One Hundred Million

One hundred million merit—surely not even Heavenly Dao would dare call that a small amount?

King Father of the East and Ran Deng stared at Kunpeng in astonishment. Seeing the knowing look on his face, he shook his head and sighed.

"Great Master has always been a bargaining genius. He raises the price when buying things."

Kunpeng had long since grown accustomed to Great Master's habit of buying worthless things at exorbitant prices.

It always felt as though Great Master had some grudge against merit and would not be satisfied until he squandered it all.

Amid everyone's shock, Lu Changqing casually summoned two hundred million merit golden clouds and declared boldly:

"In my view, this strand of Primordial Violet Qi is worth at least two hundred million merit!"

As two hundred million merit golden clouds appeared, dazzling golden radiance illuminated the universe like countless blazing suns shining at once, making it almost impossible for the great powers present to look directly at them.

Yet even that blinding light could not conceal everyone's craving for merit.

All eyes were fixed firmly on those two hundred million merit points—never in their lives had they seen such an enormous amount!

Even if the Six Saints gathered together, they probably could not scrape together that much, could they?

The moment Hong Yun saw the two hundred million merit, his mind reeled.

The sum was simply beyond imagination, leaving him utterly unable to refuse.

He immediately took out the Primordial Violet Qi, along with many treasured items he had kept in reserve, including the Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd, and offered them all together.

"Fellow Daoist Changqing is truly generous! Consider these additional treasures a gift!"

As he spoke, Hong Yun hurriedly collected the merit golden clouds.

Lu Changqing accepted the Primordial Violet Qi but declined the other treasures, saying cheerfully:

"I do not like taking advantage of others. Convert all these treasures into merit at market price, and I will give it to you."

Hong Yun, Zhen Yuanzi, and Ming He were left dumbfounded.

Was this fellow Daoist's understanding of taking advantage of someone somehow skewed?

He had spent two hundred million merit to buy Primordial Violet Qi, yet he still thought he had taken advantage of Hong Yun?

How could an ordinary living being possibly possess such a mindset?

Ignoring their astonishment, Lu Changqing merely had Kunpeng, who had followed him for a long time and had developed a little resistance to the shock of merit, assess the value of the treasures.

Very soon, Kunpeng reported:

"Great Master, their total value is ten million merit."

The moment his words fell, Lu Changqing casually took out another ten million merit golden clouds and handed them to Hong Yun.

Such extravagance left Hong Yun and the other two utterly shaken.

Could such vast quantities of merit truly come from the hands of a living being in the Primordial Wilderness? Had he perhaps saved the entire Primordial Wilderness to accumulate such earth-shattering merit?

Hong Yun accepted the merit in a daze. Ming He and Zhen Yuanzi quickly came to their senses as well, hurriedly taking out the items they had prepared for exchange and competing to trade them to Lu Changqing for merit.

However, the amounts exchanged by the two of them were far less than what Hong Yun had received for selling the Primordial Violet Qi.

Though Zhen Yuanzi possessed many treasures, few were of the highest grade. In the end, he only exchanged them for ten million merit.

Even so, he was overjoyed.

This time, Ming He had also gone all out, bringing out most of his savings and exchanging them in one go for thirty-five million merit.

Faced with such overwhelming merit, he trembled with excitement and kept pinching himself, afraid that he was dreaming.

After securing their merit, the three left Wuji Heaven as though in a dream.

They had not dared to fantasize about such a tremendous opportunity.

After watching for so long, King Father of the East and Ran Deng finally understood what Kunpeng meant by Heavenly Dao's favor—what kind of being could possess such boundless merit if not one favored by Heavenly Dao?

It was just that this one favored by Heavenly Dao seemed a little too extravagant.

Within the Demon Clan Heavenly Court, after Di Jun brought back 5.8 million merit, he immediately entered seclusion to refine it in pursuit of a breakthrough, stirring heated discussions throughout the demon clan.

"I heard the Demon Emperor went to Wuji Heaven and traded for a vast amount of merit!"

"Just what sort of background does Lu Changqing have? He is actually willing to trade merit for spiritual treasures? It is truly inconceivable!"

"No one knows the details, but there are rumors that he is someone favored by Heavenly Dao."

Not only the demon clan, but the Chan Sect was also abuzz with discussion.

After Primordial Heavenly Venerate opened up a Great Thousand World and entered seclusion, while Deputy Sect Leader Ran Deng went to Wuji Heaven to serve as commander of the guards, the Twelve Golden Immortals began avidly discussing Wuji Heaven and merit.

"I heard that Deputy Sect Leader Ran Deng serves as commander of the guards in Wuji Heaven and receives one million merit every thousand years!"

"One million merit? How can that be? Just who is Lu Changqing, to be able to offer such compensation?"

"No one knows. Rumors say Lu Changqing seems to be someone favored by Heavenly Dao and possesses boundless merit!"

As rumors of Lu Changqing spread ever farther throughout the Primordial Wilderness, news that Hong Yun had sold Primordial Violet Qi for two hundred million merit also quickly spread, shaking the entire Primordial Wilderness.

Countless great powers who had initially remained on the sidelines were stunned by this news.

