"Li Ban?" Chu Qi asked in surprise.
An unfamiliar fluctuation of spiritual rhinoceros spread from the young man missing his left arm.
The surprise on Chu Qi's face instantly turned to joy.
"It really is you! Did you—did you find a temporary body?"
"Yes."
There was nothing wrong with Li Ban's body; the missing left arm could easily be restored.
In fact, since his original body was still in the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, it hardly mattered whether this current body was damaged.
However, if Li Ban wanted to return to his original body, he would likely need to initiate a ritual, petition the Wizard Lord, and borrow the power of a Great Wizard to send his soul back.
But Chu Qi noticed that Li Ban's mental state seemed somewhat off.
Only stagnant water was this dead and calm.
These past six months must have been incredibly difficult for him.
Chu Qi sighed, refraining from asking too many questions.
"I'll take you to see Priest Li He first, and then you can get a good rest." He stepped forward and gently patted Li Ban's back. "I know you must have been through a lot out there, but it's alright now. You're home."
"Home?" Li Ban looked at Chu Qi. "It's not time for that yet."
Suddenly, Li Ban looked down at the circular waterfall of the Unreturning Place beneath his feet, his gaze piercing to the very bottom.
"Please tell Priest Li He that I have an urgent matter. I will see him once I'm done."
Without waiting for Priest Chu Qi to react, Li Ban turned and plunged headfirst into the waterfall.
"Li Ban!" Chu Qi and another priest immediately rushed forward to drag him back.
Unlike other priests who returned to the Unreturning Place normally, Li Ban's soul had left his body and fallen into the depths of the pool.
He had to undergo an examination by a Solar Priest to confirm that his mind and body were in a normal state before he could officially return to the Myriad Ancient Pagoda.
That was why, even though Priest Chu Qi saw how exhausted Li Ban was, he still needed to take him to Priest Li He before he could rest.
Who would have expected Li Ban to simply turn and run?
It was as if he were avoiding the examination.
Completely baffled, they naturally had to chase him down.
They didn't call for backup.
Why would two Star Glow Priests need help chasing down a 5th Tier priest who had only reached the Cloud Hidden Priest rank six months ago?
But as they gave chase, they realized the distance between them and Li Ban was only growing, leaving them to watch helplessly as he plunged into the water.
A second later, Priest Li He, who had been observing from the high platform, flashed into existence beside them.
"Priest Li He—" Having witnessed Priest Li He's strictness recently, Chu Qi instinctively wanted to plead for Li Ban, but he didn't know what to say.
Priest Li He raised a hand, his expression surprisingly devoid of anger. "Let's watch for now."
Li Ban dove all the way to the very bottom of the waterfall.
He hadn't used Shrinking Ground to an Inch to get here.
Because the destination of Shrinking Ground to an Inch would be unclear, using it might have provoked an overreaction from the priests.
Reaching the bottom of the pool, he found the very crevice where he had first slipped into the Dark Side of the World.
Hovering in the water, which swarmed with quite a few bugs, Li Ban looked down at the gap.
He pressed a hand to his waist, where a pouch containing one of Xiao Suo's Witch Embryo Shards was trembling gently, restlessly yearning to seek out its master.
And the force drawing it originated directly from the bottom of the pool.
Within the swirling water column of Heaven Beyond Heaven, there were many puzzle-like blocks of various sizes and shapes.
These blocks were all swimming upwards, defying the laws of physics, only to be washed back down by the current time and time again.
Among them, one tiny block was rather special.
It frequently hid behind the larger blocks, using their momentum to ride the current upward.
Compared to the rigid blocks around it, it seemed unusually agile.
Even so, it took a very long time before it luckily broke through to the very top of the whirlpool.
With a final leap, it pierced through the barrier.
The current vanished, leaving only an open path ahead.
The tiny block transformed into a black beetle.
The beetle was incredibly small, completely inconspicuous within this upper space.
Tyrannical, violent emotions flooded the tiny insect's mind.
But he seemed entirely unaffected, charging relentlessly higher.
He quickly bypassed the other insects, dodging all the spatial rifts that abruptly tore open, and inched closer to the exit of the upper space.
A patch of light the size of a palm.
On the other side was the deep pool of the Unreturning Place in the Wizard World.
The tiny black beetle chuckled softly, his voice shockingly melodious.
"The other fragment has already returned to the Wizard World. Those white robes really didn't dare to absorb my fragments. With the fragment's pull, I can finally get out. It's just a pity that the fragment left with the Director seems to have failed."
"Forget it. I'll find a chance to bring him out later."
The tiny black beetle gave a mighty leap, squeezing into the patch of light amidst a swarm of massive, hideous bugs.
A surge of freezing water washed over him, signaling that out of the thousands of insects, a few had crossed the barrier into the Wizard World.
Though they were a tiny minority, over time, a steady stream of terrifying little bugs entering the Unreturning Place and swimming upstream still caused considerable trouble for the Master of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda.
