Chapter 1409: Chapter 1376: The Manor

“Is it that manor ahead?”

Standing on a hilltop, Yang Jian gazed into the distance. His Ghost Eyes turned, disregarding the Black Night’s obstruction, allowing him to see a manor nestled far away. That manor was eerie, with its vision distorted in many areas within the sight of the Ghost Eyes, and most parts possessed no light at all. It seemed as though the entire estate was steeped in darkness.

Nearby the manor, large stretches of land were planted with various crops: corn, grapes, tomatoes… Yet, these crops grew strangely, seemingly deformed under supernatural influence. For instance, the corn stalks were withered and yellow, resembling shriveled arms standing in the soil. The grapevine leaves had fallen, the old vines appeared like a shriveled and twisted corpse, while the tomatoes grew lushly, yet their fruits were rotten and decayed, giving off an air of decay.

And among these crops stood formidable scarecrows, wearing human clothes, donning straw hats, tied to cruciform wooden frames, gently swaying in the wind.

The number of scarecrows was vast; at least a hundred surrounded the manor.

“I once killed a ghost handler, whose body was a scarecrow; he seemed to be called Liao Fan. Earlier still, I recall ordinary passengers mentioning eerie scarecrows when I first took the supernatural bus… Moreover, the headquarters archives don’t record related supernatural files.”

Yang Jian recalled past events in his mind, searching for information about the scarecrows, and indeed, he found some relevant details.

“These scarecrows standing near the manor are likely a form of supernatural protection, blocking other ghost handlers from entering.”

With this thought, he vanished from the spot alone.

When he reappeared, Yang Jian had arrived at the gates of the manor.

The manor gate, full of rust, appeared dilapidated and on the verge of collapse, but the few pale letters above pieced together the name of this manor: Terror Manor.

According to Dai Sen’s intelligence, this King from the King Organization is referred to as the Terrifying Manor Lord, a mysterious ghost handler. What makes him mysterious is that anyone entering the Terror Manor never emerges alive. This manor has become taboo locally, with no one willing to venture here, even avoiding driving past by detouring.

In reality, the rumors about Terror Manor go beyond this. As Dai Sen investigated, the Manor Lord himself is also a terrifying ghost handler. When the manor was established, it absorbed many ghost handlers with nowhere to turn. Those who joined the Terror Manor are called gardeners locally, and at one time, the Manor Lord led a group of gardeners to hunt ghost handlers across nations, aiming to obtain the supernatural from them.

After that prolonged hunt, the names of the Terrifying Manor Lord and his gardeners were thoroughly established, solidifying a powerful reputation and status. Later, with the formation of the King Organization, Terror Manor naturally joined, becoming a ’King’ due to its formidable strength and influence.

The intelligence isn’t detailed, lacking the specific name and supernatural ability information of the Terrifying Manor Lord.

But it doesn’t matter.

Yang Jian wants the position of this ’King.’ As for supernatural abilities, they’ll become clear during the confrontation, especially since the other party doesn’t know his specific ability either.

Ignoring the old iron gate.

Yang Jian, holding a red spear, walked into this terrifying manor.

Upon entering the manor, he immediately felt as if he had stepped into a perilous Ghost Domain. Everything around him underwent strange transformations; the original farm seemed infinitely expanded, making its end invisible. A few scattered street lamps dotted the land, casting the crucified scarecrows in a sinister and terrifying light.

“This Manor Lord has truly poor taste; to prevent enemy invasion, he deliberately lets fierce ghosts wander within the manor, forming a supernatural domain.” Yang Jian’s Ghost Eyes slightly turned.

He looked at a nearby scarecrow.

The scarecrow originally hung its head, but then suddenly emitted a creaking sound, twisting its neck, gazing at Yang Jian’s location.

As the scarecrow lifted its head, Yang Jian realized the scarecrow’s face was covered with a piece of human skin peeled from a dead face, with a name carved on it using a sharp tool: Jenny.

This should be a female name, simultaneously representing the identity of the human skin, proving that a woman named Jenny was once hunted and her facial skin taken as the Manor Lord’s trophy, then sewn onto the scarecrow.

Body, permanently standing in the manor, used to deter other enemies.

Yang Jian looked at the other scarecrows, and indeed, another scarecrow’s face was also covered with human skin, with a name similarly carved into it.

With continued observation, among the faces of these scarecrows, he saw various people—women, old people, Asians, and blacks.

Clearly, the Terror Manor Lord’s hunting disregards skin color or nationality.

“Truly a sinful place. Everything the Manor Lord does is as bloody and cruel as this country’s founding history. No wonder lands like this breed existences like the King Organization.” Yang Jian walked within the manor with an expressionless face, unaffected internally, yet harboring bursts of killing intent.

For previously, when he first became a ghost handler, he too was hunted. With growth, he’s come to realize all stems from foreign organizations.

The Terror Manor Lord is absolutely not the originator; he’s merely a reflection. Yang Jian believes there were quite a few organizations pursuing ghost handler hunting in the past, but with the establishment of ghost handler headquarters across countries, such hunts gradually restrained. At this moment, as Yang Jian continued forward, the scarecrows began moving more intensely within the manor.

