Electrolux's Power, Southern Visitors

Ever since their in-depth conversation at the palace last time, both of them had sensed a faint mutual understanding in each other.

When handling certain matters, their thoughts were astonishingly similar. Xu Jiawei had grown increasingly satisfied with Shu Yan, while Shu Yan had learned quite a few new "lessons" from Xu Jiawei. It was as though his temperament had been cleansed and transformed, making him somewhat more mature and causing him to view issues with greater rationality and clarity.

After returning to the Princess Mansion, Shu Yan looked at the three beauties, each with her own distinct charm, and found himself in a dilemma once again.

Snow Empress was kneeling before a low table, with steaming tea set before her. Ice Empress and Xu Jiujiu sat on the other side, their backs to Shu Yan. With each of them preoccupied by her own thoughts, neither noticed his arrival for a while.

Shu Yan gave a light cough. Snow Empress merely lazily lifted her eyes, while Ice Empress and Xu Jiujiu were startled outright. After coming back to herself, Ice Empress gritted her teeth and snapped,

"What are you coughing for? Can't you see this Empress is thinking? If you interrupt my train of thought, I'll make you go bungee jumping from ten thousand meters up again."

Xu Jiujiu also shot Shu Yan a reproachful glare before lowering her beautiful eyes again.

Shu Yan shrugged, then sat directly on a cushion nearby. With practiced elegance, he poured himself a cup of tea and drained it in one gulp.

Naturally, this time, he was not using Snow Empress's teacup.

Snow Empress watched his movements, a flicker of emotion passing through her eyes before she spoke calmly.

"Your Spiritual Power seems to have improved greatly. Moreover, your Sea of Consciousness appears to be protected by something. Even this Empress finds it difficult to see through its mysteries."

Ice Empress studied Shu Yan for a moment, then wore the same expression as Snow Empress.

As for Xu Jiujiu... well... forget it. Her strength was still too lacking; she could not sense anything at all.

Shu Yan did not conceal anything further. He quietly told the three women everything he could tell them. They fell silent after listening, and only after a long while did Snow Empress continue with a question.

"Is that Elder Yi one hundred percent trustworthy?"

Shu Yan nodded and said with a trace of emotion,

"Elder Yi is trustworthy. There is no need to question that. As for his formidable abilities, I'll show them to you in the future. When the time comes, I think you'll be shocked."

Ice Empress curled her lips and muttered,

"This Undead Magic, Death Holy Mage God, and all that—why does it sound so much like what you humans call Evil Soul Masters? Just hearing it gives off an evil, ominous feeling."

Xu Jiujiu nodded in agreement, a trace of concern flashing through her eyes.

"This..."

Shu Yan was momentarily at a loss for words. He truly did not know how to respond to Ice Empress's remark. It seemed there was nothing wrong with what she had said...

Just as Shu Yan fell silent, the gray bead within his Sea of Consciousness suddenly trembled again. In the next instant, his mind was abruptly overcome by a hazy heaviness. To his astonishment, he discovered that he had lost control of his body. Yet at the same time, he could still perceive everything happening outside with incomparable clarity.

The change came swiftly. Shu Yan's aura transformed in an instant, shifting from indifferent nobility into a cold majesty steeped in deathly stillness. Gray currents slowly spiraled up around him, while an indescribable power coiled within his palm. Sensing the changes in Shu Yan, Snow Empress and the other two women all fell into a daze.

In the next moment, the gray currents abruptly vanished, and the deathly gray in Shu Yan's eyes faded away as well. Clarity gradually returned to his gaze.

Looking at the three women's astonished expressions, Shu Yan rubbed his brow and said helplessly within his Sea of Consciousness,

"Elder Yi, you should give me a heads-up next time. Your little visit was terrifying enough."

A soft laugh seemed to come from the Living Gold deep within his Sea of Consciousness, but it quickly faded away. Shu Yan received no specific response, though he was not bothered by it. As his awareness returned, he looked at the three women before him and asked with a light smile,

"How was it? This power—is it somewhat different from what you imagined?"

Snow Empress set down her teacup, pursed her lips, and said,

"It is very strange. At first, based on everything you told us, I once believed it was an evil and ominous power. But from my perception of that power just now, I sensed within it an unparalleled purity. It does not resemble the power of an Evil Soul Master at all. Rather, it seems like an entirely new and powerful kind of strength."

The expression on Ice Empress's face also became serious. Looking at Shu Yan, she continued,

"Just now... this Empress seemed to sense an extremely terrifying spiritual fluctuation. It was so powerful that it made this Empress feel as insignificant as an ant..."

Snow Empress and Xu Jiujiu nodded as well. The latter's expression was slightly numb. It was clear that Your Highness Princess's confidence had been hit rather hard by Shu Yan, and she might need some time to recover.

Shu Yan smiled and said,

"Elder Yi still needs some time to repair his soul. After that, I'll have him properly get acquainted with everyone. By then, you'll discover that Elder Yi's true terror goes far beyond this..."

The three women looked at Shu Yan but said nothing further. What Electrolux had revealed just now had already shaken them. No matter what, since he had become one of Shu Yan's sources of support, was that not an enormous blessing for them as well?

The four of them sat in silence for a while. This was practically normal. Shu Yan was not particularly talkative to begin with, and Snow Empress and Ice Empress were even less so. Xu Jiujiu did not know how to speak in such a situation either, so they simply sat there. There was nothing wrong with that.

Xu Jiujiu lowered her eyes to the table before her, thoughts racing through her mind. Suddenly, inspiration struck. As if she had abruptly remembered something, Xu Jiujiu raised her eyes and said,

"A Yan, there's something I forgot to tell you. Do you want to hear it now?"

Shu Yan looked at Xu Jiujiu in surprise, but still nodded.

Xu Jiujiu cleared her throat before speaking.

"Didn't you mention the Martial Soul Hall Remnants before? Just two days ago, several unusual guests arrived from the Southern Empire. One of them possesses the Golden Crocodile martial soul. I think you should be interested in them..."

"Golden Crocodile..."

Shu Yan murmured softly. Then he suddenly recalled something, and a smile appeared on his face.

"These guests truly are special. Let's go meet them. I wonder what form the embers left behind by the former Spirit Hall have taken in this era. I'm rather looking forward to it..."

P.S.: The original Soul Land novel seemingly never mentioned whether those Spirit Hall elders and consecrated elders had descendants or inheritances. This is a secondary setting, so please do not dwell on it!