But when Li Ban reached this point in his thoughts, he only had a vague idea; he still couldn't fully understand what he needed to do.
However, he quickly thought of something else—a matter currently known only to him and the Director.
The Spatial Teleportation Portal.
This product of technology and spells had only been obtained after the Director sacrificed several Priests.
One of the ways the Director provided assistance was by using this Spatial Teleportation Portal to send Li Ban and the others as deep into the Sea of Monsters as possible.
Once they were out, they could find an opportunity to detonate the Spatial Teleportation Portal. By harnessing the power of tearing space itself, they could kill the powerful monsters nearby or temporarily incapacitate them.
Of course, detonating the Spatial Teleportation Portal also meant there would be almost no turning back for Li Ban and his group.
The final outcome of such a desperate gamble had to be crossing the Northern Continent Rift.
If the Director learned about the Spatial Guidance Art, might he come up with new ideas and create even more powerful equipment combining technology and spells?
Since this was insect territory, bugs occasionally burrowed out of the ground to attack them.
To ensure Li Ban and Zhu Yao recovered to their peak condition, the other three barely rested all night, staying constantly vigilant against the emerging insects.
Neither Li Ban nor Zhu Yao told them that these insects had likely once been humans just like them.
That would only add unnecessary hesitation and distress, and it wouldn't make the insects' attacks any weaker.
Fortunately, since they were at the foot of the peak, the bugs were few in number.
The next day, the three who had kept busy all night climbed onto the black dragon's back to catch up on sleep.
Meanwhile, Dila, having slept through the night, flew up into the air to let the three rest properly.
Having fully replenished his spiritual rhinoceros and completely shed his irritability, Li Ban prepared to enter Heaven Beyond Heaven for a second time.
Prepared this time, he and Zhu Yao went straight to the summit of Heaven Beyond Heaven right from the start.
"I will cast the Heart Protection Spell on you first," Zhu Yao said.
This was one of the preparatory measures she and Li Ban had discussed the previous night.
The Heart Protection Spell wasn't a particularly difficult art, but it kept a person's emotions completely stable for a period of time.
Most of the time, Priests had no use for it.
However, when tempering their minds or undergoing advancement, Priests often used it to ensure a calm state of mind.
In Heaven Beyond Heaven and the space resembling the Nihility State, spiritual rhinoceros was unusable, meaning spells and related abilities were naturally rendered useless.
Therefore, they could only prepare as much as possible beforehand.
Aside from the Heart Protection Spell, Zhu Yao cast most of the mind-guarding spells she knew on Li Ban.
Under this massive layer of mental and psychological defense, Li Ban felt for a moment as if he had lost all desires and worldly attachments.
He had to repeat the purpose of his trip over and over in his mind, lest he turn back halfway out of excessive caution.
Afterward, Li Ban entered Heaven Beyond Heaven once again.
Thanks to his previous experience, he quickly adapted to his nebula state and rapidly charged upward.
He swam upstream with ease, soon entering the empty zone between Heaven Beyond Heaven and the Unreturning Place.
But the moment he arrived, Li Ban halted. Had Zhu Yao not shielded him with so many spells, he probably would have been greatly shocked.
In just one night, the number of insects here had multiplied.
And not just two or three times over. They had multiplied by tens or hundreds of times, swelling to a terrifying scale entirely beyond calculation.
Li Ban stood calmly at the entrance, looking up at the densely packed monster bugs surging toward the top in unison, looking as horrifying as a plague of locusts.
Fortunately, they still abided by the rules here and did not actively attack other insects.
Some of the insects that had just emerged from the water even intentionally bypassed him after noticing his massive size.
‘If there is a large-scale insect assault, the number of bugs entering the Unreturning Place will definitely exceed the past,’ he thought. ‘So, the scene before me is an insect swarm targeting the Unreturning Place.’
‘But I only just contacted the people in the Unreturning Place yesterday, and an insect swarm happens today. Isn't that a bit too coincidental?’
With his mind completely free from frustration, Li Ban quickly pondered the possible causes behind this situation.
‘Did the act of communication trigger a backlash from the rules here, causing the swarm?’
‘No, that voice calling out to me definitely hasn't rung out just once.’
After all, it had taken days of continuous calling to finally elicit Li Ban's response yesterday.
‘Was it my use of starlight that caused an anomaly?’
With that thought, Li Ban immediately released his starlight again.
His starlight pierced straight through the layers of bugs besieging the Unreturning Place and sank into the summit.
But this time, it didn't reflect back.
Affected by the starlight, the insects ahead paused for a moment before frantically resuming their charge upward.
‘The starlight didn't return because there's no one up there to reflect it. Due to the swarm, the person who was guarding the top and calling out to me has already left.’
Li Ban looked again at the insects continuously appearing all around him and shook his head. "I definitely won't be able to contact the people on the other side today, or even in the short term."
Having made his attempt, Li Ban decisively left.
Returning to the water pillar of Heaven Beyond Heaven, he looked down. The impact force inside the pillar had significantly decreased, allowing the creatures that had transformed into various shapes to take the opportunity and rush into the upper space in large numbers.
Li Ban observed for a few seconds before easily exiting the water pillar, not even needing Zhu Yao's help from the outside.
