Since You Allowed Me In, Brother Heavenly Dao

"Brother Heavenly Dao, since you allowed me in, you have tacitly agreed to help me bestow merit.

I'll leave the rest to you."

The Eye of Heavenly Punishment gave no response. It continued to watch in silence, and that earlier flicker of emotion did not reappear.

Lu Changqing paid it no mind, assuming that Heavenly Dao had already consented.

With a wave of his hand, one hundred trillion units of merit blossomed forth. Golden light instantly illuminated the darkness, even making the Eye of Heavenly Punishment slightly dazed.

After putting away the golden light, Lu Changqing said with a smile:

"It isn't much merit, just one hundred trillion.

I'll store it here for now. Brother, please distribute it on my behalf!"

The Eye of Heavenly Punishment had just had its vision blurred by the golden light. Now, seeing one hundred trillion units of merit piled before it, its eyes immediately went blank.

Good heavens!

One hundred trillion units of merit?

The previous ten trillion units had already shaken the Primordial Wilderness, even causing the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel to stall.

And now he casually brought out another one hundred trillion?

And called it "not much"?

?

If this was not much, then what was Heavenly Dao? A beggar?

Lu Changqing's merit came from the system, so even Heavenly Dao could not trace its source.

If it knew that these one hundred trillion units were merely one-tenth of all his merit, it would probably crash on the spot.

Though the Eye of Heavenly Punishment could not fathom Lu Changqing's true background, it quickly reacted after a brief daze.

With a gentle blink, the Heavenly Dao Void shook violently, and the vast starry cosmos trembled without end.

Amid the thunderous roar of spacetime, a divine staff was borne by the power of Heavenly Dao and delivered before Lu Changqing.

Lu Changqing raised his eyes. Heavenly Dao order swirled around the divine staff, radiating supreme majesty. As its brilliance flowed, Dao Patterns on the staff intertwined with light.

At the same time, that familiar tremor from Heavenly Dao came again.

Though he did not understand Heavenly Dao's words, its intent went straight into his mind—

Heavenly Dao wished to ask him to replace Hongjun as the new Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao and bestowed this Heavenly Dao Divine Staff upon him.

This staff controlled most of the Heavenly Dao Authority. It could freely summon tribulations and punishment, even alter part of Heavenly Dao's order.

As the Heavenly Dao conveyed its intent, Hongjun, who had been waiting quietly in the Purple Cloud Palace, suddenly felt his heart tighten and an inexplicable sense of danger surge within him.

He muttered in a low voice, "How could this be? Where is this sense of danger coming from?"

He immediately began deducing, yet found nothing.

The Heavenly Secret had long since tilted toward Lu Changqing. How could Hongjun possibly see through it?

Moreover, he had previously calculated that Lu Changqing had suffered backlash from the Great Dao, so he dared not forcefully pry into the Heavenly Secret.

The Eye of Heavenly Punishment looked at Lu Changqing with a smile, waiting for his agreement.

After all, this was the position of Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao. It had even made an exception and bestowed the divine staff, granting authority far greater than Hongjun's puppet-like position.

With such terms, how could any being in the Primordial Wilderness refuse?

Yet before the Eye of Heavenly Punishment could remain pleased for long, Lu Changqing waved his hand with a look of disdain.

"Brother, haven't you got this wrong?

I call you brother, yet you want me to become your underling?

Wouldn't that throw our seniority into chaos?

You should leave the spokesperson position to that puppet of yours!"

The Eye of Heavenly Punishment went blank again.

A Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao with real authority had actually been rejected?

Heavenly Dao could not make sense of it no matter how much it thought.

Lu Changqing's reason was simple: once he spent all his merit, he would become a Great Dao Saint standing above Heavenly Dao.

For now, Heavenly Dao could still interact with him as an equal. By then, it would merely be a little brother.

Still, he glanced at the Heavenly Dao Divine Staff, casually took it, and played with it for a moment before saying:

"This thing is quite nice. I'll take it.

As for the position of little brother, let Hongjun keep it!"

With that, Lu Changqing ignored the dumbfounded Eye of Heavenly Punishment, lifted the divine staff, and prepared to leave.

Halfway there, he suddenly turned back and warned it with a solemn expression:

"There is something you must remember, brother! When distributing merit in the future, you must use what I left here.

If you dare not use it, I'll truly get angry.

And once I'm angry, I won't feel like opening a Great Thousand World in the Primordial Wilderness."

This was simply a naked threat.

But Lu Changqing was certain that Heavenly Dao could do nothing to him, so he spoke without restraint.

He did not care what Heavenly Dao thought. He only wanted to spend his one million trillion units of merit as quickly as possible.

Working with Heavenly Dao was merely convenient.

The Eye of Heavenly Punishment stared at Lu Changqing's gradually receding back, utterly bewildered.

Dignified Heavenly Dao had actually been threatened because it was "saving someone money"?

How utterly absurd!

Across the Primordial Wilderness, only such a peculiar existence could commit such an act.

