The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Chapter 284: Cradle Ice Embryo

The moment Jiang Chen reappeared in the stone house, something pounced on him.

He flinched, instinctively raising his guard, only to see a frantic Da Huang. The dog was trembling, letting out a continuous stream of anxious ying ying ying noises as he pawed at Jiang Chen’s legs.

Jiang Chen crouched down and aggressively rubbed the dog’s head. “Alright, alright. I disappeared for a second. I didn’t leave you.”

Da Huang’s panic served as a useful reminder: next time he entered the portable space, he needed to ensure total privacy. Da Huang was just a dog, but if a cultivator saw him vanish into thin air, the consequences would be catastrophic.

After calming the dog, Jiang Chen walked out to the second Spirit Farm plot.

This was his high-value field, home to the Variant Mother Rice, its offspring, the Eroding Earth Brown Awn Variant Rice, and the crown jewel—the Space Earth Essence Fruit Tree.

The rice strains were valuable, but losing them wouldn’t be fatal. The fruit tree, however, was irreplaceable. As long as it lived, he had a renewable source of Space Earth Essence Fruits. Even without refining another portable space, eating the fruits offered a 10% chance to awaken the divine ability Shrinking the Earth to an Inch. With enough fruits, success was mathematically inevitable.

He didn’t hesitate. With a wave of his hand and a surge of spiritual power, he uprooted the fruit tree and the Eroding Earth rice, sending them directly into his portable space.

He considered moving the Mother Rice as well, but seeing it was only days away from harvest, he decided to wait. No need to shock the plant right before it yielded its bounty.

Next, Jiang Chen headed for the Time-Space Year Wheel Tree.

This tree was arguably even more heaven-defying than the spatial fruit. Its seasonal fruits offered powerful buffs—stat boosts, amplification, cleanse, and duration extension. And its special effect—releasing a growth-accelerating aura on specific lunar days—made it the ultimate cornerstone for any Spirit Farm.

For any other cultivator, this tree would be a sect-protecting treasure, guarded by layers of lethal formations and elite disciples. Yet here, it sat in Jiang Chen’s front yard, protected only by a Mirror Flower Water Moon Formation.

“Time to move you to a safer neighborhood,” Jiang Chen murmured.

He released his Wood Spirit Qi, wrapping the tree’s roots in a protective cocoon. Carefully, painstakingly, he extracted the entire root system from the soil. Once it was free, he transferred it instantly into the portable space.

Jiang Chen exhaled a long breath, feeling a massive weight lift from his shoulders.

For months, he had lived with the low-level anxiety of having priceless treasures sitting out in the open. His security relied entirely on obscurity and luck. If a high-level cultivator had stumbled upon his farm, he would have been dead before he could blink.

Now, his secrets were locked away in a dimension only he could access. Even if someone broke his formations, they would find nothing but some slightly above-average Spirit Rice.

“Now I can finally relax,” he said, rubbing his chin. “I can plant whatever I want outside without worry. And inside… I don’t even need the Green Lotus Domain. The tree will handle the growth acceleration.”

He thought about moving the five Dragon Carp from the pond, but hesitated. He hadn’t mastered any earth-manipulation techniques yet. Digging a new pond in the portable space without proper structural support might just result in a muddy grave for his expensive fish.

“You guys can wait,” he told the fish.

Finally, he turned toward the stone mountain.

He hadn’t forgotten the cave. Or the variant Frost Cabbage he had left there months ago.

It wasn’t a top-tier treasure, but waste was a sin. He couldn’t just leave a variant spirit plant to rot.

Jiang Chen cleared the large boulders blocking the cave entrance and squeezed inside.

He hadn’t even reached the depths when a bone-chilling cold washed over him. It wasn’t just cool dampness; it was an active, surging wave of Frost Qi pouring from the back of the cave.

“What on earth…”

Curiosity piqued, Jiang Chen hurried deeper.

When he reached the end of the tunnel, he stopped dead.

The Frost Cabbage was gone. In its place stood a monstrosity.

It was massive—several times its original size. It no longer looked like a vegetable. It resembled a giant, pulsating silkworm cocoon made of blue ice.

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of a cabbage doing that.”

The scene was eerie. There were no other plants here to compete for nutrients, but even with exclusive access to the soil, this level of mutation was unnatural.

He activated his System vision.

[Name: Cradle Ice Embryo]

[Status: Mutated]

[Effect 1: Absorbs Yin Cold Qi]

[Effect 2: Incubating Ice Soul Orb]

Jiang Chen’s eyes widened. “Incubating? Is this thing pregnant?”

It seemed the isolation and the specific environment had triggered a radical evolution. He had practically forgotten about the plant after moving the Mother Rice, leaving it to fend for itself in the dark.

“Cradle Ice Embryo…” Jiang Chen muttered. “This feels wrong.”

He didn’t dare be careless. He circulated the Nine Flames Mystic Art, wreathing himself in high-temperature crimson fire to ward off the encroaching cold.

He stepped closer. The frost was aggressive, biting at his fire shield. Without his Fire Spirit Root, he would have frozen solid ten paces back.

He reached out with a probe of Wood Spirit Qi.

Nothing. The plant rejected it. The symbiotic connection he usually had with plants was gone.

He tried Fire Spirit Qi, but the cold flared up in defense, threatening to detonate.

Only Earth Spirit Qi met with less resistance, likely because it was rooted in the soil. But Jiang Chen lacked the techniques to manipulate it effectively.

He stood before the pulsating ice cocoon, considering his options. He couldn’t control it. He couldn’t nurture it.

“Simple is best,” he decided.

Crack it open.

Whatever it was, plant or monster, it was just a variant. He wasn’t going to let a vegetable intimidate him.

Jiang Chen intensified his flames, pressing his hands against the outer shell of the cocoon. The ice hissed and steamed, melting layer by layer under the intense heat.

As the shell thinned, the core became visible.

Jiang Chen’s pupils contracted to pinpoints!