Primordial Era: I am a treasure trove, full of magical treasures.

"boom--!!!"

With the return of the Human Emperor and the recognition of the Kongtong Seal as its master, the fortunes of humanity were in a frenzy! The auspicious clouds and purple aura gathered in the sky did not dissipate. Instead, at the moment when Xuan Cang raised the seal and made the grand vow of "opening up an era of peace for ten thousand generations," they suddenly collapsed and condensed, transforming into a pure and magnificent pillar of Xuanhuang merit light with a diameter of ten thousand miles. It crashed down from the heavens, enveloping the entire Fengyan Altar—no, the entire Fengyan City!

This merit is neither as lofty and indifferent as the merit of the Heavenly Way, nor as profound and cyclical as the merit of the Earthly Way. Rather, it is the most ardent, the most surging, containing the beliefs, the flame of civilization, and the indomitable will of billions of people—the merit of humanity! It is the ultimate reward and gift condensed from all the struggles, sacrifices, wisdom, and hopes of humanity since its birth, through arduous pioneering and overcoming of obstacles!

At the core of the pillar of light is, naturally, the Heavenly Emperor Xuancang.

The profound merit surged into his body like a celestial river overflowing its banks. The Kongtong Seal in his hand also emitted a joyful hum, actively absorbing and releasing merit, becoming even more ancient and profound, its nine-dragon phantom image becoming increasingly solid, as if about to materialize. Under this boundless infusion of merit, Xuan Cang's aura, like riding the crest of the primordial spiritual energy at the beginning of chaos, rose at a speed that astonished and overturned the understanding of all onlookers!

Early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm... Middle stage... Late stage... Peak stage!

Bottlenecks? Non-existent! Under the all-powerful, all-purpose energy of human merit, all barriers to cultivation melted away like snow under the sun. His Dao body was repeatedly tempered, becoming crystal clear, with a faint aura of profound yellow emanating from it; his primordial spirit in the Purple Mansion rapidly expanded and solidified under the nourishment of merit, deeply merging with the imperial Dao law imprint within the Kongtong Seal; his insights into heaven and earth, civilization, and all people surged into his sea of ​​consciousness like a floodgate opening, rapidly digesting and absorbing them.

Just ten breaths! Only ten breaths!

"Buzz—!"

A terrifying pressure, far more profound and majestic than that of an ordinary quasi-saint, carrying the power to rule all living beings and regulate yin and yang, surged from Xuan Cang's body into the sky, completely merging with the vast pillar of human merit, the Kongtong Seal in his hand, and the entire pillar of human destiny, becoming one with it, no longer separate from each other!

Early stage of Quasi-Saint! Moreover, the stability of his foundation and the magnificence of his aura far surpass those of ordinary Quasi-Saints who break through through their own arduous cultivation or even with the help of Primordial Purple Qi! This is the foundation of the Imperial Way, forged with immeasurable human merit and the fortune of the entire human race!

The infusion of merit did not stop; on the contrary, it surged even more powerfully as the Emperor's position became completely stable and his resonance with humanity reached its peak. Xuan Cang's cultivation continued to advance steadily and firmly from the early stage of Quasi-Saint!

Mid-stage Quasi-Saint...Late-stage Quasi-Saint...

Finally, as the pillar of merit began to slowly weaken and fade from solid to ethereal, Xuan Cang's aura steadily settled at the peak of Quasi-Saint! He seemed only a hair's breadth away from the Primordial Dao Fruit, yet that hair's breadth might require the accumulation of immeasurable eons and immense opportunities to cross. But regardless, a true human emperor, forcibly propelled to the peak of Quasi-Saint through human merit and fortune, had already emerged! His overwhelming power even made some veteran Quasi-Saint powerhouses who were secretly observing feel their hearts tremble.

"Hiss... Peak Quasi-Saint level!"

"The merits of humanity are truly terrifying!"

"This emperor has become a force to be reckoned with! He is no longer an ant!"

Throughout the primordial wilderness, countless gasps of astonishment and horrified thoughts mingled.

However, Xuan Cang was not the only beneficiary.

Although 99% of the vast pillar of human merit that descended converged on the Emperor, a very small portion, about one percent, seemed to possess sentience. It separated a wisp of the purest golden light, containing the true meaning of enlightenment and wisdom, and crossed the void, landing precisely on the white-robed figure on the side of the altar—Fuxi, who had been silently protecting and wholeheartedly teaching.

