Li Ban was looking back at Du An, giving him a clear view of the person who had suddenly appeared.
The man had a sunken, ape-like face with somewhat twisted features.
His nose sat off-center, and his eyes slanted at different angles.
His mouth sat unnaturally close to his chin, leaving him with a philtrum nearly three cun long.
But his most striking feature was his long black robe, which fluttered continuously in the windless, zero-gravity environment of the world crevice.
'I actually ran into a black-robed priest?' Li Ban paused his attempt to retreat.
One of the greatest dangers in the Shattered Realm was the multitude of black-robed priests hiding there.
These border regions, rarely patrolled by white-robed priests, served as perfect hideouts for the Black Robes.
Li Ban just hadn't expected to encounter one on his very first trip into a world crevice.
The sudden appearance of the black-robed priest completely muddied the waters.
Even though the man mentioned finding two White Robes, his main target was obviously Du An.
Perhaps he could use this chance to slip away.
Li Ban took out his Realm-Breaking Stone again and recalibrated it for the Trash Realm.
While Li Ban made his little moves, the mangled-looking black-robed Star Glow Priest couldn't wait any longer and reached for the center of Du An's brow.
'Just as I thought. Between a Cloud Hidden Priest and a Spiritual Initiation priest, a black-robed priest will definitely go for the one with the higher plunder value.'
Seeing the black-robed priest appear right behind Du An from the start told Li Ban he wasn't the primary target.
The moment the black-robed priest struck, Du An unleashed a spell to resist.
Taking advantage of their diverted attention, Li Ban turned and bolted, flashing rapidly again and again as he sprinted toward the Trash Realm.
The black-robed priest glanced at Li Ban's retreating back, surprised that the boy could run while suppressed by his binding star glow.
The distance of each teleportation was short, but he was definitely moving.
The black-robed priest looked away. "Managing to escape under this kind of pressure... consider yourself lucky."
He focused intently on the Cloud Hidden Priest in front of him.
The black-robed priest realized that this Cloud Hidden Priest wasn't so simple either.
Li Ban didn't pause for a moment. Even when his repeated spellcasting drained the spiritual rhinoceros in his body, he merely took out a Spiritual Rhinoceros Fruit, absorbed the energy inside, and kept going.
Since he held a complete Realm-Breaking Stone, Li Ban didn't have to return through the original crevice passage.
He deliberately chose a different direction to enter the Trash Realm, avoiding the chance of Priest Huangzhi ambushing him at the crevice entrance.
After entering the Trash Realm through a different path, Li Ban immediately changed into the typical clothing worn by locals.
He wasn't familiar with this area, but luck was on his side; he soon ran into a group of people.
Pulling out the human skin mask he'd used in Hundred Flowers City, he disguised himself as an ordinary wanderer to ask for directions.
The team was highly vigilant when they first saw Li Ban approaching.
They only allowed him to get close after confirming he was alone and that no other groups were nearby.
"Where are you heading?" The squad leader, holding a hybrid submachine gun that fired both lasers and bullets, looked Li Ban up and down.
"I'm just a wanderer, with no clear destination. Are there any larger settlements nearby?
I'm looking for work. I haven't eaten in a day."
If he said he wanted to buy supplies, they might try to rob him.
However, after scrutinizing him, the adventure squad leader simply said, "You don't have a single trace of metal on you. Are you a one hundred percent natural human?"
Li Ban raised an eyebrow. Good heavens, seeing that he had no money, the other party had actually taken a liking to his body.
His literal physical body.
Li Ban had heard from Nana and the others that some people in the Trash Realm trafficked natural human bodies to the wealthy folks in Trash City.
Some harvested blood and organs, while others collected limbs, skin, and more.
Their main selling point was constant renewal and replacement.
A completely natural human like Li Ban, who looked so young and brimmed with cellular vitality, would be highly favored by the elderly elites.
Seeing Li Ban remain silent, the man leveled his gun directly at Li Ban's head. "Count yourself unlucky today. We usually don't rob people, but it's been a while since we made any profit."
While the leader held Li Ban at gunpoint, another member casually took out a different gun and screwed on a new muzzle attachment.
"Thwip!"
A thin, cylindrical dart struck Li Ban's neck with precision, instantly injecting its liquid payload.
It was likely a tranquilizer gun.
However, Li Ban merely mobilized the remaining spiritual rhinoceros in his body and easily neutralized the anesthetic.
While the others waited for him to collapse, Li Ban nodded. "Count yourselves unlucky today. I usually just ask for directions, not rob people."
"Hum!"
A Terror Spell crashed down, and the man holding the tranquilizer gun was the first to fall.
