Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

The bright moon hung above the sea of ​​embers, three dark red ember cores orbiting his body like planets orbiting their satellites. A boundless and unparalleled power of the primordial energy of the Ember Realm surged forth, causing platinum divine light and dark gray Dao patterns to intertwine wildly around him. Within his body, the Puppet Dao Core vibrated, reorganized, and sublimated at an unprecedented frequency!
"melt!"

Mingyue's golden eyes snapped open, and a shout rang out like a decree from the heavens. The three ash cores shattered with a deafening roar, transforming into the purest dual Dao source of destruction and creation, completely merging into his Chaos Puppet Dao foundation.

The aura of the bright moon rose steadily, instantly breaking through the peak barrier of the ninth rank and reaching the realm of perfection. Its pressure enveloped the entire scorched earth, causing all the puppets to bow their heads and the scorched fire to submit.

Its Chaos Ember Puppet Legion evolved in tandem, their dark gray bodies adorned with mysterious fire patterns, their eyes gleaming with tangible ember flames. Their newly acquired "Ember Devouring" talent allowed them to transform into mobile vortexes, drawing upon all surrounding fire energy and ember energy; their "Ash Reconstruction" ability enabled the near-instantaneous regeneration of severed limbs and the reshaping of their bodies. Furthermore, they could invoke the laws of the Ember Realm, briefly becoming ethereal to evade fatal law attacks.

Mingyue's divine sense, like an invisible net, completely covered the remnants of the Xuan Yuan Ash Realm. The course of the earth's veins for thousands of miles, the nodes where the Ash Qi flowed, the location of the remaining Ash Spirit nests, and even the deeply hidden slumbering place of the Fire Demon Lord, were all clearly reflected in her mind's sea.

"Imperial decree: The three armies shall advance together, pacify the perilous land, and draw up a map of the laws!"

With a wave of his hand, the ten thousand Chaos Ember Puppets, as if driven by an invisible force, instantly split into three torrents of steel.

The first route heads straight for the western "Abyss of Ashes"—a bottomless abyss formed from the spine of the Burning Heaven God and Demon, which spews out god-corroding energy and primordial embers year-round, and seems to contain the ancient nest of the Ember Spirit Mother.

The second route heads east to the "Burning God Sea"—a scorching ocean formed by liquid divine and demonic resentment fire and broken laws, with towering flames capable of burning and refining the primordial spirit of a novice cultivator. Within it resides a powerful fire demon lord who commands billions of fire demon spirits.

The third route advances northward to the "Fallen Bone Plains"—the largest burial ground of gods and demons' remains, where white bones pile up like mountains and ashes gather like clouds. Although ashes are rare here, they are mutated beings born from the remnants of gods and demons and the extreme death energy, making them unpredictable. It is even rumored that half of a god's or demon's exhausted heart core is buried deep within the plains.

The three armies of Ember Puppets surged forward, their dark gray torrents devouring all the ember energy in their wake, and the fire demons crumbled before them. Their eyes flashed incessantly, meticulously recording, transmitting, and integrating every detail of the terrain, energy fluctuations, and residual laws along their path.

A detailed map of the Myriad Laws of the Profound Abyss Realm, based on the laws of the Chaotic Puppet Dao, is slowly condensing and extending in the void... Every line on it shimmers with a cold metallic luster and a blazing glow of embers, paving a smooth path to the heavens for the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty to completely control this realm.

Mingyue closed her eyes and continued to refine the Dao power of the Ember Core within her body. The chaotic vortex behind her grew increasingly deep, and its aura was still quietly transforming towards an unknowable realm.

Xiao Jingtian stood at the highest point of the Rift Universe, his black armor still on, his eyes sweeping across the scorched earth for thousands of miles below.

Ashes surged, embers flickered.
The Xuan Yuan Jin Realm is now like a ferocious beast with its spine removed, crawling on the dust.

The Rift hovered in mid-air, its entire body engraved with nine hundred array eyes lighting up simultaneously, absorbing the embers of heaven and earth. The array masters sat cross-legged at the bow, using the secret technique "Ember Fire Returning to Flow" to draw upon the remnants of the earth's veins, while the weapon refiners stood before the furnace array, hammers in hand, throwing handfuls of ember crystals into the fire pits to forge them into runes.

"rise!"

