Under the guidance of Xi Jingran, Zilin Ling and the other five arrived at the ancestral hall.
People outside were lining up to pay respects, but there was no one inside the hall, which puzzled Zilin Ling and the other five.
Xi Jingran noticed their confusion and quickly explained, "I have instructed the receptionists not to allow anyone else in for now, and to let them enter after you distinguished guests have finished your worship."
Zilin Ling said a little sheepishly, "Is that really okay?"
Xi Jingran smiled, "There's nothing wrong with it. You distinguished guests should proceed with your worship quickly!"
Zilin Ling nodded and said, "Let's hurry, so we don't keep the people outside waiting."
Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shangguan Yulin, Shen Liuxing, and Du Zihao nodded. Each picked up a stick of incense. Shen Liuxing thoughtfully handed one to Zilin Ling as well.
The six lit the incense and, facing the statue of Heavenly Venerate Xi Zhihe, respectfully knelt on the cushions below.
Logically speaking, as cultivators, they revered heaven, earth, and their parents, and should not have knelt to others.
However, Xi Zhihe was one of the Nine Guardians protecting the Zhanlan Star, worthy of their kneeling.
But the moment Shangguan Yulin knelt, the statue suddenly emitted a blinding white light, and the entire ancestral hall began to shake violently.
"What's going on?" Xi Jingran exclaimed in shock.
Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shen Liuxing, and Du Zihao looked bewildered. Shangguan Yulin was also confused.
A flash of inspiration struck Zilin Ling, and she shouted, "Shangguan, get up quickly!"
"Huh?"
Shangguan Yulin froze in place.
With a swift movement, Zilin Ling appeared beside Shangguan Yulin and pulled him up.
As Shangguan Yulin was pulled up, the shaking of the hall immediately stopped, but the white light from the statue did not dissipate.
As the white light intensified, the statue suddenly split open from the middle, and a red light shot out, directly entering Shangguan Yulin's brow.
It was so fast that even Zilin Ling could not react, let alone Shangguan Yulin, who was still in a daze.
As the red light entered his brow, Shangguan Yulin let out a howl of pain.
The immense influx of information almost burst his head.
The intense pain made him grimace, his eyes bulging.
"Ahhhhh!"
His pained cries jolted the stunned group awake.
"Shangguan, what's wrong?"
Rong Guang called out anxiously and rushed forward, about to channel his law power into Shangguan Yulin's body to alleviate his pain.
"Don't!"
"Don't!"
Zilin Ling and Shen Liuxing stopped him simultaneously.
Rong Guang immediately halted and looked at Zilin Ling, confused.
Zilin Ling said with a solemn expression, "Don't be rash. Shangguan must have triggered something within the statue. He is likely receiving and integrating information. If you intervene, you will disrupt the process, which won't be good for him."
Shen Liuxing added, "Brother Rong, Sister Xi is right. Since Shangguan is the reincarnation of the Heavenly Venerate, the statue of the Heavenly Venerate will not harm him. Don't lose your composure in your haste."
Rong Guang sheepishly said, "I was impulsive!"
He then stepped aside.
An incense stick later, Shangguan Yulin finally quieted down. He lay on the ground, panting heavily.
Zilin Ling asked with concern, "Shangguan, are you alright?"
Shangguan Yulin managed to force a smile and said, "I'm fine!"
Rong Guang and Du Zihao walked forward and helped Shangguan Yulin up.
Seeing their concerned and heavy gazes, Shangguan Yulin apologized, "You don't need to worry, I'm fine. It's just that the information overload exhausted my soul power."
Then, he turned to Xi Jingran and, with a strained smile, asked, "Young Master Xi, could you please prepare a secret room for me? I need to recover."
"Ah?"
Xi Jingran was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded with a smile, "No problem. Distinguished guests, please follow me!"
With that, Xi Jingran led Zilin Ling and the other five towards the secret room.
Of course, as Xi Jingran left, he did not forget to send a telepathic message to the receptionists, informing them that the Heavenly Venerate's statue had shattered and the Heavenly Venerate's ancestral hall was temporarily closed to the public.
Although the receptionists did not know what had happened, they had no choice but to comply as Xi Jingran had said so.
Xi Jingran led Zilin Ling and the others to the secret room, apologized, and left to report the shattering of the Heavenly Venerate's statue to Xi Ning.
After Xi Jingran left, Zilin Ling, Xuanyuan Xun, Shen Liuxing, Rong Guang, and Du Zihao also exited the secret room, and thoughtfully helped Shangguan Yulin close the door.
However, they did not leave. Instead, each chose a spot to help Shangguan Yulin guard him.
Three days later, Shangguan Yulin emerged from the secret room, looking radiant. His cultivation had also broken through to the middle stage of the Divine King realm.
"You broke through?"
Xuanyuan Xun, Shen Liuxing, Rong Guang, and Du Zihao exclaimed in surprise, "Shangguan, you actually broke through?"
Shangguan Yulin said with a smile, "It was just luck!"
Although he claimed it was luck, his face showed no humility; instead, it held a hint of smugness.
"Luck?"
Xuanyuan Xun, Shen Liuxing, and Rong Guang exchanged strange glances, then looked at each other. Simultaneously, they attacked Shangguan Yulin.
Shangguan Yulin was startled and quickly leaped into the air, exclaiming, "What are you guys doing!"
Shen Liuxing grinned mischievously and said, "Nothing much, just checking your progress!"
As his words fell, he too leaped into the air and attacked Shangguan Yulin again, not forgetting to scold him, "Serving you right for showing off!"
Xuanyuan Xun and Rong Guang followed suit, attacking Shangguan Yulin with no restraint.
"Serving you right for being lucky!"
"Serving you right for acting cool!"
Only then did Shangguan Yulin realize that the word "luck" had caused trouble. These three intended to take him down while his realm was unstable!
"Hmph! You three want to defeat me? That's impossible! This place is too small for proper combat. Follow me!"
Shangguan Yulin said, then darted outwards.
"Bring it on! We're not afraid of you!"
Shen Liuxing said, and chased after him.
"Let's go!"
Xuanyuan Xun and Rong Guang exchanged glances and followed.
Du Zihao said with some concern, "Miss Zi, this doesn't seem very appropriate, does it?"
Zilin Ling smiled and said, "It's alright! Let's go out and watch!"
The six of them, divided into four groups, landed on the open ground behind the Heavenly Venerate's ancestral hall.
Shen Liuxing, Rong Guang, and Xuanyuan Xun formed a pincer formation, surrounding Shangguan Yulin.
Zilin Ling and Du Zihao stood at a distance, eagerly preparing to watch the show.
Zilin Ling even took out two chairs from her Nine Spirit Ring and gestured for Du Zihao to sit down.