Infinite Hunter

Cheng Yijiu actually has subcutaneous fat, a very thin, compressed layer that is very tough. A closer look reveals that Cheng Yijiu's lips have indeed degenerated, degenerating to a thin layer on the gums. However, the gums have become more developed, providing more support and protection for the tooth roots. The enamel is very thick, making the teeth appear very strong and sturdy, like teeth that can chew large bones.

The canines are proportionally larger than a dog's, comparable to a tiger's. This exaggerated appearance is due to the contrast with the lips and the direction of tooth growth. Cheng Yijiu's teeth are relatively slanted, with the canines in the lower jaw being more developed, resulting in a staggered pattern. This, combined with his face, creates a prominent skull-like appearance. The rear molars are also very large, with a tricuspid bite surface that easily crushes bone. The canine tips are not as sharp, similar to those of a tiger's teeth.

It was much thicker, and that mouth was truly lethal—the largest and most ferocious mouth of any terrestrial mammal. The scientists took out a measuring tape and began measuring the length of various parts, starting with the nose and running along the spine to the tail. They confirmed the length to be 17.23 meters. Since they didn't dare to straighten Cheng Yijiu's legs, they could only estimate the shoulder height to be 5.3 meters. "The way this claw folds is almost identical to that of a cat."

But this beast had five claws, both front and back. This is typically a trait of mustelids and bears; cats and dogs lack one on their hind legs. The experts began examining Cheng Yijiu with instruments. A CT scan would have to be a mobile device. As for drawing a blood sample? Inserting a needle into this beast's veins wouldn't be easy. Looking at its mouth, it seemed easier to penetrate and draw blood. But if the beast were awakened, Situ Jiong would likely be unable to calm it down.

The only option was to use a cotton swab to take a sample from the monster's mouth. To draw blood, several students worked together, bending several of the largest needles before finally successfully inserting it and extracting about 100 milliliters of blood. Another option was a B-ultrasound, which revealed a large air sac in Cheng Yijiu's body—an organ never before seen in living mammals.

Only birds and extinct archosaurs possess air sacs, organs that allow for efficient double breathing and reduce weight. This is difficult to explain—after all, mammals like creodon don't have air sacs. This begs the question: could this Taowu be a dinosaur? A surviving four-legged carnivorous dinosaur?

Chapter 17

This is a huge problem—all previous classification papers need to be torn up. This warm-blooded beast has secondary respiratory air sacs, which definitely excludes it from all existing mammalian carnivorous families, and even its existence in the order Carnivora is questionable. It might even be dragged into the archosaurs, making them relatives of birds. A quadrupedal carnivorous dinosaur, such as Spinosaurus, is only seen in the early days of the dinosaur era.

Speaking of Spinosaurus, the biology professors present looked at each other. "This head has a long snout, somewhat similar... and also has no lips." But what about the shaped teeth? Of course, it can be described as evolutionary. As for the hair on its body... aren't feathers and hair the same thing? Is this thing really a dinosaur? It still requires careful analysis.

The monster's tail also proved to be a deadly weapon—much like a rattlesnake's tail, its hollow cuticles nested layer by layer, the exposed portion forming a sharp, blade-like structure. Like a mace or a multifaceted iron mace, a single glancing blow could inflict devastating damage. Its lethality was undoubtedly even greater than the monster's claws, but of course, the most terrifying aspect was its enormous mouth.

Cheng Yijiu's number of teeth is also different from that of cats, dogs, bears, and martens. He has a total of fifty-six teeth. In a scan of his head, researchers even discovered the presence of small teeth beneath his gums. This means that if a tooth is damaged, it can fall out and regenerate, similar to sharks and dinosaurs, whose teeth can be replaced throughout their lives.

This further distanced him from mammals, which only have two sets of teeth throughout their lives.

The most surprising thing was that they found no mammary organs. Even if this was a male, without vestigial mammary organs, it was definitely not a mammal. Both surface examination and ultrasound scans revealed no connective tissue, confirming that this creature was likely a bird.

This beast is either a lizard, a bird, or a remnant of a four-legged carnivorous dinosaur. This is arguably the biggest news in the biological world—this beast alone has erupted twice, once when it was discovered and again now. It doesn't belong to any existing land beast classification.

