Chapter 22

The wails echoing through the Sea of Blood left the Asura Clan trembling in body and spirit.

Jealousy drove people mad.

At the same time, resentful voices rang out from the quasi-saints' retreats across the Primordial World.

Every great expert was green with envy.

There was no need to exchange magic treasures. Merely opening up a Great Thousand World could earn ten million merit. It truly was a heaven-sent opportunity.

They could only lament that their own strength fell short!

While the Primordial World was in turmoil and the saints were consumed by jealousy, Lu Changsheng had already distributed the miles of Golden Cloud of Merit according to their contributions.

"The Two Sages of the West jointly opened two worlds and received twenty million merit.

"The Three Pure Ones each opened two worlds, six worlds in total, and received sixty million merit.

"Saint Nuwa opened one world and received twelve million merit."

The saints were all puzzled upon hearing this. Saint Nuwa had opened only one world, so why had she received two million more merit?

Nuwa was puzzled as well. "Fellow Daoist Changsheng, could there be a mistake in the amount of merit?"

Lu Changsheng explained with a smile, "The world Saint Nuwa opened has complete laws and teems with life. It far surpasses the worlds created by the other saints.

"Thus, I specially added two million as a reward."

But that was merely a matter of time.

After evolving for several tens of thousands of years, life would appear all the same, reaching the level of Nuwa's creation.

But Lu Changsheng did not care about that. He only wanted to consume more merit.

After hearing Lu Changsheng's explanation, the saints understood as well.

This was indeed something they could not compare with.

After all, Nuwa primarily cultivated the Great Dao of Creation.

Creating life and enlightening spirits was precisely her specialty.

After hearing Lu Changsheng's explanation, Nuwa happily accepted it as well.

After all, this counted as an unexpected delight!

Once everything had been explained, Lu Changsheng distributed the merit to the saints one by one.

After receiving tens of millions of merit, the saints immediately beamed with joy.

The difficulty of opening a Great Thousand World, the problem of expending their origins—none of it mattered anymore.

The Two Sages of the West were so delighted that they could barely close their mouths.

They secretly shouted in their hearts:

What do you mean by livestock? Fellow Daoist, please don't hold back. Treat us like donkeys in a production team and squeeze us as hard as you like!

Of course, they could not actually say such words aloud.

They could only say with dignity, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Changsheng. We will complete the goal of ten million Great Thousand Worlds as quickly as possible!"

After hearing this, the other saints no longer showed the slightest resistance.

They had obtained tens of millions of merit in just a few hundred years. Only an idiot would refuse.

Who was it? Who had just objected so vehemently?

As for that idiot, who knew who it was?

Seeing the saints full of fighting spirit, Lu Changsheng smiled in satisfaction.

Sure enough, money could make the devil turn a millstone.

With merit, even saints were willing to turn the millstone.

However, looking at the mere six saints, Lu Changsheng felt that no matter how hard he squeezed them, the progress could not become much faster.

Even at their fastest, opening a Great Thousand World would take at least a hundred years.

Opening worlds continuously consumed a tremendous amount of energy, and they also needed time to recover.

At this rate, the six saints would need several million years to open ten million Great Thousand Worlds.

It still seemed rather slow.

Thinking of this, Lu Changsheng began to ponder seriously.

"With only six saints, the progress is truly too slow. Should I find a way to create several dozen more saints?"

Hearing Lu Changsheng mutter to himself, the Six Sages turned to stone on the spot.

Boss, was that something a human would say?

Saints!

They were supreme existences that had once dominated the Primordial World, ruled the universe, and intimidated all beneath heaven.

Could such beings really be created casually?

Tongtian shook his head and sighed.

"To become a saint, one must at the very least possess an extraordinary Origin/Foundation and profound cultivation.

"Furthermore, one must possess the opportunity to become a saint.

"Or possess Primordial Violet Qi.

"As for merit, with Fellow Daoist Changsheng here, that is not a problem.

"But even so, people who meet the conditions are exceedingly difficult to find."

Hearing Tongtian's lament, several saints nodded in agreement.

After all, the six of them had gone through countless hardships before becoming saints.

