Chapter 415: Abomination

Chapter 415: The Abomination

"Chief Escort Su!"

As soon as Duan Renjie saw Su Mo, he bolted upright.

Su Mo raised a hand, gesturing for him to stay still.

After scanning the situation outside, he smiled and said:

"You holding up, Brother Duan?

"Any plans to get out of here?"

"Chief Escort Su, you’re joking."

Duan Renjie quickly replied, "Last night, you freed me from the acupoint lock but didn’t rescue me.

"Figured you had something else in mind, so I didn’t want to mess things up and simply waited here quietly."

Su Mo looked Duan Renjie over again and nodded approvingly:

"Brother Duan, compared to a year ago, you’re a whole new man.

"Now, there is indeed something I need you to do..."

"Chief Escort Su, just say it!"

Duan Renjie straightened, but after saying this, he quickly added:

"However, before that, I have something to tell you."

"Brother Duan, no need to stand on ceremony. Speak your mind."

"I... I found my master."

"...Canglan Divine Blade?"

This genuinely caught Su Mo off guard: "Where is he?"

"Literally next door."

Duan Renjie frowned as he spoke: "I told my master that Chief Escort Su would surely come today. He should’ve been waiting as well. Why’s he staying quiet despite hearing our conversation?"

"..."

Wait, you two ended up neighbors here?

Didn’t see that coming.

As for why he hadn’t spoken—well, he couldn’t exactly talk.

Su Mo had come here for a covert op—no eavesdroppers allowed.

Thus, when he arrived, he had already hit the guy next door with the Qiankun Acupoint Technique, knocking him out.

That man was now unconscious, naturally unable to speak.

At the time, he hadn’t known the man’s identity and acted out of caution. But now that he knew it was Canglan Divine Blade, he had to fix this.

He immediately said to Duan Renjie, "Hold on a second."

After speaking, he had already stepped into the neighboring cell.

An old man lay there.

Su Mo looked him over carefully.

The man was haggard and ragged, with one hand severed. The bandaged wound was seeping dark, rotting blood.

With a soft sigh, Su Mo snapped his fingers and unsealed his pressure point.

The old man slowly opened his eyes and was startled to see Su Mo:

"You..."

Su Mo gave a slight bow with hands clasped:

"Senior Canglan Divine Blade? I am Su Mo."

"...So you are Chief Escort Su."

It clicked for Canglan Divine Blade. No wonder he had passed out suddenly earlier—this man had arrived.

Without making a sound, he had been subdued. The old man sighed in admiration, "You really are a young hero, extraordinary indeed."

Su Mo didn't bother with false modesty, just said "my apologies."

He reached out, took hold of the elder, and with a swift motion, there was a soft click—the iron door swung open.

The noise was faint, like someone just rattling the bars, unlikely to draw attention.

Inside Duan Renjie's cell, teacher and student were reunited at last.

Yet, in this moment, they stood in silent understanding.

Having reunited the night before, they had already exchanged all their news.

Any grief or hatred, they'd already worked through their emotions.

It was Su Mo who finally broke the silence:

"Senior Canglan Divine Blade, may I ask what brought you here?"

"... Ah."

Canglan Divine Blade sighed:

"I was looking for Li Mosheng."

"Li Mosheng?"

Su Mo looked to Duan Renjie.

"Elder Li is Miss Zhou's teacher, called in the jianghu as 'Finger-Flicking Star Shooter.'"

"Based on the twelve techniques of Shattered Star Sect, I have created the StarFlicking Finger..."

He said this, stealing a glance at Su Mo:

"I had not detailed the matters of the Shattered Star Sect to Chief Escort Su before, as my master and Senior Li were close friends. Please understand, Chief Escort Su."

"Indeed."

Su Mo nodded, finding this quite reasonable.

Since Li Mosheng and the Canglan Divine Blade were such close friends,

and the relationship between Zhou Wenjing and Cheng Suying was also extraordinary,

in such circumstances, Cheng Suying and Duan Renjie naturally kept silent, unwilling to say more.

Hearing this, Su Mo looked around:

"So, Senior Li is also in this Medicinal Man Box now?"

