A man from the Big Dipper, starting his charlatanship at Mount Tai.

Yan Ruyu: "........."

"As long as you're happy, little ancestor."

.......

"So, Yan'er, where exactly is your cultivation going wrong?" Lin Xiu began to focus on Yan Ruyu's after-sales service, feeling that such a problem shouldn't exist.

He's helped so many people build their foundations, so why did only Yan Ruyu have a problem when no one else did? It couldn't be because he wasn't very skilled at feeding Yan Ruyu the Chaos Green Lotus root, causing some hidden ailment, could it?

"Um...this..."

Yan Ruyu was too embarrassed to reveal the reason.

She couldn't possibly say that every time she used the illusion, she would think of the scene of Kobayashi Osamu staring at her, which caused the illusion to malfunction, could she?

Yan Ruyu would rather fight three hundred Ji Haoyue than utter such a shameful matter.

Lin Xiu was also very puzzled.

He didn't use Yan Ruyu as the first subject of his experiment, did he? He had already experimented on himself before using Yan Ruyu; there shouldn't have been any problems...

Wan Nian noticed Yan Ruyu's reaction and became even more convinced that his previous guess was correct.

Wan Nian felt it was time and decisively spoke up:

"In that case, why don't we let Ruyu stay by Xiao Zu's side for a while longer, so that Xiao Zu can carefully discern the truth?"

"Stay by my side?"

Lin Xiu pondered for a few seconds, then nodded and said, "Alright~ Since Xiao Yezi isn't here, I do need someone to help with the work, so this is a win-win situation."

Yan Ruyu: "..."

Yan Ruyu never expected that she was on par with Ye Fan in Lin Xiu's heart, and she didn't know whether she should be happy or sad.

Yes, he should be happy, after all, Ye Fan was the Heavenly Court Lord whom Lin Xiu had chosen.

She was indeed upset, after all, she had heard from Qin Yao about Lin Xiu letting Ye Fan enter Zishan. Little Ancestor... surely he wouldn't let her go into such a dangerous place like Ye Fan, right?

"I am grateful for your concern regarding Ruyu's personal matters. Ruyu is willing to accompany you."

"By the way, Xiao Zu, I heard from Qin Yao that Brother Ye was traveling with you this time. Why haven't we seen him?"

Yan Ruyu remembered that Lin Xiu had come with Ye Fan, hadn't he?

If Lin Xiu hadn't later revealed his true form, she wouldn't have known that Lin Xiu and Ye Fan had actually transformed into two war correspondents, recording the scene of her battle with Ji Haoyue in real time.

"Ah~ you mean Little Leaf? I sent him to conquer the Bronze Immortal Palace."

Wan Nian: "Huh? The Bronze Immortal Palace? The one where once you walk in, you never come out again?"

Yan Ruyu: "......."

Yan Ruyu's red lips trembled, and she looked troubled.

Well, she had to admit that she regretted saying she wanted to follow Lin Xiu.

Lin Xiu... Could it be that he's going to ask her to do something as difficult as conquering the Immortal Palace?

Chapter 156 The Ji Family's Defenses Are Breached (Part 2)

Deep within the Ji family compound, in a secret hall.

The Holy Lord of the Ji family sat cross-legged on a futon, his brows furrowed. Because... just moments ago, the faint connection he had established with the Void Mirror had been severed without warning!

It's not weakening, it's not blurring, it's a complete break!

This bizarre situation is truly unprecedented! If it weren't for the lack of any recent signs of a major battle, he would have suspected that the Ancestral Mirror had been taken away by some supreme being.

.......

Faced with this situation, the Holy Lord of the Ji family chose to hold a meeting.

"Summon all the elders to come for a meeting!"

After passing on the order, the Holy Lord of the Ji family kept trying to contact the Imperial Weapon again, but all attempts failed.

Before long, several figures appeared silently in the secret hall. Leading them was Ji Yanzhi, the father of Ji Haoyue and Ji Ziyue. Behind Ji Yanzhi were other elders of the Ji family, such as Ji Hong, Ji Yunfeng, and so on.

"Why has the Holy Lord summoned you so urgently?" Ji Yanzhi was the first to step forward and ask.

"Yanzhi, have you been able to contact Haoyue?"

"Huh? Haoyue?... I'll give it a try."

Ji Yanzhi's expression changed, and he hurriedly activated a jade mirror to try to communicate with Ji Haoyue.

A dozen or so breaths later, under the watchful eyes of all the elders, Ji Yanzhi put down the jade mirror in his hand.

"No, I can't get in touch with Haoyue, something must have happened!"

"But...didn't he take the Imperial Mirror with him when he went out?"

Besides the Emperor Mirror, Haoyue and Ziyue were even accompanied by a powerful member of the Ji family! Ji Yanzhi really couldn't figure out how Ji Haoyue could still get into trouble while carrying the Emperor Mirror.

