Chapter 104: The Bizarre Eyeball, Overlapping Worlds

This time, when Zhang Hao walked along this Alley, he did not deliberately interrupt the other party.

He actually wants to see what this Road really is, and where the final destination is.

As he kept moving, after about seven or eight minutes of travel, in the distance Zhang Hao finally saw this Alley change.

In the distance, deep within the Alley, a bizarre Ruined House appeared.

After the Ruined House appeared, this Road also grew strange; Zhang Hao could feel that with each step, an invisible supernatural force was eroding his body.

The intensity of this erosion grew increasingly terrifying as Zhang Hao kept moving forward.

After walking another two or three minutes forward, Zhang Hao stopped; this advance had barely brought him any closer to the Ruined House ahead.

Clearly, at the speed he and the bride were moving, three or two minutes should have covered several kilometers.

Yet the narrow Alley remained narrow, and the distant Ruined House occupied the same proportion of Zhang Hao's view as before.

Not wanting it to continue, Zhang Hao deployed a Ghost Domain; the black‑and‑white Ghost Domain eroded the Alley, and a coffin‑like darkness appeared, as if trying to forcibly pry the Alley open.

However, the deeper the Alley got, the stranger it became; the Ghost Domain that could normally tear open an external Alley could not tear open the Road here.

"Come quickly, this way."

The appearance of the Ghost Domain not only failed to succeed in the Invasion, but instead caused a series of calls to echo from the darkness.

In the pitch‑black depths of the Alley, one endless Alley after another stretched unseen; in each, a bizarre human silhouette seemed to wave and call at Zhang Hao.

These calls kept layering, and their effect on Zhang Hao grew increasingly severe.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao emitted an even richer cold aura, causing the Alley's temperature to drop considerably.

Above this black‑and‑white Ghost Domain, a hazy Ghost Domain appeared, and thick paper ash fell from the sky.

Accompanying the paper ash, sheets of Paper Money landed on the Alley's walls and ignited automatically.

The burning Paper Money set those unknown Alleys alight, and the falling sheets of paper ash buried those Alleys.

Together with the Ghost Domain of the ghost painting, finally the darkness inside the Alley dissipated; at that moment, the small paths that had sprouted from the deep Alley vanished, leaving only a road about twenty meters long, paved with thick paper ash.

At the end of this paper‑ash road stood an old, dilapidated Ruined House.

Faintly, Zhang Hao could still sense a feeling of being watched emanating from within the Ruined House.

It seemed someone inside the Ruined House was watching him, yet did not look at Zhang Hao's back, nor at the bride, and thus did not trigger the Killing Rule.

In such a ghostly place, there's no need to elaborate on what could appear in that Ruined House ahead.

Inside the Ruined House was undoubtedly a terrifying Fierce Ghost.

Zhang Hao observed that the black‑cloaked figure earlier seemed to have vanished as the darkness was dispelled.

The road he had been walking forward on earlier was, in fact, merely the middle of this Alley.

Looking toward the exit direction of Xia Xia behind him, it was only ten meters from Zhang Hao's position.

In other words, Zhang Hao had been pacing in place within the Alley.

Zhang Hao took a few steps forward, and with each step, an invisible pressure arose.

It seemed that the closer he got to this Ruined House, the more terrifying the invisible pressure became; for each meter advanced, the pressure's intensity doubled.

When Zhang Hao was less than three meters from the Ruined House, his back involuntarily hunched slightly.

At that moment, a hole in the door panel of the Ruined House's main gate suddenly revealed an eyeball full of blood vessels.

A ghost stood behind the door panel, observing Zhang Hao through the hole.

With the eyeball's appearance, Zhang Hao's back bent slightly, as the invisible gravity seemed to be a Gaze.

The larger your proportion within this eyeball's Gaze, the more Gaze you endure, and the greater the pressure your body feels.

"No wonder my body feels heavier the closer I get; it's because of this eyeball, huh?"

