The paper figures were actually afraid of fire!
As Lin Heier, Wu Pifu, and Yamada held torches and approached the paper figures, Xu Shilan, as a weak woman, naturally could not follow, and Xu Rongyu was terrified of these bizarre and strange entities, not daring to step forward.
However, with just three torches, the more than ten paper figures actually showed signs of hesitation.
Everyone was overjoyed.
Wu Pifu and Lin Heier rushed to the front, and just as Wu Pifu raised his torch to burn the paper figure, Lin Heier hesitated for a moment but still followed closely and extended her torch towards it.
She was a child of the rivers and lakes, a master in martial arts, and a leader of an organization; this was not the time for sentimental feelings.
If she were to grieve, it could wait until she survived!
As the torch drew near, the paper figure swung its paper mallet to defend itself.
When the torch collided with the paper mallet, the paper did not ignite immediately.
Instead, an unknown force erupted from the paper mallet, actually causing the flame of the torch to weaken.
Wu Pifu and Lin Heier both saw with their own eyes that the fire at the point of contact was changing from orange-yellow to a greenish-blue.
Their senses were sharp, and this greenish-blue flame not only did not emit heat but also exuded a chilling aura.
It began to counteract the heat of the other flames.
Fortunately, this strange power on one of the paper figures was not strong; after dissipating part of the flame, the remaining fire began to scorch the paper mallet.
Although it burned exceptionally slowly, the paper mallet indeed showed signs of charring, and in an instant, a woman's wailing voice emanated from the burnt area.
“Juer!” Lin Heier called out softly, her eyes filled with sorrow, but the torch in her hand only paused slightly before continuing to extend towards the paper figure.
“Senior Sister, Senior Sister, don’t burn me, don’t burn me…” The paper figure began to retreat, its charred paper mallet still flailing wildly, but the outline of its mouth surprisingly emitted a woman’s voice.
Hearing this voice, Lin Heier could no longer bring herself to strike.
Tears filled her eyes as she stood there foolishly.
At that moment, Wu Pifu let out a fierce howl.
The flicker of inspiration amidst his countless chaotic thoughts seemed to extend into the material world with this howl.
As the sound spread outwards, Wu Pifu roared, “Lin Heier, look again!”
Lin Heier shivered all over.
She opened her eyes once more and saw a horrifying scene that sent chills down her spine.
What was before her was no longer a paper figure; it was a terrifying image of a human being, with skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs all torn apart and reassembled by some force.
All the flesh, bones, and internal organs were mixed together, pulled into strands, and then woven into this so-called “paper.” The face, nose, ears, and eyes on this paper were all abstractly distorted, with muscles and internal organs mingling with bones, hair, nails, and skin all fused into one.
The most terrifying part was that this “person” was still alive.
The skin, muscles, internal organs, and bones were all still trying to move.
The faces, twisted and embedded in various parts of the “paper,” had their eyeballs moving, mouths wailing, and noses and ears bleeding…
“Kill me, kill me, kill me, Senior Sister, kill me…”
The twisted, torn mouth emitted a voice, a desperate and painful plea from a life in extreme despair.
However, once this voice escaped, it transformed into visible threads within three feet of its mouth.
These threads densely spread towards Lin Heier, with some already piercing into her skin.
All the spots where the threads pierced began to twist and tear, attempting to transform into “paper.”
This scene lasted only an instant.
When Lin Heier regained her senses, the horror before her had transformed back into the bizarre and grotesque paper figure, which continued to emit sounds: “Senior Sister, don’t burn me, it hurts so much, don’t burn me…”
Lin Heier stumbled back, taking a deep breath.
She felt sharp pains in several parts of her body, and her vital energy was rapidly depleting, but the deep-seated terror in her heart vanished.
“How strange… how terrifying!” Lin Heier’s face turned pale, but she no longer dared to look or think any further.
At that moment, Wu Pifu gained more insights into the nature of inspiration.
The higher the inspiration, the more one could see the “truth.” However, similarly, seeing the “truth” would also influence one, and one could be perceived by the existence that caused the “truth.” For instance, right now, he felt that the hazy, twisted existence seemed to be “looking” at him, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body.
Meanwhile, Wu Pifu and Yamada continued to burn the paper figure with their torches.
The paper figure began to ignite, its voice turning shrill and distorted, as if a real person were being burned.
It started to panic and flee, flailing its arms, but could not stop the flames from consuming it.
Then came the next scene, which sent chills down the spines of everyone, including Wu Pifu.
The other ten or so paper figures did not come to help extinguish the flames on their companion.
Instead, they raised their paper weapons and attacked the burning paper figure, eagerly beginning to devour its intact parts.
The mouth, which appeared to be merely outlined in black lines, opened to reveal sharp teeth and a gaping maw.
The devoured portions of the paper emitted distorted wails, and some pieces of paper even detached from the body and floated away.
In an instant, one paper figure was completely devoured, and the remaining paper figures dared not enter the ancestral hall any longer, drifting away into the surrounding forest until they gradually disappeared.
Only then did everyone come to their senses.
Except for Wu Pifu and Yamada, who looked grim, the other three immediately began to vomit or dry heave.
Wu Pifu threw his hand down, extinguishing the torch, and Yamada did the same.
The torches burned on oil, and although they had nearly bought out all the oil from the post station, there was not much left.
It was only the second day, and with more than ten paper figures lurking outside, they naturally wanted to conserve what they could.
At this time, Lin Heier also recovered from her dry heaving.
Her face was pale, but she still cupped her fists and said, “Thank you, Master, for saving my life. Lin Heier will remember this.”
Wu Pifu was silent for a moment before extending his hand towards the ancestral hall, saying, “Please, Senior Sister, enter the hall for a discussion.”
Lin Heier quickly replied, “I dare not claim such honor. Just calling me Lin Heier is enough, and…”
Lin Heier forced a bitter smile.
She glanced at the forest outside the ancestral hall and said, “I do not dare to leave this ancestral hall easily now, and there are many things I wish to ask the Master.”
Thus, everyone returned to the ancestral hall.
Wu Pifu moved the stone round table to the center of the courtyard, where they could see in all directions.
Each person took a seat, and Lin Heier immediately began to share what she had seen and what she knew.
“Wusheng Laomu?” Wu Pifu was immediately astonished.
Yamada and Xu Shilan naturally did not know the information about Wusheng Laomu, but Wu Pifu did.
The origins of Wusheng Laomu were untraceable, but its worship came from the White Lotus Sect.
The White Lotus Sect was officially established during the Southern Song Dynasty.
From its inception, it began a rebellion that lasted through the Southern Song, Yuan, Ming, and even into the Qing Dynasty.
The Hongmen Society actually had traces of the White Lotus Sect, and even the Yihequan had connections.
The teachings of the White Lotus Sect were partly derived from the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, and Wusheng Laomu was regarded as the goddess of creation within the teachings of the White Lotus Sect, said to possess boundless power and authority, clearly the supreme and holy being of the three realms and ten directions.
Back when Wu Pifu was in the twenty-first century, he had specifically researched various information about Wusheng Laomu to argue with others.
Many people firmly believed in the existence of this great deity, as the White Lotus Sect had been destroyed multiple times, with its core members completely eradicated and suppressed, yet it continued to be reborn, persisting for hundreds of years.
Such occurrences were indeed extraordinary, indicating that a higher-dimensional power was continuously casting doctrines and information; otherwise, the White Lotus Sect could not possess such strong vitality.
Even setting aside other matters, just in terms of reputation, Wusheng Laomu could be considered a great deity.
“Impossible!”
Wu Pifu immediately shook his head and said, “This is merely a world of baseline reality 0.9; how could such a great deity exist and become a nightmare? Not to mention 0.9, even 0.5 would not suffice. To make such a great deity a nightmare, it would have to be a world below baseline reality 0.3!”
Lin Heier and Xu Rongyu naturally could not understand this, but Yamada and Xu Shilan did.
Xu Shilan frowned and said, “Just now, I also roughly saw the changes in the sky. Could it be that Wusheng Laomu cannot enter this world? It is isolated by this world and can only send in those threads? In other words, this world might be connected to a lower level of baseline reality?”
Wu Pifu thought for a moment and said, “It’s very possible. I have indeed heard seniors mention that some dream worlds possess hidden connections… We are truly unfortunate to have penetrated a world and encountered such a terrifying existence.”
Yamada casually said, “We’ve already encountered it; there’s nothing we can do. What we should think about is how to fight back, not scare ourselves here.”
Wu Pifu agreed with this statement.
He then looked at Lin Heier and said, “Master Lin, you might as well take a good rest. We have purchased enough food in advance; you can eat freely to replenish your vital energy. The next battle will be arduous, and we will need your strength.”
Lin Heier immediately replied, “I dare not claim such honor. These paper figures are precisely sent by the… evil gods and evil Buddhas I believe in. I am grateful for the Master’s rescue, and now I must trouble the Master and all brothers to protect me for a day or two.”
Lin Heier then found a room to begin adjusting her breath and replenishing her vital energy, while the others began to inspect the ancestral hall’s structure, windows, and prepared oil and other supplies.
That day passed without incident.
After dinner in the evening, everyone gathered in the main hall to keep watch, fearing that the paper figures would launch a surprise attack, so a torch was kept lit at all times.
Around nine o’clock at night, except for Xu Rongyu, who was on the first watch, the others were either resting with their eyes closed or sleeping.
Suddenly, Xu Rongyu rushed to Wu Pifu’s side, reaching out to shake him awake, but before he could touch him, Wu Pifu’s eyes snapped open.
Xu Rongyu’s teeth chattered as he trembled, saying, “Master Wu, Master Wu, do you hear? There are ghostly cries, and they are so tragic!”
Wu Pifu shook his head slightly, got up, and went to the window to listen.
Indeed, he heard the sorrowful wails and cries of men, women, and children, a sound that sent chills down his spine.
Just listening for a few seconds made him feel bone-chillingly cold.
At that moment, he dared not continue sleeping and instead woke everyone up.
After a discussion, he and Lin Heier each took a torch and went out to investigate, while the others guarded the main door, ready to ignite the entire building if necessary.
Both of them were dark energy martial artists.
Although Lin Heier had depleted her vital energy, her movements and speed still far exceeded those of ordinary people.
Each holding a torch, they followed the sound until they reached the edge of the ancestral hall, where they witnessed a scene that froze their souls in terror.
Dozens of semi-transparent souls of the dead, all terrifying in appearance—some rotting, some missing arms or legs—these ghosts, which could scare ordinary people to death, were at that moment…
Being grabbed by the paper figures and forcibly stuffed into their gaping maws!
(End of Chapter)