Eight Trigrams Stir the Winds and Clouds, Two Realms Shuttle and Leap the Dragon Gate

"It's already turned to bone, yet it's still alive?"

Chen Shi's heart skipped a beat. He forcefully pried open the bony fingers of the tall, thin skeleton that were gripping the bronze lamp and swam upwards with the lamp.

The bronze lamp didn't seem large in the tall, thin skeleton's hand, but in Chen Shi's grip, it was almost as tall as he was, terrifyingly huge and incredibly heavy.

He looked back and saw the tall, thin skeleton had fully awakened and seemed to be extremely enraged. Its skeletal legs crouched on the riverbed, and with a leap, it attempted to chase Chen Shi!

With a crisp crack, one of the tall, thin skeleton's thigh bones snapped. Its jump was thrown off balance, and it tumbled to the side.

Chen Shi was both horrified and amused.

The tall, thin skeleton's bones were covered in scars: wounds from sharp weapons, blunt force trauma, and even traces of magical burns.

It couldn't exert too much force, or these damaged bones would break.

Not only that, but Chen Shi also saw that several of its ribs were broken, and he didn't know where they had fallen.

Now with a broken leg, it swam like a three-legged toad, its posture indescribably comical.

Yet, despite its comical appearance, its swimming speed was still far superior to Chen Shi's!

Chen Shi didn't dare to slack off. He poured all his strength into swimming towards the river's surface, his mind racing with thoughts.

"The tall, thin skeleton is still alive because, like me, he crossed over from the living world to the underworld. That's why his flesh and blood dissolved, leaving only bones.

This bronze lamp is probably not Granny Sha's treasure at all, but his treasure!

Granny Sha was after this bronze lamp, so this item must be extraordinary. But why was Granny Sha so sure the bronze lamp would end up in the River of Forgetfulness? Right, at that time, this person must have been fatally wounded and fell into the River of Forgetfulness with the bronze lamp!

*Granny Sha wasn't sure if this person was dead, so she waited for nine years. In those nine years, this person must have succumbed to his injuries and died an unnatural death, which is why she sent me to find the lamp. *

It's just that Granny Sha didn't anticipate that after this person entered the River of Forgetfulness and his flesh dissolved, leaving only bones, his fatal wound would actually disappear. However, he couldn't leave the river either, so he could only slumber at the bottom."

Just as he thought this, he suddenly saw wooden boats shuttling back and forth on the river surface, coming from all directions.

Standing on the wooden boats were extremely powerful figures – the tall, thin monsters!

Chen Shi's heart leaped in alarm. If he surfaced now, he'd likely be captured and eaten on the spot by these tall, thin monsters!

Just as he was about to turn, he saw the tall, thin skeleton below him catching up.

Chen Shi held the bronze lamp with both hands and kicked his legs forcefully, trying to evade the tall, thin skeleton. However, the skeleton was getting closer and closer!

Above, on the river's surface, a cyan stone path stretched from the living world directly to the River of Forgetfulness. At the end of the stone path, Granny Sha's small figure appeared majestic as she stood on the altar.

The wooden boats caught her eye, and her heart tightened.

"Damn it. My old rivals are here so quickly!"

She knew that if these underworld envoys occupied the passage, Chen Shi would have great difficulty entering, and might even be captured and eaten before he could even reveal himself. With a resolute heart, she took a step forward onto the cyan stone path.

"The Heavenly Emperor gave birth to me, the Heavens nourished me, the Sun and Moon shone upon me, the Big Dipper assisted me, the mountains and rivers guided me, the hundred gods served me, Yin and Yang connected with me, the Wind Master sent me, the Heavenly Kitchen provided for me, the Purple Clouds shielded me, the Divine Medicine healed me!"

The old woman's clothes fluttered wildly as a grand voice echoed around her.

"Boundless coming and going, entering the sea leads to the Heavenly Gate, entering the river leads to the Earthly Door! The God of Fate lifts me, what can I not obtain, what cannot be foreseen!"

Divine Light enveloped her body, manifesting as the Big Dipper revolving around her and the Sun and Moon hanging resplendently. Yin and Yang were connected, Purple Clouds formed a canopy, and the divine light radiating from her body solidified into Divine Medicine behind her. Runes intertwined, forming the shape of an Eight Trigrams furnace around her.

The so-called Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Talisman was actually a simplified version of her Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Art!

Granny Sha moved to confront the wooden boats.

"Little Ten, return to my drumbeat!"

