Things had already reached this point; how could they not listen?
Moreover, since Lang Jiao dared to bring it up so easily now, he had surely nearly finished his research and was no longer afraid of them interrupting him.
"Since you've already finished the research, then go ahead and present it," Priest Li He spoke again. "That way we can purposefully study how to kill the new type of monster."
"If you want to hear it, just say so. You always have to use such an annoying tone." Lang Jiao's earlier smugness dissipated by half, but he still began his introduction. "As you all know, what the Recycling Station has the most of right now isn't humans, but monsters. In a world without normal energy sources, our Langhuan Camp has always been dedicated to turning monsters into our new tools. After the failure of the human-headed monsters we studied previously, we absorbed the lessons and analyzed them. In the monsters' world, an overly fragile human brain cannot withstand monster erosion for long. That's exactly why our human-headed monsters completely lost control and turned into real monsters so quickly."
Li Ban frowned as he listened from the sidelines.
He suddenly remembered the group of bandits he had discovered near the Swing Forest.
Those guys had been grafting human bodies and monsters together to control them.
At the time, the bandit boss claimed he had backing. It turned out to be Lang Jiao, located right in the center of the Northern Continent.
A Solar Priest and the leader of a powerful camp was indeed more than enough to act as a backer for bandits.
What they had been researching was clearly different from the new type of monster Lang Jiao was proposing now.
They were probably just one of the many experimental outposts that the Langhuan Camp had scattered around.
When Li Ban destroyed that group of bandits back then, it hadn't triggered any backlash.
Lang Jiao continued speaking.
"After realizing this, we decided that we needed to apply a stricter layer of protection to the human brain. What we need are monsters with rationality. Any part of the body can be mutated, but as long as the brain still belongs to a human, they are human!"
"So, we decided to take the fragile human brain out of the even more fragile flesh and put it inside an independently manufactured mechanical shell. And machinery won't turn into monsters."
"Oh, right." Lang Jiao looked at Allen. "This idea of mine was actually inspired by the Director."
The gazes of many priests turned toward the Director once again.
And the voice coming from Allen's chest remained calm. "So the reason your camp's energy converters break down so often is because you took them apart for your experiments."
Lang Jiao spread his hands. "Yeah, if you hadn't been unwilling to share the core secrets of the energy converter, Director, I wouldn't have had to go to such great lengths."
"However, I still have a few capable subordinates. They copied your technology and built consumable incubation chambers. Although they can't fit a whole person, they can fit a person's brain. Besides, in the Recycling Station, as long as a person's brain is intact, they won't die."
"We cultivate these brains in bottles, ensuring they won't die within three years, and then we connect them to the bodies of powerful monsters to control them."
"Oh, because the forms of these monsters vary so much, I unified their names for convenience. I call them Bottled Humans."
"Having become like that, can they still be called human? You people are completely insane!" Priest Yu Hai, who always bickered with Lang Jiao, yelled out again.
Facing Priest Yu Hai's questioning, Priest Lang Jiao didn't get angry. He simply raised his right hand expressionlessly, extended his left index finger, and slowly dragged it across his palm.
His nails were trimmed cleanly and neatly; he hadn't intentionally kept them sharp.
But as his fingertip swept across, a massive gash opened directly in his right hand, leaving only a thin layer of flesh on the back of his hand holding it together.
No blood flowed out. Beneath the clean cut lay equally smooth muscle, fascia, and bone—
"Priest Yu Hai, do you really think we can still be called human as we are now?"
Priest Yu Hai didn't answer. His cheeks bulged out as if he were clenching his jaw hard.
"Where are the results of your experiments? Can you bring them out for us to see?" the Director suddenly spoke up, interrupting their argument.
"They're just outside. Do you want to see them now?" Lang Jiao instantly smiled, looking at Allen. "If the Director is interested, I'd highly welcome you to join our experiment as well."
"Wait until the meeting is over."
The corners of Priest Lang Jiao's mouth curled up, as if he already saw a big fish taking the bait.
"Alright. I think you'll be very interested."
No other priests voiced any opposition, but they also didn't just agree to let the Bottled Humans directly join the assault team based on Lang Jiao's few words.
Everyone had to wait until they had analyzed the situation with the Bottled Humans before they could make any further decisions.
Fortunately, none of them felt that something as massive as leaving the Recycling Station and forcing their way through the Sea of Monsters could be resolved with a single discussion.
They had already waited for decades, even centuries; they had plenty of patience.
Whether to allow the Langhuan Camp's artificial monsters to join the assault team was an additional topic. After setting it aside for the moment, everyone began discussing another critical issue.
The Spatial Guidance Art.
However, when Zhu Yao voiced this concept, someone stood up to object.
