Chapter 156: Wielding Ghost Blood, the Bizarre Mountain Village

After swallowing Xiong Wenwen's ghost queen, Zhang Hao still thought about wielding the ghost camera.

But he also knows that Xiong Wenwen's help to him is greater; first developing Xiong Wenwen's paranormal ability will be of great assistance to him.

Xiong Wenwen's Fierce Ghost can foresee the future.

However, because of the Fierce Ghost's revival, Xiong Wenwen can only foresee about ten minutes into the future before needing to stop.

If he foresees more than an hour ahead, the Fierce Ghost will revive.

But for Zhang Hao, these are obviously no trouble.

The precognition brought by Xiong Wenwen's ghost differs from Human Skin Paper.

Human Skin Paper strings together each possible future like threads, allowing you to see each different outcome according to each thread.

Whereas Xiong Wenwen's ghost foresees the future environment, letting you do anything within those futures.

This kind of foresight is no less than saying you walk into the future yourself.

As a cold aura emanates from Zhang Hao, the precognitive paranormal begins to activate.

Images flash in his mind one by one; he foresees that in ten seconds the basement's golden gate will close.

In ten minutes, a large group of Ghost Tamers who have regained Ghost Power will gather outside.

In fifteen minutes, those Ghost Tamers will be completely slain by Zhang Hao upon entering the basement.

At the same time, Zhang Hao also tries to find a way to wield the ghost camera within his foresight.

This foresight seems endless.

"Other sensations."

Zhang Hao ends the foresight, releasing the Ghost Domain.

The Black and White Portraits flash across Zhang Hao's eyes like frames in a film strip.

Past photos, present photos.

However, he does not perceive the future portrait Zhang Hao wishes to see.

"Why is that?" Zhang Hao thought to himself.

He tries to mix the precognitive paranormal into the use of the Ghost Domain.

As the precognitive paranormal appears, the film strip that had reached its end by syncing with the present now spawns scenes Zhang Hao has not yet experienced.

"Success!"

Zhang Hao opens his eyes; he successfully sees the future Black and White Portrait.

"Then, pulling my future self back to the present, how about that?"

Zhang Hao attempts this, first with invasion and replacement.

He invades the future self from the present time, linking all versions of himself into the same strength.

Then he reversely invades the present with control over his future and past selves, overlapping everyone to achieve simultaneous attack.

Simultaneously employing the concept of stacking future, past, and present to launch an attack.

Having perhaps invaded the past before, invading the future is not troublesome for Zhang Hao.

However, this future is clearly not the real future, but a derived one.

In the actual future, Zhang Hao's strength would certainly be greater than now.

"But that's enough; I only need to pull my past and future selves to the present, and I will have a ticket to arm‑wrestle Yang Jian."

The deified Yang Jian's most incomprehensible ability is undoubtedly the paranormal that can exist at any point in past or future.

Given that Yang Jian's true form is a small starving ghost, his base Terror Level needs no mention; it is certainly not weak.

To possess the ability to counter Yang Jian, Terror Level, and the paranormal that can stack past and future selves are absolutely indispensable.

Without this paranormal, no matter how strong one is, they will ultimately be worn down to death by Yang Jian.

"And moreover, aside from this predetermined future synchronized with current strength, the precognitive paranormal remains unaffected."

Although under Zhang Hao's reverse invasion, his strength in any future, past, or present time segment is equal.

But this does not mean the future cannot become stronger.

The future Zhang Hao pulls in is merely one of the futures obtained through foresight.

Even when Xiong Wenwen uses foresight, she can foresee various different outcomes.

The number of outcomes Zhang Hao can foresee need not be elaborated.

"And now that Xiong Wenwen's foresight is secured, the bride can also attempt to wield Ghost Blood."

Meanwhile, in Da'ao City, Zhang Hao is still learning how to apply makeup from He Yuelian.

After all, He Yuelian looks exactly like the Ghost Bride, so Zhang Hao only needs to learn to paint the same makeup on the same face.

This is not difficult, since ghost pigments also spare him the trouble of mixing colors while applying makeup.

