Chapter 420: HeavenMending Art

Chapter 420: Heaven-Mending Art

Across the martial world, innumerable martial arts thrive, each with its own strengths.

Across the martial circles of the Southern Sea, three defensive martial arts stand head and shoulders above the rest.

They are the "Great Brahma Golden Body" of the Vajra Temple, the "Six Armors and Six Forms Art" of the Jade Kun Palace, and the "Unfixed Divine Art" of Guixu Island.

It is said that when the Great Brahma Golden Body is mastered to its peak, the practitioner's entire body shines like molten gold.

Wreathed in Buddhist golden light, making it invulnerable and unbreakable, warding off all evils.

Each motion brims with divine power.

Unfortunately, since the founding of the Vajra Temple, aside from Zen Master Wufa, who created this divine art, no one has ever achieved such a level of mastery.

In the past century, the foremost practitioner of this art was Zen Master Kongming.

The green-robed man before them had pilfered the divine technique of Zen Master Kongming's Great Brahma Golden Body.

At the very least, in terms of body protection, he was confident that while not invincible, within the Southern Sea, few could pierce his defenses.

Yet never in his wildest dreams...

That one day, he would be laid low by a single punch!?

Blood gushed from his mouth as he lay in the crater created by the impact, gaping at the young man like he'd seen a ghost.

"Who... who are you?"

"Still alive?"

The young man chuckled at the sight:

"Impressive for a practitioner of body-protection arts. Since I entered the martial world, among defensive specialists, you're probably the toughest I've faced.

"Hmm... though, it's not really you.

"You just stole someone else's power. In the end, you're hardly worth mentioning."

As he spoke, his footsteps suddenly shifted, and he vanished in an instant, leaving only a flash of sword light.

Where the sword light landed, the swordsman's eyes bulged in shock:

"What kind of movement technique is this?"

"Run!!!"

The green-robed man roared sharply:

"You can't take him! Don't throw your lives away for nothing. I'll buy you time—you must survive and report this to the Island Master!"

"Now, now."

A voice sounded from behind the swordsman:

"For bad guys, you're surprisingly thoughtful of your comrades. It almost makes me seem like some bullying demonic cultivator."

With those words, he suddenly lifted a foot, then changed his footing. The blade that had just thrust from the ground was instantly sent bending with a kick, before crushing it underfoot.

BOOM!!!

With a deafening explosion, a figure was sent flying from underground by him.

By the time the figure reached mid-air, their entire body was already covered in blood.

The man reached out and seized the figure by the throat, grinning slightly:

"What did you ask me just now?

"Oh, right. I am Su Mo, from the Eastern Wastes. Pleasure meeting you all... oddballs of Dragonwood Island!"

As he spoke, his grip tightened, and a sharp *crack* sounded.

The neck of the figure in his hand had been snapped. He studied the corpse briefly, then seemed genuinely surprised:

"He died that easily?"

"..."

Leaving aside the man in green, the swordsman—Jian Yi, and the young man with the arm of the Canglan Divine Blade, even Li Mosheng couldn't stifle a scoff at this.

You just snapped his neck—how could he possibly not be dead?

What kind of logic is that?

"What's with those expressions..."

Su Mo shrugged helplessly:

"All of you possess extraordinary methods—some sew others' arms onto yourselves,

some steal flesh to forge golden bodies,

and there's even the HeavenMending Art that can regrow severed limbs...

Who knows if a broken neck even kills you?

But since he's dead... that just proves, despite all your research and all the evil you've done,

with your so-called 'Abominations' and 'Law Marshals,' at your core, you're still just human, aren't you?

Just humans, acting like gods?"

The man in green pushed himself up, shooting a glance at the swordsman before snarling:

"Still not leaving?"

The swordsman—Jian Yi, darted his eyes between Su Mo and the man in green, then bolted without a second thought.

"Hmm?"

Su Mo cut his eyes toward him: "Did I give you permission to leave?"

"Your opponent is me."

The man in green stepped forward, cutting off Su Mo.

All he heard was a loud "bang."

Startled, he spun around—just as the sound of rushing wind reached his ears.

