Chapter 78: Qin Lao Self‑Appointed

He took out the human‑head cane, and Qin Lao's figure suddenly vanished on the spot.

In the next instant, Qin Lao was already beside Zhang Hao, striking his head.

"What a bizarre speed—could it be a Ghost Domain?"

Zhang Hao stared at Qin Lao beside him, trying to locate the other's Ghost Domain, but saw nothing.

This suggests that Qin Lao's Ghost Domain may not be weaker than the Ghost Painting's, and could even be stronger.

That makes sense; if his Ghost Domain weren't stronger than the Ghost Painting's, how does the original work limit the Ghost Painting?

After all, in the original, the Ghost Painting was never locked by Qin Lao inside the Golden Box.

"Perhaps I do have the means to oppose Qin Lao."

At that thought, when Qin Lao appeared, the Face‑Covering Cloth on Zhang Hao's face let out a strange Crying.

Qin Lao's confinement of the Ghost Painting involved imprisoning it within Ghost Fire, not sealing the Ghost Painting inside the Golden Box.

If Qin Lao truly could render the Ghost Painting completely defenseless, he couldn't have merely trapped the Ghost Painting inside Ghost Fire.

After all, although the Ghost Painting performed poorly once He Yuelian wielded it, don't forget that its Ghost Domain then faced a Ghost Ship loaded with a whole fleet of ghosts.

Bang!

The human‑head cane struck Zhang Hao's head, and he instantly felt his consciousness slip away; consequently, the Crying he was emitting also ceased.

Zhang Hao was attacked, and Ghost Bride immediately launched an attack on Qin Lao.

The moment Qin Lao saw the Ghost Painting, he felt a pair of pallid Ghost Hands reaching out from his memory, and a woman emerging from his own recollection.

However, regarding this mental impact, Qin Lao merely let out a cold snort and vanished.

Although his offensive methods seemed few, as an Abnormal born being who has lived so long, he would not fear such mental attacks.

Qin Lao possesses a unique countermeasure against mental attacks.

Having repelled the assault, Qin Lao immediately swung a staff at Ghost Bride.

The human‑head cane was exceptionally terrifying; Ghost Bride was struck only once, yet she also lost all movement.

Fortunately, after being hit by the human‑head cane, Ghost Bride was not suppressed; her body simply turned into paper ash and drifted away slowly.

"Is it an alternative Restart?"

Qin Lao glanced toward the Courtyard, a hint of apprehension in his eyes.

At this moment, Ghost Bride had already emerged again in the Courtyard; after Ghost Bride's Restart, Zhang Hao also Restarted beside him.

According to Ghost Seeking Kin's assessment, the two constitute a single ghost; as long as the other half is nearby, even if Zhang Hao is Erased, he can still undergo a Restart via the Ghost Power on Ghost Bride's side.

Zhang Hao, holding Ghost Bride's hand, gestured a summons toward Qin Lao.

In an instant, the ghosts in the Courtyard began walking toward Qin Lao outside the Courtyard.

Seeing this scene, Qin Lao frowned.

There were simply too many ghosts in the Courtyard; even he, if assaulted by so many, would inevitably be suppressed in return.

Splash!

As Zhang Hao waved, the sound of water lapping echoed from afar.

Qin Lao turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.

It was a village; after Zhang Hao began employing Ghost Summoning's Ghost Power, the ghosts in that village were summoned.

Simultaneously, at the spirit hall behind the main Courtyard, four eerie figures clad in Funeral Clothes lifted a Coffin and walked toward here.

At the same time, a Small Western House on the street had somehow become pitch black; through its window, Qin Lao could still see a Photo of an elderly man inside.

"Do you intend to stack these ghosts' Ghost Power to confront me, to suppress my Ghost Domain?"

Qin Lao's form flickered like an illusory specter, and he swiftly approached the Ghost Fire left by Li Jun.

Staring at the raging Ghost Fire on the street, Qin Lao raised his hand and seized the charred corpse within the fire.

Zhang Hao watched the scene from a distance, not approaching.

Now he has resolved to wage a war of attrition against Qin Lao; the old man's lifespan is short, and prolonged draining will eventually wear him out.

But soon, what unfolded left him stunned.

After seizing the Ghost Fire, Qin Lao strangely began to command the blaze.

Under the Ghost Fire's blaze, Qin Lao's body turned charred, yet the Ghost Fire he commanded also underwent a radical transformation.

