"Hey! What are you spacing out for!"
Tail fended off the monsters harassing the priests while keeping an eye on Li Ban's situation.
Seeing Priest Li He and Priest Lang Jiao suddenly freeze just as they prepared to unleash their strongest attacks, she ignored the massive gap in their strength and status to shout a warning.
"Hurry up and send that iron lump inside!"
She looked anxiously at Li Ban and Zhu Yao. Barely able to maintain the Spatial Guidance Art, the two of them had absolutely no energy to spare.
However, her shout only helped certain people make up their minds.
The most powerful among them, Priest Li He, was actually the first to give up, vanishing in a flash.
When he reappeared, he was already standing before the Northern Continent Rift.
He cast one last glance back at the group, lingering on Zhu Yao. The emotion in his eyes was murky—impossible to tell if he felt any guilt or regret—but his face remained calm and detached.
Finally, he turned and stepped into the rift.
Without Li He's support, the Flying Shuttle backed out of the halo even faster.
Seeing this, several hesitating priests made up their minds. They let go, turning away and flying into the rift without a backward glance.
Realizing the situation was beyond saving, Lang Jiao released his hands with a mocking smile.
"It seems the White Robes are no better than the Black Robes."
He looked toward Zhu Yao and Li Ban. "If you two give up right now, it would be understandable. Let's just see who runs the fastest."
With that, he turned and left, plunging into the rift faster than the priests who had fled before him.
Lang Jiao's meaning was clear: betrayed by the other priests, Li Ban and Zhu Yao were completely justified in abandoning the spell and letting the Flying Shuttle break free entirely.
After that, it would simply be a matter of seeing who was lucky enough to escape into the rift before the Flying Shuttle killed them.
If they held on, more priests would be able to escape the Recycling Station.
But to them, those fleeing priests were all traitors.
Why should they hold out for people like that?
Zhu Yao's eyes flickered. She looked at Li Ban and spoke with reckless determination, "You leave! I can hold on a little longer!"
Even if it was only for a second or two, she believed Li Ban could use that time to escape the Recycling Station.
As for her, she was thoroughly exhausted. Even if she let go, she wouldn't be able to escape fast enough. She would inevitably be killed by the freed Flying Shuttle.
"All of you, go!"
Zhu Yao looked around.
Not all the priests had left.
At the very least, Priest Hao Ze—who usually followed Priest Li He closely and whom Zhu Yao had never particularly liked—had not left.
He and four other priests were still fiercely holding the Flying Shuttle back, their faces twisted with exertion.
"I'm waiting for my brother!"
Priest Hao Yang had not reappeared since leaving the group earlier.
However, they had carved out a path on their way in, vastly reducing the number of monsters nearby. He believed his brother could still make it.
Chao Lu, who had been guarding Li Ban this entire time, suddenly lunged to the rear of the Flying Shuttle.
"Detonate!"
She shouted, feeling this was the perfect moment.
If she detonated herself, the blast could stop the Flying Shuttle from backing out of the halo.
In truth, she should have thought of this earlier. With that explosive thrust, Priest Li He might have had more confidence and wouldn't have abandoned everyone.
"No need!" Li Ban said, making no move for his detonator.
Back when everyone was working together, the propulsive force of Chao Lu's detonation might have been useful. Now, it was a drop in the bucket; it couldn't change the outcome.
Chao Lu froze, then suddenly opened her mouth, revealing another detonator inside.
Just before Priest Lang Jiao fled, he had handed the second detonator to Chao Lu.
His meaning was crystal clear: if Chao Lu wanted to, she could detonate herself.
Seeing the detonator in Chao Lu's mouth, Li Ban divided his attention again and shouted, "I mean it, no!"
By now, most of the priests had fled. Among the spirit practitioners, only Tail and Ming Kai were still holding on beside them.
Li Ban no longer had anyone protecting him.
A monster flew in from the distance, opening its massive maw to ambush the distracted Li Ban.
"Look out!"
Panicking, Tail—currently tangled up with monsters herself—went totally blank. She grabbed Ming Kai beside her and hurled him directly into the path of the monster attacking Li Ban.
The moment she did it, Tail froze, unable to believe what she had just done.
In a moment of desperation, she had actually used her comrade as a meat shield to protect Li Ban?!
"Squelch!"
A look of confusion was still frozen on Ming Kai's face as the large-mouthed monster bit his head clean off.
Most of the pulverized flesh and blood sprayed across Li Ban's robes.
Only then did one of the priests realize Li Ban was in danger. He hurriedly freed a hand to dispatch the monster behind him.
Li Ban was also shocked by Tail's actions, but time was of the essence. He couldn't afford to overthink it, much less blame her.
He quickly said to Zhu Yao, "Hold on a moment."
Thinking Li Ban was finally willing to escape, a flash of relief crossed Zhu Yao's eyes, and she nodded emphatically.
