Presage of disaster.

The sudden arrival of the duo made them the focal point of everyone's attention, they were like the pebbles that disturbed the lake's peaceful surface. And out of all the people present, the ones who reacted the strongest to their arrival were Ba-Shei and Sirius. The two practically seethed to life, the hairs on their necks rose so fiercely that it almost looked like their cervical vertebra was about to pop out through their skin.

"Calm down. This is not the time to act on emotion."

Yao Jun's voice was like cold water that poured down on his two companions, if he didn't make a move then they knew that it wasn't the place for them to do so either. But they knew, they knew that Yao Jun was probably the angriest one among them. They hadn't really lost anything due to Lang Kong, at most they had lost contact with their comrades. But Yao Jun had lost his family, the state of his parents and daughter was still unknown, they might even be dead for all they knew.

"They're among your enemies?"

Zhuan Yi eyed Lang Kong and Zang Qin somewhat curiously as she directed the question at Yao Jun. He wasn't exactly showing a great outburst of emotion, but this was the first time she had seen his eyes turn so cold and violent. He had barely shown any reaction when he was standing in front of the Thousand Arms Master but now he was seething like a subdued inferno, just barely kept in check by the thin veneer of a cool mind.

"I don't know the woman, but the man certainly ranks amongst my enemies..."

Yao Jun couldn't help but unconsciously trace his chest as he muttered out a response, the simple action telling Zhuan Yi just how deep their feud went. She had seen Yao Jun's chest, he had removed his shirt while fighting the Thousand Arms Master after all, and he only put it on right before they left the tomb. So she had seen the massive scar, it looked as if his entire chest had been torn open. It was on the level that it was amazing that he was still alive, the best end you could meet after receiving such a wound was usually to end up crippled.

"It seems we've arrived a bit late, and here I thought we were already rushing as fast as humanly possible. But I am quite relieved to see that the seal doesn't seem to have been broken, would you mind filling me in on what sort of deals have been agreed on here?"

While Yao Jun's group was quietly and coldly observing them, Lang Kong addressed the four groups that were already present. He was facing four, possibly more, fighters who all had strength at the very peak of the Sovereign God realm, but there wasn't the slightest trace of nervousness on his face. The woman at his side also didn't seem bothered by the natural pressure that was emitted by all the people present, she simply swept everyone with an inquisitive and gauging gaze.

The four people in charge of their respective groups also returned the inquisitive gaze, gauging the threat-level of the newcomers. Mao Tangye from the Basilisk's Tail and the feather-tattooed Chengong Ao didn't react much to their presence, but the expressions of Ya Rong and Kuanyin Shen sank quite heavily after they spent a few seconds inspecting the two newcomers.

"You should be the Empress of Diligence, correct? And if I'm not wrong, then I believe you should be one of the Lang clan's Young Masters? Lang Tian Kong, no? I haven't seen you on the Multiverse Bloodwind List, but my father told me that the Lord of Elements has actually graced you with a visit once?"

Yao Jun paid great attention to the low voice of Kuanyin Shen, any information he could get on his enemies was valuable to him. But sadly, what he mentioned wasn't of much importance to Yao Jun. He didn't know about the Lord of Elements, and while he knew that the rank of Empress was two ranks above his past Prince rank, he didn't actually care that much about the woman since he didn't know her.

But whatever his feelings on the matter were, it was clear that the information was quite a bit more important to Chengong Ao and Mao Tangye. Their expressions also chilled rapidly, their gazes returning to the duo as they made sure to inspect them thoroughly. Lang Kong didn't seem bothered by the other party's knowledge, maintaining his calm as he gave a small nod of his head.

"Correct. I've long been told many stories of the Worldheart Dominion's Woodsoul clan, but it seems like our information network underestimated yours, I didn't expect you to know that much. So, would anyone be willing to include us in the plans? I do believe that we deserve a fair shot at the treasure, no?"

The four groups seemed somewhat unwilling but still gave Lang Kong and Zang Qin a simple description of what they had agreed on. The duo listened quietly, Lang Kong occasionally sweeping the surroundings with faintly narrowed eyes. The two shared a look after they heard the details of the deal, Zang Qin casually picking a spot close to the lake's shore and waving her hand towards it.

"Alright, we'll position ourselves around this area. I'm really curious about how you guys intend to break the seal, do give me an amusing show, won't ya?"

Zang Qin took a step to the side as she spoke, both she and Lang Kong vanishing from their previous position and arriving at the side of the lake. She sat down and crossed her legs, leaning against one of the many weeping willows as she placed a wooden pipe between her lips and lit it up. Unlike the others, she didn't look the least bit interested in breaking the array, but that fact alone was enough to make Yao Jun pay a bit more attention to her.

Calm people like this were always troublesome, because more often than not they were this calm because they either already knew the path forward or because they simply didn't care about what was ahead. If there was a morsel of comfort to be found then it was that Lang Kong didn't share her calmness. He separated from her as she sat down, his brows wrinkling slightly as he walked along the shore of the lake and inspected the area.

Silence returned to the lake and its surroundings, but the stone had already disturbed the surface of the water so the ripples were already spreading. The four other groups were noticeably no longer as calm as previously, the number of hushed whispers increasing by the minute. But everyone was still clearly wary about making the first move, the different groups simply observing and investigating the array in a cautious manner.

This was perfectly fine for Yao Jun's group, right now what they were looking for was time, the warier the opponents were the better it was for them. And in the end, they proved to be wary enough for Yao Jun's bet to pay off. The communication orb in his interspatial ring vibrated as it was contacted, but the voice that reached him from it didn't belong to Little Gray, it belonged to the Thousand Arms Master.

