I Can Extract Divine Power

There was no way to take this item out of here, but in the Mysterious City, it felt incredibly real—as if it were genuine.

"How much for this?" Shen Bai asked.

As soon as Shen Bai asked the question, he could clearly sense the merchant before him breaking into an even wider grin.

From those eyes, tears of blood began to stream, dripping from his chin onto the ground.

Yet the merchant seemed utterly oblivious, speaking slowly, "To take this wooden comb, all I require is your fresh blood. About one jar’s worth."

A large wine jar materialized in the merchant’s hand, which he then placed on the ground.

"Sir, shall I help you draw the blood?"

He stated it as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world, his tone perfectly calm.

Shen Bai placed the wooden comb back down, shook his head, and said, "I’m not buying it."

That brief exchange had come at no small cost.

Shen Bai wanted to check out the other stalls.

But as he started to stand, the merchant’s expression changed abruptly.

The radiant smile vanished, replaced by a cold, savage look.

"Thinking you can just walk away after looking? There’s no such custom here. On our Strong Sale Street, we never allow anyone to browse without buying."

"Sir, you *must* buy."

The moment he finished speaking, the merchant pulled a steel knife from his robes and lunged, aiming for Shen Bai’s heart.

"Since you don’t want to draw your own blood, let me help you. It won’t hurt. Just a full jar, and you can take the item with you."

His Speed was immense; even an ordinary Meridian Realm cultivator would have found it nearly impossible to react in time.

’So that’s how it is. Strong Sale Street... This street’s entire gimmick is forcing people to buy things.’

Shen Bai extended his left hand and flicked a finger.

A searing ray of Buddha’s Light shattered the steel knife and instantly pierced through the merchant’s chest.

A raging fire erupted from the merchant’s body, and in the blink of an eye, he was incinerated, leaving only ashes behind.

This wasn’t an effect of the Dharma Vajra Fist; it was simply how the merchant disappeared after being attacked.

As mentioned before, the Mysterious City likely operated on numerous intertwined rules. Now, upon hearing the three words "Strong Sale Street," Shen Bai had already figured out this particular street’s rule.

If you so much as looked at an item at a stall, you were required to buy it.

Whether the item you were forced to buy was good or bad was purely a matter of luck.

If other Jianghu People were in this situation and saw a top-tier Cultivation Technique, they might have actually given up a jar of blood to comply with Strong Sale Street’s rule.

But Shen Bai was different.

After killing the merchant, Shen Bai noted with some regret that it hadn’t been an anomaly, so he didn’t gain any Evil Qi.

However, Shen Bai didn’t linger. He turned and scanned his surroundings.

At that moment, the expressions of all the other merchants on Strong Sale Street had changed.

Once a rule was broken, it created a ripple effect that altered the rules of the entire street.

One after another, the merchants lunged at Shen Bai like ghouls that had spotted a living soul.

"Interesting. This street’s rules are rather simple, and its enforcers aren’t very strong," Shen Bai remarked faintly.

Cold Moon was unsheathed from his waist, and Blood Red Sword Qi erupted from its blade.

The next instant, countless streams of Blood Red Sword Qi pinned every merchant on the street to the ground.

After the Blood Red Sword Qi erupted, the terrifying shockwave tore the street to pieces.

As far as the eye could see, nothing was left intact.

The once-bustling street fell silent in an instant.

Shen Bai glanced back at the decaying soldiers by the city gate.

They stood guard as if they hadn’t seen a thing.

’A rule is a rule. Their rule is to guard the gate. Even though I’ve wreaked havoc over here, they haven’t reacted at all.’ Shen Bai had gained another piece of Information.

He took a few more steps forward and unearthed a book from the rubble.

It had been on one of the stalls.

Shen Bai picked it up casually, examining it for a moment. ’A decent Sword Dao Cultivation Technique. Out in the real world, people would be fighting over this.’

Possessing the Level 6 Anti-Demon Sword Dance, Shen Bai had already achieved great heights in Swordsmanship and could discern the quality of this Cultivation Technique at a single glance.

The Cultivation Technique couldn’t be taken out of the city, but one could memorize it and then practice it according to its instructions after leaving.

However, Shen Bai had neither the interest nor the time for that.

He had come here for Evil Qi and to find a so-called great fortune.

In his eyes, this was not that fortune.

Since he couldn’t take it with him, Shen Bai tossed the Cultivation Technique aside like a piece of trash.

Any Cultivator who practiced Swordsmanship would have cried out at such a waste.

Having done all this, Shen Bai continued onward.

According to what Amber had told him, an anomaly was bound to appear under each rule.

Now that Shen Bai had destroyed the rules of this place, the anomaly should be making its appearance.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Shen Bai stopped dead in his tracks. His gaze shot toward the end of the ruined street.

From around the corner at the far end, the sound of footsteps echoed.

The steps were sometimes light, sometimes heavy, and at other times sounded like shuffling feet, scraping against the ground.

Moreover, accompanying the footsteps was the periodic ringing of a Bell.

As Shen Bai’s gaze fixed on the corner, a figure slowly came into focus, shifting from a blur into a clear shape.

It was an anomaly, only about 1.5 meters tall, with a humanoid appearance.

The anomaly carried a shoulder pole, with a worn-out basket hanging from each end.

The baskets were filled with a chaotic jumble of miscellaneous items.

The anomaly was short and squat, its face contorted into a savage sneer. Its right hand rested on the pole, keeping it balanced.

In its left hand, it held a Bell, which it shook continuously.

It shook the Bell with every step it took.

It was walking, of course, straight toward Shen Bai.

Shen Bai could sense a terrifyingly cold aura emanating from the anomaly, as oppressive as the dead of night.

"Finally, a real prize," Shen Bai murmured, the corners of his lips turning up slightly.

’The Bell can sow confusion in one’s mind... so what does the shoulder pole do?’

Shen Bai slowly drew Cold Moon from his waist. He wiped his left hand across the blade, and Blood Red Sword Qi gathered, latent but unreleased, humming with terrifying power.

This was the real fortune. If he killed this anomaly, the street’s rules would be completely broken, and he would also gain Evil Qi. It was killing two birds with one stone.

As Shen Bai considered this, the peddler-like anomaly finally came to a halt.