The Dao of Reincarnation (222-223) (Patreon)

Chapter 222: The Undying Nether Emperor (Part 3)

One month later.

Chen Tianyi finally understood. He was not a genius. After cultivating for a full month, his progress was as slow as a snail.

This left him deeply puzzled. Why had he been able to break through a minor realm in a single month before, yet now he might not advance even after an entire year?

"That crow hasn't come back in a long time either," he muttered.

Chen Tianyi suspected he might be ill. He was actually starting to miss the crow he had hated so bitterly. Guarding the spiritual rice fields was simply too boring.

Suddenly, a black figure flew in from the distance. Familiar, yet somehow different.

"It's that crow! It's back!"

Chen Tianyi's face lit up with surprise. But he quickly noticed something unusual. The crow's feathers had undergone a strange transformation, gleaming like black steel embedded across its body.

"Has that crow… become a demon beast?"

Chen Tianyi was shocked.

A month ago, it had been an ordinary crow with no cultivation. Now it had become a demon beast. Even the weakest one represented an enormous gap. The demon race valued bloodline above all. For an ordinary beast to transform into a demon beast without any demon bloodline was incredibly difficult—it required heaven-defying fortune.

This time, the crow did not eat any spiritual rice. And Chen Tianyi did not attack it either. He watched as the crow circled once above his head and then flew off in a certain direction.

"Is it telling me to follow? Could this crow have gained intelligence?"

Hesitating for only a moment, Chen Tianyi hurried after it.

At the Green Mist Sect's entrance, the gatekeeping disciples saw Chen Tianyi chasing after a crow once again.

"Does Chen Tianyi have a special fondness for crows?"

They stared oddly at his departing figure.

...

"This kid isn't completely stupid."

Su Chen led Chen Tianyi to a secluded spot deep in the forest. After a month of cautious development, his cultivation had finally reached the third layer of Spirit Awakening. Even so, this speed was still far too slow for him. Yet even this pace—which Su Chen considered sluggish—far surpassed the fastest genius in the Green Mist Sect.

Simply hunting and devouring low-level demon beasts could no longer satisfy him. He began searching for precious spiritual herbs. In his previous life as a Great Emperor, he had also been one of the greatest alchemists in the world. Finding spiritual items posed no challenge to his knowledge.

The real problem was how to obtain them. Most heavenly treasures were guarded by powerful demon beasts. In this life, he was merely an ordinary crow without a strong bloodline or even basic Qi. Many of his techniques were unusable. Trying to cross a major realm to fight powerful demon beasts would be nothing but a fool's dream.

After pondering the issue, Su Chen had a sudden idea. He remembered Chen Tianyi—the human he had interacted with the most in this life.

Looking at the dazed young man standing there, Su Chen helplessly stretched out one wing and pointed in a certain direction.

Chen Tianyi followed the gesture and saw a tall thicket. Pushing through it, he discovered a cliff with a waterfall. On the other side of the waterfall stood a large tree bearing six bright, vibrant fruits.

Chen Tianyi recognized them immediately.

Blood Origin Fruits. These were formed from the condensed essence blood of powerful demon beasts after death. Consuming them greatly benefited cultivators. Higher-grade ones could even improve one's talent.

The fruits before him were only first-grade, but even so, each one was extremely valuable, worth several years of his salary. Using them for cultivation would bring enormous benefits and save him months of hard work.

Chen Tianyi said excitedly, "Crow… no, Brother Crow! From now on, you're my brother, Chen Tianyi. Feel free to eat all the spiritual rice in the fields!"

Su Chen showed a look of disdain and pointed at three of the fruits on the tree. His meaning was obvious: Don't try to fool me with spiritual rice. No deal.

Three first-grade Blood Origin Fruits were his true goal.

Chen Tianyi's face twisted bitterly. Blood Origin Fruits were extremely valuable—far beyond what spiritual rice could compare to. After struggling internally for a moment, he said firmly, "If Brother Crow wants three Blood Origin Fruits, then after taking them, you cannot keep eating the spiritual rice."

Su Chen let out two disdainful "caws."

Chen Tianyi's expression grew serious. He knew that since these spiritual fruits had not been picked yet, a guardian demon beast must be nearby—and a powerful one at that.

"Although I am a slacker, I'm still a slacker with dreams!"

Chen Tianyi shouted loudly, drew a large treasured blade, and charged forward without hesitation.

