Chapter 428: LifeDeath Tribulation

Chapter 428: LifeDeath Tribulation

"Meng Fanwei... who is this person?"

The Island Lord spoke these words with genuine gritted teeth.

He had chosen Shi Cheng as the successor to the next generation of Island Lords.

This decision was made by the Island Lord himself.

Though his health was poor, he could not afford to be careless about such an important matter.

Since that night when Shi Cheng defeated Xia Qiulang,

just from the descriptions of the moves Shi Cheng used, he recognized the person's background.

Without hesitation, he decided that this person would be his new vessel.

Tonight, in the final round, Shi Cheng faced Luo Xinyu, the Dustfall Sword.

Luo Xinyu’s concession was also orchestrated by the Island Lord.

Afterward, Meng Fanwei, the so-called lantern-bearing elder, drugged and brought Shi Cheng here to serve as a 'backup vessel,' which was part of the original plan.

The island was fraught with unpredictable storms and endless disputes.

It seemed that experts from the Dragon King Hall were secretly causing trouble, the Medicine Person Box had been infiltrated, and the Serpentine Nielv met a tragic end.

All these incidents suggested that among the current group, there were several formidable opponents.

But for the Island Lord, these were not truly significant matters.

As long as he could 'borrow a body and return to life', stealing a new vessel.

All storms could be calmed.

Moreover, these matters could be entirely unrelated to him.

Yet, what he had never anticipated was that Meng Fanwei, who had already become one of his loyal dogs, would turn and bite him.

At the last moment, he employed the stratagem of Li replacing Tao.

Pretending to be Shi Cheng, he sought to steal the Island Lord’s HeavenMending Art.

The closer one was to the Island Lord, the more they were naturally controlled by the mind-controlling poison.

For Meng Fanwei to break free from this constraint, he must have benefited from the legacy of the great physician of old.

Otherwise, such a thing would have been impossible.

But now, regardless of how Meng Fanwei managed it, the series of unexpected events before him could not help but enrage the Island Lord.

Especially when Meng Fanwei suggested that Shi Cheng should stop this person...

That meant Meng Fanwei had known this person would come all along?

Were they in cahoots?

Meng Fanwei’s brows furrowed tightly...

He had Shi Cheng block Su Mo, but there was indeed a chance this man wouldn't listen.

However, there was only one path in and out.

If Su Mo were to come, he would inevitably run into Shi Cheng. How did these two not meet?

What Meng Feifan hadn't anticipated was that Shi Cheng had no sense of direction.

Inside this cave, there wasn’t just one path.

Some people with no sense of direction could accomplish miraculous feats—like finding hidden paths where none seemed to exist, vanishing into paths unseen!

Shi Cheng had such an ability.

Now, his current whereabouts remained unknown.

Su Mo had no intention of engaging in verbal sparring with Meng Feifan here. Carrying Little Situ Taoist on his back, he approached the two.

Due to the unending chain of unexpected events—whether it was the Island Master’s cultivation transfer or Meng Feifan’s power seizure—everything had temporarily come to a halt.

The two remained intertwined, still inseparable.

Their cultivation energy flowed between them, now stabilizing.

Seeing Su Mo arrive, both men shared the same thought.

They resorted to their old trick—each freeing one hand to strike out.

Su Mo’s eyes glimmered faintly as he whispered to Little Situ Taoist behind him,

"Hold tight."

Little Situ Taoist nodded vigorously, tightening her arms around Su Mo’s neck. Then, Su Mo stepped forward, flicking his sleeve with a swishing sound—rendering both Meng Feifan and the Island Master’s palm strikes harmless.

The next moment, Su Mo rooted his stance, tapped his foot, and a flash of purple light appeared.

In an instant, he was right in front of the two.

His palm whipped up a gale, purple flames blazing forth.

The bellow of a dragon shook the cavern, and ancient bell tones reverberated through his meridians.

At that moment, both the Island Master and Meng Feifan’s eyes contracted to pinpoints.

To them, the Young Man before them suddenly loomed godlike, his body wreathed in purple radiance like an incandescent purple sun.

Before his palm even landed, the wind surged—a massive violet handprint slammed down with mountain-splitting force.

The Island Master’s expression darkened. He knew this strike demanded his full attention.

With a furious shout, he shifted his footwork and snarled at Meng Feifan,

"Let go now!"

"Not even in death! If we die, we die together!"

Meng Feifan clung with death's own tenacity, refusing to release his grip.

To him, dying at the hands of Su Mo was no different from dying at the hands of the Island Master.

At this point, if death was inevitable, then so be it.

For so many years, he had lived neither living fully nor dead, clinging only to this obsession.

How could he abandon this long-awaited chance now?

