Su Chen's mood was extremely dark right now. Yet no one could tell, because his entire body was pitch black. This was the first time in his countless lives.

"Whatever… so be it…"

Su Chen stared at his reflection on the water's surface and reluctantly accepted the reality that he had reincarnated as an ordinary crow. He, who had once been an invincible Great Emperor sweeping through an entire era as a human, had now been reborn as a plain crow.

Hell-level difficulty.

Fortunately, he had obtained countless secret scriptures from various races in the past, including Emperor-level ones. Even as an ordinary crow, he still had a chance to defy the heavens.

Su Chen searched through his mind. The Myriad Laws Emperor Scripture was no longer viable; restarting the human path was impossible. The human body was nurtured by heaven and earth, allowing gradual transformation from mortal to Myriad Laws Dao Body. The demon race, however, relied heavily on bloodline. The difference was like night and day. In his current situation, obtaining cultivation resources was out of the question. Survival came first.

He suddenly recalled that he had once slain a True Phoenix and comprehended an incomplete Nirvana Scripture from it. This was now the most suitable path for him. As long as he could undergo repeated nirvanas and transformations, he would eventually become a True Phoenix—or even surpass it to become an ultimate being. The prerequisite was perfecting the Nirvana Scripture.

The comprehension gained from investing one hundred thousand Reverse Fate Points would not disappoint him.

Su Chen began cultivating. But before half a day had passed, he discovered a serious problem. He currently had no cultivation base at all and needed the flesh and blood of living creatures to sustain his energy. After just starting the Nirvana Scripture, his demand for energy had grown enormous.

Su Chen set out in search of food. Ordinary insects could fill his stomach, but they provided pathetically little energy. Without spiritual items or good talent, cultivation would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

"I remember… there's a small sect less than fifty kilometers from here that grows spiritual rice."

Spiritual rice was used to replenish the qi and blood of ordinary martial artists and slightly boost their cultivation speed. It contained trace amounts of spiritual energy.

Su Chen could not remember how long it had been since he last saw spiritual rice. In recent lives, his starting point had grown higher and higher, and he had never lacked cultivation resources or divine herbs. But those days were gone. Right now, if he did not eat some spiritual rice, he would not be able to cultivate at all.

...

My name is Chen Tianyi.

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I am just an ordinary young cultivator of the Green Mist Sect. My talent is neither good nor bad. At twenty-five years old, I barely broke through to the Spirit Gathering realm. Thanks to arrangements by my family elders, I secured a comfortable job—guarding the sect's spiritual rice fields.

It was leisurely, safe, and came with a salary. To Chen Tianyi, it was the perfect laid-back life he had always dreamed of.

Of course, that was what he used to think. Now, he realized just how naïve he had been.

"Damn crow! Don't you dare run!"

Chen Tianyi glared furiously at the crow stealing spiritual rice again. He was grinding his teeth in anger. This was the thirtieth day this month… Yes, the crow came once every single day. If this continued, the spiritual rice would be completely eaten, and he would be unable to turn in the required amount. The consequences would be severe!

Chen Tianyi gathered his energy and unleashed a barrage of attacks toward the crow. Yet every strike missed by a hair's breadth. This only fueled his rage. Shouting in fury, he chased after the crow.

He, Chen Tianyi, refused to be toyed with by a mere ordinary crow. He had to defend his dignity!

"What a petty guy. It's just a bit of spiritual rice, yet he's chasing me so relentlessly."

Su Chen flew in a circle, his beak never stopping as he muttered. Chen Tianyi could not understand the cawing, but he took it as provocation.

Chen Tianyi made up his mind. Today, he would kill this crow no matter what. He chased Su Chen madly, even when the crow flew out of the Green Mist Sect. Without hesitation, Chen Tianyi followed right out of the sect's boundaries.

"Isn't that… Chen Tianyi from the Chen family? Wasn't he assigned to guard the spiritual rice fields? Why is he here?"

"Looks like Chen Tianyi is chasing something. Is that a crow?"

"..."

The gatekeeping disciples of the Green Mist Sect watched in confusion.

Chasing after the sect goddess was something they could understand… but Chen Tianyi was chasing a crow with such relentless passion. Truly, the world was in moral decline!

By evening, Chen Tianyi collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. He could not run another step.

Deep doubt filled his heart. As a Spirit Gathering realm cultivator, he was no weakling—even in the towns at the foot of the mountain, he would be considered skilled. Yet he could not do anything to a mere ordinary crow. If it had been a demon beast, he could have accepted it, but this was just a plain crow!

Worse, he could not report this to the sect. How could he say the spiritual rice had been eaten by an ordinary crow? That he, Chen Tianyi, could not even handle a single crow?

No. He would rather die than lose that kind of face.

"Arghhhhh!!! Damn crow! I will never rest until I kill you!!!"

A flock of crows startled and flew up from the forest. Then everything fell silent.

Chen Tianyi suddenly realized something. He had broken through—from the first level of Spirit Gathering to the second. Though it was only a small step, he had only reached the first level less than two months ago.

"Could it be… that I am actually a peerless genius?"

Chen Tianyi had a sudden epiphany. He would cultivate diligently from now on and make that damn crow pay!

What Chen Tianyi did not know was that the "damn crow" he cursed was perched on a tall tree, watching his every move with great interest.

"His comprehension is truly poor… but there is still a tiny bit," Su Chen commented.

He could have shaken off Chen Tianyi at any time. But he had not.

After eating spiritual rice for an entire month, Su Chen decided to grant Chen Tianyi a stroke of good fortune. He had been deliberately demonstrating a cultivation method. Even if Chen Tianyi only comprehended a tiny fragment of it, becoming a sovereign would no longer be an issue. This was his compensation for a month of stolen spiritual rice.

Watching Chen Tianyi leave with a foolish grin on his face, Su Chen's body began to change. His pitch-black feathers gleamed like black iron, sharp enough to easily slice through branches.

After one full month, he had finally become a demon beast. Although he was only at the lowest level—with strength equivalent to the first layer of Spirit Awakening—he could now hunt ordinary wild beasts and even some weaker demon beasts.