Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 219 The Deal with the Moon Goddess
Since their parting at Luoshui, Di Yi had not seen Zhang Ruochen for over a year, and the Zhang Ruochen before him had undergone tremendous changes compared to then.

After becoming the Moon Goddess's messenger, Zhang Ruochen received more respect in just one or two months than he had in the entire Kunlun Realm combined.

Helping the Moon Goddess win first place in the Saint Merit Battle was both a deal between him and the Moon Goddess and a token of his unspoken gratitude.

Without the Moon Goddess, he would probably have died under Chi Yao's divine might, which would have also implicated everyone in the Holy Central Empire.

However, fulfilling the promise made to the Moon Goddess is now virtually impossible.

As a successor of the Time-Space lineage, Zhang Ruochen naturally had extremely high aspirations and did not consider himself inferior to anyone of his generation, not even Di Yi.

However, it must be said that along the way, Di Yi's reputation has always been one step ahead of his. This is due to the suppression of his realm, as well as the reputation he earned by fighting against opponents of the same realm.

The title of "the greatest hero since the Middle Ages in the Kunlun Realm" may have started as a joke, but as time went by, more and more people recognized this title and truly regarded Di Yi as the greatest hero in the past 100,000 years, believing that he could catch up with, or even surpass, Empress Chi Yao in the future.

As for Zhang Ruochen, no matter how amazing he was, he could only rank second. After betraying Kunlun Realm and joining Guanghan Realm, his reputation plummeted, even falling behind Qiu Yu.

Of course, Zhang Ruochen's heart was strong enough that he would not have any extra thoughts because of the opinions of outsiders. When his cultivation was strong enough, there would be people to debate with him.

The most important thing right now is to find a way to help the Guanghan Realm overcome its difficulties. If the Guanghan Realm becomes a battlefield for merit, it will not be a good thing for him either.

Without the barrier of the Moon Realm and the protection of the Moon Goddess, his fate will be miserable, not much better than that of the cultivators of the Ancestral Spirit Realm.

"I thought it would be Wu Hao, the Lord of the Guanghan Realm, who would come. I didn't expect you to come in person. Aren't you afraid that the saints of the Kunlun Realm will not let you leave?"

Di Yi looked at Zhang Ruochen in front of him and chuckled.

Zhang Ruochen, dressed in a white robe, possessed a refined and elegant demeanor, exuding a transcendent aura, completely different from when he was by the Luo River.

The phrase "sharp and shrewd" is not quite appropriate to describe it, but its unique aura makes its extraordinary nature immediately apparent.

“I don’t have much enmity or grudge with the saints of Kunlun Realm. Many of them have even received favors from me. I believe the saints of Kunlun Realm will not be so ruthless.” Zhang Ruochen’s expression was calm. Even though he was alone in the Kunlun Realm’s headquarters, he was not afraid at all.

“You are very confident, but you should know that in the Kunlun Realm, you have more enemies than friends. The Fire Clan, the Moon Worshiping Demonic Cult, the Imperial Court—there are countless people who want to kill you. More than one person has suggested to me that you be left on this sacred mountain forever, and that your head be cut off and sent back to the Kunlun Realm to be presented to the Empress.”

“However, I did not heed their advice. Whether you are a cultivator from the Guanghan Realm or the Kunlun Realm, our common enemy is the Rakshasa Clan. Joining forces is the only correct choice,” Di Yi said.

Zhang Ruochen was surprised by Di Yi's attitude towards him. After a moment of silence, he said, "I have always been negative towards Chi Yao, but the fact that she was able to make you one of the commanders on the battlefield of merit for saints in the Kunlun Realm shows that she has some ability to recognize people. This time, I came for two reasons: first, to exchange merit points, and second, to discuss cooperation."

"Cooperation is possible, but it depends on how we cooperate and what Zhang Shenshi's demands are."

Di Yi stared at Zhang Ruochen, trying to read his thoughts from his eyes.

