Chapter 181: Demonic Immortal!

Upon hearing Meng Tian say that, the people around finally noticed how eerily quiet the area was—not only that, but they didn't even see a shadow of any animal.

The soil here is fertile and the plant life diverse, which by rights it shouldn't be.

"When things go against the norm, there must be a demon. Pass the word, heighten vigilance, and be sure to watch the surroundings."

The instant his words fell, a soft rustling came from the nearby thicket, as if something were swiftly approaching the party.

Meng Tian halted at once, a flicker of wariness crossing his eyes, and lowered his voice: "Everyone be careful, there's a situation!"

The soldiers behind him instantly formed a simple battle formation—able to advance and retreat—spreading out in a fan to slowly encircle the thicket.

At Meng Tian's signal, a dozen or so soldiers, weapons in hand, crept cautiously toward the thicket that stood over half a person tall.

The thicket shook more violently; at Meng Tian's order, the soldiers thrust forward—but struck nothing but air.

In the blink of an eye, several black shapes lunged at them, nearly knocking everyone over; upon closer look they were just a few badgers—a false alarm, and the crowd exhaled in relief.

No sooner had their hearts settled than a booming sound rose from not far off, as if the very ground were trembling.

Meng Tian frowned slightly. "What's going on?"

His warhorse beneath him suddenly neighed incessantly, as if sensing something, growing restless.

A cry rang out from the ranks: "General, look over there!"

Meng Tian followed the sound and froze in place—before him, dust swirled, and amid it several dark shapes stood out unmistakably: beasts like jackals, tigers, and leopards!

Beyond them were wild boars, hyenas, foxes, and other creatures; a quick glance showed a thick mass numbering over a hundred.

Among them were carnivores and herbivores, natural foes that now mingled peacefully, ignoring each other—a sight truly awe‑inspiring.

"How… how can this be?"

Everyone stared in disbelief, their expressions bewildered.

"Could there be some great upheaval in the mountains?"

Animals are naturally sharp‑sensed; if they encountered an earth dragon turning or a mountain fire, they'd sense it early and act oddly, which would be understandable.

But the scene before us is too strange, and this path isn't the way down the mountain.

Meng Tian and his party had encountered nothing out of the ordinary on their march here.

"General, what should we do about this?"

A gleam flashed in Meng Tian's eyes as he pondered, then said, "These animals are all heading east—could something be amiss over there?"

"Let's follow them and see."

The troop trailed the animals at a safe distance, so that if anything truly stirred ahead, Meng Tian's forces could prepare at once.

The animals moved in orderly ranks, as if some unseen force were directing them, stirring Meng Tian's heart.

The trees were deep and the forest dense; soon the animals halted, as if something ahead frightened them, and they lowered their heads, dropping into a posture of prone obeisance.

Not a single creature was exempt—even the mighty King of Beasts, the white‑furred giant beast, grew as tame as a kitten, lowering its ferocious head.

This sight left Meng Tian and his companions incredulous; they saw devotion and respect on the beasts' faces.

"What are these animals doing?"

"Are they kneeling in worship?"

"Even this ferocious beast would assume such a pose?"

Meng Tian and his party advanced warily, seeing the animals form a circle; in the center loomed a strange building, its purpose unknown, its exterior exquisitely carved with elaborate totems and symbols along the eaves.

Qin Dynasty buildings mostly used brick‑tile‑wood structures, with a simple palette and a rugged style that looked grand—quite unlike the edifice before them.

"What kind of building is this? Do you recognize it?"

Facing Meng Tian's question, the others shook their heads: "No, this building is too strange—it lacks even tile ends, and why are its eaves like this?"

"We're near Chu land; could this be a Chu‑only architectural style?"

"Impossible; Chu's buildings aren't like this."

"I've never seen those characters either—what nation's script is this, so winding and bizarre?"

After Qin's unification, with script and gauges standardized, foreign writing rarely appeared—and this was a script never seen before.

They debated for a long time, still ignorant of the building's origin; the Qin had no Daoists, thus no Daoist temples, so Meng Tian and his companions could not possibly know.

Meng Tian muttered to himself, "In these deep mountains and old forests, how could such a building exist? It's utterly bizarre—everyone must stay alert."

Regardless of its origin, its presence here is decidedly odd; it's not small, obviously having stood here for a while, yet the local officials never reported it—a fact that gives pause.

Most puzzling of all were the animals, motionless, keeping their kneeling poses; set against the gloomy surroundings, it lent an extra air of eeriness.

