Chapter 53: Fortune Unmatched, Merit Supreme!

Fengxi is rather greedy.

When faced with temptation, he actually tried to think——I want it all!

He pondered getting an all‑purpose cheat magic treasure that could handle everything.

Treasure hunting?

Sure!

Preserve life?

Sure!

……

He wanted to be able to do anything.

Such an extravagant demand is generally a fantasy, almost impossible to achieve.

But!

Before the omnipotent Fuxi Great Sage, nothing is impossible.

In a short time, he pointed out a clear path for Fengxi, pulled out a system, and placed it before him.

"System!"

Fengxi's mood was somewhat strange.

His initial reaction was to want to refuse.

Because things like systems have always had a fearsome reputation in legend.

Countless miserable hosts, once chosen by a system, feel as if they've gained an irresistible "dad" above them, being ordered around until their legs might break.

"Crossing into Honghuang, and still having to go to the battlefield later… this already makes life hard."

"Why must I also look for a dad to put on my head?"

This was Fengxi's thought.

Of course, the system's existence has drawbacks as well as benefits.

It's not as safe as a regular cheat magic treasure, but figuring out its uses is far simpler.

All kinds of functions are laid out plainly before the host, foolproof to operate, no need to rack one's brains—right from the start you're on a shortcut.

Having taken a shortcut, some safety hazards are hardly surprising.

Quite fair.

Holding a conflicted heart, Fengxi furrowed his brows and began to examine the so‑called Fortune and Merit System.

Focusing his mind, countless torrents of information surged within, the profound laws unfolding made his head spin… yet he did not await the expected system spirit.

Fengxi lifted his head, looking doubtfully at Xihuang, only to see this Great Sage calmly say: "The consciousness inside has already been crushed and obliterated by me—dropping straight from the intelligent version to the manual‑operation version."

"However, if you find this troublesome, I can also restore it for you… but!"

Xihuang seemed to put on a mischievous smile: "You might have to, under its urging, do some rather embarrassing things… thereby attracting others' attention, generating causal and fortune‑related interactions between you, becoming the energy source that powers its operation."

"No no no… I think this is fine as is, not troublesome at all, not troublesome at all!"

Fengxi said repeatedly.

After speaking, he sank his thoughts again and examined the information inside.

After a rough consideration, Fengxi couldn't help but sigh inwardly… this cheat is indeed powerful, living up to its name.

Fortune!

Merit!

These two words are by no means ordinary.

For in legend, though they keep a low profile, they have left countless reputations, secretly being the root of all upheavals and calamities in heaven and earth.

In legend, boundless merit can make one a sage and forefather!

In legend, all the great calamities are merely struggles for fortune!

They possess nearly omnipotent functions; even exalted masters of great divine abilities covet them!

For this, they spare no effort to vie for hegemony, stir up great calamities, slaughtering until the heavens run red with blood and bones pile into mountains.

For this, they spare no effort to have brothers fight each other, bringing in outsiders to beat their own kin.

Compared to those demands Fengxi previously made, placed before fortune and merit… what are they?

Wanting a treasure to aid cultivation?

Have you heard of the Child of Fortune?

As long as fortune is abundant, blessings are boundless.

Just strolling along and kicking casually can produce an innate spiritual treasure—utterly unreasonable!

Wanting to protect oneself in war?

With vast merit and deep fortune, when faced with disaster it turns to blessing, danger turns to auspiciousness.

And so on, and so on.

Nothing you can't imagine is beyond the reach of fortune and merit!

If there is, it means your fortune isn't sufficient, isn't great enough!

Fengxi gazed at the detailed entries of the Fortune and Merit System, the exchange contents, his breathing growing rapid.

"Burning fortune can forcibly grant the 'great opportunity' one desires?"

"'Thoughts become reality' directly covers wishes like treasure hunting, self‑preservation, and so on."

"Burning merit can turn into miraculous energy, fundamentally boosting the potential of living beings, raising wisdom and comprehension?"

"Whether cultivating or practicing magical arts and supernatural powers, one must surpass their former self… and this method seems limitless, usable forever?"

"This… with day‑after‑day accumulation, surely one can't fail to gradually stand out among peers?"

After looking for a long time, Fengxi couldn't help but sigh.

He had to admit, his heart was moved—very much moved.

Of course, several doubts lingered in his mind, impossible to dispel.

If he didn't understand, he would ask, directly consulting Xihuang: "Great Sage Fuxi… I feel that such a system should be helpful to you as well, right?"

"Giving me this… seems too precious?"

"Precious? Not really." Xihuang chuckled lightly, "After all, this is merely a usage device, not the source that produces fortune and merit. True fortune and merit would make even ordinary Great Luo salivate… because it is a resource that aids cultivation and is helpful even at that level."

"Therefore, every Great Luo has conducted extremely in-depth research into the domain of fortune and merit."

