The prehistoric infrastructure maniac

Chapter 193 Breakthrough, Houtu

Having spent hundreds of years in the Star-Picking Palace and become acquainted with some of the celestial generals under San Shou, such as Hong Xue and Xue Xie, Shi Mo finally left to continue his travels.

Having reached a bottleneck in his understanding of the Heavenly Dao, Shi Mo naturally hoped to travel more and gain some insights, so that he could comprehend the Heavenly Dao and become a Dao Ancestor.

And so, they climbed mountains and waded through rivers, sometimes soaring through the clouds, witnessing the magnificent mountains and rivers of the Pangu world, the rushing rivers nourishing all things, and the earth bearing the weight of everything.
Through wind, frost, rain, snow, light, and darkness, what Shi Mo saw along the way gave him many insights. Unconsciously, his accumulated knowledge finally blossomed, leading to a sudden enlightenment and transformation.

On the endless wasteland, Shi Mo, sitting cross-legged, had unknowingly drawn together the rich power of the earth, bringing life to the wasteland.
A powerful and surging aura of the Heavenly Dao descended, instantly triggering the Heavenly Dao of the Pangu World, causing all the Dao Ancestors in the Pangu World who had comprehended the Earth Element Heavenly Dao to sense it.

In fact, in the Pangu world today, although there are some Dao Ancestors who have comprehended the Heavenly Dao, those who have comprehended the Earthly Heavenly Dao are still very few and far between.

Tens of millions of miles away from Shi Mo, on a majestic and lush mountain, a refined middle-aged man with a long beard, who was meditating in an ancient Taoist temple, suddenly opened his eyes and looked in surprise at the place where Shi Mo's avatar was in the distance: "Hmm? Someone has comprehended the Earth Element Heavenly Dao, and they are actually so close to me?"

"I wonder which true god has broken through?" The refined middle-aged man, somewhat curious, got up and headed towards where Shi Mo was.

On a distant hill, a barefoot woman in hemp clothing, sitting cross-legged, also opened her eyes as if sensing something.

Her appearance wasn't stunningly beautiful, but her eyes were deep and her whole being exuded a gentle aura, like Mother Earth, her invisible presence seemingly merging with the earth.

"Has someone else comprehended the Way of Earth?" The barefoot woman in hemp clothing murmured to herself, and couldn't help but look curiously into the distance.

Inside the cave on Babao Peak of Jiuding Iron Fork Mountain, Shi Mo, who was immersed in cultivation and enlightenment, suddenly opened his eyes with a start. He was so excited that he hurriedly used the earth vein array to absorb the power of the earth veins, while at the same time he drew down the power of chaos, which surged into his body and transformed into the power of the ancestral immortal.
With a whoosh, Shi Mo, whose body was surrounded by an energy vortex, trembled slightly as a massive amount of energy poured into his body.

Of course, with Shi Mo's current innate top-grade spiritual treasure level physical body, he wouldn't be overwhelmed by the impact of these energies.

In fact, Shi Mo's divine body and dantian were currently absorbing this energy with an intense thirst, causing his internal magical power to undergo a transformative process of continuous purification and enhancement.
Shi Mo's breakthrough required an enormous amount of energy. Fortunately, he had comprehended the Earth Element Heavenly Dao and naturally gained insight into the Chaos Heavenly Dao, allowing him to directly draw upon the power of chaos.

Even so, despite the array's concealment, the area around Nine Cauldrons Iron Fork Mountain was still filled with surging energy, causing Nine Phoenix and other celestial beings, as well as numerous gods and demons, to tremble with fear and tension.

After an unknown amount of time, the surging magical power within Shi Mo's body was approaching the limit that his divine body could withstand, and it was also a whole level stronger than the true god's power within him. It was likely that even a first-class ancestral immortal would be inferior to Shi Mo in terms of the purity of his magical power.

