Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Lu Changqing had no choice but to come clean. "Fine!"
"Since that's the case, I won't hide it from you anymore. I'll lay my cards on the table!"
"I simply wanted to spend some merit!"
"Because I have far too much merit!"
Hearing this, Tongtian felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Tears nearly streamed down his face.
Was that even something a person would say?
That simply wasn't human language!
The Three Pure Ones, dignified Sages that they were, still had to do hard labor here just to earn a little merit.
Yet Lu Changqing claimed that he had so much merit he could not spend it all.
He just wanted to waste some.
That cut far too deep!
He truly wished he had not heard such honest words.
Next time, it would be better to tell a few lies!
"Enough!"
"What requirements do you have for the formation, Fellow Daoist?"
Tongtian interrupted Lu Changqing and asked solemnly.
Lu Changqing thought for a moment. "The requirements aren't high. It only needs to combine offense and defense."
"You may take as much merit as you need."
"As for payment, it starts at sixty million."
"The stronger the formation, the higher the payment."
"The maximum is one hundred million!"
Tongtian was greatly shocked upon hearing this.
"One hundred million maximum?!"
Did that mean that if he could set up a top-tier grand formation, he could directly earn one hundred million merit?
Laozi and Yuanshi were equally stunned.
What a grand gesture.
This was what a true tycoon looked like!
However, setting up a top-tier grand formation was no easy task.
The time it consumed alone far exceeded that of artifact refinement and pill refining.
Thus, the two of them were not overly envious.
Once they finished the work at hand, the merit they earned would still far surpass what they could gain from opening up worlds.
Tongtian did not hesitate in the slightest.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. Leave it to me!"
"When it comes to attainments in formations, if I claim second place in the Primordial Wilderness, no one would dare claim first!"
King Father of the East and the other two all glanced sideways at him.
Good heavens!
You three brothers took turns using the exact same line!
You truly were blood brothers!
You were practically identical.
Tongtian paid no attention to this and began deducing the laws of formations with all his might.
He wanted to set up a top-tier grand formation.
Only then could he earn more merit.
Buzz!
Hundreds of millions of laws intertwined and flickered within his sea of consciousness.
One hundred million merit!
He attached extraordinary importance to it.
If he could obtain this merit, his cultivation realm could directly break through. He had to prepare with utmost care.
He successively deduced countless formations.
The mountain-guarding formation of the Interception Sect, the Myriad Immortals Formation!
A supreme grand formation that gathered the power of myriad immortals!
The number one killing formation of the Primordial Wilderness, the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation, built upon the Four Immortal Slaying Swords!
There were also the demon race's Hunyuan River Luo Formation and the Array of All Stars.
And the Witch Clan's Twelve Great Heavenly Fiend Array.
He derived all of them in their entirety.
He also extracted the essences of many other formations, intending to integrate them all and create an unprecedented peerless grand formation.
Seeing Tongtian deducing formations so frantically, Laozi and Yuanshi could not help but reveal shocked expressions.
Why?
Why was Tongtian so invested?
Could it be that he intended to fuse every formation in the Primordial Wilderness?
The undertaking was simply too immense!
But considering the one hundred million merit, it was worth it.
If it were them, they would also go all out.
After all, it was one hundred million!
To Lu Changqing, it might be insignificant; to them, it was no longer merely merit, but their lifeline.
Seeing the three of them diligently at work, Lu Changqing no longer disturbed them.
He turned and left Wuji Heaven.
He intended to inspect other places.
At present, the beings of the Primordial Wilderness were opening worlds in full swing.
The great endeavor of pioneering swept across the entire Primordial Wilderness.
Countless beings attacked the world barriers day and night.
One after another, they pressed onward.
At the same time, merit was being consumed at a rapid rate.
The Primordial Wilderness was now peaceful.
All beings were desperately earning merit, and no one was willing to waste time fighting.
Or competing for treasures.
With that time, they could have long since collected rewards from the Heavenly Court.
Lu Changqing was quite gratified to see this scene.
His two strategies had indeed worked.
At this rate, it would not be long before the ten trillion merit was exhausted...
He was one step closer to his goal.
Time passed.
Among the three, Yuanshi was the first to finish his work.
He refined an entire mountain of magic treasures, each containing profound Dao rhymes.
Laozi also finished refining pills.
Lu Changqing was excitedly sought out, only to hear, "Fellow Daoist, please inspect them!"
Without even looking, Lu Changqing casually waved his hand.
Brilliant Golden Light of Merit fell directly into Laozi's arms.
