Chapter 9: The Remains at the Riverbed

At the same time, an indescribable immense pressure surged forth, nearly causing Zhu Jiu to lose his balance and collapse to the ground. The symbols in his sea of consciousness gently floated, alleviating the pressure somewhat, allowing him to barely take a step and move.

As the nine great strides enter the river of blood, when the water rises above the head, an indescribable sense of loneliness and silence surges in the heart

The aura of the demon corpse that he sought emanated from deep within this skeletal cave. Zhu Jiu gathered his courage and stepped boldly into the cervical bone cave. As soon as he entered, he discovered that the cave was unusually dry, and the waters of the blood river could not surge in.

The Blood River is not as dark and difficult to see as one might imagine; rather, a dim, blood-red light emanates from it, allowing one to faintly discern the direction.

Zhu Jiu's consciousness had just connected with this malevolent thought, nearly being consumed by this aggressively charged notion. Fortunately, the symbol in the sea of consciousness swayed and fluctuated once more, causing this thought to weaken somewhat. However, it remained completely beyond Zhu Jiu's control, to the extent that even communication was impossible. Could it still not be feasible?

Zhu Jiu, holding the soul-requiting green copper, gradually approached the otherworldly beast step by step, feeling increasingly tense in his heart. If he were to fail again this time, it would mean that he had not passed his assessment, which would also signify the end of his life

The location of the cervical vertebra fracture is uneven, as if it has been forcibly twisted apart by some immense power. What kind of force could achieve this!

Moving forward in the Neck Bone Cave, illuminated by the faint glow emitted from the bones, stepping on the remains of a giant beast, I discovered that the route initially descends and then gradually ascends. Following this direction, it should lead directly to the center of the skull.

The tranquil riverbed was filled only with its own breathing and the faint sound of water. Ahead, the emerald green light grew increasingly bright. Zhu Jiu opened his eyes wide and gazed toward the dim glow, vaguely making out the outline of the fluorescence, which was quite large, measuring about thirty to forty zhang, or roughly one hundred meters.

Wishing for great joy, it was evident that this fellow's fierce and wild thoughts had gained a new wave of self-centeredness. As the soul fire of the strange beast continued to weaken and retreated back into its skull, its transformation was complete

Zhu Jiu was searching for the mythical beast, which lay quietly among them. At that moment, perhaps due to Zhu Jiu's proximity, this creature became alert, rising from its crouched position and adopting a posture of roaring and growling. The vibrant red soul fire within its skull suddenly flared up, indicating that it had entered a state of combat

Zhu Jiu walked around the enormous skull at the bottom of the river and discovered that most of the skull was deeply buried beneath the riverbed. The part visible, which was about a hundred meters in size, turned out to be only the portion above the eye sockets. It was truly astonishing

At the bottom of this deep river, movement is hindered, and even escape is impossible. If a fierce creature were to attack, nineteen would meet their demise here

When we first met, your soul fire flickered as beautifully as the setting sun; from then on, you shall be called Sunset.

In the deeper waters ahead, a faint emerald glow emerged, and Zhu Jiu felt a surge of joy in his heart, sensing that the fierce and formidable beast was likely just ahead.

This colossal creature must have been immense in its lifetime, with just its head measuring nearly 100 meters. If we include its body, it would be at least 600 to 700 meters or more.

The memory of the sunset is remarkably simple, yet it conceals a secret involving the giant skeleton at the riverbed and the origins of the sunset!

He swiftly drew the Corpse-Slaying Sword, and a streak of blood-red sword light illuminated the small space around him, bringing a slight sense of calm to his heart. After standing for a while, with no other movements in sight, Zhu Jiu took another step and continued to delve deeper ahead.

After proceeding for several minutes, the path ahead suddenly narrows, forming a narrow corridor approximately ten meters long and over three meters high

A fiercely malevolent thought surged into Zhu Jiu's sea of consciousness, intertwining with the talismans within. On the blank yellow surface at the bottom of the talismans, a small, luminous green image emerged, which upon closer inspection resembled a strange beast.

The soul fire surged violently in an instant, even expanding outward to envelop the entire head of the异兽. From a distance, it appeared as though the skull of the异兽 was ablaze.

Zhu Jiu attempted to issue commands to the strange beast, and it became exceedingly obedient, sitting, lying down, and moving about at will, thus achieving great success.

On the back of the skull discovered by Zhu Jiu at www.hetushu.com, a section of a neck bone was found exposed on the riverbed. The neck bone is extremely robust, with a black hole approximately ten meters in size in the middle, which is likely the location of the giant beast's veins and blood vessels. After countless years, they have decayed and disappeared, leaving only an empty cavity.

