Just as the three of them were in despair, the Strange Tree suddenly seemed to perceive a threat from beyond the Domain, and the power that was continuously devouring and reshaping the three’s Dao suddenly paused.
On the Strange Tree’s massive face, which had already begun to reshape, a hint of shock was revealed in the eyeballs pieced together from fragments of shattered Dao Foundation.
Immediately after, under the shocked gazes of the three, the Strange Tree no longer attempted to further erode their Great Dao; instead, as if greatly frightened, its entire massive body began to violently contract.
The enormous Strange Tree’s branches frantically curled inward, and the new roots that had just regenerated from deep within the earth veins also rapidly retracted as if electrocuted. Accompanied by a chilling “hissing” sound, countless cracks appeared on the Strange Tree’s surface, rapidly spreading to its core.
Subsequently, the Strange Tree transformed into a streak of light and fled at a speed that almost tore through space, leaving behind only devastation and a dilapidated Celestial Phoenix Immortal Domain.
The distorted spatial Laws gradually returned to normal, but the oppressive aura lingering in the air and the strange traces left behind all spoke of the breathtaking battle that had once occurred here.
Xiao Chenzi, Xing Yu, and Xing Huang, the three dying Great Vehicle Dao Lords, looked at each other, bewildered by the Strange Tree’s peculiar transformation—they had been powerless to resist it.
Not long after the Strange Tree fled, before they could figure it out—
“Crackle!”
A starry path paved with starlight suddenly descended from the sky! That was Star Dome Old Ancestor’s “Star Law,” where every star was a real projection, and the heavy starlight, weighing thousands of tons, made the shattered Immortal Domain creak.
At the end of the starry path, a green boat tore through space and time.
The Green Emperor stood at the bow of the boat, with Jianmu Dao patterns flowing beneath his feet. The boat was only three zhang long, yet it caused plants within a thousand li radius to instantly grow wildly. On the scorched earth, which had been polluted by the strange power, tender sprouts even pushed through the ashes!
“Swish! Swish! Swish!”
Over a dozen figures arrived via the starry path:
Celestial Venerable Fentian’s entire body of blazing flames transformed into nine Golden Crows, burning the strange mist along the way with sizzling sounds;
Every step the Profound Fiend Demon God took unleashed infinite demonic fiend Qi, with the illusory images of the Nine Hells rising and falling behind him;
Amidst Mind Clarity Holy Monk’s Buddhist chants, the withered Spiritual Veins actually began to flow again.
…
“Chase!”
Without any hesitation, these existences, standing at the Peak of the Three Realms, simultaneously made their moves: a sea of Fentian flames blocked the east, a demonic abyss of blood waves submerged the west, and Sanskrit golden locks guarded the north and south—instantly setting up a net of heaven and earth!
Only four people remained, looking at Xiao Chenzi and the other two, preparing to offer aid.
“Your Sword Dao…”
Grand Profound Sword Revered looked at his Junior Brother, his face filled with sorrow.
Xiao Chenzi smiled bitterly and lowered his head. Where his Dantian should have been filled with towering Sword Qi, there was now only a dry hole. His Natal Dao Sword, nurtured for a thousand Years, had long since shattered into dust.
“Ho… ho…” Xing Yu tried to stand up but fell into a pool of blood. His proud Xing Yu Battle Body was now like a shattered piece of porcelain—his left eye was empty, his right leg was only bare bone, and even his great blade was broken into three pieces.
The most tragic was Xing Huang. His Star Turtle Shell Divination pieces were scattered everywhere, each piece covered in root-like cracks. He tried to form hand seals to deduce, but found that he couldn't even sense the simplest star trajectories.
“The Great Dao… is broken…” The Green Emperor sighed deeply. Jianmu’s pure Qi could repair the Physical Body, but it couldn't mend the cracks in the Dao Foundation. The three Great Vehicle Dao Lords, who had once dominated the world, were now like Dragons with their spines removed.
“Alas!”
Star Dome Old Ancestor sighed heavily, his heart heavy. Looking at the two juniors whom he had once praised as having “the most outstanding Star Dao talent of their generation,” now even their Natal Stars had extinguished, his aged face grew a few shades more weathered.
