Chapter 430: The Tenth Layer

Chapter 430: The Tenth Layer

Su Mo stood silently with Little Situ on his back, occasionally glancing back at the Celestial Stele.

Perhaps because both the Island Master and Meng Feifan had reached the ninth tier of the Heaven-Mending Art, they naturally resonated with the Celestial Stele.

The Celestial Stele shimmered with light, its radiance entwining around the two of them.

Su Mo couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

Meanwhile, the Island Master and Meng Feifan, having broken free from the rocky cliffs, wore grim expressions.

"Your only purpose here was to heal the girl on your back. Now that you’ve achieved your goal—why eye *my* Celestial Stele?"

Hearing this, Meng Feifan shot a glance at the Island Master, a cold smirk curled his lips.

In the past, the Island Master had been a towering peak in his eyes.

He had plotted carefully, crawling on his knees, trembling in fear.

But now that he had gained power, he realized this so-called "mountain" was just a paper tiger.

Listening to the Island Master speak to Su Mo was like a kid clutching his favorite toy, afraid it might be snatched away by the stronger neighbor’s kid.

If there’d been anyone to tattle to, wouldn’t he have gone crying to them?

Su Mo chuckled and shook his head.

"Island Master, your words are mistaken. By rights, this Celestial Stele originally belonged to the Great Xuan Dynasty.

"It’s clearly written here: ‘The Hidden Medical Sage fled overseas with the Celestial Stele.’

"So, the Hidden Medical Sage stole this from the Great Xuan Dynasty.

"After the fall of the Great Xuan Dynasty, by all logic, the Celestial Stele was effectively up for grabs.

"Such an ownerless treasure naturally goes to the worthy.

"Of course, I’m just a rookie, and dare not claim any ‘merit.’

"But if the Island Master insists this stele is yours, that’s downright ridiculous."

"—You’re splitting hairs!"

The Island Master grew even angrier. "My clan’s held this Celestial Stele for centuries—how’s it *not* ours? By your logic of tracing origins, then this Celestial Stele wasn’t even the Great Xuan Dynasty’s to begin with, but came from the Martial God Shrine of the Southern Sea!?"

These words were spoken in anger, and as soon as they left his lips, the Island Master regretted them, quickly clamping his mouth shut.

Su Mo, however, froze.

"Temple of the Martial God?"

The name rang a faint bell.

After thinking it over, he recalled hearing it from Mr. Zhan.

Back then, curious about the South Sea, he had inquired with Mr. Zhan.

Well-traveled and knowledgeable, Mr. Zhan had indeed shared much about the South Sea with Su Mo, including stories about his own background.

Among them was mention of this so-called Temple of the Martial God of the South Sea.

According to Mr. Zhan, at a certain time every year, envoys would depart from the Temple of the Martial God.

They'd recruit martial arts masters across the South Sea to face trials at the temple.

Those who could complete all trials would inherit the temple's ultimate martial arts.

And become the King of the South Sea.

Of course, Su Mo had just half-listened at the time, not taking it to heart.

After arriving in the South Sea, he had never heard anyone mention such a place.

Moreover, Mr. Zhan was hard to read—whether his words could be trusted was questionable...

Yet now, to hear the name "Temple of the Martial God" again, and from Lord Longmu Island himself.

And according to this man, the so-called Celestial Stele originated from the Temple of the Martial God?

This really made Su Mo curious about the temple:

"Tell me, Island Master, do you know where this Temple of the Martial God of the South Sea is located?"

"That's not your business."

The Island Master took a deep breath: "Release the Celestial Stele, and I'll let you walk away. Otherwise, you'll die here tonight."

"..."

Su Mo was momentarily speechless:

"Island Master, your words make no sense and sound weak—truly unconvincing.

"Very well. Since arriving on Longmu Island and witnessing all that I have, I never intended to let you live another day.

"Today, right here, I shall ask the Island Master to die!"

With that, he stopped talking. In an instant, he appeared right before the Island Master.

The Lord of Longmu Island braced himself.

Seeing danger coming, he swiftly raised both hands, forming a secret skyward seal!

