Myriad Spirits Gaze converged upon Lu Changqing.
Saint Changqing was the true supreme Sage who cared for all living beings!
Countless great powers voiced heartfelt praise.
In that instant, Lu Changqing's prestige within the Primordial Wilderness reached an unprecedented height.
In the eyes of all beings in the past, Lu Changqing had merely been an idle wealthy man blessed with immeasurable merit.
Only now did they realize that had merely been an outward appearance.
Saint Changqing was truly a supreme Sage whose heart embraced the world, whose virtue matched heaven and earth.
Otherwise, why would he bestow Three Days of Merit Sweet Rain?
Lu Changqing knew nothing of these thoughts.
Having said his piece, he drifted back to Wuji Heaven.
When the countless living beings saw the Sage depart, they too dispersed.
Wuji Heaven.
Longevity Palace.
The returning Lu Changqing wore a satisfied expression.
As long as these people advanced in cultivation, they would open more worlds, allowing him to expend his merit faster.
More importantly, the Saint Creation Plan had taken a crucial first step.
As for whether they could attain the Dao?
Insufficient aptitude?
Then he would pile merit onto them!
Water them with Primordial Violet Qi!
He refused to believe he could not smash out a few Sages!
Ding. System notification: Directly gifting merit is a violation of the rules.
Lu Changqing did not mind.
He had long expected the system to impose such a restriction.
However, where there were policies from above, there were countermeasures below.
He immediately summoned King Father of the East and the other two.
"Greetings, Great Master! Congratulations, Great Master, on attaining the Hunyuan Dao Fruit!"
The moment the three saw Lu Changqing, they immediately performed a grand salute.
"I summoned you here because there is an important matter."
"Your opportunity to attain the Dao has now arrived."
Lu Changqing got straight to the point.
Upon hearing this.
King Father of the East and the other two were first stunned, then moved to tears.
"Great Master truly has not abandoned us!"
"You are our benefactor who gave us a new life. We will remember this grace forever!"
The three fell to their knees with a thud and clung tightly to Lu Changqing's legs.
Kunpeng was even more tearful as he said:
"Great Master, this lowly one is willing to serve you for life, following you through life and death!"
Lu Changqing frowned at the words.
These three were ancient great powers, so how had they become so shameless?
He raised his leg and kicked away Kunpeng, who had crowded close.
"Cut it out. Disgusting!"
Yet Kunpeng did not care in the slightest and grinned as he pressed himself close again.
Once the three were standing properly, Lu Changqing brought out the Heavenly Dao Divine Staff.
A contract containing the power of the Heavenly Dao appeared—anyone who violated it would suffer heavenly condemnation, and even Sages could not escape punishment.
The contract stated that Kunpeng, Ran Deng, and King Father of the East must remain loyal for life and could not disobey.
In return, Lu Changqing would provide all the resources required for them to become Sages!
King Father of the East and Kunpeng signed without a second word.
Ran Deng, however, looked troubled—after all, he was still the Deputy Sect Leader of the Chan Sect.
"I'll go back and resign first!"
Ran Deng gritted his teeth.
How could being Deputy Sect Leader compare to becoming a Sage?
Lu Changqing readily let him go, not worried in the slightest that he would not return.
Within Jade Void Palace.
When Yuanshi saw Ran Deng return, he asked in surprise:
"Have you uncovered Saint Changqing's background?"
Ran Deng shook his head.
"I came to resign."
"I will follow Saint Changqing from now on."
Yuanshi flew into a rage, and his Saintly Might bore down on Ran Deng until cold sweat streamed down his face.
"He simply offered too much..."
Those words sounded familiar.
Yuanshi suddenly recalled his own past... and more than half his anger immediately vanished.
"Did you find any clues?"
Ran Deng answered honestly:
"He has so much merit that he cannot spend it all. He never cultivates, yet he suddenly became a Sage."
Yuanshi: ...
That was as good as saying nothing!
Ran Deng actually also knew about the Primordial Violet Qi, but he absolutely could not say it.
Seeing that he could learn nothing further, Yuanshi had no choice but to let him leave.
At parting, Ran Deng's eyes brimmed with tears.
"Take care, Sage..."
Yuanshi was affected as well.
"Come back and visit when you have time."
After Ran Deng left Kunlun Mountain—
"Ha ha ha! I'm free!"
He laughed like an overgrown child and sprinted toward Wuji Heaven.
Inside Jade Void Palace, Yuanshi's face turned green.
