Houtu, Who Had Initially Declined

Houtu, who had initially declined, heard Lu Changqing's words,

and her heart trembled slightly as she asked in surprise:

"Is what you say true, Fellow Daoist?"

Though Lu Changqing was not entirely certain,

when he saw that Houtu had ultimately accepted the Merit Golden Cloud, he smiled and said:

"Whether it is true or not, you'll know after trying it!"

Only then did Houtu reluctantly accept the gift.

Thinking that she had received such a generous gift for nothing, she felt uneasy about it,

and thus invited him:

"Fellow Daoist Changqing is so generous, yet Houtu has no way to repay you.

"Why not come to the Witch Clan for a visit?

"My clan will surely receive you with the utmost hospitality!"

Upon hearing the invitation, Lu Changqing immediately declined politely:

"I shall pass on the visit. I still have important matters to attend to!"

Although he held Houtu in rather high regard,

this was absolutely not the time for leisurely wandering.

He still had nine hundred trillion merits waiting to be spent.

Seeing this, Houtu did not press the matter.

After thanking him repeatedly, she watched Lu Changqing depart before returning to the Witch Clan.

Lu Changqing boarded the divine boat once more and continued his travels. Looking at the ninety-nine hundred trillion merits remaining in the system,

the countless zeros made his head spin,

and he could not help rubbing his forehead with a sigh:

"At this rate, spending a hundred thousand at a time, when will I ever reach the bottom?"

"Alas—there is a long way to go on the path of squandering wealth. Little Lu must continue working hard!"

"Is anyone reading? If so, I'll immediately post ten chapters!"

"Is anyone reading? If so, I'll immediately post ten chapters!"

"I earnestly ask all readers for your support. Please send flowers and rating votes."

"These are all free resources that refresh daily, so please do not let them go to waste."

"If you think this humble work is passable, I hope you will not hesitate to give them."

"Even a single flower or one rating vote would be an immense encouragement to this author!"

"Or leave a comment—a 'keep it up,' a 'wonderful,' or a 'update quickly' would all motivate the author to post more!"

"If there are urging votes or rewards, even if it is only one yuan (100 points), this author will be happy for days!"

"If flowers increase by another thousand, I'll immediately post more! If rating votes increase by another two hundred, I'll do the same! The same goes for rewards and urging votes! If flowers, rating votes, rewards, and urging votes all rise,"

"At this moment, Houtu, who was returning to the Witch Clan with Xing Tian, still felt as though she were in a dream."

"Xing Tian, what just happened was not a dream, was it?"

Houtu asked dazedly.

After all, that had been one hundred thousand merits,

and she had merely fulfilled the Witch Clan's duty.

Driving back a demon clansman at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm

had actually earned her merits that Primordial Wilderness cultivators dreamed of obtaining?

If she told others about it, likely no one would dare believe her,

and she would not even dare entertain such a fantasy in a dream.

Hearing this, Xing Tian raised his hand and slapped himself.

Smack—

The pain was real. It was not a dream.

He muttered, "It's actually real..."

While Houtu and Xing Tian returned to the Witch Clan in a daze,

Che Qi, whose body had been destroyed by Xing Tian and whose primordial spirit alone had fled, had not actually gone far.

He hid in the shadows and watched,

and upon seeing how powerful Lu Changqing was, malicious thoughts arose within him.

Yet he was now left with only his primordial spirit and no physical body,

so he could not harm Lu Changqing in the slightest.

"It seems I must return to the demon clan and seek help first."

Che Qi muttered before speeding toward the demon clan,

intending to seek assistance from powerful experts.

Meanwhile, Houtu had already returned to the Witch Clan.

Since Lu Changqing had said that refining merits might condense a primordial spirit,

she did not seek out her elder brothers first, instead returning directly to her hall to try it.

As the merits were gradually refined,

a clear, ethereal aura circulated around her body,

and traces of Great Dao patterns faintly emerged around her,

before silently disappearing into her body.

When the merits were completely refined,

a faint primordial spirit actually condensed into form.

Though it was as thin as a gossamer thread and nearly imperceptible,

and the improvement to her strength was negligible,

Houtu was still overjoyed—

this proved that the path of merit truly worked.

"So it really is so... Fellow Daoist Changqing did not lie!"

She murmured softly,

then immediately headed for Pangu Temple,

wanting to quickly inform her elder brothers of the news.

Meanwhile, Lu Changqing, who was still traveling through the Primordial Wilderness,

encountered another Demon Wind blocking his path.

This Demon Wind was fiercer than the previous one.

"Again? Did I poke a nest of demons?"

Lu Changqing shook his head helplessly.

Within the Demon Wind,

a Kunpeng that covered the sky and blotted out the sun slowly appeared.

With a slight flap of its wings, the wind dispersed and the clouds parted,

before it transformed into human form.

He swept a cold glance over Lu Changqing,

then turned back and asked Che Qi, "Is this him?"

Che Qi grinned viciously. "Ancestor, it is him. He possesses many Merit Supreme Treasures."

