Chapter 61: The Demon Kingdom of Qishan

Mount Qishan is located 180 kilometers west of Liangzhou City.

Three thousand years ago, the cry of the phoenix from Mount Qishan heralded the rise of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Since then, the entire Zhou Dynasty revered the phoenix as supreme, and Western Qi was designated as a sacred land of the dynasty, worshipped by generations of Zhou monarchs.

Over the millenniums that followed, this name always held a prominent place in legends, with countless lords and illustrious figures leaving their footprints here.

Three thousand years have passed, and today Mount Qishan has been designated as a well-known scenic area.

Stepping through the main gate, one is greeted by a flight of a hundred steps, at the end of which stands a massive golden phoenix statue inscribed with the four characters "Phoenix Singing at Qishan." Basking in the sunlight, the golden phoenix statue gleams radiantly, making it look as though a divine bird has truly descended to the mortal realm.

Yet, very few people know the true meaning behind this golden statue.

An off-road vehicle drove through the Qishan scenic area, passing the "Visitors Stop Here" sign and continuing straight ahead.

After driving for a few miles, the solid stone-paved road gradually vanished, replaced by a primitive dirt mountain path. Traveling on such a road caused the vehicle to sway up and down violently like a wok tossing food, a feat manageable only by a rugged off-road vehicle.

After jolting along like this for about half an hour, the off-road vehicle came to a halt in front of a concave valley. Peering inward, a parasol tree taller than a person grew at the center of the valley. The strange thing was that the tree's leaves actually shimmered with a bright golden luster in the sunlight, as though they were sculpted from pure gold.

The car doors opened, and researchers bearing the emblem of the Super-Research Institute scrambled out. Alighting right along with them was a peacock dressed in a miniature uniform.

"This place is the entrance to the Monster Kingdom Grotto-heaven," the peacock flapped its wings, fluently uttering human speech.

Just as sects would dispatch cultivators to the official government, the Monster Kingdom also had its own external envoys, and this peacock was one such emissary.

According to records, it was a close attendant of the Monster Emperor, the Phoenix, possessing complete spiritual intelligence and skilled in ventriloquism, which was why it was specially assigned to guide the annual survey of the Monster Kingdom.

"We are about to enter the Monster Kingdom. I must ask you all to hold the True Feather of His Majesty close by. When entering or leaving the grotto-heaven, remember strictly not to stray outside the coverage area of the True Feather, otherwise, lacking monster aura on your bodies, you might be repelled by the grotto-heaven barrier."

Under the guidance of the peacock, the members of the Super-Research Institute jointly lifted an iron chest out of the car. The body of the chest was dense with spiritual runes, its sturdiness no less than that of a bank vault.

The chest opened slowly, revealing the item inside.

It was a fiery red feather. On the surface, it looked delicate, but to the touch, it was as hard as metal and stone. A flame-like luster flowed across it, and simply drawing near it made one feel waves of warmth.

The True Feather of the Phoenix—a secret treasure originating from the true form of the Monster Emperor. Containing the spiritual charm of the Monster Emperor, it was a truly priceless item; even the entire Chinese government possessed fewer than ten of them.

Aside from this specific beacon used for traveling in and out of the Monster Kingdom, the remaining true feathers were strictly stored in the vaults of various units, only brought out when casting large-scale arrays or forging top-tier spiritual artifacts, and often a single feather possessed astonishing utility.

The moment the feather was removed from the sealed chest, the birdsong in the surrounding mountain forests suddenly grew several times louder. Streaks of formless spiritual charm drifted out from among the feather, attracting flying creatures from all directions, which came and circled around the crowd.

"I shall request an audience with His Majesty here to open the grotto-heaven entrance. During the process, the True Charm of His Majesty may descend. Please keep your minds calm, guard your spiritual platforms firmly, and do not panic."

Amidst the circling birds, the peacock likewise took flight, surrounded by spiritual light, chanting a peculiar blessing with its cries.

