Chapter 852: Chapter 819: The Completing Shadow

“Is that a dead person lying there? Who could it be?”

Yang Jian stared at the human-shaped outline on the bed, trying to peer through it with his ghostly vision, but astonishingly, he discovered that there was no bed at all in the sightline of his ghostly vision.

Inconceivable.

Completely incomprehensible.

Within the sightline of his ghostly vision, there was not a trace of the bed, nor the body on it–only an empty space, as if nothing existed there.

Yang Jian fell silent.

The situation here was more complex than he had imagined.

There actually existed a supernatural force that could shield the very sightline of his ghostly vision.

This meant that his ghostly vision was severely affected.

Although in the past, when he observed the ghost painting, his ghostly vision would close due to being suppressed, he was still able to see the painting clearly, but now it’s utterly useless.

However, whichever phenomenon it was, it could only prove one thing.

The terror level of the object on the bed was exceptionally high.

Or perhaps there was an inherent problem with the bed itself.

Again, this red lacquer furniture.

It’s just the same as the Ghost Cabinet, the Eight-Tone Music Box.

“Should I go take a closer look?” Yang Jian hesitated at this moment.

He was very curious.

This was an opportunity to get closer to the truth, but at the same time, it was unsettling.

Moreover, this unease was expanding rapidly with time, even beginning to influence his own emotions.

This was an incredible occurrence.

Yang Jian was currently under the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box, and his own emotions had been suppressed to the point of non-existence, resulting in him being in a state of absolute rationality.

Perhaps this unease did not come from himself.

It came from the fierce ghost within his body.

The ghostly vision, the Ghost Shadow or that blackened Ghost Hand?

Could it be that even ghosts felt uneasy around the corpse on the bed?

Yang Jian’s gaze flickered uncertainly as he stood there. He did not lift the bed-curtain or approach the strange wooden bed, but instead continued to ponder, assess, and observe the situation.

“It’s undoubtedly a fierce ghost, just don’t know why it fell into a deep slumber, just like the Ghost Envoy in the Ghost Coffin back then, waiting for an accidental event when the balance breaks, and in that moment, the fierce ghost will leave the bed, becoming an immensely terrifying entity.”

He made a judgment based on his instincts and experience.

The body that emitted a faint stench of decay was definitely not a living person, but a true fierce ghost.

As for what Ghost Level it was, that was unknown.

Yang Jian did not want to disturb that thing, nor did he dare act recklessly, for fear of triggering the murder pattern and being chased by the ghost. Instead, he cautiously approached to observe before planning to leave.

At least to confirm that the corpse on the bed was not Leuk Qingqing.

Without the aid of ghostly vision, it was difficult to find any useful clues merely relying on the naked eye.

He looked through the bed-curtain, judging from the body shape and hairstyle of the corpse on the bed that it was likely not Leuk Qingqing; after all, Leuk Qingqing was a tall, sexy beauty, whereas the corpse on the bed seemed to be a withered, elderly person who had died of old age.

“There’s something in the hands of the corpse.”

Suddenly.

On drawing closer, Yang Jian saw that the corpse’s hands were crossed over the red quilt, holding a letter on top.

It was a yellow letter.

That was the letter sent to room 301 by the Ghost Post Office.

“How did that letter end up in this thing’s hands?” He was surprised and confused.

He had previously dropped the letter and fled from this place being chased by a ghost. Logically, no one should have touched that letter in this room.

Now thinking more carefully.

Indeed, some details had been overlooked.

When he came in just now, the letter on the floor and the box containing the letter had both disappeared.

“Did Leuk Qingqing do this? Or did the corpse on the bed wake up during the time I was gone, and then came to the living room to take the letter from the Ghost Post Office?” Yang Jian’s eyes shifted uncertainly.

This speculation could be confirmed.

Use the Ghost Shadow to cover the ground, hold the Firewood Knife, and trigger the medium.

If the medium is successfully triggered, then it could be proven that the corpse on the bed indeed moved just now.

If the medium could not be triggered, then it wasn’t this corpse that moved the letter, but the somewhat mysterious Leuk Qingqing.

“Give it a try; this is the safest method of investigation. While the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box is still active, if I don’t do anything, it would be a complete waste. Later on, resisting the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box may not succeed, so if I don’t finish some tasks in these few days, wouldn’t my risk-taking be in vain?”

