Du An searched the area where Luca and the others had vanished. Just as he spotted an anomaly and prepared to investigate, the roar of a motorcycle reached his ears.
Turning around, he was surprised to see the contact he had lost track of earlier.
"Excellent." Du An nodded. "Now everything lines up perfectly."
The contact took a detour outside before finally returning to the Northern Base's back door.
This was a hidden entrance. Sentries were posted here daily to monitor for any approaching outsiders.
Having found his target, Du An did not infiltrate immediately. Instead, he had a shadow slave attach itself to the contact and slip inside.
This was also to avoid beating the grass to startle the snake.
After waiting outside the Northern Base for three days, he finally uncovered the identity of the person selling the "Trojan Horse" bullets.
But it was rather strange—it was actually a priest named Huangzhi.
It could not be the Leader.
No matter how powerful the Leader's soul was, he could not possibly seize the body of a Cloud Hidden Priest.
'There's someone else behind this Priest Huangzhi.' Du An immediately thought of another possibility. 'They've hidden themselves quite deeply.'
Priest Huangzhi rarely went out alone, and since he was of the same tier as Du An, secretly investigating his movements would take far too much time and effort.
Du An decided to switch to a more direct approach.
He believed that compared to the Leader and Chen Dong, who were stranded in the Trash Realm, he could offer Priest Huangzhi far more.
After observing the Alliance team Priest Huangzhi belonged to, Du An got a good read on what kind of person he was.
At dusk the next day, Huangzhi slipped away from the others and went alone to the trash heap outside the Northern Base.
He gripped the piece of paper in his hand, unable to explain even to himself why he had actually come out to trade with a priest he had never met.
The other party had not even specified the contents of the trade, only mentioning they possessed a method for him to permanently leave the Trash Realm.
If it had not been for the spiritual rhinoceros mark of a Cloud Hidden Priest on the note, he probably would have just sent a subordinate over to take a look, abandoning the matter if no one was found.
After all, priests in the Trash Realm really did not amount to much.
As a priest, Huangzhi understood the situation in the Trash Realm much better than ordinary people.
He was well aware that priests trapped in the Trash Realm were priests without a future.
This was a genuine place of exile. After the world shattered, the priests who ended up falling here were mostly those whose Wizard Embryo Fragments were inherently flawed.
Priest Zhong Ye did not know, but Huangzhi was very clear on the fact that there was a group of special priests in this world.
They were few in number and cloaked in black robes. Aside from fusing with the free-floating Wizard Embryo Fragments scattered among the world fragments, they would also directly snatch fragments from within other priests' bodies.
But the fact that even this group of people would not come to the Trash Realm was enough to show how abysmal the condition of the Wizard Embryo Fragments here truly was.
As for Huangzhi himself, he would not, and did not dare to, snatch the fragments from within other people's consciousnesses.
Whether it was a White Robe sheltered by a Wizard Lord, or a grey-robe priest without one, the moment they stole another priest's Wizard Embryo Fragment, they would instantly turn into a Black Robe.
That was not just a change in the color of their clothing; it was also a fundamental change in their spiritual rhinoceros fluctuations and the nature of their fragments.
Though Huangzhi did not understand the specific mechanics behind it, having spent so many years in the Trash Realm, he had seen white-robed priests from the outside and learned some truths from their mouths.
Although priests from the Wizard World rarely visited the Trash Realm, if they happened to pass by and discovered he had become a Black Robe, the only things welcoming him would be heavenly tribulation and the utter annihilation of his soul!
Arriving near the trash heap outside the base, Priest Huangzhi was just about to look around when he saw a brass keychain, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly stand up.
Two keys and a connecting iron chain actually walked right up to Huangzhi like a pair of human legs.
When Huangzhi looked down at it, it spun in a circle on the spot and started walking back.
"It wants me to follow a keychain?"
To be honest, this feeling of being led by the nose after arriving for an appointment was not very pleasant.
But Huangzhi pursed his lips and followed it anyway.
There was a limited number of Cloud Hidden Priests in the Trash Realm, yet he had never seen the mark the other party left on the paper before.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Priest Huangzhi followed the walking keychain deep into the trash heap, where he finally saw a man sitting on a metal rack.
His gaze swept over the man's face, confirming that he had never seen him before.
Priest Huangzhi raised the note in his hand. "I don't want to waste time. Who are you? A way to truly leave the Trash Realm? What price do I need to pay?"
Du An raised a hand, and a pristine Realm-Breaking Stone appeared in his palm.
Seeing that complete Realm-Breaking Stone, Priest Huangzhi's eyes widened.
"You... you're a priest from the Wizard World?"
