Chapter 294: The Satisfactory Answer He Wants
The incident during Yang Jian’s control of the Ghost Painting was unknown to anyone. When a certain Jiang Shan walked into the dormitory building housing the source of the Ghost Painting, all he saw was a giant oil painting hanging at the entrance of the dormitory building, and the entire building was empty.
Not even a single corpse appeared.
As for the battle outside the building, it had already concluded. The moment they started, both sides unleashed their full killing moves, determined to strike down their opponent on the spot.
However, the fierce ghost and supernatural power that Jiang Shan now controlled, whether it was rewinding to summon his past self to the present, or the terrifying Ghost Domain of the Dead Face Ghost, were insurmountable for ghost wielders who couldn’t kill him in one blow.
This was true even for Zhang Xiangguang.
Although in the original work, Wei Jing had a high evaluation of Zhang Xiangguang, saying that “while he didn’t display other supernatural powers, one thing about him is that he is very hard to kill.
Whether it was a deadly curse;
or the suppression of a fierce ghost;
or even attacks on consciousness, he could withstand them all. Combined with that weird Great Saber, the supernatural power Zhang Xiangguang wielded made him feel incredibly powerful.”
But for Jiang Shan, the terrifying attacks of fierce ghosts at that level didn’t require a deadly curse. The supernatural power within his body was too balanced, and that nearly infinite supernatural power was enough to wear Zhang Xiangguang down.
This was precisely the confidence Jiang Shan had in facing Zhang Xiangguang, Chen Qiaoyang, and Nie Yingping alone.
Just as the real Jiang Shan was searching for Zhang Xiangguang’s main body inside the building, a blurry figure suddenly appeared before him in the dim dormitory building corridor.
The blurry figure flickered in and out of the light, and what was even more horrifying was that as the surrounding light twisted and folded, the figure seemed to change from one to two, then to four.
Immediately after,
four Zhang Xiangguangs walked out of the darkness of the corridor again. They were still holding their rusty old Great Sabers, their faces cold and their expressions weird, just as before.
“It seems my time estimate was incorrect. I’m very curious, how many times can you restart?”
Seeing the four Zhang Xiangguangs before him, Jiang Shan’s eyes narrowed.
He hadn’t expected Zhang Xiangguang to be able to complete a restart again in less than a minute.
“Indeed, this supernatural power has cost me something. There was no other way; if I didn’t go all out, you would have found me, and then I wouldn’t even have the qualification to fight back.”
The reappearing Zhang Xiangguang didn’t try to hide it but admitted it openly.
Because Jiang Shan was right; his method of restarting indeed required a certain amount of time, and it wasn’t a short amount of time.
Although it didn’t require ten minutes or half an hour of waiting,
it still needed at least three to four minutes before he could bring the deceased “self” back to life.
Therefore, this restart truly came at a terrible price, one that even made him feel pain.
Moreover, everyone was smart.
Since it had been seen through, there was no need to continue hiding it.
“How did you know my main body was hidden in this building? If you only relied on observation, then you are truly terrifying. Or rather, have you controlled a ghost that can foresee the future?”
Zhang Xiangguang asked the question he most wanted to know.
Regarding his ability, even the people involved in the Peach Blossom Spring Plan only knew a superficial understanding.
Although Nie Yingping knew the details of his supernatural power, they had worked together for decades, and both of them could discover each other’s secrets through long-term observation.
They simply understood without speaking.
But he and Jiang Shan had only just met. Even if Jiang Shan investigated him, he couldn’t have investigated such a hidden supernatural power, which was the secret of a ghost wielder.
After all, this was the most crucial secret of a ghost wielder, a means of survival.
“Still trying to stall for time? You can keep this question as a gift from me on our first meeting.” Jiang Shan lit a cigarette and said calmly.
How could he not know Zhang Xiangguang’s intentions? After all, power that exceeded one’s own supernatural abilities certainly required a period of recovery.
Perhaps tens of seconds, or perhaps tens of minutes, or even tens of days.
But none of that mattered anymore. Knowing that Yang Jian was missing, what Jiang Shan needed most now was to quickly resolve Zhang Xiangguang.
Then he would go find Yang Jian or Old Qin to see how to restrict the Ghost Painting.
After all, the supernatural events that erupted in Dajing City were easier to handle, but the decline of the Headquarters, which represented the nation’s image, was difficult to deal with.