Yang Jian made up his mind quickly.

Immediately.

He once again gripped the Firewood Knife in his hand, and a mysterious and dark shadow gradually spread and extended toward the vicinity beneath his feet.

A mass of shadow covered the ground, triggering all possible mediums, just as it had done before.

However, what happened next unfolded before Yang Jian in the worst possible way.

He did not trigger the medium left by Leuk Qingqing.

That meant during that time period just now, Leuk Qingqing did not enter this room, nor had she stood in front of the bed in this room.

But another medium was triggered.

An emaciated figure, emitting a strong stench of decay as if it had been dead for ten days, some ghastly elderly person suddenly appeared before him.

The livor mortis had evolved into rotten patches of blackness, and the deep-set eye sockets remained wide open, revealing a pair of dead and numb gray eyes.

What was most chilling.

The corpse from the medium was taking one step after another, walking towards Yang Jian from the direction of the wooden bed.

Yang Jian’s guess was right.

The one that moved the letter wasn’t Leuk Qingqing; it was the fierce ghost in this room.

The ghost hadn’t fallen into an eternal slumber; it occasionally had moments of awakening.

“This corpse looks familiar; it is… the owner of room 301, that old lady.” Yang Jian’s heart chilled.

She died?

The old lady who was suspected to have appeared on the supernatural bus a half-year ago was dead.

Moreover, the time of death was not long ago, probably about half a month or a month.

In his heart, he speculated that this old lady might, like the Door Knocking Ghost when she was alive, be a ghost controller left over from the Republic of China Period, involved in many supernatural events, and might even know of the existence of the Ghost Post Office.

However, all of this seemed to have lost its meaning.

No matter what, the person was already dead.

And it’s very likely that she’s currently in the stage of a malevolent ghost’s resurrection.

Once the resurrection of the malevolent ghost is complete.

This would be at least a Door Knocking Ghost Level paranormal event.

But before Yang Jian could think further.

Suddenly.

He noticed that the dead elderly person in the medium had stopped moving, and with a stiff neck turned abruptly to look directly at him.

Moreover, the medium was becoming increasingly clear.

It was as if a ghostly illusion was becoming real.

Yang Jian could smell the stench of the corpse becoming increasingly strong, and at the same time, the air around him suddenly turned cold, and the gloomy yellow light in the room started flickering ominously.

He became aware of these changes.

A terrifying conjecture formed in Yang Jian’s mind.

“Could the ghost in the medium be trying to invade the real world?”

No.

This was not speculation.

But all the signs were proving this to be the case.

The long-dead old person in the medium was starting to affect the surrounding environment, beginning to erode everything nearby.

Even if the real body of the old person was lying on a nearby bed.

This phenomenon was inexplicable, but it made Yang Jian feel an abnormal terror.

Just triggering the medium had brought the ghost into reality; it was hard to imagine the desperation when facing this malevolent ghost head-on.

“Interrupt the medium.”

Yang Jian hurriedly withdrew the Ghost Shadow, immediately interrupting the medium of the Firewood Knife, causing the scene before him to disappear.

However, the next moment.

A horrifying scene occurred.

The long-dead old person within the medium still stood upright, not disappearing as Yang Jian interrupted the medium, giving off an unrealistic and illusory sensation, eerily floating in place.

“What kind of joke is this?”

Yang Jian was so scared he took several steps back hastily.

The ghost in the medium did not vanish, but rather retained its form, truly succeeding in invading the real world.

No.

It probably hadn’t fully invaded reality, but had somehow made it halfway.

The ghost’s body was not solid; it still oscillated between illusion and tangible form and displayed an incomprehensible black and white shade, clashed with the colorful world of reality.

Yet the more so, the more it seemed to seep into one’s bones.

“The ghost is motionless now.”

Cold sweat streamed down Yang Jian’s forehead unconsciously as his gaze remained fixed upon the odd, ghostly old person floating in midair, appearing in the misty black and white hue.

“I can’t stay here, I can’t fathom if triggering the medium again would cause a second old person to invade reality from within it, and there’s also the possibility of the corpse on the bed reviving, I must leave, confirming the death of Room 301’s occupant is enough.”

“And perhaps this letter exists just to break the room’s balance, otherwise why would the triggered medium only show the corpse getting up to fetch the letter, rather than something earlier?”

