48: The medicine cured the disease quickly; his benevolent heart and virtue earned him a good reputation (Part 1)

At the edge of the Valley of the Dead, the bright moonlight receded like a tide, taking away that cold and powerful aura with it. Su Yueyao had arrived suddenly and left just as decisively, leaving behind only a mysterious and powerful silhouette in everyone's hearts, along with the lingering echo of her words: "Student Lin Zhou, do you need help?"

She hadn't asked for a reason, nor had she demanded payment, as if she had simply happened upon the scene and lent a hand on a whim. This effortless demeanor made Elwin and the other heroes feel a sense of awe, filling them with reverence and curiosity toward this mysterious being who possessed Moonlight Divine Power.

Lin Zhou's Divine Thought gazed toward the direction where Su Yueyao had disappeared, his heart also churning with emotions. He could feel that Su Yueyao's strength far exceeded his own; she was at least a Lesser Deity, perhaps even higher. Her Moonlight Divine Power was pure and powerful, possessing a natural suppression against the undead. The divine art she had used just now, [Moonlight Sanctuary], was far more exquisite than any divine art he currently mastered.

“I will remember this favor,” Lin Zhou thought to himself, etching this act of assistance into his heart. At the same time, he became even more determined to increase his strength as quickly as possible. In this vast and dangerous era of gods, without strength, one could not even protect their own followers and territory.

After a brief moment of reflection, Lin Zhou's consciousness immediately returned to reality. The crisis was not yet fully resolved. Although the team had escaped the core area of the Valley of the Dead, they were still in a dangerous position and had to return to Furnace Fortress as quickly as possible.

“Elwin, lead the team back at full speed immediately! If there are obstacles along the way, break through at all costs!” Lin Zhou's divine oracle carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

“Yes! My Lord!” Elwin suppressed the stray thoughts in her heart and gave a sharp cry, “Everyone, keep up! Barrend, watch for pursuers from the rear! Snik, can you still hold on?”

Snik bared his teeth and wiped a smudge of mud and blood from his face. Although his leg mech armor was damaged and his movements were somewhat stumbling, his gaze remained fierce: “I won't die! This little injury is nothing to us Ratmen!”

Bronzebeard didn't say a word, but the arm swinging his warhammer remained steady and powerful, showing through his actions that he still had strength to spare.

The five-man team, carrying the “souvenirs” Snik had risked his life to bring back—the secondary fungal body fragments and Death Swamp silt wrapped in waterproof oilcloth—fled desperately along the path they had come from, heading toward Furnace Fortress.

Perhaps Su Yueyao's intervention had intimidated the undead, perhaps the lingering effects of the [nether-skeleton dissipation powder] were still present, or perhaps the Undead Warrior needed to regroup after being injured. The pursuing undead were not as frenzied as imagined; they only followed from a distance, with only a few scattered undead occasionally rushing out of the mist to block them, only to be easily dealt with by the team.

Without further mishap, the team finally saw the towering silhouette of Furnace Fortress under the grey sky. The defenders on the walls also spotted them and immediately opened the side gate. A reception unit poured out, bringing the five exhausted members of the team back into the castle.

When the heavy gates of Furnace Fortress slammed shut once again, sealing off the permeating Death Qi and the shrieks of the undead outside, all members of the team—including Lin Zhou, Chen Hai, and Li Mo, who were watching remotely—breathed a long sigh of relief.

Finally... they were back alive!

Although the mission objective (the core fungal body) had not been achieved, they had successfully dealt a heavy blow to the undead hero. More importantly, they had brought back crucial secondary samples! This brought new hope for completely cracking the plague!

The five members of the team were immediately sent to an emergency medical point. Elwin and Barrend mainly suffered from exhaustion and minor injuries, requiring only a little rest and divine art healing to recover. Bronzebeard's old injuries had flared up slightly because he had forced himself to fight; he needed continued rest and the nourishment of Earth Power. Snik's injuries were the most troublesome, as his leg had been eroded by Death Qi and required specialized purification.

