At that moment, Yuanshi, who had only just flown halfway, abruptly turned around and looked toward Lin Changqing.
The Golden Pillar of Merit had already engulfed the entire area before the Immortal Palace. The Twelve Golden Immortals watched everything from afar in shock.
Yunxiao, who was much closer to Lin Changqing, was also within the Golden Pillar of Merit.
The golden beam was a full ten zhang thick, shooting straight into the clouds and connecting with endless auspicious clouds.
"Power of Merit! So much Power of Merit!"
Yuanshi was stunned. Even when he had become a saint, he hadn't received this much Power of Merit!
Now, this ocean of merit was pouring toward a junior. How could Yuanshi accept that?
What in the world had gone wrong with the Heavenly Dao?
And what did Lin Changqing have to deserve such boundless Power of Merit?
At that moment, another saint was present on Kunlun Mountain.
On the highest peak of Kunlun, a young Daoist stood outside a Daoist palace swathed in black and white. He stared in shock at what was happening in the distance, too stunned to speak.
Inside the palace, an old Daoist with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in a black-and-white robe, suddenly opened his eyes and gazed skyward in bewilderment.
"So much merit! Why has it descended upon Changqing?"
"How strange, how wondrous... So profound, so mysterious..."
This was none other than Taishang, the foremost of the Three Pure Ones!
The one who had refined the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, and the foremost disciple under Dao Ancestor Hongjun, was now so shocked he could barely contain himself.
The tremors caused by the Golden Pillar of Merit reached far beyond Kunlun Mountain.
Across the Primordial World, it was as if a stone had been thrown into a still lake, sending boundless waves rippling outward.
"What?! So much Power of Merit has descended upon Kunlun Mountain!"
"If only all that merit were mine..."
Within the Blood Sea, a bloodthirsty glimmer flashed. The figure was stunned, yet filled with boundless greed.
"A Golden Pillar of Merit, boundless merit from heaven! Hmph! It should have descended upon my Heavenly Court!"
High above the ninth heaven, in the Demon Clan Heavenly Court, a golden-red figure seethed with rage.
"So much Power of Merit... Could it be Third Senior Brother...?"
Beyond the ninth heaven, in a palace, a beautiful figure narrowed her eyes.
"How could so much Power of Merit descend upon Kunlun? The Western Lands are barren. This should have been our Western Lands' opportunity..."
On the only Spiritual Mountain in the Western Lands, a distant voice spoke, unable to hide its jealousy.
In the far south of the Primordial World, twelve giants raised their heads...
In the heartland of the Primordial World, a Daoist in a temple looked toward the sky...
The Primordial World was no longer peaceful. The Golden Pillar of Merit had stirred up turbulent waves.
Countless eyes and strands of spiritual awareness turned toward Kunlun Mountain, seeking the reason behind the pillar's descent!
But just then, black-and-white energy swirled into being, forming a Taiji Diagram that covered the entire sky and blocked the probing spiritual awareness from the All Heavens.
"Gasp! That's the Taiji Diagram! The Saint Taishang has intervened!"
"Could this be a grand scheme by Saint Taishang?"
Countless beings across the Primordial World began to speculate.
On Kunlun, Tongtian gave a slight bow toward the black-and-white palace.
"Thank you, Senior Disciple Brother!"
Yuanshi, who had turned back from afar, gazed at the black-and-white palace with a complicated expression.
The Twelve Golden Immortals looked toward the Golden Pillar of Merit with utter jealousy.
What right did Lin Changqing have?!
It was one thing for Tongtian to give him a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, but even the Heavenly Dao favored him, bestowing such an ocean of merit!
Meanwhile, inside the Golden Pillar of Merit, Lin Changqing couldn't sense what was happening outside, nor the fury of the Twelve Golden Immortals.
He remained bathed in a golden ocean of merit.
Lin Changqing absorbed ninety-nine percent of the ten billion merit. Even the tiny remainder surged like rivers and waves.
The entire mountaintop was now tinged gold with merit, and golden radiance billowed like clouds before the Immortal Palace.
Standing amid the golden radiance of merit, Lin Changqing looked solemn.
He had absorbed all this Power of Merit himself, and it was difficult to process all at once.
Yunxiao, standing nearby, had also been affected. She absorbed quite a bit of the merit that drifted her way, and golden light now filled her body.
It was only a tiny fraction of the Golden Pillar of Merit, but Yunxiao was still overjoyed.
This was Power of Merit!
The hardest thing to obtain in the Primordial World. Every last bit was worth fighting over, even for saints!