“Is this the motive of the Ghost Post Office? To awaken an extremely terrifying malevolent ghost?”

Taking these thoughts with him, he slowly retreated step by step, leaving the room.

The corpse on the bed didn’t stir, and the illusory old person standing near the wooden bed remained still as well.

It seemed Yang Jian had not triggered a murderous rule and had narrowly escaped disaster.

Or perhaps, since the letter had just been sent out, the balance here had not been completely lost yet and was maintaining some fragile equilibrium.

Anyway.

Room 301 was too terrifying to linger in.

Yang Jian left the room with relief and closed the door, then retraced his original path.

But before he could completely depart, outside the building, a terrifying, piercing scream suddenly echoed.

That voice was… Li Yi.

“Has something happened outside too?”

Yang Jian’s expression changed, and he immediately exited the room, then closed the door to Room 301, but as he had just turned to leave and hadn’t walked far.

“Bang!”

The door to Room 301 burst open again with a loud noise.

There were no signs, and it was not human-caused, as if influenced by something else.

“The door, it won’t close?”

Seeing this, Yang Jian’s scalp tingled.

If this door won’t close, it means that something from Room 301 could freely enter and exit.

Would the long-dead old person’s corpse on the wooden bed someday wander out as well?

He turned back to close the door again.

The same phenomenon occurred.

As long as he let go, not blocking the door, it would quickly bang open on its own.

Yang Jian even naively tried blocking the door with objects, but it was futile.

It only momentarily slowed it down, and as time passed, the force opening the door was too great, directly pushing aside the objects blocking the door.

Clearly, these common methods were unable to prevent Room 301’s door from opening on its own.

Unless he left Li Yang here, using the Door-blocking Ghost’s ability.

But that was not realistic.

Leaving Li Yang here would be a death sentence, and Yang Jian would not do such a foolish thing.

“Indeed, I shouldn’t have sent out that letter.”

This thought flashed through his mind.

But this thought was quickly dismissed.

Actually, whether he delivered the letter or not didn’t matter much, because if he didn’t do it, other couriers on the third floor would be assigned the task. Moreover, the owner of Room 301 was already dead, and losing control was just a matter of time, as evidenced by the Ferocious Ghost District incident.

The ghosts from the Ferocious Ghost District actually escaped from the out-of-control Room 301.

If the original owner of Room 301 were still around, such a thing would never have happened.

The letter from the post office might have just sped up a certain process.

It might also have been a warning, telling the outside world about the true situation in Room 301, to discover and prevent it earlier.

There are all kinds of possibilities.

Therefore, Yang Jian didn’t feel like he did anything wrong.

Moreover, he had successfully handled the Ghost Shadow Figure, dismembered the doll from the Ferocious Ghost District, and imprisoned the berserk seeking ghost, Li Leping.

He had almost cleared out all the supernatural incidents in Dachuan City.

But he no longer had the time to deal with the remaining potential dangers.

Just like the Fushou Garden incident in Dahai City, it had to be left to the local responsible persons to handle.

His gaze shifted.

Without hesitation, Yang Jian used his Ghost Eye, covered himself with his Ghost Domain, and immediately left the building, rushing toward the place where the screams had just come from.

“What happened?”

On an open space outside the residential building.

Yang Xiaohua covered her mouth with her hand, her face pale from an inexplicable shock. She pointed to a nearby spot.

That was Li Yi.

Li Yi now stood there with a deathly pale face, completely motionless like a puppet, devoid of any signs of life.

Yang Jian peered over with his Ghost Eye.

His expression changed slightly.

Li Yi was dead.

Although the body was intact, something had completely hollowed it out from the inside.

No internal organs, no flesh and bones, just a layer of fresh skin maintaining the shell of a living person.

“A ghost has started killing people, and it’s not connected to Li Leping. It must be that Leuk Qingqing. I saw Leuk Qingqing’s figure on the fifth floor of this building looking in this direction. Then Li Yi screamed,” Li Yang came over and narrated what had just happened.

Despite the suddenness of the event, he, as a ghost controller, had observed some details.

“Leuk Qingqing?” Yang Jian looked up slightly, his Ghost Domain unable to invade the building where Room 301 was located.

“Maybe it’s not her; it might be another ghost that came out of Room 301. Yang Xiaohua, weren’t you about to light the letter and leave? Why did you delay for so long and still haven’t left?”

