Chapter 1429: The Apothecary's Gentle Haven

Fang Ziyan stopped watching the battle on the God-Slaying Platform. She hastily sought out a divine city, which turned out to be part of Empress Qiang Tianfei's territory. The city's general, seeing Fang Ziyan injured, was greatly alarmed and immediately dispatched someone to find a renowned physician to treat her.

While Fang Ziyan's other injuries were manageable, her eyes were severely damaged—they were destroyed. Even the divine physician couldn't heal them. He said, "Madam Fang, you must wait a while. I've heard that there are renowned physicians in Yan Kang who are masters of the Path of Creation. We could invite one of them to treat you."

Fang Ziyan became angry. "The people of Yan Kang are rebels!" she exclaimed. "Inviting them to treat me would disgrace Her Highness! Is there truly no renowned physician in the Celestial Heavens who specializes in Creation?"

"No," the divine physician replied, quite frankly. "Yan Kang possesses both the Art of Creation and the Creation Mystic Arts, which are Emperor's Throne-level techniques and are not forbidden to outsiders. However, Yan Kang's Creation Mystic Arts are based on the Celestial River Divine Treasury system. For anyone from the Celestial Heavens to learn them, they would first have to abolish their Divine Bridge Divine Treasury and cultivate the Celestial River anew. Who would do that?"

Fang Ziyan grew suspicious. She thought, "I've seen Her Highness perform the Creation Mystic Arts before, and it was clearly from Yan Kang. Why, then, are we unable to cultivate Yan Kang's Creation Mystic Arts?"

"I have one more method that could cure Madam Fang," the divine physician offered. "If we acquire two divine eyes from others, I can remove your damaged eyes and replace them with new ones. However, since these new eyes wouldn't belong to an Emperor's Throne-level expert, Her Highness would likely need to refine them herself to restore them to their peak condition."

Fang Ziyan shook her head. "My eyes have been tempered by me over millennia. To replace them with new ones and then refine them to their peak state would likely take decades. No, let's still invite a renowned physician from Yan Kang."

The divine physician acknowledged her command.

Fang Ziyan waited quietly for more than ten days, feeling the tremors from the God-Slaying Platform grow increasingly intense. She often projected her spirit to observe the platform, where the Path of the Blade was colliding ever more fiercely with the two Blood Fiend Divine Blades of the God-Slaying Platform.

As time passed, the power of the Path of the Blade grew stronger. Even from her location, she could clearly sense its formidable might.

"Yan Kang is truly a strange place," she mused. "It's merely a speck of land, yet its Dao arts and divine abilities flourish. This Path of the Blade, despite being an acquired path, can actually contend with the baleful qi."

She was quite puzzled. Even an Emperor's Throne expert proficient in the Innate Grand Dao couldn't endure on the God-Slaying Platform for so long. She herself, an Emperor's Throne expert skilled in the Innate Grand Dao, believed that if she were to ascend the God-Slaying Platform, she could at most withstand one blow; the second would spell her demise.

Empress Qiang Tianfei had once hinted to her that the baleful qi accumulated on the God-Slaying Platform was so potent it was about to manifest into two divine blades. Once these blades emerged, they would be supreme treasures, the most formidable weapons in the world, their power surpassing even the Lapis Lazuli Azure Sky Banner.

Once these two divine blades matured, they could likely even slay a Heavenly Venerable!

Empress Qiang Tianfei's objective was to subdue these two divine blades and use them to eliminate her powerful adversaries.

Although these two divine blades were not yet fully mature—they were tangible but not yet material—it was truly extraordinary that Qin Mu and the others could endure under their might for so long.

Fang Ziyan waited a few more days, then suddenly felt a flicker of realization: "The two divine blades of the God-Slaying Platform seem to have weakened considerably..."

She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, so she immediately projected her spirit to observe closely. Suddenly, the twenty-five-tiered Path of the Blade seemed to gain another tier!

"Could it be a delusion caused by Heavenly Venerable Mu and the others raising their Dao realm and greatly increasing their cultivation power?" she wondered.

