Due to the plunge into the chaotic mist, Eva and the others' bodies had become extremely emaciated under the torment of the fog, causing Hao Yun to worry that they might be in mortal danger. However, when Hao Yun examined Eva and the others, he was surprised to find that although they had fallen into a coma, there were no signs of further deterioration in their physical condition. Not only were their breathing gradually stabilizing, but their body temperatures were also quickly returning to normal. Even their shriveled bodies seemed infused with new vitality, gradually becoming plump again. What astonished Hao Yun even more was that the penetrating wounds on Eva's chest had completely healed, leaving no trace of injury as if she had never suffered any serious harm.
Although Hao Yun didn't know how Eva's injuries had healed, once he confirmed that she was no longer in mortal danger, he heaved a long sigh of relief. He immediately wanted to inform Dao Lao and Dream Jia of this news. However, before Hao Yun could speak, he heard Dao Lao speak in a serious tone, "What's going on? I can't sense my divine power anymore! My divine power has completely disappeared!"
"Huh! I... I can't either. My divine power has completely disappeared!" Dream Jia's voice sounded exhausted and puzzled.
Upon hearing this, Hao Yun was first stunned, then hurriedly tried to mobilize his spiritual power to activate his divine power, but nothing happened. Next, he attempted to access the Mold Spirit Energy Tracking System in his consciousness and summon his Phoenix Blade, but again, nothing occurred. In short, Hao Yun not only couldn't sense any divine power anymore but also felt a noticeable decline in his spiritual power, leaving him completely degraded to an ordinary human. This sudden turn of events plunged all three into great panic, even causing Dao Lao and Dream Jia, usually fearless veterans, to show an unusually frightened expression.
At that moment, the large monstrous hand with eyes suddenly covered its eyes with its thumb and coughed lightly a few times, saying, "Uh— cough, cough, cough! Don't worry too much, you three! You'll be fine! After all, you've all been through the Sea of Gestation, so even with my help, it'll take some time for you to recover to your original state."
"What have you done to us?! What are you?!" Despite the pain and fear on her face, Dream Jia, who had always been assertive, managed to squeeze out an angry expression and questioned harshly.
The monstrous hand was visibly startled by Dream Jia's unfriendly questioning. Apparently, it hadn't expected such a strong tone from her. It stood awkwardly in place, unsure how to respond. Meanwhile, the half-body of dried-up bones that resembled a bundle of firewood couldn't help but emit a series of eerie laughter. Clearly, the skeletal remains weren't mocking Dream Jia's lack of respect but rather celebrating how the monstrous hand had been intimidated by her stern tone. Observing this scene, Hao Yun couldn't help but feel a chill, both apprehensive and concerned for the skeletal figure. He sensed that if this guy continued laughing like this, he might soon laugh himself into pieces.
Despite thinking these two strange characters seemed foolish and cowardly, Hao Yun knew that since they had rescued him and his party from the chaotic fog, their strength must be extremely formidable. Therefore, he immediately realized that Dream Jia's behavior, even in the absence of hostility from others, was still very rude.
So Hao Yun quickly stepped forward to restrain Dream Jia, trying to speak first with as respectful a tone as possible, "Oh! My friend here just has a fiery temper. Plus, she's just been through a life-and-death ordeal and suddenly lost her powers, which has made her a bit emotionally unstable and unintentionally offensive to you two. Please forgive her!"
"Hoho! Ignorance is forgivable! Ignorance is forgivable! After experiencing the baptism of the Sea of Gestation, some people do indeed experience emotional instability, which is normal!" Seeing Hao Yun apologize so respectfully, the monstrous hand waved its body and generously replied.
Then, in a very humane gesture, the monstrous hand turned sideways and pointed its middle finger at the dried-up bundle of bones still chuckling and coughing, saying impatiently, "Besides, compared to this pile of broken bones, this little girl's attitude toward me is much more polite! Hey! It was clearly me who saved this bastard, yet he kept babbling and nagging at me for a long time. So, I won't help you restore your original appearance! Just stay there and be a decoration in my room!"
"Tsk! Who cares about restoring my original appearance?! Actually, it's not bad like this now! Anyway, I can't die anymore, so why not go lightly into battle! Being alive, the most precious thing is to live comfortably!" The pile of dried bones retorted unyieldingly, scratching its itchy back with its dry arm across its chest and behind its spine.
Hao Yun wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a black line, because from the conversation between these two, they were not only a pair of weirdos but also seemed to be a pair of lively bickerers. Of course, more importantly, Hao Yun also understood from their dialogue that the monstrous hand was the true master here, while the dried-up bones were similarly lucky survivors rescued by the monstrous hand. However, due to the dried-up bones' deliberate verbal challenges to the monstrous hand, the latter had refused to help him restore his original appearance as a form of punishment.
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Thinking of this, Hao Yun quickly reassured Dream Jia in a low voice, urging her to restrain her anger to avoid truly angering the monstrous hand in front of her. Because this monstrous hand was not only a peerless powerhouse but also someone who could be a bit sensitive and occasionally have minor emotional outbursts. Therefore, Hao Yun didn't want Dream Jia to continue verbally provoking the monstrous hand and end up becoming a pile of white bones herself.
Dao Lao, who had eased his pain and panic, joined in persuading Dream Jia and, after calming her emotions, interjected to halt the new round of verbal sparring between the monstrous hand and the dried-up bones, saying, "Uh—, by the way, this powerful one. Just now, you mentioned the Sea of Gestation? Could it be that the Sea of Gestation you mentioned is the chaotic fog outside?"
