Battle—fight at all costs.
After all, these rat troops could be regenerated without much loss. Even if they were completely wiped out, it was no cause for concern. Given time, their numbers could be replenished. The breeding capacity of rats was no joke. This was to prove that in the face of absolute power, all schemes were meaningless.
Every single one of these scarecrows must be torn to shreds.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Upon receiving Mouse Devourer's command, the entire swarm of rats turned savage. Over a million rat soldiers surged together. The scale was so immense that it looked like a boundless ocean of fur.
Without the slightest hesitation, they screeched and charged at the scarecrows.
With their massive size, the rats' lethality had greatly increased. Some of the feral rats even possessed bloodline divine powers. When they ran, their movements were agile, unpredictable, able to change direction at will—a terrifying natural instinct that made them hard to track.
"Found them!!"
"There are grain thieves—take them down!"
"Brothers, so many rat bandits! Come and kill them!"
The scarecrows shouted as they spotted the dense swarm of rats in the rice fields. Rage flared within their bodies, along with a fierce determination to protect the fields. That obsession with guarding the rice paddies blazed wildly within them.
Just the thought of fighting to protect their land ignited an immense power inside each scarecrow—stronger than ever before.
Their eyes burned with limitless fighting spirit.
Immediately, an intense battle erupted among the rice paddies.
Scarecrows dashed across the fields.Some swung bamboo sticks, smashing rats' skulls open with a single strike—blood and brain matter splattering in red and white.
Others cast large nets, trapping dozens of rats in one go. Those caught were bundled up, slammed against the ground, and beaten to death by fellow scarecrows with ruthless efficiency.
Some poured buckets of icy water over the rats—water so bone-chilling that it froze them on contact. Rats fell stiff to the ground, completely immobilized.
Some wielded hoes, killing rats with a single downward chop. The rats didn't even seem to know how to dodge.
The scarecrows worked together expertly. One group held a net at the front, ensnaring waves of incoming rats.
"So powerful... So many scarecrows, my lord, where did they come from? Could these be the ones you once mentioned, found in that mysterious valley?"From a distance, Yi Tianxing and his companions watched the battlefield. Huang Chengyan couldn't hide his shock.
Their strikes may have appeared chaotic, but their aim when shouting "Take down the grain thieves" was uncannily accurate. Their stumbling steps artfully dodged incoming rat attacks. Their strength was tremendous. With every swing, bones shattered. These weren't ordinary rats—they were ferocious beasts with naturally strong bodies, yet they were being crushed.
"They're all Body Refining cultivators," Wu Yong murmured in awe. "Each scarecrow has cultivated physical strength to terrifying levels. Every hit carries the force of tens of thousands of jin."
"Exactly," Zhang Fei said grimly. "They may be scarecrows, but their power is monstrous. Just look—each blow is capable of smashing bone. Anyone who underestimates them because they're made of straw will suffer."
"Indeed. Facing scarecrows who have activated their Guardian Spirit, even a million rats will be hard-pressed to prevail. Their strength has likely surged by half," Jia Xu added thoughtfully, a glimmer of calculation in his eyes.
These scarecrows had clearly gone berserk upon seeing the rat horde. That overwhelming fighting spirit would chill anyone to the bone.
Like enraged bulls, they charged recklessly.
"Don't underestimate them just because they're made of straw," Yi Tianxing said. "Their transformation has made their bodies into pure weapons. Straw can carry great power too."
He hadn't made a mistake by bringing them here.
All across the rice fields, scarecrows and rats clashed in a brutal melee.
Rat corpses piled high, the stench of blood saturating the air.
But the scarecrows weren't invincible. Some were overwhelmed by dozens of rats. Arms were torn off, necks bitten through, chests ripped open, bodies smashed.
Yet their will to live was nearly indestructible.
Even with one arm, they smashed rats into the ground. With broken legs, they still bit down on enemies.
"Grain thief! I am a scarecrow—I will take you down!"
One scarecrow, reduced to a head and torso, let out a furious cry before bursting into flame, igniting everything nearby in a self-destructive blaze. Dozens of rats were instantly incinerated.
Even in death, they fulfilled their sacred duty to protect the fields. Mutual destruction was their final act of defiance.
"Brothers! Defend the rice paddies! Take down the rat bandits!"
A golden scarecrow pushed up its straw hat and roared,
"Straw hats!!"
"Straw hats!!" the others echoed.
Each scarecrow raised its straw hat and hurled it outward.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!!
The straw hats, once humble headwear, became deadly flying discs—whirling through the air with sharp edges gleaming cold.
☉ Straw Hat Flying Disc 草帽飞轮
A coordinated scarecrow technique turning straw hats into razor-sharp flying weapons that spin at high velocity, slashing through enemies with extreme precision and force.
Slash slash slash!!
Seemingly ordinary hats now sliced through rats like blades. Heads rolled, limbs were severed—blood flew freely wherever the straw hats passed.
Tens of thousands of flying hats soared across the field, turning it into a massacre.
"How could this happen?"
"Those damn scarecrows even have such tricks?"
Mouse Devourer's expression twisted in horror and shame.This was no longer a battle—it was a harvest, as if the rats were being mown down like weeds.
"Kill them all! Even if we lose every rat, kill these scarecrows! Every one you take down is worth it!"
"Damn you all! Ruining my plans like this!!"
Mouse Devourer's fury burned hotter than ever.
"Such terrifying and ruthless tactics," Wu Yong muttered. "If I were commanding a force against this, we'd still suffer heavy casualties."
"Only a shield wall could withstand those straw hats," Zhang Fei said gravely. "Their cutting power rivals real war discs. The only other option is to disrupt their spinning force mid-air."
"Kill!!"
The golden scarecrow roared.
Its straw hat spun through the air, then arched back toward him, returning like a boomerang. He caught it with two fingers and, with a fluid motion, spun and hurled it again.
The momentum carried over from the return, making the second throw even faster and more destructive. A shriek of air being torn echoed through the sky.
All the scarecrows followed suit.The second wave was even deadlier.
"Dig! Burrow underground! I want to see how they can kill us down there!"
Mouse Devourer's face was pale. He hadn't expected the Straw Hat Flying Discs to be reusable—thrown, returned, and thrown again in endless cycles. It was absurd. Unfair.
Squeak squeak squeak!!
Thousands of rats began digging frantically, burrowing underground to escape the deadly hats.
But then—
A strange phenomenon occurred.
As the straw hats reached the holes, a mysterious vortex formed at their center. Each hat became a miniature black hole, producing immense suction like a tornado—dragging rats straight out of their burrows.
Even hiding underground couldn't save them.