Electrolux (Part One)

At the rear gate of the White Tiger Duke Mansion, a slight figure slipped out silently while no one was paying attention.

He was a boy of around eleven or twelve, slim and well-proportioned. His plain gray cloth clothes had been washed clean and neat, and a small bundle was slung across his back.

After walking several meters briskly, the boy suddenly stopped.

He turned back to look at the White Tiger Duke Mansion, its glazed tiles and extravagant grandeur laid bare before him. A trace of hatred flashed through his eyes, but he did not linger. He turned north and left without hesitation.

Shortly after he departed, atop a towering tree not far from the mansion, a Flame Crow with a pitch-black body wrapped in blazing black fire spread its wings and took flight. It silently circled after him, trailing the boy from afar.

Meanwhile, at an inn in a small town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, Lin Yan emerged from meditation and slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his dark pupils, a flicker of Nine-Colored Scarlet Flame flashed by, fleeting yet graceful and majestic.

The next instant, the fiery radiance vanished completely, sinking deep into his pupils without leaving a trace, as though it had never appeared.

Lin Yan rose and pushed open the wooden window. He stood tall and straight, his expression calm and composed.

The scorching midday sunlight poured down upon his handsome face, framed by sharp brows and bright eyes.

Several loose strands of hair across his forehead glimmered faintly red beneath the sunlight, as though flames lay dormant in their depths.

Looking toward the White Tiger Duke Mansion, Lin Yan silently thought, Huo Yuhao? The plot has finally begun. I hope everything goes smoothly!

Over the following days, Lin Yan quietly monitored Huo Yuhao's journey through the Flame Crow's vision.

Six days passed like this, and Huo Yuhao finally arrived near the Star Dou Great Forest.

At the same time, once Huo Yuhao approached the Star Dou Great Forest, Lin Yan set out as well.

Using the Flame Crow concealed among the branches and leaves of the dense forest, he stayed roughly three kilometers behind Huo Yuhao, quietly watching him enter the water to catch fish, Tang Ya and Beibei arrive, the three part ways, and the Godslayer Wind Baboon make its appearance.

Only when the earth suddenly split apart and an enormous golden-white figure burst from the ground did Lin Yan's expression grow solemn. It's here.

The instant he confirmed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had appeared, the Flame Crow circling through the woods instantly turned into wisps of fragmented black flame and quietly dispersed with the wind, erasing all traces of itself.

Even after losing the Flame Crow's distant vision, Lin Yan did not care in the slightest. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the sky ahead, fully focused and unwilling to miss the slightest movement.

At the same time, an engraving knife of dull color, exuding a dense, sinister aura, appeared in his left palm. In his right hand, a brilliant and profound Nine-Colored Scarlet Flame slowly rose.

Yet in the blink of an eye, the flame's nine-colored radiance faded away, transforming into a warm, translucent emerald green. A vigorous, overflowing aura of life rushed forth.

Then, an immense mental shockwave swept in every direction. All living beings within a hundred miles froze stiffly, utterly losing the ability to think or move.

When that terrifying wave of spiritual power swept over Lin Yan, the Bronze Oil Lamp floating in his sea of consciousness trembled lightly. An invisible barrier silently spread out, stabilizing his mind while completely concealing his aura.

Almost at the exact moment he regained clarity, the previously bright and cloudless sky suddenly darkened.

A thunderous boom exploded high above as space tore open into a long, narrow black rift, completely blocking out the blazing sunlight.

A massive, heavy, oppressive pressure descended from the heavens, shrouding the entire forest.

Seeing this, Lin Yan knew the time had come!

He immediately raised his hand and tossed the Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife in his palm into the emerald-green flames in his right hand, tempering it with fire and drawing upon vitality.

From the surface of the originally pitch-black and sinister engraving knife, a wisp of incomparably pure life force slowly seeped out.

At the same time that the vitality emerged, it awakened the resentful soul that had long lain dormant within the knife. An immense, evil, chilling aura spread outward.

The pure vitality mixed with the sinister aura and shot into the sky. Above the heavens, a wisp of gray airflow that had been drawn over by the fluctuations of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's sacrifice paused slightly, then abruptly changed direction and plunged straight toward Lin Yan.

Seeing this, Lin Yan swiftly opened his sea of consciousness and actively drew the gray airflow into his body. Only then did the heart that had been hanging in midair finally settle completely.

Holy Necromancer, Calamity of the Undead—Electrolux had ultimately been drawn to him!

Lin Yan forcefully suppressed the surging excitement in his heart, and his consciousness instantly sank into his sea of consciousness.

At this moment, Electrolux's remnant soul had condensed into a dim Gray Bead. Sensing Lin Yan's approaching consciousness, the Gray Bead trembled faintly, releasing a weak soul fluctuation.

An aged voice then rang out in his sea of consciousness. "Young friend, it seems you deliberately drew this old man here?"

Lin Yan did not show any panic upon hearing this. Ever since he had decided to intercept Electrolux, he had carefully considered how he would interact with him afterward.

First of all, his use of the Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife—or rather, the Gold of Life—to attract Electrolux was inherently highly deliberate. It was practically impossible for Electrolux not to notice.

Furthermore, in his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary person. Before an "elder" like Electrolux, who had lived for who knew how long, trying to gain his trust through deception was, in Lin Yan's view, essentially impossible.

And based on the original work's description of Electrolux's temperament, it was not difficult to see that if he truly wished to earn Electrolux's trust, sincerity was the proper path!

Rather than conceal the truth beneath layers of lies and plant hidden dangers for the future, it was better to be honest from the start and exchange that honesty for Electrolux's trust.

Of course, sincerity did not mean mindlessness. As for matters inconvenient to reveal, Lin Yan would naturally adapt and phrase them differently.

With that in mind, Lin Yan spoke steadily. "My name is Lin Yan. Greetings, Senior. You are correct—I was indeed waiting for your arrival."

"Senior, I know that you are not from this world, and I know a little about your past.

"Your name is Holy Necromancer, Calamity of the Undead—Electrolux. In your world, there is a cultivation system known as magic, and you are a supreme Archmage who has already touched the domain of gods."

At this point, Lin Yan paused slightly.

Though Electrolux was somewhat curious, his tone remained unchanged as he spoke with calm indifference. "Oh? If this old man's senses are not mistaken, I should never have visited your plane before. Then how did you, young friend, come to know of me?"

Lin Yan continued, "Senior, the reason I know these things is because I once glimpsed the future after your arrival in this world. Everything I know was personally spoken by you in that future!"

Upon hearing this, the silent gray soul bead swayed faintly. At last, a hint of fluctuation entered Electrolux's voice, carrying clear surprise and curiosity. "You say that you glimpsed this old man's future?"

"That's right."

Lin Yan did not try to be mysterious. He raised his hand and pointed to the ancient, weighty Bronze Oil Lamp floating quietly at the center of his sea of consciousness. "Please look at this lamp, Senior. It is called the Prajna Heart Lamp. It is my second martial soul, as well as my innate Companion Spirit Treasure. And Prajna represents supreme wisdom!"

"When this Heart Lamp was born, it once released boundless Wisdom Divine Light, clearing away the mists of fate and allowing me to glimpse countless future paths of this world. Everything I know of you came from that wondrous opportunity—from you in the future!"

This was a lie!

Naturally, he could not reveal the matter of transmigration, but he would inevitably have to make use of his knowledge of the future to plan for himself.

Since that was the case, he needed to establish a flawless and unquestionable origin for his ability to foresee the future from the very beginning.

And nothing was more suitable than placing it upon the Prajna Heart Lamp, which possessed an extremely high status and had accompanied Lin Yan since birth!