Valley Bottom Forest

A stinging sensation.

A slight stinging pain came from my chest.

The Forbidden Touch Old Man's cane pierced his skin, but perhaps because his thin arm didn't have much strength, the piercing stopped there.

What? This doesn't cause any harm at all.

When the thought crossed Jia Paer's mind, his arm reacted automatically, slapping away his cane.

His brain was racing at the same time, and many ideas about the Forbidden Touch Old Man came to mind in an instant, such as trying magic like the Heimo Hammer since the blade couldn't cut him.

All of these actions and thoughts were completed in an instant, just as a magic wand suddenly appeared in his hand, and the magical prototype of the Heimo Hammer appeared on the wand—

"!!!"

A strange feeling suddenly came from my chest.

The muscle memory formed from years of fighting allowed him to react automatically to various attacks without consciously controlling his body, and he wanted to take action to deal with it in that instant.

However, he couldn't move his body; he couldn't even move a single finger.

It was only then that Jia Paer suddenly realized that the Forbidden Touch Old Man's cane was still poking his chest, as if it had never moved, even though he had just felt as if he had slapped it away.

That's not the point anymore; the point is that I've been controlled by the enemy!

If this were a Yugi, players would probably exclaim "throw technique!" upon seeing the Forbidden Touch Old Man's moves.

In this world, the throwing techniques in the Yugi no longer have the mechanism that forcibly restricts the adventurer's movement, and most of them have become no different from ordinary moves. However, the throwing techniques of the Forbidden Touch Old Man are different; they inherently possess the ability to restrict movement.

Or rather, those who contracted the virus didn't have time to take any other action.

"It's on fire!"

A phantom of yellow flames appeared before Jia Paer's eyes. He had seen this before; it was the Frenzied Flame!

When Lu Lu Wo was doing her live stream about her Frenzied Flame, he took a curious look, only to end up with a headache from the mental pollution. He was too embarrassed to talk about it and go see a doctor, so he missed the chance when the whole city was distributing medicine to treat the effects of Frenzied Flame and just toughed it out on his own.

It was because of that experience of enduring hardship without any real suffering that he was deeply impressed by the Frenzied Flame!

Frenzied Flame? This monster is related to Frenzied Flame?

Various thoughts appeared in Jia Paer's mind, but gradually, these thoughts became extremely chaotic.

His vision was burning with Frenzied Flame, and the outside world he observed through the Frenzied Flame became illusory and blurry. Several Frenzied Flame old men appeared in his eyes. Some were killed by him with a single blow, some had their canes knocked away, and some attacked him. The forest scene also became bizarre and colorful, like a chaotic kaleidoscope.

[Going berserk!]

Jia Paer's current mental state is a precursor to the madness caused by Frenzied Flame!

The Forbidden Touch Old Man, had the ability to spread the Frenzied Flame. At this moment, with this thing piercing his chest, he had already been infected by that ominous flame!

He didn't know when it started, but the scene he saw was no longer the real reality.

After this brief period of confusion, the most common reaction to a state of frenzy occurs:

"Ugh!"

Jia Paer closed his eyes and cried out in pain, yellow flames streaming from the corners of his eyes!

Then, everything went dark.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he slowly woke up and found himself back in the place where he had encountered the Forbidden Touch Old Man.

The Frenzied Flame in his body inexplicably disappeared, and the frenzied state was gone; only his head was throbbing with pain.

What's up with that guy?

Recalling what had just happened, Jia Paer gasped, completely bewildered.

Being afflicted with this "Frenzied Flame" is a hundred times more unbearable than being chewed up by a prince.

That Forbidden Touch Old Man is terrifying; no wonder there are so many bushes around him that he can hide in.

But just a second before losing consciousness, he saw a familiar golden light in the distant forest behind the Forbidden Touch Old Man.

It is a sign of blessing!

"As long as we can get to that place."

The appearance of the blessing allowed him to overcome the shadow cast by the Forbidden Touch Old Man, and he obediently sneaked into the bushes, keeping a close eye on the Forbidden Touch Old Man's figure, and quickly moved while the other party was not paying attention to them.

At first, the grassy areas were quite large, but they became smaller and smaller as you went on, and in some cases you even had to run a distance to reach the next patch of grass.

And wandering among these grasses are countless Forbidden Touch Old Man!

Even with his strength, he had to keep a close eye on the movements of these monsters at all times and seize the right opportunity to escape from the bushes.

"Are these bizarre monsters actually mass-produced?" Jia Paer was filled with questions, increasingly unable to understand Sain.

More importantly, as he hid among the various bushes, he would often encounter admonitions that appeared at his feet.

Don't let them spot you. Be careful. They're everywhere.

At first, such advice may not seem like much, but after seeing it many times, the brain gradually begins to regard it as something important.

