Wu Dong: I, Lin Langtian, will not play a supporting role

Inside the Dark Temple, everyone's eyes were fixed on that dark figure.

Hei Tianjue stood at the edge of the platform, his outstretched right hand only a few feet away from the black bead that was floating in mid-air.

His expression remained calm, his long, jet-black hair swayed gently in the dim light, and his jet-black robe was spotless, like the brightest star in the night sky.

But a hint of seriousness had crept into those indifferent eyes.

He knew that this Dark Source Pearl was not something that could be obtained easily.

Sure enough, just as his fingertips were about to touch the bead...

"Buzz!"

A deep hum emanated from the Dark Source Pearl. The sound was not loud, but it seemed to resonate directly in the depths of everyone's soul.

Immediately afterwards, a vast, ocean-like dark energy surged out from the bead, transforming into a black light curtain that repelled Hei Tianjue's hand!

Hei Tianjue frowned slightly, but did not back down.

He took a deep breath, and a ball of dark light began to condense in his palm.

That is the superior technique of the Black Heaven Ancient Clan... Black Heaven Profound Technique, based on darkness, transforms darkness into light, and generates yang from yin, it is extremely profound.

He extended his palm again, and this time, the inky light collided head-on with the black light barrier of the Dark Source Pearl!
"Chucky!"

The two forces clashed, producing a piercing corrosive sound.

The inky light attempted to erode the black light barrier, but the black light barrier remained as solid as an impenetrable wall.

After a brief stalemate, the black light screen suddenly trembled, unleashing an even more powerful counterforce that forced Hei Tianjue to retreat several steps!

Hei Tianjue steadied himself, his face slightly pale, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

He looked down at his palm, where a faint black line was moving, a trace of the dark energy intrusion from the Dark Source Pearl.

Although it was quickly forced out by his spiritual power, it was enough to demonstrate the terrifying nature of this bead.

"Even Hei Tianjue failed?!"

"How is this possible? That's a prodigy of the Black Heaven Ancient Clan, a powerful expert at the Great Perfection of the Earthly Sovereign Realm!"

"Subduing the Dark Source Pearl is indeed not so easy."

……

Amidst the whispers, Hei Tianjue remained silent for a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand and stood with his hands behind his back.

He didn't try again, but stared intently at the black bead, lost in thought.

"I'll give it a try!"

A rough voice rang out, and Jiao Tu of the Deep Sea Black Dragon Clan strode forward.

He was a burly man whose bare upper body was covered with jet-black scales that gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the dim glow.

Although his aura was not as unfathomable as Hei Tianjue's, he was still one of the best among the peak of the upper-level Earthly Sovereigns, and his brute strength was enough to move mountains and fill seas.

Jiao Tu walked to the front of the platform. Unlike Hei Tianjue, he did not probe directly. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the Dark Source Pearl!

"Come here!"

He roared and grabbed the bead with his large, fan-like hand!
"boom!"

The Dark Source Pearl trembled violently, and a terrifying power erupted from the pearl, causing Jiao Tu's palm to bleed profusely!

Jiao Tu let out a miserable scream as he was blasted away and crashed heavily into a stone pillar in the distance, creating a human-shaped dent in the pillar. He spat out blood and slid to the ground!
"Lord Jiao Tu!" The people of the Deep Sea Black Dragon Clan rushed forward to help him up.

Jiao Tu's face was deathly pale, his right hand's web was split open, blood was flowing freely, and his entire arm was trembling.

He stared intently at the black bead, his eyes filled with fear and resentment.

“This bead… is haunted…” he said in a hoarse voice.

An Cang snorted coldly and stepped forward.

His hunched figure appeared somewhat sinister in the dim light, and his dark eyes were fixed on the Dark Source Pearl, filled with greed and fervor.

"Utterly useless! Watch me!"

He raised his right hand, and a ball of dark demonic energy began to condense in his palm.

That's a secret technique of the Dark Spirit Clan... Dark Spirit Devouring, specifically used to subdue treasures with dark attributes.

He placed his palm on the Dark Source Bead, and black demonic energy, like venomous snakes, frantically burrowed into the bead, attempting to erode, devour, and assimilate it...

However, the Dark Source Pearl was like a bottomless pit, swallowing all the demonic energy without moving an inch.

An Cang's expression grew increasingly grim. He could feel his spiritual power being frantically absorbed by the bead, while the bead showed no sign of being subdued!

"Damn it... This can't be!" he growled, trying to pull his hand back, only to find that his hand seemed to be stuck to the beads and he couldn't pull it back at all!

His expression finally changed, and his eyes were filled with fear.

