Changes in the Attire Forbidden Area

After returning from the foot of the mountain, Qi Yuan let out a sigh of relief.

"Good thing no one suspects me!"

"Soaring Sky Pavilion is way too awesome! Last night, an expert even flattened Black Mountain Sect's entire mountaintop!"

"I wonder which Divine Infant Old Monster made a move. Did anyone from our Shinguang Sect go?"

"Sure enough, most people's attention is on the Purple Bamboo Body now!"

"Even if Black Chicken Old Demon comes out, he probably won't be able to find the culprit."

Qi Yuan muttered to himself.

Night fell.

Qi Yuan entered the game world once more.

The first thing he did was chat with his online friend, Jin Li.

In the current Nanqian Kingdom, on the day Aunt Qin answered the challenge, she revealed Emperor-level strength and utterly defeated Nanfeng Nation's National Teacher.

Nanqian Kingdom's Grand Chancellor, Sima Ting, looked exceedingly grim.

Jin Li's short-term task had been completed.

But the crisis had yet to be resolved.

"I've never been a qualified ruler."

"Once the turmoil in Nanqian settles, I... want to leave Nanqian. What do you think?"

Through the Exquisite Jade Tide, Jin Li sent these words to Qi Yuan.

She clutched the jade tide tightly, feeling somewhat uneasy inside.

This time, more than ten breaths passed before Qi Yuan's message came through.

Jin Li hurriedly looked at it.

"What's so fun about being an emperor? Once the task is done, just leave!

Why not come grind monsters with me? That'd be much more fun!"

When she saw the final sentence, a faint smile curled across Jin Li's lips.

"Alright, with you."

That unqualified Empress suffered from insomnia again that night, tossing and turning.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan, the instigator behind it all, had once again taken up his Great Treasure Sword and begun his time of slaughter.

But when he stepped deep into the Attire Forbidden Area, Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"Something's wrong."

He sensed that today's Attire Forbidden Area was somewhat different from usual.

On a crooked-necked tree, more than half the branches had snapped off, exposing jagged, barb-like breaks. A section of gray trouser leg hung from them.

"This wasn't... my doing."

"Are there other people?"

The monsters Qi Yuan killed would ultimately turn to ashes and become his experience.

There was no way they would end up more than half shattered like this.

His gaze grew grave, and he became even more cautious.

After all, this world had treacherous ministers like Sima Ting. There had to be other human NPCs as well.

Perhaps there was such an NPC within the Attire Forbidden Area.

Qi Yuan carefully observed the area.

Yet he found only several severed Clothing Monsters.

The other Clothing Monsters were the same as usual.

Qi Yuan hesitated. "Should I keep killing?"

If he did not get to the bottom of this, he could not settle his mind.

Unfortunately, even after sneaking about all night, he failed to discover anything unusual.

The Clothing Monsters of the Attire Forbidden Area were just as they had always been, hanging from the trees in silence like ghosts.

"Could I just be scaring myself?"

Qi Yuan withdrew from the depths of the Attire Forbidden Area and decided to dig a pit.

After all, whenever he was afraid, hiding beneath the covers made the fear vanish.

According to the First Principle of Ghosts, ghosts could not harm people hiding beneath a blanket.

Qi Yuan decided to hide in the pit first.

The space inside the pit was cramped and sealed on all sides, like certain special spots in battle royale games that could give people a false sense of security.

Cool moonlight washed over the trees. Not far away, half of a green robe hung suspended, its torn fabric looking as though it had been shredded by an animal's claws. When the wind blew, the half-robe fluttered.

Using the Great Treasure Sword, Qi Yuan quickly dug a pit.

He immediately crawled into it.

Seeing dirt on all sides and no other open space, Qi Yuan felt greatly reassured. "Sure enough, this feels much better. All that's left is to seal the entrance."

He rose, preparing to block the entrance and bury himself underground.

But when he lifted his head, he immediately met a pair of deep, hollow eyes!

At the mouth of the pit was a head, silently staring at Qi Yuan.

That head seemed to be wearing a mask, half black and half white. The white half looked like a cold corpse whose face had been caked with three layers of powder by a novice mortician trying desperately to restore the deceased's expression—yet it was still bone-chilling.