Fuxi's smile was thick on his face… looking at his demeanor, he seemed to recall a past era, during which many interesting stories occurred.

"A valuable thing placed before everyone… after the simple scramble, research inevitably follows." He continued, "Victors won't be satisfied with a single plunder; they will want more, so they will research; the disadvantaged, unwilling to accept their situation, will try every means to break out while also attempting to research artificial fortune and merit."

"Artificial fortune and merit?" Fengxi was completely bewildered.

"Put that way, you might be a bit naive and confused…" Xihuang pondered slightly, "If I change the description a little, you'll understand."

"If we don't deify fortune and merit, but simply regard them as resources and money… artificial fortune and merit are like producing inferior goods to pass as quality; making imitation gold to pass as real gold."

Fengxi's face showed a horrified expression.

Having come to this point, what else could he not understand?

The struggle for fortune and merit is like a commercial war, a contest for market share, a pursuit of profit.

The victors controlled most of the market and reaped enormous profits.

The losers could only scrape up scraps and leftovers… watching others feast on fish and meat while they themselves had plain soup and rice—how could they be resigned?

Steeling himself, he pondered taking a crooked path.

In normal operations, when the outside market is seized, large-scale suppression occurs and profits are nearly nil; selling counterfeit goods as genuine, using imitation gold as real gold… as long as the move succeeds and real gold and silver are obtained, an astonishing transformation can be achieved, yielding profits of several hundred to several thousand times the cost.

Someone once said—when there is suitable profit, people's courage grows; a ten percent profit makes people eager to try; a fifty percent profit stirs the impulse to adventure; when profit doubles, people no longer fear oppression from above; when profit reaches three times or more… taking on greater challenges, unafraid of life and death, becomes nothing surprising.

The Great Luo powerhouses of the Honghuang world fully understand this principle.

Moreover, these powerhouses are none of them law-abiding conformists.

Dare to think!

And dare to act!

"How terrifying… what era did this happen in? Surely behind it lies the most vast and tumultuous war and confrontation?" Fengxi exclaimed, his mind wandering.

"Indeed." Fuxi nodded, "The first ancient Great Calamity of the Honghuang heaven and earth—the Dragon-Phoenix Great Calamity—how could it be simple?"

"That was the era when the uses of fortune and merit were discovered… and therefore, the faction led by the Primordial Dragon and the group led by the Phoenix embarked on the road to contend for all fortune in the Honghuang world."

"They dreamed of gathering all heavenly and earthly fortune into themselves, entering the supreme realm, hoping to wrestle with Pangu."

"And this road is destined to be a bloodbath… along the way, who knows how many stray mountain forces were flattened, compelling them to pick sides."

Xihuang related an ancient tale in detail—that was the even more ancient Dragon-Phoenix era.

"How many primordial deities were losers in this ultimate confrontation… but where there are losers, there are naturally victors."

"In the present era, many who far surpass ordinary Great Luo—those possessing great divine abilities—mostly received a share from that era."

"Otherwise, normally speaking, everyone would have the same roots and aptitude; who would differ in talent and comprehension? How could such a huge gap and chasm exist?"

"The Demon Race's Great Luo hierarchy, from top to bottom, consists of four Demon Emperors, ten Yao Marshals, and hundreds of Demon Gods… and they are actually all primordial deities."

"Only, their stations differ by a world of difference… this is because they initially bet on the right side!"

"In the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, they reaped great fortune and great merit, and also escaped unscathed from the evil dark veil of the demon ancestor Rahu… thus they possess astonishing power, far surpassing ordinary Great Luo."

Fengxi listened, unable to refrain from sighing—those individuals with great divine abilities truly are not simple at all.

"Of course… in the Dragon-Phoenix era, many Great Luo already understood this." Fuxi said, "Whether victors or losers."

"Victors naturally strengthen their control over capital, developing one method after another to control the market, establishing game rules… while losers, employing novel tricks, engage in great turmoil with small maneuvers, for a time false fortune and false merit run rampant, filling the Honghuang."

"At their most ferocious, they already shook the top-tier rule of the two Dragon-Phoenix factions… if not for that, Rahu would hardly find an opportunity to utterly overthrow the Dragon-Phoenix hegemony."

"Otherwise, even if he inherited the legacy of the Chaos demon god, what then?"

"Thousands of primordial deities, thousands of Great Luo Supreme Emperors—the strongest among them are no match for him… moreover, the two Dragon-Phoenix clans each possess a great clan formation, which may not be inferior to the Slay Immortal Sword Formation."

"Swarming upon him, Rahu could only choose to shift the battlefield!"

Fengxi was somewhat shocked… he never expected that ancient era to have witnessed so many major events.

PS: From now on, the chapter update time will be adjusted to 10 p. m. …… a normal routine, beneficial to health.

(End of chapter)