Seeing this, Li Mu nodded slightly, turning to his last two Disciples, his gaze flowing over them, the starlight on his fingertips flickering.
Zhong Yuling's body unconsciously gave off frost flowers, and a faint Phoenix phantom made of ice soul appeared in the cold mist; behind Zhao Tianchen, a clear Sword Qi resounded, and seven small golden swords swam between his hair, reflecting his sharp, sword-like Divine Sense.
"Ice Soul Cold Marrow, Sword Intent reaching the sky—they complement each other well." Li Mu suddenly pointed his fingers at the Void Realm, condensing a Jade Slip of starlight, which split into two halves. The left fragment transformed into a sky full of ice crystals and merged into Zhong Yuling's glabella, while the right side condensed into a golden rainbow and penetrated Zhao Tianchen's Tianling.
A strange sight suddenly appeared in Zhong Yuling's Sea of Consciousness. Above the originally silent ice plain, countless stardust was weaving into a silver river like an aurora. Her "Profound Ice Condensing Heart Art," which she had Cultivated for many years, operated on its own, and the fragments of Divine Sense frozen deep within the glaciers suddenly came alive, turning into thousands of ice butterflies that flew towards the star river.
In Zhong Yuling's Sea of Consciousness, where the ice butterflies fluttered, the flowing star river suddenly slowed down, solidifying into an ice crystal star bridge spanning the sky, constantly evolving, and finding a cold soul star.
Zhao Tianchen's side was a different world entirely. The moment the golden rainbow entered his body, the seven small Divine Sense swords suddenly grew explosively, forming the Big Dipper Sword Formation in the dome of his Sea of Consciousness. But when the starlight scattered, the rigid sword bodies began to twist strangely, eventually disintegrating into countless golden light particles.
"Gold-attributed Sword Cultivators always think about rather bending than breaking. But they don't know the principle that the strongest is the easiest to break!"
Li Mu chuckled and waved his hand, transforming Zhao Tianchen's Sea of Consciousness into a flowing star river sword waterfall.
Zhao Tianchen watched in shock as his Divine Sense Sword Intent—they were still there, but each Sword Qi had become a living star, naturally erupting with peerless sharpness as they moved along their star orbits.
Inside the main hall, the four sat cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by various phenomena. Their intertwining Divine Senses even triggered a resonance with heaven and earth.
Above Lin Maoshan's head, a Five Elements star cloud appeared. Five auxiliary stars of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth revolved around the main star, mutually generating and overcoming each other, endlessly. His Divine Sense continuously divided, and the star cloud gradually expanded, with a faint Prototype of a star river emerging.
Around Su Hongxiu, nine great suns rotated, their blazing fire illuminating the hall. Within each great sun, a Primordial Spirit sat cross-legged, absorbing starlight. Her Divine Sense was no longer confined to nine Divided Souls but transformed into a sky full of fiery meteors, shuttling between star orbits, burning away all restraints.
Zhong Yuling's ice crystal star bridge spanned her Sea of Consciousness. Amidst the swirling cold mist, a deep blue soul star hung at the bridge's center, emitting a chilling coldness. Her Divine Sense was no longer frozen but transformed into countless ice butterflies, dancing gracefully on the star bridge. Each flap of their wings made the starlight more condensed.
Zhao Tianchen's star river sword waterfall surged endlessly. Every "water drop" was a Sword Qi, flowing in the star orbits, with its sharpness contained yet secretly harboring killing intent. His Sword Intent was no longer rigid and inflexible but undulated with the star river, combining hardness and softness, with the sword moving with the stars and the stars turning with the sword.
The Divine Senses of the four unconsciously resonated, and the intertwining starlight faintly revealed the true meaning of the Star Cloud Contemplation Method.
Inside the main hall, the starlight gradually receded, and the phenomena around the four slowly subsided.
Lin Maoshan was the first to open his eyes. Deep within his pupils, a Five Elements star cloud seemed to flow, and his aura was even more profound than before. He looked down at the Jade Slip in his hand and found that all the starlight on it had melted into his Sea of Consciousness, transforming into a vast star map.
Next, the nine great sun phantoms around Su Hongxiu gradually converged, finally transforming into nine crimson Divine Runes, imprinted on her glabella. She exhaled a fiery breath, and a blazing flame seemed to flash in her eyes.
