Ankang Princess and her group stood in the distance, observing silently.
Although they recognized the Flower-Clad Eunuchs from the Imperial Palace confronting the martial monks of Cien Temple, they did not casually step forward to help.
Who knew which Imperial children had caused trouble here? Ankang Princess and her group had no intention of getting involved casually.
Li Xuan looked up at the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, which was close at hand.
This pagoda was indeed built very high; in the night, it resembled a colossal black pillar, connecting heaven and earth, linking the ground with the stars and moon in the sky.
And now they could clearly see firelight flickering inside the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, as if someone was climbing up with a torch.
"I wonder what treasures are inside this pagoda that would make someone take such a risk."
At this moment, the martial monks of Cien Temple began to shout again:
"Those climbing the pagoda, descend immediately and leave quickly."
"Otherwise, do not blame us for being impolite."
Their forbidden ground had been casually trespassed upon. If it weren't for the extraordinary strength of the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs before them, and a group of onlookers whose origins were unknown, the martial monks of Cien Temple would not have been so verbose; they would have already taken them down.
Fortunately, the people inside the Great Wild Goose Pagoda were not climbing fast, and had only reached the second floor.
However, it was absolutely unacceptable to continue letting them; otherwise, these martial monks would all be disciplined by the abbot of Cien Temple.
But the Flower-Clad Eunuchs confronting the martial monks of Cien Temple remained unmoved, still standing at the entrance to the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, blocking everyone from approaching it.
Seeing that kind persuasion was ineffective, the martial monks of Cien Temple immediately disregarded everything else and began to perform their duties.
"Form up!"
The leading martial monk roared, and the other martial monks immediately brandished their long staffs and moved.
The martial monks of Cien Temple performed dazzling footwork, and with their long staffs constantly displaying magnificent staff flourishes, it was truly a sight to behold.
And taking advantage of this brief moment, they quickly completed the encirclement of the Flower-Clad Eunuchs blocking the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
The martial monks of Cien Temple surrounded the Flower-Clad Eunuchs, then began to slowly circle, moving faster and faster, their long staffs erratically striking the ground, emitting harsh, unrythmic noises that disturbed the minds of those within the formation.
The Flower-Clad Eunuchs also reacted immediately, standing back-to-back in a circle, assuming their stances, ready to counterattack at any moment.
Li Xuan watched from the side and found that the formation of these martial monks had some substance; as they circled and tapped the ground, their aura was constantly rising.
These auras merged, making those trapped within the formation feel an increased pressure.
"A combined attack formation, perhaps?"
"How interesting."
It was Li Xuan's first time seeing such a combined attack formation, so he widened his eyes and observed carefully.
He then noticed that as the circle spun, the number of martial monks on their side actually decreased.
Those Flower-Clad Eunuchs, trapped in the formation and greatly disturbed, did not even realize that as the formation continued, people from the martial monk's side were constantly leaving the formation and heading straight into the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
Watching the martial monks seize the opportunity one by one, sneaking into the Great Wild Goose Pagoda amidst the chaos, Li Xuan almost laughed out loud.
"Alright, not only playing with formations, but even military tactics, huh?"
By the time the Flower-Clad Eunuchs trapped in the formation felt something was wrong, nearly a third of the martial monks had already entered the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, clearly heading towards the person climbing the pagoda.
"Oh no!"
"They've entered the pagoda! Stop them quickly!"
The belated Flower-Clad Eunuchs were furious, their eyes bloodshot. They never imagined they would be tricked by monks one day.
These martial monks kept circling endlessly, and they thought it was a special characteristic of the formation.
Their master had instructed them to stop anyone who tried to prevent the climbing of the pagoda.
At first, these Flower-Clad Eunuchs were happy for the martial monks of Cien Temple to waste their time.
But these martial monks were cunning; under the cover of the formation, they secretly snuck into the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, heading straight for their master.
"Bald donkeys, how dare you use a trick! Take this!"
The Flower-Clad Eunuchs surrounded in the formation immediately bristled and began fighting with the martial monks of Cien Temple.
The martial monks' formation could no longer be maintained, and both sides immediately began to fight fiercely.
To the side, Ankang Princess and others watched the spectacle.
Although they didn't know who was climbing the pagoda, judging by the current situation, a considerable mess had broken out.
Cien Temple held considerable prestige in the capital and was deeply beloved by the common people.
Even if they were Imperial children, if they caused trouble within Cien Temple, they would certainly be held accountable afterward.
