Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

Li Mu's gaze narrowed slightly, and the chaotic vortex within his eyes quietly swirled. A wisp of divine thought emerged from between his brows, solid as a tangible substance, silently piercing through the nine layers of golden seal, reaching directly to the core of the pitch-black altar.

The moment the divine sense touched the thick, pale mist on the surface of the altar, countless distorted faces, like ghosts smelling blood, shrieked and pounced, trying to devour the god.

However, Li Mu's chaotic divine sense was unbreakable. With a slight ripple of the gray Dao light, all the evil thoughts were shattered, and the divine sense went straight in, piercing deep into the altar.

"Hmm?" Li Mu raised an eyebrow slightly.

The altar was not sealed with the remnants of ordinary demonic races, but contained a curled-up demonic soul. This soul had a vague appearance and exuded a vast and ancient demonic charm. It was incompatible with the surrounding eerie white and foul air, yet strangely blended into one with it.

The surface of the demonic soul was covered with fine cracks, and the demonic energy flowing inside had long been mixed with most of the origin of the demon race; the two were like vines entwining a tree, permeating each other. The originally cold and violent will had been eroded and transformed by the will of death, greed, and chaos, turning into a deformed and frenzied state.

What caught Li Mu's attention the most was a faint yet tenacious primordial mark at the core of the demon soul—ancient and clumsy like claws and horns, exuding a fierce aura that transcended eras, clearly a unique demonic mark of an ancient demon!
At this moment, the mark was being enveloped by the origin of the Ghost Clan, and gray-white patterns rose on its surface, wriggling and spreading like parasites, constantly altering its essence.

“Ancient demonic soul fragments…” Li Mu’s mind raced, and he exclaimed in surprise, “These things have existed for a long time and were originally independent demonic sources, but now they have been corrupted and assimilated by the Ghost Clan, causing their origins to reverse.”

If even the divided soul is in such a state, one can only imagine the condition of the original body. If the original body had not already been found, eroded, and corrupted by the Ghost Clan, how could the divided soul, separated by endless void, have also undergone such a bizarre transformation? This demonic original body has likely become a minion of the Ghost Clan, or perhaps... transformed into a vessel for nurturing some kind of being!

These anomalies are the unique corrupting power of the Ghost Clan, and are the work of the Ghost Clan.
Seeing Li Mu's slightly tense expression, Ling Tianxing's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Fellow Daoist, is something amiss?"

Li Mu withdrew his divine sense and said in a deep voice, "The sealed object is a fragment of the soul of an ancient demon. Its original body has probably been corrupted by the Ghost Clan, causing the original soul of the fragment to become distorted and turned into a hidden spy."

"What?!" Ling Tianxing's expression changed drastically. He exclaimed in horror, "The Ghost Clan... can actually corrupt the Primordial Demons!"

"The way of the Ghost Clan is to taint the source and seize the Dao Fruit. Not to mention demons, even a World Lord-level being will not escape their grasp if they are slightly careless." Li Mu's eyes turned cold: "This divided soul has been nourished by your sect's power for many years and has become deeply corrupted. If it is allowed to grow stronger, it will eventually break free from its seal, and the Flowing Firefly Realm will surely suffer a catastrophe."

Before the words were even finished, the altar seemed to sense that it had been discovered and suddenly trembled violently!

The pale mist churned and boiled, and thousands of faces screamed in unison. The sound waves pierced through the golden seal, causing the rubble in the dome to fall in a clatter. The nine bronze pillars shone brightly, and the dark gold chains tightened as if about to break, emitting a piercing creak.

In the center of the altar, the pitch-black demonic soul suddenly opened its pair of pale eyes, filled only with deathly stillness and greed, staring intently at Li Mu.

The demonic soul suddenly expanded, and gray-white light burst forth from the cracks in its pitch-black body. The source of evil was completely detonated by the strange power, turning into a cold and filthy torrent of violent force that fiercely attacked the seal!
A crack appeared on a bronze pillar, the chain at the top of the pillar snapped, the Radiant Seal trembled violently, and the light shield flickered.

Ling Tianxing's face turned pale. He hurriedly formed hand seals, channeling all his Dao energy into the array diagram, barely managing to stabilize the nine pillars of golden light.

"Fellow Daoist! This fiend is going to fight to the death!" Ling Tianxing warned anxiously.

