A flash of panic surfaced in Emperor Jing’s eyes.
He struggled to remain calm as he scrutinized the treatment record in meticulous detail.
“Cough… I will not hide it from you, Alchemy Immortal, but I have also had a bit of a cough lately…” Emperor Jing looked toward Yellow Coward, hesitating.
“May I ask what Your Majesty’s current cultivation base is?” Yellow Coward did not ask about the illness, instead inquiring about Emperor Jing’s cultivation.
“Venerable Realm peak,” Emperor Jing answered.
“It is truly admirable that Your Majesty can govern national affairs without neglecting your own cultivation,” Yellow Coward said, looking at Emperor Jing with sympathy.
“However, the onset of this Epidemic Poison follows a downward sequence of ranks. According to existing data, a Venerable will likely fall ill and lapse into a coma after 5 days. For the Seven Luminaries Realm, it takes 5 to 6 days; for the Six Harmonies Realm, 6 to 7 days; for the Five Elements Realm, 6 to 8 days… Once a coma begins, the victim’s spiritual power starts to dissipate, their meridians wither, their organs fail rapidly, and their blood vessels rupture, leading to massive hemorrhaging. Even the Spiritual Soul begins to rot. Generally, the victim reaches the verge of death within 1 day.”
“And all of this begins with a cough. In the early stages, the only symptom is a common cough.”
As Yellow Coward finished speaking, Emperor Jing stood up with a start.
“Might I ask how many days Your Majesty has been coughing?” Yellow Coward continued to press.
“2 days,” Emperor Jing replied, his voice trembling slightly.
“For a Cultivator, a cough is inherently abnormal, especially for someone with a cultivation base at the peak of the Venerable Realm,” Yellow Coward analyzed helpfully.
“It appears Your Majesty has also been infected with this Epidemic Poison.”
“Then what should I do?” Emperor Jing grabbed Yellow Coward’s shoulder, glaring at him with a murderous intensity.
“The Antidote! You are the Alchemy Immortal; you must have a detoxifying Dan Medicine, right?”
“If I had one, Li Zhuanming and Liu Jinting would not be lying bedridden,” Yellow Coward said, shaking his head helplessly.
“Can an Antidote be developed within 3 days? No matter what conditions you set, I will cooperate fully! I will exhaust the strength of the entire nation to assist you in developing the Antidote!” Emperor Jing said harshly.
“Whether they are royal Dan Cultivators or any other Dan Cultivators, I will order them all to help you!”
“It is impossible. Even if there were ten times as many Dan Cultivators, they could not figure it out,” Yellow Coward stated bluntly. “3 years should be about right.”
“Then can you help me prolong my life for 3 years?”
“I can prolong your life for 1 day at most.”
“…”
Emperor Jing collapsed onto his dragon throne.
What tormented him more than death was knowing he only had 3 days left—especially for a man like him.
He still had infinite achievements to complete and a vast, boundless territory waiting to be conquered.
He was meant to achieve Longevity Equal to Heaven and become the greatest emperor in human history… How could he fall here?!
“There is one last way,” Yellow Coward suddenly spoke.
Emperor Jing’s eyes widened, and he sat up abruptly. “Speak! As long as my life can be saved, I am willing to pay any price!”
“Ask the Medical Cultivators for help.”
Emperor Jing froze instantly.
A surge of killing intent, like 10,000 sharp blades, pierced toward Yellow Coward.
“Are you telling me to bow my head to rebels? Besides,” Emperor Jing gripped his precious sword, “if Dan Cultivators cannot solve the problem, how can Medical Cultivators? Are you admitting that you are inferior to them?”
Yellow Coward showed no fear, taking a step forward to look Emperor Jing in the eye.
“Every profession has its specialization. If Your Majesty continues to view Medical Cultivators with such hostility, then Shenzhou, the Kingdom of Dasi, and Your Majesty will all share a single fate: total destruction.”
“Is there no other way?” Emperor Jing asked, unwilling to yield.
“None.”
“Just because you cannot do it does not mean others cannot,” Emperor Jing roared in fury.