Lin Zhou immediately mobilized Divine Power, coordinating with Elwin's Vast Righteous Qi to dispel the Death Qi from Snik's leg, stabilizing his condition.

“Well done, Snik, Chen Hai,” Lin Zhou's Divine Thought praised both the Ratman hero and his master simultaneously. “Your courage and resourcefulness have earned the primary credit for cracking the plague!”

Chen Hai chuckled foolishly, rubbing his head: “It's only right, only right. As long as I can help Brother Zhou.” Snik, on the other hand, lifted his chin proudly. Although moving caused his wounds to hurt and made him grimace, the pride in his eyes was almost overflowing.

After handling the heroes' injuries, Lin Zhou's consciousness immediately focused on the precious samples Clever Hands Mibo had brought back.

The samples were quickly sent back to the Divine Realm's Imperial Hospital via a teleportation array.

Inside the Imperial Hospital, the intent of the medical sages was already prepared. Upon the jade platform, the fungal fragments emitting a faint purple glow and the silt containing dense death laws were carefully placed into a specialized analysis formation.

[Imperial Hospital deep analysis initiated...]

[Target]: undead moss secondary fungal body fragments, Death Swamp core silt

[Composition analysis in progress...]

[undead moss secondary fungal body fragments]: Contains death law fragments at a concentration of approximately 30% of the mother plant's core. Xenogeneic Life Template information integrity is about 60%. Mental pollution intensity is moderate. Can serve as an effective substitute for the core medicinal catalyst, but requires adjustment of the formula proportions and enhanced purification steps.

[Death Swamp core silt]: Contains high-purity death law precipitates, undead transformation catalysts, and various rare negative minerals. It is a high-quality auxiliary material for refining [nether-skeleton dissipation powder] and can also serve as a key sample for researching undead transformation mechanisms.

[Conclusion]: Using the secondary fungal fragments, there is a 92% probability of deriving a [Plague Clearing Soul Stabilization Powder (Enhanced Edition)] with effects reaching over 85% of the original plan.

“Excellent!” Lin Zhou was greatly encouraged! A 92% success rate with effects reaching over 85% of the original plan! This was enough to deal with the current plague in the Blackstone Territory!

“Immediately use the secondary fungal fragments as the core to derive the enhanced antidote formula! And use the silt to optimize the refining process of [nether-skeleton dissipation powder]!”

The emerald green light of the Imperial Hospital flared up again. The intent of the medical sages, combined with existing data and the new samples, began a high-speed derivation. This time, because there were physical samples for reference, the derivation speed was several times faster than when they were deriving from nothing!

In just one hour of Divine Realm time, the new formula and process were finalized!

[Derivation complete!]

[New Formula Obtained]: [Plague Clearing Soul Stabilization Powder · Enhanced Edition]

[Grade]: Advanced Potion (Approaching Epic)

[Effects]:

High-Efficiency Purification: Neutralization efficiency against [Breath of Decay] increased to 95%. Can achieve rapid cure for those with moderate infection or below.

Deep Soul Stabilization: Clearance effect on [Soul Residue] increased to 90%, and can repair minor Soul damage.

Inhibition of Transformation: Can effectively inhibit the activity of the [Xenogeneic Life Template], preventing the infected from turning into undead. Although it cannot cure those with deep infections, it can stabilize their condition for a long time, buying more time for treatment.

[Primary Materials]: undead moss secondary fungal body fragments (substitute for core fungal body), blood jade ice mushroom (or substitute), wenxin tea extract

[Auxiliary Materials]: Heart-Clearing Grass powder, Moonlight Flower nectar, tree of life sap, trace amounts of Death Swamp silt (as a medicinal property neutralizer and guide)

[Refining Method]: Requires alternating between intense and gentle fires, with precise control over the timing and amount of silt added, to achieve a delicate balance between the powers of death and life within the medicinal properties.

