Chapter 158: The Ghost Infant

Dim green ghost fire rose on the lake surface.

The ghost fire burning on the lake surface quickly ignited the wax oil floating there.

These red wax oils have the effect of isolating all supernatural.

Conversely, ghost fire can burn all supernatural.

Zhang Hao is not Li Jun, even though this is Zhang Hao's first time using ghost fire.

But thanks to his extremely high Terror Level, the ghost fire, the moment it burns, already reaches an exceedingly terrifying state.

If Li Jun before obtaining the ghost attire was a candle, the later Li Jun is a firewood log.

Then Zhang Hao is undoubtedly an oil depot that ignites on contact with fire.

One side isolates the supernatural, the other burns the supernatural.

When the two clash and counter each other, the restraint disappears, ultimately turning into a contest of which side's supernatural is stronger.

A clash of Terror Levels makes the outcome self‑evident.

The burning ghost fire quickly consumes the layer of wax oil on the lake surface.

Without the wax oil's isolation, Zhang Hao advances with no protection.

Soon, he reaches the red candlestick and lifts it.

"A pretty nice piece, stronger than what I encountered back in Baishui Town."

Perhaps it's because the supernatural in Baishui Town is only Six‑Tenths of the Ghostly Power of this world.

Thus many Supernatural Artifacts Zhang Hao met in Baishui Town, or the Abnormal methods the Fierce Ghosts wield, differ considerably from those in the Reality World.

The most direct point is the infinite stacking of Zhang Hao's cheap master Meng Xiaodong.

She can stack countless versions of herself across time to endure supernatural attacks.

But the Meng Xiaodong in Baishui Town, even before she began dismembering herself, never used such a method.

Zhang Hao also faced this candlestick back in Baishui Town.

However, back then the candlestick did not show such strong effect; when faced with the Ghost Lake's lake water, it would easily be drawn into the water.

"Now that I have the item, I'll look for some Ghost Control in this village."

Zhang Hao walks to the windowsill and watches the situation outside the village.

As Zhang Hao puts away the red candlestick, the red candles placed outside the village burn intensely.

Without the candlestick's boost, these candles' supernatural is reduced, and their lasting effect is greatly weakened.

Given the current state, these red candles may be completely consumed within an hour.

Nevertheless, I must admit the candle's effect is indeed good.

Without the candlestick's boost, it can still burn this long despite facing so many Fierce Ghosts.

If it were a red ghost candle, it would probably not even last a minute in this village.

Even though the Ghost Tamer hasn't been targeted yet, once targeted, the ghost candle would be extinguished in an instant.

Having obtained the red ghost candle and confirming the Ghost Bride is still exercising Ghost Control over Ghost Blood, Zhang Hao does not rush to leave.

The village has just gone out of control; this is the best chance to control the Fierce Ghosts.

Zhang Hao looks at the group of Fierce Ghosts wandering the village, searching for a suitable target.

He calls it searching, but in fact Zhang Hao already has a target.

It is the Fierce Ghost that constantly drops meat chunks and then devours other Fierce Ghosts as meat.

This ghost possesses Ghost's Growth and a high Terror Level.

Now the village is completely out of control; if this ghost is allowed to grow, it could threaten Zhang Hao.

After all, in an era only one strongest can exist.

Such as Yang Jian, and also Zhang Dong.

As a Fierce Ghost, Zhang Hao's relationship with other Fierce Ghosts is even more brutal than Yang Jian's relationship with the Fierce Ghosts.

If Fierce Ghosts are likened to cultivated insects, Zhang Hao is undoubtedly one of those insects, and any such insect is an enemy to him.

However, these insects will temporarily set aside their hostilities when facing a common enemy.

For example, Zhang Hao's past cooperation with the Ghost Newspaper Agency.

After searching for a while, Zhang Hao found the Fierce Ghost that can continuously eat ghosts, then hurried downstairs to the ghost's vicinity.

At this moment, as the village begins to lose control, the Dim Green Candlelight's restriction on Fierce Ghosts starts to weaken.

The Fierce Ghost that has rotted half its body also involuntarily starts moving.

The speed at which its meat chunks fall accelerates, and as a lone Fierce Ghost swallows its blood clots, it begins devouring the Fierce Ghosts that have turned into meat balls.

