The West Settled, Heavenly Dao Merit Gained

Western Land. Since Luohu's self-destruction, the spiritual veins had been utterly destroyed, the earth's energy scattered, and it had already become a wasteland. Charred mountains lay like the carcasses of giant beasts, dry riverbeds were covered in cracks, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and residual demonic energy. Ordinary living beings simply could not survive here.

Li Cha stood at the foot of Mount Sumeru, looking at this land that had ended up this way due to his indirect involvement. There was not much joy of victory in his heart, but rather a heavy sense of responsibility. Especially when he saw the "descendants" of the Pure Spirit Tea Trees he had personally planted, now barely alive under the erosion of demonic energy, this sense of responsibility grew even heavier.

"Although this place was destroyed because of Luohu, it still has a karmic connection with me," Li Cha sighed softly. "Let me try to fight for a chance of survival for you."

He knew that to repair the broken earth veins of the entire Western Land, even a Saint would need to expend boundless effort and time, far beyond what he, a Golden Immortal, could achieve. He set his target on the area centered around Mount Sumeru, which had suffered relatively less damage, and where most of the tea trees were distributed.

He found a node of the earth veins, sat down cross-legged, and took out the Five Spirit Pearls, which contained the innate Five Elements origin. The five pearls floated around him, emitting five-colored lights of cyan, yellow, red, black, and white, corresponding to the Five Elements of Wood, Earth, Fire, Water, and Metal. Li Cha used his Great Mana to activate the Five Spirit Pearls, drawing on their origin power like the most precise surgical knife, carefully probing into the chaotic and fragile earth veins beneath his feet.

It was an extremely slow and tedious process. He needed to use Wood Spirit energy to awaken the remaining vitality in the earth veins, Earth Spirit power to stabilize the broken mountain structures, Water Spirit essence to guide the earth energy to gather and flow again, Fire Spirit might to refine the residual demonic energy and malice, and Metal Spirit sharpness to clear the blocked earth vein channels.

The Five Elements power mutually generated and restrained each other. Under his exquisite control, like threads in a weaver's hand, they mended the scarred land bit by bit.

Spring passed and autumn came; cold and heat alternated. Li Cha sat at the foot of Mount Sumeru like an old monk in meditation, remaining motionless for nearly a thousand years.

A thousand years was but a blink of an eye for the Primordial World, but for this land, it brought visible changes.

On the charred ground, absolute death was finally no more. Some hardy moss and lichen began to appear sporadically, clinging stubbornly to the rocks. In the depths of the dry riverbeds, there was a faint hint of moisture in the air. The nauseating, thick stench of blood and demonic energy was replaced by a faint, fresh scent of soil and new plants. Although the spiritual energy was still pitifully thin, at least life had begun to sprout again on this land.

And the tea trees that Li Cha cared about most finally had a chance to breathe. With the continuous nourishment of Li Cha's Wood Spirit origin and the improved environment, most of the tea trees gradually regained their verdant green. Although they grew slowly, they had at least escaped the fate of withering.

Some tea trees, however, underwent unexpected mutations under the long-term erosion of demonic energy and the stimulation of Li Cha's Five Elements power. Their leaves were no longer pure green but showed a dark purple or ink-green color, with faint demonic patterns flowing in the veins. They no longer emitted a tea fragrance that cleared the mind and calmed the spirit, but a strange aura that could stir inner demons and help demonic cultivators refine their demonic essence—Demonic Tea.

Li Cha looked at these mutated tea trees, stunned at first, then relieved. "The Great Dao has fifty, Heaven derives forty-nine, and one escapes. All things have a chance of survival. The Tea Dao is not only about purity and tranquility. This Demonic Tea, born here and growing here, might just be in tune with some future fortune of this Western Land."

He did not despise them for being "demonized." Instead, he felt it was an alternative expansion of the Tea Dao. He carefully selected a few tea trees with the best appearance and the most thorough mutation, along with the soil around their roots, and transplanted them into a specific area inside the Chaos Pearl, separated from the Pure Spirit Tea Trees, to study them in detail later.

When the last major earth vein node was barely cleared by Li Cha using the power of the Five Spirit Pearls, forming a weak internal cycle, he stood up tall. He felt that the promise and karma he had towards the Western Land and these tea trees had finally been settled. A sense of relief and fulfillment, like being free of a debt, welled up within him. His state of mind improved once again, becoming even more transparent and harmonious.

Just as he succeeded and stood up, a patch of Mysterious Yellow merit auspicious clouds suddenly descended from the Nine Heavens! Although its scale was far smaller than the World Creation Merit, it was still considerable, heading straight for Li Cha.

Heavenly Dao Merit!

