Chapter 429: The Tide Has Turned

Chapter 429: The Situation Is Settled

Little Situ's voice quivered.

There was joy, but disbelief dominated.

Born with damaged three yin and three yang meridians, her legs had been paralyzed.

Even Xuanhu Pavilion's best healers couldn't cure it.

This sea voyage, though supposedly to find a cure, she hadn't held out much hope.

She'd just been a burden to Su Mo, who had constantly taken risks for her.

Every time she thought of it, she felt guilty.

Yet, who could have imagined that today, after all that suffering, her six meridians could actually be healed!

For a moment, her gaze at Su Mo was overflowing with gratitude and warmth.

If Su Mo hadn't kept pushing and been willing to brave dangers for her, would she be standing here today?

But how could she ever repay such an immense kindness?

Hearing this, Su Mo finally let out a deep sigh of relief:

"Good, good... healed is what matters.

"All that pain when your meridians shattered, and all our hard work, has not been in vain."

Earlier, when Seventh Order had spoken, Su Mo and Little Situ had already staked everything on this gamble.

Before coming here, Su Mo had broken Little Situ's meridians on purpose.

Now, hearing her confirm that they had truly regrown, Su Mo could finally breathe easy.

"Eldest Brother Su..."

Little Situ clung tightly to Su Mo, feeling as though a thousand words caught in her throat, yet not a single one could escape.

"Impossible!"

A voice cut in at the worst moment.

Only then did Little Situ remember—they weren't alone in the cave.

Turning her head, she saw the Island Master's contorted face, filled with disbelief, gaping at Su Mo like he'd seen a ghost:

"You... how could you possibly have mastered the LifeDeath Tribulation?

"This martial art channels the forces of heaven and earth, containing martial arts' deepest secrets.

"It is absolutely not something ordinary people can master!

"You... just who are you?"

These words made Little Situ's blood boil.

"How can you say such things?

"My Eldest Brother Su is like a godlike figure descended to earth. No matter what he achieves, it should come as no surprise.

"If you couldn’t master this martial art, but my Eldest Brother Su did, so what?"

Su Mo was momentarily speechless, wanting to remind Little Situ not to engage in idolizing...

"You foolish girl!"

The Island Master bellowed, "You have no idea what kind of martial art the LifeDeath Tribulation is!

"Once comprehended, all martial arts of the world lose their mystery in its eyes.

"No matter how divine or profound a technique may be, its life-and-death secrets can be seen through at a glance.

"The LifeDeath Tribulation is not a calamity that befalls oneself—

"but once mastered, it becomes the great life-and-death calamity for all martial artists."

Hearing this, Little Situ became even more excited:

"Eldest Brother Su, have you truly mastered the LifeDeath Tribulation?"

"Yes."

Su Mo nodded. "It was easy."

He wasn’t lying.

For others, the LifeDeath Tribulation might be extremely difficult to master.

But for him, it was second nature.

Because... this so-called LifeDeath Tribulation was actually the eighth layer of the Yixuan Divine Art's cultivation technique.

To the Island Master and others, this technique appeared fragmentary because they lacked the foundation of the first seven layers.

Su Mo, however, had first learned five layers of the Yixuan Divine Art from Yang Xiaoyun.

Later, he obtained the sixth layer passed down from Su Tianyang.

Jun Luo then provided the seventh layer.

By the seventh layer, the Yixuan Divine Art was no longer just a simple internal strength technique.

The seventh layer was called the Indestructible Heavenly Aegis.

The eighth layer was even more mysterious—it was named the LifeDeath Tribulation!

Having mastered the first seven layers of the Yixuan Divine Art, Su Mo recognized the true nature of this technique at first glance.

With just a bit of contemplation, he mastered it with ease—

accomplishing what the Island Master considered impossible for any human.

The only question remaining was whether the Yixuan Divine Art had a ninth layer.

If the eighth layer was already the LifeDeath Tribulation, what would the ninth and tenth layers be called, he wondered?

By contrast, Su Mo was not surprised that the eighth layer of the Yixuan Divine Art was inscribed on the Celestial Stele.

The Yixuan Divine Art itself was deeply intertwined with the ancient Great Xuan Dynasty.

The Shouxuan clan held it as their supreme art, guarding all secrets related to the Xuanji Mechanism.

