Gale Falcon

At this moment,

high above the Nine Heavens Above, a tiny black speck moved across the azure sky.

That black speck was so small

that it looked like an ant crawling across a cerulean canopy.

If one's eyesight was poor, one might not even notice it.

But clearly,

ants could not crawl across the sky.

It was a large bird,

a bird-type Demon Beast flying high in the air.

It was only because the distance was simply too great

that it looked like nothing more than an ant-like black speck.

"Changchuan, how is it? Can you handle it?"

Not far away,

Han Qinhu walked over. He too raised his head to look warily at the high sky overhead and asked with concern.

At this moment, he held a mid-to-low-grade sword Dharma Artifact seized from Old Three of the Four Fiends of Heshan, while wearing the leather armor that had been damaged when Shen Changchuan defeated him in their ambush battle.

He looked fully armed.

Yet none of that clearly gave him much sense of security.

"It's troublesome. That thing is probably at the peak of the First Order mid-stage, roughly comparable to the Peak Qi Gathering Sixth Level in strength."

"But if I'm not mistaken, that thing should be the notoriously difficult Gale Falcon among Demon Beasts. This kind of Demon Beast is naturally close to the power of wind; it is incredibly fast. Even Qi Gathering Late-stage cultivators would likely find it difficult to keep it from escaping."

Shen Changchuan shook his head slightly, his brows faintly furrowed.

His perfected Spirit Eye Technique allowed him to make out the general situation of that black speck from such a great distance.

But it was precisely because of that

that, after seeing the Demon Beast's exact circumstances,

he found it extremely thorny.

"Then should we abandon the battle plan and directly follow the backup plan?"

"Pull the entire village over to harvest together. We'll try to harvest as much as possible in the shortest time possible!"

A fierce glint flashed through Han Qinhu's eyes.

"No. That would only add to the casualties. Besides, that thing is after the Spirit Grain. Even if we disregard the villagers' lives, we probably still wouldn't be able to bring in much."

"Everything will proceed according to the original plan."

Shen Changchuan considered it for a moment before ultimately rejecting Han Qinhu's suggestion.

Although the current plan might not necessarily succeed,

it was already the best method available.

They could only do their utmost.

Speaking of which,

the reason Shen Changchuan had been able to make preparations in advance was closely tied to what happened three days ago, when he came out of seclusion to inspect the Spirit Fields, learned that the ten mu of Spirit Fields could see a considerable increase in yield, and decided to "give bonuses" to encourage the villagers' enthusiasm.

Because not long after the announcement that day,

a villager reported something to Han Qinhu.

He said that several days earlier, he had seen a black speck circling overhead in the sky for a quarter of an hour before leaving.

The villager had excellent eyesight and vaguely made out the speck's outline. It seemed to be a large bird like an eagle, flying very high, likely some unknown Demon Beast.

Originally, he had intended to pretend he had seen nothing.

After all, the Demon Beast had flown away after circling once, and he had no evidence. If he rashly reported it and nothing could be found afterward, wasting the immortal master's energy, he might instead catch the blame.

So he had simply buried the matter in his heart.

But after Shen Changchuan decided to take out part of the increased yield as "bonuses," things became different.

Having lived in Great Bay Village for many years, the villager knew that Spirit Grain was a Spirit Item, and that when it matured, it might attract attacks from Demon Beasts.

When the new young immortal master had taken office half a year ago, he had dealt with a giant Yao Pig along the way.

That beast had been a great scourge upon Great Bay Village for two straight years, leaving the previous immortal master at his wits' end.

Now,

if that bird-type Demon Beast attacked during the Spirit Grain harvest that day and caused a reduced yield, could the immortal master still "give bonuses"?

Clearly not!

Thus, prepared to catch the blame, the villager reported the matter.

After learning of it, Han Qinhu did not dare delay in the slightest and went straight to Shen Changchuan.

Upon learning the details, Shen Changchuan could not help letting out a sigh.

Sure enough, only when interests were involved would people put in greater care and effort.

Afterward, Shen Changchuan went several times to the highest point of the back mountain to observe.

And later,

he truly did discover traces of the Gale Falcon.

That thing circled Great Bay Village several times before leaving.

Judging by the circumstances,

the Gale Falcon should have arrived only recently.

And its behavior of circling above the village before leaving was easy enough to guess.

It was probably scouting the area,

checking whether the Spirit Grain had ripened.

That fellow's target was likely the twelve mu of Spirit Grain in Great Bay Village!

Thus, on the day the Spirit Grain matured,

Shen Changchuan had already prepared a plan in advance.

But faced with a peak First Order mid-stage Gale Falcon that even Qi Gathering Late-stage cultivators found difficult to handle,

Shen Changchuan was not particularly confident either.

What was more,

the Spirit Fields he needed to watch over were not limited to Great Bay Village alone.

There were also two mu of Spirit Fields over at Zhao Family Village.

"Troublesome."

"Right now, only my eldest uncle, a cultivator who has only just succeeded in Qi Gathering, is stationed at Zhao Family Village. Although I left behind the Mizong Liangyi Formation, my eldest uncle is still only a cultivator who succeeded in Qi Gathering not long ago. Sigh, I can only hope everything goes smoothly."

Thinking of the two mu of Spirit Fields at Zhao Family Village, a thread of worry once more rose in Shen Changchuan's heart.

But there was nothing to be done about it.

For now, Great Bay Village was still more important.

That side could only rely on his eldest uncle.

They simply had too few hands.

After this period had passed,

he would have to think carefully about how to resolve it—whether to train cultivator subordinates of his own, or bolster their defenses through external means like Formations.

There needed to be a proper plan afterward.

Thoughts flashed through Shen Changchuan's mind.

But he quickly suppressed them all.

These matters

could be considered later.

Right now,

all his attention had to be focused on the Gale Falcon above.

As time passed,

the sun gradually climbed high into the sky, pouring down scorching rays.

Outside the Spirit Fields,

the selected sturdy villagers stood by quietly, gripping sickles forged from refined steel,

their clothes soaked through with sweat beneath the blazing sun.

The air was thick with oppressive heat.

No one knew how long passed.

Then, suddenly,

the dense patches of Spirit Rice growing across the Spirit Fields began to sway and cluster, like flowers blooming across the heavens,

and golden light illuminated the entire land!

A rich, vibrant fragrance of Spirit Grain rice spread through every corner of the air!

Everyone's attention was drawn to the resplendent sight.

The Spirit Grain

had ripened!

"It's here!"

At that very moment,

Shen Changchuan, standing on high ground, felt his heart tighten.

He saw

the black speck in the sky make a long circling sweep,

then dive toward the Spirit Fields at lightning speed!

It moved so fast

that it seemed like a streak of gray lightning cutting through midair!

The second update still hasn't been written. It looks like it will have to be posted later.