[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re":3,"chapter-the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-chapter-165":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Vegetable-Growing Skeleton's Foreign Land Reclamation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2351646,4600,"Chapter 165","the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-chapter-165",165,"\u003Cp>“Ang, don’t listen to him—he’s talking nonsense. The Earth Holy Hammer isn’t for farming.” Negril grabbed Ang’s arm, trying to dissuade him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ang tilted his head: “Can’t it crush rocks?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course it can! When infused with holy power, one strike turns everything within ten meters into dust,” Negril said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it can farm.” Ang said, turning and walking forward again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No no no, Anthony’s tricking us! The Earth Holy Hammer wasn’t his payment—it was already in Black Mountain Principality. He just told us to go get it ourselves. That greedy merchant! Don’t fall for it!” Negril grabbed Ang again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ang tilted his head in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Negril sighed and began to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Duke of Black Mountain was a famous human hero who played a pivotal role in the Holy War against the expansion of the Guangmingjiaohui ’s military power. He possessed exceptional organizational skills and strategy; under his command, the allied armies of various nations became a completely different force, driving the Guangmingjiaohui ’s holy warriors to wail and cry in despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guangmingjiaohui , beaten into submission, had no choice but to accept reality and pledged never again to use force for expansion, ensuring mutual non-interference between divine and imperial authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guangmingjiaohui  could preach anywhere sunlight reached, except among military, noble, and royal personnel—no interference in secular governance, no meddling in military or local administrative systems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This agreement was signed by the Pope and the Duke of Black Mountain, hence named the Black Mountain Accord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To honor the Duke, the Pope blessed the weapon he used, calling it the Earth Holy Hammer. The Duke, in turn, vowed that he and his descendants would forever wield the Holy Hammer to uphold the Black Mountain Accord—nearly driving the Pope to faint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the Duke’s descendants were disappointing; over the years, few among them could even lift the Earth Holy Hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, everyone realized they’d been fooled—the Pope hadn’t blessed the hammer; he’d cursed it. Originally just a magical hammer anyone could lift, its true power lay in the Duke’s prestige: any descendant who could lift it could easily command the allies who had once fought beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, after the blessing, ordinary people couldn’t lift it at all. No one knew how to make it work—only that reaching Sword Saint level would surely allow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet one descendant, lacking Sword Saint power, inexplicably lifted it after embracing the Guangmingjiaohui .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, he was only the eighteenth in line to the Black Mountain throne. But because he lifted the Holy Hammer, he instantly became the first heir and ascended as King of the Principality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Can you see the Pope’s cruelty now? Ever since, any heir with ambitions for the Black Mountain throne would take the shortcut: convert to the Guangmingjiaohui .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hero who once blocked the Jiaohui ’s military expansion now had descendants who became its most devout followers. From top to bottom, the entire Black Mountain Principality worshipped the Jiaohui .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this isn’t just a hammer—it’s a hammer of immense symbolic weight. Don’t take it lightly. Even though Black Mountain Principality is now ravaged by insect plague and the royal court is dead, making the Holy Hammer theoretically ownerless, we still shouldn’t take it. We’d become the target of everyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Negril pleaded earnestly: “Why send grain? Because Black Mountain is now a holy land of total believers. If Anthony saves those people, his personal reputation will soar. But he’s cunning—he offers a sacred relic that isn’t even his. Ang, don’t fall for it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh.” Ang nodded, indicating he understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teleportation array hadn’t shut down yet. Hearing Ang’s “oh,” Negril immediately turned and shouted: “Did you hear that? We’re not going! You greedy merchant, using something that isn’t yours as payment!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the array came Anthony’s lazy voice: “I didn’t. I only mentioned the Earth Holy Hammer—I didn’t say it was the only payment. I need a thousand tons of grain delivered to Black Mountain Principality. Ten magic crystals per ton, including shipping. The hammer’s just a bonus. The lord passes by and picks it up. I made a fake one, swapped the real one for it, and no one will notice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Anthony sent a teleport request. After accepting, a silver-gray hammer and a sack of magic crystals materialized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...” Negril fell silent for a moment, then said helplessly: “I feel worse now that you gave us magic crystals—it’s like you’re insulting us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony lazily replied: “What can I do? Grain prices are low. Ten magic crystals is already several times over market rate—even for expedited delivery. Should I spend a million magic crystals on a thousand tons of grain? Others would think I’m embezzling. Sure, I took a little for myself, but I can’t be too obvious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what about the hammer? You even made a fake one—how long have you been planning this?” Negril asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony fell silent for a moment, then said: “Look at the handle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Negril frowned and looked at the handle—and what he saw made his soul shrink: “The Song of Undeath?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. The Song of Undeath. The fake copy matches the real one—so does the original. This hammer might be a creation of the Undead Empire. If so, the ‘blessing’ isn’t a blessing at all—it’s a seal. I want to know what’s sealed inside.” Anthony spoke seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Negril fell silent. The Song of Undeath was a short musical score. No one knew who composed it, but it appeared on many Undead Empire creations—like Patxi, the guardian spirits, or the self-repairing structures in temples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Earth Holy Hammer truly bore the Song of Undeath, the only possible conclusion was that it was an Undead Empire creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could the Pope bless an Undead Empire artifact? It must be a seal. Why seal a hammer? Afraid of it? Afraid of a hammer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curiosity flared—but Negril had just talked Ang out of going. Now he had to change his mind?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t help complaining: “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? I just talked Ang out of it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony snorted: “I hadn’t even finished speaking when the lord ran off. And did you really convince him? Ask him again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Negril suddenly felt uneasy—he hadn’t heard Ang say “we’re not going.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to Ang: “Ang, are we still going to Black Mountain Principality?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Ang said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?!” Negril protested. Anthony understood Ang better than he did?