Li Mu remained expressionless and took only one step forward.

With a single step, the chaotic Dao essence around him surged forth, his green robe fluttered without wind, and a hazy hazy Dao light naturally appeared behind his head, containing the evolution of the heavens and the birth and death of all worlds. The spiritual energy of the entire dome stagnated, and the violent and monstrous aura, as if encountering a natural enemy, actually retreated!

"You dare to act so arrogantly, even though you're just a minor soul!" Li Mu pointed his fingers like a sword and pointed at the air.

The next moment, a wisp of gray sparks drifted out from Li Mu's fingertip. At first, it was like a firefly, but as soon as it left his finger, it swelled up like a storm and transformed into a torrent of chaotic Dao fire that stretched across the sky!
The flames burned silently, and wherever they passed, the void returned to its source, the laws were forged, and the viscous, pale mist crumbled upon contact, evaporating and dissipating.

The torrent of Dao Fire continued its unabated momentum, crashing straight into the nine pillars of golden light that sealed it!
Ling Tianxing was shocked: "Fellow Daoist, you mustn't! If the seal breaks—"

Before he could finish speaking, the Chaos Dao Fire touched the golden light shield and quickly seeped in like flowing water, rushing along the veins of the array diagram and instantly covering the entire seal. The golden light and gray fire merged, and the radiance turned into the color of chaos. The power of the seal instantly increased several times!
Sensing a deadly threat, the demonic soul let out a shrill scream, urging its bizarre origins to transform completely. Its pitch-black soul body turned gray-white, transforming into a twisted demonic form with three heads and six arms, its body wrapped in pale, eerie patterns. Its six arms stretched out, tearing at the chaotic chains that were coiling around it.

The chains formed from the Chaos Fire were indestructible, containing the power to burn away all laws. When the demonic figure's arm touched the chains, they hissed and emitted billowing green smoke. The overwhelming demonic power dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"town!"

Li Mu uttered the Daoist words, as if the laws of heaven were descending.

The chaotic chains tightened instantly, binding the demonic figure tightly and dragging it away from the altar.

The demonic form struggled frantically, its three heads spewing out grayish-white foul air, evolving into a demonic illusion that attempted to erode Li Mu's Dao heart.

Li Mu's eyes turned cold, and the illusory image of the Chaos Dao Tree suddenly appeared behind his head, its branches piercing through the void, and the gray-gold Dao Fruits on the branches shining brightly.

"The Dao Fruit of Order, settled!"

A clear, cascading light enveloped the demonic form. Wherever the light touched, the demonic source surged violently, causing the demonic form to wail incessantly, its form rapidly becoming illusory. Orderly Dao patterns, like wisps of silk, pierced into the soul core, forcibly stripping away and refining the demonic race's essence within.

In less than three breaths, the terrifying demonic form let out a mournful cry and collapsed with a bang, transforming into a ball of pure black demonic essence and a wisp of grayish-white eerie energy. The demonic essence was the original source of the ancient demonic soul, and although it was eroded, its essence still remained; the eerie energy was the power of the evil race's pollution, which was extremely sinister.

With a flick of his sleeve, Li Mu unleashed the Chaos Dao Fire, which swept back and enveloped both of them, before throwing them into the illusory image of the Dao Tree behind him.

The chaotic Dao tree branches swayed gently, and a gray mist swept down, instantly refining it and nourishing the Dao Fruit.

The pale mist above the altar dissipated. The pitch-black altar rapidly turned gray and weathered, finally collapsing into dust with a crash.

Within the dome, the gloom vanished, leaving only the pure spiritual energy of the earth veins flowing gently. The light of the nine bronze pillars gradually faded, and the cracks slowly healed under the nourishment of the residual warmth of the Chaos Dao Fire.

Ling Tianxing stood there dumbfounded, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. His gaze toward Li Mu was full of awe.

"Thank you so much, Senior, for saving our sect from an age-old calamity!" Ling Tianxing bowed deeply to Li Mu, his voice trembling as he said, "The Lingtian Immortal Sect will never forget this kindness and virtue!"

Li Mu nodded slightly: "The matter here is settled. Although the lingering resentment of the Ghost Clan has been eliminated, their true form has been corrupted and may have become a source of disaster. You must guard this realm carefully in the future and strengthen patrols. If there are any strange movements of the Ghost Clan, deal with them in time."