Within Wuji Heaven.
Ran Deng swiftly signed the contract.
Lu Changqing casually tossed out three strands of Primordial Violet Qi.
The three held the violet qi in their hands, trembling uncontrollably.
Then they saw Lu Changqing take out three masses of merit—one hundred million each!
"Take them and become Sages."
Lu Changqing said it casually.
The three trembled with excitement.
If they still could not become Sages after this, they might as well smash their heads into tofu!
After sending them away, Lu Changqing suddenly thought:
With the contract as a safeguard, could he squander freely now?
At that moment, the system said gloomily:
"Host, can you leave this system a little dignity?"
"The host's idea is not bad, but only living beings with the potential to attain the Hunyuan Dao may receive merit rewards after signing a contract."
The system reacted swiftly and immediately added a restrictive clause.
It did not want Lu Changqing casually finding some postnatal beings to squander merit on. If they failed to attain the Dao, would that merit not have gone down the drain?
Upon hearing the system notification, Lu Changqing instead smiled.
He did not take it seriously at all.
When it came to exploiting loopholes, he was an expert.
Still, he could not help grumbling inwardly:
This lousy system wants me to squander wealth, yet imposes so many restrictions on distributing merit.
What kind of squanderer system is that?
While Lu Changqing was silently grumbling,
The Primordial Wilderness
Had undergone earth-shaking changes since his last sermon.
Tens of thousands of cultivators had seized the opportunity to break through their realms.
Especially after Lu Changqing revealed the method to become a Sage, great powers from every side rushed to open worlds.
As newly born worlds continued to emerge, even these great powers sensed that the Primordial Wilderness was undergoing an astonishing transformation—
The laws of heaven and earth were continuously becoming more complete,
The most obvious sign was the soaring density of spiritual qi and the increasingly profound true meaning of the Great Dao.
Cultivators even discovered that breaking through had become considerably easier than before.
Although everyone noticed these changes, few looked deeply into them,
At most, they silently gave thanks for Saint Changqing's grace.
At present,
All great powers were busy opening heaven and creating earth,
Hoping to exchange their efforts for more merit from Immortal Venerable Changqing.
Even several Sages enthusiastically threw themselves into the great undertaking of world creation.
One day,
With nothing to do, Lu Changqing decided to inspect the Sages' progress in creating worlds.
Seeing that his three followers—Kunpeng, King Father of the East, and Ran Deng—were still in seclusion, striving to enter the Saint realm, he set out alone.
Within Eight Sceneries Palace,
Tongtian and Laozi were discussing the Dao.
Though the Three Pure Ones had already gone their separate ways, they still often visited one another to maintain their bond.
The two suddenly sensed something and turned their heads at the same time—
Boundless golden radiance of merit illuminated the heavens. Before the person arrived, auspicious light had already descended.
Who else could make such an entrance besides Lu Changqing?
Tongtian and Laozi could not help twitching their mouths at the sight.
Well, the debt collector had come again.
The next instant, Lu Changqing stepped into the hall and got straight to the point:
"It is good that you are both here. It saves me another trip."
"I heard everyone has been quite diligent lately. Very good, very good. Keep it up!"
This unusually encouraging remark left the two Sages momentarily stunned.
What was going on?
He was not urging them to speed up?
Could it be... his stockpile of merit had run dry?
If he knew what the two Sages were thinking, Lu Changqing would probably smile bitterly. If he could spend all his merit, he would laugh in his dreams!
The problem was that the more merit he spent, the more he gained. He simply could not squander it all.
By now,
Lu Changqing had figured it out.
Relying solely on exploiting the Six Saints was ultimately too inefficient.
Increasing the number of Sages was the long-term solution.
With that in mind, he continued:
"I came this time to tell you something else: three newly ascended Sages will soon join us.
Their ascension should proceed naturally. When that happens, everyone's efficiency can improve as well."
Upon hearing this, Tongtian and Laozi exchanged a glance, clearly skeptical.
How could becoming a Sage be child's play?
And three at once?
Had those words not come from Saint Changqing, they would have treated them as a joke.
After speaking, Lu Changqing turned and departed for the Daoist fields of the other Sages.
After he left, Tongtian and Laozi looked at each other and shook their heads.
Neither of them took those words seriously.
As time passed, the matter was gradually forgotten by the two Sages.
All beings of the Primordial Wilderness were absorbed in creation, and heaven and earth changed with each passing day.
Then one day, a drastic upheaval suddenly swept through the Primordial Wilderness.
