After the funeral, Haoyun and his companions spent some time in the Underworld Spirit Realm to ensure that their journey through the black hole wouldn't have any lingering effects on their bodies. Haoyun, in particular, required special attention. Despite Master Gu's thorough examinations, there seemed to be no abnormalities in Haoyun's body except for the lingering mold spirit energy sealed within his soul, which hadn't caused further damage.
Finally, Master Gu cautiously concluded that the reason Haoyun's body didn't suffer from the use of mold spirit energy this time might be due to his presence inside the black hole during activation. Moreover, when Haoyun initiated the powerful Drill Hole skill, he had to exhaust all the mold spirit energy he had mobilized to ensure the skill could achieve maximum power and transport over a hundred people, including himself, from the black hole to the Spirit City. It was precisely because the mold spirit energy was entirely consumed at the moment the Drill Hole skill was activated that it didn't have a chance to invade Haoyun's weakened body again and cause further harm.
This conclusion received unanimous agreement from everyone, and Haoyun nodded frequently in agreement. However, he was acutely aware that while Master Gu's reasoning held merit, it couldn't explain everything. After the Drill Hole was activated, he still had one percent of the mold spirit energy left from the storage device. Strangely, this remaining energy hadn't taken advantage of Haoyun's weakened state to cause harm. Instead, it obediently remained attached to him, waiting to be collected back into the mold spirit energy storage device.
Though this situation was highly unusual, Haoyun's body showed no signs of abnormality during this time, and the one percent of mold spirit energy remained safely in his mold spirit energy storage device. Moreover, Haoyun couldn't shake the feeling that this remaining energy might still prove useful in the future. Therefore, he decided to continue keeping this matter to himself, observing the situation further before deciding whether to inform Dao Lao and the others.
In no time, Haoyun and his companions completed all the wrap-up work related to their journey through the black hole. Seeing that Judge Yan had mostly recovered from the loss of his daughter and had refocused his attention on Xulin and Xuqi, as well as finding joy again in caring for his grandchildren, Haoyun and his group prepared to leave the Underworld Spirit Realm. They planned to return to Haoyun's hometown on Earth's N38 Time-Space Line, enjoying some rare leisure time before their next mission.
For Dream Jia, of course, leisure time meant indulging in extravagant shopping on Earth. After all, Haoyun had purchased many luxury goods for Dream Jia during her last visit to Earth, successfully tapping into her latent shopping instincts. Therefore, even before heading back to Earth's N38 Time-Space Line, Dream Jia had already started compiling her shopping list for a spree upon their return!
Dao Lao's desire to return to Haoyun's hometown stemmed from his connection to the spatial base there. First, he was concerned whether Cuihua and the others had kept the base clean in his absence. Second, he wanted to help Haoyun undergo another round of physical enhancement before their next mission. After all, following this journey through the black hole, Haoyun had gained considerable combat experience, making his body ready for another enhancement. Thanks to this rich experience gained, Dao Lao was confident that Haoyun's body would undergo a transformative breakthrough after this next enhancement.
Additionally, after returning to Earth, Dao Lao had another task: to help Master Gu collect the latest edition of photo albums from Diliheba and Gulina Zha's fan club. Given that Master Gu and Cuihua had been extremely busy lately, especially with looking after Erma, as well as Judge Yan's grandchildren, Master Gu would not only miss the opportunity to collect the photo albums but also likely wouldn't have the chance to roam around Haoyun's hometown for quite some time.
As for Haoyun, since his voice on Earth was perfectly handled by Master Gu's servants, upon returning this time, besides taking care of Dream Jia and Dao Lao, he also wanted to go back and see his parents. Haoyun calculated that he had been away from Earth for almost two months.
Though Master Gu's servants could perfectly cover for him, Haoyun learned from them that his parents had been too busy with work recently to call him more than a few times. Therefore, Haoyun didn't worry that they would be concerned about not being able to contact him. After all, Haoyun's parents often got so busy with work that they would go a long time without contacting him.
However, this time was different. Even though Haoyun had been away from Earth for less than two months, his experience in the Fragrant Nebula felt so real that he felt like he had been away from home for many years. This made Haoyun miss his parents dearly and urgently wanted to go back and visit them.
Before Haoyun and his companions departed, they once again visited the quiet hall located behind the Judgment Hall, where Judge Yan Chaoyue and Judge Yan Chaofan used to reside, to bid farewell to Erma. The Quiet Hall was situated next to a deep cliff and appeared serene with its two chambers, the Blue Hall and the Strife Hall, constructed at a forty-five-degree angle inwardly adjacent to a diamond-shaped plaza. At the end of the plaza, near the cliff, stood a strange tree with flesh-pink branches. This peculiar tree had few branches, all radiating from two exceptionally thick main trunks, growing upwards in a radial pattern, resembling the antlers of a deer.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
This strange tree was naturally the Life Tree of the Eternal Yearning People—the Dome of Xia Ba. Due to the energy web created by the Drill Hole skill after activation, the central part of Xia Ba Plaza was entirely enveloped, causing everything within the energy web to be transported to the Spirit City. It was this process that fortunately allowed the Dome of Xia Ba, along with a portion of its roots, to be almost completely transported intact. Later, thanks to the timely efforts of herbal experts in the Spirit City, the Dome of Xia Ba finally survived and was successfully transplanted onto this diamond-shaped plaza.
