Chapter 33

"Isn't it just a few billion merit spent?"

"Can't you try harder and let me spend a little more merit?"

As soon as he said this, all the Sages froze.

Good heavens.

He made a few billion merit sound like pocket change that could be picked up anywhere.

Besides, it wasn't that they didn't want to earn merit. Their abilities were simply limited.

Even if they brought their master, Dao Ancestor Hongjun, into the effort, it would still be impossible to open ten million Great Thousand Worlds in a short time.

Although East King Duke and the others nearby had long since grown numb to it, their hearts still trembled when they heard "spending a few billion merit in a thousand years."

Sure enough, when it came to squandering, one still had to look to the Great Master!

Lu Changsheng's words made all Six Sages' scalps tingle.

The beings around the immortal peak were even more dumbfounded after hearing them.

Immortal Venerable Changsheng, you really don't treat Sages like Sages at all!

Granted, the merit had been given, but couldn't you at least treat them a little better?

Laozi was the first to lose his patience. He cleared his throat and said:

"Immortal Venerable Changsheng, although we are Sages, there are only six of us in total."

"Even if we risked our lives, this is as fast as we could go!"

Primordial Heavenly Lord hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Elder Brother is right. Immortal Venerable Changsheng, we really have done our best!"

The Two Sages of the West looked even more bitter as they chimed in:

"That's right. All these years, we've worked without pause. We weren't even this desperate when we were cultivating."

"Immortal Venerable Changsheng, only the six of us Sages in all heaven and earth can open Great Thousand Worlds!"

Listening to the Sages' complaints and excuses, Lu Changsheng remained utterly calm. He casually took something out and went straight to sit beside the Six Sages.

"Gasp—merit?!"

The moment they saw what he held, everyone's eyes went wide.

Five-element laws flowed endlessly across its surface, while profound Daoic resonance arose naturally. It could actually draw others into enlightenment!

Even more shocking was the vast amount of merit infused within it—

It was unmistakably a Merit Supreme Treasure!

"As expected of the master of Wuji Heaven... He's far too wealthy!"

"What extravagance!"

At this moment, the Six Sages' thoughts aligned for once—

A spendthrift!

He was simply too wasteful!

No matter how much merit one had, it couldn't be used like this!

He casually produced a Merit Supreme Treasure...

Lu Changsheng couldn't be bothered with their exaggerated reactions.

This had only cost him a hundred thousand merit.

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, please have some."

The Two Sages of the West filled Lu Changsheng's cup with immortal tea, their faces piled with smiles,

but their eyes kept drifting toward the object beneath him.

Envy, jealousy, hatred...

Lu Changsheng leisurely sipped his tea. Looking at the six Sages before him, he smiled and said:

"I think you're merely using excuses to slack off.

Who says there are only six Sages?

Isn't there still one sitting in the Outer Heavenly Realm?"

As soon as he said this, all six Sages froze.

He was talking about Dao Ancestor Hongjun!

"Could it be... the Great Master even wants to invite the Dao Ancestor to work for him?

That is the foremost Sage of the Primordial World, the former Chaos Demon God, Dao Ancestor Hongjun!"

Not far away, Kunpeng and the others heard their master's words.

They couldn't help secretly giving him a thumbs-up.

Dao Ancestor of the Xuanmen, teacher of the Sages, foremost Sage, reincarnation of a Chaos Demon God, teacher of all living beings, spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao...

Any one of those titles was as heavy as a mountain.

East King Duke's eyes were filled with admiration as he whispered:

"The Heavenly Dao is already working for the Great Master for free. It doesn't seem excessive for the Dao Ancestor to come help open the heavens as well."

Randeng and Kunpeng immediately felt enlightened upon hearing this.

There was no helping it. Who told their master to possess so much merit?

Before merit, all living beings were equal.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun... was no exception!

"Fellow Daoist, you jest."

Sect Master Tongtian gave a bitter laugh. This matter truly wasn't easy to handle.

The Dao Ancestor stood high above all others. How could he agree so easily?

Lu Changsheng had already brought it up once before.

Taiqing Laozi nodded as well and added:

"We can only try our best in this matter."

