'What's going on? Why isn't he disappearing like he normally does after opening the tomb?' Lord Ji and all of the experts there wondered inwardly when the masked figure continued to stand in front of the temple even many moments after opening the tomb.
Everyone there was puzzled by the situation, but none of them dared to approach the tomb until the masked figure completely disappeared even if they had to wait hours.
Moments quickly turned into minutes. The atmosphere there had become almost suffocating with everyone nervous about this phenomenon.
The Nameless Emperor's Tomb has existed for millions of years with many experts there experiencing the tomb's opening over a dozen times, yet nobody there had seen or heard about this kind of situation.
Did the Nameless Emperor's Tomb have a sudden malfunction? Was there something different about this year's event? Nobody there could say for sure, nor were they willing to find out, as even the slightest mistake could cost them their life as long as the masked figure remained.
'Fuck… I don't feel this kind of pressure even inside the tomb!' Sect Leader Yu Jian cursed inwardly, feeling like he's already aged a hundred years in these few short minutes.
Suddenly, a voice resounded in the area.
This voice was calm, soothing to the ears, and as gentle as feathers, yet there was a strikingly domineering feeling to the tone that demanded complete obedience.
"It took you long enough to get here… How long are you going to keep us waiting? Hurry up and get this over with so that you can continue your journey, which is just starting if you just made it here."
To everyone's absolute shock, this voice came from the masked figure. Although everyone doubted their ears at first, they quickly realized that nobody but the masked figure could possibly have the audacity to speak in such a tense situation.
'The Nameless Emperor spoke…? What's he talking about? Has he been waiting for someone this entire time? Who?' Lord Ji was baffled. He has seen the Nameless Emperor over a hundred times in his lifetime but this is the first time he's heard the Nameless Emperor's voice.
Meanwhile, Tian Yanyu was baffled for another reason.
'His voice… It sounds oddly familiar… like I have heard it before…' She moved her eyes to glance at Yuan without turning her head.
'Right… It sounds exactly like Xiao Yang's voice, albeit a little more mature… Or am I just imagining things?' She didn't want to jump to conclusions so she disregarded such thoughts for now.
Shortly after the Nameless Emperor spoke, his body made of spiritual energy began to disperse until there was nothing left.
Normally, the people there would instantly rush into the Nameless Emperor's Tomb after the Nameless Emperor's disappearance, but nobody there made any movements even after he was gone this time.
'Even though you're telling me to hurry, I won't be able to enter the tomb for another five days. Sorry.' Yuan shook his head inwardly.
Eventually, the experts started snapping out of their daze, and they finally started sending people into the Nameless Emperor's Tomb.
"I will see you later, Xiao Yang." Tian Yanyu said when it was their sect's turn to enter.
"Stay safe. We will meet in five days if nothing goes wrong."
Yuan continued to wait outside the tomb until he saw Tian Yanyu enter the Nameless Emperor's Tomb with his own eyes.
Once he confirmed this, he turned around and disappeared from the scene.
"Disciple Tian, what happened to your friend? I thought he was going to enter the tomb with us." Yu Jian, who had been keeping his eyes on Yuan, asked Tian Yanyu and Tian Suyin when he noticed that he didn't enter with them.
"Something came up for him so he'll enter at a later date." Tian Yanyu explained.
"I see… How unfortunate. I would feel a lot safer if I knew that he was in here." Yu Jian shook his head.
Seeing how much the Sect Leader held a junior in such high regard, Tian Suyin could only shake her head inwardly and admit that she felt the same way.
The Jade Sword Manor would continue traveling in the Nameless Emperor's Tomb as a whole sect for a little longer before everyone split up into smaller groups, dispersing in every direction.
Tian Yanyu followed her mother and others that were going to the same destination, quickly making their way towards the Nameless Stone Warrior.
Meanwhile, Yuan returned to Meixiu and the others to let them know of the situation since he had a few more days before the meeting with Xu Jiaqi.
"There's a good chance that I might not leave the Nameless Emperor's Tomb for a while so I am going to leave behind some things for you guys just in case you want to leave the Cultivators' Haven and explore Third Heaven by yourself."
"Exploring the Third Heaven without you? That's suicide for cultivators at our level." Chu Liuxiang said with a bittersweet smile.
"How long do you think it will take?" Meixiu asked.
"At most six months, but I really hope it won't take that long."
"Half a year… Do you think we'll reach at least Spirit Grandmaster in that amount of time?" Li Jinxi asked.
"With your talents and resources, I have no doubt that you'll reach at least Spirit Lord." Yuan smiled.
"By the way, even though I won't be with you, just know that you're still being protected no matter where you are."
"What do you mean?" Meixiu raised an eyebrow.
"I will tell you about it at tonight's dinner table."
"Alright."
Later that night at the dinner table, Yuan would tell Meixiu and the others about the Nameless Emperor's Tomb and his new friend Dong Ye. However, he didn't tell them everything about Dong Ye, such as how Dong Ye was a servant from one of his past lives, as that would've made things complicated. Though, he did tell Meixiu and Chu Liuxiang since they were already aware of his past lives.
Over the next five days, Yuan would spend them in the real world with most of his time being spent in the training field or the bedroom.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time for his promise with Xu Jiaqi to be fulfilled.