Chapter 108: Zhang Xianguang: Have the Bride and the Ghost Painting Already Complemented?

Tap! Tap tap!

Zhang Hao's heavy Footsteps, at this moment for Sun Rui, seemed like a death‑summoning talisman, tearing at the defenses of his heart.

He came to the window edge and threw Sun Rui out.

As soon as he left the window, Sun Rui seemed to be struck by a curse, his skin turning gray instantly.

Before he even hit the Ground, Sun Rui's face had already lost all life, though a look of resentment remained.

Sun Rui wasn't killed by the fall; instead, during the descent, he was slain by the Ghost Post Office's curse.

However, just as Zhang Hao was about to leave the Ghost Post Office to deal with the ghosts outside.

A female corpse suddenly appeared on the fifth floor, and it walked step by step toward Zhang Hao.

The corpse kept its eyes closed, its body stuck with sheet after sheet of black paper, as if the paper were clothing.

The paper was special, bearing a certain curse.

Suddenly, after getting within a certain distance.

The female corpse abruptly opened its eyes, and the entire Ghost Post Office began to shake, as if an earthquake were striking and the whole building were about to collapse.

"What's happening?"

As the Ghost Post Office trembled, the wooden stairs outside the fifth‑floor doorway could no longer hold and collapsed outright.

Moreover, the Ground developed cracks that spread rapidly, soon covering it densely.

Zhang Hao stared at the female corpse while also observing the situation.

At this moment, the Ghost Post Office's changes continued.

The walls peeled away, the Ground fissured; although it looked as if it would collapse, it did not—instead, the tremor caused unknown alterations within the post office.

The transformation was from inside out, and it seemed the post office's true form was about to be revealed.

But before Zhang Hao could observe further,

suddenly.

The Ground split open and truly collapsed; he, the Ghost Bride, and the female corpse all fell onto the fourth floor of the post office.

Then the fourth floor also gave way, dropping them onto the third floor.

The third floor collapsed as well.

Floors vanished layer by layer.

As all the floors crumbled, the interior layout of the post office changed dramatically, revealing a hidden building.

It was a H‑shaped five‑story building, like the Ghost Post Office, and stair openings appeared in the walls; the stairs were concrete, linking every level.

This seemed to be the post office's original form: the first and fifth floors were directly connected, with no intervening gaps.

"That must be the Third Generation Manager of the Ghost Post Office."

"From its state, it doesn't look human, yet it isn't a ghost; it seems that after I killed Sun Rui, the Ghost Post Office lost its manager, causing these changes."

The Ghost Post Office has four managers: the first was Luo Wensong, the second is the female corpse before us, the third is Zhang Xianguang, and the fourth is Sun Rui.

Now the first and fourth managers are dead.

Since the third manager Zhang Xianguang hides within a painting, in this situation the female corpse before us appears to become the Ghost Post Office's manager.

However, for some reason the corpse has not become a revived Fierce Ghost, yet it has lost human wisdom and cannot think further.

It's essentially a clueless fool wielding a lethal weapon.

After becoming the Ghost Post Office's manager, she naturally revealed everything the post office had hidden.

But now is not the time for contemplation; when Zhang Hao descended to the first floor, the building outside seemed unable to bear any more.

Bang!

Accompanied by a violent sound, the doors were thrust open, and terrifying "people" shuffled in from outside the Ghost Post Office.

This time, however, the ghosts, after entering the post office, did not attack Zhang Hao; they merely wandered dazed inside.

It seems that, having lost Sun Rui's control, the ghosts have lost their target; perhaps their Killing Rule must be triggered before they will attack.

Or perhaps the corpse of Tian Xiaoyue is directing these ghosts to assault Zhang Hao.

However, the female corpse appears to have even lost its Killing Rule; unless one touches the cursed paper on her body, it won't attack anyone.

Just as Zhang Hao turned, intending to ignore the corpse and find a mural to dive into,

Suddenly, the corpse that had been standing still moved.

