From Paper Craftsman to World-Suppressing Immortal

In the town of Peony at night, ten thousand ghosts are unleashed, and the heavens and earth howl in despair.

Countless ghosts and monsters were scattered throughout Peony Town, crashing against the inn where Zhang Zhixuan and his companions were.

The golden protective barrier that Master Lingxu had set up around the inn collapsed, and countless demons and ghosts poured into the inn. Terrifying yin energy and resentment instantly filled the entire inn building.

Pei Shouzhen and Yun Mo immediately closed the doors and windows, and threw out talismans to ward off evil spirits and stick them on the doors and windows.

Several long-tongued ghosts with festering sores were the first to jump onto the window, only to be flung away by the yellow talisman used to ward off evil. But soon, even more ghosts climbed up.

The situation outside the door was not optimistic either. All sorts of ghosts and monsters gathered outside the door, violently ramming the wooden door, which creaked and splintered wood.

Soon, even the talismans used to ward off evil could not stop such a large number of evil creatures. Countless withered and sharp ghost claws reached in from the cracks in the doors and windows, scratching at the door frames and window sills, making a piercing "creaking" sound.

"We can't stay here any longer! We must break out!" Zhang Zhixuan made a decisive decision and shouted loudly. Immediately, Daoist Lingxu and the others responded.

Chu Qinghe kicked open the wooden door, and the shattered door knocked down a large number of ghosts.

But the next second, the ghosts and demons huddled nearby charged at him simultaneously. He swept his broadsword horizontally, instantly cleaving the oncoming horde in half at the waist. The ghosts vanished into ashes, while the demons' poisonous, foul-smelling black blood splattered onto the wooden corridor, sizzling loudly.

"Moo!"

A bull-headed demon, about two meters tall, charged in arrogantly. Chu Qinghe swung his broadsword, severing its neck with a powerful blow. The massive head flew out, crashed into the opposite wall, bounced back, and fell to the ground below. Countless ghosts and demons swarmed forward, instantly tearing the bull-demon's head apart and devouring it.

Zhang Zhixuan, Daoist Lingxu, Pei Shouzhen, and Yunmo followed closely behind Chu Qinghe, each wielding talismans and magical artifacts to slay demons and ghosts.

"Master, there are too many!"

Chu Qinghe acted as the vanguard, but the countless ghosts and monsters were impossible to kill. He would kill two, and eight more would come up. After killing eight, a group of them would rush up. With Chu Qinghe constantly fighting, his physical strength was quickly depleted, and before he knew it, his forehead was covered with a layer of sweat.

"These things are draining us," said Master Lingxu, frowning as he killed a demon with a single sword strike.

Zhang Zhixuan sensed the gravity in Lingxu Daoist's words, and his face also showed a solemn expression.

"Everyone, retreat to my vicinity. I will use paper puppets to clear a path. Please conserve your energy!" Zhang Zhixuan shouted. Upon hearing this, Daoist Lingxu and the others retreated to Zhang Zhixuan's vicinity without hesitation.

Zhang Zhixuan held a magic sword protected by imperial decree, while six paper puppet soldiers covered with talismans for warding off evil spirits and carrying large swords and shields cleared a path in front of him.

The Azure Dragon puppet and the Vermilion Bird puppet hovered above everyone's heads, cooperating with each other. The Azure Dragon puppet commanded thunder and lightning, and the dazzling heavenly thunder continuously bombarded and killed the ghosts and demons. The Vermilion Bird puppet spewed out the Southern Bright Fire, and a large number of ghosts and demons were covered by the flames and immediately turned to ashes amidst their wails.

The white tiger puppet and the paper fairy guarded Zhang Zhixuan and his companions, occasionally fending off attacks from stray ghosts and demons.

The large number of paper puppets that joined the battle immediately played a huge role, and with everyone working closely together, they managed to carve a bloody path through the torrent of ghosts.

When the group finally broke out of the inn, they found themselves facing an even greater crisis.

Without the houses to block their view, Zhang Zhixuan, Lingxu Daoist, and the others were completely exposed to the surrounding ghosts. They were like a lone boat on a raging sea, constantly being attacked by a huge number of ghosts and demons.

