Chapter 81: Newspaper Publishes, White Demon Breaks Free!

At this moment, near the ancient mansion.

On the rooftop of a tall building.

Having temporarily resolved the red Ghost Stool, Yang Jian, accompanied by a ghost child, stands here, high above, watching the scene of the ancient mansion.

Although nothing is visible from outside, some changes still allow an assessment of the situation's favorability.

Earlier he saw the ancient mansion engulfed in flames, a gloomy green fire enveloping the vacant Old Mansion; that must have been Li Jun's Ghost Fire.

But then the ignited ancient mansion vanished as the sound of a bell rang.

Yang Jian speculated.

It was a Restart of the ancient mansion.

But after that, the ancient mansion's bell never rang again.

Yang Jian's gaze flickered slightly, emitting a faint Hong Bai Shuang Sha light.

"They are becoming dangerous."

Based on his own experience, Yang Jian reached an unfavorable conclusion and decided to go see Li Jun and the others.

At this moment.

The clash inside the ancient mansion indeed continues, danger and horror converging, an unimaginable bizarre incident is emerging.

Inside the empty, dim hallway.

The strange woman dressed in a red Wedding Dress, her face obscured by a Veil, stood there silently, motionless.

Her figure seemed unreal, as if she did not belong to this ancient mansion, but had invaded from another unknown Spiritual Realm.

She simply stood there quietly.

Yet inside the ancient mansion, some incomprehensible change began.

Gray, ash-like particles drifted down from above, covering the ground like dye, corroding every inch.

Meanwhile.

The darkness inside the ancient mansion intensified, coalescing like thick, viscous fog into a distinct shape resembling a massive Coffin placed within the mansion.

A white figure knelt atop the Coffin, its wailing Crying echoing throughout the ancient mansion, and everything around seemed to lose its color because of its presence.

The whole ancient mansion seemed sealed inside a Coffin, enclosing everything, the mansion fading and aging.

Chen Qiaoyang's complexion changed at this moment; he stared intently at the woman in the hall and the human silhouette on the Coffin.

There can be no mistake.

It is that terrifying fierce painting.

But why, why does the woman in that fierce painting appear here? Wasn't this thing taken abroad originally? Even after many years of poor storage, the Fierce Ghost in the painting resurfaced; it should be causing trouble overseas.

How did it end up in the Wang Family Ancient Residence?

Moreover, why has that terrifying fierce painting now completed that bride? Wasn't the bride's first-generation rider, after death, dismembered by several others, releasing the Fierce Ghost within her body? And that black Coffin.

Originally, because that Coffin was said to have killed many people, Chen Qiaoyang, though not involved, had heard of it.

Later the Coffin vanished, no one knew where, and it was thought this Supernatural Incident would disappear completely.

He never expected that just after escaping trouble, he would encounter such a hassle.

And somehow, a terrifying Mourning thing appeared atop the Coffin, and its emergence drained all color from the ancient mansion.

"These things don't appear without cause; it must be because of Li Jun, there's something odd about him."

Chen Qiaoyang's slightly gaunt face twitched; clenching his teeth, he lifted his clothing and scratched his chest hard with his fingernails.

His nails seemed sharp enough to forcibly cut a slit in the skin on his chest.

When the skin layer split, there were no organs inside, only thick, blackened fresh blood emitting a corpse-rotting stench.

Within that thick, blackened blood, green fire flickered.

Chen Qiaoyang reached in, rummaged his abdomen, and the black blood churned; he extracted a lump of burning Ghost Fire.

Along with it was a person.

Li Jun's entire body was compressed and deformed, hollow, bone-less, flesh-supported, leaving only a bizarre Human Skin.

At the head of this Human Skin, Ghost Fire flickered, eerie and terrifying.

"I want to see exactly what happened to you," Chen Qiaoyang pinched Li Jun's neck, feeling no bone hardness.

The neck was hollow, soft, not like gripping a person, merely clutching a dead skin.

Li Jun was still alive at this moment; his sunglasses fell, his eye sockets empty, charred voids, only Ghost Fire flickering.

