Merit Spirit Treasure, a Moment of Spring Night Is Worth a Thousand Gold

"Heavenly merit descending!?"

Below the Heavenly Sacrificial Platform, the pupils of the Great Supernatural Beings all contracted as they drew sharp breaths.

After their shock subsided, the envy and longing in their eyes remained impossible to conceal.

This was Heavenly Dao Merit!

It could help cultivators advance their cultivation, break through realms, perfect their foundations, temper spiritual treasures, protect themselves and avert disasters, dissolve Karmic Power... It was one of the foremost consumable resources in the Primordial World.

Who would not want it?

Lingxiao raised his head toward the profound-yellow golden light cascading from the heavens, already understanding in his heart. In an instant, he realized where this merit had come from.

"Establishing the Heavenly Marriage?" Lingxiao looked up at the descending Heavenly Dao Merit, enlightenment dawning upon him as he understood why it had arrived.

The Primordial World ought to have taken heaven, earth, and humanity—the Three Realms—as its framework. Heavenly Dao, Earthly Dao, and Human Dao complemented one another, cycling endlessly, before it could develop in stability.

Correspondingly, there were the three grand rites of Heavenly Marriage, Earthly Marriage, and Human Marriage. From top to bottom, they established the yin-yang ethics of the Primordial World, completed the Dao of Heaven-Earth harmony, and perfected the underlying foundation of the world's order.

And this wedding between him, Xihe, and Changxi was the first orthodox Heavenly Marriage since the creation of heaven and earth.

This marriage corresponded to the fortune of the Primordial Starry Sky, fixed the order of the sun and moon's revolution, safeguarded the balance of the surrounding stars, and was inherently in accordance with Heaven and humanity, benefiting all things between heaven and earth.

Now, Nuwa had used the Red Marriage Ball personally bestowed by the Dao Ancestor—a token that accorded with the profound mysteries of the Marriage Dao—to bind the heaven-ordained marriage fate of the three of them.

Heavenly Dao sensed that the missing order of yin-yang ethics had now been partially restored, so it naturally sent down this vast sea of merit.

"Whoosh!"

In an instant, radiant profound-yellow Merit Golden Light pierced through time and space and descended directly upon the Heavenly Sacrificial Platform on the Sun Star.

The golden light divided into two in midair. Sixty percent went to Lingxiao, Xihe, and Changxi, while forty percent descended upon Nuwa—not the slightest fraction astray, perfectly in accord with Heaven's principle of rewarding merit.

The merit descending upon Nuwa then split in half once more. One half fused into her body and Primordial Spirit, while the other half poured entirely into the Red Marriage Ball she had just received.

Like Lingxiao, Nuwa was one of the most exceptional Innate Sacred Beings in the world. The moment she took form and emerged into the world, she had achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and Five Qi Returning to the Origin, becoming a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. After gaining insights from listening to the Dao at Violet Firmament Palace previously, her cultivation had already reached the very end of the early Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Realm.

At this moment, merit entered her body and was refined in the blink of an eye.

"Boom!"

Within the Consciousness Sea of her Niwan Palace, her Lesser Yin Primordial Spirit reflected the void. The three flowers of "essence," "qi," and "spirit" gathered above her head, blooming to the eighth grade. Her aura surged explosively as she naturally broke through into the Middle-Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Realm.

Joy filled her heart. She hurriedly bowed once more in the direction of Violet Firmament Palace in thanks, then turned and gave Lingxiao a respectful curtsy. "Many thanks to you, Dao Brother, for bringing this about. Only then was I able to obtain this opportunity."

"You were already blessed with deep fortune, Dao Friend. I merely pushed the boat along with the current," Lingxiao replied with a smile, returning her salute.

Then, together with Xihe and Changxi, he condensed all of their share of merit behind their heads, turning it into a wheel of merit light rather than refining it on the spot.

First, the wedding had yet to conclude, and guests stood before them. They naturally had to treat them with proper courtesy; there would be time to enter seclusion and refine it after the feast ended and the guests departed.

Second, he had long made plans. After the wedding night, when Lunar Yin and the Sun Star shone upon each other, when the Golden Crow and Jade Rabbit joined in yin-yang harmony, whether comprehending the Dao or cultivating, their efficiency could increase by dozens or even hundreds of times. It would be twice the result with half the effort.

"Buzz."

Elsewhere, the Red Marriage Ball was also nourished by Heavenly Dao Merit. Its treasure light swelled immensely, its scarlet radiance illuminating the entire river of stars.

Its original forty-two Innate Treasure Restrictions all transformed into Merit Treasure Restrictions. As spiritual light flowed within it, no evil could invade it and no method could taint it. It directly transformed from a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure into a Supreme-Grade Innate Merit Spirit Treasure.

Even if it were wielded in slaughter in the future, it would not incur the slightest Karmic Power or causality, while its might surpassed what it had once been.

"Excellent! Truly excellent! Only..."

Among the crowd, Fu Xi watched his younger sister's cultivation break through and saw her obtain such a supreme treasure. At first, he was overjoyed, his eyes full of a proud smile. Yet in the next instant, his brows drew tightly together, and his expression became conflicted.

He was famously protective of his sister in the Primordial World and had never wished for Nuwa to grow too close to a "fickle-hearted" man like Lingxiao, who had taken two beauties as wives. Yet Nuwa's receipt of the Dao Ancestor's bestowed treasure and Heaven's descending merit had indeed come by Lingxiao's good fortune.

For a time, joy and worry mingled across his face. His fingers clenched and loosened, his feet shifted and stopped, and he stood rooted in place, caught between advancing and retreating in utter conflict.

The myriad immortals below the platform had long since been swept into surging excitement by these successive Heavenly Dao phenomena.

