Merit and Karma

  Even if Bai Ye had guessed a hundred times, he wouldn't have thought that the reward for completing the Heavenly Dao's task would be merit!

  "This is the most precious reward ever!" Bai Ye looked at the information panel's merit project column, and his eyes widened with excitement when he saw the number 60: "With this alone, I don't need any other rewards!"

  Merit, is a word that has been written to death in countless Honghuang texts. In each and every one of these Honghuang texts, the protagonist relies on this thing to become a Buddha or an ancestor, with limitless power! Perhaps everyone's detailed explanation of merit is different, but there is always one common point - merit is a good thing! The best thing in the world of Honghuang!

  This point has also been confirmed by information obtained from Fuxi!

  "There are many noble positions between heaven and earth. Noble positions are recognized by heaven and earth, and are obtained through one's own moral cultivation and virtue, with great power."

  The moral of this sentence is virtue!

  According to Fu Xi's words, sage is also a kind of honor. From this we can know that merit and virtue must be the prerequisite and important help for becoming a saint!

  "I've been muddling along in this chaotic world for fifteen years, and I've finally managed to achieve some merit!"

  Thinking of the gap between himself and those predecessors who crossed over and immediately became sworn brothers with Pangu, taking Hong Jun as their apprentice, Bai Ye's eyes were wide with wonder. Fortunately, today's merit reward had restored some of his confidence!

  After a while, when he had calmed down and regained his composure, he finally came back to his senses and thought the matter over carefully.

  "This quest task, my evaluation is 60%, and the reward I got was 600 reputation and 60 merit... It seems that if it's completed with a 100% evaluation, the task reward will be 1000 reputation and 100 merit!"

  Thinking of having lost 40 merits, Bai Ye's heart ached with regret, as if someone had snatched the meat from his own bowl, making him feel heartbroken, heart-wrenching, heart-pained...

  "Never mind! It's my own choice, what's the use of regretting now? Don't think about it anymore!"

  After comforting herself, the "very generous" White Night continued to analyze, putting aside the 40 merits, her mouth still downturned.

  "It seems that the acquisition of merit can only be obtained from the heavenly mission!"

  "But then again, what is called merit and virtue must be obtained by following the Way of Heaven and responding to the great trend. If one goes against Heaven, it's already a blessing if one isn't struck down by heavenly punishment and divine lightning, let alone obtain merit!"

  This virtue is a reward from the heavens for the living, and it can only be obtained by following the grand plan of the heavens. It cannot be acquired through the small favors one does for others in everyday life.

  For example: Hou Tu turns into a wheel of reincarnation.

  The Queen of the Earth has transformed into a cycle, which is what Heaven requires and the trend entails. The Queen's actions uphold Heaven's way above and show compassion to all living things below. Although she herself perishes, she will still gain boundless merits. However, if someone were to consider the Queen's well-being and obstruct this event, causing her not to perish, although it would be considered saving a life, it would go against Heaven's way and trend, and no merits whatsoever would be gained!

  In fact, he was mostly struck by heavenly thunder and his soul was destroyed, his true spirit did not exist!

  The heavenly mission accomplished by Bai Ye is precisely the grand trend of 'Humanity's Rise' in the Heavenly Way, and this is what earned him merit!

  "Now there's only one option left on my information panel that has never been moved!"

  The information panel on the White Night now reads as follows:

  White Night

  Rank: 7th - Primordial Spirit of Chaos

  Allied Faction: Human

  Faction Reputation: 3600 - Revered

  Merit: 60

  Occupation: None

  Experience: 0%

  This option has never been moved before, naturally it is a profession.

  Karmic force, this is a very mysterious thing that can bring people misfortune and many calamities. Bai Ye once thought it was something that could be called negative merit, which could offset merit.

  But this idea is wrong.

  Karma is an independent existence. It will bring people misfortune and disaster, even drag them into the cycle of killing in heaven and earth! It cannot be offset by merits!

  Actually, if you want to say it, karma and merit are quite similar! It's just that one pulls people towards good fortune, while the other drags people towards misfortune.

  From the analysis of merits and karma within, each can be seen as two parts - one part is actionable, one part is inherent.

  It's a bit of a hassle to say this, so let's take Guang Chengzi as an example.

  Guang Chengzi, as the first disciple of Yuan Shi Tianzun's preaching, was once given a special task by Yuan Shi Tianzun to accumulate merits. He helped the Three Emperors of Mankind and gained considerable merit. We calculate the merit he obtained as 4.

  And because of this imperial teacher's errand, he left the Jade Void Palace to personally descend into the mortal world, joining the internal strife of humanity, and naturally incurred karma, obtaining 3 units of karmic force.

  It was inevitable that both merits and karma were at work in him! Karma wanted to drag Guang Chengzi into the killing calamity, even cutting off his immortal path; but merit protected him, helping him achieve immortality.

  So who plays a bigger role?

  Nature is a bit more meritorious!

  Due to the four merits, the three merits were suppressed and could not be exerted for the time being. Therefore, in the war of human beings, that is, the war of contending for the throne, he successfully escaped the killing disaster and was not involved in it.

  Although the amount of merit is constant, in fact, among them, because of suppressing that karma, 3 units of merit have already consumed their effect - only the remaining 1 can exert the effect of merit from now on!

  The remaining 1 share of merit, naturally cannot suppress the 3 shares of karma. As a result, in the subsequent Heavenly Seal War, Guang Chengzi was unable to sit high in the Jade Void Palace as a spectator, but was drawn into it, fighting hard to cope with the calamity.

  Of course, under the protection of Yuanshi Tianzun, Guang Chengzi was able to complete his tribulation and return to the Jade Void Palace for further cultivation, even though he had been trapped by the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, which had sealed off his five elements and cut off his three flowers. At this time, the 3 units of karma that had played their role were now just a residual existence. Then, the remaining 1 unit of merit that had been suppressed and unable to exert its effect was reactivated, protecting Guang Chengzi.

  Merit and karma are like this, playing a role in each other, balancing each other, influencing the direction of one's life!

  Typical of this is the Tianxian Yunzhongzi of the Luojiao school.

  This fairy with great blessings relied on his boundless and unparalleled merits to suppress his own karma, although he went through the Great Calamity of the Gods' Seal, it was all just a mere formality. Not only did he not suffer any disasters, but his appearance didn't even change in the slightest! How many people must have envied him! However, due to the consumption during the Great Calamity of the Gods' Seal, although his merits still exist in quantity, their ability to function has decreased greatly, so next time, he will absolutely not be able to avoid a fierce battle!

  It is precisely because of the effect of karma and its relationship with merit that every cultivator, even those with great abilities, will painstakingly accumulate merit and avoid karma, fearing that they might suddenly suffer a calamity and their body would turn to dust.

  In this regard, Bái Yè did a great job!

  "My current karma is 0! My merits are 60! As long as I can continue like this, I will never suffer from calamities! Until my accumulated merits are sufficient to attain the Immortal Path directly, or even a high and lofty position of honor!"

  Bai Ye looked forward to his own future and finally shifted his gaze to the second link of the Tian Dao task, which was now the only thing he could focus on.

  The Second Link - Protection of the Powerful: To survive among the Honghuang Witch and Demon Clans, as well as numerous other forces, you must find a powerful backer for humanity! Current completion percentage for this link: 10%

  Facing this task, Bai Ye took a deep breath, his expression solemn.

  "There's nothing more to say about this. I've already laid out everything, just wait until the time is right and the task will be completed!"

  He had mixed feelings about his own actions.

  "I just don't know how much of an effect what I'm doing will have, and how far it'll provoke Laozi!"