Chapter 74: Mastering the Ghost Painting, the Revived One

Time slowly passed.

As the two ghosts kept battling, Zhang Hao couldn't help but actively grasp the Ghost Bride's hand.

Holding hands with the Ghost Bride can raise Zhang Hao's Terror Level, and likewise, when Zhang Hao holds the bride's hand, it can likewise boost her Terror Level.

Although Zhang Hao can raise the Ghost Bride's Terror Level, the Ghost Bride can raise his far more.

Yet at least, when both are stalemated, it lets the Ghost Bride press the Ghost Painting to secure dominance.

Because the Ghost Bride completing the Ghost Painting is not the same as He Yuelian in the original work.

He Yuelian achieved balance and turned herself into an Abnormal, needing the Ghost Bride and Ghost Painting to just reach Balance so she could survive.

As a Fierce Ghost, the Ghost Bride doesn't need that; she needs an overwhelming victory.

With Zhang Hao's Ghost Power joining, the original Balance between them is broken, and the Ghost Bride's supernatural pressure overwhelms the Ghost Painting.

Soon, the Ghost Painting's form becomes ethereal, while the bride's flesh turns paler, as if painted.

After a period of confrontation, the building completely changes.

The building that was in the painting now begins to show traces belonging to the Ghost Bride.

The European‑style building, at some point, turned into a Republic Era courtyard, with red lanterns hanging in the yard, festively illuminated.

All these changes seem to signify that the Ghost Bride now holds dominance over the Ghost Painting.

"It's over."

Watching the Ghost Bride's eerie aura slowly stabilize, Zhang Hao released his grip.

With the Ghost Bride's transformation, it seems that just now Zhang Hao also gained some abilities.

A slight shift of thought, and everything around Zhang Hao has already changed.

He can now freely move within the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain, and the entire Ghost Domain feels to him no different from his own home.

"Let's try it this way."

Zhang Hao pondered briefly, his figure vanished on the spot, and the next moment he was already outside a village.

This is Huanggang Village.

It seems that with the Ghost Bride mastering the Ghost Painting, the distance Zhang Hao can keep from the Ghost Bride has increased.

"Actually, it's not that; it should be within the Ghost Domain—no matter how far I am, I'm still within the bride's perception range."

Originally, because of Ghost Seeking Kin, Zhang Hao and the Ghost Bride could be at most a kilometer apart, but now that issue is resolved in the Painting World.

Zhang Hao confirmed this and glanced back at the Republic Era courtyard where the Ghost Bride stood.

At this moment the Ghost Bride, perhaps due to just having successfully mastered the Ghost Painting, has not yet taken action.

So, Zhang Hao decided to go to Huanggang Village himself first.

He doesn't know whether Li Jun and his group have taken Wei Jing away; if they've already taken Wei Jing, the final step of the plan should begin.

Indeed, having Li Jun and others escort Wei Jing, who possesses some Ghost Power as a Ghostly Servant, out of Huanggang Village is also Zhang Hao's plan.

According to Zhang Hao's original plan, he hides inside Huanggang Village to have the Ghost Bride master the Ghost Painting.

To prevent Qin Lao from striking, he must give Qin Lao a chance to be taken away in a single sweep.

That opportunity naturally comes after mastering the Ghost Painting and controlling the Ghostly Servant, allowing Qin Lao to be imprisoned together with himself and the Ghost Bride.

However, the detention won't last long; given Li Jun's temperament, the opponent will soon, upon meeting a strong enemy, unleash Ghost Fire at full force.

He can also use that moment to flee with the Ghost Bride beyond the Ghost Fire's restriction.

Paying the temporary imprisonment price to obtain the Ghostly Servant and Ghost Painting is acceptable to Zhang Hao.

After all, the boost from the Ghost Painting and Ghostly Servant is self‑evident for Zhang Hao.

Of course, even though the plan is such, if Qin Lao truly attacks him, Zhang Hao cannot not resist.

Then it will count as an experience facing a top‑level Ghost Tamer, to see the gap between them.

If the gap is small, Zhang Hao naturally wouldn't meekly be imprisoned by Qin Lao; he could then act with the Ghost Bride without restriction.

But if the gap is huge, after he gets out he will still have to crawl to survive.

After Qin Lao self‑appointed, there are several Seven Elders who haven't died.

