Chapter 121: First Capture, a Slot for Growth

"You think you can suppress me through the clothing-related paranormal?"

Zhang Hao sensed the change in his body, but showed no panic, his gaze cold as he stared at the middle-aged woman.

The black smoke emitted by Gui Qian seemed unable to block Zhang Hao's gaze; as he stared, the colorless funeral robe on his body began to peel away continuously.

Conversely, the middle-aged woman's body strangely began to lose its color at that moment.

"How could that be? Wearing Dead Man's Clothes, a dead man's garb, why can it still move?"

The woman stared in disbelief: "This is my most fearsome piece of clothing; I have to wash it every other day."

"Otherwise the Fierce Ghost on the garment will crawl out; when I first stitched this piece, it took a great deal of effort."

"Don't underestimate this ghost; it's a Fierce Ghost that can affect Ghost Lake. If its strength weren't sufficient, how could it affect Ghost Lake?"

The one-eyed old man looked at the middle-aged woman and offered a reminder.

"The clothing on that ghost is far from simple, and it itself can cause everything around to undergo Color Fading; your garment's paranormal means may not affect it."

The way the paranormal manifests often indicates the method of its paranormal attack.

Facing a Fierce Ghost that is already colorless, this ability to cause Color Fading makes Ghost's Invasion difficult.

Suddenly, the middle-aged woman let out a loud shout and became motionless.

She felt that deep within her memory she saw a person—a memory that suddenly surfaced—something was invading the depths of her memory, trying to kill her from the past.

At this moment the middle-aged woman's complexion turned ghastly pale, her skin devoid of any hue, and the bizarre garments on her body were continuously tearing apart.

Clearly, it wasn't only an attack from consciousness; another incomprehensible paranormal also acted upon the middle-aged woman. "Trouble!" the one-eyed old man's face turned sour.

Such attacks from the consciousness layer are often the most troublesome; without a countermeasure, one can only choose to endure.

Zhang Hao dealt with the middle-aged woman, and his own consciousness retained its ability to act.

He differs from Shen Lin; Shen Lin attacks others' consciousness and must also enter it himself.

But Zhang Hao can continuously generate clones, so when launching an attack he only needs to have the spawned clones carry it out.

He looked at the few people on the black boat; merely by staring, they felt an overwhelming urge to kneel. The pressure from his Gaze combined with Kneeling Death stacked, making their knees subtly lose control.

"Old Liu!" the one-eyed old man shouted at the nearby Boss Liu.

Liu, the boss, raised both hands and pressed them together, ten fingers standing side by side.

His fingers were peculiar—bony, withered, as if belonging to an old man, yet he was only just over fifty, a mismatch for his age.

The ten upright, strange fingers pointed toward Zhang Hao.

As a few of Liu's fingers slowly opened, oddly the distance between Zhang Hao and them was stretched in a bizarre way.

It was as if the space on the Lake Surface expanded countless times.

The altered distance was absurd.

Though they were only a few dozen meters apart, it now felt as if they were hundreds of li apart, giving the impression of a person right before one's eyes yet a thousand miles away.

"Boss Liu possesses the ability to forcibly widen spatial range; this effect resembles the Ghost Domain compressing or expanding space, yet it differs slightly."

At this moment Liu only opened three fingers; if he opened all ten, who knows how many times the space could expand.

With the distance stretched, even Zhang Hao's Gaze was affected.

The few, who previously felt unable to move their limbs, regained control at that instant.

Originally, the few occupied a large area within Zhang Hao's Gaze, bearing great pressure that nearly immobilized them.

Now, in Zhang Hao's eyes, they were like a handful of ants, the Gravity they bore almost negligible.

"What a pity, she seems to have already been invaded, suffering an attack that does not exist in reality."

The one-eyed old man looked at the fallen body of the middle-aged woman with a hint of regret.

The stretching of distance spared them from this attack, but the middle-aged woman had already been successfully invaded before the distance was widened.