Even the Eighth Prince would have to weigh the consequences before daring to offend Cien Temple.
They wondered who it was that dared to take such a risk.
"Eighth Prince, are there any treasures inside this Great Wild Goose Pagoda?"
Yuan'an Princess asked with great curiosity.
Otherwise, she couldn't quite understand why someone would do such a thing.
Moreover, judging by the reaction of the Cien Temple martial monks, there was indeed something they cared about inside.
"There are no treasures."
The Eighth Prince said with certainty.
"Inside the Great Wild Goose Pagoda are only Buddhist scriptures, as well as the sariras and personal mementos of enlightened monks."
"To call these things treasures is a bit of a stretch."
The Eighth Prince seemed to know a lot about the situation at Cien Temple, even knowing what was stored inside the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
"Then what is all this effort for?"
Yuan'an Princess gestured to the chaotic scene before them.
The martial monks of Cien Temple and the Flower-Clad Eunuchs were fighting fiercely.
The Flower-Clad Eunuchs were more powerful, but they had no intention of harming anyone, and their numbers were smaller.
Although a few had already entered the pagoda to chase the martial monks of Cien Temple, the situation below the pagoda was at a stalemate.
Both sides were waiting for the people inside the pagoda to decide the victor, and gradually began to maintain an unspoken understanding.
And sure enough, changes also occurred inside the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
The firelight, which had been slowly ascending, gradually stopped on the third floor, and the firelight flickered, as if it could extinguish at any moment.
At this moment, a head suddenly emerged from a window on the third floor of the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
Due to the distance and the dim light, they couldn't clearly see who it was from below.
But the next moment, a voice shouted down:
"Eighth Prince, come up and save me!"
"Ah!!!"
After a scream, the head immediately retreated back inside.
The voice was that of a woman, and although she tried to shout loudly, the weakness in her voice was still evident.
Everyone was stunned, then looked at the Eighth Prince beside them.
The Eighth Prince looked embarrassed, then said somewhat helplessly:
"Why is it her..."
The Eighth Prince looked reluctant, clearly unwilling to help.
However, for some reason, the Eighth Prince seemed to have no choice but to step forward and help.
Anyone who could call the Eighth Prince "Old Eight" must certainly be one of their siblings, but Ankang Princess and Yuan'an Princess both found the previous voice very unfamiliar.
"Eighth Imperial Brother, who is it on the pagoda?"
Ankang Princess asked curiously.
"That's our Seventh Princess."
"Go help them, don't let them fight anymore."
"The Seventh Princess didn't mean any harm. I've talked it over with the Abbot, and Cien Temple probably won't hold it against her."
The Eighth Prince couldn't help but shake his head and led his people to break up the fight.
"Seventh Imperial Sister?"
Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an exchanged glances and immediately recalled the princess they had seen in the Imperial Garden that day, with dark circles under her eyes, lying on a stretcher, and going on stage to draw lots.
"So it was her."
The two princesses suddenly understood, and from the looks of it, the Eighth Prince and the Seventh Princess seemed quite familiar with each other.
Since the Eighth Prince had already gone to mediate, Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an naturally couldn't continue to just watch from the sidelines.
They instructed their Flower-Clad Eunuchs to also step forward and help.
Seeing the situation rapidly deteriorating, the martial monks of Cien Temple immediately abandoned their flashy formations and instead formed a circular formation themselves, intending to counter the encirclement by the Flower-Clad Eunuchs.
"I knew you were all in this together!"
The leading martial monk said angrily.
He had issued a warning at first, but the people who came later had no intention of avoiding them.
As expected, they were now seizing the opportunity to encircle them.
"Who exactly are you people? What is your purpose in trespassing into the forbidden area of our Cien Temple?"
"I advise all benefactors to lay down their butcher knives and turn over a new leaf."
"It's still not too late to retreat now."
The leading martial monk tried to enlighten the Eighth Prince and his group, mainly to buy time until the abbot arrived with reinforcements.
The Eighth Prince himself had no intention of harming these martial monks.
After all, they were in the wrong.
The Eighth Prince looked back at the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, then dispatched his Flower-Clothed Eunuchs, telling them to go inside and help.
He had pretty much guessed what the Seventh Princess was doing by breaking into the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
Now, he could only seize the opportunity before the Abbot arrived to quickly help the Seventh Princess.
Once the Seventh Princess achieved her goal, she would naturally leave.
