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

[Sequence Evolution Log]

[Year 43]

After the snow, the spring breeze was like rain, and Shennong Valley was completely renewed.

The fertile soil in the fields is moist and rich, filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, and the farm roads are teeming with life and vitality.

The farmers walked with their heads held high and their spirits clear, as if the stifling and gloomy atmosphere of their long seclusion had been swept away, and the valley was filled with solemnity and excitement!

However, the atmosphere at the valley entrance grew increasingly heavy day by day.

The miasma is receding; it is receding visibly.

People would always gather at the valley entrance to discuss the matter, feeling uneasy and speculating.

At first, it was only thin at the edges, gradually resembling a thin veil. By the summer of the following year, the purple miasma in the east of the valley, where it was pitch black three steps away, could be seen, and the outline of the opposite mountain rocks could be vaguely seen.

Several farmers tentatively stepped outside a few dozen paces, observing carefully with mixed feelings.

"In four or five years at most... this miasma will completely dissipate."

"Without the miasma, Shennong Valley will be wide open to the outside world! How will we deal with the covetousness and spying of outsiders?!"

"We must prepare early! We can't be completely unprepared when we're forced to leave the valley!"

People are restless, there's a sense of impending doom, and everyone sees danger even in the smallest things.

Luo Jin didn't stop everyone from discussing it, but he also didn't rush to make a decision; everything remained the same.

The dissipation of miasma and the bumper harvest were merely the first changes brought about by the auspicious snow. Soon after, more strange changes began to emerge...

That day, Luo Jin was working in the field when the scarecrow stood by, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, the scarecrow turned around and stared at him blankly, saying, "Master, it's so noisy outside."

Luo Jin looked up at the straw man in disbelief and confusion.

The straw man blinked at him, his expression unchanged, as if most of his previous dullness and idiocy had disappeared.

"You...can talk?"

Yes! The Earth-Walking Grass Man not only mastered many common phrases and could speak a lot, but even his appearance after each transformation was more lively, showing that he had grown a lot compared to the past.

As for where this change and growth came from, the Earthwalker couldn't say for sure, seemingly having completely forgotten what he had experienced.

A few days later, Luo Jin accidentally found a hoe. It was rusty, but it felt strangely familiar in his hand. He remembered this hoe; it was the first hoe he used after awakening his innate wisdom. He didn't know how he lost it later and had searched for it for a long time without success.

Now it lies quietly in the corner, as if it had never disappeared!

"How...how did it get here?!"

After the straw man grew and old items returned, many more new changes followed—

After the autumn harvest that year, Xu Lin broke through to the seventh rank.

Unlike Luo Jin, who secluded himself for five years, she united the strength of many eighth-rank farmers. Almost all the farmers in Shennong Valley were fortunate enough to comprehend the method of opening the gate together. They cooperated with each other and formed a seven-seven formation with forty-nine farmers, thus completing the breakthrough to the seventh rank.

Xu Lin had already felt the loosening of the seventh rank after observing the straw man's enlightenment and revitalization that day. Now, with the breakthrough he achieved, his realm is even more stable, and it was a natural progression.

Subsequently, Xu Lin and Luo Jin, both seventh-rank cultivators, also comprehended the seventh-rank guidance and opening method, enabling them to complete the breakthrough ceremony on their own and help the eighth-rank cultivators achieve a perfect breakthrough.

In the two years that followed, one new Rank 7 official after another emerged, and fourteen Rank 7 officials were born in succession!

The method of opening the gate by forming an array and the method of opening the gate by guiding the seventh rank have been repeatedly verified, recorded and passed down, and have gradually become well-known seventh-rank promotion ceremonies.

Each newly promoted seventh rank cultivator seemed to have been enlightened and gained a wealth of cultivation experience. They were able to quickly master the art of pinching the elixir and their straw doll weaving skills also progressed rapidly. Back then, Luo Jin went through nine thousand straw doll weaving sessions before completing the enlightenment, but they only needed one or two years to get started and complete it. Their progress was incredibly fast!

Within Shennong Valley, seven-rank grass figures with varying effects gradually emerged.

Of course, as more Rank 7 cultivators emerged and grew stronger, Luo Jin's cultivation level also began to improve again, with the fastest progress. The continuous feedback from his cultivation level propelled his cultivation to advance further.