This was the Heavenly Dao's reward for his contribution to the Primordial World by repairing the earth veins and restoring a sliver of life to the Western Land.

The Golden Light of Merit was dazzling, containing the power of the Heavenly Dao Laws. Once it merged into one's body, it could instantly elevate cultivation and enlighten one in the Dao, making it a supreme treasure that countless cultivators dreamed of.

Just as the Golden Light of Merit was about to merge into Li Cha's body and enter his meridians and Purple Mansion, a cold glint flashed in Li Cha's eyes. His mind turned swiftly, and he summoned the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella!

"Absorb!"

The Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella opened with a sound, its canopy spinning and emitting a hazy, clear light. It actively absorbed all the falling Mysterious Yellow Merit!

As soon as the Heavenly Dao Merit entered the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, it immediately encountered the purer and more vast Great Dao Merit already present within. Like a stream flowing into the sea, the Heavenly Dao Merit was instantly embraced, absorbed, and assimilated by the Great Dao Merit, unable to have any further effect on Li Cha himself.

"Hmph, a good scheme!" Li Cha sneered inwardly. This act of the Heavenly Dao, though seemingly a reward, actually harbored malicious intent. If he had absorbed this Heavenly Dao Merit, it would certainly have pushed his cultivation to the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, even touching the threshold of a Quasi-Saint. But in doing so, his Dao foundation would have become tightly bound to the Heavenly Dao. In the future, if he wanted to break free from the Heavenly Dao framework and prove the Dao through Strength to become a free and unfettered Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin, it would be almost impossible! This was nothing less than pulling up seedlings to help them grow, cutting off his future path!

"My Dao is the Great Dao of Tea. I pursue my own perfection and transcendence. How could I be bound by your Heavenly Dao Merit?" Li Cha's gaze was firm. Injecting the Heavenly Dao Merit into the Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella not only enhanced the power of this Houtian Great Dao Merit Spiritual Treasure but also completely thwarted the Heavenly Dao's scheme—killing two birds with one stone.

After dealing with the matter of the merit, Li Cha gave one last look at the tea trees gently swaying in the breeze, now adapted to their new environment, and silently bid them farewell. This matter was concluded. It was time to return to his Yun Hua Grotto-Heaven.

He did not linger any longer. His form transformed into a streak of cyan light, fleeing towards Buzhou Mountain.

Not long after Li Cha left, in a hidden earth vein space somewhere on Mount Sumeru, two auras that had been suppressed for countless years finally stopped hiding!

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two overwhelming pressures shot up into the sky, triggering changes in the celestial phenomena! Above Mount Sumeru, two patches of Transformation Tribulation clouds covering ten thousand miles instantly condensed! However, although these two patches of tribulation clouds seemed grand in scale, the power of the lightning tribulation within them was far weaker than the usual Form Transformation Tribulation of great beings. The colors were dim, and the lightning was scattered, as if they were just going through the motions.

The Heavenly Dao felt guilty towards the Western Land! Because of Luohu, the earth veins of the Western Land were completely destroyed, and all living beings suffered. When the Heavenly Dao sent down tribulation for these two divinities, who were born bearing the residual fortune of the Western Land, it unconsciously "made an exception," almost perfunctorily.

The tribulation lightning fell, and indeed, it was like a tickle. A figure holding the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree brushed out seven-colored precious light, easily sweeping away the lightning tribulation. Another figure held up the Purple Gold Alms Bowl, the mouth of the bowl emitting a suction force that absorbed all the power of the tribulation lightning.

Almost effortlessly, the two figures safely passed through the Transformation Heavenly Tribulation.

The tribulation clouds dispersed, the light faded, and the figures of two Daoists appeared.

One was tall and thin, with a face full of suffering, as if bearing all the hardships of the world. He wore a golden-threaded Kesa and held a Purple Gold Alms Bowl. His cultivation had clearly reached the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. This was Daoist Jieyin.

The other was slightly plump, with a bald head and a face showing resilience amidst suffering. He wore a brocade Kesa and held the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree. His aura was harmonious, and his cultivation had also reached the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. This was Daoist Zhunti.

The two Daoists looked at each other, then scanned this Western Land, still barren but now with a trace of life. Determination and a great vow shone in their eyes simultaneously.

"Elder Brother, the Western Land is barren, and all living beings suffer. Since we were born here, we should make a great vow to revive the Western Land and save all beings!" Zhunti's voice carried a strange power of persuasion.

Jieyin's face grew even more bitter, but he nodded heavily. "What you say, Junior Brother, is very true. The path of the Dao is long. We must work together, and even if we die a hundred times, we will not regret it!"

From then on, the two future founders of the Western Teachings officially stepped onto the stage of the Primordial World.