Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

Li Mu's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot and went straight into the endless starry sky. Chaotic energy surged around him, surging like a tide.

In the next instant, Li Mu's figure vanished, transforming into a colossal tree that reached the heavens and the earth! Formless and intangible, yet truly existing, it took root in the chaos, its branches spreading out and taking root in the Golden Puppet Realm.

The tree's surface is covered with mysterious and unpredictable patterns, each pattern containing a complete set of Great Dao Laws, encompassing all things and evolving the universe. This is Li Mu's Dao Foundation - the Chaos Dao Tree!

As soon as the Chaos Dao Tree appeared, the Heavenly Dao Will of the Golden Puppet Realm trembled. Endless roots, like billions of silver rivers flowing backward, directly plunged into the core of this world. In an instant, torrents of vast and boundless energy were forcibly drawn from the depths of the Golden Puppet Realm's earth veins and absorbed by the Dao Tree like a whale swallowing its prey.

This is the power of the Golden Origin Realm, the cornerstone upon which the Golden Puppet Civilization relies for survival and evolution. At this moment, however, it is directly seized by Li Mu's Chaos Dao Tree and made available for his own use.

As a massive influx of Golden Origin Realm Power poured in, a phantom fruit quietly appeared on a branch of the Chaos Dao Tree. Initially indistinct, it gradually revealed a dazzling golden luster as the Golden Origin Realm Power continued to condense. Countless intricate Dao patterns were engraved on it, flowing with ultimate sharpness and solidity. This was Li Mu condensing his Golden Dao Fruit!

The condensation of the Dao Fruit is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It is a process of integrating the fundamental laws of the world into one's own Chaos Dao, making them a part of one's own Dao.

During this time, Li Mu's divine sense was not completely immersed in cultivation. Like an unchanging deity, he spread out countless strands of divine sense, piercing through the void, discerning cause and effect, and constantly watching the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core in an unknown dimension.

As expected, the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core did not disappoint Li Mu.

After losing the "Spark" unit -734 and receiving feedback of an "Absolute" level threat, it acted like a precise machine, without any emotional fluctuation, and immediately activated the "Muddy Waters Protocol".

A series of cold commands, traversing distant star systems, were transmitted to the "Spark" units lurking in 3,700 low-threat domains. Some of these "Sparks" had been dormant for billions of years, while others had just completed their initial infiltration. They were now ruthlessly awakened, and their massive Golden Puppet Legion awoke from its slumber.

"Boom!"

Deep within the Golden Puppet Realm, beneath the earth, the slumbering legions of millions, tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of Golden Puppets have been activated. They are no longer those rigid fighting machines, but have been infused with a new command by the "Muddy Waters Protocol"—"Purification"!
"Purification" is not annihilation, but rather the utilization of all useful laws, energy, and life information to provide nourishment for the evolution of the ancestral nucleus.

Under Li Mu's divine gaze, the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core erupted with invisible fluctuations. These were computational powers that transcended the concept of space, deducing the optimal invasion path and strategy at an astonishing speed.

Soon, the first wave of operations began.

At the edge of the Golden Puppet Realm, in an area weakened by the absorption of Golden Origin Realm power by the Chaos Dao Tree, hundreds of millions of Golden Puppet troops, under the precise command of the Ancestral Core, surged towards the boundary wall like a tidal wave, launching an organized and strategic attack.

Countless golden golems coalesced into massive siege engines, their cores being newly formed golden golems forcibly fused with the power of the boundary. The gray golem patterns on their bodies shimmered, spewing out highly corrosive energy beams that relentlessly bombarded the boundary wall.

"Crack! Click!"

Cracks spread like a spiderweb across the boundary wall. The Golden Puppet Ancestral Core's goal was to carve out a sufficiently large gap to lure in forces from other realms.

Amidst a deafening roar, a massive crack finally tore open in the boundary wall.

As the rift appeared, turbulent spatial currents, carrying the aura of different realms, instantly surged in. Under the command of the Ancestral Core, the Golden Puppet Army charged into the dark void rift without hesitation, like locusts swarming across the land, their target the unknown world on the other side of the rift.

Li Mu's Chaos Dao Tree continued to silently absorb the power of the Golden Origin Realm and condense the Golden Dao Fruit. However, his divine sense had already crossed the boundary with the first batch of Golden Puppet Legion that rushed out, arriving at the first target chosen by the Ancestral Core—the "Time Ruins Realm".

The Realm of Time Ruins, as the name suggests, is a ruin where time and nothingness intertwine.

When Li Mu's divine sense descended upon this realm, the first thing he sensed was an extreme chaos.

There is no fixed flow of time here, nor a stable spatial structure. Above this realm, like shattered glass, countless fragments of space float, carrying remnants of different eras.

