40: Unlocking the Secrets of Physicians: A Prescription Developed Internally by the Imperial Medical Academy (Part 1)

At the edge of the Valley of the Dead, the [Evil-Breaking Arrow] Elwin fired in anger was like the light of dawn piercing through the darkness, accurately striking the arm of the Undead Warrior as it held the beheading greatsword aloft.

Boom!

Pure white Vast Righteous Qi and cold death power collided and annihilated each other violently. A large hole was instantly purified into the Undead Warrior's arm armor, revealing the charred bone beneath. It let out a silent roar of pain as its fatal strike toward Bronzebeard was interrupted, causing it to stagger back.

"Save him!" Elwin shouted clearly. Behind her, dozens of elite Elf Ranger drew their bows simultaneously, and arrows fell like rain, covering the Undead Warrior and its surrounding guards to create space for the rescue. The Law Fishmen enforcement team, like a blue tide, charged into the valley without fear of death, forming a tight formation to block the ordinary undead constantly swarming from the swamp, forcefully carving out a bloody path.

Several agile Elf Ranger took the opportunity to rush to Bronzebeard's side. At this moment, Bronzebeard's breath was as thin as silk. The horrific wound on his chest was shrouded in thick black Death Qi, constantly eroding his life force, but his newly awakened [heart of the earth] talent was stubbornly at work. Wisps of earthy yellow light seeped from the ground, protecting his heart vessels and Soul, engaging in a tug-of-war with the Death Qi and barely hanging onto his last breath.

[Hero Unit]: Bronzebeard Stonehammer

[Status]: Near Death, Deep Undead Plague Infection, Soul Erosion

[HP]: 37/1500 (Continuing to slowly decrease)

[Divine Power/Energy]: Power of the Earth (Weak, continuously active)

[Negative Statuses]:

[Fatal Trauma]: Physical injuries are extremely severe, requiring high-Rank healing spells or a miracle.

[Deep Plague Infection]: The rules of the plague have penetrated deep into the organs and bone marrow; conventional methods are difficult to clear.

[Soul Erosion]: The rules of death are polluting his Soul Origin; once the Soul is completely eroded, he will irreversibly transform into an undead hero.

[Special Status]:

[Guardian of the heart of the earth]: The rules of the earth spontaneously protect their master, temporarily resisting the complete annihilation of his life force by the rules of death and slightly slowing the speed of Soul erosion.

"Quick! Take him back to Furnace Fortress!" Elwin ordered anxiously while continuing to suppress the Undead Warrior with Vast Righteous Qi as it tried to counterattack. She knew that Bronzebeard's condition was beyond her ability to treat; he had to be sent back to the God Domain immediately to pray for the Lord to exercise Divine Power!

The elves carefully lifted the mountain-heavy Bronzebeard and, under the desperate cover of the Law Fishmen, quickly retreated from the Valley of the Dead. The dwarven warrior who had successfully retrieved the jade box clutched it tightly, following at the end of the group.

The Undead Warrior let out an unwilling roar and tried to pursue, but the Elf Ranger led by Elwin pinned it firmly in place with precise arrows and their Domain of righteousness. Seeing the mission objectives (Bronzebeard and the sample) about to escape, its crimson Soul fire flickered violently. Finally, it issued a mental command; the undead in the valley no longer pursued relentlessly but instead slowly retreated into the depths of the thick fog, seemingly guarding something even more important.

Seeing this, Elwin did not linger to fight and immediately ordered the entire army to retreat. The goal of this trip had been achieved; Bronzebeard's life and the plague sample were above all else.

When the rescue team returned to Furnace Fortress with the dying Bronzebeard and the precious sample, the atmosphere of the entire castle was heavy to the extreme. The hero's severe injury was like a giant boulder weighing on everyone's heart.

Lin Zhou's consciousness had been following all of this. The moment Bronzebeard was carried back to Furnace Fortress, he attempted to use Divine Power for remote treatment.

[Attempting to cast [Lesser Heal] on Hero Unit 'Bronzebeard Stonehammer' (Consumes 30 Divine Power)... Treatment failed! The target's injury contains rule-level death power, which has higher priority than this divine spell.]

[Attempting to dispel [Deep Plague Infection]... Dispel failed! The plague has intertwined with the target's life Origin; conventional dispelling is ineffective.]

[Attempting to purify [Soul Erosion]... Purification failed! Death rule erosion has penetrated deep into the Soul core; higher-Rank purification methods or a specific antidote are required.]

