I Have Medicine

Chapter 558 - (Beast Tide) Ah Zuo’s Medicine, Big Brother’s Bow.

Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

[TN: I figured out that the previous translator used both English and Pinyin names, so I decided to use Pinyin names if they hadn’t been translated before.]

The number of wild beasts was overwhelming, too many to count—likely thousands or even tens of thousands. Each wild beast was massive, shaking the ground with every step. Due to their crowding, the warriors on the city walls could hardly distinguish the different types of beasts, making their battle against them even more difficult.

However, after a brief moment of panic, some martial artists with eye-based martial techniques quickly shouted, “The first thousand wild elephant beasts are about to charge the city gates! All inscription masters, get ready!”

In an instant, several black-clad men and women suddenly appeared from behind the warriors on the city wall. Though they were quite old, their eyes radiated wisdom.

Gu Zuo noticed that their palms emitted strange glowing patterns, and in the blink of an eye, those lights landed on the city wall, immediately enveloping the entire wall in a faint white light shield.

*Boom boom—*

The moment the shield lit up, hundreds of wild elephant beasts slammed into the city wall! At the same time, the light on the shield flared up and violently trembled!

But standing on the city wall, Gu Zuo felt no vibration whatsoever. He paused, confused.

Next to him, Lord Wu Zhenhuang kept his gaze fixed on the battlefield, speaking aloud, “When the city walls were originally built, inscription masters embedded the inscriptions into each brick. During battle, whenever the inscription masters activate the inscriptions, it provides a powerful defensive force to prevent the wild beasts from breaking the wall and entering the gates. So, with the protection of the inscriptions, the entire city wall remains unbreakable. Even if it’s slammed into, there will be no shock to affect the martial artists’ combat.”

Gu Zuo nodded. “But this must have a limit?”

Lord Wu Zhenhuang sighed. “Indeed. If there are repeated collisions, each hit weakens the inscriptions a little. After all, the inscription masters’ strength is limited. Even with the aid of the heavens and earth, manipulating the inscriptions is exhausting, especially when under impact. Every time it’s hit, it consumes a huge amount of energy. Once all the inscriptions lose their effect, no matter how strong the wall is, it won’t be able to stop the beasts. Therefore, after assessing the battlefield, the soldiers must leave the wall and fight the beasts directly, breaking their formations so they can’t gather together to charge the wall. At the same time, they need to reduce the number of wild beasts. Once the beasts are mostly eliminated, they won’t pose a threat anymore, and this wave of the beast tide will have passed.”

Gu Zuo understood. “I see now.”

He continued to watch the scene below, a thought stirring in his mind.

Gongyi Tianheng had been paying attention to Gu Zuo’s reactions and, seeing a jade bottle appear in his hands, immediately understood. “Are you planning to give it a try?”

Gu Zuo glanced at him and said, “If it could reduce the pressure on everyone, it would be great.”

Gongyi Tianheng, naturally supportive, then turned to look at Lord Wu Zhenhuang. “Lord Wu, how much longer before you head out to meet the beasts?”

Lord Wu Zhenhuang watched the scene below, thinking for a moment. “Another ten breaths or so. We’ll need to act soon, or the inscriptions will deplete too much. We need to give the inscriptions time to recover.”

Gongyi Tianheng looked back at Gu Zuo.

Gu Zuo nodded. “That’s enough.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped his palm, and another water vat appeared in front of him. He then took out several bottles and poured different pills into the vat with a precise rhythm. In an instant, the water inside changed into a dazzling array of colors, forming a beautiful spectacle.

Seeing this, Wu Zhenhuang suddenly had a realization. “Pharmacist Gu is preparing—”

Gongyi Tianheng answered, “Poison.”

Wu Zhenhuang abruptly recalled the other title associated with Pharmacist Gu. That title referred to his mastery in refining various flawless pills, even the highly sought-after Prismatic Pills, which made him a terrifyingly valuable target of bounties. However, no one had ever mentioned that he was skilled in poisons as well.

