Ba-Shei turned around as he spoke, his gaze sliding away from the girl and landing on Yao Jun. He was probably one of Yao Jun's most loyal companions, but he was also probably the fiercest one among them. He wasn't one who often gave his input on things, he was like a ravenous hound that was just waiting to be pointed at an enemy. He wouldn't question or think, he would simply fly off the leash and tear up what he was pointed at. But now he was the first one to speak up, and his expression showed that he had actually thought it over a fair amount in this short time.
"We have some information on the tomb and the trials, but relying on that alone would make us idiots. We must be prepared for the unexpected to happen, and I believe that it would be advisable to be prepared for the possibility that we alone will not be enough to protect you, My Lord. It may be shameful to admit, but I would rather endure a bit of shame for it than to risk things now that the chance has shown itself. I believe it is also advisable to keep her close, at least that way we can be sure that she isn't rampantly spreading the truth about us."
Yao Jun's knowledge of Ba-Shei wasn't wrong, his nature was indeed just as Yao Jun knew it to be. But the problem was that this nature was something that Ba-Shei himself knew wasn't suitable for the current situation. Yao Jun was weaker than ever before, and he had access to fewer allies than ever before, it wasn't like in the past where he would generally be able to deal with all situations on his own even if things got bad.
So Ba-Shei couldn't allow his nature to dictate him, he couldn't charge maw first into every situation. Doing that would inconvenience his lord, and a weapon that made things harder for its owner was a worthless one that would have to be discarded. So he forced himself to use his head, even if it meant having to admit things that he would rather keep quiet about. Yao Jun's gaze drifted towards Sirius and Little Gray, but both of their expressions showed that they supported Ba-Shei's decision, so Yao Jun nodded his head and turned towards the girl again.
"Alright, since you've spoken then I'm not gonna say anything else about it. Your reasons are also acceptable, so as long as you swear the oath then I am willing to partner up with you."
It didn't matter if her reasons were acceptable, he didn't know a thing about this girl so there was no way he would partner up with her if she didn't swear the oath. The girl breathed a heavy sigh after Yao Jun finally accepted, her dark silver eyes twinkling as she stretched out her hand once more.
"That took far more words than I expected, I hope that isn't how you deal with all conversations. I am Zhuan Yi, I do hope that you end up being a winning bet."
Zhuan Yi swore the oath while holding her hand out, her fingers curling slightly to beckon Yao Jun over. He waited for her to finish swearing the oath, but he also stood up and stepped towards her, swearing the same oath before stretching out with his own hand and shaking hers.
"No comment. I'm Yao Jun, this is Sirius, Ba-Shei, and Yin Lingzhu. Even if it's only temporary, I look forward to working with you."
Yin Lingzhu, it was a name that he felt like he used quite rarely. But that couldn't be helped, he already couldn't remember the last time he actually introduced Little Gray to someone he didn't trust so there was no need to use the other name he had given him so long ago. Zhuan Yi pulled back her strangely soft hand after a brief moment of contact, the corners of her lip turning up into the wily curve they had when she first stopped in front of Yao Jun, but he simply shrugged his shoulders when she spoke out her insinuation.
"Saying things you don't mean is quite rude, you should work on that."
"Think what you want."
Zhuan Yi didn't need to prepare anything after the partnership was agreed on, she only cast a sweeping glance across the surroundings before sitting down. A bit over a day and a half had already passed since Yao Jun's group arrived by the tomb so the time it would open was already nigh, he guessed that the time would come in less than a day.
The two were in a temporary partnership, but the way Yao Jun acted when she stretched out her hand and offered the alliance made his personality and thoughts abundantly clear. As such, Zhuan Yi didn't sit down too close to him and kept a respectful distance, twirling a small strand of the tall grass around them between her fingers as she curiously inspected Yao Jun.
"So what's your reason for delving into this tomb, I did kinda give you my reasoning so I think I at least deserve an answer to that question, no? You really don't give off the air of someone trying to gather as many resources as possible, you'd have accepted my offer almost straight away if that was the case."
The second stage of the competition had yet to open, so clearing this tomb's trial wouldn't net Yao Jun any points, only resources. And he clearly wasn't looking to acquire as many resources as possible before the second stage, so his goal had to be something else, something he deemed more important.
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Yao Jun, who had just started to quietly cultivate, or rather, draw in the surrounding Qi to feed the tiny yet ravenous fragment of his God Gate, thought about it for a second, but came to the conclusion that there wasn't really a need to hide the truth.
"My weapon broke so I need a new one, and this is a good place to make a new one, one way or the other."
The Thousand-Arms' Master, wielder of a thousand weapons, his sanctum was home to the countless weapons he had gathered in his life. There were few places in this competition where you could get a better weapon, it was an extremely enticing place for people hunting for a stronger weapon.
