Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

The Celestial Ruins hang between the rifts of the heavens, where all laws have fallen silent, time and space have frozen, leaving only an ancient desolation. Today, within the ruins, radiant light intertwines, and the Daoist rhythm is as vast as the sea.

Nine figures stood majestically, bathed in divine light.

The Primordial Dao Venerable stood at the forefront, his body radiating a pure light, like the first ray of light at the dawn of creation; to his left, the Starry Dao Venerable was draped in the Milky Way, with constellations arrayed in the sky; to his right, the Supreme Celestial Lord sat regally on a nine-colored lotus platform, surrounded by celestial light; the Hao Yi Ancestor held a withered branch, his primordial light as chaotic as the beginning of time; the Ancient Origin Realm Lord burned the sky with raging flames, the Eternal Silence Netherworld Lord was as deep as an abyss, the Supreme Boundless Realm Lord concealed his sharpness, and the Illusionary Time Heavenly Lord was ethereal, seemingly both present and absent. The Xuanhuang Emperor and the Azure Rain Dao Mother stood solemnly behind them, the nine venerables arriving together, their energies interacting, causing the remaining Dao principles within the ruins to hum incessantly.

"Li Mu, the Lord of Chaos, has forcibly absorbed the source of all realms using the Dao of Chaos, disrupting the primordial order of law, and his power grows stronger every day." The voice of the Primordial Dao Venerable was like a cold spring, cleansing the void and all realms: "If we allow him to achieve the Dao, all the heavens and all realms will fall into his grasp, and our transcendent status of billions of years will be overturned in an instant. Today, we shall use the origin of the Ancestral Tree of All Realms as the foundation to jointly set up the 'Great Array of Sealing Spirits of All Realms,' severing his path and locking his foundation!"

Having spoken, the Primordial Dao Venerable raised his hand, and a point of clear light emanated from between his brows, transforming into an ancient Dao seal—the Primordial Decree, the key to connecting with the primordial ancestral root. The other eight Dao Venerables acted simultaneously: the Star Evolution Dao Venerable summoned the Celestial Star Chart, the Supreme Universe Immortal Lord unfolded the Supreme Universe Array Diagram, the Hao Dao Ancestor threw out the Primordial Chaos Dao Talisman, and Gu Yuan, Yong Ji, Tai Wu, Huan Shi, Xuan Huang, and Qing Lin each offered their realm treasures. Nine dazzling streams of light converged at the heart of the void, intertwining to form the phantom of a giant tree spanning the void!

This tree has roots that penetrate the void and branches that reach through the heavens. Its swaying leaves reflect the scenes of birth and death in the three thousand main realms—it is the projection of the Ancestral Tree of Myriad Realms!
"Draw upon the origin of the Ancestral Tree and establish the order of laws for all realms!" The Primordial Daoist Venerable shouted, and the nine Venerables simultaneously unleashed their power. The immense power of the realms poured in like nine celestial rivers, crashing into the illusory image of the Ancestral Tree.

The ancestral tree trembled violently, its entire body radiating boundless pure light. Its branches and leaves unfurled, its roots spread out, and every vein resonated with the origin of the distant three thousand main realms. Countless chains of law burst forth from the illusory image, binding the power of the mother source realm, like billions of divine dragons of order tearing through the void, directly piercing the Netherworld Blood Realm and the interconnected realms controlled by Li Mu!
……

The Netherworld Blood Realm, the heavens suddenly change!

The gray, chaotic sky was forcibly torn open by countless chains of clear light. The chains were as thick as mountains, their surfaces flowing with primordial divine runes such as "Seal," "Restrict," "Sever," and "Sever," carrying the might of the Ancestral Tree of All Realms and the will of the Nine Great Realms, as they crashed down!

"Chichichichi——!"

The chains touched the boundary wall, but instead of attacking forcefully, they seeped in like serpents, piercing straight to the origin of the realm. In the Golden Puppet Realm, the sharp, metallic energy deep within the ley lines of the Myriad Machines Heavenly City instantly froze; in the Profound Abyss Ash Realm, the Ash Fire Refining Tower dimmed, and the Origin Ash Sea remained undisturbed; in the Time Ruins Realm, the Time-Suppressing Giant Tower trembled slightly, and the Dao of Time seemed trapped in quagmire; in the Illusionary Spirit Realm, the radiant light of thought dissipated, and the flow of soul power became sluggish…

All the interconnected realms under Li Mu's command, regardless of size, had their cores bound and nailed shut by the Qinghui Chains! The primordial realm power that had been continuously drawn from the roots of the Chaos Dao Tree came to an abrupt halt!

