Chapter 69: The Village in the Painting

"Has it started?"

Through the slowly fading darkness, Zhang Hao quickly saw the anomaly in the sky.

Above the grayish sky, paper ash kept falling, but it did not fall into this dark Ghost Domain; the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain did not disappear with the arrival of the ghost painting.

But one could also notice that the darkness within the Ghost Domain had dissipated.

Moreover, as that grayish Ghost Domain drew nearer, the outlines of the houses that were once in darkness gradually became solid.

The ghost painting's Ghost Domain is replicating the scene of this already invaded place, and because the Ghostly Servant is evolving toward Huanggang Village, it has already produced phantom shadows.

Thus, the segment generated within the ghost painting's Ghost Domain is not an empty plot in reality, but a bizarre village.

At the same time, Zhang Hao could feel that the ghost bride at his side was becoming restless.

Perhaps because she sensed the ghost painting's Ghost Domain, she was drawn to the Supernatural Aura emitted by the Puzzle.

Fortunately, the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain still provided isolation, and since the source of the ghost painting had not truly appeared, the bride had not yet taken action.

Meanwhile.

Outside the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain.

"Clack!"

Accompanied by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.

Suddenly, from the grayish sky fell something resembling a corpse, crashing heavily in front of Li Jun and the others.

The moment it touched the ground, the corpse was already shattered beyond recognition.

Yet it could still be identified as Liu San, who had taken part in the operation earlier.

"It's not a corpse, it's a Paper Person."

Someone went over to inspect it and found it was a Paper Person made of paper, but its craftsmanship was realistic enough that everyone mistook it for a corpse.

"Paper Person Liu San," Li Jun immediately recalled Liu San's data in his mind.

Liu San is a very mysterious Ghost Tamer; aside from knowing his surname is Liu, even his given name is false, there is no record in the system files, and his identity cannot be verified.

However, this is common in the Ley Line Circle; some Ghost Tamers, after witnessing objects that can curse through names, begin to conceal their own names.

Moreover, many Ghost Tamers in the Ley Line Circle suffer from persecutory delusions, and they generally also hide their names.

"An aircraft cannot stay in the Ghost Domain for long; Professor Wang's calculations are accurate."

"After persisting to this point, the aircraft completely lost control, but fortunately the ghost painting, as expected, was drawn to Dajing City."

Inside the shattered Paper Person was hollow, and a yellowed palm protruded from within.

Then a bizarre figure twisted and slowly crawled out of that Paper Person.

Soon, a man in his early twenties, with waxy yellow skin and a sickly constitution, appeared before the crowd.

"But the ghost painting's Ghost Domain is bizarre; one of my Paper Persons died inside it. In principle, my Paper Person is like a ghost, I thought it could withstand the ghost painting's attack, but it didn't."

Liu San glanced at the empty husk of the Paper Person on the ground.

The Paper Person's eyes widened, its strange expression staring at him as if it died unwillingly.

"I think foreign intelligence has been heavily concealed."

"What about the ghost painting?" Li Jun asked.

Liu San pointed to the nearby woods: "The aircraft crashed there; it should be inside."

"Stay away from it; our target is the Ghostly Servant," Li Jun said, then headed toward the valley.

The few who heard the words immediately followed Li Jun; in this place, they dared not vanish from others' view.

The paper ash drifted like smog over a city, appearing to have nothing particularly strange.

Although after the paper ash appeared, everyone had already seen many bizarre things; under the grayish Ghost Domain's cover, it seemed to conceal a strange world.

That world contained skyscrapers, roads, and fields, but every scenery was dead and gray, with no other colors.

With the arrival of the paper ash, the surrounding environment had already changed; this was no longer the outskirts of Dajing City, but a place derived from the supernatural within the ghost painting's Ghost Domain.

Perhaps the two places that seemed not far apart actually require a very long time to travel between.

It could also be that places appearing very distant are actually adjacent.

Everything seen inside this Ghost Domain completely defied real-world logic.

If they take a wrong turn, they may never find anyone else again.

Sure enough, as they drew nearer to the Ghostly Servant's direction, an accident quickly occurred.

"Wait, was this road here before?"

Suddenly, Ah Hong stopped and pointed to a winding asphalt road connecting the valley.

The farther inside the road went, the dimmer the light became, and the trees lining both sides grew densely and oddly.

The trees resembled rows of airtight walls, twisted or standing straight, and many looked almost identical, as if molded from a template.

"No, this is an extra road."

Li Jun's face darkened as he said, "An unpredictable change has occurred within the Ghost Domain; this is not a good thing."

"Of course it's not a good thing; an S ji Fierce Ghost is roaming here, and we are now in a highly dangerous state—any misstep could cause us to fall here at any moment."

Speaking was the wax‑yellow‑faced, sickly Liu San. "Headquarters knows the danger, which is why they sent us Ghost Tamers with stronger survival abilities to handle it."

Among the five present, aside from Li Jun who possessed the Ghost Domain, none were not top experts in survival‑related supernatural matters.

Unless they were foolish enough to confront the Fierce Ghost head‑on, this group could almost survive any supernatural incident.