"The real me has long been dead; now I merely maintain a special state, and I don't know how long it can last."

Li Jun's lips moved, emitting a hoarse voice; "But if this time I can eliminate a dangerous figure like you, it's worth it."

He is still alive.

The withered skin gradually filled again, like a hot air balloon, burning with Ghost Fire inside.

Ghost Fire cannot burn away Li Jun's Human Skin.

Because this is not ordinary Human Skin, but the skin of a Fierce Ghost.

This Ghost Skin does not belong to the ghost Li Jun commands; it is the ghost from Chen Yi's body during the last ghost-paint operation.

After Qin Lao suppressed the Ghost Fire to a certain degree, he used this Human Skin to block the fire from spreading outward.

Later Wang Xiaoming found Ah Hong and used ghost makeup to paint Li Jun.

Li Jun is inherently a Ghost Fire rider; the fire retains Li Jun's habits, so it easily created this Abnormal.

The only flaw of this Abnormal is that it requires Ah Hong to touch up periodically, lest the makeup wear off and vanish.

However, likewise, this Abnormal also possesses advantages other Abnormals lack.

As long as Ah Hong continuously retouches him, he will forever be Li Jun, without fear of the Fierce Ghost's instinctual erosion.

Chen Qiaoyang reached out and touched Li Jun's face; his fingers were coated with some ointment and dye, vivid in color, like the makeup a mortuary embalmer applies to the dead.

"You're not human; you're a person painted on a Ghost Skin. You're right—the real you died long ago. Someone used this ghost makeup to paint you, letting you replace Li Jun."

Chen Qiaoyang's expression was fierce, as if threatening: "As long as you wipe off the makeup on your face, you will disappear, and then the Fierce Ghost attached to the Human Skin will revive."

"Do you dare let me disappear here?" Li Jun felt no fear of death; the threat didn't bother him at all, and he simply stared intently at Chen Qiaoyang.

The replenished Human Skin turned into a pair of hands, and now Li Jun clutched Chen Qiaoyang's arm tightly, refusing to let go.

Chen Qiaoyang's hand stiffened, and he did not wipe off the ghost makeup on Li Jun's face.

He also feared losing control; if that happened, he would have to face the ghost painting and that Coffin, which was certainly no good news for him.

"You're truly crazy; if I'm not mistaken, that painting is on you."

Irritated, he grabbed Li Jun's jacket in one hand and tore it off outright.

On Li Jun's Human Skin, besides the painted face, there was also a bizarre printed painting affixed to it.

The background of the painting depicted a dim world, resembling a city, yet the rest of the city was blurred, with only a multi‑story collapsed building standing out.

"What bad luck," Chen Qiaoyang said, both startled and angry, and he tossed Li Jun out directly.

The ominous painting went out of control, and the Coffin might also emerge; then Wang Family Ancient Residence would become a true forbidden zone, and even he would dare not stay.

His plan was not yet finished; Wang Family Ancient Residence could not be lost.

Li Jun fell from the third floor, but soon flames flared again; his ghost domain spread, and he stood steadily in the middle of the hall once more.

Chen Qiaoyang had thought that keeping Li Jun alive would prevent any mishap, after all Li Jun posed no threat to him.

Chen Qiaoyang said coldly, "And you're painted; as soon as the makeup on your face is ruined, you'll vanish. So fragile, still trying to fight me to the death?"

"I know my abilities are limited, so I can't deal with you by myself, but this thing is different."

How could Li Jun's temper easily compromise? He took a slight breath, the flames on his body receded, and then he opened his palm.

A gloomy ghost fire blazed fiercely.

Within the ghost fire, a dim, abandoned building materialized inside, as if an illusion.

And at the same time.

The background building from the ghost painting on his Human Skin strangely vanished.

It seemed to have just been taken out by Li Jun.

The ghost domain of the ghost fire linked to the ghost painting, and the ghost painting linked to the building that separates the world within the painting.

Now Li Jun skipped that middle step, directly using ghost fire to capture the background of one floor of the building.

