Chapter 176: Merit, Awakening All Spirits

"Because I'm not stupid."

the Heavenly Dao chuckled: As the sole one who has attained the Dao, why would I bother raising two peers? Wouldn't it be better for me to rule the primordial wilderness alone?

You: …

Hongjun: …

Done! It's not an idiot! It truly became a living father!

Hongjun was shocked and dismayed, you also lost your composure, the two unfortunate souls stared at each other…

"However, you have done me a favor after all; helping you attain the Dao naturally won't do, but a reward is still needed…… Let me think……"

It pondered for a moment, then had an idea.

In the next instant, two thick golden lights descended from the heavens, falling straight onto your heads; the amount of golden light was immeasurable!

The golden light entered your body, and you felt your cultivation speed instantly multiply by who knows how many folds; the three flowers and five qi spontaneously refined the heaven-and-earth spiritual qi, your expression changed—this feeling felt familiar……

It's the true spirit's blessing!

In Jiaoming's memory, the effect of using the method by which a true spirit attains the Dao is just like what you're feeling now.

The reward concluded, the Heavenly Dao finally felt satisfied: reward merit!

"This object is what I use to reward merit; I shall call it merit."

…

Under the Heavenly Dao's might, you and Hongjun, two minor Great Luos, naturally dare not even break wind; you can only glare at each other bitterly: we've finally found a living father……

And after distributing the rewards, the freshly minted Heavenly Dao happily began to play around everywhere.

First, it dealt with Pangu's lingering issue: Pangu's residual obsession clung to the three clusters of pure qi; for these three beings that could be called inheritors of Pangu's will, the Heavenly Dao did not stint on rewards!

Immeasurable merit was lavishly bestowed; the three clusters of pure qi were dyed golden yellow, especially the largest one, and the Heavenly Dao even thoughtfully used the power of heaven and earth to forge a protective merit treasure pagoda for it!

But regarding Pangu's twelve drops of blood, it showed little interest, probably because it is a true spirit's creation, so it isn't particularly fond of Pangu's physical creation……

After casually wandering the primordial wilderness twice, the Heavenly Dao gradually grew bored, for everywhere was a barren wild, and as a living being, it naturally disliked loneliness.

"So, I should awaken their spiritual intelligence!"

The enthusiastic Heavenly Dao thought for a moment, then began to act…… The Three Ancestors awaken spiritual intelligence through bloodline; essentially, they use their own mighty Pangu true spirit to enlighten savage beasts.

Since the Heavenly Dao itself is the complete Pangu true spirit, it naturally can awaken spiritual intelligence, and its range of enlightenment far exceeds that of the Three Ancestors!

It poured down sweet rain, and thus all kinds of living beings gradually developed spiritual intelligence: birds, beasts, scaled aquatic creatures; the undertaking that the Three Ancestors hadn't managed to finish, it easily accomplished with a wave of its hand.

But this isn't even what shocks you most, for you could actually do this yourself; what shocks you most is that it not only awakens the spiritual intelligence of living beings, it can even awaken dead objects!!!

You personally witnessed it scattering sweet dew; wherever it passed, not only animals and plants, but even stubborn stones and metals could give rise to spiritual intelligence, beginning to muddledly inhale and exhale spiritual qi to cultivate……

One unbelievable scene after another shattered your worldview time and again: not to mention yourself, even Jiaoming has never seen such a spectacle!

Awakening plants and animals is fine enough, but awakening dead objects…… isn't that tantamount to mass-producing innate divinity?!

At this moment, you deeply realized the gap between one who has attained the Dao and an ordinary cultivator: this simply cannot be measured by reason……

The gap is so vast it's despair-inducing; you can't even comprehend its actions! Beyond common sense, incomprehensible!

But if it were merely like this, it would actually be no big deal—in fact, it would be a good thing.

But the problem is, its mental state is not stable……

You personally saw it awaken billions of living beings with its front foot, then with its back foot it directly exterminated those it deemed inferior living beings, using their lowliness as an excuse!

After killing one batch, a new batch grew back, and so it gradually lost even basic respect for life: as the sovereign of all beings, it naturally need not concern itself with life and death.

It began to toy with all beings wantonly, like a mischievous child playing with a nest of ants……

Such a person, innately deficient in intellect and with an unstable mental state, yet wielding power enough to overturn heaven and earth, is no different from a child holding a nuclear bomb—any mishap would lead to horrendous consequences!

You see it with your eyes, feel anxious in your heart: others aside, what if that imbecile someday decides to play with you?!

Under such a tremendous power disparity, you only feel that you could be killed by that idiot at any moment, spending your days in constant anxiety……

"This can't go on!"

You anxiously sought out Hongjun: "Fellow Daoist! Think of something! This madman will sooner or later……"

"Don't!"

Seeing you utter such treasonous words, Hongjun frightenedly clapped a hand over your mouth: "You tired of living? Is this something you can say?!"

Only then did you belatedly realize that the Heavenly Dao's true spirit has eyes and ears throughout the primordial wilderness; cursing it is purely courting death……

"Insulting me, I will deduct half your merit……"

The Heavenly Dao's leisurely words then sounded, and in your apprehension it siphoned away half of your merit……

It truly heard it!

Your face showed terror, but you dare not speak anymore: deduct half your merit for one insult, and three insults might really get you killed.

Now you can only convey your panic to Hongjun with your gaze: "Fellow Daoist, if this continues, we'll surely die at the hands of this living father sooner or later!"

