Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

It was impossible to refuse Chen Ying’s genuine goodwill. Han Yu knew that sword cultivators detested empty ceremonies and excessive politeness, so he solemnly accepted the five-foot-long sword with both hands.

“Thank you, Senior Sister Chen, for the gift!”

“I hope that with this sword, you will make a name for yourself in the Southern Domain, just like our Sect Leader,” Chen Ying said earnestly. She cupped her hands in a respectful salute to the elders of Wanchun Valley, turned, and strode away without looking back.

Li Tonghai followed her lead, offering a quick bow. After taking two steps, he paused and looked back over his shoulder, grinning.

“In a few years, when you’ve grown up a bit more, Senior Brother Han, I’ll come find you for a drink!”

Han Yu smiled and nodded. “It’s a promise.”

After the Spirit Sword Sect disciples departed, Sect Leader Qi beckoned Han Yu over.

“Han Yu, you have done well. You brought honor to the sect, and to your Master.”

The Sect Leader’s expression turned serious. “However, the Little Sky Net Sect is a foe, not a friend. Their intentions remain unclear. I will not be giving you this Foundation Establishment Pill for now.”

He paused, his gaze darkening slightly. “Once we return, Wanchun Valley will find a way to acquire the primary spiritual herb needed for the formula. When we succeed in refining our own, the first batch will be yours.”

Han Yu nodded. “I understand, Sect Leader.”

He had no objections. He would never be foolish enough to swallow a pill gifted by an enemy, no matter how valuable.

“For too long, the sects of the Southern Domain have been constrained by ancestral rules, guarding our mountain gates in isolation,” Sect Leader Qi murmured, looking at the sky. “It is not strange that we possess the formula but lack the ingredients.”

“But those peaceful days are gone forever. The threat from the Central Heaven Domain looms like dark clouds overhead. If we continue to cling to the old ways… we are merely sitting and waiting for our own destruction.”

High above the clouds, a spindle-shaped magical artifact cut through the heavens, leaving a long white trail in its wake.

“Can we be certain now?”

Qin Ting’s voice did not travel through the air. Instead, it was transmitted directly via Divine Sense into Lin Lingxiu’s mind.

Lin Lingxiu, who had replaced his shattered veil to hide his scarred face, nodded slightly. A silvery-white thread connected his hand to Qin Ting’s, allowing them to converse in absolute secrecy.

“He is in Wanchun Valley, and he is that outstanding, that peculiar… It must be him,” Lin Lingxiu replied, his mental voice cold.

“I possess a Single Spirit Root. I risked disfiguring my own face to cultivate the Star Sensing Pupils. Yet, he defeated me head-on with a cultivation base far inferior to mine. He even shattered my autonomous Foundation Establishment armor.”

Lin Lingxiu touched the fresh bandages on his face. “This proves that his physique, his Spirit Breath, and his combat instincts all surpass mine. His fortune and destiny are far beyond that of a normal cultivator.”

“And that’s not even mentioning the crows,” Lin Lingxiu added. “Twenty-five of them. A mere Qi Refining cultivator should not be able to control such a flock. Even if he was born with an innate beast-taming physique, why were they so synchronized? Why did they protect him with such loyalty? It was as if he wasn’t human, but the alpha of the flock himself.”

“Indeed. The brat is an anomaly,” Qin Ting agreed via the link. “His mastery of techniques is terrifying, and his temperament… sadly, it is excellent.”

Qin Ting frowned. “But according to our intelligence, he has Four Spirit Roots. He has only been a Novice for three and a half years, sitting at the sixth layer of Qi Refining. Yet, the power of his spells rivaled the seventh or eighth layer. With such trash aptitude, how did he cultivate so quickly?”

“That,” Lin Lingxiu replied grimly, “is simply the nature of the beast. He was born in response to destiny.”

Qin Ting fell silent for a moment. “Since we have identified him as the Demon Star, then the Upper Sect disciple hiding within Wanchun Valley will surely realize it as well.”

“They will definitely take action.”

“Perhaps we won’t need to trouble ourselves further,” Qin Ting mused. “If the spy kills him, the Upper Sect’s headache disappears.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple,” Lin Lingxiu countered. “I read the ancient texts back at the sect. Several thousand years ago, there was a similar incident. A Demon Star is an existence that defies logic. The more you try to kill it, the harder it becomes to kill. Not only do they survive, but they grow stronger from the calamity, ultimately slaughtering everyone who targeted them.”