Fang Ziyan scrutinized the situation, calculating if the power of the two divine blades on the God-Slaying Platform had indeed diminished, and recorded her observations. A few more days passed, and her heart sank: "The power of those two divine blades has indeed weakened! Those five, including Heavenly Venerable Mu, are using this opportunity to seize the blades' power, refine the baleful qi, and claim it for themselves!"

She abruptly rose, brimming with killing intent. "I must report this to Her Highness the Empress," she thought, "otherwise, those two divine blades will be even further from maturity! Who knows how many years it will take for them to form!"

Just as she was about to depart for the Great Spiritual Energy Transfer Bridge to report to Empress Qiang Tianfei, the divine physician arrived with news. "Madam Fang, the renowned physician from Yan Kang has arrived!" he announced.

Feeling a sense of urgency, Fang Ziyan said, "Bring the renowned physician in! Have him diagnose me at once. If he can heal my eyes, he'll be greatly rewarded; if not, he'll be executed! I have urgent matters to discuss with Her Highness, and I cannot be delayed!"

At that moment, a gentle voice, imbued with a uniquely masculine magnetism, reached her, instantly calming her heart. "Madam Fang," it said, "there is no injury in this world that I cannot heal. Rest assured, your ailment is but a trifle for me."

Fang Ziyan's heart skipped two beats. She found the voice incredibly pleasant and alluring. Quietly, she projected her spirit to observe the physician.

The physician was tall and robust, with an air of dashing heroism, dressed in green robes. However, his face was obscured by a bronze mask. Beneath the mask, a pair of captivating eyes seemed to speak, uttering intimate words of affection.

"Renowned physician from Yan Kang, why do you wear a mask? Are you afraid to show your true face?" Fang Ziyan's anxieties had completely vanished, and she asked with a smile.

The man in the bronze mask did not hide the truth. "Madam," he replied, "I fear my appearance is unsightly and might startle patients, so I wear a mask to conceal it."

Fang Ziyan chuckled. "You're lying. With such beautiful eyes, you can't be ugly. In front of me, you don't need to wear a mask. I don't trust people who wear masks, especially a renowned physician treating me."

The man in the bronze mask hesitated for a moment. "Madam's discernment is unparalleled," he said. "Actually, it's because my handsome appearance might attract unnecessary trouble, so I often use a mask to conceal it."

He gave a wry smile. "I often travel far and wide practicing medicine, and I've accumulated quite a few romantic entanglements, which can be rather troublesome."

Fang Ziyan grew even more curious and insisted he remove the mask. The man in the bronze mask reluctantly complied. As he took it off, he said, "Madam, a physician's heart is like that of a parent. Please, Madam, regard me simply as a physician."

When the mask came off, Fang Ziyan's spirit felt an electric jolt. She felt as if all the beauty in the world was encapsulated in the man before her.

"Madam, perhaps I should put the mask back on," the man said.

Fang Ziyan quickly stopped him, smiling. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to have you treat me while I admire a handsome man? What is your name?"

The man stepped forward, their faces almost touching. Fang Ziyan could clearly feel his breath, and her heart quickened by several beats.

"Others call me Apothecary," he said gently. "As for my former name, it has long faded with my past."

The Apothecary smiled warmly. "Madam, the injuries to your eyes are Dao injuries, left by the Path of the Blade and baleful qi. The divine physicians of the Celestial Heavens only treated the symptoms; they healed the superficial wounds but did not remove the baleful qi, which will affect your Dao heart. However, I can remove the baleful qi for you and heal the Dao injuries in your eyes."

His tenderness was as sweet as honey, melting into her heart. Fang Ziyan softly said, "As you wish."

On the God-Slaying Platform, blade light surged like a tide, and the Dao enveloped the sky. Two great Blood Fiend Dragons fiercely battled, circling tier after tier of the heavenly dome. They were formidable, but their power was already significantly weaker than at their peak.

A few more days passed, and the twenty-seventh tier of the Blade Domain formed. As one grew, the other waned, and the power of the two Blood Fiend Evil Dragons diminished even more rapidly.

Meanwhile, Fang Ziyan was completely engrossed in the tender allure of the handsome Apothecary, unable to extricate herself, and had entirely forgotten about the matter.