Within all realms, spiritual energy plummeted, laws fell silent, vegetation stagnated, and spiritual veins groaned. Low-level cultivators found their spiritual power sluggish and their sense of the Dao blurred; high-level cultivators were horrified to discover that their connection with the laws of heaven and earth had been severed, as if separated by glass.

The entire contiguous territory was completely enveloped by an invisible, intangible, and indestructible giant net of laws. Outside the net, the energy of the three thousand main realms resonated, and the Great Dao flourished; inside the net, all laws fell silent, and the path of the Dao gradually disappeared.

"The Myriad Realms Sealing Spirit Array... is complete." Star Dao Venerable gazed at the interwoven net of clear light, his fingertips gleaming with starlight, and spoke slowly.

The Immortal Lord of Taiyu's gaze was cold: "This formation takes the origin of the Ancestral Tree as its root and the will of the Nine Realms as its trunk, sealing off the vital energy and severing its source. Even if the Chaos Dao Tree has the power to reach the heavens, it will become a tree without roots."

The Ancient Origin Realm Lord's body surged with divine flames as he exclaimed with delight, "Let's see how he draws upon the source network now! With his Dao foundation severed, his attempt to merge with the Dao is futile!"

……

Deep within the Chaos Treasure Palace, Li Mu sat cross-legged like a pine tree. The chaotic energy around him resonated with the Dao Tree, flowing endlessly. In an instant, the Spirit Sealing Array was completed, and the billions of branches and leaves of the Chaos Dao Tree behind him trembled. The brilliance of the miniature world that evolved from it suddenly dimmed, and the rotation of earth, water, fire, and wind noticeably slowed down.

The roots that were deeply embedded in the void seemed to have been drained of their life force, with no more power from the mother source world flowing in, leaving only a heavy sense of "severance" and "sealing".

The dramatic changes in the Netherworld Blood Realm and the Linked Realms are clearly reflected in the Heart Lake. Spiritual energy is depleted, laws are silent, and signs of decay of all things are beginning to appear.

The data surged from Mingyue Jintong: "Detected a blockade of ultra-high-dimensional laws, covering all linked realms. The connection with the myriad realm source network has been severed, and the source supply has been reduced to zero."

Xiao Jingtian's black armor was covered in dust, and the Rift Universe hovered above the sea of ​​blood. His spiritual energy was rapidly declining, and his expression was solemn: "Master, the spiritual energy of all realms has plummeted, and the Dao senses of cultivators are clouded. If this continues, I fear great chaos will ensue!"

A somber atmosphere pervaded both inside and outside the mansion.

However, Li Mu, at the center of the storm, faced a situation that could make even a realm lord despair, merely opened his eyes. The chaotic star vortex in his eyes continued to spin, and between life and death, there were fewer external signs and more introspective depth.

Li Mu raised his head, his gaze piercing through the Treasure Mansion and the Netherworld Blood Realm, looking directly at the giant spirit-sealing net that suddenly appeared on the Ancestral Tree of Myriad Realms, and also seeing nine indifferent supreme figures looking down from outside the net.

Li Mu's lips twitched slightly, but it wasn't a bitter smile, nor was it anger; only a very soft sigh echoed faintly in the silent mansion.

"It's just right, quiet and peaceful."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mu's mind began to wander.

The towering Chaos Dao Tree gathered its roots, then surged back like a tide, all of them receding beneath its roots, no longer impacting the ancestral tree of countless world walls.

The Chaos Dao Tree's radiance was restrained, its branches and leaves drooping, gathering all its power. The nascent Order Dao Fruit, interwoven with gray and gold on its branches, swayed gently, emitting a stable Dao rhythm and calming the slightly restless chaotic airflow caused by isolation.

Li Mu withdrew his gaze, his eyes devoid of sorrow, joy, surprise, or anger, only a tranquility like a calm lake. He closed his eyes again, and the chaotic aura around him not only did not diminish, but became even more solid and pure, as if he had returned to his original state.

"All things return to stillness, which is precisely what we should seek within. The Way of Chaos, how can it rely on external things?"

Li Mu's mind sank into the boundless chaotic Dao Domain within his body, using the Dao Fruit of Order as a foundation and the residual mother source and chaotic origin as nourishment to continue deducing the Great Dao of Chaos.

Outside the mansion, Mingyue and Xiao Jingtian sensed Li Mu's calm and unwavering aura, as well as the Dao Tree's complete inner restraint, and their panic gradually subsided.

"The master has made a decision." The bright moon and silver armor flowed steadily, and the golden eyes turned to internal defense system optimization: "Execute the highest level of internal defense strategy, maintain the basic order of all realms, and allocate resources inward."

