Chapter 163: Absolute Erase vs. Infinite Suppression

Zhang Hao's re‑entry into the Old Mansion caused the old man, who had just walked back to the Ghost's Black Taishi Chair and hadn't actually sat down yet, to look in this direction.

The second‑time Zhang Hao arrived, he seemed to have far fewer reservations; he walked into the wall inside the Old Mansion's fence, stared at the old man inside, and remained completely still, as if waiting for the other party to emerge.

"This Ghost, it isn't planning to fight the revived Zhang Dong, is it?"

"That Ghost possesses Precognition, it won't do anything it isn't sure about; could it be that, in its Precognition, it already knows it can defeat Zhang Dong?"

In the distance within the forest, a group of people watching Zhang Hao emerge from the Old Mansion and then re‑enter it couldn't help but whisper.

"Zhang Dong is invincible," Zhang Baihua said softly, his words seeming full of absolute trust in Zhang Dong.

"However, I'm not very clear on the current situation, since the present Zhang Dong is already dead."

"The Ghost inside his body can exert only a few percent of his pre‑death strength, and no one knows exactly how much."

Hearing that, the others also tightened their expressions.

Often, the reason Ghost Tamers can imprison Fierce Ghosts is not that their documented strength exceeds that of the Fierce Ghosts, but rather due to Supernatural reasons.

It is the development and use of Supernatural abilities, and the evasion of the Fierce Ghost's Killing Rule.

Compared with Ghost Tamers who can unleash the Fierce Ghost's full strength, the Fierce Ghost is naturally weaker in Combat Power.

After all, in battle, it lacks an adaptive ability.

"Everyone, pay attention: this Ghost could very well defeat Zhang Dong; according to the Human Skin Paper's Precognition, it will complete the wedding."

"The Wedding Room is deep within the Old Mansion; if it cannot defeat Zhang Dong, it clearly cannot enter the Old Mansion at all."

"They should be about to clash now; once Bai Sha and Zhang Dong engage, he won't be able to notice us, so we can get closer and observe the situation."

Even the Human Skin Paper cannot Precognize the situation inside this Old Mansion, but it can know who will ultimately walk out of the Old Mansion.

While Yang Jian and the others were talking, on the other side, action had already begun.

Zhang Hao entered the Old Mansion; although he seemed to stand still in place, in fact he was stacking his own numbers.

He layered countless versions of himself from different eras into a single entity, thereby achieving a dispersed defense against attacks.

At the same time, each stacking also raises Zhang Hao's Suppression Quota.

Even if Zhang Dong's Terror Level is extremely high, each of Zhang Hao's Suppression Quotas against Zhang Dong might only achieve fifty percent effectiveness.

But one quota can't suppress; five hundred? a thousand? ten thousand? If that still doesn't work, stacking the amount of Mindless Suppression to a higher level should always unleash the ability of Mindless Suppression.

After all, Zhang Dong chose the human path; he is not an Abnormal. As long as he chose the Dead Machine route, he is not a true Fierce Ghost and has an inherent limit.

Of course, this refers to the living Zhang Dong.

The pre‑death Zhang Dong's use of Supernatural abilities was even more terrifying, and his various methods were harder to counter.

But the post‑death Zhang Dong, although he no longer has Human‑type Ghost's Agility, has had his limit removed; he lacks a human limit.

Perhaps in a short‑term clash, the old man's terror is less than in life, but in a protracted war, the dead Zhang Dong might be even more terrifying than the living Zhang Dong.

"Tap tap tap!"

The old man, walking along the corridor between the main hall and the inner courtyard, emitted a dull sound.

Soon, the old man exited the house and arrived at the Old Mansion's inner courtyard entrance.

The distance between the two sides had fallen below ten meters, and Zhang Hao began his first strike.

A White Curtain fell from the sky, gathering three Coffin Nails, and together with three kinds of Supernatural wrapping cloth, rapidly assaulted the old man in front of the house.

However, a bizarre scene unfolded: when this White Curtain was shot toward Zhang Dong, intending to roll him up,

when the White Curtain was less than half a meter from Zhang Dong, a strange scene

on the White Curtain, dense stains began to appear; the curtain, which had been suspended in midair, seemed to lose its support and turned into a torn cloth that fell to the ground.

