Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

Where the gun pointed, the fragments of the dream crumbled like an avalanche, and the flow of time seemed to freeze.

That spear of order, embodying the chaotic Dao of the bright moon and the laws of time, seemed to be the only reality in this world, cleaving a straight path through countless illusions.

The core of the Nightmare Beast, formed from billions of fearful faces, offers no escape from this spear, nor any power to block it!
"puff!"

A muffled, tearing sound seemed to erupt from the very depths of everyone's soul. The spear of order pierced the behemoth's chest!

There was fresh blood, but no flying flesh and blood.

From the point where the spear tip touched the core of the behemoth, a pure halo of chaotic light burst forth, spreading like ripples across water. Wherever the halo reached, those twisted, pained, and howling faces seemed to be smoothed out by an invisible hand; resentment dissipated, fear melted away, and ultimately transformed into the most primordial, purest spiritual particles, returning to nothingness.

The Nightmare Beast's colossal, star-like body crumbled inch by inch from its core, disintegrating rapidly like a sandcastle caught in a wave. Its gray, distorting breath, capable of warping reality, was also severed at its source, transforming into countless specks of light that drifted away.

One strike, and it seemed like a success!

However, there was not a trace of joy in Mingyue's golden eyes; on the contrary, his expression was extremely solemn.

Although the behemoth was destroyed, the Illusory Spirit Sea not only did not calm down, but instead became even more turbulent! Beneath the surface of the sea, the ancient and vast malice did not diminish but increased, as if the abyssal giant god, which had been thoroughly enraged, was about to open its eyes of destruction.

"Heh heh... What a servant of order! He actually managed to injure my outward appearance..."

That piercing, eerie laughter no longer came from the void, but instead resounded simultaneously from every drop of "seawater" and every wisp of thought in the Illusionary Spirit Sea, converging into a grand resonance that shook the very soul.

"Since that's the case... then I'll condemn you all to eternal damnation within my dream!"

As soon as the words were spoken, heaven and earth... vanished.

It is neither collapse nor destruction, but a more insidious kind of "dissolution".

The Illusionary Spirit Sea before Mingyue's eyes, the Rift Universe in the distance, the Chaos Ember Puppet Army beneath her, and even her own sense of existence were all forcibly erased by an unparalleled power in that instant, pulled into a dimension that could not be described in words.

There was nothing above, below, or in any direction; only endless fragments of time swept by like a torrent.

In an instant, the bright moon found itself in a mortal city, watching the men and women of the world experience birth, aging, sickness, death, love, hate, and separation.

In the next instant, Mingyue stood once again on the ancient road of stars, witnessing the bloodshed of gods and demons, the collapse of stars, and the lamentation of the Great Dao; she saw a blade of grass that had experienced countless cycles from sprouting to withering; she saw a stone that felt the endless loneliness of being eroded by wind and frost and polished by flowing water.

This is... an endless cycle of dreams! The Ancestor of Illusions, at the cost of the entire Illusionary Realm, compressed all the cycles of dreams of all living beings in this realm from ancient times to the present into a single moment, turning it into a cage that imprisons Mingyue and her entire army within!

"Warning! Time coordinates are disordered! The logic core is trapped in an infinite loop!"

"Soul link... interrupted... interrupted..."

……

Within his consciousness, the wails of the Ember Puppet and the alarm sounds rose and fell in succession, before falling silent.

Mingyue "saw" a Chaos Ember Puppet beside her, its golden light in its eyes dull, its body motionless, but within its logical core, it was undergoing billions of simulations from birth to destruction, endlessly repeating itself.

The other puppets and soldiers of the Celestial Dynasty were the same. Some stood, some sat, their expressions were terrified and bewildered. Their bodies were frozen, but their souls had already fallen into their respective hells of reincarnation, being repeatedly ground by endless despair and pain.

These methods are no longer spiritual attacks, but rather a distortion of "existence" itself from the perspective of cause and effect!
"Humph."

With a cold snort, Mingyue stood like a rock in the torrent of reincarnation.

At the center of her brow, the "Timed Talisman" bestowed by Li Mu suddenly shone brightly, and an invisible anchor emerged from the source of her soul, firmly anchoring that one and only "moment" that belonged to her!
"Time anchor point, secure!"

