"Haa…" Yuan let out a deep sigh, lifting his head to assess the damage they had taken.
The most seriously injured was clearly Haoran, his right arm had been pierced in several places, and without treatment, it could quickly become a severe injury. As for the others, they had only minor wounds, some light scratches and a few deeper cuts, but nothing life-threatening.
"Yuxin, help Haoran with his arm. You're the most knowledgeable about treating wounds," Yuan instructed.
Yuxin immediately nodded and rushed over to Haoran, who still stood frozen in place. Blood from his arm had pooled on the ground beneath him, forming a small red puddle. His face was pale, and his breathing unsteady.
Without wasting time, Yuxin got to work. She quickly assessed the injury, did her best to stop the bleeding, and began issuing orders to the others, directing them to gather what materials she needed. For the next hour, she carefully tended to Haoran's wounds. Slowly, the bleeding stopped, and some color returned to his face.
During that hour, they encountered a few more beasts, but none as dangerous as the wolf-like ones they had fought earlier. From what they observed, the three green furred beasts were just regular wild animals, but the horned one Yuan had killed was indeed a demonic beast.
They stored the horned beast's corpse in the bag of holding, not just for the tournament points, but also as a valuable resource. Additionally, they harvested and stored the bodies of the lesser beasts as well, planning to use them for food.
With Haoran able to move again, they resumed their journey. This time, they were far more cautious, unwilling to repeat the mistakes they'd made earlier.
They also collected the fangs from the wolf like beasts and began using them as improvised weapons. However, Yuan soon noticed that the fangs were wearing down with use, their edges growing dull and less effective.
Without a proper method to sharpen them, they'd become useless over time.
Only the fang taken from the demonic beast remained sharp and sturdy. Yuan could feel a faint pressure emanating from it, as if the fang itself held a trace of power.
And as they continued deeper into the forest, Yuan noticed something else, the air was slowly growing colder.
"We need to find shelter soon, or we'll be caught in the rain," Yuan said, glancing up, though all he could see were the thick canopy of branches and leaves overhead.
"Yeah... it's definitely getting colder. I think it'll rain any moment now," Tianyu agreed, though his voice carried a note of uncertainty. It wasn't clear whether they'd find anything in time.
As they continued forward, they suddenly spotted a small group of beasts running through the underbrush ahead, moving quickly in one direction.
Yuan's eyes lit up. He raised his hand, signaling the group to stop.
"Let's follow them," he said. "They might be heading toward their den. If we're lucky, it could be just what we need."
With no better plan and little to lose, the group followed Yuan's lead. To their surprise, they didn't encounter a single beast during the pursuit, no threats, no obstacles. This only made Yuan more certain they were headed toward some kind of shelter. The beasts were either returning home or going out to hunt.
Either way, it was a gamble, but one worth taking.
They trailed the beasts for nearly two hours. By that time, Yuxin was struggling to keep up, her stamina nearly gone, and Haoran, still recovering from blood loss, was pale and weak. Still, they pushed forward.
Finally, their effort paid off.
The small group of beasts disappeared into a narrow cave nestled in a rock face. The entrance was just a bit larger than the beasts themselves, barely big enough for a small child to crawl through.
They paused a short distance away, crouching low and listening for any sound from within. Minutes passed. Five. Ten. Still nothing.
They wanted to wait longer to be sure, but the heavens didn't grant them that time.
Raindrops began to fall, soft at first, but steady. It was no longer an option to wait.
Yuan let out a quiet sigh, then focused his senses, scanning the spiritual energy in the area. Nothing felt out of place.
"I'm going in," he said, gripping the demonic beast fang tightly in his hand.
His black eyes were sharp and alert. Even though he had experience with killing, this kind of situation, entering a potential beast lair in the middle of a storm, was new to him. And dangerous.
So he moved with caution, ready for anything.