When he looked back, Jian Yi stood with his sword raised in both hands, guarding his forehead.

Yet now, the blade was forced against his forehead—the sword already snapped in half. A flying stone had already punched through his skull—and straight into the tree behind him.

The blue-robed man's pupils contracted—when had this happened?

By the time he turned, Su Mo was already gone.

As he stood confused, something cut through the air toward him.

Instinctively, he lashed out with a fist.

But with another "bang," the "object" burst apart—it was a person. His golden-wreathed Vajra Formless Fist reduced it to a spray of gore.

*Clap. Clap. Clap.*

Slow clapping echoed from the shadows, followed by heavy footsteps.

Su Mo stepped from the shadows, lips curling into a smile:

"The Vajra Formless Fist... impressive.

"Xia Qiuliang's a rare talent among the young masters,

"but next to you? Not even worth mentioning.

"However...

"Dragonwood Island's methods are... excessive, don't you think?

"Kill if you must—but defiling your own ally's body? That's just petty."

"Comrade?"

The blue-robed man stiffened—only now spotting what Su Mo carried under his arm.

In the starlight, the truth was clear: a severed arm, its fingers still clenched around a sword!

The Canglan Divine Blade's own hand!

So that 'something' he'd just—

The blue-robed man exploded:

"DEMON!!

"BLOOD FOR BLOOD!!!"

His foot slammed down—BOOM!—cracking the earth. Sheathed in gold, he was on Su Mo in a flash.

Hands weaving a seal, he summoned gales that tore at the sky.

In a golden burst, he closed the gap.

Su Mo nodded slightly, "Perfect timing!"

A dragon's roar erupted, a violet glow enveloped his body, and two violet coiling dragons spiraled around his arms. With a single palm strike—

BOOM!!!!

A thunderous explosion split the night.

The shockwaves blasted outward, forcing even Li Mosheng, who was merely observing from the side, to stagger back several steps.

Normally, he wouldn’t have been so vulnerable.

But now, he was severely injured and poisoned.

How could he endure the aftershocks of these two masters battling in his condition?

Yet despite this, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Gazing at Su Mo, he felt like he was seeing a deity—or a demon.

Where the hell did this guy come from?

The green-robed man’s Great Brahma Golden Body, though pilfered from Zen Master Kongming, had already reached a profound level.

Li Mosheng’s strongest StarFlicking Finger had done nothing to it—a testament to its might.

Yet it crumbled under this young man’s casual fist.

And now, what the hell was this palm technique?

Even from afar, Li Mosheng felt a blistering heatwave surge at him.

Did the Southern Seas’ martial arts have moves like this?

Wait—he said he was from the Eastern Wastes!?

Li Mosheng’s thoughts reeled as he saw the green-robed man sent flying backward.

He wasn’t tossed aside—he was launched like a loosed arrow.

Between the seal and palm strike, resistance was impossible.

The instant they connected, Su Mo’s palm blasted him backward.

He smashed into a tree, splitting it clean in half—and the carnage didn’t stop there.

BANG! BANG! BANG!!

He plowed through tree after tree before finally embedding in one.

His body contorted grotesquely, his spine crackled with the sickening snap of breaking bone.

The green-robed man’s eyes flooded with despair.

Then—terror swallowed it whole.

Because there he was again—Su Mo.

Like a phantom or god, appearing and vanishing unpredictably, his martial arts were indescribable... How the hell does a monster like this exist!?

Then Su Mo reached out and seized his head in one swift motion.

"You’ve broken quite a few bones, and your spine is shattered too."

After a quick glance, Su Mo nodded approvingly:

"Go on, show me what you’ve got."

"......"

The blue-robed man tried to speak, but instead of words, a torrent of black blood spewed out, choking him into a fit of coughing.

Then Su Mo gave his back a light pat:

"Easy now. Talk slow—no need to choke yourself."

"!!!"

The blue-robed man was at a complete loss.

Gritting his teeth, he swallowed the blood and glared at Su Mo:

"You... you’ll never... make it off Dragonwood Island alive!!!"

