Chapter 853: Chapter 820 The Erosion of Consciousness

Yang Jian stood motionless on the road in Mingyue Community.

Everything around him was covered with a layer of red light, the entire world had fallen into a deathly silence, reality itself was affected, plunging into an even deeper level of the Ghost Domain.

The only thing not affected was the nearby building whose lights were gradually going out.

Besides that.

Under Yang Jian’s feet, a dark shadow was incessantly spreading outwards, that shadow was a twisted and eerie one, eroding everything around it, and even the Ghost Domain of the ghost eye could not block this influence.

He wasn’t taking any action at the moment.

Because the complete Ghost Shadow was currently invading his body.

This process was unstoppable; Yang Jian couldn’t just take a strike at the Ghost Shadow to peel it off from his body.

He was prepared, waiting for the final outcome to emerge.

To live.

Or to die.

The ethereal sound of the Eight-Tone Music Box faintly echoed in his mind.

But Yang Jian’s body was gradually losing sensation…

It was as though he had been frozen by a chill, or as though control of his body was being stripped away by something.

“It’s coming.”

Yang Jian took a slight breath, feeling tense even in his current emotionless state.

This was yet another gamble with life at stake.

Just like the last time in Dachang City when he tried to commit suicide by hanging.

And it was even more dangerous.

Since there were so many Supernatural Powers within Yang Jian, any loss of control from any side was fatal. This was more perilous than walking a tightrope, and the whole process was irreversible; he had to do it.

Suddenly.

Yang Jian’s slightly reddish eyes suddenly darkened, his pupils eroded by a layer of profound darkness, a cold and dreadful consciousness burrowed into his mind.

At this moment, he felt his consciousness being swallowed by something.

As if sinking into the depths of darkness, unable to struggle, unable to resist.

Indeed.

The consciousness of the living is too fragile for a malevolent ghost, merely a touch made Yang Jian feel as if he was about to pass out, completely disappear from this world.

However, this outcome was predictable for him.

Yang Jian did not consider himself special, capable of resisting the invasion of the Ghost Shadow’s consciousness, what he relied on was another type of Supernatural Power.

The curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box.

Strange, crisp, ethereal bell sounds echoed.

Yang Jian’s consciousness was muddled, like being anesthetized and wanting to completely fall asleep, but this ringing kept echoing, always pulling him back from the brink of unconsciousness, maintaining a trace of clarity.

The first wave of confrontation seemed to hold up.

As planned, the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box protected Yang Jian’s consciousness, preventing it from being eroded by the Ghost Shadow.

But this was just the beginning.

The collision of Supernatural Powers was extremely dangerous, and his consciousness was very fragile; any mishap could cause him to vanish, to die, during this confrontation.

Or else, his consciousness might be altered, eventually twisted into a foreign personality.

By then, whether Yang Jian was alive would no longer be important; if his consciousness was altered, it was no different from being dead.

But even understanding this, he still went through with it.

The situation before was too dangerous; the appearance of three ghosts, forced into a corner with no way out, he had to open the Eight-Tone Music Box.

And once the Eight-Tone Music Box was opened, in order to resist the curse, Yang Jian had to rely on the power of the complete Ghost Shadow.

Therefore, it wasn’t something Yang Jian could just stop if he wanted to; dealing with malevolent spirits was a road of no return, he could only forge ahead grimly. With some luck, one might continue to live on, continue to explore the powers of malevolent ghosts, finding hope to survive. With bad luck, one might already be a decaying corpse at this time.

Throughout his journey, Yang Jian had seen too many ghost handlers die halfway.

“Not good.”

All of a sudden.

Yang Jian’s body trembled, and his head felt a sharp, intense pain. This pain was rapidly intensifying, as if something was burrowing into his consciousness.

At the same time, many memories that didn’t belong to him kept surfacing in his mind…

These memories were neither his own nor the malevolent spirits’, but of the ordinary people from Dachuan City who had been invaded by the malevolent spirits.

Among these people were men, women, the elderly, and children, with all sorts of chaotic memories–some good, some bad.

His consciousness was about to blend with these memories, becoming a part of them.

This was not an invasion, but a fusion.

“Ah!”

Yang Jian, who normally didn’t fear pain much, now clutched his head and let out a terrible scream.

This was a cry from the depths of the soul, a pain that no person could endure. Though his body was still intact, it felt as if he was being torn apart.

Different kinds of pain emerged one after another.