Though these people speak of letting New Era Ghost Tamers roam, if they cause too much commotion themselves, they cannot stay idle.

After all, raising a gu requires gu insects; if the seedlings all die, how could these people remain seated?

Entering Huanggang Village, Zhang Hao quickly sensed its changes.

Without him, the Ghostly Servant is split even more severely by the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain.

Even some Fierce Ghosts that originally didn't belong to Huanggang Village have appeared within the village.

Zhang Hao looks toward a spot not far from the village, where a building clashes with the other village structures.

It's a three‑story Small Western House, its interior shrouded in darkness, and occasional Footsteps can be heard.

"Is that the portrait?"

Zhang Hao recalls the portrait he previously saw in the seven‑story building.

At that time, the background beside that portrait should have been this place.

Back then he was very interested in that portrait, never expecting that the ghost has now ended up in Huanggang Village.

Zhang Hao walks into Huanggang Village and quickly arrives at the doorway of the three‑story house.

Without the Ghost Bride beside him, Zhang Hao doesn't dare act so recklessly, so he doesn't enter immediately but first surveys the surroundings.

After all, Fierce Ghosts, even while observing the Killing Rule, will still attack each other.

The first‑floor hall, though quite dim, reveals nothing strange.

Zhang Hao does a quick search and steps onto the second‑floor staircase.

"Tap tap!"

Just as he steps onto the staircase and takes a few steps, Footsteps suddenly echo from the second floor.

"Is that portrait on the second floor?"

Zhang Hao looked up, and took out a Spirit Tablet in his hand.

After the ghost bride successfully mastered the Ghost Painting Aftermath, the Spirit Tablet that had been invaded by the Ghost's Invasion has now returned to normal.

Zhang Hao now intends to use this Spirit Tablet to attract that portrait.

Logically, this Spirit Tablet bearing his own Photo should have some connection with that portrait.

"Creak!"

As Zhang Hao placed the Spirit Tablet in front of him, the second‑floor main door seemed to be pulled open by something.

Unfortunately, nothing emerged; it only opened the door a little.

"Failed."

No need to think; Zhang Hao also knows that his plan to attract the portrait through the Ghost Spirit Tablet has failed.

He wonders whether that Ghost cannot leave the second floor, or if there is another reason; after a brief contemplation, Zhang Hao walks onto the second floor.

On the second floor there is no Fierce Ghost in sight; aside from some ordinary furniture, there is only a Black and White Photo that resembles a portrait.

In the Photo the old man's upper face is indistinct, but after Zhang Hao entered, he could feel the old man's eyes hidden in the darkness staring at him.

Moreover, although the old man's expression looks calm, Zhang Hao oddly feels a mysterious smile on his face.

Having seen the Ghost Painting, Zhang Hao knows clearly that this portrait is the Source Ghost, and he does not feel any dread because of the Photo's strangeness.

He walks to the side of this Black and White Portrait, reaches out and takes it down.

"Portrait. It seems I have no way to directly attack this Fierce Ghost."

Zhang Hao gazes at the portrait, lost in thought; if he cannot strike the Source Ghost, he has no way to master this Ghost.

After a long while.

Zhang Hao seems to have thought of a solution.

He places the Ghost Spirit Tablet on an old Square Table on the second floor, then sticks the Black and White Photo onto the Ghost Spirit Tablet.

Since he cannot attack the Ghost in the Photo, he will use the previous method of mastering the Ghost Spirit Tablet.

After affixing the Photo to the Spirit Tablet, Zhang Hao immediately kneels.

The Certain Death paranormal effect triggered by kneeling activates, flowing through the Ghost Spirit Tablet into the Photo.

With Zhang Hao's kneel, the room inexplicably grows darker, and the old man's mysterious smile in the Photo disappears.

The attacked old man's smile turns fierce and strange, and the darkness within the Black and White Photo covers more of the old man.

It's not that the old man in the Photo is truly angry; it's a manifestation of Fierce Ghost behavior.

Just as Zhang Hao instinctively bows his head and avoids looking at Qin Lao when he feels dread.

Or when Zhang Hao intends to attack someone, because he is about to commence Ghost's Killing, his face involuntarily becomes resentful and fierce.

In fact, this can be seen in many places.

