Chapter 40

"What clues have you found about Saint Changsheng?"

Back then, when Randeng worked for Lu Changsheng, Primordial had tacitly approved it and had secretly instructed him to investigate Lu Changsheng's origins.

Where had that inexhaustible stream of merit come from?

Primordial had never been able to figure it out.

Randeng answered every question Primordial asked, telling him everything he knew.

"Saint Changsheng possesses boundless merit. Moreover, he usually doesn't focus on cultivation, but instead spends all his time thinking about how to spend his merit. He really is rather peculiar."

"Then, for some unknown reason, he suddenly attained Hunyuan."

Primordial fell silent.

What was the difference between saying that and saying nothing?

Randeng could only offer an awkward smile.

In fact, he knew a few other things. For example, Lu Changsheng possessed a spiritual root that could continuously produce Primordial Violet Qi.

But if that information got out, it would likely bring trouble upon Lu Changsheng.

Since Randeng had already decided to follow Lu Changsheng, he naturally wouldn't reveal it casually.

Otherwise, the entire Great Desolation World would likely be shaken to its foundations.

Afterward, Primordial Heavenly Lord asked a few more questions. Randeng only answered with some insignificant details and never gave Primordial the answer he wanted.

Since he couldn't obtain any more useful information, Primordial had no choice but to let the matter go.

After all, Lu Changsheng had already become a Sage. It was better to befriend him, and it would be unwise to come into conflict with him.

What was more, he was now a major source of merit. Primordial was counting on obtaining merit from him, so he naturally didn't want to fall out with him.

In the end, Primordial let Randeng leave.

"Saint Primordial, I'll take my leave now."

"Please take care of yourself, Saint. From now on, Randeng won't be able to attend upon you anymore."

As he was about to leave, Randeng wore a mournful expression. He held Primordial's hand, his reluctance plain to see.

Seeing this, Primordial was moved as well. It seemed that Randeng truly didn't want to leave Chanjiao. He hadn't expected Randeng to feel so deeply attached to the sect.

"There's no need for this. You'll be under Saint Changsheng from now on, but you can come back to visit whenever you have time."

Primordial's gaze also held undisguised reluctance.

He watched Randeng leave Jade Void Palace with heavy steps and sighed inwardly.

It was all that Saint Changsheng's fault for being so generous. Perhaps Randeng had no choice in the matter.

However, the moment Randeng stepped out of Kunlun Mountain, he shot away like lightning, beaming with excitement he could barely contain.

"Wonderful!"

"Wuji Heaven! Great Master! I'm coming!"

"Hahaha!"

Inside Jade Void Palace, Primordial sensed this and his expression instantly darkened!

Good heavens. So he had been acting the whole time!

Randeng no longer cared what Primordial thought. He hurried excitedly back to Wuji Heaven and arrived before Lu Changsheng.

Without saying another word, he signed the contract.

Lu Changsheng told him to stand to one side and wait with East King Duke and Kunpeng.

Then.

Under the three men's feverish gazes, Lu Changsheng took out three strands of Primordial Violet Qi and gave one to each of them.

The three men held the Primordial Violet Qi in their hands, hardly daring to believe their eyes.

This was Primordial Violet Qi, the foundation for attaining Sagehood. Yet it had been given to them so easily.

And that wasn't all.

Immediately afterward, Lu Changsheng took out merit and gave each of them a cluster.

Each cluster contained one hundred million merit!

"All right. I've given you these resources. Hurry up and attain Sagehood."

After giving away so many precious treasures, Lu Changsheng's expression didn't change in the slightest.

Was one hundred million merit really that much?

But to the three men, those words left their entire bodies trembling with excitement!

One hundred million merit and a strand of Primordial Violet Qi each, along with the method of attaining Sagehood...

If they still couldn't become Sages with all that, they would truly be unworthy of the Great Master!

After bestowing the resources, Lu Changsheng sent the three men away.

Meanwhile, a thought quietly surfaced in Lu Changsheng's mind.

With this contract in hand, did that mean he could squander merit without any reservations?

As he pondered, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Ding. Host, please show the system some respect.

