Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 254: Life Is Precious

Han Yu’s words hung in the air, instantly stunning everyone in the courtyard. The groveling Daoists of the Seeking Truth Daoist Temple froze, and the seven white-robed disciples of the Little Sky Net Sect stared in absolute bewilderment.

Such sheer arrogance!

He hadn’t even stated his name, yet his first demand was for the Little Sky Net Sect to bow to him? Who the hell did he think he was?

The lead Foundation Establishment disciple of the patrol was especially thrown. This stranger kept invoking “Heaven’s Will,” adopting a tone and cadence nearly identical to the elite echelons of their own Sect.

“Who are you?” the disciple demanded, his hand tightening on his sword.

“Who am I?” Han Yu scoffed.

Before leaving the mountain gates of Wanchun Valley, Han Yu had meticulously studied the behavior of Mi Gaolin, the Myriad Phenomena Sect disciple he had encountered. He knew their speech patterns, their arrogance, and their taboos.

“I am the one brought here by Destiny,” Han Yu declared, his voice dripping with condescension. “I originally intended to leave this pathetic kingdom. But unexpectedly, I ran into you. It seems Destiny has decreed that I shall enjoy a hearty meal today.”

A hearty meal?

The seven Little Sky Net Sect disciples flinched, instinctively drawing their weapons. “You eat people?!” one shouted. “Are you a Demonic Cultivator?!”

“Fools! Do you not even recognize a disciple of your Upper Sect?!” Han Yu snapped, his voice cracking like a whip. “You study the Heavenly Secret Threads to sense Heaven’s Will, but your senses are duller than a blind dog’s!”

“Ah?” The patrol was taken aback.

“You claim to be a disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect?” the lead disciple challenged, though his aggression wavered. “What proof do you have? And if you are from the Upper Sect, why did you say you wanted to eat us?!”

“Who said anything about eating you?” Han Yu sneered, extending an open palm. “Hand over your Heavenly Secret Spindles. I require them to feed my artifacts.”

“Absolutely not! Those spindles are the culmination of our blood, sweat, and daily cultivation…” one of the Qi Refining disciples protested.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged uncertain, hushed whispers. The stranger’s absolute entitlement, his casual weaponization of concepts like “Destiny” and “Heaven’s Will”—it perfectly matched the insufferable arrogance of the Myriad Phenomena Sect elites.

But they couldn’t just hand over their primary artifacts on blind faith. If they surrendered their tools without concrete proof, they would be severely punished.

“Sir, you demand the very artifacts tied to our lives based on empty words. Surely, you jest?” the lead Foundation Establishment disciple asked. His tone, however, was significantly more polite than before.

Han Yu smiled thinly. Without moving a muscle, he deployed three invisible Star Luo Threads, lashing them securely around the waists of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators and one Qi Refining disciple.

“Now,” Han Yu said softly, “do you understand that Destiny is absolute?”

The three bound disciples gasped. They instinctively tried to channel their Spiritual Energy into their spindles to sever the attack, but their spiritual senses suddenly mapped the shape and nature of the bindings. They froze in sheer shock.

Invisible Heavenly Secret Threads?!

Han Yu didn’t tighten the threads, and the disciples ceased their resistance, staring at him in awe.

“Sir…” the lead disciple whispered. “Are these truly Heavenly Secret Threads?”

“Go back and ask Qin Ting. He will know, and he won’t blame you for surrendering them to me,” Han Yu said, casually name-dropping the Little Sky Net Sect’s leader while clasping his hands behind his back. “I have urgent matters to attend to here. Do not interfere. Leave the spindles, and go about your business.”

To sell the illusion, Han Yu layered the Thousand Illusions Secret Art over the Star Luo Threads, causing them to briefly shimmer with a brilliant, silver-white luster identical to Heavenly Secret Threads before slowly fading back into invisibility. He then smoothly retracted the bindings.

Seeing the silver light and hearing the casual mention of “Qin Ting,” the seven disciples abandoned all doubt. They bowed in perfect unison, their voices echoing across the courtyard. “We pay our respects to the Envoy of the Upper Sect!”

Straightening up, the lead disciple looked deeply troubled. “Esteemed Envoy… there is something you should know. The seven of us were deployed to hunt down a murderer. He is a Demonic Cultivator practicing the Blood Refining Technique who recently fled the Nanli Kingdom after killing one of our own.”

Han Yu arched an eyebrow. “Your Sect mobilizes an entire Foundation Establishment patrol over the death of a single, ordinary disciple?”

“Did the deceased possess some extraordinary talent?”

“No, Envoy, he possessed no special talent,” the lead disciple admitted, lowering his voice. “However, he was a close, personal friend of Envoy Lin Lingxiu from your Sect. If he dies unavenged, and Envoy Lin inquires about it later… we will face severe consequences.”

