Gou Dao and Cultivation of Immortals, Start from Farming

Within the boundary passage, time is distorted, and the starlight flows backward as if by a shuttle.

The four demon saints, Xiao Jin, Qing Yue, Chi Lian, and Xiao Wa, felt their bodies being enveloped by an invisible force, and the light and shadows before their eyes intertwined, transforming into a chaotic river.

The supreme cultivation that once dominated the Qiling Realm is now like a speck of dust floating in a vast ocean, with nowhere to exert its strength.

"This is... cross-dimensional travel?" The Azure Moon True Dragon's body was spontaneously enveloped in moonlight and Daoist energy, protecting its dragon soul. Its dragon eyes reflected the bizarre and chaotic void outside the passage, and its heart trembled with indescribable shock.

Xiao Jin's golden eyes shone brightly, and he felt the warm and heavy chaotic energy around him, which completely enveloped his fierce demonic power.

"Master's supernatural powers are truly unfathomable." The Crimson Fire Phoenix sighed softly, silently sensing the fluctuations in the laws brought about by the changes in space and time.

Xiao Wa was the most composed, his Xuanhuang demonic energy condensed like the earth, letting the chaotic energy flow wash over him, carefully comprehending the profound principles of heaven and earth contained within.

Xue'er and Mingyue stood quietly beside Li Mu. The former, a nine-tailed celestial fox, possessed a pure and noble aura, while the latter, a puppet, exuded a profound and restrained spiritual charm. Both were accustomed to such scenes.

After an unknown amount of time, a beam of clear light suddenly appeared at the end of the passage ahead.

"arrive."

As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, the group stepped out of the passage.

The world before my eyes suddenly opened up before me.

The sky is clear and bright, with clouds tinged with rosy hues; mythical birds soar through the air, their clear calls echoing far and wide. Mountains rise and fall in endless stretches, with purple mist rising from the peaks; spiritual springs cascade down the cliffs, their tinkling sounds forming streams. In the distance, celestial palaces and pavilions are hidden in the clouds, wind chimes on the eaves tinkling softly, rippling out circles of ethereal beauty.

This place is the Immortal Realm of the Great Void.

Upon closer inspection, although the scenery is magnificent and full of vitality, there is still a faint sense of stagnation. In the depths of the mountain and river's spiritual veins, there are a few extremely faint gray-white dark spots, like flaws in a beautiful jade, quietly absorbing the surrounding pure energy and exuding a cold and desolate feeling.

“The eerie aura lingers.” Li Mu’s gaze swept over it, and he understood. This world was invaded by the eerie race back then, but it was not fundamentally damaged. However, like a wound left after healing, it harbors hidden dangers.

When the four demon saints first arrived in this other world, they all held their breath and focused their minds to perceive the laws of heaven and earth. The origin of this world far surpassed that of the Qiling Realm, and the network of laws was intertwined like a net in the sky. Even the most advanced cultivation here could only barely touch the threshold.

"Huh?" Little Jin suddenly felt a throbbing deep within his bloodline—the Golden Ape Battle Blood naturally repelled the power of filth: "This Immortal Realm seems peaceful, but it hides something dirty inside."

The Azure Moon Dragon nodded, its eyes shimmering with moonlight: "Hidden and unseen, like a carbuncle clinging to the bone."

As they were talking, a bright, clear light suddenly shone in the sky.

A figure descended on clouds. He wore a green robe with wide sleeves, a seven-star crown, and had a face as slender as an ancient pine tree. He was surrounded by pure, ethereal energy—it was none other than Qingxuzi, the Lord of the Taixu Immortal Realm.

Qingxuzi saw Li Mu and his party from afar and sensed the chaotic Dao aura emanating from Li Mu, which was as deep and unfathomable as a prison and yet perfectly integrated with heaven and earth. His heart trembled violently.

Some time ago, the Lords of All Realms gathered to witness how Chaos Dao Lord Li Mu helped the Allied Forces annihilate the Evil Embryo and purify All Realms. They knew his appearance and Dao charm. Today, seeing him in person, their understanding has become even deeper.

"Qingxuzi of the Taixu Realm respectfully welcomes the arrival of the Chaos Dao Lord!"

Qingxuzi descended from the clouds and bowed deeply from a distance of a hundred feet, his attitude extremely respectful. More than ten immortal officials and elders behind him also bowed in greeting, not daring to look up.

Li Mu slightly raised his hand, and an invisible force lifted everyone up: "Fellow Daoist Qingxu, there's no need for formalities. We've just come here on our travels, so let's just take a look around."

