It turns out, they were the main characters.

There were nearly thirty Imperial Guards in sight, of whom Mu Zhian sensed that more than six were at the Void Returning Realm, while the other cultivators held black chains that exuded a chilling aura.

Mu Zhian could sense that the chains seemed to have the effect of sealing spiritual energy.

This must be the 'Imperial Guard' that Lingxuan mentioned before... Mu Zhian recalled some things that Ye Lingxuan had told him about the forbidden area.

The name "Imperial Guard" is well-known among cultivators outside the Forbidden Zone, as this army has killed countless people and is one of the most powerful forces in the Forbidden Zone.

Throughout history, many cultivators have ventured into the forbidden zone to "seek their fortune," but the forbidden zone has largely ignored them.

However, if some cultivators violate the rules of the forbidden area... they may be besieged by the 'Forbidden Army'.

The fact that the Imperial Guards would visit so late at night suggests they have ill intentions.

Zhu Cheng looked at the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, cupped his hands in greeting, and said in a humble yet respectful manner, "I wonder what brings this commander here tonight?"

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards said coldly, "We received information not long ago that someone had done something against the 'rules' in the southern part of the restricted area, so we were ordered to come and investigate."

Zhu Cheng was taken aback: "Is there some misunderstanding? We and Her Highness the Princess have always abided by the rules of the restricted area and have never violated them... Besides, if we had really violated the rules, we would have been executed by the restricted area long ago, and we wouldn't be here in the first place, would we?"

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards didn't look at Zhu Cheng again. Instead, he walked straight to Princess Yongning, raised his hand and grabbed at her. The jade box was sucked into his hand the next moment.

After opening the jade box and glancing at its contents, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards sneered, "These people are all suspicious. Take them all away!"

"We are from the Great Qian Dynasty. You must explain what crime we have committed!" Ding Hou was being held captive by two cultivators, but he still glared at the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard with anger in his eyes.

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guard raised the Aurora Crystal in his hand and snorted coldly: "This Aurora Crystal is naturally formed, and it has always been divided into two types: one that has never been contaminated by the curse, and the other that appears to be an Aurora Crystal, but is actually a cursed crystal."

"If this cursed crystal is taken out of the forbidden zone, it could very well affect the lives of tens of thousands of people in the Eastern Continent. I suspect you are spies sent by the demon realm to wreak havoc on the Eastern Continent, and I have decided to take you back for questioning. Do you understand?"

Aurora Crystal...?

Ding Hou subconsciously looked at Mu Zhi'an and said, "This Aurora Crystal is the one you gave to Her Highness the Princess! It was you...it was you who framed us?!"

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to Mu Zhian, their expressions ranging from surprise and anger to disbelief.

“If the Aurora Crystal I gave you were truly a cursed crystal, there would be no way I wouldn’t have noticed,” Mu Zhian replied calmly.

Although his innate spiritual body is a pseudo-physical constitution, how could he not even distinguish between cursed crystals and aurora crystals?

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards glanced at Mu Zhi'an, then quickly fixed his gaze on Lin Keyu. His tone softened as he said, "You are the Holy Maiden of the Xuan Yin Palace, right? This matter has nothing to do with you. We will personally escort you out of the forbidden area after this."

Lin Keyu looked at Mu Zhian and said, "He is my friend and also a cultivator from the Eastern Continent. He has no connection with the Demon Realm."

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards glanced at Mu Zhian without leaving a trace, then his gaze quickly swept over Ding Hou, and he smiled, "The Xuan Yin Palace is an ally of the Forbidden Zone, so we trust the Holy Maiden, but the Holy Maiden's friend... forgive my rudeness, we will investigate as soon as possible and clear his name."

"take away!"

The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards waved his hand, and a group of guards from the restricted area stepped forward to put shackles on everyone's hands.

Mu Zhi'an let the shackles bind him, but deliberately slowed down, glanced at Ding Hou who was being held at the back, and another cultivator beside him, and asked in a telepathic voice, "You're the one who's up to this, aren't you?"

