Dao Lao replied, "Exactly. This whole thing sounds extremely unreasonable. We managed to escape the constraints of the black hole and the various barriers of the Spirit God Realm only because of the synergy between the spells provided by Countess Gogolnikyeva, Phoenix Feather No. 6, the Abyssal Spirit Realm battle armor, and the Molded Energy."
Then, with a tone of skepticism, Dao Lao continued, "However, Phoenix Feather No. 6 is already damaged, and Haoke's battle armor is currently undergoing inspection at the Equipment Development Center in Spirit City without any anomalies reported just now. So in this situation, how could Countess Gogolnikyeva possibly control Phoenix Feather No. 6 remotely to activate the Wormhole technique? Could it be that Countess Gogolnikyeva has already acquired the ability to remotely breach the barriers of the Spirit God Realm?"
However, Dao Lao couldn't help but laugh bitterly after saying this. Because as soon as he spoke, he realized: if Countess Gogolnikyeva hadn't found a way to remotely breach the barriers of the Spirit God Realm, how could she have allowed Haoke to use the skills she provided to accurately teleport more than a hundred people back to Spirit City?
Haoke and Dream Jia also thought of this point. But in order to reject the notion that Countess Gogolnikyeva possessed such terrifying power, they both insisted that it was impossible for her to remotely control Phoenix Feather No. 6, which was placed in Spirit City, to activate the Wormhole technique without detection by the Spirit God Realm's powerful barriers and the strong concealment of the black hole. No! Countess Gogolnikyeva absolutely could not possess such heaven-defying power. If so, it would be truly terrifying!
Meanwhile, in a remote chaos, two gigantic celestial bodies had ceased their rotation and were completely engulfed in raging flames. Because all three layers of the out-of-control array had fallen onto the Evermoo Twin Stars, the originally isolated and more powerful black hole energy turbulence could finally, without interference, aggressively attack Evermoo Star. The surging energy turbulence not only intensified the fires on Evermoo Star but also caused the two celestial bodies to begin disintegrating under the scorching temperatures. It was estimated that before long, Evermoo Star would completely transform into countless planetary fragments, aimlessly embarking on a journey through this void world.
"Sir, should they have received your gift by now?" A gaseous spherical entity hovering not far from the burning Evermoo Star, fanning itself with a fan to disperse the heat, respectfully inquired. Yes, this strange gaseous entity practicing in the form of helium was none other than Daddy Cat.
"They should have received it, right? Ahem, ahem!" Daddy Cat scratched the cheek on the other side of its body with its other hand, responding in an uncertain tone. The person with a thick layer of white foundation smeared on their face, haphazardly applied smokey makeup, and a grossly exaggerated smile drawn around their mouth, was none other than Countess Gogolnikyeva.
"Sir, are you sure this won't pose any danger?" Daddy Cat asked with a hint of concern.
"Tch! What danger could there be? The fiercer they fight, the less time they have to pay attention to us, so we'll be even safer! Besides, since they didn't disclose my affairs to the public as agreed, it's not too much to help them again as an extra reward!" Countess Gogolnikyeva chuckled.
"Ah! They are so lucky to encounter Lady Countess, it's really a blessing accumulated over eight lifetimes! Otherwise, they would have long been buried somewhere!" Daddy Cat folded the fan back and patted its own shoulder behind it.
"Yes, yes! Ahem, ahem! Although helping them also makes me extremely uncomfortable, we must respect her wishes after all! Ahem, ahem!" Countess Gogolnikyeva said.
Daddy Cat nodded in agreement and, letting go of any lingering melancholy, eagerly shook its head, asking, "Lady Countess is right. So, where are we going next?"
"Of course, we need to find a way to get there! Ahem, ahem! Only there can we rid ourselves of all restraints and freely seek our own place in the world. Ahem, ahem!" Countess Gogolnikyeva replied while gesturing wildly with her short and thick hands in the air.
"Oh dear! While we're figuring out how to get there, we should also think about changing your form a bit. Look at you, all round and chubby, really quite ugly! I prefer those graceful, curvaceous figures! Ahem, ahem!" Countess Gogolnikyeva continued.
"Daddy Cat wants to be graceful too, Daddy Cat wants a good figure! Ahem, ahem!" Daddy Cat chimed in, controlling its round body to spin several times in the air.
"Alright, alright! Stop spinning! You're making me dizzy! Let's go quickly!" Countess Gogolnikyeva forcefully stabilized the spinning body and urged, while simultaneously, a small black hole with surging energies appeared out of thin air in front of her.
"Wow! The aura inside here is so peculiar! I already feel a sense of home!" Looking at the black hole in front of her, Daddy Cat couldn't help but sniff deeply, then exclaimed excitedly.
"Ahem, ahem! That's right, that's right! That's a good place! As long as we can open that door, we'll be completely free! Elina, thank you! Ahem, ahem!" Countess Gogolnikyeva smiled and patted Daddy Cat, who was about to enter the black hole.
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"Lady Countess, let's go in quickly!" Daddy Cat said, eager to walk into the black hole, pushing its round and bulging belly forward.
"Let's go! Let's go! *cough* *cough* *cough*! But remember, once we're in, you must follow my commands and not be careless!" The Countess did not stop Daddy Cat from controlling his body to enter the black hole. Instead, after advising him with these words, she opened a medieval-style parasol and let him lead her into the black hole.