Upon hearing this, greed appeared in Kunpeng's eyes,

and he carefully examined Lu Changqing,

as though he were looking at something already in his pocket.

As a Late Quasi-Saint,

he naturally did not take Lu Changqing, a late-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal, seriously.

Even with Merit Supreme Treasures supporting him,

the gap in cultivation could never be bridged by external objects.

Kunpeng was renowned among Quasi-Saints for being poor,

possessing hardly anything of value, not even a decent magic treasure.

When he heard that a Grand Unity cultivator possessed several Merit Supreme Treasures,

he actually disregarded his status and came personally to seize them.

The more he looked, the more pleased he became.

The Limitless Divine Boat beneath Lu Changqing's feet and the Daoist robe he wore were both Merit Supreme Treasures.

"How could a mere Grand Unity possess so many Merit Supreme Treasures?"

Kunpeng spoke with a smile.

"Why not hand them over for me to safeguard?"

Lu Changqing found it absurd upon hearing this.

"Are all you demons this shameless **?"

Kunpeng did not take the mockery to heart. Instead, he revealed a sinister smile.

"Cultivating to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm is no easy task. Why throw away a thousand years of cultivation for a few magic treasures?"

Though he was confident he could erase Lu Changqing with a flick of his hand, he feared that Lu Changqing's merits would bring karmic repercussions upon him. Thus, he did not attack immediately.

In the face of the threat, Lu Changqing remained perfectly calm.

Even if Kunpeng was a Late Quasi-Saint, Lu Changqing possessed a hundred million trillion merits protecting him. Even if a Sage came personally, they would not dare act rashly.

Lu Changqing curled his lips disdainfully.

"I won't give them to you. If you have the guts, come take them!"

Such an arrogant reply left Che Qi and Kunpeng stunned for a moment.

After a brief pause, Kunpeng laughed in fury.

"Ha! I have roamed the Primordial Wilderness for countless epochs, yet today I have encountered someone who does not know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

Kunpeng laughed in fury, gathering mana capable of destroying ** earth in his palm as he prepared to ** Lu Changqing on the spot.

Yet Lu Changqing remained composed. With a slight turn of his thoughts—

Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine dazzling golden halos rose behind him. Their brilliant merit light illuminated even beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, stabbing pain into Kunpeng's and Che Qi's eyes.

"This, this is..."

The two stared dumbfoundedly at the nearly ten thousand Merit Golden Wheels. The vast might of heaven and earth contained within the boundless golden radiance made their Dao hearts tremble.

Kunpeng had lived through countless calamities. When had he ever seen such a sight?

"Could those all be... Merit Golden Wheels?!"

Within the blinding golden brilliance, Kunpeng's voice trembled.

Though these golden wheels, refined entirely from merits, could not be used for attack, they could bolster fortune and protect one's destiny.

Who would be extravagant enough to use nearly ten thousand golden wheels just to blind others? If it were him, he would have long since poured such an immense amount of merits into spiritual treasures!

"Demon Master... there really are Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine of them!"

Che Qi swallowed hard. Looking at the figure bathed in an ocean of merits, he felt his Dao heart sway.

In the Primordial Wilderness, those burdened with great merits were favored by the Heavenly Dao. Let alone killing them, even a slight show of disrespect could invite Heavenly Punishment.

Seeing that the golden light was too dazzling, Lu Changqing withdrew all the golden wheels with a thought.

After the light faded, Kunpeng still felt dizzy. He asked uncertainly, "Who exactly are you, sir? How could you possibly..."

Before he could finish, Lu Changqing revealed a mocking expression.

That look was as though he were looking at a frog at the bottom of a well.

"This counts as great merit?"

As he spoke, he casually took out more than ten Acquired Merit Spiritual Treasures, his tone as dismissive as though he were discussing roadside weeds. "Are such ordinary objects really worth making such a fuss over?"

Everyone knew that although Kunpeng was a Quasi-Saint, he was famously impoverished.

Seeing the Merit Supreme Treasures Lu Changqing casually displayed, jealousy twisted his Dao heart.

Che Qi stared at those treasures as well, his eyes turning bloodshot.

The two truly could not understand it—just what was Lu Changqing's background? The power of merit that others begged for seemed like dirt in his hands!

As they stood in shock, they heard Lu Changqing say casually, "As for Innate-grade ones..."

Before his words had even faded, a treasure banner wreathed in chaotic aura appeared in his hand.

The moment the Top-Grade Innate Merit Spiritual Treasure, the Tai Xu Creation Banner, appeared, the entire world seemed to freeze.

Kunpeng's breathing grew heavy, and his eyes filled with bloodshot veins as he forcibly suppressed the urge to seize the treasure.

Meanwhile, Che Qi's last shred of reason finally snapped—

"To hell with Heavenly Dao protection! I, Che Qi, will defy heaven today!"

"Don't!" Kunpeng shouted urgently.

But Che Qi had already mobilized the mana of a peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal, sending a killing move directly at Lu Changqing's vital point.

The instant he attacked, wind and thunder suddenly churned in the skies above.

