Chapter 13

So many Merit Treasures had been piled up as casually as garbage?

Was there any justice in this world?

Kunpeng casually tossed out another Merit Treasure and disdainfully glanced at East King Duke and the others.

While picking up another Acquired Supreme Treasure to begin refining merit, he muttered mockingly:

"A bunch of bumpkins!"

As soon as Kunpeng finished speaking, East King Duke finally managed to recover.

Before he could respond, strange glimmers flashed through the eyes of the quasi-saint retainer and the million cultivators.

The existence before them could casually discard even Merit Treasures. How terrifying must his background be?

More importantly, if they could follow such a great figure—

Perhaps one day, when he was in a good mood, he might casually bestow one or two Merit Treasures upon them.

Wouldn't that be a hundred times better than daydreaming in Purple Mansion Prefecture all day?

With that thought, the quasi-saint retainer bowed without hesitation:

"Immortal Changsheng, I am willing to guard Wuji Heaven for you!"

With him taking the lead, the three thousand retainers and million rogue cultivators of Purple Mansion Prefecture also came to their senses one after another.

They all knelt and shouted:

"Immortal Changsheng, we are all willing to protect Wuji Heaven for you!"

It was not that these cultivators were betraying their loyalties.

They had truly had no choice but to rely on East King Duke before.

If there were a better origin and a better place to go,

who would be willing to follow East King Duke?

Now that they had seen this person casually toss out Merit Treasures as though discarding dust,

the merit others dreamed of was merely an ordinary thing in his eyes.

To encounter a master with such bearing, failing to follow him promptly would be the true foolishness!

East King Duke watched as the retainers who had sworn before their departure to fight across the Great Desolation for him turned around and pledged themselves to someone else.

For a moment, he was left stunned.

He had originally come here to recruit talented people.

Who could have imagined that before he had even spoken,

all his subordinates had already gone over to someone else?

Seeing how sensible the people of Purple Mansion Prefecture were, Lu Changsheng spoke boldly:

"Very good. Since you have entered my service, I will certainly not mistreat you.

According to the rules of Wuji Heaven:

Quasi-saint mighty figures may receive one million merit every thousand years;

Grand Unity Golden Immortals may receive one hundred thousand merit every thousand years;

Grand Unity Golden Immortals of the lesser rank receive fifty thousand, decreasing in order."

Although Lu Changsheng wanted to give them more, he was constrained by the rules.

Upon hearing this, the cultivators all kowtowed and expressed their thanks:

"Thank you, Immortal Venerable Changsheng, for your generous reward!"

East King Duke was still there. When he heard that even the position of a guard came with such a reward in merit every thousand years,

he was even more shocked into silence.

The years of the Great Desolation were long, and a thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

Grand Unity Golden Immortals had lifespans of tens of millions of years, so wasting a thousand years was nothing worth caring about.

However, one hundred thousand merit was a great opportunity that might not appear even once in ten thousand years.

Yet it was being casually granted as a reward every thousand years?

While East King Duke was still immersed in shock, Lu Changsheng smiled at him and said:

"As for you, as the Head of Male Immortals, in addition to the one million merit that a quasi-saint should receive..."

You can also freely choose three items from the pile of Merit Treasures over there!

After hearing the terms Lu Changsheng proposed,

East King Duke could barely suppress his urge to accept.

But then he thought of his status as the Head of Male Immortals.

Perhaps he could negotiate an even more generous reward.

Thus, he straightened his neck and said with a resolute expression:

"Hmph, Fellow Daoist, what do you take me, the Head of Male Immortals, for?

Would I lower my head for a mere one million merit?"

Seeing East King Duke's performance, Lu Changsheng merely shrugged indifferently:

"Since you don't want it, then forget it."

Lu Changsheng was not actually short of that little merit.

However, the system did not allow him to give more.

Since he could not give the merit away, he did not force the matter.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Lu Changsheng finished speaking,

East King Duke, who had still looked righteous a moment ago, suddenly could not keep up the act.

He hurriedly grabbed Lu Changsheng's sleeve, his face covered in an ingratiating smile:

"Fellow Daoist, wait! This matter can still be discussed!"

Lu Changsheng glanced at him and waved his hand:

"There is nothing to discuss."