"Alright, I've learned it."

"Next, I'm taking the bride to Dachang City; will you come along?"

After giving He Yuelian the final makeup and confirming everything is fine, Zhang Hao said.

"Ah! Just stayed for one night?"

He Yuelian, hearing that, looked at Zhang Hao with some disappointment.

She had thought she could, like yesterday, lean against Zhang Hao and sleep tonight.

"Some matters need to be dealt with."

"But it's fine that you stay here; my situation will become increasingly dangerous."

Everything Zhang Hao does now is to prepare for entering the Ghostly Mansion, whether it's supplementing the bride's Ghost Power or Zhang Hao completing the Puzzle of the Black and White Portraits, all for this purpose.

Only by defeating Zhang Dong of this world can he attempt to leave this world and face Yang Jian.

If he cannot defeat Zhang Dong of this world, leaving this world would be tantamount to courting death.

"I'll still follow you."

"Danger and all, since there's Restart, I'm not scared."

He Yuelian wasn't worried at all; hearing Zhang Hao willing to take them along, they were eager—what's a little danger?

"Madam, let's go!"

Zhang Hao heard that and shouted at the Ghost Bride, who was still staring at the portrait on the wall.

"By the way, wait for me."

He Yuelian heard that and seemed to think of something.

The room suddenly turned hazy, and He Yuelian released a Ghost Domain that covered the room.

When the Ghost Domain vanished, Zhang Hao saw that the wall was completely blank.

"These are my favorite Photos; I have to take them with me."

He Yuelian took out a Photo of someone wearing a Hong Bai Shuang Sha dress, arm‑in‑arm with Zhang Hao.

At this point, He Yuelian understood the Ghost Bride's situation, but they didn't care at all.

From their perspective, even if Zhang Hao's mind contained only the Ghost Bride, his sole thought was to bring forth wisdom for the Ghost Bride.

But as long as it lets them follow, making her a little one, they're also willing.

On a highway in Dachang City.

As Zhang Hao stood on the highway and looked ahead a short distance, a scarlet landscape appeared before his eyes.

That was the color of Ghost Blood staining, already affecting the surrounding environment.

And in the middle of that scarlet land lay a bottomless Blood Pool.

Zhang Hao, holding the Ghost Bride's hand and He Yuelian's hand, crossed the highway fence and strode toward the blood‑stained land.

"What a unique place, there's an indescribable sense of oppression."

"It seems a tremendously terrifying Fierce Ghost resides here—could it be that pool of blood?"

He Yuelian surveyed the Ghost Blood Pool ahead, their expression extremely solemn.

Even with Six‑Tenths of the Ghostly Power of the Ghost Bride, facing Ghost Blood they still felt pressure.

"Hmm, the purpose of this visit is for it."

This time Zhang Hao and the others arrived at the place of the Ghost Blood, but it was stranger than what they saw back in Baishui Town.

Back then in Baishui Town, during the period just after the Hungry Ghosts ended, the Ghost Blood's driver Yan Li died not long after the Fierce Ghost revived.

And now, even though Zhang Hao has no sense of time, they know that a long time has passed since Yan Li's Fierce Ghost revival.

Soaked in Ghost Blood for a long time, this area has become a Spiritual Realm. Wild grass and soil are scarlet, exuding a strong scent of blood.

Even the trees are red, growing in grotesque shapes, like twisted corpses.

But soon.

As the invisible Black and White Ghost Domain spread, these grotesque Corpse Plants quickly turned into dust.

This Ghost Blood Pool has long been sealed off; essentially no one comes here.

Therefore, after being invaded by the Black and White Ghost Domain, these grotesque Corpse Plants naturally turned into dust because no one remembered them.

As the Ghost Domain kept invading, some grass clumps emitted mournful screams.

A corpse that seemed to have its Human Skin torn off, drenched in blood, was forcibly replaced by the black‑and‑white.

Some trees, twisted continuously by the Black and White Ghost Domain's invasion, eerily emitted human‑like wails.

