Transaction

Faced with the sudden question from Colin, Leian was merely stunned for a moment before his brain began to race at high speed.

He knew Colin would not probe him without reason, so did this mean he truly possessed the talent to cultivate the Death Rule?

Thinking of this, a surge of joy could not help but well up in Leian's heart.

But following this joy came thick suspicion and vigilance.

Given the sensitivity of Necromancers, even if they wanted to take on an apprentice, they would likely only choose innocent children without backgrounds, not someone like him who was a peak Saint Realm expert.

Taking a step back, even if Colin truly had the intention to teach Necromancy, Leian dared not accept it easily. The Death Rule was most adept at enslaving souls, and he dared not casually accept anything given by an Undead Saint Archmage.

While deep in thought, Leian stared intently at Colin and asked coldly:

"What does Mr. Colin mean by that?"

Colin likely realized his previous question was somewhat inappropriate; he remained silent for a while, then, as if he had figured something out, he suddenly shook his head and laughed.

"Haha, it is my fault. Neither you nor I are fools; such probing is indeed meaningless."

He explained:

"It is true. Earlier, during your battle with Walter... oh, Walter is the name of the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor. When you were purging the Mist of Soul Confusion released by Walter, you leaked a trace of soul aura, which I happened to perceive."

"With the purity of your soul, you completely meet the requirements for cultivating Necromancy, which is why I asked that question just now."

At this point, Colin's expression tightened, and his gaze toward Leian instantly became serious:

"Now, I will ask again. Leian, are you willing to cultivate Necromancy?"

Even with endless vigilance in his heart, as Colin posed this question, Leian could not help but feel excited.

One had to know, this was Necromancy!

Although he was currently only one step away from becoming a god, Leian himself did not know when he would be able to take that step. If he could learn Necromancy now and use it to gain early contact with the Death Rule, this might be another form of preparation.

However, was the word of a strange Undead Saint Archmage truly trustworthy?

In this instant, thousands of thoughts raced through Leian's mind, yet his expression remained as usual. Meeting Colin's gaze, he smiled faintly:

"How could Mr. Colin think of teaching me Necromancy? With your ability, if you wanted to take an apprentice, it shouldn't be difficult to find a youth with a pure soul, right?"

Colin seemed to have anticipated that Leian would ask this, and he replied without hesitation:

"Because your talent is high enough, and your strength is powerful enough!"

As he spoke, he suddenly asked in return:

"Do you know why I am hiding in the Youquan Mountain Range to cultivate?"

Leian knew well that cultivating Necromancy caused a great disturbance, and Necromancers usually hid in places rarely visited by people. However, Colin had used the word "hiding," suggesting there was another reason, so he cooperated and replied:

"I would like to hear the details."

Colin sighed softly and slowly explained:

"This matter goes back a hundred years. At that time, I was living in seclusion in a small town by the sea on the east side of the continent..."

Thereupon, Colin recounted the incident of being captured by the Dark Church of the Nansen Continent without cause.

After listening, Leian felt a mix of amusement and frustration. Earlier, seeing that Colin's words were filled with resentment, he had guessed randomly, never expecting the other party to have truly suffered the same fate as Sesler.

At this moment, he heard Colin continue:

"Although I escaped with my life this time, I cannot swallow this insult. Even though the Dark Pope is a god-level expert, who can be certain that I, Colin, will not have a day where I become a god?"

"Taking a step back, even if I, Colin, do not have that luck, with my infinite lifespan, can I not find a few more people with talent and teach them Necromancy?"

"I believe that as long as I do not give up, and as long as there are enough people cultivating Necromancy, a genius will eventually appear who can break through the Saint Realm, become a god, and help me realize my wish for revenge!"

Speaking of this, Colin's gaze shifted, and he stared intently at Leian:

"I had long decided that once my strength recovered, I would go out and look for people suitable for cultivating Necromancy."

"I just didn't expect that before I could take action, a peak Saint Realm expert like you would come to my door. Now it seems this might be a good omen."

"As long as you, Leian, promise to help me destroy the Dark Church when you become a god in the future, I will teach you Necromancy immediately. How about it? Do you dare to swear an oath?"

Faced with Colin's burning gaze, Leian did not give an answer immediately.

In fact, setting other things aside, he was deeply impressed by Colin's determination to seek revenge.

The longer he lived on the Youquan Continent, the more Leian understood the status of god-level experts in the eyes of ordinary people.

Because they lived on a material plane, below the god-level, even peak Saint Realm experts had very limited knowledge of god-level experts.

They only knew of the power after becoming a god, but they did not know that a Lowgod was the weakest existence among gods. Above that, according to strength, in the Hell Plane, there were One to Seven Star Fiends, above the Seven Star Fiends were Asura Sovereigns, and above the Asura Sovereigns were Paragons...

Precisely because they knew so little, they were incomparably respectful toward any god-level expert, and when facing one, they dared not have the slightest act of overstepping, or even such thoughts.

Yet, knowing full well that the Dark Pope was a god-level expert, Colin still dared to think of revenge and even take action, which forced Leian to feel admiration.

Of course, admiration was one thing, but trading a Necromancy inheritance for the future killing of the Dark Pope seemed like an unequal deal.

However, judging by Colin's attitude, if he did not agree to the other party's request, he would likely not obtain the inheritance.

After pondering for a moment, Leian finally decided to agree.

Perhaps influenced by Linley's experiences, he felt some disgust toward the actions of the Dark Church and the Radiant Church in collecting pure souls and powerful physical bodies. If he had the ability to destroy these two churches in the future, he would not mind giving it a try.

However, although Leian had decided to accept, there were some conditions that needed to be changed.

With his mind made up, he immediately asked:

"Mr. Colin, I wonder what the specific process of this Necromancy inheritance entails?"

Leian vaguely remembered that Necromancy was not like other types of magic that were passed down through scrolls or texts; when Sesler took in those sisters, it seemed he had directly bestowed something upon them.

Leian dared not be the least bit careless regarding an act that might involve the soul.

Colin was an old fox who saw through Leian's concerns at a glance, and he explained with a smile:

"The inheritance of Necromancy is actually very simple. It has no written records; instead, it is bestowed personally by a Necromancer. This process of bestowing is also very brief; in fact, it is merely imprinting a special mark upon the other person.

"As long as you have this mark, you can follow its aura to communicate with the Undead Realm. Once you enter the Undead Realm, all Necromancy can be comprehended autonomously."

Colin's explanation was not outside of Leian's expectations, but Leian did not dare to underestimate that so-called inheritance mark. After all, no one knew if that mark was an inheritance or a means of enslavement and control.

After weighing the pros and cons, Leian said seriously:

"Mr. Colin, I can promise you that as long as I become a god through the Death Rule in the future and possess sufficient strength, I will help you take your revenge, but—

"You must also swear an oath to the Supreme God that you are sincerely teaching me Necromancy and have no intention of enslaving, controlling, or harming me."

Speaking to this point, Leian's tone became increasingly stern, and he even said word by word:

"If you violate this in the slightest, may your body die and your soul vanish immediately!"

As Leian's voice fell, Colin raised an eyebrow, and a half-smile appeared on his pale face, "Become a god through the Death Rule?"

With Colin's experience, he immediately grasped the key point set in Leian's words; according to Leian's conditions, he had clearly excluded becoming a god through the Destruction Rule.

Leian had no intention of hiding it and immediately admitted it generously: "That's right, becoming a god through the Death Rule!"

As Leian confirmed the conditions, it began to be Colin's turn to ponder. However, not long after, Colin accepted Leian's request.