Du An did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Answer my questions truthfully, to my satisfaction, and you can have this Realm-Breaking Stone. Its energy is full, and it's locked onto a minor world that possesses spiritual rhinoceros. If you can cultivate to the level of a Star Glow Priest, you will be accepted by the Wizard World."
Priest Huangzhi's heart thumped wildly with fierce temptation.
Though he was painfully aware that leaving the Trash Realm did not guarantee he could ascend to 6th Tier Star Glow in another minor world, staying in the Trash Realm meant he would never have any hope at all.
"What do you want to ask? Go ahead."
Looking at the expression in Huangzhi's eyes, Du An knew he could not refuse.
Although Du An still had a few elements, some Spiritual Rhinoceros Fruits, and other resources on him, to truly shake a person, he had to present what they desired most—something that would make them compromise even if it meant betraying their humanity.
That was why Du An had taken out one of his two Realm-Breaking Stones.
And Realm-Breaking Stones required a priest to exchange merit for them.
Whenever someone entered the Shattered Realm, they had to prepare at least two Realm-Breaking Stones.
The last time he entered the Trash Realm and fought against Trash City's army, an electromagnetic cannon had accidentally destroyed the Realm-Breaking Stone on his person.
It was only because he had a spare that he was able to smoothly return to the Wizard World after annihilating the enemy.
If he gave this Realm-Breaking Stone to Priest Huangzhi, Du An would only have one left.
However, for someone like Huangzhi—who had a bit of ambition, a bit of ability, and was incredibly self-serving—only a Realm-Breaking Stone like this could ensure he would not dare play any tricks.
"The origin of the 'Trojan Horse' bullets."
Priest Huangzhi froze for a moment, but then felt it made perfect sense.
What else did their small Ash Alliance have that could attract a priest from the Wizard World?
He just had not expected the other party to track them down so quickly.
To stay hidden, they had severed connections with all telecommunication devices, but they had not defended against the spells and various abilities of priests.
After all, abilities and spells were always unpredictable; even if one wanted to guard against them, it was impossible.
However, after figuring this out, Priest Huangzhi fell into a brief moment of conflict.
Should he give up Priest Ban's existence?
If nothing else, his three rift explorations with Priest Ban had gone incredibly smoothly.
If he told this man that Priest Ban could craft "Trojan Horse" bullets, and the man went back on his word and did not give him the pristine Realm-Breaking Stone, he could forget about ever cooperating with Priest Ban again.
But—
Priest Huangzhi looked once more at the white stone resting in Du An's palm.
That was a complete Realm-Breaking Stone!
Priests from the Wizard World appeared in the Trash Realm with decreasing frequency; this might be his only chance to ever obtain a complete Realm-Breaking Stone!
"It's from my Alliance."
Having spoken the first sentence, the rest came easier.
"Right now, the Northern Base is garrisoned by me and another team."
"That team has two priests. One is named Zhong Ye, and the other is Ban."
"Ban?" Du An paused.
Huangzhi did not know how the other man had immediately pinpointed the key figure. He nodded and continued, "Yes, Priest Ban. Furthermore, he seems to have only recently fallen into the Trash Realm. He still has quite a bit of spiritual rhinoceros on him and many tricks up his sleeve. He should be the one who designed the 'Trojan Horse' bullets. I just do not know the principles behind them."
Du An thought to himself, 'The one possessing the Virus should be the Leader, but why would he name himself Ban? Could he actually have some connection to Li Ban as well? The Ring World has been destroyed, yet the Leader suddenly became a Spirit Awakening Priest...'
Du An could not figure out exactly what had happened to the Leader and Chen Dong.
He actually already knew about Li Ban becoming a priest.
Priest Zhu Yao had found another new priest and immediately shared the news with Priest Qian Que at the Myriad Ancient Pagoda in the Unreturning Place. Du An, who had been constantly killing Corpse Worms in the Unreturning Place to accumulate merit, had also heard this news.
Naturally, he was shocked.
Du An was mostly astonished by Li Ban's good luck.
When a world completely collapsed, there was a certain probability that consciousnesses within that world could directly obtain Wizard Embryo Fragments.
But that probability was truly only one in hundreds of millions.
So while Du An was surprised, he did not find it completely incomprehensible.
'Could the Leader have been like Li Ban, obtaining an active Wizard Embryo Fragment when the world completely collapsed?'
One world, and three people obtaining Wizard Embryo Fragments at the same time.
Du An vaguely felt something was wrong, yet he could not put his finger on it.
'Forget it. No matter who this Priest Ban really is or how he got the Wizard Embryo Fragment, Chen Dong's soul is very likely with him. Besides, they've fallen into the Trash Realm. No matter how lucky they are, he is still just a grey-robe priest wearing a White Robe.'
At this thought, Du An already had a plan in mind.
He spoke to the frowning, waiting Priest Huangzhi. "Can you draw this Priest Ban out?"
