"These potato spirits have actually developed sentience!"
Chen Jinshu was slightly surprised by the sight. After all, for spiritual plants to develop consciousness—let alone transform into spirits—was far more difficult than it was for demon beasts. It might take hundreds or even thousands of years for that to happen, yet here in this abandoned rice field, there were quite a few potato-like creatures with clear signs of intelligence.This was truly rare.
"Capture them all for research!"
Intrigued, Chen Jinshu plucked at her zither strings, sending out waves of musical sound.
Ding ding…
Instantly, several large green nets formed from rippling musical energy flew toward the purple "potato spirits" trying to escape.
Thud!
With several dull impacts, the spirits were caught in the net. Though they lacked the strength to fight back, the potato spirits still struggled relentlessly within their confines. Chen Jinshu strolled up to them and casually picked one up.
"So they're not potato spirits after all!"
The creature shaped like a potato was actually a rare Ebony Ginseng. Ebony Ginsengs were more spiritually attuned than most plants, making it relatively easier for them to develop sentience. Their medicinal value was also exceptionally high. However, the one in her hand was severely malnourished—what should have been pitch black was instead a dull purple.
"No wonder. Growing in a field completely devoid of spiritual energy—how could they possibly absorb enough nutrients?"
Not to mention, there was heavy demonic qi lingering around. The fact that they weren't already corrupted was impressive in itself. These Ebony Ginsengs had likely developed sentience in the surrounding mountains and then wandered into this abandoned field.
"Come now, follow me and enjoy a good life."
Chen Jinshu smiled faintly and stored all five sentient Ebony Ginsengs in her spirit beast bag. If she kept them in her storage bag, they might mess with her spirit stones and herbs. The spirit beast bag was the safer option.
Croak croak!
Just as she stored them, the harsh and furious croaking of frogs erupted from all around the field. The noise came from every direction—there had to be at least twenty or thirty of them.
"So many frog demons... Seems like I've trespassed into their territory."
Her expression remained calm; these were merely low-level demon beasts.
Whoosh whoosh!
Demonic frogs leapt out from the fields, launching poisonous bubbles at her.
Under the sunlight, the bubbles glowed a deep purple—clearly highly toxic.
"A trifle!"
Ding ding ding…
With nimble fingers plucking the strings, her music changed the battlefield. The frog croaks were drowned out by a soothing melody. Behind her, a forest of lush green spiritual plants manifested, like spring itself had descended upon the earth.
Suddenly, the sky cracked open as bean-sized raindrops pounded down. The rain shattered the incoming poison bubbles and slammed into the ground with resounding force.
The downpour grew heavier, blurring the surroundings.
With both middle fingers pressing specific notes, her music turned sharp and vibrant.
Now icy cold, the rain morphed into tiny hailstones that battered the rice field. The noise of the storm drowned all other sounds. When the hail struck the puddles, it sent icy blossoms flying into the air. The frogs that had been croaking turned to ice on the spot.
Chen Jinshu flicked her fingers again. Streams of white sword energy shot out, shattering the frozen frog demons into powder.
Bang bang!
The ground was spattered with dark blood. Once all the frog demons were dealt with, Chen Jinshu gently plucked her strings one last time and ended the performance.
"Their blood contains heavy poison and demonic qi. I need to purify it all."
She gathered all the shattered remains, along with earlier demonized beasts, and set them ablaze using a fireball spell. Thick black smoke rose into the sky.
"At last, the strange activity in the rice field has been resolved."
Chen Jinshu strolled to the banks of the Crescent River and noticed that the previously bottomless depths were now glimmering with streaks of silvery moonlight.
"Are those Moon Spirit Fish?"
She hadn't expected that her song Hymn of the Earth Vein's Rebirth would stir the spiritual fish in the river. If rogue cultivators learned of this, it would cause a frenzy. But this wasn't the time to catch fish. She still needed to inspect the field—there might be stragglers.
Meanwhile, Zheng Shaosi and the others were also encountering traces of demonic qi in various places and began purifying them using their own techniques. Each unexpectedly acquired rare spiritual materials in the process.
At this time, Shui Huanmeng, now disguised as an old woman, was inspecting a cliffside. She had heard from rogue cultivators that demonic cultivators had been spotted in a canyon hundreds of miles outside Qingping Trade Town, causing havoc.
"This cliffside cypress gorge is bottomless… Why would a demonic cultivator come here?"
Shui Huanmeng sensed there was a scheme brewing. This terrain would be ideal for an ambush. She used a detection technique to investigate. Apart from traces of demonic qi, she found nothing unusual. Of course, she wouldn't risk descending—it would only alert the enemy.
"Five-Colored Sparrow, go scout below."
She took a small, brilliantly feathered bird from her spirit beast bag. The sparrow obeyed immediately and flew down into the gorge. Using her enchantments, her eyes glowed with rainbow light—now seeing through the sparrow's perspective. Due to its small size, the bird flew slowly, so her view of the canyon shifted only gradually.
Meanwhile, Chen Jinshu had completed her search of the rice field. Aside from a few mutated spirit grains, there was nothing noteworthy. It seemed the source of demonic contamination had been the bone remains previously consumed by the alchemy furnace.
"Now where's Xiao Yin gone? It's been ages with no sign."
Just as she grumbled, Xiao Yin excitedly bounded over.
"Master! I found a nest of Moon Spirit Fish—but they're just fry, newly hatched."
"Where?"
"Follow me!"
Hearing this, Chen Jinshu smiled and followed the sparrow to a cave where the river flowed through. It was well concealed by weeds—finding the fish on her own would've been near impossible.
Thanks to Xiao Yin's sharp eyes, she soon saw over a dozen tiny, silver-glowing fish darting through the water—exactly like the fleeting lights she had glimpsed earlier.
"So Moon Spirit Fish really do still exist in the Crescent River… Just very few in number. Most must hide at the bottom."
Still, she was more than satisfied with this small school. Quietly, she lowered a specially prepared spiritual net into the water.
Then, with a swift motion—
Whoosh!
Seven or eight fry flipped into the net.