Xiao Jingtian took a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety, and nodded emphatically: "Order the Immortal Dynasty to defend this realm, cease all external affairs, focus all efforts on maintaining stability, and await the master's return from seclusion!"

The Netherworld Blood Realm, along with all other realms, is enveloped in a thick cocoon, outwardly silent but inwardly brewing an unknown transformation.

In the celestial ruins, the nine beings gazed at the completely silent, undisturbed Lianzhu territory, their expressions varying. "They...didn't resist?" Qinglin Daomu frowned slightly, somewhat surprised.

The Primordial Daoist's gaze was deep as he looked at the star field heavily sealed by the Qinghui Chains. After a long silence, he slowly said, "Perhaps we have reached the end of our rope and are powerless to reverse the situation; or... the path we are pursuing is beyond our expectations."

The formation was complete, the strategy was in place, but Li Mu's unusual stillness, like an invisible gloom, quietly enveloped the hearts of all the realm lords.

Within the Chaos Treasure Palace, all was silent, save for the gentle flow of Daoist energy like a stream.

Li Mu focused his mind and continued his pursuit of the Dao in dire straits. The external blockade became a whetstone to hone his Dao heart, and chaos evolved.

The Myriad Realms Sealing Spirit Array is like an invisible shackle, completely isolating the Netherworld Blood Realm and all the interconnected realms from the source network of the heavens.

The once intricate connections between the source and the source have been completely severed, making it impossible for the power of the mother source realm to penetrate even a fraction; the more than ten realms have become rootless duckweed, drifting in the sea of ​​chaos, their spiritual energy gradually depleting, and their laws and Dao rhythms like dust-covered pearls and jade, their brilliance concealed, almost falling into silence.

Li Mu's territory was self-contained, declared closed to the outside world. The Chaos Treasure Palace resonated with a low rumble, its bluish-gray light flowing endlessly, and the Chaos Dao Tree merged seamlessly with it, directly connecting the fundamental veins of all realms.

The sharp edge of Geng metal in the Golden Puppet Realm, the extinguishing embers of the Xuan Yuan Jin Realm, the fragments of time in the Shi Xu Realm, the flowing light of thoughts in the Illusionary Spirit Realm, the abundant vitality of the Breath Soil Realm, the chilling aura of the Nine Netherworlds in the Xuan Ming Realm, the pure Yang true fire of the Qing Yang Realm... The origins of more than ten main realms were forcibly drawn by the Dao Tree, flowing like rivers into the sea, all converging into the Chaos Dao Domain derived by Li Mu.

The Chaos Dao Domain transformed into an ancient furnace, using the Chaos Dao as fuel to frantically forge the laws of all realms. Initially, the original attributes of the various realms were different, clashing with each other and violently colliding within the furnace, causing the Dao Domain to tremble incessantly. The branches and leaves of the Dao Domain rustled, and countless miniature worlds flickered uncertainly, almost collapsing.

Li Mu's mind was as firm as iron, his spiritual center remaining clear and unwavering as he fully activated the Great Dao of Chaos. The nascent Dao Fruit of Order displayed its miraculous effects at this moment. As the gray-gold Dao patterns flowed, they regulated the violent origins, guided the conflicting forces, and calmed the repulsive forces, ultimately allowing all sources to find an opportunity to coexist and co-evolve under the embrace of Chaos.

Within this realm, time has quietly changed as the Chaos Dao Domain merges with the origins of all realms; the flow of time in this star field is gradually becoming estranged from that of the outside world. In the blink of an eye, the galaxies outside have turned, while here, more than a hundred years have quietly passed.

Deep within the Chaotic Dao Domain, myriad laws intertwined, and the primordial essence boiled. Li Mu's mind wandered through this chaotic realm, co-constructed by himself and all other realms. After a century of refinement, he observed the primordial essences of all realms evolve from conflict to fusion, from clear distinctions to a unified whole. A profound and mysterious understanding quietly emerged in his heart:

"All things flow into one source. The barriers between realms are actually created by mental obstacles. The earth's veins flow, the heavenly way cycles, and the thoughts of living beings arise and cease... all are movements of the origin, all are manifestations of chaos."

Li Mu's consciousness extended infinitely, seemingly merging with the pulse of the earth beneath his feet, resonating with the Daoist principles of all realms and the heavens, and echoing the prayers, fears, joys, and struggles of countless beings. The earth's veins, the Dao of Heaven, and the will of all living beings are not external things, but extensions of the Great Dao of Chaos, forming indispensable elements of the "world."

