Chang’e asked with a smile, "So what shall we bet on?"
"Bet on Merit! That’s how they play in the East Sea."
"Do you have any Merit?"
"What a coincidence, I have some too!"
Queen Mother looked at the Jade Emperor with a smile and said, "Heavenly Emperor, they want to bet on Merit, what do you think?"
The Heavenly Emperor looked at Xuan Nu and Chang’e, shaking his head, "Not good, Merit is precious, in case you lose all your merits, it would hurt the harmony."
Xuan Nu said with a smile, "Following Your Majesty and Niangniang to bring benefits to the Primordial World, I’m not afraid of lacking Merit in the future."
Chang’e also said, "If I lose, I can just win it back later."
Queen Mother gently said, "Heavenly Emperor, you aren’t scared, are you?"
The Jade Emperor glared and said, "Me, scared?"
Rolling up his sleeves, he said fiercely, "Come on, let me show you the true strength of this Heavenly Emperor, and let you understand how treacherous the world is. In the Primordial World, strength is everything, relying on bets will result in total loss."
The sounds of Mahjong tiles clattering arose.
"I’ve won!" A delicate laugh followed.
Crisp voices echoed around the Turquoise Pool.
After a long while, the Heavenly Emperor left the Turquoise Pool dejectedly, staggering, his expression dazed, it’s all gone, all the Merit I just gained!
Inside the Turquoise Pool, Xuan Nu and Chang’e each held a piece of Merit Cloud, respectfully handing it over to the Queen Mother, saying in unison, "Niangniang, this is the Merit I won."
The Queen Mother of Yaochi waved her hand to collect the Merit Clouds, saying with satisfaction, "You performed well just now!"
Chang’e chuckled, "It’s all thanks to Niangniang’s good teachings!"
Xuan Nu asked worriedly, "Niangniang, the Emperor didn’t notice, did he?"
Queen Mother of Yaochi smiled and said, "No worries! Go prepare dinner! The Emperor might be in a bad mood today, make the dinner a bit lavish."
Xuannu and Chang’e respectfully responded, "Yes!"
A pillar of Merit Light descended onto Bai Jin in the East Sea, illuminating the entire Law Enforcement Hall in a profound yellow hue.
Bai Jin’s thoughts shifted, collecting the Merit. Having vast wealth, such trivial Merit no longer stirred Bai Jin.
Six figures descended from the sky, landing in front of Bai Jin, their divine armors softening into capes and robes.
Feathered Immortal asked in amazement, "Senior brother, who was that just now? They suppressed the East Sea with a single move."
Bai Jin leisurely said, "Heavenly Emperor from the Heavenly Court, our junior master."
"Impressive, truly impressive, I, Feathered Immortal, must also reach this level someday," said the Feathered Immortal excitedly.
"Not only in the East Sea, but in places you cannot see, the Heavenly Emperor has subdued the entire Primordial World."
The six of them fell utterly silent. Any pride they had fostered from their time dominating within the Jie Sect now completely shattered. Intimidating their fellow sect members seemed insignificant; they paled drastically in comparison to the formidable beings outside of their circle, exchanging glances in dismay.
Feathered Immortal muttered, "To intimidate the Primordial World! It seems like something I could never achieve."
"There’s no need to belittle yourselves. Our junior master has been with the Taoist Ancestor for countless years, receiving more guidance than even a Saint, making him an unrivaled powerhouse second only to the Primordial Saints. It’s not surprising he could achieve this.
I believe that one day, you too will shine brightly in the Primordial World, and you may well surpass those with innate divine powers. Keep it up! I have faith in you~"
All six responded excitedly in unison: "Yes!"
Bai Jin walked outside and suddenly stopped a couple of steps later, turning his head in confusion and asked, "By the way, why do I feel like our Jie Sect brothers and sisters have increased in number?"
Zhao Gongming replied in shock, "Master has taken in another five thousand disciples, didn’t you know?"
Bai Jin looked up at the sky, and the joy from fulfilling Nuwa’s task instantly vanished; he suddenly felt depressed.
Yun Xiao called out, "Senior brother, senior brother, are you alright?"
Bai Jin, coming back to his senses, said in a deep tone: "I’m fine! Keep up the good work, I’m leaving first." He stepped onto the auspicious cloud and flew towards the Three Lights Immortal Island.
Returning to his Bird’s Nest, he jumped up and plunged into the hot spring with a splash, swimming around in various styles — freestyle, butterfly stroke, backstroke, dog paddle...
The days changed rapidly, and soon it was dusk; Bai Jin lay down in his nest and fell into a deep sleep.
The first night after the drastic change was hard for many Primordial cultivators who were left dazed sitting in their cave mansions.
Conversely, weaker creatures fell into comfortable sleep and slept soundly.
The next day, from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., people from the tribes around Shouyang Mountain stepped outside their dwellings, facing the newly risen sun and let out roaring cheers—some children were so excited they hopped and jumped, unable to contain themselves.
Bearded Clan Chief murmured, "The long darkness has truly ended!" Facing the warm sunlight, his face showed a delighted smile, with flame and without perpetual darkness, this must be the happiest era, right?!
As the morning sun rose and terrestrial energy sank, the Primordial Land was filled with vitality. Also, some Independent Practitioner Immortals headed towards the Heavenly Court to seek positions and find powerful backing.
In the sea region of the Eastern Sea Jie Sect, myriad islands stood densely. From above, one could discern the islands subtly forming a pattern.
On one of the islands, various mushrooms thrived—big, small, old, tender, all sorts.
A young man in a lavish robe leaped up from the sea, carefree as he went ashore. It was like entering his own backyard as he picked mushrooms nonchalantly, gathering a large pile before whisking them away with his mana back towards the sea.
"You little thief, I finally caught you," a sharp rebuke resonated from the sky.
Aoguang quickly looked up to see a young girl with two small buns atop her head standing above on a cloud, puffing out her cheeks angrily, her eyes aflame with rage.
Aoguang’s eyes brightened. He waved and called, "Little sister, come down, I’ll treat you to mushroom boiled fish, really tasty~"
Gu Liang retorted furiously, "You’re the little thief who has been stealing my mushrooms, I won’t let you off today."
Realization dawned on Aoguang as he exclaimed, "So these mushrooms were planted by you, little sister! You’re really skilled; they taste even better than those in the Primordial Land. Why not come home with me? You grow them, I’ll cook, and we can live sweetly together."
Immediately behind Gu Liang, a mass of Golden Needle Mushrooms appeared, and she yelled out, "Shameless thief~"
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~ Behind her, a flurry of Golden Needle Mushrooms streaked across the sky, shooting towards Aoguang, glinting with golden light as they flew.
Aoguang instantly leaped forward, landing on the sea surface, and with a series of splashes, the spot where Aoguang previously stood was blasted away with rocks and dirt flying as the Golden Needle Mushrooms pierced the earth.
The mushrooms then adjusted their positions, encompassing Aoguang within.
A flash of light appeared on Aoguang as a Divine Armor materialized, its surface bearing numerous slashes and stabs, with a depression on the chest.
Clang, clang, clash—sounds emanated from the armor. The Golden Needle Mushrooms struck the armor, spraying Divine Light, as the sea beneath churned vehemently with columns of water.