The most crucial thing is that it appeared out of nowhere, with no clues about its origins. Existing fossils show no possible ancestors of this creature, and the closest resemblance is to fossils of the Spinosaurus/Crocodylus lineage. However, the claim that Cheng Yijiu, this beast, evolved from the Spinosaurus lineage over 65 million years is completely hypothetical, as no fossils of any intermediate stages have been found.

No, there are none at the moment, so we should increase our efforts in fossil excavation in this area.

Cheng Yijiu felt a little itchy, and even in his sleep he stretched out his claws to scratch. He rubbed the hard-to-reach parts of his back against the corner of the building. This friction made the building shake a little, and a large piece of the wall was scraped off. If it were an ordinary building, it would have collapsed. Even so, the steel bars inside were exposed.

This action terrified everyone outside, fearing the anesthetic would wear off and Cheng Yijiu would wake up. Situ Jiong said he could soothe him, but few believed him. If this were just a large tiger, everyone would have believed Situ Jiong, but this was Taowu, and there was no way Situ Jiong could trust him. What if this creature woke up grumpy and wanted a snack? Would there be two people present to feed him?

Situ Jiong quickly ran to Cheng Yijiu's head and touched his forehead. "It's okay, it's okay. The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet, but we have to speed up everything we do." Cheng Yijiu's heartbeat quickened slightly, proving that he was gradually waking up. Everyone began to pack up and hurried back to the bunker to close the door.

Situ Jiong huddled at the entrance of the small building, watching. Others hid in the bunker, watching through cameras, and some were directly compiling data on computers. Cheng Yijiu's movements began, first his limbs began to move, his nostrils puffing air, and his head began to move. Suddenly, the Taowu opened its eyes, shook its head, and stood up. Situ Jiong, of course, heard the giant beast say, "Ah, it slept quite comfortably."

Cheng Yijiu knew he was most likely being ambushed—the numerous human scents here proved this—but he wasn't angry at all. If this could help calm the curiosity of these troublesome creatures, it would be a good thing. Besides, as a hunter, Cheng Yijiu was also quite curious about what kind of creature this was. Was it really the result of the continued evolution of dinosaurs?

This time, he finally felt something in his heart at this moment. "Ah, this familiar feeling!" He always felt as if another unlucky person had appeared. Cheng Yijiu felt very comfortable, so he left this place happily - "Come again next time!"

Everyone was relieved that the Taowu had just left. Now it was time to quickly analyze the findings. The first step was to publish a simple paper stating that the previous classifications were completely wrong. This creature was not related to any living mammals, and if anything, it was actually a "bird." This was news that sent shockwaves through the biological community. Chinese scientists had actually conducted a physical examination of the largest land carnivore and reached such an outrageous conclusion.

Blood samples were immediately sent for testing, and the results showed that these cells were almost identical to mammalian red blood cells, unlike those of birds and reptiles. They lacked a nucleus and possessed the same highly efficient oxygen and nutrient transport capabilities. This was incredibly awkward; this creature possessed dual respiratory organs, such as air sacs, yet its blood was mammalian. Furthermore, X-ray examination of its skeleton revealed that its general skeletal structure was also similar to that of mammals.

However, this creature also possesses supporting bones in its chest and abdomen, a type not found in mammals or birds. This allows it to maintain its enormous size without sacrificing flexibility. The hollow bones are incredibly strong. Analysis of claw samples from the scraped claws revealed a unique keratin structure—extremely hard yet exceptionally tough. Indeed, this creature's claws also possess a multi-layered structure, much like a high-performance knife crafted by humans.

The creature's blood also contained some unknown cells and other components. Testing revealed a strong immunity against common bacteria and viruses—it was naturally immune to rabies...

Chapter 18

Could such a powerful immune system be used to treat disease? No, it would only cause a terrifying immune storm, destroying every organ in the body of anyone other than Cheng Yijiu's Taowu. Of course, researchers have also discovered that this beast possesses a special enzyme called telomerase that can repair telomeres, giving it a remarkable regenerative capacity. This means that with sufficient nutrition and time, any injury sustained by this Taowu can be completely healed. Loss of limbs, blindness, and the like can likely be completely regenerated.

It also shows one thing, that is, this beast should have a long lifespan, perhaps it is the longest-lived animal on land - at least one that can live for more than three hundred years.