Both Laozi and Yuanshi were overjoyed.
So much merit!
This was truly wonderful!
Their cultivation would surely rise to another level!
"Fellow Daoist, do these magic treasures and pills need to be put away?"
Only after Yuanshi stored away his merit did he ask.
Hearing this, Lu Changqing glanced over them. He had been too lazy to inspect them when settling the merit, but now he wanted to see whether there was anything to his liking.
Whoosh!
With a wave of his hand, he swept all the Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures into his possession.
As for the pills, he selected only a few that interested him.
The rest were of no use to him whatsoever.
After thinking briefly, he summoned Kong Xuan and instructed, "Take these magic treasures and pills as a small benefit for the guards of Wuji Heaven. Distribute them all."
Kong Xuan stared at the two mountains before him—
—one piled high with magic treasures, the other made entirely of pills—and was momentarily stunned.
So many... all as benefits?
Great Master was far too generous!
He silently carried the two mountains away, found the guards of Wuji Heaven, and distributed them one by one.
All one million guards were stirred beyond measure.
Heavens!
Rewards as vast as two mountains!
Great Master was truly magnificently generous!
These magic treasures and pills were all precious items. Since they had come from the hands of Sages, how could there possibly be anything ordinary among them?
Great Master's divine might was unrivaled!
He was truly a model for our generation!
"We swear to follow Great Master unto death!"
The one million guards declared their loyalty in unison, every one of them beaming with joy.
What overwhelming generosity.
Yet Yuanshi and Laozi froze where they stood.
Those were treasures they had painstakingly refined over a long period of time!
And Lu Changqing had casually given them all away?
This... this was far too wasteful!
The two men's understanding was completely overturned. What was squandering wealth? This was true squandering!
He had spent so much merit, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and time refining all those treasures, only to give them away in the blink of an eye.
"Fellow Daoist, isn't this a little too generous?"
"So many pills and magic treasures!"
Although this was not Yuanshi's first time witnessing Lu Changqing's extravagance, he still could not help speaking up.
With so many treasures, did he truly not feel any regret?
Lu Changqing merely said calmly, "Ah, these things are useless to me."
"They only take up space if they remain in the hall."
"It would be better to give them away."
"Besides, as long as the merit has been spent, that is enough."
The moment those words were spoken, Yuanshi and Laozi felt as though they had suffered a heavy blow. Their vision went dark, and they nearly fainted.
If he did not want merit, they would gladly handle it on his behalf!
How could he waste it so recklessly... they truly could not understand.
Within Wuji Heaven.
Faced with Lu Changqing's casual words, Yuanshi and Laozi felt their vision darken, nearly collapsing.
He was showing off so casually again!
A single sentence revealed such lavishness!
Yet in the face of Lu Changqing's attitude, Laozi and Yuanshi could only sigh inwardly, powerless to refute him.
There was no helping it. Who told him to have so much merit?
"Fellow Daoist Tongtian has not yet finished."
"Why don't you two rest for a while, drink tea and discuss the Dao together as you wait for him?"
After saying that, Lu Changqing had Kong Xuan serve Enlightenment Tea.
The fragrance of tea permeated the hall, while Dao rhymes flowed through it, profound and wondrous beyond compare.
Yuanshi and Laozi had long grown accustomed to it.
Wasn't it just Enlightenment Tea?
Fine!
In any case, they did not have any. Even if they did, they absolutely could not bear to enjoy it as extravagantly as Lu Changqing did.
He used far too many tea leaves, so many that they could hardly bear to look at them.
Every sip felt as though they were tasting heartbreak!
The three of them drank tea while occasionally discussing the mysteries of the Dao.
One day, a terrifying aura of formation Dao suddenly swept across all of Wuji Heaven.
Billions upon billions of laws and orders crumbled beneath the impact of that aura.
Vast Dao power filled heaven and earth.
Had Wuji Heaven not been personally opened by a Sage,
it would likely have completely collapsed beneath this immense formation aura long ago.
Even the Thirty-three Heavens might not have withstood such pressure!
Hahahaha!
I have finally succeeded!
A burst of laughter shook Wuji Heaven, and Tongtian rushed out in wild excitement.
He kept shouting, "It's done! I finally did it!"
"I have completed the strongest grand formation!"
"Across the nine heavens and ten lands, there is only this one formation!"
Seeing Tongtian's crazed expression,
Yuanshi and Laozi could not help exchanging looks.
Had he gone mad?
Or was this formation truly that profound?
No matter how powerful it was, it should not have made Tongtian lose his composure to such an extent!
