Chapter 53: Zhu Yan

It was covered in dirt, only a foot long, but it had three heads and six arms, resembling a monkey yet somehow not quite. The little one was puzzled and alarmed. With all living beings within a hundred thousand miles having perished, how could such a peculiar creature have survived? It must be extraordinary.

The great lake had dried up, and the mud at the bottom had hardened into rock. One of this creature's legs was buried in the mud, now seemingly sealed in stone, unable to be pulled out.

Surrounding mountains had all been severed, as if swept away by a colossal force, destroying the entire mountain range, leaving only the lower halves of the peaks.

The drying of the great lake was due to these drastic changes in the terrain. This once-vast expanse of water was now lifeless, no longer the boundless expanse of azure waves it had been.

Three-headed young birds circled, sometimes diving into the clouds, sometimes skimming the lake's bottom. The little one sat on the back of Ziyun, staring down. He took some food from a beast-hide bundle and tossed it down.

The creature, seemingly starving, grabbed the meat that fell beside it and devoured it voraciously. It then looked up with a longing expression, its gaze fixed on the sky.

"It seems there is no immediate danger, but this creature is quite odd. Ziyun, lower a bit so we can take a closer look," the little one said.

Ziyun descended, hovering above the dried lakebed. The little one’s arms glowed, and a swath of symbols appeared, casting a shower of light that fell upon the creature.

The monkey-like creature, a foot long, widened its eyes in surprise and nervousness. The light shower made it translucent, almost transparent.

This was a bone-attribute technique, used to detect the true state of an opponent. The little one was startled and said, "It has sustained severe injuries. Its body contains complex symbols, but most have been worn away. Other details are obscured by mysterious forces."

After confirming there was no immediate threat, Shi Hao leapt down to the ground. The three young birds emitted low growls, glowing and ready for battle.

"This lake has been dry for over a year. Could it have been trapped here, not eating or drinking all this time?" the little one wondered.

The lakebed was hard and as unyielding as mountain rock. The foot-long creature had a skin like a silkworm pupa, with only a small part recently shed.

"Has it undergone some kind of transformation and just recently emerged from being wrapped in mud? It must have been sealed for at least a year or two," Shi Hao remarked with surprise.

The three-headed, six-armed creature made soft sounds, and its six arms waved in unison, seeking food from Shi Hao.

The little one opened the bundle and handed it a piece of dried meat, asking, "What kind of creature are you? Why were you trapped here?"

The creature’s large eyes grew round, and as it gulped down the meat, it seemed to ponder. Eventually, it appeared bewildered, even forgetting to eat. It rubbed its head angrily, clearly frustrated with itself.

"Ah, you're really undergoing a transformation. Another piece of old skin has come off."

The creature’s old skin was caked with dry mud. After peeling away some hard skin from one arm, it revealed a shiny, radiant fur, brilliant like golden silk, far more pleasing than its dust-covered old skin.

It was weak, having just revived, and had been unable to free its sealed leg. It often displayed a confused expression, scratching its ears and trying hard to remember something.

Curious, the little one’s arm glowed again, and another shower of light fell on it.

The creature shrieked, startled, its entire body shining and translucent. Its internally fragmented complex symbols flickered, enveloping it in a way that made it impossible to probe further.

"Could it have suffered severe injuries, forcing it into this difficult transformation to survive?" Shi Hao wondered, observing the creature’s severe state.

Crack!

The monkey-like creature suddenly radiated a brilliant golden light, its body cracking apart with a series of sharp sounds. All its old skin fell away, revealing its true form.

During this process, its three heads and six arms blurred and quickly transformed into a single head with two arms, returning to a normal appearance.

"Wow, it actually changed. Could that have been a kind of treasure technique?" the little one exclaimed in surprise.

After shedding its old skin and putting away the treasure technique, it became radiant, freeing the sealed leg. It squeaked incessantly, and its body had shrunk to only about three inches tall.

This transformation was astonishing, making it look like a completely different creature. It was round and golden, like a golden fist. A slight push could send it rolling like a golden ball.

It still resembled a monkey but had become round, golden, and fist-sized. Its large eyes were especially expressive, even bigger than Shi Hao’s. Each blink sparkled with light.

"How cute!" The little one immediately scooped it up and placed it in his palm, rubbing and squeezing it, causing streams of golden light to flow.

The golden ball struggled vigorously, staring with its large eyes and continuously making noise.

Without hesitation, the little one stuffed a piece of meat into its mouth, instantly silencing it. It devoured the food like a starving ghost, rolling around in his hand, nibbling rapidly.

