Eating Ghosts!

Paper figures were actually afraid of fire!

When Lin Heier, Wu Pifu, and Yamadai raised their torches and faced the paper figures, Xu Shilan, being a weak woman, naturally could not help. Xu Rongyu, terrified of these bizarre horrors, did not dare step forward either.

Yet with only three torches, the dozen or so paper figures actually showed signs of hesitation.

Everyone was overjoyed. Wu Pifu and Lin Heier charged at the front. Seeing Wu Pifu raise his torch to burn the paper figures, Lin Heier hesitated for an instant before following close behind and thrusting her own torch forward.

She was a martial wanderer, a master of the martial arts world, and the leader of an organization. This was no time for sentimental grief. If she wanted to mourn, she could do so after surviving!

As the torches drew near, the paper figures swung their paper clubs to block them. When the torches collided with the paper clubs, the paper did not immediately catch fire. An unknown force burst from the paper clubs, suppressing the torch flames until they began to weaken.

Wu Pifu and Lin Heier even saw with their own eyes that the fire at the point of contact was shifting from orange-yellow to blue-green. Both had keen senses, and they could tell that this blue-green flame gave off no heat. Instead, it radiated a sinister, icy chill that began canceling out the heat of the other flames.

Fortunately, the bizarre power within a single paper figure was limited. After canceling part of the flames, the remaining fire began scorching the paper club. Though it burned extraordinarily slowly, the club did blacken. Then, in an instant, a woman's miserable shriek came from the scorched spot.

"Ju'er!" Lin Heier cried softly, her eyes filled with sorrow. Yet her torch paused only slightly before she continued pushing it toward the paper figure.

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, don't burn me, don't burn me..." The paper figure began backing away, wildly waving its blackened paper club. Yet the outline of its drawn mouth actually produced a woman's voice.

Hearing that voice, Lin Heier could no longer bring herself to act. Tears welled in her eyes as she stood there stupidly.

At that moment, Wu Pifu suddenly let out a piercing roar. Amid his countless distracting and demonic thoughts, that point of sleepless spiritual radiance seemed to extend into the material world with the roar, spreading in all directions. Once the roar faded, Wu Pifu bellowed, "Lin Heier, look again!"

Lin Heier shuddered violently. When she opened her eyes and looked again, she saw a sight that made her scalp crawl.

This was no paper figure. It was the horrifying form of a human whose skin, muscles, bones, organs, and everything else had been torn apart and reassembled by some force. All flesh, bones, and organs had been mixed together, pulled into strand after strand, then woven into this so-called "paper." On this paper, the face, nose, ears, and eyes were all distorted into abstract forms. Muscles and organs were tangled with bones, while hair, fingernails, and skin had all been blended together.

Most horrifying of all, this "person" was still alive. The skin, muscles, organs, and bones were all trying to move. Faces that had been severed, twisted, and embedded throughout the "paper" rolled their eyes, opened their mouths in agonized screams, and bled from their noses and ears...

"Kill me, kill me, kill me, Senior Sister, kill me..."

A voice came from that twisted, torn mouth, shrieking hysterically. It was a living being's final plea amid utter despair and agony.

But the moment those words left its mouth, they turned into visible threads within three feet. The dense threads spread toward Lin Heier, and some had already pierced her skin. Every spot struck by the threads began twisting and tearing, trying to transform into "paper."

The scene lasted only an instant. When Lin Heier came back to herself, the horror before her had once again become a bizarre, grotesque paper figure. It kept calling out, "Senior Sister, don't burn me. It hurts so much. Don't burn me..."

Lin Heier staggered back and took a deep breath. Several parts of her body stung sharply, and she could feel her blood and vitality draining rapidly, but the terror that had arisen from the depths of her heart was gone.

"So evil... so terrifying!" Lin Heier's face was deathly pale, and she no longer dared look or think about it any further.

At that moment, Wu Pifu gained a deeper understanding of the Inspiration attribute.

The higher one's Inspiration, the more one could see "reality." But likewise, seeing "reality" meant being influenced by it, and being perceived by whatever had created that "reality." Just like now, he felt that vague, distorted entity seemed to "look" at him, raising goosebumps all over his body.

At the same time, Wu Pifu and Yamadai kept thrusting their torches at the paper figure. Its body began to catch fire, and its voice became shrill and distorted, as if a real person were burning. It fled in panic, frantically slapping at itself, but nothing could stop the flames from spreading.

Then came a sight that made everyone, including Wu Pifu, shudder in horror.

The other dozen or so paper figures did not help put out the flames. Holding their paper weapons, they attacked the burning paper figure, then eagerly began devouring the intact portions torn from it. Their mouths, which had appeared to be mere outlines drawn in black lines, opened to reveal sharp teeth and gaping bloody maws. Every piece of paper being eaten gave off a distorted wail, while some pieces even broke free from the body and drifted away.

In mere moments, one paper figure had been completely devoured. The remaining paper figures no longer dared enter the mortuary. Instead, they floated into the forest outside and gradually vanished from sight.

Only then did everyone come to their senses. Apart from Wu Pifu and Yamadai, whose expressions were grim, the other three either vomited outright or retched dryly.

Wu Pifu flicked his wrist and extinguished his torch. Yamadai did the same.

Torches burned on oil. Although they had bought nearly all the oil at the post station, there was not actually much of it. It was only the second day, and more than a dozen paper figures were still watching from outside. They had to conserve what they could.

