Mortals get a golden finger for immortal cultivation every year

"I understand all of this, but I want a divine artifact."

The Moon Goddess bluntly stated her purpose: she wanted the divine artifact.

No god would pass up the opportunity to obtain a divine artifact.

"You really have no manners, daring to ask me for this directly. Fine? After we get through this trouble, I'll lend you a divine artifact. I hope you can protect Sister Guanghan and repay the favor that Kunlun Realm owed Guanghan Realm."

Hearing the Moon Goddess's direct words, Zhao Shuang reluctantly agreed. However, his words aroused doubt in the Moon Goddess's heart. As far as she knew, Zhao Shuang's relationship with the Kunlun Realm did not seem to be that deep.

"What kind of relationship do you have with the Kunlun Realm? Why do you care so much about the Kunlun Realm? This is unlike you in the past. Although you had some relationship with the Kunlun Realm in the past, it was never to this extent that you could lend divine artifacts to others at will to repay favors."

This was the biggest question in the Moon Goddess's mind at this moment. She really couldn't understand it because it didn't match Zhao Shuang's image in the Heavenly Realm and the Hell Realm at all.

"You don't need to worry about that, Little Yueyue. In short, I'm now considered a member of the Kunlun Realm, so naturally I have to take responsibility for it. And within the entire Kunlun Realm, only I can do this; no one else can. Do you understand? Most importantly, I'm now a member of the Zheng family, understand? Although I don't know which bastard orchestrated this, I'm now a member of the Zheng family. What's the situation with the Zhang family? You should know better than I do, right? In fact, all the gods in the Heavenly Court and Hell Realms know perfectly well what's going on with our Zhang family. Our ancestor's scandalous affair brought misfortune upon our entire family, you know? So, under these circumstances, this is all I can do. I need to seize the time, exhaust all means and sacrifices, to break through to the divine realm. Only in this way can I..." "The misfortunes of our Zhang family have been resolved—though not completely, just the troubles that have been dealt with personally. As for the troubles of others, I can only wish them good luck. I think you understand this, so please don't ask me why I'm so good to the Kunlun Realm. I have no choice; I'm forced into this situation. If I had any other option, I would never have anything to do with the Kunlun Realm, because it's a complete mess, a huge and rotten mess. All I can do now is try my best to rid myself of this mess. And my goodwill towards the Kunlun Realm is simply a way to get rid of my own troubles. I used to be one of the heavens, now I'm just a tiny ant. The difference is immense; I don't need to elaborate, you should understand. So please don't ask me anymore."

"Do you think I would believe what you're saying?"

The Moon Goddess didn't believe a single thing Zhao Shuang had painstakingly explained.

"Whether you believe it or not, it has absolutely nothing to do with me, not even a fraction of it. So you don't need to ask any more questions. We should go back now. As for whether they'll let me participate in the Holy War of Merit, that's no longer important. If they won't let me participate, then I'll find a way to participate. Whatever trouble it causes, don't blame me. These guys want to oppose me at will. They did it before, and they're doing it now. It seems I didn't do enough back then. I should have killed them all back then. Maybe I could have had a taste of meat. If I had killed them all back then, the benefits would have been enormous. I might have instantly become the number one person under the heavens, no, I should say the number one god. There probably aren't many in the entire Heavenly Court who could compare to me."

Zhao Shuang spoke words filled with murderous intent, but the Moon Goddess paid no attention to them.

"If you had really done that back then, the happiest person would have been the Hell Realm. If so many powerful gods had fallen in the Heavenly Realm at once, the Hell Realm would certainly not have let this opportunity pass."

"It's none of my business. They're the ones who offended me. You know, I'm the most petty and narrow-minded person. Even a small matter from 100,000 years ago, I'll hold onto it and won't let it go. I don't care about these things at all. Anyway, I have a good relationship with the Underworld. Even if I can't stay in the Heavenly Court, I can go to the Underworld. And this can be considered my pledge of allegiance, right? If I can make such a great contribution, I will definitely be the number one contributor to the Underworld. I believe the gods of the Underworld will welcome me to join them, because at that time they will have the ability to fight against the Heavenly Court."

The Moon Goddess paid no attention to Zhao Shuang's words, and simply said:
"In that case, you will also lose all your friends in the Heavenly Realm."

"So what if I lose it? They're not helping me anyway, so what can I do? If they were helping me, I'd consider them friends, but they have no intention of helping me at all. If they were helping me, why wouldn't they let me participate in this Holy War of Merit? Instead, they're sending a group of people to stop me and oppose me. I'm not a god now, nor am I one of the heavens, so why should they stop me? I haven't broken any rules. Who said that reincarnated gods can't participate in the Holy War of Merit? Who set this rule? I don't remember that the Heavenly Court or the Hell Realm set this rule. And as far as I know, there are quite a few reincarnated gods who participate in the Holy War of Merit, and they're not necessarily guaranteed to win."

Zhao Shuang's temper flared up immediately, and she directly refuted what the Moon Goddess said.

“Unlike them, those reincarnated gods are at most at the Tai Zhen realm, but you are the Heavens. You are not just a simple Tai Zhen realm being; you are the Heavens.”

"The important thing is that their memories are incomplete, but yours are perfect. You possess all the memories of your past life. It's just that you've always been unwilling to mention them, and you can regain your power at any time. Once you regain your power, this Holy War of Merit will be meaningless. Even if the merit of the Guanghan Realm and the Kunlun Realm is zero by then, it won't matter, because once you regain your strength, nothing will happen in the Guanghan Realm and the Kunlun Realm, and you won't allow those two worlds to become battlefields for the Holy War of Merit. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly allow you to participate in this Holy War of Merit? Although I'm also very angry."