"You're back so quickly today!" Zhu Yao was surprised, though she didn't think it was a good sign.
"What happened?"
The two conversed as they flew outward.
"The resistance in Heaven Beyond Heaven has dropped, and a massive number of bugs have entered the upper space. An insect swarm might have broken out in the Unreturning Place," Li Ban said.
"That's too much of a coincidence, isn't it?" Zhu Yao also felt something was wrong.
"My probing yesterday likely triggered something," Li Ban replied coldly.
His demeanor made it seem as if he and Zhu Yao were merely strangers cooperating for profit.
Zhu Yao knew this was the effect of the spells; everything would return to normal in about ten minutes.
"What do you plan to do now?" she asked.
"We're heading back to Wanghai Cliff." Li Ban accelerated his flight speed. "I need to discuss this discovery with the Director."
After flying for several dozen meters, Li Ban suddenly stopped, turned around, and said to Zhu Yao, "You should come along too."
Having assumed she would have to wait in the third-floor guest room again, she was surprised that Li Ban was actually taking her with him this time.
Zhu Yao suddenly felt a bit playful. "Why ask me to tag along this time? Could it be because I'm very important?"
"Of course you are important," replied Li Ban instantly, his emotions completely stable and his rationality suppressing all other feelings. "Let's hurry."
Zhu Yao pursed her lips in a smile and flew back to Dila with Li Ban.
The three who had expected to stay behind on guard for a long time found that Li Ban and Zhu Yao had returned surprisingly quickly.
The entire trip had likely taken less than five minutes.
Once again, it exceeded their expectations.
"Did it not go well?" Guo Kao asked with concern, despite looking lethargic.
Li Ban didn't answer. Instead, he sat on Dila and ordered the dragon to return to Wanghai Cliff immediately.
It was Zhu Yao who informed the three, "We made a new discovery and need to go back to discuss it with the Director."
"Can you tell us what exactly happened here?" Tail asked, crossing her arms.
Yesterday, Li Ban had said he would share the situation with them.
However, when he returned yesterday, he had been busy preparing for his next entry into Heaven Beyond Heaven and had no time for a detailed chat. Tail hadn't bothered him, allowing him to recover his mental energy.
But now that Li Ban was anxiously rushing back to Wanghai Cliff, Tail worried that something grave had happened.
"Wait just a little longer. Let Li Ban answer you," Zhu Yao said, gently patting Tail's arm to soothe her.
In just a bit, Li Ban's emotions would return to normal, and he would be able to converse with them patiently.
Although Zhu Yao also knew what had happened, she figured Li Ban might have his own intentions. She refrained from explaining on his behalf to avoid ruining his plans.
Looking at Li Ban's back and seeing that he had no intention of turning around, Tail puffed out her cheeks but eventually quieted down.
Ming Kai was also quite anxious, but he was used to suppressing his curiosity and following Li Ban's arrangements.
Faced with terrifying existences like Heaven Beyond Heaven and the Sea of Monsters, Ming Kai felt far too weak and could only drift with the tide.
Aside from obeying Li Ban's arrangements, he didn't know what else he could do.
At that moment, Guo Kao leaned over and patted Ming Kai's shoulder. "Don't worry."
A gentle smile lingered on Guo Kao's face. "Look at them. Although their expressions are serious, there isn't much worry in their eyes. Perhaps they just discovered a new situation—it might even be a good thing."
Ming Kai looked at Guo Kao gratefully and nodded.
As the only two among Li Ban's followers who regularly talked to each other, they had gone from strangers to friends over their two-month trek.
While Ed couldn't understand them, Tail played by herself, and Priest Huinv spaced out, the two of them would sit together to discuss and analyze their current situation.
In the beginning, Ming Kai hadn't thought much of it; he felt that simply following orders was enough.
He respected the strong. Previously, he had followed Vice-Captain Hemira. But after realizing that Hemira—and perhaps everyone else in the camp—were likely no match for Li Ban at all, he had decided to follow him instead.
In the past, he never had such an opportunity to follow other experts, nor would those people have taken in an ordinary person like him.
As he followed Li Ban and watched him and Zhu Yao grow increasingly powerful, he suddenly felt lost, not knowing what his role in the group was supposed to be.
It was then that Guo Kao had noticed Ming Kai's unease and taken the initiative to chat with him.
That was also when the two gradually became familiar and turned into friends.
"Guo Kao, you look very calm," Ming Kai said with a hint of envy.
Guo Kao spread his hands. "I'm not calm. Actually, I don't plan on venturing into the Sea of Monsters with you guys."
Ming Kai wasn't angry at this revelation; he fully understood Guo Kao's reasoning.
"Are you planning to stay outside with the Director to assist the Priest's operations?"
Guo Kao nodded, resting his chin on one hand as he gazed into the distance. "After all, I'm not good at fighting. Joining the group would only make me a burden. So, even if you ultimately choose to stay behind too, I won't laugh at you."
Ming Kai had indeed been wavering. He lowered his head. "I haven't made up my mind yet."
Guo Kao patted Ming Kai's shoulder again. "Whether you choose to leave or choose to stay, both take tremendous courage. But rest assured, no matter where I am, I will do everything in my power to help everyone get out."
He looked back at the mist enveloping Heaven Beyond Heaven.
And smiled faintly.