Chapter 30

This was the supreme Heavenly Dao that governed the order of the Primordial World.

When had it ever been so solicitous, like a servant?

Moreover, how could the Heavenly Dao itself lack merit?

Even if a mere mortal spirit possessed merit as vast as the heavens, how could it possibly stand above the Heavenly Dao?

Amid Hongjun's puzzled gaze, the Six Sages' stunned stares, and the dazed upward gazes of all living beings in the Primordial World—

Lu Changsheng calmly stepped onto the golden bridge of rosy light descending from the heavens and climbed skyward one step at a time.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he passed through the boundless might of Heaven unscathed and arrived directly before the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel.

"Could it be that Immortal Venerable Changsheng can truly regard the pressure of the Heavenly Dao as nothing?"

The majesty of Heaven was vast as a tide.

If ordinary living beings dared approach it, their spirits would likely collapse on the spot.

Even Sages could not avoid being intimidated by it when drawing near, and their spirits would suffer damage.

Yet Lu Changsheng was merely at the peak of the Quasi-Sage realm.

To think he could completely disregard that overwhelming pressure from the Heavenly Dao was truly shocking.

Under the gaze of countless beings, Lu Changsheng faced the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel with a smile and spoke in a clear voice:

"Brother Heavenly Dao, I summoned you this time because I'd like to ask you for a small favor."

All living beings under Heaven and on Earth wore looks of terror.

They all raised their heads to look at Lu Changsheng, who actually dared speak to the Heavenly Dao like that.

Was he not afraid of being struck by heavenly lightning for such arrogance?

Just as all living beings instinctively retreated—

A vast divine might emanated from within the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel.

Within that divine might was a fluctuation that reached directly into their hearts.

Although they did not hear the Heavenly Dao speak,

all living beings understood its meaning—

It was the words: "Please, go on."

In an instant, all the living beings of the Primordial World were stunned.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerate! The Heavenly Dao actually responded to Immortal Venerable Changsheng?"

"And it even said 'Please, go on'! Does that mean it regards Immortal Venerable Changsheng as an equal?"

The Six Sages were likewise too shocked for words. They gazed at Lu Changsheng from afar, their eyes filled with admiration.

This was the Heavenly Dao!

If they summoned the Heavenly Dao like this, let alone a divine wheel appearing or a bridge of rosy light forming,

they would probably directly summon the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, accompanied by world-destroying divine thunder from the Ninth Heaven.

Lu Changsheng heard the Heavenly Dao's response.

This was his first time directly communicating with the Heavenly Dao, and he found the sensation rather strange.

It was like conversing with artificial intelligence in his previous life—somewhat stiff.

"It's nothing major. I wish to bestow merit upon the living beings of the Primordial World.

"Unfortunately, I have too much merit, and there is far too much to distribute.

"My servants don't have enough hands. Distributing it one by one would delay my efforts to spend it.

"So I'd like to ask you to distribute it on my behalf.

"Of course, I have never been stingy.

"I will naturally pay you merit as compensation!"

Lu Changsheng spoke generously.

Upon hearing this, all living beings wondered whether Lu Changsheng had gone mad.

He actually wanted the Heavenly Dao to do the work for him, and even dared to claim before the Heavenly Dao that he possessed abundant merit?

Who in the Primordial World would dare say that their merit exceeded the Heavenly Dao's?

At that moment, Hongjun, inside Zixiao Palace, also revealed an amused expression.

He admitted that Lu Changsheng's merit was indeed profound.

However, was this not simply seeking humiliation before the Heavenly Dao?

The Heavenly Dao had no human emotions or thoughts. Every one of its actions followed instinct and the rules governing the order of the Primordial World.

The reason it protected Lu Changsheng was that he possessed immense merit and enduring fortune.

The Heavenly Dao responded to his summons not only because his merit was profound, but also because Lu Changsheng had rallied countless living beings of the Primordial World to create the world together, making the order of Heaven and Earth more complete and the spiritual energy increasingly abundant.

Therefore, the Heavenly Dao attached extraordinary importance to Lu Changsheng's summons.

It was like Lu Changsheng being a premium bank customer of the future, enjoying the system's priority processing.

But even with priority treatment, he was ultimately only an ordinary living being—a wealthy commoner.

No matter how rich you were, could you be richer than a bank?

Obviously not.