A heaven-shaking phenomenon appeared in the skies!
Pillars of golden light pierced through heaven and earth, connecting to the void.
Vast divine radiance swept across the eight directions.
The Three Thousand Great Dao Laws manifested in the heavens.
Endless spiritual energy erupted from every corner. Even lands that had once been barren now possessed spiritual essence comparable to Blessed Lands.
This tremendous change covered every corner of the Primordial Wilderness.
After years upon years of quantitative accumulation, qualitative transformation had finally been triggered.
The Primordial World had not merely renewed its outward appearance; its very origin had completed a leap.
All beings beneath heaven and earth received boundless fortune.
The dense spiritual essence gave rise to countless living beings whose spiritual intelligence awakened.
Many cultivators even broke through on the spot, their cultivation soaring.
Boom—
Suddenly, all beings saw a Merit Golden Cloud gather high above the Ninth Heaven, vast enough to blot out the sky and cover the sun.
It hung directly above Saint Changqing's head.
The Heavenly Dao was actually about to bestow merit!
"The scale of this merit seems even greater than when Nuwa created humanity and became a Sage."
All beings were shocked and filled with envy.
Even the Six Saints looked on with longing.
Who would ever complain about having too much merit?
With such an ocean of merit, would it not be wonderful if they could claim it for themselves?
Under the gaze of countless onlookers, the Golden Light of Merit was about to descend.
This was a Heavenly Dao Reward, bestowed in recognition of his contribution to the transformation of the Primordial Wilderness's origin.
Yet before the Golden Light of Merit that all beings coveted, Lu Changqing suddenly flashed away, directly evading it.
The Heavenly Dao's bestowal fell upon nothing.
As though that merit were some monstrous flood or savage beast.
That was Heavenly Dao Merit! Why were you dodging it?
If you did not want it, give it to me!
Seeing Lu Changqing flee from it as though he could not avoid it fast enough, the Six Saints in the Ninth Heaven nearly toppled over, their faces filled with disbelief.
Were their eyes playing tricks on them?
Someone actually avoided merit?
What kind of logic was that?
Lu Changqing's actions at that moment did not merely leave the Six Saints dumbfounded.
The billions of living beings were likewise left staring in shock.
The Heavenly Dao had bestowed merit, and it had actually missed?
Venerable, what did this mean?
He was even avoiding merit?
Was this something a normal person could do?
None of the myriad spirits could understand what Lu Changqing had been thinking to take such an action.
Yet Lu Changqing's inner collapse was even worse than theirs.
"This is absurd!"
"I'm already worried that I have more merit than I can spend, and you still want to give me more?"
"Stay away from me!"
"I refuse this merit."
Lu Changqing threw back his head and roared into the heavens, his anxiety plain for all to see.
The moment those words were spoken, the myriad beings of the Primordial Wilderness were struck as though by lightning.
Their souls trembled, as if swept up by a hurricane.
Even the auras of the Six Saints in the Ninth Heaven stalled.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!!
As his voice fell, the supreme pressure of the Heavenly Dao enveloped the Primordial Wilderness.
The void shuddered, like shattered glass.
A colossal eye containing endless power of the Heavenly Dao appeared in the firmament, its aura of destruction suffocating.
Billions of living beings trembled in fear.
This was the Eye of Heavenly Punishment!
When Heavenly Punishment descended, all beings were equal.
Its power was enough to make even Sages' hearts pound with fear.
The gaze of the Eye of Heavenly Punishment instantly locked onto Lu Changqing.
All because of his outrageously disrespectful words, which had clearly enraged the Heavenly Dao.
Naturally.
The Heavenly Dao had kindly bestowed merit, yet he had actually dared refuse it.
The Heavenly Dao was baffled as well—since the dawn of creation, it had never seen such an oddity. Someone who did not even want merit?
Now, the Heavenly Dao had truly been enraged!
How could the dignity of the Heavenly Dao tolerate such disrespect?
For the first time since the world's creation, a mortal had refused its reward!
The Eye of Heavenly Punishment manifested in fury, and a thunderous voice rang through the Ninth Heaven—
Lu Changqing! Is the merit I bestowed something you can refuse simply because you say so?
The young man in golden robes stood with his hands behind his back, starlight flowing through his eyes. "No matter how boundless your merit may be, I, Lu, will not take a single bit."
In that instant—
The Innate Gourd Vine atop Kunlun Mountain Peak suddenly withered.
Before you continue