The clothing on her body, when facing such paranormal, could not at all help her resist the attack.

Had the invasion reached her consciousness a bit later, she might have been able to escape the ghost's assault.

At this moment, deep within the middle-aged woman's consciousness.

A pale figure, one hand bearing a human skull club, the other holding a White Curtain, was wandering within the middle-aged woman's memories.

As the pale figure moved, the surrounding world continuously shattered, giving rise to a new world.

Zhang Hao, via his spawned clones, invaded the deep memory of this middle-aged woman.

But the middle-aged woman had become a Ghost Tamer long ago, so Zhang Hao's invasion reached a time far earlier.

At that time, Zhang Hao had not yet traversed into this world.

This invasion exceeds the period during which the ghost was possessed, which Shen Lin could not achieve, but Zhang Hao had no problem.

Because he is a ghost, even though Zhang Hao did not exist in that earlier time, the ghost bride existed, as did the other ghosts attached to Zhang Hao.

The ghost on Shen Lin also existed in that era.

Only that at the time the ghost might not have been harnessed, and the portion beyond the harnessing time fell under the ghost's control.

Nevertheless, all this was of no concern to Zhang Hao, for he himself is a ghost; having entered the ghost's realm, he does not fear the innate erosion of Fierce Ghosts.

After all, Zhang Hao has long lost his humanity; why would he still fear losing it?

Soon, as the surrounding scenes kept shifting, Zhang Hao invaded a special world.

It seemed to be an ancient street, simple in style, the surrounding architecture largely reminiscent of the Republic Era.

It must have been the period when the Republic Era was transitioning to modern times.

Zhang Hao walked down the street and soon spotted a woman with a plaited braid and a smiling face.

The woman wasn't particularly beautiful, but certainly not ugly; with a light touch of makeup, she would attract many suitors in modern times.

At that moment the woman walked through the Alley, holding a string of candied hawthorn sticks.

"A Mei, you slipped out again."

A man's silhouette spoke, his face bearing a gentle smile as he looked at the plaited-braid woman.

"Hmm, since we still have time, let's keep playing a bit longer; maybe in two years I'll have to ride a Fierce Ghost and join a Supernatural Incident," the woman with twisted braids said with a smile.

Obviously, although middle‑aged women of this era have not yet become Ghost Tamers, they clearly are not from ordinary families; they even know of Fierce Ghosts and Supernatural Incidents.

"That's right. I'll be returning to Taiping Ancient Town at the end of this year," the young man muttered after hearing A Mei's words.

If possible, they truly don't want to get involved in such Supernatural Incidents.

But some things can't be avoided; once your ancestors have taken part in a Supernatural Incident, you cannot escape it either.

Rather than fleeing, it's better to seek a chance for growth under the elders' protection.

As the two talked, a figure dressed in white Funeral Clothes, holding a white bone club in one hand and a white curtain in the other, walked over.

The person's approach went unnoticed by everyone, A Mei included.

When the white silhouette came within ten meters of A Mei, she finally reacted, apparently managing to see the figure.

"Ah!"

As A Mei noticed, the surrounding crowd also seemed to see the eerie figure at that moment.

"That… is a Ghost?"

The man beside A Mei saw the white figure but did not lose his composure; he simply stared with a grave expression.

The aura was cold, bizarre, terrifying—clearly this attire was just a more grotesque version of what funeral workers wear.

But the instant it was seen, it evoked a terrifying, oppressive feeling.

"Hua Ge, what should we do?"

A Mei ducked behind the man, watching the approaching figure warily.

Although she had long been aware of Supernatural Incidents, she had not yet become a Ghost Tamer, and at this moment she lacked the later vicious demeanor.

Confronted with the terrifying scene, her instinct was to hide behind the man.

"A Mei, don't worry; my father once said that Fierce Ghosts all follow a Killing Rule."

