Volcanic Age

The renowned healer, the Divine Physician, was often called the reincarnation of Hua Tuo.[1]

Before the events in the Southern Jungles, while still in the Central Plains, the Divine Physician received a mysterious proposal.

One late night, a figure entered his room through the window.

"Is this where I die?"

The Divine Physician did not panic or show fear. Instead, he calmly opened his eyes and greeted the masked man before him.

"As expected of the Divine Physician. You're not even a martial artist, but you have extraordinary courage. Since you're ready to talk, I'll give you a gift."

"This is…"

"Pure Stalactite Milk (空淸石乳). While opening the bottle shouldn't cause any problems, there's only one drop, so be prepared to pay a price if you drop it."

The Divine Physician wasn't a person who could let a precious medicine slip through his fingers. Regardless of the price he would have to pay, he opened the bottle to see what was inside, wanting to satisfy his curiosity.

The Divine Physician had an extraordinary sense of smell, far beyond that of ordinary people. He moved the bottle to the tip of his nose to verify it.

"This really is the Pure Stalactite Milk!"

The Pure Stalactite Milk was a legendary elixir.

It was a liquid that accumulated once every hundred years in a cave filled with the harmony between Heaven and Earth. A single drop alone could grant martial artists an incredible amount of cultivation and provide ordinary people with long and healthy lives.

However, records regarding it were so old and hard to come by that it was only passed down as a legend.

The Divine Physician licked his lips and handed the Pure Stalactite Milk back to the masked man before asking what he wanted.

"Have you heard of the Divine Pill of the Southern Jungles?"

"Divine Pill?"

"Yes. It's also called the elixir of immortality that can be refined through the Cinnabar Refinement Art passed down by the Au Co Tribe."

"Au Co… are you talking about the immortal fairy, the daughter of Emperor Ai?"

"Oho. So you've heard of them."

"Elixirs, especially ones that appear in such nature, have always existed only in legends, tales, and myths."

Most tales ended up getting exaggerated over time and couldn't be believed as is. However, that didn't mean that they didn't have any semblance of truth. On rare occasions, researching things related to said myth helped in discovering other elixirs.

"I wonder if it really is an elixir of immortality. Still, it's quite interesting."

The desire that every human dreamt of.

To never age.

To never die.

A dream that even the First Emperor of Qin wasn't able to achieve, a fictional substance that all Emperors and even the Rulers of neighboring nations desired.[2]

Out of personal curiosity, the Divine Physician had once sought such a thing while serving the Emperor, but his efforts had yielded nothing.

By this point, he no longer believed the stories of immortality. Even so, he reasoned that an elixir so prominent in myth must hold some extraordinary properties, and he was eager to attempt making it.

So, he accepted the masked man's offer and journeyed to the Southern Jungles, ignoring protests from his disciples and bodyguards.

Though he harbored suspicions about the masked man's identity, he didn't want to dig too deep into that.

The only thing he was interested in was the Southern Jungles' Divine Pill, and as long as he could look at it and make it with his own hands, he wouldn't have any major complaints.

The Divine Physician wasn't called an eccentric physician for nothing. He was so eccentric that his way of thinking was different from others.

After passing through Yunnan and arriving at the Southern Jungles, the masked man left behind a few guards and disappeared, instructing the Divine Physician to wait.

Thanks to the medicinal herbs and poisonous plants that could only be found in the Southern Jungles, waiting wasn't boring. Taking the guards with him, the Divine Physician traveled around Qinghua Province and visited other physicians.

After some time had passed and he had sent his final letter to the Central Plains, the masked man returned and told the Divine Physician that he had finished his preparations.

"The major tribes will help us from now on. Try not to provoke them if possible, and for the time being, treat them for free and build goodwill."

"I'll do just that."

The Divine Physician had tried to find such a thing when he had been with the Emperor in the past out of personal curiosity, but he had seen nothing for his troubles.

He didn't believe in that talk of immortality by this point. However, as he thought that it still must have been a highly effective elixir to be passed down through myths like this, he really wanted to try to make this elixir.

The Divine Physician treated many tribesmen in order to gain their trust. After a while, the major tribes were amazed by his divine skills, and they gave tribute and offered their gratitude.

It seemed as though the masked man had negotiated with the major tribes before coming to the Land of Ten Thousand Poisons.