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hammer. Farm. Bugs. Fertilizer.” Ang said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Negril covered his face. He’d been careless—whenever farming or fertilizing was involved, Ang would never give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bone dragon flew through the air. Phaler clung tightly to his robe, trembling inside the rope net, teeth chattering: “T-this… up here… too… too… too cold!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, forgot you’re still alive. Ang, warm him up,” Negril said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raising body temperature required no magic—just increasing the density and activity of fire elements. Instantly, Phaler felt warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the situation in Black Mountain Principality? You’re the ones who escaped from there—tell us.” Negril asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Ang had been tricked into going to Black Mountain, Anthony had provided no concrete details—he only knew a bug plague had erupted, the insects had overwhelmed the royal court, two main cities still resisted, but were starving, and grain needed to be delivered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the royal castle stored vast quantities of grain, the moment the insects entered, the infestation spiraled out of control. The entire royal family—the Duke’s descendants, relatives, servants, and loyal retainers—were all devoured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the plague’s spread or scale, Anthony knew nothing. Negril had to find out himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Phaler and his group had been near Black Mountain and knew far more than they did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? I don’t know! We weren’t in Black Mountain—just nearby. Now that you mention it, I remember—the plague came from that direction. Did they get hit first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Black Mountain Principality is small—just one great black mountain. The royal court sits atop it. A city to the northeast, another to the southwest. Everything else is farmland.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After questioning, they realized Phaler knew even less than they did, so they shoved him into the Palace of Rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Mountain Royal Court—once brightly lit—was now pitch black. Only the chilling sound of gnawing echoed through the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every wooden door, window, beam, and pillar inside the palace was riddled with holes, ruined beyond repair. Occasionally, a few black beetles crawled across the wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ground lay skeletons—clean, devoid of any flesh or skin, only pure bone. Some bore faint gnaw marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some skeletons were twisted into postures no living human could achieve—either moved after death, or contorted by unbearable pain before death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cloaked figure slowly walked through this scene. Wherever he passed, the beetles scattered in a rush—some turned, then gathered behind him like a tide, surging for a moment before dispersing again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloaked figure stopped before a skeleton, knelt, and removed the necklace hanging around his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a feminine necklace, youthful in style—clearly meant for a beautiful noblewoman. But the beautiful noblewoman had become a skeleton, less captivating than the necklace itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehehe…” The cloaked figure emitted a chilling laugh. He tugged at the necklace, but it wouldn’t come off. So he stomped on the neck, snapping the bones, and pulled the necklace free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held the necklace up to his eyes, greedily studying it, then tucked it into the pouch at his waist. The pouch was already bulging with countless treasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the pouch full, he tied it shut, then tapped it lightly with his ringed middle finger—*whoosh*—the bulging pouch vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took out another pouch and hung it on his waist. Seeing a ring on a skeleton’s finger, he tugged hard—but the ring wouldn’t budge. So he stomped on the hand, shattering the bones, and took the ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued walking, looting everything he passed, until he reached the royal chapel of Black Mountain Court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opulent palace decor suddenly gave way to a stark, solemn chamber. The cloaked figure knew instantly where he was: “Hehehe… the Earth Holy Hammer of the Duke of Black Mountain should be here. Too bad—even the Pope’s blessing couldn’t save it from my children. Had you known, you’d have abandoned your damn Guangmingjiaohui  and turned to our Chaos Temple instead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He circled the chapel but found no Earth Holy Hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Where’s the hammer? Did someone take it? I’ve never heard of this generation’s Duke’s heir being able to lift it.” He muttered: “Could there be a hidden room?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, he whistled—a high-pitched, hissing sound. From beneath his cloak, a flood of beetles poured out, surging in every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he found the hidden mechanism. He pressed it—the floor slowly receded, revealing a sunken pit below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the pit was a stone hand sculpture, tightly gripping a hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Found it.” The cloaked figure’s eyes lit up. He leapt into the pit and seized the Earth Holy Hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Earth Holy Hammer glowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloaked figure laughed: “Hehe, such pure holy power. Too bad—I’m no heretic. This holy energy can’t harm me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to lift it—but the hammer didn’t budge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t surprised. If the Earth Holy Hammer could be lifted so easily, Black Mountain Principality wouldn’t have had succession disputes every few decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flipped his hand, revealing a cloth covered in holy runes—the Holy Shroud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tightly wrapped the Earth Holy Hammer, along with the hand sculpture holding it, then pulled out a vial of green liquid and dripped it onto the stone hand. A sizzling sound rose as white smoke billowed—the hand slowly corroded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few knew that when no one could lift the Earth Holy Hammer, this was the method used to move it: wrap it in the Holy Shroud, and the Pope’s “blessing” would nullify.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the cloaked figure manipulated the shroud, the slender skeleton whose neck he’d broken began to stir—pulled by some unseen force, it struggled to rise, picked up its severed head, and tried to reattach it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the vertebrae were crushed—impossible to reconnect. In the end, it clamped the head under its armpit and shuffled forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skeleton whose hand he’d shattered also rose, grasping a sword in its intact hand, and shuffled forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More skeletons rose one by one, as if pulled by invisible threads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their movement startled the beetles. The insects poured from cracks, shadows, even directly from skulls, biting at the bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Crack. Crack.* Too hard to bite through. The beetles withdrew like a tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloaked figure stared intently at the slowly corroding hand base—unaware that behind him stood a growing crowd of bone skeletons.\u003C\u002Fp>",2096,"2026-06-21T03:18:43.177Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2a54ef24963aae86e7fc514f671574c3ed087f46d521920e1c229a1beec2723b","the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-chapter-166","the-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-chapter-164",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-vegetable-growing-skeleton-s-foreign-land-re-cover.jpg"]