A series of failure feedbacks caused Lin Zhou's heart to sink. Bronzebeard's injury was even more troublesome than he had anticipated! This was no longer a simple injury or disease, but a collision and erosion involving the level of rules! He currently only possessed Faint Divinity, and the divine spells and rule powers he mastered were not enough to forcibly reverse rule-based damage of this magnitude.

"Immediately transport Bronzebeard and the plague sample back to the God Domain through the faith channel! Send them directly into the Imperial Hospital!" Lin Zhou issued the most correct command. Only in the God Domain itself, in his place of dominance, could he mobilize resources to the greatest extent and use the newly unlocked power of the School of Medicine for treatment and research.

Inside Furnace Fortress, a temporarily constructed miniature teleportation array lit up. After consuming 100 points of Lin Zhou's Divine Power, the heavily injured Bronzebeard and the jade box containing the undead moss mother spore sample were successfully teleported back to the [Hundred Schools Temple] God Domain, appearing directly in the central consultation room of the newly built [Imperial Hospital].

Almost the instant Bronzebeard arrived, Lin Zhou's main Divine Thought completely descended upon the Imperial Hospital. The internal space of this ancient building was far more vast than it appeared from the outside, divided into several areas such as the consultation area, medicinal garden, Pill Refining Room, and archive pavilion. Ten newly born Medical Apprenticess (LV1, White Common Units) were identifying basic herbs within the God Domain under the guidance of a spontaneously formed, phantom-like "intent of the medical sages."

Bronzebeard was placed on a sickbed made of [Spirit-Soothing Wood], and the jade box was placed on a jade platform nearby.

Lin Zhou's Divine Thought swept over Bronzebeard; the situation was still not optimistic. The heart of the earth could only delay, not reverse. His gaze turned toward the jade box.

"Analyze the sample!"

The power of the Imperial Hospital was mobilized, and an emerald green scanning beam enveloped the jade box. At the same time, that wisp of intent of the medical sages also drifted over, probing toward the sealed undead moss along with Lin Zhou's Divine Thought.

[Imperial Hospital analysis initiated...]

[Target]: undead moss mother spore Sample (Sealed state)

[Component analysis in progress...]

[High-concentration Death Rule Fragments]: The core of the plague, possessing extremely strong characteristics of erosion, transformation, and life force annihilation.

[Breath of Decay]: A gaseous toxin mixed with various decaying substances and negative energy, responsible for airborne transmission.

[Soul Residue]: Contains a large amount of broken Soul power filled with pain and resentment; it is the source of mental pollution and Soul erosion.

[Xenogeneic Life Template]: An unknown life structure information inclined toward undeath, responsible for guiding the directional transformation of life forms.

[Faint Chaos Aura]: Suspected to be related to higher-level Chaos forces, increasing the variability and unpredictability of the plague.

[Characteristic Summary]:

Composite Rule Plague: Not a single pathogen, but a mixture of death rules, toxins, mental pollution, and life tampering.

High Infectivity and Latency: Can be transmitted through multiple channels and has a certain incubation period.

High Rule Priority: Its death rule priority exceeds that of ordinary Faint Divinity-Rank healing divine spells.

Existence of a Core Driver: Analysis indicates that the plague has one or more core driving sources (such as the mother plant in the Valley of the Dead); without destroying the core, the plague may regenerate infinitely.

"It is indeed thorny..." Lin Zhou felt a chill in his heart. Behind this plague, there was definitely a deity or powerful being proficient in death rules involved!

"Based on the sample components, deduce a solution!" Lin Zhou issued instructions to the Imperial Hospital and the intent of the medical sages.

Emerald green light flickered again. Information on various basic medicinal materials stored in the Imperial Hospital, the recently instilled knowledge of "Preliminary Understanding of Plague Prevention" and "Spiritual Qi Acupuncture," as well as theories from the School of Medicine regarding "Yin and Yang Balance," "Five Elements Interactions," and "Fighting Poison with Poison" began to operate and deduce rapidly.

Countless virtual prescriptions were generated in the light, simulated for efficacy, and then collapsed for various reasons.

Simple infusion of life energy? It would be quickly annihilated by the death rules.

Potent purification spells? They could not root out the plague template intertwined with the life Origin.

Mental protection? It could only resist pollution, not treat those already infected.

The deduction process was frequently frustrated. Time passed minute by minute, and Bronzebeard's health had already fallen below 20 points, his Soul light growing increasingly dim. Within the Divine Domain, the Literary Heart Elves and Tiangong Dwarves, who sensed through their faith connection that their hero was in mortal danger, spontaneously gathered outside the Imperial Hospital to pray devoutly. The dense Power Of Faith converged into a faint golden mist, enveloping the Imperial Hospital and seemingly accelerating the deduction speed to a certain extent.

