Over a hundred thousand Strawman Soldiers marched into the spatial gate. They first entered the Heavenly Sovereign Tower of Hongmeng, temporarily garrisoned in the tower's internal space. Then, the golden strawman gave a few final instructions to the remaining strawmen in the valley before stepping through the portal himself.
"Lurking rats in the dark, I'll let you enjoy this generous gift. I'm sure you'll love it."
A sinister grin flickered in Yi Tianxing's eyes. Without any further hesitation, his figure naturally melted into the shadows, vanishing into thin air.
The strawmen stationed in the valley saw this strange event, but they paid it no mind.
They continued their patrol of the rice fields—chasing off pests and birds, weeding, watering…Everything appeared normal.
Clearly, this valley was the main stronghold of the strawmen. Local beasts and birds knew full well the dangers hidden within. Even the allure of golden wheat wasn't enough to draw them close. Too many had died in these fields to take the risk.
This place had become a forbidden zone.
None dared approach lightly.
Noon. In the city of Xuanhuang.
A large number of soldiers gathered beneath the Palace Treasure Tree. Beneath it stood countless strawmen—including golden ones. Each of them looked vivid, lifelike, and from afar, nearly indistinguishable from real people.
Without hesitation, the soldiers picked up the strawmen and carried them outside the city, placing them throughout the rice fields and vegetable patches. Combined with those deployed earlier in the day, the total number reached several hundred thousand, covering the fields like a dense sea of silent sentries.
It was a magnificent sight—A landscape unlike any other.
The citizens of the city murmured among themselves, skeptical of the strawmen's effectiveness.
"Will these rats really stay away?"
"Isn't this a bit too much of a joke?"
Still, they carried out their orders to perfection.
"My snow pear rice… There are only a hundred or so stalks left. I won't sleep tonight if I have to. As long as they survive till morning, they might just ripen fully and produce viable seed grain. Once I have that, the snow pear rice will be a true new strain. I'll fight to the death tonight to protect these crops."
In the fields, Old Song crouched carefully among the rice. The surrounding area had been devastated—only a hundred or so stalks remained intact.This was the fruit of months of labor—too precious to fail now. He wasn't sure he'd ever succeed again if these were lost.
Looking at the surrounding strawmen, Old Song frowned. He still didn't feel very confident in them.
"Just hope we make it through tonight."
He muttered under his breath.
Underground, Mouse-Eater had already received word about what was happening above.
When he learned that hundreds of thousands of strawmen had been deployed, his expression turned even more grim.
"Putting out some strawmen is one thing—but hundreds of thousands?! They think they can scare me like this? If I don't act, I'll be a laughingstock! The other tribes must already be watching and waiting to mock me."
Now, he was riding a tiger and couldn't dismount.
If it had just been one or two, he could've brushed it off. But this grand display—there was no backing down. If he didn't act, he'd lose all face.
"You want to play with strawmen? Fine! I'll tear them all to shreds."
Mouse-Eater sneered coldly.
Time passed quickly.
Night fell.
Pillars had been erected throughout the fields. From them hung Dawnlight Lamps—but they remained unlit. The surrounding area was now shrouded in silence and darkness.
"They haven't even lit the lamps yet? But the city is glowing brightly. You think I don't see what you're doing? You could light this whole field like day if you wanted. But you don't. That means one thing: a trap."
"But so what if there is a trap? Tonight, I'm going to shred every last strawman and destroy every crop. I have millions of rats—pure brute strength that can crush anything. No scheme can withstand absolute power. Even if you send an army to kill us, I'll trade rat lives for human lives. That's a trade worth making!"
Mouse-Eater smirked at the still fields and raised his arm.
"RAT ARMY—ATTACK!! Destroy everything! Tear up the rice fields! Eat every grain! Find the granary—I want it razed to the ground!"
Squeak squeak squeak!
Beneath the earth, a network of tunnels came alive. Eerie chittering filled the underground—echoing through the labyrinthine passages.
Earlier that day, Jia Xu's plan had involved dropping rune bombs into the tunnels, collapsing many and killing a fair number of rats. But the damage hadn't been devastating. By late afternoon, the rats had already dug new, hidden passages from different angles.
Soon, giant rats burst forth from numerous holes.
Some small, some massive—every one of them glinting with bloodlust. In the dark, they were a chilling sight.
They surged forward like shadows, fast and silent. In mere moments, they reached the edges of the rice fields.
SWOOSH!
One enormous rat lunged forward, kicking off the ground and launching itself at a strawman. Its jaws opened wide, aiming straight for the strawman's neck.Its fangs gleamed in the moonlight. One bite would surely sever the head—
CRACK!
Just as the fangs were about to sink in, the strawman's eyes flashed with intelligence. With lightning speed, its bamboo staff smashed into the rat's head, pounding it into the dirt. The force cracked its skull. Blood streamed from its ears, nose, eyes—a lethal strike.
"Grain thief, where do you think you're going?!"
"Catch that thief! We've got grain thieves!"
"So many rat thieves! Brothers, strike them down!"
"Defend the grain, men!"
SWISH SWISH SWISH!!
Suddenly, all the Dawnlight Lamps lit up at once, flooding the fields with brilliant illumination. The dark was gone—in its place, a field bright as day.
And then—
A tide of rats surged into view. Densely packed. Uncountable. The sight sent chills down the spine—millions, without exaggeration.
But more shocking were the strawmen.
Each one had come alive, glowing with light in their eyes, wielding weapons, calling out war cries, swinging at the rats. Their shouts to defend the grain echoed without pause.
"What… what's happening?! How are these strawmen alive?!"
"Holy… They're talking! They're fighting! Am I dreaming?!"
"So many rats… Is this a rat tide? Where did they all come from? Hurry! Protect the grain! Protect the fields!"
The civilians still in the fields were frozen with shock. Those who'd doubted the strawmen's effectiveness were now staring blankly—dumbfounded.
They couldn't believe it. These were the same strawmen they'd crafted with their own hands.How had they come to life?How were they so strong—able to kill a rat in one clean blow?
They had no answers.
"This is bad! So many strawmen… and they're alive! Mouse-Eater's been trapped. We've fallen straight into their plan."
From the shadows, a mysterious figure whispered grimly.
It was clear these weren't ordinary strawmen.Even if he didn't know how they'd been animated, if Yi Tianxing had deployed them, there had to be a reason.
"Damn it! There really was a trap! These strawmen… This must be some kind of divine ability! And there's so many—over a hundred thousand!!"
Mouse-Eater realized something was terribly wrong.What he'd dismissed as a joke had turned into a mortal threat.
Deception turned real. Truth made a lie.This was the art of war.
His expression turned savage as he realized he'd been made a fool of.
"You think you can manipulate me? Think you control everything?! I'll show you—against true power, your clever tricks mean nothing!"
"Rat army! KILL! Shred these cursed strawmen! Tear them all to pieces! I don't want a single one left standing!"
His voice was filled with rage and hatred, as if facing a blood enemy. He was ready to devour them alive.