Lu Changqing was also intrigued by the sight.
What mysteries did this formation possess?
"Fellow Daoist Tongtian, do not enjoy it alone."
"Tell us about this formation's secrets as well."
Lu Changqing asked.
Tongtian clapped his hands and laughed. "This is the pinnacle work of my entire life!"
He immediately began explaining. "This formation is called the Wuji Meteor Saint Formation!"
"It possesses both offense and defense!"
"It contains three thousand Dao mechanisms, conceals the killing intent of the heavens, and also holds the mighty power of the void, Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, stellar essence, Chaos Mystic Radiance, and all manner of extraordinary powers. Its profundity is unparalleled!"
"Best of all, spiritual treasures can serve as its cores, enhancing the formation's might."
"If fully activated, it can slay even a Sage!"
Laozi and Yuanshi were deeply shaken upon hearing this.
Was it truly so formidable?
The powers within the formation could indeed threaten a Sage.
Both Chaos Mystic Radiance and the mighty power of the void were no ordinary things.
But claiming it could kill a Sage was surely an exaggeration?
Just then, King Father of the East and the other two returned.
The moment they entered Wuji Heaven, they sensed Dao charm soaring into the skies,
then heard Tongtian boast that he could slay a Sage, leaving all of them stunned.
A formation that could bring down Saints?
If this formation was completed, would Wuji Heaven not become impregnable?
Was this formation truly so wondrous?
Yuanshi muttered to himself.
Tongtian glanced at him and declared decisively, "Of course!"
"This is my greatest masterpiece!"
"Its might surpasses all throughout ancient and modern times!"
Lu Changqing nodded at those words.
If this formation was truly as described,
then this merit would not have been spent in vain.
This formation's power was indeed worth anticipating.
"When will you begin setting it up?"
Lu Changqing asked again.
Tongtian pondered. "Though the formation is powerful, it requires an enormous number of spiritual treasures. I cannot support it alone."
Lu Changqing smiled lightly. "A trivial matter."
He immediately sent a message to Ming He.
Rumble!
As the void trembled, Ming He arrived upon a beam of light and bowed. "What orders does Master have?"
Lu Changqing said, "The four of you will immediately assist Fellow Daoist Tongtian in setting up the formation."
"You must ensure that this formation is completed perfectly."
Ming He solemnly accepted the order.
King Father of the East and the other two also acknowledged the command in unison.
With four Sages joining forces, this grand formation could surely be completed.
Tongtian added, "There may still be insufficient spiritual treasures."
"This formation consumes vast quantities of materials and still requires replenishment."
Lu Changqing said calmly, "No matter."
"Come with me."
With that, he headed straight for the immortal palace.
Though Tongtian was puzzled, he still followed closely behind.
Laozi and Yuanshi exchanged a glance and hurried after him as well.
When they arrived before the palace,
Lu Changqing flicked his sleeve, and the palace gates swung open.
In an instant, treasure light shot into the heavens, so dazzling that they could barely open their eyes.
Inside, rare treasures were piled like mountains.
Tongtian stood dumbfounded. With a casual glance, he saw countless extraordinary treasures.
Such as Chaos Immortal Gold—
an item nearly impossible to find in the Primordial Wilderness, yet here it was piled up like rubble.
There were also countless rare treasures they had never even heard of.
"Fellow Daoist, are these enough?"
"If not, I can simply open another palace."
Lu Changqing's tone was utterly calm.
Tongtian silently nodded, while tears had long since begun flowing in his heart.
So this was the joy of being outrageously wealthy?!
Damn it!
This was truly enough to make others die of envy!
Even if all the Sages joined forces, they could hardly compare to such wealth!
Yuanshi and Laozi's eyes also reddened at the sight.
This was far too extravagant!
"Enough!"
"I will set up the formation at once!"
Tongtian said anxiously.
Afraid that Lu Changqing would continue showing off, he immediately began.
With one step, he arrived at the vault of Wuji Heaven.
He immediately unleashed a Great God's supernatural power, evolving the mysteries of formation Dao.
Boom—
Primordial power swept across heaven and earth.
Ming He and the other four acted at the same time, jointly evolving the grand formation.
Five Sages joined forces, creating a colossal spectacle that shook the Primordial Wilderness.
Rumble!
Billions upon billions of terrifying auras manifested across the heavens.
All living beings in the Primordial Wilderness were alarmed.
What kind of terrifying power was this?
What was Wuji Heaven doing now?
Such an anomaly was truly horrifying.
Before you continue