"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?"
Chen Zhaoyun, bewildered, his arms still raised, replied, "This disciple doesn't know."
Gu Tianzhu continued, "He's not here? He hasn't taken you hostage?"
Chen Zhaoyun shook his head. "No. Why would Shizun think—"
Ling Yu stepped forward, cutting off Chen Zhaoyun. "Gu Zhenren, Tie Yanfang is not here. It wasn't Tie Yanfang—it was us."
"You? You made them disappear?"
Realization dawned on Chen Zhaoyun. "Oh, Shizun felt them disappearing and thought..." His voice trailed off as he saw two sets of eyes looking at him like he was an idiot.
Chen Zhaoyun pursed his lips together. It seems Ling Yu was right. I'm useless.
"Yes, Gu Zhenren. We thought that Tie Yanfang wanted those people. We can't fight him head-on, so we kind of hid them from him," Ling Yu explained.
"How did you do it? I cannot feel their presence at all," Gu Tianzhu asked, his brows furrowing.
"Shizun, we used the Azure Veil Formation," Chen Zhaoyun explained.
Gu Tianzhu's eyes widened in realization. "That's right! That array formation can completely mask Low Immortal presence. And it's simple enough that it doesn't require too much spirit energy! You did well, Zhaoyun!"
Chen Zhaoyun beamed with joy. He felt like he had finally redeemed himself in front of both his Shizun and Ling Yu.
"Gu Zhenren, are you certain the array won't be detected by Tie Yanfang, since he is a Saint?" Ling Yu asked respectfully. She had doubted Chen Zhaoyun at first—his track record didn't exactly inspire confidence. Now that she had the chance to confirm, she wasn't letting it go.
Gu Tianzhu nodded and added proudly, "I am absolutely sure. Even though Zhaoyun doesn't look like it, he is among the best in Ziyu Sect when it comes to array formations."
"You said the array is simple. Will it really be enough to hide from Tie Yanfang?" Ling Yu asked, her skepticism evident.
This time, Gu Tianzhu smiled reassuringly. "Yes. This array is specifically designed for Low Immortals as a self-defense tool. Tie Yanfang will be able to sense the array itself, but he won't be able to detect what it's concealing."
Ling Yu's expression was full of disbelief, but she wisely chose to stay silent. Since Iron Wall seems to trust you, I'll let it go for now.
Seeing Ling Yu no longer protesting, Chen Zhaoyun unconsciously lifted his head a bit, feeling proud. Even his Shizun was proud of him! He could finally shine.
Gu Tianzhu suddenly tensed, sensing something. He turned to Ling Yu and his disciple. "Continue hiding them. Make as many array formations as possible. Even in empty chambers. If Tie Yanfang can detect the arrays, let him. The more formations he finds, the harder it will be for him to locate the real targets. Let's make him waste as much time as possible."
Without another word, he turned to leave.
Chen Zhaoyun caught sight of his Shizun's grim expression and called out, "Shizun, what's wrong?"
"I believe someone is trying to pass the maze. I'm going to check it out." With that, Gu Tianzhu left in a hurry.
Ling Yu and Chen Zhaoyun exchanged looks, then nodded. They were determined to make Tie Yanfang's search for the cores a living hell.
Gu Tianzhu went outside to the vantage point Xuan Tian had designated as the best position to monitor activity within the maze.
He stood there, straining his senses forward to assess what was happening inside. Sending out one's Immortal senses was no easy feat. Xuan Tian made it look effortless due to his overwhelming power, but even as a High Immortal Stage 5, Gu Tianzhu had to be cautious not to overuse his spirit energy.
Inside the maze, not far from the entrance, a cultivator in a dark green robe—similar to Elder Mo's but deeper in shade—stood motionless. He was of average height, average build—everything about him screamed unremarkable, someone who would never stand out in a crowd.
His long hair, streaked with gray, gave him the appearance of a fragile old man. But the beady glint in his eyes betrayed his true nature—cruel, ruthless, and utterly merciless. His typically cold and arrogant expression was now twisted in frustration.
After extracting the information he needed from Elder Mo, he had come straight to Bai Mountain cavern. He was anxious to retrieve his cores. There was no time to waste—he needed to return to Divine Elixir Peak. There were too many Shengtian and Fanjing Pills waiting to be refined.
He had no patience for this nonsense. Incompetent fools! He had established a perfectly structured operation across the Wusheng Empire, and Bai Mountain was one of its largest supply points.
He hadn't initially thought much of it when he sensed the Bai Mountain barrier breaking, but his concern over the cores had driven him to check it out. He had expected to arrive, retrieve them, and leave quickly. He had not expected this.
By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. Now, he was trapped.
What kind of maze is this?! It was far more advanced than the one he had placed at the basement. Who did this?!
This man, of course, was Tie Yanfang—the very person Xuan Tian and his allies were waiting for. He had not been trapped in the maze for long, but it was more than enough to realize that brute force alone would not break through. Not without him suffering considerable injuries.
"Argh!" Tie Yanfang yelled, frustration boiling over. "This damn maze! Who dares to trick this Saint like this?! This Saint will kill you! No, no—this Saint will torture you first, then kill you! Yes, yes, that's right!"
This was normal for Tie Yanfang. Whenever he didn't get his way, he threw tantrums. If Elder Mo or Elder Feng had been here to witness his ranting, they wouldn't have even blinked.
Tie Yanfang continued to curse and fume, pacing in agitation. It was a blessing for Gu Tianzhu that he could only see but not hear the outburst. Otherwise, he might have vomited blood on the spot.
Gu Tianzhu watched as Tie Yanfang threw a tantrum, and he had to silently applaud Xuan Tian for his state-of-the-art maze. Who exactly was he? He excelled at everything.
Tie Yanfang continued to rant while trying various methods to break through the maze. Gu Tianzhu was enjoying the unexpected show when he suddenly noticed a sliver of spirit energy flying toward the cavern entrance.
Wait. Is that a bird? Yes! That's a spirit energy bird. A message from Shengzun!
With agility that didn't match his elderly appearance, Gu Tianzhu leaped down and carefully caught the spirit energy bird. He carried it inside the cavern.
He called out to the motley crew, informing them that a message was coming. Hurried footsteps echoed through the passage as they rushed toward the stone bed chamber.
"A message? From Iron Wall?" Ling Yu arrived first, panting.
The doctors followed closely behind, and Chen Zhaoyun came last. They were both anxious and excited to have a potential update on the situation at the inn.
Seeing them ready, Gu Tianzhu sent a tiny pulse of spirit energy, activating the bird.
At first, only the sound of labored breathing could be heard. Whoever it was, they were gasping as if they had been running for days.
Then—
"Ge—pant—Gen—pant—ne—ral—" Lin Qian's voice came so weakly that everyone strained their necks forward, as if that would somehow make the voice louder.
But that faint voice was enough to make everyone, including Ling Yu, froze.
It was the voice of someone on the brink of death.