Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 125 Crimson Mist Corrodes the Heart, Sword Demon's Grudges

The sweet, metallic taste of blood surged up Gu Yan's throat.

Before the backlash from the summoning spell had subsided, a new crisis had already placed a knife to their throats.

The air ahead hissed and crackled, emitting one sharp explosion after another.

Old Tuo's originally hunched body swelled up, his black robe was torn, and the exposed skin was covered with a layer of dark red keratin, like the exoskeleton of some kind of insect.

Those once emerald green eyes turned blood red, their eyeballs bulging out, thick saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths, and the words emanating from their mouths were no longer human, but rather the roars of a wild beast.

"roar!"

The ground beneath Old Tuo's feet exploded instantly, sending rubble flying everywhere.

He shot towards Gu Yan's face like a cannonball, carrying a suffocating, foul stench.

This strike contained no fancy techniques, only pure power and speed.

"Damn it, this old geezer is even stronger than a drug addict!"

Despite his cursing, Gu Yan's movements were anything but slow.

Just as the old man's sharp claws were about to touch his nose, Gu Yan's figure suddenly twisted like smoke blown away by the wind. It was a combination of the withered wood transformation technique and the paper-crafting technique.

"Sizzle!"

A paper figure depicting Gu Yan's facial features was shattered into pieces from mid-air.

Gu Yan's true form stumbled out three zhang away, nearly falling to the ground as he landed.

"Princess! This monster's aggro is locked on me! Don't try to tank it, run! There's something wrong with this red mist!"

Gu Yan roared and his hands moved rapidly inside his sleeves.

Li Qingge did not reply; her condition was no better than Gu Yan's.

A red mist permeated the air.

With each breath, a violent emotion stirred within my mind.

He wanted to kill, to destroy, to tear apart everything he saw.

"Clang!"

On the ground, the weapons that had already decayed and broken began to tremble slowly as they were soaked in the red mist.

The rusty iron sheet emitted a metallic friction, like the low murmurs of countless wronged souls underground.

Li Qingge swung her longsword, unleashing a chilling sword aura in an attempt to stop Elder Tuo's pursuit.

"when!"

The sword energy struck Old Camel's back, leaving only a shallow white mark, failing to even break through the dark red keratin layer.

Enraged by the attack, Old Camel turned around abruptly, a ferocious smile appearing on his distorted face.

He abandoned the slippery Gu Yan and turned to strike Li Qingge with his palm.

This palm strike, imbued with black death energy, compressed the surrounding air to its limit even before it landed, creating a vacuum zone.

Li Qingge had no choice but to parry with her sword.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Li Qingge slid backward for more than ten feet, her feet carving two deep furrows in the hard, reddish-brown ground.

The longsword in her hand bent into an astonishing arc, her hand split open, and blood dripped down the hilt.

"Cough cough..."

Li Qingge's face was ashen, and her eyes were bloodshot.

"Find their weaknesses!"

Seeing that Old Tuo was about to deliver another blow, Gu Yan hurriedly said, "That old bastard is now a brainless killing machine! We need to find a scapegoat! We have to find a scapegoat!"

Gu Yan's gaze swept frantically across the entire room.

The remaining few disciples of the Green Bamboo Sect were terrified and huddled in a corner, trembling with fear.

Beside a stone pillar not far away, Elder Wang, who had lost an arm, was sweating profusely as he took out various antidote pills from his storage bag and put them into his mouth.

Elder Wang's face was a mixture of blue and black, clearly showing that he was also trying his best to resist the erosion of the red mist.

His eyes were filled with fear and calculation as he quietly moved into the shadows at the edge of the square, clearly intending to take advantage of Old Tuo's madness to make his escape.

"Trying to run away?"

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Gu Yan's lips.

Since no one is having an easy time, let you make the most of your remaining energy.

Gu Yan suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto a yellow paper figure in his hand.

The paper figure was cut out in an extremely simple way, without even facial features, only a single arm. At first glance, it looked very much like Elder Wang.

"Cause and effect!"

Gu Yan formed a hand seal, and the one-armed paper figure instantly burst into flames, transforming into a red line almost invisible to the naked eye, which shot directly toward Elder Wang, who was preparing to flee.