“Restarting is not without a price. The price you have to pay for this level of restarting is even more terrifying. If you die a few more times, will you still be qualified to restart?”
Looking at the cold-faced Zhang Xiangguang, Jiang Shan continued:
“There seem to be some problems with the source Ghost Painting. Chen Qiaoyang has fled, and Nie Yingping has been detained by me. Do you still want to continue?”
Zhang Xiangguang snorted coldly: “These four ‘me’ are more than enough to kill you. Those other you have all disappeared. It seems using that kind of supernatural power also puts a considerable burden on you.”
“Moreover, your body seems different. Compared to the Ghost Painting, I’m more interested in the fierce ghost you control now. So… how will you deal with this attack?!”
As soon as he finished speaking,
the four Zhang Xiangguangs moved simultaneously, and the old Great Saber once again locked onto Jiang Shan, determined to chop him into pieces.
This time,
even with the Ghost Domain that could strip the Great Saber and his own supernatural power, only two of the four attacks were blocked.
Jiang Shan did not choose to summon his past self to block these two attacks; instead, he chose to take them head-on with his body.
This was not because Jiang Shan was overconfident,
It was because he clearly understood the terror level of Zhang Xiangguang’s knife.
The performance of the four captains in the original work was enough to explain everything; his current strength surpassed all captains, and even Yang Jian, who had controlled forty percent of the Ghost Lake, was slightly inferior.
So he wanted to know what kind of supernatural abilities his body possessed, a body that had fused with Fake Coffin Nails and was not inhabited by any Fierce Ghost.
As the terrifying attack fell, this terrifying supernatural power was like a stone sinking into the sea, and Jiang Shan’s body showed no abnormalities at all.
Apart from his already tattered suit becoming even more tattered, this attack didn’t even leave the countless small cracks on Jiang Shan’s body that had appeared before.
“Hmm?”
All four Zhang Xiangguangs showed a hint of astonishment, but after keenly observing the subtle changes in Jiang Shan, he slowly said:
“You seem to have aged. It appears the supernatural power you control is not as easy as you present it to be. But I must admit, you are indeed strong, so strong it’s terrifying.”
“How can using Ghost’s Ability come without a price? My Past Me endured the current attack, so although I appear unharmed, in reality, I am no different from a Ghost Wielder who controls one or two ghosts; I am just fighting supernatural power with my life.”
Jiang Shan extinguished the cigarette butt and said calmly.
He had indeed forged a unique path,
Anomaly, balance.
The interplay of these two allowed Jiang Shan to avoid the erosion and influence brought by supernatural power.
While this was something most Ghost Wielders dreamed of, it did not mean he no longer had to bear the price of using supernatural power.
He had not yet reached the end of this path, nor had he reached the qualification to be truly called a “god” like Yang Jian.
As soon as Jiang Shan finished speaking, his counterattack had already begun.
A silver light, like a sharp sword, instantly enveloped and covered one of the Zhang Xiangguangs.
Jiang Shan’s entire body also disappeared into the silver light. His figure collided with Zhang Xiangguang’s figure, and a scarlet hand emerged eerily from the silver light, instantly gripping a certain Zhang Xiangguang by the neck.
After fusing with the Fake Coffin Nail, his body also possessed the terrifying ability of a coffin nail, forming a terrifying suppression that deprived him of the strength to struggle.
The moment Jiang Shan made his move, Ghost Characters suddenly covered Zhang Xiangguang’s entire body, crawling and writhing on him like blood.
Under the mark of the Ghost Domain, the terrifying suppression was fully unleashed.
The four Zhang Xiangguangs who wanted to retaliate all froze in place in unison. Their bodies, covered in Ghost Characters, began to swell eerily, as if blood were continuously gushing from within them.
Blood seeped from their seven orifices, and they stood frozen in place.
In just a few seconds, what seemed like an instantaneous attack was actually an attack Jiang Shan had prepared for several seconds prior, leading to this terrifying comprehensive outbreak.
This time, he did not intend to summon his Past Me, as under the Ghost Domain’s characteristics of the Dead Face Ghost, he could practically ignore the attacks from the four Zhang Xiangguangs.
Therefore, the near-suicidal supernatural power did not need to be used.
This time, Jiang Shan used all his trump cards.