Zhang Hao stared at the blood‑veined eyeball, then suddenly turned around.

The black‑and‑white Ghost Domain at this moment turned and attacked that ghost.

The dilapidated Old Mansion at this moment became even more ruinous, its faded wooden door seeming ready to be destroyed at any moment.

Deep within the eyeball, a black‑and‑white human silhouette was reflected.

Soon after, a putrid corpse appeared in the Alley.

"Hmm? Is this the ghost I saw earlier that was led into this Alley?"

This bizarre corpse was stained with foul‑smelling earth, carrying the unique muddy stench of the Alley.

After the corpse appeared it remained motionless, but the foul earth on it continuously flowed into the paper ash.

When all the earth on the corpse drained away, the ghost seemed to regain movement, looking toward the direction outside the Alley and walking away.

Zhang Hao also felt that one of the pitch‑black Alleys cut off by the Ghost Domain seemed to vanish after all the earth on that corpse drained away.

"So that's it—bringing in a ghost can spawn a bizarre Alley, huh?"

Zhang Hao pulled the Dry Corpse Bride standing before him to his back to block that ghost's Gaze, while he himself stood behind the bride to observe the eyeball.

Zhang Hao's ability that targets Gaze requires seeing a silhouette to activate; without pulling the Dry Corpse Bride to block the Gaze, he could only stalemate with that ghost and could not observe the specifics.

After all, the Dry Corpse Bride inherits the Ghost Painting's Killing Rule; being seen can trigger it, and it likewise restrains this type of Gaze‑type Fierce Ghost.

Zhang Hao stood behind the Dry Corpse Bride, his head resting on her shoulder to share the pressure brought by the Gaze, observing the changes of the eyeball on the door panel.

After the putrid corpse left, a reflection quickly appeared in the eyeball.

This time, it was something dressed in tattered rags, like a beggar.

It too was stained with foul earth, and as that earth continuously seeped into the layer of paper ash on the ground, the beggar‑like Fierce Ghost quickly left the Alley.

Then, one reflection after another appeared, and a lone Fierce Ghost emerged from the eyeball's Gaze and left the place.

He didn't know how much time had passed; although he hadn't counted carefully, Zhang Hao glanced and guessed there were probably a dozen or so ghosts.

By continuously luring Fierce Ghosts, spawning more bizarre Alleys, it's no wonder Zhang Hao's body was affected to the point he couldn't stand straight before that ghost.

This ghost, though capable of continuously spawning these bizarre Alleys, does not absorb the abilities of the ghosts trapped within the eyeball as a Puzzle; it merely serves as a Medium to generate strange roads, raising the Terror Level, and its method is too one‑dimensional.

Nevertheless, even so, it is only by him and the bride's suppression of this Gaze‑type Fierce Ghost that it can be dealt with; otherwise, this thing would be a real trouble to handle.

Soon, as the Fierce Ghosts were continuously expelled, the image of a man in a black robe reflected in the eyeball.

Finally, a man in a black robe appeared before Zhang Hao, standing there motionless.

Zhang Hao reached out, trying to grasp the figure shrouded beneath the black robe, but could not touch it.

Even when Zhang Hao used the Ghost Domain to cover the opponent, it had no effect.

This is a person that exists only within the Gaze, a Spirit Phenomenon the ghost uses to lure Fierce Ghosts.

After expelling so many Fierce Ghosts, Zhang Hao could feel that the pressure brought by this Gaze had lessened greatly and no longer affected him.

He stepped forward and pushed open the faded wooden door.

To his surprise, no Fierce Ghost appeared behind the door.

The bizarre eyeball had no body; it was attached to the door panel.

Zhang Hao went to the doorway, looked at the blood‑veined eyeball behind the panel, and realized.

This Ghost Eye that continuously imprisoned Fierce Ghosts inside the eyeball turned out to be merely a cat's eye.

He reached out, seized the eyeball, tore it from the door, and even felt its Terror Level dropping linearly.