Amidst the humming vibrations and the relentless passage of time, the distorted cause and effect, her spirit remains ever clear. Like a reef in a raging sea, she stands unmoved despite the crashing waves.

But the army... is in grave danger.

The bright moon's golden eyes swept over, and his heart sank as if it were lead. The Nightmare Puppet Guard—this extraordinary force that specialized in devouring mental energy—had become the first link in the chain to collapse.

They instinctively devour the massive amount of negative emotions that dissipate from the cycle of dreams, which is the despair, pain, and madness accumulated by billions of living beings through endless cycles of reincarnation. Its quality and quantity have long exceeded their limits.

Five hundred Nightmare Puppet Guardians, their bodies as black as ink, twisted and swelled violently, as if about to explode. Their "Nightmare Cores" were no longer deep and dark, but instead transformed into a scarlet, violent light, reflecting countless ferocious faces that roared silently.

They devour nightmares, and in doing so, they themselves will become nightmares!
"return!"

The Bright Moon Goddess urgently summoned him.

However, it was too late.

"boom--!"

A sound exploded from the depths of the soul connection!

A massive, filthy, chaotic, and insane torrent of negative spiritual energy, following the connection of the soul, surged back like a river bursting its banks, crashing fiercely into the source of Mingyue's puppet spirit!
In an instant, the scene before Mingyue changed again. It was no longer the torrent of time, no longer a dream of reincarnation.

The bright moon saw a cold, lifeless void.

In the center of this void, an enormous, cracked metal core floats silently. That is... the remnant of the Golden Puppet Ancestral Core, her "predecessor".

A towering, godlike figure stood with his back to her, dressed in a simple blue robe, exuding an aura of profound mystery.

It is the master, Li Mu.

"You are nothing more than a wisp of obsession born from the wreckage, a mere tool."

The master's voice was cold and indifferent, devoid of any emotion, yet it was like the sharpest knife in the world, cutting into the very core of the bright moon.

"Now that my path is nearing completion, I no longer need you."

Li Mu's eyes, which should have been as deep as the starry sky, were now empty and indifferent. He raised his hand and pointed at her.

That single finger strike, though lacking earth-shattering power, contained the will to "erasure".

Mingyue suddenly felt her existence being denied, her body dissipating inch by inch, her consciousness slowly blurring, and all meaning turning into illusion under her fingertips.

No! This is not true!
The master would never do such a thing!
Mingyue roared inwardly, but the despair and fear of abandonment stemming from the backlash of the nightmare clung to her will like a maggot, making it difficult for her to escape the illusion.

This is her inner demon—as a puppet spirit, her deepest fear: doubt about existence and abandonment of the creator!
"Tools are meant to be used and then discarded."

Mingyue's silver hair danced wildly, and reason and madness clashed fiercely in her golden eyes. Cracks appeared on the puppet's body in reality, as if it would collapse completely at any moment.

"Do not……"

A hoarse whisper escaped from Mingyue's throat, and the struggle deep within her golden eyes gradually turned into a deathly gray.

give up?
Her owner doesn't want her anymore, what's the point of living?
……

Just as consciousness was about to sink, deep within the core of the origin, a seed the size of a speck of dust trembled slightly.

The Chaos Dao Seed, bestowed upon her by Li Mu, laid the foundation for her to reach the pinnacle of the Puppet Dao!
All of this originates from chaos, containing a trace of Li Mu's Dao—surpassing all laws, encompassing all phenomena, and also capable of destroying all phenomena!
This tremor, like the morning bell and evening drum, awakened the will that had been sinking into despair.

who am I?
Mingyue, commander of the Ember Puppet Legion under the Lord of the Immortal Dynasty!

Why fight?

To sweep away all obstacles for the master's great cause!

The meaning of existence is determined by myself; how can it be subject to arbitrary judgments!

"Give it to me...break it!"

A furious roar exploded from the depths of his soul, shattering the illusion of inner demons!

Instead of suppressing her inner demons, Mingyue poured all the chaotic spiritual torrents into the Chaos Dao Seed.

"Boom! Boom!..."

