World version update

Chapter 283 Sequence Eight: Soul Collector

Just as Saint Sheen, this extraordinary peak saint, lowered his head, Lu Yan, who sat upright in the main seat, had a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of his mouth on his usually calm face.

A subtle sense of absurdity, which only he could perceive, rose quietly like a bubble at the bottom of the water.

If he really had a powerful and all-powerful Emperor of Fengdu behind him, why would he need to be so careful in his planning, and even resort to this almost illegitimate method to buy himself precious time and room for development?

The Emperor of Fengdu did exist, but Saint Sheen never imagined that this true god, whom he recognized, was sitting behind his desk.

The aura of a true god that Saint Sheen and even the entire high command of the Seven Gods Church firmly believed, and which they even used a level zero sealing artifact to investigate, was not a sign of the arrival of some great emperor.

It was merely a lingering echo left behind from the collision between the second Dao rank of the Great Transcendent version and the Mysterious version in the instant he crossed versions.

This lingering echo, to the beings and deities of this world, was indeed as vast and unfathomable as the descent of a true god, but to its source, Lu Yan himself, it was nothing more than a tiny spark ignited by the collision of different versions.

Ultimately, in this mysterious version of the world, the one who truly holds the reins of order and the power of discourse is still the Church of the Seven Gods, with its deep-rooted foundation and believers throughout the seven kingdoms.

Lu Yan is currently still an outsider, a variable whose power is strong but whose foundation is still shallow.

Of course, Lu Yan would never be foolish enough to deliberately expose these truths that could overturn everything.

The misunderstandings of Saint Sheen and the higher-ups of the Steam Cult he represents are exactly the talisman he needs most right now.

This tacit understanding, born of fear and awe, saved him and his fledgling guild countless unnecessary troubles and early confrontations, buying them crucial time for development.

He must, before the colossal lie of the Emperor of Fengdu is exposed, or before he truly possesses the strength to directly confront the top powers of this realm, make the guild's power penetrate every corner of this kingdom as much as possible, allowing it to grow into an unshakeable towering tree.

At the same time, we must seize the time to spread the belief in the underworld, to forge the false divine court of the heavens into reality, and to create a supernatural system belonging to the divine court and the underworld.

Only in this way could he seize the power of greatness and transform the false Emperor of Fengdu into the real and true Emperor of the Divine Court.

The tacit understanding developed silently.

During his meeting with Saint Sheen, Lu Yan did not make any specific or demanding requests, such as forcing the church to give up its religious area or pressuring the other party to provide resources.

He only touched on the point briefly, releasing enough information and deterrence.

Saint Sheen also behaved very tactfully, not asking in detail about the doctrines and organizational structure of the underworld, nor mentioning any sensitive topics about the division of interests.

Both sides tacitly maintained ambiguity and silence on many key issues, reaching a subtle, unspoken consensus on peace.

This brief meeting only truly came to an end when Saint Sheen bowed respectfully again and took his leave.

As the office door slowly closed and the pure white color disappeared from sight, Lu Yan fell into deep thought once again.

Saint Shin's strength as a peak saint is not considered very high within the Steam Cult, but Saint Shin has an unparalleled advantage: he is less than a hundred years old.

Only those under 100 years old can enter the Great Collapse version; Saint Sheen's existence is proof of his own talent.

He has the power to influence many people, and reaching an understanding with him can save Lu Yan a lot of trouble.

But the slight twitching between his brows seemed to be telling Lu Yan that this matter was not over yet, and the real test would only begin when the Steam Cult actually came knocking on his door next time.

The office door was pushed open again, and this time Elizabeth Victoria walked in.

If her initial meeting with him was more about a restrained ambition, a cautious approach, a tentative exploration, and a careful assessment of the situation, then this was a different story.

At this moment, her posture was noticeably more relaxed, and her beautiful light purple eyes even carried an undisguised, proactive intimacy and warmth.

The way she looked at Lu Yan was no longer just the awe a subordinate showed to a superior; it also carried a hint of familiarity, as if she had found a powerful backer and was trying to build a closer personal relationship.

She wore a well-tailored dark blue riding dress that accentuated her beautiful figure, with delicate silver embellishments adorning the hem that shimmered subtly in the soft office lighting.

A simple white silk scarf was tied around her neck, making her skin appear even whiter.

She bowed slightly, her movements still standard, but her words carried a hint of casualness:
"Your Majesty, I have gained a preliminary understanding of the union's current structure and some matters that need to be prioritized."

I must say, it's truly amazing that you've managed to gather such a force in such a short time.

She raised her eyes, a perfectly timed smile playing on her lips, her tone carrying a touch of natural flattery.

"The royal family and the nobles have already made concessions, and in order to avoid interference from the church, the guild's subsequent expansion plans must be accelerated."

