Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 108 Truth and Falsehood Difficult to Distinguish, A Single Thought Can Transform the Univers

The rain was pouring down, and the birds were chirping.

Gu Yan sat cross-legged atop the tallest bell tower in Pingyang County, wearing a straw raincoat. When the rain fell on him, it was deflected by an invisible barrier, making him seem detached from the world and unnoticed by anyone.

He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers long and slender, and gently wiped the air. The spirit stones beside him turned into dust, gathering into a massive spiritual force that entered his body.

As soon as he had a thought, the properties of that thought—creating things and the descent of the paper world—were activated simultaneously.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the foundation of the Tower of Babel rose from the ground, and the Taiji Diagram of Gods and Demons slowly rotated.

An indescribable fluctuation of rules emanated from the clock tower, spreading outwards like ripples.

In Gu Yan's view, Pingyang County below was separated into two layers.

The first layer is the real world.

The ragged people were frantically picking up the grain and gold and silver jewelry on the ground. Among the crowd, a boy named Lin Xun stuffed a meat bun into his pocket.

Despite their cursing and swearing, the demonic cultivators only aimed their knives at the wealthy and heartless gentry.

The second layer is a paper world that Gu Yan folded out with countless thoughts.

In this world, the streets are crimson and the sky is deathly white.

Mountains and rivers are like wrinkled, thick paper, while rivers are like flowing silver foil.

Countless people, made of folded white paper, are falling in pools of blood on red paper.

Houses are burning, and tall buildings are collapsing.

With his unparalleled paper-making skills, Gu Yan used deception and the creation of a paper world to perfectly cover the first layer of this extremely tragic second world.

"Since the Flowing Cloud Sect wants to see a hell on earth, then I will build one for them."

Gu Yan gently hooked his finger.

At the street corner, a piece of discarded scrap paper flew up out of thin air, folding and twisting in mid-air.

In the blink of an eye, the straw paper transformed into an old woman covered in blood with a missing arm.

The old woman lay on the ground, wailing mournfully at the sky.

The sound, resonating through the paper world, reached the high heavens, enough to move even the most hard-hearted.

"That's about it."

Gu Yan looked up at the clouds in the southeast and said calmly, "It's time for those saviors to make their appearance."

……

A sea of ​​clouds surged above Pingyang County.

A streamlined flying boat is hidden in the clouds and mist, with a crane with outstretched wings carved on its bow, showing its celestial grandeur.

On the deck, four young cultivators dressed in the robes of inner disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect stood by the railing, looking down at the county town shrouded in blood below.

The leader was handsome, with striking features, including sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He wore a spotless white Taoist robe with gold trim, and a piece of fine warm jade hung at his waist. He played with a folding fan in his hand, exuding a dashing and debonair air.

This person is none other than Zhao Lingfeng, the only son of Zhao Wuji, the Grand Elder of the Liuyun Sect. He was the one who, after being defeated by Xiao Chen with a single sword strike on the martial arts stage, ruined Xiao Chen's future by relying on his father's power.

Now, after absorbing the Dragon Transformation Pool and taking one high-level pill after another, his cultivation has reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. His spiritual energy surges around him, and his eyes reveal an indifference that regards all living beings as worthless.

"Senior Brother Zhao, the people from the Blood River Sect are quite ruthless."

A thin man named Sun Hao, standing behind Zhao Lingfeng, smiled obsequiously and said, "Judging from those screams, quite a few people must have died. Now, when our Flowing Cloud Sect makes a move, won't those mortals be bowing and scraping before us, treating us like living Buddhas?"

A heavily made-up female cultivator named Liu Mei, standing nearby, covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief in disgust, frowning and saying, "Ugh, the stench of blood is so strong it's practically floating up to the sky. It's disgusting. Those demonic cultivators are so vulgar. They kill people, but they make such a mess. They have absolutely no sense of propriety."

The last one, a burly man named Wang Hu carrying a giant axe, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "What's wrong with being a little dirty? As long as we complete this mission, we'll all get a lot of sect contribution points. Besides, we're just mortals, like chives in the field, they grow back after being cut. What does it matter if a few die?"

Zhao Lingfeng closed his folding fan and glanced indifferently down below.

In his eyes, the scene he saw was the paper world illusion that Gu Yan had carefully woven.

Flames soared into the sky, corpses littered the fields, and demonic cultivators ran rampant.

"That's about it."

Zhao Lingfeng's voice was cold and clear, carrying a sense of superiority: "Elder Chen instructed us to let the fear ferment to its extreme before we make our move, so that we can harvest the incense offerings and prayers to the greatest extent possible."

"Now, the time is right."

He suddenly drew the long sword from his waist. It was a high-grade spiritual weapon called Flowing Light, its blade swirling like water, exuding a chilling aura.

"Fellow disciples, follow me down the mountain to vanquish the demons and protect the righteous path!"

"yes!"

Four streaks of light pierced through the clouds, carrying the majestic pressure unique to righteous cultivators, and crashed towards Pingyang County like meteorites.

……

"They're here."

On the clock tower, Gu Yan narrowed his eyes.

His hands moved rapidly, his fingers manipulating countless invisible threads to create one painting after another.

"Change formation."

In Pingyang County, the Blood River Sect demonic cultivators, who were distributing food, suddenly heard the hoarse voice of their sect leader, Blood Swordsman.

"The actors are here. Everyone, listen up! According to the plan, switch from offense to defense and make sure the scene looks good! Remember, anyone who slips up will be skinned alive!"

The demonic cultivators, having received their orders, became quite theatrical.

The demonic cultivator wearing the bone mask was about to hand a bag of rice to an old woman when he heard the telepathic message. He then swung his sword at the empty ground beside him, letting out a strange, grating laugh.

"You old fool! Get out of here! You think you can eat this rice?!"

Under Gu Yan's paper barrier, this scene appeared to Zhao Lingfeng and the others as the demonic cultivator slashing the old woman to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.

"You audacious demonic cultivator! How dare you act so violently here!"

A loud shout rang out like a thunderclap.

Zhao Lingfeng stood on his flying sword, hovering in mid-air. He unleashed a sharp sword aura several meters long, heading straight for the white bone demon cultivator.

That sword energy was incredibly sharp; if it landed, the White Bone Demon Cultivator would surely die.

"snort."

Just as the sword energy was about to strike, a crimson river of blood appeared out of nowhere, shattering the sword energy.

Amidst the surging waves of blood, Gu Yan's clone, the Blood Swordsman, rose slowly into the air, standing in front of Zhao Lingfeng, riding on a blood lotus.

He wore a bronze mask and exuded the malevolent aura unique to demonic cultivators, so intense it was almost tangible, creating a stark contrast with Zhao Lingfeng's glamorous appearance.

"Oh, who is it?"

The Blood Swordsman's voice was hoarse and full of sarcasm: "So it's Young Master Zhao, the genius of the Flowing Cloud Sect. Arriving so late, are you waiting to collect the corpses of these mortals?"

Zhao Lingfeng's pupils contracted when he saw the Blood Swordsman.

He felt a chilling pressure emanating from the other person; it was the cultivation of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, just half a step away from forming the Core.

But when he thought of the sect behind him and the tacit understanding reached between the two sides, most of Zhao Lingfeng's apprehension dissipated.

"You fiend, cease your arrogance!"

Zhao Lingfeng declared righteously, "Today, I, Zhao Lingfeng, will act on behalf of Heaven and slay this scourge!"

He spoke eloquently, but his methods were exceptionally ruthless.

"Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, Ten Thousand Swords Return to Their Origin!"

Zhao Lingfeng flicked his longsword, transforming it into a rain of swords that swept over the Blood Swordsman.

