They were in the middle of enjoying dinner when Xuan Tian suddenly lifted his head, his sharp gaze shifting to the distance, as if sensing something far away. The reactions at the table were split—Ling Yu looked confused, while the others immediately tensed, their instincts kicking in.
"The barrier at the inn has just been broken into."
With those words, Xuan Tian vanished, his voice lingering behind. "Stay here and stay alert."
Ling Yu choked in surprise when she saw him disappear. One moment, he had been sitting next to her, eating, and the next, he was gone—his bowl and chopsticks clattering loudly against the table, the only proof he had been there at all.
Ling Yu coughed, struggling to process what had just happened. "What—cough—what's hap—cough—what's happening? Where did he go?"
Xu Yun patted Ling Yu's back gently, helping with her choking. "The barrier he placed at the inn to protect Chen Wei and the others has just been broken into. He's gone there to check."
Ling Yu's coughing subsided slightly. "Immortals—cough—can teleport?"
Xu Yun chuckled lightly at Ling Yu's naivete. "No. No immortals can teleport. He just moved extremely fast—so fast that your eyes couldn't even register him." Only Celestials can teleport, Xu Yun added inwardly.
Silence fell. Everyone—except Ling Yu—understood the gravity of the situation. Xuan Tian was as strong as a Saint. He once stated—one Saint alone couldn't break his barrier. If someone had broken his barrier, then the one responsible had to be at least a Saint.
They exchanged glances, all coming to the same unspoken conclusion.
Tie Yanfang.
Gu Tianzhu stood up. Among the five of them, he had the highest cultivation. It was only natural that he took charge.
"I'll go and activate the defense mechanism," Gu Tianzhu said before leaving.
Ling Yu frowned, confused again. "Defense mechanism?"
Zhao Zhi answered, "Xuan Ge was inspired by the maze at Xue Qin Lou's basement. He created something similar along the mountain path leading here—to delay the enemy."
Ling Yu looked truly baffled this time. "The enemy? I don't understand. What did I miss?"
That's right. Ling Yu had been unconscious when Elder Mo explained about Tie Yanfang. Seeing her confusion, Xu Yun and Zhao Zhi quickly filled her in.
Ling Yu's eyes widened in alarm. "Iron Wall is in danger! His enemy is a Saint! A Saint! A Saint is extremely powerful!"
Chen Zhaoyun's expression darkened. "Yes. A Saint is very powerful. Even my Shizun, who is at High Immortal Stage 5, doesn't stand a chance. Shengzun is the only one among us who can face Tie Yanfang head-on."
"What?!" Ling Yu's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Iron Wall is as strong as a Saint?"
She had never taken Xuan Tian's claims of power seriously. She always thought he was exaggerating on purpose so she wouldn't look down on him. And the rest of them? She had assumed they were simply humoring him, not wanting to embarrass him. But now—
"We also need to be prepared," Chen Zhaoyun interrupted Ling Yu's train of thought.
"Like what? How?" Ling Yu was eager to help but felt helpless. She had just entered the cultivation world—something she had always dreamed of. But now, a giant boulder stood in front of her, ready to bulldoze her without mercy.
But Ling Yu refused to back down without a fight.
"Tie Yanfang will definitely come here. This cavern was their base in the area, producing at least fifteen harvested cores every week. He won't let it go. So he most definitely will come here," Chen Zhaoyun explained. In his mind, he thought he sounded just like Xuan Tian when explaining things to Ling Yu.
But Ling Yu shot him down instantly. "I knew that. We all do. But what can we do to help lighten Iron Wall's burden?"
Chen Zhaoyun deflated. "I don't know. The gap in power is no joke. Nothing we can do will make a difference."
Ling Yu looked at him like he was completely useless.
She was deep in thought for a minute before her eyes lit up. "I know! Tie Yanfang wants the cores, right? Let's make sure he never gets them! There are so many chambers in this cavern—we can hide them, spread them out. It'll take him forever to find them all!"
"Brilliant idea, but he can just use his senses to scan the entire cavern and find them all," Zhao Zhi pointed out.
"Not necessarily," Chen Zhaoyun piped in. "Tie Yanfang may be a Saint, but he's not known for his fighting prowess. He's an alchemist. Most alchemists are nerds. They may have an abundance of spirit energy, but sometimes they're like big children—throwing tantrums when they don't get what they want instead of searching for solutions."
Ling Yu grinned at that. She clapped Chen Zhaoyun on the back. "That's what I'm talking about! You're not that useless after all!"
Chen Zhaoyun opened his mouth, then closed it again. He wasn't sure whether to feel proud or insulted. In the end, he sighed, deciding that coming from Ling Yu, this was probably the closest thing to praise he was going to get.
She stood up, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "What are we waiting for? Let's prepare a hide-and-seek that Tie Yanfang will never forget!
The motley crew moved according to Ling Yu's instructions. Much to her dismay, the doctors had never played hide-and-seek before, and neither had Chen Zhaoyun. When Ling Yu asked, "What did you guys do for fun when you were little?" they all exchanged blank looks, suddenly questioning whether they had a terrible childhood.
Meanwhile, Gu Tianzhu had finished activating the multi-layered maze defense mechanism and was about to enter the cavern when he felt the presence of the awakened victims disappearing. Alarm surged through him. He knew Xuan Tian hadn't simply copied the Xue Qin Lou maze—he had improved it significantly, layering multiple shifting pathways, false trails, and spirit-disrupting barriers. If someone had bypassed all of that, it meant they possessed an extremely refined level of spatial control or sheer overwhelming power. Had Tie Yanfang somehow managed to breach it all and already infiltrated the cavern?
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the stone bed chamber.
When he reached the chamber, his senses proved correct—the room was empty.
Gu Tianzhu immediately circulated his spirit energy, preparing for battle. His Immortal aura surged as he fully released his High Immortal Stage 5 presence, radiating power throughout the chamber.
"Tie Yanfang! Come out! Leave the people behind!" Gu Tianzhu's voice boomed through the cavern. He had already decided—he would hold Tie Yanfang off until Xuan Tian could return.
Hurried footsteps echoed in the passage leading to the stone bed chamber. Gu Tianzhu sharpened his focus, raising his sword fingers, ready to strike the moment his enemy appeared.
"Shizun! It's me! Don't attack!" Chen Zhaoyun's voice rang out, but the speaker was nowhere in sight.
Gu Tianzhu narrowed his eyes. "Come out!" His voice was firm. He couldn't take any chances—what if his disciple had been taken hostage?
Slowly, Chen Zhaoyun stepped into the chamber, both arms raised at chest level, unharmed. Behind him, Ling Yu followed, mirroring his gesture with an exaggerated expression of surrender.
Gu Tianzhu didn't lower his guard. "Are you two alright? Where's Tie Yanfang?"