The Lich King realised the young man was fine and still levitating in the air safely. His skeletal jaw dropped and unhinged ungracefully, making him lose face before his undead soldiers. Quickly, he reconnected his jawbone, but he was still full of disbelief.
"You cannot be fine." He shouted in confusion. "I am at the Sage level, and my dark magic is completely incompatible with righteous cultivation, even if you are a little strong. And how do you know that evil creature named Guo?!"
"I never said I was a righteous cultivator." Yuan Haoran said and released a subtle but tangible layer of his spiritual energy. His aura turned red and leaked a bloody scent that clung to his soul and body.
A righteous cultivator would not have such a menacing presence.
The Lich King was incredulous. "How can you be an evil cultivator?"
"Perhaps, I was born this way." Yuan Haoran replied flatly, unwilling to indulge a defeated opponent. "You can either agree to my proposal or submit to me. What do you choose?"
The Lich King knew he could not win against the young man as soon as he saw his bloody aura, but he still could not take everything lying down, especially with the comical lack of choice.
"What is the difference between the two?" He asked with a stubbornness unsuitable for a grim reaper-like creature.
"There is no difference for you, but the wrong choice could affect my mood." Yuan Haoran remained calm. "I am not pleasant when I am unhappy."
The Lich King, unlike the old ghost, was a man who knew how to submit to his circumstances. He knew that if he kept being obstinate and this man took matters into his own hands, it was quite likely that his army would lose more than twenty soldiers.
With the straight back and composure befitting of a general, he faced his horde of undead soldiers. The blue flames in his eyes were still bright.
"Comrades, we have fought countless battles together, but once again, we find ourselves under the tyranny of a villain. As I have said before each new challenge, if you wish to be released from the shackles of your undead body, make it known now." The Lich King addressed them with authority.
Yuan Haoran did not mind being addressed as a villain by Fang Zexi.
The lich soldiers bowed awkwardly before their general, organised their bony bodies in straight lines, and saluted him with reverence. None of the souls offered to be released from their skeletons even though their future was uncertain.
General Fang was not just their commander.
He was their faith.
The Lich King turned back to Yuan Haoran.
"We will accept your proposal, but you must promise to release the souls of those who wish to be free of their existence at any time. While we are dark cultivators right now, we are also soldiers and cannot do vile things, even in war." Fang Zexi declared righteously.
Yuan Haoran descended gently to the ground, his scarlet eyes looking at the Lich King and his army.
"You have already given them a chance, and they have declined. I do not have patience for tools without a steady mind. If you wish, I can free them all now. They are barely worth anything to me except as labourers. Of course, I will be keeping you around since you are worth a little more as research material." Yuan Haoran was unmoved.
He lifted his hand and gathered spiritual energy with red sparks of lightning. The small orb of power was sufficient for destroying the hundreds of skeletons and their souls. The army of liches became restless in protest at the real danger.
General Fang Zexi realised that the young man was even more powerful than he imagined. The ball of energy could kill him at the Sage level, let alone his soldiers who were below the Overlord levels. And this villain had no remorse.
"Forgive me. I spoke out of turn." This time, he submitted and lowered his head before the young man.
Yuan Haoran closed his fist, and the energy in his hand disappeared. The Lich King seemed to sigh in relief as his new master calmed down.
Ping. [Why didn't you obliterate them? You have a mission to complete. Liches cannot be trusted because they are full of evil cultivation. They are creatures that have refused to follow the circle of life and death. Moreover, they are mindless and do not feel like humans.]
Yuan Haoran was unmoved. [I know humans, and these liches have more humanity than most of them. Unfortunately.]
"Would you like to form a binding contract?" The Lich King asked hesitantly.
"A binding contract?" Yuan Haoran was a little confused.
"Old Guo bound us with a contract to this place using black magic and compelled us to protect the necropolis. If he is dead as you claim, we are not bound and can follow you. You can choose the most suitable contract to ensure we do not betray you." General Fang Zexi explained.
"Oh, there is no need. I do not like to be bound to anything." Yuan Haoran said flatly.
[...] The Hero System felt the resentment and disgust directed at it.
"If any of you betray or displease me, I will find an appropriate way to address the matter." Yuan Haoran continued without inflexion in his chilly voice. "You can stay in my living dimension for now. Do not contaminate the land with your necromantic energy."
"A living dimension?" Fang Zexi was a little flabbergasted.
"You will clear an area of about 10000 square metres. Make sure the area is far from the lake. All the trees that you cut should be preserved appropriately. Your performance will determine your future." Yuan Haoran added a casual threat.
He had not decided on how to develop his pocket dimension, but he had free labour for now. He could get the ball rolling on the initial preparation. The implementation of his vision for the space could proceed once he had a clear understanding of his new world.
"I will make sure your orders are followed perfectly." The Lich King bowed. "How shall I address you?"
Yuan Haoran felt the irritation that often blossomed into furious rage tickling the back of his mind at the continuing interaction.
"Don't." He replied coldly.
"Of course, Master Demon King." The Lich King settled on this because the young man had defeated the original Demon King Guo. He also assumed that the anger from his new master was because he did not behave as was appropriate for a servant.
Fortunately for him, Yuan Haoran had no more patience. With a wave of his hand, the liches disappeared and appeared in his dimension. The silence was welcome.
[Mission: Defeat the Lich King and his Army of the Undead.]
[Status: Complete]
[Reward: The Theory of Cultivation]
The red rage in Yuan Haoran cooled when he saw the notification. His lips quirked up a bit in an eerie smile. He liked the reward very much because Master Guo only taught him what he needed to strengthen the body and the rest was based on modern-day understanding of scientific theories.
The Theory of Cultivation was just what he needed.
But that was not what pleased him.
Ping. [There seems to be a system glitch. You have not eliminated the liches. How can the mission status be complete?]
The Hero System felt a bit panicked because it thought it was malfunctioning.
'The mission was to defeat the army, not eliminate it. As a benevolent system, you are quite bloodthirsty.' Yuan Haoran mocked.
Ping. [But liches are evil. They should be destroyed to complete the mission.]
'And yet, I have my reward.'