Elder Wang was intently watching the battle when suddenly he felt a chill down his spine, as if something had burrowed into his spine.

Immediately afterwards, his body suddenly froze uncontrollably.

"Gu Changsheng! What have you done?!"

Elder Wang screamed in terror as he discovered that his legs had defied his will, turning in a different direction and charging towards the crazed Old Camel!

"Elder Wang! You are truly great!"

Gu Yan shouted at the top of his lungs, in an extremely exaggerated yet respectful tone, "To cover the retreat of this junior and the princess, you actually chose to sacrifice yourself! This kindness will never be forgotten!"

That shout was full of energy and had a very strong penetrating power.

Old Camel, who was originally preparing to chase after Gu Yan, paused slightly.

His already chaotic mind was unable to process complex language, but he had an instinctive craving for the flesh and blood that were offered to him.

Elder Wang looked at the terrifying monster that was getting closer and closer, and was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.

"No! It wasn't me! I didn't! Old Tuo! It's me, Old Wang! We're in cahoots!"

Elder Wang tried desperately to stop, but Gu Yan's paper-crafting technique was always extremely powerful in terms of control and disgusting people.

The red thread tightly pulled at his vital energy, causing him to rush towards his death like a puppet on a string.

"roar!"

The old hunchback roared, no longer recognizing Old Wang or Old Li.

In his eyes, this was just a piece of moving pork belly.

Old Tuo abandoned Gu Yan, turned around, opened his arms, and gave Elder Wang, who rushed over, a warm hug.

"Snap!"

A sound of bones cracking rang out.

Elder Wang's only remaining arm was broken off by Elder Tuo the instant they made contact.

"Ahhhhh!"

Elder Wang let out a pig-like scream, his survival instincts erupting completely.

He stopped trying to wake Old Camel and instead spat out a dark green bead.

That was his natal magic weapon, the Azure Poison Pearl.

"burst!"

A fierce glint flashed in Elder Wang's eyes.

"Boom!"

The Jade Poison Pearl exploded between the two, enveloping them in a thick cloud of poisonous mist.

This poisonous fog is extremely corrosive; it even makes the rocks on the ground hiss as they are corroded.

Taking advantage of the recoil from the explosion, Elder Wang finally broke free from Gu Yan's control, flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out blood.

The old camel was also blasted back a few steps by the blow, and most of the stratum corneum on his body was peeled off, revealing the bright red flesh underneath.

But instead of collapsing, he became even more violent due to the excruciating pain.

The red fog grew thicker.

Realized red tentacles kept emerging from the cracks in the ground, greedily licking the blood from the earth.

"Now! Let's go!"

Gu Yan grabbed Li Qingge, who was standing next to him, and while the two dogs were fighting, he ran wildly toward the entrance of the main hall.

"Don't turn around! No matter what you hear, don't turn around!"

Gu Yan sensed that there seemed to be countless eyes staring at him from within the red mist behind him.

In his mind, the female corpse's spirit urged anxiously, "Hurry! The seal on that demonic sword can't hold anymore! If you don't go in soon, you'll all turn into mindless monsters like this!"

Ten zhang, five zhang, three zhang...

The open stone gate of the main hall was right in front of us.

However, just as the two were about to step across the threshold...

A sharp, piercing sound came from behind.

It wasn't Old Tuo, nor was it Elder Wang.

It was a broken sword.

A broken sword that was controlled by the red mist and flew up on its own.

Its speed was incredible, heading straight for Li Qingge's back.

At this moment, Li Qingge's old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet arisen, so she had no time to dodge.

"Be careful!"

Gu Yan hesitated for a moment, then instinctively shoved to the side, knocking Li Qingge into the gate.

"Pfft!"

The broken sword pierced the flesh.

Gu Yan groaned, his left shoulder bleeding profusely.

The broken sword pierced through his shoulder, and the enormous impact propelled him forward, causing him to crash heavily onto the cold floor of the hall.

"Gu Changsheng!"

Li Qingge rolled over and got up, ignoring her injuries, and helped Gu Yan up.

