Gale Falcon

High above the nine heavens, a tiny black speck drifted across the azure sky.

It was so small that it looked like an ant crawling across a vast, blue canopy.

If one's eyesight were poor, they would likely never even notice it.

But clearly, An ant could not possibly crawl across the firmament.

It was a massive bird, A demonic avian beast soaring at a great altitude.

It was only because the distance was so immense that it appeared as nothing more than a speck of an ant.

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

Not far away, Han Qinhu walked over, also looking up at the high sky with trepidation, asking with concern.

He held a low-to-mid-grade sword artifact seized from the third of the Four Evils of He Mountain, and he wore the leather armor that had been damaged when Shen Changchuan routed them during the ambush.

He was fully armed.

Yet, none of this seemed to provide him with much sense of security.

"It's a bit troublesome. That thing is likely at the peak of the first-tier mid-stage, roughly equivalent to the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining."

"But if I'm not mistaken, that creature is a Gale Falcon, a particularly difficult demonic beast. They are born with an affinity for wind-based powers and possess incredible speed. Even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator would likely struggle to pin it down."

Shen Changchuan shook his head slightly, his brows furrowed.

His perfected Spirit Eye Technique allowed him to see the general situation of that black speck despite the vast distance.

But precisely because of that, Having seen the creature's true nature, He found the situation quite thorny.

"Then why don't we abandon the combat plan and go straight to the backup?"

"We can drag everyone in the village out to harvest together, striving to reap as much as possible in the shortest amount of time!"

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Han Qinhu's eyes.

"No, that would only add to the casualties. Besides, that thing's target is the Spirit Grain. Even if we disregarded the villagers' lives, I doubt we could harvest much."

"We will proceed according to the original plan."

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

While the current plan was not guaranteed to succeed, It was already the best course of action.

He could only do his best.

Come to think of it, The reason Shen Changchuan was able to prepare a plan in advance

Had everything to do with three days ago, when he came out of seclusion to inspect the spirit fields and learned that the ten mu of Spirit Grain would yield a significant surplus, leading him to decide to "distribute bonuses" to encourage the villagers' enthusiasm.

Because shortly after the news was announced that day, A villager reported something to Han Qinhu, Stating that a few days prior, he had seen a black speck hovering in the sky for a quarter of an hour before it departed.

That villager had excellent eyesight and had vaguely made out the silhouette of the speck; it looked like a large, eagle-like bird flying very high, likely some unknown demonic beast.

He had originally intended to pretend he knew nothing.

After all, the beast had left after circling once, and he had no proof. If he reported it rashly and it couldn't be found later, he would have wasted the Immortal Master's energy and ended up suffering for it.

He had simply buried it in his heart.

But once Shen Changchuan decided to take a portion of the increased yield to "distribute bonuses," things changed.

Having lived in Dawan Village for many years, the villager knew that Spirit Grain was a spiritual treasure, and its maturation could potentially attract attacks from demonic beasts.

When the new, young Immortal Master took office half a year ago, the giant demonic boar he had dealt with along the way

Had been a great scourge to Dawan Village for two consecutive years, leaving the previous Immortal Master utterly exhausted.

Now, If that large avian beast from the other day were to launch an attack during the Spirit Grain harvest, causing a drop in yield, would the Immortal Master still "distribute bonuses"?

That was clearly impossible!

Consequently, the villager risked being reprimanded and reported the matter.

Upon learning of this, Han Qinhu did not dare to show the slightest negligence and went directly to find Shen Changchuan.

When Shen Changchuan learned of the specific situation, he could not help but let out a sigh.

As expected, only when interests are at stake can people be truly dedicated.

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

And later on, he did indeed discover traces of the Gale Falcon.

The creature circled over Dawan Village a few times before departing.

According to his deductions, the Gale Falcon must have arrived recently.

Its behavior of circling the village a few times before leaving was also easy to guess.

It was likely scouting the area, checking to see if the Spirit Grain had ripened.

He estimated that the creature's target was the twelve acres of Spirit Grain in Dawan Village!

Therefore, on this day when the Spirit Grain was set to ripen, Shen Changchuan had already prepared a plan in advance.

However, facing a peak mid-stage First-Order Gale Falcon that even those in the late stage of Qi Induction found difficult to deal with, Shen Changchuan was actually not very confident.

What's more, the spirit fields he needed to look after were not limited to just Dawan Village.

One must know that over at Zhao Family Village, there were another two acres of spirit fields.

"Troublesome."

"Right now, there is only my eldest uncle, a cultivator, stationed at Zhao Family Village. Although I left behind the Lost Two-Forms Formation, my eldest uncle is, after all, a cultivator who only recently succeeded in Qi Induction. Sigh, I hope everything goes smoothly."

Thinking of the two acres of spirit fields in Zhao Family Village, a trace of worry rose in Shen Changchuan's heart once again.

But there was no help for it;

for the moment, Dawan Village was more important.

He would have to rely on his eldest uncle for the other side.

Manpower was simply too scarce.

After this period passed, he would have to think carefully about how to resolve this—whether to cultivate his own subordinates who were cultivators, or to strengthen the defenses by relying on external forces like formations.

He would need to have a plan in place later on.

Thoughts flashed through Shen Changchuan's mind.

However, he quickly suppressed all of these thoughts.

These matters

could be considered later.

Right now, he had to focus all his energy on the Gale Falcon above.

As time passed, the sun gradually climbed to the high sky, casting down scorching rays.

Outside the spirit fields, the sturdy villagers who had been selected stood by, gripping sickles forged from refined steel, waiting quietly.

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

The air was filled with a dry, hot atmosphere.

It was unknown how much time had passed, when suddenly, the dense patches of spirit rice growing in the fields seemed to bloom like flowers across the sky, swaying and rustling in that moment.

A golden radiance illuminated the entire land!

A lush fragrance of Spirit Grain subsequently permeated every corner of the air!

Everyone's heart and soul were captivated by this magnificent sight.

The Spirit Grain, had ripened!

"It's here!"

At that very moment, Shen Changchuan, standing on high, felt his heart tighten.

He saw, the black speck above in the sky circle once in a long arc, before diving toward the spirit fields with the speed of lightning!

The velocity was so great, it was as if a gray bolt of lightning had streaked through the air!

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