Just as the Ghost Eye before Yang Jian is merely a Ghost Eye, before Yang Jian it becomes an infinitely stacked Ghost Domain.

During the Ghostly Mansion, the Ghost Eye within Yang Jian's body could only exert limited Ghost Power, but once the Ghost Shadow entered Zhang Dong's body, Yang Jian could use a range Restart with virtually no consumption.

In front of Li Jun, Ghost Fire is merely a Ghost Domain, but in Qin Lao's hands it seems a flame that can consume everything.

"This old thing is using its own Fierce Ghost as nourishment to boost the Terror Level of the Ghost Fire!"

Zhang Hao instantly saw the reason behind the Ghost Fire's strengthening.

The Terror Level of the Ghost Fire rose, and Fierce Ghosts that previously could not be ignited could now be set ablaze without issue.

At the moment the flames grew, the Fierce Ghosts emerging from the Courtyard were instantly ignited by the Ghost Fire, becoming its fuel.

For a brief time, only three ghosts remained unignited by the Ghost Fire.

The Ghostly Servant in the Coffin, the elderly man in the Photo of the Small Western House, and the polluted water of that village.

Even the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain, before this Ghost Fire, became fuel for the other side.

The suppression of the Ghost Domain, combined with Qin Lao using himself as fuel, makes the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain almost unable to contend with the Ghost Fire.

The raging Ghost Fire spread outward across the world spawned by the Ghost Painting, and everything seemed about to settle.

"We can't just give up; at least we must revive this old fellow."

Zhang Hao stared at the flames igniting everywhere within the Ghost Domain, his hollow eyes turning cold and eerie.

He isn't afraid of being imprisoned, but he cannot allow Qin Lao another chance to emerge.

If possible, after this battle, it would be best for Qin Lao to die right after self‑sealing the Gold Statue.

Thinking, Zhang Hao raised his hand again, waving continuously at Qin Lao.

He intended to directly Summon the Fierce Ghost inside Qin Lao's body.

Yet it was clear that against a Ghost Tamer of this caliber, Summon Ghost could hardly affect Qin Lao.

However, Zhang Hao could also feel that the Ghost Fire seemed to grow more ferocious at this moment.

Summon Ghost could not affect Qin Lao, but it could influence the Ghost Fire.

Qin Lao was merely temporarily harnessing Ghost Fire to deal with the ghost painting.

His body was not strong in suppressing and balancing the Ghost Fire; it was only in a state that could control its use.

With the influence of the Summon Ghost Technique, at this moment the blazing Ghost Fire on Qin Lao's body burned even more intensely.

At the same time, the Black and White Portrait, the Ghostly Servant, and the sewage all began to counterattack Qin Lao.

In this instant, the painted world seemed to lose all color, only black or white, and even the Ghost Fire began to turn black.

This was the paranormal of the Black and White Painting, which could strip everything of color.

Though it had been summoned, it did not attack Qin Lao because he had not triggered its Killing Rule.

But because the Ghost Fire ignited the ghost painting world, other Fierce Ghosts in that world inevitably suffered Qin Lao's assault.

The Black and White Portrait instinctively fought back, burning its own Ghost Fire.

Over at the Ghostly Servant, a dark Ghost Domain also descended.

Although the Ghostly Servant had been battling the ghost painting, it could no longer confront other things because of this.

Now the ghost painting had been suppressed by Ghost Fire and was at a disadvantage; the Ghostly Servant's main target shifted from the ghost painting to the Ghost Fire.

It is like a Ghost Tamer who rides three ghosts: when one revives too strongly, the other two cooperate to suppress it.

Currently the ghost painting, the Ghostly Servant, and the Ghost Fire are in exactly that situation.

Besides the Ghostly Servant, the sewage in that village also began to flow outward, and wherever it passed, the eerie green Ghost Fire was quickly extinguished.

Yet Qin Lao's face showed little change as he watched these events.

It seemed everything was within his expectations.

Still, he could converse with the future, even if Zhang Hao's sudden crossing left him momentarily unresponsive.

After regaining his senses, everything returned to the state where he could converse with the future.

At least in this battle, Qin Lao would not die, so he could clearly foresee everything through his future dialogue.

"Cough cough cough!"

Accompanied by a hoarse cough, the sewage receded, the darkness dispersed, and even the Black and White Ghost Domain released by the Black and White Photo vanished at that moment.