"You fucking have no martial virtue!"

Qi Yuan was startled!

Anyone about to sleep who suddenly looked up and saw a pair of eyes staring intently at them without saying a word, just watching quietly, would have reacted exactly as Qi Yuan did.

Overlord Power!

The instant he saw this creature, Qi Yuan's first reaction was to unleash Overlord Power.

In an instant, Qi Yuan's strength skyrocketed wildly.

Twice, three times, four times, five times!

Overlord Power truly was tyrannical power.

With Overlord Power activated, he charged straight at the unknown creature.

"Kill!"

The Great Treasure Sword cleaved down.

Beneath the mask, Qi Yuan caught a glimpse of red.

The unknown creature continued staring at Qi Yuan.

A trace of eerie strangeness appeared in its eyes.

A cloud of red gas, like chemical fumes released from a gas canister, surged toward Qi Yuan.

Only then did Qi Yuan see the unknown creature's full appearance.

A black-and-white masked face, clothing made of intertwined white and red strips of cloth, and within one sleeve, a pale human arm. Its fingernails, however, were long and black as ink.

Lord of the Fallen Forbidden Area, Ugly Clothing Monster Emperor, Level 95.

A big boss?

Ah!

Qi Yuan thrust forward with the Great Treasure Sword.

Empowered by Overlord Power, this strike was enough to injure a Level 90 monster.

Yet this strike only forced the unknown creature back half a step.

At that moment, the red gas seeped into Qi Yuan's body.

Qi Yuan instantly felt his body stiffen.

Those red vapors seemed to turn into crimson threads, binding his internal organs and turning him into a puppet on strings.

"This one's tough. Run!"

Level 95!

He was only Level 88, seven levels below this Lord of the Fallen Forbidden Area, with an entire major rank between them.

Didn't that mean he had to run immediately?

Yet after learning that the other party was the Lord of the Fallen Forbidden Area, Qi Yuan actually relaxed.

An NPC. If it had a health bar, he could kill it!

Of course, he still had to run for now!

Qi Yuan ran at full speed, pushing Overlord Power to its limit.

Meanwhile, the Ugly Clothing Monster Emperor merely followed from afar, seemingly in no hurry to catch Qi Yuan.

After running for who knew how long, Qi Yuan's body was drained dry, and he felt Great Void.

He also noticed that the Ugly Clothing Monster Emperor was no longer pursuing him.

He let out a sigh of relief.

After running several hundred more miles—

"No, I need to dig a pit and sleep right away. My body's been hollowed out—I can't take it anymore."

He hurriedly picked up the Great Treasure Sword, ready to dig a pit.

But then he froze.

"Is this a graveyard?"

"A mass grave?"

"Whatever. If I don't start digging, I'll be forcibly logged out!"

"Gentlemen, lend me your auspicious resting place. We'll be neighbors for just one night."

A thin mist hung over the mass grave. Abandoned tombstones lay toppled, and lush crown daisies grew over one burial mound. Beneath them was a hole, where white centipedes with densely packed tiny legs could be seen.

Qi Yuan found a spot farther away from the graves and dug a large pit.

What Qi Yuan was thankful for was that he hadn't dug into a neighbor's home.

He hurriedly filled the pit back in, then lay down in a comfortable position.

But as he closed his eyes, he felt as though he had touched something slick.

"Don't tell me I touched that old man's skull?"

With that thought in mind, Qi Yuan logged off.

His body atop Seven Colors Peak could no longer hold on either and sank into sleep.

Attire Forbidden Area, within the graveyard. Half an hour later.

The sounds of firecrackers and gongs rang out at that moment.

It seemed like a funeral procession, yet also like a wedding procession.

A group of Clothing Monsters emerged from the thick fog in a grand procession. They danced and gestured wildly, setting their own clothes ablaze.

The graveyard blazed with lights as the Clothing Monsters danced.

PS: During the new book period, please keep reading, everyone! It affects the trial run and recommendations—please, I'm begging you!

Thanks to Cultivation Chat Group for the reward and for following along! Thank you!