Upon hearing this, the Island Master seethed with barely contained rage, yet he gritted his teeth and said:

"Heart and mind as one—face this foe together!"

"So be it."

In this critical moment, the two instantly reached a consensus.

First, deal with the external threat; then, settle internal matters.

With this thought, they immediately broke apart again, their four hands shot forward like raptor's talons to meet Su Mo's Purple Sun Divine Palm.

As their palm forces collided, deafening shockwaves reverberated.

Yet when they channeled their strength once more, Lord of Longmu Island's face twisted in alarm:

"Something's wrong!"

Meng Feifan also realized it: "What are you doing?"

His question wasn't directed at the Island Master, but at Su Mo.

The Purple Sun Divine Palm was terrifying in its majesty, its power like the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting, as if a blazing purple sun had descended.

But upon actual contact, they discovered Su Mo's palm was all show, no substance.

By the time they realized it, it was too late. As their four hands reached forward, Su Mo's stance transformed—from the Purple Sun Divine Palm, it transformed in the blink of an eye into the Great Open Yang Scattering Palm!

This martial art, in Su Mo's hands, had long been refined to sublime mastery.

With a single grasp, he with effortless grace, ensnared all four limbs of Lord of Longmu Island and Meng Feifan, commanding them effortlessly.

At this point, the Island Master and Meng Feifan were powerless to withdraw.

With no alternative, they mustered their qi, merging their four hands into one, and engaged in a direct clash of power with Su Mo.

Yet to their surprise, Su Mo drank in their combined might into his body. Then, with a shrug of his shoulder, Little Situ Taoist, who had been piggybacking on him, was sent soaring upward, landing against the Celestial Stele as Su Mo seized one of her hands.

The Heaven-Mending Art's internal energy, having passed through his body, now flowed entirely into Little Situ Taoist.

Only then did Su Mo finally allowed himself a knowing smile:

"I came today for no other reason than to borrow the Heaven-Mending Art within you both.

"To heal my sister's injuries—the damage to her *three yin and three yang meridians*."

"Now that's a true warrior! What courage!"

The Island Master's eyes burned with newfound respect, the words burst from him.

Though Su Mo had ulterior motives, even he couldn't help but admire his courage and actions.

All present were martial arts masters, and they naturally understood the immense risks Su Mo was taking.

In a life-or-death struggle, internal strength surges forth, invading the opponent's body.

This Internal Energy, like towering mountains and raging seas, erupts upon entry, targeting the body's meridians and acupoints.

Yet Su Mo acted as if rolling out the welcome mat, allowing this energy to rush unimpeded through his body and into the girl's.

The sheer peril of this was almost unthinkable.

How profound must one's Internal Energy be, how ironclad their nerve, to dare such a gamble?

Thus, even though the Island Master held no goodwill toward Su Mo, he couldn’t help but admire his skill.

Of course, admiration notwithstanding, there was no mercy in his actions.

As his Internal Energy surged, his eyes blazed with fury:

"You wish to borrow the Internal Energy of the Heaven-Mending Art?

"Very well, I’ll lend it to you—as much as you want. But I wonder if you can handle it?"

With that, he unleashed his full power, a torrent like the Yangtze in flood, unstoppable, shaking heaven and earth.

Su Mo frowned slightly, his own energy flowing with equal mastery.

This was indeed a gamble.

But relying on the seventh layer of his Yixuan Divine Art and his own formidable Internal Energy, he stood a fighting chance.

Otherwise, how else could he convince others to contribute their strength to save Little Situ?

A ruse was necessary to obtain this energy—now that he had it, how to temper and wield it depended entirely on his skill.

His goal was to use the Yixuan Divine Art to purge the violent aspects within the borrowed energy, calm its fury, and then serve as its conduit through himself into Little Situ.

The damaged sections of her three-yin and three-yang meridians had already been severed by his own energy.

Now, with the Heaven-Mending Art’s Internal Energy flowing ceaselessly into her, combined with the mysterious power of the Celestial Stele, the two forces merged, spontaneously mending the damage.

At last, Su Mo’s eyes brightened slightly—his gamble was paying off.

With a smile, he said:

"My thanks then, Island Master, for your generosity."

"You—!"

The Island Master’s face darkened, but Meng Feifan roared in fury:

"Su Mo, tonight the island will be plunged into chaos—I’ve made that clear to you!

"Those captured in the Medicine-Box Prisoners have but this single chance at freedom.

"Instead of commanding outside, you dally here… all to save this girl?"

"Even if you save her life, how many of your companions will die or be injured in the process!

"Do you truly think the Abominations swarming this island are to be taken lightly?"

