At eight in the morning.
A car was driving away from Dachang Cityâs urban area, heading to a suburb.
The suburb wasnât deserted; nearby were towns and villages, only with fewer people. Yet, these few days, this area turned peculiar. Black and gray cloud layers hung over the sky, drizzling lightly. The air was filled with a stench that made people uncomfortable.
Even though the weather was warming up, this place still exuded a bone-chilling coldness.
It was as if something terrifying hovered here, affecting the areaâs environment.
The car screeched to a halt.
On a blocked-off highway, Yang Jian opened the car door and stepped out. He looked into the distance and saw a scattered village shrouded in the continuous rain.
âThat thing relocated. It was in the mountain before, but now itâs shifted. However, that village is empty. I already had all the people in the surrounding area evacuated urgently,â Feng Quan said, his face notably grim as if lifeless.
âItâs normal for a ghost to move. Trying to isolate an area to trap a fierce ghost isnât very realistic,â Yang Jian said, looking at the rain-drenched village, seemingly both real and illusionary.
As if it didnât belong to this world.
âThat rain is strange, carrying a stench of corpses soaked in water. Although I didnât notice anything weird when it hit me, itâs unsettling. Also, that ghost possesses a Ghost Domain. As for the black umbrella, I still donât know its use,â Feng Quan remarked simply.
Beside them.
Huang Ziya played with her long, thick black hair and said, âWith a few of us and the captain, as long as we donât encounter an S-level paranormal event, we can handle it. Thereâs nothing to worry about.â
âXiao Yang, hurry and finish the business and take me back. I have a game date with Zhang Wei today,â Xiong Wenwen said impatiently. He didnât want to be on a business trip, but there was no choice since Yang Jian convinced his mom.
Yang Jian gripped the cracked long spear in his hand and looked at the overcast sky, âTo be honest, I really hate the rain, especially the kind mixed with the supernatural.â
After saying that.
His ghost eyes suddenly opened, their scarlet glow covering the surrounding areas.
The Ghost Domain was activated.
This time, Yang Jian was decisive. He directly opened five layers of the Ghost Domain to dispel some uncertain paranormal phenomena.
The clouds above in the sky were also infused with the supernatural. So under the red glow of the five-layered Ghost Domain, the gloomy, oppressive sky vanished instantly, restoring it to a clear blue once more.
Sunlight poured down.
The distant village seemed to fall back from an illusionary world into reality, the indescribable eerie feeling disappearing.
âThe entire areaâs clouds dissipated,â Huang Ziya observed, amazed internally.
The captainâs exploration of supernatural power had reached an extraordinary level, capable not only of influencing reality but also affecting other paranormal phenomena, even forcefully dispelling them.
âThe ghost is in that village,â Yang Jian said as his ghost eyes observed it. He sensed his vision being interfered with by some supernatural power.
With the naked eye, the village appeared in the distance, but in his ghost eyes, it was twisted, flickering like a signal ready to be cut off at any moment.
âShall we set off now?â Feng Quan asked, âOr perhaps let Xiong Wenwen predict first, just in case?â
âNo rush, letâs wait a bit,â Yang Jian said nothing more but continued to stand there, watching the distant, silent, and empty village.
The village wasnât old-fashioned; on the contrary, it was quite modern, with several three or four-story villas showcasing the look of a new rural area, entirely different from the outdated, run-down rural images. Many of the buildings were in ancient styles, brimming with an antique charm.
He just observed quietly, doing nothing, as if killing time.
The others werenât anxious either, patiently waiting alongside.
Distance kept them safe here, no danger in consuming time.
About ten minutes later, clouds gradually gathered again over the village. Around fifteen minutes, they covered the village, starting to drizzle lightly. Around thirty minutes, everything reverted to how it was when they arrived.
The supernatural phenomenon Yang Jian drove off reappeared.
But this was normal.
