Chapter 1539: Instigation
"Little Xu, how can you treat Brother Wu like this? He is my friend. I sent you to invite him."
A cold voice came from within the white mist.
Immediately after, Shang Zihong's heroic and spirited figure slowly walked out, all the way to Wu Hao's side. He bent down, extended both hands, and helped him up from the ground. His eyes were sincere and concerned as he said, "Brother Wu, are you alright?"
Wu Hao looked at Shang Zihong, revealing an expression that was both surprised and puzzled.
Wang Xu said, "I thought you wanted to kill him."
"Brother Wu is the realm son of Guanghan Realm and a pillar of talent for the Heavenly Court Realm. I have long wished to get to know him. How could I possibly want to kill him? You... really... sigh..."
Shang Zihong shook his head, then took out a sacred pill the size of a pigeon egg and handed it to Wu Hao, sighing again. "It's all my fault. I didn't explain clearly to Little Xu, causing Brother Wu to suffer. Here, Zi Hong offers his apology to Brother Wu, hoping you won't take it to heart. This is a Merit Minor Return Pill, which can dissolve the saber qi of the Void Moon Blade and help Brother Wu recover from his leg injury."
What kind of figure was Shang Zihong? He was the leader of the new generation in the Merit Divine Temple, with a status and position high enough to sit as an equal with some Great Saints.
Moreover, Wu Hao knew very well that Shang Zihong always acted with meticulous care. How could he have failed to instruct Wang Xu clearly on what to do?
Besides, Wang Xu was not Shang Zihong's subordinate.
"Shang Zihong and Wang Xu are playing the roles of the good cop and the bad cop. Their ultimate goal must be to get me to do some secret task for them."
Wu Hao was not foolish; he saw through it clearly in his heart.
But even if he saw through it, what could he do?
Wu Hao raised his head and swept his gaze around. Besides Wang Xu and Shang Zihong, there were more than a dozen figures present, each exuding an incredibly terrifying aura.
How could cultivators who associated with Wang Xu and Shang Zihong be ordinary people?
Not to mention anything else, just Wang Xu alone had a shocking identity. The power behind him was so strong that even the entire Guanghan Realm combined might not be able to contend with it.
Of course, the Heavenly Court Realm had strict heavenly laws that no cultivator could overstep. Even if Wang Xu could mobilize immense power, he would never dare to act too arrogantly.
After all, once he crossed the line drawn by the heavenly laws, he would die too.
"Shang Zihong is making me choose. If I become his enemy, I will continue to suffer humiliation and torment, and I might even die here. If I choose to side with him, I can become his friend."
Wu Hao smiled bitterly in his heart, realizing he had no right to choose. It was humiliating, infuriating... but what could he do?
After pondering for a long time, Wu Hao took a deep breath, picked up the Merit Minor Return Pill from Shang Zihong's hand, and said, "So it was a misunderstanding... Haha, since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let it be in the past!"
The cultivators standing behind Shang Zihong all revealed satisfied smiles. Clearly, this was the result they wanted to see.
A smile bloomed on Shang Zihong's face. He reached out and patted Wu Hao on the shoulder, saying, "Brother Wu's broad-mindedness is admirable to Zi Hong."
Wu Hao swallowed the Merit Minor Return Pill. Immediately, a faint layer of sacred light radiated from his skin's surface. In an instant, the Void Moon Blade's saber qi that had invaded his body was expelled, and the wounds on his legs healed rapidly.
Gradually, his legs regained sensation.
Wu Hao felt that the sacred qi in his body had become purer, and a strange energy appeared in his blood, filling him with strength. A hint of joy appeared on his face. "The Merit Minor Return Pill lives up to its reputation. Is this the power of merit?"
Shang Zihong nodded. "Exactly, it is the power of merit. How does Brother Wu find it?"
"It can be called the power of heaven and earth, mysterious and infinite. Not only can it cleanse impurities from a cultivator's body, but it can also enhance their physical constitution and sacred path power, and even help them comprehend the sacred path," Wu Hao said.
Shang Zihong sighed. "Pity, pity, what a pity!"
"What's the pity?" Wu Hao asked.
Shang Zihong said, "It's a pity that Brother Wu missed a great opportunity. Otherwise, you could have obtained something a thousand or ten thousand times better than the Merit Minor Return Pill. With the aid of such a thing, your physical constitution and sacred path power would have improved significantly. How could you have lost to Zhang Ruochen?"
Wu Hao asked again, "What exactly is this thing, better than the Merit Minor Return Pill by a thousand or ten thousand times? And why does Brother Zi Hong say I missed it? Should it have belonged to me?"
Shang Zihong treated Wu Hao like a close friend and spoke earnestly, "Brother Wu must have heard of the Merit Saint Token, right?"
"Of course I have."
A clear flash of excitement appeared in Wu Hao's eyes. "Legend has it that cultivators who make outstanding contributions to the Heavenly Court Realm can receive a Merit Saint Token bestowed by the Merit Divine Temple."
"Once the Merit Saint Token is integrated into a cultivator's body, their physical body transforms into a Merit Treasure Body, gaining mysterious and unfathomable power."
"At the same time, those with a Merit Treasure Body can enjoy many privileges, entering cultivation treasure sites that ordinary cultivators cannot access... and there are many other benefits. In short, the Merit Saint Token is a treasure that countless cultivators dream of."
Shang Zihong said, "The original purpose of establishing the Heavenly Court Realm was to resist the Hell Realm, and the most important part of resisting the Hell Realm was the creation of the Merit Divine Temple. The Merit Divine Temple was jointly established by the gods, holding a sacred and inviolable status. It can gather the power of merit from heaven and earth, condensing treasures like the Merit Minor Return Pill and the Merit Saint Token."