Just then, the intent of the medical sages paused on a deduction model. This model did not simply emphasize "dispel" and "purification" but instead introduced the concepts of "guidance," "transformation," and "balance."

[Deduction Plan ‘Yin-Yang Reversal’ under construction...]

[Core Idea]: Utilize the extreme opposition between the death power of the plague itself and life force. Do not seek to completely dispel the rules of death (the cost is too high and may directly lead to the host's death). Instead, introduce a powerful life Origin as a "primer" and "Foundation" to construct a temporary "Yin-Yang Balance Field" within the patient's body, temporarily checking the spread of the rules of death. Simultaneously, prepare a targeted antidote to neutralize [Decay Breath] and [Soul Residue], strip away the [Xenogeneic Life Template], and finally guide the patient's own vitality to gradually erode and transform the remaining rules of death with the assistance of the balance field, achieving the effect of "using one's own vitality to transform death into life."

[Key Elements]:

Life Origin Primer: Requires a treasure of extremely high quality containing pure life force as the core for constructing the balance field.

Specific Antidote: Requires the development of a potion that can precisely neutralize plague toxins and mental pollution.

Continuous Energy Supply: Maintaining the balance field and the subsequent transformation process requires massive energy support.

Superb Guidance Technique: Requires a practitioner skilled in the medical Dao and energy control to perform delicate operations.

[Plan Feasibility Assessment]: High (based on existing medical school theories)

[Plan Risk]: Extremely High! The process of constructing the balance field is exceedingly dangerous; the slightest error will break the balance, leading to a complete outbreak of the rules of death or excessive burning of life force. The requirements for the guide are extremely high.

“Yin-Yang Reversal... using one's own vitality to transform death into life...” Lin Zhou pondered the Profound Truth of this plan. This was undoubtedly the only feasible path at present. The philosophy of the School of Medicine was indeed remarkably profound!

“Immediately search for a 'Life Origin Primer' that meets the requirements!” Lin Zhou's consciousness instantly swept across the entire Divine Domain.

The tree of life? It was still in its seedling stage. Although its life Origin was pure, the quantity was insufficient, and it was too deeply bound to the Divine Domain; extracting it might affect the Domain's Foundation.

Spirit Spring? The quality was not high enough.

Stockpiled herbs? Even worse.

Just as Lin Zhou was searching anxiously, his gaze fell upon a treasure in his personal space that he had obtained from the final exam rewards and had never found a suitable use for—[A Fragment of the World Tree's Root (Weak)]!

[Item]: A Fragment of the World Tree's Root (Weak)

[Quality]: Mythical (Fragment)

[Effects]:

[Life Source]: Contains a trace of the World Tree's Origin life force, which can be slowly released to nourish all things.

[Rule Stability]: Slightly improves the stability of rules in the area.

[Nature Affinity]: Increases the growth potential of nature-type units among the followers.

(Current Status: Dormant, life force restrained)

This is it! Although it was only a weak fragment of a root, its quality was at the Mythical level, and the level of the life Origin it contained was extremely high, sufficient to serve as the core primer for constructing the "Yin-Yang Balance Field"!

“The Life Origin Primer has been found!” Lin Zhou's spirits lifted. “Immediately develop the specific antidote according to the plan!”

The analytical power of the Imperial Hospital immediately focused on cracking [Decay Breath] and [Soul Residue]. According to the component analysis, medicinal materials capable of "purifying negative energy," "neutralizing decay toxins," and "calming the mind and stabilizing the Soul" were needed.

Within the Divine Domain's herb garden, various spiritual plants meticulously cared for by the Agrarian Saints were quickly sampled and analyzed.

[Heart-Clearing Grass]: Has a slight mind-calming effect but is ineffective against Soul Residue.

[Moonlight Flower]: Contains Moonlight Power and can slightly purify negative energy, but its potency is insufficient.

[Red Sun Fruit]: Contains Yang energy and can counter some dark evils, but it is too violent and might harm the patient's Foundation.

The deduction hit a Bottleneck again. The Divine Domain was newly established, and the variety and quality of the accumulated medicinal materials seemed insufficient to deal with a plague of this level.

Just as Lin Zhou was considering whether to spend precious Divine Power or civilization points to exchange for high-tier medicinal materials directly from the Temple of Civilization, a Medical Apprentices responsible for caring for Bronzebeard suddenly sent a message:

“My Lord! An unknown red mushroom with a peculiar energy reaction was found in the private medicine pouch carried by Lord Bronzebeard!”