When the mountain wind blew through the hollows, it sounded like ghosts and gods weeping, making one's flesh creep and raising gooseflesh.

"Could it be the work of those fangshi and Chu folk? If so, we might be in trouble."

"We're near Chu land, which is mountainous; legends have long spoken of mountain spirits, but those spirits are not ghosts—they are people who dwell deep in the mountains, living with beasts and able to command them."

Hearing that, Meng Tian lifted his eyelids, glanced at the speaking soldier, and his expression turned dismissive.

"There is a record that Qin's Lord Wu'an, attacking Chu, faced the enemy at Xiling; the Chu, unable to prevail, summoned a strange person to command beasts, who harassed the Qin army day and night. The Qin troops grew fearful, and rumors spread that Chu truly possessed immortals. Enraged, Lord Wu'an built a dam upstream, flooding the beasts until they became fish and turtle fodder."

Meng Tian gazed at the scene not far ahead, narrowed his eyes slightly; the light deep in his gaze was inscrutable as he said, "You say, if Lord Wu'an were here, how would he react?"

The soldier's face showed a moment of blankness, then he replied, "Naturally, he'd fear nothing."

Meng Tian and his men had slain many fangshi, yet never witnessed any supernatural trait—even at death's door they'd weep and beg for mercy; they were merely ordinary mortals.

If they possessed any supernatural ability, they would have used it long ago; how could they end up like this?

If one once held reverence for immortals and fangshi, seeing so many of them in sorry state and having slain many, that reverence has all but vanished.

"I think the same!"

The instant his words landed, Meng Tian unfastened the armor on his back; his red cloak snapped like a banner in the wind, fluttering loudly, making his stature loom even larger.

The Great Qin esteems valor; whether general or soldier, each harbors a heart of hot‑blooded courage.

"The First Emperor's decree: all of Qin's subjects—fangshi die; those who claim to be immortals die; those who call themselves strange spiritual beasts die!"

As the last word fell, Meng Tian exuded a mighty killing intent, like bronze weapons and iron horses advancing; the animals that had been kneeling turned in unison.

In the dim light, their bodies flickered in and out of sight; only their eyes, like ghost fire, flashed with inexplicable anger, as if they had understood Meng Tian's words.

Clearly, the beast herd had been utterly calm before, showing no sign of them, yet after Meng Tian finished speaking, they uniformly turned their heads.

Such a scene delivered an enormous visual shock to everyone.

A soldier couldn't help swallowing, saying, 'I, I feel as if these animals understood.'

'Just a coincidence; how could these beasts possibly understand human speech?'

At this moment, they had not yet realized the seriousness of the situation.

A flicker of contempt crossed Meng Tian's eyes: 'Even if they understood, what then? They are merely a beast herd; I will cut them down from my horse, and then see who is playing at sorcery.'

The beasts before them numbered only a little over a hundred; Meng Tian's troops were well-trained, an iron-blooded army—so long as the large savage beasts were slain, the rest would naturally pose no problem.

The moment his words fell, a rumbling sound came from afar; as dust rose, even the sky was half-obscured. Meng Tian followed the sound and suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

Such a commotion bore some resemblance to what had just happened—could another wave of beasts be coming!

No sooner had this thought arisen than he saw black lightning charging forth, tearing a rift through the vast mountains; Meng Tian stared fixedly ahead, thunder roaring in his mind.

Another beast horde!

Mountains and fields teemed with them, coming in a mighty surge; all the beasts of the mountain gathered here—just the white‑foreheaded giant beasts numbered dozens, not to mention wolves, leopards, and wild boars.

"Whoa—"

An unknown sound came from above; birds flapped their wings, darkening the sky and making the light hard to see. Perched on the treetops were countless eyes, like stars filling the heavens, unblinking and fixed on them, almost leaving no place to hide.

An indeterminate number of birds and beasts gathered here, encircling Meng Tian and his men—a veritable trap with no escape.

The words he had spoken earlier now seemed pale and powerless, just like Meng Tian's current complexion.

"General, what should we do now?"

The voices of the nearby soldiers pulled Meng Tian back to his thoughts.

Earlier he had confidence in dealing with these beasts, for the Qin army's iron‑blooded troops are no trifle; yet faced with such numbers, even thinking of slaughtering them was sheer fantasy.

Even with the fiercest formations and soldiers, they could not withstand so many beasts, let alone the several large savage beasts glaring covetously within.

Meng Tian felt a faint unease; he had anticipated that a capable person might be driving the beasts, but this multitude far exceeded his expectations.

