Elsie's tone was calm as she spoke, but her words exuded confidence between the lines. It was this confidence that allowed her to boldly reveal her identity and mission without reservation. Here, everything was under her control, and even if Haoyun and the others suddenly grew three heads and six arms, they wouldn't escape her grasp.
"As 'Purification Envoys,' as the name suggests, our main task is purification. And Earth NX is the world we are currently tasked with purifying," Elsie said straightforwardly. At the same time, a large projection screen appeared above the central circle of the round hall out of thin air.
Upon seeing the chaotic scene displayed on the projection screen, Eva and the others couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Oh no! It's the attack on Lenata City again! The Xibo army is launching another assault on Lenata City!"
Through the hundreds of projection screens appearing in the center of the hall, everyone could clearly see that the Xibo army had once again launched attacks on all human main cities on Earth NX, including Lenata City. Unlike before, this time the Xibo military had immediately deployed large numbers of heavy combat units, intensifying the war to its fullest extent.
"What's going on? Why have the Xibo suddenly changed their attack strategy so drastically? According to historical combat norms, they should still primarily be using infantry charges!" Eva frowned in confusion as she watched the massive Xibo offensive.
Upon hearing this, Elsa first rolled her eyes and then disdainfully said, "Ignorant! You embryonic humans are indeed much stupider than the humans on the lower planes! Hmph! Do you really think the Xibo act according to some script? Let me tell you, the Xibo are actually using our divine technology and have specifically designed low-intelligence biomimetic robots for Earth NX. We are the puppeteers behind these Xibo. And those supposed operational characteristics you humans have summarized about the Xibo are just illusions we ordered them to display based on your demands!"
"Do you really believe that the Xibo only operate at night and enter a semi-dormant state during the day? Do you really think that when the Xibo attack you, they would leave heavy firepower unused and insist on using stupid human wave tactics to fight you to the death? Hmph. You actually believe such illogical things, showing how you ignorant humans can be led to your destruction step by step by us!" Elsa's disgusting expression made Eva and the others both shocked and angry. They had never dreamed that the seemingly approachable Lady Elsie was such a despicable person. The saviors who had tirelessly assisted humanity in resisting the Xibo, on the surface, were actually the masterminds behind the catastrophe that befell their homeland!
Haoyun also restrained his disgust towards Elsa as much as possible, avoiding the urge to rush over and give Elsa a good beating. Instead, he retorted, "Hmph! Since you know that the Xibo's tactics are foolish, why do you command them to act like this? Doesn't this mean that you are the biggest fools?"
Upon hearing this, Elsa narrowed her eyes as if she had locked onto her prey, staring at Haoyun with a gaze full of murderous intent. However, because Elsie had been watching her every move, she couldn't afford to openly confront Haoyun at this moment. Therefore, Elsa could only give Haoyun a warning glance hastily, then turned to Eva and said, "With our abilities, it would be a matter of minutes to destroy Earth NX. But the reason we don't do this is that ordering the Xibo to slow down their attack and slowly consume humanity is also part of the purification mission."
"What do you mean?" Dao Lao asked.
"Purification, in simple terms, means to unrestrictedly consume all energy on Earth NX. Only by depleting all the energy on Earth NX can our purification mission be considered truly completed," Elsa replied. Then, she shifted her attention back to the floating projection screen in the center of the hall.
Looking at the war scenes constantly rolling on the projection screen, Elsa said with satisfaction, "For over twenty thousand years! You can't imagine how tedious it is to diligently execute a mission for over twenty thousand years! Today, we finally welcome the moment when the purification mission is completed. It's truly a day worth celebrating!"
"Purification? What kind of purification is this? I think you are using your status as divine officials to deliberately engage in nefarious activities! Hmph! Since things have come to this, let's not hide anymore! Tell the truth! What is the purpose of violating the laws and regulations of the divine realm, deliberately causing trouble in the lower world?" Dream Jia couldn't stand Elsa's arrogant behavior any longer and questioned coldly.
Facing Dream Jia's interrogation and criticism, Elsie first raised her hand to signal the annoyed Elsa to step back, then answered calmly, "Dream Jia is right. Protecting lower world creatures from persecution by supernatural forces is indeed one of our divine officials' important responsibilities. Similarly, refraining from abusing authority to cause trouble in the lower world and thus disrupt the normal operation of the divine realm is a rule that every divine official must abide by. However, if the other party is not a creature protected by the divine realm, then this rule naturally does not apply!"
Haoyun asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is, if Earth NX is not a world protected by the divine realm, then naturally, its inhabitants are not creatures protected by the divine realm either! Therefore, as divine officials of the divine realm, we naturally have no obligation to protect their safety anymore! Do you understand now, Haoyun?" Elsie smiled as she answered Haoyun's confusion, while also pointing at Eva and the others who were still in a state of bewilderment.
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"What? Are you saying that where we are now doesn't belong to the jurisdiction of the Spirit World?" Haoyun asked in astonishment. Elsie nodded in response without hesitation.
