Fighting: Practice makes it real, start with a poisonous body.

If they agree, humanity will have a glimmer of hope; if they refuse, the road ahead will be a bottomless abyss, and they will only be able to watch helplessly as the iron hooves of the Dragon-Phoenix Son trample the Central Plains!
The balance between survival and morality swayed violently in everyone's heart, plunging everyone into a state of entanglement and pain.

In the suffocating silence, a furious shout suddenly rang out: "No! We can't agree to their demands!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiao Yan clutching his still bleeding chest, with blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth. He swayed slightly, but his spine remained straight.

"Gu Yuan is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He can even cruelly harm his own daughter and treat her as a tool. How could he possibly genuinely help the human race? He must have his own conspiracy!"

Xiao Yan roared hoarsely, but all he received in response was indifference from the crowd.

They all looked struggled, their brows furrowed, their eyes filled with pain, but not one of them stood up to agree with him.

"No...everyone, what's wrong with you all?"

Looking at the numb expressions on everyone's faces, Xiao Yan felt an indescribable panic welling up inside him. He looked at each face in disbelief.

Those who once fought side by side and swore to protect humanity now seem like strangers.

"Xiao Yan, we have never forgotten our hatred for Gu Yuan, nor have we forgotten the billion compatriots who died."

Finally, the old man Shennong broke the silence and sighed deeply: "But now, the overall situation of the human race is more important."

A billion of our compatriots are dead. The dead cannot be brought back to life. It's not that we don't want revenge, but to ensure more people can live, there are things we must do.

His words expressed the sentiments of everyone present.

Yes, a billion lives have already been shed, and pursuing the matter further will not bring them back. For the sake of humanity's continuation, perhaps we should truly let go of hatred and choose the seemingly only path to survival.

"Senior... what are you saying...?"

Xiao Yan's gaze was blank, and his voice trembled. He slowly looked around at everyone, only to find that they all turned their faces away, not daring to meet his gaze.

Whether it was the Fire Cloud Ancestor, the Two Immortals of the Flower Sect, or other powerful figures from the Central Continent Alliance, a trace of reluctance appeared in their eyes.

The so-called greater good for the human race sounds grand and noble, but only they themselves know that they were afraid in the face of the threat of extermination brought by the son of the dragon and phoenix!
They were afraid of death, so they chose to compromise, choosing to sacrifice others in exchange for their own survival!

"No, we can't do this... This isn't the choice we should be making!"

Xiao Yan looked confused, then as if he had thought of something, he suddenly raised his head and placed his last hope on the Pill Tower Ancestor.

In any case, the final decision on this choice rests with this pillar of the human race!

"Senior, you..."

Xiao Yan forced himself to step forward, wanting to persuade the Pill Tower Ancestor, but was interrupted by Gu Yuan's sinister laughter.

"Xiao Yan, stop dreaming!"

Do you think I would do something I'm not sure of? From the very beginning, you had no choice!

A chill suddenly ran down Xiao Yan's spine: "What do you mean by that?"

"There's no way he could refuse!"

A cold light flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes: "Everyone knows that the Ancestor of the Pill Tower was transformed from a ninth-grade Xuan Dan. He is intelligent and human-like. Whether it is his words and deeds or his emotions and thoughts, he is no different from a human."

But Xiao Yan, you are now a ninth-grade alchemist. Aren't you surprised?

There are countless ninth-grade profound pills in the world, so why is it that only the Pill Tower Ancestor possesses such abundant intelligence, enabling him to live, think, and protect a region like a true human being?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan frowned deeply, a profound doubt indeed rising in his heart.

Yes, he had seen many other ninth-grade profound pills during his cultivation, but those pills, even those with newly awakened intelligence, were still ignorant and could not compare with the old ancestor of the Pill Tower.

The Danta Ancestor's spirituality was so abundant that it was almost indistinguishable from that of a real human. He had never thought about this before, but now that Gu Yuan had pointed it out, he felt that it was full of strangeness.

"Because from beginning to end, he was not the true spirit of the elixir!"

"boom!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the core elders of the Little Pill Tower changed drastically, and they were all shocked. One of the elders couldn't help but ask in a hushed voice, "How do you know this secret?"

Their panicked appearance only intensified Xiao Yan's ominous premonition. "How could I not know?"

Gu Yuan burst out laughing: "The Pill Tower has only a thousand-year history. What secrets does it have in front of the ancient clans?"

