The Li metal anode is considered as one of the most promising candidates for next generation Li metal batteries (LMBs) due to the unique properties of high specific capacity, low potential and light weight. However, the crucial problems, including serious Li dendrite growth, undesired side reactions and infinite volume changes, are still big challenges for Li metal anodes, which can not only lead to the low Coulombic efficiency, but also can create short circuit risks. In this paper, we propose a novel and universal approach to achieve long life time and dendrite-free Li metal anodes by introducing carbon paper (CP) as an interlayer. As a result, the as-designed electrodes can deliver extremely high capacity (up to 3mAhcm−2 and 5mAhcm−2), superior stable performances (620h/265 cycles with 3mAhcm−2) and high operational current densities (3mAcm−2 and 5mAcm−2). Meanwhile, the electrodes also can demonstrate high capacity and long life time in full cells using carbon-coated LiFePO4 (C/LiFePO4) as the cathode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) coated C/S as cathode for Li-S batteries. These new findings could open a new window for the fabrication of safe, long life time and dendrite-free Li metal anodes.