# Chapter 40: The World in the Dream (10)
The sky of the beastman world remained a fresh and tranquil light blue, with occasional wisps of clouds drifting past. To demonstrate respect and solemnity, the place chosen to display divine power was not the temple or altar, but another hall capable of accommodating all the beastmen present.
Under the priest's expressionless gaze, the girl in the bamboo hat finally lifted the brim that had concealed most of her features.
The first thing visible was hair of a silver so near-pale it seemed to spill across the ground—a hair color extremely rare in the beastman world. It was not that naturally rough gray, but silky and crystalline, shimmering brightly under the sunlight.
The beastmen watching could not help but gasp. Qi An glanced over the girl's face. She possessed every characteristic of the elf race: pointed ears, fair skin, nobility and sanctity that radiated from her very being.
The elf race was a wondrous species. Every individual possessed exquisite features that stirred admiration, along with an elegant气质 that could not be concealed. Qi An noticed her silver eyes—so devoid of emotion—sweep past the others before settling on him, followed by a slight nod.
*[No wonder Zhang Zhaoqi and the others could so easily gain the beastmen's trust. Having an elf teammate is truly wonderful.]* The system watched alongside its host, then suddenly thought of something. *[By the way, An'an, why do you keep teaming up with Zhang Zhaoqi? It's already been three worlds.]*
Qi An was momentarily stumped by the question, then looked toward the young man with matching black hair and black eyes. The other stood alongside Wang Ziyi and Gao Lijun, his brow cold as iron, and simply standing there gave off an aura of steadfast stability. *[Indeed, it's already been three worlds.]*
*[...Probably because he's not like the others who would hinder me, and he can help cover my identity.]* Qi An's gaze shifted away from Gao Lijun, who was gesturing at him, and his eyes drooped slightly.
Besides, he hadn't done anything to make him unhappy.
*[Yeah, I think he's pretty good too.]* Just a very familiar high-level extra, with absolutely no threat. Much better than those strange people they've encountered in these worlds.
Although there did seem to be a hint of improper intentions, he was confident the guy only had the ambition without the guts.
The system, which prioritized its host, cheerfully agreed with Qi An, then quietly defined an attribute for Zhang Zhaoqi in its heart. But when the time came later, the system would desperately wish it could travel back and strangle its current self—even if it couldn't be that cruel to itself, it would at least damage its throat for a while.
He wasn't "pretty good" at all—he had wolf-like ambitions.
That ambition and those guts had grown to be intolerable by heaven.
But at this moment, the system could not yet comprehend its future heartbreak and indignation, nor how it would come to dare anger but not dare speak. It simply continued playing its role乖巧ly as one who did not disturb Qi An from completing his mission.
"I didn't expect them to actually have some skills." Cai Ni watched Wang Ziyi actually heal the critically ill beast, and Zhang Zhaoqi display power through talismans that differed from the priest's divine abilities. His eyes widened, and he couldn't help but lightly tug at Qi An's sleeve.
"Mm." Qi An nodded, turning to look toward the priest. He found the other's expression still remained indifferent.
Even though the beastmen gathered in the hall now showed hesitation in their eyes, their gazes still held no faith—they continued believing in the Beast God. In truth, Qi An's teammates this time were exceptionally outstanding. No matter how the beastmen of the Typhoon Tribe speculated and suspected, they remained composed throughout, without a trace of panic.
Earlier, Wang Ziyi had been concealing her face, unconsciously creating an aura of mystery. The beastmen could not help but speculate about her hidden features, whether with malice or curiosity. But when they first saw her face, all they felt was stunning admiration.
Following that, her transcendent, otherworldly气质 left an especially deep impression.
When they truly demonstrated their so-called divine power, the reverence and goodwill subtly generated would amplify the desired effect.
But the people of the Typhoon Tribe and other tribes were different—they still harbored hostility toward Zhang Zhaoqi and the others. The only thing that could cause this difference was that their priest was different.
The beastmen of the Typhoon Tribe believed in the Beast God with particular fervor.
"There's actually another matter we need to explain to everyone." Wang Ziyi coldly spoke. "When we arrived yesterday, we discovered that one among you carries the aura of the Evil God."
