Using Heavenly Dao merit for a beauty pageant?

To Xiao Kuang's surprise, the Queen Mother of the West didn't keep him waiting long.

A few days later, the riveted grand door was knocked upon again. Standing outside was the Queen Mother of the West, graceful and noble, with an aloof aura and a hint of undisguised nervousness on her face. Behind her followed several fairy maidens in green, holding jade platters laden with several large, plump Immortal Peaches, radiating the essence of Innate Wood and rich immortal light.

"Queen Mother of the West, by the decree of the Dao Ancestor, I am here to present these Immortal Peaches," her voice was like pearls falling on a jade plate, clear and pleasant, yet tinged with a certain reserve.

Xiao Kuang's eyes lit up, and he immediately sprang from his massage chair to greet her personally (mostly to greet the peaches). "My, my, Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West, you are too kind! Please come in quickly! You didn't have to bring so many gifts, you're making me feel like a stranger!"

As he spoke, he unceremoniously picked up the largest Immortal Peach and took a huge bite. Juice overflowed, and immortal energy surged.

"Mmm! Sweet! Crispy! Juicy! Truly a brand-name product!" He ate with smacking sounds, completely unconcerned with his image.

The Queen Mother of the West, seeing the legendary and unfathomably profound Dao Ancestor behave in such a manner, was momentarily at a loss. She could only nod slightly, "It is good that the Dao Ancestor likes them."

Xiao Kuang finished the peach in a flash, licked his fingers with lingering satisfaction, and finally turned his gaze to the Queen Mother of the West herself, scrutinizing her from head to toe. The more he looked, the more pleased he became.

"Tsk tsk, Fellow Daoist, not only do you grow excellent peaches, but you yourself are... hmm, endowed with spiritual beauty, blessed by creation!" he mused, stroking his chin, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

The Queen Mother of the West felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze and shifted slightly. "The Dao Ancestor flatters me. If there is nothing else, may this junior take her leave?" She didn't want to spend another moment in this bizarre Purple Heaven Palace.

"Hey! Don't be in such a hurry to leave!" Xiao Kuang quickly stopped her, a sudden impulse striking him, and a long-held, unconventional idea blurted out, "I have a brilliant idea that I wish to discuss with Fellow Daoist!"

The alarm bells in the Queen Mother of the West's heart rang loudly. She braced herself and said, "May I ask... what idea does the Dao Ancestor have?"

"I intend to hold the 'Primordial Era's First Fairy Beauty Pageant'!" Xiao Kuang declared with a grand sweep of his hand, brimming with excitement. "The aim is to discover the beauty of the Primordial lands and enhance the confidence and influence of our fairy fellow Daoists! I see your aura, your appearance, your status – you are definitely a strong contender for the championship! Perhaps we won't even need to hold the selection, you could be directly appointed... cough cough, the people's choice!"

"A... beauty pageant?" The Queen Mother of the West was utterly dumbfounded, her exquisitely beautiful face etched with shock and absurdity. "This... how can this be proper? How can this junior... how can this junior participate in such... such a childish affair?" Her cultivation prevented her from uttering the word "absurd," but her eyes conveyed it all.

"Childish? How is this childish!" Xiao Kuang retorted with utmost seriousness. "Beauty is also a manifestation of the Great Dao! What is wrong with pursuing beauty, appreciating beauty? This is an important part of enhancing the spiritual civilization of the Primordial Era!"

The Queen Mother of the West: "..." She felt her Dao heart trembling.

Seeing the Queen Mother of the West's expression, which clearly conveyed "If you push me any further, I'll die for you to see," Xiao Kuang knew he couldn't rush this. He had to temporarily abandon the idea of dragging her into it. After a few more casual remarks (nonsense), he finally let the Queen Mother of the West, who felt like she had been granted amnesty, depart.

After seeing off the Queen Mother of the West, Xiao Kuang's enthusiasm for the "beauty pageant" only grew. He thought the idea was simply genius! It allowed him to openly appreciate beautiful women and create some excitement, perfectly aligning with his spirit of slacking off for entertainment.

However, he felt a bit uncertain doing it alone, so he trotted off to find his "advisors" – Xi He and Chang Xi.

"Sisters, I need your help and advice!" he approached the two Lunar Goddesses, who were being forced to prune potted plants, and expounded his "beauty pageant" plan with great gusto.

After listening, Xi He and Chang Xi looked at him with blank expressions, their gazes as if they were looking at unrecyclable chaotic garbage.

After a long pause, Xi He finally uttered coldly, "Does the Dao Ancestor find this Purple Heaven Palace too quiet and wish to incur the resentment of all the female immortals in the Primordial Era?"

Chang Xi's retort was even sharper, "Heh, resentment is probably the least of it. If our master (she referred to the former Moon God Wangshu; Chang Xi and Xi He were manifestations of the Moon God) were still here, she'd probably be the first to smash your head with a moon wheel."

Xiao Kuang chuckled sheepishly at their retorts but remained undeterred, "Oh, don't be so serious! It's just an event to liven things up! Besides, it's not like they're coming for nothing! We'll definitely offer rewards!"