The ice crystal star bridge in front of Zhong Yuling shattered inch by inch, turning into a sky full of frost and snow that scattered. At her glabella, a deep blue soul star shone brightly, its coldness contained, but her Divine Sense was more agile than ever before.
Zhao Tianchen's star river sword waterfall also returned to calm. The seven small Divine Sense swords re-condensed, but now their Sword Intent was no longer fiercely unparalleled but flowed like a star river, combining hardness and softness, with its sharpness subtly hidden.
The four looked at each other, and all saw shock and joy in each other's eyes.
"It seems you all have gained something."
Li Mu's voice came from outside the hall. They looked up and saw him slowly walking in, with Xue'er gracefully following by his side.
"Master!" The four saluted in unison.
Li Mu nodded slightly, flicked his sleeve, and four jade bottles appeared out of thin air, falling into the hands of the four respectively.
"These are Gui Xu Dao Pills (Return to Emptiness Dao Pills), which can help you refine Clones and condense your Chaotic Dao Domain! Next, I will be in seclusion for a period of time. Do not disturb me unless necessary."
Li Mu looked at his four Disciples and instructed.
"Thank you, Master, for bestowing the pills!"
The four held their jade bottles and knelt in unison to salute.
Lin Maoshan bowed deeply, his voice low and firm: "Master's grace in imparting the Dao and teaching is engraved in Disciple's heart. May Master take care during this seclusion."
Su Hongxiu's eyes were slightly red, and she whispered: "Master, during your seclusion, Disciple will diligently Cultivate without ceasing, not letting down your expectations."
Zhong Yuling pursed her lips, her eyes glistening with tears, and Zhao Tianchen's usually stern face was now filled with reluctance.
Li Mu had only returned to the sect a short while ago. First, he guided and answered their doubts, then he imparted techniques and gave them pills, greatly advancing their Cultivation and brightening their Dao path. Now he was going into seclusion again, and they didn't know when they would see him again. All four felt reluctant.
Li Mu's gaze swept over his four Disciples one by one. Seeing their earnest expressions, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes moving without wind, his voice as gentle as a clear spring: "The path of Dao is long. This seclusion of mine will be short, a few years, or long, a hundred years. Since you have obtained the true meaning of the Star Cloud Contemplation Method and have the Gui Xu Dao Pills (Return to Emptiness Dao Pills) to assist you, you should Cultivate diligently and not be lax."
As he finished speaking, Li Mu, with Xue'er, gradually blurred in the morning light, transforming into specks of starlight that dissipated before the four's eyes.
Deep within the Seven Gods Mountain, a secluded Spirit Valley.
Li Mu and Xue'er appeared in the secluded valley. The morning mist in the Spirit Valley had not yet dissipated. As far as the eye could see, everything was shrouded in spiritual mist, hazy and mysterious. The spiritual spring in the valley tinkled, and exotic flowers and Spiritual Plants emitted a faint fragrance. A simple courtyard was faintly visible, nestled among the ancient green trees within the valley.
Li Mu smiled, lightly tapping the Void Realm with his fingertip. In an instant, the entire Spirit Valley's Formation was reactivated. Countless Formation runes rose from the ground, intertwining in mid-air to form a huge Formation net that enveloped the entire valley.
As the Formation light converged, the spiritual mist in the valley quickly dissipated, and the full view of the Spirit Valley gradually became clear.
The Spiritual Qi in the valley was as dense as water, shimmering with a faint seven-colored halo under the sunlight. A winding spiritual stream flowed down from the mountain stream, its water crystal clear. The streambed was covered with colorful spiritual sand that sparkled with spiritual light, and occasionally a few silver-scaled spiritual fish swam by, stirring up tiny splashes.
On both sides of the stream, countless rare Spiritual Plants grew. Thousand-year Profound Spirit Ginseng rooted in the spiritual soil, its leaves like jade and roots like dragons, absorbing pure Spiritual Qi; Purple Aura Ganoderma grew under ancient trees, its cap emitting a faint purple light, vaguely surrounded by misty aura; Nine-Heart Lotus floated on the spiritual pond, its lotus petals crystal clear, and nine drops of spiritual dew condensed in its lotus heart, each drop containing majestic vitality.
