If they all left the village, how would they manage their savings?

Moreover, when Su Yue and the others established the village here, it was because there were new people who could join the village and become part of the fighting force.

Secondly, it was also because there were unknown edible plants distributed as wages!

Zhou Xing's heart sank immediately. He glanced at Yang Tian and asked, "Yang Tian, I know you killed the Monster King, but there are many wild beasts outside. Leaving would be very unwise!"

"That's right! At least the village ensures some level of safety!" Li Minghao was the first to speak.

Su Yue frowned slightly, looked at Yang Tian, and said, "Kid, what do you mean by leaving?"

"It seems, Mr. Su, you've already given it some thought!"

When Yang Tian saw their reactions, he paused, then smiled and said, "I'm not just talking about leaving the village. I mean leaving this entire death-laden world!"

Silence.

Complete silence.

Those who had been lively and animated moments before now turned to stone upon hearing Yang Tian's words. Everyone froze in place.

Even Su Yue, who had suspected something along the way, couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

Su Yue opened her mouth, looked at Yang Tian, and asked, "Kid, you… you're not joking, are you?"

Yang Tian didn't respond directly but instead revealed a small jug with a faint face etched into its surface.

As soon as the jug came into view, it emitted a shimmering glow. Then, to everyone's astonishment, it slowly floated into the air, pouring liquid into a glass right in front of Yang Tian.

The room fell into chaos!

Even Su Yue couldn't help but feel a tinge of curiosity and excitement!

Watching a jug pour itself wasn't unheard of!

If a monk grasped even a fraction of energy, they could achieve such a feat!

But the question was: Where were they right now?

This was a sealed-off Dead Zone, a land suffused with death.

Here, even a slight manifestation of magic power was all but impossible, let alone making a jug pour on its own!

And yet, Yang Tian managed to do it in front of everyone—which could only mean one thing: Yang Tian could use magic! It also implied that Yang Tian could wield this power to break the barriers of the universe and possibly escape this accursed place!

This also suggested that Yang Tian might be able to retrieve the Magic Crystal from the Universe Ring and initiate a teleportation spell to send them out of the Dead Zone!

Anticipation and excitement swept through the crowd!

Almost immediately after this revelation, the sound of the glass hitting the ground echoed across the room as excitement overwhelmed many, rendering them unable to even hold onto their glasses!

No one was more exhilarated than Su Yue.

As a once-renowned Monarch and one of the first to set foot in the Death Kingdom, Su Yue bore deep-seated resentment toward the Demons lingering in these lands.

In the past, Su Yue longed for escape but could never figure out how.

Every attempt ended in despair, and eventually, despair turned into hopeless resignation.

But now, for the first time, Yang Tian placed hope right before his eyes. How could he possibly remain calm?

Like an excited child, Su Yue immediately jumped to his feet and rushed to Yang Tian. He grabbed the glowing jug and asked with trembling excitement, "Is this real? Am I an old man dreaming?"

"Would I lie to you if it weren't true?"

Yang Tian smiled faintly and said, "Although I haven't been here for very long, I've shared hardships with all of you. Even though I have always adhered to the philosophy of cultivating the heart of a Taoist while resisting the entanglements of worldly matters, at this moment, I am willing to take you all with me!"

Upon hearing Yang Tian's words, the gratitude everyone felt for him for killing the Demon King and ending the Beast Tide was elevated to admiration and reverence.

As Yang Tian stated, they were all Devil Taoists. Naturally, they understood the meaning of that identity!

A Devil Taoist's duties, when phrased elegantly, are about following one's heart; stated bluntly, it's about pursuing self-interest at all costs.

For Yang Tian to possess such abilities was his own blessing. He could've used it as leverage, demanding others pledge a Spiritual Imprint or allegiance through Devilish means.

Ultimately, that kind of power could attract countless Demons—and even Su Yue and others could've fallen prey.

Had Yang Tian chosen to exploit them, his following would've been vast and terrifyingly powerful!

But he didn't. Which proved that Yang Tian was neither selfish nor driven by greed.

Then there was Chenghua's second son, Cui Hao. He stood out among the group, evaluating himself with self-conscious humility. He mused that he didn't consider himself particularly special—merely an ordinary man.

His mother passed away when he was young, and his father, consumed by personal matters, offered little support. He grew up under the care of his aunt and uncle. At seventeen, he avoided drawing attention to himself—but life always seemed indifferent to his efforts. At eighteen, he felt cursed: This life, he believed, was his great transgression.

"Born into this world," he whispered to himself, "I owe every breath I draw."

The taboo of family weighed heavily. Conversations about his mother turned sour and resentful. For years, silence enveloped the topic, and he began to accept that ignorance was perhaps less painful than knowing the truth.

And yet, he had just turned eighteen—or perhaps it was twenty? He couldn't keep track anymore. He envisioned his life as a suffocating routine: studying strategy hopelessly, working tirelessly, being bound to mediocrity. Marriage to someone equally average loomed as inevitable. The thought of such a future left him in despair. He refused to exchange his remaining years for a mere existence.

It was then, watching Yang Tian's demonstration, that a newfound hope sparked within him.

Far below the cliff's edge, the whirlpool of shadows—the abyss—beckoned. Ann Hao, standing nearby, teetered on the precipice, caught between fear and some inexplicable pull.

"Should it end here?" he whispered. "No… this is just the beginning."

…

A bell rang suddenly. Not the ordinary chime of dismissal—no, this bell echoed like the call to war. Students surged into classrooms as though fleeing for safety.

I followed, yawning and rubbing my tired eyes, trudging home at a sluggish pace. While most dove into the mechanics of new lessons, I floated through the hours in a dreamy haze.

Out of nowhere, a pig darted past me, snapping my thoughts back into focus! A startled yelp escaped my lips as I instinctively dashed after the chaos.

The culprit revealed himself—a large, rotund man with crumbs still scattered across his grinning face. This was my old friend, Focatani Aya, affectionately nicknamed "Fat Pig." With his enormous belly, he easily exceeded two hundred pounds.

"Oh, Fatee," I grumbled, rolling my eyes and patting his shoulder weakly. Before I could turn away, he immediately latched onto me, placing his hefty arm around my shoulders.

"Hey, kid, how many classes you skipping these days?" Fatee laughed.

I jabbed my elbow playfully into his belly, which jiggled in response. The sight made me cringe, yet it also filled me with a strange fondness. Why, I thought, does someone like him exist?

Fatee chuckled, rubbing his belly as I glared. "Six classes. I'm in the sixth class. What about you?"

His eyes widened. "Sixth class? With your head teacher? Ours is some smoky old geezer! God, why didn't they put me in your class!"

Watching him lament dramatically, I tilted my head upwards and laughed.

Then, lowering his voice, Fatee leaned in conspiratorially. "Did you hear? Eighth-grade senior Zhang Qingyi jumped off the summer school building. Suicide!"

For a moment, I was stunned. The name Zhang Qingyi rang a bell—one that echoed with memories of effortless top-tier exam scores.

"How'd you find out?" I asked, my curiosity slipping in despite myself.

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