Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 242: I Am the Son of Heaven

“This one’s useful too?” Yan San asked, eyeing the mud-caked cultivator dangling from the threads.

Han Yu gave a curt nod. “Useful.”

He bound Tian Qing tighter, securing a gag in his mouth. “Miss Yan, do you sense any other Demonic Cultivators or accomplices hiding out?”

Yan San scanned the ruined courtyard. “No more Demonic Cultivators. Just a massive, subterranean blood pool right under the center of the manor, prepared to collect everyone’s Blood Essence.”

She sighed, her expression turning troubled. “As for mortal accomplices, who knows? Even with my cultivation, I can’t just casually read mortal minds. I’d have to use Soul Searching on every single one of them. And since I’ve never bothered learning proper Soul Searching techniques, forcing my divine soul into their heads would probably just shred their souls into confetti.”

She shrugged, leaning on her massive spiked club. “That’s why I didn’t want to act earlier. The aftermath is always a massive headache, and picking apart mortal schemes is exhausting. I’ll leave the cleanup to Wanchun Valley.”

“Understood,” Han Yu replied.

With a thought, the Star Luo Threads hauled Wei Baoyu, Tian Qing, and the other four captives high into the night sky alongside his flying sword, hiding them in the darkness away from the prying eyes of the martial artists below.

Simultaneously, he tossed out a Plantain Leaf. Puppet Li Ya stepped onto the floating artifact, descending to hover twenty feet above the panicked crowd.

“Do not move!” the puppet’s voice boomed, imbued with commanding spiritual weight. “I am Li Ya, an Outer Disciple of Wanchun Valley! By the decree of the Sect, I have come to eradicate the Demonic Cultivators!”

The surviving martial artists froze.

“Tang Yidao, the master of this manor, was a traitor colluding with demonic forces,” Puppet Li Ya continued. “He fabricated the existence of seven Ascension Tokens to lure you here. His true objective was to harvest your Blood Essence to fuel their corrupted arts.”

The words rippled through the survivors. Many of the older, more cynical veterans had already slipped away into the night, leaving only a fraction of the original crowd—mostly those too brave or too innocent to run.

One swordsman bolstered his courage and stepped forward. “Immortal Master Li… is it true? Did Tang Yidao truly plot to slaughter us all?”

Puppet Li Ya pointed a wooden finger at the center of the courtyard. “Dig there. The evidence is buried below.”

Several men hesitantly moved to tear up the paving stones. Seeing this, a terrified manor guard raised his hand. “Esteemed heroes… I know the way down.”

He led a group through a hidden passage behind a rockery. Barely a minute later, the men stumbled back out. Their faces were ashen. Several collapsed against the walls, violently vomiting.

It was a true slaughterhouse. The subterranean chamber reeked of rusted iron and rotting meat, the floor slick with coagulated blood and discarded corpses—a stark, horrifying departure from the clean, honorable duels these martial artists were accustomed to.

The courtyard erupted into an uproar. Men cursed Tang Yidao’s name, spitting on the ground. Some yelled to burn the entire manor to ash, while a quieter, greedier faction subtly eyed the manor’s riches, calculating what they could loot in the chaos.

But the wisest among them immediately dropped to their knees, bowing deeply toward the hovering puppet. “Thank you, Immortal Master of Wanchun Valley, for upholding justice! You have saved the Nanli Kingdom’s martial world from a horrific massacre!”

“Immortal Master,” another called out, “how should we dispose of this place?”

“Do not destroy it,” Puppet Li Ya commanded. “Select three virtuous, respected elders from among yourselves to manage the estate. Use its resources to shelter and provide for the surrounding commoners.” The puppet’s lifeless eyes swept over the crowd. “When Wanchun Valley disciples patrol this region, if they find you acting like bandits, you will lose your heads.”

That icy threat instantly snuffed out any lingering thoughts of looting. The martial artists bowed again, their voices united in fervent praise for Wanchun Valley’s benevolence.

Han Yu watched coldly through the puppet’s eyes as the crowd hastily elected three older masters to take control.

His work here was done. It was time to regroup with Sect Leader Qi.

As Puppet Li Ya turned to leave, a desperate voice called out from the back. “Immortal Master Li! How does one join Wanchun Valley? Do the Ascension Tokens truly exist?”

Puppet Li Ya paused. “If you wish to enter the Sect, bring children who have reached their tenth year to the Green Grain Market. If they possess a Spirit Root, they may become a Novice and begin cultivation.”

With that final instruction, the puppet rode the Plantain Leaf high into the clouds, vanishing into the dark. Up above, Han Yu smoothly recalled both the puppet and the artifact into his Storage Bag.

Yan San clicked her tongue, thoroughly amused. “That was a neat trick. I’ve never thought of managing mortals like that.”