Unbeknownst to him, Jia Paer, who was quite strong, suddenly became as cautious as if he were experiencing a horror movie, completely absorbed by the atmosphere of the Valley Bottom Forest.

Just as he was being led astray by the atmosphere but hadn't yet felt afraid, he ran into a patch of grass.

"Ring ring!"

The sound of bells echoed throughout the valley!

He suddenly noticed that a string of bells was wrapped around the patch of grass.

Cardiac and pulmonary arrest.

This is the most fitting word to describe Jia Paer's current mood.

Just as he was being captivated by the atmosphere of the Valley Bottom Forest, he suddenly bumped into the bell, and his old heart stopped for a moment!

Finally, he truly felt fear!

Most importantly, the Forbidden Touch Old Man the bell all heard the sound.

The number of monsters attracted here is already countless!

"Which bastard hung this bell here?!"

Seeing the blessing not far away, Jia Paer made a desperate gamble and rushed out of the bushes. Behind him was the Forbidden Touch Old Man appeared at the same time to grab him.

This is a race where life and death are at stake!

The loser has to eat dirt!

The Imperial Capital.

The long night has finally passed.

People looked up at the sky, where the first rays of dawn pierced the night and shone upon the ruins.

Only then did people finally feel alive, realizing that the dragon's attack and the sudden chaos caused by their respected magic master, Yuenka, were all things of the past.

Now, all that's left for the locals is this huge mess to clean up.

Perhaps because the first half of the night was filled with fear and the second half with disaster relief, everyone felt exhausted. As the sun was about to rise, fatigue washed over them, and groups of people collapsed to the ground, taking a break they hadn't had since the unrest began.

Only the dragons and soldiers remained, along with some physically strong alien races who were still working, but to be honest, everyone was exhausted.

"General You Fei, the disaster victims have been evacuated, and the damaged buildings on this street can be demolished."

"General You Fei, some of the disaster-stricken people have started a conflict, but we have managed to stop it."

"General You Fei."

As a general of the Warrior Country, albeit only in name, You Fei is currently extremely busy, with a host of troublesome matters awaiting her after the disaster.

She looked up at the Erdtree, which was still shining brightly.

Fortunately, the Zane Dungeon planted an Erdtree here. The healing power of the Erdtree meant that the Imperial Capital was now filled with healthy people, except for the dead. There were no wounded people at all.

The ongoing healing allowed some people who were crushed under the houses, on the verge of death from the battle, or whose Spirit Power had been drained to survive and wait for rescue.

You Fei organized her team to rescue people, and each time they found a survivor, it boosted morale.

No matter how you look at it, the resolution of this incident was entirely due to the Zane Dungeon.

"Isn't this exactly the same thing that happened in Reed?"

She recalled her experience in Red, and when she looked at the Erdtree again, her eyes were filled with tenderness.

"Zane Dungeon, you might as well rename it Savior Dungeon, that's so gentle."

Before she could finish her reflections, a report suddenly came from her subordinates:

"General, we have found the Sword Saint!"

Where?

While carrying out disaster relief efforts, You Fei continued searching for Jia Paer's whereabouts, but to no avail.

"Someone witnessed the Sword Saint being taken into the Zane Dungeon by the demonic dragon!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this news, You Fei's face contorted in horror, and she screamed:

"We've been dragged into the terrifying Zane Dungeon! Oh no, we're in deep trouble!"

Seeing You Fei pacing anxiously, the soldier who came to report twitched at the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself:

I think I just heard you say that Sain was very gentle, how come he's become terrifying now?

Not long after, You Fei hurriedly arrived near the portal. Although she knew that even if she came here, she might not be able to wait for Jia Paer, she would not feel at ease if she did not come and take a look.

To her surprise, Abei and the others were also lingering here. It seemed that he had finished his disaster relief work and had come to the portal to wait.

The man and the dragon exchanged a glance.

They recognized each other by a glance; they were all people whose families had been dragged into the Zane Dungeon.

"Please come back safe and sound," You Fei prayed silently, closing her eyes as she stood before the portal.

Just then, the portal rippled, and a hand suddenly emerged from inside, grabbing her calf!

Along with it, a voice, almost like a demonic whisper, came from behind the portal, so faint it was barely audible.

"Ah, is Sien still going berserk? The monster is about to come out!" You Fei exclaimed in shock and kicked him hard.

"Wait, You Fei, it's me!"

The familiar voice made her stop in mid-air, and then a familiar head popped out.

It is Jia Paer.

You Fei was stunned.

Not only because of the other party's sudden appearance, but also because their appearance was not quite what they had imagined, and because Jia Paer looked a little strange.

"Dad, are you going bald?"

She pointed blankly at Jia Paer's noticeably thinner hair and asked.

"This one?"

Jia Paer rubbed his hair, still lying face down, and said weakly:

"This is the price I pay for crawling back from hell."

Why am I always the one who gets unlucky?