92: Emissary of the Dark Council

Lin Feng’s consciousness instantly returned to reality, his nerves as taut as a drawn bowstring.

The interior of the car was confined, yet that faint human figure appeared without warning on the leather seat beside him, as if it were originally part of the shadows, only now coalescing into form.

There were no energy fluctuations, no spatial ripples, only a pure, chilling gloom that seemed to swallow even light.

A highly vigilant hum resonated from the Alien Queen’s psychic link, her icy killing intent almost permeating Lin Feng’s skin.

The Annihilation Tyrant also let out a muffled growl within the Spirit Beast Space, its destructive aura poised to strike.

“Mr. Lin, no need to be tense.”

The figure’s voice sounded again, low and hoarse, with a peculiar rhythm, as if reassuring, yet carrying an undeniable authority.

It was not a physical entity, but rather a humanoid, constantly shifting, profound shadow, its features indistinct, with only two faint glows flickering in the head area, like will-o’-the-wisps in an abyss, watching Lin Feng.

“We are not enemies, at least… not for now.”

It leaned slightly forward, its shadow-formed body seemingly solidifying a bit more.

Lin Feng’s heart pounded heavily in his chest, adrenaline surging.

He forced himself to calm down, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixed on those two faint glows.

“The Dark Council?”

His voice was cold, carrying undisguised hostility and wariness.

“The Xiong Family assassins, were they sent by you? To kill me and my parents?”

“No.”

The shadow figure’s answer was decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

“That was not the will of the Council.”

The two faint glows flickered slightly, seemingly conveying an emotion named “regret.”

“The Xiong Family, or rather, certain fools within the Xiong Family blinded by hatred, acted on their own. They underestimated your value and overestimated the Council’s tolerance for them. The Council deeply regrets such rule-breaking and self-inflicted enmity.”

Lin Feng’s brows furrowed, not relaxing his guard despite the other party’s words.

He keenly caught the key point in their speech.

“My value?”

“Yes, Mr. Lin.”

The shadow figure’s voice carried a hint of appreciation.

“Your potential, your… power. Last night, your summoning of over a hundred Gold-level magical pets, and that one beside you… your life-bound magical pet that has touched the threshold of Transcendent-level, the might it displayed caught the attention of the entire Council.”

“The Council is not as rumored by the outside world, only knowing destruction and slaughter. We also appreciate true power, appreciating… geniuses who can break conventions.”

It paused, its shadow-formed body seemingly swaying slightly, as if carefully choosing its words.

“The Council knows that the Xiong Family’s unauthorized actions, especially those targeting your parents, have crossed your bottom line. For this, the Council is willing to bear partial responsibility and offer compensation.”

“We solemnly promise: as long as you do not actively oppose the Dark Council, the Council will never initiate conflict with you. Your parents will also be included in the Council’s ‘non-hostile list,’ and all The Fallen… will no longer disturb their peace from now on.”

Lin Feng sneered inwardly.

Compensation?

A promise?

Even the Professional Association’s promise left him with doubts, let alone the notorious Dark Council?

He stared at the mass of shadow, trying to find any hint of hypocrisy or flaw, but that profound gloom seemed to swallow all emotions, leaving only a cold, inscrutable will.

“Compensation?”

Lin Feng’s voice carried a hint of mockery.

“What can you compensate? It’s not going to be not pursuing the matter of me wiping out the Xiong Family, is it?”

The energy within his body circulated silently. Within the Spirit Beast Space, the Annihilation Tyrant’s destructive aura grew more violent, and the Alien Queen also entered her optimal attack posture, her icy intent locked onto the shadow.

The shadow figure seemed unfazed by Lin Feng’s hostility and readiness to strike. It merely calmly raised a hand… a hand formed from flowing, dark matter that seemed to absorb all light.

Above its palm, space subtly warped, and an object appeared out of thin air.

It was a ring.

Ancient in style, entirely black, its material neither metal nor stone. It bore no ornamentation, only a heavy, extremely restrained texture.

It floated silently above the shadow’s palm, like a miniature black hole.

“Please accept it, Mr. Lin.”

The shadow figure gently pushed the ring towards Lin Feng.

Lin Feng did not immediately take it.

He warily watched the ring, his mental power highly concentrated, sensing for any potential traps or tracking marks.

However, the aura emanating from the ring itself was extremely faint, almost imperceptible, only a pure sense of “emptiness” that seemed to encompass all things.

Just as the ring was about to float in front of Lin Feng, a sudden change occurred!

“Hiss… Roar…!!!”

A shriek so sharp it almost tore at the soul exploded in Lin Feng’s mind without warning!

This sound did not come from his hearing, but directly acted upon his spiritual essence, filled with unparalleled craving, anxiety, and an almost insane possessiveness!

It was the Alien Queen!

Lin Feng had never felt such intense emotional fluctuations from the Queen!

Even when facing Alduin, Councilor Zheng, Zhao Tieying, and other Transcendent-level opponents in the Barren World, the Queen had only conveyed cold battle intent and a predator’s excitement.

But at this moment, the craving contained within this shriek was so pure, so primal, so… desperate!

This feeling… was too familiar!

Lin Feng’s heart gave a violent lurch!

Not long ago in the Barren World, when the Queen sensed something guarded by Alduin, she had also conveyed a similar, though far less intense, craving!

“Master! That! That thing!”

The Queen’s psychic link was filled with chaotic and intense fragments of thought, like a beast starved for eons finally smelling its most primal food.

“Give it to me! Must get it! It can… it can make me… complete! Evolve! Transcend!”

The Queen’s roars in Lin Feng’s mental world were like a storm, even affecting reality.

The leather seat beneath Lin Feng silently cracked with several tiny fissures, and the air inside the car seemed to instantly solidify and become heavy.

Within the Spirit Beast Space, the Annihilation Tyrant, which had just been so imposing, now instinctively lowered its body under the intense pressure of a higher-tier existence emanating from its bloodline, letting out a low, reverent whimper.

And the source of all this pointed to that inconspicuous black ring floating in the air!

The shadow figure seemed unsurprised by Lin Feng and the Alien Queen’s reactions. The two faint glows flickered, carrying a hint of understanding.

“It seems your companion has already felt the Council’s sincerity.”

Its voice remained calm and unruffled.

Lin Feng suppressed the frantic craving from the Queen that was almost drowning his reason, his gaze fixed on the ring.

His mental power, like the most precise probe, instantly pierced into the space within the ring…