Li Ban looked at the metal door before him, which pulsed with massive spiritual rhinoceros fluctuations, his heart surging with excitement.
Although he had been entirely focused on assembling the portal, how could he not know how desperate the battle outside had become?
He couldn't afford to be distracted; it would only waste time.
Under immense pressure, Li Ban had once again broken past his limits, finishing the assembly in just over four minutes.
Seeing the swirling vortex of clouds appear in the center of the silver door, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"If this thing could just be assembled in advance and stored in a Cubic Space, I wouldn't have had to be so tense."
Just as the portal activated, Li Ban suddenly felt a massive pressure bearing down from his side.
That boundless spiritual rhinoceros made him wonder if he had somehow returned to the Wizard World.
He quickly turned to look, instinctively raising a Protection Spell.
But a second later, Li Ban felt his hastily erected Protection Spell shatter with a crash as something slammed into it.
It was as fragile as spun sugar.
The Protection Spell bought him less than a single second.
With the portal directly behind him, he had no room to dodge.
He could only face the enemy head-on.
Standing among the tattered tentacles, Li Ban saw the chrysanthemum-like mass of human bodies looming slightly above him, complete with a stretchable, blood-red eyeball in its center.
This pressure... it's a Tier 8 monster.
According to his information, there were at least three monsters equivalent to Tier 8 strength within fifty meters of the rift.
He hadn't expected to run into one right after arriving, nearly two hundred meters out.
Did it notice the anomaly here and rush over from the depths?
There was no time to overthink it; facing such a powerful opponent, Li Ban could only stall for time.
But just as he raised his hand, a sudden chill washed over him, as if he had been frozen in a block of ice.
His joints moved with incredible sluggishness, producing a grating sound as if his bones were grinding into fragments.
He tried to forcibly break free, only to hear the sound of his own body tearing.
If he pushed any harder, his body would be ripped to shreds, just like the monster opposite him.
Seeing Li Ban immobilized, the split, chrysanthemum-like monster suddenly closed up. All of its fissures vanished, making it look no different from a normal person.
It flew right up to Li Ban, raising a hand to grab him.
Octopus, who had been surrounding Li Ban with his tentacles, shifted. He hadn't been frozen like Li Ban.
However, the powerful Tier 8 monster before him stripped away any thought of resistance.
Watching the enemy draw closer, Octopus convulsed violently, then suddenly retracted all his tentacles and fled into the distance.
Terrified of being pursued, he ran in the exact opposite direction of the rift.
Li Ban paid no mind to Octopus fleeing; before a Tier 8 monster, the man was as flimsy as a sheet of window paper.
He narrowed his eyes, starlight flickering within them.
Suddenly, Chao Lu, abandoned by the Tier 8 monster, lunged forward from behind.
She stretched her elastic body out into a three-meter square, intending to completely engulf the monster.
She knew the disparity in their strength; if the Tier 8 monster retaliated, she wouldn't last a single second.
But right now, one or two seconds was exactly what they were fighting for.
If I die here, I guess I can still be considered useful, right? Chao Lu looked at the Tier 8 monster she was about to wrap up, her heart unusually calm.
Suddenly, starlight flared, shrouding both Chao Lu and the Tier 8 monster.
Chao Lu ground to a halt mid-pounce, and the Tier 8 monster froze right in front of Li Ban, both suspended in midair.
Though unable to move, her mind raced in disbelief. Is this... the Starlight Domain spell? But isn't Priest Ban only at the 6th Tier? How could his spell control a Tier 8 monster? Even if the monster lacks normal sentience, it should still be impossible! The gap between the 6th and 8th Tiers is just too massive... She had no idea how Li Ban had managed it.
Even Li Ban himself was somewhat surprised.
He knew that when a Priest turned into a monster, their strength barely diminished, but their sanity descended into chaos. Mental-type spell attacks were far more effective against them than other spells.
But even he hadn't expected the effect to be this potent, directly freezing the monster's body.
The follow-up spells he had prepared were temporarily paused.
Unfortunately, judging by the feedback from the Starlight Domain, the Tier 8 monster would break free in just a few seconds.
However, a few seconds was enough!
Two seconds later, a black hole opened in the center of the swirling cloud vortex within the silver portal, rapidly expanding outward.
It looked like a circular revolving door.
