The Vast Wilderness, Unknowing How Many Springtimes and Autumns

The Primordial world was vast and ancient, having endured countless cycles of spring and autumn.

Since Pangu cleaved the heavens and earth, immeasurable eons had passed.

From the three races clashing during the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity to the two clans warring in the Witch-Demon Calamity, ten thousand years had already elapsed since the first battle between the Witches and Demons.

With the six Saints having attained the Dao, the world was temporarily at peace.

Though the Witches and Demons occasionally had friction, a full-scale war had not erupted again.

Ten thousand miles outside Buzhou Mountain lay a celestial peak named Wuji Peak, a Blessed Land that had been claimed by a cultivator.

On this day, a handsome young man named Lu Changqing emerged from the Longevity Palace at the peak.

He gazed out over the Primordial world and sighed, Why did I take human form so late!

Lu Changqing was actually a transmigrator, but his origins were no ordinary thing; he was the manifestation of the Innate Enlightenment Tree, and he now possessed the cultivation of an early-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.

"If I had taken form during the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, I would at least be a Quasi-Saint by now," he shook his head and muttered to himself, "though with this foundation, the realm of Quasi-Saint is attainable sooner or later."

"It is a pity that the Saint positions are already filled; it is difficult to achieve greatness in the end!"

Just as he was feeling melancholy, a mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind:

Ding—Host detected, Great Dao Prodigal System binding in progress!

Lu Changqing was first delighted, then frowned: A prodigal system? What use is this in the Primordial world?

System binding complete: Ding—Congratulations to the host for a successful binding.

Reward: One quadrillion merit points. Please, host, squander them to your heart's content.

Once the merit is exhausted, you may instantly attain the status of a Great Dao Saint.

Lu Changqing was shocked upon hearing this.

The six Saints of the Primordial world were merely Saints of the Heavenly Dao, and Hongjun was only a Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, yet this system promised a Great Dao Saint position that transcended the Heavenly Dao itself!

If I were to use all one quadrillion merit points on myself, wouldn't I ascend directly to the Great Dao? he calculated inwardly.

The system, however, stated: Reminder—The gifted merit cannot be used to improve your own cultivation, nor can it be given away without cause; it must follow the principle of equivalent exchange.

Just as Lu Changqing was about to complain, the system chimed again:

Ding—First-time binding gift: Mysterious Grand Gift Package.

His thoughts stirred, and the package opened:

Primordial Creation Art x1

God-Slaying Spear x1

Sacred Azure Tribulation Light x1

Ascension Dao Profound Spirit Fruit x1

Even the well-informed Lu Changqing could not help but breathe rapidly.

Every treasure in this gift package could be described as heaven-defying.

The Primordial Creation Art could condense three thousand Dao Seeds and evolve three thousand Laws; once mastered, one's combat power would increase ten thousand-fold, and it pointed directly to the Great Dao.

The God-Slaying Spear was the fierce weapon of Demon Ancestor Luohu, its Sha Qi capable of corroding the soul of a Saint.

Lu Changqing took it out immediately, seeing the spear's cold, piercing light and the Sha Qi surging into the sky.

After a thousand years of time, he finally fully refined this Primordial Supreme Treasure.

He then began to study the Sacred Azure Tribulation Light; this divine ability was something he had never heard of, so he consulted the system's detailed explanation.

When the Sacred Azure Tribulation Light was activated, it erupted with a brilliant radiance that annihilated all things.

Wherever this divine light swept, the universe was inverted, time and space stagnated, and the Myriad Worlds were reduced to nothingness! Lu Changqing stared at the description of the ability, his pupils constricting: It actually possesses such terrifying power!

With his cultivation as a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, even if he exerted all his strength, he feared he could not manifest even one-billionth of the charm of this divine ability.

This gap only served to highlight the extraordinary nature of the Sacred Azure Tribulation Light.

Once his emotions settled, Lu Changqing turned his attention to the final gift—the Chaos Spiritual Fruit, the Ascension Dao Profound Spirit Fruit.

The mere mention of it made his Dao heart tremble.

Such rare treasures of heaven and earth had gone extinct as early as the initial separation of the Primordial chaos; today, the most precious items in the Primordial world were merely top-grade Innate Spiritual Roots.

Even those high and mighty Heavenly Dao Saints only knew of Chaos Spiritual Roots through legends.

To be able to casually bestow such a Divine Artifact, this system is truly unfathomable! Amidst his awe, Lu Changqing could not wait to investigate the mysteries of the spirit fruit.

The brief description contained earth-shattering power: It can reshape one's origin! He immediately took out the Ascension Dao Profound Spirit Fruit and began to refine it.

The moment the spirit fruit entered his body, three thousand Great Dao True Mantras swirled around him, radiating supreme majesty.

Within his Purple Mansion, ten thousand acupoints each evolved into a world, with stars flowing and forming their own universe.

When all the acupoints shone simultaneously, the terrifying aura belonging to a Chaos Demon God surged into the heavens, alarming many great powers of the Primordial world.

By the time they tried to trace it, the aura had already vanished without a trace.

