Chapter 422: The Calamity That Destroys the World

As Li Ban passed the Northern Base, he concealed his presence and descended for a quick look.

Priest Zhong Ye was indeed still there, with Luca closely guarding him.

Ah She, whom he had met before, was nowhere to be seen.

Nana, meanwhile, had become one of the squad leaders of the Northern Base.

The little girl he remembered was now a capable combat expert in her own right.

Li Ban took only a single glance. Without revealing himself, he left the north and headed for the eastern edge of the Trash Realm.

Over the course of a month, he left a black hole in each of the four corners of the Trash Realm.

Some of the black holes faced attacks from multiple people.

Others were completely ignored.

But the Trash Realm was not a particularly massive world, and digital communication still functioned. News of a mysterious black-robed priest and a black hole appearing in four different regions quickly spread throughout the realm.

Many went to investigate the black holes, but no one could disrupt them.

Anyone who got too close risked being sucked inside.

Since Li Ban was nowhere to be found, they could only cordon off the black holes to prevent anyone else from accidentally getting too close.

By this time, Li Ban had already returned to the original site of Trash City.

This was the center of the Trash Realm.

Concealing his figure, he hovered high in the sky. No one below could detect his presence.

"I've been waiting here for a whole day, and I've barely seen a single spatial rift drop any trash," he murmured to himself.

Anyone else might have considered this a good thing.

But Li Ban knew the truth: this was a sign that the Wizard World had abandoned the Trash Realm.

After all, who would put trash in a bag that was about to tear?

Once he confirmed that the four black holes had absorbed massive amounts of explosive energy from the locals' attacks and grown unstable, Li Ban initiated the final phase of his devouring operation.

He slowly raised his hands, and an even larger black hole materialized above his head.

Just then, an aura locked onto Li Ban. Fortunately, he was still using the body of the black-robed priest, so he didn't care about being tracked.

Li Ban thrust his hands down. The massive black hole above him expanded once more, crashing toward the ground like a pitch-black sun.

The first thing it swallowed was Li Ban's own clone, which was positioned directly beneath it.

Immediately after, it dragged more than half of Trash City into its depths.

Black lightning crackled around the edges of the black hole as it devoured the city. Accompanied by the rumble of thunder, the anomaly continued to expand, spreading outward in all directions.

Before long, it was expanding at a visible rate, dragging the rest of Trash City into its reach.

Trash City vanished entirely.

The people nearby quickly noticed the cataclysmic shift.

A few bold individuals approached to investigate, while others simply screamed and fled in the opposite direction.

Through their communication devices, people all over the realm soon learned of Trash City's destruction.

In the regions where identical black holes hovered overhead, the populations fell into a panic, triggering massive evacuations.

But where could they possibly evacuate to?

Meanwhile, at the Northern Base, Priest Zhong Ye stood on a second-floor platform, gazing at the black hole hovering in the distant sky.

From his vantage point, the anomaly looked no larger than a balloon, yet a deep, unsettling anxiety churned in his heart.

Luca walked in with Nana.

"Lord Priest, Nana has returned."

Zhong Ye turned to look at Nana, who had matured into a sharp, capable warrior.

"Any news?" he asked.

Nana, who now wore her hair in a sharp, ear-length bob, stepped forward and bowed to Priest Zhong Ye.

"The reports say a black-robed priest suddenly appeared in the sky," she began. "After being driven off by the local factions, he left behind a black hole and fled. None of them can do anything to the black hole, though. Some priests went to investigate and were nearly sucked inside. However, apart from absorbing attacks, it hasn't shown any other strange behavior yet."

"Hmph!" Luca scoffed. "They can't even handle a black hole the guy left behind, yet they still have the gall to brag about driving him off."

"If they're lying to save face, then the black hole in the sky is far more dangerous than we realize," Nana said, her expression serious.

Ever since they settled at the Northern Base, their lives had become much more peaceful.

Still, rival factions tried to seize their territory from time to time.

Although Priest Zhong Ye's health had greatly improved, he still couldn't engage in frequent combat.

Fortunately, they had absorbed the original personnel of the Northern Base, and the facility itself served as a sturdy fortress. After surviving a few raids, everyone had matured quickly, transforming into capable, self-sufficient fighters.

Just then, a man came stumbling and crawling up from the first floor. Panic-stricken, he yelled to Priest Zhong Ye:

"Bad news, Lord Priest! We just received a wire report! A massive black hole appeared above Trash City, but then it suddenly plummeted to the ground and swallowed the entire city! The report says it's still expanding, and all counterattacks have been useless. The survivors in the area have already begun a massive evacuation!"

Nana whipped around.

"What?" she gasped. "Then will the black hole above us suddenly expand and devour the land too?"

"It has already begun," Priest Zhong Ye said.

Everyone immediately looked to the sky.

The black hole that had been hovering quietly in the sky suddenly swelled in size and plummeted toward the earth.

Upon impact, it erupted like a bomb, expanding wildly once more and devouring everything it touched.

Even from this distance, they could hear faint screams of terror.

Luca gauged the black hole's rate of expansion, his face turning deathly pale.

"Everyone, evacuate immediately! Leave your belongings and run!" he roared.

Without hesitation, he hoisted Priest Zhong Ye onto his shoulder and sprinted in the opposite direction.

However, not everyone possessed his sheer decisiveness.

Upon hearing the order, some people's first instinct was to rush and grab their valuables.

Others simply stood frozen, staring blankly at the anomaly in terror, wondering if the black hole would truly reach them.

Nana didn't hesitate for a second. She followed Luca's lead and vaulted directly off the second-floor platform to the ground below.

The vehicle they had arrived in was still parked on the dirt.

Keys already in hand, Nana vaulted through the open window and slid straight into the driver's seat.

"Get into the vehicles and evacuate! The base's automated systems are engaged! If the threat passes, we can simply return!"

Someone was frantically repeating the order over the base's broadcasting system.

Carried by Luca, Priest Zhong Ye didn't have to run. He simply kept his head turned, his eyes locked on the looming black hole behind them.

He watched as the anomaly expanded faster and faster, looking as though it meant to devour the entire world.

His pupils dilated as an old rumor that had once circulated among the priests surfaced in his mind.

They used to say that the Trash Realm would eventually be wiped out by a terrifying cataclysm—and that the day was not far off.

'Is this the calamity they spoke of?' he wondered. 'But this is a man-made disaster. Is someone intentionally trying to destroy the Trash Realm?'

'The Great Silence is already so barren, and life here is so incredibly harsh... Why would anyone want to destroy it? Will they not even spare our final sanctuary?'

Back when Priest Zhong Ye led his team as scavengers wandering through the trash heaps, his frail health meant he had to be exceedingly cautious whenever he made a move.

Because of that, he had become a master at judging exactly when to take action and when to swallow his pride and lay low.

But right now, he felt there was no point in doing anything at all.

No matter what anyone did, the outcome would be exactly the same. That colossal, terrifying black hole was a force of pure destruction far beyond anything they could resist.

Even with Nana pushing the off-road vehicle to its absolute limits, the black hole was rapidly catching up.

Watching the apocalyptic scene unfold in the rearview mirror, Nana practically forgot to breathe.

Suddenly, a voice she found incredibly familiar—a voice she had missed dearly—rang out right beside her ear.

"Do not resist. There is no danger."

Nana's eyes widened in shock, and she slammed her foot hard onto the brakes.