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墨書 Inktalez
After the five left, no one saw the countless Corpse Puppets suddenly swimming across the vast Blood River, and the blood mist above the Blood River became even denser.
Within the Blood River, a corpse was slowly sinking. It was wrapped in wisps of black energy, and its injured flesh and bones were gradually healing. However, the blood water from the Blood River seeped into its wounds, with Evil Energy invading its body, disrupting its bodily functions and eroding its Dao Qi, causing it to spasm uncontrollably.
The Blood River had existed since the formation of Azure Mountain. Although the aura of the Blood River was sinister, it also nurtured many precious herbs. Within a hundred miles around the Blood River, countless medicinal plants absorbed the soil tainted by the river's blood-red waters. The essence within these herbs contained blood energy, awakening latent potential in human blood.
The people here possessed terrifying strength. An investigation team once came to study this place and found that the water quality was severely polluted; toxic substances had enhanced the strength of the locals. Even Taoists could see that the water of the Blood River contained Evil Energy, and prolonged consumption would surely lead to problems.
Many sought to uncover what lay within the Blood River that kept its waters vibrant for millennia, like fresh blood. Yet, the water was murky as blood and isolated Dao Qi and intent, making it impossible to probe. Legends spoke of a fierce river god residing within, and there were frequent sightings of Blood Corpses, leading to the gradual forgetting of this once-feared body of water.
Huzi's body was submerged in the blood water at the bottom of the Blood River. There, countless bones lay piled up, all soaked red by the river's water, making them indistinguishable.
Huzi struggled but could not move; his consciousness was fading as he slipped into a near-death state.
In his dreams, Huzi found himself back in Futu Ridge Mingyue Village. At that time, Yang Hao was still a child. He sought Yang Hao to play in the woods; both held sticks in their hands and would break them whenever butterflies flew by.
Later, he chased after a butterfly and unknowingly ran to the back mountain's Ancestral Grave. There he saw Huang San'er standing before him with a dagger in hand. With one swift motion, Huang San'er slashed his throat and severed his head.
Huzi was startled awake from the Blood River, blood water pouring into his mouth as everything around him blurred into darkness.
Panic surged within Huzi as he swam upstream. In the icy waters of the Blood River, he heard a thumping sound akin to a heartbeat that filled him with terror. He attempted to use Dao Qi to propel himself upward. However, an overwhelming suction from below pulled him down; he coughed up blood as his eyes turned crimson.
Suddenly, a bright light appeared within the Blood River. Gritting his teeth, Huzi swam toward it; after all, he didn't know how deep he was—he would die in less than a minute anyway.
As Huzi reached the light, an unknown barrier blocked his path. He pounded against it with his fists but could not break through. Behind him, he sensed something approaching rapidly; a bone spike pierced his arm. The blood from his arm flowed onto the barrier, shattering it. A red Blood Corpse surged forward along with Huzi into another space as the barrier quickly closed behind them, isolating them from the Blood River.
Huzi gasped for air and wiped at his eyes; he could finally breathe again. The interior space was dimly lit with light emanating from within while the thumping sounds grew louder—much closer than they had been in the Blood River.
Suddenly, a nearby Blood Corpse stood up with sharp claws reaching for Huzi. He stumbled to his feet and ran deeper inside as the Blood Corpse pursued him.
Huzi's soul felt like it was leaving his body as he noticed that behind him, this Blood Corpse had grown red fur—clearly an ancient corpse that had been submerged for an unknown duration. Over time, it had developed consciousness.
With no strength left in him, Huzi could only flee inward until he spotted where the light originated. He dove headfirst into it just as the Blood Corpse followed suit. As soon as it entered the light, its red fur ignited into flames; before hitting the ground, its entire body turned to red ash.
Breathless and shaken, Huzi stared at the remnants on the ground. Looking up around him revealed a vast underground palace. Beside him lay a long white bone leading up to a throne at the top of a grand hall where sat a figure draped in crimson robes.
The figure before him was not entirely human, for it possessed an extraordinarily long tail and its size was more than double that of an average person.