The system had set the price at this amount. Negotiation was impossible.

Seeing Lu Changsheng grow increasingly impatient, East King Duke hurriedly cupped his hands and shamelessly said:

"Great Master, there is no need to say more.

Great Master is willing to invite me, East King Duke, to serve as a guard because you think highly of me.

How could I refuse?"

Seeing how quickly East King Duke had changed his attitude, Randeng clicked his tongue in wonder from the side.

He had still looked aloof just now. How had he become almost the same as himself in the blink of an eye?

Kunpeng, meanwhile, revealed a knowing smile and cast East King Duke a look that said he had been there before.

It was not that they were fickle. The Great Master was simply too generous!

At this moment, East King Duke could no longer be bothered with the dignity of the Head of Male Immortals.

Faced with one million merit every thousand years,

what was the point of talking about unifying the Great Desolation?

Why care about the three thousand retainers of Purple Mansion Prefecture?

Why remain attached to the title of Head of Male Immortals?

Once he accumulated more than one hundred million merit, he could become a saint directly. Wouldn't that be far better?

Seeing East King Duke and the retainers of Purple Mansion Prefecture get recruited just like that,

Randeng was deeply shocked.

What surprised him was not that Purple Mansion Prefecture had been recruited so easily.

It was that Lu Changsheng was simply too extravagant!

Using treasures to exchange for merit was one thing.

He was even this generous when hiring a mere house guard.

A Grand Unity Golden Immortal could actually receive one hundred thousand merit as a starting salary?

Wasn't that too outrageous?

When had Grand Unity Golden Immortals become so worthless?

Were they not everywhere?

A quasi-saint could actually receive one million merit for serving as the captain of the guards?

That was a full one million merit!

In the Great Desolation World, it was an earth-shattering opportunity.

Yet all one had to do was serve as a guard for a thousand years to obtain it?

Wasn't this far more worthwhile than serving as the vice leader of the Primordial Sect?

While Randeng was shocked by Lu Changsheng's extravagance,

Lu Changsheng smiled at Randeng and asked:

"Fellow Daoist, just take out whatever treasures you brought!"

Randeng returned to his senses and hurriedly cupped his hands ingratiatingly:

"Great Master, do you think I am suitable to serve as the captain of the guards?"

After all, exchanging time for merit was much more worthwhile than exchanging treasures for merit!

Lu Changsheng was stunned by Randeng's actions.

He asked in puzzlement:

"Aren't you the vice leader of the Primordial Sect? Wouldn't it be inappropriate for you to serve as a guard here?"

Lu Changsheng was not afraid of the Primordial Heavenly Lord.

As someone protected by the Heavenly Dao, why should he fear Primordial?

He merely found it troublesome.

After all, Saint Primordial cared most about his reputation.

Randeng had clearly prepared for this long ago.

Hearing Lu Changsheng's question, he answered shamelessly:

"Master Primordial will be in seclusion for at least a thousand years this time.

I only ask to serve the Great Master for a thousand years!"

Hearing the word "serve," Lu Changsheng could not help marveling at the thickness of Randeng's skin.

He was practically comparable to the Two Sages of the West.

But then he thought it over. Since he would be spending merit anyway, there was no harm in accepting him as a guard for a thousand years.

Thus, he nodded and agreed:

"That works.

You can receive the remuneration for the quasi-saint level!"

Randeng was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed in thanks:

"Thank you, Great Master!"

After successfully accepting three guard captains and several guards,

Lu Changsheng had them make the Heavenly Dao Oath.

Then he calculated the merit expenditure every thousand years.

The three guard captains, together with Kunpeng, amounted to four million merit in total.

Adding the three thousand Grand Unity Golden Immortals and million rogue cultivators from Purple Mansion Prefecture,

the total was only four hundred million merit.

After calculating this figure, Lu Changsheng could not help staring blankly for a moment.

Then Lu Changsheng estimated how many years it would take to exhaust one hundred trillion merit at this rate.

After a rough calculation, he found that spending four hundred million merit every thousand years meant it would take two hundred and fifty million years to spend it all.

After obtaining this result, Lu Changsheng could not help complaining:

"Spending only four hundred million merit every thousand years is still too slow!"

