"Cauldron Lord, can I break through to Myriad Manifestations Seventh Grade after refining him?" Lin Yu released the God-Eating Cauldron as it swallowed the Blood Robe Ancestor's corpse.
"Definitely. With luck, maybe Eighth Grade!" The Cauldron Lord chuckled, then snapped, "Dammit! Why does this body have so little spiritual energy? Not even worthy of an Eighth Grade!"
"What's wrong?" Lin Yu asked in surprise.
"The Demon Ancestor's divine thought is missing—now it's only Seventh Grade!" The Cauldron Lord sulked, expecting an Eighth Grade body.
"Must be because his divine thought消散 (dissipated) after I destroyed it. When the Blood Robe Ancestor retook the body, his strength reverted to Seventh Grade," Lin Yu reasoned. "But Seventh Grade is fine—I never expected to leap from Sixth to Eighth."
"True. Wanna breakthrough here?" the Cauldron Lord asked. "Though not Eighth Grade, with the leftover energy from your last breakthrough, I can help you reach Seventh Grade."
"Wait till we leave. The ancient sect ruins are still unexplored." Lin Yu smiled, turning toward the valley exit.
...
Su Miaozhen and others heard continuous booms from the valley and saw a blood cloud rise. Clutching their jade talismans, they prepared to flee.
"Think the Buddhist senior lost?"
"No way! He must have won. Even if not, we can't help."
"If he fails, we'll report to our sect masters and gather heroes to slay demons."
They whispered, worrying as the blood cloud and demon qi surged. "Miaozhen, the senior hasn't come out. Could he...?" Zhou Lingyun asked.
"No! I trust him—he won't lose!" Su Miaozhen insisted.
"Look! He's coming out!" Everyone exclaimed as Lin Yu strolled from the valley, the blood cloud dissipating behind him. The demons were vanquished.
"Senior!" They bowed respectfully.
"Demons eliminated," Lin Yu said. Cheers erupted—then their jade talismans blazed. Even hidden talismans glowed, including Lin Yu's. As he took it out, someone shouted: "My talisman is cracking!"
"Mine too! What's happening?"
Lin Yu saw spider-web cracks spreading across his talisman. "I get it—this isn't an ancient ruin. It's a demon trap to revive the Evil God. Now that you killed them, the unguarded space is collapsing, so talismans are teleporting you out," the Cauldron Lord explained.
Crack! The talismans shattered. White beams rose, enveloping everyone and vanishing into the sky. Lin Yu was also teleported, landing back in the质子馆 (hostage manor). It was still dark—only two hours had passed outside.
"Too bad. Wanted ancient treasures, but it was a demon scam," Lin Yu sighed. At least the Cauldron Lord's absorption of the demon sword and ancestor would push him to Seventh Grade.
"Demons found a collapsing blessed land with a demon king's body and plotted this. Lucky you were there—otherwise, a Ninth Grade or Void Formation demon king would've risen, unstoppable by anyone but hidden sect ancestors," the Cauldron Lord said, shuddering.
"Glad it's over. I must train—Demon Ancestor and my eldest brother have schemes. I need strength to avenge my brothers in the Southern Wasteland." Lin Yu began cultivating as the Cauldron Lord channeled vast energy, boosting him to Myriad Manifestations Seventh Grade.
...
In Great Zhou's palace, Su Miaozhen, Zhou Lingyun, and others appeared in white beams. The Zhou Emperor frowned at Elder Xu: "You said time flows differently—they should be gone at least six hours. Why return in two?"
"Perhaps an accident forced an early return. Ask General Su," Elder Xu suggested.
The emperor looked to Su Miaozhen, who saluted and declared: "Your Majesty! The so-called ancient ruins were a demon conspiracy!"