Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Don’t Eat!

This 【Path of Ascension】 seemed quite intelligent.

It felt like the people inside were all vivid and lifelike, not as rigid as he had imagined, unlike the NPCs in ordinary online games who had to complete designated tasks.

If they couldn’t do it, they would just give up.

Gu Jiangming looked at the screen and pondered his next move. With his current level of Dao cultivation, he was not afraid to face the Paper Demon directly.

The main issue was that this demon was much stranger than other demons. It was very likely the type that couldn’t be physically eliminated.

He really lacked knowledge and understanding of this demon.

A new message popped up on the screen.

【Your disciple Xu Qingyun has made a breakthrough in his realm while slaying demons and eliminating evil. His Dao cultivation has thus advanced, and he has gradually gained a new mastery of the Mount Shu arcane art, Sword Control Technique.】

Gu Jiangming chose not to be reminded of this kind of minor information in the simulation.

He wanted options that would be of significant help to him at the moment.

【Yes/No: Use the arcane art Cave Heaven Eye to retrospect the past and analyze the weaknesses of the Paper Demon during battles.】

Cave Heaven Eye had this effect too?

Gu Jiangming’s eyes lit up, and he decisively chose to retrospect.

【You cast the arcane art Cave Heaven Eye in public. Your clothes flutter without wind, your hair flies, and your eyes light up with a pale golden light, as if tracing back to what happened before.】

【Through Cave Heaven Eye, you retrospect the battle information and obtain a new message.】

【The Paper Demon is a demon that survives through the gaps in people’s hearts. As long as one’s heart is strong enough, powerful enough, and invulnerable, it cannot turn people into paper figurines out of thin air.】

【But as long as there are people in the world with evil thoughts, it will be immortal.】

【You can only eliminate the existence of the Paper Demon by finding its true body and sealing it.】

【”What kind of arcane art is this?” Mu Qing looks at your paused technique and can’t help but ask, even though she rarely speaks.】

【”My family’s arcane art, it doesn’t even allow a glance at it.”】

【”Cave Heaven Eye.” Gu Jiangming points to his chest and says, “It’s an arcane art I comprehended from my family’s mental cultivation method in the secular world.”】

【Mu Qing can’t help but sigh, “No wonder Celestial Master Zhang said you are extraordinarily talented, truly different from ordinary people.”】

【”Those who have Dao in their hearts will naturally be helped by Dao.” Zhang Tianze says meaningfully, “Seeing this today, the Paper Demon is indeed not something ordinary cultivators can defeat. I wonder when the Buddhist masters will come out of the mountains.”】

【Suddenly, a person in the inn scoffs, “If you want the Buddhists to take action, you have to wait until the world is on the verge of collapse before they are willing to come out.”】

【”Only then will they attract more believers to recognize their Buddha and believe in their Dao.”】

【”I am Qiu Jue, a rogue cultivator. I heard about the strange events in Yangzhou, so I came to investigate. Fellow Daoists, I wonder if you can let me join you?”】

【Before he finishes speaking, a person wearing a kasaya slowly walks over, “Why do you say that, benefactor? Gossiping behind people’s backs is not the act of a good person.”】

【”Monk Fahua of the Pure Land Temple greets fellow Daoists.” He says with a smile, “I came to Yangzhou to eliminate demons under the abbot’s order. I have met Celestial Master Zhang of Longhu Mountain here.”】

【”Patriarch Gu of Mount Shu.” Fahua walks to Gu Jiangming’s side and nods in greeting. Suddenly, his eyes narrow slightly, “However, why is there a demonic aura on the patriarch’s body?”】

【The atmosphere stagnates.】

【Zhang Tianze says with a chuckle, “Monk, oh monk, my disciple just fought with the Paper Demon, what’s so strange about him having a demonic aura on him?”】

【”Oh? So Patriarch Gu also has a connection with Longhu Mountain. Since there is a guarantee from the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, then this monk won’t ask any more questions.” Fahua chants a few scriptures and then goes upstairs to find a room.】

【You smell a familiar scent from him.】

【It’s like the light hidden deep within your body.】

【That’s right, this monk probably cultivates… merit.】

And just as Gu Jiangming returns to the inn…

Jiujiu immediately finds the Paper Demon that is causing chaos in Yangzhou. As a fellow demon, with the connections of the demon world, she can still communicate with it.

After all, they are both demons.

The reason she found the Paper Demon was simple, of course. She didn’t want it to hurt Gu Jiangming.

