None of the corpses were intact. Some had their heads crushed, others were torn in half, and a few had their entrails spilled out, a gruesome sight.
Ye Tian looked towards the cave entrance, where several deep footprints were visible. They had four toes and were as large as washbasins, formed by the monster's powerful kicks against the ground.
Ye Tian narrowed his eyes. What was this thing?
At that moment, from behind the bushes, a pair of fist-sized, crimson eyes fixed upon Ye Tian.
"Boom!"
The ground trembled as an afterimage lunged at Ye Tian. In the blink of an eye, Ye Tian shifted his position three times, pushing his Ghostly God Steps to their absolute limit.
"Crack!"
A tree, as thick as a man's embrace, behind him was snapped by the monster's charge. Ye Tian himself was already over ten meters away, seeing the monster's appearance clearly for the first time.
The monster was clad in pale red scales, wolf-like in form, with a mouth full of sharp teeth and steel-needle-like fur on its back. Its entire body was a deep crimson.
Failing its first attack, the monster immediately charged again. Ye Tian dodged once more and struck the monster's belly with a palm. The impact felt like hitting steel, sending a jolt of pain up his arm.
However, the monster also roared, seemingly in pain from the blow. Man and beast, one pursuing, the other fleeing, Ye Tian attempted several attacks, finding the monster's hide tough and resistant to damage. Yet, striking vital points caused it considerable distress.
"Thump!"
With a dull thud, the monster's head took a punch, while simultaneously, its claw raked across Ye Tian's shoulder.
"Crack!"
Ye Tian's shoulder blade cracked. The monster, groaning, stumbled and lost its footing after landing. Ye Tian's punch had dazed it.
This was his chance. Disregarding the searing pain in his shoulder, he pressed his advantage and landed another punch on the monster's head.
The monster fell to the ground, emitting a mournful cry. Ye Tian raised his fist, about to finish it off, when he noticed its eyes staring intently at the cave entrance.
Instantly, Ye Tian's hair stood on end. He rolled on the ground, flashing several meters away, then spun around. As he turned, he saw a dragon's head had appeared at the cave entrance, not visible moments before. It resembled the one in the photograph he had seen, only much smaller.
But in the next instant, he realized something was wrong. How could a dragon have no body, only a head? Upon closer inspection, the dragon's head was hollowed out. The eye sockets were dark, and a swirling light seemed to be within them.
He slowly approached the dragon's head. From the side, he saw that it was indeed a hollowed-out skin. Inside, animal pelts had been used to create a nest. Within the nest, a small creature, lion-like and about the size of a puppy, was rolling and playing. With each roll, the dragon's head would move forward or backward.
Seeing Ye Tian approach the dragon's head, the monster roared again, attempting to lunge at him, but it stumbled and fell after only a few steps.
Ye Tian reached the dragon's head and examined the small creature. He felt it resembled a mythical spiritual beast, the Suan Ni.
He sniffed the scent emanating from the Suan Ni, then the monster's scent, and his expression turned to surprise. He murmured, "The Suan Ni was born from it? Then what is it?"
He then looked at the dragon's head and understood. The monster had likely been a wolf that underwent a mutation after consuming dragon meat. Simultaneously, it had been carrying wolf pups, resulting in the birth of a dragon offspring.
The Suan Ni was one of the dragon's offspring, one of the nine sons of the dragon. But where did the dragon's head come from?
He reached out and touched the Suan Ni's fur. The little creature showed no fear, seeming to enjoy the touch. Ye Tian gently picked it up and said, "This place is no longer safe. Why don't you come with me?"
Then he approached the monster and said, "I was going to kill you, but considering you have an infant, I will spare you for now. I am taking your child with me. I will bring it to see you later."
The monster, possessing a high level of intelligence, seemed to understand Ye Tian's words and looked at the Suan Ni in his arms with deep affection.
Ye Tian asked, "Is there anything else in this cave?"
The monster hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently.