Chapter 431: Who Else But Me?

Chapter 431: Who Else But Me?

"This... this is impossible..."

The one who spoke these words was not the Dragonwood Island Master lying on the ground with a twitching leg.

It was Meng Feifan, who watched, frozen, from paces away.

The Dragonwood Island Master had cheated death, draining Ye Youchen of his essence in an instant, leaving him reduced to a desiccated husk.

It was unclear if the technique had also siphoned Ye Youchen's internal strength.

But even if it hadn't, combined with the Heaven-Mending Art perfected to its tenth tier,

his mastery was now inscrutable.

Though the internal strength he had cultivated over two centuries had long been split three ways, seemingly leaving little remaining,

the notion that internal strength could be measured purely by years was ludicrous.

A prodigy’s year might eclipse a mediocrity’s lifetime.

How could a so-called ‘year’ of cultivation ever be compared equally?

Moreover, since his original incarnation, the Island Master had been a prodigy, and every successor he chose thereafter was of exceptional talent.

After two centuries of cultivation, the density of his cultivated power was beyond mortal ken.

Meng Feifan understood this all too well.

Yet even so, the Dragonwood Island Master—armed with the Celestial Stele and having reached such heights—had been felled by Su Mo’s fist alone?

Like a broken cur!

Just... who was this man?

Leveraging his status, Meng Feifan had gathered some information about Su Mo from Zhang Quan and others,

but what he learned was limited.

All he knew was that this man came from the Eastern Desolates.

But no matter where he came from, he was merely a youth.

How could he be so monstrously strong?

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he dismissed every other thought.

Whether one could survive after parting from the Celestial Stele while bearing the Heaven-Mending Art was something only the Dragonwood Island Master could claim to know.

But right now, fleeing might still offer a ghost of a chance.

Staying would mean certain death.

With that in mind, Meng Feifan turned and bolted without a second glance.

Yet Su Mo didn’t even glance his way, lunging instead for the Island Master in the pit.

"The Island Master has mastered the tenth level of the Heaven-Mending Art—this fist alone won’t finish you!"

"Now lying here pretending to be dead, what's your game here? Does this live up to your big talk earlier?"

Sure enough, before the fingers could descend, Lord of Longmu Island—his face still bearing a deep dent—suddenly opened his eyes and slammed his palm against the ground.

The entire cave trembled violently once more.

Seizing the momentum, Lord of Longmu Island sprang up, but instead of confronting Su Mo head-on, he pivoted mid-air with a single step and fled toward another direction.

All his earlier bravado was gone now.

Running scared like a beaten dog, desperate as a fish out of water!

It must be said, at this moment, Lord of Longmu Island was cursing up a storm in his head.

Before reaching the tenth layer of the Heaven-Mending Art, he was no match for Su Mo.

Even after attaining the tenth layer, he still couldn't hold a candle to Su Mo.

How was that fair?

The thought filled him with resentment toward the Grand Physician of the past.

If not for the Grand Physician’s disastrous meddling back then, which led to all the talented physicians on the island getting wiped out,

why would he have needed to use the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture as bait to draw so many healers to the island?

All this was just to ensure the safety of the mind-transfer procedure.

After all, this involved his two hundred years of cheating death—he couldn't be too careful.

His second grievance was with the HeavenMending Art itself.

The HeavenMending Art was indeed extraordinary, but as he had previously said—

It made him and broke him.

The reason he had invited so many martial artists to the island this time was that he had realized if he continued to devote himself to the HeavenMending Art, he would be confined to this backwater of the island for the rest of his life.

A human life spans a hundred years, yet he had cheated death for two centuries. But day after day, his existence remained mind-numbingly monotonous.

What’s more, he had to endure constant torment.

Most of this torment stemmed from this very internal strength.

That was why, this time, he chose not to use a Dragonwood Island native as his "vessel." Instead, he wanted to change his approach and reshape a successor of once-in-a-generation talent.

He would exhaust his HeavenMending Art, steal this person’s identity and aptitude, then leave Dragonwood Island behind, dive back into the jianghu, and start anew!

Even if it meant only a hundred years, it would be better than this endless cycle!

Of course, that was the plan. But then again, as long as he kept the Celestial Stele, if death truly became unbearable at the last moment, he could always pull the same old trick again.