Thunder roared, and suddenly, intense lightning shone down from the water's surface, illuminating the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness.

Chen Shi, struggling to evade the tall, thin skeleton's pursuit in the water, looked up in a hurry. He saw what appeared to be an empress on the river's surface, shrouded in brilliant golden light. Her physique was imposing, and with every movement, she stirred the rivers and seas, engaging in battle with the host of inhuman wooden boat monsters!

The drumbeat reverberated, accompanied by rustling sounds, and the rhythm grew more intense!

The drumbeat came from the living world, guiding Chen Shi and urging him to hurry to the living world.

"Buzz--"

A giant Eight Trigrams rune vibrated, one long and two short, slicing through the River of Forgetfulness and stirring the water, causing Chen Shi and the tall, thin skeleton to lose their footing.

The Eight Trigrams rune suddenly transformed into a mountain peak, erupting from the water and descending towards a wooden boat monster.

Granny Sha's voice echoed across the river: "Come on! Nine years ago, I ventured into the underworld alone and snatched that child's soul. I wasn't afraid of you then, and I won't be afraid today!"

"Whoosh--"

Suddenly, the Zhen trigram rune from the Eight Trigrams entered the water. When it leaped out, it transformed into lightning, and thick bolts of electricity struck the river's surface. In a flash of light, balls of lightning fire danced erratically on the water!

The Li trigram transformed into flames, the Xun trigram into roaring black winds, the Kun trigram into heavy yellow earth, and the Qian trigram into the azure sky, plunging the River of Forgetfulness into chaos!

The waters of the River of Forgetfulness were swept up by the terrifying turbulence, further destabilizing Chen Shi and the tall, thin skeleton.

They had no flesh and blood, and their movement through the water with only their bones was already difficult. The impact of the currents made them even more unstable.

Fortunately, Chen Shi was a skeleton and didn't need to breathe, or he would have drowned long ago.

"Grandma is this strong?"

Chen Shi was astonished. Granny Sha looked like a simple old country woman who knew some soul-summoning techniques and made a living by them. He never expected her strength to be so formidable!

A cyan stone path, bridging the Yin and Yang realms, and she even stepped onto it, fighting her way into the underworld's River of Forgetfulness to save him!

Is this something a little old lady from the countryside could do?

"Grandpa said that when I was injured back then, she went all over the place for me, racking her brains to help me summon my soul."

Chen Shi suddenly thought, if Granny Sha were to use her full power to summon his soul, what a spectacular scene that would be?

But he couldn't remember anything.

All memories from two years ago had turned into a bubble of fantasy, a complete blank.

Chen Shi tried to swim towards the green stone path, but was swept away by the current again and again.

The current here was getting stronger and stronger, especially as they got closer to the surface. The strength of those wooden boat monsters was not to be underestimated, and more importantly, there were many of them, and more were coming!

More wooden boats were speeding over from the distance, each carrying a tall, thin monster. They joined the fray, surrounding Granny Sha!

Even though the Supreme Eight Trigrams Body Protection Art was extremely powerful, Granny Sha was struggling immensely.

Chen Shi looked up from below and saw green stones constantly flying up and exploding on the green stone path, making the road connecting the two realms shorter and shorter!

The number of these tall, thin monsters surging forward was too great. Granny Sha would likely not be able to hold on for much longer!

The drumming grew more urgent, clearly indicating Granny Sha's extreme anxiety.

Chen Shi grew increasingly anxious. The tall, thin skeleton that was tumbling with him in the rapids was also getting closer and closer. Soon, it would likely catch him.

Suddenly, Chen Shi saw a bone fish over ten zhang long in the rapids. It was the great Gu, and his heart stirred. He stopped fighting the current and instead let it carry him towards the great Gu.

The great Gu was charging against the current. Although it had also turned into a skeleton, its fish bones and fins still retained their fish-like form. Its swimming speed was much faster than Chen Shi's and the tall, thin skeleton's.

As the great Gu approached head-on, Chen Shi immediately held the bronze lamp with one hand and grabbed a fin with the other. He felt a tremendous pulling force on his hand, accompanied by violent jolting. The great Gu sped through the water with him, at an incredible pace!

Chen Shi was both surprised and delighted. Suddenly, the great Gu's speed slowed slightly. He looked back and saw the tall, thin skeleton grabbing the great Gu's tail and climbing upwards with intertwined hands.

"You persistent ghost!"