Su Chen was slightly surprised when he saw the blade Chen Tianyi pulled out.

"This kid actually has some background."

The blade in Chen Tianyi's hand was no ordinary weapon—it was a Profound Artifact.

Sensing someone trying to steal its guarded treasure, a massive figure crushed through the grass on the other side. An enormous snake as thick as an adult's arm appeared, coiling its body. It was also a Spirit Gathering realm demon beast.

Yet Chen Tianyi showed no fear. He felt his blood burning with excitement. He saw hope—hope of breaking through and escaping his fate as an ordinary disciple of the Chen family.

Without hesitation, Chen Tianyi fought the giant snake in a desperate battle. His fearless determination earned Su Chen's slight admiration. One could lack talent, but one must never lack a martial heart.

Chen Tianyi finally killed the snake demon after a hard-fought battle. He collapsed to the ground, laughing. He had only wanted to live an easy, idle life. Never had he imagined he would one day slay a giant snake all by himself.

Unfortunately, there was no one around to share his joy with. Only a crow.

"Brother Crow, did you see that? I killed a Spirit Gathering realm demon snake!"

Chen Tianyi could not help sharing his excitement with the crow.

Su Chen glanced at him from the corner of his eye, ignored the comment, flew straight to the tree, swallowed the three Blood Origin Fruits in succession, and flew away. He needed to find a quiet place to digest them properly.

Watching the departing crow, Chen Tianyi gave a bitter smile.

"Right… It's just a crow that gained some fortune and a bit of intelligence. How could it understand human feelings?"

Chen Tianyi picked the remaining three Blood Origin Fruits. This was an enormous opportunity. With these fruits, he could quickly break through to the third or even fourth layer of Spirit Gathering in a short time.

...

Two weeks later.

Su Chen opened his eyes on a remote cliff.

"Seventh layer of Spirit Awakening…"

His current physical body had reached the strength of the seventh layer of Spirit Awakening.

The demon race's cultivation speed was inherently slower than that of humans, especially for those with weak bloodlines. For an ordinary crow, simply becoming a demon beast in its lifetime was already a stroke of luck. Yet Su Chen had gone from an ordinary beast to a seventh-layer Spirit Awakening demon beast in just two and a half months. This speed surpassed many human geniuses.

"It's time to search for the next opportunity…"

Chapter 223: The Undying Nether Emperor (Part 4)

Green Mist Sect.

Three months had passed.

While refining the Blood Origin Fruits and guarding the spiritual rice fields, Chen Tianyi's cultivation had reached the peak of the fourth layer of Spirit Gathering, only one step away from the fifth layer. He had not seen Brother Crow for three whole months. Strangely enough, Chen Tianyi found himself missing that crow he both loved and hated.

Unfortunately, after their last meeting, the crow had never appeared again. This left him feeling restless.

"Have you heard? In the mountain range at the foot of the sect, there's a first-grade demon beast—an unusually bold crow. It actually stole a spiritual fruit that Senior Brother Jiang discovered."

"That crow really has guts, daring to snatch something from Senior Brother Jiang. Although Jiang is only at Spirit Gathering, he's a genuine second-grade alchemist with a boundless future. Even the elders treat him with respect. Now he's offering a huge reward to find that crow. It won't live much longer."

"Exactly. Several elders have even been alerted. They want to do Jiang a favor. Once they locate the crow, it's dead for sure."

"..."

Hearing the passing disciples' discussion, Chen Tianyi froze. He naturally knew who Senior Brother Jiang was—one of the most influential figures in the Green Mist Sect and the prized disciple of the Alchemy Hall Master.

The crow they were talking about was undoubtedly his Brother Crow. Out of all the crows in the world, only Brother Crow had the ability to make a big shot like Jiang suffer a loss and dare to snatch food from the tiger's mouth.

"Not good… Brother Crow is in danger!"

Chen Tianyi grew worried. If anyone else discovered the crow's whereabouts, it would surely face the entire Green Mist Sect's pursuit. He decided to leave the sect and search for Brother Crow, warning it to leave the Green Mist Sect's territory immediately.

At dusk, Su Chen slowly opened his eyes. Even as a crow, his appearance was exceptionally majestic. After refining a second-grade spiritual fruit, his cultivation had finally broken through from the peak of the ninth layer of Spirit Awakening to the first layer of Spirit Gathering.

As he stretched his body, he spotted a familiar figure nearby.

