The Ghost Domain, along with Hu Jiu and Ye Songlan, moved them to the outskirts of Yuezhao City.
Yue Renchun looked puzzled, as if he was being too relaxed. Although he felt some resistance, it was much less than he had expected.
A jumble of thoughts flashed through his mind, only to be quickly dismissed. They were irrelevant to him now; what he cared about most was when he would receive his payment.
"I've helped you a lot this time, you should keep your promise."
Hu Jiu pondered for a few seconds, "Are you in a hurry? I..."
"I'm in a hurry! Immediately, right now, not a minute's delay!" Yue Renchun interrupted Hu Jiu, not giving him any chance to make excuses or procrastinate.
Knowing Hu Jiu as he did, even a few more minutes could cause trouble.
"Alright then." Hu Jiu looked slightly helpless. He had originally planned to... discard the donkey after it had served its purpose, on a sunny afternoon, at a carefully prepared formal occasion, at a memorable moment.
Unfortunately, this donkey wasn't stupid.
Hu Jiu quickly made a decision, after all, he had more important things to do at the moment.
Upon returning to Linjiang City, the car stopped at an abandoned villa in the suburbs, where Hu Jiu dragged out a Golden Corpse Bag.
"Your taste is truly unique~" Yue Renchun glanced at the Haunted House with surprise, took the body bag, examined it, and turned to leave this creepy place.
"Wait!" Hu Jiu called out to him.
"Is there anything else?" Yue Renchun was in a hurry to get back and control the new ghost, not wanting to waste any more time.
Hu Jiu reached out his hand without saying a word.
Yue Renchun understood immediately, rolled his eyes, and pulled an empty Golden Corpse Bag from his backpack.
The distant sky was strangely dark. After seeing Yue Renchun off, ignoring the ringing of the Satellite Phone, Hu Jiu hurriedly returned home. He had finally obtained the Ghost Pen he had been coveting for so long, and it was time for him to take the next step!
He didn't specifically go to the Golden Safe House because it was out of responsibility to others; if he failed, the safe house would limit his loss of control.
Based on the principle of "I don't care what happens after I die," he was determined to cause trouble at home!
The process of controlling the Ghost Pen was much simpler than expected. To be precise, the Feather Pen was too proactive; as soon as it was freed from the Golden Container, it eagerly floated into Hu Jiu's hand.
A chilling coldness was felt in his palm. At first, the coldness was blocked on his body surface, but it quickly and laboriously flowed into his body through his palm. Hu Jiu felt as if a lot of "knowledge" had been stuffed into his mind all at once.
It hurts, it hurts so much!
It was as if a red-hot iron rod was stirring his brains haphazardly; his entire face contorted, veins bulged on his forehead, and his complexion slowly turned red, like a boiled shrimp.
How long has it been since he felt this way?
The feathers on the Ghost Pen transformed into fine needles, piercing deep into the skin of his palm. The Supernatural corroded his body, making him feel like a robot undergoing transformation.
With his headache subsiding slightly, Hu Jiu remained conscious and hurriedly opened the Ghost Book. Sure enough, the sentence "[This book will protect the holder Hu Jiu, from harm]" was gradually fading, leaving only a faint trace.
Hu Jiu tried hard to decipher the extra information in his mind, among which were the correct methods for using the Ghost Pen and Ghost Book.
--Write your real name on the title page with Ghost Pen, and drip your blood onto the cover to ensure the owner's uniqueness and prevent people with the same name from sharing the right to use it.
Just as Hu Jiu was about to do as instructed, the protective rules on the Ghost Book vanished first. At this moment, the greatest crisis was no longer the Ghost Pen and the Ghost Book, but the lurking Mirage Ghost!
The Mirage Ghost remained active, but was constantly suppressed by the Ghost Book. Hu Jiu was in a terrible state, giving him little time to react before half of his body went numb and he lost consciousness.
His soul seemed to have been ripped out, and he watched helplessly as one of his hands rapidly faded into nothingness, his legs faded into nothingness, his head faded into nothingness, and his entire body faded into nothingness!
In just a few seconds, most of his body turned into a three-dimensional projection-like image!
No, this situation cannot be allowed to worsen. Hu Jiu knew that if he didn't find a way to save himself, he would probably be doomed!
The arm holding the Feather Pen was still flesh and blood, and still had feeling. Hu Jiu used all her strength to struggle against the corner of the table, and her arm was cut open.
There were no streams of fresh blood, only a small amount of red liquid seeping from the flesh. He was no longer a normal person, but this amount of blood should be enough.
It was hastily smeared on the cover of the Ghost Book. The big eyeball darted around impatiently, and the surrounding blood vessels suddenly shot out like tentacles, piercing into Hu Jiu's wound.
