Chapter 907 - 874

“””

Yang Jian forcefully demanded the right to take the ancient clock in front of Wang Chaling.

As the only known paranormal artifact capable of restarting, the ancient clock in the Wang family’s old mansion held immense value. If it hadn’t been located outside the physical world, it would have long been taken by other ghost manipulators, leaving Yang Jian, who entered the paranormal circle later, without a chance to claim it.

“Captain Yang, your demand is excessively stringent,” Wang Chaling’s face darkened at this moment.

The greatest value of the old mansion lay in that clock. If Yang Jian took it, the significance of reclaiming the mansion would be largely lost.

Yang Jian said, “Do you think life is more important, or that clock?”

“Fighting me is not a wise choice; headquarters won’t let you pass that hurdle,” Wang Chaling said.

Yang Jian’s voice remained indifferent: “A dead captain or a living captain—who do you think headquarters would favor? You’re a smart person; there’s no need for me to explain everything. I’m sure you understand well enough.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you right here and now?” Wang Chaling’s face turned grim, seemingly provoked by Yang Jian’s attitude.

“If you think you can, then go ahead and try.”

Yang Jian’s gaze remained calm and unshaken: “If I’m not mistaken, you’re not a ghost manipulator yet—just an ordinary person. That’s why those two terrifying ghosts have been lingering around you, protecting your life and giving you the leverage to stand against captains.”

“Ordinary people are far too fragile. Killing you couldn’t be easier—a name, a photograph, a phone call… Any of these might serve as a paranormal medium. Do you think you can guard against that?”

Wang Chaling’s expression froze.

Of course, he understood that some paranormal phenomena could use mediums to kill, incomprehensively terrifying. Ordinary people faced such dangers, dying inexplicably without ever seeing the source.

Only by becoming a ghost manipulator and enduring the paranormal erosion could one avoid being targeted through a medium.

However, ghost manipulators faced the risk of ghost resurrection. Wang Chaling wasn’t without the means to become one; he simply didn’t want to tread that path.

As an ordinary person without illness or disasters, living to seventy or eighty wouldn’t be an issue. Currently, no ghost manipulators had achieved this, which was his advantage—one he didn’t want to sacrifice for a short-lived, irreversible fate.

“If you take the clock, the mansion will lose control, and Dadong City will be finished,” Wang Chaling conceded, softening his stance.

Yang Jian replied, “Before taking it, I’ll reset the time and trap the ghosts in an unknown time period.”

“It’s futile. Once the clock leaves the mansion, the paranormal will eventually seep into reality. A single reset of the clock can’t maintain the effect for long; it must intermittently restart continuously. That’s the balance my family designed, and it can’t be broken,” Wang Chaling explained.

Yang Jian spoke decisively, “In that case, I’ll take over your family’s mansion.”

“…” Wang Chaling was lost for words.

Yang Jian’s domineering stance exceeded his expectations. He thought he could dissuade Yang Jian from taking the clock, only to find Yang Jian pushing further, aiming to seize control of the mansion entirely.

“Isn’t confiscating someone’s ancestral mansion a bit excessive?” Wang Chaling exhaled lightly, glaring at Yang Jian, nearly ready to risk everything.

“You can’t guard this place; I’ll help you guard it. How can this be considered confiscation? If you think you’re at a disadvantage, name a price—I’ll pay market value for it. After all, it’s just a few acres of land,” Yang Jian said.

Wang Chaling’s mouth twitched. It seemed Yang Jian genuinely intended to strong-arm the deal.

“Enough talk. I don’t want to keep discussing this with you; otherwise, you might think I truly can’t deal with you.” Yang Jian didn’t leave room for negotiation, sealing the matter unilaterally.

He banked on Wang Chaling’s cautious yet indecisive nature.

Losing an ancestral mansion was significant, but engaging in combat with Yang Jian might cost his life.

Wang Chaling weighed the stakes carefully.

He looked deeply at Yang Jian, his expression sour. For the first time since his emergence, he had suffered such humiliation.

“Has Yang Jian fully assumed I wouldn’t risk everything against him? If I truly fought him here and now, would there be any chance of winning?”

He pondered, hesitating.