Everything seemed to revert to the moment when the Ghost Fire attacked those ghosts and they began to counterattack. However, Zhang Hao noticed that Qin Lao's complexion had grown a bit dull.

Clearly, each use of this Restart paranormal placed a heavy burden on him, especially when employing it against a group of S-level Paranormal Event Fierce Ghosts.

After all, both Zhang Hao and the Bride, as well as the ghost painting and the Ghostly Servant, are considered S-level Paranormal Events in the outside world.

And if this Black and White Photo and that sewage entered the Reality World, Zhang Hao thought they would not be any less than an S-level Paranormal Event.

"I really underestimated you."

Qin Lao's voice was a few degrees more hoarse than before, like an old man on the brink of death.

"Very well, since it is so, let the future be left to posterity."

"And you, come leave with this old man."

After Qin Lao finished speaking, the human‑head cane in his hand was flung out, smashing onto Zhang Hao's head in an extremely bizarre way.

In an instant, Zhang Hao lost consciousness.

Seizing the chance, Qin Lao used the Ghost Domain to transfer the Ghostly Servant, the Black and White Portrait, and that village.

Ghost Fire burned fiercely, isolating those ghosts in different areas of the Ghost Painting, preventing them from reappearing through Summon Ghost.

At the same time, the group of constantly ignited Fierce Ghosts was moved by Qin Lao into a Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting that was being lit by Ghost Fire.

He intended to toss these ghosts into that Ghost Domain as fuel for Ghost Fire, so the fire would no longer need to raise Terror Level by burning Qin Lao's body.

Ghost Fire, as a ghost, is very special; with enough fuel its ceiling is high, but without fuel among the many Fierce Ghosts that possess Ghost Domains, it is not strong.

Dividing the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting into three areas, Qin Lao then looked toward a city in the Painting World.

That city housed many people who had inadvertently been drawn into the Painting World.

The eerie green Ghost Fire burned intensely, and the city was quickly split apart.

At that moment Zhang Hao also successfully Restarted, perceiving the Ghost Painting World divided into several areas, and his heart sank.

Would this old man separate me from the Ghost Bride? If so, that would be troublesome.

Fortunately, at that time the Ghost Bride grasped Zhang Hao's hand, letting him breathe a sigh of relief.

The Ghost Bride was still beside him, and he could still protect himself through Restart.

Qin Lao glanced at Zhang Hao here, and he did not intend to separate Zhang Hao from the Ghost Bride.

With such a vast Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting, the Ghost Bride could almost infinitely Restart, and Zhang Hao could rely on the Ghost Bride to Restart.

Under these circumstances, he had no good way to completely eliminate Zhang Hao.

After all, the reverse is the same; even if he imprisoned the Ghost Bride, the painting frame that held the Bride could still Restart the Ghost Bride on Zhang Hao's side.

And the Ghost Painting Frame could also Restart from the Ghost Bride.

With this triple‑linked Restart, Qin Lao could only imprison them if he could suppress all three ghosts simultaneously; otherwise imprisonment was impossible.

Although Qin Lao's strength was great, his offensive relied on the cane in his hand and Ghost Fire, unable to suppress three ghosts at once.

Qin Lao stared at Zhang Hao for a long time, and finally he used Ghost Fire to ignite the Republic Era Courtyard.

Since imprisonment was impossible, he decided to prevent them from entering other areas via the derivative paintings in that courtyard.

Thus, the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting was split by Qin Lao into seven distinct areas.

One was a city that nourished the living, the other an Old Forest that served as a prison for small ghosts as Ghost Fire fuel.

There is also the Huanggang Village and the memorial hall that originated from the Ghost Servant, and the old residential area where the black-and-white portrait is located.

The riverside settlement where the sewage is, the core area of the Ghost Painting where Zhang Hao and the Dry Corpse Bride are, and the Republic Era manor at the deepest part of the Ghost Painting.

As the Ghost Fire kept burning, soon the pale green flames completely enveloped this Ghost Domain, where paper ash kept falling.

"Cough cough cough!"

Having done all this, Qin Lao couldn't help coughing several times, and a chilling aura emanated from his body.

Although the time he acted was short, using his own Ghost Domain to split the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain still worsened his condition to an extremely severe state.

Qin Lao went to a building in Dajing City and placed the Ghost Fire and the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain here.