"...No."

The Canglan Divine Blade shook his head gently:

"When I followed the trail and found him, he was no longer in the Medicinal Man Box.

"Whether he is alive or dead now, I do not know."

Hearing this, Su Mo couldn't help but frown.

In this Medicine Crate, those of unknown fate are doomed to a grim end.

Either they become Abominations, or... they are fed to the Abominations.

"Is Zhang Quan here?"

Su Mo asked again.

"Zhang Quan?"

The Canglan Divine Blade frowned slightly. "Zhang Quan is here too?"

At this, he couldn't help but glance at Duan Renjie.

Duan Renjie nodded. "By all accounts, Senior Zhang (Elder Zhang) should indeed have reached Longmu Island by now.

"Miss Zhou and the others have been searching for him and Senior Li's whereabouts all along.

"But they have never found them..."

"I see."

The Canglan Divine Blade turned to Su Mo:

"Chief Escort Su, I've heard from Renjie about your past disagreements.

"Renjie is young and reckless, acting like a fool.

"As his elder, I apologize to Chief Escort Su on his behalf."

"But now, this child is in serious danger. While he's safe for now... the people on this island are all cruel and ruthless; their actions are downright vile.

"So, I implore Chief Escort Su to save him.

"This old man is deeply grateful."

As he spoke, he struggled to get up, about to bow deeply.

Su Mo quickly reached out to stop him:

"Senior, you flatter me.

"What happened between me and Brother Duan has already been settled.

"Of course I'll help.

"But this Dragonwood Island cannot be ignored either.

"As Senior said, though we may ensure safety for now, how can we be sure trouble won't come later?"

"Then, in Chief Escort Su’s view, what should be done?"

"We must cut down the demons and root out the evil, to cleanse this world!"

Hearing this, the Canglan Divine Blade’s expression stirred, his face brightening with excitement.

Yet, glancing at his right hand, he sighed again:

"Chief Escort Su speaks wisely.

"Alas... I'm just a cripple now.

"If this hand were still here, I could at least pitch in what little I could.

"But now... ah..."

Su Mo smiled:

"Senior, do not worry. I've already got a plan.

"However, it will require Brother Duan to take some chances."

"Chief Escort Su, you give me too much credit."

Duan Renjie immediately responded:

"If this demonic lair is not destroyed, who knows how many more fellow warriors it will ensnare?

"Wherever I can be of help, Chief Escort Su just say the word.

"Even if it costs my life, Duan Renjie will die with no regrets."

Hearing this, the Canglan Divine Blade couldn't help looking at Duan Renjie, his gaze mixing pride with worry.

Su Mo thought for a moment:

"Brother Duan’s presence here is actually an advantage.

"Not all in the Medicine Person Box are trustworthy, but not all are untrustworthy either."

"Su Mo can't quite figure it out right now."

"But I need Duan to help me with something..."

He paused slightly here.

"Wait here, both of you..."

As his words fell, his figure had already disappeared.

If one could argue that they hadn’t paid attention when he arrived earlier, thus failing to notice Su Mo’s movement, this time, both master and disciple had their eyes fixed on him—yet they still couldn’t perceive how Su Mo had left.

Such qinggong was truly astonishing.

In comparison, Duan Renjie remained relatively composed, while the Canglan Divine Blade stood gaping.

Last night, Duan Renjie had told him how extraordinary Su Mo was, but he had found it hard to believe.

After all, from what Duan Renjie said, Su Mo was about his age.

Both were young men—how good could their martial arts really be, no matter how skilled?

As for being the First of Donghuang...

Without witnessing it firsthand, he had always suspected it might just be talk.

Yet now, he realized this man truly was the real deal.

He was indeed a top-tier fighter.

While still stunned, he looked up again to find Su Mo had already returned.

But he hadn’t come back alone.

In his hand was a Dragonwood Island disciple.

The disciple now stood frozen like a statue, utterly immobile.

Su Mo peeled off the disciple’s clothes and glanced at Duan Renjie.

Duan Renjie immediately understood—this wasn't some bedwarmer—and quickly exchanged his own clothes with the disciple’s.

