In a certain corner of the Imperial Palace.

After hearing the old woman's report, the Empress burst into a towering rage, shattering a precious wooden table with a single palm strike. Splintered wood and torn paper instantly fluttered throughout the hall!

The Empress rose abruptly, her delicate body trembling, her aura brimming with murderous intent. "Even if we have to dig three feet underground, you will find him for me!"

The old woman bowed. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. The Capital City is completely sealed off. Those members of the Heretic Cult must still be within its walls."

The Empress let out a long breath, gradually calming her anger. She turned and waved her hand. "You may leave."

"Yes, Your Majesty. This old servant takes her leave."

「Outside the palace.」

Dou Dou, holding the Big Black Umbrella, saw the old woman emerge and hurried over. "Why did Empress Sister get so angry?"

The old woman shook her head gently. "I've followed Her Majesty for so long, and she has always been calm in the face of trouble, unflustered even if Mount Tai were to collapse before her. I never expected she would become so infuriated over Luo Xiu, or so anxious."

Dou Dou patted her small chest. "Empress Sister is so scary when she's angry! I need to go kill a few bad guys to calm my nerves."

* * *

"You know, alchemy doesn't just cultivate your temperament; it also tempers your will," Luo Xiu mused. "If you could be like me, that would be so cool. Hey, you've just been moping around all day. Don't you feel suffocated?"

Luo Xiu had spent three full days in the underground chamber, where not a sliver of daylight could be seen. For all three days, he had been refining elixirs. The only person he could talk to was Luo Ying, who was assigned to supervise him. But even as he chattered away like a motor-mouth, Luo Ying never paid him any mind. The only time she acknowledged him was when he deliberately tried to hide some ingredients, for which she promptly beat him up.

"You know, we both have the surname Luo," he tried again. "And I hear we're even related by blood, so maybe you could..."

As he was speaking, the iron door to the Alchemy Room was suddenly thrown open, letting out a grating shriek of rusted metal.

Mr. Bai strode in. His gaze fell upon the finished elixirs on the plate, and a hint of dissatisfaction crossed his face. "With your skill in the Alchemy Dao, the elixirs you refine shouldn't be of such an inferior grade."

Luo Xiu shrugged. "Can't be helped. The environment in this underground chamber is terrible, and I didn't eat well yesterday. You think you can do better?"

Mr. Bai smiled and shook his head. "No matter. Even if they're inferior, they can still be used."

He didn't know the real reason for the elixirs' poor quality. Luo Xiu had secretly used the Qihuang Technique to absorb a portion of the ingredients' medicinal power. Through three days of absorption, Luo Xiu's Qi Huang Medicine Power had recovered to twenty percent, and his injuries were mostly healed. However, the immense strength within him remained inaccessible. His Dantian and Eight Extraordinary Meridians felt as though they were bound by unbreakable, invisible shackles. With no other choice, he decided he would have to wait for his Qi Huang Medicine Power to recover a little more before attempting to shatter those shackles with brute force.

"You're scheduled for the laboratory today," Mr. Bai's voice pulled Luo Xiu from his thoughts.

Luo Xiu put down the tattered cattail fan in his hand, propped himself up with both hands on his knees, and slowly stood up.

Mr. Bai, however, walked over and kicked him in the backside. "You should move faster. A grown man can't be so sluggish. Show some energy!"

After a long while, Luo Xiu, drained of a significant amount of blood, staggered back into the secret chamber. His face was pale and he was overcome with weakness. He collapsed onto the wooden plank bed and lay motionless, looking as if he were critically ill. However, as long as it wasn't his essence blood that was depleted, it wasn't a major issue; the Qi Huang Medicine Power would soon regenerate what he had lost.

Time ticked away.

Suddenly, the clicking of high heels echoed through the chamber. Xia Chan, dressed in a white skirt and black stockings, entered, her brow furrowing in disapproval. The conditions here were worse, more dreadful than she had imagined. It was simply no place for a person to live. Her eyes moved from the cockroaches and rats scuttling in the corners to Luo Xiu on the wooden bed, and a sudden pang of heartache struck her.

"I just want to know, why are you so foolish?" she asked. "I clearly offered you the best choice."

Luo Xiu opened his eyes and looked at her. "So you're here to play the good cop?"

"Working like a slave every day, eating leftovers, being stripped naked and strapped to an iron table, having your blood drawn, being studied... Do you really feel the need to subject yourself to this kind of suffering?"

Luo Xiu smiled faintly. "Actually, it's not so bad. The more you torture me, the more satisfying it will be when I slaughter you all in the future. Chu Qingchan, to be honest, compared to Shura Hell, the treatment here is practically paradise."

Xia Chan sighed and turned to leave. "Honestly, I do admire you. I watch you on the surveillance monitors every day, talking to yourself, trying to chat with Luo Ying, finding joy in your suffering... It's like you're on vacation. I'll keep the offer open for you. Whenever you change your mind, you can tell Mr. Bai."

A moment later, after Xia Chan had gone, Luo Xiu gazed at the dim chandelier overhead and sighed softly. "I wonder if I'll ever get out of here."

"Big Brother, this is so damn frustrating!" Lin Tong's indignant voice echoed in his mind.

"Actually... after observing for these past few days, I have discovered a secret," Queen Chi Sha, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.

"What secret?" Luo Xiu asked.

"I should be able to control Luo Ying's body," Chi Sha stated bluntly. "Strictly speaking, Luo Ying should already be considered dead. It's just that her body is still alive. If I possess her, I should be able to use her power. Then, I can help you fight your way out."

Luo Xiu laughed. "If that's true, I'd really have to thank you. I can't stand this godforsaken place for another second."

Chi Sha snorted coldly. "You don't need to thank me. If you're trapped here forever, there'll be no one to help me find a new body."

"If we can get out, I promise I'll help you find one," Luo Xiu said earnestly.

At that moment, Lin Tong chimed in, "But relying on Luo Ying alone might not be enough to get us out. There are definitely other masters here. Big Brother, you're completely powerless right now. If we're surrounded, Luo Ying won't be able to protect you, and that will be a huge problem. How about this, Big Brother... if you're willing, I can teach you Necromancy."

Luo Xiu was taken aback. "Necromancy?"

"That's right," Lin Tong explained. "It's a forbidden technique from the Spirit Realm, primarily used on large battlefields. It uses Wandering Spirits to control corpses, making them rise and fight again. It just so happens your Soul Imprisonment Mark has a few hundred Wandering Spirits trapped inside, which will be perfect. Besides, you've already learned the Soul Capturing Technique from the Little Queen, so you have a foundation. You should be able to learn it in about a month."

"Then thanks," Luo Xiu said.

"Hey, what are you thanking me for?"

Over the next two days, Luo Xiu was much more compliant. He spent his days refining elixirs while learning Necromancy from Lin Tong. Lin Tong had originally estimated it would take Luo Xiu at least a month, but his learning ability far exceeded his expectations.

In just two days, Luo Xiu had mastered it completely.

"Big Brother, you've fully mastered my Necromancy! With that, and with the Little Queen controlling Luo Ying's body, I think we can fight our way out of here!"

A faint smile touched Luo Xiu's lips. "We'll wait until tomorrow. The first person I'm going to kill is that Mr. Bai."

* * *

After a night's rest.

「The next day.」

Mr. Bai arrived right on schedule. "It's time for the lab."

Luo Xiu lazily rolled out of bed and, while pulling on his shoes, asked, "Do you remember what I told you last time?"

Mr. Bai smiled and adjusted his gold-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose. "My apologies, I've always had a poor memory."

Luo Xiu smiled back. "Then why don't I help you remember?"

Mr. Bai shook his head gently and reached out to grab Luo Xiu's hair. "Alright, enough nonsense. Let's go to the laboratory. Your blood is extremely valuable for research. A few more extractions, and we should be able to create a powerful serum, and then..."

However, before his hand could touch Luo Xiu's head, before he could finish his sentence, his wrist was seized by a delicate, pale hand.

Mr. Bai turned to look at Luo Ying, confused. "What are you grabbing me for?"

CRACK!

Luo Ying suddenly tightened her grip, crushing his wrist as if it were tofu, then kicked him to the ground. Luo Xiu immediately stepped forward, stomping on Mr. Bai's mouth to muffle any scream.

In the ensuing silence, Luo Ying's lips parted. "This body's strength is greater than I imagined. It's almost comparable to the power I had when I was alive. Little guy, how do you want to deal with him?"

Luo Xiu looked down at Mr. Bai, pinned under his foot. "Let's start by testing Lin Tong's Necromancy on him."

"Then you'd better be quick," Chi Sha advised. "If he doesn't return soon, someone will definitely come to check on things."

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