I Have Medicine

Chapter 567 - (Inferno at Giant Rock City) Giant Rock City suffers heavy casualties.

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

Those foreign tribes indeed had different physiques from humans. Although Gongyi Tianheng’s speed in delivering finishing blows was already swift, after a dozen or so breaths, some of the foreign tribes still began to wake up one after another. They immediately shouted in shock and fury, “Humans? How dare you disrupt our Giant Rock Tribe’s Bai Rou Market! We’ll devour you!”

With that, several Giant Rock Tribe members struggled to get up. However, due to the lingering effects of the paralyzing drug, although they managed to stand, they staggered unsteadily and couldn’t unleash their full strength.

Gongyi Tianheng let out a cold snort. With a slight lift of his hands, he sent out several palm strikes.

With dull thuds, the newly awakened foreign tribes were instantly smashed into meat paste. Their so-called stone-like skin was utterly incapable of resisting his power.

The foreign tribes attending this Bai Rou Market were mostly at the Immortal Realm. Those who had reached the Atomic Realm held relatively high positions, and those at the Ascendant Realm were considered leaders. They didn’t need to attend in person and would simply wait for their subordinates to offer the spoils later.

Because of this, Gongyi Tianheng remained unstoppable within this stone hall. As more foreign tribes woke up, his strikes remained swifter, leaving none able to escape his grasp.

The entire stone hall reeked heavily of blood.

By now, Gu Zuo had administered the antidote, and the many captive humans were gradually regaining consciousness.

As they opened their eyes, their faces initially showed despair. However, the more clear-headed ones quickly noticed that every foreign tribesman in the stone hall lay dead, while every human remained safe and unharmed.

Moreover, they saw a young man tirelessly feeding pills to fellow humans, each of whom woke up shortly afterward. At this sight, how could they not understand? Clearly, someone had come to rescue them!

In an instant, all the humans displayed expressions of overwhelming joy. Then, when they looked at the corpses around them, their eyes were filled with both hatred and satisfaction.

Among these captives, some had endured prolonged torment from the foreign tribes. While some had suffered complete mental collapse, others had become even more resilient through the ordeal.

Immediately, a sturdy man stepped forward. After first expressing his gratitude, he asked, “May I ask, honored seniors, what should we do next?”

Just then, Gongyi Tianheng had finished killing the remaining foreign tribes and moved swiftly to Gu Zuo’s side. Upon hearing this question, he replied, “Those of you with higher cultivation should lead the weaker ones out of this place. The two of us must remain here a while longer.”

The sturdy man couldn’t help but grow anxious. “Honored seniors, this place is the heart of the Giant Rock Tribe’s territory. While the foreign tribes present at the Bai Rou Market weren’t particularly powerful, there are Feathering Realm experts stationed deeper inside. It’s also rumored that this clan has several Celestial Realm experts cultivating in seclusion, and even a Noble Realm powerhouse in closed-door cultivation… If they discover you, it would be extremely dangerous.”

Although he couldn’t determine the exact cultivation levels of Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo, their youthful appearances made him believe they couldn’t possibly be above the Ascendant Realm. Thus, while deeply grateful for their righteous efforts in saving them, he didn’t believe they stood much chance against the powerful figures of the Giant Rock Tribe.

The Giant Rock Tribe was indeed a formidable group. Similar to how the Eight Desolations City, despite being an Iron-ranked city, had not advanced to Bronze-ranked status merely because it lacked a Royal Realm expert. However, over the years, the city still had Celestial Realm and Noble Realm experts cultivating in seclusion. Likewise, the Giant Rock Tribe had Noble Realm experts, and not just one, but two. This made them far stronger than the Blue-Eyed Tribe and the Demon Wolf Tribe, which each had only one Noble Realm expert. Otherwise, given the relatively close relationship between the other two tribe, they would certainly have been able to pressure the Giant Rock Tribe.

