Chapter 431 I Devoured Another You

As the monster launched the fish from atop its head like a cannonball, Li Ban threw out the two black-robed priest vessels he had used before.

The two black-robed priests were already dead, but they had been Star Glow Priests. To the monster, their bodies remained a rare, highly nourishing prize.

Watching the two corpses drift away on the current, Li Ban turned to face the strange fish lunging right at him.

He dodged its frontal spikes, reached back to grab the barbs on its spine, and let the bone fish's momentum carry him away from the main monster.

The moment the monster fired the bone fish, a new fish head sprouted from its crown.

It seemed its skull housed a whole stockpile of identical bone fish.

Watching from a distance, Li Ban quickly deduced how it fought.

'The monster uses the bone fish in its skull to fight so it can avoid the violent spiritual rhinoceros of the Nine Heavens Sea during combat,' he thought. 'It seems relying on external forces is the law of survival here in the Nine Heavens Sea.'

Only when Li Ban was safely out of range did the monster turn its attention to the two drifting priest corpses.

It was highly cautious. Even knowing the two priests were dead, it hadn't dared to touch them while Li Ban was nearby.

Now that he was tied up with the "cannonball" and temporarily pinned down, the monster darted after the bodies, swallowing them one by one.

Just in case the corpses were booby-trapped, it deliberately bit them in half with its razor-sharp teeth as it swallowed.

The black-robed priest corpses had been kept in Li Ban's Cubic Space, so they were still quite fresh.

However, his Cubic Space lacked the unique preserving effects of the River of Forgetfulness. Though not yet rotting, the two bodies wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway.

The moment the monster swallowed the bodies, Li Ban whipped his hand back, using starlight to freeze the bone fish beside him. He drew his light-blade longsword and cleaved the fish squarely down the middle of its skull.

The bone fish died instantly.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Ban channeled his consciousness through the Zhuangsheng Ring and into the two black-robed corpses.

The first body was completely ruined; he couldn't load into it.

Loading into the second body was also difficult.

But Li Ban forcefully squeezed his consciousness inside anyway.

The moment he entered, he felt a powerful repulsive force, indicating that this body, too, was damaged beyond its capacity to host a consciousness from the Zhuangsheng Ring.

But Li Ban hadn't planned on using the black-robed corpse for long.

Opening his eyes inside the second corpse, he immediately threw himself at the first.

He had hidden the "Chaotic Green Silk Algae" inside the first body.

Given the Cyan Silk Algae's unique form, he wasn't worried about the monster chewing it to pieces.

'If the Cyan Silk Algae were in this body, activating it would be easier,' he thought. 'But this works too.'

Li Ban reached into the first black-robed corpse, grabbed its hair, and forcefully channeled his spiritual rhinoceros.

The hair in his grip violently expanded, instantly filling the monster's mouth.

Without anyone controlling it, the Cyan Silk Algae was violently destructive, and Li Ban was caught in its indiscriminate attacks.

He didn't even try to resist. Just before he reached his limit, he severed his connection and abandoned the corpse.

With that, both black-robed corpses had served their purpose to the fullest, not a single bit of them wasted.

Returning to his own body, Li Ban turned to see the distant monster thrashing wildly.

Black threads bored out from its eyes, mouth, and nostrils.

Even the bone fish atop its head was tightly bound by the black threads.

Still struggling, the monster gradually sank into the deep sea.

Down into a place where the light could not reach.

For a long time to come, the Chaotic Green Silk Algae would remain hidden in the Nine Heavens Sea, never to see the light of day.

Only then did Li Ban release the bone fish corpse and swim rapidly for the surface.

Breaking out of the water, he spotted Xiu Ye hovering near the surface, searching for him.

Li Ban reached up, grabbed one of Xiu Ye's dragon claws, and hoisted himself back onto her back.

"Has Priest Ban already killed that sea monster?" Priest Shi Ye asked in surprise. "I'm so close, yet I didn't sense any abnormal fluctuations in the spiritual rhinoceros."

"I didn't kill it. The body it hides beneath the surface is ten times larger than what's exposed. Killing it would have caused a massive disturbance no matter what. I used something to draw its attention away."

Hearing that he had merely distracted it, Priest Shi Ye felt much less surprised.

"That works too. It reduces our consumption and ends the battle quickly," Shi Ye said.

Li Ban looked at Xiu Ye and patted the back of her neck. "But this also serves as a reminder. Flying on a giant dragon avoids using the spiritual rhinoceros, but Dino's massive size still makes her a glaring target for nearby marine life."

"Could we use clouds and mist to hide?" Shi Ye suggested.

"Using the spiritual rhinoceros to create mist here probably wouldn't last long," Li Ban said.

"I can try exhaling my own clouds and mist to hide us," Xiu Ye suddenly chimed in.

"Flying here for so long is already draining your stamina," Li Ban said, worried she wouldn't be able to hold out.

"It's fine," Xiu Ye replied. "I'm only responsible for travel, not combat. Even if I get a little tired, it won't delay your business."

For now, that was the only option.

Li Ban had originally planned to use his Superior Element, "Illusory Demise Spirit Mist," to cloak the dragon's body.

Though elements were somewhat more stable than spells, they still relied on the spiritual rhinoceros and could easily be disrupted by the chaotic aura here.

The two people and one dragon continued searching the deep sea zone for another four or five days. Finally, at noon on the fifth day, they picked up a much clearer signal.

The Compass gave a direct signal: an aura extremely similar to Li Ban's Wizard Embryo Fragment was right ahead.

"With a signal this strong, the target is likely less than half a day's journey away," Shi Ye said.

Li Ban reached up to touch a small plaque on his neck and braced himself. "Let's go!"

Meanwhile, the Main Brain draped a black robe over itself, pulling the hood down tightly to conceal its face, leaving only its mouth and chin exposed.

Du An stood opposite the Main Brain, watching it adjust the garments.

If anyone had drawn close, they would have realized that the chin protruding from the Main Brain's hood was identical to Du An's.

Looking at the Main Brain, whose physique had also shifted, Du An asked, "You prepared for this?"

"Indeed."

"How are you able to replicate even my aura?"

"Because I am not the one replicating it," the Main Brain said.

"What?"

"The one doing the replicating is the Final. No one can see through his copies."

Du An pressed his lips into a tight line.

The Main Brain continued, "In a certain unspeakable place, I devoured many Priests. Among them was the 'you' from another timeline."

The corners of Du An's mouth curled up in a mocking smile. "The Director really does make full use of everything."

The Main Brain remained perfectly calm. "For the sake of the goal, any means are justified."

It pointed at the ground beneath their feet.

"General, please hide yourself in the island below. I will lure away all non-target individuals for you."

Du An gave the Main Brain one last look before donning a cloak identical to its own.

Right before descending underground to hide, he asked the Main Brain, "Have you ever devoured the Director?"

"No. The Directors from the other timelines would never choose to enter that place. They would self-destruct before letting that happen."

"He loves sacrificing himself that much? Heh! Do you really think I'd believe that?"