Li Ban went over and helped Cat Girl up.
Every trace of discomfort in Cat Girl's body vanished; even the hidden ailments from old injuries disappeared.
She excitedly grabbed Li Ban's arm, jumping up and down. "Haha, Li Ban! Li Ban, I did it!"
Several Solar Priests stepped forward.
Priest Qian Que was familiar with Cat Girl and helped check her physical condition. He then nodded in relief. "There is no creation without destruction. She used this opportunity to fuse with a Wizard Embryo Fragment."
Priest Ai Jing smiled, though she still looked concerned. "That method was a bit too dangerous. Don't ever take a risk like that again."
Li Ban looked at the excited Cat Girl, knowing that she had brushed with death today. "It happened so suddenly. I only came up with it at the last second, but thankfully it succeeded."
Priest Li He seemed to have forgotten that he had just told Li Ban to kill Cat Girl, or perhaps he simply didn't care.
"This method relies on seeking life in the midst of death. Unfortunately, the success rate is too low to be widely adopted."
Priest Ai Jing felt the same. "If only we could use this chaotic element to help induct more new priests."
Priest Qian Que disagreed. "This method involves Mutated Elements. It is far too dangerous."
Priest Ai Jing didn't insist. "True, the losses would outweigh the gains."
Everyone quieted down, leaving only the sound of the rushing River of Helplessness.
Priest Li He asked Priest Qian Que, "Who exactly was that black-robed priest? He seemed every bit as strong as you."
Priest Qian Que smiled bitterly. "He was more than just 'as strong'."
Priest Ai Jing frowned and said, "We have records of all the powerful black-robed priests, but this man seemed to appear out of nowhere."
While the three priests discussed the sudden appearance of the black-robed priest, Li Ban took Cat Girl away from the River of Helplessness, staying out of the seniors' discussion.
A few priests from the Mist Realm had been washed away by the river earlier and had only just been pulled back out.
Li Ban also kept his distance from them.
"Let me check again to see if your body has stabilized," he said, grasping Little Cat's hand.
Cat Girl then handed Li Ban the item she had been tightly clutching in her palm.
It was the object Li Ban had shoved directly into her hand when her body suddenly mutated.
Cat Girl didn't know what it was, but the moment she grasped it, her restless mind had calmed significantly.
Her sanity, which had been teetering on the edge of madness, instantly stabilized. Although she couldn't fully suppress her physical changes yet, she just needed time to slowly reel in the power.
Without this item, Cat Girl definitely would have succumbed to the chaos and become a new Mutated Element, exactly as Xiao Suo and the others had intended.
The others assumed she had managed to hold on by relying on the small Wizard Embryo Fragment Li Ban had given her.
But that fragment had hardly been of any use during her violent instability.
Only the object Li Ban slipped to her while soothing her with starlight had truly allowed Cat Girl to calm down.
Li Ban closed his hand and stored the item away with a single thought.
At the same time, a nearly spherical Wizard Embryo Fragment reappeared within his consciousness.
The item Li Ban had just given to Cat Girl was none other than his own Wizard Embryo Fragment.
Although his Wizard Embryo Fragment couldn't steadily suppress the rampage of a Mutated Element the way the Star River could, it had bathed in the light of the Star River for so long that it was already fundamentally different from those of other priests.
With the protection of his Wizard Embryo Fragment, it was as if Li Ban had remained right by Cat Girl's side, helping her survive the crisis and smoothly absorb the new Wizard Embryo Fragment to become a priest.
The two shared a tacit understanding and did not mention this matter to anyone else.
A moment later, the surging waters of the River of Helplessness gradually calmed and showed signs of reversing their flow.
Priest Qian Que walked over. "Priest Ai Jing and the others are going to deal with the diverted waters of the River of Helplessness and guide them back into the original channel. Priest Li He is anxious to return and hold down the fort at the Unreturning Place. Should we stay here for now or head back first?"
Feeling relaxed, Li Ban smiled and said, "Cat Girl and I will stay here for now so I can help her—"
Li Ban's voice came to an abrupt halt.
Priest Qian Que immediately noticed something wrong with Li Ban.
With a sweep of his robes, he pushed Cat Girl and the nearby low-tier priests far away.
Priest Li He and Priest Ai Jing also noticed the issue on Li Ban's end and instantly appeared at his side.
"What happened?" Priest Ai Jing was deeply concerned for Li Ban and was about to step forward to check on his condition.
However, Priest Li He had more experience, or rather, more vigilance.
"Stay on guard. He might be corrupting."
"What?" Priest Ai Jing quickly looked over at Qian Que, only to find that Qian Que didn't refute Priest Li He's words. He looked worried, as if something he had long feared was about to happen.
"Didn't you say he devoured many of Xiao Suo's fragments without any issues?"
"I did," Priest Qian Que said anxiously. "But perhaps because he devoured too many in too short a time—Oh no!"
Priest Li He also realized it and narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid Xiao Suo has turned the tables on us!"
Although Priest Ai Jing didn't know the full story, she could guess what was happening from their conversation.
"You mean Xiao Suo intentionally lured Li Ban to the Nihility State so Li Ban would devour his Wizard Embryo Fragments? Because he was certain that consuming so many would push Li Ban to his breaking point and corrupt him?"
"It wasn't just the Xiao Suo in the Nihility State. A few days ago, one of Xiao Suo's clones suddenly appeared in the Unreturning Place. He even lured Shi Ming in an attempt to lay an ambush there. However, we discovered him in time and purged all of Xiao Suo's clones from the Unreturning Place."
Priest Qian Que said in a heavy voice, "That clone was also bait."
Before executing his plan, Xiao Suo must have left a distant clone who knew the whole truth.
Once the Xiao Suo who entered the Unreturning Place went completely silent, that distant clone would realize that someone knew about his ability and could swiftly dispatch all nearby clones without leaving a trace or leaking any information.
And the person who consumed the clone at the Unreturning Place would use that connection to find the Nihility State and subsequently devour the second clone Xiao Suo offered up to them.
Priest Li He's gaze darkened. "Xiao Suo's target wasn't the vines, nor was it Cat Girl. From the very beginning, his target was whoever could devour his clones."
Since Li Ban wasn't a priest of the Mist Realm, Priest Ai Jing could only ask, "What do we do now?"
Before Priest Qian Que could speak, Priest Li He's eyes gradually turned cold.
"Wait."
"If the one who opens his eyes is Li Ban, all is well. But if the one who opens his eyes is Xiao Suo, we kill him immediately."
Priest Qian Que was somewhat surprised.
They had fallen into Xiao Suo's ambush. Li Ban's mind was now closed off, and he was showing signs of corruption. Qian Que had thought Priest Li He would disregard everything and demand they kill Li Ban right away.
He hadn't expected Priest Li He to give Li Ban a chance and wait for the outcome.
This actually aligned with his own thoughts.
Although Cat Girl had been sent far away and couldn't get close, she stared worriedly at the three Solar Priests and Li Ban, whom they had surrounded.
She didn't know what was happening to Li Ban, but judging by the priests' deeply furrowed brows, it definitely wasn't anything good.
"Good man, please don't let anything happen to you!"
Priest Qian Que similarly hoped in his heart, 'Li Ban, you must hold on. Do not let Xiao Suo corrupt you. You believed Cat Girl could pull through, and I believe you can pull through too.'