The simple three words sent the old man's expression shifting between light and shadow. Strands of struggle surfaced in his bloodshot eyes.
After all, he had saved tens of thousands and accumulated the power of vows and virtuous merit. Even with his heart's fixation dissolving, he could still preserve a thread of clarity.
The black mist that had originally coiled around the old man began to boil, constantly seeking to erode him anew, yet always falling short at the last step.
"What do you mean?!"
The black qi followed the old man's voice and entwined itself around Yu Chen.
At that moment, he did not possess much strength. Wrapped in the black qi, his body was slightly twisted and distorted.
He knew the old man's current state was a reversal of his Dao heart. He believed he had done good deeds yet received no good recompense, allowing resentment to surge forth.
In such circumstances, simply preaching lofty principles would be useless. He had to explain things in accordance with the old man's own thoughts.
"Merit is inherently formless. It is a form of feedback from Heaven, Earth, and the hearts of people. Thus, following Heaven is merit, responding to the Dao is virtue; illuminating the heart is merit, seeing one's nature is virtue; cultivating oneself is merit, transmitting the Dao is virtue... But do you truly understand what sort of merit you cultivate?"
The black qi around the old man flew about wildly. His gaze upon Yu Chen grew even colder. "I have no interest in answering your questions. I am asking what you meant by what you just said!"
Though his words were fierce, the constricting force of the black qi had eased considerably. More importantly, some unseen force was feeding back onto Yu Chen. He felt that with