“Little Friend Li, I trouble you to act and remove the strange poison for them!”
“Old Fellow, I trouble you to act and protect their vitality.”
Star Dome Old Ancestor looked at Li Mu and the Green Emperor, pleading.
“Senior, rest assured, just leave it to me!” Li Mu took a step forward, and the Chaotic Dao Domain unfolded with a roar. Grayish Dao Qi swept towards the three like a tide.
Five Elements Cycle!
Li Mu formed a hand seal, and within the Dao Domain, five-colored divine light immediately appeared:
Golden needles transformed into a sky full of sword rain, precisely piercing into the three’s Meridians and vital points;
Wood Element condensed into billions of green threads, suturing the shattered internal organs;
Water Element gathered into Profound Nether True Liquid, flushing out the strange poison deep within the bone marrow;
Fire Element ignited Nirvana Dao Flames, calcining the impurities attached to the Divine Soul;
Earth Element formed Profound Yellow Mother Qi, reshaping the fractured Dao Foundation.
Yin and Yang Reversal!
A jade-colored sword mark on Li Mu’s forehead glowed brightly. A bright moon rose in his left eye, and a blazing sun sank in his right eye. The power of Taiyin froze the strange poison’s activity, and the True Sun Fire incinerated its form. Xiao Chenzi suddenly trembled violently, spitting out grayish-white, ice-fire intertwined poisonous blood—the blood landed and actually grew fine roots, which were then crushed into dust by the Chaotic Dao Qi.
The Chaos Power formed a Chaos Lotus Platform beneath the three’s feet, blossoming with twelve petals, each petal displaying a different era’s illusion. At Xing Yu’s incomplete right leg, flesh and blood began to grow in reverse, and tendons re-covered the bare bones. But even more astonishingly, tiny grayish-white patterns in the newly grown flesh and blood resisted the repair—it was the stubborn strange poison that had fused with Xing Yu’s Origin!
Karma Severance!
Li Mu pointed his fingers like a sword and sliced along the Karma lines in the Void Realm. A crisp sound like breaking glass emanated from within the three’s bodies, and the devouring connection established with the Strange Tree was forcibly severed. Xing Huang’s scattered turtle shells suddenly floated up, and the tree-root-like cracks on the shell pieces began to recede on their own.
River of Years!
The last hand seal was formed, and the illusion of the River of Time appeared within the Chaotic Dao Domain. Li Mu plunged his hands into the river, forcibly extracting three segments of pure time Origin, which he then infused into the three’s bodies. Xiao Chenzi’s white hair turned green, starlight re-gathered in Xing Yu’s empty eye sockets, and Xing Huang’s hunched back straightened again.
Chaos Return to Origin!
Li Mu continuously formed hand seals, pushing the Chaotic Dao Domain to its limit. All Great Dao Laws condensed into a Chaos Orb above the three’s heads. Inside the orb, a miniature Strange Tree could faintly be seen wailing and dissipating, rapidly absorbing the strange poison from within the three’s bodies.
On the other side, the Green Emperor had already unfurled his Jianmu Dao Domain.
“Endless life, eternal spring.”
The Green Emperor waved his hand, sending out three green leaves that disappeared into the three’s Heavenly Spirits. The moment the leaves entered their bodies—
“Crack!” Xing Yu’s broken leg bone made a crisp sound, and countless tender sprouts grew from the wound—it was Jianmu fibers reshaping the bones;
In Xiao Chenzi’s shattered Dantian, a green sapling broke through the earth and grew into a sword-shaped small tree at a visible speed;
Most astonishing was Xing Huang; fine roots emerged from the cracks in the turtle shells, piecing the fragments back into a complete divination plate!
The Green Emperor’s expression, however, grew increasingly solemn: “Though the Dao Foundation is stable, the Origin has withered.”
The Green Emperor looked at Li Mu, reminding him: “They are like trees hollowed out by Woodworms; their exterior is intact, but their interior is already…”
“There is hope. Their Dao Foundation can be remade!”
Li Mu sat cross-legged in the Void Realm, a Chaos Green Lotus blossoming with a twelve-grade lotus platform beneath his feet. Grayish Dao Qi surged like a tide. He formed hand seals, and the Chaotic Dao Domain behind him contracted, condensing into three rotating masses of Dao Law Origin.
