The Immortal Emperor offered the most sound advice.
Yet, Chen Fan hesitated.
He had the ability to resolve the issue immediately, but he was reluctant to waste the cultivation time of others.
Was this truly the right thing to do?
He was somewhat indecisive.
"Heh."
The Immortal Emperor chuckled, "You can ask for the opinions of others before making a decision."
"... That's right."
The Realm of Life and Death was, after all, no longer his alone.
With a new Realm Lord, he could not overstep his bounds.
"Then let's convene everyone for a discussion," Chen Fan declared.
Soon, all the Emperor Venerables and Half-Emperors gathered in Sword City.
Chen Fan swept his gaze across them. Including himself, the Heavenly Emperors numbered only sixteen.
The Emperor Venerables were slightly more numerous, just over thirty.
As for the Half-Emperors, there were over four hundred.
This was the entirety of the high-end power in the Realm of Life and Death.
Chen Fan wasted no time and spoke directly, "Currently, the territory of the world is insufficient. It requires a vast amount of energy for expansion. Two bodies of sixth-tier Heavenly Emperors have already been introduced, but it is still not enough.
I have the body of an Great Emperor here. Once shattered, it will absolutely satisfy the territory requirements of the Realm of Life and Death immediately."
"However, there is another method currently available..."
He did not mention the Immortal Emperor, speaking in his own voice, "For the foreseeable future, all Emperor Venerables will cease their cultivation. This includes Half-Emperors, who will all absorb chaotic energy and channel it into the Realm of Life and Death. Heavenly Emperor realm experts will need to venture out to hunt for resources."
"These are the two proposals. I require everyone to raise their hands to vote."
Without further ado, he got straight to the point.
"Now, those who agree to supplement the world with the body of a seventh-tier Great Emperor, please raise your hands."
"..."
Silence.
Chen Fan looked at the assembled individuals with a peculiar expression.
Hundreds of people, and not a single hand was raised.
Was he surprised?
Chen Fan pondered for a moment and then said, "Those who agree with the second proposal, please raise your hands."
*Swish.*
Everyone raised their hands.
Chen Fan's expression became even more peculiar.
What was going on?
Wasn't the first method simpler?
It wouldn't delay their cultivation time, it would strengthen the world, and it wouldn't impede their cultivation. Furthermore, the body of a seventh-tier Great Emperor would certainly leave a surplus, from which everyone could benefit.
Yet, the current situation left him completely bewildered.
He turned to look at the Immortal Emperor with a questioning gaze.
The Immortal Emperor shrugged, "It has nothing to do with me. I can swear an oath; I haven't revealed anything."
Chen Fan nodded.
He trusted the Immortal Emperor. Since he said so, it was certain that these people had not colluded beforehand.
"City Lord."
At this moment, Tian Zai, a third-tier Emperor Venerable, stepped forward.
He said calmly, "Whether it is the Realm of Life and Death or us, the achievements we have today, the insights we have gained into the chaos, are all thanks to you.
We have all witnessed your sacrifices. However, sacrifice should not be the burden of a single person.
We are not children anymore. Why don't we adopt the second proposal this time and let us contribute to the Realm of Life and Death as well?"
Tian Zai's words echoed the sentiments of everyone present.
Nods of agreement rippled through the crowd.
Having cultivated to this level, no one here was a fool.
Even An An, the maiden with a pure heart, felt a sense of guilt towards the City Lord.
For so long, it had been the City Lord and a few others fighting in the outside world, plundering resources to contribute to the Realm of Life and Death and for everyone's cultivation.
Though they remained silent, it didn't mean they didn't feel it in their hearts.
Now, there was finally an opportunity for them to be useful, why wouldn't they seize it?
"That's right, City Lord, let's adopt the second proposal..." Hong Si spoke up.
He was one of the old guards who had followed Chen Fan.
Although his current cultivation was weak and could no longer keep pace with Chen Fan's progress, his words still carried significant weight here.
After Hong Si spoke, the atmosphere instantly became like a marketplace.
"It's just a period of not cultivating, what's the big deal..."
"Our realms have been improving too quickly lately, it's a good opportunity to hone our skills."
"We can't always let the City Lord be the only one making sacrifices..."
"...%"
Each person had their own thoughts and perspectives.
"Alright."
Everyone had agreed.
Even though Chen Fan was still the Realm Lord at this moment, he couldn't defy the will of the masses.
When everyone agreed on something, even if it was the wrong thing, it had to be done.
"Good."
Chen Fan made the decision, "Then we will adopt the second proposal. All Half-Emperors and Emperor Venerables will absorb chaotic energy to supplement the world.
The Heavenly Emperors will go out and hunt. However, there is one thing to remember: killing is permissible, but you must maintain a bottom line."
"No problem."
With the general direction decided, everyone began to find their own places.
Absorbing energy could be done within the world.
Hunting, however, required venturing outside.
Elder Demon Chu and the others departed, and even the Immortal Emperor left alone.
Finally, Zhao Kai and Xi Qiu also proposed to go out.
"The Dao Masters are leaving too?" Chen Fan was slightly surprised.
It was one thing for a Dao Master to leave, but for both of them to go.
What if the Realm of Life and Death encountered a powerful enemy?
"Isn't the City Lord here?"
Xi Qiu smiled, "With the City Lord present, there's no risk. It's also a good chance for us to get some fresh air."
"I'm not the Realm Lord anymore..."
"Oh, City Lord."
Zhao Kai, unable to smile, said calmly, "Just let us two go out for a stroll. It's quite boring to stay cooped up in the world all day. You can also rest, and let us go out and explore."
Chen Fan: "...Fine."
Since they had put it that way, he couldn't refuse.
He had originally planned to go out for a stroll himself after everyone had left.
Now, it seemed he would have to be the one to stay behind.
Helplessly, he watched as all the Heavenly Emperors dispersed.
Meanwhile, the Half-Emperors and Emperor Venerables had already begun absorbing energy.
At this moment, it seemed that everyone, except for him, the City Lord, was busy.
For a moment, he felt unaccustomed to it.
"Forget it."
In the end, Chen Fan settled down in Sword City.
With a sigh, he took out the Realm Tablet and began to study it.
This Realm Tablet had been plundered from the Stony Realm, and he had been chased by the Stony Realm Lord at the time.
Yes, it was during that incident that the Stony Heavenly Emperor's luck began to turn for the worse.
"Are you truly a Realm Gate?"
The aura of the Realm Tablet was closely related to the divine artifacts he held.
That day, when it was activated, it seemed to connect with several divine artifacts, forming a large seal.
And within the seal emanated the aura of a world.
"Buzz."
The next moment, several divine artifacts touched the Realm Tablet again.
Instantly, the aura of a world appeared.
Within the large seal, there was indeed the aura of a world.
Closing his eyes, he sent his divine sense in...
*Boom.*
His divine sense felt a sense of vertigo.
When he opened his eyes again, everything before him was incredibly vast and empty.
Inside the large seal was indeed a world.
However, this world had lost all its Great Dao power.
"World power is still present?" Chen Fan was shocked.
This world was simply enormous.
"What tier of world is this?"
The Stony Realm was not small, but compared to this vast world before him, the Stony Realm... seemed smaller than a single city below.
Was it eighth-tier, or ninth-tier?