Night gradually fell.
Within a small mountain valley, even in the dark, one could still see numerous lifelike scarecrows patrolling back and forth, barely distinguishable from real humans. The turmoil of the day seemed to have completely subsided, vanishing without a trace. The golden rice fields, surprisingly, emitted a faint golden glow in the darkness.
This caused the valley to not be pitch black but rather dimly lit, allowing the surroundings to be clearly visible.
At least the basic outlines of things could still be seen.
The scarecrows didn't relax their vigilance just because it was night. They continued to patrol with high alertness—dense and orderly—so much so that not even a fly could get through.
Outside the valley, a pair of eyes quietly gazed inward.
Upon closer look, it was Yi Tianxing.
After collecting the Vermilion Beauty Fruit Tree, he hadn't hesitated and made his way directly to this valley. Now, as night fell, his thoughts turned again, focusing on what lay inside the valley.
"So well-guarded. These scarecrows are tireless."
Yi Tianxing muttered to himself, still holding back from taking action.
He held a measure of respect for these scarecrows. They had faith—something they were determined to protect. Remembering their cries of "down with the grain thieves" during the day gave him pause.
They had belief. They had something they were willing to defend with their lives. Such a race deserved respect.
If not for that, Yi Tianxing wouldn't have withdrawn so easily during the day.
He certainly had ways to deal with the golden scarecrows—whether through his own fate aperture divine powers or the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda. He could likely suppress the golden scarecrow or even fight it head-on in physical combat without being at a disadvantage.
But witnessing them guard the rice fields with such desperation, sacrificing themselves, had made him hesitate.
And so he had left.
But not completely. He hadn't truly gone far. The Golden Wheat was too valuable—its worth and significance for the future of Xuanhuang Town were extraordinary. It held strategic importance.
He wasn't here to slaughter scarecrows but to obtain the golden wheat.
Golden wheat was rare, but not impossible to replicate. With a handful of seeds, it could be cultivated, multiplied, and eventually grown on a large scale.
"Take the seeds and leave. As long as the scarecrows don't leave the valley or attack humans, letting them be isn't a problem."
This thought took root in Yi Tianxing's heart.
He suddenly produced a talisman in his hand.
This talisman radiated a mystical aura, giving off an illusion of intangibility.
Talisman—Invisibility Talisman!
But this wasn't an ordinary invisibility talisman. It was an Exotic Treasure Talisman, naturally formed by heaven and earth, far more powerful than anything crafted by a rune master. A regular invisibility talisman would surely be detected by the golden scarecrows. But this one—absolutely not.
Of that, Yi Tianxing was confident.
With a thought, the talisman turned into a stream of light and merged into his body.
In the next instant, his entire form underwent an incredible transformation.
He seemed to vanish into nothingness. His entire being turned light and weightless, disappearing entirely from the world, leaving no trace. Even his aura was hidden—completely terrifying.
While invisible, his body moved forward swiftly.
As he entered the valley—even passing directly in front of scarecrows—they treated him as nonexistent. As if what they saw was just thin air.
"It works. This invisibility talisman truly is a treasure of heaven and earth. It's worth it, even if it only lasts one hour. That's more than enough time."
Yi Tianxing's heart rejoiced.
His goal was clear. He headed directly toward the rice fields.
The golden wheat emitted a unique, subtle fragrance. The grains were already mature. Yi Tianxing didn't touch the entire stalk—instead, he carefully picked individual seeds from the plants.
A stalk missing a few grains was barely noticeable—even ten or twenty wouldn't draw attention.
Golden wheat had high yield, after all.
Without hesitation, he plucked grain after grain and sent them into his Dantian Fate Aperture, planting them immediately in his Spirit Fields. Nothing else mattered—getting them planted was the top priority.
Throughout this process, none of the scarecrows noticed a thing.
As if they were completely unaware.
There were already an astonishing number of golden wheat stalks in the valley.
Yi Tianxing moved fast—taking dozens of grains from each plant. In mere moments, he had harvested thousands upon thousands of seeds.
And the number kept growing.
Before long, aside from planting a massive batch in his Spirit Fields, he had also accumulated a golden mountain of golden wheat inside the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda.
The feeling of harvest filled Yi Tianxing with elation.
"A huge harvest! Golden wheat—this top-grade spiritual grain—now belongs to me. Even spending an invisibility talisman was worth it. Completely worth it!"
He couldn't help but smile genuinely.
Spiritual grains like this were legendary—typically only cultivated by powerful immortal sects. Every type was extremely rare and hard to come by.
Yet now, he had secured it so easily. This would become one of Xuanhuang Town's foundational treasures.
"Chief, everything is ready."
Just then, a scarecrow walked up to the golden scarecrow and spoke.
"Bring them and follow me. The rest of you stay and guard the fields. Be wary of grain thieves."
The golden scarecrow nodded and issued the command.
It was clear that he possessed intelligence—and so did the others. These scarecrows could think and move. Aside from their physical makeup, they weren't much different from humans. Yet, deep within their souls, it seemed a brand of "protection" had been imprinted—immovable and eternal.
"Hm? Something's happening."
Yi Tianxing, still observing, instantly took note.
He turned to look more closely.
He saw the golden scarecrow leading a group of scarecrows. Each one carried a newly crafted scarecrow puppet—made entirely of straw. They hoisted them and followed the leader deeper into the valley.
"How interesting. I should follow. There might be a shocking secret to uncover."
Yi Tianxing's eyes gleamed. He quickly made a decision.
He moved to follow them without hesitation.
His body still invisible, he moved even faster. None of the scarecrows, not even the golden one, noticed a thing. Right now, Yi Tianxing was like a phantom—his body and aura completely nonexistent.
The golden scarecrow never imagined someone could evade his detection.
Before long, they reached the deepest part of the valley.
In front of them appeared a hidden cave.
Scarecrow guards stood before it. These were larger than the others, exuding a stronger aura—clearly elite among the scarecrows.
"There really is a secret."
Yi Tianxing followed them into the cave, curiosity and anticipation welling up.
The cave was spacious.
Even more scarecrows stood guard inside.
At the far end was a massive open chamber.
As Yi Tianxing approached, he couldn't help but gasp.
"What is this…"
Before him was a giant ancient pool, three to four zhang in diameter. It was clearly no ordinary pool. Inside, the liquid was golden, emitting mystical light.
At the center of the pool stood a scarecrow statue, lifelike and imposing.
Splash!
Then something even stranger happened.
The scarecrows began tossing the newly crafted straw puppets into the golden liquid. One by one, they sank into the pool, soaked in the golden essence. Faint divine light swirled around them.
Whoosh!
Moments later, the lifeless scarecrow puppets began to move—from cold, dead objects, they began to live.
They were alive. Truly alive.
One by one, they stepped out of the pool.
They opened their mouths and spoke: "Protect the fields. Drive away grain thieves."
Their eyes shimmered with conviction—filled with purpose.
"Thrown in as lifeless straw... but emerging as living, conscious scarecrows… So this is how all the scarecrows in the valley are made."
Yi Tianxing was shaken.
This was a process of transforming the dead into the living—a creation technique akin to divine crafting.
The impact of such a process was immense.
And clearly, it all stemmed from this mysterious pool.
This pool contained an unimaginable power of creation.
"If this is the case, then theoretically, the scarecrow numbers could grow endlessly. If they kept multiplying, their collective strength would become terrifying. Just craft a body, toss it in the pool, and out walks a living scarecrow. That cost is absurdly low. There must be some kind of limitation. Otherwise, the whole world would be overrun by scarecrows."
Yi Tianxing narrowed his eyes, staring at the ancient pool.