What Li Mu saw with his divine sense were a series of bizarre and shocking scenes:

One second, a colossal, mountain-like beast covered in bronze scales was shattering mountains and rivers, roaring deafeningly. The next second, its massive claws slammed into a modern skyscraper made of reinforced concrete, causing the building to collapse instantly. The beast's roar ceased abruptly, turning into silent particles.

Then, in another turn, a series of uniquely shaped warships darted through the air, only to be suddenly swept into an ancient battlefield. The spaceships were torn to pieces by the claws of ancient ferocious beasts, and the futuristic magical artifacts they carried fell into the bloody mud, where they were picked up by primitive men clad in animal skins, only to instantly turn into decaying dust.

Here, the laws of time are shattered, and fragments of space flow with remnants of different eras. Ancient behemoths trample over modern buildings, and futuristic magical artifacts fall into the primordial battlefield. Everything seems so unreal, and so cruel.

Those who stray into it are easily lost in the river of time, their bodies and souls perish, their spirits pulled and pulled by countless points in time, ultimately collapsing.

Li Mu's divine sense was not subject to this limitation. He transcended the river of time and used the power of the Great Dao of Chaos to forcibly stabilize a region, meticulously observing the movements of the Golden Puppet Army.

The Golden Puppet Ancestral Core had clearly conducted in-depth reconnaissance and deduction of the Time Ruins Realm. Instead of letting the Golden Puppet Army blindly rush into those chaotic time fragments, it precisely guided them along a special path.

It was the only stable "corridor" constructed from solidified "sand of time." This corridor, like a straight route in the Milky Way, maintained relative stability amidst countless chaotic currents of time.

The golden golem army swarmed in, using a special energy shield to resist the erosion of time contained within the Sands of Time. Their target was the alien species born from the distortion of time, and the ancient beings trapped in a specific era, deep within the corridor.

These strange beings, some half-human and half-beast, others possessing bizarre time manipulation abilities, displayed extreme rejection and ferocity towards the invasion of the Golden Puppet army. A great battle erupted in the corridors of the Sands of Time.

The Golden Puppet Army is vast in number, but the alien species of the Time Ruins Realm possess strange time-related abilities. They can accelerate the decay of the Golden Puppet Army and also cause its attacks to halt halfway.

However, the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core's command was "purification," not simple slaughter. During the battle, they continuously absorbed the fragments of the Time Law from these alien creatures, transforming them into data streams and feeding them back to the Ancestral Core.

Li Mu's divine sense sensed the chaotic yet vast laws of time in the Time Ruins Realm, and he knew that if he could control this realm and comprehend the laws of time, he would obtain unparalleled fortune.

This was undoubtedly a great benefit to his Chaos Dao.

Just as the Golden Puppet army was fiercely battling the alien species of the Time Ruins Realm, the second wave of the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core's attack was also poised to launch. Another massive spatial rift was breached in another part of the Golden Puppet Realm's boundary wall; this time, it connected to the "Dragon Tomb Realm"!
Li Mu's divine sense split again, and with the second batch of golden puppet legions, they descended upon the Dragon Tomb Realm.

Unlike the strange phenomena of the Time Ruins Realm, the first impression of the Dragon Tomb Realm is one of extreme heaviness and oppression.

As far as the eye could see, there was only the vast land, but that land was not ordinary soil and rocks, but was formed by the pile of bones of hundreds of millions of dragons!

These skeletons, some as white as jade, some as black as ink, and some as golden as gold, stretch endlessly, forming the Dragon Bone Mountain Range, exuding an ancient and vast pressure. It is the residual power left behind by the ancient dragon god who once ruled a universe!
Above, dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and occasionally, enormous dragon shadows appeared and disappeared within the clouds, emitting silent roars. These were not real dragons, but countless immortal dragon souls, driven by their obsessions and filled with resentment, wandering this realm with overwhelming ferocity.

Some of these dragon souls have intact bodies, though they are transparent and illusory; others are only half-finished, yet they still exude a terrifying pressure. They are exceptionally sensitive to the aura of the living, and once an intruder enters, they will swarm in and launch an indiscriminate attack.

Guided by the Ancestral Core, the Golden Puppet Army stormed into the Dragon Tomb Realm.

"Roar!"

Deafening dragon roars echoed through the void. Countless undying dragon souls, like a black tide, surged out from the Dragon Bone Mountains, baring their fangs and claws, carrying billions of years of resentment and unwillingness, and rushed towards the golden puppet.

These dragon souls possess powerful mental attack capabilities, as well as physical strikes comparable to their physical bodies in life. They are enveloped in the laws of the dragon god, and each attack carries the power to shatter the void.

The preparation of the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core was far beyond the ordinary.

