With the Gale Demon Wolf's death, the surging energy inside Zeng Tian receded like the tide.
The roaring flame on his tail quickly weakened, returning to its previous state-a candle guttering in the wind.
Blaze's effect had ended!
Thud!
Intense pain shot through every part of Zeng Tian's body. Unable to hold on any longer, he collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, Zeng Tian's body was in even worse shape than before. Every muscle felt as though it had been pierced with needles, swollen and aching relentlessly. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped from Zeng Tian, and his face was contorted with pain.
Only after a long while did Zeng Tian recover from that state.
"Food. I need food!"
Feeling that not a scrap of energy remained inside him, Zeng Tian forced himself over to the Gale Demon Wolf's corpse and gulped down mouthful after mouthful.
A good while later, Zeng Tian finally stopped, his belly round and stuffed and a small portion of his energy restored.
Wiping the blood from his mouth with his hand, Zeng Tian looked around. Finding no sign of any other soul beasts, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Looks like this Gale Demon Wolf was pretty intimidating. This area is probably the pack's territory, so no other predators should venture in anytime soon."
But a sense of urgency immediately rose within Zeng Tian. A few dozen ten-year Gale Wolves and a single hundred-year Gale Demon Wolf had been enough to drive him into a desperate corner. He was still far too weak.
On the Douluo Continent, ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts barely counted for anything. Thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, and even hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were plentiful.
There were even ferocious beasts hundreds of thousands of years old that had survived multiple heavenly tribulations. Their strength was more terrifying still. Even if he evolved into Charizard, he most likely would not be a match for them.
"Let's set a small goal first: reach level sixteen and evolve into Charmeleon."
Judging by his current strength, Zeng Tian figured that once he evolved into Charmeleon, he would likely surpass many thousand-year soul beasts. That should earn him a place in this soul beast forest.
A Pokémon's ability to recover exceeded Zeng Tian's expectations. He had originally thought that with injuries like these and no healing moves, recovering in less than ten days or half a month would be practically impossible.
Yet in less than two hours, Zeng Tian's wounds had scabbed over and begun to heal. The flame on his orange tail gradually stopped looking like a candle guttering in the wind and began blazing fiercely again.
The flame on a Charmander's tail reflected its physical condition. Its recovery now meant that Zeng Tian's body was gradually improving.
Bracing himself, Zeng Tian stood and tried moving his body.
Although he still felt some pain, his remaining injuries no longer hampered his movements much.
And after digesting the meat of the two-hundred-year Gale Demon Wolf, Zeng Tian had recovered most of his energy.
With my current combat strength, dealing with ordinary hundred-year soul beasts shouldn't be a problem. I've regained the ability to protect myself.
Zeng Tian swished his tail, thinking to himself.
The battles he had fought today offered a measure of his current combat strength.
Mandala Snakes and Gale Demon Wolves were already fairly powerful soul beasts, among the best of their kind. As long as he did not encounter a hundred-year soul beast like a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, he could put up a fight.
"Ahh..."
Suddenly, drowsiness washed over him, and Zeng Tian yawned.
In just one day, he had endured two life-and-death battles and a full day of nonstop training. Now all he wanted was a good night's sleep.
Zeng Tian curled into a ball beside the Gale Demon Wolf's corpse and drifted into dreams.
Everything around him seemed to come to a standstill. Only the flame burning on Zeng Tian's tail endured through the night.
The next morning, dew soaked Zeng Tian's body and woke him.
Rubbing his eyes with his claws, Zeng Tian looked around and realized that he had fallen asleep right beside the Gale Demon Wolf's corpse. A wave of belated fear swept through him.
He had figured that this was most likely the Gale Demon Wolf pack's territory, and since he had wiped out the entire pack, no ordinary soul beast in its right mind would trouble him. But what if one did?
Wasn't this pack of Gale Wolves a perfect counterexample? He could not judge them by the way ordinary wild animals thought.
"This can't go on. I'm not strong enough yet. I need to find a safe place to live."
Zeng Tian's gaze sharpened as he considered where he might find shelter.
In this soul beast forest, where danger lurked on every side, sleeping out in the open was still far too dangerous, even with a Pokémon's ability to sense danger.
"And..." Zeng Tian looked at the dew covering him and shook himself vigorously, scattering the droplets.
Perhaps because he had transmigrated into a Charmander, he now hated the feeling of water on his body. He certainly did not want a sudden downpour to drench him while he rested.
Having made up his mind, Zeng Tian grabbed one of the Gale Demon Wolf's legs and dragged the corpse along as he set off in search of a suitable home.
Along the way, a few soul beasts occasionally tried to ambush Zeng Tian, but most immediately retreated upon seeing the Gale Demon Wolf's corpse trailing behind him.
Those that did not retreat were killed instantly by a single Ember from Zeng Tian.
That discovery eased Zeng Tian's mind considerably. It seemed he was still powerful, at least in this stretch of forest. Creatures like Mandala Snakes and Gale Demon Wolves were uncommon nearby.
After walking and searching for half a day, Zeng Tian found an abandoned cave. The soul beasts around it were relatively weak, and it was not far from a water source, making it a decent place to live.
Zeng Tian breathed a sigh of relief upon finding the cave. He had been thinking that if there were no ready-made shelter, he would have to build one himself. Now it seemed that would not be necessary.
The cave was well ventilated and had little unpleasant odor. After a quick cleanup, Zeng Tian found it ready to move into.
Zeng Tian cut off one of the Gale Demon Wolf's legs and roasted it. Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he went outside the cave and resumed his training.
Countless Embers poured from Zeng Tian's mouth, morning and night without pause.
His claws, glowing white, raked the rock wall again and again. Even when his fingers were torn into a bloody mess, Zeng Tian did not stop.
When hungry, he ate the Gale Demon Wolf's meat. When tired, he rested in the cave for a while. Under this frenzied training in pursuit of evolution, Zeng Tian's strength rose rapidly.
Deep in the forest, an orange figure raced between the trees. A fireball the size of a ping-pong ball shot from his mouth, carrying a wave of searing heat as it hurtled into the distance.
A moment later, over a hundred meters away, a Wind Baboon swinging through the trees failed to dodge and was struck by the fireball. Its body was pierced straight through, and it fell from the canopy.
But the fireballs did not stop with the Wind Baboon's death. More shot forth, one after another.
One, two, three...
No matter how the Wind Baboons dodged, every fireball claimed one of their lives.
Wind Baboons lived in groups. Seeing their companions killed so easily, the other Wind Baboons let out shrill cries of alarm, and the rest immediately scattered and fled.