The improved female villains regained their memories.

Chapter 744 Are you prepared?

At the summit of Tianren Mountain, amidst swirling clouds and mist, Yang Luo sat on a blue stone, swinging her legs with a carefree expression, as if it were someone else, not her, trapped in the formation.

Her gaze swept casually around her, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Song Panning appeared quietly behind her, her clothes fluttering slightly, her tone teasing: "You're not in a hurry to break the formation."

Yang Luo snorted coldly, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction: "You all really treat me like a child, don't you? Yang Pingsheng is like that, and you're like that too?"

Song Panning chuckled lightly, then said meaningfully, "I wouldn't dare. Who told you to have such a good mother?"

Yang Luo curled his lip, too lazy to beat around the bush anymore, and said directly, "Alright, enough with the nonsense, let's cooperate."

Song Panning raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "You want to cooperate too?"

She truly hadn't expected Yang Luoyi to propose a collaboration. Although the female villains had their own agendas, Song Panning had never considered joining forces with Yang Luoyi.

Firstly, Yang Luoyi and Shi Guijia are mother and daughter, and neither of them is easy to deal with; secondly, her cooperation with Li Chumo has already taken a lot of effort, and if Yang Luoyi is added to the mix, it will probably take up even more of her energy.

Moreover, her grand formation requires Shi Guijia's cooperation, not Yang Luoyi.

"How do you want to cooperate?" Song Panning asked with a smile, her tone somewhat tentative, but she did not directly refuse.

Yang Luo shrugged, his tone relaxed: "I heard about your plan from my mother, and to be honest, I'm quite interested. Would you like to tell me more about it? Maybe I'll cooperate with you."

Song Panning chuckled and began to explain her plan without hesitation.

Of course, her account was somewhat reserved, especially regarding the anomalies discovered during the construction of the great array, which she made no mention of.

Yang Luoyi appeared to be listening attentively, but in reality, he was not paying attention.

She didn't care at all what Song Panning's plan was; even a fool could tell her that this guy couldn't possibly be telling her the truth.

What she really cared about was Song Panning's purpose—why would she step in to trap her?

'Song Panning is almost demonically intelligent. Although, like other villains, she harbors deep feelings for Yang Pingsheng, her reason always prevails over her emotions,' Yang Luo thought to herself. 'She knows exactly what to sacrifice to gain the greatest benefit. Moreover, she disguises herself exceptionally well; seemingly harmless, she is in reality a cold, venomous snake.'

"A venomous snake"—that's how Yang Luoyi describes Song Panning.

She appears quiet and harmless, but once she strikes, she delivers a fatal blow.

Her love and hate were both like this.

I had already experienced Yang Luoyi's methods back when she was still a mysterious person.

"To set up an array in the Netherworld, you need someone to cooperate with you, right?" Yang Luoyi suddenly spoke, her tone tinged with a hint of probing. "Your current ally is Li Chumo. You've trapped me here so that Li Chumo can go to my father's side. It seems you've reached a new deal with Li Chumo?"

Song Panning smiled without saying a word, neither admitting nor denying.

"How cruel," Yang Luoyi continued, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Didn't you love my father? But to achieve your own goals, you're sending the person you love to someone else. Song Panning, are you really sure you can handle this?"

"I thought you really wanted to cooperate with me, but it turns out you were just guessing my purpose." Song Panning chuckled, her tone somewhat indifferent. "It's alright, guess whatever you want. Or, you can break the formation and leave; I certainly won't stop you."

Yang Luo sneered. Break through the formation and leave? Then Song Panning would have an excuse to tell Li Chumo that she couldn't be stopped. She didn't want to see Li Chumo and Yang Pingsheng alone, nor did she want Song Panning to succeed.

“Your ambitions are too great.” Yang Luo’s tone was icy. “You want to kill Jiang Mochang and Ye Buxin, and you also want to eliminate the other female villains. Putting aside whether they are so easy for you to kill, just look at the consequences of what you’ve done—do you think my father will still tolerate you after these things happen?”

