"Although Xiao Suo is powerful, he's ultimately just one person. He's never seen interacting with other Black Robes either. Could he be trying to build his own information network?" Priest Hunyou guessed.
Li Ban looked down at the Xuanji Vine resting in his palm.
Now that it had shed its brown outer shell, this vine looked even more like the Swing Vine used by the Director of the Recycling Station.
Could Xiao Suo have helped cultivate the Director's Swing Vine?
However, the capabilities of the Director's Swing Vine were far greater than those of the current Xuanji Vine.
Li Ban held a different opinion from Priest Hunyou. Xiao Suo doesn't actually work alone. He can split himself at will and communicate among his clones. He doesn't need the Xuanji Vine to help him gather information.
Every element Xiao Suo had cultivated seemed to be a plant-type element.
The Blood Demon Vine grown in the Hundred Flowers Garden went without saying, and the element cultivated in the Imperial Palace was meant to help the previous Realm Emperor fuse with someone else's Wizard Embryo Fragment.
But the fundamental goal behind Xiao Suo's actions remained the creation of black-robed priests.
Feeling the newly added element within his body, a thought struck Li Ban. Could these types of elements drastically increase the chances of ordinary people successfully fusing with Wizard Embryo Fragments?
The Cyan Silk Algae that Little Cat fused with is also a plant-type element...
While Li Ban was deep in thought, the other priests had already moved on to a different topic.
Li Ban listened quietly from the side, occasionally offering his own input.
It wasn't until around noon that Priest Liu Yun stood up to take his leave.
He needed to return to check on Priest Ai Jing's condition and arrange the evening patrol duties while he was at it.
Priest Hunyou also had to inform the other white-robed priests about the day's events.
Only Li Ban and Priest Qian Que remained in the main hall.
Priest Qian Que looked at Li Ban. "Are you feeling unwell?"
By now, Li Ban had already fused with four of Xiao Suo's fragments. Although he hadn't shown any signs of corruption, Priest Qian Que's attention remained firmly fixed on him.
"I'm fine," Li Ban said, assuring Priest Qian Que that he didn't need to worry. "Xiao Suo's actions might have an entirely different purpose."
With only the two of them present, they could openly discuss Xiao Suo.
Priest Qian Que was thinking the same thing. "According to what you said, Xiao Suo is dedicated to cultivating new Black Robes."
"And cultivating them right here in the Wizard World," Li Ban said, crossing his arms. "The targets he chose all share a specific trait."
"The Hundred Flowers Pavilion sells treants to the public, and it's an inn with a massive volume of foot traffic. The Imperial Palace is the absolute concentration of worldly power, the core that dictates the promotions of all officials. And Mist Valley is an organization of numerous exceptional physicians, the very place many flock to in search of medical treatment."
"Hubs of human traffic," Priest Qian Que concluded.
Li Ban nodded. "Exactly. He's covertly cultivating black-robed priests under the White Robes' noses, slowly eating away at the ordinary human world bit by bit."
Although ordinary people lacked strength, they were the absolute foundation of the entire Wizard World.
The white-robed priests had always sought stability for the Wizard World.
Only with a stable Wizard World could they guarantee the steady production of elements.
"A second Nihility State," Priest Qian Que said curtly.
Reducing an entire province to chaos would naturally be the most devastating blow imaginable to the Wizard World.
"We have to keep hunting for Xiao Suo's clones."
Was the trigger for the Recycling Station's reclamation process somehow tied to Xiao Suo's actions?
If a second Nihility State was created, would the Wizard World lose its stability and begin cycling through reincarnation once more?
But even if Xiao Suo was an 8th Tier Black Robe, did he really possess enough power to force the entire world to reboot over and over again?
He had claimed to be the inner demon of a Great Wizard.
A Great Wizard...
Watching Li Ban frown in deep thought, Priest Qian Que patted his shoulder. "Don't rush it."
Li Ban nodded. "Let's return to the Myriad Ancient Pagoda in the Unreturning Place first."
Running into one of Xiao Suo's clones here in Mist Valley had been a genuine unexpected joy.
But tracking down the rest of Xiao Suo's clones was definitely not something he could accomplish alone.
He needed to pool the strength of the white-robed priests.
Without any other leads, running around aimlessly would only waste energy. It was better to head back to the Unreturning Place, focus on raising his own strength, and wait for news of Xiao Suo.
After staying in Priest Hunyou's mountaintop courtyard for another day, Priest Qian Que brought Li Ban and Cat Girl back to the Unreturning Place.
They didn't stick around to wait for the results of Priest Ai Jing's advancement.
They had already offered all the help they could.
Whether she could successfully advance to a Solar Priest would ultimately depend on Priest Ai Jing herself.
Upon returning to the Unreturning Place, Priest Qian Que took Li Ban to see Priest Li He first.
Before they had set out to ambush Xiao Suo, they had briefed Priest Li He on the situation via the Self-Seeking Mirror.
Afterward, Priest Qian Que had also informed Priest Li He that they had successfully eliminated one of the Xiao Suos.
Looking at the two returning White Robes now, a gratified smile graced Priest Li He's face.
He didn't speak immediately; instead, he cast a Protection Spell, enveloping all three of them within its barrier.
"After you left, I conducted an experiment," Priest Li He said slowly. "I told Priest Chu Qi about Xiao Suo's situation. Then, I kept him by my side the entire time."
Li Ban and Priest Qian Que exchanged a glance, completely unsurprised.
This was exactly the kind of person Priest Li He was.
He was someone who wouldn't easily trust others, always insisting on grasping the unfiltered truth for himself.
Priest Li He continued, "Priest Chu Qi was incredibly shocked and repeatedly verified his own memories. If I hadn't been the one to tell him the truth, he probably wouldn't have believed it at all."
Li Ban nodded. "So, to this day, the secret of Xiao Suo's immortality is only known to the three of us."
To prevent any accidental leaks, they hadn't even told Priest Hunyou; they had merely asked Priest Chu Zhan to help coordinate.
Taking in Priest Li He's solemn expression, Li Ban raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that Priest Chu Qi has forgotten the truth again?"
Priest Li He pressed his lips together and nodded slowly. "He only retained it for a single day."
Priest Qian Que also found the situation tricky. "I'll go ask Priest Chu Zhan."
He deliberately stepped out of Priest Li He's protective barrier and pulled out his Self-Seeking Mirror to contact Priest Chu Zhan.
A moment later, he reentered the barrier. "He still remembers."
"Is it because Priest Chu Zhan is a Dark Moon Priest?" Li Ban asked.
Priest Li He frowned. "I'm just afraid that being a Dark Moon Priest only allows him to hold onto the memory for a little longer, and that he'll eventually forget it too."
"If that's the case," Priest Qian Que said, "then we won't be exceptions either."
There was only one exception present—Li Ban.
Despite only being a Star Glow Priest, he was the very first person to discover the secret.
"Perhaps we should leave marks behind so we don't forget," Priest Li He suggested.
"Even marks might not last," Priest Qian Que said, not holding out much hope.
After all, weren't memories just marks left in the brain?
"True. Fortunately, we still have Priest Ban; he is the most important mark of all," Priest Li He said, turning to instruct Priest Qian Que. "I'll have to ask you to keep an eye on him for the time being. Leave things here at the Unreturning Place to me."