"Blazing Phoenix King, peerless in this world!
Bathed in immortal grace, feathers sweeping across all directions!
The land of Western Qi, universally moistening all living beings!
Where the holy brilliance reaches, majesty is mighty and vast!"

The semi-chanted, semi-sung blessing flowed among the forest leaves, mingling with the birdsong from all directions, growing ever louder.

As the birds sang in unison, the crimson feather at the center slowly drifted upward, radiating a flame-like brilliance. In an instant, the temperature of the entire mountain forest soared sharply, and beads of sweat oozed from the foreheads of the Super-Research Institute members standing close by.

"—I hereby implore the Phoenix King to cast a glance downward and allow us to behold the holy countenance!"

With the final line of the blessing sung, the crimson feather, now transformed into a blaze of fire, flashed with a brilliant radiance and swept toward the crowd.

As the flames rushed toward her face, Cheng Xiaomeng in the team instinctively closed her eyes.

A lingering, clear cry resounded beside her ears, and the surrounding scenery distorted and reformed. Through a crimson field of vision, she vaguely seemed to see a giant crimson bird lowering its head from the sky, its golden pupils dropping as it cast a condescending glance down at her.

"!!!"

Cheng Xiaomeng snapped her eyes open, stumbling and collapsing to the ground, panting heavily with weak limbs and hands.

Beside her, several newly arrived members of the Super-Research Institute behaved much like her, each bearing a look of lingering dread. Those veteran researchers who had visited more than once were relatively calm, though their expressions could hardly be described as relaxed.

Carrying the true feather in and out of the Monster Kingdom might provoke the spiritual charm glance of the Monster Emperor; this was a precaution they had known about before setting out.

Yet when they truly confronted that strand of spiritual charm—even if it was only a wisp—they could not control a wave of terror gripping their hearts.

This was the supreme monster...

Cheng Xiaomeng squatted on the ground, panting for a long while until the cold sweat on her temples had slightly dried in the wind, before finally raising her head slightly to look forward.

With this lift of her head, the first thing that entered her field of vision was a tree.

A tree that reached the heavens and stood upon the earth.

That tree might have been ten thousand meters tall, shaped like a parasol tree. Its trunk was as hard as iron and stone, its leaves as brilliant as gold, and its canopy pierced straight into the clouds so that its peak could not be seen. At a single glance, it seemed as though this tree was propping up the entire heavens and earth.

Beneath the giant tree lay rolling mountains and running streams. Monsters of various races wandered among the exotic flowers and rare herbs in the mountains, using trees as houses and water as paths, presenting a scene of utter prosperity.

As such a magnificent and beautiful scene met her eyes, Cheng Xiaomeng felt her breathing stall slightly.

Although she had already seen descriptions of the Monster Kingdom in the documents, reading written materials was one thing, but witnessing it with one's own eyes was quite another.

If she were to find a word to describe the scene before her, the only appropriate one would be "unmatched."

Resting in place for a quarter of an hour, the several members who had just been deterred by the spiritual charm recovered from that sense of oppression, standing up one by one and walking toward the rear.

For such grotto-heaven entrances, large machinery could not be driven in, but bringing a car inside was still feasible. The off-road vehicle accompanying them, having just traversed the boundary between the virtual and the real, had also been transmitted inside along with them and was parked quietly in the back.

The group climbed back into the cabin and sped straight ahead. In the rearmost seat on the right, Cheng Xiaomeng leaned against the car window, raising her gaze to look far into the distance.

At first, what met her eyes were merely monotonous green mountains and clear waters, but after driving just a few miles, the sounds of birds chirping and beasts roaring began to intermingle, growing louder and denser.

Until those cries filled her entire eardrums, the surrounding sights were already teeming with packs of monsters.

Among the forest leaves, a bipedal fox monster arranged various fruits on a massive leaf, while several other monsters of different races gathered in front of this stall, holding small stones carved with feather patterns in their claws as if they were bargaining.