"I wonder who the honored one refers to?" The priest's expression shifted slightly.
"Ewen. We originally didn't want to disturb the peace of the tribe, but since the matter of the Evil God is indeed significant, we wanted to speak of it while everyone was present." Wang Ziyi didn't continue. Instead, Gao Lijun, who had been silent, suddenly turned and curled her lips, adding, "I'm sure the priest大人 has noticed as well. I know the priest wished to avoid打草惊蛇, but the situation is urgent now. To prevent more people from being harmed, I still decided to speak of this matter."
These words undoubtedly threw the hall into chaos. Standing beside Qi An, Cai Ni had a moment of sudden realization. "So that's why he was able to easily defeat the other opponents during that trial."
Qi An raised his eyes and caught sight of Zhang Zhaoqi in the center, who glanced at Wang Ziyi and Gao Lijun with some surprise. After the girl with the ponytail said something to him, he returned to his cold demeanor.
"Ewen... he..." Qi An responsibly performed the script Gao Lijun had given him, calling Ewen's name with an emotionless tone first.
Beside him, Cai Ni also forgot about the matter of the Evil God, his brow furrowing sharply. Qi An was usually so quiet, always sitting there quietly and乖巧 whenever something major happened. Just now, the young man had been answering his chat so dismissively that he'd thought the other was spacing out.
But he also knew—the young man always selectively ignored certain things. He was particularly good at catching keywords. As soon as the two characters "Ewen" were mentioned, his expression would noticeably come alive.
"Ewen, are you truly connected to the Evil God?" The亚雄 was instantly isolated. The beastmen standing beside him stepped back a few paces. A large empty space suddenly appeared around the亚雄.
"I... haven't!" Ewen refuted hastily, his brow seemingly damp with a faint layer of anxious sweat.
He clearly hadn't expected to be implicated. First he stood frozen, unable to react, then immediately shouted loudly.
But this voice was immediately drowned out by the议论 around him.
*[An'an, judging from his expression, he does seem truly innocent.]* The system spoke in Qi An's mind. *[I feel like he really has nothing to do with the Evil God.]*
*[Beasts don't have the need to lie.]* Qi An's tone paused slightly. *[Besides, no one would believe him just because of this.]*
At noon, the beast had written something on the ground.
It first wrote out its identity—it was the previous priest of the Typhoon Tribe.
When it was in its prime, during a routine prayer, the Beast God suddenly issued a command: to choose Moore as the next priest, and to kill Ewen the moment he was born.
When the Beast God issued this decree, it said Ewen was the reincarnation of the Evil God, and must be killed before he could recover his past memories and power. To ensure Moore could exert his full effort to kill Ewen, and to avoid打草惊蛇, the Beast God said it would personally cultivate Moore.
"After I publicly announced Moore's succession as priest, I immediately went to the tribe where Ewen was born and devised ways to kill him. During this time, I heard many reports of Moore's extraordinary divine power. I thought it was because the Beast God personally cultivated him that he became so outstanding. But since he was my successor, I wanted to complete the Beast God's mission early so I could guide him."
"However, I couldn't kill Ewen. I harmed him countless times, but each time he would lose those memories, die and be reborn. So, I planned to return to the tribe to report to the Beast God and devise a new strategy, only to discover all traces of my existence had vanished. No one knew me."
"My divine power is not abundant. Without the altar's assistance, I cannot communicate with the Beast God. I could only潜伏 by Ewen's side again, until I returned here as a beastman of the Buna Tribe and found he had already begun awakening. I hurried to find Moore, wanting to tell him about this..."
The surrounding beastmen's gazes turned to disgust and fear. Ewen's expression suddenly became somewhat dazed.
Although influenced by Qi An before, the surrounding gazes had been uncomfortable, they had never treated him as a complete outsider like this.
Cold and indifferent, the last warmth in their eyes completely gone.
"Tch, I knew he wasn't a good person. He really is connected to the Evil God."
No, I haven't.
Ewen refuted, but his rebuttals grew increasingly苍白无力. He didn't know what to say, could only shake his head repeatedly.
"The last time he beat Kongdao, I already thought something was off. He's just an亚雄, can't even transform into his beast form, yet he could defeat so many people..."
