Curiosity and Astonishment, Arrangements for the Ice Snow Two Emperors

In the familiar courtyard, Shu Yan suddenly turned around. A smile then appeared on his face as he called out brightly,

"Grandmother Manyi, long time no see. Aren't you going to come out and say hello?"

As his voice fell, the figure of Nebula Douluo Manyi appeared out of thin air. A clear flash of shock and delight appeared in her somewhat clouded eyes, and her aged body trembled before she spoke.

"Little Yan, you really came back..."

Shu Yan stretched his body a little, then said with a smile,

"The genuine article, Grandmother Manyi. I really am back."

Nebula Douluo hurried forward and grabbed one of Shu Yan's wrists. The shock on her face deepened further as she said in astonishment,

"You actually walked out of the Extreme North Land alive, and your Soul Power has even surged to the Soul King level. This..."

Seemingly realizing that her words could be misunderstood, Nebula Douluo quickly corrected herself before speaking again.

"Little Yan, how did you return from the Extreme North Land? Why was the Snow Empress willing to let you go? And why have your cultivation, appearance, and aura changed so drastically?"

Faced with Nebula Douluo's string of questions, Shu Yan rubbed his brow with a slight headache before answering softly,

"The Snow Empress was willing to let me leave because she and I reached an agreement on an important matter. We are now partners, more or less. As for my cultivation, appearance, and temperament, that is because the Snow Empress had me consume a priceless treasure, allowing me to completely transform and ascend..."

Nebula Douluo's pupils suddenly contracted. She staggered back two steps uncontrollably, as though she had heard something utterly unbelievable, and her entire body seemed to go slack with shock.

After a long while, Nebula Douluo swallowed with difficulty before speaking again.

"Then now that you have returned, is the Snow Empress still in the Extreme North Land?"

The expression on Shu Yan's face became rather strange. He pointed behind Nebula Douluo and sighed.

"Of course not. This time, not only did the Snow Empress come with me to Star Luo City, but so did the Ice Empress, who ranks second among the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North. They're right behind you, Grandmother Manyi..."

Nebula Douluo's entire body stiffened. A chill abruptly rose up her back, and she had already prepared herself to face some terrible beast. Yet when she stiffly turned around, her gaze could not help but freeze.

In her field of vision, the Snow Empress wore a sky-blue long dress. Her peerless beauty was matched by the flowing white hair behind her, making her seem like a goddess—noble and inviolable.

Beside her, the Ice Empress wore her hair in twin ponytails. Her dark green hair made her skin seem as white as ice and snow, with a uniquely crystalline quality. Compared to the Snow Empress, her face held a little less pride but a trace more icy beauty. Yet completely at odds with her appearance and temperament, the little girl was currently holding two ice creams of entirely different flavors, taking a lick from the left one and then the right, as if she had not noticed Nebula Douluo at all.

Looking at Nebula Douluo, whom she had met once before, the Snow Empress perhaps gave a slight nod out of consideration for Shu Yan, counting it as a greeting. However, Nebula Douluo was so stiff that she did not dare make any rash movements.

Good heavens. The two strongest among the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North were standing alive before her. For an old woman like Nebula Douluo, who had lived for more than eighty years, this was an incomparable shock. With her mind trembling, she did not even know what to say for a moment, appearing utterly dumbfounded.

Shu Yan was already accustomed to it. He introduced the Ice Snow Two Emperors.

"This is Grandmother Manyi, Nebula Douluo. She is an elder who has accompanied Jiujiu since childhood, and one of the guides who led me onto the path of cultivation. She is one of the people closest to me."

Nebula Douluo also came back to her senses at this point. She gave a slight bow, then said,

"Greetings, Seniors..."

Nebula Douluo's feelings were complicated. She had never imagined that one day, she would address two Fierce Beasts as seniors. It was something she would never even have dared imagine before. When had humans and soul beasts ever had such a precedent of peaceful coexistence? All kinds of worries rose in Nebula Douluo's heart, and Shu Yan clearly noticed her unease.

After gathering his thoughts, Shu Yan spoke again.

"Grandmother Manyi, rest assured. The Snow Empress and Ice Empress are both reasonable people, and our Star Luo Empire has never had any major conflicts with the Extreme North Land. I will meet with Your Majesty later and explain some matters, but please rest assured, Grandmother Manyi. The Snow Empress and Ice Empress remaining in the Star Luo Empire will only benefit us. You will see that in the future..."

There was nothing wrong with Shu Yan's words. Yet when the benefits brought by something were great enough, its drawbacks would be instinctively overlooked. Or rather, before such enormous benefits, those minor drawbacks were not even worth mentioning.

