The night wind breezed across the southern fields as Jiang Chen moved.
The earth cracked beneath his feet as his figure blurred forward, murderous intent rolling out without the slightest restraint. Any trace of false civility vanished as if it had never existed.
At this moment, he was like a blade drawn from its sheath.
The middle aged man felt it before he truly saw it. A chill pierced straight through his bones, his survival instincts screaming at him.
"Damned lunatic!" He spun and retreated with all his strength, spiritual essence surging madly through his legs. At the same time, his hands worked with frantic speed to retrieve a plate sized glossy egg. Runes crawled across its surface like living insects. With a hurried incantation, he flung it into the air.
The egg cracked mid flight with a resounding crack, spilling shards of shell as five massive chickens erupted from within. Each stood nearly the height of a man, their bodies thick and powerful, multicolored feathers shimmering like peacock plumes.
Kreeeek!
Shrill screeches tore through the air. Their claws gouged the earth and their beaks snapped sharply as wings beat with crushing force. They were spirit beasts bred artificially and sealed within a formation, born only to kill.
"A farmer and his chickens. How fitting!" Jiang Chen laughed loudly, but his steps never slowed.
Kraaahh!
The first chicken lunged with a wild cry.
Jiang Chen lowered his stance and charged. His shoulder drove ahead, tearing straight through its chest and ripping the body apart from within. He burst out the other side drenched in blood and viscera as the creature's bisected halves collapsed separately behind him.
The second struck from the side, talons slashing in a vicious arc. Jiang Chen sidestepped, seized its wing, and tore it free with brute force. Before it could scream again, his kick whipped upward and snapped its head clean off its shoulders.
The third chicken leapt in rage, wings flapping violently as it sought to crush him beneath its weight. Jiang Chen directly sprang onto its back, his fingers digging deep into flesh. With a forceful wrench, he tore its head from its neck. Blood sprayed across the grass as the chicken staggered two steps before collapsing lifelessly.
The remaining two chickens charged together, their beaks snapping with unnatural speed, aiming to pierce through him from both sides.
Jiang Chen met them head on.
Golden light surged along his arms as tiger phantoms coiled tightly around his fists. He punched without hesitation.
BAM!
The blows landed simultaneously. Flesh exploded under the force, bones shattered instantly, and multicolored feathers filled the air. The spirit beasts were torn apart mid charge, their bodies blown into pieces of meat that scattered across the field.
Jiang Chen stepped through the carnage and darted forward again, his eyes cold.
The middle aged man's face drained of all color. He could hardly believe what he had just witnessed.
'Not a single scratch… Damn it… how can this be?' He hurried to retreat further, panic flooding his limbs. Yet before his foot could complete even five more steps, the air in front of him twisted.
Jiang Chen was already there.
The distance of a hundred meters vanished as if it had never existed. To the middle aged man, it felt as though Jiang Chen had torn space apart and stepped straight through it.
Before the man could even scream, a fist descended.
Heavenly Tiger Fist!
A dull boom echoed as the punch landed squarely on the man's chest. His chest caved inward, ribs cracking like dry twigs. His body left the ground and flew backward like a broken sack, smashing through tree after tree. Thick trunks splintered apart upon impact, wood exploding into fragments as his body tore a violent path through the plantation.
He crashed into the earth dozens of meters away, rolling helplessly until his body slammed against a boulder.
Blood rushed from his mouth ins violent coughed, crimson spilling down his chin as his vision swam. His organs screamed in agony.
His trembling hand moved to his chest. Beneath his blue robes, a jade pendant lay cracked down the center. Faint light flickered weakly within it before fading away entirely.
'If not for this thing, I would be dead.'
Fear like ice flooded his veins.
Not far away, Jiang Chen halted briefly. One brow rose slightly.
"Still alive, huh?" His gaze lingered briefly on the shattered pendant before returning to the man. "So you had a life saving treasure."
Jiang Chen advanced again, a mild interest flickering in his gaze.
"You bastard!" the middle aged man roared, his voice hoarse with rage and desperation. His hands plunged into his bag of holding as he threw dozens of talismans skyward.
"Burn for me!"
The talismans hovered for a breath before igniting. Characters melted away as violent heat distorted the air. Each talisman swelled and transformed into a massive sphere of roaring flame. The fireballs rushed forward like miniature blazing suns tearing through the night.
Jiang Chen's face remained calm.
His body weaved through the bombardment with swift steps. Flames tore past him and slammed into the earth behind him, blasting open enormous craters and sending debris flying.