Having completed his transformation, Lu Changqing slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air: "It is finally done. I wonder what level my foundation has reached now?"

Looking inward, he discovered with pleasant surprise that his origin had leaped from an Innate God to the level of a Top-Grade Chaos Demon God! The Chaos Spiritual Fruit actually possesses such miraculous effects! He couldn't help but marvel.

One must know that even the current six Saints of the Primordial World are merely of Innate God origin, yet he was now comparable to the Great God Pangu who split the heavens and opened the earth.

Following the transformation of his origin, his cultivation base naturally broke through to the late stage of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.

After refining the Chaos Spiritual Fruit, Lu Changqing immediately began to contemplate the profound mysteries of the Great Dao.

** As he circulated his energy, Great Dao Divine Patterns emerged, and the Three Thousand Laws swirled around him.

Within his Purple Mansion, thousands of worlds shone brilliantly, and the Three Thousand Dao Seeds gradually took shape.

The River of Time and Space spanned across the heavens, and the River of Years appeared, carrying the galaxy with it.

When the Three Thousand Dao Seeds finally coalesced, endless Great Dao True Mantras swept across the nine heavens and ten earths with the power to destroy the world.

Boom—

The violent Great Dao pressure instantly destroyed his cultivation cave, and the vast aura once again shocked the Primordial World.

However, this pressure came and went quickly; by the time the various great powers arrived to investigate, there was already no trace left.

Having just entered this realm, Lu Changqing felt refreshed throughout his entire body.

With a casual wave, the Three Thousand Laws followed, and a single palm strike could shatter ten thousand mountains and rivers.

His strength had surged more than a hundredfold compared to before.

As expected of the Great Dao Prodigal System, its generosity is truly impressive!

After sighing with emotion, Lu Changqing began to calculate how to squander those quadrillions of merit.

A flash of inspiration struck him: since it couldn't be used to improve his cultivation, why not refine Merit Magic Treasures?

There is a special type of magic treasure in the Primordial World that fuses Innate or Post-Natal spiritual treasures with merit, multiplying their power.

Thinking of this, he immediately took out his companion spiritual treasure—the Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Tai Xu Creation Banner.

When this banner is shaken, it can release the power of the Great Void, corroding all things and dissolving Primordial Spirits.

Lu Changqing summoned the Merit Golden Cloud and poured it into the banner without the slightest hesitation.

He took one cluster after another, exhausting them until no more could be infused.

Squandering merit so wantonly was truly exhilarating.

After the refining was complete, Lu Changqing checked the system logs, only to frown: It consumed so many Merit Golden Clouds, yet it only used up one million merit? If other cultivators heard this complaint, they would likely vomit blood in anger—one million merit is an opportunity they could spend their entire lives seeking.

Looking closely at the changes in the treasure, the original Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure had been promoted to a Top-Grade Innate Merit Spiritual Treasure.

While it looked ordinary on the outside, it flowed with a thick aura of merit on the inside.

Does it seem like there isn't much change? Lu Changqing lightly shook the treasure banner, and the power of the Great Void appeared as thick as ink, annihilating everything in its path.

His eyes lit up: The blessing of merit is truly extraordinary; its power has surged more than tenfold, almost rivaling a Primordial Supreme Treasure!

It is a pity that refining one piece only cost one million merit, less than one-billionth of the total.

Having too many good things is also a trouble. Such a humble-brag was enough to make the cultivators of the Primordial World green with envy.

After sighing, he took out his remaining magic treasures.

Although the quantity was small, every little bit spent counted.

He now only had a dozen or so Post-Natal spiritual treasures and supreme treasures left—Innate spiritual treasures were precious after all, and even the Two Saints of the West had only a handful.

In the blink of an eye, this batch of Post-Natal treasures was transformed into Merit Spiritual Treasures.

Still feeling unsatisfied, he even refined his own Dao robe into a Post-Natal Merit Supreme Treasure.

The only exception was the God-Slaying Spear, a Primordial Supreme Treasure gifted by the system—it was the most ferocious weapon in the Primordial World, and infusing it with merit would only weaken its origin of slaughter.

After finishing the refining, Lu Changqing suddenly remembered the Merit Golden Wheel.

He immediately took out a massive amount of Merit Golden Clouds, condensing nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Merit Golden Wheels to hang behind him.

When the full set of Merit Divine Attire was revealed, the brilliant golden light rose like the morning sun, illuminating the nine heavens and ten earths, once again shocking the great powers of the Primordial World.

By the time they wanted to investigate, Lu Changqing had already contentedly put away the phenomenon, leaving them with only a dreamlike, fleeting glimpse.

Tsk tsk, if those cultivators saw me like this, wouldn't it blind their dog eyes?

Lu Changqing pulled the corners of his mouth in self-mockery and waved his hand to put away all his treasures, leaving only a simple, plain Dao robe.

After tidying up, he glanced nonchalantly at the system panel—

After all this trouble, he had only spent a mere ten million merit.

Compared to the ten quadrillion sitting in his account, it was like plucking a single hair from nine oxen.

It's worrying, when will I ever be able to squander all this quadrillion merit?

Lu Changqing rubbed his Taiyang temples in distress.