At a command, nine crimson-gold pillars of light shot into the sky from the bottom of the Rift Universe, piercing the heavens. Within the pillars, countless fine runes intertwined into a net, connecting the four corners of heaven and earth, drawing back the remaining destructive Dao energy of the Ash Realm. This was the "Nine Heavens Ash Fire Grand Array"—using the ash energy left over from the battlefield as fuel, and the remains of gods and demons as the array's core, refining the poison of the dead into a living spirit.

In an instant, beneath the vast expanse of gray earth, the earth's veins trembled.

The Valley Master of Burning Heaven stood atop the volcanic vent, forcefully plunging a crimson bronze command flag into the magma. With a deafening roar, a dark red pillar of light, formed from the scorched marrow of the earth, pierced through the rock layers and soared into the sky, connecting with the array patterns descending from the Rift Universe. Within the pillar of light, fiery veins surged, like dragons traversing the abyss.

"The marrow has been opened; now draw the fire into the tower!"

Thirty-six "Heaven-Burning Refining Towers" rose rumbled from the ground, their bodies cast from a mixture of divine and demonic bone powder and ashes crystal, each layer engraved with a reverse burning refining array.

The top of the tower opens like a lotus, swallowing the scorching fire that surges from the earth's veins. Deep within the tower's core, countless fire-resistant magical artifact prototypes float and sink in the fire, undergoing nine layers of scorching fire tempering and seven cleansings of the soul by vengeful spirits, finally becoming the "Mysterious Ash Token," "Crimson Heart Armor," and "Soul-Suppressing Nail," which can resist the erosion of nightmares.

As soon as the furnace bursts forth, a thousand spirits sing in unison, and crimson light soars into the sky.

At the same time, King Zhenhai walked on the waves and stood at the edge of the Ember Sea. He formed a hand seal, and his true form of Xuan Shui, which was ten thousand feet tall, appeared behind him. A celestial river poured down from his sleeve. This was no ordinary water, but the "Purifying Profound Flow" invited from the North Sea Abyss, which was specially used to subdue impure souls.

"The Mysterious Water Purifies the Realm, Where All Thoughts Return to Stillness!"

The surging waves transformed into a winding "Mysterious Water Purification Array," stretching for thousands of miles, like a jade belt embracing the core of the battlefield. At the moment the array was completed, the lingering remnants of nightmares in the air dissipated like snow meeting the sun.
They all dissolved, the black mist peeled away from the contaminated outer shell of the spiritual machinery, and it regained its silvery-white luster; the shadows in the cultivator's soul dissipated, and his eyes became clear.

The Celestial Dynasty army took advantage of the situation and advanced.

Hundreds of spirit boats descended from the sky, dropping "Earth Pivot Boundary Stakes" into relatively stable areas. The stakes penetrated deep into the earth's veins, releasing stable spiritual pressure and forming safety circles with a diameter of hundreds of miles.

Within the circle, cultivators felled trees to build cities, dug spirit wells, and erected teleportation array bases. Temporary strongholds were scattered like stars in the sky, quickly forming a defensive line.

The mining team ventured deep underground, using "Ember Crystal Detection Discs" to locate a high-purity ore vein. Pickaxes and axes cleaved through the rock, spiritual energy seeping in, and clusters of dark red crystals burst forth from the earth, each containing the essence of fire from the fallen ancient gods and demons. This substance could be used for alchemy, array formations, and weapon forging; it was the most precious resource in this world.

The Beast Taming Camp released "Spirit Fire Lure," using ember crystals as bait to search for low-level fire beasts in the Ash Wasteland. These fire beasts were born from embers, resembling red leopards with fiery wings on their backs; though ferocious, they lacked intelligence.

The beast tamer purifies the soul with Xuan Water, feeds it with Ash Crystal, and then uses puppet threads to penetrate the divine consciousness. Within three days, a thousand fire beasts will bow down and become the cultivator's mounts.

Battle reports arrived like snowflakes.

In the Western Abyss, the Chaos Ember Puppet has broken through seven layers of its lair, triggering a backlash from the abyssal fire and turning the entire area into a molten wasteland, leaving the Ember Spirit nowhere to hide.

In the Eastern Burning God Sea, the Ember Puppet Army, with its ability to "reconstruct from ashes," repeatedly reborn in the flames, carving out a fiery path that led directly to the slumbering place of the Fire Demon Lord.

The Fire Demon Lord roared out, his body as large as a hundred-foot-tall fire ape, his palms capable of splitting mountains, but he was surrounded by three Ember Puppets. They used "Ember Flame Devouring" to drain the fire core from his body, turning him into a charred corpse that fell into the sea.