Like divine power, magical power nourishes the soul. Under the influence of that pure Dao Ancestor's magical power, Shi Mo clearly felt his soul growing stronger.

The strengthening of his divine soul and the stimulation of his magical power also affected Shi Mo's divine body, making him feel the stirring of divine power that wanted to transform and break through.

"This Qi Refining Method of mine really can help the divine body break through," Shi Mo was somewhat surprised, but he suppressed the impulse to break through directly to become an Ancestral God.

It's already extraordinary that he broke through from a celestial god to a true god in such a short time. If he were to break through to an ancestral god so quickly, even the goddess Nuwa would probably doubt his origins.

Could such a monstrous being have been conceived in the Pangu world? Shi Mo didn't want to be so conspicuous, nor did he want to arouse the suspicion of all parties.

Actually, it's already quite extraordinary to comprehend the Dao of Heaven and become a Dao Ancestor so quickly. In the prehistoric world today, almost all those who become Dao Ancestors are Chaos True Gods.

Even Suirenshi, who was able to cultivate into a true god and ancestor, had a much longer cultivation time than Shi Mo.

Not many people cultivate to become Pure Yang True Immortals through the Qi Refining path; in the present Pangu world, the path of gods and demons is still the mainstream.

Even after breaking through to become a Dao Ancestor, Shi Mo was not prepared to easily reveal the Dao Ancestor's magical power, which was no less than that of an Ancestral God.

Even if he doesn't break through to become an Ancestral God and instead becomes a Dao Ancestor, his powerful Ancestral Immortal magic is enough to make him unafraid of some Ancestral Gods like Zhu Rong.

Next, one should cultivate diligently and discreetly, striving to comprehend more of the Heavenly Dao, and ultimately comprehend the strongest Chaos Heavenly Dao.

Having been able to create a world and set up a boundary-fixing array, Shi Mo was naturally unwilling to comprehend only one kind of Dao. He not only wanted to comprehend the Chaotic Heavenly Dao, but also wanted to comprehend the ultimate Chaotic Dao.

This is difficult, after all, the Chaos Dao contains the source of all Dao evolution. However, without a doubt, it is also the most balanced and perfect Dao.

Because of this perfect balance, the Chaos Way, which may be extremely difficult to attain, may also be the easiest Way. It only requires integrating all the insights gained from the Way into it, ultimately leading to a qualitative change through energy transformation, and finally comprehending the ultimate Chaos Way.
Of course, this process may take a very long time, requiring a great deal of accumulation and understanding.
But Shi Mo has plenty of time. A chaotic world has already gone through a long period of time from birth to destruction, and Shi Mo will have many more chaotic eras to come.

Having set the goal of comprehending the ultimate Dao of Chaos, Shi Mo will no longer be bored or lonely in the long years to come; his path of cultivation and enlightenment is destined to be long.

Compared to this goal, the struggles of the Pangu world, and even the future war with the Chaos alien race, are nothing but trivial matters to Shi Mo.

Perhaps, once he has accumulated enough understanding of the Dao of Chaos, breaking through to become a World God and a Chaos Immortal will be a natural progression.

On the contrary, after becoming a World Realm cultivator, the time he needs to spend in arduous cultivation will be incredibly long. After all, it is not easy to accumulate knowledge and comprehend the ultimate Chaos Dao!
On the wasteland, Shi Mo's divine incarnation, lacking magical power within its body, naturally did not need to spend time breaking through to a higher level of magical power after comprehending the Earth Element Heavenly Dao.

"Hmm?" Just as he was about to leave after comprehending the Earth Element Heavenly Dao, he seemed to sense something and paused, looking ahead. There he saw a refined middle-aged man appear in the void in front of him.

That somewhat familiar aura, though different in appearance and demeanor, still made Shi Mo feel a sense of warmth.