"Besides, even if the Dao Ancestor personally took action, who knows how long it would take to open a thousand Great Thousand Worlds!"

That was ten million Great Thousand Worlds.

Not a thousand!

With one casual sentence from you, we are the ones who have to suffer, all of us Sages.

"This Venerable doesn't care about that. Whoever can invite the Dao Ancestor to open worlds will receive ten million merit from me.

Figure it out yourselves."

Lu Changsheng stood up and offered the reward in merit without hesitation.

Alas, having too much merit was also a kind of trouble.

He simply couldn't stand Hongjun's lofty, aloof attitude.

He wanted to see how long that air of purity and detachment could last.

The more Hongjun put on airs, the more Lu Changsheng wanted to use merit to bend his back.

"Ten million merit?!"

The Six Sages were instantly dumbstruck!

This was far too crazy!

Ten million merit at the drop of a hat?

He was simply squandering without restraint!

If you think you have too much merit, why not give more of it to us?

Lu Changsheng's expression turned solemn. He nodded and said:

"That's right, ten million merit. Do your best.

But you're right. Even with the Dao Ancestor, there would only be seven Sages.

Alas, it seems I'll have to create a few more Sages myself."

With that, Lu Changsheng prepared to leave.

Before departing, he casually kicked the five-element merit to the feet of the Two Sages of the West.

"The tea you brewed earlier was quite good. I'll reward it to you."

He then boarded the imperial carriage and returned straight to Wuji Heaven.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Changsheng!"

The Two Sages of the West beamed with joy!

Their Western Teachings were sorely lacking in magical treasures!

"He gives away a Merit Supreme Treasure just like that.

The foundation of Wuji Heaven is truly astonishing..."

Tongtian stared at the scene, speechless for a moment.

How could he know that treasures of this kind were piled up like mountains in Wuji Heaven, scattered everywhere throughout its treasury?

Nuwa pondered Lu Changsheng's earlier words and said slowly:

"He said he wants to create Sages... I'm afraid he wasn't joking."

Primordial sneered at this.

How extraordinary was the status of a Sage? How could one be created at will?

Even with the support of merit, becoming a Sage was far from easy!

One's foundation, cultivation, comprehension—none could be lacking!

Moreover, Primordial Violet Qi was something that appeared only once in countless ages.

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng was merely speaking offhand. There's no need to take it to heart."

No one said anything more.

After resting briefly, they still had to continue opening Great Thousand Worlds.

Helplessly, even Sages had to struggle for their livelihoods.

It was simply because merit was too alluring.

With sufficient merit, they might even have hope of breaking through to the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm and attaining the Dao fruit of the Primordial Limitless Grand Unity Golden Immortal!

Wuji Heaven.

After returning, Lu Changsheng planned to enter secluded cultivation.

"This Venerable will enter seclusion to deduce the Saint Creation Plan. Unless something important happens, do not disturb me."

Hearing this, the three men from East King Duke's group were all stunned. They hurriedly asked:

"Great Master, you truly plan to create Sages? How difficult is it to become a Sage? How could it be so easily achieved?"

They had all thought that Lu Changsheng had merely been speaking offhand.

Who would have expected him to actually put the plan into action?

"Great Master, are you serious?"

Within Wuji Heaven, East King Duke, Kunpeng, and Randeng stared at Lu Changsheng with their mouths agape.

The Saint Creation Plan!

If these words spread, the world would probably regard him as a fool raving about the impossible!

Yet now, their Great Master truly intended to put it into practice?

Where would he find so much Primordial Violet Qi?

Moreover, becoming a Sage required an enormous opportunity. How could it be easy?

"Who said I was joking with you? Remember, do not disturb this Venerable without reason."

With that, Lu Changsheng strode straight into Changsheng Palace and began advancing his Saint Creation Plan.

Watching Lu Changsheng's departing figure, the three of them exchanged looks.

"Do you think... the Great Master can succeed?"

"Who can say? If anyone else had said this, I would have sneered at them long ago.

But the Great Master... has always had bizarre ways of thinking. It isn't impossible."

