Chapter 11

East King Duke said this to the cultivators who had come to seek refuge at his dojo in Purple Mansion Prefecture.

"What the Great Master says is absolutely right. We are willing to follow the Great Master to Wuji Peak."

The cultivators who had come to pledge themselves to East King Duke because of his title as Head of Male Immortals all expressed their desire to follow him.

East King Duke's ambition had always been to unify the Primordial World.

The cultivators who followed him were mostly rogue cultivators.

If East King Duke could unify the Primordial World, it would naturally benefit them greatly.

Hearing his subordinates' response, East King Duke revealed a confident smile.

He then led everyone through spacetime, heading straight for Wuji Peak.

At that moment, countless living beings across the Primordial World fell into a frenzy after hearing Kunpeng's proclamation.

Unlike the mighty figures of the Primordial World, they did not care about schemes or traps at all.

After all, they possessed little wealth, and the mighty figures usually did not value them.

For a time, billions upon billions of living beings across the Primordial World surged toward Wuji Heaven like a tidal wave.

However, their cultivation was still shallow, so crossing the vast Primordial World would take considerable time.

Meanwhile, Wuji Heaven was bustling with activity.

Although there were countless living beings in the Primordial World, most were extremely far from Lu Changsheng.

Still, quite a few living beings who lived nearby brought all their possessions and lined up in Wuji Heaven to exchange them for merit.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, treasures, and spiritual roots these living beings brought were of mediocre quality.

After exchanging tens of thousands of treasures, Lu Changsheng had not spent much merit.

He could not help muttering disdainfully:

"What a bunch of paupers. They exchanged so many things, yet only used up ten million merit!"

Nearby, Kunpeng was helping Lu Changsheng refine treasures with merit, tears in his eyes and frustration filling his heart.

The Great Master truly showed no consideration for poor cultivators like us.

He had spent ten million merit so casually. If only he had given it all to me!

Exchanging treasures would have been one thing, but he even accepted those worthless spiritual roots. He truly had more merit than he knew how to spend!

Although Kunpeng yearned for that merit beyond measure, he could only sigh silently.

However, before Lu Changsheng gave the order, Kunpeng did not dare use even a trace of that merit.

After all, he had once sworn a Heavenly Dao Oath. Even using a single wisp without permission would cause the Heavenly Dao to annihilate him.

This tormented Kunpeng even more—it was like letting a beggar who had starved for three days and three nights enter a banquet hall filled with delicacies, only allowing him to serve the dishes without touching a single morsel.

Just as Kunpeng was unwillingly refining Merit Treasures, a gentle voice slowly rang out:

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, Houtu of the Demon Race is here to pay you a visit."

Hearing Houtu's voice transmission, Lu Changsheng immediately swept away his earlier displeasure and looked delighted.

"A major figure is finally here!"

He promptly replied via voice transmission, "Fellow Daoist Houtu, please come in!"

After receiving Lu Changsheng's permission, Houtu entered Wuji Heaven with Xing Tian.

Since it was someone else's dojo, they naturally could not fly about freely, as a show of respect.

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, it has been a while."

Houtu walked outside Changsheng Palace and greeted him with a smile.

Nearby, Xing Tian stared intently at Demon Master Kunpeng, his expression guarded. He had always harbored doubts about Lu Changsheng, and he found the exchange of treasures and spiritual roots for merit even more suspicious.

Lu Changsheng did not mind Xing Tian's vigilance. He merely nodded slightly and asked bluntly:

"I wonder how many treasures Fellow Daoist Houtu brought this time to exchange for merit?"

These words made Xing Tian even more wary. He feared Lu Changsheng was simply trying to seize their treasures by force.

Houtu, however, harbored no suspicions. After all, the person before her had once casually gifted her one hundred thousand merit and even instructed her in cultivating the primordial spirit. How could he possibly intend to deceive her?

She immediately took out her treasures and spiritual roots and said frankly, "Please don't blame me, Fellow Daoist Changsheng. I came in haste and did not have time to prepare more. I only brought these treasures, spiritual roots, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures."

In recent days, Lu Changsheng had already received many ordinary items, so he carefully examined the treasures Houtu presented.

Soon, his eyes lit up.

"A Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure?"

As expected of a Demon Race Ancestor Witch. Even though she had not brought much, her first offering was already a "Primordial Violet Gold Hairpin."

