The improved female villains regained their memories.

The advantage is that you no longer need to reverse the flow of spiritual energy when creating miscellaneous immortal techniques. Moreover, since the Void Spirit Root itself is an aggregate of spiritual energy, it's like a small spiritual spring within your body, providing an additional mana regeneration buff. You also don't have to worry about running out of spiritual energy during battles. The disadvantage is that because you've lost your attribute characteristics, you're inherently at a disadvantage when clashing immortal techniques, since everyone can counter you, but you can't counter others.

There are advantages and disadvantages, but overall, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. For immortals, the most important thing is still the immortal killing move. When a devastating immortal killing move comes down, even an immortal with an empty spiritual root cannot block it. To dare to block it is to court death. And the fact that an immortal with an empty spiritual root does not need to reverse spiritual energy and has multiple mana regeneration buffs is nothing in the eyes of those who study miscellaneous immortal killing moves and those who are born with huge spiritual energy reserves.

Simply put, the advantages of the Void Spirit Root can be overcome by other attribute spirit roots, but the disadvantages of the Void Spirit Root cannot be overcome.

Both are rare; Yang spiritual roots and Yin spiritual roots represent power, while Void spiritual roots represent waste.

But in this world, it's a different story.

In this world where spiritual energy is declining, no matter how powerful your killing technique or how talented you are, without spiritual energy, you will all be doomed. The Void Spiritual Root generates its own spiritual energy and carries a small spiritual spring, so the declining spiritual energy in the outside world cannot affect it.

Different environments lead to different shifts in strength and weakness.

The system suppressed Yang Pingsheng's popularity and bestowed upon him this spiritual root, which can be said to be just right.

"Heaven says your strength is sufficient. The protection of spiritual energy and the ability to fly on a sword are enough for you to complete the mission. So go, young man, the world depends on you to save it."

The system made sarcastic remarks, acting like a complete joker. But Yang Pingsheng didn't see it that way; his eyes still held a melancholy worry about something.

He looked at Su Murong beside him, who had already woken up and was shaking the water off his face, wiping his face with a towel.

Seemingly sensing Yang Pingsheng's gaze, she turned to look at him, tilting her head to ask, "What's wrong?"

"……nothing."

It's been a week, hasn't it?

Su Murong's pill refining time will definitely be more than a week, it will probably be a little longer, but not by more than a few days.

With the plan in place today, we can't stay here any longer, and Su Murong's alchemy should also be interrupted.

He knew that with her current skills, she could probably refine a first-grade pill. Refining a second-grade pill would be extremely difficult and had a very high failure rate. A pill refiner like her could make a living, but she probably couldn't turn the world upside down.

That should be enough, right? But the price... is a bit too high.

The two left side by side; having lived together for some time, they had probably gotten used to it.

Small shoulders, yet bearing the maturity of an adult, and that hand took Yang Pingsheng's hand and held it.

"My life."

"Ok?"

“I still remember your ambition. You told me that you wanted to become a doctor and save lives.”

"Ah... this."

That was on New Year's Eve.

That was when the fireworks went off.

A boy and a girl sat in the courtyard, discussing their boundless dreams for the future.

The difference is that the boy's words were taught systematically.

That's right.

"it is good."

Su Murong smiled and said, "Then I will help you."

"You will definitely become the greatest doctor!"

Yang Pingsheng nodded, and without realizing it, his steps became a little unsteady.

The first goal has been achieved, but Su Murong did not obtain the method for drawing talismans based on popularity.

What we need to do today is to achieve the third goal, while also laying the groundwork for the second goal.

The second goal...

Yang Pingsheng looked at Su Murong, who continued to smile in response.

It hinders growth and hinders insight into human nature.

The system has already revealed the ultimate plan of Heaven.

Their ultimate plan was to instill in Su Murong a fear of humanity.

So terrified that he never dared to entertain any improper thoughts again.

Chapter 147 Capturing the City

night.

City Lord's Mansion.

Inside the hall, birds sang and danced, and cheers filled the air.

The dancers came from two places, the Central Plains and the Southern Commandery. It is said that women from the Central Plains are good at dancing, while women from the Southern Commandery are good at singing. When the two women worked together, along with fine wine, they brought the atmosphere of the banquet to a climax.

Someone had already served the white powder to the guests as a supplement. The city lord was overjoyed and took the first sip, and the guests followed suit one after another, causing the atmosphere of the banquet to begin to spiral out of control.

The middle-aged man declined the maid's suggestion and sat alone in a corner, drinking silently without saying a word.

He genuinely loathed this thing, and seeing everyone in such chaos only added to his sense of desolation.

He once aspired to be a passionate man, inspired by his father's bravery. Now, he is stuck here, working as a clerk alongside a group of drug addicts.

Feeling depressed, he poured himself a drink and drank another glass.

Five-Colored Powder is the most popular product in the Yan Kingdom now, and it is said to have been invented by the prince consort. He was suffering from the princess's nightly demands, which was making him physically weak, so he invented Five-Colored Powder.

