"Yes, Yan Chaofan died in battle," Dao Lao said, trying to calm his grief-stricken emotions. "At that time, Chaofan led the troops to chase down a rebellious army that had been seduced by the corrupting influence of Mold Spirit Energy and joined the enemy's camp. However, they ended up trapped by the enemy's encirclement. Although Judge Yan immediately dispatched reinforcements, the encirclement was a premeditated trap, and the enemy had deployed many skilled ambushers against Chaofan. Outnumbered, Chaofan and his troops ultimately couldn't hold on until the main rescue force arrived and were all killed on the spot."

"This incident was a great blow to Judge Yan, but the situation was dire at the time of the war, so Judge Yan had to endure the pain of losing his son and continue to battle the enemy on the front lines. Therefore, unless it was necessary for work, Judge Yan rarely mentioned the war. Even if someone brought it up, he would try to avoid the topic. Because whenever the war was mentioned, Judge Yan would think of his sacrificed son," Dao Lao explained.

Haoyun recalled that both Judge Yan and Dao Lao had indeed deliberately avoided discussing the war when he asked about it. However, since Dao Lao briefly mentioned the war just now, Haoyun asked again, "So, that war was a large-scale conflict triggered by the eruption of Mold Spirit Energy, right?"

Dao Lao nodded, "Yes, it was a war caused by Mold Spirit Energy attempting to disrupt the balance of the divine realm. Since Mold Spirit Energy is inherently negative, it easily seduced many worshipers of dark energy or naturally evil beings in the mortal realm, convincing them to join the camp that aimed to disrupt the order of the divine realm in exchange for controlling Mold Spirit Energy."

"Although the mortal beings were far inferior in combat power compared to the divine armies, they still posed a threat to us with the arming of Mold Spirit Energy and their numerical advantage. Coupled with the large number of ultimate beings formed by the fusion of Mold Spirit Energy that invaded the divine realm, the war became an unprecedented battle of evenly matched forces."

"Although the divine realm eventually emerged victorious, it also paid a great price. Many regions, including both the celestial and mortal realms, were destroyed. Many outstanding warriors fell in the war, including a group of comrades from my former department, Judge Yan's former superiors, the previous leadership of the Spirit City, and a large number of rising stars, including Judge Yan's son, Yan Chaofan."

Just from Dao Lao's description, Haoyun could imagine the horrors of that war. Countless heroes died in battle, and even more ordinary civilians lost their lives. What was even more frightening was that many civilizations, even entire planets, and entire timelines were completely destroyed by that war.

Haoyun initially wanted to learn more details about the war, but he quickly noticed that Dao Lao seemed to be reminded of some unforgettable scenes from the war because of mentioning it, and his expression now looked very painful.

So, Haoyun had to set aside his curiosity and change the topic, asking, "Then what about Judge Yan's daughter, Yan Chaoyue? Did she also—"

Haoyun stopped his question with a wry smile because he realized that when asking about Yan Chaoyue's situation, it was inevitable to mention the war again.

"Sigh! Unfortunately, although Chaoyue also personally participated in the war, she didn't die but luckily survived. But the bad news is that she later disappeared," Dao Lao said with a long sigh, wrinkles on his face seeming even more pronounced than before. "Although the war has ended for some time, the situation in the divine realm is still somewhat turbulent, so we still occasionally engage in small-scale wars with the remnants of Mold Spirit Energy. It was in this environment that the Thirteenth District of the Underworld, already devastated by the war, was suddenly attacked by the enemy one day."

"The target of the enemy's attack at that time was the border fortress of the Thirteenth District of the Underworld. They planned to break through there and enter the Styx City to rescue the Mold Spirit Energy imprisoned there. During the enemy's assault on the fortress, they happened to encounter Yan Chaoyue, who was patrolling nearby with her troops. As a result, a major battle ensued."

"The assaulting enemy clearly did not expect Yan Chaoyue to be there, so they were quickly defeated and fled in defeat. However, although the overall strength of the attacking enemy was not as good as the patrol troops led by Yan Chaoyue, it did not mean that there were no formidable individuals among them. The battle-hardened Yan Chaoyue quickly noticed that the three commanding officers leading the enemy assault were all ultimate beings infused with Mold Spirit Energy."

"Since Yan Chaofan was killed by an ambush set by Mold Spirit Energy, Yan Chaoyue naturally wouldn't easily let go of these three commanding officers fused with Mold Spirit Energy. With a resurgence of anger, Yan Chaoyue immediately slew the two weaker commanding officers. Then, she fought fiercely with the third commanding officer, vowing to personally take his life to comfort the spirit of Chaofan in the heavens."

"Although the commanding officer couldn't match Yan Chaoyue's burning rage, he wasn't a mediocre person who would give up easily. So, when he saw the situation wasn't good, he used some strange means to forcibly escape from the battlefield and immediately activated the teleportation array to flee. But how could Yan Chaoyue let him escape? At the moment she saw the commanding officer activate the teleportation array, she rushed forward with all her might and, without hesitation, followed him into the array before it closed."

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"Ah! You see, the movements of Mold Spirit Energy are extremely elusive. The teleportation arrays they activate can send them anywhere, even back to their own lairs. Since forcibly pursuing Mold Spirit Energy into a teleportation array is an extremely dangerous act, the divine realm specifically emphasizes that no matter how intense the battle is, and no matter how hot-headed the warriors are, they must never recklessly jump into enemy teleportation arrays for pursuit. Because, in doing so, not only is there a high probability of failing to kill the escaping enemy, but it's also very likely to end up losing one's own life.

Compared to chasing after the enemy, it's the primary duty of the priests to closely unite within the divine realm and collectively eliminate the invading Mold Spirit Energy from our territory," Dao Lao sighed again with helplessness and sadness.