Upon hearing Dao Lao pose an intriguing question, the pile of bones ceased its banter with the monsters. It struggled with its dry arms to push its upper body out from a pile of bones, then lifted its head to gaze at the thick fog swiftly moving above the hall and replied, "Exactly. Chaos mists, dimensional storms, and so forth are all expressions of the Abyssal System towards the Sea of Gestation. But in reality, it's simply known as the Sea of Gestation. It's an integral part of the Abyssal Chain, where all heavens, worlds, and lives are nurtured by the Sea of Gestation."
Upon hearing the pile of bones mention "Abyssal System," Haoyun and the others were visibly astonished. According to Elsie and her sisters, the Abyssal System was a secretive branch of the Celestial Spirit Realm, unknown to outsiders. Therefore, Haoyun cautiously asked, "May I ask, what do you mean by the Abyssal System?"
The pile of bones shrugged its shoulders, which seemed perpetually on the verge of collapse, and answered in a rather cryptic manner, "Tsk! At that time, it referred to the Abyssal System of the Celestial Spirit Realm! Besides there, where else would such a place exist?"
"Then may I ask, how do you know about that place? Who exactly are you?" Dao Lao continued to inquire.
"I believe you all know very well, apart from the highest leadership of the Celestial Spirit Realm and the priests within the Abyssal System, no one is aware of the Abyssal System's existence. So, what do you think I am?" The pile of bones chuckled mysteriously. "I not only know everything about the Abyssal System, but also why you guys ended up here. Hehehe! Or should I respectfully address you as Master of Mold Spirit Energy Pursuit?"
After finishing, the pile of bones grinned in a strange way. Despite its eerie appearance and the dry, lifeless laughter it emitted, which made it chilling to hear, what truly sent chills down Haoyun and the others' spines was how this pile of bones could directly utter their names and identities.
Seeing Haoyun and the others' faces filled with surprise and puzzlement, the pile of bones nodded in satisfaction and playfulness. Without waiting for their response, it eagerly revealed, "Oh well! Let me formally introduce myself! My name is Heinrich, a mid-level priest from the Abyssal System. Before becoming like this, I was the commanding officer of the Purification Task Special Operations Team, Unit P1557."
Even though just moments ago, based on Heinrich's words, Haoyun and the others had guessed this person might be connected to the Celestial Spirit Realm, they were still taken aback when Heinrich confirmed his identity. However, amidst their surprise, Haoyun and the others quickly realized that their encounters might not have been entirely coincidental. Their seemingly fortunate rescue by that strange one-eyed hand might not have been simply a stroke of luck.
Therefore, to understand why Heinrich and that strange one-eyed hand rescued them, before any hostility emerged, so they could quickly grasp their current situation and find a way to deal with it, Haoyun once again lowered his tone and asked with concern, "I never expected you to be a Purifier as well. But how did you end up in this situation today? Did something unexpected happen to your team during a mission?"
Upon hearing Haoyun's question, Heinrich suddenly became displeased. "Hmph! Unit P1557 has rotted to the core! Those despicable scoundrels are the worst!"
While Haoyun wasn't entirely sure why Heinrich suddenly cursed the squad he once commanded, based on Heinrich's angry words, he could vaguely deduce that Heinrich's current predicament was likely due to serious issues within his team. However, what puzzled Haoyun was that while Heinrich repeatedly cursed his squad, he occasionally smacked his lips as if reminiscing. From the disgusting and decadent aura that emanated when Heinrich reminisced, it seemed that what he was reminiscing about were all sorts of unclean memories.
"Cough cough cough! Control yourself!" Seeing Heinrich's demeanor increasingly inappropriate, the strange hand standing aside couldn't help but remind him. Prompted by the hand's reminder, Heinrich seemed to snap out of his increasingly lascivious demeanor and sighed deeply in resignation once again.
"What are these two up to? It's really bizarre!" Haoyun thought to himself. He couldn't understand what these two strange characters were talking about or why Heinrich suddenly revealed such a lecherous demeanor. However, recalling the scene he had just witnessed upon waking up, Haoyun seemed to grasp some understanding. Subsequently, he quickly took a few steps aside to ensure a safe distance between himself and Heinrich at all times.
Dream Jia seemed to also glean some insights from Haoyun's actions. She couldn't help but mutter softly, "Hmph! Indeed, a Purifier! It seems that not only Elsie and her sisters, but all Purifiers are a bunch of unscrupulous rogues with peculiar and bizarre fetishes!"
Haoyun and Dao Lao nodded in agreement upon hearing Dream Jia's criticism. Although their communication was very subtle in terms of sound and movement, they couldn't escape Heinrich's eyes, and he clearly heard everything. However, Heinrich didn't seem angered by it. Instead, after a couple of awkward laughs, he sighed helplessly, "Oh well! Who could say otherwise! It's just that the situation with my Unit P1557 is even more dire. Because Elsie and her sisters were all my squad members."
"What?! Elsie and her sisters were all your squad members?" Haoyun and the others exclaimed in surprise.
"Elsie sisters, Adam, and Eve, they were all your squad members? Their purification team is Unit P1557?" Dream Jia confirmed again, expressing disbelief at the dramatic scene she had encountered.
"That's right. They were all my squad members. Elsie sisters, Adam, and Eve—" Heinrich nodded, listing off the names of the Unit P1557 team members like reciting a menu.