Traditional Chinese medicine often uses the term "qi and blood."

The "blood" here also refers to "qi and blood."

When qi and blood are insufficient, hair problems will occur.

Nourishing blood is also nourishing hair.

However, Jiang Ye hadn't delved deeply into this.

He wasn't sure if hair truly had any relationship with "blood."

But thinking from another perspective...

Hair is commonly used for things like DNA identification, right?

Anyway, it was basically confirmed—

In this Doomsday Apartment environment, players' hair was indeed something unique.

And now, his blood-drained Desiccated Corpse, under the protection of his Blood Person clone, after the Formation Master fed it the "Ginseng Fruit," had grown hair again...

The hair was even longer than Jiang Ye's original short hair.

So long that it fell to his shoulders.

Jiang Ye thought again—

When the chubby guy previously asked Salvation to cooperate with the shadow phantom for mutation experiments, the 1000 strands of hair Salvation took out were also long hair.

At that time, he suspected Salvation might be female?

Now it seemed Salvation's long hair might have other significance.

Thinking this way, the hair of Jiang Ye's Desiccated Corpse also grew to shoulder-length.

After extending just past the shoulders, it finally stopped growing.

That peculiar itching sensation throughout Jiang Ye's body gradually faded away.

The Formation Master staring at his Desiccated Corpse, his turbid yet profound old eyes shining with increasing brilliance!

He even reached out, pinched a handful of this strangely grown hair, and suddenly burst into wild laughter: "Hahahaha! Good! Excellent!"

"......"

This laughter made Jiang Ye feel inexplicably creeped out...

But...

As the Desiccated Corpse's body changed, he also sensed—

His Blood Person clone seemed to have become slightly stronger?

Even though...

Because the Formation Master was present, he didn't dare act recklessly.

But it seemed...

This blood skin covering the Desiccated Corpse could actually operate the Desiccated Corpse body!

And judging by the Formation Master's delighted expression...

He apparently didn't know this!

Oh my god...

This?

This, this, this...

Jiang Ye's mind raced with countless thoughts and complex emotions.

For a moment, he couldn't describe what he was feeling...

He suddenly thought of his Nomadic Merchant father...

Then his mutated clone acknowledged the shadow phantom as another father...

And now, this Desiccated Corpse clone, wrapped in a Blood Person clone's skin, seemed forced to acknowledge the Formation Master as yet another father...

This, this, this...

Had he become some kind of triple-surnamed family leaf?

The Lu Bu among men!

Ying ying ying, as expected of me!

But the real Lu Bu would betray one father after acknowledging them.

While he had all three fathers still alive and could distribute his affection evenly among them (^o^)/~

No wonder everyone looked like family to him!

Ahem, ahem, ahem...

Jiang Ye was quite pleased with himself internally.

But obviously, these fathers of his might not have much genuine affection for him.

At the very least, the father acknowledged by this Desiccated Corpse clone probably only saw him as a puppet.

After his wild laughter, the Formation Master suddenly began manipulating the red threads dangling from Jiang Ye's body.

Like operating a shadow puppet show.

Jiang Ye's limbs, even every newly grown strand of hair on his head, seemed to be controlled by the red threads.

Yet despite so many controlling threads, the body could be operated freely!

In fact, due to the red thread control, this body moved faster and more unpredictably than even the strongest novice players!

That long hair, that blood skin, those Array Disks replacing eyeballs, plus those graceful movements...

If this thing moved around at night, it would probably scare people to death!

The Formation Master practiced briefly, like familiarizing himself with a new toy.

After becoming proficient with operating this body—which he saw as a puppet but Jiang Ye saw as a clone—

A gleam flashed in the master's eyes.

Jiang Ye heard the familiar buzzing sound again in his ears.

Simultaneously, the two Array Disks replacing his eyeballs in their sockets began rotating.

Then, Jiang Ye's vision was no longer of the dim prison-like secret room, nor could he see the Formation Master around him.

Clearly, his body had been instantly relocated.

Jiang Ye initially thought he'd been stored in some spatial equipment of the Formation Master.

But soon, sensing his clone consciousness and instantly shared information made him understand the situation—

This Desiccated Corpse clone had been teleported by the Formation Master into the Forbidden Zone again!

But strangely...

Jiang Ye clearly sensed the presence of another clone, almost in the exact same location as him.

Yet in his vision, he neither saw the other clone nor heard the bell sounds the other clone was hearing!