But just at this moment, a figure sped from afar, arriving before everyone in a few leaps.
This was an old monk with a snow-white beard, his face covered in wrinkles, his eyes so wrinkled they were almost shut.
"Master Chenghai!"
Seeing who had arrived, the Eighth Prince couldn't help but exclaim.
Then he quickly shouted again:
"Master, hold your hand!"
Master Chenghai landed and stood before the Eighth Prince, bowing to him with clasped hands.
"Your Highness, why did you not inform this old monk of your visit to Cien Temple?"
"Uh, how would I dare disturb Master Chenghai? Today, I merely brought a few of my younger sisters to participate in the Ullambana Festival activities."
As the Eighth Prince spoke, he quietly retreated a few steps, standing beside Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an, then subtly signaled for the Flower-Clad Eunuchs to also stop encircling the martial monks of Cien Temple.
Just as the Eighth Prince was about to continue explaining, the martial monks of Cien Temple immediately came to complain:
"Abbot, they are the ones who forcibly entered the Great Wild Goose Pagoda."
"There are also a group of people inside the pagoda. Several senior brothers went up to pursue them, but they haven't come down yet."
"They sent many people in to help. We can't delay any longer."
After the martial monk finished speaking, he looked up at the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
Coincidentally, the light that had paused on the third floor for a long time had now moved to the fourth floor.
The Eighth Prince knew Master Chenghai's temper well; he was not an easy person to talk to.
"Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"
In response, Master Chenghai merely snorted coldly, looked up at the light inside the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, and then uttered a single word:
"Stop!"
The next moment, an inexplicable pressure spread from Master Chenghai, and then Master Chenghai's figure instantly disappeared.
Everyone present remained in their original positions, motionless.
Even Li Xuan was like this.
It wasn't that they didn't want to move, but that they couldn't, as if they had been hit by a body-fixing spell.
The passage of time suddenly became long, and Li Xuan could only move his eyes.
He looked at Princess Ankang and Yu'er, finding them like stone statues, even the focus of their eyes fixed, without the slightest ripple.
"An expert of the Upper Three Ranks!?"
Li Xuan had seen this kind of ability, similar to a divine technique, on Old Ye before.
He didn't expect the abbot of Cien Temple to also be such an expert.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Xuan was the first to break free from the restraints and could move freely again, and the passage of time returned to normal.
Immediately after, Flower-Clad Eunuchs regained their movement and stood with utmost vigilance in front of the three Highnesses.
They nervously searched for Master Chenghai's whereabouts but found that he had already disappeared before their eyes.
If he had truly engaged them in a fight earlier, the time they had been disoriented would have been enough for them to die several times over.
And after Master Chenghai displayed his ability earlier, these Flower-Clad Eunuchs immediately realized who this person was.
They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with apprehension.
And then, more and more people recovered.
Li Xuan discovered that everyone was not controlled by Master Chenghai for a long time; it was just that when they were controlled, their perception of time passing would be slowed down, which gave them the illusion of being controlled for a very long time.
"Outrageous ability!"
Li Xuan was shocked when he realized what Master Chenghai had done.
Just by uttering a single word, he was able to make everyone present lose their senses for so long.
If this happened during a battle, wouldn't they be ambushed and killed?
"Old Ye is like this, and this Master Chenghai is also like this. How come everyone in the Upper Three Ranks is so terrifying?"
"Did they all start cultivating immortality when they reached the Upper Three Ranks?"
Li Xuan hadn't even cultivated true qi yet, but he found that there were already people in this world using divine techniques.
This kind of impact was truly significant for him.
"Li Xuan, what happened to me earlier?"
Princess Ankang snapped back to reality, somewhat bewildered, and asked Li Xuan.
Li Xuan wrote on her palm with his tail, guessing that this was Master Chenghai's ability.
Princess Ankang was startled by this explanation and asked hesitantly:
"This, is this something martial arts can achieve?"
But before Li Xuan could answer further, Master Chenghai's figure floated down from the sky.
Many people descended with him.
"Slow."
Master Chenghai softly uttered another word.
As a result, many of the people who were descending with him from the sky suddenly had wind under their feet, supporting their descending bodies, and finally landed smoothly on the ground, safe and sound.
These people remained in their original positions until they landed, clearly also controlled by Master Chenghai, just like Princess Ankang and the others earlier.
And among these people, Li Xuan saw the Seventh Princess, whom he had met once before in the Imperial Garden, her eyes still completely black