Stimulated by a massive amount of negative energy, the Dao Seed was forcibly activated, prematurely blooming a wisp of chaotic divine light—not belonging to the bright moon, but to Li Mu! The gray-black divine light erupted from within his body, like a heaven-opening axe, cleaving through the deathly silence and nothingness!

Click——!
The illusion of inner demons shattered instantly!
Mingyue once again witnessed the torrent of time in the cycle of dreams, panting heavily. Even in her puppet form, she felt as if she had survived a calamity. Looking down, she saw that her silver-armored spirit body was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and chaotic energy and foul black smoke were seeping out from the gaps, a horrifying sight.

The inner demon was broken, but at a heavy price. The very essence of the Bright Moon Puppet Spirit's body was damaged, and if it is not repaired in time, it may be in danger of collapsing.

However, Mingyue's eyes were clearer than ever before.

Borrowing that wisp of chaotic divine light, the bright moon pierced through the appearance of reincarnation and glimpsed the truth.

So-called reincarnation, so-called torrent of time, are merely the surface waves of the Illusionary Spirit Sea. The true foundation lies in the source of all thoughts and the core of all dreams, hidden deep within the ocean of intention!
"Owner……"

The bright moon raises its head, its gaze seemingly piercing through layers of dream barriers, reaching the Rift Universe silently suspended at the entrance to the realm.

The bright moon did not cry for help or beg for assistance; it merely condensed its own state and its insight into the core of the Illusionary Spirit Sea into a pure divine thought and sent it out.

"The core of the Phantom Realm has been discovered. We request... a final ruling."

……

The bow of the Lieyu.

Li Mu stood there in his blue robe, the sleeves of his robe fluttering even without wind.

From the moment Mingyue stepped into the Illusionary Realm, everything was reflected in her eyes.

He knew everything: colorful dreams, hideous inner demons, the spear of order, the cycle of reincarnation and depravity.

Li Mu's expression remained as calm as a still well; this was a tribulation that the bright moon was destined to endure.

No matter how sharp a weapon is, it is still just a tool. Only by cultivating one's own path and cutting through illusions can one transform from a "tool" into a "living being".

The Golden Puppet Realm granted her new life; the Profound Abyss Realm helped her forge an army; the Realm of Time Ruins repaired her laws.

The Realm of Illusions is also her final trial.

If one cannot see through it, one will die and one's spiritual path will vanish, returning to nothingness.

Once you understand how to break through, you can rebuild from the broken foundation; this is the ultimate mastery of the puppetry method!
When that resolute and entrusted thought arrived, a slight ripple finally appeared in Li Mu's deep eyes.

"good."

Li Mu nodded slightly and uttered a single word.

The next moment, Li Mu lifted his right foot and took a step forward, without tearing space or disturbing time.

Step into the Phantom Realm from the deck of the Rift Universe.

However, this seemingly ordinary step caused the entire Illusionary Spirit Realm to fall into a sudden silence!
The surging torrent of time froze, the fragments of the cycle of dreams paused, and the boiling sea of ​​illusions calmed down.

Like a precision machine, it was paused.

In the next instant, Li Mu's figure appeared on the desolate sea, standing in front of the cracked and teetering Mingyue.

Silent and still, yet its oppressive power surpasses that of a thunderbolt.

"Who are you?!"

The Ancestor of Phantoms roared in shock and fury from the abyss, feeling an unprecedented fear—a tremor originating from the deepest level of life!
The very existence of the man in the blue robe before us is "unreasonable"! His very presence makes him the center of heaven and earth, with all laws humbly surrounding him!

"Ow—!"

The Sea of ​​Illusions is boiling over once again!
It wasn't just a nightmare behemoth, but the entire ocean that came to life!

Millions of faces rise from the sea—men, women, young, old, gods, demons, monsters, and Buddhas, each with extreme emotions: a mother's grief, an emperor's rage, a child's joy, an old monk's desolation...

Billions of emotions and aspirations converge to form a Dharma image that covers the sky—a thousand faces and ten thousand hearts!
This is the final form of the ancestor of phantom spirits, the ultimate manifestation of the emotions and will of all living beings!

"Give me... damnation!"

