Chapter 53 – Saving the Savior

  “Iron Wall!”

  “Xuan Ge!”

  “Xuan Xiong!”

  All three voices called out at the same time. And the owners of the voices moved in unison, rushing toward Xuan Tian.

  Being the closest, Ling Yu reached him first. She immediately knelt down, gently lifting Xuan Tian’s head and placing it on her lap.

  Zhao Zhi arrived next, immediately crouching down to check Xuan Tian’s pulse. His face remained grim.

  Xu Yun reached him last. She crouched beside them, carefully scanning Xuan Tian for external injuries. Amazingly, she found none.

  Zhao Zhi exhaled slowly.

  “How is he?” Ling Yu asked, worry plastered across her face.

  Zhao Zhi offered her a small smile, attempting to reassure her. “He’s only exhausted. A little rest should be fine.”

  “Phew. That’s good to hear. As expected of an Iron Wall.” Ling Yu grinned and started to clean Xuan Tian’s face with her sleeve.

  Xu Yun didn’t share her happiness. She knew Xuan Tian’s condition wasn’t as hopeful as Zhao Zhi made it seem.

  Zhao Zhi met her eyes and subtly mouthed, “Later.”

  Xu Yun nodded and scanned the room. “I’ll go check on Gu Zhenren and Chen Zhaoyun.”

  Zhao Zhi returned his attention to Ling Yu. “Ling Yu, now that you know he’s okay, help me move him to a room so he can rest properly.”

  Ling Yu nodded. “Okay.”

  But before they could move, the sound of approaching footsteps made them freeze.

  Soon, three people entered the ruined stone bed chamber. They wore the same white and grey robes as Chen Zhaoyun.

  All three halted, eyes widening in shock at the destruction before them. The ceiling had collapsed, the chamber lay in utter disarray, and the aftermath of battle still lingered in the air.

  One of them gripped a sword tightly, his stance wavering between fear and exhilaration. His gaze darted around the room until he spotted Xu Yun standing among the wreckage.

  He yelled, "Shixiongs! One enemy over there!"

  The other two turned their gaze to Xu Yun, both frowning—but for different reasons.

  Gu Tianzhu had four disciples. Chen Zhaoyun was second. Shen Qingyu was first. Among the four, he bore the demeanor most similar to his Shizun—calm and wise. Chen Zhaoyun was kind, intelligent, and sometimes na?ve. Lu Jianhong, the third, was rough and loud, but also the kindest of them all. While Li Ran, the fourth disciple, was immature and reckless, carrying a slight cruel streak, yet for the most part, he was harmless.

  When Li Ran yelled and pointed at Xu Yun, Shen Qingyu looked over and frowned. He saw a young woman who appeared harmless—far from the female cultivators of Bewitching Lotus Peak. Li Ran rarely left Ziyu Sect, so it was natural that he would misjudge the situation.

  Lu Jianhong also frowned, but for a different reason. He had been hoping for a worthy opponent, someone strong and challenging. Instead, he saw a woman who looked utterly unthreatening. This isn’t a real fight! What a disappointment!

  Meanwhile, Zhao Zhi, Xu Yun, and Ling Yu had been bracing for enemies, but the moment they saw the three newcomers wearing the same robes as Chen Zhaoyun, they immediately came to the same conclusion—these were allies.

  But when Xu Yun became the target of Li Ran’s outburst, she frowned deeply. Look closely, you idiot!

  Zhao Zhi, inwardly, palm-faced. Another bunch of idiots.

  Ling Yu also frowned. She didn’t like Xu Yun being called an enemy. And more than that—this young man was loud! If he kept shouting, he might wake up Xuan Tian.

  Shen Qingyu started, “Now, Li Ran, she—”

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  Li Ran cut him off, suddenly pointing in another direction. “Two more over there!”

  Lu Jianhong’s eyes lit up. “Where?!” he asked, already stepping forward in excitement.

  Li Ran continued scanning the room, then his expression changed entirely. This time, he yelled even louder, “Er Shixiong—SHIZUN!”

  “SHUT UP!”

  All five people jumped in pure shock.

  Ling Yu’s yell was even louder than Li Ran’s. It was deafening.

  Despite kneeling down in seiza, both legs neatly folded under her, she shouted with a voice that shook the chamber. Everyone jumped and froze.