Ding Hou frowned slightly and said, "You plotted to frame us, and now you want to shift the blame onto me?"

"The Aurora Crystal I gave to Princess Yongning was found in the forbidden zone. If there were truly a curse, I would have noticed it long ago. It's likely that you secretly switched it. If I hadn't been there, you would have used another method to give the cursed crystal to Princess Yongning, wouldn't you?"

Ding Hou remained silent for a long time, then a triumphant smile appeared on his lips. He transmitted his voice and said, "You're right. The Aurora Crystal you gave me was secretly replaced by me."

"But you can only blame your bad luck for insisting on following the princess. So, take this secret with you on your journey."

Even if the other party found out, what could they do? So many people watched as Mu Zhi'an gave the Aurora Crystal to Princess Yongning, leaving her speechless.

He had been pondering how to put the cursed crystal into the princess's storage ring, but the appearance of this young man solved his problem.

Therefore, it can only be said that the other party was extremely unlucky.

"Let me guess, who ordered you to do this?"

Mu Zhian thought for a moment and asked, "Are you on the Crown Prince's side? But why would you target a princess? Does the Crown Prince worry that his throne will be threatened by the eldest princess?"

Ding Hou didn't speak, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

"You're willing to risk your life for the Crown Prince's mission? You've been captured by the people of the forbidden zone, and it seems you won't be able to leave anytime soon," Mu Zhian continued.

Ding Hou said calmly, "You don't need to worry about that."

"You should worry about yourself first, rather than me."

"Thanks to you, I was wondering how to deliver the cursed crystal to Her Highness without arousing suspicion, but you came to my rescue." Ding Hou smiled.

Mu Zhian looked at him calmly, without saying a word.

……

The restricted area is divided into eighteen zones, each under the jurisdiction of a different 'Imperial Guard'.

At this moment, Ye Xiuyuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards in Area Three, was looking down at the case file when he suddenly heard the voice of a secret agent outside the door: "Sir, according to the original plan, Princess Yongning and the others have been captured."

"However, among the people they were traveling with was the Holy Maiden of the Xuan Yin Palace, and I have temporarily settled her in Area 3."

Ye Xiuyuan nodded in satisfaction and said, "You did a good job. You may leave now. I will handle the rest."

After he finished speaking, he took out a storage bag from his storage ring and threw it to the spy: "Take this to reward the brothers in charge of this operation, consider it an extra bonus."

The spy respectfully accepted the storage bag, acknowledged it, and then withdrew from the area.

He then immediately ordered, "Make preparations. Tonight I will personally interrogate those who intend to wreak havoc on the Eastern Continent."

"Going tonight?" The servant hesitated for a moment.

"If you're taking money, you have to get things done efficiently," Ye Xiuyuan said calmly.

Thirty million spirit stones—this was the reward I received from the Great Qian Dynasty.

For a behemoth like the Forbidden Zone, thirty million spirit stones are nothing, but for a minor commander of the Imperial Guard within the Forbidden Zone, it is a reward he cannot refuse.

Therefore, when Ye Xiuyuan received the letter of the deal, he immediately accepted it with pleasure.

After all, given the existence of a forbidden zone, even if the Great Qian Dynasty learned of this matter afterward, it would be impossible for them to come and punish the offender.

These 30 million spirit stones are practically free.

After finishing packing, Ye Xiuyuan immediately led his men away to the prison in Zone 3.

At that moment, two bright and beautiful figures suddenly flashed before his eyes.

"Lady Ye Siyu, Holy Maiden."

Ye Xiuyuan immediately realized what was happening, stopped, and bowed.

Ye Siyu linked arms with Ye Lingxuan, her bright peach blossom eyes scanning the burly man a few times before she smiled and asked, "Commander, are you going out so late?"

Ye Xiuyuan respectfully replied, "It is like this: today we captured several cultivators near the forbidden zone who intended to use cursed crystals to wreak havoc on the Eastern Continent, so I intend to interrogate them personally."

"The last time someone tried to get their hands on a cursed crystal must have been two hundred years ago, right? There are actually people who aren't afraid of death coming to the forbidden zone to look for this thing?"