The Moon Goddess was also furious. "What right do these guys who can only scheme in the shadows have to command this Holy War of Merit? Fine, if they won't let me participate, then I'll find a way to participate, even if I have to impersonate someone else. In short, I must participate in this Holy War of Merit no matter what, and no one can stop me."

Zhao Shuang's words made Yue Shen grasp something again, and she quickly asked:
Is there some problem with this merit-based holy war that forces you to participate? Or is there some key aspect to this merit-based holy war that compels you to participate?

"The world in this Holy War of Merit is merely a world where a god has just been born. That god, despite his utmost efforts, failed to protect his world. And in that world, if that god hadn't been born, perhaps this world wouldn't have become a battlefield for the Holy War of Merit. Perhaps that god's greatest regret was becoming a god, because only by becoming a god could he enter the Heavenly Court. And it was precisely because he entered the Heavenly Court that he was forced to participate in this Holy War of Merit. Originally, he was the protagonist of his world, and he originally thought he could bring endless happiness to his world, enabling it to give birth to more powerful beings. But he never imagined that not only would he fail to achieve this, but he would also bring about the end of the world, turning their entire world into a battlefield for the Holy War of Merit. He fought with everything, exhausted all his resources, even sacrificing his life, but nothing could stop it. So, do you understand?"

"The gods of that world could exhaust all their resources, yet they could not stop it."

"Do you think he regretted it when he died? Did he regret it deeply? Did he regret becoming a god, regret choosing to join the Heavenly Court after becoming a god? Did he regret not protecting the world he lived in?"

Zhao Shuang's words silenced the Moon Goddess, but she didn't remain silent for long, instead retorting:
"Without the protection of the Heavenly Court, his world would probably have long since become food for the Hell. A single god is no match for a world. Because he lacks the ability, the Hell directly turned those worlds without gods or with only one god into livestock farms."

"Without this meritorious holy war, even without the Heavenly Court, that world would still be destined to perish. Therefore, you don't need to think that way."

"All of this is related to the Heavenly Realm and the Hell Realm. Why the great war? Because of resources, right? Because resources were running out, the only option was to annihilate the other side. Only by annihilating the other side could we obtain more resources, nurture and strengthen our own race and our own world, and make our world even more powerful. This is the struggle between the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Realm. Of course, the most important thing is the struggle between the living and the dead. This struggle has lasted for countless years, and we don't know when it will end. All we can do is try our best to protect ourselves. If we don't even have the right to protect ourselves, then we can only become food for others."

"You know perfectly well why you insist on doing this?"

The moon goddess kept asking, puzzled.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know. I just know that I also want to become stronger for resources, and you also want to kill others for resources. I'm not a good person. For example, that old bald monk once said, 'I will not become a god until hell is empty.' Did he do it? No, he didn't. Even if he risked his life, he couldn't do it, nor could he fulfill his promise, 'I will not become a god until hell is empty.' So he has always been a saint. 'I will not become a god until hell is empty'—how easy is that? Although it's just a grand wish, it's ultimately impossible to achieve because hell can never be empty. So this thing is simply impossible."

"Do you think that old bald monk is stupid? No, that old bald monk isn't stupid at all. He's actually quite intelligent; otherwise, he couldn't have reached that level. And why did that old bald monk become a monk? He could have easily chosen not to, but he insisted on becoming one. It's really a headache, isn't it? Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. If those guys insist on not letting me participate in this Holy War of Merit, then I'll find a way to participate. You don't need to worry about this matter. Anyway, I will definitely help the Guanghan Realm overcome this calamity. It seems that your Guanghan Realm doesn't welcome us very much." Zhao Shuang's words were obviously pointed, but the Moon Goddess ignored them. After receiving a satisfactory answer, she left directly, completely disregarding Zhao Shuang.

Zhao Shuang then arrived at the Crimson Dragon Sacred Domain. This was the place where a Great Sage from the Guanghan Realm—the Great Sage of the Savage Sword—dwelt.

The others who followed him to the Guanghan Realm are all in this area, receiving guidance and instruction from the Great Sage of the Savage Sword.

They would naturally not let go of the guidance and instruction of a Great Sage, for such an opportunity was an extremely rare chance for them. Only a fool would give it up. The Great Sage of the Barbarian Sword was very satisfied with their aptitude, talent, and comprehension. Especially because of the Moon Goddess, they had been eagerly anticipating her return for a long time. They knew she was not dead and were waiting for her return, which was an immense boon to them. Before her return, the entire Guanghan Realm relied on the Heavenly Spirit Tree Goddess to sustain itself. With only one deity, and a Heavenly Spirit Tree Goddess at that, the difference in strength was too great. If it weren't for the Moon Goddess's connections in the Heavenly Court, the Guanghan Realm would have long since fallen. Under these circumstances, the Moon Goddess's return was an immense boon to the entire Guanghan Realm, a truly astonishing event. It was only a pity that the Moon Goddess had not yet recovered her full strength. Only after she recovered her full power could the Guanghan Realm truly prosper.

It's still a very, very long way off, mainly because the Moon Goddess hasn't recovered her full power. That's why she's so insistent on asking Zhao Shuang for the divine artifact. Obtaining a divine artifact would greatly enhance her strength, a temptation that's hard to resist for any deity.

Not to mention the Moon Goddess now, whose strength is far from reaching its peak.

(End of this chapter)