Han Yu suppressed a smirk. Lin Lingxiu? That arrogant prick actually made friends down here?

“Ah, Lin Lingxiu,” Han Yu said, shaking his head with a faint smile. “I didn’t realize he had such mundane hobbies.”

Hearing Han Yu casually dismiss the terrifying Lin Lingxiu cemented his identity completely. No mere rogue would dare speak of Qin Ting and Lin Lingxiu with such flippant familiarity, let alone master invisible Heavenly Secret Threads.

Their respect deepened into absolute deference. “Since the Envoy knows Envoy Lin, surely you understand the gravity of our mission,” the lead disciple pleaded. “If we surrender our Heavenly Secret Spindles to you, our combat capabilities will be crippled. If we encounter the murderer without them, we will likely be slaughtered.”

Han Yu nodded slowly, then his expression hardened into a cold, mocking sneer. “So, you believe your petty errand takes precedence over my Destiny?”

He stepped forward, his gaze piercing. “I have spoken. Your encounter with me today is mandated by Destiny. Do you intend to defy Heaven’s Will?”

The seven disciples exchanged bitter, helpless smiles.

Outsiders couldn’t comprehend the weight of those words. To the Little Sky Net Sect, defying “Heaven’s Will” when invoked by an Upper Sect superior wasn’t just insubordination; it was a declaration of war. It meant inviting immediate execution. “Destiny” was an absolute law, not a casual metaphor.

Cornered by their own dogma, the disciples had no choice. One by one, with pained expressions, they unclipped their hard-earned Heavenly Secret Spindles and presented them to Han Yu.

They watched in silent agony as Han Yu casually tossed the priceless artifacts into his Storage Bag.

“May we ask the Esteemed Envoy’s honorable name?” the lead disciple asked weakly. “How should we report this encounter to Sect Leader Qin Ting?”

Han Yu pulled out the star plate he had looted from Mi Gaolin—a disc carved with intricate constellations and razor-sharp edges. He held it up. “Look closely.”

“Tell Qin Ting that I am handling matters here, and your Sect is not to meddle. As for who I am… you will learn in due time.”

The disciples memorized the intricate patterns of the Myriad Phenomena Sect star plate. Though they seethed with internal frustration at the Envoy’s tyrannical demands, they accepted it as the natural order of things. The Upper Sect took what it wanted.

“We understand, Envoy,” the lead disciple said, bowing deeply.

Han Yu waved a dismissive hand. “Leave.”

The lead disciple nodded. He summoned a small flying boat artifact, ushering the other six aboard. Before launching, he glanced down at the Seeking Truth Daoist Temple cultivators, who were huddled on the ground like terrified quails, desperately hoping to be ignored.

“Envoy,” the disciple asked quietly, “will these locals compromise your mission? Shall we… silence them for you?”

Before Han Yu could answer, Temple Master Lin and the rest of his opulent Daoists threw themselves flat against the stone courtyard, kowtowing frantically.

“Senior Li! Have mercy!”

“Please, spare our miserable lives!”

“Our entire temple swears absolute loyalty to you, Senior Li!”

“We will serve as your oxen and horses! We will run your errands and die for you! Just spare us!”

The Daoists babbled over one another in sheer terror.

Hearing Temple Master Lin repeatedly pledge the temple’s resources, Han Yu’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You truly wish to serve me?”

“We are yours to command, Senior Li!” the Daoists roared in unison.

Han Yu looked up at the Little Sky Net Sect patrol. “You may leave. I will manage these people.”

The patrol nodded, unsurprised. It was common for Upper Sect elites to subjugate local factions for their own convenience. If anything, the Seeking Truth Daoist Temple was incredibly lucky to be spared and taken as servants. The flying boat rose into the air and shot north, disappearing into the clouds.

With the patrol gone, Han Yu weighed his options.

He hadn’t intended to entangle himself with the Seeking Truth Daoist Temple. But looking at the twenty-plus cultivators groveling before him, he saw an opportunity. They were the premier local power in the Yulin Kingdom. They had deep pockets, extensive mortal political connections, and an established intelligence network. Killing them would be a waste of perfectly good tools.

Of course, he couldn’t stay here. If Qin Ting sent a Golden Core master to investigate the “Upper Sect Envoy,” Han Yu would be exposed. He would have to establish a covert method of control and communication.

“You swear your loyalty to me?” Han Yu asked, his voice cold.

“A thousand times yes, Senior Li! Please, accept our servitude!” Temple Master Lin begged, his forehead pressed to the stone.

The Daoists knew the brutal reality of the cultivation world. They had witnessed an Upper Sect Envoy strip an elite patrol of their artifacts and casually discuss mass murder. They had seen secrets they were never meant to see. If they didn’t become exceptionally useful to this monster right now, they would be silenced.

Dignity didn’t matter. Only survival.