Necromancer: I Am A Disaster

Lin Moyu was startled before quickly steadying himself and bowing respectfully to the old man, “Greetings, Senior.”

The old man’s face was kind and gentle, “No need for formalities, no need for formalities.”

Polite as the old man sounded, Lin Moyu didn’t dare relax. Proper etiquette had to be maintained.

Anyone who could appear before him without triggering his soul perception was anything but ordinary.

The old man seemed pleased with Lin Moyu’s attitude, “Well? Are you satisfied with your Primordial Skill?”

“Senior, do you mean the skill I obtained is called a Primordial Skill?” It was Lin Moyu’s first time hearing the term.

The old man smiled faintly, “What? Do you find the name unsuitable?”

Lin Moyu quickly shook his head, “No, it’s very fitting.”

Primordial Rune, Primordial Space, Primordial Skill. They clearly belonged to the same system.

Since the skill arose from the Primordial Rune, the name made perfect sense.

The old man pointed upward, “Do you see that giant bird in the sky?”

Lin Moyu looked up at the colossal figure. Even with his enhanced vision, he could only see a fraction of its body. He had no idea what kind of creature it was.

But since the old man called it a bird, it must be a bird.

“I see it.” Lin Moyu said.

The old man chuckled, “That is merely a phantom. Its true body is more than 10,000 thousand times larger.”

Lin Moyu froze. It already blotted out the heavens.

Even the part he could see stretched for hundreds of kilometers—larger than many cities.

If it were magnified ten thousandfold… would it not rival the sun, moon, and stars?

Could such a creature really exist?

Lin Moyu didn’t hide his astonishment.

The old man seemed delighted by this reaction and continued with a smile, “It is called the Primordial Bird, and it carries the Primordial Bloodline.”

“The Primordial Bloodline is a supreme treasure, immeasurably precious. Unfortunately, though it possessed such a gift, the Primordial Bird was weak and ignorant of its own potential.”

“In the end, an unparalleled expert captured and slew it, using a blood–refining method to forge the Nine True Words.”

“Lin (临), bing (兵), dou (斗), zhe (者), jie (皆), zhen (阵), lie (列), zai (在), qian (前).”

He pronounced each word calmly, yet every syllable crashed into Lin Moyu’s heart like rolling thunder.

So the Primordial Runes came from this…

The old man continued, “Experts from countless realms battled savagely over the Nine True Words, dying the starry sky with blood. My master obtained the Nine True Words, created the Primordial Space, and transformed them into nine Primordial Runes.”

He stopped there.

Lin Moyu understood. This was already far more information than he should have been told. The Primordial Bird, unparalleled experts, the master of this secret realm…

Combined with the scene he saw upon entering the pavilion, Lin Moyu guessed that the old man’s master was likely the elder riding the green ox.

He might be Laozi himself, the legendary ancestor of Daoism and author of the Dao De Jing from his past life.

But he didn’t dare ask. If the other party didn’t speak of it, then he had no right to inquire.

Strength too weak, knowledge too great—such combinations often led to early deaths.

Lin Moyu’s thoughts raced, “So the Primordial Bird was simply killed? But don’t monsters respawn after death?”

The old man suddenly burst into hearty laughter, “Yes, yes… monsters do respawn…”

Lin Moyu maintained a calm expression, analyzing the deeper meaning behind the old man’s laughter.

Beneath the kind appearance, this was not someone to be judged superficially.

Caution was second nature to him. So he immediately followed up with, “Then… does that mean the Primordial Bird can be repeatedly hunted to continuously obtain the Nine True Words?”

He deliberately acted naive, though in truth he understood perfectly well. In his heart, he had already guessed that once the Primordial Bird died, it likely could not revive.

Otherwise, countless experts would not have fought over the Nine True Words, painting the starry sky with blood.

Still, behaving ignorant might coax more information from the old man.

The old man laughed for a long while, utterly delighted, almost to the point of tears.

