Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 247: Visage of a Demon Star

Seeing Han Yu drop from the sky and reveal his familiar features, Old Daoist Li froze in sheer astonishment. He immediately suppressed his surging, coppery Blood Essence and halted the dark red Blood Droplet hovering defensively before him.

“Little kid? What are you doing here?” the old man rasped. “Shouldn’t you be tucked away cultivating in Wanchun Valley?”

Han Yu pointed a finger at the silver-white Heavenly Secret Spindle dangling from the neck of the old man’s gray donkey.

“I tracked the resonance of a Little Sky Net Sect disciple,” Han Yu said smoothly. “I came over to see the best way to dispatch them, only to find you instead. How exactly did you get your hands on that artifact, Daoist?”

Old Daoist Li raised a bushy eyebrow. “You have the skill to track these things?” He let out a dry, hacking laugh. “Well, I suppose it makes sense. You’re the famous Spirit Crow cultivator, the top Qi Condensation genius of the Southern Region. Having a few tricks up your sleeve is to be expected.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” Han Yu replied with a modest smile.

“You’re walking further and further down this righteous path, kid,” Old Daoist Li chuckled. He fully retracted his corrupted aura and kicked his heels into the donkey’s sides, coaxing the beast forward.

Han Yu stowed his flying Magical Artifact and fell into step beside the animal.

It wasn’t yet the busy farming season. The sprawling fields were largely empty, with only one or two distant silhouettes hunched over the earth. The rural dirt road was quiet. The old man and the young cultivator walked at a leisurely pace, kicking up small clouds of loess dust. Weeds clung stubbornly to the compacted dirt, while the wild grass on the shoulders grew calf-high.

Whether out of sheer gluttony or pure laziness, Old Daoist Li’s donkey frequently stopped, twisting its neck to loudly chew on the roadside weeds.

“Weren’t you traveling with that merchant?” Han Yu asked, the conversation flowing as naturally as two old friends catching up. “Why are you wandering the Nanli Kingdom alone?”

“That merchant is a snake in the grass,” Old Daoist Li spat, his voice turning gravelly and bitter. “Inside Wanchun Valley’s territory, he plays the polite, honest businessman. But the second he gets you out of sight, he’ll swallow you whole. I thought he was trustworthy. Turns out, after traveling together for a while, he set his sights on me. He only paid half of what he promised, and instead of coughing up the rest, he tried to turn me into one of his flesh puppet avatars.”

The old man shook his head grimly. “Good thing I secretly learned the Saint Blood Perfected One’s Blood Incarnation art. That merchant is too paranoid to use his true body; the thing that attacked me was just a Foundation Establishment puppet. If his main body had been there, I’d be dead in a ditch.”

He patted the donkey’s coarse mane. “After I escaped the Great Zhou Dynasty’s markets, I figured my best bet was circling back to the Nanli Kingdom. I know the terrain here. It’s easy to hide. Just as I crossed the border, I heard that punk Tang Yidao was throwing a Martial Arts Assembly over some Ascension Tokens. Figured I’d catch the show.”

“A show?” Han Yu echoed.

“Haha, you know how these mortal assemblies go,” Old Daoist Li scoffed. “It’s just a bunch of ‘heroes’ butchering each other for fame and fortune. They never end without the green forests being dyed red.”

The old man looked down at Han Yu, his expression turning serious. “You’re safe enough with your Sect elders in Wanchun Valley, and that merchant won’t dare cause trouble in the Green Grain Market for fear of being blacklisted. But out here? If you run into him, don’t trust a single word that comes out of his mouth. Run.”

Han Yu nodded in acknowledgement.

Satisfied, Old Daoist Li tilted his head. “So, little kid, what brings you out to the Nanli Kingdom? With your genius reputation, shouldn’t you have a flock of Sect elders guarding you?”

“My reputation is exactly the problem,” Han Yu explained calmly. “The Myriad Phenomena Sect from the Central Heaven Domain and the Little Sky Net Sect have decided I’m a threat. They’ve labeled me a ‘Demon Star.'”

He stepped over a rut in the road. “Wanchun Valley treats me well and views me as a successor. Now that I have successfully reached Foundation Establishment, I decided to travel alone. If I stay in the Sect and follow blindly, we’ll all be trapped when the major Sects send their Nascent Soul monsters. By leaving, I give both myself and the Sect room to maneuver. If one of us is targeted, the other survives.”

