PGVCW 35

Playing God in Various Catastrophic Worlds

Chapter 35: The Herb-Gathering Department's Herbicide

As the action squads followed the maps provided by headquarters to eradicate the crop tides everywhere, coupled with the cooperation of Feudal King Wu's city, discussions regarding the Heaven-Saving Sect rapidly spread across every corner of Cangming.

"To think there exists an immortal sect that practices immortal cultivation." "I hear the Immortal Sect has emerged from seclusion, dispatching its disciples to all directions to slaughter the monsters and deliver the common folk from peril. I wonder if this is true or false." "I witnessed it with my own eyes. Those Immortal Sect disciples come and go like phantoms, possessing a flying vessel half a city in size. A single individual can contend against an entire crop tide, yet none of them covet fame or fortune, departing immediately after exterminating the crop anomalies." "The Immortal Sect is recruiting disciples! Such a magnificent opportunity—I must find a way to try out no matter what."

Had it merely been Immortal Sect disciples purging crop anomalies, the common folk who lacked the fortune to witness the celestial demeanor with their own eyes might not have reacted so intensely. They would likely have treated it merely as a fantastical urban legend, half-true and half-false. However, how could the Analysis Department—a gathering of various professional elites and master minds who dedicated virtually all their time to analyzing the situation of the Cangming world—fail to anticipate this exact outcome?

"The medicine I mentioned to you previously has been brought along." Having joyfully completed a dozen sets of test papers, Xia Wang'an once again arrived at Feudal King Wu's city.

Most of the city lords and sect masters had arrived, and everyone's gazes converged directly upon her. Xia Wang'an's youthful countenance naturally provoked a subconscious sense of contempt among these "big shots," most of whom were over the age of forty. Yet the moment this sentiment surfaced, they forcefully suppressed it themselves. A portion of them managed this because they remained lucid and recognized that age was hardly the metric to judge by at present. Another portion did so because of...

As Xia Wang'an took a step forward, twenty dense ranks of towering androids immediately followed behind her in unison. Standing a full two meters tall, their exteriors abandoned the slender limbs utilized for grain harvesting, instead being carefully clad from head to toe in robust steel armor that completely encased their metallic frames. Wielding long spears, they resembled an aura-suffused, invincible military force far more than mere machines. Only the pairs of glowing blue eyes hidden beneath their combat helms betrayed their non-human essence.

The heavy iron-rich boots of the androids impacted the ground with a resounding thud, causing the courtyard of the King Wu estate to tremble for a full second.

Instantly, the murmuring discussions that had filled the air died into absolute silence. They had long since heard rumors that the Immortal Sect possessed an Artifact-Forging Department capable of crafting humanoid weapon automata impervious to pain and devoid of fear of death, but witnessing it firsthand was truly terrifying. Those city lords who had previously harbored lingering doubts immediately relaxed their internal tension. To reiterate a fundamental truth: given the Immortal Sect's capacity to casually slaughter crop tides, they possessed more than enough capability to annihilate these mortals just as easily. Since the sect was capable of such terrifying might yet chose to converse peaceably, they were unequivocally allies.

Xia Wang'an paid zero attention to whatever internal calculations they were running. Holding a glass vial filled with liquid, she walked directly toward a potted plant restrained by two androids. To call it a potted plant was a misnomer; in reality, it was thrashing about wildly, swaying its form with an appetite so voracious it seemed intent on devouring every living soul present.

The moment this potted specimen appeared, the expressions of everyone assembled shifted once more. Such formidable crop anomalies required immense effort for them to eradicate upon encounter, yet the Immortal Sect disciples were capable of capturing them alive and transporting them potted within household containers. Truly formidable!

Even more astonishing developments followed. They watched as the celestial-robed, black-haired maiden gently tipped the crystal vial—yet another treasured artifact—allowing a droplet of azure fluid to fall. Mere two drops later, the vegetative monstrosity that had moments before appeared incomparably ferocious instantly withered, its form swaying listlessly as it drooped downward. Though it retained a fierce and ferocious aesthetic, it had fundamentally transformed from a state of "I can brutally pummel every single one of you" to a lethargic state of "If all of you gang up on me simultaneously, you might possibly be able to beat me up".

"This is—!" "A miraculous divine medicine!!" "What substance is this? To possess such potent efficacy?!"

Instantly, the minds of all present drifted toward the notion: What if this medicine were in our possession? Crowds of individuals harbored burning yearning, casting blazing gazes upon the medicine vial in Xia Wang'an's grasp, wishing they could trade their very lives to acquire it.

