The improved female villains regained their memories.

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Leng Yan asked instinctively, but Song Panning shook her head and still asked, "Is it worth it?"

The space rippled, and someone tore open a crack and stepped in.

"Is it worth it...?"

A heavy, earth-yellow robe covered the newcomer, who exuded mystery and an imposing presence. His appearance, along with the lingering aura emanating from the female corpse, brought immense pressure to Song Panning and Leng Yan.

"Miss!"

Leng Yan spoke as if facing a formidable enemy, but Song Panning paid no attention and continued to ask questions as if nothing was amiss:

"does it worth?"

"worth."

The newcomer spoke slowly.

He removed his hat, revealing a face without features, and then slowly unfastened the strange robe, exposing his chest.

A face was clearly visible on that chest; it was Song Qihao's face.

Chapter 265 The Land of the Villains' Bonds

Song Qihao.

The former leader of demon training, he single-handedly entered the Divine Cult's power and became one of the thirty-six members of the Divine Cult. The Song family's ranking among the top in the Divine Cult's power over the years is inseparable from his contributions.

He was a master of formations, who created the Immortal Slaughtering Formation. Anyone who entered his formation, even a true immortal, would have a fighting chance. He endured humiliation and hardship, and with the help of the Zhang family's power, he climbed up step by step, eventually gaining his own territory and creating a great career.

Leng Yan stared almost blankly at this legendary historical figure, while Song Panning made no attempt to hide it. No matter how strange the person in front of her looked, she clasped her hands slightly and bowed, saying, "Junior Song Panning pays respects to the ancestor."

"Hehe, you're not surprised at all. I made predictions and calculations, leaving you many backup plans, but you didn't take the usual path. Now you've found Qingtian's location and seen more of what happened back then in Qingtian's memories. What are your thoughts?"

"I have no particular thoughts," Song Panning said.

“You’re not surprised to see me, so you must have guessed something,” Song Qihao said. His face was on his chest, and he spoke with his eyes closed, making him look particularly eerie. “I know what you want to ask, and I won’t hesitate to tell you.”

He paused, then said, "I am a human chess piece."

The so-called "human chess" is a method developed by the Heavenly Guardian Sect to restrict the villains.

The villains are parasites of the will of Heaven, each with extraordinary talents. However, the will of Heaven is ultimately controlled by human will. As the executors of the will of Heaven, the Guardian Heaven Sect needs to suppress the remnants of the will of Heaven that support the pure will of Heaven. Taking dynasties as an example, the will of Heaven is the Han Emperor who was held hostage by Cao Cao, the human will within the will of Heaven is Cao Cao himself, the Guardian Heaven Sect is Cao Cao's subordinate group, and the will of Heaven is the Han officials who strive to restore the Han Dynasty.

If Heaven wanted to awaken the pure Heavenly Dao, it could only work on the villains. Therefore, these villains all disregarded etiquette and rules, and cared nothing for human ethics and morality. They regarded human life as worthless, despised kings and nobles, acted recklessly, and did not care about the opinions of others. In order to strike at the villains in various worlds and prevent them from joining forces to attack the Heavenly Guardian Sect, the Guardian Sect came up with a dirty trick: to manipulate the villains' emotions and set up bonds.

羁 (jī): to restrain; to bind. The character 羁 (jī) is a compound ideograph composed of 网 (wǎng), 革 (gé), and 马 (mǎ). Together, it signifies using a leather net to restrain a horse. 绊 (bàn): a net that traps animals, preventing them from escaping. It also refers to being blocked or entangled while walking. The combination of 羁 (jī) and 绊 (bàn) means "entangled and unable to escape, bound." In their eyes, the villains are like unfeeling beasts of burden, and to control them, restraint is necessary.

This bond is emotion.

In one's life, one will experience many emotions: family affection, love, friendship, teacher-student relationship, gratitude to the emperor, friendship with a confidant, and so on. Villains may not care about human ethics and morality, but in the end, they have not escaped the realm of humanity. As long as they are still human and have human blood in their veins, then humanity will be nurtured within them.

Humanity is selfish and prioritizes morality, while the way of Heaven is impartial and prioritizes emotion. When the two are combined, what is manifested in the villains is the purest form of human nature.

Since that's the case, let's intensify their temperaments, cultivate humane feelings, and use those feelings to restrain the villains' temperaments.

The one who completes this task is the human chess player.

“I am the human chess piece,” Song Qihao said calmly.

The role of the human chess pieces is to become the hindrance of the villains, binding their hands and feet, making them abandon their pure thoughts, or become degenerate or mediocre, wasting their talents, and confining them to a small world, where they can no longer achieve anything.

In countless worlds throughout the river of time, some villains succumb to familial love, some are intoxicated by romantic love, and some are loyal to their promises to friends. The variations are endless. The Guardian Sect will formulate the most detailed script based on the definition of each villain, so that the human chess pieces can play their due role.

The Guardian Sect occupies a favorable position in the Heavenly Dao and constantly interferes with the origin of the Heavenly Dao, causing the laws governing the world to evolve according to their own ideas. The human chess piece's birth, encounter with the villain, and acquaintance seem like coincidences, but in reality, they are nothing more than one drama after another.

“Qingtian is the reincarnation of an ancient demon. Heaven has chosen her to become the new female villain. If it weren’t for my interference, Qingtian would instinctively merge demonic energy and spiritual energy, devour the origin of this world, break through the legendary shackles, and become a deity.” Song Qihao walked over, squatted down, and stroked the head of what looked like a sleeping little girl. He said softly, “She won’t go to the main world like other villains. Instead, she will directly enter the Heavenly Dao with a large amount of Heaven’s will. Of course, the people in the main world will not allow such a thing to happen. Therefore, they chose me.”

"How did you know?" Song Panning asked, puzzled.

Song Qihao paused for a moment and then said, "Someone gave Leng Yanran a brocade pouch, and she handed it to me. It was from that brocade pouch that I learned everything."

---------

"My lord, to tell you the truth, when my mother gave birth to me, she almost had a difficult childbirth. A mysterious immortal passed by our house and saved my mother. He told my father, 'Your daughter will surely marry a hero in the future. I have left you a brocade pouch. Tell your daughter to keep it close to her body and not to open it. When her husband is lost and doesn't know which way to go, the brocade pouch I left behind will be of great use.'"

Leng Yanran smiled slightly as she spoke: "My husband, my father remembered the immortal's words, so from childhood to adulthood, I have always kept this brocade pouch close to my body and dared not open it casually. Later, when I married you, I knew that you were the hero of this world, but since you have already reached the pinnacle of power, I did not know what troubles you, so I did not say anything. Now that you are worried about the matter of the heavens, I think it is time to give you this brocade pouch."

--------

"Inside the brocade pouch was a slip of paper that described the Guardian Heaven Sect's arrangements for the new generation of human chess pieces. Back then, my family was in dire straits, and the academy needed monsters, so I had no choice but to enter the Monster Forest and meet Qing Tian. In addition, my mother died and was saved by Qing Tian, so my feelings for Qing Tian naturally deepened."

As Song Qihao spoke, his voice trembled: "However, all of this was nothing more than a human scheme."

The person behind the scenes, like a chess player, orchestrated Song Qihao's actions, leading him step by step deeper into the vortex from which he could not extricate himself.

"If I had handed over Qingtian back then, the people of the Divine Cult would not have been able to do anything to him, because the will of Heaven was on Qingtian. If Qingtian died, the will of Heaven would fall on another person in double measure. In that case, the people of the main world would have to put in a lot of effort to redefine and plan a new villain, which would be a thankless task. If Qingtian were imprisoned directly, he would unleash his talent in a desperate situation and fight his way out. That would only accelerate Qingtian's growth, which is not what they want to see either."

"Qingtian is like this entirely because of me. She voluntarily forgot everything and was imprisoned here."

then.

It was in this cave, at this very moment.

Qing Tian looked at Song Qihao and obediently drank the water of oblivion that he was offered.

What was she thinking at that moment?

She had never met her parents. She only remembered that when she was very young, her parents told her, "You must remember, never trust humans, and never bring anyone to the Spirit Spring. This is the biggest secret of our snake clan."

However, she did not listen to her parents, all because she met Song Qihao.

"It was my fault that she was killed; it was my own cleverness that led to her death."

At this point, Song Qihao was already in tears.

This legendary figure in history, upon reaching this point, couldn't help but burst into tears. His hand trembled as he repeatedly stroked the top of Qingtian's head, saying over and over again, "It was I who killed her."

Leng Yan was slightly moved, clearly touched, but Song Panning's expression remained indifferent. Compared to the relationship between Song Qihao and Qing Tian, she cared more about something else.

“Ancestor, those people from the Divine Cult asked you to feed Qingtian the Water of Oblivion. Isn’t that redundant? Once Qingtian drinks the Water of Oblivion, he will surely forget you. Wouldn’t their efforts have been wasted?”

Song Qihao let out a long sigh, stopped crying, and explained with a bitter smile: "So-called feelings are those that run deep into the bones and nature."

From the moment a player is selected, a large number of votes are cast on them.

These people subtly influence the human and the villain through their interactions, and even if one of them becomes aware of it later, they cannot escape the influence.

Humans are, in the end, greedy.

This greed is not only directed towards worldly wealth and power, but also towards emotions.

This is why Xu Anlu was so desperate after her memories of her past life returned, and why Luo Benmo intuitively felt that Yang Pingsheng's departure caused him to completely collapse and become powerless.

The former cannot escape emotions even when memories return, and the latter cannot escape emotions even when memories are lost.

Love is like poison. Female villains are naturally difficult to sway with love, but once they are tainted and swayed, they can never get rid of it.

"I see. So, the villains are always surrounded by human chess pieces. Does that mean I'll be surrounded by human chess pieces too?"

Thinking of this, Song Panning glanced at Leng Yan.

Leng Yan was immersed in the relationship between Song Qihao and Qing Tian, feeling sad for them, when Song Panning glanced at her, instantly waking her up: "Miss?"

"fine."

Song Panning looked away; it shouldn't be her.

“Once a human is chosen, the script will be delivered. No matter how hard the human tries, they cannot escape their fate as a character in the script.” Song Qihao said, his voice growing heavier, and even his back seemed to sink down. “Just like me, the more I want to save Qingtian, the stronger Qingtian’s feelings for me become, and in the end, I will harm her.”

Once a player is chosen, they cannot escape their fate. Anyone who tries to save the villain will only intensify the villain's emotions, thus making their bond stronger and stronger.

Song Qihao wanted to save Qingtian, but he never expected that Qingtian never thought of leaving him. She only took the Black Flag incident as an order. Even more than ten years later, she was still waiting for his call.

Qingtian had no parents and had never experienced love before. It was Song Qihao who gave her love for the first time.

This love also led her to act recklessly. During the battle at Demon Mountain, she saw the green flag in his hand. She should have obeyed orders and fled as before, but when she saw that Song Qihao was really seriously injured, more than ten years of longing completely erupted. That was also the only time she did not obey Song Qihao's orders.

This ultimately ruined her life.

"The characters chosen by the script and the direction it guides are exactly what the villains lack most. That's why the villains are so deeply involved and unable to extricate themselves."

Wen Shihan was a beggar since childhood. When she was down on her luck, no one cared about her or took care of her. Once she gained power, she was surrounded by sycophants. So she did whatever she could to climb to the top. Because of this, the script gave her an older brother who cared about her and took care of her.

Luo Benmo believes in rules and insists that everyone should play their role well. What she cannot tolerate most is the betrayal and doubt of those around her. Her younger brother's departure to survive is a thorn in her heart forever. For this reason, the script gave her a younger brother who listens to her and trusts her.

Xu Anlu was reborn in search of answers, but without her memories, she was constantly suppressed by her mother and the so-called sister in her mind. She was lively and playful, but the palace was strictly governed by rules, and the sister in her mind would make her do all sorts of things from time to time, spreading various conspiracy theories. No one cared about what she really wanted. Because of this, the script gave her a teacher who tolerated and obeyed her.

Su Murong was born in the northern border region, where the people are fierce and no one truly helps another. Everyone is cunning and abandons dignity and pride to survive. Since her mother's death, no one has been able to truly help Su Murong. Even Gui Jianchou has his own motives. Su Murong navigates the world of self-interest, using it to gain help from others. But what benefits does a young girl like her have to gain help from others? It is for this reason that the script gives her a selfless and simple doctor who does not seek personal gain.

"The fate of the human chess pieces is already predetermined. They are watched by the Heavenly Dao and instilled with a large amount of human will. From the moment they are born, their fate is already determined. The more they resist, the more they will fail."

Song Panning listened quietly, then suddenly felt something was wrong.

According to Song Qihao's logic, since the fate of the human and the chess pieces is already determined, and whatever one does will lead to failure, then what is the purpose of Song Qihao's strategy?

According to the story and Qing Tian's recollection, after Song Qihao learned about the mysterious person, although he was devastated for a while, he still set up these schemes. Since he already knew his destiny, what was the purpose of doing these things?

"Ancestor, you..."

I know what you want to ask.

The heaviness of the voice vanished instantly.

Song Qihao stood up, and in that instant, his figure stood ramrod straight.

"You want to ask, since you already knew the fate of the human chess pieces, why did you set up these things in the first place, right?"

Song Qihao turned around, his chest revealing an aged face with his eyes still closed, but his voice was exceptionally loud.

"Who do you think I am? I am Song Qihao."

He spoke in a voice that, though not loud, seemed to pierce through the heavens.

"I don't believe in fate."

Chapter 266 Spirit-Seizing Array

Song Qihao raised his hand, and a miniature mountain city appeared in his palm.

"You think you can make me accept my fate with just these things? Don't you think that's too easy?"