From what the Divine Physician could discern, the masked man had given each tribe something they had needed, and it was rumoured that he had a close relationship with the Poison Insect Tribe and the Au Co Tribe in particular.

Regardless, as they grew closer, the Divine Physician received the Cinnabar Refinement Art from the Au Co Tribe and was aided by the Poison Insect Tribe to freely travel around the Land of Ten Thousand Poisons to obtain materials.

After risking his life and suffering, he succeeded in obtaining the materials, including the poisons, and began refining the Divine Pill.

He was able to succeed easily as the masked man, disguised as one of his guards, helped him with various things.

Despite the commotion surrounding him while he was making it, he didn't care at all. The important thing right now was refining the Divine Pill.

At last, as the sun set and dusk came, he completed his work.

"It's done," The Divine Physician smiled contentedly, wiping away the sweat on his brow. Red light glimmered in the eyes hidden beneath his wrinkled brows.

The pill was about two knuckles in size, with a surface so smooth it seemed ready to slip from one's fingers. It glowed a fiery red, as if it were on fire.

It radiated heat as though it were filled with fire, raising the temperature around it and making one feel as if they were standing in a smithy.

"Finally finished!"

The masked man, or rather, the man who was now without the mask, smiled brightly. His eyes were filled with joy.

Observing this, the Divine Physician stroked his long, white beard, his expression tinged with curiosity and muttered quietly.

"By the way, every time I see you, you always seem so strange."

"Hehehe. What are you muttering about? I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you ramble this one time."

"Well, while I'm sure that you want the Divine Pill, you don't seem to have any greed for it. It's a bit strange."

Now that he had satisfied his curiosity regarding refining the Divine Pill, another curiosity that he had put aside for a while arose. At first, he thought that the goal had been to raise his cultivation as a martial artist or maybe even for the sake of immortality. However, the more time he spent with the man, the more he realized that that wasn't the case. The masked man wanted the Divine Pill, yes, but he had no intention of using the pill himself.

"If you're going to kill this old man anyway, why not indulge me and answer my questions first?"

"There's no need for you to worry, Divine Physician. I won't take your life."

"Oho. And here I thought you were going to find a way to silence me in order to keep the secret… was that not the case?"

The Divine Pill of the Southern Jungles.

It was an elixir that was more valuable than the Shaolin Temple's Greater Circulation Pill. The fewer people knew about it, the better.

Treasures often invited bloodshed. It wouldn't have been surprising if he had been killed the moment he finished refining the Divine Pill.

"If you were some pest who couldn't listen to directions, then of course I would have. However, it's a different story when you don't put up unnecessary resistance and just listen to me. Divine Physician, follow me. Say goodbye to this damned place. I'll show you more precious medicines."

"You're betraying them, just as I thought you would. How quaint."

The masked man had promised to hand over the Divine Pill to the Chief of the Au Co Tribe once it was completed. However, he had no intention of keeping that promise.

"They won't let us go easily. Are you prepared for that?"

"Those barbarians won't even be a hindrance. Moreover, they'll be too busy blocking the Allied Forces."

The man smirked and raised his hand.

"Ugh!"

"Aaak!"

Screams of the warriors of the major tribes who had been watching the Divine Physician's party erupted from the bushes. Masked men dressed in black from head to toe appeared behind them.

They were the subordinates who had followed them from the Central Plains to the Southern Jungles that had disappeared along the way.

"Let's go."

While there were only thirty of them, each of them was an extraordinary expert. They were all Peak or Transcendent realm experts.

The man leading them possessed remarkable cultivation and formidable strength, even by the Great Forest's standards.

The Divine Physician followed the man and escaped through a shortcut he had learned in advance.

"Listen carefully, Divine Physician. You must never tell anyone what I'm about to say. If you open your mouth, even the slightest, you know what'll happen, right?"

"Hehehe. I don't have much time left anyway, so there's nothing I regret. Still, I can't help but worry about the medical manuals and medicines I've yet to study. Fine, I understand."

"Good. Remember, the only reason you're still alive isn't because of your medical skills but because of your wisdom. Still, there's nothing for you to regret. Because of that wisdom of yours, you'll be able to enter the main association that holds the murim, or rather, the entire Central Plains, in the palm of its hand."

"The main association…?"

The man smiled ominously and slashed away the large leaves blocking their path.

The densely growing trees gradually decreased, and they reached the entrance. The irritating poison forest was now over.

"That's right. Most assume that the murim is divided into three factions—The Righteous Path, the Evil Path, and the Demonic Path. However, that's a grave mistake."

The man's eyes glowed sinisterly.

The vast and treacherous forest disappeared, replaced by the distant roar of a powerful river current.

"The name of this place, where even the Ten Empyrean Overlords dare not approach, is…"

The man trailed off, his footsteps coming to an abrupt halt.

"You riled me up with anticipation just to stop at the important point. Are you trying to mess with this old man?"

The Divine Physician also stopped and asked a question.

"…"

But this wasn't the time for banter.

The man's eyes narrowed sharply, like an eagle's. His subordinates, who were keeping watch around him, also froze, sensing that something was off.

"I wonder what that name is. Can't you tell me?"

It wasn't the Divine Physician. It was an unfamiliar voice, a third party.

"Who are you?!" the man barked, his tone wary.

Without waiting for an answer, he threw a punch.

BOOM!

This was no ordinary strike. A violent storm erupted from his fist, tearing a massive tree from its roots. The shockwave surged forward, hitting the center of the river ahead.

BANG!

Another explosion followed as water shot into the air, creating a tower of water.

As the droplets fell, they caught the light, forming a seven-colored rainbow.

"Your enemy."

The few remaining trees fell one by one in the vicious wind, widening the man's field of vision. A group of people appeared in front of the river.

Were they waiting for us?

The man's expression darkened. He could sense that something was wrong.

"It's nice to meet you."

Someone from the group stepped forward.

The man frowned as soon as he saw the face.

"You bastard, I think I've seen you somewhere…"

He struggled to recall where he had seen the man before, but the memory remained just out of reach, leaving him deeply frustrated.

"Looking at you, you must at least be a Unit Leader of the Dark Heavens Association. Do you really not recognize me?"

"W-what? What did you just say?"

The man's eyes widened, his jaw dropping in shock. The name the stranger had spoken was one he could not ignore.

"Blessed Existence, that bastard, should have distributed my portrait to get me killed and put me on the Slaughter Register…"

"...!"

The man's jaw fell even further. He was utterly stunned, so overwhelmed that he couldn't manage a word.

The Dark Heavens Association and Blessed Existence. Two names that should never have been known were just mentioned casually.

Even if the man before him were to have known the name of the Association, how did he know the name of one of the Seven Stars?"

"Slaughter Register? Slaughter Register… agh! Zhou Xuchuan! You're Zhou Xuchuan!!"

1. One of the most famous physicians/doctors in history, Hua Tuo, was the first to use anesthesia in China and created the Exercise of the Five Animals. That might seem familiar, as it's used in nearly every wuxia/xianxia/murim in some way or form, often as a foundational technique. ☜

2. See TL/N bc this requires a history lesson for context. ☜

Cyncoco's Thoughts

It's me, Cyncoco!

Omg, we're almost at 200. Nice.

Okay, so first thing, do you guys like the long lessons? Please let me know in the comments if you'd rather me not do these so you can read in peace.

So, for the short history lesson.

There are a few qualifying titles for ruling figures in East Asia.

Duke

King

Emperor

Now, to clarify, these aren't exact titles/translations. It's more like -> approximations based on Western norms and nomenclature. The actual context is different.

For example, there is the duke 공작 but also the duke 왕, which is the same word often read as king (tldr one is a title for the highest among the five given titles of nobility, and the other is the lineage duke title given to princes).

All this to say, the titles don't necessarily translate perfectly, and thus, the context behind this joke is hard to read. (This is also why so many people are translated as kings in Eastern novels when, technically, they should be dukes. But then those dukes aren't the same duke, and then there's an entire mess, but that's for later.)

Qin Shi Huang, or the First Emperor of Qin, was the first to use the Huangdi 황제 title, which translates roughly to Sovereign Emperor (or Emperor for short.) It was taken from the term, 三皇五帝, or Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, from the titles given to the Mythological Rulers of China. (Like Shennong, for example).

He took on this title after fully reclaiming the lands of the former Zhou Kingdom, assuming an even higher authority of the heavens after thinking that the title 왕 wasn't enough to declare his prestige.

Specifically, this title made him higher than the kings before and made all rulers around him one step lower in terms of rank. Thus, when it mentions rulers in neighboring nations, it's specifying that those nations are kings while he's an emperor. A random little tidbit, but is key to recognizing how the Central Plains views itself compared to those around them.