Huzi could not discern whether this being was male or female, as its features had decayed beyond recognition. Atop its head rested a crown made of netting, and on its skeletal hand was a ring that emitted a ghostly glow. Draped over its body was a Blood Robe, strikingly vivid, resembling fresh blood.
Surrounding the grand hall was a circle of blood troughs, filled with dried bloodstains, as if they had flowed from this very being.
Huzi's heart raced with fear; he dared not approach the corpse recklessly. He noticed an ancient Stone Skin Book and Oracle Bone Script beside the throne, indicating that this corpse and the underground structure dated back to an era long before the establishment of the Daoist Sect.
At that moment, Huzi felt exhausted and famished, his entire body wracked with pain, and Evil Energy had invaded his being. With no other options to escape from the depths of the Blood River, he had no choice but to investigate further.
However, he could not comprehend a single word from the Stone Skin Book or the Oracle Bone Script. From the pictographic characters, he could vaguely make out one symbol that resembled a dragon.
Huzi gazed at the figure seated upon the throne, frowning. Since ancient times, neither spirit beasts nor demons had been able to transform into human forms. This defied the law of conservation of matter; no matter how one reversed it—be it Douding's Qiongqi, Nangong's Panlong Remnant, or Yang Hao's Demon King Beast—none could take on human shapes. The only exception he had witnessed was the Snake Goddess.
Yet, the Snake Goddess could transform into human form because her Soul had left her body; her massive physical form could not shrink or change.
What stood before him now—was this being a mutated human with a dragon tail, or a dragon that had cultivated to become semi-human?
Taking a deep breath, Huzi approached the enormous corpse and lifted its Blood Robe. Beneath it lay a layer of overlapping scales. He dared not touch them and instead removed the crown from atop the corpse's head. To his surprise, he discovered two horns protruding from its skull, resembling those of a legendary dragon.
Suddenly, an ordinary heartbeat echoed once more, and this time Huzi clearly heard it emanating from within this very corpse.
Startled, Huzi dropped the crown onto the ground where it struck the dragon tail below. The bones shattered with a resounding crack, causing the massive body to tremble. Instantly, scales began to fall around him like rain; they were razor-sharp and cut into Huzi's arm before he could react, causing blood to drip onto the Blood Robe.
As Huzi's blood soaked into the Blood Robe, it suddenly lifted off from the corpse. He realized that this Blood Robe was not merely a garment but rather a map adorned with totems depicting humans and dragons.
"Blood River Map." A term inexplicably surfaced in Huzi's mind as his eyes turned blood-red, countless crimson Sutras swirling within his pupils.
The Blood River Map enveloped Huzi entirely. He screamed in agony as red flames ignited around him; his clothes were incinerated completely and his skin burned. The Sutras on the Blood River Map flowed into Huzi’s body like blood.
His body convulsed in pain as cold sweat poured down his face; he turned pale as he felt the Sutras from the Blood River Map invading his marrow and assaulting his Qi Sea.
An overwhelming wave of Evil Energy erupted from Huzi's head; in an instant, he felt his mind go blank as a fissure appeared on his neck.
"No!" Huzi exclaimed in shock. He knew that he had been killed at Futu Ridge, his neck severed by Huang San'er, and it was Yang Hao who saved him with the Book of Life and Death. If the Evil Energy from the Book of Life and Death was forced out of his body, his wounds could burst open, and he would instantly become a Corpse!
However, he could not resist the power of the Blood River Map. Once the Evil Energy was expelled, a surge of life force was also forced out. Blood seeped from his pores, and multiple wounds on Huzi's body erupted. He realized that this blood was given to him by his grandfather, Li Fugui. Without healing abilities, if his old injuries flared up, even with a stroke of luck, he would undoubtedly perish.
"Stop!" Huzi weakly called out, collapsing to the ground.
The Blood River Map seemed to sense Huzi's life energy dissipating. With so many wounds and a fatal injury on his neck, Sutra's attempts to heal were futile. A tremendous force battered Huzi's body, causing bones to shatter and reshape, while his Meridians twisted and shifted. Under the influence of the Blood River Map, his bone marrow began to regenerate blood.
