I Can Extract Divine Power

The fissure was sealed without the slightest gap, as if it were a single, complete painting.

Within the painting, the landscapes were lifelike, the vegetation indistinguishable from the real thing.

The reassembled Shadow in the Painting exuded an incomparably sinister and cold aura, more than twice as powerful as before.

Abbot Xuanzhen put away the Shadow in the Painting, falling into deep thought.

His contemplation lasted only a moment before he returned to his usual self.

"When the mineral lode is breached, there will surely be a strange phenomenon. I will unfurl the scroll then," said Abbot Xuanzhen.

After some consideration, he had just decided not to make his move out in the open.

Although the academy had only sent two people, who could say for certain that they didn’t have other tricks up their sleeve?

If they were seen killing Piaoxu, it would undoubtedly lead to significant trouble.

No one present had any objections to Abbot Xuanzhen’s reasoning.

The group then began to rest where they were.

Abbot Xuanzhen knew full well they weren’t the only ones with this idea. The local Demonic Forces of Nanxing Prefecture were also involved.

And there were powerful entities among them.

They didn’t possess the Shadow in the Painting, so when the time came, they would likely resort to a frontal assault, attempting to fish in troubled waters.

When that happened, the commotion would be immense, allowing them to use the Shadow in the Painting to pull the entire mine into the scroll amidst the chaos.

...

Time passed, and a day slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Shen Bai had grinded for another day and night, and his Divine Thousand Miles had improved significantly.

He was still a ways off from the next level, though.

Outside, sunlight streamed through the window, brightening the floor.

Shen Bai temporarily abandoned the idea of grinding his Skill Level and walked outside.

A low murmur came from outside the door. Members of the Observatory had gathered and were on standby.

The matter of the Hundred Truths Remains was no small affair, so naturally, they couldn’t afford to be complacent.

When the men saw Shen Bai, they immediately straightened up and stood at attention.

Shen Bai waved his hand. "At ease. Have the ores been fully absorbed?"

He didn’t need an answer. The moment he asked, he saw it for himself.

In a nearby clearing, chunks of ore lay quietly on the ground, all of them having lost their color.

Fan Kai stood nearby, holding a fist-sized piece of ore. Any Cultivator could sense the terrifying energy contained within it.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "Let’s begin."

Fan Kai nodded and placed the ore in the very center of the clearing.

After a full night of preparation, he had everything arranged. Securing the mineral lode was now just a matter of time.

The moment the ore touched the ground, waves of immense power radiated from it.

At Fan Kai’s urging, the ore’s energy surged into the earth.

As the power flowed in, the ground began to tremble faintly, as if a great beast was about to awaken.

Just then, beads of cold sweat broke out on Fan Kai’s face.

Even with the ore as a source of power, performing the Surveyor Secret Technique was still taking its toll on him.

Thankfully, it was merely strenuous.

The tremors gradually intensified but didn’t last long.

After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the tremors gradually subsided.

Once the tremors vanished completely, Fan Kai finally straightened up, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"It’s finally done, Lord Shen," Fan Kai said.

Shen Bai was no Surveyor himself, but since the expert was confident, he assumed any issues would be minor.

With that thought, Shen Bai walked over to Fan Kai.

"How do we open the passage?" Shen Bai asked.

Fan Kai pointed to the ore. "I just need to shatter this, and the passage will open on its own. But Lord Shen, are you and your men ready? Once it’s open, it can’t be closed."

"Just open it," Shen Bai said.

’We’ve come this far; of course we’re going in. To back out now would be like getting someone completely naked only to rub up against them without going all the way. That makes no sense. You have to put it in, right?’

Fan Kai said, "In that case, I’ll begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Kai raised his finger and tapped the ore.

As Fan Kai completed the motion, a spiderweb of cracks appeared on the ore before them.

The cracks instantly began to spread, covering the entire ore in the blink of an eye.

"CRACK!"

With a sound like a shattering eggshell, the ore crumbled into a pile of fragments on the ground.

The ground began to shake again. The spot where the ore had been placed gradually caved in, revealing an enormous pit.

The pit immediately began to deepen, and in the blink of an eye, it formed a three-foot-square opening that was bottomless.

Fan Kai was just about to speak.

But just then, a wave of battle cries suddenly erupted from down the mountainside.

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow and looked down the mountain. "Go assist the constables from the Government Office. As for the invaders... kill them all."

Yao Long nodded. "As you command!"

Half of the men from the two divisions split off, taking up their Weapons and flying down the mountainside.

Shen Bai had fully expected this to happen.

The greater the calm, the more likely the danger.

A storm often hides in the calm.

’But I already accounted for this,’ Shen Bai thought.

’Trying to force their way in is the most foolish approach. They’ll only be throwing their lives away.’

Shen Bai turned and said, "Another detachment will enter with me. Yao Long, you and the rest will stand guard outside in case of any surprises."

Yao Long clasped his fist. "Yes, Lord Shen!"

An order from the Observatory was absolute.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yao Long began arranging his men and setting up a defensive perimeter.

The remaining men stood ready, preparing to descend into the pit with Shen Bai.