Gale Falcon

At that moment,

A tiny black speck moved across the deep-blue sky, high above the clouds.

The speck was so small,

It looked just like an ant crawling across the azure canopy.

If your eyesight was poor, you might not even notice it.

But obviously,

Ants couldn't crawl across the sky.

It was a giant bird,

A bird-type Demon Beast flying high overhead.

It was only because it was so far away

That it looked like nothing more than a tiny black speck, like an ant.

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

Nearby,

Han Qinhu came over. He too glanced warily up at the high sky and asked with concern.

He held a mid- to low-grade long sword magic artifact seized from the third of the Four Evils of He Mountain, and wore the leather armor Shen Changchuan had damaged during the ambush.

He was fully armed.

But it was clear that none of it made him feel much safer.

"It'll be troublesome. That thing is probably at the peak of the mid first rank. Its strength should be around the peak of the sixth layer of the Qi Induction Realm."

"But if I'm not mistaken, that thing is one of the most troublesome Demon Beasts, a Gale Falcon. These beasts are naturally attuned to the power of wind, and they're incredibly fast. Even a cultivator in the late Qi Induction stage would probably have trouble keeping one from escaping."

Shen Changchuan shook his head slightly, his brow furrowing.

His perfected Spirit Eye Technique let him make out the black speck's general features from a great distance.

But that was precisely why,

After getting a clear look at the beast,

He found it so difficult to deal with.

"Then should we abandon the plan and go with the backup?"

"Get everyone in the village to help with the harvest, and try to bring it in as quickly as possible. We'll take whatever we can!"

A ruthless glint flashed through Han Qinhu's eyes.

"No. That would only add to the casualties. Besides, its target is the Spirit Grain. Even if we didn't care about the villagers' lives, we probably wouldn't be able to harvest much."

"We'll stick to the original plan."

Shen Changchuan thought for a moment, but ultimately rejected Han Qinhu's suggestion.

The current plan might not succeed,

But it was still the best option.

All they could do was try their hardest.

As it happened,

The reason Shen Changchuan had been able to prepare a plan in advance

Was closely tied to his visit three days ago, when he left seclusion to inspect the Spirit Fields and learned that the ten mu of fields would yield considerably more. He had decided to "give out bonuses" to encourage the villagers.

Not long after he announced the news that day,

One of the villagers reported something to Han Qinhu.

He said that a few days earlier, he had seen a black speck hovering in the sky for a quarter of an hour before flying away.

The villager had excellent eyesight and had vaguely made out its silhouette. It seemed to be a large bird, like an eagle, flying very high. It was probably some unknown Demon Beast.

At first, he had planned to pretend he knew nothing.

After all, the beast had flown off after circling around once. He had no proof, and if he reported it only for them to find nothing later, he would have wasted the immortal master's time and might even get blamed for it.

So he had simply kept it to himself.

But after Shen Changchuan decided to give out part of the increased yield as "bonuses," things changed.

Having lived in Dawan Village for many years, the villager knew that Spirit Grain was a spiritual resource, and that ripening crops could attract Demon Beast attacks.

Half a year ago, when the new young immortal master had taken office, he had dealt with a Giant Demon Pig along the way.

That beast had plagued Dawan Village for two years straight, leaving the previous immortal master in a state of constant frustration.

Now,

If that bird Demon Beast attacked while the Spirit Grain was being harvested and ruined part of the yield, would the immortal master still give out "bonuses"?

Obviously not!

So the villager had reported what he saw, prepared to take the blame if it came to that.

When Han Qinhu heard, he didn't dare waste a moment and went straight to Shen Changchuan.

After learning the details, Shen Changchuan couldn't help letting out a sigh.

Sure enough, only when their own interests were at stake would people put their whole heart into things.

After that, Shen Changchuan went several times to the highest point of the back mountain to keep watch.

And later,

He did indeed spot the Gale Falcon.

The thing circled above Dawan Village a few times, then flew away.

By his estimate,

The Gale Falcon had arrived recently.

And it was easy enough to guess why it had circled above the village before leaving.

It was scouting the place,

Checking whether the Spirit Grain had ripened.

The beast's target was probably the twelve mu of Spirit Grain in Dawan Village!

So, with the Spirit Grain ripening today,

Shen Changchuan had already prepared a plan in advance.

But facing a mid-first-rank Gale Falcon at its peak, a beast that even late-stage Qi Induction cultivators would struggle to deal with,

Shen Changchuan wasn't very confident either.

What was more,

The Spirit Fields he had to look after weren't only in Dawan Village.

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

"Troublesome."

"There's only my maternal uncle holding down the fort in Zhao Family Village. Although I left the Lost Two-Forms Formation there, he only recently succeeded in Qi Induction. Sigh, I hope everything goes smoothly."

Thinking of the two mu of Spirit Fields in Zhao Family Village, Shen Changchuan felt another pang of worry.

But there was no helping it.

For now, Dawan Village was the more important of the two.

The other place would have to rely on his maternal uncle.

They simply didn't have enough people.

After this was over,

He would have to think carefully about how to solve the problem—whether to train cultivators of his own or strengthen the defenses with external measures like formations.

He would need to come up with a proper plan.

Thoughts flashed through Shen Changchuan's mind.

But he quickly pushed them all aside.

Those matters

Could be considered later.

Right now,

He had to focus all his attention on the Gale Falcon overhead.

As time passed,

The sun climbed higher, scorching rays pouring down from above.

Beyond the Spirit Fields,

The sturdy villagers who had been selected stood waiting quietly with steel sickles in their hands.

The clothes on their backs were soaked through with sweat under the blazing sun.

The air was thick with heat.

No one knew how long they had waited when,

Suddenly,

The dense stands of Spirit Rice in the fields seemed to bloom like flowers across the sky, swaying and rippling,

Golden light illuminating the whole land!

The rich, fragrant scent of ripe Spirit Grain filled every corner of the air!

Everyone was captivated by the dazzling sight.

The Spirit Grain

Had ripened!

"It's here!"

At that moment,

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

He saw

The black speck in the sky make a long circling turn,

Then plunge toward the Spirit Fields at lightning speed!

It was so fast

It seemed to draw a gray bolt of lightning across the sky!

I haven't finished writing the second update yet. Looks like I'll have to post it later too.