Emperor Yuan Jing was the first to bear the brunt of the attack. He fell to the ground amidst a powerful wave of energy, causing the high platform to shake violently and the ancestral tablets on the table to fall over.

Offerings and utensils were scattered all over the ground, and some of the flying tiles hit Emperor Yuan Jing.

The scene was chaotic in an instant, and the patrolling imperial guards quickly gathered around Sangbo. The Nightwatchers stationed by the lake rushed towards the sacrificial procession to protect the royal family and the civil and military officials.

"Protect His Majesty from the assassin!"

"Protect the Empress, protect the Princess..."

"Protect the Prime Minister..."

The figures flickered, and in just an instant, at least dozens of high-ranking martial artists rose into the air and landed on the high platform and the winding corridor, tightly protecting Emperor Yuan Jing.

The commotion only lasted for a short moment of ten or so breaths, and as the sword energy that tore through the sky dissipated quickly, the lake returned to calm.

There was no assassin, and with the calming of the waves, everything was stable, and there were no casualties or suspicious persons.

Wei Yuan, the head of the security detail for the sacrificial ceremony, walked along the winding corridor by the water, stepped up to the high platform, and bowed deeply, "I have failed in my duty and deserve to die."

At this time, Emperor Yuan Jing had regained his composure, but having gone through this incident, his faint immortal aura had completely disappeared from his eyebrows and eyes.

He was no longer a cultivator who had been practicing for more than twenty years, but a powerful and unpredictable emperor with authority.

Emperor Yuan Jing said sternly, "Everyone, leave the altar and do not approach it."

All the high-ranking martial artists, including Wei Yuan, stood up and promised.

Emperor Yuan Jing straightened his clothes, brushed off the dust on his robe, and pushed open the temple door with a solemn expression, walking inside.

...

By the willow tree, Xu Qi'an shouted, but he no longer heard the eerie cries for help. As time passed, his spirit was able to settle down, and his head still ached from the trauma, but it was no longer unbearable as before.

At this point, he had the energy to observe his surroundings.

His colleagues had long since left, guarding the civil and military officials and the royal and imperial family members on the bank.

There was no one on the high platform, but the winding corridor was filled with high-ranking martial artists, led by Wei Yuan.

Emperor Yuan Jing was nowhere to be found.

What surprised Xu Qi'an the most was that the temple that was said to house the divine sword had a broken roof beam and a big hole.

Had something gone wrong with the ancestral sacrifice, and the secrets of Sangbo were revealed to the world again?

Xu Qi'an's thoughts raced through his mind as he held his throbbing head and headed towards the main force.

As a Nightwatcher, he was not stopped.

"What's going on with you?" Song Tingfeng scrutinized his new colleague. "How's your physical condition?"

Song Tingfeng did not link the strange situation in Sangbo Lake with Xu Qi'an's previous abnormal behavior.

This was like not linking the roar of a weak chicken to a magnitude ten earthquake."I've been practicing too hard these past few days and suffered a backlash." Xu Qi'an came up with a reasonable explanation and continued, "Fortunately, I've recovered. By the way, what happened just now?"

"I don't know." Song Tingfeng shook his head, scanning the surroundings with a guarded posture and whispered, "The Yongzhen Mountains and Rivers Temple suddenly exploded. A sword aura rushed out of the temple, causing the entire Sangbo to boil like an earthquake. But judging from the current situation, it doesn't seem like an assassin."

Xu Qi'an looked up at the high platform again. Was the hole in the temple roof pierced by the sword aura? If the divine sword had such power, then the one who sought help from him just now was definitely not a sword spirit or something like that.

He lowered his gaze for a moment, suppressed all emotions, settled all thoughts, and hurriedly went to the vicinity of the Princess Chang, bowing and asking, "Is Princess Chang safe?"

The scene had returned to order, although there were whispers everywhere, everyone was waiting for Emperor Yuan Jing to come out.

Xu Qi'an's voice attracted the attention of those around him. There were Nightwatchers, Imperial Guards, eunuchs, Princess Chang, and members of the royal family.

Princess Chang was stunning, but her expression was as cold as snow. She tilted her head, and Xu Qi'an's figure was reflected in her watery eyes. Her voice was crisp like jade, "I'm fine!"

Xu Qi'an was relieved, "I'm glad to hear that."

He quickly retreated after brushing up some presence, and guarded the surroundings meticulously.