“It’s a matter of circumstance,” Han Yu said, keeping his eyes on the horizon. “You were hunted relentlessly across the Central Heaven Domain. Wanchun Valley governs an entire mortal kingdom in the Southern Domain. The requirements are vastly different.”

“You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you?” Yan San laughed, scratching her cheek with her free hand. She considered asking if he wanted to travel the Southern Domain together, but remembering his earlier, polite refusal, she swallowed the thought.

“Well, regardless, we’re both marked as Demonic Stars,” she said instead. “When the time comes, we’ll inevitably cross paths with the major Sects of the Central Heaven Domain. If you ever need my help smashing something, just say the word.”

“Thank you, Miss Yan,” Han Yu replied with a courteous nod. Given their brief acquaintance, it was best to keep things professional and guarded.

The night deepened as they flew back over the capital’s towering walls. The six captives dangled silently beneath the blade.

Yan San squinted toward the heart of the city, pointing a finger at the sprawling imperial palace. “Your Sect Leader is over there. He’s with that Qi Refining kid, Feng Jin, and they’re having a chat with the little emperor.”

Chatting?

Han Yu frowned internally. What was there left to discuss with a traitorous mortal? Maintaining his vigilant silence, he banked the flying sword toward the imperial palace.

The grounds were ablaze with torches. The Imperial Guards had been fully mobilized, forming a dense, bristling ring of steel and armor around the main audience hall. Inside, Han Yu could sense Sect Leader Qi, Feng Jin, and the young emperor, Jiang Jing.

“Shall we crash the party?” Yan San asked.

Han Yu shook his head. He drew Puppet Li Ya from his Storage Bag and dropped it directly into the plaza.

The moment the puppet’s boots hit the stone, the Imperial Guards roared, leveling a forest of spears at the intruder.

“I am a disciple of Wanchun Valley,” Puppet Li Ya stated, its voice devoid of inflection. “Do you intend to draw blood against an Immortal Sect?”

The guards didn’t break formation, but the tips of their spears wavered. They didn’t attack.

Puppet Li Ya simply walked forward.

Faced with the chilling, unyielding stride of a cultivator’s construct, the mortal guards exchanged terrified glances. Slowly, inevitably, the sea of armor parted, allowing the puppet to pass through the grand doors of the audience hall.

Inside, the young emperor’s laughter echoed off the vaulted ceilings.

“Heh heh… Sect Leader Qi, am I wrong?” Jiang Jing sat on the dragon throne, his posture arrogant despite the blood staining the city outside. “The Wei clan of the Nanli Kingdom was slaughtered. Now, the rest of my Jiang clan has been purged. I am the only legitimate heir left breathing.”

He leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “I am willing to confess my missteps to Wanchun Valley. I will even let you cripple my Demonic Cultivator arts. But as long as I sit on this throne, the Nanli Kingdom remains stable.”

The boy sneered. “Kill me, and you’ll have to prop up some random mortal peasant. How many nobles will accept that? Warlords will raise armies. The kingdom will shatter into civil war, and millions will starve. Would the righteous Wanchun Valley truly wish to author such a calamity? Reason and logic dictate that you spare my life. Don’t you agree, Sect Leader?”

The vast hall was empty of eunuchs and maids. Only Sect Leader Qi and a pale Feng Jin stood before the dais.

Hearing the heavy footsteps, Sect Leader Qi turned toward Puppet Li Ya. “Perfect timing. If I were to entrust this matter to you, how would you handle it?”

“Sect Leader,” Puppet Li Ya said, channeling Han Yu’s cold, flat voice. “Do I have absolute authority to resolve this?”

“You do. The decision is yours,” Sect Leader Qi replied without a sliver of hesitation.

“Then this disciple has only one thought. If the ancestral precept could be altered once, it can simply be altered again.”

Speaking Han Yu’s judgment, Puppet Li Ya strode up the golden steps of the dais, looming over the boy emperor.

Jiang Jing’s arrogant smirk vanished, replaced by sudden, instinctual panic. “I am the Son of Heaven…! What do you think you’re—”

Puppet Li Ya raised a wooden hand, fingers pressed flat.

There was no grand clash of aura, no dramatic exchange of blows. With the clinical detachment of a butcher swatting a fly, the puppet’s hand cleaved through the air.

Jiang Jing’s eyes bulged in absolute terror. An instant later, his head was sheared cleanly from his shoulders.

Arterial blood sprayed violently across the ornate dragon throne, pattering down onto the polished golden bricks. The “Son of Heaven” slumped over, just another piece of dead meat.

Without pausing, Puppet Li Ya raised its hand. A Flame Technique flared to life, a roaring inferno that instantly engulfed the boy’s decapitated corpse, the gilded screen, and the throne itself in an unforgiving blaze.

Standing before the pyre, the puppet turned back to the center of the room.

“Sect Leader,” Han Yu’s voice echoed from the wooden construct. “Is this handling acceptable?”

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