Seeing that Hongyun was merely looking at him silently without speaking, Zhen Yuanzi could not help but ask in confusion, "Why do you look at me like that, Fellow Daoist?"

Hongyun did not explain immediately. Instead, he pondered for a moment before speaking, "Fellow Daoist, back when you and I encountered the Innate Gourd Vine, you told me that by wielding the Book of the Earth in conjunction with the Ginseng Fruit Tree, you possess the means to discern many Spiritual Roots of heaven and earth."

"Mentioning it once more just now sparked a flash of inspiration in me, giving me an idea to plot for Merit. However, for a moment I could not tell whether it was truly feasible, which was why I was a bit lost in thought just now."

"Oh?" Hearing Hongyun's words, Zhen Yuanzi was somewhat surprised.

He had never paid much mind to this capability of his, as it did not seem to hold much significance.

He could not use this method to deduce or pinpoint the approximate directions and habitats of various Spiritual Roots. Aside from learning their names, appearances, general growth environments, and uses—broadening his horizons and giving him bragging rights—it was truly of no practical use, so Zhen Yuanzi naturally never cared much for it.

Yet Zhen Yuanzi had not expected that this seemingly useless method could actually be leveraged to obtain Merit in Hongyun's eyes. This not only surprised Zhen Yuanzi, but also piqued his intense curiosity, mixed with a hint of skepticism.

Nevertheless, Zhen Yuanzi did not dwell on it and simply said, "Since you do not know whether it is truly feasible, Fellow Daoist, why not tell me about it so I can weigh in? If there really is Merit to be gained, once the matter is accomplished, the two of us can simply share the Merit."

"You and I have been friends for many years, so there is no need to speak of sharing Merit—that would be far too distant between us. I only have a general idea; as for whether the specifics are feasible, that will require your own judgment, Fellow Daoist. My thought is..."

Hongyun spoke continuously, laying out his general idea to Zhen Yuanzi.

After listening, Zhen Yuanzi sorted through his thoughts before speaking slowly, "I believe I roughly understand your meaning, Fellow Daoist. You mean compiling all the Innate Spiritual Roots and Acquired Spiritual Roots that I know of into a compendium, or even ranking them on a roster, and thereby proclaiming it across the Great Wilderness to spread among all living beings to obtain Merit. Is that correct?"

"That is roughly the idea, but whether there is truly Merit to be gained, I am not entirely certain either," Hongyun said, both nodding and shaking his head.

After all, this was merely a sudden brainstorm and flash of inspiration from Hongyun; as for how things would actually turn out, he still needed to hear the opinion of Zhen Yuanzi, the principal party.

After receiving Hongyun's confirmation, Zhen Yuanzi fell into deep thought. The earthy-yellow Book of the Earth manifested above his head, its pages rustling as Zhen Yuanzi repeatedly probed the threads of heavenly secrets, peering into the future.

After a long while, a smile surfaced on Zhen Yuanzi's face: "This matter seems feasible. After all, though Spiritual Roots exist throughout the Primordial World, aside from the ten top-grade innate spiritual roots of the primordial era whose renown was proclaimed by heaven and earth to echo across the Primordial World, the vast majority of the remaining Spiritual Roots are completely unknown—no one knows their names, nor their miraculous effects."

"Because of this, all living beings also remain ignorant of the miraculous creations within them, unaware of the grace bestowed by the Great Wilderness. If they can all be compiled into a compendium, or even ranked on a roster to be manifested before the Primordial World, one can indeed gain a harvest of Merit. It is just that..."

As he spoke, Zhen Yuanzi suddenly paused, his brow furrowing slightly in apparent hesitation.

After a moment, he continued, "It is just that if they are truly compiled into a compendium and even ranked on a roster, what if it drives all living beings to recklessly fight over them or even wage mass slaughter, especially if the Witch and Demon Clans deliberately move to monopolize them? That would be counterproductive, entangling us in endless Karma."

"Fellow Daoist, you stated clearly just now that you do not know the whereabouts of these Spiritual Roots. Could it be that you were trying to hoodwink and coax me, Hongyun? Even if you refrain from doing this, would all living beings truly not fight recklessly or wage slaughter? Would the Witch and Demon Clans refrain from acts of monopolization?" Hongyun asked, half-teasingly and half-reproachfully.

Hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses, realizing that he had indeed overthought things.

He originally had no knowledge of the growing locations of the various Spiritual Roots. Even if he compiled them into a compendium and ranked them on a roster, there was no way he could reveal their locations.

Furthermore, regarding the myriad Spiritual Roots across the Primordial World, the Heavenly Dao would inherently obscure their heavenly secrets and conceal their traces from the unseen depths. Moreover, they were bound to be protected by specific guardian Formations or spatial Secret Realms; essentially, none could obtain them unless they were fated to do so.

In this manner, even if all living beings learned of many Spiritual Roots through Zhen Yuanzi, it would at most broaden their horizons or spark a wave of searching for Spiritual Roots; it could not possibly trigger anything overly drastic.

As for the Witch and Demon Clans, even without Zhen Yuanzi compiling the various Spiritual Roots into a compendium and ranking them, with the immense power of the two clans, who knew how many wondrous treasures in the world they had already seized? Whether he made the roster or not made no difference at all!

With this realization, Zhen Yuanzi cupped his hands to Hongyun in salute and said, "Thank you for the guidance, Fellow Daoist. Earlier, I was overthinking and far too hesitant. Compared to you, Fellow Daoist, I truly lack a measure of enterprising and aggressive drive."

Hongyun smiled faintly and nodded, accepting Zhen Yuanzi's bow without standing on ceremony.

Zhen Yuanzi was indeed overly prudent, lacking a sharp, enterprising edge.

Perhaps this was a disposition shaped collectively by various facets of his nature; it was difficult to say whether it was good or bad.

Although Zhen Yuanzi in the original trajectory of destiny never fought or contended, appearing somewhat meek and frustrated, rarely daring to put his life on the line in battle, and additionally excelled in defense while being somewhat weaker in offense—appearing far too detached from worldly affairs...

...it was also precisely because of this that Zhen Yuanzi was able to live peacefully for so long. The Merits and demerits were truly hard to judge.

All of this was the inevitable outcome of his personality, mental state, and his own Great Dao. If altered too drastically, it might well produce an unfavorable result; it was better to let everything take its natural course.

Therefore, aside from having intentionally nudged Zhen Yuanzi into making minor, negligible adjustments back then to grind away and dissolve the power of Pangu's benevolent thoughts within himself, Hongyun would not excessively take the initiative to guide or alter Zhen Yuanzi in the future.

As for this matter of Merit regarding compiling the world's various Spiritual Roots into a compendium and ranking them on a roster, it was merely an idea Hongyun had come up with on the fly. Furthermore, the primary work could only be accomplished by Zhen Yuanzi, who held the Book of the Earth. Hongyun himself could not offer much help anyway; it was nothing more than bringing it up to freeload some Merit, and everything still depended on Zhen Yuanzi.

At this moment, Zhen Yuanzi naturally had no inkling of Hongyun's inner thoughts, but having cast aside his misgivings, he had already made up his mind.

However, Zhen Yuanzi also understood that compiling the myriad Spiritual Roots of heaven and earth into a compendium and ranking them on a roster would demand significant effort and could not be accomplished overnight.

Therefore, he was in no hurry at this moment, intending to commence this undertaking after the Demon Race concluded the establishment of the Demon Court, striving to thoroughly secure this matter of Merit before the Second Lecture at Zixiao Palace.

With this general plan established, Zhen Yuanzi discussed the matter further with Hongyun for a while, and then the two attuned themselves to the unseen depths, soaring across the boundless the void toward the Heavenly Court.

...

The Heavenly Court.

"This Heavenly Court is truly extraordinary. It seems to possess the might to suppress the heavens, command the myriad realms, and operate all manners of order between heaven and earth. For the Demon Race to obtain it is truly a magnificent fated opportunity!"

Upon arriving at the Heavenly Court and witnessing its vast majesty and solemn grandeur, Zhen Yuanzi could not help but gasp in admiration, and regarding the Demon Race enjoying such a fated opportunity as the Heavenly Court, he even felt a surge of envy and jealousy.

At the same time, a flicker of wariness flashed across his eyes.

Zhen Yuanzi's disposition was indeed excessively detached from worldly competition, but he was not devoid of any sense of crisis; he knew that if the Demon Race grew too powerful, it would not bode well for anyone.