Chapter 116: Body Turns into a Ghost Domain, Infinite Restart

As Zhang Hao lies inside the Ghost Coffin, the spirit hall undergoes a kind of incomprehensible change.

Clearly, whether it is the Black and White Portrait, the Ghost Spirit Tablet, or the Ghost Wine, the paper copper coins should already have been taken into the Ghost Coffin.

Yet at this moment, these items strangely materialize in the spirit hall.

It is as if every ghost inside Zhang Hao's body has become part of this spirit hall, exceedingly eerie.

This situation is like those Fierce Ghosts that were expelled from the body by the Ghost Coffin to carry the coffin.

Only that those Fierce Ghosts that carried the coffin have now vanished, leaving only these things from Zhang Hao's body.

Time drifts slowly, and the dim spirit hall quietly changes.

The once simple spirit hall gradually becomes dilapidated, and the lime on the walls turns dull at this moment.

All things in the house at this moment seem to be influenced by some incomprehensible supernatural force.

The entire spirit hall at this moment loses its color, as if entering a Black and White World.

I don't know how long has passed; perhaps it's an illusion.

The person in the Black and White Spirit Tablet photo placed on the table seemed to move.

No, it's not an illusion.

The person in the photo at this moment seems to have come to life.

In the all‑black‑and‑white photo, the man begins to blink, then he seems to step out of the photo, his face moving toward the edge of the picture.

Finally, within the Spirit Tablet, only a pallid white eye appears on the photo.

At this moment, in the all‑black‑and‑white spirit hall, a person dressed in Funeral Clothes suddenly appears.

"What a strange feeling, I seem to be like a Ghostly Servant, having turned into a Ghost Domain."

Zhang Hao observes his own condition; his current state is very similar to a Ghostly Servant.

He has already become a Ghost Domain, and within a Ghost Domain he cannot be confined.

The difference from a Ghostly Servant is that Zhang Hao's Ghost Domain is not that pitch‑black coffin‑like Ghost Domain, but a Black and White Ghost Domain.

And the Ghostly Servant, to Zhang Hao now, is more like a portable coffin.

"Find a place and test how my Combat Power is now."

Zhang Hao can feel that after mastering the Ghostly Servant, his Suppression Quota has received a tremendous boost.

It seems that each ghost on his body becomes a Suppression Quota for the Ghostly Servant; now Zhang Hao actually has as many as sixteen Suppression Quotas.

However, as he fully uses the Ghostly Servant as a Puzzle, Zhang Hao also discovers that its Mindless Suppression is actually a very special ability.

It is not the concept of one ghost suppressing another ghost, but using one ghost to suppress a supernatural element within another ghost's body.

For example, before Zhang Hao mastered the Ghostly Servant, the Fierce Ghosts on his body had already merged into one, counting as a single ghost.

But the Ghostly Servant's assessment of Zhang Hao cannot be counted as a single quota.

For instance, the supernatural protected by Ghost Funeral Clothes counts as one quota, and the supernatural of Kneeling Death also counts as one quota.

All the other puzzles on Zhang Hao, in myriad forms, add up such that the Ghostly Servant would need to expend far more than ten quotas to suppress him.

Yet Zhang Hao himself, after mastering the Ghostly Servant, only increased the number of quotas by ten.

"Well, that's understandable; one can't be like the Seven Elders, who have only a few mutually balanced Fierce Ghosts, and thus get directly suppressed by a Ghostly Servant with only a few Suppression Quotas."

Of course, any Ghost Power comes with a reduction in Terror Level.

For example, a C‑level Terror ghost can immobilize a ghost of equal strength for ten seconds, whereas against a stronger ghost, the immobilization lasts only five seconds, four seconds.

If the Terror Level gap is too large, the effect may last only a few tenths of a second, or even a few hundredths of a second.

For instance, a Fierce Ghost with a very high Terror Level may find that a single quota cannot suppress a certain ability within the opponent's body.

When facing a ghost with a higher Terror Level, this ability may only work at fifty percent, forty percent, or even lower.

After roughly assessing his own situation in his mind, Zhang Hao left the Ghost Painting World with the Ghost Bride.

His internal assessment of his own Combat Power is not precise, only approximate, because the supernatural contains too many variables.

To truly know his strength, he still needs to engage in combat.

And for Zhang Hao, there is now a ready target.

At this moment, within Zhongzhou City.

Yang Jian and his party, after some investigation, boarded a small black boat.

However, the boat seems unable to bear too many supernaturals, causing the wooden boat to gradually sink until it finally disappears into Ghost Lake.

Under these circumstances, everyone must reduce the supernaturals on the boat, and the best way is to discard some useless supernatural items.

Since everyone is a captain, naturally no one claims to sacrifice themselves for others.

Therefore, in this situation, they can only take turns discarding the supernatural items they carry.

Li Jun and Yang Jian were the first to each discard a supernatural item, easing the boat's sinking trend, but that was far insufficient, so they still need to further lighten the boat.

Shen Lin stepped forward at this moment, hesitated, and took a black glass bottle from his pocket; the little bottle was pitch‑black, its contents unknown.

But one could clearly feel that something inside the bottle was sleeping, exuding an inexplicable dangerous aura.

The others glanced, without waiting to ask, Shen Lin threw the thing into the river.

"Although it's hard to let go, we can't dwell on it now," Shen Lin said, clearly feeling a pang of regret.

Anything you can carry must be very important; to discard it like this now, anyone would find it hard to part with.

After the black glass bottle was discarded, the wooden boat surprisingly began to rise gradually, and the water level that hadn't reached the cabin started to fall.

Obviously.

The supernatural contained in that little glass bottle is extraordinary.

"If it still sinks, it'll be your turn," Shen Lin then glanced at Liu San.

Liu San said, "But I don't have any supernatural items on me, nothing to toss overboard."

"If you refuse to contribute, I'm sorry, but I might throw you overboard," Shen Lin said, squinting with a hint of threat.

"That's a bit excessive," Liu San said, staring at him.

Shen Lin said, "Excessive? I don't think so. Li Jun, Yang Jian, and I have all abandoned the Supernatural Artifacts we carry. If you want to make an exception for yourself, then there's no need to continue this cooperation."

"We're all in the same boat. If my circumstances allow, I would make some sacrifices, but I'm different from you; I don't rely much on Supernatural Artifacts," Liu San said.

"You don't have to discard Supernatural Artifacts; anything involving the supernatural can be abandoned," Shen Liang said.

Li Jun waved his hand now and signaled, "The boat hasn't sunk yet; we'll talk later. Don't argue at this moment."

Liu San remained silent, merely staring coldly at Shen Lin.

Shen Lin only gave a slight smile, which revealed an inexplicable danger.

They hadn't actually seen the source of Ghost Lake yet, but a conflict had already arisen between the two captains.

Even though Li Jun intervened in time to halt the escalation, it was clear that the two might develop a rift because of it.

"If the boat still tends to sink, further reducing the Supernatural Artifacts we carry is unwise," Yang Jian said at that moment, proposing a way to lessen the loss.

"We still have to deal with Ghost Lake, so we must change our strategy and first cut down the number of ghosts on the boat. Although this carries risk, it's better than weakening our own strength,"

The Supernatural Artifacts they carry here were prepared as contingencies for themselves and could be used at any moment.

If, before seeing Ghost Lake, they tossed their Supernatural Artifacts away haphazardly, how could they deal with Ghost Lake?

"You previously didn't agree to act on the boat," Li Jun said.

"It depends on the situation," Yang Jian replied. "If circumstances don't allow, we still have to act when necessary."

Li Jun nodded in agreement; indeed, that's the logic—we must not fall into a vicious cycle.

The wooden boat continued to sway and drift forward along the river.

As three Supernatural Artifacts were reduced, the small boat still sank but the situation improved greatly, at least eliminating the risk of sinking.