"Why doesn't the priest大人 give a statement as well?" Gao Lijun满意地 watched this scene, then lightly asked the priest.
The priest gave her a knowing glance, lingering briefly on Qi An, whose gaze was wandering. "Indeed, Ewen is truly connected to the Evil God."
This statement served as the final verdict. No one would doubt Moore's words. The beastmen who had been wavering also looked at Ewen with ill intentions. These gazes were like blades stabbing directly into Ewen's soft heart.
His face grew paler and paler.
"I haven't..."
"I really don't know how someone like that managed to gain An'an's favor. Wouldn't that just hurt his heart?"
This sarcastic remark immediately entered Qi An's ears. No one believed him—except Qi An...
Qi An...
He would believe me.
Ewen's gaze swept across the surroundings, then locked onto the frail-figured Qi An. He ran toward Qi An's direction.
Sensing his intent, the surrounding beastmen immediately moved to seize him. But Ewen suddenly erupted with surprising power, his speed too fast, breaking through the many beastmen blocking his path. He ran to Qi An, who appeared to be startled.
The young man before him was the same as always—face as pale as paper, so fragile that even a light touch might cause injury. Ewen grabbed him, and a glaring red mark immediately appeared on the other's slender arm. Ewen hastily softened his grip, nearly pleading, "You will believe me, right?"
His tone carried a clear tremor.
The other liked him.
This was something all the beastmen in the beastman world clearly understood. He had once hated it, because it made his life even more difficult. Whenever he wanted to do something, he always faced hindrance and mockery from others.
But he had to admit—he felt secret joy.
Because this person, cherished by everyone, liked him.
"Ah?" Qi An paused, somewhat helplessly lowering his gaze to look at his reddened arm from the grip, as if not daring to look at him.
"I have nothing to do with the Evil God. You will believe me, right?" Ewen愣了一下, then repeated word by word, his voice cracking toward the end. His hand gripping Qi An's also began to tremble.
Qi An could feel the sweat seeping from the other's palm. He was using those eyes to gaze专注ly at himself, seemingly needing to extract an answer from Qi An's mouth.
And in those eyes, there was a full measure of pleading.
*[I feel like he's a bit pitiful. What if we... trick him?] The system felt a little uncomfortable, attempting to ask. *[Trick him by saying we believe him.]*
"You're scaring him." Moore appeared swiftly beside Qi An, speaking coldly. "And why should he believe? Believe someone connected to the Evil God?"
"Do you... deserve to?" The priest coldly questioned, frowning at the hand tightly gripping Qi An's. He placed his own hand over them, attempting to pry them apart.
The priest employed divine power. No matter how Ewen struggled, his hand was still pulled away. Moore's expression turned ugly as he looked at the red mark on Qi An's hand. He extended his hand and gently caressed it.
There was a faint white light in his palm. In almost an instant, Qi An's hand was restored to its original state.
The surrounding beastmen rushed to seize Ewen. The亚雄, as if having lost all strength, was dragged backward by others.
Qi An prepared to glance at him, just in time to catch Gao Lijun, who had walked over, giving him a meaningful look. Thus his eyes deepened, and he spoke迷茫ly, "I... I don't know either."
"ROAR!"
In the depths of the jungle, a series of beast roars suddenly rang out. The beastmen grasping Ewen were knocked away by some unknown force, falling to the ground and staring in astonishment at Ewen, who seemed to be undergoing some transformation.
"Why don't you believe me?"
A low, dark, exceedingly hoarse voice emanated from Ewen.
Qi An's fingers trembled slightly. Moore beside him immediately grabbed him, smiling gently at him yet with an underlying bone-deep chill. "I will protect you. As long as... you stay by my side."
Qi An looked at him, smiling weakly. In his mind came the final words the beast had written.
"I ran to the temple, only to find the protective formation outside the temple had completely changed. I didn't think much of it at the time—I just wanted to find Moore quickly, so I entered the temple."
"But when I truly encountered him, I realized."
"He was that high-and-mighty Beast God, and he actually doesn't care at all about the lives of the beastmen."
"He simply watches everything coldly."