The Island Master's anger flared even hotter upon hearing this:

"So you two are indeed working together all along?"

Su Mo merely smirked.

The one who had invited him to meet in the shadowed woods last night by sending a stone was none other than Meng Feifan.

The words Meng Feifan had just spoken were part of the plan he had proposed to Su Mo after revealing his identity.

He claimed the Island Master would be dealt with by him, while Su Mo only needed to rescue the girl and handle the chaos outside.

For the night of the Island Master's succession was always a night drenched in blood on the island.

Those who had become expendable would naturally be disposed of.

If they wanted to break them out, this was the best opportunity.

They would split the work—Meng Feifan would handle the Island Master inside, while Su Mo would deal with the Abominations outside.

Yet Su Mo couldn’t bring himself to trust a single word of this.

After some maneuvering, he forced Meng Feifan to reveal this location.

And this, in fact, was exactly what Meng Feifan wanted.

He needed someone to help him deal with the Thirty-Two Laws after his master plan succeeded.

He didn’t believe Su Mo alone could wipe out all Thirty-Two Laws—for though they were named thirty-two, their numbers far exceeded that.

At best, he expected Su Mo and the Law Marshal to wear each other down in battle.

By then, Meng Feifan would have already completed his metamorphosis, ready to unleash his full might.

Yet, to his dismay, his plans kept failing.

First, the Island Master's inheritance ritual went awry.

Second, Su Mo had paid no heed to the turmoil outside.

Third, Shi Cheng couldn’t hold Su Mo back.

As a result, Su Mo arrived way ahead of schedule.

Now that he was here, certain words and schemes could no longer be concealed—no use arguing now.

But the situation outside could still buy him some leverage.

In Meng Feifan's eyes, Su Mo had zero room for error now.

A single misstep could mean the peril of life and death.

Yet even through the thick stone walls, he could hear the roar of a tiger outside.

Tonight, the Dragon-Timber Island is indeed teeming with danger.

However, both Yang Xiaoyun and Zhen Xiaoxiao possess exceptional martial prowess.

They have never been a burden to Su Mo.

In critical moments, their unleashed strength is enough to stand their ground.

Moreover, the ship's white tiger has also joined this battle.

The white tiger's abilities outclass ordinary martial arts masters.

With it by her side, Yang Xiaoyun is truly empowered.

Thus, Su Mo dismissed Meng Feifan's words.

At this moment, the Island Master and Meng Feifan pooled their internal energies, attempting to overwhelm Su Mo, only to find him moving with measured precision, his internal strength perfectly balanced.

What he needed, he absorbed; what he didn't, he deflected with ease.

As the stalemate continued, their pressure grew, while Su Mo became increasingly at ease.

This left the Island Master completely dumbfounded.

Having cultivated the HeavenMending Art for two centuries, even after spending part of his internal energy to remold Meng Feifan's physique earlier, the remaining energy should still be irresistible to most warriors.

How could this young man weather it so casually, as if it were nothing?

Unaware of the Island Master's thoughts, Su Mo casually skimmed the Celestial Stele, reading its inscriptions.

The healing scriptures proved labyrinthine.

The characters were decipherable, but some sections included diagrams, which defied comprehension.

Relying on his vast knowledge and eidetic recall, he engraved the stele's wisdom in his mind.

Next, he studied the HeavenMending Art, then frowned slightly, lost in contemplation.

His gaze naturally descended to the LifeDeath Tribulation...

At first glance, he was briefly thunderstruck.

Upon closer inspection, his eyes kindled with understanding:

"This is..."

As comprehension dawned, his qi circulated spontaneously.

The moment he moved, the Island Master, connected to him through their palms, sensed it and exulted.

Seeing that Su Mo was studying the Celestial Stele's inscriptions and had already begun practicing the strangest technique—the Life-and-Death Tribulation!

The contents recorded on the Celestial Stele were organized by category.

The foremost section, the Medical Classics, was of paramount importance.

Mastering it in its entirety would surely make them the world's greatest physician.

Following it was the Heaven-Mending Art, which was intrinsically linked to the Celestial Stele.

This was a miraculous technique created by later generations by using the unique properties of the Celestial Stele.

This art was extraordinary—it used the strengths of the "Heaven" to compensate for one's own shortcomings. However, the "Heaven" here did not refer to the "cosmos" but rather the "Celestial Stele."

Its prowess was especially evident when the body suffered injuries, showing extraordinary results.

The Island Master had mastered the ninth level of the Heaven-Mending Art.

As long as his internal strength remained intact, physical injuries could barely affect him.

Yet, the true essence of this art required the Celestial Stele to use it properly. The two were interdependent, neither complete without the other.

However, the Island Master felt both awe and fear toward the Celestial Stele, always cautious in his approach.