Before the group could react, the second person dropped. By the time they realized what was happening, the third and fourth had fallen—
Because Li Ban hadn't used the Terror Spell often and wasn't as proficient with it as Shrinking Ground to an Inch, some of his targets got lucky and only passed out. Those who were unlucky had their organs ruptured and died with blood seeping from their orifices.
A minute later, only the squad leader holding the hybrid submachine gun was still standing.
"Priest... my Lord... I..."
His legs trembled violently. No matter how stupid he was, he knew he had provoked a priest.
In the Trash Realm, which priest wasn't surrounded by a horde of followers?
Why would one dress in rags and walk alone in the wilderness like Li Ban?
The leader realized his desperation for money had made him foolish; he hadn't even bothered to test the waters first.
Li Ban stayed his hand for the moment and looked at the terrified squad leader. "Where is the nearest settlement?"
The leader hurriedly dropped his gun and pointed a shaking finger in a certain direction. "That... thirty minutes on foot that way is the Western Base."
'So I ended up near the Western Base.'
Li Ban raised an eyebrow. An idea flashed through his mind, and he nodded.
"Good."
With a final Terror Spell crashing down—this time with a heavier hand—he sent the squad leader straight to King Yama.
Li Ban swept his gaze over the bodies littering the ground and realized they really were quite poor.
Even the laser weapon in the leader's hands was blinking with a low-energy warning.
He shook his head, righted a modified motorcycle, and turned it toward the Western Base.
Although he wasn't involved in the sale of the "Trojan Horse" bullets, Priest Zhong Ye and the others had kept Li Ban informed of the details. They wanted him to know they were executing his orders carefully and secretly, ensuring that the business dividends were fair and transparent.
Because of this, he knew that Priest Huangzhi had planted an overseer at the Western Base.
All business matters were compiled and reported to Huangzhi by this person.
Li Ban had actually met the man when discussing the details of the crevice expedition with Priest Huangzhi.
A thirty-minute walk took him less than ten minutes to cover on the motorcycle.
Night had just fallen over the Trash Realm. Due to the lack of energy, people in many areas had already closed up their stalls and gone home.
Li Ban asked a few more people for directions and quickly located the vendor who secretly sold the "Trojan Horse" bullets under the guise of repairing equipment.
By this time, the vendor was also starting to close up shop.
Li Ban didn't approach him; he merely tailed him from the shadows.
He was becoming increasingly proficient with Shrinking Ground to an Inch.
With every flash of movement, he appeared in the vendor's blind spots, completely evading detection.
Shadowing the vendor all the way to a certain underground tunnel, Li Ban finally spotted the overseer.
Once the vendor finished his handoff and walked away, the overseer prepared to head back to the Northern Base. At that moment, Li Ban suddenly appeared and knocked him out. He then swapped into the overseer's coat and helmet, grabbed his backpack, keys, and energy canister, and walked out the other end of the tunnel.
Outside, he glanced around and soon found the motorcycle the man had hidden in a pile of discarded trash.
After slotting in the energy canister and turning the key, Li Ban hit the ignition. Man and machine shot out like a gust of wind.
Li Ban already knew the relative positions of the Northern Base and the Western Base.
The two bases were far apart. Even with the throttle wide open, he had to drive completely through the night before spotting the hidden markers of the Northern Base.
'This should be the rear of the base.'
As Li Ban drove closer, a slit opened up in the ground.
"Password!"
Someone shouted at him from inside the crack.
Although Li Ban had been collaborating with Priest Huangzhi, he didn't actually know detailed operational info like passwords.
He ignored the demand, tapped his helmet, and continued driving closer.
A gun barrel extended from the gap. "Give the password, or I'm firing."
'I wanted to sneak in, but it looks like I'll have to force my way through. Huangzhi better not have run off.'
Just as Li Ban prepared to accelerate and ram through the checkpoint, he suddenly recalled the conversation he had overheard between the vendor and the overseer. Probing, he said, "1499."
The gun barrel retreated, and an underground ramp opened up nearby.
"You brat, joke around like that again and I'll really shoot next time!"
It seemed the overseer and this guard were of equal rank. The hierarchy within Priest Huangzhi's faction was extremely strict; people of different ranks almost never joked with each other.
Ignoring the gatekeeper, Li Ban drove straight to the end of the tunnel.
The moment he stopped and dismounted, someone came up to take his backpack.
"I need to see the Priest," Li Ban said in a hoarse voice.
To his surprise, the person taking the backpack froze and blurted out, "Who are you?"
Li Ban clicked his tongue. Sure enough, getting too close blew his cover.
Firing off a Terror Spell, he knocked the man out, grabbed the backpack, and walked out.
Priest Huangzhi's entire faction barely numbered a hundred and fifty people; they simply lacked the manpower to set up stricter security.
Carrying the bag, Li Ban strolled right into Priest Huangzhi's side of the base.
