[A scene that shocked the Xianzhou natives unfolded before their eyes. As beams and crossbow bolts approached Solon, a golden membrane suddenly materialized before him. The torrent of attacks struck the barrier—only to be completely absorbed in an instant, as if they had never existed.]
[It must be noted that these attacks were powerful enough to obliterate a fully shielded interstellar warship on the spot. Yet when they reached Solon, they vanished without a trace, like stones sinking into the ocean.]
[With a cold snort, Solon raised a finger. The Xianzhou nobles who had ordered the assault, along with all the soldiers who had attacked, suddenly found golden branches bursting from their bodies. Before the eyes of the crowd, they swiftly transformed into lush, golden trees.]
[Upon closer inspection, these trees were miniature replicas of the Ambrosial Arbor. Even more eerily, the faces of these people remained clearly visible on the trunks, as if they had been fused into the trees—and they seemed to still be alive, their expressions twisted in agony.]
[Such a horrifying display of power, one that shared its origin with Yaoshi (the Aeon of Abundance), instantly cowed everyone present.]
[At this moment, the followers of the Sanctus Medicus, who had long been awaiting this sign, immediately dropped to their knees and cried out: "We greet the Emissary of the Divine!"]
[Solon smiled faintly and intoned: "The Medicus is merciful, the Arbor blooms. The gardeners are of one heart, ascending together to paradise."]
[The Sanctus Medicus devotees fervently echoed his words: "The Medicus is merciful, the Arbor blooms. The gardeners are of one heart, ascending together to paradise!"]
[As if in response, the Ambrosial Arbor behind Solon suddenly radiated a blinding golden light, casting a golden glow across the skies of the Luofu.]
[The followers, emboldened by this divine sign, roared even louder, their voices shaking the heavens.]
[Compelled by the overwhelming momentum, the nobles and commoners alike turned toward the Arbor and knelt, chanting in unison.]
[Only a handful of clear-minded individuals, such as the Archeron (Di Gong), watched with deep concern as the crowd knelt and raised their voices in fervor. Yet against such a tide, even the Archeron's prestige was powerless to reverse the course.]
[An Emissary had appeared, miracles had been witnessed, believers had gathered, and the sacrificial lamb had willingly stepped forward. It was a near-perfect performance.]
[From this moment on, the rise of the Sanctus Medicus became unstoppable.]
[Of course, the Xianzhou nobles were initially unwilling to relinquish their power. But that hardly mattered—Solon understood well that the reshuffling of authority was always accompanied by bloodshed.]
[He bestowed the power to transform Xianzhou natives into miniature Arbores upon several high-ranking members of the sect, glorifying it as "Divine Retribution."]
[In truth, the mechanism was simple: it manipulated the power of Abundance to disrupt the energy balance within the Xianzhou people, triggering their Mara-struck state prematurely and guiding the rampant Abundance energy to manifest as stunted Arbors.]
Solon raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this just an enhanced version of those Mara-inducing elixirs from the game?
The "Golden Divine Physician" trait was truly overpowered. Even casually concocted pills surpassed the painstakingly researched, resource-intensive creations of the Alchemy Commission's leaders.
[With "Divine Retribution" in play, the Xianzhou nobility could no longer resist. Power swiftly fell into the hands of the Sanctus Medicus, and those who dared oppose were publicly transformed into miniature Arbors as an example.]
This move was practically a dimensional-tier suppression against the Xianzhou people.
The powder created by Dan Shu could still be resisted with respirators and protective suits—but how could anyone defend against this spell-like ability that acted directly on the body?
[The sect's influence and authority soon eclipsed that of the Xianzhou's old aristocracy. The tradition of divine-right monarchy gradually shifted into theocratic rule.]
[At the peak of the Sanctus Medicus' power, nobles of the old era had to seek the sect's endorsement—or else they would be denounced as impostors, to be slain on sight.]
Solon recalled that, according to the original history, the Xianzhou would later face explosive population growth, leading to resource scarcity. The divide between nobles and commoners would harden into two distinct classes: the "Aristocrats" and the "Dreg-Folk."
Their prolonged lifespans would erode the nobles' empathy, driving them to depravity and madness. Horrifying spectacles would emerge—Yaoqing's "Cities of Festering Flesh," Zhuming's "Scarlet Emperor's Pyre," Xu Ling's "Palace of Summer Bones," Yuque's "Jade-Blood Mausoleums"...
These were likely all mutations born of the Mara-struck.
Now, by introducing the Sanctus Medicus, Solon had added a third faction atop the existing two. Not only had he accelerated the Xianzhou's internal strife, but he had also made the situation far more convoluted.
[Yet Solon knew the Sanctus Medicus' golden age could not last. Once the hidden costs of immortality surfaced, it would deal a devastating blow not only to the sect but also to the faith in Yaoshi.]
[Before the Xianzhou, many Abundance-worshipping civilizations had followed the same trajectory—from zealous devotion, to the eruption of longevity's curses, to weaponizing Yaoshi's blessings as bait to ensnare and enslave other races.]
[If the Xianzhou repeated this cycle, their eventual mass apostasy would be all but inevitable.]
[To maintain a firm grip on power, one had to balance mercy with might. Having already demonstrated the latter with "Divine Retribution," Solon now needed to devise a way to bestow "grace."]
[With medical knowledge and experience from his past life, combined with his current authority over the Path of Abundance—second only to Yaoshi himself—no one understood the Mara-struck better than he did.]
[If he could induce the Mara-struck state in an instant, he could also delay its onset indefinitely.]
[Of course, this would take time to verify—after all, Xianzhou natives typically succumbed to Mara between 800 to 1,000 years of age.]
[Before then, the Xianzhou would undergo the same phase as all Abundance civilizations: explosive population growth.]
[With lifespans vastly extended and birth rates unchecked, overpopulation was inevitable—and with it, the demand for ever more resources.]
[At this point, nearly all Abundance civilizations turned to plundering other species.]
[If the Xianzhou refused to expand outward, their only option would be civil war.]
Back when he played the game, Solon had found this baffling.
Almost every Abundance-worshipping civilization chose external conquest when faced with overpopulation and resource scarcity.
The Xianzhou alone opted for internal strife. In all of Earth's history, only one nation had ever made such a choice.
Was Mihoyo dropping not-so-subtle hints here?
[Solon decided to watch from the sidelines. Only after experiencing the ravages of war and the torment of the Mara-struck would the Xianzhou people come to appreciate the value of his "Dharma" that could delay the affliction.]
[Coincidentally, it was at this time that the Archeron led a group of far-sighted visionaries in an assault on the Ambrosial Arbor. Clearly, through exchanges with other cosmic factions, they had learned of the "Abundance's" dangers.]
[But the tide was irreversible. Their resistance was futile. Even when the Archeron's arrow struck the Arbor, it could not rouse the Xianzhou from their dream of eternal life.]
[Out of respect for the Archeron's prestige and achievements, the nobles dared not execute him, sentencing him instead to cryogenic stasis.]
[It was then that Solon intervened—and took him for himself.]
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