"No!"

"boom!"

The Dark Source Pearl erupted once more, and an even more powerful force than before sent An Cang flying!

He spat out blood, flew dozens of feet backward, and crashed into the Dark Spirit Clan, knocking several of his men off their feet!
"Second Elder!" The Dark Spirit Clan members were shocked and rushed forward to help him up.

An Cang struggled to his feet, his face ashen and his breath extremely weak.

He stared intently at the black bead, his eyes filled with resentment and fear, but he dared not approach it again.

Black Abyss of Blackwater Pavilion and Shadow Demon of Shadow Tower also stepped forward to try, but both ended in failure.

Some were blasted away, some were corrupted by the dark energy, and some couldn't even get close.

Those powerful rogue cultivators fared even worse. Some were struck by the dark energy and coughed up blood as soon as they got close, while others tried to forcibly seize the bead but were torn to shreds by its restrictions.

In the short span of an incense stick's time, dozens of powerful individuals attempted to subdue the Dark Source Pearl, but all failed!

The Dark Temple was deathly silent.

All eyes were fixed on the black bead floating in mid-air, their eyes filled with awe and resentment.

This bead is right in front of me, yet it seems so far away.

"Is there... no one who can subdue it?" someone murmured.

"The ancient Black Emperor's inherited treasure is indeed not so easy to obtain."

"Alas, it seems we are not destined for this opportunity..."

Amidst sighs, many powerful figures began to retreat, abandoning the fight.

Although they were unwilling, they knew that forcing their way through would only lead to their deaths.

Lin Langtian stood still, his gaze fixed on the Dark Source Pearl, his brows furrowed slightly.

He could sense where the problems lay for those who failed.

Although Hei Tianjue's dark spiritual power is strong, it does not match the origin of the Dark Source Pearl. Although the cultivation technique of the Hei Tian Ancient Clan is of the dark lineage, it is based on the principle of Yin giving rise to Yang, and has long deviated from the pure path of darkness.

Although the Dark Spirit Clan's spiritual power is dark, it carries an evil aura, making it incompatible with the pure dark energy left behind by the ancient Black Emperor.

The same applies to Jiao Tu, Hei Yuan, Ying Mei, and others; their spiritual power is too mixed to resonate with the Dark Source Pearl.

As for himself… Lin Langtian looked down at his right hand, and a ball of pitch-black light slowly emerged in his palm.

That was the power of the dark runes, pure, profound, and without a trace of impurity.

This power is so similar to the origin of the Dark Source Pearl!

"I'll try."

Lin Langtian said calmly, and stepped onto the high platform.

"Young Master Lin!" Yin Ruoshui exclaimed in surprise, trying to stop him.

Helian Tieshan reached out and stopped Yin Ruoshui, his gaze fixed on Lin Langtian's back, a hint of expectation flashing in his eyes.

"Let him go." He said in a low voice, "The dark power within him is of the same lineage as the Dark Emperor's dark origin. Perhaps... he really has hope."

Whispers rose and fell behind him.

"That young man? Isn't he the one that An Cang targeted before?"

"He's a high-level Earthly Sovereign, and even Hei Tianjue failed against him. Wouldn't it be suicide for him to go up there?"

"Who knows? They have a bodyguard at the peak of the Earthly Sovereign Realm. Maybe they really have some trump card."

"Hmph, overestimating yourself."

Lin Langtian ignored him and walked step by step toward the high platform.

His pace was unhurried, his expression calm as still water, as if he were not going to face a terrifying treasure that had defeated countless powerful figures, but rather to attend a long-awaited appointment.

Hei Tianjue's gaze fell on him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which then turned into amusement.

He had previously discovered that to conquer the Dark Source Pearl, one did not rely on powerful spiritual energy, but rather on possessing equally pure dark energy.

Even he, a prodigy of the Black Sky Ancient Clan, failed; he couldn't believe an outsider could do it.

An Cang sneered, his eyes full of mockery: "Overestimating yourself! I'd like to see how you die!"

Hei Yuan, Ying Mei, Jiao Tu, and the others also looked at Lin Langtian, their expressions varying.

There was mockery, anticipation, and curiosity...

Lin Langtian walked to the front of the platform and stopped.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers spread, and the jet-black light in his palm grew even more intense and profound.

That was the power of the Dark Rune, a companion he had brought all the way from the lower planes, and one of his most trusted trump cards.

He slowly pressed his palm towards the Dark Source Pearl.

"Buzz!"

As if sensing something, the Dark Source Pearl emitted a low hum, but the hum was no longer cold and resistant as before; instead, it carried a hint of... intimacy.
The moment Lin Langtian's palm touched the Dark Source Pearl.