Hum!!!

Before the seal fully formed, the air trembled violently.

A massive wave of force crashed toward Su Mo.

Su Mo's gaze fell as he flicked his finger.

A razor-sharp whistle of splitting air erupted instantly.

*Ting!*

The two forces collided mid-air, followed by a sound as if something had shattered.

The Lord of Longmu Island's expression darkened as he was forced back three paces, a flicker of alarm flashing in his eyes:

"So it truly is the Life-Death Tribulation!"

This seal of his had a name—the Sky-Bearing Seal.

It was one of the peerless techniques within the Heaven-Mending Art.

Even after dividing his two centuries' worth of cultivated qi into three parts, and ceding half to Meng Feifan, his power remained formidable.

Yet the Sky-Bearing Seal, unleashed with such profound internal energy, was shattered by but a finger flick of Su Mo's.

While the Flicking Finger Technique was indeed extraordinary, the true key lay in the Life-Death Tribulation.

Though the Lord of Longmu Island had not mastered the Life-Death Tribulation himself, he knew its secrets intimately.

Once mastered, no martial art in the world remained inscrutable to its practitioner.

By channeling qi through the eyes, one could perceive the weaknesses of all martial arts across the land.

The Sky-Bearing Seal was invisible yet tangible—to an ordinary person, finding its flaw would be nearly impossible.

But in Su Mo's eyes, it was full of fatal flaws.

A single flick of his finger struck the critical point, cleanly dismantling the entire technique.

Unable to contain his fury, the Island Master roared at Meng Feifan:

"Are you just slacking in the fight!?

"I granted you half my life's cultivation, not for you to stand idle like a spectator!

"If you let him take the Celestial Stele... then both of us, our doom is sealed!"

Meng Feifan frowned slightly, his resolve wavered.

He held no personal enmity against Su Mo.

Yet the Island Master spoke true.

If Su Mo sought to take the Celestial Stele, he could not allow it.

The Celestial Stele belonged to the Shattered Star Sect.

How could he let Su Mo claim it?

Moreover, having now mastered the ninth tier of the Heaven-Mending Art, he understood that his very life was bound with the Celestial Stele.

If Su Mo took it, it might as well be taking his life.

As for the Island Master's charge of half-hearted effort—in truth, he wasn't entirely wrong.

He indeed had the intention of playing both ends against the middle.

But judging from the current situation, this guy's martial arts were seriously impressive.

In just a few brief exchanges, both he and Lord of Longmu Island, with their formidable skills, had been pushed back by some kid!?

What a complete joke!

If even a young man couldn't be subdued with such martial prowess, then what was the point of all his careful planning?

Moreover, his actions must not be exposed to others.

Regardless of anything else, Su Mo's presence here today was already asking for trouble.

With this thought, he hesitated no longer and snapped:

"Fine!

"Today, I shall join forces with you to take out this threat first.

"Afterward, we two shall sort things out between us!"

As his words fell, he suddenly lashed out with a finger strike.

The gust of wind from his fingertip seemed distant at first, but a single pinprick of starlight had already reached Su Mo's brow.

This move was not the Shattering Star Finger.

Though Meng Feifan rarely spoke the truth, there was one thing he hadn't lied about.

Given his merits, Meng Tianyuan hadn't thought he was good enough to teach all twelve forms of the Shattering Star Finger.

The technique he now employed was his own homemade finger technique called "Star Plate," blending his own strengths.

Starlight scattered, constellations arrayed!

A single finger thrust cut through the air, drawing horizontal and vertical lines as if sketching a celestial plate.

How could mere words like "sharp" or "fierce" describe the barrage of finger strikes?

Su Mo gave a small nod. "Excellent finger technique. With such skill, why covet another's special techniques?

"Is another's always better?"

As he spoke, a storm of punches exploded violently.

Amid the sweeping fist winds, Meng Feifan saw stars—his Star Plate was instantly wiped out completely.

A weird energy shot through his meridians, penetrating his internal organs.

Almost instantly, he was spitting blood.