Then, just before the Countess disappeared into the black hole, she couldn't help but glance once more at the disintegrating Eternal Star burning nearby. At the same time, she rarely suppressed her mischievous grin, replacing it with a hint of sadness and reluctance. The Countess struggled to control the twitching corners of her mouth and managed a faint smile, saying, "Ah! Poor silly sister, farewell!"
As the Countess's farewell echoed towards the burning Eternal Star, her face also disappeared into the black hole. Soon after, this supernaturally endowed black hole suddenly shrank inward and completely vanished without a trace.
Back on the side of the Underworld Spirit Realm, Judge Yan spent much longer at the headquarters of the Spirit Gods than Dao Lao and the others had imagined. However, considering that Judge Yan's crucial report concerned the security of the Spirit Gods' realm, Dao Lao and the others were not particularly concerned about the duration. During the time before Judge Yan's return, Haoke, Yun, and Dream Jia dared not wander aimlessly, lest they miss hearing the headquarters' solution from Judge Yan upon his return to the Spirit City.
After waiting a few more days, Judge Yan finally returned to the Spirit City. However, to everyone's surprise, Judge Yan seemed notably quieter after this return, and his expression appeared much more serious than before. This led everyone to speculate that perhaps Judge Yan not only failed to find a solution to the breach in the barrier during his visit to the headquarters of the Spirit Gods but also brought back some other troubling news.
Seeing Judge Yan looking serious and somewhat melancholic, Haoke and Dream Jia encouraged Dao Lao to step forward and inquire. However, contrary to their expectations, Judge Yan simply shook his head repeatedly and avoided giving Dao Lao a direct answer. Therefore, Haoke and the others could only guess whether Judge Yan had encountered other problems during his visit to the headquarters or if the breach in the Spirit Gods' barrier had more severe consequences than they had imagined.
Perhaps noticing the confusion on Haoke's face and realizing that his behavior was somewhat abnormal, Judge Yan reverted to his usual demeanor in private, scratching his head awkwardly as he said, "Uh... the situation is more complicated than I anticipated. So, the higher-ups won't allow me to reveal too much right now. They just said we should strengthen our vigilance and observe further."
"Observe further? Did the higher-ups discover another issue from this incident? Judge Yan, can't you at least share a little information with us?" Haoke asked, puzzled.
"Well, maybe possibly," Judge Yan replied noncommittally with an obvious brush-off, then furrowed his brow again, sinking into contemplation.
"I say, Judge Yan! Did you eat something unclean at headquarters and mess up your brain?! How come you're acting so twitchy after coming back, and now you're playing dumb with us? Come on! Let me check your head to see which screw in your brain went loose!" Dao Lao, seeing Judge Yan's dismissive attitude, flexed his fists in readiness.
Judge Yan hastily stepped back to avoid Dao Lao's incoming fist, his expression somewhat awkward as he said, "Oh dear! Dao Lao, calm down first! It's not like you imagine! I'm not like you, gobbling up unclean things! It's just... the higher-ups forbid me from casually disclosing the details of this trip, so for now, I can't tell you anything. Oh dear! Duty-bound as I am, I hope you all understand!"
Judge Yan was, after all, a high-ranking official of the Spirit Gods' realm and the Chief Judge overseeing the Underworld Spirit Realm. Therefore, the contents of his meetings with superiors naturally fell under high confidentiality and could not be casually shared with others. However, given Judge Yan's relationship with Dao Lao, they often managed to glean some highly confidential information from him. This underscored the importance of the information Judge Yan had learned this time, such that he staunchly refused to disclose even the slightest detail to Dao Lao.
As a result, Haoke and the others had to abandon the idea of further questioning Judge Yan. However, given Judge Yan's mysterious behavior just now, Dao Lao couldn't help but curse him a few times with residual anger before letting it go. Judge Yan, who couldn't express his frustrations, had no choice but to placate Dao Lao like soothing a child to calm his anger.
Once Dao Lao ceased his agitation, Judge Yan sighed deeply and continued, "Ah! On this trip to headquarters, apart from reporting the breach of the Spirit Gods' realm barrier by external forces, I also informed them about Yue'er's situation. Subsequently, with unanimous consent from the leadership at headquarters, Yue'er has been posthumously recognized as a First Protector of the Spirit Gods' realm. A ceremony will be scheduled soon to formally induct Yue'er into the Hall of Heroes, commemorating her immense dedication to safeguarding the realm's security. Additionally, the higher-ups have agreed to provide extra care for the over 100 Eternal Star people and to offer the highest-level training to Xulin and Xuqi, nurturing them into future pillars of the Spirit Gods' realm. This is to honor Yue'er's departed soul."
Judge Yan patted Dao Lao, whose displeased expression had subsided, and continued, "Next, we need to hold a funeral for Yue'er. Afterward, we can proceed with the ceremony to induct her into the Hall of Heroes. Old Dao, as Yue'er's godfather and mentor, you naturally need to co-host these two events with me."
Following this, in the ensuing days, under the joint direction of Judge Yan and Dao Lao, the Thirteenth District of the Underworld Spirit Realm hosted a solemn funeral for Yan Chaoyue. After the funeral, Judge Yan respectfully placed Yan Chaoyue's spirit tablet into the Hall of Heroes, alongside her brother Yan Chaofan's spirit tablet. They joined numerous heroes who sacrificed themselves for the Spirit Gods' realm, receiving generations of homage from the realm's inhabitants. Their heroic deeds, written in the annals of life, continued to inspire the officials to safeguard the peace and tranquility of the Spirit Gods' realm.