Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

Strange phenomena suddenly appeared in the sky above the Imperial Palace Square.

The Chaotic Dao Domain was enveloped, and two thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven auras soared into the sky. The Dao Seed absorbed the original true meaning and grew wildly. Its power was fed back to the host. Above the nine heavens, spiritual power poured out like a flood bursting its banks!

"boom--!"

The first bottleneck shattered with a deafening roar! A disciple of the Golden Path Sect shot out lightning from his eyes, his sharp aura solidified into a tangible form, his Golden Core shattered, and the nascent Nascent Soul instantly materialized!

“Boom boom boom boom—!”

The thunderous roar of breakthroughs exploded continuously, transforming the plaza into a raging sea of ​​spiritual energy. Foundation Establishment broke through to Golden Core, Golden Core condensed into Nascent Soul, Nascent Soul transformed into Primordial Spirit… Nascent Soul Condensation! Spirit Transformation! Void Refinement! The barriers of major realms were pierced one after another!
The raging tide swirled into a gigantic vortex, shattering the clouds and winds for thousands of miles! Above the imperial palace, rays of light shone in all directions, auspicious energy surged, and the Dao manifested as phantom images of dragons and snakes, churning within the spiritual tide, their immense pressure sweeping across the capital of the immortal dynasty!
"hiss--!"

Throughout the capital, powerful cultivators in seclusion were alarmed. Countless powerful divine senses pierced through the air and locked onto the Imperial Palace Square in horror.

"Three thousand people... broke through to the next realm at the same time!"

On the cloud, Ji Yu's hand on his sword suddenly tightened, and a crack appeared on his usually calm face.

"Chaos is the furnace, and the Great Dao is the fuel..."

Ge Xuan trembled slightly with excitement, his eyes gleaming as he stared intently at the chaotic Dao Domain.

Deep within the imperial palace, several gazes pierced through the palace walls, falling upon the surging chaos, silent yet heavy as a thunderbolt.

Within the Dao Domain, the storm of breakthroughs intensifies.

The burly cultivator with the Earth Element Dao Seed roared to the sky, his body growing taller and taller, his muscles bulging like rocks, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the golden ground beneath his feet! His peak Nascent Soul stage aura crashed straight into the Void Refinement barrier!
The female cultivator of the Wind-Riding Path moved like smoke, leaving behind afterimages. Her speed tore through space, revealing the spatial mysteries of the Void Refining Realm ahead of schedule!
Those who cultivate the Fire Path transform into humanoid torches, their flames scorching the sky; those who cultivate the Wood Path are covered in rampant vines, their spiritual energy blossoming; those who cultivate the Water Path become deep pools, swallowing vast amounts of spiritual energy...

Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven people, two thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven storm eyes, frantically devoured the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and their realms soared like rockets! The Chaotic Dao Domain was filled with all kinds of Daoist rhymes and torrents of spiritual energy, dazzling and violent.

Li Mu hovered in the eye of the storm, his white robe billowing like clouds. His aura was one with the Chaos Dao Domain. He stood firm like an ancient reef, his deep eyes reflecting the scene below of the sprouting of Dao seeds and the disciples breaking through their cultivation barriers. Deep within his eyes, the illusory image of the Chaos Dao Tree flowed.

Deep within the imperial palace.

Several gazes pierced through the palace walls, landing heavily on the surging chaotic Dao Domain in the plaza. Divine thoughts intertwined, sharp as needles.

“Three thousand Mahayana practitioners who have entered the Dao…” A divine thought flickered, revealing a hint of apprehension.

“This power is terrifying; if it harbors any disloyal thoughts…” another divine thought responded, its chilling aura palpable.

……

On the Nine Dragons Imperial Throne, the Great Qian Emperor's gaze was deep and solemn. He slowly raised his hand, and an invisible will suppressed the restless divine thoughts.

"A great calamity is imminent!" The Emperor's divine thought resounded like a great bell, echoing through the minds of all the powerful beings: "This power is the blade that vanquishes the demons! Li Mu, a cultivator of the Chaos Great Dao, is the nemesis of the demon race! Do not harbor any suspicions!"

An invisible imperial might quietly spread out, like the most stable foundation, silently and completely smoothing out and suppressing the last trace of restlessness and suspicion in the minds of the powerful gods.

Without a word, the Emperor's will was branded into the hearts of all the powerful who sensed this place: observe quietly and do not disturb.

Within the Chaotic Dao Domain, the storm intensified.

