Chapter 405: Head Swap

Chapter 405: Changing Heads

As his thoughts churned, the Cold Pool Abomination had already struck.

Centered around the cold pool, the creature raised one hand, and the water within surged skyward before erupting outward in all directions.

The speed was staggering, leaving no room to react.

Before the bone-deep cold even touched them, Little Situ shuddered violently.

Su Mo murmured, "Hold on."

Little Situ Taoist wanted to say that fighting while carrying her was far from ideal.

This Abomination clearly wielded strange powers—otherwise, it wouldn’t still be alive in such a state.

Su Mo should set her down to fight unhindered.

But there was no time to speak.

In the next instant, violet flames wreathed Su Mo’s body, blazing like the midday sun and dispelling the surrounding cold.

Looking up, jagged ice spikes were upon them.

Su Mo’s eyes narrowed—he had meant to shatter them with his Flicking Finger technique.

But mid-thought, he shifted tactics.

With a flick of his palm, the Purple Sun Divine Palm lashed out.

Violet flames roared upward!

His pure Yang kung fu burst forth, and before the oncoming ice spikes could reach him, they had already begun to melt.

In seconds, Su Mo’s pure Yang kung fu melted them entirely to water.

Then, with a single step forward, he thrust his hand into the pool of water. When he withdrew it, five razor-sharp water blades extended from his fingers—

Heavenly Ten Directions Water Swords!

If executed with both hands, this technique would unleash ten water blades, flickering, extending at his command, their sword energy slicing through all in their path.

But burdened with Little Situ, one hand was occupied supporting her, leaving only the other free.

Even so, the five water blades were extraordinary.

The Abomination’s assault was far from simple—just one glance at the cold pool revealed that its techniques were of the extreme cold lineage.

Seeing its first attack fail, it flew into a frenzy.

With both hands, it struck the cold pool’s waters, sending massive waves crashing forth.

Midair, they morphed into jagged ice shards, attacking Su Mo from all directions.

Yet, in a flash, Su Mo's figure darted forward, his five fingers gleaming with liquid blades that flashed—stabbing, flicking, slashing, and sweeping.

The barrage of icy spikes was reduced to glittering shards in a heartbeat.

The Abomination lunged again, but a shadow flickered before its eyes. When it looked up again, Su Mo, still carrying Little Situ on his back, was already hovering above the frozen pond.

He walked the water's surface as if it were solid ground, not sinking even slightly.

With a lift of his five fingers, his Ten Directions Water Swords flared to life.

The Nielv Elder's eyes were utterly mindless, only a furious roar as it grasped with one hand, freezing pondwater into a jagged ice sword, bringing it down in a savage arc.

However, mindless, it fought with robotic predictability.

No matter how it wielded its blade, it never strayed beyond the small circle beneath its feet.

Moreover, Su Mo noticed that while the Abomination's attacks—manipulating the frigid pool's water with its icy martial arts—were spectacular to behold, they were full of exploitable openings upon closer inspection.

Its body... seemed utterly immobile?

The realization struck him, and the five water swords of the Ten Directions Water Swords suddenly darted forth, clashing against the Nielv Elder's icy blade.

Upon contact, steam hissed where blades met.

The icy blade, frozen from the pond's essence with extreme cold martial arts, should've flash-frozen Su Mo's water blades upon contact.

Yet, the opposite occurred.

Not only did Su Mo's water swords remain unfrozen, but the Elder's ice sword started dripping.

The mindless creature seemed confused, unable to comprehend the mystery behind it.

But it sought no answers. Seeing its blade unable to withstand Su Mo's Ten Directions Water Swords, it simply smashed its palm down hard onto the water's surface.

The pond erupted in concentric waves.

Water droplets geysered upward, instantly transforming into icy needles.

Propelled by the Nielv Elder's martial arts, the needles spun like a deadly whirlwind, hurtling toward Su Mo and Little Situ.

Su Mo took one look and smirked.

Suddenly, his figure spun—disappearing without so much as a breeze.

Only a heatwave detonated outward, as if a miniature purple sun blooming in its midst!

When Su Mo first returned to his sect, Li Zhengyuan, thrilled to see his protégé, had eagerly dumped the entire Purple Sun arsenal on him.

Techniques like the Ninefold Primordial Yang Art and the Eastward Purple Mist movement skill were practically drilled into him relentlessly.

Among them, there was a leg technique called Nine Suns Heaven Treading Wind.

However, because Su Mo had not cultivated the Nine Purple Flames Burning Heaven Art, the supreme martial art of the Purple Sun Sect, he was unable to fully master it.

Over the past year or so, no matter how diligently he trained, he could never break through to the fourth level with this technique.

Without the Nine Purple Flames Burning Heaven Art, this technique was missing its core foundation.

Later, Su Mo opted to merge this leg technique into the Wind God Leg.

Then, by channeling his pure yang internal energy, he executed it in an entirely new way, unleashing astonishing power.

This was the first time he had ever displayed this technique.

Above the cold pool, a searing sun materialized, scorching waves radiating outward in all directions.

The ice needles gathered nearby dissolved into water before they could even get close.

