Many children, many blessings; the twelve ancestral witches forced marriages throughout the primordi

The summit of Mount Sumeru.

Zhunti and Jieyin had already shouted themselves hoarse.

"The forty-seventh vow...the forty-eighth vow..."

After Zhunti finished shouting the last sentence, he looked at the sky with anticipation.

According to the script, at this moment, Heaven should bestow boundless merit, then golden lotuses should spring up from the ground, celestial music should fill the air, and the two of them should instantly become saints, thus reaching the pinnacle of their lives.

however.

A quarter of an hour passed.

Half an hour has passed.

Apart from a few dark clouds drifting by, not a single word was uttered in the sky.

The wind, carrying a few withered yellow leaves, swept past the two of them, creating an exceptionally desolate scene.

"What...what's going on?" Zhunti was dumbfounded. "Didn't the Heavenly Dao hear us? That's impossible! I used the Lion's Roar technique!"

The guide's face contorted in a grimace: "Junior brother, could it be that the Heavenly Dao thinks our promises are too grandiose, and...it doesn't believe us?"

Unbeknownst to them, in the Purple Cloud Palace, the Dao Ancestor Hongjun was looking at the tangled mess of cause and effect threads in front of him with a headache.

"Borrowing merit? Borrow my ass!" Hongjun threw a jade disc on the ground in annoyance. "The prehistoric world is in such a mess right now, the Heavenly Dao's essence has been largely taken by the Earthly Dao, where would we find any surplus to lend you? Get in line! Let me clean up this mess with the Wu Clan first!"

Therefore, the approval process of Heaven has stalled.

This card really worried Zhunti.

These grand ambitions have been made, and the entire primordial world has heard them. If they don't become saints in the end, how will they face the world afterward? Won't they be laughed at by the Primordial Heavenly Lord for the rest of their lives?

"It's all over... This is so embarrassing..." Zhunti sat down on the ground with a thud, his face ashen.

It was at this moment of despair.

Sudden.

"Buzz—!"

The void in front of the two of them distorted.

A massive black vortex appeared out of nowhere, emanating a sinister yet grand aura. It was the aura of the underworld, the scent of the netherworld.

Immediately afterwards, a lazy voice came from the vortex.

"Hey, fellow Daoists, what's going on here? Sitting on the ground to cool off?"

Zhunti and Jieyin shuddered; they would recognize that voice even if they were reduced to ashes!

"Lin Xuan?!" Zhunti jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What are you doing here? To laugh at us? Get out! You're not welcome here!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, Fellow Daoist Zhunti, don't get so angry."

Within the vortex, Lin Xuan's figure wasn't fully revealed; only a huge phantom was projected. He held a folding fan (a new gadget he'd learned from the humans) and watched the two unfortunate souls with a smirk.

"I just heard you shouting yourself hoarse, saying you lack the merit to become a saint. Well, I'm a very kind-hearted person and can't bear to see others suffer. So I came to ask if you need any help?"

"Help?" Jieyin looked at Lin Xuan warily. "You'd be that kind? You'd help us become saints?"

"Of course!" Lin Xuan snapped his folding fan shut. "Although we have a slight misunderstanding, we are all powerful beings from the primordial era, and we'll run into each other again. Business in my underworld has been good lately, and I've earned quite a bit of merit. I think the Heavenly Dao doesn't seem to want to deal with you, so... how about you borrow some from me?"

"Borrow it from you?" Zhunti hesitated for a moment, then a glimmer of hope rose in his heart, but it was quickly suppressed by wariness. "You'll lend it to us? What are your conditions?"

"The terms are easy to discuss."

Lin Xuan smiled like a big bad wolf trying to lure Little Red Riding Hood.

"Let's follow the rules. Nine out, thirteen back, you understand?"

"Nine out, thirteen back?!" Jieyin nearly choked. "This is robbery! Even mortal bandits aren't this ruthless!"

The so-called "nine out, thirteen back" means that if you borrow 100%, you can only get 90% back, and you have to repay 130%. The interest is frighteningly high.

"Hey, you can't say that," Lin Xuan waved his hand. "It's a seller's market right now. Besides me, who else can lend you such a large sum of merit? Besides, a Sainthood! That's an immortal Sainthood! Compared to a Sainthood, what's a little interest?"

Zhunti remained silent.

Lin Xuan's words, though harsh, were the truth.

If they cannot become saints, they are nothing but ants, vulnerable to extermination by the witch clan at any moment. If they become saints, even if they are burdened with debt, at least their lives will be saved, and they will gain status.

"Besides interest, what else?" Zhunti asked through gritted teeth. He knew Lin Xuan definitely had a backup plan.

"That feels great!" Lin Xuan snapped his fingers.

A gleaming golden contract flew out of thin air and landed in front of the two of them.

The contract was densely covered with clauses, each word radiating the oppressive power of authentic laws, making it impossible to look directly at.

"It's nothing major," Lin Xuan said casually. "It's just that from now on, your Western Sect will be responsible for helping our Underworld exorcise evil spirits. It'll be free. As for the timeframe... let's set it at ten Yuanhui."

"Furthermore, any merit gained from the Western Religion should be used to repay debts to the Underworld first. If these debts are not repaid, the interest will double."

"The last one, and the most important one."

Lin Xuan paused, his eyes sharpening.

"If you dare to renege on your debt, or dare to harm the underworld, the laws of the underworld in this contract will take effect. At that time... hehe, although saints are immortal, I can still make you fall from your saintly positions, or seal you in a latrine for ten thousand years."

"You...you're treating us like slaves!" Jieyin was trembling with anger.

This isn't a loan; it's practically a contract of servitude! Once they sign it, the Western Cult will become laborers of the underworld!

"Whether you sign or not is up to you."

Lin Xuan shrugged indifferently. "Anyway, I'm not in a hurry. I think the dark clouds in the sky are about to disperse; the Heavenly Dao is probably going to sleep. If you want to wait until the next great calamity to become saints, then you can wait patiently."

After saying that, Lin Xuan made a move to take back the contract.

"Don't!"

Zhunti shouted loudly.

He stared at the contract, his eyes filled with intense struggle.

On one side is dignity and freedom, and on the other is the coveted holy position.

In the current situation, the demon race is on the verge of collapse, while the witch race holds absolute power. Unless they achieve sainthood, they won't even have the right to speak with Lin Xuan.

"Senior brother..." Zhunti turned to look at Jieyin, his eyes filled with determination, "Sign! As long as we become saints, we'll have a chance to turn things around! Then... hmph, who knows who will have the last laugh!"

Jieyin closed his eyes, and two lines of clear tears flowed down his face.

"Fine, fine! For the sake of the West, for the sake of the great religion... I'll sign!"

Lin Xuan was overjoyed at the sight.

"That's right! Come on, leave your handprint, and this huge sum of genuine merit will be credited to your account immediately!"