“Immediately summon all Dan Cultivators in the country to the palace! Whoever can cure my illness shall be handsomely rewarded!”
“Enough!” Yellow Coward completely snapped.
“What time do you think it is? And you’re still worried about your damn pride! I am the strongest Dan Cultivator in all of Shenzhou! If I cannot do it, no one can! If you keep wasting time, then just wait to die! I’m fucking done with this!”
Yellow Coward violently ripped off the mask of his Protective Suit. In his rage, saliva sprayed all over Emperor Jing’s face.
“You… Do you also intend to rebel?” Emperor Jing drew his sword in a rage and leveled it at Yellow Coward’s neck.
“Kill me if you want! I’ve had enough! You can be the sinner of the ages! I’m quitting! You useless, fumbling monarch, *ptooey*!”
Yellow Coward spat a glob of phlegm right onto Emperor Jing’s face.
Given his status, he was not afraid of Emperor Jing to begin with.
He had a hidden Sect as his backing… Even the Kingdom of Dasi could do nothing to him.
Furthermore, his own Sect was currently caught in the crisis of the Epidemic Poison.
If Emperor Jing continued to do nothing, he would surely die as well.
He had to get Yiqin out.
“If you remain obstinate, I will use all the power of the Bright Sun Sect to announce your true face to the world! When that time comes, your kingdom will be gone, your reputation will be gone, and your life will be gone. You can take your dreams of being an Emperor to Hell with you! *ptooey*…!”
Another glob of phlegm landed.
Emperor Jing’s entire body trembled with rage, his face turning a dark, bloated purple, but he absolutely could not let his sword fall.
At such a critical moment, if he killed the backbone of the Dan Cultivators and continued to imprison the Medical Cultivators, he would be reviled for eternity, even if the Kingdom of Dasi survived this disaster.
That was the one thing he could not tolerate.
“Alchemy Immortal, please calm yourself,” Emperor Jing’s expression shifted instantly.
He managed a smile and used his dragon robe to wipe his face clean.
“I understand the urgency of the situation. Naturally, I would not do something so ungrateful… I will send men to bring Valley Master Yiqin here immediately.”
The speed at which Emperor Jing’s expression changed made Yellow Coward feel nauseous. He suppressed his disgust and stood to the side, waiting for Yiqin.
However, when Yiqin arrived, both Emperor Jing and Yellow Coward felt their hearts sink.
Yiqin’s expression was listless. She was coughing violently, her lips were a bruised purple, and her body was covered in injuries.
“You were only locked up yesterday! The poison shouldn’t have progressed this quickly! Were you already infected before? You—” Yellow Coward rushed to support Yiqin.
“I was infected yesterday when my Protective Suit was torn,” Yiqin said, covering her mouth and coughing twice.
Black blood seeped through her fingers. “The situation was urgent, and there were no experimental subjects nearby. I had no choice but to experiment on myself…”
Yellow Coward’s eyes suddenly reddened.
He delivered a fierce slap to his own face, using all his strength.
The blow left one of his ears ringing. Looking at Yiqin, he felt a shame that itched deep in his bones.
Only yesterday, he had arrogantly claimed there was no poison in the world he did not know, believing—like all Dan Cultivators—that Medical Cultivators were merely useless dregs of history.
But now, Yiqin made him realize the gap between them… He wasn’t even fit to carry her shoes!
Emperor Jing felt uncomfortable, but he spared a disdainful glance for Yiqin, thinking, ‘What a fool.’
Still, his expression remained unchanged, and he spoke from a high-and-mighty position.
“I am willing to lift the blockade on the Medical Cultivators. In exchange, you must develop an Antidote within 2 days.”
Yiqin did not care about Emperor Jing’s loathsome tone.
She simply shook her head. “I cannot. I am dying.”
“If you cannot, then who can?” Emperor Jing’s eyes widened in desperation.
“Go find the strongest Medical Cultivator in Shenzhou.”
“Isn’t that you?” Yellow Coward asked urgently.
“No, not me,” Yiqin said, a sudden smile touching her lips—a smile of genuine pride.
“It is Qing Yi,” she said.
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