"I will heed your teachings, senior!" Ling Tianxing solemnly agreed, then took out a gilded token and presented it with both hands: "This is the Supreme Guest Token of our sect. Those who hold this token will receive the highest honors in all domains of the Flowing Firefly Immortal Realm and can allocate some of the Immortal Sect's resources. Although I know you do not covet material possessions, this is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it."

Li Mu hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took it: "Very well, let's establish this good relationship."

Ling Tianxing was overjoyed and earnestly said, "Fellow Daoist, why not stay at Liuying for a few more days, so that I may do my best to be a good host?" "No need," Li Mu shook his head, "We are traveling through the heavens and still have other places to go."

After saying that, Li Mu turned to Xue'er and Mingyue and gestured, "Let's go."

Xue'er nodded gently, and Mingyue followed silently.

The three figures moved slightly, transforming into three streaks of light that pierced through the dome-shaped rock layer and vanished into the horizon in an instant.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Beyond the celestial realm of fireflies lies an endless sea of ​​stars.

Li Mu and his two companions rode the chaotic currents, passing through fragmented or newly formed realms.

"Brother Li, if the original form of that ancient demon has truly been corrupted by the Ghost Clan, has it already become a major threat?" Xue'er asked softly.

“Inevitable.” Li Mu’s gaze turned to the depths of the void, and he said in a deep voice, “The Ghost Clan acts with meticulous care, step by step. To erode an ancient demon is no small matter. Perhaps… they want to use its demonic body and Dao fruit to nurture some more terrifying existence.”

Mingyue suddenly spoke up: "Master, when I was refining that wisp of strange energy just now, the puppet heart sensed a very faint resonance - it seemed that there was a similar corrupting power scattered throughout the heavens, hidden and not showing itself."

Li Mu's eyes flickered slightly: "Oh? Is it possible to trace the location?"

Mingyue closed her eyes and concentrated, data flashing rapidly in her pupils. After a moment, she shook her head: "The resonance is too scattered, like scattered stardust, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location. But it is certain that this kind of 'hidden molestation' is not in one place."

Li Mu nodded knowingly: "The remaining members of the Ghost Clan have spread spies and nurtured the Ghost Source, waiting for a comeback."

With a thought, Li Mu caused the illusory image of the Chaos Dao Tree to appear behind him, its branches extending into the void. The Dao Tree sensed all realms, especially those that had been corrupted by the Ghost Clan and then purified by him.

A moment later, Li Mu withdrew his senses, his brows furrowing slightly.

The forty-three purified demon realms have been cleansed of their origins, yet deep within the foundation of each realm, a faint trace of the demon race's "mark" remains. This mark is deeply embedded in the realm's core, connected to the veins of the Ancestral Tree of Myriad Realms, like a malignant tumor clinging to the bone, difficult to eradicate.

They do not steal spiritual energy or erode the source, but are like thousands of imperceptible mouths, quietly sipping the lingering emotions flowing through them—anger, fear, sadness, despair, hatred... In all the heavens and myriad realms, countless beings have survived through tribulations; how can the lake of the heart remain undisturbed?
The difficulties of reconstruction, the pain of losing loved ones, the confusion about the future, the hidden fears... all these negative emotions, though intangible and intangible, are ultimately a special fluctuation in the world.

If Li Mu had not once merged with the origins of these realms, he would have had difficulty perceiving such secrets.

"Using the scars of countless worlds as a breeding ground, and the sorrows and resentments of all living beings as sustenance... a fine tactic." A cold glint flashed in Li Mu's eyes: "Using the boundary core as soil and the ancestral tree as a vein, the seed of revival is planted. Even with surface purification, as long as the mark remains, the Ghost Clan can use it to make a comeback at any time."

Xue'er's expression changed upon hearing this: "What should we do?"

"It's alright." Li Mu said calmly with a light laugh, "Although the marks are hidden, there are still traces to follow. I have my own methods to uproot them completely. For now... let them hide for a while longer."

Just as Li Mu was about to delve deeper into the origins of several key imprints, he suddenly felt a faint yet malevolent "look back" from a distant sub-realm beyond his perception, a realm that was almost unreachable.

However, the distance was too great for Li Mu to pinpoint the exact location.

Almost at the same time——

The Ancient Realm of Evil, the Abyss of Buried Gods and Demons.