"If we don't take this road, we must cross this bizarre forest."

The last man in the team spoke slowly; his name was Xu Yiping.

"The extra road looks dangerous, but it might be safe; changes in the Ghost Domain occur constantly, and no one can be sure that road is correct. Li Jun, why don't you test it with the Ghost Domain?"

"Within the ghost painting's Ghost Domain, using its own Ghost Domain Restriction is severe; the effect is terrible, even worse than walking."

Li Jun said, "Moreover, the situation is unclear; this is not a good suggestion. If there truly is danger, or if we need to imprison the Fierce Ghost at a critical moment, I will use the Ghost Domain."

"It's not far anyway, just a short stretch, no need to waste ability; better to keep it for a crucial moment when we have to fight desperately," Liu San said.

"What a pity, had we known earlier we should have brought Xiong Wenwen," A Hong sighed.

If Xiong Wenwen's precognition were present, they would be much safer here.

"Let me lead the way," Han Mo spoke.

Suddenly, an immensely chilling aura radiated from Han Mo.

But soon, Han Mo opened his eyes, filled with shock.

"No, this road is dangerous; once we step onto it, we'll be attacked immediately."

Hearing that, several of them looked at Han Mo with some doubt, especially Liu San's gaze grew wary.

"I recall you shouldn't have that kind of ability, right?"

Probing others' information is a major taboo, but in a Supernatural Incident, if you can't convince people, others will hardly listen to you.

After all, the one leading the team this time is Li Jun, not Han Mo.

"Indeed I don't have it; I can only say that due to certain reasons I obtained an ability similar to Xiong Wenwen's precognition, but its flaw is great—it cannot foresee specifics, only sense general danger."

Han Mo calmly gave that explanation and said nothing more.

The two ghosts Han Mo commands are called Ghost Blocking Disaster and Ghost Shedding Skin.

Ghost Blocking Disaster, of course, does more than merely help others fend off harm; as the saying goes, it collects money to dispel disaster for others.

Han Mo once helped Xiong Wenwen fend off the revival of a Fierce Ghost on the opponent, and received some alternative compensation for it.

With that explanation, the group didn't press further; they only needed to confirm that Han Mo wasn't acting recklessly.

Li Jun's expression shifted: "Since there's danger, there's no need to conserve; let's advance directly with a Ghost Candle to ensure safety all the way."

After speaking, he immediately took out a red Ghost Candle.

He lit it without hesitation.

The gloomy candlelight illuminated the gray world, flickering and dispersing the surrounding gloom.

The eerie feeling that had tangled around everyone's hearts vanished instantly, as if some invisible terrible danger was briefly driven back.

However, the Ghost Candle's flame burned rather quickly, consuming at a visibly rapid rate.

"In the absence of ghosts nearby, a single Ghost Candle lasts less than five minutes at most," Liu San judged.

"About three and a half minutes should be safer; let's quicken our pace and get through this road as fast as possible," Han Mo assessed. Li Jun led the way, holding the Ghost Candle, and stepped onto the unknown path leading to the Ghostly Servant's location.

The group fell silent, merely accelerating their march.

The seemingly endless winding unknown road wasn't actually long; once on it, various strange changes occurred around them.

They saw many forks appear on the road, and familiar yet unfamiliar sights at the ends of those side paths.

There were dilapidated, old city buildings, as well as eerie, creepy old mansions, graves leading to burial sites, and even some flickering human silhouettes at the ends of the side paths.

The area was bizarre and ever‑changing, impossible to judge with normal reasoning; fortunately Li Jun avoided those side paths.

The Ghost Candle's light covered them, shielding against some unknown dangers, allowing them to reach the clearing smoothly and avoid getting lost on the strange road.

They successfully located the true position of the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain.

"We've arrived, it's right here," Li Jun halted his steps, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

The locator showed they had reached the destination, but the massive coffin‑shaped darkness created by the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain had already vanished.

In its place was a small village.

A signboard stood before the village road, bearing three characters: Huang Gang Cun.

"Where's the Ghostly Servant? Where's the Red and White Double Evil?" A Hong asked with a hint of dread.

"We should retreat," Li Jun sensed something was wrong and hurriedly turned to leave.

Han Mo, Liu San and the others furrowed their brows, staring intently at the sign reading Huang Gang Cun.

They had all reviewed the files; this S-Class Supernatural Incident codenamed Ghostly Servant actually originated from the Ghost Coffin incident, which occurred outside Dachang City at a place called Huang Gang Cun.

And now, this village has unexpectedly appeared here.

The Ghostly Servant and the Red and White Double Evil have vanished, and the coffin‑shaped ghost domain also disappeared, and without a target, they have nothing to imprison.

The collision of the source Ghost Domain from the two terrifying Supernatural Incidents produced some unforeseeable terrifying change.

Retreat is the safest yet most correct course.

Although they encountered no danger along the way, when they turned to leave they already had faces showing astonishment.

Within the ghost‑painted ghost domain, the situation was more complex than imagined.

The worry and the uneasy premonition turned into reality.

This worry and uneasy premonition turned into reality.