With each Fierce Ghost it devours, the ghost's aura becomes increasingly terrifying.

When Zhang Hao reaches the floor beside this Fierce Ghost, a very bizarre scene has already unfolded.

Fierce Ghosts cannibalizing each other.

Perhaps the number of eating Fierce Ghosts increased, enhancing this ghost's blood‑meat attraction to other Fierce Ghosts.

At this moment, while this ghost eats the Fierce Ghosts turned into meat balls, quite a few Fierce Ghosts lie on its body, continuously gnawing its flesh.

Zhang Hao stands not far from this rotten‑flesh Fierce Ghost, watching the ghost's flesh, gnawed to a blood‑smeared mess, and inexplicably feels a pang of hunger.

It seems that the flesh is like a rare delicacy, exuding an enticing aroma that urges Zhang Hao to bite.

But soon Zhang Hao suppresses this impulse.

Having not joined the flesh‑gnawing crowd, Zhang Hao is now the sole abnormal among those surrounding the rotten‑flesh ghost.

After devouring a meat ball, the rotten‑flesh ghost lifts its head toward Zhang Hao.

Its hollow, soulless eyes stare at Zhang Hao.

Refusing to eat its flesh seems to trigger this ghost's Killing Rule.

A foul stench emanated from this Ghost, the putrid smell was extremely pungent, and the foul odor made Zhang Hao involuntarily cover his mouth and nose.

"Some kind of attack related to smell!"

Zhang Hao stared at the Ghost; after becoming a Ghost, this was still his first time experiencing negative emotions due to the influence of a smell.

If it were merely a normal supernatural scent, it clearly could not cause Zhang Hao to feel this way.

As Zhang Hao sensed the foul stench, his skin turned a strange bluish‑black, and his body emitted the foul odor.

Because Zhang Hao had mastered the Black and White Portrait, his body had long been free of corpse rot.

Now, under this Ghost's influence, the foul odor reappeared; I must say, this Ghost is indeed rather strange.

If this Ghost were placed in reality, it might be a Supernatural Incident of the Hungry Ghost and Ghostly Servant level.

But for Zhang Hao at this stage, it clearly had little effect.

Although a rotting odor appeared on Zhang Hao, the smell lasted only a moment before dissipating.

Countless Zhang Haos overlapped within a single entity, so each time Zhang Hao was attacked, innumerable copies of himself jointly endured this supernatural effect.

Even though this Ghost could match Zhang Hao in basic supernatural techniques, the infinitely stacked supernatural effects remained too incomprehensible.

This Ghost does not seem to have developed a supernatural effect that can be infinitely stacked.

Perhaps because of that foul stench, Zhang Hao felt an instinctive aversion deep inside when facing this Ghost.

He did not approach the Ghost; instead, the White Curtain at his waist bizarrely extended outward, trapping the Ghost's body.

The Coffin Nail's supernatural effect activated, and the Ghost quickly lost mobility due to the Ghost White Curtain's entanglement.

This Rotten Flesh Ghost, like a Hungry Ghost, possesses limitless potential.

Unfortunately, just as it gained a chance to leave this Spiritual Realm, it encountered the fully developed Zhang Hao.

If phrased in game terms, this Ghost had just finished evolving, while Zhang Hao already had Six Divine Equipment in hand.

The Coffin Nail's suppression, which a Hungry Ghost cannot resist, applies equally to this Ghost.

Zhang Hao stepped before the Ghost; even though the Ghost was already suppressed, looking at it still stirred a strong desire to devour within Zhang Hao.

It seems this Ghost could be of great help to him.

"Related to the Hungry Ghost? It can enhance the Hungry Ghost's own supernatural effect."

Zhang Hao understood; this Ghost seemed to be a Puzzle of the Hungry Ghost.

This does not refer to the Puzzle brought by infinite growth ability, but rather the Puzzle among Fierce Ghosts themselves.

The Ghost's ability to create flesh chunks appears to greatly aid the Hungry Ghost.

Zhang Hao did not resist the instinctive drive from the Hungry Ghost within him and swallowed the Ghost outright.

After swallowing the Ghost, Zhang Hao could feel that some change had occurred within himself.

He now possessed some supernatural Mediums he had never had before.

"Hmm?" as Zhang Hao pondered, he raised his hand, and as he thought, a piece of flesh and blood on his hand automatically fell to the ground.

This is the Self-Dissection of Flesh supernatural; Zhang Hao can now freely dissect any part of his own body.

And that's not all.

As the flesh chunk fell from Zhang Hao, it quickly began to writhe and expand.

With the chunk's writhing, a baby‑like thing soon appeared at Zhang Hao's feet.

It was a baby wholly bluish‑black, with a pallid face and white pupils.

The baby exuded a terrifyingly cold aura, continuously emitting a "wa‑wa‑wa!" Crying.

That Crying seemed to carry an extremely bizarre supernatural effect; as it echoed through the Village, the Crying oddly began to overlap.

"This thing has inherited part of my supernatural effect."

Zhang Hao stared at the baby, curiosity in his eyes.

He could clearly sense that his own supernatural effect had not been stolen.

In other words, although this baby possessed overlapping Crying like Zhang Hao, it did not take away Zhang Hao's Crying‑related supernatural effect.

Rather than saying this Ghost has the Crying supernatural, it is more accurate to say this ghost‑baby learned a portion of Zhang Hao's internal supernatural effect.

This baby, like Ghost Lake, has a terrifying learning ability.

Zhang Hao lifted one of the baby's legs, hanging it upside‑down in midair.

Perhaps because it was off the ground, the baby's "wa‑wa" became louder and stranger.

The baby's wa‑wa‑wa Crying rang endlessly through the Village.

"Its mode of existence is also peculiar."

Zhang Hao attempted to use some supernatural effect to invade the ghost‑baby's body.

But although these supernatural effects could briefly suppress the ghost‑baby's Crying, they could not kill the ghost‑baby before him.

It seemed this ghost‑baby was a true Fierce Ghost, an invulnerable Fierce Ghost.

"Using Self-Dissection of Flesh and the supernatural that creates ghost‑babies, to forge a true Fierce Ghost infant?"

Zhang Hao stared at the ghost‑baby, eerie light flickering in his eyes.

He began to examine his own condition, wondering whether creating a ghost‑baby would affect his supernatural power.

Soon, Zhang Hao discovered that forging such a ghost‑baby, akin to a true Fierce Ghost, had no impact on the supernatural he controlled.

These ghost‑babies resembled a dismembered, unnecessary Fierce Ghost from within Zhang Hao's body.

However, those dismembered Fierce Ghosts seemed to have lost their original Killing Rule.

And the newly born ghost‑baby could choose to learn one of Zhang Hao's supernatural effects.

For example, this ghost‑baby before him learned Zhang Hao's Crying supernatural and also inherited the Hungry Ghost's ability to devour ghosts.

"If we raise the ghost‑baby's Terror Level, does that mean it can learn more supernatural effects from me?"

Zhang Hao's face showed contemplation, a cold aura emanating from him as he closed his eyes.

He is deducing, using Precognition's paranormal technique to infer the ghost infant's transformation.

In Precognition, Zhang Hao dismembered a part of his own Palm, turning three unnecessary Fierce Ghosts into the body of a single ghost infant.

This time, the ghost infant that landed successfully learned three paranormal techniques besides the starving ghost's own paranormal technique.

They are, respectively, Black and White Ghost Domain, Vision Gravity, and stackable Crying.

"Each time I dismember a ghost for a ghost infant, can it additionally learn one of my paranormal techniques?"

"If according to my primary paranormal technique, I only need to dismember forty slots of Fierce Ghosts to form a ghost infant that differs from me only in Terror Level."

Zhang Hao opened his eyes, watching the ghost infant in his hand still wailing loudly, his mind unsure what he was thinking.

As Zhang Hao released his grip, the ghost infant fell to the ground.

"Waa waa waa!"

After landing, the ghost infant emitted a mournful Crying while crawling toward the Village.

Under Zhang Hao's gaze, the ghost infant quickly crawled to a Fierce Ghost, pounced on its face, and began gnawing at it.

While the ghost infant gnawed the ghost, the Fierce Ghost simultaneously gnawed the ghost infant's body.

However, the ghost infant seems to possess a very special paranormal trait: whenever its body is gnawed and wounded, new flesh and blood quickly regrows.

"Can it quickly recover its own injuries and missing paranormal abilities through gnawing?"

"This should be the ability brought by that Rotten Flesh Ghost."

