The "Sage of Love" Nangong Shangxin was indeed formidably fierce and peerless. Relying solely on his aura without using any supernatural powers, he almost forced Fang Han into an absolute dead end, nearly forcing him to reveal the secret of the Thirty-Three Heaven Treasures.
If the Thirty-Three Heaven Treasures were to be revealed, the consequences would be unimaginable. If this secret leaked out, the winds and clouds would immediately change color, and the Heaven Realm would probably be shaken by it. What would follow, in order to kill witnesses and silence them, would be a life-and-death struggle.
Right at this moment.
Above the firmament, a boundless immense force descended.
It was an extremely intense will, a will carrying the truth of chaos, descending into the crystal divine country within Fang Han's body, propelling the operation of his divine country.
Subsequently, the entire heaven and earth went still.
An unmatched aura emanated from every inch of Fang Han's skin. It was the majesty of a Heavenly Monarch. The will of the most tyrannical existence in the Heaven Realm. The will of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch had descended once again.
Behind Fang Han, a tall, stalwart figure that made heaven and earth bow down in submission appeared.
This was the figure of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch.
The true body of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch had not descended, but a wisp of his will was enough to suppress most existences in the Heaven Realm. In a split second, all the aura of the Sage of Love, Nangong Shangxin, was continuously disintegrated.
Thump, thump, thump!
Nangong Shangxin no longer dared to spur his aura to oppress.
Because he sensed an extreme danger.
Although he had not spurred his full power, if he were to make a move now, it would be challenging the majesty of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch. For an existence of this level, provoking their majesty was equivalent to seeking death.
He no longer dared to act rashly, his mind enveloped by a wave of fear.
"Nangong Shangxin? Why do you want to see me?" Rumble! Behind Fang Han, that tall, majestic figure actually opened his mouth to speak.
As soon as he spoke, heaven and earth vibrated along with his frequency. All laws vanished, leaving behind a blank void. All truths were derived, collapsed, and annihilated according to the will of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch.
In this heaven and earth, there was nothing that the Chaos Heavenly Monarch could not accomplish.
"Monarch of the Heavens, dominating everything, myriad dharmas in a single thought… This kind of realm…" Nangong Shangxin muttered, seeming to be shocked by this realm as well: "Heavenly Monarch! Heavenly Monarch!"
After saying one sentence, the tall figure of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch stopped speaking, quietly waiting for Nangong Shangxin to answer. With the dignity of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch, he would not say an extra word.
Although it went silent, Nangong Shangxin suddenly shuddered, his entire body enveloped in an even greater danger. He instantly knew: "The Heavenly Monarch is questioning me. If I do not answer, the next moment will be destruction!"
"Lord Heavenly Monarch above, please accept a bow from the insignificant Nangong Shangxin." He bowed respectfully towards the tall figure behind Fang Han, his demeanor humble and incomparably reverent. This was respect for the strong. In front of supreme powerhouses, maintaining humility was an honor.
The Chaos Heavenly Monarch still did not speak, waiting for him to answer the question.
"Is Senior the Chaos Heavenly Monarch from the legends, who left the Heaven's Court a very long time ago? One of the four great Heavenly Monarchs of the Heaven's Court who was once equally famous with Disaster, Eternal, and Chaos?" Nangong Shangxin did not dare to raise his head. "I wanted to see Senior to explore the infinite Great Dao and take Senior as my master. I hope Senior will take me in."
"Cultivating to the peak of Saint Immortal, breaking through to Ultimate Immortal is just a matter of time." The Chaos Heavenly Monarch spoke: "No wonder you know some things about me. Left the Heaven's Court? You used the word 'leave' well. You want to pursue the supreme Great Dao, but it is also just to obtain the strongest power to accomplish certain things in your heart. Your aptitude is overflowing with genius, your cultivation is also pure like fire, and your wisdom observes the universe. Unfortunately, your fate has not found favor. In this lifetime, advancing to Ultimate Immortal and being called an Emperor is already the peak. There will never be the possibility of advancing an inch further. Advancing to Heavenly Monarch is an eternal despair. So you want to take me as your master and break through to the Great Dao of the Heavenly Monarch?"
"Senior, could it be that I truly have not found favor with fate?" Hearing the words of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch, Nangong Shangxin's face turned deathly pale, as if he had aged a million years in an instant: "No, ever since I started cultivating the Dao, I have always believed that human effort can conquer destiny. As long as the will is firm, there is no realm that cannot be cultivated successfully. I will use my own hands to open up my own destiny."
"Every cultivator believes that their own will can conquer everything. This is an essential quality for a great figure. Unfortunately, the destiny of heaven and earth does not shift according to one's own will." The Chaos Heavenly Monarch said quietly: "From ancient times to the present, even spanning several eras, the geniuses I have seen with firmer wills than yours number at least a thousand trillion, if not ten thousand trillion. Everyone believed that they were the unique chosen one in heaven and earth, but regrettably, they all perished in the transitions of the eras. Every chaotic era, genius saints like you, and even many Emperors, perish like ants. I have seen far too many."
"Senior! Is there a method for liberation?"
