The Divine Lord's Craftsmanship

In the Spirit Realm, the ancestral land of the Ghost Mother Clan.

The library, carved out of the mountainside, houses countless books and has always been a quiet haven.

Lately, however, there has been a faint sound of incantations, or perhaps an ancient ballad, drifting through this library.

The bookworm with a human head and an insect's body, and the book ghost with feathered wings folded from book pages, couldn't help but curiously examine the empty space in the library.

A cloud of black mist lingered on the open ground.

Above the black mist, a pair of narrow, blood-red eyes floated, slightly narrowed, as if chuckling and singing softly.

From the lower part of the black mist, two slender black hands extended, kneading a small ball of light and shadow near the ground.

That small ball of light and shadow had already been molded into the shape of Chu Tianshu.

He had thick black hair and eyebrows, eyes as black as lacquer, an oval face, and rosy lips. He wore a trench coat, trousers, and boots, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

Although Chu Tianshu was only about three inches tall, he had a handsome and dashing appearance, and was petite and cute.

However, the book ghosts in the library always felt that this small, luminous figure was menacing and not to be trifled with.

The High Priestess of the Ghost Mother walked in from outside, carrying a golden lantern, followed by sixteen blue-faced, fanged demon warriors carrying eight chests of treasure.

"The divine lord devours eight chests of my treasures every day; in recent days, he's almost swallowed up the second treasure trove of my clan."

The high priest spoke gently, yet a hint of doubt remained.

"After obtaining Chu Tianshu's aura, the Divine Lord immediately created a puppet to curse him. It was truly a divine skill, a marvel of nature."

"In that case, why not just use precious treasures to inflict a curse when he's about to return to this world?"

"Why bother re-creating it every day, consuming a large amount of treasures from the treasury each day?"

The Divine Lord Wangliang's black hand gently poked Chu Tianshu's cheek.

The tiny doll immediately began switching expressions, going through all the expressions it had created over the past period.

It's clear that Chu Tianshu sometimes seems to be mocking something, sometimes he seems to be seriously cultivating himself, and sometimes he seems to be chopping people up while laughing happily.

Sometimes, his eyes would dart around with ill intent, and he would grin as if he were plotting something.

The Chu Tianshu I sculpted yesterday has a much calmer expression, as if he is resting and polishing his beloved little object.

Today, Chu Tianshu's expression was serene and smiling, as if he were chatting and feasting with a large group of relatives and friends, discussing books and classics.

"A curse from another dimension is no simple matter."

The Divine Lord Wangliang chuckled, "Based on my understanding of the Martial Practice Edict, under normal circumstances, the world the Martial Practice Edict its holder to will have a slightly faster time flow than here."

What happens to us in one day might be two or three days, or even longer, for Chu Tianshu.

"If we can't find a way to sense it synchronously once a day, the effect of the curse won't be as good in the future."

The high priest stared at the little Chu Tianshu on the ground.

Just to update this little thing once a day, how many ancient treasures from the clan's treasury have been wasted!

This little thing isn't a human doll; it's a gluttonous beast!

"Divine Lord."

The high priest asked, "After his trajectory is deflected, will time pass faster in the world he goes to than in our world?"

The Divine Lord Wangliang said, "In similar worlds, the speed of time will not differ significantly."

"As he was about to return to his homeland, I slightly deflected him, so that he would go to some nearby realm, where the flow of time should be similar to that of our realm."

The high priest sighed softly upon hearing this.

I hope he comes back soon.

At this rate, the clan's treasure vault will be opening its third vault.

To be honest, the Divine Lord Kuiliang did not mention beforehand that so many treasures would be needed every day.

Only when the arrow was on the bowstring and there was no other choice did he mention that he needed to absorb the essence of precious treasures every day, otherwise all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Phew! Only he himself knows exactly how much kickback this deity took.

Just then, the little doll on the ground suddenly lit up.

"Oh?!"

The Divine Lord Wangliang moved with incredible speed. With a sudden swirl of black energy, the treasures that had just been carried over, along with their boxes, were swallowed up and vanished into nothingness.

Suddenly, the black mist swelled by three-tenths of its original size, resembling a dark cloud. Within the cloud, countless reflections of the vast world seemed to be hidden, ever-changing and incredibly fantastical.

