Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 38 Deceiving Heaven and Earth, Paper Gods

With the City God Temple collapsing, the hearts of the people in Changning County were filled with anxiety.

Although the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared, the chilling aura emanating from the ruins sent shivers down the spines of passersby.

Rumors spread like wildfire. Some said the City God was angry, others said demons from underground had escaped. As a result, everyone stayed indoors, and even Gu Yan's business became much quieter.

Gu Yan stood at the shop entrance, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

In his current Qi Refining stage vision, a thin layer of haze floats over Changning County.

That was the residual evil energy leaked out after the earthquake last night. If it is not dealt with, a plague will break out in the city within three days, and the people will suffer from nightmares.

"Boss Gu, you're a craftsman, you know so much, what should we do?"

Grandma Wang, who sells tofu, came over with a worried look on her face, carrying a basket: "My little grandson cried all night, saying he dreamed that a big black snake ate people. I can't live like this anymore."

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

This is no dream; it's clearly a case of one's soul being corrupted by the yin energy of the earth.

"Don't panic, ma'am."

Gu Yan revealed a mysterious smile, his voice steady and powerful, carrying a reassuring charm:

"Although the City God Temple has collapsed, the divine body remains. It's just that the statues are destroyed, leaving the deity nowhere to reside, which causes the evil energy to leak out. As long as the golden statues are rebuilt and the deity is invited back to its place, the weather will naturally be favorable."

"Rebuild the golden statue?" Granny Wang was stunned. "That would require hiring a master craftsman, and it would cost a fortune. How could it be done in such a short time?"

"Neither gold nor silver, nor mud and stone."

Gu Yan turned around and pointed to the dazzling array of paper figures behind him:

"I, Gu, am unworthy, but I am willing to use this room full of papers to temporarily create a divine form for the City God and suppress evil spirits."

If someone else said that, they would be considered crazy.

But Gu Yan had just sewn up the corpse of the young master of the Iron Fist Sect to send him off, and his reputation was already well-known. In addition, his inexplicable otherworldly temperament made Granny Wang believe him to be 80% true.

Night fell, and the auspicious hour had arrived.

Gu Yan had a high platform built on the open space in front of the ruins of the City God Temple.

Below the stage, a large crowd of people, holding torches and looking anxious, gathered.

Zhao Feng, leading a team of constables to maintain order, looked at Gu Yan on the stage with curiosity in his eyes.

He knew that this Boss Gu had some tricks up his sleeve, but this paper figure used to suppress evil spirits was far too mystical.

On the high platform, Gu Yan, dressed in white with flowing sleeves, looked like a banished immortal.

Before him lay a massive skeleton, made of century-old peach wood struck by lightning, covered with a layer of gold paper soaked in a special potion.

Gu Yan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and the spiritual energy within his body began to circulate along a strange path.

This is not a simple paper-making exercise; he is mobilizing that profound and mysterious master's intent, as well as that core talent called "Deceiving Heaven and Earth".

Once this technique is used, even the fake becomes real.

Gu Yan picked up his brush, dipped it in ink mixed with cinnabar and gold powder, and made the first stroke on the hollow facial contours.

This time, he did not use spiritual power to forcibly infuse the energy, but instead used an almost devout rhythm to weave and cut.

The brushstrokes flow freely, and the lips murmur:

"Paper cutting is the skin, and countless forms of skin are drawn, leaving all living beings in a daze."

As the first incantation was uttered, the originally flat gold paper seemed to come alive, and with the strokes of the pen, it developed the texture of skin.

That is the skin of God, majestic and dignified.

"Use bamboo as the frame, and raise the spine three feet high; even ghosts and gods will fear it."

As the second incantation was uttered, the peach wood skeleton struck by lightning emitted a series of soft crackling sounds, as if someone was stretching their muscles and bones.

Those are the bones of God, upright and incorruptible, supporting the world.

"With ink as its soul, a single thread steals the secrets of heaven, transforming the false into the true!"

The last sentence was like a thunderclap.

Gu Yan pressed the tip of his pen heavily against the paper figure's brow.

Master-level core talent [Deceitful] activated.

The paper figure has gained temporary divinity.

Using paper as a shell, one can paint the skin and bones but not the soul; stealing the likenesses of all beings, one mistakes the false for the true, and even the true becomes false.

