Chapter 222: 222. Chapter 220: This is the land of the Great Demon! (Thanks to 'Masked

222. Chapter 220: This is the land of the Great Demon! (Thanks to 'Masked

A hill‑sized fierce tiger stood at the door, its tiger eyes brimming with countless killing intent, lunging at the crowd and pressing them until they could barely breathe.

In just a moment, Song Ze and a few other expedition members had beads of fine sweat on their foreheads, and even their backs were soaked with cold sweat.

How could a tiger possibly speak human language?

For a while they couldn't tell whether it was illusion or reality—never mind how a tiger could act like a person; most importantly, it was holding a kitchen knife, wearing an apron, and could actually speak.

Looking at the Northeast Tiger's sharp fangs, which could almost bite through their throats in one snap, just standing there made people shudder.

Not only Song Ze, but the other two team members were dazed, their whole bodies stiff as wood, teeth chattering nonstop.

Time seemed to freeze here; the front of the wooden hut was silent, so quiet that even the sound of a falling needle could be heard.

The Northeast Tiger and these people stared at each other, scratched its head, looking somewhat confused, and waved its paw back and forth.

"It doesn't seem to be anything special."

"Hey, I say, old fellow, what's wrong with you three."

Before the Northeast Tiger could finish speaking, the three let out earth‑shattering screams that nearly frightened it out of its wits.

Noticing nothing chasing them from behind, Song Ze finally stopped, plopped onto the ground, and gasped for breath.

They were merely ordinary researchers, not masters of supreme skills; encountering these monsters meant they could only flee for their lives.

Song Ze had no time to explain; he grabbed the group and ran. The others were bewildered, but seeing Song Ze and the three's anxious, panicked expressions, they didn't dare ask too many questions.

After running who knows how long, when the several people who had suffered a great fright saw the familiar team, they felt as if they were seeing relatives and almost burst into hot tears of excitement.

Song Ze quickly understood his meaning; the three had barely escaped death from that strange wooden hut, yet the teammates flat‑out refused to believe it!

But thinking about it, it's quite normal—if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he probably wouldn't believe such a fantastical thing could happen to him.

One expedition member had run so fast that he even lost a shoe, and didn't have the leisure to pick it up.

Even while drinking water, he kept glancing around, like a startled bird.

"The villagers down at the mountain base said there was a Mountain God on the mountain—could the Mountain God they spoke of actually be these monsters?"

They wanted to tell themselves it was all fake, not real, but with so many people seeing it clearly, it was impossible for everyone to be hallucinating.

A team member muttered to himself.

Even now they still hadn't fully come to their senses.

The two with Song Ze kept nodding, gesturing with their hands, "Exactly! A tiger demon and a wolf demon, standing upright on their hind legs like humans, wearing aprons and holding kitchen knives—it's truly terrifying."

"Fake, definitely fake—I firmly don't believe it; could someone be pulling a prank?"

Earlier they thought this place was an untouched paradise, everything normal, never considering using a telescope to observe; if they hadn't seen it themselves, who would have imagined that a seemingly peaceful spot could be so dangerous?

Carnivores and herbivores could coexist peacefully, even including natural enemies; apart from monsters, there was no other explanation.

In the middle of the stream, faint ripples spread outward in circles; the large turtle swiftly lifted its bamboo pole, and a silver little fish kept wriggling its body.

And among the horde of monsters, a normal person suddenly appeared—so abnormal that everyone felt their scalp go numb.

Everything displayed here completely overturned their deep‑seated notions, making it feel as if the entire scientific materialist worldview had been reshaped.

The scene now unfolding on this land utterly shattered their ordinary cognition.

By the stove stood a black bear; the monster now in charge of cooking had become it, its bearing looked proper, even able to flip the wok, and moments later the aroma of food drifted from the wooden hut—clearly its culinary skill far surpassed the tiger's.

Even if they were dazzled, they couldn't mistake a person for a tiger—could that tiger have become a spirit?

For a moment, the three recalled many tales of spirits and strange phenomena.

The Northeast Tiger hurried into the wooden hut, accompanied by a clinking sound, and a strange smell filled the air, as if something had been burnt.

