great Sage.

“There is indeed something unusual happening in the Nine Heavens,” the Golden Roc Great Sage said in a deep voice.

The Great Sage of the Nine Heavens turned his golden eyes toward him, and the silent pressure intensified.

The Great Sage Golden Roc raised his hand, and a golden light burst forth from his fingertip, transforming into a swirling phantom of a star map. Within the map were two dim points of light, suspended alone at the edge of the Three Thousand Realms, barely connected by an extremely thin, almost broken thread of chaos.

“Two remote minor realms have reconnected the three thousand main realms, and one of them is contaminated by the Demonic Path.” The Golden Roc Great Sage’s eagle eyes gleamed coldly. “The residual aura is undoubtedly the Tree of the Demonic Path.”

With another tap of his fingertip, the Golden Roc Great Sage magnified the star map, distorting the images of the two smaller realms. Originally linked by the three realms, one realm was forcibly swallowed up and disappeared, covered with strange traces of erosion, leaving only some terrifying marks.

"It was the work of the Shepherd Clan," Jin Peng said with absolute certainty. "They used the Strange Tree to try to take root and erode these three small worlds, but they were stopped."

The image shifted again, revealing a shattered battlefield in the starry sky. Amidst the raging chaotic energy turbulence, charred fragments of the eerie tree's branches remained. Furthermore, an extremely fierce and domineering chaotic aura, not belonging to the demon realm, was imprinted within, completely crushing and expelling the remnants of the eerie tree.

"But they were repelled." The Golden Roc Great Sage's eagle eyes locked onto the mark of chaotic aura: "This human cultivator who cultivates the Great Dao of Chaos is very strong. He tore apart the roots of the strange tree and shattered its infiltrating channels with his own strength."

"The Ghost Clan has reappeared, and the Shepherd Clan is now controlling the Ghost Tree. This Chaos Cultivator is the key. He knows about the Ghost Clan and is directly confronting their power."

Behind the Great Sage of the Nine Heavens, the nine-tailed phantom silently coiled, its foxfire a deep blue, reflecting in the unfathomable depths of Cang Gu's golden eyes.

"Find him." The Great Sage of the Nine Heavens' voice was deep, yet it sounded like a divine decree, causing the entire Suspended Holy Palace to hum: "Nine Heavens Demon Court, Suspended Holy Palace, hereby issue this decree to the Three Thousand Main Realms."

"Whether they live or die, it doesn't matter."

"I want to see this person."

……

As soon as the words were spoken, the solidified star-shaped Dao traces on the palace walls suddenly resumed flowing, the chaotic sea of ​​clouds surged again, and the heavy pressure receded like the tide, leaving only that cold command.

Of the twelve Great Sages of the Demon Clan, six were not present, while the wills of the remaining eight Great Sages of the Demon Clan converged silently.

Li Mu was unaware of all this, and was unaware that the Mu Realm Clan had caused tension among the top beings in this realm. He and Xue'er settled down in Tianyong City, concealing their auras and becoming an ordinary rogue cultivator couple, maintaining excellent relations with their neighbors.

Just then, there was a knock on the courtyard gate, and a clear, childlike voice pierced through the door: "Sister Xue'er! Is Sister Xue'er home?"

Xue'er's eyes lit up, and she quickly went over and opened the wooden door.

Three little heads were crowding at the door. The one in the lead was Lin Xiaolun, about eight or nine years old, with two pigtails and bright, clever eyes.

Behind her was Da Niu, the tallest and most robust man of his age, with a simple, honest smile on his face and mud on his clothes.

At the very edge was Tie Tou, the youngest, thin and small, with pursed lips but a stubborn look in his eyes, and his sleeves were worn out.

"Xiao Lun! Da Niu! Tie Tou!" Xue'er laughed and stepped aside to let them in. "Come in quickly, it's sunny outside."

The three children dashed into the courtyard, bringing with them a lively atmosphere. Da Niu, as if presenting a treasure, pulled several greenish-red apricots from his pocket. The apricots had smooth skin and emitted a faint, sweet fragrance: "Sister Xue'er, here you go! Freshly picked spirit apricots, they're so crisp!"

“Yes, yes,” Lin Xiaolun chimed in, “Tie Tou climbs trees the fastest and picked the reddest one from the very top!”

Tie Tou didn't say anything, but silently handed the few pills he was holding to Xue'er.

Xue'er felt a warmth in her heart and took the fruit, still warm from the children's bodies: "Thank you! Please sit down and rest."

