As the story unfolded, Hao Yun and his companions couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the Gaia people's plight. Just as Captain Tie Zhu had commented earlier, the Gaia people, believing themselves capable of unraveling the mysteries of the universe, making contact with other life forms, and gaining access to more extraterrestrial civilizations and technologies on their journey of creation, ultimately brought about a catastrophe to their entire civilization. From a certain perspective, the downfall of the Gaia civilization was related to their blind confidence and self-destructive behavior. However, at the same time, Hao Yun and his companions could only acknowledge the fickleness of fate, acknowledging the unfortunate fate of those Gaia people.

According to historical records, the Gaia people's obsession with the extraterrestrial plant that birthed the Masutans led them to knowingly preserve it despite its danger, in hopes of obtaining more extraterrestrial knowledge and one day expanding their territories beyond Gaia Star. However, Hao Yun pondered whether the Gaia people's tragic fate and the emergence of the malevolent Masutans could be attributed to a pre-existing evil force prematurely terminating another faction with sinister intentions.

Hao Yun speculated that many Gaia people might not have desired such outcomes; they simply sought peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, these innocent Gaia people ultimately became victims of the selfish desires of a minority ruling class, paying the price for the misdeeds of a few.

"Talk about stirring up trouble for nothing! If it weren't for those Gaia people in power with corrupt hearts, the innocent Gaia people wouldn't have suffered such a fate," Hao Yun lamented with some frustration, a sentiment echoed by Captain Tie Zhu and the others.

In contrast, Dao Lao and Dream Jia seemed much calmer. As ancient beings from the spirit realm who had witnessed countless worldly disasters, they were less affected. They were more concerned about how the Masutans later became the notorious aggressors of the Helios system. How did they ally with the Mold Energy and become a formidable force in attacking the Helios system?

The rain of destruction had been pouring for a whole day now, turning the boulders outside the hiding spot into glowing red under the scorching heat of the fire rain. Some smaller rocks had melted into viscous magma, seeping through the cracks in the cave ceiling and flowing onto the surface of the crystalline protective wall, emitting thick white smoke as it countered the energy of the crystalline barrier.

Hao Yun couldn't help but marvel, "Ah! This disposable ultra-thin capsule base is truly miraculous. Just a thin layer, yet it provides such robust protection for us. Without it, this cave would probably have collapsed from the intense heat, and we might have been roasted like chickens!"

"I swear, everything that comes out of your mouth sounds so awkward! I can't believe you're such a disgusting bastard!" Dream Jia exclaimed, her face slightly flushed with embarrassment.

Hao Yun was speechless, feeling unfairly accused. He had only wanted to describe the protective nature of the ultra-thin capsule layer. How could Dream Jia twist his words like that? It was clearly her own dirty thoughts that made her interpret his words that way! Hao Yun thought indignantly. But out of fear of Dream Jia's fierce temper, he decided not to defend himself.

"Humph! I've known since the challenge started that this guy's heart is not pure! He's like an untamed wild horse, debauchery is his middle name!" Dao Lao joined in the criticism, seizing the opportunity to add his own scolding to Hao Yun's plight. As for the behaviors Dao Lao pointed out, it was clear they were part of Hao Yun's character as defined by his identity as Ah Yun.

"I'll say it again! That's just a personality created by the Countess's virtualization of our subconscious! If you dare to misrepresent me deliberately, don't blame me for fighting back!" Hao Yun angrily pointed at Dao Lao and rebuked loudly.

"Hehe! Not you? How come I remember the Countess only created a personality to replace us using our subconscious? So, Ah Yun, the bastard who often uses celebrity identities for his lewd deeds, is clearly one of your personalities!" Dream Jia retorted disdainfully, casting a disapproving glance at Hao Yun.

"That's right! That lascivious guy is his true nature! Oh? Speaking of which, does that mean the emotional scenes you two performed back then weren't just for show?" Dao Lao, in agreement with Dream Jia's view, suddenly turned the focus of the conversation towards Hao Yun and Dream Jia, leaving the two at a loss for words. Thus, what started as an attack on Hao Yun by Dream Jia and Dao Lao quickly turned into a joint assault by Hao Yun and Dream Jia against Dao Lao, ultimately escalating into a chaotic brawl among the three.

It was evidently the first time Tie Zhu's group had witnessed the spectacle of three priests hopping around, hurling insults at each other. As they watched in astonishment while the three priests spat at each other like angry horses, they were at a loss for how to reconcile the sudden conflict among the priests. Of course, the faint curiosity lurking in their hearts tempted them to uncover what scandalous gossip might lie between the two young priests.

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Wait! Can't call it gossip! Wouldn't that be blasphemous? What if the gods blame us? But oh, how tempting it is to hear their story! If they could only listen to the priests' little secrets, they'd boast about it for a lifetime! Tie Zhu's captain couldn't help but think impure thoughts.

