Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 230: Young Sect Leader

After Han Yu acknowledged the instruction, Sect Leader Qi summoned his Green Jade Gourd. Together, they boarded the artifact and descended from the main peak to the mountain gate.

On duty tonight were Deacon Lu, whom Han Yu knew well, and Chen Pei, along with several other disciples who had guarded this post years ago. Back when Han Yu and Old Daoist Li first arrived at Wanchun Valley, the Sect had been a peaceful place. At that time, Chen Pei was merely an Outer Disciple keeping watch from the Ancestral Tree, his biggest worry being boredom.

After Deacon Lu, Chen Pei, and the others paid their respects to Sect Leader Qi, Han Yu offered Chen Pei a small, knowing smile.

Chen Pei’s scalp tingled instantly.

Junior Brother Han… surely he isn’t here to teach me another lesson?

Four years ago, Chen Pei had personally escorted Han Yu into the Sect. When Han Yu later rose to prominence in the Battle Hall, Chen Pei had been the most vocal doubter—how could I lose to a mere child?

After Han Yu publicly defeated him, Chen Pei had nothing left to say.

To Han Yu’s credit, he wasn’t one to hold grudges. He simply… “invited” Chen Pei to cooperate with his training sessions multiple times.

Sect Leader Qi noticed the subtle tension between the two. “What is going on?”

Han Yu laughed softly. “Senior Brother Chen was the one who accepted my Novice Token and brought me into the Sect back then. It happened right in front of that stone over there—”

He pointed to a weathered stone standing in the darkness, engraved with the grim warning: Those who disturb cultivation without cause, all may be slain.

“Ah, that stone.”

Sect Leader Qi sighed softly. “It was erected personally by the previous Sect Leader. His order was absolute: anyone who trespassed on the mountain gate, regardless of identity or intent, was to be killed without exception.”

“There is actually a story behind it.”

“About 200 years ago, the royal family of the Xiyue Kingdom came to Wanchun Valley in desperation, begging for help. The previous Sect Leader felt they were disturbing the peace of the Sect’s cultivation. He killed every last one of them.”

“You see how chaotic Qiuxian Town is these days? Yet no one dares run up to our mountain gate. In a way, that is the lingering shadow of the previous Sect Leader’s ruthlessness.”

The story was news to everyone present. Not only Han Yu, but even Deacon Lu and Chen Pei looked shocked.

“Sect Leader,” Deacon Lu ventured, “does that mean the old Wanchun Valley was… crueler?”

Sect Leader Qi thought for a moment, then smiled. “Well, I won’t go into the details.”

The previous Sect Leader had indeed killed mortals and Rogue Cultivators as he pleased, but he wasn’t entirely inflexible in other matters. Still, speaking ill of a predecessor to the disciples felt inappropriate.

“Alright, return to your posts and rest,” Sect Leader Qi instructed. “I will watch over the Ancestral Tree tonight.”

Deacon Lu hesitated. He stepped forward and quietly requested to verify Sect Leader Qi’s identity token before leading the disciples away.

Given the Sect’s internal and external turmoil, leaving their post without absolute certainty was impossible.

Once they were gone, Sect Leader Qi motioned for Han Yu to climb the Ancestral Tree.

As soon as Han Yu set foot on the trunk, he felt a wave of pure joy radiating from the ancient being.

Several branches stretched down, lifting him gently onto the thick main trunk like an old man hoisting a beloved grandchild he hadn’t seen in years.

Han Yu felt a ripple of cheerful laughter in his mind.

“Ancestral Tree… did you miss me?”

The Ancestral Tree responded instantly. It conveyed that it indeed missed Han Yu—the human it felt closest to—followed by a wave of reluctance and sadness.

Clearly, when Sect Leader Qi gave Han Yu the communication leaf, the Ancestral Tree had sensed that Han Yu was leaving.

Han Yu reached out and placed his palm against the rough, broad bark.

“Don’t worry, Ancestral Tree. I will definitely return.”

The tree responded with a hum. Suddenly, streams of wood Spiritual Qi coalesced from the air and the branches, pouring into the wooden root bracelet on Han Yu’s wrist.