"That’s it?"

Su Mo, however, seemed disappointed: "If that’s all the nonsense you’ve got, then Su Mo suggests you die now—it’d be a lot less painful."

"...What do you mean?"

"Come."

Su Mo stared at him, unblinking: "Show me this ‘HeavenMending Art’ of yours. I want to see how you heal internal injuries."

"HeavenMending Art...

"Hahaha!!"

The blue-robed man burst into laughter: "So you’re after the Island Master’s HeavenMending Art... Too bad you don’t even know what it really does!

"This kind of injury? HeavenMending Art can’t fix it.

"It only works on meridians!!"

"Only on meridians?"

Su Mo blinked in surprise.

"Ha!"

Seeing this, the blue-robed man smirked in triumph:

"Everyone who sets foot on this island wants something.

"I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but HeavenMending Art won’t fix it."

"But... apart from the damage to the meridians, severing and reattaching them, the HeavenMending Art can do little else.

"Your plans are doomed to fail."

"Does that mean... someone with severed meridians can also be healed using the HeavenMending Art?"

Su Mo asked.

"Of course it can."

"Then... what about someone with all six meridians damaged?"

"Six meridians damaged?"

The man in the blue robe was puzzled upon hearing this: "What is meant by 'all six meridians damaged'?"

Su Mo immediately explained:

"The three yin and three yang meridians, inherently deficient, can they be treated?"

"... How could such a person even survive until now?"

The man in the blue robe sneered: "However, treating such injuries is no easy task. One must first sever the meridians, shattering all the areas of inherent deficiency. Only then, with the personal intervention of the island lord, can it be accomplished."

"Bullshit!"

Su Mo flew into a rage: "You just said that someone with severed meridians can be healed!"

"That's different..."

The man in blue shook his head: "Born with all six meridians impaired means inherent deficiencies in the meridians. Not even gods could cure such an ailment. This is because it requires creating qi channels where none exist... only then is such a miracle possible.

"And it requires the Celestial Stele’s power as well.

"Neither can be omitted...

"Wait!!"

At this point, he suddenly realized and glared furiously at Su Mo:

"You... you deceived me into confessing!?"

Because Su Mo had reduced him to this state and then forced him to demonstrate the Heaven-Mending Art, the man in blue instinctively assumed that the person Su Mo wanted to save either needed severed limbs reattached or had a spine shattered, confining them to bed.

Thus, when Su Mo's expression changed, he merely assumed his plan had failed.

That was why he spoke so freely.

But hearing Su Mo's words now, delivered so gravely, it was clear the truth was not so.

Rather, the person he wanted to save was someone born with all six meridians impaired.

Realizing this, he naturally exploded in fury.

Su Mo, however, laughed loudly, seizing his head, and strode forward.

In just a few steps, he had already arrived before Li Mosheng.

Li Mosheng meant to follow the man in green robes, but before he'd gone far, Su Mo had already arrived.

Not wanting to waste time, he quickly cupped his hands respectfully:

"Thank you..."

He faltered here, unsure how to address the other man.

In terms of martial arts, he wasn't even fit to polish Su Mo's boots.

Calling him "Senior" would be appropriate.

Yet Su Mo appeared so young, while Li Mosheng himself was already white-haired—he couldn't bring himself to say it.

But referring to him as "junior" would be presumptuous.

Flustered, he was just about to call him "Young Hero" when Su Mo chuckled and said:

"Senior Li, you flatter me. I have some history with your beloved disciple, Zhou Wenjing.

"Today was just good timing—don't mention it."

"Ah?"

Li Mosheng was startled: "Jing'er? Young Hero... how do you know Jing'er?"

"Does Senior Li still have time to discuss this now?"

"Ah!"

Li Mosheng snapped back to reality.

Indeed, there was no time for this now. He immediately cupped his hands again:

"I've still got urgent business to attend to. For saving my life—Li Mosheng will never forget it..."

As he spoke, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Su Mo glanced at his captive and smiled: "The antidote?"

"...Heh."

The man in green robes had backbone. Even in this state, he showed no sign of yielding.

