In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 280 The Empty Dragon Head Skull

After all that commotion, Ning Xiaoxi lost all interest in wandering around the seabed. She opened the map, locked onto the location, and then darted straight to the location of the Dragon's Birth Jade Marrow.

The dragon's chalcedony was located at the dragon's head. It was only from a distance of about a mile that the full outline of the dragon's head skeleton could be seen. When she got closer, Ning Xiaoxi found that her small body was not much better than that of an ant.

If she hadn't known that this was the huge hole in the longan area, she would never have associated this tall cave with an eye socket.

Entering the eye socket, it swam upwards along the bone of the upper eyelid. A tiny ball of light crawled in the darkness within the skull. This underwater space was devoid of any fish or sea creatures, vast and deep. Floating alone here, it formed a stark contrast with the bustling world outside, giving Ning Xiaoxi a feeling of being forgotten by the world.

"null!"

A distant, faint sound traveled through the seawater.

Ning Xiaoxi stopped and listened quietly.

"null!"

It was hard to describe the sound; it didn't sound like the roar of a sea monster, nor like the sound of objects colliding.

"Xiao Jiu, what's that sound?"

Xiao Jiu looked at Ning Xiaoxi in confusion, "What sound was that? I didn't hear it!"

Ning Xiaoxi's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked seriously at Xiao Jiu on her shoulder. "You really didn't hear me?"

"null!"

The sound seemed to have no rhyme or reason, yet it traveled far, even giving Ning Xiaoxi a feeling that it came from the depths of her heart.

Floating silently in this place, neither above the skeleton nor below the sea, the only light around it was the faint glow emitted by the water-repelling pearl and the faint glow emanating from the tall, broad skull. While not completely dark, it did not fully illuminate the entire world.

Ning Xiaoxi looked at the location on the map that overlapped with her own, and her senses told her that there was something above her and nothing below.

"null!"

"null!"

Two sounds came in quick succession.

Xiao Jiu suddenly darted out, looked up at the highest skeleton, and swam straight towards it, without even waiting for Ning Xiaoxi.

Seeing that it seemed to have made some discovery, Ning Xiaoxi followed. With a free expert paving the way, what was she worried about?

Xiao Jiu was having a bad time, and every now and then there was a "hollow" sound, which started to get louder, like someone was idly tapping bones with a stick.

It was a dense skull skeleton, and you could tell it was the parietal bone. Xiao Jiu circled around it twice and pushed upwards a few times, but it didn't move.

"null!"

"null!"

After Xiao Jiu bumped into it, the sound became denser, one after another, no longer distant, as if it came from behind the skeletons above.

Ning Xiaoxi opened the map and found it was a large bulge rising from the bone—it was right on the bone. After looking around, she reached out and grabbed Xiao Jiu, and they began to swim along the nearest darkness.

"null!"

The "Kong!" sound grew shorter and shorter, as if someone was in a hurry, or urging them to hurry up.

Xiao Jiu didn't resist being pulled around, and just followed Ning Xiaoxi to the edge of the skull. Unlike the body, which was protected by a barrier built against the bones, there was a ten-foot-high area outside, completely enclosing the skull within that area.

Ning Xiaoxi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she didn't need to enter the polluted seawater, and dragged Xiao Jiu directly towards the bulge.

In the center of the skull, in the groove, there is a large bulge. The sound of "empty!" "empty!" comes from that bulge.

Ning Xiaoxi slowly swam over, with Xiao Jiu hanging down in her palm like a rope, and looked down at the bulge.

Just like bone spurs, it is made of the same material as bones and emits the same light.

She landed on the skeleton with Xiao Jiu in her arms. The hard bones under her feet were a stark contrast to the large bag in front of her, which annoyed her. Her short stature was her biggest weakness.

Ning Xiaoxi glanced down at Xiao Jiu, then raised her hand and placed it on the bulge.

Xiao Jiu smoothly climbed to the top of the bulge.

"null!"

The sudden loud noise startled Xiao Jiu, making her jump as if her fingers, which had been resting on a pregnant woman's belly, had been flung away.

Ning Xiaoxi's smile froze before it could spread, her eyes fixed on the bulge, feeling completely awful.

Xiao Jiu also lay on the mound, propping up her little head to look at Ning Xiaoxi. Both of them felt a little thirsty.

"impossible?"

"impossible."

"Then how do you explain it?"

"Should we cut it open and take a look?" Xiao Jiu was a little uncertain.

"Can you cut it open?" Ning Xiaoxi pointed to the bulge; its hardness was beyond her capabilities.

"Empty!" came a short, questioning sound.

Ning Xiaoxi took a step back, removed the Spirit Crystal Heart, and the blade gleamed coldly in the deep seawater.

"Empty!" There was a hint of excitement inside the bulge.

Xiao Jiu quickly swam to Ning Xiaoxi's neck, "Is this thing hard enough?"

Ning Xiaoxi tossed the Spirit Crystal Heart Greatsword in her hand. "Don't worry, if we can't take it anymore, we'll retreat. We won't fight to the death!"

Lingjingxin's greatsword trembled slightly, indicating that she understood.

Ning Xiaoxi raised her ten-foot-long broadsword and suddenly brought it down on the bulge.

"Buzz!"

A low, muffled thud was heard, but Ning Xiaoxi didn't feel any impact from her hands at all.

The spirit crystal heart skipped a beat and transformed into a whip that wrapped around Ning Xiaoxi's arm.

A faint, dim light emanated from the bulge. Xiao Jiu moved closer, but the light, though not dazzling, blocked her path.

"Buzz!" Another vibration came, and the light on the bulge became even brighter.

"Crack!" A tiny crack appeared on the top of the bulge.

Ning Xiaoxi opened her eyes wide, and Xiao Jiu desperately moved forward.

But after this small crack appeared, the faint glow began to dim slowly.

"Empty! Empty! Empty!"

The short, urgent call rang out again.

Xiao Jiu turned her head 180 degrees to look at Ning Xiaoxi, which made her tremble all over. She raised her hand and swung the Spirit Crystal Heart Greatsword down again.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!" At the point where the blade struck, the patterns began to expand rapidly, quickly covering the entire bulge.

Xiao Jiu suddenly grabbed Ning Xiaoxi's arm and pulled her back quickly.

Ning Xiaoxi was lightly pulled and flew ten feet away.

A bright blue light suddenly shone from the bulge, tearing through the surrounding space. A hissing sound came from the cracks in the space, further ripping apart the adjacent area. Then the wind blew out again, tearing through space once more.

In an instant, the seabed, which had been so calm that the seawater was almost imperceptible, began to boil. Rolling currents surged, and the entire space was cut into a mess. Dust and sand churned up, blocking the view from the outside and preventing light from shining out.

Xiao Jiu pulled Ning Xiaoxi's arm and retreated ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) again.