The Celestial Stele also originated from the Great Xuan Dynasty.

No wonder records of the Yixuan Divine Art were left upon it.

The real "mystery" was why only this one volume survived.

But this question clearly had no immediate answer.

"*...Not difficult.*"

The Island Master's face darkened, thinking Su Mo’s remark was downright cruel.

Unable to hold back, he glanced up at Meng Feifan, who was still draining his internal energy:

"Meng Feifan... You plotted relentlessly to steal my Heaven-Mending Art.

"Now, my two centuries of life’s work cultivating the Heaven-Mending Art have been split into three.

"One portion was used to remake your meridians.

"Another was stolen by this man to heal this girl’s meridians.

"The last remains, and I am willing to share it with you!"

Meng Feifan’s lips twitched into a smirk:

"Good, give it here!"

"Then take it!!"

With those words, the Island Master held nothing back, pouring every last ounce of his Heaven-Mending Art internal energy into Meng Feifan.

This time, it wasn’t just a transfer—he even redirected the energy’s path, helping Meng Feifan reconstruct his meridians.

His Heaven-Mending Art cultivation was violently thrust from the third layer to the ninth.

Previously deceived into believing Meng Feifan was Shi Cheng, the Island Master had poured his soul into tempering Shi Cheng’s body.

Now, as the energy surged in, his meridians fell into place seamlessly.

In the blink of an eye, the process was complete.

The Celestial Stele shuddered in response—whether awakened by their ninth-layer Heaven-Mending Art or mere chance, it suddenly radiated brilliant light, forming two beams that continuously scoured the two men.

Su Mo did not seize the chance to attack.

Instead, he pulled Little Situ back a step, watching with icy detachment.

The nature of the Celestial Stele was inscrutable. Earlier, when Su Mo had glanced at its inscriptions, he discovered a devastating flaw hidden within the Heaven-Mending Art.

Once fully cultivated, this art would chain the user forever to the Celestial Stele.

In this regard, it shares uncanny similarities with the Emperor’s Heart Sutra of White Tiger City.

However, the claim that the Emperor’s Heart Sutra cannot leave White Tiger City is just lies the Grand Priestess fed her clan.

But the Celestial Stele is different.

If one practices the Heaven-Mending Art, the Celestial Stele must remain on one’s person at all times.

The two can be separated to a certain distance but must never be completely severed.

Otherwise, the Heaven-Mending Art would truly become unusable, and its secrets would lie dormant.

The Celestial Stele possesses miraculous properties, ranking among the world’s rarest treasures.

But carrying such a thing every day…

First, it paints a target on one’s back, as if announcing to the world where one’s vital weakness lies.

Second… wouldn’t that make one no different from a mythical *bìxì*?

This made Su Mo deeply suspicious—what exactly was the intention of the one who originally devised the Heaven-Mending Art?

And what origin could this Celestial Stele possibly have?

How could it possess such extraordinary power?

Some of these questions had answers lost to time, but others might be answered by the Island Master himself.

As this thought crossed his mind, a thunderous shockwave erupted.

The Island Master’s feet trembled, and the cavern itself seemed to groan.

With a bellow of fury, Meng Feifan shot into the air.

His war cry tore through the air!

His aura lashed out, shaking earth and stone in its wake, while the very sound ruptured eardrums.

Amidst a sea of flowers within the cavern, a dazed Elder, lantern in hand, pushed through the floral expanse.

The flowers around him grew in an unknown manner, each one unnaturally vivid, utterly unlike ordinary blossoms.

Had Su Mo been present, he would have recognized them—these were all red spider lilies (*huā bù guī*—‘flowers of the underworld’).

When the *neili*-infused resonance rang out, the elder instinctively glanced around, searching for its source.

But before he could locate it, a sinister rustling swelled from all directions.

Raising his lantern, he saw countless vines churning through the blossoms like serpents.

"Ghost Vines!"

Shi Cheng let out a shrill warning, kicking off the ground in a desperate vault.

From this vantage point, he realized that beneath the sea of flowers, the eerie blossoms and Ghost Vines twined together in eerie harmony.

To proceed further would inevitably plunge him into the vines’ deadly encirclement.

And here, there were no Dragonwood Island disciples to prune the encroaching Ghost Vines that sprouted day and night.

If you actually went in there, you might not make it out alive.

Once he made up his mind, he carefully assessed his surroundings, but after staring for ages, everything looked the same. In the end, he had no choice but to go with his gut:

"I must get out of here!

"That voice was packed with serious internal energy.

"Though Ol’ Deadface has always been enigmatic, he’s a jack of all trades, master of none.

"They don’t hold a candle to my [Nine Forms of Heavenly Severance].

"Guess I’d better go back and help."

Shi Cheng muttered under his breath as he plunged deeper into the sea of flowers without hesitation.

......

......

Inside the cave, Shi Cheng continued to lose his way deeper into the flower sea. Meanwhile, outside, Dragonwood Island was getting hammered by rain.

In the Scripture Repository Cave, a group of physicians remained lost in decoding the texts, completely tuned out the chaos outside.

Even the sounds of battle didn’t even register.

But the Dragonwood Island disciples guarding outside didn’t have that luxury.

Unfortunately, even their concern was of little use.

"They’ve broken the Medicine Person Box!"

"Those 'Medicine Persons' are pushing back into the Labyrinth Cavern!"

"The cavern’s traps aren’t slowing them down—like they’ve got a damn map!"

"Those fighters are nearly at the Scripture Cave!"

"The Abominations left behind got slaughtered!"

"Where is Secretary Xie?"

"Secretary Xie is dead!"

Shouts and screams erupted in chaos, accompanied by the roars of a tiger.

A group of Dragonwood Island disciples, ready to die fighting, rushed out of the Scripture Repository Cave—only to be met by a pack of bloodthirsty fighters charging through the storm.

Out front was a hulking brute.

In his hand, he wielded a one-legged bronze figure that seemed to bow and scrape with every swing. With a single sweep, no matter how grotesque the Abomination, bodies exploded on contact, leaving corpses in his wake.

Close behind him was a white tiger, its menacing aura unstoppable.

Seated atop the tiger were two young women.

The one in front wielded a silver spear, striking occasionally—every flick of her spear meant another Abomination bit the dust.

The one behind was tightly hugging the waist of the one in front, afraid of being thrown off.

Occasionally wiping her face, she looked up at the dark clouds and pouring rain:

"Where has Old Su run off to cause trouble? Why didn’t he even give us a heads-up?"

"After rescuing these healers in the Scripture Cave, where should we go to find him?"

"No need to fret over him."

"With his skills, he can come and go whenever he damn well pleases."

Yang Xiaoyun grinned.

Wei Ziyi went beet-red:

"Sister Yang, don’t be ridiculous... As if I’d worry about that old bastard!

"I’m worried about the people he might harm."

"Oh?"

Yang Xiaoyun shot her a knowing smirk.

Wei Ziyi scrubbed at her face like she could wipe away the embarrassment too:

"This rain... it’s freezing..."

"It’s not the rain that’s cold."

Yang Xiaoyun glanced at the white tiger beneath them:

"It’s the white tiger’s internal energy—something’s off about it."

"The hell?"

Wei Ziyi looked down but couldn’t spot a damn thing.

But damn, that white tiger was majestic as hell, and she couldn’t help but adore it.

Every move packed a serious punch.

Neither Abominations nor Longmu Island’s disciples stood a chance.

Its roars, in particular, contained a strange and formidable force.

One roar could blast the black gunk straight out of an Abomination’s skull, turning it into a one-tiger wrecking crew.

From Longmu City clear to the Scripture Cave,

they’d mostly coasted on the white tiger’s back.

So much so that the martial artists trailing them were downright shell-shocked.

When the white tiger first appeared, they’d pegged it for another island Abomination.

They itched to attack but chickened out.

Thank god they’d held back—or they’d have been signing their own death warrants.

Only later did they realize that this was actually a mount kept by the "Lady Su" who wielded the silver spear.

They couldn’t help but marvel at how formidable Chief Escort Su truly was.

Though he had not appeared in person, his ability to manipulate events effortlessly was truly admirable.

This journey to Dragonwood Island, where they had narrowly escaped death, was entirely thanks to them, and they were deeply grateful.

Just then, Yang Xiaoyun’s voice shouted sharply:

"Hear this, disciples of Dragonwood Island!

