421: method

Inside the Flower Rain Palace, immortal mist lingered, and the fragrance of spiritual fruits wafted. Xiao Zhuo calmly sipped his tea, as if the slight from earlier had never happened.

Wang Xianzhi and the other two's initial indignation gradually subsided amidst their Revered Master's composure and the wondrous sights within the palace, though a hint of resentment towards the Heavenly Princess Yu Shang's arrogance still lingered in their hearts.

Emperor Emperor was restless, pondering how to salvage the situation.

Half an hour later, the immortal clouds outside the palace suddenly surged violently, and a vast, unparalleled Emperor's might descended, instantly enveloping the entire Heavenly Court Immortal Palace!

Immediately following, another gentle, compassionate, yet unfathomably deep Buddha Power fluctuation spread, like a life-giving rain, calming the unrest.

"The Haotian Emperor is back! And... Medicine Master King Buddha!" Emperor Emperor suddenly stood up, his expression complex, holding both reverence and a barely perceptible hint of anxiety.

Almost simultaneously, an immortal general in golden armor strode into the Flower Rain Palace, respectfully saluting Emperor and Xiao Zhuo: "Emperor, Immortal King! His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and Medicine Master King Buddha have arrived at the Grand Hall, and the Queen Mother of the West has ordered this humble general to quickly invite you two to discuss the Imperial Son's treatment!"

Xiao Zhuo put down the jade cup in his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips: "It seems the main characters have arrived. Let's go, Fellow Daoist Emperor, let's not keep His Majesty and King Buddha waiting."

Grand Hall, Imperial Son's sleeping chambers.

The Queen Mother of the West and Princess Yu Shang, who had been attending there earlier, now stood silently to the side, their gazes fixed on the two figures before the cold jade bed.

One wore an imperial robe, his face majestic and serene, his eyes opening and closing as if galaxies formed and perished, and all things came into being—he was the supreme Dominator of the Heavenly Court, the Haotian Emperor!

The imperial might and creation Qi emanating from him were even more vast and profound than the Heavenly Emperor Seal.

The other wore a simple apricot-yellow kasaya, his figure slightly thin, his face compassionate and serene, with a point of glazed Buddha light flowing ceaselessly between his brows.

There was no oppressive aura around him, but his tranquil and profound presence seemed to encompass all suffering and soothe all pain.

He was the renowned Saint of Medicine from the Western Buddhist Kingdom, famous throughout the Immortal-Demon Realm—the Medicine Revered Master Lapis Lazuli Light King Buddha!

At this moment, Medicine Master King Buddha extended his withered yet infinitely vital finger, pressing it virtually onto Imperial Son Yu Pan's Divine Soul.

Strands of Buddha light, pure as glazed glass and warm as fine jade, flowed from his fingertips, cautiously probing into the nearly transparent Soul body, which was entangled by more than a dozen Dao injuries.

Wherever the Buddha light passed, the dark patterns on the surface of the Soul body—grotesque, twisted, exuding curses, Soul poison, and decaying Qi—began to sizzle faintly as if ice meeting a scorching sun, showing signs of slowly melting and being purified!

The cold, sinister Qi permeating the hall was instantly diluted considerably, replaced by a warm, clean, and life-affirming presence.

The eyes of the Queen Mother of the West and Princess Yu Shang immediately burst forth with hopeful light.

However, as the Buddha light delved deeper into the core of the Divine Soul, touching the Great Dao scars deeply embedded in its Origin, the Medicine Master King Buddha's calm face gradually furrowed.

The glazed Buddha light seemed to encounter an incredibly tough, corrupted barrier; purification and erosion became a stalemate, and the rate of dissolution became extremely slow, even showing faint signs of being repelled.

After a long while, Medicine Master King Buddha slowly withdrew his finger, and the surrounding glazed Buddha light also receded.

