Chapter 120: The Dead A Hong, the Ghost Tamer's Move

Zhang Hao, who saw a direct Restart, chose to stall time.

A Hong, who was continuously launching attacks, felt a sinking in her heart.

At this moment, A Hong could feel her face being corroded by a terrifying supernatural force, rotting away.

Even though, as a Ghost Tamer, her perception of pain was already thousands of times weaker than a normal person's, she could still feel an unbearable agony.

In this condition, A Hong might not be able to maintain it for long—perhaps three seconds, perhaps five, perhaps ten.

At some point, A Hong could simply give in to the pain and be unable to keep fighting.

And even if she could endure the intense pain on her face, her face itself could not hold out.

"Ten meters to the left, twenty meters to the right, on the pavilion by the coast."

Accompanied by a series of eerie voices in her mind, A Hong launched attacks on the surroundings with almost no thought.

Yes, just as Cao Yang had guessed, A Hong truly did not know which supernaturals Qin Lao possessed, nor how to use them.

At that time, watching everyone about to sink into the lake, the Lake Surface still bore the terrifying threat of the Red and White Double Evil.

In desperation, A Hong could only gamble, instinctively drawing the person she considered the strongest.

Undoubtedly, for A Hong, the strongest and most terrifying person she had ever seen was Qin Lao.

Fortunately, she guessed right; although she could not use Qin Lao's supernaturals.

But after A Hong painted her face in Qin Lao's likeness, it was as if a strange voice deep in her consciousness began instructing her on how to wield Qin Lao's supernaturals.

Although A Hong's use could never match the master's proficiency, under that voice's prompting she easily unleashed Qin Lao's supernaturals.

Even when confronting the Red and White Double Evil, it was the same voice that guided her.

"That seems to be myself from the future," A Hong inexplicably thought.

But soon, after another five seconds passed, Zhang Hao had just Restarted; as he was about to meet A Hong's next strike and then Restart, he suddenly froze.

"Hmm? No attack on me?"

Zhang Hao opened his eyes with some confusion; to be honest, after A Hong disguised herself as Qin Lao, the supernatural techniques she displayed were beyond his imagination.

Logically, someone of Qin Lao's caliber would have countless supernaturals on their body.

An unfamiliar person, even after obtaining Qin Lao's supernaturals, might only be able to use some relatively ordinary ones.

Yet A Hong could accurately wield Qin Lao's Ghost Domain and the White Bone Cane, astonishing Zhang Hao.

Fortunately, after all, it was only Six-Tenths of the Ghostly Power, and with the various overlapping techniques, A Hong does not.

Therefore, no matter how A Hong used them, she could never truly imprison Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao looked into the distance; when he was suppressed and Restarted again, A Hong seemed to have already chosen to retreat.

Just as Zhang Hao still thought that the moment he Restarted he would be immediately attacked, when waiting for the next attack, A Hong had already vanished from the spot.

"Got played,"

Zhang Hao slowly raised his head to look at the nearby Ghost Bride; during the time A Hong dealt with Zhang Hao, her main target had always been Zhang Hao.

Because A Hong knew that the Ghost Bride herself had no intelligence, acting only on instinct.

As long as Zhang Hao had no chance to convey his intentions to the Ghost Bride, they could avoid the threat of two ghosts striking simultaneously.

"A Hong, are you okay?"

At that moment, on the coast, Li Jun saw A Hong return and hurried over.

However, when he saw A Hong's face clearly, he was startled.

"A Hong, I'll take you away; let's go find Professor Wang."

Ghost Fire ignited on Li Jun, and he intended to take A Hong away from here.

It wasn't that Li Jun lost his composure; it was that once A Hong died, the makeup on her face could no longer be maintained.

Staying here would only produce another revived Fierce Ghost.

A Hong's facial features were now completely rotted, emitting a foul stench, looking both eerie and terrifying.

Just looking at her made it impossible to tell whether she was a human or a ghost at that moment.

Fortunately, after A Hong appeared here, she did not attack anyone but quickly moved onto Li Jun.

In Li Jun's anxious expression, A Hong interrupted his attempt to take her away.

