……

At the same time Zhang Huaibing was undergoing the test of his vulnerability.

In the corner of the interrogation room, amidst a pile of clutter, a small, inconspicuous trumpet-shaped goldfish eye lay quietly among a heap of blood-stained rags.

It emitted no energy fluctuations, as unremarkable as a pebble by the roadside, yet capable of transmitting the images and sounds from the interrogation room.

Below the goldfish eye, a winding copper tube was connected, with lenses and trumpet openings at each bend to refract light and sound, extending deep underground.

This device had a simple name: the "Optical Spyglass."

Meanwhile.

In a cavern more than ten yards underground, three beautiful women and a large fat rat were crowded together, vying for a turn to look through the other end of the Optical Spyglass.

The cavern was meticulously dug by the Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat, cleverly positioned right beneath an armory.

In the underground, spiritual senses were hard to penetrate far, and even if the Yincha Demon God inadvertently scanned the area, the chaotic energy fluctuations from the armory's various munitions would interfere, making it difficult to detect them hidden in the cavern.

Additionally, the Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat used its spatial talent to hide and fold space, providing a double layer of security, making it even harder to discover them. It had to be said, in terms of hiding, the Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat was truly an expert among experts.

"That Yincha Demoness has such a great figure, much bigger than mine." Wang Yingxuan commented to the other two, her tone full of mockery, "Senior Brother Huaibing is really lucky."

"She looks too human, I'm a bit hesitant to eat her." Wang Lici's focus was entirely different, mumbling, "But that Yincha Demon God projection, it looks so delicious, it's such a strange feeling."

This purely physical spying device wasn't based on any profound principles, it was something students at the Wang's Clan School made for fun. Wang Lici found it interesting and managed to get a set in exchange for a meal, unexpectedly finding it useful.

Because it emitted no energy fluctuations, it was even more concealed.

"Let me take a look, just a peek." Lan Wan'er, unable to compete with Wang Lici and Wang Yingxuan in strength, was anxiously pacing around, unable to see the images, relying only on the sound from the trumpet speaker to imagine the scene, which was truly frustrating.

"Squeak squeak~~ squeak squeak~" The big fat rat also protested in a low voice.

It did all the dirty and tiring work, chose the location, dug the hole, and even used its spatial talent to fold and hide the space to avoid detection by the enemy, so why couldn't it take a look?

"Alright, alright, you can all take turns to look, there's really nothing much to see." Wang Lici pushed Wang Yingxuan aside, then let Lan Wan'er and the big fat rat take a look as well.

"Eh?" Lan Wan'er suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "The Yincha Demoness is starting to undress Senior Brother Huaibing, I didn't expect him to be so skinny yet quite muscular, and fair-skinned too~ truly worthy of an ice lineage~"

"Squeak squeak! (Exciting)." The big fat rat was also thrilled.

"Isn't what we're doing a bit wrong?" Wang Lici pulled Lan Wan'er and the big fat rat aside, screwing the cap back on the spyglass, "Senior Brother Huaibing is being tortured, shouldn't we go rescue him?"

"No, no, the Yincha Demon God's avatar is there, to rescue him under such circumstances would require using the 'Immortal Sovereign Order', and more importantly, it would disrupt all subsequent arrangements." Wang Yingxuan hurriedly dismissed Lici's suggestion, "More importantly, why do you think Senior Brother Huaibing is being tortured? Maybe, he actually quite enjoys it~"

"But Senior Brother Huaibing keeps shouting 'no', 'no' like that." Wang Lici vividly described.

"Senior Brother Huaibing is a reserved person, maybe he's saying no but means yes in his heart." Wang Yingxuan pondered, "Besides, we promised to rescue him in a critical moment, but in this situation, he won't lose a piece of flesh~~ there's no need for us to take risks to save him."

"How do you know he won't lose a piece of flesh? I've heard that beauty is like a bone-scraping knife."

"Of course I know, if beauty were a bone-scraping knife, my grandfather would have been scraped into a skeleton long ago. And Aunt Lici, don't you read those little romance books? How come you don't understand anything?"

"What kind?"

"Just... never mind, I'll lend you a few later."

The two chatted back and forth, deciding Zhang Huaibing's fate.

In the interrogation room.

Poor Zhang Huaibing's voice grew increasingly miserable: "Sister Yincha, please spare me. How can I face anyone after being defiled like this?"

