How could the aura of another person appear on someone?
Using Old Demon Chu as an analogy, he swallowed all of Zang Ren's strength, but likely wouldn't have swallowed his body.
After devouring the other, Zang Ren had completely vanished.
Even if the strength originally belonged to Zang Ren, after being devoured, it would become Old Demon Chu's strength.
All traces belonging to Zang Ren were erased.
But if it were as Mad Emperor said.
The four powerhouses of the Central Region had the aura of others on them.
Then there were only two possibilities.
The first, possession.
The second, inhabitation.
If it were possession, the four powerhouses would no longer be themselves.
But possessing a Half-Emperor was too difficult.
An ordinary Half-Emperor couldn't achieve it. The greater possibility… Heavenly Emperor.
Mad Emperor and Chen Fan both thought of it, their eyes meeting, revealing a shared solemnity.
"Heavenly Emperor."
Yes.
If it were truly a Heavenly Emperor possessing them, then…
They dared not think further.
"I hope it's the second possibility," Chen Fan sighed, "Devouring. The four powerhouses have devoured some powerful beings, and it hasn't fully manifested yet, hence your speculation."
"Is that possible?" Mad Emperor retorted. "One is a possibility, two could be coincidence… but all four are like this."
Chen Fan: "..."
I don't want to speak.
No one speak to me.
This is… the four powerhouses were most likely possessed.
There were definitely no Heavenly Emperors in the Mad Realm itself, so they must be from outside.
The Immortal Realm.
A Heavenly Emperor from the Immortal Realm.
"Sigh." Chen Fan sighed, a headache coming on.
One was manageable, and there might be a chance to fight. But… four.
They looked at each other, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
As for Old Demon Chu, he was dumbfounded too.
A Heavenly Emperor.
Damn it.
That was a Heavenly Emperor.
He thought top Half-Emperors were his ultimate opponents.
But with four Half-Emperors suddenly becoming four Heavenly Emperors, what was the point of fighting?
"Perhaps, we should leave," even Old Demon Chu, the battle-lover, was scared.
"Sigh." Chen Fan rubbed his temples. "There are five Heavenly Emperors in the Immortal Realm. Four have come. Have you considered where the fifth one went?"
Great.
There was even more troublesome news.
"Sigh." The three in the room began to sigh.
The joy of opening the Body Cultivation Path and the excitement of breaking free from the shackles of the gauntlets were all dispelled by this conversation.
Before Mad Emperor died, he was a Heavenly Emperor. Facing two Heavenly Emperors, he could only flee. Encountering three meant almost certain death.
Let alone now that he was just a Half-Emperor.
No matter how mad he was, it wouldn't help.
"What should we do?" Mad Emperor was out of ideas.
Old Demon Chu remained silent, only able to face it with quiet resignation.
Both looked at Chen Fan, you're the boss, you decide.
"..."
Unfortunately, Chen Fan was also out of ideas.
Four potential Heavenly Emperors, and a fifth one who might still be hidden.
Unsolvable.
"Sigh." His brows ached from worry.
Chen Fan could only sigh inwardly, "Let's wait and see. Things will sort themselves out eventually. There will be a way."
Old Demon Chu gave him a strange look. "Aren't we leaving?"
He thought the City Lord would choose to retreat.
That was the most optimal choice.
"No." This denial was incredibly firm.
He still had people to save. Huo Xing and the others were in unknown danger. He couldn't leave yet.
"Alright." Since the City Lord wasn't leaving, Old Demon Chu had to accompany him.
As for Mad Emperor, he actually wanted to leave.
Although he was unwilling, he had to leave to survive.
Leave or die, was there even a choice?
But Chen Fan said they weren't leaving. Although helpless, he still nodded in agreement.
If we're not leaving, we're not leaving. Danger would be shared together anyway.
...
In the following days, the Central Region became quiet again.
Chen Fan no longer went out to provoke intentionally, as there were Half-Emperors suppressing the situation.
The silence continued.
The final ten days slowly passed.
Everyone was waiting for the arrival of the final moment.
And within the River of Rules at this moment…
"Rumble."
The River of Rules erupted with immense turbulence.
Lines of rule swords crisscrossed the heavens and earth, constantly charging towards the end of the river.
Shattering, and then reforming…
Cycle after cycle.
"Hundred Dao Swords."
Chen Fan's 'wool-gathering' journey began again.
Lu Feng's awakening gave him an opportunity.
A single Emperor Dao, Lu Feng.
Though he was only one Emperor Dao, his aura made Chen Fan tremble.
The Body Cultivation Path broke the rule that the more Emperor Qi one had, the stronger they were.
With only one strand of Emperor Qi, that strand was already beginning to retract.
A halo enveloped Lu Feng, like a blazing sun.
From afar, Lu Feng's blood and qi were incredibly scorching, like a furnace.
This was the power of the Body Cultivation Path.
Clang clang clang.
Rule swords struck the stone wall.
Still attacking only one brick, the speed was very fast.
"City Lord, move aside."
Behind him, Lu Feng arrived with his Only True Self.
He threw a punch.
Dong.
The entire wall vibrated.
This wasn't Lu Feng's power, but a response from the other side of the stone wall.
It seemed something, or some entity, was responding to the attack from this side.
The Body Cultivation Path opened by Lu Feng caused the other side of the wall to sense it intensely.
Chen Fan couldn't do this.
All his current strength was obtained through Lu Feng.
No one in this world was omnipotent, not even Chen Fan, who had gained the recognition of five divine artifacts.
Some things were innate.
"The final strike."
This strike would be completed by Chen Fan.
This time, he also chose to charge with his body.
With a 'bang', the stone wall shed dense rubble.
A single brick in the center shattered.
This time, it wasn't a pinhead-sized gap, but… an entire brick shattered.
"Boom."
Instantly, a surge of incredibly violent Body Cultivation Path power poured into the River of Rules from the other side of the wall.
The amount of rule power that poured in this time was immense.
The entire river was shaken.
A violent roar echoed through the heavens and earth.
And then…
"Ah…"
Lu Feng's scream was piercingly tragic.
His body dissolved under the scouring of the incoming rules.
Chen Fan was similar. All his flesh and blood disappeared, leaving only bare bones.
"Go."
Seizing Lu Feng's last wisp of spiritual light.
He threw it into the Path of Life.
Life nurtured, and the dead Lu Feng reappeared.
"Don't come any closer."
Chen Fan, in his skeletal state, though his flesh and blood had dissolved, still had Dao principles permeating his body, allowing him to resist the scouring of the rules.
Tap.
Footsteps sounded in the turbulent rules.
The sound was heavy, but also slow, each step taking a long time.
Chen Fan, with only bones left, pushed forward under immense pressure.
Rumble.
The River of Rules provided him with sufficient strength.
Finally, he reached the wall and, through the shattered brick, saw what was on the other side.