A splash.
A figure jumped into the river, water splashing everywhere.
The one who jumped in appeared to be a thirteen or fourteen-year-old youth, splendidly dressed, but half of his body was stained with blood. As soon as he hit the water, he kicked his legs, successfully diving to the riverbed.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!* Deadly arrows, tearing through the air, shot from behind, plunging into the water's surface.
The sharp arrows, still carrying momentum, chased the youth like the wind. Wounds appeared on his cheek, arms, and thighs, fresh blood instantly staining the surrounding water red. Fortunately, no vital spots were hit.
The youth gritted his teeth, propelling himself with all his limbs, trying to squeeze out the last vestiges of his strength as he desperately dived towards the riverbed.
The nearby current suddenly grew swift, a powerful undercurrent wrapping around his body and instantly sweeping him several *zhang* away.
Far from being afraid, the youth was glad. He cooperated with the undercurrent, quickly swimming forward.
The rain of arrows behind him still stubbornly pursued, but by the time they reached him, their force had weakened considerably. Scattered by the undercurrent, they could no longer pose a threat.
The splendidly dressed youth secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet his limb movements showed no slackening. He quickly dived to the riverbed and continued to swim forward with all his might.
Only by getting further away would he have a greater chance of survival.
In a flash, he had traveled underwater for a good while, and there was no longer any movement behind him.
However, having been underwater for so long, he had held his breath to his limit. His chest felt like rumbling thunder, his head swollen, and it was time to risk surfacing for air.
But the surrounding undercurrent suddenly became several times stronger. Even underwater, the roaring sound of the current could be heard. The youth's body was completely unstable, and he was immediately swept away by the water.
The sound of the rushing river ahead grew even louder, like a water dragon circling, forming an underwater whirlpool dozens of *zhang* wide.
Within it, many towering submerged rocks stood interspersed, like the teeth of a giant beast, ready to tear apart and swallow everything.
The splendidly dressed youth was terrified. Although his ability to move in water was not bad, his body had suffered severe injuries, the air in his lungs was almost gone, and he had little strength left. If he were swept into such a giant underwater whirlpool, he would surely die.
In a panic, his hands clawed at the mud, trying to grab onto something to stabilize his body. As he did, his right hand grasped something hard, which seemed to be a submerged rock.
The youth's ten fingers gripped with all their might, and his body, being swept away by the current, stabilized slightly.
But what he was holding onto was not at all stable. Before he could fully stabilize, the riverbed soil broke away, and his whole body was swept away by the undercurrent, violently hitting a pitch-black submerged rock with a "thump."
The youth could no longer hold on. A mouthful of fresh blood mixed with air bubbles spurted out, and fresh blood also gushed from many of the arrow wounds all over his body.
At this moment, he felt as if his bones were being dislocated, his mind grew increasingly hazy, and with his breath having escaped, he no longer had any strength to resist. He was immediately swallowed by the enormous whirlpool.
A blue speck of light suddenly shone from his right hand, illuminating an area several *zhang* across at the bottom of the river. The powerful underwater current, which had been violently churning, abruptly ceased, disappearing silently without a trace.
Everything around him at this moment also became utterly silent.
The young man in the patterned robe vaguely felt a refreshing sensation pour into his head, his spirits lifted, and his depleted breath in his chest recovered by more than half. For a moment, he was startled and looked at his right hand.
Under the flickering light, the glowing object was precisely what he had fumbled and grabbed earlier: an ancient blue censer, the size of a teacup mouth.
The fresh blood flowing from the wound on his right hand swirled around the censer like threads, then quickly seeped into it.
As the young man was about to take a closer look, the blue light on the censer suddenly flared brightly.
His mind felt as if it had been struck by an impact, even more intense than the collision with the submerged rock earlier. At this moment, strange images, one after another, began to swirl in his head.
The sky was torn open, and the land everywhere was ravaged and desolate! Under the blood-red sun, a west wind whipped up a sandstorm stretching ten thousand miles. A creature with sharp claws covered in thorns, its colossal body like a snake yet not a snake, struggled, its entire form writhing, gathering a band of lightning around itself! A colossal figure, bare-chested, covered in strange tattoos, was bound to a sheer cliff face that pierced the blue clouds, its eyes tightly shut, two streams of dried blood-tears on its face! The starry sky was suddenly shattered into countless fragments, the moon also dimmed and became desolate, and in heaven and earth, only endless darkness seemed to remain! These images flashed through the young man's mind, seemingly leaving no trace.
Before the young man could even process any thoughts, in an instant, he lost consciousness.
And the blue censer transformed into a blue shadow, merging into his right arm, becoming a faint blue mark!