"This..." Priest Huangzhi looked very troubled. He was not afraid of fighting Priest Ban, but the other man knew Shrinking Ground to an Inch; catching him would not be easy.
If Li Ban discovered he was collaborating with an outsider to scheme against him, he would probably look for a chance to exact revenge after escaping.
Huangzhi was a man who deeply cared about his own safety; he absolutely would not do something too risky.
If Du An was not clutching the Realm-Breaking Stone he so desperately wanted, he probably would have refused on the spot.
After thinking for a moment, Huangzhi tested the waters. "Didn't you say I just needed to answer your questions?"
Seeing Huangzhi's reaction, Du An scoffed coldly. "I also said it had to be to my satisfaction. Since you don't know how he makes the 'Trojan Horse' bullets, I'll just have to test him myself."
He was not going to let Huangzhi know his true motives.
Making both Huangzhi and Priest Ban believe he only wanted the secret to the 'Trojan Horse' bullets would make it easier to catch them off guard and strike when the time was right.
Watching Priest Huangzhi open his mouth with a troubled expression, Du An instantly withdrew the Realm-Breaking Stone.
"Of course, if it's truly too inconvenient for you, then forget it."
Seeing the prize he had already set his heart on vanish just like that, Priest Huangzhi's hesitation and wavering vanished right along with it.
"I have a way."
But seeing that Du An had no intention of taking the Realm-Breaking Stone back out, he let out a slow breath.
"Usually, Priest Zhong Ye steps forward for any matters concerning their team. But anyone can see that Priest Zhong Ye is slowly relinquishing power to Priest Ban. If it weren't for the fact that Priest Ban seems to have some physical issues and frequently avoids seeing people, their side's primary leader would have changed long ago."
"So, getting anyone else to draw him out would be incredibly difficult and easily arouse his suspicion. Fortunately, I have just the ability to do it."
Du An smiled. "Oh? How convenient. Tell me your plan."
Because his previous three forays into the rifts with Priest Huangzhi had yielded no results, Li Ban had gradually lost interest in entering the minor rifts.
The minor worlds connected to the Trash Realm were mostly identical to the Trash Realm itself, offering very little practical value.
Li Ban calculated the days until he would arrive at the Myriad Ancient Pagoda in the Unreturning Place. He prepared to follow the standard method used by other priests: searching for Wizard Embryo Fragments and energy sources in the Shattered Realm normally, and then using a Cubic Heaven and Earth to bring them back to the Trash Realm.
Right now, he still held four Spiritual Rhinoceros Fruits; his need for spiritual rhinoceros was not quite so pressing for the time being.
—
So when Priest Huangzhi invited him to explore a rift once again, Li Ban's first reaction was to refuse.
Priest Huangzhi seemed to see through Li Ban's thoughts and said with a smile, "Actually, the energy in my Realm-Breaking Stone is running low. I estimate it'll be useless after another trip or two. Although the haul hasn't been massive, it still holds a certain amount of value."
"How about this? We explore one last time. We'll finish what we started, and after that, I'll look into other methods."
"Priest Ban, I've truly been glad to work with you," Huangzhi finally said with a smile.
Li Ban calculated the time it would take to reach the Unreturning Place and felt there was still enough time for one more expedition.
"Alright then, we'll hit the rift one more time. After that... I might be busy for a while and won't be able to come out as often."
Hearing this, Huangzhi grew even more certain that he had to strike during this next trip.
"Good. I'll keep a close eye out for a suitable rift these next few days."
Three days later, Priest Huangzhi sent someone to inform Li Ban that he had found another minor rift large enough for the two of them to pass through.
Just as before, Li Ban first found Nana and the others to arrange contingency plans in case of an accident.
Although Li Ban possessed a complete Realm-Breaking Stone and did not need to worry about getting lost in the rift, he was still concerned about running into unforeseen circumstances that might temporarily prevent his return.
The others expressed no issues. Only Nana looked a bit embarrassed, speaking in a small voice. "Priest Ban, I'm sorry. I've been improving it for so long, but I still haven't been able to help you achieve a complete read."
She thought Priest Ban had been frequently risking trips into the rifts to perfect the Reader. Furthermore, when Priest Ban made his arrangements today, he had also told her to halt her improvements on the Reader for now, saying he would think of another way.
Looking at the savior of his current body, Li Ban smiled gently. "It's not your fault. You don't need to apologize."
"The Reader's computing power isn't a problem that can be solved in a year or two. I already have another method, but thank you for teaching me how to operate and improve the machine all these days."
Only then did Nana break into a smile. Looking up at Priest Ban's face, she silently swallowed the drool that was threatening to spill out. "Okay, Priest Ban. I've already organized all my study notes. I'll give them to you as soon as you get back."