From Paper Craftsman to World-Suppressing Immortal

Zhang Zhixuan dived alone into the bottom of Huishui Bay, and the sight before him sent chills down his spine.

As far as the eye can see, layers upon layers of white bones are piled up like hills, buried in silt, which is chilling.

Among these skeletons are human skulls and leg bones, as well as the bones of cattle, horses, and other livestock. The white expanse covers the entire bottom of the water. Some skeletons still have tattered clothes hanging on them. Judging from the style, there are short jackets from the Great Xia Dynasty, long robes from the two dynasties, and even various rusted fragments of weapons and armor. Clearly, people have been dying here for hundreds of years, and their remains have sunk to the bottom of the water.

Zhang Zhixuan also discovered that most of these skeletons were incomplete, covered with bite marks, and pitted, suggesting that some kind of monster had gathered there.

Zhang Zhixuan wondered if someone from the disappearances that had occurred in the past two weeks might have already perished here, becoming just one of many skeletons.

Just as Zhang Zhixuan was briefly lost in thought, a figure appeared in his line of sight.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the headless scholar.

Zhang Zhixuan remained vigilant, keeping a certain distance from the other party and carefully observing its every move.

After a brief standoff between the man and the ghost, the headless scholar flashed and reappeared a little further away.

After moving a certain distance, it stopped again, as if waiting.

Zhang Zhixuan immediately realized what was happening and commanded the Xuanwu puppet to follow.

Following the headless scribe's figure, Zhang Zhixuan swam a distance deeper into the water. A huge black cave appeared before him, with an entrance about ten feet wide. The inside was pitch black, and he wondered what might be hidden there.

The headless figure stopped at the cave entrance, then vanished again.

After staring at the cave for a moment, Zhang Zhixuan was about to send the Xuanwu puppet into the cave to explore.

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

"Snoring..."

Suddenly, dense bubbles emerged from the depths of the cave, followed by countless dark figures swarming out of the cave!

Zhang Zhixuan stared intently and was immediately alarmed. It was the same kind of huge, fanged, and ferocious-looking fish he had encountered at the bottom of the canal earlier.

They were densely packed, like a black tide, with mouths full of sharp teeth, rushing towards Zhang Zhixuan like madmen. There were at least a hundred of them!

Given the distance and the sheer number of enemies, Zhang Zhixuan knew there was no way to avoid it. He immediately lay down on the massive tortoise shell of the Xuanwu puppet and unleashed the Demon-Slaying Sword Intent.

"You beast!"

Zhang Zhixuan let out a low shout, and the Demon-Slaying Sword Intent erupted instantly. Golden sword energy exploded in the water, and the dozen or so strange fish at the forefront were instantly cleaved in two. The foul-smelling fish blood and bits of flesh instantly stained the surrounding river red. The surrounding strange fish smelled the blood and immediately pounced to tear apart the corpses of their dead kin.

However, the number of strange fish this time was simply too large, and Zhang Zhixuan could not possibly repeat his previous trick.

Zhang Zhixuan steeled his resolve and simply commanded the Xuanwu paper puppet, charging forward. The Xuanwu puppet's enormous claws swung up and down, instantly tearing any monster fish that approached to shreds. At the same time, with each monster fish killed, the River Patrol Envoy's proficiency increased.

But there were just too many strange fish, one after another, as if they could never be killed.

These creatures knew no fear, no pain, and were fearless in the face of death. Even after their kin were torn apart, the others still pounced on Zhang Zhixuan like madmen.

Relying on the passive characteristics of the River Patrol Envoy and the size and powerful defense of the Xuanwu Puppet, Zhang Zhixuan fought and retreated in the water.

In just a short while, his clothes and flesh were torn in several places by the monster fish's sharp teeth, and he was about to be unable to withstand it.

Just then, the headless scholar reappeared underwater, and at the same time, a clear, resonant chant, carrying the air of war and battle, suddenly rang out from the bottom of the water.

"Drunk, I pick up my sword by lamplight; in my dreams, I hear bugles echoing through the camps! Eight hundred miles of roasted meat are distributed among my troops; fifty strings of music resound beyond the border; autumn review of troops on the battlefield!"