Fortunately, the examination results also showed that the beast has almost stopped growing, and it is impossible for it to continue to grow to an exaggerated length of 30 or 40 meters. This telomerase has attracted great interest from the biological community. The significance of repairing telomeres is longevity, and it is healthy and youthful longevity - much better than Melatonin.

Now that we had the enzyme, we could try to make it proliferate, and also to see if we could implant it into lactic acid bacteria, allowing them to produce the enzyme. Unfortunately, the experiment failed repeatedly—this was six months after the sampling.

The debate over which animal phylum Cheng Yijiu's Taowu should be classified into has been ongoing, with no conclusion yet. For the past six months, Cheng Yijiu had rarely visited Situ Jiong, having simply found a cave and fallen asleep, completely denying the professors a second opportunity to drug him and take samples. This time, even drones couldn't find him, and infrared cameras couldn't penetrate the mountain, leaving the university professors terribly anxious.

Situ Jiong heard from the cats, dogs and birds that the giant beast had gone to find a place to sleep, but it was difficult to say it out loud - otherwise, could he just ask directly, "Can I communicate with animals?"

Someone suggested creating a new phylum directly below the Chordata. "A phylum of mountain and sea creatures would be great. A single phylum could then be divided into the classes of Theridia, Aves, Pisces, and so on, and then categorized. I think the genus Taowu, from the family Tetrapodidae, in the order Carnivora, class Theridia, would be a good candidate. If similar creatures are discovered in the future, we can just add them in there. I think our ancestors probably did discover such creatures."

This statement is of course opposed by many people, but it is also supported by many people - at least most people in China agree with it, while some big Vs on Zhihu oppose it...

This creature is similar to the ancient hallucinogenic worms; it's certainly difficult to classify. But a beast that size doesn't necessarily spring from a rock, does it? It's neither bird nor archosaur, and certainly not mammal. So, why not open a new phylum? After months of discussion, this seems to be the most appropriate—though not a new phylum, since this beast is also a vertebrate.

Instead, create a new class called Shanhaita, add the order Carnivora, and leave the rest unchanged. The Four Evils are all very similar mammals and can be grouped together. As for the other beasts from the Shanhaijing, they can definitely be divided further. Of course, some can indeed be classified within the phylum of modern organisms.

Cheng Yijiu was sleeping soundly. The cave he was in was very deep. The place where he was sleeping was more than 30 meters deep and even sunlight could not penetrate.

Meanwhile, another major news story broke—an extremely unscientific discovery in Zhejiang's Tianmu Mountain area of ​​a massive beast comparable in size to Cheng Yijiu's Taowu. It also stood on all fours, resembling a tiger in armor, its head encased in a carapace resembling a military commander's helmet. It was, in fact, a genus of the genus Yuanhulong, roughly the same size as the genus Cangcaurus, both around seventeen meters tall, though the genus Yuanhulong was slightly heavier.

This creature looked like a heavily armored warrior, a completely different style from Cheng Yijiu, yet it also defied biology. What could one call this heavily armored beast? A feline? Did any animal grow combat weapons like wrist blades and tridents? This was when the Shan Hai Jing theory came into play, and it immediately sealed the deal—this incredibly cunning and ferocious beast was given the name Qiongqi, the second genus and second species within the Four Fierce Families.

The Four Evils have appeared, and the Chinese internet is buzzing with reports of a resurgence of spiritual energy and the return of immortality—though none of the Taoists have yet managed to achieve anything truly magical. The same goes for the monks, whose chanting hasn't yielded any golden bodies. Qiongqi is even more vicious than Taowu, having already harmed fourteen people—after all, this is the Tianmu Mountain tourist area. Even if many areas are off-limits to tourists, the staff and villagers alone will be harmed.

It was normal for a beast to kill dangerous individuals within its territory. All fourteen people were killed—only six of them had their bodies found, and they were mutilated. The remaining eight had not been found, but were confirmed to have been missing for over forty-eight hours and were presumed dead. Because a staff member actually filmed the beast's attack—luckily, it wasn't his target.

This beast was discovered by tourists using binoculars on the trail, basking in the sun on a hilltop. It subsequently attacked a village, carrying off pigs and cattle. Again, it was tracked by drones, but this time there was no Situ Jiong to appease it and allow for an inspection—this monster's temper was far more violent. From the moment it appeared, its movements shifted, intentionally or unintentionally, toward the west...

