[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-cursed-blade-s-walk":3,"chapter-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-757":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Cursed Blade's Walk",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2263062,4415,"Chapter 757: Tai","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-757",757,"\u003Cp>“They’re here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei muttered a warning and gripped the rifle’s stock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the thick fog around him, he whispered, “What kind of trick is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had already established his Foundation, his focus remained largely on firearms techniques; he understood little of other sects’ magical arts and could only ask others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuai Dayou also lowered his voice: “Looks like summoning troops—but this is Tai’an City, guarded by the City God’s spirit soldiers. To openly summon troops here? That’s odd…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not troops!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San’s ears twitched slightly as he growled, “I hear paper scraping the ground—it’s paper dolls. Watch out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he lightly tapped the white fox beside him, Chu Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A white shadow flashed—and the white fox vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once-juvenile fox had now grown into Lu San’s capable ally: swift, skilled at stealth, adept at mind-distorting arts, and with keen spiritual senses unaffected by the fog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white fox was sent primarily to establish contact with the other team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, in this fog, hawk-borne messages would be disrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, the fog thickened further; distant lanterns warped into grotesque orange-yellow smudges, and all surrounding sounds seemed swallowed and sealed by the mist, leaving only an eerie, suffocating silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the air grew cold and damp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three smelled a scent—mixed with earthy rot, incense ash, and decaying paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, a strange sound emerged from deep within the fog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the rapid, rustling “pupu” of paper flapping in the wind—fine, dense, relentless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Accompanied by the rhythmic, stiff “tap, tap, tap.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if countless sheets of stiff cardboard were pounding the blue stone ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three exchanged glances and, without hesitation, sprinted toward Bai Laojiu’s direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Bai Laojiu’s body hairs stood on end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His vision was blocked—he saw nothing—but felt the chilling killing intent. His waist saber flashed out with a metallic ring, its cold gleam cutting through the mist as he roared, “What demon dares play tricks here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no reply from the other side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the thick fog, a line of grotesque figures emerged, faint and indistinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were paper cutouts—pale as death, thin as cicada wings—shaped into human forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Expressionless faces, smeared with crude, crooked streaks of rouge, moved in perfect unison yet with unnatural stiffness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These paper dolls stood in two lines, carrying a massive, pitch-black coffin!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coffin was ordinary cypress wood—not rare—but under this scene, it radiated profound dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The paper dolls tapped the ground with their toes; though appearing slow, they moved with startling speed, drawing nearer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck your mother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laojiu’s eyelid twitched; he cursed and spun to run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though skilled, he was still mortal—utterly powerless against this thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he turned, he saw figures appear behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laojiu’s scalp prickled—he raised his blade—but before he could swing, his wrist was pinned down. A cold voice sounded beside his ear: “Don’t panic. It’s us. Fall back behind us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve finally arrived…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laojiu exhaled in relief, wiping cold sweat as he scrambled behind the three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Paper dolls carrying a coffin… again?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei said coldly, “I’ve seen this before in Luoyang. Li Yan said paper dolls can’t lift anything—so is there some giant worm inside the coffin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuai Dayou chuckled, “You fellows really are well-traveled. Li Yan was right—paper dolls can’t carry a real coffin. But this isn’t a real coffin at all—just a masterful paper-mache replica.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei squinted. “Huh. You’re right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two joked casually, showing no tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their attitude seemed to anger something in the fog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Siiii~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From far down the street came an ear-splitting shriek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tore through the silent night, piercing the soul with vicious malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a signal, the paper doll coffin procession abruptly froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coffin lid creaked open a sliver—thick, nearly solid black vapor surged out, reeking of rot. Merely smelling it made one dizzy and nauseous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a hallucinogenic smoke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch out—you don’t want to inhale it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Found it—Southeast, Gen position!” Lu San’s ears twitched, suddenly speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei, already ready, fired without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening blast sent stones flying in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ughh—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sharp, brief scream cut off abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the shattered wall and flying debris, a figure collapsed backward, his chest exploding into a spray of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged man with a sinister face and rat-like whiskers—half his chest gone, dead on impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without control, the paper doll procession halted mid-charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like puppets with severed strings, their movements grew even more rigid, twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rouge on their faces looked more grotesque in the dim light, yet their hollow eye sockets still stared fixedly at the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San, standing still as a deep abyss, let out a cold snort. He stomped hard—no pattern, yet carrying an ancient, mysterious rhythm: the Chu Witch’s Nuo Step. Each step shook the ground slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He muttered incantations in obscure syllables, while swinging his bone-bead tiger-tail staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Souls and spirits—return to the Void! By command!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hoo~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the rattle of the bone beads, a chilling, murderous wind erupted from nowhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thick fog and hallucinogenic smoke were instantly torn apart and scattered by the gale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the fog gone, everything was laid bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The paper dolls, struck by immense force, toppled sideways and clattered to the ground in heaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sinister ghostly energy clinging to them vanished completely in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San’s lineage was ancient Chu Witchcraft—naturally adept at exorcising spirits. Dealing with paper dolls was child’s play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far away, in a dark alley, a figure fled swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the other controller of the paper dolls: an old woman, dressed in a dark green floral jacket, her hair white, body hunched, face yellow and withered. Her once-cloudy eyes now bulged wide with sheer terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu San’s group had terrified her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her most trusted techniques—the “Shadow Mist Array” and “Paper Spirit Coffin Carry”—had been effortlessly shattered, and even her longtime partner was dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d stepped on iron!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overwhelming survival instinct drove her to scream. She abandoned control of the remaining paper dolls, her withered body moving with impossible agility for her age—she flipped like a kite, aiming to leap onto the nearby low wall and escape!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as her body left the ground, a cold voice sounded beside her ear:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do you think you’re going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Long Yan, who had circled around.\u003C\u002Fp>",1060,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7c415037b3bbcc130618495c6c2f102135ee8e0834e77e933fea672b1de38a0b","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-758","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-756",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]