As the verses were recited, countless golden characters burst forth from the headless figure, like sharp swords, sweeping towards the strange fish with the force of a thousand armies!

Wherever the golden light passed, those ferocious monster fish instantly turned into dust, leaving not even a drop of blood behind. The fish tide composed of hundreds of monster fish was wiped out in the blink of an eye!

The water returned to calm, with only the headless figure standing there silently and Zhang Zhixuan looking disheveled.

"Thank you for your help, senior." Zhang Zhixuan bowed and clasped his hands in thanks to the headless scholar.

This time he finally confirmed that the headless ghost was a righteous cultivator who had entered the Dao through literature and whose heart and destiny were governed by literature.

The headless scholar did not respond to Zhang Zhixuan's thanks, but pointed to the dark cave in front of him, and then disappeared again.

Zhang Zhixuan composed himself and immediately led the Xuanwu paper puppet into the cave.

The cave was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside, like a huge underwater palace. The further you went in, the more skeletons you found, and the more murky the water became.

Reaching the deepest part of the cave, Zhang Zhixuan finally saw what was inside. It was a huge, gourd-shaped thing, pitch black all over, with a viscous, slippery liquid covering its surface. It was pulsating and wriggling, as if it were a living creature.

Beside the giant gourd lay a decaying skeleton dressed in a Taoist robe, holding a sword hilt in its hand.

Zhang Zhixuan stepped forward, picked up the long sword from the withered bone's hand, and examined it closely. The sword was covered with Taoist talismans and cloud-like characters on its hilt and blade. It was unknown how many years it had been submerged here, but the blade still gleamed coldly and its sharpness remained undiminished.

"What a fine sword!" Zhang Zhixuan exclaimed.

After speaking, he respectfully bowed to the skeleton in the Taoist robe: "This junior, Zhang Zhixuan, humbly requests permission from senior to use your magic sword to slay demons and monsters, and to complete the unfinished work of senior!"

After Zhang Zhixuan finished speaking, his eyes turned cold, he gripped his long sword tightly, and slashed fiercely down at the huge black gourd!

The longsword actually cut a vacuum in the water, and the blade fell down, striking the gourd hard. With a crisp "crack", the black gourd was instantly split open!

A foul-smelling black blood oozed from the gourd's opening, and the gourd struggled violently, suddenly leaping up and fleeing out of the cave.

"Demon, where do you think you're going!" Zhang Zhixuan commanded the Xuanwu puppet to give chase. The gourd monster was injured and fled, dragging its foul-smelling black blood. Its strength gradually gave out, and it was finally caught up by Zhang Zhixuan.

Zhang Zhixuan showed no mercy, brandishing his long sword and striking the gourd monster's wound several times.

Finally, Zhang Zhixuan cleaved the gaps in the gourd monster's body larger and larger, eventually creating a large hole. After struggling a few times, it stopped moving completely and gradually sank down.

Just as Zhang Zhixuan was about to go forward to investigate again, suddenly, one after another, cold corpses slowly floated out from the gap in the gourd monster's body.

One, two...

Ten, twenty...

Zhang Zhixuan's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He finally learned where the missing people had gone.

Zhang Zhixuan dared not delay any longer and immediately turned around and floated towards the surface of the water.

As soon as he broke the surface of the water, he heard Qingxuan and Wuming gasp in shock.

When Zhang Zhixuan turned around, his blood almost froze.

The entire backwater bay was covered with corpses, stretching as far as the eye could see, numbering at least several hundred!

On the dark, murky river, a mass of white corpses floated, a horrifying and chilling sight.

"this……"

Qingxuan's voice trembled, and the rest of his words seemed stuck in his throat. Wuming's face was also filled with unconcealed shock.

Just then, the entire backwater bay suddenly began to shake violently!

It was as if a massive underwater earthquake had occurred. The river water surged and towering waves crashed, tossing the floating corpses up and down. The entire riverbank trembled slightly!

"Oh no! Something's coming up from underwater!" everyone exclaimed in horror.