This creature traveled westward along the Tianmu Mountains, heading across the Jiangnan hills and into the Dabie Mountains—this seems to be the trend. This beast swaggered around without shying away from humans, but it didn't specifically prey on them. It's certain that the humans it killed and devoured were all killed at close range, within fifty meters, for example, and would have been unable to escape. However, I haven't noticed this monster deliberately tracking humans.

Drone tracking confirmed this, but the beast had no problem killing people when it came to robbing farms and villagers' livestock, which was crucial. The image of this monster/Qiongqi spread faster than Cheng Yijiu's because it perfectly embodied the concept of might and majesty. The government also established an early warning system to evacuate areas immediately when the monster was about to attack.

Fortunately, this Qiongqi does not enter towns, and at most it only enters villages and farms. Even if it has to enter a town, it usually walks through the main passage. Humans hiding in houses will not be deliberately dug out and killed.

Chapter 19

Six months later, Cheng Yijiu awoke. His shell had crumbled to dust and fallen to the ground. Even his broken teeth had fallen out, new ones already sharp. He shook himself to remove the dust, then slowly walked out of the cave, squinting his eyes as he adjusted to the sunlight. What next? He drank water in big gulps, then washed himself in the water. He had to wait until he was clean before eating.

As for what to eat? With the six-month hunting ban, wild boars and deer wouldn't have grown up yet, so the real deal was to hunt humans. Finally, after six months of rest, he knew one thing perfectly well: he had to head east to fight his destined opponent. Cheng Yijiu had a feeling the other was a hunter like him—except he hunted savages, while the other was likely hunting perverted humans.

"Will there be a difference in combat power?" Cheng Yijiu was quite curious. He had been hunting man-eating beasts all the way, and had even killed supernatural beasts with divine blood. The abilities he had acquired were beyond those of humans. Would the other party also possess strange powers when hunting perverts?

Regardless, a battle was inevitable, but where it would occur was uncertain. Cheng Yijiu planned to head north toward Gongga, bypass the basin, and enter the Qinling Mountains from the Min and Daba Mountains. From there, he would follow the Qinling Mountains eastward. As for where he might encounter his opponent or whether he would miss them, there was no need to worry.

God will naturally let them meet in the right place.

Not long after Cheng Yijiu appeared, he was spotted by a drone because he was moving towards the rescue station. So everyone quickly pulled out the beef to thaw it. As for whether to inject anesthetic or not - we'll see when the time comes.

Last time, they had also considered attaching a radio beacon to the beast to monitor its physiological condition at all times. Tracking wasn't necessary; long-endurance drones solved that problem. A thousand-meter altitude was sufficient for clear observation without interfering with the observer's life. Previous examinations had revealed that the beast's heartbeat was slow, its powerful heart pumping enough blood to circulate at once.

The highly efficient secondary breathing also makes Cheng Yijiu's breathing frequency very slow at normal times, but his mobility is extremely strong.

As expected, the kind Situ Jiong had already prepared a large piece of beef, the size of a whole cow. When Cheng Yijiu arrived, he devoured it with relish, eating a whole cow in one meal, which was enough to satisfy him. When the stomach is full, blood will flow to the stomach, and the head will naturally feel groggy and want to doze off. So Cheng Yijiu prepared to take a nap.

Shortly after approaching, Cheng Yijiu heard the sound of the television inside. "Crisis! A ferocious beast is about to overrun the country. The government has begun to relocate the population." His eyes glued to the window, where he could make out the vague appearance of his foe. "Ah, so that's it! What should I do if I'm no match for him?" A Tragic Claw Dragon going after a Resentful Tiger Dragon? Was he just going to get killed?

The armor alone was enough to give him a headache, not to mention the sharp wrist blades and trident tail. This guy's strength should be superior to his. Cheng Yijiu felt that even if he could spit out high-temperature breath, the idiot on the other side seemed to have phosphorous fire breath as well. In short, this matter was very troublesome.

"I hope I can go back after the fight is over." Cheng Yijiu murmured to himself, and then he heard the names inside, "Qiongqi? And Taowu? They have names now? I didn't expect that they were named after the Classic of Mountains and Seas - no wonder, two such huge beasts are almost stepping into the realm of the supernatural. It's not wrong to call them the Four Evils." Cheng Yijiu felt that it was really majestic.

