As his eyes fluttered open, everything returned to reality.
He glanced down at his physical body. Ah, it had been restored.
It had recovered without him even realizing it.
"How much time has passed?" Chen Fan withdrew his power.
Old Demon Chu outside immediately sensed it.
The moment Chen Fan walked out, he saw the people of the Life and Death Realm busy at work.
Chen Fan: "... How long was I asleep?"
Old Demon Chu: "... One second?"
Hmm, it seemed not.
Old Demon Chu was speechless. "City Lord, were you injured or not?"
Had everything just now been an act?
He was utterly speechless.
His heart had been pounding with anxiety.
He'd been tense for so long, and it was only a second?
Old Demon Chu looked at the Great Emperor's corpse before him, which he had just started to consume.
"Heh heh."
Chen Fan didn't know how to explain.
Should he tell Old Demon Chu that one second in his eyes was tens of thousands of years?
That was ridiculous.
If he said that, Old Demon Chu would surely turn hostile.
It was more ridiculous than fooling a fool.
"Alright."
Chen Fan shrugged. "I was just testing to see if the Sword Master would make a move against us."
"En."
Hearing this, Old Demon Chu accepted it.
But then he felt something was amiss. "But your test was too hasty. What could you possibly test in one second?"
Chen Fan: "..."
Fine.
This guy was starting to get serious.
"Alright, alright."
The more he explained, the more complicated it became. "You don't need to watch me. You recover first, and I'll revive the dead."
Old Demon Chu indeed fell silent.
Revival was the important matter.
"Rise."
He raised his hand, and the River of Life and Death appeared.
The corpses of enemies, brimming with powerful energy, were placed into the River of Death, while the corpses of their own people went into the River of Life.
As for those who had lost their physical bodies, they could only be created from energy.
"Whoosh!"
The waters of the river flowed.
In the River of Death, energy was continuously extracted and injected into the River of Life. In the chaos, the dispersed spirits began to condense.
All things had spirits.
When people died, their spirits would disperse, scattering into the heavens and earth.
What Chen Fan had to do was to re-condense the scattered spirits, allowing them to appear in the form of souls, which was rebirth.
The supreme Great Dao, the River of Life and Death.
In the world, the already dim 'spirits' fell into the River of Life.
The waters of the river surged, and the spiritual light began to grow.
The growing spirits slowly coalesced into human forms.
The spirits of the living and the spirits of the dead were the same.
Spirits would reassemble into the appearance they had in life.
Splash.
A corpse automatically emerged from the river. The spirit, attracted by the corpse, transformed into a point of golden light and merged with it.
Boom.
The moment the two merged, the massive energy finally found its purpose. It was continuously extracted and injected into the corpse.
Until the energy reached a certain threshold.
Swish.
One by one, the figures in the river opened their eyes.
The next moment, they soared into the sky.
"Hahaha."
Fu Yu let out a long roar into the sky.
His hearty laughter echoed through the heavens and earth. "Thank you, City Lord."
This guy was the first to wake up again.
Following closely…
"Roar."
The fire dragon roared.
A colossal fire dragon burst forth from the river.
Dragon Spirit, the eldest disciple of Yi Fu, had been successfully revived. "Thank you, City Lord."
More and more people awoke.
Tian Zai, Bai Gu Sen Lin, An An…
All those whose corpses remained were revived.
For a time, the surroundings were incredibly lively.
"Damn it, this is the fifth time." Fu Yu grumbled.
This was his fifth revival.
There was only one more chance left.
The seventh revival would fail, leading to complete death.
"Heh heh."
Bai Gu Sen Lin grinned mischievously. "I'm only on my third, two more than you."
Fu Yu: "..."
"Alas, this is my sixth time."
"Me too..."
"Tsk tsk, I'm only on my second."
Those with fewer revivals were smug, while those with more wore bitter expressions.
However, everyone had a joyous look on their faces.
Resurrected at full health, who wouldn't be happy?
"Damn it."
At this moment, the powerful individuals of the Life and Death Realm who were working became displeased. "So you're alive, but what's there to show off about? Come and help with the work!"
It was infuriating.
Didn't they see that they were still working despite being heavily injured?
These fully revived fellows, couldn't they come and lend a hand?
Looking at them was irritating.
"Hahaha."
For a while, the scene was incredibly lively.
However, there were also those who revived only to die again.
The seventh time, rebirth was impossible.
Now, Chen Fan no longer needed overly complex methods to revive others. If it were Xi Qiu or Zhao Kai, they would still need to capture Great Dao stars.
The seventh order of Life and Death was no ordinary matter.
In the river, thirty-seven corpses floated quietly.
They had woken up before, but had fallen back down.
There was not enough 'spirit' to condense into souls again.
"Brother, walk safely."
By the river, those who had woken up bid farewell to those who hadn't.
There was no sadness.
This was their choice.
...
"It's your turn."
Many people had yet to awaken.
Their spirits had condensed, but there were no physical bodies to contain them.
This required the use of energy to shape them.
"Energy, come."
Boom.
Within the River of Death, a large amount of energy gathered again. Life and death transformed, death qi turned into vitality, and bodies were quickly outlined.
They were all faceless figures.
"In."
Spirit and body merged.
"You know your own bodies best. Shape your own bodies." Chen Fan said.
"Mmm."
Someone wanted to speak but found they had no mouths.
With a thought, a mouth appeared.
"City Lord."
The blank faces began to contort.
Someone shouted, "Can I try transforming into a woman first, and then into a man if I die next time?"
"..."
The scene fell silent.
Damn it.
Someone let out a curse. "How did I not think of that? I've lived for so many years, and I've never seen a woman's body."
"Last time, I only caught a glimpse of Lu Qi from afar..."
Bang.
The person who spoke was sent flying.
Lu Qi erupted. "If you dare peek at me bathing again, I'll castrate you."
A group of people began to bicker and joke.
As for whether these guys wanted to become men or women, who cared? They weren't their men or women.
Enjoy your disgusting fetishes to your heart's content.
...
At this moment, Chen Fan suddenly spoke, "Sword Master..."
Without the Sword Master's command, the strong individuals of the Sword Domain knew what he meant.
"City Lord, we are here."
Countless corpses descended, falling into the River of Death.
The River of Death contained the corpses of enemies, used to provide energy.
The River of Life was for their own people, who needed to be revived.
It was the same task, just done again.
Soon, Sword Domain experts were revived one by one.
"Thank you, City Lord."
"Thank you, City Lord."
"..."
Everyone who awoke expressed their heartfelt gratitude.
They were so fortunate.
To live another life was truly wonderful.
More and more people were revived, until the very last one.
Boom.
In the River of Life, a colossal spirit began to brew. The energy in the River of Death was not enough.
"Eighth Order."
Chen Fan frowned.
The Life and Death Realm had not lost any Eighth Order cultivators, not even Seventh Order.
The Sword Domain was different. The Sword Domain had lost an Eighth Order and a large number of Seventh Order cultivators.
Reviving Seventh Order cultivators was not difficult, but for an Eighth Order... it required even more immense energy.
Clang.
A wooden sword fell into the River of Death. "The energy is sufficient with this sword."
The Sword Master had actually surrendered his personal sword to revive his subordinates.
This gesture was indeed grand.