If saints could be created casually, then what would that make the six of them?

After hearing Tongtian's words and thinking seriously, Lu Changsheng nodded.

"You're right, Fellow Daoist. It seems that if I want to create more saints, I still have to find a way to obtain more Primordial Violet Qi!"

Seeing the seriousness on Lu Changsheng's face, the Six Sages exchanged glances.

For a moment, they were all somewhat dumbfounded.

They felt that this quasi-saint junior before them seemed to exist in an entirely different realm from them.

His train of thought was bizarre and impossible to fathom.

Even as saints, they could not keep up with Lu Changsheng's ideas.

Lu Changsheng did not notice the astonishment on the Six Sages' faces.

Nor did he care.

Once he had figured things out, he smiled and encouraged the saints a few times before taking his leave.

"Fellow saints, keep working hard!

"I have something else to do, so I'll be off first!"

After saying this, Lu Changsheng traversed the void and returned to Wuji Heaven.

The Six Sages remained silent for a long time after he left.

Nuwa suddenly felt something and frowned.

"Do you think it's possible that... Fellow Daoist Changsheng wasn't joking?

"He truly wants to create several dozen saints—"

As soon as she said this, the saints' expressions stiffened.

A certain scene involuntarily surfaced in their minds.

One day, several dozen new saints suddenly emerged across the Primordial World.

Lu Changsheng led this group of "self-created saints" before the Six Sages, who were laboring to open the heavens, and said with a radiant smile, "Fellow Daoists, these are the newly promoted saints of our Heaven-Opening Production Team. From now on, they'll open the heavens together with you."

At the thought of this scene, the saints' hearts shook, and their expressions changed dramatically.

I have something to say in my heart, but I truly don't know whether I should say it!

After Lu Changsheng returned to Wuji Heaven,

he did not remain idle.

Since he had nothing else to do anyway,

he simply continued expanding his retreat in Wuji Heaven.

He used several million merit to temper the completed palace complex inside and out.

The palace complex contained one main hall, sixteen auxiliary halls, and three hundred and sixty-five side halls.

After tempering everything, Lu Changsheng still felt that something was missing.

After taking a careful look, he realized that his palace complex lacked a treasury.

As the richest man in the Primordial World, with treasures amounting to three-tenths of the countless living beings' treasures throughout the Primordial World, how could he have no treasury?

Thinking of this, Lu Changsheng casually built a treasury and, out of habit, tempered it with merit as well.

Only after finishing all this did he nod in satisfaction. He looked at the three dumbstruck figures beside him—Kunpeng and the others—and casually handed them three brooms.

"You're idle anyway, so sweep all those mountainlike piles of treasures into the treasury."

The treasury looked small, but it contained a universe within. It was more than large enough to hold those treasures.

After hearing Lu Changsheng's words, the three of them grew even more foolish, staring blankly at the three brooms.

These were clearly treasures, not garbage!

Xiantian Merit Spirit Treasures, Postnatal Merit Supreme Treasures, and all kinds of spirit roots and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures—yet they were actually going to sweep them with brooms?

If treasures possessed spirits, they would probably die of grievance.

Cultivators outside fought until their heads bled for these treasures and cherished them dearly;

yet here, they were being treated exactly like garbage.

Was this something a human being would do?

The three of them—Randeng and the others—stood dazed for a long while. In the end, they could only shake their heads helplessly and force out a sentence.

"This is probably the tedious daily life of the rich!"

Just as Randeng and the other two were sweeping the treasures into the treasury with tears in their eyes,

the Twelve Ancestor Witches came to visit Wuji Heaven.

"The Witch Clan's Twelve Ancestor Witches have come to pay their respects to Immortal Venerable Changsheng!"

Lu Changsheng now had only one thought: opening the heavens. But even the smallest mosquito was still meat,

so he calmly transmitted his voice. "Enter."

After receiving permission, the hot-tempered Zhurong rushed into Changsheng Palace in a fiery hurry,

shouting confidently, "Fellow Daoist Changsheng, we brought many treasures to exchange this time. You'll definitely be stunned when you see them!"