"Hmm?" Fuxi was watching his disciple's advancement with satisfaction when he suddenly felt a gentle yet vast power surge into his body. He was familiar with this power; when he assisted Dijun in establishing the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court and sorting out the stars in the heavens, he had also received Heavenly Dao merits, but they were far less pure and vast than this one, and contained a completely different flavor—the weight of civilization, the spark of wisdom, and the recognition of humanity.

Although this merit was small, it was just right, like the last key that unlocked the door to Fuxi's Dao foundation, which had been sealed for a long time due to his betrayal of the demon race and his severing of his karma, and which had always been slightly short of perfection.

"Splash—"

It was as if some shackle within him had been broken, or as if a dusty mirror had been polished. Fuxi's aura surged uncontrollably! It wasn't a domineering increase in power, but a revival after countless ages of dormancy, a sublimation after profound wisdom. He had already reached the mid-stage of Quasi-Saint realm, and nourished by this special wisp of human merit, coupled with his own understanding and feedback of the great cause and effect of "teaching the Human Emperor and leading civilization," he broke through his bottleneck with unstoppable force!

Late Quasi-Saint... Peak Quasi-Saint!

In the end, Fuxi's aura steadily stopped at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm, which was almost on par with Xuan Cang! Moreover, unlike Xuan Cang's majestic imperial aura, Fuxi's aura was more profound and restrained, with the Eight Trigrams phantom flowing around his body. His eyes seemed to hold the ultimate principles of heaven and earth and the long river of civilization rising and falling between them, which was a manifestation of wisdom and the way of deduction reaching a new height.

The flaws in his Dao foundation caused by abandoning the status and karma of the Demon Emperor Xi Huang, which had troubled him for countless eons, were completely repaired and perfected in the merits and resolution of this "Teacher of the Human Emperor." He even felt that his perception of the Primordial Dao was several times clearer than before!

The master and disciple, one the Emperor, embodying humanity and ruling over all people; the other the Imperial Tutor, possessing boundless wisdom and guiding civilization, stood side by side atop the Fengyan Altar. One held the Kongtong Seal, exuding imperial might; the other radiated natural Daoist aura, possessing boundless wisdom. Their two peak Quasi-Saint auras, though each with its own emphasis, blended perfectly, resonating with the crimson-gold-purple, towering pillar of human destiny, illuminating the eastern sky of the primordial world and piercing countless eyes hidden in the shadows.

"Meritorious deeds! Such immense merit!"

"The Emperor's return to the throne brings such immense merit! Fuxi's mere teaching has yielded such a vast reward, directly completing his Dao foundation and allowing him to reach the peak of Quasi-Sainthood!"

"How hateful! How infuriating! How unjust is the way of Heaven! Such merit should rightfully belong to our Western Paradise! If we were to obtain it, our Western Paradise would be burdened with immeasurable karmic debts, having made those forty-eight great vows!"

In the west, deep within the sacred mountains.

The usual sorrow on the Guide's face was now so thick it seemed to solidify into a tangible cloud of grief. The prayer beads in his hand, which had accompanied him through countless eons, creaked as if they were about to shatter at any moment. Deep within his half-open eyes, which seemed to have seen through all the suffering in the world, churned an undisguised shock, jealousy, and a trace of… something he himself was unaware of—an almost obsessive and greedy desire for “merit.”

Zhunti was even more out of control. He abruptly stood up from his cloud bed, his body radiating a dazzling array of seven treasures, illuminating the small world with a bizarre and fantastical light. He stared intently at the pillar of Xuanhuang merit that pierced the heavens and earth in the east, and at the two imposing figures on the altar after the pillar dissipated. His eyes even faintly glowed red. Where was the trace of the saint's usual "sorrow" and "calmness"?

"Senior Brother! Did you see that?! Did you see that?!" Zhunti's voice trembled slightly with excitement and intense emotion as he pointed at the scene in the water mirror. "Human merit! Such pure and vast human merit! What virtue or ability does that brat Xuancang possess to ascend to the peak of Quasi-Saint in one step! And that Fuxi, a stray dog ​​who betrayed the demon race, can complete his Dao foundation and stand alongside us just because he taught disciples for a few years? By what right?!"

