Merit Halo

Roar, roar~!!

The Unicorn Earthworm Dragon King let out a miserable scream.

Yet no matter how the Unicorn Earthworm Dragon King wailed, he could only watch helplessly as he was refined by the Qilin Pill.

"I thought he would be some formidable character. Turns out he was just trash." Red Cloud curled his lip.

His use of divine abilities was crude. He possessed only a powerful body, without any means to make use of it.

Although this Unicorn Earthworm Dragon King's cultivation was not weak, his strength did not even compare to that Earth Qilin's.

But on second thought, the Unicorn Earthworm Dragon clan was merely a mixed-blood dragon species. It was hardly strange that they could not compare to an Earth Qilin.

"Either way, the Unicorn Earthworm Dragon King had Golden Immortal cultivation. His entire body is material for pill refinement and artifact forging."

Having absorbed a fragment of a damaged Earth Vein and sacrificed a Golden Immortal, the Qilin Pill began to develop spiritual essence.

Next, Red Cloud needed to find an Earth Vein and plant the Qilin Pill within it, nurturing it with the power of other Earth Veins to produce a small Earth Vein.

Red Cloud left this dangerous area to search. Before long, he found a suitable Earth Vein, placed the Qilin Pill within it, and waited for the small Earth Vein to be born.

To speed up the small Earth Vein's growth, Red Cloud painfully took out the Jade Dew Bottle and poured some of the rainwater it had accumulated over countless years into the Earth Vein.

Earth Veins possessed spirituality as well. Having received Red Cloud's favor, it actively nourished the Qilin Pill with its power. Gradually, the Qilin Pill transformed into an egg.

Perhaps Heaven itself had aided Red Cloud's actions. The Earth Vein egg, which should have required a long time to nurture, quickly took shape, and a wisp of dense Primordial Yellow Qi rose from within.

With a crack, the dark yellow egg shattered, and an Earth Vein resembling a small dragon drilled its way out.

Red Cloud drew the small Earth Vein into his palm. The Earth Vein did not resist, as though it knew Red Cloud would not harm it.

Looking at the small Earth Vein in his hand, Red Cloud revealed an excited expression. He knew his method had succeeded.

Red Cloud brought the small Earth Vein back to the dangerous land filled with turbid and baleful qi, then planted it deep beneath the earth.

The small Earth Vein took root at the source of the original Earth Vein, its power flowing along the original Earth Vein's path.

At that moment, it was as if living water had appeared in a barren desert. The aura of the dangerous land rapidly changed.

Vast amounts of turbid and baleful qi surged toward the small Earth Vein, only to be devoured by it like a black hole.

Turbid and baleful qi were the finest nourishment for an Earth Vein's growth. The small Earth Vein expanded at a visible rate, while the surrounding environment began to change.

The vicious land of barren mountains and foul waters gradually became a place of beautiful spiritual mountains under the influence of the Earth Vein's power.

But one could not grow fat in a single bite. Compared to the immense amount of turbid and baleful qi in this place, the small Earth Vein was still far too small. Its capacity to consume and digest them was nowhere near its peak.

"Let me lend you a hand!"

Red Cloud took out a set of formation flags and sent them into the ground around the Earth Vein, forming a Four Spirits Guardian Formation.

This formation could draw in turbid and baleful qi to the greatest extent possible. It could also block the turbid and baleful qi beyond the small Earth Vein's limit of digestion, giving it the best possible space to grow.

All that remained was to leave it to time. Once the small Earth Vein had fully matured, this dangerous land would naturally be purified.

Boom! Boom! Boom—

Three thunderclaps rang out beneath the clear sky.

The Heavenly Dao sensed Red Cloud's efforts. Primordial Yellow Qi filled the air as golden flowers condensed from merit descended one after another.

Forty-nine golden merit flowers fell upon Red Cloud. Rather than using them to increase his cultivation, he combined them with the merit he already possessed and condensed them into a halo.

The Merit Halo floated behind Red Cloud's head, radiating clear golden light and making him appear all the more compassionate and noble.

