I Can Extract Divine Power

The great hall was silent and deserted.

The dishes on the table had barely been touched. Abbot Xuanzhen and Qi Huang Taoist were both staring at half a painting spread out on the tabletop.

The painting depicted mountains and water, rendered with extreme vividness.

The landscape was a picturesque scene of green mountains and clear water, so captivating that one could get lost in it just by looking, as if it were the work of a true master.

"With this Deceitful Object, the Shadow in the Painting, our work is already half done," Qi Huang Taoist said slowly, stroking his beard.

As the Sect Leader of the Wild Taoist Sect, he oversaw all major affairs in Nanxing Prefecture and wielded immense power.

He was, of course, intimately familiar with the Deceitful Object known as the Shadow in the Painting.

He just never expected that the Shadow in the Painting had been split in two, with each half ending up in the hands of the Wild Buddha Sect and Xinhua Academy.

Abbot Xuanzhen nodded. "The Shadow in the Painting is a self-contained world. We can place it somewhere and use it to pull a designated person inside."

"When the time comes, we will set up the Shadow in the Painting at the mine, then pull the entire area of the mine into it."

"I already know the landscape within it like the back of my hand. Once we pull Shen Bai in alone, he will have no chance of survival."

"After killing Shen Bai, we can use the Shadow in the Painting to enter the depths of the ore vein and retrieve the Hundred Truths Remains."

"This plan will work."

As he said this, a faint smile appeared on Abbot Xuanzhen’s face, as if he could already picture the scene of Shen Bai’s death.

Shen Bai had thoroughly humiliated their two factions before. Now, it was time to reclaim their honor.

Once they killed the peerless genius of the Great Zhou Country and eliminated the future of its younger generation, the higher-ups would surely see them in a new light. All sorts of resources would pour in, and Nanxing Prefecture would be theirs for the taking.

The more Abbot Xuanzhen thought about it, the more delighted he became.

Qi Huang Taoist had originally thought the matter would be difficult, but after seeing the Shadow in the Painting, he felt a weight lift from his heart.

’Kill Shen Bai, then kill Piaoxu.’

If they succeeded, they would not only get their revenge but also shatter the status quo in Nanxing Prefecture—killing two birds with one stone.

"To our success." Qi Huang Taoist slowly raised his wine cup, his previous arrogance gone.

Abbot Xuanzhen clinked his cup against the Daoist’s, a sharp glint in his eyes.

Inside the great hall, the two men’s voices could be heard from time to time.

They were discussing the finer details, ensuring their plan was foolproof.

...

「A few days passed.」

Shen Bai sat in the Wooden House, a smile playing on his lips as he watched the dark shadow flicker and flow in his hands.

For the past few days, while the Government Office collected ore, Shen Bai had been grinding his Skill Level.

With a three-times multiplier, his Skill Level was increasing at a visible rate.

After several sleepless days of grinding, Shen Bai finally raised the Skill Level to Level 6.

A mist appeared before his eyes, curling gracefully. It was like an ephemeral, dream-like illusion, a profound and wondrous mystery.

A moment later, the mist dissipated, transforming into text that hovered in mid-air.

[Shadow Kill LV. 6 (Hidden +32, Hidden Track +32, Shadow-Dispelling +32, Night Combat +32, Creating Shadows +32, Clone +32): 0/20000]

The mist had just appeared when it suddenly shattered, transforming into a massive stream of Information that bored into Shen Bai’s mind.

Shen Bai’s vision gradually blurred.

This was a familiar scene, and Shen Bai remained unfazed.

A moment later, his vision cleared. Shen Bai was no longer in his room.

He now stood in a pitch-black space, where the only light came from sporadic flashes of moonlight.

An illusory figure sat cross-legged on the ground, its hands resting before its knees.

Although its expression was unreadable, the illusory figure seemed to have merged with the surrounding darkness, becoming one with it.

Shen Bai stroked his chin and watched patiently.

This was the space he entered after a level-up. Here, Shen Bai was merely an observer, unable to interfere with the unfolding events.

Ahead, from within a fog as black as ink, came a series of roars that made one’s hair stand on end.

The roars started faint, grew clearer, and finally became a thunderous clamor that rose and fell in waves.

Pairs of emotionless eyes opened within the darkness. The terrifying gloom seemed capable of devouring all things, yet it could not consume these eyes.

Eerie.

Each pair of eyes represented an Abomination.

Each Abomination exuded a terrifying aura.

Each wave of that aura sent a chill to the bone.

The Abominations charged out of the darkness, surging toward the illusory figure.

They wanted to tear all living things to shreds, craving flesh, blood, and slaughter, exuding a dreadful, bone-chilling cold.

The illusory figure remained in its seated posture. It slowly raised its right hand and pointed forward.

With this gesture, the surrounding darkness began to behave strangely.

The darkness bloomed in the void, like a flower on the banks of the Nether River, radiating a sinister cold and terror.

As Shen Bai watched, the illusory figure commanded all the darkness, condensing it into one terrifying silhouette after another.

Each silhouette shared the same outline as the original illusory figure.

A terrifying aura pulsed between the silhouettes.

Amidst this terrifying scene, the original figure simply gave a light wave of its hand.

The next moment, the silhouettes transformed into afterimages and charged at the horde of Abominations.

After launching a single attack, each shadowy figure would vanish without a trace.

Yet each attack carried the full power of the original illusory figure. It was terrifying.

The dense swarm of shadowy figures clashed continuously with the terrifying Abominations.

The battlefield was a raging inferno, and the cries of battle shook the heavens.

Before his eyes, the number of Abominations rapidly dwindled. When the last one had vanished, everything returned to calm.

The illusory figure remained in its seated posture, Immovable as a mountain.

The scene before Shen Bai’s eyes began to rapidly fade away.

When his vision refocused from a blur to perfect clarity, he found himself back in his room.

...

’Shadow Clones, unparalleled in their offensive power.’