Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Lin Mao shook his head, saying:

“There were no signs before it happened. It’s a type of black aphid we’ve never seen before.

The frightening thing is, the infestation is still spreading.

The steward stationed over there tried many methods, but it’s very difficult to kill them. The black aphids can even briefly resist flame damage.

If we can’t stop the spread of the infestation, I’m afraid all the spirit fields without a magic array protection in the entire sect will suffer.”

There are many spirit fields without a magic array protection, not only the unranked ones that grow spirit grain, but also many tier one middle and lower grade spirit fields.

In the tier one spirit fields, they grow herbs for refining Qi Refining Stage Elixirs and auxiliary materials for Foundation Establishment Pills.

Ji An recalled the situation when the demon calamity broke out in Luofeng Valley, at that time he didn’t inquire about the specific details.

“Let’s go, we’ll go to the scene to take a look.”

He walked out of the main hall, took out the Flame Light Banner and infused it with magical power. Controlling the spiritual artifact is slightly faster than riding the clouds.

A mass of fire cloud enveloped their figures, the bright yellow flames surged, speeding northward.

Lin Mao was burning with anxiety. If the pest infestation caused major damage, establishing the Agricultural Hall would turn into a huge joke, they might even be punished by the sect.

…

Pu Yun Mountain, in the Chen Clan Ancestral Land.

Chen Xingzhou bowed deeply, speaking obsequiously:

“Reporting to Lord Xiong Ba, last night I acted personally, releasing the black aphids into the area of the Golden Spirit Sect.

If all goes as expected, they should be in a mess by now.”

These black aphids have tenacious vitality, it’s rather difficult to eliminate them quickly.

They have a hard shell, can resist much damage, and reproduce astonishingly quickly—a generation can be produced in just two days.

If they can’t be extinguished quickly, the entire Golden Spirit Sect will suffer greatly.

“Ha ha, well done. The Celestial Demon Alliance needs cultivators like you.”

Xiong Ba laughed heartily. The Celestial Demon Alliance had previously used the same method to create chaos in Luofeng Valley.

Now, the Celestial Demon Alliance is simultaneously releasing demon insects onto the Three Sects. If all goes well, the majority of spirit fields in the Three Sects will see their crops destroyed.

These demon insects are the result of several years of secret nurturing. If they run rampant, the low-tier disciples of the Three Sects will face hard years ahead.

Spirit grain is easy to plant and matures in a few months, so the loss is tolerable.

But if low-tier spirit medicines are destroyed, it’s not something that can be remedied in a short period, leading to far-reaching consequences.

“Closely monitor the situation and report to me at any time.”

“As you command! I have already left some beast tamers to constantly monitor the Golden Spirit Sect.”

“Your work increasingly reassures me, excellent. Work hard, and after a few more achievements, you’ll obtain the cultivation technique to break through to the Chao Origin Stage.”

Chen Xingzhou felt secretly delighted inside, but kept a serious face:

“Relieving my lord’s worries is what I should do.”

He acted like a loyal hound willing to work tirelessly, further delighting Xiong Ba.

…

This is the edge of the sect, an eagle is circling high above, it is just a wild beast.

A large number of spirit farmers were gathered in the spirit field, grouped in threes and twos, whispering in low voices filled with worry.

If a solution can be found now, there’s still hope for these spirit grains.

A reduction in yield is inevitable, but it won’t be a total loss.

Some spirit farmer disciples were pale and bloodless, their spirit fields were among the first affected, now sentenced to certain ruin.

If the sect doesn’t reduce or waive the rent, they will be burdened with debt, which will inevitably delay their cultivation.

Ji An controlled the spiritual artifact to land beside the spirit field, seeing the black mass of aphids covering the leaves and stems of the spirit grain, producing a rustling sound.

That was the sound of countless aphids devouring leaves, forming a wave.

A steward from the Agricultural Hall flew over, quivering in voice:

“Reporting to the two Hall Masters, the black aphids are spreading quickly, and the areas suffering from the infestation keep expanding.

We’ve tried many methods, but none can kill them efficiently.

These aphids not only devour leaves but also burrow underground to consume the roots and stems.”

They tried various methods, all to little effect.

Ji An caught a few aphids in his palm, observing them carefully.

These black bugs were two or three times the size of ordinary aphids, with mouthparts resembling ants and siphons similar to cicadas.

Once caught, they struggled frantically, trying to pierce his skin with their siphons in vain.

He looked up and asked,

“What methods have you all tried?”

The steward replied,

“Burning with fire, using the Sharp Gold Technique to exterminate, washing with Spirit Rain, casting Cold Wind Technique, using Mosquito Repellent Grass smoke, poisoning, and other possible solutions have all been tried.”

The spirit farmers themselves also tried many unconventional methods, all with little success.

One spirit farmer ran over and with a plop, knelt on the ground:

“Dear Junior Martial Uncles, I beg of you, save my spirit plants!”

The spirit farmer’s face was dark red, filled with wrinkles, his eyes full of despair.

He rented twenty acres of tier one lower grade spirit fields from the sect, growing Fire Cloud Ginseng, which would be ready for harvest in two or three years.

These spirit medicines were his everything, and he was fully counting on them for the Foundation Establishment Pills.

This year he turned fifty. If the spirit medicines were to completely fail, all his hopes would be dashed.