"This was refined by the Herb-修 (Herb-Gathering / Medicine Cultivation) Department of our Heaven-Saving Sect; you may designate it as a [Herbicide]." Xia Wang'an had awaited precisely this formulation upon returning to her home plane; it represented the concentrated efforts of countless researchers undergoing rigorous experimentation, achieving this maximum efficacy ceiling. Nevertheless, it was more than sufficient.

"During this assembly, my primary objective is to inquire whether you can clear out the surrounding crop anomalies should this medicinal agent be placed in your custody?"

The various city lords and sect masters wore delighted expressions, nodding repeatedly: "We can!"

"With this medicinal agent stripping away two-thirds of those anomalies' combat capacity, our garrison forces can easily march out and wipe them out completely without leaving a single trace!" Perceiving the underlying intent of this prospective matriarch of the Immortal Sect—that she intended to distribute the medicine among them—they were overjoyed to the point of overflowing. Their previous dread of the "androids" evaporated entirely as they competed to lavish extravagant flattery, wishing they could elevate their sycophancy unto the heavens. Certain individuals who had prepared in advance even gestured to their retainers to produce numerous precious treasures to curry favor with Xia Wang'an.

Feudal King Wu observed this dynamic with a rising wave of internal admiration. He had previously harbored anxieties: while the Immortal Sect's intervention to purge disasters was commendable, as the elder Yuanning had noted, the Heaven-Saving Sect maintained a grand defensive array outside its domains and ordinarily ignored mortal mundane affairs. What would occur once they resolved this current crisis and departed, should a subsequent wave arise? Now, by distributing this "herbicide" and simultaneously opening the Immortal Sect's disciple recruitment pathways, it equated perfectly to the proverb of teaching a man to fish rather than merely presenting him with a catch. The Heaven-Saving Sect... truly operated entirely for the sake of the world.

Xia Wang'an lacked the patience to endure their sycophantic flattery; fortunately, Yuanning had stepped forward, initiating the distribution of the medicinal vials in accordance with the pre-arranged strategic plan. She retreated to a seated position off to the side, mentally calculating that she had yet to lay eyes upon the contemporary architecture of the Heaven-Saving Sect itself, resolving to schedule an excursion to inspect it personally.

In truth, adhering to Xia Wang'an's habitual operational instincts, simply charging through and slaughtering everything in sight would have sufficed; although this world possessed expansive terrestrial dimensions, she had already attained the Foundation Establishment stage, rendering a localized purge a relatively trivial undertaking. However, the Analysis Department had thoroughly reasoned and argued to dissuade her from this brute-force approach. Joking aside, every single action squad member operating within the Cangming world—including Xia Wang'an herself—constituted an irreplaceable national asset of Blue Star; under no circumstances would they permit these individuals to risk their lives hazardously executing grueling manual solutions to Cangming's systemic crises.

The world possessed a shortage of human population, true, but it was hardly entirely devoid of living inhabitants. Furthermore, reiterating a fundamental sociological axiom: giving grain in times of famine breeds gratitude, while giving grain in times of abundance breeds resentment. Should Xia Wang'an execute the eradication entirely via personal kinetic output, it would ultimately degrade her status into that of a lifeless mud-sculpted "idol deity".

Ever since Xia Wang'an's inaugural transit between the Cangming world and her home plane, the Analysis Department had formulated over a thousand potential contingency frameworks, ultimately ratifying the "herbicide" strategy. Herbicide constituted a material artifact capable of widespread logistical transport, meaning its propagation radius was virtually limitless. It could penetrate geographical zones inaccessible to direct Immortal Sect intervention.

The populace would universally recognize that this chemical agent originated from the Immortal Sect, and would concurrently acknowledge that the alleviation of Cangming's vegetative crisis constituted an enduring merit attributable directly to the Immortal Sect. Naturally, this remained a singular strategic vector among many; had the herbicide development protocols encountered technical failure, over fifty backup operational frameworks stood ready in reserve.

Fortunately, through the relentless dedication of several thousand researchers at the research institute—expending immense expenditures of human and material resources—a specialized herbicide specifically counteracting Cangming's vegetative anomalies was successfully synthesized. With the advent of this herbicide, eighty percent of the global population's accumulated Faith Power within this realm was securely locked within their grasp.

The various "big shots" assembled in the hall would naturally carry batches of herbicide back to their respective domains, rapidly disseminating the prestige of the Heaven-Saving Sect and Xia Wang'an.

[Ding! Host Faith Power has reached: 1.5 Million!]

Listening to 007's systemic chime, Xia Wang'an experienced a profound wave of invigorating clarity. Seated within her chair, she blinked her ocular apparatus, whereupon a vast expanse of starlight manifested within her private field of vision—visible exclusively to her consciousness. Each sparkling stellar cluster symbolized an independent dimensional world.

[The selection window approaches; contemplation must be directed toward the destination of our subsequent traversal.]