The Southern Pole War God stepped forward, his impatience palpable. "North Pole, why waste words with them! We are righteous gods of the Heavenly Court, and none dare disobey the Heavenly Emperor's orders! Let's just attack!"
Upon hearing this, the Northern Pole War God turned to look at Taibai Jinxing beside him.
"Lord Taibai, what do you think..." the God of War of the Central Extremes asked in a deep voice.
Taibai Jinxing's gaze fell on Yao Ji, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.
He took a deep breath and slowly said, " Fairy Yao Ji, the Heavenly Emperor has ordered us to take you back to the Heavenly Court for trial. We hope that you... will not make things difficult for us."
Yao Ji looked at the dark mass of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals in the sky, then at Yang Tianyou beside her, and the three children inside the house, and a sense of sorrow welled up in her heart.
She sighed softly, looked up at Taibai Jinxing, and said, "Venus, I'll go with you. But please... don't harm my husband and child. They are innocent."
Taibai Jinxing fell silent.
The Northern Pole War God sneered, " Fairy Yao Ji, my orders are—capture you and bring you back to Heavenly Court, and leave that man and his three bastard children alive! The Heavenly Emperor's majesty cannot be insulted; I cannot obey!"
"You!" Yao Ji trembled with rage, her body radiating a vibrant, multicolored light. "So, there's nothing left to discuss?"
Yang Tianyou stepped forward and stood beside his wife.
Although he was only at the Meridian Connecting Realm Opening Realm, his eyes were resolute. "My wife, I am not afraid of death. But anyone who wants to harm our child will have to step over my dead body first!"
The Northern Pole War God snorted coldly and looked at Taibai Jinxing again, "Lord Venus, you are the commander-in-chief, what do you say?"
Taibai Jinxing closed his eyes, and Haotian's command flashed through his mind.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, sighed, and said to the leader Li Xun below, "Our Heavenly Court has no intention of being enemies with the human race. Today's matter is only to capture Yao Ji, who has violated the Heavenly Rules. We hope that the human race will not interfere, so as not to harm the innocent."
Li Xun frowned, gripping his weapon tightly, and remained silent.
Taibai Jinxing said no more, turning to the Five Extremes War Gods, his voice cold and hard. "Make your move."
"Understood!"
Five figures transformed into streaks of light and plunged straight down!
Five war gods at the Mystic Immortal level attacked simultaneously, their power shaking the heavens and earth!
The entire Red Maple Tribe trembled, the houses rattled, and those with lower cultivation levels were so shaken by the oppressive force that blood gushed from their mouths and noses!
A resolute glint flashed in Yao Ji's eyes. Her seven-colored Rainbow Feather Robe radiated a dazzling light, and the long sword in her hand shone brightly as she faced the Five Extremes War Gods!
Yang Tianyou gritted his teeth, drew his bow, and shot an arrow!
He charged straight at the Northern Pole War God, who was at the forefront, with all his true energy!
However, this arrow was nothing short of child's play in front of a Mystic Immortal expert.
The Northern Pole War God didn't even dodge; with a casual wave of his hand, the arrow exploded into dust in mid-air.
"Even ants dare to resist?" The Northern Pole War God sneered, slashing at Yang Tianyou with his sword!
Yang Tianyou's pupils contracted sharply, but he didn't retreat an inch. Instead, he shielded Yao Ji behind him!
"My husband!"
Yao Ji cried out in alarm, wanting to come to the rescue, but was held back by the other four war gods.
Yao Ji was, after all, the Heavenly Emperor's sister, so naturally they dared not truly harm her.
On the other side.
"Chief! Are we really not going to make a move?!"
Beside Li Xun, an elderly man at the Martial Soul Realm spoke urgently, his hair and beard bristling, his eyes filled with rage, " Yang Tianyou is a member of the human race, and we, as members of the human race, how can we stand by and watch our compatriots be killed?!"
Another elder gritted his teeth and said, "Since our birth, our human race has endured countless hardships, relying on unity and solidarity! If we allow the Heavenly Court to kill people on our territory today, where is the dignity of our human race?!"
Li Xun gazed at the despairing scene in the sky, at Yang Tianyou's back as he protected his wife and children, at Yao Ji's desperate resistance, and at the indignation and expectation in the eyes of the young warriors in the tribe...
He took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes. "The sons of the Red Maple Tribe!"
"Present!" hundreds of martial artists responded in unison.
"Follow me—" Li Xun gripped his longsword, his eyes resolute, "Protect my people, defend my race!"
"Kill!!!"
Hundreds of figures soared into the sky!
Although they were far weaker than the Heavenly Court, not one of them flinched at this moment!
Two Martial Soul Realm elders took the lead, drawing their swords and blades to block the Northern Pole War God's strike aimed at Yang Tianyou!
The other martial artists at the Core Elixir Realm and Dharma Aspect Realm also displayed their skills and charged fearlessly towards the Heavenly Soldiers' formation!
"You—" The Northern Pole War God laughed in fury, "Very well! Since you're courting death, then don't blame this War God!"
He was originally worried about Lin Tian and Nuwa behind the human race, but now he was consumed by rage and couldn't care less about that!
With a flash of light, the blade slashed towards Li Xun, who was charging at the forefront!
"Clang--!!!"
Li Xun by a single blow, spitting out blood, and the long sword in his hand shattered into pieces!
But after landing, he flipped over and stood up again, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with even greater fighting spirit!
"Human warriors, fight to the death!" he roared hoarsely.