Could it be... a sage launching a sneak attack?

......

The Holy Lord of the Ji family grew increasingly heavy-hearted and said in a deep voice:

"This is why I called you here."

"In fact, not only Haoyue, but even the connection that I, as the Holy Lord, had finally established with the Imperial Weapon was severed just now."

The hall was deathly silent for a few seconds, then erupted into a fierce argument.

"How is that possible!?"

"Your Majesty, you're not joking, are you?"

"The connection that the Holy Lord painstakingly established with his life essence and blood with the Imperial Weapon could actually be severed?"

"......"

After the argument, there was another ten seconds of silence as everyone stared at the Holy Master of the Ji family, hoping he would provide more information.

Helpless, the Holy Lord of the Ji family revealed everything he had just felt.

"I have been cultivating at home. If there is a problem, it can only be that Haoyue is the one who is having problems."

"Report!"

Just as the Holy Lord of the Ji family finished speaking, a junior member of the Ji family stepped forward to report.

The junior who came was from the lineage of the powerful Ji family who had gone out. He returned to report on the instructions just given by the Holy Lord.

"Reporting to the Holy Lord, I have already checked with our ancestors. Their soul lamps are still burning, but... we can't contact them no matter what we do!"

"Huh? Can't get in touch? I can understand Haoyue, but you can't even reach your old man?"

“Haoyue not only brought an imperial weapon, but also a powerful figure from her clan. She could even escape from Dao-Slaying Kings. How could she suddenly disappear?” Ji Yanzhi frowned.

A few seconds later, Ji Yanzhi suddenly remembered something:

"Do you think it's possible that a powerful, even Dao-slaying, demon king has been born, protecting the Azure Lotus lineage while..."

A large area was also sealed off at the same time.

"Is Haoyue and the Imperial Weapon both in a small world or formation isolated from the outside world, which is why they can't get out?"

.......

Ji Yanzhi's idea was not approved by the other elders of the Ji family.

"How is that possible? Even a saint's grand formation couldn't possibly seal off an imperial weapon!"

"In my opinion, perhaps Haoyue has ventured deep into some forbidden area, where the passageways are unique and have interfered with the sensing," Ji Yunfeng speculated.

"A desperate situation?" Ji Yanzhi frowned.

“Where in the Eastern Wilderness can an imperial weapon be completely isolated? It’s the core of a forbidden zone of life! Even if Haoyue is arrogant, he wouldn’t rashly venture into such a place.”

"Then what is Elder Hong's opinion?" The Holy Master of the Ji family looked at another elder.

Ji Hong pondered for a long time before slowly saying:

“There is another possibility... although it sounds absurd. The connection between the Imperial Weapon and the user has been completely severed. If the user has not perished, then it is possible that the Imperial Weapon itself has been sealed away.”

Upon hearing this, the entire secret hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Imperial troops under the control of the emperor?

The Void Mirror was forged by the Void Emperor, dominating an entire era; wherever its light shone, the void itself submitted. Who in this world could seal it? Even if an ancient sage were resurrected, wielding another imperial weapon, he could at most contend with it, let alone seal it.

Ji Yunfeng scoffed directly:

"Elder Hong, please don't joke. To seal an imperial weapon? Unless you have several imperial weapons and several powerful beings joining forces to set up an unparalleled array, you can't suppress an imperial weapon even slightly. If the Azure Lotus lineage had such ability, they should have already ruled the Eastern Wilderness. Why would they need to wander around?"

Ji Yanzhi also nodded and said:

“That’s right. Moreover, Haoyue wields an imperial weapon. If he were truly in danger, activating even a wisp of its power would be enough to send a message back. Now that there’s no news at all, this strange situation… seems like Haoyue deliberately cut off the connection himself.”

These words sent a chill down everyone's spine.

The Holy Lord of the Ji Family increased the speed of his finger tapping:

"What you mean by saying this is... that Haoyue betrayed the family?"

Ji Yanzhi: "........."

Ji Yanzhi broke out in a cold sweat instantly. How could he possibly mean that?!

"Of course not!"

Ji Yanzhi carefully considered the wording.

"Perhaps, Haoyue has encountered an extraordinary opportunity that forces her to conceal her whereabouts and even temporarily sever ties with her family."

"For example, entering the Bronze Immortal Palace to search for treasures? In order to avoid the Imperial Weapon stimulating the Immortal Palace, they deliberately cut off all communication between the Imperial Weapon and the outside world?"

"Hmph~ Yan Zhi, you're too clever for your own good. With a protector accompanying you, how could you possibly allow Haoyue to enter such a dangerous place as the Bronze Immortal Palace so casually?"

"Exactly! Why don't you say that your own daughter became an immortal and ascended to the immortal realm with the Void Mirror?"

"Exactly! I want to see it..."

The elders of the Ji family held differing opinions and argued endlessly.