Chapter 178: First Encounter with Yang Jian, the Eighteen Hells

Just being stared at, Zhang Hao already feels an incredibly intense pressure.

You should know that the current Zhang Hao has already devoured all the world's Fierce Ghosts, though they all originated from this camera.

The intensity of the Fierce Ghosts on Zhang Hao may be only Six‑Tenths of the Ghostly Power in the upper world, but even so.

If Zhang Hao enters this upper world and his paranormal hasn't been dispelled, his Terror Level won't be low either.

"This thing seems unable to truly attack me."

Zhang Hao stares at the human silhouette, noticing the other is merely looking at him, and quickly recovers.

"It seems the Terror Level of this human silhouette has already exceeded the limit the camera's Derived World can bear, just as I cannot enter another camera's Derived World."

Noticing this, Zhang Hao relaxes, at least for now he can be sure he won't be attacked by this thing.

If the other dares to, like Zhang Hao, use a clone to enter this world, with Zhang Hao's current strength he would have no fear of the opponent.

The current Zhang Hao can be certain that as long as the camera's Derived World can accommodate something, no Fierce Ghost can be his opponent.

After all, Zhang Hao is already the limit of the camera's paranormal.

As for the possibility that this guy directly suppresses the camera, Zhang Hao isn't worried.

Now, as long as the camera still exists, Zhang Hao can maintain his existence in his own world; at most he'll fall into a period of slumber.

At Zhang Hao's current stage, his every move represents a Killing Rule.

Even with Human Skin paper and various Precognition deduction abilities, even if he loses that part of human memory, Zhang Hao can quickly generate new intelligence.

Consciousness, for the current Zhang Hao, is merely a tool for thought.

He previously feared consciousness being suppressed, because if his own self were suppressed and slept too long, he would turn into a Fierce Ghost without intelligence.

At the same time, after confirming safety, Zhang Hao's mind began to wonder what this thing actually is.

"Ghost Shadow, Hong Bai Shuang Sha eyes, the long knife red paper just floated out and he appeared instantly."

"This guy can't be Yang Jian, can he?"

Looking at the silhouette at the doorway, as his gaze intensifies, Zhang Hao increasingly feels the other is very likely Yang Jian.

Having devoured Yang Jian's ghosts, Zhang Hao naturally also has Ghost Shadow and Ghost Eye on him.

However, compared to Yang Jian's ghosts, Zhang Hao is more accustomed to his own Ghost Domain and paranormal.

Moreover, there is currently no Fierce Ghost requiring Zhang Hao to fight with full force, so he hasn't used this paranormal method.

The human silhouette seems to have also noticed Zhang Hao's stare; the long knife in his hand trembled slightly.

The trembling long knife made Zhang Hao see more clearly; that knife‑shaped object was essentially a firewood axe, only its handle was extended.

"Trouble, my upper world is already Yang Jian's world; coming and going like this, I could very likely be dealt with by him."

Zhang Hao thought for a moment, decisively cut off the link with the camera, and returned to the previous world.

As the connection broke, that intense pressure vanished.

However, Zhang Hao can feel that he can now easily connect to the upper world's camera.

Both sides now have the most basic Medium, no longer needing to try each world one by one as before.

"The camera route seems impassable; we have to find a way via Yin Yang Lu."

"Fortunately, the red paper and portrait I spread haven't been Erased."

Zhang Hao carefully searches in his mind; Ghost Domain unfolds, and a scene quickly appears before his eyes.

This is one of the Black and White Portraits that Zhang Hao spread to the upper world.

Although this portrait is a Derivative Body of Zhang Hao, for the upper world its source is that camera, so the paranormal hasn't vanished.

Through this, Zhang Hao can observe some changes around the portrait.

The portrait's setting is within a cliff bathed in red light.

In the distance below the cliff, a room can be seen; judging by the items inside, that is the room where the camera resides.

Within the cliff, fierce winds constantly blow up sand.

These sandstorms seem to have the ability to erode everything; even though this portrait of Zhang Hao possesses some of the Fierce Ghost's immortality, it quickly shows signs of weathering in the sand.

Moreover, Zhang Hao also observes that beneath this cliff there are many skeletons or weathered objects.

These things look extremely ancient, as if a single touch would cause them to completely dissipate.