Actually, ever since Haoyun was recruited by Dao Lao, he had learned from him that the Spirit World was a vast realm woven from countless timelines, encompassing both the expansive Lower Realms and the equally vast Upper Realms. This structure endowed the Spirit World with an immense territory beyond imagination, with tens of millions of Dark Spirit Realm sectors constantly flowing and alternating irregularly, forming a massive closed-loop world within the Spirit World's domain. This made it impossible for anyone, including priests, to truly leave the jurisdiction of the Spirit World. Therefore, upon learning that they had left the bounds of the Spirit World, Haoyun and the others immediately showed expressions of profound shock.
Though Dream Jia was greatly shocked at the moment, she quickly regained her composure and questioned, "How is that possible?! Don't try to fool me with your limited education! How could we freely enter and leave the jurisdiction of the Spirit World? Moreover, our divine powers exist only under the protection of the Spirit World. Once we leave, our divine powers will completely disappear, possibly regressing into ordinary beings like those of the Lower Realms."
"You're right. As priests of the Spirit World, we are highly dependent on it. If we leave, we will lose our divine powers and fall from grace, possibly becoming less than ordinary beings of the Lower Realms. Additionally, our priestly status imposes strong constraints on us, making it even more difficult to leave the Spirit World at will. In fact, being blessed by the divine powers of the Spirit World also subjects us to a natural concealment from those powers. Under this concealment, we may not even find a way to leave the Spirit World," Elsie responded.
Upon hearing this, Dream Jia immediately interjected, "If that's the case, how did we manage to leave the Spirit World now? Of course, assuming you are not lying."
Elsie nonchalantly replied, "Leaving the Spirit World may sound difficult, but it's not particularly challenging. You just need to obtain an exit permit issued by the higher authorities."
With a snap of her fingers, a large holographic screen appeared in front of Haoyun and the others. Elsie pointed to the permit written in divine script on the screen, saying, "Here. This is the exit permit issued by the highest administrative office of the Spirit World. If you three don't believe me, you can verify the authenticity of this holographic permit."
Elsie then granted access to the holographic screen, allowing Haoyun and the others to connect their Mold Spirit Energy Tracking System to verify the authenticity of the exit permit. Once the system confirmed that the exit permit was indeed signed by the highest level of the Spirit World's administrative office, Haoyun and the others couldn't help but feel both astonished and deeply puzzled. This meant that they had truly left the jurisdiction of the Spirit World, indicating that Elsie and her companions were likely not fugitives who had escaped from the Spirit World on their own.
So, who exactly were Elsie and her companions? Why did the Spirit World dispatch them here, bringing such calamity to the humans of Earth NX? Could it be that their actions were sanctioned by the Spirit World? Furthermore, why would the Spirit World actively disrupt the peace of another realm just because it wasn't under its jurisdiction? Wasn't the Spirit World supposed to be righteous, dedicated to maintaining peace and rescuing beings from calamity? Committing acts of disaster on others would undermine the Spirit World's moral standards and noble ideology, wouldn't it?
Moreover, after this period of interaction, Haoyun and the others realized that the humans on Earth NX had not committed crimes significant enough to warrant such severe punishment, nor posed any threat that could justify significant harm to the Spirit World. Were the humans on Earth NX merely victims defending their homeland at all costs? Why would the Spirit World dispatch priests to persecute them? This situation was completely incomprehensible! No, Elsie and her companions must have ulterior motives, intentionally distorting facts under the guise of the Spirit World's will, creating turmoil and tarnishing the Spirit World's reputation! Haoyun quickly organized his thoughts to prevent himself from being misled by Elsie.
Elsie clearly noticed Haoyun's doubts but didn't rush to explain. Instead, she changed her tone and said, "For ordinary people, even if they were granted the opportunity to leave the Spirit World, I believe you wouldn't want to."
"What do you mean by that?" Dream Jia asked, this time inquisitively.
Elsie gestured toward the rolling mist outside the circular hall, saying, "I'm sure you know that the Spirit World we live in actually exists as a unique world within a vast cosmos. What you don't know is that the true appearance of that vast, boundless mist outside represents the real world. We call it the 'Dark Chain Plane.'"
"The real world? So, you mean the space covered by the thick mist outside is the true object described by the word 'world'? Our Spirit World exists as just one world within that mist?" Haoyun couldn't help but point outside at the mist as he spoke.
"Exactly, Haoyun, you summarized it very well. The word 'world' truly describes the mist outside. Alternatively, we can also call this true world the Dark Chain Plane," Elsie nodded approvingly at Haoyun's understanding.
"The Dark Chain Plane?" Haoyun and the others repeated simultaneously. It was clear they were extremely unfamiliar with this term they had heard for the first time. Similarly, their Mold Spirit Energy Tracking System could not find any definition related to this term.
Elsie paused for a moment, then continued, "Hmm... how should I explain it? The Dark Chain Plane is like an iceberg floating on the sea surface of Earth NX. Normally, we can only see a small portion of the iceberg floating above the sea, while ninety-nine percent of it remains hidden below the sea level. Unless we dive into the sea, we cannot truly grasp the immense volume of this iceberg. Applying this concept to the real world, the Spirit World is akin to that small portion of the iceberg floating on the sea surface, while the Dark Chain Plane represents the vast majority of the iceberg hidden below the sea level. The enormous body hidden above the sea level is the true nature of the entire iceberg. I wonder if this explanation helps everyone to have a clearer understanding of the relationship between the Dark Chain Plane and the Spirit World?"