At that moment, not only did the countless living beings of the heavens sense a mocking fluctuation from the Heavenly Dao, but it also responded once more:

"This Heavenly Dao has no interest in that little bit of your merit!"

After sensing the Heavenly Dao's response, all living beings revealed smiles.

Comparing merit with the Heavenly Dao? It was utterly absurd.

Although Immortal Venerable Changsheng of Wuji Heaven had become a symbol of merit, that was ultimately only a metaphor. How could he truly surpass the Heavenly Dao in merit?

The Six Sages also shook their heads helplessly and sighed, "Immortal Venerable Changsheng is ultimately still too young."

Lu Changsheng sensed the Heavenly Dao's response, but did not feel mocked. He merely chuckled and replied:

"Are you worried that the merit is too little? There's no need to worry.

"We'll settle the compensation according to the amount distributed. For every portion of merit you distribute, you can take one ten-thousandth as thanks."

With that, Lu Changsheng casually took out a trillion merit.

In an instant, auspicious clouds of merit filled a trillion miles of sky. Blinding golden light shone across the Primordial World, and even Hongjun in the chaos was dazzled by the sea of merit.

As his divine sense swept across the auspicious clouds of merit that nearly obscured the entire Primordial World, Hongjun felt his scalp go numb.

What exactly was that?

Could a Quasi-Sage truly possess such an enormous amount of merit?

At that moment, not only was Hongjun utterly shocked, but all living beings in the Primordial World were also left dumbfounded.

When the auspicious clouds of merit appeared on the horizon, even the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel stopped rotating.

How absurd was this?

As the supreme ruler of Heaven and Earth in the Primordial World, even the Heavenly Dao itself had never accumulated a trillion merit.

How could an ordinary living being casually produce so much?

A startled fluctuation emanated from the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel. After sensing it, all living beings were completely petrified.

Because the message conveyed by that fluctuation was—

The merit possessed by the Heavenly Dao was actually less than Lu Changsheng's!

One had to know that Nuwa had relied on merit to become a Sage back then, yet she had obtained only tens of millions of merit.

If one truly had a trillion merit, along with enough Primordial Violet Qi, how many Sages could be cultivated?

At that moment, all living beings completely froze.

Lu Changsheng, however, casually waved his hand and concealed the radiance of the merit.

He smiled at the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel and said in a calm tone:

"It isn't much merit, just a trillion. I'll have to trouble you afterward, Brother Heavenly Dao."

Upon hearing this, all living beings were rendered speechless.

Even the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel stalled for a moment, and Heaven and Earth seemed to freeze along with it.

A trillion merit, and he still claimed it was not much?

Did Immortal Venerable Changsheng have some misunderstanding about the words "not much"?

While all living beings were astonished and the Sages were speechless, the Heavenly Dao was the first to recover.

Although this trillion merit far exceeded what it itself possessed, the Heavenly Dao was different from living beings of the world.

It depended on the Primordial World for its existence, and merit was completely useless to it. Only when the Primordial World became stronger and more vigorous could the Heavenly Dao improve.

Therefore, the Heavenly Dao once again politely refused Lu Changsheng's offer of merit as compensation.

When the fluctuation spread, all living beings were astonished.

Even one ten-thousandth of a trillion merit amounted to one hundred million merit!

To think such a generous gift had been refused—it was truly a pity.

"I imagine Immortal Venerable Changsheng will prepare another generous gift to thank the supreme Heavenly Dao, right? I simply wonder what kind of treasure he can produce as a token of gratitude."

After all, getting the Heavenly Dao to manifest was already an enormous favor.

If he failed to offer anything in return now, it would be unreasonable no matter how one looked at it.

Just as everyone was wondering what astonishing treasure Lu Changsheng could produce next, he casually stored away the trillion merit.

At that moment, Lu Changsheng suddenly realized that the Heavenly Dao might not need merit after all.

He nodded slightly and said understandingly:

"In that case, we won't mention merit as payment. Just consider it a favor for me, Brother!"

The living beings who had been eagerly awaiting Lu Changsheng to produce an even more astonishing treasure were once again left dumbfounded.

What was going on?

The Heavenly Dao did not accept merit, so he was simply going to make it work for free?

How was this generous? He was clearly a bloodsucker!

He had asked the Heavenly Dao to handle the accounts, yet he was not even going to pay it?

In the entire Primordial World, he was probably the only one who dared do this!

Upon hearing Lu Changsheng's words, the Six Sages also became unsettled.