Ji An used Object Control Technique to lift him up, saying:

“Rise, I will do my utmost.”

He was also a spirit farmer, deeply empathetic to such matters.

He unleashed the Sharp Gold Technique, threads of golden light pierced the aphids in his hand, and the frantically struggling insects immediately quieted down.

Ji An sent his Divine Sense into them, discovering that the life force of the aphids had completely ceased, all dead.

He blinked, feeling the problem wasn’t so difficult after all.

Magical Power in his Immortal Vein quickly traveled along a specific path, he pushed the Sharp Gold Technique to the limit.

Countless strands of golden light finer than a cow’s hair flickered, brilliance shone, and the world suddenly brightened.

The sharp, unparalleled Magic Intent dispersed, Lin Mao felt as if cold wind cut his face, shrinking his neck subconsciously.

The Geng Metal Spirit-Slaying Sword can also gather countless strands of golden light, but it would simultaneously destroy the Spirit Plants themselves.

To slay spirits means to extinguish life force.

If he used the Geng Metal Spirit-Slaying Sword, the only result would be the imminent death of the Spirit Plants.

The golden light flashed, the black aphids frantically eating the Spirit Plants instantly froze.

A breeze blew through, and under Lin Mao and the steward’s amazed gazes, countless small black insects fell to the ground, creating a layer of ’black ash’.

The steward rushed over, grabbed the insects, sent his Divine Sense inside, and said in amazement:

“Is it, is it over?”

Resolving the problem with only releasing a Qi Refining Stage magic technique seemed to make him truly foolish.

He had released the Sharp Gold Technique before, but it had no effect.

Lin Mao bent down to grab a handful of insects, upon feeling their life force entirely ceased, he immediately cast a technique on the nearby Spirit Field.

He knew the Sharp Gold Technique too!

If he had known the issue could be resolved so quickly, he wouldn’t have rushed to report to the Hall Master.

Golden light shone, countless streamers surged.

The effect of the technique completely vanished, the black aphids on the Spirit Grain were unmoved, continuing to devour the leaves of the Spirit Plants.

Lin Mao was embarrassed, feeling a burning pain on his face.

Although the Sharp Gold Technique isn’t commonly used as a Planting Technique, he had practiced it to Perfection Level, never expecting it to be ineffective.

He knew his technique’s effect would be inferior to the Hall Master’s due to the difference in cultivation.

He expected the aphids to be partially eliminated, still requiring several more releases of the technique to achieve full success.

Never expected not to kill a single aphid.

’Should I release the technique one more time? Maybe this time it will work.’

Lin Mao struggled internally, wanting to try again but fearing the result might be the same.

If that happened, his reputation for incompetence would be confirmed.

Ji An was unaware of his internal turmoil, saying in a deep voice:

“I’m going to start casting, organize people to check if any survived.”

After finishing, he began to fully exhibit the Sharp Gold Technique, golden light shining as over twenty acres of Spirit Fields were covered.

Seeing him continually casting, the crowd gathered around him.

Lin Mao shouted:

“Hall Master Ji has shown great power, the insect infestation has been resolved.

All disciples heed my command, assist me in checking for any lucky surviving Demon Insects.”

“The Spirit Fields are saved!”

The disciples cheered, gazing up at the Agricultural Hall Hall Master they’d never met before.

The hawk circling in the sky flew away, soon disappearing without a trace.

…

Ji An cast the technique over all the afflicted areas, now with the sun setting in the west.

The sunset was like steaming flames coloring the sky, tempering it into a layer of gold.

He gathered the Spirit Farmers together, speaking solemnly:

“I have closely observed the afflicted areas, those with severe losses are the ones planting Spirit Grain and Talisman Grass.

The Hall Master has decided to waive three months of rent for all afflicted disciples.

If the loss is extremely severe, report to the Agricultural Hall for verification and receive additional relief.”

The Spirit Grain will inevitably face significant reduction, but fortunately, the Medicine Fields have suffered minimal loss.

“Good!”

“Hall Master is wise!”

The Spirit Farmer disciples thundered with joy, calculating after all, they suffered no loss and even gained through this disaster.

The only additional cost is three months of time.

Ji An instructed the steward to tally the affected fields and corresponding tenants, then observed at the sect’s grand array’s edge for a while.

He felt the matter must be due to deliberate sabotage, otherwise such a severe insect disaster couldn’t have ended without any foreshadowing.

…

Ji An flew back to the Agricultural Hall with the Flame Light Banner, Lin Mao spoke softly:

“Hall Master, your decision today is unconventional, the loss of these Spirit Farmer disciples shouldn’t be borne by the sect.”

The decision was simple, but the Agricultural Hall would compensate with a large amount of Contribution Points.

In his view, although the infested Spirit Fields would yield less, the disciples could completely bear such losses.

Allowing disciples to develop bad habits of dependency reflects weak leadership.

“We all can perceive the oddity of this insect disaster, if disciples fully bear the loss, the sect’s responsibility will be questioned.

I will report this matter to the other Hall Masters to execute it.”

Ji An said, he needed to request the Law Enforcement Hall to enhance patrols at the sect’s periphery.

Today’s event was clearly an attack, but the Law Enforcement Hall failed to find any clues, strictly speaking, they were derelict in duty.