It was a spiritual object born from the heavens, displaying extraordinary wealth.

Houtu explained with a faint smile, "This item can break through formations, pierce armor, and strike directly at the source of an opponent's primordial spirit."

During the era when the Demon Race and the Demon Race stood together in the Primordial World, the two races had both been the most powerful clans in existence, each possessing countless treasures and spiritual objects.

However, the Demon Race had been born without primordial spirits and could not activate the power of treasures. Most of these precious items could only be used for display.

After hearing Houtu's explanation, Lu Changsheng happily put away the treasure.

The remaining lower-quality Innate Spiritual Treasures, spiritual fruits, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were handed to Kunpeng to organize and tally.

"Great Master, including that Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the total comes to twelve million merit."

After calculating the total, Kunpeng reported it while forcefully suppressing his heartache.

Having to give away all those tens of millions of merit made it truly difficult for him to remain calm.

Lu Changsheng looked pleased upon hearing this.

Although ten million merit was not an enormous amount, it was already far more than what those penniless cultivators possessed.

If several more mighty figures came to exchange treasures, would accumulating tens or hundreds of billions of merit not be within reach?

Thinking of this, he happily took out twelve million merit in a golden radiance of auspicious clouds and handed it to Houtu. "This is the merit required for the exchange."

Houtu accepted the Golden Cloud of Merit, her eyes shining with delight. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Changsheng."

Twelve million merit was enough to make her primordial spirit much stronger. Her most urgent task now was to tell her brothers about this and invite them to come exchange merit as well, so they could condense complete primordial spirits as soon as possible.

Xing Tian, who had remained on guard the entire time, was stunned when he saw the Golden Cloud of Merit in Houtu's hands.

This person truly was willing to exchange merit for treasures and spiritual roots! There was actually such an opportunity in the world!

After standing there dumbfounded for a while, Xing Tian suddenly came to his senses. He completely abandoned his earlier wariness and hurriedly took out all his treasured magical items, spiritual roots, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, revealing a brilliant smile.

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, I also wish to exchange them for merit!"

Kunpeng watched Xing Tian's figure drift away as if in a dream, his heart filled with envy. "If only I had known, I should have accumulated more treasures."

Then he remembered that he would receive fifty million merit after serving the Great Master for tens of thousands of years, and his spirits rose again.

With another strand of Primordial Violet Qi, becoming a Saint on the spot would not be difficult at all.

At this thought, a fawning smile immediately spread across Kunpeng's face.

He hurried over to Lu Changsheng, who was pouring merit into a treasure, and bowed as he asked:

"Great Master, is there anything this humble one can do for you?"

Lu Changsheng casually tossed the spiritual treasure, now filled with merit, behind him. It drifted lightly into the mountain of radiance—the entire pile of treasures consisted of Acquired Spiritual Treasures filled with merit.

Although most of them were low-grade, the sight still made Kunpeng's heart burn with excitement.

Who knew how badly this impoverished cultivator longed to possess several pieces of "junk" in the Great Master's eyes?

After counting the newly refined Merit Treasures, Lu Changsheng glanced at the nearly untouched merit value in the system and could not help frowning as he muttered:

"I only used up this little merit?"

Hearing him mutter, Kunpeng was so envious that he nearly drooled.

It truly fulfilled the saying: ten thousand years of bitter cultivation could not compare to being favored by destiny.

Things others regarded as worthless were treasures he could never obtain no matter how much he begged.

"The Great Master truly is favored by destiny!"

After Houtu's departure, the number of mighty figures from the Primordial World who came to visit gradually decreased. Most of those who came were ordinary cultivators from the Primordial Continent.

Until one day, a minor clash erupted between the Demon Race and the Demon Race.

Houtu actually offered up a treasure and heavily wounded a Demon Race Great Sage.

The matter shook the entire Primordial World. The Demon Race had been born without primordial spirits, and even with countless treasures, they could not recognize them as masters or activate them.

Houtu's attack meant that she had broken through the shackles of her bloodline and condensed a primordial spirit!

As news of Houtu condensing a primordial spirit spread in all directions, the news that she had transformed after receiving tens of millions of merit from Lu Changsheng also spread rapidly.

In an instant, the mighty figures of the Primordial World who had been watching from the sidelines all set out.

The ordinary cultivators traveled day and night as well, tearing through the void from every corner of the Primordial World, seeking only to reach Wuji Heaven as soon as possible and exchange their treasures for merit.

