Priest Chu Zhan and Priest Qian Que had been unable to determine whether there were other Xiao Suos, but Li Ban was certain: the black-robed Xiao Suo definitely had other clones existing in the world.
He currently had no leads, however. He could only rely on the power of the Myriad Ancient Pagoda and the Imperial Dynasty to search the Nine Provinces.
After fusing with more of Xiao Suo's Witch Embryo Shards, Li Ban could sense Xiao Suo's power within a certain range.
As long as he had the right clues, he believed he could definitely track down another of Xiao Suo's clones.
Thus, after their discussion concluded, Li Ban took a trip through the skies above the entire Imperial City. Once he confirmed there were no lingering traces of Xiao Suo's power in the area, he prepared to return to the Unreturning Place with Priest Qian Que.
Hunting down Xiao Suo was crucial, but elevating his own strength was equally important.
Ever since returning, Li Ban had set two goals for himself.
Both goals were vitally important, and both were urgent.
Before Li Ban departed, Priest Chu Zhan called him privately to the Floating Pavilion.
By this time, Li Ban had already dropped his disguise and restored his true appearance.
Priest Chu Zhan looked at this face, finding it completely unfamiliar.
If Priest Qian Que had not confirmed that the person before him was indeed Li Ban, he would have suspected that some other soul had returned in his place.
"A superior element?" Li Ban did not stand on ceremony.
A superior element was exactly what he needed right now.
"Wait here a moment."
Priest Chu Zhan entered the side hall of the Floating Pavilion and emerged a short time later.
When he came out, he held a small incense burner from which wisps of green smoke curled upward.
At first, Li Ban's gaze landed on the quaintly styled incense burner, but he soon realized that the true element was the green smoke perpetually shrouding it.
Priest Chu Zhan introduced it to him. "This superior element is called 'Illusory Demise Spirit Mist.' It is a creation-type element."
Creation-type elements were those artificially processed and crafted.
A superior creation-type element must have cost a considerable amount of manpower and resources to produce.
Priest Chu Zhan's hand brushed gently over the incense burner.
The green smoke above it instantly scattered.
It took a moment before the smoke re-emerged.
Amidst the swirling vapors, Li Ban thought he saw several faces hovering in the air—visages long since faded into history.
He raised his hand slightly, then quickly lowered it.
"Illusory Demise Spirit Mist. It sounds like it's related to illusions."
Priest Chu Zhan nodded. "Exactly. According to our tests, the primary ability of the Illusory Demise Spirit Mist is to cast illusions using smoke. In addition, the mist possesses two toxic traits that induce paralysis and blood coagulation, respectively. It has a certain degree of sentience and can take shape or move according to your commands. Though, of course, these can only be simple instructions."
Hearing Priest Chu Zhan's introduction to the Illusory Demise Spirit Mist, Li Ban grew intrigued.
Mimicking Chu Zhan, he reached out and brushed his hand through the smoke.
Touching it himself gave him a much clearer sense of the mist.
When he swept his hand through it, the mist did not actually disperse. Instead, it turned thin and transparent, still hovering over the incense burner as a whole before gathering together again a moment later.
While it looked as though the burner was constantly producing new green smoke, the mass shrouding it was always that exact same cluster.
[Detected superior creation-class element "Illusory Demise Spirit Mist". Do you wish to fuse with it?]
"Thank you very much. I won't hold back, then."
Li Ban picked up the incense burner and directly fused with the element right in front of Priest Chu Zhan.
The burner remained, but the green smoke hovering above it vanished in an instant.
[Fusion with "Illusory Demise Spirit Mist" complete. Acquired ability: Smoke Control.]
Upon fusing with the element, Li Ban immediately absorbed the remaining waste elements in his Cubic Space, directly filling his spiritual rhinoceros entirely with this element.
Chu Zhan stood to the side, watching Li Ban undergo the fusion while stroking his beard with a smile.