Even with the High Priest's cultivation level, seeing the dark clouds at this moment seemed like seeing an intricate divine flower composed of countless mirrors.

The enormous divine flower, hanging upside down in the sky, with thousands of petals, slowly blooms.

From the center of the flower, a ray of black light descended and shone on the tiny doll on the ground.

The tiny doll, as if brought to life, suddenly looked up, revealing an angry expression.

But the next moment, the light and shadow that made up the little doll began to vibrate at an extremely high speed, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

The entire doll evaporated and disappeared completely.

The dark clouds in the sky gradually receded, and a faint sound of laughter could be heard.

It's done.

Far away in another world.

Snowflakes fell heavily, turning the world white.

A solitary moon hung in the distant sky, and although it was not obscured by snow clouds, it added a touch of chill to this night when the snow-covered mountains were covered.

The villages and towns at the foot of the mountain are made of mud walls and thatched roofs, dark and gloomy, with only the occasional bark of a dog.

The Land God Temple halfway up the mountain had a blackened and rotten door.

Those who stayed there used rotten straw mats, dry firewood, withered branches, and mud to patch the cracks in their doors to keep out the cold wind at midnight.

A beautiful woman draped in a fox fur cloak emerged gracefully from the snow, accompanied by a sturdy servant in blue and a maid.

The snow was white and reflected the moonlight, so even though it was late at night, it wasn't too dark.

The shadows of the three people were clearly reflected on the snow.

The servant carried a lantern, and the maid supported the young lady, pointing towards the Land God Temple.

"Miss, look at that dilapidated temple, it's actually quite well-maintained, perfect for sheltering from the wind and snow."

The woman in the fox fur coat pulled up her collar, and the fur trim around her hood made her small face look even more delicate and pretty. She nodded slightly.

The three of them walked to the front of the temple, and the strong servant reached out and knocked on the door, making a loud banging sound.

"There are people living in the temple, please stop taking pictures."

A young man's voice came from the Land God Temple.

The maid said, "Are you the temple keeper? We were traveling today when we were caught in a sudden snowstorm. Our horse stumbled, and the carriage axle broke. We couldn't make it into the city in time, so we'd like to ask to stay here for half the night."

The young man in the temple said, "I'm not the temple keeper. This temple was built by the villagers. They're just kind enough to let me stay temporarily. If you want to stay, please ask them down the mountain first."

The maidservant said angrily, "Judging from your manners, you should be a person of good manners. The roads are slippery in the snow, yet you tell us to go down the mountain?"

"Hurry up and come out to welcome us in, otherwise you'll break this door and we'll all be freezing tonight."

The people in the temple remained silent for a long time, seemingly helpless, before opening the wooden door.

The beautiful woman in the fox fur coat had barely exchanged glances with the people in the temple when her delicate eyebrows twitched slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

It turned out that the person in the temple was a scholar, dressed in blue robes that had been washed until they were white, with his hair tied up with a bamboo stick and an old gauze net, and he had a handsome and charming appearance.

The Lord of the Land statue in the temple is a painted clay sculpture, only two feet tall, and is placed on the incense table.

In front of the incense table was a ceramic incense burner, with some fine firewood burning inside, bringing some warmth and illuminating the small temple.

In one corner of the small temple, there was a thick layer of dry grass and old bedding, along with a few tattered books, which must have been where the scholar spent the night.

After the three entered the temple, the servant closed the door and gathered around the incense burner to warm himself.

The scholar returned to his small room and began to read.

"Reading by such a dim light is bound to strain your eyes."

The beautiful woman in the fox fur coat spoke softly, "Thank you for taking me in, young master. I have a Yeming here; please give it to me so I can use it for my studies."

She took a bright white pearl, about the size of a baby's fist, from her sleeve and had her maid deliver it.

The maidservant handed it to the scholar.

The scholar had never seen such a treasure before. At first glance, his eyes were fixed on the bright pearl, but he struggled with his words.

"This temple doesn't belong to me, so how can I owe you a debt of gratitude for taking it in? This is such a treasure, this isn't appropriate."

The maid scoffed, "You think you can just take advantage of me for one night?"

"Young master, you are a man of exceptional talent and ability. Although you are currently relegated to this post, you are destined for the Qingyun Sect in the future."