"Ah! Forget it! Let's stop talking about the Countess! Just thinking about her makes me angry! Hey! Someone, can you try to contact Master Gu and the others again? It's frustrating that even communication devices don't work in this damn place!" Dream Jia, being a stunning true goddess, naturally cared more about her image in front of others than those two shameless guys. She didn't want to continue discussing the Countess in public, so after a spirited exchange of insults with Hao Yun and Dao Lao, she graciously declared a ceasefire and steered the conversation in a different direction.

Though Hao Yun had a formidable capacity for verbal output, attacking two priests equally skilled in verbal combat left him exhausted at times. So, when Dream Jia suggested ending the verbal sparring, he gladly redirected the topic back to the Masutans: "I say, Tie Zhu, how did those Masutans become such troublemakers in the Helios system?"

Upon hearing the priests' question, Captain Tie Zhu, somewhat regretfully, suppressed his gossiping mood and replied, "After occupying Gaia Star, the Masutans quickly drove all life on Gaia Star to extinction by using Gaia Star's life forms for reproduction. However, the reason the Masutans were so ruthless in exterminating all life on Gaia Star was because they discovered a serious problem when using Gaia Star's life forms for reproduction. Whether Gaia people or other Gaia life forms, they were all just mediocre beings."

"In other words, Gaia Star's life could only ensure the Masutans' basic task of reproducing offspring, but the nutrients they provided couldn't allow the Masutans to further evolve. Especially in terms of the Masutans' desire for eternal life through continued evolution, Gaia people and other Gaia life forms were unable to provide them with further assistance due to the limitations of their own life cycles. Therefore, the Great Lord who understood the limits of Masutan life during evolution, conceived the idea of leaving this place immediately after depleting all resources on Gaia Star to find other more valuable hosts."

"Their Great Lord couldn't be—?" Dao Lao asked.

"That's right, the Masutans' Great Lord is Black Gate. After the Masutans formally occupied Gaia Star, the mutated Black Gate ascended to the throne and became the highest leader of the Masutans. He even gave himself a new name—Destruction Master Black Gate Nash," Captain Tie Zhu replied.

"Destruction Master Black Gate Nash? But didn't you say that the Masutans looked down on Gaia people's bodies, just treating them as temporary vessels for nurturing life? If so, why would the Masutans' leader crown himself as Black Gate? Moreover, why didn't he find a better body for himself later?" Hao Yun asked somewhat puzzled.

After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Captain Tie Zhu replied, "Um—, that's because, for the Masutans' leader at the time, Black Gate was the most suitable host."

"Oh? How so?" Dream Jia raised an eyebrow and asked.

"In fact, at the time, Gaia's scientists also gave the plant that attacked Black Gate a name—the Seed of Origin, indicating that it was the first extraterrestrial plant brought back by Gaia people from beyond Gaia Star. Of course, with the appearance of the Masutans on Gaia Star, the title 'Seed of Origin' naturally took on another layer of meaning. Because logically, all Masutans on Gaia Star were born from this Seed of Origin. So, when the Seed of Origin matured, it naturally became the leader of all Masutans." Captain Tie Zhu explained first.

Then, he took a deep breath and said, word by word, "As for why the Destroyer, even when encountering life far superior to Gaia people later on, still didn't give up Black Gate as a host, that's because after later examinations by the spiritual realm, it was discovered that Black Gate had actually harbored a trace of Mold Energy in his body even before being attacked by the Seed of Origin."

"What? Mold Energy?" Captain Tie Zhu's answer surprised Hao Yun's group, as they hadn't expected Mold Energy to have infiltrated Gaia Star at that time. However, they instantly understood that the destruction of Gaia Star civilization must be related to Mold Energy.

"Poor Gaia people, it seems they were targeted by Mold Energy from the very beginning. And it's possible that the appearance of that mysterious plant is also related to Mold Energy," Dream Jia analyzed.

"It's very likely. The reason the Seed of Origin clung to Black Gate's body was actually for Mold Energy. So, rather than saying the Seed of Origin chose Black Gate's body, it's more accurate to say that the Mold Energy hidden in Black Gate's body chose the Seed of Origin. And, the reason why the Masutans became loyal supporters of Mold Energy in the Helios system and were able to grow to this extent, is all thanks to Mold Energy." Dao Lao stroked his white beard and said.

"So, the Masutans were the reserves prepared by Mold Energy in the Helios system for that divine war?" Hao Yun said.

"From the subsequent developments, it does seem so," Dao Lao nodded.

"At that time, the spiritual realm was at its peak, and a sense of unparalleled superiority indeed led to many oversights in our daily management and defense work. Plus, the spiritual realm's previous lack of understanding of Mold Energy, and Mold Energy's extremely cautious activities, gave Mold Energy an opportunity, ultimately triggering this divine war. Alas! That's why the spiritual realm also bears an inescapable responsibility for that divine war!" Dream Jia said with a sense of self-blame, which Dao Lao also agreed with.