The improved female villains regained their memories.

She spread her palms and said, "This move was created by me recently based on some events that have occurred in my mind. You are the first person to see it."

After saying that, she softly murmured, "Come."

A massive surge of popularity erupted from the mysterious figure, uncontrollably rushing towards Su Murong.

As mentioned before, humans are born from the two energies of heaven and earth, and absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth to generate spiritual roots. The spiritual roots are influenced by the individual and will exhibit different attributes. The essence of cultivators absorbing spiritual energy is to absorb the two energies of heaven and earth from the outside world, and then combine them with their own human energy to form spiritual roots.

For example, Luo Benmo's meridian energy is vigorous, which means he has a thunder spirit root; and Wen Shihan's yin energy is vigorous, which means he has a yin spirit root.

The body is like heaven and earth, and is connected by human energy, thus forming a spiritual root that drives the circulation of spiritual energy throughout the body. Immortals are not heartless, but the energy in their bodies is no longer pure human energy, but rather attribute spiritual energy formed by external spiritual energy and their own human energy.

But in the end, the spiritual energy is also composed of human energy. It's like a house. The spiritual energy formed by the interaction of the weather and the earth forms the structure of the house, and the human energy itself is the foundation.

How solid and deep the foundation can be depends on how big and tall the house can be built in the future.

But how can a house exist if the foundation is removed?

The mysterious man was severely injured almost instantly. His face turned deathly pale, his black hair turned into strands of white, his eyes became sunken, and a feeling of exhaustion and soreness washed over his entire body, as if he had lost all his energy.

A wave of horror washed over him, and the mysterious man retreated rapidly, his mind racing:

[What a terrifying move! Although I've crossed worlds and my strength has been greatly reduced, I still possess the foundation of an immortal. With just one strike from Su Murong, my spiritual root was on the verge of collapse. She actually forcibly extracted my life force, damaging my cultivation foundation. Fortunately, it's her first time using this technique, and she's not yet proficient. This move is a hundred times more insidious than any other; even the most powerful immortal techniques using Yin energy cannot compare!]

The mysterious man no longer dared to underestimate Su Murong, and had no intention of attacking. He was only focused on leaving the place and making other plans.

Su Murong is unfathomable. He attacked me without saying a word, so he probably knows something. I need to get out of here.

Thinking this, the mysterious man unleashed his killing move, creating countless afterimages as he rushed toward the cave entrance guarded by the four spirit beasts.

Although Su Murong's move was incomplete, the mysterious man who had taken most of it had already suffered great losses. If Su Murong were to unleash the full power, he would likely suffer a significant setback.

The afterimage flashed by, and the four spirit beasts couldn't make out the details, causing them some panic. However, Su Murong remained calm and composed, continuing to softly recite:

"Come, come, come."

Despite the countless afterimages that had appeared and the true form that had been concealed, the mysterious man still felt that his popularity was being lost in large quantities again, and even the circulation of his spiritual energy was disrupted.

[What kind of terrifying technique is this? Its true form is invisible, yet it can still be activated!?]

The mysterious man was utterly shocked.

A massive surge of popularity erupted from the spiritual root in his dantian, flowing endlessly like the mighty Yangtze River, rushing towards Su Murong's palm, where it was then lifted by a whirlwind and condensed into a small vortex.

boom!

The afterimage vanished, and the mysterious man fell to the ground.

He had become an old man in his seventies or eighties, no longer able to walk. Most terrifyingly, his spiritual root emitted cracking sounds, then dissipated into the two energies of heaven and earth within his body, gushing out from his mouth.

His spiritual root was shattered.

Chapter 182 Humane Killing Move - The Devil's Sorrow

The mysterious man gave up resisting and let the other party hang him up.

Su Murong tried to pull off his hood, but couldn't for a long time. At this moment, the mysterious man said weakly, "Don't bother. I've used a powerful immortal technique. You won't be able to see my face no matter what."

"...There's such a thing?"

Su Murong was completely clueless about immortal killing techniques, so she simply gave up on trying to find out the mysterious person's true identity. Instead, she took a few steps back and adopted an interrogation stance: "So, will you tell me yourself, or will I force you to tell me?"

"...I'll say it myself."

The mysterious man had already thought of what he needed to say. His original purpose was to tell Su Murong these things, and now that Su Murong had asked, he naturally said them.

Su Murong lacked Luo Benmo's terrifying intuition, as well as the profound wisdom and scheming of other female villains. Most importantly, she didn't have a deep understanding of cultivation or the Dao of Heaven. Therefore, the mysterious man was still confident that his words could persuade Su Murong.

"You mean, Yang Pingsheng is backed by the Heavenly Dao, and I'm the female villain, and he came here to change me?"

"Exactly."

The mysterious man nodded hurriedly and continued, "You can recall all the details of your encounter with him, how you gradually fell for him, and how you were captured by him."

Su Murong fell into deep thought.

"Simplicity, kindness, care, and consideration—that's all. You didn't spend much time with him, and you were separated for ten years, yet you fell for him and your heart is with him, isn't that right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Su Murong nodded, staring directly at the mysterious man: "But you still haven't answered the question I asked earlier, who are you?"

The mysterious person got stuck.

After a long silence, he said, "A passerby."

“A passerby? Ha…” Su Murong smiled with narrowed eyes, “You only mentioned the schemes of Tiandao and Yang Pingsheng, but you didn’t say what you were plotting. Besides, did you come to me just to tell me these things?”