Qingxuzi straightened up and said with reverence, "The Dao Lord previously saved the world from collapse and was a great meritorious official. It is truly a blessing for this world that you have graced us with your presence today. If you have any instructions, Qingxuzi will do his utmost."

Just as Li Mu was about to speak, his eyebrows suddenly twitched.

In the darkness, a faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of the Strange Race emanated from somewhere in the Immortal Realm, like the fluttering of a mosquito's wings in the dark, yet it could not escape the perception of his Chaos Dao Tree.

This fluctuation shares the same origin as the dark spots remaining in the mountains and rivers, carrying a hint of the "psychic" charm unique to the Ghost Clan, as if it is nurturing something.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu!" Li Mu said calmly, "Since we have just arrived in your realm, why don't you show us around and let us see the scenery of the Great Void?"

Upon hearing this, Qingxuzi was overjoyed. The Chaos Dao Lord's willingness to grace this place with his presence was a golden opportunity to forge a connection. He quickly stepped aside to lead the way and respectfully invited, "Dao Lord, please! The Taixu Immortal Realm has just suffered a calamity, but fortunately, thanks to the protection of the Ancestral Tree, its origin remains intact. In recent years, it has recuperated and recovered seventy or eighty percent of its former glory. Ten thousand miles ahead lies Xuanqing Immortal City, one of the thirty-six main cities of this realm. Perhaps you may wish to take a look."

"good."

Li Mu nodded, and the group followed Qingxuzi as he rode on a cloud.

The mountains and rivers along the way were magnificent, and the spiritual veins surged. Occasionally, sects and caves could be seen hidden in the clouds and mist, and cultivators traveled back and forth on their swords. When the realm lord personally led the guests, they all stopped at a distance to pay their respects.

Xue'er and the four demon saints gazed upon the scenery of the other world, each with their own feelings.

Only the bright moon, within the puppet's heart, silently circulated data, constantly analyzing the energy veins of this world and comparing them with the invasion patterns of the demon race in its memory. Occasionally, a strange light would flash deep within those bright eyes.

In less than half an hour, the clouds and mist cleared, and a majestic immortal city came into view.

The city walls rise thousands of feet high, built of white jade and spiritual gold, with countless defensive array patterns engraved on their surface, shimmering with light.

The plaque above the city gate bears the ancient seal script characters "Xuanqing," exuding a natural Daoist charm. Inside the city, pavilions stand tall, streets and alleys crisscross, cultivators and mortals bustle about, and shops line the streets, selling spiritual materials, elixirs, and magical artifacts, creating a vibrant and bustling atmosphere.

"Xuanqing Immortal City is the eastern hub of Taixu. The city lord, Yunxiaozi, is my junior brother. He governs an area of ​​eighty million li and is very popular with the people." As Qingxuzi introduced, he led everyone down from the clouds and landed in the square in front of the city lord's mansion.

As announced by a steward, the gates of the city lord's mansion were opened wide, and a middle-aged man in purple robes led a group of people out to greet them.

This man had a face like jade, a long beard, and wore a cloud-patterned crown. He was none other than Yunxiaozi, the Lord of Xuanqing City.

When Li Mu's gaze fell on him, the chaotic starlight in his eyes slightly condensed.

Yunxiaozi was surrounded by immortal energy, and his aura of the Dao Seed Realm was natural and harmonious. He greeted Qingxuzi with a smile and bowed to Li Mu and the others: "Junior Yunxiaozi greets the Lord of Chaos and fellow Daoists."

Yunxiaozi spoke appropriately and behaved with composure; no one could find a single flaw in him.

However, within Li Mu's perception of the Chaos Dao Tree, deep within Yunxiaozi's Dao Source, a faint grayish-white aura, like a venomous snake, was coiling and quietly eroding his mind, causing something deep within the City Lord's Mansion's earth veins to resonate with it. That thing possessed a sinister aura and contained subtle, unsettling fluctuations, seemingly nurturing a "seed."

"What a brilliant method of concealment," Li Mu thought to himself with a cold smile.

This strange energy has merged with Yunxiaozi's original essence. If he hadn't personally investigated, even a Dao-returning realm master like Qingxuzi would have found it difficult to detect the anomaly.

"Having heard of the prosperity of Xuanqing Immortal City, I have come to disturb you," Li Mu replied casually, his expression unchanged. Yunxiaozi smiled broadly and stepped aside to invite the guest in: "The arrival of the Daoist Master is an honor to our humble abode. Please come in and we will serve you tea."

The group entered the city lord's mansion.

