The oldest leader slowly crouched beside the paw.
His eyes examined every detail of the severed limb, the texture of the scales, the exposed bone, the remnants of ice still clinging to the flesh.
Then he lightly touched one of the cracks in the scales.
The next instant, his eyes flashed with spiritual energy.
"Ice Qi."
The others immediately approached, their own senses extending to feel what the old man had detected.
Even though the ice had completely melted days ago, traces of the energy that had created it were still present. Embedded within the beast's flesh like lingering poison.
A cold and profound energy permeated the paw.
"An extremely powerful ice technique... See how the ice penetrated the scales? It wasn't merely a surface layer. It destroyed the internal structure of the limb before even freezing it."
Another leader deeply frowned, his eyes scanning the surrounding terrain as if searching for answers hidden in the shadows.
"Who the hell did this?"
