Scheming for Merit, the Moral Kidnapping Array Arrives

Outside Purple Cloud Palace.

The Great Powers once again warmly invited Hongyun to visit their Daoist sanctuaries.

Hongyun could only politely tell most of them, "Next time, certainly."

Only Laozi's gaze upon Hongyun as they parted was rather strange, with traces of mutual admiration hidden within his deep eyes.

Had Hongyun not known what Laozi would be like in later generations, he might have mistaken him for having a fondness for men.

Zhunti and Jieyin, on the other hand, made a rather quick escape.

After bidding Hongyun farewell, Minghe and Kunpeng also swiftly returned to their Daoist sanctuaries.

It could not be helped. The grudge these four had formed over yielding their seats during the previous sermon had wasted a full hundred thousand years.

Now that they had reached an agreement, they were all eager to return and cultivate bitterly, hoping to raise their cultivation and realm by the time Purple Cloud Palace held its third sermon, so they could catch up to the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the other top Great Powers.

"Brother Hongyun, are you planning to return to your Daoist sanctuary this time? Or will you come back with us to Buzhou Mountain and see how the Wu Clan has developed?" Dijiang patted Hongyun on the shoulder and asked eagerly.

Hongyun, who had been gazing into Chaos, came back to himself. He swept his gaze over the Twelve Ancestral Witches before finally turning his eyes toward Zhen Yuanzi.

"Brother Zhen Yuanzi, are you planning to return to Longevity Mountain for secluded cultivation?"

Zhen Yuanzi nodded. "Indeed. Your elder brother has precisely that intention. If Virtuous Younger Brother Hongyun has something to do, I can return later. There is no hurry."

A smile could not help appearing on Hongyun's face at those words, and a trace of warmth flowed through his heart.

Zhen Yuanzi truly was his close friend. He was willing to delay his cultivation just to help him handle something. It was only right that Hongyun make some plans for him.

Hongyun casually replied, "It is not anything important. Rather, there is a matter of merit that I wish to entrust to Brother Zhen Yuanzi and my twelve brothers and sisters to handle together."

"Merit?"

The Twelve Ancestral Witches and Zhen Yuanzi cried out in unison, thinking they had misheard.

"That is right. If This poor Daoist is not mistaken, Brother Zhen Yuanzi and all my brothers and sisters should be able to obtain quite a bit of merit."

Hongyun's words made the Ancestral Witches and Zhen Yuanzi begin breathing heavily.

That was merit!

In the Primordial Wilderness, merit was like an all-purpose miracle substance. It could raise one's cultivation and increase one's realm.

Whether refining artifacts or concocting pills, adding even a wisp of merit would produce endless marvelous effects.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches had inherited Pangu's legacy and carried World-Opening Merit upon them, so they naturally understood the importance of merit to Primordial Wilderness cultivators.

It could be said that with sufficient merit, one's fortune would endure for ages, and everything would go smoothly.

Even Saints would not dare lightly lay hands on such a person, lest they damage their own fortune.

Yet from Pangu's Creation of Heaven and Earth until now, aside from World-Opening Merit, no one had heard of anyone obtaining merit.

That was why Hongyun's words shocked them so greatly.

"Virtuous Younger Brother Hongyun, your elder brother naturally desires such a matter of merit beyond measure. But you came up with the idea. If there is merit to be gained, it should be you who does it. How could your elder brother shamelessly take your merit?"

Zhen Yuanzi truly was an honest man. Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively refused Hongyun.

There was even a trace of anger at Hongyun's failure to strive in his expression, as though blaming him for handing this matter over to him.

Hongyun could not help being moved by his words.

"No wonder Brother Zhen Yuanzi would become the Earth Immortal Ancestor in later generations. With such sincerity in how he treats others, how many people in the entire Primordial Wilderness could compare with him?"

Zhen Yuanzi's words did not merely fill Hongyun with emotion; even the Twelve Ancestral Witches were shaken by them.

Yet Zhen Yuanzi's words were also what they had been thinking.

"Ah! Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, just for those words you spoke today, from now on, you are this Zhurong's brother!"

Zhurong laughed and reached out to punch Zhen Yuanzi's shoulder.

The sudden fist made Zhen Yuanzi grimace in pain.

Rubbing his shoulder, he complained to Zhurong, "Fellow Daoist Zhurong, please hold back a little. This poor Daoist has a weak body; I cannot withstand several punches from you."