All the changes stemmed from the snowfall...

"This auspicious snowfall is truly a great omen, a blessing from heaven! It's as if the heavens are helping our Shennong Valley's agricultural industry to flourish!"

"Great! With the arrival of auspicious snow, all good fortune comes."

The people in the valley all believed that all these changes were due to the great fortune brought by that auspicious snow. Therefore, the valley combined the annual serf sacrifice day with the auspicious snow day into the Shennong Valley Farming Day. Every year on Farming Day, all the people would gather together to pray to the heavens for auspicious snow to fall and for the deceased farmers to rest in peace.

For Shennong Valley, the most solemn and joyous occasion is the Spring Festival.

……

……

From the infinite heights above, Jiang Tu looked down upon this scene, fully aware of its significance.

That so-called good fortune was mostly sown by his own hands.

The Earthwalker Grass Man became smarter because he followed him to kill Rong Yidao and impersonated Rong Yidao for several years, which increased his experience and made him more intelligent... It seems that all the changes and growth of important items in the evolution process in reality can also be synchronized into the evolution process when they are returned.

What's even more outrageous is that along with returning the evolved items, he also returned "Luo Jin's hoe"!

The evolution is becoming more and more realistic in its details!

As for the opening ceremony, the insights into the art of pinching elixir and the grass-man technique, and a series of other changes... all originated from the Qin family of Qingshan Lake and himself. The evolution was transmitted back through the sequence synchronization. Shennong Valley gained the results of ten years of accumulation in the real world overnight, so of course the progress was very fast.

As the valley was transformed inside and out, and the miasma was about to dissipate, these new changes kept him hooked, eager to continue reading...

……

……

[Year 48]

The miasma at the valley entrance is even thinner, almost dissipating, and on windy days, one can even vaguely see the hazy mountain scenery outside.

After several meetings and discussions, Luo Jin finally decided to send out the first batch of agricultural pioneers to gather information and understand the movements of the Buddhist and Taoist sects, in order to prepare for the subsequent departure of farmers from the valley.

The first vanguard, led by a seventh-rank leader, along with five eighth-rank and twenty ninth-rank leaders, stepped out of the valley and into the auspicious land.

The land they had been away from for more than a decade felt quite unfamiliar to them!

In June of the same year, the second batch was dispatched.

July, the third batch.

By the time winter arrived, nine groups of agricultural cultivators had been dispatched, covering all directions around Xinping City. Each team carried many insect spirits, and new messages were sent back to the valley every three to five days.

Gradually, the general outline of the situation outside the valley was revealed to those inside...

"The purge of the agricultural path by the Buddhist and Taoist schools has come to an end, and the two schools are now fighting each other; two tigers cannot share one mountain!"

"Patrols around New Apple City have become much lax."

"I've heard that the reason they're fighting stems from an ancient, primordial lineage…!"

One piece of news after another, all of it is positive!

Having endured humiliation and hardship for many years, now is the time when the two gates are at odds and the defenses of Xinping City are at their weakest.

The time has come to leave the valley!

[Year 50]

In early spring, the relocation of Shennong Valley began.

High-quality seeds are bagged, medicinal herbs and precious pills are boxed, and various crops are piled up like mountains. They are loaded onto trucks and taken out of the warehouse. Only the grain that cannot be packed and cannot be taken away will be temporarily stored in the warehouse, waiting to be moved away later.

"We're going out now. There's a wider world out there."

The relocation from the valley proceeded smoothly under Luo Jin's leadership, but unbeknownst to anyone, as the day of departure drew ever closer, Luo Jin's health deteriorated day by day.

At first, he was just like before, unable to sleep well at night. Later, he became absent-minded during the day and his face turned ashen.

He was tormented by inner demons and under immense pressure. To the outside world, he was the leader of Shennong Valley, calm and composed as a mountain, but no one knew or could tell him about the bitterness and hardship he endured.

May.

With everything ready to leave the valley, Luo Jin was preparing to give the order to officially leave Shennong Valley, where he had lived in seclusion for many years.

Suddenly, a storm brewed!

He was stuck in a rut due to his long-standing inner demons and was bedridden. The pressure and worries he had been under for a long time finally came to an end, and his trip out of the valley was abruptly halted. Everyone in the valley gathered around Luo Jin, worried about the safety of the hall master but not knowing what to do.