Chen Shi gritted his teeth, passed both arms through the ram's horns, and slung the ram's horn bronze lamp behind him. With intertwined hands, he also began to climb forward.

The tall, thin skeleton was faster, and the great Gu's body was only about ten zhang long. Before long, the tall, thin skeleton would catch him.

Chen Shi buried his head and climbed forward. However, the fish bones on the fish's back were too thick. He almost slipped off while holding onto them. He had to climb hard, reaching the spine, and using his hands and feet, stepping on the large bones on the fish's belly, he struggled towards the gills.

The tall, thin skeleton pursued from behind. Its skeletal hand, four times larger than a normal person's, reached out to grab his hind legs.

Chen Shi quickly retracted his legs, dodging the grab, and finally reached the gills, quickly burrowing inside.

The tall, thin skeleton also reached the gills, but it was too large to fit inside. It could only extend its long arms and flail wildly inside.

Chen Shi hid in the fish's mouth, desperately avoiding the skeletal hand.

The bone tips of the skeletal hand were extremely sharp. If they touched him, they would easily sever his bones!

Suddenly, Chen Shi's gaze fell upon the fishhook on the great Gu's throat bone. This fishhook and chain were what had been caught on the great Gu's throat bone when he entered the River of Forgetfulness.

Chen Shi immediately removed the fishhook and tied the chain to his somewhat slender right arm bone, then swung it at the skeletal hand.

The skeletal hand had many deep wounds. If he could break it, he would be rid of a significant threat.

Unexpectedly, as his fist, wrapped with the chain, touched the arm bone of the large hand, his entire body's bones felt like they were about to fall apart from the shock, causing him immense discomfort.

The large hand sensed the touch and immediately bent, reaching for Chen Shi.

At the same moment, the great Gu swam faster and faster. Suddenly, a faint blue light surged from nowhere, engulfing Chen Shi, the tall, thin skeleton, and the great Gu!

Concurrently, Granny Sha's green stone path collapsed with a roar. Granny Sha, standing at the end of the stone path, let out a sigh of helplessness. Her figure was pulled by an invisible force, retreating towards the mortal world.

"Buzz!"

On the altar beside the Dejiang River, space violently vibrated. Granny Sha's figure abruptly appeared on the altar, her aura rapidly receding.

The surging waves of energy stirred up by the spatial vibrations sent the five great ghost kings staggering, causing them to slide backward. The altar also groaned under the pressure and began to collapse!

Granny Sha, however, stared straight ahead. On the river ahead, black mist dispersed, and the green stone path completely collapsed and disappeared.

Her body trembled, and she couldn't help but shed tears of old age.

She still couldn't save the child.

Just like back then.

At this moment, the river suddenly split open, and a large fish, emitting a dark green glow, leaped out of the water. It opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and, with a plop, spat out a mass of black shadow.

The mass of black shadow unfurled in mid-air. It was a small Chen Shi, with a ram's horn bronze lamp almost as tall as him on his back. The bronze lamp was still lit, emitting a faint glow.

Chen Shi stretched his body in mid-air and landed towards the shore. In his hand, he held a section of chain, with a large fishhook at the end.

It was likely that the fishhook had gotten stuck in the great Gu's throat, preventing it from swallowing him, forcing it to spit him out.

And climbing on the great Gu's gills was a monster with a human body and a horse's head. It was thin and tall, about three to five times the height of an adult. However, it was covered in blood, riddled with wounds, and had lost a leg.

This horse-headed monster was the tall, thin skeleton that had been chasing Chen Shi. It was a grim reaper from the underworld. Due to its severe injuries, it had to hide at the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness to survive. Now, with Chen Shi having stolen the ram's horn bronze lamp, it had disregarded its serious injuries and followed the great Gu to the mortal world.

Like Chen Shi and the great Gu, it had regained its flesh and blood the moment it crossed over.

With the recovery of its physical body, its injuries also healed.

Its injuries were much more severe than those from nine years ago!

The horse-headed monster absolutely would not allow the ram's horn bronze lamp to be stolen. It immediately leaped forward on one leg, pouncing at Chen Shi from behind.

Granny Sha stared dumbfounded, completely unaware of the reason behind all this.

With a boom, Chen Shi crouched down and landed steadily.

Behind him, the great Gu leaped out of the water again, opening its massive maw and swallowing the horse-headed monster that was pouncing at it in mid-air. With another bang, it plunged back into the water, splashing several zhang high waves.