The group fell silent and looked at the lines on the ground with worry.
Finally, it was Mei Chao Bing who turned to Zhi Guan. "Senior martial brother Zhi, what should we do now?" He had some thought of his own about how he would go about this but he wasn't the one leading the group this time. And with Yang Wu Huang in the group, he also didn't dare to make a suggestion. Who knew what people would say otherwise?
Zhi Guan furrowed his brows and stared at the array thoughtfully. "My Master sent us to investigate this place. The final goal is to find out what the demonic practitioners are planning. This array is definitely a clue. It might not be finished right now but that doesn't mean that it won't be in the future.
"Maybe there are other arrays that are in the same state and would only need a bit more to be done. In that case, they might go from not being able to move from one place to another to being able to do so in the matter of just one night. And without knowing where the other arrays are, we are in a very difficult position. I'd say we should check out where this leads."
He turned to Xi Ju Hai, his expression still grim. "Can you finish the array?"
Xi Ju Hai looked at it and then nodded. "I can. It is just … we have no idea what is on the other side. Since they know that we found the array and were lying in ambush the other time, it could very well be that they had the intention of making us go through this. Our group on this mission consists of the most talented disciples that the sect has sent this time. If there is a trap on the other side, and all of us die together, then it would be a huge loss to the Teng Yong Sect."
The disciples couldn't help but feel uncomfortable when she said it like this. She wasn't wrong. The chance that this might be what the demonic practitioners were after was actually quite high. The question was whether the possible gain was high enough to make the risk worth it?
They kept quiet for a while until Zhi Guan sighed. "You're right. In that case, I'll go with a few people while the rest returns to tell my Master." He glanced at the disciples, his gaze stopping on each of them for a moment.
For the last few years, he had mostly been gone on missions so he didn't know all of them too well. Mei Chao Bing was probably one of the few that he had done the most missions with but that had also been when Mei Chao Bing had still been a child. It was hard to say how things had developed on his side now that he had almost turned thirty.
From the others, Xi Ju Hai was also somebody that he was very familiar with but that was because he had known her fiance before not because he was acquainted with her that well. The problem was also that while her level wasn't low, she was most proficient in arrays which was not too suitable for a sudden fight. She would be at a disadvantage if there was an ambush on the other side.
"Well, Mei Chao Bing, Song Mu, and Yuan Lei. I'll take you three with me."
Yang Wu Huang tensed when he heard that. Why was it these three people? He didn't think it was a good idea to let go of this opportunity to go with Zhi Guan. On the other hand, he also didn't want to put himself in needless danger. "Senior martial brother Zhi …"
Zhi Guan glanced at him. This Yang Wu Huang … he actually didn't know much about him but he knew that he didn't get along with Yun Bei Fen. While that wasn't a problem in general, he did trust Yun Bei Fen's ability to judge people. If they really didn't get along, then that most likely meant that something was wrong with this Yang Wu Huang. And they were about to get into an unknown situation where they would need to depend on each other. He could only take somebody that he could trust. "What's the matter?"
"These three people … will they be enough?" He especially looked at Mei Chao Bing when he said so, indicating that this one person probably shouldn't be counted in any way.
Mei Chao Bing didn't bother about him. He wanted to know what was going on. He would understand if Zhi Guan did not want to take him along but he very much wanted to. He definitely wouldn't jeopardize this opportunity for a confrontation was Yang Wu Huang.
Zhi Guan glanced at them and nodded. "Yes. The rest should return after Xi Ju Hai has finished the array." He turned to her, asking her to begin.
Xi Ju Hai looked from Zhi Guan to the array and then back again. "Senior martial brother Zhi, I don't want to question you but I think you should take me along. This array leads to a place where we don't know the situation. There will be an array leading back but there might also be some sort of mechanism to try and keep you there. Let me come with you so that in case this really happens, I will be able to help out."
Contrary to what Yang Wu Huang just insinuated, her worries were reasonable. Thus, Zhi Guan took a moment and then nodded. "You're right. In that case, you can come as well." He glanced at the other three people, wondering if maybe he should leave one of them here but finally decided against it.
In any case, these three had just cooperated on another mission. Even though he didn't know them very well, they should get along just fine. That would make their cooperation much better. This was precisely the type of team they needed right now. Considering the circumstances, it definitely was the best he could get.