"Look! Quick, look! They're alive! They're coming back to life!"

Following the first shout from the crowd, tens of thousands of Beichuan soldiers turned their gaze. They saw familiar figures gradually rising from the massive pyre of wood, which had been completely engulfed by towering waves! These familiar figures were none other than their comrades, with whom they had fought shoulder to shoulder!

What shocked everyone the most was that these former comrades not only stood even more upright than before, but their entire bodies were also wreathed in a brilliant, divine light, as if celestial soldiers had descended among them!

"They've returned! I can feel it! They've all returned!"

"Defying the heavens to change fate, bringing the dead back to life! To casually wield such a destiny-defying Divine Skill—Immortal Master Lin truly deserves to be called the strongest prodigy of the Qinglan Sect!"

"No wonder Her Majesty the Empress values him so highly; we were truly ignorant!"

Watching their deceased comrades rise one by one and appear before their very eyes… this intense visual impact, coupled with the miraculous, supreme immortal power, had already shattered the cognitive limits of the mortal warriors present!

"All officers of the Beichuan Army, pay homage to Immortal Master Lin!"

In the end, all the soldiers knelt towards the white-robed figure in the sky, revering him as if he were a deity!

Lin Xiao's gaze swept past the crowd. He first met the eyes of his Master, Xiao Hongling, and gave her a wink. Then, he nodded to his junior sister, Lu Yingying, before his gaze finally settled on the long-legged, graceful Northern Territory Queen, who was clad in a golden dragon robe.

"Brother Xiao, you…" Ye Xuan'er's beautiful eyes welled with tears, her stunningly defined face a mask of utter shock.

"Xuan'er, Brother Xiao told you, I will never let you down in this life," Lin Xiao said from the heart. "You defended Beacon City to the death, preventing the demonic invaders for my sake. Now, Brother Xiao will bestow a great fortune upon your Beichuan Army!" He squinted, a profound light glinting deep within his eyes. "So, now, answer me, Xuan'er. Those you lost previously… You still haven't answered Brother Xiao."

Lin Xiao stood with his hands behind his back upon the water curtain, smiling at the utterly speechless Ye Xuan'er. "The Beichuan soldiers who fell into the river just now—are they the golden ones, or the silver ones?"

"This…" Ye Xuan'er stared, astonished, at the man she admired most, not knowing how to respond.

Suddenly, under the sincere gaze of this young man she cherished, she could no longer hold back and said haltingly, "Perhaps… they are the golden ones?"

"I see." A smile touched Lin Xiao's lips. "Then I, the River God's agent in the mortal realm, shall return all your golden soldiers to you!"

With that, he condensed an even purer surge of the River God's power in his palm. With a flip of his hand, the surging river water on the ground below unexpectedly rose into the air, soaring straight into the heavens! Along with it ascended the thousands of fallen Beichuan soldiers who had been enveloped in its waters!

The next moment, under the stunned gaze of the entire crowd, Beichuan soldiers—stalwart and heavily armed—emerged one by one from the river in the sky, landed on the ground, and knelt in obeisance!

"General of the Mobile Corps of the Beichuan Army, Luo Yan, pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress and Immortal Lin!"

"Commander of the Beichuan Army, Nalan Tieniu, pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress!"

"Soldier of the Beichuan Army…"

…

One after another, the fallen soldiers of the Beichuan Army were reborn through the River God's power, majestic and awe-inspiring, their shouts shaking the heavens.

In the blink of an eye, the thousands of fallen Beichuan warriors were all reborn, unscathed!

Not only that, but after their resurrection, their armor gleamed with golden light, and they exuded an overwhelmingly powerful, intangible aura! They were like divine soldiers descended from the Immortal Palace of the Nine Heavens!

Witnessing this scene were not only the mortal warriors of the Northern Territory, led by Ye Xuan'er, but even the strongest female cultivator in the Eastern Region, Fairy Hongling—the Master of Immortal Lin, who was revered by the entire crowd—was also aghast, her beautiful eyes wide, her crimson lips parting and closing, unable to form words!

Ah, Xiao'er, I clearly raised you, little one, from infancy, but now I find… I understand you less and less. This boy of mine, just how many more surprises do you have that your Master doesn't know about?

The more she thought about it, the more delighted she became, and the corners of her lips unconsciously turned upwards!

Yes! If someone else had displayed such an incredible Divine Skill, she, Xiao Hongling, might have paid attention, but ultimately, she would have scoffed.

But this flawless young man before her was her, Xiao Hongling's, most cherished disciple!

My Xiao'er truly has the bearing of a Great Emperor!

She exclaimed silently in her heart, unable to hold back any longer. Her beautiful legs clad in black silk carried her through the clamorous crowd as she stepped into the air, soaring towards the white-robed figure in the sky!

Master… her feelings for Eldest Senior Brother… is it truly just the bond between a master and disciple? Lu Yingying, watching from the side, bit her lip, a hint of resentment flashing in her round, cat-like eyes.

"Little Meow! Get up! We want a hug from Eldest Senior Brother too!"

She was just about to urge her Lion Hawk Beast to fly towards her Eldest Senior Brother in the sky when she discovered… her pet beast was sound asleep!

