In the vast East China Sea, a huge black Qilin was carrying Li Daoyi and Mengmeng as they flew slowly overhead.
"Brother Daoyi, where are we going? Aren't we going back to Chaoge?" Mengmeng asked, tilting her head up.
"Don't rush, we're going to meet a few people and pick up something while we're at it," Li Daoyi said, patting the little guy's hair.
"Oh," Mengmeng replied obediently.
"Little Black, fly that way." Li Daoyi said, patting Little Black.
"Roar..." the Qilin roared, and then flew in the direction Li Daoyi pointed.
Gradually, a fairy island floating on the sea came into view.
The island is covered with lush trees, towering mountains, and clouds and mist passing through them. The sunlight shines through the clouds and mist, turning them golden, making the whole island even more magnificent. The blue seawater laps against the rocks on the shore, and countless birds play happily on the beach.
"Wow, so beautiful!" Mengmeng's eyes widened immediately.
"What is this place?" Mengmeng asked, pointing to the island.
“Penglai,” Li Daoyi said softly.
Just as Xiao Hei approached the Immortal Island, a transparent energy barrier spread out from the center of the island, isolating it from the outside world.
"Huh?" Little Black stopped immediately.
"What are you afraid of, you idiot?" Li Daoyi patted Xiao Hei, then pointed his finger forward, and the newly formed transparent barrier instantly dissipated like a bubble.
"roar..."
Little Black roared and quickly flew inside.
Meanwhile, on the north side of the immortal island, atop a crimson cliff, lies a massive cave. The cave is filled with radiant light, and faint celestial energy emanates from it. Suddenly, the light vanishes, and several figures emerge from the cave.
There were three people dressed in ordinary gray Taoist robes. They were looking at the sky with some surprise, where Qilin Xiao Hei was.
"It's actually the auspicious beast Qilin!" the person standing in the middle exclaimed in surprise.
"The newcomers broke through the island's protective formation so easily; they're probably up to no good. You two, we need to be careful," the other person said.
Soon, the Qilin slowly stopped in mid-air in front of the three of them, and Li Daoyi and Mengmeng also got up from their backs and looked at the three of them.
"May I ask who you are? We are three men, and we greet you."
The three then bowed to Li Daoyi.
"Li Daoyi of the Human Race greets the Three Sages of the Human Race." Li Daoyi also cupped his hands in greeting to the three.
Then he picked up Mengmeng and jumped down from the air, landing on the cliff.
Li Daoyi looked around and saw the words "Dan Ya" (丹崖, meaning "Red Cliff") carved on the crimson cliff face.
This is Dan Cliff Mountain on Penglai Island, and there is a famous cave here called Fire Cloud Cave. As the name suggests, the three people in front of us are the three saints of the human race.
"I was rude just now. Greetings to the Heavenly Emperor, the Earthly Emperor, and the Human Emperor," Li Daoyi said, bowing once more.
Upon hearing that the other party was a human, the Three Emperors immediately lowered their guard and looked at Li Daoyi with great curiosity.
"I never expected that the human race would produce such a talented person as you." Fuxi, standing in the middle, praised.
"What brings you here? If it's for a great calamity, we are powerless to help you," said the Yellow Emperor, looking at Li Daoyi.
"Hmm." Emperor Yan Shennong, who was standing to the side, also nodded in agreement.
Li Dao smiled immediately.
Why are the three of you so certain?
"Oh, so you really did come here for the great calamity?" Fuxi said.
"The great calamity is ordained by Heaven, and it is not appropriate for us to interfere. Moreover, this calamity is actually beneficial to our human race. Young brother, you should go back," Fuxi continued.
"How long has it been since the three of you left Fire Cloud Cave?" Li Daoyi suddenly asked.
The three of them were taken aback for a moment, and then their expressions became somewhat unnatural.
The reason the three of them didn't leave the Fire Cloud Cave was actually because they were forced to. The Heavenly Dao stipulated that the Human Emperor could not live forever, and the three of them had special identities. They were once the supreme beings of the human race, and the price they paid for this was that they could never leave the Fire Cloud Cave for the rest of their lives, nor could they interfere in the affairs of the human race.
Normally, the three of them only learned about the current state of the human race from visiting immortal friends or from Nuwa, Fuxi's sister, which was no different from being in prison.
"Hey, young man, just say what you have to say," Fuxi sighed.
“You say this great calamity is beneficial to our human race, but I don’t know where you got that conclusion from,” Li Daoyi said.
"This is the result of our joint deduction: the old dynasty has fallen, a new dynasty has been born, and the human race will also usher in new opportunities," Xuanyuan said hastily.
"Indeed, young brother, you were able to break the island's protective formation so easily. It seems you are also a quasi-saint. Cultivation is not easy. It's best not to get involved in this calamity, lest you bring trouble upon yourself," the aged Shennong earnestly advised.
"Haha, I appreciate your kindness."
"However, I must say that once the Shang Dynasty falls, the Human Emperor of the human race will cease to exist," Li Daoyi said with a smile.
"Hmm?" The three of them immediately frowned.
"What do you mean?" Fuxi asked.
“Since ancient times, our human race has always been self-reliant and strong, without respecting gods or fearing the heavens, which is why we have achieved such prosperity. Of course, the contributions of these three individuals are also part of this success,” Li Daoyi said.
The three men's expressions eased slightly upon hearing this.
