35: Chapter 35 Paper Dolls as Clones

Kongsang Academy.

Inside Shen Moyan's private Immortal Cave at the Academy, the surrounding area was piled high with his haul from the past few days.

"The Secret Records of Paper Cutting, an immortal Spell, Paper Cutting to Form Humans—the foundation upon which the Cen Family stood in the past."

Sometimes, the places where they traded were too remote, and the Cen Family lacked manpower. Mortal Transformation Realm Cultivators in the Family would then use this Spell to command paper figures Clones to conduct business.

"Yet, what made them successful was also what led to their failure."

The Cen Family's Paper Cutting to Form Humans immortal Spell was incomplete. The person controlling the paper figures could not see the paper figures' vision, naturally leading to very little constraint over them.

Historically, the Cen Family had several instances of paper figure rebellion, suffering immense losses and offending many customers.

Therefore, this Spell was strictly guarded by the Family Head, and only Geniuses within the Family could use it.

Currently, only the Family Head and a few Family Elders in the Cen Family could use this Spell; even Cen Gewu was not qualified to cast it.

Cen Jing had precisely seized Shen Moyan's psychological weakness. As long as Shen Moyan used the cloud-patterned spiritual paper and Profound Iron Ink provided by the former, there was no guarantee what the resulting paper figures would turn into.

Shen Moyan certainly didn't want to hear nonsense like, 'Whoever is stronger is the main body.'

"The Cen Family seems to be declining."

"Thinking back, Cen Jing's attitude toward me that day revealed many problems."

Having traded for generations, they must have established certain connections in Kongsang Prefecture and the Holy Court.

But the day Shen Moyan visited the Cen Family, Cen Jing grabbed him as if he were a life-saving straw.

His humble appearance made it seem like he couldn't wait to press his face against Shen Moyan's feet.

"Also, the recent movement of supplies for Kongsang Prefecture's city defenses is significantly more than in previous years."

"Is something about to happen?"

"Or is that jade thing Xu Mingxuan stirring up trouble?"

Shen Moyan held a pale cyan cloud-patterned spiritual paper between his fingers, the paper body emitting a faint, shimmering glow.

It was refined from three-hundred-year-old Spirit Bamboo Pulp mixed with Morning Dew, which he had conveniently taken from the Construction and Maintenance Department.

In his other hand, he held an ink-colored Profound Iron Ink. The ink on the brush tip was not ordinary ink, but Spirit Ink mixed with a strand of his own Divine Sense and low-grade Spirit Liquid. Naturally, he had also acquired this from the Construction and Maintenance Department.

The paper figures Materials Cen Jing provided were not irreplaceable.

Shen Moyan was backed by the Kongsang Prefecture government; he could simply take whatever Materials he wanted.

As he wielded the brush swiftly, a human figure with distinct features was quickly outlined on the paper. With just a few strokes, the paper figures appeared lively, dressed in tight, short clothes.

"It doesn't matter. As soon as I get the Materials for the Heavenly Demon Ritual, I'm running away."

"At that time, even if Kongsang Prefecture is engulfed by floods, it will have nothing to do with me."

As the final stroke fell, Shen Moyan flicked his finger, sending a wisp of magical power into the paper figures' chest.

The paper figures suddenly stood upright, stretched its arms, and bowed to him, its voice clear like a brass bell:

"Greetings, Main Body."

Faint Spiritual Qi lingered around its body. The paper figure moved freely, and its eyes held intelligence.

This was Paper Cutting to Form Humans: using spirit paper as the body, Spirit Ink as the soul, and Divine Sense as the guide. It could speak, act, think, and even bear some of Shen Moyan's own Spells.

"Very good." Although Shen Moyan did not have the paper figures' visual perspective, he could vaguely sense the paper figures' location in his heart.

"If enough magical power is infused, it can even grow larger, becoming a Clone with a face identical to my main body."

Shen Moyan separated thirty percent of his total magical power and infused it into the paper figure's body.

The paper figure Clone suddenly grew larger, and the aura of a living person rushed forward.

Then, Shen Moyan lightly pointed a finger, and magical power rippled across the paper figure Clone's forehead.