"If you don't want to be defiled, confess honestly, and I promise you'll remain pure." The Yincha Demon God's red lips curved slightly, her smile alluring, "If you don't confess, it doesn't matter, I'll have these Yincha Demonesses take turns defiling you, and help you father a bunch of children, then have them bring the children to the Immortal Palace to find you! Let's see what face you have as a disciple of the Immortal Palace sequence then."

"No way? You're just scaring me, right?" Zhang Huaibing's eyes filled with terror, "I heard that the bloodlines of outer region demons and humans are vastly different, they can't interbreed, right?"

"Jie jie, I am the dignified Yincha Demon God, mastering the power of laws, what's so difficult about nurturing offspring? At most, I'll spend some of my origin power to assist these Yincha Demonesses." The Yincha Demon God continued to laugh wickedly, "Surprised? Excited? The more I think about this idea, the more excited I get, I can't help but want to join in."

No, it can't be?

Zhang Huaibing felt as if a thunderbolt exploded in his mind, as if he could already see the scene of the Yincha Demonesses and the Demon God holding half-human, half-demon children, coming to the Immortal Palace to find him.

"No!" Zhang Huaibing's heart collapsed, struggling desperately, "I'll confess, I'll confess, isn't that enough? Sister Yincha, please make them stop!"

"Why didn't you confess earlier? Could it be that as long as there's no child, you're actually okay with it?" The Yincha Demon God laughed, her laughter unrestrained and seductive, "You're such a passionate yet foolish bad boy, I really like you~ If someone like you could become the master of the Immortal Palace, what would I have to worry about?"

After laughing for a while, she gradually restrained her laughter, gesturing for the Yincha Demonesses to leave: "Speak. What conspiracy do you have in coming to save people?"

"No conspiracy." Zhang Huaibing hesitated for a long time, then confessed with a red face, "Actually, I've liked Senior Sister Wu Mingyan for a long time, and after learning she was captured, I've been secretly trying to find a way to save her."

"You like Wu Mingyan?" The Yincha Demon God was slightly surprised.

"Yes, I've liked Senior Sister Mingyan for a long time." Zhang Huaibing "confessed truthfully."

"Nonsense, she... she never mentioned you." The Yincha Demon God sneered, "At this point, you still dare to make up lies?"

The body puppet of Wu Mingyan had been completely taken over by her, and she had basically inherited the memories. In those memories, Wu Mingyan and Zhang Huaibing had hardly any interactions, given the age difference and the fact that they weren't from the same sacred ground.

How could he possibly have a secret crush on Wu Mingyan?

"Sister Yincha, how do you know Senior Sister Mingyan never mentioned me?" Zhang Huaibing's face flushed, protesting loudly, "Besides, even if she really never mentioned me, so what? A secret crush, don't you understand? A fairy as icy and enchanting as Senior Sister Mingyan, who knows how many senior brothers and junior brothers secretly admire her."

"That's true, continue." The Yincha Demon God was now somewhat convinced.

In the memories, Wu Mingyan indeed had many admirers, and she herself also admired a senior brother. In such cases, it's indeed called a secret crush among humans, and it's not surprising if the other party is unaware.

"It's just that my cultivation is shallow, and with my aptitude and potential, I'm not allowed to go to the battlefield until I reach the Divine Realm, so I had no choice but to sneak over on Princess Suiyun's ship." Now that he had started speaking, Zhang Huaibing no longer felt the initial embarrassment and awkwardness, and began to narrate, "But Princess Suiyun kept me confined in the training camp, not letting me go out to find anyone. Later, I accidentally overheard the whereabouts of Senior Sister Mingyan, so I snuck out to save her, and then I was captured by you."

"Aren't you a bit too brainless and impulsive?" The Yincha Demon God was astonished, her beautiful eyes staring at him, "I'm already considering whether to help you seize the position of Immortal Sovereign."

"A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated! Who hasn't sacrificed for love and been blinded by passion when they were young?" Zhang Huaibing retorted angrily, "Who is born a cunning old fox? It takes grinding and honing to grow."

"There's some truth in that." The Yincha Demon God nodded, "I actually admire your recklessness now. As long as you truthfully tell me the intelligence about Immortal No. 3's command, and Suiyun's intelligence, I can not only spare your life but also have the Immortal Sovereign send someone to redeem you. Even your beloved Senior Sister Mingyan, I can let you take her back."

"No way!" Zhang Huaibing's expression changed, immediately refusing sternly, "I don't mind betraying myself, but to betray crucial human intelligence, even if you defile me a hundred times, a thousand times, have a billion children, I won't do it."

"Oh~ you sound quite principled." The Yincha Demon God nodded, not angry at all, instead smiling, "Unfortunately, your weakness has been exposed. Senior Sister Mingyan, is it? Someone, bring Wu Mingyan here."

"You, what are you going to do?" Zhang Huaibing panicked, "Don't do anything rash, I beg you, don't..."

"Jie jie jie, I am the outer region demon in your human eyes, isn't it natural for me to do bad things?" The Yincha Demon God laughed more wildly.

As she spoke, "Wu Mingyan" was brought over by a demon general, fixed in the interrogation position opposite Zhang Huaibing.

What followed was a melodramatic scene of both sides showcasing their acting skills.

The Yincha Demon God pretended that Wu Mingyan wasn't her, and prepared to have her skinned alive inch by inch. Meanwhile, Zhang Huaibing acted as if he was living a fate worse than death, in immense pain, constantly shouting for them to stop.

Before long, Zhang Huaibing finally couldn't hold on, his emotions completely collapsing: "I'll confess, I'll confess everything, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you."

Seeing this, the Yincha Demon God was in a great mood, immediately letting out a series of triumphant, conspiratorial laughs.

In the cavern.

Wang Yingxuan and the others exchanged glances.

Zhang Huaibing's acting was much better than they had anticipated~ indeed, when pushed to a certain point, a person could unleash unlimited potential.

"I think Senior Brother Huaibing would make a good Immortal Sovereign too." Wang Yingxuan chuckled, "He's quite good at pretending to be innocent and passionate, his acting is top-notch. Once he becomes Immortal Sovereign, with some honing, he'll definitely become a shameless scoundrel."

"Why do I feel like you're the real villain here?" Wang Lici glanced at her speechlessly, "The tricks Senior Brother Huaibing used were all taught by you."

"Hehe~ how can I be a villain? This is called strategy and tactics. I'm a fairy with the War Manual, victory is the only truth in war." Wang Yingxuan's face was full of a sacred expression, "We must win this battle, and give the outer region demons a profound lesson."

As they spoke.

Zhang Huaibing had already started confessing emotionally.

They heard him crying and shouting: "Sister Yincha, you don't know, Princess Suiyun is a hypocritical, despicable, shameless woman! I hate her to death."

"Impossible!" The Yincha Demon God had a look of disbelief, "By your human standards, Princess Suiyun is perfect in every way, the strongest contender for the next Immortal Emperor."

"Everyone's been deceived, everyone's been deceived! Do you know why I was so impulsive, coming alone to save Senior Sister Mingyan? It's because Senior Sister Mingyan and these human hostages have long been abandoned by that shameless Suiyun!" Zhang Huaibing roared in anger, his face twitching, looking extremely pained, "You know why I was so impulsive, coming alone to save Senior Sister Mingyan? It's because Senior Sister Mingyan and these human hostages have long been abandoned by that shameless Suiyun!"

"This can't be..." The Yincha Demon God's words were cut off halfway.

Her expression suddenly turned serious: "Tell me the details, if I find out you're lying, I'll cut your Senior Sister Mingyan into pieces."

"I begged many people to find out about Senior Sister Mingyan, and perhaps seeing my pain, someone couldn't bear it and secretly revealed to me that Senior Sister Mingyan was in the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress." Zhang Huaibing recounted painfully, "I was overjoyed and went to ask Princess Suiyun to send troops to save her, but that shameless woman, she agreed verbally but kept delaying, taking no concrete action."

"After several times, I realized something was wrong. Later, I accidentally overheard her conversation with her subordinate Wu Yinghao, and found out she never intended to save anyone, but had other plans."

"What plans?" The Yincha Demon God asked, frowning.

Hearing this, Zhang Huaibing didn't answer immediately.

He paused for a moment, then asked seriously, "Let me ask you first, was the information about the hostages in the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress deliberately leaked to that shameless Suiyun by you? Answer honestly, it's important."

The Yincha Demon God glanced at him, nodding slightly: "Yes, we intended to use the hostages as bait, preparing to annihilate Suiyun's forces that step into the trap."

"Just as I thought." Zhang Huaibing snorted angrily, "How cunning is that shameless Suiyun? She already guessed it was a trap, and there must be a large army waiting for her. She deduced that besides the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress and the nearby Blackwing Demon King Fortress and Giant Strength Demon King Fortress, you outer region demons must have mobilized other forces."

"Indeed, we did draw forces from the Redstone Demon King Fortress and other places." The Yincha Demon God sneered, "But so what, Suiyun can't just sit by and watch so many hostages be eaten by the Gluttonous Demon King. This is both a conspiracy and an open plot!"

"Sister Yincha, you underestimate that shameless Suiyun." Zhang Huaibing was filled with grief and indignation, "She's been acting her whole life, being hypocritical her whole life. Of course, she won't just sit by, she'll organize those 'dissidents' she doesn't like and some cannon fodder to rescue the prisoners."

"As long as enough people die and the casualties are severe enough, it means she tried her best. She can say 'it's not that I didn't rescue them, it's just that the outer region demons are too cruel.' Of course, this will damage her reputation a bit, but if she can capture the Redstone Demon King Fortress and other demon fortresses with depleted forces, not only can she offset the damage, but she'll also gain a lot of prestige!"

The Yincha Demon God's eyes narrowed: "You mean, on the surface, she's organizing a rescue of human hostages, but in reality, she's using your human 'feint' strategy, secretly mobilizing the main force to cooperate with the human eastern defense zone, preparing to capture the Redstone Demon King Fortress, Broken Horn Demon King Fortress, and Dark Nether Demon King Fortress while their main forces are away?"

"Yes, I also overheard that shameless Suiyun analyzing that the geographical position of the Redstone Demon King Fortress and the other two fortresses is very special. Once captured, they would be like a dagger stabbing into the belly of the Yincha Demon Kingdom, making it a thorn in the side of the Yincha Demon God, yet helpless. At that point, the humans could turn the tables! Of course, I don't understand these strategies and tactics, I don't really get it, Sister Yincha, do you understand?"

The Yincha Demon God's face grew darker: "Of course I understand. Suiyun, oh Suiyun, I underestimated you, you're ruthless, smart, and decisive."

The information Zhang Huaibing provided was so solid, it almost completely exposed her side's layout. And Suiyun's layout was entirely aimed at countering hers, calculating her thoroughly.

Except for the dark pawn [Wu Mingyan], almost everything was accounted for.

The Yincha Demon God couldn't believe this fool Zhang Huaibing could analyze all this.

And on the human side, the only one with such meticulous thinking and layout ability, she could only think of her old rival Suiyun.

Suiyun used to have a weakness, she was too kind.

For that, there were many methods to use. However, she never expected that beneath her kind exterior lay such a ruthless mind~~

No wonder she suffered a big loss at her hands last time.

By now, the Yincha Demon God was seventy to eighty percent convinced.

However, as a Demon God, she wouldn't be foolish enough to believe him entirely based on one side of the story. Next, she would send someone to verify Zhang Huaibing's words.

She forced herself to calm down and said, "Zhang Huaibing, you've passed this time. As a reward, I'll have you and your Senior Sister Mingyan locked in a single cell."

Zhang Huaibing had already been tortured for a while, his body soaked in sweat, now he was just holding on with sheer willpower, and didn't respond.

"Zhang Huaibing, if you're willing to join me, I can consider spending a great cost to find other Demon Gods to transform your bloodline with essence blood." The Yincha Demon God added, "With your peerless prodigy bloodline, becoming a Demon King is no problem, and you'll be my most capable Demon King!"

"Don't even think about it, I will never betray the human race." Zhang Huaibing shook his head.

"Jie jie jie~ Zhang Huaibing, do you think you can still go back?" The Yincha Demon God sneered, "Everything you've done today has been recorded with your human Heavenly Recording Disk, soon the human side will know of your betrayal. Zhang Huaibing, just stay here obediently. You'll never go back in this lifetime~"

"You... despicable and shameless!" Zhang Huaibing was desperate and furious, "Kill me!"

"Hahaha~~ don't rush~ I'll let you and your Senior Sister have some time together, in time, I believe you'll come around." The Yincha Demon God waved her hand, "Someone, take him and Wu Mingyan to be locked up together."

"Yes, Demon God."

With an order, Zhang Huaibing and Wu Mingyan were immediately dragged away...

In the distance, Zhang Huaibing's angry curses could still be heard.

