This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Has this clock come to life?

This was everyone's first reaction: why was the bell ringing by itself? Many people went forward to investigate, but no one dared to approach; they all huddled together, staring at the bell as it tolled.

This confused everyone, and the spies hidden among the crowd quickly relayed the message back.

The temple bells ring not by human intervention, but spontaneously.

These few words completely baffled people. The clock struck by itself in the middle of the night. Could it be a ghost?

But that's the reality. So many people were watching, and the bell kept ringing. There was no one at the pendulum's end, yet it kept striking the bell, as if a ghost were standing there ringing it.

This eerie phenomenon, coupled with the fact that this place was a site of ancestral temple worship, sent a chill down the spines of those who witnessed it.

There are ghosts.

These were many thoughts in people's minds, and then people started leaving. This was a ghostly incident; don't get involved with anything unclean.

The old priest was completely dumbfounded. There was clearly no one in front of the bell, so who was ringing it?

With each toll of the bell, the red fishing net lines between the ancestral temple and the mountains flashed once more. Emperor Wu, uninterested in anything else, went straight to the library, then frowned.

"Now that the War Commander has arrived, why hide?"

"Your Majesty, I have heard that something unusual has happened here, so I have come to investigate."

Zhan Aotian emerged from the shadows, making no attempt to conceal himself. He only felt relieved when he saw that the library was intact and there were no traces of his own people left behind.

"Really? I thought the General was already here waiting for me. It seems I was overthinking it."

Emperor Wu glanced at him indifferently, then quickly walked into the library.

Zhan Aotian chuckled. The meaning behind the Martial Emperor's words was self-evident, but many things are meaningless without evidence.

He followed closely behind, wanting to see what the Emperor was looking for, but to his disappointment, the Emperor simply inspected each floor and, seeing nothing amiss, prepared to leave.

"I have a word of advice for you: the ancestral temple must not be touched. Once someone destroys the ancestral temple, even the gods cannot save you. Take care."

As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Wu disappeared, which made Zhan Aotian's heart sink. Was this a warning from Emperor Wu? Had his people failed?

The fact that the people he sent hadn't returned, and that the library was unharmed, weighed heavily on Zhan Aotian's mind.

He took one last deep look, and upon hearing someone rushing towards them, he quickly disappeared into the darkness.

The appearance of Emperor Wu and Zhan Aotian went unnoticed; the two vanished in a single glance. Everyone else, believing the ancestral temple to be haunted, began to leave.

It's the middle of the night, if you're going to watch something exciting, what's so interesting about a ghost story?

When the news of the ancestral temple being haunted reached Huayu Tower, both the Princess and Wu Xie were stunned.

Zhan Wuqing simply scoffed.

"A bunch of idiots!"

In his view, they must have succeeded, hence their smug mockery. But Wu Xie was different. If they had truly succeeded, his people would have definitely notified him. But now, he hadn't received any news of the mission's success or failure.

Moreover, the ancestral temple should be surrounded. He was worried that his own people might be trapped inside. If that were the case, things would be complicated. Being caught in the act and being suspected are two different things.

"Explain in detail, what exactly happened?"

The eldest princess continued to ask,

“The bell in the ancestral temple is striking by itself. We saw it with our own eyes. There was no one in the bell pavilion, but the pendulum was striking the bell by itself. It seems to be haunted.”

"A ghost ringing the bell?"

The eldest princess was puzzled. As a Ghost Sword Immortal, she was extremely familiar with ghosts. There were no ghosts in this world; they were merely a form of energy.

"Yes, that's what everyone says,"

"What damage was done to the ancestral temple? Have the thieves been caught?"

"Your Highness, when we returned, the priest and the Imperial Guards of Yong'an had already inspected all the ancestral temple facilities. Nothing was damaged and nothing was lost."

The eldest princess looked at Wu Xie and Zhan Wuqing, puzzled. What were these two doing? Had she made a mistake?

Zhan Wuqing's sarcastic words caught in his throat. Had his mission failed?

Wu Xie became even more certain that the mission had failed, but where were his own people?

The Fourth Prince is fine with me, what does that have to do with me? I'm here for revenge, and I won't rest until I kick Zhan Wuqing back today.

Each harboring their own thoughts, the seventh floor fell silent once more. Neither side was certain of the other's intentions, and a stalemate ensued.

The seventh floor froze, but the eighth floor was different. The presence of the Flower Language Pavilion Master herself caused a stir on the eighth floor.

The sect leader rarely comes here; Ruoxue usually takes care of things. When the sect leader finally arrived, they discovered that Ruoxue had vanished, along with the young sword immortal.

"When do you think Ruoxue disappeared?"

"It was probably around the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)."

Consort Xian was wearing a mask today, adorned with a flying phoenix. She had come to investigate what had happened at the ancestral temple, but instead encountered Ruoxue and Xiao Xingchen disappearing simultaneously, their disappearances occurring around the same time as Zhong Ming's.

Given Emperor Wu's anxious attitude, she instinctively thought of the ancestral temple.

"Tell me everything that happened here tonight."

"Yes,"

After Xiao Chun, who was in charge of serving Ruoxue, recounted everything, Consort Xian seemed thoughtful. She stood up, looked down at the seventh floor, and asked in confusion,

"Coincidence?"

"No, something must have happened tonight, we just don't know it."

In just a moment, she concluded that the matter of the ancestral temple was far from simple, and immediately issued an order.

"Send people to search the vicinity of the ancestral temple to see if they can find Ruoxue and the others. Note that everything must be done in secret. Emperor Wu is in the ancestral temple, so tell your men to be cautious."

The simple statement, "Emperor Wu is in the ancestral temple," sent a jolt through the many girls at Huayu Tower, making them realize that tonight's events might not be so simple.

"Also, find out about the situation in each prefecture. I need to know everyone's movements tonight."

"Master, I need some records, historical materials, unofficial histories, and anecdotes about the ancestral temple,"

Three consecutive orders shook the Flower Language Pavilion.

Contrary to the external shock, Xiao Xingchen finally memorized all the terrain features before the map disappeared. He should be able to easily find the red dot where the flag was planted by checking it against the map later.

As the mountains and geographical map that had appeared in the air disappeared, the Silent Temple returned to its tranquility. The red fishing nets on the ground also began to vanish, and the bells stopped ringing.

The ghost story that started in the middle of the night seemed to have ended, but observant people noticed that ever since the ancestral temple was haunted, a large number of soldiers had surrounded it, and everyone who went to investigate was driven away, even the old priest was violently expelled.

"Emperor Wu decreed that the ancestral temples be under martial law, and no one may enter or leave."

Anyone, naturally including the original members of the ancestral temple, was among those who were besieged. Furthermore, some had noticed that the army surrounding the ancestral temple was not a regular force; these men were wearing yellow golden armor, with dragon patterns appearing on its surface.

The Imperial Guard, a fighting force exclusively belonging to the royal family.

The appearance of the Dragon-Patterned Imperial Guards was even more astonishing, prompting many to exclaim, "It's like seeing a ghost!"