"But precisely because of this, the gods regard our human race as straw dogs and want to completely enslave us. Once the Great Annihilation occurs, the next human dynasty will no longer have a human emperor, but only a Son of Heaven who is appointed by Heaven, becoming an object for the gods to take at will. Do you think you can accept such a fate for the human race?" Li Daoyi said coldly.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Fuxi suddenly shouted.
"Back then, the Dao Ancestor himself said that the gods would not forcibly interfere with the human race."
Li Daoyi sneered upon hearing this.
"Hmph, if that's the case, why trap you all here? And why not grant the Human Emperor immortality? Is the Human Emperor of this clan not even as good as an ordinary cultivator?" Li Daoyi retorted.
The three of them were immediately speechless.
In fact, they had also wondered why the Human Emperor could not live forever, but they were unwilling to think about it in depth.
"Because they are afraid."
Li Daoyi continued.
"Afraid?" The three of them were taken aback.
"good."
"Fear? Our tenacity exceeded their expectations, our resilience surpassed their imagination. We survived the Lich War, that kind of desperate situation, so what can't our human race do?"
"Heaven does not want the human race to rise, nor does it want the human race to replace those gods and immortals one day. What they need is a human race that kowtows and makes wishes, not a human race that questions and refutes."
"What do you three think?" Li Daoyi asked slowly.
The three fell silent instantly, countless memories flashing through their minds.
Recalling their hardships and struggles, they now live a wretched existence in this cave, unable to even visit the human race they cherish most.
Just then, Li Dao bowed deeply to the three of them.
"Eeya?" Mengmeng tilted her little head and looked at Li Daoyi in confusion.
"You..." The three of them were stunned.
Li Daoyi then straightened up and said.
“The three of you are the ancient sages of the human race, whom I have always deeply admired. I am here today not for any other reason than to explain the current situation of the human race.”
"In this great calamity, our human race will certainly not let those people succeed."
“Alas, young brother, you are going to make enemies of all the sages,” Fuxi sighed.
“Sages, that’s not entirely true. Nuwa and Tongtian are on my side,” Li Daoyi said playfully, blinking his eyes.
"What?" The three of them were immediately shocked.
"Why would I tell you all this if I wasn't absolutely certain?" Li Daoyi said with a smile.
Only then did the three of them seriously examine the young man in front of them. At first, they thought he was just a rising star. Although he was also a quasi-saint, the three of them did not pay much attention to him. Now it seems that they had probably misjudged him.
"call..."
Fuxi took a deep breath.
"Tell me, what do you want us to do?"
“No, the three of you don’t need to make a move,” Li Daoyi said, denying it.
The three were immediately puzzled. They knew that if the three of them combined their strength with the human race's fortune, their power could reach the Saint level. If they weren't here to help them, what were they doing here?
At this moment, Li Daoyi looked at the Yellow Emperor.
"I wish to retrieve the Human Race's most precious treasure, the Human Emperor's Seal," Li Dao said solemnly.
It turns out that after the Yellow Emperor rode the dragon to the heavens, he also took the Emperor's Seal with him, simply because he was worried that the next Emperor would not be able to suppress the fate of the human race.
"I see." Xuanyuan nodded.
Immediately, the god reached out and beckoned to the Fire Cloud Cave behind him, and an ancient, gleaming seal flew out.
The large seal was engraved with stars, the sun and moon, birds and beasts, and a surge of aura emanated from it. It was the Human Emperor's Seal, a supreme treasure of the human race.
"Back then, I was forced to ascend to heaven. I was worried that the next human emperor would not have enough merit to suppress this seal, so I took it with me. For many years, I have been looking for an opportunity to send it back, but alas..." Emperor Xuanyuan sighed.
“I know that it was right for you to take it away back then. After all, a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. This treasure contains a lot of human fortune. If it is coveted by someone with ulterior motives, it will only cause trouble.” Li Dao nodded.
Xuanyuan smiled approvingly at Li Daoyi, then handed over the Emperor's Seal.
"I'll do it!" Mengmeng cheered and ran over to take the Emperor's Seal.
The little girl held the seal, which was bigger than her head, in her hands, and couldn't help but lick her lips, drooling involuntarily.
"Mengmeng," Li Daoyi called out.
"Oh." Mengmeng came back to her senses and reluctantly handed the Emperor's Seal to Li Daoyi.
"Thank you." Li Daoyi bowed to the three of them, holding up the Emperor's Seal.
"Thank you for your trust, all three of you," Li Daoyi said.
"The Great Dao is vast and boundless, young brother. You see further and understand more clearly than we do, which is admirable. The fate of humanity is now in your hands," Fuxi said.
"We are people abandoned by the times, and we only hope that one day the human race can truly stand between heaven and earth. Young brother, I beg you." Emperor Yan Shennong cupped his hands to Li Daoyi.
"That day will come, and it won't be long."
"The three of you, when that day comes, I will personally welcome you home." After saying this, Li Daoyi bowed to the three of them again.
Although the three of them were not as skilled as him, their contributions to the human race were worthy of his respect.
"Hahaha..."
"Little Black, let's go home."
Li Daoyi laughed loudly, and Laqi Mengmeng flew back onto his back, heading towards the outside of Penglai Island.
"Only by taking the heart of Heaven and Earth as one's own can one understand righteousness. Only by taking the illumination of the sun and moon as one's own can one understand clarity. Only by taking the virtue of integrity as one's own can one understand reason. Selflessness is the greatest virtue, and with a solid foundation, one will never be inexhaustible."
Li Daoyi's voice slowly drifted from the air, and then his figure gradually disappeared.
Watching his graceful departure, the three human saints' eyes were filled with love and hope.
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