In moments, Duan Renjie became a dead ringer for a Dragonwood Island disciple.

Dumping the disciple deep into the cell, Su Mo said, "I’ve used the Qiankun Acupoint Technique on this person. He'll be frozen for the next few days."

"Senior Canglan Divine Blade, Brother Duan, you must be on high alert from now on..."

He then proceeded to spell out the plan.

Both master and disciple nodded together.

Duan Renjie, especially, was fired up.

"So, the day of action is any day now?"

"Exactly."

Su Mo nodded. "So time is running short. I doubt the Lanternbearing Elder will even have time to check this place."

"If he catches on, Brother Duan, just get out however you can."

"Memorize the maze’s layout—every turn."

"If things go south, prioritize your own safety."

"Got it."

Duan Renjie saluted with a solemn fist-clasp.

That settled most of it. But Su Mo’s eyes flicked upward to the Medicine Person Box’s lid, his brow quirking.

"We’ve covered everything. The only wild card left is that Abomination up there."

People were predictable—you could improvise.

But the Abomination...

Su Mo knew next to nothing about it.

How did it even take orders? Could it be controlled?

Would it give them away?

These were questions Su Mo had to consider.

One wrong move, and Duan Renjie would die in this damned box.

"How to kill the Abomination without getting burned?"

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a voice suddenly rang out from one of the prison cells.

"Burning up... so hot..."

"Why’s it so... damn hot?"

Su Mo stiffened. "Him?"

He craned his neck for a better look, though from his position, he couldn’t see clearly. Still, the direction of the voice was exactly where he suspected.

The next moment, a *bang* shook the air.

"Who the hell locked me in here?"

"What is this damned place?"

The voice boomed, raw and unfiltered—Su Mo gaped.

It was unmistakably the Poison Lord.

Back in the medicine room, he’d eaten a petal of the Bǐ'àn Huā (the 'other shore flower') and dropped dead—just like that.

Su Mo couldn't help but marvel at the cutthroat ways of the martial world.

Yet who would have thought that this elderly man, who'd dropped dead just like that, could now just as suddenly pop back to life?

How was he supposed to take this?

Should he reflect on life's fickleness and the unpredictability of life and death?

But now was not the time for lamentation. The uncertain state of the old man had thrown a wrench into things.

Immediately, Su Mo looked up toward the ceiling.

Sure enough, he saw shadows writhing—the Abomination, which had been lurking in the darkness above, was on the move.

Earlier, its movements had been subtle, its form concealed so well that even Su Mo, with his extraordinary vision, could hardly make out its true nature.

But now, as it stirred, Su Mo finally got a good look.

It was a hulking abomination!

"What in the world have those lunatics on Dragonwood Island stitched together?"

Before Su Mo could make sense of it, shouts rang out.

The Dragonwood Island disciples guarding the Medicine Person Box had leapt into action, moving even before the Abomination.

"Who's there?"

"Back off!"

Su Mo's thoughts flashed. He turned to the disciple of the Canglan Divine Blade and said, "I'll be right back."

The master and disciple quickly nodded, but when they looked again, Su Mo had disappeared into thin air—his movement technique so eerie it was supernatural.

Meanwhile, the wielder of the Canglan Divine Blade was left scratching his head:

"Did Chief Escort Su forget to take me along?"

"Master, don't worry. Let's see what's happening first."

"Mm."

The two decided to stay and observe, while Su Mo had already arrived at another empty cell, looking down from above.

In the lower passage of the Medicine Person Box, surrounded by Dragonwood Island disciples, was none other than the Poison Lord.

The elderly man's hair was now standing straight up, as if bristling with rage.

He stood there, his eyes glazed over in confusion, seemingly unaware of where he was or who the people around him were.

Hearing their demands for him to retreat, the old man grew clearly annoyed. He casually fished out a chicken leg from his sleeve, tore into it, and swallowed—only to immediately double over and puke:

"Blegh—"

"......"

The Dragonwood Island disciples could only gape in disbelief, unsure how to react.

