The sage was determined to die.

Hearing Yan Ming say this, Ji Bai was somewhat puzzled, but this doubt was quickly dispelled.

Gongsun Yang gained Wenxin through his own efforts, but Yan Ming did not. The former's connection with him was obviously much stronger, and therefore he suffered much more from the influence of Yan Ming.

However, Gongsun Yang was unaware that Ji Bai had shielded him from some harm. After feeling much better, Gongsun Yang felt much more relaxed.

He looked at Ji Bai, and for some reason, his trust in the other person gradually increased.

"What are your plans next?" he asked.

Ji Bai gazed into the distance, looking at something not far away, and suddenly said, "Let's run away."

Yan Ming: "Huh?"

……

A foul stench of burning filled the air, a stench so strong it seemed to solidify.

The skeleton, which had not yet been completely burned, still vaguely revealed that it was a giant tortoise in life.

The girl covered her nose and squinted at the thing, then suddenly asked, "Do you think it still has a chance to come back to life?"

"I'm not used to giving overly definitive answers," Ji Ying said. "However, I think it's probably impossible, isn't it?"

"Are you so sure?"

Ji Ying shook her head and said, "In your words, this is also a kind of scientific approach."

He spoke slowly, each word deliberate: "I chopped him up many times to make sure he didn't come back to life before I let it go."

The girl slowly gave him a thumbs-up.

Then, she slowly lowered her hand and said in a very soft tone, "The ritual has begun, but the situation is quite unexpected."

"What happened?"

The girl chuckled softly, "It's different from what I imagined; not many people died."

Ji Ying glanced at her, and although the girl's expression was very gentle, he could still detect a hint of gritted teeth.

He smiled and suddenly said, "It seems you've already lost this tug-of-war."

He was met with a cold, piercing glare from the girl.

"But it's okay."

Ji Ying's cold gaze gradually warmed up. He reached out a hand to hold his mask, but did not take it off.

Seeing his actions, the girl couldn't help but retort sarcastically, "You care that much about your face, huh?"

Ji Ying naturally sensed the sarcasm in her words, but she didn't care. Instead, she nodded and said, "Yes."

"Oh, I thought you'd been using the same excuse so much that you'd started to believe it yourself."

The girl stared intently at the burning flames, her gaze unwavering, remaining silent as she watched the leaping flames.

After a while, she stretched out her hand, and her neat palm cracked open with alarming gaps, which then slowly closed again.

The skin and flesh disappeared, the bones and flesh dissolved, but not a drop of blood flowed.

It felt like being swallowed whole by an invisible monster.

She seemed completely oblivious to the pain, simply staring at her hands without saying a word.

Her actions were not kept secret from those around her, and naturally, there was no need to.

Seeing her actions, Ji Ying suddenly asked, "Doesn't this hurt?"

He was met with the girl's indifferent gaze; she seemed to be able to pinpoint his face precisely through the mask, and there was even a hint of mockery on her face.

"It's alright. Actually, I'm more curious about your face," she said. "Doesn't it hurt to be burned every day?"