Further away, a patch of Star Grass swayed in the wind, its leaves dotted with starlight-like luminescence, gently twinkling in the breeze, like a fallen star river. And deep in the valley, a Heaven Soul Wood stood majestically, its trunk as deep as black jade, and a faint Soul Power flowed between its branches and leaves, nourishing the spirituality of the entire Spirit Valley.
Xue'er's bare feet stepped on the soft spiritual grass, her toes lightly tapping, causing faint ripples of spiritual patterns to appear beneath her feet. She reached out and gently stroked a Phantom Heart Orchid, its petals trembling slightly at her fingertips, emitting a refreshing fragrance that permeated the heart.
"It's been over three hundred years! What a big change!" Xue'er slowly walked along the Spirit Valley path, ripples of reminiscence appearing in her ice-blue eyes, sighing with genuine emotion.
The Spiritual Qi in the valley was diffused. The seedlings from her memories had long grown into towering ancient trees. The Moon Soul Grass she had personally planted back then now formed a continuous silver-blue glow in the rock crevices.
Li Mu stepped into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the scene. After more than three hundred years of absence, a few clumps of spiritual moss had grown in the cracks of the stone steps in the courtyard, the corners of the walls were covered with dense Heart-Cleansing Vines, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the wind chimes under the eaves, making a slightly dull sound as they swayed gently in the breeze.
Li Mu was about to raise his hand to cast a spell, but a pair of soft, gentle hands stopped him.
"Li Dage, just let me handle these trivial matters." Xue'er chuckled softly, then, as if sensing something, she advised: "Li Dage, you must have gained something from guiding these Disciples this time! If you want to go into seclusion, just go, don't worry about me!"
"The Great Dao is simple, and all methods return to one." Li Mu mused: "Today, by demonstrating various Dao principles for my Disciples, I gained some new insights into the Chaotic Great Dao."
Upon hearing this, Xue'er smiled happily and said: "Then Li Dage, quickly go to the quiet room for seclusion. I'll take care of things here!"
Li Mu nodded, paused for a moment, and watched Xue'er's slender figure moving through the courtyard. Sometimes she would cast a spell to brush over the stone steps, and sometimes she would lightly sweep the corridor pillars. Wherever she went, dust disappeared, and spiritual light reappeared. This scene was so similar to three hundred years ago.
A smile unconsciously appeared on Li Mu's lips. He turned and entered the quiet room, tapping the stone door three times with his fingertip. Instantly, the entire quiet room lit up with Chaos light, and the earth's spiritual energy surged in like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.
Li Mu sat cross-legged on the spiritual jade cushion, his eyes slightly closed, but his Divine Sense had already sunk deep into his Sea of Consciousness.
In the Sea of Consciousness, the Chaos star map became increasingly clear. The nine originally disintegrated stars had turned into star sand, floating and sinking in the star cloud vortex. Li Mu's Divine Sense transformed into a golden ray, shuttling and moving among the star sand. Suddenly, it touched a dark golden star sand, and in an instant, thousands of gold Dao principles surged in like a tide.
"The Dao of Gold, decisive in killing, but not only containing sharpness."
Li Mu whispered softly, and his Divine Sense golden ray suddenly split into thousands, each transforming into a different gold-attributed Dao principle. Some were like Geng Metal battle swords splitting Chaos, some were like Xin Metal soft swords winding and transforming power, and there was even Void Realm Geng Metal appearing and disappearing in the star cloud, stirring up wind and clouds.
Suddenly, a star sand as black as ink attracted his attention. The surface of this star sand was covered with fine cracks, but within it surged a power that made his heart palpitate—it was the 【Return to Emptiness Ultimate Gold】 that had not yet fully formed.
As soon as Li Mu's Divine Sense approached, he felt the Chaos Qi around his body uncontrollably boiling, and the star map in his Sea of Consciousness showed signs of disintegration.
"What a domineering backlash!"
Li Mu was not surprised but rather delighted. His Chaos Divine Sense transformed into a giant hand that covered the sky, suddenly grasping that star sand in its palm.
In an instant, thousands of scenes exploded in his Sea of Consciousness: he saw the Universe collapsing into a singularity, all things returning to nothingness; he saw metal decaying into sand in the long river of time, even the Law itself being worn away; and he saw his Chaos Dao Domain, which he had Cultivated for a thousand years, disintegrating inch by inch under the power of Return to Emptiness...