"Two hundred million merit! Could such a sum truly come from the hands of a being in the Primordial Wilderness? Being able to casually produce two hundred million merit—this is not Heavenly Dao's favor. This is clearly the Great Dao's blessing!"

While the beings of the Primordial Wilderness were still shocked by Lu Changqing's immense wealth, Lu Changqing was already carefully calculating the treasures he had exchanged for and the merit he had spent during this period in Wuji Heaven.

After Kunpeng, King Father of the East, and Ran Deng compiled and organized the figures, a detailed list of treasures appeared on a jade talisman.

As they looked at the staggering figures recorded on it, the hands of the three great powers of the Primordial Wilderness began trembling involuntarily.

"Reporting to Great Master, the inventory has been completed!" Accompanied by King Father of the East and Ran Deng, Kunpeng reported to Lu Changqing in a trembling voice.

Lu Changqing, who was tasting a Ginseng Fruit, smiled and scolded him for being so spineless before ordering, "Give me the details."

"Understood!" Kunpeng answered respectfully and began reporting item by item. "This time, we exchanged for three Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures..."

"These three supreme treasures are the Mysterious Origin Water Control Banner offered by Ming He, the Primordial Violet Gold Hairpin presented by Houtu, and the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd given by Hong Yun."

Upon hearing these names, Ran Deng and King Father of the East could not help holding their breath.

Lu Changqing took the three treasures and examined them closely.

The Primordial Violet Gold Hairpin radiated sharpness as though it could pierce heaven and earth; Dao Patterns flowed across the Mysterious Origin Water Control Banner, granting unmatched defense; the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd exuded chilling killing intent and specialized in attacking the primordial spirit.

Looking at these treasures, Lu Changqing nodded in satisfaction and signaled for Kunpeng to continue.

"In addition, there are five high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, seven middle-grade ones, and forty-nine low-grade ones; 3,850 Postnatal Ultimate Treasures and 18,968 Postnatal Spiritual Treasures." Kunpeng's voice shook even more. "There are also 105,736 Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures of various kinds, including... six drops of Three Lights Divine Water."

At the words Three Lights Divine Water, everyone present revealed looks of longing.

This was a supreme treasure of the Primordial Wilderness capable of bringing the dead back to life!

"I award them all to you." Lu Changqing spoke casually. Seeing the stunned expressions of the three, he added, "I have Heavenly Dao's protection. What use do I have for healing items?"

The three accepted this generous gift with tears of gratitude, their reverence for Lu Changqing growing even deeper.

"There is also one Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root—the Yellow Middle Plum." As Kunpeng continued his report, his voice became excited once more.

This Spiritual Root bore nine spiritual fruits containing Great Dao Laws and was extraordinarily precious.

"Finally, the list also records dozens of middle- and low-grade Innate Spiritual Roots, more than twenty thousand Postnatal Spiritual Roots, more than seventy thousand kinds of divine abilities, as well as the most precious item of all: one strand of Primordial Violet Qi."

By the time the entire list had been read out, Kunpeng's mouth was dry and his mind exhausted.

The treasures listed on it encompassed nearly half of the rare and wondrous treasures of the Primordial Wilderness.

This famously impoverished fellow had truly broadened his horizons today.

Who could have imagined that he would see so many supreme treasures of the Primordial Wilderness all at once?

After hearing Kunpeng's report, Lu Changqing sank his divine sense into the system to check the bill, only to be greatly surprised by the result.

"Strange. Why did I spend less than twenty billion merit? Thirty percent of the Primordial Wilderness's treasures are worth only this much?"

Looking at the total amount of merit, which had barely decreased, Lu Changqing felt deeply frustrated.

Twenty billion was not a small amount, but before a total of one million billion, it was practically insignificant.

At this rate, when would he ever spend it all?

Hearing this complaint, Kunpeng, King Father of the East, and Ran Deng were all stunned.

"Tw... twenty billion is still too little? Is that even something a person would say?"

They had guessed that this shopping spree had cost an enormous sum, but they had never imagined it would be twenty billion merit.

This was merit! They suspected that even Heavenly Dao's reserves did not contain that much.

Could Great Master truly be Heavenly Dao's biological son?

Ran Deng asked in a trembling voice.

King Father of the East also looked at Kunpeng. "Even if he is the Son of Heaven's Dao, he should not be this extravagant, right?"

Kunpeng was likewise left dazed by that figure.

Twenty billion merit was enough to make an ant a Sage.

He swallowed. "If Great Master is not the Son of Heaven's Dao, then who is he? He cannot possibly be Heavenly Dao's father, can he?"

Ran Deng and King Father of the East found that reasonable.

No matter how extraordinary he was, he could not possibly be Heavenly Dao's father, could he?

Little did they know that if Heavenly Dao could take human form, it would not merely acknowledge Lu Changqing as its father—it would probably be willing to acknowledge him as its ancestor.

After all, even Heavenly Dao coveted that one million billion merit.

Lu Changqing paid no attention to the thoughts of the three. After complaining, he looked toward the treasure mountains stretching for miles within Wuji Heaven.

