Protagonist Yuan wakes up to find himself trapped in a Desolate Temple in a remote village, turned into an immobile Clay Buddha, and accidentally activates the System Interface. A girl named Scarlett Liu is chased by bullies and begs the Clay Buddha for help, triggering the system. Yuan uses illusions to scare off the enemies and gains his first devout follower. He tames Paper Servant and Millennium Drought Fiend Chiba the Fiend, evolves through fear and Devotion Incense, and defeats successive cultivation forces including the Yellow Weasel Demon, Azure Cloud Sect, and Heavenly Mystery Sect. Along the way, he devours cultivators and monsters, breaks through the mortal realm to reach the immortal realm, defeats immortals and buddhas, and cultivates the Thousand-Armed Dharma Aspect. However, the Heavenly Dao has been secretly plotting, holding his first follower Scarlett Liu hostage as leverage.