But the last two fireballs could not be avoided. Jiang Chen planted his feet, muscles coiled like steel cables beneath his skin. Golden light burst from his arms as the phantom of a tiger roared into existence around his fists.
The Heavenly Tiger Fist descended with unquestionable fighting intent.
Both fists struck the fireballs head on.
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion ripped outward, flattening grass and snapping nearby trees at their roots. Flames twisted upward like furious dragons before fading into ash. Dust and smoke swallowed everything.
The middle aged man stared into the chaos, breathing hard.
For a fleeting moment, hope flickered.
'Even he cannot come out of that unscathed.'
But the thought barely formed before his heart jolted violently.
'Idiot! I am wasting time!'
He forced himself to move, ignoring the agony wracking his body. His hand dug into his pouch again and emerged clutching a piece of paper etched with flowing characters.
Divine Wind Talisman.
His eyes lit up with desperation. Without hesitation, he raised it to his chest.
Just one breath and he would escape.
Swoosh~
A sharp whistle cut through the smoke.
A sword burst out like a streak of cold moonlight.
"Ahh!" The man reacted instinctively, his hand turning jade green as he struck forward. The blade tore straight through his palm. Bone split and blood gushed out.
The sword halted an inch from his eye.
"Aaargh!" The man staggered back, howling in agony. But what really pained him was the Divine Wind talisman that lay shredded in his palm, pierced clean through by the blade.
"No… no no no!"
Despair surged uncontrollably.
But he barely had time to feel regret when the dust clouds split apart and Jiang Chen burst out completely unscathed.
His eyes were cold as winter.
Driven by desperation, the middle aged man roared and lunged forward, swinging his other arm. From shoulder to fingers, it transformed fully into jade. Veins bulged as he poured everything into that desperate strike.
"I will kill you!"
Their attacks collided.
The impact sounded like a mountain crushing stone. The man wailed as his body flew again, this time even farther. His jade arm was completely mangled. Fingers were crushed and his elbow burst through torn skin. Jade fragments exploded outward and rained across the ground like broken tiles.
He hit the earth hard, rolling and clawing at the soil as he screamed, Jiang Chen's sword still pinning his other hand.
He looked pathetic.
Blood soaked the soil beneath him as he lay there gasping, staring up at the night sky.
Death loomed.
'I cannot die here.'
With his mangled fingers, he reached into his pouch one final time and retrieved a small object.
A rubber band etched with strange beast patterns.
His last treasure.
"You've left me with no choice." He directly smeared his blood across it.
Instantly, his aura plummeted. His cultivation drained away like sand through fingers. The band twisted violently before bursting into crimson gold light.
A massive serpent emerged, its body stretching ten meters long, thick as a cart. Crimson gold scales gleamed like molten metal. Its eyes were filled with venomous intent.
The serpent opened its jaws and swallowed the middle aged man whole before turning to flee.
It moved like a streak of blood and gold. Its speed was so frightening that even Jiang Chen seemed slower in comparison.
'So this is how spirit farmers fight.'
A trace of interest surfaced in Jiang Chen's eyes.
The true strength of a spirit farmer does not lie in raw cultivation or physical dominance, but in accumulated resources. Spirit stones, talismans, and life saving artifacts fill the gaps cultivation cannot. The fuller the storage bags, the more paths exist. Survival, escape, reversal, and even the chance to bargain with death are all bought with wealth, making resources the real foundation of a spirit farmer's power.
Inside the serpent's maw, the man swallowed a medicinal pill and laughed madly.
"I lived! I lived!"
Bloodshot eyes burned with venom.
"One day I will have my revenge. I swear it!"
Through the shared senses of the serpent, he glared back at Jiang Chen standing near the Honey Pumpkin field.
"You broke our agreement! You shameless dog!" Yet even as the man cursed, clarity returned. "But this is the cutthroat reality of our world. Even as a humble spirit farmer, I could not avoid it. There is no right or wrong. Only winners and losers."
His gaze hardened with cruel resolve. "Today I lost, but I survived. Tomorrow I will win, and you will die."
As he prepared to flee toward Manager Peng's residence, he took one last glance back.
The serpent slowed abruptly.
It flipped violently and crashed into nearby stone boulders as it struggled frantically to halt.
The man's heart sank into the abyss.
Through the serpent's eyes, he saw Jiang Chen.
He was walking.
Slowly.
Toward his residence.
Toward the place where his wife and son hid.
"NOOOOO!!!"