Upon hearing this, Hao Yun suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! I was wondering why Judge Yan insisted that I accept the extraordinary Phoenix Sword and why Master Gu returned a piece of Underworld Armor to us! Especially how 'generously' he converted all our supposed rewards into various equipment and items. It wasn't to offset debts or cheat us out of our pay but because you feared we wouldn't be able to use those God's Shield Coins in a critical moment!"
Thinking about it, those God's Shield Coins were indeed worthless to them given the subsequent situations they encountered later on. Fortunately, it was Master Gu who unilaterally used that equipment to offset their reward, allowing the three of them to narrowly escape danger on Earth NX.
However, despite understanding the reasoning, Dream Jia couldn't help but sarcastically remark with disdain, "Oh yeah! The equipment provided by Judge Yan was indeed quite generous. He even 'generously' gave us two God's Light Bombs!"
Anyone could tell that Dream Jia was mocking Master Gu for being too stingy. After all, as a well-trained priestess, Dream Jia carried quite a few God's Light Bombs herself. Therefore, from her perspective, the act of giving them two God's Light Bombs by Judge Yan and Master Gu's level of officials seemed overly stingy.
Given Dream Jia's sharp tongue, Judge Yan could only pretend not to notice her sarcasm and instead continued to smile awkwardly, addressing Hao Yun and Dao Lao, "If possible, we would of course want to offer you more help! However, considering the various confidentiality clauses from above and the strict monitoring that Judge Yan and I would inevitably face once informed of the details of this purification task, we could only take the opportunity to settle your rewards in a way that avoids arousing suspicion from above and provide you with the maximum amount of equipment!"
"Dao Lao, what do you mean?" Dao Lao furrowed his brows and asked.
Judge Yan gestured for Dao Lao to remain calm and continued, "After the three of you returned from the black hole, I immediately went to report the details of that mission to the higher-ups. It was during that process that I was informed about the impending purification of Earth in timeline N38."
"At the same time, I was also informed that the purification agents responsible for this task hoped to arrange a meeting with you and Hao Yun after the task was completed. You see, sometimes the Dark Sector specifically recruits officials from the Surface Sector, and I have arranged similar interviews for them many times. However, given that the target of this purification task was your homeland, and the agents wanted to recruit you, Hao Yun, the situation was quite complex for me. After all, Hao Yun has been kind to me, so I didn't want to hide the truth about the impending destruction of that Earth world. Nor did I want Hao Yun to learn later that I had known about it all along, even cooperating with them in purifying that Earth world."
"To be honest, I truly believe that Hao Yun is a talent worth nurturing. I sincerely didn't want Hao Yun to hate me for this, nor did I truly want him to be recruited into the Dark Sector. Having known Hao Yun for a relatively short time, it doesn't prevent me from understanding his character. Therefore, I insisted on the mission, believing that with Hao Yun's integrity, there is absolutely no possibility of him joining the Dark Sector. But once Hao Yun refuses the invitation from the Dark Sector, it will inevitably bring great trouble upon him. I cannot bear to see such a promising talent encounter any mishaps."
Judge Yan sighed before continuing, "However, unfortunately, while the higher-ups agreed to my request not to recommend you to the Dark Sector, they also ordered me not to interfere with your freedom to return to Earth World N38 for any reason. Because from their perspective, since the Dark Sector has taken an interest in you, they naturally want to allow you to naturally interact with the purification agents during this purification task, and then make your own choices for your future."
"In the end, when it comes to matters involving the interests of the Dark Sector, I am just a insignificant person with little say. So, since the higher-ups have made concessions on recruiting Hao Yun, I cannot go further and prevent you from having the opportunity to meet them. Therefore, I can only let you return to Earth World N38 and see if you can interact with the purification agents!"
After Judge Yan said this, Hao Yun and the others naturally understood Judge Yan's intentions. They also saw that Judge Yan had been secretly trying to mediate for them, doing everything possible to avoid any association between them and the Dark Sector. However, limited by his identity and status, Judge Yan had always been unable to stop the Dark Sector's plans to contact them.
Looking at Judge Yan's somewhat guilty expression, Hao Yun couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart. He stepped forward and gently patted Judge Yan's chubby shoulder, expressing his understanding of Judge Yan's difficulties and gratitude for Judge Yan's actions in protecting them behind the scenes. Since both sides had now breached the veil of secrecy surrounding the realms of the gods, Hao Yun would openly and honestly recount to Judge Yan and Master Gu everything that had happened to them since they began their journey back to Earth Timeline N38.
During this period, Hao Yun specifically pointed out who the purification agents responsible for the purification task in Earth Timeline N38 were, what their negotiating plans were, and highlighted Eve's various clandestine actions in colluding with Elina. He also told Judge Yan that the P1557 purification squad under Eve's leadership was the main and only accomplice assisting Elina in plotting an attack on the realms of the gods.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
However, out of caution, Haoyun did not disclose to Judge Yan and the others about his encounter with Guardian Uryll and Heinrich, nor did he mention seeing the Mother of Mold Spirits. After all, both Guardian Uryll and the Mother of Mold Spirits are absolute taboos in the Spirit Realm. If these details were made public, Haoyun might severely breach the balance maintained by the Ring of Balance, inviting harsh repercussions.
