Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 22 The Final Touch, A Divine Consecration on Paper

The night was deep, and the rain had not stopped.

Inside the paper-making shop, Gu Yan stood in front of the bamboo frame that was three zhang tall, as if looking up at a towering pagoda.

Because the statue was too huge, he had to remove half of the roof, letting the statue's head peek into the night sky, allowing the drizzle to wet the bamboo frame that had not yet been covered with paper, as if it were receiving a baptism from heaven and earth.

Gu Yan's hands were very steady. Every time he applied the paste and pasted each sheet of Xuan paper, it had a strange rhythm.

He is creating a god.

Or rather, he was weaving a huge lie.

The blueprints Bai Ling provided were full of evil and distortion, but Gu Yan did not copy them completely.

He used his profound understanding of human anatomy to fine-tune the proportions of the skeleton.

He made this "White Lotus Mother" look more compassionate and merciful to the world. Her gentle and submissive demeanor was enough to make even the most hard-hearted believers weep.

But the more compassionate the appearance, the deeper the hidden murderous intent.

Inside the statue's abdominal cavity, Gu Yan used red thread soaked in black dog blood to weave an extremely complex "Reverse Gathering of Evil Array".

Ordinary evil-gathering formations absorb resentment to strengthen themselves, while this reverse formation is like a pressure cooker that only takes in but doesn't let out.

Once the absorbed resentment exceeds a critical point, it will release a dazzling fireworks display with a "bang".

When the last piece of gold paper was pasted on the forehead of the statue, Gu Yan stopped.

It's just missing the final touch.

This is the most crucial step in the paper-making technique.

In the past, Gu Yan only did the eye-dotting to make the paper figure look like a living person.

But now, after countless brushes with death and the baptism of the Yin Sha Yuan Dan, he has gained new insights into this craft.

All things have a spirit, and paper can also communicate with the divine.

Even if it's fake, as long as it fools the eyes and senses, it becomes real.

Gu Yan took a deep breath and activated the "Concealing Breath Turtle-Snake Technique," focusing all his energy and spirit into the tip of his pen.

Instead of using ordinary ink, he used a bit of gold dust he had found in the Black Dragon Gang's treasury that night, mixed with his own fingertip blood.

With a stroke of the pen, a soul comes to life.

hum.

The moment the pen left the paper, Gu Yan felt as if a window in his mind had been pierced.

The enormous statue of the Virgin Mary, illuminated by the dim candlelight, actually "looked" at him.

His eyes were filled with compassion and depth, yet they also held a chilling emptiness.

Even though Gu Yan was its creator, he was forced back half a step by this oppressive aura that appeared out of nowhere.

At the same time, a familiar panel flashed wildly before his eyes, gleaming with golden light.

[Creating a giant sacrificial puppet: the False White Lotus Saint Mother.]

[A qualitative leap in skill!]

[Papercrafting skill level upgrade: Master (0/5000)]

[Gain core talent: Deceit and Deception.]

[Deceitful and Misleading: The paper figures you created possess "false attributes." For a certain period, they can completely simulate the aura and pressure of a real creature, and even bear a small amount of incense offerings and prayers. Unless one's cultivation level is two major levels higher than yours, no one can see through their inanimate nature.]

It worked as expected.

Gu Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a look of wild joy appearing on his lips.

Master level.

From then on, he no longer made paper figures, but "stand-ins".

If he wanted, he could even create a "Gu Yan" to guard the shop, while his real body would disappear thousands of miles away.

This is the ultimate secret of the Way of the Dead.

……

The rain has finally stopped at Tiangangliang.

A cacophony of voices and the sound of gongs and drums could be heard from outside the door.

The people from the White Spirit Cult have arrived.

Bai Yunfei was dressed even more formally today, followed by dozens of strong men carrying a huge base.

"Master Gu, how's it going?"

Bai Yunfei strode into the shop, his tone arrogant.

But when he looked up and saw the enormous statue standing in the morning light, he froze instantly.

So beautiful, so real.

The golden light emanating from the statue seemed innate, and the compassion in its eyes even stirred within him, the leader of the swindlers, an urge to prostrate himself in worship.

"This...this is a miracle!"

Bai Yunfei trembled with excitement. He circled the statue several times, reaching out to touch it, but dared not, for fear of blaspheming the deity.

"Master Gu! I never knew you possessed such extraordinary skills! Excellent! Truly wonderful!"

He originally just wanted to make a decent prop to fool the people, but he didn't expect Gu Yan to give him a "true god".

With this statue, today's religious ceremony will definitely reap countless fanatical believers.