As for its benefits, Power of Merit was of almost no use to cultivation. Yet countless people still sought it desperately.
Countless beings in the Primordial World schemed for a little merit over thousands of years.
That was because Power of Merit could dispel Karmic Obstacles!
The more Karmic Obstacles one had, the more tribulations one would face. When a great tribulation arrived, those burdened by Karmic Obstacles were the first to turn to ash!
With enough Power of Merit, even an ant could safely survive a great tribulation!
What's more, if someone killed a person who possessed merit, the killer would bear an equal amount of Karmic Obstacles.
Those with great merit were like having an extra death-exemption token in the Primordial World.
No one dared lay a hand on them!
During the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, the Interception Sect had been destroyed because it lacked a treasure to suppress the sect's fortunes. Its disciples were numerous and its teachings accepted all, so most of them carried countless Karmic Obstacles.
Burdened by Karmic Obstacles, the entire Interception Sect had been reduced to ashes in the tribulation.
But all of that had changed completely with the descent of these ten billion merits!
"Senior Disciple Brother!"
Yunxiao still held a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir in her hand as she stared blankly at Lin Changqing.
So much merit, vast as a sea of stars, had descended upon Senior Disciple Brother!
She had even gained so much just by standing beside him.
She had once thought the Master favored Senior Disciple Brother simply because he had joined the sect early.
She had once thought that since Senior Disciple Brother wasn't even a Golden Immortal and was only a Houtian Being, he was nothing special.
Now she saw that Senior Disciple Brother was unfathomable!
Outside the Jie Sect Hall, Tongtian watched everything in astonishment, delight already welling up in his heart.
"Hahahaha! My disciple is truly worthy of being my disciple!"
"His merit is vast as an ocean, and he is the foremost disciple of my Interception Sect!"
Tongtian laughed aloud, though only those around the hall could hear him.
Countless disciples of the Interception Sect had just arrived, staring at the scene before them in shock.
The Eight Inner Disciples of Jie Sect had all gathered, each staring in astonishment at what was happening.
"That's... Senior Disciple Brother!"
The Fat Daoist, who stood beside Tongtian and was the most powerful among them, asked in shock.
By now, most of the Power of Merit had been absorbed, and Lin Changqing's figure finally came into view.
The immortals of the Interception Sect stared at the scene in astonishment.
Ten billion merits! What an immense amount!
It was like a beggar suddenly seeing a mountain of gold and silver treasures piled up in front of him.
And that mountain of treasures belonged to none other than his Senior Disciple Brother, who had once been less powerful than him!
How could anyone not be stunned?
But after their shock, the disciples of the Interception Sect were all delighted.
"Hahahaha! So it was Senior Disciple Brother! This opportunity is a blessing for our Interception Sect!"
"Though Senior Disciple Brother is only a Mystic Immortal, with so much merit descending upon him, he must be an extraordinary figure!"
"The Interception Sect's rise is just around the corner!"
Tongtian soon calmed down, but he still looked at Lin Changqing with immense satisfaction, smiling and nodding again and again.
Ten billion merits! Even if they didn't belong to the Interception Sect, Lin Changqing's having that much merit as its foremost disciple could only benefit the sect.
Lin Changqing was slowly coming around.
With ten billion merits entering his body, he felt a golden ocean fill him from within, then gather in his sea of consciousness until it, too, was filled with gold.
Lin Changqing was delighted for a moment as he felt the ten billion merits, but then his spirits sank.
He still only had the cultivation of a Mystic Immortal.
This merit didn't increase his cultivation!
Even a hundred billion would make no difference.
Before Lin Changqing could wear a long face for long, the others noticed that he had woken up.
"Senior Disciple Brother! You're awake!"
Yunxiao looked at Lin Changqing excitedly. He had just given her a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, and now she had gained quite a bit of Power of Merit thanks to him.
As she looked at Lin Changqing, the light in Yunxiao's eyes had changed.
The Master favored him so much that he was even willing to give him a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir. Senior Disciple Brother must have extraordinary qualities of his own!
These ten billion merits proved it!
Yunxiao gazed at Lin Changqing, her beautiful eyes shimmering.
The other disciples also flew over one after another.
Led by the Eight Personal Disciples, they all paid their respects to Lin Changqing.
More than ten thousand golden rays streaked through the sky, and countless immortals radiated divine light.
Even the Golden Immortals and Grand Unity Golden Immortals all clasped their hands and bowed!
"We, disciples of the Interception Sect, pay our respects to Senior Disciple Brother!"
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