Chapter 170: The Scheme of the White-Haired Old Man

Kurosawa Yusei and Kurosawa Shaosheng were the only two remaining subordinates of the Sage of Six Paths.

For reasons unknown, while the souls of all their other comrades had been completely devoured, these two had been spared.

The events of that day remained vivid in their minds: their companions falling around them, their souls torn from their bodies, devoured by the Sage of Six Paths while their physical shells were consumed by the Otsutsuki Patriarch.

The partnership between the Sage of Six Paths and the Otsutsuki Patriarch was both terrifying and invincible.

Kurosawa Yusei and Kurosawa Shaosheng could only watch as their comrades perished, watching their kin die without being able to offer any help.

They had also considered ending it all, wishing for death to take them, but when faced with the reality of actual death, the two of them hesitated.

In the end, they did not truly die.

They still had each other.

Having miraculously survived, they continued to follow the Sage of Six Paths, though their personalities had drastically changed.

The two of them began blatantly using human lives to cultivate their strength!

The puppet soldiers belonging directly to the Sage of Six Paths and the Otsutsuki Patriarch were off-limits to them, but Orochimaru's people were fair game.

They did not believe Orochimaru could withstand the combined might of the Sage of Six Paths and the Otsutsuki Patriarch.

And reality proved them right; under the joint siege of the Sage of Six Paths and the Otsutsuki Patriarch, Orochimaru had no choice but to go into hiding.

...

Kurosawa Shaosheng stepped forward, loudly demanding that the master of the base show themselves.

They preferred not to launch a direct assault on the base immediately, as that might drive the occupants into a desperate, fearless counterattack.

They also hoped to follow the vine to unearth the melon.

Seeing one of the base's guards rush off to summon the master, the two brothers decided to wait for a moment.

In truth, the white-haired elder and other high-ranking officials had already arrived when the puppet army first approached, lurking in the shadows to assess the situation and act accordingly.

However, Orochimaru did not appear immediately, as he was still absorbed in his research.

"My lord, what should we do now?" asked one of the senior officials surrounding the white-haired elder.

Their original plan was to spread rumors throughout the base while Orochimaru engaged the puppet army, causing all the inhabitants to panic and flee in disarray.

They would then seize the opportunity to escape with the base's resources, leaving behind a chakra cannon as a parting "gift" for Orochimaru.

Now the plan had changed: Orochimaru had not shown himself immediately, and the puppet army was not launching an instant assault, suggesting there might be room for negotiation.

After a brief silence, the white-haired elder said, "I will go out and meet them!"

The other high-ranking officials exclaimed in shock, "My lord, isn't that too dangerous?"

The white-haired elder replied, "Danger and opportunity coexist. Perhaps we won't have to abandon the base after all? Wait for my news."

He took the initiative to reveal himself.

The white-haired elder soared into the air, appearing above the base entrance to lock eyes with the Kurosawa brothers—a scene fully visible to everyone inside the base.

Since the true intention of the Kurosawa brothers in summoning the base master was unknown—it could very well be a trap to lure someone out for assassination—the elder's decision carried immense risk.

Operating under the instinctive assumption that the elder was acting out of devotion to the base, the residents felt a deep wave of respect for him.

Leaders willing to put themselves on the front lines were a rare breed.

In reality, the white-haired elder had his own calculations.

He was nearly certain that the puppet army had been drawn here by that ghoul earlier. Was that ghoul entirely unafraid of death?

Certainly not.

Therefore, that ghoul must have reached some form of agreement with the puppet army.

Before seeing the Kurosawa brothers, he hadn't been sure, assuming the puppet army was entirely incapable of communication.

But seeing the Kurosawa brothers made him understand.

Everything was negotiable.

The white-haired elder flew out of the base, stopping right in front of Kurosawa Shaosheng.

Kurosawa Shaosheng looked slightly surprised and asked, "You came alone? Where is Kinmoku Hon?"

Kinmoku Hon was the name of that ghoul.