His chest heaved violently, like a trapped beast that had seen an endless treasure but could not find its way in: "Our West is barren, our disciples are dwindling. To achieve great prosperity, you and I, fellow disciples, have poured our hearts and souls into it, scheming for eternity, bearing immense karma, and making forty-eight grand vows, 'borrowing' from the Heavenly Dao, barely managing to become saints. Our path to enlightenment has always been hampered by those vows, every step fraught with difficulty! But what have they done? A tribal boy became a human emperor, a savage became a teacher, and yet they can enjoy such merit, their cultivation skyrocketing, their path to enlightenment unobstructed?! How unjust the Heavenly Dao is! How biased the human way is!"

Jieyin slowly closed his eyes, his prayer beads turning faster as if he were trying to suppress something. After a long while, he spoke slowly in a dry, hoarse voice, "Amitabha... Junior brother, be careful what you say. This is the destiny of humanity, the will of humankind, and cannot be forced. Xuanbao, the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Houtu are all behind us, and the Heavenly Court's power is already established. To act rashly now may bring disaster."

Upon hearing this, the resentment and unwillingness on Zhunti Daoist's face did not diminish in the slightest. On the contrary, as if stimulated by the words "cannot be forced" in Jieyin's words, a terrifying light suddenly burst forth in his eyes and a kind of almost crazy obsession.

"We can't force it?!" Zhunti's voice suddenly rose, almost shrill. "Senior brother! It is precisely because we can't force it that we must seek! We must fight! We must seize! The prosperity of the West is our lifelong wish, and it is also the karmic debt we must repay for the great vow we made! Without abundant merit and fortune, when will our West ever be able to repay this 'heavenly loan,' truly transcend, and contend with the Three Pure Ones?! Are we destined to be forever trapped in this barren land, watching the East prosper, watching that little Xuanbao sit on the throne of the Heavenly Court and the human race, enjoying boundless blessings, while we can only bitterly chant scriptures to make ends meet, unable even to gather three thousand mortals for our sermons?!"

He whirled around, his gaze fixed intently on Jieyin, his tone urgent and seductive: "Senior brother! Calculate it! The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of the human race—what an incredible fortune! The Heavenly Sovereign has already established himself with such merit; the Earthly Sovereign, the Human Sovereign, and even the Five Emperors—each one's ascension to their position will inevitably be accompanied by a massive amount of human merit and the recognition of Heaven and Earth! This is Heaven's ordained destiny for the human race, and it is an opportunity that we in the West will only encounter once in a thousand years, no, once in ten thousand ages!"

However, Jieyin did not notice the glint of light in Zhunti's eyes at that moment.

Beneath his tightly closed eyelids, Jieyin's eyeballs trembled slightly. How could he not know? He understood it even better than Zhunti! The rise of humanity, the emergence of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors—this was the indisputable trajectory of the Heavenly Dao. The birth and ascension of each Sovereign and Emperor influenced the grand scheme of the primordial world, gathering immeasurable fortune and merit. If one could obtain a share of this fortune, even merely as an "Imperial Tutor" or an important advisor, the merit gained would be enough to give the West a much-needed respite, and perhaps even nurture a few true pillars of society.

But... it's difficult!

Jieyin slowly opened his eyes. Deep within those eyes, which seemed to bear the weight of all the world's sorrows, lay a chillingly calculating cunning and a profound sense of powerlessness: "Junior brother, how could I not know what you're saying? Yet, look at the current state of humanity. The Heavenly Emperor Xuancang is a disciple of Fuxi. Who is Fuxi? He is the elder brother of the Sage Nuwa, a close friend of Xuanbao, and himself a powerful being of unparalleled wisdom, whose cultivation has reached the peak of Quasi-Saint! His position as the Human Emperor's teacher is perfectly legitimate, personally arranged by Xuanbao, with the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and even the Heavenly Court standing behind him! The Heavenly Emperor's merits are completely bound to him, an impenetrable wall, impenetrable to any force!"

"And what about after that Emperor?" Zhunti pressed on, unwilling to give up, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "The Earth Emperor, the Human Emperor, and even the Five Emperors—were they all predetermined? Even if Xuanbao and Fuxi have far-reaching influence, can they control humanity for a time, or for eternity? Aren't there ambitious individuals within humanity? Aren't there opportunities to seize power? Our Western mystical arts are boundless, most adept at guiding and transforming. Why not secretly nurture one or two outstanding human talents, imparting Western mystical arts to them, and helping them contend for the positions of Earth Emperor and even Human Emperor? If they succeed, wouldn't most of the merit from their return to power belong to our West? At that time, you and I would be imperial tutors, accumulating merit and sharing destiny, and the West's great prosperity would be just around the corner!"

