"So there's nothing to discuss then?"
Yun Fan said to Qing Luan, "Although you saved my life, you have to agree to at least one of my requests! Otherwise, you're making things difficult for me!"
"Difficult?"
Qing Luan replied, "If I hadn't recovered my Immortal Emperor strength, I would have decided this on my own. What's so difficult about it?"
"But you haven't broken through yet!"
Yun Fan insisted, "You need to choose one!"
Finally, Qing Luan relented, "Very well, I agree to all of them!"
"That was so straightforward?"
Both Yun Fan and the Heavenly Empress were stunned.
"But now, I will stay in the Heavenly Phoenix Tribe. I will leave when I wish to leave!"
"Suit yourself!"
The Heavenly Empress stated directly, "You can stay wherever you please!"
And so, the matter was settled. Qing Luan remained, though Yun Fan felt she had ulterior motives.
Whatever. All he wanted now was to return, and to bring Jin Feng back with him.
He currently lacked a route, but that was insignificant as he had already broken through to Immortal Sovereign, enabling him to traverse space.
...
Several days later, both Qing Luan and the Heavenly Empress had recovered their strength. However, Qing Luan still showed no intention of leaving, which greatly angered the Heavenly Empress.
"Do you intend to reside permanently in my Heavenly Phoenix Tribe?"
"I do have that intention!"
Qing Luan replied, "After all, none of my friends from ten thousand years ago are still around, and then there's you, my dear adversary. So, I'll be staying for a while longer!"
"Hmph!"
The Heavenly Empress coldly retorted, "But you are not welcome here!"
"Then kick me out! The contract is void!"
Qing Luan said triumphantly.
Helpless, the Heavenly Empress could only let Qing Luan stay, as long as she didn't cause trouble.
At this moment, the Heavenly Empress returned to her chambers.
"My lord, though we have never met, the woman who separated us ten thousand years ago has returned alive. Why haven't you come back?"
The Heavenly Empress wept.
Despite never having met, in her heart, there was only one man, and that man was the Third Strongest.
The most powerful young master of the Zhan Tian Clan.
Alas, that was in the past. She had waited for ten thousand years and he had not returned. She resolved to continue waiting.
Even if it meant waiting until the seas dried up and the rocks decayed.
Just then, she entered the library left by her father, hoping to find more records about the Third Strongest.
After all, within the entire Heavenly Phoenix Tribe, only her father had seen the Third Strongest, but alas, her father had passed away for nearly ten thousand years.
At this moment, the Heavenly Empress inadvertently opened a painting.
As she unfurled the scroll, she saw an emperor crowned with a golden diadem, a cosmic emperor. And wasn't this golden diadem the same one worn by the Third Strongest?
For throughout the entire universe, there were only three beings who could be called cosmic emperors. But the other two were not from the same era as the Third Strongest.
It was absolutely not the heroic and dashing young man in the painting.
In the next moment, she was utterly dumbfounded, not for any other reason but because the person in the painting was Yun Fan.
"How is this possible? How is this possible?"
The Heavenly Empress was stunned. She never imagined that Yun Fan and the Third Strongest would bear such a striking resemblance.
However, she believed it was merely a coincidence. After all, the Third Strongest was a cosmic being who surpassed Immortal Emperor.
And Yun Fan had only just broken through to Immortal Sovereign. It couldn't possibly be Yun Fan. It was definitely a coincidence and a miracle.
But in the next moment, her mind raced. Suddenly, she had a bold idea.
"My father told me that when a Zhan Tian Clan expert surpasses Immortal Emperor, they can return for a second life, transcending the cosmic level! Could he be..."
At this moment, the Heavenly Empress was profoundly shaken. What if Yun Fan was the second life of the Third Strongest?
It was entirely possible. To verify this conjecture, she sought out Yun Fan.
"It's so late, Heavenly Empress. May I ask why you are looking for me?"
Yun Fan asked, puzzled.
The Heavenly Empress then said coldly, "Stop hiding it. I know your true identity!"
"You... you know?"
Yun Fan's expression changed. By being tricked by the Heavenly Empress, Yun Fan almost revealed everything.
"Hmph!"
The Heavenly Empress sneered, "You're quite something! You managed to deceive everyone. If I hadn't seen your portrait, I would have truly been fooled by you!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan knew he could no longer conceal it and said, "Since you already know, I will tell you. I have little connection to my past self from ten thousand years ago. After all, I have lived a second life. He is me, and I am him!"
This statement shocked the Heavenly Empress immensely. It turned out her guess was indeed correct.
"You... what exactly have you been through?"
At this moment, the Heavenly Empress began to cry. She hadn't expected that Yun Fan was truly the Third Strongest. If it weren't for so many coincidences, she might never have known.
She might never have known in her entire life.
Yun Fan asked in confusion, "Do you know me?"
"Answer my question!"
The Heavenly Empress admonished Yun Fan.
Yun Fan could only truthfully reply, "My experiences were particularly arduous and countless. However, I have lost all memories of ten thousand years ago! After ten thousand years, I resolved the Nine Ancestors of Anomaly!"
Yun Fan decided to go all out. Regardless of whether the Heavenly Empress was his enemy or not, the key point was that he was now the Heavenly Empress's son-in-law. Surely, the Heavenly Empress wouldn't kill him, right?
"They lived to this era?"
The Heavenly Empress was shocked. The Nine Ancestors of Anomaly went without saying. They were the strongest beings of the Anomaly race.
They had once joined forces to defeat the Cosmic Lord, the Second Strongest, which indicated their immense power.
Of course, this did not necessarily mean that the Third Strongest was stronger than the Second Strongest, as the Third Strongest possessed a natural counter-relationship!
"Yes!"
Yun Fan said, "But you don't need to worry. They are all dead now! The remaining Anomalies are no longer the strongest beings!"
At this moment, the Heavenly Empress was deeply moved. She then said to Yun Fan, "Do not reveal your identity under any circumstances, lest you invite endless calamity!"
She knew that Yun Fan in this lifetime would undoubtedly be stronger than in his previous life, but this was contingent on him rising smoothly in this era.
Otherwise, all would be but a pipe dream.
Yun Fan nodded, "Rest assured, I understand!"
"Get some rest."
Then, the Heavenly Empress left discreetly. Yun Fan breathed a sigh of relief, having expected the Heavenly Empress to kill him upon discovering his identity.
It seemed the Heavenly Empress would not kill him now, so what else was there for him to worry about?
Little did he know, after leaving Yun Fan's residence, the Heavenly Empress wept. At this moment, she couldn't believe that the person she had longed for from ten thousand years ago to the present was right beside her. If this wasn't fate's arrangement, she wouldn't believe it.
At this moment, her regret was overwhelming. Why had she pushed Yun Fan towards Jin Feng? If she had agreed when Yun Fan had been insistent, the current situation wouldn't have arisen.
She didn't know what to do. She only knew that she had done something incredibly foolish. The opportunity had been presented to her, but she had failed to grasp it.
She even felt like stabbing herself, cursing herself as the most foolish woman in the world.
Alas, at this moment, it was all too late.
"Why?"
The Heavenly Phoenix cried out in anger, "Heavens, why do you torment me like this?"
At this moment, she bit her tongue until it bled, for after knowing the truth, she could not accept this reality.
"No, the opportunity is mine. I must seize it, for I have waited ten thousand years. I will not give up like this!"
The Heavenly Empress ultimately made this decision.