"You have committed grave sins—grafting living limbs to create Abominations!

"Stealing human bodies and defying heaven’s will!

"Your crimes are heinous and unforgivable!

"However, my husband, in his mercy, does not seek to wipe you out today!

"If you lay down your weapons, we will only punish the ringleaders!"

The Dragonwood Island disciples who had rushed out of the Sutra Cave exchanged glances, momentarily frozen in despair.

The mountainside ran red with blood, but most of the corpses belonged to Abominations and Dragonwood Island disciples.

In contrast, few among the allied fighters had been injured.

How… how was this fight even winnable?

Once their courage faltered, some began to surrender.

And once someone started, others quickly followed.

Some even begged desperately:

"Heroes, we never wanted to commit these evil deeds! But the Island Master’s cruelty left us no choice!

"Please, spare us!"

As they knelt and begged for leniency, the clash of weapons echoed once more from within the Sutra Cave.

Moments later, Zhou Wenjing, Cheng Suying, Duan Renjie, Li Mosheng, and the Poison Lord burst forth.

The moment they met eyes with Yang Xiaoyun’s group, the Poison Lord’s eyes widened in shock at the white tiger beneath her.

"What the—?! What kind of Abomination is this?"

Hearing this, the white tiger shot the Poison Lord a dirty look, startling him so badly he flinched.

Yang Xiaoyun then filled them in, leaving the group both astonished and delighted.

They then asked about Su Mo’s whereabouts and what to do next.

By all rights, among them were many renowned veteran masters of the jianghu.

But when it came to deciding the next course of action, everyone turned their eyes to Yang Xiaoyun.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaoyun did not hesitate. She clasped her fists and said:

"I am young and inexperienced, and it is not my place to speak out of turn.

"But these are extraordinary times, so I beg your pardon for my boldness!

"Before my husband left tonight, he left instructions.

"After rescuing the captives, if there is a storm, we may leave the island immediately.

"Now that we have taken the Sutra Cave, and the masters inside who were interpreting the scriptures have also fallen victim to Longmu Island’s schemes, our priority should be to cure them of their heart-confusing poison.

"Then, we must release all those confined within the Medicine Human Casket.

"After that, whether to depart immediately or not shall be left to everyone’s own judgment!"

Hearing this, the crowd nodded in agreement and agreed gravely.

With the Sutra Cave now under their control, Longmu City was powerless to resist.

Immediately, they redeployed people to find and save those still trapped in the Maze Cavern.

Only then did Yang Xiaoyun finally let out a relieved sigh.

Her gaze occasionally lingered on the white tiger’s claws, where a thin layer of ice formed wherever they touched the ground.

Earlier, Yang Xiaoyun had mentioned to Wei Ziyi that the tiger’s internal energy had shifted.

It was no longer purely the Emperor’s Heart Sutra’s energy.

Now, it was also laced with a frigid energy.

"Could this… be related to the Dragon King Mirror?"

She mused to herself, knowing she could only wait for Su Mo’s return to look into it.

Occasionally, she glanced up at Zhou Wenjing nearby and couldn’t help but ask:

"Miss Zhou, do you know where your master is?"

"My master is right…"

Zhou Wenjing raised her hand to point, but she paused, finger hovering.

Not only was Li Mosheng nowhere to be seen, but Zhang Quan had also disappeared.

Only her clueless senior brother remained, sticking close to her, unwilling to leave even for a moment.

For a brief moment, her eyes clouded with confusion.

……

……

On Longmu Island, the tide had turned.

But within the Legacy Transmission Cavern, the clamor of battle still raged without end.

Three figures merged into one line, darting and weaving, exchanging punches and kicks, each collision producing a thunderous impact.

Suddenly, a purple light flashed, and a massive purple handprint was unleashed with a resounding force.

It collided fiercely with the two figures opposite.

Two loud thuds echoed.

The two figures were sent flying in opposite directions.

They slammed hard into the cave walls.

The remaining figure emerged from the dust, revealing Su Mo.

Little Situ Taoist was still clinging to his back, clearly unable to move freely for the moment.

Su Mo shook his head with a smile:

"So this is the so-called HeavenMending Art?

"To me, it seems nothing extraordinary.

"If that's all there is, then I shall not hesitate to claim this Heavenly Stele for myself."