Chapter 27

But as the first Saint of the Great Desolation and the founder of the Mystic Sect, he ultimately could not bring himself to lower his dignity.

Thus, he immediately refused:

"Fellow Daoist, you needn't say more. I still need to comprehend the profound Great Dao, so I won't stay here and fool around with you!"

With that, Hongjun waved his hand, tore open the River of Time and Space, and rode the waves back into Chaos.

Seeing him leave, Lu Changsheng shrugged with slight regret.

"What a pity. With Hongjun's help, I could have squandered my merits several times faster."

East King Duke, Queen Mother of the West, and Kunpeng were all deeply shaken when they heard this.

To dare ask the first Saint of the Great Desolation to help create a world—aside from the Great Master, probably no one else in this world would dare do such a thing.

If it had been anyone else, a single glance from Dao Ancestor Hongjun would have been enough to reduce them to ashes.

"As expected of the Great Master!"

The three exchanged glances and shook their heads, overwhelmed with emotion.

In the past, they had only wanted to earn some merit under the Great Master, paving the way for attaining sainthood in the future.

But now, their thoughts had quietly changed.

Become a Saint? So what if they became Saints?

Wouldn't they still have to create worlds for the Great Master, laboring and rushing about?

Since beneath the Great Master, all living beings were no different from oxen and horses,

they might as well accept the status quo. It was actually more relaxed and free.

At the same time, deep within the Sea of Blood,

Ming He heard the news that Lu Changsheng had announced to the Great Desolation and became so excited that he could barely contain himself.

His obsession with becoming a Saint ran extremely deep. The last time he exchanged his merits, he had practically given up everything.

Now, all he had to do was create a world to receive merit. How could he miss such an opportunity?

"It's here. It's finally here... My opportunity has finally arrived!"

"I can't create a Great Thousand World, but creating a Middle Thousand World or Minor World should be as easy as lifting a finger!"

Ming He was so excited that tears of joy filled his eyes.

At that moment, throughout the heavens and earth of the Great Desolation,

after hearing Lu Changsheng's announcement,

all living beings and the various tribes began taking action.

In the East Sea, among the Skyshark Tribe,

"By order of the Ancestor, all Golden Immortals and those above that realm throughout the tribe are to be gathered and prepared to create a world!"

At the eastern foot of Buzhou Mountain, within the Nine-Tailed Fox Tribe,

the clan leader stood before tens of thousands of fellow tribesmen and shouted excitedly:

"Warriors of the Nine-Tailed Fox Tribe, follow me in creating heaven and earth!"

Scenes like this continued to unfold throughout the Great Desolation.

Seeing all living beings mobilize,

a satisfied smile appeared on Lu Changsheng's face.

After all, how much merit could exchanging for treasures consume?

Construction was the proper way to squander merit!

Just as Lu Changsheng was feeling satisfied, his thoughts suddenly shifted,

and he waved his hand once more, issuing another announcement:

"All beings beneath the Saints, I permit you to enter the nine Great Thousand Worlds created by the Saints and create new heavens and earth within them!"

As soon as this order was issued, countless trillions of living beings surged toward the nine Great Thousand Worlds created by the Saints.

After all, they did not care what meaning creating worlds itself held.

The key was receiving merit as a reward.

The reason Lu Changsheng had made this announcement

was that creating Minor Worlds within the Saints' Great Thousand Worlds would be easier.

The laws of the Great Desolation World were complete, and its spatial barriers were sturdy.

With insufficient strength, ordinary beings found it extremely difficult to create worlds.

They needed powerful treasures and divine abilities, as well as knowledge of other laws and Great Daos, before they had any chance of creating a world capable of nurturing living beings!

As for whether there would be enough worlds, there was even less need to worry.

A Great Thousand World could contain three thousand Middle Thousand Worlds.

A Middle Thousand World could in turn contain three thousand Minor Worlds.

A Minor World could support countless Minor Worlds of All Heavens, star rivers, and universes.

After finishing all this, Lu Changsheng saw that the first batch of living beings had entered the Great Thousand Worlds,

and nodded in satisfaction.

He then returned to Wuji Heaven.

At that moment, within Chaos, in Zixiao Palace,

Hongjun observed the changes in the Great Desolation and felt deeply troubled.