Yet within this raging sandstorm, these items remain without being completely annihilated.

"It seems these are all just a single Fierce Ghost."

Zhang Hao judges that this sandstorm is similar to his paranormal technique, exerting extreme suppression on Fierce Ghosts.

Things like Zhang Hao's passing and Zhang Dong's Erase belong to extreme suppression of Fierce Ghosts.

And this sandstorm is evidently also a paranormal attack of this level.

"Eighteen layers of hell?"

Zhang Hao recalled some settings of the mysterious revival, and the paranormal techniques displayed in the book after Yang Jian became Immortal.

Yang Jian seems to have forged a boundless hell, such as Scissor Hell, Tong‑Pulling Hell, used to imprison Fierce Ghosts.

After all, although Yang Jian is a ghost child, his identity ultimately aligns with a human's stance.

Thus, even though theoretically Yang Jian could endlessly devour ghosts, he still dares not truly achieve unrestrained ghost‑eating growth.

For example, if a ghost child devours a starving ghost, then later is Yang Jian primarily the ghost child or primarily Yang Jian?

Or, at that time, does Yang Jian prioritize humanity or the ghost's instinct? Would he breed ghost infants?

After all, Wang Shanshan can command Yang Jian.

Eating too many ghosts might break through all the logic that Zhang Jian, as designed by Yang Jian, has planned.

And hell is the method and place he uses to imprison Fierce Ghosts.

"If it truly is an eighteen‑layer hell, then this hell should be considered a sandstorm hell, right?"

"Based on the ghost wind's paranormal that can blow away and erase other things, continuously suppressing the Fierce Ghosts within the cliff."

Considering that Yang Jian has mastered Ghost Fire and obtained part of the furnace fire, after becoming an Immortal he should be able to master the complete furnace fire.

From this perspective, Yang Jian should also have a Flame Hell that burns all Fierce Ghosts as fuel.

Scissor Hell, in a sense, is dismemberment, so this hell should dismember all supernatural phenomena, cutting the terrifying ghosts apart, thereby reducing the supernatural power needed to suppress them.

After pondering for a while, Zhang Hao made some deductions about Yang Jian's hellly supernatural phenomena.

What can be confirmed now is that the Flame, Sandstorm, and Scissor hells exist, but the other fifteen hells and what supernatural forces Yang Jian used to forge them remain unknown.

"Let's set these aside for now."

"The camera seems to be locked inside the Sandstorm Hell, and I have no way to learn about the other hells now." "Compared to that, I should consider how to reach the Reality World from the Yin Yang Lu and how to face Yang Jian's imminent assault."

Zhang Hao glanced at the room and then stepped out of it.

After this incident, Baishui Town no longer has any need to remain.

After finding the Ghost Bride and He Yuelian, and devouring all the ghosts on the second floor, Zhang Hao led them downstairs.

This time, Zhang Hao did not hold back.

As Zhang Hao descended, each step caused a segment of the staircase to crumble.

Amid the shattered wood chips, some bizarre objects gradually emerged; he saw broken fingers hidden within, with ghastly white skin clinging to them.

Faintly, Zhang Hao could also hear cries of wailing coming from the stairs, as if a Fierce Ghost were screaming at that moment.

The staircase was, astonishingly, entirely constructed from Fierce Ghosts.

With so much supernatural power gathered in one place, this staircase can no longer be called a Supernatural Artifact; it should be called a supernatural building.

However, Zhang Hao paid no attention to these Spirit Phenomenon; as his expression grew slightly cold, the surrounding Spirit Phenomenon vanished.

When Zhang Hao reached the middle of the stairs, a darkness appeared ahead, and the staircase seemed to hold a road leading to a Spiritual Realm.

"Old thing, you may come out now."

Zhang Hao cast a glance into the depths of that Spiritual Realm; the black-and-white hue at that moment invaded everything around irregularly.

Any building stained with black-and-white color loses its Spirit Phenomenon completely in less than a few seconds, becoming like a discarded object.

As the colorless Black and White Ghost Domain continuously invades, Zhang Hao's white pupils, set within red sclera, opened.

His gaze fully penetrated into the depths of the darkness.

There, he saw something.

It was a broken tombstone, and atop that tombstone sat a person.