At that moment, even the ghosts that had entered the Ghost Post Office seemed to regain a target.

A strange silhouette suddenly appeared behind Zhang Hao—a Fierce Ghost with only half a body.

The instant it appeared behind Zhang Hao, he felt his body being torn apart by an invisible supernatural force, split in two.

But at that moment the assault abruptly stopped; the ghost triggered a Certain Death supernatural on Zhang Hao's back.

At that moment its color was fading, the half‑body that looked torn open and exposed was losing its color.

The Black and White Ghost Domain invaded it, and the ghost endured the Certain Death supernatural seen on its back.

However, a Fierce Ghost does not die, so this ghost is being turned into a portrait.

But the matter was not over; in the dark post office, sheets of pitch‑black paper suddenly fell.

These papers were identical to those on the corpse, bearing a curse.

When Zhang Hao's Black and White Paintings touched the black paper, they seemed cursed, losing their supernatural aura and falling to the ground like ash from burnt paper.

It should be noted that these derived paintings, in a sense, can be called ghosts and cannot be slain by an ordinary Ghost Tamer.

Only when confronting sufficiently powerful supernatural forces will the supernatural on the paintings be Erased.

During this, a black paper sheet landed on Zhang Hao.

Instantly, he felt his body lose vitality, his consciousness being ground away, as if everything about him were dying.

Even if he were a ghost, before this curse he would be forced into a Dead Machine state.

But fortunately, Zhang Hao quickly restarted from the Ghost Bride's side.

He gave the letter paper on the female corpse a rather apprehensive glance.

"This female corpse's connection with the Ghost Post Office seems much stronger than Sun Rui's; when the letter paper on her body contaminates a living person, it can even trigger a curse from the Ghost Post Office."

Zhang Hao deployed Ghost Domain, but Ghost Domain could not at all block the falling of this letter paper.

The curse tainting the letter paper makes these falling letters, when faced with Zhang Hao's Ghost Domain, like stones in lake water; the lake water cannot expel the stones, only lets them sink.

Of course, it is not entirely without effect.

At least, with the overlay of Zhang Hao's and the Ghost Bride's two Ghost Domains, altering the falling trajectory of the letter paper is still possible.

The attacked Zhang Hao immediately began a counterattack.

While using Ghost Domain to alter the letter paper's trajectory, Zhang Hao looked at the female corpse.

The invisible pressure from his gaze acted on the corpse, causing her upright chest to sag slightly, and her neck unintentionally aligned with her shoulders.

However, even Zhang Hao seemed not to have the ability to make her kneel.

"Bang!"

Suddenly at this moment, a coffin appeared, slammed into the corpse, and threw her away.

The Ghost Coffin was stripped of Wei Jing, but still retained five slots of Mindless Suppression.

In theory, even though this corpse has completed many puzzles, before the Ghost Coffin, with Zhang Hao's gaze added, it should be suppressed.

But after being thrown, the corpse quickly stood up again.

The corpse is protected by an invisible spiritual shield, preventing her body from being restrained; that is a curse from the Ghost Post Office.

Compared to a Ghost Post Office administrator like Sun Rui.

Zhang Hao thought that this female corpse might be understood as an embodiment of the Ghost Post Office; it would be more fitting that her body has been invaded and controlled by the Ghost Post Office.

Because she lacks reason, and with the administrator's status, her body becomes the Ghost Post Office's best tool.

"It's like the opening‑door ghost inside the Ghost Post Office."

Zhang Hao quickly recovered, but still felt a bit curious inside.

The previous corpse hadn't attacked him; why does it suddenly attack now? After realizing this corpse is controlled by the Ghost Post Office, Zhang Hao no longer intends to strike it.

Confronting a Spiritual Realm is not a clear choice, even if it's just a corpse invaded by a Spiritual Realm. Who knows what changes the Ghost Post Office would undergo if this corpse were imprisoned?