She turned around and went inside to get a rough earthenware dish, carefully placed the fruit on it, and then brought out several plates of pastries.

The children didn't stand on ceremony, sitting around the stone table and grabbing pastries to eat. Da Niu ate quickly, his cheeks bulging. Lin Xiaolun took small bites, her eyes curving into crescents.

Tie Tou ate the pastries most carefully, taking one piece and then hiding another in his pocket, holding the pastries like precious treasures and eating them in small bites.

Li Mu sat on the stone steps in front of the house, watching the children. Their clothes were old, Tie Tou's shoes were obviously half a size too big, Da Niu's trousers were too short, and Lin Xiaolun's braided hair tie had faded.

The hardships of Tianyong City are etched in these small details.

The demons continued their attacks, the bloodstains outside the city walls were still wet, and the city was always short of rice and food. The adults always had a deep sorrow on their faces. The three little ones, eating delicious pastries, laughed like wind chimes hanging under the eaves, tinkling and breaking the dullness in the alley.

When they talked about the ferocious monsters outside the city, their little faces were full of undisguised hatred, and their gritted teeth showed more bloodthirst than many adults.

Li Mu's gaze slowly swept over Lin Xiaolun's lively eyebrows and eyes, Da Niu's broad shoulders, and Tie Tou's stubborn eyes. That dormant thought gradually became clearer at this moment.

Inside the Chaos Treasure Palace, the Chaos Tree, which grew in the Chaos Sea, seemed to sense something. Three of the three thousand Dao Seeds hanging on its branches shimmered with a soft, flowing light.

The long, drawn-out voice of a woman calling her child home for dinner echoed from the alley.

Lin Xiaolun jumped up: "Oh! My mom called! Sister Xue'er, thank you for the pastries!"

"Okay, go ahead! I'll make Guiling cakes tomorrow morning, remember to come!" Xue'er nodded with a smile and called out.

"Great!" Lin Xiaolun's eyes lit up, and she said happily.

"Ok!"

Da Niu and Tie Tou quickly stuffed the remaining pastries into their mouths and said goodbye in a muffled voice.

Three small figures ran out of the courtyard gate and disappeared into the twilight at the alley entrance, leaving only a few pastries on the stone table and the lingering, vibrant energy of childhood in the air.

Xue'er tidied up the dishes, a slight smile on her lips.

Li Mu stood up and walked to the old locust tree. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the branches and leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on his calm face.

Li Mu's gaze turned beyond the courtyard wall, seemingly piercing through layers of houses, landing on the towering bronze city wall in the distance, covered with the marks of battle.

The hustle and bustle of the city, mingled with the aroma of cooking smoke and the faint scent of sand and dust, drifted over the dusty walls in waves.

The night was as dark as water, quietly washing over Tianyong City.

……

The next day, early in the morning, there was another knock on the courtyard gate.

Xue'er went to open the door, and there were three small figures huddled together. Lin Xiaolun peeked in, Da Niu scratched the back of his head, and Tie Tou pursed his lips, his eyes shining brightly.

"Come in," Xue'er said softly, stepping aside.

The children filed in, the morning light illuminating their curious yet somewhat nervous faces.

Li Mu was the only person in the courtyard. He stood with his hands behind his back, his aura as peaceful as the few clumps of moss in the corner of the courtyard, yet it subtly made people dare not make a rash noise.

"Brother Li..." Lin Xiaolun called softly, with a questioning tone.

Li Mu's gaze slowly swept over them. Lin Xiaolun's eyes were bright and lively, hiding a restless shrewdness; Da Niu was sturdy and had a kind of honest and tenacious strength; Tie Tou was thin, but his straight spine and tightly pursed lips showed a stubbornness and obstinacy far beyond his age.

"Brother Li will give you some help in your cultivation so you can grow up quickly and resist the demon race, okay?" Li Mu and the other two asked with smiles. The three little ones, who were thinking about eating pastries, immediately lit up when they heard this.

"Okay!" the three little ones exclaimed in unison, their eyes shining brightly. Resisting the demon race and becoming stronger was their deepest desire.

Li Mu nodded slightly, offering no further explanation, but calmly said to the three children, "Close your eyes, calm your mind, and don't be alarmed."

Li Mu's words carried a strange sense of calm. The three children exchanged glances, then obediently closed their eyes, trying to calm their somewhat rapid breathing, their small chests rising and falling.

Li Mu pointed his fingers like a sword, but instead of a dazzling light, a faint, almost invisible halo of chaotic light quietly gathered at his fingertips. The halo was profound and indescribable, as if it could absorb all the light and sound around it, and even the chirping of insects in the courtyard seemed to weaken.

