He wouldn’t have done this if he hadn’t been forced to.
But now, he had to, because he wanted even less to watch this village march toward its doom.
Young friend?
A trace of indifference appeared in the Clan Leader’s eyes. "Who are you?"
He sensed something was wrong. The identity of the young man before him seemed unusual, and the Grand Elder’s attitude was a huge problem.
The Grand Elder was actually speaking in a consultative tone.
An ordinary villager would never speak in such a tone.
There was only one explanation: the man before him was no ordinary villager.
Shen Bai shook his head. "Rather than asking who I am, you should be asking who you are."
’Who *I* am?’
The Clan Leader’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Behind him, a phantom image appeared, gradually coalescing into a colorful, ferocious tiger.
Shen Bai smiled. "No wonder Dongfang Qing left alone. At first, I thought he was worried about luring the three of you out, only to be trapped and killed. But now it seems he abandoned his people from the chamber of commerce because he had a better option."
"I’ve been thinking about it. Perhaps it’s because he knew you had awakened your Innate Wisdom."
"Furthermore, he wasn’t confident about fighting me here in the Beast Village, so he simply kicked the ball into your court, letting you fight me instead."
The man before him was completely exposed under Shen Bai’s Level 6 Void-breaking Red Eye.
The Clan Leader was no longer the Clan Leader. He was someone who had awakened their Innate Wisdom—in other words, someone whose body had been stolen by a remnant from the Era of Ten Thousand Cities.
As for why Dongfang Qing didn’t join forces with the Clan Leader, it was because of Dongfang Qing’s own identity.
If the possessed Clan Leader didn’t want to be exposed, he couldn’t have shown favoritism toward Dongfang Qing after discovering him.
To avoid being exposed, the Clan Leader would have had to fight both Dongfang Qing and Shen Bai at the time.
At that point, no matter the outcome, it would have been a loss for Dongfang Qing.
But with Dongfang Qing gone, leaving only Shen Bai, there was no longer a need to worry about exposing the Clan Leader. In fact, he could gather the Clan Leader, the Grand Elder, and the Second Elder to trap Shen Bai here for good.
It was a good plan, but Shen Bai had many Divine Powers that could play a miraculous role at any time.
For example, right now.
Using his Void-breaking Red Eye, he had seen the truth: the Clan Leader’s body had been stolen.
"I just didn’t expect that even an old relic like you from the Era of Ten Thousand Cities could have your body stolen. The Chaotic Organization is quite powerful," Shen Bai said.
With every word Shen Bai spoke, the astonishment on the faces of the Grand Elder and Second Elder grew.
They understood it all, and they finally realized why the Clan Leader’s temperament had changed so suddenly.
’Body-snatching?’
The Second Elder quietly took a step back.
The Clan Leader’s expression remained unchanged as he said, "Back then, he was severely injured, but he suddenly recovered. That was all thanks to me. I’ve lain dormant for so long; it was time for me to burst forth from his body."
"My identity was just so well-hidden that not even Dongfang Qing could discover it. I never thought that would actually give me an opportunity."
"After I kill you, the Organization will surely give me a great reward."
Shen Bai’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Only the Second Elder, standing beside the Clan Leader, quietly took another half-step back.
The Clan Leader glanced at the Second Elder. "You’re afraid?"
The Second Elder’s face stiffened.
The people from the original Refuge, to put it plainly, were like stray dogs, harboring a fear of the Chaotic Organization that came from the depths of their hearts.
So, his fear was instinctual.
The Clan Leader then turned his gaze to the Grand Elder. "I’ll give you two a chance. The three of us will join forces and kill Shen Bai. You know how powerful the Organization is. From now on, you will be its people, and you’ll have nothing to fear."
The Second Elder was stunned for a moment, then quietly took a step forward, positioning himself in front of the Clan Leader.
Faced with a life-or-death crisis, he still chose to side with the Clan Leader.
Besides, the Clan Leader had just said he could join the Chaotic Organization.
He had fled for his life back then precisely because he was afraid the Chaotic Organization would hunt him down. Now that he could join them, his life would never be in danger again.
Shen Bai watched this scene with great interest, then turned to the Grand Elder. "And you, my partner?"
A conflicted expression appeared on the Grand Elder’s face. After a long moment, he did not retreat a single step.
The Clan Leader sneered, "The coward from back then has actually found some courage now. How laughable."
The Grand Elder said gravely, "We don’t want to die. We were just hiding from you, but you still want to hunt us down and exterminate us. I’ve had enough."
"You want me to join the Organization, but turncoats like us would probably be treated as worse than cannon fodder."
"Besides, I don’t want to join the Organization, because... I’m tired of running."
The Clan Leader set down his teacup. "And what about you?"
Shen Bai pointed at himself. "You’re actually including me in this? We’re mortal enemies."
This was truly beyond Shen Bai’s expectations.
He really hadn’t expected the Clan Leader to invite him.
The Clan Leader shook his head. "There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. If you’re willing, we can write everything off. I will personally recommend you to my superiors."
Shen Bai drew the Cold Moon from his waist. "But I think a dead man is much better than a partner."
The Clan Leader’s gaze turned cold. "You little brat who doesn’t know the difference between life and death. When death truly comes for you, you’ll be more terrified than anyone."
The surrounding Qi had become extremely heavy.
Behind the Second Elder, the form of a leopard materialized.
The surrounding Space suddenly shifted, and Shen Bai found himself in a vast, white expanse.
"Young friend, be careful. This is an independently created battlefield."
The Grand Elder’s expression was grim as he said, "He doesn’t want more people to find out what’s happened. He wants to kill us to silence us and take complete control of the Beast Village."
The Cyan Snake flew off the Grand Elder’s arm, suddenly transforming into a python as thick as a bowl.