A few minutes later.

The vast city of Donghai miraculously returned to its former prosperous and vibrant state! The catastrophic disaster of the past was nothing more than a nightmare!

"What...what's going on?"

"My legs... my legs can move again!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Houses! Look at those houses! They've grown back on their own!"

Countless people who had awakened got up from the ground in a daze, looking around at the intact city with disbelief on their faces.

Then, someone looked up first and exclaimed in surprise:

"Look! There are people on the city wall!"

Swish, swish, swish!

Countless gazes converged on the city wall of Donghai City.

Bathed in sunlight, the old man, draped in a wide Taoist robe, with white hair and beard, and radiating a faint, sacred golden light, seemed like a true immortal descended from mythology, quietly overlooking all living beings.

"It was...it was that old immortal who saved us!"

"A deity has descended to earth! Heaven has finally opened its eyes!"

There was no organization, no coercion.

Thump! Thump!

On the streets and in the squares, countless people who had escaped death and were filled with gratitude knelt down and bowed in worship to the immortal-like old man on the city wall!

Their eyes held an unprecedented devotion and fervor.

Standing atop the city wall, Zhou Huai looked down at the densely packed, kneeling crowd below, and a long-forgotten notification sound echoed in his mind:

【Ding! Sensing the faith of a vast number of beings, you have gained 10 merit points...】

【Ding! Sensing the faith of a vast number of beings, you have gained 50 merit points...】

【bite!......】

Listening to the incessant, torrential notification sounds, and watching the hundreds of thousands of merit points on the panel begin to rise rapidly again.

Zhou Huai smiled broadly.

This is truly a perfect ending!

However, to Zhou Huai's even greater surprise, this wave of merit point rewards did not end after Li Er successfully saved the entire city.

Merit points continue to accumulate in his background.

However, these rewards are much less than the huge sums of money earned in a one-off deal.

【Ding! Sensing the faith of all beings, you have gained 325 merit points...】

【Ding! Sensing [N O V E L I G H T] the faith of all beings, you have gained 88 merit points...】

【Ding! Sensing the faith of all beings, merit points gained: 7 points...】

Each time, the number of points ranges from a few hundred to a few dozen, and sometimes even to single digits.

But its strength lies in its continuous flow, accumulating little by little, like an inexhaustible stream, silently nourishing his dried-up pool of merit.

Zhou Huai suddenly had an idea.

"Could it be..."

"As long as the gratitude I feel towards those I have saved hasn't completely faded, they will continue to provide me with merit points?"

The moment this thought arose, it was like a lightning bolt piercing through the fog in Zhou Huai's mind.

"I understand! This is the correct way for Li Er to gain merit points!"

Previously, he had always thought that the main source of merit points was "major events" such as suppressing ancient remnants and killing the human emperor, which were acts of justice on behalf of Heaven.

But now it seems that those were just "huge bonuses" occasionally distributed by the system.

A truly stable and long-term source of income should be the purest gratitude and faith from the general public!

"We've been going astray all along...!"

Zhou Huai couldn't help but laugh at himself.

He had been thinking about how to "kill monsters" and "do quests" to earn merit, but little did he know that the greatest gold mine was hidden in the hearts of the ordinary people he had casually saved.

Having figured this out, Zhou Huai's eyes gleamed with an unprecedented sharpness.

"Since that's the case, we must strike while the iron is hot and make the roots of this faith even deeper!"

Without hesitation, he immediately controlled Li Er to use a level 5 skill.

To display one's divine power in public!

Buzz—!

As soon as Zhou Huai had a thought, the sky above Donghai City, which had just returned to clear skies, was once again filled with wind and clouds!

Above a cloudless blue sky, ten thousand rays of colorful light suddenly burst forth!

Amidst the rosy glow, a colossal, towering phantom slowly materialized and took shape!

That phantom image was none other than the appearance of the Great Sage Li Er!

He possessed an otherworldly air, with white hair and beard, draped in an ancient robe, his eyes slightly closed, his expression both compassionate and dignified, surrounded by visible golden runes formed from the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

"Oh my god! What is that?!"

"It's...it's that old deity who just saved us!"

"A deity! The deity has appeared again!"

Inside Donghai City, tens of millions of people, who had just recovered from the relief of surviving the disaster, were once again shocked by this miraculous scene.

They all stopped what they were doing, rushed out of their homes, and looked up with an almost obsessive, fanatical gaze at the enormous phantom in the sky that resembled a creator god.

Just then, a kind, majestic voice, seemingly containing all the principles of heaven and earth, descended from the heavens and echoed clearly in everyone's ears.

"All living beings suffer, and I cannot bear to see it."

"My name is Daozu."

"I am deeply moved by the calamity that has befallen this city, and have come to offer my assistance."

The sound seemed to possess a strange magic, bringing an unprecedented sense of peace and tranquility to everyone who heard it.

The phantom continued speaking, its voice solemn and grand:

"The cycle of Heaven is real, and good and evil are rewarded accordingly. You should all remember this, keep good thoughts in your hearts, do good deeds, and you will stay away from disasters and enjoy lasting blessings."

"From now on, this Donghai City shall be under my protection."

"If you encounter another crisis that you cannot overcome, simply pray to my name with sincere hearts..."

"I will appear."

The moment the words fell, Li Er's phantom slowly raised his right hand and gently waved it towards the weathered city below.

Splash!

In an instant, a timely rain fell from the sky!

Countless raindrops, shimmering with golden light, fell from the sky, gently sprinkling every corner of Donghai City.

"This rain... feels so good..."

A professional with a missing arm instinctively reached out his intact hand to catch the rain.

The moment the golden raindrops landed in his palm, a warm and powerful life energy instantly surged into his limbs and bones!

He felt a jolt throughout his body, as if he were soaking in a hot spring, every cell in his body cheering with joy.

What he found even more unbelievable was that he felt a tingling, itchy sensation coming from the wound on his severed arm.

He looked down and saw that the hideous wound was healing, scabbing, and falling off at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing new, tender skin!

Even the old ailment left from the battlefield many years ago, which would ache faintly on rainy days, seemed to have been completely eradicated at this moment, and I could no longer feel any discomfort!

"My God... my old injury... it's healed! Completely healed!"

The professional was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He immediately knelt down and, with all his might, kowtowed to the phantom in the sky!

Such miracles are happening simultaneously in every corner of the city.

Those who are nourished by the rain feel refreshed and invigorated, and all their fatigue disappears.

If this is the case for ordinary people, then the feelings of professionals are even more direct and shocking.

They could clearly feel their bodies being cleansed by a gentle yet domineering force. Not only their injuries, but also the hidden wounds accumulated over the years due to excessive fighting were being repaired and soothed little by little under the nourishment of this sweet rain!