Lin Yu smiled. After meeting the Zhou Emperor, he'd fade from attention as a hostage, free to deal with Lanruo Temple's demons and then Great Zhou's Demon Prison.
"That's why I'm here today." Su Miaozhen smiled. "In a month, geniuses from major sects will gather in the capital to trial in Moyun Ridge. The Emperor will receive you after their arrival. If interested, you can join them at Moyun Ridge."
"Excellent, I will attend." Lin Yu nodded, calculating how many more demons he could refine in a month.
Su Miaozhen studied him deeply before taking her leave. Outside, Elder Chu approached: "General Su, any issues with the Great Han Third Prince?"
They'd searched for the Buddhist expert but found nothing. Noting Lin Yu's arrival coincided with the expert's appearance, Su Miaozhen had visited to check for Buddhist aura.
"None. He has no Buddhist aura, and his cultivation is low—still Martial Third Grade. It seems his dantian destruction halted his progress."
"Hmph! Great Han is cunning, sending a useless prince as a hostage—they wouldn't care if we killed him." Elder Chu snorted, riding toward the palace.
Lin Yu returned to practice. Stabilizing Myriad Manifestations Fifth Grade earlier meant returning to Lanruo Temple sooner, silencing Cauldron Lord's constant urging.
Half a month later, his cultivation stabilized, and he headed to Lanruo Temple. After the previous battle, rumors of demons kept people away for miles, allowing Lin Yu to act freely.
At the ruins, he had Cauldron Lord retrieve the Buddha bone relic. Holding it, he channeled spiritual energy, triggering golden ripples that expanded the Lesser Vehicle Arhat Formation's seal into a black vortex.
He waited, but no demons emerged—no roars, curses, or signs of life, as if they'd all escaped.
"Cauldron Lord, what's happening? Did the demons break free in half a month?"
"They're all inside; demonic energy still leaks. Without external help, they can't escape the opened seal." Cauldron Lord was confused. Demons starved for eons should rush out, but their silence was反常 (abnormal).
Lin Yu approached the vortex, which stretched into infinite darkness, only emitting faint demonic energy.
"Hey! I'm here to free you! The seal is open—come out!"
"We recognize your aura! You killed Xieshan and devoured him with that strange cauldron! We won't fall for your trick!"
"Right! Xieshan was powerful, yet he died. We'll be devoured too!"
"Hiding here keeps us alive; escaping means death—we're not fools!"
Demons shouted from within, leaving Lin Yu stunned.
"Cauldron Lord, since when are demons this clever?" He sighed, closing the seal with the relic. The ruins fell silent again.
"The seal has weakened, and they sense outside events. They know we refined Xieshan—this is troublesome."
"Seems we can't deal with them for now." Lin Yu苦笑 (smiled bitterly). "Luckily there's the Demon Prison. Let's check there."
"Guess so." Cauldron Lord grumbled, unprepared for clever demons.
...
In the seal's darkness, demons trembled, eyeing a burly, scaly-faced demon sitting cross-legged, gnawing on a demon's thigh. Demonic energy from the flesh surged into it, boosting its aura.
"Good. The brat outside is strong. I need at least Myriad Manifestations Seventh Grade to kill him—ten more meals should do it. Then you can all escape with me." It grinned, bloodied. "I'll seclude for three days. Choose who feeds me next."
The remaining demons eyed each other warily. Originally, the seal weakened their cultivation, but they maintained a fragile balance—weaker demons united against stronger ones. With the seal opened, the promise of escape shattered the alliance. Demons were selfish; as long as they escaped, it didn't matter who was eaten.
Soon, the strong demon would recover to Myriad Manifestations Seventh Grade. When Lin Yu reopened the seal, it would kill him, and the survivors would follow.
...
Leaving Lanruo Temple, Lin Yu headed for Great Zhou's capital. The Demon Prison stood in the southwest, encircled by nine jade pillars inscribed with formation runes,雷霆 (thunder) flashing between them. At the center, a ten-foot hole emitted wails and curses—entry to the Demon Prison. Thunder between the pillars barred all below Purple Mansion Realm, so guards stationed thousands of zhang away only checked for abnormalities.