Calamity clouds containing the origins of the Three Thousand Great Daos rolled in, and the River of Destiny manifested in the void.

Boom—!

A bolt of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning carrying the Law of Destiny struck down from above. Before Che Qi could even scream, he turned into calamity ash and vanished into the River of Years.

Kunpeng turned his face away in pity.

"This fool actually dared attack a Merit Incarnation?"

Lu Changqing looked at the scorched earth and shook his head. "Risking your life over an Innate Spiritual Treasure—is that really necessary?"

Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine Merit Golden Wheels wrapped around him... Kunpeng murmured to himself.

Not to mention him—even a Sage would have to show such a figure some respect.

As Kunpeng secretly calculated, he suddenly piled on a smile. "Fellow Daoist, what happened just now was all a misunderstanding!"

Seeing him change his expression as easily as turning a page, Lu Changqing suddenly had an idea. Kunpeng was said to possess the fastest escape speed in the Primordial Wilderness. He would make a decent mount. Though it would cost a million billion merit to splurge, why not find some amusement along the way?

Kunpeng paid no heed to Lu Changqing's indifference and continued greeting him with a smile. "I am Kunpeng, the Demon Master. May I ask Fellow Daoist's honored name?"

Lu Changqing, who was calculating his mount's compensation, casually replied, "Lu Changqing." He then discussed it with the system. "System, look—Kunpeng is the Teacher of Ten Thousand Demons and a Late Quasi-Saint. With that sort of status, a yearly salary of one million merit for serving as a mount isn't too much, right?"

The system replied coldly, "Assessment indicates that the amount is excessive. Please do not make things difficult for the system."

Lu Changqing muttered unhappily, "Stingy! He's Kunpeng, a dignified Quasi-Saint. What's wrong with giving him a yearly salary of one million or ten million?" The system gave no further response.

Kunpeng had long since tossed aside any thoughts of seizing treasures. He eagerly moved closer. "So you are Fellow Daoist Changqing! Seeing how profound your blessings are, you are truly a pillar of the Primordial Wilderness."

"Why not join my Demon Clan as a Merit Great Sage and command hundreds of millions of demon troops? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Seeing that Lu Changqing turned a deaf ear, Kunpeng was about to persuade him again when Lu Changqing waved a hand to interrupt him. "Listen to me."

"Your cultivation is decent, and your speed is among the best in the Primordial Wilderness—why not become my mount? I'll give you ten thousand merit every thousand years. What do you think of that offer?"

Since the system had not given him a specific amount, Lu Changqing could only test the waters slowly.

Kunpeng flew into a rage at his words, as though he had suffered the greatest humiliation. "Fellow Daoist Changqing, I treated you as a brother, yet you insult me like this?"

Lu Changqing did not care.

In his view, there were no deals that could not be made in this world—only prices that were unsuitable.

He tentatively took out an auspicious cloud containing one hundred thousand merit. "Then how about one hundred thousand merit every thousand years?"

At the sight of that Merit Golden Cloud, Kunpeng's Adam's apple bobbed and his breathing quickened.

The remnants of his dignity still made him insist on refusing. "What do you mean by this, Fellow Daoist? I, Kunpeng the Demon Master, am not that kind of person!"

This rejection was clearly lacking in conviction. Kunpeng stared fixedly at the cloud of merit, his eyes even turning slightly red.

Seeing this, Lu Changqing unhesitatingly took out another auspicious cloud containing nine hundred thousand merit. "Too little? Then one million merit every thousand years."

The moment he heard one million merit, Kunpeng's reason instantly collapsed.

He immediately prostrated himself on the ground, revealing his shrunken true form, and said fawningly, "Great Master, where are we going now?"

Even Lu Changqing clicked his tongue in amazement at how quickly Kunpeng had changed his face.

It was not that Kunpeng lacked backbone; the compensation was simply too generous.

One million merit every thousand years—when Nuwa created humanity, she had only gained several tens of millions of merit. Yet he could earn that much merely by serving as a mount for several tens of thousands of years.

For creatures of the Primordial Wilderness, several tens of thousands of years were no more than the time it took to take a nap.

Thinking of this, Kunpeng's face broke into a broad smile. "Great Master, isn't a thousand-year term too short? How about signing directly for fifty thousand years?"

Lu Changqing was very satisfied with Kunpeng's attitude:

The two immediately swore a Heavenly Dao Oath.

After the contract was formed, Kunpeng gradually regained his senses.

Although he did not mind being a mount—the compensation was simply too enticing—he was still the Teacher of Ten Thousand Demons, so he had to return and explain things.

"Great Master, as the Teacher of Ten Thousand Demons, if I suddenly leave the Demon Clan Heavenly Court, I should at least go back and explain matters."

"May I ask whether Great Master can accompany me?" Kunpeng asked with a fawning smile.

Lu Changqing was in a good mood, and since he had nothing to do for the moment, he nodded in agreement. "Very well!"

Having received permission, Kunpeng thanked him repeatedly, then carried him toward the Demon Clan Heavenly Court.