The cold pool beneath his feet roiled violently—though it had been icy for years, the nearness of this "blazing sun" threatened to boil it dry.

Meanwhile, black fluid seeped from the Nielv Elder's eyes.

His body was driven back by the pure yang energy, teetering on the edge.

A large rock behind him kept him from falling completely, but both he and the rock were dragged further toward the rear of the cold pool.

At that moment, two chains suddenly clanked as they surfaced.

These chains, anchored in the abyss below, were connected to the elderly swordsman's ankles.

A metal spike pierced through each ankle, pinning him relentlessly in place.

Now, as they were abruptly pulled taut, the Abomination Elder was overwhelmed with excruciating pain.

He couldn't help but howl:

"The pain!

"The pain!!!"

"???"

Su Mo froze in shock upon hearing this.

This was his first time using the Wind God Leg infused with the Nine Suns Heaven Treading Wind. He had intended to unleash his full strength, landing a finishing blow to end the Nielv Elder once and for all.

Yet, before he could even tap into a fraction of its power, before the scorching heat reached its crescendo—

The Abomination could talk?

An Abomination could speak?

Su Mo's mind raced. In an instant, the purple sun vanished, and he reappeared standing atop the Nielv Elder's head.

Looking down, he saw the elderly swordsman's screams had cut off.

He could only pant uncontrollably.

His mouth began to mumble:

"By the decree of the Xuan Emperor, with the power of the Celestial Stele, to refine the elixir of eternal life..."

These were the very words the old man had been muttering to himself earlier, before anyone had approached.

Su Mo looked back at Little Situ.

At this moment, she was in a daze.

This place was extremely dangerous, and the Nielv Elder's techniques were extraordinary.

Naturally, Su Mo couldn't leave Little Situ alone. If a fight broke out and the old man controlled the ice spikes to strike her, he'd have to hold back, wouldn't he?

Thus, from the very beginning of the battle, Su Mo had never let her go.

However, the speed at which he had executed that finishing move earlier was just too fast. Though he had shielded her with his qi to prevent her from being affected by the move, the rapid motion, combined with the blazing violet sun, had left Little Situ dizzy and confused.

It was as if she were suffering from motion sickness.

At this moment, she wasn't thinking straight.

Naturally, she offered no response to Su Mo’s gaze.

After thinking for a moment, Su Mo stepped in front of the old man and waved a hand gently in front of his face.

The old man didn't react, merely continuing his ceaseless murmuring.

His face showed terror.

"Eldest Brother Su..."

Little Situ finally responded, speaking softly:

"Let me... check his pulse."

"Alright."

Su Mo nodded, lifting the old man’s arm.

After checking his pulse, Little Situ frowned hard:

"He... he... he ought to be dead."

"How so?"

The old man was clearly still alive.

"Open his... robe..."

Little Situ whispered.

Without hesitation, Su Mo reached out and opened the old man’s robe.

They saw a wound on the old man's chest.

It was impossible to tell how old the wound was, but it had been stitched up with silk threads yet never fully healed.

An eerie chill emanated from within.

"I knew it."

Little Situ Taoist's face fell further at the sight:

"His heart... is gone."

His heart is gone!?

Can a person live without a heart?

The answer, of course, is no.

This isn't a mythical world—it's a martial arts world...

How could someone still be alive without a heart?

Yet the man before them was clearly still living.

Just moments ago, he had still been capable of feeling pain.

Now, however, he had lapsed back into that blank, numb state.

Only this time, he was no longer as aggressive as before.

Su Mo also knew that there were many peerless martial arts in this world capable of defying all logic.

For example, the Yin-Yang Immortality Decree.

*Yin cannot exist without Yang, and Yang cannot exist without Yin—through the intertwining of these energies, no matter how severe the injury, one could remain undying.*

Even if one's head were severed, they could still live.

However, the Nielv Elder before them clearly had not practiced this technique.

The Yin-Yang Immortality Decree's medallion was still tucked away in his cloth pouch.

As for the martial arts recorded on it, Su Mo hadn't dared practice them to this day.

He simply felt that this martial art was far too unnatural and was unwilling to recklessly experiment with it, gambling with his life.

But what was going on with this man then?

Su Mo reached out and tugged him forward, but the man showed no reaction, only continuing to mumble incessantly, as if driven by some fixation.

After pulling twice, Su Mo found that the man wouldn't budge—instead, his face contorted in pain once more.

This state was clearly abnormal.

Su Mo then led Little Situ Taoist behind the man and carefully pulled back his robes to inspect his back.

There, they discovered fine, silken threads.

Each one was wrapped around his spine, while the other ends vanished into the stone.

This person had actually been stitched alive to this rock!

Both Su Mo and Little Situ were shocked.

Who could possibly do such a thing?

Fusing a person's spine to solid stone.

Then piercing through his ankles and shackling them with chains.

Leaving the person completely immobilized in this tiny space.

The two exchanged glances, and Su Mo asked Little Situ to try and wake the elderly man.

Without hesitation, Little Situ began working her methods on the elderly man.

Unfortunately, the elderly man showed no signs of awareness. Though he could still speak, he showed no reactions of a living person.

