Haoyun and Judge Yan argued fiercely about the payment, each holding their ground. The guards in the grand hall acted quickly to prevent Dao Lao and Judge Yan from throttling each other. Their heated debate created quite a ruckus in the grand hall. Finally, Dream Jia, unable to tolerate the chaos any longer, forcibly restored order by firing her machine gun at the floor, making the solemn hall fall silent once more.
Amidst the dazzling light of the machine gun fire, the four of them involuntarily danced a ghost step before looking at Dream Jia with terror in their eyes. Dream Jia, pretending not to notice, leaned on her long spear and said, "Enough is enough. They faced a high-level spirit energy, possibly a fragment of the mother of all dark spirits. There's merit in what they did, even if it wasn't a complete success. Plus, your Underworld didn't assist or prevent Elina's escape, which hindered our work in capturing the dark spirit energy. Logically, your Underworld should bear some loss for this. Besides, you guys aren't short of money. Just pay them. It's embarrassing for grown men to bicker over a few coins!"
Dream Jia's objective stance, as a bystander, made her view more acceptable to Haoyun and the others. To avoid delaying their next task, they agreed to a compromise suggested by Dream Jia: Haoyun would receive 10 God Shield coins, and Dao Lao would get 4 God Shield coins. The convincing objectivity of Dream Jia's reasoning, rather than fear of her pointed gun, led them to this agreement.
With the payment issue resolved, everyone refocused on the task of capturing Elina. The chaotic energy inside these black holes, devoid of the protection of the Divine Spirit Realm, posed great danger to anyone entering. Therefore, divine officers needed special equipment from the Divine Spirit Realm to traverse black holes and exit before their protective energy was exhausted. Black hole VOID-5173, created by the explosion of an entire galaxy, was especially perilous. Thus, the Divine Spirit Realm had to provide Haoyun and his companions with superior equipment to ensure their safety and prolong their mission inside VOID-5173.
Judge Yan promised to personally vouch for Haoyun's group and coordinate with the Divine Spirit Realm's black hole management department to secure their safe entry into the highly dangerous VOID-5173. This meant Haoyun and his team had to wait longer before embarking on their next mission.
After a brief stay with Judge Yan, Haoyun and the others returned to the space base Dao Lao had set up in Haoyun's home. There, Dao Lao and Dream Jia began drafting the report on the Alf star mission, while Haoyun eagerly transferred the dark spirit energy he had collected into the base's storage unit. The system calculated that Haoyun's 723 grams of dark spirit energy were worth 7 God Shield coins. Adding the 10 coins from Judge Yan, Haoyun now had a total of 17.5 God Shield coins.
Awesome! The sight of 17.5 God Shield coins in the system gave Haoyun an overwhelming sense of wealth. Dao Lao had mentioned that once he earned 10 God Shield coins, the prices of other items, besides the Heavenly God's Hahale brand purified water, would be unlocked in the dark spirit energy hunting system's online store. Eager for a shopping spree, Haoyun opened the store, ready to indulge in some rich man's shopping.
To his dismay, Haoyun found the prices of the newly unlocked items exorbitant. Besides the Heavenly God's Hahale brand purified water costing 1 God Shield coin, "Refreshing All-Night Brand Toilet Paper" cost 15 coins, "Delicious Visible Brand Soap" cost 45 coins, and "Old Lady's Pretty Fist Brand Slippers" cost 87 coins.
What the heck! Are you kidding me? Haoyun thought. He could afford the "Refreshing All-Night Brand Toilet Paper," but spending 15 coins on a single roll seemed extravagant. Despite its emergency use, Haoyun couldn't justify the mental anguish of such a purchase. Reluctantly, he closed the store, let out a deep sigh, and stepped back into the system's green light beam, awaiting a new round of physical evaluation.
Master Gu, who had tagged along under the guise of preparing for the next mission and inspecting the Underworld's investment in a milk tea shop but was actually catching up on a drama starring Gulina and Dilireba, took on the role of assisting Haoyun with his evaluation.
"Uh—Haoyun, after that trance-like state you experienced, have you felt any other discomfort?" Master Gu asked, his face showing a strange expression as he looked at the evaluation data.
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"No, but I do feel that my mental energy has slightly decreased, making me constantly feel a strange fatigue," Haoyun replied seriously, clenching his fists.
"Mm. That's because the bad Dao inside you will inevitably affect the speed of your recovery. Also, when the sealed dark spirit energy resonates with Elina, although it won't consume too much of your spiritual power, it will cause some interference." Master Gu said with a knowing expression.
