At this point, the Countess clenched her fists in frustration and continued, "If it weren't for my reluctance to get involved with other Mold Spirit Energy and Divine Realms, I would have personally gone to find her situation. She wouldn't stand a chance against me now! And I will definitely imprison her forever after defeating her, making her the most dazzling trophy here! Cough, cough, cough!"
Of course, Haoyun could see that the Countess was just fantasizing about how she would vent her anger on that female warrior after defeating her, rather than wanting any further interaction with her. Moreover, after Haoyun's trio completed the three challenges, the Countess did agree to let them go, and she had emphasized more than once that she didn't want to get involved in the disputes between the Divine Realm and the Mold Spirit Energy. So, Haoyun's intuition told him that the Countess's words about the female warrior were probably true, and Dream Jia's series of doubts were probably not worth worrying about.
Therefore, to avoid further dispute between Dream Jia and the Countess over the authenticity of the female warrior's story, and also to calm down the somewhat agitated Countess, Haoyun took the initiative to step between them, gesturing for both to hold their tongues for a moment, then changed the subject, "By the way, what's the name of that female warrior? Didn't you say that if we could complete the challenges you set, you would tell us her name? Hey, you said that yourself, you can't back out now!"
The Countess scratched her nose, looking very reluctant to mention the name of the female warrior, and after stubbornly hesitating for a while, she pretended to ponder and said, "Uh—let me think—what's the name of that female warrior? Her surname seems to be Yan, and her name is... Beyond—Beyond?"
"What?! You said her name is Yan Beyond?!" Hearing the uncertain name spoken by the Countess, Haoyun's trio exclaimed.
Dao Lao, in particular, excitedly strode up to the Countess and made a motion as if to grab her shoulders with both hands, startling the Countess, who quickly backed away with her hands covering her chest, saying in a slightly coy tone, "Hey! What are you doing, you old man? You scared my little heart!"
Ignoring the Countess, Dao Lao, after realizing his own loss of composure, withdrew his hands and asked urgently, "Are you sure? The female warrior's name is Yan Beyond?!"
"Well—I don't think I'm wrong? Humph! That woman fought me when I was weak, and she didn't show any mercy to me at all! Why should I remember her name so clearly?! Anyway, she later told me that her name is Yan Beyond, a priestess from the Divine Realm's Underworld, who came here to hunt down a commander of the Mold Spirit Energy." The Countess pretended to be afraid that Dao Lao would make improper advances again and replied after putting some distance between them.
"Yan Beyond? Is it really her? It can't be that coincidental, right?" Haoyun couldn't help but express disbelief.
"Because of a priestess from the Underworld who disappeared while chasing a commander of the Mold Spirit Energy, named Yan Beyond, then she should be Judge Yan's daughter Yan Beyond! I didn't expect that we would find her whereabouts here!" Dao Lao, based on the information provided by the Countess and what he knew before, said with certainty.
Although the name Yan Beyond came from the Countess, Dao Lao's intuition told him that what the Countess said might be true. So, he began to try to contact Judge Yan and Master Gu to immediately inform them of this good news.
"Don't bother! In my territory, you can't contact the outside world!" Seeing this, the Countess waved her hand to stop them.
"Then get us out of here quickly!" Dao Lao said anxiously.
This was the first time Haoyun had seen Dao Lao so excited, but he understood why Dao Lao behaved so erratically after hearing the name "Yan Beyond". Thus, Haoyun realized that between continuing to pursue Elina and assisting the priest, they would inevitably choose the latter. Because as priests, they couldn't stand idly by when fellow priests were in danger, especially when the priest in need was Yan Beyond.
With this in mind, Haoyun hurriedly stepped forward to comfort, "Old Dao, don't worry. Since we've learned of Yan Beyond's whereabouts, we naturally need to find a way to bring her back."
"That's right, Old Dao. After we leave the Fragrant Nebula, we'll immediately inform Judge Yan and Master Gu of Elina's escape and the discovery of Yan Beyond's whereabouts. This way, we can make Judge Yan and the others take action and intensify the search for Elina throughout the entire Divine Realm. Then, we can take the time to find Yan Beyond first." Dream Jia also stepped forward to console.
Dao Lao first nodded gratefully to Haoyun and Dream Jia for agreeing to find Yan Beyond, then asked anxiously, "By the way, Countess. What did you mean by saying that she might need our help? Did something happen to Beyond?"
"I'm just guessing. After all, the Mold Spirit Energy members who dared to fight in the Underworld are not easy opponents. Although those guys are nothing compared to me, their strength should not be underestimated by you priests. Otherwise, the female warrior should have killed that Mold Spirit Energy commander and returned to the Divine Realm's territory!" The Countess analyzed. Haoyun's trio nodded together, indicating that the Countess's guess was reasonable.
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"So, Beyond's current situation is very dangerous, isn't it?" Dao Lao asked solemnly.
"The good news is that the female warrior hasn't been killed by the Mold Spirit Energy. But the bad news is that her current situation is indeed very precarious. If things continue like this, the female warrior will fall sooner or later." The Countess rolled her eyes, counting randomly with her fingers.
"Are you sure? But why are you so sure that Yan Beyond is in trouble?" Haoyun said, looking at the Countess with a skeptical expression.