Han Yu could feel the bracelet changing. As the massive influx of wood Qi infused it, the simple wooden band was transforming into a wondrous Magical Artifact—one forged not by fire and hammer, but by nature itself.

Sect Leader Qi watched from the side, alarm rising as he noticed some of the tree’s branches beginning to wilt. “Ancestral Tree! Please, do not harm your own origin essence just to dote on a junior—”

A branch whipped out and shoved him aside.

The meaning was clear: I’m doing what I want. Mind your own business.

Has it really become this doting?

Sect Leader Qi smiled bitterly but felt compelled to try again. “Ancestral Tree, the Guardian Formation and the earth veins all rely on you for regulation. Please, don’t act impulsively!”

As an ancient being with high intelligence, the Ancestral Tree didn’t actually intend to cripple itself. It merely drew upon a reserve of accumulated wood Qi to empower Han Yu’s bracelet, turning it into a protective aid for his journey.

Moments later, the glow on the bracelet faded, and it returned to its original, unremarkable appearance.

But Han Yu knew that the moment he cultivated or entered battle, this bracelet would reveal its true power.

At daybreak, as they bid farewell to the reluctant Ancestral Tree, even Sect Leader Qi looked a little conflicted.

“Han Yu, do you realize that the Ancestral Tree is the most important treasure passed down by our founding ancestor? It is supposed to obey the orders of the current Sect Leader.”

“For your sake, it literally pushed me aside.”

Han Yu looked embarrassed. “This disciple didn’t know the Ancestral Tree would be so… affectionate. Causing trouble for the Sect Leader was not my intent. It is truly my fault.”

“Well, if the next Sect Leader isn’t you, I’m afraid they won’t even get past the front door.”

Sect Leader Qi laughed and clapped Han Yu on the shoulder. “It can only be you, Young Sect Leader Han!”

Han Yu flushed. “Sect Leader, please don’t call me that. What if someone hears?”

Sect Leader Qi just chuckled and let the matter drop.

By mid-morning, they had returned to the main hall on the central peak. Elder Lü and the other Elders arrived shortly after.

Sect Leader Qi announced that Han Yu was entering “Secluded Cultivation” once again and strictly ordered all Elders to keep the matter secret.

The Elders exchanged knowing glances. They understood immediately that “Secluded Cultivation” was code for “leaving the mountain to preserve the Sect’s legacy.”

As for whether he was leaving now, later, or never—they wisely asked no questions.

Wanchun Valley had learned its lessons in blood. Over the past few years, spies had infiltrated every level of the Sect, from laborers to Elders. Only by constantly weeding them out had the Sect achieved its current unity.

The best way to protect Han Yu was to maintain absolute silence. If no one asked, and no one spoke, the spies would have nothing to report.

After the announcement, the day proceeded as if nothing had happened. Sect Leader Qi and the Elders discussed routine affairs.

Rogue Cultivators seeking to join were rejected outright; they were likely spies from the Myriad Phenomena Sect.

Traces of Demonic Cultivators had been found in the Xiyue Kingdom. The remnants in the Nanli Kingdom were still active. A Demon Beast, seemingly at the Foundation Establishment level, was slaughtering villagers nearby—sending a single Deacon might not be enough…

Han Yu listened intently from the sidelines, mentally mapping his route for the journey ahead.

When the meeting concluded, Han Yu handed Sect Leader Qi his compiled notes on the movements of the seven stars.

Then, he released his puppet, “Li Ya.”

Dressed in blue robes and masked by the Thousand Illusions Secret Art, Han Yu assumed the identity of Outer Disciple Li Ya. Under this guise, he left the mountain gate, ostensibly on a mission to the Nanli Kingdom.

The identity of “Li Ya” was meticulously documented in the Sect’s records. No one would find a flaw.

Out in the world, he could be Li Ya of Wanchun Valley, or Mi Gaolin of the Myriad Phenomena Sect. His true self would remain hidden in the shadows.

With that, he vanished into the world.