Almost as if responding to his thoughts, the two eerie, cadaverous elderly figures lurking behind Wang Chaling surfaced again.

Seeing this, Yang Jian’s face remained composed, though his grip on the fractured golden spear subtly shifted forward.

This was the sign of readiness to strike.

“No chance of winning. He has the Coffin Nail, capable of instantly pinning down one of the ghosts beside me… Moreover, Yang Jian has already prepared to kill me. This isn’t mere rhetoric,” Wang Chaling cautiously tested Yang Jian’s stance and response.

But the result was grim.

If a fight broke out now, he would undoubtedly die, with no chance of victory.

“I need to focus on wrapping things up. We may still have opportunities to collaborate in the future.”

He diverted the topic and, after leaving this statement, retreated with the two terrifying ghosts accompanying him.

Unable to win, unable to guard the mansion—it was meaningless to provoke further conflict. Yielding might still offer future connections.

“Still trying to test me in the end?” Yang Jian’s expression was indifferent.

This confrontation was his victory.

From this day forward, the Wang family’s mansion was under his control.

No matter how unwilling Wang Chaling might feel, as long as he lacked the courage to confront Yang Jian directly, he was destined to lose.

“But if Wang Chaling ever truly becomes a ghost manipulator, carrying the Wang family’s first and second generations and mobilizing four ghosts, I might not be his match,” Yang Jian thought to himself.

“Unfortunately, he will never take that step. This is where people differ from one another.”

To be honest, Yang Jian also envied Wang Chaling.

As a mere ordinary person, he controlled four ghosts. If this had been a year ago, Wang Chaling would have ranked among the top ten globally within the paranormal circle—a true pinnacle among elites.

It was worth noting that a year ago, Yang Jian had been troubled by the resurrection of his Ghost Eye, unable to even use his Ghost Domain freely.

“Xiao Yang, you’re being unreasonable. Why go out of your way to offend another captain? Don’t you think you’ve died enough times already? Some people are surrounded by ghosts—a single person is like an entire team. What if one day he comes looking for a fight and you can’t beat him? After all, Daddy Xiong won’t always be here to take care of you,”

At that moment, Xiong Wenwen appeared out of nowhere again, heaving a sigh and speaking in a heartfelt tone.

With the enemies gone, his arrogance resurged.

“I think it’s only a matter of time before you get beaten up,” Yang Jian said seriously, staring at him.

Xiong Wenwen responded, “Nonsense. I’m a good kid. I don’t fight with anyone, so how could I possibly get beaten up?”

“Because your mouth is foul,” Yang Jian replied.

“My mouth isn’t foul; I’m very polite. I greet people whenever I meet them,” Xiong Wenwen retorted confidently, convinced he was in the right.

Yang Jian couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

His gaze settled on the distant Wang family mansion.

Though Chen Qiaoyang had fled, the issues here were still unresolved: Li Jun had gone missing inside, and Li Yang had disappeared in there earlier as well. Despite the clock’s reset interrupting events, the threat was reignited by Chen Qiaoyang’s reactivation. The mansion was likely brimming with wandering ghosts, making it highly unsafe.

Wang Chaling is handling it now, but given his efficiency, it will probably take a long time.

“Hmm?”

Just then…

The mansion in the distance suddenly ignited in flames, burning furiously. But these flames weren’t normal—they were sinister, green, and cold, exuding an eerie chill.

“Li Jun’s Ghost Flame? Is Li Jun still alive, or has he already died, causing the Ghost Flame to lose control and resurrect?” Yang Jian frowned.

His Ghost Eye’s vision was obstructed, unable to scrutinize the mansion’s interior. He could only speculate.

Yet, shortly thereafter…

To his astonishment, within the eerie Ghost Flame emerged a towering structure, shrouded in desolation, overlapping the bleak mansion with a shadowy presence.

The building appeared to coexist with the mansion yet remained unaffected by it.

It was a Ghost Domain overlap.

“Ping’an Tower? That’s the headquarters of the Inner Circle,” Yang Jian immediately recognized the building. He even spotted several floors destroyed on the top.

That was from his previous clash with Fang Shiming.

“No, that’s not Ping’an Tower—that’s The World of Ghost Drawing.”

His Ghost Eye seemed disturbed by some paranormal interference, forcing his eyes to shut, unable to look directly.