"If he really succeeds, won't we have a chance to become Sages too?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the three became so excited they could hardly contain themselves.

That was becoming a Sage!

The realm pursued by countless Primordial World beings throughout their lives!

At this moment, Lu Changsheng was inside Changsheng Palace.

Before him sat a Chaos Spirit Root wreathed in hazy violet qi.

The Primordial Shore Flower!

It could give birth to one strand of Primordial Violet Qi every thousand years.

Lu Changsheng already had some plans in mind for the Saint Creation Plan.

As for those qualified to become Sages, there were actually quite a few in the Primordial World.

Zhen Yuanzi, East King Duke, Queen Mother of the West, Ming He, and the others were all top-tier Innate Deities. Birthed by the Primordial World, they belonged to the same generation as the Three Clarities and the others.

They were fundamentally different from beings born after the fact. Each possessed deep foundations, abundant fortune, and extraordinary talent and comprehension.

When the Dao was preached in Zixiao Palace back then, the three thousand guests of the mortal world were almost all Innate Deities.

With sufficient opportunities, these people had originally all possessed the potential to prove the Dao and become Sages.

However, Primordial Violet Qi was limited, and they also lacked a method for becoming Sages. In the end, they could advance no further.

The method of cutting the three corpses passed down by Hongjun concealed flaws. Throughout the ages, apart from him, no one else had been able to merge the three corpses and become a Sage through it.

Lu Changsheng even suspected that Hongjun had deliberately held something back.

Furthermore, the Primordial World itself could not bear too many Sages.

Every Sage possessed the ability to destroy heaven and earth and recreate the Primordial World, while destruction was far easier than creation.

If several hundred Sages fought within the Primordial World at once, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, as the myriad heavens and worlds continued to be opened up, the Primordial Wilderness also continued to evolve. In the future, it would surely be able to accommodate more Saints.

Now that this condition had been met, all that remained was to find a path to Sainthood for the Innate Deities.

Although Primordial Violet Qi was the best choice, the Primordial Shore Flower took a thousand years to nurture a single wisp. If they waited for it to produce one naturally, they would probably miss the opportunity long before then.

"I have to find a way to ripen it prematurely."

Lu Changsheng gazed at the Primordial Shore Flower before him and fell into deep thought.

"Boom—"

The Dao's voice suddenly rang out. Lu Changsheng circulated the Laws of Time, evolved runes, and set up a time array, attempting to alter the flow of time within it.

The array was shrouded in mist and surrounded by auspicious clouds. Under the power of time, the Primordial Shore Flower began to glow faintly, releasing strands of chaotic aura.

Unfortunately, his Laws of Time were not yet complete, and he lacked a supreme treasure of time to assist him. In the end, the attempt to ripen it prematurely failed.

Lu Changsheng then tried watering it with the Three Lights Divine Water, Creation Immortal Marrow, and other divine objects, but none of them worked.

"Why not... try merit?"

A small cluster of Golden Cloud of Merit rose from his palm. He poured one hundred thousand merit into the flower.

In an instant, purple radiance flowed through the Primordial Shore Flower, and the speed at which it was nurtured truly began to accelerate.

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng finally revealed a faint smile.

The power of merit truly had endless wondrous uses!

It could even ripen spiritual roots prematurely!

Lu Changsheng continued pouring in merit without the slightest hesitation, nourishing the growth of the Primordial Violet Qi.

In the blink of an eye, ten million merit had been consumed!

In less than ten years!

It finally nurtured a complete strand of Primordial Violet Qi!

"Most of the grand plan to create Saints has succeeded!"

Lu Changsheng raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction. To him, merit was inexhaustible!

Afterward, he spent another fifty million merit and successively nurtured five more strands of Primordial Violet Qi.

The process, however, was truly monotonous and boring.

Lu Changsheng halted his cultivation and walked out of the cave abode with the Primordial Shore Flower.

"We respectfully welcome the Great Master out of seclusion!"

Kunpeng and the others, who had long been waiting outside, hurried forward and bowed.

Lu Changsheng casually tossed the spiritual root to Kunpeng and calmly instructed: