"Kid, get ready to advance to the Third Rank of the Purple Mansion...!"
After Lord Ding refined the Spiritual Fire Jade Pendant, he smiled proudly at Lin Yu. In an instant, a tide of spiritual energy surged into Lin Yu's meridians.
Lin Yu did not dare to怠慢 (neglect). He immediately circulated the Saint Emperor Heart Method, charging toward the Third Rank of the Purple Mansion.
As time passed, the aura emanating from Lin Yu grew increasingly powerful. In the stone chamber, the stone slabs on the ground could no longer withstand this immense pressure. With crackling sounds, fine cracks appeared on the slabs.
Then Lin Yu slowly opened his eyes. In an instant, it was as if a thunderbolt flashed through the stone chamber. His aura continued to rise, and the stone slabs beneath his feet shattered into powder under the pressure.
At this moment, relying solely on his aura and pressure, he could easily crush all Innate martial artists.
"Finally reached the Third Rank of the Purple Mansion!"
Lin Yu收敛 (withdrew) his terrifying aura and smiled wryly at Lord Ding, saying softly, "Advancing to the Fourth Rank of the Purple Mansion will be troublesome now. The Purple Mansion realm demonic beasts in the depths of the Qilian Mountains' forbidden area have been avoiding me recently. It's too hard to hunt them!"
Moreover, he had slaughtered the Innate realm demonic beasts on the periphery of the Qilian Mountains' forbidden area several times. It was feared that no beast tide would appear in the Qilian Mountains for more than a decade.
"Actually, there's another place where you can cultivate all the way to the Myriad Transformations Realm without issue!"
Lord Ding chuckled mysteriously.
"Myriad Transformations Realm!"
Lin Yu's expression changed slightly, and he whispered, "Lord Ding, you can't mean that place, right?"
"You guessed it. It's the Demon-Sealing Pagoda!"
Lord Ding smiled and said, "The Demon-Sealing Pagoda suppresses demon cultivators and devil heads. As long as I devour, refine, and absorb their spiritual energy, it will be enough for you to advance to the Myriad Transformations Realm!"
Lin Yu looked troubled: "Lord Ding, the Demon-Sealing Pagoda is not only guarded by imperial guards but also protected by arrays. Moreover, the pagoda itself has a sealing array. Those demon cultivators and devil heads can't escape, and I can't enter. How can I help you refine them?"
"With me here, what are you worried about? Take me to scout the Demon-Sealing Pagoda another day!"
After instructing Lin Yu, Lord Ding transformed into a golden light and returned to his sea of consciousness.
...
In the Great Han Palace, the Han Emperor looked阴沉 (gloomy) at the Dark Guard Commander standing below.
"You said the Southern Wasteland envoy group killed the dark sentries you dispatched and vanished from the post station?"
The Han Emperor snorted in dissatisfaction: "This is my imperial city. How could the Southern Wasteland envoy group disappear like this? Don't you need to explain yourself to me?"
The Dark Guard Commander was drenched in sweat and cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, the Great Shaman of the Southern Wasteland envoy group is an Innate realm expert, and the others are all martial artists above the Sixth Rank. The dark guards I dispatched couldn't track them at all!"
"Your Majesty, the Southern Wasteland Young Lord was defeated by Princess Ningbing earlier. Could he be hiding to assassinate Princess Ningbing?"
The Prime Minister looked grave and quickly voiced his speculation.
"Nonsense! Immediately send people to protect the Second Prince and Princess Ningbing, especially Princess Ningbing. She is the hope of the Great Han and must not be harmed!"
The Han Emperor flew into a rage and ordered the Dark Guard Commander.
"Your Majesty, Princess Ningbing meets the Third Prince at the imperial mausoleum every half month. Calculating the time, it's today!"
The Dark Guard Commander's face turned pale, and he looked at the Han Emperor in fear.
"Don't you dare send people to the imperial mausoleum to protect Princess Ningbing immediately!"
The Han Emperor snorted and gritted his teeth: "If anything happens to Princess Ningbing, I will raze the Southern Wasteland to the ground and kill every last one of them!"
The Dark Guard Commander hurriedly accepted the order and left.
As time passed, the Han Emperor grew more and more irritable.
"Your Majesty, Princess Ningbing is a genius born with the human emperor's sword aura. She won't fall so easily. Your Majesty need not worry!"
The Prime Minister coughed lightly and tried to soothe the Han Emperor.
"Your Majesty!"