"The formless has no fixed form, no constant state; the returning to the origin is to return to the source, to the beginning. My heart is the heart of Heaven, my will is the will of Heaven. Within the chaos, all spirits and all laws are manifestations of my Dao!"

As soon as this thought arose, Li Mu's body and soul trembled violently, and the Chaos Dao Domain burst forth with unprecedented brilliance. The towering Dao Tree grew wildly, its branches and leaves piercing through reality and illusion. The miniature world that evolved from the leaves suddenly became clear and stable. Mountains and rivers flowed, grass and trees withered and flourished, and even real beings were faintly born, bowing their heads in prayer!

Time flies by unnoticed.

The Chaos Dao Tree, a "Dao Fruit" whose mysteries are beyond description, is gradually taking shape.

This fruit is neither gold nor jade, neither illusory nor real. It is perfectly round, with a chaotic color. Countless tiny Dao patterns on its surface arise and disappear naturally, as if it contains a nascent universe within, bearing the infinite possibilities of the evolution of all worlds. It pulsates incessantly, and with each rise and fall, it resonates throughout the entire Chaotic Dao Domain, causing the origins of all worlds to pulsate in rhythm.

—The Dao Fruit of Chaos!
This symbolizes transcending ordinary realm lords and truly establishing the foundation of the supreme Dao. Once the Dao fruit is formed and becomes increasingly perfect, Li Mu will step into the realm of Dao Integration, which even ancient beings such as the Primordial Dao Venerable have never seen.

The Ancestral Tree of Myriad Realms stands tall, its branches reaching through the heavens, its leaves swaying and casting shadows across three thousand realms. Its clear light and intertwined chains resemble countless orderly dragons coiled in the void, firmly sealing off the Netherworld Blood Realm and the Linked Realms.

The Spirit Sealing Array operates continuously, drawing upon the essence of the Ancestral Tree to maintain this all-encompassing cage of laws.

A thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the trunk of the ancestral tree that stretches across the void has quietly begun to show signs of decay.

At first, it was barely noticeable; only a few ancestral leaves reflecting the remote little world had their edges curled and turned yellowish. Gradually, the bark, which used to shimmer with a clear light, lost its luster, and tiny cracks spread like a spider web, with an air of decay permeating the atmosphere.

The immense draining power that sustained the grand formation eventually caused the ancestral root that supported all realms to gradually weaken.

On this day, a hair-thin crack silently appeared at the end of a branch of the ancestral tree that had extended into the "Firefly World".

With a hiss, a wisp of eerie white mist seeped out from the crack, as light as nothing and drifting erratically. Within the mist, countless fine roots could be seen wriggling, their color a strange white, twisting and stretching like living things, exuding an empty and lifeless aura.

A white mist, like smoke, drifted over the thin boundary wall of the Firefly Realm. Within, the sacred mountains and beautiful waters remained unchanged, and countless firefly spirits danced and breathed in the moonlight. The mist swept across a forest of fireflies, and the spirits playing in the forest suddenly froze, their luminous white bodies covered with gray spots, and their joyful singing abruptly stopped.

The next moment, the spirit of the realm shattered like a weathered stone sculpture, turning into pure spiritual light that was completely devoured by the roots in the mist. The forest path twisted as a result, and the vibrant green was tinged with an eerie white.

The eerie white mist continued to spread, seeping into the earth's spiritual veins. The once clear and flowing spiritual stream began to foam, and the spiritual stones at the bottom of the stream lost their luster, their surfaces covered with spiderweb-like white patterns. The thousand-year-old tree demon guarding the spiritual vein let out a mournful wail, its gnarled roots withering rapidly, and its demonic power was forcibly drawn away like a burst dam, merging into the greedy white mist.

In just three days, the spiritual energy of the Flowing Firefly Minor Realm was depleted, the mountains and rivers lost their color, and the foundation of its laws became filthy and hardened, turning it into a desolate wasteland.

The white mist, having absorbed the spiritual energy of the realm, solidified in color and split into dozens of wisps, like venomous snakes flicking their tongues, silently fleeing towards the adjacent "Azure Water Realm" and "Gravel Wasteland"...

The highest levels of the heavens remained calm and undisturbed.

In the Primordial Ancient Realm, beside the Pool of Myriad Laws, the Primordial Dao Venerable sat in meditation with his eyes closed, his radiant glow merging with the reflections of the myriad realms in the pool.

Suddenly, the Primordial Daoist frowned slightly, a ripple inexplicably stirring deep within his Dao heart, disrupting the millennia-long silence. He raised his fingers to calculate, but the heavenly secrets remained a chaotic mess; the Spirit-Sealing Array isolated the inside from the outside, disrupting the causal pathways of all realms. (End of Chapter)