After guarding the gates for a hundred years, I drove the Heavenly Saint to madness.

Auspicious clouds swirl around, and auspicious omens abound.

The young Taoist boy in blue robes standing guard at the gate bowed slightly, blocking the stone gate with a polite yet unquestionable tone: "Please return, Immortal Elder."

"The three Holy Emperors have decreed that, given the current calamity in the mortal world and the conflict between the Chan and Jie sects, it is inconvenient for Huoyun Cave to intervene."

At the Huoyun Cave on Zhonghuang Mountain, the smile on the face of the Antarctic Immortal froze completely.

He and Yang Jian had traveled a long and arduous journey, hoping that mentioning the name of the Chan Sect would allow them to obtain the antidote. However, they were surprised to find that they couldn't even get through the gate of the Fire Cloud Cave.

The Old Man of the South Pole tightened his grip on the coiled dragon staff, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

As the senior disciple of the Chan Sect, a quasi-saint with great power, he is a guest of honor wherever he goes.

But in front of the Fire Cloud Cave, he really didn't dare to act rashly.

Inside sit three holy emperors of the human race: Fuxi, Shennong, and Xuanyuan. They enjoy the blessings and incense offerings of the entire human race, and their status is comparable to that of saints.

If he were to force his way in, he would be going against the fate of the entire human race, a responsibility he could not bear.

"In that case, I will wait here for the Holy Emperor to change his mind."

The Old Man of the South Pole swallowed the cold shoulder and simply sat down cross-legged outside the cave.

Relying on his physical body's foundation from the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, Yang Jian suppressed the remaining poison in his body and stood silently by his side.

The two waited for three whole days.

The heavy stone door remained tightly shut, showing no sign of opening.

The Old Man of the South Pole looked at the sky and knew he could not wait any longer. The situation at the Xiqi camp was critical; every moment of delay would mean the deaths of thousands more.

He stood up, straightened his robes, and abandoned his aloof, otherworldly demeanor.

The Antarctic Immortal placed the Coiled Dragon Staff aside, bowed deeply towards the Fire Cloud Cave, and spoke with a mournful voice, using all his magical power to make the sound resound throughout the entire Zhonghuang Valley.

"The Holy Emperor has mercy!"

"I have come not for the private feud between the Chan and Jie sects, but to plead for the lives of all people!"

The Old Man of the South Pole's eyes were slightly red, and his voice was filled with endless sorrow: "Now the plague is rampant in the Xiqi camp, and tens of thousands of mortals and soldiers are vomiting and having diarrhea, their lives hanging by a thread."

"They are nothing but unarmed mortals, pitifully caught in this calamity, and now they suffer even more from this plague. This is a tragedy for humanity!"

"We beg Your Majesty to have mercy and grant us the antidote to save our innocent human people!"

These words, which avoided the main issue and only talked about the suffering of the common people, without mentioning the battle at Jiepai Pass, can be said to have taken moral blackmail to the extreme and accurately grasped the weakness of Huoyun Cave.

……

Deep within the Fire Cloud Cave, the human destiny flowed as if it were a tangible entity, transforming into a golden dragon that hovered above the dome.

The three holy emperors, sitting idly on their prayer mats, heard the entire performance of the Antarctic Immortal outside the cave.

Below, the phantom images of the Five Emperors stood silently, saying nothing.

The most hot-tempered of the Earthly Emperors, Xuanyuan, snorted coldly, and the Xuanyuan Xiayu sword on his lap emitted a clear and melodious sword sound.

"What a masterful Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect! His methods of moral blackmail are truly exquisite." The Yellow Emperor's eyes were full of disdain.

"Since you are inferior in skill and cannot defeat the Jie Sect's formation, you use the lives of us mortals as a shield. Do you really think we are such easily fooled fools?"

Logically speaking, Ji Xuanyuan should have a favorable impression of the Chan Sect, after all, Guang Chengzi was his master in the past.

The problem is that the things the Chan Sect did to the human race during the war of the Human Emperors back then completely humiliated him and almost prevented him from becoming the Human Emperor.

He couldn't refute it back then because of his status, but now that he has ascended to the Fire Cloud Cave, he naturally can't be nice to him anymore.

"Brother Xuanyuan, please don't be angry."

Emperor Fuxi, seated in the center, slowly opened his eyes, and the Primordial Eight Trigrams Array plate floating in front of him slowly stopped rotating.

Fuxi's gaze was as deep as an abyss, piercing through layers of stone walls, as if he could see directly into the distant Xiqi camp, where ordinary soldiers were struggling painfully in the mud and water.