Nangong Shangxin's face grew even paler: "I meditated in seclusion and painstakingly cultivated for over a million Heaven Realm years to comprehend the profound mysteries, but alas, I have never been able to master my own destiny. I am entirely unwilling to just be an Emperor! I want to be a Heavenly Monarch who can evade the transitions of the eras. A Monarch of the Heavens."
"It is not entirely impossible." The Chaos Heavenly Monarch said: "Then you should follow him. His destiny can help you achieve this wish." The eyes of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch looked at Fang Han, whom he was sheltering below.
"Him?"
Nangong Shangxin simply could not believe his own eyes: "Isn't he just a chess piece arranged by Senior? All of his cultivation was arranged by Senior, and his destiny is in Senior's hands. Can he accomplish things that even Senior cannot?"
"A chess piece?" The tone of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch was somewhat faintly distant, as if traversing numerous era transitions: "I am his guardian, waiting for his awakening. After he awakens, he can devour the myriad heavens and gather the myriad worlds and heavens into his singular body."
"What? Who exactly is he?" Nangong Shangxin felt some trepidation. He felt that he was listening to a monumental secret, and generally, knowing this secret might not be a good thing.
Knowing too many secrets would lead to being silenced.
"Do not ask, do not speak." The Chaos Heavenly Monarch emitted a powerful majesty that almost made Nangong Shangxin's body prostrate on the ground: "Because there are some things that even a Heavenly Monarch will not know. A Heavenly Monarch merely sees further and flies above the long river of destiny. A Heavenly Monarch cannot clearly see true destiny. Even a King of Immortals cannot grasp the true essence of destiny and attain eternal life. He might never awaken, but this is a distant hope. As long as you plant the seed of hope, one day, it will take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit."
"Senior, I understand." Nangong Shangxin seemed to understand the words of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch: "I have heard that the Eternal Heavenly Monarch is also searching for geniuses with great destiny, but for it to be like Senior…"
"Him?" The voice of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch stayed silent for a moment before speaking: "Indeed, he is also merely searching for someone who can give him hope. Everyone has someone who gives them hope."
"Someone who gives them hope…" While Nangong Shangxin was deep in thought, suddenly the pressure lightened. Heaven and earth returned to their original state, auras began to flow, the picturesque landscape, the beautiful universe, and the misty rain all felt like a dream.
The will of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch vanished, but Nangong Shangxin could still feel that high up in the ninth heaven, a pair of eyes was watching him, guarding this Feng Yuan before his eyes.
This Feng Yuan right in front of him, although currently a small Ancestor Immortal, was incomparably mysterious. He could no longer muster any intentions of oppression.
Just who was this person that even the Chaos Heavenly Monarch wanted to guard?
"Sage of Love, Nangong Shangxin. Did you hear what the Chaos Heavenly Monarch said?" Fang Han suddenly opened his eyes and stared straight at this saint, showing no fear whatsoever, much less fearing the opponent's aura oppression.
Just now, the will of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch had descended, permeating into his body and washing through his entire crystal divine country. He once again gained numerous enlightenments. The will of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch further permeated into the Zhou Tian Instrument, receiving deductions. Fang Han came to understand the essence of chaos even more.
In the past, he devoured the Chaos Origin Fetus, but now he could recreate many origin fetuses.
The words spoken between the Chaos Heavenly Monarch and Nangong Shangxin just now were also heard by him entirely, without missing a single word. The Chaos Heavenly Monarch did not hide anything from him. However, these words also caused great doubts in his heart.
"Who exactly am I? Could it be that I am truly the reincarnation of some great figure? But everything I have was seized by my own two hands. Ever since I started cultivating the Dao, I have never displayed any supernatural signs of being a great figure's reincarnation. If it were anyone else, various supernatural signs would have manifested long ago. For example, that Xiang Yizhen, known as the successor of the Night Emperor, learned the Night Emperor Divine Fist almost entirely self-taught. Yet I seem to have never learned anything self-taught."
Fang Han once again used the Zhou Tian Instrument to deduce his entire life, not letting a single detail slip by. Even something spanning back to his childhood in the secular world, like stepping on an ant, was deduced several times.
But he never deduced any supernatural aspect. It was so ordinary that it was extraordinary.
Fang Han deduced his past once more, seeking his previous life, but it was completely empty; there was simply no previous life.
Shaking his head, he knew there were some things about himself that he could not deduce. Although the realm of Ancestor Immortal was formidable, in the Heaven Realm, it was just an ordinary "noble." He had status, but to participate in major events, his power was insufficient.
"I didn't expect that you actually obtained the guardianship of the Chaos Heavenly Monarch." Nangong Shangxin looked at Fang Han, also failing to see any clues: "But I will not offend a Heavenly Monarch just to offend you. From now on, the grievances with the Nangong family are written off. The Bow of Heartbreak and the Arrow of Heartlessness can be considered my gifts to you. I hope the Nangong family can form a good affinity with you."
Suddenly, his body moved, and Nangong Shangxin floated away: "When your cultivation is on equal footing with mine, I will definitely come, as the Chaos Heavenly Monarch said, to assist you in achieving great deeds. This jar of Red Dust Heavenly Dao Wine is the proudest creation of my life, and I gift it to you."
In Fang Han's hand, the wine jar remained.