Without any attachment or the imprisoned Fierce Ghosts, only a solitary eyeball remained, leaving it unfit even to open in Zhang Hao's hand.

It is a very special ghost, its ability odd, not powerful itself, yet it possesses limitless growth.

Even though its limitless growth is slower than that of a Ghostly Servant or a Hungry Ghost, given time in reality it could still become an unsolvable Supernatural Incident.

After all, in this bizarre city, the ghost's low Terror Level may heavily restrict its Killing Rule.

For example, Zhang Hao and the Ghost Bride; after they entered the city, the city assigned them five Killing Rules based on their Terror Levels and internal Killing Rules.

And the eyeball's current Terror Level may correspond to only one Killing Rule. That may be why it only targets Fierce Ghosts not registered in the Forbidden City and not given taboos.

"Hmm, should I harness this thing?"

Zhang Hao frowned at the eyeball, still quite eager for its ability.

The Gaze is pressure; if harnessed together with Zhang Hao's Kneeling Death to force others to kneel, perhaps no one could stand before him.

Of course, if he doesn't harness it, completing the Red Room and using it as the Red Room, or the cat's eye of the spirit hall, would also be a good choice.

After careful thought, Zhang Hao quickly made a decision.

He will harness this ghost, complete the Red Room, or perhaps the spirit hall—he doesn't know when to go.

Later he will also have to face the revived Meng Xiaodong, and other Seven Elders may appear during that time.

He needs to boost his and the Bride's combat power as much as possible, not leaving it after completing the Red Room.

"So, could Yang Jian's Ghost Eye also serve as the cat's eye for the Red Room?"

Zhang Hao stared at the tightly closed eyeball and suddenly thought.

In the Red Room, everything is red light, and the Ghost Eye also emits red light.

If that scarlet Ghost Eye were placed atop the Red Room, would that mean the room's red light could pass through the Ghost Eye to affect the outside world?

Could this give the Red Room mobility? But that's premature; for now he should raise his own Terror Level.

Zhang Hao grabbed the eyeball and forced it into one of his own eyes.

Then Zhang Hao felt a wave of darkness assault him, his Gaze seemingly sinking into darkness.

In the socket of his left eye came a hollow sensation; the eyeball was devouring his original eye.

After a long while, Zhang Hao finally regained his Gaze.

His two eyes were at that moment filled with blood vessels, and his Gaze was also affected.

In one of his eyes, the world retained its normal colors.

In the other eye, everything was black and white, likely the change brought by the eyeball.

Perhaps it is due to the influence of the Black and White Ghost Domain that the world appeared black and white.

The two worlds overlapped, strange and terrifying, giving a bizarre feeling, yet aside from slight discomfort, Zhang Hao sensed nothing abnormal.

It seemed everything was always meant to be this way.

In that black‑and‑white world, a white figure stood there.

"Is that the ghost that previously existed within the Gaze?"

"No, that's me, my manifestation in the Black and White World; the ghost that existed within the Gaze is actually a Supernatural Phenomenon of mine."

In the black‑and‑white world, the white figure's attire was exactly the same as Zhang Hao's.

The same Funeral Clothes, the same Face‑Covering Cloth, the same Crying Face painted on the face, but in the Black and White World he appeared entirely colorless.

Zhang Hao looked at the Bride.

The overlapping of two differently colored worlds let Zhang Hao see two distinct Brides.

One wore a red Wedding Dress, the other a blackened Wedding Dress.

"Strange perspective."

Zhang Hao looked elsewhere, walked out of the Alley, and watched the wandering Fierce Ghosts on the street.

The Fierce Ghosts he stared at seemed suppressed by an invisible Supernatural Suppression, their backs hunched, legs bent, kneeling on the ground.

In the normal world, they only appeared kneeling, then wailing in pain.