This is no longer merely a beast herd,

but a beast tide!

What manner of person could command so many beasts—is it truly within human power?

This person—what manner of person is he!

Many doubts arose in Meng Tian's mind.

Green, gloomy beast eyes locked onto Meng Tian's troops; sharp claws and fangs gleamed with a chilling light, as if any movement would provoke a concerted attack.

But if they waited to be slaughtered, they would likely meet a dead end.

Meng Tian pondered a moment, his gaze filled with a warrior's resolute determination: 'Soldiers, take up your weapons and follow me to carve a bloody path! As sons of Great Qin, we may die in battle, but we shall never bow before these beasts!'

The other soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, having prepared to die; the combat power was vastly unequal, their chances of victory slim, yet if they could break the encirclement, total annihilation might be avoided.

"Fight to the death!"

Just as the two sides stood on the brink of battle, a low, ethereal male voice seemed to come from the nine heavens: 'Since you have come here, it is fate; lay down your weapons.'

Indeed, there are other people here!

The speaker must surely be the one controlling these beasts!

Meng Tian's heart startled, yet he kept his composure, asking, 'May I dare ask who you are?'

In this life‑or‑death crisis, a curiosity rose in him: just who could possess such ability.

"Come inside for a chat."

Meng Tian looked at the mysterious‑filled building and confirmed the person was inside.

One may lose a person but not the formation; even though they were now at a disadvantage, Meng Tian's proud spirit would not allow him to show any timidity.

Those around, upon hearing, felt some worry: 'General, you must absolutely not! If there is deceit, your life would be at risk.'

Meng Tian gazed at the surrounding beasts glaring covetously, his expression wary and solemn: 'Do you think that if I do not go, there would be no danger to my life?'

'Moreover, if he intended to strike, he would have done so already; there is no need for such elaborate preparations.'

Meng Tian tentatively stepped forward—strangely enough, those beasts glaring covetously actually retreated to the side, and the formerly impenetrable encirclement quickly yielded a path.

Everyone watching this scene wore expressions of astonishment once again.

"General—"

Under the worried gazes of all, Meng Tian stepped step by step into the beast tide; the other soldiers instinctively gripped their sword hilts, ready to rescue him at any cost should the beasts move.

These beasts were utterly still, like puppets—only their blinking eyes and sharp fangs hinted that they were not harmless dolls.

Meng Tian had endured countless campaigns, brushed with death many times, and could be called well‑seasoned, yet he had never experienced such an uncanny ordeal.

He passed through the beast tide.

The cleared path was extremely narrow; the ferocious beasts were within arm's reach, one could even clearly smell the stench rising from their fur—if they wished, they could pounce with ease, in the blink of an eye.

Even a person of superb reflexes could not react in time.

Even though Meng Tian felt no fear, his breathing suddenly grew ragged, his steps losing their usual steadiness—not from fear, but because the human body instinctively reacts when faced with mortal danger.

He sensed a faint, elusive pressure in his heart, not from the beast tide but emanating from that mysterious building.

As the strange building drew nearer, Meng Tian's heart pounded like a drum.

With a creak, the ancient door swung open; Meng Tian glanced inside, saw no one, hesitated a moment, then entered.

An ancient aura greeted him, as if a corner of history had been uncovered from dust.

Having thought the exterior already splendid, he found the interior to be yet another world.

Everywhere he looked, the air was thick with mystery; the walls were carved with patterns and symbols Meng Tian could not comprehend, and even the paintings thereon did not resemble ordinary human work.

The colors were vivid and lifelike, as if about to come alive.

The characters and markings that did not belong to the Qin dynasty looked, to Meng Tian, like a heavenly book without words.

He asked himself that although he was not a well-learned person, having traveled south and north he had seen quite a bit, but the scene before him truly exceeded his expectations.

Even if all the most skilled artisans of the Great Qin were gathered here, they could not construct such a miraculously crafty building.

Meng Tian's feeling of doubt grew heavier, and at the same time an indescribable fear arose in his heart.

Could it be that there actually exist in this world some rather capable fangshi and strange people?

"I am Meng Tian, general of the Qin dynasty; may I ask who you are, and could you come out to meet me?"

His tone no longer held the earlier disdain and contempt, and even carried a hint of respect.

"So it's General Meng."

Hearing that tone, it seemed as if they knew him; Meng Tian could not wait and followed the sound over, wanting to see just who this divine being was.

However, what came into view was a huge snake, entirely emerald green!

Only its scales looked extremely hard, like jadeite jade, emitting a faint light.