The other insects immediately struggled upstream, desperate to slaughter and parasitize other organisms.
But the black beetle was in no rush to leave.
He spread his wings, revealing the dense cluster of compound eyes beneath, and observed the water below.
Suddenly, the water rippled beside the black beetle, and a hand emerged.
Startled, the black beetle immediately tried to dodge.
At the same time, a beam of starlight fell, enveloping both the newcomer and the beetle.
The agile black beetle was instantly paralyzed.
His compound eyes twitched slightly, still not understanding what had just happened.
A second later, the hand grabbed the black beetle and then—
Squeezed hard!
Crack!
The tiny beetle's body actually let out the sound of shattering glass.
Expressionless, Li Ban pulled his hand back, gently rubbing his fingertips together.
The black beetle's shell flaked away bit by bit, revealing a delicate piece inside—a Wizard Embryo Fragment.
"To think you found me."
Despite his body being destroyed once again, the melodious voice emanating from the small Wizard Embryo Fragment showed no hint of panic.
Li Ban gripped the newly acquired Wizard Embryo Fragment. "Xiao Suo. Since you can split yourself into many pieces, you definitely would have kept a few extra as backups."
If the Xiao Suo possessing Cat Girl failed to leave the Recycling Station, there would still be other pieces to try.
"You controlled Cat Girl to throw Ming Kai out, letting him die near me. First, to cover up the cause of Ming Kai's death, and second, to hide a clone on me so you could follow me out."
At the very least, until he was certain Li Ban had left the Recycling Station, his clone wouldn't try to possess anyone.
"That's right," the black beetle Xiao Suo admitted readily. "Unfortunately, you suddenly ran into Heaven Beyond Heaven, making it impossible for me to continue hiding on your clothes using Ming Kai's flesh."
Any soul entering Heaven Beyond Heaven would be turned into a simple block.
Xiao Suo was no exception.
Flesh and blood splattering onto clothes meant nothing. Li Ban wasn't so fastidious that he had to clean himself during a battle.
But a block layered over his starlight would have been far too obvious.
Xiao Suo had no choice but to detach immediately and hide behind other mindless blocks.
He didn't have Li Ban's Star River, so he could only struggle to move through the water.
Fortunately, when Li Ban returned to the Unreturning Place, he was carrying the Wizard Embryo Fragment he had extracted from Cat Girl. The attraction between the two fragments allowed him to successfully navigate back to the Unreturning Place.
At the same time, this also drew the alert Li Ban.
However, compared to being left in the Recycling Station, Xiao Suo was naturally much more willing to face Li Ban.
"So what will you do now? Hand me over to the Wizard Lord of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda?"
Xiao Suo's tone was light and relaxed, as if he had completely forgotten that, in order to escape the Recycling Station, he had possessed Ming Kai and Cat Girl, condemning them to remain there forever, just steps away from the exit.
"Handing you over to the Wizard Lord would be useless. That wouldn't kill you completely."
"As expected of someone who possesses the Star River, you understand quite well. I can tell you how to kill me thoroughly, you know."
"By absorbing your Wizard Embryo Fragments."
"Hehe, precisely. But if you absorb my Wizard Embryo Fragments, you'll become a black-robed priest—or do you plan to find a black-robed priest to absorb them?"
"That was indeed my original thought." Li Ban looked up.
On the surface of the deep pool in the Unreturning Place, the vague silhouettes of several people appeared.
They were priests from the Myriad Ancient Pagoda.
They had noticed Li Ban's movements but hadn't rashly entered the depths of the pool.
Li Ban lowered his head again, looking at the Wizard Embryo Fragment in his hand.
"If someone else absorbs your fragments, in the end... will the survivor be them, or you?"
"..." Xiao Suo fell silent.
"Li Ban!"
A voice came from above, followed by the sound of someone entering the water.
Finally, a priest had entered the pool to find Li Ban.
The voice was raspy, as if the person hadn't spoken much in a long time.
It was Priest Qian Que.
He appeared to be in pretty good condition.
The silver edges of his white robe had turned red.
This meant he had been promoted to a Solar Priest.
"Li Ban, whose Wizard Embryo Fragment is in your hand? You—"
Before Priest Qian Que could get any closer, Li Ban suddenly raised his hand—and shoved one of Xiao Suo's Witch Embryo Shards straight into the center of his own brow.
"Li Ban!"
Priest Qian Que's voice instantly became fraught with anxiety.
And above them, a massive surge of spiritual rhinoceros energy erupted from Priest Li He.
Lowering his hand, Li Ban took out the other of Xiao Suo's Witch Embryo Shards stored in his pouch. He tilted his head, looking at Priest Qian Que, who had now reached his side.
This 8th Tier priest, who had been forced to advance to the Solar rank, had recovered his strength. Yet, upon seeing Li Ban absorb another priest's Wizard Embryo Fragment, he didn't attack immediately. Instead, he erupted with an equally powerful burst of spiritual rhinoceros, resisting the oppressive pressure coming from Priest Li He above.