Although the years of the Great Desolation were endless and no one counted the years, two hundred and fifty million years was still far too distant.

Lu Changsheng did not have the patience to wait that long.

At this moment, the three quasi-saint mighty figures beside him, who were exchanging greetings and pleasantries, were also stunned by Lu Changsheng's words.

Four hundred million merit spent in a thousand years? That was a full four hundred million merit! It was more than enough for East King Duke and the other two to all prove the Dao and become saints together.

Yet the Great Master had spent it all in just a thousand years?

How extravagant did one have to be?

Thinking of this, the three mighty figures of the Great Desolation exchanged a glance, their eyes full of jealousy and envy, and muttered softly:

"What a super spendthrift..."

Lu Changsheng did not hear their discussion.

After helplessly complaining about how slowly he was spending his wealth, he turned his gaze toward East King Duke and Randeng.

Although their treasures probably could not be exchanged for much merit, even a mosquito's leg was still meat.

He immediately said, "You two should take out your treasures as well. I will exchange all of them for merit."

After hearing Lu Changsheng's instructions, East King Duke and Randeng did not refuse.

After all, aside from their Companion Spiritual Treasures and some important treasures, exchanging the rest for merit was not a loss.

However, upon closer inspection, the best treasures the two quasi-saints brought out were only High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. There was nothing particularly dazzling to Lu Changsheng.

Thus, Lu Changsheng had Kunpeng take everything. He exchanged eight million merit for Randeng and five million merit for East King Duke.

The two were overwhelmed with excitement after obtaining such a vast amount of merit, and they thanked him repeatedly.

With Lu Changsheng's permission, they each established a dwelling in Wuji Heaven and entered secluded cultivation to refine the merit.

Meanwhile, beyond Wuji Heaven—

Several spatiotemporal rifts quietly opened, and Ming He, Zhen Yuanzi, and Hong Yun appeared at the same time.

The three exchanged glances before courteously yielding to one another.

"Fellow Daoist, you go first!"

The three had encountered one another while traversing space and time.

This meeting was brought about by the Ancestral Shaman Houtu.

During the fierce battle between the Witch and Demon Clans, Houtu had actually used her primordial spirit to activate a magic treasure and easily repelled Fuxi of the Demon Clan, causing her reputation to soar and shaking the Primordial World.

All living beings in the Primordial World knew that the Witch Clan originally had no primordial spirits, yet they had already stood at the pinnacle of Heaven and Earth by relying solely on their physical bodies.

If they obtained primordial spirits to cultivate as well, the Witch Clan's power would surely become even more boundless.

More importantly—the primordial spirit Houtu had obtained had actually been exchanged for merit from Wuji Heaven!

Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun, and Ming He had been drawn here precisely because of this matter.

Opportunities in the Primordial World were rare. With such an opportunity before them, how could they miss it?

After a brief conversation, the three set off together.

After a brief bout of courtesy, they transmitted their voices in unison:

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, Zhen Yuanzi (Hong Yun) (Ming He) have come to pay you a visit!"

At that moment, Lu Changsheng was fretting over how slowly his merit was being spent. When he suddenly heard that three great powers had come to visit, he could not help but feel delighted.

Zhen Yuanzi was the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals. He possessed countless treasures, as well as an Innate Spiritual Root like the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

Even if he did not trade away the spiritual root, the Ginseng Fruits would still be excellent.

Ming He had lived in the Sea of Blood for ages and had accumulated abundant resources in his quest to become a Saint. His wealth was likewise considerable.

And Hong Yun was even more extraordinary—he actually possessed a strand of Primordial Violet Qi!

The value of this item far surpassed that of ordinary Innate Supreme Treasures.

If he exchanged it for merit and asked for three hundred to five hundred million, it would absolutely not be excessive.

With this thought in mind, Lu Changsheng immediately replied:

"Please come in!"

The three entered before Changsheng Palace.

At a glance, they saw Kunpeng, East King Duke, and Daoist Burning Lamp, all of the same generation.

Hong Yun greeted them with a smile. "I didn't expect the three Fellow Daoists to be here as well."

East King Duke replied, "Daoist Burning Lamp and I serve as the Great Master's guards here, while Fellow Daoist Kunpeng is the Great Master's mount."