Zhang Hao was not particularly surprised by this; it was merely a first‑hand probe.

Although the three Coffin Nails were powerful, in fact Zhang Hao had long known that Coffin Nails would not have much effect on Zhang Dong.

The Coffin Nail's attack requires

whereas Zhang Dong's attack erases any Supernatural that approaches him.

In this situation, Supernatural Artifacts don't even have a chance to hit, let alone activate their own Supernatural effects.

After all, this is a double crush stemming from Terror Level and the method of attack.

"Although it was anticipated early on, even the combination of three Coffin Nails and the Supernatural of the wrapping cloth failed to work; that truly is surprising."

Zhang Hao doesn't know what level Yang Jian is at, but he certainly won't be weaker than Zhang Dong, and is likely even stronger.

Because Yang Jian has no human limit, nor the Ghost's rigidity.

The first attack failed, but Zhang Hao did not pause because of it.

The moment the White Curtain hit the ground, Zhang Hao launched his second attack.

The Mindless Suppression Supernatural began to activate, and Mindless Suppression only affected Zhang Dong.

At this point, Zhang Hao's own Suppression Quantity alone had already reached three hundred; after initiating stacking, this figure quickly rose to over ten thousand.

At the same time, on the Ground of the inner courtyard, wet Lake Water appeared, and the black‑and‑white hue that can color everything began to act upon this old, soulless Old Mansion.

The black‑and‑white Ghost Domain invaded, instantly turning the garden inside the Old Mansion into black and white.

Behind Zhang Hao, bizarre White Curtains shot toward Zhang Dong, and eerie wails echoed throughout the Old Mansion.

Above the sky, Black and White Portraits fell, and the people in these portraits stared intently at Zhang Dong.

With their gaze, even the non‑existent air seemed to turn bleak, as if an invisible gloom shrouded the Old Mansion, pulling everything here into the realm of Wraiths.

These people from the Photo, while watching Zhang Dong, slowly stepped out of the Photo, literally

Having mastered the Ghost Camera, Zhang Hao at this point could make these versions of himself from the Portraits walk into reality.

The Ghost Camera's rule is to imprison the captured Fierce Ghost or human into a Photo; regardless of success, the camera must contain a real person or Ghost.

Based on this ability, Zhang Hao's Portraits unexpectedly underwent reverse mutations.

Zhang Hao's Black and White Portraits are derivatives, yet under the Ghost Camera's effect, each Zhang Hao within those Portraits became an individual

Through the Supernatural of the Black and White Portraits combined with the Ghost Camera, Zhang Hao, while stacking countless past and future versions of himself, invades the present.

Within the present concept of time, he can even spawn countless copies of himself.

Each existing Photo can give rise to a new Zhang Hao.

Countless Zhang Haos stacked together trigger Crying, Gaze, White Curtain, Kneeling Death, and all sorts of supernatural phenomena one by one.

However, Zhang Dong himself does not seem that simple.

Zhang Dong, after being attacked, raised his hand and waved at Zhang Hao.

It was only for an instant.

The black‑and‑white old house reverted to its former ordinary, antiquated appearance, devoid of any Supernatural Aura.

On the Ground, the Lake Water that had risen to knee‑deep level was suddenly drawn away as if ripped out.

The White Curtain swirling in the sky vanished, and the Crying and darkness mixed in the air dissipated as well.

Not only those, but even the Zhang Haos that fell from the sky and stepped out of the Photo all lost their supernatural traits with this wave of the hand.

Just a single wave of the hand, and all the supernatural techniques displayed by Zhang Hao seemed to have been completely Erased.

Nevertheless, the matter was not over; after launching the first attack, Zhang Dong's second attack appeared again.

Zhang Dong waved at Zhang Hao a second time.

"What a terrifying attack; we could never withstand such supernatural techniques, could we? I didn't expect Zhang Dong to simply wave his hand and cut off all these attacks."

Yang Jian's eyes were filled with astonishment; even the Seven Elders could barely endure those scenes.

Yet facing this elder, a mere wave of the hand solved it.

"Little girl, I advise you not to make a move on him; it's very dangerous for you."

Zhang Baihua's hoarse voice rang out, and Yang Jian looked in the direction Zhang Baihua indicated.

At that moment, He Yiner stared intently at Zhang Dong.