If you keep exploiting loopholes like this, the system will look incompetent."

"The host's idea is indeed feasible, but only living beings with hope of attaining Hunyuan can receive merit after signing a contract."

Clearly, the system wasn't foolish. It immediately added a restriction.

Otherwise, Lu Changsheng could casually find some acquired life-form and lavishly give it merit, only for the other party to fail to attain Hunyuan while the merit went to waste!

However, Lu Changsheng merely smiled faintly upon hearing the notification and didn't take it to heart.

He was an expert at exploiting loopholes.

Though he thought this, Lu Changsheng couldn't help grumbling inwardly:

This system clearly wants me to squander my wealth, yet it won't let me give merit to just anyone.

How can this count as squandering wealth?

Just as Lu Changsheng was secretly criticizing the system,

in the Great Desolation World,

ever since Lu Changsheng had preached, the entire Great Desolation World had undergone unprecedented changes.

Countless living beings broke through their realms thanks to the opportunities they had encountered during this period.

Especially after Lu Changsheng passed down the method of attaining Sagehood, more and more mighty figures joined the ranks of those opening up worlds.

As the number of worlds they opened continued to grow, even these mighty figures began to sense that the Great Desolation World was undergoing an astonishing transformation.

The laws of heaven and earth were steadily becoming more complete.

The most obvious sign was that the spiritual energy throughout the Great Desolation World had grown increasingly dense,

while even the Dao rhythms flowing between heaven and earth had become more profound and unfathomable.

The direct result of this change was that all living beings felt it had become somewhat easier to break through their realms than before.

Of course.

Although everyone noticed this, few investigated it in depth. They merely felt grateful to Saint Changsheng in their hearts.

At present, all the mighty figures were striving to open up worlds, hoping to exchange them for more merit from Immortal Venerable Changsheng.

Even the Sages were wholeheartedly devoting themselves to the great undertaking of creation.

One day, with nothing else to do, Lu Changsheng decided to inspect the progress the Sages had made in opening up worlds.

Kunpeng, East King Duke, and Randeng were still in seclusion preparing to attain Sagehood, so he had no choice but to go out alone.

Inside Eight Views Palace, Tongtian and Laozi sat facing each other.

Although the Three Clarities had gone their separate ways, they still visited one another often to maintain their relationship.

As the two were conversing, they suddenly sensed something and turned their heads at the same time. A vast radiance of merit illuminated the heavens. Before the person arrived, his merit had already come first.

Who else could create such a spectacle besides Lu Changsheng?

At the sight of him, the corners of Tongtian and Laozi's mouths twitched.

Oh no. That relentless urging has come again.

In the next moment, Lu Changsheng's figure stepped into Eight Views Palace, and he immediately said, "Both of you are here? Perfect. I was just looking for you."

"I heard you've both been working quite diligently lately. Very good, very good. Keep it up!"

Lu Changsheng was actually offering them encouragement?

His abnormal behavior left Tongtian and Laozi momentarily unable to react.

What was going on?

Lu Changsheng wasn't pressuring them to meet their quotas?

Could it be... that his merit was almost gone?

If Lu Changsheng knew what the two Sages were thinking, he would probably sigh and say: If only the merit could really run out. I'd be overjoyed!

The problem was that there was so much of it that, even after spending it for so long, he hadn't seen it decrease by much.

At this point, Lu Changsheng had accepted reality.

Simply squeezing the Six Sages for results had limited efficiency after all.

The fundamental solution was to increase the number of Sages.

With that thought, he said, "I've come to tell you about one more thing.

"Three new Sages will join you soon. They shouldn't have any trouble attaining Sagehood. When that happens, our efficiency should improve as well."

Hearing this, Tongtian and Laozi exchanged a glance, their faces filled with doubt.

How could attaining Sagehood be easy?

And three people attaining Sagehood at once?

If these words hadn't come from Saint Changsheng, they would have already mocked him outright.

After finishing what he had to say, Lu Changsheng turned and left Eight Views Palace, heading toward the other Sages.

Watching his departing figure, Tongtian and Laozi shook their heads in unison.

