The improved female villains regained their memories.

Their combination gave birth to a strange power, which shielded Song Panning from the array's perception.

Song Panning said she was neither human nor ghost, and that wasn't wrong.

A brush appeared in Song Panning's hand; it was her magical artifact. The moment the brush appeared, the spiritual energy of the previously broken and stagnant array began to recombine and resume its flow.

Something sharp flashed by, drawing blood that dripped onto the ground.

Xiaoyu touched her cheek and quickly turned her head away before she could even see what it was. Luckily, she reacted quickly, otherwise she might have had a hole punched in her brain.

Across from her, Song Panning raised her hand, her fingertips pointing at her. Presumably, that thing also originated from there. The goddess smiled slightly, a smile that was somewhat eerie: "Monster, you can repeat what you said again."

Xiaoyu lowered her hand; the wound on her cheek had healed. She looked fearlessly into Song Panning's eyes and said softly, "If you hate me, come at me. Why make things difficult for them?"

Song Panning's smile grew increasingly cruel: "Difficult?"

With a stroke of her pen, the massive formation compressed, causing Dahuang and the system to scream in agony.

Xiaoyu moved like a blur. Even though Song Panning was paying close attention, she still couldn't catch her. By the time Song Panning came to her senses, Xiaoyu was already standing on the roof with a cat and a dog in each hand.

“Miss Song,” Xiaoyu said with a wry smile, “you wanted clues, so I deliberately left the system with you. Why are you so persistent in pursuing it?”

Song Panning looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly: "Are you really the lackey of that Ninth Villain?"

Xiaoyu neither admitted nor denied it, but repeatedly emphasized: "I didn't mean to harm him."

"You say you don't care, but your actions are harming him. People like you are more terrifying than enemies." Song Panning raised her hand: "You want to leave as easily as last time? Then keep dreaming!"

The light of the great formation pierced through heaven and earth, and the Heaven-Slaying Formation was activated once again.

The pressure was transmitted layer by layer, and Xiaoyu's face turned pale, but she recovered in an instant.

"You can't stop me." She looked at Song Panning one last time before turning to leave.

"Blue Sky!" Song Panning shouted, and the Blue Sky pendant on her neck shot towards Xiaoyu like an arrow.

The little snake transformed into a girl in green, her delicate fists clenched, unleashing a monstrous aura of demonic energy.

Xiaoyu threw a kick, which collided with the girl's fist.

One used only demonic energy, while the other used nothing at all, taking the blow head-on with its body. The collision stirred up a storm.

The houses collapsed one by one, turning into ruins. Xiaoyu frowned slightly and helped to fall to other places.

boom!

The room where Luo Benmo once lived collapsed.

She walked through the air and then stood on a broken pillar. Qingtian fell to the ground with a thud, creating a large crater.

“If it had been earlier, I probably wouldn’t have been able to beat it,” Xiaoyu said. “Now it’s different, so why bother, Miss Song? I don’t want to fight you.”

"Hmph, we don't even know what you are, why should I believe you?" Song Panning sneered.

Xiaoyu sighed helplessly: "I don't expect you to believe me. Now that you know a lot of the information, there's no need for me to keep it."

Do you think you can still get away?

"If you want to force me to stay, you will have to activate the capital's large-scale Heaven-Slaying Formation, which will then drag the entire city into it. Miss Song, is that what you want?"

"Hmph, the hastily assembled Heaven-Slaying Formation certainly can't stop you." Song Panning suddenly revealed a sly smile: "But who said I used that formation to stop you?"

Xiaoyu was slightly taken aback.

A shadow had already enveloped the courtyard, separating the space.

Xu Anlu's hair was like fire, she wore fire armor and a long spear, and she descended from the sky, stepping on fiery clouds.

Boom!

Dark clouds covered the sky.

Luo Benmo stood atop the clouds, his gaze indifferent, looking down at Xiaoyu.

A portal appeared out of thin air, and Li Chumo, Yang Pingsheng, and Wen Shihan arrived at the same time.

Apart from Su Murong, all the female villains have arrived.

Song Panning's grand formation just now wasn't meant to trap Xiaoyu, but rather to notify the other villains.

Especially Yang Pingsheng.

Xiao Yu trembled slightly as she looked down at Yang Pingsheng, who was looking up.

Song Panning smiled, walked over step by step, stood next to Yang Pingsheng, and asked with a smile, "Are you still leaving?"

She gave Yang Pingsheng a wink.

