Still Too Conservative

Darkhold.

A mysterious magic book containing powerful Black Magic.

It was created by Chthon, the God of Black Magic and one of the four Elder Gods.

The spells recorded within were completely opposed to those in the Book of the Vishanti.

Moreover, the Darkhold's corruptive influence was powerful, capable of tempting people to use the spells recorded within.

Although the magic recorded inside was powerful,

the use of those spells came with no moral restraints. Achieving one's goal was all that mattered.

Honestly, Luo Bai had never expected that he would pick up a Darkhold just by stepping out for a meal?!

Kamar-Taj explicitly prohibited the use of Black Magic.

If Gu Yi found out about this book, wouldn't he be finished?!

Although the Time Stone was on him now, Gu Yi could still deal with him easily with her strength.

Staring at the book before him, Luo Bai fell into hesitation.

The Darkhold was highly corruptive, making people feel an irresistible urge to read it.

At that moment, Luo Bai could not help wanting to keep reading.

But when he thought of Gu Yi,

his hand had already begun to tremble.

Fortunately, Natasha's words interrupted his thoughts. "You carry books around when you go out?!"

With that one sentence, Luo Bai was pulled back to his senses.

Luo Bai knew that the power within the Darkhold was formidable, but he also knew that with his current strength, there was no way he could control the book's corruptive influence.

Without another word, Luo Bai opened a Portal and threw the book away.

Of course, he did not toss it somewhere carelessly.

He stored it away in the Portal space.

Only after the book left his sight did Luo Bai finally calm down.

"Sorry, I got distracted just now," Luo Bai said.

Natasha smiled. "It's fine. But when you're eating, you should focus on eating. Once we're done, you can go back and study magic slowly."

Luo Bai nodded, but he was somewhat absentminded now.

He knew very clearly that long, long ago, Chthon, an Elder God who had already fallen into demonhood, had been forced to flee to another dimension to avoid being devoured by the Devourer of Gods.

Before escaping, Chthon wrote down all his evil deeds and spells on indestructible parchment, creating the Darkhold.

Before Chthon fled, this Darkhold had been the hope he left behind on Earth, serving as a channel through which he could influence Earth and release energy.

Simply put, it was what Chthon used to recruit followers.

Luo Bai had learned before that all magic in the Marvel Universe was obtained through "borrowing."

That was, borrowing the power of a certain Elder God.

If one studied White Magic, one borrowed the power of the Vishanti.

The Vishanti might make you pay it back, but the price would not be too great.

But if one studied the Darkhold and "borrowed" power from Chthon, then the price would be enormous.

What that Elder God wanted was souls.

As for why these Elder Gods would "lend" their power, that involved the matter of followers.

Though the Elder Gods never said it outright, in truth, nearly all gods in the Marvel Universe needed followers.

Followers could provide power to the Elder Gods.

Chthon, as an Elder God, was no exception.

So this Darkhold could be understood as something Chthon had left behind to seek followers.

Anyone who learned the contents of the Darkhold would become Chthon's follower and offer up their most important possession—their soul—thereby providing Chthon with power.

That was why the book ensured that its user could understand it no matter what country they came from.

The Darkhold was said to be a magic book, but it could actually be understood as a magical artifact created by Chthon. That was why the book possessed its own consciousness.

That also meant that it might choose a host for itself.

Clearly, Luo Bai had most likely been chosen.

But Luo Bai truly could not understand why he had obtained this book?!

After all, learning from it meant giving up his soul. No matter how he looked at it, it did not seem like something he could study.

Could it be that the Goddess of Luck was certain he would not be affected?!

Luo Bai was not just making wild guesses.

Although the Darkhold was corruptive and could cause people to fall... in the end, whether someone turned evil depended entirely on the reader.

When one's will was strong enough, a mere book could not control one's mind at all.

People said that studying Black Magic would make one fall to darkness and become an evil sorcerer.

But look at Gu Yi herself—she had absorbed Black Magic too!!

And nothing had happened to her.

As for why Gu Yi had absorbed Black Magic...

Wasn't it because White Magic was not powerful enough?

Or rather, because the Vishanti and the others were still too conservative.

When they "lent" people power, they only lent out a tiny bit at a time.

Unlike Chthon, who would rather give you enough power to destroy heaven and earth, and could even grant you a longer lifespan.

Gu Yi had to protect Earth and fight Dormammu as well as countless Dark Magic practitioners.

How could she manage without absorbing some Black Magic power?

This suddenly made Luo Bai feel that perhaps the arrival of this Darkhold was not a bad thing for him. On the contrary, it might be a good thing—perhaps it could help him increase his strength.

Luo Bai pondered inwardly.

But because he was thinking too intently, he completely failed to notice that Natasha had called him several times already.

Seeing that he still did not react, Natasha could not help raising her voice. "Luo Bai?!"

Only then did Luo Bai come back to his senses.

"What are you thinking about? The food's going to get cold," Natasha said helplessly.

Luo Bai shrugged and said apologetically, "Something suddenly came up, so I got a little too absorbed in my thoughts."

Seeing his serious expression, Natasha became worried and hurriedly asked, "Has Earth run into some kind of trouble?"

"Not exactly. I've run into some trouble," Luo Bai said.

Honestly, this matter was quite troublesome for Luo Bai.

Right now... he was torn between studying it and not studying it.

"I know I might not be able to help you, but I can listen. If you're truly confused, perhaps I can offer you some guidance," Natasha said gently.

As an agent, she truly was good at comforting people.

But regarding this matter, Luo Bai would be better off seeking Gu Yi than seeking her.

"That won't be necessary. Let's eat quickly. I still have something to do later," Luo Bai said, declining her kindness.

Right now, he only wanted to finish eating as quickly as possible and then go find Gu Yi.

Although Luo Bai's progress in learning magic was fast, he was not so powerful that he no longer needed to eat. So he really was somewhat hungry now.

Hungry and anxious, Luo Bai ate very quickly.

Natasha could not help saying, "I can tell you're in a hurry. But before you leave, I want to ask you something."

Luo Bai asked as he ate, "What is it?"

"Yesterday, I think, a hammer suddenly fell from the sky. Do you know what happened?" Natasha asked.

A hammer fell from the sky?!

"Mjolnir?!" Luo Bai blurted out.