Wang Han put his hand to his face, a wide, manic grin still plastered on his lips as he began to laugh softly, before his laughter turned into hysterical giggles as he raised his head to the sky.
"It seems this whole kidnapping thing was a complete fabrication, just as I suspected. You're really something. You managed to turn everything around with such audacity and an amazing plan."
A massive man, nearly four meters tall, with bulging muscles and blood-red hair, appeared. A ferocity emanating from his being sent shivers down Wang Han's spine. The moment their eyes met, Wang Han lowered his gaze to his feet in fear. He felt his instincts and his entire being warning him that this was a creature not to be provoked.
'Is this the Beast Emperor? So terrifying! His aura is suffocating. I feel like I could die with just one look from him if he so desired.'
"That boy, Wang Kai, actually possesses very good qualifications. He has a diamond-like physique and would have been the most suitable person in this mortal world to inherit my legacy. But you actually outwitted him and exploited his weaknesses. Although your qualifications are utterly worthless, you deserve my inheritance, boy."
'What did he say about my qualifications?! Worthless?! And Wang Kai's qualifications are very good?' The emperor struck a nerve in Wang Han's heart, causing him to ignite a fire within himself before he sighed, trying to calm himself.
'Ha, well, no need to be angry. I am the ultimate victor, the Chosen One. Wang Kai was merely the first obstacle on my path to the top.'
At that moment, Wang Han clenched his fists and bowed reverently to the crimson-haired emperor before him, asking him cautiously.
"It is an honor for this mortal to meet you, Beast Emperor. Forgive me, but I have a few questions I hope to have answered, if possible. Would you be so kind as to answer this mortal's questions, Emperor?"
"Hmm, your manner is respectful for an ignorant mortal. Very well, ask what you will, and I will answer you." The Emperor replied with a hint of satisfaction in his voice as he snapped his fingers, and a chair appeared beside him, upon which he sat.
"Thank you so much for your kindness, Your Majesty. Now, regarding my first question, was it truly just luck that Wang Kai and I appeared here? Such a magnificent inheritance cannot be bestowed upon just anyone at random, in my opinion."
A slight smile of satisfaction appeared on the Emperor's face as he quickly answered the question.
"you noticed that, you're really no bad. Then the answer is no. Did you really think for a moment that you were insanely lucky enough to fall off a cliff and get the chance to inherit the legacy of one of the most powerful entities even in the Heavenly Realm?"
"No, everything was planned. I manipulated the fate surrounding this mortal world, so that the person closest to this cliff with one of the Three Thousand Physical Structures would have to come and fall into it within two years. All of this was for Wang Kai. You're not a Chosen One, just an extra person dragged here with the Chosen One. But what was the result in the end? The Chosen One was killed, and who survived and forcibly seized the title of Chosen One? It was the extra person. Truly, what an unexpected turn of events, but still... very exciting."
A look of shock crossed Wang Han's face as he listened to the Beast Emperor's explanation. He had suspected that all of this was planned, but he hadn't expected to be just extra person dragged along with the Chosen One, Wang Kai. This left him feeling inadequate, yet simultaneously content with his ability to change his fate with his own hands.
"Okay, I understand. But if you intended to make Wang Kai the heir from the start, why did you orchestrate this rivalry between us and give me false hope of inheriting the legacy?" Wang Han asked, though deep down he already knew the answer.
"Why did I set up the competition? Simply for two reasons: to test Wang Kai's abilities, and to make him indebted to me so he wouldn't refuse the inheritance."
"So I were merely a means to make him indebted to you, giving him the opportunity for revenge when he most desired it." Wang Han displayed an indifferent expression as he stated this harsh truth.
"True, it was a perfect plan until that unexpected twist emerged. But perhaps this was for the best. Beyond your cultivation qualifications, I see great potential in you; you could flourish with my inheritance."
"Anyway, let's return to the most important matter. You will receive my inheritance, but there's a condition: whoever receives it must avenge me. Do you accept this, young man?"
