"Transform into a demon—no need to hide anymore!" Sun Linpu's eyes burned with fanaticism as he shouted to the Xiantian realm warriors pinned by Lin Yu's overwhelming aura.
"Demon transformation..." Lin Yu frowned, instantly understanding. The Xiantian warriors, frozen by his aura, now had blood-red eyes, bulging veins, and bristling hair sprouting from their skin. Their bodies swelled, tearing their clothes, as their auras surged, breaking through the Xiantian barrier to Purple Mansion realm.
In the end, they became half-human, half-demon monsters, each leaping a full realm from Xiantian Grade One to Purple Mansion Grade One.
"Third Prince, even if your cultivation wasn't crippled, can you defeat eight Purple Mansion warriors?" Sun Linpu laughed triumphantly. His guards had fused with demon blood, gaining rapid power—his trump card.
But upon seeing the eight transformed warriors still immobilized by Lin Yu's aura, Sun Linpu's laughter cut short. Even as Purple Mansion cultivators, they couldn't move—no different from before.
Lin Yu glanced coldly at Sun Linpu, then his aura surged, crushing the eight newly transformed half-demons into powder. Blood mist exploded before Sun Linpu's eyes.
"Dammit... This was the First Prince's hard work!" Sun Linpu's eyes bled with fury. Fusing demon blood into human warriors was arduous—only seven or eight succeeded from hundreds. Chosen from elite soldiers loyal to the prince, such demon-blooded warriors numbered only dozens. Losing eight at once meant punishment, even if he killed Lin Yu.
"Lin Yu, I won't forgive you! I'll tear you to pieces today!" Sun Linpu's face turned livid, his aura暴涨 (soaring) as scales grew from his exposed skin.
"You can transform too?" Lin Yu frowned. "没想到 (Unexpectedly), a vice minister of the Great Han would defile himself with demon blood."
"I'm a noble scholar—how could I blend with filthy demon blood? I fused a demon core!" Sun Linpu狂笑 (laughed wildly), his body expanding, eyes turning vertical slits—all human emotion gone. Demon cores held stronger demon energy than blood, harder to fuse but granting terrifying power—his true confidence.
Lin Yu shook his head. "Is it worth becoming neither human nor demon for power?"
"To kill you, yes!" Sun Linpu roared, his cultivation surging to Purple Mansion Grade Seven, towering over most warriors.
"Kill me? I suggest waiting for your next life." Lin Yu sneered. What was Purple Mansion Grade Seven to him? With a thought, the Wind Controlling Sword flew from his sea of consciousness, a cyan streamer shooting at Sun Linpu.
"Sword flight—you're Prince Su?" Sun Linpu's vertical pupils showed shock. The sword flashed around his neck and returned to Lin Yu. Sun Linpu's words halted, shock frozen on his face as blood beads trickled from his neck, forming a red line.
Thud! His head rolled, and a无头 (headless) body sprayed blood, collapsing to the ground.
Lin Yu beckoned, and Sun Linpu's head flew to him. "You betrayed 100,000 soldiers. Killing you is just the first step. When I return, your entire clan will be wiped out."
"Cauldron Lord, store his head. I'll use it to祭奠 (pay tribute to) my brothers who died in the Southern Wasteland." The God-Eating Cauldron emerged, devouring the head and body with starlight ripples.
"Cauldron Lord, you said the First Prince is stronger than me—did he also fuse a demon core?" Lin Yu sighed. Only now did he understand how the prince surpassed his Saint Emperor Sword Body.
"Likely. His power is immense—don't face him until you reach Void Formation," the Cauldron Lord warned. Rushing for revenge would mean death.
Lin Yu nodded. Two of the three culprits behind the Southern Wasteland disaster were dead; only the prince remained. "Brothers, wait. Soon, I'll bring the prince's head to your graves."
He entered the manor. The door closed, leaving no trace of Sun Linpu's visit. The next morning, residents would only recall a deep sleep.
Dawn brought thundering hooves. Su Miaozhen burst into the manor with soldiers. "Third Prince! Where is he?"
Lin Yu emerged, smiling. "General Su, what's the urgency?"
"Thank goodness you're safe!" Su Miaozhen sighed. "The Han envoy left the city last night, missing. I thought they came for you."
Lin Yu smiled inwardly. They had come, but now their heads were in the cauldron.