The two hesitated for only a moment before agreeing and doing as told.
Their defenses that resisted the suppression of cultivation were destroyed, and Zhou Fan did not waste a moment suppressing them.
The Universe instantly began to stop collapsing, and began to heal.
The Path Creators were clearly filled with joy, but upon looking at Zhou Fan, they noticed something was wrong.
He was swaying where he was standing. They could not understand how injured he was. His very source was on the verge of collapsing. He was like a plant without water, like a mortal gone without food for a month. It was a miracle he was still alive. And if he didn't do anything, he would die without a doubt. Either that, or someone like Ye Li would take the opportunity to kill him.
Then, his mind cleared for just a moment and he remembered the two surrendered beings. Half conscious, he took a step towards them.
Zhou Fan had dabbled in all paths, human and non human, good and evil. More than dabbled, he had some form of mastery over all of them.
Zhou Fan looked at a location in space, and a pair of eyes looked back. In moments, a snake wrapped around him.
It fused into his body.
This was Monty.
Monty's power of Devouring had a specific use to Zhou Fan right now.
The two beings, momentarily filled with relief that they would keep their lives, instantly felt a primal fear rush over them.
Before they realized it, Zhou Fan was directly in front of one of them.
Right now, they were mere mortals.
They could not react as Zhou Fan's hand entered the chest of one of them, an ape-like creature.
He pulled out the creature's heart and began to eat it.
Everyone was shocked. Every creature in the Universe witnessing this was shocked beyond imagination.
They had known Zhou Fan for countless years. He had always seemed like he was above everything, an untouchable existence, a God among men, an Immortal among Mortals, a Sage among Scholars.
Yet few had truly grasped who Zhou Fan truly was deep inside. There was a reason he had shed his human form and created his own.
He did not fit in with humans. But he did not fit in with beasts either.
He was the most neutral existence in the world. To him, all paths fell under the Path of Cultivation, and therefore, all Paths were, more or less, the same.
Zhou Fan quickly ate the heart, and pulled out the ape-like beast's tendons. This one was harder to devour due to its properties. Despite its suppressed cultivation, the power of its body was incredible.
The horror of the other Celestial Emperor, a lizard-like being, could not be described. He was watching someone get eaten alive, or at least partially alive, right in front of him. It was very likely this would be his fate next.
As Zhou Fan devoured all the meat and blood in the ape-like being's body, he was clearly much healthier. His face had completely healed, and two thirds of his body were healed. However, blood covered most of his body, as he had not taken any precautions to avoid it splashing.
His mind was once again in its normal state, and he looked around him.
When he looked at the lizard, the lizard felt as though he was being stared at by the Sovereign of Death. One thought, and his fate would be sealed.
Zhou Fan spoke. "This method has too many flaws and is only good for emergency healing. I won't eat him."
These words made the lizard-like being feel as though the light had graced him yet again.
"You can have him."
His next words once again brought the lizard-like being into a deep state of horror.
Monty left Zhou Fan's body, showing its full size for the first time in countless years.
A snake even bigger than the old Universe appeared.
Its eyes brought dread to the Celestial Emperor. In his peak, a slap would have eradicated it. But now, it was going to die helplessly.
"You promised!"
These were his last words before Monty devoured him, instantly falling asleep to grow.
Zhou Fan took Monty and began to head back to his manor. Naturally, he got the blood off of him and repaired his torn clothes.
The Path Creators hesitantly came before him.
"Thank you."
This is what most of them said, albeit in slightly different ways. Some also threw in additional comments.
The way the Demon King looked at him changed. "I suppose we are more compatible than expected."
Ye Li also had a laugh. "Here I thought you were against evil acts. Perhaps I have misunderstood you all this time."
The teleporting bird looked at him with a bit of fear.
All perceptions of him had changed a bit.
"I have already dispersed my control over your Rules. Thank you." Zhou Fan said before leaving.
This wasn't a big event to Zhou Fan. It had been necessary. Was he supposed to die, or go out of his way to find a "purer" method? All paths were the same in his eyes. He only disdained the blood that had spilled on him.
If he did it again, he would make sure to block it. Assuming he could properly think next time, of course.
With the most powerful threat imaginable taken care of, the Universe seemed to believe that peace was coming. After all, what more could come?
Even Zhou Fan believed that this little war was over, and the connection between times was soon to be over.
It simply relied on the fish.
The fish was naturally continuing to gain control over time, and everything was proceeding quickly.
Zhou Fan focused on cultivating. He had long found interfering in the Universe's affairs boring. He had done enough of that in his early life. The Universe always had a way to entertain him, whether or not he intervened or not. It was just a matter of time.