While he hadn't been here before, the layout was similar to the West District where Priest Zhong Ye and the others resided. After walking around a bit, he easily recognized the path leading to Priest Huangzhi's quarters.
Judging by the reactions of the people he passed, news of Huangzhi's sneak attack hadn't reached the base yet.
Li Ban had no idea why Priest Huangzhi was working with Du An. But seeing Huangzhi flee in such a hurry told him their partnership was a one-time deal; otherwise, Huangzhi would have stayed to help Du An gang up on him.
Since it was a one-time collaboration, Huangzhi wouldn't abandon his faction so easily.
Unless he confirmed that Li Ban had made it back.
But the only person who could give him that confirmation was Du An.
And Du An was a little busy right now.
Li Ban didn't think the black-robed priest would kill Du An, but he also didn't think Du An could escape easily. Even if he did, he would flee toward the Wizard World.
However, since Du An had his sights set on him, Li Ban couldn't stay in the Northern Base for much longer either.
Li Ban walked briskly to the outside of Priest Huangzhi's resting quarters and, unsurprisingly, was stopped by the guards at the door.
"Why did you come here without permission?" the guard on the left asked, staring suspiciously at his helmet.
"Is the Priest in?" Li Ban asked rapidly.
"He is, but you're supposed to report to the squad leader first."
Having confirmed that Huangzhi was inside, Li Ban dropped the act entirely.
Li Ban had been here twice before. He instantly cast his Terror Spell, knocking out both guards, and teleported inside.
The priest's resting area was large and entirely empty of outsiders.
Blinking forward repeatedly, Li Ban finally reached the deepest room—a storeroom he had never seen before—and spotted Huangzhi with his back turned, packing his belongings.
The moment Li Ban saw him, he didn't hesitate. He launched a Mental Piercing, and while Huangzhi was momentarily stunned, he immediately followed up with a Terror Spell.
The double-layered crowd control completely locked down Huangzhi's reactions. Li Ban teleported behind him and, without a single wasted word, summoned his fully charged Iron-Eating Sword. Aiming directly at the center of Huangzhi's back, he instantly unleashed all of its power!
Boom!
Priest Huangzhi's flesh and blood scattered evenly across his small storeroom.
Although Huangzhi was a 5th Tier priest, he was one who rarely managed to absorb any spiritual rhinoceros in his daily life. Naturally, his physical constitution couldn't compare to that of a normal 5th Tier priest.
Li Ban had been fully prepared to follow up with other killing moves if the first strike failed.
It turned out he had severely overestimated the man's physical toughness.
A priest from the Trash Realm truly couldn't compare to one from the Wizard World.
Looking down at Huangzhi's corpse, Li Ban felt his thoughts clear up completely, as if the fragments in his mind were cheering in joy.
'Sure enough, the heart of cultivation must be firm. It's better for traitors to die early.'
Li Ban stood there for a short while, ensuring Priest Huangzhi was dead beyond any doubt, before taking a stroll around the storeroom.
Most of the items were useless to him.
However, he did pocket a few Trash City reward point vouchers and a handwritten booklet.
He teleported out of Huangzhi's quarters.
His mission of revenge had gone so smoothly that no one had even discovered the unconscious guards outside yet.
After casting the Terror Spell so many times, Li Ban had become highly proficient with it. He was gradually mastering exactly what kind of force and mental shifts would knock a person out, what would shake their soul, and what level of attack would cause their brain to instantly hemorrhage.
Teleporting the whole way back while avoiding others, he returned to Priest Zhong Ye's room.
At that moment, Priest Zhong Ye was gripping the Spiritual Rhinoceros Fruit Li Ban had given him, absorbing its energy.
However, his face was pale and his chest heaved constantly, clearly showing his unease.
"Priest Zhong Ye," Li Ban spoke up.
Zhong Ye opened his eyes and stared at Li Ban in disbelief. "Priest Ban? You've returned?"
His face filled with pleasant surprise. He even rubbed his eyes, as if unable to believe that Li Ban was standing before him again.
"Temporarily," Li Ban said with a smile, placing a wooden box on Priest Zhong Ye's table.
Priest Zhong Ye looked at the familiar little wooden box but didn't open it. "Temporarily... Did you run into trouble?"
He looked up at Li Ban. "When Priest Huangzhi came back alone today, he said you got lost outside the crevice and he couldn't find you. We were all incredibly worried. If you're in trouble, tell me. I'll do everything in my power to help you."
Li Ban patted Priest Zhong Ye's back reassuringly. The old priest's eyes were completely red.
"Huangzhi was my trouble, but I've already dealt with him myself."
"It's just that he had an accomplice. I can't stay with you all right now; if they track me down, I'm afraid I'll drag you into it."
"Priest Zhong Ye, just pretend you didn't see me today. And please, secretly notify Nana and have her bring those compiled notes to me."