The improved female villains regained their memories.

"Master..."

Unconsciously uttering this word, the fire in the Hall of Might suddenly went out, plunging it back into darkness in an instant.

Enveloped in darkness, Li Chumo's mind was filled with images from the past.

She saw many...

A cave, a small courtyard, a burning campfire, and her sitting on the ground.

Starlight, mountaintop, flickering fireflies, and her sitting by the window.

Everything, everything, seemed like an illusion.

Before she developed feelings for someone, she didn't care much, but after she did, she cared much more.

What's so good about going to the main world?

She didn't want to go anywhere.

Everything from those years flows in my blood, and the silent beating of my heart is deafening.

She snapped out of her daze, waved her hand, and a row of flames lit up again.

“Go back and tell Xiao Qitian that I have no interest in the main world,” she said.

The cloaked man fell silent. He could see that Li Chumo's patience had reached its limit. If he continued to emphasize the same point as before, Li Chumo might really kill him.

The titles of the Four Protectors are unrelated to their martial prowess. Although they are both protectors, he is no match for Li Chumo.

“I will convey your message,” the cloaked man said. “However, I have come here for another matter as well.”

"what's up?"

"Some small insects have come to your territory."

"Oh?" Li Chumo became interested.

The so-called "little bugs" are the remnants of the righteous path who survived the great defeat of the righteous path back then. Among them, the remnants of the Kongling Sect are the leaders. After all, it was the number one sect in the world. Although many people died in the battle ten years ago, it still has many supporters in secret.

Xiao Qitian liked to call these remnants "little bugs," so gradually, the entire Demonic Sect started calling them that.

"Are they from the Void Spirit Sect?"

“No, she’s from an orc tribe,” the cloaked man said. “We’ve been hunting her for a long time. Look, this is her portrait.”

The cloaked man tossed over a portrait, which Li Chumo caught, opened, and found somewhat familiar.

It wasn't until she saw the severed tail that she vaguely remembered it—back in the Kongling Sect, she had led a group to bully her because the other party had gotten close to Yang Pingsheng, and it was only later that the school song Yun intervened and saved her.

Has that former servant grown up to be able to contend with cultivators? Li Chumo sneered and casually put away the portrait.

What do you want?

“That person was once a member of the werewolf tribe, and now you are the king of the werewolf tribe. The leader’s intention is for you to resolve this matter.”

"A mere orc, without even a linear emblem, can't your men handle it?"

“If it were just a lowly orc, my men would have taken care of it,” the cloaked man said. “But she has a fox-person with her, and that fox-person is highly skilled, perhaps even more so than me.”

"Fox-people?"

"Yes, and it's a pure Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox bloodline."

Li Chumo immediately understood the other party's purpose. After becoming the protector of the Demonic Sect, she was not only the queen of the werewolf tribe but also the leader of the entire orc alliance. Strictly speaking, the affairs of the fox tribe were also under her jurisdiction. Xiao Qitian sent this protector from the East not only to get the answer to that question but also to test her.

He suspected that the two men were Li Chumo's people, and that Li Chumo was secretly supporting them to sabotage the Demonic Sect.

Li Chumo narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What will you do if I refuse to pursue it?"

“I won’t do anything. Whether you agree or refuse is your right,” the cloaked man said. “I will only report your answer to the leader, nothing more.”

Hmph, that sounds nice.

Li Chumo snorted coldly. She did indeed dislike such probing, but Xiao Qitian didn't bother to hide it, and she really had nothing to do with these two. Considering Yang Pingsheng, Li Chumo really had no reason to refuse.

So she replied, "I will look into it."

"Then we await your good news." The cloaked man bowed, finished speaking, and left.

Watching the cloaked man leave the hall, Li Chumo returned to his throne and pondered. If Xiao Qitian decreed that he would go to the main world, he would definitely take his own forces with him. At that time, a huge power vacuum would appear, and Li Chumo would replace Xiao Qitian and become the sole ruler of the world.

Xiao Qitian must also be thinking about this problem. Unless he can fix the connection between this world and the main world and return at any time, he will have no choice but to give up his power in this world.

"Power, everyone says power is good, but what's the use of it?"

Li Chumo muttered to himself, got up, and walked towards the second floor deep inside the main hall.

On the second floor, she pushed open the door to a room where a large expanse of violets bloomed, entwined with demonic energy, filling the air with their fragrance.

In the middle of the flowerbed, Yang Pingsheng's body lay there.

Li Chumo stood at the doorway, watching as a gust of wind blew through her clothes.

"Heart......."

"So having feelings is a painful thing?"

A petal was swept up by demonic energy and landed at the corner of her eye. Li Chumo reached out and picked it off, her eyes growing increasingly bewildered.

What does she want?

Once, she thought all she wanted was to be well-fed and clothed; later, she thought she wanted freedom or dignity.

However, after experiencing so much, she discovered that the person who doted on her was no longer there. Though affected by her past, she stubbornly believed that everything would be alright once it passed. But she soon realized—

There's no way to get there.

If someone is determined, then there's no way we can get past them.

Over the past decade, her hallucinations have become increasingly severe. She has started experiencing severe auditory hallucinations and must sleep in Yang Pingsheng's arms, just like she used to, otherwise, she will be plunged into endless darkness and nightmares as soon as she closes her eyes.

She couldn't understand why she had become like this, and was even confused about who she really was.

"Master, what's wrong with me?"

"You always answer my questions, so tell me, what's wrong with me?"

"Why did I become like this? Why...?"

"What... is this...?"

Apart from the sound of demonic energy flowing, no one answered her.

She walked over, nestled in that familiar embrace, and placed her hand on her heart.

"Master..."

"Adsorption..."

At that moment, she seemed to hear the voice of her past self.

Chapter 456 I Regret It

As autumn deepens, the chill around the Majestic Hall grows stronger, probably in preparation for winter. Even the werewolves are preparing for the winter.

A month has passed since the cloaked man arrived.

The Majestic Hall was as cold as ice. The person in charge came to report the results of the pursuit to Li Chumo. After the report, Li Chumo snorted coldly, and he lay prostrate below, not daring to move.

"So, you let those two guys get away again."

"After all, the opponent has formed a patterned emblem, and their movements are unpredictable; we are no match for them..."

Li Chumo coldly watched the trembling werewolf below, waved him away, and watched him retreat timidly.

A gentle autumn breeze brings a touch of coolness, and the leaves gradually don their vibrant new attire, transforming from emerald green to golden yellow and fiery red, like paints on a palette adorning the branches. Sunlight filters through the sparse branches, casting dappled shadows like scattered gold, draping the earth in a warm coat.

The distant mountains were shrouded in a thin mist, appearing and disappearing like a fairyland. At the foot of the mountains, a stream flowed gently, with a few withered leaves floating on the surface, drifting slowly with the current. The reeds along the stream swayed in the wind, making a rustling sound, dancing with the autumn breeze.

Li Chumo stood alone outside the main hall, silently gazing into the distance.

Neither of the servants dared to disturb her. Over the past ten years, Li Chumo had established absolute authority in the werewolf tribe. Anyone who resisted or disobeyed her would either die or be maimed.

Winter is almost here, and winter means the New Year is almost here, she thought, watching the autumn leaves fluttering in the wind.

Something suddenly erupted in her mind, making her blood boil. The auditory hallucination resurfaced, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

The auditory hallucinations seem to be getting worse lately.

She seemed to hear the sound of leaves rustling in the wind in the courtyard. She lazily yawned and got up. The warm sunlight shone on her, and a fragrance wafted in from outside the door. She smacked her lips, and the next second her master walked in, smiling as he called her to get up.

After getting up, she would enjoy a delicious breakfast, and then sweetly ask her master to excuse her from today's homework so that he could take her out to play—either a picnic or a trip to the city's morning market.

If her master refuses, she cries and makes a fuss; if he agrees, she will happily cling to him and not let go. When they actually go to play, if she gets tired or doesn't want to play anymore, she will lie on her master's back, close her eyes, and pretend to be asleep.

However, after experiencing numerous auditory hallucinations, she would always hear her master's last conversation.

"...Master?"

"Ah."

She responded calmly, as calmly as if she were answering whether she had eaten breakfast.

But she had clearly done that kind of thing, and her master shouldn't have acted that way. In the very end, she thought her master would kill her, but the sword never fell.

Does his agreement mean that he still considers himself his disciple?

She suddenly felt that everything was a dream—the cave was a dream, the storytelling was a dream, the confession was a dream. But when the real dream shattered and she woke up, all that was left for her was her cold body.

She felt trapped, with no chance of escape.

Even the final scene, that calm silence, would pierce her heart like a sharp sword, plunging this sensitive person into boundless pain.

And she is indeed the damned culprit.

She betrayed him, she killed him, her claws pierced her master's chest, but over the past ten years, they have repeatedly pierced Li Chumo's heart.

She recalled the story of the Flower Lantern Tears, in which the scholar also betrayed the fox demon and put her to death.

Can......

She was not a scholar, and her master was not a fox demon.

But the ending of the story is so similar.

What is this? What is this?