He really had some nerve!

The Heavenly Dao had already given him enough face, yet he had merely replied, "Do me a favor," and considered the matter settled?

Was this not taking things too far?

Thinking of this, Taiqing Laozi could not help sighing:

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng is probably about to be struck by lightning."

The other Sages nodded in agreement.

After all, if someone dared speak to the supreme Heavenly Dao like that without being struck by lightning, that would truly defy all reason.

While all the living beings of the Primordial World were shocked by Lu Changsheng's words, the Six Sages also stared intently at the sky, afraid that a world-destroying divine thunderbolt would descend and involve them.

However, after hearing Lu Changsheng's words, the Heavenly Dao did not become angry. Instead, it fell silent.

None of the living beings knew what the Heavenly Dao was thinking. Perhaps it was considering how to deal with Lu Changsheng so that it could vent the anger in its heart.

Just as everyone was making wild guesses, Lu Changsheng went even further, looking as though he had a long life and wanted to test its limits, before speaking again:

"Hey, Brother, are you going to do it or not? Give me an answer! If you don't say anything, I'll stop creating worlds!"

Lu Changsheng was not truly seeking death. He had calculated that the Heavenly Dao could do nothing to him.

For one thing, his merit and fortune were immense. For another, he was continuously advancing the Primordial World.

If the Heavenly Dao wanted to improve itself, it could only rely on the ascension of the Primordial World.

Having seen through this point, Lu Changsheng was certain that the Heavenly Dao would never refuse his request.

Upon hearing the impatience in Lu Changsheng's voice, all living beings erupted into an uproar.

They all retreated another several thousand miles, fearing that Lu Changsheng would be struck by heavenly lightning and involve them as well.

After all, Immortal Venerable Changsheng was one of the top existences in the Primordial World. He had asked the Heavenly Dao to act without offering compensation, and was even directly provoking it—

Who could endure that?

If they themselves were the Heavenly Dao, they would probably have already brought down hundreds or thousands of world-destroying divine thunderbolts.

The Six Sages were also astonished by Lu Changsheng's courage.

Primordial Heavenly Lord sighed, "Fellow Daoist Changsheng is truly peerlessly courageous!"

As he spoke, he retreated another several tens of thousands of miles, afraid he would be unable to withstand the Heavenly Dao's wrath.

Tongtian also retreated several tens of thousands of miles and agreed, "Big Brother is right."

Laozi retreated even farther and shook his head. "That isn't courage. He's practically courting death.

"Even when asking an ordinary living being for help, he should at least be more polite if he isn't going to offer compensation, right?"

The Two Sages of the West had already retreated 108,000 miles away, gazing from afar at Lu Changsheng and the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel.

Only Nuwa remained where she was. She looked around and sighed:

"You fellow Daoists are overreacting.

"Even if Fellow Daoist Changsheng has offended it, the supreme Heavenly Dao would not directly strike him with world-destroying divine thunder."

She had already seen that the Heavenly Dao valued Lu Changsheng highly. Even if it became angry, it would only punish him lightly.

On the other side, the Twelve Ancestor Witches gazed at Lu Changsheng with eyes full of reverence.

The Witch Clan had never respected Heaven and Earth or worshiped the Sages. The only one they revered was Father God Pangu.

Pangu had dared contend with Heaven and Earth, creating the heavens and the earth and evolving the Primordial World. That fearless spirit was precisely what they admired.

Yet Lu Changsheng actually dared face the Heavenly Dao directly and charge recklessly toward it. Such conduct embodied the martial valor they yearned for.

Dijiang's eyes were filled with approval as he said, "Immortal Venerable Changsheng is truly an unparalleled fierce man, one of the very best in the Primordial World!"

Zhurong also admired him sincerely:

"In this life, apart from Father God Pangu, the only one I, Zhurong, admire is Immortal Venerable Changsheng."

At this moment, within the demon race.

Demon Emperor Dijun sighed softly:

"Alas, no matter how much merit one accumulates, one is ultimately still a lowly living being beneath the Heavenly Dao.

What was the point of all this hardship?"

Di Jun had always been rather fond of Lu Changsheng.

In truth, it was difficult for any living being in the primordial wilderness to feel resentment toward Lu Changsheng.

In all the long years, when had they ever seen a primordial cultivator so wholly devoted to everyone else?

Taiyi likewise shook his head and sighed: