From Paper Craftsman to World-Suppressing Immortal

At the bottom of the dry well, Zhang Zhixuan and Daoist Lingxu stared blankly at a skeleton that had long since passed away.

Especially Master Lingxu, it was as if a bottle of mixed emotions had been spilled, joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, and grief all tangled together, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.

Zhang Zhixuan frowned as he looked at Daoist Lingxu, then at the skeleton before him. He had some vague guesses in his mind, but he was still not sure.

Just then, he suddenly noticed something lying beside the skeleton. Upon closer inspection, he found a heavy bronze plaque with a piece of brocade lying next to it.

Zhang Zhixuan picked them all up, turned them over, and saw that the front of the bronze plaque was engraved with the words: "Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain," and the back was: "Celestial Master's Edict."

Zhang Zhixuan was stunned when he put away the bronze medal and unfolded the brocade.

The brocade was embroidered with nine dragons amidst clouds, and the front was inscribed with the four characters "Three Caves Ordination Certificate" in vermilion and gold powder. Around these four characters were densely arranged the names and titles of the Celestial Masters of past dynasties, the ink heavy and the characters neat.

Two large seals are affixed at the bottom of the seal. One is the "Seal of the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain", which is four inches square and has large seal script in relief. The ink is made of cinnabar mixed with gold powder, which is slightly raised on the brocade. The other is the private seal of the Celestial Master, which is much smaller in size, but the seal script is more ancient.

Finally, when Zhang Zhixuan looked at the name of the person on the ordination certificate, he was immediately stunned: "Zhang Daoyan..."

As Zhang Zhixuan muttered to himself, he looked again at the purple-robed skeleton beside him, his suspicions confirmed. He was even more shocked: "Master Lingxu! This senior is the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain!"

"yes!"

Master Lingxu's voice was mournful, and he staggered the moment his gaze fell upon the skeleton.

Zhang Zhixuan hurriedly handed the Three Caves Ordination Certificate and the Celestial Master's Edict to Daoist Lingxu. Daoist Lingxu took the two items, his voice trembling and choked with emotion.

"This is none other than Zhang Daoyan, the former Grand Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain who has been missing for many years!"

After Master Lingxu finished speaking, even Pei Shouzhen, Chu Qinghe, and Yun Mo, who were lying on the well, heard it clearly and were all startled.

"How could such a dignified Grand Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain have passed away here?"

Zhang Zhixuan felt a mix of sadness and confusion. After comforting Daoist Lingxu, he took the fire tongs and looked around the dark bottom of the well, hoping to find some new clues.

Suddenly, Zhang Zhixuan noticed that a long sword was stuck in the bluestone well wall.

The hilt of this longsword is carved from white jade, with the four ancient seal characters "三五斩邪" (meaning "Three Five Slay Evil") engraved on it.

Zhang Zhixuan's gaze shifted upwards, and he inadvertently noticed writing on the wall above the longsword. He quickly called out, "Daoist Lingxu! There are words here!"

Master Lingxu quickly turned his head and saw that the bluestone wall of the well was indeed covered with densely packed characters.

These characters were not carved with knives or swords, but rather drawn by fingers, with strokes half an inch deep, vigorous and powerful, carrying an aura of overwhelming force.

Zhang Zhixuan stepped forward and read it word by word, gaining a general understanding of why the Grand Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain had passed away here.

When this Celestial Master was traveling around Tianjin, he noticed unusual activity in the local geomantic veins and the overwhelming presence of malevolent energy. After investigating, he discovered that a group of barbarian demons were slaughtering innocent people in an attempt to sever the Great Xia dragon vein and reverse the feng shui of the mountains and rivers, thus forcibly prolonging the life of the already crumbling Qingman Dynasty.

Grand Celestial Master Zhang Daoyan could not bear to see the Great Xia Dragon Vein destroyed and usurped by demons, causing suffering to countless people. After numerous futile attempts, he had no choice but to transform himself into a pillar of the earth's veins, sitting here to suppress the damaged earth veins of Panlong Mountain with his life's cultivation.

After understanding the cause and effect, Zhang Zhixuan read the Celestial Master's last words again, and while sighing with emotion, he felt immense respect.

"I am willing to use my Celestial Master body to become a pillar of the earth's veins. Today, I sit here with my bones, fusing my life's cultivation with my Celestial Master bones to suppress the earth's veins. Even if this humble body dies, it is enough to protect the peace of the Divine Land."

"I tell my destined disciples, the dragon vein has not yet been restored, you must not rashly disturb my bones."

May our Great Xia Dynasty be safe and sound, and may our nation be prosperous and our people at peace.

"Zhang Daoyan of Longhu Mountain, his last words..."

No one expected that the legendary Grand Master of Longhu Mountain, who possessed extraordinary Taoist powers, would ultimately perish alone in this desolate, dry well. His own remains suppressed the feng shui of the dragon vein that had been altered by demons. There were no incense offerings, no disciples to see him off, only endless darkness and cold stones.

Everyone was filled with sorrow and admiration.

Pei Shouzhen, Chu Qinghe, and other disciples of Longhu Mountain came down to the well and solemnly paid homage to the remains of the Celestial Master with Daoist Lingxu.

Zhang Zhixuan also bowed deeply to the remains of Zhang Daoyan, the Celestial Master, who sat withered at the bottom of the well.

After everyone finished their prayers, Daoist Lingxu sighed and said solemnly, "Layman Zhang, this matter is of great importance, involving the dragon veins of the world. I must report it to the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain as soon as possible. Therefore, I must bid farewell to Layman Zhang."

Zhang Zhixuan knew the seriousness of the matter. Slaying the dragon and changing fate was no longer something that a few people could handle; it concerned the fate of the entire Great Xia Kingdom and the survival of countless lives.

At the same time, Zhang Zhixuan couldn't help but think that Grand Celestial Master Zhang Daoyan's use of the Celestial Master's Bone to suppress the earth's veins would surely thwart the conspiracy of those demons to prolong the life of the Qingman Dynasty. The Qingman Dynasty had already been completely destroyed, but even a centipede with a hundred legs will not die easily, so this matter might not end so easily.

Who exactly are these people who are trying to tamper with the Great Xia Dragon Vein using evil magic?

Are the Goddess of Flowers, the High Priest of Sorcery, and Lu Lingsu just the tip of the iceberg in this massive conspiracy?

Zhang Zhixuan frowned, his expression solemn, and shared his thoughts with Daoist Lingxu and the others.

Everyone agreed that after the fall of the Qingman Dynasty, the power structure established by the revolutionaries was undermined by various warlords. There were foreign powers eyeing them covetously, warlords fighting amongst themselves, and various evil spirits and demons causing harm everywhere.

The world remains turbulent and chaotic, and the root cause of this may be the alteration of the Great Xia's dragon vein by this group of demons.

After discussion, everyone decided to go their separate ways.

Zhang Zhixuan bid farewell to Daoist Lingxu and the others, saying, "The green hills remain unchanged and the clear waters flow on. If fate allows, I will surely meet you Daoists again in the future."

"Master Zhang, until we meet again!" Master Lingxu, Pei Shouzhen, Chu Qinghe, and Yun Mo bowed to Zhang Zhixuan in farewell. After sealing the well at Panlong Manor, they hurriedly descended the mountain.

After a long and winding journey, Zhang Zhixuan finally reached the official road leading to Wuliu Town.

Zhang Zhixuan walked along the official road towards Wuliu Town. Halfway there, he suddenly saw a large number of refugees carrying luggage and dragging their families along the official road.

In those days, Zhang Zhixuan saw many refugees fleeing famine, but these people were clearly different.

They were all emaciated and dressed in tattered clothes. Some were pushing wheelbarrows piled with pots, pans and crying children, while others carried tattered bundles and helped elderly people. They were all injured and their clothes were covered in dried bloodstains.

People collapsed everywhere on the roadside, unable to walk, and there were also abandoned dead infants. Cries, curses, and coughs mingled together, making one's heart ache.

Zhang Zhixuan took the remaining dry rations and delivered them to a mother and child who had collapsed by the roadside.

The mother thanked him repeatedly, took the dry food and gave it to the child first. The child was so hungry that he wolfed down two mouthfuls, choking and rolling his eyes back.

Zhang Zhixuan handed over the rest of his water and couldn't help but ask, "Sister-in-law, where did you come from?"

The disheveled woman wiped away her tears and said, "We come from Fengtian."

"Fengtian? What happened over there?"

"The Japanese devils invaded, killing people and burning houses indiscriminately. Of the dozens of households in our village, only my mother and I escaped."

"My husband was killed by them too. We barely managed to escape, and there were dead bodies everywhere along the way! My child cries every day because of it..."

Zhang Zhixuan's heart sank upon hearing this. He looked at the endless stream of refugees and frowned.