The Dao Ancestor had personally bestowed a supreme treasure, and Heavenly Dao had sent down merit. Apart from Lingxiao, no second person in the entire Primordial World could receive such honor.

Moreover, the Great Supernatural Beings present had no particular conflict of interest with Lingxiao, nor any reason to offend him. Now that they saw he could draw favor from both Heavenly Dao and the Dao Ancestor, they were even more eager to build good relations with him.

They only hoped that someday, they might receive a word of guidance from him and seek out an opportunity.

"Excellent, excellent!" Jieyin and Zhunti were the first to step forward. Smiling broadly, the two bowed in unison to Lingxiao and Nuwa in congratulations. "Dao Brother Lingxiao's Heavenly Marriage has been completed, restoring the yin-yang order. Dao Friend Nuwa has obtained a treasure and broken through, progressing further upon her Dao path. This is truly worthy of celebration! My junior brother and I wish the three Dao Friends an eternal bond in Dao affinity and an evergreen Dao endeavor!"

Their attitudes were exceptionally enthusiastic, their words brimming with warmth, as though they wished to establish a deep friendship with Lingxiao on the spot.

Tongtian laughed loudly, strode forward, and patted Lingxiao on the shoulder. "Dao Friend Lingxiao truly possesses immense fortune! A single wedding ceremony actually drew a treasure bestowal from the Dao Ancestor and merit from Heavenly Dao. Looking across the Primordial World, only you could accomplish such a thing!"

Though Yuanshi still wore his cold and proud expression, he gave a slight nod and said calmly, "Dao Friend Lingxiao was born from Father God's eye and commands the supreme fortune of the Sun Star. Having inherited Father God's blessings, achieving this is only natural."

Though his words claimed Lingxiao had merely benefited from Pangu's legacy, there was not the slightest hint of denial in his tone. Instead, it was full of acknowledgment.

Only Laozi remained silent throughout, merely nodding slightly as congratulations.

Kunpeng and Eastern King Lord had practically become Lingxiao's left and right hands. Their faces were full of pride as they stepped forward and bowed in congratulations, their words brimming with admiration. They looked every bit like devoted admirers.

Ziwei Star Lord was poor with words, dull and straightforward. At this moment, he could not speak any pretty phrases either, so he simply held up a jade cup filled with innate spiritual brew and repeatedly toasted Lingxiao.

Cup after cup, all the admiration and closeness in his eyes went into the wine.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches gathered together to drink. Since taking form and entering the world, they had always roamed the Primordial World with impunity, using the beings of all races as bloody food to temper their fleshly bodies. They had never cared for Karmic Power, retribution, or rewards of merit.

In their view, the Primordial World had been opened by Father God Pangu. As descendants formed from Father God's blood essence, hunting and feeding upon their own territory was simply the law of heaven and principle of earth!

Yet now, hearing Yuanshi mention "Pangu's legacy," and seeing that Lingxiao had indeed been born bearing the fortune of the Sun Star, they realized that he, too, had inherited Pangu's legacy just as they had. At once, they regarded Lingxiao as one of their own, and their attitude became far warmer.

Di Jiang led the Ancestral Witches forward, raised the beast-bone bowl they had brought themselves, and declared loudly:

"Dao Friend Lingxiao, you and I both inherited Father God's legacy. My brothers, sisters, and I offer you this bowl of wine together! Congratulations on your perfect wedding. If anyone blind enough dares to cause you trouble in the future, just tell me!"

His forthright spirit overflowed from every word.

Meanwhile, ancient great powers such as Candle Dragon and Fire Phoenix, who had survived the Dragon-Han Calamity, remained seated in inconspicuous corners, drinking spiritual brew and sampling spiritual food on their own, keeping an exceptionally low profile.

Though the former was grateful to Lingxiao for establishing the Twelve Time Markers and completing Heavenly Dao's Temporal Order, and was on good terms with Lingxiao, he did not wish to crowd forward and steal the host's thunder. He merely raised his cup from afar toward Lingxiao in gesture, and that counted as his congratulations.

This wedding banquet lasted a full nine days.

The ingredients served at the feast were all innate spiritual objects that Kunpeng, Eastern King Lord, and the Twelve Time Markers had gathered with immeasurable care.

Innate fruits, delicacies of every kind, and spiritual brew from the sea of stars were all present, allowing the great powers attending the feast to depart fully satisfied.

Nine days later, the Great Supernatural Beings of every faction took their leave one after another, and the clamor upon the Sun Star gradually subsided.

After the last guest departed, Lingxiao turned to Xihe and Changxi at his side. His eyes were full of gentle smiles as he said softly, "A moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold. My two wives, it is time for us to return to the palace."

"Husband~" At his words, Xihe's jade-like face instantly flushed crimson. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, yet she had changed the way she addressed him. Her slender hands tightly gripped the hem of her wedding dress, her bashful bearing making her beauty all the more breathtaking.

"Hehe, Lingxiao, I finally get to have you!" Changxi, however, showed no timidity whatsoever. Her apricot eyes sparkled as she looked at Lingxiao, her face brimming with eager anticipation. She stepped forward to hook her arm around his, then dragged him toward the sleeping palace, intent on turning heaven and earth upside down.

Watching the two in their scarlet wedding dresses—one gentle and shy, the other lively and charming—Lingxiao felt heat rise in his heart. Taking their jade hands in his, he quickly entered the bedchamber deep within Lingxiao Palace.

Red candles flickered, curtains hung low, and the Sun-Moon Origin merged completely. Yin and yang united, their Dao paths cultivated together, and their figures slowly entwined—truly a heaven-ordained union, year after year.