Chapter 96

The scene before the tomb robbers' eyes made them feel unable to believe it.

"Those animals actually all gathered here."

In the darkness, countless pairs of eerie green eyes lit up; in the firelight, the furry animal faces took on many human-like emotions.

The animals seemed drawn by the firelight, flocking to the large vat, raising their upper bodies upright and placing what they held in their paws down.

At this moment they did not fear the firelight; instead, they resembled devout believers performing some kind of ritual and prayer.

One must know that animals fearing fire is basic instinct; they never voluntarily approach a fire source.

Thanks to the firelight, everyone could finally see clearly that what they held in their mouths were indeed various green plants, each of different shape.

Among the group there was also a talent, someone who spent years outdoors wind‑eating and dew‑sleeping, with ample wilderness experience and familiarity with herbs; the more they looked, the more unbelievable it seemed.

"What these animals are holding in their mouths are actually herbs."

"You didn't see wrong, did you? This bunch of beasts is holding herbs?"

"White Atractylodes, River Sky, and honeysuckle should be correct."

Even if some animals could identify basic herbs, what are they doing gathering so many herbs? It completely goes against their nature.

Before the tomb robbers could figure out the reason behind this,

Flap—flap—

From not far away came the sound of wings flapping, growing nearer; in the quiet night it was especially clear, and the tomb robbers, sensing something, instinctively raised their heads, their pupils suddenly contracting.

In the dark jungle countless black shadows flew in; under the moonlight the shadows were thick and dense, like moths rushing into flames, one after another.

They almost blocked out the silvery light, transforming into a vast net that covered the sky above them; the heavens were black and oppressive, not a glimmer of light visible, inexplicably making it hard to breathe.

By the faint firelight one could see various kinds of birds, and it seemed their beaks and claws were also grasping something.

The tomb robbers' eyes widened little by little; they couldn't help covering their mouths, thus avoiding crying out.

"This, so many birds"

Those birds flew one after another above the large vat, then lowered their altitude; thereafter countless green plants rained down from the sky, for a moment like rain, all falling into the vat being roasted by fire.

Everyone's complexion became extremely complicated; the scene before their eyes was completely beyond reason.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never believe it.

The more they looked, the stranger it seemed: a sudden beast tide, then they discovered a burning vat, and most importantly the animals held herbs in their mouths and placed them inside, as if they had received some command.

Their behavior and movements felt just like those of humans.

Thinking this, goosebumps rose on everyone.

"Let's leave quickly; I feel this place is too weird."

These people have also robbed many tombs, constantly dealing with the dead; each is quite bold, having seen no strange or bizarre thing.

But such an affair, they really have never encountered before; even someone like Fifth Master couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

They did not want to disturb these animals, originally intending to slip away quietly.

Who would have thought that someone in the group would accidentally step on a dry twig?

"Crack—"

The faint sound was especially conspicuous in the silent night.

In an instant everyone's complexion changed suddenly.

Done for!

As expected, those animals all turned their heads in unison, their movements perfectly uniform, as if carved from the same mold.

In the deep mountains and old forests, countless animals.

Countless pairs of green, gloomy eyes accurately fell upon the direction where the tomb robbers and others were, and they even saw human-like expressions on those beast faces.

That was the displeasure and anger of being disturbed, as if they had ruined some solemn ceremony.

Even that strange snake cast a glance over.

Looking at that pair of icy snake pupils, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, a never-before-experienced coldness, as if being stared at by the Grim Reaper.

This snake differed from ordinary serpents; under the firelight, its all-over dark green scales emitted a strange color that defied description.

Ordinary snakes possess only bestial nature, yet they saw something beyond bestiality, momentarily feeling as if they were ants facing a colossal being.

But soon the snake withdrew its gaze, as if it had just been their illusion; they then felt they had escaped disaster, gasping heavily.

It was truly terrifying!

It was clearly just a snake, yet it seemed like some colossal being, its oppressive presence something they had never felt from any wild beast.

"Let's, let's hurry and leave."

The speaker stammered, so frightened and flustered that he could not utter a complete sentence.

His companion beside him remained utterly motionless, as if frozen.

Only after a long while did Fifth Master's hoarse voice sound.

"We can't leave."

Sometime, countless hyenas and jackals gathered from the sides, forming a encirclement that trapped them inside.

These carnivores bared their teeth; their sharp fangs could easily bite through their throats, and foul saliva dripped.

