Chapter 416: The Antidote

Chapter 416: The Cure

"This... is pushing it, don't you think?"

Su Mo sneaked a look and was stunned to see such a thing hidden atop the Human Experiment Container.

He couldn’t help but feel shocked.

God... Was this something that could truly be created in reality?

The maniacs on Dragonwood Island really dared to do anything!

Su Mo knew very well that the Abomination was a monster.

It was cobbled together from stitched-up limbs.

As the Lanternbearing Elder had said—

They took the most gifted traits of people and pieced them together into a new... thing.

What sort of fighter would that create?

Or rather... what kind of monster would it be?

From the current situation, it was unclear whether this experiment had succeeded.

But it had given birth to the soulless Abominations.

No intellect, no wisdom—only the hunger to kill.

Thus, they could only rely on the mind-bending toxin to make the Abominations obey.

But who would have thought the Abominations could be twisted this way?

By grafting human limbs onto a serpent, they had created a creature straight from nightmare.

Of course, this abomination was still far from being a true demon.

The giant serpent’s body was rotting with festering sores, lacking hard scales, and its fighting style was crude.

It relied mainly on its immense strength and the hands beneath its belly.

After grabbing victims, it would either scrape them against the stone, smash them against the stone, or gulp them down alive.

What truly caught Su Mo’s attention, however, was the serpent’s head.

There was a yawning cavity in its massive skull.

Empty—just a gaping, putrid hollow.

"So it seems the ones truly controlling this serpent are those human heads embedded around its neck."

Su Mo mused.

"The people of Dragonwood Island stationed this Abomination here to guard the Human Experiment Container.

"Though it’s unclear whether it went berserk due to the Poison Lord’s meddling."

As these thoughts tumbled through his head, the serpent’s jaws gaped wide.

Instead of dealing with the Venomous Sovereign first, it swallowed several disciples of Longmu Island into its belly.

At times, it swung its arms, grabbing people from Longmu Island and smashing them against the walls.

The entire Medicine-Casket was thrown into chaos.

When the Venomous Sovereign glimpsed the creature, his face darkened.

He immediately cursed and, without hesitation, turned and fled.

This thing looked nothing like a fair fight—more like a demon. Without even engaging, fear crept into his heart. How the hell was he supposed to fight *that*?

The old coot bolted.

Before you could blink, he had already dashed far away, on the verge of escaping the Medicine-Casket.

But suddenly, he pushed off with his toes and leaped into the air.

The spot where he had just stood exploded in a thunderous *crack*—the Abhorrent Wyrm had swung its tail and smashed down violently.

The Venomous Sovereign, simian-like, clung to the rocky walls of the Medicine-Casket, gripping the cell’s rusted grating. Watching the ground shatter beneath him, he couldn’t help but curse:

"Tryin’ to off me, eh?"

As soon as he spoke, the massive wyrm’s head lurched sideways.

Its jaws yawned open, ready to swallow the Venomous Sovereign whole.

But the Venomous Sovereign flicked his wrist, sending a cloud of poison straight into the Abhorrent Wyrm’s mouth.

Perhaps knowing this was foul play, the beast snapped its maw shut. Yet even so, the venom-seared flesh sloughed away where the poison touched.

Whether it still felt pain or simply acted on instinct, the wyrm gave up the chase. Instead, it wrenched its skull upward, slithering along the rock wall.

But the beast’s tactics didn’t end there. Though it moved upward, the grotesque underbelly hands reached out one after another, grasping for the Venomous Sovereign.

The Venomous Sovereign’s face darkened further:

"What kind of monster is this?"

The hands clawed blindly, in a frenzied tangle, but their sheer numbers made them overwhelming. One missed, then came a second, a third, a fourth…

Dozens of hands reached for him, forcing the Venomous Sovereign to find a way to escape.

Just then, a whip-crack whistle cut through the air.

The Abhorrent Wyrm, still climbing upward, suddenly convulsed.

As if all its strength had vanished, it dropped like a stone from midair.

With a crash that shook the foundations, the wyrm struck the ground, shaking the entire Medicine-Casket.