"Rewards?" Xi He scoffed, her beautiful eyes filled with mockery. "What rewards can you possibly offer? Are you going to give them your burnt chaotic chicken? Or that Innate Spiritual Spring you soaked your feet in?" They were very clear about Xiao Kuang's meager possessions.

Xiao Kuang was choked by her words and retorted stubbornly, "Who do you think you're looking down on! I am, after all, the Dao Ancestor! Would I be stingy?"

Chang Xi rolled her eyes, "Oh? Then, pray tell, what rewards can the esteemed Dao Ancestor produce to make the thousands of proud female immortals in the Primordial Era participate in your... inexplicable 'beauty pageant'?"

"Exactly! Exactly!" Xiao Kuang instinctively agreed, then faltered. Right, what could he offer as prizes and appearance fees? Although his "tribute" items were decent, they probably didn't have enough appeal to make all the female immortals cast aside their pride...

He pondered with a troubled expression, subconsciously connecting to the Heavenly Dao Authority, wanting to see what inventory he had left.

As his divine sense swept across the vast authority, something caught his attention – the boundless golden ocean, filled with endless creation and opportunities... Heavenly Dao Merit!

There seemed to be a lot of this stuff? And it looked quite pretty, golden and radiant. It should be quite popular with girls, right?

His eyes instantly lit up, and he slapped his thigh, "I've got it! I'll offer Heavenly Dao Merit! Everyone who participates gets a participation prize! The higher the ranking, the more Merit! The champion gets a large portion directly! Is that impressive enough?!"

"Hea... Heavenly Dao Merit?!!"

Xi He and Chang Xi, who had been wearing expressions of mockery and helplessness, heard these four words and instantly turned pale with shock, nearly jumping up!

That was Heavenly Dao Merit! The most valuable currency in the Primordial Era! A treasure that gold could hardly buy! Adding a trace to artifact forging could create a Post-celestial Merit Spiritual Treasure, allowing one to kill without incurring karma! Absorbing a wisp during cultivation could break through bottlenecks, dispel disasters, and improve one's foundation! For beings in the Primordial Era, its allure even surpassed that of a Celestial Spiritual Treasure!

What cultivator didn't dream of Heavenly Dao Merit? How many powerful beings had fought bloody battles for even a sliver of it?

And now, this scoundrel, this lazy Dao Ancestor, was saying he would use Heavenly Dao Merit... as prizes for a "beauty pageant"?! And in bulk, no less?!

It was like someone using the Imperial Seal to crack nuts, using the He Shi Bi as a coaster, or bathing in the Nine Heavens Milky Way! "Wasting heavenly treasures" was not even enough to describe a fraction of it!

Xi He pointed at Xiao Kuang, her finger trembling, "You... you... do you know how precious Heavenly Dao Merit is?! How could... how could it be used for such a childish affair?!"

Chang Xi's pretty face also turned red with anger, "Xiao Kuang! You are simply... simply the biggest spendthrift in the Primordial Era! If the Heavenly Dao knew, it would surely... surely..." She was so angry she didn't know how to curse him.

Xiao Kuang was startled by their reaction and shrunk his neck, muttering softly, "Is it that precious? I saw there was still a lot in the warehouse... It's just gathering dust there, might as well use it for an event to promote the circulation of Primordial currency..."

"There's still a lot?!" Xi He and Chang Xi nearly fainted.

They looked at Xiao Kuang's indifferent expression, as if it were just "some golden dye," and then thought of the hardships they and their sister had endured to condense the meager Merit for the Taiyin Star...

A deep, powerless sense of grief and indignation, "Heaven is unfair to this extent," surged in their hearts.

Where was justice?! Where was the bottom line of the Heavenly Dao's impartiality?! Had it truly been eaten by this lazy fish?!

Xi He took several deep breaths, barely suppressing the urge to strangle Xiao Kuang, and gritted out, "If... if you dare to be so reckless... the Primordial Era... the Primordial Era will truly descend into utter chaos..."

Using Heavenly Dao Merit for a beauty pageant? They couldn't even imagine what a terrifying scene of demons dancing and a hundred immortals vying for "beauty" it would be!

Xiao Kuang looked at them, who seemed on the verge of a heart attack, and scratched his head, "Huh? Will it be chaotic? I think it's great... Forget it, forget it, you women are just troublesome, so many opinions. I don't care, I think this idea is brilliant! I'm going to send out the notices now!"

He excitedly ran off, preparing to once again use the Heavenly Dao Authority to issue this earth-shattering "beauty pageant announcement" to all the female immortals in the Primordial Era.

Xi He and Chang Xi were left standing there, looking at each other, seeing only endless despair and confusion in each other's eyes.

They could already envision countless usually aloof and noble female immortals, for the sake of Heavenly Dao Merit, casting aside their pride, competing in beauty, and possibly even fighting...

The integrity of the Primordial Era was about to shatter into pieces along with the bulk-issued Merit.

As for the Heavenly Dao... The Heavenly Dao seemed to have lost the strength to even twitch. Deep within its core, only a dead, world-weary... despair remained.