The sudden appearance of the small cabin sent a shock through David. He knew that Clive had died at the hands of Edmund, and the cabin had been destroyed at that moment. How could it suddenly appear before his eyes?
Furthermore, David saw Clive’s old, tattered bamboo chair right as he was contemplating the situation. Just as David was filled with questions, a creaking sound marked the opening of the cabin’s door, jolting him from his thoughts. He raised his head and saw the familiar figure.
Clive slowly emerged from the cabin, just as he had before. He was dressed in a faded blue robe, his face naturally etched with deep wrinkles. As he stepped out of the cabin, his gaze immediately locked onto David, as if he had already anticipated David’s arrival. 𝘦.𝘰𝘳𝑔
“Clive? You’re not…” David’s voice trembled slightly. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something. His eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness.
“An illusion! This is an illusion! Clive is dead, and the dead don’t come back!” David kept shaking his head. However, the next moment, he was once again left bewildered. He lowered his head to his chest, seemingly waiting for something. Yes, he was waiting for the burning sensation that the Blood Moon brought him. He had deduced that whenever an illusion appeared, the Blood Moon would burn his lungs. But strangely, that excruciating pain hadn’t manifested.
“What’s going on? Could I be wrong?” Just as David was lost in thought, Clive suddenly settled into the bamboo chair and smiled at him.
“Hahaha! Kid, you actually thought I was dead. This old man here isn’t so easily killed. Well done, you’ve withstood my test.” Clive appeared rather pleased, and there was a hint of admiration in his gaze as he looked at David.
At that moment, the other members of the Embers Team arrived behind David. When they saw Clive reclining in the bamboo chair so leisurely, their mouths dropped in astonishment.
“This old guy… He’s not… He’s not dead? How is he still alive and kicking?” Fatso said incredulously.
Clearly, everyone found it hard to believe what they were witnessing. Even Emlyn, who had been friends with Clive for a long time, was bewildered.
“Clive? Are you really Clive?” Emlyn asked hesitantly, suppressing his doubts.
In response to Emlyn’s question, Clive gave him a side-eye and retorted, “Of course! Who else would I be? What, did you think I died?”
“Really? You didn’t die?” Hearing Clive’s words, Emlyn suddenly felt a surge of joy. Yes, he could tell from Clive’s tone that this was indeed Clive. Even the way he looked at him and his words were just like before.
So, Emlyn stamped his foot forcefully and exclaimed, “You old man, you didn’t die? You nearly scared me to death!” With that, the excitement on his face became apparent.
However, Clive’s appearance continued to leave everyone immensely puzzled. After all, they had all witnessed him apparently dying at the hands of Edmund alongside General Armor . How could he suddenly come back to life? David seemed to sense something and looked at Clive with a questioning gaze.
Clive met David’s gaze, gave a faint smile, and reclined on the bamboo chair, crossing his legs. He said, “I know what’s on your mind and I understand your questions. Yes, I died, but only my physical body. I can have many physical bodies. Besides, do you think that Zerg fellow could really kill me? Hmph, ridiculous! We Divine Clan aren’t that trash.”
As Clive spoke, his self-satisfied expression grew more pronounced. Hearing Clive’s words, David finally understood that Clive had multiple physical bodies.
“What?! Divine Clan?!” Suddenly realizing, David’s pupils contracted sharply. He stared intently at Clive, and the Star River Staff immediately appeared in his hand. His current enemy was indeed the Divine Clan.
Clive claimed to be part of the Divine Clan? David was extremely sensitive to this term. His aura surged, and the others were once again shocked. Was this old man truly part of the Divine Clan?
Emlyn, seeing the anger building up in David, knew that his master was probably about to take action. So he urgently shouted at Clive, “Have you lost your mind? Enough with this Divine Clan nonsense! You’re Clive!”
But Clive seemed unfazed by David’s anger. He extended his finger and snapped it. Suddenly, a dense mist enveloped him, and a woman wearing a phoenix crown emerged from it. She looked at David and spoke, “Young man, do you remember?”
Seeing the Divine Clan’s Spirit Emperor, David didn’t hesitate. He lifted the Star River Staff and rushed forward. However, in the next moment, as Clive snapped his fingers again, the woman disappeared.
“What you saw was indeed an illusion,” Clive said as he stood up.
David stood still, looking at Clive. He felt that this man was hiding too many secrets. Resurrected suddenly, claiming to be part of the Divine Clan, and summoning the Divine Clan’s Spirit Emperor—David’s mind was in turmoil. He felt as if he were trapped in a vast puzzle. He wanted to see everything clearly, but it remained hazy. He knew that Clive held the answers.
So, David calmed himself down and looked at Clive once more. “So, the Spirit Emperor was also an illusion.”
With David’s realization, Clive nodded with satisfaction. He hadn’t expected this young man to catch on so quickly:”Not just her. Everything she said was a creation of my illusions. I didn’t expect you to have such a quick understanding. Impressive.”
In reality, Clive was indeed part of the Divine Clan and the creator of the wasteland world. The Spirit Emperor mentioned by Edmund was one of the three inner demons he hadn’t been able to slay in his heart. He had been practicing for the end times, aiming to finally eliminate it.
Clive intentionally faked his death at Edmund’s hands because he had a purpose. He wanted to test David’s suitability to rule the wasteland world. This included the pressures he applied through the Spirit Emperor. Clive used these terrifying elements to examine David’s character. The current result pleased him greatly.
David had withstood his test, and now Clive could confidently pass the mantle of the wasteland world’s ruler to him. He would also allow David to take his place as a Spirit Emperor, the one and only true god in this world.