Splash!

A slender figure leaped into the river’s surface, sending up a spray of water.

The figure’s owner appeared to be a thirteen or fourteen-year-old youth. His clothing was luxurious, yet half his body was stained with blood. As soon as he entered the water, he kicked his legs backward and swam downstream toward the riverbed.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Arrow after arrow came shooting from behind with the deadly sound of cutting through air, piercing diagonally into the water’s surface one after another.

The sharp arrows carried their remaining momentum, flying swiftly toward the youth, carving wounds across his cheeks, arms, thighs, and other places. Fresh blood instantly dyed the surrounding water red, though fortunately none struck vital points.

The youth clenched his teeth, using both hands and feet, desperately squeezing out the last bit of strength from his body, diving frantically toward the riverbed.

The nearby water current suddenly became turbulent. A powerful undercurrent caught his body and instantly swept him several zhang away.

Rather than being alarmed, the youth was delighted, cooperating with the undercurrent to swim forward rapidly.

The rain of arrows behind him continued its pursuit, but by this point their force was insufficient. Under the impact of the undercurrent they were scattered, no longer able to pose any threat to him.

The youth in luxurious clothing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though his hands and feet didn’t relax their movements [noodles]at all. He soon descended to the riverbed and continued to struggle forward.

Only by fleeing farther could he have a greater chance of survival.

In the blink of an eye, he had traveled underwater for half an incense stick’s time. There were no more disturbances behind him.

However, having stayed underwater for so long, his held breath was reaching its limit. His chest felt like muffled thunder was rolling within, his head was swelling, and he was about to risk surfacing for air.

But the surrounding undercurrent suddenly intensified several times over. Even underwater he could hear the loud rushing sounds. The youth couldn’t steady his body at all and was directly swept away.

Ahead, the sound of the river’s rushing grew louder, like water dragons coiling, forming an undercurrent whirlpool dozens of zhang in size.

Many jagged reefs stood within it, like the teeth of a giant beast, tearing apart and swallowing everything.

The youth in luxurious clothing was greatly alarmed. Though his swimming ability was not bad, he was now severely injured and his breath was nearly exhausted. He had little strength left. If he were caught in such a massive undercurrent whirlpool, certain death awaited him.

In his panic, his hands hastily plunged into the mud below, attempting to grab something to steady his form. His right hand touched a hard object that seemed to be a reef.

The youth’s ten fingers suddenly exerted force, and his form being carried by the rapids slightly halted.

However, what he grasped wasn’t secure. Before he could completely steady himself, it broke free from the riverbed mud. His entire body was swept away by the undercurrent whirlpool and crashed heavily into a black reef with a bang.

The youth could hold on no longer. A mouthful of fresh blood mixed with large bubbles sprayed out together, and fresh blood also [Read on Jormuntl]gushed from multiple arrow wounds across his body.

In this moment, he felt as if all the bones in his body had come apart. His head grew increasingly dizzy, and combined with his breath having leaked out, he had no strength left to resist. He was about to be completely swallowed by the massive whirlpool.

A mass of azure light suddenly brightened from his right hand, illuminating the riverbed within several zhang into complete transparency. The originally surging undercurrent whirlpool suddenly calmed and disappeared without a sound.

Everything around him also became silent and still in this moment.

The youth in luxurious clothing vaguely felt as if a cool sensation was injected into his head. His spirits lifted, and the suffocating feeling also eased by more than half. He immediately looked toward his right hand in astonishment.

Dimly, the glowing object was precisely what he had just fished up—it appeared to be an ancient and simple azure incense burner the size of a bowl’s mouth.

And the fresh blood flowing from his right hand’s wound was wrapping around the incense burner like silk threads, rapidly seeping into it.

The youth was about to look more carefully when the azure light on the incense burner suddenly erupted.

His mind felt as if it had been heavily struck, far more intensely than when he had just crashed into the reef. In this moment, bizarre scenes began to churn in his mind.

A sky torn open, a land full of devastation…

Under a blood-colored sun, the western wind whipped up ten thousand li of wild sand. A colossal creature covered in sharp spikes and claws, snake-like yet not a snake, twisted its body, its form tumbling up and down, gathering large sheets of lightning around it…

A massive figure, half-naked and covered in bizarre tattoos, was bound to a towering cliff that pierced the clouds. Its stolen contenteyes were tightly closed, two trails of dried blood tears on its face…

The stars filling the sky shattered in an instant, the moon also dimmed and lost its light. Between heaven and earth, it seemed only endless darkness remained…

These images flashed through the youth’s mind in an instant, as if leaving not the slightest trace.

Before the youth’s heart could give rise to any thoughts, he instantly lost consciousness.

And the azure incense burner transformed into a mass of azure shadow, melding into his right arm and becoming a faint azure mark…