Xuan Cheng, a master of poisons and a talented cultivator, began to prepare the ground for the upcoming treatment with a graceful and methodical demeanor. She moved silently and purposefully around the room, each step being calculated and fluid. Around the bed, pots of unusual herbs and aromatic plants were placed in almost ritualistic arrangements, as though each herb played a particular part in a complex performance.
Her fingers danced over the pots as she worked, leaving a brief imprint on each one as if giving them a silent order. The tiniest hint of the herbs' aroma seemed to come alive, blending with other scents to fill the space.
"I need your bloo-" When Xuan Cheng turned to face Zhao Ming and started to speak, his demonic qi came to mind. Zhao Ming enthusiastically extended his hand, saying, "Sure, go ahead," not knowing how she would draw blood from him.
"Does Her Majesty the Empress have any other biological children or siblings?" Xuan Cheng inquired, her gaze darting from his hand to his eyes.
"Why do you ask?" Zhao Ming inquired, perplexed. "Your qi..." she replied. "Will it hurt her?" he asked, feeling extremely depressed. 'It is already a curse for me,' he thought.
Xuan Cheng considered the overall situation; even if there was a sibling or other blood relative, bringing their blood would take a long time. 'The treatment I will administer will wear down the demonic qi, and it may or may not harm the empress; if it has any side effects, I will neutralize them with Blades of Wolfsbane,' she said in her heart.
"Take my blood…What are you waiting for?" he inquired, noticing Xuan Cheng's thoughts shifting. 'What if her body fails to bear the pain?' she questioned herself, and her heart sank.
However, without further thought, she pierced a sewing needle she found in a drawer and took a drop of his blood in a tiny container. "Now, please leave me alone, Huan; you should also stay outside," she demanded as she placed the container on the bedside table.
"Will you not need any help?" Huan inquired, his eyes wide with disbelief. In the meantime, Zhao Ming exited the room. "No, all I need is silence," Xuan Cheng replied, reading the worry on Huan's face.
"I have set an illusion outside the entire palace, nobody can enter and disturb, all the maids and eunuchs are hypnotized, they will not create a problem for you," Zhao Ming returned.
Xuan Cheng bowed her head slightly and said, "I sincerely thank your highness, you made things a great deal easier." Zhao Ming accepted her salutation, and turned to the secret passage mirror. Huan followed him despite his resistance to go.
As the mirror closed, Xuan Cheng realized that the wall it had appeared to be was only an illusion created to conceal the enormous mirror. She had been observing everything, and concluded that Zhao Ming had psychic powers as well.
Then, Xuan Cheng lifted herself gently off the ground and hung in the air like a specter in a mesmerizing display of her cultivation prowess. As she held out her hands, her eyes radiated a soft intensity. Her mastery of the arcane was used to create an ethereal shield that appeared around the bed as a shimmering, transparent barrier that was both palpable and invisible.
Her brow furrowed in concentration as she weaved the energy threads that made up the barrier, maintaining her unwavering focus. The way she enclosed the space in a shield that defied the perception of the five senses was as though she were pinning together the fabric of reality itself.
Huan stood a meter away from the wall-covered mirror in the back of the room, but she could see everything that was going on there clearly. Zhao Ming gripped his hands tightly behind his back as he tensed up. His brows furrowed as he struggled internally with his doubts and potential outcomes.
Huan tried to reassure him, "May Your Highness trust my master, princess Cheng, if she said she would do it, then she shall surely accomplish it," but he paid no attention to her.
Meanwhile, in the room, Xuan Cheng closed her eyes, and the pots that had been arranged lit up as if they were glowing shards of a broken star. The herb started burning, and the fumes began to spiral around the empress's body.
Showering her with Mandragora, to make the surgery painless, she placed her toe back on the floor and stood straight, opening her eyes. The herbal fumes continued to encircle the empress's body. She took out her acupuncture needles and pierced seven of them on her forehead and seven of them around her heart.