The burly cultivator of the Earth Path let out a deep, thunderous roar as his body swelled with spiritual energy, his muscles bulging and bulging as if covered in rock armor. The hard, golden star core ground beneath his feet could no longer bear it, and with a "crack," huge spiderweb-like cracks appeared. His aura at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage crashed wildly against the barrier of the Void Refinement stage like a savage beast!

The female cultivator of the Wind-Riding Dao Seed became elusive, as if she had merged into the wind, leaving only lingering afterimages in place. Her speed was so fast that it even drew out fine black folds in the space—the spatial mysteries that only the Void Refining Realm could initially grasp were revealed ahead of schedule!

Those with the Fire Path cultivation were engulfed in raging flames, their color shifting from crimson to blazing white-blue, scorching the sky and boiling the sea; those with the Wood Path cultivation had vines growing wildly beneath their feet, intertwining and even blooming into strange spiritual flowers with flowing Dao patterns; those with the Water Path cultivation transformed into a deep vortex, swallowing the surging spiritual tide, with a deep hum emanating from its depths...

Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven storm eyes, two thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven sources that frantically devoured the spiritual energy of heaven and earth! With the generation of the Dao Seed and the feedback from the spiritual energy, the barriers of the realm were broken through one after another like paper, and the cultivation level rose at an alarming speed!

The entire Chaotic Dao Domain was completely filled with violent Daoist rhythms of various colors and surging torrents of spiritual energy, both dazzling and deadly.

Seven days later, Li Mu stopped his lectures and teachings.

"The Dao has been explained. From now on, your cultivation will depend entirely on your own enlightenment." Li Mu opened his eyes and looked around at his disciples, clearly conveying to each of them: "I hope you will cultivate diligently without ceasing and attain enlightenment of the true meaning of the Great Dao as soon as possible."

On the plaza, 2,997 disciples stood solemnly, responding in unison with voices that shook the heavens: "Disciples bow in gratitude to our teacher for imparting the Way!"

As the voice fell, all the disciples bowed in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, like the forest after a sudden calm.

After the ceremony, no one spoke. They turned around and dispersed in silence and order. Only the lingering spiritual energy and the remnants of the chaotic Dao Domain that had enveloped everything remained on the square.

Li Mu's figure flashed, and he appeared in the quiet room deep inside the 'Quiet Abyss Valley'.

The room was empty, with only the chaotic Daoist energy flowing through it. He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his mind immersed in the sea of ​​consciousness.

The Chaos Treasure Palace Seed hangs in the center, its inner radiance shining forth. The Chaos Dao Tree, rooted in the Chaos Sea of ​​Qi, stretches out its branches and leaves, becoming several times more solid than before the sermon. Its three thousand roots extend into the void, connecting with the scattered Dao Fruit embryos.

Li Mu scanned the area with his mind, sensing the growth of each 'Dao Seed': the Metal Dao Fruit was sharp and restrained, poised to unleash its power; the Earth Dao Fruit was heavy and solid, its foundation gradually becoming firm; the Wind Dao Fruit was agile and elusive, its trajectory unpredictable... The two thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven Dao Fruits, though varied in form, were all brimming with vitality, absorbing the residual chaotic Dao essence of heaven and earth, and slowly growing. They were slightly inferior to the Dao Seeds of Lin Xiaolun, Tie Tou, and Da Niu, but they would catch up in no time.

Suddenly, a figure appeared outside the quiet room.

A steady voice pierced through the barrier and clearly entered: "Xuan Ge Ji Yu, on the Emperor's orders, requests an audience with Fellow Daoist Li to deliver the necessary items."

Li Mu opened his eyes, his deep gaze flickering slightly. In an instant, he understood the visitor's intentions. With a thought, the chaotic Daoist aura enveloping the meditation room naturally subsided, and the invisible barrier isolating the outside world quietly dissipated. The door to the meditation room opened silently.

Li Mu had already risen and was standing in the room, his plain robe fluttering, his aura deep and composed. He looked at Ji Yu standing outside the door and nodded slightly: "Sect Master Ji, please come in."

Ji Yu stepped inside, holding a box that was neither gold nor jade in his hands. He looked at Li Mu solemnly and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, the Emperor ordered me to retrieve three rare items from the depths of the Xuanhuang Treasure Vault to help you stabilize your Dao Realm."

Ji Yu touched the jade box with her fingertip, and the lid slid open silently, revealing the folded space inside. Three strange objects floated out, each emanating a distinct and powerful aura of origin.