Lin Lingxiu sighed. “‘Haste makes waste,’ and ‘overreaching backfires.’ That is the principle here.”

“The Central Heaven Domain is already being ravaged by a Giant Demon Star. If we prematurely awaken the Southern Domain’s Demon Star before the time is right, wouldn’t we just be adding chaos to chaos?”

As he spoke, Lin Lingxiu winced, feeling a stinging pain in his eyes. He wiped them, his hand coming away smeared with blood.

“Dammit,” he hissed, irritable. “I never expected to be pushed this far in such a backwater region! My Star Sensing Pupils are nearly ruined. I’ll have to soak in the Cold Star Pool to recover when we get back.”

Qin Ting listened quietly, a realization dawning on him.

Fate is truly troublesome. The more forcefully you try to crush it, the faster it matures…

So, the Upper Sect’s strategy was clear: Devote thirty years to solving the Giant Demon Star crisis in the Central Heaven Domain. Only then, once their hands were free, would they come to harvest the Southern Domain’s Demon Star.

They couldn’t ignore him completely, but they couldn’t use overwhelming force either, lest they trigger a sudden evolution that would send a second calamity straight to the Central Heaven Domain.

Thus, they were limited to manipulating the Southern Domain, instigating a chaotic war targeting Wanchun Valley to keep the Demon Star suppressed but alive.

Of course, the Spirit Beast Sect had gone off-script. Their ambition and collusion with demonic cultivators—sacrificing countless lives to artificially create a Nascent Soul expert—was something even the Upper Sect hadn’t anticipated.

The earth veins of Wanchun Valley… as the birthplace of a Demon Star, they must be precious, Qin Ting thought. But compared to the Demon Star itself, the land is irrelevant.

“Have you recognized the Upper Sect disciple?” Qin Ting asked. “Do we know who the spy is?”

“No. They are hiding very well,” Lin Lingxiu replied. “But considering they managed to refine your Heavenly Mechanism Spindle last time, they must practice a superior secret technique. The sect didn’t inform me of their identity before I came.”

“Perhaps it is some ambitious Senior Brother wanting to steal the credit. He probably infiltrated secretly, hoping to kill the Demon Star before anyone else.”

“I just hope he doesn’t botch it and wake the Demon Star early,” Lin Lingxiu muttered. “Otherwise, the sect will sink him to the bottom of the Cold Star Pool.”

Qin Ting started. Isn’t the Cold Star Pool where you cultivate your eyes? Why would they sink a disciple there?

Unless…

Do you cultivate by soaking in a pool of corpses?

The thought made Qin Ting feel a chill in his heart. The Upper Sect of the Central Heaven Domain was known for cruel penalties, but their cultivation methods were truly horrifying.

Lin Lingxiu suddenly let out a cold sneer. “The people of Wanchun Valley are truly laughable. Look at them, treating that little demon Han Yu like a treasure. They hold him in their hands, afraid he might break, completely unaware that his kind is the most bloodthirsty, cold-hearted existence in the world.”

“In the future, the entire Wanchun Valley—perhaps the entire Southern Domain—will be destroyed by his hands alone.”

“Let them pamper him. When the end comes, they won’t even have tears left to cry.”

“Is there no exception?” Qin Ting asked, puzzled. “I watched him closely. He only stepped onto the arena because he was angry on behalf of his Master. He seems to be a person of flesh and blood, loyal and righteous. He doesn’t appear to be the cold-blooded killer you describe.”

“That is his camouflage,” Lin Lingxiu spat, his voice dripping with conviction. “That little demon must have secretly killed countless people, committed unspeakable acts of rape and plunder to gain such strength so quickly. Anyone who believes a Demon Star has human emotions will die a miserable death. There are no exceptions!”

“Wanchun Valley is doomed. Whether it falls to us or to him, the result is the same. If outsiders destroy the valley, perhaps they can die with some peace. But if we leave them be, that sect will eventually be annihilated by Han Yu himself.”

Lin Lingxiu laughed softly, a sound devoid of humor. “Heh. When that happens, the people who coddled him will die in despair, staring at their beloved genius with eyes wide open, unable to rest even in death.”

Qin Ting nodded slowly, though doubt lingered in his mind. This Demon Star legend is so sinister… yet looking at that boy, I saw no trace of evil.

Could we have found the wrong person?

He urged the spindle forward. The artifact accelerated, drawing a white scar across the blue sky as they vanished into the distance.