Qiongqi was indeed a vicious beast, and the damage it inflicted on livestock along its path was visible to the naked eye. This creature's appetite was even greater than Cheng Yijiu's, perhaps due to its heavier and stronger body, or perhaps even to its desire to accumulate phosphorus fire within itself. Regardless, it consumed the equivalent of two or three cows of meat daily, forcing people to drop food in its path, otherwise it would literally destroy buildings in search of food.

This guy's armored shell isn't even vulnerable to 20mm artillery shells. He's far more impressive than Cheng Yijiu—he actually dared to brave small-caliber rifle fire and storm the defenses to capture pigs, cattle, and sheep from the farms. He's even unfazed by a .12.7 heavy machine gun, while Cheng Yijiu has to be more cautious; his defense isn't nearly as strong. Concrete buildings can be easily sliced ​​open by this monster's wrist blades. It's hard to tell how they're so sharp.

Based on observation, it can be roughly determined that this sharp wrist knife should be formed by the bending and growth of the little toe on the outside of the monster's foot, and it is very likely made of bones.

Unfortunately, the monster couldn't be paralyzed for inspection, and the authorities hadn't yet made up their minds to kill the beast, which seemed to be the only one left. As long as it didn't continue to eat people and simply destroyed some farms for food, the damage would be manageable. Everyone was also intrigued by the monster's shell; it was actually bulletproof. This creature's shell was quite impressive. Perhaps, like the Taowu, this creature also had some magical properties.

They were all quadrupeds, so it was only natural that they were classified as one of the Four Evils. After devouring the meat, Cheng Yijiu moved at a considerable speed. Furthermore, his route was different from before—to the north, he had already crossed his previous range and entered Mount Gongga. Qiongqi had also crossed the Dabie Mountains and was about to enter the Tongbai Mountains—appearing in the camera's camera's view along the way. In this short period of time, this creature had captured far more high-definition footage than Cheng Yijiu.

Moreover, unlike Cheng Yijiu's hideous and terrifying image of a half-skeleton covered in flesh, the image of Yuanhulong/Qiongqi is more majestic and powerful. It is really a tiger wearing gorgeous armor, and the armor is actually in different colors.

Of course, Qiongqi is more photogenic, and like the elephants that once made their way north, it swaggers around without avoiding people or hiding. Whether it's a drone or a photographer shooting from a distance, they can easily capture its activities. Furthermore, the Dabie Mountains aren't a place of high mountains and dense forests; they're not primeval forests. In many places, the trees are quite sparse, so most of the road to Qiongqi is unobstructed and completely exposed in broad daylight.

Cheng Yijiu moved faster than Qiongqi. Although he started later, he had already circled half of Sichuan in a few days and was about to enter the Qinling Mountains. After that, drones were used to monitor alternately to see if these two extremely rare animals would meet. Some people were already watching their movements and shouting that the four evil beasts were gathering. Unfortunately, no huge beasts were found in the north and south directions, so Taotie and Hun Dun were not online for the time being.

Chapter 20

After Cheng Yijiu abandoned his original territory, Situ Jiong became useless. Fortunately, he was quickly seconded to the research team and set out to track Cheng Yijiu. As for Qiongqi? There was another research team. Yuanhulong had a violent temper, so the research team only dared to use drones to film it; a physical examination was impossible. Of course, they considered using anesthetics, as they had done with Taowu, but the results were completely ineffective.

This Qiongqi was incredibly vigilant, refusing to eat even a single bite of the meat. Even if it were to eat and become intoxicated, the professor's team wouldn't dare attack without the assurance of someone claiming to be able to appease the beast. As the monster walked, a purple, flame-like substance began to emanate from its body. Samples collected after it passed by revealed the residue was likely phosphorescent fire.

Qiongqi's body was shrouded in a faint blue phosphorescent glow, and even its mouth was emitting a flaming "mist" or rather, a mist-like "flame." This had no effect on the beast, but it made its appearance even more unnatural and exaggerated. Cheng Yijiu had no such strange vision, and was already inferior in terms of appearance.

