A faint hissing sound rang out as something melted away.
A burst of pure, vast, and supremely sacred golden light suddenly erupted from within Lu Changsheng!
The light had no warmth at all, yet carried an ultimate will that seemed to herald the dawn of heaven and earth and sweep aside all laws.
The black baleful energy that had burrowed into Lu Changsheng's body had no chance to struggle beneath the golden light. In an instant, it was purified into the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
"This is... Great Dao Merit?!"
The Red Robe Daoist cried out in shock, utterly dumbfounded.
He had lived through countless yuanhui and befriended countless mighty figures of the Primordial Land, yet he had never seen anyone wield Great Dao Merit with such effortless ease! The man had even taken the Tribulation Resentment Poison head-on with his own body!
What kind of monster had appeared out of nowhere?!
"Phew, that stuff's a little pungent."
Lu Changsheng withdrew his finger and felt the tiny bit of Heavenly Dao Merit compensation he had gained within him. He pursed his lips slightly.
The poison looked frightening, but to him, a merit incarnation, it truly wasn't even worth calling an itch.
He turned to the Red Robe Daoist, who was still in a daze, and smiled as he held out his hand.
"Senior, the poison's been cured."
"This humble Daoist runs an honest business. Although you're a good person, I can't break the rules. As for the fee for the treatment, perhaps you could..."
Lu Changsheng rubbed his fingers together, his eyes shining.
Only then did the Red Robe Daoist snap out of it. He hurriedly lowered his head to inspect his injuries.
Sure enough, the fatal resentment poison that had plagued him for decades had vanished from his chest without a trace. The wound, deep enough to expose bone, was also healing at a visible rate.
"Fellow Daoist... no, Great Master!"
The Red Robe Daoist sprang to his feet. Without even straightening his disheveled robes, he bowed deeply to Lu Changsheng, his voice filled with gratitude and reverence.
"This humble Daoist is Hong Yun. I thank Great Master for saving my life!"
Hong Yun?
At the sound of the name, the corner of Lu Changsheng's eye twitched.
"Ancestor Hong Yun?!"
He screamed inwardly.
This was the Primordial Land's number-one good Samaritan!
The unlucky fellow who, according to legend, had offered up his seat at Purple Heaven Palace because of his excessively kind nature, only to be set up and killed by Demon Master Kunpeng and Ancestor Minghe working together, losing his life and vanishing from the Dao!
No wonder that even while on the verge of death, he had still been distracted with purifying a spiritual fruit and had even warned a complete stranger like him.
That good Samaritan's nature was practically carved into his bones!
"So you're Senior Hong Yun."
Lu Changsheng suppressed his shock, his smile growing ever brighter.
Although Ancestor Hong Yun was unlucky, he was famous for his great wealth and wide circle of friends. He was especially close to Zhenyuanzi, the Ancestor of Earth Immortals—they had been through life and death together.
For saving such a mighty figure, the fee would surely be substantial!
"With Great Master here, how could Hong Yun dare call himself your senior?"
Ancestor Hong Yun was honest and kind by nature, and he knew just how precious Great Dao Merit was. His benefactor had been willing to expend the origin of the Great Dao to save him. That kindness was greater than the heavens!
Without the slightest hesitation, he picked up the red spiritual fruit he had just risked his life to protect.
"Great Master saved my life, and Hong Yun has nothing to repay you with."
"This Fire Date grew on an Innate Mid-Grade Spiritual Root that I happened upon while traveling through the southern Immortal Volcano."
"Although it has been tainted by a trace of poison, I am willing to purify it completely with my life-bound true fire and offer it to Great Master as thanks."
As Hong Yun spoke, he began to channel his power to purify the spiritual fruit.
"Wait!"
Lu Changsheng snatched the Fire Date away and declared righteously, "Your injuries have only just healed, Senior. How can you use your power again? Leave such a trifling matter to me."
As if! That poison could be exchanged for merit! How could he let Hong Yun purify it?
Lu Changsheng held the Fire Date as golden light from his merit flashed across his palm.
The spiritual fruit, which had been covered in black spots, instantly became clear and translucent, giving off a refreshing aura of innate fire spiritual energy.
"This..."
Watching the scene unfold, Ancestor Hong Yun was once again stunned by Lu Changsheng's miraculous methods.
"I'll accept this Fire Date as the fee for treatment."
Lu Changsheng stowed the Fire Date in his storage pouch without a hint of embarrassment, then patted Hong Yun on the shoulder with the air of an elder offering heartfelt advice.
"Senior Hong Yun, in this chaotic Primordial Land, it's hard to be a good person. Your compassionate heart is admirable, but you must know your limits."
"When you come across baleful energy from a Tribulation of Measure in the future, the right thing to do is stay far away. Don't risk your life again just to save a few plants."
Lu Changsheng's words might have sounded a little worldly, but they were sincere advice.
He didn't want the person he had gone to such trouble to save to turn around and die in some godforsaken corner.
Hearing such blunt words, Ancestor Hong Yun wasn't angry. Instead, he felt a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.
In the treacherous Primordial Land, it was rare for a chance acquaintance to offer such frank advice.
"I'll remember Great Master's teachings."
Ancestor Hong Yun sighed, then drew a jade talisman from his sleeve. It shone with five-colored light, and he held it out to Lu Changsheng.
"Great Master's abilities are truly extraordinary. Hong Yun is deeply impressed. This jade talisman bears a strand of my divine sense."
"My home is Fire Cloud Cave. If you have time in the future, Great Master, or if you need any rare treasures of heaven and earth, simply crush this talisman. Hong Yun will welcome you with my home swept clean, and I'll spare no effort to help!"
Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up at the sight of the jade talisman.
This wasn't just a long-term meal ticket. It was a top-tier invitation into the circle of mighty figures of the Primordial Land!
With his connection to Hong Yun, if he ever ran into trouble he couldn't handle, or needed to investigate some top-secret information, things would be much easier!
"You're too kind, Senior Hong Yun. We're friends from now on. Let's keep in touch, keep in touch!"
Lu Changsheng happily accepted the jade talisman and carefully tucked it away against his body.
"These days, running into people... no, treating the sick and saving lives really is a broad road to wealth!"
Afterward, Lu Changsheng bade farewell to Ancestor Hong Yun and continued exploring the battlefield ruins in the western Primordial Land.
Having received an Innate Mid-Grade Fire Date from Ancestor Hong Yun and gained the goodwill of such a well-connected powerhouse, he was now all the more enthusiastic about his work cleaning up the ruins.
The years drifted by.
In the blink of an eye, two thousand years slipped quietly past amid the tedious yet often surprising work of looting corpses and delivering the dead.
Over those two thousand years, Lu Changsheng's footsteps carried him across dozens of devastated battlefield ruins in the west.
The mighty souls that had died at his hands... no, the ones he had delivered to rest, numbered at least eight hundred, if not a thousand.
His methods grew increasingly practiced. At first, he had been cautious and tentative.
Later, he could even use the Cowardly Immortal Vine to scavenge the remnants of magical treasures while purging the lingering karmic energy across the ground with Great Dao Merit. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, leaving nothing undone.
"Boom!"
Beneath a collapsed immortal mountain.
Lu Changsheng flicked out a strand of golden merit light, turning a shattered Dragon Clan skeleton to ash. At the same time, he drew a storage scale hidden inside its abdomen into his hand.
"Another mid-grade acquired treasure. The Dragon Clan really is rolling in wealth."
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