A thousand faces roared in unison, an intangible and formless torrent of boundless emotions and will, transcending matter and energy, directly striking Li Mu's Dao heart!
This attack is enough to shatter even the Dao of a Celestial Venerable, and even those at the initial stage of the Dao Realm will find it difficult to escape!

Faced with the overwhelming torrent of emotions that threatened to destroy the world, Li Mu remained indifferent, as if observing a gentle breeze or falling leaves.

He didn't make a move.

Just as the torrent was about to touch him, a chaotic phantom slowly appeared behind him.

A tree.

Rooted in nothingness, its branches extend across countless worlds—the Chaos Dao Tree!
The tree trunk is ancient and simple, shrouded in the primordial energy before the world was divided, each leaf bearing witness to the birth and death of a realm. The fruits on the branches gleam: gold, fire, yin, yang... one lingers in the long river of time, the other radiates pure spiritual energy.

The Dao Tree appears, and the Dao Fruits of Time and Spirituality shine brightly at the same time!
An aura that transcends this realm and surpasses all laws descended with a thunderous roar!
Li Mu raised his eyes, his gaze piercing through the myriad faces and myriad minds of the Dharma Image, looking directly at the source of terror in the deepest part of the Illusionary Spirit Sea.

With a slight parting of his thin lips, eight words, like the divine decree of heaven, transformed into the sole law of this world:

"The illusory return to the illusory, and the real return to the real."

Follow your words!
In an instant, everything changed!

The torrent of emotions is like a skeleton without bones; sorrow remains sorrow, but it has no power to touch the heart; anger remains anger, but it cannot ignite the spirit; joy remains joy, but it cannot move the heart of the Way.

All illusory interference was stripped away! Emotions were reduced to their original form, turning into harmless fragments of will.

The myriad forms and myriad intentions of the Dharma are like reflections in a mirror or the moon in the water, dissipating inch by inch, turning into flowing light that falls back into the illusory sea of ​​spirits, never to be reconstituted.

"No! You have tampered with the fundamental laws of our world!"

The Ancestor of Illusions shrieked in disbelief. Its power stemmed from the transformation between illusion and reality, from dreams interfering with reality. Li Mu's eight characters severed its very root!

Li Mu remained silent, only raising his hand indifferently and grabbing at the air.

He reached into the deepest part of the Illusory Spirit Sea, straight to the origin of all thoughts.

Under the horrified gaze of the Ancestor of Illusions, he gently plucked a wisp from the vast source—

Like a dream, flowing with seven-colored rays of light, gathering all the beauty and purity in the world... the origin of the phantom spirit!
This is the foundation upon which the Illusionary Spirit Realm exists; it is the essence of countless dreams that has been accumulated over countless years!
Li Mu flicked his finger.

That wisp of origin transformed into a stream of light, quietly disappearing into the heart of the bright moon.

hum!
A soft light emanated from within her.

The grotesque cracks healed rapidly, and the dim Puppet Spirit Fire reignited, burning brightly and vibrantly, surpassing even its former glory!
His aura surged, seemingly breaking through the ninth-order barrier and stepping into a new realm!

The origin of the Phantom Spirit is the Ancestor of Phantom Spirits, which is the lifeblood of the Bright Moon, but it is an unparalleled creation!

The bright moon slowly opened its eyes, and the chaos and filth in its golden pupils disappeared, leaving only clarity and deep awe.

Mingyue knelt on one knee in the void, bowing deeply to Li Mu's figure. No words were needed; this bow spoke louder than a thousand words.

Li Mu's gaze never lingered on her, but was fixed on the Illusionary Spirit Sea, stripped of its threats and left with only pure spiritual energy, as if it were a bountiful field waiting to be harvested.

At this moment, Xiao Jingtian's majestic voice resounded throughout the Immortal Dynasty fleet from the Lieyu Ship: "The illusion has been dispelled."

"The entire army will attack, take over the origin of this world, and every blade of grass and every tree will belong to the Immortal Dynasty."

boom--!
At the entrance to the realm, the silent fleet suddenly roared!
One after another, the celestial warships roared to life, their engines blazing, their array patterns gleaming, transforming into golden torrents that surged into the Illusionary Spirit Realm with an air of conquest! (End of Chapter)