[Using bamboo as its frame, it stands tall between heaven and earth, yet struggles to establish its own destiny. Borrowing the power of heaven and earth, it finds that where there is nothing, there is something; where there is something, there is nothing.]

[Born with spiritual essence, it can deceive even the most discerning eyes of gods and Buddhas; this is the principle of "where there is nothing, there is something; where there is something, there is nothing."]

The moment I put pen to paper, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

"call!"

Suddenly, a whirlwind swept across the entire platform, causing the paper-mache City God statue, which was ten feet tall, to flutter in the wind.

The next moment, in everyone's eyes, it was no longer a pile of cheap paper and bamboo.

"boom!"

A grand, majestic, and inviolable aura emanated from the paper figure.

The official robes made of gold paper transformed into real brocade cloud patterns, billowing in the wind.

The painted eyes seemed to radiate divine light, conveying both compassion and majesty as they looked down upon the masses below.

This is a false character.

At that moment, it deceived the wind, the evil aura, and even the five senses and six perceptions of everyone present.

Unless there were cultivators at or above the Foundation Establishment stage, in the eyes of everyone present, this was the true descent of a god!

"The City God... has appeared!"

Someone shouted first, their voice trembling and choked with sobs.

Immediately afterwards, the people below the stage knelt down like wheat being harvested, and the sounds of kowtowing and prayers echoed through the night sky, forming a huge wave of sound.

"May the City God bless us!"

"Drive away evil spirits and ensure the peace and tranquility of Changning!"

As the people knelt in worship, Gu Yan was surprised to find that wisps of white light, barely visible to the naked eye, floated out from above each person's head, converging on the paper city god like rivers flowing into the sea.

That's the power of incense and prayers!

The paper figure, which originally only possessed a false aura, actually developed a trace of divinity after absorbing these wishes.

It slowly raised its slightly stiff arm and gently pressed it into the void.

"Buzz!"

A visible golden ripple spread outwards from the high platform.

Wherever the golden light passed, the chilling aura that made people uneasy instantly melted away, and the black smoke rising from the ruins was swept away.

The streets became clear and bright, and even the children who had been crying incessantly at home seemed to feel some kind of warm comfort, stopping their crying and falling asleep peacefully.

Everyone present believed it to be a miracle, a true miracle.

Gu Yan stood in the shadows behind the paper figure, feeling the originally restless Blood River Heart. Because of the cleansing power of this will, it had become much more docile, and even the realm he had just broken through had become more stable.

He was overjoyed inside, but on the surface he maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

The ceremony is complete.

With a wave of his sleeve, Gu Yan caused the divine light in the Paper City God's eyes to slowly fade, transforming back into a beautifully crafted paper replica, standing quietly on the high platform, yet still retaining its imposing presence.

"The evil aura has been dispelled. This Dharma body will remain here for seven days. Receiving incense offerings for seven days will ensure three years of peace and tranquility."

After saying this, Gu Yan ignored everyone's attempts to persuade him to stay and their tearful kneeling in gratitude, turned around, walked down from the platform, and disappeared into the vast night.

When I went to the clothes, I learned the name and the name.

Of course, the most important reason for leaving so quickly was that he needed to hurry back and study how to use the unexpected incense offerings and prayers to maximize their benefits.

Back in the shop, Gu Yan closed the door and let out a long sigh of relief.

His fingers were still trembling, not from exhaustion, but from excitement.

"Deceiving heaven and earth... So this is the correct way to do it."

Gu Yan looked at his hands, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented ambition.

He used to only want to be a wealthy man and seek immortality.

But now, the road has widened.

"If I could create 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals out of paper and give them false identities, wouldn't I be able to stage a real havoc in the Heavenly Palace in this world of cultivation?"

The common people worship the City God and offer incense.

And these incense sticks, after being transformed through the paper images, will eventually become nourishment for Gu Yan's cultivation of his soul.

From today onwards, Gu Yan will not need to leave his home. As long as the people of Changning County continue to burn incense, his cultivation level will increase day and night, like a snowball rolling downhill.

As the night wind blew, the lights of Changning County shone even brighter than usual after the rain.

In that dimly lit place, a paper craftsman who had just embarked on the path of immortality was sketching out a magnificent blueprint in his mind that could overturn the world of cultivation.