Clearly, as a Soul Summoner, she was very interested in this powerful elder. "Why?" He Yiner asked Zhang Baihua, a bit puzzled.

"This senior is so terrifying after revival; if we Soul Summon him, wouldn't that resolve the majority of Supernatural Incidents?"

"In short, I'm doing this for your sake; anyone, including you and me, can freely Soul Summon, as long as you can find the Medium we left behind."

Zhang Baihua said softly, "But Zhang Dong, you cannot Soul Summon."

The Soul Summoners of Taiping Ancient Town essentially summon others by replication, granting them their pre‑death memories for a short period.

"However, Soul Summoning can go out of control; not every Wraith summoned can retain sanity."

"And Zhang Dong is exactly such a being that makes Soul Summoners eternally fail; he has already surpassed the Republic Era."

"Even after revival, he instinctively Seals any supernatural that dares approach; Soul Summoning him would be the same."

"When his supernatural first manifests, before any awareness, the first person he instinctively Seals is you, the Soul Summoner."

"Moreover, even if you can avoid this attack, the supernatural of a single stick of Soul Summoning Incense cannot bear him."

"If you attempt it, at best a Fierce Ghost revives; at worst you are Erased by Zhang Dong."

Zhang Baihua's tone was very serious, clearly wary of Soul Summoning Zhang Dong and any replication of his supernatural.

Inside the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Interior.

At the instant Zhang Dong raised his hand the second time.

Zhang Hao felt one‑third of his Suppression Quota being Erased.

This Erasing supernatural was intended to erase Zhang Hao, but because countless Zhang Haos bore it simultaneously, only a portion of Zhang Hao was erased.

Previously, Zhang Hao had displayed many supernatural techniques, but they were merely feints; the real trump card he used against Zhang Dong was the Ghostly Servant's Mindless Suppression.

Yet even so, Zhang Dong's terror still exceeded imagination.

The first Erasure removed all the Spirit Phenomena released by Zhang Hao, rendering all his feint techniques ineffective.

The second Erasure directly erased one‑third of Zhang Hao's Suppression Quota, removing from his body the portion that had been stacked from past or future selves.

"But that's enough, I think."

Zhang Hao did not feel discouraged by Zhang Dong's single Erasure of his attacks and the loss of one‑third of his Suppression Quota.

On the contrary, losing those supernatural phenomena steadied Zhang Hao's mind.

The core logic of the Ghostly Servant.

Each use of a ghost's supernatural ability consumes one Suppression Quota.

Although during this period Zhang Hao devoured ghosts across various Spiritual Realms, his Suppression Quota had already exceeded two hundred.

Yet now the number of Fierce Ghost quotas he needs to sustain his regular attacks had reached over seventy.

The supplemental Fierce Ghosts are not all classified by Zhang Hao into Suppression Quota.

Some more useful Fierce Ghosts that suit Zhang Hao are stacked onto his own attack chain.

For example, the Ghost Camera can grant Zhang Hao the ability of Infinite Derivation within the concept of 'now'.

Another example is the Spirit Child; this ghost is the key for Zhang Hao to stack his future self.

Meanwhile, Meng Xiaodong's ghost can accelerate Zhang Hao's stacking of past and future to invade the present.

In all cases, each time Zhang Hao summons a future or past self, his Suppression Quota only increases by a few hundred.

Before being Erased by Zhang Dong, Zhang Hao's Suppression Quota had only stacked up to fifteen thousand, yet that amount seemed unable to restrain Zhang Dong.

Although Zhang Dong appears to show no infinitely stacked supernatural, each of his attacks can erase across all time periods, and no one knows whether he possesses stacked supernatural.

Perhaps Zhang Dong's state has always been in infinite stacking, so when he acts he need not prepare as the other Seven Elders do.

Having been Erased by one‑third, the original fifteen‑thousand Suppression Quota could not suppress Zhang Dong; now that the quota has dropped to ten thousand, it seems even less able to restrain Zhang Dong.

Yet at that moment, an anomaly suddenly arose.

Zhang Dong raised his hand a third time, intending to attack Zhang Hao again.

However, at that instant, Zhang Dong's hand movement halted, becoming stiff and sluggish.

Zhang Hao had one‑third of a past or future time segment stacked onto the present self erased.

