Surrounded by Five Beast Lords novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162

Chapter 162

四川

At that moment, the man’s presence was completely hidden, blending in as just another guest

But Clive wasn’t just anyone.

He was the king of the underworld, a man who’d clawed his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

One look, and Clive knew this guy was no ordinary man.

Those eyes held unfathomable depths.

It was like he could see right through everything.

Shine Henson.

The patriarch of the Dragon Abyss Clan.

Clive recognized him right away, this was the Level 8 powerhouse who’d made such a scene when he entered earlier.

‘Why was he pretending to be just another guest now?’ Clive wondered.

Shine’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, then he gave a slight nod and looked away, as if it was nothing more than a passing glance.

But Clive knew that wasn’t just casual.

That look had stayed on him for far too long.

Clive didn’t move, keeping his eyes fixed on Shine.

In a shadowy corner of the banquet hall, Shine stood quietly, his deep gray robe taking on an even darker hue beneath the lights.

Out of nowhere, his Optical Brain gave a gentle buzz.

It was an encrypted message.

Shine lowered his gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly as he read.

[Clive Blackthorne, male, 26 years old. Beast form: Black Serpent.

[Supernatural ability: Dual-type. Lightning and Shadow

[Current rank: Pinnacle Level 6.

[Background: Orphan from the Planer Ashen-III, now head of the Blackflame Trading Guild, goes by the moniker “Boss Glive.”

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[Note: Place of birth unknown, parentage unknown.]

Black Serpent.

Pinnacle Level 6.

Dual-type supernatural ability.

Shine’s gaze cut through the crowd, landing on the young man standing quietly in the corner.

An aura so deep and restrained, he was silently watching the fake Boss Clive, his expression unreadable.

‘No wonder he’s been staring at Boss Clive this whole time,’ Shine thought.

‘Black Serpent beast form?’ Shine thought.

He felt his pupils tighten.

He closed his eyes, sensing that fleeting connection from just moments ago.

“That’s right, he thought.

That aura, that faint resonance…

A spark of insight flashed in Shine’s eyes.

“Black Serpent…” he muttered under his breath, a knowing smile creeping across his lips.

Before a young dragon awakens, it was pretty much indistinguishable from a black serpent.

The blend of Lightning and Shadow supernatural abilities? That’s the signature mark of Dragon Clan bloodline.

Clive was already at the Pinnacle Level 6, on the verge of breaking through to Level 7.

When he finally hits Level 7, when he undergoes his true transformation….

Shine took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm the storm of emotions raging inside.

It had been a hundred years.

Ever since the last true dragon disappeared into the interstellar depths, the Dragon Abyss Clan’s oath of guardianship had become nothing but a hollow shell.

They went into hiding, biding their time, waiting through the long years for a miracle that might never come Until three months ago, while Shine was in seclusion, he suddenly sensed a faint ripple

Not hesitating anymore, Shine stepped forward, weaving through the crowd and making his way straight toward Clive.

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Clive sensed someone coming closer and turned his head.

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It was that mysterious Level 8 powerhouse, the patriarch of the Dragon Abyss Clan.

He instinctively straightened up, a hint of caution flickering in his eyes, but what really caught him off guard was an odd feeling of kinship, a sense of closeness he couldn’t quite put into words.

It was odd.

Clive was always careful, he never trusted strangers.

But with this guy, his guard just dropped, like some ancient instinct in his bloodline whispered, “You can trust him.”

Shine came to a halt right in front of him.

The two held each other’s gaze for a few seconds.

Clive inclined himself slightly. “Sir.”

Shine looked at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was excitement, gratification, and a subtle hint of anticipation.

“Young man,” he said, his voice as deep as a bottomless abyss, “what’s your name?”

“Clive Blackthorne”, Clive replied.

“Clive Blackthorne…” Shine repeated the name thoughtfully, then suddenly smiled. “That’s a good name”

He reached into his robes and pulled out an ancient pendant, holding it out to Clive.

The pendant was deep green, carved with a coiled dragon. In the dragon’s eyes, two tiny gemstones shimmered with an enigmatic gleam under the lights.

“This is for you,” Shine said.

Clive hesitated, surprised, and didn’t reach out to take it. Wait, what’s this about?’ he wondered, then said. “Sir.

this…

“It’s fate,” Shine interrupted, his voice firm and leaving no room for argument.

“Hold onto this pendant. When you have a moment, drop by the Dragon Abyss estate for a visit.

He paused, studying Clive closely. “You really remind me of someone from my past.

“Maybe you’re the child he left behind.

“Let me tell you about them.”

Clive’s heart jolted.

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Chapter 162

‘Someone from his past?’ he thought, stunned.

‘An orphan?’

A tidal wave of emotions crashed through him.

He was an orphan.

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He grew up on the Planet Ashen-III, crawled out of the garbage heaps, and built the Blackflame Trading Guild with nothing but his own hands.

He never imagined his life would hold any mysteries.

He reached out and took the ancient pendant. As soon as it touched his palm, a gentle warmth spread through his hand, and he could feel a subtle ripple of energy inside.

“Thank you, Sir,” Clive said, his voice a little strained, with a hint of emotion.

Shine nodded, gave Clive one last lingering glance, then turned and walked away.

His silhouette melted into the crowd, vanishing as if he’d never even been there.

Clive stood rooted to the spot, gripping the pendant in his hand, a strange and unfamiliar emotion surging in his chest.

He lowered his gaze to the coiled dragon carved into the jade, and that mysterious pull in his bloodline only grew stronger.

It felt like there was some dormant power deep inside him, quietly waiting to awaken.

Clive glanced at his Optical Brain, noticing it had been blinking with notifications while he was talking to Shine.

[Dora: Major breakthrough!

[Regina, Kael, and the Frostveil Star Elders are conspiring to frame the Blackflame Trading Guild for smuggling.

[They’ve got a stash of black ore and want to use this opportunity to legitimize it

[Plus, they’ve got someone from the military backing them, someone ranked even higher than Kael.]

[Rafe: The Sterling family’s in on it for sure. This whole thing is way more tangled up than it looks, lots of people are involved.]

[Elmer: If they really stick us with the charges, the military’s gonna come after the Blackflame Trading Guild That’s so ruthless!]

[Lioren. I’ll let my mom know and keep tabs on where the crystal ore ends up l

[Lucian: I’ve dug up proof that the military’s involved too. The web behind all this is seriously complicated.)

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[Dora: So the real question is, how do we break this setup?]

Dora was just about to type another message when she felt Lioren shift slightly in her arms.

She glanced down and saw his cat ears standing straight up, his amber eyes locked on something in a particular direction.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Lioren replied, “Over there… Clive’s talking to the patriarch of the Dragon Abyss Clan.”

Dora followed his gaze.

Sure enough, Clive was standing in a corner, deep in conversation with a middle-aged man dressed in a dark gray robe.

The elder had a cultured, distinguished air, his aura completely restrained, yet Dora could tell right away he was anything but ordinary.

Then she saw the elder hand Clive something, give his shoulder a gentle pat, and walk away.

Clive stood there, staring down at the object in his hand, his expression a mix of emotions.

Dora frowned.

“What’s going on?’ Dora thought.

She was just about to walk over when her Optical Brain buzzed again.

Lucian’s message popped up.

[Lucian: Let’s play along and turn their plan on its head.]

[Dora: How exactly?]

[Lucian

step

frame the Blackflame Trading Guild for smuggling, so the military can

the pretense of investigating a smuggling case, I’ll take the impostor ne spot.]

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