Only then could he truly slough off his old skin and experience new vistas in his endless existence.

Yet... despite all his careful calculations, he had never anticipated so many holes in his scheme.

Still, most of these flaws were nothing major.

What truly proved fatal was... despite all his meticulous calculations, he never anticipated that among the martial artists who landed on the island this time, there would emerge a monster!

This Su guy—is he even human?

The tenth level of the HeavenMending Art possesses power to shake the heavens.

From this point onward, the Celestial Stele was no longer a shackle but instead became his aid.

When he realized this realm, the Longmu Island Master even felt that his previous plans paled in comparison to the tenth level of the HeavenMending Art.

With the tenth level of the HeavenMending Art, the entire realm was his to traverse at will.

Yet... despite possessing such profound cultivation, he still couldn’t defeat Su Mo!?

This defied all reason!

At this moment, aside from cursing his ancestors inwardly, the Longmu Island Master had only one thought—escape!

No matter what, he had to flee this place.

With the Celestial Stele in hand, any corner of the jianghu would do!

As long as he never saw this man again, he could roam free as the wind.

With this thought, his *Qinggong* reached its peak.

His entire figure became like a blurred afterimage, nearly impossible to track with mortal eyes.

But just then—

A killing intent once again pierced his heart.

The Longmu Island Master shuddered and abruptly looked up, only to see that figure carrying a girl reappear right before him.

A kick, fast as a loosed arrow, came straight at his face.

"You—!!"

*Thud!*

A crisp *crack* echoed from his neck, followed by the sound of his body being sent flying backward in the opposite direction.

Only the single word "You—" hung in the air.

As he flew backward, a thunderous shout suddenly erupted from outside the cave:

"Who goes there?"

"Disturbing the Island Master is an unpardonable offense!"

The voices came from outside the cave, but their target wasn't the Island Master, nor Su Mo.

It was Meng Feifan.

This man had tried to escape, but the moment he made his escape out of the cave, he alerted the Law Marshal standing guard outside.

In an instant, blows came from all sides.

Meng Feifan was frozen in shock:

"The Thirty-Two Laws... you?"

He abruptly turned his gaze back into the cave.

When Su Mo had arrived earlier, the Thirty-Two Law Marshals had shown no reaction at all, making him fear the worst.

Yet now it seemed that while Su Mo had indeed come, the Thirty-Two Law Marshals and other Law Marshals were still alive and well.

They had simply allowed Su Mo to enter the cave without any resistance!

What the hell were these Thirty-Two Law Marshals doing?

But dwelling on this now was pointless.

Even the current Meng Feifan—let alone the version before he inherited the HeavenMending Art—was the top fighter among the Law Marshals.

In a straight fight, none of the Thirty-Two Laws stood a chance against him.

However, facing their combined assault, even Meng Feifan couldn’t hold his own against their combined assault.

Before the first clash was over, he was already being forced back by the coordinated strikes of the Law Marshals.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, at that very moment, the Lord of Longmu Island was hurtling toward him.

Catching the sound of rushing wind, Meng Feifan swiftly turned his head—just as the Lord of Longmu Island did the same.

Their faces twisted in shock.

But where Meng Feifan went white with fear, the Lord of Longmu Island grinned like a madman:

"Hand it over!!!"

"Fuck off!!!"

Meng Feifan roared, channeling his internal energy into his palms and unleashing a frenzied barrage of strikes, the Star-Contending Disk’s power surging through them, all aimed haphazardly at the Lord of Longmu Island.

Yet the Lord of Longmu Island ignored the attack completely. Instead, he took a deep, forceful breath.

In an instant, a gale-force wind exploded through the cave, sending Meng Feifan stumbling and hurling him even faster toward the Lord of Longmu Island.

As he was dragged forward, his blood, qi (life force energy), and energy were sucked dry—

All of it devoured by the Lord of Longmu Island.

The HeavenMending Art!

In its first nine stages, it only let the wielder tap into the Celestial Stele’s power,

Unlocking the HeavenMending Art’s miracles.

But at the tenth stage, the art turned from "heaven" to "man."

In other words, once, it took from "heaven" to mend human flaws.

Now, it stole from "others" to fix itself.

