Hermit in the Mountains

As night falls, the bright moon shines high on Changsheng Peak, a gentle breeze blows, and peach and plum blossoms bloom in full glory all over the mountain.

In the center of the plum blossom forest on the mountaintop, a graceful and otherworldly figure sat cross-legged on a large rock by the pool.

Gu Changsheng sat cross-legged on a large rock, his eyes closed as he meditated. His light blue robe and long black and white hair danced in the wind, and a three-foot-long green sword lay across his knees.

Strands of pure white moonlight flowed into Gu Changsheng's body, making her appear as if she were draped in a moonlight fairy robe.

He suddenly let out a low "hmm," his tone filled with surprise and fear. His eyes snapped open in an instant, the pupils turning grayish-brown and emerald green, his gaze seemingly able to see through everything in the world.

He looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing through layers of clouds, only to be blocked by an indescribable force, but he could vaguely see a chain stretching across the sky.

The chains were so large that they were indescribable, seemingly endless in length and thickness.

Gu Changsheng's gaze seemed to trigger some kind of switch, and a chain of laws responded, with a golden ball of light and a purple ball of light falling from the unknown space of the Nine Heavens, heading straight for Gu Changsheng.

The two orbs of light exceeded the speed of light and entered Gu Changsheng's sea of ​​consciousness without warning.

The hazy sea of ​​consciousness was illuminated by two orbs of light. Gu Changsheng touched the two orbs of light with his mind, and in an instant, a stream of information flowed into his mind, and he learned the origin of the two orbs of light.

The golden ball of light is called "Heavenly Merit," which is his self-created three major cultivation systems: innate Dao seed, spell seals, and visualization scriptures. "Heavenly Merit" is a reward bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.

The purple light cluster is called "The Fortune of the Path of Withering and Flourishing," which is the fortune bonus he gained as the first cultivator of the Path of Withering and Flourishing, occupying the Path of Withering and Flourishing.

Stimulated by the "Path of Decline and Prosperity," Gu Changsheng's own fortune began to manifest, with strands of white fortune converging and finally condensing into a substantial white fortune cluster in his sea of ​​consciousness.

The purple "Path of Withering and Flourishing Fortune" seemed to have found its backbone, flying above Gu Changsheng's white fortune and slowly protecting it.

The golden "Heavenly Merit" followed closely behind and flew above the fortune, hovering above Gu Changqi's fortune cluster as if it were its original position above the white fortune cluster.

A wisp of purple energy, as thin as gauze and less than nine inches in diameter, contained an even thinner wisp of white energy. Above the purple energy was a small wisp of golden energy, three times smaller than itself.

Gu Changsheng's own white aura, carrying the "Decline and Flourishing Dao Aura" and "Heavenly Dao Merit," floated to the root of the Dao and hovered above the newly sprouted green seedling.

Suddenly, three threads—white, purple, and gold—grew out from below the cluster of energy. The purple and gold threads tied to the white threads from the left and right.

The white thread, along with the other two threads, disappeared into the seedling, moving downwards along its interior, and finally disappearing into the root.

In an instant, a layer of faint, almost negligible purple-gold gas appeared on the surface of the roots and the seedlings.

Gu Changsheng was enlightened and realized that this was a phenomenon caused by good fortune and good deeds protecting him. He was overjoyed.

The Dao Root is similar to the materialized form of Gu Changsheng's soul. Now, with the protection of luck and merit, the safety of the Dao Root has been greatly enhanced.

At the same time, the illusory causal cluster floating above Gu Changsheng's head flashed into his sea of ​​consciousness, hovering above the golden fortune layer, and connected with the white fortune and Dao root.

With fortune, karma, and merit returning to their proper places, Gu Changsheng once again entered the state of oneness with heaven and man, forming a terrifying suction force around his body. Within a radius of 500 meters, the spiritual energy of wood, water, earth, and moonlight converged towards Gu Changsheng.