Exasperated, she looked up, only to see her Eldest Senior Brother already smiling gently, holding their Master's jade hand!

"WAAH WAAH WAAH, you horrid Eldest Senior Brother! Your most beloved, adorable Yingying is right here!"

…

"Xiao'er…" Having her jade hand held by her eldest apprentice in front of tens of thousands of people, Xiao Hongling's cheeks flushed red, and she was somewhat at a loss for words.

"It's alright, Master." Lin Xiao smiled gently, ignoring the adoration of the thousands below as he gazed into his Master's beautiful phoenix eyes. "Your disciple just wants to know, this trip to the border… I didn't disappoint you, did I, Master?"

"Mhm!" Xiao Hongling's cheeks were crimson as she nodded firmly. "Well, as your Master, my feelings right now are very complicated, but on this point, I can tell you with certainty!"

At this, the blush faded from her face, and she said with utmost solemnity, "As your Master… No! The entire Righteous Path of the Eastern Region is proud of you today!"

Rarely seeing his beautiful Master praise him so earnestly, Lin Xiao chuckled. "Hahaha, Master, those words are a bit too formal, wouldn't you say? However… this time, your disciple truly exhausted more than half of his True Yuan using this great River God Divine Skill. I'm afraid I'll need a great beauty to hug and kiss me to recuperate properly for the next ten days to half a month, sigh~"

With that, his true intentions revealed, he said, "So, Master dearest, just this once, could your disciple ask for a reward?"

"Ah?" Xiao Hongling was slightly taken aback, her phoenix eyes wide. "What… what reward do you want?"

Lin Xiao leaned close to his Master's ear and whispered, "Something naughty… naughty things are the best reward."

Xiao Hongling: ???

After gently caressing his Master's jade hand, Lin Xiao said no more. Instead, he commanded the river water, descending steadily to the ground and into the grand formation of the Beichuan Army.

"We pay our respects to Immortal Lin!" The group of Beichuan soldiers, having achieved rebirth, were the first to kneel excitedly.

At the same time, inspired by this, all the surrounding Beichuan soldiers dismounted, their faces full of reverence as they bowed to the figure of the Fallen Immortal in flowing white robes. The sight was utterly spectacular!

One must understand, this contingent of Beichuan soldiers was powerful and proud. Ordinarily, they obeyed only the commands of the Northern Territory Queen, yet now… they were actually dismounting and kneeling to a young cultivator!

"We pay our respects to Immortal Lin!"

"With Immortal Lin and Fairy Hongling protecting the Eastern Region, why should we fear the Eight Great Demon Sects!"

In that moment, around the plaza, countless commoners also knelt in reverence!

Ignoring the worship and praise from the surrounding crowd, Lin Xiao, in his white robes, descended like a drifting cloud, landing gently before the tall, graceful Empress.

"Xuan'er, this grand spectacle today, does it meet your wishes?" Lin Xiao asked with a smile, looking at this Queen of the North Territory who had completely abandoned her brother Ye Chen and now stood firmly on his side.

"Brother Xiao, you truly… you always manage to surprise Xuan'er." At this moment, Ye Xuan'er still seemed not to have recovered from her shock. She stared blankly at the distant soldiers, reborn and clad in golden immortal armor, and asked, "I… No, Xuan'er wants to ask Brother Xiao, these resurrected soldiers, are they still the same as before? Or rather… what kind of beings are they now? Puppets? Ghosts?"

"Yes, and no," Lin Xiao said with a mysterious smile. "Their memories and emotions are no different from when they were alive. However, under the blessing of my River God's power, they will become even more indomitable! As for their new name…"

He thought for a moment, then said meaningfully, "They can be called Her Majesty the Empress's—Golden Saint Warriors!"

Ye Xuan'er: (⊙ˍ⊙)

…

…

「At the Forbidden Grounds of the Qinglan Sect, Coiling Dragon Abyss, before the Demon Suppression Tower.」

As the Sect Leader, True Master Ziyun, arrived with a group of Qinglan Sect elders, a terrifying tremor suddenly ran through the tower! Everyone was aghast!

「Meanwhile, inside the tower.」

Ye Chen watched in terror as the Blood Demon Ancestor before him continuously absorbed his fortune and invaded his body. Tears of blood streaming down his face, he begged, "No! Don't! Please, Godfather, spare this child's life!"

"This child… this child is still useful to you! This child hasn't lost yet! Although Xianxian betrayed me, this child still has a mother who loves me!"

"For me, her only son, she… she will definitely be willing to serve Lord Blood Demon!"

Ye Chen pleaded loudly, but the insubstantial demonic shadow of the Blood Demon Ancestor before him not only showed no sign of relenting but instead absorbed his vital essence with even greater greed!

Following his clash with that detestable Immortal Stick, Lin Xiao, Ye Chen once again felt the touch of death!

He had a premonition! If he, the Son of Destiny, didn't do something immediately… his Divine Soul and physical body would likely be completely devoured by this Old Demon!

Realizing this, Ye Chen could no longer care about anything else. He fumbled in his robes, pulled out the Soul Ring he had secretly retrieved, and pleaded, "Old Shi! I beg you! Save me! This is the last time!"

"From now on, I will listen to whatever you say!"