Yet in the Black and White World, Zhang Hao saw countless versions of himself, using strands of White Curtain to trap these Fierce Ghosts and pull them toward his direction, as if trying to draw the ghosts into the depths of his eyes.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, a particular figure appeared in that Black and White World, moving toward the depths of the city.

It seemed to enter his Gaze, making it feel an attack; that special figure looked at Zhang Hao, then quickly knelt.

However, that ghost was completely invisible in the normal world.

"An invisible Fierce Ghost."

Zhang Hao stared at the Fierce Ghost that entered the Black and White World, his eyes lighting up.

I didn't expect this eye actually had the ability to see those Fierce Ghosts that do not exist in reality.

However, at that moment Zhang Hao suddenly felt a terrifying aura appear; around the Alley, an incomprehensible darkness enveloped the area, seeming ready to attack Zhang Hao at any time.

"This is, the rule of this city."

Zhang Hao recovered his senses; these Ghosts had never before triggered the taboo Killing Rule that this city imposed on itself.

He suddenly, without cause, attacked and suppressed them, while his self in the Black and White World was still pulling these things into his own eyeballs.

This undoubtedly triggered the city's Killing Rule.

Fortunately, Zhang Hao had not yet pulled these Ghosts into his eyeballs; otherwise it might have caused some incomprehensible effects.

Although it was only a darkness enveloping him, Zhang Hao could feel that the darkness hanging over the entire city was terrifying.

After all, even Zhang Hao himself does not have the ability to cover this bizarre city with his own Ghost Domain.

In such a place the number of Fierce Ghosts is too great; accompanied by their instinctive resistance, the expansion of the Ghost Domain is heavily constrained.

Zhang Hao dispersed the countless versions of himself that had arisen in the Black and White World, then looked toward the street he had previously walked along.

At some unknown time, the yellow mud road left by the elder Kamiya had vanished, leaving only a completely darkness‑shrouded, indistinct abandoned street and a deep, unknown path leading nowhere.

Zhang Hao stared at that dark street for a long time, and finally decided to walk in and take a look.

Since that Ghost Groom earlier could bring a living person into this bizarre city, perhaps these pitch‑black streets are the Road out.

After all, when looking toward those pitch‑black streets, one can occasionally see strange human silhouettes coming this way.

Each time a human silhouette emerges from the darkness, it means a Ghost has entered this city.

"Madam, let's go."

Zhang Hao took hold of the Ghost Bride and walked outward.

At the same time.

Dajiang City, Han Mo, one of the twelve captains, was walking across this vast land.

This city, aside from a few central cities, has few inhabitants in its suburban areas.

But the vast swaths of uninhabited land also mean that when those Republic Era predecessors confined Fierce Ghosts, they often chose these desolate places as sites to imprison Spiritual Realms.

Putting other things aside, since confirming his promotion to captain three months ago, Han Mo has already experienced no fewer than ten Supernatural Incidents within his jurisdiction.

Among them, five can be called A-Class Paranormal Events, and fortunately he has already achieved Balance in each using various methods.

Now, the Supernatural Incident he is about to handle is the most troublesome one he has encountered here in Dajiang City.

It is a Spiritual Realm that had not previously gone out of control, thus it was classified as an A-Class Paranormal Event.

Han Mo, leaning on a human‑skull staff made of white bone, slowly walked toward a nearby abandoned town.

The town houses countless Fierce Ghosts; Han Mo once tried to enter, but the town seemed to have no end.

On the town's streets, eerie, cold human silhouettes appear from time to time, each being a single Fierce Ghost.

However, the town seems to possess some kind of supernatural phenomenon that prevents these Ghosts from leaving easily; when one or two surface, Han Mo can deal with them.

Yet, just a few days ago, the frequency of Fierce Ghosts exiting the town suddenly rose dramatically.

According to the intelligence Han Mo received, in those three days, four terrifying Fierce Ghosts have already emerged.

The soldiers tasked with defending and guarding the town have suffered heavy losses.

(End of Chapter)