Chapter Thirty-Five: Master of Medicine

In the endless void of the universe, the Divine Sovereign Liyang carried his grandson Lihao in his arms, traversing through a storm of space. The grandson was gravely injured, and Liyang dared not pause for a single moment, speeding across countless miles toward Herb Valley within the Lujia Mountain Starfield. The master of Herb Valley was renowned as a miraculous healer, known throughout the stars as the Divine Physician of Herbs, and also served as the domain lord of Lujia Mountain Starfield.

Lujia Mountain lay tens of millions of miles away from the Litian Starfield. Its area was but a tenth of Litian's vast expanse. This starfield was rich with innumerable spiritual herbs, and the people here were born to deal with medicines of all kinds. For countless years, they refined elixirs and concocted pills. The spiritual herbs of Lujia Mountain Starfield were the very foundation of life here, and rarely would earth-shattering battles erupt. Instead, conflicts occurred in silence—and these silent struggles proved far more deadly, impossible to guard against.

Throughout their lives, the denizens studied medicines, divided into two categories: poisons and remedies. Mortal feuds were resolved with poisons, while saving lives required healing herbs. The most potent poisons could kill instantly, and it was said that the finest remedies could revive the dead, though such claims were exaggerated. They could knit flesh and bone, restore those on the brink of death or in a state of feigned demise—a widely acknowledged truth.

Herb Valley was named for its abundance of hundreds of spiritual herbs, many of which had grown over unknown centuries. Contemporary understanding classified spiritual herbs as: century-old, millennial, ten-thousand-year, and hundred-thousand-year herbs. Herbs exceeding a hundred thousand years existed, though few could identify them.

The valley itself was named after the herb “Herb,” reputed to cure all ailments—a myth, truly. Its reputation stemmed from its gentle properties, which neutralized the harshness of other, more violent medicines, making otherwise impossible concoctions feasible. Without Herb’s tempering nature, medicinal powers would cancel each other out. Its fame as a panacea arose from its ability to harmonize countless remedies and poisons, enabling infinite variations and formulas. Thus, every illness required its medicine. Herb’s neutralizing quality rarely diminished medicinal potency; as a supporting herb, it played a critical role—hence its name.

“Dear husband, Father once said there are many unknown starfields beyond our world and wished to witness other civilizations. He has been gone for a thousand years now,” said Mo Rou, wife of the Supreme Sovereign Litian, in a grand hall spanning several thousand square meters.

“Rou’er, do not worry. I believe that with Father’s unfathomable strength, nothing could threaten his life,” replied Litian, reassuring his wife. He knew well the power of the Divine Sovereign Liyang, though his own perspective was somewhat limited; he had yet to witness the greater powers lurking in the boundless cosmic void.

“Perhaps I worry too much. Husband, do you think Hao’er might have been taken by Father?” Mo Rou asked, though she herself found the question absurd.

“That’s impossible. If Father had come, why wouldn’t he see us?” Litian considered it unlikely; surely, if his father returned, he would reunite with his family.

“You’re right, Husband. Still, after all this time, there’s not a word about Hao’er. I can’t help but worry,” Mo Rou said, her thoughts ever with her son Lihao.

“Don’t worry, Rou’er. Everyone is searching for Hao’er; we’ll find him.” Litian could only comfort his wife in this way.

Litian continued to soothe Mo Rou, though in his heart, he feared his son might be lost forever. The battle that day had been terrifying beyond measure. He kept searching for any sign of his son—partly out of hope, partly to console himself.

Such is the sorrow of parents throughout heaven and earth.

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Three thousand miles from Herb Valley in Lujia Mountain Starfield, Divine Sovereign Liyang shielded his wounded grandson Lihao with his own vital energy, simultaneously sending a message to Herb Valley through a thousand-mile transmission technique: “Brother Yishan, it is Liyang—urgent business compels me.” He sent the message three times, each echoing louder, like a stampede of thousands, reverberating across every corner of Lujia Mountain Starfield. Those who heard it were struck with awe—first, at the godlike power behind the voice; second, at the audacity to address the domain lord as “brother.”

The “Brother Yishan” Liyang referred to was none other than Lu Yishan, the Divine Physician of Herbs and domain lord of Lujia Mountain Starfield. Liyang had met Lu Yishan during his travels through the cosmic void, the two becoming friends by chance. Years ago, Lu Yishan found a spiritual herb, nurtured by heaven and earth for over a hundred thousand years, thirty thousand miles outside Lujia Mountain Starfield—his excitement rivaled that of a bachelor encountering a beautiful maiden.

As Lu Yishan coveted the treasure, a nine-headed mutant dragon, six thousand yards long, watched him intently from a thousand miles away, eager to claim the prize. Lu Yishan noticed the monstrous beast, surprised to find such a hideous creature interested in the same treasure.

Just as Lu Yishan secured his prize, the beast struck, unleashing nine distinct powers upon him. Taken unawares, Lu Yishan was gravely wounded, his strength sealed by the mutant dragon. The beast seized the moment to launch a second attack. Knowing he could not escape, Lu Yishan closed his eyes, awaiting death.

