Chapter 100: The Peculiar Huangni Lu, Synchronized Assault

The transport vehicle stopped, and the elder Kamiya led his group down.

"A very terrifying ghost—are you confident? I can't see through it."

Ya Mu stood at the entrance of the residential area, gazing at the distant memorial hall, his eyes full of dread.

"Give it a try."

The elder Kamiya's gaze was faint, those cloudy eyes could not reveal his emotions at all.

He slowly walked toward the memorial hall.

The moment he lifted his foot, a yellow muddy road appeared, directly linking to the memorial hall.

The emergence of the yellow mud road stood out conspicuously in this colorless city.

Usually looking dirty and chaotic, the muddy road at this moment oddly conveyed a hint of vitality and beauty.

Of course, the premise is to ignore the chilling, eerie feeling the path carries.

The yellow mud road cut off the Crying, preventing it from reaching those walking on it.

At the instant the yellow mud road linked to the memorial hall, a figure clad in Funeral Clothes, kneeling before a Coffin, suddenly turned to glance at the group.

"Puff!"

In an instant, one of the seven Ghost Tamers had his neck twisted bizarrely, turning him backward, and he knelt motionless on the ground.

"The ghosts in the memorial hall follow a rule: looking back leads to Certain Death! Be careful."

Ya Mu watched the memorial hall warily; this was only one of the ghosts in Funeral Clothes, not the Source Ghost, and in such a situation he hadn't even reacted.

At the same time, the Ghost Tamer who had fallen to the ground now showed a sorrowful expression, tears streaming from his eyes, and began to sob.

"Bad, after he was killed by the Fierce Ghost, the ghost inside his body seems to have been taken over by the Fierce Ghost."

Changze stared in terror at the fallen Ghost Tamer; the yellow mud road blocked the Crying.

But if that Ghost Tamer were to cry on the path, perhaps that ghost would gain a Medium for invasion.

"Swish!"

Accompanied by a sound of air being sliced, a head bearing sorrow rolled onto the ground.

Changze looked toward the source of the sound and saw the elder Kamiya slowly sheathing a tachi.

"That sword has the ability to cut through a Fierce Ghost."

The Fierce Ghost cannot be killed; this theorem seemed to shatter in Changze's mind at that moment.

"He isn't dead, just temporarily cut open."

Ya Mu seemed to notice Changze's astonishment and doubt, and offered an explanation to the group.

This batch of Ghost Tamers he selected could each command at most two ghosts; their insight was not high.

"I see, but that's still terrifying."

Changze nodded, casting a wary glance at the sheathed tachi.

"What do you want?" Elder Kamiya, noticing Changze's gaze, asked him.

"No, no, senior, you've misunderstood." Changze waved his hand hurriedly.

"Rest assured, if you return alive from this, I'll give you this sword as a reward for the brave."

The elder Kamiya ignored Changze's denial, speaking calmly as if the sword were not important.

The other three, upon hearing this, cast envious and jealous glances at Changze.

"You as well—if any of you manage to leave alive, I'll give you this sword; if more than one survives, I'll give you something else."

"But I must warn you, this is a vicious blade; drawing it is easy, sheathing it is troublesome."

Having said that, the elder Kamiya didn't wait for replies and walked toward the depths of the road.

Changze and the others, suppressing their excitement, followed the elder Kamiya.

Soon, the party arrived before the memorial hall.

Yet at the moment they appeared before the memorial hall, several White Curtains bizarrely surged toward them.

Elder Kamiya drew his sword and slashed, cutting the White Curtain reaching toward him.

Ya Mu reacted swiftly, grabbing the White Curtain; then dense black hair sprouted on it, making the curtain look moldy and emit a musty odor.

However, the others were less fortunate; Changze and the two companions were swept up by the White Curtains flying out of the memorial hall almost simultaneously, and within moments they were rolled into tight bundles.

"Master, everyone's dead, it's time to act, isn't it?" Ya Mu looked at elder Kamiya.

"This thing is terrifying; even this preliminary attack is already overwhelming for me."

"Fine." Elder Kamiya closed his cloudy, dim eyes, and in an instant the entire residential area seemed invaded by darkness.

