The monster on the mural was perhaps too lifelike, too vivid.
Its chest seemed to rise and fall, as if it were breathing.
Staring intently at its pupils, they were impossibly three-dimensional.
Jiang Fan slowly leaned closer, getting a good look at the pupils.
Just then, the pupils seemed to shift slightly. For a moment, Jiang Fan thought he was hallucinating.
But in the next second, the pupils fixed directly on Jiang Fan, its gaze locked onto his own.
Their eyes met, and only then did Jiang Fan realize that this wasn't a mural at all; it was the monster itself.
Zhou Niannian, standing beside him, also sensed something was amiss. She furrowed her brow and rubbed her eyes.
She had been wondering what kind of climax the story would have.
But instead, she saw the monster move.
As soon as Jiang Fan realized the truth, he swiftly reached out, pulling everyone behind him.
"Run! This isn't a mural, it's a real monster!"
As the words left his lips, the creature leaped from the wall.
Two large horns, like curved sabers.
Its gaping maw, its claws flailing, momentarily stunned everyone.
Zhou Niannian, in particular, let out a terrified scream.
Fortunately, Jiang Fan had pulled her away in time. Otherwise, with the monster's first lunge, Zhou Niannian would have been the first to be bitten.
Upon hearing Zhou Niannian's scream, the monster seemed to direct all its attention towards her.
Its brow ridges, like two pebbles, twitched slightly at the sound.
Jiang Fan knew her scream had agitated the monster. If Zhou Niannian didn't flee, the creature would surely devour her.
Just as the monster's fury peaked, the fur on either side of its head bristled, and it let out a low growl.
*Hoo~*
Two jets of hot air puffed from the monster's nostrils, like wisps of smoke.
At that moment, the monster crouched, preparing to spring at Zhou Niannian.
Simultaneously, a pebble, like a meteor, struck the monster's eye with pinpoint accuracy.
Aiming for its most vulnerable spot, the monster's eyeball, which was as hard as a diamond, clanged loudly against the pebble.
The monster then turned its head, its gaze now fixed on Jiang Fan.
If not for Jiang Fan's stone, the monster would have already leaped to Zhou Niannian's side and swallowed her whole.
"Beast! Come at me!"
Jiang Fan roared at the monster. It responded with another low growl and rapidly charged towards him.
Seeing this, the others trembled with fear but didn't forget to flee.
"You all find a way out! I'll buy you some time."
As Jiang Fan's voice echoed, the people beside him immediately searched for a safe direction.
The monster drew closer to Jiang Fan. He sidestepped, rolled on the ground, and safely took cover behind a rock.
The monster, its momentum too great, slammed directly into the pillar where Jiang Fan had just been, shattering it.
The sheer power of the blow made Jiang Fan break out in a cold sweat.
Had that strike hit Zhou Niannian, she would have been utterly pulverized.
"Damn it, I have no choice but to keep this up. If it attacks the others, they'll all perish here."
The monster, toyed with, became even more enraged.
Jiang Fan had initially thought it was merely a ground-dwelling creature.
But to his surprise, large wings suddenly unfurled from its back.
Jiang Fan's brow furrowed, his expression darkening.
Even on the ground, it was difficult to evade the monster's massive jaws. Now, with wings, the challenge was immense.
Zhou Niannian and the others realized how powerful the monster was.
If Jiang Fan continued to stall, he too would be swallowed by its abyssal maw.
Despite the dire situation, Zhou Niannian and the accompanying Da Xiaomei could do nothing.
Just then, Da Xiaomei noticed a section of the stone wall with distinct, square-shaped blocks.
"Look over there!"
"Is that an exit?"
Hearing this, Zhou Niannian quickly turned her head to look at the stone block.
It was embedded in the stone wall, with clear markings around its edges.
It was evident that the block could be pushed in or pulled out, but moving it now seemed impossible.
Given the nature of this cave, there was likely a hidden mechanism. Triggering it would surely dislodge the block.
Seeing Jiang Fan's perilous predicament, Zhou Niannian, without hesitation, rushed towards the stone door.
The immediate priority was to find a safe exit, giving Jiang Fan a chance to escape.
The monster, noticing that everyone had seen the stone door and was moving towards it, refocused its attention on them.
At that moment, Jiang Fan quickly glanced back at his companions.
Clearly, this stone door was their key to survival. If the monster prevented them from reaching it, they would all die here.
"I don't care anymore! If it gets past us, none of us will get out."
Jiang Fan gritted his teeth, pulled a fire axe from his waist, and charged towards the monster. Just as the monster crouched, preparing to take flight towards Zhou Niannian again, Jiang Fan swung his axe and struck its leg.
While the fire axe didn't embed itself as deeply as he'd hoped, its sharpness carved a long gash across the monster's leg.
However, to his disbelief, the monster's leg showed no sign of bleeding.
The creature let out an enraged roar, causing Zhou Niannian and the others to flinch.
"Hurry and open it! If you don't, we're finished! The monster is furious."
Zhou Niannian stomped her foot anxiously, muttering repeatedly.
Yao examined the stone door from all angles but couldn't open it.
At that moment, a small protrusion near the stone door caught Zhou Niannian's eye.
She lunged forward and pushed the protrusion.