Ji Lingxue’s showdown: I’m at my wit’s end!

The three flew directly into Lingyang City. Ji Lingxue did not stop for a moment, leading Lin Mo and Liu Fang directly towards the palace.

Lin Mo followed behind, flying while looking down at the massive palace complex below.

He discovered that the continuous stretch of palace buildings was not arranged arbitrarily, but subtly conformed to a profound and mysterious grand protective Formation.

The entire palace was like a dormant giant beast, seemingly calm, but in reality, it contained terrifying power capable of destroying the heavens and earth.

As expected of a Dynasty that had been passed down for over a thousand years, its foundation was indeed incomparable to their Qingxuan Sect.

A moment later, Ji Lingxue led Lin Mo to a palace.

This palace stood alone in a corner of the royal palace, with a serene and elegant environment. The concentration of Spiritual Qi around it reached an astonishing level, almost condensing into mist.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, this place is called Tingxue Pavilion. It is the place with the most Spiritual Qi in my royal palace, and ordinarily, only Father and I can set foot here."

"For the next few days, I will trouble Fellow Daoist to temporarily reside here."

Ji Lingxue's voice carried a hint of apology, and she then waved her hand to dismiss all the palace maids and guards who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

"You all may withdraw. Without my command, no one is to approach Tingxue Pavilion by even half a step."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The servants respectfully saluted and quickly retreated, and the entire Tingxue Pavilion immediately fell into silence.

Upon entering the hall, Ji Lingxue again dismissed Liu Fang, who was preparing to follow them in.

"Liu Fang, you stand guard outside. Fellow Daoist Lin and I have important matters to discuss."

"Yes, Your Highness." Liu Fang respectfully responded and stood guard outside the palace door.

Within the vast palace, only Lin Mo and Ji Lingxue remained.

The atmosphere, for a time, became somewhat subtle.

Ji Lingxue was silent for a moment, seemingly organizing her thoughts.

On her cold and beautiful face, a vulnerability and helplessness gradually emerged that no one else had ever seen.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, to be honest, I... have no way out."

She suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

Lin Mo did not speak, merely watching her quietly, waiting for her to continue.

Ji Lingxue took a deep breath and began to reveal the shocking secret, one that could overturn the entire Ancient Spirit Dynasty, to Lin Mo.

"My Father, half a year ago, went into seclusion to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, but he failed."

"Now, his Divine Soul is damaged, his Dao foundation shattered, and he has been in an unconscious state, his life hanging by a thread."

"This secret, besides me, no one else in the entire Dynasty knows."

"And my Royal Uncle, Ji Wuya, has long controlled more than half of the court's forces. He always believed that Father was merely in a death seclusion, so he still had some reservations."

"But once he knows Father's true condition, he will undoubtedly launch a palace coup without hesitation to seize the throne."

Speaking of this, a desolate, bitter smile appeared on Ji Lingxue's face.

"Regent Princess? Acting with royal authority? It sounds infinitely glorious, but in reality, I am merely a Puppet who has been stripped of power, utterly unable to contend with him."

"The reason I was so eager to find the Method of Dynasty Prosperity was to use it to extend Father's life and help him recover from his injuries."

"This... is my only chance."

After speaking, she seemed drained of all strength, her delicate body swaying slightly.

So that's how it is.

Lin Mo understood in his heart.

No wonder she, a dignified Eldest Princess, would condescend to wait for him outside the city,

and even risk offending a Nascent Soul Realm Royal Uncle to bring him into the royal palace.

She was truly at her wit's end!

She had no choice but to stake everything on him... Looking at the stunning woman before him, who had shed all her disguises and revealed her inner fragility, Lin Mo's state of mind remained largely undisturbed.

His purpose in coming here was very pure: it was for the Method of Dynasty Prosperity.

As for the succession of power in this Ancient Spirit Dynasty, it was essentially unrelated to him.

"I understand."

Lin Mo nodded calmly, accepting her confession.