After they left, the Yincha Demon God's face turned grim: "Someone, contact the Redstone Demon King Fortress, check the human eastern defense zone... no, I'll contact them myself!"

With that, she disappeared in a flash.

……

In the cavern beneath the interrogation room.

Seeing the Yincha Demon God leave, Wang Lici's big eyes filled with anxiety: "Yingxuan, many things you predicted came true, but if the Yincha Demon God goes to check the human eastern defense zone movements, won't we be exposed?"

"It would be strange if she didn't check." Wang Yingxuan was full of confidence, "The false information we provided, with truth in falsehood and falsehood in truth, is deadly. Don't worry, the human eastern defense zone will definitely have movements, the more the Yincha Demon God checks, the more she'll believe our false information."

"Yingxuan, why are you so sure?" Wang Lici looked confused, "You haven't been to the eastern defense zone."

"I haven't been to the eastern defense zone." Wang Yingxuan snorted, "But I didn't stay in the training camp for nothing, I've already studied the terrain map of our Immortal No. 3 defense zone and the information of the big shots in each defense zone."

"The marshal of the eastern defense zone is named Zhao Tingjian. He hails from the Immortal Palace, later appointed as the commander of the eastern defense zone due to numerous merits and his exceptional command skills. That old marshal is a tough nut, with a face as thick as a wall, never willing to suffer losses, and his battlefield instincts are extremely sharp. He's fought countless tough battles, yet lived safely until now. He's not a simple guy."

"And Sister Suiyun isn't a fool either. Her only flaw is being soft-hearted, but even if she's determined to save the hostages, assigning that old tough nut to attack and draw attention is just basic operation."

"Sister Yingxuan, you're amazing." Lan Wan'er looked at her, eyes full of stars, full of admiration.

"Just average, I'm aiming to be a goddess of war, these are basic operations. Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll never lose a battle. War is essentially a battle of wits."

"Truly amazing." Lan Wan'er clicked her tongue, "You not only conveyed messages to Sister Suiyun through Senior Brother Huaibing, but also delivered false information to the Yincha Demon God, truly killing two birds with one stone."

"Hehe, the main credit goes to Senior Brother Huaibing. Let's go, let's see which single cell he and Senior Sister Mingyan are locked in? Maybe they'll really spark some romance."

"What's there to see in that?" Wang Lici had no interest in this, "I've already found the location of the Gluttonous Demon King Fortress's treasury. The big fat rat and I will go set things up, aiming to empty the treasury as quickly as possible. Plus, I have a feeling there's something really delicious deep in the treasury!"

At the mention of the latter, Wang Lici was practically drooling.

There weren't many treasures that could stimulate her appetite like this.

You see, her craving for "food" was directly linked to the level of "food," the more energy-rich and higher the level of "food," the greater the stimulation to her bloodline instinct, and naturally, the more intense the appetite.

It was because of this that she often got attracted to fierce beast lairs when she was young.

For her to be so tempted, there must be some truly great treasures in that treasury!

……

A moment later.

In an independent cell deep within the Demon King Fortress.

Because Zhang Huaibing cooperated with the confession, the demons rewarded him by allowing him to wash and heal before being locked up with Senior Sister Mingyan.

This cell was located deep in the dungeon, at the end of a corridor.

Compared to the previous metal bars, although this cell was smaller, it was relatively comfortable, with an independent bathroom and a soft bed.

The bed was neatly made with clean sheets, and there were two fluffy pillows, enough for two people to sleep comfortably.

Even the demon guards outside the cell were far away.

Inside the cell.

Wu Mingyan was already sitting on the edge of the bed.

After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Zhang Huaibing walked in from the door, and as he looked up, their eyes met.

For a moment, an awkward atmosphere filled the cell.

Zhang Huaibing opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to say something to ease the awkwardness.

But suddenly, [Wu Mingyan]'s face darkened, and she burst into anger: "Zhang Huaibing, I didn't expect you to be such a spineless coward! You're not only going to get Princess Suiyun killed, but also countless human soldiers!"

"What does it matter if we hostages die? The ultimate victory of the human race is what's most important. What kind of useless trash are you, daring to call the princess a shameless woman!"

Zhang Huaibing never expected Wu Mingyan to suddenly explode and insult him.

He instinctively wanted to explain, but just as the words reached his mouth, he was suddenly alarmed.

Something was off...

……