I Can Extract Divine Power

"You swallowed me. Now you’ll pay the price."

Shen Bai licked his lips and began to wield his Anti-Demon Blood Sword Dance even faster.

His other hand didn’t stay idle. It transformed into a terrifying Buddha’s Light, obliterating everything in the vicinity.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls. They were unexpectedly tough, but even so, they couldn’t withstand Shen Bai’s attacks.

The cracks deepened, spreading at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Just then, the hundred or so different attacks from before coalesced into humanoid figures, materializing in front of Shen Bai.

’Interesting. They seem stronger now that they’ve taken human form.’

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes, looking at the hundred-plus humanoid figures before him.

They weren’t Deceitful beings, just phantoms born from the convergence of a hundred different abilities.

Manifesting in human form made them even more powerful.

No sooner had Shen Bai spoken than the hundred humanoid figures pounced on him.

’They’re stronger, but still not powerful enough... Wait, what’s this?’

Just as he was about to attack, something unusual happened.

The hundred humanoid figures suddenly merged as they charged, forming a single middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man carried a refined, scholarly air about him.

Beneath that scholarly air, however, was a trace of the cold, sinister aura unique to the Deceitful.

Shen Bai didn’t swing his sword, because the middle-aged man had stopped.

At the same time, Shen Bai saw a flicker of emotion unique to humans in the middle-aged man’s eyes.

"You’re conscious?"

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes and said, "Can you communicate?"

The scene before him defied common sense, but Shen Bai had a feeling that the person in front of him was no ordinary figure.

The middle-aged man sighed. "So... it’s finally time to die. Your strength is profound, young friend. Even my Hundred Truths Technique is no match for you. Truly, the new generation has surpassed the old."

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow. "Your identity."

He didn’t waste a single word.

If the middle-aged man couldn’t give him the answer he wanted, he wouldn’t hesitate to act.

After all, the current situation was far too strange.

This man was definitely one of the Deceitful, yet he possessed human consciousness. He wasn’t like Red Makeup, who was a being similar to a Deceitful Beast.

Seeing Shen Bai holding his longsword, the middle-aged man said helplessly, "Young friend, I am not your opponent. There’s no need to be so on guard."

"As for my identity... I am the City Lord of Sunset City."

"Red Makeup isn’t with you. What a pity. I won’t get to see her in my final moments."

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes. "The City Lord of Sunset City... Let me ask you, why are you in this state? You are one of the Deceitful, yet you have consciousness. That has never happened before in all of history."

If news like this were to get out, it would undoubtedly cause a massive stir.

The Great Zhou Country and all the other nations would probably come together.

Information about the Deceitful has always been a mystery.

Never before in history has anyone heard of a Deceitful being with consciousness.

And now, the Sunset City Lord actually had consciousness. If he could be studied thoroughly, it would bring about immense, even world-altering, changes to the current world.

The Sunset City Lord saw what Shen Bai was thinking and said with a bitter smile, "My consciousness is fleeting. By my calculations, I have an hour at most."

"As for how I gained consciousness... it’s a long story."

"Back then, Sunset City was attacked by paper effigies. An extremely terrifying Deceitful being descended, bringing about a devastating catastrophe."

"I eventually destroyed the paper effigies, but I was already grievously injured with no hope of recovery. The entire Sunset City had become a city of the dead, with resentment soaring to the heavens, destined to transform into a Deceitful entity."

"So I sealed Sunset City underground, hoping to delay the inevitable for a while."

"During that time, I discovered Red Makeup. Though she had died, a sliver of her soul was attached to a paper effigy."

"Through my research with the Hundred Truths Technique, I discovered that Red Makeup had a chance to live on. If I turned her into a paper effigy, added Spirituality, and had her form a contract with a person, she could become a Deceitful Beast."

"But I felt something was wrong. I was dying, and this whole city was about to become a Deceitful entity. So, I linked Red Makeup to Sunset City, allowing her to control it and prevent it from appearing in the world."

At this point, the Sunset City Lord paused for a moment.

Shen Bai frowned and said, "If that’s the case, it does make sense."

According to the Sunset City Lord, the reason Red Makeup stayed here for so long was to prevent the Deceitful entity that Sunset City had become from emerging into the world.

But there was still one question: why did the Sunset City Lord have consciousness?

Before Shen Bai could ask, the Sunset City Lord provided the answer.

"After I linked Red Makeup to Sunset City, I discovered that because of this connection, I could borrow her consciousness to achieve brief moments of clarity."

"But this clarity doesn’t last long, and each time I awaken, the duration becomes shorter."

"Perhaps after a few more times, I will no longer wake up at all."

"What’s even more absurd is that even when I’m lucid, I’m still trapped within this palace. The only way for anyone to see me is if the Deceitful palace uses its Suction Power technique, but how difficult is that?"

’That’s true,’ Shen Bai thought. ’If it were anyone but me, they probably wouldn’t have stood a chance. Never mind anything else, just the battle to get in here was likely something no one else could have survived. After all, the title ’invincible at the same rank’ isn’t just for show.’

"You sought me out alone. You must want something," Shen Bai said.

’If he didn’t want anything, he wouldn’t have appeared here. Was it just to find someone to chat with? That’s ridiculous.’

The Sunset City Lord nodded. "Actually, there are two things."

"First, I hope you will take good care of Red Makeup from now on, young friend. I owe her too much, and this is the only thing I can do for her."

Shen Bai said, "If she becomes my Deceitful Beast, I will naturally treat her well. So, what’s the second thing?"

’The first thing isn’t an issue,’ Shen Bai thought. ’I’m more interested in the second.’

Upon hearing this, a look of terror actually appeared on the Sunset City Lord’s face. He said, "During my time as one of the Deceitful, I’ve heard certain voices in my haze."

"This world... is not as simple as we imagine..."