Jinshen hesitantly stood up, his eyes were wide and filled with fear, the people that were in here with him had suddenly disappeared which made him feel uncomfortable since he was now alone with the Grand Marshall.
Suddenly, the glass that had the Grand Marshall behind it, broke into pieces making Jinshen jump away out of instinct as he immediately took a fighting stance, his body was taut and prepared for a fight despite knowing he would get killed without even making the Grand Marshall try.
The broken pieces of glass had not fallen to the ground as one would expect, they were floating in the air as someone slowly floated out, the mere presence of that man making Jinshen unable to think about any plans to run away or defend himself as he fell to the ground and put his forehead on the ground, his body trembled, knees buckling under the weight of his fear as he was barely managing to breath as it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest,
I must bow.. I don't want to.. But I must... The peak of the Murim is in front of me..
The man had long, silky white hair that reached below his ankles. His right eye was a glowing golden which was shining with an ancient Qi beyond Jinshen himself while the left one was a bright crimson, the color of blood. His face seemed to be a statue, immaculately sculpted to perfection, to the point it was unsettling.
He was wearing a flowy black robe that had hints of crimson across his shoulders and neck. It was trimmed with a bright red embroidery, he was bare footed which seemed strange to Jinshen but for him, it wasn't time to focus on aesthetic details, there was a man who was called the God Of Carnage in front of him
Focus Jinshen.. That man is basically a god..
Suddenly Jinshen was made to fly into the air as he almost let out a yell before he was held by the throat by a hand made of pure blood red Qi that squeezed so tightly it felt like Jinshen's head would pop off any moment as he realized his mistake.
I haven't greeted him! Shit!
He grabbed onto the fingers of the hand instinctively his head was feeling more and more light as the nanomachines in his body tried desperately to try and help their Master, but Jinshen had previously ordered them to not interfere so they were helpless but thankfully, Jinshen managed to stutter out.
"All hail the Crimson God... Sovereign of Shadows and the one who Dances with Death..."
The Grand Marshall looked at him silently, his expression was the definition of cold and stoic, it was like he had destroyed the world but was bored by it. He slowly put his hands behind his back in a relaxed manner.
The Qi hand let go of Jinshen's throat, instead grabbing the back of his collar and flying him over to The Grand Marshall who finally spoke, his words surprisingly soft but not in a pleasant manner, it was like the whisper of death, sending shivers down Jinshen's spine.
"Good job, Molten Mutt. You managed to amuse me—if only for a moment—by roasting your backside on those rocks. Not too crispy down there, are you? If so I can set you down on some ice to heal you.."
He said so with such a calm and stoic expression that Jinshen thought he was seriously asking if his ass was burnt or not, making him want to make a snarky remark but he just awkwardly smiled in response, not having the courage to speak which The Grand Marshall noticed, probably putting into his mind for later taunting.
"You passed the first trial, the Trial of Endurance. You proved you're quick thinking and physical endurance, now you're mental endurance and strategy will be tested. In this trial you'll be with other dung-faces. So little piece of advice from me."
Jinshen's eyes widened as he immediately nodded in fervor, thinking that this would be life changing advice that would make him stronger or more likely to survive, seeing this The Grand Marshall's lips upturned into a slightly mocking smirk.
"Be sure to kill as many as possible, then you'll be able to have their rations."
Jinshen immediately went deadpanned as he blinked a few times to process what The Grand Marshall just said before he realized the hint the Grand Marshall had hidden inside his sentences, rations.
Rations? Does that mean we'll be in there for more then a day?
Before Jinshen could think further he was suddenly in the middle of the bright sky, outside of the pit on top of a large labyrinth as his eyes widened in fear and shock letting out a loud yell, flailing around as he fell rapidly towards the ground, the wind whistling past him.
"Damn you!! Grand Marshall!!"
Suddenly he was grabbed by someone and was set on the ground, laying on his stomach as he breathed heavily staring up at the sky, his heart was racing so fast he thought it might as well just come on out of his chest.
A man was beside him, sat at his feet staring at him, the man was completely covered in head to toe with black bandages that even covered his eyes. He had a long sword on his back that was also wrapped up in the same bandages.
"Enter the labyrinth."
He spoke in a surprisingly calm and gentle voice that still had authority in it that made Jinshen comply with ease.
Jinshen silently dusted himself off before hastily walking into the labyrinth and as soon as he stepped through the entrance, the walls started shifting and morphing, where there were passageways was now filled with in and where there were walls, there were now passageways.
This made Jinshen's eyes widen in surprise as he took a few moments to process what had just happened before he immediately shook his head, his expression turning to one of determination and focus.
Alright, lets go. And Nanomachine, I might need you this time around so that I don't die..
He took a deep breath before starting his journey through the labyrinth, he heard the chuckling of the Nanomachine start as the silver liquid came out of his pores once more, but this time it was starting to crawl around, splitting into a few drops as it started to look around.
I thought you didn't need me to help master.
He paused for a moment as he frowned in a mix of embarrassment and annoyance as he clenched his fists for a moment before continuing to walk
Just shut up and do as I say.
The Nanomachine chuckled in a smug and mocking manner, it was enjoying that its master finally gave into his temptations, but it was also somewhat proud.
I'm proud ya know. That you managed to control yourself, baby steps count too ya know.
Jinshen sighed deeply, putting his right hand on the wall as he started walking, the labyrinth itself was unnaturally large, the walls were thick and a dark black color, same as the floor. There was a glass ceiling above the labyrinth itself that was slowly turning black, blocking more and more of the sun, almost a timer, an hourglass of sorts.
The liquid nanomachines that was ejected from his pores was coming back to him and when Nanomachine had fully analyzed the information that they brought, its taunting and slightly mocking tone dropped completely as it spoke in a serious and worried tone.
Exercise Caution Master. Multiple Hostile People Detected.