Both inside and outside the building were wrapped with many yellow seals, and numerous red prohibition and danger signs stood there.

At the building's entrance.

An old wooden staircase connected the interior and exterior of the building, looking eerie yet unique. On one floor of the building hung a strange signboard that read the three characters "Huang Gang Cun."

Through the building's glass windows, one could faintly see some terrifyingly bizarre phenomena.

Li Jun knew clearly that this building imprisoned the ghost painting, as well as an extremely terrifying Ghostly Servant, and even the Red and White Double Evil were here.

The ghost painting on him was merely a derivation of the Source Ghost painting.

It resembled a portal to the true ghost painting, now under his control.

This was also the only portal.

It was Qin Lao who deliberately left it for him.

Apart from that, all other portals had been erased by Qin Lao to prevent the ghost painting from escaping.

"What is this?" Chen Qiaoyang stared at the building that appeared like an illusion within the ghost fire.

He had never seen such a method.

This was a new way of employing the Fierce Ghost.

But experience told him that the building was very dangerous—no, exceptionally perilous.

Once entered, one would certainly never get out in this lifetime and would surely die inside.

"It involves that Coffin and the source of the ominous painting; this must not be touched," Chen Qiaoyang stepped back a few paces.

At this moment, the ghost fire on Li Jun's palm suddenly swelled, its flames enveloping everything, and the building abruptly expanded along with it, as if covering the entire ancient residence.

Yet when the building was released, a bizarre scene unfolded inside the ancient residence.

At some unknown time, several newspapers suddenly appeared inside the ancient residence.

"What is this?"

Noticing these suddenly appearing items, Chen Qiaoyang frowned at Li Jun a few times, thinking these were not produced when the other side released the ominous painting.

Li Jun also noticed the newspapers, frowned, and assumed they were a tactic Chen Qiaoyang used against him.

Yet, driven by habit, he still glanced at the contents of the newspapers.

Immediately, Li Jun's complexion changed.

"February 18, 2018, at Da Dong City Ancient Residence, countless Paper Money fell from the sky, the city lost its color, and the Red and White Double Evil descended again."

"This is... Ghost Newspaper Agency!" Li Jun's face turned grim.

Since this bizarre newspaper agency emerged, it has never reported any erroneous news.

However, the first person who receives this newspaper is usually unable to resolve the Supernatural Incident described within.

"February 18 is today. So this newspaper has been printed for some time now."

The Ghost Newspaper Agency differs from normal newspapers; normal ones publish reports after events occur.

Yet the Ghost Newspaper Agency publishes reports before events happen, leaving people unable to grasp its purpose.

If it's for the ghosts, why does it report the forthcoming Supernatural Incident in advance, giving people a warning?

If it's to help the living, then why are the newspapers it sends always in the hands of those who cannot resolve the Supernatural Incident?

Li Jun's words seemed to trigger some of Chen Qiaoyang's memories; he suddenly recalled that during the Republic Era there seemed to be an organization dedicated to reporting various Supernatural Incidents.

According to the information he knows, that newspaper agency helped people in the Republic Era resolve many Supernatural Incidents that could have brewed into major troubles.

However, that organization later lost control; it seems the controlling Fierce Ghost revived, and after that the Ghost Newspaper Agency went out of control.

The newspaper could not reach the right hands, causing many Supernatural Incidents to worsen as a result.

At that time, to resolve the out‑of‑control Ghost Newspaper Agency, many great figures of the Republic Era were sacrificed because of it.

"If that's really the case, things will be troublesome."

Chen Qiaoyang's face grew heavy; the Ghost Newspaper Agency's newspaper had never erred.

Although he does not understand what Supernatural Incident the Red and White Double Evil refers to, as a Ghost Tamer from the previous era…

Chen Qiaoyang knows well the folklore that the Red and White Double Evil points to.

And that newly‑appeared bride, and the thing on the Ghost Coffin, aren't they exactly within the scope of the Red and White Double Evil?