Several people stood back to back, watching the surrounding carnivores, and for a moment cold sweat poured from their foreheads.

Ants can kill an elephant when numerous, let alone so many hyenas and jackals; they could not possibly deal with them, and if they provoked these beasts, there would likely be no good outcome.

"Fifth Master, what should we do next?"

"Otherwise, let's fight to the death!"

Looking at the surrounding beasts staring covetously, the tomb robbers panicked for a moment.

Fifth Master looked at them like idiots, saying, "If we had more people and guns, it would be okay, but now we few aren't even enough to fill a tooth gap."

"If we provoke these beasts and they bite us a few times, ants can kill an elephant when numerous, and fighting them to the death would obviously be a loss for us."

What Fifth Master said makes perfect sense.

The tomb raiders probed forward a few steps, and the jackals and hyenas immediately bared their teeth, as if they would pounce the next second.

On the contrary, staying put, their reaction wasn't as strong as before; as long as they didn't disturb the tranquility of this place, they would be safe.

Seeing this, the tomb raiders dared not act rashly; Fifth Master wiped the sweat from his forehead, pondered a moment, then said:

"Let's hold our position for now, lest these wild beasts be startled."

These animals show no intent to attack; as long as they stay here, for now it's relatively safe.

If worse comes to worst, we'll just have to wait until dawn; surely the animals will disperse on their own by then.

At this point, that's the only option.

After all, if they really had to fight these beasts, their chances of winning aren't high.

The tomb raiders were jumpy as startled birds, carefully watching their surroundings; oddly enough, seeing them behave, the jackals and hyenas showed no intention to attack.

Instead, they acted like guards, more precisely to stop them, lest their panicked rush disturb the 'Demonic Ancestor' being refined in the alchemy.

Actually, Ye Qin had already noticed these people's presence, but he was in the middle of the refinement process at the time.

Alchemy emphasizes doing it all in one effort; then it wanes, then exhausts.

If these few people affected the elixir's quality, it would hardly be worth the loss, so he refrained from distraction, planning to speak only after finishing the refinement.

At this moment, the herbs were poured into the vat, and Ye Qin soon channeled a strand of Imperial Flow Sap into it.

Although Ye Qin had some Imperial Flow Sap stored, it's a consumable—using a bit reduces it—and he doesn't know when the next batch will appear.

So he conserves wherever possible.

Fortunately, in elixir refinement, Imperial Flow Sap merely serves as a medium, with little loss.

Ye Qin wrapped the Imperial Flow Sap in mental power, continually drawing and refining it.

As golden light poured into the vat, like some kind of bridge and medium, the life essence within the herbs was quickly condensed, becoming a visible substance.

Countless green specks of light slowly flew out of the vat.

Those specks affectionately circled Ye Qin, as if given life, occasionally some landing on nearby plants.

Meanwhile, a light mist rose, set against the roaring flames, giving the otherwise ordinary vat an indescribable aura.

All the animals gazed at Ye Qin's position, their eyes full of devotion and respect, their expressions eerily human.

Although the jackals and hyenas were guarding here, their heads all pointed to the same spot, even kowtowing and whimpering, as if paying homage.

But this scene was blocked by the surging beast tide, so the crowd couldn't see it clearly.

Someone in the group finally couldn't hold back, lowering their voice and trembling: 'What are these animals staring at, so intently? How weird does this feel!'

Fifth Master and the others followed their gaze, squinting to see more clearly, but upon seeing the distant scene, a chill rose involuntarily from their feet to their hearts!

That snake lay motionless before the vat, but occasionally poked its head in to glance inside, then recalling the plants the hundred beasts had brought...

"I feel like it's refining elixir!"

That remark startled everyone awake; a cold wind blew, making everyone shiver involuntarily, and only then did they notice their backs soaked with sweat.

"How could a snake possibly refine elixir?"

"Never mind snakes—humans might not even be able to do it!"

Fifth Master's forehead beaded with sweat, his lips turning pale.

He's wandered north and south, robbed graves for years—what scene hasn't he seen?

Sleeping alongside corpses was routine; he'd long forged an iron will, yet this eerie scene made his hair stand on end, as if he'd stepped into a horror tale—he'd never felt so terrified.

He wanted to resist that guess, but the hundred beasts gathered, bringing herbs to toss into the vat, implicitly honoring that snake as their lord—if not elixir refinement, what else could it be?