"Fight to the death, we will not retreat!" All the warriors of the Red Maple Tribe responded in unison, their voices echoing across the land!
In the sky, the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals also began to move.
Fifty thousand heavenly soldiers formed a battle formation and pressed down on the human warriors below!
In an instant, the sounds of battle shook the heavens!
Swords flashed, magical weapons clashed, and blood and flesh flew everywhere!
Although the warriors of the Red Maple Tribe were brave, they were outnumbered and outmatched in strength, and more than ten of them perished in the blink of an eye.
Yang Tianyou looked at his clansmen who were fighting for their family, his eyes reddening.
He wanted to rush forward to help, but Yao Ji held him back tightly.
"Husband, you'll only be throwing your life away if you go!" Yao Ji said urgently while fending off the attacks of the four war gods.
"But they..." Yang Tianyou's voice choked with emotion.
Just then, a huge golden talisman appeared in the sky!
The runes seemed to contain the ultimate truths of heaven and earth; the moment they appeared, they exuded an aura of power that suppressed everything!
That is the word "town"!
The word "Zhen" shines brightly with golden light. Wherever it passes, space freezes and time stops!
Whether they were Heavenly Soldiers and Generals or human warriors, they were all unable to move at this moment!
The Five Extremes War Gods's offensive came to an abrupt halt, as if he had sunk into a quagmire, his movements slowing down a thousandfold!
Yao Ji also felt the pressure around her ease, and looked up at the sky with surprise and uncertainty.
Taibai Jinxing's expression changed drastically, and he quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "May I ask which senior has graced us with their presence? Please show yourself!"
A figure in cyan robes slowly emerged from the void.
He was a middle-aged man with a refined appearance, dressed in a simple blue robe, holding a book in his hand, and exuding a powerful aura.
His gaze calmly swept across the battlefield, finally settling on Taibai Jinxing: "Why has the Heavenly Court mobilized such a large force to come to my human territory?"
Taibai Jinxing was startled and quickly bowed. "So it is the Ancestor of Script who has arrived! I am Taibai Jinxing, and I have come by order of the Heavenly Emperor to capture the Fairy Yao Ji has violated the Heavenly Rules. I have no choice but to disturb you, and I hope the Ancestor of Script will forgive me."
The newcomer was none other than Cangjie, the Ancestor of Script of human civilization!
He created the human script, gained merit from the Heavenly Dao Merit, and his cultivation has reached the Martial Domain Realm.
This is equivalent to the quasi-saint level of cultivation in the Immortal Path.
Cangjie looked down at the dead and wounded human warriors, then at the besieged Yao Ji's family, and instantly understood everything. "Violated the Heavenly Rules? I wonder which Heavenly Rule Fairy Yao Ji violated?"
"This..." Taibai Jinxing was speechless for a moment.
The Northern Pole War God, however, stubbornly insisted, "She descended to the mortal realm without permission, mated with a human, and even gave birth to an illegitimate child! This violates the heavenly laws!"
Upon hearing this, Cangjie's eyes flashed with a cold glint. "To marry a human is to violate the Heavenly Laws? What a show of power!"
He turned his gaze to Yao Ji, his voice softening slightly. " Fairy Yao Ji, do you have something to say?"
Yao Ji bowed to Cangjie: " Ancestor of Script, you are wise. Yao Ji husband and I are deeply in love, and after we became husband and wife, we have been together for over ten years. We have never done anything that would harm heaven or reason. If you say we have violated the heavenly rules... Yao Ji only asks, what crime is true love?"
Cangjie nodded, then looked at Yang Tianyou: "And you? Do you have anything to say?"
Yang Tianyou took a deep breath, knelt down and bowed. "Junior Yang Tianyou pays respects to Ancestor of Script. My wife and I are truly in love and willing to live and die together. Today's events are all because of me. I beg Ancestor of Script... to save my wife and child!"
He kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the ground with a deep thud.
"That's enough for today." Cangjie spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority. "Regarding Fairy Yao Ji, I will report to the Human Emperor and even the Father God. As for the Heavenly Court..."
His gaze swept over the 50,000 Heavenly Soldiers and Generals: "Take your people and leave human territory. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite."
" Ancestor of Script!" the Northern Pole War God exclaimed urgently, "We are acting on the orders of the Heavenly Emperor..."
" The Heavenly Emperor's decree?" Cangjie interrupted him, "Even if the Dao Ancestor Hongjun himself were here, he would still have to abide by reason. Moreover..."
The aura around him suddenly surged, and the huge golden word "zhen" became even brighter, making all the heavenly soldiers and generals almost breathless!
"This is human territory!"
Taibai Jinxing's expression changed several times, and finally he sighed, cupping his hands and saying, " Ancestor of Script, please calm your anger. We... will now withdraw."
He gave Yao Ji a deep look, then glanced at Cangjie, and finally waved his hand. "Withdraw the troops!"
The 50,000 heavenly soldiers retreated like a tide. Although the Five Extremes War Gods were unwilling, they dared not disobey Cangjie's might and could only leave in a huff.
Cangjie descended and came before Yao Ji and Yang Tianyou.
He glanced at the three still-shaken children inside and sighed softly, "You and your family, come with me to the Human Emperor City."
Yao Ji and Yang Tianyou exchanged a glance, then both knelt down. "Thank you Ancestor of Script, for saving our lives!"
The survivors of the Red Maple Tribe also knelt down in worship.
Suddenly, a beam of Buddha Light appeared, revealing a figure.
" The Saint Zhunti?"