Moving further ahead was an expansive field. A white bird monster flapped its wings, stirring up gusts of wind that swept countless rice seedlings into the soil. Guinea pigs with long claws used their paws as plows, shuttling back and forth through the fields.

"Goose, goose, goose, curving its neck toward the sky to sing, white feathers floating on green water, red palms cleaving clear waves..."

The crisp sound of recitation drifted over with the wind. Following the sound, she saw several squirrel spirits sitting one after another on a tree with numerous forks. The largest one at the front held a copy of "Three Hundred Tang Poems," leading the other monsters in recitation.

The little monsters on that tree seemed low in cultivation, stumbling over their human speech just like toddlers learning human language for the first time.

Hearing the sound of the vehicle approaching, a group of little monsters curiously turned their heads, gazing from afar at this speeding iron-skinned machine.

One of the little squirrels reciting Tang poetry leaped forward eagerly, wanting to approach, but was swatted fiercely by the large squirrel behind it, leaving it with no choice but to pick up the book in its hand and continue reading.

Scenes similar to this were countless along the way. No one had the heart to play on their phones anymore; everyone spontaneously pressed against the windows, taking in every single detail of the Monster Kingdom's scenery.

Monster Kingdom, Monster Kingdom—the emphasis lay not only on "monster," but even more so on "kingdom."

Along the journey, they witnessed not only transactions and lectures among monsters, but also granaries, hospitals, and other facilities, and the Chinese language and characters had even been popularized throughout the entire realm. Although this system was still quite primitive compared to human society, it was enough to be called a miracle.

One had to know that most of the monsters here had only just awakened their spiritual intelligence, possessing an IQ equivalent to human toddlers of a few years old. To make these toddlers, who possessed almost only primitive instincts, obey rules and form a self-consistent social ecology, the only thing they could rely on was the might of that supreme existence.

This was the kingdom created by the Monster Emperor—a set of rules wielded by the phoenix. It had walked the mortal world alongside a certain existence for a thousand years, moving everything it had seen and known into its kingdom.

"You will stay in the Monster Kingdom for two days this time. On the first day, I will guide you all on a tour of the imperial capital, and on the second day, you will participate in the Flower Viewing Banquet in the imperial capital."

The peacock stood perched on the front passenger seat, shaking its tail feathers and saying, "During this period, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me at any time, but please make sure not to act arbitrarily. Many orders in the Monster Kingdom differ from the outside world, and acting rashly may risk violating taboos."

The order of the Monster Kingdom was established by the Monster Emperor, imitating human society in many ways while simultaneously possessing some rather peculiar rules. Everyone present had already been well aware of this.

"Speaking of which, I saw a regulation of the Monster Kingdom in the documents earlier."

Cheng Xiaomeng suddenly thought of something and asked the peacock, "That regulation stated... within the entire territory of the Monster Kingdom, cilantro is forbidden to appear in any meals, and even planting it is prohibited. Is this true?"

Other strange rules could be understood based on the ecology of the Monster Kingdom itself, but only this rule baffled everyone. Because of this, she remembered this rule particularly well and had even suspected whether it was someone's prank.

"That is correct." The peacock nodded, "Such a regulation indeed exists within the Monster Kingdom."

This answer left everyone in the car stunned: "Why is planting cilantro forbidden?"

"This regulation was enacted by His Majesty, and we do not understand its meaning either. Perhaps it is simply His Majesty's unique preference."

The peacock shook its wings, turned around, and spoke through the window, "We are about to approach the imperial capital, so please prepare yourselves."

The off-road vehicle continued forward, heading toward the central golden parasol tree. The closer they got, the more pronounced the radiance of the parasol leaves became, and after crossing a few more mountains and rivers, the entire landscape was tinged with a bright golden luster.

Beneath the parasol tree lies the dwelling place of the phoenix. Within this vast Monster Kingdom, this was the imperial city located at the very center.

