"A Guardian?"
Ye Chen was taken aback, then immediately shook his head. "Senior, I already have the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body. I don't need another Guardian."
The Great Emperor Reincarnation Body itself possessed combat power at the Monarch level. Now that it had also obtained a Supreme Great World, its strength had increased somewhat. Furthermore, with three Supreme Emperor Weapons, it could put up a decent fight even against a true Supreme One.
Taichu Emperor waved his hand. "No, little friend, your identity is far too important. As an Eternal Quasi-Monarch and the most crucial figure of our Pangu Universe, you cannot come to harm. The various Great Emperors specifically sent me to present you with a Guardian."
Ye Chen could not refuse, and he was also rather curious. What level of Guardian would Taichu Emperor send?
A super Monarch?
Whoosh—
Taichu Emperor waved his large hand, and instantly, a towering, burly figure appeared, standing as tall as an iron pagoda.
When Ye Chen saw the figure clearly, he was stunned. "Hunyue Emperor!"
Indeed, it was Hunyue Emperor.
A Monarch who had gained sentience from a Chaos Primordial Divine Mountain. But the look of utter humiliation on his face made Ye Chen realize with shock that Hunyue Emperor was not dead; he was clearly alive.
Hadn't he been killed by Taichu Emperor, who shattered his skull?
Taichu Emperor smiled faintly. "Little friend, although Hunyue Emperor has taken human form, his true core divine soul is not in his head. It resides within the dantian region of his body, where a Chaos Divine Stone Essence containing his true divine soul is located."
So that was it.
Ye Chen understood. Although he knew there was a high probability they would assign a Monarch-level Guardian to protect him, he couldn't help but be surprised when he actually saw one.
A Monarch Guardian, and one like Hunyue Emperor—a unique Chaos Saint Spirit—was not comparable to an ordinary Monarch.
With Hunyue Emperor as his Guardian, his capabilities would likely be no less than the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body without Supreme Emperor Weapons, or even the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body possessing two Supreme Great Worlds.
However, looking at Hunyue Emperor's expression of stifled humiliation, it was clear he had no desire to become Ye Chen's Guardian.
Hunyue Emperor snorted coldly. "Taichu Emperor, being defeated by you, even killed by you, I, Hunyue, have no regrets even in death. But to think that I, a dignified Monarch, would serve as his Guardian? Don't even think about it."
As expected, Ye Chen smiled wryly.
Taichu Emperor said indifferently, "Hunyue Emperor, you have misunderstood one thing. This is not about you *choosing* to become his Guardian. You will agree if you agree, and you will agree even if you don't. You have no right to refuse."
Boom—
A palm strike landed on Hunyue Emperor's body. The power of an Eternal Monarch erupted, nearly piercing through Hunyue Emperor. Even his indestructible divine body, forged from a Chaos Primordial Divine Mountain, could not withstand it and seemed on the verge of exploding.
Hunyue Emperor roared, "I, Hunyue Emperor, would rather die than become his Guardian!"
"Is that so?"
Taichu Emperor remained cold and ruthless, but this time he did not continue the attack. Instead, he produced a supreme secret treasure in his hand. It shimmered with brilliant, radiant light—thousands upon thousands of strands—yet carried faint wisps of an supreme aura that could make even a Monarch's heart tremble with fear.
"A Supreme aura? No, this is the aura of a colossus from antiquity! What kind of secret treasure is this?"
Hunyue Emperor was terrified.
"The Sealing Divine Pagoda!" Taichu Emperor declared, then directly struck Hunyue Emperor with it.
Whoosh—
Hunyue Emperor let out a miserable cry. A wisp of his True Spirit, wrapped in a portion of his powerful divine soul, flew out from his body, separated from his main form, and with a *shoo* sound, vanished into the pagoda-shaped supreme secret treasure in Taichu Emperor's palm.