Within the Golden Puppet Legion, a new type of golden puppet has emerged. They are enormous, covered in a thick layer of runes, and can even withstand the mental impact of the dragon soul. Their attack methods have also become more ferocious, wielding massive metal arms to directly engage the dragon soul in hand-to-hand combat.

The golden golems' target is the dragon crystals and marrow deep within the Dragon Bone Mountains, which contain immense dragon might, as well as the possible inheritance of the Dragon God. In their battle with the Dragon Soul, they continuously absorb the Dragon Soul's energy, decompose the mysteries of the Dragon Bones, and transmit this information to the Ancestral Core.

Li Mu's divine sense sensed the heavy and ancient dragon aura of the Dragon Tomb Realm. This realm was the treasure trove of the dragon race, where dragon crystals, dragon marrow, and the inheritance of the dragon god were all buried.

Just as the war between the Time Ruins Realm and the Dragon Tomb Realm was raging, the third target of the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core also surfaced.

The third spatial rift tore apart the boundary between the Golden Puppet Realm and the "Illusionary Spirit Realm".

Li Mu's vast and chaotic divine sense quietly descended upon the Illusionary Spirit Realm.

This place is completely different from the previous two worlds. There is no broken time, no heavy dragon bones; instead, there is a scene of flowing rainbow light, like a dream.

The Realm of Illusions is formed by the spiritual power of all living beings, where reality and illusion are indistinguishable, and dreams and reality intertwine.

As soon as Li Mu's divine sense entered, he felt an invisible force trying to pull his consciousness and drag him into an endless illusion.

The sky here is a flowing spectrum of colors, and the earth is a constantly shifting landscape. A flower might transform into a ferocious beast in the next second; a river might suddenly become a starry sky.

Phantoms are the rulers of this world. They are projections of thoughts, their nature unpredictable, neither good nor evil. Some phantoms are pure and innocent, like a child's dream; others are hideous and terrifying, manifestations of the darkest desires and fears deep within the hearts of countless beings.

Those who enter this realm, if their Dao heart is not firm, are very likely to fall into the illusion and be devoured by their inner demons. Their physical bodies will wither, their primordial spirits will dissipate, and they will eventually become part of the Illusionary Spirit Realm.

After the Golden Puppet Army entered the Illusionary Realm, it also encountered unprecedented challenges.

There are no physical obstacles in the Phantom Realm, but the attacks of the Phantom Spirits are aimed directly at the mind. They can distort the core logic of the Golden Puppet, trapping it in an endless loop, and can even simulate the Golden Puppet's most terrifying scenarios, causing it to "shut down".

However, the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core once again demonstrated its terrifying adaptability.

A group of special golden puppets emanated a stable mental fluctuation. They were not attacking, but rather, like signal towers, constantly releasing a sense of "order." This sense of order could forcibly stabilize local areas of the Illusionary Realm, making them appear relatively real.

Meanwhile, another group of golden puppets began absorbing the free-floating spiritual energy in the Illusionary Spirit Realm, converting this energy into data streams and transmitting them to the Ancestral Core. Their purpose was to analyze the spiritual laws of the Illusionary Spirit Realm, providing spiritual nourishment for the evolution of the Ancestral Core.

Li Mu's divine sense traversed the Illusionary Spirit Realm. He sensed the joys and sorrows, loves and hates of countless living beings. These emotions and desires intertwined to form an invisible net, constituting the foundation of the Illusionary Spirit Realm. If he could control this realm, he could comprehend the Great Dao of the Spirit, materialize his thoughts, and interfere with reality. This would also be of immeasurable value to his future evolution of chaos and completion of the Great Dao.

……

Following the Ancestral Core's "Muddy Waters Agreement," the Golden Puppet Army is frantically stirring up the格局 (geju, a concept encompassing the overall structure, order, and overall situation) of all the heavens and myriad worlds in an incredibly efficient and ruthless manner.

Meanwhile, the Chaos Dao Tree that Li Mu transformed into remained rooted in the core of the Golden Puppet Realm, continuously absorbing the power of the Golden Origin Realm, and the light of the Golden Dao Fruit became increasingly brilliant.

Li Mu's divine sense, like countless eyes, observed the turbulent events in the outer realms, recording all the actions of the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core, as well as the laws and characteristics of the invaded worlds.

The cold curve of Li Mu's lips appeared even more profound under the endless starry sky.

"Is this your optimal solution?"

Li Mu remained completely calm. He had observed every move of the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core, which wanted to stir up trouble and introduce more variables to restrain him.

However, the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core was unaware that every ripple it stirred would become a force in Li Mu's hands, propelling the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty to conquer the heavens.

……

A century has passed in the blink of an eye, and the surrounding realms of the Golden Puppet Realm are undergoing astonishing changes due to the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core's Muddy Waters Project. (End of Chapter)