Immortal Mystery Sequence: I Establish a Divine Duty for Heaven and Earth

[Sequence Evolution Log]

[Year 41]

As autumn transitions into winter, the vegetation in Shennong Valley gradually turns yellow.

There was a straw figure in front of Luo Jin.

This is his 9,000th attempt. More than three years have passed since he first started exploring the art of straw man making. He has spent all his free time on this, selecting straw leaves, weaving repeatedly, adjusting the structure, and changing materials.

But this time, he felt that he was finally going to succeed!

The skeleton of this straw man is made of thorns, from the oldest clump of thorns on the north slope, which is said to be over a hundred years old, and its toughness and hardness far exceed that of ordinary thorns... The outer skin and limbs are made of the toughest wire grass in the valley, which cannot be crushed or torn after being dried, and is difficult to cut with an ordinary sickle... The joints are connected with vines and the fine roots of flowers and trees... The flesh and blood of the body are filled with rice ears.

Luo Jin looked at the straw man, which lay quietly, like a creature waiting to be awakened.

This was undoubtedly the most perfect one he had ever made; the direction of every blade of grass had been carefully adjusted, and the tightness or looseness of every joint was just right.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes to rest for an hour, and bathed and burned incense before taking action. He gathered all his energy and spirit at his fingertips, lightly touched the straw effigy's brow with his index finger, and his seventh-grade cultivation surged forth—

"rise!"

Swish!

A wisp of green light emerged from the fingertip and spread along the top of the straw man, first to the head, then the neck, torso, and limbs. The straw man was completely enveloped in green light, as if it were soaking in a hot spring, and a faint light suddenly appeared in the hollow eye sockets.

Hehehe.

Chi Chi Chi.

The straw man's fingers began to move, first curling slightly, then slowly opening... Next came its arms, the stiff grass blade joints bending little by little, making its first attempt at grasping!

It tried to stand up, wobbling as it tried to support itself on the ground, but its legs wouldn't obey, and its knees buckled, causing it to kneel down again.

The farmers watching held their breath, barely daring to make a sound, and nervously watched this scene unfold.

Luo Jin did not go up to help, but also held his breath and waited.

It tried again, shrugging its shoulders, arching its back, and once it had one foot firmly planted, it put the other foot on top and stood up!

It stood up!

It was only the size of an adult's palm. Its body, woven from grass, slowly expanded, condensed, and shaped in the green light. Skin appeared, eyebrows and eyes grew, and robes spread out. In just a few breaths, it transformed into a young man who looked like a real person.

He had delicate features, slightly dark skin, and bright eyes, but his gaze was somewhat dazed and dull, giving him a somewhat dim-witted appearance.

Luo Jin suddenly stood up, his face beaming with joy!

The initiation was successful!

This is his first living scarecrow!

The surrounding farmers were stunned for a moment, and then suddenly burst into a deafening cheer!

"It's done—!"

"The hall master really brought this straw man to life!"

"This is called enlightenment! Enlightenment! To bring living beings to life! What divine power this is!!"

Ignoring the surrounding noise, Luo Jin squatted down and carefully examined the living straw man. He waved his hand in front of its eyes, and the straw man's eyes followed his hand, but it was a beat slow to react.

Luo Jin tried to sense its abilities, and after a moment, he understood them completely.

【Earth-walking Grass Man】.

It has two characteristics. First, as long as it walks on the ground, its speed is ten times that of its original owner.

Luo Jin had it travel from the mouth of the valley to the end, and it made the round trip in the blink of an eye. Although it was not as fast or convenient as the insect spirit delivering messages, and it could not use earth-遁法 (earth-遁法, a technique that allows one to escape through the earth) and could only walk, this tenfold speed was already amazing enough, and it would continue to increase as the original owner's strength and physique improved.

Secondly, it can transform its appearance.

With just a thought, Luo Jin could make the straw figure's face gradually blur and be reshaped into a completely different face.

First, he was a middle-aged man with a weathered face... then he transformed into an old woman with white hair... then he transformed into a seven or eight-year-old child. Each transformation was seamless, and outsiders could not tell that he was originally a straw man. Even his height, physique, and temperament could change accordingly.

Upon seeing this, Luo Jin suddenly smiled.

Nine thousand failures resulted in a straw doll that could run and change its expression. Although it was a bit clumsy, slow to react, and had little fighting ability, it was still alive and was created by his own hands.

This feeling is indescribably exciting.

Among the crowd was a female cultivator of the eighth rank named Xu Lin, who was also Luo Jin's loyal disciple.

She watched this scene quietly, her gaze shifting from Luo Jin to the straw man, then back to the ground beneath her feet. She witnessed firsthand how the wisp of green light flowed from Luo Jin's fingertips into the straw man, and how the straw man transformed from a blade of grass into a human form. In that instant, she seemed to see something deeper through the straw man.

That is the hidden vitality of the agricultural road.

"So... this is the way of farming?"

She murmured something, then sat down cross-legged on the spot, closed her eyes, and carefully contemplated the moment of opportunity and enlightenment.

In a daze, it seemed that he had taken another step closer to the seventh rank.

The surrounding farmers were still celebrating the birth of the scarecrow, and few people noticed her actions.

Since then, a new scenic spot has been added to Shennong Valley.

Luo Jin is always followed by a "personal bodyguard" who changes his face every day. Today he is a burly man with a thick beard, tomorrow he is a pretty young wife, and the day after tomorrow he is an old man with a white beard. He changes his appearance every time he appears, a thousand faces in one person.

