Mysterious Revival

At this moment, Yang Jian hadn't expected that when he entered the market to search for Xiao Yuan and Lin Xiaoxi's traces, he would end up becoming the most endangered person himself.

Strange things were closing in from all directions, all of which were terrifying supernatural incidents that he had experienced before, as if the fears in his heart had manifested in the dream, leaving no room to escape.

The old man who looked just like the Door Knocking Ghost, the woman holding the infant Hungry Ghost, the heavy coffin carried out from a nearby shop—he couldn't be sure whether a Ghost Envoy would emerge from it... All these were nothing, the deadliest was a figure blocking the path in front of him, dressed in red clothes, wearing a red head covering, resembling a girl about to be married.

The Ghost Bride.

The nightmare within nightmares, Yang Jian had briefly made contact with this entity before. Back then, the three layers of the Ghost Domain couldn't prevent the Ghost Bride from killing, and the ghost painting possibly related to the Ghost Bride even suppressed his ghostly eye so much that it couldn't be opened.

Facing this entity, it was impossible not to be afraid.

"There is only one real ghost within the dream, the rest are false and can be killed," Yang Jian gritted his teeth, didn't move rashly, gripping the knife he had just picked up from a stall tightly in his hand.

At this point, he had no choice but to fight desperately.

Even though he now had only one hand and had lost the strength of the ghost within him, his mindset and discipline remained. Waiting for death was out of the question.

"These strange people approaching me should all be fake, illusory, but not necessarily all fake, some could be real... The real ghost is hidden among these entities and will definitely take advantage of my distraction to act against me and kill me here."

Although Yang Jian was a bit panicked at the beginning, he had now become exceptionally calm.

Because for him, this was also an opportunity.

An opportunity to turn the tables and kill the ghost right here.

As long as the real ghost in the dream was killed, the nightmare would end. This was the rule that Xiao Yuan and Lin Xiaoxi had figured out before.

But now Yang Jian's only worry was whether the ghost in the dream really was that easy to deal with?

Knowing that the dream had already moved into its mid to late stages, according to the logic of the dream, the later the ghost appears, the more terrifying it becomes, and in the end, you may be no match for it at all.

"The Door Knocking Ghost, the Ghost Infant, or the Ghost Coffin... or perhaps the Ghost Bride," Yang Jian scanned swiftly back and forth.

The knife in his hand got tighter.

It seemed to be a random choice, but he didn't believe that was the case because the ghosts here were very familiar with his memory. If a ghost were to approach him to make a move, it would choose a target that he was least likely to notice.

The Door Knocking Ghost?

Definitely not, he had already slashed that guy with a knife. If it were the ghost, it would not have pursued him.

The Ghost Infant?

Or the woman holding the Ghost Infant?

Yang Jian's gaze flickered; this was a high possibility. In addition, the likelihood of it being the Ghost Bride wasn't small either.

Among these many eerie entities, the one he dared not get close to the most was the Ghost Bride, and also the tall male corpse that had appeared in the market before—a terrifying existence even in real life, endowed with the freakish ability to kill any ghost manipulator.

But within the time of contemplation, the strange people around had already approached within ten meters of Yang Jian.

"Excuse me, excuse me, let me through," a voice rang out. It was the Coffin Shop owner, followed by the coffin being carried over by five or six people from inside the shop, looking like they wanted to pass by his side on their way to somewhere.

Dangerous people and things were closing in.

The bustling, seemingly normal market, in fact, held danger and horror.

"Do it."

Yang Jian clenched his teeth, unwilling to think any further. He felt that the ghost here was onto his style of doing things: think first, then act, causing him to miss out on some crucial opportunities. Thus, he decided to change, to become impulsive and reckless.

In the dream, whether they were people or ghosts, they could all be killed. With that in mind, why think any farther?

Suddenly, he charged out like a thug.

His first target was the Ghost Bride.

The best way to face fear was to exterminate it, to butcher this red-garbed spectral being first and erase it from his nightmares forever.

Yang Jian's remaining hand tightly gripped the sharp knife, feeling his blood boiling, his heartbeat quickening, as if he was killing for the first time, just like an ordinary person. Logically, this feeling should not have appeared anymore. After all, influenced by the ghost, if he were to really kill someone, he wouldn't so much as blink, just like stepping on an ant.

"That's right. Without the influence of a ghost, this is the real me... So I can feel nervous, afraid, excited. My instincts, subconsciousness, before now had all been influenced and suppressed by evil ghosts. Now that I've broken free from their influence and entered the dream, these latent elements within me have emerged."

Yang Jian's eyes turned slightly red as he suddenly sprang to kill.

He charged towards the person dressed up like the Ghost Bride, and without any hesitation, thrust the sharp knife directly at it.