With a cold laugh, he said: "This elderly man... is a dead man... The poison he's got isn't fatal by nature. But it was personally concocted by that Old Ghost. The antidote... only that Old Ghost possesses it.

"If you want to save this old man's life, you'll have to seek out that Old Ghost.

"But if you go... you'll be surrounded by the Thirty-Two Laws, with the Island Master present...

"Even if your martial arts are unmatched, you’re dead for sure!!

"Right now, you have only two paths before you.

"One is to let this old man die. The other is to gamble with your life and see whether you live or perish.

"You... what will you choose?"

Su Mo considered for a moment before asking: "The Old Ghost you speak of—is that the Lanternbearing Elder?"

"Hah... naturally, it's him.

"Not quite man, not quite ghost—neither dead nor alive, straddling the boundary between yin and yang—if not the Old Ghost, then what?"

"Straddling the boundary between yin and yang."

Su Mo chewed on the words but decided not to overthink them.

Who the hell knew what that meant?

Li Mosheng cut in:

"Young Hero... sure, your martial arts are unmatched, but the Lord of Longmu Island is even more unfathomable.

"Facing him head-on is not the smartest move.

"Now, I don’t have much time left, but there is one matter I must beg of you...

"Please save my junior brothers... they’ve been ensnared in a plot, and they’re barely clinging to life."

Su Mo brushed it off with a wave:

"How unfathomable this Island Master may be, Su Mo couldn’t care less.

"But now’s not the time to seek him out...

"Still, if it’s about curing poison, why seek that Old Ghost?

"Just find another Old Ghost."

"Old Ghost, you coming out or what?"

He turned to look into the woods.

Both Li Mosheng and the young man in green were startled and immediately turned to look as well.

Yet the surroundings remained dead silent, as if no one was there at all.

Su Mo sighed and took out a braised chicken leg from inside his robe:

"If you don't come out now, you're not getting any."

"Ah!"

A figure suddenly flashed by, zipped right up to Su Mo in an instant, reaching out to snatch it.

After grabbing it, he retreated several steps, giving Su Mo the side-eye before inspecting the chicken leg to confirm it wasn't poisoned. Only then did he take a big ol' bite:

"Young man, you've got a real mouth on you.

"This old man has a proper name and surname. You could at least call me... Senior, but instead, you call me Old Ghost?

"That's just wrong!"

This old man had a sharp tongue, though not as bad as the Qilin swordsman's.

Just now, he almost let slip, 'You could at least call me Grandpa,' but caught himself at the last moment and replaced them with 'Senior.'

When Su Mo arrived, he had arrived too.

Witnessing how powerful Su Mo's attack was, he knew that offending the people of Longmu Island might still leave him an out.

But offending this grinning kid?

That would truly mean a death sentence.

Though Su Mo didn't know what was going through his mind, he could tell that during that pause earlier, the old man hadn't been up to any good.

Still, he didn't think much of it and simply smiled, saying:

"Then, Senior, can you cure Senior Li?"

"What's in it for me?"

The old man's words made it seem as though he had completely forgotten Su Mo.

Yet his personality and ways hadn't changed in the slightest.

Su Mo then pulled out another chicken leg from his pocket:

"How about this?"

"...Detoxification takes a lot of effort."

Su Mo pulled out yet another one...

"...It's... so exhausting..."

"I'll help you leave this island."

"Deal."

The old man immediately nodded and went over to Li Mosheng. With a quick feel, he took his pulse for a second, then gave his sleeve a flick:

"Done!"

He then held his hand out to Su Mo for the chicken legs.

"..."

Su Mo felt like he'd been had by this old man.

With a sigh, he gave him the chicken legs before asking seriously:

"You really don't recognize me?"

The old man froze, suddenly looked hard at Su Mo:

"You know me?

Hold on—if you didn't know me, how would you know I love chicken legs?

You wouldn't have them on you just for me!

You... you... could you be my... my..."

"Hmm?"

Su Mo's eyes grew dangerous: "Be your what?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

The old man waved his hands frantically. "My mistake. But... what exactly is our relationship?"