“Ah!!!”
Painful screams of agony tore through the sky!
Bai Shuang’s divine soul was being seared by raging flames—directly at his back!
Originally, he need not have suffered such torment, but disaster fell upon him because of his loose tongue.
When outmatched, wouldn’t meek compliance have sufficed? Why blurt out, “I’m not that kind of fellow”?
He might as well have invited punishment!
And so Ye Yu indulged that very wish.
He condensed Nether Fire and let it scorch him thoroughly!
One shichen later (two hours), Bai Shuang’s divine soul lay on the brink of dissolution.
Only then did Ye Yu lift the Nether Fire and turn to a more cunning tactic.
The reason Ye Yu had spared Bai Shuang before was simple: this man had great utility.
Though his strength was lacking, his ability to summon companions was unparalleled.
In theory, Bai Shuang could call upon someone of Divine Lord Realm caliber—or perhaps even higher, given that he’d once summoned Shenmu Rong Bihuai herself!
Why he now manifested as a late Ancient God Court powerhouse remained unknown.
But the key was: how to harness him for his own ends?
Ye Yu immediately considered the Divine Control Heart Formula.
True, this demonic technique was useless against anyone at the Emperor Realm or above—let alone a deity!
But what if there were a one-in-ten-thousand chance?
If he could control Bai Shuang, this dreamscape would be secured—at the very least, Bai Shuang would start at Divine Lord Realm!
So Ye Yu deliberately left him alive as an experiment.
He extracted Bai Shuang’s soul from his body and subjected it to Nether Fire in its most vulnerable state, testing whether the Divine Control Heart Formula could take effect.
All preparations were complete. Yet no miracle occurred.
Demonic arts remained demonic arts—no matter how potent, they could not rival true divine techniques.
Even Bai Shuang’s soul defied control.
With no choice left, Ye Yu abandoned the idea.
He then employed the Soul Search Technique, hoping to glean something useful from Bai Shuang’s memories.
What he discovered astounded him!
True to his title of Succubus Deity, Bai Shuang had over one hundred lovers!
He had to assign them time slots by lottery.
Each lover was permitted only three days per year at his side.
This explained why Shenmu Rong Bihuai had appeared in the Infinite Hall—her number had simply come up!
Among Bai Shuang’s many companions, she wasn’t even the strongest, though she ranked solidly in the top three.
As for someone like the Crimson Spider Queen Sang Qimeng—that was even more common.
However, Ye Yu observed a troubling pattern:
Over eighty percent of Bai Shuang’s partners were tall, muscular types—an overabundance of “safety and support.”
Visually appealing companions were few and far between.
Perhaps Bai Shuang had deciphered the ultimate secret of love at its peak: beauty mattered little when one had resources and power!
Still, measuring him by Divine Lord Realm standards alone had been hasty.
With his network, Bai Shuang equaled three Divine Lord powerhouses and dozens of Ancient God Court elites!
Such a configuration rivaled top divine alliances!
Yet, despite this terrifying might, Bai Shuang remained subservient to the old dog Gou Langtu—because the latter held his lifeline!
Indeed, a handsome visage might be important, but a robust physique was paramount.
Three-digit lovers posed a great challenge for Bai Shuang.
He was a succubus, not a steel demon!
Especially when his partners were all hulking warriors; without sufficient strength, he simply couldn’t keep up.
Fortunately, Gou Langtu possessed a secret elixir: Gou’s Wine.
It nourished the body and let one stride proudly through the mortal world.
To avoid an early death, Bai Shuang had no choice but to become Gou Langtu’s disciple.
The older man did not exploit him too harshly—they were more partners than master and student.
Their acquaintance was still fresh, and many details still required fine-tuning.
Having finished harvesting Bai Shuang’s memories, Ye Yu’s eyes glinted with purpose.
In this age of information, Bai Shuang’s abandoned lovers could prove invaluable.
One could find someone to take Bai Shuang’s place—someone to inherit that formidable circle of companions!
Nothing was impossible.
Bai Shuang knew their tastes intimately, and these lovers already resented his constant absences.
Now, if a handsome male demon stepped forward at the right moment, he might succeed in taking the throne!
Then, vast cultivation resources and elite muscle-for-hire would be at their disposal.
Merely imagining it filled one with unshakeable confidence.
Ahem!
Of course, Ye Yu himself would never scrub pots and pans—but someone else could.
For instance, the broad-browed Hong Zhencheng.
A man of action, he acted the moment Ye Yu spoke.
Ye Yu also remembered to take the remaining dozen jars of Gou’s Wine from Bai Shuang’s storage ring.
He couldn’t use them himself, but Hong Zhencheng certainly could.
Better to have them and not need them!
A short while later, when the jars of elixir were placed before Hong Zhencheng, he broke into a smile.
“Supreme One, have you brought me wine to share?”
He hoisted ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a jar of Gou’s Wine, sniffed it—and nearly vomited on the spot.
“Supreme One, what is this? It’s gone bad, right?”
“Not at all,” Ye Yu replied, gently retrieving the jar. “This is rare quality—you can’t buy it even with Flower God Stones.”
He set it carefully on the ground, then shared his plan.
“About the fall of the Infinite Hall’s Divine Alliance—I know how much you mourn it, and how you yearn to avenge your fellows. Now the opportunity lies before you. Whether you seize it is up to you.
“Use Bai Shuang’s former partners as your spear to pierce with their own shield. You will crush Shenmu Rong Bihuai without fail.”
At Ye Yu’s words, Hong Zhencheng’s expression darkened.
Seeing this, Ye Yu asked curiously, “What’s wrong? You’re unwilling?”