In his own words, "Five-Color Powder invigorates yang, replenishes essence, and brightens the mind." Initially, it was touted as a beneficial medicine, but eventually, someone added an extra ingredient, causing it to become addictive.

With the prince consort leading the promotion and merchants making huge profits, Five-Colored Powder became increasingly popular and a favorite among scholars.

Initially, Five-Colored Powder was reserved for royalty and nobility, but now it has become fashionable and a necessity at banquets. People of all ranks are vying to absorb it, making it a trend.

The most famous of the Five-Colored Powder is Xing San, which is essentially a heat-clearing and fire-purging agent. After taking the powder, one should engage in rapid exercise to stimulate blood circulation; therefore, the thinner and less clothing the better. During exercise, the fire-purging sensation will rise in the abdomen, causing the mind to become uncontrollable and hallucinations to occur. At this time, the more vigorous the movement, the better the effect of Xing San.

The process of scattering the five colors is the one where the colors disperse.

The middle-aged man looked up and saw that some people next to him had already started taking off their clothes. He found it a bit too much and involuntarily moved away a little, his eyes turning to the dancing girls who were gracefully twirling – they were all from the Central Plains and were gifts from the merchants to the city lord.

The men knew the merchants were involved in the human trafficking business, but they only learned of their audacity—their willingness to use people to bribe officials—after arriving here.

He glanced sideways at the city lord, who sat in the main seat with women on either side of him, and thought to himself, "With so many women, I wonder if he can handle it."

"He's clearly an old man, yet he's still so lecherous," the middle-aged man thought. "It seems like it was the day before yesterday when I passed by here and saw a thirteen-year-old girl running out crying, with her maids acting as if it were a habit."

Feeling even more frustrated, the middle-aged man finished the wine in his cup in one gulp. This time, he didn't pour it out. He stood up and said goodbye to the city lord.

More and more people began to disperse, and even the city lord himself took the Five-Colored Powder, preparing to take it before dispersing. This was the highlight of every banquet. People came here not so much to drink, eat meat, and see beautiful women, but rather to disperse.

At this moment, no one paid any attention to the minor clerk; the city lord simply waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief, thanked them, and left. No one paid him any attention throughout the banquet; he had no friends, and his inability to leave made him seem completely out of place.

He left the hall, and after taking only a few steps, he heard a commotion behind him. He turned around and saw that the place was in complete chaos. Some people were running around naked, some were swinging their genitals, some were singing loudly while doing so, some were having sex with the dancers, and some were having sex with the guests next to them...

"..."

The scene before him echoed the image of the old soldier standing in the cold wind and snow in his mind. The middle-aged man remained silent, then turned and left.

Outside the mansion, his horse was tied up. He untied the rope, mounted the horse, and wondered if he should go to the city gate to find his father again, when he suddenly heard a commotion not far away.

He looked up and saw a patch of fire in the distance.

Something had happened, and his heart skipped a beat.

With a push of his legs, the horse began to run at a leisurely pace. In the street, people were crying and fleeing in all directions. He stopped one of them and asked, "What happened?"

"Barbarians! Barbarians are coming!" the man cried out.

"So what if they're here? They come a few times every year, right? The only difference is that they came in the spring this year. Don't be afraid, just give them whatever they want."

"No, no, the barbarians came to kill! So many people have been killed!"

"What!?"

The middle-aged man suddenly remembered his conversation with his father a week ago and asked again, "How many of them came?"

"There were so many of them, all cavalry, a dense, dark mass, you couldn't count them all!"

The man screamed and burst into tears:

"The barbarians are here to attack the city!"

--

"Guda!!"

"Guda!!"

With the sound of barbarian-style battle cries, and under the cover of night, a vast horde of cavalry swept across the sky, charging toward the lonely city in the north.

The sound was like thunder, and the cavalry charge overwhelmed everyone. The merchants' caravans were delivering goods to the city lord's mansion today, and some of the goods that hadn't been delivered inside were temporarily stationed outside the city. Now, they were all alarmed.

Of course, despite the alarm, no one realized what had happened.

On the city wall, several soldiers gathered to watch the excitement. The soldier in charge of issuing documents at the city gate glanced up and then looked down. The caravan guards yawned wearily, some of them not even having opened their eyes yet.

Until, the sound of horses' hooves accompanied by the flash of swords.

The caravans stationed outside the city were swallowed up by the cavalry tide. The soldiers at the city gate were still in shock, staring blankly as the torrent rushed in.

However, one person realized what was happening.

"Close the city gates!"

The old soldier who had been sitting at the city gate suddenly jumped up, looked up at the sky and roared, his powerful shout that resonated with the energy of his dantian, waking everyone up.

In an instant, everyone knew what their responsibilities were.

"Close the city gates! Quickly, close the city gates!"

"Damn it, what are you all standing there for? Get over here and close the city gate!"

"They're just barbarians, aren't they? They're here to rob us. Let them rob us."

Someone else made such a sound, and the old man, fierce as a tiger, grabbed the person's clothes, pulled him over, and roared, "Shut up, get out and close the city gate!"

The man shuddered in fright and hurriedly ran up the steps.

By now, it's clear to everyone that the barbarians are serious this time.