The first item was a fist-sized mass of grayish-brown air that constantly collapsed and expanded. Its interior was chaotic and churning, seemingly depicting the creation of heaven and earth and the return of all things to nothingness, constantly arising and ceasing.

"This is the 'Primordial Qi,' sourced from the uncharted lands of the Chaos Sea. It contains the most primordial chaotic origin, wild and untamed, and cannot be touched by anyone but a great being," Ji Yu explained, his gaze solemn.

The second item: a crystal the size of a pigeon's egg, as black as ink. The crystal's surface was smooth, yet it seemed to devour all light and life, emanating a pure, annihilating aura of death, even slightly distorting the surrounding space.

"This is the 'Crystal of Return to the Void,' a ninth-tier rare artifact. Legend has it that it is the core crystal remaining after a world was completely destroyed, containing the ultimate meaning of annihilation," Ji Yu explained to Li Mu.

The third item: a branch about a foot long, dry and gnarled. The branch appears withered, but its bark flows with a warm, jade-like emerald green luster, and a rich creative power overflows from it, making tiny, ethereal buds appear and disappear on the surface of the withered branch.

"This is a 'remnant branch of the Jianmu tree,' said to have been imbued with the life essence of the beginning of creation, containing the power of creation and creation." Ji Yu looked at the object with awe, and then solemnly introduced it to Li Mu.

"The Emperor said that these three items can lend you a hand, Fellow Daoist." Ji Yu looked at Li Mu with a complicated gaze, and once again swept over the powerful Dao aura around Li Mu that was hidden yet connected to the three thousand Dao Fruits. His voice was deep: "Fellow Daoist, you have cultivated the Dao in seven days, and the Dao seeds of three thousand disciples have taken root and the Dao Fruits have begun to condense. Your cultivation has broken through the heavenly chasm... Such methods are divine and skillful. I have never seen anything like them in my life. I am amazed."

Li Mu's gaze calmly swept over the three strange objects: the raging chaos of the Primordial Qi, the deathly stillness of the Eye of Return to Nothingness, and the vigorous creation of the broken branches of the Jianmu tree... These three completely different auras, all pointing directly to the origin, caused the Chaos Treasure Seed in his sea of ​​consciousness to throb slightly, and even the roots of the Dao Tree phantom seemed to become more active.

Before my eyes, the attributes of the three strange items were displayed on the panel.

Primordial Qi

[Rank: Ninth-Tier Divine Item]

【Characteristics: Originating from the primordial chaos, from which all phenomena arise, from the primordial chaos, and through the cycle of birth and death】

[Primordial Qi, a ninth-order divine object, is a primordial mother energy that has existed since the beginning of time. Its form is a surging, grayish-brown current of energy, within which chaos and turmoil reign, witnessing the creation of heaven and earth and the return of all things to nothingness, enacting the most original and authentic laws of chaos. It carries the ultimate mysteries before the birth of the universe, the origin of all energy and the source of all power, containing the purest and most refined primordial chaos. Activating this energy can unleash its inherent creative power, reconstructing the laws, resetting the earth, fire, wind, and water, its power sufficient to overturn the universe.]

【Crystal of Return to the Ruins】

[Rank: Ninth-Tier Divine Item]

【Characteristics: Devours all worlds, crystallizes the final Dharma, eternally silent essence, utterly silent through countless eons】

[The Crystal of Return to Nothingness, a ninth-order divine object, is the ultimate crystallization formed over countless ages by the core will of annihilation and the law of annihilation after a great world has completely perished and returned to eternal silence. It is a crystal the size of a pigeon's egg, as black as ink, with a smooth surface that devours all light, heat, and life force, radiating a pure and utterly desolate essence of death. It carries the ultimate mystery of the world's end, is the embodiment of annihilation, the source of stillness, and contains the purest and most pristine origin of Return to Nothingness.]

[Remaining branches of the Jianmu tree]

[Rank: Ninth-Tier Divine Item]

【Characteristics: Branches connect to all realms, trunk supports the heavens, leaves embody creation, veins connect to the source sea, immortal foundation, spirit nurtures three thousand realms】

[A remnant branch of the Jianmu tree, a ninth-tier primordial artifact, a remnant of the legendary ancient tree Jianmu, which is said to connect all heavens and support the universe. Though its form is a withered, gnarled branch about a foot long, it flows with a warm, jade-like emerald green divine light, overflowing with an extremely rich creative power. Even from the withered part, tiny buds are sprouting, embodying the supreme Daoist principle of the cycle of withering and flourishing, and the endless cycle of life. It carries the primordial vitality of the beginning of creation, the root of creation, the ancestor of all spirits, and contains the purest and most sacred source of creation.]