Not sticking around, he retreated swiftly, stepping back repeatedly while unleashing rapid-fire finger strikes toward Su Mo.

Yet as the gusts landed, only bell-like chimes rang out, leaving Su Mo unharmed.

Just as he scowled, baffled, his sight went fuzzy—Su Mo was gone.

His heart tightened as he sensed a dangerous change in the surrounding winds.

A silence like never before.

Though they stood in a cave, with air currents flowing inside, there should still be the sound of wind.

How could there be no sound at all?

Before it even registered why the wind had vanished, a blur of figures materialized.

Like a hurricane, like a thunderclap, a barrage of kicks pummeled him.

In that instant, he barely got his arms up in time, unable to react in any other way.

Peering through his fingers, he saw what looked like a hundred Su Mo clones filling the cave, surrounding him in an unending storm of kicks...

This was supposed to be him and the Lord of Longmu Island besieging Su Mo.

Yet at this moment, Meng Feifan swore he was the one being besieged by thousands of Su Mo.

And... where the hell was the Lord of Longmu Island?

Hadn't they just agreed to fight together? Why was he the only one getting beaten now?

With each kick came a surge of internal energy.

Meng Feifan was driven back until his back slammed against the cave wall. The cave boomed with each impact.

Each kick hit like a battering ram, causing the wall behind him to crumble inward.

Debris tumbled past his boots as his body sank deeper into the collapsing stone.

What insane technique was this?

How could it be so relentless, giving him no chance to recover?

Helpless, he could only silently channel the HeavenMending Art, with no other recourse.

Finally, as the countless figures snapped back into a single form, Su Mo—still carrying Little Situ Taoist on his back—leapt forward and came down with a crushing heel strike to Meng Feifan's chest.

BANG!!!

The impact bent Meng Feifan backward like a bow, embedding him into the wall like a planted seedling.

His arms and legs tangled together as he barely lifted his head, his features contorted in agony.

He felt every bone shatter.

Inside and out, his meridians were torn, his insides turned to pulp—his body reduced to a mangled mess.

But just as despair threatened to consume him, the HeavenMending Art activated on its own.

The Celestial Stele's radiance flooded his veins, accompanied by the sound of cracking and snapping.

His shattered hands began to reform, his broken bones instantly knitting back together.

The Seventh Order's understanding of the HeavenMending Art was ultimately limited.

He didn't realize the immense power of the Ninefold HeavenMending Art—even if it couldn't achieve regeneration from a single drop of blood or regrowing severed limbs, its astonishing healing power still defied all imagination.

At this moment, even Su Mo couldn't help but marvel:

“Damn, you’re durable!”

When it came to endurance, Su Mo had indeed encountered a few since entering the martial world.

Sect Leader Youquan was a real tank.

Relying on the Youquan Undying Chronicle, he doggedly endured several of Su Mo’s palm strikes before finally collapsing under the unrelenting barrage.

In comparison, Night Monarch probably wasn’t as resilient.

After all, Night Monarch relied too much on tricks.

With endless tricks up his sleeve, the moment he sensed danger, he would feint and flee—so much so that Su Mo began to wonder if Night Monarch’s alias was “Night Runner.”

Then there was Jun Luo!

His mastery of the Enlightened LampLighting Sutra was incomplete, yet even so, he endured countless blows from Su Mo.

Despite being battered relentlessly, he remained full of fight, astonishing Su Mo.

Only later did Su Mo learn… this man had been burning through his life force, igniting an inner lamp to forcibly sustain himself.

In the end, he exhausted his remaining years of life before finally collapsing.

But now, Su Mo had to revise his rankings of the toughest opponents he’d ever faced!

The HeavenMending Art truly had incredible restorative power.

Harnessing celestial strengths to compensate for human shortcomings—especially under these circumstances, with the Celestial Stele’s radiance continuously enveloping Meng Feifan and the Island Master.

As a result, these two had been forged through endless punishment.

Neither burning their lifespans nor relying on tricks, they simply endured, remaining alive and kicking even now.

