Chapter 12: Merit (Request for Monthly Tickets)

Golden light, like a thread of gold, before Shen Siyuan could react, directly sank into his forehead.

If it were an ordinary person, they might not notice the anomaly at all, thinking only that their eyes were playing tricks.

But Shen Siyuan had after all devoured the soul of the Nether Nine Profound Demon Lord, giving birth to divine sense.

Under the reflection of the divine sense, he discovered a thread of gold within his sea of consciousness.

If it were an ordinary person, they would certainly not know what this was, but he, possessing the memories of the Nether Nine Profound Demon Lord, knew too clearly: this was Merit.

Yet this Merit came far too simply.

Merely helping Watching Dou Dou fulfill a wish could earn Merit? Was she some child of heaven and earth?

But Shen Siyuan knew this was absolutely impossible; although the Tao Guangxia family had a small fortune, they were merely an ordinary family, and Watching Dou Dou drowning in the vast sea was even less likely to be someone bearing great fortune.

Even in the Great Wilderness, Merit was extremely difficult to obtain; one not only had to bear great fortune but also make a tremendous contribution to heaven and earth to earn Merit.

In the long memories of the Nether Nine Profound Demon Lord, only one human sage, because of merit in teaching and civilizing, received Merit upon his person.

Others basically never received Merit; though legends said that in ancient times Merit often descended from the heavens, as the laws of heaven and earth grew more perfect, Merit became increasingly difficult to obtain.

And Shen Siyuan, merely simply helping Watching Dou Dou fulfill a wish, his act could at most be counted as a good deed, yet he never expected to receive a thread of Merit; the only possibility was that the laws of heaven and earth were different.

Merit was a fine thing; not only could it increase a person's fortune, but it could also aid cultivation.

Even if this realm of heaven and earth was filthy and devoid of spiritual energy, with Merit, he could once again step onto the path of cultivation; one could say Merit was a universal remedy, usable anywhere to replace anything.

Although there was only a single thread, if he performed many good deeds, piling sand into a tower, it would ultimately allow him to step onto the path of transcendence.

However, since these were two different worlds, and it was obtained so simply, one did not know if this Merit was that Merit.

Thinking thus, with a thought, he summoned the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Then, his divine sense probed the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and a thread of gold fell upon the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

The banner surface, originally immovable, instantly whipped in a fierce wind; a golden line flashed across the purple banner, adding a touch of nobility.

Seeing this, Shen Siyuan was overjoyed; he never expected this single thread of Merit could truly be used to repair the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, it was just a bit too little.

Shen Siyuan's divine sense coiled around the Ten Thousand Souls Banner; vaguely, a peculiar place could be seen, hazy and indistinct.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was the treasure of the Gumo Sect, the Profound Nether Sect, an ancient demonic sect, which later came into the possession of the Nether Nine Profound Demon Lord, establishing his title as Demon Lord.

Its origin was extraordinary; within it, there were Has Nine Layers of prohibitions; what Shen Siyuan saw was the first layer of space.

This layer of space was not used by the Nether Nine Profound Demon Lord as a storage space, but as a place to contain ghosts and souls.

"Brother~"

Seeing Shen Siyuan standing still in a daze, Watching Dou Dou reached out and patted his leg.

Shen Siyuan, coming back to his senses, cast his gaze toward Watching Dou Dou, then lightly shook the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his hand.

Then, an invisible force directly drew Watching Dou Dou into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Upon the banner surface, like water, ripples of deep blue swirled.

Shen Siyuan naturally did not do this to erase memories or repair the soul banner, but to draw Watching Dou Dou into the banner for his own use.

This method, as long as Shen Siyuan did not act maliciously, caused no harm to Watching Dou Dou.

Indeed, through this method, there were many benefits for Watching Dou Dou.

Once on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, unless one was instantly struck until the soul scattered and the spirit dispersed, the soul would remain undestroyed; furthermore, due to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, one would be granted certain supernatural abilities.

After all, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner was also a weapon of attack, drawing in dead souls to drive them against enemies.

Yet these dead souls were mostly ordinary people, and the rest were mostly soldiers; if one simply drove these ghosts to fight, they would be nothing more than cannon fodder.

But how could the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, a top-tier demonic treasure, be so simple? The ghosts drawn in would also be granted special abilities: nether fire, yin winds, armor and combat arts, concealment and slaughter, and so on.

Of course, where there are benefits, there are naturally drawbacks; once a ghost is drawn into the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, a brand is imprinted upon the banner; as long as the banner master does not actively erase the brand, then for life after life they must be driven by the banner master, serving as the banner master's eyes and ears, fighting for them, blocking harm, and so on.

Shen Siyuan shook the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his hand once more, and Watching Dou Dou was instantly released.

"Waaah..."

Watching Dou Dou widened her eyes, examining herself; at this moment, her entire body radiated a deep blue light, and her hair was like burning flames.

"I seem very powerful now," she said proudly.

Then, before Shen Siyuan could speak, she transformed into a gust of yin wind, whistling through the air, leaving Shen Siyuan dumbfounded.

So powerful? It made him want to die too.

However, seeing the little one had vanished, Shen Siyuan shook the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his hand.

Watching Dou Dou, soaring through the air wrapped in yin wind, was immediately pulled by an invisible force and instantly returned before Shen Siyuan.

"Don't run around."

"Brother~, Brother, I am very powerful now."

Watching Dou Dou clenched her small fists, her fleshy little face full of pride.

"I know."

"Oh right, you are the Sweet Potato," Watching Dou Dou seemed to remember something.

"You mean Banner Master, right?"

"Mm, Big Sweet Potato..."

"I think your butt needs a beating."

"Hehe, Sweet Potato Brother, I can fly, and I can breathe fire..."

Watching Dou Dou looked up to the sky, imitating a fire-breathing dragon, letting out two "ao" cries, and then a ball of fire truly erupted from her mouth.

This was the unique nether fire within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, capable of burning a person's soul, with power beyond compare.

"Playing with fire is dangerous; play with fire less in daily life," Shen Siyuan warned.

As the banner master, his words were law; Watching Dou Dou naturally listened obediently.

"Let me tell you, I can also do this..."

Watching Dou Dou said this, hands on her hips, head tilted back, puffing out her fleshy little belly.

Shen Siyuan:...

"And then? To make your belly look big?"

"Can you see me now?" asked Watching Dou Dou.

"Obviously, I have always been able to see you."

"That's true." Watching Dou Dou realized.

"This way, Mom and Dad can see me, and everyone can see me," said Watching Dou Dou proudly.

"Wait, hide your form for me first." Shen Siyuan hurriedly looked around; fortunately, it was night and there were few people nearby.

He also realized that ghosts on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner possess the ability to manifest visibly to ordinary people.

But Watching Dou Dou was currently glowing blue all over, and her hair was like burning flames, shooting straight up; it certainly wasn't suitable for ordinary people to see.

"Sigh, this won't work, that won't work either... Sweet Potato Pot, you look like my dad..."

Watching Dou Dou frowned, looking like a mischievous little girl.

"You listen to me properly first, and learn to control those flames on your body."

"Okay."

Watching Dou Dou responded with a crisp voice.

Clearly, after the soul was drawn into the Soul Banner, it was not only granted abilities but also infused with some knowledge; otherwise, the little thing would not use the abilities so skillfully, nor call him Banner Master.

Shen Siyuan thought for a moment, then shook the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his hand again, drawing her back into the banner to prevent the little thing from running around everywhere.