Previously, the scarecrows merely lifted their heads to stare at Yang Jian, but in a moment, they struggled to jump off the crucifix one by one.

Some scarecrows emitted piercing screams, others wielded weapons like scythes, axes, and baseball bats from who knows where, rapidly approaching Yang Jian.

“These scarecrows serve as a warning, to prevent ordinary people from entering the manor. Simultaneously, in such numbers, they can drain some less powerful ghost handlers.” Yang Jian glanced around, roughly grasping the situation.

“Anyway, I don’t plan to sneaking in.”

The next moment.

The Ghost Eyes scanned, and the dark manor suddenly seemed ignited, as terrifying Ghost Flames burst into blaze.

All nearby scarecrows were ignited at this moment, emitting eerie green flames that couldn’t be easily extinguished or shaken off, capable of burning the supernatural.

The scarecrows, like living humans, screamed in agony, then were consumed entirely by the Ghost Flames.

Moreover, the remaining Ghost Flame continued to burn, spreading out in all directions, with its range increasingly expanding.

From a distance, it looked as though the entire Terror Manor had been set ablaze.

“Yang Jian has made his move. He wants to burn down the entire Terror Manor.”

From afar, Wang Yong saw this and his eyelids twitched. This action was too bold; once word spreads, if the battle isn’t concluded quickly, leaving will be far from easy for them.

“My heavens, he’s burning the manor? The Manor Lord will lead his gardeners to kill him.” Dai Sen exclaimed beside him.

Wang Yong said, “Perhaps it will be us who wins.”

He glanced in another direction.

A woman dressed in a red wedding gown stood eerily motionless there, her silhouette blurred and elusive, difficult to discern.’

He Yuelian hadn’t taken action, as she was waiting for Yang Jian’s signal.

The Ghost Flames burned recklessly, such a commotion was bound to draw the attention of the Terror Manor.

Nevertheless, the castle in the middle of the manor remained calm, without any stir, as if those inside the manor were oblivious to what was happening outside.

In truth, however, under Yang Jian’s Ghost Eye surveillance, every window of the manor’s castle had a person standing there, motionless, with eerie expressions, all staring fixedly at Yang Jian.

A brief scan revealed at least twenty figures at the castle’s windows.

These people were probably the gardeners Dai Sen mentioned, the Ghost tamers under the Manor Lord’s command.

Yet, no gardener rushed out to stop Yang Jian’s actions.

Because, at the moment Yang Jian reached the manor gate, his identity was already exposed.

“Confirming it’s the Captain from the Asia headquarters, Ghost Eye Yang Jian?” A hoarse voice rang out at a ten-meter dining table.

It was a man in his fifties, slightly older in appearance, with yellowed teeth mechanically chewing, savoring a slice of tender yet bloody steak.

“Yes, sir.”

Beside him, a butler slightly bowed and said, “The intruder’s identity is confirmed, so I have instructed all gardeners to stay inside the castle, refraining from stopping his insolent actions.”

“You have done well; the gardeners are no match for a Captain, especially since the opponent is one of the most formidable Captains. This formidable Captain suddenly appeared in my manor, clearly indicating he intends to hunt me, just as they hunted that Captain named Zhang Jun. Yang Jian has already declared war; at this moment, he is eager to use a King’s head to intimidate others.”

“Though this was in the plan, I never expected him to choose me. Is it because he thinks this King is easier to deal with?”

The Manor Lord’s voice grew increasingly hoarse, tinged with a sinister tone, instilling fear.

At this moment, the butler became tense.

He feared not Yang Jian outside, but this person beside him.

“Sir, we should immediately notify others. If possible, keeping this guest within the manor will make subsequent actions much easier, wouldn’t you agree?” The Official Family said.

The Manor Lord pondered for a moment, then asked, “How many gardeners do we have left here?”

“Twenty-six.”

“Notify others to come here quickly, hoping their speed will suffice as I don’t wish to resolve everything here before they arrive. I wouldn’t hesitate to withhold handing over Yang Jian’s corpse.”

This fifty-something Manor Lord wiped his dry lips and then stood up.

But before he could finish speaking.

The surrounding walls suddenly became damp, an abundant stream of water seeped in, even droplets were drizzling from overhead.

The water seepage didn’t disperse; rather, it aggregated, quickly forming a pool of water, which spread across, seemingly trying to submerge this place.

“This isn’t ordinary standing water…” The butler’s face changed dramatically.

The next moment.

Numerous cold, pale hands suddenly reached out from the pool, grabbing the butler’s legs, pulling him into the water.

At this time, the Manor Lord took action; he extended a withered arm, lifting the butler, and the countless pale hands beneath the water seemed to recoil, splashing water everywhere.

“Stay away from this water.” The Manor Lord tossed the butler onto the dining table, then emotionlessly stepped onto the water and walked out.

The frigid water couldn’t submerge his feet, nor could it pull him down into the water.

Moreover, with each step, a black footprint was left on the water’s surface, a footprint significantly larger than his actual size.

It was as though someone else was walking.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com

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