This was how the Lord of Longmu Island could drain Ye Youchen’s blood, qi, and energy for himself.

But Ye Youchen and the Lord of Longmu Island were fundamentally different.

But Meng Feifan truly cultivated the same internal strength lineage as the Lord of Longmu Island.

At this moment, when the tenth level of the Heaven-Mending Art was activated, his vital energy and internal energy vanished in the blink of an eye.

By the time he fell into the Lord of Longmu Island’s grasp, all that remained was a desiccated husk of skin and bones.

For a brief moment, he had not yet died, writhing reflexively in the Lord of Longmu Island’s palm.

The Lord of Longmu Island, however, burst into laughter. With a surge of his internal energy, a series of rending sounds tore through the air.

Meng Feifan was instantly torn apart, his body shattered into pieces.

At this point, the Lord of Longmu Island landed firmly on the ground, only to hear the sound of hurried footsteps.

The Law Marshals had begun pouring into the cave.

Poisoned by mind-altering toxins and bound by the Island Master’s prior decree—that no matter what happened inside the cave, they were forbidden from crossing the threshold—they had remained steadfast in their posts despite the earlier tremors of battle.

But now that intruders had breached the cave, they could no longer simply stand guard.

They rushed in, intent on delivering Meng Feifan's deathblow.

Yet to their surprise, upon entering, they saw the Lord of Longmu Island standing there, holding the Celestial Stele.

Tonight, the Lord of Longmu Island had first expended his own Heaven-Mending Art to purge and reforge Meng Feifan’s meridians.

Then, Su Mo had stolen half of his Heaven-Mending Art’s internal energy.

The tumorous protrusions covering his body had nearly all subsided.

After absorbing the internal energy and essence and vitality of both Ye Youchen and Meng Feifan, not only had his previous condition not returned, but his original bodily damage had also been repaired.

Originally bloated and draped in loose robes, he now stood transformed - his frame now lean and powerful, his robes now draped loosely. Were it not for his bald head, he might even have passed for an immortal sage.

Though his appearance had drastically changed, the thirty-two Law Marshals instantly recognized their lord despite his transformation.

Without hesitation, they all knelt and bowed deeply:

“All hail the Island Master!!”

The Lord of Longmu Island narrowed his eyes briefly, drew a measured breath, then reopened them:

“Still not enough!!!”

In one fluid motion, he lashed out with the Celestial Stele in his hand—*bang*—and several nearby Law Marshals were bisected instantly.

His free hand lashed out, drawing in a torrent of vital energies.

In mere moments, it was all devoured by his being.

Yet even now, the Lord of Longmu Island remained unfulfilled:

“Still not enough… Law Marshals, heed my command—all of you - into the cave!!”

"Yes!" came the reply.

The Law Marshals outside the cave swarmed into the cave.

Su Mo arched an eyebrow, took a step forward, and closed in once more. With a flick of his fist, a flurry of phantom fists surged forth.

Yet, without a second thought, the Lord of Longmu Island dodged Su Mo’s assault. Instead, he hurled two Law Marshals into the path of Su Mo’s fists, where they were exploded into crimson vapor by his Seven Injuries Fist.

Even so, the Lord of Longmu Island let none of the bloody mist go to waste.

He absorbed it all, amplifying his strength!

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

The Lord of Longmu Island tilted his head back, howling with laughter. Seizing the opportunity, he swung the Celestial Stele horizontally and vertically, cutting down the Law Marshals around him where they stood. Layers of bloody energy surged toward him, all absorbed into his body.

His hair had once been white, his scalp almost bare.

But now, as the lifeblood poured into him, raven locks burst forth.

In mere moments, his hair grew waist-length in an instant.

The shriveled, sagging flesh left behind by his tumors regained its youthful radiance.

In the span of a few breaths, a once-demonic figure transformed into one of otherworldly grace and distinction.

Only his eyes remained, tainted with bloodlust, his expression twisted with hubris:

"This is the tenth level of the Heaven-Mending Art!

"Such power!

"Whelp, you dare oppose me!?"

With that, he swung the Celestial Stele down with crushing force, wielding it like a cleaver through a storm, slamming toward Su Mo.

Yet Su Mo showed not a trace of panic—instead, his eyes flashed.