【”Fun, fun, fun, you’re looking for me just to ask me not to hurt a human.”】

【A paper figurine runs around in the courtyard. It hops around and appears in front of Yin Jiujiu, “Why are you helping him so much? Why are you helping him so much? Are you the demon, or is he the demon? But he is human, and a cultivator at that.”】

【The Paper Demon’s voice is sometimes childish and sometimes becomes strange.】

【”I won’t help you, I am a demon—”】

【The Paper Demon suddenly turns into a short, child-like paper figurine. It says in a low voice, “The Demon Lord told us to unleash our true nature, I’ve been wanting to come out and play for a long time—”】

【”Don’t listen to the Demon Lord’s words and kill wantonly. That will harm the natural order. And violating the rules set by heaven and earth will definitely come with a price.” Yin Jiujiu tries to scare it with a threatening tone.】

【”Look, the Demon Lord doesn’t even personally take action, only letting you demons be the pawns.”】

【”New demons like you are most easily deceived. I, the Guhuo Bird, am a Great Demon and won’t lie to a little demon like you.”】

【”Really? Really? Really?” The Paper Demon suddenly laughs, “Fortunately, I was cautious.”】

【”I only kill evil people, bad people.” The Paper Demon says with a belly laugh, “Only they will be afraid of me and be turned into paper figurines by me.”】

【”Look at those called the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, before they died, they used spells to escape one after another, scared to death of me. There were even people who pushed their own people to block the disaster.”】

【”And this new house I moved into.”】

【”The old woman of this family came to the city from the countryside to ask her eldest son for help. The eldest son’s wife disliked the old woman for being dirty and smelly, and was afraid that she would ruin their Feng Shui, so she drove her to the second son’s house. The second son felt that his mother treated his elder brother and youngest brother better, so he drove his mother to the third son’s house.”】

【”The third son also felt that his mother treated his elder and second brothers better, so he sent his mother back to the eldest son’s doorstep.”】

【”The old woman cried and shouted all night, but her eldest son didn’t open the door. In this weather, even paper figurines feel cold, let alone an old woman?”】

【”As a result, the eldest son of this family froze his own mother to death in front of the house. After she took her last breath, her resentment found me, the Paper Demon, and asked me to kill their whole family.”】

【”So, I turned them all into paper figurines.”】

【”I transformed into their paper mother and asked for their lives one by one. The way they were afraid of my eyes was so funny, so funny.”】

【As it says this, paper figurines suddenly come to life one by one. A middle-aged man respectfully pours tea, “Mother, I will be filial to you.”】

【”Do you think heaven and earth will punish me for this?” The paper figurine shakes its head and says with certainty, “Of course not.”】

【”People with evil intentions will be afraid of me, the Paper Demon, but who can say that they have never had evil thoughts?” The Paper Demon says with a chuckle, “I won’t help you, because I am a demon.”】

【”I want to teach people a lesson.”】

【”Teach those with evil intentions a lesson!”】

【At this point, Jiujiu suddenly takes out a box of sweet-scented osmanthus cakes.】

【”What’s this?” The Paper Demon asks curiously.】

【”This is a pastry that humans love to eat, and it’s also a pastry that I love to eat.” Jiujiu points to the sweet-scented osmanthus cake and says calmly, “Maybe you won’t need it, but if you encounter someone you can’t deal with, take out this box of sweet-scented osmanthus cakes.”】

【”It might save your life.”】

【The Paper Demon laughs loudly again, “As long as it’s human, there is no one I can’t deal with.”】

【”And I, the Paper Demon, am immortal!”】

【”But I haven’t eaten anything that humans love to eat. Let me taste this sweet-scented osmanthus cake.”】

【”Don’t eat it.” Jiujiu says coldly, “This is a pastry I made for someone else. No one can eat it except him.”】

【”You’re a strange demon. You say this box of pastries can save my life, and then you say no one can eat it except him. But how do you know that the person I can’t deal with is the one who can eat this box of pastries?”】

【”But I, the Paper Demon, don’t see any evil intentions in you, so I’ll trust you this time. I’ll take this pastry.”】

【”Forget it, seeing that you’re not bad to me, the Paper Demon, I don’t want to owe you this favor.”】

【”I’ll help you this time. Tell me, who is the person I can’t hurt?”】

【”His name is Gu Jiangming.” Jiujiu says.】

【”Okay, I, the Paper Demon, swear that I won’t hurt the person you mentioned. Of course, as long as he doesn’t provoke me.”】

【”Otherwise, I, the Paper Demon, won’t show any mercy!”】

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