Mortals get a golden finger for immortal cultivation every year

"How much time do we have left?"

This was the first question Zhang Ruoji asked, and it was also a question about how much time was left in the entire Kunlun Realm.

"It shouldn't be many years left, and I want to use the power of the Kunlun Realm to improve the strength of its cultivators as much as possible. Only in this way can we give the Kunlun Realm a glimmer of hope for the future, preventing it from being completely destroyed, and at least giving it a chance to survive. You must know that the treasures of the Kunlun Realm are coveted by all the myriad realms. Even gods would be tempted by any of them, such as the Ten Divine Artifacts and various time-space treasures. As long as the Kunlun Realm possesses these things, it will inevitably be coveted by other worlds. Those forces have plotted against the Kunlun Realm before, wanting to obtain all its treasures. Only in this way can they make their world stronger and give it a chance to survive the calamities of the future. That future calamity will affect all the myriad realms. In all the myriad realms, whoever is strong will survive, and whoever is weak will perish in this calamity. Ten thousand years ago..." The Kunlun Realm nearly perished for this very reason. If it weren't for the efforts of the Kunlun Realm's deities ten thousand years ago to protect it, the entire Kunlun Realm would likely have vanished long ago. And that calamity was merely a minor one; the true great calamity has yet to begin, and once it does, the consequences will be unpredictable. For the Kunlun Realm to find a glimmer of hope amidst this calamity, we all need to work together. You, me, the Empress, and other holy deities all need to sacrifice our lives to possibly secure a chance for the Kunlun Realm to survive, just like those ancient deities of the Kunlun Realm ten thousand years ago, who gave their lives and everything to preserve a trace of the Kunlun Realm's vitality and to find ways to make the Empress a new deity. Because the Kunlun Realm's time is running out; ten thousand years is the longest the Kunlun Realm's deities can afford. From now on, if we want the Kunlun Realm to have any further hope, we can only rely on ourselves.”

"Therefore, Ninth Brother, you must understand that everything I have said is for the sake of Kunlun Realm. The Empress is also doing this for Kunlun Realm, and you must also do this for Kunlun Realm in the future."

"Of course, you may not believe anything I'm saying. You may suspect that everything I'm saying now is for your own selfish gain, but there's one thing I hope you can remember: if Kunlun Realm wants to have a chance to survive, it requires not only our efforts, but also the efforts of all living beings and gods in Kunlun Realm. Whether they make an effort or not is none of my concern, but we must make an effort, because we are now people of Kunlun Realm."

"In the future, we too will become gods of the Kunlun Realm. Not only will you and I become gods of the Kunlun Realm, but our friends will also become gods of the Kunlun Realm. We are all the hope for the future of humanity. Only through our joint efforts can we strive for that elusive glimmer of hope for the Kunlun Realm! As for whether we can seize that glimmer of hope, it depends on our luck, and on the luck of the Kunlun Realm."

"Alright, I've made myself clear, brother. The choice is yours now. Remember, we are all the hope of the Kunlun Realm, and I believe you understand that. I also hope you won't let that old bald monk down, for he has placed all his hopes on you."

"And I don't even know who chose me. To figure all this out, we all have to grow into gods to be qualified to understand it. If we haven't even reached godhood, then we're just pawns being used by others. I think you wouldn't want to be someone else's pawn, right? Of course, I don't want to be someone else's pawn either. But right now, we have no choice at all."

“Go back and think carefully about what I just said. Think it through and come back to me. Only in this way can our future be hopeful, and only then can we find hope. Only then can Kunlun Realm have a glimmer of hope. If we cannot even fight for a glimmer of hope for Kunlun Realm, then there is no need to mention others. This is our destiny, and it is what we should do. We have no choice.”

"Alright, that's enough nonsense. You should go back now."

After saying this, Zhao Shuang immediately sent Zhang Ruoji back, because what he was about to do was the most important matter in the entire Kunlun Realm; any mistake would implicate the entire Kunlun Realm. Did the future of the Kunlun Realm still hold any hope? It all depended on this opportunity. If they missed it, the Kunlun Realm would truly be doomed. Although in the original storyline Zhang Ruoji did indeed save the Kunlun Realm and the entire Heavenly Court, no one knew what the future held.

In short, everything has changed. As for how exactly, that's up to fate.

After Zhang Ruoji was sent away, Zhao Shuang returned to the Ziwei Palace. The Empress had shed her divine aura and revealed her true form, and surprisingly, there were traces of tears in her eyes. This was truly unbelievable; fortunately, only the two of them were in the palace. Otherwise, it would have been a truly shocking event.

The Queen actually cried.

"He's already gone. You owe me a favor for this, Your Majesty. Why aren't you busy dealing with those ants? What are you still doing here? It seems you were indeed waiting for me."

Looking at the empress before him, Zhao Shuang couldn't help but smile and say, his tone conveying a sense of complete control, which made the empress frown slightly.

"You should know what I want to ask right now, you should know very well."

Zhao Shuang was quite displeased with the Empress's words, but she still nodded and smiled.

"Of course I know what you want to ask me, but why should I tell you? Although I have some affection for the Kunlun Realm, everything I've done is worthy of that affection. You should know that without me, you would probably have lost that thing to successfully break through to the Divine Realm, which is something you wouldn't want. I hope you understand that everything you have now is the result of countless efforts by the sages of the Kunlun Realm throughout the ages. Without their help, you would never have reached your current level. What you need to do now is to hurry through the Ancient Sacred Path to the Heavenly Court Realm. That is the only hope for the Kunlun Realm. Although there are many in the Heavenly Court Realm who want to destroy the Kunlun Realm, there are also many friends who want to help the Kunlun Realm overcome this calamity. However, whether it can be overcome depends entirely on the luck of the Kunlun Realm."