In an instant, Hu Jiu regained a sense of his own body and, without any hesitation, seized the opportunity to sign his real name on the title page of the Ghost Book.
Tsk~, he never wrote such ugly characters even in kindergarten, crooked and messy, like Ghost-Drawing Talisman.
At that moment, he knew he had overcome the most difficult hurdle and become the master of the Ghost Book and the Ghost Pen.
The veins on the book did not detach from Hu Jiu; instead, they penetrated deeper into him. The feathers on the pen also dug deeply into his palm, as if trying to become one with him.
Hu Jiu was expressionless and not sweating, but he was unusually tired. He barely managed to move his body to the bathroom and use the mirror to observe his current appearance.
Under the soft light, the reflection in the mirror was eerie and terrifying.
His face was as pale as paper, covered with dense, black blood vessels. Half of his body was indistinct, and if an ordinary person saw it, they would probably scream in terror.
His human characteristics are diminishing.
"Great, I finally understand everything!" Hu Jiu murmured, a smile curving his lips.
When you come into contact with the Ghost Pen, a bunch of random information floods your mind. This is a manifestation of your consciousness being eroded, but it is also an inevitable path to mastering the Ghost Pen and the Ghost Book.
According to Qin Fangtong's description, the Ghost Pen possesses self-awareness. Although it affected Qin Fangtong's rationality to some extent, it did not possess her, take over her role, or turn her into a puppet.
She's just an ordinary little girl, how could she possibly control such a powerful Ghost Pen?
The answer is simple: it's not that Qin Fangtong is particularly skilled, but rather that the Ghost Pen itself has limitations.
--Everything I write reflects my needs, desires, thoughts, and ideas!
This is the basic rule of the Ghost Pen. Just like when Hu Jiu uses the Ghost Book, he will first write "protect the body and consciousness of the holder". It is unknown who made this rule of the Ghost Pen. Maybe it was one of its previous owners, or maybe it was the person who created it. There is no shortage of smart people in this world. When using the Supernatural of the Ghost Pen, one must be wary of its backlash.
The Ghost Pen's consciousness is almost like a low-level AI; its purpose is to assist the holder in using it. By making eye contact with the eyeball on the Ghost Book's cover, one can also perceive a consciousness similar to an infant's instinct. It and the Ghost Pen are like pieces of a puzzle, and their encounter produces unknown changes.
In short, they merged and became stronger.
This consciousness corrupted Hu Jiu, and he received a lot of chaotic information. He was still "Hu Jiu," but... he was slightly different from before.
Hu Jiu learned a lot from this information.
For example, the uses of the Ghost Pen and the Ghost Book are essentially the same, and most of their functions overlap, but their focuses are quite different.
The Ghost Pen is more inclined to "create something from nothing," using drawing or writing to create objects, rules, or concepts that do not exist in the real world;
Ghost Books, on the other hand, modify things that already exist in reality.
The two combined result in a weakened version of "Omnipotence".
Words written with Ghost Pen on Ghost Book will not fade or disappear unless the book is destroyed along with the writing.
Besides these, there are many other disorganized things, such as the idea of true "Omnipotence," and fragmented memories about Qin Fangtong...
Hu Jiu suppressed his curiosity and stopped looking into the compressed information package. The more he learned, the deeper the corruption would become, and before long his consciousness would merge with the consciousness of the Ghost Book Ghost Pen, becoming indistinguishable!
Before the situation became too serious, Hu Jiu promptly corrected his personality, wrote down the rules of his protective consciousness, cleared the clutter from his mind, and extinguished the self-awareness of the Ghost Book and Ghost Pen, ensuring that he was the sole master of the Ghost Book Ghost Pen, truly controlling them...
The brushstrokes flowed smoothly and effortlessly, without the slightest resistance.
An exaggerated smile curved her lips, and Hu Jiu felt her mind instantly clear.
After dealing with these minor troubles, next up is the Mirage Ghost!
Without hesitation, he wrote down the requirements for perfectly controlling the Mirage Ghost. He wanted to replace the Mirage Ghost's instincts with his own consciousness and become a vengeful Fierce Ghost with human thoughts!
He wants to abandon his human identity and completely embrace the Supernatural!
"Hehe, that's great..."
An eerie laugh echoed. The moment he stopped writing, Hu Jiu suddenly realized that his body had become unusually cold, and his breathing and heartbeat were rapidly slowing down.
He tried to move his joints; they felt light and weightless. At the same time, the Supernatural within him leaked out uncontrollably, and his five senses gradually expanded.
The surrounding environment remained unchanged, except that the light and shadow rippled slightly for a moment, adding a subtle and inexplicable meaning.