Not precise, yet fierce and ruthless.

After all his experiences, his growth was clearly evident. He might not be able to compare with his cousin, who killed without batting an eyelid, but at least he was tough.

The sharp knife easily pierced through the body of the Ghost Bride, penetrating the clothes and sinking deep inside.

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The sensation of flesh being torn apart transmitted clearly, making one feel alienated, yet it allowed the release of some of one's negative emotions.

Is this what it feels like to stab a ghost oneself?

At that moment, Yang Jian no longer feared the Ghost Bride, feeling a kind of indifference towards life and death.

This state, to put it more colloquially, was a blood frenzy.

"Thud!" Contrary to what he had imagined, no abnormality occurred; after being stabbed, the Ghost Bride swayed and eventually collapsed to the ground, blood flowing, staining the surroundings red.

She did not attack Yang Jian, nor did she resist, like a hollow shell, bearing the image of a Ghost Bride but not the terrifying and eerie abilities of a malevolent spirit, so in the dream, she was wounded and died.

However, the fall of the Ghost Bride did not stop others from continuing to approach.

It seemed that her death did not affect the outcome that Yang Jian would be continuously attacked.

"Not a ghost? Then keep killing," Yang Jian grew bolder and did not lose his rationality.

Without any words, he clutched the sharp knife and set his sights on the woman holding the Ghost Infant.

The Ghost Infant was a ghost, and the woman was not human; they should not be treated as normal, so there was no sense of guilt or shame, so Yang Jian charged again, taking advantage of this moment to eliminate as many as he could. The fewer people around, the higher the probability of ghosts remaining, thus securing his safety.

As Yang Jian advanced to kill, the woman did not run away, but the Ghost Infant in her arms let out a piercing scream, as if it were a real malevolent spirit, chilling to the bone.

But these things could not stop Yang Jian's actions; he quickly dispatched both the woman and the blackish-green dead infant.

His breathing was heavy.

His killing intent was rising.

Yang Jian seemed to release the fear and caution he usually reserved for malevolent spirits, feeling an inexplicable sense of exhilaration, trembling with it at the moment.

It was not fear, but excitement.

At this moment, he set his gaze on the Door Knocking Ghost elder who had sold him the knife.

This was his third target.

Knife in hand, Yang Jian charged again, ready to dispose of the old man in this nightmare.

But at this moment, it didn't go as smoothly; as Yang Jian rushed forward, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his body. Strangely close by, an unfamiliar person carrying a Ghost Coffin appeared beside him, holding a long Coffin Nail that pierced through Yang Jian's body and into his abdomen.

Blood gushed freely, and his bodily strength seemed to be drained at that moment.

Yang Jian turned to look.

He saw a stiff and unfamiliar face, identical to the one on the previous Ghost Rope, but there was something different about it. The previous faces were numb, dead, but this face had some undeserved human-like emotions, revealing a strange smile.

How peculiar this face was.

"Is this guy a ghost in the dream?"

Yang Jian instantly woke up, and though wounded, clenched his teeth and growled, mustering all his strength for a desperate fight.

If he could just dispatch this fellow, waking up from the nightmare, any severe wound would no longer be a problem.

But the person with the eerie expression seemed to sense the danger and retreated quickly, avoiding Yang Jian and widening the gap as if this ghost had been killed in this way before in a past moment. Thus, it learned, it grew, it would not make the same mistake again, shrewd beyond belief.

His desperate fight fell flat.

Yang Jian stumbled and collapsed on the ground, his wounds worsening, his blood being drained.

That moment the knife-selling old man approached, but he did not attack Yang Jian; instead, he took the knife from Yang Jian's hand and left without a word.

Yang Jian wanted to stop him but lacked the strength.

His injury was too severe, with the long Coffin Nail still embedded in his body.

It seemed the ghost of the dream now stood by, stiff, the lifeless face bearing a bizarre smile.

The ghost did not approach but waited for Yang Jian to take his last breath.

It was excessively cautious, careful.

It also seemed to have figured out all of Yang Jian's traits; therefore, it masqueraded as a Coffin Carrier, bearing a Ghost Coffin, while in Yang Jian's mind, he thought the Ghost Bride was dangerous, the Hungry Ghost was dangerous, the Door Knocking Ghost was dangerous... In reality, none were. The real danger lurked in an inconspicuous corner.

"This guy..." Although severely wounded and lying on the ground, Yang Jian was not dead, his consciousness was very clear.

Watching the ghost not far ahead, he felt anger.

But also a sense of powerlessness.

So, this was the nature of the nightmare; humans and ghosts alike were extremely fragile, a single stab robbing them of all ability to act.

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