They paid no attention to Lu Changsheng's words.

Time flowed silently onward.

The two Sages gradually forgot about the matter.

All the living beings of the Great Desolation World worked together to create heaven and earth, and the world changed with every passing day.

Until this day, the Great Desolation World suddenly underwent a dramatic change.

Heaven-born omens appeared!

Golden pillars of light pierced through heaven and earth, boring through the void.

Boundless clouds of rosy light swept across the world.

The Dao rhythms of the Three Thousand Laws manifested in the void.

Spiritual energy erupted and surged forth everywhere.

In places that had once been barren, the spiritual energy became as dense as in a Blessed Land.

This transformation spread throughout the Great Desolation World.

It turned out that after the accumulation of countless quantitative changes, the Great Desolation World had finally undergone a qualitative transformation.

This was not merely a change in appearance, but an ascension of the world's origin.

All the living beings of the Great Desolation World benefited from this creation.

The dense spiritual resonance awakened intelligence in countless life-forms, allowing them to transform into human form.

The cultivation of many living beings rose steadily, breaking through realm after realm.

Boom!

Above the Nine Heavens, a vast Golden Cloud of Merit suddenly emerged.

It hovered above Saint Changsheng's head.

The Heavenly Dao was about to bestow merit!

"Such a vast amount of merit. It seems even more abundant than when Lady Nuwa created humanity and attained Sagehood."

The living beings were shaken and filled with envy.

Even the Six Sages were tempted.

No one ever complained about having too much merit.

If such an enormous amount of merit fell into their hands, they would surely be overjoyed.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the golden radiance of merit transformed into a pillar of light and was about to descend upon Lu Changsheng.

The Heavenly Dao was clearly rewarding Lu Changsheng for aiding the transformation of the Great Desolation World's origin.

However, to everyone's astonishment, Lu Changsheng's figure flashed, and he actually dodged the golden radiance of merit!

The merit missed!

It was as if that golden light were some kind of ominous object!

That was Heavenly Dao merit! Why dodge it?

If you don't want it, give it to me!

When Lu Changsheng suddenly leaped aside and dodged the Golden Cloud of Merit as if avoiding ghosts or gods,

the Six Sages above the Nine Heavens stumbled, nearly falling over.

Their faces were filled with disbelief.

Were our eyes deceiving us?

There was actually someone who would dodge the descent of merit?

What kind of extraordinary person was this?

At this moment,

Lu Changsheng's act of dodging the Golden Cloud of Merit left not only the Six Sages dumbfounded.

The billions upon billions of living beings in the Great Desolation World were all left staring blankly as well.

The Heavenly Dao had bestowed merit, yet it had landed in empty space?

Great Master, what exactly are you trying to do?

You're even dodging merit?

Was this really something a normal person could do?

Countless living beings were baffled. What on earth was in Lu Changsheng's head for him to do something so astonishing?

Yet at this moment, Lu Changsheng was more agitated than anyone else.

"Go to hell!"

"I have more merit than I can ever use. I was just worrying about how to squander it, and now you're sending me even more?"

"Don't come over!"

"I don't want this merit!"

Lu Changsheng anxiously threw his head back and roared!

In this instant.

The countless living beings of the Primordial World erupted into chaos.

Everyone felt as though they had been struck by lightning, their minds thrown into turmoil as if battered by raging waves.

Above the Nine Heavens, the Six Sages nearly stopped breathing.

Rumble!!

Before the words had even left his mouth,

a supreme aura suddenly enveloped the heavens and earth of the Primordial World.

The void trembled and shattered inch by inch like glass.

A gigantic eye slowly opened in the Nine Heavens.

The eye was filled with the ultimate Heavenly Dao Power and the might of destruction!

Billions upon billions of living beings trembled.

Their hearts were overwhelmed with terror.

This was the Eye of Heavenly Punishment!

Before heavenly punishment, all living beings were equal!

The terrifying power it contained made even the Sages tremble!

At this moment.

The gaze of the Eye of Heavenly Punishment instantly locked onto Lu Changsheng.