At this point, A Hong could not even speak; her movements trembled, as if confronting immense pain.

A Hong grabbed Li Jun's hand and shoved something into his hand.

Li Jun looked down and saw it was a makeup case!

"He! He! Ha! Kui! Lian Fen!"

From A Hong's rotted mouth and nose came an indistinct sound, making it hard to grasp its meaning.

But Li Jun at that moment knew what A Hong was trying to say; Li Jun and A Hong had always been partners and understood each other's thoughts well.

What A Hong meant then was to let Li Jun, together with her, live on until the time to resolve the Era of the Supernatural arrived.

After speaking, the breath hanging in her body seemed to dissipate.

A Hong could no longer support her body; she collapsed to the ground, her chest rising and falling, but soon fell still.

A Hong died.

Her face, corrupted by ghost makeup and unable to stay intact, combined with the ghost makeup she handed to Li Jun, caused the Balance within her body to completely collapse, and she was instantly killed by the ghost inside.

Li Jun clutched the makeup case tightly, staring rigidly at A Hong's motionless corpse.

Since the Supernatural Revival, he had felt death was commonplace and could no longer muster any emotion.

Especially after becoming Abnormal, he no longer experienced the emotional swing of sorrow.

Yet at this moment, for some unknown reason, A Hong's death gave him an inexplicable inner discomfort.

According to his past memories, that seemed to be sadness.

"Think more positively; she's already dead, quickly imprison her."

"She was such a good person in life; don't let her corpse be controlled by the Fierce Ghost after death to harm others."

Cao Yang steps forward and pats Li Jun's shoulder.

Hearing that, Li Jun nods and uses the Golden Box to collect Ah Hong's corpse.

"What's next?" Liu San's mood at this moment also appears very downcast.

Although Ah Hong is not the Silver Leader, in the past they hadn't even cared about this Ah Hong who stayed by Li Jun's side, but at this moment they inevitably felt a bit of sorrow for her.

"We'll wait here; this place seems to be the spot Ah Hong deliberately chose for us when she disguised herself as Qin Lao, so for a while we probably won't be targeted by the Fierce Ghost."

"Yang Jian is still inside Ghost Lake; Ah Hong said he will come up on his own later, so we must stay here to receive him."

Upon saying that, Cao Yang looks toward the distant lake.

Faintly, a black small boat can be seen drifting on it.

"Those should be the older‑generation Ghost Tamers from Taiping Ancient Town; their strength is no less than the Silver Leader's."

"If Yang Jian can break free from Ghost Lake, together with those people we might be able to deal with the Red and White Double Evil and Ghost Lake."

Hearing that, Liu San nods; given the current situation, indeed they should stay.

Because no one knows what will happen with Ghost Lake and the Red and White Double Evil next.

And Yang Jian also needs to be met; Shen Lin is most likely offline, and that Silver Leader is also missing in Zhongzhou City.

If Yang Jian also goes offline, the domestic situation will become very troublesome.

Zhang Hao is currently walking along the lake shore, using the Ghost Domain to search for Ah Hong's trace.

The ghost makeup this time displayed an effect that was too strong, making him impatient to complete this thing.

However at this moment, Ghost Lake suddenly underwent some kind of anomaly.

A person actually emerged suddenly from the Lake Water.

This situation is stranger than when Ah Hong rescued Li Jun and others before.

Because his whole body kept rising from Ghost Lake until he was completely standing on the Lake Surface.

He was drenched, but the water stains behaved like living things, quickly shedding from him, leaving not a single drop on his body.

In Zhang Hao's gaze, within the black‑and‑white world, beside Yang Jian stood a massive Da Lang Gou.

Seeming to sense Zhang Hao's gaze, the wolf dog gave a fierce look, as if feeling that if Zhang Hao dared to approach, it would pounce.

"Yang Jian? Indeed, the dog that Yang Xiao left for him is proving useful now."

Zhang Hao stared at the person on the Lake Surface; back then Shen Lin invaded Yang Jian's memory, and at that time Zhang Hao had already replaced most of Shen Lin's Ghost Power.