It had to be said…

Compared to this, the Three Great Protective Divine Arts of the Southern Sea couldn't hold a candle to the HeavenMending Art!

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Su Mo noticed Meng Feifan still fighting tooth and nail.

With a dark chuckle, he said:

“Senior Meng, let this junior give you a hand.”

With those words, he reached out, grabbed Meng Feifan’s head, and hauled him out of the “hand-carved cavern” in one brutal yank.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Meng Feifan was sent flying toward the Island Master, who was creeping toward the Celestial Stele with the intent to seize it.

Hearing the rush of wind, the Island Master turned sharply and saw Meng Feifan flailing like a ragdoll in midair.

He immediately dropped into a horse stance, arms up to block—but at the last moment, he dodged instead!

With a whoosh, Meng Feifan whizzed past the Island Master. In that brief moment of eye contact, Meng Feifan's eyes were wide with shock, while the Island Master had already dashed toward the Celestial Stele.

His hand reached out to grab it, his feet already ready to bolt.

After several attempts, he was absolutely certain—he couldn't hold a candle to Su Mo.

Though there were still several profound techniques within the Heaven-Mending Art he hadn't even used, this young man before him was clearly holding back either.

One piece of evidence was the person still piggybacking on him.

Under such circumstances, Su Mo packed this much power—if he fought unrestrained, even with Meng Feifan’s help, the Island Master knew they’d be dead meat.

Not to mention, he was still battling a long-term illness.

Even though expending two-thirds of his internal energy had eased the strain on his body, he couldn’t possibly drag this weakened form into a life-or-death battle with Su Mo.

The best course of action now was to cut and run.

As for what he had just told Meng Feifan…

Someone bound for greatness wouldn't be bogged down by trivialities—how could he possibly dwell on it?

As long as the Celestial Stele remained, no matter what, he could always bounce back.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was that Meng Feifan was truly useless. Even after receiving half of his internal energy, he couldn’t even buy him a few seconds.

Now, before the Island Master could even lay hands on the Celestial Stele, Meng Feifan had already been beaten to a pulp by Su Mo.

But there was no time to dwell on that now—the Celestial Stele was right at his fingertips!

"Got it…?"

The Lord of Longmu Island’s triumphant grin vanished in an instant, replaced by stunned disbelief.

Su Mo, who had been some distance away moments ago, had somehow appeared right before the Celestial Stele, casually scooping it into his palm.

With a mirthless laugh, he asked,

"You want this?"

Without waiting for an answer, Su Mo wound up and swung the Celestial Stele in a wide arc, smashing it down with tremendous force.

This time, Su Mo had put considerable internal energy into the strike. As the Celestial Stele descended, the Island Master crossed his arms in defense—only for twin sickening cracks to ring out as both his forearms shattered instantly.

He was sent flying like a punched sack, slamming into the wall with such force that he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Then, Su Mo’s mocking tone reached his ears:

"Since you want it so badly… here, take it."

Looking up, he saw Su Mo flicked it at him with a flick of his wrist.

The Celestial Stele howled through the air, and was upon them in an instant.

CRASH!!!

A dull thud echoed as the half-slanted tip of the Celestial Stele, like an arrow, speared through and pinned the Island Master to the rocky wall. His body was nearly cleaved in twain, severed at the waist by the Stele.

"The Celestial Stele...

"The Celestial Stele!"

Lord of Longmu Island reached out to touch it, his blood splattering across its surface.

Su Mo watched coldly from the side before nodding slightly.

"As expected."

The HeavenMending Art and the Celestial Stele were inextricably linked. The miraculous healing effects were only possible because of their fusion, working miracles.

Now, with the Celestial Stele as his weapon, Su Mo had bisected the Island Master.

No matter how miraculous the Stele's power, it could not undo its own killing blow to restore the Island Master's body.

Blood cascaded from the bisected body, and the Island Master's face turned ashen in an instant. Finally, he collapsed onto the Stele, breathless.

Yet, at this moment, Su Mo suddenly slapped his brow.

"Ah, I meant to ask about the Hall of Divine Martial Arts earlier, but I got so caught up proving the Stele's lethality that I forgot the real purpose..."