But in truth, Yao Jun had one other way he could get his hands on a new weapon, and that was the Bloodwind Code that had merged with his body. The Bloodwind Code wasn't just a tool to join and observe the Multiverse Bloodwind List or the Universe Bloodwind List, it could also transform into a weapon. But there was a requirement for this, something you had to do before you could transform the orb into your weapon.
And that was to feed the item blood, a little bit of your own blood and a lot of blood from others. In total, the blood of about 20 000 people was needed to feed the Bloodwind Code and have it transform into your weapon. It was something that spoke quite clearly of its creator's personality, an item forged in blood, and for blood.
He hadn't thought about using this option earlier since he had the weapon created by the Sword God's Gate, but now it was one he needed to consider. Of course, getting his hands on that much blood could be a bit troublesome, especially when he considered the average strength of the living beings that took part in this competition.
Time was something that would always pass without halt, pushing the world towards its destined future. As such, the youth sitting at the edge of the hole that served as the centre of the clearing stood up before long. A sharp glint ran through his three eyes, the atmosphere in the clearing instantly turning tense as everyone understood what was about to happen.
"It's opening, don't forget to stick close."
Zhuan Yi's expression turned slightly solemn as she stood up and stepped closer to Yao Jun and the others. Yao Jun's group also stood up, each of them stretching out their hands so that the five people were in contact with each other. Like this they would ensure that they all arrived in the same place, otherwise, they would all be scattered throughout the outer perimeter of the tomb.
The hole behind the youth released a low howling noise as an immense swallowing force was unleashed from the darkness, the youth's ashen white hair fluttering as a ferocious grin spread on his face. The swallowing force surrounded the several thousand people in the clearing and drew them all in, everyone vanishing into the darkness of the grave. And as everyone vanished, a voice rang in their ears and echoed throughout the entire tomb at the same time.
"Three days have passed, new challengers have been sent in. Trial-takers, persevere, adapt, overcome, those who reach my sanctum will be rewarded."
The pitch-black darkness of the hole overtook the vision of Yao Jun and his group, a strange sensation of falling while also being pushed up by something enveloping them for a few seconds. But a few seconds after darkness covered their vision, the fresh scent of pine trees tickled their noses, the darkness fading slightly.
The all-encompassing darkness gave way to a gentler darkness, like the dead of night illuminated by a faded moon and a mural of stars. Pine trees rose up all around them, their thick branches blotting out most of the sky so that the forest didn't receive an overabundance of light from the distant moon and stars.
The soil beneath Yao Jun's feet felt slightly moist, but the air was as dry as a desert, practically grating his throat with each breath he took. Zhuan Yi had arrived in the same place as them since they were all touching when the tomb opened, her eyes already vigilantly sweeping the surroundings. And there was a good reason for her actions, Yao Jun's own gaze drifting towards the moist soil beneath his feet.
"Here they come."
Murky bubbles started to seep out from the earth as his voice faded, one turning into two, which turned into four, which then turned into eight, propagating without end. The area around them was immediately filled with bubbles that had gathered together into half a metre tall human figures without faces. Each of these figures only had the strength of a late-stage Immortal Rebirth realm cultivator, they were below even Yao Jun right now.
But there were so many of them that they covered every inch of land around them, even hanging from the branches of the surrounding trees. Zhuan Yi and the others were already on high alert the moment the darkness around them faded so they were able to act the moment the human figures fully formed. Sirius pushed his hand down in a gentle manner, the surrounding air growing turbulent and pressing down on the figures, crushing them into tiny chunks as Little Gray took up position next to Yao Jun.
"Milord, please stay close to me, we will deal with everything."
Yao Jun gave a slight nod of his head, his gaze sweeping through the area as he observed the countless chunks that now covered the earth. The chunks only remained there for a short second before they melted and sank back into the earth, a short breath escaping Yao Jun's mouth.
"They really do just vanish back into the earth. I was hoping it might be a misconception, but it seems like this option won't work."
This particular aspect was explained in the bronze plate that had told him about this place. These feature-less humanoids would spawn endlessly inside this dark forest, new ones were already rising from the ground as Yao Jun spoke. He had hoped that they would at least leave behind some blood he could use for his Bloodwind Code, but it seemed like that was too much to ask for.
Sirius pushed down his hand once more, the newly-formed humanoids around them getting squashed once more. Zhuan Yi hadn't made a move against the figures, she knew that she needed to conserve her strength for what was to come. She swept her head through the surroundings somewhat aimlessly, eventually pointing down in a random direction.
"Alright, let's start walking, not like the direction matters much."
It was just like she said, it really didn't matter which direction they picked. All they had to do was walk, walk, and then walk some more. The humanoid figures would spawn endlessly and attack them, they would just have to resist them as they walked, and eventually, they would leave the forest. How long they would have to walk, how far they would have to walk, how many figures they had to kill, no one knew. It was just like the voice said, persevere.