He pressed one hand downward, then raised it high. A draconic bellow shook the air as three serpentine auras spiraled up his arm.

A golden aura pulsed around his body, taking the form of a bell!

As his palm thrust forward, a massive purple handprint materialized in the air.

BOOM!!!!

The two forces collided violently in midair, sending invisible shockwaves scattering in all directions.

Sand and stones whirled up in an endless storm.

Then, pressing forward, his palm clashed fiercely against the Celestial Stele.

At first, silence.

Then, both Su Mo and the Lord of Longmu Island sank into the ground beneath their feet, followed by waves of force erupting around them.

Detonations rocked the battlefield without end.

The stalemate lasted but an instant before the Lord of Longmu Island was sent stumbling back seven paces—each so deep his ankles sank into the earth, leaving seven footprints in the ground.

Finally, when he managed to stand firm, he was overcome by dizziness, and blood gushed from all seven orifices.

The hand clutching the Celestial Stele was slick with blood, trickling down his fingers and onto the stele itself.

"Is that all?"

Su Mo glanced at the Lord of Longmu Island, his face showed clear disappointment.

Furious at these words, the Lord of Longmu Island had no chance to retort before the Celestial Stele suddenly flared crimson. The blood reversed its flow, racing back up his arm and spreading throughout his entire body.

In an instant, his shattered meridians and wounded hand were completely restored. Even the blood from his seven orifices reversed course, leaving his body completely healed, as if he had never been injured at all.

HA HA HA HA!!!!

The Lord of Longmu Island could not contain his triumph:

"Such divine power—who in all the world dares challenge me?!"

"Su brat, though your martial arts and internal energy surpass mine, with the Heaven-Mending Art, I am truly unassailable!"

"I can endure this battle—but can you?"

"Excellent."

Su Mo smiled faintly. "In that case, Island Master, show me what you've got."

Without another word, he shot forward.

The Lord of Longmu Island stood his ground, fearless.

In truth, by now, his power had reached unprecedented heights, and his condition had surpassed any previous state.

With the Celestial Stele's mystical power coursing through him, he was utterly confident in his invincibility.

What had he to fear from Su Mo?

The moment they clashed, devastating techniques exploded forth in rapid succession.

Since entering the martial world, Su Mo had seldom been forced to reveal his true strength—most opponents fell within a few strikes, leaving him unsatisfied after each battle.

But this time, he could finally cut loose with everything he had.

In an instant, the Great Open Yang Scattering Palm, Purple Sun Divine Palm, Triple Yang Heartburn Palm, Seven Injuries Fist, Flicking Finger Technique—and countless other skills—came pouring forth in rapid succession from his hands.

Every move carried earth-shaking power.

Not to be outdone, the Lord of Longmu Island met him blow for blow.

Having held dominion over Longmu Island for decades, he commanded an arsenal of secret techniques from the Thirty-Two Disciplines.

Though the Heaven-Mending Art was his core discipline, he also boasted other supreme techniques.

These techniques weren't always so effortless to execute before, but now they flowed with increasing ease.

But while the moves came naturally, they barely made a dent.

Every time they clashed, Su Mo would strike, sending the Lord of Longmu Island reeling back, coughing blood.

The island lord kept charging back, undeterred, determined to fight to the death.

Just for Su Mo to knock him back again, blood spraying from his lips.

Su Mo was having the time of his life in this battle, as he ran through almost every trick in his book.

The Lord of Longmu Island, despite repeated defeats, refused to yield, rising again and again—seemingly unbreakable—which only delighted Su Mo further.

As they fought, Su Mo also took the opportunity to refine his own techniques.

He attempted to merge the Flowing Water Force with his various martial arts, but with little luck... until he decided to just use the Flowing Water Force itself to unleash his attacks.

This time, it worked like a charm!

Su Mo stood firm, streams of water converging before him, coalescing into a massive palm billowing with scalding steam before slamming mercilessly toward the Lord of Longmu Island.

With a furious roar, the island lord held his position, swinging the Celestial Stele to intercept the watery palm.

Yet his strike passed right through, failing to halt the attack—instead, the colossal palm struck him full force, drawing pained howls:

"Damn it! You—this is boiling water!!"