"Ah! Yan Chaoyue violated this major taboo at that time, heedlessly pursuing that commanding officer into the teleportation array, and has since disappeared without a trace, her fate unknown. And now, many years have passed in the blink of an eye. No matter how Judge Yan dispatched troops to search for her, her whereabouts have remained elusive. Therefore, although Judge Yan feels unwilling, after years of erosion, he has gradually come to regard Yan Chaoyue's disappearance as her demise."

Hearing this, Haoyun couldn't help but feel a deep respect for Judge Yan's family. He couldn't believe that, even as the highest executive of the Thirteenth District of the Underworld, Judge Yan didn't use his privileges to keep his children away from the flames of war. And as Judge Yan's children, Yan Chaofan and Yan Chaoyue set an example by voluntarily stepping out of their comfort zone to fight against external enemies, ultimately sacrificing their precious lives.

Thinking of this, Haoyun couldn't help but sigh, "Ah! In this world, there are no easily won times of peace. Behind the so-called peaceful days, there are always people silently bearing burdens for us."

After a brief pause, Dao Lao continued, "It was because of what happened with Yan Chaofan and Yan Chaoyue that Judge Yan cares so much for Elinna. According to Judge Yan himself, it's because he sees glimpses of Yan Chaofan and Yan Chaoyue's shadows in Elinna."

"It's because of this feeling, coupled with Elinna's unique talent for both positive and negative energy cultivation, that Judge Yan was willing to personally vouch for her, ensuring that Elinna would pass the scrutiny of the Divine Realm Talent Recruitment Center and be promoted to a Holy Spirit."

"After successfully keeping Elinna, Judge Yan spared no effort in nurturing her. And with Elinna's diligent study, noticeable progress, and exceptional dedication to her work, Judge Yan became extremely fond of her. He even regarded Elinna as his own daughter and treated her with extraordinary love and indulgence. It was Judge Yan's attitude towards Elinna that also led to Elinna's somewhat rebellious and unruly temperament from her previous life being amplified."

"Hmph!" Dao Lao snorted disapprovingly, then continued, "Perhaps because Judge Yan was too lenient and affectionate towards Elinna, her character became increasingly arrogant as she grew up. Moreover, the unresolved entanglements between her and her past life also made her resist Judge Yan's attempts to treat her as a daughter and get close to her."

"Although Elinna has always enjoyed the privileges granted by Judge Yan, she has consistently resisted the fact that she is being treated as Judge Yan's daughter. Compared to becoming Judge Yan's daughter, Elinna seems to be more concerned about her family from her previous life," Dao Lao emphasized with a tone of disdain.

"As for Judge Yan's treatment of Elinna as his daughter, everyone knows deep down that Judge Yan is just trying to make up for the emotional void left by Yan Chaofan and Yan Chaoyue's departure through his care for Elinna. However, Judge Yan's decision to treat Elinna as the new darling of the Spirit City is something that none of us, including those of us who have dealings with the Spirit City, can accept. Because in our eyes, whether Yan Chaofan and Yan Chaoyue are present or not, they will always be the darlings and symbols of the Spirit City, and no one can replace them. Especially not someone like Elinna, who is proud and somewhat aloof."

"In this situation, although the priests of the Spirit City recognize Elinna's talent and abilities, they also harbor resistance towards her from the depths of their hearts. And I, as Yan Chaofan and Yan Chaoyue's adoptive father, naturally cannot accept Judge Yan's approach. Plus, since I first saw Elinna's profile, I haven't been interested in her at all due to an inexplicable disapproval. So, I can't say I have no affection for Elinna, but I've developed some prejudice and rejection towards her."

"Therefore, when Judge Yan decided to use his privileges to keep Elinna in the Spirit City and was determined to nurture her vigorously, hoping that she would one day replace Yan Chaofan and Yan Chaoyue as one of the future successors of the Spirit City, I had a heated argument with Judge Yan. And then, I refused to acknowledge Elinna's status, and refused to meet with her. At the same time, I asked Judge Yan to tell anyone in the Spirit City that they are not allowed to mention my name in front of Elinna. Because I feel that it would be a blasphemy against the deceased Chaofan and Chaoyue, and Elinna, an inexperienced youngster, is not worthy of knowing me. I am the adoptive father of Chaofan and Chaoyue, and I only recognize Judge Yan as their father. No one else can replace their position."

Seeing Dao Lao getting agitated, Haoyun poured him a glass of wine to help him calm his emotions and said, "No wonder you quietly confronted Judge Yan at that time, and no wonder Elinna knows of your existence but doesn't know you. So, that's the situation!"

Dao Lao downed the fruit wine in his cup, slightly easing his emotions before continuing, "That's right. Actually, Elinna doesn't know who I am, first because I don't want to meet her, and second because other priests also do not approve of Judge Yan treating her as a potential successor of the Spirit City. Therefore, after the other priests learned of my fierce argument with Judge Yan over Elinna, they all tacitly accepted my request. No one will mention me in front of Elinna, let alone let her know too much about me."

“Because the priests of Ling City all believe that Eliana does not deserve to know the names of me, Yan Chaofan, and Yan Chaoyue’s adoptive father. They all feel that Eliana is unworthy of replacing Yan Chaofan and Yan Chaoyue. Since Judge Yan is their superior, they cannot directly express their opposition. Therefore, the priests silently uphold this unwritten rule as a form of silent support for my refusal to accept and acknowledge the status Judge Yan has given to Eliana."

"Wow, I didn't expect that you once led a rebellion against Judge Yan! You've got quite the guts!" Hao Yun joked, trying to lighten the overly heavy atmosphere.