This pain, this confusion and fusion of memories, even seemed to blur the sound of the Eight-Tone Music Box’s music.

For the first time.

This was the first time Yang Jian collapsed to the ground in agony.

Ghost Shadow took control of his body, and due to the influence of the pain, Ghost Shadow trembled, twisting his body completely out of shape into unimaginable postures.

Such contortion was impossible for a living person; a slight twist and their spine would break, their bones would shatter, and they would die a gruesome death.

But not Yang Jian.

As his body twisted and broke, Ghost Shadow was repairing it.

However, the terrible screams were real.

The sound sent chills down one’s spine.

“What’s happening to Yang Jian?” Yang Xiaohua, who had survived, felt a chill all over as she looked around and saw the grotesquely contorted Yang Jian on the ground.

“Is he being attacked by a malevolent spirit? Aren’t you his companion? You should help him; if he dies, it will be difficult for us to survive too.”

After so much.

Yang Xiaohua had long lost her previous arrogance, feeling that Yang Jian was incredibly important, and that survival hinged on depending on him.

Li Yang’s face was dark, as ghastly as a corpse, emanating a cold aura.

“I can’t help. Just like stealing supernatural powers and controlling malevolent spirits, the gap between me and the captain is too big. Just like Li Leping, if he had a problem, nobody could deal with it. Similarly, if Yang Jian has a problem, I can’t handle it either,” he said.

“What should we do?” Yang Xiaohua’s eyes widened, feeling her heart tremble.

The glimmer of hope that had just arisen was about to be extinguished again.

Since coming to this city, many people around her had died. Liu Mingxin was dead, Cai Yu was gone, Li Yi also died, and Leuk Qingqing disappeared without a trace… There were not many people left. If Yang Jian also died, the total annihilation here was a foreseeable outcome.

“Wait.”

Li Yang was still lucid as he said gravely, “Now, we can only wait. The captain has his own reasons for everything he does. Don’t underestimate us spirit controllers; those of us who have survived till now, each one is top-notch, and Yang Jian is the best of the best. So this loss of control and pain, I believe he has taken into account.”

“How can you have so much faith in him?” Yang Xiaohua asked.

Li Yang paused for a moment, did not answer her question, but scoffed, “A woman like you, after a few encounters with the captain, will lose her entire personality, ready to offer herself unconditionally in body and mind.”

“He can use supernatural powers to influence personality?” Yang Xiaohua asked in shock.

“No, it’s his personal charisma.”

Li Yang said coldly, “In the face of terrifying supernatural events, he brings hope. In a desert, ordinary people would give up everything for a sip of water, so how many do you think could keep their sense of self in such situations? Faced with malevolent spirits, it’s hard enough for ordinary people to keep their sanity from collapsing. Once they meet Yang Jian, get cared for, saved a few times, it’s hardly possible not to fall.”

“Women like you, I’ve seen several by the captain’s side, each one utterly devoted, impossible to shake off. But you’re a bit inferior… not as pretty, and your figure isn’t quite as good.”

“Aren’t you concerned about the captain’s safety now?”

Yang Xiaohua bit her lip and said, “I just don’t want to die, so I’m asking. Do you think I could fall for such a person? What do you take me for? If it weren’t for this ghostly situation, I wouldn’t spare such a person a glance.”

“You wouldn’t now, but soon you’ll convince yourself you would. People are experts at deceiving themselves, and sometimes you don’t need to like someone–if you just want to survive, that’s enough. And the captain can make you survive. Once you start thinking like that, he will become an inseparable part of your life, like air, food, and water.”

“By then, you’ll revere him like a god.”

“Why are you so sure about me?” Yang Xiaohua said.

“Because that’s how I revere him.”

Li Yang looked at Yang Jian not far away, his face calm, but his heart was also very anxious, fearing an accident would befall Yang Jian.

Yang Xiaohua fell silent.

Although she wouldn’t admit it, the harrowing screams of Yang Jian outside inexplicably tugged at her heartstrings.

Deep inside, she really didn’t want to see this annoying person die.

After all, he had truly saved her, more than once.

Is this what Li Yang referred to as her respecting him?

She didn’t know why

but a bizarre thought popped into Yang Xiaohua’s mind.

If there ever came a moment when Yang Jian wanted to have some sort of relation with her, would she refuse, or agree…

However, the thought startled her.

Because she didn’t feel any resistance at all, and was even somewhat willing.

“Damn it, what am I thinking?” Yang Xiaohua slapped herself, trying not to have these wild thoughts.