He awkwardly urged, "Li Ban, take it out."
"Priest Qian Que, are you alright?" Li Ban asked with concern for Qian Que's well-being, yet his hands didn't stop, pressing the second of Xiao Suo's Wizard Embryo Fragments into his brow as well.
Seeing Li Ban's actions, a flash of pain crossed Priest Qian Que's eyes. Without even mentioning his own condition, he let out a heavy sigh.
He pointed upwards. "Solar Li He specializes in hunting Black Robes."
Li Ban likely hadn't heard of Priest Li He's reputation, but Priest Qian Que knew it all too well.
He was a man of decisive action, rational to the point of ruthlessness.
The reason he hadn't come down just now wasn't to give Li Ban a chance to explain.
He was waiting.
If Li Ban truly transformed into a Black Robe, he would strike and kill him immediately.
In his eyes, the moment a white-robed priest harbored the thought of devouring another priest's Wizard Embryo Fragment, they were already considered a black-robed priest.
Waiting for the white robe to dye black was simply his signal to attack.
And killing a Black Robe would earn him significant merit with the Wizard Lord.
Priest Li He's waiting was nothing more than a hunter's patience before going in for the kill.
Priest Qian Que could naturally see that Li Ban now possessed the strength of a Star Glow Priest.
But a Star Glow Priest was no match for a Solar Priest!
Especially not when Li He was an elite among the Solar Priests.
Looking at Priest Qian Que, who was still anxiously trying to protect him even now, Li Ban lowered his hand, revealing his first smile since returning to the Wizard World.
The coldness in his eyes also faded considerably.
"Priest Qian Que, look at my robe."
Li Ban slowly spread his right arm, fully presenting his tattered white priest robe to Qian Que.
Priest Qian Que, who had been about to say something else, suddenly froze.
The priest robe on Li Ban's body was still white.
Two breaths passed, and it remained white, without the slightest sign of turning black.
Back when Du An had suddenly killed Pei Jun and absorbed his fragment, his entire robe had turned black in an instant, plunging him straight into depravity.
That white robe was a promise from the priests of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda to the Wizard Lord. Once that promise was broken, no power could stop the white robe from turning black.
The highly oppressive spiritual rhinoceros fluctuations overhead also gradually dissipated.
A second later, Priest Li He appeared beside Priest Qian Que, smoothly blocking any outside line of sight.
Since Li Ban's robe still hadn't turned black, Li He hadn't acted rashly, despite being full of doubts.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he furrowed his brows tightly. "Is this the urgent matter you had to handle?"
Facing Priest Li He, Li Ban reverted to his expressionless demeanor and simply nodded calmly.
Li He found it somewhat strange. This was clearly his first time meeting Li Ban, yet the young man acted as if they already knew each other.
It even gave him the impression that Li Ban already knew his secrets.
However, Li He was proud enough not to take this vague, odd feeling too seriously.
Compared to certain other matters, it wasn't important at all.
Staring at the white robe on Li Ban's body, Li He's expression slowly relaxed. "Let's return to the tower first."
The Myriad Ancient Pagoda in the Unreturning Place, which had been subdued for a long time, suddenly bustled with activity.
No one had expected Priest Ban, whose soul had been missing for six months, to actually find his way back on his own.
Not only did he have a new body, but his strength had also advanced to the 6th Tier Star Glow Priest level.
It must be noted that just days before his disappearance, he had only recently advanced to a Cloud Hidden Priest.
This speed of progression was simply far too fast.
Every priest in the Myriad Ancient Pagoda who learned of this was utterly astonished, sparking endless discussions about whether Priest Ban's soul disappearance had actually been a disaster or a stroke of great fortune.
If they had known that Li Ban hadn't just returned, but had immediately absorbed two Wizard Embryo Fragments from a black-robed priest, they wouldn't just be shocked—they would be in an uproar.
The fact that Li Ban had absorbed someone else's Wizard Embryo Fragments without turning into a Black Robe was jointly sealed by Priest Qian Que and Priest Li He. For now, not a fourth person knew of it.
Chu Qi and the other priest guarding the Unreturning Place hadn't entered the bottom of the pool and were unaware of exactly what had happened.
Afterward, Priest Li He had also strictly forbidden them from telling anyone about the circumstances of Li Ban's return.
Back in the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, Li Ban and the two senior priests were discussing the matter in a secret room at the top of the tower.
"Priest Ban, why didn't you turn into a Black Robe?"
Priest Li He and Priest Qian Que sat at the head of the hall.
Li Ban sat in the first row of chairs below them, a cup of hot tea placed by his side.
Both men wore gentle expressions, giving Li Ban no feeling that he was being interrogated.
Li Ban knew this was only because the white robe on his body showed no signs of blackening.
If even a single thread of his clothes turned black, Priest Li He sitting before him would instantly strike to erase him!