Xuan Tian was stepping down from his bed when Mu Qingran blew the whistle. His senses sharpened immediately. He knew what that sound meant—reinforcements.
Although he couldn't think of a single reason for this young girl to call for backup, Xuan Tian sighed in relief. This, I can handle.
His instincts kicked in, shifting into protective mode. Without hesitation, he stood up and swiftly pulled Ling Yu and Li Ran behind him, shielding them as his gaze locked onto the entrance, prepared for whatever was coming next.
But he hadn't anticipated Ling Yu to hold her ground. She had no idea what that sound meant, and she certainly didn't feel the need to hide behind Xuan Tian. The sudden pull caught her off guard, and she jerked backward, her hands flailing in search of something to steady herself.
Her fingers found Mu Qingran's shoulders.
Instinctively, she grabbed hold, pulling Mu Qingran along with her. Mu Qingran yelped in surprise as she was dragged forward, her balance tipping precariously.
And at that exact moment, Wu Zhenhai entered the bedroom.
He saw the Princess being pulled forward. His instincts kicked in, and he immediately identified the most dangerous threat in the room. His decision was instant—Xuan Tian was the source of the problem. But before anything else, he needed to secure the Princess.
He grabbed Mu Qingran's other shoulder and yanked her back, breaking her free from Ling Yu's grip.
With nothing to hold onto, Ling Yu started falling backward.
Xuan Tian reacted instantly, catching her before she could hit the ground.
But Wu Zhenhai wasn't done. After pulling the Princess to safety, he stepped forward, his fist launching toward Xuan Tian.
Sensing the incoming attack, Xuan Tian dodged effortlessly, shifting backward while keeping Ling Yu with him. Li Ran, caught in the sudden movement, lost his balance and fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Wu Zhenhai pressed forward, fully believing Xuan Tian to be a threat. What he didn't realize was that Xuan Tian had briefly unleashed his killing intent when the first strike came his way.
Though Xuan Tian's current cultivation was lower than Wu Zhenhai's, he was vastly more experienced in combat—whether empty-handed, armed with a sword, spear, or anything else. He met Wu Zhenhai's blows one by one, never backing down.
After several exchanges, Wu Zhenhai became more alert. This man was clearly at a much lower cultivation level, yet he could meet his attacks without difficulty. His fighting skills were far superior.
They had exchanged several dozen moves when, finally, the two female cultivators regained their focus.
"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Both yelled in unison.
Ling Yu was afraid Xuan Tian's injuries would flare up again. She stepped forward to stop the fight, just as Wu Zhenhai was in the middle of launching an attack—too late to halt his strike.
Xuan Tian saw Ling Yu moving into danger, and his body reacted on instinct. He circulated his spirit energy in an instant, meeting Wu Zhenhai's fist with his right palm while simultaneously pulling Ling Yu into his embrace with his left.
When palm and fist collided, a shockwave of spirit energy burst through the room, shattering the furniture around them.
Both Xuan Tian and Wu Zhenhai were forced backward—Xuan Tian retreating three steps, while Wu Zhenhai staggered five.
"What's going on here?!" Gu Tianzhu's voice rang out as he stepped into the room, his face etched with shock.
Ling Yu, her arms still wrapped around Xuan Tian's waist, looked up at him. "Iron Wall! Are you okay?"
"Shengzun!" Gu Tianzhu called out urgently when he saw Xuan Tian spit out a small trace of blood.
I'm fine." Xuan Tian wiped the blood away with the back of his palm. "Really, I'm fine." He repeated the reassurance to Ling Yu, who looked at him in disbelief.
He straightened up and turned to Gu Tianzhu. "Who are they?"
Gu Tianzhu bowed and saluted. "Shengzun, this is Princess Shenxing of Wusheng Empire, Mu Qingran, and her bodyguard, Captain Wu Zhenhai from the Imperial Cultivation Enforcer Bureau."
"See?" Ling Yu suddenly interjected. "It is very easy to answer a question. If you had just answered, this fight wouldn't have happened and Iron Wall wouldn't have gotten injured again!"
Mu Qingran looked murderous. Her face twisted, and she opened her mouth to retort, but seeing that no one spoke up to defend her, she clenched her fists and stormed out of the room, wailing loudly.
Wu Zhenhai closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them again and called out, "Princess, please wait." Then he bowed to Gu Tianzhu, gave a long glance at Xuan Tian, and swiftly left the room to chase after Mu Qingran.
Gu Tianzhu had been paying close attention to Xuan Tian's expression when he introduced Mu Qingran. He expected to see a flicker of recognition—something—but there was nothing. Not even the slightest reaction. He began to doubt himself. Have I been wrong this whole time? If he's not one of the Ancient Immortal Saints of Wusheng Empire, then who is he?!
Xuan Tian, unaware of Gu Tianzhu's thoughts, exhaled. "What happened after I lost consciousness?" But before he could get an answer, Gu Tianzhu suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed deeply.
Xuan Tian frowned. "Gu Zhenren? What are you doing?" He glanced at Ling Yu, hoping for some explanation, but she looked just as confused as he was.
Gu Tianzhu kept his forehead low, his voice heavy with guilt. "This lowly Immortal apologizes, Shengzun. This lowly Immortal has failed you."
Xuan Tian, still uncertain about what was happening, reached down, placing his hand under Gu Tianzhu's clasped hands, lifting him gently. "Gu Zhenren, please. Don't do this. If you believe you have done something wrong, explain it to me."
Gu Tianzhu bowed again before rising. "Thank you, Shengzun. I had to use Tie Yanfang's core in order to save myself and my second disciple. Please punish me, Shengzun."
Xuan Tian blinked in surprise. "You don't need to apologize. I do not own that core. When I extracted it, I only wanted Tie Yanfang to feel the same pain as his victims. Nothing more."
"But because of that, Shengzun's recovery was delayed," Gu Tianzhu responded.
"Huh? No, you got it wrong, Zhenren," Ling Yu interjected.
Xuan Tian and Gu Tianzhu turned to her, waiting for her to explain.
She crossed her arms. "It was me and Zhao Ge who decided not to use Tie Yanfang's core."
She looked at Xuan Tian. "We knew you would never agree, so we chose not to use it."