Then he took a piece of human skin from the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain and wrapped the Ghost Fire with it.

"From now on, the rest is up to you yourselves."

Qin Lao returned to Dajing City and handed the human skin wrapped around the Ghost Fire to Wang Xiaoming.

"Qin Lao? How are you doing? How much longer can you hold on?" Wang Xiaoming asked.

"I'm about to recover; find me some people and wrap me in gold," Qin Lao said, his expression a bit dull.

His consciousness is being affected by the Fierce Ghost inside his body; if he cannot seal himself quickly—

Probably, under the continual triggering of the Fierce Ghost's Killing Rule by people, he himself will become a Ghost Controlling Human.

"Don't worry about my condition; you should still think of a way to revive Li Jun."

"You might try drawing a face for Li Jun; in life he was a driver of Ghost Fire."

"If you paint Li Jun's face on this human skin, perhaps he could regain control over the current Ghost Fire."

After Qin Lao finished speaking, he left.

Wang Xiaoming saw this and remained silent; he is not a sentimental person, and he knows what must be done now.

Meanwhile.

At the same time that the Ghost Painting's Ghost Servant issue was resolved.

Dajing City, inside a heavily guarded underground passage.

A dim yellow light surged out, and shortly thereafter the yellowish glow reached a forest, where two people emerged.

"Our cooperation is now complete; whatever happens later, we will act as if we never met during these past few days."

A dark silhouette behind Wang Chaling carried a Golden Coffin on its back, and he solemnly said to Jiang Shangbai.

"Don't worry, I understand."

Jiang Shangbai smiled and nodded, but as Wang Chaling left, Jiang Shangbai's expression grew increasingly strange.

"Qin Lao has also been dealt with; over at the main body, some time is still needed to decipher the Ghost Fire, regain control of the Ghost Servant, and obtain that black-and-white photo."

"Should I send the Newspaper Ghost away during this time?"

"Zhang Hao" left the forest there and began to contemplate his next plan.

Come to think of it, the newspaper and Ghost Ink he obtained through a deal with the Ghost Newspaper Agency also have decent uses.

To keep a fallback for himself, Zhang Hao did not leave the newspaper and Ghost Ink at the main body, but took them out.

Ghost Ink can be used as ink to write on the newspaper, and it can also directly travel to that Ghost Newspaper Agency via Ghost Ink.

The purpose of this newspaper is to have the agency publish something for him once.

Don't underestimate this single publication.

The newspaper published by the agency carries a curse; as long as the newspaper is released and a Ghost Tamer obtains it, then goes to the location indicated by the newspaper to investigate, the event described in the publication will occur with 100% certainty.

According to Zhang Hao's thinking, he might be able to leave the Ghost Fire's Ghost Domain early by means of the publication.

Of course, this is merely speculation.

Because the timing of the newspaper's publication is uncertain; although the agency will publish the news you want, you cannot specify which day it will appear.

Given Zhang Hao's current situation, hoping the Newspaper Ghost's publication will indicate a time to leave probably won't happen in the short term—"Forget it, let's wait for Qin Lao to seal himself first."

Now he doesn't dare to publish; if Qin Lao sees the news, that would be another trouble.

Zhang Hao thought, and left the area carrying the Golden Coffin that contained the Newspaper Ghost.

Soon, news of the Headquarters being robbed spread.

The news that the starving ghost had been stolen attracted everyone's attention, and the disappearance of the Newspaper Ghost went unnoticed by only a few.

At the same time, news that the leader of the Friends Circle, Jiang Shangbai, had disappeared and that a Fierce Ghost might be reviving spread, prompting many to entertain thoughts about the Captain Position.

The Twelfth Captain, at this moment, also had to replan a new slot.

However, at this time, some high-ranking Ghost Tamers at Headquarters, who were already effectively Captains, also received a very important piece of information.

The old man called "Qin Lao" sealed himself after resolving the Ghost Painting incident.

Meanwhile, at the Caesar Grand Hotel, some offshoot location.

Jiang Shangbai, controlled by Zhang Hao, was filled with a chilling aura.

The effect of Ghost Wine intoxicating the Fierce Ghost inside Jiang Shangbai's body was about to completely wear off.

"Publish for me, and the Red and White Double Evil will reappear in a certain city."

Zhang Hao opened the Golden Box, handed the Newspaper Ghost to the Ghost Newspaper Agency, and stated his request.

(End of Chapter)