The Mysterious Card Maker: Starting with Zhang Jiao's Deification

The struggle on the bridge is now coming to an end.

Those eerie creatures bearing the mark disappeared one by one into the cracks, leaving only those who were not qualified.

They roared and rushed toward the crack.

"Let me in!"

"Why not me!"

The remaining strange creatures, like moths to a flame, rushed into the crevice.

"Bang bang bang"

A series of sounds exploded on the water's surface.

Until the last, unwilling eeriness exploded at the bridgehead, the shore fell silent once more.

Lin Fan jumped down from the tree. He didn't rush forward. He felt around and a card appeared at his fingertips.

Zhang Jiao, the Great Teacher

Lin Fan flipped the card over and over, his gaze wandering across the surface. He searched for that fleeting mark he had seen before, that eye covered in thorns.

But on that card, there was nothing but Zhang Jiao.

Just as Lin Fan was deciding whether or not to go up.

A "crack" sound came from the crack, and the crack began to close.

Lin Fan glanced down at the card in his hand, gritted his teeth, and strode off quickly toward the bridge.

The instant he landed on the bridge, Lin Fan's pupils suddenly contracted, and a dark pattern on the card surface seemed to be summoned, seeping out from the card.

Suddenly, an eye covered in thorns appeared.

"As expected, I was right." Lin Fan no longer hesitated and quickened his pace.

The crack gradually closed, becoming narrower and narrower until only one person could pass through. At this moment, the bridge beneath their feet began to sink.

Lin Fan gritted his teeth, and with a few final steps, he leaped directly into the rift. Just as his Holy Body managed to squeeze through the rift, the mark on the card lit up, as if confirming his eligibility.

The next moment, Lin Fan stepped into the crevice. Before him was an empty area with cracked ground and howling winds.

Not far away, a huge phantom stone gate suddenly appeared, and the four characters on it made Lin Fan's heart tremble.

"The first level of the underworld."

Just as he was about to get closer, he could sense that someone was watching him.

Immediately, a cold voice echoed in his mind. It was not human language, but it could be understood.

[The mark has not yet been opened; pursue it.]

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan's pupils constricted sharply. Before he could say anything, a terrifying shockwave sent him flying straight back the way he came.

"Thump"

Lin Fan was slammed heavily onto the shore.

"Pfft!" He spat out a mouthful of blood.

He rolled twice on the ground before finally lying on his back, completely dazed. "What was that thing?!"

When he came to his senses and looked in the direction of the crack again, the crack had disappeared, and even the bridge had vanished without a trace.

"The mark hasn't been activated, so should we expel it?" Lin Fan muttered to himself, a glint of light appearing in his eyes. "I see!"

He recalled what he had heard during the previous wave of strange events: "Only those marked who survive the next wave will receive a great opportunity!"

That's why he couldn't get inside.

Lin Fan slowly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said in a low voice:

"So only those who survive the next wave of strange events are qualified to enter the 'first level of the underworld'?"

"The first level of the underworld!" Lin Fan repeated, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. "Since there's a 'first level of the underworld,' are there seventeen more levels below it?"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly seemed to remember something and subconsciously looked towards the shore of the "Pond of Helplessness".

With such a commotion, neither Su Wanqing nor Da Niu showed up. Where did they go? A sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

"Da Niu, Miss Su," Lin Fan called out loudly, but no one answered.

The entire area was deserted, except for him.

"Could it be that it's been entangled by some kind of strange entity..." Lin Fan's gaze swept back and forth. The strange entities that appeared here were not only numerous, but also quite powerful.

With a thought, he subconsciously released his mental energy to investigate, but the moment his mental energy spread out, Lin Fan froze.

"This is......"

His range of perception suddenly expanded!

The mental energy that originally could only cover a radius of tens of meters has now reached a range of hundreds of meters, and is still extending.

Everything around him became exceptionally clear in his perception.

He realized that those strange beings had all been enhanced the moment they entered the rift. Even though he had stayed inside for a while and was quickly expelled, his mental strength had still been enhanced.

"So this is... why those strange creatures want to enter that 'first level of the underworld'!"

Lin Fan's eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly brought his attention back.

That's not the most important thing right now.

He closed his eyes and further expanded his mental energy. A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes!

"Found it."

His gaze was fixed in a certain direction.

There were two familiar presences, standing there motionless, as if waiting for something!

Lin Fan quickly approached in that direction. When he saw the two people, they had strange expressions on their faces, a mixture of laughter and tears, much like people with schizophrenia.

The two of them stood like puppets, but strangely, their shadows moved as if they were alive.

Seeing this, Lin Fan's heart sank, and he blurted out, "Shadow Devouring Demon!"

"This thing can actually devour two people's shadows in such a short time? Just how much has this Shadow Devourer grown?"

Just as Lin Fan was pondering, 'Su Wanqing' spoke up, 'I've said it before, I'll come back again. This time, just give in to me!'

The Shadow Devourer spoke in Su Wanqing's voice. If Lin Fan hadn't known that the "she" at this moment wasn't her, he might have actually been won over by that gentle tone.

At this moment, Da Niu spoke up: "Mr. Lin... don't come any closer, this..."

Before he could finish speaking, Da Niu's mouth was forcibly shut.

"Since you want to come back to die, don't blame me." Lin Fan said this, but he didn't take any further action. He even took a step back.

Unlike the other monsters controlled by the Shadow Devourer, who could be killed directly, Da Niu and Su Wanqing are human beings, living, breathing people. Directly attacking them might hurt them.

"What, you're reluctant? You don't dare to make a move? Then I'll do it!"

"Su Wanqing" said with a smile. With a flick of her wrist, a dagger appeared in her hand, its cold light aimed straight at Lin Fan's throat.

Lin Fan dodged to the side, the dagger slicing past him. Before he could regain his footing, "Big Bull" rushed up and delivered a solid punch to Lin Fan's waist.

Lin Fan grunted and quickly took a few steps back to steady himself.

"Damn it, this body feels so awkward to use." 'Su Wanqing' spat and moved her arm with some disgust.

"This can't go on forever!" Lin Fan thought to himself, his hand already on a corner card.

"Old Zhang, Heaven shall rise!" Lin Fan poured his spiritual power into the card.

The card suddenly jolted! The eye mark covered in thorns that had appeared on the card slowly opened.

Zhang Jiao ignored Lin Fan's advice to use [Yellow Heaven Shall Stand], and instead summoned two bolts of lightning that struck straight down.

"boom!"