As Gu Zuo continued his work, he spoke quickly. “Pills are medicine, and poison is also medicine—they are inseparable. If I can refine flawless elixirs, naturally, I can also refine lethal poisons.”

While he spoke, the water in the vat had completely separated into five distinct colors. Then, Gu Zuo took out a pitch-black plant, gazed at it briefly, and the next moment, a single drop of transparent liquid emerged from the plant, falling into the five-colored water.

Surprisingly, the water immediately turned into a faint, milky white, appearing remarkably beautiful. As it flowed, it shimmered subtly with five-colored radiance.

Gu Zuo then retrieved a piece of translucent, colorless skin—obtained from a type of wild bird after its feathers had been removed. Though the skin had no other practical use, it was an excellent material for storing poison. If refined properly, it could preserve the quality of the poison for extended periods. Moreover, with a mere infusion of true qi, it could transform into something akin to a “grenade,” dispersing the poison over a vast area—covering up to a hundred meters! It was, without a doubt, a terrifying biochemical weapon.

Right now, Gu Zuo was creating just such a weapon.

His movements were exceptionally swift. In the span of a single breath, he used his formidable psychic power to divide the skin into twenty-eight square pieces, each about a foot wide. Then, with astonishing dexterity, his hands blurred with countless afterimages as he crafted the transparent skin into twenty-eight gourd-like containers. Without hesitation, he swept the gourds through the vat of poisoned water—*whoosh whoosh!*

Moments later, all the gourds were filled with the faint white liquid, transforming into what appeared to be pristine white gourds, gleaming with an enchanting radiance.

By this point, even Wu Zhenhuang was deeply astonished.

From preparing the concoction to crafting the white gourds, the entire process took Gu Zuo only six or seven breaths. Though he wasn’t entirely certain whether these white gourds would truly be effective, there were still four or five breaths left before the warriors launched their attack. That was enough time for him to test them out!

Wu Zhenhuang said, “Pharmacist Gu, feel free to proceed as you wish.”

Gu Zuo smiled in satisfaction at the white gourds. “Then let City Lord Wu have a look.”

With that, he walked to the edge of the city wall. Although the front was protected by a defensive light barrier, those on the wall could open a passage at will using a signal talisman, allowing them to enter and exit freely. Gu Zuo now held one such talisman—one that Wu Zhenhuang had distributed earlier to him and his big brother.

He pressed the talisman forward, and in an instant, a human-sized opening appeared in the barrier where he had touched. Many nearby warriors noticed this and found it strange—isn’t there still time before the attack begins?

Then, they saw that the one who had opened the portal did not actually step out to fight. Instead, he simply raised his hand and hurled four or five white gourds outward.

The gourds scattered in four directions, falling toward the thousand-strong horde of savage beasts attacking the city gates.

The beasts, their eyes bloodshot with frenzy, paid no attention to the small gourds descending from above. But before the gourds could reach the ground, they suddenly exploded!

In that instant, the pale white liquid inside burst out like countless raindrops, scattering in all directions!

*Pitter-patter…*

The “rain” did not fall in a heavy downpour. Instead, its soft, pale color lent it an almost delicate beauty.

Under the refracted light, the droplets shimmered with a five-colored brilliance, as exquisite as flawless jade.

However, the moment this “rain” touched the savage beasts, they all froze in place.

A piercing chill erupted from their bodies—yes, from the very spots where the droplets had landed. Within a single breath, every beast that had been touched by the “raindrops” was turned into an ice sculpture. The more liquid they had been exposed to, the faster the transformation occurred!

Once frozen, the beasts became even more breathtaking to behold. Yet it was as if the world itself could not bear such beauty—for in the very instant they reached this extreme, they shattered just like the white gourds before them. One after another, the ice statues crumbled, dissolving into countless ice crystals that scattered into the wind…

A thousand savage beasts—wiped out by just four or five white gourds.