Gradually, Zhang Zhixuan's paper puppet soldiers and Four Symbols puppet sculptures began to be damaged. Fortunately, the Paper Fairy worked its magic, and after the paper puppets were damaged, new paper puppets were born under the Paper Fairy's hands.

The endless horde of ghosts and demons, aided by the paper fairy, were relentlessly slaughtered. The paper puppets, too, charged forward one after another, transforming into tireless meat grinders, shredding all the ghosts and demons that rushed at them into pieces.

"Open the Eye of Insight!" Zhang Zhixuan didn't dare to delay for a moment and opened the Eye of Insight, trying to find a breakthrough opportunity in the desperate situation.

In the eyes of the treasure appraiser, the entire town was filled with yin energy, resentment, evil energy, and demonic energy, all intertwined and converging into a thick black aura that soared into the sky, forming a huge and eerie blood-red magic array.

This enormous magic array, centered on the distant Flower Goddess Shrine, extends its patterns in all directions like tree roots.

The black energy surging from the magic circle continuously poured into the ghosts and demons on the street. The killed ghosts scattered into black mist, which fell back to the ground and was absorbed by the magic circle again, re-condensing into new ghosts.

Along with the dead demons, their souls were absorbed by the magic array and transformed into new, bloodthirsty, and violent ghosts.

"No wonder they can't be completely killed."

Seeing this, Zhang Zhixuan understood immediately. He pointed towards the Flower Goddess Shrine and loudly reminded everyone, "Everyone, the key to the formation is at the Flower Goddess Shrine."

Master Lingxu understood immediately, took down the Bagua Mystic Mirror hanging from his waist, made hand seals and chanted an incantation: "Heaven and earth are natural, impurities disperse, the cave is mysterious and vast, the primordial energy shines brightly, the mighty gods of the eight directions, make me natural, the spiritual treasure talisman commands, universally proclaim to the nine heavens! By decree!"

The moment the incantation was completed, the Bagua Mystic Mirror in Master Lingxu's hand flew into the air, emitting golden light that enveloped everyone and blocked all the ghosts and demons that rushed up.

"Follow me and charge forward!" Master Lingxu shouted, holding his magic sword. The crowd responded and moved quickly.

Zhang Zhixuan directed the paper puppets to lead the way, and the group fought fiercely among the myriad ghosts and demons. After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the outline of the Flower Goddess Shrine finally appeared in front of them.

At this moment, the vermilion gate of the Flower Goddess Temple was tightly closed. The crowd dared not linger and, with renewed vigor, finally rushed to the entrance of the Flower Goddess Temple.

Strangely, while the entire town was occupied by hordes of ghosts and demons, the area around the Flower Goddess Shrine remained clean and tidy, without a single trace of evil spirits.

Everyone knew perfectly well that the person inside the Flower Goddess Shrine was the true culmination of the entire drama in Peony Town, so they immediately became extremely vigilant and stepped onto the steps of the Flower Goddess Shrine.

Behind them, countless dark ghosts and monsters stopped twenty meters away from the Flower Goddess Shrine, roaring and howling, but dared not take another step forward.

That place was like a dividing line between yin and yang, eerily separating the line between life and death.

The vermilion gate of the Flower Goddess Temple had no restrictions, so Chu Qinghe took the lead and kicked open the tightly closed vermilion gate.

The group cautiously entered the Flower Goddess Shrine. There were no ghosts or monsters inside; compared to the terrifying scenes in the town outside, it was as quiet as another world.

On the offering table, incense and candles burned, their smoke curling upwards.

Fresh fruits and pastries were laid out on the offering table, and a few peonies were placed in a vase. The statue of the Goddess of Flowers, with her kind face and veiled expression, stood quietly in the shrine, and everything looked no different from daytime.

Something unusual must be going on, and the peaceful and tranquil scene before them made everyone even more cautious.

"Goddess of Flowers, things have come to this point, why bother with this pretense? Show yourself!" Zhang Zhixuan immediately noticed the abnormality, pointed his magic sword at the statue of the Goddess of Flowers on the shrine, and shouted loudly.