The man soothed A Mei while walking backward; as he spoke, he produced a coal‑ball‑sized object from his hand.

Zhang Hao was closing in on A Mei, and upon seeing their appearance, he seemed rather surprised.

He hadn't expected that, before becoming a Ghost Tamer, this woman would see him and not panic and flee.

"Ghost thing, we're not afraid of you!" Hua Ge glared at the Fierce Ghost dressed like the death‑bringing White Impermanence, his expression tightening as he hurled the coal ball toward it.

However, the coal ball missed smashing Zhang Hao; instead it strangely passed through his body.

The coal ball hit the ground, and the scattered coal fragments made the ground sizzle.

Clearly, this is a special Supernatural Artifact.

Unfortunately, the user is merely an ordinary person and cannot truly unleash its effect.

"What a pity, it's something that exists only in memory and can't be brought into Reality."

Zhang Hao glanced at the coal ball, then slammed his bone club into the air with force.

"Bang!"

The sound of something heavy shattering rang out, and the next instant A Mei and Hua Ge's heads exploded simultaneously.

With A Mei's death, the world that existed in memory began to collapse.

Meanwhile, Zhang Hao turned his gaze toward the far end of the street.

At the street's far end, a middle‑aged man—who had appeared at an unknown time—emanated a terrifying, chilling aura and stared intently at Zhang Hao.

Yet, perhaps because the middle‑aged woman had already been killed, the man seemed motionless.

"An elder Ghost Tamer, perhaps?"

Zhang Hao stared at the middle‑aged man; the aura surrounding him was terrifying, and by that aura it could not be weaker than Zhang Xianguang.

"It seems that when dealing with such elder Ghost Tamers in the future, it's best to avoid invading the depths of their memories."

The people of Taiping Ancient Town all appear to be in their fifties or sixties, but who can tell their exact ages? This invasion accessed a memory fragment that the middle‑aged woman had secretly slipped out.

The next time we invade a Ghost Tamer's deep memories, we won't know which era we'll reach.

If we were to invade the memory of a First Generation Soul Summoner, or one near the Republic Era Seven Elders, the trouble would be huge.

(After a reminder and checking the records, He Liansheng is indeed not a First Generation Soul Summoner but a third‑generation one; earlier chapters have been revised.)

And on the other side, the Reality World.

At this moment, both sides have already engaged.

He Liansheng, together with Boss Liu and the Faceless One, launched separate attacks on Zhang Hao.

However, at that moment, the Ghost Bride also made a move.

As the three had just left the peculiar small boat, the gray‑hued Ghost Domain had already split them apart.

The Faceless One was dragged into a Ghost Domain, and his heart sank instantly.

The four, when facing that ghost, each were instantly eliminated one by one; now taking on a Fierce Ghost alone, the danger is obvious.

The Faceless One surveyed everything around; it was a world trapped within a painting.

He seemed to be near a spirit hall within the painting.

"Will there be ghosts inside?" the Faceless One wondered, contemplating whether to enter the spirit hall to find a way out of this Ghost Domain.

The Ghost‑painted Ghost Domain is not something he can break through.

To leave, he must locate the point where the Ghost Domain connects to Reality.

Before he could act, a strange figure already appeared in the spirit hall.

"This is the Fierce Ghost that previously killed Old Lady Mei."

The Faceless One stared at Zhang Hao; though his face was a hollow void with no features, it oddly gave the impression of being watched.

"Another faceless ghost."

Zhang Hao appeared inside the spirit hall, not rushing to strike the Faceless One, but watching his hollow face from a distance.

That face really looked like the face of the ghost that had emerged from under the Ghost Mourning Clothes at first.

It was that hollow, empty expanse, and for Zhang Hao at the time, it counted as a terrifying Fierce Ghost.

If he didn't know that this faceless man was the person who early on in Taiping Ancient Town became a Ghost Tamer, he would think this guy had taken control of the faceless ghost pulled from the Funeral Clothes.