The woman in the fox fur coat smiled and said, "As the saying goes, 'a discerning eye recognizes a pearl,' a talented man is the pearl, and I, this little pearl, am a perfect match for you, sir."

Seeing that the scholar was still hesitating.

The fox-fur-clad beauty said, "Since you can read, young master, why don't you come back to my manor with me and work as an accountant for a few days to offset the cost of this pearl? It would be good for both of us—good for both of us—"

As the beauty spoke, her cheeks flushed, she lowered her head shyly, and her voice was barely audible.

"That way we can see each other more often."

The scholar glanced at Mingzhu, then stared at the beauty, and swallowed hard.

"I cannot accept rewards without merit. I have no other skills, but I have written a few tales of the strange and supernatural. I will tell you one to ease the boredom of this long night and as a token of my gratitude to you, Miss."

As the scholar spoke, he hurriedly lowered his head, as if he dared not look at the beauty any longer.

Legend has it that there is Yaksha demon in the mountains who lures people with gold, silver, and pearls, and seduces them with her beauty. Those who love wealth or beauty, once they are touched by either, will be bewitched by this demon.

The fire crackled in the stove.

The three of them, master and servants, stared at the scholar. The strong servant's face was ashen, and the maid was arrogant.

The beauty was still smiling, but her smile remained unchanged; her eyes were dark, like wax sculptures.

"A few days ago, a Yaksha was passing through a village at the foot of the mountain. It pretended that its carriage had broken down and spilled some coins from the carriage, causing the villagers to scramble for them. Fortunately, a Daoist priest drew his sword and killed the demon, peeling off the human skin to reveal the demon's true form."

The scholar kept his head down and didn't notice the widened eyes and strange expressions of the three people, master and servant.

"Daoist priest?"

The woman in the fox fur asked, "Where is that Daoist priest?"

The scholar pointed and said, "They live to the east."

The servant, who was standing to the east of the incense burner, turned his head upon hearing this and looked behind him.

Suddenly, a beam of red light, as thick as a thumb, burst forth from the incense burner, piercing through the servant's heart and flying out from behind him.

The red light, like a snake, spun in mid-air and pierced towards the maid.

The maid didn't move her shoulders, but suddenly turned her head to the back, opened her mouth and bit down. Her white, fine teeth turned yellow and thick, like two iron gates, biting down on the red light.

The scholar suddenly lunged forward, his left hand pointing forward with fingers together.

Choke!!

The scholar, like a giant sword, pierced through the maid's body.

The maid was torn to pieces and fried into powder.

The red light fell on the scholar's hand; it turned out to be a thin sword less than two feet long.

With the sword in hand, Sword Qi spreads in all directions.

The broken door panel was smashed open, and the snowflakes outside were blown away by the Sword Qi.

The fox-fur-clad beauty was terrified and was about to float backward.

The scholar took a large step forward, his body leaving afterimages, and stomped heavily on the fox fur coat as if he had stepped on a fox's tail.

The fox-fur-clad beauty fell to the ground, her long eyelashes like raven feathers, her eyes brimming with tears, and she was more than thirty percent more beautiful than before.

"Young master, you actually want to kill me?"

The scholar's face was cold. Suddenly, he used his sword to scatter the beauty's hair, the sword light cutting through the golden hairpin. He then grabbed the beauty's collarbone, causing her to moan softly, her body going limp and her allure astonishing.

A broken gold hairpin, along with a few strands of hair, lay on the ground.

The slender sword was about to pierce the beauty's throat again.

Suddenly, a strange light flashed outside the temple, and a figure appeared.

"Wangliang, I remember this feeling. It's you again, isn't it, your mother—"

Chu Tianshu laughed in anger, his entire body exuding pressure, and the surrounding air waves rolled and surged.

The scholar and the beautiful woman in the temple both felt their bodies stiffen and were greatly alarmed.

Chu Tianshu noticed that there were people nearby. He composed himself, took a deep breath, and calmly looked at the two people.

A scholar wielding a sharp blade was almost pinning down a delicate, beautiful woman with disheveled hair.

The beautiful woman cried out in alarm, "Help! This thief has taken advantage of my beauty—"

"I'm a woman!!"

The scholar decisively interrupted the beauty with just four words.

The woman in the fox fur coat was momentarily stunned.

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