You think you've hidden yourself well, but little do you know that a thousand years ago, everything about you was already seen by the ancient race!

He suddenly raised his right hand, pointing directly at the Pill Tower Ancestor, and his voice suddenly rose: "Rather than saying that he is a pill incarnation, it would be more accurate to say that he is a pill array program inscribed on the pill body by the guy who refined his original body!"
This program has only one core instruction—protect humanity!
When it comes to matters concerning the survival of humanity, he will only make the most 'correct' choice according to the preset optimal solution, and he cannot disobey the instructions of this program!

Back then, he didn't hesitate to bring the Xuanhuang Linglong Pagoda to the Ancient Realm to support Xiao Jibai. It seemed like he was standing up for the human race, but in reality, it was just driven by this process!
Therefore, today, for the continuation of humanity, he will make the best choice, unrelated to personal grudges... to cooperate with me and resurrect the Pure Lotus Demon Saint!

Gu Yuan sneered, "In your eyes, he is an incomparably benevolent and selfless elder of the human race, but in reality, he was controlled by others and manipulated by them throughout his life!"
All their actions were merely forced upon them by a program set a thousand years ago, acts against their own will—acts they were compelled to do!

"No, how could this be..."

The old doctor's pupils shrank suddenly, and his face was filled with disbelief.

What evidence do you have to support your claim?

"Evidence? Isn't the evidence obvious enough?!"

Gu Yuan sneered, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

“Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts!”

Humans fight each other for resources and kill each other for their own benefit; beastmen wreak havoc on the continent and indiscriminately kill innocents in order to expand their territory; and of course, our ancient imperial race is no different!
Ultimately, everyone's actions are for their own selfish interests!
Even if Xiao Xuan is helping your human race now, it's only because I betrayed him, and he has no choice but to do so!
When he was unaware of the truth, his greatest wish was simply that the descendants of the Xiao clan could revitalize the clan!

Given the state of the world, don't you find it strange that such a great sage suddenly appeared?

He was originally formed from elixirs, and it is only right that he should stand up for the elixir spirit and protect all the elixirs in the world!

But all these years, he has watched you refine and consume pills, and allowed you to manipulate his true kin at will, without ever stopping you. Isn't that strange?

If he were truly selfless, how could he show no compassion whatsoever for his own people?

Gu Yuan's words were like daggers, striking everyone's heart like a heavy hammer!
Everyone was shocked and looked at the old patriarch of the Pill Tower with a mixture of shock, doubt and unease.

Xuan Kongzi trembled all over, staring intently at the Pill Tower Ancestor, his voice tinged with pleading: "Ancestor, Gu Yuan is lying to us, isn't he? Nothing he said is true, is it?"

All eyes were on the Dan Tower Ancestor, awaiting his answer.

However, for the first time, a hint of coldness and indifference appeared on the youthful face of the Old Ancestor of Danta, which always wore a gentle smile, making everyone tremble with fear!

"I have been controlled by others for a thousand years and have dedicated myself to your human race for a thousand years. Now that my lies have been exposed, I no longer want to continue this act."

The old ancestor of Danta's voice became unusually calm, lacking its usual gentleness, and only showing signs of weariness and indifference.

“Xuan Kongzi, you all know him.”

My greatest hobby is finding pregnant women who have stillborn babies, then entering the body of the deceased fetus to become an ordinary baby, experiencing birth, growth, aging, death... and experiencing a person's life.

Over the millennia, I have experienced countless lives, gained a deeper understanding of humanity, and accumulated more and more knowledge of human spirituality... Yet in the end, I still cannot overcome the tribulation of the Golden Core.

These days, I'm completely baffled and don't understand why this is happening.

Many times, I even think of myself as a real human being, so why can't I survive the tribulation of lightning?
Only now do I finally understand.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Old Ancestor of the Pill Tower stretched out his hand, and an invisible force burst forth, snatching the storage ring from Xuan Kongzi's waist from a distance.

With a light touch of his fingertip, he easily shattered the soul imprint on the storage ring and retrieved a small white rabbit formed from an eighth-grade elixir.

The little rabbit was pure white, with bright, lively eyes. It looked at the old ancestor of the Pill Tower with a hint of affection in its pupils.

Ancestor Danta gently held the little rabbit in his hand, and for the first time, a genuine look of affection appeared on his face.

"I can do everything that humans do, except for one thing."

To consume elixirs like a human, with such peace of mind and naturalness… I really can't do it! (End of Chapter)