He sighed softly and proclaimed a Buddhist chant: "Amitabha. The Dao injuries afflicting the Imperial Son's Divine Soul are formed from at least thirteen extremely insidious and malicious Great Dao Laws, interconnected and intertwined, deeply rooted in the Divine Soul's Origin, almost fused with the Divine Soul itself. Forcibly removing them, with the slightest carelessness, would lead to the dissolution of his Dao and Soul."

The Haotian Emperor said in a deep voice, "Does King Buddha have confidence?"

Medicine Master King Buddha clasped his hands, his eyes shimmering with glazed light, revealing solemnity: "This poor monk, using 'Lapis Lazuli Pure Fire' combined with the 'Twelve Yaksha Generals Dharma Protector Seal,' may attempt to peel away and purify these Dao injury Origins one by one. However, this process is extremely perilous, requiring the Imperial Son's Divine Soul to have sufficient resilience to endure, and demanding extremely precise control of Divine Sense from the caster, allowing no room for error. In this poor monk's estimation... the chance of success is less than thirty percent."

"Thirty percent..." The Queen Mother of the West swayed slightly, her face instantly turning pale.

Yu Shang covered her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes; among their seven sisters, only she remained in the Heavenly Court, the other six princesses having left long ago, and she had the best relationship with her seventh brother.

Thirty percent confidence was indeed too slim.

The Haotian Emperor's face was also ashen; a thirty percent chance was truly unsettling.

Just then, the Queen Mother of the West, as if grasping at a life-saving straw, hurriedly said: "Husband! Emperor previously invited a Fellow Daoist Wang Xuan, who claimed to have ninety percent confidence in curing Pan'er. He is currently resting in the Flower Rain Palace, and I have already sent someone to invite him!"

Before her words finished, Xiao Zhuo and Emperor arrived at the entrance.

"Oh?" The Haotian Emperor's sharp gaze instantly fell upon Emperor Emperor, who had just stepped through the door, "Emperor, is this true?"

Emperor quickly bowed: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Daoist Friend Wang Xuan indeed said so! Furthermore, Fellow Daoist is a Quasi-Saint who has achieved the Great Dao of Time and Space, possessing unfathomable methods. Perhaps he truly has an extraordinary technique!"

"Time and Space Quasi-Saint? Wang Xuan?" The Haotian Emperor's profound gaze fell upon Xiao Zhuo, filled with scrutiny and inquiry.

Medicine Master King Buddha also slightly turned his head to look at Xiao Zhuo, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, evidently having heard of this newly rising "First Medical Saint."

"Amitabha. If Benefactor Wang has a more brilliant method, it would truly be the Imperial Son's good fortune and a blessing for all living beings." Medicine Master King Buddha's tone was calm, without any displeasure at being overshadowed, but rather filled with the anticipation of a compassionate healer.

The Haotian Emperor pondered for a moment, then made a decisive decision: "Since that is the case, please invite King Buddha and Daoist Friend Wang Xuan to consult together on the method of treatment! With the combined efforts of two Saint-Grade healers, perhaps we can increase the chances of success."

Soon, two Quasi-Saint-Grade medical Saints, one Buddhist and one Daoist, stood before the cold jade bed.

Everyone in the hall focused their gaze on them.

Medicine Master King Buddha spoke first, explaining his plan: "This poor monk's method is to use the Buddhist 'Lapis Lazuli Pure Fire' to incinerate the Impurities of the Dao injuries, to use the 'Twelve Yaksha Generals Dharma Protector Seal' to stabilize the Imperial Son's Divine Soul Origin, preventing it from collapsing along with the Dao injuries, and then to supplement this with the 'Medicine Revered Master Mantra' to stimulate the latent vitality deep within his Divine Soul, slowly proceeding to remove them one by one. This method is advantageous for its stability and gradual purification, but it is quite time-consuming, and demands extremely high endurance from the Imperial Son's Divine Soul and precise Divine Sense control from the caster. This poor monk estimates it will require forty-nine days, and the chance of success is less than thirty percent."