Not far off, the fierce tiger wore a resentful expression, clutching that pitch‑black cauldron, its bloody mouth opening and closing, unknown what it was saying.

The others hurried to look, unable to help sucking in a breath of cold air.

"No matter what, the villagers' decision not to go up the mountain is correct—this mountain is simply too terrifying!"

Song Ze and the others summoned their fastest speed, darting out like arrows, not looking back as they ran far away, as if ghosts were chasing them from behind.

"That scene was extremely eerie; it definitely wasn't an ordinary animal—it must be a mountain wild spirit."

"Wait, am I mistaken? It looks like there's someone over by the wooden hut?!"

Those who didn't know still thought they had fled to escape famine.

The research team members spoke tremblingly: "Professor Song, let's leave quickly—while these monsters haven't noticed us, we must flee now, or else if we stay longer we might even lose our lives."

All that could be seen in the rice field was a huge black silhouette shouldering a pole and fertilizing; everything seemed normal, until that figure's presence came over.

"Run quickly!"

"Holy shit, is that a bear?"

"Are we still dreaming? What we see before us must be fake."

The mountain wind blew past, making everyone feel a chill down their spines; the leaves rustled like the roar of some nameless creature, causing them to shiver uncontrollably.

Countless strange animals appeared one after another, continually lowering their perception and its limits.

"No, it looks like there really is someone."

Then it seemed to recall something, showing a regretful expression: "Oh no! I left the soup I was cooking on the stove while chatting with these people."

"Who'll hit me? Is this illusion or reality? That turtle's fishing technique is better than mine."

However, unlike the ordinary, there was a gigantic old turtle by the stream; no one knows how long that turtle has lived, and the patterns on its shell are antiquated, as if the mountains and rivers are filled with a heavy, ancient feeling.

"Professor Song, although research is important, preserving one's life is the most crucial—if you lose your life, everything is for nothing."

There was also a stag wearing a pair of thick, old‑scholar spectacles, holding a book, swaying its head as if reading.

There was also a moose wearing thick, old-scholar glasses, holding a notebook, swaying its head and body as if reading a book.

"This must be fake—how could such animals exist? After the founding of the country, animals aren't allowed to become spirits."

Soon a black silhouette appeared in the wheat field, tall and sturdy, its back to the crowd, shouldering a pole and holding a gourd ladle—this action looked like it was fertilizing the rice field.

Soon a black shadow appeared in the wheat field, tall and sturdy, now facing away from the crowd, carrying a pole on his shoulder, and still holding a gourd ladle in his hand; from this action it seems he is fertilizing the rice paddies.

They finally saw clearly that what stood in the rice field was not a person at all!

It was a huge black bear!

The research team's binoculars were professional, able to clearly see the scene ahead.

"Could it be someone wearing a costume?"

Not far from the field, there was a piece of news about a murmuring stream, reflecting the golden wheat waves, with occasional green leaves drifting in the water, everything looking so beautiful.

The black bear was huge in stature, looked extremely clumsy, yet its movements were clean and neat, performing farm work with proper form.

"Oh no, I hope nothing happens to her."

"What on earth is going on?"

"Why is there a bear carrying a pole and fertilizing with a ladle in the field!"

"If someone had said that before, they would have thought the person was crazy, but just now everyone saw it."

"However, following a startled cry, one of the team members soon made a new discovery."

"The research team sucked in a breath of cold air: 'Today the sun rose in the west—how could a black bear appear in the field?'"

Upon hearing that, everyone grew even more curious, hastily grabbing the binoculars and looking in the direction he pointed; within moments, their eyes widened, their legs trembled, and they kept shivering there.

What on earth is going on? Why would there be a tiger in the village that can talk and even cook?

Weasels and foxes linked arms, walking upright like humans, strolling nonstop through the fields as if taking a walk.

"Damn, these animals look even more cultured than I do!"

No wonder we didn't see any other creatures along the way—they were all hiding here!

The research team came to explore Longyuan Mountain to study its geology, but they certainly weren't here to study these monsters!

All that could be seen were three people with ashen faces, drenched in sweat, looking as if they had just escaped death's door.

