The sage was determined to die.

This scene clearly startled everyone.

"What's going on? What was that thing just now?"

Upon seeing that their leader, Yan Ming, had been kidnapped, everyone panicked, and their formation instantly scattered like an anthill hit by a stone.

However, having come to this point, no one was a fool, and for a moment no one was stupid enough to try to run away. Everyone kept backing away, as if they felt safer only by sticking together for warmth.

As everyone gathered, they subconsciously glanced at Gongsun Yang. They saw that this man was not afraid at all; instead, his eyes flashed with a strange light, making him look like a bad person.

He turned to look at them, his expression sinister, his voice hoarse: "What are you hiding for? Do you think I'm going to eat you?"

"You were scared by this noise?"

Yan Ming, though unsure of himself, maintained a calm and collected demeanor, his all-knowing air inspiring awe in others.

"You guys better watch out." Gongsun Yang licked his lips, his smile chilling. "Anyone who dares to leave will be next."

……

On the other side, the people who had disappeared all went black and lost consciousness the moment they fell into the river.

Immediately afterwards, a choking, suffocating sensation rushed towards them as river water poured into their mouths and noses, and a tingling, spicy, and stinging pain instantly made them open their eyes.

Then, they witnessed an even more horrifying scene.

Whether intentionally or not, the group was not scattered or dispersed, but remained gathered together, as if they were just a handful of bait that had been casually grabbed.

Before long, they were able to breathe freely in the water, but the scene before them made them wish they could not see it. Countless corpses lay before them like seaweed, and among these corpses sat a person... or rather, that person was more like a breathing corpse.

The man opened his eyes, and his handsome appearance suddenly became terrifying and eerie.

The moment Yan Ming saw the person open their eyes, he seemed to lose control and collapsed to the ground, trembling as he said to the person before him, "W-how is it you?"

Suddenly, someone behind Yan Ming couldn't help but tug at his sleeve and ask, "Brother Yan, do you know this person?"

"Ji Bai." Yan Ming trembled even more violently after uttering those two words, his fear causing the water around him to ripple. "Aren't you the most intelligent and talented prodigy of our Qi Kingdom? Are you dead?"

Ji Bai was stunned. His gray-white eyes looked like a corpse coming back to life. His voice was extremely rough, as if it had been rubbed hard with sandpaper, mechanical and stiff.

Do you know me?

Ji Bai slowly twitched the corners of his mouth, his crimson lips looking as if he had just swallowed a mouthful of blood: "Then answer me, why am I here?"

Yan Ming's breathing quickened, and he subconsciously said, "You leave alone..."

The next second, a pale yellow crystal struck Yan Ming's right arm, and the sharp, piercing sound seemed to pierce everyone's eardrums.

"Ahhhhh—"

Yan Ming was in so much pain that he wanted to roll around. In everyone's eyes, the arm that had been hit was rotting at a speed visible to the naked eye. The wound was so deep that the bone was visible, and in the blink of an eye, it was covered by a layer of stone.

Only then did everyone realize that the group of corpses were also in a petrified state.

The terrifying young man before him said softly, "Wrong answer, but you still have a chance..."

His gaze slowly shifted to the crowd, looking at their limbs, hands, feet, and heads...

"Who should we choose next?"