Reincarnated and Regressed Villain - Make heroines beg for forgiveness-Chapter 371 - A Handful of Help?

Beneath the throne room, hidden within a secret passage, the heavy doors slowly creaked open before XiuYing Fenghuang. Her dull eyes, partially obscured by strands of unkempt hair, reflected a glimmering energy ahead.

A faint, humanoid figure of light stood at the center of the chamber, its presence flickering like scattered embers. Her frail body barely sustained itself, thin bony fingers resting against the parting doors as she took slow, deliberate steps toward the radiant figure.

"Things have already become too entangled," she thought, her gaze darkening. The entire continent had become a battleground for civil war, while outsiders infiltrated her lands without permission. And here she was—depleted, vulnerable.

With every step, her mind raced, prioritizing what needed to be dealt with first. The approaching vampires were the immediate threat. After that, stabilizing the situation and uncovering the true cause behind the war would follow.

And lastly—she needed to have a serious conversation with Ryuk Devereaux about the origin of those garments he wore.

"Yu Shao Yan made a mistake."

She reached out, placing her hand on the ethereal body of energy. Instantly, it surged toward her, tendrils of light crawling over her malnourished frame. The energy recognized her—its rightful owner—and merged into her being without resistance.

Within moments, the wrinkles on her skin smoothed away, vitality flooding back into her body.

Her hair, dull and lifeless before, regained its luster. The Celestial Phoenix Order had made a grave error in antagonizing Ryuk Devereaux. He possessed an army powerful enough to rival them, and they had underestimated him.

The transformation was swift. Her hollowed-out face regained its former radiance, her silvery eyes returning to their usual brilliance. Power surged within her, rebuilding her broken form.

’!’

’He killed her?!’

Her body tensed as she felt an abrupt shift in the energy around her. The presence of the fake Empress—the one who had stolen her body—vanished in an instant, as if snuffed out.

Killed.

Just like that.

A flicker of unease crossed her face. In this vulnerable state, while she was still reclaiming her strength, the risk of that boy arriving and seizing the energy for himself was too high.

Clenching her jaw, she forced herself to focus, absorbing the power as fast as possible. But the sheer magnitude of it was overwhelming—it wasn’t something that could be consumed in mere moments.

"So, this is the energy source?"

A voice from behind made her snap her eyes open.

She clenched her fists, lifting one slightly as she tried to absorb more, knowing full well she couldn’t afford to trust him. Ryuk Devereaux would always prioritize his own gain.

If he wished, he could steal or destroy this source, rendering her weak once again—and that would put her directly under his control.

’She seems desperate.’

Ryuk stepped forward, maintaining his usual composed demeanor, though exhaustion lingered in his body. He had just descended the staircase to the throne base, his eyes scanning the chamber.

XiuYing stood before him, her form rapidly recovering, her hair and posture strengthening as she absorbed the energy. The sheer force of it had been noticeable from several meters away.

And yet, he knew—this was her most vulnerable moment.

Whether she realized it or not, this was his chance.

As he moved, a black, jelly-like liquid seeped from his feet, slithering across the ground toward her—unnoticed.

’Scan if Esme could use it, System.’

With his hands tucked in his pockets, Ryuk cautiously instructed the system to analyze the humanoid energy figure before him. He approached XiuYing at a steady pace, his presence forcing her to react.

Her sidelong gaze flicked toward him, tension tightening in her body. She couldn’t afford to slow down—not when the possibility of him stealing this vast, free-flowing energy loomed over her.

If he wished, he could kill her now and claim it for himself.

[No. The overall frequency of this energy is closely aligned with her soul energy. It cannot be used by anyone else except you, Host.]

"How fascinating," Ryuk murmured, tilting his head slightly. He didn’t meet her gaze, but his words carried an unmistakable weight.

He understood why he alone could manipulate this energy—his system had the ability to amplify and modify it for him.

But given that it was purely internal energy, it held little value to him. His strength came from Ether, a fundamental source beyond conventional cultivation.

Even so, it was far more entertaining to keep pressing her, cornering her into a state of anxiety.

Letting her believe he was genuinely interested in taking this energy for himself would push her into reckless desperation.

’!?’

’N-no!’

’Come on!’

XiuYing’s entire body tensed at his intrigued remark. His masked face remained impassive, but she could see the way his eyes glimmered behind it—fixed solely on the energy source, as if he truly desired it.

Her teeth clenched, and she forced herself to increase the absorption speed. She knew the risk—her meridians could rupture, the pain would be unbearable—but she had no choice.

If she hesitated, he might make a move.

And she couldn’t afford to lose her last hope.

’System, analyze the structure of this energy source.’

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Even as he deliberately agitated her, Ryuk remained composed. His real focus was elsewhere—if this energy could be extracted and stored, it was worth studying.

[Analyzing...]

’Tch... Hurry up.’

Meanwhile, unbeknownst of Ryuk’s intentions, XiuYing was enduring agonizing pain. She was forcefully absorbing the energy at an unnatural pace, causing her cultivation to skyrocket—breaking through sub-levels and realms one after another.

But the process was brutal.

Ordinarily, cultivators filtered raw energy from the environment through breathing techniques.

Out of every liter absorbed, only a few precious drops would condense in their dantian, refined into a form uniquely suited to their body.

Unlike mana, which could be used immediately, internal energy required cultivation—literal refinement of power.

But XiuYing’s stored energy had already been synthesized perfectly for her.

She didn’t need to refine it—it was flowing directly into her dantian, accelerating her growth at a dangerous speed.

However, even with that, the size of her meridians was fixed. Given that they were like vines, the amount that could flow at a single time was limited. By forcing herself, she was literally stretching her own meridians to allow such flow to enter her body.

"Khuck!—urgh."

Her body staggered. A sharp pain shot through her chest, her vision blurred, and a thin trickle of blood slipped from her lips. She had pushed herself too far.

Nausea swelled inside her as her knees nearly gave out—

But instead of crashing to the ground, she felt an arm wrap around her waist.

A steady, unyielding grip.

"Don’t overdo it, or you’ll collapse.... Huang."

Ryuk’s voice was calm as ever, his hand sliding from her waist to her wrist, holding her steady. His other hand remained tucked in his pocket, and his gaze stayed fixed ahead.

He hadn’t hesitated—he had stepped in exactly when her guard had wavered.

"Huh?"

XiuYing stood frozen, hands still raised, her breath uneven. Slowly, she turned to look at him.

Even though his face remained directed forward, she could see his sharp jawline from the side.

His hair, caught in the subtle recoil of his movement, framed his face in a way that momentarily stole her focus.

For a moment, the fear of his betrayal dulled.

Unknowingly, she slowed the speed of her absorption.

As if... trusting him.