Electrolux: My Methods Are Flawless; Underworld Subordinate Gods

After leaving Qiangu Dongfeng's office, Na'er was still brooding over being rejected by Gu Yue earlier, muttering to herself as she walked.

Gu Yue turned a deaf ear, her steps steady. Li Chen walked at the back, holding the Soul Spirit configuration proposal in his hand and saying little.

After returning to the guest area, Na'er was quickly distracted by the freshly dismantled chicken bones, while Gu Yue read as usual.

Li Chen sat by the bed for a while and read through the proposal from beginning to end—ten-thousand-year Nether-type Soul Spirit, eight-thousand-year beast Soul Spirit, ratio analysis, compatibility evaluations, all laid out clearly.

After reading it, he closed the file and shut his eyes.

The plan was fine.

But the structure of power within his body was no longer that of an ordinary soul master.

The Life-and-Death Reincarnation of the Pluto Martial Soul, the creation and destruction of the Ark Core, and the Creation Rune linking all three as a fulcrum—after the Gold-Grade Awakening, the five powers had achieved a fragile balance.

How fragile was that balance? Probably so fragile that stuffing any ordinary Soul Spirit into it would turn the five powers from "peaceful coexistence" into a "five-way brawl" on the spot.

He needed to talk to someone who understood this.

And among everyone he knew, the person with the deepest research into martial souls and souls was not in the Spirit Pagoda.

Li Chen's consciousness sank into his sea of spirit, following the law passage connected to the Underworld all the way down.

Grayish-white mist surged in from all directions before scattering away, while beneath his feet stretched endless dark stairs.

When he reached the end of the passage, the familiar Gray Plains unfolded before him, Undead Fireballs flickering in the distance.

Electrolux was still in the same place.

He sat atop a half-human-height fragment of a stone monument, one leg resting against its edge, elbow propped on his knee and chin supported in his hand. His whole body was as languid as a cat basking in the sun.

When he saw Li Chen approaching, he did not even fully raise his eyelids.

"Back again? Did you make another breakthrough, or is it something else?"

"Neither." Li Chen sat on a rock opposite him. "I'm preparing to fuse my Second Soul Spirit. There are currently five powers in my body—the Law of Death, Life-and-Death Reincarnation, the Power of Creation, the Power of Destruction, and the Power of Genesis. They barely avoid fighting because a Creation Rune regulates them. I've been thinking about what kind of Soul Spirit I could choose without disrupting that balance, but I'm not sure."

Electrolux raised an eyebrow, floated down from the stone monument, and circled Li Chen once, his gaze carrying a piercing scrutiny.

"Five powers crammed into the body of a Soul Ancestor, and they can still remain balanced? Kid, your toughness is almost on par with a cockroach's." He returned to the monument. "Release your second martial soul and let me have a look."

With a thought from Li Chen, the Ark Core emerged from his chest.

Silver-white cube-shaped phantoms spread across the Gray Plains. Every small cube rotated slowly, with the powers of creation and destruction alternating within them.

The Creation Rune at the very center of the core emitted a faint pale-gold glow, sitting firmly in the middle of all the cubes.

Electrolux stared at the Ark Core for quite some time before reaching out to touch one of the cubes at its edge. A ring of silver ripples spread across its surface.

He withdrew his hand and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Creation and destruction are a pair. That much is easy to understand. But the law of Life-and-Death Reincarnation in your body also contains the dual structure of 'life' and 'death.' That means there are actually two kinds of life power within you." He held up two fingers.

"One is the 'life' within Life-and-Death Reincarnation. It reactivates life that once existed—death followed by life, life followed by death, cycling over and over. The other is the Power of Genesis. It does not follow the rules of reincarnation. It creates an entirely new life out of nothing, from nonexistence into existence. One turns within a wheel, while the other starts from zero. They aren't competing; they can work together."

Li Chen thought for a moment. "You mean using the Genesis Law to shape a Soul Spirit embryo, then using the Law of Life-and-Death Reincarnation to turn it from 'existing' into 'living'?"