Back when the Demon Wolf Tribe lost the struggle for the wood-blood ore vein to the Giant Rock Tribe, it wasn’t just because the Giant Rock Tribe’s skin was tough, as Wu Yingyuan had once claimed. The key factor was that the Giant Rock Tribe’s top combat strength surpassed that of the other two tribes. Otherwise, the outcome wouldn’t have turned out this way.

Over countless years, the number of Noble Realm experts in the Eight Desolations City had always remained roughly equal to the combined strength of the three tribes. They never surpassed the opposing side, which was why they couldn’t directly mobilize their top forces to wipe out the three tribes, resulting in the prolonged stalemate.

Of course, Gongyi Tianheng had previously inquired about this information from Wu Zhenhuang. Since Wu Zhenhuang had acknowledged Tianheng as the city’s guardian, he held nothing back and informed him directly.

Thus, Gongyi Tianheng dared to come to Giant Rock City not without backup. Hidden behind him were two Noble Realm battle slaves. Even if they drew the attention of the powerful ancestors of the foreign tribes, they would still be able to retreat safely.

Now that the sturdy man had issued this warning, it showed that he was indeed someone who knew gratitude and repaid kindness. Despite enduring much suffering, his nature had remained unchanged.

Gongyi Tianheng appreciated this and said, “We wouldn’t have dared to come here without preparation. You all should leave as soon as possible. Since the Giant Rock Tribe dared to humiliate our people like this, the two of us will be sure to claim some interest from them.”

Hearing this, the sturdy man still felt some concern. However, seeing Gongyi Tianheng’s imposing presence, composed demeanor, and remarkable confidence — something he had never witnessed before — he suppressed those worries.

He said, “Then I’ll lead my fellow clansmen away now. I pray that you two seniors exercise great caution.”

Gongyi Tianheng gave a slight nod. “Go.”

Gu Zuo then tossed a few bottles over. “Take these healing pills with you. If any of your kin suffer from injuries that are difficult to heal, they may consume these.”

The sturdy man was even more grateful upon hearing this. After expressing his thanks several times, he led the rescued captives away.

His strength was the highest among the former captives, and as someone with a strong sense of responsibility, he took it upon himself to escort his people to the Eight Desolations City as best as he could.

Once they had departed, Gongyi Tianheng gestured toward a certain point in the void.

A ripple quietly spread across the air, soon fading from sight — this was one of the Noble Realm experts, tasked with escorting the group beyond the Giant Rock Tribe’s territory while masking their presence. Otherwise, if the Giant Rock Tribe discovered them, these recently freed humans might still face relentless pursuit.

Afterward, Gongyi Tianheng looked at Gu Zuo. “Ah Zuo, what are your plans?”

Gu Zuo raised his head. “Big brother must have something in mind too, right?”

Gongyi Tianheng gave a slight nod. “I believe we can cooperate on this.”

Gu Zuo’s interest was piqued. “What do you mean, big brother?”

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Gongyi Tianheng’s eyes. “I just calculated that with Ah Zuo’s poison, the foreign tribes can be paralyzed for about fifteen breaths. Meanwhile, my fire only needs the slightest spark to ignite into a raging blaze.”

Gu Zuo sucked in a sharp breath.

He realized that his big brother had been completely enraged by the brutal acts of those foreign tribes. Gongyi Tianheng intended to let those paralyzed foreigners be burned alive by the Great Sun Fire, roasting them to death in their helpless state!

Gu Zuo’s gaze turned cold as well. “Since big brother is confident, I’ll add another method to the mix. I have a type of ‘Wu You Pill’ — it’s a trick pill I once made just to experiment with refining techniques. But this pill has a unique effect: once released, it can instantly spread across a hundred miles. Within that range, as long as a single spark touches it — no matter what kind of fire it is — the flames will spread at an incredible speed, faster than anyone can react!”

Gongyi Tianheng raised an eyebrow. “That’s excellent.”

With their plan set, the two wasted no time.

Who knew how soon the Giant Rock Tribe’s forces inside the city would realize what was happening? Once they caught on, taking action would lose its advantage.

With only a few words exchanged, the two concealed themselves once more after having revealed their presence to save the captives. Moving swiftly, they crossed the stone hall and reached a position above a great hall connected to the inner city of Giant Rock City.