At that time he had a full chance to follow Shen Lin's invasion and delve deeper into Yang Jian's memory.

But thinking of that big wolf dog in Yang Jian's memory, Zhang Hao still abandoned the plan. He wasn't confident that, without being able to use Ghost Power, he could defeat that wolf dog and Yang Jian.

Moreover, according to the original work's description of Yang Jian in the dream realm.

In the dream, Yang Jian's emotions would even be restored, which makes Zhang Hao wary of that ghost that exists in the dream's wolf dog.

This is also why, back then in the oil‑painting world, Zhang Hao, upon seeing Yang Xiao launch an attack, immediately blocked it and killed him.

He is unsure whether, after entering the dream world, his own instincts will be suppressed, restoring Zhang Hao's identity.

Any situation allows taking a little risk, but the possibility of regaining human form, Zhang Hao cannot risk.

He knows clearly that, given his current state, once he truly regains humanity, he would judge himself as human.

That would give too much room for manipulation, and the instincts in his consciousness would never gain the upper hand again.

Yang Jian sensed the movement of the big wolf dog beside him, and seemed to notice Zhang Hao as well.

However, Zhang Hao is wary of the wolf dog by Yang Jian's side, and Yang Jian likewise fears the Red and White Double Evil.

Seeing the Red and White Double Evil cease activity, his gaze shifted elsewhere.

Positioned at the center of the Lake Surface, Yang Jian smoothly spotted Li Jun and others at a harbor and left his spot immediately.

Boss Liu on the small boat stared at Yang Jian standing on the Lake Surface, neither sinking nor affected by the Lake Water, looking very surprised.

"This person is in the same group as those who fell into the water earlier; he is a Ghost Tamer who entered Taiping Ancient Town yesterday to investigate the Ghost Lake Incident."

Boss Liu continued, adding: "The woman who rescued people before should be in his group; they are now on the shore, apparently to meet him."

"This guy is more dangerous than that woman before; that woman could only maintain that special state briefly, similar to a Soul Summoner's summoning."

"This person actually managed to swim up from the Lake Water, and wasn't even affected by it," the middle‑aged woman sneered coldly at this moment.

"The only explanation is that this youngster has already used some special method to obtain a portion of Ghost Power."

Speaking of that, the middle‑aged woman's gaze turned resentful.

"It seems the Lake Water has been divided in part; if that's true, he is now extraordinary."

"However, the more it is like this, the more we must kill this guy; if he doesn't die, that portion of Ghost Power will remain on him forever."

"If we let him take away a portion of Ghost Power, the Lake Water will become increasingly out of control, so we must keep this person."

Looking at Yang Jian leaving, the middle‑aged woman seemed to be preparing to act.

Boss Liu's complexion changed slightly: "Stifling a junior is a serious matter."

"Whether we kill or not, we must kill; if we don't, Taiping Town will be flooded. These days, aren't there many people dying from hauntings outside? A few more deaths don't matter."

The woman seemed vicious, constantly speaking about killing people.

"Moreover, as the saying goes, dying here no one will know, just like that guy who sank to the lake bottom earlier."

But one can understand; the ancient town where they've lived all their life will be submerged because of the Ghost Lake's loss of control, which is hard for anyone to accept.

The one‑eyed old man still said nothing; he only furrowed his brows, seeming to be pondering something.

"For now, let's not deal with that young man yet; at least he came to handle Ghost Lake."

After a long while, the one‑eyed old man finally spoke, his gaze fixed on the two figures—a red one and a white one—on the shore.

"When that woman was in that strange state earlier, she could even break through the Ghost Domain, but none could successfully restrain this thing."

"Now that woman seems to have the Fierce Ghost revived and then vanished; if we cannot deal with these two ghosts, even if Ghost Lake recovers, under this ghost's influence the outcome will not change."

Upon hearing that, Liu Laoban on the small boat and the woman ceased their argument.

That is indeed the case.

This Ghost seems to have the ability to affect other Fierce Ghosts; if it cannot be dealt with, Ghost Lake will soon invade reality because of it.