Zhang Hao looked around the Ghost Post Office, and soon his gaze settled on a mural on the wall.

"It is Zhang Xianguang."

As Zhang Hao looked at the mural, he could sense an anomaly within the painting.

Zhang Hao already commands the Black and White Portrait, and with the Ghost Bride also having ghost paintings, he is highly sensitive to such spiritual anomalies in paintings.

Several administrators of the Ghost Post Office have died, but that does not mean the Ghost Post Office truly lacks an administrator.

Zhang Xianguang merely resides within the oil painting; that does not mean he cannot perceive changes in the Ghost Post Office.

Moreover, Tian Xiaoyue's corpse is now an embodiment of the Ghost Post Office, and Zhang Xianguang, as the Ghost Post Office's administrator, can manipulate the Ghost Post Office.

Seeing it that way, Tian Xiaoyue's corpse suddenly attacking Zhang Hao makes sense.

Zhang Hao ignored the newly risen Tian Xiaoyue, reclaimed the Ghost Coffin, and, leading the Ghost Bride, approached a mural and extended his hand into it.

The mural acted like a vortex, pulling Zhang Hao and the Ghost Bride inside.

The next moment, Zhang Hao and the Ghost Bride had entered a dark place.

Zhang Hao turned back; behind him was a door, likely formed from the oil painting's portrait.

However, Zhang Hao could see the outside Ghost Post Office through this door, as well as the female corpse standing in its center.

The world within the oil painting cannot interfere with Zhang Hao; the Ghost Bride's Ghost Domain easily operates inside, linking with this oil painting world.

"Let's go."

Zhang Hao, leading the Ghost Bride, briskly walked forward, quickly passing through the area represented by the oil painting.

The world inside the oil painting bears some similarity to that inside the ghost painting; both contain architecture resembling reality, and the oil paintings are interconnected, forming a complete world.

However, the oil painting's world is dim, without light; ordinary Ghost Tamers cannot see through this darkness.

The ghost painting's world, on the other hand, seems perpetually in daylight; the sky is always a white haze, at most a overcast, with gray, cloud‑like paper ash drifting in the sky.

Crossing this area, Zhang Hao saw a narrow path, winding and twisting, as if leading to somewhere.

The path felt familiar, like the road that led into the Ghost Post Office before; the only difference is that this road is not a straight tunnel, but has a fork midway, seemingly leading to another place.

This situation is similarly akin to the ghost painting; between each portrait there are connecting passages, and a single misstep leads into unknown territory.

Zhang Hao followed the road onward, and soon a fork appeared before him.

The original narrow road turned into two, left and right, but ahead was dim, with nothing visible in the distance.

"Madam, which direction do you think we should take?"

Zhang Hao looked at the Ghost Bride; in fact, Zhang Xianguang in the oil painting didn't care much.

Given his and the Bride's current situation, unless the Republic Era Seven Elders are willing to help, Zhang Xianguang has no chance to carry out the Peach Garden plan.

The reason for asking the Ghost Bride is mainly that this place resembles the ghost painting's world.

Perhaps the Bride can, to some extent, sense the pigment jar deep within the oil painting and the Ghost Post Office at its deepest layer.

Once those two places are found, dealing with Zhang Xianguang will be a matter of convenience.

After all, Zhang Xianguang in the oil painting is merely an ordinary person; in this self‑discovered situation, he can only run to that group of dead bodies and has no other means to cope.

Following the Ghost Bride, after passing four or five junctions, Zhang Hao and the Ghost Bride quickly entered a main road.

After entering the main road, the side paths became noticeably smaller; after walking a stretch further, no side paths appeared.

As he kept moving forward, Zhang Hao saw flickering lights in the distance, a building faintly visible in the dim surroundings.

Continue approaching.

The lights grew clearer; they were multicolored neon lights.

Moreover, the building's outline gradually emerged; it was a tall Republic Era building.

This building was the same as the one he saw before entering the Ghost Post Office.

This is the Ghost Post Office that exists within an oil painting.