It was the leader of the Mist Camp, Dark Moon Priest Dong Yi.
Dong Yi was a priest of the Mist Realm faction and excelled in spatial techniques; Li Ban had heard the Director mention him before the meeting started.
He had originally intended to invite Priest Dong Yi and Zhu Yao to execute the Spatial Guidance Art together, yet he never expected him to be the first one to stand up and object.
"Priest Yao, the Spatial Guidance Art probably won't yield the results you want," Dong Yi said in a mild tone, yet there was an unquestionable firmness to it. "It's just like you proposed in your concept—connecting the space of Heaven Beyond Heaven to the Sea of Monsters so that our enemies will slaughter each other first. But in reality, not only will they not slaughter each other, they will attack us indiscriminately."
Shaking his head, he sighed, "As you all know, the priests of the Mist Realm faction are highly skilled in spatial techniques. Because of that, we tried this a long time ago. But you've all seen the results—it was a complete failure."
"Tell us your other suggestions, then," Priest Lang Jiao said with a faint smile. "Since you agreed to come, it surely couldn't be just to say it won't work, right?"
Priest Dong Yi gave Lang Jiao a cold glance and didn't respond to him, but he still voiced his own suggestion.
After all, the Director had finally managed to gather the people from the major camps together at a time like this; he wasn't going to get angry with a Black Robe right now.
"I think rather than connecting Heaven Beyond Heaven with the Sea of Monsters, it would be better to connect the White Strait over to it."
Everyone had stayed in the Recycling Station for many years and naturally understood the White Strait very well.
Priest Hao Ze asked as he pondered, "Priest Dong Yi, do you mean we should drive the monsters in the Sea of Monsters into the White Strait?"
Li Ban clenched his right hand into a fist and rested it against his mouth, thinking to himself, 'The White Strait doesn't seem to be anything simple either—wait!'
He raised his head, raised a hand to signal, and then spoke, "What about the Border Mist? Everyone says it's a place of no return, and there's that white fuzz that can control living creatures. Could we consider driving the monsters from the Sea of Monsters over there?"
Although Li Ban didn't have much of a reputation here, he had just volunteered to join the most dangerous assault team, so the other priests took him very seriously at this moment.
Priest Dong Yi answered Li Ban seriously and patiently, "I've also considered Priest Ban's proposal, but the white fuzz has too low of a controllability. If we aren't careful, should a monster charge back out from the mist and bring the white fuzz back with it, the impact on us would be far greater than on the monsters."
Priest Lang Jiao spread his hands. "Didn't Priest Ban come from the border? Could it be you haven't witnessed how terrifying that white fuzz is? It's far more ruthless toward humans than it is toward monsters."
He laughed to himself and crossed his legs. "Perhaps humans are just easier to digest than monsters."
Li Ban and Zhu Yao exchanged a glance. Both of them thought of the black dragon Dila, whom they had rescued when he was nearly devoured by the white fuzz.
But at the same time, they also knew that if they really began battling the Sea of Monsters, they wouldn't have the ample time required to slowly save people using spells.
Priest Dong Yi didn't like Lang Jiao's joke one bit. Pretending he hadn't heard Lang Jiao's words, he continued speaking to Li Ban, "While the White Strait isn't like the mist—capable of ensuring all humans and monsters never return—once you enter a certain depth and reach the area covered by dense clouds, supergravity appears within the canyon of the White Strait. Not even flying monsters can resist it; they'll plummet straight down."
"Your proposal makes a lot of sense. However," Li Ban mused, "my idea of connecting Heaven Beyond Heaven to the Sea of Monsters isn't entirely to make the bugs and monsters kill each other. I'm considering channeling the water from Heaven Beyond Heaven over here."
If possible, Li Ban wanted to connect the Sea of Monsters to the mutant bug space in the upper reaches of Heaven Beyond Heaven.
Unfortunately, the spiritual rhinoceros over there couldn't be harnessed at all, let alone used to cast a complex Spatial Guidance Art.
"Channel the water from there? The kind of water that tears living beings to shreds?" Priest Dong Yi pondered.
"Yeah, the water there flows from top to bottom. The current is very fast, and the impact force is enormous. I want to open the Spatial Guidance Art's aperture facing upward so that the water blasts straight at the monsters." Li Ban gestured a bit. "It's a bit like a high-pressure water gun. Of course, controlling it well will be very difficult, but Priest Yao is already attempting it."
While Priest Dong Yi was still thinking, Priest Lang Jiao clapped his hands. "Hah, it really takes a newcomer to dare to think like this. Priest Ban, I don't know if you've ever gotten close to Heaven Beyond Heaven, but the vortex water pillars over there will seal your spiritual rhinoceros."