Because they were still some distance away, the expedition team couldn't make out their facial expressions clearly, only seeing their frantic silhouettes.

But no one would be so bored as to run around carrying a huge turtle shell just to fish.

That team member wore a ghost‑seen expression, couldn't help swallowing, not knowing how to describe what he'd seen; he trembled as he pointed southeast, saying, 'You guys see for yourselves!'

And just like that, a beautiful misunderstanding was born.

"Impossible, right? Aside from monsters, how could there be a person here? You must be seeing things."

It's hard to imagine that a place that seems like a utopia would harbor such terrifying creatures—could they really be monsters?

Song Ze and the others didn't mind being covered in mud from their run; they only wished they had two more pairs of legs at that moment, and even though nothing was chasing them from behind, they still felt a chill all over.

The binoculars were passed around like a relay baton among the research team, everyone's expression incredulous, unable to resist taking several looks.

Others looked completely bewildered, cautiously asking, 'Professor, are you all right?'

Only when Song Ze and the others drew near did they realize something was off: the usually composed professor was covered in dirt, his hair utterly disheveled, as disheveled as could be.

Before picking up the binoculars, they had never seen any great wind or waves.

"Good, good." Song Ze made up his mind, and just as the research team was preparing to retreat, a new discovery quickly arose within the group.

Song Ze gulped down several mouthfuls of water, the burning sensation in his throat easing somewhat, "We… we ran into a monster! If we hadn't run fast, we'd probably have met King Yama by now."

Hearing that, the others thought they had misheard, and couldn't help asking back, "A monster?"

The team member adjusted the binoculars' magnification again, now seeing things more clearly—but the next second his face turned deathly white, then went rigid as a stone; the binoculars felt like a hot potato, and he flung them away.

The fierce tiger and the black wolf‑man stood upright, holding kitchen knives while wearing aprons, even able to speak; the fangs in their bloody maws were enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Could it be that they were hallucinating?

Song Ze and the others ran until they were out of breath, fearing that the fierce tiger might catch up.

Beneath the seemingly tranquil scenery lay surging undercurrents, hiding countless dangers; the mountain‑spirit monsters lurking there could swallow them whole in a single bite.

Seeing those ferocious, huge beast claws swinging toward them, Song Ze and the others' eyes narrowed sharply, and they finally came to their senses.

"Is that monkey giving the wild boar a medical check‑up?!"

What on earth is going on!

Just what kind of place have they ended up in?

They had thought it was a utopia, but now it turned out to be worlds apart from their imagination; those humanoid animals were like the mountain sprites from Strange Tales of Liaozhai, leaving the research team feeling creeped to the bone.

Recalling what they had seen earlier, Song Ze, who had traveled south and north for years and thought he had witnessed many great winds and waves, had never before experienced anything that shocked him as deeply as today.

"These animals act like humans—could they have already gained sentience? The legendary monsters that awaken spiritual wisdom actually exist!"

It stood upright, over a meter tall, leaning against a blue stone, with a fresh green bamboo stalk clutched in its claws.

They had thought it was a utopia, with babbling brooks, golden rice fields, fruit‑laden branches, full of tranquil harmony; but now, looking at these scenes, everyone felt terror to the extreme.

The expedition member who had been waiting in place saw Song Ze and the others' figures, also showed a happy expression, and shouted loudly, 'Professor Song, you're finally back!'

Such a scene is truly too bizarre!

Not far off, a gentle breeze swayed, golden wheat waves rolled continuously, butterflies and bees fluttered in the air—indeed a picture of peaceful serenity.

"Is that blacksmithing over there?"

"Yes, Professor, I definitely don't want to become the monsters' dinner."

Seeing all these bizarre, unfathomable scenes, the research team members were completely dumbstruck.

Others, not knowing what had happened, hurriedly asked, 'What did you see?!'

"Damn it!"

Just like in ordinary zoos or amusement parks, where people often wear animal costumes to attract visitors.

Inside the house stood several upright monsters; one monkey carefully carried two plates of dishes, even balancing a pot on its head like a juggling act, and placed them on the table.

"Could these really be monsters?"

"How… how could there be a woman there?"