"Your Majesty is so kind." Li Mu's heart stirred slightly, and he was sincerely grateful. He reached out and took the jade box. The lid closed, isolating the heart-pounding primal fluctuations.

Ji Yu bowed slightly: "My duty has been fulfilled. If there is nothing else, Fellow Daoist, I will take my leave. In the future, I will still need to trouble Fellow Daoist Li with the calamity of the Ghost Clan!"

"Fellow Daoist Ji, please rest assured, and Your Majesty, I, Li, will not shirk my duty!" Li Mu nodded solemnly.

Ji Yu said no more, simply bowed, turned and strode away to report back to the Emperor.

The door to the quiet room closed silently.

Li Mu's gaze returned to the jade box in his hand. With a slight twitch of his fingertips, the lid opened again. Three wondrous objects floated out: the chaotic surging of the Primordial Qi, the deathly devouring of the Crystal of Return to Nothingness, and the creative radiance of the broken branches of the Jianmu tree. Three completely different primordial auras instantly filled the quiet room, causing the void to tremble slightly.

Li Mu sat cross-legged.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the spiritual light of the Chaos Treasure Palace suddenly intensified, and the illusory image of the Chaos Dao Tree rooted in the sea of ​​qi swayed wildly, its three thousand roots dancing wildly, radiating an intense desire.

"Come!"

Li Mu's thoughts were stirred.

The surging and collapsing "Primordial Qi" was the first to respond, transforming into a gray stream of light that directly entered Li Mu's brow!

boom--!
The sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently! A violent and primordial chaotic aura cleaved in like a giant axe splitting the heavens, instantly igniting the entire chaotic sea of ​​qi! The roots of the Dao Tree phantom greedily plunged into this most primordial chaotic mother qi, its branches and leaves grew wildly, becoming more solid and heavy, and the chaotic runes flowing on the tree trunk shone brightly, as if it were about to recreate the world!
Immediately following, the all-consuming black crystal, the "Crystal of Return to Nothingness," silently merged into the sandalwood core in Li Mu's chest. A pure and utterly desolate chill instantly permeated his limbs and bones, as if to freeze and annihilate all life and all existence! Even the chaotic sea of ​​qi within his consciousness froze for a moment.

However, the illusory image of the Chaos Tree suddenly trembled! The runes flowing on its trunk lit up, forcefully resisting this annihilating power, and even began to guide and absorb this true meaning of the Void and Deathly Stillness. That deathly blackness actually condensed into points of deep ink-colored crystals at the ends of some branches of the tree, exuding an aura of annihilation of all things.

Just as the deathly chill was about to completely take over, the "broken branch of the Jianmu tree" moved. A foot-long withered branch transformed into a warm, emerald light, falling into Li Mu's dantian. A vast and boundless creative power erupted! Like an ancient, dormant volcano spewing forth endless vitality, the warm, jade-like emerald light instantly flowed throughout his body, resisting the deathly stillness of the void and nourishing his consciousness and meridians, which had been impacted by the chaotic primordial energy!
On the withered branches, the illusory images of tender buds suddenly solidified, and actually sprouted a tiny, yet infinitely vibrant, green bud!
Three forces intertwined, collided, and merged within Li Mu's body!
Chaos is the foundation, and life and death cycle endlessly! Creation confronts stillness, stillness tempers life, and chaos encompasses everything!
Li Mu's body became the most intense battlefield and the best crucible. Beneath his plain robe, his skin sometimes swirled with chaotic energy, sometimes covered in deathly black crystals, and sometimes radiated a warm, jade-like divine light. His face was serene, his eyes tightly closed, only the light from the chaotic treasure seed between his brows flickered, reflecting the astonishing transformation taking place in the illusory image of the Dao Tree within his sea of ​​consciousness.

The tree trunk became more condensed and substantial, its main stem thicker, and the chaotic runes were profound and complex. Three thousand roots weaved through the void, becoming more resilient and powerful, with faint gray, black, and green lights swirling around their ends. Among the branches and leaves, in addition to the original chaotic Daoist charm, there was an added power of creation that opened up the world and the true meaning of returning to the void after the annihilation of all things!

The Chaos Dao Tree is slowly growing! (End of Chapter)