Zhang Ruochen paused for a moment, then said solemnly, "My request is naturally to help the Guanghan Realm avoid becoming a battlefield for merit."

Their eyes met, and an unseen collision took place between them.

After a moment, Di Yi chuckled and said, "Among the seven realms of Shatuo, the Guanghan Realm and the Kunlun Realm are the weakest. The only way to avoid becoming a battlefield of merit is to win first place in one of the three battlefields of merit: Great Sage, Saint King, and Saint. The difference in strength between the Saint King and Great Sage battlefields is too great, and the two realms have no chance of winning. The only hope is to win first place in the Saint Merit Battlefield."

"Kunlun Realm wants to compete for first place, and now your Guanghan Realm wants to compete for first place too. There can only be one first place, and I've already taken it. Tell me, what should we do?"

Zhang Ruochen did not know the answer to this question either; it was the will of the Moon Goddess within the divine weapon that guided him here.

Just then, strands of divine power surged from Zhang Ruochen's body, temporarily isolating him from the surrounding surveillance and deceiving the cultivators in the Heavenly Court who were watching the battle with divine means.

As far as they could see, Di Yi and Zhang Ruochen were still talking animatedly.

The ethereal image of the Moon Goddess appeared beside Zhang Ruochen. Her face was very blurry and indistinct, but her extraordinary aura alone was refreshing.

Di Yi was surprised and slightly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Moon Goddess."

As soon as he finished speaking, Di Yi felt a gaze sweep over him. This gaze was not malicious, but rather conveyed a sense of superiority, making it impossible for him to have any thoughts of resistance.

"Is this what a god is?" This thought arose in Di Yi's mind.

The moon goddess's gaze swept over them briefly, without lingering for long.

Her voice was pleasant to the ear, not seductive, but rather carried a sense of sacred inviolability.

"Di Yi, would you be willing to make a deal with me?"

Upon hearing this, Di Yi was slightly taken aback, his eyes narrowed, and after a moment of contemplation, he said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "It is my honor to make a deal with the Moon Goddess. I just wonder, what is the deal?"

"Help the Guanghan Realm win first place in the Saint Merit Battle. After the battle ends, I will take you as my personal disciple and appoint you as the Realm Lord of the Guanghan Realm, with a status equivalent to a Supreme Saint."

Upon hearing this, Di Yi frowned and shook his head, saying, "I cannot agree to this deal."

The Moon Goddess was not surprised at all, and then offered a second deal.

"Help Zhang Ruochen become number one on the Saint Merit List and help the Guanghan Realm obtain exemption qualifications."

This time, Di Yi didn't immediately refuse, but fell into thought. Zhang Ruochen listened with confusion, asking, "When the Moon Goddess spoke of being number one on the Saint Merit Ranking, did she mean the Saint Merit Ranking of the entire Heavenly Court Realm? Would becoming number one on the Saint Merit Ranking prevent the Guanghan Realm from becoming a battlefield of merit?"

The Heavenly Court's Saint Merit Ranking is a competition among Saint Realm cultivators from all the myriad realms of the Heavenly Court. Only those with merit points exceeding ten million are eligible to be listed.

In the entire Seven Realms of Shatuo, only the Spirit Flame Demoness of the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm made the list, and she was ranked after the thousandth.

Currently, the one ranked first on the list of saints' merits is Yu Chenjing, the celestial maiden of the Thousand Star Civilization in the ancient civilization faction, with a merit value of more than 50 million.

"Of course...no."

The one who answered Zhang Ruochen's question was Di Yi.

When he first arrived in the Heavenly Court, he had already learned about its various rules, especially those related to the Merit Battle and Merit Points.

"Since the start of the Merit War, over the past 100,000 years, thousands of worlds, large and small, have been opened up as Merit Battlefields, and naturally, thousands of Merit Battlefield selection battles have been held."

"In these thousands of selection battles, only forty-three of them had a Great World that ranked last in total merit points, and escaped disaster by winning first place in the Saint Merit Battle."