"My dark spirit energy resonates with Elina? What does that mean?" Haoyun's heart skipped a beat upon hearing Master Gu's words, prompting him to ask hurriedly.
Master Gu raised a hand to calm Haoyun's nerves before explaining, "Don't worry, Haoyun, let me explain. Based on our experience, your ability to pinpoint the location of the black hole VOID-5173 and track Elina's movements precisely was likely due to the resonance between the dark spirit energy sealed within you and Elina."
"After all, they were both separated from Elina's dark spirit energy, so it's normal for them to resonate with each other and feel a strong sense of belonging to the mother entity. But don't be too concerned, Haoyun. From the current situation, the dark spirit energy sealed within you is quite stable. Even if they resonate with Elina, they cannot break free from your body's constraints and harm you."
Haoyun felt a mix of emotions after Master Gu's explanation. Initially troubled by the invasion of dark spirit energy into his soul, he now learned that the energy resonated with Elina. He couldn't predict when they might resonate again, which led to a slight breakdown in his mental state, given the torment he experienced when the dark spirit energy resonated with Elina.
Haoyun immediately asked Master Gu if there was a way to prevent the resonance between the dark spirit energy inside him and Elina. Master Gu, wearing a troubled expression, regretfully told Haoyun that based on their experience, they couldn't prevent or even predict such occurrences.
As Master Gu explained, his relaxed demeanor gradually faded, replaced by worry. "Of course, while the dark spirit energy sealed within you won't harm you, its resonance with Elina will only weaken your body and mind, without causing any real harm. However, the real concern arises afterward."
"What problem?" Haoyun asked nervously.
"When you've adapted to the effects of the dark spirit energy on you, even if they resonate with Elina again, you won't feel any discomfort. But at that point, another problem will arise." Master Gu hesitated before answering.
"What other problem? Master Gu," Haoyun asked eagerly.
After a moment of hesitation, Master Gu said with concern, "Based on our experience, when the dark spirit energy no longer disturbs you, it indicates that both sides have entered a relatively peaceful coexistence stage. During this period, if the dark spirit energy resonates with Elina or exhibits any abnormal behavior, you will have the energy to fully sense these anomalies. However, if you relax your vigilance and attempt to peek into the dark spirit energy, you'll be easily caught off guard, allowing it to further erode your body and mind."
"I see." Learning that Master Gu was worried about him falling into corruption due to the influence of the dark spirit energy, Haoyun immediately reassured him, saying, "Master Gu, I've witnessed firsthand how Elina and Anxilin devoured each other. I'm well aware that if I succumb to the temptations of the dark spirit energy and fall into corruption, I might end up being devoured by Elina. I don't want to be swallowed alive by her. At the very least, even if I die, I won't choose such a fate. So, Master Gu, rest assured, I promise not to give the dark spirit energy any chance. They'll stay obediently within me until I ascend to become a full-fledged living being, then I'll deal with them slowly!"
While Master Gu remained concerned about Haoyun, seeing his determined demeanor, Master Gu didn't want to add more pressure. Instead, he said, "Well, Haoyun, like Dao Lao, I've always had great faith in you! So, I believe you'll be able to handle yourself and avoid falling into the traps of the dark spirit energy. However, for safety's sake, remember to undergo regular divine check-ups and let us reinforce the seals inside you regularly to ensure you can smoothly ascend from a living being to a holy spirit in a safe manner."
Haoyun nodded heavily, reassuring Master Gu. Then, his tone changed as he asked, "Oh? By the way, Master Gu, why did you keep saying 'based on your experience'? From what you said, does that mean other divine officers have encountered accidents like mine?"
"That's right. Due to the intense battles during that divine war, some divine officers unfortunately suffered extreme injuries, leaving traces of dark spirit energy in their holy bodies. Alas! Regrettably, due to the lack of means to deal with such situations in the Divine Spirit Realm at the time, those divine officers couldn't effectively contain the dark spirit energy inside them, leading to tragic outcomes." Master Gu answered with a heavy tone.
He sighed deeply and continued, "Ah! Among them was Dao Lao's former assistant. He was the closest victim to us, succumbing to destruction under the erosion of dark spirit energy. It's because of this that we could accurately judge the series of events happening within you."
"What!? Dao Lao's former assistant was also killed by the dark spirit energy!?" Haoyun exclaimed in shock upon hearing this information.