Chapter 315 Taking a bath almost made me drown

Zhou Jue's blood almost froze in that instant.

run!

That was the only thought left in my mind.

Without thinking, she pushed off with her feet and started to retreat rapidly.

It's too late.

"Splash—!"

The black river surface suddenly exploded without warning!

A huge head suddenly emerged from the water, creating a huge splash.

The head resembled a crocodile, but was a hundred times more ferocious. It had no eyes, only a huge mouth that split open to the base of its ears, filled with countless sharp teeth.

Before Zhou Jue could even get a clear look at it, a foul-smelling gust of wind, carrying a tremendous suction force, rushed towards him.

She felt as if she were being grabbed by an invisible hand, and was involuntarily pulled towards that abyss-like maw.

"No!"

Zhou Jue roared and gathered his spiritual power in his feet, pinning them firmly to the ground.

It's useless.

The difference in strength between her and that behemoth was far too great.

His feet carved two deep furrows in the ground, and he was eventually dragged off the ground.

The world spun around.

The river water instantly submerged her head.

"Glug... Glug..."

A series of bubbles burst from her mouth and nose, the air in her lungs was instantly squeezed out, and the icy river water rushed in.

A feeling of suffocation gripped her instantly.

Underwater, her consciousness and vision were severely suppressed, and she could only vaguely see a huge outline that tightly bound her, tightening its grip and dragging her deeper into the river.

She can't die here!

She endured the suffocating pain and mobilized the little spiritual energy left in her dantian.

In the water, the flow of spiritual energy is obscure and sluggish, as if it were stuck in a swamp.

She finally managed to condense a golden blade of spiritual energy at her fingertips and stabbed it fiercely at the monster's body that was entangled around her.

"clang!"

A muffled thud.

It felt like piercing the toughest cowhide—slippery, tough, and impossible to penetrate even a fraction.

The monster's body was covered with an extremely thick layer of keratinous skin, which secreted a slippery mucus that drained most of her power.

When the first attack failed, the monster tightened its grip even more.

Zhou Jue felt as if his ribs could break at any moment.

She began to struggle violently, but it was all in vain, wasting her already limited physical and spiritual energy.

No... If this continues, I'll only exhaust myself!

calm!

We must calm down!

Zhou Jue forced herself to give up the futile struggle and let the monster drag her down.

She had one last chance before she completely lost consciousness.

She closed her eyes, condensing her already dissipating consciousness and spiritual power into fine needles, which she frantically probed along the monster's smooth skin.

No weaknesses!

His entire body was covered by that tough layer of skin!

Is there really no other way?

Despair seeped into her heart little by little.

Just then, her divine sense detected a faint energy fluctuation that was completely different from the others.

It's located below the monster's massive head, near the jawline.

There was a palm-sized area with relatively soft skin, and beneath it, it seemed, lay its energy core—the crystal core!

Chance!

Only once!

Zhou Jue suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of madness flashing in them.

She stopped trying to attack the monster's body and instead poured all her spiritual power into her dantian.

This isn't an attack, it's self-destruction!

Even underwater, the self-destruction of a Nascent Soul cultivator would be powerful enough to severely injure this giant beast.

But she will die too.

Just as she was about to commit suicide, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning.

Breakthrough Shovel!

Yes! And there's also the boundary-breaking shovel!

Almost instinctively, with a thought, the boundary-breaking shovel that she had always carried on her back appeared in her hand.

The monster seemed to be quite intelligent; it sensed Zhou Jue's intentions.

The binding force suddenly increased, and at the same time, the huge mouth bit down hard on Zhou Jue's head!

Now!

Zhou Jue did not try to stop the gaping maw.

She aimed the tip of her boundary-breaking shovel at the weak point locked by her divine sense.

Then, he detonated the last bit of spiritual energy in his dantian!

"boom!"

A small explosion occurred within her dantian.

This force did not spread outwards, but was instead channeled into her right arm, which was holding the boundary-breaking shovel, in a decisive manner!

The meridians in his entire arm were severed inch by inch in an instant!

The excruciating pain caused Zhou Jue's vision to go black.

But her hand remained as steady as a rock.

With the unparalleled explosive power gained from this self-harm, the boundary-breaking shovel in her hand transformed into a streak of dark light that flashed by in the dark river!

"Pfft—!"

This time, it wasn't a dull thud.

It was the sound of a sharp blade piercing through all obstacles and striking straight at the heart of the enemy!

The entire shovel pierced through that soft skin without any obstruction, disappearing into the handle!

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

"Awooo—!!!!"

A painful roar exploded in Zhou Jue's mind!

The massive body wrapped around her suddenly stiffened, then began to twist violently in an even more frenzied manner!

The force that had bound her disappeared.

Zhou Jue was flung away like a rag doll.

Her consciousness was already blurred.

Driven by her survival instinct, she used her last ounce of strength to paddle with her arms, which no longer belonged to her, upwards, upwards!

"Splash!"

The head broke the surface of the water.

"Cough...cough cough cough!"

The fresh air rushed into Zhou Jue's lungs, causing him to choke and cough up river water mixed with blood.

She floated on the water, gasping for breath, greedily inhaling every breath of air.

Alive.

She is still alive.

Not far away, the enormous water beast was helplessly rolling on the river surface, its black blood staining the water within a hundred meters in all directions.

Its vitality is rapidly fading away.

Zhou Jue glanced at his limp right arm, then at the corpse of the water beast in the distance, his face devoid of any joy.

She dragged her battered body and slowly swam over.

Pulling out the shovel stuck in the monster's jaw, enduring the stench, he dissected its flesh.

She dug out a crystal core the size of a baby's fist, completely black.

The energy contained in this crystal core is far greater and purer than all the crystal cores she has obtained before combined!

Without hesitation, she grasped the crystal core with her left hand and began to absorb it frantically.

A pure and gentle water-based energy flowed into her parched meridians.

The severed meridians are being repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The depleted spiritual energy was being rapidly replenished.

Zhou Jue swam back to shore, collapsed on the grass, and let the energy wash over his body.

Underwater combat is her absolute weakness.

With the flow of spiritual energy restricted, the power of the talisman is greatly reduced.

I survived this time thanks to seven parts luck.

As she recovered, she replayed the battle in her mind.

What if we could attach spiritual energy to the water to form water blades or water tornadoes?

If you could inscribe water-repelling techniques on your body beforehand, would you be able to breathe freely underwater?

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

This damned place is forcing her to learn, adapt, and evolve in the cruelest way possible.

The body's injuries healed rapidly under the immense energy of the crystal core.

The spiritual energy was replenished once again, and even more condensed than before.

Zhou Jue slowly stood up, clenched his right fist which had been restored to its original state, and felt the surging power within his body.

She looked into the depths of the jungle, her eyes becoming incredibly sharp.

Just as she was about to choose her next direction.

"Whoosh—! Whoosh—!"

A huge flapping sound came from above.

The sky suddenly darkened.

A huge shadow completely enveloped her.

Zhou Jue suddenly looked up.