"Hmm? Who is speaking?"
Chen Xiao looked in the direction of the voice, but could not pinpoint its origin. It seemed to come from all directions, or perhaps it was transmitted directly into his ears through the vibrations of the water.
"Hmph, boy, I've been waiting for you!"
The voice spoke again. Judging by its words, it seemed to have some grievance with Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly are you? Do you know me?"
"Hmph, I am not human!"
The voice huffed again. "Of course I know you. Even if you were burned to ashes, I could still smell your stench!"
"..."
Chen Xiao was speechless.
"Who the hell are you? Dare you show yourself and talk to me?"
"Why would I not dare?"
As soon as the words fell, a colossal figure appeared in the river. Chen Xiao knew at a glance that this was the monster spoken of by the inhabitants of the underworld. The monster resembled a giant serpent, over ten meters long, covered in fiery red scales. From the gaps between these scales, crimson flames were emanating. Even from a distance, Chen Xiao could feel the scorching heat contained within the flames. The temperature of the Forgetfulness River and the so-called 'heat' mentioned by Meng Po were both related to these flames.
The moment he saw the monster, Chen Xiao felt a strange sense of familiarity. After a moment of thought, he suddenly remembered. This creature looked exactly like the Zhujiuyin on Ice Fire Island! Well, not entirely the same... because the monster in the Forgetfulness River had two densely forked dragon horns on its head. The Zhujiuyin, however, did not. Furthermore, the Zhujiuyin's scales did not emit fire from their seams.
*Buzz—*
Just then, a violent vibration emanated from Chen Xiao's chest.
Wait a minute... Chen Xiao froze abruptly! The Yin-Yang Jade was vibrating. The last time it vibrated like this was in Medicine King Valley, and it was due to the sacred relic, the Azure Wood Spirit Seed. Now, it was vibrating again! And Chen Xiao could clearly feel that the direction of its vibration was clearly towards those dragon horns. This meant... these dragon horns were the sacred relic at the bottom of the Forgetfulness River!
Discovering the key to the matter so quickly, Chen Xiao felt like a genius! If these dragon horns were removed from the monster's head... then it would look exactly like the Zhujiuyin, as if cast from the same mold.
"You are Zhujiuyin!" Chen Xiao asked tentatively.
"Hmph!" The monster huffed arrogantly again. "Boy, you finally recognize me?"
Chen Xiao was speechless again. In his heart, he grumbled, *I'm not blind. You look exactly alike, anyone with eyes could recognize you! Besides the dragon horns, the only difference is that you emit fire, and it doesn't!*
"But you guessed wrong, I am not Zhujiuyin!" the monster continued. "Zhulong is born of Yin and Yang, it is Zhujiuyin, and I am Zhujiuyang. It is the younger brother, and I am the elder brother. It is in the mortal world, and I am in the underworld. But we brothers are spiritually connected, and I am aware of everything it encounters. Including its head being severed by you, that scene is vividly etched in my memory! Since I cannot leave the Forgetfulness River, I thought revenge was hopeless. Who knew you would walk into the gates of hell when there was a clear path to heaven..."
"Stop!" Chen Xiao interrupted Zhujiuyang's incessant chatter. "Don't talk nonsense. Take the sacred relic on your head and give it to me, and I can spare your life!"
"Otherwise, your fate will be the same as your brother's!"
Upon hearing this, Zhujiuyang was so enraged that fire spewed from its nostrils. "This infuriates me! You scoundrel, you still want to kill me? I am not comparable to my foolish brother!"
Just moments ago, they were brothers with deep affection, and now it was calling its brother foolish? What kind of character was this? Chen Xiao was utterly bewildered!
As if able to read Chen Xiao's thoughts, Zhujiuyin continued, "Although my brother is foolish, Zhulong is born of Yin and Yang. It is me, and I am it. If you killed it, you killed me. Therefore, seeking revenge for it is also seeking revenge for myself!"
After listening to this convoluted explanation, Chen Xiao's bewilderment only grew! He began to suspect that Zhujiuyang had stayed in the Forgetfulness River for too long and had gone mad.
Impatiently, Chen Xiao drew his Heaven Slaying Sword and unleashed a sword qi! In any case, he intended to kill it, so there was no need for further talk. A faint blue sword qi, with a *whizz*, slashed towards Zhujiuyang. Because Chen Xiao cultivated the Nine Revolutions Azure Wave Art, his attacks were not diminished by being in the water. On the contrary, their power was enhanced when performed underwater.
*Swish!*
The sword qi shaved off several scales and flesh from Zhujiuyang. Blood gushed out, dyeing the surroundings red.
"You sneaky brat, you're truly despicable!" Zhujiuyang spat fire from its nostrils, and then the flames on its body flared up, completely healing the wounds inflicted by the sword qi. Even the scales that had fallen off grew back.