For example, in the original work, when Zhang Dong's Fierce Ghost revives and suppresses a hundred Ghosts, his expression also shifts from calm to ferocious.

"Tap tap tap!"

Suddenly, a sound comes from outside the door.

Zhang Hao hears Footsteps, furrows his brow, and thinks, hasn't the Ghost in the Photo already been stuck onto the Spirit Tablet by him?

He lifts his head to look at the Ghost Spirit Tablet; it still bears a strange old man's portrait, but behind the old man a white, faceless figure has appeared at some unknown time.

The white figure stands in the room, kneeling in mourning before a Spirit Tablet.

"Is this thing attacking me back?" Zhang Hao looks toward the door, from the Photo's perspective.

The old man in the Photo stands at the doorway watching outside, while he is in the room behind the old man, mourning.

Sure enough, as Zhang Hao turns around, a black silhouette stands outside the door.

"Is it the old man in the Photo?"

Zhang Hao reacts, but it's already too late.

As he notices the old man's appearance, his body begins to fade.

"How could this be? I'm a Ghost; aside from my consciousness, everything else is Ghost."

Zhang Hao feels a bit incredulous, but he does not lose his resistance because of it.

He immediately stands, grabs the Ghost Spirit Tablet, and then sheets of paper coins start falling inside the house, accompanied by burned paper ash.

This house lies within the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain, so Zhang Hao intends to leave the place via the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain.

However, he is shocked to discover that the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain appears to be blocked here.

Within this house there is an incomprehensible, unseen Ghost Domain that blocks the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain from entering, preventing Zhang Hao from leaving.

If Zhang Hao himself had mastered the Ghost Painting, this Ghost Domain should not be able to block his exit.

But the problem is, this Ghost Domain is not mastered by Zhang Hao; he can only borrow the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain, not originate it.

The Ghost Domain's invasion is blocked, and Zhang Hao cannot use the Ghost Domain himself; for a moment he is trapped by this Ghost.

As the color on his body continuously fades, Zhang Hao's body is being invaded by this Ghost.

Zhang Hao fixes his gaze on the portrait of this Ghost, and likewise the old man in the portrait fixes his gaze on Zhang Hao.

"Could this be some Republic Era old monster revived and sealed inside a Ghost Painting?"

Seeing the black clothing on the old man, Zhang Hao can't help but think that.

In the world of Mysterious Revival, the most dangerous Ghosts are often not those that have great influence in the outside world.

In Mysterious Revival, the most dangerous and terrifying Ghosts usually take three forms.

An aged old man, a beautiful woman, an antiquated object.

The portrait before him, whether judged by its Black and White style or by the old man's wrinkled face, already meets two of the criteria.

As Zhang Hao's body fades, he quickly begins to contract, and before long he transforms into a Black and White Photo that falls to the ground.

Everything in the portrait was exactly the same as what Zhang Hao just saw in that Black and White Portrait.

The Photo fell to the ground, and the old man outside the house finally turned, walked inside, and picked the Photo up.

As the old man picked up the Photo, it was quickly corroded by darkness; soon it looked as if it had been burned, turning into paper ash that fell to the ground.

The old man's hand was stained with paper ash, and he stood there for a long time.

"Tap tap tap!"

Finally, after a burst of Footsteps, the old man's figure slowly vanished, and that Black and White Photo of the old man was re‑hung on the wall.

At the same time, Republic Era Courtyard.

Zhang Hao's figure suddenly stepped out of a picture frame.

"Restarted?"

Zhang Hao looked at the Ghost Bride beside him; the Ghost Bride had already regained movement.

After Zhang Hao appeared, she came over and took his hand; now the Ghost Bride's hand, compared with its roughness before she rode the Ghost Painting, had become more delicate and smooth.

After the Ghost Bride took Zhang Hao's hand, she did not control his body, just stood still in place.

After a long while, Zhang Hao seemed to finally sort everything out.

When he had turned into a Black and White Portrait before, Zhang Hao truly thought he would be suppressed by that old man, only to be ridden by the other side.

After all, at that time, the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting had already been isolated.

Unexpectedly, at the final moment, he actually Restarted.

"That's reasonable, the condition for Restart is that the Bride perceives me; previously that range was a thousand meters."