With this thought, he turned his gaze toward Meng Feifan.

Meng Feifan had already extricated himself from the wall.

Though the Celestial Stele couldn't save the Island Master's life, it had still healed his wounds entirely.

Now, standing there, he seemed pitiful—diminished and vulnerable.

If he tried to take the Stele, the Island Master's fate was a fresh cautionary tale.

If he tried to flee... yet he was tethered to the Stele. He could run, but what then?

Without the Stele, what if the HeavenMending Art's internal energy became unusable?

After all his struggles, how could he see it all come to naught?

For over a decade, he had bided his time on this island, staking everything for his ambitions. If he gave up now, what had he lived for all these years?

For the first time, even with his iron will, he was adrift.

As Su Mo closed the distance, Meng Feifan couldn't help but cry out:

"You—stay away from me!!!"

"???"

Su Mo blinked.

Meng Feifan seemed to feel a bit embarrassed and couldn’t help but try to save face:

"With the Island Master now dead, if you take away the Celestial Stele, who's to say he won't return from death?

"But if you don’t take the Celestial Stele, as long as its power remains, you may find me unkillable.

"Under such circumstances... how about we cease hostilities?

"After all, there’s no life-or-death grudge between us..."

Su Mo laughed upon hearing this:

"Listening to Senior Meng’s words leaves Su Mo genuinely taken aback.

"It’s as if the one who wanted to kill me just now wasn’t Senior Meng at all.

"I’ve wandered the *jianghu*, never styled myself a paragon of righteousness.

"What I seek is simply to return favors and settle scores.

"Senior first deceived me with lies, then sought to kill me.

"Now, with just a few empty platitudes, you wish to escape with your life?

"How utterly ridiculous!

"Moreover, Senior has been on Longmu Island for many years. The blood on your hands is likely no less than that of the Lord of Longmu Island.

"Today, Su Mo truly cannot spare your life. My apologies."

Meng Feifan thought Su Mo’s words were downright inhuman.

He wants to kill me, and I’m supposed to forgive him?

By any measure, where is the logic in that?

As he racked his brain for an escape plan, he heard Su Mo speak again:

"Besides, the Celestial Stele is indeed extraordinary; it has been quite the revelation today.

"But to say that with this object, I cannot kill you... forgive me, but I simply cannot agree.

"At the very least, I don’t believe that even if I take your head and limbs, the Celestial Stele could still make you whole again!"

Meng Feifan’s face turned pale:

"You... don’t you profess to walk the righteous path?

"How is this behavior any different from a demon?"

"The Buddha has both wrathful Vajra and merciful Bodhisattva aspects.

"I act only with my conscience clear. As for methods... they matter little to me.

"Senior, the journey to *Yellow Springs* is long. I'll see you off."

Just as Su Mo was speaking, he suddenly turned his head:

"Brother Ye, are you truly a cockroach that won't stay dead?"

It turned out that Ye Youchen, who had been struck by Su Mo's water sword and was spitting blood, had somehow reappeared wearing Zhen Suren's face, sneaking up to the Celestial Stele.

By the time Su Mo turned around, one of Ye Youchen's hands was already pressed against the Celestial Stele.

Hearing this, he couldn't help but bare his teeth in a grin:

"I've always been one to always get what I came for. I've spent years plotting and scheming for Longmu Island—you think I'd walk away now?

"Chief Escort Su, no hard feelings!"

As he spoke, he dug into his sleeve, ready to hurl some hidden weapon.

But at that moment, he suddenly noticed the expressions of Su Mo and Meng Feifan change.

They were staring right past him, seemingly fixed on something behind him...

"What the hell are you looking at?"

Ye Youchen, a veteran of the jianghu, was no ordinary man—his insight far surpassed most.

In that instant, he let out a hollow laugh: "You're not trying to tell me that the Lord of Longmu Island refuses to die and has come back to life, are you?"

Then he saw Su Mo, Meng Feifan, and Little Situ Taoist nodding like bobbleheads.

"......"

Ye Youchen felt his blood run cold.