"This..."

Nebula Douluo hesitated, but ultimately nodded lightly.

Looking at the Ice Snow Two Emperors, who were still standing where they were, she hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"You two have only just arrived in the human world, so you must still be unfamiliar with Star Luo City. If you do not mind, there is a quiet courtyard with pleasant scenery beside the Princess Mansion. You may stay there for now. If you need anything else, simply instruct the servants."

The Ice Empress licked her red lips, then looked up at the Snow Empress and asked in a low voice,

"Xue'er, what do you think?"

The Snow Empress exchanged a glance with Shu Yan, then nodded lightly. Her voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

"Then we shall trouble you."

Nebula Douluo hurriedly nodded in agreement. Before the Snow Empress, whose strength rivaled that of a human Limit Douluo, she truly could not put on the pride of a Titled Douluo. Even though the Ice Snow Two Emperors had completely sealed their auras, Nebula Douluo could still sense just how terrifying the energy within these two stunning women was. If they wanted to act, even all the experts in Star Luo City joining forces would likely be unable to shake them...

Shu Yan merely smiled and shook his head. As he headed toward the hall, he said,

"Grandmother Manyi, please send word for me. I will enter the palace tomorrow morning to meet Your Majesty. I'll have to trouble you with this."

His gaze then shifted back to the Ice Snow Two Emperors.

"Snow... Sister Xue, take that little glutton and get some proper rest tonight. No one here will harm you, and no one would dare. If anything comes up, you can come find me. We're only separated by a wall, so it's quite convenient."

The Snow Empress raised her brow, seemingly touched by Shu Yan's form of address. She nodded lightly and said,

"Mm."

Shu Yan had long grown accustomed to the Snow Empress's coldness in public. He waved his hand and exchanged a few more words with Nebula Douluo. Only after watching her leave did Shu Yan quietly enter the hall. Seeing Xu Jiujiu curled into a ball on the soft couch, he sighed softly, removed his outer robe, and directly gathered Xu Jiujiu into his arms.

Xu Jiujiu struggled slightly at first, but she seemed to catch Shu Yan's familiar scent afterward. Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. Her fair arms wrapped around Shu Yan's waist, while her legs clasped one of his. After rubbing her cheek against his chest, she slowly settled down.

As Shu Yan held the soft, warm girl, his thoughts could not help drifting back to the past.

At first, he had only regarded Xu Jiujiu as his support in this unfamiliar world. If he had to put it more intimately, she was like an older sister with no blood relation to him.

But later, Xu Jiujiu had taken the initiative to pierce through that invisible, innocent barrier between them, pushing their relationship to another level. By now, they were lovers in name and truth. Everything felt like an incomparably real dream, drawing them both in until they could not free themselves.

Shu Yan had lived two lives, but honestly, his feelings for Xu Jiujiu had grown bit by bit amid the changes in his mindset across those two lives. It was an instinct born from their long companionship. Xu Jiujiu perhaps had never imagined that the friendship of childhood sweethearts would eventually become love, yet she could clearly tell herself that if she were given another chance, she would still choose to walk that same old road without hesitation.

Some people were ultimately irreplaceable. Perhaps there were many outstanding people in the world, but when that person appeared before you, you would realize that whether they were outstanding or not did not actually matter. Because at some unknown moment, that person had already become your entire world...

P.S. When I first wrote this part, I was actually very hesitant and conflicted.

I struggled for a long time over how to arrange the Ice Snow Two Emperors.

A human at the Soul Ancestor level was forcibly taken away by the third-ranked land Fierce Beast of the current age, yet returned safely in less than a year, with his cultivation even soaring drastically. This situation was difficult to explain. Even if it were explained, I doubt anyone would dare believe it, because there were too many things involved. It might even lead people to suspect that the protagonist was some kind of transformed soul beast...

So, I simply decided to lay it all out directly, making everything clear and introducing the main thread of "god-making" first. I will try to write this part in greater detail so that it does not feel too abrupt, making the whole process as smooth and natural as possible.

All under heaven bustle for profit; all under heaven scramble for gain. When the shared benefits are great enough, many problems no longer seem so serious.

This is also more for setting up the later plot. Shrek must be destroyed, and the other three great empires must also be destroyed. The continent must be unified. The protagonist's stance has already been set. If you find any problems while reading, feel free to bring them up for discussion.

(Just keep reading for now. At least three or four authors of Douluo fanfiction have looked it over and felt there was no problem.)