Huzi gritted his teeth against the pain in his neck. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He struggled to crawl toward the collapsed Corpse; within this half-human, half-dragon body lay a powerful and indestructible Heart.
It was said that dragons were immortal, and their Hearts possessed immense vitality capable of sustaining themselves.
Huzi pried open the dragon scales, cutting his hands in the process. He plunged his right hand into the corpse's chest cavity and pulled out a pulsating Heart. The Heart radiated powerful life force, making Huzi feel as if he were facing a giant dragon, fear swelling within him.
He picked up a shard of dragon scale from the ground and swiftly cut into the Heart. The entire palace suddenly shook as blood surged from all around, spreading like wildfire. The palace swayed precariously as if about to collapse. With a mighty roar, Huzi clenched the dragon's Heart tightly. Blood splattered onto his wounds with a sizzling sound; in an instant, the gash on his neck healed completely. He greedily consumed the dragon's Heart until it shriveled up, unable to yield another drop of blood.
Huzi's strength rapidly returned; he felt a burning sensation within him as everything around him boiled over. He sensed that he was quickly forming a Golden Core while his Qi Sea transformed into a sea of blood, altering his Dao Qi.
Under Yang Sanqian's guidance, Huzi had advanced to the Divine Transformation Realm in less than a year of training. Though he had achieved such a level through fortune rather than talent, in this chaotic world filled with strife, his cultivation was still insufficient; even an elite disciple from any sect could easily kill him.
Now that Huzi had just formed his Golden Core, he looked inward at it but frowned in confusion. His Golden Core was not golden but blood-red.
Throughout history, no one had ever formed a Golden Core that wasn't golden; even a low-grade waste core would emit some dull golden light. Yet his Golden Core was crimson.
Huzi glanced at his arms and found them incredibly strong; thick veins bulged beneath resilient skin with hard protrusions embedded within it. A sense of dread filled him as he feared becoming something neither human nor ghost.
He looked at the half-human, half-dragon corpse and took off the ring emitting ghostly light from its hand to wear it himself. Clenching his fist tightly, he unleashed a punch that sent bloodlight surging from the riverbed into the sky. The entire palace collapsed as Huzi did not evade but allowed himself to be engulfed by the rushing blood.
The Blood River Map unfolded around him. If someone stood on the riverbank, they would see that the Blood River had not dried up for millennia but was now receding at an astonishing speed. Half an hour later, the once-mighty Blood River dried up completely under the sun's rays as blood mist dissipated, revealing a massive city at its bottom.
Surrounding this giant city lay an enormous skeleton—belonging to a dragon.
Countless Blood Corpses ignited in flames under sunlight; they screamed and writhed before turning to ash amidst their roars.
Huzi, draped in the Blood River Map, stepped out from the Dragon City. He squinted at the blinding sunlight and muttered, "Damn it, it's good to be alive."
With a light leap, Huzi attempted to jump from the ruins to the riverbank. To his astonishment, he suddenly shot straight up from the riverbed into the sky. Huzi shouted as he streaked through a flash of red light, only to crash down onto the bank, landing headfirst.
Dazed, Huzi was completely bewildered.
He got up from the ground and saw countless men and women of all ages kneeling before him, their bare upper bodies adorned with tattoos depicting a half-human, half-dragon figure, resembling the corpse he had just seen.
"What is this...?" Huzi began to ask.
"The Dragon Clan Leader welcomes the resurrection of the Dragon God!" exclaimed an elderly man kneeling at the front, also bare-chested. His body was covered in ancient inscriptions similar to those in the Stone Skin Book, and he bore a ring identical to the one on Huzi's hand!
Realizing he had intruded upon their sacred space, Huzi understood that he had consumed the Dragon God's Heart offered by this clan while wearing their Blood River Map and carrying their family token. If his deception were discovered, he would surely be killed.
Huzi tilted his head back, cleared his throat, and declared with authority, "At ease."
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