[Vol. 6] Chapter 264: Waking from the Dream
The surrounding light and shadows, representing memories and the traces of lives, broke apart and faded.
Each time an aspect of The [Apothecary], or rather the [Immortal Withered Tree], was erased, an invisible backlash from causality immediately affected the black-haired girl. Even the power she temporarily borrowed for this power began to weaken and collapse, slowly breaking down.
Erasing such a massive existence came at an unimaginable cost. The difficulty was like clashing one's very essence in a way that would harm oneself as much as the enemy. No ordinary creature or even a god could achieve this, even with the power of the [Nameless].
But Violet silently accepted all the backlash. Even though the divine power in her hand was continuously breaking apart in the collision, the core energy that made up her form remained stable, as unshakable as the vast, endless sea of stars.
These lives had been taken by the [Apothecary], and now, they had become sacrifices for the [Apocalypse], the heart of the [Immortal Withered Tree]. A twisted, absurd, and malicious dream that lived on in a state of death.
Sending them back into the cycle of reincarnation was the duty of the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden.
"Boom!!!"
The last fragment of the strange dream turned into light fragments and scattered. The world of emptiness slowly quieted, and the true essence at the heart of the [Immortal Withered Tree] finally revealed itself to the girl.
It was a young tree growing in the darkness, its branches spreading. This was the first [Apothecary].
A child, and a blurry adult figure made only of white light.
"Master, the medicine is ready."
The child, dressed in coarse cloth, carefully handed over a plate with powder, which the figure made of white light took, gently patting the child's head.
The figure's lips moved as if speaking, but Violet couldn’t hear or make out the words. She could only sense a strong bond between the two, and the child had great respect for the adult.
They were doing something simple, mixing and refining medicine, with the child assisting, nothing more.
The child asked, “Master, what are all these medicines we’re making for? Are you planning to open a clinic?”
The figure of light answered, though his voice was still unclear, but the child quickly followed with more questions.
“Save people? I know that medicine is for saving people… because I was saved by you, Master. The medicine is really amazing! That person can be saved too, right?”
“It’s difficult…”
“How could it be? Your medicine is so powerful…”
“Ah! Master, don’t be angry! I won’t say anymore…”
The scene flashed, and the child had grown much older, but the figure of the Master was still blurry.
“Master, you’ve finally made it to the legendary Spirit Veil Immortal Island, don’t worry, the immortals will surely have a way to save Master’s wife. I’ll keep working hard and try to develop medicine to cure ‘Soul Loss’ disease!”
“What did you say… there’s no need to try anymore? Medicine alone can’t cure her? But… isn’t medicine supposed to cure sickness? How can there be a sickness that medicine can’t cure?”
The scene flashed again. The blurry figure of the Master had disappeared, and the now fully grown child was sitting at the bedside, tightly holding the wrist of a girl whose breath was weak, his face filled with panic.
“Hang on, just hold on a little longer! I’ll think of something, the new medicine is already being brewed!”
“Cough… cough… don’t try anymore. Master was right. Life and death are fate, and no matter how powerful the medicine is, it’s still just medicine. It can’t defy fate…”
“You’ve done your best, forget about me, go find someone better for you…”
“What nonsense fate! There’s absolutely no sickness that medicine can’t cure, we just haven’t found the right method yet! Xiaohan, you have to hang on, you must hang on! Master’s gone, and now you’re the only family I have in this world! Xiaohan?!”
As the girl’s wrist suddenly lost strength and fell limp, the scene on the tree pedestal began to spin and distort rapidly, as if countless afterimages rippled and vanished in an instant. That was his life.
He had saved many, many people, tirelessly traveling around the world, specializing in various difficult diseases, and developed countless new medicines.
At some point, his purpose for saving people changed, not just to save, but to prove the unwavering belief in his heart. But reality brought him repeated defeats, because he couldn’t save everyone, like his master’s wife, or the childhood friend who had been taken in by his master but died from a tumor at an early age.
And… more, and more people.
