CHAPTER 59 — The Wolves Close In
The morning sun filtered through the canopy as Lin Xuan's group departed the alchemy competition city. The city walls receded behind them, replaced by a winding dirt road leading toward the next marked location on their map. Spirits were high. Mu still carried her badge proudly, occasionally running her fingers across the embossed symbol of a Three-Star Alchemist. Bai spun his spear over his shoulder, humming, while Wen reviewed the route and distances between landmarks.
For a moment, the world felt calm.
Too calm.
Lin Xuan sensed it first.
His footsteps slowed, and the group instinctively mirrored his pace. The forest ahead was quiet—unnaturally so. No birdsong. No rustling leaves. Even the wind felt stifled, as though something massive held its breath.
Then Bai stopped walking.
"…Do you feel that?"
Wen frowned. "The air's too still."
Mu stepped behind Lin unconsciously. "Someone's watching us."
Not someone.
Many someones.
Lin Xuan's fingers tightened around the shaft of his spear. "They're here."
The moment he said it, the forest erupted.
Black-robed figures shot from the tree line like shadows given form, killing intent so thick it was almost tangible. Behind them, corrupted beasts—bears, wolves, and apes with eyes clouded by demonic qi—charged with bone-rattling roars.
Dozens.
No—hundreds.
Mu's heart clenched. "T-This… this isn't a hunting party…"
Bai's expression hardened. "This is a purge."
Wen's voice trembled despite himself. "They're not after all of us."
"No," Lin interrupted, stepping forward. "They came for me."
He had known this day would come.
Ever since Elder Qiu vanished.
Ever since the demonic sect hunted for the mysterious cultivator responsible for producing a Celestial Grade Pill.
Even though no proof existed…
…they believed it was someone from Cloudsky.
Someone around Lin Xuan's age.
Lin exhaled slowly. "I'm going to draw them away."
Mu's eyes widened. "Lin—!"
Bai stepped forward, spear raised. "We fight together!"
"No." Lin's voice was iron. "If they kill me, they may leave the rest of you alone. If you stay with me, they'll wipe all of you out."
"Lin—!" Wen choked out.
But Lin's aura surged, a tidal wave of qi pushing all of them back several steps.
He wasn't attacking them.
He was protecting them.
"Live," Lin said softly. "Wait for me."
Then he turned.
And vanished.
---
The demonic cultivators roared in delight when he ran. Like starved predators sensing their prey, they lunged forward, a cloud of killing intent rushing after him.
The forest blurred around Lin as he sprinted. Trees snapped behind him under enemy attacks. Explosions erupted, shaking the valley floors. A destructive barrage chased him through the wilderness like a storm trying to swallow the sun.
He could hear them:
"Don't let him escape!"
"Close the gap!"
"He's the one! He must be!"
Lin ignored them.
He raced toward the nearest ravine—a place dense with rocky terrain and narrow tunnels. The terrain would delay them, give his friends time to escape.
But then—
The artifact on his head—the disguised helmet—suddenly pulled downward.
"What—?!"
His head jerked violently.
BANG!
He slammed face-first into a valley wall.
The impact was so sudden it stunned him. His vision blurred. His nose throbbed. He blinked, dazed.
The artifact pulsed again.
A deep hum vibrated through his skull.
"…You want me to go in?"
No answer.
Just another pulse.
And the faint outline of a symbol glowing on the rock wall.
Before Lin could step back—
"FOUND HIM!"
A black wave of demonic cultivators descended from above.
Lin spun and raised his spear—
Too slow.
Their combined strike hit him squarely in the chest.
BOOM!!!
The blast launched him backward, straight into the rock wall.
Stone shattered behind him.
The world spun.
He tumbled through darkness.
When the dust finally settled, Lin pushed himself upright, coughing dirt from his lungs.
And then he froze.
He was no longer in a valley.
He was in a tomb.
A vast underground hall lit by ancient spirit pearls. Murals of celestial beasts lined the walls. A giant stone sarcophagus sat in the center, its surface carved with runes depicting stars and planets.
A presence stirred.
And the artifact on Lin's head began to glow.
A voice echoed from the emptiness.
"My Divinity Vessel… has returned to me."
---
The stone coffin cracked.
A spectral figure rose from within: an elderly man with white hair and eyes like distant galaxies. His body was translucent, flickering like candlelight.
"Who dares disturb my rest?" the apparition murmured.
Lin opened his mouth—
But the demonic cultivators burst through the shattered wall and rushed in.
"Kill him before he escapes!"
"Take his head—!"
The Saint raised a hand lazily.
A wave of invisible force swept outward.
All intruders froze mid-step.
Lin stared in disbelief as dozens of powerful demonic cultivators were immobilized as though submerged in frozen time.
The Saint looked amused. "Weak."
With a flick of his sleeve—
BOOOOM!
The entire group of demonic cultivators was blasted out of the tomb, hurled through the remains of the valley wall like ragdolls.
The entrance resealed behind them.
Silence filled the chamber.
Then the Saint turned fully toward Lin.
"Little one," he said, voice calm, resonant. "You wear my artifact… though you lack the strength to understand it."
Lin stood shakily. "S-Senior…"
"No need to speak."
The Saint waved a hand.
"Your body is wounded. Your enemies are relentless. You need protection."
A swirling portal appeared behind Lin—a shimmering gateway filled with mist and starlight.
"My pocket dimension will shelter you."
Before Lin could protest, the Saint flicked his wrist.
"Rest. Cultivate. Grow."
Lin was thrown inside.
The portal closed.
And darkness swallowed him.