Li Ban released his hands and shouted, "Nobody give up!"
Then he turned his head and—to everyone's shock—dove straight into the halo!
Everyone was stunned!
Why had Li Ban rushed into the Heaven Beyond Heaven's waterspout?
Only Zhu Yao, who had seen Li Ban enter and exit the Heaven Beyond Heaven several times, had her eyes light up.
"He's going to pull the Flying Shuttle in from the inside!"
"Really?" Priest Hao Ze's eyes practically bulged out of his head.
That was the Heaven Beyond Heaven! Anyone who went in would be flattened into a two-dimensional shape. How could he pull the Flying Shuttle in from the inside?
But looking at Zhu Yao's resolute expression, Hao Ze had no choice but to believe her.
In the past, he had always felt that while Priest Zhu Yao was powerful, she was too emotional and somewhat weak-willed.
Now, however, he could only pin his hopes on the bond between Zhu Yao and her comrades.
Chao Lu, who had been fully prepared to sacrifice herself, gritted her teeth and ultimately refrained from pressing the detonator on her own.
She wasn't afraid to die, but she was afraid of being a burden to her comrades.
Just as abandoning her post a moment ago had nearly cost Li Ban his life.
Chao Lu finally moved to Zhu Yao's side. Looking left and right, she guarded Zhu Yao just as vigilantly as she had protected Li Ban.
Suddenly, the Flying Shuttle—which had been on the verge of breaking free—ground to a halt. Then, uncontrollably, it began to sink back into the halo.
"He actually did it!"
Unparalleled excitement surged in everyone's hearts.
Watching the scene unfold before them, they finally had hope again.
The last six priests exerted themselves in unison, not hesitating to burn through their final drops of spiritual rhinoceros and their last shreds of mental energy.
Invigorated, Zhu Yao felt as though she could hold on for a few more seconds.
The Flying Shuttle was pulled inward faster and faster.
On the screen, Priest Qian Que's expression had turned exceedingly stern.
"Zhu Yao, you've made the wrong choice. Why are you unwilling to trust me? Wasn't I the one who guided you to become a priest?"
Zhu Yao had no time to pay him any mind. Her muscles trembled and her skin split open, yet she persevered, refusing to let the halo dissipate.
On the screen, Qian Que suddenly sighed. "What you are doing is utterly meaningless."
"You'll understand soon enough—"
The voice cut off.
The screen was also dragged into the halo, severing all communication.
As if abandoning all resistance, the Flying Shuttle was completely submerged into the Heaven Beyond Heaven.
Right then, Zhu Yao's focus relaxed. Finally unable to hold on any longer, her arms dropped weakly, and she nearly fainted.
Chao Lu hurriedly used the non-corrosive side of her body to catch Zhu Yao.
"What about Li Ban? Li Ban hasn't come out of the halo yet!" Tail ran over and grabbed Zhu Yao's collar. "Quick, open the halo back up!"
Zhu Yao opened her eyes and looked at Tail calmly. "Li Ban dragged the Flying Shuttle deep into the waterspout. It will take him a long time to swim upstream and return to the halo. I can't hold it open for that long."
Tail's eyes went wide with rage. She was so furious she wanted to hurl curses.
Just a moment ago, Zhu Yao had been putting on a righteous "You go, I'll die" act. Now, faced with Li Ban's willing sacrifice, she was completely calm?
Priest Hao Ze pulled Tail's hands away and said sternly, "Cat girl, please don't waste Priest Ban's sacrifice."
Tail was no match for a priest. She was easily pulled away by Hao Ze, her hands trembling and her entire body devoid of strength.
The five priests guarded the exhausted Zhu Yao. Taking the only two surviving spirit practitioners—Tail and Chao Lu—they quickly rushed toward the rift.
"Wait, wait!" Tail yelled, trying to break free. But she was immobilized by another priest and could only be dragged along.
The forty-meter distance was crossed in an instant.
Yet, Priest Hao Ze stopped right in front of the rift.
"Waiting here will do."
Zhu Yao didn't show the slightest surprise; in fact, she had intended to stop here as well.
Tail, who was still struggling desperately, froze. The lost and helpless Chao Lu also raised her dull eyes.
Zhu Yao caught her breath and said, "We won't be attacked by monsters here for the time being. We can wait for them right here."
Monsters within a fifty-meter radius of the rift were sparse to begin with, and earlier, they had mostly concentrated around the forty-meter mark to attack.
Moreover, the majority of those monsters had been killed during the battle.
Without the 8th Tier priest monster commanding them, the distant monsters showed no intent to approach the rift or attack the group.
They lingered in place, dazed and sluggish, as if they had lost the ability to sense their enemies.
"Though Li Ban can't come out of the halo, he can easily leave the Heaven Beyond Heaven."