What phylum does Qiongqi belong to? While it's currently considered a member of the Shanhai class, extending all the way down to one of the four fierce genera, there's considerable disagreement within orthodox academic circles. Firstly, the Shanhai class is absurd, and a significant number of biologists initially rejected the idea. Compared to Cheng Yijiu, Qiongqi's features are more distinct—it's covered in a thick carapace, and the shoulder blades on its forelimbs are quite unusual.

Its toes, combined with its shape, clearly aren't feline or canine; it actually looks more like a lizard or crocodile. However, the structure of its limbs and the condition of its claws clearly indicate it's an archosaur, reigniting debate about Cheng Yijiu's ancestral group. Blade-sharp carapaces aren't exclusive to reptiles; after all, mammals like armadillos and pangolins also have laminated armor.

Growing decorative horns and carapaces is a common feature of male animals.

Cheng Yijiu had now entered the Qinling Mountains and was making his way up the mountain, preying on hapless herbivores along the way—many of them under first- and second-class national protection, including at least three takins. The Qiongqi over there was faring better. Because of its ferocity, everyone used drones to drop pork and beef in its path, allowing it to gorge itself without hunting. Initially, no one knew its appetite, but it ended up consuming animals from several farms.

This creature consumes at least two hundred kilograms of meat a day, perhaps even more—the Yuanhulong is a monster like this, consuming flesh and bones alike, storing the phosphorous fire. To avoid major damage, it's best to keep it hooked with a few thousand yuan of meat each day. Even if the meat cost ten thousand yuan a day, that's only three million six hundred and fifty thousand yuan a year. If Yuanhulong/Qiongqi destroys a single farm, the losses are likely to be in the millions.

Situ Jiong appeared before Cheng Yijiu once again, and everyone had already figured out that this man had some special abilities, perhaps even a beast whisperer. Sure enough, this time when Situ Jiong appeared near Cheng Yijiu, he was still not attacked by the beast. "Hey, little two-legged guy, long time no see," Cheng Yijiu took the initiative to greet him. He was treated well now, and someone also took the initiative to put meat on his path - this was when Cheng Yijiu was not active in the mountains.

When transportation is relatively convenient near the outer Qinling Mountains, this is still possible. Qiongqi always takes the easy way...

Situ Jiong immediately came up with a thick face. "Where are you going?" He really wanted to understand what was going on. "A fight, it's destined to happen." Cheng Yijiu's words didn't surprise Situ Jiong. He had long known that this beast had a high IQ, probably comparable to that of a killer whale. "A fight?" Situ Jiong was a little confused, but he immediately drew a reasonable conclusion based on the direction Cheng Yijiu was moving.

"Is it that Qiongqi? How could it know from such a distance?" Situ Jiong was truly baffled and astonished this time. "I could sense it the moment it arrived. I think he could too," Cheng Yijiu said. "Qiongqi, what a nice name. This creature is truly ferocious and greedy." He himself was Taowu, also arrogant and unruly.

This was truly a supernatural situation, and Situ Jiong could only believe it. "Why fight?" He found it strange. They were so far apart, their ecological niches couldn't affect each other at all. "Ah, it's just fate," Cheng Yijiu said, and then he ignored Situ Jiong and headed east.

The two monsters encountered each other near the Han River valley, about twenty kilometers apart, and both simultaneously sped up. The relevant authorities had already guessed that the two beasts were bound to meet, and Situ Jiong had somehow hinted that the two beasts could sense each other, thus sending word of a battle. The relevant authorities were fully prepared, with two artillery pieces loaded with tranquilizer rounds ready.

The 20mm caliber was used to attack Cheng Yijiu, while the 40mm caliber was used to attack Qiongqi. Both of these bizarre creatures were unique, and the death of either would be a disaster. It must be a supernatural force—otherwise, why would Qiongqi emit phosphorescent light? And why would Taowu spit out breath like a heat cannon?

These two creatures hold many secrets. Not far from where they encountered each other, reports have surfaced of a "water monster" wreaking havoc in aquaculture areas in Dongting Lake. It's believed to be a large fish, a very large freshwater fish, but its appearance remains unclear.

These days are starting to seem stranger and stranger... What's going on in this world?