It was as if he were truly dead—just not completely dead.

Finally, wearing deerskin gloves, Little Situ carefully collected a drop of the dark fluid trickling from the elderly man's eye and brought it to her nose for a sniff.

Her eyebrows shot up:

"This isn't water... It doesn't smell rotten, but has a herbal fragrance."

As she spoke, she reached out to examine the elderly man's head and face, only to let out a shocked gasp:

"Eldest Brother Su, look!"

Following her finger, Su Mo saw a barely visible but horrifying scar running along the elderly man's neck.

It had been hidden earlier by the elderly man's beard and hair, completely concealing the wound.

Now visible, the scar was sutured with thread, yet the wound had already healed.

Su Mo's eyes narrowed sharply, and he took a deep breath.

They locked eyes, and both understood what the other was thinking.

The Lanternbearing Elder had once said:

"Those who fight with swords—take their sword hands.

Those who use leg techniques—take their legs.

Those with skilled fingers—take their fingers."

Considering this man...

"Could it be... his head was taken away?" Su Mo forced out through clenched teeth.

Head replacement?

This was... Even in this martial world, let alone his previous life's world of advanced medicine, such a thing was unheard of.

They'd never heard anything so bizarre before.

Of course, it was likely not that it couldn't be done, but rather that no one in their right mind would attempt such a thing.

Yet in the context of this era, possessing such a technique was truly beyond belief.

However, if this were indeed the case, new questions naturally came to mind:

"If it's a head replacement, then there must be two bodies and two heads.

"Whose head is this elderly swordsman wearing now?

"And whose body got stuck with his old head?

"Most importantly—why replace it at all?"

The elderly swordsman kept droning on with the same tired old sayings that Su Mo and Little Situ Taoist had heard so often they were sick of hearing.

Meanwhile, Su Mo and Little Situ Taoist were lost in thought.

After a long pause, Little Situ Taoist spoke:

"The art of head replacement... it's not unheard of.

"However, successful cases are vanishingly rare.

"In the ancient texts, I've only come across one example that may have worked.

"The records say that in the past, there was a man who suffered from a terrible head condition, seeking renowned physicians far and wide but without finding relief.

"Later, he heard of a miracle-working doctor across the ocean, who could supposedly bring back the dead and regenerate flesh from bones.

"Since he was filthy rich, he immediately sent his followers to search the seas.

"Three years passed with no results, until in frustration, he personally went looking himself.

"The texts describe his departure as making a huge production of it.

"But for years afterward, he'd vanished without a trace.

"Unexpectedly, three years later, a complete stranger arrived at his family's doorstep, claiming to be their Master.

"Naturally, the mistress and their descendants wouldn't buy such nonsense.

"Yet the man knew every little detail of their past, even revealing matters known only to him and the mistress.

"At this, they couldn't doubt him anymore.

"When they asked, they learned that after setting sail to seek the legendary healer, he had encountered a shipwreck.

"Washed ashore by the waves, he found himself on an island.

"There, the islanders possessed godlike medical skills. Learning of his ailment, they offered treatment.

"But his head disease was too far gone by ordinary means.

"Thus, they suggested swapping heads.

"After the procedure, he needed two years to recover."

"So it took a total of three years before he could finally make it back home."

"This part of the record, being uncertain whether it was true or false, was thus included in the 'Compendium of Strange Lore.'"

At this point in her story, she paused slightly before continuing:

"However, in these Compendium of Strange Lore, there is also a sequel to this story."

"It is said that the person who underwent the head-replacement art did not live peacefully ever after."

"Two years after his return home, martial arts masters suddenly launched a deadly night attack."

"In a single night, all one hundred and thirteen members of the household were wiped out to the last person."

"All the family's wealth and possessions were cleaned out completely."

"And that Master... vanished without a trace."

"Because of this, when I shared this story with the elders in my family,"

"they all said that the head-replacement art was most likely complete fiction."

"Instead, it was more plausible that martial arts masters had captured that family's Master, tortured him to extract secrets,"

"and then orchestrated this ghostly ruse to deceive the entire family, killing them all and stealing everything."

"However, if we consider it purely from this angle, some things still don't add up."

Su Mo nodded and looked back at the elderly swordsman.

He saw him still rambling on and on and couldn't suppress a frown.

Then he looked down at the man's chest.

There, a horrifying crack emitted tendrils of icy mist.

"Is there... something inside here as well?"

Su Mo hesitated for a moment:

"Should we... cut it open and see?"

Little Situ Taoist blinked: "...Worth a shot?"

The elderly swordsman before them was clearly long dead.

Now, there was zero chance of communication.

Given that, might as well cut him open to see if there was anything useful or revealing inside.

Having made up his mind, Su Mo didn't hesitate further. With a flick of his finger, the threads on the man's chest instantly burst apart.

The wound on his chest widened slightly, but the cold air surged out even more intensely.

Su Mo hesitated but didn't reach his hand inside. Instead, he struck a palm below the wound, and with a surge of inner force, a stream of black liquid gushed from the chest.

Amid the black liquid, a shadowy object came spilling out.