The farmers' greatest pleasure after meals was guessing what the scarecrow would look like that day, and Luo Jin also enjoyed it.

……

……

Jiang Tu's eyes lit up when he saw this.

Nine thousand failures for one straw doll—that's quite a high cost, but the final effect is indeed ingenious. It combines ten times the speed with a face-changing transformation. Although it can't fight, its practicality is still pretty good!

He was inexplicably tempted, and even began to look forward to it... What kind of straw doll could he create one day when he advanced to the seventh rank?

Well, putting everything else aside, I just hope my straw man can be a little smarter!

Luo Jin, this straw man, is too dull and stupid; he seems to have no future.

……

……

[Year 42]

On a spring night, Shennong Valley was silent.

Swish!

Luo Jin suddenly woke up from a nightmare, covered in cold sweat.

woohoo-

He gasped for breath, propped himself up on the edge of the bed, and sat up, his heart pounding like a drum.

The images from the dream still flickered before his eyes: a gigantic golden Buddha's hand slammed down from the sky, crushing countless living people into a bloody pulp on the spot. Li Shitou's voice seemed to still echo in his ears: "My life is over today... I can't go back..."

He pressed his hand to his agitated chest, unable to calm down for a long time!

He's been having this dream for almost seven years! It comes every few days without fail!

Sometimes it was the Buddha's palm striking down, sometimes it was Li Shitou's back receding into the distance, sometimes it was Luo Dazhuang kneeling on the ground handing over that severed finger... It was always the same ending. When I woke up, I was covered in cold sweat and still felt lingering fear.

Luo Dazhuang blamed himself for causing Li Shitou's death, but didn't Luo Jin also feel guilty?

If he hadn't insisted on going into seclusion to try and break through to the seventh rank... if he had emerged from seclusion a little earlier... if he hadn't been so obsessed with breaking through to the seventh rank... there wouldn't have been the disagreement between Luo Dazhuang and Li Shitou, there wouldn't have been the serf rebellion, and tens of thousands of lives wouldn't have been lost in vain!

This is his inner demon, one that he cannot shake off.

Since the Earth-Walking Grass Man successfully enlightened him, his cultivation has become stagnant.

No matter how he taught, imparted knowledge, or cultivated the land, there was no progress. It seemed that the road ahead had come to an end. This was partly due to the fact that Shennong Valley's development was nearing its limit, but also because he had not been able to forget this nightmare.

He was even a little scared.

He had thought many times about leading people away from Shennong Valley to develop elsewhere and return to Xinping City, but he was afraid that if he opened Shennong Valley, the Buddhist sect would descend again, that the remaining embers of the Old Farmer's Hall would not be preserved, that the serf rebellion would happen again, and that he would not be able to protect anyone.

He couldn't make that decision.

Since awakening his innate wisdom, he had never been so confused, never so hesitant.

A few days later, a sudden cold snap arrived.

Shennong Valley had enjoyed favorable weather for many years, but this was the first time that frost had fallen in the spring. Encountering a cold wave, Luo Jin felt increasingly uneasy as he looked at the sudden cold weather.

He felt... this was not a good sign.

But then, a heavy snow fell without warning.

The snow fell like goose feathers, blanketing the valley. The farmers were initially in a panic... Snow in early spring, the crops were afraid they would freeze to death!

But they soon discovered that the snow was not cold when it fell on the ground; instead, it brought warmth and vitality. The wheat seedlings covered by the snow were even more vigorous, with tender leaves unfurling and the green color rapidly deepening.

Ruixue is a prosperous year.

Luo Jin stood in the snow and reached out to catch the snowflakes. The moment the snowflakes fell into his palm, he felt an inexplicable sense of auspiciousness. Under the unique blessing of heaven and earth, he felt a wonderful situation, his heart was filled with emotion, and the gloom in his heart that was entangled by inner demons was actually lightened a bit in this snow light.

He raised his head and suddenly looked at the valley entrance that had been sealed for seven years, falling into deep thought.

"—Anomaly: Auspicious Snow Triggered—"

"Evolution has been paused due to insufficient remaining evolutionary time."

"Settlement in progress—"

Evolutionary duration: 42 years and 2 months

"Historical Summary: Twenty-eight years after the collapse of the heavens, Luo Jin secluded himself to break through to a higher realm. Amidst the turmoil within the Old Farmer's Hall, internal divisions, serf uprisings, Buddhist and Taoist suppression, and retreat to Shennong Valley were commonplace, with several brushes with death. A severed finger was joined, blood splattering five steps away, a final, poignant moment; the art of alchemy opened the path to the seventh rank. Luo Jin finally broke through to the seventh rank, becoming a "Herbal Compendium Attendant," mastering core techniques such as alchemy and the art of straw figures. He compiled the "General Compendium of Materia Medica," greatly expanding education, and the agricultural path of Shennong Valley flourished, bringing blessings to the region and nurturing the land's spirit. Through nine thousand tireless efforts to enlighten the straw figures, he experienced a rebirth from the brink of despair. However, hampered by inner demons, he stagnated. Suddenly, auspicious snowfall swept away the gloom, revealing a glimmer of hope—"

"Settlement Rewards: Sequence Points * 729, Luo Jin's Cultivation Experience Part 2, The Complete Materia Medica, Luo Jin's Earth-Walking Grass Man"

"Professional traits are simultaneously loaded into the local world—Evolutionary blessings are simultaneously loaded into the local world—"