"Why have the three of you come?" Upon seeing Haoyun and his companions enter the diamond-shaped plaza, Erma, who had been sitting by the Dome of Xia Ba, hurriedly bowed and greeted them.
"Hahaha! Erma, please rise quickly. We're all friends here, so there's no need to be so formal!" Dao Lao laughed and went forward to help Erma up. Currently, the divine officials in the Spirit City liked to add the suffix "Lord Consort" when addressing Erma, showing their respect for him. However, when Haoyun and his group called him "Lord Consort," it was clearly teasing. Therefore, whenever Erma heard them call him "Lord Consort," he always felt embarrassed and somewhat shy.
"Oh, Lord Consort, you're looking quite well today! It seems that before long, your soul will be stable enough to support your promotion to the level of a Saint Spirit," Dream Jia greeted with a smile.
"Yes, Dream Jie. After Master Gu's treatment, my soul has indeed become much stronger. So it shouldn't be long before Master Gu assists in preparing for my promotion to a Saint Spirit," Erma replied somewhat awkwardly.
"Oh? It seems things are going quite smoothly then! By the way, Lord Consort, when the time comes for your promotion, you must contact us beforehand so we can rush back to attend your promotion ceremony!" Haoyun said.
"Why, are the three of you preparing to leave the Spirit City already?" Surprised to hear this, Erma asked unexpectedly.
"Yes! Our tasks here are completed, so we need to return to our base to prepare for the next mission, which is to continue pursuing Elina! Besides, I've been away from home for quite some time for this mission, so I need to go back and see my family to prevent them from worrying about me," Haoyun replied.
Seeing Erma visibly reluctant upon hearing that they were preparing to leave, Dao Lao added, "Erma, since you and the children are already home, you should spend more time with your parents. Besides, we're not leaving forever. Moreover, don't forget, Haoyun is the Yin Envoy here. So after we finish our mission, we will definitely return to the Spirit City to see you and the children, and then we'll fight you to the end."
"Erma has spent quite a long time with the three of you and has developed some feelings. So when Erma heard that you were about to leave, he couldn't help feeling a bit lost. But Dao Lao is right. Erma should indeed spend more time with his parents. It's just that my parents, Tie Zhu and Xihuil, and Master Gu are a bit lacking in technique, so when I play 'fight to the end' with them, I always feel like I'm bullying them. Oh! It seems that after the three of you leave, Erma will have to train them a bit and let them improve their card skills!" Erma said jokingly.
"Hey! Train them? Why bother! Wouldn't it be better to win some money from them? Especially Judge Yan and Old Gu, those two old stingy guys. You really need to bleed them dry for me!" Dao Lao gritted his teeth. Thinking of Judge Yan and Old Gu, who had recently used the excuse of needing personal effort to settle more than a hundred Eternal Yearning people, they have always owed the three of them compensation, Dao Lao couldn't help but curse them again.
Then, Dao Lao adjusted his attitude and said to Erma, "Erma, you must remember your responsibilities. You must raise Xulin and Xuqi to become towering figures in the Spirit City. You must not let down Chaoyue's painstaking efforts!"
Hearing this, Erma looked firmly at the Dome of Xia Ba and said, "Yes! If it weren't for Anni's sacrifice, how could the children and I have everything we have now? Although Anni is no longer with us, her spirit will always be with us. I will fulfill my mission and spare no effort to raise Xulin and Xuqi into heroes of the Spirit City. And Anni's spirit will stand forever with this Dome of Xia Ba, guarding the new Eternal Yearning civilization, guarding our Underworld Spirit Realm. Just like you three, we must all strive to protect everything we should protect and never waver in our beliefs because of external obstacles."
With that, Erma placed his much stronger palm on the trunk of the Dome of Xia Ba and closed his eyes, silently praying in his heart. Haoyun, not understanding Erma's final words, was about to inquire further but was interrupted by the distant curses coming from Judge Yan.
"Hey! Old Dao, don't come over here harassing my son for no reason! He's penniless right now, so don't think you can squeeze a penny out of him!" Almost as Judge Yan's warning reached Haoyun and his companions' ears, Judge Yan and Old Gu's figures promptly appeared on the diamond-shaped plaza.
"Tsk! Look at you! We're not trying to play hardball like some people! We just came over to bid Erma farewell and remind him to make sure to harvest a bit more from your kid's wallet when playing cards for us!" Dao Lao retorted after giving Judge Yan a disdainful glance.
"Sigh! You old bastard just have money on your mind all the time! Didn't I say that once I settle all these Eternal Yearning people according to Yue'er's wishes, I'll sit down and settle your compensation! Can't you wait a little longer?!" Judge Yan exclaimed angrily, making it sound like it wasn't him delaying payment to Haoyun and his group but rather them pressing him for it.
"Look at what you're saying, Judge Yan. Of course, we understand you've been quite busy lately. That's why we haven't been pressing you for payment, haven't we? But, you've really been dragging your feet a bit too long now! At this rate, when we come back after completing our mission, who knows if you'll have conveniently forgotten about our compensation due to your busy schedule?" Dream Jia replied, a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone upon hearing Judge Yan again using Yan Chaoyue's death as an excuse.