"During your absence, do your best to help the Kunlun Realm improve its strength, but how far it can improve depends on the Kunlun Realm's luck. I will do everything I can, everything I want to do, and everything I'm capable of doing. What you need to do now is to travel to the Heavenly Court Realm via the Ancient Saint Path. This is the only thing you can do. I hope you will not let down the hopes of everyone in the Kunlun Realm, because this is the last chance for the entire Kunlun Realm. If we lose this opportunity, then the entire Kunlun Realm will have no future. The calamities that follow will be greater and more terrifying than the calamities of 100,000 years ago. In short, everything depends on your luck, and also on the luck of the Kunlun Realm. I have done everything I can, and I have said everything I can. I am also feeling a little tired. Now it's up to you."

After saying these words, Zhao Shuang was about to get up and leave, but the Empress stopped him.

"I want to practice the cultivation technique you practice, as well as the technique you taught them."

The Empress's words startled Zhao Shuang, but he nodded and agreed. Then, a spiritual thought entered the Empress's brow, granting her what she desired: the Three Thousand Great Daos of cultivation techniques and supernatural powers.

Of course, this only applies to the first few. As for the complete Three Thousand Great Daos, Zhao Shuang naturally couldn't teach them all to the Empress, since the Empress was still unable to cultivate so many Great Dao supernatural powers.

"Alright, you've gotten what you wanted. Now, just do as I say. The calamities that Kunlun Realm will face next will be even more terrifying, and with what I've taught you, it'll be enough to greatly increase your strength. While not invincible among those of the same realm, at least no one will be your match—no, it should be said that among those of the same divine realm. The rest is up to you. I won't say anything more. You must walk the path ahead yourself. I can't help you anymore; everything depends on you. Good luck, Your Majesty!" Zhao Shuang laughed heartily, uttering these encouraging words.

"Don't you want to come back with me? You should know where you come from, and I can take you back."

The Empress's words startled Zhao Shuang slightly, but he still shook his head and said...

"I don't want to go back right now, and I hope you can help me keep my identity a secret from everyone. Otherwise, those guys might take advantage of my illness to kill me. Of course, they might not be able to, but it will definitely cause me a lot of trouble. This is something I don't want to see, and I hope you can help me. Otherwise, it would really be a waste of all the efforts I've made for the Kunlun Realm."

The Empress nodded in agreement to Zhao Shuang's words, because she knew very well that everything Zhao Shuang said was true.

"I will resolve all the current troubles in the Kunlun Realm before heading to the Heavenly Court Realm. However, resolving the current troubles in the Kunlun Realm will not be an easy task."

The Empress agreed, but also explained her difficulties. To put it bluntly, she hoped Zhao Shuang could help her, because she knew very well what she was about to face, and only Zhao Shuang could help with this matter.

"This is a huge problem, but it's not insurmountable. I'll now teach you a supernatural power. With this power, you'll definitely be able to solve all your current troubles, but that's all. As for what will happen next, I can't predict it. Because according to the original trajectory, you should have become his enemy. No, you two were enemies to begin with. And now it's just deepened. I hope you can truly become ruthless and heartless."

"Do you really want me to become heartless and emotionless? Is that really what you want?"

The Empress's question stumped Zhao Shuang, who paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Even wood and stone have feelings. If a person doesn't want to become something even less than wood and stone, naturally they won't."

"Alright, I've said what I needed to say, and you've done what you needed to do. We've both paid a high price and put in enough effort. Now it's up to our luck. In short, we've done more than enough. Now it's up to the luck of millions of other living beings. Alright, go ahead. I should go do what I need to do too."

Zhao Shuang sighed, and his words made the Empress hesitate for a moment before she continued.

"I plan to entrust the management of Kunlun Realm for the next few years to you. Are you confident in your abilities?"

She originally intended to give it to the talented Nalan Danqing, but now she felt that Zhao Shuang was more suitable, because Zhao Shuang had too many secrets that could bring great benefits to the Kunlun Realm, but these would naturally come at a price.

"If you trust me, there's no problem entrusting it to me. I guarantee I'll manage the Kunlun Realm well and greatly increase its strength. But you also need to give me a promise."

Zhao Shuang nodded in agreement, but also made a condition.

"What do you want? Anything that exists in the Kunlun Realm, and whatever I have, I can give to you."

“I haven’t thought it through yet, so I can’t tell you for now. I will tell you the truth when I have thought it through. I know you won’t agree then, but just remember what I said today, remember your promise. Remember everything we said today, everything we did was for the Kunlun Realm, including that one thing. And everything I’m doing now is indeed for the Kunlun Realm. No matter what you think or what you believe, I hope you can believe me.”

As Zhao Shuang finished speaking, her expression turned somewhat forlorn, a sight that made the Empress frown, unsure whether she should trust her.

She felt she should trust the other person, but their identity always made her suspicious.

This caused her to sigh from the bottom of her heart, and then she disappeared, vanishing into the Ziwei Palace. She then announced a divine decree: during her absence, the entire Kunlun Realm would be under Zhao Shuang's jurisdiction, and no one was to disobey. Anyone who disobeyed would be subject to divine punishment and executed.

This decree caused a huge uproar throughout the Kunlun Realm.

After all, this imperial decree was truly astonishing. (End of Chapter)