Shi Hao grabbed its monkey tail, but the golden ball remained unmoved, hanging there, clutching the food, and eating without paying him any attention.

The little one laughed heartily, delighted, and played with it, flipping it around, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Eventually, the golden ball grew angry, not because of the play, but because it had run out of food and noticed that the little one had not given it more.

"Ha ha ha!" The little one laughed, offering another piece of meat, but the golden ball continued to ignore everything else, content to devour the food, regardless of how it was handled.

Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiao Qing watched in astonishment, landing nearby and staring at the golden ball with curious eyes. Just moments ago, this creature had been three-headed and six-armed, an ancient and formidable treasure technique that had made them anxious. Yet now, the golden ball was only concerned with food.

Finding such a creature meant that any further insights could not be gained on the battlefield. The little one, holding the golden ball by its tail, sat on Ziyun's back and headed toward Stone Village.

The strong wind surged as the three young birds landed on the green grass by the lake. A group of children gathered around, their faces filled with astonishment.

"What is this? A newborn monkey? How is it golden and shiny like it's made of gold?"

"It's so round it can roll around on the ground."

"Wow, it eats so much! Even pulling its tail doesn't bother it. It just keeps eating."

The lake was beautiful, with clear blue waters and green grass on the shore. In the distance, brightly colored large birds wandered, and auspicious beasts occasionally appeared.

A group of children sat on the grass, staring at the creature and occasionally laughing.

Eventually, the golden ball crawled into the little one's beast-hide bag and continued eating without stopping, devouring a whole bag of dried meat. It was only then that the children realized something was amiss.

"Oh my god, it’s only the size of a fist. How can it eat such a huge bag of food? How can its little belly hold that much?"

"What kind of monkey is this?"

The commotion caught the attention of the adults, and Shi Feijiao and others approached.

"It’s not a monkey. It can transform. When we first discovered it, it had three heads and six arms and even shed a layer of old skin like a golden cicada," the little one explained.

"What? Three heads and six arms? That’s a legendary supreme treasure technique!" Shi Feijiao was astonished. Over the years, he had learned many secrets while training with the clan leader.

"Unfortunately, it almost died. The symbols inside it shattered, so we can't observe it anymore," the little one said regretfully.

At this point, several elderly clan members were alerted. The mention of "three heads and six arms" left them stunned. The clan leader, Shi Yunfeng, also arrived and crouched down to examine it carefully.

The golden ball grew irate, making continuous noises because it had finished all the food.

With a "thud," a child threw a red fruit at it, and the golden ball quieted down, settling back to gnaw at the fruit while everyone continued their inspection.

"This thing is extraordinary," the clan leader said after a glance, his expression turning serious.

"What kind of monkey is this, Clan Leader?" a child asked.

"This is no ordinary monkey," Shi Yunfeng said, lifting its two small legs for a closer look. The crowd followed suit, and they were astonished to find that its feet were red, as fiery as burning coals. Unless lifted, the golden fur on its legs concealed the bright, fiery redness.

"This truly is a legendary creature," the old clan leader trembled with shock, feeling as if he was facing an unparalleled terror.

"Grandpa Clan Leader, what is it?" Little Shi Hao asked.

"In ancient legends, there was a formidable beast called Zhu Yan. It resembled a monkey, with red feet and a white head. Its appearance would signal great turmoil in the region."

The crowd gasped in fear and instinctively took a step back. How could this golden ball be so formidable?

"It’s an ancient ferocious beast?" The crowd's hearts raced, feeling a chill. Unless a deity intervened, who could subdue an ancient beast?

"But wait, its head isn’t white," the snotty-nosed child pointed out.

"Naturally, it’s not an ancient beast. It must be a relic species, with possibly impure bloodlines. For some reason, it has suffered severe injuries," the clan leader explained.

Even so, the crowd was still shaken. No matter how impure the bloodline, an ancient relic species could still be a terrifying force.

The only relief was that the golden ball appeared harmless, merely a glutton with no apparent danger.

Moreover, it had been severely injured, and its internal symbols had shattered.

"It’s a pity that the legendary supreme treasure technique was destroyed," the group lamented as they calmed down.

"Wait, it has horns on its head." The little one touched its head and not only did he not find any white hair, but he also noticed a pair of small protrusions among the golden fur, which didn’t quite match Zhu Yan.

A closer inspection revealed that the pair of small protrusions, hidden within the fur, gleamed. With careful observation, it became apparent that they were a pair of麟角 (unicorn-like horns).