The gourds shattered.

A thousand beasts perished.

The warriors on the city wall all witnessed this scene, and their pupils involuntarily contracted.

Such a beautiful sight.

Such a terrifying sight.

What exactly was inside those white gourds? How could they create such an outcome?

Wu Zhenhuang had watched Gu Zuo carry out the entire process with his own eyes, and for a moment, he couldn’t help but feel… a chill down his spine.

Before, he had only heard of Gu Zuo’s fearsome reputation and regarded him with caution. But now that he had truly seen it for himself, he felt a cold dread from the depths of his heart.

Top ten on the List of Pill Sinners and Evildoers—the Pill Slaughterer Profound Shadow was indeed a truly terrifying figure!

Then…

Wu Zhenhuang watched as Gongyi Tianheng reached out and ruffled the hair of this terrifying figure, while the terrifying figure responded with a big, bright smile, his expression clearly saying just three words—praise me more.

Immediately after, Gongyi Tianheng said approvingly, “Ah Zuo’s poison techniques have improved again.”

Gu Zuo sighed. “Well, it was pretty effective.”

With that, he tossed the remaining twenty-four white gourds over to Wu Zhenhuang.

Wu Zhenhuang’s expression changed instantly, and he hurriedly caught them with the gentlest force possible!

This was no joke—if these things exploded, everyone on the city wall would be doomed!

Of course, since Gu Zuo had thrown them so casually, it was clear they wouldn’t just detonate that easily.

Once Wu Zhenhuang had safely caught them, he hesitated slightly before asking, “Pharmacist Gu, these are…?”

Gu Zuo smiled. “These are for you. City Lord Wu can distribute them to some warriors. If they find themselves in danger or encounter a dense gathering of savage beasts, they can channel their inner energy into the gourds and throw them. Within one breath after the infusion, the white gourds will explode. They’re perfect for siege battles.”

Wu Zhenhuang’s face lit up with joy. “Many thanks, Pharmacist Gu.”

Gu Zuo reminded him, “Make sure the city lord knows—any beast below the Primordial Beast level will shatter just like the ones earlier, but against Primordial Beasts, their effectiveness is uncertain.”

Wu Zhenhuang wasn’t concerned. Instead, he said, “That is more than enough.”

With that, he distributed the white gourds to several warriors.

At this moment, the allotted time for the preliminary inscription formation’s support had run out. All the warriors stationed on the city wall had to jump down now and engage the oncoming beast tide in battle!

It was a fight to the death—either they perished, or their enemies did!

Countless warriors charged into the beast horde.

Gongyi Tianheng glanced at the two thousand men he had brought with him. “Go and fight! Don’t disgrace me.”

Hearing his command, the warriors half-knelt, their voices shaking the heavens.

“Understood, Young Master!”

The two thousand warriors split into ten squads, each led by a commander. With a single leap from the city walls, they plunged straight into the beast tide, their fearless ferocity no less than that of the warriors of Eight Desolations City!

The Tianlong Guards divided themselves into five battalions.

With a single palm strike, countless blood-red palm imprints descended, instantly killing a large swath of incoming savage beasts.

Some seemed to suddenly grow dozens of feet taller, stomping down with a foot that left countless footprints before converging into a massive sole, crushing entire groups of beasts into pulp.

Others threw a punch, unleashing a torrent of golden-red light that surged like a raging flood, scorching mountains and boiling seas, reducing every beast in its path to ashes.

Some warriors’ palms erupted with a powerful suction force, creating a whirlwind vortex that spiraled outward, shredding countless beasts in its wake.

Still others quickly gathered together, some forming hands, others forming limbs, instantly assembling into a towering beastly shadow over a hundred feet high. With just a single breath, hundreds of savage beasts were reduced to dust!

There were only two hundred Tianlong Guards, yet their power was overwhelming!