At the moment he saw this great snake, Meng Tian actually felt an urge to prostrate and kowtow; a mighty pressure weighed heavily on his armor, as if mountains and seas were overturning, and his whole body felt as if its bones were being crushed.

Meng Tian had never felt fear; having been born and died in battle, experiencing countless campaigns, the only person who made him feel fear and respect was the First Emperor.

But now he actually sensed such emotion from a snake, which was utterly absurd; he steadied himself, thinking he was merely influenced by the surrounding environment.

At this moment Meng Tian had not yet realized the snake was speaking; he thought this rather miraculous green snake was also being controlled by someone, and asked, "Where exactly are you, sir?"

If the intention was to give him a shock, this person has already done so.

"I am right before you."

He looked around; before him there was no one, only that green snake existed.

Gazing at those emerald-like beast eyes, as deep as an unfathomable abyss, Meng Tian's eyes widened enormously, revealing an unprecedented loss of composure.

"So that's how it is!"

He had originally thought the other party would be a fangshi or strange person, but he never expected the other party to not be human at all, but a snake!

The earlier strangeness was finally explained.

Even if there were beast masters, they could not control so many wild beasts; moreover, the inexplicable awe and fear felt earlier from the great snake remained.

Meng Tian's heart was overturned by huge waves; if he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never dare believe such a thing.

At this moment, the Qin troops stationed outside saw Meng Tian not returning for a long time, and their moods became unsettled.

"The general has been gone so long with no news; could something have happened?"

"The general is invincibly brave, with the strength of one man holding a pass against ten thousand; surely there should be no problem, and besides, these beast tides haven't shown any movement, have they?"

"One cannot say that either; if there is an ambush inside that strange building, what then? Perhaps the general is already dead and separated."

At this moment the troops' hearts were already unsettled; another leader, also Meng Tian's confidant, could no longer stay put, saying, "No, I must go see what's happening!"

As his words fell, many others also spoke up in agreement.

Another veteran leader stopped him, saying, "You're too impulsive; if you rashly go now, not to mention saving the general, even we would be caught up here; if the general knew, he certainly wouldn't want to see this situation."

The young leader, unable to contain his anger, said in a muffled voice, "Then we can't just wait here doing nothing."

At this moment the force split into two factions: one favoring battle, planning to carve a bloody path to rescue Meng Tian; the other favoring peace, thinking the situation had not yet reached its worst, intending to wait and see.

Just as the people began to argue, the beast tide ahead showed movement; those beasts again formed two lines, opening a small path.

In that small path appeared a familiar figure.

The crowd shouted excitedly, "It's the general!"

Seeing Meng Tian return unharmed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Meng Tian's state now looked a little strange—his three souls and seven spirits seemed scattered, his mind elsewhere; not knowing what he was thinking, it took several shouts before the crowd snapped him back to attention.

His tiger eyes burst forth with an unprecedented gleam, "Let's go!"

The people looked around at the beasts glaring tiger-like, and some warned, "But these wild beasts..."

Meng Tian spoke firmly, "Don't worry, they won't harm us."

Strangely enough, seeing Meng Tian's army depart, those beasts actually ignored them, returning to their former appearance; their ferocious beast heads bowed on the ground, full of piety and fear.

As for the army's behavior, one could say they ignored it; seeing this marvel again, the crowd felt an indescribable strange feeling.

Meng Tian's condition also looked even stranger; halfway along, the troops finally realized this was not the road to Tai County.

"General, we aren't supposed to go to Tai County, are we?"

The original marching plan was to go to Tai County to exterminate the fangshi there.

Meng Tian shook his head, his expression still somewhat excited and excited, "We're returning to Xianyang!"

The people looked at each other, thinking they had misheard, "Return to Xianyang? But we haven't finished the task the First Emperor entrusted us with."

If we turn back midway, we would likely incur punishment.

"I have more important matters to report to the First Emperor."

This does not resemble Meng Tian's usual conduct; everyone felt a strange oddity about him, and if not for the fact that the person before them showed no change in appearance, they might have thought Meng Tian had been swapped out.

And the source of all these changes was Meng Tian's entry into that strange building.

Some soldiers could not contain their curiosity and blurted out, "General, may I ask what exactly you saw inside the Daoist temple?"

Recalling the various aspects of the Daoist temple, Meng Tian, after finally calming his emotions, became excited again, "I saw a demon immortal!"

???

Hearing those two words, everyone wore expressions of utter disbelief, even thinking they had suffered auditory hallucinations.

"General, what are you saying?"