Of course, Haoyun himself had no intention of revealing any information about Guardian Uryll and the Mother of Mold Spirits. He feared that exposing their plans could lead to covert retaliation from Guardian Uryll and the Mother of Mold Spirits against the Ring of Balance. Having learned about so many scandals behind the scenes in the Spirit Realm, Haoyun also wished that the Ring of Balance would face some hardship. Strangely enough, at this moment, Haoyun even harbored thoughts that if Elina's attack did not cause undue catastrophe to the 13th Realm of the Shadow Spirit Realm, he hoped Elina's assault plan would succeed.
Thinking this way, Haoyun quickly retracted his thoughts, unable to help but mock himself inwardly. He hadn't expected to entertain such evil thoughts — willing to let innocent people suffer to achieve punishment for the Ring of Balance. It seemed that after fully understanding the true face of the Spirit Realm and completely dissociating from it, Haoyun's commitment to the highest moral standards seemed to be wavering. This made Haoyun wary of his own thoughts, lest he fall into the cycle of karma due to revenge, punishing evildoers, and ultimately transform from a brave hero slaying dragons into a new kind of dragon.
Upon hearing that the Purification Envoys were secretly colluding with Elina to escape from the Spirit Realm by using her attack on the Spirit Realm, Judge Yan and Master Gu were both shocked and furious. It's important to note that Eve and her companions, as special priests who do not accept too many restrictions, would face even harsher punishments, possibly even the extreme penalty that would annihilate their souls, once they cross the bottom line of the Spirit Realm. This intensified the hatred Judge Yan and Master Gu felt towards Eve and her companions, having experienced suppression from the Dark System's power.
Of course, Judge Yan and Master Gu did not question what Haoyun said. They believed that these three warriors, who had recently made significant contributions to the City of Spirits, would not lie. Moreover, as long as the higher-ups of the Spirit Realm dispatched another Purification Squad to investigate the base of Purification Squad P1557, they would soon uncover the truth. So, under Judge Yan's instructions, Master Gu immediately took the testimonies obtained from Haoyun and his group, and went to report the situation to the Sentinel Department staff who were still guarding outside the main hall. This would naturally divert more attention from the Sentinel Department towards Purification Squad P1557, leading to the conclusion that Haoyun and his group had made even greater achievements, thus further mitigating any potential punishment they might face.
After Master Gu left, silence fell upon the four in the hall. Judge Yan returned to his seat and quietly savored the warm tea still emanating steam from his cup, while Haoyun and the others exchanged glances, waiting for news from Master Gu. Simultaneously, they awaited any messages that might come from other realms of the Shadow Spirit Realm, hoping to determine where Elina would strike after infiltrating the Spirit Realm.
The four of them anxiously waited for a while longer before Dao Lao couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Old Yan! Once we determine where Elina is going to strike, can we accompany you to confront her? You know, Elina this time will use extremely powerful forces to attack the Spirit Realm. Without our help, the Spirit Realm may suffer unimaginable losses!"
However, Judge Yan did not answer Dao Lao's question. Instead, he continued to enjoy the hot tea in his cup as if he hadn't heard Dao Lao speak at all.
Dao Lao had been Judge Yan's close friend for many years, so upon seeing Judge Yan's reaction, he immediately understood what was going on. Therefore, Dao Lao didn't press for an answer, but after pouring himself another cup of hot tea, he calmly asked again, "I say, Old Yan! So, according to the current situation, you probably won't let us leave, right?"
Judge Yan still didn't rush to respond. He waited for Dao Lao to finish drinking the hot tea from his cup, then leisurely poured another cup of hot tea for both himself and Dao Lao. After accompanying Dao Lao in tasting this cup of tea, Judge Yan nodded slightly and said in a very calm tone, "Ah! Old Dao, you should be well aware of your current situation. If I were to let you go now, the folks from the Sentinel Department would definitely come after you. So, it's best for the three of you to stay peacefully at my mansion until everything becomes clear!"
"Hmph! I'm afraid even after everything becomes clear, the Sentinel Department won't let us off that easily!" Dao Lao said nonchalantly, finishing the warm tea in his cup and then mocking himself.
Judge Yan sighed lightly and explained, "Well, I've done everything I can to persuade the Sentinel team not to arrest you guys. I told them that if Elina really launches an attack on the Spirit Realm as you three claim, she will surely do everything possible to devastate the Spirit Realm. By then, having fought against Elina and witnessed her terrifying power with your own eyes, you might truly have the ability to help us resist Elina's attack and ensure that the Spirit Realm doesn't suffer heavy losses. It's precisely because of my argument that the Sentinel team has temporarily halted the idea of detaining you three. However, unless they see your value when Elina attacks the Spirit Realm, they won't give up on capturing you."
"Keep in mind, Elina's plan to attack the Spirit Realm this time is very serious. It's likely that even the divine weapons of the Upper Realm won't be able to withstand such a powerful attack. So, relying on us to deal with Elina? Old Yan seems to be overestimating us!" Dao Lao mocked himself again.
Dao Lao was right. Having lost their divine protection after leaving the Spirit Realm, Haoyun and his group were now significantly weakened. This meant that they were already inferior to Elina's strength, which had been further reduced. This was also why Haoyun and his group had been puzzled all along about the so-called "making the right choice to gain the power to fight Elina." They didn't know what the right choice was, nor had they found any significant conditions that could enable them to make such a choice.