The mansion is filled with pavilions and terraces, adorned with spiritual plants and flowers. A misty atmosphere pervades the area, and the Taoist charm flows through it. The maids and guards along the way are all well-trained, and after greeting each other, they step aside to the sides, maintaining perfect order.

The group moved to the main hall, where they took their seats as guests and hosts. A celestial attendant served them spiritual tea, the aroma of which was refreshing and delightful.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qingxuzi and Yunxiaozi gradually shifted their conversation to the governance of Taixu in recent years and the reconstruction after the calamity. Yunxiaozi answered fluently, mentioning people's livelihood, resources, and defense deployment in an orderly manner, clearly demonstrating his diligence in governance.

Xue'er quietly sipped her tea, her nine-tailed spirit subtly enveloping the hall, sensing everyone's emotions. She looked at Li Mu with surprise, perceiving his profound meaning that remained unseen.

After drinking half a cup of tea, Li Mu suddenly looked up at Yunxiaozi and asked with a smile, "Has Lord Yunxiaozi recently felt that your Dao heart is sometimes sluggish, and that your mind is filled with distracting thoughts when you are cultivating?"

Yunxiaozi was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized and said, "Daoist Master, you are wise. A hundred years ago, the calamity spread to the Great Void. I led an army to wipe out the remaining demons and may have been tainted by some of their filth. In recent years, I have been troubled by inner demons, but I have been able to suppress them with the Great Void Heart-Cleansing Technique of our sect, and there is no major problem."

Upon hearing this, Qingxuzi frowned, glanced at Li Mu with surprise, as if something was amiss, and then looked at Yunxiaozi with concern: "Junior Brother, why didn't you say so earlier? The sinister aura is extremely corrosive to the Dao heart, and must not be taken lightly!"

"Don't worry, senior brother, it's just a minor ailment, nothing to worry about." Yunxiaozi waved his hand, his expression calm.

Li Mu put down his teacup and said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Yun has underestimated the Dao of Deviousness. This is no small matter. Deep within your Dao Source, the Qi of Deviousness has taken root and is connected to something in the earth's veins, nurturing the 'Seed of Deviousness in the Heart.' If it matures, your soul will be completely enslaved by Deviousness, and the millions of lives in this city will be turned into nourishment."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Qingxuzi's expression changed drastically. He abruptly stood up, unleashing the overwhelming pressure of the Dao Cultivation Realm, and stared intently at Yunxiaozi: "Junior Brother?"

Yunxiaozi's smile froze on his face, and a look of bewilderment flashed in his eyes, which then turned into shock and anger: "What do you mean by this, Dao Master? I have always been conscientious and diligent in protecting the land and its people. How could I possibly collude with the Gui Clan? Such slander is unacceptable!"

As he spoke, Yunxiaozi's immortal aura surged, and he released his mid-stage cultivation of the Dao Seed Realm without reservation. The tables and chairs in the hall trembled, and the teacups clattered.

Xiao Jin and the others rose simultaneously, their demonic aura soaring into the sky, confronting Yun Xiaozi's oppressive aura. Xiao Jin's golden eyes flashed like lightning, and its fists emitted golden light; Qingyue's dragon might permeated the air, and the moonlight was cold and clear; Chi Lian's phoenix shadow manifested behind it, surrounded by flames; Xiao Wa's feet stomped on the earth, and the Xuanhuang Qi solidified into a tangible substance.

Xue'er and Mingyue also stood up. One had a phantom of a nine-tailed creature appearing and disappearing, while the other had puppet-like spiritual patterns flowing around her, protecting Li Mu's side.

Li Mu sat calmly and raised his hand as if to press down.

An invisible Daoist aura spread out, like a spring breeze, completely dispelling the tense atmosphere in the hall. Qingxuzi, Yunxiaozi, and the four demon saints all felt their energy stagnate, as if they were trapped in a quagmire, making it difficult for them to make any further moves.

"Let's see clearly."

Li Mu flicked his finger, and a wisp of gray light shot out from his fingertip and entered Yunxiaozi's brow.

Yunxiaozi trembled violently, his eyes suddenly turning deathly white, and he let out a shrill, inhuman scream: "You dare to ruin my grand plan—"

Before he finished speaking, the illusory image of the Chaos Dao Tree appeared behind Li Mu's head, and the clear light of the Order Dao Fruit on its branches shone brightly, cascading down like a waterfall and enveloping Yunxiaozi.

"Orderly Dao Fruit, drive it away!"

Within Yunxiaozi's body, countless grayish-white strange energies struggled and twisted like living things, forcibly drawn from his meridians, spiritual platform, and the depths of his Dao source, gathering in the air and condensing into a constantly pulsating pale white ball of light.