Then, on the ground of the residential area, multiple yellow mud roads appeared, crisscrossing like a chessboard, instantly partitioning the area into several zones.

"Hm?"

Inside the memorial hall, Zhang Hao, kneeling on the Coffin, lifted his head, revealing a painted Crying Face.

"Someone actually came to the memorial hall area without realizing it?"

Zhang Hao had not previously noticed anyone approaching the memorial hall; he was still studying his body's changes.

It wasn't until the White Curtains surged out of the memorial hall that Zhang Hao finally realized someone was approaching.

Looking up, Zhang Hao saw an elderly man with his eyes closed, holding a tachi, staring at the memorial hall.

At the instant Zhang Hao looked up, the elder drew the tachi from his hand.

With a "Swish!" sound, Zhang Hao felt the world spin wildly.

His head hit the ground, yet he did not lose consciousness; after the tachi sliced his head, it could not suppress his awareness.

At the moment Zhang Hao's head struck the ground, the elder's clothing inexplicably tore apart, as if something were violently ripping it.

Simultaneously, it seemed not only his clothes that were tearing, but also the elder's life.

A tremendous, excruciating pain erupted in elder Kamiya; although there were no visible wounds, it felt as if his skin, flesh, even bones were splitting apart.

If he continues like this, there is no doubt he will be torn apart alive and die, but with the influence of the Ghost Shadow on his body.

This feeling of tearing is limited; after reaching a certain point it cannot continue.

"Have you mastered a Fierce Ghost that can protect the body?"

Zhang Hao was not surprised by this; a top Ghost Tamer does not necessarily possess a Ghost Domain, but must have a Fierce Ghost that can protect the body.

Even though Zhang Hao's attacks are terrifying and can easily tear some Fierce Ghosts, they still cannot easily tear apart a Fierce Ghost that has been completed to a certain degree and possesses protective ability.

The next moment, Zhang Hao's body suddenly turned oddly black and white, and then he walked out again from the Black and White Portrait in front of the Coffin.

After Zhang Hao completed that Fierce Ghost that can control clothing, his connection with the bride further strengthened.

Even if the bride is not in the spirit hall at this time, Zhang Hao can still employ part of the bride's Ghost Power.

Because now Zhang Hao and the bride are two parts of a single Ghost.

The Black and White Portrait was originally a Fierce Ghost that could just counter a Ghost Painting, but now, after both have become the same Ghost.

Zhang Hao surprisingly also gained the ability to walk out again from the Black and White Portrait.

As Zhang Hao stepped out again, the four Fierce Ghosts kneeling before the spirit hall also strangely appeared by the Ghost Coffin, carrying the Coffin and charging at the Kamiya elder.

However, faced with such an attack, the Kamiya elder reacted swiftly.

After he suppressed the clothing on his body that was being controlled, a series of Yellow Mud Paths suddenly appeared beneath his feet.

The Fierce Ghost bearing the Ghost Coffin, at that moment, strangely stepped onto another Yellow Mud Path where the Kamiya elder was not present.

"Hmm? Able to affect the Ghost Coffin's advance?"

Zhang Hao looked up, and the black‑and‑white Ghost Domain invaded this Yellow Mud Path, stripping the yellow soil of its color.

However, just as Zhang Hao used the Ghost Domain to shift the Ghostly Servant's position, he discovered that his Ghost Domain seemed to have been split apart.

This division does not feel like the way Qin Lao once forced a split of the Ghost Painting with Ghost Fire, but rather an incomprehensible Ghost Power.

Zhang Hao can still sense the presence of other Ghost Domains, yet he cannot leave this area divided by the Yellow Mud Paths.

Even when Zhang Hao invades with the Ghost Domain, he cannot immediately invade all Yellow Mud Paths; each time he can only invade one path.

"Special Ghost Power, can it only advance one square at a time?"

Zhang Hao surveyed the Yellow Mud Paths that crisscrossed like lines on a chessboard and immediately grasped the situation.

The elder before him should be able to use these Yellow Mud Paths to forcibly separate the Ghost Domain, forcing the Fierce Ghosts inside to advance one square at a time, like chess pieces, invading the Yellow Mud Paths step by step. Zhang Hao looked at the Kamiya elder, who was slowly sheathing his katana and retreating onto the Yellow Mud Path behind him.