Seeing Lin Mo's composed reaction, Ji Lingxue's flustered heart inexplicably settled a great deal.

She solemnly took out an extremely ancient jade box from her storage ring, held it with both hands, and presented it to Lin Mo.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, please see."

She carefully opened the jade box.

A jade Seal, entirely golden, covered with mysterious Dragon patterns and mountain Veins, lay quietly within.

A faint, yet immensely profound and majestic aura of national destiny emanated from the jade Seal.

"This is the Legacy token of my Ancient Spirit Dynasty, the Spirit Emperor Seal."

"At the same time, it is also the only key to open the Royal Secret Realm."

Ji Lingxue continued to explain: "The entrance to that Secret Realm is deep beneath this royal palace, Sealed by the supreme Formation of successive ancestors."

"Only a direct Bloodline of the royal family, holding the Spirit Emperor Seal, can open it."

Lin Mo looked at the Spirit Emperor Seal, feeling the aura of national destiny contained within, and his anticipation for the so-called "Method of Dynasty Prosperity" grew even stronger.

If Great Xia could harness this power, the benefits to him would be absolutely unimaginable.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, do you need to rest for a night first?"

Ji Lingxue asked softly.

She had placed her biggest trump card and hope on Lin Mo.

So now, it was up to Lin Mo whether he was willing to truly and sincerely help her.

"No need."

"There's no time to lose; let's begin tonight."

Lin Mo shook his head and stood up directly.

He never liked to procrastinate when doing things.

"Good!" Ji Lingxue nodded heavily, a warm current surging in her heart... The night was as dark as ink, with the moon hidden and stars sparse.

Ji Lingxue led Lin Mo and Liu Fang silently away from Tingxue Pavilion, passing through layers of palaces, and arrived before a seemingly inconspicuous ancestral temple in the deepest part of the royal palace.

The ancestral temple was ancient and solemn, permeated with an aura of accumulated years.

Ji Lingxue did not hesitate, walking directly forward and raising the Spirit Emperor Seal in her hand high, Spiritual Qi frantically pouring into it from her body.

Buzz!

The Spirit Emperor Seal immediately glowed with dazzling golden light, and a golden beam of light shot up into the sky, directly hitting the ground in the center of the ancestral temple.

The next moment, the hard bluestone ground began to vibrate violently,

complex Formation patterns lit up, and the ground slowly split open to both sides, revealing a bottomless, dark staircase leading deep underground.

A vast and ancient aura rushed up from beneath the staircase.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, the entrance has been opened."

Ji Lingxue put away the Spirit Emperor Seal, turned to look at Lin Mo, and reminded him with a solemn expression:

"Successive Kings of my Ancient Spirit Dynasty have entered it to explore after their ascension, but according to records, the furthest any ancestor went was only to the third trial, and no one has obtained the final Method of Dynasty Prosperity."

"The trials within the Secret Realm are bizarre and varied, completely different from ordinary Trial Grounds, and absolutely cannot be judged by common sense."

"Especially... the first trial."

Speaking of this, a trace of lingering fear flashed across her face.

"I have tried twice, and just the first trial left my mind injured, forcing me to retreat in a sorry state. The trial there is too strange."

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo's face not only showed no fear, but instead revealed a strong interest.

The more bizarre, the more difficult, the more it indicated that the things inside were priceless.

He said no more, nodded to Ji Lingxue, and then took the first step, entering the deep darkness.

Seeing this, Ji Lingxue and Liu Fang also quickly followed.

When the figures of the three completely disappeared at the end of the staircase, the cracked ground of the ancestral temple slowly closed, returning to its original state, as if nothing had happened.

However, not long after they entered the Secret Realm.

In the shadows of a secluded corner of the royal palace, a blurry figure quietly emerged.

He glanced in the direction of the ancestral temple, then his figure flickered, transforming into an almost imperceptible streak of light, and flew rapidly towards the direction of Heaven-Supporting King Ji Wuya's royal residence.