The person appeared to be about seventy, with a withered face and an icy aura; most bizarrely, the old man's legs seemed to have grown into the tombstone, inseparable.

Because of that, the old man remained seated on the tombstone, unable to move.

As long as the staircase exists for even a day, this person will be eternally suppressed here, unable to escape.

The existence of this old man and the tombstone was evidently to support each wooden segment of the staircase, which is why Zhang Hao earlier did not release this old thing.

To rescue him, the only option is to dismantle the staircase.

However, the staircase exists not only to seal this old man but also to sustain whatever is on the upper floor.

If the staircase is destroyed, the items on the second floor may very likely fall into an unknown Spiritual Realm.

"Quick, quickly carry me out."

The old man on the tombstone seemed to see Zhang Hao as well, waving toward him with a hint of urgency.

Zhang Hao looked at the old man, his face showing contemplation, and did not act hastily.

"Spirit Road of the Dead, tombstone, camera from the past world?"

Zhang Hao closed his eyes and began to summon the supernatural of the Human Skin Paper in his mind to simulate the situation here.

After all, the Human Skin Paper possesses near‑omniscient ability, so Zhang Hao naturally does not use this gadget constantly.

For Zhang Hao, the Human Skin Paper is like a repository of knowledge; he only connects to it when needed.

Through the Human Skin Paper, Zhang Hao quickly learned some details about the old man.

This old man appears to be the source of the Spirit Road of the Dead; those dead spirits that reappear in Reality are born because of this tombstone.

Moreover, even that camera, to generate a Derived World, must to some extent borrow this old man's supernatural.

If the camera is the supernatural of the Derived World, then this old man provides the Fierce Ghosts and Wraiths for that Derived World.

This situation is akin to Zhang Hao and that king's projectionist.

Endowed with Black and White Portrait ability, Zhang Hao can create individual still images.

The projectionist's appearance allows Zhang Hao to link these images together, forming moving pictures.

The old man possesses the ability to create Wraiths, and the camera grants those Wraiths mobility.

"I see, a being of the same tier as Zhang Dong? No wonder even the Human Skin Paper cannot fully simulate everything about you."

The old man's situation should be similar to Zhang Dong's; both set up abilities in life that can trap themselves.

The difference is that after death, Zhang Dong became a ghost driven solely by instinct, following the Killing Rule.

This old man, however, entered a Ghost Controlling Human state due to certain accidents.

Perhaps this also relates to the old man's ability.

He can create other people's Wraiths; after his own death, that ghost can likewise generate the old man's pre‑death Wraiths to control.

"Young one, come quickly." Seeing Zhang Hao linger, the old man urged.

"Understood."

After Zhang Hao realized this ghost's ability, he no longer hesitated.

This thing may provide a strong complement to his Black and White Ghost Domain.

The Black and White Ghost Domain possesses lost supernatural power and can also hold lost Wraiths, but lacks the ability to resurrect.

This old man likewise has ties to Wraiths, and the camera can borrow his supernatural to derive the Real World.

If Zhang Hao gathers his supernatural, could the Black and White Ghost Domain then activate the tenth layer of supernatural in the corresponding Ghost Eye theory? The ninth‑layer supernatural of Ghost Eye can invade multiple time periods, pulling versions of oneself from each period into a single timeline.

In this regard, Zhang Hao has already achieved it by using the Black and White Ghost Domain as if replaying a film reel.

Moreover, together with the Ghostly Servant, the Black and White Ghost Domain possesses a special supernatural ability that the nine‑layer Ghost Eye lacks— the power to let everything fade away.

But regarding the ten‑layer supernatural described in Yang Jian's theory, Zhang Hao is currently at a loss.

Yang Jian's ten layers should exist within time itself.

Zhang Hao can now also exist within time, but this time is only his personal existence.

And Yang Jian can pull other people from any point in time into another time.

Originally, Zhang Hao thought this might correspond to his own ability to let everything fade away.

Or perhaps, because he resides in the lower world, the ceiling of the supernatural prevents him from reaching the strongest state.

After all, Yang Jian's ten‑layer Ghost Eye does not appear often, and it always requires external aid.

But the old man's appearance made Zhang Hao realize that his own Ghost Domain still has room for improvement.

(End of Chapter)