However, the Kamiya elder also seemed bound by the Yellow Mud Path's rules, retreating one square at a time along the path behind him.

"This old thing, is it playing cat‑and‑mouse with me?"

The Yellow Mud Path divided the courtyard into hundreds of zones; I move forward one square, he moves back one square, making it virtually impossible to catch him.

Zhang Hao tried to strike the elder with the Kneeling Death Ghost Power, but it had no effect.

Even when Zhang Hao turned around and used the Ghost Power that causes anyone who sees his back to lose color, it still could not affect the elder.

It seemed that the area Zhang Hao occupied could not reach the area where the Kamiya elder stood.

Perhaps, like a chess game, both sides must make contact for one's Ghost Power to affect the other.

Yet as Zhang Hao kept invading forward, a Ghost suddenly appeared on a Yellow Mud Path one square ahead of him.

The instant it saw Zhang Hao, the Ghost immediately attacked him.

Accompanied by the sound of stomping, Zhang Hao's attempt to invade the next Yellow Mud Path was interrupted.

The next moment, Zhang Hao's body halted and he stepped out again from the Black and White Portrait.

"Hmm?"

Zhang Hao looked up at the Ghost that attacked him and then used the Ghost Domain to invade the area where it stood.

At the same time, Zhang Hao immediately activated the Kneeling Death Ghost Power.

Since the opponent could strike him, it meant he could also strike the opponent.

As expected, when the Kneeling Death was triggered, the Ghost instantly knelt.

However, just as Zhang Hao's Ghost Domain successfully invaded that area and he intended to imprison the Ghost, the opponent strangely vanished on the spot.

"Restarted?"

Zhang Hao unexpectedly looked at the spot where the Ghost disappeared.

He could sense that this Ghost was not strong, yet for some reason it oddly possessed the ability to temporarily suppress him, and even a means to Restart.

"No, that's not right; it's not this Ghost's ability."

Zhang Hao quickly came to his senses and looked toward the direction of the Kamiya elder.

This should be the Kamiya elder's ability.

Sure enough, when Zhang Hao glanced at the distant Yellow Mud Paths, he soon spotted five eerie human silhouettes, including the Fierce Ghost that had just been suppressed and suddenly vanished.

"I see, this must be the elder's third ability."

"One Yellow Mud Path that can split the Ghost Domain, a Fierce Ghost that protects the body, and a Ghost that seemingly can control Fierce Ghosts."

The Yellow Mud Path makes the elder's combat style strange and hard to counter, while the protective Fierce Ghost prevents unexpected situations.

The final Ghost can command the other Fierce Ghosts, allowing them to move freely within the Yellow Mud Paths.

"Not only that, the attacks of these Ghosts seem to have been amplified—because of the Yellow Mud Path's special rules? Or for some other reason?"

Zhang Hao stood up, and the Ghost Coffin beneath him vanished as he rose.

However, the four Fierce Ghosts carrying the coffin did not disappear; they each moved toward the four directions at the crossroads of the Yellow Mud Path beneath Zhang Hao's feet.

"Let me give it a try."

Soon, one coffin‑carrying Fierce Ghost dressed in Funeral Clothes approached another Ghost walking on the Yellow Mud Path.

Under Zhang Hao's control, that Ghost had already prepared, just as the two Ghosts were on the two Yellow Mud Paths that intersected.

The coffin‑carrying Fierce Ghost twisted its head oddly, and in an instant, an incredibly terrifying attack surged toward the Ghost on the opposite side of the Yellow Mud Path.

The Ghost that was struck by the turning‑back Ghost had its neck seemingly snapped in an instant, and then vanished on the spot.

Indeed, this Huangni Lu carries a certain special supernatural phenomenon.

Any attack launched by a Fierce Ghost walking on the Huangni Lu is amplified to the point where it can suppress the attacked Fierce Ghost.

This feeling is much like domestic chess; no matter how large a piece you are, once another piece attacks you first, you cannot defend.

And the Kamiya elder, as the source of the Huangni Lu, is like the general on the board.

"Want to play chess with me? Trying to deal with me by this method?"