With the injection of massive amounts of energy, the seedlings within Gu Changsheng's sea of ​​consciousness rapidly grew, thickened, and taller, entering the stages of tree formation, flowering, and fruiting. The Dao trees withered and collapsed, leaving only newly grown Dao roots, which sprouted tender green shoots before ceasing to grow.

Gu Changsheng exited the state of oneness with heaven and man and saw that he had completed another cycle of growth and decay, and his cultivation had broken through to the sixth transformation of the Dao Root.

Today is a great day. He completed four consecutive jumps in one day and feels like he's almost invincible.

Gu Changsheng was previously self-deluded about having the potential to become a Dao Ancestor; now he truly has the potential to become the Dao Ancestor of Withering and Flourishing.

He has already gained the upper hand. As long as he maintains his leading position in cultivation, he can enjoy the favor of the Dao of Withering and Flourishing and possess the cheat code of comprehending the laws of withering and flourishing day and night.

Gu Changsheng thought of a word.

The struggle for the Way!

What they are fighting for is the authority over the Great Dao, and the destiny of the Great Dao.

The emergence of the origin of the blue planet, the manifestation of its laws, and the birth of spiritual energy represent both the best and the worst of times. The struggle for the Dao is always a fight to the death, unless one has already seized all the authority over the required Dao and become the ancestor of a Dao.

However, becoming the ancestor of a Dao is also another starting point for cultivation, and the struggle is even more brutal, with struggles against other Dao ancestors and against heaven and earth.

The three thousand chaotic gods and demons are essentially also fighting for the Dao. They are fighting for the Great Dao of the Chaotic World and for the Eternal Great Dao.

The primordial beasts, dragons and Han, Dao and demons, witches and monsters, the Investiture of the Gods, and Journey to the West are all struggles for the Dao and for destiny, for the power of the primordial world and the destiny of the Great Dao.

When Gu Changsheng's mind was free from distractions and his spirit returned to the present moment, he understood the essence of cultivation. He knew he should forge ahead bravely, unafraid of wind and snow, and set his sights on achieving the position of Dao Ancestor through the path of flourishing and decay.

His ambition is grand and far-reaching, but what he needs to do is to be down-to-earth and take one step at a time towards the goal.

The grand aspiration is the destination, the grand aspiration is the direction of spiritual practice. He is already in a leading position. By striving towards the predetermined result and direction, he will eventually reach the destination.

Starlight doesn't ask about the traveler's journey, and time doesn't fail those with a heart.

Gu Changsheng stood up with his hands behind his back on the rock, gazing up at the bright moon in the sky, with the Ku Rong Sword floating behind him.

"I have a bright pearl, long locked away by worldly cares;"

"Today, the dust has settled and the light shines forth, illuminating countless mountains and rivers."

"Hahaha........"

Gu Changsheng suddenly looked up and burst into laughter.

In an instant, a terrifying Daoist aura of withering and flourishing erupted from Gu Changsheng's body and spread outwards. Wherever it passed, plum blossoms grew rapidly, sprouted, withered, and died.

The Ku Rong Sword floating behind Gu Changsheng trembled and rang.

"Buzz—"

As the first flying sword with the attribute of withering and flourishing that Gu Changsheng painstakingly crafted, the Withering and Flourishing Sword had long since developed a touch of spirituality after experiencing Gu Changsheng's two states of unity with heaven and man and one baptism of spiritual energy tide.

It sensed its master Gu Changsheng's ambition and grand aspirations, and instinctively devoured the Daoist energy of decay and prosperity overflowing from Gu Changsheng's body to strengthen itself.

Gu Changsheng's loud laughter echoed in the sky above Changsheng Peak. Halfway up the mountain, three spirit pets awoke from their cultivation and stood facing the mountain as if responding to their master.

The seven plants on the mountain, which had transformed into spiritual plants, swayed their trunks and paid homage to the ancestor of trees.

After expressing his own insights, Gu Changsheng's excitement subsided, and he sat back down on the rock. With a thought, the Withered Glory Sword flew to his front.

He gripped the hilt of the sword with his right hand, holding the Withering and Flourishing Sword horizontally before his eyes. "Tonight, you will become my first natal magic weapon, destined for slaughter."