"More or less." Electrolux nodded, his gaze returning to the Ark Core. "But those two steps aren't the key. Your second martial soul is."

He pointed at the rapidly operating cube phantoms inside the Ark Core, his tone growing more serious. "I took a look. The abilities of your Ark Core aren't merely creation and destruction. It has three functions: analysis, decomposition, and reconstruction. Look at the movement paths of these cubes..."

Li Chen followed his finger. Inside the Ark Core, the tiny silver cubes appeared to rotate chaotically, but in reality, each group operated alternately to a specific rhythm.

Some were responsible for analysis, some for decomposition, and some for reconstruction.

"With those three abilities combined with the Genesis Law, it's practically a Soul Spirit factory made by nature." There was a trace of undisguised admiration in Electrolux's voice.

"The analysis function examines the law structure of the target Soul Spirit imprint. The decomposition function breaks down rejection reactions before they can even take shape. The reconstruction function integrates all the materials into a complete Soul Spirit structure. It's like building a house. Others simply move an old house over and live in it, while you draw the blueprints yourself, lay the foundation yourself, and build the house yourself. Every brick in that house is fired by your own hand. How could there possibly be a rejection reaction?"

Li Chen digested that. "So the Ark Core is the construction crew, the Genesis Law is the building material, and Life-and-Death Reincarnation is the plumbing and electrical work."

"More or less. But your construction crew still lacks a project manager. You need a sufficiently powerful consciousness to oversee the core. An ordinary soul can't withstand the pull of five powers. I suggest you consider the one in your sea of spirit."

Li Chen fell silent for a while.

Phoenix God. That sovereign of all birds, arrogant to her very bones. Her remnant consciousness truly was the most suitable choice, but with her temperament, convincing her to put aside her identity as a deity and become the Soul Spirit of a Soul Ancestor would be difficult beyond imagination.

After hesitating, he looked at Electrolux. "Is there another way? I'm afraid she'll refuse outright."

Leaning against the stone monument, Electrolux leisurely raised a finger. "There is, brother. There are nine methods like this in total."

Li Chen's spirits lifted. "Nine?"

"That's right." Electrolux slowly began counting on his fingers.

"Besides the first method, the second is to use the Power of Genesis to create a blank soul yourself. Its advantage is that it shares the exact same origin as you. Its weakness is that it has no independent consciousness and won't be able to step in at crucial moments. The other seven are more or less the same, roughly..."

He counted all the way to the ninth method, analyzing the pros and cons of each one. They were either too costly and unsuitable, too unstable, or had feasibility close to zero.

After he finished, he withdrew his hand and concluded, "So, you see, all nine methods have their own problems. It's not that they can't be used; they're just less reliable than the one in your head."

Li Chen was silent for two breaths. "Then Phoenix God is the only solution."

"More or less." Electrolux shrugged. "She was once a Supreme God. Her understanding of laws surpasses that of countless gods of the current age, and she shares the same origin as the Creation Rune in your body. With someone like her available, why go around in circles trying to make some artificial Soul Spirit? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

Li Chen took a deep breath and stopped wasting words. Closing his eyes, he sank his consciousness into the depths of his sea of spirit.

The Death God Position floated silently in the deepest part. Not far from it, a pale-gold radiance hung quietly in the void.

The instant Li Chen's consciousness reached toward it, an arrogant will rebounded through his spiritual power, nearly knocking him out of his sea of spirit. He steadied himself and reached out again, lowering his posture considerably.

The golden light slowly unfurled, condensing into the slender figure of a woman within the sea of spirit.

Her arms were folded across her chest, her chin slightly raised as she looked down at Li Chen.

"You finally came." Her voice was low and imposing. "I thought you intended to let me gather dust in your head for the rest of my life."

"Senior's divine might is vast. This junior did not dare disturb you lightly." Li Chen bowed slightly.

Phoenix God gave a soft snort. "Speak. Why have you come to me?"

Li Chen did not beat around the bush and briefly explained his idea.

Phoenix God fell silent for a moment, then let out a very soft laugh.