This...

What's going on?

This peculiar feeling reminded him inexplicably of "Your Name."

Or scenarios often found in many sci-fi stories based on characters' fates across different times—

Two people standing in the same space but different times.

So even if spatially overlapping, they could never meet.

Yes, his current feeling was exactly that—spatially overlapping with his other clone.

Yet unable to see or touch...

Was it because of that eerie bell sound?

Was it because that eerie bell sound had sent his mutated clone to another time?

This thought instantly terrified Jiang Ye!

No way?!

Could that eerie bell sound not be a test for him...

But actually, a passage through time?!

Could the so-called "Forbidden Zone opportunity" pursued by the Defenders’ Alliance and various seniors...

Not exist in this current time!

But be an opportunity to travel through spacetime?!

No way, no way?!

Could he actually travel to the "ancient era" of the apartment background and witness the Light Emperor and Dark Emperor he had imagined?

Or even more incredibly, could one of the Light Emperor or Dark Emperor he had previously mocked actually be himself?

The mutated Jiang Ye had been seriously listening to the bell sounds, trying to record the number of ticking seconds between each bell segment...

Now sensing the information synchronized from his other clone, his thoughts instantly became chaotic!

No way?

He was going to time travel?!

He was completely unprepared!

The key was this mutated body couldn't move at all!

Even if he time traveled, wouldn't he be like fish on the chopping block, completely vulnerable?!

This situation was unfavorable for him!

Damn it, any other clone would have been better for time travel!

While the mutated Jiang Ye was panicking, he didn't fully believe he would time travel.

After all, this situation of being together yet unable to see or touch each other might not necessarily stem from temporal dislocation.

Perhaps it was some special feature of the Forbidden Zone itself?

Like he had fallen into some kind of Forbidden Zone wormhole?

Damn! That sounds even more like falling into a time wormhole!

The more Jiang Ye thought about it, the more he felt this state wasn't good...

But secretly, he also felt some anticipation.

He almost instinctively wanted to operate that movable Desiccated Corpse clone to carefully explore and investigate.

But before he could act, he suddenly shuddered.

No!

He better not act recklessly!

The other clone couldn't move because it was inherently immobile.

This Desiccated Corpse clone, though operable through the blood skin, could move.

But this Desiccated Corpse clone's eyes contained two Array Disks!

Jiang Ye had reason to suspect—

These Array Disks might also function as surveillance!

So, even though the Formation Master wasn't physically present now.

Perhaps he was still obtaining this Desiccated Corpse's perspective through the two Array Disks?

Therefore, he better not act recklessly!

As for the Formation Master deliberately sending him here, he must have some purpose, right?

Jiang Ye didn't have the perspective of the negotiations between the shadow phantom, Heavenly Net, Formation Master, and the chubby guy's Old Woman.

So he didn't know...

They were also waiting in a space almost "overlapping" with his, awaiting the opportunity to open the Forbidden Zone's center.

However, Jiang Ye vaguely guessed—

His mutated clone being able to hear the eerie bell sounds must be due to some opportunity...

Outside the Forbidden Zone.

Within the chess grid space of Lin Ling's black ice domain.

Jiang Ye, using Zhou Qiming's identity, ultimately couldn't prevent the Formation Master's arranged 32 people from deciding to set up the formation within the chess grid space.

However, he urgently dispatched another batch of mutated clones, using identities other than Jiang Ye, to the chess grids of the 25 cross-region strong players to monitor their formation process.

As for the remaining 7 formation setters, led by Lin Jing with six other fake chess pieces assisting, they set up the formation in the Hanging Moon chess grid.

Jiang Ye didn't understand formations, but through different clone perspectives, he saw that the other 25 cross-region strong players in different chess grids all used different techniques to manipulate their Array Disks.

Of course, their Array Disks' hole patterns were inherently different.

While the 7 people in the Hanging Moon chess grid had identical Array Disks and identical manipulation techniques.

Jiang Ye initially remained highly vigilant.

The 26 clones in chess grids, plus one clone above the chessboard, all tensed up, curious about what would happen when the formation was activated together.

However, no matter which clone perspective he used, he couldn't detect any clues.

It seemed like nothing happened at all under the entire formation's operation!

This portion of Jiang Ye's clones' energy was consumed here.

Only when the Forbidden Zone expansion incident caused an uproar in the apartment administrator group and caught the attention of the external Jiang Ye...