With a flicker of thought, Gu Zuo summoned a massive jade-green gourd into his hand. Without hesitation, he uncorked it and vigorously scattered the paralyzing powder inside!

At the same time, Gongyi Tianheng pushed his palm forward, unleashing an exceptionally fierce gust of wind. This wind wasn’t some specialized technique — it was a raw surge of force created purely from his own powerful inner energy. It wasn’t sophisticated, but it had overwhelming strength.

In the blink of an eye, the paralyzing power exploded outward under the force of the wind, rapidly engulfing nearly the entire Giant Rock City! Without delay, Gu Zuo flicked out several Wu You Pills, which burst in the wind, transforming into smoke-like streams that spread in all directions.

The entire process took only a single breath’s time.

Gongyi Tianheng didn’t hesitate. He drew his bow and fired, unleashing over a hundred arrows in one shot. Each arrow bore traces of golden-red energy. Although every arrow flew in a different direction, the result was the same — the instant they landed, that golden-red power erupted into flames, and in the next moment, those flames surged along the smoke-like currents, igniting the entire Giant Rock City!

In a mere two breaths, Giant Rock City was eerily hushed, the only spectacle being the golden-red flames that quietly consumed the stone structures, transforming them into a blazing red.

With his sharp sense of smell, Gu Zuo could detect the acrid stench of scorched flesh wafting from various stone houses — the unmistakable sign that countless Giant Rock Tribe members had been burned alive while still paralyzed.

Starting from the third breath, a furious roar erupted from the depths of Giant Rock City:

“Humans—! How dare you burn Giant Rock City and kill thousands of my clansmen?! Die—!”

Immediately afterward, an enormous stone hand, seemingly capable of supporting the heavens and suppressing the earth, descended from above, aiming to crush Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo in an instant!

At the same time, Gongyi Tianheng, as if anticipating this, rapidly unleashed dozens of palm strikes in succession. His speed was astonishing — even faster than the massive stone hand bearing down on them.

Those golden-red palm strikes shattered layer by layer under the stone hand’s oppressive force. The rate of collapse was swift, but to a keen observer, it was clear that each time the stone hand broke through one of the golden-red palms, its strength weakened slightly — steadily diminishing layer by layer.

Gongyi Tianheng grabbed Gu Zuo and swiftly moved away from the stone hand’s range the moment it came crashing down. At that very moment, an immensely powerful aura appeared behind them — one belonging to an exceptionally strong foreign warrior slave.

That warrior slave immediately unleashed a fierce slash toward another direction!

As it turned out, another Noble Realm expert from the Giant Rock Tribe had launched an attack from the opposite side. However, this strike was intercepted by the warrior slave who had been tasked with protecting Gongyi Tianheng.

The resulting clash was deafening.

But the warrior slave didn’t linger in battle. Seeing that his young master had successfully escaped with his personal pharmacist, he refrained from pursuing the fight. Instead, after rapidly launching a series of strikes to hinder the opponent, he vanished like a bolt of lightning.

The entire escape unfolded with incredible speed — within just a few breaths, they had all successfully fled beyond the boundaries of Giant Rock City!

The two Noble Realm experts intended to give chase, but they were stopped by several Celestial Realm experts from within the city.

“Old Ancestor, please extinguish the fire first. We… we are powerless to do so!”

It turned out that the Great Sun Fire, born from one of the Six Dao techniques cultivated by Gongyi Tianheng’s Tiandu Physique, could not be extinguished by ordinary means. Even Celestial Realm experts would need to expend considerable time and effort to suppress it. And if they allowed time to pass without immediate action, the countless Giant Rock Tribe members — including those at the Immortal, Atomic, and Ascendant stages — would all perish in the inferno!

As a result, the two Noble Realm powerhouses had no choice but to stay behind and help extinguish the fire.

This outcome had clearly been anticipated by Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo.

The two of them, seeing no further signs of imminent danger behind them, instructed the Noble Realm warrior slave to conceal himself once more. Then, they quickly prepared to leave the desolate wilderness.