The sheer devastation they caused was beyond shocking.

Meanwhile, the battle slaves formed tactical formations, cutting through the beast tide like countless grinding machines—wherever they passed, the beasts were turned into minced flesh.

The Shadow Cat Clan moved as countless flickering shadows, reaping lives wherever they went. Before the savage beasts could even react, their heads had already been severed!

Although several hundred warriors had initially struggled with their formation and timing, their formidable combat techniques and quick adaptability soon allowed them to coordinate seamlessly. What started as a slightly clumsy effort soon became fluid and precise—whether launching combined attacks or moving independently, their lethality was immense!

The two thousand men under Gongyi Tianheng’s command were not a burden in the slightest. On the contrary, they displayed unparalleled ferocity in slaughtering savage beasts, bringing him considerable prestige.

Even City Lord Wu and his deputy commanders couldn’t help but be amazed.

This was the first time they had ever seen an external force that could adapt to the battlefield so quickly while unleashing such overwhelming power. Could it be that the All-star Prodigy’s ability to train troops is also extraordinary?

Regardless, these warriors were an asset, not a liability, which greatly pleased City Lord Wu and his men.

From Gu Zuo’s astonishing performance to the prowess of the two thousand warriors, they finally witnessed what a true guardian should be capable of.

If every appointed guardian were like Gongyi Tianheng, no matter how much they valued their own people, they would never look down on outsiders—after all, above their xenophobia was the far more important priority of minimizing casualties!

At this moment, Gu Zuo once again took out a batch of refined poison pills, combined them with the necessary medicinal ingredients to create toxic liquid, and used savage beast hide to craft more poison-grenade white gourds. He handed them over to Wu Zhenhuang for further distribution, further weakening the beast tide’s strength.

Wu Zhenhuang naturally felt that the more, the better. However, Gu Zuo’s supply of ingredients was limited, so he could only make around one or two hundred white gourds at most.

Yet for the warriors of Eight Desolations City, this amount was already a tremendous help. Those who had the white gourds suffered almost no casualties, aside from a few unlucky ones who were caught off guard and had no time to evade.

The sheer power displayed by the guardian’s forces left the warriors of Eight Desolations City both shaken and filled with a burning sense of battle spirit and competition.

Originally, Wu Yingyuan, Chang Heyue, the deputy commanders, and the others had planned to observe from the city walls for a while longer. However, at this moment, they all raised their weapons and shouted:

“Charge!”

“Kill—!”

Immediately afterward, they led a large force of warriors and stormed onto the battlefield!

Wu Yingyuan’s twin halberds proved devastating in battle—each sweep to the left or right reaped countless savage beasts’ lives. Every one of her movements was crisp and precise, devoid of any unnecessary flourish.

Chang Heyue followed closely behind, guarding her rear and flanks against sneak attacks. With the aid of countless staff shadows, Wu Yingyuan no longer needed to defend against hidden strikes and could focus entirely on maximizing her killing power. Meanwhile, any beast caught within Chang Heyue’s staff shadows had its skull swiftly shattered beneath his blows, meeting a swift end!

The deputy commanders were no less formidable.

Some wielded axes that split the earth, their strikes cleaving through the beast hordes and slaughtering them en masse. Others brandished great blades, each swing bisecting numerous savage beasts at the waist. Some wielded hammers, smashing down to crush entire groups of beasts to death. There were countless other terrifying combat techniques, all honed through brutal battlefield experience—these warriors were born for war!

Wu Zhenhuang, however, did not join the battle.

As a peak Ascendant Realm warrior, his primary role at this moment was to guard the city walls.

This beast tide was merely the strongest among the smaller waves, and the most powerful savage beasts present were only at the Atomic Realm. If even such a battle required his personal intervention, how would Eight Desolations City’s warriors ever temper themselves?

A warrior seeking to grow stronger did not need meticulous protection—they needed to fight for their lives in the right environment, pushing their limits to the extreme to achieve greater heights!