Li Mu lightly tapped his fingertips, the movement as gentle as a breeze.

The first point of chaotic light silently entered Lin Xiaolun's brow.

The little girl's body trembled slightly, and her long eyelashes fluttered. In her still-immature sea of ​​consciousness, it was as if a grain of stardust from the beginning of time had fallen. It simply floated quietly, slowly rotating, emitting an extremely faint yet eternally undying light.

The light carried a gentle, inclusive quality, subtly merging into her original spiritual power, like a clear spring dripping into a pond, silently nourishing and expanding the invisible boundaries.

Lin Xiaolun felt a cool and gentle aura emanating from between her eyebrows, and her previously restless mind strangely calmed down, her thoughts seemingly becoming clearer and more active.

Immediately afterwards, the second point of chaotic light pointed towards Da Niu's brow.

Da Niu's body visibly tensed for a moment, like a stone. The chaotic halo sank into his sea of ​​consciousness, but the feeling was completely different from Lin Xiaolun's. It was like a heavy yet warm seed, slowly sinking and finally settling steadily in the center of his sea of ​​consciousness.

A profound, solid, earth-like power subtly emanated from him, resonating with Da Niu's honest and resilient nature, as if planting the foundation of a mountain deep within his consciousness.

Da Niu felt a warm current spread from the top of his head to his limbs and bones, and his body seemed to have gained an indescribable sense of security and strength.

Finally, Li Mu's fingertip stopped in front of Tie Tou's brow, and the chaotic halo fell.

"Ugh..." Tie Tou groaned, his small body jolting violently, almost losing his balance.

Da Niu's sea of ​​consciousness was like a drop of scalding lava falling into a cold pool. The will contained within it collided violently with the suppressed hatred and resentment in his heart stemming from the tragedy of his blood relatives!
The halo fluctuated violently, as if trying to break free of its restraints, or as if trying to forcefully suppress the surging resentment. Tie Tou's face turned deathly pale instantly, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, his teeth clenched, his body tense like a fully drawn bow, and a suppressed whimper escaped his throat, as if he were fighting against an invisible force.

Xue'er's heart tightened, and she subconsciously looked at Li Mu.

Li Mu's expression remained unchanged, but the flow of the chaotic halo at his fingertips seemed to have deepened. A more magnificent, all-encompassing, yet irresistible will was transmitted through his fingertips, like an endless deep sea, silently calming the turbulent waves in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Gradually, Tie Tou's trembling subsided, his clenched teeth loosened, and his rapid breathing slowly became long and even. The Dao Seed in his sea of ​​consciousness, radiating a scorching aura, began to slowly sink like a tamed wild horse, strangely merging with his unwilling hatred to form a more restrained and resilient core of power.

The whole process took place in complete silence, with only time flowing quietly by.

The three children had their eyes closed, each with a different expression: Lin Xiaolun's expression was one of peace and a hint of novelty; Da Niu's was one of heavy steadiness; and Tie Tou's was as if he had just gone through a silent battle, his exhaustion mixed with a sense of profound transformation.

Li Mu withdrew his finger, the chaotic halo at his fingertip completely disappeared, and he quietly watched the three children in front of him whose breathing gradually became steady.

The seeds of the Dao have already been planted, like three seeds containing limitless potential, deeply buried in the soil of their respective seas of consciousness. They are not yet mature, and are even extremely weak, but that potential originating from the source of chaos has quietly merged into their blood and soul.

"Okay."

Li Mu's voice broke the silence in the courtyard.

The three children opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

Lin Xiaolun blinked, feeling that the world in front of her seemed a little "brighter," though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Da Niu clenched his fist, feeling a surge of energy coursing through his body.

Tie Tou raised his hand and touched his brow, where a trace of heat still lingered, but his eyes were even more profound and sharp than before.

They looked at each other and saw a kind of indescribable change in each other's eyes, yet they were both confused.

"Go eat some pastries! Focus on your cultivation in the future. Remember not to tell anyone about what happened today." Li Mu's voice carried an unquestionable calmness.

"Father, can't we tell Mother either?" Da Niu asked in a low voice.

"Yes, no one can tell you about the help Brother Li gave you." Li Mu nodded with a smile and said solemnly.

Looking into Li Mu's calm and unwavering eyes, the three children felt a sudden chill, their innocent excitement and curiosity instantly suppressed by a sense of solemn promise.