"What exactly is this Lu Changsheng trying to do?"

Although Lu Changsheng claimed that he was merely squandering merit,

and appeared foolish and reckless,

who in the Great Desolation was not skilled at pretending to be foolish and clueless?

In truth, every one of them was shrewd.

Therefore, Hongjun did not believe Lu Changsheng's explanation on the surface.

He was certain that Lu Changsheng must have some earth-shattering scheme.

Thinking of this, Hongjun felt an even greater headache.

With a trace of anger, he muttered:

"This uneasy feeling is truly vexing!"

The unknown and uncontrollable situation made Hongjun extremely displeased.

Yet, as it happened, his ally—the Heavenly Dao—was also standing on Lu Changsheng's side.

No matter how dissatisfied Hongjun was, he did not dare do anything excessive.

He could only sigh helplessly and seethe inwardly, proceeding with utmost caution in everything.

After Lu Changsheng issued his announcement,

the tribes unaffected by the great war had already gone to the Great Thousand Worlds to create new heavens and earth.

Meanwhile, the demon race, which had just ceased fighting and returned from recuperation,

was in the Demon Court.

Demon Emperor Dijun mobilized countless trillions of demon troops

and loudly announced:

"Warriors of the demon race, from this day forth, we shall devote the strength of our entire race to creating worlds! We shall exchange them for merit and increase our strength!

We must exterminate those barbaric witch tribesmen as soon as possible!"

After hearing Demon Emperor Dijun's order,

above the Demon Court,

the shouts of countless trillions of demons resounded through the skies:

"Create worlds! Exchange them for merit! Exterminate the barbaric witches!"

Just as the demon race held its mobilization assembly and prepared for the entire race to enter the Great Thousand Worlds,

the witch race also began its mobilization.

Dijiang gazed at the countless witch warriors from the various tribes, his voice shaking the earth:

"Warriors of the witch race, heed my order! Gather the strength of our entire race to create heaven and earth! Exchange it for merit! Crush the Heavenly Court of those two feathered beasts!"

Countless witch warriors responded in unison, their voices shaking the mountains and rivers:

"Create heaven and earth! Exchange it for merit! Crush the Demon Court!"

After the witch and demon races completed their mobilization,

on Jin'ao Island, within Biyou Palace,

Tongtian slowly walked out of the palace.

Duobao and the other three direct disciples had already been waiting outside.

Seeing Tongtian appear, they hurried forward and asked:

"Master, is what Immortal Venerable Changsheng said true?"

Tongtian nodded slightly:

"It is indeed true."

All the disciples were visibly excited upon hearing this.

In the Great Desolation, merit was exceedingly rare.

Such a tremendous opportunity was simply unheard of.

Duobao could not help asking again:

"Master, what is the origin of this Immortal Venerable Changsheng?"

Tongtian pondered for a moment.

He recalled how his own master—Dao Ancestor Hongjun—had been struck by the Heavenly Dao because of a single sentence.

Thinking of such a terrifying existence, who could not only obtain the protection of the Heavenly Dao but even control it, Tongtian could not help sighing:

"This existence has an extraordinarily terrifying background. Even Saints must be wary of him!"

Duobao and the other disciples were utterly shaken.

They had long guessed that Immortal Venerable Changsheng had an extraordinary origin, but they had never expected even Saints to fear him so greatly. Just what kind of existence was he?

Just as the disciples were shocked by Lu Changsheng's origin, Tongtian announced to the entire Interception Sect:

"From this day forth, I shall create a Great Thousand World and establish creation.

Disciples of the Interception Sect, follow me in creating a world!"

On Jin'ao Island, anticipation appeared in the eyes of countless disciples, and they answered in unison: "We respectfully obey your command!"

For most living beings in the Great Desolation, the end of their cultivation path was often visible at a glance.

Their talents were limited and their strength weak, while merit was precisely the remedy for changing their circumstances.

After hearing Lu Changsheng's announcement to the Great Desolation, these weak living beings all revealed excited expressions.

In this era of universal creation, they finally had the chance to glimpse the realms of the Great Principle and even the Quasi-Saints.