It’s all Li Yang’s fault.

She thought that her personality had been affected and had to test herself.

The result was clear.

Yang Xiaohua wasn’t under the influence of any supernatural power; she remained herself, clear-headed.

Meanwhile, Yang Jian’s screams continued, albeit slightly weakened.

Pain had started to numb him.

In Yang Jian’s consciousness, numerous memories had emerged–not of one or two individuals, but of thousands, tens of thousands.

Countless memories interwoven, a burden only a fierce ghost could bear.

Yang Jian was just an ordinary person, unable to bear such a burden he would go mad, or suffer a mental breakdown.

But the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box persisted, not allowing such an escape.

The curse protected him.

At the same time, it tortured him.

At this moment, Yang Jian even thought of death, of release.

No, it was not just a thought–he was desperate for immediate death.

To free himself from this torment, Yang Jian could let go of everything, abandon anything.

Hope was completely unnecessary.

But Yang Jian couldn’t do it.

Under the curse’s protection, his consciousness always retained a degree of clarity, but it was precisely this clarity that made him suffer the most terrible pain and torture imaginable.

It was as if it would never end.

As if he had plunged into the depths of hell.

The invasion of the Ghost Shadow continued, as did the muddle of memories.

This required a process.

While the process wasn’t long, supernatural struggles are always intense; yet for Yang Jian, every second felt like an eternity.

Yang Jian enduring this pain wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

He began to possess many memories, not his own, but indistinguishable from his.

This was the impact of the invasion by the Ghost Shadow.

As Yang Jian’s consciousness couldn’t be swallowed or altered, with the help of the Eight-Tone Music Box’s curse, he instead invaded the consciousness of the Ghost Shadow.

Yet, he was oblivious to this himself.

But if successful, he would take the path Li Leping never finished.

He would become a fierce ghost with the consciousness of a living person.

However, there were risks.

That was, if the Ghost Shadow Figure didn’t succumb, his consciousness couldn’t dominate everything, still controlled by the fierce ghost.

Even if he became a fierce ghost with a living person’s consciousness, he would still be a walking corpse, unable to regain action.

But now wasn’t the time to think about this.

Now was when Yang Jian had to endure the pain, to get through the agony of the fusion of countless memories.

The process was brutal.

All memories were forcibly stuffed into Yang Jian’s consciousness.

Ten minutes.

This process lasted a full ten minutes.

Only after ten minutes did Yang Jian, who was writhing on the ground, gradually calm down.

His convulsions weren’t as violent anymore, nor were his screams as piercing as before.

Everything began to settle down.

The vague, ethereal, and eerie bell sounds that had been unclear earlier now clarified in his mind once again.

And as the bell sounds became clearer, Yang Jian’s agony swiftly lessened.

But the cold, sinister presence still lingered in his mind, inescapable.

He felt entangled with another terrifying entity.

Being influenced at every moment.

It was the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box that allowed him to survive; without its protection, Yang Jian would die instantly.

The abnormal changes within the Mingyue Community wouldn’t stop due to the sudden outbreak and screams of Yang Jian.

“Hoo-hoo!”

The cold wind breezing gently around, the smell of sandalwood mingling with the stench of decay had already permeated the entire community, and everyone could smell this strange and unique odor.

Through the hollow, dim staircase windows,

a black and white figure moved, seemingly drifting silently down the stairs from outside.

At the same time, at a window,

a woman in a red cheongsam suddenly appeared, standing at the window with a complex expression and a numb face, looking outside.

She was Leuk Qingqing.

But her state was very odd.

As if still alive, yet controlled by something, unable to maintain her self, in an inexplicable state.

However, after pausing at the window for a moment, she too turned around and left.

Quickly.

Her figure also appeared in the staircase.

The red figure flickered.

Together with the black and white figure of the old person, they were leaving the building.

The ferocious ghost belonging to apartment 301 was being set free.

But that wasn’t the most terrifying part.

The most terrifying part was,

At this moment, in the room of apartment 301 where the wooden bed stood, there was no longer a body.

The bed was bare, the corpse vanished.

A gaunt, foul-smelling, frightening figure was standing dazedly in the living room, staring blankly at the painting hanging there.

It was a portrait painting.

But soon,

This gaunt, stinking body began to move again.

It wandered.

Roaming aimlessly through the rooms.

But the door of apartment 301 was open…

This most horrifying ghost might roam out of apartment 301 at any time, into Mingyue Community, into Dachuan City.