"So tell me, what went on?" I asked.
Meng Hao sighed before he said, "Her soul is like I said, captured within one of the Fire Lord's incense pots. It hasn't been used or emptied, usually, they spend a long time on some random shelf waiting for the day that the Fire Lord needs sustenance, or that's what I've been told. And since he's currently in Secluded Cultivation, I'm desperately needing to grow my strength to get her back," he said.
"Why? If he's in secluded cultivation, that should give you a good time to work on yourself, why are you rushing?" I asked.
"Because he usually absorbs the Pots after he's done cultivating to cement his foundations, and I fear that she does not have a lot of time left," He said.
"Right, listen," I said, "After this trial is over I'll head out with you to rescue her. But we can't just barge in on the Fire Lord's domain like that, we'll be needing to plan for this, it's not going to be easy," I said.
"…Why are you helping me? You do know that the Fire Lord isn't someone who'll be forgiving if anyone were to cross him," he said.
"First off, I'm helping a friend, not a stranger, second thing, I also have a bone to pick with that fucker. Damn bastard had to fuck over an entire planet just for the sake of sticking it up to the Wind Lord. I don't like shit like that, especially if I'm in that said planet," I stated.
"It's not going to be easy," Meng Hao said.
"When did anything worth it ever was easy, don't worry we'll figure things out, but I have to warn you about something," I said.
"What is it?" he asked.
"The Poison God's trials aren't fair you know," I said.
"Yes, I do know, I'm not stupid or foolish enough to take on a trial that I know has no chance of survival, I'm here to hone my abilities and newfound strength, and it's the best spot since a lot of people here are strong, and I could leave with little to no witnesses," he said.
"I'm glad you realize that, when you're satisfied you should probably leave," I said.
"What about you? This is only for Poison God Cultivators, you're not planning on competing with them, I mean I do acknowledge your knowledge of alchemy but compared to… wait…"
"Finally you figured it out?" I smirked.
"Since when?" he asked.
"Since before we first met," I said
"Damn, no wonder you looked like a disfigured old monkey," he said.
"That's rude," I said.
"But it's true, damn, you looked really bad."
"Yeah, effects of the Poison God's cultivation path, not easy," I said.
Suddenly the entire room began shaking.
"Congratulations on passing the first round, that was most easy and simple I suppose. Now then, how about we turn up the challenge a notch." The voice that spoke was the one from before. And with that, the entire city-wide platform began shaking and you could feel it moving upward like a lift.
It rose and rose and kept rising until it finally stopped.
"Your next challenge is simple, however, there are limited spots. Only two thousand cultivators can survive it, not a single cultivator more. And the rules of none aggression remain the same, any direct attack aimed to take the life, harm or disable another cultivator will be considered an infraction. And three infractions are an instant elimination."
"In this trial, you'll be entering a maze, and your objective is simple, you do not even need to find an exit, because it does not exist. Your goal is to simply survive long enough for only two thousand cultivators to remain alive."
'Sounds simple… but at the same time, too simple.'
"But!" the voice said bombastically.
'Here it comes
"If a cultivator remains in the same spot for a certain amount of time, their location will be revealed to everyone around them."
"Is that really important?" muttered a guy next to me, "So what if their location is revealed no one is going to attack them, what's the point of this maze?"
That would have been a good question if not for one simple variable. The first round. Now I understand the objective behind the first round. It wasn't just to simply eliminate the other cultivators, but actually to obtain more marbles. And though the rules are clear that one shouldn't harm another, it doesn't mean not to do it. Because if you have enough marbles, you can pay off your infractions… what a cruel and cunning test,'
"And just to make things more fun, I've released a few Steel Jaw Wolves in the maze, and a couple similar Demonic Beasts in." He said.
"Hah, Steel Jaw Wolves? That's not that terrifying, this challenge should be easy, I mean anyone here could easily kill a few hundred of those, even ascendant cultivators can take on a horde of them with their hands tied behind their backs," the same cultivator from before stated.
'No, it can't be that simple. Though Steel Jaw Wolves are at the level of Soul Transformation, they have a nasty ability that defines them from other creatures. Their ability to sniff out someone from thousands of miles away. You literally cannot hide away from them. As for the cultivation bit, even if it was true, I'm sure something is going to change it."
"Now with the rules explained. If anyone wishes to leave now you may break one of your marbles right now and you'll be taken outside of the trial grounds."
Of course, the arrogance and pride of cultivators prevent them from using their heads, so no one will use the marbles to leave.
And I was right, no one left.
"Good, now that everyone is ready, prepare to go to the maze."
Suddenly, the ground under me began to slowly sink, it was a square around me that sunk down like an elevator.
"Good luck Shen Bao," Meng Hao.
"You too," I replied.
Soon, the floor above me closed and the speed at which the tile I was standing on increased as it went down.
"Disciple of Mine," I heard inside my head.
"You've come to prove your worth and power, but with your ability to neutralize poison, you've been given an unfair advantage. Thus, I must seal your prows until this trial ends."
"No need," I muttered before I pulled Shen Mo's body out and placed it next to me.
I immediately possessed him and sent my original body back into the lord of lords pagoda.
Thankfully I did so just before the light of the Maze came to view because the very fabric of space seemed to shudder and shake.
I heard a divine sense message coming from the Automaton inside the Lord of Lords pagoda.
"Master, something is wrong, the space you're currently in is completely blocking my interference, not even the Lord of Lord pagoda can be properly operated. I cannot come to your assistance.
"No worries, I already prepared in case something like this were to happen I said as I stood up and flexed Shen Mo's muscles.
I opened my Holding Bag and was thankful that it was operational, the dimensional space from the holding bags was not affected.
And just like that, I saw the maze. It was freaking huge.
Not only that, I looked up and realized that the maze was yet to fully lock on.
We were inside a gigantic square that seemed to host hundreds of millions of walls that were slowly extending and linking together making a maze that could be walked upwards downwards and sideways.
A three-dimensional maze.
Soon the walls to the maze locked together and all I could see were walls.
Turning around I didn't know which way to go. And just as I was about to take a step, a powerful purple gas spread through the maze, fully blocking the view.
The moment I inhaled it I thought I was going to perish, yet, nothing happened. The poison clearly seeped into my body and latched onto my meridians and Dantian, but it didn't affect me in the least, it just stayed there.
Before long, a howl of a wolf spread through the maze.
And then the screams and cries of cultivators dying left and right revibrated through the maze…
"What the fuck is going on?"
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