As the button for mutual destruction was pressed, all the toxins in the Bio-Virus Alliance's main base were released. The Immortal Emperors who were participating in the siege were quickly overwhelmed by the released toxins.
However, due to their thorough preparations, some of them had surrounded themselves with Solar True Fire, with temperatures exceeding a million degrees.
Therefore, most of the toxins were ineffective against them.
Many were reduced to ashes before they could even get close.
Yet, some top-tier toxins, capable of piercing space and affecting surrounding laws, managed to infiltrate the bodies of a few Immortal Emperors whose cultivation was slightly weaker and who lacked good defensive treasures. This resulted in some of them being heavily injured and spitting blood on the spot, while others had their Dao hearts shattered. Two, unfortunately, were hit by composite toxins and their Dao met annihilation.
They died even faster than if they had been attacked by Immortal Venerables.
This situation immediately terrified the surrounding Immortal Emperors who had not yet been affected, causing them to flee in panic.
Fortunately, a few Immortal Emperors possessed a modicum of conscience and sense. Before fleeing, they deliberately unleashed Solar True Fire at the Bio-Virus Alliance's main base, incinerating most of the fire-averse viruses,蛊虫 (gu worms), and similar entities.
Ultimately, only a small portion of the toxins spread out.
But this was the main base, besieged by dozens of Immortal Emperors, and deliberately scoured before their departure.
The viruses and蛊虫 spread from other branch bases were not specifically dealt with, and most people were unaware. Therefore, less than three days after the Immortal Emperors dispersed and returned, many ordinary Immortals in various regions of the Immortal Realm began exhibiting all sorts of strange symptoms, accompanied by the deaths of a large number of low-level immortal races.
And it was the native immortal races that were dying.
Those who ascended were mostly unaffected.
Even if they were affected, it was only because their families had mixed bloodlines with native immortal races, and the symptoms were not as severe as those of the native immortal races. Most of them could withstand it, at most suffering some damage to their cultivation or origin, but at least they survived.
This was because the people in the Bio-Virus Alliance had largely used the bodies of ascended human races. When researching viruses, they naturally wouldn't use their own bodies as samples to research viruses that would poison their own people.
Therefore, their research samples were native immortal races of the Immortal Realm, and the viruses they developed were naturally targeted specifically at them. As a result, after the widespread diffusion of various viruses, ascended human races were largely unharmed, while native immortal races suffered heavy casualties, which was quite logical.
Although the dead native immortal races were not of high cultivation, mostly Heavenly Immortals, Earth Immortals, and Human Immortals, and were usually not given much importance, their sheer numbers caused them to die in large quantities, which eventually drew attention. Moreover, high-level immortal races cultivated and ascended from low-level immortal races. If the low-level immortal races were wiped out, it would essentially sever the roots and origins of the native immortal races.
Therefore, upon understanding the specific situation and realizing the severe casualties among the low-level immortal races, the native Immortal Venerables quickly dispatched people to control the situation and investigate the root cause. After determining the cause, they first issued condemnations and then furiously attacked the territories of the ascended human races.
The conflict between the two sides immediately escalated from a controllable, restrained state to a relatively fierce confrontation. As the situation among the native immortal races could not be controlled at all, the spread and mutation of different viruses further threatened and caused the demise of many Mystic Immortals and Golden Immortals.
The situation became increasingly difficult to manage.
It even showed signs of a full-scale war.
In order to control the situation, especially to reduce the casualties among the native immortal races, believing that this was all a conspiracy by the ascenders to exterminate them, and that the ascenders might possess the antidote, the native Immortal Venerables, after much heated debate.
Finally decided to compromise.
They were prepared to exchange for the antidote through compromise or concessions, or to have the ascended forces cease their actions. Even if it meant enduring some humiliation or swallowing their pride, they decided to bear it.
They had to protect their foundation and population first.
And gain time to research those viruses.
Once they figured out how to deal with or resist these so-called viruses, and were prepared, it wouldn't be too late to counterattack and regain their standing.
Under the guidance of the native Immortal Venerables' compromise.