Yang Jian’s face shifted slightly as he realized what the gloomy world within the Ghost Flame truly was.

So far…

Only The World of Ghost Drawing could fully suppress his Ghost Eye, rendering it instinctively shut and incapable of opening.

“Headquarters said the Ghost Drawing issue was resolved. Although it wasn’t confined, they successfully restricted it. Could it have been placed in Ping’an Tower?” Yang Jian speculated.

The possibility was high.

When the Ghost Drawing became uncontrolled, it nearly dragged an entire city into its chilling background world, a perilous threat.

To restrict the Ghost Drawing, an appropriate venue would have been chosen to isolate its paranormal influence.

Ping’an Tower was an ideal choice.

Its spaciousness and the aftermath of Yang Jian’s confrontation with the Inner Circle meant the building had been sealed off, devoid of occupants, minimizing potential losses.

“It seems like the Ghost Flame connected Ping’an Tower and integrated The World of Ghost Drawing…”

Though his Ghost Eye couldn’t peer inside, Yang Jian’s regular vision could observe clearly.

Yet, soon…

This paranormal phenomenon faded.

The Ghost Flame extinguished, and the bleak image of Ping’an Tower vanished.

Everything quickly returned to normal.

Beyond that, the distant mansion seemed to quiet down. Terror-inducing figures disappeared, and anomalies dissipated—its loss of control seemed resolved.

“Li Jun is still alive; he must have intervened,” Yang Jian surmised after assessing the situation.

“Follow me to investigate.”

Without hesitation, he headed towards the mansion with the Ghost Child and Xiong Wenwen.

If Li Jun had perished and the Ghost Flame went haywire, the mansion would have continued to burn uncontrollably—the Ghost Flame couldn’t be extinguished.

However, its sudden ignition and disappearance indicated someone was controlling it.

Indeed…

When Yang Jian reached the mansion’s entrance again, he saw Li Jun emerge unscathed, though his face carried an eerie oddity—certain areas on it appeared smudged, resembling patches rubbed away by fingers, with a densely pigmented complexion like painted strokes, giving him an unnatural, bizarre appearance.

“Yang Jian?”

Li Jun, now missing his sunglasses, turned to reveal empty eye sockets with sinister green Ghost Flames dancing within, chilling to behold.

“I thought you were dead,” Yang Jian said.

“Where’s that Chen Qiaoyang guy?” Li Jun asked immediately.

Yang Jian replied, “The mansion’s loss of control enabled him to manipulate paranormal forces, letting him escape.”

“Even you couldn’t take him down?” Li Jun’s tone contained a hint of surprise.

Considering Yang Jian’s skill level, the odds of Chen Qiaoyang slipping past him shouldn’t have been high. If he did, it suggested only one possibility: Yang Jian was defeated—otherwise, he would have pursued and eliminated Chen Qiaoyang.

“He was strong; I barely won,” Yang Jian said simply, offering no further explanation.

Escaped was escape; reasons didn’t matter. All he needed was to convey to Li Jun that he won—that was sufficient.

That much was meaningful information.

Li Jun inferred the situation: Yang Jian had narrowly triumphed while Chen Qiaoyang suffered defeat yet managed to flee.

Had Yang Jian still had energy left, Chen Qiaoyang’s corpse would likely already be seen.

“No need to worry for now. The clock’s final restart and calibration released multiple ghosts inside the mansion, affecting the outside as well. The situation will need addressing to avoid turmoil in Dadong City tonight,” Li Jun said. “I’ve temporarily dealt with the mansion, but it’s unclear how many ghosts escaped.”

Earlier, he reopened the Ghost Drawing and sent the mansion’s entire paranormal activity into the Ghost Drawing world.

No direct confrontation was necessary—just casting everything into the artwork sufficed.

Though this method left lingering risks, it was the best choice available.

“Where’s Wang Chaling?” Li Jun followed up.

“He might be handling paranormal incidents elsewhere. He’s got a busy night ahead, but we don’t need to worry about him. Hmm? What’s that?” Suddenly, Yang Jian spotted two individuals approaching from the mansion’s direction.

One man and one woman appeared to be in their forties, their demeanor lifeless and faces rigid, resembling walking corpses.