Upon hearing Zhurong's words, Lu Changsheng, who had been reclining in his chair, slowly opened his eyes and spoke with a hint of amusement.

"What did you just say?"

The three of them—Randeng and the others—who were sweeping the treasures with brooms also raised their heads and silently looked toward the confidently approaching Zhurong.

Zhurong entered Changsheng Palace with a radiant smile and glanced around. The smile on his face suddenly froze.

His entire person stood rooted to the spot.

What he saw before him was utterly unbelievable.

Those items casually piled up like miscellaneous objects were all treasures?

They were actually sweeping treasures with brooms?

And those hundreds of palaces were all suffused with golden merit light? They had actually used merit to temper the palaces?

Short of an idea so rare it appeared only once in ten million years, who could have thought of using merit for such a thing?

The Ancestor Witches who arrived afterward also witnessed everything. For a time, they were speechless and did not know how to begin.

Seeing everyone arrive, Lu Changsheng rose with a smile and instructed East King Duke beside him.

"Little Dong, prepare some tea."

"As you command, Great Master."

Upon hearing this, East King Duke immediately set down the broom in his hand and turned toward the side hall to prepare immortal tea.

The Twelve Ancestor Witches recognized East King Duke and were shocked.

"Isn't that East King Duke of Purple Mansion Prefecture?"

"A great expert of the Primordial World is actually sweeping the floor and making tea here?"

The Twelve Ancestor Witches struggled to calm their emotions and felt that Wuji Heaven was even more unfathomable.

"Fellow Daoists, please sit."

Lu Changsheng invited them to take their seats, then smiled at Zhurong.

"I wonder how many treasures you brought? Let this venerable one broaden his horizons as well."

Upon hearing this, Zhurong's face immediately flushed red. He lowered his head, not daring to meet Lu Changsheng's eyes.

Before this great expert who regarded treasures as dust, he was practically no different from a beggar.

Houtu, who was more attentive, noticed her elder brother's embarrassment. With a smile, she took out all the treasures and said, "Fellow Daoist Changsheng, you jest. They are merely ordinary objects. How could they possibly catch your eye?"

As she spoke, several hundred treasures floated in the air before her.

Houtu casually clenched her hand, and a Postnatal Merit Supreme Treasure—the Primordial Measure Heaven Ruler—appeared in her palm.

"This is the foremost Postnatal offensive Merit Supreme Treasure. It shares the same origin as the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda.

"Both were formed from the merit gathered when the heavens and earth were opened in ancient times."

After hearing Houtu's explanation,

Lu Changsheng happily accepted the first magic treasure.

He had always favored offensive magic treasures. This one looked more suited to his hand than the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda.

Seeing the satisfaction on Lu Changsheng's face, Houtu smiled and reached out again.

"There was also another Heavenly Dao fiendish treasure called the Heaven-Suppressing Coffin.

Its might was comparable to an Innate Supreme Treasure. It could ... all things!"

After hearing Houtu's introduction, Lu Changsheng's eyes shone as he accepted the strange treasure.

In the primordial world,

strange treasures were not ranked or divided into grades.

Yet every one of them possessed astonishing power.

Lu Changsheng had heard of the Heaven-Suppressing Coffin before.

Its baleful aura was razor-sharp,

and once one was trapped inside this coffin, its fiendish aura could corrode a saint's body and disperse their primordial spirit.

Even a Saint would find it difficult to escape once trapped inside.

"These are two pretty good treasures!"

Lu Changsheng smiled in satisfaction.

Seeing Lu Changsheng's delight, Houtu grew even happier and continued introducing the other treasures.

She reached out once more,

and a lotus seed appeared in her palm:

"A Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—the twelve-petaled World-Purifying White Lotus.

It was one of the remnants left behind when the Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Green Lotus, shattered while creating the world.

The stalk and roots of the Chaos Green Lotus transformed into the God-Slaying Spear.

Of its five lotus seeds, the four immature ones transformed into the Merit Golden Lotus, Karma Red Lotus, World-Destroying Black Lotus, and World-Purifying White Lotus.

The single mature seed transformed into the twenty-four-petaled Creation Green Lotus.

Later, the Three Pure Ones divided it into three Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures: