Chen Fan was unaware of what transpired in the primordial chaos.
The Giant Xi, a true Emperor Realm powerhouse, had dissipated above Sword City.
This brought unimaginable fortune to Sword City.
Everyone in Sword City received the blessings of this legacy.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan had quietly returned to his humble abode.
"Buzz."
He now found himself within the River of Rules.
Swirling waters rushed past.
Within the river, the essence of the Emperor's Palace was being washed by the currents.
The Earth element of the Five Elements surged like boundless waves, crashing and building.
The Giant Xi's Emperor's Palace was constructed with the Earth element.
The essence of Earth contained within it was fully absorbed by the River of Rules.
"Boom."
The rules of Earth vibrated.
With a colossal roar, the Earth rule detached itself from the Five Elements.
This was unexpected for Chen Fan.
The Earth rule began to ascend, gradually expanding, and then enveloped the entire River of Rules.
"What is this?"
Chen Fan was perplexed.
But he knew that some extraordinary change was taking place.
The Earth rule ascended, encircling the entire River of Rules.
Slowly, it transformed into a massive earthen dome, covering the entire river.
"This is..."
Chen Fan's pupils contracted instantly.
He seemed to understand something.
"Is this going to form an Emperor's Palace?" It was incredible.
The heavens and earth were round, and the Emperor's Palace was round.
Every Emperor's Palace was a colossal sphere.
"Rumble."
The River of Rules was in turmoil.
The essence of an Emperor's Palace was now reshaping the River of Rules.
Moreover, the power of Earth subtly seemed to be on the verge of transforming into a world.
"Is it becoming a world?" Chen Fan pondered.
Everything seemed to be happening naturally.
His foundation was already sufficient for ascension to the Emperor Realm, but he had been suppressing it.
Now, with the essence of an Emperor's Palace integrating, he could no longer hold back.
He, Chen Fan, was about to achieve the Emperor Realm fruit.
"No."
Ascending to the Emperor Realm now was not right.
Achieving the Emperor Realm through a solitary Earth path was not what Chen Fan desired.
Even the Five Elements would have been acceptable.
The Five Elements, Life and Death, Yin and Yang, Wind and Thunder, Light and Darkness... any of those would have been fine.
But to advance through a mere ordinary Earth path was too weak.
"Shatter."
He raised his hand and grabbed upwards.
With a thunderous roar, the power of Earth was directly shattered.
I do not need the Supreme of Earth.
Swirling waters.
The water of Earth flowed, it was the river of rules, rejoining the River of Rules.
If anyone else were to witness this scene, they would likely go mad.
So many people had spent endless years striving to reach the Emperor Realm without success.
And Chen Fan, with the Emperor Realm fruit within his grasp, had simply abandoned it.
"Chen Fan."
Suddenly, an angry roar echoed from within the shattered Earth rule.
The Giant Xi had reappeared within the rules.
He looked unwillingly and asked, "How did you discover me?"
"..." Chen Fan.
What was going on?
Wasn't the Giant Xi dead?
Ah, he understood now.
It turned out the previous scene was all an act.
The Giant Xi believed his Emperor's Palace essence would be absorbed by Chen Fan, allowing him to be reborn in Chen Fan's body, and even control everything Chen Fan possessed.
Everything just now had been intentionally guided by him.
He was just waiting for Chen Fan to break through to the Supreme Realm.
However, he had miscalculated.
The other party had discovered him long ago.
"How did you discover me?" The Giant Xi's eyes were filled with unwillingness.
Chen Fan: "..."
This was incredibly awkward.
"If I told you I didn't discover you, and didn't know you were still alive, would you believe me?" Chen Fan ultimately chose to speak the truth.
"You are insulting an Emperor," the Giant Xi raged.
He was an Emperor, and even in death, he was an Emperor.
This time, being shattered, absorbed, and consumed by the rules...
What awaited him was true eternal damnation.
This time, he was definitely dead.
There was no possibility of resurrection.
Yet, even so, the other party was unwilling to tell the truth.
The Giant Xi was furious: "If you hadn't discovered me, why would you abandon the opportunity to become an Emperor?"
"Alas."
Seeing the other party's stubborn refusal to back down, Chen Fan was speechless.
He sighed, and a trace of defiance flickered in his eyes: "You are the Emperor of Earth, but so what? Were you not still killed by a mere Half-Emperor like me? You... are too weak. The Emperor of Earth, this City Lord truly does not covet."
A direct statement.
The Giant Xi, on the verge of perishing, looked with burning rage.
But Chen Fan spoke with utter sincerity.
His eyes showed no wavering.
"Heh heh."
The Giant Xi laughed.
This time, his laughter turned to desolation: "The Emperor of Earth, you don't even covet him, what a joke... a colossal joke..."
His tone grew increasingly melancholic.
Finally, it devolved into reminiscence: "Yes, in the past, how could I have looked upon a mere Earth path to become an Emperor? But..."
Fire erupted from his eyes: "It's all them, forcing me to enter the Emperor Realm through Earth, you scoundrels! I was a genius who followed the Five Elements back then!"
The Giant Xi's words were filled with anger suppressed for countless years.
He began to roar: "What are the Five Heavenly Emperors? A bunch of petty individuals, all because I am not human."
His words flowed endlessly.
Beside the River of Rules, Chen Fan listened quietly.
He asked nothing, but merely by listening to the other party's curses, he captured much information.
The Five Heavenly Emperors seemed to be engaged in certain unspeakable deeds.
Others might not know, but the Giant Xi, having been an Emperor for millennia, should have discovered some things.
The Giant Xi's curses grew quieter, but more venomous.
Finally, they turned into curses.
"Five Heavenly Emperors, you will all meet the same end as me sooner or later. You treat me as livestock, but are you not the same? Hahahaha..."
The final words echoed within the River of Rules.
The Giant Xi's last remnants finally dissipated.
He had intended to be reborn in Chen Fan's body, but he had miscalculated.
He had coveted Chen Fan's youthful body, his monstrous talent, and the luck that accompanied the five divine artifacts.
Unfortunately, he had forgotten that those blessed by destiny find it hard to perish.
There was no way around it; there was no fairness in this world.
Even the will of heaven and earth was not fair.
And Chen Fan, this young man who emerged from the wasteland, was ultimately destined to become a true prodigy of heaven.
"Bang."
The rule of Earth fell back into the River of Rules.
With the 'swishing' sound of flowing water, the power of Life and Death once again took the lead.
With Life and Death at its head, this was the path he would take next.
A solitary rule was too weak.
With nothing more to do here, Chen Fan looked towards the end of the River of Rules, a smile on his face.
"While I have time, let's continue to 'shear the sheep'."
"Boom."
He began again.
Now, he no longer needed Lü Feng's help.
He could pierce through the stone wall alone.
The Myriad Laws transformed into swords, fiercely impacting the mist. After revealing the stone wall, he concentrated his attack on a single brick.
In half an hour, the stone wall was once again breached.
"Boom."
The powerful physique's strength poured into the River of Rules.
And Chen Fan's gaze once again fell upon the figure standing in the riverbed.
Ancient, eternal.