Only after indulging in his mirth did he finally speak, “I won’t tease you anymore. Young one, the rules of your world allow monsters to revive after death…”

“But not the Primordial Bird. There is only one Primordial Bird. Once it dies, it is truly gone.”

“Although the Primordial Bird cannot return, the Primordial Runes formed from the Nine True Words can be copied infinitely and exist in countless forms.”

“Yet wanting these runes to reach the level of the true words themselves is nothing more than an unattainable dream.”

A trace of disappointment appeared on Lin Moyu’s face, “Is there truly no way?”

The old man shook his head, “It’s not that there is no way, it is simply far too difficult. With just one of the Nine True Words, if you fully master it, you already have a chance to become an unparalleled expert. How could something like that be easy?”

“I have studied them for countless years…” The old man trailed off and did not continue.

Lin Moyu still wore a disappointed expression, as though he hadn’t noticed the old man’s unfinished words, “Unparalleled experts… Then your master obtained the Nine True Words. Wouldn’t that make him beyond unparalleled?”

The old man chuckled again, “My master’s realm is not something you or I can fathom. He did not even care about the Nine True Words.”

“But you are quite impressive yourself. You managed to obtain two Primordial Runes and even turn one into a Primordial Skill.”

“The rules of your world are truly peculiar. I wonder which supreme existence created them; quite interesting indeed.”

Lin Moyu maintained his act, looking bewildered.

The old man didn’t mind, “Enough small talk. Let’s discuss your second Primordial Rune.”

Lin Moyu bowed respectfully, “I am all ears, Senior.”

“Primordial Runes originate from the Nine True Words.” The old man said, “Obtaining one is already a great fortune; obtaining two is an even greater one.”

“Yet throughout history, although many have acquired Primordial Runes, few have succeeded in refining them into a Primordial Skill.”

“You already possess one Primordial Skill, which is an extraordinary opportunity. As for the second Primordial Rune…”

The meaning in his tone was unmistakable: he did not want Lin Moyu to proceed. But he never stated it outright.

Having explored many dungeons and secret realms, Lin Moyu understood. The old man must be bound by certain rules, unable to speak plainly.

Even so, his intention was clear enough for anyone to understand.

Lin Moyu understood perfectly well, but he pretended otherwise, even leaning forward with a touch of eagerness, “What about the second Primordial Rune? Please speak plainly, Senior.”

The old man’s eyes flickered. He couldn’t read anything from Lin Moyu’s expression.

If Lin Moyu were older—50, perhaps—the old man would have been certain he was feigning ignorance.

But Lin Moyu was far too young. His bone age was under 22.

Someone that young might truly have missed the meaning behind his words.

Even so, he still couldn’t speak plainly. Bound by the rules of the secret realm, he could only answer the question as asked.

“To transform the second Primordial Rune into a Primordial Skill, the difficulty will rise exponentially. I advise—”

Before he could finish, Lin Moyu cut in eagerly, “My teacher once told me that no matter how difficult the road ahead, one must attempt it. A true expert does not fear failure.”

“Besides, Senior, I believe you won’t just stand by and watch me die. According to human records, no one who has entered the Primordial Space has ever died, or even been injured.”

The corner of the old man’s mouth twitched. Lin Moyu’s logic was… painfully irrefutable.

The old man’s eyes narrowed, “Have you considered that the reason no one has died… is because only the living return? After all, dead men tell no tales.”

Lin Moyu knew exactly what he meant: death in the Primordial Space was possible.

But he also heard something else in the old man’s voice—anxiety.

The old man clearly did not want him to proceed.

That only strengthened Lin Moyu’s suspicion that there was something hidden here.

He said immediately, “Senior, my mind is made up. I must try. If I truly die, then it means my fate was simply not strong enough.”

The old man stared at him for a long, silent moment.

Lin Moyu’s expression was sincere, full of anticipation. He looked like a young man charging straight into hell, utterly unaware of the danger.

In the end, bound by the rules of the secret realm, the old man could only yield.

“Very well… in that case, let us begin.”