"Leaving All Forms," he murmured.

Forms outside of the person are all illusions.

The Leaving All Forms Spell permeated the entire paper figure, making its consciousness completely subject to Shen Moyan's commands and impossible for others to control.

After completing this, Shen Moyan carefully refined the Six Senses Fireflies into the paper figure's head.

An hour later, the paper figure opened its eyes.

Shen Moyan now simultaneously possessed two fields of vision, and the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.

"Although the process was tedious, the result is good."

"From now on, you shall be called Shen Yi."

Shen Moyan stamped the nine songs seal onto the paper figure, and then threw the Deputy Director's token to it.

He gave this paper figure Clone absolute orders: go to the Construction and Maintenance Department daily to clock in, report the situation regularly, and closely monitor the movements of Xu Mingxuan.

"I still have enough magical power. Should I refine another one?" Shen Moyan currently had ample magical power, and the Materials he had taken from the Construction and Maintenance Department were also sufficient.

After another two hours, Shen Moyan felt somewhat exhausted. He took out a Divine Soul Pill, which replenished Mental Energy, and swallowed it.

"Shen Yi, Clone Two, Clone Three."

"Three paper figures, three perspectives—that is currently the limit of my Mental Energy."

Shen Moyan issued commands to these Clones. As for himself, he planned to stay hidden in the Academy indefinitely.

"The Academy, the Cen Family—I'll deploy one paper figure at each location."

...A few weeks later, the time approached for the Directorate of Justice Office to come and audit the accounts.

"Hey, have you heard? Senior Student Jiang is coming back."

"Senior Student Jiang? Which Senior Student Jiang?"

"Jiang Family of Langya Province, Jiang Zhiqiu's elder brother, Immortal Master Qingshui! Jiang Qingshui!"

A wave of commotion spread through the Academy.

Shen Moyan's Earth Hearing Ear listened to the noise of the many students, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.

"Jiang Qingshui..."

"The person coming from the Directorate of Justice Office is also called Jiang Qingshui. This is no coincidence."

The Jiang Family, the Jiang Family of Langya Province. That was a colossal entity occupying an entire province, and its Family history was even longer than the history of Kongsang Prefecture's founding.

Jiang Zhiqiu was merely a collateral branch Disciple, yet his death actually drew the main Family's direct line Young Master to personally offer condolences.

This matter had an unusual scent to it.

Shen Moyan sat cross-legged on the Immortal Cave's cushion, his eyes tightly shut. His mind, however, was split into three, spreading out like a spiderweb, connecting to three different corners of Kongsang Prefecture.

The noisy Academy, the busy Construction and Maintenance Department, and the Cen Family residence where undercurrents surged.

Three distinctly different scenes, three independent perspectives, now converged into his mind.

"Jiang Qingshui..." Shen Moyan's main body muttered, his knuckles unconsciously tapping his knee.

The beginning of everything was Jiang Zhiqiu's death.

Shen Moyan only knew that Jiang Zhiqiu most likely died at the hands of those two Biyang Sword Sect Disciples, but he hadn't personally witnessed how he died.

Although, from his perspective, the events in Dongshan City were orchestrated behind the scenes by the Loose Cultivator Ni Gaoyuan.

Could it be that Ni Gaoyuan was not the real mastermind?

Shen Moyan frowned.

Because of this, he fled Dongshan City, came to Kongsang Prefecture, contacted Xu Mingxuan, entered the Construction and Maintenance Department, and connected with the Cen Family.

Now, the deceased's elder brother had arrived.

Like a giant rock smashing into a seemingly calm pond, could those entities hidden beneath the surface still lurk peacefully?

Alarm bells rang loudly in Shen Moyan's heart.

His original plan was to use the identity of Deputy Director of the Construction and Maintenance Department, given by Xu Mingxuan, to quietly gather the Materials for the Heavenly Demon Ritual and then flee far away.

But now, it seemed this pool of water was much deeper and much murkier than he had imagined.

With a thought, the paper figure Clone "Clone Three," who was far away inside the Academy, quietly adjusted its position, blending into the crowd of students, its ears capturing all information about Jiang Qingshui like a radar.