However, Zhang Hao's overall suppression quota increased rather than decreased.

The other supernaturals could not take effect, and were also erased and suppressed by Zhang Dong.

Zhang Hao immediately, aside from the Fierce Ghosts stacked from his past and future, allocated all the quotas belonging to his regular combat methods to become suppression quotas.

The addition of these quotas directly raised Zhang Hao's suppression quota in each era by about fifty percent.

When the erased suppression quotas were added, Zhang Hao also stacked many of his past and future selves.

Under these circumstances, Zhang Hao's suppression quota surged to over twenty thousand.

The over twenty thousand suppression quota did not successfully suppress Zhang Dong.

However, when those over twenty thousand suppression quotas acted on Zhang Dong, they also successfully interrupted a certain step in Zhang Dong's attack chain.

At Zhang Hao's level, each of his attacks is composed of countless combinations of supernaturals.

Therefore, even a single Paper Money dropped by Zhang Hao in the current era possesses enough power to kill a Captain-level Ghost Controller.

Zhang Dong, as a legend of the Republic Era, has an Erase that is seemingly unsolvable, yet it is clearly the result of countless supernaturals stacked together.

If it were only the ability of a single ghost, such an unsolvable Erase supernatural could not be achieved.

It is like Zhang Hao's Crying: once you hear the Crying and cannot resist the subsequent attack chain.

Whether it is your body, consciousness, or post‑death Wraith, others' memories of you become part of Zhang Hao's supernaturals.

If this supernatural is placed outward, what difference does it make to other Ghost Tamers compared with Zhang Dong?

Even figures like Zhang Youhong and Meng Xiaodong, who are Seven Elders, when facing Zhang Hao's Ghost's Invasion, end only with failure, unable to resist, and are completely replaced by Zhang Hao.

Now the twenty thousand suppression quotas on Zhang Hao, when applied to Zhang Dong, directly suppress a portion of the supernaturals belonging to his Erase series of attacks.

Lacking this portion of supernatural means, Zhang Dong's Erase shows its first flaw and no longer seems as unsolvable as before.

It is like Zhang Hao's Ghost's Invasion: if the Black and White Ghost Domain is missing, or if a certain memory‑invasion supernatural is absent, there is a capacity for resistance.

At this moment Zhang Dong again performed the waving‑hand action, but could no longer Erase the suppression quotas inside Zhang Hao's body.

A portion of Fierce Ghosts within his body was suppressed, so he lost a Medium that could be used to attack Zhang Hao.

Any Fierce Ghost, as long as it attacks, has a Medium.

Crying is sound, kneeling is direction and action, Black and White Ghost Domain and Ghost Eye are Gaze, and Zhang Dong's waving‑hand Erase is no exception.

The Fierce Ghost in his body that could trigger a Medium through the waving‑hand action was suppressed.

Although this does not mean Zhang Dong's Erase supernatural has failed, at least the waving‑hand action can no longer Erase Zhang Hao now.

Nevertheless, for Zhang Dong to become a legend of an era, his attack Medium could obviously not be limited to just the waving hand.

The reason waving hand became the action Zhang Dong uses in each attack is simply because this Medium is the easiest to trigger.

Just like Zhang Hao's Black and White Gaze, Crying, and White Curtain, these are the most easily triggered Media, but that does not mean Zhang Hao lacks other attack methods.

Zhang Dong raised his hand, lowered it, clenched it into a fist, and punched toward Zhang Hao's direction.

However this time, Zhang Hao had a chance to dodge.

Zhang Dong's waving‑hand was too fast; Zhang Hao barely had a chance to react, and at the instant the action was executed, the Erase supernatural had already appeared.

Yet this fist‑punch action could be easily opened by Zhang Hao using the Ghost Domain.

The fist struck empty air, yet it appeared even more terrifying.

In front of Zhang Dong's clenched‑fist strike, a hazy, blank little path appeared.

It seemed to be a region completely erased, stretching from the direction of the old mansion gate all the way into the depths of this old forest.

Within that old forest, ancient trees that buried Fierce Ghosts stood; anyone positioned in front of Zhang Dong's fist had already vanished.

Even the highway not far from the old forest was broken in a segment at this moment, separating the two directions of the road.

(End of Chapter)