Ye Siyu blinked her beautiful eyes and said, "Why don't I go with the Commander-in-Chief to take a look? I want to see who has such audacity."

"This……"

Ye Xiuyuan hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head and said, "Yes, then this subordinate will lead the way for you."

Everyone in the restricted area knows that Ye Siyu is quirky and clever. If they refuse her, she might go there on her own... This would only create more variables.

Ye Siyu looked at Ye Lingxuan and asked, "Would you like to go shopping with your sister? Just to relax."

It must be said that, upon closer inspection, the beauty of this forbidden zone saintess is truly stunning, and her elaborate and gorgeous purple dress adds a touch of classical beauty to her.

The once pure and classical girl is now gradually showing the makings of a stunning beauty.

"Go by yourself. The recent inheritance ceremony has been exhausting enough. I want to go back and rest," Ye Lingxuan said calmly.

She paused, then continued, "Besides, I have no interest in the villains who wreak havoc in the Eastern Continent."

Ye Siyu pouted: "Boring, then I'll go by myself."

She turned and walked briskly toward cell number three.

Ye Xiuyuan snapped out of his daze, bowed respectfully to Ye Lingxuan, and then led the way with his head down.

After watching the two leave, Ye Lingxuan raised her right hand, and from her sleeve, a golden chain quietly emerged from her sleeve along her snow-white wrist.

Just as she was about to leave on the mount woven from the Locks of Desolate Time, she seemed to have thought of something and suddenly asked, "Let me see what Mu Zhian is doing now."

The Lock of Desolation immediately transformed into a scroll painting that floated in mid-air.

In fact, Ye Lingxuan didn't like peeping into other people's private lives... Moreover, with the inheritance ceremony of the forbidden zone about to begin, even if she saw the scene, it wouldn't do any good. After all, she could only look but not touch, which would only make her feel more lonely.

Especially the thought of her beloved Mu brother being intimate with other women... it made her feel jealous and powerless.

I wonder which vixen Brother Mu is with this time...

Ye Lingxuan sighed softly, her gaze casually drifting towards the scroll depicted by the Lock of Desolate Time.

The painting depicted a dimly lit scene. Ye Lingxuan squinted and stared at it for a long time, but soon a sense of hesitation arose in her heart.

Is this... a prison?

Was Brother Mu locked in a dark room by Yao Meng or someone else?

At this moment, Ye Lingxuan's thoughts suddenly stopped, and she stared at the prison depicted in the painting with suspicion.

This place... why does it look so familiar?

Chapter 516 This wave, this wave is called walking into a trap 5K

Mu Zhian sat cross-legged in the prison cell with his eyes closed, circulating his spiritual energy through one major cycle after another.

Although he is now at the peak of the Returning to the Void realm, he skipped the cultivation process and went directly to the peak of the Returning to the Void realm, so he still needs some time to consolidate his position.

Princess Yongning and several other people from the Daqian Dynasty were imprisoned not far from the prison.

Lin Keyu was not among them. She was properly settled in the restricted area by the Imperial Guards, and they would send her away after the incident was resolved.

After all, the Xuan Yin Palace is the second most powerful force after the Forbidden Zone, Yaochi, and Liangyi Sect. While the Forbidden Zone is indeed powerful, it would not offend a top force in the Eastern Continent without a reason.

Compared to the worried or angry faces of the people in the Daqian Dynasty's group, Princess Yongning seemed very calm, and the prison where she was imprisoned was also much cleaner, obviously because the people in the Imperial Guards recognized her.

"So we shouldn't have let a stranger into the camp in the first place. We should have realized that in a restricted area like this, how could someone possibly give away an Aurora Crystal worth hundreds of thousands of spirit stones for no reason?"

Just then, a resentful voice suddenly came from inside the prison.

“Mr. Zhu Cheng was right before. No one can be trusted in the restricted area. It doesn’t matter to us, but it’s hard on Her Highness the Princess as she suffers along with us.”

People were whispering among themselves in the prison cells.

Just then, Princess Yongning suddenly said softly, "Everyone, please be quiet."