Centered around the golden parasol tree, its sprawling roots intertwined to form the four walls of the city, and the crevices between the roots served as the city's corridors, leading to mountains and rivers in all directions.

The off-road vehicle slowed its pace, traveling sluggishly through the corridors of the imperial city.

The tree's roots extended for tens of thousands of meters, and the imperial capital was built upon them. From a distance, one could spot various forms of great monsters leaping among the golden parasol trees, and judging from the spiritual light emanating from their bodies, every single one of them possessed centuries of cultivation.

Cheng Xiaomeng withdrew her gaze from the distance, leaning against the car window and watching the iron-colored roots outside slowly recede. After a while, a patch of iron-colored roots suddenly became ornate.

It was a mural painted across the roots, spanning several dozen meters in length. It appeared to be the handiwork of monster artisans; the painting technique was not particularly refined, yet one could still discern that it was likely a work depicting historical legends.

"This is the first checkpoint upon entering the imperial capital. These paintings are a display of His Majesty's great achievements. Every citizen of the Monster Kingdom entering the capital must look upon them and study them. If you all are interested, you may take a look as well."

The peacock's tone suddenly elevated. Although not much expression could be discerned on that face, its tail feathers fanned open as it spoke, evidently stirred with excitement.

In fact, without its prompting, the members of the Super-Research Institute had already pressed against the car windows, watching with undivided attention.

Just as the mortal world always propagated the image and stories of emperors far and wide for its citizens to gaze upon and study, the Monster Kingdom adopted the exact same approach.

For these researchers from the Super-Research Institute, this was also a rare firsthand material of the Monster Kingdom, possessing astonishing research value. Although they had previously seen photographs taken by other researchers, seeing the physical reality with their own eyes was still enough to captivate everyone's gaze.

Cheng Xiaomeng rolled down the car window to look outside. As the vehicle advanced, the story depicted in the mural slowly unfolded.

The very beginning featured a very classic monster-race opening, portraying a red infant phoenix breaking out of its egg, surrounded by birds of all kinds dancing around it.

Following that were scenes from its growth period, showing the red phoenix bird flying in circles near Mount Qishan. Below the painting, a few human buildings in the Tang Dynasty style were also visible, presumably depicting the growth period of the Monster King.

"Since three thousand years ago, Mount Qishan has been the ancestral land of our clan. His Majesty of the present day was born in this very place. Just as it broke out of its shell, the spiritual charm of heaven and earth accompanied it. In the centuries that followed, its footprints spanned the four realms of Mount Qishan, leaving behind legacy monuments wherever it went..."

The peacock swung its large tail behind it, explaining the murals one by one in a high-pitched and passionate tone, its fanned tail reaching right up to the car roof.

Amidst this fervent explanation, the vehicle continued forward. Following several consecutive growth-period scenes, an unusual mural suddenly struck everyone's eyes.

This mural possessed deep colors, featuring three giant beasts standing atop Mount Qishan—appearing to be a lion, an elephant, and a roc. Below them were fleeing little monsters and piles of bleached bones, presenting an entire scene of disaster.

"In the Xinmao year of Western Qi... which is 690 AD, three demon lords took up residence in Mount Qishan, usurping the sacred parasol tree and enforcing a cruel rule. They devoured both humans and monsters, causing countless casualties among the citizens of Qishan."

Reaching this panel, the peacock's explanatory script also deepened in tone.

"At a time of imminent crisis and peril, His Majesty resolutely departed Mount Qishan to seek out a strategy for suppressing demons, thereby encountering a great opportunity of the immortal path..."

The vehicle moved forward, and the mural continued to unfold. Following closely behind the profound disaster was a brilliant portrait.

Only the word "brilliant" could be used to describe it. This painting had a gold background interspersed with crushed gold arranged along specific lines, outlining a human figure at the center.

A man dressed in red Taoist robes.