I Can Extract Divine Power

The resentment the common folk held toward Red Makeup back then had accumulated to astronomical levels.

The aberration born from this terrifying resentment plunged the entire Sunset City into panic and terror.

The aberration was not Red Makeup, yet it was like her.

In the terror of this aberration, the entirety of Sunset City was reduced to endless ruin.

...

Shen Bai closed the last page and frowned. "No wonder Red Makeup looks like a paper doll. It was because of what Sunset City’s enemies did."

"But what does it mean, ’the aberration was not Red Makeup’?"

Zheng Xing said, "The aberration was born with Red Makeup as its foundation. Red Makeup is truly dead. What was born was merely the common folk’s resentment of her."

"The common folk’s resentment?" Shen Bai asked. "You mean Red Makeup died without any resentment of her own?"

Zheng Xing nodded. "Yes, Lord Shen. The ancient texts I consulted mentioned that Red Makeup knew she was a harbinger of disaster. She would sit in her room and weep, run through the streets seeking a solution, and even knelt and chanted scriptures for the dead out of guilt."

"A person like that might have seen death as a release. She wouldn’t have felt any resentment."

Shen Bai mused, "So in other words, it was the common folk’s resentment that doomed Sunset City, that turned everything into this aberration."

Zheng Xing said, "Exactly."

Shen Bai considered this for a moment. ’Zheng Xing’s theory does make some sense.’

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

Shen Bai said, "In any case, the Mysterious City is set to appear tomorrow. I’m going to meet this Red Makeup myself."

’Now that he had a clearer picture, he’d go see for himself just what this Red Makeup was planning.’

’If her intentions are good, I’ll accept it.’

’If they’re bad, I’ll obliterate her.’

’There is no third option.’

With that decided, Shen Bai continued, "How are the manpower arrangements coming along?"

Zheng Xing replied, "Everything has been arranged. Same as for the other anomaly, the heads of Divisions Jia and Yi will each take half our forces to the Mysterious City. We’ll have nearly a hundred Void Realm masters going."

A hundred Void Realm experts was a terrifying number. Even someone at the Void Realm Peak would have to think twice before facing them.

Shen Bai nodded. "You two will remain here and hold down the fort at the Observatory. I’ll lead the team on this one."

If for no other reason, Shen Bai had to go personally to deal with the Red Makeup situation.

Not to mention the Mysterious City itself, which was a source of Evil Qi he had no intention of wasting.

"Yes, Lord Shen," Zheng Xing promptly acknowledged.

Shen Bai said no more and dismissed Zheng Xing to handle the subsequent arrangements.

After Zheng Xing left, Shen Bai had planned to continue grinding his Divination Skill proficiency.

His Divination Skill Level was too low. After grinding his Mixed Element Array-Breaking Technique to Level 6, he had made this skill his top priority.

He would grind it whenever he had time. It was already at Level 4, and once he reached Level 4 Perfection, it would undergo its second qualitative change. Shen Bai figured the Divination Skill would be powerful enough for his needs after that.

Of course, with the Mysterious City arriving tomorrow, he certainly wouldn’t have time to level it up.

But just as he was about to start grinding, Amber playfully squirmed out of his embrace.

Amber had been getting more and more mischievous lately.

Shen Bai, however, didn’t say much about it.

’Perhaps it all came down to her looks.’

’Who could say no to a cute, mischievous cat-girl?’

’If she were some pig-faced creature, he would have tied her up and whipped her long ago.’

THUD!

With a soft thud, Amber landed on the floor.

When Shen Bai saw what Amber was wearing, he froze.

Amber had changed her clothes. She was now dressed in a sheer, gauzy robe.

Her crucial parts were barely hidden, and combined with her fluffy ears, she was an absolute masterpiece.

Her delicate features, her curvy figure, and those cat ears that just added to her charm... ’I can’t take this,’ Shen Bai thought.

"Master, do I look pretty?"

Amber lifted a small, pale fist to the corner of her mouth, even sticking out her pink tongue to give the back of her hand a little lick.

The gesture was a mix of feline laziness, feminine charm, and a soul-stirring allure.

The corner of Shen Bai’s mouth twitched. He stroked Amber’s cat ears and said, "Put your hair up—no, that’s not right. Change your clothes back!"

Amber pouted. "Other people get to wear things like this, but I can’t. Master, you’re so biased."

Despite her words, Amber’s form flickered, and she was back in her original outfit.

Shen Bai wrapped an arm around Amber’s head and started rubbing her fluffy ears vigorously. "Go three days without a spanking and you’ll be tearing the tiles off the roof. You’ve been getting awfully bold lately."

’I need to assert some masterly authority,’ Shen Bai thought. ’Otherwise, I’m really not sure I can handle this charming cat-girl.’

Amber kept crying out that it tickled, her face flushing a deep red.

After a while, Amber finally started begging for mercy, nuzzling affectionately against Shen Bai’s shoulder.

"Alright, spit it out. You’re clearly up to something," Shen Bai said, still rubbing her ears.

Their minds were connected, so he knew she must have a reason for acting out like this.

Amber stuck her tongue out, then looked up at Shen Bai with her emerald-green eyes. "Master, after we went to the Mysterious City and saw Red Makeup last time... remember how I told you she felt really familiar?"

Shen Bai thought back. He did remember her saying that.

"What, have you figured it out?"

Amber nodded emphatically. "Some of the Deceitful Beast’s memories are like keys. I’ve been carefully sorting through them ever since I got back, and I finally figured it out today."

Hearing this, Shen Bai asked, "What exactly is Red Makeup?"

More than anything else, Shen Bai was curious about Red Makeup’s current state.

Amber gathered her thoughts before speaking. "She’s in the process of transforming into a Deceitful Beast, but she’s not there yet. She’s just missing some sort of catalyst."