CHAPTER 42: DIVINE COURT'S FOUR DIVISIONS

Sharing One Robe. Even when apart, Qi Yuan could use this ultimate skill to merge with Little Bride, so long as they weren’t too far away. While the skill was active, he could wield her authority.

Shred Cloth. Qi Yuan's attacks always carried an armor-breaking effect against clothes and armor.

These two skills are quite good!

He also found that when his actual level reached 90, he could gain two more skills. That was equivalent to getting two extra skills for free.

When Little Bride separated from him, Qi Yuan somehow felt that a mysterious bond had been formed between them.

"Are you sure you don’t want a divorce? Once this map is cleared, I might leave," Qi Yuan asked.

He studied Little Bride closely, wanting to see her eyes, but couldn’t.

In the past, there were stories like Xu Xian and the White Snake, Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy, Sun Wukong and his extraordinary bond with the Sparrow Fairy. No one had ever heard of a human falling for an NPC, especially one that was just clothing!

Upon hearing Qi Yuan’s words, Little Bride trembled, and a wooden plaque fell down. It depicted the drawing of a man, with the words “Husband” written next to it.

Qi Yuan picked up the plaque and pondered. "Well, you'll just be my in-game CP. Our divorce is in a cooldown period for now."

Once he cleared the level, it would all end. Another plaque slipped from Little Bride's sleeve, written with the words "Stick close." If she had eyes, she’d surely be staring expectantly at him.

"No sticking close!"

What’s the point of that? Merging is better!

Gazing at Little Bride, he drew out the words, "Let's merge."

Seeing that Little Bride didn’t refuse, Qi Yuan activated the skill Sharing One Robe. Unlike before, Little Bride wasn’t voluntarily attaching herself. He wanted to see if there was any difference.

Little Bride imprinted herself onto his chest, and a set of blood-red armor surfaced on him. However, it was covered in blood-red barbs, appearing more dangerous and sinister. The red was also brighter, no longer the dark crimson from before.

If Little Bride's voluntary possession leaned toward defense and protection, then the merging through Sharing One Robe leaned toward offense. The +5 level bonus remained as well. This kind of buff was terrifying.

"With this armor, aside from the Forbidden Zone Lord, who could stop me?"

He felt his progress in the game speeding up again.

"What about shared authority?" Qi Yuan focused. "Hmm? One-third control over the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone?"

He froze, not expecting that. Little Bride's control was clearly different from his previous authority over the Xuanyuan Forbidden Zone. In game terms, Little Bride's was soft control, whereas his was hard control.

Qi Yuan lowered his gaze at his chest imprint. "So, she’s also one of the major bosses of the Garment Tomb Forbidden Zone. If I can share her authority, then there’s no need to kill her?"

He began to think. To obtain Heavenly Dao fragments and successfully establish a foundation, he’d likely have to clear the entire game.

Though Qi Yuan often acted carelessly, he didn't make mistakes when it mattered most.

He narrowed his eyes. "Authority."

His figure flickered.

This time, he appeared once more in the graveyard, his ten-meter frame looming like a giant. As he fixed his gaze on a certain tomb, he shrank back to regular human size. Even with a hole crawling with white centipedes, the tomb seemed ordinary.

Qi Yuan directly squeezed into the hole. With Little Bride's shared authority, he knew there was an underground palace beneath. The emperors of every Garment Tomb generation were laid to rest there.

The tunnel was pitch-black, but that meant nothing to him. He carried his giant sword, red metal coating running along its blade.

The underground palace had likely once been perilous and forbidding, but perhaps due to Little Bride’s possession, the gates opened wide for him.

Walking inside, Qi Yuan looked at the architecture in confusion. "To be able to build such a place, the garment monsters must’ve once had wisdom. Why is it that everyone I see now is bloodthirsty, insane, and mindless?"

They’d attack him on sight even when he was just idling by, as if they wanted to rip all life to shreds. Only Little Bride was different.

Suddenly, he remembered the hidden information his eyes had revealed when he saw the Tattered-Cloth Emperor.

Qi Yuan felt like he was discovering the truth. "The Fallen Forbidden Lord? Could it be that Little Bride hasn't fallen?"

Venturing deeper, he suddenly froze. "Did I just walk into the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum?"

Before his eyes were endless suits of black armor. Some held spears, while others held halberds. They stood in pits, arranged like an army formation. Motionless, yet still emanating a chilling, murderous aura. Countless of them stood in a dense formation, as far as the eye could see. There were possibly tens of thousands of them, just like the terracotta warriors.

Qi Yuan felt that once awakened, they’d become the strongest army in existence, unstoppable.

His gaze was drawn to a stone stele. On it were countless inscriptions: The Four Divisions of the Divine Court. The Garment Division, led by the Wedding Garment Empress. Gathering all the battle garments under heaven, strengthening the Divine Court's might, terrifying all demons and dressing the world itself.

He read carefully. The stele recorded many things, describing an incomparably powerful golden age. In ancient times, the Celestial God established the Divine Court, commanding the Four Divisions. They shook the world, bringing peace across the seas.

The Garment Division was the most prominent, its master excelling in slaughter. The Garment Imperial Guards once razed ten thousand mountains and endless plains, driving the demon race into the frozen wastelands.

The division's ruler, the Wedding Garment Empress, was the Celestial God's wife.

Qi Yuan thought of Little Bride. Could she be connected to this Wedding Garment Empress?

He kept reading. The Divine Court ruled the eight wildernesses and four seas, maintaining peace for centuries. Commanding the Four Divisions, it was unmatched under heaven—or should’ve been.

One day, foes from outside the domain invaded the Moonwatch Continent.

The Divine Court's master, the mighty Celestial God, led his people to meet the enemy. However, he never returned. The Four Divisions then slowly declined. The final army of the Garment Division was buried in this underground palace, waiting for the day they’d awaken to fight for the Celestial God.

"So, that's the game's lore? The Divine Court’s Four Divisions have to be referring to the Four Forbidden zones, and the ultimate boss should be that foreign invader. My mission is to defeat them, protect the world, and receive the Heavenly Dao reward? I see, the moment I put on imperial armor, I have to become the great hero who protects the world!"

As a non-hardcore gamer, this was Qi Yuan's assumption. "I thought Jin Li's mission of ruling a nation was tough. Looks like mine is in true hell mode!"

According to the record, the Divine Court ruled over a hundred human kingdoms.

"For the Heavenly Dao foundation, I have to give it my all! Now, I'm Little Bride's man! A full five-level jump!"