Everyone in the military knows Meng Tian does not believe in gods and ghosts; he has always loathed them, yet now hearing these two words from his mouth seems rather fantastical.

"Could the general have been bewitched by those strange fangshi? If the First Emperor blames us, what should we do?"

Meng Tian's expression turned slightly cold; his black eyes emitted a chilling light that made one dare not meet his gaze, and he returned to being the general everyone once revered.

This general knows what he is doing; if the First Emperor blames him, this general will bear the responsibility alone.

Having come to this point, everyone found it hard to say anything more.

Along the way, Meng Tian thought the march was too slow; he wished he could fly to Xianyang, leading a few squads of personal guards to take a shortcut—one could say he traveled day and night, and finally arrived at Xianyang.

……

Qin Royal Palace, at this time already dusk, the magnificent buildings under the evening sun's shroud were coated with a faint dark luster, purple pillars and golden beams, all extravagantly luxurious.

The outside is no different; even less so the interior of the palace.

The floor paved with fine white jade gleamed with a warm, moist luster; the carved blue-tile window jade made the interior bright and transparent, with South Sea pearls as curtains and crystal jade discs as lighting, making the place as bright as daytime.

The stone pillars of the hall were round, with a carved dragon connecting the two pillars; its tail entered the hall, its head facing the gold-lacquered dragon throne, upon which sat none other than the First Emperor!

He wore a black dark robe, with gold-thread embroidered auspicious beast patterns on the chest, and even the hem and cuffs bore cloud motifs; his black hair was piled high, he wore a crown with a red jewel set in its center, and tassels hung down on both sides.

Report! General Meng Tian requests an audience outside!

At this moment, the First Emperor was holding bamboo slips, concentrating on handling state affairs; hearing the attendant's report, he lifted his head from the pile of slips as high as a mountain, his expression showing a hint of doubt.

If he remembers correctly, Meng Tian was ordered to execute the alchemists; logically he should not have returned to Xianyang so soon.

He calmly said, 'Summon him to the hall, within twenty paces!'

Yes.

Moments later, Meng Tian, having removed his armor and weapons, lowered his head and entered the hall, silently counting; he bowed low before the dragon throne from a distance, exactly twenty paces away.

Your subject greets the First Emperor.

A dark flicker passed through the First Emperor's eyes: 'I ordered you to strangle the alchemists—how did you handle it? Now, have all the alchemists in the world been exterminated?'

Remembering that before Meng Tian set out, he had once sworn with great vigor: he would not strangle the alchemists of the world, and would absolutely not return to Xianyang Palace.

The First Emperor's tone was neither light nor heavy, yet it carried an invisible pressure that almost made Meng Tian unable to breathe, causing his body to bend lower.

I report to Your Majesty, I have not….

The First Emperor's gaze was deep and unfathomable, as if hiding a beast that devours men; he spoke each word: 'Why have you returned?!'

General Meng, you had better give me a reasonable explanation.

The First Emperor's voice showed no joy or anger, yet those who knew him well knew he was on the verge of rage.

Meng Tian's body trembled, and he quickly prostrated himself on the ground, saying, 'Your Majesty, while on my way to Tai County to strangle the alchemists, I suddenly encountered a gathering of beasts in the mountains; finding it strange, I pursued them and saw a peculiar structure in the hills, thinking someone was practicing sorcery, I never expected….'

Hearing his account, the First Emperor couldn't help but become a little interested, asking, 'What did you not expect?'

Meng Tian swallowed and said, 'I never expected to encounter a monster immortal inside! The herd of beasts was also drawn by him.'

The moment his words landed, a deathly silence fell upon the air; even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

The attendant beside him looked as if he had seen a ghost, eyes wide in disbelief, as if Meng Tian had spoken words of extreme treason.

These days, the First Emperor utterly despises the talk of immortal alchemists and mountain sprites, hating to exterminate all alchemists in the world to the point that nobody dares to discuss it.

Meng Tian's words were undoubtedly like pulling a tiger's whiskers; it's no wonder the attendant showed such a terrified expression.

Do you know what you are saying?

The First Emperor's voice still sounded calm, but his deep black eyes surged with dark currents, having accumulated a mass of shadow like the stillness before a storm, making one feel a chill.

Meng Tian also felt that immense pressure; the chilling gaze swept over his head, and he gritted his teeth, replying, 'I know.'

Clang!

Accompanied by a piercing metallic ring, a cold light flashed in the air—only to see the First Emperor draw his waist sword, its tip pointing at Meng Tian.

(End of chapter)