I Can Extract Divine Power

’Waiting for him to come in every few days is just too slow. I... need to be more proactive.’

As her voice faded, the entire city’s trembling began to subside.

Then, terrifying sheets of white paper appeared on the horizon, spreading far into the distance.

A rumbling sound echoed once more.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the rumbling finally began to fade.

"Cough..."

Inside the sedan chair, Hongyi coughed softly, sounding considerably weaker.

’With this, I’ve won. I can go find him now.’

’A whole month to draw it out... That’s too slow. I’ll give you a hand. Let’s make it five days.’

’That interesting man... he seems very strong. He should be able to handle it...’

Her voice gradually faded, and then, Hongyi’s figure vanished, along with the troop of paper figures.

The ruins fell silent once more, as if nothing had ever happened.

...

「Nanxing Prefecture, Xinhua Academy.」

Abbot Xuanzhen’s eyes snapped open, his face a mask of utter disbelief.

"What’s going on?!"

He shot to his feet.

At this moment, inside the secret grand hall, it was not only Abbot Xuanzhen who was present; even Daoist Qihuang and the Vice Dean were here.

When Abbot Xuanzhen shot to his feet, the other two men immediately turned to look at him.

The Vice Dean, leaning on his cane, coughed lightly and asked, "What has happened?"

Daoist Qihuang even brandished the Floating Dust in his hand.

For some time now, they had been accumulating resentment to trigger the descent of the Mysterious City.

Abbot Xuanzhen, meanwhile, was using his so-called secret method to continuously guide the process.

There was still a long time to go before the Mysterious City’s descent; after all, not enough resentment had been accumulated, so they were in no particular hurry.

But at this very moment, Abbot Xuanzhen’s sudden look of astonishment made the other two suspect something unusual was afoot.

And just as they suspected, when they both looked over, Abbot Xuanzhen’s expression shifted from calm to stunned shock, as if he had just witnessed the most astonishing thing in the world.

Daoist Qihuang said urgently, "What on earth happened? Spit it out! This is our last hope."

The Mysterious City was an indispensable tool for dealing with Shen Bai, obtaining the Hundred Truths Remains, and even striking a major blow against Nanxing Prefecture.

If something happened to the Mysterious City, they could forget about turning the tables anytime soon. It might even give Shen Bai an opportunity to wipe them all out.

That was why Daoist Qihuang was even more anxious than the Vice Dean.

After all, the Wild Taoist Sect and Wild Buddha Sect were currently in a weak position in Nanxing Prefecture, unable to even match many of the native local factions.

Abbot Xuanzhen finally snapped out of it. He tried to suppress his shock and said, "The Mysterious City I was communicating with... it’s suddenly gone."

Gone?

The Vice Dean frowned and asked, "What do you mean, ’gone’? Did it vanish, or is it something else?"

A grave expression appeared on Abbot Xuanzhen’s face. "It seems to have been suddenly destroyed. Yes, that’s right—destroyed. I went through so much trouble to establish contact, but in the blink of an eye, it was utterly obliterated by some immense power."

"Destroyed?"

The Vice Dean’s frown deepened.

"If it were a more ordinary Mysterious City, we might have been able to forcibly destroy it after entering. But besides us, no one knows about the Mysterious City. How could it have been destroyed?"

"Besides, a Mysterious City itself is hidden and formless. Apart from our specific method, getting inside is purely a matter of fate. How could something like this happen?"

Abbot Xuanzhen shook his head. "I don’t know either. This is bad news, but there is also some better news."

Upon hearing that the Mysterious City had been destroyed, Daoist Qihuang’s face had fallen, and he had even begun to feel a sense of despair.

He knew that without the Mysterious City, their chance to deal with Shen Bai was gone. When their superiors inevitably came looking for someone to blame, he would be the first to face the consequences.

But now, hearing Abbot Xuanzhen mention good news, he immediately perked up.

If even Abbot Xuanzhen considered it good news, it must be to their advantage—that much was certain.

He was now eager to know just what this good news was.

Abbot Xuanzhen paused. Then, under their expectant gazes, he slowly explained, "Although the Mysterious City I was communicating with was destroyed, I have connected to an even more powerful one. And for some unknown reason, its descent is happening extremely fast. It will arrive here in about five days."

"In five days?"

The Vice Dean rubbed his cane. "Do you think there’s anything strange about this?"

It was baffling. One Mysterious City was destroyed, and just as bafflingly, a new one had taken its place.

If word of this got out, it would sound utterly fantastical.

Even they found it incredibly bizarre.

Abbot Xuanzhen considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "These strange phenomena are, by their very nature, profoundly mysterious. No one knows why they appear. But since such a bizarre event has occurred, it must be related to the Mysterious City itself."

"It’s impossible that anyone else is involved. After all, no one knows we were planning to communicate with a Mysterious City to move against Nanxing Prefecture."

After hearing this, Daoist Qihuang pondered for a moment. "So, by your reasoning, we should proceed with the plan, correct?" he asked.

Abbot Xuanzhen nodded. "The Vice Dean will support us, so we shall continue. We’ve already invested immense energy into this venture. To give up halfway would be the greatest loss of all."