The power of the Five Elements transformed into five-colored light pillars that shot into the sky: the Metal Element was sharp, the Wood Element was full of vitality, the Water Element flowed calmly, the Fire Element burned fiercely, and the Earth Element was heavy and inclusive;
The Yin and Yang Qi coiled like Dragons in the Void Realm, with day and night appearing alternately, light and darkness intertwined, endlessly regenerating;
The River of Time flowed out from the Chaos, reflecting phantoms of the past, present, and future, as if the entire Universe was turning and Reincarnating within it;
The Karma threads intertwined like a spiderweb, each one connected to the trajectory of destiny, tightly linking the three’s broken Dao Foundation with the newly born Chaos Origin.
This scene left everyone present in awe.
“You actually want to use Chaos to evolve a new Dao Foundation? To reshape their Dao Foundation?” The Green Emperor whispered, his voice tinged with disbelief. While his Jianmu Dao could nourish all things and repair Foundations, completely remaking a Mahayana Cultivator’s Dao Foundation was almost a Heaven-Defying act!
“The three Fellow Daoists severed their Great Dao, but their Dao Foundation did not disappear,” Li Mu said, his gaze calm, looking at the three. “It merely lost its connection with their Primordial Spirit and Physical Body.”
As he spoke, Li Mu gently pressed his hands, and three blurry light figures appeared within the Chaotic Dao Domain—these were the remnants of Xiao Chenzi, Xing Yu, and Xing Huang’s shattered Dao Foundation! Although these light figures were dim, they still carried their respective Great Dao imprints.
Li Mu formed a hand seal, and the Chaos Green Lotus suddenly burst forth with dazzling light. Above the lotus platform, the three’s Dao Foundation afterimages began to rapidly deduce, and under the impetus of the Chaos Power, they were gradually guided into a new evolutionary trajectory.
Xiao Chenzi’s Grand Profound Sword Domain reassembled in the Chaos. Inside the sword embryo, Metal Element condensed bones, Wood Element generated tendons, Water Element moistened marrow, Fire Element burned the soul, and Earth Element established the Foundation. Amidst the Five Elements’ cycle, a brand new Sword Dao Law was actually self-conceived!
Xing Yu’s Star Dao Domain also spontaneously completed itself in the Chaos. The broken star trajectories reconnected, forming a galaxy that spanned heaven and earth.
The Chaos Power constructed a brand new star map within his body. First the North Pole, then the Southern Stars, then the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the three hundred and sixty main stars revived one by one, finally converging into a brilliant galaxy that surged and roared within his body!
And Xing Huang’s turtle shell divination, in the gray Dao Qi, spontaneously evolved, becoming even more profound than before.
The Chaos Power not only repaired the cracks on the turtle shell but also engraved never-before-seen strange hexagrams within it—these were the traces of Chaos and destiny intertwined, the core of his new Dao Foundation!
“This…” Xiao Chenzi widened his eyes, looking at the sword shadow in the Chaos that was identical to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief and awe: “My Grand Profound Sword Intent… can actually reappear?”
“The three Fellow Daoists’ Dao Foundation is still present, only the connection was severed.” Li Mu looked at Xiao Chenzi and the other two, saying, “Chaos can simulate all Dao. I will use this method to help you resume your Dao path.”
As soon as his voice fell, Li Mu turned to look at the Green Emperor, solemnly saying, “But I need Senior to use Jianmu as a bridge to connect them with the newly born Dao Foundation.”
The Green Emperor frowned deeply, his gaze complex as he looked at the three, then at Li Mu, and solemnly warned, “This method is dangerous. Jianmu’s connection requires penetrating the Physical Body and Primordial Spirit. A slight mistake could lead to a backlash, causing the Primordial Spirit to shatter and Meridians to be completely destroyed.”
“Old Fellow, since Little Friend Li has this ability, let him try!” Star Dome Old Ancestor quickly spoke up, pleading.
Li Mu smiled slightly, reassuring him, “Senior, rest assured, I will protect their Primordial Spirit with Chaos, but the vitality connection still requires Senior’s assistance.”