They didn't go far after turning away; they merely passed through a grayish forest, and everyone noticed another village ahead.

"Are you trapped?" the others instantly realized their situation.

"Are we trapped?" the group instantly realized their situation.

It's not terrible, but certainly not good either.

The good news is they still haven't seen the Red and White Double Evil or the Ghostly Servant.

The bad news is they cannot leave this area, even if Li Jun uses the Ghost Domain likewise they cannot depart.

Because the darkness displayed by the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain has vanished, yet the area around the village seems shrouded by an invisible Ghost Domain.

"Now it seems an unplanned situation has arisen; we're at a stalemate, caught between a rock and a hard place."

Liu San's sickly face showed a strange smile: "The only good news is we haven't yet faced a Fierce Ghost attack; both the Ghostly Servant and the ghost painting are currently in a relatively calm state."

"But this calm won't last long; if we can't think of a way out, we may be trapped to death here."

"Li Jun, you're leading the team this time; don't you want to propose something?" Xu Yiping asked.

"If we must go now, there should still be a way; after all, Han Mo is here, and with the Ghost Candle we should be able to leave."

【121】 "The exit may not be safe either; it could be the most dangerous choice," Han Mo shook his head.

As the two Ghost Domains keep fighting each other, the road we previously took may have changed dramatically.

I have once seen information about Ghost Painting; it is a terrifying existence that can spawn a supernatural world through each painting, and countless Fierce Ghosts are imprisoned in the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting.

Upon hearing that, the few of them looked at each other in bewilderment.

Fine, wait for me.

Han Mo, seeing this, helplessly closed his eyes, and the cold aura resurfaced, only this time his complexion turned even paler.

It seems that this time he employed that Precognition method, and the stimulus to his body was much more severe than the first.

However, logically this situation shouldn't occur, after all Han Mo has mastered two Ghosts.

Time passed slowly, and soon Han Mo opened his eyes.

He pointed toward the direction of Huanggang Village.

Every direction is fraught with danger; only by entering that village will we not be killed immediately.

"Entering Huanggang Village, how confident are you?" Liu San asked after a brief pause.

"I have no confidence; it's just that, in the short term, the chance of being killed when entering Huanggang Village is lower than elsewhere," Han Mo said, shaking his head.

"After all, I don't possess true Precognition; I only obtained a slight warning through some clever trick."

Upon hearing that, the group fell silent, evidently deep in thought.

"Ghostly Servants cannot be imprisoned or restrained; it's a true Ghost's Unsolvable Level Supernatural Incident."

"Red and White Double Evil also have a Restart, can perform Ghost Summoning, and aside from lacking a Ghost Domain, they have almost no weakness."

"But after Red and White Double Evil came into contact with Ghostly Servants, unknown changes occurred, making the Supernatural Incident even more terrifying."

"And with the emergence of Ghost Painting, the various changes that arise in the painting world might be worse than before, yet after the two sides clash, some turning points also appear."

Han Mo, looking at the hesitant few, spoke.

"That's true; since both forward and backward are dead ends, let's gamble, after all confirming the status of Ghostly Servants and Red and White Double Evil is our purpose."

Li Jun spoke, effectively making a decision for this discussion.

This mission must be completed; turning and fleeing might let us leave, but if Red and White Double Evil and Ghostly Servants are not restrained by Ghost Painting, it would be an incalculable danger.

At that time, the unprepared Dajing City will be turned completely into a human hell.

Although it differs from the previous plan.

Yet however clever the planners are, they cannot foresee every situation; they are the ones who make the choices.

Enter the village?

Hearing Li Jun's words, the others felt a slight sinking in their hearts.

To directly confront Ghostly Servants?

"I don't mind; dying a few more times doesn't affect me much, and what if we win?"

Liu San's morbid face broke into a strange smile; his yellowed skin creased like sheets of Yellow Paper, making one's heart tremble.

"Then no more talk, let's act," Li Jun said.

After making up their minds.

The five of them began walking toward the terrifying Huang Gang Cun.

The whole Huang Gang Cun had a half‑new, half‑old feeling.

The houses ahead were newly built rural villas, pleasant to look at, but the latter half of the village's houses were ancient, with earthen homes and even wooden houses over a hundred years old.

In some relatively intact wooden houses, human silhouettes could still be seen, while others were abandoned, windows fallen off, doors half open, darkness inside, not even sunlight could penetrate.

Carrying an eerie, sinister atmosphere.

Moreover, recalling that two S-level Fierce Ghost sources appear here, just looking at it makes one uneasy.

"What's that?"

Xu Yiping pointed at a wooden house ahead, where a faint glow could be seen; judging by the color, it seemed to be an Oil Lamp or something similar.

Looking through the window, a human silhouette could be seen standing motionless inside the wooden house.

"That's the firelight ignited by something."

Li Jun spoke; he commands Ghost Fire, making his perception of all flames especially keen.

Although separated by a window, he could already make a judgment from that glow.

"Shall we go in and take a look?"

Everyone knew that no living person could be here, so the only explanation revealed by that firelight was one.

"Ghost!"

(End of chapter)