Even more helplessly, Heavenly Dao could do nothing about it.

After Lu Changqing left, a faint tremor came from the depths of the stars, seemingly Heavenly Dao muttering to itself:

"I have existed for endless ages, yet I have never seen such a strange person!"

Lu Changqing did not know that he had driven the Eye of Heavenly Punishment to complain in private.

Holding the Heavenly Dao Divine Staff, he reappeared in the Primordial Wilderness.

When the beings saw that he was unharmed, they were first startled. Then they sensed the supreme heavenly might emanating from the staff. Though they did not know its origin, they did not dare underestimate it.

The Six Saints, however, recognized it.

Taiqing Laozi blurted out, "This... could this be the divine staff representing Heavenly Dao Authority?"

Even their teacher, Hongjun, the Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, had never wielded this object. How could Lu Changqing, merely a Quasi-Saint, obtain it? It was truly inconceivable.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate was equally shocked. "Could it be that Fellow Daoist Changqing has replaced our teacher and become the new Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao?"

All beings beneath Sages were ants. If not for Lu Changqing's profound fortune, he would have been nothing more than one of the myriad beings.

Yet now, he might actually speak for Heavenly Dao. It was simply absurd beyond measure.

Sect Master Tongtian had a straightforward temperament and directly stepped forward to ask, "Fellow Daoist Changqing, you emerged carrying the Heavenly Dao Divine Staff. Have you replaced the Dao Ancestor and become the Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao?"

As soon as those words fell, countless beings held their breath.

The Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao held an exalted status, second only to Heavenly Dao itself.

Lu Changqing answered frankly, "Oh, Heavenly Dao did have that intention. It wanted me to be its spokesperson and even gave me this staff.

But I refused.

If I truly became its spokesperson, our seniority would be thrown into chaos."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.

He... he refused the position of Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao?

Just because he was afraid of disrupting seniority?

Wasn't that basically an admission?

Heavenly Dao was definitely your good son!!!

The Sages stared at the divine staff, their eyes filled with jealousy.

Their hearts itched unbearably.

But what could they do?

Even if Lu Changqing was not the spokesperson, since Heavenly Dao had bestowed the divine staff upon him, they did not dare act rashly.

At the slightest malicious thought, heavenly lightning would descend at once.

Moreover, Lu Changqing was under Heavenly Dao's protection.

If they dared seize it by force, the Eye of Heavenly Punishment would lock onto them in an instant.

Who cared what Sage you were.

You would be reduced to ashes in a moment.

Worthy indeed of being the Longevity Immortal Venerable!

The Two Saints of the West came to their senses and repeatedly sighed as they looked at Lu Changqing.

Now that Lu Changqing held the staff, he was worthy of their respectful use of his honorific title.

The other four Sages also looked at him differently.

Lu Changqing did not care about the change in their form of address.

His gaze swept across the gathered beings outside Wuji Heaven, and he smiled.

"Everyone, please be quiet."

As his words fell, the clamor immediately ceased.

Everyone wanted to know what the Longevity Immortal Venerable had discussed with Heavenly Dao.

Once silence had fallen, Lu Changqing announced:

"This Venerable has already discussed it with Brother Heavenly Dao. From now on, after you open worlds, you need only ask Heavenly Dao to bear witness, and you may obtain merit."

All beings were greatly shocked.

Was this real? The Longevity Immortal Venerable could actually make Heavenly Dao work for free?

Sure enough, only the Longevity Immortal Venerable could accomplish this!

Even the Six Saints were numbed by the shock.

It was one thing to refuse the spokesperson position because he feared disrupting seniority.

Not only had he received the divine staff for free, he was even making Heavenly Dao work without pay?

Deep within the chaos, inside the Purple Cloud Palace.

Hongjun, who had been watching everything, was so jealous that his eyes reddened.

He was the legitimate spokesperson.

Lu Changqing had received the Heavenly Dao Divine Staff that even he did not possess?

It made him seem like a backup option.

He did all the dirty and exhausting work.

While all the benefits went to Lu Changqing?

Even worse, Heavenly Dao had wanted Lu Changqing to replace him?

Did he, the Xuanmen Dao Ancestor and Teacher of Saints, not deserve any dignity?

Hongjun's resentment would not settle.

He immediately questioned Heavenly Dao:

"I am your spokesperson, governing the order of the Primordial Wilderness on your behalf.

Why can Lu Changqing, a mere Quasi-Saint, possess the divine staff while I cannot?"

Still unsatisfied after speaking, he continued to complain:

"Since Lu Changqing can have it, I should have it too! The Heavenly Dao Void should also be open to me!"

Yet this bout of grumbling received no approval.

In Heavenly Dao's eyes, he was merely an unqualified spokesperson.

Over the long years, this spokesperson's performance had disappointed Heavenly Dao.

What Heavenly Dao wanted was for the Primordial Wilderness to grow stronger.

Hongjun had failed to achieve that.

A moment later, Heavenly Dao sent its response.

