The divine tree possessed no divinity at all. Instead, it was like a bloodthirsty demon, ravenously consuming the essence, qi, blood, and souls of these captives, draining them completely until they were nothing but rotten flesh, unworthy of even becoming zombies.
Witnessing the gruesome deaths of their fellow disciples, the other captives were already terrified. They fell to their knees, begging for mercy, their cries and wails a stark contrast to the imposing demeanor they had displayed upon entering Daqing Mountain.
The Grand Tutor's complexion only slightly improved after killing over a dozen people, indicating the severity of the deep wounds inflicted by Yan Shouyi. He would need to slaughter thousands more to fully recover.
However, he did not rush to regain his strength. Instead, he raised those vital roots and suspended them above the heads of the remaining captives.
"These individuals are still too weak. The nourishment they can provide me is only slightly more than that of ordinary people."
"It's a shame I don't have full confidence in dealing with Yan Shouyi yet, otherwise, I would have already gone on a rampage..."
"If I could lure more powerful individuals into Daqing Mountain and bring them before me, my recovery speed would surely increase dramatically!"
After murmuring to himself for a while, the Grand Tutor lowered his head, looking down at the righteous individuals kneeling in supplication.
"Do you wish to live?" he asked coldly.
The terrified people nodded frantically, as if they wished to crawl over and lick the Grand Tutor's feet.
What about eternal fame, what about immeasurable merit, all of it was fake!
Life was real!
Only when their lives were truly threatened did they understand fear, and that fear instantly overcame reason, turning them into the cowards they despised.
Seeing these righteous figures in such a state, the Grand Tutor chuckled.
If Yan Shouyi were here, even knowing he couldn't win, he would never beg for mercy.
Not everyone could be Yan Shouyi.
From this perspective, the Grand Tutor rather admired Yan Shouyi.
"I can give you a chance to live, or perhaps, a chance to be reborn," the Grand Tutor said lightly. "But I require you to abandon all your past beliefs, join my disciples, and regard me as supreme. Can you do that?"
The righteous individuals fell silent. Their past beliefs lingered in their minds, and the scriptures and Buddhist texts they had read countless times cried out in their hearts, urging them not to fall.
But facing the threat of death, their beliefs became a joke.
Some looked up at the terrifying vital roots, then at the corpses of their fellow disciples beside them. In an instant, their faith crumbled, and absurd thoughts arose in their minds:
The world has been this way for so long, why not try to change the dynasty?
If the Grand Tutor can truly overturn the world, wouldn't we become great contributors by becoming his right-hand men now?
Who decreed that this world must belong to the great sects and folk cults?
Would letting Yan Shouyi and Yu Lumen defeat the Grand Tutor bring us our chance to shine?
This extreme thought spread through their minds, quickly causing them to lose their reason.
"I... I am willing to pledge allegiance to the Grand Tutor!"
"As long as I can live, I'll do anything!"
"I am willing to believe in the divine tree and regard the Grand Tutor as supreme!"
More and more people began to submit, sincerely kneeling before the divine tree.
The Grand Tutor narrowed his eyes, quite pleased with their reactions.
Having lived for over a thousand years, his greatest skill was not his strength, but his understanding of how fragile the human heart could be.
With a little guidance, the human heart could be transformed into a formidable force.
Dozens of righteous individuals all surrendered to the Grand Tutor.
The Grand Tutor nodded slightly, as if a thought had occurred to him, and said lightly:
"From now on, do not call me Grand Tutor. Call me... Sovereign."
Everyone looked confused.
"This is the ruins of the Qingjiang Kingdom, and I am the Sovereign of Qingjiang. I will lead you to expand our territory, and in the future, the entire world will belong to Qingjiang!!"
The Grand Tutor flashed a manic smile. The world was what he desired, and power was the source of his ambition.
Once, in Qingjiang Kingdom, he was a nobody, less than an ant. Because of his weakness, his loved ones died in the most humiliating way. From that moment on, he vowed to seize the position of Sovereign of Qingjiang Kingdom... no, he wanted more, he wanted the world!
This obsession lingered in his heart, driving him to strive for it for a thousand years, at any cost.
"I... Jiang Wuya, will become the sole King between heaven and earth!!!!"
Only at this very moment did he finally utter his true name.
Jiang Wuya swept his gaze across the people below and said coldly:
"Send rescue messages to your friends, tell them to come to Daqing Mountain to save you."
The crowd looked bewildered: "Sovereign, and then what after we lure them here?"
"No need to ask, someone will naturally bring them to me!" Jiang Wuya sneered.
Looking at the undead figures beside them, the crowd felt a chill in their hearts.
Yet, they proceeded to contact their friends as Jiang Wuya instructed, asking them to come to Daqing Mountain to rescue them.
Thus... the second team to enter Daqing Mountain was soon to be formed.
...
"There's news about the missing people?"
Yan Shouyi received a call from Yu Lumen and was shocked to learn that there was news of those who had entered Daqing Mountain.
According to their speculation, these people should have been dead long ago.
"I find it very strange too. They contacted us at the same time, all stating they were trapped by a formation within Daqing Mountain, lost many companions, and urgently need rescue."
Yu Lumen also felt that things were not that simple, but as the head of the Taoist lineage, he could not ignore the calls for help from his fellow disciples.
Even now, it was two days earlier than Yan Shouyi's original seven-day deadline.
But fortunately, most of the Xuanmen's strength had already been assembled in Xichuan. It should be about time to launch an offensive on Daqing Mountain now.
Yan Shouyi pondered for a moment and said into the phone to Yu Lumen:
"I will fly to Daqing Mountain tomorrow morning to lead everyone in encircling the Grand Tutor."
Yu Lumen frowned: "What about me?"
"As the head of the Taoist lineage, you cannot risk going to Daqing Mountain," Yan Shouyi replied. "Let me handle this first encounter."
Yu Lumen was not satisfied with Yan Shouyi's answer and explanation.
Precisely because he was the head of the Taoist lineage, he felt even more strongly about going to Daqing Mountain to lead the disciples of the great sects in eradicating demons and evil.
But Yu Lumen was also a man of reason. He knew that both he and Yan Shouyi were the cornerstones of the Xuanmen. If either of them fell, the other would have to shoulder the burden.
Eggs could not be placed in the same basket, so it was likely that they were destined not to fight side by side, and one of them had to remain to hold the fort.
After careful consideration, Yu Lumen said in a deep voice:
"You are right, we absolutely cannot have an accident at the same time... Therefore, let me take the lead!"
Yan Shouyi was stunned: "What?"
"You are the true trump card, and the Grand Tutor fears you the most, so you cannot be the vanguard!" Yu Lumen stated unequivocally. "Let me go! If I fail to emerge from Daqing Mountain, you are also the possessor of the Dragon-Tiger Secret Text, and you are the only one who can inherit the position of Celestial Master!"
If Yu Lumen died, most of the great sects would likely submit to Yan Shouyi.
But if Yan Shouyi died, the folk cults might not necessarily recognize Yu Lumen.
Therefore, Yu Lumen believed that if one of them had to take the risk, it had to be him!!