"While the words of the Antarctic Immortal may be hypocritical and laced with calculation, the tragic state of the million soldiers of Xiqi is absolutely true."

Fuxi let out a long sigh, his voice filled with the vicissitudes of time and profound weight.

"The Investiture of the Gods is the cause and effect of the three sects of Xuanmen, a calamity ordained by the Heavenly Dao. Whether it is the change of dynasties or the battle of immortals, it is naturally inappropriate for my Huoyun Cave to interfere in their struggle for the Dao lineage."

"But those ordinary soldiers of Xiqi are, after all, of my human blood."

Fuxi turned his head and looked at the other two Holy Emperors: "As Holy Emperors, we can sit idly by and watch the rise and fall of mortal dynasties, but we cannot stand by and watch that vicious plague that targets immortals wantonly slaughter our ordinary people."

"If we let them rot to death in the camp, we, the Holy Emperors, will be ashamed before our people."

Shennong, sitting on the right, nodded in deep agreement.

The old man, who had tasted hundreds of herbs for the sake of humanity and even nearly died from poisoning, had eyes full of reluctance and compassion.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. When the two religions clash, it is the innocent bystanders who suffer."

Shennong stood up, stroked the simple animal skin on his body, and spoke in a calm but firm tone.

"That poison is the Hidden Dragon Plague, which was refined by Lü Yue of the Jie Sect by collecting the foul air of the Nine Netherworlds. Mortals with flesh and blood will die if they come into contact with it; they simply cannot survive it."

"Since they have come to my door seeking help, I will now take on the responsibility of saving them."

Seeing that his two elder brothers had made their decisions, the Yellow Emperor withdrew his sword energy and said no more.

Shennong turned around and walked out of the cave.

……

a long time.

With a muffled rumble, the stone gate of Huoyun Cave, which had been closed for three days, finally slowly opened to both sides.

An extremely rich medicinal fragrance wafted over, instantly clearing the mind. The restless poison in Yang Jian's body was even calmed down instantly by the fragrance.

Shennong stepped out.

He possessed neither the imposing aura of a celestial being nor the dazzling brilliance of any magical treasures; instead, he exuded a profound sense of compassion born from witnessing the suffering of humanity.

Shennong glanced intently at the kneeling Antarctic Immortal.

That one glance seemed to see through all the selfish motives and tricks of the Antarctic Immortal, causing the quasi-saint to feel a strange sense of shame and subconsciously avoid his gaze.

"In the midst of great calamity, immortals fight, but in the end, it is mortals who suffer."

Shennong shook his head, his tone revealing a hint of helplessness and admonition.

"So be it. Since they are human beings, I cannot stand idly by. But you, the Chan Sect, should also show more reverence in your future actions."

He took out a purple-gold gourd from his sleeve and casually tossed it to the Old Man of the South Pole.

"This is the Hundred Herbs Plague-Clearing Pill that I refined by tasting hundreds of herbs in the past. It can cure all poisons in the world. Take it, dissolve it in water, and sprinkle it in the camp. The poisonous miasma will dissipate on its own."

Having said that, Shennong waved his hand and turned away: "Go. In the future, do not use the human race as a pawn to disturb the peace of Fire Cloud Cave."

The stone gate slammed shut again.

The Old Man of the South Pole, holding the purple-gold gourd, was overjoyed. He paid no heed to Shennong's words of admonition and quickly stood up and bowed deeply.

"Many thanks to the Holy Emperor for bestowing medicine! The Chan Sect will forever remember your great kindness and virtue!"

"Yang Jian, there's no time to lose, return to Xiqi immediately!"

The two dared not delay for a moment, and hurriedly returned at full speed along the original route.

……

at the same time.

In the capital city of the Yin Shang Dynasty, which was hundreds of thousands of miles away from Jiepai Pass.

Outside the massive city gate of Chaoge City, a long convoy of vehicles was slowly driving in.

The heavy wooden prison cart creaked and groaned as it rolled over the bluestone slabs.

All around, hundreds of elite Shang soldiers, armed with guns, stood solemnly, escorting this special group with impenetrable guard.

The streets were packed with onlookers from Chaoge.

Inside the prison van.

Huang Feihu, Deng Jiugong, Li Jing, and other once-famous figures who are now generals of Xiqi are all bound tightly with specially made chains.

Their armor had long been removed, leaving them only in thin prison clothes. They sat emaciated in their cages, letting the filth splatter on their faces.

Li Jing, in particular, had two chains piercing his collarbone.

As the prison cart jolted and stones pelted him, the excruciating pain caused him to break out in a cold sweat, his face turning deathly pale, but he no longer had the strength to scream.