Throwing Themselves into His Arms

"He bears immense merit and great fortune. Perhaps he is a variable in the workings of the Heavenly Dao."

"A variable?" Haotian was even more confused.

"Heavenly secrets must not be divulged." Hongjun offered no further explanation, merely giving one final instruction. "You need only remember this: forge a good connection with him in the future. It will bring immense benefits to both you and Yaochi."

With that, Hongjun's figure gradually faded, finally vanishing completely, as though he had merged with the entire Purple Cloud Palace, with the whole of Chaos.

Only those profound words remained, echoing over and over in Haotian's heart.

"Immense merit, great fortune... a variable of the Heavenly Dao..."

Haotian murmured to himself, engraving the name "Xuanqing" deep within his heart.

He glanced at Yaochi beside him, a trace more resolve in his gaze.

"Yaochi, let's go. Let us see the world our master has pointed out for us!"

The two respectfully performed three bows and nine kowtows toward the place where Hongjun had disappeared. Only then did they turn and stride resolutely out through the gates of the Purple Cloud Palace.

Outside the Purple Cloud Palace, chaotic currents churned.

A colossal cliff floated in the void, its treasure light piercing the heavens as countless streams of radiance darted across its face. It was Treasure Distribution Cliff.

Beneath the cliff, chaos had long since erupted into a boiling mess.

Several thousand great powers displayed their divine abilities, battering one another bloody over the right to seize a single spiritual treasure. The flashes of colliding spells nearly illuminated this entire region of Chaos.

"Hahaha! This treasure banner is fated with our Western Lands!"

"Get lost! I discovered this treasure first!"

Yuanshi Tianzun had originally planned to return directly to Kunlun Mountain with Xuanqing, but Tongtian Cult Leader insisted on dragging his two elder brothers over to join the fun.

Under the lofty pretense of assessing the caliber of these future great powers of Honghuang.

Standing behind the Three Pure Ones, Xuanqing watched the scene before him—a spectacle comparable to fighting over discounted eggs at a market—and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

These were the lofty great powers who would stand above all others in the future? Where was their image? Their bearing?

Though he mocked them inwardly, he understood that a powerful Innate Spiritual Treasure was enough to change a person's fate. They could hardly be blamed for going mad over them.

Yuanshi Tianzun frowned slightly at the chaotic scene, clearly displeased.

Taishang Laojun, meanwhile, wore an airy, indifferent expression, as though none of it had anything to do with him.

Only Tongtian Cult Leader watched with great interest, offering commentary now and then.

"Second Brother, look at that one with the fork. He's vicious enough."

"And that one—he runs really fast. You can tell at a glance he was born with the makings of a thief."

Just then, a sudden change erupted!

Three gentle beams of golden light suddenly shot into the sky from Treasure Distribution Cliff. Rather than scattering in all directions like the other spiritual treasures, they circled once in the air before flying straight toward Xuanqing!

The three streaks of golden light moved with incredible speed, arriving before Xuanqing in the blink of an eye and hovering motionlessly.

Dense auras of merit lingered around all three treasures.

"Merit Spiritual Treasures!"

"Hiss! Three Merit Spiritual Treasures!"

The scene fell silent for a moment. Everyone's eyes converged on Xuanqing, filled with shock, envy, and undisguised greed.

The spiritual treasures of Honghuang were divided into innate and acquired.

Innate Spiritual Treasures were nurtured by heaven and earth. Their power was immense, but their Karma was equally weighty.

Merit Spiritual Treasures, however, were different. Most were formed from Heavenly Dao Merit, or refined by those of immense merit. Though the killing power of such Magic Treasures might not match the finest Innate Spiritual Treasures, their wondrous uses were limitless.

Most importantly, merit protected the body, leaving Karma unable to cling to it! Moreover, they possessed a natural restraining effect against Demon Path cultivators like Luo Hou.

More crucially still, Merit Spiritual Treasures possessed spirits and would actively choose their masters!

The beings they chose were inevitably those who bore immense merit!