Finally, the brilliant crimson soul fire gradually transformed into a deep dark red, resembling molten lava. This fellow actually evolved a small step, becoming a high-level demon corpse with over seven hundred years of accumulated deathly energy, classified as a red soul corpse.

Suddenly, the previously held red elixir, bound by the sea of consciousness talisman and unknown in purpose, floated up like the green copper of a soul-restraining charm, swiftly darting from the eye socket of the strange beast and voluntarily plunging into the blazing soul fire.

The water pressure at the riverbed is significantly greater than that in shallow water, and the originally ten-foot-sized refuge space has shrunk by more than half, leaving only a little over one meter in size

Looking at the strange beast before her, Zhu Jiu was filled with immense joy and said:

The fluorescent outline gradually became clearer, revealing a massive skull. Its shape appeared to belong to some unknown beast, with two hollow eye sockets measuring over ten meters in size

As Zhu Jiu approached within ten meters of the otherworldly beast, the green copper in his hand flew out as it had last time, swiftly drifting above the beast's skull. It was immediately enveloped by the red soul fire that extended out, being drawn into the skull. The process of the soul fire and green copper merging had begun

Strangely, within this bony cave, I lost the clear perception of the strange beasts, and all my senses became blurred

Zhu Jiu felt a deep shock surge within him. The remains at the bottom of the river had been lost here for an unknown length of time, yet they still retained a trace of residual power, which even the river of time could not wash away. One can only imagine the might it possessed in life. Even more terrifying is the question of who could have forcibly severed its head.

Wishing that Jiuzhizhi remains indifferent to whether this change is good or bad, standing still in place

The strange beast stood proudly in place at sunset, showing no response. Zhu Jiu, feeling intrigued, began to explore the memories deep within the sunset's soul fire.

As he drew closer, Zhu Jiu gradually became astonished; the glowing shape turned out to be the skull of a gigantic beast. In this desolate place, at the bottom of a river filled with bones and blood, lay the remains of a monstrous creature's skull, and its size was truly astonishing

Zhu Jiu Zang peered through a gap in the bones, looking towards the area behind the corridor where the fluorescence was more intense. He discovered that behind the skeletal corridor was a bone chamber approximately thirty to forty meters wide, which, based on its location, should correspond to the position of the giant beast's brain during its lifetime

The bizarre creature, with its enormous bony head, seemed to have some spiritual impression of Zhu Jiu. It then sensed the green copper block, which had a fatal attraction to it, and immediately its soul fire blazed brightly, burning fiercely.

In the process of sensing, the connection between the sea of consciousness symbols and the异兽 (strange beasts) gradually became clearer and stronger. Slowly, Zhu Jiu was able to sense the thoughts of the异兽 and the *图*书头 (illustrated book head). This creature's thoughts were a kind of raw, unadulterated desire to devour and a fierce madness, with not even a trace of distraction.

According to the connection between the Sea of Knowledge and the strange beasts, Zhu Jiu carefully stepped through the Blood River, where the riverbed beneath his feet was as hard as iron and stone, while the water flow was not as turbulent as it appeared on the surface of the river

As he was about to take another step, he suddenly felt a current surging around him, as if something had swum past. Instantly, Zhu Jiuman was startled, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Wishing for Jiuxin's utmost urgency, this moment has become a critical juncture where every step could mean survival or death. What should be done?

Proceeding diagonally downward for approximately 100 zhang, it can be inferred from the width of the river that we are nearing the midpoint of the Blood River, with a depth exceeding 100 zhang.

Zhu Jiu gazed intently through the eye socket of the otherworldly beast, fixated on the green copper that fused with the soul fire of the beast. He felt a deep sense of tension, wondering whether this piece of green copper, which had undergone a transformation due to the sea of consciousness talisman, could truly fulfill his wishes.

Zhu Jiu was overjoyed to see this fellow, quickly stepping out from his hiding place while simultaneously reaching out to take the last remaining piece of the soul-binding green copper, cradling it in his hand

In view, the skull of the strange beast began to change as it burned. First, the two sharp teeth at the very front of the mouth slowly elongated downwards, eventually reaching about one foot in length, covered with tiny backward-facing barbs that interlocked and rubbed against each other, creating an unusual and fierce appearance. The remaining teeth also became sharper and more pointed. Then, the entire skull was reforged by the flames of the soul, becoming angular and even more indestructible, filled with aggression