The Mirage Ghost Domain of the mirage, Mirage, silently blends into reality, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Hu Jiu felt he could easily unleash a vast ghostly Ghost Domain. He didn't suppress this instinct, and the Supernatural power spread wildly. In an instant, most of Linjiang City was shrouded in Mirage.
The vast majority of ordinary people are unaware of it; only a few people notice the slight anomaly, but they have no idea what has happened.
Hu Jiu was finally able to use the Ghost Domain at will. Not only that, within his Ghost Domain, he could transform Phantoms into physical entities, and he could also transform physical entities other than gold into Phantoms!
Without activating the Ghost Domain, he can only transform himself into Phantom, immune to physical attacks!
This is an ability with both an extremely high ceiling and an extremely high floor!
After his rebirth, he had been stagnant since obtaining both the Mirage Ghost and the Ghost Book, but now he has suddenly risen to the top!
Controlling ghosts is not like cultivating immortality; it doesn't require training, nor is it a linear progression. This kind of instant ascension is the most correct approach!
Within the Ghost Domain, Hu Jiu can see, hear, and perceive everything, and can instantly move to any location, altering the form of objects within the Ghost Domain.
No wonder those who Ghost Tamer Ghost Domains are arrogant and overbearing. The basic abilities of Ghost Domain are like those of Earthly Immortal; who wouldn't be confused if they possessed it?
The Mirage continued to spread outwards, and Hu Jiu sensed several Supernatural presences: one in Haunted House, one in the city center, and another...
What's going on?
The expansion of the Mirage was halted, as if it had suddenly hit a wall. Hu Jiu immediately withdrew his Ghost Domain, vaguely sensing that another large Ghost Domain seemed to be unfolding outside Linjiang City.
After considering it for a second, he Neglect the matter. Even if a Supernatural event occurred, he needed to familiarize himself with his abilities first so that he could handle Supernatural events more effectively in the future.
After testing the Ghost Domain, the next step is to test the Mirage Ghost's other ability—copying.
Previously, he had only copied the White Sash, the Ghost Hand, and the Looking-Up Ghost, not daring to be greedy for more, for fear of disrupting the balance between the Ghost Book and the Mirage Ghost and causing trouble for himself.
Now that his worries have been resolved, he has perfectly mastered the Mirage Ghost, using its Supernatural as fuel to power the Ghost Book and Ghost Pen, and using the power of the Ghost Book and Ghost Pen to protect his body and consciousness, forming a stable closed loop.
I'm not afraid of eating too much, I'm just afraid of not having enough food.
"What a pity about that Ghost Perfume." Hu Jiu sighed. Yue Renchun wasn't easily fooled.
Since his rebirth, he has imprisoned many Fierce Ghost but never handed them over to Headquarters. Now, these powers can finally be put to use!
Like opening a blind box, Hu Jiu excitedly opened a Golden Corpse Bag, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted out—it was Drunkard.
Without needing the Eerie Flashlight, Hu Jiu could now easily suppress the Drunkard on his own. After replicating and simulating the Drunkard's Supernatural, he had another sudden inspiration and opened his Ghost Domain again, placing the Drunkard in his own Mirage.
The Mirage Ghost's supernatural Supernatural begins to corrupt the Drunkard, attempting to transform him into Phantom.
The Drunkard's figure gradually blurred. At first, it was not difficult, but after the progress bar was halfway through, it became increasingly difficult. At this rate of transformation, Hu Jiu estimated that it would take an extremely long time.
What went wrong?
Could it be that the Mirage Ghost is incomplete?
Yes, he remembered that the Supernatural copied by the Mirage Ghost could only exert about 30% of the original's power. In the past, he had relied on the combined Supernatural of the Ghost Hand, the White Sash, and the Looking-Up Ghost to deal with Fierce Ghosts or Ghost Tamers, so he never felt that he was stretched thin.
But upon closer examination, why only 30% and not all?
Speaking of the ability to "copy," the first thing that comes to mind is Fierce Ghost in the form of a mirror. Although Mirages can also be copied, the core of it is still the word "illusion."
Today's gains were already more than enough. Even if he couldn't turn the Fierce Ghost into Phantom, Hu Jiu wasn't discouraged. He could always find another way later.
Unfortunately, he had never heard of anyone controlling a similar ghost in his previous life.
I opened another blind box and barely recognized the face. Hmm... it should be Wu Xuan, a member of the Beifeng Commune, but her abilities are unknown.
It's still an unknown ghost, brought back from the last raid on Beifeng Commune. Hu Jiu doesn't mind copying it first; there will be plenty of opportunities to test it later. Anyway, the entire Linjiang City is his experimental field.