"Who is this kid? How did he make three Merit Spiritual Treasures throw themselves into his arms?"

"I don't know him. He looks unfamiliar. But he's standing behind the Three Pure Ones—could he be their disciple?"

"So what if he is a disciple of the Three Pure Ones? Unowned treasures belong to the virtuous! Him monopolizing three all by himself is far too overbearing!"

The flames of jealousy burned in many hearts.

Especially among those great powers who had not managed to snatch even a single hair so far—their eyes had turned red.

Xuanqing himself was stunned as well.

"No way. I just came to watch the fun—why am I being force-fed a purchase?"

He could feel the Merit Golden Wheel within his body echoing across the distance with the three Magic Treasures, creating a wondrous resonance.

These things really had come for him.

Within the Demon Race camp, Dijun watched this scene, a dark glint flashing through his eyes. He gave Baize beside him a meaningful look.

Baize caught on at once. He quietly stepped back a few paces and blended into another group of immortals.

That group was led by a middle-aged Daoist in imperial robes, carrying himself with extraordinary bearing. He was none other than Dongwanggong, personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor as the leader of the male immortals.

Seemingly by chance, Baize transmitted his voice to an immortal official beside Dongwanggong. "Dao brother, look—the disciple of Yuanshi alone obtained three Merit Spiritual Treasures. The Three Pure Ones have such a vast Great Cause, yet now even their disciples and grand-disciples are coming to fight us for opportunities. This... sigh!"

At once, the immortal official's expression turned ugly. He leaned close to Dongwanggong's ear and recounted the matter in an exaggerated fashion.

Dongwanggong had already been dissatisfied over failing to seize many Magic Treasures. Hearing this now only stoked his anger further.

He considered himself the leader of the male immortals, and naturally believed he ought to seek benefits for all male immortals under heaven.

"This is simply going too far!"

Beside Dongwanggong, a hot-tempered immortal could no longer hold himself back. He strode forward and pointed at Xuanqing, shouting, "Boy! Who are you? What right do you have to monopolize three Merit Spiritual Treasures?"

"Hand over the treasures at once and let Dongwanggong distribute them fairly, or don't blame us for showing no courtesy!"

The moment those words fell, quite a few people immediately chimed in.

"That's right! Hand them over!"

"Treasures belong to everyone under heaven. How can you be allowed to monopolize them alone?"

Xuanqing looked at this crowd filled with righteous indignation and found himself speechless.

They were really slapping an enormous hat onto his head.

Before he could speak, a cold snort burst beside everyone's ears like thunder from the Ninth Heaven.

Yuanshi Tianzun slowly stepped forward, his icy gaze sweeping over the clamoring immortal and Dongwanggong behind him.

"Magic Treasures choose their masters. It is decreed by Heaven. Do you have objections?"

The aura of a Quasi-Saint erupted without the slightest restraint, crushing most of those present until they could barely breathe.

The clamoring immortal's face instantly went deathly pale. His legs gave way, and he nearly dropped to his knees.

Everyone's faces filled with horror!

A Quasi-Saint! Yuanshi Tianzun had actually broken through to the Quasi-Saint realm!

Dongwanggong's expression changed again and again. He had not expected Yuanshi Tianzun to be so protective of his own, refusing to give even the slightest face to him, the leader of the male immortals, for the sake of one disciple.

"Dao brother Yuanshi, you cannot put it that way. When treasures emerge, everyone who sees them deserves a share..." Dongwanggong said, forcing himself to speak.

"Oh?" Yuanshi Tianzun could not even be bothered to lift his eyelids. "You mean to say that you want to snatch things from this poor Daoist?"

The phantom of the Pangu Banner flickered behind him, choking off every word Dongwanggong had yet to say.

Tongtian Cult Leader beside him was even more direct. The Qingping Sword in his hand had already begun to hum.

"Whoever refuses to accept this can come over and trade a few moves with me!"

Taishang Laojun said nothing, but the indifferent sweep of his gaze alone made Dongwanggong's heart tremble.

The scene fell silent in an instant.