For the same reason, Gongyi Tianheng, also a Ascendant Realm expert, did not make a move.

He watched the battlefield, where flesh and blood flew in all directions, his expression calm and unshaken.

Even seasoned warriors who were accustomed to life and death rarely remained so composed when witnessing the chaos of war firsthand.

Wu Zhenhuang had been observing Gongyi Tianheng all this time. Seeing his demeanor now, he couldn’t help but silently praise him.

This… is what it means to be an All-star Prodigy.

Over half an hour passed. Below, blood covered the land, and corpses piled into mountains.

The stench of blood filled the air, stimulating many warriors into a frenzy—their eyes turned red, their emotions running wild.

Wu Zhenhuang had already witnessed Gu Zuo’s capabilities and the sheer power of the two-thousand-strong army. However, he had yet to see Gongyi Tianheng in action. At this moment, a thought crossed his mind, and he asked, “Do your hands itch for action?”

Gongyi Tianheng glanced at him, immediately grasping his intent. He replied, “Though these savage beasts are nothing special, their relentless assault does pose a threat even to Ascendant Realm warriors…”

As he spoke, he leisurely rolled up his sleeves. A crimson longbow appeared in his hand, and his tone took on a slow, deliberate rhythm.

“…I suppose my hands are itching a little.”

With that, he turned his gaze toward the battlefield and drew his bow.

As Gongyi Tianheng pulled the string back, countless specks of golden-red light gathered at his fingertips. They quickly flowed into the bowstring, rapidly forming into the shape of an arrow.

The process was astonishingly fast—by the time his bowstring was drawn to a full crescent, the arrow had already fully materialized. Though the arrow’s tip was merely a single point of golden light, it radiated a terrifying aura that sent shivers down one’s spine!

Wu Zhenhuang sensed this power and immediately felt a tingling at his scalp.

He was at the peak of the Ascendant Realm, yet for some reason, the arrow that this Ascendant Realm novice was about to release made him feel an intense sense of danger—as if it could pose a direct threat to his life!

He didn’t know if this was merely an illusion… but he dared not underestimate it in the slightest.

In the next instant, Gongyi Tianheng released his fingers, and the arrow shot forward like a fiery shooting star, traveling at an unimaginable speed! It was so fast that, wherever it passed, there was a sound as though space itself was being scorched. At the same time, everything around it seemed to burn. Many of the savage beasts blocking its path were incinerated as it passed, turning into charred corpses. Yet, the arrow didn’t stop—it surged forward with unstoppable momentum, piercing deep into the heart of the beast horde. In a split second, it struck the first-tier Primordial Beast, the creature responsible for this small-scale beast tide!

The first-tier Primordial Beast hadn’t even had time to react before the arrow pierced its skull. The arrow didn’t continue to penetrate, but the point where it entered exploded with golden-red energy, setting the entire beast alight! The flames spread quickly, and the golden-red fire spread to the surrounding beast horde, burning at an astonishing rate. In less than a single breath, the dense mass of spirit-level savage beasts and the many guards of the first-tier Primordial Beast were all engulfed by the golden-red fire, transforming into a vast sea of flames!

The savage beasts howled in agony, but in the blink of an eye, their voices fell silent.

Everyone who witnessed this scene involuntarily held their breath.

Many had previously thought that the golden-red power unleashed by the Tianlong Guard’s punches was powerful enough to burn mountains and seas. But now, they realized that such power was nothing compared to what they were witnessing. The terrifying spectacle caused by the arrow was the true burning of mountains and seas!

And this was just the power of a single arrow.

At this moment, the people of Eight Desolations City truly understood just how immense the strength of an All-star Prodigy could be.

Gongyi Tianheng no longer drew his bow, and the bow and arrow disappeared from his hand.

Then, he slightly smiled, saying, “Not bad, but could have been better.”