But things are not absolute.

The boat swayed, and its waterline was almost level with the hull.

If it sinks a little more, they must find a way to further lighten the weight.

"It seems your luck is good, Liu San," Shen Lin said with a smile.

Liu San's gaze flickered slightly: "My luck is definitely better than yours."

"That's good then," Shen Lin said no more. As the black wooden boat kept drifting forward, the surrounding thin mist began to gradually disperse, and the environment around them changed.

Their field of view widened; the small river was no longer a river, and unwittingly the group seemed to have arrived at a Lake Surface.

"Ghost Lake has arrived," Shen Lin said slowly. He had once used his ability to examine a fragment of a Ghost Slave's memory.

The scene he saw at that time was exactly here.

"This is Ghost Lake, are you sure?" Li Jun asked again with a solemn expression.

"This is no joke; I'm certain this is Ghost Lake," Shen Lin said.

Liu San crouched, reached out to touch the water surface; his Palm gradually became wet, then he quickly withdrew: "I also confirm this is Ghost Lake."

"Where are the ghosts? Why don't we see any?" A Hong looked around.

"Without triggering the Fierce Ghost's Killing Rule, ghosts won't appear,"

Yang Jian said, "Moreover, this lake isn't small. Based on the information we previously gathered, the Fierce Ghosts immersed in this Lake Water could number astonishingly, so I have reservations."

He didn't continue, as Li Jun interrupted him: "There's no need for reservations; I'll act now to deal with Ghost Lake."

The voice fell.

Li Jun slowly removed his sunglasses; beneath them his eyes were empty, like two voids without pupils, only two clusters of eerie Ghost Fire flickering.

The next moment.

The Ghost Fire ignited.

The calm, dead lake surface suddenly burst into flame; though it was the lake, the eerie green Ghost Fire irrationally set the surface ablaze.

Moreover, the Ghost Fire spread wildly, extending as if to envelop the entire Ghost Lake.

"Is it useful?"

Yang Jian thought to himself that he hadn't stopped Li Jun because testing was necessary.

The Ghost Fire burned without heat, yet over time a layer of flesh on Li Jun's face slowly melted.

No, that wasn't flesh; it was painted facial features.

Li Jun's facial features were deforming, twisting, like a heated Candle dripping, and behind that mask lay another dead, eerie visage.

It was the Fierce Ghost's face concealed by dye.

That face normally doesn't appear, but if Li Jun overuses Ghost Power, the true ghost emerges to dominate everything.

Therefore.

Although Li Jun is Abnormal, he has limits and cannot sustain prolonged consumption; he's more like a single-use consumable.

A Hong came to this place this time mainly because Ghost Lake was too dangerous.

Wei Jing's ability has little effect in a place swamped with Fierce Ghosts.

Thus A Hong must follow Li Jun; if his makeup can't be maintained, she must immediately touch it up.

However, the Ghost Fire achieved little against Ghost Lake; the lake surface remained undisturbed.

The Ghost Fire that had nearly ignited the entire Ghost Lake, after a fierce blaze, unexpectedly began to sink slowly, submerging into the lake water.

The eerie Ghost Fire burned and flickered beneath the lake water; though it didn't extinguish, it couldn't affect anything.

"What a joke, Ghost Fire can also sink?" Li Jun looked very surprised.

"Anything supernatural can sink into water."

Liu San said, "Ghost Fire isn't real fire; it's a form of Ghost Power, so it naturally sinks into Ghost Lake, which is expected."

The Ghost Fire that had covered the lake surface, within moments, mostly sank into the water.

Underwater, illuminated by Ghost Fire, a cold green glow spread everywhere.

By the green glow of the Ghost Fire, the group can see corpses soaking on the lake bottom.

These bodies are not those of living people; they must be Fierce Ghosts, because the clothes are all rotted, yet the bodies remain intact. If they were living people, the bodies could not be preserved so well.

Such Fierce Ghost bodies are densely packed beneath Ghost Lake, making it impossible to comprehend how many ghosts actually exist.