"Close the door! Close the door now!"

Gu Yan winced in pain, shoved Li Qingge aside, and roared at the slowly closing stone door.

Outside the door, Old Camel had already rushed out of the poisonous fog.

He was covered in blood, missing an ear, and had a huge hole blown in his chest, but he felt nothing and continued to charge madly toward the door. (Looking for something to read? Check out these fantasy novel recommendations!)

Behind him, the red mist seemed to come alive, transforming into hideous human faces that followed closely behind.

"rise!"

Li Qingge placed her hands on the mechanism, pouring all the remaining spiritual energy in her body into it without reservation.

"Rumble..."

The heavy stone gate closed more quickly.

As the old camel drew closer, its last remaining claw pierced the crack in the stone gate just before it was about to close!

"Squeak~"

The stone gate groaned under the strain.

The claw, as if cast in steel, firmly jammed the stone door, preventing it from closing.

Old Tuo's shattered face was pressed against the crack in the door, one blood-red eye staring intently at the two people inside, a strange, hoarse laugh emanating from his throat.

"...Open the door..."

Red mist seeped in through the crack in the door.

Gu Yan's consciousness began to blur, and the blood in his body was boiling.

"You son of a bitch! You're asking for it, aren't you?!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Gu Yan's eyes.

He endured the excruciating pain in his shoulder and took out a porcelain bottle from his storage bag.

That was his preparedness measure; the porcelain bottle contained corpse oil, which was extremely poisonous and highly flammable.

"Princess! Fire!"

Gu Yan smashed the porcelain bottle hard against the sharp claw stuck in the door crack.

"Snapped!"

The porcelain bottle shattered, and black corpse oil splattered all over Old Camel's face and body.

Li Qingge understood immediately, and with a flick of her finger, a wisp of pure flame shot out.

"call!"

Corpse oil is flammable when exposed to fire.

The black flames devoured the claw and quickly spread along the arm to Old Camel's entire body.

"Aww!!!"

Soon, a heart-wrenching scream came from outside the door.

Old Tuo could no longer hold on and withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted.

"boom!"

With no obstruction, the stone gate finally slammed shut.

As the last gap disappeared, all the roars, red mist, and carnage were shut out from the heavy stone gate.

Inside the main hall, only Gu Yan's heavy breathing and the dripping sound of blood falling onto the floor remained.

"We survived..."

Gu Yan stood on the ground, staring at the closed door, a smile on his face that looked more like a grimace.

He looked down at his left shoulder.

The broken sword was still stuck in the wound, and the flesh around the wound had turned black, sizzling and emitting black smoke.

The lingering poisonous red mist clinging to the sword was attempting to erode his meridians.

"Don't move."

Li Qingge knelt beside him, her voice trembling slightly.

She reached out, wanting to help Gu Yan pull out his sword, but hesitated to do so.

"Don't pull it out."

A gentle voice suddenly rang out from the depths of the hall.

"This sword carries the evil aura of the mortal world. If it is forcibly pulled out, his entire left arm will be ruined."

The two looked up at the same time.

The half-human, half-skeletal Sword Venerable had somehow returned to his seat in the center of the training ground.

He was holding a new book and quietly looking this way.

The enormous demonic sword, Wuwang, hovered within the pillar of fire behind him, appearing much quieter.

"senior……"

Gu Yan struggled to sit up, but was gently pressed down by the Burial Sword Venerable.

"Lie down."

The Sword Burial Venerable said calmly, "You have won. Although the methods were despicable and the process was ugly, those outsiders have become sacrifices, and the seal has been temporarily stabilized."

He paused, his gaze falling on Gu Yan's shoulder, which was bleeding black blood, and a strange light flashed in his one intact eye.

"Kid, you were quite skilled at using the substitution technique and causal attraction just now. Which unorthodox sect are you a disciple of?"

Gu Yan gave a wry smile and said weakly, "Senior, you flatter me. I come from a respectable family. It's just that my family was poor when I was young, so I learned some paper-making skills to make a living. You see, it's always good to have more skills."

"Paper-crafting technique..."