"What did Professor Song and the others see that got them so excited, even forgetting their image? Could it be that there really is some reclusive master in the village?"

Is it that the animals have become spirits, or has Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio become reality? Either way, it's beyond their ability to cope, and they can't study it to understand.

Watching the backs of several people running away, the Northeast tiger couldn't help but pull at its ears, "What a bunch, their lung capacity is pretty good— their shouting almost deafened my ears."

Song Ze took a deep breath, "Hand over the telescope, you'll see for yourselves."

"Have you seen that the black bear is even fertilizing? It must have become a spirit, right?"

"This is utterly bizarre— a black bear fertilizing? Am I really not dreaming?"

"I must have woken up still half-asleep today— a turtle actually fishing?!"

The research team retreated all the way back, once again entering the dimly lit mountain forest; the forest that had seemed terrifying and gloomy to Song Ze now felt completely safe.

After hearing the three's account, the whole venue fell silent; everyone else's expressions became extremely complex, and those who didn't know thought they were listening to Strange Tales.

The scene before them completely overturned the research team's worldview, their minds filled with vast blanks, utterly crashing.

Everyone could clearly see that these animals were definitely not humans in costume; they could even communicate with each other, their gaping mouths opening and closing, constantly assaulting their vision.

"Quick, look over there by the river!"

And at the head of the table, there actually was a woman in white clothes; because she was too far away, the research team couldn't make out her face.

After a while someone broke the silence, "Um… Professor Song, are you seeing things, or is someone actually wearing a plush costume, causing an illusion?"

Song Ze's gaze was wavering; his reason told told himself he should leave now, but thinking of those mutated plants in the mountains, he hesitated again,

Could it be that those plants in the mountains are all related to these monsters, including everything that happened before on Longyuan Mountain?

A mountain breeze blew past, a leaf spun down, and the atmosphere became awkward yet tranquil.

Since that wooden house has wolf and tiger demons, other parts of the village might also be strange; to avoid danger, it's better to use the telescope.

"He looks close to two meters tall— that's too tall; what did he eat to grow like that?"

But they could be certain, this is definitely a person!

Moreover, this person must be in the prime of life, for even from far away one can still feel their unmatched bearing.

"You wear this for farm work? That's not just pulling a calf, is it?"

"Right, right."

The research team took a deep breath and continued looking through the telescope.

On the other side there was a stove, a wild boar wearing big underpants, bare-chested, actually swinging a hammer to forge iron, sparks flying everywhere!

Furthermore, a monkey sat calmly on a log, opposite it sat a wild boar; the monkey placed its hand on the boar's hoof, even lifted the boar's eyelid to look, then grabbed several handfuls of herbs and gave them to the boar.

Everyone were scientists who believed in science, always dealing with technology and truth; now seeing these world-shattering scenes, they were at a loss for a moment, even forgetting their original fear and panic.

"Could this be the monsters' main base?!"

"Ah!"

Everyone hurriedly looked over with their telescopes, only to see that in the west side wooden house there seemed to really be a human figure.

This black bear's fur shone brightly, the white crescent mark on its chest especially prominent, its beast eyes glinting with a cold light, especially those claws flashing with a sharp, cold gleam, simply making one's heart tremble.

Song Ze couldn't help but say, "Take another careful look!"

After picking up the telescope, such a scene was truly the first time they'd ever encountered!

These scenes simply cannot be explained by science or common sense; before, perhaps one could still understand it as someone wearing a fur suit, or maybe a hunted bear skin.

One scene after another kept striking the research team's hearts, and everyone showed an expression of doubting life.

Besides, there were a weasel and a fox reading books, but their attention had been completely drawn by the scent, so they didn't even notice that the books in their hands had fallen over.

"Looks like just an ordinary person, though they're pretty tall."

"We can't just stand by and let someone die— let's call the police quickly."

Watching the woman surrounded by a horde of demons, the research team sucked in a breath of cold air; they had thought this place was only monsters, never expecting there to also be a person— could they have been captured?

"The phone has no signal at all, can't make a call."

Song Ze's gaze locked tightly onto the woman's back, not knowing what he had thought of, his face gradually turning pale……