"Even if we could deal with Ghost Lake, we would still have to face the Fierce Ghosts that have sunk into it afterwards."

"If we ignore Ghost Lake, it will get out of control, affect reality, and dozens of cities outside will suffer; this already exceeds the level of an S-Class Supernatural Incident."

Liu San said calmly, "Li Jun, don't waste effort; this Supernatural Incident can't be handled, report it to Headquarters."

Li Jun looked at him and said, "The matter hasn't even begun, how can you think that way?"

He didn't continue to ignite the Ghost Fire, but instead said, "A Hong, light the white Ghost Candle, draw the Ghost out; we must confront the Fierce Ghosts here."

"Although you are an Abnormal, your current Abnormal body is nothing but the makeup on your face," Yang Jian stared at Li Jun.

"When the Fierce Ghost is truly drawn out, it won't be long before the makeup on your face burns away."

"Ghost Fire was once used by that old man to imprison the Ghost Domain of ghost paintings; its potential is undeniable, but you probably don't need such a strong level, right?"

Li Jun simply cannot use Ghost Fire for a long time to let it burn at its strongest state.

For Ghost Fire to reach its peak, it needs sufficient burning time and an endless supply of firewood.

But Li Jun is like a Candle; the firewood he can provide is limited.

Even so, Li Jun's strength could still crush the vast majority of Ghost Tamers.

Yet when facing this Ghost Lake, Li Jun trying to force a confrontation is a very foolish move.

"Moreover, doing so would cause the Fierce Ghosts in Ghost Lake to lose control; you probably don't have the energy to resolve that, right?" Shen Lin spoke up at this moment.

With four captains, three of whom disagreed, Li Jun couldn't help but hesitate.

"If we don't do this, if we don't do that, what do you suggest? Must we really retreat?"

"Don't forget, Ghost Lake has already affected a little over half of the country's cities; when it further revives, how large a range could it affect?"

Li Jun kept a calm expression, his eyes burning with eerie green Ghost Fire, staring at the group.

However, just as a few were about to speak, their expressions suddenly changed.

Not far from the small boat, a corpse oddly floated up from beneath the water, its black long hair drifting in the water tangled around the body—undoubtedly a female corpse.

Even though the female corpse was soaked, it showed no decay, only swelling, which was very strange.

"Gurgle!"

Not just one place.

On the water surface behind them, another female corpse rose; she had short hair, face upward, as if sleeping on the water.

Although her face was terrifyingly pale, her lips were strikingly crimson, as if she had just applied lipstick.

Yet a corpse soaking in this water could not possibly apply lipstick to itself.

After the second female corpse appeared, the third, the fourth—more and more female corpses began to surface.

The nearest female corpse was even touching the small boat; one could reach out and grab it.

"All the bodies underwater have come to life," Liu San said gravely at this moment.

Upon hearing that, Li Jun, without a word, ignited Ghost Fire around, and the murky lake water was illuminated again.

That illumination made the scene heart‑pounding.

Underwater, the bodies that had sunk beneath Ghost Lake suddenly rose; they moved like living people, rising and falling in the water, as if walking with their eyes closed.

"Compared to here, I think you might be able to see the direction we came from earlier."

While Li Jun acted and everyone's attention was drawn here, Shen Lin did not look at this spot; instead, he looked toward the area behind them.

Hearing that, Liu San and Yang Jian both turned to look behind.

At some unknown time, on the riverbank where they had arrived by boat, a red and a white figure were walking along the shore toward here.

The red and white figures held hands; the white figure seemed to have noticed them and was waving at them.

But soon, Yang Jian sensed something was off.

It wasn't waving at them, but at the lake itself.

"That is the Red and White Double Evil; it is summoning the Source Ghost in Ghost Lake."

Yang Jian's tone was icy; he hadn't expected that after stopping Li Jun from lighting the Ghost Candle, a Ghost Summoning thing appeared.

(End of Chapter)