Seeing Li Ban finish the process instantly, he was somewhat surprised.
"Your compatibility with this element is extremely high. You managed to fuse with it so smoothly."
Li Ban did not tell Chu Zhan that his compatibility with all elements was remarkably high, to the point where he never had to worry about the fusion process.
After thanking Priest Chu Zhan once more, Li Ban followed Priest Qian Que out of the Imperial Palace.
Since there were temporarily no leads on the other Xiao Suo clones, Li Ban decided to take a trip to the Mist Valley first. He needed to return the Divine Control Needle Technique manual that Tan Qiyue had entrusted to him to the Valley Master of the Mist Valley.
It was highly likely that this Valley Master was still Tan Qiyue.
Along the way, he also planned to check in on Little Cat.
Priest Chu Qi had told Li Ban that shortly after his soul fell to the bottom of the pool in the Unreturning Place and he disappeared, a priest of the Imperial Dynasty named Hunyou had contacted him via the Self-Seeking Mirror to ask about Li Ban's condition.
Although the major incident that occurred at the Unreturning Place was far from glorious, Chu Qi still relayed the truth to Priest Hunyou.
The priests of their three factions had always watched out for each other, so it was only natural for them to share information and jointly guard against the black-robed priests.
Since Priest Hunyou knew about Li Ban's disappearance, he had likely informed the Cat Girl, who was also stationed at the Mist Valley.
After returning, Li Ban had also attempted to use his own Self-Seeking Mirror to contact Priest Hunyou.
However, the other party seemed to be in secluded meditation and could not be reached.
Thus, Li Ban decided to make the trip personally.
In any case, he needed to search for clues regarding Xiao Suo, meaning he would likely have to travel all across the Nine Provinces soon anyway.
Priest Qian Que accompanied Li Ban for the entire journey.
This was to make up for Li Ban's lack of combat prowess.
Morningglow flew out of the Capital City, landing at dusk on the borders of Yingzhou in the westernmost part of the Nine Provinces.
Further west, across the River of Helplessness, lay the famous Nihility State.
Right at the junction of Yingzhou and Lan Province, there was an enormous valley.
Outside the valley, dense fog layered the peaks like walls, while inside, birds sang amidst fragrant flowers.
By this time, the Cat Girl had changed her attire and was sitting cross-legged on a large boulder at the entrance to the Mist Valley.
She wore a black martial arts outfit with red trim, with bracers binding her wrists and ankles. Her hair was tied high on her head, leaving only two strands of bangs framing her ears.
Crowned with a silver headpiece, she gave off a sharp, energetic vibe.
Only a pair of fluffy cat ears somewhat ruined the imposing atmosphere.
Her eyes were half-closed as if she were dozing, but in reality, she had not relaxed her guard in the slightest.
Behind the Cat Girl stood two large, blade-wielding men, both nearly two meters tall.
They stood a cautious three zhang away from her.
As they looked at the Cat Girl, their eyes held a deep sense of reverence and awe.
Seeing the sky begin to lighten, one of the burly men stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Lady Cat, should I head back to the valley first to report to the Valley Master?"
The Cat Girl opened her eyes and glanced at the sky. "Go and come back quickly."
She did not need their help in terms of combat power, but the entrance to the Mist Valley still needed to be guarded.
If she needed to leave temporarily, a single guard would not necessarily be able to hold the line.
"Yes!" The burly man bowed with cupped fists and quickly departed.
His figure was agile and his steps flew over the ground. Judging from his movements, he was at least a 3rd Tier Spirit Cultivator.
His silhouette had barely disappeared into the dense fog at the valley entrance when the Cat Girl abruptly stood up and gazed into the distance.
Along the mountain trail, a plume of yellow dust rose into the air, rapidly approaching.
A moment later, a young girl could be seen galloping forward on a fine horse.
Both the girl and the horse looked travel-worn and exhausted.