About two to four hours later, Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo had reached the gates of Eight Desolations City. Along the way, they encountered several foreign tribes and wild beasts. If they encountered members of the foreign tribes, they would kill them on sight. As for the wild beasts, they only bothered if the beasts were of significant strength. If not, they couldn’t be bothered to waste their efforts.

Before long, the two of them arrived at the city gate.

The guards on duty recognized Gongyi Tianheng’s face and promptly opened the gate, allowing them to enter.

Naturally, Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo headed straight for the City Lord’s Manor. At this moment, Wu Zhenhuang personally came out to greet them. Upon seeing that the two had returned safely, he let out a sigh of relief and said with admiration, “You two are truly bold and skilled. To think you ventured alone into Giant Rock City and even managed to rescue so many people.” Then, with concern, he added, “Are you both alright? Did you alarm any of the old monsters from Giant Rock City?”

Hearing this, Gongyi Tianheng knew that the rescued humans must have already returned to Eight Desolations City. It seemed that the Noble Realm warrior slave tasked with escorting them had brought the survivors directly back. Otherwise, with those people slowing them down, they couldn’t have possibly arrived before Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo.

Afterward, Wu Zhenhuang inquired, “May I ask how the two of you managed to escape afterward?”

Gongyi Tianheng replied, “We didn’t do much. Ah Zuo released some poison, and I started a fire.”

Hearing this, Wu Zhenhuang assumed the two had simply been enraged by the vile scene they witnessed and had set the fire out of anger. He didn’t think much more of it. After all, no ordinary fire, no matter how fierce, could possibly cause significant harm to the tens of thousands of Giant Rock Tribe members. At most, it would create some minor trouble. Even if they had hoped to kill a few more foreign tribesmen, the likelihood wasn’t high.

But none of that mattered. The fact that the two had managed to infiltrate enemy territory and successfully rescue their fellow clansmen was already an achievement worthy of admiration. That they even took the opportunity to strike back and escape safely only heightened that respect. No one would blame them for not dealing a heavier blow to the Giant Rock Tribe.

In Wu Zhenhuang’s eyes, what their guardian and his dedicated pharmacist had done was akin to delivering a powerful slap to the Giant Rock Tribe’s face. Killing those foreign tribesmen in the stone hall was undoubtedly a great victory for the human race!

Such merits deserved recognition. However, given Gongyi Tianheng’s status, Wu Zhenhuang knew he wasn’t in a position to reward him directly. Instead, he decided to hold a banquet to celebrate Gongyi Tianheng’s achievements — a chance to let the whole city know what kind of guardian their domain had!

With this decision made, Wu Zhenhuang gestured for someone nearby to start making arrangements. Then, smiling warmly, he added, “By the way, there’s someone under my command who wishes to thank you both.”

Gu Zuo asked curiously, “Who might that be?”

As soon as he asked, he quickly recalled the people they had just rescued.

But those people had already expressed their gratitude earlier — surely there was no need to thank them again…

Before long, someone indeed walked in.

Gu Zuo took one look and recognized the burly man who had volunteered to take on the escort mission in the stone hall. Wu Zhenhuang had mentioned “his subordinates”—was this man one of Wu Zhenhuang’s people?

The burly man stepped forward to pay his respects, his face full of gratitude: “Guo Kui thanks the Guardian and Pharmacist Gu for their rescue and protection!”

It turned out that this burly man, a consummate expert in the Immortal Realm, was originally a trusted aide of a deputy commander under Wu Zhenhuang. Once he advanced to the Atomic Realm, he could easily become another deputy commander. He was known for his strong sense of righteousness and straightforward character. He had earned many military achievements on the battlefield in the past, and it was precisely because of his position that he was accustomed to taking on responsibilities. Such a person’s fall would be a great loss to Eight Desolations City.

This burly man had been hunting in the frontier wilderness before the last beast tide. With his strength, he should have been able to easily wipe out the beasts and return. However, because of the Bai Rou Market, the Demon Wolf Tribe, in an effort to obtain more wolf-blood ore, had surrounded him with a dozen others of the same realm, capturing him alive and sending him to Giant Rock City.