"boom!"

A vast, ocean-like dark energy surged from the bead, but it didn't attack; instead, it...swirled around it?
The dark energy swirled around Lin Langtian like living things, as if trying to identify him.

Lin Langtian closed his eyes, his mind sank into his body, and resonated with the dark magic rune.

He could sense that the Dark Source Pearl contained power of the same origin as the Dark Rune, which was the purest dark power.

"I see..." Lin Langtian understood.

The test of the Dark Source Pearl is not strength, but compatibility.

Whoever is most compatible with the source of darkness, whoever can resonate most deeply with the Dark Source Pearl, is its master.

Although Hei Tianjue's spiritual power was strong, it deviated from the pure path of darkness.

Although An Cang's spiritual power was dark, it carried an evil aura. The spiritual power of Jiao Tu, Hei Yuan, Ying Mei, and others was even more mixed, making it impossible for them to resonate with the Dark Source Pearl.

Lin Langtian's Dark Magic Symbol is precisely the purest and most essential source of darkness!
"receive!"

Lin Langtian let out a low shout, fully activating the power of the Dark Demon Rune. An invisible suction force erupted from his palm, slowly drawing the dark energy from the Dark Source Pearl into his body.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

The buzzing of the Dark Source Pearl grew stronger and more joyful, as if it were a child that had finally found its home.

The runes on the black bead began to swirl wildly, their light growing brighter and deeper.

The entire Dark Temple trembled at that moment!
"What...what's going on?!" someone exclaimed.

"He...he's really trying to subdue the Dark Source Pearl?!"

"Impossible! Even Hei Tianjue failed, how could a high-level Earthly Sovereign possibly succeed!"

An Cang's face was ashen, his eyes filled with disbelief and resentment.

Hei Tianjue's gaze also turned serious. He stared intently at Lin Langtian, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

Helian Tieshan smiled with satisfaction.

Yin Ruoshui covered her mouth, her eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

Time passed by, second by second.

The light from the Dark Source Pearl grew brighter and brighter, until finally... a jet-black energy beam shot into the sky from the pearl, piercing straight into the dome of the temple!
boom!
The sheer amount of dark energy contained within that pillar of light caused all the powerful figures present to gasp in astonishment!
The beam of light lasted for several breaths, then slowly receded and disappeared into Lin Langtian's body.

The Dark Source Pearl now lay quietly in Lin Langtian's palm, no longer resisting, but instead emanating an intimate wave, like a weary bird returning to its nest.

Lin Langtian opened his eyes, a dark vortex flashing briefly before disappearing into the deep blackness.

He looked down at the Dark Source Pearl in his palm, his eyes brimming with undisguised elation, a hint of amazement flashing across them.

This Dark Source Pearl, forged from an unknown material, is pitch black, covered with countless obscure and complex patterns. As the patterns flicker, they resemble dark eyes radiating oppressive power.

An indescribable majesty emanated from the Dark Source Pearl, giving the impression that whoever controlled this Dark Source Pearl controlled the darkness of heaven and earth.

"Dark Source Pearl."

Lin Langtian gripped the Dark Source Pearl tightly in his hand, and then a smile appeared on his lips. With the help of the Dark Demonic Talisman within his body, he successfully subdued this treasure!

"It's done."

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Everyone stared blankly at him, at the Dark Source Pearl lying quietly in his palm, their eyes filled with shock, disbelief, jealousy, and awe...

Seeing this scene, Hei Tianjue, who was not far away, also looked a little ugly. As the pride of the Hei Tian Ancient Clan, he had failed even when he personally took action, but in the end, the Dark Source Pearl still fell into Lin Langtian's hands.

Yingmei also gritted her teeth, a hint of resentment in her eyes. This kind of treasure was considered one of the top treasures even in the Great Thousand World.

The atmosphere in the main hall clearly became more tense at this moment, with many people's eyes flashing with intense greed and murderous intent.

In front of your precious child, any sense of apprehension will obviously gradually diminish.

Lin Langtian naturally noticed those greedy gazes, and his expression immediately turned cold. The Dark Source Pearl he held tightly in his hand also faintly shimmered with black light.

Swish!
Helian Tieshan and Yin Ruoshui also rushed to Lin Langtian's side at this time, standing on either side of him like his left and right protectors.

An Cang's face was ashen as he stared intently at Lin Langtian, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness. Finally, he couldn't help but shout out.

"Lin Langtian, hand over the Dark Source Pearl to me! It's the target of my Dark Spirit Clan!" (End of Chapter)