The girl was swaying unsteadily, while the horse was frothing at the mouth; both seemed to be nearing their absolute limits.
But just as the horse-riding girl neared the valley entrance, a man dressed in black riding a massive flying beast suddenly appeared behind her.
From his high vantage point, the man in black spotted the Cat Girl sitting at the valley entrance first.
He wore a mask over his face, revealing only a furrowed brow.
Pushing off with his feet, the man used the beast's momentum to accelerate, leaping down from the sky.
Almost at the exact moment the man in black accelerated, the Cat Girl shifted from sitting to a crouch. Her legs kicked off with explosive force, launching her high into the air like a fired cannonball.
The large boulder she had been sitting on was instantly reduced to powder the moment she launched herself.
Right as the masked man descended and reached out to grab the young girl, the Cat Girl's silhouette appeared between them like a flash of lightning.
The masked man was mildly surprised.
The Cat Girl had been quite a distance away, yet she managed to cover the gap in such a short amount of time.
It had to be the ability of some element.
Realizing it was now impossible to intercept the girl first, the masked man immediately changed his strategy. He thrust both palms outward to deliver a heavy strike to the newly arrived Cat Girl, assuming she had not yet found her footing.
The Cat Girl was petite in stature and did not look suited for a head-on clash of brute force.
Moreover, the masked man's strike seemed like a straightforward attack, but it contained a hidden force. As long as his opponent met him head-on, this hidden force would definitely surge into their body and destroy their internal organs.
However, the moment their fists and palms clashed, the masked man instantly realized something was wrong.
The incoming attacker did not absorb a single fraction of his force; it was as if the fist that met his palm was nothing more than an illusion.
In the next instant, the Cat Girl's body twisted at an unbelievable angle. Like a snake coiling up a stick, she slipped past the masked man's arm and arrived directly behind him.
The masked man never expected the offense and defense to reverse in a single exchange.
Having seized the upper hand, the Cat Girl showed absolutely no mercy.
Her fingernails suddenly extended to three inches and stabbed straight into the masked man's back, aiming for his heart.
Yet, the masked man forcefully clenched his muscles, temporarily preventing her nails from piercing his heart.
The Cat Girl changed moves immediately. Using her immobilized right hand to control the enemy's body, her left hand thrust forward, aiming for the back of his neck.
To her surprise, a mouth full of sharp fangs suddenly grew out of the masked man's nape, snapping down on the Cat Girl's fingertips in an instant.
A faint green glow shimmered on the teeth, making it obvious they were highly venomous.
But the Cat Girl did not dodge or evade. She abruptly lowered her head, and the two strands of bangs she had deliberately left untied lengthened wildly as if they possessed a life of their own, drilling straight into the mouth on the man's neck.
The hair was soft yet incredibly tough. With the sharp teeth blocked by her fingernails, the mouth was utterly unable to bite through the invading strands.
In just the blink of an eye, the masked man, who had still possessed the strength to counterattack moments before, went limp.
Only then did the Cat Girl step on his back as they dropped down to the ground.
The young girl, who had been desperately fleeing, managed to stop only after her horse ran another seven or eight zhang forward.
Clutching the reins tightly, she turned around to see the Cat Girl landing while standing on top of her masked pursuer.
The girl had no idea who the Cat Girl was. She watched her nervously until the burly man who had been with the Cat Girl rushed over and called out her name.
"Miss Ziyuan, are you alright?"
The man ran to the girl's side. Temporarily ignoring propriety, he looked her up and down. When he saw that Miss Ziyuan was completely unhurt, save for looking a bit disheveled, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, the Cat Girl stepped on the masked man's chest and pulled off his face covering.
The corners of her mouth curled up. "Du Xiucai. Long time no see."
Du Xiucai felt his heart constrained by an invisible force. He gasped heavily. "Cat Girl... you left the Assassin Hall just to become a dog for the Mist Valley?"