“Wang Family’s second generation—Wang Lu and his wife?” Instinctively, Yang Jian recalled related information.

Though unaware of these individuals’ identities earlier, the memory from Chen Qiaoyang now provided answers instantaneously.

“Do you recognize them?”

Li Jun said, “According to Li Yang, these two ghosts didn’t attack him; instead, they guided him, leading him to find the mansion’s clock. I suspect this has something to do with Wang Chaling, so I left them alone.”

“They’re Wang Chaling’s parents. They used to be ghost manipulators but succumbed to the family’s curse, turning into ghosts. Wang Chaling seems to have control over them for now, ensuring they don’t spiral out of control,” Yang Jian explained.

“By the way, have you seen Li Yang? Where is he?”

Li Jun glanced behind himself.

At this moment, Li Yang cautiously emerged.

Concerned about external dangers, he had been trailing Li Jun closely, letting him lead to assess the situation first.

“Captain, it’s me. I’m fine—I’m still alive,” Li Yang said, visibly relieved to see Yang Jian outside.

Apparently, the external conditions weren’t as dire as he’d feared.

“I need to follow up on other paranormal phenomena, so I won’t stay here chatting,” Li Jun said, his pragmatic nature urging action. After briefly greeting Yang Jian, he quickly left.

Despite temporarily stabilizing the mansion, Chen Qiaoyang’s reactivation of its paranormal elements—lasting only minutes—had undoubtedly unleashed numerous ghosts.

Yang Jian had simply lacked the capacity to track those developments amidst the chaos.

Once Li Jun departed…

Wang Chaling’s parents—the ghostly couple—also slowly receded from view.

The mansion, though visually unchanged, had lost much of its eerie, sinister aura.

“Did you find the clock inside the mansion?” Yang Jian asked Li Yang, surprised.

He knew of the clock’s presence but hadn’t pinpointed its exact location within the mansion.

The correct time and place were crucial for locating the true clock.

Such thoughts emerged in Yang Jian’s mind.

But while he had identified the correct time, he lacked the correct location.

The memory gaps from Chen Qiaoyang’s stolen recollections hindered him.

“I caught sight of the clock during one of its restarts—it appeared suddenly during calibration. Although I only glimpsed it briefly, I saw a man-sized standing clock in the mansion’s…”

Li Yang started to reveal, but Yang Jian interrupted him.

“No rush—we’ll discuss this later,” Yang Jian said.

Li Yang immediately understood the importance of discretion and fell silent.

Yang Jian added, “Since everything’s settled, let’s regroup and aim to leave Dadong City by midnight. We shouldn’t linger here; tonight won’t be peaceful. But our mission is done—the rest isn’t our concern.”

Yang Jian’s approach differed significantly from other captains.

While captains like Li Jun, Wang Chaling, and Li Leping held both the rank and responsibilities of team leaders…

Yang Jian possessed the rank without the extensive obligations of a captain; instead, he served as Dachang City’s regional authority.

The disparity was extensive.

However, the absence of additional responsibilities came with its perks: he only needed to fulfill his duties as a regional authority, not those of a captain.

Thus, Yang Jian had no obligation to address Dadong City’s paranormal incidents.

Headquarters couldn’t compel him.

Unless they paid extra.

“The clock stays here for now. We’ll think of a way to retrieve it later when needed; taking it now would be somewhat premature,” Yang Jian remarked, shifting his gaze from the mansion before starting to move away with Li Yang, Xiong Wenwen, and the Ghost Child.

Meanwhile…

Wang Chaling had not rushed to handle paranormal events after leaving the mansion. Instead, he retreated with his eerie companions to a concealed safe house within Dadong City.

For a captain, having personal safe houses was entirely reasonable.

In the safe house, however, a terrifying ghost sat motionless on a chair.

This ghost’s body was an ominous shade of bluish-black, its distended belly bearing a rusted coffin nail embedded into its forehead.

“The correct time and location—can they really reveal the clock? Does it truly have the power to restart?”

Wang Chaling stared at the imprisoned ghost in the safe house, his gaze flickering with deep contemplation.

The entity confined within the house was the source of an S-tier paranormal incident.

Its designation: Hungry Ghost.

“””

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com

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