This place is a perilous core area of ​​the ancient realm, a bottomless abyss whose walls are formed from the remnants of gods and demons, their bones as hard as jade and iron, haunted by an eternal resentment and shattered divinity. No light shines within the abyss, only the remnants emitting a dim, eerie glow, reflecting distorted and grotesque shadows.

The two-faced demon led its army of evil creatures and brazenly stormed into the middle layer of the Demon Abyss. The three-headed ash dragon spewed out spirit-corroding ashes to clear the way, while the star-shaped demon sculpted its giant star arm and smashed the bone mountain. Countless evil creatures bearing the brand of soul imprints roared in accompaniment.

Deep within the abyss of demons, a low, angry roar reverberated—a warning from the slumbering remains of an evil god that its origins were being coveted.

"Found it!" The three eyes of the Devouring World Face suddenly lit up, locking onto a spot at the bottom of the abyss. A relatively complete, enormous skeleton was half-embedded in the abyss wall, its entire body dark gold. Even though it had been dead for countless eons, it exuded a pressure that made even the Twin-Phase Demons tremble. Ancient divine patterns were naturally engraved on its surface, still retaining the lingering aura of calamity. This was the target—the remains of the "Calamity God" who once dominated the Ancient World of Taixie!
"Refine it!" The face of the source of corruption cracked open in anger, and a pale, eerie light poured down like a waterfall, enveloping the skeleton.

The skeleton trembled violently, divine runes lit up, bursting forth with brilliant divine light, carrying the Daoist principles of calamity and curse, and rebounding with eerie light. The surrounding remains roared, and resentful death energy gathered into a tide, transforming into billions of hideous ghostly shadows that rushed towards the intruder.

"Resist tenaciously!"

The Devourer of Realms grinned savagely, its right arm surging with evil fluid that transformed into a colossal hand that blotted out the sky. A phantom image of a myriad of strange blood diagrams appeared in the palm of its hand, which slammed down fiercely.

The blood diagram rotated, generating a terrifying suction force that not only negated the divine light but also forcibly extracted the remaining essence and surrounding resentment from the skeleton!

A great battle was about to erupt. The monstrous army and the vengeful spirits of the abyss clashed fiercely, with bone fragments flying and evil energy running rampant. The two-faced demon personally suppressed the remains of the evil god—its left body glowed with eerie light that eroded the divine patterns, while its right body was devoured by evil liquid. The myriad blood-red patterns on its chest throbbed violently, suppressing the counterattack.

Just as the refining process reached a critical juncture, the face of the source of corruption suddenly froze, its pale eyes casting a gaze toward a certain spot in the void; the Myriad Demon Blood Map appeared on its own, and the veins of the Ancestral Tree of the Heavens reflected in the map rippled slightly—in a remote corner of the star field, beside the originally faint point of light, an extremely subtle "gaze" swept past, yet it made its very essence tremble!

"Damn it, it's that guy again!" The head in the center of the Devouring World Surface roared, but the refining process did not slow down in the slightest: "He discovered our plan!"

"So what if they've noticed? We'll refine this monstrous remains!" The face of the Corrupted Source spoke like a cold blade, its crack spewing out eerie light ten times more intensely, recklessly sacrificing its own source as it frantically poured in dark gold bones: "We'll make him wish he were dead!"

"That's right!" Encouraged by this, the Devouring World Surface poured in all its power to unleash the strange energy.

Soon, the dark gold skeleton wailed and cracked under the refining of the dual evil source power. Its divine patterns were broken, and the vast source of calamity mixed with ancient resentment poured out like a flood, all of which was swallowed up by the two-faced demon.

The dual-faced demonic body expanded rapidly, its aura surging wildly. Dark golden cracks spread across the patterns of the eerie tree on the left half, while golden calamity patterns appeared on the right half of the demonic body. The pressure from the two faces intertwined and rose, clearly approaching the peak of the Lord of the Heavens!

The Burial Abyss trembled violently, and the remains of countless gods and demons grieved together, their resentment and evil spirits gathering.

The two-faced demon roared to the sky, its primal power of evil surging uncontrollably. Its four arms clenched, causing the void to collapse. The Myriad Demon Blood Diagram shone brightly, creating a profound and eerie domain that completely blocked all detection. (End of Chapter)