For several days, Luo Jin fell seriously ill and could not get out of bed.

Nightmares plagued him, as if he were falling into an abyss, tormented day and night, half-asleep and half-awake, often talking in his sleep.

My dream was filled with firelight, Buddha's hand, severed fingers...

Finally, on the fifth night, Luo Dazhuang, who was now only half a broken body, arrived.

He had remained silent among the crowd for many years, gradually fading from the public eye. He had already reached the limit of the eighth rank but had never chosen to advance. Many people had expressed their willingness to open doors for him and help him advance, but he refused them all.

Because... he knew very well that he was plagued by inner demons, felt guilty towards the gods because of Li Shitou's death, and was also terrified by the Buddha's hand and light.

Given his current state, it's better if he doesn't break through to the next realm. If he does break through and suffers a backlash from his inner demons, he will surely die!

The path of agriculture requires a sincere heart for the land, diligent cultivation, and a passion and perseverance for the agricultural path one holds. Without this heart for the path of agriculture, how can one make progress in spiritual practice?

He walked to the bedside, sat down, and remained silent in thought.

"Cousin, you've come. I've been waiting for you for so many years, waiting for you to tell me about the past, but you've never said a word."

"Master... I thought that as long as I didn't mention it, those things would pass, and if I didn't speak of them, no one would remember... But I actually forgot that the pain in your heart was no less than mine!"

On that occasion, the two brothers sat down for a long talk and stayed together for two days, finding solace in each other's shared suffering.

With the nightmares of many years finally revealed, the long-suppressed depression and pain in their hearts began to waver. Luo Jin's illness gradually improved, and by dawn, Luo Jin was gradually at ease. He frankly expressed his worries.

"I fear leaving the valley, for I fear a second serf uprising, and that leaving the valley will bring even greater destruction!"

Luo Dazhuang remained silent for a long time before saying, "That's why I'm staying...! I'll hold the rear for the Old Farmer's Hall, paving a way out for them. I'll stay and guard the granary in Shennong Valley to continue farming, and I'll find a place for the Old Farmer's Hall that's even more suitable for seclusion than Shennong Valley, so that if something unforeseen happens in the future, we can still retreat and live in seclusion again..."

"With my current crippled body, all I can do are these insignificant little things."

Luo Jin agreed, letting Luo Dazhuang stay behind to find a way out and prepare for the retreat, which would put his mind at ease.

He entrusted his back to Luo Dazhuang.

Before parting, Luo Dazhuang frowned and said with doubt, "Master, the past should be put behind us. We can't keep dwelling on it... It's one thing for me to be stuck in this situation, but you are the pillar of the agricultural path, the leader of the Old Farmers' Hall! If you can't completely let go, truly see through all this, and eliminate your inner demons, I'm afraid you'll never have the chance to reach the fourth realm, never have the chance to step onto the highest path ahead!"

"I hope... that the Hall Master can overcome his inner demons, emerge from the shadows, and lead the Agricultural Path to the Fourth Realm!"

Luo Jin remained silent for a long time.

Ten days later.

At the valley entrance, everyone is ready to go, united in purpose.

Luo Jin stood at the front, looking back at Shennong Valley.

"Today, I, [Old Farmer's Hall], am renaming [Auspicious Snow Hall]. All agricultural cultivators, heed my command and march out of the valley—"

Tatata!

A large group of over a hundred people, following the rising sun, traversed the long mountain path and continued their journey.

High morale, restless crowd!

The moment Luo Jin stepped out of the valley, the nightmare that had haunted him for years began to blur a little.

He's out!

He left Shennong Valley, where he had suffered hardship and poverty for more than ten years.

New Apple City, he's back!

At this moment, with most of his inner demons dissipated, he felt that his cultivation, which had been improving over the years, was instantly integrated and he learned the third technique of the Herbalist's Manual in a moment of enlightenment!

—Scatter beans to create soldiers!

Whoa!

He casually swept a handful of wild grasses and twigs from the roadside, and they all fell into his palm. He then tossed them forward—

Swish swish!

Whoosh whoosh!

The grass ears fell to the ground and grew tall in the wind, instantly transforming into pale green figures, resembling farmers, lined up on both sides of the road, bowing in unison to the group of farmers leaving the valley, as if welcoming the hall master out of the valley!