"Exactly."

After saying that, the mysterious man fell silent, having already said everything he needed to say.

"Okay, I believe you."

Unexpectedly, Su Murong waved his hand, freeing the mysterious man from his restraints, and at the same time threw the pill formed from human energy back to him.

The mysterious man hadn't expected Su Murong to let him go so easily. He looked at the Qi Cyclone Pill in his hand, puzzled and uncertain: "What does this mean?"

"I've turned your popularity into a pill. Take it, and your popularity will return."

The mysterious man looked at Su Murong, and after repeatedly confirming the other's expression, swallowed the pill in one gulp.

His withered skin regained its moisture, his hair turned from white to black, his eyes gradually became brighter, and even his mood improved considerably. The return of his massive popularity finally brought the mysterious man back to normal.

However, the spiritual energy had been dissipated, and the original immortal cultivation had dissipated.

"What a vicious move."

The mysterious man, feeling his own physical condition, exclaimed in genuine admiration: "The moment the vital energy was extracted, the collapse of the spiritual root was inevitable. Even if the vital energy is restored, it will take a lot of time to cultivate again to regain peak cultivation level. It's like having to walk the same path again, which is no different from killing that person."

“The difference is huge,” Su Murong said. “No matter how ruthless this move is, it still leaves room for maneuver. At least you’re still alive. As long as you’re alive, there’s hope. And as long as there’s hope, that person won’t give up. What if a dignified immortal has to do it all over again?”

The mysterious man was almost stunned.

He looked at the gray-haired girl in front of him again. She stood in the shadows, her posture so upright, and the light in her eyes stubbornly shone, refusing to go out no matter what.

Does this guy have such a big heart? Does he really not take failure and setbacks seriously?

She had cried, fallen into despair, felt lost, and hesitated, but there was always a light in her eyes, and she never gave up.

Why is this happening?

How resilient her heart was!

The mysterious man suddenly remembered that he had once guided Ghost Sorrow to the Northern Border as part of his scheme.

You now have two choices.

"First, go back like a drowning dog and wait for the emperor to summon you. You should honestly admit your mistakes, say 'Long live the emperor! I have committed treason and now I know my crime.' Then, coax the emperor and give him face. In front of everyone, insult all your research. That way, you can still live out your remaining days."

"Secondly, trust me this once. Go to the far north, to the border between the Yan Kingdom and the barbarians, find a town called Liuyun City, settle there, and wait. Many years later, a peerless genius will inherit your teachings. What you cannot do, she can do."

"Now, choose: live like a coward and let the rest of your life slip by, or gamble one more time like a gambler and risk the rest of your life. The choice is yours."

He gave the other person a choice, two choices, but in reality, the other person had no choice at all.

He had investigated before he came and knew all too well what kind of person Gui Jianchou was, so he naturally knew what choice he would make.

"Hahahahahahahaha!!"

As expected, Guijianchou laughed loudly a few times, and after he finished laughing, he said:

"Of course it's the second one. I don't even care about my life, so what's wrong with taking a gamble with you!?"

Even the most fearless ghost had a light in his eyes back then.

The mysterious man knew the story of Gui Jianchou and the hardships he had endured, but even so, he never expected that there could still be light in the other man's eyes.

What if he doesn't come looking for him?

What if he was just lying to him?

What if this so-called peerless genius never existed at all?

The mysterious person knew that the Ghost's Sorrowful Charm could never be passed down.

In the end, it was nothing but a pipe dream, a tragic hope of a pitiful person.

No one can promote your theories, and no one can make you famous in history.

Geniuses exist, and there are people who are suited to your theories; he is not lying. But your theories will ultimately turn to ashes in the flames, and what you expect is nothing but a fleeting dream.

The mysterious man watched him laugh and head north with a cold eye, lamenting that this poor man was just a pawn in this game.

But now, his face was serious, because he saw the figure of that stubborn person in Su Murong.

"What's the name of this move?"

"Hmm... a name..."

Su Murong hadn't thought of a name when she created this move; it was only now, when the mysterious person brought it up, that she began to consider it.

She pondered for a moment and then said, "Immortals have their way, and mortals have their way. Immortals have their killing moves, and mortals naturally have their killing moves."

"Since ancient times, no one has ever been able to create a humane killing move. As the first person to create a humane killing move, I naturally cannot let this first move remain unknown. Therefore, this move is called—"

"—The devil's bane."

Chapter 183 Ants Looking Up at the Sky

"Ghost's Sorrow, excellent, excellent, truly a wonderful name."

The mysterious man breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Su Murong would never be satisfied with this. This move would surely resound throughout the main world and truly make him a legend.

"A humane killing move that uses popularity as its nourishment and foundation—this kind of system might not necessarily lose to an immortal. Su Murong, you have created such a system; your future achievements will definitely not be inferior to mine."

"You?" Su Murong scoffed. "So, this mysterious guy of yours is actually quite powerful?"

The mysterious man smiled slightly: "I wouldn't dare say it's incredibly powerful, but I still advise you not to underestimate the abilities of immortals."

Having said that, he made a hand gesture and immediately unleashed a deadly immortal move.

Su Murong's eyes widened in disbelief. He never expected that someone could unleash a deadly move without having any spiritual roots, and he immediately became alert.

A chilling wind arose within the cave, and the four spirit beasts protected Su Murong, watching the mysterious man warily.