In VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol), the master device maintains the virtual IP address and continues forwarding packets unless it fails. When the intermediate link for transmitting VRRP heartbeats fails, the master device does not immediately change its state because it does not receive heartbeat signals from the slave device. Consequently, the master device continues to remain the master. Additionally, the slave device will not receive heartbeat signals from the master and might assume that the master has failed, potentially taking over as the master. However, they do not both enter the Master, Slave, or Initial state simultaneously. Thus, the status of the master and slave devices remains unchanged.