'Once I receive the inheritance, who will care about your revenge? And whoever left a being like you in such a wretched state with only a sliver of a soul is certainly very dangerous. In any case, I will simply agree.'
'Certainly, Emperor, as long as I live, I will strive to achieve your revenge with all my might.'
"Good. Remember this bastard's name and title well: Heavenly Sword Emperor Chu Fan. He is my eternal enemy. Carry the flame of my vengeance, boy."
The emperor spoke as he stepped forward, placing his finger on Wang Han's forehead, passing everything over to him before vanishing into thin air as if he had never existed.
But the echo of his voice still lingered, as he said before disappearing:
"A spatial portal will appear; enter it, and it will transport you out of the cliff, boy."
Meanwhile, as for Wang Han, the moment the Beast Emperor's finger touched his forehead, he felt something building deep within his mind, a mental space whose vastness and contents he couldn't fathom.
But that wasn't all that happened. A moment later, Wang Han felt a sharp pain in his heart as he sensed chains forming around it, a feeling that terrified him, especially after he understood their purpose.
He was immediately informed of the reason for their existence: they bound him to avenge the Beast Emperor, an eternal curse that could not be lifted until he did so. If he failed to avenge the Emperor within a thousand years, Wang Han's soul would be directly crushed by these chains, and his body would be claimed by the Beast Emperor. In effect, he was living with a time bomb inside him, and the thousand-year countdown had begun from this moment forward.
Wang Han slammed his fist against the stone floor, venting his anger as he thought, 'Damn it! I never expected such a trick. My greed blinded me to reason. Clearly, the price of such an inheritance wouldn't be a mere empty promise from a stranger. He must have prepared some guarantee to ensure its fulfillment. Damn it!'
Then, trying to calm himself, he continued his thoughts. 'Well, let's look on the bright side. I've inherited the legacy of one of the most powerful beings in the Celestial Realm. I can now reach his level and surely avenge him. Yes, I can become immortal and attain the absolute freedom I desire. He certainly wouldn't set an impossible goal for me, would he?'
Then, at the mere thought of inspecting the inheritance, Wang Han entered his mental space. He found himself in front of an enormous library, unlike anything he had ever seen, containing at least millions of books, arranged on boards placed on each shelf according to their types and levels.
'Amazing, this place... is a treasure!'
Wang Han first searched the Cultivation World History section, which contained several hundred books. He went straight to one and picked up a book that briefly discussed the major powers in the Cultivation World and their biographies.
Wang Han opened the book and quickly flipped through it until he found a page that contained information about the Heavenly Sword Emperor, the enemy he must defeat.
'Chu Fan, he's one of the Celestial Realm Seven Emperors and the leader of the Sacred Sword Palace, meaning he's one of the seven most powerful people in the Celestial Realm.'
'Damn it, what have I gotten myself into?!' Just reading this description made Wang Han panic before he forcibly regained his composure, reminding himself that he had plenty of time, a whole thousand years.
Then he flipped through the pages until he found the one containing information about the Beast Emperor. This time, Wang Han focused intently on every detail and read everything about him from beginning to end. Once he finished, he closed the book, clutched his head, and whispered to himself in despair, "I'm done."
He had read everything there was to know about the Beast Emperor. As expected, he was one of the Seven Emperors too. But the real problem lay in the aspect he had completely overlooked and considered the best part of the whole thing: time.
The Beast Emperor himself took a full thirty thousand years to reach the level of the Seven Emperors, and he's actually the second fastest among them to reach that level. How could he possibly reach it in just a thousand years?! And not only should he reach it, but defeat a seasoned veteran of that level like the Heavenly Sword Emperor? That's simply impossible. It's as if he's deliberately telling him when he'll die early to torture him.
"Hahaha... Hahaha... I never expected to be tricked like this. In fact, that bastard called the Beast Emperor's goal wasn't revenge for him; his goal from the very beginning was to seize my body!"