Yang Pingsheng nodded, took a step forward, and said, "Xiaoyu, let's talk."

As if in response to Yang Pingsheng's words, Li Chumo unleashed the power of the Great Void, completely sealing off this space to prevent Xiaoyu from escaping using spatial means.

Xiaoyu sighed helplessly.

Yang Pingsheng then said, "Light rain."

The sound was so loud that Xiaoyu couldn't ignore it. She looked down and gave a helpless smile: "Young Master."

Yang Pingsheng said again, "Let's talk."

Her emerald green skirt swayed gently in the wind, her face was delicate, and her eyes and brows revealed an untainted purity, tinged with sorrow.

Yang Pingsheng looked into those eyes, then at the hairpin on her head.

Her hairpin was simple and plain, made of jade, like a touch of emerald green added to a painting of Jiangnan, a finishing touch.

That was what he bought for her.

He then remembered that in his memory she was always smiling, warm as the spring sun, making people feel kind and warm.

When did she begin to show such a sorrowful expression?

“I’m sorry, young master,” Xiaoyu said softly, “we can’t talk now.”

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences." Song Panning suddenly spoke up, "If you're unwilling to talk to Yang Pingsheng, don't blame us for taking action."

The courtyard was always quiet at night, with only the soft rustling of withered branches in the breeze. But Song Panning's loud shout cast a chilling, murderous aura over the courtyard.

Xiaoyu remained silent. The black cat and the big yellow dog in her hands had long since fainted from fright, lifeless in her grasp, as if they had lost their souls. The female villains surrounding them seemed to be affected by the heavy killing intent as well, their faces grim and their eyes sharp.

She finally spoke, facing Yang Pingsheng: "Young Master, are you determined to make things difficult for me?"

Yang Pingsheng shook his head: "I don't want to make things difficult for you. I'll only ask you one question."

Xiao Yu said, "Young master, please ask."

So Yang Pingsheng asked, "Who exactly are you?"

At this moment, the sky fell silent.

Xiaoyu remained silent for a long, long time.

After a long pause, she gave a poignant smile.

Everything was said, yet it seemed like nothing was said at all.

It was at this moment that Yang Ping suddenly realized something, his calm expression vanished, and he revealed a look of horror.

Who is this person who keeps saying they won't harm her, yet stays by her side?

Who is it that appears only to set up a trap?

Who becomes increasingly sad and sorrowful as time goes by?

The night is getting darker.

Yang Pingsheng looked at Xiaoyu.

In those sorrowful eyes, he saw—

— Himself.

-------------

A light rain was falling from the sky.

In Fairy Valley, a man sat quietly on a rock.

The system that had accompanied him through nine lifetimes was gone, and now he was truly all alone.

But he wasn't truly alone; a woman stood beside him. She was a very beautiful Eastern girl, gentle and graceful, with delicately raised eyebrows and a soft, elegant light in her eyes. Her long hair cascaded down, and a light blue, elegant long dress hugged her slender figure, giving her a warm and approachable air.

His wish came true, and he had everything, but now he didn't even have the desire to speak.

The woman spoke first: "How would you like me to address you?"

The man didn't look at her, and answered mechanically, "Whatever."

The woman then asked, "So, what name would you like me to have?"

The man looked up as raindrops fell on his face.

He stared blankly for a while, then, as if struck by a thought, said, "Xiaoyu."

After saying that, he added definitively, "Yes, your name will be Xiaoyu."

The woman paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded:

"Okay, if that's what you want, then I'll call you Xiaoyu."

After saying that, she turned and went into the courtyard. The place was too messy, and she needed to tidy it up.

The man stared at her retreating figure, muttering to himself as if possessed: "Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu..."

-------------

Xiaoyu was a delicate woman with fair skin and beautiful features.

She always wore an elegant dress and sat quietly in the courtyard reading. Her smile brought warmth and comfort, like a mother's care. She was considerate of him, selflessly giving and gently comforting him. Every move she made was so gentle, like a spring breeze caressing a face, warm and natural.

She is so beautiful, so gentle, so precious.

The love in her eyes seemed genuine, truly making the man feel as if he had experienced the deepest separation of life and death with her.

A few days after moving in, the woman brought home a dog she had found outside.

“Young master, I found this outside. It was probably abandoned by someone. Look how pitiful it is. Let’s adopt it.”

The man was lying on a deck chair in the yard, lost in thought, when he heard the woman's voice and looked up.