"No," Priest Dong Yi raised his hand. "Your spiritual rhinoceros is only sealed if you enter the water pillar. As long as we cast the spell from outside the pillar, it will be fine. However, making the water pillar pass perfectly through the connection created by the Spatial Guidance Art requires incredibly precise control."
He looked at Zhu Yao. "Does Priest Yao feel confident about it?"
"I'm working hard to achieve it," Zhu Yao said honestly.
Priest Yu Hai hastily chimed in, "Charging into the Sea of Monsters is an adventure we can never be fully prepared for. All we can do is try our best."
Priest Lang Jiao shrugged. "I wasn't saying it's impossible. I was merely pointing out the difficulties to them."
But he was used to it by now.
The other priests were always alienating him, whether intentionally or not.
Were his methods really that controversial?
It was clearly just those White Robes stubbornly refusing to give up their old prejudices.
Priest Dong Yi said, "In that case, after the meeting, Priest Zhu Yao and I will run some tests."
No one else had any objections.
This meeting was meant to assign tasks to everyone in the first place.
"Let me join in as well," Priest Li He suddenly spoke up. As one of the only two Solar Priests present, naturally, no one would ignore his words. "I also know the Spatial Guidance Art, I just haven't used it very often in the past."
"—Alright." Avoiding Priest Li He's gaze, Zhu Yao nodded her agreement with some difficulty.
The first meeting lasted nearly twelve hours, and they had only reached a preliminary combat intent.
Many of their proposals needed further verification and couldn't be decided on the spot.
Fortunately, despite the various accidents and minor conflicts, everyone's minds were still aligned for the time being.
In this rare joint meeting facilitated by the Director, they were doing everything they could to find a way to breach the Northern Continent Rift.
After the meeting ended, the crowd split into groups based on their respective responsibilities to continue discussing the details.
Li Ban temporarily separated from Zhu Yao and went with Allen, who was acting as the Director's mouthpiece, to find Priest Lang Jiao.
As they left, he noticed that the leader of the fifth camp, Lanying, hadn't spoken a single word the entire time.
Li Ban didn't know if this was because the leader of the Lanying Camp wasn't a priest, meaning she didn't have much of a voice in this meeting, which led to her prolonged silence.
Because she had hardly spoken, Li Ban's understanding of her was limited to the fact that she was a 6th Tier Spirit Cultivator and also the master physician of Mist Valley, Tan Qiyue.
—
After the meeting ended, she had directly led the priests from her camp away. He didn't know whether she would actually cooperate in the end.
However, Li Ban believed that the Director was prepared for this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called them over.
After watching the people of the Lanying Camp leave, Li Ban tracked down the faintly isolated Langhuan Camp.
"Director, Priest Ban." Lang Jiao, who had his arms crossed, raised a hand and greeted them with a smile, looking somewhat frivolous.
"Where are your experimental subjects?" the Director's voice emerged from the mouthpiece.
Li Ban's gaze, meanwhile, fell upon the two people entirely shrouded in black clothing standing behind Priest Lang Jiao.
Although those two were tightly bundled up in black clothes, their external silhouettes alone showed they were different from ordinary humans.
One was incredibly fat, and the other was incredibly short.
"Don't call them experimental subjects, that hurts people's feelings." Despite saying this, Lang Jiao's tone didn't sound like he cared much.
Li Ban, on the other hand, didn't think the title of "Bottled Humans" was particularly pleasant or respectful either.
"Octopus, Chao Lu, you two come here."
Sure enough, the two figures in black that Li Ban had noticed shuffled closer.
The reason he used the word 'shuffled' was because he realized that the two figures in black clearly had no legs.
A bizarre friction sound came from beneath their cloaks.
"This is Octopus," Lang Jiao said, pointing at the chubby figure in black. "He has completely abandoned his original name, so I gave him a more descriptive one."
"Octopus, take off your clothes and show the Director. Maybe he can help upgrade you to be even stronger."
Without any hesitation, Octopus took off his outermost cloak.
After he removed the cloak, Li Ban felt as if he were looking at a ball of meat.
This ball of meat, nearly two meters in diameter, was like a ball of yarn that slowly spun and unfurled before everyone's eyes.
It turned out his body was as fat as a ball because he had wrapped the majority of his slender tentacles tightly around his torso.
And his legs underneath were also made up of individual tentacles. Two or three were twisted together, ultimately forming eight legs.
But the most deeply unsettling part was that every single one of those tentacles was constructed out of human arms.
It seemed to be an amalgamation of the Hand Monsters Li Ban had encountered before.
However, after these arms completely unfurled, Li Ban saw a pair of massive eyes right where the chest should have been.
They looked like the compound eyes of a fly.