  “Be quiet!” she snapped, her face full of irritation and annoyance.

  “Your Shizun and Er Shixiong are over there! Go check on them for all I care! But. Be. QUIET!” Ling Yu barked at the three stunned-silly disciples.

  All three of them nodded hastily and scurried over to where Gu Tianzhu and Chen Zhaoyun lay. They looked like boys who had just been scolded by their mother. If the situation were lighter, Zhao Zhi would’ve laughed aloud.

  Seeing them move, Xu Yun followed, stepping toward Gu Tianzhu and Chen Zhaoyun with them.

  Zhao Zhi, who had been crouched down on one knee, startled so badly that he lost balance and fell onto his behind, eyes wide as he stared at Ling Yu.

  Ling Yu was panting slightly. She immediately looked down at Xuan Tian, her heart racing in fear that he had woken up from the noise. But when he remained still, she sighed in relief.

  Then she turned to Zhao Zhi. "I was really loud, wasn’t I? Even you fell. But he didn’t even stir. Are you sure he’s really okay?"

  Before Zhao Zhi could reply, a faint whisper was heard.

  "I'm okay."

  Zhao Zhi and Ling Yu both snapped their heads toward Xuan Tian.

  His eyes remained closed, but the voice was unmistakable. It was Xuan Tian’s.

  “Iron Wall! You’re awake!” Ling Yu gasped.

  Xuan Tian frowned in pain and groaned, "Stop yelling."

  He slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the dim light. "You were so loud. In my ears. How could I not wake up?"

  Ling Yu grinned, too happy that Xuan Tian had woken up to return his banter.

  Xuan Tian struggled to sit up, and Ling Yu immediately moved to help him.

  Xuan Tian struggled to sit up. His ears were ringing, his head felt like it was about to explode, and worst of all, his limbs refused to follow his will. He felt like a newborn struggling just to hold himself upright. Maintaining his sitting position was a battle on its own.

  He had woken up the moment he heard 'enemy'—as if an alarm inside his head had yanked him back to consciousness.

  Ling Yu, still holding onto him, tilted her head. "Did my yelling really wake you up?" She grinned, clearly proud that she had somehow contributed to rousing him.

  Xuan Tian’s breaths grew more ragged the longer he sat. He could only stare at Ling Yu, unable to reply. Even maintaining consciousness was difficult.

  Zhao Zhi noticed this immediately and said urgently, "Xuan Xiong, you need to lie down again. You can’t sit up like this. Your injuries will worsen. Let us help you to your room."

  Xuan Tian couldn’t even nod. He couldn’t even move. His consciousness was slipping.

  Zhao Zhi turned and called out, "Shimei, I need help moving Xuan Xiong."

  "Coming!" Xu Yun responded.

  Meanwhile, the three disciples were busy trying to open the barriers. Both Gu Tianzhu and Chen Zhaoyun were protected by a barrier that Xuan Tian had erected to shield them from the core explosions.

  Shen Qingyu stopped Xu Yun before she could leave. "Please, Xianren, help us remove this barrier."

  Li Ran crossed his arms. "Are you holding them hostage?"

  Xu Yun closed her eyes, her patience wearing thin—a rare occurrence.

  "Look at the barriers properly. Can you see that all the dust and debris are outside, while inside it's untouched? What does that tell you?" Xu Yun snapped at them.

  Shen Qingyu had already noticed that, and he had a feeling the barriers were meant to protect them rather than trap them. He quickly bowed his head. "I apologize, Xianren. We were too anxious about Shizun and Zhaoyun’s safety. But please, help us. The barriers are too strong for us."

  Xu Yun pointed at Xuan Tian. "He’s the only one who can open them. Right now, he’s too injured."

  She crossed her arms. "Help me help him, then maybe he’ll be able to open the barriers."

  Shen Qingyu looked in the direction Xu Yun was pointing, and he saw two people struggling to help a man sit up. The man was slipping back down, unable to hold himself upright. It was obvious he was seriously injured.

  Shen Qingyu made a decision. He nodded. "Okay, how do we do that?"

  Zhao Zhi, overhearing their conversation, spoke up. "It’s almost dawn. The Purple Qi is coming—we can absorb it and channel it to him. It’s not a perfect solution, but right now, it’s the only thing we can do."

  Xu Yun nodded. "Good idea, Shixiong." She turned to the three disciples. "Well?"