If outsiders were to hear this,

He would likely vomit three liters of blood on the spot—

Opportunities that others begged for were nothing but a burden to him; truly, comparisons were odious.

Sighing, Lu Changqing decided to head down the mountain for a stroll.

Staying cooped up on Wuji Peak forever was no solution, so he might as well wander the Primordial Land; perhaps he could find some way to burn through his wealth.

Acting on the thought, he flipped his hand to manifest the newly refined Post-Natal Merit Supreme Treasure, the Limitless Divine Boat.

With a slight shift of his mind, the palm-sized vessel grew rapidly against the wind.

Leaping lightly onto the bow, the cloud-like hull sliced through the vast sky, vanishing into the boundless sea of clouds in the blink of an eye.

As he sped along the journey, he saw constant friction between the Witch Clan and the Demon Race; although a full-scale war had yet to erupt, minor skirmishes were visible everywhere.

Fortunately, with Lu Changqing's cultivation at the late stage of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, ordinary cultivators gave him a wide berth.

Down in the mountain forest below, the Demon Race general Che Qi had just led his troops to repel a squad of the Witch Clan and was looking up at the sky in triumph, just in time to see the golden-glowing divine boat streak across the clouds.

Taking a closer look, he realized the person on the boat was merely a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, and jealousy instantly burned in his heart.

"A mere cultivation like that is worthy of using a Post-Natal Merit Supreme Treasure?"

Fierce light flickered in Che Qi's eyes as he turned to his subordinates and shouted, "You lot withdraw first; This Seat will be back in a moment!"

Before the words had even faded, he transformed into a demonic gale and surged into the sky.

At this moment, Lu Changqing remained completely oblivious, resting his chin in his hand as he calculated, "Should I initiate a comprehensive greening project for the Primordial Land?"

Suddenly, a foul wind rushed toward him, and the divine boat screeched to a halt in mid-air.

"Who goes there?"

Lu Changqing frowned and looked ahead, seeing a sinister-looking Demon Race man revealed where the demonic gale had dispersed.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Che Qi cupped his hands hypocritically, though his eyes glinted with greed, "I see this divine boat is fated to be mine..."

Before he could finish, the pressure of a peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal descended like a mountain.

Lu Changqing nearly laughed out loud—had he actually run into a highwayman?

He was just pondering whether to whip up a Merit to teach the fellow a lesson,

A clear shout suddenly pierced through the air:

"Demon Race, how dare you run rampant!"

A slender figure stepped through the void, followed by a sturdy man built like an iron tower.

Che Qi turned his head at the sound, his face turning ashen as he prepared to flee.

"Trying to run?"

The burly man let out a thunderous roar and threw a punch the size of a bowl, the force of which shattered the space it passed through.

Che Qi hurriedly summoned his natal magic treasure to defend himself, but with a deafening blast, his physical body exploded into a mist of blood, leaving only his Primordial Spirit to scramble away, wrapped in the remnants of his shattered treasure.

Lu Changqing raised an eyebrow at the sight—this visceral, punch-to-flesh combat style was undoubtedly that of the Witch Clan.

"My thanks to you both for your righteous intervention."

Just as he was about to express his gratitude, a thought suddenly struck him: why not offer some Merit as a thank-you gift?

"System, would transferring ten million Merit to Houtu be excessive?"

[According to the principle of equivalent exchange, the maximum that can be gifted is one hundred thousand Merit.]

"Stingy."

Lu Changqing curled his lip in secret.

At this moment, the Witch woman said indifferently:

"There is no need for such courtesy, fellow Daoist. The Demon Race is overbearing and tyrannical; it is only right that we intervene."

She cupped her hands and introduced herself:

"I am the Ancestral Witch Houtu, and this is the Great Witch Xing Tian. May I ask how to address you, fellow Daoist?"

Lu Changqing's heart stirred—she was the very one who would eventually transform into Reincarnation.

"I am Lu Changqing, and I cultivate at Wuji Peak."

He smiled, flipped his palm, and condensed a cluster of Merit Golden Cloud.

"A mere trifle, just a small token of my gratitude."

The moment the golden light appeared, Houtu stood frozen on the spot.

Xing Tian's eyes widened in disbelief—in this day and age, who just hands out Merit like that?

One had to know that even the Sages fretted over Merit; Nuwa relied on the Merit of creating humanity to become a Sage, the Three Pure Ones relied on the legacy of Pangu to share in the Merit of World Creation, and the Two Saints of the West had to make grand vows just to borrow Merit...

"I cannot accept this!"

Houtu hurriedly pushed it away.

"This item is far too precious!"

Lu Changqing insisted, thrusting the golden cloud toward her:

"Why be so formal, fellow Daoist?"

"Perhaps these merits could help you condense your Primordial Spirit?"

He remembered clearly that, according to legends from later generations, it was precisely through merit that Houtu condensed her Primordial Spirit, eventually transforming her body into Reincarnation to achieve Dao and become a Saint.

In the Primordial World, the power of merit was akin to a panacea; whether it was for increasing cultivation, tempering magic treasures, or improving one's fortune, it could achieve twice the result with half the effort.