"So that's how it is!" Li Mu suddenly burst into laughter, and his Chaos Divine Sense exploded, transforming into billions of golden rays that pierced into that star sand. The star map in his Sea of Consciousness trembled violently, and nine Dao rings appeared simultaneously. Water and fire complemented each other, stars and wood generated each other, and earth and metal resonated, forcefully maintaining balance under the power of Return to Emptiness.
"Chaos gives birth to all things, and all things return to Chaos. Return to Emptiness is also new life!" Li Mu's eyes burst forth with an unprecedented divine light. That star sand suddenly erupted with a dazzling black light, but the moment it touched the Chaos Dao Domain, it transformed into a pure white Qi and merged into the star map.
In an instant, the entire Chaos star cloud suddenly contracted, and then expanded wildly in the next moment, actually evolving the scene of the true birth and death of the Universe in his Sea of Consciousness!
Deep within the star cloud, a newly born star sand slowly formed, its surface flowing with a seven-colored glazed luster.
"With Return to Emptiness as the seed, and Chaos as the soil..."
Li Mu murmured to himself. Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, the newly born seven-colored star sand suddenly exploded, transforming into nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine ultimate gold Dao patterns.
These Dao patterns were not the color of metal but presented a silvery-white luster like liquid mercury. Subtle Return to Emptiness Dao patterns flowed on their surface. With a slight thought from Li Mu, one of these Dao patterns transformed into Geng Metal Sword Qi, splitting Chaos, then instantly transformed into Xin Metal soft silk, entangling the rampaging Spiritual Qi, and even turned into nothingness the moment it touched a stone wall, leaving no dust behind.
"Gold gives birth to all things, and also destroys all things, ultimately returning to the Void Realm..."
Li Mu's eyes suddenly opened wide, and deep within his pupils, the phenomenon of galactic birth and death appeared. He raised his hand and made a grasping motion in the Void Realm. Nine different forms of ultimate gold Dao swords condensed out of thin air in the quiet room: some were transparent like crystal but cut through the Void Realm, some were viscous like black water but corroded Laws, and there was even one entirely composed of Return to Emptiness runes, devouring even light wherever it passed.
"So that's how it is!"
Li Mu's eyes slightly opened, reflecting the scene of Chaos before its creation. He raised his right hand, and in his palm, nine types of ultimate gold Dao principles evolved into a Hun Yuan Golden Seed. This golden seed seemed ordinary, but the moment it appeared, the space of the entire quiet room twisted, the spiritual jade cushion silently turned into dust, and then re-condensed in the next moment.
"Return to Emptiness and Creation are two sides of the same coin!"
As Li Mu whispered, the golden seed suddenly split open, and a pure white light shot up into the sky. Within the light, a Dao Gold Dharmakaya with a glazed body slowly formed. This Dharmakaya was completely different from ordinary golden bodies; there was no hint of sharpness around it, instead exuding a Concept of returning to simplicity.
Outside the quiet room, Xue'er, who was pruning Spiritual Plants, suddenly looked up. Her ice-blue eyes reflected a white light piercing through heaven and earth, and all metal objects in the entire Spirit Valley trembled slightly.
"This is..." The jade shears in Xue'er's hand suddenly turned into flowing gold, but then re-solidified in the next moment, their quality even surpassing their original state by thirty percent.
Inside the quiet room, Li Mu's Dao Gold Dharmakaya had already reached Major Achievement. The Dharmakaya held a simple, unadorned long sword in its right hand, its blade without an edge; its left hand held a ball of Chaos star cloud, containing the power of Return to Emptiness.
"The Ninth Ultimate Gold Dao Principle—【Hun Yuan Golden Seed】." Li Mu's voice echoed in the quiet room, "No destruction, no construction; construction after destruction!"
As his voice fell, the Chaos Dao Domain suddenly disintegrated, transforming into countless golden light points that merged into his body. Li Mu's aura suddenly changed. The Chaos Dao Domain evolved into an ultimate gold Dao Domain, which then showed countless cracks, but healed again under the nourishment of Chaos Qi, becoming even more solid.
