"More than half, Elder Yi. From the personality you've shown me, I'd never have guessed you were such a bloodthirsty person."
Huo Yuhao had been mentally prepared, but hearing Electrolux himself admit that he'd slaughtered more than half the continent's population was still pretty shocking.
"Let me tell you the truth: 'more than half' might be a conservative estimate. The real number could be far greater than you imagine."
"I remember that when those two people awakened me from my long slumber, the population of the Holy Magic Continent hadn't even recovered to half of what it was in my time. It might have been even less."
"Hiss..."
Electrolux sensed the change in Huo Yuhao's emotions. He had already prepared himself for this.
Anyone would change their opinion of a man who had slaughtered nearly an entire continent.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
Electrolux gathered himself. This was the sin he had committed, and it was perfectly normal for others to judge him for it.
"Then, Yuhao, now that you've heard my story, are you still willing to accept my inheritance? Do you still think I'm a kind old man?"
Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment. "Elder Yi, what you did—slaughtering the entire continent for revenge—was an unforgivable crime."
"You don't deserve anyone's forgiveness. Likewise, I won't pity you."
"Oh? You won't pity me, and you won't forgive me either. What do you mean by that, Yuhao?" Electrolux asked.
Huo Yuhao looked solemn. "You don't deserve forgiveness because you nearly slaughtered every living being on the continent for the sake of revenge."
"Your hands are stained with the blood of countless innocents. No one has the right to forgive you on their behalf."
"I don't pity you because I don't think I have the right to pity you."
"Elder Yi, to be honest, if I'd suffered everything you did, I would have made the same choice without hesitation."
"The hatred of losing your wife and the vengeance of having your family wiped out—those are the two greatest humiliations a man can endure!"
"I haven't experienced the same pain as you. Since I haven't suffered what you suffered, I don't believe I have the right to judge you."
"So that's what you mean? This old man has never heard it put that way before."
"If my circumstances were yours, you'd have made the same choice without hesitation."
"Hahahaha!"
Electrolux had never expected that, after his death, when all that remained of him was a wisp of a Remnant Soul, he would meet someone who could understand him.
"Then... Yuhao, will you accept this old man's final inheritance—the inheritance of necromancy?"
Huo Yuhao's little face turned solemn. "Teacher, please accept a bow from your disciple!"
With that, Huo Yuhao was about to perform a formal bow to his teacher.
Electrolux stopped him, straightening Huo Yuhao's body.
"There's no need for such a formal bow. If you're willing to call me 'teacher,' that's enough for this old man."
"Besides, a sinner with blood on his hands like me doesn't deserve such a grand gesture."
"Thank you, Yuhao!"
Electrolux sighed inwardly. If he'd had a friend like Yuhao by his side back then, perhaps the Plague of Undead could have been stopped.
"Yuhao, since you've chosen my inheritance, you must remember what I'm about to tell you."
"First, you'll have to reach at least the fifth ring before you can truly inherit my necromantic magic."
"Second, Yuhao, do you remember the Life Carver that fused into your body?"
"Of course. This second Sea of Consciousness was opened by you using the Life Carver," Huo Yuhao replied.
Electrolux nodded. "You remember clearly. Then let me tell you this: the moment that Carver fused into your body..."
"The existence of this wisp of my soul can be considered one of your Martial Souls!"
"I want you to remember that the power of the necromantic magic you inherit comes primarily from you, not from me."
"Even now, when I control necromantic magic, the most I can do is control it a little better than you."
"You can't expect me to bring out the full power of necromantic magic for you. That's simply unrealistic."
"I also have to warn you: your body has been nourished by Life Gold."
"Whether it's me, Big Bug, Little Scorpion, or Little Elf, none of us can easily take control of your body directly."
"That means you'll have to master your abilities through your own efforts. You can't rely on us to take over your body and fight for you."
"I understand, teacher!" Huo Yuhao said earnestly. "You're all just part of the power within my body."
"To truly bring out all the power inside me, I'll ultimately have to rely on myself."
"I won't depend on you. Don't worry, teacher."
"But..." Huo Yuhao gently rubbed his fingers together, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Teacher, if I run into an opponent who's way beyond my league, you'll save your disciple if you can, right?"
"For example, I'm only a three-ring Soul Master right now, and someone with nine rings tries to kill me."
"You can't just stand by and watch, can you?"
Electrolux replied, "If I can save you, your teacher certainly will."
"If I can't, Yuhao, death isn't all that painful!"
"Hey, teacher, you can't say that!" Huo Yuhao's wonderful life hadn't even begun, and his newly accepted teacher was already talking about giving up.
Seeing Huo Yuhao's expression, Electrolux laughed. "Hahaha, don't be so pessimistic!"
"You're blessed with great fortune. Under normal circumstances, something like that wouldn't happen to you."
"Speaking of cultivation, Yuhao, what level are you now?"
Huo Yuhao replied, "I'm level 37, which puts me in the high rank of Soul Elder!"
"I see!" Electrolux carefully examined Huo Yuhao's body. "You'd better prepare yourself for what comes next."
"Prepare for what?" Huo Yuhao asked, puzzled.
Electrolux smiled faintly. "That your cultivation will improve more slowly than a snail crawling for the next two or three years!"
Huo Yuhao's eyes widened. "Teacher, you're not joking, are you?"
"I just obtained such a powerful Martial Soul, and now you're telling me my cultivation will progress at a snail's pace? You only just took me on as your disciple, teacher!"
Electrolux replied, "It's precisely because I've taken you on that I'm making a point of warning you."
"You're still young, and your body hasn't finished developing."
"On top of that, you've successively absorbed the origin power of Big Bug, Little Scorpion, and Little Elf."
Electrolux waved his hand gently, and a gray spherical object appeared before him.
"If we compare your body to this ball, your body right now..."
The small gray ball in Electrolux's hand swelled until it grew enormous.
"Is just like this big ball. It's reached its limit. You can't absorb even the slightest bit of outside energy into your body anymore."
"If you don't heed your teacher's warning and consume... even a rare treasure that could help you expend energy!"
With a bang!
The ball in Electrolux's hand burst.
"That will be your fate too!"
Before you continue