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback: "Such powerful regenerative ability!" Zhujiuyang's strength was not limited to its regenerative ability; it was also thick-skinned and possessed strong defenses! However, Zhujiuyang was not Zhujiuyin, but Chen Xiao was no longer the Chen Xiao of the past! If that sword strike had landed on Zhujiuyin, it would have likely been cut in half. But on Zhujiuyang, it only caused a superficial injury.
"You brat, prepare to face my wrath!" After healing, the flames on Zhujiuyang's body suddenly vanished. It opened its massive maw, and a colossal fireball filled its mouth. It had apparently gathered all the flames within its body into its mouth!
*Boom!*
The fireball was spewed out, instantly vaporizing the surrounding river water and creating a brief vacuum! It carved a red streak through the river, like a shooting star, hurtling towards Chen Xiao.
*Roar!*
The fireball engulfed Chen Xiao, flames spreading everywhere, as if igniting the Forgetfulness River! Zhujiuyang's triangular eyes revealed a trace of smugness and relief. "Brother, I have finally avenged you!"
However, when the flames dispersed, Zhujiuyang saw Chen Xiao floating in the river, completely unharmed. Its triangular eyes widened into obtuse angles!
"This, how is this possible... How could you have survived?" it asked incredulously.
Chen Xiao smiled disdainfully, "How does your flame compare to the Underworld Phoenix's Netherflame?" It was merely a Zhulong, not a true dragon. Its flames naturally could not be compared to true divine beasts like phoenixes. Chen Xiao, on the other hand, had been tempered in the Netherflame, reborn from the fire! These mere Zhulong flames naturally could not harm him!
Zhujiuyang's triangular eyes darted around. Spitting fire was its primary attack method... perhaps its only attack method! Yet, this move had no effect on the killer of its brother, and it became flustered.
"Hand over the sacred relic, and I will spare your life!" Chen Xiao said softly at this moment. Chen Xiao was not lying to Zhujiuyang; he was serious. The reason he didn't want to kill Zhujiuyang was not out of kindness. He simply felt that the King of Hell had some ulterior motive in the deal they made. Chen Xiao did not want the King of Hell to succeed!
However, Chen Xiao's words served as a reminder to Zhujiuyang. *Right, I still have the sacred relic! I can't kill him, and he can't kill me either!* With this thought, an arc of electricity appeared between Zhujiuyang's dragon horns! As soon as the arc appeared, it rapidly expanded... *sizzle sizzle sizzle!* The arc grew larger and larger, accumulating into a ball of lightning approximately two meters in diameter! The electric light was dazzling, making it impossible to look directly at it.
*Zzzzzzz—*
With a piercing roar, the lightning ball exploded, and the accumulated electric light conducted through the river water. Chen Xiao cried out in alarm, and then his entire body felt a tingling sensation, rendering him immobile! Although the current could not harm Chen Xiao, it could paralyze him, robbing him of his mobility! And Zhujiuyang, taking advantage of Chen Xiao's paralysis, gradually became ethereal, then transparent, and finally disappeared completely. Even Chen Xiao's divine sense could not detect its presence.
"..."
The moment Zhujiuyang completely disappeared, the paralyzing effect on Chen Xiao also vanished. Facing Zhujiuyang, who had once again concealed itself, Chen Xiao felt a mixture of joy and sorrow. The joy was that the paralyzing arc and the invisibility ability seemed to be granted to Zhujiuyang by the sacred relic. Chen Xiao quite liked these two skills. The sorrow was that Zhujiuyang had hidden again, and Chen Xiao could no longer find it.
Chen Xiao pondered deeply, and then his eyes lit up; he had an idea. *Rely on the Yin-Yang Jade!* It could sense the location of the sacred relic. With its help, perhaps it would work! However, Chen Xiao could not communicate with the Yin-Yang Jade, nor could he control it. He could only whisper, "Old Yin, whether you can find that sacred relic depends on you! If you sense it, vibrate for me, vibrate with all your might!" As he spoke, he rubbed the Yin-Yang Jade as if giving it a massage.
As it turned out, sometimes being a sycophant was quite effective. The Yin-Yang Jade soon began to vibrate violently!
*Buzz—*
*Buzz—*
*Buzz—*
Chen Xiao's lips curled into a sinister smile, and he swung his sword in the direction indicated by the Yin-Yang Jade! The sword qi surged forward, and a splash of blood floated in the water!
"Let's see where you run this time!" Chen Xiao then swung several more sword qi in rapid succession. The splashes of blood, like pinpoint explosions, continuously appeared in the water.
"Stop hitting, stop hitting! I surrender! I'll give you the sacred relic, and I won't avenge my brother anymore. Please, spare me!"
Before long, Zhujiuyang's pleas echoed in Chen Xiao's ears...