The source of the supernatural still existed, so the phenomenon wouldnât vanish. Yang Jianâs earlier action was a temporary dispel; over time, everything would revert to its original state.
âMy suppression can only last fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, the village will again be disturbed by the paranormal, enveloped in rain,â Yang Jian calculated and said calmly.
âMeaning, our action time is fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, regardless of the situation, itâs better to withdraw from the village, or I can dispel it once more.â
Feng Quan mused, âAvoid being hit by the rain? So fifteen minutes is our optimal action time.â
âStart the countdown now. Time for action,â Yang Jian said and gestured to the others.
Feng Quan, Huang Ziya, and Xiong Wenwen immediately synchronized their watches.
âDone.â
They quickly finished synchronizing.
Once that was said.
Yang Jianâs Ghost Domain activated again, aggressively eroding forward, dispelling the newly appeared clouds, making the continuous rain disappear.
By the time it returned, the group was already at the entrance of the village.
The village was soaked everywhere, the stench heavy, the road ahead deserted, the surroundings deathly silent, not a sign of any living being.
Not to mention Feng Quan had already evacuated the people here; even without evacuation, with a fierce ghost wandering for days, it would still become deserted.
âThe whole village is off, giving a surreal feeling,â Yang Jianâs ghost eyes observed, noticing the buildings wet with rain were infused with a supernatural aura, hindering the ghost eyesâ sight.
Yang Jianâs ghost eyes couldnât penetrate the walls and buildings to see what lay beyond.
This was after moving in during the rainless period; if they operated while it was raining, vision would be considerably obstructed.
âThe plan is simple: quickly locate the source of the fierce ghost and directly imprison it,â Yang Jian said, holding the cracked long spear, covered with a strange deathly skin.
This supernatural weapon was far more dangerous than before.
Possessing a deadly killing rule, it worked not only on humans but also on ghosts.
Although ghosts wouldnât die, they would be suppressed; it could still play a significant role when crucial, aiding in imprisoning the fierce ghost.
âFeng Quan, find that ghost,â Yang Jian said directly.
Feng Quan nodded. He remained silent, directly using his supernatural power. A dense fog began to form around him, then spread, quickly enveloping the entire village.
Yang Jianâs vision was obstructed, but Feng Quanâs Ghost Fog was not.
Itâs the pros and cons of their respective Ghost Domains.
Under certain circumstances, they can complement each other.
Itâs impossible for a ghost domain to possess all characteristics simultaneously.
Within the range shrouded by Ghost Fog, any trace of activity can be sensed by Feng Quan. This means that even if the ghost takes a single step in this dense fog, Feng Quan can promptly lock onto its position and find the ghost as quickly as possible.
âHave you found it?â Huang Ziya asked impatiently.
Feng Quan frowned, âItâs very strange. Except for us, the entire village is empty; there are no traces of activity at all. Itâs an empty village.â
âXiao Quan, can you really do this? This place looks off, and you canât find the ghost hiding here? Well, I donât blame you. Maybe Xiao Yang failed to lock the location. After all, heâs prone to making mistakes too.â Xiong Wenwen shook his head and sighed, looking very disappointed.
Yang Jian patted Xiong Wenwenâs head and said calmly, âThe interference of supernatural occurrences here is the most severe. The ghost must be here, but whatâs strange is that the ghost has a ghost domain, yet I donât sense the presence of the ghost domain. However, this village was odd when it rained earlier.â
âIt feels like two different sensations when itâs raining versus when itâs not.â
âMaybe the ghost appears only when it rains, and with no rain now, the ghost wonât appear,â Huang Ziya immediately suggested.
Feng Quan said, âMakes sense. When I diverted the ghost earlier, it was raining the entire time. After all, I couldnât disperse that cloud, so I donât know what happens when itâs not raining.â
âIf rain signifies danger, dealing with the ghost while under that danger could easily lead to fatalities,â Yang Jian frowned.
He instinctively felt he should avoid the continuous drizzle.
