After helping Cat Girl soothe the Cyan Silk Algae in her body once again, Li Ban set off into the Shattered Realm.
Stepping into the Shattered Realm and arriving in the dark, gloomy universe, Li Ban felt as if he had returned to the moment he first emerged from the Recycling Station.
The vast, boundless universe induced fear and unease, and a sudden surge of hostility welled up in Li Ban's heart.
However, he quickly suppressed this violent impulse.
Then he picked a direction and headed toward the edge of the Shattered Realm.
After traveling for some time, Li Ban randomly chose a small world and entered it.
It was a place of green hills and clear waters. Looking around, there were no signs of technology in sight; even the nearby settlements were completely ordinary.
It was a world with a fairly backward level of productivity.
Li Ban didn't look any further. He simply found an inconspicuous mountain forest and slipped inside.
Once settled, Li Ban immediately took out a Self-Seeking Mirror.
It was the mirror that belonged to Shaman Ming.
The Stone Throne appeared in the mirror.
"Do you know how to advance to Dark Moon?"
Shaman Ming looked at Li Ban, his expression calm. "Your guide should have told you. Every Priest's understanding of advancement is different. Borrowing someone else's insights might ultimately lead you astray."
"It's fine," Li Ban said indifferently. "I'm already used to standing on the shoulders of giants. I will analyze for myself which experiences suit me and which do not."
Shaman Ming didn't refuse again, sharing his complete understanding of the Dark Moon advancement with Li Ban.
After listening to Shaman Ming's explanation, Li Ban silently summarized the key points of advancement in his mind, analyzing them in the context of his own situation.
Finally, he formulated a plan for himself.
A plan that could help him advance to Dark Moon as quickly as possible.
But executing this plan would be like walking a tightrope over a cliff; one careless misstep, and he could be doomed eternally.
The old Li Ban might have hesitated for a while and asked Shaman Ming for advice, but the current Li Ban decided to start immediately.
He put away Shaman Ming's Self-Seeking Mirror and took out his own.
Ironically, ever since advancing to Cloud-Hidden, he hadn't used his own Self-Seeking Mirror at all.
Even the journey of mental cultivation required of Priests had been accomplished through the extreme life experiences at the Recycling Station.
For a Priest, apart from communication, the most important function of the Self-Seeking Mirror was self-reflection.
The stronger a person was, the harder it became to see their own flaws. The Self-Seeking Mirror could often help a Priest maintain their clarity.
However, it could only aid in mental cultivation. What truly mattered was that the Priest understood who they were and what they needed to do.
When Li Ban took out his own Self-Seeking Mirror, a ripple spread across its surface.
An expressionless Li Ban, his eyes filled with indifference, appeared in the mirror.
"I want to stop the world from restarting," the Li Ban outside the mirror said.
The Li Ban inside the mirror spoke at the same time. "For this, I am willing to pay any price. Even if it means killing, destroying the world, or even turning into a black-robed priest—"
Smack!
Li Ban slapped the Self-Seeking Mirror face down.
He sat quietly in place, completely motionless, as if he had turned into a sculpture.
A withered, yellowed leaf fell, fluttering down toward Li Ban's shoulder.
But just as the dead leaf was about to touch the corner of his clothes, it suddenly exploded into powder and vanished into the air.
A month later, several hunters wearing leather clothes and carrying bows, arrows, and machetes arrived at the foot of the mountain.
One of the young hunters looked at the mist permeating the mountain forest. A flash of fear crossed his eyes, but he quickly puffed out his chest, not wanting the others to notice his cowardice.
The other two middle-aged hunters—one with a bushy beard and the other with a goatee—also stared solemnly at the mountain.
After watching for a while, the bushy-bearded hunter turned to the other two. "How about you guys wait for me here? I'll go in and scout the path. If there's no danger, we can go into the mountain to hunt together. If I don't come back, go find some odd jobs in the city. Don't go into the mountain this year."
The goateed hunter shook his head. "I'll go in with you. Let's leave Black Dog outside."
The young man named Black Dog hurriedly shouted, "No, no way! We said we'd go into the mountain together, so we go together. How could I stay outside and let you take the risks?"
The three of them argued for a bit, but ultimately, no one could convince the others, so they had no choice but to enter the mountain together.
After all, no one was willing to be left behind.
The bushy-bearded hunter took the lead, and he and the goateed hunter kept young Black Dog positioned between them.
—
Black Dog had brute strength and shot his arrows accurately, but he lacked experience and needed the two of them to look after him.
Stepping into the mist, the temperature plummeted.
Even though all three were robust, hot-blooded men in the prime of their lives, they were left shivering from the cold.
"Isn't it still early autumn? Why is it so cold in the mountains?" Black Dog's teeth chattered from the chill.
Although temperatures in the mountains were naturally lower than in the village, it shouldn't have felt like the dead of winter already.
Actually, all three of them knew that this sudden fog enveloping the entire mountain range was bizarre, but they had no choice but to enter.
In another two months, heavy snow would seal off the mountains. If they didn't catch any prey, they couldn't trade for enough food. Without enough food, their whole families would either starve to death or be forced to sell themselves into slavery.
"Let's check the outskirts first. It's so cold, there might be some animals that froze to death before they could hibernate," the goateed hunter suggested.
Before the goateed hunter finished speaking, Black Dog suddenly jumped in fright and pointed deep into the woods ahead.
"Look! Over there... is that a person?"
The bushy-bearded hunter quickly narrowed his eyes and peered over.
The mist wasn't too thick here. He could see the silhouette of a person standing straight as a board between two trees.
Motionless.
"Is that a person? Why isn't he moving?" The goateed hunter sucked in a breath of cold air.
At this moment, all the ghost and monster stories they had heard since childhood surfaced in the trio's minds.
"It might just be someone who came in to forage for mountain goods." Seeing that the figure still wasn't moving, the bushy-bearded hunter beckoned his two companions. "Let's not go over there. We'll head this way."
Normally, they might have gone over to take a look, but the fog today was far too abnormal, making him a bit more cautious.
If the other party was a living person, it didn't really matter whether they greeted them or not.
If they weren't—
Then it was best to stay far away.
Black Dog followed the bushy-bearded hunter away, while the goateed hunter remained at the back of the group.
However, his heart felt on edge, a lingering sense of unease plaguing him. He kept looking back at that humanoid figure standing in the distance.
When he looked back for the third time, the person between the two trees was suddenly gone.
Startled, the goateed hunter then thought, 'Maybe he saw us leave, so he left too.'
Not knowing whether to feel relieved or worried, he turned his head back around to tell his two companions, only to be struck with sudden shock.
Black Dog and the bushy-bearded hunter, who had been just half a zhang in front of him, were nowhere to be seen.
"Brother! Black Dog!"
He suddenly felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart, freezing his face numb.
He hurriedly broke into a run forward, wanting to catch up to his companions who had run off to who knew where.
But as he ran, he suddenly stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
Fortunately, at the last second, he reached out and braced himself against a large tree in front of him.
He had already run for half a li, yet he still couldn't find any trace of the two. Extreme panic had already set into his heart.
He raised his head and looked around, searching for them.
Suddenly, his movements froze once more.
In the distance, across the misty fog, three blurry figures were pointing and gesturing in his direction.
A somewhat familiar voice drifted over faintly.
"Look! Over there... is that a person?"