"Is that the foolish kid?"

Su Chen saw Chen Tianyi not far away, seemingly searching for something.

"Brother Crow… Brother Crow…"

Su Chen found it strange. Was the "Brother Crow" Chen Tianyi looking for him?

Seeing the young man's anxious expression, Su Chen flew down.

Chen Tianyi tensed when he saw a black figure approaching. It was a large demon beast—at least second-grade. But the moment he clearly saw the figure, he recognized it as the Brother Crow he had been desperately searching for.

As the crow landed on a nearby tree, Chen Tianyi hurriedly said, "Brother Crow, Brother Crow! Something terrible has happened!"

Su Chen: "?"

Memories buried deep in his mind stirred faintly.

Chen Tianyi continued, "Brother Crow, you've offended Senior Brother Jiang. He's an alchemist and has posted a massive bounty to find you. Even the elders of the Green Mist Sect have gotten involved!"

Seeing the crow remain unmoved, Chen Tianyi slapped his own forehead.

What was he doing, talking about the Green Mist Sect, Senior Brother Jiang, alchemists, and elders to a crow? Even if it had gained some intelligence, it probably couldn't understand him.

He tried again: "Brother Crow, you need to leave this place quickly. Go somewhere else. People are searching for you everywhere. If they find you, they'll kill you!"

Su Chen looked at Chen Tianyi. He studied this foolish young man.

Chen Tianyi came from the Green Mist Sect. From Su Chen's observations, the sect had Spirit Sea realm experts, while most elders were at the Spirit Vein realm. The Green Mist Sect was hunting him, yet Chen Tianyi had come to warn him.

Su Chen gave the young man one last glance, then flapped his wings and flew away.

Chen Tianyi watched the black figure disappear into the distance, a trace of melancholy in his heart. He knew he might never see Brother Crow again. Even with Jiang's heavy bounty, he did not regret letting the crow go.

"Still… how long has it been? Brother Crow seems to have already reached second-grade…"

Only then did the realization hit him. When he first met the crow, it had been an ordinary bird with no cultivation. Days later, it had become a first-grade demon beast. Now, it had advanced to second grade. Such rapid progress was simply terrifying. Among humans, perhaps only the heirs of great kings could compare.

"I wonder what kind of crow Brother Crow actually is. How can it cultivate so fast?"

Chen Tianyi thought to himself.

Su Chen returned to his territory. All the demon beasts in the surrounding area had already been slaughtered by him. Recalling Chen Tianyi's words, he thought back to the brocade-robed youth whose second-grade spiritual fruit he had stolen half a month ago.

That youth was most likely the Senior Brother Jiang that Chen Tianyi had mentioned—a genius of the Green Mist Sect. Now, because of a single second-grade spiritual fruit, the other party wanted revenge.

Humans die for wealth, birds die for food.

He was a bird now. How could he possibly let a second-grade spiritual fruit slip away?

"The Green Mist Sect… is becoming a nuisance," Su Chen sighed softly.

His cultivation had now broken into the Spirit Gathering realm, and he could use many of his techniques. Even with an ordinary bloodline, he could fight above his level. However, a crow's bloodline was simply too weak. No matter how many methods he employed, crossing two major realms was still impossible.

Su Chen decided to abandon this territory and head deeper into the mountain range. That area was far more dangerous, filled with stronger demon beasts, but it also offered greater opportunities and faster development.

Kill monsters, level up, seize fortunes. Simple and straightforward.

...

Three years had passed since their parting.

During these three years, Chen Tianyi had changed dramatically. He often dreamed of chasing after a certain crow. It was not because he was overly sentimental. Rather, whenever he dreamed of that crow, his cultivation speed would increase tenfold compared to normal.

After discovering this, Chen Tianyi was shocked. He resolved to stop slacking off and began cultivating diligently. In one year, he became a genius among his peers. In two years, he caught up to the elders' personal disciples. By the third year, he showed signs of competing for the title of the Green Mist Sect's number one genius.

Chen Tianyi had become a legendary figure within the sect. Today, the Green Mist Sect was joining several other major sects to organize a demon-hunting assembly.

The purpose was twofold: to temper their own disciples and to deal with the growing problem in the mountain range. For unknown reasons, more and more demon beasts had been migrating from the inner region to the outer region. The increasing numbers had begun disrupting the sects' interests and supply chains. Thus, they took this chance to clear out some of the outer threats.