Even if Ghost Lake recovers then, what meaning would that have?

"Too long a night brings too many dreams; let's act directly."

The One‑eyed Elder, while speaking, glanced toward the direction where Zhang Hao stood.

The elder seemed terrifying, his words even carrying a strange otherworldliness; though his voice was soft, it made people's hearts tremble as if their hearts had stopped.

The black small boat violently rocked at this moment, the Lake Water nearly drowning the vessel, and ripples immediately rose on the tranquil Lake Surface.

The small boat swiftly sailed toward the direction where Zhang Hao was.

"Decide to deal with me first?"

Zhang Hao stared at the approaching boat, having no intention of leaving.

He also wanted to test what strength He Liansheng, the current heir of the Soul Summoner line in Taiping Ancient Town, possessed.

It should be noted that this person could swim in Ghost Lake and literally hauled He Yiner out of Ghost Lake.

Perhaps in terms of supernatural outbreak and tactics, even Zhang Xianguang might not match He Liansheng.

Although He Liansheng was ultimately killed by Liu San, the ending was somewhat abrupt, yet who knows what He Liansheng was thinking when he was slain?

After all, the title of Soul Summoner needs to be passed on to the next generation, He Yiner.

The small boat sped forward, soon closing in on Zhang Hao's position.

Zhang Hao didn't foolishly stand still waiting for them to attack; the reason he hadn't acted was simply that he didn't want to step onto Ghost Lake's territory.

As the boat approached, Zhang Hao acted at once.

The Black and White Ghost Domain invaded the boat, causing the color‑fading supernatural effect to act upon the four of them.

At the same time, the Ghost Bride also activated her ability.

Ghost‑painted Ghost Domains appeared, and grayish ash continuously fell from above the Lake Surface.

When the ash touched the Lake Water, it was quickly soaked and sank toward the bottom of Ghost Lake.

"That Ghost is that ominous painting! Don't look at that Bride."

The One‑eyed Elder, looking at the Ghost Domain, solemnly warned the few.

While speaking, the One‑eyed Elder lifted an Oil Lamp in his hand.

Each of the four on the boat held an Oil Lamp.

At that moment, the Oil Lamp in the One‑eyed Elder's hand suddenly burst and went out.

Immediately after, the Oil Lamp in Liu Laoban's hand cracked and went out.

The woman's Oil Lamp also emitted a burst, and the lamp went out.

Finally it was the Faceless Man's turn; the flame on his Oil Lamp flickered as if blown by a gale, nearly going out.

The Oil Lamp now seemed to be battling some incomprehensible supernatural force.

The confrontation was swift; before long, the wavering light of the lamp abruptly extinguished.

"The resistance failed; what kind of ghost thing is this? Not even four lamps can block its Ghost Domain."

The middle‑aged woman's complexion changed.

Such Oil Lamp light can repel supernatural invasion; their four lamps could almost ignore most Ghost Domain incursions.

Yet when facing these two Ghosts, they all went out.

As the lamps extinguished, the black small boat rapidly lost its color at that moment.

Its black hue turned grayish, and the skin of the four grew pallid.

"Act!"

The One‑eyed Elder let out a low shout, like an invisible voice, sending ripples across the Lake Surface.

Even the unseen Black and White Ghost Domain was, at that moment, distorted as if shaken by some sound wave.

But the distortion quickly recovered, and the Black and White Ghost Domain began invading the four.

Within the unseen Black and White Gaze, strange figures held strips of White Curtain, binding their bodies, attempting to separate the few.

But at that moment, a large bill appeared in Liu Laoban's hand, which he ignited.

The Gui Qian burned, emitting some incomprehensible supernatural effect, causing his color‑fading body to return to normal.

Not only him; the ash smoke from the burning Gui Qian seemed capable of dispersing all supernatural forces.

Soon the invaded boat returned to normal within the black smoke.

At this time, the others also launched a counterattack.

The middle‑aged woman removed an old coat, and the already pallid clothing on her body gradually lost its color, its style changing.

Soon it turned into something resembling a funeral shroud.

(End of Chapter)