Support proxies to vie for the throne!

This idea, like a venomous snake, once it took root, grew wildly. The more Zhunti thought about it, the more feasible it seemed; the more he felt it was the only way out for the West! To directly confront the terrifying alliance of Xuanbao, the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Houtu, Fuxi, and the Heavenly Court would undoubtedly be suicidal. But to infiltrate secretly, to exploit the internal conflicts and desires of humanity, to cultivate his own "Chosen One," and to compete within the rules—that offered a glimmer of hope! After all, although humanity was currently united around Xuancang and Fuxi, how many tribes were there, how complex were people's hearts? How could there not be gaps?

Jieyin remained silent for a long time, his withered fingers unconsciously twirling the prayer beads, his mind calculating the secrets of heaven and the consequences of karma. He knew that Zhunti's plan was extremely risky; once exposed, the West would completely inflict harm on Xuanbao's side, and might even trigger a direct conflict between the saints. But... the West desperately needed merit! Those forty-eight great vows were like forty-eight mountains, pressing down on the Western Sect's fortune, making it hard for them to breathe. Any chance to gain great merit was worth risking their lives for!

"This matter... is fraught with difficulties and dangers; the slightest misstep could lead to utter annihilation." Jieyin's voice was dry and slow. "Xuanbao holds sway over the Heavenly Court, overseeing all the heavens, and possesses the Hetu Luoshu and the Chaos Bell. His ability to deduce heavenly secrets is unmatched in the primordial world. Fuxi is the most outstanding in this field. Our actions in secret may deceive people for a time, but they may not be able to keep it a secret for long. Moreover, the human race's fortune is currently concentrated, and the Heavenly Emperor's power is at its peak. To support someone else under his nose is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"Senior Brother!" Zhunti said urgently, "It's precisely because it's difficult that we must do it! Are we just going to watch this opportunity slip away? We can carefully plan ahead, not directly intervening, but instead seeking out those among the human race who are inherently fortunate, ambitious yet frustrated, or tribal leaders whose ideals clash with Xuan Cang's. Through dreams, divine pronouncements, or accidental inheritances, we can subtly impart our Western doctrines and supernatural powers to them, helping them develop their power and accumulate prestige. Once they have grown strong enough, they will naturally have the qualifications to contend for the throne of the Human Emperor! At that time, even if we don't succeed, as long as we disrupt the situation and dilute the fortune of Xuan Cang's lineage, giving our Western forces a chance to demonstrate their abilities and share some of the merit, it will still be good!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see that bright future: "Moreover, senior brother, don't forget that the great prosperity of the human race also means that calamity is about to begin. How could the rule of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors be smooth sailing? There will inevitably be internal and external troubles, and demons causing chaos. This is precisely the great opportunity for our Western Paradise to show 'compassion,' 'exterminate demons and monsters,' accumulate merit, and spread our doctrines! We can even 'cooperate' with some forces that are dissatisfied with the human race or also covet the human race's fortune."

He spoke the last two words very softly, yet they carried a cold, calculating quality.

Jieyin's pupils contracted slightly, and he closed his eyes again, remaining silent for a long time. Only Zhunti's heavy breathing and the faint sound of his prayer beads being frantically turned filled the hall.

After an unknown amount of time, Jieyin slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, a breath that seemed to carry the eternal barrenness and suffering of Mount Ling. He opened his eyes again, his eyes still filled with sorrow, but now with a resolute ruthlessness.

"In that case... let's give it a try, as you suggest, Junior Brother." Jieyin's voice was as deep and sinister as the winds of the underworld. "However, we must be extremely careful! The person we choose must have an affinity with the West, and their destiny must be able to conceal the secrets of heaven. The method of teaching must not directly reveal the fundamental laws of the West. Instead, we should focus on unorthodox methods, benevolent practices, and techniques for nourishing life, subtly guiding their hearts toward the West. The plan must be profound, and the moves must be made slowly. We must not personally reveal ourselves except at the crucial moment. All consequences will be borne by our disciples or their incarnations."

"Excellent! Senior Brother!" Zhunti was overjoyed, a sickly flush finally appearing on his face. "I'll go and perform divination right away, searching for suitable candidates and entry points! The human race... hehe, this piece of fat meat, the West is determined to have it!"