"Apart from that, there were only two selection battles where exemptions were granted based on individual performance."

"One is Hengze Realm from 90,000 years ago, and the other is Tianxia Realm from 70,000 years ago."

The Moon Goddess had been asleep in the Kunlun Realm for 100,000 years, but after returning to the Heavenly Court, she had already read through the records of the Merit War and knew all about these matters.

"Indeed, in the past 100,000 years, only these two great worlds have changed the fate of their entire worlds thanks to the unparalleled geniuses at the Saint Realm."

"Unfortunately, Hengze Realm was still a battlefield for merit 80,000 years ago and was destroyed in one fell swoop. Tianxia Realm, on the other hand, has gradually risen and is now one of the top 500 great worlds in the Eastern Universe."

The Moon Goddess sighed, "The current cosmic landscape is completely different from what it was 100,000 years ago. The new rules woven by the Heavenly Palace and the four dominant worlds impose great restrictions on the gods. Many things can only be decided by the geniuses of the mortal world."

“Hengze Realm, Tianxia Realm…” Zhang Ruochen recalled the memories of the various realms of the Heavenly Court in his mind, but could not find the corresponding Great World.

"Hengze Realm was destroyed 80,000 years ago. Without deliberately consulting ancient books, even Great Sages rarely remember this name. However, the person who rewrote the fate of Hengze Realm back then has now become a powerful god, known as 'One Vertical Among a Thousand Horizontal Ones,' and is the leader of one of the three major assassin organizations of the Heavenly Court."

"As for the Heavenly Cloud Realm, it has long been renamed and is now called the 'Tai'a Realm' because the name of that person back then was 'Zhuang Tai'a,' who was also the master of the Red Dust Peerless Pavilion on the Red Dust Islands."

The emperor recited it as if it were a treasure trove of knowledge.

Even the Moon Goddess was surprised by this, saying, "You've only been in the Heavenly Court for a short time, yet you've learned so many secrets related to the gods."

Di Yi chuckled and said, "The saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.' Since you've participated in the Merit Battle, you should naturally understand its rules."

"You're quite well prepared." The Moon Goddess looked at Di Yi, feeling a little regretful. Why hadn't she brought Di Yi back to the Guanghan Realm with her? If she had let him join forces with Zhang Ruochen...

Once he secures his position as the number one in the Saint Merit Battle in the Guanghan Realm, it will be a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, time moves forward in one dimension, and there is no room for regret.

"To help one's own world gain immunity through personal efforts, two conditions must be met. First, one must become the number one on the Heavenly Court's list of merits for saints. Second, one's merits must exceed one hundred million. Furthermore, one cannot rely on external forces, including formations, talismans, or divine weapons that are not of one's own making."

"The power of the Qiankun Realm cannot be used either."

The Moon Goddess explained to Zhang Ruochen.

"Under layers of constraints, I can obtain one hundred million merit points?" Zhang Ruochen frowned.

“You can understand it that way,” said the Moon Goddess.

Zhang Ruochen fell silent.

Without relying on the Qiankun Realm, without relying on divine weapons, and without relying on any external forces, one person and one sword earned 100 million merit points.

Is this really something a human can do?

Ironically, there were actually two people who had done it.

"To achieve this, outsiders can't offer much help, and there are no shortcuts. It can only be done by Zhang Shenshi himself. I wonder what kind of deal the Moon Goddess wants to make with me?" Emperor Yi asked, looking at the Moon Goddess's illusory figure.

"Let Zhang Ruochen use the Merit Book Wall to exchange for merit points for free. At the same time, you should restrain the Rakshasa Clan's Saint King Realm combat power and prevent them from attacking Zhang Ruochen. That's all there is to it."

After a moment's thought, the Emperor did not refuse.

"If it's a transaction, what do I get in return?"

"I will do you a favor, and once you become a Great Sage, I will give you an opportunity to become a god."

(End of this chapter)