"Speaking of it, the Source Ghost of this oil painting— is it the Ghost Post Office inside the painting, or that jar of dye?"

Zhang Hao's mind flashed with a thought, but he quickly abandoned the contemplation.

Because after his arrival, the first‑floor lobby of the Ghost Post Office was lit by a yellowish glow, and there seemed to be silhouettes moving inside.

Those who lived in the post office appeared to have noticed his arrival.

As Zhang Hao reached the Ghost Post Office entrance and opened its door, a Hong Bai Shuang Sha axe swung down toward his forehead the moment the door opened.

Zhang Hao raised his hand to catch the falling axe, and at the same time the White Curtain at his waist, though clearly windless, began to move eerily.

The White Curtain coiled around the person inside the Ghost Post Office, quickly wrapping him into a bundle, and finally left only a rag stained with black paint on the ground.

"Killed?"

Deep within the Ghost Post Office, someone sensed the anomaly and stared intently at Zhang Hao.

In this Ghost Post Office, once a portrait is left, unless people outside have completely forgotten the person in the oil painting, those individuals will not die.

Some people who left portraits here find that, after long ages, the figures in the portraits no longer wish to live.

Seeing this scene, those people showed an excited Immortal expression.

"So what? As long as I can die, that's enough."

An old man rushed forward, trying to seize Zhang Hao.

But the moment he approached, Zhang Hao's Ghost Eye, streaked with blood, looked at him, and the Ghost Domain invaded the old man along Zhang Hao's Gaze.

His skin, once as if that of a living person, began to fade; soon he completely lost color and turned into a black and white photo.

"Hmm? Is that dead?"

"He seems to have been forgotten by everyone."

People inside the Ghost Post Office who can complete its mail‑delivery tasks are far from ordinary.

The instant the black and white photo hit the ground, they keenly realized that their memory of the portraited old man became extremely vague at that moment.

It should be noted that these people have been staying within this oil painting, and saying they live day and night together would not be an exaggeration.

Yet under these circumstances, they suddenly lost the memory of that person, so it is clear that people outside now definitely forget the old man's existence.

"Don't rush up."

At that moment, a middle‑aged man in the crowd spoke.

Immediately, everyone in the lobby turned toward the direction from which the voice came.

The speaker was a man looking about thirty‑something; his hair was perfectly combed, his attire neat, yet his style clashed with modern fashion, belonging at least to several decades ago.

"Zhang Xianguang, what does that mean?" someone stared at Zhang Xianguang, demanding an explanation.

"That thing is a Ghost, a genuine Ghost," Zhang Xianguang explained.

"Did you not notice that behind the man, the new bride actually carries a feeling very similar to the oil painting? That's a Ghost Painting."

"So what? As long as I can die, that's enough," those people said indifferently.

"You die, but don't forget what kind of existence this oil painting is. Now the Ghost Painting has entered here; if it obtains the thing hidden deep within it, what terrifying changes might occur in the outside world?"

Zhang Xianguang stared at the speaker, his words tinged with anger.

In fact, Zhang Xianguang himself felt bewildered.

The Ghost Painting and Ghost Bride have already been completed, yet he received no related information.

"It can't be; the me outside has already started acting, and the plan must have failed, right?"

"Moreover, even if it is action, he knows that only I can wield the Ghost Painting and remain immortal forever."

According to his plan, the Ghost Painting and Ghost Bride should still be unable to contact each other now.

After all, the old man at Headquarters has not been reported dead for even half a year; under such circumstances, the outside me should not dare to act recklessly.

And now the Ghost Bride appears before his eyes, causing Zhang Xianguang to ponder deeply for a moment.

Could it be that the self born from the Ghost Post Office is merely a paranormal creation that has now begun to lose control?

Doubt, astonishment, unease.

Countless thoughts arise, but Zhang Xianguang can only suppress them; for now he must find a way to deal with the two Ghosts before him.

(End of Chapter)