Lin Yu summoned the God-Eating Cauldron.
"Cauldron Lord, after devouring a Myriad Manifestations Fourth Grade demon, can you help me advance to Myriad Manifestations Fifth Grade?"
"Alone, a Myriad Manifestations Fourth Grade demon is slightly insufficient, but with the rest as supplements, it should be enough!" Cauldron Lord chuckled. To it, Fu Jian and the other Purple Mansion and Xiantian Realm warriors were now mere supplements for Lin Yu's cultivation.
As soon as the words fell, the God-Eating Cauldron emitted ripples of starlight, instantly swallowing the demon and the Fu Clan members' corpses.
Lin Yu glanced at Lanruo Temple and smiled. "Cauldron Lord, after my Myriad Manifestations Fifth Grade cultivation stabilizes, we'll come back to help those demons escape the seal."
"Let's talk after returning. It's been ages since I devoured a Myriad Manifestations Fourth Grade demon!" Cauldron Lord could hardly wait to refine the demon.
After收起 (stowing) the God-Eating Cauldron, Lin Yu checked the sky and turned back to the hostage manor. With dawn in two or three hours, he had no time to explore Great Zhou's Demon Prison and would wait until his Myriad Manifestations Fifth Grade cultivation stabilized.
Half an hour after Lin Yu left, the clatter of iron cavalry shattered the forest's silence. A unit of Great Zhou cavalry sealed off Lanruo Temple's ruins, and Su Miaozhen—armored and masked—and an aged, white-haired elder with a childlike face arrived at the site where Lin Yu had slain the demon.
"Elder Chu, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory detected intense demonic energy fluctuations in the southern suburbs, likely from these temple ruins." Su Miaozhen looked at Elder Chu. "It seems a fierce battle occurred here?"
When the God-Eating Cauldron devoured the demon and Fu Clan members, it left no trace of limbs or blood. Though the ruins were chaotic and smelled of blood, no blood was visible, so Su Miaozhen couldn't confirm a battle.
"There's residual demonic energy, and look at the ground—someone must have slain a demon here." Elder Chu studied the sword marks left by Lin Yu, his expression grave.
"A demon?" Su Miaozhen was confused. "Aren't all demons imprisoned in the Demon Prison? Why is there residual demonic energy here?"
"The demonic energy is extremely dense. This demon was powerful, hence detection by the Astronomical Observatory. If it had entered the capital, it would have caused countless deaths. I wonder who slew it, averting disaster for Great Zhou." He paused. "There's also a residual aura here, General Su. Can you sense it? It's gentle, bright, and compassionate, gradually annihilating the residual demonic energy. If we'd arrived later, the aura might have erased it entirely."
Elder Chu sighed in relief—they were lucky a mysterious expert had appeared when the demon emerged.
Su Miaozhen concentrated and nodded. "There is indeed the mysterious aura you mentioned. These are Buddhist temple ruins. Could a Buddhist expert have reappeared, encountered the demon, and slain it?"
"Possible. After all, Buddhism sealed the demons; they've always been mortal enemies." Elder Chu agreed.
"This is good news. Let's return and urge the Emperor to seek this Buddhist expert. With a Buddhist powerhouse in the capital, demons will dare not cause trouble." Su Miaozhen was eager to report.
After Su Miaozhen left, two figures sneaked to the ruins. Dressed in night attire, they searched in vain.
"Brother Zhao, what's happening? The master and others were clearly here, but now there's no trace!"
"There was滔天 (overwhelming) demonic energy—demons must have emerged. Did the master and others get eaten? We can't decide; let's report to the clan." The two black-clad men, Fu Clan assassins and spies in the capital, had awaited the demon attack to create chaos but came to investigate when it failed.
...
Back at the hostage manor, Lin Yu used the excuse of水土不服 (acclimatization issues) to闭门 (seclude himself) and冲击 (break through to) Myriad Manifestations Fifth Grade. After Cauldron Lord refined the demon, vast spiritual energy surged into Lin Yu's meridians like a山洪.
Ordinary warriors couldn't withstand or refine such energy, but Lin Yu, with a Saint Emperor's physique and霸道的 (domineering) Saint Emperor Art, absorbed it all. As the energy refined, his aura暴涨 (soared), making furniture tremble.
The moment he advanced to Myriad Manifestations Fifth Grade,狂暴的 (raging) spiritual energy burst out as a hurricane, ready to reduce the room to powder. But Lin Yu opened his eyes, and the energy storm reversed into his body before hitting anything.
"If I were still Myriad Manifestations Fourth Grade, forcing the energy back would cause internal injuries. At Fifth Grade, I control spiritual energy with precision—even reversing a storm causes no harm. My strength has truly increased." Lin Yu nodded, satisfied with the breakthrough.
He didn't rush back to Lanruo Temple but first stabilized his cultivation—the demons weren't going anywhere.
"Third Prince..." Su Miaozhen's voice came from outside the courtyard as Lin Yu practiced.
He opened the door to see Su Miaozhen in a white warrior's uniform, showcasing a slender figure. Though still masked and with a high ponytail, she exuded valiance.
"Third Prince, are you adjusting to Great Zhou? I heard you're unwell. Should I summon an imperial physician?" She inspected him, suspecting feigned illness. But Lin Yu's cultivation surpassed hers, so she couldn't see through him.
"Thank you, General Su. I've recovered. When will His Majesty receive me?"