"Huai Qing, this little copper gong admires you very much." A soft and charming voice sounded, it was the second princess behind Princess Chang.

Huai Qing was Princess Chang's title, but she preferred to be called Princess Chang by outsiders.

Emperor Yuan Jing had once commented on this eldest daughter, saying that she was as ambitious as a man and as domineering as himself.

The second princess was extremely beautiful, with a round face adorned with a pair of bright peach blossom eyes, red lips, and a charming and affectionate expression between her frowns and smiles.

The two beauties were completely opposite. The relationship between the two sisters had always been bad.

Princess Chang said lightly, "It's not admiration, just repaying a debt of gratitude."

Xu Qi'an's introduction at the Tianjian Monastery and his attitude just now successfully established an image of "repaying a debt of gratitude" in Princess Chang's heart.

The second princess covered her mouth and chuckled, "Huai Qing sister's charm is well-known in the capital. The students of the Yunlu Academy are infatuated with you. If even scholars are like this, what about Nightwatchers?"

Other princes and princesses were eagerly watching the show, not commenting on the second princess's sarcastic words.

"Lin'an!"

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace frowned and reprimanded, "Silence."

Lin'an was the second princess's title. Faced with her brother's reprimand, she pouted and stood elegantly, displaying a dignified and elegant posture.

The royal family knew that Princess Chang and the second princess did not get along. Princess Chang was the queen's daughter, while the second princess was the daughter of Chen Guifei. There was a difference in status, but Guifei was more favored than the queen.

When they were young, the second princess liked to provoke Princess Chang and pick on her at every opportunity.It was an ordinary imperial family affair, but the princess was domineering and independent. She ordered her attendants to capture the second princess, but when they hesitated, she took matters into her own hands and chased after the second princess with a bamboo scroll in hand, hitting her from south to north and north to south.

The palace maids and guards dared not intervene, and the disturbance eventually reached Emperor Yuan Jing, who was cultivating his immortal skills.

Chen Guifei brought her bruised and swollen daughter to accuse the princess, and Emperor Yuan Jing planned to punish her severely and summoned her to the imperial study.

The princess was well-prepared and brought more than ten sets of books such as "The Book of Rites," "The Comprehensive Mirror," and "The Palace Law," laying them out one by one and quoting classic phrases, expressing her thoughts.

In the end, she won the lawsuit, and Emperor Yuan Jing reluctantly declared her innocent and released her, returning to his own cultivation.

After becoming an adult, the princess became more introverted.

...

Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple.

A majestic man in a yellow robe and crown stood with a sword in hand. The temple gate was closed, and Emperor Yuan Jing stood before the statue of the founding emperor, silently staring at the dusty bronze sword.

"What does it matter if you are first-ranked? You should have had a long life, but you are still affected by the mortal world's fortunes and have only lived a few more years than an ordinary person," Emperor Yuan Jing muttered to himself, as if talking to the ancestor who lived six hundred years ago.

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

"I ascended the throne at twenty and defeated all enemies, sitting in that position where no one could stand beside me. But in the end, I realized that time was my greatest enemy."

Emperor Yuan Jing slowly looked away and lowered his head to stare at the ground for a long time. Then, he began to inspect the decorations in the temple, even climbing onto the altar and disrespectfully touching the ancestor's statue and the brass sword.

The process was meticulous and lengthy, and finally, Emperor Yuan Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

His expression became relaxed, and he knelt on the cushion, bowing three times and kowtowing nine times to the founding emperor before leaving the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple.

Emperor Yuan Jing stood on the high platform, overlooking the civil and military officials and the imperial family members. His voice was like the sound of a morning bell and evening drum: "The ancestor worship ceremony continues."

He did not explain the reason for his earlier unusual behavior.

The Forbidden Army and Nightwatchers resumed their patrols and restored order in an orderly manner.

Columns of eunuchs hurriedly cleaned up the broken tiles on the high platform, sorted out the tribute vessels, and the tablets of the imperial ancestors.

Xu Qi'an returned to his guard position, wondering why Emperor Yuan Jing did not become furious after encountering such an incident during the ancestor worship ceremony. It should have been a bad omen, but Emperor Yuan Jing seemed to have some psychological preparation and did not rebuke Duke Wei and the leaders of the Forbidden Army... well, it might not be psychological preparation, but he knew the true source of the anomaly.

And this was something that could not be discussed in public.

PS: Seeking first subscription.