Chapter 10: Bountiful Harvest
On the other side, Jiang Yan returned to Pan’an County.
Originally, he had planned to visit his grandfather's home and had already called ahead, but after encountering so many incidents, he wasn't sure if the mysterious woman from the Rice God of Wealth Church was hiding in the shadows.
Moreover, his face looked so pale that he decided not to worry his family.
Instead, he called and said he was hanging out with friends and would return in a few days.
His grandfather sounded a bit disappointed, but didn’t ask much. He only inquired if Jiang Yan had enough money, and told him to come over and take some cash if needed.
Although he had a smartphone, his grandfather hadn’t linked a bank card and didn’t know how to transfer money via WeChat.
His love was faster than internet speed.
Jiang Yan politely declined multiple times, saying he would return in a few days, then hung up and checked into a Jinbrick Grand Hotel.
Although it was called a hotel, it was actually a locally built residential building that had been converted, so the ceiling height was greater than that of a regular hotel, making it more comfortable to stay in.
Because Jiang Yan was carrying a bunch of items, especially a three-meter-long Dragon Banner, the receptionist was so startled she nearly lost her color.
In the end, Jiang Yan paid extra as a deposit and promised not to damage the ceiling, finally securing a deluxe king-size room.
He took the elevator to the fourth floor, swiped his card to open the door, and turned on the power.
The room instantly lit up, with a layout typical of a standard express hotel.
To Jiang Yan, the environment was average, but the Burial Coffin acted like it had just entered a whole new world. It looked around everywhere, even inspecting a cup of instant noodles for a long time, just like a kitten or puppy exploring a new home.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan thought about finding time to get the Burial Coffin a phone so it could learn about modern society and basic knowledge.
Little did he know, the Burial Coffin, behind Jiang Yan’s back, had a solemn expression and was deeply puzzled in its heart.
Why...
Why did its master not sleep inside its belly, but instead chose to sleep in this place called a hotel?
This room was square-shaped—how was it any different from the inside of a coffin?
There were just a few more pieces of wood (bed) and stones (toilet), that’s all.
“As long as I move those inside, Master will probably enjoy sleeping there!”
A grand plan sprouted in the Coffin Spirit’s heart: it would build a massive underground palace inside itself as a place for its master to slumber.
By then, it would definitely be praised!
Unaware that the Coffin Spirit was preparing a tomb for him, Jiang Yan sat by the bed and began organizing the spoils of this journey.
The first item was the corpse of the Large Rat Guard that had nearly slapped Jiang Yan into a sack of rice. It had already been devoured by the Dark God Embryo, which had now birthed a new skill.
【Life Grain Technique—Blessed Land Millet Spell】
【Quality: Ordinary】
【Description: Large Rats are low-level guards nurtured in the glory of the Rice God of Wealth. They guard the granaries, yet steal rice from within to feed themselves.
They occupy the granaries and arrogantly believe they have created a paradise. Feeling smug, they cease worshipping the Rice God of Wealth, unaware that while rice can fill the belly, it cannot fill the chasm of desire. In the end, they are assimilated into rice sculptures, slapping all life into rice grains to fill a granary that can never be filled.
The Blessed Land Millet Spell is one of the Life Grain Spells. It can be used in areas rich in blood and flesh or dense with Earth Vein Qi to plant and cultivate Blessed Land Rice.
Consuming it can slightly enhance physical constitution, with a small chance of minor soul enhancement. Long-term use leads to a disease where the body’s flesh turns to rice. This requires a large intake of meat to counteract, or else irreversible symptoms will appear, turning one into a rice sculpture.
The host of the Dark God Embryo is immune to these side effects.】
【Large rat, large rat, do not eat my millet.】
“Spirit rice that can strengthen the body—this truly solves my urgent need.”
Jiang Yan looked pleasantly surprised. What he needed most now was a complete manual for cultivating a transcendent system, followed by items that could enhance his physique.
Not to mention that the power and usage limit of the Vajravārāhī Seal depended on his physical strength, and he also had the early stages of liver cancer stuck in his throat like a bone.
Among the conditions for planting spirit rice, he didn’t even know what Earth Vein Qi was, let alone how to find it, but the second condition wasn’t hard...
It wasn’t that he refused to be human—there was simply no rule about what kind of creature’s flesh was required!
In this highly industrialized modern society, the livestock industry had reached its peak. As long as one had money, cattle and sheep were easy to buy.
