Dao Sect, Tianji Peak.
After seeing Yun Nian off, Ye Ling once again went to visit Ji Ning.
"Senior, your junior Wang Li Ren requests an audience!"
Ye Ling stood outside Ji Ning's bamboo house and shouted loudly.
However, Ji Ning did not respond.
"Senior! Your junior has an important matter to request an audience!"
Ye Ling, not receiving a response from Ji Ning, called out again in a loud voice.
However, there was still no response.
"What happened?"
Ye Ling looked at the extremely quiet bamboo house ahead, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Senior, if you don't respond to your junior again, your junior will assume you've agreed to let me in!" Ye Ling said loudly, then no longer waiting for Ji Ning's permission, he quietly pushed open the door and entered the bamboo house.
Although Ji Ning was an ultimate powerhouse, her residence was decorated with extreme simplicity.
The room contained only a wooden bed, a wooden table, and a bamboo chair, and nothing else.
Ji Ning was currently sitting cross-legged on the bed, her eyes closed, her face covered in a layer of gray, looking extremely pained.
"Senior?"
Seeing Ji Ning's appearance, Ye Ling softly called out, and even waved his hand in front of Ji Ning's face, but Ji Ning still showed no reaction, not even any defense against Ye Ling!
"Is this... a qi deviation?" Ye Ling murmured, his mind stirring.
If Ji Ning had truly suffered a qi deviation, then for him, this was an excellent opportunity to eliminate Ji Ning and escape with the World Annihilation Spiritual Fire.
Thinking of this, Ye Ling's heart beat faster and faster, a rune condensing in his palm, as if he were about to smash Ji Ning's head with a single palm the next moment!
However, Ye Ling quickly calmed down, quietly retracted his aura, and even set up a guardian barrier for Ji Ning outside the bamboo house.
No matter how powerful Ji Ning was, Ye Ling did not believe it was such a coincidence that she would suffer a qi deviation at this very moment, and without any defense against him!
"Senior, you look very dangerous right now. Your junior doesn't know what to do, so I will guard you outside."
"Although your junior doesn't know if you can hear, Senior, if you need anything, please inform your junior."
Ye Ling respectfully bowed to Ji Ning, then withdrew from the bamboo house and guarded Ji Ning outside.
The moment Ye Ling stepped out of the bamboo house, Ji Ning slightly opened her eyes, glanced at Ye Ling's retreating back for a moment, and then closed them again.
The killing move hidden in her palm gradually disappeared.
Ye Ling had narrowly escaped.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
During these days, Ye Ling had been staying outside Ji Ning's bamboo house, guarding her, never moving an inch.
The news of Jian San Liu's death in the Heavenly Nether Ancient Realm also returned to the Dao Sect, shaking the entire sect.
Many elders found their way to Tianji Peak, intending to report Jian San Liu's death to Ji Ning, but all of them were blocked by Ye Ling outside Ji Ning's bamboo house and could not see Ji Ning.
Although the elders were anxious, they could only fret.
On this day, Ye Ling was still blocking the elders alone, preventing them from entering the bamboo house.
"Wang Li Ren, what exactly do you mean? Now that the Sect Master has fallen, such a major event, and you have been intercepting us for over two months... what are your intentions!"
The hot-tempered Third Elder could no longer stand it. He disregarded Ye Ling's powerful strength and pointed at Ye Ling, questioning him, "Could it be that the Sect Master's death is related to you, which is why you are preventing us from informing the Grand Elder?"
Facing the Third Elder's questioning, Ye Ling's expression remained unchanged, and he said coldly, "The Grand Elder sees no one. If you insist on forcing your way in and disturb the Grand Elder's cultivation, do not blame me for being ruthless!"
The Third Elder was furious, "Wang Li Ren, since you are not letting us in, you should at least tell us what happened to the Grand Elder? With such a major event happening in the Dao Sect, how can she remain indifferent?"
Ye Ling replied, "No comment."
"Wang Li Ren, you are going too far!" The Third Elder was enraged. "Even if you are powerful, your actions now threaten the foundation of the Dao Sect. If you do not yield, do not blame us for ganging up on you with our numbers!"
After the news of Jian San Liu's death spread, the Dao Sect remained silent for a long time. Instead, it made other sects within Dao Province restless.
This situation made all the elders extremely anxious.
After all, the Dao Sect was the sole dominant force in Dao Province. Other sects had always been suppressed by Dao Province, both in terms of disciple quality and sect resources, they were far inferior to the Dao Sect.
Under this vicious cycle, the Dao Sect had absorbed the blood of the entire Dao Province, becoming stronger and stronger, while other sects grew weaker and weaker.
Even if a genius was finally cultivated in those sects, before they could even grow, they would be intercepted by the Dao Sect and taken in as Dao Sect disciples.
Over time, other sects within Dao Province had long been complaining and harboring resentment towards the Dao Sect.
Now, with Jian San Liu's demise and the Dao Sect's lack of reaction, it was equivalent to sending a signal to other sects.
A signal of the Dao Sect's decline.
The elders of the Dao Sect clearly felt that the various sects were starting to become disobedient, which greatly increased their sense of crisis.
Furthermore, Jian Shi San's severe injuries and Ji Ning's indifference to the matter had caused widespread panic throughout the Dao Sect!
However, no matter how worried and anxious the elders were, Ye Ling remained unmoving, refusing to let the elders in.
On one hand, the fate of the Dao Sect had nothing to do with him; in fact, if the Dao Sect perished, it would greatly benefit him.
On the other hand, since Ye Ling had already impersonated Ji Ning's guardian, he naturally had to play the part to the end, without revealing the slightest flaw.
Otherwise, his three months of painstaking effort would have been in vain.
"Wang Li Ren, are you going to let us in or not?" the Third Elder asked in a deep voice.
"No," Ye Ling replied indifferently.
The Third Elder took out his weapon and said coldly to Ye Ling, "Then do not blame us for being impolite! All elders, let's go together and take down Wang Li Ren!"
"Even if you all attack together, you are no match for me. Give up."
Facing the elders' coercion, Ye Ling remained calm and composed.
Ye Ling's nonchalant attitude successfully enraged all the elders!
Those elders who had initially held Ye Ling in awe now had anger flashing in their eyes, their auras surging.
Arrogant!
Bullying too much!
On Tianji Peak, dark clouds gathered, and the atmospheric pressure dropped to an extreme low.
The disciples of the entire Dao Sect focused their attention on Tianji Peak, their moods becoming inexplicably tense.
Although they did not know what was happening inside Tianji Peak, the oppressive atmosphere of the past two months and the grim expressions of the elders made the disciples inevitably wonder if the Dao Sect would split.
"Enough."
Just as the elders were about to attack Ye Ling, Ji Ning's voice suddenly came from the bamboo house, causing the elders' accumulated momentum to dissipate.
Ye Ling turned his head and saw the calm-faced Ji Ning tearing through the guardian barrier he had set up and walking out slowly.
'Grown stronger?'
Ye Ling sensed Ji Ning's aura, his eyes changed slightly, and then he immediately collected his thoughts and bowed to Ji Ning, "Your junior Wang Li Ren congratulates Senior on emerging from seclusion!"
Seeing Ji Ning emerge, the expressions of all the elders changed. They no longer paid attention to Ye Ling and knelt down to Ji Ning in unison, respectfully saying, "Congratulations to the Grand Elder on emerging from seclusion!"
"I am already aware of the situation."
Ji Ning glanced indifferently at the elders present, then looked at Ye Ling and asked coldly, "Tell me... what exactly happened to Jian San Liu's death?"