Did the formation operated by the 32 people finally reveal its effects!

The 26 clones within chess grids still couldn't see anything.

But the clone standing above the chessboard saw with its own eyes—

The originally clear chessboard display showing distinct chess grids and landscape painting-like environmental changes was slowly disappearing!

That is to say...

The entire chessboard seemed to be erased by a mysterious force!

All original images vanished, gradually turning into a blank sheet!

Of course, describing this vast space as a "blank sheet" wasn't entirely accurate.

The ground after the chessboard was erased looked like a white ice domain contrasting with the black ice domain.

The smooth ground resembled crystal-clear ice.

After some more time passed.

The Novice Apartment administrator group's discussion about the Forbidden Zone expansion grew increasingly heated.

Even seniors like Salvation in the Doomsday Apartment shifted their focus from the Moon Phase Clock and Blood Pool to the Forbidden Zone expansion incident.

Including more and more players in the Doomsday Apartment paying attention to this matter...

The entire Doomsday Apartment atmosphere became oppressive and tense due to the Forbidden Zone expansion...

Jiang Ye suddenly realized—

The chessboard Lin Ling set up...

And the formation the Formation Master added to the chessboard...

Might both be related to the Forbidden Zone!

Simultaneously, Jiang Ye soon sensed—

His 26 clones within the black ice domain chess grid space were gradually losing connection during the changes!

And during these changes, when Jiang Ye tried to dispatch more clones into the black ice domain...

He discovered the entire black ice domain seemed completely sealed off!

Unlike before when players could enter.

It had become a completely closed space where players could no longer enter!

Shortly after the black ice domain space lost connection, almost simultaneously...

The originally closed but not completely disconnected Mirror Palace secret realm also almost synchronously fell into a closed + disconnected state!

No entry, no exit, no clone consciousness sharing possible!

Thus...

Court of Disorder, Reincarnation Mirror Palace, Abyss Restricted Zone...

These three eerie environments all fell into disconnected states from the outside world.

As for why the black ice domain wasn't included...

Because Jiang Ye vaguely felt—

Under the combined formation operation of the 32 people, perhaps it wasn't summoning the so-called [Three Life Stone Staff] at all!

But rather, perhaps the entire black ice domain space had been transported to the Forbidden Zone or some special location!

Of course, Jiang Ye leaned more toward transportation to the Forbidden Zone.

Because the black ice domain changes synchronized with the Forbidden Zone expansion incident.

And Lin Ling's initial purpose in setting up the black ice domain seemed to be exploring the Forbidden Zone...

Fortunately, because he needed to control those 25 cross-region "strong players," the clones Jiang Ye sent to monitor them weren't level 0 discarded clones.

But clones that had been leveling up with Fu Xi and Li Zhi's leveling clones on the 22nd floor of Apartment 9999.

Moreover, this batch of clones wasn't just leveling up.

More importantly, under the effect of the SS-grade [Vow] talent, they continuously improved their strength!

Attributes, talents, skills...

In short, they were an elite force.

Although still not comparable to strong players from the Doomsday Apartment.

They were more than sufficient to suppress those cross-region "strong players."

Thus—

In the Court of Disorder, the suspected true body Jiang Ye #0 led a group of strong player clones who had sworn allegiance to Formless Leaves;

In the Reincarnation Mirror Palace, the Guiwen clone had fused with all Mirror Palace puppets;

While in the Abyss Restricted Zone, Jiang Ye using Zhou Qiming's identity led an elite force...

The three disconnected locations each had clone perspectives, but their consciousness couldn't communicate.

Other external clones could no longer interfere with these three locations.

Yet the clones in the three separately disconnected locations, like the external clones, realized the problem...

The first to sort out more information was the Zhou Qiming clone transported from the black ice domain to the Forbidden Zone.

Before the black ice domain completely disconnected, Jiang Ye using Zhou Qiming's identity learned about some changes through the clone perspective above the chessboard.

After completely disconnecting from the outside world, he initially didn't detect anything unusual.

However, Wu Wang, that old hand as a Reincarnation Ghost.

Jiang Ye initially thought that upon sensing the disconnected state, he might betray the Guiwen again?

But this guy seemed to have completely stopped considering betrayal.

Instead—

He suddenly flung his sleeve, his black robe inexplicably elongating, piercing through Lin Jing's body who was operating the Array Disk...