Due to his formidable strength, he was considered a valuable prize by the Demon Wolf Tribe. Instead of being killed for his flesh, they planned to “slice” his meat alive. Fortunately, Gu Zuo and Gongyi Tianheng arrived just in time to rescue him. Otherwise, he would have met a tragic and agonizing death.

Guo Kui had been in a rush to escort the other humans back, but before they had traveled far, they noticed massive hands clashing above Giant Rock City. They immediately understood that their benefactor must have triggered the involvement of powerful figures inside. Guo Kui, of course, wanted to hand over the responsibility of the group to another Immortal Realm practitioner and return to try and rescue the people. However, before he could act, a terrifying figure suddenly appeared. Without saying much, the figure swiftly whisked them all away with some unknown force.

Soon after, they were all sent back to Eight Desolations City, and that figure had vanished.

Naturally, Guo Kui immediately inquired about the name of this additional helper, only to learn that the person had been sent to escort them, confirming that it was yet another favor from the one who had saved them.

Upon seeing the Noble Realm warrior slave, Guo Kui felt reassured. He knew that with such a person protecting their benefactor, they had a solid foundation, and the chances of safely returning were high.

As expected, after quickly settling the people who had returned with him, Guo Kui went to pay his respects to City Lord Wu. Through his descriptions, he was able to confirm the identities of the two people who had saved him.

After anxiously waiting for the two to return, Guo Kui couldn’t contain himself and came once again to express his gratitude for the second time.

Only then did Gu Zuo realize.

He helped Guo Kui to his feet, exchanged a few words with Wu Zhenhuang, and then, citing fatigue, left the grand hall with Gongyi Tianheng, heading to their quarters.

Of course, neither Wu Zhenhuang nor Guo Kui tried to stop them.

After this event, both men held great admiration for Gu Zuo and Gongyi Tianheng.

After all, stopping the foreign tribesman from causing chaos was a responsibility that all humans should bear. But those who risked their lives to rescue their own people in danger were rare and of exceptional character.

Later, after Gu Zuo and Gongyi Tianheng returned to their quarters, they called for the Noble Realm warrior slave and questioned him. They soon learned that Guo Kui’s words were true, and the humans had been properly settled, which reassured them.

After that, Gongyi Tianheng continued to refine his martial arts, while Gu Zuo made sure to refine more of the medicinal concoctions he had been using recently, to ensure that he wouldn’t run out the next time he needed them.

—-

The two spent a few days in seclusion, but little did they know, their actions had stirred up a storm among the top figures of Eight Desolations City, including Wu Zhenhuang.

Wu Zhenhuang stared in shock at his kneeling spy and exclaimed, “What did you say?!”

The spy’s voice was trembling slightly as he replied, “My lord, what I’ve said is all true. The Guardian and Pharmacist Gu really did such a great thing. Giant Rock City suffered a heavy loss, and its vitality has been severely wounded!”

Wu Zhenhuang waved his hand, signaling for the spy to leave, his shock impossible to put into words.

‘These two…’

‘What do you mean by “just setting a fire”? I had no idea what methods were used, but they had directly burned Giant Rock City to the ground!’

‘It was utterly, utterly unbelievable!’

Wu Zhenhuang had lived for many years and was a man of great experience, yet he had never encountered anyone like Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo. Naturally, he found it hard to believe that they had accomplished such a feat.

From the information gathered by the spy, who had risked his life to investigate, he learned that the so-called “fire” had actually burned and killed 20,000 members of the Giant Rock Tribe! Twenty thousand!

To put this in perspective, the total population of the Giant Rock Tribe was only around 50,000, and among the dead, there were a large number of Immortal Realm experts, as well as many young and weak members of the tribe.

Moreover, if it weren’t for the Giant Rock Tribe’s unique characteristics, the death toll would have been even higher!

To be honest, causing such a massive loss to the foreign tribes… was something that had never happened in all the years before!