Zhang Hao did not intervene in the ghost infant's condition, merely observing quietly.

This ghost infant, newly born, immediately displayed extreme ferocity and wickedness.

It can emit stacked Crying like Zhang Hao, eat ghosts like the starving ghost, and, like the Rotten Flesh Ghost, restore missing body parts through consumption.

As the ghost infant and that Fierce Ghost kept gnawing, the ghost's condition soon changed.

Perhaps because it had consumed too much ghost infant flesh and blood, the ghost began to emit a whiff of bloodiness.

Moreover, the wounds the ghost infant made on the ghost kept sprouting flesh and blood.

Soon, the flesh and blood growing from those wounds completely wrapped the ghost into a Meat Ball.

After the Meat Ball appeared, the ghost infant stopped gnawing.

It wailed "waa waa waa" from its mouth while crawling behind the Meat Ball, using limbs to push the Meat Ball upward.

The ghost infant pushed the Meat Ball all the way to Zhang Hao's feet, then lifted its head toward him, its pallid pupils bearing a strange hue.

"So it can help me find Fierce Ghosts, then."

Seeing this, Zhang Hao unceremoniously lifted the Meat Ball and swallowed it whole.

When Zhang Hao swallowed the Meat Ball, the ghost infant crawled away again, soon finding a weaker Terror Level Fierce Ghost and began mutually gnawing it.

Five minutes later, the ghost infant again pushed a Meat Ball to Zhang Hao's feet and stopped.

"Wait!"

As the ghost infant brought the Meat Ball and was about to leave to continue finding food for Zhang Hao, Zhang Hao called the ghost infant.

After a moment of thought, a piece of flesh and blood fell from Zhang Hao's hand, which he fed to the ghost infant before him.

He wanted to test whether, by feeding Fierce Ghost flesh and blood, the ghost infant could learn more of his own paranormal techniques.

The ghost infant ate the flesh and blood Zhang Hao gave it, and soon new changes appeared on its body.

Originally infant-like, the ghost infant's body grew at an incredible speed, soon reaching the appearance of a three- or four-year-old child.

Moreover, at this moment the ghost infant oddly wore a white Funeral Clothes.

Zhang Hao dismembered two Fierce Ghosts from his body and fed them to the ghost infant before him.

The facts show that after the starving ghost obtained the Rotten Flesh Ghost, an incredible change indeed occurred.

The two ghosts Zhang Hao fed the ghost infant were not the Fierce Ghosts from his core ability, but two completely unnecessary Fierce Ghosts.

Yet under these circumstances, the ghost infant before him surprisingly learned Zhang Hao's two paranormal techniques.

Conversely, the original paranormal abilities of those two Fierce Ghosts did not manifest at all on the ghost infant.

"It still retains Growth, but this Growth has undergone a new change."

Zhang Hao realized that the ghost infant can still grow by eating ghosts.

But each time it eats a ghost, it can choose to voluntarily forgo the Fierce Ghost's paranormal ability, thereby learning one of the host's paranormal techniques.

Of course, it may also choose, when eating a ghost, to directly seize the Fierce Ghost's paranormal ability instead of learning the host's.

"If so, then after the starving ghost completes the Rotten Flesh Ghost, wouldn't it still have infinite stacked paranormal techniques?"

Whenever a ghost infant matures, it can become a true Fierce Ghost.

Moreover, these ghost infants can learn the host's paranormal techniques, achieving the ability to stack the same paranormal techniques as the host.

As for the flaw that creating such ghost infants like true Fierce Ghosts consumes Fierce Ghost slots, Zhang Hao thinks it's no problem.

Even the original ghost infant still needs to eat ghosts in the fourth stage.

Now the main body loses only one ghost, yet the created ghost infant instantly gains a true Fierce Ghost identity and can stack paranormal techniques with the main body—this is extremely terrifying.

Furthermore, the ghost infant produced now directly holds a ghost identity.

But that does not mean Zhang Hao cannot create the previous kind of ghost infant without a Fierce Ghost identity.

A ghost infant with Fierce Ghost identity, combined with a ghost infant of Ghost Slave identity, overlapping, makes the strangeness even more troublesome.

Because you can never be sure whether you're facing a true Fierce Ghost or a derived Ghost Slave.

(End of Chapter)