The faceless man didn't know what Zhang Hao thought inside, and after seeing Zhang Hao appear, he also didn't dare to act rashly.

The Fierce Ghost could instantly kill one of them; since it wasn't attacked proactively, it naturally was pleased with that.

However, soon Zhang Hao moved.

As Zhang Hao approached, the faceless man was about to launch an attack, but his complexion suddenly changed.

The paranormal on his body was being suppressed, and as this Fierce Ghost wearing Funeral Clothes approached, the faceless man felt a drowsy fatigue that made his body want to sleep.

This drowsiness didn't come from the paranormal's influence, but because the ghost inside his body seemed instinctively to want to sleep.

The feeling was like a Fierce Ghost being suppressed, falling into a Dead Machine.

The faceless man thought this internally, but soon his thoughts could no longer continue.

As Zhang Hao took the next step closer, his mind stalled at that moment, as if trapped in a dream.

The Fierce Ghost on his body fully entered the range of Mindless Suppression.

Moreover, because he himself was Abnormal, after the Fierce Ghost was suppressed, he didn't even have a chance to see Zhang Hao's attack on him, and immediately lost the ability to act.

"One more solved, and the rest will be much easier to deal with."

In fact, when he saw the four from Taiping Ancient Town approaching, Zhang Hao had already tried using this Suppression ability.

But unfortunately, he failed.

The paranormal techniques on these people combined far exceeded his Fierce Ghost quota.

Therefore, when he used Gaze to invade them, Zhang Hao would have the unseen ones in the Gaze pull those people apart.

This pulling‑apart process was interrupted by that Liu Laoban.

The great distance allowed Zhang Hao to see more, indirectly weakening the suppression power his Gaze provided.

In this situation, the Derivative Body in the Gaze could further not move these people.

By killing the faceless man and removing the ghost from his body, Zhang Hao's Fierce Ghost quota successfully increased by three, reaching Nineteen.

On the other side.

In another Ghost Domain drawn by ghosts, the Ghost Bride was also sparring with Liu Laoban.

At this moment, Liu Laoban was continuously extending a single finger, using the method of expanding space to maneuver with the Ghost Bride.

As he kept using this ability, the number of fingers Liu Laoban extended kept increasing.

From the initial three fingers, to later five, now it had reached six.

The Liu Laoban with six fingers spread open had his fingers oddly turning black, his complexion pallid as if enduring some strange attack.

Obviously, each additional finger allowed Liu Laoban to expand the space with a qualitative leap.

However, the side effects on himself also grew severalfold.

With six fingers extended, Liu Laoban pulled the gap between himself and the Ghost Bride to a distance of millions of li.

Under such an extreme distance limitation, even the Ghost Bride, who possessed the world's largest Ghost Domain, could not easily appear beside Liu Laoban.

The Ghost Bride kept moving forward using the Ghost Domain, but before this vastly expanded space, she seemed to be treading in place.

By this means, Liu Laoban successfully held back the Ghost Bride from being killed.

However, this stalemate could not last long; Liu Laoban, with six fingers extended, was aging visibly at a rapid pace.

Originally appearing to be fifty‑six, he soon looked like an old man about to be buried.

The fatty flesh on his body, along with his six extended fingers, was slowly disappearing.

The flesh seemed to be a ghost as well, helping Liu Laoban resist the suppressed Fierce Ghost.

As time passed, cold sweat seeped from Liu Laoban's forehead.

He was not walking the Abnormal's path, but the Ghost Dead Machine route.

With his continual use of his own paranormal, the Fierce Ghost inside his body showed signs of revival.

It had been hard to keep the internal Fierce Ghost's Dead Machine balance alive until now; once the Fierce Ghost revives, he will be instantly killed by the revived Fierce Ghost.

In this situation, facing the Fierce Ghost's revival, there would be no way to suppress the Fierce Ghost to give himself any extra time to live.

(End of chapter)