Zhen Yuanzi knew that Zhurong was expressing closeness, so there was no blame in his tone.

"Hehehe! My fault, my fault. I did not think of it for a moment."

Zhurong sheepishly withdrew his hand, and the sight made Hongyun and the Ancestral Witches unable to suppress their laughter.

After they had laughed and chatted for a while, Hongyun finally said solemnly to Zhen Yuanzi, "Brother Zhen Yuanzi, you have misunderstood This poor Daoist. It is not that I do not wish to do this matter of merit, but that it requires Brother Zhen Yuanzi's Companion Spirit Treasure, the Earth Book."

"Surely you would not have Brother Zhen Yuanzi transfer the Earth Book to This poor Daoist?"

Hongyun spread his hands and even made a joke at the end.

Who would have thought that Zhen Yuanzi would glare at him, turn around, and pull a yellowish-brown ancient tome from his Sea of Consciousness before stuffing it into Hongyun's hands.

Hongyun stood there dumbfounded. Seeing Zhen Yuanzi about to sever his connection with the Earth Book, this Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, he hurriedly stopped him.

"You must not, you must not! Your younger brother was joking with you!"

Hongyun hurriedly stuffed the Earth Book back, staring at the overly serious Zhen Yuanzi with black lines across his face.

"How could a little merit and a mere Innate Spiritual Treasure compare to the friendship you and I have shared for so many years? Virtuous Younger Brother Hongyun, do not look down on your elder brother!"

Hongyun said anxiously, "Dao Brother, don't slander me. This poor Daoist absolutely has no such intention!"

After much persuasion, Hongyun finally talked Zhen Yuanzi down. This was simply more exhausting than giving Zhunti a savage beating.

Zhunti: Is that polite?

"Brother Hongyun, how exactly are we supposed to obtain this merit? Hurry and tell us in detail!" Seeing Hongyun and Zhen Yuanzi stop, Zhu Jiu Yin hurriedly asked.

Only then did Hongyun lay everything out. "This plan will ultimately have to be carried out in the West..."

Ten thousand long years later, in the west of the Primordial Wilderness.

From within a shattered Earth Vein came the sounds of hammering and pounding, rushing water and blazing flames.

"That's right, Zhurong, hurry and melt it down! Your flames truly are remarkable! Stop staring, Gong Gong—quickly use your exquisite water-controlling divine ability to clear the water channels! Dao Brother Zhen Yuanzi, you and Younger Sister Houtu's Law of Earth are among the finest in the Primordial Wilderness. Quickly suppress this Earth Vein!"

[ Ding, the host has praised Zhurong. Congratulations, the host has randomly obtained a reward: Body Refinement Comprehension Fragment x1 ]

[ Ding, the host has praised Gong Gong. Congratulations, the host has randomly obtained a reward: Three Lights Divine Water x1 ]

[ Ding, the host has praised Zhen Yuanzi. Congratulations, the host has randomly obtained a reward: Ginseng Fruit x1 ]

[ Ding, the host has praised Houtu. Congratulations, the host has randomly obtained a reward: Law of Earth Fragment x1 ]

[...]

Zhen Yuanzi and the Twelve Ancestral Witches each employed their own methods, suppressing and repairing the shattered Earth Vein.

At the same time, the Sha Qi leaking from the Earth Vein was absorbed one by one into the bodies of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Meanwhile, Hongyun was like a construction foreman, pointing and gesturing at everyone. As he supervised their work, he gnawed on a Spirit Fruit in his hand.

Every now and then, he even praised them a few times and sheared some wool off the sheep.

These days were simply too wonderful!

"I'm not trying to criticize you, Brother Hongyun, but you control all kinds of laws better than any of us. Can't you lend a hand? You keep loafing around here, and you still have the nerve to keep yapping?"

Drenched in sweat, Zhurong had just melted a chunk of underground ore into magma with true fire. After glancing at Hongyun, who was eating a Spirit Fruit, his anger immediately flared.

Hongyun stuffed the Spirit Fruit into his mouth in a few quick bites and gave a cold snort.

"It's not that this poor Daoist can't make a move. But if everyone's share of merit ends up smaller and isn't enough to break through to the Quasi-Saint realm, then what?"

"And when Brother Dijiang comes looking for trouble with this poor Daoist, don't blame this poor Daoist for selling you out."

Hearing this, Zhurong recalled Dijiang's hard iron fists and could not help but shudder.

Thus, the miserable fellow could only pull a long face and continue burying himself in hard labor.

How bitter!