Only after becoming emperor did he realize he was in a fantasy world of immortal cultivation.

Seeing this, Zhou Ru quickly retorted, "Your Majesty, everything I have done is for Your Majesty's longevity plan. I would never do such a thing as colluding with evil sorcerers to harm Your Majesty."

As she spoke, Zhou Ru forced out a few crocodile tears, her eyes still brimming with emotion, and choked out, "Your Majesty, if I were truly an accomplice of this evil Taoist, why would I have hesitated so much when Your Majesty was about to ascend the Jade Terrace?"

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Yan became even more certain that Zhou Ru and Lin Ye had said something, and that Lin Ye must not believe it, which was why the two of them had tampered with her formation and ruined his plans.

Gongsun Yan's body was riddled with countless holes from the spirit sword; he was now barely clinging to life. His mind was filled with countless words he wanted to say, but he lacked the ability to kill with a single blow...

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he said, with blood still gushing from his mouth, "Your Majesty, actually Consort Tao is..." Zhou Ru.

Before Gongsun Yan could even utter the names of the people on the wanted poster issued by Lin Ye, Zhou Ru forcibly interrupted him.

The cry of "Your Majesty" was heart-wrenching and earth-shattering.

It kept calling out as it ran forward.

In a short while, it ran into Lin Ye's arms.

Tears streaming down her face, she said, "Your Majesty, this evil Taoist priest clearly harbors resentment because Your Majesty saw through his scheme. Now that you are trapped in a deadly formation, he is trying to sow discord and cause Your Majesty to lose your beloved, so as to vent his anger and take revenge."

"Your Majesty, please do not believe such sorcerer's lies, sob sob..."

"Your Majesty's affection for me is as clear as the sun and the moon..."

Zhou Ru lay in Lin Ye's arms, sobbing as she spoke.

Upon seeing this, Gongsun Yan spat out a mouthful of blood, not because of Zhou Ru's insincere words, but because Zhou Ru was currently at a perfect distance from Lin Ye, making it an ideal time to strike.

Of course, he couldn't let Zhou Ru continue, so with his last breath, he shouted, "Your Majesty, Consort Tao is Zhou Ru."

Having learned from past mistakes, Gongsun Yan spoke these words very quickly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ru's expression changed, and she subconsciously looked up to see Lin Ye's reaction.

At the same time, Gongsun Yan's words were like a stone thrown into a lake, immediately causing a great stir in the hearts of many ministers.

Who is Zhou Ru?

Those were the assassins who once tried to kill His Majesty.

Even the emperor's arrest warrant had not been removed.

All the ministers turned their gazes toward Lin Ye.

Lin Ye, who was in the center of everyone's attention, smiled upon hearing this and said leisurely, "My beloved concubine, Daoist Gongsun says you are Zhou Ru. Tell me, should I believe him or not?"

In this situation, Zhou Ru should naturally say she doesn't believe it.

But Zhou Ru said she couldn't speak.

She saw mockery and knowing understanding in Lin Ye's eyes...

There may be more, but these few things alone are enough for Zhou Ru to choose to take action.

Any further words would only cause her to miss the opportunity to kill Lin Ye.

In the instant of a sudden burst of light, a dagger appeared in Zhou Ru's hand, and countless spiritual energies converged on the blade, stabbing fiercely toward Lin Ye's chest.

Gongsun Yan was injured again by the spirit sword in the formation, but his eyes were fixed on the direction of the dagger in Zhou Ru's hand. Could it be... that Zhou Wanwan will be the final victor?

He said to himself with a hint of resentment.

As Zhou Wanwan watched the dagger in Zhou Ru's hand getting closer and closer to Lin Ye's heart, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

However, when he glanced at the standing ministers, a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

She could ignore who Lin Ye had set up the backlash array, but she couldn't ignore the slightest abnormality in Zhou Ru's actions at this moment.

Could it be...?

The worst possible scenario began to form in Zhou Wanwan's mind.

But since things have come to this, she can only hope that she is overthinking it.

The gazes of those two on the white jade platform tightened slightly.

But in the end... the accident still happened.

Before Zhou Ru could even touch Lin Ye's clothes, her dagger suddenly slipped from her grasp, and for some unknown reason, blood began to gush from her mouth, making her appear quite weak.

Zhou Wanwan immediately used her spiritual power to sense the condition inside Zhou Ru's body.

poison?

Zhou Ru was poisoned?

When was she poisoned?

A variety of questions lingered in her mind.

"Pfft—" Due to the blood pact with Zhou Ru, Zhou Wanwan also suffered some damage to her body.

She quickly used her spiritual power to heal her injuries in secret.

At the same time, he kept his eyes fixed on the situation on the jade platform.

Forest fields......

It's Linye.

She quickly realized that the only person capable of poisoning Zhou Ru so quietly could be Lin Ye.

When Zhou Ru received this message from Zhou Wanwan in her mind while she was on the jade platform, her hand pressed against her chest tightened involuntarily, and her face turned deathly pale.

"When...when did you poison me?" Zhou Ru never expected that a mere weed could poison her while she was still a mortal, and she was completely unaware of it.

Zhou Ru looked at Lin Ye with disbelief in her eyes.

Then, as if remembering something, he asked with a hint of doubt, "Wine?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye smiled calmly and said in a leisurely tone, "It's also thanks to my beloved concubine being a lover of wine."

However, mixing the poison pill Ji Lin gave her into the wine was not as convenient as giving her the whole pill directly. To induce the poison, Zhou Ru would have to use her spiritual power.

That's why he staged a play with Gongsun Yan earlier, deliberately creating a diversion, in order to lure Zhou Ru into making a move.

Lin Ye glanced between Zhou Ru and Zhou Wanwan, thinking to himself that Ji Lin's poison pill seemed to be quite effective.

"Heh..." Zhou Ru laughed bitterly, never expecting that she would give the other party such an opportunity.

If she hadn't been poisoned...

I'm afraid Lin Ye has already become a victim of her blade.

The more she thought about it, the more resentful she felt.

Seeing the two so close together, Zhou Ru gritted her teeth and forcibly circulated the little spiritual power left in her body, gathering it all in her palm, ready to strike Lin Ye.

But before he could even raise his hand halfway, he was violently struck in the internal organs by the spiritual energy within his body, and blood kept gushing from his mouth.

"Now that things have come to this, why should my beloved concubine make a futile struggle?" Lin Ye shook his head slightly, his gaze towards Zhou Ru carrying a hint of coldness.

Ji Lin once said that the more spiritual power was activated, the faster the poison spread from the deadly pill he gave him.

Within half a cup of tea, Zhou Ru will surely die.

After thinking it over, Lin Ye turned his gaze to Gongsun Yan in the formation.

Clearly, Gongsun Yan was barely clinging to life at this point.

However, this last bit of breath still gave him the strength to speak.

He said, "I see, I see..."

By now, there's nothing Gongsun Yan doesn't understand.

From beginning to end, it was all a scheme orchestrated by Lin Yebu.

Ironically, they were quite pleased with themselves while playing chess in the woods, thinking they had victory in their grasp.

Lin Ye naturally understood the meaning behind Gongsun Yan's "So that's how it is" in his words.

Indeed, everything that is happening now is within his plan.

Including this Dan Palace.

When Gongsun Yan gave him the diagram of the Dan Palace, he already had doubts.

Therefore, during the construction, some modifications were intentionally made.

Later, he recruited the two monks, Zhu and Kang, to serve him.

He then showed the two of them the structural diagrams, hoping they could glean some insights.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Kang actually noticed something was wrong.