Chapter 501: SPIRIT FIELD CHAOS!

Su Yuqing gazed at Qin Ming's retreating back, his eyes filled with deep emotion.

"Who could have imagined that the lowly spirit farmer, once starving in the marketplace shantytown, would one day achieve such heights?"

"Brother Qin truly possesses great fortune!"

……

After bidding farewell to Su Yuqing, Qin Ming did not head immediately to the teleportation array in Litian Xiancheng.

Instead, he flew in another direction.

According to Su Yuqing, near the western edge of Litian Xiancheng lay a black market; he decided to dispose of his previous illicit gains from the Yin Mo Sect there.

Not long after, a small marketplace entered Qin Ming's view; he immediately activated the True Demon Illusion, transforming into Long Dao Ren's appearance, then descended.

"The Spirit Field is guarded by the Shitian Rat; staying a few more days before returning shouldn't be a problem."

……

Elsewhere.

In the forest near the Beast Roar Mountains bordering the Spirit Field.

CLANG! "The King sent me to patrol the hills!"

"Ee-yah ee-yo!"

CLANG! "Patrolled the southern hills, now the northern ones!"

The Shitian Rat held a steel trident, a command flag slung over its shoulder, striking a bronze gong with full alertness, constantly releasing its vast demonic sense to scan a hundred-li radius.

To prevent any beast from sneaking in.

Qin Ming had given strict orders before leaving; the Shitian Rat dared not slack off in the slightest.

If Qin Ming returned and found any mishap in the Spirit Field, he'd be in for a terrible punishment.

But just then.

The Shitian Rat's keen spiritual sense detected a commotion coming from the direction of the Spirit Field.

It instantly perked up its ears, then its face turned pale—it vanished in an instant, slipping into the void and racing toward the Spirit Field.

In the blink of an eye, the Shitian Rat arrived above the Spirit Field, hiding unseen within the void.

But when it saw the scene below, it cursed inwardly: "Damn it! Impossible?!"

"Who the hell did this?! How dare they steal spirit herbs?!"

"Stealing spirit herbs is bad enough—but they even ate the unripe ones!"

"This is bizarre—I've been patrolling nonstop these past days, and not a single beast slipped past my watch!"

"Could it be stronger than me?"

In Qin Ming's ten-mu third-rank supreme Spirit Field.

Jia Heyi, shopkeeper of Jingxue Pavilion, and spirit cultivator Li Lan had gathered dozens of spirit farmers; both faces were grim as they stared at the dozen or more spirit herbs devoured.

The spirit farmers trembled, not daring to speak.

After scanning the crowd, Jia Heyi roared: "What is going on?!"

"None of you saw anything?!"

"These are third-rank spirit herbs painstakingly cultivated by Elder Lu!"

"When he returns, won't he peel the skin off all of us?!"

"Even I am not exempt from blame!"

"Master Li Lan, can these damaged spirit plants still be salvaged?"

Jia Heyi asked after his scolding.

Li Lan was primarily responsible for tending Qin Ming's Spirit Field; now that such a disaster had occurred, he could not escape responsibility.

At this moment, Li Lan's mind was still numb—he couldn't fathom how a beast had slipped in and devoured over a dozen of Elder Lu's spirit herbs.

'This place has a third-rank protective array and dozens of cultivators watching—how could this happen?'

'Could it be insider theft?'

'Faking the appearance of beast damage?'

'Impossible—no one would dare.'

Li Lan's thoughts drifted, his heart bitter beyond words.

He had planned to use this opportunity to formally request to become Elder Lu's disciple after successfully tending his spirit plants.

But now, it was all ruined.

'Ruined. Completely ruined.'

The Jingxue Pavilion members could already foresee the explosive rage that would erupt when Elder Lu returned.

The Shitian Rat, watching from midair, was equally frustrated.

It gazed at the munched spirit herbs and faintly sensed lingering beast energy upon them.

It was now certain: a beast had infiltrated.

But the intruder's concealment technique had somehow fooled even a mid-third-rank beast king like itself.

And it had stolen the herbs without a trace. 'Truly infuriating!'

'I won't sleep tonight—I'll sit here without blinking. If I don't catch you, I'll take your surname!'

The Shitian Rat used its divine ability to vanish into the void near the Spirit Field, watching without a moment's rest.

Li Lan also stationed himself beside the Spirit Field, guarding against further incidents.

Night fell.

The moon shone bright, stars sparse.

Moonlight spilled across the Spirit Field; the air around was utterly silent.

Only the breathing of the cultivators guarding the perimeter could be heard.

The Shitian Rat hid in the shadows, eyes locked on the spirit herbs within the field.

But just then.

The Shitian Rat was stunned—the lower-left corner's Star Tan Flower had vanished halfway into thin air!

Yet the Spirit Field showed no movement whatsoever, let alone any beast's shadow.

'This is impossible.'

'How could this happen?'

'Could it be another beast, like me, with void-invisibility abilities?'

But when it saw two more spirit herbs vanish from the field in the same uncanny manner,

the Shitian Rat could no longer sit still.

It immediately unleashed a powerful demonic force, knocking Li Lan and the nearby spirit farmers unconscious.

Then it revealed itself, drawing its black steel trident and spewing a torrent of pitch-black Forbidden Mystic Light, instantly sealing off the entire Spirit Field.

"Hah! How bold!"

"Let's see where you run now!"

The Shitian Rat's mid-third-rank aura erupted violently; its gaze snapped to a corner of the field.

Without hesitation, it lunged forward with its black trident.

WHOOSH! A shadow of snow-white motion flickered through the darkness, darting away at blinding speed.

Unimaginably fast.

In a single breath, it leaped thousands of zhang away.

The Shitian Rat's powerful strike missed entirely.

Its eyes narrowed; the Forbidden Mystic Light it had cast surged upward, forming a massive black curtain that enveloped the surroundings.

The snow-white figure reached the forest edge of the Beast Roar Mountains in a flash.

But it didn't notice the Forbidden Mystic Light ahead.

THUD! It crashed headlong into the Shitian Rat's barrier.

It tumbled down with a "plop."

"Hmph! Daring to steal on my turf!"

"Let me see what kind of beast you are!"

A furious, cursing voice rang out.

The Shitian Rat materialized, its black trident erupting in black radiance, striking straight at the snow-white form on the ground.

But in the next instant.

The small, snow-white beast spat out a pink demonic core, unleashing a burst of five-colored aura that melted a gaping hole through the Shitian Rat's Forbidden Mystic Light.

Without pause, the snow-white beast fled through the opening in panic.

The Shitian Rat stared in disbelief—this was the first time its divine technique had been so easily shattered; it immediately unleashed its full power and gave chase.

As a mid-third-rank beast king, the Shitian Rat quickly closed the distance.

WHOOSH! Several black spikes erupted eerily from the void.

The fleeing beast couldn't dodge in time; one spike pierced its hind leg, spraying blood.

It stumbled, then crashed back to the ground.

Seeing it finally caught, the Shitian Rat pounced like a starving tiger.

In the darkness, it clamped its claws tightly around the beast on the ground.

Instantly.

A soft, silken fur brushed against its hands, accompanied by a refreshing, intoxicating fragrance. "Huh? This texture is truly delightful!"

The Shi Tian Rat rubbed its body again, then flipped the beast beneath it—revealing a strikingly agile, snow-white silver fox.

The silver fox, seeing the Shi Tian Rat's fearsome visage, wore a pitiful expression, two trails of tears rolling down its cheeks as it spoke in human voice, pleading: "Waaah! Great King, spare my life!"

……

(End of Chapter)