"So you came to ask me to become your Soul Spirit." She raised her chin slightly. "I am the sovereign of all birds, the sole orthodox bloodline of the Phoenix Clan. Even if only a remnant consciousness remains, I am not someone just anyone can invite. Give me a reason. Why should I?"

Li Chen raised his head and met those golden eyes directly.

"Senior, bird-type soul beasts on Douluo Continent have been declining for a long time. Phoenix bloodlines have nearly vanished. The Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan were once equally renowned, yet the Dragon Clan still has the Black Dragon lineage surviving today, while the Phoenix Clan can only be found in a few scattered lines of ancient records. Soul beasts are in dire straits, winged creatures have no leader, and only you can turn all of this around."

Phoenix God remained silent for a long time. Her arms were still crossed, but her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly.

"Continue."

"Today, soul beasts are dwindling, with the Dragon Clan reigning supreme. Winged creatures do not even possess the strength to protect themselves. The Dragon Clan stands high above all else and calls itself the Beast God, while among all winged creatures, there is not a single existence capable of standing as an equal to the Dragon Clan." Li Chen looked into her eyes. "You were once the sovereign of all birds. When the sky falls, if you will not hold it up, who will?"

Phoenix God said nothing. But when Li Chen mentioned the words "Dragon Clan," her brow twitched faintly.

"Besides, only a remnant consciousness remains of you now. If you do not find a suitable host, then in another hundred years, your divine consciousness will dissipate, and Phoenix God will cease to exist in this world. When that happens, who can all birds under heaven rely on?"

The sea of spirit remained silent for a full five breaths.

Phoenix God lowered her eyes, and her crossed arms slowly fell to her sides.

She raised her right hand and looked down at her translucent fingertips. The pale-gold light was still bright, but it was far thinner than during her prime. After a long while, she raised her head again, and her expression had changed.

It was no longer that lofty scrutiny, but a look of reassessment. The corners of her lips curved slightly.

"You certainly know how to strike where it hurts. You dare say such things before me. You are far better than those useless fools who only know how to kowtow and burn incense. Explain your plan in full, from beginning to end."

Li Chen recounted the plan in complete detail. Phoenix God listened closely, interrupting him twice—once to ask about the stability of the reconstruction stage, and once to ask whether the Law of Death imprint would affect the independence of her consciousness.

Li Chen answered each question in turn. At some point, Electrolux appeared at the edge of the sea of spirit and added a few technical details at the appropriate moments.

Once all the details had been settled, Phoenix God folded her arms again, lifted her chin, and resumed that naturally proud demeanor.

"Since you have so sincerely invited me to emerge, I shall help you this once. But remember: it was not you who chose me. I chose you. From this day onward, if you cause trouble outside, do not disgrace me."

Li Chen clasped his fists. "I would not dare."

Phoenix God nodded in satisfaction. The golden light slowly withdrew, sinking back into the depths of his sea of spirit. She left him with one final sentence. Her tone was still arrogantly unquestionable, yet it faintly carried a trace of anticipation. "Call me when it is time to form the contract. Do not keep me waiting too long. I have already slept for ten thousand years."

Li Chen's consciousness withdrew from his sea of spirit, and he opened his eyes again.

The Undead Fireballs on the Gray Plains continued to flicker. Electrolux leaned against the stone monument, holding that grayish-white teacup in his hand.

"You convinced her?"

"I convinced her."

Li Chen raised a hand and wiped away sweat that did not exist on his forehead.

"As expected. But you really dared to say it. You even brought up things like 'the Dragon Clan trampling winged creatures beneath its feet.' She is a Phoenix. The Phoenix Clan and Dragon Clan have fought for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. Using that line of reasoning to strike her weak point is no different from driving a knife into her heart. The fact that she was willing to lower herself and agree shows that she truly thinks highly of you."

Just as Li Chen was about to speak, Electrolux raised a hand to stop him, his expression becoming unusually serious.

"Since Phoenix God is willing to preside over the Second Soul Spirit, your power system will soon go from a five-way brawl to six powers united as one. No time like the present—let's settle your Second Soul Spirit later today, before something unexpected happens. And I think it is about time we put that other matter on the agenda as well."