The first was a thousand-zhang-high mountain of magic treasures, enough to keep Kunpeng and the others refining for quite some time.

The second, a mountain of merit magic treasures eight hundred zhang tall, was slightly shorter.

The nearby mountain of Spiritual Roots and mountain of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were shorter still.

The final pile of jade slips containing divine abilities was only a few zhang high.

These treasure mountains stood out conspicuously in Wuji Heaven, presenting a magnificent sight from afar.

Looking at these gains, Lu Changqing revealed a satisfied expression.

Although he had not spent much merit, he had indeed acquired a tremendous number of treasures.

He dared say that even a Sage's treasure vault might not compare to his own.

At most, the magic treasures of certain Sages might be of slightly higher quality.

However, Lu Changqing did not care much about magic treasures.

No matter how good a magic treasure was, it could not compare to a Great Dao Saint.

As long as his merit remained unspent, he could not attain the Dao.

In the end, he still had to keep squandering his wealth!

At that thought, Lu Changqing could not help sighing. "I have worked so hard to squander my wealth. Why has my merit barely decreased?"

He grabbed an Innate spiritual fruit and took a fierce bite.

Hearing that, the three who were refining magic treasures shuddered.

He had spent twenty billion and still complained that his merit had barely decreased? Just how much wealth did he have to dare say such a thing? Could he truly possess boundless merit?

Thinking of this, the three sped up their refining.

If they worked faster, perhaps Great Master would be pleased and reward them with some merit.

Lu Changqing did not know what they were thinking.

Even if he did, he would not reward them.

Merit was not something he could simply give away whenever he wanted.

The system strictly controlled all of it.

Just as Lu Changqing gnawed on a spiritual fruit and complained that the beings of the Primordial Wilderness were too poor,

his heart suddenly stirred.

He hurriedly tossed aside the Ginseng Fruit he had half eaten and muttered:

"So soon? I am about to break through already? Earlier than expected!"

After saying that, he glanced at the three buried in studying merit magic treasures and ordered:

"Stand guard for me!"

Then he sat cross-legged, circulated the Primordial Creation Art, and stirred the resonance of the Great Dao as it cycled through the heavens.

The Three Thousand Dao Seeds began to evolve and deduce in response.

A muffled roar like rolling thunder immediately sounded within his body.

In an instant, Three Thousand Laws intertwined and rose. Endless Dao Patterns coiled around his body, while golden lotuses of laws bloomed layer upon layer without end.

Brilliant golden light shone upon all realms. The River of Years silently emerged, with countless true meanings of the Great Dao floating along its currents.

Next, the River of Time and Space appeared as well. Hundreds of millions of stars glittered, reflecting one another with the countless acupoints of his Purple Mansion.

The Three Thousand Great Dao Laws circled endlessly around him. The aura of laws swept through Wuji Heaven, causing Ran Deng, King Father of the East, and Kunpeng's expressions to change drastically.

"What kind of ** does Great Master cultivate? He is merely breaking through to Quasi-Saint, yet he can cause the Three Thousand Laws to follow him?"

The three were Innate Gods born at the dawn of the Primordial Wilderness. Their cultivation had already reached at least the Late Quasi-Saint realm, and they had seen and experienced much.

Yet even so, they could not comprehend the profundity of the Three Thousand Laws, much less make the laws circle their bodies—such was a divine ability belonging only to Sages.

"Great Master's ** appears even more profound than what the Dao Ancestor taught!"

Ran Deng could not help sighing.

The Severing Three Corpses path, publicly acknowledged as the strongest in the Primordial Wilderness, had been taught by Dao Ancestor Hongjun and was the ultimate path pursued by countless cultivators.

Yet the beings of the world did not know that this method possessed a grave flaw: aside from Hongjun, no one could achieve Hunyuan Great Luo by severing all Three Corpses and then merging them again.

The next best was the Nine Revolutions Profound Art created by the Six Saints of the Primordial Wilderness. It could be cultivated to the Quasi-Saint realm and was a supreme ** spread after Hongjun Integrated with Dao.

In the eyes of Kunpeng and the others, who cultivated the path of Severing Three Corpses, Lu Changqing's cultivation method stood at an even higher level and faintly seemed capable of leading directly to Hunyuan Great Luo!

Just as everyone was shocked by the mystery of Lu Changqing's **, he had already completed his breakthrough.

The moment he opened his eyes, it was as if stars were extinguishing and all beings were entering Reincarnation. Wherever his gaze fell, the void shattered completely, unfathomable and profound.

With every movement, the Three Thousand Laws surrounded him, and the aura of the Great Dao shook the universe.

Boom—

An immense might swept out, instantly crushing the mountains and rivers spanning hundreds of millions of miles within Wuji Heaven.

Though he had only just entered the Quasi-Saint realm, his aura already suppressed the three great powers—Ran Deng, King Father of the East, and Kunpeng—making their minds tremble.

"Whew... I did not expect breaking through to be so easy."

Feeling the surging mana within his body, Lu Changqing let out a soft breath.

He did not care much about the Quasi-Saint realm.

After all, as long as he spent all his merit, he could directly attain the Great Dao Saint.