As everyone on Jin'ao Island rejoiced, in the Interception Sect atop Kunlun Mountain, the Twelve Golden Immortals and disciples under Primordial Heavenly Lord were also eagerly awaiting developments.

Unlike the Interception Sect, which accepted disciples regardless of their background, the Chan Sect placed great importance on lineage and aptitude. Though it had few disciples, each possessed considerable potential.

Even so, merit held an enormous attraction for them as well—who could refuse the opportunity to advance further?

Primordial Heavenly Lord announced to all his disciples:

"From this day forth, I shall create a Great Thousand World and establish creation.

Disciples of the Chan Sect, follow me in creating a world!"

The eyes of the Chan Sect disciples shone brightly, and they answered in unison: "We respectfully obey the Sect Master's command!"

At that moment, within Mount Sumeru, the Two Sages of the West were tremendously excited after hearing Lu Changsheng's announcement:

"The opportunity for the rise of the Western Teachings has finally arrived!"

Although the West was barren now, in the distant past, it had once been just as prosperous and flourishing as the East.

This was all because of the ancient Dao-Devil War.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Old Ancestor Yangmei, Qiankun Ancestor, and Yin-Yang Ancestor—the four primordial gods and demons—had joined forces with the three ancient tribes to besiege Demon Ancestor Rahula.

As Rahula was dying, he detonated the countless spiritual veins of the West. From then on, the West suffered severe damage, its spiritual energy grew thin, and it could never again reproduce the glorious scene of the past, where outstanding people were born in a blessed land.

But the current movement of universal creation had given the West hope of restoring its former glory.

More importantly, through the merit obtained from creating worlds, the beings of the West could also repay their karmic debts to the Heavenly Dao.

The two Saints were filled with excitement, yet unlike the Chan Sect and the Interception Sect, they did not merely issue an order to their disciples.

Instead, they announced to the trillions of living beings throughout the western lands:

"The Western Teachings shall lead the beings of the West in embarking together upon the path of creation!

Let us restore the barren West to its former prosperity!

Everyone, follow the Western Teachings into the Great Thousand Worlds and create new heavens and earth!"

Following Lu Changsheng's announcement,

the various Saints and tribal leaders took the lead,

and countless living beings across the Great Desolation entered the Great Thousand Worlds created by the Saints,

ushering in a magnificent era of universal creation.

After countless living beings poured into the various worlds,

the Great Desolation World, once filled with conflict and clamor, gradually quieted down.

Trillions of living beings diligently created worlds within the Great Thousand Worlds,

while only those with the weakest strength continued living peacefully on the lands of the Great Desolation.

Time quietly passed like flowing water,

and a century flashed by.

During this period,

three thousand Middle Thousand Worlds, one hundred thousand Minor Worlds, and one million Minor Worlds of All Heavens and starry-river universes were born.

At that moment, the Great Desolation World

was lush with greenery and brimming with vitality.

Those weak creatures who had been unable to open the heavens lived leisurely in this peaceful world.

The mountains and rivers shattered in the Witch-Demon War long ago

also gradually regained their vitality during the tranquil years.

As creation continued,

the immortal aura in the prehistoric land also quietly grew denser,

and more creatures were born into this harmonious environment.

The entire prehistoric world was silently undergoing change!

Lu Changsheng sat upright on the throne in Longevity Palace.

Several female immortals attended him at his side. Some offered fresh fruit, some served tea, and some pounded his back and massaged his legs.

Looking at the endless stream of creatures arriving in Wuji Heaven to collect merit, a satisfied smile appeared on Lu Changsheng's face.

"Wonderful! In just a hundred years, we've actually used up several tens of billions of merit!

At this rate, it's far faster than directly exchanging it for treasures!"

The guard standing nearby was also shaken to the core when he heard Lu Changsheng's mutter.

He had long heard of this Great Master's generous spending, but this was the first time he had seen someone spend tens of billions of merit in a century and still be so happy.

At this moment, outside Longevity Palace, creatures came in an endless stream to exchange merit with East King Duke, Kunpeng, and Randeng. The line stretched a great distance.

Since there were so many people and such a huge volume of merit to exchange, Lu Changsheng had long since handed these minor affairs over to the three of them, while he quietly spent his days relaxing in Longevity Palace.