But Hongjun spread his hands, wearing a look of helplessness: "What can I do? The living father has already been brought forth…… If I'd known, I shouldn't have used this true spirit ratio to create it……"

Ding! Seeing Hongjun also unable to help, you're now completely out of ideas; in despair, you can only turn to "another self" for help—you choose: (?) Please fill in freely!

Ah? It truly became a living father?!

Zhaosi also went blank:

"Isn't it wrong? Jiaoming's true spirit wasn't mixed in, was it?"

Theoretically, Jiaoming's true spirit, which ought to occupy one-third of the Heavenly Dao's true spirit, should be able to exert a huge influence on the Heavenly Dao.

For example, Jiaoming's three lifetimes' eternal primordial wilderness, with only a one-sixth share of true spirit, was already enough for the Heavenly Dao to do away with the demon‑upon‑demon problem, and even the saint Hongjun ended up possessing more humanity and feeling than in the original plot.

How is it that Jiaoming's true spirit proportion is now higher, yet the Heavenly Dao ends up with even greater self‑awareness than before?

"Aside from its mental state not being very stable, it's completely just a normal‑minded living person!"

Zhaosi was utterly puzzled:

"System, what's going on?"

【Ding! Answering the player, this is because the purity of the Heavenly Dao's components is too high, unrelated to Jiaoming's true spirit.】

「Purity? 」

【Simply put, this Heavenly Dao consists of only five components; aside from Jiaoming, the true spirits of the Three Ancestors and Hongjun are Pangu's original ones, causing its spirit to lack sufficient division and its self-awareness to be overly strong.】

Zhao Si thought for a moment:

Seems so; this Heavenly Dao component is too pure, two-thirds of the true spirits are originally Pangu's, the source is too singular; removing Jiaoming is almost equivalent to Pangu's resurrection.

In the world of the sage Hongjun, the components of the Heavenly Dao are extremely complex, containing Jiaoming's true spirit, the true persons of the Ancestral Dragon, Ancestral Qilin, Qiankun Yin-Yang, etc., and additionally many true spirits of ordinary living beings.

Under such complex origins, the resulting Heavenly Dao is naturally a fool, and this fool truly dares to let Hongjun become a sage; with the sage Hongjun's constraints, the Heavenly Dao will surely become even more foolish……

And at present, this Heavenly Dao doesn't even grant Hongjun sagehood, showing that its intelligence far surpasses that of its peers.

Thus, if Bird No. 3 wants to restrain the Heavenly Dao, it is tantamount to opposing a sage with a Great Luo body!

Such people usually have a bit……

「Then am I not stuck at a checkpoint? 」

Zhao Si fell silent for a moment:

Although he had previously imagined many future scenarios, this absurd development still left him helpless.

With such a worrisome mental state of the Heavenly Dao, Bird No. 3's safety cannot be guaranteed at all; and if he dies, this round of simulation would again fail to achieve a perfect ending……

But what can be done when the enemy is the Heavenly Dao?

After careful thought, a single answer surfaced:

Call for external aid!

「Before, Sage Hongjun crossed the boundary; theoretically He could do it again… Moreover, the true spirit was also given to me by Him; as a lofty Heavenly Dao sage, He couldn't possibly be unaware of this issue, unless… this is what He wants to see…」

Try saying it again!

【Ding! Facing the intangible threat of the Heavenly Dao, you deeply feel the severity of the problem; regardless of public or private, this Heavenly Dao with excessive self-content must be restrained, so you choose: (Attempt to summon Heavenly Dao Hongjun using the Golden Crow True Fire!)】

【You thought of that powerful otherworldly sage, and a bold plan arose in your mind……】

【You immediately took out the Golden Crow True Fire, attempting to summon that Heavenly Dao sage with the aid of its otherworldly Heavenly Dao power!】

【But no matter how you call, it's like a stone sinking into the sea, utterly without response.】

【You wondered: What's the situation? Does the Heavenly Dao sage also lose connection?】

【And just as you were utterly perplexed, you saw the old man Hongjun beside you undergo a drastic change in expression……】

【"What are you summoning?"】

【He asked curiously.】

【You: ……】

【You looked up in terror, only to see the sun and moon dual pupils gazing at you with great interest; the vast stellar power made your whole body tremble involuntarily!】

【Before you could reply, the Golden Crow True Fire in your hand suddenly flew up, as if that great existence were studying it……】

【"Hmm… the taste of the sun… the taste of the Heavenly Dao… another me?"】

【He seemed like a child who just got a new toy, as soon as he got the true fire, he couldn't wait to analyze it meticulously.】

【You could only despairingly lower your head; even the Golden Crow True Fire was taken away, you likely not only have no chance to turn the tables, but might even lose your life this time……】

【But when the desperate you looked toward Hongjun, you discovered he was blankly staring at the Jade Scroll of Creation.】

【What's there to look at in the Jade Scroll?】

【You were somewhat puzzled: you're about to die, yet you're still spacing out……】

【Huh?!】

【Your pupils contracted; you suddenly noticed that the Jade Scroll was now entwined with several strands of familiar purple hue……】

【And the Daoist Hongjun, at this moment, his eyes gradually became entwined with several strands of purple qi; under the veil of purple qi, his gaze gradually changed, from bewildered to calm…… even indifferent.】

【Your body jolted: this certainly couldn't be the old man Hongjun suddenly attaining great enlightenment, achieving Dao on the spot; although you know his comprehension is strong, it's absolutely impossible for him to reach this level.】

【The only explanation is.】

【A great existence has, in fact, silently crossed over and possessed a body……】

……

(End of chapter)