The rain of swords covered a vast area, enveloping not only the Blood Swordsman but also the streets and civilians below.

"Ah! Immortal Master, spare my life!"

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The people below were terrified when they saw the dense array of sword lights falling down, and they hurriedly sought places to hide.

Zhao Lingfeng ignored this scene.

In his view, a mere dozen or so mortals were nothing compared to the demonic cultivators; their deaths were insignificant.

"Hypocritical," the Blood Swordsman sneered.

Gu Yan, standing atop the clock tower, suddenly flicked his finger.

The world of paper has arrived, and the rules have been altered.

The sword energy that was supposed to pierce through the common people suddenly became soft and powerless the moment it touched their bodies, like light strips of paper that only made a cut on their clothes without breaking their skin.

But in the eyes of Zhao Lingfeng and the others, it was sword energy piercing flesh, blood flowing freely, and the people falling to the ground and wailing.

"This Senior Brother Zhao is ruthless."

Sun Hao, who followed behind, glanced at the horrific scene on the ground and muttered something under his breath.

He wasn't idle either; he summoned a gourd-shaped magical artifact and unleashed a large amount of spiritual flames that wouldn't be extinguished by rain, burning towards the fleeing demonic cultivators.

Female cultivator Liu Mei and skinny monkey Sun Hao stood at the rear, channeling spiritual energy to the two attackers.

"You righteous brat, cease your arrogance!"

With a wave of his sleeve, the Blood Swordsman caused the river of blood behind him to transform into countless blood pythons, which opened their mouths and devoured all the sword energy and flames.

At the same time, he transmitted his voice to Zhao Lingfeng: "Young Master Zhao, don't get too carried away in the fight. Where's the loot?"

Zhao Lingfeng was in high spirits when he heard this and paused.

He reluctantly took out a black brocade box and three tokens emitting strange fluctuations from his storage bag.

Those were two Qi Condensation Pills, and a qualification token to enter the Sunset Valley Secret Realm.

"Here's the stuff, now get out of here!"

Zhao Lingfeng transmitted his voice in a condescending tone, while his sword strikes became even more ferocious, clearly intending to gain an advantage during the transaction and perhaps even severely injure the Blood Swordsman, so as to add some prestige to his resume when he boasts in the future.

"Trying to double-cross us again?" Gu Yan sneered inwardly.

The Blood Swordsman did not reach out to take it, but instead flashed forward and appeared directly in front of Zhao Lingfeng. The distance was so close that he could even see the astonishment in Zhao Lingfeng's eyes.

"Heavenly Profound Blood Demon Palm!"

A gigantic hand, formed entirely from malevolent energy, slammed down with overwhelming force.

With this palm strike, the Blood Swordsman used his true power.

Zhao Lingfeng was shocked. He hadn't expected that this demon would dare to fight back after taking the item. In his haste, he could only raise his sword to block.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Zhao Lingfeng and his sword were sent flying a great distance, tumbling several times in the air before he could barely regain his footing.

At this moment, his hair was disheveled, and his snow-white Taoist robe was stained with large patches of blood, making him look extremely miserable.

"You dare hurt me?!"

Zhao Lingfeng was enraged and his face contorted with embarrassment.

"So what if I hurt you?"

The Blood Swordsman snatched the brocade box and token from the air, put them into his robes, and then burst into laughter that shook the heavens.

"The geniuses of the Flowing Cloud Sect are nothing special!"

"I'll spare your lives today because of your numbers. Tell Elder Chen, this score isn't settled yet!"

After saying that, the Blood Swordsman waved his hand.

"Men! The wind's blowing hard, let's get out of here!"

Upon receiving the signal, the demonic cultivators below immediately ceased their exaggerated performances, each taking flight on their own light, attaching talismans to their teleportation abilities, and retreating towards the city's outskirts like a tide.

"Where do you think you're going!"