"What is happening?" He Yuelian's eyes were filled with astonishment.

This was still their first time seeing a plant‑type Spiritual Realm phenomenon.

"It's just something tainted with Ghost Power, similar to a Ghost Slave, but a bit more special."

Zhang Hao explained calmly, watching the blood‑red Corpse Plants ahead continuously turn into dust.

When the Ghost Domain fully invaded this area, only a pool of blood remained in the center, still retaining a vivid Hong Bai Shuang Sha color.

Seeing that pool of red Ghost Blood, the Ghost Bride began to act.

Having experienced Baishui Town before, the Ghost Bride had already fixed her gaze on the blood ahead when Zhang Hao brought her here.

It was only because Zhang Hao was still eliminating those Ghost‑Power‑infused plants that the Ghost Bride hadn't moved.

Watching the Ghost Bride walk forward, Zhang Hao also closed his eyes, a chilling aura continuously emanating from him.

Zhang Hao was using Precognition to gauge the Ghost Bride's potential to ride the Ghost Blood.

Although the Precognition spanned a long period, in reality it was only ten seconds, and Zhang Hao ended the Precognition.

"I can achieve the ride now; although it's a bit dangerous, I just need to be able to provide good support for the madam during that time."

Ten seconds passed in reality, but in Zhang Hao's Precognized future, two days had already elapsed.

Riding the Ghost Blood here is far more troublesome than the Ghost Blood in Baishui Town.

The Ghost Blood in Baishui Town possessed only Six‑Tenths of the Ghostly Power, while the Ghost Bride had 66.66% more Ghost Power than the Ghost Bride of Baishui Town.

Nevertheless, even under these circumstances, the Ghost Bride spent half a day mastering the Ghost Blood in Baishui Town.

And in Zhang Hao's Precognition, even with his help, the Ghost Bride would need two days to ride the Ghost Blood.

"Can the Ghost Bride counter these Ghost Blood?" He Yuelian asked, surprised.

"Don't worry; I won't attempt anything I'm not sure about," Zhang Hao said, appearing very calm.

But He Yuelian was no longer calm; as the Ghost Bride fully entered the Ghost Blood Pool, He Yuelian felt their Ghost Power waning.

If this continued, soon the ghost inside her body would fall into a temporary silence.

"Don't worry, the source of your Ghost Power is the madam; her Ghost Power is currently focused on battling the Ghost Blood, so its weakening is normal."

"I have nothing to do for now; keep teaching me makeup, and practice more; being more proficient is better."

During the time the Ghost Bride was attempting to ride the Ghost Blood.

Great River City.

One of Zhang Hao's past bodies entered this city.

"Ghost Blood, red bed, red cloth have all been restored; now only the groom's doll and that Red Candlestick are missing."

The Red Candlestick is located in a Spiritual Realm within Great River City.

That was the location Zhang Hao learned of in Baishui Town, via a human skin paper.

Zhang Hao arrived at the specific spot, the black‑and‑white Ghost Domain unfolded, and began to invade the Spiritual Realm that exists deep within the Ghost Domain here.

As the Ghost Domain continued its invasion, the surrounding scenery began to change.

The bustling city started to become dilapidated, darkness shrouded the city's sky, and faintly one could see shadows where trees and city buildings overlapped.

The Spiritual Realm lay deep; to invade that Spiritual Realm, Zhang Hao had to shrink the Ghost Domain's range and increase its intensity and depth.

The level of this Spiritual Realm, if classified by Yang Jian's Ghost Domain divisions, is roughly at the seventh layer of Yang Jian's Ghost Eye.

As the city's phantom shadows vanished completely, everything in the Spiritual Realm fully revealed itself before Zhang Hao's eyes.

It is an old mountain village; around the village, trees tower into the clouds, and only on a small flat area at the mountain's mid‑slope are dozens of households.

The sky over this mountain village appears a gray‑brown hue, looking extremely eerie.

On the branches of the towering trees, occasional hanging heads could be seen, giving a grim and eerie impression. These heads—some already rotted, emitting a foul stench; some darkened yet still vaguely human in shape; and some looking as if they had just been cut off.