The Venomous Sovereign looked down, and a dawning comprehension flashed in his eyes.

"Looks like one of the heads on its neck got smashed."

Just as he was about to go down to check the situation, the freakish snake suddenly jerked—it could still move.

"Not dead yet...

"This thing ain't right. This is a dangerous place—this old timer should bail while he can."

The Poison Lord no longer dared to stay. He turned and booked it using his qinggong.

The moment the Poison Lord got out of the Medicine Person Box, whooshing wind sounds came from behind.

The heads surrounding the serpent’s skull started popping like firecrackers.

In mere moments, the serpent, which had been trying to rise again, was totally paralyzed.

Black goo seeped out from the shattered heads.

The stench of blood, rot, and medicinal fragrance mixed with the indescribable odor inside the Medicine Person Box, creating one hell of a nasty mix.

Hidden in the shadows, Su Mo pulled his finger back.

He checked out the mess below.

Aside from the few Dragonwood Island disciples who had run out to report the disturbance in the Medicine Person Box, pretty much everyone left of Dragonwood Island had died on the spot.

The serpent was crazy strong.

The hands beneath its belly grabbed people and hurled them against the walls—one hit and you're done.

This rampage left the Medicine Person Box wide open for now.

But it wouldn’t last.

Though the footsteps were still somewhat distant, they were coming straight this way.

Dragonwood Island disciples stationed elsewhere were surely rushing over.

After a brief look, Su Mo sighed.

He was dying to check out the serpent in detail.

But the serpent’s frenzy had drawn the surviving prisoners to gather and watch. Going down now would be way too obvious.

So, in a flash, he returned to Duan Renjie’s side.

"Brother Duan, when things calm down there, wait for another opportunity to proceed as planned."

"Understood."

Duan Renjie nodded right away.

Su Mo then grabbed the Canglan Divine Blade and returned to his original cell.

Then and only then did he use the Wind God Leg technique again, making his way back toward the Scripture Cave.

As for that freak-show snake...

In the end, it was just a man-made creation.

Its flesh and skin were no different from that of an ordinary python.

As bizarre as it was, its weakness was also clear.

Though this thing looked terrifying, dealing with it wasn’t difficult.

Last night, after the black liquid flowed out from the Nielv Elder’s head, the body became lifeless.

And without the head to control it, the body was nothing more than a corpse.

As long as those heads controlling the python’s body were shattered, the creature would be helpless.

Of course, this was easier said than done.

Even if ordinary people knew these heads were the weak points, actually smashing or slicing through them would be extremely difficult.

As for Su Mo…

It was child's play.

Just a few finger flicks.

Though the freak python was nothing special, the incident put Su Mo on alert.

The people of Dragonwood Island were engaged in deeds far beyond what normal people could imagine.

If they could attach human heads to a giant python, what else could they do?

On Dragonwood Island, aside from the Island Master and the Lanternbearing Elder, were there other martial arts masters?

How many more abominations like this existed?

"It seems tonight, I really must pay a visit to the Island Master’s courtyard."

Another matter bothered Su Mo.

Earlier in the medicine room, the Poison Lord had clearly died—so how did he come back?

What exactly was the "Other Shore Flower"?

And… where had the Poison Lord gone now?

His actions after waking up were also rather off.

He didn't know about the Human Experiment Box…

Could he have lost his memory?

When Su Mo got back from his detour to the Scripture Cave, there was still no sign of the Poison Lord.

However, on his way back, he saw the Lanternbearing Elder rushing to the underground chamber.

Clearly, the disturbance at the Human Experiment Box had drawn him there.

Returning to the worktable, Ye Youchen was still going at it.

Only when ‘Zhen Suren’ saw Su Mo did he finally shut up.

At the same time, Ye Youchen’s voice came to him:

"What did you do down there?"

"Just now, I saw that lantern-carrying Old Ghost hastily leading people deeper inside."

"You didn’t go down there to cause trouble, did you?"

Su Mo shook his head lightly:

"The Medicine Box had trouble, but it had nothing to do with me."