Lin Heier had recovered from her dry heaving by then. Though her face remained pale, she clasped her hands in salute and said, "Thank you, Master, for saving my life. Lin Heier will never forget this."

Wu Pifu fell silent for a moment, then gestured toward the mortuary and said, "Please come inside, Senior Sister, so we may speak."

Lin Heier hurriedly replied, "I dare not accept that. Master may simply call me Lin Heier. Besides..."

Lin Heier gave a bitter smile and glanced toward the forest outside the mortuary. "I do not dare leave this mortuary lightly now, and there are many things I need to ask Master about."

Everyone returned to the mortuary. Wu Pifu moved the round stone table to the center of the courtyard, where they could see in every direction. After each person took a seat, Lin Heier immediately and eagerly told them what she had seen and what she knew.

"The Unborn Mother?" Wu Pifu was utterly astonished.

Yamadai and Xu Shilan naturally knew nothing about the Unborn Mother, but Wu Pifu did.

The Unborn Mother's earliest origins could no longer be traced, but her worship had arisen from the White Lotus Sect.

The White Lotus Sect was formally established during the Southern Song. From the moment it was founded, it had begun its career of rebellion. It persisted through the Southern Song, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, and all the way to the Qing Dynasty. The Red Lantern Society actually bore traces of the White Lotus Sect, and even the Righteous and Harmonious Fists had its influence.

Part of the White Lotus Sect's doctrine originated from the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism. The Unborn Mother was the creator goddess in White Lotus Sect doctrine, said to possess boundless authority and might: the immeasurable, pure, void, supreme, holiest true sovereign of all spirits in the Three Realms and Ten Directions.

Back when Wu Pifu had still lived in the twenty-first century, he had specifically looked up all sorts of information about the Unborn Mother just to argue with people online.

Many people firmly believed that the Unborn Mother truly existed, because the White Lotus Sect had been destroyed time and again, even its core members completely exterminated and suppressed, yet it kept being reborn. It had endured for centuries without fading. Such a thing was inherently miraculous. Some higher-dimensional force had to be continually sending down doctrines and information; otherwise, the White Lotus Sect could not possibly have possessed such powerful vitality.

Even setting everything else aside, judging by her reputation alone, the Unborn Mother could be called a great deity.

"Impossible!"

Wu Pifu immediately shook his head. "This is only a world at baseline reality 0.9. How could a deity like that exist here, let alone become a nightmare? Forget 0.9—even 0.5 probably couldn't manage it. To turn such a deity into a nightmare, it would need to be a world at baseline reality 0.3 or lower!"

Naturally, Lin Heier and Xu Rongyu could not understand these words, but Yamadai and Xu Shilan did.

Xu Shilan frowned. "I vaguely saw the changes in the air just now as well. Could it be that the Unborn Mother cannot enter this world because it is isolated from her? She can only send those threads in. In other words, perhaps this world is connected to a lower level of baseline reality?"

Wu Pifu thought for a moment. "Very possible. I did hear a senior mention that some dream worlds possess hidden connection structures... Then we're truly unlucky. We passed through a world at random and ran into such a terrifying existence."

Yamadai said indifferently, "We've already encountered it. What can't be helped can't be helped. We should be thinking about how to fight it, not standing here scaring ourselves."

Wu Pifu agreed with that. He looked at Lin Heier and said, "Master Lin, you should rest properly. We bought enough food in advance, so eat as much as you like and restore your blood and vitality. A hard battle lies ahead, and we will need your help."

Lin Heier immediately replied, "I dare not. These paper figures were brought by the... evil god, evil Buddha I once worshiped. Master saved me, and I have not even had time to repay my gratitude. Now I must trouble Master and all these brothers to protect me for a day or two."

Lin Heier found a room and began regulating her breathing and restoring her blood and vitality. The others inspected the mortuary building, its windows, and their prepared oil, weapons, and other supplies.

Nothing happened that day. After dinner that evening, everyone gathered in the main hall to keep watch over one another. Afraid that the paper figures might launch a sneak attack, they kept a torch burning at all times.

At around nine that night, everyone except Xu Rongyu, who was taking the first watch, was resting with their eyes closed or asleep. Suddenly, Xu Rongyu rushed to Wu Pifu's side and reached out to shake him awake, but before he could touch him, Wu Pifu's eyes snapped open.

Xu Rongyu's teeth chattered uncontrollably as he said in a trembling voice, "Master Wu, Master Wu, listen. There are ghosts crying, and it sounds so miserable!"

Wu Pifu shook his head slightly. He rose and went to listen by the window. Sure enough, he heard the miserable wails and sobs of men, women, old people, and children. The sound made one's scalp crawl. After hearing it for only a few seconds, he felt an icy coldness seep into his bones.

He no longer dared sleep. After waking everyone and discussing it, he and Lin Heier each took a torch outside to investigate. The others were to hold the main doors at all costs, and if necessary, set the entire building ablaze.

Both were Dark Force martial artists. Although Lin Heier had lost much blood and vitality, her movements and speed still far surpassed ordinary people. Each carried a torch and followed the sound. When they reached the edge of the mortuary, they saw a sight that froze their souls.

Dozens of half-transparent dead souls, all horrifying in appearance—some rotting, some missing arms or legs—ghosts that would have frightened ordinary people to death were, at that very moment...

Being seized by paper figures and forcibly stuffed into their gaping bloody mouths!!