[The surging heavenly lightning rained down continuously.]
[The area was illuminated as if it were daylight.]
[An overwhelming aura of destruction permeated the air.]
[Even Bai Xichu, watching from nearby, felt a wave of unease.]
[She asked herself honestly.]
[Under such a powerful attack, could she possibly survive?]
[Wait... Such intense demonic fluctuations...]
[When did Ye Yu reach the Heavenly Demon level?]
[Moments later, the lightning ceased.]
[Ye Yu stood unharmed at the center of the battlefield.]
[Around him, a hundred-mile radius had been turned into a crater.]
[The ground still crackled occasionally with residual heavenly lightning.]
[This was a testament to the terrifying power of this spell.]
[Ye Yu initially believed it was over.]
[Just as he was about to leave,]
[a pool of fresh blood surged up from the ground ahead.]
[The blood slowly gathered into a humanoid shape.]
[It was unmistakably Bai Yongzhe.]
[The heavenly lightning had clearly dealt him a significant blow.]
[His body was riddled with ghastly wounds.]
[He looked utterly horrific.]
[The two forms of Bai Yongzhe merged back into one.]
[Panting heavily, he snarled, “I underestimated you. A mere Heavenly Demon nearly cost me my life!”]
[“But that’s all you can do.”]
[“To think you could kill me with this... wishful thinking!”]
[These words were practically roared.]
[In truth, he wasn’t lying.]
[As a true blood demon,]
[so long as even a single drop of his essence blood remained,]
[he could regenerate indefinitely by absorbing energy.]
[Thus, even the Heavenly Thunder Purge was insufficient to kill Bai Yongzhe.]
[Bai Xichu knew this all too well.]
[How infuriating!]
[If that strike hadn’t finished him off,]
[then with the blood demon’s incredible regenerative ability,]
[it was highly likely that Bai Yongzhe could exhaust both her and Ye Yu.]
[Bai Xichu faced two options.]
[First, while Bai Yongzhe’s attention was entirely focused on Ye Yu,]
[she could seize the opportunity to flee.]
[But if she did, Ye Yu would undoubtedly die.]
[Second, she could join forces with Ye Yu.]
[However, truth be told, even if they teamed up,]
[they still couldn’t match Bai Yongzhe.]
[Her strength as a late-stage Mystic Demon was unreliable at best.]
[She couldn’t provide much help to Ye Yu.]
[The result would still likely be their deaths.]
[Moreover, the longer they lingered here,]
[the more likely Bai Yongzhe’s subordinates would arrive.]
[From any perspective, the first option was clearly optimal.]
[Bai Xichu glanced at Ye Yu.]
[After a long silence, she let out a self-deprecating laugh.]
[Muttering to herself, she said, “Fine, consider it a debt I owe you.”]
[In the next moment.]
[Bai Xichu appeared beside Ye Yu in an instant.]
[She whispered something entirely unexpected.]
[“From now on, in all the years to come, you’re only allowed to like me, love me, and never betray me.”]
[“Otherwise, I will never forgive you!”]
[Her voice was soft, like a lover’s vow.]
[But Ye Yu was completely baffled.]
[“Why is she confessing all of a sudden?”]
[Bai Xichu offered no explanation for Ye Yu’s confusion.]
[Instead, she removed the veil covering her face.]
[A stunningly beautiful visage, strikingly similar to Bai Miao Leng’s, was revealed.]
[Ye Yu’s eyes widened in shock.]
[“Wait... why do they look so alike?”]
[It was hard to distinguish the two.]
[Then, Bai Xichu formed a seal with her hands and gently pressed it against Ye Yu’s chest.]
[Ye Yu’s entire body trembled.]
[He felt a connection forming between himself and Bai Xichu.]
[Her surging demonic energy began pouring into him at an incredible speed.]
[In just two breaths,]
[Ye Yu advanced to the initial stage of the Mystic Demon level.]
[Meanwhile, Bai Xichu’s cultivation fell to the late stage of the Earth Demon level.]
[She had sacrificed two entire major realms.]
[Her face turned pale, her body weak as she collapsed into Ye Yu’s arms.]
[Ye Yu quickly asked, “What happened to you?”]
[Though he didn’t fully understand the situation,]
[Ye Yu could tell that his sudden leap in cultivation was thanks to Bai Xichu’s help.]
[Now that she was so fragile, he naturally supported her.]
[Not far away, Bai Yongzhe’s expression was a spectacle of shock, disbelief, and confusion.]
[Three parts astonishment, three parts incomprehension, three parts doubt, and one part sheer bewilderment.]
[He shouted, “Bai Xichu, have you lost your mind?”]
[“How could you give the Succubus Mark to this lowly demon?”]
[From this outburst, Ye Yu caught the term Succubus Mark clearly.]
[“What’s that?”]
[Bai Xichu, though extremely weak, gazed firmly at Bai Yongzhe and pointed at him.]
[“Kill him!” she said softly.]
[“Don’t leave even a single drop of blood, or he’ll regenerate.”]
[Ye Yu nodded in agreement.]
[He stood abruptly, supporting Bai Xichu with one arm while aiming his other hand at Bai Yongzhe.]
[A surge of panic swept through Bai Yongzhe’s heart.]
[He assumed Ye Yu was preparing to use the Heavenly Thunder Purge again.]
[Instinctively, he reverted to his blood demon form, dispersing himself to mitigate the impact of the lightning.]
[But this time.]
[Ye Yu didn’t use a formation.]
[Instead, he activated the forbidden spell Bloodfire Skyflame once more.]
[Bai Yongzhe’s screams echoed across the heavens.]
[All his blood burned at an alarming rate.]
[The quality of his blood was undeniably high.]
[The flames it produced weren’t black but a vivid purple.]
[The inferno rose to the sky, blazing intensely!]
[It burned brighter and longer than ever.]
[The Bloodfire Skyflame lasted for a full two hours before it finally subsided.]
[Afterward, Ye Yu didn’t leave immediately.]
[Instead, he meticulously scanned the area with his spiritual sense to ensure no traces of Bai Yongzhe remained.]
[Ye Yu was someone who didn’t leave loose ends.]
[His motto: if you cut the weeds, you must eliminate the roots.]
[With Bai Yongzhe, his greatest threat, now eradicated,]
[Ye Yu turned back to Bai Xichu.]
[He helped her up and teased, “So, Demon Lord, was that a confession just now?”]
[Bai Xichu’s cheeks turned bright red.]
[Thinking back to her earlier words,]
[they did indeed sound like a confession.]
[That was exactly how she felt.]
[But being the proud woman she was, she wouldn’t admit it easily.]
[“No,” she said quickly. “You must’ve misheard!”]
[Ye Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh? Denying it to the end?”]
[“Then tell me, what is the Succubus Mark?”]
[Bai Xichu bit her lip, her gaze evasive.]