Hearing this, Li Ban looked at Priest Qian Que with distinct disapproval.
The Chaotic Green Silk Algae fused within the Cat Girl's body had not entirely stabilized yet; she should have stayed far away from the Nihility State.
He never expected Priest Qian Que to bring her here anyway.
Fearing a conflict between Li Ban and Priest Qian Que, the Cat Girl quickly grabbed his arm. "I came voluntarily," she said.
Li Ban knew perfectly well that someone must have said something to convince her.
But since she was already here, he could not keep harping on the issue. Nor could he ask Priest Qian Que to make another trip just to send her back.
"Let me start with what I found today," Li Ban said. "The swamp vines outside the Nihility State might just be a smokescreen set up by Xiao Suo."
"What did you find?" Priest Qian Que immediately asked.
Li Ban recounted everything he had seen.
"Xiao Suo had arrangements in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion as well. That Miaomiao was also used by him. We received word that they died, but it's entirely possible Xiao Suo simply relocated them. Otherwise, there's no explaining why Lady Kui would carry such an immense obsession after her death, desperately driving her into the depths of the Nihility State."
Priest Qian Que nodded. "Indeed. We called the Cat Girl over because we suspect the swamp vines are tied to the Mutated Element. The Cat Girl also has Chaotic Green Silk Algae fused with the Mutated Element in her body. With her here, it will be much easier to detect any anomalies in the swamp vines and draw Xiao Suo out."
Priest Qian Que brought out the Fluffy Dandelion that Li Ban had previously given him to study.
"This thing is absolutely a byproduct of the Mutated Element. However, we haven't found it to be particularly harmful yet. Aside from its sheer numbers and rapid reproduction, it doesn't possess any other active traits."
Li Ban then presented his own discoveries from earlier in the day. "This is the strange mud I found in the Mist Zone behind the Fluffy Dandelions."
He described the mud's behavior and properties.
He also shared an additional hypothesis. "With the swamp vines, we've always focused entirely on the vines themselves. Could there be an anomaly with the mud beneath them as well?"
"The Mist Realm Priests also discovered the swamp vines on the perimeter. They tested both the soil and the plants—"
Priest Qian Que abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
"But the patch of swamp vines deep within the mist... we really haven't investigated the mud beneath it. The biggest difference between the outer vines and the inner ones might very well be the soil itself."
He looked at the Cat Girl. "Bringing her here was also done with the intention of comparing the two Mutated Elements."
Li Ban made his decision. "Alright, then we'll take Little Cat and make a trip. I didn't find any trace of Xiao Suo near either of the swamp patches today anyway. Let's uncover the secret of the swamp vines before he shows up."
"When do you plan to go?" Priest Qian Que asked.
"The sooner the better. Let's do it tomorrow at noon. Also, Weiyun Martial Arts Hall and the Shenji Battalion cannot be allowed to leak any information about our investigation there."
"That's simple," Priest Qian Que said. "As for the Shenji Battalion, we just need to ask Priest You to put in a word. As for Weiyun Martial Arts Hall, we just need to ensure they keep their mouths shut."
If a Priest truly wanted to deal with a faction of ordinary spirit practitioners, it would be as easy as flipping a hand.
That night, Li Ban checked on Little Cat's physical condition to confirm that the Chaotic Green Silk Algae element was relatively stable.
At noon the next day, with the cooperation of the Mist Realm Priests, they arrived at the patch of swamp vines deep within the Mist Zone.
Previously, Li Ban had been monitoring Xiao Suo's movements from the shadows, so naturally, he couldn't bring too many people along.
But entering the Mist Zone for research and aiming for a swift operation required others to help cover their tracks.
Priest Qian Que still hadn't revealed his whereabouts, so he didn't accompany Li Ban's group inside. On the surface, he was still stationed at the Myriad Ancient Pagoda, guarding the Shattered Eye alongside Priest Lihe.
However, there was still an 8th Tier Priest present in this expedition team.
It was none other than Priest Ai Jing, who had recently advanced to Solar Radiance after untangling the knots in her heart.
Looking at the swamp vines before her, Priest Ai Jing frowned.
"Only those Black Robes would spend all day plotting such shady deeds inside the Nihility State," she said. "The internal environment of the Nihility State is already unstable. We hold our posts and patrol every single day specifically because we fear sudden shifts. Yet those Black Robes spend their days dreaming up new ways to cause trouble for us."
Since Priest Ai Jing had advanced to Solar Radiance, Priest Qian Que had naturally shared Xiao Suo's secret with her.
However, this secret was not suited for others' ears. So, while Priest Ai Jing was thinking of Xiao Suo, she could only use the Black Robes as a substitute when speaking aloud.
She had also assured them that she would do everything in her power to assist Li Ban and Priest Qian Que.
As long as Xiao Suo dared to show his face, she would spare no effort in killing him again, repeating the process until that hateful bastard was thoroughly eradicated.
Since their goals aligned perfectly, they hit it off instantly.
Upon reaching the destination, two Star Glow Priests began making arrangements on the sidelines, setting up formations to conceal any disturbances that might occur here.
Once the two had finished their setup, Li Ban led the Cat Girl forward.
The moment the Cat Girl laid eyes on the swamp, her expression turned peculiar.
"The things here..." she murmured. "They give me a really bad feeling."
Although Li Ban was concerned about her physical condition, he also knew that sometimes short-term pain was better than long-term suffering.
"Can you sense exactly what is making you uncomfortable?" he asked.
Frowning, the Cat Girl walked up to the edge of the swamp and pointed at the center of the writhing vines. "In the middle. At the very bottom. There seems to be something special down there that makes me feel sick to my stomach."
Priest Ai Jing told Li Ban to stand guard over the Cat Girl while she headed straight into the heart of the swamp herself.
Here, spiritual rhinoceros was sluggish and stagnant, making it extremely difficult to cast spells.
Only the physique of a priest at Solar Radiance could withstand the mutations of this place.
Not long after Priest Ai Jing descended, a Mist Realm Priest walked over.
"We've detected a raw soul approaching," the Priest reported. "Should we terminate it?"
"No."
Li Ban knew full well that only Lady Kui's raw soul could possibly rely on her immense obsession to get this close.
"That should be an old acquaintance of mine," Li Ban said. "However, she is on the verge of dissipating from making it this far. Do you have any methods to safely bring her the rest of the way here?"
The Priest answered at once, "That won't be a problem. We usually capture escaped raw souls and throw them back into the River of Helplessness. I didn't expect we'd be doing the exact opposite today."
The Priest then pulled a blooming White Chrysanthemum from his robes and set off in Lady Kui's direction.
A short while later, he returned.
The blooming White Chrysanthemum in his hand was now tightly closed.
He presented the White Chrysanthemum to Li Ban. Its petals bloomed open once more, revealing a miniaturized Lady Kui resting inside.
Accepting the White Chrysanthemum, Li Ban shielded her with one hand and carefully approached the edge of the swamp.
"Lady Kui," he said gently, "look up. Is the thing you're looking for here?"
The bound Lady Kui raised her head. Clear tears spilled from her eyes as she mumbled in a hushed whisper, "Miaomiao."
Holding the White Chrysanthemum aloft, Li Ban continued forward, stepping straight into the mud of the swamp.
The muck swallowed his shoes, then rose past his calves, but he still didn't stop.
Suddenly, Priest Ai Jing burst out of the depths of the swamp, flying upward.
Behind her, two massive, thick branches shot into the sky from beneath the ground, looking as if they were trying to drag her back to the bottom of the swamp.