The Thousand Arms Master may have been extremely strong in life, but he was already long dead so it wasn't strange that he couldn't do much. His tomb may be able to kill late-stage Sovereign Gods, but what did that matter if said Sovereign God didn't approach the tomb? Zhuan Yi's expression dropped as her heart practically sank into her stomach, but the Thousand Arms Master turned to Yao Jun.
"You, I'm going to make a deal with you. The seal on Teardrop Lake should wane about every 11 years, I don't know if that time is now, but even if it is, just using the diluted blood of my descendants won't be enough to pry it open. If you help her stave off this unnatural extinction, then I will give you what I've sealed away there. It was always supposed to be passed on to the future after all, consider this the test needed to earn it. Seeing as they've handed you those bodies so neatly, I can assure you that what lies there will be extremely useful to you. Of course, you've already completed the trials here, so you will first receive your reward."
The Thousand Arms Master tossed the deal into Yao Jun's hands in such a casual manner that he almost doubted his ears for a second. The same was true for Zhuan Yi, she was so dumbfounded that her mouth hung agape. Yao Jun was just at the Earthly Deity realm, and while he had Divine Beasts practically worshipping him, they too were only at the Earthly Deity realm.
Zhuan Yi had made a bet on him already, but she would never in a million years raise that bet to the level of entrusting him to take care of a late-stage Sovereign God. It was such a ludicrous request that it shouldn't even take a second to reject it, if you valued your life that is. But even so, Yao Jun's slightly narrowed gaze seemed to think it over for a second before he spoke up.
"Why me?"
It wasn't a rejection, it wasn't a question directed at the opposing party's sanity, it was a simple question wondering why he settled on him. The Thousand Arms Master looked a bit conflicted as he stood there, thinking about the best way to answer Yao Jun's question. In the end, he released another melancholic and even regretful sigh.
"I want to trust in his judgment, even if it's only this once. You'll understand when I hand you the reward."
Yao Jun's eyes remained narrowed as he thought it over, glancing sideways at his companions. He was already forming some guesses about what might be sealed away in Teardrop Lake, and if he was correct then it would indeed be extremely useful. But with how strong the enemy was, mistakes were not something he had room for.
"Is there any way for us to hide when we reach the area? And I mean perfectly hide, I want there to not be a single way for us to be discovered."
He once again didn't outright reject the deal, a fact that evidently surprised both the Thousand Arms Master and Zhuan Yi. He gave it a bit of thought, his pupils flitting around a bit as he seemed to scour his memories before giving an answer.
"If it was just you, then no. But if you bring along her then she can use one of my old armaments, it'll allow her to create a small sphere that will perfectly blend in with the surroundings. As long as you don't get within a kilometre of the enemy then they won't be able to spot you, I can guarantee that on my creators' names."
Yao Jun gave a slight nod of his head before descending into thought again, but a plan was already starting to form. He glanced sideways at Ba-Shei and the others again, but they simply nodded their heads strongly to imply that they would leave it in his hands. They had always entrusted their lives and futures to him, now would be no different. He nodded back at them and made up his mind, his gaze turning back towards the Thousand Arms Master.
"Alright, I accept the deal. But I won't make any promises or oaths, if things go wrong then that's just how it is."
In the past, Yao Jun probably wouldn't have accepted such a dangerous deal, the enemy they were going against was someone he couldn't handle even at his prime after all. But slowly and quietly, probably without him even noticing, he had already started to change. He had acquired true ambition and desire, and it was already germinating a change within him. But exactly where this change would end up leading was something no one could know, only time would tell.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"If things go wrong then that's just destiny, I won't go so far as to hold you responsible for the fate of a race you have no ties to."
The Thousand Arms Master was quite casual about it, or perhaps calling him understanding would be better. He wanted to avoid an unnatural extinction, but since his ways of interacting with the outside world were extremely limited he was forced to rely on others. He did the best he could in his current state, if things still went poorly then he would just be forced to accept it, such was the nature of life after all.
"Come, I'll hand out the armament and your reward. As for those three, they'll have to see if they've got the luck to receive a reward."
The Thousand Arms Master swung out his arm again, pointing it towards the central island and curling his hand into a fist once more. This time, rather than the central island floating over to them it was they who floated over to the central island, the composite island they were standing on merging into the central island.
Now that they were standing on the island, the strange dome-like building loomed over them. It was built to resemble multiple waves crashing into each other, and looking at it from such a close distance made it seem as if the various waves came alive. Even the arching structure that bobbed up and down around the entire building seemed to come alive, the flowy motions of the two structures producing a somewhat stomach-churning sensation if you looked at it for too long.
"Welcome to my sanctum. Those who can pass through the gates will receive their due reward, those who can't will have no choice but to return empty-handed. You can consider it the final trial, but you don't actually have to do anything to pass it, it relies entirely on someone else's personality."
The Thousand Arms Master waved his arm once more, not bothering to give any proper details. The shifting wall of the dome in front of them split open to reveal a two-metre tall doorway, the edges glistening with gold that twisted in tune with the rest of the building. There was no door set in the doorway but they still weren't able to see what lay beyond it, a soft green light occupying the entire doorway.
The Thousand Arms Master took the lead in walking up to the doorway, pushing his hand through the soft light to demonstrate what the others should do. The light rippled softly as his hand pushed through it but there was no other reaction, it didn't even release a smidgen of energy.
Zhuan Yi was the next one to step up, pushing her arm towards the light without hesitation. But unlike her ancestor, her arm didn't pass through the light and instead seemed to land on solid stone. She pushed with all her might, even placing both arms on the light in hopes that it would work. But it was all for nought, the light didn't even flicker beneath her palms.
The Thousand Arms Master frowned slightly, but it was uncertain whether it was due to disappointment that his descendant failed to get chosen or if it was due to her not getting accepted by the others. Whatever the case was, he reached out with his other arm and placed it on her shoulder, a similarly soft green light extending from his palm and surrounding her. Her arms finally passed into the green light, but she wasn't pleased by it, she knew that she failed, she hadn't been deemed worthy.
Ba-Shei and the others went up next, placing their hands on the light one by one. But just like with Zhuan Yi, the light refused to budge beneath their palms, firmly rejecting their advances. But unlike with Zhuan Yi, the Thousand Arms Master didn't extend a hand to cover them with light, he simply nodded his head as if he had already expected the outcome.
"As expected, they aren't interested in followers. Alright, you're the last one, come on in so that we can move on to our deal."
The Thousand Arms Master's final sentence was directed at Yao Jun, not containing the slightest doubt that he would be able to pass through the screen of light. But then again, he had already said that Yao Jun would receive a reward, and as this was his own tomb it was only to be expected that he knew a fair bit more about how things actually worked here.
"You guys wait here, we'll probably return before long."
Yao Jun stepped past Sirius and the others as he spoke, placing his hand on the light. And as was expected, his hand passed through the light without issue, it even latched onto his arm and tugged at it in a welcoming manner. The Thousand Arms Master glanced at Yao Jun's disappearing arm with somewhat conflicted emotions, closing his eyes for a few seconds.
When he opened them again, he had squashed the conflicting emotions and stepped into the screen of light, bringing Zhuan Yi with him. Ba-Shei and the others had already stepped back thanks to Yao Jun's words so he only sent them another nod before he stepped forward, his body slipping through the screen of light and vanishing into the dome.