The burly man, Wang Hu, brandished his giant axe and was about to give chase.

"Stop chasing!"

Zhao Lingfeng stopped him, his face grim.

He clutched his aching chest, watching the Blood Swordsman's retreating figure, his eyes filled with resentment.

"That's a demonic cultivator at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. If we really push him too far, we'll all die here."

Zhao Lingfeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart, tidied his appearance, and resumed his arrogant demeanor.

"Saving lives is the priority; winning back public support is paramount."

The four landed on the plaza.

Then, the rain stopped.

Gu Yan stood atop the clock tower and gradually removed the paper world's cover, allowing the real world to reappear.

In order to avoid revealing any flaws, the damage caused by Zhao Lingfeng and his companions in the illusion during their battle with the demonic cultivators was all confirmed in the real world.

For example, the trenches on the ground that were cleaved open by Zhao Lingfeng's sword energy, although no one died, many buildings collapsed, and it still looked like a mess.

The people were still in a state of confusion.

They were still holding the rice and cured meat they had stolen. When they looked at the four immortal masters who had suddenly appeared, their eyes were not filled with the fanatical worship that Zhao Lingfeng had expected, but rather with fear and vigilance.

Although the indiscriminate rain of swords that just now didn't hurt anyone, the cold indifference of wanting to kill them all was palpable to anyone who wasn't a fool.

Zhao Lingfeng was unaware of what the people were thinking.

He stood atop the ruins, his robes fluttering, striking a pose of compassion, and proclaimed loudly, "Fellow villagers, you have been frightened! The demon has been defeated by us! From this day forward, Pingyang County will be under the protection of my Liuyun Sect, and we will surely ensure your safety!"

Sun Hao quickly chimed in, "Hurry up and kneel down to express your gratitude! If it weren't for Senior Brother Zhao's unparalleled power, you would have already become victims of the demonic cultivators!"

The people looked at each other in bewilderment.

In the crowd, Lin Xun, holding the cold meat bun, looked at Zhao Lingfeng on the stage, a glamorous figure who disgusted him.

That was the sword energy from this person just now; it almost chopped off Aunt Li's head next to me.

The guy they called the devil left behind a pile of food.

"Kneel down! What are you all standing there for?!"

Wang Hu's eyes widened, and his spiritual energy surged forth, exuding killing intent.

The people trembled with fear and instinctively knelt down, stammering, "Thank you, Immortal Master, for saving our lives..."

Zhao Lingfeng nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this.

Although the mortals' gazes were somewhat strange, their kneeling posture was quite standard, so he didn't suspect anything.

He took out a specially made ritual implement and began to collect the incense and vows that were not pure and even carried resentment.

"A bunch of stupid people."

Zhao Lingfeng sneered inwardly.

"Give them a little taste of their own medicine and they'll obey like a dog."

……

On the clock tower.

Gu Yan stood up, looked at the absurd farce below, then at the glowing magical artifact in Zhao Lingfeng's hand, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Take it all, take it all."

Gu Yan turned around and disappeared into the night.

"Poisonous incense can cause intestinal rot."

A storage bag appeared in his hand.

Those were the spoils of war sent back by the Blood Swordsman's clone. They contained two Condensing Qi Pills and three Sunset Valley Tokens.

With this Condensing Qi Pill, the Blood Swordsman's clone's path to Core Formation will be unobstructed.

And that Sunset Valley...

Gu Yan recalled the records about Sunset Valley that he had seen in the Flowing Cloud Sect's books. It was the ruins of an ancient battlefield between immortals and demons, where countless powerful figures' corpses and magical treasures were buried.

"Zhao Lingfeng..."

Gu Yan murmured the name softly, a flash of murderous intent crossing his eyes.

"This Sunset Valley will be your final resting place."

He took a step and disappeared into the night sky of Pingyang County, leaving behind only a piece of white paper that drifted down with the wind, slowly burning in the air and turning into ashes.