Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 259: Heaven’s Will Is So

A spy for the Demonic Sects of the Central Heaven Domain?

The Little Sky Net Sect disciples froze, exchanging bewildered glances. How had they stumbled across yet another operative from a Central Heaven Domain behemoth in the middle of nowhere?

A Foundation Establishment cultivator frowned, his grip tightening on his weapon. “You claim you are a spy sent by the Demonic Sects?”

Bai Shiqi seized the momentary hesitation. “I only used the term ‘Demonic Sect’ because I knew it was the only language your provincial minds would understand! We are the Saint Sect! I am an inside operative recruited in the Nanli Kingdom. When the Saint Sect forces had to evacuate in a hurry, I was left behind without an escort. I have no choice but to make the trek to the Central Heaven Domain on my own.”

“So you are a native of the Southern Domain?” the Foundation Establishment cultivator asked, realization dawning.

Bai Shiqi nodded fervently. “The Saint Sect planted me in Wanchun Valley to unearth their secrets. Unfortunately, before I could accomplish my mission, Wanchun Valley discovered my Saint Sect superior, a Golden Core cultivator. He was forced into a hasty retreat. I am simply trying to reunite with my Sect.”

“You claim allegiance to the Demonic Sect, yet you are a native of the Southern Domain. These are empty words. Where is your proof?”

“If I carried physical evidence of my ties to the Saint Sect, wouldn’t Wanchun Valley have executed me ages ago?” Bai Shiqi fired back with sharp desperation. “My proof is my presence here! Why else would a Wanchun Valley disciple abandon his Sect, cross the Great Desert Dynasty, and march alone toward the Central Heaven Domain to seek out the Saint Sect?”

The logic was tenuous, but under the circumstances, it held water. A Wanchun Valley disciple fleeing alone across the desert toward the Central Domain was completely anomalous.

Still, the Little Sky Net Sect disciples weren’t entirely convinced.

“Whether your story holds true or not,” the Foundation Establishment cultivator sneered, “we will drag you back to our Sect. The envoys from the Upper Sect will discern the truth. Do you dare come with us?”

Resistance is entirely futile anyway, Bai Shiqi realized.

He lifted his chin, feigning supreme arrogance. “Why wouldn’t I dare? Do you truly have the courage to harm me and draw the ire of the Saint Sect?”

Seeing his brazen confidence, the disciples wavered. Perhaps he really was a deeply embedded operative.

The seven disciples corralled Bai Shiqi onto their flying boat. The Magical Artifact tore across the desolate sands of the Great Desert Dynasty, eventually arriving before a towering, snow-capped mountain. Meltwater cascaded down its slopes, feeding a lush, sprawling oasis below.

As the boat descended into the greenery, Bai Shiqi saw hundreds of figures clad in pristine white robes. A short distance away sat the bustling Sky Net Market, teeming with Rogue Cultivators in a motley assortment of garments.

They dragged Bai Shiqi through the oasis and straight to the heavily guarded entrance of the Little Sky Net Sect. After a brief exchange with the gatekeepers, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators reported their findings.

First, their encounter in the Yulin Kingdom with a Myriad Phenomena Sect disciple surnamed Li, who had confiscated their Heavenly Secret Spindle.

Second, their capture of a Wanchun Valley defector claiming to be a Demonic Sect spy.

Moments later, the group was ushered into the Little Sky Net Sect’s grand hall. The interior was shrouded in an oppressive, pitch-black gloom, simulating a starless night. Floating points of luminescent light dotted the vaulted ceiling, making Bai Shiqi feel as though he had stepped out into the deep cosmos.

The darkness was disorienting. Bai Shiqi couldn’t determine how many people occupied the hall, only making out the vague silhouettes of four or five seated figures.

“You encountered a disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect in the Yulin Kingdom?” a deep, resonant voice echoed from the shadows. “Describe him. On what grounds did you verify his identity?”

The disciples quickly detailed their reasoning—the man’s overbearing conduct, his mastery of invisible Heavenly Secret Threads, his casual invocation of the names Qin Ting and Lin Lingxiu, and the Star Plate Keepsake Token he had brandished.

A glowing Star Plate suddenly floated out of the darkness, stopping before the disciples. “Did it look like this?”

The seven disciples shook their heads in unison. “No.”

The first plate vanished, replaced by a second with far sharper, jagged edges. “Like this, then?”

“Yes! Exactly like that,” the disciples chorused.

“Then there is no doubt. He is one of ours,” the voice declared with absolute certainty. “You committed no sin in surrendering the Heavenly Secret Spindle to him.”

Another figure shifted in the gloom. “Honored Envoy, since when do Heavenly Secret Threads possess an invisibility aspect? I have never heard of such an art.”

“Invisible threads are a hallmark of the ‘Micro Star’ branch. They operate differently from our ‘Comet’ lineage,” the Envoy explained, a hint of awe in his voice. “The Micro Star branch is notoriously reclusive and supposedly abstained from this Southern Domain operation. To think they secretly deployed an operative… It seems the eradication of the Demon Star is truly the Will of the Heavens. Even the Micro Star hermits cannot ignore the turning of Destiny.”

