The indomitable will of the Heavenly Emperor.
Even though he was dead, he was still the Heavenly Emperor.
The death energy surged.
"Boom."
The monstrous death energy converged, resisting the surging river of rules.
"Explode, explode, explode."
Chen Fan's methods were extremely ruthless.
Cruel to others, even more so to himself.
One after another, the rules of the Great Dao exploded, and in the midst of the roar, the Heavenly Emperor's will was repeatedly torn to shreds.
"I am not reconciled..."
Finally, after countless shreddings, that will finally collapsed.
Gurgling.
The monstrous death energy transformed into water of rules, flowing quietly within the river of rules.
The death energy grew calm.
Looking at the river of rules again, its previously full state had vanished, replaced by dryness.
To eliminate that will, Chen Fan paid a heavy price.
But the gains were also immense.
"Rumble."
Within the river, waves towered.
A Great Dao of Death, magnificent beyond compare.
The five elements and yin and yang, the seven rules of the Great Dao combined, were not as robust as this single Great Dao of Death.
The river surged, and in an instant, a regal aura appeared on Chen Fan's body.
The eighth regal aura.
Inside the Death Tower.
"Swish."
Chen Fan opened his eyes.
At this moment, having lost the seven regal auras of the five elements and yin and yang, only a single aura of death revolved around his body. The death energy surging from the ground was continuously absorbed by him.
Powerful.
This single regal aura was more powerful than the other seven combined.
"Haha."
Chen Fan laughed wildly.
A blessing in disguise.
He never expected that his trip to the Death Tower would yield such a great harvest.
The regal aura rapidly absorbed the death energy from the black hole below.
The entity below seemed to sense something. The death energy stopped surging and retreated.
"What a pity."
Chen Fan was somewhat displeased.
I was just enjoying the absorption, and you stopped. What's the meaning of this?
Crack.
The black hole closed.
Well, now he couldn't absorb anything at all.
Chen Fan tried tapping on the floor, hoping to find a passage, but the floor was solid. It seemed the black hole was established on a spatial node. It was here, yet it could only be opened from the inside.
In the end, he had no choice but to give up.
The empty Death Tower was devoid of any death energy.
Creak.
Chen Fan pushed open the door.
Outside, three people waited quietly.
As soon as the door opened, before Disaster and Pang Tong could step forward, an old man first cupped his fists and bowed: "This old man is Wang Quan, many thanks, sir."
At this moment, Wang Quan's body was free of all death energy.
His body, which had been eroded by death energy for decades, began to regain its vitality after a long time.
His white hair started to turn black.
He wasn't as old as he appeared; it was just the torment of death energy.
"You are, the owner of this inn?" His divine sense scanned the face.
"Yes, sir." The old man's attitude was respectful.
"Coincidentally, I was looking for you."
Chen Fan did not mention the Death Tower. From Wang Quan's state of being free of death energy, it was evident that he had benefited greatly.
"Please, sir."
Wang Quan quickly made way: "Sir, if you have any questions, I can answer them. Furthermore... from now on, everything in this inn will be free of charge for sir, permanently free."
His life had been saved by this person.
Wang Quan felt that with his current state, he could live for several hundred more years.
This was a life-saving kindness.
Even the death energy that had taken root within him had now vanished.
Chen Fan glanced at Wang Quan, said nothing, and nodded as he walked forward.
Disaster and Pang Tong quickly followed.
...
The back building.
In the old man's private courtyard, the four of them sat down.
The old man continuously felt his internal condition, as if it were a dream.
The death energy was truly gone.
It might reappear in the future, but he believed everything would be alright.
As long as he cultivated diligently during this period and raised his cultivation level, dealing with death energy would be much easier.
"Wang Quan."
Chen Fan called him by name.
Wang Quan was not offended, but his smile became even more respectful: "Sir, if you have any questions, as long as I know, I will tell you everything."
"Good."
Chen Fan nodded and directly asked, "What is death energy?"
Wang Quan quickly replied: "I'm not very clear about what it specifically is. On that day, I signed a contract with Freedom City. After the contract was signed, my body was automatically connected to a Death Tower."
"The location of the Death Tower is fixed, so I opened an inn on it. The Death Tower erodes vitality, and at the same time, vitality can erode death energy. The two have been in this stalemate."
"This situation has continued for many years, and during this process, I have had some speculations. This death energy seems to contain a will. I suspect that the death energy might originate from someone."
Having said this, Wang Quan glanced at Chen Fan.
Seeing that he was unmoved and showed no shock, he continued: "Over the years, many people, unable to bear the torment of death energy, were eventually eroded and died. Their vitality was completely extinguished."
Chen Fan nodded.
It seemed to be close to his own guess.
Below the Death Tower, there should be an Emperor's corpse suppressed, and it was an Emperor's corpse that cultivated the Great Dao of Death.
He then asked, "What is a contract, and how is it signed?"
"Do you know the rules of Freedom City? The second rule..."
"I know. You can't be on the street at night."
Chen Fan seemed to have thought of something: "Does signing a contract have anything to do with the second rule?"
"That's right."
Wang Quan continued: "When outsiders go out at night, it causes the death energy to stir. Each extra person will cause a disturbance. Residents of Freedom City are an exception, of course. We are already filled with death energy."
His tone was somewhat bitter: "Death energy automatically seeks out free-floating vitality. If you stay inside buildings, you won't be detected."
"Mhm, and then?"
He hadn't explained how to complete the contract yet.
"It's still related to the night."
Wang Quan continued: "Bleeding at night, the contract is automatically completed, and the aura of the Death Tower will also appear. So... the source should be..."
"I understand," Chen Fan nodded.
So it was that simple.
As long as one bled at night, they would form a contract with Freedom City.
"Thank you."
Chen Fan stood up and cupped his fists.
After speaking, he prepared to leave...
"Wait a moment."
"Is there something else?"
Chen Fan stopped.
"It's like this."
Wang Quan pondered for a moment, then said: "I have a friend whose condition is even worse than mine. He's almost been eroded to death by death energy. Since you have this, can you..."
Chen Fan strode away.
"Heh heh."
Disaster let out a cold laugh.
Pang Tong said nothing, only looking at the innkeeper with a deep warning in his eyes.
A cold sweat slowly beaded on Wang Quan's forehead.
He wanted to say something but dared not, slowly bowing to see them off.
Chen Fan and the other two returned to their rooms.
A moment later, the server who had previously taken Chen Fan to the fourth floor came over and arranged two adjacent rooms.
This was what Chen Fan deserved.
In the room.
Chen Fan closed his eyes again.
The river of rules appeared, and Chen Fan found himself here once more.
"Rumble."
The river of rules, waves towered.
Death energy permeated a large portion, while another part was occupied by the five elements and yin and yang, flowing continuously.
The remaining chaotic land of rules had been almost completely consumed.
It exploded.
When the death energy will was being eliminated, Chen Fan himself had caused it to explode.