The Northern Plains of Fallen Bones are the most eerie place. Piles of white bones rise like mountains, whispers echoing through the night. A mutated Ember Spirit was born from the skull of a god or demon, its entire body formed from resentment. It can become invisible and devours souls. Thirty-six Ember Puppets surrounded it, but all were burrowed into its bodies and self-destructed.

Mingyue personally ordered the use of the "Chaos Domain" to seal off a hundred-mile stretch of space, and then unleashed nine bolts of scorching fire lightning to completely annihilate it.

After the war, the earth cracked deep within the plains, exposing half of a dark gold core. It was covered in cracks, yet it still pulsed as before. Mingyue pointed a finger down, imprinting chaotic array patterns on it, suppressing it as the "Foundation of the Ash Realm," to forever guard this region and prevent the resurgence of death energy.

Inside the Rift Universe, Xiao Jingtian was sketching on the "Map of the Ash Realm".

"Within three months, we have established thirty-six strongholds, seven mines, and our weapon-refining tower is operating at full capacity. We are producing three thousand Xuanjin Tokens and five hundred Chixin Armors daily. We have tamed two thousand fire beasts and organized them into the 'Jinqi Camp.' The Nine Heavens Jinhuo Grand Array has converted seventeen thousand units of spiritual energy, enough to sustain the army for another three months of fighting."

Xiao Jingtian paused, then looked up into the distance.

Ashes remain, spirit boats shuttle back and forth, flickering flames and the faint sound of war drums. This once desolate land is being transformed inch by inch into a steel front. It is no longer just a battlefield, but a furnace, an arsenal, a proving ground. Newly minted cultivators train here, using fire demons as targets and ashe spirits as enemies, tempering their Dao hearts amidst life and death. Array masters test new formations here, weapon refiners temper divine weapons, and even the puppet army is constantly evolving.

The Xuan Yuan Jin Realm has transformed from a life-devouring abyss into the flesh and blood that nourishes the Immortal Dynasty.

Xiao Jingtian put down his pen and whispered, "Lord Li Mu took the Dao Fruit, and Lord Mingyue broke through to the Perfect Realm... Although this world is damaged, it is reborn because of them."

Xiao Jingtian turned and ordered, "Send word to all departments to accelerate the progress. Three months from now, I will erect the first 'Boundary-Suppressing Monument' in the center of this realm, inscribing it with the name of the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty!"

……

Deep in the void, Li Mu remained motionless in his blue robe, his eyes slightly closed.

The illusory image of the Chaos Dao Tree spread out from behind it, its branches twisting like dragons, piercing through layers of boundary walls, its roots like billions of silver needles, piercing into the darkest lifeline of the Xuan Yuan Jin Realm—the "Heavenly Burning Core".

That core was formed from the shattered heart of the Burning Heaven God and Demon after its fall. It was buried tens of thousands of feet deep underground, shaped like a giant egg of molten gold, with cracks all over its surface. It spewed out a primordial fire source powerful enough to incinerate immortals and gods. It was once the source of all destruction in the Ash Realm, the throne of the Lord of Nightmares, and the ancestor of all fires.

At this moment, the "Heavenly Core" was tightly strangled by the chaotic roots, which were like giant pythons coiling around it.

Profound Dao patterns emerged on the surface of the roots, breathing and releasing the fire elemental power like a rhythm, flowing upstream along the roots and pouring into the main trunk of the Dao tree. The Dao fruit hanging on the fiery branch was solidifying at a speed visible to the naked eye. The fruit was dark red, like flowing lava, with layers of Dao patterns emerging on its surface. One half was like ten thousand rivers flowing into the sea, burning everything and returning to annihilation; the other half was like spring thunder breaking the soil, sprouting tender shoots from the ashes, life emerging from death.

Destruction and creation, like yin and yang fish, slowly rotate on the surface of the Dao Fruit.

As the power absorbed by the Dao Fruit intensified, the celestial phenomena of the Xuan Yuan Jin Realm changed drastically.

The once blood-red sky cracked open at its center, revealing a crimson-gold vortex. Deep within the vortex, fiery clouds churned, condensing into phantom lotuses composed of pure fire laws. These phantoms drifted down, transforming upon contact with the ground into chaotic fire lotuses, taking root in the ashes and emitting a dim, eerie flame. The lotus hearts remained undying, continuously releasing gentle spiritual energy to purify the surrounding deathly aura.

The ground trembled, and milky-white chaotic magma surged from the cracks—not fire that burns things, but flames of creation. Wherever the magma passed, the scorched earth glowed faintly, crystal buds sprouted on the remains, and even the broken bones of gods and demons faintly exuded a breath of revival.