They saw the elderly man hopping mad and yelling curses:

"Who’s the bastard that tricked me with a rotten chicken leg?"

The Dragonwood Island disciples exchanged looks, then roared in fury:

"Seize him!"

Several disciples lunged forward, drawing short blades from their sleeves, their edges aimed straight at the Poison Lord's vital points.

Still mid-vomit, the Poison Lord tried to puke again, but there was no time.

He blocked two blades with one hand while his other shot out, grabbed a disciple by the throat, about to smash his fist into the guy’s face.

But the nausea from the rotten chicken leg hit him again before his fist could land.

His punch never landed—instead, he gagged, "Ugh—!"

The captured disciple, initially panicked and bracing for a counterattack, never saw *this* coming.

For a second, death seemed preferable.

The Medicine Person Box went dead silent.

Then came the sharp *whoosh* of projectiles cutting through the air.

The other Dragonwood Island disciples scrambled back, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the scene. After exchanging uneasy looks, they nodded:

"Ambush weapons!"

Close combat was far too dangerous.

Getting killed by the old man? Fine. But getting puked on? Hell no!

With a flick of their wrists, they unleashed a storm of black poison needles.

These were "Ghost Thorns," crafted from the toxic spines of Ghost Vines, their venom distilled into something even deadlier than the plant's natural poison.

In an instant, the air filled with a black hail of needles, flying toward the Poison Lord from all directions.

"You rats!"

The Poison Lord roared, "You dare mock me?!"

With that, he lifted the disciple he had just vomited on and whirled around, blocking most of the incoming needles.

His other hand swept through the air as if drawing invisible force, sucking the Ghost Thorns into his palm like iron to a magnet.

Catching them, he paused briefly, a calculating glint in his eye, before stashing them in his robe.

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a burst of powder—hurled by his inner energy—enveloped one of the Dragonwood Island disciples.

The man convulsed, his eyes going blank, before he suddenly turned and swung his blade at the nearest ally.

The sudden turn of events threw the Dragonwood Island disciples into confusion.

But with a deadly foe at hand, they had no time to dwell on it.

Someone immediately shouted:

"The strangeness lies with this old villain—finish him off!"

The Poison Lord bristled with rage:

"Like you weren’t trying to kill me before!"

At that moment, the Dragonwood Island disciple who had suddenly attacked his companion was pinned down by two of his comrades.

They intended to restrain him for further action, but unexpectedly, one of them suddenly turned on the other, lashing out violently.

Caught completely off guard, the latter almost lost half his face to a claw strike.

"You!"

Bellowing in agony, the injured disciple lunged forward—not to engage his attacker, but to charge past him and assault several others instead.

Lurking in the shadows, Su Mo quietly observed the scene, remembering the horrors of Chiyan Island.

"...When this old man gets serious about killing, he doesn’t hold back."

As the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly looked up.

A huge shadow dropped from the sky, and before a Dragonwood Island disciple could react, he was gone—just like that.

A nearby witness, seeing this, snarled:

"Abomination, what are you doing!?"

Only a loud swallowing sound echoed from above, and terror flashed across the faces of several Dragonwood Island disciples.

"The old man’s poison must’ve set the Abomination off. We can't stay here any longer."

"Warn the others—"

The words were abruptly cut off as the speaker was snatched up by a colossal shadow, followed by another gulp.

This turn of events left even the Poison Lord gaping, who couldn't help but look up.

The next moment, his face went pale:

"What in the—!?"

A monstrous snake dropped from the sky, its jaws wide open as it lunged at the Poison Lord.

Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal.

Snakes were nothing new to seasoned warriors.

Though powerful, skilled warriors could handle them with ease—and often ate them for dinner.

But this one was far from ordinary.

But this one had a wreath of human heads circling its own.

The black liquid flowed slowly within, some heads had already decayed into white bones, while others still clung to life by a thread.

But in their eyes, there was no longer any trace of human consciousness, only the ferocity of beasts remained.

Their eyes were a deep blood red, as if they shared a life with the great serpent.

Beneath the serpent’s belly, countless human hands were densely embedded, resembling the legs of a centipede, sending shivers down one's spine.