Yang Xiaohua responded nervously, “No, not sure. The path to the post office didn’t appear. This has never happened before. Li Yi was discussing this with me just now. He guessed…”

“What did he guess?”

“He guessed that the letter wasn’t successfully delivered to Room 301.”

Yang Jian’s face darkened as he said, “That’s impossible. I’ve been to Room 301 twice already… Just now, the letter was still in Room 301, and it isn’t just my word; you, Li Yi, and Leuk Qingqing were all present when it was delivered.”

However, before he finished speaking, he suddenly paused and then looked toward Li Yang.

Li Yang also understood what Yang Jian meant and turned to look at a nondescript residential building across the street: “Could it be that that is building 7? Are we in building 9?”

From beginning to end, there was no evidence to prove that the place they had gone to was Room 301 of building 7.

“Did we deliver it to the wrong place?” Yang Xiaohua’s body swayed, and she almost collapsed in despair.

Because the letter was lost.

And the building was haunted again.

Back and forth, it’s like completely crushing their hopes of survival.

“Then why not retrieve the letter and deliver it again?” A sudden voice rang out, carrying a somewhat eerie laughter.

The voice sounded familiar.

Was it Li Yi?

Out of nowhere, Li Yi was now standing nearby, facing everyone with a smile.

As that mouth spoke, you could see it was hollow on the inside. No organs, no flesh and blood, just a layer of skin.

Yang Xiaohua trembled with fear.

Li Yang frowned.

Yang Jian, however, approached sternly: “Controlled by supernatural forces? Li Yi, you’re really unlucky. Can’t blame me for this.”

Li Yi didn’t run, didn’t hide, just stood there, smiling at Yang Jian.

The next moment.

Yang Jian reached out and grabbed Li Yi’s neck.

Immediately, Li Yi’s body deflated like a burst ball, slumping down in an instant, his skin ultimately the only part lifted in hand.

The Ghost Hand suppressed the supernatural power, and the deceased Li Yi was even deprived of the chance to become a Ghost Slave.

“Li Leping, come out, I want a word with you.”

Then, Yang Jian suddenly shouted.

Next moment.

A man with a numb expression and a chilling presence suddenly appeared before him.

He was forcefully brought over using the Ghost Domain.

Li Leping was still in a state where he could easily lose control, his expression bizarre as he looked at Yang Jian without saying a word.

“I’ve dealt with the Ferocious Ghost District’s malevolent spirit, the Ghost Shadow Figure, and even your own ghost. But the ghost from Room 301 seems to have lost control, and it’s connected to another supernatural site, the Ghost Post Office. After I leave, I want you to take care of this place for the time being,” Yang Jian said to him.

“Why should I listen to you?” Li Leping spoke bluntly.

Yang Jian replied, “I will leave the seeking ghost I’ve confined in Dachuan City for you to collect once you’ve recovered.”

“You’d do that out of the goodness of your heart?” Li Leping continued.

“Goodness? You underestimate me, Yang Jian. I feel that the supernatural incidents are completely getting out of control. As a Captain Level person, don’t tell me you haven’t the slightest inkling. The Room 301 incident in the Ferocious Ghost District of Dachuan City, the Fushou Garden incident in Dahai City, the Hungry Ghost incident in my Dachang City, and the Ghost Painting incident at headquarters… The Ghost Post Office incident in Dahan City, if we don’t sort out these messes, many cities will face an imminent disaster.”

“I don’t want to see that happen, as I have to live there too. So, I am willing to step back and give you a hand, but don’t disappoint me. Otherwise, I’ll be the first to take you down. You bear the main responsibility for the state of affairs in Dachuan City.”

“Deal.”

After a moment of silence, Li Leping agreed without much hesitation.

He understood what Yang Jian was thinking.

Considering the big picture, everyone hopes for peace and stability in the city.

But those who consider the big picture must sacrifice a bit of their personal interests.

Yang Jian is willing to make concessions, and Li Leping has no reason not to accept this kindness.

“Since that’s the case, you shouldn’t stay in Mingyue Community either. I’m afraid you won’t live to become a different species. Keep your distance from me,” Yang Jian’s Ghost Eye flashed, and a red light covered Li Leping.

He disappeared on the spot.

Vanishing from Mingyue Community, he reappeared inside an uninhabited villa on the outskirts of Dachuan City.

After that.

Yang Jian walked towards a chest on the ground.