Just then, the Dark Guard Commander rushed in.
"Where is Princess Ningbing?"
The Han Emperor immediately stood up and demanded.
"When I led people to the imperial mausoleum, Princess Ningbing had already returned to the imperial city safely!"
The Dark Guard Commander reported to the Han Emperor.
"Good, excellent! But where have those Southern Wastelanders hidden?"
The Han Emperor finally relaxed.
"Your Majesty, when I led people to search the mountains near the imperial mausoleum, we found traces of a fierce battle and finally found the body of the Southern Wasteland Young Lord, Tuo Ba Hong!"
The Dark Guard Commander said loudly, "The rest of the Southern Wasteland envoy group are nowhere to be found, alive or dead. However, the Young Lord was clearly killed by a sword qi piercing his heart. Judging by his condition before death, someone released a sword qi from a thousand zhang away to kill him!"
"What?"
Shock appeared on the Han Emperor's face. A single sword qi could kill someone from a thousand zhang away. How powerful was the attacker?
"Who did this? Who would kill the Southern Wasteland envoy group?"
The Han Emperor frowned and muttered to himself.
"Your Majesty, could it be the Prince Su?"
The Prime Minister suddenly spoke, attracting the Han Emperor's attention. He continued, "Since Prince Su returned from the depths of the Qilian Mountains, he has not appeared. Perhaps he has been protecting the Great Han royal family's geniuses in secret!"
"Reasonable. Go on!"
The Han Emperor nodded slightly. He had also thought of Prince Su just now.
"The Southern Wasteland envoy group should have planned to assassinate Princess Ningbing at the imperial mausoleum, but before they could act, they were wiped out by Prince Su. Moreover, sword qi can't kill the Southern Wasteland Young Lord from a thousand zhang away—only sword intent can. Your Majesty, don't forget that Prince Su cultivates the Wind Sword Intent!"
The Prime Minister smiled, becoming more convinced that this was the truth.
"Right! It seems the attacker must be Prince Su!"
The Han Emperor shook his head and sighed, "I previously blamed Prince Su for not meeting me. Now it seems I was too simple. Prince Su staying in the dark to protect the Great Han's geniuses and safeguard our国运 is truly a blessing for the Great Han!"
"Your Majesty, with the Great Zhou on the verge of war, we must not go to war with the Southern Wasteland. The fact that the Southern Wasteland envoy group was destroyed by Prince Su must never be leaked!"
The Prime Minister advised.
"Good! Issue an order: anyone who dares to reveal today's events will have their three clans exterminated!"
The Han Emperor swept his gaze over the Dark Guard Commander and sneered, "Prime Minister, if the Southern Wasteland inquires about the envoy group's whereabouts, rebuke them harshly. Ask them what the Southern Wasteland envoy group was doing attacking dark guards in my Great Han imperial city's post station and fleeing in a hurry!"
The Dark Guard Commander and Prime Minister hurriedly accepted the order.
...
The cold wind howled, and winter deepened.
In the imperial city, deep in an alley, the howling wind carried frost and snow through broken windows, turning the room into an ice cave.
Two white-haired, thinly clothed old couples huddled on a hay-covered bed, shivering with cold.
The room was empty, with no firewood for warmth or even a thin quilt. They would never survive the winter.
"Yong'er, we'll come to accompany you soon. Wait, our family of three will be reunited soon!"
The old couple murmured tremblingly, their minds blurred by the cold.
Pa!
A silver ingot flew through the broken window and landed on the bed.
"Old man, silver! It's silver!"
The old woman rubbed her eyes, picked up the silver ingot, and stammered, "Old man, we have silver! Someone sent us silver! We can survive this winter!"
"It's the Third Prince! He must not have forgotten Yong'er. He still remembers us! We must hold on to see the Third Prince avenge Yong'er!"
The old man trembled to his feet, pulling the old woman to bow on the bed.
Outside, Lin Yu stood in the shadow of a corner with tears in his eyes, holding a bag full of silver ingots. He felt ashamed to face the old couple who had entrusted their son to him.
"Ding Yong and all my brothers, I, Lin Yu, have failed you. I will avenge your deaths, and I will bring the heads of the masterminds to your graves!"
"To the other brothers whose families aren't in the imperial city, I can't take care of you now, but I swear I will double compensate your families in the future!"
Of the hundred thousand soldiers who followed him into battle, only a few had families in the imperial city, and only they could be cared for now.
Lin Yu held back his tears and turned to the next house.