Meanwhile, Daoist Burning Lamp, an ancient Quasi-Saint who belonged to the same generation as the Six Sages, also learned that Houtu had obtained a primordial spirit.

At first, he had been half-convinced and half-doubtful about Lu Changsheng's claim that treasures could be exchanged for merit. After hearing that Houtu had broken through her bloodline restriction, he believed it by seventy percent.

Moreover, Saint Primordial had once helped Lu Changsheng open up the Great Thousand World.

After returning, he immediately entered seclusion and left the Chan Sect in Daoist Burning Lamp's care.

Daoist Burning Lamp could not help guessing that Primordial Heavenly Lord might also have obtained tremendous merit from Lu Changsheng.

All these reasons filled Daoist Burning Lamp with intense interest in Lu Changsheng.

"Could this truly be a great opportunity?"

At this thought, Daoist Burning Lamp found it increasingly difficult to suppress his excitement.

"Looks like I really should go and investigate!"

Daoist Burning Lamp promptly gave the Twelve Golden Immortals a few hurried instructions before leaving Kunlun Mountain and heading toward Wuji Heaven.

Just as he was traveling through spacetime, he happened to encounter East King Duke, who was leading many Purple Mansion Prefecture retainers toward Wuji Peak.

They were both among the Three Thousand Guests of the Red Dust and ancient mighty figures, so Daoist Burning Lamp naturally recognized East King Duke, who was known as the Head of Male Immortals.

However, most cultivators in the Primordial World did not truly take East King Duke's title of "Head of Male Immortals" seriously.

"Oh—isn't this Fellow Daoist East King Duke?"

Although he did not care about the title, Daoist Burning Lamp still habitually greeted him upon meeting.

"So it is Fellow Daoist Daoist Burning Lamp. Why are you not cultivating in seclusion on Kunlun Mountain? Where are you headed?"

East King Duke replied with a smile when he heard the voice.

Daoist Burning Lamp's reputation among his peers was not particularly good. His shameless eagerness for opportunities was practically comparable to that of the Two Sages of the West.

It was no wonder that he would join the Western Teachings after the Investiture of the Gods.

When East King Duke asked about his destination, Daoist Burning Lamp did not answer directly. Instead, he grew curious about where East King Duke and the others were going.

He probed, "I'm merely taking a casual stroll.

"But with the Primordial World in such an uproar lately, I wonder what Fellow Daoist thinks of it?"

As soon as East King Duke heard the probing question, he guessed that Daoist Burning Lamp was most likely heading to Wuji Heaven.

With his shameless nature when it came to opportunities, he would certainly go and try after hearing that treasures could be exchanged for merit.

But East King Duke still cared about his reputation.

If the exchange of treasures succeeded, it would naturally be a great opportunity. If it failed, however, he would probably become a laughingstock throughout the Primordial World.

Moreover, when cultivators of the same level fought in the Primordial World, those with more spiritual treasures often held the advantage.

Therefore, even if he intended to exchange treasures, he would never publicly admit it.

With this thought, East King Duke spoke without hesitation:

"Hmph, such an absurd rumor naturally cannot be taken seriously.

"It is probably just Daoist Changsheng and the Demon Race colluding to play some trick!

"Fellow Daoist, do you really believe such nonsense?"

Hearing East King Duke's decisive reply,

Daoist Burning Lamp, shameless as he was, found it difficult to reveal the truth.

Besides, one fewer person exchanging merit meant one fewer competitor.

It would naturally be best if East King Duke did not go.

Thinking of this, Daoist Burning Lamp immediately nodded in agreement.

"Fellow Daoist East King Duke is right!

"Which respectable person would believe such nonsense?

"It is nothing but wishful thinking!"

Seeing how decisively Daoist Burning Lamp answered,

East King Duke could not help wondering whether he had guessed wrong.

Without revealing anything on his face, he merely smiled and probed:

"That's right. What respectable person would believe such nonsense?

"By the way, where are you planning to go next?"

Daoist Burning Lamp gazed into the boundless void and smiled.

"I plan to take a stroll around Buzhou Mountain. Where are you headed, Fellow Daoist East King Duke?"

East King Duke also looked toward the void and replied:

"We are preparing to head to the Demon Race Heavenly Court.

"Looks like we are not going the same way."

Daoist Burning Lamp understood and nodded when he heard this.