"A divine incarnation? My name is Zhen Yuan. May I ask who you are, fellow true god?" The refined middle-aged Zhen Yuan looked at Shi Mo with some surprise and curiosity. He had thought it was an old friend who had broken through, but he did not expect it to be a divine incarnation of a stranger who was comprehending the Dao here.

"Shi Mo greets Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuan," Shi Mo said with a cupped hand and a smile. Shi Mo had heard of Zhen Yuan's name from San Shou. As a Chaos True God, he and San Shou both cultivated the Earth Element Heavenly Dao and had a relatively close relationship.

However, Zhenyuan Zhenshen disliked fighting and had better comprehension, having already comprehended the Earth Element Heavenly Dao and become the Dao Ancestor.

However, it seems there was no mention of Zhenyuan Daozu during the Three Realms period, so he most likely perished in the ancient times, most likely dying alongside Sanshou in the ancient war of destruction. "Shi Mo? You are Shi Mo, the True God under the Fire God?" Zhenyuan Daozu, looking at Shi Mo with surprise, couldn't help but be moved: "To comprehend the Heavenly Dao in such a short time after becoming a True God, Fellow Daoist Shi Mo truly has great talent."

"It was fortunate, and also thanks to Brother Sanshou's guidance, that I was able to break through so quickly," Shi Mo said, waving his hand.

"Sanshou gave you some pointers?" Zhenyuan Daozu was somewhat surprised, then immediately said, "You must not tell Sanshou this, or he will be depressed to death. He has been struggling to comprehend the Earth Element Heavenly Dao!"

"Hehe. Since Fellow Daoist Shi Mo knows San Shou, he is no outsider. Why don't you come and sit at my Wuzhuang Temple?" Daoist Zhenyuan then laughed and warmly invited him.

Delighted, I followed Daoist Zhenyuan to Shimo at Wuzhuang Temple. I did not see the two Daoist boys, Qingfeng and Mingyue, who were famous in later myths and legends, but I did get to taste the ginseng fruit, a specialty of Wuzhuang Temple.

However, the ginseng fruit in this Pangu world, although it is also a relatively precious spiritual fruit, is quite different from the ginseng fruit in the prehistoric world.

Although Zhenyuan Daozu's ginseng fruit contains the power of life and can prolong life and heal injuries, it does not have a significant effect on enhancing divine power and magical power.

After all, divine power and magical power need to be accumulated slowly, and a breakthrough to a higher realm requires a sufficient level of cultivation.

To give an example, if you can't comprehend the Great Dao, even if you consume a lot of ginseng fruits, a celestial immortal will not be able to possess the magical power of a pure yang true immortal.

But without a doubt, whether it is the ginseng fruit from the Pangu world or the ginseng fruit from the primordial world, they are both very rare and precious spiritual fruits, and they are all very delicious.

Furthermore, if ordinary people or cultivators with weak cultivation levels consume ginseng fruit, it can not only prolong their lives but also enhance their comprehension and talent in the wood element, making it easier for them to comprehend the various paths of the wood element.

After tasting the ginseng fruit, Shi Mo and Zhenyuan Daozu inevitably had a discussion about the Dao.
Not only did Zhenyuan Daozu comprehend the Earth Element Heavenly Way, but he also gained profound insights into the Wood Element Heavenly Way, the Water Element Heavenly Way, the Life Element Heavenly Way, and the Yin-Yang Heavenly Way, among which he had the deepest understanding of the Wood Element Heavenly Way.

Shi Mo gained a lot from discussing the Dao with him, and occasionally he understood some of the Dao. The Dao fluctuations that appeared one after another also made Zhenyuan Daozu, who was exchanging ideas with him, quite astonished.

With such comprehension, no wonder he was able to become a True God Ancestor so quickly. Even the Chaos True Gods must be envious and jealous! Even the most monstrous genius among humans, Suiren, is probably not as good as Shi Mo.

Zhenyuan Daozu was also moved and enlightened. Just as the two were immersed in their discussion, an invisible, surging aura approached. Startled, the two looked up and saw a woman in a gray robe and hemp clothing, barefoot, walking through the air in the distance.