The Sword Burial Venerable nodded thoughtfully and said in a deep voice, "To be able to cultivate such a mortal skill to the point of touching the edge of the rules, you can be considered a freak."

He stood up and slowly walked to Gu Yan.

As he approached, a cool breeze wafted over him, and the excruciating pain in Gu Yan's shoulder lessened considerably.

"Stretch out your hand."

"That's what the Sword Burial Venerable said."

Gu Yan hesitated for a moment, but still obediently extended his right hand.

The Sword Burial Venerable did not touch him, but simply extended a skeletal finger, drew a complex rune in the void, and then gently touched Gu Yan's brow.

"Buzz!"

A buzzing sound filled Gu Yan's mind.

A massive flow of information surged into his mind like a flood bursting its banks.

Those were not martial arts techniques or sword moves, but rather a series of images.

The scene depicts a young swordsman struggling in the mortal world, navigating through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, going from high spirits to being betrayed and abandoned by everyone, and finally severing his own emotional ties with the help of that demonic sword.

Clearly, that was the life of the Sword Burial Venerable.

"This is..." Gu Yan's eyes widened.

"This is my path," Venerable Burial Sword withdrew his hand, looking somewhat weary. "I will not teach you swordsmanship because your heart is not in the sword. I will not teach you cultivation because that would be forcing growth."

"I'm sharing my life's lessons with you. Whether you can glean anything from them, or dispel the evil aura on your shoulders, depends entirely on your own destiny."

After saying that, he turned around, no longer looking at Gu Yan, and waved to the two of them with his back to them.

"Let's go."

"There is a secret passage behind the main hall that leads directly outside. The demonic sword will become restless again in an hour, and then this place will cease to exist."

"Senior..." Li Qingge couldn't help but ask, "And what about you?"

The figure of the Sword Burial Venerable appeared somewhat desolate, yet also somewhat relieved.

"I?"

He chuckled softly and looked up at the giant sword bound with chains.

"I am its lock, and also its soul. When the lock breaks, the soul naturally dissipates."

"Go, don't let my efforts be in vain. If you have the chance in the future, remember to burn incense for Hongmei and tell her... I'm sorry to her."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall began to tremble slightly.

A wall behind the training ground slowly cracked open, revealing a deep passage.

Gu Yan gritted his teeth and endured the excruciating pain as he got up from the ground.

He took a deep look at the half-human, half-skeletal figure.

"Princess, let's go."

Gu Yan stood up and, with Li Qingge's support, walked step by step toward the secret passage.

Just as the two were about to step into the secret passage.

Gu Yan suddenly stopped and turned around to call out:

"Senior! Actually, that female corpse... that is, your wife, just told me that she doesn't hate you anymore!"

The figure of the Sword Burial Venerable suddenly froze.

Gu Yan didn't linger any longer and pulled Li Qingge into the secret passage.

In the darkness, Gu Yan wiped the cold sweat from the corner of his eyes.

"You were just lying to him, weren't you?" Li Qingge asked in a low voice.

"So what if I lied?"

Gu Yan grinned, which aggravated his wound, causing him to twitch in pain.

"Don't you understand the concept of a white lie? Let him leave in peace; consider it a lesson we've learned."

He wasn't telling the truth.

There were no roars, no curses.

Only a faint sigh lingered in the depths of Gu Yan's consciousness.

……

Inside the main hall.

The Sword Burial Venerable remained standing there, motionless for a long time.

Until the hidden door was completely closed.

He slowly turned around, looked at the empty hall, and a relieved smile appeared on his lips.

"Don't you hate me anymore...?"

"That's good...that's good..."

He opened his arms and embraced the pillar of fire that was gushing from the ground.

"boom!"

Flames shot into the sky.

The half-human, half-skeletal figure melted away little by little in the raging flames, turning into countless golden specks of light that merged into the pitch-black demonic sword.

The demonic sword let out a mournful cry, then its light faded and it slowly sank into the depths of the earth.

The entire underground palace began to collapse.

On those ruins, two figures could be vaguely seen embracing each other, then vanished with the wind.

A feud spanning a thousand years has finally faded into nothingness.

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