Lin Zhou's Divine Thought swept over and saw the apprentice holding a mushroom the size of a longan, blood-red all over, yet emitting a cool and refreshing aura.

[Item]: [Blood Jade Ice Mushroom]

[Quality]: Rare (Blue)

[Source]: Found by Bronzebeard by chance during an expedition deep in the Blackrock Mountain Range. Because its medicinal properties were unknown, it had been kept in his collection.

[Effects]:

[Extreme Cold Purification]: Contains the power of extreme cold, capable of freezing and purifying most toxins and negative energy.

[Blood Qi Stimulation]: Contains a trace of singular blood Qi that can stimulate the explosion of life potential while in a frozen state.

(Note: The two effects are contradictory; using it requires extremely high skill, otherwise it may cause conflict and endanger life.)

Blood Jade Ice Mushroom! Extreme Cold Purification! It's perfect for a mixed toxin like [Decay Breath]! And that "Blood Qi Stimulation" characteristic, if used properly, might play an unexpectedly positive role when constructing the balance field!

“Good! One of the key medicinal materials is ready!” Lin Zhou was overjoyed; this was truly finding a way out of a desperate situation!

“I still need a main herb that can stabilize the Soul and resist mental pollution!”

His consciousness swept through the Divine Domain again, finally settling on the core area, on the lush wenxin tea tree nourished by the Spirit Spring and dragon vein fragments! This was a spiritual plant associated with the Wenxin Elf race, and its tea leaves were year-round bathed in Vast Righteous Qi!

[Item]: wenxin tea tree (Century-old)

[Quality]: Excellent (Green) - Upgradable

[Effects]:

[Calm Spirit and Qi]: The tea leaves can be brewed and drunk, having the effect of calming the mind, stabilizing the Soul, and improving Comprehension Ability.

[Righteous Qi Nourishment]: Long-term immersion in Vast Righteous Qi makes the tea leaves contain a faint power of Order, which can counter mental Chaos and evil.

[Spirit Plant Origin]: Its tree heart has condensed part of the mental Origin characteristics of the Wenxin Elf race.

“Take the old leaves of the wenxin tea tree that are over three years old, supplement them with water from the Spirit Spring, and extract [Wenxin Tea Essence]! Use it as the main herb to stabilize the Soul!” Lin Zhou ordered.

“The deduction of the antidote formula is complete!” A stream of information came from the intent of the medical sages.

[Antidote Name]: Temporarily named [Plague Clearing Soul Stabilization Powder]

[Rank]: Advanced Potion (specifically for this plague)

[Main Ingredients]: Blood Jade Ice Mushroom (toxin purification), Wenxin Tea Essence (Soul stabilization)

[Auxiliary Ingredients]: Heart-Clearing Grass powder (assists in mind calming), Moonlight Flower dew (assists in purification), a small amount of tree of life sap (harmonizes medicinal properties, provides basic life force)

[Refining Method]: Must be refined slowly over a gentle fire to fuse the medicinal properties, eventually forming a powder.

The medicinal materials were ready, and the plan was clear!

Lin Zhou did not delay for a moment and immediately mobilized his Divine Power.

“In my name, harmonize the medicinal properties and refine the [Plague Clearing Soul Stabilization Powder]!”

Within the Pill Refining Room of the Imperial Hospital, Divine Power transformed into an invisible furnace fire. Various medicinal materials flew into it under precise control and began to fuse and refine. Throughout the process, the intent of the medical sages personally supervised to ensure the perfect combination of medicinal properties.

At the same time, Lin Zhou took out that precious [World Tree Root]. He needed to first activate the dormant life force within it before it could serve as the primer.

“Infuse Divine Power, awaken the life force!”

Massive amounts of Divine Power, like a river bursting its banks, poured into the World Tree root. It took a full 500 points of Divine Power before this withered root trembled slightly. A tiny crack appeared on its surface, and a strand of light, thinner than a strand of hair yet emerald green and containing unimaginably vast life force, slowly seeped out.

Just the appearance of this single strand of light instantly filled the entire Imperial Hospital with the fragrance of life. Outside the hospital, the flowers and grass that had been somewhat wilted due to the news of the plague instantly straightened their stems, radiating vibrant life!

The Life Origin Primer was ready!

The antidote was being refined!

Next was the most critical and also the most dangerous step—constructing the “Yin-Yang Balance Field” for Bronzebeard!