On the surface of the sphere of light, countless pained faces floated and wailed, while within it lay the phantom of a deformed seed, which had already sprouted fine roots and was frantically absorbing the essence of the Cloud Seed and the power of the earth's veins.

As the eerie energy left his body, Yunxiaozi's face quickly turned ashen, his aura plummeted, and the paleness in his eyes faded. He staggered backward with a blank expression, slumped into a chair, and stared blankly at the ball of eerie energy in the air, cold sweat pouring down his face.

"What...what is this? When did it enter my body?" Yunxiaozi's voice trembled, filled with lingering fear.

Qingxuzi had already flown to his side, placing a palm on his back and channeling the pure energy of the void to help him stabilize his foundation. His face was ashen: "What a vicious method! It actually managed to deceive our senses!"

Li Mu reached out and grasped the strange ball of light, which was enveloped by the Chaos Dao Fire and refined with a hissing sound. In just three breaths, it turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated.

"This is the rudimentary form of the 'Seed of Deceit in the Heart,' which uses the cracks in a cultivator's Dao heart as a breeding ground and draws nourishment from negative emotions. When Lord Yun was wiping out the Deceit Clan, he must have been in a moment of mental relaxation when a trace of Deceitful energy invaded him, planting the seeds of disaster. Over the past hundred years, the Deceitful energy has become intertwined with the Dao source, making it difficult to detect with ordinary methods," Li Mu explained.

Yunxiaozi recalled the past with a pained expression: "In that battle, all three thousand of my Dao soldiers perished, and more than ten of my personal disciples sacrificed their Dao bodies to protect me, perishing together with the monster... On that day, I was extremely grieved, and for a moment I did lose my Dao heart."

Qingxuzi sighed, "The threat of the Ghost Clan is impossible to guard against. Fortunately, the Daoist Master has keen insight; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Li Mu turned his gaze outside the hall, looking towards the depths of the City Lord's Mansion's earth veins: "This seed is connected to the earth veins, drawing spiritual energy; it must have some ulterior motive. City Lord Yunxiao, do you know where there are unusual spiritual vein nodes or ancient sealed places within the Taixu Immortal Realm?"

Yunxiaozi pondered intently, then suddenly looked up: "Taiqing Immortal Pool! This place is one of the three great spiritual sources of this world. A thousand years ago, the seal of an ancient immortal array loosened, and I led people to reinforce it. In recent years, the pool water has been moving strangely, and the spiritual energy fluctuations have been icy cold. I have investigated several times, but I have not found any clues. I just thought it was the natural wear and tear of the seal."

"Taiqing Immortal Pool..." Chaotic stars swirled in Li Mu's eyes, and his divine sense had pierced through layers of void, landing on that spiritual source.

Sure enough, deep within the pool, a very hidden mark of the Ghost Clan was slowly pulsating, like the beating of a heart, echoing the many dark spots scattered throughout the Immortal Realm, forming an invisible net that quietly absorbed the remnants of the thoughts of all living beings.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, would you please lead the way?" Li Mu stood up.

Qingxuzi solemnly said, "Master, please follow me."

Without further delay, the group transformed into streaks of light and headed straight for the Taiqing Immortal Pool.

A moment later, a vast fairy pool appeared before our eyes.

The pool is as wide as the sea, its water clear and blue, filled with a rich, primordial aquatic energy. Surrounded by towering peaks and ancient trees, it is home to many mythical birds and beasts, resembling a paradise on earth.

Under Li Mu's divine sense, three thousand feet deep at the bottom of the pool, in a hidden rift, gray-white strange patterns spread like a spider web. In the center, a fist-sized mark of the Strange Race was emitting a faint, cold light. Around the mark, wisps of negative emotions gathered from the void and merged into it, making its pulse even stronger.

"It's well hidden." Li Mu stood in mid-air above the pool, his green robe fluttering slightly. "Using the spiritual source of this pool as a cover, the Daoist rhythm of the water is used to dispel the strange fluctuations, and the immortal array seal is used as a shell to isolate the inside from the outside. If it weren't for the seed within the Cloud City Lord being activated today and resonating with this mark, I would have had difficulty detecting it."

Qingxuzi's face was ashen: "What is this mark? Can it be removed?"

“One of the hidden agents of the Ghost Clan’s resurgence, feeding on the thoughts of all living beings to nourish its Ghost Source, waiting for its comeback.” A murderous glint flashed in Li Mu’s eyes as he drew his finger downwards.

Now that we have seen it, we cannot let it remain!

Before he finished speaking, a gray sword light slashed down from Li Mu's fingertip, silently disappearing into the pool. (End of Chapter)