Cheng Yijiu was more mobile, so he first occupied a low hill—surrounded by rural houses, the people already evacuated. The brown-colored Carcharodontosaurus stood proudly on the hill, waiting. Soon, under the gaze of countless viewers watching the drone broadcast, the vengeful tiger dragon/Qiongqi appeared with a majestic stride. The moment the monster saw Cheng Yijiu, it seemed to smile grimly—that's the impression everyone had, but who knew if the animal actually smiled beneath its shell.

A flood of phosphorescent light emanated from the beast's mouth and drifted from the wrist blades on its arms. It was an eerie sight—definitely terrifying at night. Its tail rose like a scorpion, its tip also ablaze with phosphorescent light. Just by looking at the appearance, Cheng Yijiu had already lost miserably.

Chapter 21

The two beasts held their own, each one atop a fence. Cheng Yijiu knew this battle was going to be a tough one. The other guy was definitely not a weakling. The blade-like shells covered his body, and the wrist knives on his arms—weapons like these weren't easy to use, but they were still quite dangerous within a 180-degree range. And the crucial thing was his tail, and the trident-like head—it wasn't a weapon that was easy to deal with.

The other man was thicker and heavier than he was. Although they were of similar length, they were definitely heavier, and the overwhelming force was almost absolute. Cheng Yijiu flexed his jaws. Could his fangs bite this heavily armored bastard before him? It seemed impossible unless he could flip him over. There was a snapping sound from the other side, followed by a tiger-like roar, the sound waves almost audible to the naked eye.

Cheng Yijiu roared back and ran down the hill to start fighting.

The bastard opposite was actually walking down the mountain with his legs spread wide, he was simply not a human being.

Preemptive strike! Those watching the drone footage could almost hear the crash of mountains colliding. Two of the world's most formidable land carnivores collided with a thunderous clashing of muscles, a force particularly evident in Cheng Yijiu's figure. His short hair and taut skin accentuated the sharpness of his muscles, and the blood pumping through them further accentuated their bulge.

This was the beauty of strength. At this moment, Cheng Yijiu truly looked like a marble statue, fully embodying the might of the so-called ferocious beast Taowu. The other fellow was no less impressive. With his phosphorescent flames blazing, he truly resembled a ghost warrior, suppressing the raging claw dragon like a mountain, yet it remained motionless despite its impact. Immediately after the strike, Cheng Yijiu, leveraging his light weight and relatively strong leg strength, launched into a dazzling maneuver that dazzled the onlookers.

Cheng Yijiu was also observing the movements of the Yuanhulong in front of him, to see how well this guy had adapted to this body. "I hope this guy is more accustomed to using a human body to deal with humans, rather than using a beast body to deal with beasts."

As expected, as he began to maneuver, Yuan Hu Long/Qiongqi began to swing the wrist blade on his arm. From close range, Cheng Yijiu could already see that the wrist blade was a mutated extension of the creature's pinky finger, the sharp point not made of nail but bone—an extremely sharp bone blade. Yuan Hu Long used it just as Cheng Yijiu had expected. "It was a very fixed angle, choosing the angle that was most comfortable for him—and indeed, to truly master the wrist blade, one must make some unfamiliar and even awkward movements."

Cheng Yijiu wasn't actually very familiar with this type of exotic weapon, but he was very familiar with scimitars and long swords. The wrist knife that mutated from his little finger had a variable angle of motion. "Expanding, contracting, fluctuating up and down—everything was limited to about a thirty-degree angle. I roughly understood the range of this thing and the moves of this guy in front of me. He's really not good at using the body of a beast to fight a beast..."

Cheng Yijiu easily dodged the wrist blade's blow, retaliating with a sweeping tail, his mace-like tail lashing hard on the opponent's arm. A piece of his tail's outer shell shattered, and so did a piece of the opponent's arm's carapace. Dodging Qiongqi's wrist blade, Cheng Yijiu appeared adept at it. Unfortunately, he had limited weapons capable of penetrating the opponent's defenses—his most potent weapon, the Big Mouth, couldn't find a suitable target.

His activity level had reached its limit, and he had accumulated enough heat within his body—Cheng Yijiu leaped back, simultaneously opening his mouth and releasing a scorching "beam of light." Few humans had witnessed this scene, fully confirming the existence of a supernatural being. What normal creature could spit a beam of light from its mouth? The high-temperature beam struck Qiongqi's side, shattering the carapace on his shoulder and leaving burn marks.