Su Mo and Meng Feifan nodding was one thing, but why was Little Situ Taoist joining in?

Though he didn't want to buy into such a resurrection scenario—after all, not everyone possessed freaky death magic like the Yin-Yang Life-Death Order—then again, the Heaven-Mending Art was also a weird-ass technique beyond ordinary martial logic.

Against his better judgment, he turned to look.

There, he saw the Island Master, who should've been dead upon the Celestial Stele, now his head lolling up at some unknown moment.

His face was twisted in rage, with veins writhing like worms beneath his skin.

Accompanying the throbbing veins, Ye Youchen heard a deafening THUMP—the drumbeat of a heart.

"He really isn't dead!!"

Without a second thought, Ye Youchen went to bolt.

But the next moment, the Lord of Longmu Island reached out, grasping at the air, and Ye Youchen found himself hung there like a puppet mid-air, immobilized as if seized by an invisible hand.

Immediately, he channeled his internal strength, causing frost to start forming around him.

But before it could take form, it was instantly obliterated by a colossal surge of internal energy.

His body was then pulled uncontrollably toward the Lord of Longmu Island.

With a furious roar, Ye Youchen twisted his entire body in an uncanny yet profound manner, coiling like a spirit serpent or a divine dragon, his movements elusive and unpredictable.

Meng Feifan, witnessing this, blurted out:

"*Dragon Conceals, Serpent Transforms—Seven Illusions of Cloud Pavilion!*

"You are the Laughing Wanderer of Dust!?"

The Laughing Wanderer of Dust?

Su Mo froze briefly, baffled—who was this?

Ye Youchen was neither a disciple of the Grand Physician nor a member of the Dragon King Hall. His true identity remained a mystery, as did his true martial arts.

Now that he had revealed his real skills, Meng Feifan had uncovered his roots.

However, Su Mo remained unfamiliar with these origins.

Of course, there was no time to ponder it now.

For at that very moment, Ye Youchen had already been seized by the Lord of Longmu Island, his vital energy gushing out, all of it flowing into the Island Master’s body.

The Lord of Longmu Island, whose form had been on the verge of collapse, was instantly rejuvenated by this strange infusion.

In contrast, Ye Youchen rapidly aged, shriveling into a withered husk in mere moments.

"ROOOAR—!!"

The Lord of Longmu Island let out a thunderous roar. With a surge of internal strength, the Celestial Stele was violently ejected from his body. He caught it mid-flight, gripping it tightly in his palm:

"The *Heaven-Mending Art*, the *Heaven-Mending Art*!

"Beyond the Ninth Layer awaits a Tenth Realm!

"Yet it demands rebirth through death—drenching the Celestial Stele in my blood,

"Only for it to return to me once more!

"Only then can transcendent power awakens, achieving the true art of mending the heavens!!

"From this moment forth, the Celestial Stele and I shall be truly one, inseparable!!"

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly locked onto Su Mo, his eyes filled with malice:

"Brat!

"You killed me once, yet in doing so, you aided me in attaining this ascension. For that, I am truly grateful!

"Today, I grant you death beneath this Celestial Stele, fulfilling the worthless life’s feeble purpose!!!"

His voice, which had begun echoing from the cavern walls, reached Su Mo in an instant as he lunged forward, the Celestial Stele in hand, his internal energy churning like a tempest.

With a sweeping motion, he aimed to obliterate Su Mo beneath the stele.

Yet in the next moment, a fist slammed into the Island Master’s jaw.

The punch was no ordinary strike—the entire fist nearly sank deep into the Island Master's face.

With a thunderous boom, the Island Master's massive and robust frame was sent sprawling sideways before being crushed into the ground.

CRASH—CRASH—CRASH!!

The entire cave shook like an earthquake, the ground cracking into layers of fissures. As the force intensified, a crater—shallow at first but deepening rapidly—formed before their eyes.

Lord of Longmu Island lay on the ground, the Celestial Stele still gripped in one hand, one leg twitching slightly.

Su Mo retracted his fist and gave it a light shake.

"Cut the crap."