Nobody expected that after Li Jun opened the world within the ghost painting, the Ghost Newspaper Agency would suddenly intervene.

For a moment, neither Li Jun nor Chen Qiaoyang dared to act rashly, fearing that a careless move would entangle them in the Ghost Newspaper Agency's path.

However, Ghost Fire had already begun to expand, shrouding the surrounding buildings; the skyscraper in the flames seemed to invade from the illusory Spiritual Realm into reality in an instant.

The lifeless building gradually appeared before their eyes.

The old house was disappearing—not disappearing, but being replaced.

Li Jun, Chen Qiaoyang, or even the other Fierce Ghosts wandering inside the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Interior, at this moment were gradually changing the scene, about to enter the building that formed the background in the painting.

This phenomenon had just emerged.

The surroundings were instantly cloaked in darkness, rushing forward.

The coffin‑shaped darkness changed, surging like a tide and blocking others' paths.

This shift left others without footing, forcing them to move toward the dim, lifeless Ping'an Building.

If you don't approach, the coffin‑shaped darkness will swallow you.

Once you step into that darkness, it is equivalent to entering the Ghost Coffin.

"You can no longer leave; honestly step into that building," Li Jun growled hoarsely.

"Perhaps I can isolate a separate area for you, preventing you from confronting the ghost in the painting."

Borrowing the Ghost Power of the ghost painting and Ghostly Servant is extremely risky.

He must also be extra cautious, because when he links to the ghost painting world, the ghost painting world also links to him.

If an accident occurs, the Fierce Ghosts in the ghost painting world might break free, so unless absolutely necessary, Li Jun does not intend to use such a dangerous method against the enemy.

"For someone so young, the tactics are indeed ruthless; I've been trapped long enough and don't want to be stuck in that painting any more."

However, Chen Qiaoyang only gave a wry smile upon hearing Li Jun's words, showing helplessness.

"Moreover, it seems that saying anything now is already too late!"

Li Jun frowned at the remark.

However, he soon noticed the anomaly—why Chen Qiaoyang said that—because everything around him was losing color.

The eerie green Ghost Fire turned pitch‑black at that moment, like the image on a Black and White TV.

"Is this… that Photo?"

Li Jun once led a team into Huanggang Village, and at that time he unexpectedly encountered a Black and White Photo that had infiltrated Huanggang Village.

Seeing this scene now, he immediately grasped the situation.

The Ghost Domain of the ghost painting, being restrained, cannot resist Ghost Fire, but there is no such restraint between the Black and White Painting and Ghost Fire.

Li Jun whispered a hoarse roar, trying to amplify the Ghost Domain's Ghost Fire burning intensity as much as possible.

However, at that moment, from the profound darkness, a stark, colorless White Curtain protruded, attacking Li Jun.

"Not good!"

Chen Qiaoyang's complexion changed, and he hurried forward, blocking the White Curtain that was striking Li Jun.

He had just observed clearly that the White Curtain was heading straight for Li Jun's face.

If the White Curtain truly struck Li Jun, his makeup would likely be wiped away.

Should Li Jun die, the malevolent painting would break free, and Chen Qiaoyang would have no certainty of escaping; at least he has not yet fully entered the ghost painting.

Seeing Chen Qiaoyang standing before him, Li Jun's expression turned complex.

"Let me go; we keep to our own waters, I have no intention of being your enemy."

"I just saved your life; would that count as a repayment to me?"

Chen Qiaoyang was truly frightened; this Li Jun was too malevolent, imprisoning so many terrifying Fierce Ghosts within his body, and continuing the fight would surely cause him to perish here.

"Although I would like to agree, it seems it is already too late," Li Jun said gravely.

In the nearby darkness, a Coffin had already been lifted by four eerie white silhouettes, crossing the Ghost Fire blockade.

Upon the Ghost Coffin, the White Evil of the Red and White Double Evil knelt.

Li Jun had not forgotten that between the Red and White Double Evil lies the ability to Restart each other upon the other's body.

With the White Evil breaking free, whether the Red Evil will appear next is no longer a guess.

(End of Chapter)