"The Goddess Houtu?" Zhenyuan Daozu was somewhat surprised and quickly stood up and bowed.

"Houtu?" Sensing the aura emanating from the ancestral goddess Houtu, which was no less powerful than that of Zhurong and Gonggong, Shi Mo raised an eyebrow and hurriedly cupped his hands, saying, "Shi Mo greets the Goddess Houtu!"

Houtu gracefully landed in front of the two and smiled gently, "No need for formalities. You must be Shi Mo? You are indeed talented! Your comprehension is almost comparable to Nuwa's."

Facing Houtu, who was looking at him with great interest, Shi Molian said, "I dare not! Compared with the Goddess Nuwa, I am still far inferior."

"Your divine power aura faintly carries the energy of the earth. Are you a god or demon born from the power of the earth?" Houtu continued to ask.

Seeing Shi Mo nod, Hou Tu couldn't help but say, "No wonder you have such talent in the Earth Path. Speaking of which, we are destined to meet, as I was born with the Earth Path. If you hadn't already become a True God Dao Ancestor, I would have wanted to take you as my disciple."

"I am honored by Your Majesty's kindness," Shi Mo replied politely, feeling somewhat speechless but also secretly relieved. This Ancestral Goddess Houtu seemed to be of good temper and probably had no ill intentions towards him.

According to San Shou, Hou Tu was the most low-key and disliked fighting among the ancestral gods, but she still died later, probably in the ancient war of destruction.

"In this Pangu world, it's rare to find someone as promising as you among us gods and demons," Houtu continued. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to win you over. You should know that I'm not like other ancestral gods who want to dominate the Pangu world, and I don't need any subordinates. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me."

Houtu acted as if she were mentoring a younger generation. She chatted casually with Shi Mo for a while and then left without lingering.

The fact that a dignified ancestral god would show such goodwill surprised Shi Mo. At the same time, he realized that these chaotic gods and demons had no relatives. Apart from having feelings for some companions who were also born in chaos, they also cared for their descendants.

This is why many true gods and Dao ancestors later took in a lot of disciples; they also needed something to rely on emotionally.

For those true gods and Dao ancestors, their disciples are like their children.

Of course, there are also gods and demons who reproduce. The ancestral god Phoenix had a pair of children, and the ancestral dragon had nine sons.

However, it's not easy for those ancestral gods and true gods to have children.

Especially some Chaos Ancestral Gods and Chaos True Gods, who are used to being unattached, do not want to find a Daoist partner and it is not easy to find one, so they are even less concerned about procreation.

After all, they were already top-tier powerful beings in the Pangu World. Having offspring would bring karmic entanglements, which would be quite troublesome.

On the contrary, the demon race that rose to power later through cultivation, especially the powerful human race, had many offspring when they were weak, and gradually many large tribes composed of surnames were formed among the human race.

After Houtu left, Zhenyuan Daozu couldn't help but laugh and say, "Brother Shi Mo, congratulations! Houtu came all the way to see you, which shows she values ​​you highly. You'll have another great backer from now on."

"The Goddess Houtu controls the Heavenly Dao of Earth, making her the most defensive among the Ancestral Gods. Moreover, she never participates in conflicts, yet the other Ancestral Gods are quite wary of her, since she has no ties to anyone," said Zhenyuan Daozu with a hint of envy.

These Chaos True Gods, if they wanted an Ancestral God as their backer, almost all of them had to join the Ancestral God's ranks and participate in the struggle. Houtu disliked fighting, went her own way, did not take on subordinates, and had never been heard of actively protecting anyone.

Therefore, joining the ancestral god's sect is not necessarily a good thing. Participating in too many battles and struggles may lead to one's demise at any time. However, being valued and protected by Houtu is something that many gods and demons desire but cannot obtain.

(End of this chapter)