He stomped his foot, and the chest immediately cracked open.

Then he reached inside.

A rusted Coffin Nail appeared in his hand.

He took the Coffin Nail.

Simultaneously.

A strange black shadow gradually invaded the ground beneath his feet.

The Headless Ghost Shadow behind him slowly formed the outline of a head.

At this moment, the Headless Ghost Shadow became a complete Ghost Shadow.

The puzzle of the fierce ghost was actively completed by Yang Jian.

The Terror Level of the Ghost Shadow began to rise at an astonishing rate.

Centered around Yang Jian, the nearby ground was gradually covered by a layer of shadow, and this area of shadow kept expanding, expanding…

Meanwhile.

The Ghost Shadow that had been dismembered because of the use of the Firewood Knife was also visibly regenerating at a rapid pace.

“Can you withstand the invasion of the Ghost Shadow’s consciousness?”

Yang Jian’s gaze flickered, waiting for the next step to occur.

He needed the ability to confront fierce ghosts head-on. Relying on his original three ghosts wasn’t enough, even with the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box activated, it still fell short.

The only way was to control the fourth ghost.

And the best choice for the fourth ghost was to complete the Headless Ghost Shadow, transforming it into a complete Ghost Shadow.

Only then could Yang Jian withstand the cost of using the Firewood Knife.

And only then could he use the complete Ghost Shadow along with the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box to further suppress the Ghost Eye, allowing it to open up to the Seventh Layer.

Otherwise.

He definitely wouldn’t dare to retrieve the letter from room 301.

But even though everything was planned, there was one thing Yang Jian wasn’t sure of.

That was whether the complete Ghost Shadow could invade the consciousness of the living, and whether the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box protected the consciousness of the living.

The two forces clashed.

If the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box were suppressed, Yang Jian would die at the moment he obtained the complete Ghost Shadow, becoming a body for the Ghost Shadow, turning into an Unsolvable Level terrifying fierce ghost.

On the other hand.

If Yang Jian’s consciousness remained.

Then his strength at this moment would make a quantum leap, surpassing the previous.

This was a gamble.

And this was just the beginning. If he didn’t win the first bet, Yang Jian wouldn’t need to worry about dealing with the curse afterwards.

However, just as Yang Jian was preparing.

The lights in that residential building that had turned on began to go out one by one.

Fifth floor, first floor, fourth floor, second floor… In the end, only the lights on the third floor were left.

But the lights on the third floor didn’t last long either.

Soon.

The lights on the third floor flickered a few times and then went out.

As the yellowed, dim lights went out.

The surrounding buildings immediately started to feel gusts of cold wind, with the scent of sandalwood mixed with the stench of corpses wafting out.

It lost control.

Room 301 began to enter a state of losing control.

Yang Jian remained calm, he didn’t retreat, just stood in place watching the changes of the building, and said at the same time: “Li Yang, call Tong Qian, tell him to take Xiong Wenwen and leave, no need to stay here, the situation here is more complicated than imagined, let them leave first.”

“Okay.” Li Yang didn’t ask why, and immediately made the call.

This was Yang Jian’s Ghost Domain, not an area covered by Ghost Smoke, so normal communication was not a problem.

“What about us?”

Soon after, Li Yang hung up the phone and asked.

“We’ll see. If we can snatch the letter back, we’ll snatch it, if not, I’ll take you guys to run.” Yang Jian said, “You go wait over there at that building, leave this place to me.”

After speaking, he pointed to the building opposite.

Whether that was indeed the seventh building or not, Yang Jian didn’t know but if this wasn’t considered a successful delivery, then he was mostly likely to have really delivered the letter to the hands of a fierce ghost.

Now, he still had to figure out a way to retrieve it.

“It’s starting.”

Yang Jian slightly bowed his head at this moment.

He felt the Ghost Shadow beneath his feet beginning to invade his body in reverse.

The Ghost Shadow was reviving.

No, not reviving, but losing control, being manipulated by another cold consciousness, losing Yang Jian’s control.

The head of the Ghost Shadow was orchestrating everything.

Now, Yang Jian’s body was highly tempting to the Ghost Shadow, so it was attempting to take control of him.

If it were any normal circumstance, he would have been invaded by the Ghost Shadow without any resistance.

But now there was the Eight-Tone Music Box, the outcome of who would win or lose was still unknown.