Volume 2, Chapter 128 – A Bountiful Harvest—Twenty Ghost Tomato Seeds

Qi Huang held her breath, descending with the resolve of one facing certain death. When she reached a point about ten zhang above the Serpent King, the massive creature finally reacted. Its enormous head slowly turned, its vertical pupils devoid of emotion, its crimson forked tongue flicking in and out with a hiss that echoed endlessly through the valley.

Qi Huang was generous—she grabbed one Ghost Tomato and waved it tauntingly in front of the serpent.

Drool gradually dripped from the Serpent King’s mouth, stretching into long, glistening strands. Yet, it remained motionless, as though hesitating.

“Still holding back? Then how about this?”

The corner of Qi Huang’s lips curled slightly as she fully opened the pouch containing the Ghost Tomatoes, exposing all four remaining fruits.

ROAR!

The Serpent King opened its maw, unleashing a draconic bellow. Then, its lower body coiled and pushed off the rock, launching its massive form straight at Qi Huang.

“Time to fly!”

Qi Huang shouted, using her divine sense to propel herself into a frantic escape. At the same time, she mentally notified her main body—success!

Upon receiving the message, Cheng Hongling immediately led the Honghua Sect members toward the valley. She didn’t know how long her doppelgänger could hold out, so they had to work fast.

Qi Huang streaked across the sky like a meteor, the gale-force winds whipping at her robes and hair, the roaring air nearly forcing her eyes shut. Yet, she didn’t dare relax—her divine sense confirmed the Serpent King was hot on her tail, closing the distance with terrifying speed.

“Faster! Faster! Faster!”

She gritted her teeth, pouring more and more of her divine sense into acceleration.

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But the Serpent King was no slouch. Despite its colossal size, its scales were impossibly smooth, reducing air resistance to a minimum. It cut through the sky like a bolt of blue lightning.

And so, Qi Huang led the Serpent King on a wild chase toward the horizon. She had no destination in mind—only that the farther, the better.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hongling and the others had reached the valley’s edge. The terrain was steep and overgrown with thorns, forcing them to inch downward with painstaking care while staying alert for any venomous snakes lurking in the underbrush.

Impatience gnawed at Cheng Hongling. With a surge of water-attribute qi, she unleashed a wave of frost from her feet, flash-freezing everything in its path and creating a one-zhang-wide ice road leading straight to the valley floor.

The others gasped in awe, looking at her with undisguised admiration.

Breathing slightly harder from the exertion, Cheng Hongling took the lead, dashing down the frozen path. The rest followed suit, sliding along the ice.

At the valley’s bottom, Cheng Hongling spotted the massive boulder at the lake’s center—just as described, five blue patches glowed faintly on its surface, refracting light despite the overcast sky.

Her heart leaped with joy. Stepping onto the lake, she released another pulse of frost, instantly freezing the water beneath her feet. She strode forward as though walking on solid ground, leaving a trail of ice in her wake. The others hurried after her.

Upon reaching the boulder, Qin Quan quickly confirmed the blue patches were indeed Blue Scale Stones.

“It seems the Serpent King frequently sunbathed here. Its secretions seeped into the rock, and over time, the constant pressure of its massive body transformed them into Blue Scale Stones.”

After this explanation, he immediately ordered the disciples to start digging.

The Honghua Sect members pulled out their tools and got to work—only to discover the boulder was harder than any ore they’d encountered. Each strike of their picks and chisels left only the faintest of marks.

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“This must be the result of the Serpent King’s secretions. The entire boulder would make excellent weapon material—if only we could take it all.”

Qin Quan sighed regretfully.

Cheng Hongling moved to help, but Xu Mei stopped her. “As the strongest here, you must conserve your strength. If you exhaust yourself and danger strikes, we’re finished.”

“Indeed. Precious as these stones are, they’re worthless compared to human lives.”

Qin Quan nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang was still fleeing for her life. Fear of being overtaken drove her to push her divine sense to the limit—within just fifteen minutes, she’d already covered over a hundred li, all while repeatedly checking in with her main body.

“The boulder’s been hardened by the Serpent King’s secretions. It’s extremely tough. Hold on a little longer.”

Cheng Hongling’s tone was gentle, almost apologetic—after all, her doppelgänger had developed a personality of her own.

“No problem! Take your time. Even if you dig till nightfall, I’ll keep it occupied!”

Qi Huang replied through gritted teeth.

Cheng Hongling assumed this was just empty reassurance and didn’t take it seriously.

But Qi Huang wasn’t joking. Though she couldn’t last till nightfall, she still had four Ghost Tomatoes tucked away—surely that would be enough to outlast this stubborn serpent.

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And so, Qi Huang led the Serpent King on a chase spanning hundreds of li. Her mental fatigue grew, and her speed began to flag.

The Serpent King’s eyes gleamed—sensing victory, it redoubled its efforts.

Qi Huang bit her lip, then pulled out the Tongming Comb and one of the Ghost Tomatoes. As she flew, she began combing her hair—an outsider would’ve laughed at her vanity.

Sure enough, a few strokes later, her exhaustion vanished, and her divine sense surged anew. She accelerated once more.

Their chase continued until they’d left Huangtian County far behind. To prevent the Serpent King from turning back too soon and catching the Honghua Sect unprepared, Qi Huang maintained a straight course.

After two full hours of pursuit, Cheng Hongling’s voice finally rang in Qi Huang’s mind—and in the next instant, the Soul Tether wrapped around her waist, yanking her away.

The Serpent King lunged forward—only to find its prey had vanished into thin air.

Confused, it lingered for a moment before reluctantly turning back toward its lair.

Qi Huang’s vision blurred—when it cleared, she found herself in a secluded corner of the valley, face-to-face with her main body. In the distance, the others were already packing up the Blue Scale Stones, ready to leave.

“Hurry! If that snake returns, we’re in trouble. We’ve ruined its favorite napping spot.”

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Cheng Hongling urged.

“Wait—one last thing.”

Without waiting for a response, Qi Huang vanished again, diving into the lake like a mermaid. She swam straight for the lakebed beneath the boulder, gathering every last Ghost Tomato seed before resurfacing and rejoining the group.

Back in Panshan Village, the Honghua Sect immediately evacuated all the villagers and their prisoners—this place was far too dangerous now.

Their return to the Honghua Sect was smooth and uneventful—not only had they escaped unscathed, but they’d also reaped a bountiful harvest. Especially Qi Huang.

The moment they arrived, she gleefully retreated to her room to tally her spoils: two fine swords, over five hundred taels of silver, several talismans, twelve Ghost Tomato seeds, and half the Blue Scale Stones (though those were shared with her main body).

But the true prize was the twelve Ghost Tomato seeds. Upon closer inspection, she found four had rotted—whether they’d still grow remained to be seen.

Yet Qi Huang wasn’t discouraged. So what if a few were duds? She still had the five Ghost Tomatoes from the Honghua Sect and the three from her earlier mission—twenty seeds in total.

“If most of these take root, my divine sense will break through to the Divine Realm in no time.”

After all, Ghost Tomatoes could be cultivated repeatedly. If one harvest wasn’t enough, she’d just plant another batch. With one harvest per year yielding over a dozen fruits, it was an inexhaustible resource.

The thought thrilled her. Once she broke through again, she wouldn’t just be masquerading as an Incarnation Realm expert—she could fake the Divine Realm! With acting skills alone, she could strut through the Western Radiance Dynasty unopposed.

No time like the present. Her long-awaited farming plan was finally underway.