"But rushing from the Heaven Beyond Heaven to here—" Tail had calmed down a little, but she was still endlessly worried.
"Over the past two months, to fully understand the spatial structure of the Heaven Beyond Heaven, I traveled back and forth between the Priest Camp and the Heaven Beyond Heaven frequently. The Director simply helped us build a portal right inside it."
"So you're saying, as long as Li Ban leaves the Heaven Beyond Heaven, he can instantly reach the Priest Camp?" Tail asked.
"No, he can reach here." Speaking, Zhu Yao, having recovered a bit of energy, pulled out the components for a Spatial Teleportation Portal directly from her Cubic Space.
Naturally, she also knew how to assemble this miraculous device that combined technology and spiritual rhinoceros!
Although she wasn't as skilled as Li Ban, it only took Zhu Yao a little over five minutes to complete the assembly.
"This type of small, rudimentary portal can normally only connect with the base portal back at the Priest Camp. But with the Director there, he can temporarily use the base portal to link two rudimentary portals together, allowing Li Ban to instantly pass through the base door and transfer directly here."
After setting up the portal, Zhu Yao powered it on and adjusted the parameters.
"Remember, don't get close to the portal. When it opens and closes, there's an intense force on it. Even a priest could be instantly pierced through and charred."
If their brains were fried, even a priest would die.
Now that the signal had been sent, the Director would coordinate on his end to open the spatial transport channel.
Heaven Beyond Heaven—Priest Camp—Center of the Sea of Monsters!
At the Priest Camp.
Allen stood spacing out in front of the base portal.
Ed crouched spacing out in front of the base portal.
Both of them were staring at the signal lights on the side of the gate.
They didn't know if Li Ban would end up using this door, but their mission was to watch the signal lights.
The moment a light came on, they were to immediately perform the corresponding operation.
Guo Kao walked over carrying food. "You've been watching for hours. Eat something first."
Ed reacted quickly, but he only reached his hand toward the plate; his head didn't turn at all.
Allen, on the other hand, had absolutely no intention of eating.
Though there were still some people guarding the Priest Camp, most had already returned to their respective camps. As the left-behind personnel unable to participate in the operation, the departure of a massive number of powerful priests would have a profound impact on their future lives.
But as long as one wasn't dead, they still had to stay strong and live on.
As a logistics worker, Guo Kao was distributing meals to those who hadn't yet left the Priest Camp.
Since they stayed behind to protect the base portal, they naturally had to be given a certain amount of compensation.
By now, everyone else had finished eating their wheat flatbreads; only Ed and Allen, who were in charge of watching the signals, were left.
These two were simple-minded and carried out the Director's orders with absolute meticulousness.
Just as Guo Kao was about to urge Allen to eat a little, the base portal suddenly lit up with red and blue indicator lights. Ed jumped up with a howl, repeating his instructions.
"Red! Sea of Monsters! Blue! Heaven Beyond Heaven!"
"Red, Sea of Monsters."
"Blue, Heaven Beyond Heaven."
Allen repeated in a calm tone.
They both understood the meaning behind these two signal lights.
They were using the base portal to simultaneously connect the temporary portals in the Sea of Monsters and the Heaven Beyond Heaven!
Allen immediately stepped forward to operate the console, while Ed cheered him on from the side.
Although Allen could only understand commands of five words or fewer at a time, he could perfectly replicate any sequence of actions he had memorized.
Two 4th Tier Cloud Hidden Priests walked over.
They were each holding two White Seeds. "Did something happen?"
"It's nothing," Guo Kao said with a smile. "Someone probably got swept into the Heaven Beyond Heaven by accident, and now they need to rush back to the Sea of Monsters in an emergency."
The two Cloud Hidden Priests looked puzzled. "Is it actually possible to escape after being swept into the Heaven Beyond Heaven?"
"Yeah." Guo Kao put down the plate in his hand. "The only person who can pull that off has to be him, right?"
One of the priests asked, "Who is this 'him' you're talking about?"
His tone was slightly impolite. After all, Guo Kao was just a low-tier spirit practitioner working in logistics.
"Li Ban, of course."
The two Cloud Hidden Priests exchanged a glance, still unable to comprehend.
"Priest Ban is merely a Star Glow Priest. Can he really escape from the Heaven Beyond Heaven?"
"He can," Guo Kao said breezily. "After all, he has the protection of starlight."
Hearing this, the two priests assumed the 'starlight' Guo Kao mentioned was simply the 'starlight' of a Star Glow Priest, and they didn't think much of it.
At that moment, Allen finally finished the setup. The red and blue indicator lights on the portal began to flash, signifying that the temporary portals in both the Heaven Beyond Heaven and the Sea of Monsters were active.
Allen turned around to face Guo Kao, but the Director's voice suddenly crackled from the speaker on his chest.
"Guo Kao, who exactly are you?"