The sage was determined to die.

The group split up and walked without any formation.

"Speaking of which," Ji Bai said, suddenly looking puzzled, pointing at the group, "did we really need to be so secretive?"

Yan Ming didn't immediately understand his words and asked, head down, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Ji Bai looked away and muttered, "isn't your posture a bit too lewd?"

Yan Ming: "..."

After he said that, everyone realized what was going on. They were all considered lucky ones who had drawn the lottery, but they walked like conjoined twins and even covered their faces with their hands.

And the number of people in the team is decreasing.

When everyone was running away, they naturally didn't have time to care about the lives of others. With Ji Bai intentionally or unintentionally letting them off the hook, the already disunited team became even more like a pile of loose sand.

Seeing that something was wrong, many people immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

However, Ji Bai didn't care about that; in fact, fewer people were more advantageous to him.

In his words, there's no need for so many people to farm dungeons.

Although Yan Ming neither understood nor respected the man, since the man had already made such a boast, he didn't ask any further questions.

In fact, the group hadn't gone very far, and hadn't even gone outside the large circle of Wulibi.

Ji Bai's casually made compass was merely a facade and had no real function. What truly allowed him to sense the existence of other literary spirits was his inexplicable intuition.

He glanced down at the crooked fragment in his hand and thought that perhaps this thing wasn't entirely useless.

He didn't chase after those who got separated from him. He also didn't pursue those who remained with him.

Looking at the scattered crowd, Ji Bai suddenly asked, "How much pain can you endure?"

Upon hearing his words, everyone almost reflexively recalled the pain of having the fragments of Wenxin pierce their bodies, their hearts aching, yet they stubbornly replied, "Of course...of course we will do our best..."

Ji Bai looked at Gongsun Yang, who nodded at him and followed Ji Bai's gaze to a cave.

Gongsun Yang swallowed hard. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but the cave looked eerily dark and strangely shaped, emitting a faint, fishy stench, like a giant beast lurking in the darkness, the kind that has never brushed its teeth.

"Boss," Gongsun Yang began, "what's inside..."

Ji Bai, being a riddle enthusiast and genuinely unsure of himself, asked, "Would you like to give it a try?"

Remembering what Ji Bai had told him before, Gongsun Yang did not hesitate and immediately put his words into action.

Ji Bai didn't follow. Watching the figures walking in twos and threes, he seemed lost in thought.

Yan Ming naturally didn't follow. It wasn't because he already had Wen Xin and wasn't interested in others, but rather... he always felt that Ji Bai wasn't the kind of person who would sacrifice himself for others.

"Are we really not going to follow them and check it out?" Yan Ming began his skillful probing. "What if something unexpected happens?"

"Cold salad."

Ji Bai frowned slightly, looking at him with some surprise. "Have you changed your personality?"

"What do you mean?" Yan Ming asked.

"I never knew you had this quirk of being a good person before?" Ji Bai said.

Yan Ming: "..."

He didn't remain silent for long. Soon after, a shrill scream came from the cave entrance. The sound was so familiar that Yan Ming instinctively shuddered.

"Damn!" he exclaimed in shock. "He's dead already?"

"He died with quite a bit of energy."