"Why am I so sure? Oh, right! I am so sure that the female warrior is in danger because of this." The Countess continued to roll her eyes and pretended to think for a moment before saying as if she suddenly realized. At the same time, she threw a bright silver metal dagger that appeared out of thin air directly to Haoyun.
"Isn't this the 'Blade of Speed and Fury'?! Haoyun couldn't help but exclaim in surprise after catching the dagger.
At this moment, the dagger held in Haoyun's hand resembled a willow leaf, with a lightning-shaped hollow pattern running through the middle of the blade, making it almost identical in style to the "Blade of Speed and Fury" in Haoyun's hand. However, Dao Lao appeared even more excited after seeing this dagger than Haoyun and Dream Jia. As the godfather of Yan Chaoyue, Dao Lao was extremely familiar with her exclusive weapon. Therefore, based on the dagger suddenly presented by the Countess, Dao Lao once again confirmed that what the Countess said about Yan Chaoyue was not false at all; the female warrior she mentioned was indeed Yan Chaoyue, the beloved daughter who had been separated from Judge Yan for many years.
"This is the credential left by the Valkyrie before she left. She said that if any strong beings from the divine realm came here, she would give this dagger to them to let them know her whereabouts. The Valkyrie also said that this dagger is a divine artifact bound to her. If this dagger completely breaks, it means she has fallen, and there is no need for other priests to search for her whereabouts." The Countess admired Haoyun's surprised expression as she spoke again.
Listening to the Countess's explanation, Haoyun and his companions couldn't help but feel tense. At this moment, they could all clearly see some tiny cracks appearing in the middle of the dagger. According to the Countess, this was definitely not a good sign; Yan Chaoyue must be in trouble!
"Oh? It seems that there are two more cracks on the dagger than the last time I saw it! Look! I really don't know how much longer it can hold on! Cough, cough, cough!" The Countess stretched her neck to look at the cracks on the dagger, pretending to be worried.
"Where is Chaoyue now?! Can you take us there?!" Seeing the Countess approaching again, Dao Lao immediately asked anxiously, reaching out to grab her shoulder unconsciously once again.
The Countess quickly dodged Dao Lao's grasp and said, "Of course! But as I said before, if you decide to assist the Valkyrie, I won't tell you Elina's whereabouts anymore. You must not regret it!"
"We won't regret it. Assisting endangered priests to ensure the vitality of the divine realm is more important to us. Besides, Elina can only hide in other black holes for now. Where else can she go? As long as she is still in the divine realm, we will find her sooner or later. She can never escape from us!" Dream Jia replied for the three of them.
"If that's your decision, then I feel our agreement is met by satisfying your request! Cough, cough, cough!" The Countess shrugged indifferently. From her current expression, she seemed to have reservations about Dream Jia's idea and also seemed to be expecting more exciting things to happen.
Dao Lao obviously didn't have the mood to speculate again on what the Countess might be hiding in her changing expression. Instead, he expressed his incomprehension at the Countess's generosity in helping them find Yan Chaoyue: "Why—why are you helping us so kindly? You—?"
"Hey! Don't overthink it! First of all, although I have personal grievances with the Valkyrie, we should draw the line at our enmity. I'm not so mean as to use you to deal with her. Secondly, if your random speculations were spread back to the Abyss, those radicals from my family would definitely come over and torture me to death. I don't want either of these outcomes. I just hope to one day get away from you and live the life I want." The Countess preemptively answered before Dao Lao could finish speaking.
Then, after making sure there was no danger around with feigned caution, the Countess whispered mysteriously, "I won't hide it from you. Actually, I don't want to help the Valkyrie. But this clause is part of the ceasefire agreement I signed with her. So I have no choice but to keep my promise. Cough, cough, cough!"
"Oh? Is this also part of the agreement?" Haoyun raised his eyebrows and asked.
"Yes, yes. The Valkyrie swore not to expose my existence to the divine realm. In return, I have to tell her where the mold energy fled and promise her that if any beings from the divine realm come to my territory again, I will try not to kill them and let them take her whereabouts back to the Abyss. Of course, the premise is that if they survive the games I set up." The Countess pointed at Haoyun and his companions as she answered.
"When can we set off then?" Since the Countess had clearly agreed to let them go, Haoyun couldn't wait to ask.
"Anytime is fine. But I suggest that you ensure your strength is almost restored before you leave. Because once you leave this sanctuary, I can't guarantee that you will continue to survive in the black holes. Anyway, let's make it clear first; if anything happens to you during the subsequent actions, it has nothing to do with us." The Countess said seriously.
"Are you saying that Chaoyue is still in the black hole?" Hearing the Countess's words, Dao Lao hurriedly asked.
"Yes. After leaving here, the Valkyrie entered another black hole in a deeper place. Due to the extremely vast interior of that black hole and the more dangerous environment the deeper you go, even I, back then, only had the ability to use the energy turbulence in that black hole to teleport the Valkyrie and the mold energy commander in once." The Countess replied.
"And what about now? With your current strength, shouldn't you be able to teleport us to Chaoyue?" Dao Lao asked again.
The Countess sighed and shook her head. "Unfortunately, I can't do that."
"Why?" Haoyun asked puzzledly. If from an antagonistic perspective, Haoyun sincerely didn't want the Countess to have such strong power. But from the perspective of her helping them find Yan Chaoyue, he really hoped the Countess had enough strength so that she could directly send the three of them to Yan Chaoyue and provide necessary assistance in time.