What he wanted was to obliterate these four newly appeared Zhang Xiangguangs in an instant.
The terrifying attack arrived stealthily with the appearance of the Ghost Domain and Ghost Characters,
At this moment, the four Zhang Xiangguangs abruptly stopped all their actions and stumbled to the ground.
And Zhang Xiangguang would not sit idly by; he was also brewing terrifying supernatural power during their conversation.
However, he was waiting, waiting for the moment when Jiang Shan used the Ghost Domain to attack him, that single opportunity that would determine victory or defeat.
Although the converged Ghost Domain, forming a mirror surface, could ensure Jiang Shan would not suffer the terrifying stacked supernatural attacks,
the moment he used the Ghost Domain to attack, the silver light would be unable to concentrate highly. This meant the Ghost Domain could no longer provide protection to Jiang Shan, and this was the only opportunity Zhang Xiangguang had been waiting for after his analysis.
He used himself as bait, aiming for that fleeting moment of life-and-death combat.
However, the final outcome was already decided. The gap in supernatural power might be bridged by minor mistakes, but how could the two individuals now make any slip-ups?
As the last Zhang Xiangguang melted into a pool of black water like a melting candle, Jiang Shan, who had only endured one complete attack, began searching the building for Zhang Xiangguang’s true body.
Only three minutes had passed.
After using the Ghost Domain for investigation, Jiang Shan saw moving Humanoid Figures through the glass in a Dormitory on the Fourth Floor. There was more than one Humanoid Figure moving.
“Bang!”
Without hesitation, Jiang Shan’s Ghost Characters spread, and the old dormitory door instantly rotted and shattered.
Inside the empty Dormitory, Zhang Xiangguang stood in the center, unmoving.
Strangely, in five positions around him, above him, and in front, behind, and to his sides, an Oil Lamp was placed. The Oil Lamps were peculiar, emitting a dim, yellowish light when burning, hazy and indistinct, appearing incredibly weird.
And in the very center, there was a strange Hourglass mixed with blood.
A faint Corpse Odor permeated the air.
“Is this your secret? Zhang Xiangguang, I don’t want to kill you, as you still have some value,” Jiang Shan said with a cold tone.
Upon seeing the Hourglass, he felt a faint sense of suppression.
The Dead Face Ghost’s Ghost Domain could not even spread within this Room.
Jiang Shan knew the purpose of the five Oil Lamps very well. After arriving in this World, he had firmly memorized all the supernatural phenomena that appeared in the Original Work.
After all, this was the foundation of his survival in this World.
The five oil lamps shone on Zhang Xiangguang, but their reflections appeared on the ground nearby.
However, five shadows were reflected on the wall, which flickered, distorted, and slowly detached from the ground, standing up from the wall.
The black humanoid figure was almost indistinguishable from Yang Jian’s ghost shadow.
But unlike the ghost shadow, the five figures that appeared were not dark shadows, but had shed the darkness and transformed into actual living people.
Their appearances, clothing, and even the cleavers they carried were identical, but it seemed due to insufficient time, they only had a rough outline without extra details.
“It’s time to stop. Zhang Xiangguang, the Ghost Painting’s Plan is indeed feasible, but it’s too risky.”
As Jiang Shan spoke while looking at the five black humanoid figures, the scarlet ghost characters had already covered the entire dormitory.
They even enveloped the black oil lamp placed on the ground, making the entire room seem to sink into a sea of corpses and blood, with waves of chilling cold causing people to shiver from the bottom of their hearts.
The burning corpse oil lamp was instantly extinguished.
Because Jiang Shan knew that the shadows cast by the corpse oil lamp existed as a medium, his first priority was to strip away the medium so that Zhang Xiangguang could not continue the restart.
And the result was as he had predicted.
The moment the corpse oil lamp was extinguished, the five dark shadows with Zhang Xiangguang’s outline began to rapidly decay, and then, like those clones, they turned into pools of black water and weirdly disappeared.
The disappearance of the five figures seemed to cause some terrifying backlash to Zhang Xiangguang. The blurred figure of Zhang Xiangguang in the center became dimmer and dimmer, almost disappearing from sight.
“You do not exist in reality right now, is that why you are so fearless? Unfortunately, I’ll give you one last chance. Abandon the Ghost Painting’s plan. I hope to get a satisfactory answer from you before I relight this lamp.”