Such a scene is truly shocking, unprecedented!

The deep night was silent, tree shadows swaying like specters.

A group of tomb raiders shivered, constantly swallowing saliva, their faces turning pale.

The wild beasts stood respectfully aside; despite their numbers, they made not a sound, an eerie silence even more disciplined than a human army.

Only the crackling of the flames, an invisible oppressive atmosphere, made the tomb raiders feel fear.

It felt as if invisible hands were choking their throats, the air thinning, nearly making them unable to breathe.

If someone had once told them snakes could refine elixir, they would never have believed it.

But what's happening before their eyes now utterly overturns everything they've ever known.

Fear of the unknown is often the greatest, especially when it's a realm they've never touched; if it's imbued with the hue of ghosts and monsters, plus the uncanny valley effect, that fear multiplies countlessfold.

After watching a while, someone spoke with a sobbing tone: 'Could that snake be a monster? I've heard that some mountain animals can cultivate into spirits.'

"My hometown's in the northeast; snakes are one of the Five Immortals, the Willow Immortal—maybe the earlier beast tide was controlled by this snake."

Everyone used to dismiss such talk, but now their hearts sank to the depths of the valley.

Given the many beasts earlier and today's elixir‑like scene, perhaps only monsters could wield such extraordinary means.

"Let's not scare ourselves; maybe it's just a freak coincidence—there are no monsters in the world."

The speaker's voice lacked conviction; ignoring the tremor in their tone would make it more persuasive.

At this point, that's all they can do to console themselves.

But another person stared fixedly at the vat's location, face ashen, stammering: 'But… but why are those animals still adding firewood?'

Everyone hurried to look; apparently thinking the flame too small, the snake, remarkably human‑like, nodded at the nearby beasts, and several yellow weasels carried in bits of dry wood.

The yellow weasels chattered nonstop, then gnawed the stems of nearby plants, plucked several broad leaves, and began shaking them over the fire.

The leaves stirred up a whooshing wind, which actually worked well; soon the flames grew larger.

Several yellow weasels even happily waved their paws and feet.

Witnessing this, the tomb raiders were dumbfounded, unable to utter a full sentence for a long time.

Such behavior would be normal for humans, but in animals it's utterly bizarre—one might think those yellow weasels had become spirits.

"This snake couldn't be an old demon of the deep mountains, could it?"

The snake coiled around the large vat, as if constantly observing the state of the flames; whenever it felt the flames were too big, an animal would pull out a few dry branches and toss them aside.

Although I don't know how they communicate despite being different species.

But the hissing of the snake's tongue, together with the animals' calls, seemed to sound like communication.

The grave robbers were almost driven mad; the incessant hissing of the snake's tongue, like a demonic sound, drilled into their minds.

They really didn't want to see such a bizarre, absurd scene that completely overturned their ordinary understanding of animals, yet it was so fascinating that they couldn't help but keep glancing over.

Such feelings continually tugged at their thoughts, leaving the group tormented.

After a long while, however, they saw a sudden brightness appear in the forest, illuminating the faces of several people with a sickly green hue.

"Snake, the Snake Great Immortal has actually been refined!"

A grave robber spoke with a trembling voice, but then they saw that the brightness was actually countless green points of light, gathering above the large vat and increasing in number, quickly forming an oval-shaped object.

Afterward, the object gradually became full and round, as if wrapped by some mysterious power, floating in midair.

Seeing this scene, everyone was completely dumbfounded, unable to utter a word in astonishment.

In their gaze, those points of light quickly fell back into the large vat.

At the same time, a refreshing fragrance spread, like a night-blooming cereus blossoming quietly under the moonlight, and also like a pine on a cliff.

This fragrance was very pleasant, making the grave robbers unable to help but feel a bit greedy, their mouths watering involuntarily, yet everyone showed an even more fearful expression.

"What on earth is this old demon concocting?"

Now everything indicates the extraordinary nature of this serpent kind; moreover, having personally witnessed how this snake spirit refines elixir, will it spare us?

Upon thinking this, everyone's faces turned deathly pale, their teeth chattering nonstop, showing they were terrified to the extreme.

They had robbed so many graves, never even encountering a zombie, and didn't believe in any ghostly doctrines, yet they never expected to encounter a demon in these deep old mountains!

And it's a deep mountain old demon capable of refining elixir!

There will be an update during the day.

(End of chapter)