It wasnât just a simple supernatural event but a dangerous omen, so he initially dispersed the rain before entering the suspected ghost-staying village.
Who could have known there was no ghost in the village?
âCould it be that the ghost is standing still somewhere, so you canât sense it?â Huang Ziya thought for a moment and suggested a possibility.
âThereâs that possibility, but itâs unlikely. The ghost is constantly moving, at least when I saw it last, and the range of supernatural influence proves the ghost is indeed moving. If you suspect so, you could try lighting the Ghost Candle.â Feng Quan replied.
After speaking, Feng Quan took out a half-used white Ghost Candle.
Once lit, it can attract nearby ghosts.
Though most of the time, this white Ghost Candle is useless, in such special circumstances, it becomes very important.
âLight the Ghost Candle to lure the ghost out.â Yang Jian nodded, approving Feng Quanâs action.
No need to worry.
There canât be other ghosts nearby. His ghost domain had probed, and if there was a ghost, it could only be the ghost holding a black umbrella.
âBe careful, then.â Feng Quan took out a lighter and lit the white Ghost Candle. He didnât hold it but placed it on the empty village road ahead.
The white Ghost Candle was lit.
The flickering black flame was eerie and ominous.
They retreated a distance, not daring to approach, eyes fixed on the surroundings.
The dense fog gradually dissipated.
After Feng Quan lit the Ghost Candle, he no longer needed to maintain the ghost domain. Though he had tamed three ghosts, there was no ghost deadlock, so he didnât want to waste supernatural power.
Time passed slowly.
The white Ghost Candleâs flame flickered.
The surrounding cold aura permeated, and the smell in the air became increasingly damp and fetid.
Yet what puzzled them was.
The ghost didnât appear.
It seemed to have vanished, simply not around.
Even the white Ghost Candle couldnât lure it out.
âThis phenomenon is the first time itâs happened,â Huang Ziya frowned, feeling quite strange.
âLetâs rely on Daddy Xiongâs premonition then. Look at you all, canât even find the ghost, what ghost hunting are you talking about?â Xiong Wenwen wanted to boast.
But was stopped by Yang Jian pressing his head: âNo rush, itâs not the time to use your premonition ability yet. When the time comes, youâll be needed.â
âAlright, then letâs see Xiao Yangâs performance.â Xiong Wenwen also dropped the idea of using premonition ability.
âTwelve minutes have passed, and in three more minutes, itâll start raining here again.â Feng Quan checked the time and glanced at the spot beside the Ghost Candle.
Still no result.
The ghost wasnât attracted and, although the surroundings seemed unusual, the ghost with the black umbrella hadnât appeared.
âFifteen minutes only brings rain in this village, but outside the village, it wonât rain. Itâll take about twenty minutes for the rain to move outside the village, thus giving us a few minutes to closely observe the village in rain,â Yang Jian said.
âJust leave the Ghost Candle here. Itâs not a precious supernatural item. Letâs withdraw and then watch the situation here.â He instructed.
âIndeed, this way is certainly more prudent,â Huang Ziya understood and nodded.
Very soon.
Yang Jian and the others withdrew from the village without going too far, instead moving along the village road outward, yet the white Ghost Candle remained visible, never leaving their sight.
At this moment,
eerie dark clouds enveloped the deserted village.
Sparse raindrops began to fall, the musty, fetid smell in the air becoming denser.
In the rain.
The village appeared unchanged as before.
Yet the white Ghost Candle, drenched in this rain, looked as if it might extinguish at any moment, as if about to be put out by the rain.
However, just then.
From dozens of meters away.
Yang Jian and his group witnessed an incredible scene.
A ghostly dark silhouette holding a black umbrella suddenly surfaced amidst the rain, stepping towards the white Ghost Candle that was still burning on the ground.
The ghost appeared.
Just as they had speculated.
The village in the rain was indeed different from the village before.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
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