The cave sloped downward, and as Yuan crawled through the narrow entrance, he could barely stand upright. His footing slipped, and he began to fall, but using his legs, he managed to slow himself down, guiding his descent carefully. It wasn't graceful, but he landed with only a minor jolt.
As he reached the end of the narrow passage, the cave suddenly opened up into a wide chamber, roughly ten meters across in both length and width. Yuan's eyes swept the space and what he saw made them widen.
Dozens of beasts filled the cavern.
Even more surprising were the multiple tunnel openings that led into this central area, suggesting that it was a shared den for creatures coming from different directions. A convergence point.
He only took a second to register all of this before a low, hostile growl rippled through the chamber.
The moment Yuan made eye contact with the beasts, they all turned to him, snarling, growling, glaring with bared teeth. It was as if his presence alone had deeply offended them.
But Yuan wasn't the kind to be intimidated by growls alone.
With the fang of the demonic beast firmly in his grip, his eyes turned sharp and cold. He dropped into a defensive stance, waiting to see how the beasts would react.
They didn't hesitate.
The first to charge was a massive creature, clearly too large to have entered through the same narrow passage Yuan had come from. It had no claws, but its sheer size and heavy limbs told Yuan everything he needed to know, one solid hit could easily break his bones.
As the beast lunged and swung its thick arm at him, Yuan dodged with a quick sidestep.
"Too slow," he thought.
With its wide opening exposed, Yuan drove the fang into its side and twisted sharply. The beast howled in pain and reeled back for a second attack, but Yuan pushed the fang deeper and twisted again.
Within moments, the creature collapsed, unconscious.
The entire exchange had lasted no more than three seconds.
But this was just the beginning.
That beast wasn't the only one reacting to his intrusion. More of them stirred, ready to attack. Yuan quickly assessed the situation, none of them seemed to be demonic beasts, just normal wild ones.
"I'll take out the fast ones first," Yuan decided. "Then deal with the strong ones."
He tightened his grip on the fang and prepared for the next wave of attackers.
As Yuan continued his silent slaughter, the narrow entrance he had come through rustled again. A figure slipped down and landed hard on the floor, it was Tianyu.
Yuan heard the movement behind him and glanced back briefly, just enough to see Tianyu arrive.
Tianyu's eyes widened. Scattered near his feet were the corpses of several beasts, blood still fresh. Then his gaze shifted to Yuan, still moving, still fighting. And finally, he took in the full scale of the cave.
"Brother, need help?" Tianyu called out, still slightly confused by the scene before him. "Why didn't he summon us earlier?" he wondered.
But Yuan only replied between heavy breaths, not taking his eyes off the battle, "Do what you want."
He ducked under a lunging beast, spun, and sliced it down in one fluid motion.
To Tianyu, it didn't look like a battle, it looked like a dance.
Yuan's footwork was constant, never staying in one place. His hands moved with precision, his body twisted and flowed like water, dodging attacks with impossible grace. At times, he even used the beasts' own momentum against them, letting them kill themselves through their reckless charges.
It was a deadly, beautiful dance, performed under the dim glow of blood splattered across the cave walls. In the darkness, crimson gleamed like light, and Tianyu stood frozen, stunned and almost entranced by the haunting sight.
Then he shook himself out of it, realizing that Yuan clearly didn't need his help. Glancing back up the entrance tunnel, he called, "Come down, all of you!"
One by one, the rest of the group descended into the cave, helping each other down carefully. As Tianyu explained the situation to them, they stood in shocked silence.
The rain had dampened their clothes, but what truly chilled them was the scene inside: a dark cavern filled with corpses and blood. The stench was overwhelming. A few of them gagged, struggling not to vomit, but all of them forced themselves to endure it.
Eventually, the chaos gave way to stillness.
The growls and screeches of the beasts had long since faded. Yuan now sat atop the corpse of one of the larger beasts, his eyes aloof, his breath slowly turned normal and is covered in blood.
He didn't speak. He simply sat there in the silence of his victory, as the others stood in awe and unease, realizing just how far ahead Yuan truly was.