"That’s good…"

Ye Youchen let out a relieved sigh, then continued:

"But something seems to be wrong with the Island Master. Today, I saw a few people hurrying back and forth—they were all personal guards of the Island Master."

"If the Island Master’s condition hadn’t changed, they wouldn’t have left so abruptly."

"Something’s not right. I’m afraid we don’t have much time left."

"Did you gain anything from your trip?"

"Nothing at all."

Su Mo sighed: "I still know too little about this place. I’ll need Brother Ye’s help tomorrow."

"Fine."

Ye Youchen’s tone carried a hint of disappointment, but Su Mo noticed Zhen Suren’s lips quirking slightly, clearly relieved.

He found it amusing, though the next moment, his brows rose slightly as he realized.

So that’s how it is…

After a long look at him, Su Mo turned and walked toward the exit of the archive cave.

Zhen Suren froze for a moment, about to send a telepathic message to Su Mo, but hesitated.

He wondered if Su Mo was in a bad mood because he’d come up empty in the cavern.

Ye Youchen had no idea what Su Mo was thinking. As soon as Su Mo reached the entrance of the archive cave, he saw the Dragonwood Island disciple who attended to him guarding the cave entrance with a companion.

Spotting Su Mo, the disciple quickly stepped forward:

"Sir, is something wrong?"

"I’ve had some thoughts and need to organize them."

Su Mo waved his hand: "No need to stay. I’ll return tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. Be safe."

The disciple bowed slightly, then after a moment’s thought, went back into the cave.

Glancing at the messy scribbles on Su Mo’s desk, he felt a headache coming on.

"This… more nonsense? Is this guy for real?"

He hesitated for a moment but still copied these things down.

However, this time, he dared not take them to show the island's elite again.

Carefully tucking them into his robe, he acted like it never happened.

……

……

Su Mo left the Scripture Cave without stopping along the way, returning directly to the courtyard.

Little Situ Taoist and Wei Ziyi naturally hadn't left the house all day.

Last night, Su Mo and Little Situ Taoist had found a *Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture* on the corpse, which was most likely authentic.

Additionally, the situation with the black liquid also needed Little Situ Taoist’s examination.

Now, they had also retrieved many bottles and jars from the *secret compartment* in the pharmacy, along with that flower capable of reviving the near-dead.

Little Situ Taoist was way busier than Su Mo.

After handing over today’s discoveries to her, Su Mo also took out the deciphered scripture content given to him by Ye Youchen.

He asked Little Situ Taoist about the contents written on it.

Little Situ Taoist was too busy to study anything else and first explained the meaning of each line to Su Mo.

Su Mo didn’t need to understand the why—just the what was enough.

Thus, he learned quite quickly. Combined with his perfect recall, in barely an hour, he had committed everything to memory deep in his mind.

By the time he left Little Situ Taoist’s room, he took Yang Xiaoyun with him and left Longmu City.

They had plenty to do during the day.

On one hand, the cave at the back mountain mentioned by Zhou Wenjing and Duan Wenwu had piqued his interest, and he wanted to go check it out.

On the other hand, he also needed to touch base with Zhou Wenjing and the others—there were matters he needed to have them take care of.

By the time Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun returned from outside Longmu City, it was already dark.

However, tonight, Longmu City seemed eerily quiet.

As Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun headed back to their residence, they saw Wei Ziyi sitting on the steps, yawning and looking bored.

Occasionally, she glanced up at Su Mo and waved lazily:

"Old Su, what evil plans are you cooking up this time?"

"..."

Su Mo’s mouth twitched. He looked around the courtyard but frowned slightly:

"Where are the others?"

"They haven’t returned."

Wei Ziyi stretched and yawned, then said:

"The Island Master selection has sped up today."

"This'll keep going till midnight."

"I heard it's because the Island Master is critically ill, so they're in a hurry to select a skilled young fighter with both strength and character to take over the position."

"You know about this too?"

Su Mo glanced at Wei Ziyi.

Wei Ziyi shot him a glare:

"What do you mean? I can't know things now?"

"The Island Master's critical condition is something everyone knows..."

Su Mo raised his eyebrows slightly and suddenly smiled:

"Now that's interesting..."

He was about to say more when they heard the door open. The four cardinal ladies—East, West, South, and North—were helping Little Situ out of the room.

Upon seeing Su Mo, Little Situ brightened and called out:

"Eldest Brother Su!"

Her eyes lit up, though she held back from saying more.

Su Mo caught on right away:

"Found it?"

"Yes."

"Inside."

They entered Zhen Xiaoxiao's room.

Zhen Xiaoxiao was sitting in front of a wooden box, poking Sick Prince with her finger.

She was broad and stout, and her raised finger looked like a fat little club.

Poke after poke, Sick Prince winced in pain and glared at her:

"When I'm cured of this poison, I will kill you!!!"

"Oh."

Zhen Xiaoxiao just shrugged and poked his head, sending Sick Prince tumbling to lie inside the box. In a huff, he reached out and slammed the lid shut himself.

Seeing this, Zhen Xiaoxiao didn't even blink.

She knocked on the box and said:

"Hey box-dwelling immortal, are you home?

"I'm here to wish for stuff."

"..."

Su Mo's lips twitched: "What the hell is this?"

Upon hearing his voice, Zhen Xiaoxiao quickly turned her head:

"Boss!"

Su Mo glared at her: "An old sage in a box?"

"My master told me about it..." Zhen Xiaoxiao hurriedly explained. "The legend says there’s an ancient sage trapped in a box. If you open the right one and meet him, he’ll grant all your wishes...

"Even if you ask for ten thousand stewed pork knuckles, he’ll deliver."

"..."

Su Mo didn’t bother arguing. With a wave of his hand, the lid of the box flew open.

He peeked inside and almost laughed out loud.

The Sick Prince was huddled inside the box, hands tightly covering his ears, eyes shut—clearly bracing for impact.

Proud and arrogant, he carried himself like a true martial arts master.

Seeing him like this was almost pitiful.

If not for his Five Transformations Demonic Art failing him, he would have rather died than endure Zhen Xiaoxiao’s torment.

But after waiting in vain for a long time without feeling her chubby finger poke him, the Sick Prince cautiously opened his eyes.

The instant he spotted Su Mo, he snapped:

"Su, you damned bastard! I never thought I’d escape your grasp unharmed.

"But if you want to kill me, just kill me. If you want to flay me, then flay me.

"Why sic this idiot on me just to humiliate me?

"I’m worthless to you now.

"You’ve already stolen the Five Transformations Demonic Art.

"What more do you want?"

"Oh?" Su Mo smirked. "Sick Prince, what nonsense are you spouting? Wasn’t I the one who taught you the Five Transformations Demonic Art?"

"...You—how can a brat like you be this shameless?"

The Sick Prince’s face twisted in rage:

"That Bone Broth was laced with something that messed with my mind.

"You conned me out of the Five Transformations Demonic Art.

"And now you have the nerve to brag about it... You, a supposed martial arts master—how low can you sink?"

Su Mo glanced at Little Situ Taoist upon seeing this.

Little Situ Taoist smiled and said:

"His Bone Broth's effects have been reversed.

"Among the medicine pots you brought back, there was indeed an antidote.

"Moreover, I discovered that the main ingredient in the antidote's formula is the flower you brought back today.

"This flower is extraordinary.

"It doesn’t wither after being separated from its stem, and its medicinal properties are strangely unpredictable yet astonishingly potent.

"It defies logic yet produces miraculous results.

"The Poison Lord consumed its petals, perished, only to return to life—there must be some mysterious link in this.

"However, I cannot discern the reason at this moment.

"Eldest Brother Su, you’ll have to give me a little more time."

Su Mo nodded and asked, "Any leads from the Alchemy Scripture?"

Little Situ Taoist nodded faintly but then sighed:

"That Alchemy Scripture was indeed left behind by Du Longzi.

"Unfortunately, it’s useless to me."