Immediately, Tongtian transformed into a stream of light and flew toward the territory of the Human Race.
Meanwhile, back at Shouyang Mountain, Ling Wudao and Donghuang Taiyi locked eyes for a moment before Ling Wudao suddenly hurled two explosive talismans.
Seeing this, Donghuang Taiyi's brow furrowed instantly!
Instead of attacking him, Ling Wudao's talismans flew straight toward the stone statues of Nuwa and Taiqing.
"Boom!"
The two crimson talismans made contact with the statues and detonated instantly. In the blink of an eye, the stone statues dissolved into ashes and vanished into the void.
Suirenshi and the rest of the Human Race stared in absolute terror.
After all, these were statues of Sages. Once shattered, the Sages would surely sense it. Should the Sages unleash their wrath right now, it would spell certain doom for the Human Race.
Suirenshi spoke up, "Wudao, do you know the consequences of doing this?"
"With the statues destroyed, the Sages will definitely sense it. If they punish us, our entire race is finished."
Ling Wudao sneered, "Punishment? Do they even have the right to punish us?"
"Three Ancestors, after Nuwa created us, has she ever cared about our life or death?"
"She gave us life, but we also helped her ascend to the rank of Sage."
"We revere her as the Holy Mother of the Human Race, and she enjoys half of our Qi fortune. Yet now that the Human Race faces a crisis, has she appeared to help us?"
"And what about the Taiqing Sage? He established the Human Teaching among us and used our Qi fortune to help himself attain Sagehood, but has he ever truly enlightened or guided our people?"
"Aside from taking Xuandu as a disciple, all he did was hand down a cultivation method called the Golden Core to the Human Race. Perhaps you don't realize this yet!"
"This so-called Golden Core method is actually a shackle meant to suppress the growth and potential of the Human Race."
With that, Ling Wudao exposed the hidden flaws and dangers of the Golden Core.
Hearing this, the members of the Human Race finally understood the trap behind the Golden Core.
Up in the void, however, Donghuang Taiyi had run out of patience.
"Kid, I have no interest in listening to your human chatter. Right now, I just want to see what you're truly made of."
With that, Donghuang Taiyi raised a hand to condense a fireball and hurled it directly at Ling Wudao.
Seeing the attack coming, Ling Wudao did not back down. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a silver talisman flying forward.
"Boom!"
The massive fireball crashed into the silver talisman and was instantly deflected right back.
Shock washed over Donghuang Taiyi's face. That fireball had been condensed from his own True Sun Fire, and its destructive power was terrifying enough that even a Peak Daluo Golden Immortal would not dare to take it head-on.
Yet his opponent had batted it back with a single talisman. How could he not be shocked?
Seeing the fireball hurtling back at him, Donghuang Taiyi reached out and grabbed it, causing the flames to instantly dissipate into the void.
"Kid, your tricks are rather bizarre. Now let's have a proper fight!"
Just as Donghuang Taiyi prepared to strike again, a figure materialized in the void. "Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, you had better stop right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind slaughtering every single last soldier of your Monster Clan's grand army."
Hearing that voice, the two of them immediately looked up.
The moment they saw Tongtian, their expressions darkened instantly.
"Sage Tongtian, this is a matter between us and the Human Race. Please do not interfere."
Tongtian sneered, "I am determined to protect the Human Race. If you insist on massacring them, I will have no choice but to wipe out your millions of monster soldiers."
Hearing this, Dijun and Taiyi looked even grimmer.
Tongtian's words were a blatant threat. If they dared to lay a hand on the Human Race, the Monster Clan's vast army would undoubtedly become ghosts under Tongtian's sword.
Realizing how things stood, Dijun knew it was impossible to slaughter humans to forge the Slaughtering Sword anymore.
Just as Dijun was about to order a retreat, Jieyin and Zhunti flew in from the distance.
"Senior Brother Tongtian, this is the great tribulation of the Human Race. You should not interfere."
"Jieyin, Zhunti, what are you doing in the East? Could it be that you also wish to meddle in the affairs between the Monster Clan and the Human Race?"
Jieyin smiled faintly, "Senior Brother Tongtian, we must follow the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao. Since you are going against the will of heaven, my junior brother and I are bound to stop you."
Hearing this, Dijun immediately turned to Jieyin and said, "Thank you for your assistance, Sage. The Monster Clan will reward you handsomely after this is done."
"Think nothing of it. Go ahead and do what you must!"
Upon hearing these words, Dijun turned to the countless monster soldiers behind him and roared, "Attack!"
At his command, the vast horde of monster soldiers surged toward the Human Race. But right at that moment, a gentle yet furious voice echoed through the heavens.
"Dijun, touch the Human Race again, if you dare."
Everyone present instinctively looked up toward the distant void.
A breathtaking figure flew in from afar, and the moment Dijun and Taiyi caught sight of her, their hearts plunged to rock bottom.
Nuwa's arrival meant that the attempts by Taiqing and Yuanshi to intercept her had failed.
Their original plan had been for Taiqing and Yuanshi to stall Nuwa while Dijun and Taiyi seized the opportunity to massacre the Human Race and forge the Slaughtering Sword.
They had only dared to move against the Human Race because Taiqing and Yuanshi had suggested it and promised to block Nuwa from coming to the rescue.
But now that both Nuwa and Tongtian were here, any chance of wiping out the humans was completely gone.
Nuwa flew to Tongtian's side and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for stepping in to help the Human Race."
"It is nothing. All things possess a glimmer of hope for survival, and the fundamental principle of my Jiejiao is to seize that very glimmer of survival for all living beings. The Human Race is no exception."
"Yet, Junior Sister, why have you only arrived just now?"
Tongtian's question was precisely what the humans below wanted to ask. At that moment, Ling Wudao and the people on the ground stared fixedly at Nuwa, hoping for an explanation.
"Sigh!"
"To be honest with you, Senior Brother, I sensed it the moment the Human Race faced this catastrophe. But the instant I set out to help them, Taiqing and Yuanshi intercepted me."
"Had someone not shattered Taiqing's stone statue and caused him to hesitate for a crucial moment, I never would have broken through their blockade."
Scarcely had Nuwa finished speaking when two more figures streaked across the sky—none other than Taiqing and Yuanshi, who had failed to keep Nuwa contained.
As they landed before the group, Taiqing spoke up, "Junior Sister Nuwa, this is the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao. As your elder brother, I advise you not to meddle in the affairs between the Human Race and the Monster Clan. If you insist on interfering, when the Heavenly Dao sends down its divine retribution, you risk falling from your position as a Sage."
Before Taiqing's voice even faded, a figure soared up from the ground below.
It was Ling Wudao. He looked gratefully at Tongtian and said, "Thank you for your intervention, Sage Tongtian. I, Ling Wudao, will forever engrave this profound kindness in my heart and repay it in the future."