A slender figure darted out of the vortex.
It was Zhu Yao!
She was the first to cross because she knew that she alone would rush to Li Ban's aid immediately upon entering the Sea of Monsters, overriding the instinct to protect herself.
Stepping through the silver portal, she charged forward with indomitable will, heading straight for the Tier 8 monster opposite Li Ban.
Zhu Yao's eyes widened at the sight of the Tier 8 monster, but her momentum didn't falter. A streak of sword qi lashed out, accompanied by flashing lightning.
The spot where the Tier 8 monster was struck instantly split into several pieces. They didn't fall off; sections remained attached to its body, blooming outward like a solitary flower.
It seemed to be using this to dissipate the damage from the sword qi, but the ensuing lightning still charred portions of its body pitch-black.
Zhu Yao knew that this level of damage wouldn't kill the monster. She continued her advance, engaging it directly in close combat.
Chao Lu, already prepared for death, felt a surge of joy upon seeing Zhu Yao appear in time, followed quickly by a sense of melancholy.
It seemed she hadn't been of any use once again.
Looking at the two fighters, moving so fast they were a blur of shadows, Chao Lu chose to fly back and help Li Ban protect the portal.
As she approached, Li Ban raised a hand and used a guiding art to transfer Chao Lu to his side.
"Careful. While the portal is open, you cannot touch any part of the door. Our bodies can't withstand the spatial tearing force."
Everyone had been informed of this before the operation, but Li Ban worried that in the heat of combat, someone might forget.
Chao Lu nodded. She stood behind Li Ban and stretched her body to its absolute limit, standing like a solid wall.
However, she quickly realized she no longer needed to use her body to protect the portal.
More and more Priests were emerging from the door.
These people had waited a long time. Suppressed for a century, their boiling blood drove them to clash with the nearby monsters the moment they emerged.
Though there were only twenty-three Priests, they were more than enough to form an encirclement in all directions, safely enclosing Li Ban and Chao Lu.
Moreover, these Priests were in peak condition. Everyone held at least thirty White Seeds; aside from the ones Li Ban had provided, the Five Major Camps had also supplied many of their own.
The moment Solar Priest Li He entered the fray, he took over Zhu Yao's enemy.
The two Tier 8 existences clashed fiercely in midair.
Priest Li He's spells were immensely powerful, and the Tier 8 monster possessed a bizarre anatomy; for a time, neither side could claim the upper hand.
Zhu Yao didn't stay on the sidelines to assist; another 7th Tier Priest stepped up to take her place.
She fell back to Li Ban's side, panting softly.
Though it had only been a brief exchange, a monster equivalent to an 8th Tier Priest was not easy to deal with.
"Are you alright?" Li Ban asked.
Having just completed a grueling vanguard mission, his mental strength and spiritual rhinoceros were at rock bottom. As long as the situation wasn't critical, he could rest in the center of the group without needing to lift a finger.
Priest Hao Yang, Priest Dong Yi, and Zhu Yao shared similar privileges.
Priest Hao Yang had helped Li Ban lure away a group of monsters; his whereabouts and safety were unknown.
Priest Dong Yi and Zhu Yao needed to prepare to cast the Spatial Guidance Art. They couldn't afford to expend massive amounts of spiritual rhinoceros right from the start, needing to keep their mental energy fully charged.
Aside from the two dozen Priests who had stepped through the portal, there were also forty-eight ordinary people.
Of course, they weren't truly ordinary.
Among them were half-human, half-beast hybrids that had undergone bestial modification, along with the newly developed Bottle-men from the Langhuan Camp. The rest were mid-to-high-tier spirit practitioners with physical constitutions far stronger than those of ordinary humans.
Through their concerted efforts, they carved out a small, safe space deep within the Sea of Monsters, where the creatures were packed so tightly they were practically pressed together.
With this clearing, the group had a place to catch their breath, using it as a foothold to continue their advance toward the Northern Continent Rift.
"Hey, are you alright?" Tail, having just killed a monster, ran into the center to catch her breath, finally finding a moment to check on Li Ban.
"I'm fine. I just need a moment to recover."
Li Ban's face was pale, but his spirits remained high.
Tail looked him up and down, then nodded. "Pretty impressive."
She didn't linger. She charged straight back to the perimeter, joining her companions in the slaughter.