With a slight constriction of his pupils, the white-haired elder became even more certain that the ghoul had secured some agreement with the puppet army to avoid being killed—which meant he could do the same!

A faint smile touched his lips as he replied, "Kinmoku Hon is already dead."

A trace of annoyance crossed Kurosawa Shaosheng's face as he muttered, "He's dead?"

That complicated matters.

Gazing at the smiling white-haired elder, Kurosawa Shaosheng thought for a moment before gesturing to the nearly half-million puppet soldiers behind him and asking, "Do you know what this is?"

The white-haired elder looked in that direction, seeing the blank-faced puppet army standing as motionless as mannequins.

Yet no one could afford to underestimate their overwhelming power.

The white-haired elder nodded to indicate he understood.

"Good, as long as you know."

Kurosawa Shaosheng pressed on, "Do you want to live or die?"

The white-haired elder answered, "Naturally, I want to live."

A pleased smile spread across Kurosawa Shaosheng's face. "Then let's make a deal."

He flew closer, grabbing the white-haired elder by the hand, and said, "You tell me the locations of the other bases, and I'll spare your life."

The white-haired elder frowned. "A single life isn't enough. Can all my people be spared as well?"
Kurosawa Shaosheng bared his teeth, his eyes flashing with a pair of blood-red dragon patterns, glowing a vivid crimson. He tightened his grip on the elder's hand and snapped, "Don't bargain with me! Just your life!"

A terrifying pressure surged from him, giving the impression that if the elder uttered a single word of refusal, he would be instantly slain.

At that moment, Kurosawa Yusei's leisurely voice drifted over from behind, "We are sparing your life solely because you have value—or do you seriously believe you can escape?"

He chuckled softly before continuing, "If you hadn't come before the two of us, you might have had a chance to run. But now, you will agree whether you want to or not!"

The white-haired elder frowned; the outcome wasn't looking particularly favorable.

Yet it still fell within his calculations. If only he survived, virtually all the resources in the base would belong to him.

Even if the spoils were split three ways among himself and the brothers, it would still far exceed taking a fraction of the supplies and fleeing with the base's higher-ups.

The corners of his mouth slowly split into a twisted, almost morbid smile. "Very well, I agree to your terms."

With that single sentence, dripping with boundless betrayal, he abandoned all his subordinates.

He added, "There is someone in the base named Orochimaru. He is exceptionally powerful, and his limits remain unknown. I advise you to pay close attention to him."

Kurosawa Shaosheng laughed quietly. "Orochimaru? Shares the same name as the Earth leader? Well then, I suppose I'll take my time killing him!"

Kurosawa Shaosheng did not believe this Orochimaru could be a match for him, let alone his older brother.

Facing the joint forces of himself and his brother, this Orochimaru was bound to fail.

The reputation of the ten great subordinates under the Sage of Six Paths was well-earned.

The white-haired elder shared this conviction.

Setting the Kurosawa brothers aside, he certainly didn't believe Orochimaru alone could single-handedly defeat an entire puppet army!

An army nearly half a million strong!

From the very beginning—including feeding the ghoul—his sole objective had been to maximize his own interests.

That was the very purpose for which he had established this base.

With the terms agreed upon, Kurosawa Shaosheng waved his hand forward. The massive army of half a million puppets behind him marched in unison, initiating their assault on the base.

Inside the base, ordinary residents and senior officials hiding in the shadows were waiting in suspense.

How had the white-haired elder's negotiation gone?

Wait, why was the puppet army marching right past the elder?

Did it look peaceful?

Then why did the puppet army still look like they were about to attack the base?

An unthinkable possibility dawned upon them: had the master of the base betrayed them?!

Deep within the base, inside a laboratory, Orochimaru raised his head. His gaze pierced straight through the walls, landing upon Kurosawa Shaosheng and Kurosawa Yusei.

"Has the battle finally begun? And it's the two of you, heh."

He stripped off his white lab coat and stepped out of the room.

Time to engage the enemy.