Faced with an insult directed at her, the Cat Girl did not care in the slightest.
"For the money, of course. Or did you think I came here specifically to squash a giant cockroach like you?"
The Cat Girl coming here was, in fact, a convenient opportunity for revenge.
Back then, relying on superior numbers, Du Xiucai had used a special element to heavily wound her, severely damaging her internal organs and causing her to cough up blood endlessly.
If Li Ban had not successfully fused with the "Flesh on White Bones" element, she might have very well died on her journey north.
"Speak. Who hired you to kill Tan Ziyuan, Tan Qiyue's only daughter?" The Cat Girl stomped heavily on Du Xiucai's chest, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood with a choked gasp.
The blood was dark red; he was already poisoned.
This poison was not from the Cat Girl.
Du Xiucai was inherently full of toxins. Severely injured by the Cat Girl and lingering on the edge of death, he naturally could no longer suppress the venom in his own body.
"I don't know—" Du Xiucai's expression changed.
As an assassin, he had long been mentally prepared to die during a mission.
But instead of being killed suddenly in the heat of battle, he was lying here with someone trampling his chest, feeling the poison within his body flare up. He suddenly found that accepting death was incredibly difficult.
Being killed by a blunt knife was the most agonizing way to die.
"Cat Girl, spare my life... I can go back and help you investigate the employer's information."
The Cat Girl pulled her foot back.
Just when Du Xiucai thought he was going to live, the Cat Girl shook her head. "Too late."
The two locks of her pitch-black hair withdrew from the mouth on the back of his neck.
The strands gleamed in the light, reflecting the glint of blood under the sun.
"Your heart was already pierced by me. Pulling them out means you're dead."
"You!" Du Xiucai glared at the Cat Girl, finally realizing that she had never expected an answer to her question in the first place.
His head fell back heavily, smashing limply into the dirt.
The Cat Girl's hair slowly shrank back to its original length.
She glanced at the tips of her hair, which no longer reflected the sheen of blood.
Frowning slightly, the Cat Girl stood up and walked toward Tan Ziyuan, who was not far away.
Just then, the flying beast that had been carrying Du Xiucai suddenly dove down, charging straight toward the Cat Girl and the other two.
Its body contracted and bulged in rapid succession, looking as if it were about to explode at any second.
Hearing the noise, the Cat Girl glanced back and instantly understood.
This flying beast was actually a final killing move left behind by Du Xiucai.
No matter what the beast spewed out when it detonated, they absolutely could not let it touch them.
The Cat Girl rushed forward, intending to grab Tan Ziyuan and pull her as far away as possible.
Her own speed was immense, but carrying a young girl, it was hard to say whether they could escape the blast radius in time.
Right as large cracks began to spread across the beast's skin, a transparent, spherical barrier suddenly enveloped it. Then, at the exact moment the beast exploded, the barrier violently contracted!
Not a single sound leaked out as the flying beast was crushed into a black ball smaller than the palm of a hand.
Throughout the entire process, Tan Ziyuan did not even realize what was happening.
She only instinctively followed the Cat Girl beside her, looking up at the sky.
Above them, they saw a man in a silver-trimmed white robe, floating in the air without any support, looking down at the three of them.
Tan Ziyuan felt a sharp pain in her arm.
The Cat Girl gripping her had not controlled her strength, clearly extremely nervous upon facing this newcomer.
Both of her ears lay flat against the sides of her head, showing even more tension than right before her fight with Du Xiucai.
This was despite the fact that the white-robed man's previous action had just saved them.
"Little Cat."
The man floating in the sky slowly descended to the ground, calling out to her in a gentle voice.
Little Cat?
Tan Ziyuan and the burly man beside her looked at the Cat Girl in confusion.
This title, "Little Cat," couldn't possibly be referring to Lady Cat, right?
Answering their puzzled gazes was the Cat Girl sprinting forward at top speed.