This is the resonance of the Dao Fruit, triggering the reversal of heaven and earth—at the end of destruction, the opportunity for creation appears!

On the Rift Universe, Xiao Jingtian looked up at the sky, his pupils shrinking slightly. He sensed that the source of the crimson-gold vortex was Li Mu. The entire world's fire source was being drawn away, not for destruction, but for "shaping the Dao".

"Master is refining this realm?" Xiao Jingtian asked in surprise.

Just then, Mingyue suddenly opened her eyes and sensed a command from her master, Li Mu.

The three ash cores were completely melted away, and the Chaos Puppet Dao Core within its body had transformed into a miniature Dao Seed, which floated in the center of its divine soul, slowly rotating and absorbing the remaining laws of the Ash Realm.

With a wave of her hand, the myriad Chaos Ember Puppets all stopped in their tracks, their consciousness returning to their original forms.

"withdraw troops."

A divine thought swept across the four directions, and the three torrents of steel came to an abrupt halt. The Ember Puppet Legion returned one after another, gathering beneath Bright Moon and arranging themselves into thirty-six battle formations, awaiting the King's command.

Mingyue's gaze swept over the "Myriad Laws Map of the Xuanyuan Ash Realm," which already outlined ninety percent of the terrain and energy nodes. With a light tap of her fingertip, a chaotic array seal was imprinted into the core of the map.

boom!
The map rose from the void, transforming into a long, gray-gold scroll, which Mingyue then tucked into her sleeve. This map would become the central hub for the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty to control this realm.

With a swift movement, Mingyue teleported above the Rift Universe, her platinum hair fluttering in the chaotic air currents, her golden eyes looking down upon all living beings.

"The master has given the order." Mingyue looked at Xiao Jingtian and the other powerful figures, and gestured.

As soon as the four words were spoken, all the powerful figures turned their heads and responded in unison.

"Please give your instructions, Lord Mingyue." Xiao Jingtian clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, not daring to be disrespectful to his master's personal puppet spirit.

Mingyue raised her hand and pointed to the depths of the Western Abyss: "At the bottom of the Abyss, a wisp of lingering nightmare remains, hidden in the core of the Mother Nest, seeking rebirth through the earth's fire. Order the Third Army of the Abyss Puppet to seal its abode with the 'Abyss Fire Thunder Seal,' and draw the Chaos Fire Lotus into the abyss to purify its roots."

"Yes!"

It also refers to the Eastern Burning God Sea: "The remnants of the fire demon are hiding deep in the sea eye, forming the 'Resentful Fire Array' to launch a counterattack. I ordered the Refining Tower to forge three hundred 'Mysterious Ember Sea-Suppressing Nails,' which were then driven into the four corners of the sea eye by the Sea-Suppressing King and the Mysterious Water Army to suppress its fire veins."

"Follow the order!"

Then, pointing to the northern Meteorite Plains: "With the 'Ember Realm Foundation' as the core, set up the 'Nine Palaces Soul-Suppressing Array' and establish this place as the front-line center. Order the Ministry of Works to build the 'First City of the Ember Abyss' within three months. The city foundation should be cast with a mixture of divine and demonic bone powder and chaotic gold. A 'Boundary-Suppressing Monument' should be erected in the center of the city, inscribed with the name of the Great Qian Kingdom and the names of the Nine Armies."

"Order!"

Military orders were issued like thunderbolts, and the generals of each unit obeyed and departed.

The spirit boats took off, the mining teams accelerated, and the flames in the weapon-refining towers blazed even brighter. The Beast Taming Camp organized the Ash Riders into ten teams, each with two hundred men, and issued them newly forged "Crimson Heart Armor," practicing the "Ashfire Charge Formation."

The formation masters, using the "Map of Myriad Laws" as a foundation, began to deduce the advanced method of the "Nine Heavens Ember Fire Array"—the "Chaos Ember Sun Array," aiming to transform the entire realm into a giant array that could incinerate enemies or nurture spirits at any time.

Mingyue stood atop the Rift Universe, the Chaos Dao Seed behind him slowly rotating, echoing the crimson-gold vortex in the sky.

She gazed at the figure in green robes deep in the void and whispered, "My lord, Mingyue will do her utmost to assist you in obtaining fire!"

The wind rises, stirring up the ashes and dust, like smoke and mist.

Spirit towers rose from the ground, array patterns were etched into the earth, and ranks of cultivators patrolled the sky in formation. (End of Chapter)