The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Chapter 278: Flaunting It

The mournful howls rose in a jagged chorus, eventually merging into a single, continuous wail of agony.

It didn’t matter if they were Greenback Wolves or Nightmare Demon Wolves, common beasts or kings. Before Jiang Chen’s Red Sun Piercing the Sun, their only option was to die in despair.

Wherever the five Fire Crows flew, the world ignited. Within seconds, a hundred-meter radius was transformed into a roaring sea of fire.

Watching the inferno dance before their eyes, Red Tiger, Ling Mo, and everyone else stood paralyzed. Their shock had transcended fear, settling into a deep, bone-chilling reverence.

“Dozens of Greenbacks… dozens of Nightmares… wiped out by five crows?”

“Fellow Daoist Zhu… his strength must be at the Golden Core stage, right?”

It was no wonder their imaginations ran wild. They had only ever witnessed a technique of this magnitude from Perfected Master Wang of the Sen Clan.

In their eyes, Jiang Chen was no longer a quirky tourist or a cosplayer. He was a hidden dragon—a Golden Core Perfected Master who walked among them in disguise. Only an existence of that tier could face an army of monsters with such terrifying indifference.

A Nightmare Wolf King with five hundred years of cultivation was a calamity. For Red Tiger’s squad, defeating one would require a desperate, life-or-death struggle, and grievous injuries were guaranteed.

Yet here, they watched that same calamity crumble before a casual wave of Jiang Chen’s hand.

Fur turned to ash.

Skin shattered like porcelain.

Blood evaporated before it could spill.

Decades of cultivation, status, and power meant nothing. In the face of such absolute heat, the Wolf King was as insignificant as an ant beneath a boot.

Moments later, the flames died down. All that remained were charred, foul-smelling carcasses.

Every single wolf had been burned alive.

The crisis had evaporated so quickly that Red Tiger and his team felt dazed, as if waking from a fever dream.

The five Fire Crows inhaled the lingering flames, preventing a forest fire, their glowing bodies dimming back to their normal state. Except for Crow One, the other four shot back into the sky to resume their patrol.

Jiang Chen landed lightly, hands clasped behind his back, looking for all the world like he hadn’t just unleashed a miniature sun.

Red Tiger exchanged a frantic glance with his team, then stepped forward, bowing low.

“Fellow Daoist… Senior Zhu. Thank you for saving us yet again. Your kindness is a mountain we cannot climb. We are willing to—”

Jiang Chen waved a hand, cutting off the impending pledge of servitude. “It was a trivial effort. If you really want to thank me, help me dissect these carcasses. Harvest everything of value. We’ll split the profits nine-to-one. Sound fair?”

Red Tiger froze, sensing the polite refusal in Jiang Chen’s tone. He swallowed his disappointment and nodded vigorously. “Yes! We will do exactly as you instruct.”

He had hoped to pledge his team to Jiang Chen. Even if they couldn’t be disciples, serving as retainers for a powerhouse would mean an end to risking their lives in the mud for scraps. But clearly, the Senior had no need for baggage.

Still, he wasn’t foolish enough to refuse the consolation prize.

There were dozens of carcasses here, including a Nightmare Wolf King. Even with the skin and flesh damaged by fire, the cores—especially the five-hundred-year-old Demon Core—were worth a fortune.

A nine-to-one split? That was easily hundreds, maybe a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones. It was a windfall beyond their wildest dreams.

Ling Mo and the other tourists watched with envy burning in their eyes. They wanted a share, but Jiang Chen had killed everything so fast they hadn’t lifted a finger. And unlike Red Tiger’s veteran squad, they lacked the skills to quickly butcher and process the loot. They could only watch and drool.

It took half an hour to finish the grim work.

Red Tiger and his crew were exhausted, soaked in sweat and soot, but their faces were splitting with grins.

The haul far exceeded their estimates. Li Tie’s Foundation Pill was no longer a pipe dream; it was practically in his hand.

“Done?” Jiang Chen asked coolly.

“Yes, Senior!”

“Then let’s move.”

The group hustled toward the Hunter’s Enclave. The rest of the journey was suspiciously calm; evidently, the local fauna had sensed the massacre and gone into hiding.

When they arrived, the Enclave was noticeably emptier than the night before. Many hunters had packed up and left for Green City after the cave collapse.

“Senior, what are your orders?” Red Tiger asked deferentially. “Do we stay the night or head back to the city?”

Jiang Chen didn’t want to waste another second in this hole. “Resupply quickly. We head back to Green City immediately.”

Red Tiger barked orders, and his team scattered to sell off the lesser monster parts and restock on essentials.

The sudden influx of high-quality materials caused a commotion in the market.

“Holy hell, look at those Greenback pelts!”

“Is that a Nightmare Wolf fang? Red Tiger, did you rob a sect? Your ranking is going to skyrocket!”

Under normal circumstances, a few kills wouldn’t raise eyebrows. But the sheer volume of loot Red Tiger’s team was offloading was staggering.

Red Tiger glanced at Jiang Chen, who was resting against a wall with his eyes closed, feigning sleep. Seeing the Senior’s indifference, Red Tiger puffed out his chest.

“Our squad prefers to keep a low profile,” he said loudly, his voice dripping with false modesty. “Did you really think we couldn’t compare to those top-ranked teams?”

It was a blatant boast, but with piles of dead wolves as evidence, no one could refute him. Several loose cultivators looked at the squad with new respect, eyes gleaming with the desire to join a team that could pull off such a haul.

Jiang Chen observed the theatrics through his spiritual sense and felt a flicker of amusement. Let them have their moment. I came out here to test my powers and show off a little. Mission accomplished.

Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the group departed the Enclave and began the trek back to Green City.

The mood was jubilant. Red Tiger’s five members walked with a spring in their step, greeting passing acquaintances with the magnanimity of conquerors.

As the walls of Green City loomed into view, Red Tiger slowed his pace and approached Jiang Chen.

“Senior Zhu,” he asked tentatively. “May we… carry the Nightmare Wolf King’s corpse openly?”

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, understanding immediately. “You want to parade it through the streets?”

“Yes, Senior.”

In Green City, there was an unwritten rule: If a hunter or team slew a powerful beast, they could choose to “flaunt it”—carrying the trophy openly through the main thoroughfares.

It was a marketing tactic. It attracted attention, drove up prices, and most importantly, caught the eye of the city’s ruling elite—the Sen Clan.

If Red Tiger’s squad could catch the eye of the Sen Clan, their status would elevate instantly. Better jobs, better pay, better protection.

Of course, it painted a target on their backs. Jealousy and greed were powerful motivators for ambush. But by asking, Red Tiger showed he was ready to accept the risk for the reward.