Old Daoist Li nearly choked on his spit. “Demon Star?! Like the Giant Demon Star? They think you’re one of those apocalyptic freaks?” He stared at Han Yu in disbelief. “And wait—did you say Foundation Establishment? Weren’t the rumors saying you were barely at the sixth layer of Qi Refining?!”

Han Yu nodded, patiently explaining the situation. He detailed how the Myriad Phenomena Sect, the Demonic Cultivators, the Joyous Union Sect, and the Little Sky Net Sect were all hunting the Southern Region specifically to capture a Demon Star. Since his talent had made him famous, he became the prime suspect.

Old Daoist Li sneered in disgust. “Those Little Sky Net Sect bastards spout nothing but delusional garbage. The disciple I killed today was babbling so much nonsense I couldn’t understand a word of it.”

He looked at Han Yu, shaking his head. “You’re smart and capable. What does that have to do with being a Demon Star? Are people just not allowed to be talented anymore?”

The old man then chuckled, a self-deprecating sound. “But I have to admit, it’s frustrating. I practice the blood arts, had the direct backing of the Saint Blood Perfected One, and still failed to break through multiple times. I only reached Foundation Establishment by forcibly brute-forcing it with oceans of purified Blood Essence. You, walking the orthodox path, are practically matching my pace. It defies logic.”

Han Yu just smiled, offering no counter-argument.

Old Daoist Li looked down the long, dusty road, his horse-like face etched with weary nostalgia. “Kid, I’ve seen rivers of blood out here. At the end of the day, a dead genius is just meat. Only the living get to be cultivators. We’re both lucky. We hit Foundation Establishment. Our lifespans are extended. That’s all that matters.”

Just then, the rhythmic clopping of hooves and the creak of wooden wheels drifted toward them. A procession of fine carriages was approaching.

Without a word, Han Yu seamlessly activated the Thousand Illusions Secret Art, blurring his features into a plain, forgettable visage. Old Daoist Li casually pulled a wide-brimmed bamboo hat from his saddlebags and tugged it low over his eyes.

As the opulent carriages rolled past, a silk curtain twitched aside. A pair of sharp eyes peered out.

The wealthy woman inside glanced at the two dusty travelers, her gaze catching the silver gleam of the Little Sky Net Sect’s artifact. She leaned back and whispered to a mounted guard riding alongside her window. “Go ask what that shiny trinket on the donkey’s neck is. If it’s cheap, buy it. It’s quite pretty.”

The guard wheeled his horse around, trotting back to Han Yu and Old Daoist Li. “You two, hold a moment.”

Beneath his hat, Old Daoist Li exchanged an amused, knowing glance with Han Yu. It was a perfect echo of a past encounter from their early days traveling together.

“What is it?” Old Daoist Li asked, lounging comfortably on the donkey.

“My lady wishes to know what that trinket on your beast’s neck is,” the guard demanded haughtily. “How much is it worth? Name your price.”

Old Daoist Li didn’t even speak. He just waved a dismissive hand. Not for sale.

The guard pressed the issue, but seeing the old man’s absolute refusal to engage, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and rode off to report his failure. The carriage convoy didn’t stop again, slowly fading into the distance.

Han Yu watched them go, a smirk playing on his lips. “Daoist, do you actually have any use for that Heavenly Secret Spindle?”

“None at all. I was just going to crush it so it wouldn’t bring more trouble down on my head,” Old Daoist Li grunted.

“Why not trade it to me?” Han Yu suggested. “I happen to have acquired a Myriad Phenomena Sect secret technique. I can actually use it.”

Old Daoist Li barked a laugh, genuinely surprised. “You know, you really do act like a Demon Star! The Myriad Phenomena Sect treats you like public enemy number one, and you turn around and steal their secret arts!”

Without hesitation, he unclipped the Heavenly Secret Spindle and tossed it through the air. “If it’s useful, take it.”

Han Yu snatched the silver artifact from the air and dropped it into his Storage Bag. Reaching back in, he pulled out a different item and held it up with a grin.

“Daoist, how about I trade you this in return?”