The season for rice harvest had arrived again, painting the plains outside Rice City in a golden hue.
These spirit rice stalks were tall, each exceeding ten feet, with ears of grain reaching three feet long, laden with golden spirit grains.
The most premium ingredients could only be harvested using the most unadorned methods.
Countless farmers, at the Nascent Soul, Void Refinement, and even Integration stages, toiled diligently in the fields.
They remained unaware that a lurking danger beneath the ground was slowly approaching them.
"Ah! My foot…"
Suddenly, a scream echoed. As everyone turned, they saw a farmer being pulled into the soil by a great force, vanishing without a trace.
"Everyone be careful! The old mudfish is here!"
"Ah! Ahhhh…"
"Quick, fly into the air!"
"Ahhhh…"
"Son! My son…"
All the farmers working in the fields and on the land desperately tried to fly into the sky.
However, some were too slow to react and were instantly dragged into the soil, disappearing completely.
As the farmers ascended, a colossal creature emerged from the soil of the rice fields – it was the old mudfish that had obtained a great opportunity and become an Earth Immortal.
Following the old mudfish out of the soil, thousands upon thousands of dark figures also flew out from the rice fields, pursuing the farmers in the air.
"Everyone, retreat back into the city!"
Seeing the farmers retreating towards the city, the old mudfish became quite arrogant, leading its offspring to chase after them.
Those who flew even slightly slower were devoured.
"Gather!"
At this moment, with a loud shout, an air barrier suddenly rose in front of the mudfish swarm, blocking their path.
These mudfish were not foolish; if one path was blocked, they would try another.
They repeatedly changed directions, only to crash into the air walls with thuds.
Even the old mudfish suffered a large bump on its head.
It was then that these mudfish realized their surroundings were completely sealed by air walls.
"Who is ambushing me from the shadows? Come out!"
The old mudfish roared in fury!
"I have been before you all along, but your cultivation is too low to perceive me."
As Xiao Fei spoke, his figure materialized before the old mudfish.
He had previously transformed this entire area into his domain of laws, where everything was as he willed it.
Although Xiao Fei had lost the laws of Wood and Water previously, he still possessed laws such as Gathering and Scattering, Wind, and Laughter…
Because he had ample time in his spatial realm to comprehend laws, and also the Enlightenment Spring for sudden insights.
His comprehension of any law was superior to other cultivators of the same level.
This old mudfish was merely a wild mudfish that had stumbled upon a great opportunity, with no lineage or background, and its strength was only average.
Upon seeing Xiao Fei appear, the old mudfish immediately intended to charge and fight him to the death.
However, Xiao Fei's domains of the Gathering and Scattering law and the Wind law had already merged.
As the old mudfish made any move, it saw its offspring suddenly explode, turning into a vast expanse of bloody mist.
Simultaneously, it could sense a powerful and violent force attempting to tear its body apart.
Not good!
"This is too tough, time to scram!"
As a mudfish, it had no habit of engaging in head-on battles; fleeing when outmatched was normal.
Moreover, its laws were more suited for escape.
The old mudfish roared at its remaining offspring, then began to burrow downwards itself.
"Still trying to run, die!"
Seeing the old mudfish attempting to flee, Xiao Fei accelerated his crushing speed, causing countless more mudfish bodies to explode into bloody rain.
The old mudfish's tail was also severed by a section by Xiao Fei's laws.
However, this old mudfish was truly skilled in escape; it managed to drill a hole through Xiao Fei's law domain.
Then, it led its offspring through the hole and escaped.
Innumerable mudfish plummeted from the air, falling into the rice fields and attempting to burrow into the soil to escape.
"Everyone, quickly catch the mudfish!"
Xiao Fei roared, taking the lead in pursuing the old mudfish.
Zheng Long and others from the city had already been waiting in formation nearby. Seeing Xiao Fei chasing the old mudfish, they knew this was an opportunity not to be missed.
"Catch the mudfish!"
"Whoever catches it claims it as their spoils!"
Zheng Long roared, leading a group of experts with their weapons towards the escaping mudfish.
The residents of Rice City, upon hearing the news, also grabbed their tools and pursued into the fields.
Wild mudfish were valuable commodities, priced even higher than the spirit rice they cultivated.
At this moment, Xiao Fei had already used earth遁 (earth evasion) to pursue the old mudfish into the soil.
Man and mudfish burrowed deeper and deeper into the earth, their traces completely lost to those outside.
"City Lord, do you think this immortal can defeat the old mudfish?"
"Alas! In the air or on land, our human race would surely have the advantage, but now that both have burrowed into the soil, it's hard to say."
Zheng Long raised his hand to stop the two from speaking further.
"We are not qualified to discuss seniors behind their backs, and moreover, this senior is not a rash person; he must have confidence."
As expected, after a while, Xiao Fei emerged from the soil, holding a giant old mudfish in his hand.
"The senior has won!"
"Victory!"
Cheers erupted from the golden fields.
Xiao Fei casually threw the old mudfish's corpse onto the ground for everyone to inspect.
This old mudfish was enormous, its body reaching tens of feet long, exuding a dense immortal aura.
"City Lord Zheng, are you satisfied with this!"
"Very satisfied! Thank you, senior, for your righteous intervention."
Zheng Long quickly expressed his gratitude and immediately retrieved his ancestral two golden books and the small triangular wooden token, presenting them to Xiao Fei with both hands.
Xiao Fei reached out and took all three items, temporarily storing them in his spatial realm.
He also collected the old mudfish's corpse.
Setting aside its potential efficacy for now, the sheer deliciousness of this old mudfish was enough to attract Xiao Fei.
Xiao Fei, with his acquired items, temporarily left the fields and returned to his manor. His harvest this time was more than enough.
The remaining offspring of the mudfish were left for the residents of Rice City to catch.
While using earth遁 to pursue the old mudfish underground, he had discovered a great secret.
Perhaps this secret was the reason the old mudfish could break through from the Mahayana stage to Earth Immortal.
Xiao Fei even speculated that Zheng Long's ancestor might have also been related to this secret when he broke through to Earth Immortal.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to cultivate two Earth Immortal powerhouses in such a remote and desolate place.
This secret was that Xiao Fei had discovered a subtle branch of immortal energy deep underground.
It was known that any place with immortal energy in the entire immortal realm had already been divided among the major powers.
If this subtle branch of immortal energy were to be revealed, it would undoubtedly trigger another bloody conflict.