The needles' ariel ends formed a barrier for other elements and were connected to one another by glowing golden threads. It is more like a preamble shield that only lets certain things into the heart and mind.
Her signature pill, the tranquilBlend Elixir, contained chamomile, peppermint, lavender, turmeric, echinacea, and gingko biloba. She also added a drop of nightshade mixed with wolfsbane and made the empress drink it along with the elixir. Ocean Fire Poison's effects were countered by using the two instantly lethal weapons.
Zhao Ming wanted to protest and stop her, but he knew he had to trust Huan and her decision-making process. She was the Poison Master, so it only made sense that she would use poison to treat patients.
As the room's atmosphere shifted, her presence seemed to merge with the very essence of the seven elements, an enchanting display of her mastery over the forces that shape the universe.
With a graceful sweep of her hands, Xuan Cheng channeled her inner energy, causing her soul shards to resonate with the elemental energies she commanded. Each shard glowed with its own distinct hue, representing the seven elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Air, and the elusive Void. The room transformed into a mesmerizing tableau of colors and ethereal energies, as if the universe itself were reflected within its confines.
Placing the glowing soul shards at key points around the bed, Xuan Cheng wove intricate patterns in the air, each motion resonating with a specific element. As the patterns took shape, a harmonious synergy emerged among the elements, forming an invisible yet palpable cocoon of energy. This radiant barrier, fueled by her soul shards' connection to the elements, enveloped the bed with an enchanting aura.
With a final gesture, Xuan Cheng infused a part of her own essence into the barrier, ensuring that her presence remained intertwined with the elemental embrace. The room felt alive, teeming with the energies of creation, destruction, growth, transformation, and more—all flowing together in perfect balance.
The Elemental Embrace she had cast wasn't just a feat of magical prowess; it was an embodiment of her deep understanding of the universe's interconnected forces. It showcased her ability to harmonize and command the elements, creating an environment that transcended the mundane and embraced the extraordinary.
She was able to split her soul into fragments of the seven elements from her seven cultivations thanks to her skill, Elemental Embrace. After she mastered it at the age of fourteen, it was her first time using it in practice.
She picked up the container containing Zhao Ming's blood while her soul shards started to draw the Ocean Fire Poison from the empress' veins. She nearly touched it with her finger as she positioned it on top.
With a smooth movement of her arm, Xuan Cheng demonstrated her mastery of mystic arts by performing an amazing feat known as "Cellular Resurgence." Her blood formed a delicate tapestry of shimmering threads that pulsed with ethereal energy as its threads grew longer and intertwined.
The blood's threads morphed into a complex network of cells, each one a living illustration of Xuan Cheng's mastery of life's fundamental principles and acting as if directed by an extraterrestrial intelligence.
Cells were woven into a tapestry that was carefully and precisely woven as it moved closer to Empress's skin. Each cell contained the potential for renewal, a power that reached beyond the limits of the natural and the miraculous. The cells in the tapestry shimmered and disintegrated as they came in contact with Empress's skin, fusing seamlessly with her own essence.
The Empress's body experienced a gentle influx of energy as the cells did their magic. It scoured the lifeless, degenerated muscles, entwining themselves into the very fiber of her being. With a dance of light and energy, the tapestry of cells coaxed life back into the neglected tissues, rejuvenating them and replacing what was lost with vibrant vitality.
The connection between Xuan Cheng and the weaving tapestry was unbroken as her gaze remained intensely focused. A delicate dance of magic and art, a symphony of energy and life, played out in front of those who had the honor of seeing it. As the process neared completion, the tapestry of cells dissolved into a final burst of shimmering light, leaving behind the gift of revitalized muscles and a sense of profound transformation.
The Cellular Resurgence represented Xuan Cheng's mastery of the complex interplay between life and magic and was more than just a simple spell. It was evidence of her skill at tying the very threads of existence together, weaving a healing tapestry that went beyond the usual and into the extraordinary.