"Boy, from what I recall, I said that there was no need to return if you failed."

The voice didn't contain any displeasure or anger, he was simply repeating what he had said earlier without bothering to put too much emotion into it. But Yao Jun's eyes still narrowed, because this voice was not the one that should come from the communication orb.

"We haven't failed. Where's Little Gray?"

He wasn't lying, they indeed hadn't failed yet, it could only be called a failure when all of Zhuan Yi's kin died. But that thought was at best a side-thought, something discarded almost instantly when faced with the main issue.

"He's here, unharmed too so you can drop that sharp edge in your tone. So, you want me to hand over the way to open the seal, despite not having provided proof that you've accomplished your end of the deal."

The Thousand Arms Master responded in a tone so casual that he didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by how sharp Yao Jun's own tone had been. But that was probably only to be expected, he had probably faced so many people who threatened him while he was still alive that he was beyond feeling anything about it.

"And you're asking me to save your kin without providing proof that the reward is actually useful to me."

Yao Jun had his guesses as to what was actually sealed inside the lake, but he didn't have any proof, so his words were once again not lies. Both he and the Thousand Arms Master were just betting, one on the fact that the other could save his descendants while the other bet on the usefulness of the reward. The Thousand Arms Master was a bit silent in the face of Yao Jun's simple rebuttal, but before long the communication orb vibrated once more.

"...I hate giving out rewards for jobs that aren't complete. I can hand over the way to open the array, but I refuse to let you just waltz in and acquire the reward while abandoning my descendants, that would most definitely fall under the unnatural extinction category."

His worry wasn't unfounded, what sort of rational person would dip their head into a matter like this if it wasn't for the lure of the reward? Once that lure was removed, nine out of ten people would likely just abandon the mission since they had already gotten what they came for.

"Firstly, you'll swear a Faith-bound Oath that you'll focus on saving my descendants before you try to take the reward. A Faith-bound Oath is an oath where you include something from yourself that carries a certain amount of weight to others, it'll drag them all into the oath, so you can forget about weaselling your way out of it without some loss. Secondly, I'll be keeping your friend here, consider it a second layer of insurance so that you won't forget your duty."

Yao Jun had managed to avoid swearing an oath earlier, but things were bound to change as the situation itself also changed. Yao Jun's eyes narrowed somewhat sharply as he heard about the oath, the corners of his lips lifting into a thin sneer.

"Heh, you keep going on and on about the fact that you only want to avoid an unnatural extinction, but you're clearly more worried than you want to admit, that's probably why you're hazy."

It was quite a vicious type of oath, if you broke it then you were basically dragging down everyone who believed in you, it was beyond just betraying the person you were making a deal with. Yao Jun turned his head slightly to lock eyes with Ba-Shei and Sirius, both of them nodding their heads without a single trace of worry.

"But fine, just know that I'll dig out even the roots of Tartarus to find you if a single hair on my friend's head is hurt. I swear, on the faith placed in the name of the Nine Heavens Demon God, that I will focus on rescuing your kin before I make a move on the thing sealed in the lake."

When it came to faith, then it was this title that Yao Jun felt was the most appropriate. The title that was given to him in his home universe, it could be considered tantamount to his own name by those he considered close to himself. After all, he was the demon god chosen by his companions, so what other thing did he have that possibly carried more weight?

"Heh, big words for someone who has no idea about the true depths of Tartarus. But Nine Heavens Demon God, huh, it's a name that's far too grand for a little boy like you, the ones that gave it must have been quite weak."

The voice of the Thousand Arms Master sounded quite amused, while Zhuan Yi looked at him with her eyebrows raised slightly. She had originally bet on him having a rather great secret, but for it to be one that had granted him the title of demon god? Yao Jun didn't bother saying anything to her raised eyebrows, listening closely to the Thousand Arms Master's explanation.

"The secret to opening the seal is actually quite simple, it was designed to be opened eventually after all. There are three specific drops of water in the lake that you have to interact with at once, doing so will open the array and reveal the hidden space within the lake. But only those three drops must be interacted with, it won't work if you touch any other drops at the same time."

The communication orb released a very faint stream of energy while the Thousand Arms Master spoke, this was the energy that those three drops would unleash so they could use the sensation to track them. Yao Jun and the others memorize the sensation of the energy, Yao Jun's eyes rolling slightly as he started working on a plan.

"But let me give you this one warning, you have to remain hidden if anyone other than your group gets their hand on the sealed treasure. There will be such a surge of energy at the end that if one of your enemies gets to control it then they will be able to decimate everyone else present."

The voice of the Thousand Arms Master was uncharacteristically solemn as he gave this warning so Yao Jun and the others would have to be fools to disregard it. Yao Jun nodded his head rather calmly, but this meant that another risk had been added to their situation. Make the others fight, use the confusion to save the hostages, but also make sure that none of the others got their hands on the treasure too quickly, otherwise, everyone else would die.

"Are we going to open the seal immediately? If so, I need to absorb him first so that he won't be at risk of getting hurt by any remnant waves of energy."

Zhuan Yi also knew the risks, but those were just things they had to weather to accomplish their goal. The man she spoke of was the one whose head was still resting on her lap, he had regained consciousness long ago, but she kept him silent since he couldn't add much here. Yao Jun rubbed his chin softly for a second as he thought, eventually shaking his head as his gaze settled on the resting man.

"No, I'm not going to open it just yet. Instead, tell me, how strong are his nerves?"