Usually, he kept it hidden in a secret location.

Only in crucial moments would he retrieve it.

Ye Youchen had seen him take the Celestial Stele from beneath the sedan chair, thinking he always carried it. In truth, it had only been temporarily placed there that very night.

Among all the records on the Celestial Stele, the one that troubled the Island Master the most was none other than the so-called Life-and-Death Tribulation.

Matters concerning "life and death" naturally evoked caution.

Especially since the Island Master played with the concepts of "life and death," making this technique a source of unease for him since ancient times.

He often feared that one day, he might meet his downfall through the Life-and-Death Tribulation.

At times, he even sought to turn this fear into motivation, delving deep into its study.

Yet, every attempt left him agitated.

The technique seemed disjointed and chaotic.

Upon activation, his internal energy would sometimes merge together, other times scatter throughout his body.

The slightest misstep could lead to the loss of his strength—or worse, death.

Hence, he no longer dared pursue this technique. Yet, how could he bear to destroy it?

He never expected that, at this dangerous moment, his powerful opponent would be drawn to the Life-and-Death Tribulation at such a critical juncture!

Lord of Longmu Island had failed in his own attempts to master it and had even had others practice the Life-and-Death Tribulation.

All met tragic ends.

Su Mo, who had stabilized the battle, now sought to grasp the Life-and-Death Tribulation—was this not courting death?

At this thought, how could he not feel pleased?

However, his temperament had always been calm and ruthless, so he was in no hurry to act immediately.

Once Su Mo began practicing this technique, his internal energy would inevitably shift.

When Su Mo passed the point of no return, the Island Master would strike decisively, killing him outright and eliminating this major threat before turning his attention to Meng Feifan.

With this firm resolve in mind, he waited quietly.

Yet, he noticed that the fluctuations in Su Mo's internal energy remained minimal.

His breath control was as steady as ever, making the Island Master doubt whether Su Mo was truly practicing the Life-Death Tribulation at all.

But the next moment, he spotted faint veins protruding on Su Mo's face—one of the telltale signs of cultivating the Life-Death Tribulation.

Only then did he let out a silent sigh of relief.

He continued to wait intently...

Yet, no matter how long he waited, Su Mo's internal energy never showed signs of chaos.

Instead, the internal energy Su Mo had stolen was nearly fully repairing the young woman's meridians!

If Su Mo succeeded in his scheme, neither the Island Master nor Meng Feifan would survive.

What... should he do now?

As his thoughts raced, he suddenly heard the rustle of cloth cutting through the air.

It was Ye Youchen, who had been immobilized by Su Mo's Qiankun Acupoint Technique, suddenly springing to his feet.

With a single step, he reached the Celestial Stele and reached out to grab it:

"Chief Escort Su, thanks for the opening!"

This move had been long in the making. Though the Qiankun Acupoint Technique was formidable, it couldn't possibly restrain every fighter.

Ye Youchen's training covered countless techniques. After secretly unsealing his acupoints earlier, he had lain low, waiting for his moment.

Only now, after confirming that everyone else was immobilized, did he strike—intending to seize the Celestial Stele and flee.

This abrupt development took even the Island Master and Meng Feifan by complete surprise. Who could have expected such a twist tonight?

Just as Ye Youchen was about to succeed, Su Mo smiled and said:

"Go!"

Though he said "go," what truly went forth was a watery blade!

This water-sword technique was derived from the Flowing Water Force. When Su Mo had brought Little Situ Taoist here, he had also kept water concealed on him, exactly for situations like this—to turn water into a weapon.

However, this move itself wasn't particularly sophisticated.

Though startled, Ye Youchen effortlessly gathered his internal energy, executing the Arcane Ice Seven Ultimates to freeze Su Mo's watery projectile.

But, the moment his internal energy made contact with the water-sword...

The water sword suddenly made an inconceivable turn, threading through the defenses of Ye Youchen's internal strength and striking swiftly.

It struck fiercely at a vital point on his chest.

The force blasted him backward, and he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood:

"This is impossible!!!"

Indeed, it was impossible!

The internal energy Su Mo had attached to the water sword, along with the sword's esoteric nature, shouldn't have been able to do this.

Only the Island Master drew a sharp breath:

"You... you've mastered the LifeDeath Tribulation!?"

Su Mo did not answer but instead let out a booming laugh. Channeling his internal energy, he first forced back the Island Master and Meng Feifan.

Then, he cradled Little Situ Taoist in his arms:

"How do you feel?"

"... Eldest Brother Su, my... my meridians... are healed."

Little Situ Taoist looked at Su Mo with tearful eyes, her voice trembling as if she still couldn't believe it.