Time passed quickly for another three months.
One day, the statue of the Sea Venerable in the ancestral hall suddenly burst forth with brilliant light.
Xuan Yuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shangguan Yu Lin, Elder Du, and Shen Liu Xing were all unceremoniously ejected, landing in disarray on the floor of the ancestral hall.
Everything happened so fast that the old man guarding the ancestral hall, who had been observing the Sea Venerable statue, didn't even have time to react.
By the time the old man reacted, he had been restrained by an inexplicable force.
Not only him, but even Xi Jing Ran and Du Zi Hao outside the ancestral hall were rendered immobile.
Everything around them seemed to freeze, time stopped, space ceased to flow, as if frozen in a still frame.
The Sea Venerable statue's light grew even more radiant. A multicolored pillar of light shot up from the brilliant luminescence, tearing a large hole through the roof of the Sea Venerable Ancestral Hall.
The multicolored pillar of light did not stop, soaring straight into the sky, as if connecting to another world.
A hazy silhouette descended from the heavens, landing atop the pillar of light and dancing gracefully.
Instantly, a rich fragrance permeated the air, as if the entire world was imbued with its scent.
In the void, flowers bloomed inexplicably, accompanied by faint celestial music interspersed with the roars of dragons and the cries of phoenixes.
Though the silhouette was indistinct, it exuded nobility and ethereal grace, like a celestial being descending from beyond the heavens. Following the vibrant pillar of light, it slowly descended and swiftly merged into the resplendent Sea Venerable statue.
"Pop!"
With a soft sound, the Sea Venerable statue shattered, but the fragments did not fall to the ground. Instead, they floated in the air.
Zi Lin Ling, radiating a divine glow, sat cross-legged amidst the fragments, her eyes tightly closed, her aura seemingly merged with the very essence of heaven and earth.
However, this scene lasted only for a moment before the fragments began to slowly orbit Zi Lin Ling.
The speed of the fragments' rotation increased, and the celestial music, dragon roars, and phoenix cries in the air became more urgent.
In the blink of an eye, the fragments were compressed into a sphere, which then shot into the nascent world within Zi Lin Ling's dantian.
Within the nascent world, the purple, green, dark, and five elemental spaces, which had already returned, flew out from the sky, joyfully greeting the returning blue space.
The five great spaces chased and played with each other, stirring up great commotion within the nascent world.
A seven-colored spirit root emerged from the earth, its roots entwining around the blue space.
The spirit root, which had previously only shown four colors, immediately gained a fifth, blue hue.
And the "tender sprout," which had already grown into a small tree supporting heaven and earth, sprouted another pair of leaves.
The nascent world immediately expanded by more than double. Correspondingly, the deserts, mountains, rivers, and hills also grew rapidly.
The edge areas of the nascent world also expanded outwards, with the void solidifying.
Once the entire nascent world had been transformed, the multicolored pillar of light slowly retracted.
The ethereal celestial music and the sounds of dragons and phoenixes gradually faded away.
Soon, all anomalies vanished abruptly, not even a single fragment of the Sea Venerable statue remaining.
In the end, only Zi Lin Ling, with her eyes closed, was left.
If it weren't for the gaping hole in the roof, torn open by the pillar of light, one might have doubted if it had all been merely a dream.
Suddenly, Zi Lin Ling's eyes opened, her sharp gaze sending a shiver down one's spine.
However, this intense gaze lasted only for a fleeting moment before her expression returned to normal.
Xuan Yuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shangguan Yu Lin, Shen Liu Xing, and Elder Du also gradually woke up.
Their eyes, however, were filled with a momentary haze before returning to normal.
The restraining force within and around the ancestral hall had disappeared the moment the light dispersed.
Therefore, upon seeing everyone awaken, the old man guarding the ancestral hall immediately stood up and said with a benevolent smile, "Congratulations to you all for obtaining your respective destinies!"
With that, his figure slowly dissipated, turning into a wisp of smoke.
Xi Jing Ran and Du Zi Hao pushed open the door and saw everyone had already woken up.
They were filled with emotion, their noses pricking with a slight sting, though it was only a slight sting.
Zi Lin Ling's gaze suddenly fell upon Shen Liu Xing.
At this moment, Shen Liu Xing was emanating the unique aura of a reincarnated Guardian.
Zi Lin Ling smiled gently and said, "Liu Xing, welcome!"
Shen Liu Xing also smiled faintly, "Sister Zi, I am now one of the reincarnated Guardians!"
Zi Lin Ling nodded and said, "Congratulations to the reincarnation of the Sea Venerable for returning!"
Xuan Yuan Xun and the others were stunned for a moment before rushing towards Shen Liu Xing, throwing him high into the air in their excitement.
A moment later, everyone finally calmed down.
Led by Zi Lin Ling, they emerged from the ancestral hall.
However, they were greatly startled by what they saw before them.
The lush bamboo forest that had been there before was now withered and decaying.
The dense spiritual energy had vanished, and the millstone and its chains in the air were nowhere to be found.
The entire bamboo forest surrounding the Sea Venerable Ancestral Hall was a scene of devastation, bearing no resemblance to the heavenly realm it had once been.
Zi Lin Ling looked at the scene before her, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes.
She took a deep breath and said, "Let's go!"
A few days later, their figures appeared at the entrance of Yin Zun City.
This time, it was different. The City Lord of Yin Zun City, Ji Hui, seemed to have already known they were coming and was waiting for them at the city gates.
Upon seeing Zi Lin Ling and the others, Ji Hui quickly greeted them with a smile and said, "May I presume you are Miss Zi?"
Zi Lin Ling said with surprise, "You are..."
Ji Hui smiled and said, "I am the City Lord of Yin Zun City. Miss Zi may call me Ji Hui."
Zi Lin Ling asked in astonishment, "City Lord Ji knew I was coming?"
Ji Hui nodded and said, "Yes! You and your companions have successively paid homage to the Heavenly Venerable, Array Venerable, and Sea Venerable, causing quite a stir in the three cities. I knew that Miss Zi would eventually come to Yin Zun City! Therefore, I instructed everyone to pay close attention! Heaven has not disappointed, and Miss Zi has finally arrived!"
Zi Lin Ling smiled and said, "City Lord Ji's personal welcome makes me feel incredibly honored!"
Ji Hui chuckled, "It is Yin Zun City that is honored by Miss Zi's presence!"
Zi Lin Ling smiled slightly and said, "Since Lord Ji has come to welcome us, let us proceed to the Yin Zun Ancestral Hall first."
"Very well, I will lead the way myself! Miss Zi, distinguished guests, please!"
Saying so, Ji Hui stepped forward to lead the way for them.
Zi Lin Ling followed without hesitation.
Xuan Yuan Xun, Rong Guang, Shangguan Yu Lin, Shen Liu Xing, Elder Du, Xi Jing Ran, and Du Zi Hao also followed.
Behind them were the other members of the Ji family.
A large group of people, passing through streets and alleys, soon arrived at the ancestral hall of Yin Zun Ji Zhi Hao.