At this moment,

High in the sky, a black dot moved across the azure expanse.

The black dot was so tiny,

it resembled an ant crawling across the blue canopy above.

Had one’s eyesight been poor, they likely wouldn’t have even perceived it.

But clearly,

an ant could not possibly crawl across the sky.

It was a large bird,

a bird-type Demon Beast flying high above.

It was only because the distance was so incredibly vast,

that it appeared as nothing more than a black dot, like an ant.

"Changchuan, what do you think? Can we deal with it?"

Nearby,

Han Qinhu walked over. He glanced warily at the sky high above and asked with concern.

He was holding the Middle to Low Tier Long Sword Magical Artifact that had been confiscated from the third member of the He Mountain Four Fierce. On his body, he wore the Leather Armor that Shen Changchuan had broken during their ambush battle.

He looked to be fully armed.

But clearly, none of this brought him much of a sense of security.

"It’s a bit troublesome. That thing’s rank is probably around Tier One Middle Stage Peak. In terms of strength Realm, that should be equivalent to around Qi Introduction Sixth Layer Peak."

"But if I’m not mistaken, that thing is a Gale Falcon, one of the most troublesome types of Demon Beast. This kind of Demon Beast is naturally attuned to Wind Power and is extremely fast. I’m afraid even a Qi Introduction Late Stage Cultivator would have trouble pinning it down."

Shen Changchuan shook his head slightly, his brows furrowed as he spoke.

His Perfection-level Spiritual Eye Technique allowed him to perceive the general situation of that black dot from a vast distance.

But it was precisely for this reason,

after seeing the Demon’s specific details,

that he found the situation so thorny.

"Then how about we abandon the plan and go straight to the backup?"

"We can mobilize the entire village to harvest. Try to get it all done as quickly as possible—we’ll take whatever we can get!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Han Qinhu’s eyes.

"No, that would only lead to unnecessary casualties. Besides, that creature’s target is the Spirit Grain. Even if we ignore the villagers’ safety, I doubt we’d be able to rush-harvest much at all."

"We stick to the original plan."

After a moment of consideration, Shen Changchuan ultimately rejected Han Qinhu’s suggestion.

The current plan wasn’t guaranteed to succeed,

but it was the best method available.

All they could do was try their best.

Speaking of which,

the reason Shen Changchuan was able to prepare a plan in advance,

was largely due to something that happened three days prior. After coming out of seclusion to inspect the Spirit Fields, he learned that the ten-mu Spirit Field would have a significantly increased yield, and so he decided to offer a "bonus" to encourage the villagers’ enthusiasm.

Because shortly after the announcement was made that day,

a villager had reported an incident to Han Qinhu.

He said that several days ago, he had seen a black dot lingering in the sky for about fifteen minutes before it left.

That villager had excellent eyesight and had vaguely seen the black dot’s silhouette. It seemed to be a large, eagle-like bird flying very high, likely some unknown type of Demon Beast.

Originally, he had planned to feign ignorance.

After all, the Demon Beast had just circled once before leaving, and he had no proof. If he made a rash report and it couldn’t be found later, he would not only waste the Immortal Master’s energy but also end up in trouble himself.

So, he decided to just keep it to himself.

But when Shen Changchuan decided to take a portion of the increased yield to give out as a "bonus," things changed.

Having lived in Dawan Village for many years, that villager knew that Spirit Grain was a type of Spiritual Object and that its ripening could attract Demon Beast attacks.

Half a year ago, when the new, young Immortal Master arrived, he had dealt with a giant Demon Pig along the way.

That same pig had been a major menace for Dawan Village for two consecutive years, leaving the previous Immortal Master at his wit’s end.

Now...

’If that big bird Demon Beast attacks during the Spirit Grain harvest and causes the yield to drop, will the Immortal Master still give out a "bonus"?’

’Obviously not!’

And so, the villager, prepared to face the consequences, reported the incident.

After Han Qinhu learned of this, he didn’t dare delay in the slightest and went directly to find Shen Changchuan.

When Shen Changchuan heard the details of the situation, he couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.

’It seems only a vested interest can truly motivate people to give their all.’

In the following days, Shen Changchuan went to the highest point of the Back Mountain to observe on several occasions.

And eventually,

he did, in fact, discover traces of the Gale Falcon.

The creature circled over Dawan Village a few times, then left.

According to his deductions,

the Gale Falcon must have been a recent arrival.

Its behavior of circling the village before leaving was also easy to interpret.

It was likely scouting,

checking to see if the Spirit Grain had ripened.

He estimated that the creature’s target was precisely the twelve mu of Spirit Grain in Dawan Village!

And so on this day, the day the Spirit Grain ripened,

Shen Changchuan had already prepared a plan in advance.

However, facing a Tier One Middle Stage Peak Gale Falcon that even a Qi Introduction Late Stage cultivator would find difficult to handle,

Shen Changchuan wasn’t actually very confident.

Moreover,

the Spirit Fields he needed to worry about were not limited to Dawan Village.

After all, there were still two more mu of Spirit Fields over in Zhao Family Village.

’What a pain.’

’Right now, Zhao Family Village only has Eldest Uncle stationed there as a Cultivator. I left him the Mysterious Two Forms Array, but at the end of the day, he’s just a Cultivator who only recently achieved Qi Introduction Success... Sigh, I just hope everything goes smoothly over there.’

Thinking of the two mu of Spirit Fields in Zhao Family Village, a sliver of worry once again rose in Shen Changchuan’s heart.

’But there’s nothing to be done about it.’

’Dawan Village is the priority right now.’

’That side will have to rely on Eldest Uncle.’

’We’re still too short on manpower, in the end.’

’After this is all over,’

’I’ll have to think carefully about how to solve this. Should I train my own team of Cultivators, or should I rely on external means like Arrays to strengthen our defenses?’

’I need to come up with a concrete plan for the future.’

The thoughts flashed through Shen Changchuan’s mind.

However, he quickly pushed them all down.

’These are matters’

’to consider later.’

’Right now,’

’I need to focus all my energy on the Gale Falcon overhead.’

...

As time passed,

the sun gradually climbed high into the sky, casting down scorching sunlight.

Outside the Spirit Field,

the selected sturdy villagers stood by, quietly waiting, sickles forged from refined steel in their hands.

Under the hot sun, the backs of their clothes were soaked with sweat.

The air was filled with a sweltering heat.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Suddenly,

the dense fields of Spirit Rice plants began to sway and stir, as if countless flowers were blooming in unison.

A brilliant, golden radiance illuminated the entire land!

The rich fragrance of ripe Spirit Grain instantly filled every corner of the air!

Everyone was completely captivated by this magnificent spectacle.

The Spirit Grain,

was ripe!

"Here it comes!"

At that very instant,

standing on high, Shen Changchuan’s heart clenched.

He saw

the black dot in the sky make one long, circling pass,

before plummeting toward the Spirit Field at lightning speed!

It was so fast,

it was as if a streak of gray lightning had flashed across the sky!