Hongjun had assumed that, given his status and efforts, he would certainly receive equal treatment.

But after hearing it clearly, his mentality instantly collapsed.

Heavenly Dao's reply was simple and brutal—

Hongjun's face turned livid.

He had long expected this outcome.

Though he had Integrated with Dao, he had not completely succeeded.

Thus, he had schemed against the Witch and Demon races, intending to make them both suffer ruinous losses, weaken Heavenly Dao, and seek an opportunity to fully Integrate with Dao.

But Lu Changqing's arrival had caused his plan to fail.

Hongjun could only watch helplessly as Lu Changqing swaggered around with the divine staff he had long dreamed of.

Amid his sighs, the creation craze in the Primordial Wilderness continued because of Lu Changqing.

Time passed.

Zhen Yuanzi opened a Middle Thousand World within a Great Thousand World. Seeing that order was orderly and life flourished, he tried declaring to Heavenly Dao:

"I, Zhen Yuanzi, have today opened a Middle Thousand World named the Cangxuan Realm. I ask Heavenly Dao to bear witness."

After speaking, he looked anxiously toward the sky.

Though he knew Lu Changqing had an agreement with Heavenly Dao, he was not Lu Changqing after all, and he feared being struck by heavenly lightning.

Just as he was trembling with fear, auspicious clouds spanning ten thousand miles suddenly appeared in the sky, and Golden Light of Merit descended.

All living beings looked upward, while Zhen Yuanzi was overcome with excitement.

Soon after, Ming He also declared:

"I, Ming He, have today opened a Middle Thousand World named the Bloodfiend Realm. I ask Heavenly Dao to bear witness!"

Auspicious clouds reappeared, and a golden rain of merit descended.

Then great powers such as Di Jun and Houtu successively received merit.

For a time, golden rain fell unceasingly across the Primordial Wilderness, leaving all living beings dazzled and entranced.

The million guards of Wuji Heaven looked up at the sky, where Golden Light of Merit filled the heavens with dazzling brilliance—this was the magnificent sight created by the Lord of Wuji Heaven, to whom they were loyal.

Lu Changqing stood with his hands behind his back, watching the golden rain shower over the Primordial Wilderness, a satisfied curve rising at the corner of his lips:

The Heavenly Dao's distribution of merit was indeed a sight beyond compare!

Seeing that the guards had faithfully carried out their duties for thousands of years and had met the system's reward requirements, he flicked his sleeve and produced a million portions of merit:

"You have guarded Wuji Heaven for thousands of years. I have seen your diligence and dedication.

"These million portions of merit shall serve as your reward."

Golden Light of Merit rained down upon the million heavenly soldiers like droplets, and earth-shaking cheers immediately erupted throughout Wuji Heaven:

"Thank you for your grace, Great Master!"

By now, Lu Changqing no longer cared about a mere million portions of merit, but even a mosquito was still meat:

"Not bad. Another expenditure completed."

King Father of the East and the others standing at his sides had long since grown accustomed to it.

Ever since the universal world-creation plan had begun, a million portions of merit had been nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

In the blink of an eye, a thousand years passed.

Lu Changqing spent his days sightseeing and enjoying himself, yet because of his extraordinary innate foundation, his cultivation continued to grow naturally. King Father of the East and the other two could only watch with envy, secretly wondering just what kind of being this Great Master was, that he could raise his realm while lying around.

At the peak of an immortal mountain, the Six Saints were resting and discussing the Dao.

Although opening Great Thousand Worlds depleted their origins, Heavenly Dao Merit compensated for it, so it caused no real harm.

The Saints had never ceased their world-creating endeavors.

Laozi's cultivation had already reached the Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal Eighth Heaven.

Empress Nuwa followed closely behind, having reached the Seventh Heaven.

Yuanshi and Tongtian, the two sect masters, were neck and neck, both at the Sixth Heaven.

Even the two Western Sages, Jieyin and Zhunti, had now broken through to the Fifth Heaven.

"Phew—though the merit gained from opening the heavens this time was abundant, it truly took a great deal out of us!"

Primordial Heavenly Venerate took a light sip of immortal tea and sighed leisurely.

It had been a long time since they had enjoyed tea and discussed the Dao so leisurely.

Just as Yuanshi relaxed,

Lu Changqing drifted down with King Father of the East and the other two.

Seeing the Six Saints drinking tea and resting, he immediately clapped his hands and urged them on:

"Fellow Daoists, slacking off will not do!

"We are still far from the goal of ten million Great Thousand Worlds!"

The Six Saints, who had been drinking tea, felt their temples throb the instant they saw Lu Changqing;

and after hearing his urging, their heads began to ache even more.

Senior, even an ox turning a millstone needs time to catch its breath.

Yuanshi barely swallowed the immortal tea in his mouth and said helplessly:

"Fellow Daoist Changqing, in these thousand years, you have come to urge us no fewer than five times.

"We have already done our utmost and opened several hundred Great Thousand Worlds."

One had to know that in the past, opening even a single Great Thousand World took them a very long time,