They nodded vigorously, their little faces tense: "We understand!"

"Go ahead, the pastries are on the small kitchen table," Li Mu waved his hand.

"Thank you, Brother Li! Thank you, Sister Xue'er!" Lin Xiaolun said crisply, then pulled along the still somewhat dazed Da Niu and the silent Tie Tou, and ran towards the small kitchen where a sweet aroma wafted out.

The moment they turned around, something unexpected happened!

Lin Xiaolun paused, her eyes suddenly bursting with astonishing brilliance. The sparse spiritual energy in the surrounding world gathered around her like a stream, each strand clearly visible! She felt that the world had never been so "clear." The few obscure and difficult-to-understand words of Qi-guiding incantation in the past were now as clear and transparent as the lines on her palm.

Da Niu's body jolted violently, and a series of subtle yet crisp cracking sounds emanated from his bones. A deep and concentrated aura burst forth from his body, as if a previously blocked river channel had been instantly pierced by immense force. He felt his blood and qi surging like a great river, his strength increasing dramatically out of nowhere, and his skin, muscles, and bones rejoicing and becoming exceptionally resilient.

The most dramatic change was in Tie Tou! After that chaotic seed of Dao clashed violently with the surging hatred in his sea of ​​consciousness, it not only failed to extinguish his obsession, but instead transformed it into a pure and intense source of power.

An invisible fire seemed to ignite within Tie Tou's thin body, scorching the impurities accumulated in his meridians. Intense numbness, itching, and stinging sensations emanated from deep within his bones, as if countless tiny shackles were breaking and being reshaped!
Iron Head grunted, veins throbbing on his forehead, but his eyes shone with a frightening intensity, sharp and focused like a wild beast.

This dramatic change happened in the blink of an eye.

The three children stood frozen in place, feeling the earth-shattering changes in their bodies and souls, their eyes filled with unbelievable shock. This was no simple "assistance," but rather an instantaneous elevation of their originally mediocre, even inferior, innate talents to an unimaginable level. Their speed of absorbing spiritual energy, their affinity for and comprehension of the Daoist principles had all undergone a fundamental transformation, more than a hundred or a thousand times!
Xue'er watched this clearly from the side, and her heart was shaken. Although she knew that Li Mu had extraordinary abilities, she did not expect that the effect of these three Dao Seeds would be so domineering and direct, which could be described as defying the heavens and changing one's fate!

"Stay calm and don't panic." Li Mu's voice was like a stabilizing force, carrying the power to soothe the souls of the three children and calm their turbulent emotions: "This is the effect of the initial fusion of the Dao seed. You will see the true results in your future cultivation. Go and eat the pastries, and remember to keep your mouth shut."

The three children seemed to wake from a dream, suppressing the turbulent emotions in their hearts, and looked at Li Mu deeply. Their gaze had changed from the previous affection and gratitude to an almost devout awe.

They dared not ask any more questions, kept their mouths tightly shut, and carefully walked towards the kitchen, feeling as if they were about to float with each step.

In the small kitchen, the children held the sweet Guiling cakes, momentarily forgetting to chew, still immersed in the afterglow of the transformation, feeling an unprecedented sense of power within their bodies and an unprecedented close connection with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Xue'er watched the three small figures disappear behind the kitchen door, walked to Li Mu's side, and whispered, "That kid Tie Tou... really scared me just now."

“His obsession runs too deep, triggering the seed of his Dao.” Li Mu’s gaze turned toward the kitchen: “It’s both a calamity and a destiny. Let’s see how he handles things in the future.”

Xue'er sighed softly and said nothing more. Soon, the small kitchen was filled with the children's hushed exclamations and the sounds of chewing, revealing pure joy.

A short while later, the three children cautiously emerged, each carrying several pieces of Guiling cake wrapped in a clean cloth.

Lin Xiaolun's eyes sparkled, Da Niu grinned from ear to ear, and Tie Tou remained silent, but the tense and fierce aura between his brows seemed to have faded a bit as he carefully protected the cloth bag in his arms.

"Sister Xue'er, Brother Li, we're leaving now!" Lin Xiaolun led the way in saying goodbye.

"Okay, go ahead," Xue'er replied with a smile.

Three small figures ran out of the courtyard gate one after another. Lin Xiaolun skipped ahead, Da Niu looked back every few steps, and Tie Tou lagged behind. Just before leaving, he glanced back at Li Mu with a complicated look in his eyes, then turned and disappeared into the alleyway bathed in the morning light. (End of Chapter)