Gu Yan was slumped in a chair, looking utterly exhausted and drained.

"I'm glad Master Bai is satisfied... I sacrificed ten years of my lifespan and poured my heart and soul into this statue..."

"A generous reward! A truly substantial reward!"

Bai Yunfei waved his hand and had a box of silver, weighing three hundred taels, brought in.

He now finds Gu Yan extremely pleasing to the eye; such a skilled and obedient craftsman must be won over.

"Guards, prepare to depart! We respectfully welcome the Holy Mother's arrival!"

Dozens of strong men chanted slogans as they carefully carried the huge paper statue out.

Gu Yan stood at the door, holding the silver in his hands, a humble smile on his face, watching as this "extra-large bomb" was escorted towards the square in the city center.

"Master Gu, aren't you going to the Buddhist ceremony? I heard they distribute holy water there."

Aunt Wang from next door passed by and kindly asked a question.

"No, no."

Gu Yan shook his head and said meaningfully, "I'm not destined for such great fortune. Besides... that scene is too lively, I'm afraid of making noise."

He turned around and went back into the house, closed the shop door, and even stuffed two wads of cotton into his ears.

……

At noon, the yang energy is at its peak.

The square in the center of Changning County was packed with people.

Thousands of people knelt on the ground, chanting fervently, "Eternal Mother, True Homeland."

In the center of the square, the towering statue of the White Lotus Mother, standing three zhang tall, gleams in the sunlight.

Bai Yunfei stood at the foot of the statue, holding a ritual bell and chanting incantations.

As he chanted his incantation, the spiritual energy and vitality of the believers were drawn out by the formation, forming white mist in all directions.

All the white vapor surged wildly into the statue's body.

The statue's eyes shone even brighter, emanating a suffocating pressure.

"This is God! We are about to witness the coming of the true God!"

Bai Yunfei roared wildly.

However, just as that power of will reached its peak, about to completely activate the statue.

The benevolent smile on the statue suddenly froze.

Under the guise of master-level paper-crafting skills, the "Reverse Gathering of Evil Array" inside its abdominal cavity has always been like a greedy black hole, accepting all comers.

At this point, the black hole was full.

"Click."

A crisp sound of tearing cloth rang out sharply from the silent square.

Everyone looked up in horror.

Suddenly, the originally flat abdomen of the statue of the Virgin Mary swelled up violently, as if she were ten months pregnant.

Immediately afterwards, grotesque black lines began to appear on the gilded surface, as if it were crawling with venomous snakes.

"The Virgin Mary...the Virgin Mary appeared to us?"

Some people are still asking this question.

"Show off your grandpa."

Several streets away, Gu Yan took a sip of tea and uttered a single word softly.

"burst."

Boom!!!

A deafening roar, a hundred times louder than the spring thunder of last night, filled the air.

The statue of the Virgin Mary, which carried the wishes and resentment of thousands of people, exploded in full view of everyone.

Instead of exploding into pieces, it transformed into countless black paper butterflies at the moment of the explosion due to the opposing airflow inside.

The paper butterflies burned with green phosphorescent light, like a grand meteor shower of will-o'-the-wisps, covering the entire square.

Bai Yunfei, who was closest to the blast, was the first to be hit and was thrown away by the shockwave. His snow-white clothes were burned and torn, and he looked like a drowned rat.

Even more terrifying, as the statue collapsed, the spiritual energy that had been forcibly extracted instantly backfired.

The kneeling believers felt a sharp pain in their heads, as if waking from a dream. Their fervent worship vanished instantly, replaced by deep fear and confusion.

"This is... divine retribution!"

"It's divine retribution! This isn't a true god, it's a demon!"

Someone shouted something, and the crowd instantly erupted into chaos, scattering in all directions, crying and screaming.

The elaborate deification ceremony meticulously planned by the White Spirit Cult turned into a complete farce amidst a dazzling display of "fireworks."

In the paper shop.

Gu Yan felt the vibrations coming from the ground and heard the muffled thuds that could be heard even with cotton stuffed in. He nodded in satisfaction.

Those three hundred taels of silver were well spent.

Create chaos and crush cult beliefs.

[Paper-making skill experience +1000.]

Gu Yan put down his teacup, picked up his carving knife, and continued to carve a piece of rotten wood in his hand.

With this explosion, the White Spirit Cult can no longer operate in Changning County.

As for whether suspicion will fall on him?

How could that be?

Who would believe that an honest, unassuming craftsman who only makes paper figures could possess such extraordinary abilities?

If anyone's to blame, blame it on the unpredictability of fate, or on that savior who overindulged.