When Zhang Hao looked at one of the heads, that head also swayed its branch toward Zhang Hao, its eyes bearing a strange, vengeful hue.

These heads must all be those of living people killed, suggesting that this Spiritual Realm contains some point of intersection with reality.

Nevertheless, any Ghost Domain—whether in a Spiritual Realm or a Fierce Ghost's Ghost Domain—has a point of contact with reality.

For example, the point of Zhang Hao's Ghost Domain is the spot where he constantly resides; the Ghost Bride's point consists of those picture frames.

As long as one finds this special point within the Ghost Domain, even an ordinary person can also leave the Ghost Domain.

Of course, this is only an ideal scenario in theory.

After all, merely surviving within a Ghost Domain is already difficult; the danger of finding that point to exit is obvious.

Zhang Hao exchanged a few glances with the heads on the trees, then walked toward the direction of the village.

When Zhang Hao finally left this area, disappearing from the heads' gaze, the heads began to emit a wailing, eerie crying.

At some point, the vines suspending those heads turned into strips of White Curtain.

These White Curtains hang the heads on one side, while broad strips of cloth hang down beneath.

From a distance, the heads suspended in mid‑air look like silhouettes swaying in the wind.

As Zhang Hao draws nearer to the mountain village, the surrounding environment becomes increasingly eerie.

In the dark forest, strange silhouettes appear from time to time; a moment's carelessness could lead to being attacked by those forest silhouettes.

Obviously, all the silhouettes in this forest are Fierce Ghosts.

If a Ghost Tamer walks through this forest, even a captain must proceed with great caution.

But for Zhang Hao, this forest clearly holds nothing he fears.

After walking for about an hour, Zhang Hao could feel the scene before him change.

Ahead in the dim forest, a faint green glow arrived, its light resembling Li Jun's Ghost Fire.

As Zhang Hao kept moving toward the source of the glow, more silhouettes appeared around, and the road became clearer.

"Is it still daytime?"

Zhang Hao fully emerged from the forest, looked at the village shrouded in green light, and stopped.

In every corner of the village, each spot burned a Red Candle about as tall as a person.

These candles emitted a faint green light, looking extremely eerie.

However, when a Fierce Ghost unintentionally approaches these green‑lit candles, it is repelled beyond the light.

"Start by increasing the Suppression Quantity."

Zhang Hao looked left and right, thinking that since it was still daytime in this village and he couldn't enter, he would first use the Ghostly Servant's ability to increase the Suppression Quota.

Previously, when Zhang Hao faced the Seven Elders, the Ghostly Servant couldn't exert much effect, so he was not eager to raise the Ghostly Servant's Suppression Quota.

After all, having painstakingly commanded dozens of ghosts, confronting the Seven Elders yielded no useful effect, not even close‑range attacks.

In such a situation, who would want to spend most of their time on the Ghostly Servant?

Finding a suitable Puzzle would boost the increase far more than raising the Ghostly Servant's Suppression Quota.

Only at certain times does Zhang Hao feel he has already obtained the Spiritual Realm, and using starving ghosts to eat them brings no help, so he chooses to harness them with the Ghostly Servant's Spiritual Realm.

But after the last development of the Infinite Stacking Suppression Quota ability, he now changed his view, thinking the Ghostly Servant is quite strong.

Although compared with Infinite Restart, the Suppression Quota gained by mastering Fierce Ghosts is not much and progresses slowly.

But now increasing the Ghostly Servant's Suppression Quota is an upgrade to the base Suppression Quota.

Each increase of a base Suppression Quota allows Zhang Hao, when stacking suppressions, to add countless additional quotas.

Not only Zhang Hao in the forest, Zhang Hao in Dajing City also, after swallowing the Fierce Ghost of Xiong Wenwen,

did not rush to leave the Basement, but began continuously destroying rooms of the Headquarters that held Fierce Ghosts, seizing those Fierce Ghosts to form Suppression Quota.

(End of Chapter)