She paused, then continued, "Besides, the last person you should cooperate with is Li Chumo. That girl was the first to contact Jiang Mochang, and nobody knows what they talked about. How can you be so sure she's reliable? What if she's also one of Jiang Mochang's people?"

At this point, Yang Luoyi's voice rose a few decibels, her tone becoming somewhat aggressive.

Song Panning glanced at her with some surprise. She had thought that Yang Luoyi would just be a dull magical artifact after her resurrection, but she did not expect that she could think and analyze so clearly.

"This chain of suspicion is endless," Song Panning replied calmly. "Since you can suspect this, then the first person Li Chumo contacted was your mother. Doesn't that mean that you and your mother are also Li Chumo's people?"

Yang Luo chuckled but didn't reply.

Song Panning continued, "You think too badly of me. Of course I know what Yang Pingsheng is thinking. With a formidable enemy at hand, my thought is to preserve our strength as much as possible. Jiang Mochang is a necessary sacrifice, and this is something that both Yang Pingsheng and the other female villains agree on."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of confidence: "As for who Yang Pingsheng ultimately belongs to, he is not an object; he is a person too. So it's not about who he belongs to, but who he chooses. If he has to choose one, I believe he will choose me. If he wants both, then I will be the most important one; I have that confidence."

Yang Luo stared at her blankly for a long time before finally uttering, "You're on drugs?"

Is this really something Song Panning would say? Yang Luo put on an expression that said, "So you really do think I'm a child, huh?" while secretly cursing inwardly.

'Song Panning, that bastard, talks a good game but is ruthless when it comes to actually doing things.' She sneered inwardly. 'So confident, huh? Fine, you said it yourself. Just don't ever beg me for anything.'

Yang Luo turned his head away, no longer looking at Song Panning, but in his heart he was already plotting how to make this self-righteous woman suffer a great loss.

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Deep within the imperial palace in the capital, in an underground training ground.

Xu Anyin's soul knelt on the ground, trembling all over, as if every inch of his spirit was enduring tearing pain.

Her body lay quietly to the side, enveloped by a golden protective shield, completely unharmed.

"Sister...stop...I...I really can't take it anymore..." Xu Anyin's voice was broken and pleading.

Her soul flickered between light and darkness amidst violent energy fluctuations, as if it might disintegrate at any moment.

Xu Anlu stood in front of her, her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with helplessness and heartache.

She sighed softly, almost questioning, "Xiao Yin, are you really prepared?"

She raised her hand and pointed upwards, as if she could see Luo Benmo in the distance through the thick ground: "Look at Luo Benmo. To prepare for the upcoming battle, she absorbed all the spiritual roots and developed her talent to its fullest potential. Do you really think you're inferior to her?"

Xu Anyin raised his head in pain, his soul form's face contorted in agony: "Wait, wait, wait, sister... that guy is a monster, why should I compare myself to her! Besides, even if you want to temper my soul, there's no need... no need to use this method, is there?"

Xu Anlu shook her head, her tone firm: "The traces of the Great Dao have endless uses. Besides enhancing killing moves, they can also be used to temper the soul. Your soul is your only advantage. If you don't strengthen it, do you want to compete with others in terms of killing moves?"

"Sister, I really can't go on..." Xu Anyin's voice was choked with sobs, and the edges of her soul were beginning to blur, as if she would dissipate at any moment.

Xu Anlu's gaze softened for a moment, but quickly returned to its seriousness: "Consider it for my sake."

"Waaaaah...be gentle..." Xu Anyin's screams echoed in the training ground. His soul was twisting under the intense energy impact, as if he was enduring excruciating pain.

Xu Anlu stood to the side, her hands forming a seal. The traces of the Great Dao flowed from her fingertips, turning into golden streaks that merged into Xu Anyin's soul.

With each golden streak that fell, Xu Anyin's screams grew even more shrill.

"Hang in there, Xiao Yin." Xu Anlu's voice was low and firm. "Only by experiencing extreme pain can one gain true power."

Xu Anyin's soul struggled in the golden light, like a butterfly trapped in flames.

Her voice grew weaker, but still held a hint of stubbornness: "Sister...you...you really are...you really are my sister..."

Xu Anlu did not respond, but continued to activate the Great Dao Mark.

"I believe you, and I'm prepared," Xu Anlu said in a low voice, her tone almost resolute and unquestionable.

In the training ground, golden light and screams intertwined. Xu Anyin's soul gradually solidified amidst the pain, and the blurriness at the edges gradually disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented tenacity and strength.

Xu Anlu's lips curled up slightly, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes: "Xiao Yin, you did it."

Xu Anyin's soul slowly stood up. Although it was still trembling, it was no longer collapsing.

Her eyes held weariness, yet also an undisguised excitement: "Sister... I... I think I really have become stronger..."

Xu An nodded, his tone finally softening: "Yes, you did it."

Xu Anyin gave a bitter smile, and her soul slowly floated back into her body. Her body trembled slightly, and then she opened her eyes.

"Sister, could you... be a little gentler next time?" she said weakly.

Xu Anlu chuckled softly and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"Okay, I'll be gentler next time."

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boom.

The palace gradually quieted down.

The four celestial spirits looked at each other, none daring to go in.

"Go ahead."

“I’m not going. My lady is a woman, and I’m not interested in women.”

"I'm not going either, I only want to kill people."

Xuanwu scratched his head and looked at Zhuque.

"Since you have a good relationship with the Lord, why don't you go?"

So it was Suzaku who went in to investigate.

She transformed into human form and carefully opened the door. The hall was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything. She could only smell a strong burning odor.

This situation has been going on for many days. A few days ago it tasted like boiled meat, but now it has completely turned into a burnt smell.

"Lord?"

The Vermilion Bird called out cautiously.

Immediately afterwards, she saw the dark, indistinct coal formation in the distance begin to move.

"The first step is to circulate Qi throughout the body!"

"The dantian holds the sun and moon, and the breath settles yin and yang. The mind guards the mysterious gate in stillness, and the spirit travels to the purple palace in light. The qi flows through the twelve meridians, and the fire refines the hundred bones into steel. With one thought, one connects with heaven and earth, and the golden elixir naturally produces fragrance."

The humanoid coal began to move, its human aura swirling around it.

"The second step is the union of dragon and tiger."

"The restless mind is subdued by the tiger in Kan, the willful horse is locked by the dragon in Li. When water and fire are in harmony, Kan and Li are reversed. Lead and mercury merge with true nature, dragon and tiger transform into profound mystery. The three flowers gather at the top of the sun, the five elements converge at the primordial foundation."

The black coal pieces peeled away one by one, revealing Su Murong's snow-white skin.

"The third step is to return to simplicity."

"Drawing and adding depends on the workings of nature, nurturing and protecting the natural order. A white elephant arises in an empty room, and a clear spring echoes in a secluded valley. The acquired returns to the innate, and the mortal body transforms into a sacred form. With a single golden elixir, one can roam freely between heaven and earth."

She laughed loudly, then casually picked up a crimson robe and draped it over her shoulders.

"What a wonderful technique! It's a hundred times more exquisite than the Ghost-Fearing Qi Circulation Technique. With the elixir formed from human flesh, who in this world can possibly trap me, Su Murong?"

"This is the true realm of ultimate freedom!"

She ran around the main hall like a child, scaring Zhuque so much that she stood aside and dared not approach.

Gradually, Su Murong calmed down.

"The inner elixir has been formed. As long as it doesn't completely dissipate, the vital energy can be replenished."

"Perhaps I can prevent Yang Pingsheng's death."