Simultaneously, the refining process for [nether-skeleton dissipation powder] was optimized. Using Death Swamp silt can increase medicinal stability by about 10% and slightly reduce the difficulty of refining.

“Immediately begin large-scale refining of [Plague Clearing Soul Stabilization Powder · Enhanced Edition] in both Furnace Fortress and the Divine Realm's Imperial Hospital!” Lin Zhou ordered without hesitation.

This time, with a mature formula and optimized process, the refining work went much more smoothly.

In the temporary potion workshop of Furnace Fortress, under the guidance of Li Mo (consciousness projection) and Clever Hands Mibo, the Dwarven craftsmen and Gnome engineers worked together. Using Materials collected locally from the Blackrock Mountain Range and some transported from the Divine Realm, they began mass-producing the potion.

Inside the Divine Realm's Imperial Hospital, ten Medical Apprenticess, under the personal guidance of the intent of the medical sages, also worked at full capacity. They used higher-quality medicinal Materials from the Divine Realm (such as tree of life sap and pure Spiritual Spring water) to refine an even more effective version.

Soon, jars and bottles of [Plague Clearing Soul Stabilization Powder · Enhanced Edition], emitting a refreshing scent and displaying a color of interwoven pale gold and faint purple, were produced. The medicinal fragrance permeated the air, even dispelling the lingering plague haze within Furnace Fortress to some extent.

“Distribute them immediately! Prioritize treating our seriously wounded and those with deep infections! Also, distribute them to the Blackrock Clan and the Deep Moss Tribe!” Elwin took the first batch of successfully refined potions and immediately organized personnel for distribution and treatment.

The potion was administered to the infected who were groaning in pain in the isolation zones.

A miracle occurred!

A moderately infected Elf Ranger, whose skin was originally grayish-black and whose eyes were cloudy as he constantly tried to attack others, saw the grayish-black color on his face fade at a visible rate less than half an hour after taking the medicine. The cloudiness in his eyes was replaced by clarity, and he spoke weakly but clearly: “Water... thank you, My Lord...”

A Dwarven warrior from the Blackrock Clan, who had originally been judged by doctors as beyond help with his body starting to stiffen, had the trend of stiffening forcibly halted after being given the potion. Although still weak, his vital signs gradually stabilized.

Those with mild and moderate infections recovered even faster, with their symptoms almost completely disappearing within a day, leaving them only slightly weak.

Even those with deep infections no longer worsened after taking the potion. Their frenzied symptoms were controlled, and they fell into a stable sleep, winning precious time for potential follow-up treatment.

The effect of [Plague Clearing Soul Stabilization Powder · Enhanced Edition] was immediate!

Within Furnace Fortress, the atmosphere that had been shrouded in despair and fear was replaced by the joy of survival and overwhelming gratitude!

“A miracle! This is a miracle bestowed by My Lord!”

“Thank the great Lord of Civilization! Thank Your Excellency Elwin!”

“We are saved! Blackstone Territory is saved!”

Countless praises and Power Of Faith gathered into Lin Zhou's Divine Realm core like a surging river. His Divine Power reserves began to recover and grow at an unprecedented speed, breaking through the 4,000-point mark in a short time and continuing to rise!

Elwin, Bronzebeard, Barrend, Snik, and Mipo—all the heroes and warriors who participated in this operation—received the highest honors from their clansmen and allies. Their heroic deeds were composed into songs and sung throughout Furnace Fortress and the three major follower clans.

However, while executing Lin Zhou's orders, Elwin made a decision that exceeded Lin Zhou's expectations.

She not only distributed the medicine to their own side and allies but also ordered soldiers to throw some of the medicine to those wild creatures outside the perimeter of Furnace Fortress that were still wandering but had not actively attacked the castle, and even to... some scattered followers who were clearly left behind by other examinees, had lost contact with their deities, and were struggling in the plague!