The nine-headed dragon prepared to feast upon Lu Yishan and the herb, but fate intervened. Divine Sovereign Liyang, traveling the cosmic stars, happened upon the scene. Instantly, he gathered the laws of heaven and earth from thousands of miles around into his battle lance.

“Wretched beast, cease your insolence!” Liyang thundered, his heart guiding his actions. Each move summoned the laws of heaven and earth, and his battle with the nine-headed dragon shook heaven and earth, causing space to tremble and mountains to shatter. Liyang defeated the dragon after a thousand exchanges. As he moved to finish it, the dragon, sensing death, submitted.

“Spare me, venerable one; I pledge myself to you,” the dragon begged.

Thereafter, the dragon became the spirit of Liyang’s battle lance. He saved Lu Yishan, who, grateful for his life, invited Liyang to visit Lujia Mountain Starfield and serve as a guest elder.

Now, with Lihao severely wounded, Liyang sought the miraculous Divine Physician for healing. Were the injury merely physical, Liyang would not have traveled so far; even Litian could have healed him easily. This time, however, the wounds were extraordinary—not only was the body shattered, but the soul was gravely damaged. The flesh was nearly broken, and the soul’s sea threatened to collapse.

At this moment, Liyang used his vital energy to sustain a faint thread of life in his grandson, his heart anxious beyond measure.

From tens of millions of miles away, Lujia Mountain Starfield appeared as a dark green planet, thousands of miles in diameter. Each starfield had its own laws and rules; those who comprehended them manifested different phenomena. Here, where all life revolved around medicine, the laws and rules appeared as a deep green hue.

Lujia Mountain Starfield was a land of endless peaks and valleys. In one valley, eighty thousand meters deep, countless grand, resplendent mansions stood, each magnificent. One shone above the rest—the main palace of Lu Yishan, named the Hall of Sacred Medicine.

Lu Yishan was meditating and refining medicine when the booming voice interrupted him. Irritated at first, he meant to punish the culprit, but upon hearing “Liyang,” his anger vanished, and he hurried toward the source.

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“Brother Liyang!” The Divine Physician’s voice arrived before he did, and in a few breaths, he rushed to Liyang’s side.

“I’ve come this time to ask Brother Yishan to save a life,” Liyang said, presenting his gravely injured grandson Lihao.

The Divine Physician sensed the severity of the matter, suppressing any pleasantries. He scanned Lihao’s wounds with his spirit sense and fed him a pill called Essence Pill, forged from two hundred sixty kinds of five-hundred-year herbs and sixty kinds of thirteen-hundred-year herbs, refined over forty-nine cycles. This pill could restore most physical injuries and nourish the soul.

“Brother Liyang, please!” The Divine Physician gestured politely, leading the way to the Hall of Sacred Medicine. Liyang followed, carrying the child.

Passing through the starfield’s barrier of vital energy, they traversed mountains reaching ten or even tens of thousands of meters high. Below the peaks lay lakes and rivers, inhabited by turtles, fish, shrimp, and crabs. Each mountain was home to spiritual insects and poisonous creatures; spiritual beasts and venomous beasts; spiritual birds and poisonous birds, each unique. Some were as large as a thousand yards, others barely visible to the naked eye. All sorts of spiritual herbs and poisons grew, from centuries-old saplings to millennial trees. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, black, white—every life form shone with its own colored aura. It was a complete and vibrant ecosystem.

They crossed mountains, rivers, lakes, and villages, finally reaching Herb Valley. The architecture here was dozens of times more luxurious than elsewhere, with courtyards of various styles. There were maids and servants in simple attire, wealthy gentlemen and aristocrats in finery, and beautiful heiresses of stunning grace. As the Divine Physician approached, men bowed their heads and bent low, while women placed their hands on their abdomens and bowed. The elegant ladies were so lovely that one dared not gaze long upon them.

Only after the Divine Physician and Liyang passed did people dare straighten up, all wearing expressions of awe and reverence as they watched his departing figure.

Liyang, carrying his grandson, followed the Divine Physician along a wide road flanked by beautiful trees, past buildings of blue brick and green tile, arriving before the Hall of Sacred Medicine and ascending nine hundred ninety-nine steps of stone.

Inside the hall, columns and walls were adorned with carvings of mountains, rivers, birds, beasts, flowers, and trees. The Divine Physician led Liyang and his grandson to the end of the hall, opened a room filled with rare pills and medical tools. There stood a strange stone bed—half milky white, half dark red.

“Brother Liyang, give me the child,” said the Divine Physician, carefully taking Lihao from Liyang’s arms.

“Thank you, brother,” Liyang said with gratitude.

The Divine Physician gathered a thread of vital energy, channeling it through his index and middle fingers into Lihao’s forehead to probe his soul sea, his brow furrowing in deep concern. He repeated the process, placing his fingers on Lihao’s left wrist, letting the energy flow through the boy’s body. His expression grew peculiar—his brow wrinkled in worry, then shifted to admiration. Liyang could not guess what the Divine Physician had discovered.