Over the past few years, Jiang Yan had saved up over a hundred thousand yuan from overtime work. While that wasn’t a small sum, remembering that the Mouth of the Purified Altar was another major money pit, he could almost hear his bank card wailing.
If it came down to it...
There were still many invasive species, like tilapia and alligator gar. Spend a bit of money and you could buy a bunch.
Who said fish meat wasn’t meat?
These are all living beings.
They must not be discriminated against!
If the quality isn't enough, make up for it with quantity.
The second item was Commander Lu's arm and the antlered Dragon Banner.
Originally, Jiang Yan planned to nurture them separately, but the Dark God Embryo sensed that they could be treated as a single entity.
“Could it be that Commander Lu refined his antlers into a weapon, achieving some form of unity between man and sword?”
Jiang Yan instantly became interested. Anyone who frequently entered lotteries knew—if you could draw from the ten-thousand pool, you'd never settle for the thousand.
Thus, strands of dark misty roots invisible to anyone but Jiang Yan stretched out from the void and chaos, engulfing both the arm and the antlered Dragon Banner.
Buzz!
The branches atop the Dark Mother Tree trembled, shaking the Sea of Chaos, and soon a golden light orb was born.
As the glow faded, what appeared was a dark red armguard, covered in dragon-scale-like protrusions, engraved with numerous dark-golden Buddhist Sanskrit characters.
Flame patterns flickered around the text, as if burning fiercely.
At the end of the armguard grew antler-shaped spikes that extended backward, gleaming with a cold sharp light, forming a unique arm-blade that sliced through the air with each swing.
A sound of airflow being cut was heard.
A testament to its sharpness.
Ding!
The Sanskrit characters on the armguard shimmered, conveying emotions of adoration and closeness toward Jiang Yan.
“Although the armguard is cool... where’s my antlered Dragon Banner sword?”
Jiang Yan picked up the armguard and began examining the details of this new offspring.
【Historical Relic—Vajra Sanskrit Antler Sword Arm (Right Arm)】
【Grade: Transcendent (Superior)】
【Quality: Excellent】
【Description: Originating from the right arm and antlered Dragon Banner of Commander Lu from the Corpse-Dissolution Court, it was reborn as an item-type offspring by the host of the Dark God Embryo.
The banner’s fabric was fused into it, calming the mind and enhancing mental resistance when held.
Once equipped, it strengthens the right arm and grants mastery-level swordsmanship and the Diamond Slash technique. It can summon the Vajra Sanskrit Antler Sword hidden within, containing the element of Wood of the Five Phases—specifically Xun Trigram—Wind. Its slashes are like wind, able to sever metal and shatter stone.
Injecting spiritual energy activates the Sanskrit characters, intimidating and harming ghost-type beings.
For anyone other than the Dark God Embryo’s host, the sword qi of the Vajra Sanskrit Antler Sword Arm will damage the meridians, pierce the body, and prolonged use will result in emotional numbness.】
【Evaluation: Vajra Deer King: I slash, slash, slash!】
“Why do I feel like this item is insulting me?”
Jiang Yan wore a strange expression. If he equipped the sword arm, wouldn’t he become a... swordman?
“No wonder Commander Lu carried that big banner—he was stabilizing the minds of those diseased creatures.”
The armguard's attribute bonuses were high, and the ability to summon a weapon anytime anywhere compensated for Jiang Yan’s lack of combat power.
Some might say this was just an external item?
What a joke.
All offspring nurtured by the Dark God Embryo could only be used by Jiang Yan.
There was no risk of anyone stealing them.
His offspring were part of his own strength!
All achieved through his own effort.
Dark God Embryo, give birth for me!
“From now on, your name shall be Sanskrit Sword Buddha Arm!”
Jiang Yan decisively renamed it and equipped it on his right arm. The touch was icy cold, yet perfectly fitted without the slightest awkwardness, moving as easily as his own limb.
At the same time, an immense amount of swordsmanship experience flooded into his mind, as if he had trained for decades, turning it into instinct.
Though he was still inside the room, everything from the tables, chairs, and appliances now appeared differently to him—
They had weak points!
He could now shatter them more easily!
“If I go by the saying from that side of the sea, this should be called... Sword Saint’s Heart?”
Jiang Yan muttered, just as a thought emerged in his mind—was this too flashy?
Right then, the Sanskrit characters on the armguard flowed, retracting all the spikes, constantly shrinking until it transformed into a dark red antler bracelet engraved with Sanskrit.
“This is much more convenient.” Jiang Yan was very satisfied.
As for the third and final gain—
It was the reward for completing the Historical Long River mission.