I also have some initial ideas, and I hope to report them to you as soon as possible and receive your instructions.

As she spoke, she unconsciously leaned forward slightly, as if trying to close the physical distance between herself and Lu Yan, her posture carrying a subtle, feminine gesture of goodwill.

However, Lu Yan simply looked at her calmly, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

He could clearly sense the change in Elizabeth's mindset and understand why she was acting this way.

Elizabeth's ambition has been ignited, and she will stop at nothing to sit on the throne before achieving her goal.

Now, her biggest asset is Lu Yan. She needs to go further and establish a deeper connection with Lu Yan in order to solidify her future position.

Unfortunately, Lu Yan did not respond to this gesture of closeness.

He leaned back slightly, widening the distance that had been imperceptibly shortened, and said in a calm tone:

"Now that you have taken over the union affairs, you shall make your own decisions."

Demonstrating your abilities and achievements is more meaningful than any words. If there are no other urgent matters, you may leave.

The princess of this kingdom is indeed beautiful, but Lu Yan does not want to give her any unnecessary expectations before she demonstrates her true worth.

Elizabeth's smile faltered slightly, a fleeting hint of surprise crossing her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure, resuming her previous respectful and capable demeanor, and bowed again:

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After saying that, she said no more and turned to leave the office.

After seeing Elizabeth off, Lu Yan did not linger in the office.

He stood up, his figure disappearing silently into the shadows as he left the union building that symbolized emerging power.

He did not ride in a carriage, but wandered alone, like a ghost, through the bustling and dilapidated streets of Orank.

Lu Yan's destination was the slum on the outskirts of the city, shrouded in coal smoke, poverty, and despair.

The air here is filled with the pungent smell of incompletely burned low-quality coal, mixed with the damp, musty smell and the sour stench of rotting garbage.

The narrow, muddy alleyways were lined with low, dilapidated houses that looked as if they might collapse at any moment.

Finally, Lu Yan stopped in front of an inconspicuous little wooden house that looked even more dilapidated than the surrounding houses.

He didn't knock, he just stood there quietly, and an invisible force had already penetrated the thin wooden wall.

With a creak, the wooden door opened from the inside.

The room was so narrow it was almost suffocating, and there was hardly any decent furniture. The only large item was a dilapidated bed board.

At this moment, three figures are curled up together on the bed, fast asleep.

In the center is a middle-aged woman with a withered, sallow complexion. Her hair is dry and disheveled, and her face is covered with deep wrinkles etched by life.

Her arms were tightly wrapped around two small children, one about five or six years old, the other even younger, nestled close to their mother. Even in her sleep, the mother's brows were furrowed, as if she were entangled in endless worry and confusion, her body unconsciously tense, filled with unease.

The instant Lu Yan's thoughts arrived, it seemed as if invisible, fine stardust was quietly falling from the air.

A soft, warm white light, like moonlight, gently enveloped the sleeping mother and her two children.

A strange thing happened: the middle-aged woman's tightly furrowed brows began to relax very slowly under the white light, and the corners of her lips even turned up slightly, as if she had fallen into a long-lost peaceful dream.

Her tense body relaxed, her breathing became even and deep, and she finally sank into a carefree sleep.

Beside that dilapidated bed, a phantom figure floated silently in mid-air.

Anna at this moment is completely different from the little girl who had just stepped into the extraordinary realm when Lu Yan first met her.

Her entire soul radiated a layer of soft, pearly white light, making the cramped, dark little house seem less hopeless.

Her soul body is now several times more solid than when she first advanced to the ninth level of the Soul Sequence.

Its outline is clear and its features are more distinct. Although it still has an ethereal quality that is not human, it is no longer a phantom that can be blown away by the wind.

Especially her eyes, deep within which seemed to hold a faint, elusive light, enveloping her in a mysterious aura that stood out from the barren surroundings, both aloof and strangely sacred.

After a period of exploration and practice, Anna has become increasingly proficient in using the core ability of the Wanderer to enter dreams.

She is no longer merely able to infiltrate dreams and create vague images or simple nightmares, but can meticulously weave beautiful dreams full of warmth and hope, like a skilled dream weaver, and accurately inject them into the depths of the target's consciousness to soothe their tired and wounded hearts.

At this moment, she was carefully maintaining the beautiful dream that had been implanted in the middle-aged woman's mind, ensuring that the brief peace would not be disturbed.

Having completed this meticulous operation, Anna slowly turned around. When she saw Lu Yan standing quietly in the shadows by the door, her solidified soul body visibly fluctuated, and her eyes, which were shimmering with a ghostly light, instantly lit up, filled with excitement and affection.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty." Her voice carried a touch of ethereal beauty unique to the soul, along with an irrepressible excitement.