They soon began a new round of negotiation meetings.
In the previous meeting, the native Immortal Venerables believed they would quickly gain control of the situation, so they were only filled with anger and their attitude was aggressive. It was less a negotiation meeting and more an interrogation and declaration of war.
However, this time, their attitude had to be significantly softer. Although it wasn't to the point of kneeling and begging, they were indeed slightly deferential.
They even had to bring up the Demon Realm, stating that nearly a hundred thousand years had passed since the last Immortal-Demon War, and the Demon Realm might have accumulated its strength.
If their side suffered heavy losses due to infighting.
It would be difficult to guarantee victory in the next Immortal-Demon War, and the Demon Realm might take advantage of their weakness to attack.
The Demon Realm did not differentiate between native immortal races and ascended immortal races; all immortal races were within their hunting range. For the sake of the greater good, they were willing to take a step back and hoped for a peaceful resolution to the virus issue.
Facing the deference of the native Immortal Venerables, the ascended Immortal Venerables were quite pleased. They were also somewhat satisfied with their compromise and concessions. However, these specific matters were not handled by them. They were unaware of the research or dissemination of the viruses, so they dared not take full responsibility immediately, only stating that they would consider it.
And they would provide a response as soon as possible.
Then, they instructed their subordinates to find survivors of the Bio-Virus Alliance and those connected to them, and ask them if they had the antidote.
"We are not without enemies. While those native immortal races are excessive and even deliberately belittle us ascenders, we still share a common enemy: the demons in the Demon Realm. There is no need to be utterly ruthless and tear ourselves apart. Doing so would only result in mutual destruction and allow the Demon Realm to benefit.
Now that the native immortal races are willing to concede.
So, do you have the antidote or not?
If you have the antidote, contribute it!
Rest assured, we will not mistreat you, nor will we reveal your whereabouts or anything else.
Therefore, there is no need to worry about safety."
Faced with the inquiry from their fellow Immortal Venerables, Void Immortal Lord, who knew the most about the relevant situation, could only shake his head with helplessness and bitterness: "There is no antidote."
"Several Immortal Venerables, I only know that all the original data within the Alliance was stored in the core of the main base. Even if there was an antidote, or information related to the antidote, it would only be stored there.
However, the dozens of Immortal Emperors who besieged our Alliance earlier were relentless, so the Alliance used the mutual destruction protocol to completely destroy the main base and all the data preserved within it. The viruses were released. Now, let alone the antidote for those viruses, there isn't even the corresponding secret formula to attempt to create viruses again.
Therefore, we are truly powerless in what you speak of.
All those involved in the research have perished, and all the data has been destroyed. Now, we can only gather all cultivators proficient in alchemy, poison studies, and pharmacy to jointly research countermeasures.
Furthermore, I only know that those toxins and蛊毒 are relatively harmless and generally not contagious. Even if some are contagious, close contact is still required. But viruses are different; not only can they spread through spiritual energy, but different viruses intermingling can also lead to mutations.
There are two hundred types of viruses that I know of.
They easily mutate when fused with special spiritual energy and special magical powers. However, people in the Alliance at the time said that viruses could at most harm cultivators at the Golden Immortal level. For those at the Taiyi and Daluo levels, specialized poisons like law-infused toxins must be used. Moreover, they were researching poisons effective against Immortal Venerables at the time, but whether they succeeded, I am not entirely sure.
Because I found their research too terrifying.
I withdrew midway..."
"What?"
Upon hearing Void Immortal Lord's explanation, the Immortal Venerables present couldn't help but feel a headache. This matter seemed troublesome, much more troublesome than any previous issue.
Even if these so-called viruses couldn't harm cultivators above the Taiyi realm, how many cultivators above the Taiyi realm were there in the entire Immortal Realm? The total population of the Immortal Realm exceeded hundreds of billions, with less than three hundred thousand cultivators at the Taiyi level and above.
Cultivators below the Golden Immortal level were the majority.
This was truly a colossal blunder.
Several Immortal Venerables felt that they couldn't handle it.