Laravel controller not redirecting even submitted post data

CategoryController

class CategoryController extends Controller
{
    public function index(Request $request){
        // $data['categories'] = $categories;
        $categories = Category::where([
            ['name', '!=', Null],
            [function ($query) use ($request) {
                if (($keyword = $request->keyword)) {
                    $query->orWhere('name', 'LIKE', '%' . $keyword . '%')
                        ->get();
                }
            }]
        ])->paginate(6);
        // $categories = Category::paginate(10);
        return view('admin.category.list',compact('categories'));
    }


    public function create(){
        return view('admin.category.create');
    }

    public function store(Request $request){
        $validator = Validator::make($request->all(),[
            'name' => 'required',
            'slug' => 'required|unique:categories'
        ]);
        if($validator->passes()){
            $category = new Category();
            $category->name = $request->name;
            $category->slug = $request->slug;
            $category->status = $request->status;
            $category->save();

        
            return redirect()->route('categories.index')->with('message','Category added successfully');
            // $request->session()->flash('success', 'Category added successfully');

            // return to_route('categories.index')->with('status', 'Category added successfully');
            return response()->json([
                'status' => true,
                'message' => 'Category added successfully'
            ]);
     

        } else{
            return response()->json([
                'status' => false,
                'errors' => $validator->errors()
            ]);
        }
    }
}

web.php

Route::group(['prefix'=>'admin'], function(){
Route::group(['middleware' => 'admin.guest'], function(){
    Route::get('/login', [AdminLoginController::class,'index'])->name('admin.login');
    Route::post('/authenticate', [AdminLoginController::class,'authenticate'])->name('admin.authenticate');
});
Route::group(['middleware' => 'admin.auth'], function(){
    Route::get('/dashboard', [HomeController::class,'index'])->name('admin.dashboard');
    Route::get('/logout', [HomeController::class,'logout'])->name('admin.logout');

    //Category Routes
    Route::get('/categories', [CategoryController::class,'index'])->name('categories.index');
    // Route::get('/categories', [CategoryController::class,'search'])->name('categories.search');
    Route::get('/categories/create', [CategoryController::class,'create'])->name('categories.create');
    Route::post('/categories', [CategoryController::class,'store'])->name('categories.store');

    //temp-images.create
    Route::post('/upload-temp-image', [TempImagesController::class, 'create'])->name('temp-images.create');

    Route::get('/getSlug', function(Request $request){
        $slug = '';
        if(!empty($request->title)){
            $slug = Str::slug($request->title);
        }
        return response()->json([
            'status'=>true,
            'slug'=>$slug
        ]);
    })->name('getSlug');
});
});

Kernel.php

protected $middlewareAliases = [
        'auth' => AppHttpMiddlewareAuthenticate::class,
        'admin.auth' => AppHttpMiddlewareAdminAuthenticate::class,
        'auth.basic' => IlluminateAuthMiddlewareAuthenticateWithBasicAuth::class,
        'auth.session' => IlluminateSessionMiddlewareAuthenticateSession::class,
        'cache.headers' => IlluminateHttpMiddlewareSetCacheHeaders::class,
        'can' => IlluminateAuthMiddlewareAuthorize::class,
        'guest' => AppHttpMiddlewareRedirectIfAuthenticated::class,
        'admin.guest' => AppHttpMiddlewareAdminRedirectIfAuthenticated::class,
        'password.confirm' => IlluminateAuthMiddlewareRequirePassword::class,
        'precognitive' => IlluminateFoundationHttpMiddlewareHandlePrecognitiveRequests::class,
        'signed' => AppHttpMiddlewareValidateSignature::class,
        'throttle' => IlluminateRoutingMiddlewareThrottleRequests::class,
        'verified' => IlluminateAuthMiddlewareEnsureEmailIsVerified::class,
    ];

MiddlewareAdminAuthenticate.php

class AdminAuthenticate extends Middleware
{
    /**
     * Get the path the user should be redirected to when they are not authenticated.
     */
    protected function redirectTo(Request $request): ?string
    {
        return $request->expectsJson() ? null : route('admin.login');
    }

    protected function authenticate($request, array $guards)
    {
        if($this->auth->guard('admin')->check()){
            return $this->auth->shouldUse('admin');
        }
        
        $this->unauthenticated($request, ['admin']);
    }
}

create.blade.php

 <form action='' method="POST" id="categoryForm" name="categoryForm">
                <div class="card">
                    <div class="card-body">                             
                        <div class="row">
                            <div class="col-md-6">
                                <div class="mb-3">
                                    <label for="name">Name</label>
                                    <input type="text" name="name" id="name" class="form-control" placeholder="Name">   
                                    <p></p>
                                </div>
                            </div>
                            <div class="col-md-6">
                                <div class="mb-3">
                                    <label for="slug">Slug</label>
                                    <input type="text" readonly name="slug" id="slug" class="form-control" placeholder="Slug">  
                                    <p></p>
                                </div>
                            </div>  
                            
                            <div class="col-md-6">
                                <div class="mb-3">
                                    <input type="hidden" id="image_id" name="image_id" 
value="">
                                    <label for="image">Image</label>
                                    <div id="image" class="dropzone dz-clickable">
                                        <div class="dz-message needsclick">
                                            <br>Drop files here or click to upload.<br> 
<br>
                                        </div>
                                    </div>
                                </div>
                            </div>

                            <div class="col-md-6">
                                <div class="mb-3">
                                    <label for="status">Status</label>
                                    <select name="status" id="status" class="form-control">
                                        <option value="1">Active</option>
                                        <option value="0">Block</option>
                                    </select>
                                </div>
                            </div>  


                        </div>
                    </div>                          
                </div>
                <div class="pb-5 pt-3">
                    <input type="submit" value="Create" class="btn btn-primary">
                    <a href="" class="btn btn-outline-dark ml-3">Cancel</a>
                </div>
            </form>
<script>
    $('#categoryForm').submit(function(event){
        event.preventDefault();
        var element = $(this)
        $("button[type=submit]").prop('disabled',true)
        $.ajax({
            url:'{{ route("categories.store") }}',
            type: 'post',
            data: element.serializeArray(),
            dataType: 'json',
            success: function(response){
                $("button[type=submit]").prop('disabled',false)
                if(response['status'] == true){
                    $("#name").removeClass('is-invalid').siblings('p').removeClass('invalid-feedback').html("")
                    $("#slug").removeClass('is-invalid').siblings('p').removeClass('invalid-feedback').html("")
                } else{
                    var errors = response['errors']

                    if(errors['name']){
                        $("#name").addClass('is-invalid').siblings('p').addClass('invalid-feedback').html(errors['name'])
                    } else{
                        $("#name").removeClass('is-invalid').siblings('p').removeClass('invalid-feedback').html("")
                    }

                    if(errors['slug']){
                        $("#slug").addClass('is-invalid').siblings('p').addClass('invalid-feedback').html(errors['slug'])
                    } else{
                        $("#slug").removeClass('is-invalid').siblings('p').removeClass('invalid-feedback').html("")
                    }
                }
            },
            error: function(jqXHR, exception){
                console.log("Something went wrong")
            }
        })
    })

For the create.blade.php, when I try to submit the new form data using POST action and in the CategoryController, I would like to redirect back to the route categories.index and I tried return redirect()->route('categories.index')->with('message','Category added successfully'); but the page still not redirect after I submitted even I checked clearly the route path exists. When I check the network the route path exists but the page still remains stuck. Can any people help figure out what’s the problem?