He never married in his life, dedicated himself to saving others, and was revered as the [The Immortal Apothecary Saint] by people everywhere. But in the end, all he left behind was confusion.
Why, why couldn't medicine cure diseases? Could it really be an unavoidable fate?
In his moment of doubt, a sudden thunderclap broke the sky, and he suddenly found the answer.
It wasn't the fault of the medicine, but rather that human life is too short.
Life, old age, sickness, and death. People repeat this tragic cycle, yet they can't truly pass on their knowledge and skills. Death and limitations on talent restrict the power of medicine, binding everything one knows and sees.
Just like his life’s work. Although he had many disciples, no one could perfectly inherit it.
Diseases are limited, but medicine can be constantly created. As long as one keeps trying, endlessly trying, eventually failure will build toward true perfection, overcoming the foolishness of fate and destiny.
If that’s the case…
Then he would pass everything on to future generations.
Months later, the [The Immortal Apothecary Saint] passed away, and the world mourned. But in a corner unknown to anyone…
A ghost called The [Apothecary] was born.
“To pass everything on to the future generations… Heh, I don’t know if it should be called a great or a crazy endeavor.”
Feeling the deepest obsession left by The [Apothecary], the anchor point that truly bound the Withered Tree to this world, Violet just shook her head.
She couldn't judge whether the first [The Immortal Apothecary Saint]’s actions were right or wrong. Perhaps his true intention was simply to pass on knowledge in this way, compensating for humanity’s short life span. But no matter how noble the original intention, once it became twisted and distorted, it would inevitably lead to disaster.
He probably never imagined it would become a wandering disaster, a ghost that could never be eradicated.
When obsession loses control, it’s just madness.
Her fingers lightly touched the young tree’s branches, and white light flickered around her.
“Oh, poor and misplaced soul, go to your next life.”
The tree slowly faded, just like the thousands of fates that had once risen into the sky, disappearing into the darkness.
The core of the world scattered, the heavens and earth immediately turning over. When Violet opened her eyes again, her consciousness had returned to her body.
She waved her sleeve, causing a gentle breeze to blow, scattering the blood-red flowers of the giant Withered Tree. The petals drifted into the vast expanse of the divine realm, but the original essence within had long since vanished without a trace.
The nine-tailed giant fox that had been diligently guarding her body slowly lowered its head, as if bidding farewell.
[So... it's finally over.]
"Yes."
The white fox girl nodded slightly.
Although The [Apothecary] had transformed into a terrifying threat, merging with the dream of [Apocalypse], it was precisely because of this that the Withered Tree had completely borne the weight of the karma that was originally aimed at the world, giving Violet and Xiao Kong the opportunity to solve the problem once and for all.
If it hadn't been for the accumulated hundreds and thousands of strands of karma, no individual could have accomplished such a feat, and, of course, it wouldn't have become so troublesome.
A certain silver-haired girl's cold face once again appeared in her mind. The white fox girl, now fully aware of everything, took off her mask and shook her head in helplessness.
"Now, you can rest easy, right, Hen..."
The magnificent nine-tailed fox transformed back into a half-beastly young girl under the shimmering light. Xiao Kong hovered beside Violet, now with black hair again, and hesitated to speak.
"Can I still call you by your old name?"
Knowing what was on her mind, the priestess smiled slightly.
"Of course, you can. I’m not going to get stuck on trivial things like substitutes. In essence, I am indeed that person, just with more parts that originally didn’t belong to her. What do you think?"
"Mm..."
As she spoke, the goddess finally showed a relieved, light smile.
"The Ancient Spirit Realm is free from the thousand-year-old curse, and you're back. Everything is moving in the right direction. Violet, do you know what I want to do the most right now?"
"What? Don’t tell me you want to hit me?"
"You idiot, I want to sleep! Turn back to my true form and sleep comfortably for a few decades!"
"Ugh… that’s way too long! Are you a fox or a pig..."
"Fine, I’ll just hit you instead, it’s more satisfying! Dare to fight back, and you're done for!"