"These treasures do not belong to the Merit Divine Temple but to the cultivators who have made great contributions to the Heavenly Court Realm. The greater the contribution, the more precious the merit treasure obtained."
"Taken from the world, used for the world. This is the purpose of the Merit Divine Temple."
"This time, the cultivators of the Seven Realms of Sha Tuo suffered heavy losses on the Merit Battlefield. To compensate for your losses, the Merit Divine Temple has brought out a large number of merit treasures to reward you."
Wu Hao frowned. "Is that so? How come I don't know about it?"
Shang Zihong shook his head. "Actually, the cultivators of Guanghan Realm fought bravely on the battlefield, and everyone saw it. They were certainly entitled to a share of the merit treasures. And you, as the realm son of Guanghan Realm, commanding a hundred thousand saints, killed a large number of Rakshasa marquises with outstanding achievements. You should have received a Merit Saint Token."
"But unfortunately, the Moon God was stubborn and self-willed. To save Zhang Ruochen, she clashed with the Merit Divine Temple, committing a grave mistake."
"As a result, the Merit Divine Temple canceled the merit treasures that were supposed to be rewarded to Guanghan Realm. Sigh, Brother Wu, you missed out on the Merit Saint Token."
Wu Hao had always dreamed of obtaining a Merit Saint Token, using it to accumulate merit continuously, enhance his physical constitution, and surpass those heavenly proud ones with supreme perfect physiques.
It could be said that only by obtaining the Merit Saint Token could Wu Hao have a chance to realize his dream of revitalizing Guanghan Realm.
But Shang Zihong suddenly told him that he had missed out on the Merit Saint Token. One could imagine how terrible Wu Hao's mood was at that moment.
Shang Zihong said, "Brother Wu, please don't think I'm deceiving you. After all, the realm son of Kunlun Realm, Wan Zhaoyi; the realm son of Great Demon Ten Directions Realm, Ling Yan Demon Consort; and the realm sons of Eight Ministries Realm, Blade Prison Realm, Purple Mansion Realm, and Heavenly Mother Realm all received a Merit Saint Token. News should spread soon. Unfortunately, as the realm son of Guanghan Realm, you got nothing."
Wu Hao's hands clenched tightly. Although he tried to control his emotions, a glint of resentment still escaped from his eyes.
Shang Zihong continued, "If the Moon God had saved someone else, it might have been fine, and the Merit Divine Temple wouldn't have been so furious. But the person she saved was Zhang Ruochen. In Ancestral Spirit Realm, Zhang Ruochen's ambiguous relationship with the Rakshasa princess gave the impression that they had known each other before. Moreover, on the battlefield, Zhang Ruochen killed a large number of saints from the Seven Realms of Sha Tuo, recklessly stealing others' merit points with ruthless methods, ignoring the rules of the Merit Divine Temple and the Heavenly Court Realm. Such a person deserves to be executed, not saved, and certainly not worth sacrificing the entire Guanghan Realm's interests for him. Don't you agree?"
"That was a decision made by the Moon God Empress..." Wu Hao said with a bitter smile.
Shang Zihong's expression became very serious, and he lowered his voice. "The Merit Divine Temple has received news that the Moon God was trapped in the Hell Realm during her ten-thousand-year disappearance. Her sudden return to the Heavenly Court Realm is very suspicious."
Wu Hao's body felt as if struck by lightning. His eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"
Shang Zihong said, "I don't mean anything. I'm just curious whether ten thousand years could change a god. Could the Moon God have already sided with the Hell Realm? If Guanghan Realm continues to obey the Moon God, will it fall into an irreversible abyss?"
Suddenly hearing such shocking news, even with Wu Hao's state of mind, he felt at a loss.
In his heart, the Moon God had always been the most noble, purest, and greatest deity, someone to be revered and worshipped. But the Moon God had spent these ten thousand years in the Hell Realm.
Wu Hao felt his faith beginning to crumble.
Shang Zihong paused and then added, "To be honest, my reason for coming to Sha Tuo Heaven Domain this time is to follow a divine decree to kill Zhang Ruochen, the Hell Realm's spy placed in the Heavenly Court Realm."
"Zhang Ruochen is a spy for the Hell Realm?" Wu Hao said.
Shang Zihong nodded solemnly. "Reliable information has come in that Zhang Ruochen has been to the Hell Realm. What's even more bizarre is that he obtained a divine medicine capable of bringing the dead back to life while there. Without a powerful background in the Hell Realm, how could he have obtained a divine medicine?"
Wu Hao's eyes narrowed. The killing intent that had been lurking inside him finally surged forth.
Sensing the killing intent from Wu Hao, a flicker of a smile passed through Shang Zihong's eyes. He then pressed his advantage, saying, "In Sha Tuo Heaven Domain, with the Moon God protecting Zhang Ruochen and the Man Sword Great Saint secretly guarding him, killing him is as difficult as reaching the heavens."
"If you can help me, as long as we kill Zhang Ruochen, you will have rendered a great service to the Heavenly Court Realm. At that time, I will definitely report this to the Merit Divine Temple, and perhaps I can help you secure a Merit Saint Token."
"Is that true?" Wu Hao was tempted.
Shang Zihong exuded a noble aura. "I never speak falsehoods."
About half an hour later, the white mist in this area dispersed. Su Qingling and Wen Shusheng found Wu Hao standing under a tree, and then the group left this place.