After a reverent pause, the Envoy shifted his attention. “And this boy? He claims to be a Demonic Sect spy planted in Wanchun Valley, seeking to return to the Central Heaven Domain?”

“Yes, Honored Envoy,” the disciples confirmed.

“Exactly,” Bai Shiqi chimed in, puffing out his chest.

“Then slaughter him. What use is keeping him alive?” the Envoy commanded with utter indifference.

Bai Shiqi’s blood ran cold. “You dare offend the Saint Sect?!” he screamed.

A cruel sneer echoed through the hall. “You arrogant little Demonic Sect rat. Did you truly believe our factions were allies? We may temporarily share a common goal in hunting the Demon Star, but if you wander blindly into our territory, did you expect the Myriad Phenomena Sect to politely escort you home?”

“Whether you are lying, whether you belong to Wanchun Valley or the Demonic Sect—if the Myriad Phenomena Sect decrees your death, you die. The Heavens have willed it. What can your masters possibly do about it?”

Bai Shiqi’s mind raced, sheer panic setting in. He had grossly miscalculated. The Little Sky Net Sect might fear the Demonic Sect, but the Myriad Phenomena Sect viewed them as mortal enemies. They would exterminate him without a second thought.

“You cannot kill me!” Bai Shiqi yelled desperately. “My master is a Golden Core cultivator of the Demonic Sect! He promised to formally take me as his disciple! I possess a Single Spirit Root! My master declared I am a peerless talent. If you kill me, he will stop at nothing to hunt you down!”

“Oh?”

A sharp gasp of surprise cut through the dark. A man draped in a luxurious purple robe adorned with silver comets materialized directly in front of Bai Shiqi. A heavy hand slammed against Bai Shiqi’s chest. A terrifying surge of Golden Core Spiritual Energy invaded his meridians, violently mapping his entire physiological structure in an instant.

“No Demonic Cultivator taint? No blood marks?” the man muttered, his eyes widening. “And truly a Single Spirit Root?!”

He grabbed Bai Shiqi by the collar. “Brat, what is your true story?”

“I was a beggar in the Nanli Kingdom!” Bai Shiqi babbled, terrified. “I followed my master into Wanchun Valley. He warned me that if he placed a tracking mark on me, Wanchun Valley would detect it, so he told me to just follow his orders. But then Wanchun Valley’s Golden Core cultivator chased him off, and he had to abandon me!”

“Haha… Hahahaha! The Will of the Heavens! This is the absolute Will of the Heavens!” The purple-robed man threw his head back and roared with fanatical laughter. “That mongrel Ding Heigou actually unearthed a Single Spirit Root talent, only to blindly deliver him straight to the doorstep of the Myriad Phenomena Sect!”

“If this is not Destiny, what is?!”

He released Bai Shiqi and hurriedly dug into his Storage Bag. “Come, let me inspect you further. Let us see if the Heavens graced you with a unique physique as well—”

He withdrew a brass compass etched with dense astrological runes. Pinching Bai Shiqi’s finger, he squeezed a single drop of blood onto the center of the artifact.

The compass flared with radiant light. The man erupted into another fit of manic laughter. “Hahahaha! An innate spiritual body as well! The Heavens favor me! This is Destiny manifested!”

He hauled Bai Shiqi to his feet, his eyes burning with a terrifying, zealous heat. “Good child, what is your name? Bah, it matters not! All that matters is that from this breath onward, you are my disciple!”

Bai Shiqi blinked, utterly bewildered. “My… my aptitude is that good?”

“Peerless! Give me twenty years, and I guarantee you will reach the Golden Core realm!”

Sensing Bai Shiqi’s lingering shock, the purple-robed man leaned in close. “Banish all thoughts of returning to the Demonic Sect. With your heaven-defying talent, joining them would be a bright pearl cast in the dark. What do those butchering heathens know of nurturing true genius? Their only method is to break the bones and suck the marrow! That so-called master of yours, Ding Heigou, is a pathetic charlatan who preys on ignorant children.”

He spread his arms wide. “The Mandate of Heaven has delivered you to me! It is written in the stars that you are meant to be my disciple!”

His fanatical excitement suddenly cooled into a razor-sharp, lethal glare. “You wouldn’t dare defy the Mandate of Heaven and insist on seeking out the Demonic Sect, would you? Because if you do… I will have no choice but to obliterate you on the spot. A weapon the Myriad Phenomena Sect cannot wield shall never be left for our enemies.”

Bai Shiqi swallowed hard. He had absolutely no choice. But at the very least, he had survived.

“Greetings, Master,” Bai Shiqi said, dropping to his knees and bowing deeply.

The purple-robed man clapped his hands, his manic laughter returning. “Excellent! A filial disciple! Carve this into your soul: your Master is Hui Tiansheng. And you, my disciple, what are you called?”

“Your disciple is named Bai Shiqi.”