"Now that there is a Ghost Domain, perhaps the Restart range must become a thousand meters around the Ghost Domain."

Zhang Hao lifted his head; with the Bride's support, he wanted to go back to that three‑story Small Western House once more.

He could clearly sense that ghost; it was definitely his Puzzle.

But not now, because Zhang Hao could not determine the old man's strength in that Photo.

Although the other side was imprisoned by the Ghost Painting inside the Ghost Domain, that old man normally does not release his own Ghost Domain.

Relying only on that Ghost Domain that can oppose the Ghost Painting, Zhang Hao would still need to plan carefully before he could ride it.

Moreover, the more urgent goal now is to retrieve the Ghostly Servant, then face Qin Lao.

First eliminate Qin Lao's threat; afterwards he will not lack time to deal with that old man.

Dajing City.

Inside a room deep in the Basement.

Cao Yanhua, Wang Xiaoming, and Qin Lao were standing in front of a small room.

Through the dull‑yellow glass window one could see an old wooden door placed inside.

The wooden door was completely bound with chains, utterly immobilized.

Yet the door standing on the floor trembled slightly from time to time, as if something behind it wanted to push the door open.

The wooden door inside is an entity codenamed Ghost Gate, an extremely dangerous thing.

The way to use the Ghost Gate is to open the correct door at the correct time.

The Ghost Gate and the handle taken from the Ghost Gate must open simultaneously, so that the doors opened by the Ghost Gate and the handle are linked.

"This is the third time opening the door; I can only give them ten seconds."

Qin Lao in the room wore a face full of wrinkles, his skin covered with age spots, and his slightly clouded gaze shifted a little, showing a hint of solemnity.

Ghost Gate.

This is one of the few things he is not confident dealing with, because no one knows what will emerge when the Ghost Gate opens.

But, most likely, a ghost will appear.

The old wooden door lacked a handle, so Qin Lao could only pull the door panel to open it.

He didn't exert much force, merely gave it a slight tug.

Suddenly.

From behind the wooden door seemed to come a powerful force; the force struck the door panel, and with a bang the gap in the door burst open instantly.

A chilling wind blew out instantly.

Qin Lao squinted slightly and instinctively stepped back.

At this moment, the scene after the Ghost Gate opened was fully displayed before the few people.

It was a darkness as dense as thick ink, like an abyss, yet also seeming like an entrance to hell.

Even if you opened your eyes wide and shone the strongest light, you could not see anything hidden in that darkness; everything could only be sensed through the wooden door.

Usually this old wooden door acted as a clear boundary, separating the eerie darkness from the real world.

Now, with the door opened, that boundary has been broken.

Within the dark wooden door, a Footsteps soon sounded; shortly after, a man resembling a Paper Person stepped out.

"Oh, you came out? Looks like this door opening was successful."

The old man, slightly surprised, seemed not to have expected the third opening to go so smoothly.

Logically, the more times the Ghost Gate is opened in a short period, the lower the chance of success should become.

"Is that you, Qin Lao?" Liu San said, his face relaxing as he recognized the old man's features.

Finally escaped that ghost place.

"Although this thing is unstable, at least it's back alive," Han Mo also stepped out quickly.

Next came Ah Hong and Xu Yiping.

After a brief wait, soon Li Jun, who had nearly revived as a Fierce Ghost, also emerged.

However, in the indistinct darkness behind Li Jun, another human leg immediately protruded.

Only a leg that looked like a dead man's stepped out, and the tiny room instantly filled with a foul stench of decay.

A ghost?

In an instant, everyone's complexion changed dramatically.

"Quick, close the door." Seeing the scene, Cao Yanhua outside the room shouted hurriedly, cold sweat appearing on his face.

"Wait a little longer." Yet Wang Xiaoming beside him stopped him.

Cao Yanhua stared at him in shock, but the person who emerged next soon left him so astonished he could not speak.

"Ghostly Servant? No, Wei Jing?"

"What kind of joke, he's come back to life?" Han Mo's face was full of astonishment.

"Is it a human or a ghost?" Liu San likewise wore a wary expression.

Everything was too bizarre; Wei Jing, who had been corrupted by the Ghostly Servant, actually reappeared at this moment.

And judging by Wang Xiaoming's attitude, he seemed to have regained a living person's consciousness, no longer a ghost.

(End of chapter)