Immediately afterward, a special mark, resembling a cycle of reincarnation, appeared on Hunyue Emperor's brow before quickly fading away.
"This is—"
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, sensing the extraordinary nature of this particular Sealing Divine Pagoda. A Monarch like Hunyue Emperor had been stripped of a wisp of his True Spirit and divine soul and imprisoned within it, utterly powerless to resist.
Moreover, it was evident that after being deprived of that wisp of True Spirit, Hunyue Emperor had undergone a subtle change.
Taichu Emperor handed the Sealing Divine Pagoda to Ye Chen. "Little friend, this seals a wisp of Hunyue Emperor's True Spirit. It also signifies that Hunyue Emperor has been enslaved. As long as you refine the Sealing Divine Pagoda, Hunyue Emperor will obey your commands."
Ye Chen immediately spat out a mouthful of Chaos Origin Flame and began refining the Sealing Divine Pagoda.
The process went smoothly. The Sealing Divine Pagoda offered no resistance, and Ye Chen could sense that it could barely be considered an Emperor Treasure.
Upon becoming the master of the Sealing Divine Pagoda, Ye Chen could now command Hunyue Emperor.
Although Hunyue Emperor was extremely unwilling, constrained by the fact that a wisp of his True Spirit was controlled, he had no choice but to obey Ye Chen's orders. Moreover, he could not betray him.
"Thank you, Senior."
Great kindness needs no words of thanks. Ye Chen accepted this favor, storing it in his heart.
Time flowed quietly.
Just like that, two days passed. On this day, the Origin Ancient Path suddenly experienced a great tremor.
All sides were alarmed.
They saw the Indestructible Heavenly Pass at the other frontier of the Origin Ancient Path open. Myriad races came to welcome the arrival, and even a colossus from antiquity appeared, personally coming out to greet them.
The whole world was shocked to hear the news. This time, the Origin Ancient Path was welcoming a truly earth-shattering, peerless figure.
Rumble—
Auspicious light scattered across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, flooding the vast world of the Origin Ancient Path, which was comparable to a Universe, causing widespread commotion.
A dazzling great path stretched across the entire Origin Ancient Path, reaching directly to its deepest reaches.
Even Ye Chen was startled out of his seclusion, because he felt the myriad Daos of the Origin Ancient Path trembling and humming under immense pressure.
He received news that a supreme forbidden existence from the depths of the Chaos Sea had personally descended.
Its origins were so great they could shake the past and present.
"Who is it?"
Ye Chen inquired, but many within Flame Emperor City did not know. Even Xuanyi Emperor, who was stationed there, had not immediately learned the visitor's identity. However, it was understood that this person's status was no less than that of the various Giants of the Origin Ancient Path.
Ye Chen did not doubt this; otherwise, a colossus from antiquity would not have personally come out to greet them.
But he sensed that perhaps this figure's origins were even greater than those of many colossi from antiquity. After all, even if a colossus from antiquity descended upon the Origin Ancient Path, other Giants might send out welcomes, but they likely wouldn't send their true bodies. At most, they would dispatch important subordinates, or even a Supreme One, or an important Dao Body—this was already an extraordinary courtesy.
As for sending their true bodies to welcome someone—
This was the highest, rarest courtesy seen throughout the ages. Since time immemorial, few Giants had enjoyed such supreme treatment.
Flame Emperor was naturally also alarmed. He opened his eyes, gazing into the distant sky, immediately comprehending everything. He showed some surprise. "Why has this existence suddenly descended upon the Origin Ancient Path?"
Ye Chen was puzzled. "Elder Flame, who is this exalted being? Is it another colossus from antiquity?"
"No, he is more terrifying than many colossi from antiquity." Flame Emperor sighed softly, leaving Ye Chen stunned for a long time.
More terrifying than many colossi from antiquity? What kind of existence was that?
Flame Emperor said solemnly, "The first being in all of history to truly possess a Chaos Ancient Universe. The world calls him the Universe Emperor."