The Green Emperor was silent for a moment, then nodded, “So be it.”
The Green Emperor waved his hand, taking out three green vines from his own Dao Domain. The vines were entirely emerald green, faintly glowing with green light, and were “Green Wood Dragon Vines” formed from Jianmu’s Origin.
The Green Emperor bit his fingertip and dripped a drop of essence blood onto each of the three green vines. The green vines immediately came alive, swimming towards the three like spiritual snakes:
The first one coiled around Xiao Chenzi’s wrist, following his Meridians directly into his Dantian;
The second one pierced into Xing Yu’s heart, beating in sync with his heart;
The third one coiled around Xing Huang’s glabella, connecting with his Sea of Consciousness.
—
“Ah—!”
The three cried out simultaneously. The moment the green vines connected, Chaotic Dao Qi and Jianmu’s vitality frantically flushed through their bodies. Every inch of their Meridians felt as if it was being crushed and reformed. Under the intense pain, their bodies trembled violently, veins bulged on their foreheads, and blood overflowed from their seven orifices!
Seeing this, Li Mu immediately changed his hand seal: “Chaos Guards the Spirit!”
Three green lotus buds blossomed from the top of the three’s heads, firmly protecting their Primordial Spirits. At the same time, the Dao Foundation illusions in the Chaos began to slowly flow in along the green vines:
In Xiao Chenzi’s dried Dantian, a grayish-jade miniature sword gradually formed. As Sword Qi was exhaled and inhaled, it seemed to contain the killing intent of ten thousand Years;
Xing Yu’s broken star trajectories reconnected. Starlight flowed on his newly formed Dao bones, as if the entire Universe resonated within his body;
Xing Huang’s turtle shell completely jade-ified, with Chaos profound mysteries hidden within the hexagrams. With each deduction, he could glimpse deeper trajectories of destiny.
However, just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, an unexpected change occurred!
The residual strange poison in the three’s bodies actually counterattacked along the green vines. Grayish-white patterns spread like a spiderweb, attempting to re-erode the newly formed Dao Foundation!
“I was waiting for you!” Li Mu sneered, and the jade-colored sword soul on his forehead suddenly flew out, transforming into a sharp sword light: “Chaos Sword Soul, Slash!”
The jade-colored sword light slashed upward along the green vines. Wherever it passed, the strange poison was annihilated. Even more surprisingly, the annihilated strange poison transformed into pure energy, nourishing the newly formed Dao Foundation in return!
“Wonderful!” The Green Emperor praised, seizing the opportunity to activate Jianmu’s Origin. The three green vines burst forth with dazzling green light, completely connecting the last segment of the Dao Foundation.
“Zheng—”
“Om—”
“Crack—”
Three distinctly different Dao sounds resounded through heaven and earth.
Xiao Chenzi pointed his fingers like a sword, and a grayish Sword Qi shot straight into the Nine Heavens, tearing through the clouds and causing the stars to yield;
Xing Yu threw a single punch, and the punch wind, wrapped in chaotic starlight, caused the Spiritual Qi within a thousand li radius to vibrate;
Xing Huang’s turtle shell floated in mid-air, with Heavenly Secrets hidden within the hexagrams. Through deduction, he could even glimpse a corner of the future!
They were no longer their past selves, but truly “severing the old and establishing the new”!
Xiao Chenzi’s sword was no longer confined to Grand Profound;
Xing Yu’s stars were no longer bound by fate;
Xing Huang’s divination was no longer trapped by Karma.
At this moment, the three entered seclusion to circulate their cultivation, and the aura on their bodies underwent earth-shattering changes.
Li Mu looked at them, smiled softly, put away the Chaos Green Lotus, and cupped his hands, saying, “The Great Dao is ruthless, but Cultivators have aspirations. Since the three Seniors are willing to stake their lives for the Dao, how can I stand idly by?”
The Green Emperor sighed softly: “With Chaos as the furnace and all Laws as the material, this move of yours… can be called creation.”
Star Dome Old Ancestor and Grand Profound Sword Revered stepped forward one after another. Seeing the three recover, they all showed joy. (End of Chapter)
