The Demon Venerable hadn't managed it in three years. Could he really succeed?
Fang Yang racked his brains.
Finally, he thought of the five affection points that had inexplicably appeared today.
His eyes lit up.
I've got it!
That Demon Venerable was a dull, boring fellow!
He definitely wasn't good at studying!
Perhaps he could approach it from that angle.
With that thought, he rang a bell, wrote a note, and flicked it lightly away.
An icy wind swept through the great hall.
As though guided by a wandering spirit, it blew the note outside.
This was one of the mechanisms installed in the Demon Venerable Pavilion. With just a slight application of astral energy, he could summon an icy wind inside the hall and control it.
For now, that was about all he could manage.
Ding!
Ding!
Before long.
A Demon Cult member came trembling in from outside.
The palace was pitch-black, its candlelight dim.
A bitterly cold wind circled through the great hall, howling like a ghost.
It could almost seep into the cracks between one's bones.
Thinking of the Demon Venerable's violent temperament and the countless people who had died in this hall.
The cult member's legs went weak, but he still steeled himself and walked forward.
Before long, he saw a flight of steps. There were nine in total, all fashioned from black jade.
Waves of bloody stench rose from them.
Above the steps stood an enormous throne.
A tall figure sat impassively in the darkness, shrouded so completely that his face was impossible to make out.
He seemed to be scrutinizing him.
Those layers of black mist seemed to rise from the abyss. His very soul trembled, as though the sky were about to collapse. Without the slightest hesitation, he dropped to his knees with a thud.
He knew that the man before him was the Demon Cult's Demon Venerable!
The being ranked first on the Tang Kingdom's Black List.
He swept through the eight wildernesses, and none dared disobey.
His hands were drenched in oceans of blood, bleached bones lay beneath his feet, and most terrifying of all.
It was said that nine out of ten people who entered the Demon Venerable Pavilion never made it out.
They would all be buried beneath the steps, guarding the Demon Venerable's throne!
Seated in the darkness, Fang Yang watched the subordinate kneeling on the floor. His face remained expressionless, but inwardly, he nodded in satisfaction.
It looks like the Profound Heaven Strategy really does work.
He didn't know whether it could fool the Heavenly Dao.
But it was already enough to fool ordinary people, even though he hadn't so much as reached the second rank.
Yet this aura of Heavenly Dao pressure!
It was enough to make everyone obediently bow their heads before him.
Gathering his thoughts, Fang Yang continued circulating the Profound Heaven Strategy and asked in a deep voice.
"Are you from Spring Passion Hall?"
"Y-yes."
The cult member's voice trembled. He didn't even dare raise his head.
Just then, Fang Yang noticed the groom's robes he was wearing. He raised an eyebrow, his tone lifting slightly.
"It seems I've interrupted you. Have you just brought a beauty home, taken a wife or a concubine? Today really is your joyous wedding day."
"N-no... it isn't my joyous day, but yours, Demon Venerable. I'm willing to offer my wife to you. I only beg that you spare my life, Devil Lord."
Chapter 12: A Secret Plot
*???*
My subordinate's wife?
Fang Yang had weathered his share of storms, but those brazen words still left him stunned.
Spring Passion Hall belonged to his fourth disciple.
According to the diary, his fourth disciple, Lian Yue, possessed an innate seductive allure.
To temper her cultivation technique.
She had immersed herself in the mortal world's dust and turmoil.
The Spring Passion Hall she had founded spanned the Tang Kingdom.
It operated countless pleasure houses and brothels, taking in countless women of the demimonde.
Precisely because of this, it had considerable expertise in dual cultivation and illustrations.
It was no exaggeration to say that almost every courtly erotic illustration in the Tang Kingdom came from Spring Passion Hall.
And each publication was more professional than the last. They were practically textbooks by now.
That was the real reason Fang Yang had specifically requested someone from Spring Passion Hall.
If he wanted those indescribable booklets to study, there was no getting around Spring Passion Hall. They were the professionals, after all.
Yet he had never imagined that before he even opened his mouth, this Spring Passion Hall cult member would give him a little taste of cuckolding shock.
Looking at the man kneeling on the floor and trembling.
It took him little thought to guess what was going through the man's mind.
Clearly, the Demon Venerable's reputation for lust had long since spread throughout the world, compounded by his cruelty and tyranny.
Thus, this cult member thought he had been summoned so that the Demon Venerable could steal his wife!
*[Actually, it's not entirely out of the question. On the wedding day, with red candles flickering and wax tears trickling down, who wouldn't want to do it right in front of the groom..."*
The narration echoed in his ears. Fang Yang's face darkened, and he automatically blocked it out. He had intended to reprimand the man, but to maintain his persona, he simply spoke coldly.
"What manner of person do you take this venerable one for?"
"Would I ever commit such a filthy deed?"
"I hear that Spring Passion Hall's latest booklet falls far short of its previous work. It has drawn considerable criticism and already aroused discontent throughout the world."
"Present a copy to me at once. I intend to subject it to rigorous criticism. Let me see exactly where it falls short."
"Huh?"
At these words, the kneeling cult member couldn't help raising his head blankly, his eyes full of disbelief.
Th-that's it?
The Demon Venerable summoned me just for a booklet?
That can't be right, can it?
Even before joining the Demon Cult, he had heard that the Demon Venerable was exceptionally lustful and particularly enjoyed playing Cao Cao by taking other men's wives.
Countless people turned pale at the mere mention of him.
Every move such a great figure made was bound to carry a deeper meaning.
Could it be...
The Demon Venerable has grown tired of women?
So...
The cult member turned deathly pale and couldn't suppress a shudder.
He wanted to refuse, but when he felt the waves of terrifying pressure emanating from the Demon Venerable.
He finally swallowed the words back down.
With trembling hands, he began taking off his robes.
"Please be gentle with me, Demon Venerable..."
"You wretched fool!"
Fang Yang roared, driving the Profound Heaven Strategy with all his might.
In an instant, rolling thunder surged forth, and a wave of pressure bore down on the man.
It was as though heaven and earth were shattering, forcing the cult member flat onto the floor.
Fang Yang descended from the throne and walked toward him, step by step.
Those faint footsteps sounded like death knocking at the door.
The cult member nearly fainted.
"I'll say this one last time. Hand over your latest booklet, or die. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes!"
"Get out!"
Before you continue