Lu Yan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the mother and her two children, who were immersed in a sweet dream and whose faces were finally relaxed, before landing on Anna. His tone carried a hint of barely perceptible approval: "Well done."

Those four simple words seemed to brighten Anna's soul. She tried to control her excitement and waited for His Majesty's instructions.

Lu Yan's gaze returned to the sleeping middle-aged woman in the room, his eyes calm, and he asked:
"I remember you were supposed to be spreading the truth and uniting the working class in the industrial area. Why are you here?"

Upon hearing Lu Yan's question, Anna's previously joyful face instantly turned gloomy, and a clear flame of anger ignited in her deep eyes, even making the white light around her seem somewhat unstable.

"Your Majesty!"

She explained with resentment, “During this time, I have been following your instructions to help those poor workers in the industrial area weave dreams so that they can find some comfort in their short sleep.”

But…but I discovered that not all workers are kind. Not all suffering people deserve sympathy.”

"Especially some strong and experienced workers in the factory, they not only do not sympathize with the weaker, but also use their meager strength to bully those who are weaker and less able to resist."

Aunt Tori... was the one who was bullied by those workers!

"They conspired with a foreman in the factory and used despicable means to strip Aunt Tori of her day shift regular job, depriving her of a stable source of income."

Not only that, they forced Aunt Tori to work as a temporary worker, doing the night shifts that no one else wanted to do, making her do the hardest work while she endured their filthy desires and harassment.

At this point, Anna's soul trembled violently, clearly recalling the disgusting fragments of memories she had glimpsed from the dreams of those abusers.

"After seeing those related memories, I couldn't bear it, so I wove a terrifying nightmare and gave those damn workers a good scare."

Then, following the lingering clues in their dreams, I found Aunt Tori and her children, who were on the verge of collapse. I wanted to do something for them, at least to let them get a good night's sleep.

Lu Yan listened quietly, his gaze falling once again on the face of the middle-aged woman who was immersed in her beautiful dream and had temporarily forgotten the hardships of reality.

After a moment, he slowly spoke:
"You can tell Sain about this."

With his current position and power within the union, he could easily punish those workers and get justice for Aunt Tori.

However, Anna simply shook her head sadly, and the light emanating from her soul dimmed slightly.

"Your Majesty, I know that Sain is very powerful now and can manage many things."

But experiences like Aunt Tori's happen far too often in the slums and in those factories.

Bullying, exploitation, humiliation... these incidents happen almost daily.

Her voice was filled with powerlessness.

“Because no one was actually killed and no serious harm was caused, Brother Sain is unlikely to punish a large number of workers because of these things.”

"My nightmares occasionally deter some of the workers with malicious intentions, making them feel fear in their sleep and temporarily restraining them."

But as time goes on, when they realize it was just a dream and there's no real punishment in reality, they revert to their old ways, even becoming more wicked.

Anna's voice grew lower and lower, filled with deep frustration:
"In this chaotic era, the law is almost meaningless to the poor."

Faced with the pressures of survival and the greed of human nature, morality has long lost its binding force.

At this point, Anna's face, or rather the emotion manifested in her soul, was filled with a profound sense of powerlessness.

She possessed extraordinary power, yet found that what she could do was still so limited.

Lu Yan silently watched her, watching this person who, in a short period of time, had grown from an ignorant victim into a wandering soul with her own sense of right and wrong, and who was trying to maintain order with her meager strength.

Her anger, her helplessness, and her compassion were all clearly presented in Lu Yan's perception.

"you're right."

Lu Yan finally spoke, his voice steady yet carrying a resolute force: "Since worldly morality and laws can no longer restrain the evil in people's hearts, then let's use extraordinary power to redefine the boundaries for them, warn them, and punish them."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yan slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upwards in a gesture of support.

The city of Fengdu, shrunk countless times, seemed to transform into a phantom seal, falling into Lu Yan's palm.

“Anna.” Lu Yan’s gaze fell on the girl, with an unprecedented solemnity.

"Your experiences and your choices have proven yourself to me. As a wandering spirit, you weave dreams, spread the belief in peace, try to help those in need, and punish those you believe to be evil."

You have developed your own clear sense of good and evil.

"A soul without a physical body, freed from the blinding influence of worldly desires, can see the true face of this world more clearly and is better able to discern the good and evil deep within people's hearts."

"And now, I will grant you even greater extraordinary power."

This transforms you from a mere bystander, a wandering spirit capable only of exerting a feeble influence in dreams, into a guardian of order.

As he spoke, a pure, extraordinary spiritual energy shot out from the illusory seal in his palm like a meteor, and entered Anna's brow with perfect precision.

"The path to the underworld, [Sequence Eight], its name is..."

Lu Yan's voice, like a resounding bell, boomed deep within Anna's soul:

"Soul Collector!"

(End of this chapter)