Within the black‑and‑white Ghost Domain surrounding Zhang Hao, a flash of vivid red suddenly appears.

The Ghost Bride is summoned by Zhang Hao to his side, and the Summon Ghost Technique activates.

At the same time, above the sky, a grayish ash instantly blankets the Huangni Lu.

Just like Zhang Hao's Ghost Domain, even the Ghost Bride's Ghost Domain is divided by the Huangni Lu into tiny grid‑like sections.

The Kamiya elder commands a conceptual Fierce Ghost; even though Zhang Hao's and the Ghost Bride's Ghost Domains still cover the entire island nation, they cannot leave this area.

Yet at that moment, within these endless Yellow Mud Roads, a lone bizarre Fierce Ghost suddenly appears.

"Since we're playing chess, I'll join you for a round."

Zhang Hao takes the Ghost Bride's hand, and the Summon Ghost Technique activates.

In an instant, a dozen or so ghosts sequentially step onto the chessboard formed by the Huangni Lu.

As soon as those dozen ghosts appear, they immediately begin attacking the Fierce Ghosts controlled by the Kamiya elder on the Huangni Lu.

Even though the Fierce Ghosts under the Kamiya elder on this Huangni Lu can continuously Restart, under the relentless assaults they are rendered ineffective.

Moreover, as more Fierce Ghosts enter the board, the unoccupied Huangni Lu shrinks, and even the Kamiya elder's own space begins to be compressed.

At this moment, Ya Mu, standing on a Huangni Lu, is being eyed by a ghost.

While Ya Mu saturates a ghost's body with mold to suppress it, his own body suddenly ignites with a strange flame.

The blaze only scorches Ya Mu's upper half, yet he consequently loses the ability to move.

Fortunately, Ya Mu has survived from the Imperial era to the present; even in his twilight, his strength is not to be underestimated.

In the distance, on a Huangni Lu overrun with mold, the mold proliferates, and Ya Mu soon reappears.

This is a kind of alternative Restart; Ya Mu seems able to emerge anew through these mold‑infested things, much like an unresolvable mold source.

"Nani!"

Seeing this, the Kamiya elder's previously calm expression suddenly changes.

He is not surprised by Ya Mu's Restart, but by the Red and White Double Evil having summoned so many Fierce Ghosts.

But soon, the Kamiya elder acts again.

After a Fierce Ghost controlled by the Kamiya elder Restarts and reappears beside him, the elder instantly draws his katana and slashes at the ghost.

In an instant, the ghost splits into two halves, yet it does not lose mobility.

The Kamiya elder slowly sheathes his blade after cutting the Fierce Ghost; the moment the hilt meets the scabbard, he draws the katana again and dismembers another Restarted Fierce Ghost that appears beside him.

While Zhang Hao continuously commands Fierce Ghosts to compress the Kamiya elder's space, the elder, by repeatedly dismembering Fierce Ghosts, manages to multiply their numbers severalfold.

From afar, Zhang Hao also perceives the problem at this moment.

The Fierce Ghosts originally controlled by the Kamiya elder, due to their dwindling numbers, can no longer oppose him.

But at this time, Zhang Hao suddenly notices that the Fierce Ghosts he controls are being continuously suppressed.

"So that's it—by using the Huangni Lu to amplify the supernatural attacks and constantly dismembering Fierce Ghosts, you achieve a sort of cumulative stacking?"

The Fierce Ghosts under Zhang Hao's control, aside from the four coffin‑carrying Fierce Ghosts, lack the ability to Restart.

At the start, thanks to their numbers, they could launch attacks more frequently, gaining a great advantage.

But once the Kamiya elder began dismembering Fierce Ghosts and increasing attack frequency, the flaw of these non‑Restarting Fierce Ghosts became evident.

On one side are indestructible, uncloseable things; on the other, entities that get suppressed for a time when attacked. When the numbers are close, the outcome is obvious.

"But playing like this with me, can you afford it?"

Zhang Hao stops summoning more Fierce Ghosts and instead has the Bride summon a derivative ghost painting.

Not just a derivative ghost painting.

Among these vivid ghost paintings, at some point, several black‑and‑white photos appeared, and colorless figures dressed in Funeral Clothes stepped out of the photos.

(End of Chapter)