He looked at Xiao Zhuo: "May I ask, Benefactor Wang, what is your esteemed opinion?"

Everyone's gaze turned to Xiao Zhuo.

Xiao Zhuo's expression was calm, his gaze sweeping over the intertwined dark Dao marks on Imperial Son Yu Pan's Divine Soul, then he slowly began:

"King Buddha's method proceeds cautiously, but the Dao injuries have already infiltrated the Origin, like maggots attached to bone. Forcibly peeling them away is like cutting flesh, causing intense pain and easily damaging the fundamental. My method is different."

He extended a finger, a silver gleam flickering at its tip, emitting profound Time and Space fluctuations: "First step, using a Time and Space imprisonment technique, freeze the time in all regions of the Imperial Son's Divine Soul, fixing his state at this moment, isolating all external interference, and simultaneously preventing the Dao injuries from further worsening and eroding."

"Second step," beside the silver gleam on his fingertip, a deep, dark aura of destruction, as if capable of devouring everything, quietly emerged, "using the power of the Great Dao of Destruction, precisely annihilate all traces of Dao injuries attached to his Divine Soul! This annihilation force requires extremely precise control, acting only on the Dao Law itself, without touching the essence of the Divine Soul. Under Time and Space imprisonment, the Dao injuries are like a frozen target, and the annihilation force can penetrate unimpeded, directly targeting their Origin."

"Third step," the light on his fingertip changed again, a wisp of Soul power, warm as jade and full of vibrant vitality, emerged, "once the Dao injuries are completely removed, immediately use the Origin power of the Great Dao of the Soul to nourish and heal his Divine Soul's wounds, restoring its fundamental Origin Qi."

Xiao Zhuo paused, his gaze sweeping over the surprised crowd, finally looking at the Haotian Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, adding: "To ensure absolute safety, I will pre-establish a 'Time and Space Reset barrier' at the core of the Imperial Son's Divine Soul. If any uncontrollable accident occurs during the treatment, leading to a risk of the Imperial Son's true spirit dissipating, the barrier will instantly trigger, reverting the Imperial Son's Divine Soul state to the moment before the treatment began! With this barrier in place, even if the treatment fails, the Imperial Son's true spirit will remain unharmed, allowing for other methods."

As soon as this method was proposed, the hall fell into silence!

Freezing time! Annihilating Dao injuries! Instant healing! Time and Space reset as a fallback!

This plan sounded unbelievable; every step involved extremely precise control over Great Dao Laws, especially the combination of Time and Space with destruction, which was simply unheard of!

"Absurd!" A voice of disbelief broke the silence.

Medicine Master King Buddha's brows were tightly furrowed, his compassionate expression replaced by deep skepticism. His gaze, sharp as a torch, fixed on Xiao Zhuo: "Benefactor Wang! Time and Space imprisonment of the Divine Soul is already perilous; the slightest mistake could permanently damage its perception of time! Using the power of the Great Dao of Destruction to annihilate Dao injuries that have already deeply penetrated the Origin? Such a domineering force, how can it be ensured that it only harms the Dao injuries and not the Divine Soul? This is like burning water with fire; the water might be extinguished, but how can the vessel holding the water remain intact? As for that Time and Space reset... Hmph! Reversing the state of a true spirit involves Karma and shakes the river of time; this is the ability of a Saint! Even if Benefactor is proficient in the Great Dao of Time and Space, how can you easily achieve this? This plan is too radical, too perilous, simply... simply like child's play! This poor monk has practiced medicine for countless years and has never heard of such a treatment method! Benefactor's words, could they be mere fabrication?!"

Xiao Zhuo's lips curved slightly, noncommittal, then he smiled faintly: "King Buddha, do not be angry. I am merely stating my method; the choice rests with His Majesty and the Queen Mother!"