Phosphorous fire rose up, and the tip of Qiongqi's swinging tail suddenly opened, and the trident-like tail also emitted a blue-white light.

Cheng Yijiu rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the blow—a charred trench formed in the ground. The vengeful tiger dragon opened its mouth and immediately responded with a blast of phosphorescent fire—also a beam of light. This time, Cheng Yijiu curled up, blocking it with the thickest part of his shoulder and back carapace. The price was a shattered carapace, but he twisted his body in time to avoid further damage.

"Launch!" the command had already been given. Although the fight had only lasted less than two minutes, it had already repeatedly challenged the normal audience's conception - real supernatural creatures? Could the other creatures in the Classic of Mountains and Seas actually exist as well? For example, perhaps there really was a dragon lurking beneath the East China Sea.

We couldn't afford to lose two of these beasts, so opening fire quickly was paramount. Leveraging China's advanced industrial system, the two guns were mounted on a high-speed off-road chassis, naturally equipped with stabilization equipment. The electrically actuated guns, under computer control, tracked the beast's movements with ease, ensuring a reliable first-shot hit.

The computer's aim is the torso of the two beasts, aiming at the biceps and latissimus dorsi as much as possible. The anesthetic can be injected directly into the muscle.

The warhead of each shell is a biodegradable bullet containing about 20 milliliters of highly effective anesthetic. It may take four or five shells to knock out these two beasts - anyway, 30 shells have been manufactured, which is guaranteed to knock them out.

Cheng Yijiu spotted the approaching car. The effective range of the 20mm cannon was over one kilometer, as was the 40mm. The firing range of both vehicles would be around one kilometer. The beast's maneuvering speed should not be able to dodge the shells, after all, the initial velocity of the bullet was over 1,200 meters per second.

The guns began to track automatically, and the gunner decisively pressed the automatic fire button, handing over the entire tracking and firing process to the computer. Within two seconds, the two guns fired one after the other...

The 40mm cannon fired first. Because Yuanhulong's movements were slower, the computer tracking and adjusting were faster. The first shell struck Qiongqi's side in less than a second, almost exactly at the shoulder, the same side where Cheng Yijiu had shattered his carapace. The bullet shattered the remaining carapace, penetrated Qiongqi's muscles, and disintegrated, releasing a large amount of anesthetic into his blood vessels.

The shell was made of some kind of polymer material, becoming extremely viscous when exposed to blood, automatically sealing the wound and eventually being degraded and absorbed. The second shell struck a little further back, also shattering the carapace, but the warhead disintegrated first, allowing the high-velocity potion to penetrate...

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

While the Resentful Tiger Dragon took two shells, Cheng Yijiu also took one. Both monsters acted as if nothing had happened, their second shells hitting each other less than a second apart. He didn't continue firing because he wanted to assess the situation, lest he accidentally overdose the drug. Killing both beasts directly would be a double-edged sword. The two beasts showed no concern at all, and the Resentful Tiger Dragon must have quickly adapted to the ferocious nature of the fight.

His strength was indeed immense, and Cheng Yijiu barely dared to approach. He could only rely on his mace-like tail to opportunistically strike, finding the right opportunity to strike. Qiongqi, however, lost his temper, executing a fluent side-sweep and shoulder-sweep. From his initial slight advantage, Cheng Yijiu quickly fell into a disadvantage—it was truly difficult to defeat him. Many of his attacks couldn't penetrate his defense. Although his opponent's movements were relatively clumsy and he couldn't hit him, this situation wasn't sustainable.

At this moment, the distant artillery roared again, and two more shells hit the two beasts. This time, Cheng Yijiu's movements slowed down a lot, and his body began to lose control. Before he completely lost control, Cheng Yijiu tried to stay away from the Qiongqi. If he fell first, it would be a big loss for the other party to steal the chicken. Cheng Yijiu tried hard to look at the beast on the opposite side, which was also swaying, and he felt relieved.

Qiongqi did try hard to hold on, his legs spread out to grip the ground, but his muscles inevitably relaxed, and he was clearly about to collapse. He fell even faster than Cheng Yijiu, and looked very uncomfortable, unlike Cheng Yijiu, who had chosen a very comfortable position to lie on his side.