Red Cloud greatly enjoyed this display. With a Merit Halo, whoever saw him would have to praise him as a virtuous person.

Looking at the slowly growing small Earth Vein, Red Cloud no longer lingered and continued toward his destination.

Buzhou Mountain was far too distant. Red Cloud flew countless miles, yet he had not even reached its foothills.

One day, as Red Cloud flew through a sea of clouds, he saw a vibrant sea of flowers appear below.

There were far too many similar sights in the Primordial World, so Red Cloud had no intention of stopping and planned to fly straight over it. Yet a sudden feeling arose in his heart.

"Hm? Is there an opportunity for me here?"

The instant that feeling appeared, Red Cloud was overjoyed. His gaze fell upon the sea of flowers, where a hundred blossoms competed in beauty.

Red Cloud flew toward the flower sea. The flowers were in full bloom, and waves of enchanting floral fragrance drifted through the air.

Only after reaching the ground did Red Cloud realize that some of the flowers were enormous, their buds as large as houses.

The roots and stems of some flowers were also thick and long, as thick as waists and over a hundred meters tall.

Had he not known they were flowers, so lush and vibrant, Red Cloud would have taken them for great trees.

Red Cloud flew low over the flowers and saw that nectar had actually formed within one of them, so he went forward and collected some.

It was golden nectar with an intoxicating floral scent. Red Cloud casually fashioned a cup to hold it.

Though the cup was small, it could hold a sea's worth of water. It was merely an insignificant spell.

As Red Cloud drank the pure natural nectar, he searched for the object that had stirred that feeling within him.

Within this flower sea, Red Cloud encountered the creatures living there—beelike beings.

They diligently gathered nectar and delivered it to a city built entirely of honey: Amber City.

The object that had drawn Red Cloud's attention was inside Amber City. Left with no choice, he transformed into a bee and infiltrated it.

After entering Amber City, Red Cloud moved through its streets, occasionally stopping to discern the direction of the feeling. Before he knew it, he had arrived at Amber City's core: the Queen Bee Palace.

This was where the Bee Queen lived and rested.

Red Cloud quietly slipped into the palace. There, he saw a flower, golden all over like glass, surrounded by spiritual qi. The Bee Queen lay sleeping atop its pistil.

Upon seeing the flower's appearance, Red Cloud communed with the Heavenly Dao and learned that it was called the Eternal Flower, a supreme flower. Possessing one could allow someone to become a Golden Immortal on the spot.

However, what had stirred Red Cloud's senses was not the Eternal Flower, but a pearl worn on the Bee Queen's forehead.

It was a lush green pearl overflowing with life force. It was precisely the Life Orb, a low-grade innate spiritual treasure containing vast power of life.

"Isn't it rather impolite for you to stare at someone else's treasure?" the Bee Queen suddenly opened her eyes and said.

The Bee Queen looked warily at Red Cloud. An unfamiliar expert had approached her, and she had only noticed him after he had infiltrated so close to her. She could not help but be vigilant.

"I am the Daoist Red Cloud. I was passing through this place, but the pearl on your forehead drew me here."

Red Cloud slightly cupped his hands and said, "I cherish compassion and hold the world in my heart. I do not wish to kill recklessly, so I ask the Bee Queen to hand over this object fated to be mine."

Hearing Red Cloud's words, the Bee Queen nearly laughed in anger. She had never seen such a shameless person.

The Bee Queen rebuked, "Would someone who cherishes compassion and holds the world in his heart steal another's belongings?"

"Blessed be the Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable!"

Red Cloud uttered a Daoist invocation. With a thought, the Merit Halo appeared, strands of golden merit light illuminating the palace. Even the air seemed filled with the fragrant scent of merit.

"T-That is... merit?!"

The Bee Queen was stunned. This shameless man actually possessed merit—he was a virtuous person? There was no justice in this world!

"Fellow Daoist has obtained this treasure, yet has never refined it. You must know that you are fated to encounter it, but not destined to possess it."