Chapter Twenty-Four: Reforging the Essence… and Shattering the Limits of Matter
Deep within the Dragon Marrow Chamber, the space had transformed into a silent tempest of molten golden light and absolute darkness. Zhou Fan no longer resembled a human being; he appeared instead as a point of erasure within the fabric of reality itself. His hand, submerged in the flowing golden radiance, acted as a bridge—channeling the accumulated data of thousands of years of earth energy into the Lost Celestial Calculations.
The fusion process was agony beyond the limits of mortal description. Every cell in Zhou Fan's body was being dismantled, rewritten, and restructured. The meridians that had once been leaking energy through countless fractures were now transforming into conduits of dark matter—substance unbound by gravity or spiritual pressure.
Data analysis: 22%… 25%… 30%…
The numbers flickered across Zhou Fan's golden vision.
Warning: Physical body has reached maximum tolerance. Activating Spiritual Encryption Protocol.
Zhou Fan released a soundless scream. From his back erupted strands of black energy, weaving themselves into a geometric cocoon around his body. The structure was composed of interlocking triangles and squares, folding into dimensions the human eye could not perceive.
On the far side of the chamber, the Third Prince, Zhang Song, stood frozen in shock, shielding his face from the spiritual fragments blasting through the room. As for the old Emperor, his body began to wither at a terrifying pace. With every portion of Dragon Marrow absorbed by Zhou Fan, the false link sustaining the Emperor's life was being severed.
"He… he isn't merely absorbing energy…" the Emperor rasped, his voice reduced to a deathly rattle.
"He's altering the structure of the energy itself! Zhang Song—look! The Dragon Marrow… it's no longer golden… it's becoming… transparent!"
Indeed, the golden radiance that had nourished the empire for centuries was fading into a colorless substance—so pure it was nearly invisible. Zhou Fan was filtering the energy, stripping away the impurities of time and imperial will, converting it into raw computational essence.
Meanwhile… On the Surface
While Zhou Fan reforged his existence in the depths below, Tianlong City descended into panic. The grand defensive formation protecting the capital began flashing a blood-red warning, as the toll of spiritual bells echoed throughout the imperial palace.
Above the city walls, seven figures appeared, floating in midair. They wore white robes embroidered with silver stars—the Seven Sages of the Cosmic Senate. Each of them was a monster at the late Nascent Soul Realm.
"It has begun," said the eldest sage, Yu, cold lightning glinting in his eyes.
"The old Emperor has lost control over the Dragon Marrow. The formation is collapsing. This is our chance to divide the essence and construct our new system."
"But Elder Brother Yu," another sage said, staring uneasily toward the palace,
"There's a strange fluctuation coming from underground. It isn't human… it feels like—the void."
"It doesn't matter!" Yu shouted, raising his hand as lightning gathered into a colossal spear over a hundred meters long.
"Whatever is happening down there, we'll crush it. Seventh Heavenly Art: Star-Annihilating Spear!"
The spear hurled toward the imperial palace, carrying enough power to obliterate an entire mountain. But just before it struck—
Space folded.
The spear didn't explode. Instead, it vanished into a hole in the air—only to reappear a heartbeat later behind the Seven Sages, launching toward them at the same terrifying speed.
"What?!" the sages screamed as they scattered in chaos, desperately evading their own reflected attack.
Return to the Depths
Inside the black cocoon, Zhou Fan opened his eyes.
They were no longer merely gold and black—within them swirled a nebula of numbers and exploding stars.
His new form had become a Geometric Void Body. There was no beating heart, no flowing blood. His existence was now a stable mathematical function, automatically drawing energy from the surrounding space.
Second Volume discovered: 40%.
First skill decrypted: Dimensional Offset.
Zhou Fan stood within the Dragon Marrow basin, now calm and transparent. The old Emperor had collapsed from his throne, drawing his final breaths—but his expression was strangely peaceful. At last, he had been freed from the prison of false immortality.
"Chancellor… Zhou…" the Emperor whispered, casting one final gaze toward him.
"You did it… You turned the empire… into an equation."
The Emperor died.
At the instant his soul departed, Zhou Fan's aura erupted—piercing through nine layers of earth and reaching the heavens. A pillar of translucent black light engulfed the entire city.
Zhou Fan turned toward the Third Prince, who was trembling with a mixture of terror and reverence.
"Your Highness," Zhou Fan said. His voice no longer came from a throat—it resonated directly through space itself.
"Your father's role in the calculations has ended. You are now the new Emperor of Tianlong. However, before you ascend the throne, there are seven flies above our city attempting to corrupt my equations. Shall we go… clean the place?"
Zhou Fan walked toward the exit. With every step he took, the ground beneath him rearranged its atoms. He wasn't walking upon space—
He was redefining his position within it.