Douluo: The Martial Soul Asura Armor, a Good Spirit Turning Evil

Duanmu Yan's hand froze in mid-air.

"Who?"

He spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying just the right amount of wariness.

Even though I already had the answer in my heart, I still had to act out the role.

In the realm of the mind, the gray bead trembled slightly.

The next instant, Duanmu Yan's consciousness was pulled by a gentle force.

The room in front of me began to blur; the tables, chairs, walls, candlesticks—everything was fading.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a gray-white void.

There was no solid ground beneath our feet, no dome overhead, only endless gray fog churning in the distance.

A figure stood in front of him.

No, it's not a "person".

That was just a phantom.

He wore a gray-white robe, had a withered face, and two faint golden flames flickered deep in his eye sockets.

Light spots kept peeling off the edges of the phantom, drifting into the gray mist like a candle flame about to go out.

"I am the Holy Law God of the Necromancer—Elex," the phantom spoke, its voice aged yet calm, carrying a weight that transcends millennia. "I am deeply sorry for disturbing you."

Duanmu Yan looked at him without saying a word.

Electrolux's illusory figure nodded slightly in acknowledgment: "No need to worry. I am now merely a wisp of my remaining divine consciousness, residing in your spiritual sea, and may dissipate at any time. This is truly a last resort, and I hope you will understand."

"I was supposed to enter the boy's spiritual world along with that silkworm-shaped soul beast, but after sensing the righteous energy within you, I changed my mind." Ixton paused. "A person with righteous energy is more suitable to bear the weight of my remnant soul."

Duanmu Yan paused for a moment, then asked, "So, what do you want to do now?"

"What am I going to do..." Electrox's illusory figure swayed slightly, his voice tinged with self-mockery, "I'm barely managing to maintain my divine sense, what else can I do?"

He raised his hand, looking at the light spots that kept peeling off him.

"The reason I was awakened is because I sensed the aura of the Metal of Life."

"The carving knife you just touched was made from this material. The living metal contains powerful life force. If I can use it as a medium, my divine consciousness can be stabilized and will no longer be in danger of dissipating at any time."

Golden flames flickered in Electrox's eye sockets.

"Would that be good for me?" Duanmu Yan asked directly.

In his mind, his relationship with Electrolux was simply a matter of mutual benefit.

He never believed in gifts given without a reason.

For Duanmu, the best arrangement is to have a cooperative relationship where each party gets what they need and neither owes the other anything.

After all, in his mind, he was really not good at handling interpersonal relationships.

Of course, one person is an exception...

Electrolux was not angered by those words.

He had lived too long and seen too many people, and he had long understood that good deeds without a purpose do not last long in this world.

"You are very honest." The illusory figure nodded slightly. "I appreciate that."

He paused, and the golden flames flickered in his eye sockets.

"During this time, although I have been asleep, I have been able to sense the outside world. Your hatred for evil spirit masters, your way of doing things, your bottom line—" His voice was as calm as water, "A person who is willing to bear hatred but does not let hatred devour him is rare in this world."

"I can pass on all that I have learned in my life to you. Necromancy, forbidden spells, methods of cultivating divine consciousness—and the mantle of the Holy Necromancer, all will be yours."

Duanmu Yan frowned: "Necromantic magic?"

He sensed the wariness in Duanmu Yan's tone, and the illusory figure swayed slightly, as if shaking its head.

"No need to rush to refuse. Let me ask you this: does magic itself possess a distinction between good and evil?"

Duanmu Yan did not answer.

"Necromantic magic or light magic, they are all just tools." Ilex's voice became distant, as if recalling something from a long time ago. "Before I became the Holy God of Necromancers, I was known as the Son of Light."

"The Child of Light?" Duanmu Yan repeated.

"Not bad." Electrox's phantom straightened slightly, and for a moment, a youthful sharpness seemed to flash across his withered face. "I once served the light, but was betrayed by it. I fell from the light into darkness, and then found my own path in the darkness."

"Necromancy isn't evil magic. Manipulating corpses, controlling the dead... these methods are indeed terrifying, but what's wrong with using them to protect those who deserve it?"

His voice was calm, yet it possessed an undeniable power.

"I chose you not because of your strength, but because of the righteousness in your heart."

"Like that knife, it's a murder weapon in the hands of an evil person, but a sharp weapon in yours. Necromancy is the same."

Duanmu Yan remained silent for a long time.

Gray mist churned at his feet, and Electrolux's phantom flickered, with specks of light constantly peeling away and coalescing again.

"Having learned your things," Duanmu Yan began, "am I still myself?"

"Of course." There was a hint of amusement in Electrox's voice. "What I teach are tools, not shackles."

Duanmu Yan nodded: "Deal."

Then he continued, "I, Duanmu Yan, will not take your things for nothing. Since you say you are just a wisp of divine consciousness, I will do my best to help you find more divine consciousness in my lifetime."

Upon hearing this, Electrolux's phantom trembled slightly, as if it were laughing.

"Very well, I'll be waiting for that day."

Electrolux's phantom slightly raised its hand, and two golden flames danced in its eye sockets.

"Now, let me help you purify this Soul-Devouring Carving Knife, so that the Gold of Life can reveal its hidden side."

As soon as he finished speaking, Electrolux's phantom suddenly took a step forward.

Duanmu Yan felt a cold consciousness flow into his limbs and bones, as if someone had lit a lamp in his bones.

He did not resist, allowing that force to take over his body.

In the gray-white void, Duanmu Yan stood with his eyes closed.

Outside, his true form opened its eyes.

The color of his eyes, which had been expressionless just moments before, changed again, turning from jet black to gray in an instant, and his entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation.

Those gray eyes were filled with endless desolation.

However, within this deathly silence, there was an unprecedented holiness, even more sacred than Ye Guyi's Angelic Martial Soul.

Even Duanmu Yan's young face exuded a sense of holiness with the appearance of this layer of gray.

The Soul-Devouring Carving Knife lay quietly on the table, with faint dark red patterns flowing along its blade.

Duanmu Yan—or rather, Electrolux—extended his right hand and made a loose grasp.

The carving knife was lifted up by an invisible force and hung in mid-air.

"In my name."

His voice was deep, carrying an aged resonance that didn't belong to a young man.

A pure white light emanated from the palm of his hand, enveloping the carving knife.

The blade began to tremble.

The dark red patterns seemed alive, writhing wildly in the golden light and emitting faint shrieks.

Those were the lingering remnants of a creature that had been devoured, struggling and wailing.

Electrolux remained unmoved.

The pure white light grew stronger and stronger, forcing the dark red patterns out of the blade inch by inch.