The True Forbidden Realm of the Mortal World: A New Game Begins

Time passed quietly.

Half an hour after Yi Bai's Redemption Gun took effect, the chained statue suspended in mid-air had undergone a complete transformation.

The grotesque, terrifying form had vanished, replaced by an appearance almost indistinguishable from a human, save for the lack of facial features. Its body was cloaked in a deep, dark hue, reminiscent of a tall, thin specter. The radiant aura that had enveloped the statue began to fade.

The fierce, malevolent energy once pulsing within the statue wasn't entirely eradicated. Instead, it was reshaped by the power of redemption into the form Yi Bai desired. This miraculous effect wasn't solely due to the collapse of the malevolent god's will under the strain of the Bloody Hand's torment. More importantly, it was the result of the mortal world's suppression of high-tier divine shrines.

Without this, the inherent rules and the core power of the high-tier shrines would be far beyond Yi Bai's reach. But with the convergence of timing, place, and his own efforts, everything had aligned in his favor.

"Well, it's ugly, but it's still a high-tier divine shrine," Yi Bai muttered with a touch of sarcasm. "Guess I'll make do."

As he spoke, his movements were swift. A drop of his blood, infused with his own spiritual will, fell onto the statue's forehead.

Instantly, Yi Bai felt a clear connection form between him and the statue. At the same time, he could sense the existence of countless low-tier shrines spread across the world, forming an enormous web. The number was staggering—more than ten thousand.

These shrines weren't confined to the Great Xia Empire. They were scattered worldwide, and their distribution was remarkably even. Some were created by high-tier shrines themselves, while many others had been brought back by players from the horror world.

In every case, the high-tier shrines acted as the central nervous system for the low-tier ones. Though they existed in separate realms, the high-tier shrines had absolute control over the others.

Now, after Yi Bai had "redeemed" the statue, the entire network of shrines in the mortal world had naturally fallen under his command.

However, the humans corrupted by the malevolent energy could not be saved. Their bodies and wills had already been shattered by the evil god's influence. Even though the god's aura had dissipated, those humans were now little more than puppets, unable to recover their lost vitality. They appeared alive, but they were nothing more than empty vessels, existing on borrowed time.

"Let them follow their original path," Yi Bai muttered with a tinge of sorrow. "At least this will keep the world at peace... the malevolent god's poison is gone."

His expression grew colder as he contemplated the approaching new game.

After this round of play, he would enter the City of Memories and have a proper conversation with the one who held unimaginable talent. It was also time to make a breakthrough in his Red Garb realm, which he had stalled in for so long. A typical horror game followed by a Blood Hunt should be enough to push his progress.

With that decision made, Yi Bai waved his hand, and the statue vanished into the Mirror Realm.

At that moment, in the midst of the Misty Forest, a bored Lilith was weaving webs on a large tree. Suddenly, a terrifying pressure hit, causing her to fall from her perch with a thud.

The same invisible pressure also struck the spider demon, who had been absent-mindedly staring into space.

"What happened?!" Lilith rushed to her side, helping her up, her eyes darting warily around.

The unseen weight of the pressure made it hard for them to breathe, as if they were sinking into mud. But just as quickly, the sensation vanished.

"Could it be... our master?" Lilith wondered, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"No need to overthink it. I've just added a real foundation to the Misty Forest," Yi Bai's voice echoed, and his figure materialized. "Now, this is truly the forbidden realm of the mortal world."

He had placed the high-tier shrine at the heart of the Misty Forest, and along with it, the thousands of souls he had twisted and altered.

Looking back, Yi Bai couldn't shake the feeling that a hidden hand was subtly manipulating the "strings of fate," as though the Misty Forest had truly become what he had always envisioned—an ominous place where the living dare not tread, and the dead are reclaimed.

"Shall you remain in the mortal world, or join me in the horror game?" Yi Bai turned to the two women.

With his current strength, they wouldn't be of much help. At best, they could handle some trivial tasks. So, Yi Bai had no qualms about leaving them behind to continue refining the Misty Forest.

Thanks to their diligent work, the Misty Forest was no longer the playful, innocent place it once was. Thorny, blood-red flowers, nurtured by Lilith, now blossomed throughout the forest, releasing a soul-chilling fragrance unique to the horror world.

The presence of these flowers was possible only because of the forest's initial connection to the spirit world. Now, with the high-tier shrine's power, those thorny flowers bloomed with unprecedented brilliance.

Elise, not one to rest idle, had been weaving her white silk into haunting yet oddly beautiful tapestries across the trees. The poison-spiders she controlled created intricate, vibrant patterns, adding an extra layer of eerie beauty to the already surreal atmosphere.

This was no longer just a forest. It had truly become a forbidden realm of the mortal world.

...

Elise, now a blood slave, felt more like a useless shell. She preferred staying in the mortal world, but her true desires had been suppressed. Lilith, on the other hand, was resolute in staying with her master and immediately pulled Elise into the Mirror Realm.

Yi Bai stood at the edge of the Misty Forest, awaiting the countdown for the horror game. As the last rays of sunset touched his shoulders, they shimmered faintly. His figure began to blur, the golden light unable to pierce the dense forest.

The world shifted in an instant. Yi Bai found himself standing before the gates of a "school," accompanied by a dozen other human players. They exchanged cautious, indifferent glances.

The electric gates at the entrance of the school creaked open, and a tall, blood-soaked security guard stepped out from the dark security booth.

A chilling notification from the horror game echoed in Yi Bai's ears, signaling the beginning of the next round.