It seemed she didn't actually need to rest at all.
Zhu Yao opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately stayed silent.
Though she stood beside Li Ban, she wasn't idle. She occasionally cast spells to support those fighting on the outer edge, paying special attention to Tail and Ming Kai.
They were members of Li Ban's squad, making them important companions to her as well.
Seeing the safe space grow larger, Priest Lang Jiao, who had been roaming the perimeter slaughtering enemies, let out a loud laugh.
"Charge inward with me!"
Having made it this far, no one backed down.
Over a dozen Priests followed Lang Jiao, charging head-on toward an area closer to the rift where the monsters were packed even more densely.
The rest guarded the flanks and rear to prevent any monster ambushes.
The most powerful among them, Priest Li He, was already overwhelming the Tier 8 monster. He would be victorious in minutes.
At that moment, a cry rang out: "Lord Priest!"
Incredibly, it was Octopus, who had just fled, running back.
He had even fewer tentacles left, and his body was battered and torn. Clearly, he had still been attacked after fleeing Li Ban.
Two monsters trailed closely behind him, his severed tentacles still hanging from their massive mouths and teeth.
"Lord Priest, save me!" Spotting Priest Li He at the rear, Octopus tried to bypass him and slip into the safe zone.
But just as Octopus attempted to go around him, Priest Li He pointed a hand at him and gave a light wave.
Somehow, Octopus, who was ten meters away, instantly crashed directly into the Tier 8 monster.
Though the Tier 8 monster was on its last legs, it still wasn't a creature that a minor, ordinary monster could offend.
It immediately opened a part of its torso and engulfed Octopus.
Octopus screamed in terror.
His body's outer layers were chewed to a pulp and ripped apart at a visible speed.
The glass bottle lodged in Octopus's neck bulged outward, attempting to abandon the octopus body and escape the Tier 8 monster's jaws.
But right at that moment, Priest Li He raised his hand, a detonator appearing in his grasp.
It was identical to the detonators held by Li Ban and Hao Yang.
The detonator in Li Ban's hand controlled Chao Lu; that was why he couldn't kill the deserter when Octopus fled.
The moment Priest Li He produced his detonator, he pressed the button.
The bottled brain, which hadn't yet managed to escape, detonated instantly!
The blast ripped the Tier 8 monster apart from the inside, reducing the heavily injured creature to an incredibly fragile state.
Priest Li He stepped forward again, easily claiming the Tier 8 monster's head.
However, Li Ban felt no catharsis from Priest Li He venting anger on his behalf.
The man had just arrived and hadn't asked a single question; there was no way he knew Octopus had deserted.
What if Octopus had left the squad to help Li Ban lure enemies away, just like Priest Hao Yang?
Clearly, Li He had never considered the possibility. He detonated Octopus purely to deal a vicious blow to the Tier 8 monster.
Octopus's explosion couldn't outright kill a Tier 8 monster, but it dealt enough damage to a weakened one to make things easier for Priest Li He.
If Priest Li He could sacrifice Octopus so casually, he would have no qualms about sacrificing the other Bottle-men at will—or even his companions.
"Stay alert," Li Ban told Zhu Yao quietly.
"Always." Zhu Yao hadn't missed Priest Li He's actions either.
She cast a cold glance in his direction before resuming her support of the others.
Meanwhile, Li Ban silently accelerated his recovery.
Fortunately, after unleashing the cheat-like Starlight Domain, Li Ban had once again sensed the existence of the Star River within his consciousness.
Even in a world without spiritual rhinoceros, his mental energy was recovering rapidly.
Once he recovered a good deal of his mental energy, he acted like Zhu Yao, occasionally casting spells to provide long-range support to endangered companions.
Zhu Yao urged him otherwise. "You should just rest properly. Over by the continental rift, there are at least three Tier 8 monsters."
Li Ban nodded. "Don't worry, I know my limits."
After finally slaying the Tier 8 monster, Priest Li He joined the vanguard.
The addition of a second 8th Tier Priest accelerated their advance.
After half an hour, they broke through to a location roughly one hundred and fifty meters away from the rift.
However, casualties inevitably appeared.
The Priests fared relatively well; some had suffered heavy injuries but could still fight, even if their sluggish mental energy prevented them from casting spells.
But the ordinary humans had already lost half their numbers!