From Paper Craftsman to World-Suppressing Immortal

In the dimly lit, dilapidated house, Zhang Zhixuan was about to shake off his wet clothes when suddenly he heard a "crack" under his foot, not knowing what he had stepped on.

Zhang Zhixuan looked down and was immediately horrified. He quickly drew his magic sword and jumped aside.

Right where he had just stood, there lay two stark white skeletons.

Two skeletons were found, one lying face up on a tattered straw mat, and the other lying on its side with its head turned to the side, as if a man and a woman were sleeping peacefully together.

Zhang Zhixuan's kick just now landed on the lower leg of one of the skeletons.

"this……"

Zhang Zhixuan frowned, thinking to himself: "I've just arrived in this precious land, and I've stumbled upon two corpses in a random dilapidated house. I don't know whether to call it bad luck or creepy."

Ignoring the skeletons at his feet, Zhang Zhixuan looked around the dilapidated house. Only then did he realize that this was not an ordinary dilapidated house, but an abandoned temple.

This dilapidated temple has been abandoned for who knows how long. Most of the plaster on the walls has already peeled off, and cracks are faintly visible on the walls. Although many of the roof tiles are broken, only a little wind and rain get in, so at least you don't get wet.

The temple was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the smell of earth.

Inside the dilapidated temple, there was a clay statue of a deity, whose appearance was unknown. The face was broken and indistinct, the left arm of the statue was missing a section, and the right leg was also broken off. The offering table and incense burner were overturned on the ground, covered with a thick layer of dust.

Apart from these things, the temple was completely empty, with nothing else inside.

With torrential rain pouring down outside and nowhere to go, Zhang Zhixuan could only continue to stay in this dilapidated temple for the time being.

"Sorry to bother you."

Zhang Zhixuan bowed to the two skeletons on the ground and the broken statue, then picked up his magic sword and chopped up the offering table, piling the pieces together to build a woodpile.

"Come, start a fire." Zhang Zhixuan summoned the Vermilion Bird puppet and gave the order. A flame shot out and ignited the firewood pile. The dark and cold dilapidated temple became a little brighter and warmer.

Zhang Zhixuan changed out of his soaking wet clothes, draped them near the woodpile, wiped himself off, changed into a dry and neat set of clothes, and sat by the fire to warm himself.

Since there was nothing else to do and it was raining outside so he couldn't go out, Zhang Zhixuan simply took two white flour buns out of his basket, skewered them on sticks, and put them on the fire to roast.

Before long, the aroma wafted out, and the two steamed buns were baked until the outer layer was crispy.

Zhang Zhixuan tore off a steamed bun, sprinkled some salt on it, and ate it while idly looking out of the temple.

The heavy rain fell intermittently for most of the day, and it wasn't until dusk that it finally stopped.

Zhang Zhixuan walked out of the dilapidated temple and ordered the Vermilion Bird puppet to fly into the air so that he could communicate with it and see if there were any uninhabited villages nearby.

Alternatively, they could investigate whether they could locate the town of Peony.

The Vermilion Bird puppet flew far into the air before finally spotting a cluster of houses, but there wasn't a single person in the village. It was unclear whether it was an abandoned village or something else entirely.

After recalling the Vermilion Bird puppet, Zhang Zhixuan calculated the location of the village in his mind, estimating that he could arrive before nightfall. He then packed his belongings and set off again.

After walking for about half an hour, the village finally came into view.

The sun was setting and it was getting dark. Zhang Zhixuan quickened his pace, wanting to get there as soon as possible and find a kind villager to stay with for the night. No matter what, it was better than spending the night in that dilapidated temple with two skeletons.

But as soon as he stepped into the village, he felt that something was wrong with the village.

It was eerily quiet.

There were no people, not even the sounds of roosters crowing, dogs barking, or insects chirping.

"Could it really be an abandoned village? No, if it were an abandoned village, the houses would be dilapidated and the roads would be overgrown with weeds, not this clean."

Zhang Zhixuan frowned, his mind filled with suspicion, and continued walking along the dirt road at the entrance of the village.

However, the further they went in, the more eerie the village seemed.

All that could be seen on both sides of the village were mud-brick walls and black wooden doors, with a white paper lantern made of locust flowers hanging at the door of each household.

The lantern paper was painted with a woman's face that was not clearly visible in red ink. The candlelight inside was not bright yellow, but a faint green light, and it was unknown what kind of fuel was burning inside.

Just then, the sun finally set completely, and darkness enveloped the entire village.

The moment darkness descended upon the earth, the closed doors of the village suddenly opened, and villagers emerged from their houses.

Seeing someone come out, Zhang Zhixuan relaxed a little. He casually approached an old lady and asked, "Grandma, I'm passing through your area and I don't know anyone here. Could I stay the night? I'll pay you."

Before Zhang Zhixuan could finish speaking, the old lady walked away on her own, as if she hadn't seen him at all.

"Maybe it's because I'm old and can't see or hear clearly, it's alright..." Zhang Zhixuan comforted himself, and asked several other people, only to find that they were all in the same situation as the old lady.

"That's strange." Zhang Zhixuan scratched his head, puzzled, and glanced at the houses with their doors open.

This one look was quite alarming; the more I looked, the more unsettling the village seemed.

In the vast village, every household had a clay statue about half a person's height enshrined in the main hall.

The clay figure is of a woman, but it has no complete face. Only where her eyes are, there are two black wooden beads.

Zhang Zhixuan walked along the main road in the village with a frown on his face. He saw the clay statues standing in the main hall facing outwards. As Zhang Zhixuan passed by, it was as if they were all staring at him.

"This village is a bit strange and eerie..."

Zhang Zhixuan was unwilling to linger in this strange village any longer and only wanted to hurry up and leave.

Just then, several clanging sounds of gongs rang out. The next second, all the villagers quickly scrambled back into their houses and slammed the doors shut.

Even the lights inside the house were turned off, leaving only the paper lanterns hanging by the door, which still glowed with a faint green candlelight.

Just as Zhang Zhixuan was puzzled, he suddenly heard the sound of orderly footsteps coming from ahead. The sound was coming towards him and getting closer and closer.

"What's going on...?"

Zhang Zhixuan frowned, just about to hide, when suddenly a few very soft coughs came from behind him.

He turned around and saw a door to a room ajar. A young boy peeked out, waving at him. His face was anxious, but he didn't dare shout, only calling softly, "Big brother, come quick!"

Zhang Zhixuan glanced at the approaching footsteps, then without hesitation, darted into the house.

The moment Zhang Zhixuan entered the room, the young boy quickly closed the door and bolted it.

Zhang Zhixuan was full of questions and was about to ask when the young boy quickly made a shushing gesture and then pointed his finger outwards.

Zhang Zhixuan frowned, squatted down, and carefully peered out through the broken window, just as the boy saw the horrifying scene outside.